iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- You know those pesky pop-ups advertising tech support for your computer? Be careful. The FBI highlights tech-support fraud as a growing trend in the agency's latest report on cybercrime.



The most common type of online crime stems from internet transactions -- the failure to either deliver goods or services ordered or to pay for them, according to the FBI's 2017 Internet Crime Report released this week.



Another cybercrime that continues to be prevalent is what the FBI calls "confidence or romance fraud," when perpetrators build trust with victims, then persuade them to send money or personal and financial information.



Tech-support fraud is a widespread scam, with criminals constantly changing their tactics to continue the fraud, the FBI report said. The perpetrators may use anything from pop-up ads, phone calls and search-engine advertising to lure victims, and may pose as security, customer service or technical support personnel offering help with issues ranging from software-license renewal to computer viruses.



"Some recent complaints involve criminals posing as technical support representatives for income tax assistance, GPS, printer, or cable companies, or support for virtual currency exchanges," the FBI report said.



The FBI received nearly 11,000 complaints related to tech-support fraud in 2017 with claimed losses of nearly $15 million, a 90 percent increase in losses over 2016.



The most common cybercrime is failure to either deliver or pay for goods or services purchased online. More than 84,000 such crimes were logged by the FBI in 2017.



For cybercrime overall, the states of California, Florida and Texas had the highest number of victims and losses in 2017. Older Americans were the most common victims, with those over 60 losing $342 million to cybercrimes last year, the FBI report said.



The United States is not alone with this problem. Canada, India and the United Kingdom also reported significant levels of cybercrime.



Overall, internet crime in the U.S. alone caused losses of $1.4 billion dollars, but one security expert said such crimes are likely underreported.



"There's probably another percentage of people who've never reported the incident because they didn't know that there was an outlet that they could go to," Sam Kassoumeh, CEO and co-founder of security ratings firm SecurityScorecard, told ABC News.



Confidence fraud and romance scams caused victims to lose about $211 million in 2017 alone, the FBI report said. One version of this is when a criminal romances someone online, asks for money and then never talks to that person again. Think the MTV reality show Catfish, but with a monetary loss.



Kassoumeh told ABC News about an international scam like this in which a network of perpetrators would go online, befriend women and start online relationships with them. The scammers would tell the women they want to buy an item that can't be shipped to wherever they supposedly are, and then manipulate their victims into unwittingly serving as intermediaries for theft and fraud through the use of prepaid shipping labels and stolen credit cards.



The FBI also highlights a practice called business email compromise, which led to the highest amount of losses -- over $600 million -- in 2017.



In these cases, scammers target businesses, often through customer support.



Kassoumeh said such fraud is up now because more businesses are working with outside vendors, creating greater opportunities for cybercriminals.



"That creates a larger surface area to manipulate the people inside of a company. There are more companies to take advantage of," he said. "Third-party providers store some of the most sensitive, critical information. Think about how many companies in the U.S. use Amazon -- or Microsoft or Google as hosting providers."



The FBI reported that it receives more than 800 complaints a day for cyber-related incidents and more than 250,000 complaints each year -- a number that is growing every year.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 12)  The House of Representatives impeaches, and the Senate convicts.

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, in his 25-page dissenting opinion released Friday, made this statement, saying impeachment is the only method allowed under the Constitution to remove a member of the court.

"To allow any other method is to rewrite the Constitution. To permit this quo warranto petition to remove an incumbent member of this Court is to violate the Constitution," he said.

Instead, the court should have treated the quo warranto petition as an administrative investigation, Carpio said. Its findings and recommendation on the case will then be submitted to Congress, where an impeachment case against former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is ongoing.

On Friday, voting 8-6, the High Court ousted Sereno based on the quo warranto petition questioning her qualifications for the post. Carpio was one of the six justices who ruled against the petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida.

The senior associate justice said since failure to submit Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) constitutes betrayal of public trust, an impeachable offense, only Congress can remove Sereno on these grounds.

"Since the repeated failure to file the SALN constitutes culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, it is immaterial if the failure to file the SALN is committed before appointment to an impeachable office," he said.

However, he added it is up to Congress "to determine if the culpable violation of the Constitution or betrayal of public trust, committed before appointment as an impeachable officer, warrants removal from office."

The House justice panel has prepared the articles of impeachment against Sereno, and it is up for submission to the plenary. The Supreme Court decision on the quo warranto petition came before the resumption of the House of Representatives on May 15.

"No court, not even this Court, can assume the exclusive mandate of Congress to remove impeachable officers from office," he maintained.

The magistrate also quoted from a 2003 commentary of constitutionalist Fr. Joaquin Bernas, who said the impeachment process is "the Constitution's strongest guarantee of security of tenure. This guarantee blocks the use of other legal ways of ousting an officer."

Carpio, along with eight other justices, agreed that Sereno violated the Constitution for her failure to file her SALNs for 10 years before she applied for the chief justice post in 2012.Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has called on UK businesses to explore investment opportunities in the state which he said has emerged as a major industrial and corporate hub.

During a roadshow event organised in London yesterday by the Indo-European Business Forum (IEBF), Khattar gave an overview of Haryana's pace of development at a gathering of UK-based businesses and trade officials.

"This is our first roadshow in the UK and I am confident that we will find many investment opportunities of mutual interest because Haryana is a land of infinite opportunities and enterprise, he said.

"The state has emerged as a major industrial and corporate hub with the distinction of having the highest per capita income among all the major states of India. My government offers a well-balanced package of schemes and incentives to attract investment and is constantly upscaling the ease of doing business, he said.

Khattar, who is leading a high-level state delegation to the UK, also signed two MoUs in London, one for cooperation with the University of Birmingham to boost agricultural production and productivity and another with British multinational Johnson Matthey, which involves the creation of a new vehicle manufacturing facility with an investment of around Rs 800 crore in Haryana.

The project cost involves land acquisition, construction, installation of machines, commissioning, training of manpower and creating support infrastructure, a state government statement said.

Among some of the other sectors highlighted for collaboration with UK companies during the roadshow included solar energy, logistics, affordable housing and sustainable transport infrastructure.

"The chief minister has great understanding of what it means to be a truly welfare state. His Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao (educate the girlchild) campaign went on to be adopted at a national level in India," said Vijay Goel, founder-chairman of IEBF a platform set up to promote economic activity between India and Europe.

"Haryana is a hugely important state which offers world-class facilities for foreign investors, added Lord Karan Bilimoria, whose Cobra Beer brand has a brewery based in Saha region of the state for many years.

From London, Khattar's delegation is scheduled to travel to Edinburgh in Scotland for further investment-related discussions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Haryana-based lawyer was apprehended at the Delhi airport for allegedly using a "fake ticket" to enter the terminal building, officials said today.

H K Panwar, an advocate working at the district court in Bhiwani, was intercepted by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel yesterday as he was about to leave the Terminal-3 building of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, they said.

He was stopped and questioned as exiting the departure terminal area is not usually permitted for passengers, the officials said.

The advocate told the security personnel that he used a "cancelled" ticket to enter the terminal area to see off his mother, who was travelling to San Francisco, they added.

The man was subsequently handed over to the police as his ticket was a fake travel document and he was booked on charges of trespass and others, the officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij ordered the arrest of a "corrupt" SDO at a meeting in Kaithal even as the official pleaded for a chance to present his own case, according to a dramatic video clip on social media.

Arrest him,' Vij is heard telling policemen in the video purported to be of the district grievance redressal committee's monthly meeting chaired by the minister yesterday.

The minister wanted the Public Health Engineering Department's sub divisional officer (SDO) Ved Pal arrested over a graft complaint made by a contractor, Digvijay Singh of Kakheri village.

However, the local police had not carried out the arrest order up to this evening.

The minister repeatedly refused to hear out the SDO even when Superintending Engineer A K Pahwa came out in support of the junior officer, who is posted in Guhla.

Vij said if the complaint was proved false, the SDO can file a case against the complainant under section 182 of the Indian Penal Code, which punishes giving false information to a government official.

Pahwa suggested that an FIR should be registered only after an inquiry into the complaint.

Vij said, "Corruption is rampant in your entire department. I am not going to listen to anything. You can place your proof of innocence in the judicial court," he said in Hindi.

The SDO was seen being pushed back by the security staff as he tried to show some documents to the minister.

The minister got angry when the SDO said he was trying to place his version in a democratic manner.

"Arrest him," minister told the policemen present at the meeting.

"Oh bhai, mera naam Anil Vij hai. Pata hai tere ko (My name is Anil Vij. Do you know that)?" he is heard saying at one point.

When the SDO was told to sit by the security staff, he likened Vij's behaviour to the reign of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

It is like the rule of Aurangzeb, Aurangzeb's rule was better than this, the official said.

Following this, the minister ordered the security staff to show him the door.

The police said today they are waiting for a record of the meeting's proceedings before making the arrest.

The minister could not be reached for comment.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The IIT Kharagpur has suggested setting up a critical science institute with French collaboration.

The proposed Indo-French institute can have participation from all the IITs and select French companies, the premier institute said in a statement.

IIT KGP Director P P Chakrabarti said the institute is ready to play the role of the central partner/coordinating institute if such a proposal takes shape.

"We would be happy to take the proposal to the Centre provided the French corporations and government bodies are interested. Such collaboration will cut across disciplines and bring in people in large scale," the director said.

The critical science approach helps one probe beneath the surface meanings of words and symbols to comprehend root causes of problems instead of always treating the symptoms from a technical, quick-fix perspective, it said.

The IIT-KGP had organised a two-day R&D meet for French companies operating in India in collaboration with the French Embassy earlier this week.

The event was aimed at promoting academic and research collaborations and exchange of people in industrial sectors between France and India.

France is a powerhouse of art and culture on one hand and science and technology on other. We are in the advanced stages of signing MoUs with four French universities for collaborative opportunities on all areas, Dean, International Relations, Baidurya Bhattacharya said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)With Assembly polls just a few months away, the government in has roped in a private talent management company to shore up job prospects and impart necessary skills to youths.

The Opposition Congress has, however, dubbed the move as an "eyewash" aimed at "misleading" youths in the time of elections which are due by the year-end.

has created an average of 17,600 jobs every year in the past 13 years of the BJP rule (2004-2017), according to an official data presented in the Assembly during the budget session.

Now, a private player has been entrusted with the task of scouting employment opportunities in the non-government sector and enhancing job-getting skills of the state's unemployed.

Speaking to PTI, State Skill Development and Employment Generation Board chairman Hemant Vijayrao Deshmukh said, "In a bid to generate more jobs for youths, the state government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pune-based Yashasvi Academy for Talent Management Pvt Ltd.

"This company would turn the employment exchanges in 15 districts into placement centres under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode."



The MoU will cover 15 districts - Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Rewa, Gwalior, Sagar, Ujjain, Hoshangabad, Shahdol, Dhar, Khargone, Dewas, Singrauli, Satna and Katni.

The Congress, however, said this step of the BJP government would benefit only the private company.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ajay Singh of the Congress said, "Why has the BJP government woke up after 14 years? It is just trying to mislead youths. In any case, the BJP is going to be defeated in the coming elections.

"In the recent budget session, the government admitted that unemployment has gone up by 16.4 per cent."



Singh said the BJP government has failed to deliver on the employment front.

"Where are two crore jobs that the BJP had promised. Youths are under depression due to lack of jobs."



Deshmukh, however, believes the MoU with the Pune firm would definitely benefit the state's unemployed youths.

He said, "We have set a target of facilitating jobs for one lakh youths. Apart from making job opportunities available in the private sector, the company would also impart skills in writing curriculum vitae (CV) besides working for personality development of unemployed youths."



The agreement would boost the job sector as employment exchanges were fast losing their relevance, the board chairman said.

Apart from preparing unemployed persons as per market demand, job fairs and career counselling sessions will be organised by the company, Deshmukh said.

Jobs will be made available to applicants in their respective area of interest, he said.

Deshmukh said Yashasvi Academy would manage the cost of running placement centres in coordination with companies which would provide jobs.

The Berojgar Sena, an outfit of unemployed youths, however, is not enthused by the move. Instead of improving employment exchanges, the government has been making efforts to shut them down, it said.

"According to private estimates, there are over 75 lakh unemployed youths in the state and through this PPP agreement, the government plans to provide jobs to one lakh youths.

"So, it will take 75 years to provide jobs to the current number of the unemployed," said Sena convener Akshay Hunka.

More than five lakh unemployed youths are getting added every year, he said.

"This MoU was signed only to mislead youths ahead of the Assembly elections. The state government has completely failed on the employment front," Hunka maintained.

The Economic Survey-2018, presented during the budget session, said the number of registered educated unemployed in MP stood at 11.24 lakh by 2016-end.The Indore district court today awarded death penalty to a 26-year-old man for rape and murder of a three-month-old girl, while likening him to "gangrene".

The verdict came within 22 days of the incident.

Additional Sessions Judge Varsha Sharma sentenced Naveen Gadke, the accused, to death under IPC section 376 (A) (death due to injuries during rape) which was introduced under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, and section 302 (murder).

He was also found guilty under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

In the 51-page verdict, Judge Sharma said, "Given the heinous and gruesome manner in which the cruel act was done by the accused, this person is like a gangrene disease in the society. Like the doctor cuts off gangrene-affected parts of a patient's body through operation, in the same way it is also necessary to keep such criminal away to protect the society from them. Such person is deadly for the society."



District prosecution officer Akram Sheikh said the special investigation team formed by the police completed the investigation within seven days of the incident and filed a charge sheet on April 27.

The charges were framed on April 28 and the case was heard on a daily basis from May 1, he said.

Prosecution examined 29 witnesses, including the accused's estranged wife.

Gadke was distantly related to the victim's parents, who sold balloons and slept outside the historical Rajwada building here, Sheikh said.

According to the police, Gadke's wife had left him, and he went to the victim's mother on the night of April 19, asking her to intervene in the marital dispute.

As he started arguing, he was driven away. He abducted the girl from the spot while her parents were asleep in the wee hours of April 20, the police said.

CCTV footage of the area revealed his actions. "After abducting her, he carried the sleeping girl on his shoulder so that passers-by could not suspect him. He took her to the basement of a commercial building 50 metres away from where her family was sleeping and raped her," said a police official.

After raping her, Gadke banged the girl's head on the ground and killed her, he said. The child's body was found on the afternoon of April 20 and soon Gadke was arrested.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Iran's foreign minister was due to leave today for a whirlwind diplomatic tour as world leaders scramble to salvage something from the wreckage of a landmark nuclear deal in the wake of Washington's withdrawal.

Mohammad Javad Zarif's tour starts two days after unprecedented Israeli strikes in Syria which a monitor said killed at least 11 Iranian fighters, triggering fears of a broader conflict between the two arch-enemies.

He will visit Beijing, Moscow and Brussels, a spokesman said, holding meetings with all of the remaining parties to the 2015 agreement.

Before leaving, Zarif published a government statement on his Twitter page, slamming the "extremist administration" of US President Donald Trump for abandoning "an accord recognised as a victory of diplomacy by the international community".

It reiterated that Iran was preparing to resume "industrial-scale" uranium enrichment "without any restrictions" unless Europe provided solid guarantees that it could maintain trade ties despite renewed US sanctions.

Zarif's delicate diplomatic mission was complicated by reports of clashes between Iranian and Israeli forces in Syria on Thursday.

The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said today that 11 Iranians were among the pro-regime fighters killed in strikes by Israel, which has vowed to prevent Iran gaining a military foothold in neighbouring Syria.

"Six Syrian soldiers and 21 foreign fighters, including 11 Iranians" were among the dead, said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

Tehran, which has sought to avoid an escalation in regional conflict that could alienate its European partners, has not commented on whether its forces were hit.

Israel and its allies have blamed the Iranian Revolutionary Guards for initiating Thursday's exchange by launching missiles into the occupied Golan Heights.

The White House backed Israel's claims, accusing Iran of "reckless actions" that posed a "severe threat" to stability in the Middle East.

Iran denies that version of events, saying the Israeli strikes were launched on "invented pretexts".

Meanwhile, European diplomats in Tehran fumed that Trump's decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal could undermine years of patient work to restore commercial and diplomatic ties with the Islamic Republic.

"Since the signing of the JCPOA (nuclear deal), we have gone from an atmosphere like a gold rush, to one of utter depression," said a Western trade diplomat on condition of anonymity.

"We are waiting now for how the decision-makers in the European Union will react. If the EU leans towards accommodating the US, all the progress we have made since 2015 will be lost." But she emphasised that many of the problems began long before Trump's move last Tuesday.

"Decisions on the Iranian side took longer than expected, international banks were reluctant to work with Iran and the recent decline in the value of (Iran's currency) made international business even more difficult," she said.

Iranian hardliners -- who have long opposed President Hassan Rouhani's moves to improve ties with the West -- are already mobilising against the efforts to save the nuclear deal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The US and Britain today condemned Iran's "destabilising" behaviour in the Middle East, saying its actions pose a severe threat to international peace and stability.

In a telephonic conversation, US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the Iranian regime's "provocative" rocket attacks from Syria against Israel.

"Trump called on all nations to join the United States and the United Kingdom in making clear that the Iranian regime's actions pose a severe threat to international peace and stability," the White House said in a readout of the call.

The two leaders discussed how best to address Iran's "destabilising" behaviour, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today reviewed the overall security situation in the state at a meeting of the Unified Headquarters here.

A detailed review of the security scenario in the state, including the situation along the borders, was conducted at the meeting, a spokesman said.

Mufti asked security and intelligence agencies to synchronize their efforts and actions on the ground, while dealing with challenging situations, through strict adherence to standard operating procedures.

She advised security agencies to ensure safety and security of general public and their properties, while dealing with security and law and order- related incidents.

Mufti asked the agencies to adopt a "calibrated response" to various situations during the upcoming month of Ramzan, tourist season and Amarnath Yatra.

The chief minister underscored the need for engaging meaningfully with the people, particularly youths, so that they are able to gainfully contribute to society.

She stressed on increased community policing activities and enhanced outreach by the administration.

Mufti also stressed the need for continued coordination among various agencies at each level.

Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta was also present at the meeting which was attended by senior Army, police, CRPF and intelligence officials.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Jharkhand government is in talks with companies around the world for skill development of the state's youth, Chief Minister Raghubar Das said.

"In the knowledge-based age, degrees not only fetch jobs, but also a lesser educated person can get good opportunity if the person is skillful," an official release said, quoting Das.

The state government is working on a mission mode to encourage skill development, and is signing MoUs with global companies to encourage it, the release said yesterday.

The chief minister said a total 25,000 youths got jobs this year, and by January 12 next year, one lakh youth would be employed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 12)  President Rodrigo Duterte said he is open to lifting the deployment ban in Kuwait, following the signing of the labor deal protecting Filipino migrant workers there.

"Papayag ako i-lift ang ban [I will allow lifting the ban]," Duterte said in a speech in Marawi City Friday, upon learning from Special Envoy to Kuwait Abdullah Mama-o that the conditions he set were included in the labor protection deal.

However, the President did not clarify if he was referring to a full or partial lifting of the ban.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, following the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the two countries, said the ban on skilled and semi-skilled workers will be lifted but not the one covering domestic workers.

"Kung nandiyan lahat 'yan, sabi ko 'okay ako.'" Duterte said. "Tumawag kanina si Dabs [Mama-o], sabi niya, 'mukhang okay na. Naipasok na lahat.' Sabi ko, 'Sige. Magpirma kayo diyan. Hindi na ako pupunta. Balang araw,' sabi ko."

[Translation:If it's all there, I told him, I'm okay. Dabs called me earlier, he said, 'Looks like it's okay. All of the conditions are in the deal.' I told him, 'Okay, sign it. I won't go, but maybe in the near future.']

The conditions Duterte earlier set include granting the migrant workers seven hours of sleep, access to food, cellphone, and passport; a day off; and protection from physical abuse.

Duterte issued the ban in February, after a string of reports of Filipino workers being abused and killed in the Gulf state, including Filipina maid Joanna Demafelis who was found dead inside a freezer. Thousands of Filipino workers in Kuwait have been repatriated since then.

The labor deal was put in limbo after Philippine officials rescued a distressed Filipino worker in Kuwait in April, which caused a diplomatic fallout with the Gulf State's officials. The spat also led Kuwait to expel Philippine Ambassador Renato Villa from the country.

Kuwait is a top destination for overseas Filipino workers, with some 260,000 Filipinos working there as of 2018. Remittances from Kuwait for the first two months of this year amounted to 5.5 billion, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

In 2017, a total of 42 billion were remitted from the Gulf state.Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today spoke to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the alleged assault on a group of Kashmiris in the national capital recently.

She urged Kejriwal to ensure the safety and security of Kashmiris living and working in Delhi.

"Mehbooba Mufti asked Arvind Kejriwal to ensure and maintain the confidence and safety of students, businessmen, employees, particularly women from the state so that they do not feel inconvenienced during their stay in the national capital," an official spokesman said.

A group of Kashmiri people was allegedly thrashed by a mob in southeast Delhi's Sunlight Colony on May 10.

Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, however, today informed Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba that the alleged thrashing of the group had nothing to do with their origin.

He said the incident was a local issue, triggered by a dispute over feeding stray dogs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Nirmal Singh has landed into a controversy with the Army objecting to the construction of his house adjacent to an ammunition depot along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

The Army has demanded an immediate halt to the construction work citing security reasons.

Singh, who resigned as the deputy chief minister on April 30, however, asserted today that he had undertaken the construction after fulfilling all legal requirements.

He said the the matter pertained not just to his property, but also to thousands of acres of land of villagers and farmers around the ammunition depot.

The Speaker said the dispute has gone to the court, which has not stayed the construction.

Reacting to the controversy, former chief minister Omar Abdullah said on Twitter, BJP leaders' homes in Jammu are a 'security risk' according to the Army. It is well known locally that they gobbled up the land cheap & had hoped to use their influence to regularise the purchase".

In a letter addressed to Singh on March 19, Commander of Army's 16 Corps Lt General Saranjeet Singh had raised an objection over the construction of the house adjacent to its Nagrota station.

"It has implications on the security of a major ammunition storage facility as well as the safety of personnel living in close vicinity of the ammunition depot," the letter said.

The J&K Assembly Speaker said that he had started constructing the house on a 2,000 square metre plot last year.

The land was bought in 2000 by the Himgiri Infrastructure Development Private Limited, whose shareholders included present J&K Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta and BJP MP Jugal Kishore, he said.

Gupta, who took over from Singh in the recent cabinet reshuffle, however, said that he was no longer associated with the company.

I have no land there. I was one of the shareholders of the company, but resigned from its directorship after I became the Speaker of the state assembly," he said today.

Gupta said if anyone had broken rules, appropriate action should be taken against them.

Nobody is above the law... If the Army has made certain rules, we should follow those rules, he said while denying having any knowledge about the construction of Singh's house.

The Speaker said there has been contention over the no-construction zone for years.

"Committees were set up by deputy commissioners of Jammu to resolve the issue for the last several years. While the Army has maintained that the distance of no-construction zone should be considered from the boundary wall of the depot, the people want that the distance should be considered from the depot itself. This is the point of contention," he said.

Singh also questioned the Army's "silence" over a village with over 50 houses coming up very close to the depot and a large commercial complex being set up within 200 metres from the controversial spot.

But, the Army commander said the construction was in violation of the Defence Act, the 2002 Defence Ministry notification besides a notification issued by Deputy Commissioner, Jammu on August 7, 2015 that construction activity within 1,000 yards of the boundary wall of four Ammunition Sub Depots (ASDs) has been prohibited.

As per the state building permission rules, no construction can take place within 500 metres of any Army formation for commercial buildings and 200 metres for residential purpose.

Despite the rules, several colonies, including the posh Friends Colony housing ministers and bureaucrats, have come upclose to the wall of the air force base and BSF headquarters in Srinagar over the past decade.

Over 500 houses and commercial establishments have been set up within the wall of Sunjuwan military station here which was attacked by terrorists early this year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and all AAP MLAs will walk from his residence to LG House on Monday seeking nod for CCTVs cameras to be installed in the city, his deputy Manish Sisodia said today.

As the issue snowballed into yet another confrontation between the AAP government and the Lieutenant Governor, Kejriwal had yesterday also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the execution of the CCTV project saying it was related to women safety and should be above

"For three years when we were working on this project, the LG was silent. Suddenly now when the tender has been allotted he sees loophole in the system. The chief minister along with all Delhi Ministers and AAP MLAs will walk to LG house to discuss the issue," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporters.

Sisodia has also written to Leiutenant Governor Anil Baijal informing him about the visit.

"The stalling of CCTV project has created uproar in public. We will come at 3 PM on Monday to discuss the issue with you. If the time is not suitable to you, you can tell us an alternative time on that day," he said in the letter.

On Tuesday, Baijal formed a committee to come up with a standard operating procedure for the installation, operation and monitoring of closed-circuit televisions.

Kejriwal had alleged yesterday that the only aim of setting up the committee was to interrupt government work and not let the CCTVs be installed.

Setting up CCTVs was a key poll promise of the Aam Aadmi Party.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Delhi court today issued a second production warrant against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's relative Vinay Bansal, arrested in connection with an alleged scam in the Public Works Department (PWD), after Tihar jail authorities failed to produce him before it.

The first production warrant for Bansal, a nephew of Kejriwal, was issued yesterday by Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Khanagwal, who had also sought an explanation from the Tihar jail superintendent for failing to produce him.

Today, Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Shilpa Jain sought Bansal's presence in the court tomorrow.

Bansal was admitted to a hospital and sent to one-day judicial remand after he fainted in the courtroom on May 10, when the court rejected the anti-corruption branch's plea for Bansal's three-day police remand, saying he was not medically fit.

In a courtroom packed with lawyers and mediapersons, Bansal fainted during the hearing and a stretcher was brought to take him to an ambulance stationed outside the court.

Bansal yesterday moved a bail application, which will be heard on Monday.

Previously, the public prosecutor had argued that Bansal's custodial interrogation was necessary to dig out the facts in the case.

Opposing the remand, Bansal's counsel B S Joon said the FIR was filed in 2017 and since then no evidence has been found against the accused. He said the FIR wrongly levelled allegations under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, which are meant for public servants and Bansal was not one.

Bansal, the son of Kejriwal's late brother-in-law Surender Bansal, was arrested on May 10 by the ACB. Three FIRs, including one against a company run by Surender Bansal, were registered by the ACB in connection with the matter on May 9 last year.

Three companies, including Renu Constructions (owned by Bansal, Kamal Singh and Pawan Kumar), were named in the FIRs.

In a complaint, Rahul Sharma, the founder of Roads Anti-Corruption Organisation (RACO), had alleged that Kejriwal and PWD minister Satyendar Jain misused their office to grant contracts to Bansal. However, they were not named in the FIR.

The RACO, which claims that it monitors construction projects in Delhi, had alleged that a firm linked to Bansal was involved in financial irregularities in building a drainage system in northwest Delhi. It was also alleged that the bills sent to the PWD for unfinished works were "false and fabricated".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Kerala State Electricity Board has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Thermal Power Corporation for increasing solar power generation in the state.

The MoU, signed yesterday, also includes an agreement to set up a 15 MW solar power unit at the NTPC complex in Kayamkulam, an official release said here.

Besides this, the possibility of setting up solar plants at reservoirs, open space and top of buildings also would be explored.

The power generated would be given to KSEB at a rate fixed by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

The state is expected to make good strides in solar power generation with the MoU becoming operational, the release said.

NTPC Director (Commercial) A K Gupta and KSEB CMD N S Pillai signed the MoU in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and state power minister M M Mani.

NTPC Chairman and MD Gurdeep Singh and state Chief Secretary Paul Antony were among those present.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder son of former Bihar chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, today tied the knot with Aishwarya Rai, the daughter of a party MLA.

A galaxy of VIPs and thousands of commoners attended the wedding ceremony at the sprawling veterinary college ground.

Bihar Governor Satya Pal Mallik, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and several of his cabinet colleagues, veteran socialist leader Sharad Yadav were there to bless the couple.

The entire top brass of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) stood at the entrance to welcome the guests.

Nitish Kumar, who has strained relations with the RJD chief's family ever since walked away from the Grand Alliance and returned to the BJP-led NDA, was greeted with loud cheers from the gathering.

He exchanged pleasantries with Prasad and later sat on the dais flanked by the RJD chief and Rabri Devi.

Prasad's younger son and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav and daughter Misa Bharti, a Rajya Sabha MP, greeted Kumar.

Other dignitaries who came to the city earlier to bless the couple included former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav, NCP leader Praful Patel, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and lawyer Ram Jethmalani.

Prasad, convicted and jailed in cases of fodder scam since December, was on Thursday granted a three-day parole to attend the wedding.

Notable absentees included Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, a staunch critic but old associate of Prasad, and Union minister Ram Kripal Yadav, who was a trusted lieutenant of the RJD supremo until he decided to part ways in 2014.

Both Modi and Ram Kripal Yadav were out of the country.

Yesterday, the RJD supremo's close confidant Bhola Yadav had claimed that Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Vadra were also scheduled to attend the wedding.

A stage was put up at the college ground where the groom dressed in pink sherwani and pyjama of matching shade exchanged garlands with the bride who wore a bright red dress. She is the daughter of RJD MLA Chandrika Rai.

The event was marked by rendition of tunes played by several music bands. Besides, a colourful procession was taken out by members of the Yaduvanshi Sena, a non-political organisation of the Yadav community.

A lavish spread of vegetarian dishes, prepared by a Kanpur-based caterer, has been laid out for the guests.

Nearly a 100 rooms in four of the city's top hotels have been booked for the wedding guests.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has rejected charges from his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa that his unity government was persecuting military personnel for ending the war with the LTTE.

I wish to make it clear that there is no targeting of soldiers. We have been accused of jailing them," Sirisena said while addressing a gathering in the northwestern region of Kurunegala last night.

Scores of soldiers have been arrested including a former chief of staff of military intelligence for abductions and disappearances.

None of the genuine war heroes have been jailed. Those who have been jailed were the ones accused of murdering journalists and abducting people," Sirisena said, adding I have succeeded in stopping anyone from being tried for war crimes".

Sirisena pledged in 2015 in the run up to his election in which he defeated Rajapaksa that all alleged human rights violations during the Rajapaksa regime would be duly investigated.

The new government did reopen some of the cases including the murder of the editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper, a virulent critic of Rajapaksa.

Rajapaksa's government faced UN sanctions with recurring resolutions since 2012 which called for independent investigations into alleged human rights abuses during the final phase of the military conflict with the LTTE militant group which ended in 2009.

Rajapaksa branded the UN rights resolutions as attacks on Sri Lanka's sovereignty and refused to cooperate with the UN.

Sirisena's unity government adopted a more conciliatory approach towards the UN and has won confidence to pursue reconciliation with the Tamil minority.

Sri Lankan Army Chief Mahesh Senanayake said this week that the army would setup a special unit to counter war crime charges against the defence forces.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Delhi's minorities panel has sought a detailed report from Khadi Gramodyog Board on why almost no loans were given to members of minorities community.

As per Delhi Khadi Gramodyog Board, 38 applications for loans were received from people from minorities in the last two years, out of which 37 were rejected, said Zafarul Islam Khan, the chairman of Delhi Minorities Commission.

"They told us there was one application in 2016 that was rejected. In 2017, a total of 37 applications were received of which just one was accepted," Khan said.

The commission sought a detailed report on the reasons for rejection of such applications from the board in ten days, he said.

"If need be, the commission may also summon officials of the board with related records for a hearing," he said.

The DMC was also studying the performance of other agencies that give loans to minorities in Delhi and would seek reports from them, Khan said.

The issue of "poor progress" of Multi Sectoral Development Plan in North East Delhi was also taken up by the commission that had written to the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

"Work on a hospital coming up at Shastri Park under MSDP has been stopped for nearly an year due to lack of funds," Khan said.

The north east district magistrate, who is the nodal officer of MSDP, has informed the commission that no funds were received for the hospital in last financial year, he said.

The commission has asked the ministry to provide funds so that the hospital could start to serve locals, including the minorities, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The police today arrested a mentally unsound man for allegedly masturbating in a bus while staring at two women who recorded the incident and posted it on social media.

The man, a hawker by profession, was arrested from Shyampukur police station area in the city, police said.

The incident came to light today and the police launched an investigation after one of the two women posted two videos on her Facebook page and also on the Facebook page of the Kolkata Police.

Two video grabs showed that an elderly man making vulgar gestures and allegedly masturbating inside a bus. The victim on her Facebook post revealed that 15 days ago they (the woman and her friend) had to go through a similar ordeal when the same man had put down his pants and had shown his genitals to them.

"When we protested and asked the bus conductor to take action, he ignored our pleas. Fifteen days back when the person had made vulgar gestures we could not do anything as we did not have any proof. Today we have these two videos as proof and we want justice," the victim said on her Facebook post.

The Kolkata police had assured them that the culprit would be arrested and punished after they came to know about the incident.

"We don't need any written complaint. The videos posted on our Facebook page is enough for us. We have already lodged a case. We are trying to track down the culprit," the Kolkata police had said on their Facebook page before the man was arrested.

The man arrested later.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today urged Union minister J P Nadda to accord autonomy to North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) in Shillong.

Sangma called on the Health and Family Welfare Minister at his office in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum on the matter.

"According autonomy to NEIGRIHMS would go a long way in accelerating the development of medical and health care in the state and region," the chief minister said in a statement



According to the chief minister, the Union minister has assured him to look into the matter.

Conrad Sangma also raised the issue of derecognition of the MBBS course at NEIGRIHMS during his meeting with the Union minister.

"Nadda 'ji' has assured to look into the issue at the earliest and has assured me that the process for recognition of MBBS will be resolved soon as well as payments to different departments will be released," the chief minister said.

The chief minister also said that the meeting with the Union minister was fruitful and positive.

NEIGRIHMS, Shillong was set up to provide quality healthcare services to the people of Meghalaya and the northeastern region.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Metro Manila (CNN Philippines May 12)  Maria Lourdes Sereno lacked one of four qualifications any member of the judiciary should have, the Supreme Court said in a historic ruling that ousted the Chief Justice.

"It was found that respondent is ineligible to hold the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court position for lack of integrity," according to the 153-page decision penned by Associate Justice Noel Tijam and signed by seven other justices.

Under Article 8, Section 7 of the Constitution, "a member of the Judiciary must be a person of proven competence, integrity, probity, and independence."

The Supreme Court said integrity is easy to define. "Simply, it is a qualification of being honest, truthful, and having steadfast adherence to moral and ethical principles."

"Integrity connotes being consistent - doing the right thing in accordance with the law and ethical standards every time," the high court added.

Voting 8-6 on Friday, the Supreme Court voided Sereno's 2012 appointment as Chief Justice on the basis of her failure to file some of Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs). It said this violation of the law speaks of her lack of integrity.

"Respondent chronically failed to file her SALNs and thus violated the Constitution, the law and the Code of Judicial Conduct. A member of the Judiciary who commits such violations cannot be deemed to be a person of proven integrity," the Supreme Court said.

This was also the main argument of Solicitor General Jose Calida in his quo warranto petition  a legal proceeding where an individual's right to hold office is challenged  against Sereno.

Sereno, the first female chief justice and the youngest to be appointed this century at age 52, has maintained issues in her asset declarations do not negate her integrity.

Failure to file SALNs

The concurring justices  Teresita de Castro, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza, Samuel Martires, Noel Tijam, Andres Reyes, and Alexander Gesmundo  were convinced Sereno failed to file nine SALNs during her two-decade teaching experience at the University of the Philippines, and that she submitted to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) only three out of 10 required SALNs when she applied for the post.

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio dissented from ousting Sereno but agreed she violated the Constitution for failing to file her SALNs.

Carpio insisted impeachment is the only way to remove a Chief Justice from office, adding the Supreme Court could have instead launched an investigation and file the proper recommendations before Congress.

Sereno maintained she truthfully filed all required SALNs but would present them only before the Senate impeachment court.

But the Supreme Court said she failed to prove this claim and slammed her refusal to submit the SALNs she had supposedly found.

"Respondent could have easily dispelled doubts as to the filing or nonfiling of the unaccounted SALNs by presenting them before the Court," the High Court said.

The Supreme Court also said "there was no indication" that the JBC, the body tasked to screen applicants for the judiciary, accepted Sereno's submission of three SALNs as "substantial compliance," as claimed by Sereno's camp.

Because of violations in the SALN requirement, the JBC should have outright disqualified Sereno from vying for the Chief Justice post, the court said.

Not an impeachable official

This means Sereno should not be considered a Chief Justice and an impeachable official, the Supreme Court asserted.

"Respondent Sereno has never attained the status of an impeachable official and her removal from the office, other than by impeachment, is justified," its ruling read. "The remedy, therefore, of a quo warranto at the instance of the State is proper to oust respondent from the appointive position of Chief Justice."

The Supreme Court also raised the possibility of Sereno being disbarred for violating the sub judice rule when she discussed her pending quo warranto case in public.

Sereno had repeatedly asked her colleagues at the Supreme Court to junk the quo warranto petition urging them to "give me my day in the Senate impeachment court."

She had also asked six associate justices - Peralta, Bersamin, Jardeleza, Tijam, de Castro, and Martires - to inhibit from the quo warranto case saying they all "manifested actual bias" against her.

Although the quo warranto petition focused on SALN issues, the Supreme Court mentioned Sereno's alleged violations as revealed during impeachment hearings at the House Committee on Justice, including her alleged tax fraud as government counsel in the controversial Philippine International Air Terminals Company Incorporated or PIATCO case.

"Notably, the Congress had already determined that a probable cause exist that respondent committed the said offense," the Supreme Court said.

Sereno's ouster preempts what could be a Senate trial if one-third of the members of the House of Representatives would vote to approve the articles of impeachment against her.

READ: Unseating Sereno: A tale of two ousters

The House was supposed to convene after it resumes session on May 15, but House Majority Leader Rudy Farinas said lawmakers will wait for the Supreme Court's decision on Sereno's possible motion for reconsideration. The Supreme Court said its ruling is "immediately executory," although Sereno has 15 days to appeal the decision.

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines, which earlier called for the dismissal of the petition, also eyes seeking the reversal of the landmark ruling.

CNN Philippines' Anjo Alimario contributed to this report.German Chancellor Angela Merkel today said she was deeply concerned by repeated breaches of a ceasefire between government forces and Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine.

"Every night there are violations of the ceasefire and every day there are human casualties," Merkel said in the central Italian town of Assisi, where she received a prize for her efforts to promote peace.

"Ukraine concerns us and in the 'Normandy Format' - which groups Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine - we try to get the Minsk (ceasefire) accords respected," she said.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after mass protests ousted a pro-Russian government in Kiev, with more than 10,000 people dead so far despite repeated efforts to get successive ceasefires to stick, the last dating to the end of March.

Daughter of a Protestant pastor, Merkel was awarded the Peace Lamp of Saint Francis prize by Franciscan monks for "her work on reconciliation, promoting peaceful coexistence between peoples".

Merkel also spoke about the rising tensions between Iran and Israel in Syria, saying the situation had become worse since the US withdrawal this week from the Iran nuclear accord.

"We are following what's happening between Iran and Israel taking into consideration Germany's commitment to the security of Israel," she said. She is scheduled to meet later with 300 young people from 37 countries including some refugees from Syria's civil war.

Others who have received the "Catholic Nobel" include Pope John-Paul II, Mother Teresa and Mikhail Gorbachev.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Rafael Nadal suffered his first clay-court defeat in almost a year when the world number one was shocked 7-5, 6-3 by Austria's Dominic Thiem in the Madrid Masters quarter-finals.

Defending champion Nadal, who came into the tournament having won both Monte Carlo and Barcelona for an 11th time, also saw his record 50-set winning streak on clay ended by the fifth-seeded Thiem.

Thiem, the runner-up to the great Spaniard in the 2017 Madrid final, had been the last player to defeat Nadal on clay at the 2017 Italian Open in Rome -- 357 days ago.

The shock result also means that Roger Federer will reclaim the world number one ranking on Monday.

"A player like Dominic has a lot of potential. Whenever he plays really well, it's very difficult to stop him," admitted Nadal.

"He played well and I didn't play well. We're not playing a game where the differences are big or massive. The differences are very small."



Five-time Madrid winner Nadal, who will be bidding for an 11th French Open title in Paris later this month, had won his previous 21 matches on clay.

That run included him surpassing John McEnroe's 1984 record of 49 sets won in succession on the same surface during his last-16 duel with Diego Schwartzman on Thursday.

However, in their ninth career clash, Thiem put Nadal under pressure almost from the start on Friday and broke for a 4-3 lead in the first set.

A double fault and a long forehand allowed Nadal to retrieve the break at 5-5.

- 'He killed me in Monaco' -



============================It was a brief reprieve as a lazy forehand volley gave Thiem a 6-5 advantage and the set came the Austrian's way in the 12th game off an ace.

Thiem, watched by his girlfriend -- and WTA star -- Kristina Mladenovic, turned the screw for a 3-1 lead in the second set but Nadal battled back to 3-3.

That was as good as it got for the Spaniard as Thiem broke again for 4-3, held to love for 5-3 and secured victory with another blistering forehand.

Thiem, who next faces South Africa's Kevin Anderson for a place in Sunday's final, joins Novak Djokovic and Gaston Gaudio as just the third man to have beaten Nadal three times on clay.

"It takes a really good match to beat Rafa on clay. But I think a very important thing also was today that I went in with the attitude that I can beat him," said Thiem.

"Two weeks ago in Monte Carlo, he killed me love and two. It was very important I went in with a positive attitude, with an attitude to win. I should go into every match like this against him."



World number eight Anderson battled into his first Masters semi-final with a 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-3 win over Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic.

Anderson, the 31-year-old US Open runner-up last year, hit 15 aces and 35 winners.

Canada's Denis Shapovalov became the youngest player to reach the Madrid semi-finals with a 7-5, 6-7 (6/8) 6-4 win over Britain's Kyle Edmund.

The 19-year-old Shapovalov, ranked at 43 in the world, fired 29 winners past Edmund, a surprise semi-finalist at the Australian Open in January.

Shapovalov, who had never won a clay-court match on the main tour before Madrid, will be playing in his second Masters semi-final where he will on Saturday face German second seed Alexander Zverev.

Zverev defeated John Isner 6-4, 7-5 to gain revenge for his defeat to the American in the Miami Masters final in April.

Zverev has now reached five Masters semi-finals in the last year.

Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens continued her remarkable run at the Madrid Open by thrashing French seventh seed Caroline Garcia to reach the womens' final.

The world number 20 will face Petra Kvitova after brushing aside Garcia 6-2, 6-2. Bertens had already stunned world number two Caroline Wozniacki and five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova earlier in the week.

Two-time Madrid champion Kvitova reached the final with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 win over Czech compatriot Karolina Pliskova.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Filmmaker Nandita Das and her "Manto" actor Rasika Duggal will be joining Hollywood A-listers Jane Fonda, Kirsten Stewart, Ava DuVernay and Salma Hayek to protest against the lack of female representation at the Cannes Film Festival.

The initiative has been spearheaded by French cinema gender equality movement 5050x2020.

According to Vanity Fair, the organisers' aim is to highlight the hurdles faced by women to climb the social and professional ladder in the film industry.

Total of 82 women from the world of cinema will climb the steps that lead to the festival's Theatre Debussy, pause and stand motionless and silent facing the Palais.

The number of participants is deliberate. Since the launch of the Cannes Film Festival, only 82 films directed by women have been awarded by an official selection in competition, compared to 1,645 films directed by men, a ratio of less than five percent.

The protest will be held ahead of the gala premiere of the only French woman director with a film in competition, Eva Husson, whose movie, "Girls of the Sun", is about a Kurdish female battalion.

Lea Seydoux, Marion Cotillard, Patty Jenkins and Sofia Boutella are some of the prominent names participating in the silent protest.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hungary's formerly far-right party Jobbik elected a new leader Saturday seen as likely to keep it on its current path away from its extremist roots.

Tamas Sneider, 45, was chosen as Jobbik president at a party congress, a spokesman told reporters, after former leader Gabor Vona quit last month. Sneider got 54 percent of the vote to defeat his fiercely anti-immigration rival Laszlo Toroczkai on 46 percent.

According to local media, Sneider told reporters before the closed-doors meeting that while the party needed structural renewal, his political vision "would be in large part similar to the current direction, there will not be big differences." Vona, 39, had led the party since 2006, but kept a promise to resign if Jobbik failed to beat Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz party at Hungary's parliamentary election April 8.

Since 2013 Vona had steered Jobbik, once considered one of the most extreme parties in Europe, away from its ultra-nationalist, racist, and anti-Semitic origins.

Sneider has denied allegations he was a skinhead gang leader in his youth, and is seen by analysts as likely to keep the party on its more moderate path. Before Saturday's election, Sneider said that Vona's bid to mould the party into a so-called "people's party" should continue despite Jobbik's disappointing election result last month.

He also said Jobbik would be open to cooperation with other opposition parties, a shift in position from Vona's mostly go-it-alone strategy.

Jobbik won 19 percent of the national vote in April, down from 20 percent in 2014 and well behind Fidesz on 49 percent.

But Jobbik's number of seats in the 199-seat assembly increased to 26 from 23, making it the biggest opposition party.

Toroczkai had urged a return to more radical policies and hinted at a party split if he lost.

An expert on the Hungarian far-right, Peter Kreko, told AFP that the tight result reveals "a highly divided party along a centrist-radical axis". "Some of the more radical members may leave now, while a party split cannot be ruled out," said Kreko, who heads the Political Capital think-tank.

A comeback by the influential Vona - "a long distance runner" was also possible, said Kreko.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Nine people, mostly civilians, were killed today in an explosion in the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria but the cause was not immediately clear, a war monitor said.

The blast left 26 more people wounded, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which relies on a network of sources inside the war-torn country.

In recent months, several explosions have rocked Idlib province, which has witnessed infighting between competing hardline groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.

The most prominent armed group is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda branch.

Syria's war has killed more than 350,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government demonstrations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today said he had no objection to the opposition's demand of deploying paramilitary forces for the Shahkot bypoll.

He said the presence of security personnel would thwart the Akalis' attempts to take refuge in the "frivolous and fabricated" excuse of "misuse of official machinery" once they lose the bypoll ignominiously.

The chief minister's reaction comes a day after the Akalis approached the Election Commission with a request to deploy paramilitary forces for a fair and peaceful bypoll.

Singh said it was ironical that the Akalis, who had "abused" all the democratic systems during their own regime, were now running to the poll panel to seek deployment of forces to ensure peaceful polls.

The senior Congress leader also accused SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal of "brazenly" backing SHO Parminder Singh Bajwa, who was found by the poll panel to be unfit for duty.

He said Badal was part of the Akali campaign to "malign" the Congress-led state government ahead of the bypoll.

Mehatpur SHO Parminder Singh Bajwa, who had booked the Congress's Shahkot assembly bypoll candidate in an illegal sand mining case recently, was arrested by the Jalandhar police yesterday for allegedly assaulting and obstructing an on-duty government official.

The Congress nominee for the by-election, Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia, among others, was booked for alleged illegal sand mining in different villages of Jalandhar district.

The Election Commission had yesterday replaced Bajwa with Hardip Singh following complaints of being biased.

The by-poll to Shahkot Assembly will be held on May 28. The seat fell vacant following the death of the incumbent SAD MLA, Ajit Singh Kohar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will be giving Rs 10 crore out of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to the Uttarakhand government for the widening of Gaurikund-Kedarnath trek route.

An assurance to this effect was given by Union Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister DharmendraPradhan to Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat when the latter called on him in New Delhi yesterday, an official statement issued here said.

It was at the chief minister's request that the union minister agreed to raise the amount to be given by the ONGC for the purpose from Rs 4.5 crore to Rs 10 crore, it said.

The ONGC board had earlier approved an amount of Rs 4.5 crore for the purpose.

The width of the pedestrian route from Gaurikund to the Himalayan shrine is being increased from 2.5 metres at present to 6 metres.

It was also decided at the meeting to get the citizen welfare and infrastructure development works in Gangotri and Yamnotri done by the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL).

Rawat apprised the union minister that in the Women Polytechnic, Dehradun, only retired ONGC officials are taken in the Polytechnic board.

The chief minister also requested Pradhan that government officials and academicians should also be inducted in the board to which the union minister gave his consent.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The only goods crossing between Gaza and Israel was closed until further notice Saturday, Israeli and Palestinian officials said, after Palestinian protesters ransacked it.

The Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza was badly damaged by dozens of demonstrators late Friday during a day of protests along the border, the Israeli army said.

The Israeli side of the crossing, several hundred metres away, was not breached.

"The crossing will remain closed until the damages caused by the riots are repaired and will reopen in accordance with a situation assessment," an army statement said, saying the fuel terminal at the crossing had been rendered "totally unusable".

It accused the protesters of being "under the auspices of Hamas", the Islamist group that runs the Gaza strip, without providing evidence. The Palestinian body in charge of coordination at the crossing confirmed the closure.

Kerem Shalom is the only crossing open to transport goods into and out of Gaza, including fuel and food.

A separate people crossing in northern Gaza remains open. Separately Egypt opened its border crossing with Gaza -- the only one not with Israel -- for four days today.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians are expected to protest along the Israeli border Monday against the moving of the US embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Parties advocating a unilateral ceasefire by the Centre in Jammu and Kashmir are playing over Ramzan, Union Minister Jitendra Singh today said and asserted that the government had a consistent policy with regard to Pakistan and terrorism.

I want to ask a question to those who are suggesting a unilateral ceasefire whether they are true followers of Islam? As long as we understand Islam and Holy Quran, those who observe fast it is imperative for them not to indulge in any type of violence or harm anyone.

Instead of advising them (militants), suggesting others means that you are not faithful to Ramzan but you are playing over it, Singh told reporters here.

On May 9, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said the Centre should consider a unilateral ceasefire in the state starting from Ramzan in mid May till the completion of the Amarnath Yatra in August.

She made the remarks after chairing an all-party meeting, which was convened to discuss the present situation in Kashmir Valley, especially after a tourist from Chennai was killed in stone pelting on May 7.

"Everyone (all parties) agreed that we should appeal to the Centre to consider a ceasefire like the unilateral ceasefire in (former PM Atal Bihari) Vajpayee's time during Ramzan (later this month) till Amarnath Yatra and Eid," she had told reporters.

The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP, which is sharing power with Mufti's PDP, opposed her call for a unilateral ceasefire claiming such a step was not at all in "national interest".

An opinion came up during the discussion for a unilateral ceasefire on the lines of one declared by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. We have a strong view...Unilateral ceasefire in the present situation is not in national interest at all," BJP state unit's chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi earlier said.

Sethi said that militants were demoralised due to the Army's action and a unilateral ceasefire would ease pressure and allow them to re-energise.

Union Minister Singh asked why those advocating unilateral ceasefire on the pretext of Ramzan had not advised the terrorists.

They (terrorists) are observing fast and in the Holy Quran they are directed not to indulge in any act of violence or harm anyone during fasting. They need to make understand this, he said.

He said ceasefire wa never one-sided. If the other side makes a mercy plea, then it makes a sense, he said.

Singh said the Centre had not received any proposal with regard to a ceasefire from the state government so far.

It is their personal view (ceasefire during Ramzan) and there are people who make statements to address their constituencies. Home Minister Rajnath Singh has made it clear that there is no such proposal, he said.

On Mufti's repeated plea for resumption of dialogue with Pakistan, he said it was the prerogative of the Centre.

Every day it is being said (hold talks with Pakistan) but we have not done it till date. The Modi government is the only (dispensation) in the country which has taken a stand (on Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir and terrorism) and has shown consistency and commitment, the Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A self styled 'area commander' of the ultra outfit Peoples Liberation Front of India(PLFI) was killed and two others were arrested after an encounter with CRPF and district police at Sinharjore forest in Jharkhand bordering Odisha, police said.

PLFI is a breakway faction of the banned CPI(Maoist).

The encounter took place when the security personnel rushed to the spot in Simdega district following a tip off, superintendent of police Sanjeev Ranjan said.

The rebel killed in the exchange of fire was identified as Pandu alias Lamboo, he said.

During the search operation that followed, the security personnel arrested two rebels and seized two double barrel guns, a country-made pistol, an AK-47 and a sten gun, 17 live cartridges, one wireless set, two mobile phones among other items.

All the rebels hailed from Odisha, Ranjan said adding the two arrested are being interrogated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 12)  Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro and the other justices who voted to oust Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno's denied harboring any biases.

In the concurring opinion released Friday, De Castro said the disagreements between her and Sereno are clearly not personal but "work-related."

"It is not my personal interest or actual bias but the common interest of every incumbent Member of the Court to find the truth in whether or not respondent Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno has the integrity to qualify her to hold the highest position in the Judiciary," De Castro said.

She added that Sereno lacked basis in requesting her to inhibit from voting in the ouster plea.

"Respondent's accusation against me is but a figment of her imagination. She lied once again as she did many times even under oath without remorse or guilt feelings," the associate justice said, referring to Sereno's claim that De Castro would not forgive her for applying for the chief justice post.

She also denied feeling bitter about not being appointed Chief Justice, since De Castro enjoys seniority over the ousted chief magistrate.

"I have been publicly maligned and accused to be bitter about not being appointed as Supreme Court Chief Justice," she said. "For years now, respondent and I have had a generally professional relationship and I have been exerting my best as a Supreme Court Associate Justice."

The Associate Justice, in her concurring opinion, said Sereno continuously demonstrated her "proclivity to lie, mislead, bend the rules, and exploit the exemptions" during her stint since her application as Supreme Court Associate Justice, over her failure to file her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) from 2002 to 2006.

De Castro and Sereno have figured in multiple heated exchanges during the hearing on the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida against the chief magistrate.

The two were both candidates for the position of Chief Justice, which has been vacated when former Chief Justice Renato Corona was impeached in 2012.

De Castro is one of the eight justices who voted to grant Calida's quo warranto petition on Friday, which effectively unseats Sereno from her office.

Eight justices voted to grant the quo warranto petition against then Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. The quo warranto is a legal proceeding where an individual's right to hold office is challenged.

Not the only one

The other justices asked by Sereno to inhibit from the quo warranto proceedings also denied claims they were not impartial.

Justice Lucas Bersamin in his concurring opinion said Sereno's imputations of bias are unwarranted and unfair.

"The first is that the respondent has directly challenged my neutrality as a judge to sit and decide on the basis that I have a bias against her. I deplore her challenge, and reject her bases for the challenge," he said. "I maintain my ability to sit in her case and decide as a fair-minded and objective judge."

Sereno accused Bersamin of bias after he reportedly wore red during the March 12 flag-raising ceremony at the SC. In that ceremony, employees wore red to call for Sereno's resignation.

Justice Diosdado Peralta also claimed Sereno did not have "clear or convincing" evidence of his bias against her. Sereno had pointed out that since Peralta testified in the House Justice panel impeachment hearings, he should inhibit from the case.

"There has to be a showing of acts or conduct clearly indicative of arbitrariness or prejudice before the Court can brand them with the stigma of bias or partiality. Mere suspicion is not enough," Peralta said in his concurring opinion.

Another justice asked by Sereno to inhibit from the quo warranto proceedings, Justice Samuel Martires, also called out her "lies."

Sereno previously accused Martires of "impaired partiality" over the petition since he allegedly used Sereno's faith as basis for her competence.

"Calling me a 'faith shamer' hit me where it hurts most as movant Sereno is fully aware that we have the same spiritual beliefs  that God is the reason for our success, the source of our happiness, and the center of our lives," Martires wrote in a separate opinion.

Martires then dared Sereno to speak the truth to what he said.

"She cannot forever cowardly hide the truth by mudslinging every person who she thinks could unravel her distorted claims," Martires added.

Meanwhile, Sereno's legal counsel Josa Deinla said Friday their camp is "seriously considering" to file a motion for reconsideration for the SC ruling. Deinla said since the vote was close, the decision could be overturned.Describing his two-day Nepal visit as "historic",



Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the talks with Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli were "productive" and his trip has added new vigour to India-Nepal ties.

"My Nepal visit was historic. It gave me a great opportunity to connect with the wonderful people of Nepal," Modi tweeted at the end of his third trip to Nepal since assuming office in 2014.

Stating that his talks with Prime Minister Oli were "productive", Modi said his trip has added new vigour to India-Nepal relations. "...I reiterated India's strong support to Nepal as they pursue their development agenda...," Modi said.

A joint statement issued today said the two Prime Ministers agreed to maintain the momentum generated by the visit by taking effective measures for the implementation of all the agreements and understandings reached in the past.

They also agreed that effective implementation of the bilateral initiatives in agriculture, railway linkages and inland waterways development, as agreed upon by the two sides during the recent visit of Prime Minister Oli to India, would have transformational impact in these areas, it said.

The two leaders reiterated their resolve to work together to take bilateral relations to newer heights by strengthening ongoing cooperation in diverse spheres as well as expanding partnership for socio-economic development on the basis of the principles of equality, mutual trust, respect and mutual benefit, the statement said.

They emphasised the need for regular convening of bilateral mechanisms, including Nepal-India Joint Commission at Foreign/External Affairs Ministers level, to review the overall state of bilateral relations, and for the expeditious implementation of the economic and development cooperation projects.

They welcomed the outcome of the recently held Inter-Governmental Committee meeting on Trade, Transit and Cooperation to control unauthorized trade to jointly initiate a comprehensive review of the bilateral Treaty of Trade, and to consider amendments to the Treaty of Transit and related Agreements with a view to further facilitating Nepal's access to the Indian market, enhancing overall bilateral trade, and facilitating Nepal's transit trade, the statement said.

The two leaders agreed to take further steps to enhance the economic and physical connectivity by air, land, and water. They also directed their officials to expand cooperation in civil aviation sector, including early technical discussion on additional air entry routes to Nepal by respective technical teams.

They reiterated the importance of advancing cooperation in water resources for mutual benefit in areas such as river training works, inundation and flood management, irrigation, and to enhance pace of implementation of ongoing bilateral projects. They also expressed satisfaction over constitution of the joint team, which will visit areas affected by inundation and floods and consider appropriate measures for sustainable solution.

The two Prime Ministers also agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in power sector in line with the bilateral Power Trade Agreement.

They also directed their officials to address outstanding matters by September 2018, with the objective of advancing cooperation in all areas.

The two leaders underscored the importance of regional and sub-regional cooperation under BIMSTEC, SAARC, and BBIN frameworks for forging meaningful cooperation in identified sectors.

Prime Minister Modi extended an invitation to Oli to pay a visit to India. Oli accepted the invitation; dates will be finalized through diplomatic channels.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister on Saturday met Nepal's former prime ministers Prachanda and Sher Bahadur Deuba, and opposition leaders and held wide-ranging discussions on ways to strengthen bilateral ties.

Modi met the leaders from a cross-section of Nepal's political parties, a day after holding extensive talks with Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.

"PM Modi met 'Prachanda, Chairman of Communist Party of - MC (Maoist Centre). Exchanged views on strengthening views on bilateral relations," Raveesh Kumar, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, tweeted.

The two leaders also discussed various aspects relating to India- relations, the Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet.

"Engaging across the political spectrum! President of and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other members of the called on PM Modi in Stronger India-Nepal relations enjoy broad political support," Kumar tweeted.

Modi also met a delegation of the Rastriya Janata Party - Nepal, which was led by Mahanta Thakur and held "fruitful and extensive" discussions, Kumar tweeted.

Modi also congratulated the party on their recent electoral performance and exchanged views on deepening our bilateral relations with Nepal.

Commenting on Modi's series of meetings, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told reporters that the prime minister held "short but good meetings" with the Nepali leaders.

He also paid courtesy calls on President and Vice-President Nanda Bahadur Pun on Friday.

Modi arrived in on Friday after a brief halt in Janakpur where he offered prayers at the famed 20th century Janaki temple and attended a civic reception. He also offered prayers at the Mukhtinath and Pashupatinath temples on Saturday.Prime Minister Narendra Modi today prayed at Nepal's iconic Muktinath temple that is regarded sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists.

Modi wore Buddhist traditional red dress and carried out rituals both according to the Hindu and Buddhist tradition.

Modi will also offer prayers at Pashupatinath temple after his return from Muktinath today. This will be followed by meeting with leaders of political parties of Nepal.

He is scheduled to attend a civic reception hosted by Kathmandu Metropolitan City at Rastriya Sabha Griha before returning to New Delhi.

High security alert has been maintained in Mustang in view of Modi's visit. The local administration had put in place a special security plan to make Modi's visit safe and systematic.

Muktinath Temple is regarded as sacred place for both Hindus and Buddhists located in Muktinath Valley. The temple at an altitude of 3,710 metres at the foot of the Thorong La pass in mountainous Mustang district.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi today prayed at Nepal's iconic Muktinath temple that is regarded sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists, becoming the first world leader to offer prayers there.

Modi also offered prayers at the Pashupatinath temple, located on the banks of the Bagmati river. The Pashupatinath temple is regarded as the most sacred and oldest temple of Shiva (Pashupati) in Nepal.

After offering prayers at the Pashupatinath temple, Modi signed the visitor's book and was presented with a miniature replica of the temple.

Earlier, in the morning, Modi flew to Mustang district to offer prayers at the Muktinath temple.

"An auspicious start to Day 2 in Nepal! PM Modi visited the highly venerated Muktinath temple, located at 12,172 ft, to reinforce the strong cultural connect between India and Nepal. PM Modi offered prayers at the human-size golden statue of Lord Vishnu as Shri Mukti Narayan," said Raveesh Kumar, official spokesperson at the Ministry of External Affairs, after Modi's visit to the Muktinath temple.

Modi will be the first foreign guest to pay homage at the main sanctum of Muktinath temple when he offers his prayers on Saturday, Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli said yesterday.

High security alert has been maintained in Mustang in view of Modi's visit. The local administration had put in place a special security plan to make Modi's visit safe and systematic.

Muktinath Temple is regarded as sacred place for both Hindus and Buddhists located in Muktinath Valley. The temple at an altitude of 3,710 metres at the foot of the Thorong La pass in mountainous Mustang district.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Nepal was decided soon after K P Sharma Oli's election as prime minister, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale today said, amid speculation over its timing which coincides with the Karnataka assembly election.

Responding to a question at a press meet, Gokhale said Prime Minister Modi had telephoned Prime Minister Oli, who was sworn to the post on February 15, to congratulate him and the visits were discussed then.

"When Prime Minister Modi had telephoned Prime Minister Oli upon his election as the prime minister of Nepal, they had discussed the visit then. Prime Minister Oli had then expressed his desire for an early visit by Prime Minister Modi. They had discussed the visits, and the Prime Minister (Modi) had said you (Oli) come first.

"So that's how the sequence has been, first Prime Minister Oli visited India and now Prime Minister (Modi) is in Nepal," Gokhale said.

Oli had arrived in Delhi on April 7, when he said the "historical" and "renewed" friendship between India and Nepal was oriented towards the future and the bilateral ties have evolved according to the "needs of times".

On questions over the timing of the visit which coincides with the high-stake Karnataka assembly election, he said, "whenever state visits take place they are decided as per the convenience of the two nations. No one prime minister alone can say that I will come at this time."



"So, don't focus on the dates, but focus on the content of this visit," the foreign secretary said.

Modi arrived in Kathmandu yesterday on a two-day visit and held discussions with Oli on strengthening ties between the two neighbouring countries.

He also met Nepal's former prime ministers Prachanda and Sher Bahadur Deuba, and opposition leaders and held wide-ranging discussions on ways to strengthen bilateral ties.

During the visit, the prime minister also offered prayers at the famed 20th century Janaki temple, the Mukhtinath and Pashupatinath temples and attended a civic reception at Janakpur.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The United States and its partners are ready to provide North Korea with assurances if its leader Kim Jong-un is prepared to fully denuclearise the Korean Peninsula, a top American diplomat said on Saturday.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who returned from North Korea a day earlier after meeting with Kim, said he had a "good conversation" with the North Korean leader.

Talking to reporters at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the US State Department, he said and the world have set the "conditions" for a successful outcome from the June 12 summit between the US President and Kim in Singapore.

Responding to a question about Kim's personality, Pompeo said, "You asked about my conversations with Chairman Kim. This question is sort of undignified. 'Is he rational'? Yes, we had good conversations, substantive conversations, conversations that involve deep, complex problems, challenges the strategic decision that Chairman Kim has before him about how it is he wishes to proceed and if he is prepared in exchange for the assurances that we're ready to provide to him if he is prepared to fully denuclearise. And I'm not sure how to define it fully."



He said the US wants to ensure that its efforts yield the end result, that North Korea should not become a threat to the world.

"It's pretty clear what that means. It would be an activity that undertook to ensure that we didn't end up in the same place that we'd ended up before, or multiple passes at trying to solve this conundrum for the world, how to ensure that North Korea doesn't possess the capacity to threaten not only the US but the world with nuclear weapons," Pompeo said.

"So, in order to achieve that, it will require a robust verification programme and one that we will undertake with partners around the world, which will achieve that outcome in a way that frankly no agreement before it has ever set forth. A big undertaking for sure, but one that Chairman Kim and I had the opportunity to have a good, sound discussion on so that I think we have a pretty good understanding between our two countries about what the shared objectives are," he said.

Pompeo said he had a "good" conversation with North Koreans and did his best to convey the US message to them.

"We were each representing our two countries, trying our best to make sure that we were communicating clearly, that we had a shared understanding about what our mutual objectives were. We had good conversations about the histories of our two nations, the challenges that we've had between us," he said.

"We talked about the fact that America has often in history had adversaries who we are now close partners with, and our hope that we could achieve the same with respect to North Korea," Pompeo added.

He was joined by his visiting South Korea counterpart Kang Kyung-wha.

The US and North Korea, Kang said, are "very clear" that the sanctions remain in place until and unless they see visible, meaningful action taken by North Korea to denuclearise.

"The North Korean leader has committed to denuclearisation, and formally so through the Panmunjom Declaration. We very much hope to see further steps, more concrete steps towards denuclearisation being produced at the US-North Korea summit. So we're not talking about sanctions relief at this point," he said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Reserve Bank has initiated prompt corrective action against public sector lender in view of high non-performing loans, restricting the bank from giving fresh credit and new hiring.

The public sector lender on Friday reported widening of its net loss to Rs 12.25 billion in the March quarter on mounting bad loans and higher provisioning to cover them.

The net loss stood at Rs 5.75 billion in the January-March quarter of 2016-17.

Sequentially, the loss widened from Rs 3.8 billion in December quarter of 2017-18.

"Reserve Bank of India, vide their letter dated May 31, 2017, has initiated Prompt Corrective Action for and imposed certain restrictions, in view of high Net NPA and negative RoA ( return on assets)," the bank said in a regulatory filing.

In continuation to the above, "we wish to inform that the vide their letter dated May 07, 2018 (received by the Bank on May 08, 2018) has restricted the Bank from assuming fresh credit exposure and recruitment of staff," it said further.

said it was put up to the Board in its meeting held on May 11, 2018.



ALSO READ: Fresh lending dries up at Dena Bank; Q4 net loss widens to Rs 12.25 bn

Bank's asset quality has worsened with the gross NPAs hitting a high of 22.4 per cent of the gross advances as on March 31, 2018, from 16.27 per cent as of end-March 2017.

In value terms, the gross NPAs or bad loans rose to Rs 163.61 billion from Rs 126.18 billion.

Net NPAs were also up at 11.95 per cent (Rs 78.38 billion) from 10.66 per cent (Rs 77.35 billion).

Earlier in January this year, Allahabad Bank had informed about being placed under RBI's PCA mechanism.

The has initiated similar action against other public sector banks, including IDBI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank and UCO Bank before this.

The in April 2017 had issued a new set of enabling provisions under the revised PCA framework with a clause that if the bank does not show improvement then it could be either be merged or taken over by other bank.Iraq saw a record low turnout today in its first elections since the collapse of the Islamic State group, pointing to widespread dissatisfaction with the direction of the country under Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and presaging a long period of deal-making as politicians squabble over posts in a new government.

There were no bombings at any polling stations a first since the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003.

Al-Abadi called it a "historic day, spent peacefully by all Iraqis." Riyadh al-Badran, a member on Iraq's national elections commission, said turnout was 44 per cent. No election since 2003 saw turnout below 60 percent. More than ten million Iraqis voted.

With no clear front-runner, it could take months for a new Parliament to form a government name a prime minister seen as suitable to the country's rival Shiite political currents, who have adopted diverging positions on Iran.

The low turnout could open the door to Sunni-led and Kurdish electoral lists to play an outsized role in the negotiations, as well. Iraq's population is predominantly Shiite. Results are expected within 48 hours according to the electoral commission.

Despite presiding over Iraq's war on the Islamic State group, al-Abadi was opposed by other Shiite leaders who eclipsed him in charisma and popularity. In his first term, Al-Abadi courted both US and Iranian support in the war on IS.

His chief rivals were former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Hadi al-Amiri, who heads the powerful, Iran-backed Badr Organization militia, which participated in the war on IS. Al-Abadi was also opposed by the influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a staunch nationalist who has railed against US and Iranian influence in Iraqi politics.

Iraq is beset by chronic corruption, a sputtering economy, and failing public services.

"The candidates have not done anything for the people," said Ramadan Mohsen, 50, who said he cast a blank vote in Baghdad's distressed Sadr City slums. Millions of others decided to abstain altogether.

"I am certain these elections are a failure," said Abdelghani Awni, who was at a central Baghdad polling station as an observer. He did not vote. "Forget about change, from the perspective of the economy, of services - forget about it." Iraq's most senior Shiite cleric spoke out on the issue of voter participation Saturday afternoon, encouraging Iraqis to vote "to prevent the arrival of a corrupt parliament."



"The lack of participation will give the opportunity for others to reach parliament and they will be very far from the aspirations of the people," said Sheikh Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalai, the representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on local Iraqi television from Karbala. Sistani has encouraged Iraqis to vote into power Saturday a new political class to combat corruption.

For those who did attempt to vote, some in Baghdad complained of voting irregularities at polling stations linked to a new electronic voting system implemented for the first time this year in an effort to reduce fraud.

Former Prime Minister al-Maliki said he was aware of "violations" at some polling stations in Iraq and complained the process lacked proper oversight.

"We are not reassured," al-Maliki told the Associated Press in a phone interview. Thamer Aref, 45, along with his wife and daughter were turned away from a polling station north of central Baghdad.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Release of three American nationals by North Korea early this week has set the conditions for a successful US-North Korea summit in Singapore next month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said today.

"The release of these three citizens helps set the conditions for a successful meeting between President Trump and Chairman Kim. We look forward to our continued preparations with the DPRK to make the summit in Singapore on June 12 a true success for the American and Korean people and for the world," he told reporters.

DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which is commonly known as North Korea.

At the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the US State Department, Pompeo held an extensive discussion with his South Korea counterpart Kang Kyung-wha on the preparations for the June 12 meeting between Trump and Kim. They also talked about Pompeo's visit to Pyongyang and the meeting between the leaders of North and South Korea last month.

"The US is encouraged by President Moon and Chairman Kim's stated goal of complete denuclearisation in the Panmunjom declaration," Pompeo said, adding that "Foreign Minister Kang and I discussed the summit, my trip to North Korea, and the bold step President Trump is about to take when he meets with Chairman Kim."



"If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearise, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends. The United States looks forward to continued close cooperation with our South Korean allies on this issue and many others," he told reporters at a joint conference with Kang.

Congratulating Pompeo and Trump for the successful release of the three US citizens, all Korean-Americans, from North Korea, Kang said this was a "promising" signal for the upcoming US-North Korea summit.

"We agreed that the summit would be a historic opportunity for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue and securing enduring peace on the Korean Peninsula. We reaffirmed that our goal is to achieve the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula," he said.

At the White House, presidential spokesperson Sarah Sanders told reporters that Trump is going into the summit "with eyes wide open" as he said had many times, and "we'll see" what happens.

"But this is certainly a process that has moved in the right direction. We've seen some signs of goodwill from North Korea just this week, with the three Americans brought back home; also the stopping of the ballistic missiles tests; them stopping with their research and development on their nuclear program. And we're going to continue to push for complete and total denuclearisation. We're also going to continue maximum pressure until we see that happen," she said.

As of now, Sanders said, there was no plan for the South Koreans to be present at the Singapore summit. The South Korean President is slated to come to the White House for a meeting with Trump on May 22.

This, Kang said, would prepare for the June 12 summit. "Pompeo and I agreed the next few weeks will be critical, requiring air-tight coordination between our two countries," he added.

"The close communication and trust between presidents Trump and Moon have been the driving force that has brought us to this point of breakthrough for the denuclearisation and peace on the Korean Peninsula. So their meeting on the 22nd will be instrumental in preparing for a successful US-North Korea summit," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers in international air space off western Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said today.

The long-range Tu-95 "Bear" bombers were "intercepted and visually identified" yesterday morning by a pair of Alaska-based NORAD F-22 Raptors as the Russian aircraft flew in the Air Defense Identification Zone, north of the Aleutian Islands, said Canadian Army Major Andrew Hennessy, of NORAD public affairs.

The Air Defense Identification Zone extends for about 200 miles (322 kilometers) from the coastline, mostly in international airspace.

"At no time did the Russian bombers enter North American sovereign airspace," Hennessy said in a statement to AFP.

He added that the US jets monitored the Russians until the propellor-driven bombers left the Identification Zone along the Aleutians heading west.

In April last year NORAD and the Pentagon said Tu-95 Bear bombers were spotted in international air space on three occasions - twice near the Aleutian Islands and once near mainland Alaska and Canada.

That was the first sighting of such Russian long-range bomber missions around Alaska in about two and a half years, a Pentagon spokesman said at the time.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Six Naxals including a woman were arrested in Chhattisgarh's Maoist-hit Bijapur district, police said today.

The Naxals were arrested in a forest under Gangaloor police station limits when a joint team of District Reserve Guard of police, Special Task Force and local police was out on a search operation yesterday, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg told PTI.

He identified the arrested cadres as Santu Punem (32), Aaytu Punem (19), Raju Potam (20), Punem Lakkhu (32) and Punem Manku (25), all Maoist militia members; and Laxmi Punem (25), head of the Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangh, a Maoist front.

Acting on a tip-off, security forces were conducting a combing operation to nab some wanted Naxals in Gangaloor area, 450 km from Raipur, for the last two days, the SP said.

An encounter broke out between the security forces and ultras in a forest near Pusnar-Metpal village on May 10 but the Naxals fled after a brief exchange of fire, he said.

The security forces, however, pursued them and nabbed them the next day by cordoning off a nearby forest, Garg said.

Cordex wire (used in explosives), bow and arrows and Maoist literature were recovered from their possession, he said, adding that all six were produced in a local court today which remanded them in judicial custody.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)CPI(M) Politburo member G Ramakrishnan today alleged that Small and Micro industries across Tamil Nadu, particularly Coimbatore, have been adversely affected after the implementation of GST.

The Centre had claimed that prices of raw materials would come down and one-tax regime would benefit the industries before Goods and Services Tax was introduced, he told reporters here.

However, the industries have not benefitted after implementation of GST, as promised by the government, the CPI(M) leader said.

Small and Micro industries were 'suffering' due to increase in prices of raw materials and delay in refund of GST, he said, adding both the Central and state governments should take concrete efforts to revive them.

He also said students who appeared for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) in Tamil should be given grace marks, as there were 68 'mistakes' in Tamil translation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Days after the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill visited Assam to solicit views from stakeholders, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today urged people to maintain peace and said his government would always work in their interest.

The Bill was proposed by the Centre to make illegal migrants of six communities eligible for citizenship of India.

The 16-member JPC headed by BJP MP Rajendra Agarwal had visited the state from May 7 to May 9 to elicit views from stakeholders on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955.

A key amendment in the Bill seeks to grant citizenship to people without valid documents from six minority communities -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians -- from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of residence in India.

"People should not get agitated as the JPC process for taking their opinion is on. We will not take any decision that goes against the people of Assam," Sonowal told media persons here.

"I appeal to all to maintain peace so that unwanted situations do not develop in the state. I urge all to help and cooperate as we the people of Assam are collectively responsible for ensuring peace and order in the state," Sonowal said.

He said the JPC chairman had hinted that the committee would return to Assam to take the people's opinion on the Bill.

"The people should, however, continue to express their opinion and speak their mind to the JPC chairman through e-mail," Sonowal said.

The chief minister said that before the JPC's visit, it was alleged that he was not allowing it to come to Assam.

"When I got the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act repealed, no JPC had come then. This time people have been given top priority," he said.

Protests were staged against the Bill in front of the venue where the JPC hearing was held as people feared that it would breach the clauses of the Assam Accord.

The Accord states that all illegal foreigners from Bangladesh who had settled in Assam after March 25, 1971 would have to be deported irrespective of religion.

In the Bengali-dominated Barak Valley, a majority of the 315 opinions submitted to the JPC were in favour of the Bill, and people carrying placards formed a long human chain in its support.

Leaders of the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress supported the Bill, even as their counterparts had opposed it in the Brahmaputra Valley.

Following the JPC hearings, protests had broken out in the Brahmaputra Valley against the Bill.

Students organisations like AASU, AJYCP, ruling alliance partner AGP and the pro-talk ULFA faction organised mass agitational programmes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)SpaceX today blasted off its most powerful Falcon 9 rocket, which is certified to carry humans to space later this year.

"Three, two one, zero, ignition, liftoff," a SpaceX commentator said as the rocket launched at 4:14 pm (2014 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket's main goal for its maiden mission is to propel the first high-orbit communications satellite for Bangladesh, called Bangabandhu Satellite-1.

Its debut also marks a leap forward in re-usability for the California-based company, which is intent on bringing down the cost of spaceflight.

The rocket is built to re-fly up to 10 times with minimal refurbishment, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told reporters on Thursday.

"We expect there would be literally no action taken between flights, so just like aircraft," Musk said.

The launch was postponed at the last minute yesterday, when an automatic abort switch was triggered, but SpaceX said it was just a glitch and the spacecraft remained in good health.

After liftoff, the rocket will attempt to return to an upright landing on the "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. So far, SpaceX has landed 11 of its boosters on land and 13 on its droneships, which are floating platforms in the ocean, as part of its effort to bring down the cost of spaceflight and re-use costly rocket parts.

The Block 5 Falcon 9 is eventually meant to carry astronauts to the International Space Station, with the first launch tentatively planned for December 2018.

It will mark the first time since the end of the US space shuttle program in 2011 that a rocket has left US soil carrying people to space.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena left on a two-day visit to Iran today to improve trade relations and secure investment from the Islamic republic, his office said.

Sirisena will hold talks with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on strengthening cooperation in the energy sector and will also seek Iranian investment, according to an official statement.

The two leaders will sign a memorandum of understanding on "further strengthening the economic and trade ties between the two countries".

The visit comes as world leaders scramble to salvage a key nuclear deal with Iran after President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the accord.

Sri Lanka, an oil importer, turned to Saudi Arabia and Oman for crude during the height of international sanctions against Iran.

Before the sanctions regime, Iran had been a key buyer of Sri Lankan tea, the island's main export. Sri Lanka's only oil refinery is geared to handle Iranian light crude.

Iran pledged USD 450 million for an irrigation project in Sri Lanka in 2008, but the funds were delayed due to the sanctions.

Sirisena's office said he will also attend a special investment and trade forum organised by the Iran Chamber of Commerce.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The has ordered that distribution of ration to those who did not avail it for three consecutive months, from January to March, be stopped till they get their verification done by food and supply officers (FSOs).

The government's food supplies and consumer affairs department has directed officials to hold a special drive for "detailed verification" of beneficiaries who have not availed rations from fair price shops in their areas for the three consecutive months.

FSOs have been directed to continue with their "statutory duties" for addition and deletion of names of beneficiaries in existing cards, and issuance, cancellation and modification of ration cards, an official said.

In March, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Imran Hussain had directed officials to stop the cancellation of existing ration cards and immediately, put on hold the process of making new ones till further orders.

The direction was issued after the department's data showed that around 400,000 ration card holders did not collect their ration for two months.

The official said, "The special drive is being conducted for detailed verification of beneficiaries who did not turn up to avail their entitled ration for three consecutive months, from January to March, and their distribution of ration be stopped from May, till they get verified from the respective FSOs."



However, the department said after verification, if a ration card holder is found to be "genuine", then it must be ensured that no inconvenience is caused to them and they get ration immediately.

The Lt Governor's office and the were at loggerheads on distribution of ration through electronic point of sale (e-PoS) devices earlier this year.

Last month, Hussain had accused Food Commissioner Mohanjeet Singh of "disobeying" L-G Anil Baijal's order and issuing directions for the continuation of e-PoS system for ration distribution.

Baijal had on April 16 directed suspension of e-POS after irregularities were found. But, according to the minister, the new Food Commissioner had issued orders for continuing it.West Bengal is committed to strengthening fintech firms operating within the Rajarhat financial hub and is backing them up with the right manpower, a government official today said.

"Fintech is growing rapidly and the state also recognizes this and wants to support it. We want a fintech hub within the financial hub at Rajarhat. We are also working towards creating the right manpower to support this," state IT secretary Debashis Sen said at the Fintech Forum 2018 organized by the Merchants' Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI) here.

The government is focussed on laying emphasis on emerging technologies like cryptocurrencies, bitcoin and blockchain, he said.

Blockchain technology can be of great use as it has the potential to make the financial services more efficient, quicker and transparent. This technology provides a decentralised network for its companies and users where information is secured and data transfer can be facilitated with no alterations, Bengal Chamber IT Committee chairperson Arnab Basu said earlier.

United Bank of India CMD P K Bajaj said the bank had taken help of a fintech company to lend and monitor small loans which generated excellent results.

Bombay Stock Exchange MD & CEO Ashish Chauhan said the role of fintech is huge in managing big volumes. He said the number of transactions in the stock exchanges have jumped multiple times in the past few years which could be achieved only due to technology.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)BJP today urged Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governor E S L Narasimhan to initiate appropriate action on the incident of TDP workers allegedly hurling stones at a vehicle in BJP president Amit Shah's convoy in Tirupati.

"...We are appealing to you to take note of the prevailing law and order situation in Andhra Pradesh, where attacks on public servants are quite common of late and no justice is being rendered to the victims and recommend to initiate appropriate action against the recent incident on the BJP National President at Tirupati on May 11" BJP said in a memorandum submitted to the Governor here.

Tension prevailed at Alipiri in Tirupati yesterday when TDP workers staged a demonstration against Amit Shah as he was proceeding to Renigunta airport from Tirumala hills and in the melee a stone was allegedly hurled at one of the vehicles in his convoy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)One more person was arrested by Thane Police's Crime Branch in connection with the Call Detail Record (CDR) racket that it is investigating, taking the number of persons arrested to 14, officials said today.

Senior Inspector Nitin Thakre told PTI that Laxman Thakur, whose name cropped during the interrogation of some of the arrested accused, was nabbed yesterday evening.

The official said that Thakur was produced before a magistrate who remanded him in police custody till May 14.

The CDR racket was unearthed on January 24 when police, acting on a tip off, nabbed four private detectives from Kalwa here.

Since then, police said, 14 persons have been arrested in the scam which involved the illegal procurement and sale of CDRs of private individuals.

Among those arrested were woman detective Rajani Pandit and noted lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui.

Pandit, who was arrested on February 2, was granted bail by Additional Sessions Judge A S Bhaisare on March 13.

Siddiqui was arrested on March 16 and was released on March 21 after a bench of Justices S C Dharamadhikari and P D Naik of the Bombay High Court held that the Thane police had acted in a "high-handed" manner and had failed to follow "due process of law" while arresting the lawyer.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The public ballot for tickets to Professor Stephen Hawking's thanksgiving service opened today - with visitors from the future welcome to apply.

The theoretical physicist who captured the imagination of millions around the world died on March 14 at the age of 76.

His ashes are being interred on June 15 at London's Westminster Abbey, by the graves of fellow scientific giants Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

The world-renowned cosmologist's three children Robert, Lucy and Tim are offering up to 1,000 free tickets to the public through a ballot system, run by the Stephen Hawking Foundation.

Applicants need to give their birth date - but eagle-eyed fans of the man who dedicated his life's work to unravelling the mysteries of the universe spotted that it can be any day up to December 31, 2038.

London travel blogger IanVisits was among those who noticed the quirk that allows people born more than 20 years into the future to apply.

"Professor Hawking once threw a party for time travellers, to see if any would turn up if he posted the invite after the party," he wrote.

"None did, but it seems perfect that the memorial website allows people born in the future to attend the service.

"Look out for time travellers at the abbey." Potential applicants - from the future or otherwise - are forewarned not to apply if they cannot arrange their own transport and any necessary visas.

The service is set to be attended by Hawking's family, friends and colleagues.

"We are so grateful to Westminster Abbey for offering us the privilege of a service of thanksgiving for the extraordinary life of our father and for giving him such a distinguished final resting place," said Lucy Hawking.

Propelled to stardom by his 1988 book "A Brief History of Time", an unlikely worldwide bestseller, Hawking's genius and wit won over fans from far beyond the rarefied world of astrophysics.

Westminster Abbey will also be open to the public free of charge after the service so people can pay their respects at his grave.

John Hall, the Dean of Westminster, said: "The service of thanksgiving for the life and work of Stephen Hawking will celebrate not only his remarkable achievements as a scientist, but also his character and endurance through his years living with a devastating illness."



Hawking's death triggered a flood of tributes from Queen Elizabeth II to NASA, reflecting his impact both as a scientist and for his refusal to give up in the face of crippling motor neurone disease.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A memorial service for Stephen Hawking at Westminster Abbey in London next month, open to 1,000 members of the public, may just have some "time travellers" in the gathering.

During the ceremony, the ashes of one of the world's best-known theoretical physicists, who died in March aged 76, will be buried between the graves of fellow scientists Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

Members of the public have been given a chance to apply for a public ballot and also have the option of choosing a birth date any time up until December 31, 2038 in their online applications.

The ballot for tickets to the memorial service opened earlier this month and closes at midnight on May 15. The ceremony at Westminster Abbey will take place on June 15, for which Hawking's children are offering 1,000 free tickets to the public.

The online form for the public ballot lets people scroll from 1918 to 2038 when choosing their date of birth. It remains unclear if the choice of years is deliberate.

"We cannot exclude the possibility of time travel as it has not been disproven to our satisfaction. All things are possible until proven otherwise," said the Stephen Hawking Foundation.

"But so far we have had applications from all round the world, and we do mean round there are no flat-earthers here," the foundation statement added.

Hawking famously often threw up the prospect of time travel and even tried out an experiment when he organised a party for time travellers in 2009. Balloons, canapes and champagne were laid on at the event, however no one showed up.

The invitation read: "You are cordially invited to a reception for time travellers to be hosted by Professor Stephen Hawking.

"To be held in the past, at the University of Cambridge Gonville & Caius College, Trinity Street, Cambridge."



It also included precise co-ordinates for any wandering space-time travellers.

Crucially, the invitations were not sent until the date had passed, so only those who had figured out how to go back in time could attend.

"I sat there a long time, but no one came," Prof Hawking had told reporters in 2012.

He said he hoped copies of the invitation would last for thousands of years so that one day somebody might figure it out and eventually show up in their time machine.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Torrential rains and windstorm killed at least 11 people and left 14 others injured today in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region, officials said.

As many as six persons were killed and 16 others injured when the roof of a religious seminary collapsed in the country's northwestern Bajaur agency.

Two persons were killed in Mamond area in rain-related incidents. In Khyber agency, two persons were killed. Several vehicles were swept away in flood.

Officials said that a total of 11 people have been killed and 14 others injured in rain-related incidents.

Authorities and security forces have launched relief and rescue operations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two persons died and around fifty others, including a dozen policemen, were injured as clashes broke out between two communities in Aurangabad city in Central Maharashtra last night, police said.

The situation was under control since this afternoon, but the district administration has clamped prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure banning assembly of people and suspended Internet services, said a senior police official.

One of the deceased was a 17-year-old youth who allegedly died in police firing, while the other was a 65-year-old man who was trapped in his house when an adjoining shop was set on fire by rioters, the official said.

The rioting started in Moti Karanja area around 10 last night and spread to Gandhi Nagar, Raja Bazaar, Shah Ganj and Sarafa areas, forcing police to fire in the air and lob teargas shells, the official added.

Among those injured were seven women and a dozen policemen, including an assistant commissioner of police.

Rioters set fire to around 100 shops and 80 vehicles, the official said, adding that 37 persons have been arrested for rioting and arson since last night.

According to local sources, tension was brewing in Moti Karanja area for the last few days as the municipal corporation was carrying out a drive against illegal water connections.

It got a communal colour when an illegal water connection at a place of worship in the area was removed, sources added.

Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde alleged that the violence reflected a failure of the state intelligence machinery, and demanded a judicial probe into the incident.

Appealing for peace, the NCP leader asked police to take local people in confidence while handling the tense situation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A court in Yemen's rebel-held capital sentenced three people to death today, including two for spying for Saudi Arabia, a agency controlled by the insurgents said.

Two men were sentenced by the criminal court in Sanaa for "providing information to a foreign state and co-operating with aggressor state Saudi Arabia between 2015 and 2016," the Saba agency reported.

A third man was sentenced for belonging to Al-Qaeda, Saba said.

The press agency did not specify whether the three convicts were present in court or if they were tried in absentia.

The Huthi rebels have controlled Sanaa and large swathes of the north and west of Yemen since 2014.

The insurgents are fighting forces loyal to an internationally recognised government, which since March 2015 have been bolstered by a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

The Shiite Huthis are supported by Iran, although Tehran denies providing military aid.

The conflict has claimed 10,000 lives, wounded more than 54,000 and provoked what the UN describes as the "worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Britain's Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has launched a campaign to urge the UK government to drop a health surcharge for overseas nurses, including from India, employed by the country's state-funded National Health Service (NHS).

Nurses from countries outside the European Union (EU) are expected to pay 200 pounds (USD 271) overseas health surcharge, which is paid per family member for every year once the nurse enters the country on a work permit.

The RCN has observed that the charge is "too steep" for a nurse's average annual salary of around 27,800 pounds and results in tearing families apart in some cases as many are unable to bring them into the UK due to the high costs involved.

"We are proud as a profession to have the best and brightest from over 200 countries around the world," said RCN general secretary Janet Davies.

"But the government now seems hell-bent on showing that they're no longer welcome," she said, adding that it was "shameful that families are being torn apart by this policy".

Under the system introduced in 2015, non-European Economic Area (EEA) citizens in the UK must pay 200 pounds per family member for every year on the main sponsors' work permit.

The surcharge is due to increase to 400 pounds later this year and there have been suggestions that after Brexit it will be applied to EU nationals too.

Some overseas nurses have reportedly received requests for more than 3,000 pounds upfront to cover their families' potential use of the NHS, the RCN warns.

The UK Home Office said the surcharge had an important role to play, generating income that goes directly to the NHS.

"The government fully recognises the contribution that international professionals make to the UK and to our health service," a spokesperson said.

India is among the leading source countries for the UK to fill staff shortages in the NHS, besides the Philippines and Africa.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Britain's referendum to leave the European Union has created an environment of increased racial discrimination in the UK, according to the UN's Special Rapporteur on Racism.

Professor Tendayi Achiume said she had noted "explicit racial, ethnic and religious intolerance" during her visit to Britain and also that hate crimes had marked a spike since the Brexit referendum in June 2016.

"The environment leading up to the referendum, the environment during the referendum, and the environment after the referendum has made racial and ethnic minorities more vulnerable to racial discrimination and intolerance," said Achiume at the end of a 12-day tour of Britain this week.

"Many with whom I consulted highlighted the growth in volume and acceptability of xenophobic discourses on migration, and on foreign nationals including refugees in social and print media," she said.

Last year, the UN had asked Britain to let its experts visit to examine the impact of Brexit on race relations.

Achiume, a law professor at the University of California who was appointed in her UN role in September 2017, singled out Britain's hostile environment policy for immigrants.

"This hostile environment applies not only for irregular immigrants, but for racial and ethnic minority individuals with regular status, and many who are British citizens and have been entitled to this citizenship as far back as the colonial era," she said.

Achiume's was referring to the recent Windrush scandal affecting migrants from the Caribbean which resulted in the resignation of former UK home secretary Amber Rudd last month.

"A clear example was the resignation of the home secretary, Amber Rudd, on the first day of my visit," she noted.

The UN inspector also expressed alarm at the stark increase in hate crimes and incidents across the UK after the referendum to leave the European Union (EU).

"The harsh reality is race, ethnicity, religion gender, disability status and related categories all continue to determine the life chances and wellbeing of people in Britain in ways that are unacceptable and in many cases unlawful," she said.

Her harsh findings attracted criticism from some political quarters in the UK, with former UK work and pensions secretary Ian Duncan Smith categorising her visit as "pointless".

"They [UN visits] are politically motivated, they are inspired by the extreme left, and the idea is to kick the UK," he said.

Achiume, who is due to publish a full report on her findings in June 2019, concluded that while the UK embraced a "substantive vision of racial equality, and explicitly prohibited both direct and indirect forms of racial discrimination" there was "much to do especially in the arena of addressing structural forms of racial discrimination and inequality".

"We note that the special rapporteur commended UK legislation and policy to tackle direct and indirect racial discrimination, and that in her end of mission statement she welcomed the Race Disparity Audit as 'a remarkable step towards transforming formal commitments to racial equality into reality', a UK government spokesperson said.

"We have made great progress, but the Prime Minister is clear that if there is no rational explanation for ethnic disparities, then we as a society must take action to change them. That is precisely what we will do," the spokesperson said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The UN's nuclear watchdog says its top inspector has quit with immediate effect, just as the agency's work in Iran is once again in focus.

The International Atomic Energy Agency didn't give a reason for the sudden resignation of Tero Varjoranta, stating today that it doesn't comment on confidential personnel matters.

Varjoranta, who was in the role for almost five years, will be replaced temporarily by Massimo Aparo, an Italian nuclear engineer who was most recently the agency's top inspector for Iran.

The move comes just days after US President Donald Trump announced the United States would withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear accord designed to keep Tehran's atomic weapons program in check.

The Vienna-based nuclear agency says it has no indications Iran is in breach of the accord.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Campaigning for the May 14 three-tier panchayat polls in West Bengal, marred by clashes between supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP, Congress ad Left and copious litigation, came to an end today.

According to the State Election Commission, the rural elections will be held in 621 zilla parishads and 6157 panchayat samitis, besides in 31,827 gram panchayats, spread across 20 districts.

The polling will start at 7 AM and end at 5 PM. The counting will take place on May 17, the SEC said.

The panchayat polls witnessed an acrimonious campaign with the opposition accusing the ruling TMC of unleashing a reign of terror during the nomination process for the polls.

The TMC had termed the allegations as baseless, alleging that the opposition didn't have a mass base and was trying to evade the polls.

Although senior leaders of all the parties campaigned in the polls, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee refrained from campaigning.

She had, however, appealed to the people of West Bengal to vote in favour of development ushered by her government. The TMC in its campaign spoke of the various projects undertaken by the state government and its success in the MNREGA.

The BJP, which is trying to emerge as the main challenger to TMC, has promised development in rural areas if it is voted to power. The CPI(M)-led Left Front and the Congress had appealed to the voters to defeat the TMC and BJP in Bengal.

According to the SEC, of the 48,650 seats in 3,358 gram panchayats, 16,814 were uncontested and of the 9,217 seats in 341 panchayat samitis, 3,059 were uncontested.

In the 20 zilla parishads, 203 of the 825 seats were uncontested, the SEC said.

The TMC has no opposition in 34 per cent of the seats.

The filing of nominations, which was held from April 2 to April 9 and then again on an extended date on April 23, has witnessed clashes between supporters of the ruling TMC and opposition political parties in the state leading to several deaths.

The run up to the polls also witnessed a plethora of court cases.

The polls, which was earlier scheduled to be held in three phases on May 1,3 and 5, had to be deferred after the opposition parties moved courts alleging violence and intimidation by the ruling Trinamool Congress during the nomination process.

On April 20, the Calcutta High Court quashed the State Election Commission (SEC) order cancelling the notification for extension of deadline for filing nomination for panchayat polls in West Bengal and directed it to allow nominations by issuing a fresh notification.

The nomination process for the panchayat polls ended on April 9, but it was extended by a day by the SEC the same evening following a Supreme Court Court order on petitions alleging that candidates backed by Opposition parties were being prevented from filing nominations.

The West Bengal government and ruling Trinamool Congress had objected to the extension by the SEC, which had cited a Supreme Court direction to allay apprehensions of intending candidates in its notification extending the nomination process by a day.

The notification, which referred to the apex court order, was withdrawn by the SEC on April 10 morning.

The BJP again moved the Supreme Court on April 11 and was directed to approach the High Court with its grievances over the deadline for filing nominations.

The BJP moved the high court challenging the withdrawal and Justice Talukdar stayed the election process on April 12.

Apart from the BJP, the CPI(M), PDS and the Congress too have moved the High Court separately challenging the SEC's decision.

The Commission and the ruling Trinamool Congress opposed the petitions claiming that these were not maintainable since the election process had started.

On May 8, the Calcutta HC had directed the SEC to accept the nominations of those candidates named by CPI(M) who had filed their papers electronically within the stipulated time before 3 pm on April 23.

The apex court had stayed the Calcutta HC order directing the SEC to accept nomination papers filed through e-mail for contesting the panchayat elections in the state.

The SC took note that almost 17,000 candidates have won the panchayat polls unopposed and dubbed it as "worrying", while directing the SEC not to declare them as winners.

The Calcutta HC on May 10 also ruled that the SEC and state officials would be held personally liable and have to pay compensation if the loss of life and property in the coming panchayat election was higher than that in the 2013 poll.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Trinamool Congress strongman Arabul Islam, arrested in connection with the killing of an independent candidate's supporter in South 24 Parganas district ahead of the May 14 panchayat polls in West



Bengal, will be produced in court today, police said.

Hafizul Islam Mollah, 25, was hit by a bullet on his chest when he along with other supporters was taking part in a procession from Kashipur to Machhibhanga yesterday.

Arabul was arrested late last night on the order of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also in charge of the state's Home Department.

A senior police officer said Arabul has been booked for murder and will be produced at a court here this afternoon.

Police are also on the lookout for his son and brother for their alleged involvement in the incident, the officer said.

Most of the independents are associated with the Jami Rakkha Committee (Save Land Committee), an anti-land acquisition outfit opposing the setting up of a power grid unit in Bhangor.

The procession was taken out in response to an alleged attack by Arabul's associates on the residence of one of the independent candidates last night.

Arabul, who is the chairman of the Bhangor II panchayat samiti, is pitted against an independent candidate in the rural polls.

Hafizul was grievously injured when bombs and bullets rained on the members of the procession. He was rushed to a nursing home and then to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead, police said.

The Jami Rakkha Committee alleged that Arabul's men had unleashed the violence so that he could win the election without any opposition. It also claimed that several other supporters of the committee were injured in the attack.

A large police contingent has been deployed at the spot to maintain peace.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)"Deadpool" actor Karan Soni is the latest celebrity to react on the ongoing Apu controversy, saying the fact that a white guy has voiced for an Indian-origin character in "The Simpsons" "offends" him.

One of the longest running animated shows on American TV, "The Simpsons" came under intense scrutiny after Hari Kondabolu's documentary "The Problem with Apu" highlighted the stereotypical depiction of Indian immigrants in Hollywood.

"I completely understand why there is a controversy about it in 2018. Because, what offends me and what people are offended about is that it feels wrong to have a white actor (Hank Azaria) do the voice of an Indian character. It just doesn't feel like right.

"Now there are a lot of Indian actors in Hollywood. So, people are like 'why are we having a white person voice an Indian?'. I really think that if 'The Simpson' had started in 2018 and this character was in the show, then they would have 100 per cent got a brown actor to do the voice and not hired a white actor for it," Karan told PTI.

The sitcom recently addressed the criticism over Apu's characterisation in the episode "No Good Read Goes Unpunished". However, it failed to pacify the viewers and was slammed on social media for its tone-deaf response to the controversy.

Following the controversy, Azaria, who voices Apu Nahasapeemapetilon on the series, had also offered to step away from the role.

"In the defence of 'The Simpsons', this show has been going on for 20 something years and I don't know if there was any Indian actor then who could play that part," Karan added.

The 29-year-old actor believes if an Indian actor had played the part then Apu's character would have more to offer then just being a stereotypical representation.

"I wouldn't be offended if an Indian actor played it because they can add something from their own life experiences. Even if they are from first generation Indian-American, it becomes more genuine because it comes from someone who is from India. It becomes less of a stereotype," he said.

Looking at the increase in the number of Indian-origin artistes working in Hollywood and on American television, Karan, is optimistic about the representation of people of colour on-screen.

"When I came here there was only Kal Penn. Now there are like so many. I think it is a huge step forward. And not just for Indian people but for all ethnicities. I think a lot of things are changing and I feel happy about it. I think we are moving forward and not going back. I am happy that change is happening. I am happy to be small part of it, " he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 60-year-old farmer, who had allegedly attempted suicide in the early hours of May 6 in Umarkhed taluka here, today died after battling for life at Nanded's Government Medical College, police said.

Officials said that the body of Shyamrao Rama Bhopale, a resident of Marlegaon in Umarkhed taluka, had been sent for post mortem.

Bhopale had set himself ablaze in front of his house after dousing kerosene on his body, with family members claiming that he took the extreme step as he had an outstanding loan and his crops had failed.

His son had, immediately after the incident, told mediapersons that Bhopale, having about 1.5 acres of land, had an outstanding loan of Rs 17,360 and his tur and soyabean crops had failed.

Moreover, the son had said, Bhopale was not eligible for the state government's farm loan waiver scheme.

His body was handed over to his family today and his son, Ramdas, performed the final rites, officials said.

Villagers who attended the cremation had tied black cloth around their mouths to protest against what they claimed was the apathy of the state government.

Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, accused the state government of being insensitive.

Against whom should a charge of murder (referring to Bhopale's death) be registered, he questioned.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)By Diane BartzWASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bill aimed at tightening oversight of foreign investment in the United States because of concern about China's acquisition of critical technology is headed for a vote this month in the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, the panel said on Friday.The committee also released draft proposals that will be voted on to amend the bill, which was introduced last November by Senator John Cornyn.Proposed changes to the measure appear aimed largely at blunting opposition from high tech companies and investment firms, which had worried that even innocuous transactions ...By Rania El GamalABU DHABI (Reuters) - Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday expressed concern about the rise oil prices but said it was too early to predict the impact of U.S. sanctions on his country's imports of Iranian oil after Washington withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal."This kind of geopolitical (tension) affects both consuming and producing countries. We have to live with the reality of the present geopolitics," Pradhan told Reuters during a visit to the United Arab Emirates. U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday reneged on an international nuclear accord with Iran and ...By Rania El GamalABU DHABI (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. plans to double its refining capacity and triple petrochemicals output potential by 2025, as the state energy firm focuses more on downstream expansion to be on par with Big Oil and capture new growth markets, ADNOC's chief executive said.To reach that goal ADNOC will need to create new joint ventures and partnerships and not just rely on its existing assets, Sultan al-Jaber told Reuters in an interview on Saturday. The company is also looking at different options for its ADNOC Refining subsidiary, including bringing on ...One in seven households in Utah continues to struggle with hunger, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Photo Credit: City of Sandy, Utah.

LOGAN  Saturday is the national Letter Carriers Food Drive. That means in addition to bringing you mail, postal service workers are hoping to pick up one or more food items for the hungry.

Aaron Porter is the local mail carrier in charge. He said it is a busy day but the mail carriers feel good about the project.

This is the 20th year that the post office is doing the national food drive, he said. Here in the Logan, Cache Valley area, over that 20 years weve collected close to 500,000 pounds of food to be delivered to the Food Pantry.

Porter said it is extra work, but the letter carriers enjoy it and often bring their children to help out.Motorbikes consumed by fire W. Musa

Gunmen suspected to be Ambazonia fighters have destroyed more than five cars belonging to teachers in some schools in Bafut Subdivision, Mezam division, North West Region of Cameroon Friday May 11, 2018. The Military retaliated by setting ablaze Motor Bikes to prevent the fighters from using them for circulation.

The atmosphere was tense in Bafut Subdivision, Friday afternoon when Ambazonia fighters invaded Nsoh Bafut village shooting and scaring locals especially students and teachers who were at the moment in schools.

They visited Government High School Bafut and sent everyone home threatening to deal with anyone who fails to adhere to their instructions of No school in Amba.

Two teachers were manhandled while students ran into bushes for safety.Cars parked outside were simply damaged. The fighters also visited GTHS Bafut where same acts were carried out.Shortly after their departure, Military arrived Bafut in trucks and set Motor Bikes on fire in Njinteh while one Biker was shot in Agyati.The continuous exchange of shots sent panic stricken villagers into hiding.

North West Governor Bans Motorbikes in Bafut

In reaction to Fridays showdown in Bafut which saw destruction of properties, killing and torture, the Governor of the North West Region, Adolphe LELE LAfrique has issued a release, banning the circulation of Motorbikes in Bafut Subdivision including private owned Bikes, till further notice.

The Governor however said bikes of civil servants and especially military and those with authorization will be allowed to circulate.Mr. LELE LAfrique has warned that any defaulter will be dealt with according to the law .| BY Lynchy |

Ogilvy Singapore and Japan, BBH Singapore + Dentsu Tokyo pick up Gold Pencils at One Show awards

The One Clubs 45th annual One Show awards presentation has just concluded and the big news is Dentsu was named One Show Japan Agency of the Year for their outstanding showing.

This marks the first year The One Club has determined One Show country Agency of the Year honours, based on the cumulative number of Pencils and Merits won across all disciplines and categories in the top 10 countries from which entries were received. Over the two nights of this years The One Show, Dentsu was awarded six Gold Pencils, three Silver, five Bronze and 16 Merits.

There were 5 Gold Pencils for Asia on this second night of The One Show. Gold winners were:

 Dentsu, Tokyo Eating Kabuki with your fingers. for Shochiku co. ltd Minami-za in Print & Outdoor, Posters  Campaign (pictured right)

 Ogilvy & Mather Japan GK, Tokyo The Soy Sauce Posters for Sagawa Shoyu Inc. in Print & Outdoor, Art Direction  Single or Campaign

 Ogilvy & Mather Japan GK, Tokyo The Soy Sauce Posters for Sagawa Shoyu Inc. in Print & Outdoor, Illustration  Single or Campaign

 Ogilvy & Mather Singapore and Hogarth & Ogilvy Singapore with Joinery Los Angeles, US Pitching French Films To Hollywood for Alliance Francaise de Singapour in Film, Long Form  Campaign

 BBH, Singapore The IKEA Human Catalogue for IKEA in Social Media, Campaign

This makes a total of 20 One Show Gold Pencils awarded to Asia, following the 15 Gold Pencils award at the first awards presentation mid this week.

The One Show Best in Show honours, recognising the single most outstanding work from among the 19,823 entries received this year from 73 countries, was awarded to McCann New York for Fearless Girl on behalf of State Street Global Advisors. The work won seven Gold Pencils this year, three this evening and four at the first night of The One Show on Wednesday.

This years top global honours, based upon cumulative One Show Pencils and Merits won across all disciplines, were:

 Japan Agency of the Year: Dentsu

 Global Agency of the Year: BBDO New York

 Network of the Year: BBDO Worldwide

 Holding Company of the Year: Omnicom Group

 Independent Agency of the Year: Droga5

 Production Company of the Year: The Mill

 Client of the Year: Burger King

There were two winners this year of the coveted One Show Penta Pencil, awarded to the agency and brand who together have created stellar creative work for the last five years. One Penta Pencil was awarded to BBDO New York, AMV BBDO, London, Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne and Impact BBDO, Dubai with client Mars Chocolate North America-Snickers, and the other one went to DAVID, Miami with client Burger King.

Best of Discipline winners for the second night of The One Show were:

 Cross-Platform: DAVID, Miami Google Home of The Whopper for Burger King

 Film: Saatchi & Saatchi, New York Its a Tide Ad for Procter & Gamble  Tide

 Interactive: Ogilvy & Mather Polska, Warsaw To The Last Tree Standing for Greenpeace Poland

 Mobile: Colenso BBDO, Auckland Pedigree Selfie STIX for Mars

 Print & Outdoor: DAVID, Miami Burning Stores for Burger King

 Radio: Fitzco//McCann, Atlanta with Casanova//McCann, New York Share a Coke 1,000 Name Celebration for Coca-Cola

 Social Influencer Marketing: R/GA, New York Ask For A Raise for The Muse, Ladies Get Paid, PayScale, Reply.ai

 Social Media: AMV BBDO with LADbible, both London, Trash Isles for LADbible and Plastic Ocean

 UX/UI: Droga5, New York with PHD, New York and Resn, Wellington Did You Mean MailChimp? for MailChimp

Creative thinking sets our industry apart and transforms brands, said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club for Creativity. Its exciting to see consumer brands like Coke, Burger King, Mars, MailChimp and Tide having the courage and conviction to embrace the highest levels of creativity, as shown by their extraordinary Best of Discipline work this year.

Globally, DAVID, Miami won the most Gold Pencils on the second night of The One Show with 10, including eight for Google Home of the Whopper on behalf of Burger King. That work was also awarded Best of Discipline in Cross Platform, going along with the agencys additional Best of Discipline win in Print & Outdoor for Burning Stores, also for Burger King (pictured right).

Droga5, New York was right behind them with nine Golds, including six for The Truth is Hard to Find for The New York Times and two for MailChimps Did You Mean MailChimp?

Saatchi & Saatchi, New York won four Gold Pencils, all for P&G  Tide Its a Tide Ad in the Film discipline. Also with four Golds were AlmapBBDO, Sao Paulo  two each for Getty Images Nosteratu and KISS FM The Book of Rock  and Akestam Holst, Stockholm, including three for Pee Ad on behalf of IKEA Sweden.

For both nights of the 45th annual One Show, a total of 596 Pencils  212 Gold, 163 Silver and 219 Bronze  and 1,047 Merits were awarded for work from 40 countries. Overall, The One Show received 19,823 entries from 73 countries this year.

A complete list of Pencil and Merit winners for this second night of The One Show can be viewed here.

This second night of The One Show was hosted by comedian, writer and television host W. Kamau Bell, executive producer and star of the Emmy Award-winning CNN program United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell.Saturday, May 12, 2018 at 3:26PM

Surface Pro 4 Flicker issue from Gadjo Sevilla on Vimeo.

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

There's an issue affecting selected units of the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 devices where the display begins flickering. This issue cannot be addressed via a software update and is a problem with some of the displays used in the 2-in1 device. I've unfortunatley experienced the fkickering issue and have taken my out of warranty unit to various Microsoft Stores in Canada and in the US to be told that the issue can only get worse through time and that the best option in to move my apps and data over to another unit at my expense.

Microsoft has acknowledged that this issue, while not widespread, has to be handlked satisfactorily. The company has initiated a replacement program and asks users of the Surface Pro 4 to get in touch with Microsoft Support to initiate a replacement. I've been on hold on the phone support line for 30 minutes to no avail so I am instead taking my flickering Surface Pro 4 to a nearby Microsoft Store. I'll update this post as soon as I get word on the next steps.Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.Dear Mike Farnworth, Solicitor General for British Columbia:

Summer is finally here, but as the days are getting longer and warmer, noise levels produced by an increasing number of power boats, trucks and motorcycles with inadequate or no mufflers are getting louder.

How incredibly ignorant, and with literally millions of dollars invested in state of the art equipment, including helicopters, why has this obnoxious issue not been addressed?

You dont need a muffler in each ear, to appreciate the natural beauty of our Okanagan Valley.

The bylaws have been in place for years, and they are as relevant today as they were at the time they were adopted, and as citizens we have a right to insist these issues will be addressed.

Allowing this extremely and offensive behaviour to proliferate has also promoted some very aggressive driver attitudes.

Common courtesies and right-of-ways have become a thing of the past, and our highways are not safe to travel as a result.

Virtually every day, people are injured or killed in our streets and on our highways.

Federal Maritime Occupational Health and Safety Regulations consider sounds in a workplace louder than 85 decibels to be hazardous. The noise level on our streets and highways is far beyond that.

Those obscene noise levels have also become an issue of invasion of our privacy, denying us our right to enjoy home and property.

Its hard core when we are in our homes, spending quality time with friends, or listening to our favourite music or TV programs, and our privacy is constantly being interrupted by radically excessive noises produced by motorcycles and motor vehicles that have been retrofitted with aftermarket flow-through exhaust pipes for no other reason but to generate more noise.

The RCMP has jurisdiction. The only missing component to make it work is our politicians, who absolutely refuse to enforce the law.

Visitors are telling us that the Okanagan has become the most obnoxious place to visit. What a legacy, and at a time we are wasting literally millions of dollars promoting tourism.

Andy Thomsen, PeachlandPhoto: @Go_Fish_BC The Summerland Trout Hatchery in December of 2014.

The Summerland Trout Hatchery will be holding an open house on Saturday to celebrate a significant milestone.

This year is the 90th that the hatchery has been operating and the 100th anniversary of fish culturing in Summerland.

The hatchery, located at 13405 Lakeshore Drive South, will be open for the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hatchery manager Kyle Girgan said there will be activities such as face painting and wine tasting and several different demos on fishing and on fish culturing.

"It's really important to us that we are able to thank our partners and our supporters, and show them a little bit about what we do on a daily basis," Girgan said.

"It's a very valuable, very unique facility in a very unique place, with an absolutely unique water source."

The hatchery gets its water from Shaughnessy Springs, a natural spring, and Girgan said work done there wouldn't be possible without it.

"There's no cost associated with it, we don't have to worry about expensive pumps, it's gravity fed... Perfect for fish rearing."

Each year, the hatchery stocks one million trout and eastern brook trout into 300 lakes, from Grand Forks to Kamloops.

The facility is owned by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C., a private non-profit group. The FFSBC own six hatcheries in the province, which collectively stock eight million fish into 800 B.C. lakes each year.

"If you consider we do 300 lakes out of Summerland alone, that's almost half... It's very vital, and it always has been," Girgan said.

Established in 1928, the hatchery in Summerland is acknowledged as the province's oldest continually-run trout hatchery.Photo: Peter Weisinger

Enacting a local state of emergency is not a decision any municipality takes lightly. It essentially means giving extraordinary powers to a branch of government.

That could mean anything from ordering an evacuation of an area to demolishing existing structures in order to prevent, respond to, or alleviate the effects of an emergency.

Recent spring flooding events have threatened properties, homes and businesses throughout the Interior, with some areas being hit harder than others.

In the Southern Interior, for example, thousands have been ordered to evacuate their homes as officials warn of severe flooding caused by heavy snowpacks, sudden downpours and unseasonably warm temperatures.

In Grand Forks Wednesday, 29 properties were ordered evacuated due to a surging Kettle River. As of Saturday, 2,790 people have been forced from their homes near the West Kettle, Kettle and Granby rivers.

In the North Okanagan, flooding has been far less severe.

However, in places where flooding threats are more imminent, like Armstrong and Lumby, property owners have been given evacuation alerts. In Armstrong, a local state of emergency remains in place.

Municipalities like Coldstream, Spallumcheen and Vernon have their own flooding threats, but have only enacted their emergency operation centres as precautions.

That allows these forms of local government to access provincial resources like sandbags, and also allows for a freer flow of information.

"The only time a municipality really has to enact a local state of emergency is when they need special powers to help control an emergency or an imminent emergency," explained acting Vernon Fire Rescue chief David Lind.

It could mean infringing on civil liberties in order to mitigate, or rectify, a situation or disaster.

Lind gives the example of wildfires. If one was tearing through a local community and a local state of emergency was enacted, in rare circumstances, bulldozing down a few structures might have to be done to "break the chain" as he puts it.

"Those are the types of extraordinary powers that can come from a local state of emergency," says Lind. "Right now our emergency program is being put into place. There are activities going on and we just don't need any of these emergency powers right now. And that is why Vernon has not declared a local state of emergency."

The situation in Vernon is such that crews have been able to complete work without having to enact special powers or authorities that come with certain orders.

But, several property owners and business operators faced with rising waters have called on the City of Vernon to enact a local state of emergency so they can access resources, or obtain city help in protecting their properties.

"We don't have the resources to do that," explains Lind. "When we could do something like that is when it threatens public infrastructure."

It is the City's responsibility to protect public infrastructures like schools, hospitals roads or bridges. It is the responsibility of the property owner to protect their property.

However, Lind explains a local state of emergency doesn't have to be enacted in order to gain access certain resources.

A local authority or the province does not declare a state of local emergency for the following:

To implement part or all of their Emergency Response and Recovery Plan

To gain liability protection under the BC Emergency Program Act

To qualify for disaster financial assistance under the BC Emergency Program Act.

Meanwhile, Vernon's Emergency Operation Centre is open and crews are working on maintaining culverts and waterways, protecting public infrastructure and providing supplies for private homeowners, which enables them to protect their property.Photo: SoulBridging

This is the first time I have had the opportunity to squeeze one of my favourite jazz titles into an astronomy article. Considering the rigours of the journey and the hostile environment on the moon, why would an astronomer like to go there?

Doing astronomy from the surface of the Earth is difficult. All the cosmic emissions have to get through the atmosphere on their way to our telescopes. Some emissions are totally blocked, some partially blocked and most suffer some form of distortion. In addition, there is the problem of people  us.

Our way of life involves squirting enormous amounts of light in all directions. This makes the sky glow and hides faint astronomical objects. Fortunately, we are now realizing that in addition to light pollution costing us huge amounts of money in wasted energy, it is degrading our enjoyment of the natural world.

However, our telescopes are driving to higher sensitivities, making them more vulnerable to light pollution. Luckily, there are still some truly dark locations.

Our radio telescopes are no better off. Manmade radio transmissions are everywhere. Our cars and even we ourselves carry at least one, maybe more active radio devices.

Wifi is a fact of life and the demand for more radio services continues to grow. In addition to living with ground-based interference, radio telescopes have to look past aircraft with their own Internet connections and satellites providing a multiplicity of services.

Up to 10,000 satellites will be launched in the next few years in order to provide worldwide access to 5G communication and data exchange services.

At the moment, there are no people and very few radio transmitters on the moon, and no light pollution or sky glow. However, the Earth is still a problem. In the lunar sky it appears about four times the diameter of the full moon and shines three times brighter.

The Earth is also enormously bright at radio wavelengths, because of our radio transmissions.

There is a solution; we can put our telescopes on the other side of the moon. Because the moon rotates once for every orbit, we never see the other side, and it never gets to see us, so we wont have to deal with its optical and radio glare.

However, there is still the sun. The far side of the moon is often, and wrongly, referred to as the dark side.

The sun shines there too. When the moon is new, it is day on the far side. When it is full, it is day on our side.

There are downsides. The moon has no atmosphere, so we will have to live in an airtight, radiation-screened base, probably underground, only going onto the surface as needed.

There are huge temperature variations between lunar day and night, making it challenging to protect our mirrors and precision antennas from thermal distortion.

Once we have beaten the challenges, our reward will be a better view of the universe than we have ever had before. So, why are we continuing to build our major new astronomical facilities on the surface of the Earth?

Until we have a manned base on the moon, equipped with all the lab and workshop support we have here, lunar instruments will have to be treated as space projects.

Because it is hard to get a service engineer to a broken space or lunar telescope in a timely fashion, we will need to spend months or years striving for an extremely high level of reliability.

With ground-based telescopes, supported by workshops, lots of expert help and easy transportation, reliability is less of an issue, so instrumentation can be developed and deployed quickly.

In addition, here on Earth, we can involve students in hands-on work on new instrumentation. One day, maybe in a couple of decades, we will be able to fly students to the moon for their work, but not yet.A speechless Karen Pollock could not believe it when she was told the shiny Chevrolet sitting in the school parking lot was hers.

Pollock had been having a rough year, so Mission Hill Elementary School teacher Candice Young decided to help her out by arranging for a new-to-her vehicle.

Pollock's old car had a lot kilometres on it and was in and out of the shop, and she needed a reliable vehicle for trips to Vancouver for her son Tyler's cancer check ups.

Young contacted Pat Loehndorf at Bannister Honda who immediately agreed to help out.

The Vernon auto dealership found a four-door Chevy with low miles and made sure it was in tip-top shape before handing Pollock the keys Friday.

Wow, I'm just...wow. I'm blown away, said Pollock as she took it all in. I'm grateful. I can't believe it. It's gorgeous.

Karen had a really hard year. She and Tyler have had some challenges this year and we just felt that she deserved a break and we wanted to do something for them, said Young.

Loehndorf said he was just happy Bannister Honda could play a role in helping Pollock.

It makes us feel so good to give this gift to someone in need, said Loehndorf. But it's Candice that really deserves the credit for reaching out to us and we're just happy we could be a part of it.The North Okanagan Youth and Family Services Society building is getting a facelift.

The covered walkway at the downtown Vernon building was knocked down early Saturday morning to make way for an addition that will house several programs.

Dean Francks, with NOYFSS, said the facility is bursting at the seams so more space was needed so more programs could be offered.

We are putting on a 1,200-square-foot group space and education room, said Francks. This is a space where we will offer a number of group services and programs at no cost to the participants.

The space will house youth groups, children groups and parenting groups for a variety of programs.

These are the programs that we run to meet the demands of the community, he said. We run these programs morning into the evening, so to have a larger space that is more accessible to the community is going to be a win-win all the way around.

The building itself will also be getting a new look as part of the $250,000 project.

Most of the needed funds have been raised, but Francks said a little more is still needed to make the project a reality.Photo: Darren Handschuh According to City of Armstrong officials, creek levels dropped slightly Friday.

There is some good news for water-weary Armstrong residents.

According to City officials, creek levels dropped slightly Friday in the North Okanagan community, but the local state of emergency remains in place.

The advanced evacuation alert for properties along Meighan Creek in the Willowdale Road, Patterson Avenue and lower Becker Street areas also remains in place and residents should be prepared to evacuate on short notice.

City crews continue to deploy mitigation strategies and will monitor creek levels throughout the weekend.

No update was provided Saturday morning.

A combination of clear skies and crew mitigation efforts has seen a drop in creek levels for both Meighan and Deep creeks.

But that drop could be short lived.

It is anticipated with increasing day time temperatures there could be a rise in creek flows as the snow melts at higher elevations.

Residents are aksed to monitor the Citys website and local media stations for updates.

Anyone observing or working near creeks are reminded water levels may rise quickly and people should exercise caution at all times around the fast moving water and creek banks.

Sand and bags are currently available for self-filling, at no cost, at the public works yard, 2950 Patterson Ave. and at the corner of Bridge Street and Okanagan Blvd.

remaining of

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.Grom's analysis measured customer traffic and time spent at Chicago-area Kohl's stores, both those that were participating in the Amazon pilot and stores that weren't. Traffic at the stores with Amazon returns was about 8.5 percent higher than those stores that didn't offer the service, Grom found. Also, the average amount of time a customer stayed in the store did not decline after factoring in people who were returning Amazon purchases, suggesting that those customers didn't just run in to return goods, but rather stayed to shop. (Kohl's offered 25 percent off coupons for Amazon return customers.)The report measures joblessness beyond official unemployment, which only counts people who are actively looking for work, and captures those youths who enter adulthood disconnected from both work and school. While teen unemployment has been on the decline for decades, in part because more kids are focusing on school or doing internships, the population of disconnected young adults has grabbed the attention of local policymakers in recent years as gun violence has wracked poor, mostly black neighborhoods on Chicago's South and West sides.Two assailants ran through the alley and opened fire. Purdis was struck in the abdomen and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:21 a.m. Friday, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. He was initially taken there in critical condition.The veteran judge, 76, has taken highly unusual measures to control the release of information, citing his concern for Van Dyke's right to a fair trial. He has "gagged" lawyers and anyone remotely connected to the case from speaking publicly about it, repeatedly held lengthy, closed-door meetings in chambers with lawyers and since last week has twice cleared the courtroom of reporters and spectators to hear arguments and testimony.McNicholas is Caucasian, about 5'5" tall and 220 lbs., with blue eyes, red hair and a fair complexion, police said. In a photo provided by police, she is wearing glasses with a dark frame.The Jeep was southbound on Clark Street at a high rate of speed when its driver tried to turn left onto Cermak Road. The car hit a pole about 2:30 a.m. in the 100 block of West Cermak Road, police said. Three people were initially taken to Stroger in critical condition. Ramirez was later pronounced dead, Chicago police Officer Jose Jara said. He said police suspect the driver was under the influence of alcohol and charges may be pending.Thousands of whale watchers seek out Migaloo each year, and in 2003, a boat struck and injured him, leaving scars on his back. The incident prompted Australia to carve out extra protections for humpback whales that are more than 90 percent white  which, as far as anyone knows, is a category that includes just Migaloo and one other humpback. These whales are designated "special management marine mammals," and boats must stay at least 500 meters, or about 1,640 feet, away from them; aircraft cannot get closer than 2,000 feet.Police and prosecutors say the Golden State Killer - also known as the Visalia Ransacker, the East Area Rapist and the Original Nightstalker - began his crimes with a series of break-ins that escalated to brutal rapes in the Sacramento area in 1976. In 1979, the crimes migrated to Southern California, where DeAngelo is charged with carrying out a string of killings. The crimes appear to have ended in 1986.In addition to the proposals by companies, local governments have submitted plans. Calhoun County, Michigan, proposed building a dedicated immigrant detention facility with up to 300 beds at the county jail, in addition to 250 beds already under contract to ICE. Sherburne County, Minnesota, offered space for 300 detainees in its jail, with new construction possible to hold 200 others. Kankakee County already under contract to house 105 detainees, offered space for nearly 100 more and said it could complete construction of an annex to house 300 others. There is an active ICE detention center in Kenosha County, Wisconsin."Now that North Korea has accepted in principle that agreements should be verified, U.S. negotiators should hold them to this standard for any subsequent agreement," said Adam Mount, a senior defense analyst at the Federation of American Scientists. "It will make it more difficult for Kim Jong Un to deny inspections now that he has placed them on the table."Videos

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.Trump has flatly denied he knew of the hush money payment of $130,000 made on his behalf to Stormy Daniels by his former attorney Michael Cohen. In an interview with Fox News on May 2, Giuliani stated, "Michael would take care of things like this, like I take care of things like this with my clients. I don't burden them with every single thing that comes along." Such conduct is absolutely wrong. Clients are not burdened by being fully informed of serious legal matters.The Beacon-News has previously described the relationship between Northern Lights and the Aurora Housing Authority. The two had separate boards and offices, and shared staff members and the former housing authority executive director. They worked together on several projects and Northern Lights won at least two publicly-bid contracts from the housing authority, including one in which it did not offer the lowest estimated cost, The Beacon-News found.The students walked out of school at 10 a.m. and gathered in the back of the building, a district spokeswoman has said. They sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" and chanted, "U-S-A." Janchik and Stutesman sought to emphasize that a student speaker said guns are a privilege in most countries, but in America they are "natural and God-given rights."This map shows the proposed boundaries of Illinois, and the northern addition that made the state the shape it has had since it was admitted into the union in 1818. This map may be included in the historical marker to be placed in Yorkville. (Richard Kallstrom)The family could have chosen the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (The Punchbowl) in Hawaii, where the anonymous remains had been buried for over 60 years, said Carolyn Sellers, the daughter of Walter's younger sister Charlene. Or they could have had their uncle interred in Arlington National Cemetery. Instead, the Batavia cemetery was chosen to make it more convenient for surviving relatives to visit, and because he will lie near his parents.But there was more to the bond between the 52-year-old father of three and the 25-year-old survivor of a horrific attack that made headlines 11 years ago. They had a kind of rapport, a similar sense of humor and a shared need to help others along the way.Wang said she hoped to have an intergovernmental agreement between the village and the school district approved by the school board in June, with the new guards to be in place in August at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year.Gabriella P. Geroulis, 19, of the 600 block of Dundee Road, Glencoe, was charged with possession of cannabis, possession of a controlled substance and driving without a rear registration license plate light after she was stopped at 2:05 a.m. on May 7 near the intersection of Dundee Road and Forestway Drive, police said. She was turned over to the Cook County sheriff's police and had a bond hearing on May 7 and was subsequently released on a personal recognizance bond.The dining room is original to the house, but the kitchen is part of an addition done in the 1990s. But items, such as chandelier in the kitchen and all the hardware on the cabinets were found other parts of the house and reused in the new kitchen.But before that, he warned that the plan was that if he began to choke up and couldn't finish a sentence during the ceremony, he would go into interpretive dancing, and then proceeded to give a demonstration of the robot by moving his left arm up and down and made jazz hands, which drew laughs.In July 2014, an alleged drunken driving crash killed two men when the driver of the vehicle failed to properly navigate near the intersection of Aurora Avenue and Eagle Street and drove into the water-filled quarry just west of downtown. Also that month, Naperville cops used a stun gun to break up a fight that broke out on Washington Street in downtown Naperville just after bars closed. A bystander captured the mele on video, and it was widely shared on social media."He's in our thoughts and our prayers," Andrews said. "People from the community have stepped up and shown interest, and they're being evaluated to see if they're a match. I know several people have reached out to me on Facebook to ask how they can be assessed as a donor. I hope it all works out well for the chief, and we're pulling for him."According to an alert issued by police, the damage to the car was discovered at 2:45 p.m. Friday on the 1400 block of North Tyrell Avenue. It was discovered nearly 10 hours after police responded to a report of gunshots heard in the area of Potter Road and Northwest Highway, police said."This is an ongoing investigation," Master Trooper Glen Fifield said in a statement, adding when the investigation is complete, all findings will be submitted to prosecutors for review and action as deemed appropriate.A group of artists from Azerbaijan staged various performances to mark the "Day of Culture" in Beijing on May 11, giving Chinese audiences a taste of their unique folk culture.

The opening ceremony of Azerbaijani Day of Culture featured traditional folk music and dances, as well as an exhibition of Azerbaijani ancient handicraft arts, including carpet sewing, shabaka making and copper products.

Rashid Alimov, general secretary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, spoke at the ceremony. "Mutual respect for the diversity of cultures and civilizations, as well as a deep and comprehensive understanding of diversity, is essential to mutual trust, equality and aspirations for joint development."

He attached great importance to deepening cultural exchanges with China, in a bid to foster healthy and mutually beneficial bilateral ties.

Akram Zeymalli, ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Beijing, said in his speech that the series of cultural events held between China and Azerbaijan provided platforms for both sides to improve the relations by expanding cultural cooperation, a sentiment that reflects the spirit and principles of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Touching upon the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, Zeymalli said that there is still great potential to tap, while stating that Azerbaijan's participation in the initiative will broaden its scope, including to economic trade, the creation of trans-Eurasian economic and transport corridors and tourism.

Several folk songs and dances featuring the traditional Mugham music were performed throughout the show. The show drew waves of applause from the audience and exposed visiting Chinese guests to Azerbaijani culture.The Buddhist robots have arrived, and two of China's leading tech firms iFlytek and Tencent have signed a deal with a temple to try to advance a robot monk's wisdom.

Master Xiandu, from Longquan Temple in Beijing, stands alongside Xian'er, a 60-cm tall robot monk in yellow robes sporting a shaved head, at the 5th China Robotop, an annual summit held in Yuyao City, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Thursday.

"The temple has sought to introduce up-to-date AI technology to upgrade Xian'er," said the master, who is in charge of AI and Information Technology at the Buddhist temple.

The temple located on Fenghuang Hill in Beijing's northwest outskirts, 50 km away from the downtown, is regarded as China's most tech-strong temple, with a number of its monks graduating from China's most prestigious universities.

The temple's technology team in 2015 independently developed the robot monk, which can chant mantras and answer questions on basic Buddhist tenets.

Xiandu said that by signing with iFlytek and Tecent, the temple hoped to develop the third generation of Xian'er.

Xian'er's appearance is based on the temple's former cartoon image of a small, puzzled-looking novice monk. It has over 1.37 million fans, and has daily exchanges in both Chinese and English in text and voice messages with some 100,000 people each day on its account on WeChat, a popular messaging app.

The temple's robot development team has found that most questions proposed to Xian'er are about love, stress, annoyance and confusion in life.

Xiandu said Xian'er's answers were mainly based on the thoughts of the temple's abbot, Master Xuecheng. The temple plans to build a database based on the robot's questions and answers.

According to the plan, iFlytek will help improve Xian'er's artificial language ability, and Tencent will boost the robot's data processing functions.

Xiandu said Buddhist doctrine contained Chinese traditional culture and thinking, which could still inspire people. Xian'er can share such wisdom to those who confide it.

He said modern technology has also been introduced to the temple's work on digitizing ancient Buddhist books.Reform committee calls for combining internal governance, control of risks

State-owned enterprises that are heavily indebted should bring their debt levels down to "reasonable levels as soon as possible", urged a high-profile central meeting on Friday that was presided over by President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The Central Committee for Deepening Overall Reform, holding its second meeting this year, reviewed and adopted rules and regulations covering areas such as reform of local public institutions, debt control of State-owned enterprises, regulation of State assets of Party and State agencies and public institutions, reform of enterprises affiliated with higher-learning institutions and the pension system, and implementation of major reform measures set at the Communist Party of China's 19th National Congress in October.

Participants agreed that strengthening control of the debt levels of State-owned enterprises is an important move to implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress and promote the deleveraging and prevention of debt risks of such enterprises. Internal corporate governance and external control of risks should be combined, and a mechanism for controlling the asset-liability ratio of State-owned enterprises should be established and improved, they said.

Supervision should be strengthened to push debt levels of heavily indebted SOEs back to reasonable levels as soon as possible, the meeting decided.

Central SOEs' debt levels have steadily dropped in recent years. Their total assets reached 54.5 trillion yuan ($8.6 trillion) in 2017. Their average asset-liability ratio was 66.3 percent in 2017, down by 0.4 percentage point from the 2016 level.

Regulators said they will impose targeted regulation on different types of SOEs this year, depending on their debt levels.

Analysts said China will gradually put its corporate debt risks under control.

"China is heavily engaged in handling financial deleveraging reform, which includes the reducing of corporate debt, especially for the State-owned ones with overcapacity," said Iris Pang, an economist with banking group ING.

"But the policymakers would need to skillfully manage liquidity so that the case does not fuel a series of defaults, which would make the market nervous. We expect the Chinese government will be able to manage the rising credit risks in China," Pang added.

Xi said at the meeting that China has made major headway in its reform of central institutions.You are here: China

Leaders of a movement identifying itself as the "Taiwan civil government" (TCG) have been arrested for suspected fraud and money laundering.

The illegal proceeds of their suspected crimes total nearly 300 million new Taiwan dollars (about 10.1 million U.S. dollars), according to a statement issued by the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office on Friday.

The prosecutors found the TCG was selling its own ID cards and raising funds from members with promised dividends.

Nine guns and 135 million new Taiwan dollars in cash were found during a search of the TCG "headquarters" and residences of its leaders on Thursday.

Prosecutors have applied for court decisions to hold three of the seven suspects in custody, including TCG leader Roger Lin and his wife.

The TCG, established in 2008, was widely criticized for claims regarding the island's relations with Japan.China is making every effort to rescue the missing noted Bulgarian mountaineer Boyan Petrov, Chinese Ambassador to Bulgaria Zhang Haizhou said on Friday.

Several days ago, Petrov went missing in the Himalayas while trying to climb Shishapangma Mountain in China's Tibet Autonomous Region at an altitude of about 7,500 meters.

Shishapangma is the world's 14th highest one at 8,027 meters, which is located in south-central Tibet.

Ambassador Zhang said at a briefing that the Chinese authorities have already sent nearly 100 people to Shishapangma base camp. Of them, 25 are rescuers and the others are medical and logistics teams.

The first 12 rescuers have already climbed from the base camp, at an altitude of 5,800 meters, to camp 1 at 6,400 meters.

On Saturday, seven of the 12 will leave for camp 2 at an altitude of 6,800 meters and then will continue to camp 3 at 7,300 meters.

Currently, no operation can be carried out at places over 7,300 meters due to bad weather. The weather will remain adverse on Saturday, but an improvement is expected on Sunday, according to Zhang.

The ambassador said the Chinese government paid high attention to the searching and rescue of the well-known Bulgarian mountaineer.

Chinese authorities, Zhang said, have also instructed local government of Tibet to do its best to help rescue Petrov.U.S. President Donald Trump displays a signed presidential memorandum at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on May 8, 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump said on May 8 that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, a landmark agreement signed in 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

Donald Trump's announcement that he intends to withdraw the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program has delivered a blow to American credibility as well as to global anti-nuclear proliferation efforts.

Trump's announcement comes at a curious time. Just one week ago, he sounded optimistic about the prospects of reaching a deal to limit North Korea's nuclear program. Now he is pulling out of an already-existing, functional framework. His approach evidences no consistency and no strategy.

Americans generally believe the Iranian government to be untrustworthy and aggressive. Iran supports Hezbollah and local militia groups that are fighting against American- and Saudi-backed militias in Syria. That much may be true, but Saudi Arabia's support for militia groups is just as destabilizing, and its bombing of Yemen has created a humanitarian crisis analogous to Syria's. There is no reason for Iran to be held up as an exceptionally heinous country unworthy of diplomatic relations.

If Trump does not trust Iran to uphold an agreementa suspicion for which he could offer no evidencethen there's no reason he should trust North Korea either. Negotiations with North Korea would have been difficult in any case, but Trump's decision to break the Iran deal only makes them more so. Now North Korea has credible cause to be skeptical of American promises. By leaving the JCPOA less than three years after signing, Trump is signaling that any treaty America enters into might not last through its next president. Trump's departure from the Paris climate agreement has conveyed the same message.

The potential damage of this action to American leadership over time is far greater than to any one agreement. Global leadership depends on credibility. Other countries will listen and deal only if they can trust that what America says today will be upheld tomorrow. There would be little motive for Iran or North Korea to give up weapons capabilities in exchange for concessions if they can't count on the delivery of those concessions. Trump would be wise to remember that he represents the United States, not just his personal interests or his political party. Presidents change, but the power and interests of a country carry on. Long after Trump is gone, the impact of his actions will still be felt.

If Trump, arrogant as he is, thinks he can now get Iran to accept a deal with better terms for the U.S., he will find himself sadly mistaken. Unity among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany was at its height when the deal was negotiated. Now the U.S. relationship with Europe, not to mention Russia and China, is strained. The rest of the parties still support the deal, and officials of the French and Iranian governments, among others, have stated their intention to continue upholding the deal without the U.S., not returning to the previous sanctions against Iran.

A number of possible outcomes may occur, none of which are good for the U.S. First, if the parties keep up the deal without the U.S., Washington will have a further diminishing role in global leadership, as has already been happening in the Trump era. Second, if, as the Trump administration has claimed, they impose sanctions on European companies doing business with Iran, thus causing European countries to pull back from business interests, this will only further damage American-European relations, possibly pushing Germany closer to China. Third, if the deal does collapse and Iran continues to produce nuclear weapons in the absence of constraints, then America will be faced with the same problem as before, but without global or domestic support to act.

Whether Trump actually believes he can do betteror even intends to tryis an open question. When he left the Paris Accord, it was crystal clear that he didn't intend to renegotiate. He didn't agree with limiting carbon emissions in the first place, or indeed going along with any deal signed by his predecessor, Obama. It could well be the same with Iran. Many Republicans and hawks don't want to treat Iran as a legitimate country, period. National Security Advisor John Bolton has long called for overthrowing Iran's government.

Trump will have to make a choice: Is he more concerned about regime change than he is about limiting Iran's nuclear program, or more critically, about maintaining American credibility on the global diplomatic stage?

Mitchell Blatt is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/MitchellBlatt.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.Chinese Premier Li Keqiang wrapped up his visit to Japan on Friday after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bade farewell to him in person at the airport in Sapporo, capital of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.



Being marked by Li's visit, which succeeded in consolidating political mutual trust and exploring new cooperation possibilities between the two neighbors, bilateral ties are now on the right track again.

Political ties as cornerstone

Li's visit to Japan, the first by a Chinese premier in eight years, coincided with the 40th anniversary of the signing of China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

Abe displayed Japan's sincerity by accompanying Li during most of the events Li participated in both Tokyo and Sapporo.

The Treaty of Peace and Friendship, an important milestone in bilateral ties, affirmed the principles of the bilateral joint statement that was issued in 1972 in legal form, which include Japan's deep reflection on war responsibilities, and its firm adherence to the One-China policy, Li told a reception marking the anniversary of the treaty held in Tokyo on Thursday.

Now, new progress and lasting stable development should be made as bilateral ties return to the normal track, and this is the best way to commemorate the signing of the treaty, Li said.

In the political area, China and Japan have agreed that they will use history as a mirror while keeping a future-oriented mind, Li noted.

The Japanese government and leaders have on multiple occasions expressed willingness to face up to and reflect on history, Li told Abe during their talks on Wednesday, urging the Japanese side to fulfill its commitments with actions.

The Chinese premier also asked both countries to properly manage disputes and jointly build a brighter future. "I hope that the two countries can meet each other halfway, and maintain long-term, healthy and stable growth of their ties," Li told Abe.

During the visit, the two sides signed several cooperation documents including a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on setting up a maritime and air liaison mechanism, which is a crucial step in managing crisis in the East China Sea.

Li said that the return of bilateral political ties onto the right track will be conducive to promoting their cooperation in other fields.

The resumption of high-level visits has been highly expected.

During the visit, Li invited Abe to visit China on a proper occasion, saying that exchange of visits between leaders of the two sides on a regular basis will create favorable conditions for the development of bilateral ties.

Abe hailed Li's remarks that China-Japan relations are setting sail again and will sail further.

The Japanese prime minister is also eager to see a revitalized and healthy relationship with China.

He called on the two sides to turn competition into coordination, adding that, starting today, bilateral relations have entered the era of coordination.

There will be no unconquerable difficulties for the two countries so long as they join hands with each other, Abe said.

Trade, economic links turning new page

During the visit, China and Japan agreed to lift their pragmatic cooperation to a new level.

The two sides have set out the direction and pinpointed new areas for future cooperation, reaching agreements on social security, finance, health, medical science and service trade, Li said.

Calling on the two countries to synergize their development strategies, Li pointed to energy conservation, environmental protection, scientific and technological innovation, high-end manufacturing, finance, sharing economy, medical and old-age service as sectors where the two sides should focus on.

Besides the goodwill, concrete steps are in sight as well.

On Wednesday, Li and Abe witnessed the signing of memorandums on enhancing service trade cooperation, and on third-party cooperation between the two sides.

In addition to a bilateral service trade cooperation mechanism, China and Japan also agreed to set up a cross-department work mechanism for promoting third-party market cooperation under the framework of the China-Japan high-level economic dialogue, and organize a forum on the third-party market cooperation.

China also agreed to grant Japan RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (RQFII) quota of 200 billion yuan (about 31.36 billion U.S. dollars).

The granting of the RQFII quota would help Japanese financial institutions actively invest in China's capital market through the RQFII, Li said.

The two sides also agreed in principle to sign a currency swap deal at an early date, and this will help safeguard financial market stability and promote investment facilitation, Li said.

China holds a positive attitude toward establishing RMB clearing bank in Tokyo, the premier said.

On Friday morning, when visiting a factory of Japanese carmaker Toyota in Hokkaido, Li called for deepening bilateral cooperation on joint R&D and innovation so as to produce competitive high-tech goods that meet the demands of Chinese and Japanese markets and also third-party markets.

On infrastructure building, Abe suggested that Japan and China set up a cross-department committee and a forum to promote cooperation on meeting Asia's infrastructure development demand.

Business people of both sides can work together, especially within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and in jointly developing third-party market, said Sadayuki Sakakibara, chairman of Japan Business Federation.

For his part, Yohei Kono, former speaker of the Japanese House of Representatives, said he was amazed by the popularity of new services like bike-sharing, mobile payment and Internet-based delivery during his recent visit to China.

The progress made by China is worth learning from, said Kono, adding that China and Japan should learn from each other to achieve common prosperity and make joint contribution to the development of the world.

People-to-people bonds getting stronger

During the visit, China and Japan also created conditions for stronger cooperation between localities and enterprises, and for better people-to-people links.

While addressing a China-Japan Governor Forum on Friday in Sapporo, Li said the two sides agreed to carry out cooperation in innovative development and launch innovative dialogue mechanism.

Hokkaido not only is an important base of Japan's modern agriculture, but also has important high-tech industries. The two sides plan to enhance cooperation in high-tech and other industries concerning people's livelihoods such as dealing with population ageing and improving medical treatment, Li said.

Exchanges and cooperation between localities are an important part of China-Japan relations, Li stressed.

Meanwhile, to cement people-to-people bonds is a highlight of Li's visit.

While meeting with some of the former Japanese politicians who had participated in the process of making the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Li called on both sides to cherish the hard-won momentum of improvement in bilateral relations and carry forward the spirit of the treaty.

In Tokyo, Li and Abe jointly visited a cultural and creative exhibition of the Forbidden City, which showcases artworks of bronze, lacquer, porcelain and wood carving that draw inspiration from artifacts of the Forbidden City.

Li asked to make cultural industry a new spotlight in bilateral cooperation, strengthen mutual understanding of the two peoples, and consolidate the public opinion basis for long-term, healthy and stable growth of ties.

During the visit, China presented Japan with a pair of crested ibis to reflect Chinese people's friendship with the Japanese.

The iconic bird is deeply rooted in Japanese history and culture. It was on the verge of extinction in Japan in the 1980s. Since then, the two countries have worked together to protect the bird.

On various occasions, the Chinese premier stressed to cement people-to-people exchanges, consolidate the public foundation for bilateral ties, and strengthen understanding and affection between the two peoples.

He was warmly welcomed and echoed by Japanese leaders. Japanese Emperor Akihito said he always recalls the moment when he was warmly welcomed by the Chinese people in his visit to China over 20 years ago, and strongly felt the hearts of the two peoples were connected.

With efforts from both countries, their people-to-people bonds are expected to get even closer, and contribute to further improvement of the overall relations. Flash

For the Europeans who expected the United States to put the transatlantic alliance first and stay in the Iran nuclear deal, U.S. President Donald Trump's relentless withdrawal from the deal on Tuesday was a wake-up call.



By driving a stake through the heart of the deal, Trump not only threw Europe's trust towards Washington on the issue into dustbin, but also put America's global credibility in question. After all, America had once joined the multilateral negotiation and signed the hard-won agreement.

"This breaks the trust in the international order...Although the deal was far from ideal and many issues still remain unresolved, the U.S. withdrawal is a cause of great concern and regret," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday in the German city of Muenster.

The transatlantic relationship is now in its biggest rift since the Iraq war, with allies on each coast talking past each other on almost every page, ranging from trade to climate change and even shared values -- their bond of blood.

"This is not the first time Europeans have been confronted with Mr Trump's disdain for an international order that used to underwrite U.S. global leadership. America First has seen him quit the Paris climate change accord, jettison the idea of a two state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, tear up trade agreements and question the NATO alliance...(The withdrawal) marks the biggest rupture in transatlantic relations since the end of the Cold War and mocks the West's efforts to uphold a rules-based order," said Philip Stephens, an associate editor of the Financial Times.

But now all the pipe dreams and illusions have gone. Shortly after Trump's withdrawal announcement, the European Union's (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Europe would stand by the international nuclear accord with Iran and "is determined to preserve it".

It seemed that Europe has finally understood Trump's message: when the United States makes a decision, allies have to follow, whether they like it or not. In Trump's words Tuesday, "the United States no longer makes empty threats. When I make promises, I keep them."

In most European capitals, the first reaction to this wrecking strategy is to say America is now on its own.

Foreign ministers from EU member states are expected to meet in London on Monday with Iran to save the Iran nuclear deal, despite Trump's pulling out.

"Foreign ministers aim to reassure Tehran that the nuclear deal is salvageable at a meeting currently slated for Monday in London which they are expecting their Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif to attend," according to Britain's Guardian newspaper.

EU ministers hope to put forward a credible package to assuage Iranian fears about the effect of Trump's decision on EU-Iranian trade, the newspaper said.

"The ministers recognize that Iran will only stay inside the deal if it is confident that the promised economic benefits can survive U.S. sanctions," the newspaper said. "But they were keen to stress that Trump's move had not necessarily dealt the agreement a fatal blow."

But besides withdrawal from the deal, Trump has also made many other promises, including that the EU should yield for permanent exemption of the steel and aluminum tariffs before June 1, and European allies should increase military expenses or stop free riding, among others.

If Trump really means his words, there will be more holding-gun-to-EU's-head (Macron said last March) moments in the near future. Being more obedient to Washington or fighting for equal rights as an ally? That is the question. Luckily, the ball is now in Europe's court. Flash

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was just out of office after a shocking defeat in the general elections, has been banned from leaving the country, the immigration department said Saturday.

The immigration department announced via its social site account that Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor have just been backlisted from leaving the country.

"I was already informed that the immigration department of Malaysia doesn't allow me and my family to foreign countries," Najib said in a tweet moments later. "I respect this instruction and will stay in the country with my family."

In an earlier statement, Najib said he would take a vacation in a foreign country starting Saturday, and would make a decision during this period on his position as president of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and chairman of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

As the leading party, UMNO has led the coalition to govern Malaysia since the country's independence in 1957, before losing in the general elections earlier this week.

The new governing coalition Pakatan Harapan is led by Mahathir Mohamad, who was prime minister from 1981 to 2003 as UMNO and BN leader.

"As UMNO president and the Barisan Nasional chairman, I took full responsibility for the result for the 14th general election," Najib said in the statement.

He said earlier that he would announce the decision upon returning to the country as well as his plan for the future, adding the decision is only to "make sure UMNO and Barisan Nasional would come back strong and regain the trust of the people."

The former prime minister, who has been embroiled in the 1MDB state fund scandal but denied any wrongdoing, has apologized "for any shortcomings and mistakes" in other tweets.

Najib, along with several heavyweights of UMNO, attended a low-key celebration of the party's 72nd anniversary at the UMNO headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. But he broke the tradition of speaking to the party members and did not speak to the media either.

The new Prime Minister Mahathir has said that if Najib were found to do something wrong, "he will have to face the consequences."

The new government is expected to hold a press conference and unveil the new cabinet line-up on Saturday.Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.

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Go to formWe attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message.AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron man accidentally shot himself in the leg while trying to pull a gun on two marijuana dealers Thursday in the city's Summit Lake neighborhood, police said.

Amir Peak, 18, was then shot in the legs several times by one of the suspected dealers just before midnight on Russell Avenue near Oberlin Street, police said.

Peak suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the incident.

He is charged with aggravated robbery and felonious assault in the incident, police said.

Peak and another man planned to rob two men and take two pounds of marijuana from them, police said. He was pulling a gun from his waistband when it fired and struck his leg.

One of the suspected dealers, Aljuwon Eiland-Sims, shot Peak several more times in the legs, police said.

Akron Fire Department paramedics took Peak to Cleveland Clinic Akron General for treatment.

Eiland-Sims, 19, of Streetsboro, was also arrested and charged with felonious assault, police said. He remains in custody at the Summit County Jail.

The incident remains under investigation, police said.

To comment on this story, visit Friday's crime and courts comments page.Everyone eligible should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel or employment.

Vaccination should be voluntary but those who don't get vaccinated should be frequently tested for COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel and employment.

Both vaccination and testing should be voluntary and not required as a condition of long-distance travel or employment.

I defer to the judgment of lawmakers as long as they base their decisions on a consensus of medical professionals.

Vote

View ResultsORANGE, Ohio -- Animal bites, Lander Road: A seven-year-old pit bull with no history of attacks ran off its property unleashed shortly after noon May 6 and went after a greyhound being walked by a neighbor.

The man watching the pit bull for his daughter said it had gotten away from him, and owners of the greyhound said they expected their costs to be fully covered for a trip to the vet to treat a cut of several inches suffered by the greyhound.

The pit bull was also to be quarantined for at least three days while the owner looked up its medical history of shots. The owner's father was told the dog needed to be muzzled and on a leash in the future.

Overdose, Narcan administered; Orange Place: Police responded initially around 6 a.m. May 7 to a report of a possible drug overdose at the Super 8 motel, where they found a Cleveland man, 28, unresponsive on the bed with labored breathing.

When an employee of the victim, an Oklahoma man, 60, told police that it could have been heroin, an officer administered two doses of Narcan in an attempt to revive him as medics arrived on the scene.

A consent search of the room revealed no further evidence. No further details on the victim's condition were available.

Suspicion, Orange Place: Responding to a report of what appeared to be a drug deal going on in the parking lot at Extended Stay North around 7 p.m. May 7, police wound up making a traffic stop nearby.

The driver, a Worcester man, 19, whose car and person reeked of both burnt and raw marijuana, argued unsuccessfully with police that marijuana was legal in Ohio.

Police said that while a glass jar holding some "shake" was found inside, and a K-9 detected the scent of contraband in the trunk, there was not enough evidence for a citation, and the driver, along with his passenger, a Parma man, 31, were sent on their way.

Speed, warrant served; Chagrin Boulevard: After clocking a Bedford man, 38, going 40 in a 25 mph zone along Orange Place on the afternoon of May 8, police eventually got him to pull his 2010 Chevrolet Malibu over -- after he briefly sped up -- in the lot at P.F. Chang's restaurant in Beachwood.

When he explained that he did not feel safe stopping in the area where the pursuit began, police told him it was not his decision where to pull over.

Police also found several misdemeanor warrants, at least one of them from Bedford, where where he was turned over to jailers.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.PEPPER PIKE, Ohio -- Damage to property; Cedar, Brainard roads: Police responded to a construction zone around 1 p.m. May 8, where a vehicle was stuck in wet cement. The driver, from the Kamm's Corners section of Cleveland, did not appear to be injured and had insurance.

Lost property, Ainsworth Drive: A resident came to the police station on May 1 to report some jewelry that was missing, including a platinum and diamond ring, an 18-karat white gold eternity band and a 14-karat yellow gold wristwatch.

Damage to property, Pinetree Road: A Lyndhurst woman reported on May 1 that a rock was thrown while a landscaper was cutting grass at Heinen's grocery store, shattering a window on her parked car. No injuries were reported.

Parked car accident, Pinetree Road: Due to conflicting statements, fault could not be determined in a May 3 evening mishap in the parking lot at Heinen's grocery, where a Pepper Pike woman opened the door of her 2017 Hyundai Sonata and knocked the running board off a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee owned by a Chagrin Falls woman who was parked in the next space. The Pepper Pike woman claimed the Jeep was moving at the time.

Domestic dispute, mutual aid requested; Hunting Hollow Drive: Moreland Hills officers were called in by Pepper Pike police around 10:30 a.m. May 4 to a residence with guns on the premises and a man threatening a woman. With four cruisers still on the scene, Moreland Hills officers were released within 30 minutes. No further details were available.

Civil matter, Kersdale Road: A resident called dispatch around 4:40 p.m. May 2 in regards to not having his son during his scheduled parenting time.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Disorderly conduct, Coventry Road: At 7:25 p.m. May 6, police received a call about a man creating a disturbance at Dave's Cosmic Subs, 1842 Coventry Road.

Police located the suspect, 25, at Hampshire and Coventry roads. According to store employees, the man attempted to proposition a female store employee, 21, for sex.

When asked to leave, the man became agitated and started yelling at employees. He left, but then returned to the store, making a threat of physical harm to all of the employees.

Police charged the man with menacing and disorderly conduct.

Disorderly conduct, Ivydale Road: At 1:15 a.m. May 3, police were called to a home where a woman, 19, told officers that her boyfriend and his brother had engaged in a physical fight.

One of the men was found to have cuts on his shoulder and head and pieces of glass in his hair from a broken mirror. The injured man said the two had argued before the fight became physical. The other brother said the mirror was broken when the lights in the house somehow went out as they fought.

Police could not determine the fight's aggressor, so both were cited for disorderly conduct.

OVI, Mayfield Road: At 2 a.m. May 4, a clerk at the BP gas station, 2801 Mayfield Road, called police after a Jeep had been parked by a gas pump for a long period of time.

Police looked inside the Jeep and found a sleeping man. Officers woke the man and asked him where he thought he was. The man replied that he was downtown. The man said he was tired and admitted to drinking alcohol. From inside the Jeep, police could smell the odor of marijuana.

A breath test revealed that the man's blood-alcohol content was 0.096, above the state minimum for drunk driving of 0.08.

Police charged the man with OVI, prohibited BAC and marijuana possession.

Disorderly conduct, Kensington Road: At 6:30 p.m. May 5, a girl, 12, ran from her family's home to the Anatolia Cafe, 2270 Lee Road, and told people there that her parents were involved in a physical fight in their home.

Police spoke with the couple, a man, 36, and woman, 35. The woman acknowledged that the couple had been involved in a verbal disagreement that scared their daughter.

The woman's husband smelled of alcohol and was, police noted in their report, "appreciably impaired."

The man was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct/public intoxication.

OVI, Noble Road: At 11:15 p.m. May 5, an officer on patrol came across a car being driven with only one functional headlight.

A traffic stop was conducted. The driver, a man, 44, told the officer that he did not have a driver's license. The officer saw a cup filled with beer in the car's center console. The man admitted to having "a few beers" that evening. The man went on to fail field sobriety tests. He refused to take a breath test.

Police charged the man for the headlight violation, as well as OVI and having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Assault, Whitby Road: At 2:50 a.m. May 5, police were dispatched to a home on a disturbance report.

At the home, a woman, 42, told police that her boyfriend, 35, was upstairs and bleeding from his head.

Officers spoke with the man, who admitted to being drunk. The man, bleeding from a gash above his eye, told police that he had been jumped and robbed of his wallet and cell phone.

The woman told police that her boyfriend's story was not true. She said her boyfriend had a male friend visiting and that the two had been drinking. The men got into an argument, which led to a physical fight. The friend was gone when police arrived, and the woman said she did not know his last name.

Both the man and woman were uncooperative with officers. EMS took the boyfriend to the hospital.

Disturbance, Coventry Road: At 12:45 p.m. May 6, police were called to a home about a dispute between neighbors that, dispatch was told, may have involved a gun.

A woman, 42, told police that while she was in her back yard, her male neighbor, 61, began to talk with her over the fence. The man said he didn't want the woman's daughter speaking with his wife. The woman's boyfriend, 52, then came out of the house and argued with the man.

The 61-year-old man then went to his car and took out a small object. The woman and her boyfriend believed it to be a gun. The man later told police it was his cell phone, which he took out to video record the incident.

The man told police he does own a gun. Police found the gun inside the house, unloaded and locked in a safe. Police took the gun for the safety of all.

The matter has been forwarded to the city prosecutor's office.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A now-former Cleveland Cavaliers executive vice president filed a lawsuit accusing the organization's officials of threatening to ruin her career after she saw employees deleting evidence related to a disabled employee's potential discrimination claim.

Lawyers for Mozelle Jackson, who was hired as the team's chief financial officer in 2010, filed the one-count complaint Thursday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

The lawsuit, which was first reported Friday by Forbes magazine, seeks at least $25,000 in damages and a chance to go before a jury.

Jackson was fired on Thursday, Cavs spokesman Tad Carper told cleveland.com Saturday morning. Her profile was not on the team's website Friday afternoon.

The Cavs issued a statement Saturday morning saying the lawsuit was full of "intentionally twisted, inaccurate and fabricated claims," and that the organization will not pay "ransom-like sums."

"We eagerly look forward to bringing this matter to trial and are confident that the truth will prevail, demonstrating that these assertions, although professionally packaged and strategically timed in hopes to maximize pressure and affect [sic], are baseless and false," the statement read.

Jackson oversaw the organization's finances, human resources and legal matters, the suit claims. In March 2018, she became aware of a "workplace incident" with an employee that was investigated by lawyers and members of the human resources department.

Many of the details of the incident, including the employee's name, are redacted in the original complaint and Jackson's lawyers have asked a judge permission to file an unredacted version under seal.

Jackson said that after a March 15 conference call about the incident with a number of Cavs officials, including President of Business Operations Nic Barlage, inside and outside legal teams, the HR department and security officers and outside lawyer Howard Luckoff, she saw members of the organization's IT department deleting evidence related to the employee's incident.

Jackson said she raised concerns and, in a letter to CEO Len Komoroski, her lawyer insisted that the deleted evidence be recovered and that the organization safeguard any other evidence related to the employee, the lawsuit says.

In response, Luckoff held a meeting on April 10 with Jackson and Komoroski in which he told Jackson that the organization would fire her because she was creating "noise," the complaint says.

"Mr. Luckoff stated that they wished for the parting to be amicable, but if Ms. Jackson were to fight them on this, 'she should understand that Dan Gilbert is a billionaire and had the money to fight in Court for as long as it takes,'" the lawsuit states.

Gilbert is not named as a defendant in the suit.

Luckoff told Jackson that if she fought the organization, they would go as far to publish unfounded allegations of poor job performance without regard to their veracity on the internet, the lawsuit claims.

"Mr. Luckoff brazenly explained that it did not matter if the disparaging allegations were true because, once posted on the internet, they would still ruin her professional reputation. Mr. Luckoff stated that people tend to believe what they read on the internet," according to the lawsuit.

Jackson also says that Luckoff told her that Gilbert would be a willing participant and "proudly sit on the witness stand" and testify about the fake evaluations.

Jackson filed the lawsuit late Thursday claiming that, while she had not been fired, the threats created a toxic work environment.

She claims the threats were meant to dissuade both the employee from bringing the discrimination claim and her from trying to protect the employee's right to bring the claim.

The case has been assigned to Judge Michael Shaughnessy.

To comment on this story, please visit Friday's crime and courts comments page.CLEVELAND, Ohio - Glenville High School and Ginn Academy students shined bright as they celebrated a dazzling diamond-themed 2018 prom at St. Noel's Banquet Center. Glitz and glamour filled the event space as attendees strutted along the red carpet and glittering balloons and streamers.

Students brought the finesse of silver screen stars as they donned shimmery numbers and deep, rich romantic hues. Flowing dresses with long trains, unique hemlines, florals, golds and pastel shades added high style. Browse through our photos to see the fashions, from sleek to dramatic to dapper.

You can check out photos from other Northeast Ohio proms at cleveland.com/prom. See photos from last year's Glenville and Ginn Academy prom here.BRECKSVILLE, Ohio - Nekter Juice Bar's name doesn't tell the full story, exactly. It's really a juice bar and health-food store.

The juice bar at the northeast corner of Ohio 82 and 21 is the California-based company's first Ohio location. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 12, it will celebrate its grand opening at 8215 Chippewa Road.

Owners are Leslie and George Bostick, and son-in-law Stan Matveyev is general manager. The store offers juices, smoothies, superfood bowls and ultra-healthy snacks. It's in the Creekview Commons Plaza, which also houses Heinen's, Austin's Wood Fire Grille, Finesse Jewelers and several other shops.

Leslie Bostick, originally from Mayfield, spent 20 years in Florida and owns a pair of Orangetheory Fitness franchises in Northeast Ohio, including one in the same complex as Nekter.

"We thought Brecksville could use a healthy juice bar," she said.

If you think it's a place that simply takes scoops of sugar thrown on top of a pile of fruit and dumped in a blender with milk, you'd be wrong.

Nekter, in a space that formerly was a GNC health-products store, makes fresh juices and smoothies with a sharp eye on all of its ingredients.

A living wall greets customers at Nekter, which uses counter service for ordering. A grab-and-go cooler offers high-pasteurized products and items that tout the benefits of cleanses, charcoal, turmeric and other ingredients.

"Charcoal pulls toxins out of the body," said Matveyev, who extols the benefits of a healthy lifestyle as much as he does the menu options.

Turmeric works as an anti-inflammatory, he said. One juice even contains black pepper to help absorb turmeric, and additional pepper is offered for people to spoon in.

The offerings are almost entirely non-dairy. They make their own chia pudding, soaking chia seeds overnight in housemade cashew milk.

"Our big thing is we make everything fresh," he said. "No refined sugars, no fillers, no artificial juices, no additives."

Matveyev, who began focusing on healthy foods about eight years ago, opts for juice over coffee "any day."

"Coffee - you get a spike and a dropoff," he said. "With this (juices) you keep going, you don't drop off."

Benefits from juices and ingredients at Nekter make Matveyev more of a spokesman for a lifestyle than the general manager of a store.

"I love talking about it," he said. "I've seen such big improvements in my life."

Also:

* Nekter offers Skoop, non-dairy ice cream. A gelato machine is used to make the ice cream. Coconut with agave - the store's first vegan Skoop - will land on the menu board Friday, May 18.

* You'll also find nutrient-rich superfoods, like the acai bowl. It holds an amalgamation of diverse ingredients, ranging from banana and strawberry, to spinach and kale, to hemp hearts and bee pollen. Superfoods help with weight loss and boost energy. And like in all of the menu items, no sugar is added.

* An app offers advance ordering, and after every 10 visits customers can choose any menu item for free.

* A tumbler will retail for $9.95 and comes with a free 16-ounce order. After that, you get 50 cents off each refill.

* Many of the items have calories counts listed in the 400 and under range.CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Cleveland Heights police were called last weekend to a popular restaurant following a brunch dispute between three customers and the restaurant's management.

Betty Cowans, Meagan Coggins and their friend, Caleb Wright, were celebrating Cowans' birthday Sunday afternoon at Lopez Southwest in the East Side suburb when they were forced to leave after a verbal disagreement with the restaurant's management over service.

The friends said they were incorrectly described as being belligerent and intoxicated to police after they questioned the service of the restaurant. Cowans and Coggins said the incident is far too common and is reflective of the current political climate and highlights the dangers black people have in America where they are susceptible to prejudices, actions and speech that are anti-black.

Cowans, Coggins and Wright are all black, 27 years old and grew up in Cleveland Heights.

"We were literally asking the management a question for a service we paid for and it led to the police being called on us," Cowans said during a telephone interview with a Cleveland.com reporter. "I have never in my life been that humiliated and I never thought that would happen somewhere I grew up."

The owner of Lopez Southwest, Michael Herschman, said Sunday's incident was not a case of discrimination and police were called because one of the women started demanding a personal telephone number from an employee. He added the group was provided service after the brunch concluded and once their check was paid their restaurant experience was over.

"Just the accusation of some type of racial element that preceded what happened regarding the end of their service is what none of us, the Lopez family, understands because nobody has brought up what that discriminatory element is," Herschman said.

The women went to the restaurant between 1:45 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. and were seated in the patio. They ordered bottomless mimosas from the brunch menu for $20 after it was suggested by their waitress, the women said. They were told to order before 3 p.m. if they wanted to eat brunch because the menu was switching over to dinner.

Wright, a local musician, joined the women a half-hour later and also ordered food and a beverage. He wrote about his experience at the restaurant in a lengthy Facebook post that has been shared numerous times and received several dozen reactions.

Lopez serves brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to its website.

The group was told by their waitress that her shift was ending and if they could cash out before her departure. They willfully obliged with the waitress's request, and was told another server would take care of them.

Cowans and Coggins said they asked for a second round of drinks and the waitress brought it to them. After getting their drinks, the waitress said it would be their last round because they had paid their check already. The women said they were not originally told about the policy by their original waiter.

The waitress called a manager who told the women that since they had already cashed out they couldn't get another drink. The manager later gave in and brought one drink to the two women. He soon asked the three people to leave because they were intoxicated, belligerent and loud, Cowans, Coggins and Wright said.

The women shared a short video of the incident that captured the women asking a man why they had to leave. The man said he spoke to the owner over the phone and requested the three to leave because he was concerned about their alcohol consumption.

Cowans and Coggins, who work as educators, both asked to speak with the owner but was told they would need to call him.

The man in the video told them they needed to leave or police would be called because of trespassing. The group said go ahead.

"It seems to be an ongoing and growing pattern that police are called on people of color by white people consistently because of almost a learned fear that they have and issues that they have within themselves and biases they have," Coggins said. "All the things they were saying that we were, maybe that's how they perceive me to be. But that's not how we were. We did not present ourselves in a hostile or angry way. Maybe a little irritated, because we paid for something we weren't getting."

Cleveland Heights police said they received a call Sunday at 4:57 p.m. There was no police report taken or 911 calls available, police said. The call was logged as three unruly guests who were refusing to leave.

Herschman and his public relations manager, Richard Stewart, said police were called because Coggins was aggressive and combative with the hostess when she asked for the owner's telephone number. The hostess told restaurant management she felt threatened, according to Stewart.

Stewart said the group arrived at the restaurant at 2:30 p.m. and was accommodated with brunch as a courtesy, but had "overstayed their welcome" after sitting at the eatery for two hours and 15 minutes and became combative when they were asked to leave.

Coggins denied the allegations and said the hostess was smiling during their interaction while they spoke with inside voices.

The group said officers were polite and escorted them out of the restaurant and apologized for the incident but felt it was easier for the parties to split. The women offered to give a breathalyzer test to police after they were accused of being drunk.

The group got in their vehicles and drove away from the restaurant.

Cowan and Wright met with Herschman Tuesday in an attempt to settle the matter. Coggins was unable to be at the meeting due to work.

Herschman, who said his restaurant employs and attracts a diverse group of people and does not tolerate discrimination in his business, offered an apology and said the situation was handled poorly.

"We both had misunderstandings about how the events culminated," he wrote in an email. "I surely understood and respected their position, as we agreed to start afresh. I truly am heartfelt the guests felt how they did and it truly does not reflect the Lopez experience and wish them the best whereas they seem to be sweet and kind people and what escalated should have never occurred."

Cowans said Herschman's apology was appreciated but calling it a misunderstanding does not provide accountability for the way she, Coggins and Wright were treated. She added Herschman may not have meant any intent but it happened and it's unfortunate.

"It sucks because none of it was true and it was completely and totally uncalled for," Cowans said. "It's just getting frustrating because we can't do anything in this country. We can't mind our own business, we can't wear a hoodie, we can't stand in our grandmother's backyard, we can't play with toys at a park and now we can't ask questions for a service we paid for. It's really unfortunate."

To comment on this story, visit Friday's crime and courts comments page.COVENTRY TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- The Summit County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help for information about a small child seen running away from a vehicle in Coventry Township Friday afternoon.

Deputies were called about 4:45 p.m. after an 8-year-old boy was seen getting out of a black Chevrolet Cavalier at the corner of Manchester Road and East State Street and running away, authorities said.

The child was wearing green shorts and socks at the time.

An elderly man, who was driving the compact vehicle, was seen running after the child, investigators said.

The boy ran past St. Francis Church and stopped in the front yard of a home on Manchester Road, authorities said. The boy began running northbound on Manchester Road towards East State Street after a white Kia Soul stopped in front of the residence.

Anyone with information about the incident or the identity of the child or the adult male should call the Summit County Sheriff's Office at (330) 643-2181.

To comment on this story, please visit Friday's crime and courts comments page.COLUMBUS, Ohio - A state official testified Friday that 12 licenses provisionally granted to large-scale medical marijuana growers could potentially increase if errors in the license award process are uncovered.

After hours of debate in a Franklin County Common Pleas courtroom over whether the number of licenses the state could award is static, Mark Hamlin, a senior policy advisor at the Ohio Department of Commerce, took the stand late in the afternoon and said the agency had the option of giving to any companies that were initially incorrectly scored licenses as a remedy - even if it's above the state's initial target for 12 large medical marijuana farms.

Hamlin answered questions at the end of the four-hour hearing in which Ohio Releaf LLC is asking Judge Richard Frye to temporarily put on hold the licenses for the 12 winning companies until it gets an agency administrative appeals hearing. Ohio Releaf did not get a license and believes the department improperly scored its application.

Frye did not make any decisions Friday since testimony is still ongoing. The hearing will continue Monday morning.

Numerous attorneys from the companies with provisional licenses were present, and many spoke and cross-examined witnesses at the hearing. Brian Laliberte, representing Buckeye Relief, asked the judge for a compromise in the case by forcing the commerce department to give Ohio Releaf its hearing in the next 30 days - which Releaf's attorney said it doesn't want, since other appealing companies may need to be rescored, too.

'Problems with the application process'

Shortly after the Department of Commerce's November rejection of Ohio Releaf's application, the company appealed, Ohio Releaf CEO Randall Smith testified.

The state sent him a letter that he described as odd, containing a hearing date.

"In the same paragraph it was both scheduled and cancelled," he said.

Smith is a Harvard Business School graduate who has worked in the marijuana industry for the past eight years, including owning one of the country's largest medical marijuana farm and dispensary companies in Arizona. He said he's invested a half million dollars in the application process to get a cultivation license - including securing licenses to grow marijuana brands in Ohio.

He also consults for other marijuana businesses looking to grow under state marijuana programs, He described Ohio's program as unusual. Most states disqualify 2.5 to 5 percent of cultivation applicants. In Ohio, the commerce department disqualified two-thirds of the applicants, "indicating to us there was problems with the application process" and not the applicants, he said.

Smith said the commerce department never told him why his hearing was delayed.

The department only held four hearings before deciding to hire Ernst and Young to review how it scored cultivation applications, after discovering an error in one applicant's score.

Although there are 10 hearing examiners, at the previous hearing an attorney for the state said there will not be 10 hearings a week because many of the same people are needed to testify at all the hearings and cannot be in more than one place at a time. Frye expressed frustration with the state at the time.

Hamlin, the commerce department official, said the agency prioritizes the hearings. It is meeting with Ernst and Young officials Monday morning to review its findings and hopes hearings will be underway soon.

Ohio Releaf's appeal hearing, however, is 57th on the list and will not occur for a while.

End of the year?

The 12 companies that received provisional licenses are awaiting inspections by the commerce department. At least one is scheduled for next week.

If the cultivators pass, they get certificates of operation and can begin growing.

On average, it takes about 18 weeks to grow marijuana, but strains vary, Smith said. Then the cannabis must dry and cure for a month, be processed and shipped to dispensaries.

"I'll be very surprised if the state of Ohio has medical marijuana by the end of the year," he said.

The state's medical marijuana program is supposed to be fully operational Sept. 8, although the commerce department recently announced that not all marijuana farms and dispensaries would be open then.

'No to a halt'

Cincinnati patient advocate Nicole Scholten, whose daughter has drug-resistant epilepsy and experiences upwards of 300 seizures a day, doesn't want Frye to put the 12 licenses on hold.

People's qualities of life are at stake, Scholten urged.

"A solution that does not put patients as a priority is unacceptable," she said. "No to a halt -- or a pause."

Scholten is an advisory board member of a company that received a license. But she said it didn't pay her to testify, and the company's best interests dovetail with patients'.

Unknown target

What wasn't clear in the Friday hearing was how much marijuana Ohio thinks the state will initially need.

Frye said that Washington state and Colorado, both with smaller populations than Ohio, each have over 1,000 cultivators, although he noted that they both have recreational marijuana.

Attorney Heather Stutz, who is defending the department, said the state estimated the need by looking at the number of patients who could qualify for medical marijuana and considered the amount of medical marijuana that was used in other states. She didn't specify the state's estimate. She said there will be an uptick in demand once medical marijuana is on the market.

After Sept. 8, the state can award more cultivation licenses and Ohio Releaf can apply then, Stutz said.

However, Ohio Releaf attorney Jeff Lipps said that those initial 12 licensees can get permission from the state to increase their square footage. That could eliminate any need for the state to seek new licensees, which could forever lock Ohio Releaf out of the business.

Several times throughout the hearing, Lipps said that the medical marijuana program is behind schedule anyway. Less than six months from Sept. 8 and dispensary licenses haven't been awarded, for instance.

But small-scale cultivators will be producing marijuana for patients, Lipps said. If Frye chooses to put the 12 licenses on hold, the program can still move head, he said.

Stutz disagreed, saying the amount of cannabis the small-scale cultivators will produce together will only be equal to the amount 1.5 large-scale farms can produce.

She said Releaf is dead wrong to believe a hold on the large-scale cultivators won't stop the program.

"The cultivators are the first step in the process," she said.If you want to argue about each party's voter turnout last Tuesday, have at it. Meanwhile, here's what Ohio primary election results suggested, besides the fact that Ohio's next governor will be either suburban Columbus Democrat Richard Cordray or Attorney General Michael DeWine, a suburban Dayton Republican:

* Democratic gubernatorial contender Dennis Kucinich seemed to be Greater Cleveland's regional candidate. That diluted claims that those Ohio voters most familiar with Kucinich's record at Cleveland City Hall and in Congress wouldn't vote for him. Uh, no.

Statewide, Kucinich drew just under 23 percent of Democrats' votes. But he drew 39.3 percent of Cuyahoga County's Democratic votes, 32 percent of Lake County's, and almost 30 percent of Summit County's. He also ran better-than-statewide in the Firelands (Erie and Huron counties).

* Democratic State Chair David Pepper claimed the GOP primary wounded Republican Senate nominee Jim Renacci, of suburban Akron, The Columbus Dispatch reported last week. Renacci aims to unseat Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Cleveland Democrat. But Renacci, despite more than seven years in the U.S. House, drew less than 50 percent of the GOP's statewide primary vote (about 47.4 percent), even with Donald Trump's backing. Meanwhile, suburban Cleveland Republican Mike Gibbons, initially an unknown, proved to be a hugely hard-working campaigner. He drew almost 31.7 percent of the GOP vote.

* State Sen. Joseph (Joe) Schiavoni, a suburban Youngstown Democrat who sought his party's gubernatorial nomination, has a promising future in Ohio politics, as a statewide elected officeholder or in Congress. Schiavoni carried Mahoning (Youngstown) and Trumbull (Warren) counties, ran second in Columbiana (Lisbon), and ran well in Harrison (Cadiz) and Jefferson (Steubenville) counties. If you hear Schiavoni out, you come away respecting him.

* Though former Ohio Supreme Court Justice William (Bill) O'Neill, a Chagrin Falls Democrat, barely made a dent in his party's gubernatorial primary, he ran better than statewide in some counties plagued by drug-overdose deaths. Coincidentally or not, a centerpiece of O'Neill's Plan for Ohio: Massively boosting treatment of addiction and mental illness by legalizing and taxing marijuana.

* Between now and November, GOP gubernatorial nominee DeWine may have to ... reappraise ... his stated opposition to Ohio's Medicaid expansion. Medicaid expansion is one of lame duck Republican Gov. John Kasich's signal achievements. There's no way that Kasich or Ohio's health-care and hospital lobbies will accept a rollback of the Medicaid expansion, which covers roughly 700,000 Ohioans and likely balances the books of some hospitals.

* Regardless of whether Cordray or DeWine wins in November, each one may be thinking already about Ohio's next state budget. The current budget expires in mid-2019. A new governor takes office next Jan. 14 and must propose a budget to the General Assembly by March 15.

Regardless of a governor's rhetoric (politics), a budget demonstrates what a governor wants to do (policy). Biennium after biennium, governor after governor, the state Budget Office's professionals (and their Legislative Service Commission counterparts) show what the words "public service" really mean. But budget policy is a governor's call. Cordray's and DeWine's entourages need to start the scut work now - and talent-scout meanwhile for potential Cabinet appointees and governor's staff.

Appointees make or break a governorship. Ohioans like political rah-rah well enough, but what they really want when they elect a governor - Republican Gov. James A. Rhodes may have said this - is a good manager. A governor sets the tone, hires the right people, lets them do their jobs, and, all else equal, he looks good. That seemed to be George Voinovich's method. Ohio's next governor - Cordray or DeWine - should make it his.

Thomas Suddes, a member of the editorial board, writes from Athens.

To reach Thomas Suddes: tsuddes@cleveland.com, 216-999-4689

Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts. Then, stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the "Follow" option at the top of the comments, and look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com.KnightOfSappho said: My concern is about the UNITED part. Click to expand...

The main cause of the divide that we are experiencing is that 300-some-million people are all being forced to live under 9ne universal set of rules. Let the people in Iowa outlaw abortions. Let the people in callifornia have unlimited and unregulated immigration. Let the people in Colorado smoke all the pot they want. Let the people in Massachusetts all pool their money and be communists. It is when the people in Massachusetts say "hey, being communists makes us really happy so now you guys in Utah have to be communists too" things get all fucked up. Maybe things are going just fine 8n Utah the way things are and if someone in Utah wants to be a communist he can move to Massachusetts and vice versa.Reasoning during a conversation does not seem to a trait of TDS sufferers.



One does not have to share your passion of hating someone to dislike that person. I can take each individual action of said person and judge that action purely on it's intent and success or failure. Hating just to hate is a madness and mental disorder.



I have defended a few actions of Trump's. I don't defend the man. Correcting many of the TDS driven exaggerations and outright made up stuff thrown around by you and others here is what I do.



Now, again.....my position based on what we know about the relationship between Trump and McCain, why the hell would Trump even want to go to his funeral and have to bite his own tongue while others say nice things about McCain? What part of that is "defending" Trump?



I initially criticized Obama regarding Russia/Putin. What part of that was false and defending Trump? Or is it TDS requirement that one must never speak of the failings of Obama even when the meme clearly was hypocritical?



I also criticized McCain regarding his actions such as working against Trump. That is in direct reference again to WHY THE HELL would Trump want to go to his funeral? According to people such as yourself, shouldn't I be correct to assume that Trump would be rather doing something selfish, such as playing golf just to spite McCain?



If thinking clearly about a situation is defending Trump, then you are truly very biased against reality and will always choose hate over just truth.ATLANTA, May 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --A Some things take time and that's the case for the consulting industry icon, Proudfoot, as they announce the next step in the transformation of a 72-year-old consulting brand with the introduction of their all new leadership team line up in the US. With four out of the six top jobs going to external hires, the new team joins two Proudfoot alums. CEO, Pam Hackett discussed the need for Proudfoot to introduce a new profile of industry professionals whom bring a rich experience at client relationship building combined with industry sector and subject matter expertise to complement Proudfoot's deep history of client results delivery. The placement of the team reinforces the client-focused structure built on sector and capability verticals, each led by a Managing Director whom owns client satisfaction from end-to-end, with deep industry expertise. Dennis Santare now leads the MRO vertical, Phil Alessi Industrials, John Harms Digital Ready and Cay Mims is MD Natural Resources. They are supported by JJ van Pletzen, EVP Solution Design and Nick Palmer, EVP Transformation. The new approach is already paying off says Hackett. "We've won industry recognition from the Management Consultancies Association, with a Highly Commended award in the 2018 Project of the Year category, placing on Forbes 2018 Best American Management Consulting Firms list, and receiving Service Provider of the Year award by client Santa Monica Seafood." "The new Proudfoot is one of extreme client focus, flexibility, easy to do business with and of course, a deep commitment to continue to deliver successful transformations in an age of transformation challenge. Finding this profile along with strong business development skills, was not something we rushed into, realizing we needed to find the absolute best talent and if that meant delaying forming the team, we made the decision to wait." "Proudfoot has in the past moved too rapidly to replace leadership, investing little time in going to market to search for the absolute best talent," says Proudfoot's CEO, Pamela Hackett, a relative new comer to the job herself. She explains placing an entire new leadership team was a well thought through, long haul search of almost one year to find the right team that would assist in reinventing this industry master. All four external placements were made by Gustin Partners out of Boston, a leadership and executive search firm working with Proudfoot to assist in the implementation of the 'new Proudfoot.' Proudfoot specializes in the design, implementation, and acceleration of operational and digital transformation. They believe enabling people is what creates successful transformation. For further information contact: Brian Holler, 424-361-9640, bholler@proudfoot.com www.proudfoot.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/690388/Proudfoot_Americas_Client_Leadership_Team.jpgContinue Reading Below Advertisement

Of course, it's not only Hispanics being kept from the polls. The moment the Civil Rights Act got stripped, Republican lawmakers started asking the election board some very racially obsessed questions, like "is there any way to get a breakdown of the 2008 voter turnout, by race (white and black) and type of vote (early and Election Day)?" and "Is there no category for 'Hispanic' voter?" Most telling of all was the request for "a breakdown, by race, of those registered voters in your database that do not have a driver's license number."

Want to guess which ethnicity votes the earliest and has the lowest number of driver licenses? Here's the answer: After receiving the info, Republican lawmakers passed a law that cut a week out of early voting, forbade out-of-precinct voting, and only allowed people with a valid photo ID to vote.

CNN Except not the photo IDs young or poor voters use, because that would be too reminiscent of democracy.

Continue Reading Below Advertisement

Fortunately, the law was so blatantly racist that the Supreme Court of North Carolina shut it down in 2016, because it clearly "target African Americans with almost surgical precision." But even as you're reading this, lawmakers are finding sneaky ways to exclude minorities from voting. As Ruth Bader-Ginsburg put it, the government has thrown away an umbrella during a rainstorm because they weren't getting wet. But Republicans don't mind. They like closing things that are predominantly black.

If all this makes you want to up and move to Canada, well, all we can do is point you to some new luggage.

Support Cracked's journalism with a visit to our Contribution Page. Please and thank you.

For more ways we're all stuck in the past, check out 5 Popular Beliefs That Are Holding Humanity Back and 6 Modern Countries With Shockingly Backwards Views.

Follow us on Facebook. If you like jokes and stuff.Ivanka Trump and her mother-in-law Seryl Kushner left together on Friday morning, as the first daughter and her husband Jared prepare to fly to Israel for the inauguration of the new US embassy.

Seryl, 63, and Ivanka, 36, left Ivanka and Jared's Washington, D.C. house a little after 8 in a Secret Service SUV, riding side by side at the back of the vehicle. Jared, 37, departed a few minutes later in a different car.

Ivanka and Jared are both part of the American delegation who will attend the opening of the new American embassy in Jerusalem on Monday.

On the go: Ivanka Trump and her mother-in-law Seryl Kushner left together on Friday morning, as the first daughter and her husband Jared prepare to fly to Israel

Duo: Seryl, 63, and Ivanka, 36, left Ivanka and Jared's Washington, D.C. house a little after 8 in a Secret Service SUV, riding side by side at the back of the vehicle

Discreet: Ivanka, dressed in black, wore minimal make-up on Friday morning and wore her hair down in a casual 'do. She completed her look with simple, green stud earrings

Outfit: Seryl appeared to be wearing a white blouse paired with metallic earrings as she and Ivanka departed the house

The event comes after Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and decided to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, sparking a wave of protests across the Islamic world.

Ivanka, dressed in black, wore minimal make-up on Friday morning and wore her hair down in a casual 'do.

She completed her outfit with a discreet pair of green stud earrings, in line with her simple make-up look involving a nude lip and some black mascara.

Seryl appeared to be wearing a white blouse paired with metallic earrings as she and Ivanka departed the house.

She is possibly in town to look after her grandchildren Arabella, six, Joseph, four, and Theodore, two, while their parents are away on the official visit.

Along with Ivanka and Jared, the delegation traveling to Jerusalem for Monday's opening includes Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin. President Trump will not attend.

Commute: Jared, 37, departed a few minutes later on Friday morning in a different car

Happy family! Seryl, pictured with her sons Jared (left) and Joshua (right), is the wife of real estate developer Charles Kushner

Family: Seryl might be in town to look after her grandchildren Arabella, six, Joseph, four, and Theodore, two (pictured with their parents in a file photo)

Family time: Ivanka and Jared are pictured with their three children celebrating Theodore's second birthday in March this year

While Ivanka and Jared prepared for their trip to Israel, Ivanka's sister-in-law Lara Trump, 35, the wife of Eric Trump, 34, took to Instagram to share a snap that appears to show a 'Trump make Israel great again' sign.

'Spotted in Jerusalemso incredible. So monumental. So historic,' she wrote in the caption.

The mother also shared a couple of videos of her family life with Eric and their eight-month-old son Luke.

On Thursday, she posted a clip of herself walking with her firstborn in a baby carrier, writing on top of the footage: 'I look forward to getting home all day for this.'

She later uploaded a video of Luke playing with his toys in the bath, sitting upright in a secure seat, with one of the family's dogs nearby.

Message: Lara Trump, Ivanka's sister-in-law, shared a snap that appears to show a 'Trump make Israel great again' sign, writing in the caption: 'Spotted in Jerusalemso incredible'

Baby: While Ivanka and Jared prepared for their trip to Israel, Lara, 35, the wife of Eric Trump, 34, shared clips of her eight-month-old son Luke on Instagram

Bath time! She later uploaded a video of Luke playing with his toys in the bath, sitting upright in a secure seat

Growing up: The baby boy can be seen in the clip grabbing onto his toys while enjoying his time in the water

The new US embassy is set to open with an initial staff of at least 50, according to senior Trump administration officials previewing the highly anticipated opening on May 14.

Roughly 800 guests will attend. Officials say the US delegation doesn't plan to meet any Palestinian officials during their visit.

Initial embassy staff will include Ambassador David Friedman's aides and US consular officers already working at the site.

The embassy is opening in part of a pre-existing American visa-and-passport facility with a fraction of the total US personnel in Israel.

Meanwhile, protests against Trump's controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital are ongoing.

Two-toned: On Thursday, Ivanka cut an elegant silhouette as she headed out to work on in a classic black and white ensemble

Sartorial: Ivanka headed out to work on Wednesday morning cutting a chic figure in a $2,390 black dress by Oscar de la Renta

Gathering: On Monday, the first daughter attended a White House event held in support of military spouses, standing close to her father as he signed an executive order

The question of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Trump's unilateral decision on Jerusalem delighted Israel, which considers the entire city its capital. But it enraged Palestinians, who want to make the easternmainly Palestinianpart of the city the capital of their future state.

Thousands of Indonesian Muslims rallied in Jakarta on Friday in the latest in a series of demonstrations sparked by the president's announcement in December.

Protesters gathered in the Indonesian capital's National Monument park, waving Palestinian flags and carrying bannersincluding one that read 'Stop, Trump!'

Earlier on Friday, President Joko Widodo reiterated Indonesia's support to the Palestinian people.

'We, together with all Indonesian people, will continue to fight with the Palestinians. Palestine will always be at the center of Indonesia's diplomacy,' he said at the opening of a meeting of Islamic scholars from Indonesia, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Indonesiathe world's largest Muslim-majority countrydoes not have diplomatic ties with Israel.As a lingerie model, Sarah Stage is never one to shy away from sharing racy photos of herself, but this week she had a few words for those who think moms should 'cover up.'

The 34-year-old mom from Los Angeles took to Instagram on Thursday to post a stunning photo of herself modeling a white lace bra and a high-cut thong during her latest shoot with Dreamstate.

'So funny when I read comments like, "Youre a mom, cover up." Being a mom doesnt take away from our sexiness. If anything, it adds to it because confidence and self-love is everything!' she wrote.

Stunning: Sarah Stage, 34, took to Instagram on Thursday to share a picture of herself modeling a white bra and high-cut thong during one of her recent shoots

Take that: The 34-year-old mom clapped back at people who said she should 'cover up' because she is a mother-of-two

In the snapshot, Sarah is sitting on a couch running her hand through her hair. One leg is resting in front of her while the other is bent at the knee.

The Instagram star has more than 2.3 million followers, and many of her fans took to the comments section to praise her for her post.

'I agree; youre a woman before everything,' one person wrote, while a fellow mom added: 'Thats like telling David Beckham to cover up bc hes a dad. Can you imagine how sad that would be?'

A week before, Sarah posted another image from the shoot, revealing she has been working with her trainer for the past two months to create a new 45 day fitness plan that includes meal preps and at home workouts.

'Being a mom doesnt take away from our sexiness. If anything, it adds to it because confidence and self-love is everything!' she said

Not-so-basic black: Sarah showed off her figure in a form-fitting dress at a CoverGirl event in Los Angeles on Tuesday

In the photo taken by Dreamstate, Sarah is modeling a bra and underwear set by DKNY, and she has her fingers resting in the waistband of her thong.

Sarah is a proud mom to a three-year-old son, James, and a nearly seven-month-old baby boy, Logan Alexander, but she always manages to keep up with her workouts  even on Sundays.

Last week, the fitness guru shared an Instagram video of herself doing one of her famous butt-kicking workouts in her home gym, all the while keeping an eye on her youngest son, Logan.

The tot can be seen in the clip happily bounding away in a baby bouncer, seemingly following along with his mom as she performs a set of squats with weights.

Bounce along: In a video she shared last Sunday, Sarah made her way through a grueling workout with her youngest son, Logan, looking on from his baby bouncer

Getting into it: The tiny tot can be seen in the clip bouncing away while trying to copy his fitness-loving mom

During her workout, she she shows off her famous six-back abs in a gray crop top and a pair of white workout pants.

The video, set to the song Guatemala by Swae Lee, Slim Jxmmi, and Rae Sremmurd, is captioned with the words: 'Sunday. No excuses.'

The clip is in line with the model's usual dedication to fitness, given that she originally found online fame after maintaining her incredible six-pack throughout both of her pregnancies.

Loving mom: Sarah welcomed little Logan Alexander (pictured) in October 2017. She also has a three-year-old son, James

Strike a pose: Sarah shared a photo of herself modeling a floral string bikini featuring lace detailing in April

Quick change: The lingerie model also posted a snapshot of herself in the bikini on Instagram Stories (L) before changing into a different two piece for some pool time with her baby boy (R)

Just last month, Sarah flaunted her abs in a skimpy lace bikini that is so delicate it resembles lingerie.

The cleavage-baring string bikini top by Doll Swimwear features a pink floral design and black lace detailing, and like the top, the matching bottoms have a black lace band that sits on Sarah's hips.

The selfie was snapped in Sarah's bedroom, but she did end up lounging by a pool in a different swimsuit over the weekend.

Sarah posted an Instagram Stories photo of herself wearing a bikini while enjoying a pool day with her sons.Actress Kara Tointon reveals wall climbing and dancing keeps her toned

Slender soap actress Kara Tointonhas revealed one of the secrets of her toned physique: she's a climbing fan. 'I love wall-climbing,' says the 34-year-old, who played EastEnders' infamous conwoman Dawn Swann.

She said: 'Two years ago my personal trainer suggested I try it, and I was hooked.

'I love it when you are being mentally stimulated and you don't realise you are exercising.

'I have never had a fear of heights, which is probably a good thing, and I was always climbing things when I was young, so it's a good fit for me.'

Kara, who won Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, added: 'Dancing is the best form of exercise, because it is so enjoyable  and I need to do something regularly, because I have a sweet tooth and I love food.'

Too much nostalgia a bad thing for a good marriage

Most couples reminisce about the heady early days of their relationship. But too many nostalgic thoughts could signal underlying marriage problems, psychologists warn.

Researchers at the University of Texas in Austin studied more than 300 volunteers, with each recruit assessed on how often they looked back to the beginning of their relationship and how satisfied they were with that same partner.

The results, published in the Journal Of Marital And Family Therapy, found occasionally being nostalgic about a long-lasting romance could boost relationship satisfaction.

But constantly harping back to how things used to be pointed to high levels of dissatisfaction with a current partner.

PhD student Allen Mallory, who led the research, said: 'Someone married for 20 years who constantly thinks about the way things were is probably not happy with the current state of their relationship.'

Now go meat-free with Jamie

Fresh from his latest salvo against the junk food industry, Jamie Oliver has a new healthy-eating drive  a five-day meat-free challenge, launching tomorrow.

Fresh from his latest salvo against the junk food industry, Jamie Oliver has a new healthy-eating drive  a five-day meat-free challenge, launching tomorrow

The chef will unveil a set of simple meat-free recipes for two costing just 2 via his website.

Those who sign up to his 5-Day Veggie Challenge at jamieoliver.com will get an email every morning containing the day's meals.

It coincides with National Vegetarian Week, which begins the same day..'His high-octane comic genius rocketed him to fame in Mork & Mindy, but behind the clownish antics, chaos reigned. Drawing on new interviews with friends, family and co-stars, this gripping biography of Robin Williams reveals for the first time the full story of the stars dizzying downward spiral

Cocaine had already gained acceptance in Hollywood when Robin Williams arrived in Los Angeles in late 1976.

The drug was in the citys bloodstream and it was traded like currency, especially by those who wanted access to fame, or wanted to keep that nights party going just a little bit longer.

Mork & Mindy focused on Morks misunderstandings about Earth society, was a huge hit and turned Robin Williams into a bona fide star

When Williamss friend Bob Davis came to see him at The Comedy Store, where he was now earning $200 a week, he was stunned to find his old classmate casually doing cocaine with other people in the parking lot of the club after the show.

Some guy just walked up to him with a spoon full of cocaine, held it up to his nose and  whoosh, said Davis. This wasnt a friend of his  this was a fan who just walked up. It was such an odd thing.

Davis had not seen Williams much in recent years, but he could tell that some of the people who orbited him, drawn into the gravitational pull of his nascent celebrity, were not intimate confidants either. Later in his life, when Williams was open about his drug habit, he said cocaine was so readily available he almost never had to pay for it. They give it to you for free, he said. You have a drug problem? No problem. Everybodys got it. Everyone will pump you up if youre ready, because it also gives them some control over you. Youll tolerate conversations with people you wouldnt even talk to in daylight.

Williams studied drama at college and at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York but his taste for improvisation and getting laughs saw him drifting to comedy. By 1976 he was doing regular stand-up spots at San Francisco comedy clubs.

The first time I did improv with him I couldnt keep up, said fellow comedian Mark Pitta. It was very embarrassing. He used to sweat, and he reeked. So I wanted to get offstage for two reasons. One is, he stinks, and the other is, Im not doing well.

Dana Carvey, then a student but now best-known for starring in Waynes World, said: People always said he could get away with anything. Hed do an improv and touch a womans breasts  Oh, titties  and somehow it was fine when he did it.

Williams studied drama at college and at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York but his taste for improvisation and getting laughs saw him drifting to comedy

Williams with his first wife Valerie in 1978 (left); Williams with Pam Dawber in Mork & Mindy (right)

Williams soon fell into a pattern. One set somewhere would be followed by drinking and drugs, or it would lead to more sets at more clubs, followed by more drinking and more drugs. Once the night began, there was no way of knowing how it might end. In 1978, with his reputation growing, he won the part of the alien Mork in an episode of the hit TV series Happy Days. When filming began, it soon became clear Robin was going beyond the boundaries of what had been written for him, but these contributions were welcomed.

When Henry Winkler and Ron Howard saw this talented man, who they didnt know from Adam either, they both gave him plenty of room to work, said series creator Garry Marshall.

Robin was very clearly running away with the episode. It was almost as if he sucked the script in like a sponge, said Winkler And then he would spit it back out, but then it would have been Robinised.

The appearance was such a success that Mork was given his own spin-off show, Mork & Mindy. When one of his managers called to tell him hed be paid $1,500 a week, Williams, in his innocence, screamed excitedly, Wow! Schmuck, his manager replied. Its $15,000 a week  I was just teasing.

The series, which focused on Morks misunderstandings about Earth society, was a huge hit, turning Williams into a bona fide star and reaching nearly 26 million American homes at its peak.

Viewers were left with the impression that Williams was making up whole portions of episodes while the cameras rolled, a false perception that he was all too happy to indulge

Twenty-six-year-old Pam Dawber played Morks flatmate Mindy. She was the straight woman and was happy to do it because she and Williams got along so well. Though she was three months younger, she became the big sister he never had, who scolded him when he showed up late to work and berated him for his poor hygiene and crass behaviour. Dawber said she was never bothered by Williamss dirty habits and considered it his way of acting out gentle feelings of affection for her. I had the grossest things done to me  by him, she said. And I never took offence. I mean, I was flashed, humped, bumped, grabbed. I think he probably did it to a lot of people. But he certainly did it to me, because I was with him all the time for eight months out of the year. But it was so much fun. Somehow he had that magic. Even though, if you put it on paper you would be appalled.

He had this guileless little thing that he would do. Hed look at you, really playful, like a puppy. Then all of a sudden hed grab your t*** and run away. And somehow he could get away with it. It was the Seventies, after all.

Viewers were left with the impression that Williams was making up whole portions of episodes while the cameras rolled, a false perception that he was all too happy to indulge.

In a huff with Hoff Williams played Peter Pan in Steven Spielbergs 1991 movie Hook, with Dustin Hoffman in the title role. The pair had a feisty relationship, full of oneupmanship. When Hoffman called for a scene to be halted because hed lost his motivation, Williams hit him with a retort that had supposedly been flung at him by Laurence Olivier on the set of Marathon Man: When all else fails, try acting. So when Williams later stumbled over his own lines, Hoffman peered into the camera and asked, What can you expect from Mork? After nailing the next take, Williams responded, Ishtar is on television tonight  a reference to Hoffmans notorious box- office flop. Advertisement

This began to grate on the writers.

They delivered him a symbolic message to remind him that he needed them, sending him a blank script that simply said Robin does his thing. He got the message.

He and Valerie Velardi, his first wife who he had married shortly before the first series of Mork & Mindy, moved into an eight-room, $200,000 house. For a year it seemed that Williams could do no wrong, but eventually his cocaine use became an ingrained part of his nightly post-work routine.

He would show up late, looking like a wreck, according to director Howard Storm.

He hadnt slept all night. He was snorting coke, and if you snort coke, in order to come down you drink booze. He was out all night and screwing everybody in town.

One evening in March 1982, Williams went to see his friend John Belushi, the hell-raising star of Saturday Night Live, at the Chateau Marmont hotel and spent some time with him before leaving for home. Later that night Belushi died after being injected with cocaine and heroin. The news reached the Mork & Mindy set the following day. Dawber was deputised to tell her friend. She waited for a discreet moment then told him. He went, What? I was with him last night!

By 1976 Williams was doing regular stand-up spots at San Francisco comedy clubs

She could see Williams was in pain but wanted to make sure he did not ignore the larger lesson in all of this. In a soft, solemn voice, Williams told her, Thats never going to happen to me, Dawbs.

When Valerie got pregnant in the summer of 1982, Williams finally kicked drinking and cocaine altogether.

In May 1982, amid falling ratings, ABC cancelled Mork & Mindy after four seasons and 91 episodes. Williams tried to make light of the demise of the show and the loss of the character that was his most personal creation, but Dawber said that he was hurt to the quick.

However, his managers had been trying to establish him as a movie star and he would go on to make many acclaimed films. In the summer of 1987 Williams began filming Good Morning, Vietnam. He starred as Adrian Cronauer, a disc jockey on the Armed Forces Vietnam Network in the mid-Sixties. It was hardly a secret on set that Williams and Marsha Garces, his assistant, had become romantically involved following the breakdown of his marriage to Valerie. But Williams was careful about how he talked about this blossoming relationship to the outside world. As he said to one reporter on the set in Bangkok, Marsha had become my assistant, friend, confidant  and some other titles we cant talk about until she leaves the room.

His role in the film earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and his reputation as a big-screen star was bolstered by Dead Poets Society two years later, which also saw him Oscar-nominated, but hed have to wait till 1997 to win one finally with Good Will Hunting. He said that he saw the repressed Dr Sean Maguire, who at times gets so wound up that he threatens and even assaults Will, as a conduit for a type of rage he could not release in other roles.

Williams said that he saw the repressed Dr Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting as a conduit for a type of rage he could not release in other roles

Williams in his first appearance as Mork with Ron Howard and Henry Winkler in Happy Days

In the summer of 1987 Williams began filming Good Morning, Vietnam. He starred as Adrian Cronauer, a disc jockey on the Armed Forces Vietnam Network in the mid-Sixties

He succeeded in conquering his demons for many years but started drinking again in the 2000s, possibly in the wake of the deaths of friends Christopher Reeve and Richard Pryor. At one Thanksgiving dinner with his family in 2005 he got so drunk that he had to be put to bed. The following year, he checked into a residential treatment facility.

By this time his career was in decline but he seemed poised for a resurgence when he was cast in The Crazy Ones, a sitcom first broadcast in September 2013.

However a month later, Williams began to experience a series of ailments: stomach cramps, indigestion and constipation.

He had trouble seeing, urinating and sleeping. His posture was stooped and at times he simply seemed to freeze where he stood.

Dawber appeared in an episode of The Crazy Ones and noticed the change in him. I would come home and say to my husband, Somethings wrong. Hes flat. Hes lost the spark. I dont know what it is.

By the time Williams moved on to filming Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, the third film in the comedy franchise, his weight loss was severe. Even his once prodigious memory was failing him; he was having difficulty remembering his lines.

He wasnt in good shape at all, his long-time make-up artist Cheri Minns said. He was sobbing in my arms at the end of every day. It was horrible. Horrible.

Minns thought that maybe if he slipped out to a comedy club and performed, it would lift his spirits, as it had in the past. Instead, her suggestion had a devastating effect.

I said, Robin, why dont you go and do stand-up? she recalled. Williams broke down in tears.

Williams' box office hits... Dead Poets Society, 1989 Early reviews were poor so Williams decided not to accompany Christopher Reeve to a showing. Reeve went anyway, and at the end of the film, in which Williams plays an inspirational teacher, the audience gave it a standing ovation. Reeve was so happy for his friend that he was moved to tears. Aladdin, 1992 Disney wanted Williams to play the genie and ended up auditioning for him rather than vice versa  hiring an animator to create footage using tracks from Robins stand-up comedy albums. Williams loved it. Dead Poets Society, 1989. Early reviews were poor so Williams decided not to accompany Christopher Reeve to a showing Mrs Doubtfire, 1993 Williams plays a soon-to-be single father who assumes the disguise of a female housekeeper (below) so he can spend more time with his children. I started doing a voice that sounded like Margaret Thatcher, and I realised that would scare the s*** out of a kid, said Williams. One Hour Photo, 2002 Williams plays a photo-lab employee who becomes dangerously fixated on a family whose pictures he develops. To prepare, he watched interviews with the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Insomnia, 2002 Christopher Nolans thriller stars Al Pacino as a cop investigating a murder in Alaska with Williams as the main suspect. Mrs Doubtfire, 1993. Williams plays a soon-to-be single father who assumes the disguise of a female housekeeper so he can spend more time with his children And the one he missed... After boasting that he expected to play the Riddler in an upcoming Batman sequel before later passing on the role, Robin was chagrined to find that the part had gone to rival Jim Carrey. Advertisement

He just cried and said, I cant, Cheri. I dont know how anymore. I dont know how to be funny. And it was just gut wrenching to hear him admit that, rather than lie to me and say something else. I think thats how troubled he was about all of it.

On May 28, 2014, Williams was finally given an explanation for his condition. He was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease, a degenerative disorder that eventually leads to death.

To Williams, it was the realisation of one of his most deeply felt and lifelong fears, to be told that he had an illness that would rob him of his faculties, by small increments every day, that would leave behind a depleted husk of a human being.

(After his death, an autopsy report suggested that he was in fact suffering from Lewy body disease, a form of dementia.)

In August of that year, Williams hanged himself at home. He was 63.

 Dave Itzkoff, 2018. This is an adapted extract from Robin by Dave Itzkoff, which is published by Sidgwick & Jackson on June 14 (e-Book available on Thursday), priced 18.99. Offer price 14.24 (25% discount) until May 27. Pre-order at mailshop.co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640, p&p is free on orders over 15MONDAY, APRIL 30

Chris Tarrant interviewed me at Good Morning Britain's studios for new radio station Love Sport. I was curious how he felt about Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? being revived with Jeremy Clarkson as host.

(For perspective, if Clarkson suddenly replaced me on GMB, I'd throw myself off Tower Bridge tied to heavy weights.)

Tarrant's face contorted into a variety of the expressions he used with contestants during his 16-year tenure as quiz master: pain, horror, exasperation, shock, bemusement and, finally, amusement.

Bumped into controversial outgoing Coronation Street producer Kate Oates. 'I'm still available to play Kym Marsh's new love interest,' I said. 'That's too dark,' she grimaced, 'even for me.'

Eventually he said: 'The truth is that when I first heard about Clarkson I gave it a few seconds' thought and then realised I truly and honestly didn't give a toss!'

Afterwards, I encountered a murderous-looking Janet Street-Porter as she stomped to Loose Women. Normal TV custom dictates that when two presenters meet by chance, they shower each other with fake compliments even if they hate each other.

'Morning Janet!' I exclaimed cheerfully.

'F**K OFF, MORGAN!' she bellowed back, not breaking stride.

'Sorry?'

'Late night!' she cackled, not bothering even to turn around.

TUESDAY, MAY 1

Two months ago, I wrote in this column: 'I'd take Amber Rudd as Prime Minister any time  she's a smart cookie with a good sense of humour who exudes a reassuring air of self-confident authority.'

Perhaps inevitably after my enthusiastic endorsement, she's now been forced to quit as Home Secretary over the Windrush scandal.

Rudd's replacement is Sajid Javid, who  at the risk of wrecking his leadership ambitions  has also impressed me.

I particularly enjoyed his recent GMB appearance, when I asked him if Britain needed a more 'Churchillian spirit' in dealing with the EU over Brexit.

'Piers, I think YOU provide the Churchillian spirit in this country,' he replied.

Mr Javid would do well to heed this advice from Sir Winston as he takes over the most difficult job in government: 'The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.'

WEDNESDAY, MAY 2

Bumped into controversial outgoing Coronation Street producer Kate Oates in the ITV corridors. She's been accused of making the storylines too grim by featuring male rape, sex trafficking, suicide and murder.

'I'm still available to play Kym Marsh's new love interest,' I said.

'That's too dark,' she grimaced, 'even for me.'

FRIDAY, MAY 4

To Lady Margaret School in Parsons Green, west London, for Radio 4's Any Questions. To my surprise, I was left to have a pre-show dinner alone with two other panellists  Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the House of Commons, and Emily Thornberry, shadow Foreign Secretary.

To my greater surprise, given we've previously locked horns on air, the meal was very convivial. Especially when the conversation turned to artificial intelligence and, more specifically, sex robots.

'Apparently the biggest customers are lonely, widowed old men,' I ventured. 'So they serve a rather laudable, higher purpose.'

'Oh what a load of nonsense!' snorted Andrea, who has a touch of Maggie Thatcher about her. We moved on to President Trump, whom Emily loathes.

'You'd probably like him if he joined us now for dinner,' I said.

'NO, I WOULDN'T!' She retorted, stabbing her shepherd's pie with a fork so violently the table shook.

I asked who she thought was her most capable opponent in the Tory ranks. 'Amber Rudd,' she replied, instantly and sincerely.

As we walked to the school, Emily began frantically puffing on a cigarette.

'Nervous?' I asked.

'Oh God, I always get so anxious before these things. It sometimes makes me feel physically sick. I did Question Time two weeks ago and started shouting too much because I was so wound up.'

I found this admission rather endearing. It's often too easy to forget that politicians are actual human beings.

The AI discussion continued in the green room with our fourth panellist, writer Jeanette Winterson. 'I rather like the idea of a robot Prime Minister,' I suggested.

'We already have one' she countered.

Before we went live, host Jonathan Dimbleby warned us to be careful about how we hydrated ourselves.

'On television the viewers can see what you're doing. On radio, especially if you pour too close to the microphone, it can sound like something altogether less innocent.'

To demonstrate, he then took a bottle and poured it into his glass right by his mic. It did indeed sound like someone urinating.

As with the TV counterpart, the panel gets a dummy question to warm everyone up. Ours tonight was: 'How would you wish to be remembered if you live to be 100?'

I answered: 'I doubt I'll live that long, but if I do, and then die, I'd expect my tombstone to say: he will be sorely missed by a grateful nation.' To which the packed school hall burst into cruelly hysterical laughter.

Leadsom went next: 'I'd say: love me, hate me, just don't ignore me.'

No wonder we got on so well.

After a fun show, during which I declared 'I'm a feminist' to further gasps of incredulity, I was approached by a large group of students.

Dimbleby looked on in disbelief as the impressively intelligent and confident young ladies peppered me for advice about how women can best succeed in life.

'I'm a feminist icon, Jonathan,' I explained.

'God help us all!' he roared.Writers, as a very general rule, dont get out much. If they are lucky enough to have one of their books turned into a TV series, its no wonder they tend to go a bit haywire, walking around the set with idiotic grins plastered on their faces and eating the entire contents of the catering wagon.

In my case, the experience of seeing my book, A Very English Scandal, being turned into a three-part drama proved stranger than I had ever anticipated. The first time I saw Hugh Grant in full costume and make-up as Jeremy Thorpe, I had the eerie sense that I was seeing a ghost.

Hugh Grant as JeremeyThorpe. 'He actually seemed to have inhabited him, right down to the peculiar expression Thorpe often wore,' writes John Preston

It wasnt just that Hugh looked uncannily like Thorpe, with the same double-breasted waistcoat and extravagant comb-over. It wasnt that hed done a colossal amount of research either, even spending months learning the violin  Thorpe was a highly proficient violinist. There was a lot more to it than that.

He actually seemed to have inhabited him, right down to the peculiar expression Thorpe often wore: all sternness and reproof from the nose down; all mischief and merriment above it. Somehow Thorpe seemed to be simultaneously giving people a ticking-off and saying to them, You and I are the only two people who see the funny side of this.

It was a combination that helped make him the most charismatic politician of his day  a man who seemed destined for glory but who crashed and burned in the most spectacular way imaginable.

Thorpe in his office in 1967; with his wife Marion and son Rupert in 1973

Although Ive managed to lead a relatively normal life on the side, Ive been obsessed with the Jeremy Thorpe affair ever since I first came to live in London at the same time as Thorpe was on trial. In terms of sheer drama, there has never been anything to beat it.

In 1973, Thorpe, then leader of the Liberal party, was within a whisker of sharing power in a coalition with the Conservatives, possibly as Home Secretary. Yet just six years later, he stood in the dock at Court Number One at the Old Bailey accused of conspiring and incitement to murder his former lover, a one-time stable-boy called Norman Scott  the most serious criminal charges ever faced by a sitting MP. Aggrieved that Thorpe had treated him badly  and that hed failed to stamp his National Insurance card, without which he couldnt claim benefits  Scott had taken to telling anyone who would listen that he had destroyed his life.

The more talkative Scott became, the more of a risk he posed. What followed was a barely credible chapter of accidents and incompetence. Knowing that his career would be dead in the water if news of their affair ever got out, Thorpe siphoned off 10,000 from Liberal party funds to pay a hitman to bump Scott off.

But the hitman, Andrew Gino Newton, turned out to be the most inept assassin in the history of disorganised crime. First, he spent two days looking for Scott in Dunstable in Bedfordshire, before realising that Scott actually lived in Barnstaple in Devon. Then, on the night of the hit itself, Newton only succeeded in killing Scotts great dane, Rinka, before his gun jammed and he fled into the night.

One of the things that makes the story so dramatic  and poignant  is that none of it would ever have happened if the prejudice against homosexuality hadnt been so strong. Although homosexuality had been decriminalised in 1967, if anything, prejudice against gay men became even more overt in the years that followed.

One of the things that makes the story so dramatic  and poignant  is that none of it would ever have happened if the prejudice against homosexuality hadnt been so strong

Its also a case that says a lot about the way in which the country was run at the time  by a cosy Westminster elite that effectively considered itself to be above the law. If an MP of any party got into trouble, everyone would club together to get him  it was always a him  off the hook.

Two Home Secretaries  one Labour, one Conservative  tried to brush the accusations against Jeremy Thorpe under the carpet, and if it hadnt have been for the implacable sense of grievance felt by Norman Scott, they might well have succeeded.

In last weeks Mail On Sunday, Scott complained that the story has been turned into a comedy. Im sorry he feels like that, but this is simply not the case. True, there is comedy in A Very English Scandal, but theres a lot of sadness too. As Peter Taylor QC, the prosecuting counsel in the trial, said in his summing-up: This is a tragedy of truly Greek or Shakespearian proportions.

Somewhere buried beneath the comedy and the tragedy is  or was once  a love affair. I believe that Thorpe genuinely loved Scott, at least to begin with. As for Scotts own feelings, these are harder to discern as he is, to put it mildly, mercurial. But my suspicion is that he also loved Thorpe at first  however much he came to loathe him afterwards.

Scott also complains that he has been portrayed as a needy weakling. Frankly, I think its inconceivable that anyone who sees A Very English Scandal will feel the same way. Hugh Grants Thorpe may be a powerful, predatory figure with the full weight of the Establishment behind him, but Ben Whishaws Scott  frail on the surface, but tough as steel beneath it  proves to be every bit his match.

Whats not in doubt is that the case took a heavy toll on all the key protagonists. After an astonishingly biased summing-up by the judge, Thorpe was found not guilty. In the court of public opinion, though, it was a different matter. Shunned by his former colleagues and diagnosed with Parkinsons disease shortly after the trial ended, Thorpe spent the last 35 years of his life in a kind of twilit world; Peter Bessell, his former friend who was the chief prosecution witness against him in the trial, died almost penniless six years later, while David Holmes, a successful merchant banker who also became caught up in the conspiracy, ended up running a roller disco in Camden Town.

Thorpe's lover Norman Scott arriving at the Old Bailey. After an astonishingly biased summing-up by the judge, Thorpe was found not guilty

Only Scott survives. When I first went to see him four years ago to discuss my writing a book, it was plain that what happened has cast a long shadow over his life. But it was also plain that Thorpe had fatally underestimated him. Because Scott didnt come from the right background and because he hadnt had much of an education, Thorpe assumed he was not especially bright, and  crucially  that hed never dare to stand up to him. In fact, it was obvious that Scott, however unpredictable he may be, was a highly intelligent man.

Of course, it all happened a long time ago  Scott is now 78. Yet more than any other political scandal, the Thorpe affair still reaches out to us across the years. As well as showing how even the most powerful people have weaknesses and fears, it offers all manner of lessons about the abuses of power  lessons we neglect, or ignore, at our peril.

A Very English Scandal starts next Sunday on BBC1 at 9pmWriter David John has a whole string of stories that sum up the madness and tragedy of North Korea. Perhaps oddest of all was the day a fellow tourist in Pyongyang, the capital of the rogue state, tried to take a souvenir photograph of one of the countrys traffic policemen. The officers, all women and all chosen for their good looks, direct traffic at intersections with signals from hands clad in sparkling white gloves. He was stopped by police shouting, No pictures!  says John. We thought it was because we were not supposed to have an image of anyone in uniform, but it was because the traffic sign behind her was rusty and the North Koreans only want to show the country at its best.

David John's timing could hardly be better  the novel is benefiting from a global PR campaign headed by Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un

The country has long tried to hide the terrible realities of life under the Kim dynasty, but Johns new novel, a timely political thriller, Star Of The North, strips them bare. It may be fiction, but its so rooted in authentic detail its publisher is understood to have asked cyber-security specialists for help in defending itself against revenge hacking by the regime.

John, 52, who lives in north London, gathered his information first-hand by making a risky tourist trip to Pyongyang. He stayed in the Yanggakdo hotel, which has a fifth-floor listening station to spy on all its guests. In 2016 the Yanggakdo became notorious as the scene of a prank that cost American student Otto Warmbier his life. The economics major stole a propaganda poster and was sentenced to 15 years in a labour camp. When he was released after 17 months, he was comatose with severe brain damage and died soon after his return to the US.

North Korea, says John, is not on everyones bucket list. As a lifelong aficionado of dictators, despots and tyrants it was, however, always on his. His two-week holiday there in 2012 is about to pay a massive dividend on its 3,500 cost. Star Of The North, set between the kind of gulag in which Warmbier was imprisoned, Pyongyang and Washington DC, is expected to be a global bestseller.

Johns fiction borrows from North Koreas real-life atrocities to tell the story of a young American woman, Soo-min, who disappears from a South Korean island, believed snatched by Pyongyangs agents. (Such abductions were indeed once a weapon of the North Korean state.) Star Of The North begins 12 years later, as her twin sister Jenna is recruited by the CIA to go in search of her sibling. Thus far, then, its in traditional thriller territory.

Where Johns work departs from the genre is in its heartbreaking scenes of starvation and terror, of neighbour informing on neighbour and of children orphaned and left to beg by the states law that three generations of a family must pay for any thought crime. (In North Korea, even allowing a picture of leader Kim Jong Un to get dusty is a punishable offence.)

The mortal hardships of the labour camps, human experimentation, the torture of political prisoners and the hypocrisy of an elite who live lavishly while ordinary citizens are condemned are all forensically examined.

The book even features the countrys semi-secret armoured train, whose 17 bullet-proof carriages, painted dark green with a sunshine yellow stripe, are stocked with everything from fine French wines to satellite comms. It made a rare real-world appearance in March this year transporting the North Korean leader to Beijing.

It is, however, the characters that resonate. From the decent Colonel Cho, an emissary to the UN who humiliates himself by telling New Yorkers that Kim Jong Il invented the hamburger (a true fact in North Korea) to the aged Mrs Moon, who discovers a latent talent for black-market capitalism, the author reminds us that the people are divisible from the regime.

Says John: North Koreans are completely normal: they worry about their careers, fret about money, find joy in their children, drink too much bad beer its just that they do it under the most perfect form of tyranny the world has ever seen.

Their country is in ruins. You criss-cross it on roads cratered and broken and glimpse women washing clothes in polluted rivers, men breaking rocks by hand in the fields and others doing nothing and waiting for nothing. Saddest of all are the children who should be in school getting an education, who are simply practising for mass gymnastic displays.

Who can forget the crowds after Kim Jong Ils death was announced in 2011? It was as if they were under a spell, prostrating themselves in the snow and appealing to the sky with their hands. It was all about fear  even the children understood the gulag was waiting for anyone who shed too few tears.

Says John: North Koreans are completely normal: they worry about their careers, fret about money, find joy in their children, drink too much bad beer its just that they do it under the most perfect form of tyranny the world has ever seen

This was the image that finally persuaded John to go to North Korea. He was working as a childrens books editor in 2012 when he published his first novel, set in Hitlers Berlin, and then took a sabbatical for the trip that would give him such rich material for his second. Later he immersed himself in Korean culture, with two temporary moves to South Korea, once that same year to start his book and again in 2016 to finish it.

His timing could hardly be better  the novel is benefiting from a global PR campaign headed by Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, who have just made a diplomatic swerve away from nuclear apocalypse by agreeing to come to the negotiating table.

Their historic peace talks, heralded by the release last Wednesday of three US citizens accused of spying by North Korea, will draw the worlds gaze to what John labels a hereditary Marxist monarchy. Theyre still unlikely to do much for its tourist industry, though.

The author can now never go back.

I dont think that would be wise, he says, despite the encouraging slogan on a T-shirt given to him as a memento of his last visit, which says See you in Pyongyang!

Star Of The North by D B John is published by Harvill Secker, priced 12.99U2 SAP Center, San Jose

Rating:

After 42 years together, the four members of U2 could be forgiven for wanting to spend more time with their yachts. Instead, theyre working like theres no tomorrow.

This time last year they started a world tour, performing The Joshua Tree in full, to memorable effect.

By Christmas theyd released a punchy new album, Songs Of Experience. And now theyre on another tour, which is entirely Joshua-free.

After 42 years together, U2 are back on tour. While Bono (above) may bang on a bit, he sings like an opinionated angel and the production of this show is phenomenal

Entitled Experience + Innocence, this tour picks up where Innocence + Experience left off in 2015 and shares its party trick: a vast, two-sided video screen slicing the arena in half, with a catwalk underneath and a stage at either end.

It turns bad seats into good ones. Only U2s designers  Willie Williams, Es Devlin and Ric Lipson  could have dreamt it up.

Revolutionary in 2015, the screen still seems futuristic, and the images are sharper now. Its as if youd bought the biggest telly in the high street and taken it to the gig with you.

Not long ago arena crowds peered into the distance to see idols the size of ants. Here they can see everything from Larry Mullens hair to Adam Claytons small smile at the end of Vertigo

Not long ago arena crowds peered into the middle distance to make out idols the size of ants.

Here they can see everything from Larry Mullens boot-polish hair to Adam Claytons small smile at the end of a vibrant Vertigo. Thanks to an app, spectators can even have Bonos face on their phones, which may be taking stage technology too far.

If the visuals are consistently satisfying, the set list is patchy. The 26 tracks include eight from the new album, which is too much of a good thing.

No doubt it made sense, at a band meeting, to banish The Joshua Tree: been there, redone that.

IT'S A FACT Nearly three million YouTube viewers have watched the 2015 clip of The Edge's embarrassing tumble from the corner of a stage in Vancouver. Advertisement

But its a rare case of U2 failing to please the crowd. With Or Without You, and its sisters Where The Streets Have No Name and I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For, are too well loved to sit on the shelf.

The classics we do get retain their power: a surging Beautiful Day, a storming Pride, a spine-tingling One.

A pared-down Sunday Bloody Sunday is superb; I Will Follow is pretty fierce for a teenage anthem; Staring At The Sun, with Bono and The Edge forming a folk duo, is fabulously soulful.

Bono does bang on a bit. No matter how many times he saves the world, The Edge said recently, it always manages to unsave itself.

But he still sings like an opinionated angel. And the production is phenomenal.

Experience + Innocence plays UK arenas October 19-28. u2.com





ALBUM OF THE WEEK

Arctic Monkeys Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino Domino, out now

Rating:

Arctic Monkeys last album, AM, was so successful that they now occupy a unique position.

They are the only young British rock band who can behave like the superstars of the Seventies and do whatever they want.

They can release an album without bothering to send out a single first. They can pose for publicity shots in polo-necks, as if French existentialism had finally reached Sheffield.

Arctic Monkeys last album, AM, was so successful that they now occupy a unique position but the band's new album, Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino is a giant leap in the wrong direction

They can even abandon rock for electro-lounge-jazz-pop and make a concept album about moving to the Moon.

Space has had a place in pop ever since David Bowies Space Oddity in 1969. But Bowie persuaded us to care about Major Tom, whereas Alex Turners protagonist has no name and little charm.

Like a character from one of Martin Amiss lesser novels, he consists mainly of his makers voice.

The odd good line  dance as if somebodys watching, because they are  cant rescue songs that are wordy, fiddly and whimsical.

Turners singing, committed as ever, is the only strand of Arctic Monkeys DNA that survives.

Full marks for audacity but, apart from The Ultracheese, a Roy Orbison-ish ballad, this is a giant leap in the wrong direction.

THIS WEEK'S CD RELEASES

By Adam Woods

James Bay Electric Light Virgin EMI, out Fri

Rating:

James Bays 2015 debut, Chaos And The Calm, earned him Brit awards as an impassioned troubadour type. This is groovier. A dark, Arctic Monkeys-flavoured riff wraps around opener Wasted On Each Other, but R&B trend-setter Frank Ocean is a deeper influence. Bay weaves in plenty of big tunes

Courtney Barnett Milk! Records/Marathaon Artists, out Fri Tell Me How You Really Feel

Rating:

A blearily acute singer-songwriter from Melbourne, Barnett is a true rising star, her Lotta Sea Lice album with Kurt Vile whetting appetites for this. More consistent and less whimsical than before, this casts Barnett as the fresher heir to Kurt Cobain and Evan Dando, with a sharper pen than either

Ry Cooder The Prodigal Son Caroline International, out now

Rating:

Cooders 18th record, this is a dependably brilliant collection of wry protest songs (Gentrification), midnight trips to the crossroads (Nobodys Fault But Mine), reverent gospel standards (You Must Unload) and the odd clanking blues (Shrinking Man, In His Care), all of them teeming with life and moral sense

Stephen Makmus And The Jicks Sparkle Hard Domino, out Fri

Rating:An Ideal Husband

Vaudeville Theatre, London Until Jul 14 2hrs 45mins

Rating:

Father and son Edward and Freddie Fox have never acted on stage together before. Here they play a fictional father and son in this sparkler by Oscar Wilde.

Edward is the fogey earl, Freddie his wastrel, unmarried son, Lord Goring. They drive each other nuts. Its a bad relationship but a totally sweet double act.

Fox senior played this irascible buffer four years ago, so hes reheated his performance. Now 81, hes looking a bit frail beneath his topper, and his voice is so posh that bachelor comes out as badger.

Father and son Edward and Freddie Fox have never acted on stage together before. Here they play a fogey earl and his wastrel, unmarried son (Freddie is a delight as Lord Goring, above)

Pallid Freddie proves a delight as the witty young Lord Goring. To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance, says this preening dandy who conceals a heart of gold.

Melodrama is fuel-injected by a scarlet woman, Mrs Cheveley. She has a compromising letter that will bring down a politician on the make (Nathaniel Parker) whose fortune is built on a dodgy Suez Canal deal.

Frances Barber is electric in her scenes with this venal MP, whose choice is to save either his career or his marriage to an adoring, deluded wife (Sally Bretton).

Wildes theme here is really one of love and the two Foxes (left) play a belter while Susan Hampshire (right) bags plenty of laughs as an aristo whose mad assertions are unarguable

On a gilt and plush set, Susan Hampshire bags plenty of laughs as an aristo whose mad assertions are unarguable.

But Wildes theme here is really one of love. There are piercing swoops of real feeling as the action reaches a glowingly happy ending that seems unforced.

The two Foxes play a belter in an evening thats both Wildely charming and warmly recommended.

Nightfall

The Bridge Theatre, London Until May 26 2hrs 20mins

Rating:

Its always a relief to see a new play set outside the M25.

Barney Norriss latest finds us beside a farmhouse near Winchester. Theres a septic tank, a deceased tractor, an even deader crow and an oil pipe running across the property.

The subject here is the shifting family equilibrium following a farmers death. (By the sound of him, a psycho farmer who once shot a labrador for trespassing on his grass.)

Rising star Ophelia Lovibond and Sion Daniel Young (above with Ukweli Roach, right) play the children of a recently deceased farmer in Barney Norris's examination of family equilibrium

The son, Ryan, is keeping things going  just. His mate Pete has come out of prison and theyre siphoning oil from the pipe for ready cash.

Ryans kid sister, Lou, has returned to be with their grieving mum, Jenny, who listens to Fleetwood Mac and drinks.

Played by Claire Skinner, Jenny loves the homestead and the way of life it represents.

But to her feckless son (Sion Daniel Young), farming is just pouring chemicals over wheat.

Claire Skinner is the widow, Jenny, who loves the homestead and the way of life it represents while to her son (Young, above with Skinner), farming is just pouring chemicals over wheat.

The air is thick with uncertainty, anger and the mothers resentment of Pete (Ukweli Roach), who threatens to steal her daughter away.

Performed in all-purpose rural accents, Laurie Sansoms production is much enlivened by rising star Ophelia Lovibond as Lou, whose heart is vividly torn.

With swelling music and a set with a moody, spangled sky, the play is packed with sharp, buried emotions that crop up like flint in the Hampshire chalk.

Its impressive writing. But for my money, Norris too readily conforms to the playwriting rule that farming life must be served with a trailer-load of pessimism.

An Officer And A Gentleman - The Musical

Leicester Curve Touring to Sep 15 2hrs 25mins

Rating:

This is the musical of the 1982 weepie starring Richard Gere as the bolshie navy pilot who at the end famously scoops Debra Wingers factory girl off her feet to the strains of Up Where We Belong.

Taylor Hackfords film is not as corny as is often made out, though. In fact its surprisingly gritty and erotic.

The story of the two youngsters from the wrong side of the tracks falling in love over 13 weeks without either quite admitting to it is oddly compelling.

This is the musical of the 1982 weepie and although Emma Williams and Jonny Fines (above) impress in the lead roles, this stage adaptation lacks any real depth of emotion

Paula is a factory worker looking for a better life, Zack just wants to fly jets.

But the films blend of romance and Reagan-era, blue-collar tawdriness  it includes a suicide  is swamped here by its choreography and a succession of more than 20 orchestrated Eighties hits, including Material Girl, Kids In America, Girls Just Want To Have Fun and The Final Countdown.

None of the music does the play, co-adapted by original screenwriter Douglas Day Stewart, any good.

Director Nikolai Foster does, however, extract two decent lead performances from Jonny Fines as Zack and Emma Williams as Paula.

Theres also an expanded role for the only female recruit, here feistily played by Keisha Atwell.

Ray Shell is certainly mean enough as the hard-ass navy training instructor Foley but hes too old for the part and the set-piece fight between him and Zack is embarrassing.

A toe-tapper for those who want to be smilingly reminded of the movie, its crisp, white navy uniforms and its era. But if you are looking for any real depth of emotion, then this doesnt get airborne.

officerandagentlemanmusical.com

Not Talking

Arcola Theatre, London Until Jun 2 1hr 15mins

Rating:

When a writer has made it big, going back to their earliest works doesnt always reap rewards.

Prolific and successful, Mike Bartlett has given us award-winners King Charles III on stage and Doctor Foster on TV.

But his first play, for radio, is a lucid four-hander spanning decades and generations that won a major prize and has been adapted by the author for the stage.

Mike Bartlett's first play, for radio, is a lucid four-hander spanning decades and generations. The story hinges not on what is said but what is kept hidden. Above: Lawrence Walker

Four chairs, a piano and pools of light are all that illuminate this cautionary tale hingeing not on what is said but what is kept hidden.

The relationship between Lucy and James starts to founder when she has a miscarriage (we only hear of it through David Horovitchs gentle, considerate James), and his stance as a conscientious objector in World War Two embarrasses Lucy (a stoic Kika Markham), though he is oblivious. These evasions have long-reaching consequences.

Mark and Amanda are both squaddies at an Army camp. Gung-ho lad Mark (Lawrence Walker) finds that the macho culture forces him to remain quiet about an incident involving Gemma Lawrences strong Amanda that also changes her life.

Deftly directed by James Hillier, the piece builds and ebbs and flows  like the piece of Chopin music that eventually links this quartet  and absorbingly reveals the fallout of staying silent.

Mark Cook

Building The Wall

Park Theatre, London Until Jun 2 1hr 20mins

Robert Schenkkans two-hander was a response to the election of Donald Trump, in which he takes his edicts on immigration to an appalling conclusion.

In a Texas prison cell in 2019 we find Rick, an orange-jumpsuited, redneck inmate questioned by Gloria, an African American historian.

Through a perspex box, the action is transmitted by microphone, lending it an institutionalised, distanced air. The sound of clanging doors and buzzers establish a sense of foreboding.

Robert Schenkkans new play is a response to the election of Donald Trump and sees a African-historian (Angela Griffin, above) verbally tussle with an orange-jumpsuited, redneck inmate

Following a terrorist incident in Times Square, martial law has been declared and immigrants rounded up. Former soldier and Trump supporter Rick is charged with brutal acts at a facility where they are held.

Trevor White is an edgy Rick but the lack of back story for Gloria makes it tough for Angela Griffin to establish a rounded character in this verbal tussle, and Jez Bonds production is a little too arid and airless to grip as tightly as it might.

Mark CookMany outsiders tend to think of Nebraska as another hopeless red ink state. But it's not. The Omaha-based 2nd district is a nice normal all-American swing district. In 2012 Obama won narrowly; in 2012 Romney won narrowly and in 2016 Trump beat Hillary 48.2 to 46.0%. The PVI is R+4. The current congressman is Republican Don Bacon, who beat Blue Dog Democrat (an "ex"-Republican himself) Brad Ashford, in 2016. Ashford was unable to motivate the Democratic base, primarily because he tended to vote with the Republicans most of the time. Bacon beat him 141,066 (48.9%) to 137,602 (47.7%). Ashford spent $2,515,416 on the race to Bacon's $1,576,183. The DCCC wasted $2,688,673 and Pelosi's PAC spent another $741,041 on Ashford while the NRCC spent $2,773,264 for Bacon while Ryan's PAC kicked in another $1,243,330.

This week, reporting for Rewire News, Ally Boguhn wrote about how the DCCC is screwing up the race by pushing for the proven reactionary Blue Dog against Kara. She told Boguhn that "What we continuously hear in the district is, 'Oh, it takes either a Republican to be in the seat or a conservative Democrat.' So we run conservative Democrats and they lose. What we need right now and what is exciting the base is a real Democrat." She was discussing Omaha but it's true from coast to coast-- and the corrupt conservatives who run the DCCC don't want to hear it.

Eastman said her campaign has knocked on more than 40,000 doors and is listening to voters about the issues they care about. Those include, she said, health care, education, and the environment.





The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the arm of the party that works to elect members to the U.S. House of Representatives, has lined up behind her primary rival, Brad Ashford-- a former Republican, state legislator, and U.S. congressperson-- adding him to their high-profile red to blue campaign.





That support comes despite Ashfords record on reproductive rights. Ashford has claimed he has always & will continue to support womens right to choose. But while in the state legislature he voted in favor of bills that would have restricted access to abortion care based on false premises including a 20-week abortion ban, which was signed into law. Speaking at that time on the state house floor, Ashford reportedly falsely claimed that the line is 20 weeks for abortion because there is no question that there is fetal pain. This is a myth parroted by conservatives to advocate for later abortion bans, despite the fact that medical experts agree a fetus cannot feel pain until later in pregnancy.





Ashford voted for a so-called informed consent measure later signed into law; its an unnecessary legislative intrusion into the doctor-patient relationship that forces doctors to offer an ultrasound to patients seeking abortion care. That bill was co-sponsored by Heath Mello, a Democrat who last spring sparked debate within the Democratic Party about its values when news broke that a high-ranking member of the Democratic National Committee would speak alongside him at a rally despite Mellos anti-choice record in the state legislature. Weeks later, Mello lost his mayoral bid and suggested the controversy was at least partly responsible for his loss. Omaha, where Mello hoped to win office, is a part of Nebraskas 2nd Congressional District.





Ashford was later elected to U.S. Congress, representing the same district he is running for now, before being unseated by now-incumbent Rep. Don Bacon (R). During his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, Ashford voted against anti-choice legislation, earning him a 100 percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America in a 2015 legislative scorecard.





Though his website doesnt include a section on his platform, Ashford has suggested that he doesnt think a single-payer system is politically feasible, but he does support some changes such as allowing those 50 and older to buy into Medicare, according to the Omaha World-Herald. During a recent debate, he reportedly elaborated on his position, saying that he instead supports repairing the Affordable Care Act.





Ashfords campaign did not respond to requests for an interview.





DCCC Chairperson Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) has maintained that abortion rights would not be used as a litmus test for candidates receiving its help.





Eastman told Rewire.News she was surprised when the DCCC got involved in the race. I had been talking to them as well and they had told me that they would not be getting involved, she said. But the party doesnt choose the candidate, the voters do.





...What were finding is that voters are engaged and excited, Eastman continued. And this is absolutely winnable, but we have to be speaking about the values of the people of the district and actually be willing to go out and talk, and more importantly listen to the voters.The French Revolution & What Went Wrong

Stephen Clarke

Century 25

Rating:

There is, writes Stephen Clarke, in his bluff, tell-it-like-it-is, saloon-bar manner, a lot of romantic nonsense talked and written about the French Revolution  mainly by the French themselves.

Far from being glorious, the Revolution was, he argues, a bloodthirsty disaster. Liberte, Egalite and Fraternite may have been the initial aims of the Revolution, he writes, but for several years the reality was more like Tyranny, Megalomania and Fratricide. And, he concludes, after it was all over, and 300,000 men, women and children had been slaughtered, the poor were left worse off than they had been before, and the old social divisions were as strong as ever. The killing had been all for nothing.

There is, writes Stephen Clarke, in his bluff, tell-it-like-it-is, saloon-bar manner, a lot of romantic nonsense talked and written about the French Revolution  mainly by the French themselves

Clarke begins his narrative way back, with the creation of Versailles by King Louis XIV more than 100 years before the Revolution, in the 1660s. It was, by any standards, absurdly over-the-top. The grounds contained 2,000 fountains and waterfalls, and 150,000 plants. They featured a version of the Grand Canal, just under a mile long, complete with a dozen gondolas crewed by authentic Venetian gondoliers. The king also commissioned a miniaturised royal fleet, with a 13-metre galley complete with 32 cannons, and a barge large enough to hold him, a small orchestra and a team of rowers.

The kings court consisted of 10,000 people. His staff included 500 people working solely in the kitchens. His daily rituals were as extravagant  and, bizarrely, as public  as can be. When he went to the loo in the morning, he would be observed by any number of witnesses, all of whom considered themselves so fortunate to be given this privilege that they paid him 200,000 livres for it, which, if Clarke is to be believed, was the equivalent of the price of 1,000 houses in the average French town.

Versailles and all the kings other extravagances were, of course, financed by taxes, most of them designed to bypass the wealthy and land on the poor. Somehow, Louis XIV managed to pull off this trick: his supreme self-confidence gave his over-spending an air of inevitability and meant that his subjects held him in awe. But his successor, Louis XV, was more easily embarrassed. He cut down on luxuries and servants, and undertook to perform his bowel movements in private. Perhaps as a consequence, standards went speedily downhill: domestic rubbish was thrown out of the windows, and began clogging up the fountains. The magic was absent: monarchy had lost its majesty, and could no longer command respect. When Louis XV died in 1774, his coffin had to be taken out of Versailles by night, so as to avoid jeering crowds. The future of the monarchy was in jeopardy.

IT'S A FACT! 1967s Carry On film Dont Lose Your Head was nearly called Daddy Wouldnt Buy Me A Tourniquet  and Short Back And Sides. Advertisement

A modern parallel would be 1997 in Britain, says Clarke, who likes nothing so much as drawing modern parallels. After the death of Princess Diana, the Royal Family were seen as aloof, but then the Queen made a deft TV broadcast, and things returned to normal. Well, yes  but, then again, no. The trouble with modern parallels is that they may be modern, but are rarely parallel. Later, Clarke suggests that when the new queen, Marie Antoinette, declined to accept gifts raised from taxes, this was an easily understood news item that told everyone who this new queen really was, in exactly the same way as Princess Diana would later shape public opinion by shaking hands with an Aids patient in the Eighties.

Eh? This seems a huge leap, not only in time but in circumstances, intent, motivation and just about everything else. EXACTLY the same way? More like, very slightly the same way, give or take 100 differences. As the book goes on, Clarke also grows keener and keener on dropping the phrase Fake News into his narrative. Im all for historians being unstuffy, but this whizzy up-to-dateness simply jars. Its rather as if a character in a Jane Austen film were to be spotted at Lady Catherine de Bourghs ball wearing a T-shirt and a bandana and dancing the Macarena.

Louis XVI, writes Clarke, has gone down in history as what would nowadays be called a nerd. He was an unremarkable, rather indecisive character, with a low sex-drive and a penchant for constructing wristwatches. His wife Marie Antoinette, on the other hand, was much more vivacious. She brought all the most fashionable flibbertigibbets to Versailles, where they indulged in daft party-games and even dafter fashions. Their wigs, for instance, grew bigger and bigger, and before long women were wearing ribbons, flags, feathers, stuffed birds, flowers and fruit and veg in their hair. Many had wigs so large that for the journey from Paris to Versailles they had to kneel on the floor of their carriages, just to make room for them. Marie Antoinette herself sported hair dressed in the shape of a four-masted frigate in full sail, complete with jewelled portholes and tasselled rigging.

The queen and Louis XVI. Louis XVI had actually been a benevolent, reforming monarch. Under his rule

All of these details are marvellously comical, and Clarke narrates them with suitable merriment. But he doesnt know when to stop. Once the terrors begin, he is still quipping away. The title of the chapter in which the executions get under way is: If You Can Keep Your Head From then on, he becomes addicted to constructing daft analogies drawn from French cuisine: the various political factions divided and subdivided until they were as thinly sliced as a courgette in a Parisian kitchen; the aristocrats were like the fromage de la soupe  the cheese baked on top of the bowl, weighing down both the croutons and the onion bits floating below; the governor of the Bastille gives a rioter a hearty kick in the profiteroles. And so on. As the book progresses, the more ill-judged such light-heartedness becomes: seconds after the governor kicked the rioter he was stabbed to death by the mob, and then his head was cut off and placed on a pike.

Nevertheless, Clarke argues convincingly that far from being a self-centred, money-grabbing monster, Louis XVI had actually been a benevolent, reforming monarch. Under his rule, literacy improved, wars lessened, there were huge medical and scientific advances and comparatively little censorship. Before the Revolution, he had gone along with a democratically elected parliament, which had been responsible for initiating fundamental social reforms.

Clarke also argues that the mob who stormed the Bastille in 1789 and came to be seen as the heroes of the Revolution were in fact loyal to the king. The mob violence was mainly inspired by hunger, impatience with politicians and false rumours about an imminent attack by royal troops, but at its heart there was a desire to protect the kings interests. This, he continues, is the complete opposite of what modern France would have us believe.

He lives in France, so presumably knows what hes talking about. But, here on the other side of the Channel, his view of the Revolution is, I would say, pretty standard. Nearly 30 years ago, Simon Schama wrote a widely read masterpiece called Citizens, which served as a corrective to any idealism that may still have been attached to the French Revolution. For some reason, Stephen Clarke fails to mention this book, but Schamas conclusions are strikingly similar to his own. Of the same events, Schama wrote: The repeated invocations of the kings august and benificent name by people about to commit or threaten violence suggest how deep their foreboding was of the emptiness opened up by the collapse of royal power.

Schama argued, all those years ago, that Louis XVI was a reforming monarch, and that successive generations of French historians have been so anxious not to appear reactionary that they have underestimated both the reforms he made, and the revolting extent of the violence wrought by his enemies. Even in the little corrective details that Clarke presents as his own, you find that Schama got there first. For instance, Clarke says that Louis wrote the word Nothing in his diary on the day of the storming of the Bastille and that French historians have used this to argue that he was cut off from real life, whereas it was, in fact, simply his hunting diary, and Nothing meant that he shot nothing that day. All very interesting, but its a point made, rather more gracefully, by Schama: On July, 14 1789, Louis XVIs journal consisted of the one-word entry Rien (nothing). Historians invariably find this a comic symptom of the kings hapless remoteness from political reality. But it was nothing of the sort. The journal was less a diary than one of his remorselessly enumerated lists of kills at the hunt.

Schama was subtle and elegant, while Clarke is crude and forceful. You could almost be forgiven for thinking that The French Revolution & What Went Wrong is Citizens rewritten by Jeremy Clarkson.Murmur

91-96 Kings Road

Arches, Brighton

Rating:

Murmur. A soft and subtle word, sure, but also subdued and somewhat indistinct. So a strange choice of name for a jolly Brighton seafront restaurant, one that sits snugly between shore and promenade. OK, so it refers to neither mumbles nor cardiological abnormalities, rather murmuration (now theres a word to get your chops around), which is apparently the shape that the starlings make when they flock and fly between the two piers here on the coast. But still, with its egg-yolk yellow metal chairs, and sun pouring through the windows, and aquamarine banquettes, and lovely, breezy staff, it feels more of a holler than mere murmur.

Outside, past the pebbles, are the charred, skeletal remains of West Pier, and beyond that, a field of wind turbines, graceless and gauche. They may be powering kettles and hair straighteners for hundreds of thousands of homes but by Christ, they dont half bugger the view. Still, inside Murmur all is calm. Its the new place from Michael Bremner, the deeply talented chef behind the superlative 64 Degrees, with the emphasis on healthy and honest food. Always better, I suppose, than diseased and corrupt.

Outside, past the pebbles, are the charred, skeletal remains of West Pier, and beyond that, a field of wind turbines, graceless and gauche

We start with half a dozen Poole Bay rock oysters, plump and briny, with just a hint of that milky summer spawn. A yuzu dressing is sharp but subtle, caressing rather than crushing their gentle saline charm. Theres delicately cured salmon, with just the right whack of acidity, and a neat dice of cured cucumber, blobs of tart yogurt and a few feathery fronds of dill. Again, simple but immaculately done. Charred British asparagus comes scented with preserved lemon, and ethereally light, cumulus-like ricotta. Beautifully understated, it shows innate culinary intelligence.

Then, in direct contrast to all that levity, wonderfully bosky lobster croquettes, with an oozing centre every bit the equal of those at Barafina or Sabor. Clever comfort food, says Joe, and they certainly showcase the fryers art.

After such a strong start, expectations for the mains are loftier than the gleaming BA observation tower, in whose shadow we sit. Joe has a pristine, spanking fresh lemon sole, cooked just right, so the flesh, just turning from translucent to opaque, takes a little effort to tug from the bone. But it comes away cleanly, and the sweet seam of roe is an added joy. Alongside are Ratte potatoes, cooked, I think, in fish stock, an inspired technique, the sort of jolly kid brother to Clare Smyths fish roe and seaweed spud. But my Crispy Fried Trout is plain dull. The cookings fine, but theres little sign of the promised spice, and the fish is under-seasoned too. I cant even be bothered to finish it. We also order the cauliflower special (we are at peak cauliflower right now. Peak, I say), which manages to keep a satisfying crunch. The almond crumb works well. But the jet-black nori sauce is cloyingly oversweet. You can certainly taste the seaweed, but it feels like a dish in progress, not yet refined.

Wonderfully bosky lobster croquettes, with an oozing centre every bit the equal of those at Barafina or Sabor

Pudding returns to the stellar heights of the starters, a sublime salted caramel mousse, studded with chocolate truffle button.

And a bloody good pavlova too, the meringue suitably chewy, with tiny shards of pineapple adding tropical bite.

As I said, the service is as lovely as the cloudless sky outside. Although Joe whispers, sotto voce, that he could do without them asking what we thought of every dish. Such was their genuine charm that it didnt bother me as much as usual. But this was a much hated hobby horse for the late, great A. A. Gill. When asked his opinion by the waiter, he would always reply, with a vulpine grin, Utterly disgusting. That generally put an immediate end to any further culinary queries.

Murmur, though, is entirely without pretension, a merry, family-friendly seaside restaurant with some very good starters and puddings. Delectable service too, but just let down by a couple of the mains. Nothing catastrophic, and it certainly has no desire to be another 64 Degrees.

The problem is that with Bremners name attached, you expect, if not perfection, then steadfast consistency. Even at somewhere as laid-back at this.

But its yet another happy addition to the Brighton seafront. Which is rather more than I can say for that damned ugly windfarm.

About 35 per head

What tom ate last week

Wednesday

Dinner at Sake No Hana in St Jamess. Otoro, chu-toro, yellow tail and sea urchin. Not cheap, but the best never is.

Thursday

To Washington DC. A beautiful hamburger at the Four Seasons. Perfect bun, rare beef, cheese, bacon and pickles.

Friday

Decent bowl of chili at Clydes of Georgetown, but average scallop crude and buffalo wings. Dinner at The Partisan. Lots of charcuterie.

Saturday

Lunch at Joes Stone Crab DC. A dozen claws, fried green tomatoes and fried onions.Advertisement

New research has exposed the UK locations where drivers have the greatest chance of being issued with a fixed penalty notice for a driving offence - and it doesn't look good for motorists in Avon and Somerset.

According to analysis of 2.7million FPNs dished out by police forces across the country last year, it's the area where the most fines and penalty points were handed out per 10,000 drivers registered there - predominantly because of speeding offences.

Want to see which driving offences are prevalent in your area? This interactive map reveals all:

The analysis was conducted by private number plate specialists Regtransfers who crunched the numbers provided by official government sources in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

To better understand the ratio of penalty notices to road users, it worked out the number of fines per 10,000 motorists in each region and then listed the 10 locations where drivers are most likely to flout the law and get caught for it.

To drill down further into the data, Regtransfers individually reviewed the figures for seven of the major driving offences.

These were speeding, failure to wear a seatbelt, driving with no insurance, running red lights and ignoring road signs, using the phone behind the wheel, parking offences and careless driving.

The research found that Avon and Somerset has the worst driving record overall, with nearly 200,000 offences in total.

According to the study, it means for every 10,000 drivers in Avon and Somerset, 1,785 received a fixed penalty notice last year.

Next on the list was Cumbria with 1,455 drivers per 10,000 picking up an FPN last year, followed by Warwickshire (1,410), Norfolk (1.388) and Bedfordshire (1,385).

Top 10 areas for the most driving offences per 10,000 motorists 1. Avon and Somerset - 1,785 offences per 10,000 drivers 2. Cumbria - 1,455 offences per 10,000 drivers 3. Warwickshire - 1,410 offences per 10,000 drivers 4. Norfolk - 1,388 offences per 10,000 drivers 5. Bedfordshire - 1,385 offences per 10,000 drivers Source: Regtransfers.co.uk 6. Northamptonshire - 1,231 offences per 10,000 drivers 7. Humberside - 1,148 offences per 10,000 drivers 8. Lincolnshire - 1,124 offences per 10,000 drivers 9. West Yorkshire - 1,120 offences per 10,000 drivers 10. Merseyside - 1,107 offences per 10,000 drivers

Scotland and Northern Ireland - whose data wasn't available at a regional breakdown - didn't make it into the top 10, though that could be because more granular information wasn't given.

Last year, the RAC Foundation said drivers receive an FPN every 2.5 seconds, suggesting that almost a third of Britain's 40million motorists are being hit with fines annually.

Here are the locations that racked up the most penalty notices from police forces last year:

Speeding hotspots

Exceeding the speed limit is the most common driving offence across the whole of the UK, based on this data.

Drivers in Avon and Somerset racked up the most speeding fines, with 1,657 offences per 10,000 drivers.

Cumbria (1,383 per 10,000 drivers) and Warwickshire (1,311 per 10,000 drivers) had the second and third worst speed limit-breaking records in the country.

The stats suggest the traffic officer presence in Suffolk is pretty low.

The figures show that just seven FPNs in total were dished out in total for speeding in the area last year.

1. Avon and Somerset - 1,657 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

2. Cumbria - 1,383 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

3. Warwickshire - 1,311 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

4. Bedfordshire - 1,304 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

5. Norfolk - 1,138 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

Where are the highest proportion of careless driving?

The law was updated on careless driving in August 2013 so that it included a number of driving misdemeanors that were previous difficult to punish.

This includes dangerous undertaking and middle-lane hogging on the motorway.

The data shows that last year there were more careless driving penalty notices in Scotland than any other area in the country.

A total of 11,890 penalty notices were issued, which works out at 36 per 10,000 drivers in the country.

Essex and Northern Ireland were a close second and third.

1. Scotland - 36 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

2. Essex - 32 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

3. Northern Ireland - 30 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

4. Humberside - 20 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

5. Cheshire - 13 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

Areas you're most likely to share the road with unlicensed and uninsured drivers

Scotland is also the number one hotspot for driving without a licence or insurance (139 per 10,000 drivers), the data shows.

In fact, they had more than double the amount of penalty notices issued compared to London per the number of motorists in the region.

Still, the capital had enough to come in second place, with 61 offences per 10,000 drivers.

Police Scotland launched a crackdown on uninsured drivers earlier this year in a bid to reduce the numbers.

According to the Motor Insurance Bureau, more than 29,000 people are injured every year by uninsured drivers in the UK.

1. Scotland - 139 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

2. London - 61 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

3. Humberside - 55 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

4. Norfolk - 53 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

5. Cambridgeshire - 41 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

Where you're most likely to get caught using the phone at the wheel

Although being caught using a mobile phone behind the wheel dropped by 47 per cent in 2017, it still didn't stop some drivers reaching for their handheld device.

More than 25,000 penalty notices were issued in London last year for drivers caught illegally using their mobile phones.

That works out as 52 offences per 10,000 drivers, making London the number one hotspot.

Norfolk and Thames Valley came in joint second place with the same 50 offences per 10,000 drivers on police records.

1. London - 52 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

2. Norfolk - 50 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

3. Thames Valley - 50 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

4. Northern Ireland - 47 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

5. Essex - 41 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

Where most red lights and road signs are ignored

Leicestershire drivers are most likely to hit the accelerator when the lights change to red, says the research.

For every 10,000 drivers in the area, 131 were ticketed for running a red light or ignoring 'no entry' signs.

Drivers in Greater Manchester, Avon and Somerset, Merseyside and South Yorkshire were also among those most likely to receive a FPN for this offence.

Between 51 and 85 drivers per 10,000 motorists were caught jumping the lights in those locations.

Scotland didn't provide data for this offence type.

1. Leicestershire - 131 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

2. Greater Manchester - 85 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

3. Avon and Somerset - 73 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

4. Merseyside - 71 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

5. South Yorkshire - 51 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

The places where bad parkers are fined by police

If you're a driver in Gwent, you're more at risk of a parking fine issued by the police than anywhere else in the UK, with drivers receiving a total of 6,500 penalty notices in 2017 (that works out at 178 notices issued for every 10,000 drivers).

Suffolk was the second-most likely place for motorists to be fined over parking by an officer, with penalties reaching a total of 3021 (that's 58 notices for every 10,000 drivers). Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Thames Valley made up the remaining hotspots.

Figures are substantially higher if you include the number of FPNs issued by location authorities.

Scotland didn't provide data for this offence type.

1. Gwent - 178 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

2. Suffolk - 58 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

3. Cambridgeshire - 51 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

4. Northamptonshire - 43 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

5. Thames Valley - 30 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

Locations with the most unbuckled drivers and passenger

Essex is the UK hotspot for drivers being pulled over for not wearing seatbelts, with 5,819 penalty notices issued in total (47 for every 10,000 drivers).

North Wales, Thames Valley, West Yorkshire and Lancashire also made the top 5 regions for seatbelt offences.

These are significantly lower that the number of drivers being caught speeding.

For instance, you're 35 times more likely to receive a FPN for exceeding the limit in Avon and Somerset than you are for not wearing your seatbelt in Essex.

1. Essex - 47 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

2. North Wales - 44 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

3. Thames Valley - 38 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

4. West Yorkshire - 36 FPNs per 10,000 drivers

5. Lancashire - 30 FPNs per 10,000 driversA couple of companies on AIM have been caught up in the US-Iran crossfire this week.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he was pulling his country out of the Iran nuclear agreement, calling it a horrible, one-sided deal.

In a speech given from the Diplomatic Room of the White House, Trump continued: In a few moments, I will sign a presidential memorandum to begin reinstating U.S. nuclear sanctions on the Iranian regime. We will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction.

That second part was what really spooked investors, particularly those operating in Iran or working with companies from the Gulf nation.

US president Donald Trump said he was pulling his country out of the Iran nuclear agreement

Poor Westminster Group has spent more than a year touting a major business opportunity at an airport somewhere in the Middle East, which could be worth up to 35million a year to the security services supplier.

Thats an awful lot of money to a firm with a market capitalisation of less than 20million.

Westminster revealed on Thursday evening that the project is actually in Iran, adding that Trumps decision had created uncertainty in the country.

Following the developments and initial discussions with Westminster's customer and commercial partners, the board of Westminster has taken the decision to place the project on hold whilst the company further investigates the impact of the US withdrawal, read the statement.

Westminster said it believed its services and equipment to be supplied under the contract fell outside any sanctions, but investors werent taking the risk, with the stock down 34 per cent across the week to 12.5p.

Serica Energy was another caught out by Trumps comments.

One of the companys producing assets is the Rhum gas field in the UK North Sea, which it jointly owns with the UK arm of Irans state oil company.

Immediately following Trumps announcement, Serica said it was evaluating the implications of sanctions. Shares plunged by 34 per cent to 54.5p.

The biggest faller in London this week was Faron Pharma which fell off a cliff after its flagship drug failed in a late-stage trial.

Top-line data from the study of Traumakine in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome revealed that at 28 days the median number of ventilator-free days for patients on the drug was 10 days, only slightly higher than the 8.5 days for those taking a placebo.

Meanwhile, the mortality rate after four weeks was 26.4 per cent for those receiving the Faron treatment and 23 per cent for the placebo group.

Chief executive Markku Jalkanen said he and his team was incredibly disappointed and surprised at the results, as were investors, who were quick to sell out, sending shares 80 per cent lower across the week to 153p.

The biggest faller this week was Faron Pharma after its flagship drug failed in a late-stage trial

There was some good news out there this week. Property developer Ashley House surged 37 per cent to 12.6p after it released a bullish year-end trading update.

The company  which helps to build health centres, residential buildings and community centres  reported back in March that it had reached financial close of a project in Scarborough and said on Wednesday it has achieved financial close on three more schemes.

Financial close is when the project is legally committed and where Ashley can start to recognise income as things move to the construction stage.

With money starting to come in from these four latest projects, the AIM-listed firm has been able to slash its net debt, while it added that full-year profits are on track to meet expectations.

That was more reflective of the junior market, with the AIM All Share adding 11.9 points, or 1.1 per cent, to reach an all-time high of 1,078.5 come Friday afternoon.

The blue chips also headed back towards their record peaks, rising 136.8 points, or 1.8 per cent, to 7,703.2.

Another lifting the AIM market higher was Arian Silver  confusingly just a lithium explorer  as investors got excited about the prospect of a fresh start under new management.

The firms two co-founders, Jim and Tony Williams, have stepped down from their respective roles as chief executive and executive chairman.

Arian Silver - a lithium explorer - was one of this week's risers

Taking over the reins is Dennis Edmonds, a corporate solicitor by trade with plenty of experience of acquisitions and restructuring. Former Gunsynd non-executive director Chris Gordon, who has helped firms raise money in the past, has also joined the board.

Speaking of raising money, Ariana also brought in 600,000 through a share placing, which will give the new boss something to work with. The market gave the thumbs-up to the changes, with shares climbing 37 per cent to 12.6p.

Pathfinder Minerals shares also found its way this week.

The natural resources company had been locked in a dispute with shareholders over who should lead the firm forward, with a group of investors wanting to oust chief executive Nick Trew and executive director Henry Bellingham.

A vote was set to take place at a shareholder meeting next week (May 15) but that has been cancelled now after Pathfinder moved Trew and Bellingham to new positions of executive director and non-executive chairman, with Blair Sergeant and Simon Farrell - the former finance head and ex-CEO of Coal of Africa  taking their place.

Investors approved of the changes, and a 250,000 fundraise, sending shares 30 per cent higher to 0.98p.Pensioners stuck with interest-only mortgages have been offered a lifeline by challenger bank Aldermore.

It has launched the first deal allowing retired borrowers to remortgage their interest-only loan when it comes to an end - using the sale of their property as a means of repaying the debt.

The Aldermore deal is available to borrowers aged between 55 and 85 but the term must end by the time they are 99.

It is the first of what is expected to be a new wave of home loans that let older borrowers take out interest-only mortgages to release equity from their property to boost their finances, pass money on to kids or grandchildren, or remortgage existing debt they cannot repay.

A change to lending rules means it is now possible to use the sale of your home as the way you plan to repay interest-only

Crucially, they can use the sale of their home as their repayment strategy, meaning it will be possible for them to have an interest-only mortgage until they die or go into full-time care and the property is sold.

Retirement interest-only mortgages were stamped out several years ago following the introduction of strict new mortgage rules by the financial watchdog.

These stopped borrowers from getting an interest-only mortgage if they planned to use their property to repay it when they died or moved out into care.

But in late March, the regulator relaxed this rule meaning lenders can now accept borrowers who want to do this.

What is on offer?

In order to qualify, borrowers must have a minimum of 40 per cent equity in their property and can choose from a range of two, three, five and 10-year fixed rate deals and a variable rate option.

A two-year fix on interest-only starts at 3.38 per cent with a maximum loan size of 400,000 and a maximum loan-to-value of 60 per cent.

A 10-year fix isn't that much more at 3.98 per cent while the variable rate starts at 4.18 per cent. All deals come with a 999 fee.

Those looking to move onto a capital repayment mortgage can borrow up to 75 per cent LTV with the lender.

In order to apply for one, you'll have to use a mortgage broker who is part of a limited number of firms that have access to the Aldermore deals.

These include any mortgage firm operating as part of the Openwork and Personal Touch Financial Services networks and broker firms Atom and Finance Planning.

How does it compare?

Borrowers remortgaging a property worth 167,000 and taking a 100,000 interest-only mortgage on the two-year fixed rate deal of 3.38 per cent would see monthly payments of 281.

Switching to a capital repayment deal over a 25-year term for the same mortgage would mean monthly repayments of 494.

Borrowers can apply for the deal up to the age of 85, but the term must finish by the time they reach the age of 99.

The is different to equity release deals, where interest usually rolls up rather than being paid off, but can run until death.

Aldermore's commercial director, Charles McDowell, said the lender had been planning to launch interest-only deals for retired borrowers before the rules were changed, but that now they could accept the property's eventual sale as a credible repayment strategy.

Other accepted repayment strategies include investments, savings, another property or enough equity in the home to fund downsizing.

Seven out of ten interest-only and part capital repayment mortgages are held by customers aged over 45

This makes Aldermore the first lender to offer older borrowers the option to remortgage an existing interest-only mortgage in retirement, though early indications suggest other lenders are looking to introduce similar products soon.

McDowell said: The house buying journey has changed markedly over the years. First-time buyers are more likely to be in their 30s or 40s, second stepping is delayed and retirement is later.

We believe that a change is needed in the way we consider later life lending. The people this product is aimed at do not make up one homogeneous group and shouldnt be treated as such.

In short, no matter what our customers want to achieve in later life, remortgaging is an easy way to unlock this capital and fund their plans.

Last month Post Office unveiled the market's first interest-only mortgage for retired borrowers, suitable for borrowers taking a new mortgage but not those looking to remortgage an existing interest-only loan.

In addition, Family Building Society has confirmed plans to launch an interest-only mortgage for those needing to remortgage in retirement, with the lender expecting to be ready around September this year.

One Savings Bank has also confirmed it is looking to offer the loans at some point in the future.

Is this a good idea?

The Financial Conduct Authority relaxed its rules at the end of March this year because it was worried about the number of older borrowers who took interest-only mortgages before the credit crisis and are now finding they've got no way of repaying them.

It published research last year revealing that there are currently 1.67 million full interest-only and part capital repayment mortgage accounts outstanding in the UK.

They represent 17.6 per cent of all outstanding mortgage accounts and over the next few years increasing numbers will require repayment.

According to the FCA's own data, those aged 65 and over with a mortgage are also significantly over represented when it comes to interest only mortgages. They make up one in nine of all interest only mortgage holders, whereas overall they are just 3 per cent of the mortgage holding population.

Before the rule change, their only option was to sell their home and hope they had enough equity to fund the purchase of a smaller property.

This left thousands of borrowers in a really tricky position - unable to repay their loan, unable to remortgage and unable to afford to downsize.

>> Use our interest-only mortgage timebomb calculator to see what you owe

Aldermore's mortgages could help those in retirement to clear interest-only debts, take out mortgages to move, or pass on an early inheritance to younger family members who might need a deposit to buy their own home.

Previously, to do this, they'd have needed to do equity release - if they qualified.

Unlike equity release products however, Aldermore's mortgage will prevent debts from rolling up and eating into a property's value.

Andrew Montlake, director of mortgage broker Coreco, said: 'This is an area of the market which is growing fast, but is still currently underserved as lenders try to develop products and lending criteria that everyone is comfortable with.

'Lending into later life can be fraught with difficulties, especially with issues such as health and potential drops in income if a partner dies, so it needs to be handled in a careful, holistic way.

'It is great to see lenders such as Aldermore rise to the challenge and we hope to see more lenders and competition in this area that starts to give consumers real choice and a lifeline for those who need more time to repay their mortgages.'

Retirement interest-only vs lifetime mortgages and equity release The FCA, Britain's financial watchdog, defines the new retirement mortgages as 'interest-only mortgages for older consumers where, assuming there is no default, the loan is only repaid on a specified life event, usually the customers death or move into residential care'. Customers must still be able to afford the ongoing interest payments, but ultimately the loan is repaid through the sale of the property. A lifetime mortgage on the other hand is a form of equity release. Borrowers choosing this option can opt either to pay interest monthly for as long as they wish and then switch to a roll-up plan, or go straight to rolling interest up. The advantage of roll-up is that there are no monthly payments, so it can be an option for borrowers with low incomes. The disadvantage is that interest charges compound over the years which can eat into homeowners' equity significantly, leaving little to pay for care in later life or to pass on to children. Equity release rates are also higher than standard mortgage rates as they factor in longevity risk - how long you're likely to live before the lender gets their money back. Despite coming down over recent years, equity release rates are still between 3.6 per cent and 6 per cent and the maximum you can borrow is 55 per cent of the value of your home. That's fine if you own your home outright when you take the loan, but if you have a 75 per cent LTV interest-only mortgage to pay off, equity release isn't going to help you. While there's no guarantee retirement mortgage rates will be priced more cheaply than equity release, because you are paying off the interest, it's going to be a significantly cheaper option over the long-term and allows you to protect the equity in your home.Meghan Markle is expected to become the Duchess of Sussex when she weds Prince Harry.

The American actress will become a fully fledged member of the royal family  with an HRH title to match.

Tradition dictates that royal men receive a title on the morning of their wedding  with Harry looking set to become the Duke of Sussex.

Meghan Markle is expected to become the Duchess of Sussex when she weds Prince Harry

The prince is expected to be given a dukedom by his grandmother, the Queen.

Genealogist Charles Kidd said he believed the Duke of Sussex would be chosen for Harry, meaning Meghan would become Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.

'They're quite limited in the titles that are available. The Duke of Sussex is the front-runner without any doubt,' he said.

'I think the others are highly unlikely. Clarence hasn't been used for a long time and it's been sort of tainted by bad luck.

'One Duke of Clarence was the eldest son of Edward VII and there have been a lot of fairly salacious stories surrounding him.

'Another Duke of Clarence was executed for treason and allegedly drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine.

'Connaught, with its links to the Republic of Ireland, might not be suitable at the moment.

Tradition dictates that royal men receive a title on the morning of their wedding  with Harry looking set to become the Duke of Sussex

'The dukedoms of Cumberland, Albany and Teviotdale are all suspended, meaning there could be claims to those titles.'

Windsor  last used by the abdicated Edward VIII  is likely to be off the table.

Although it would reclaim the title for a new generation, Wallis Simpson  the last Duchess of Windsor, who sparked the abdication crisis of 1936  was, like Meghan, an American divorcee.

Other options could include Avondale and Kendal.

Previously used titles that are available to Prince Harry are Connaught, Albany, Cumberland, Ross, Kintyre, Kendal, Sussex and Clarence. Connaught is now a province of the Republic of Ireland ans would be very unlikely to be used.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsors marriage caused difficulties for the royal family with Edward VIII abdicating

The previous holders of the titles Albany and Cumberland lost their titles after they fought for Germany during World War I. Their heirs are also alive and hence could disrupt any claims to the title.

Ross and Kintyre have not been used in more than 500 years, and Kendal was only used once used for a baby son of King James II, who died during infancy.

However, the previous Duke of Sussex, Prince Augustus Frederick, holds a lot of parallels with Prince Harry.

He was born on the January 27 1773 at Buckingham Palace, the ninth child of King George III and Queen Charlotte. He was given freedom to develop his own interests, like Prince Harry, and supported many liberal causes.

Prince Augustus Frederick, who died in 1843, was the last person to hold the 'Duke of Sussex' title

He was a strong supporter of anti-slavery legislation among other causes such as electoral reform, Jewish rights and Catholic emancipation.

He died aged 70 on April 21, 1843 at Kensington Palace, where Harry and Meghan now reside.

Harry  whose full name is Prince Henry of Wales  could turn down a title, but would be a surprise move.

In this case, Meghan would be known as HRH Princess Henry of Wales.

She is not entitled to be Princess Meghan because she is not a princess in her own right, only through marriage.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were also given titles linking them to Scotland and Northern Ireland, becoming the Earl and Countess of Strathearn and Baron and Baroness Carrickfergus, meaning Harry and Meghan might also be given multiple ones as well.Advertisement

A lost community of Britons that has been cut off from the world for 160 years on a tiny island near Honduras will celebrate the royal wedding with maypole dancing, shortbread and renditions of London Bridge Is Falling Down.

Living without electricity or running water, the 800 inhabitants of Saint Helene speak English, sing British folk songs and eat traditional sandwiches.

On May 19th, they will be huddling around a television powered by a generator 5,000miles from Britain to watch Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get married before celebrating around the maypole.

The islanders on Saint Helene  not to be confused with Saint Helena in the south Atlantic  are virtually unknown in the West and say that unlike other former British outposts, they almost never have foreign visitors.

We all wish Harry and Meghan all the happiness in the world from our little island out here, said carpenter Ernie Whitfield, 50. They have forgotten us but we havent forgotten them.

Scroll down for video

Kara Damar, 16, left, and Shantel Bodden, 18, right, proudly hold a commemorative Prince Harry and Megan Markle tea towel

Islanders on Saint Helene perform a maypole dance, known locally as 'plait pole', to reggae music to mark the royal wedding

Andrew Calix Forbes, 71, a marine mechanic on Saint Helena, proudly holds the Union Flag at his boatyard

Islanders performing traditional English folk songs and dances including London Bridge Is Falling Down in celebration

A group of islanders hold a length of bunting after traditional maypole celebrations to mark the wedding of Prince Harry

Teacher Lindon Martinez, 34, sits in his classroom in Saint Helene proudly displaying the Union Flag behind his desk

Marianne Dixon, 37, poses in the shop where she sells basic supplies beneath Union Jack bunting strung overhead

The remote island of Saint Helene which is three miles long and cut off from the outside world by a mangrove swamp

One of the unspoilt beaches on the coast of Saint Helene which also boast unspoilt and unexplored coral reefs just offshore

Part of an archipelago near Honduras called the Bay Islands, Saint Helene  known in Spanish as Santa Elena  was ruled by Britain from 1850 until 1861.

When the Empire withdrew due to pressure from America, their ancestors were left behind and gradually lost recognition from Britain.

Some only married each other but even those who mixed their families with locals keep their original British names like Jones, Bodden, Cooper and McLaughlin.

We have British blood, said Ted Thomas, 41, a community leader on the island. We know our roots and we will never let them go. We are the lost tribe of Britain.

My grandfather said to me that before I died the British flag would fly once again over these islands Andrew Calix Forbes, boat mechanic

Boat mechanic Andrew Calix Forbes, 71, said he was a royal subject through and through.

The Queen is our lifeblood, he said. We are all wishing congratulations to Harry and Meghan. My grandfather said to me that before I died the British flag would fly once again over these islands.

There is not much time left but I still hope and pray it will happen.

Just three miles long, Saint Helene is cut off by a dense mangrove swamp that can only be crossed in a small boat. The inhabitants of the archipelago still use British slang, calling a woman a bird and calling an unpleasant person a bad egg.

Their accent is a mixture of old-fashioned British regional twang and Caribbean patois. They also use the w sound instead of the v, an extinct cockney accent seen in 19th Century literature.

Although most are impoverished, living off hand-fishing and selling coconut oil, one family even boasts that it is distantly related to the Queen.

The Queen Mother was a very remote cousin of mine, said Roatan restaurant manager Sheryl Norman, an eighth-generation islander whose family originated in Warwickshire. Deep down we know were British, even the smallest child will tell you that.

We all love the Queen. She is such a strong and inspiring woman. We love Princess Kate and we are also loving Meghan. Some people are born to be special.

She added: Were just missing the passport. I wish Britain would come and take us back.

The island of Saint Helene, known in Spanish as Santa Elena, which is cut off from the world by a dense mangrove swamp

A Union Flag flies proudly on the shore of the tiny island of Saint Helene whose 800 inhabitants are still loyal to Britain

A woman serves sandwiches at the Maypole party, left, and community leader Ted Thomas holds a picture of the Queen, right

Young members of one extended family pose at their business, Daniel Johnson's Monkey and Sloth Hangout, on Roatan island

The Saint Helene community enjoys a display of maypole dancing, known as 'plait pole', in celebration of the royal wedding

Ernie Whitfield, left, holds a picture of Prince Harry and Megan Markle, and Cheryl Dyaz, right, holds one of Queen Victoria

The community practises British folk traditions like dancing around a tree decorated with sweets, which experts believe may derive from a 12th Century Cheshire tradition called bawming the thorn

The view from unspoilt Saint Helene with a tiny restaurant set at the end of a pier serving red snapper and fried chicken

A pair of rusty 17th Century cannon from an English frigate that a local man on Saint Helene keeps under his boathouse

The archipelago was once awash with English pirates. One Saint Helene local showed off a pair of rusty 17th Century cannon from an English frigate that he kept under his boathouse.

The community practises British folk traditions like dancing around a tree decorated with sweets, which experts believe may derive from a 12th Century Cheshire tradition called bawming the thorn.

In a sign of the popularity of the royal family, some locals even harbour a loyalty towards Queen Victoria, who was on the throne when they were under British rule.

Holding a picture of Queen Victoria makes my hair stand on end Sister Cheryl Dyaz

Holding a picture of Queen Victoria makes my hair stand on end, said Sister Cheryl Dyaz, 63, a church pastor on Saint Helene.

Its like something burning inside. She touches my heart. Looking at her, its just like this is the perfect one. This is my Queen.

Princess Diana also has many fans on the island, which has added to the growing excitement about the upcoming wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Dianas my girl, said fisherman Yeltsin Bowman, 26. To me she was a great person. I love Britain to death and I wish I could change my passport. The royal wedding is like a fairytale to us over here.

Sherman Wilson-Arch, 64, who owns an iguana farm on the nearby island of Roatan, is descended from Joseph Arch, a Liberal MP who in 1885 became the first agriculture labourer to enter the House of Commons.

He is also distantly related to the Queen, according to a local genealogist. He said: My grandfather was from Liverpool and Im proud of my British roots.

I never ever want to feel like I let my grandfather down or his heritage. Im 100 per cent loyal to the Queen. Im proud of my British identity and I will never trade it.

Islanders perform Maypole celebrations on the tiny island of Saint Helene which is just three miles long and home to just 800

An islander enjoys dancing a version of the English folk tradition, left, and ribbons wind around the pole as they dance, right

Iguana conservationist Sherman Wilson-Arch, 64, is descended from a Victorian Liberal MP and is related to the Queen

The young generation of Saint Helene islanders Tamira Bodden, 14, and Morrie Whitfield, 16, right, celebrating the Maypole

A girl on the island of Saint Helene poses while enjoying the Maypole celebrations for the wedding of Prince Harry

Farmer Nelson Jackson-McNabb, 90, the oldest man of British descent on the islands, left, and one of the youngest, right

Danica Johnson, left, and her mother Diana Johnson, right, pose on the island of Roatan at their family business, a monkey zoo

Mitzi Cooper, who lives on the island of Roatan in a community of English-speaking people descended from Britons

A local boat moves through the water off the coast of Roatan while the setting sun plays on the waves

Although Honduras signed a treaty promising to protect the rights of Britons left behind when the Empire left in 1861, the Saint Helene islanders said they have faced discrimination and neglect.

In the Eighties they were banned from speaking English at school. Their officials were forcibly replaced by Spanish-speakers from the mainland and they were subjected to land seizures.

The island has even been forced to raise extra taxes because Honduras does not properly fund its basic public services.

The larger island of Roatan has become a tourist haven populated mainly by Spanish-speaking mainlanders. Its English-speaking inhabitants resent the fact that English is not officially recognised.

When Honduras celebrated the return of the islands on April 22nd, the islanders did not participate and even held a protest at which they sang London Bridge is Falling Down.

I dont just feel British. I am British Carson Dilbert, mayor of Roatan

For these reasons, the local mayor, Carson Dilbert, is campaigning to bring British rule back to the islands, a move that would be greeted with huge joy.

I dont just feel British. I am British, he said. If I took you one day and gave you to the French, do you think that would make you a Frenchman?

The day Britain turned the islands over to the Spanish government was one of the darkest days of our history. We went from shoes to slippers, and from slippers to bare feet.

I would fly to Britain with a delegation tomorrow at my own expense to ask the government to take us back. All I need is them to meet and talk and buy us lunch.

Currently labourers are installing a basic electric grid on Saint Helene. With unspoilt coral reefs, a network of natural caves and sandy beaches, this may bring tourism to the island.

But islanders worry it will open them up to the outside world and erode their British identity.

Farmer Nelson Jackson-McNabb, 90, the oldest man of English descent on the islands, added: I fancy Britain left us behind. If Britain came back it would be very nice. It would be nice to meet the Queen. Wed like to invite her to come here so we can shake her hand and raise the flag.

Teacher Lindon Martinez strolls past the local nursery school on the island of Saint Helene, home to 800 English-speakersFour Oklahoma troopers were struck by gunfire or shrapnel while serving a warrant early Friday at a man's home that may have been booby-trapped.

The blaze has consumed several buildings in downtown Talihina, a town of about 1,100 people that's about 150 miles southeast of Oklahoma.

The suspect was shot and has been pronounced dead, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Paul Timmons said.

A fire consumed several buildings in Talihina, a town of about 1,100 people that's about 150 miles (240 kilometers) southeast of Oklahoma City

The four troopers are expected to recover and have been released from a local hospital.

Local authorities had requested help from state troopers to execute a drug-related warrant because the man had a 'violent criminal history,' Timmons said.

'As soon as they made entry, they were met by gunfire,' Timmons said.

Four Oklahoma troopers were shot responding to the scene and trying to serve a warrant to the suspect

The suspect - believed to have booby trapped the house - was shot and has been pronounced dead, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Paul Timmons said

A fifth trooper who was wearing a protective vest was also struck in the chest area by gunfire, but escaped any injury because of the vest, Timmons said.

Authorities don't yet know what caused the fire, but Timmons said the blaze broke out instantly after the law enforcement officers tried to execute the warrant.

'Right now we suspect that the building may have been booby-trapped with some type of explosive device that maybe started the fire,' Timmons said.

Firefighters were still working at midday Friday to contain the blaze.

The suspect has not been named.Around 10 million dogs are slaughtered for meat in China every year, and for those that are lucky enough to be saved from the dinner plate, many have to live in extremely poor conditions at self-funded animal shelters.

A British animal lover is now trying to save dozens of pooches destined to be slaughtered in China just weeks before the annual Yulin dog meat festival is set to take place.

Cindi McNeilregan, 44, said she was hoping to rescue around 100 dogs by bringing them from the Far East to United Kingdom.

Rushton Dog Rescue, a UK based charity, is running a campaign to raise money for dogs

The rescue centre is doing crowdfunding for some of the dogs that were bound for restaurants

Ms McNeilregan, from Taunton, Somerset, is the founder of Rushton Dog Rescue.

She visited the Chinese city of Chengdu, which is most famous for giant pandas, at the beginning of May.

After going to several dog shelters, Ms McNeilregan was shocked by their appalling conditions and would like to do what she could to save the animals.

One of the shelters has as many as 400 dogs, that were saved from last year and the year before and are waiting to be moved to clinics and kennels, according to Ms McNeilregan.

Some of the dogs at the shelters had been saved from big trucks hired to transport them by dog meat traders; while others had been run over by the side of the road and left to die.

Ms McNeilregan, from Taunton, Somerset, visited Chinese dog shelters (pictured) this month

She decides to do what she could for the animals after seeing the appalling living conditions

Ms McNeilregan (pictured), 44, has made a public appeal online to raise money for the dogs

But Ms McNeilregan said the charities she visited, including one called Hushengyuan Stray Animals Rescue Base, didn't have money to treat or feed the dogs properly.

'No dog in China is safe,' she urged.

Ms McNeilregan has made a public appeal online to raise money for buying toys and paying for vet bills for the dogs as well as for transporting them to the UK.

She has raised around half of her 5,000 goal so far.

Her campaign comes just six weeks before the controversial Yulin dog meat festival, which occurs on the summer solstice every year in southern China's Guangxi Province.

WHAT IS THE YULIN DOG MEAT FESTIVAL? A vendor waits for buyers beside dogs in cages at a market in Yulin, southern China Some claimed that the consumption of dog meat has been observed in Guangxi Province, China, for hundreds of years. However, the activity had not been promoted and encouraged until around 30 years ago - first by the dog meat traders, then by the Yulin government for driving tourism. The annual Yulin Dog Meat Festival can be traced back to 2009. The event has drawn waves of criticism from media and animal lovers, with influential figures leading campaigns around the world in a bid to stop it. The local government has stopped organising the festival under pressure, as it is understood, but vendors continue selling dog meat and residents carry on eating it on the summer solstice. Various measures have been taken by the Yulin government to discourage canine banquets from happening on summer solstice. According to Dr Peter J. Li, an expert on the topic, the Yulin authority issued an internal order in May, 2013, prohibiting any traders or butchers from slaughtering dogs in the street. In May 2014, an internal written notice was distributed in Yulin, which banned government officials from eating dogs around the summer solstice. Dr. Li said that it would be hard for the government to ban the trade once and for all as it is the livelihood for the vendors who are less educated and largely unskilled former peasants. Dr Li also said that if the government did terminate the festival by force, it would have to provide means of livelihood for those affected. What the Yulin government tries to do now is waiting for the industry to die out on its own. Advertisement

The summer solstice is the day to mark the end of the dog meat season in Yulin, according to Dr Peter J. Li, the Associate Professor of East Asian Politics at the University of Houston-Downtown and the China Policy Specialist from Humane Society International.

The annual Yulin festival, which was supposed to be banned by the local officials, has caused an outrage among animal lovers around the world in the past few years. Protests and petitions against the festival has taken place every year.

Last year, Yulin government reportedly issued a ban in May, prohibiting vendors from selling dog meat in the lead-up to the festival. However, the festival happened as usual in various venues in Yulin, including the popular No.1 Crispy Dog Meat Restaurant.

While commenting on the alleged ban during last year's festival, Dr Peter J. Li said it was unlikely to stop the dog meat banquets in private homes or at private events on summer solstice.

He explained that Yulin, a city in the largely agricultural Guangxi Province, is spread out and composed of a large rural area, and it would be hard to restrict what the locals eat.

It's been estimated that 10 million dogs are slaughtered for meat in China annually. Many of them are believed to be stolen pets.

The animal is eaten in some other Asian countries, such as Vietnam and South Korea.The United States promised Friday that it would work to rebuild North Korea's sanctions-crippled economy if Kim Jong Un's regime agrees to surrender its nuclear arsenal.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's vow came as senior US officials expressed growing optimism ahead of the landmark June 12 summit between Kim and President Donald Trump.

Pompeo, who held talks Pyongyang's young leader over the weekend, even said 'we have a pretty good understanding between our two countries about what the shared objectives are.'

He was speaking after talks with his South Korean opposite number Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha to coordinate Washington and Seoul's preparations for the historic encounter.

The United States promised Friday that it would work to rebuild North Korea's economy if Kim Jong Un's regime agrees to surrender its nuclear arsenal. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (right) is seen with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in Washington on Friday

Many observers have warned Kim's regime will try to drive a wedge between the allies as the summit approaches, playing Seoul's fear of war against Washington's nuclear concerns.

But both Kang and Pompeo insisted that they agreed on the need for the 'total, permanent and verifiable' denuclearization of the divided peninsula.

Trump and South Korea's President Moon Jae-in are due to meet on May 22 at the White House for the next round of planning.

And Pompeo said the United States would remain on board to help develop the North's economy, which has been devastated by its own mismanagement and crippling international sanctions.

'If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on par with our South Korean friends,' he said.

Since an ad hoc 1953 armistice put an end to active hostilities between the North and the South, South Korea has emerged from devastation to become a leading world economy.

Pompeo's vow came as senior US officials expressed growing optimism ahead of the landmark June 12 summit between Kim and President Donald Trump (seen left welcoming three American detainees after their release from North Korea on Thursday)

But the North has remained one of the world's most isolated states and its outdated economy has been further battered by a UN-backed 'maximum pressure' campaign of sanctions.

Over the past year Kim and Trump have also added a personal touch to a half-century of international enmity, swapping insults and both openly threatening devastating direct military action.

Kim's regime also carried out missile tests that convinced US intelligence officials, including Pompeo in his former role as CIA chief, that North Korea could threaten US cities.

But South Korea's President Moon reached out to the North, reopening direct talks, and when Kim invited Trump to a summit to discuss disarmament the mood changed.

At the weekend, Pompeo flew to Pyongyang for a second round of talks and to recover three released American detainees, and now a summit date has been set for June 12 in Singapore.

'We had good conversations, conversations that involve deep complex problems, challenges, strategic decisions that chairman Kim has before him,' Pompeo said.

The pair, he said, talked 'about how it is he wishes to proceed and if he's prepared, in exchange for the assurances that we're ready to provide him, if he is prepared to fully denuclearize.

'We'll require a robust verification program, one that we would undertake with partners around the world which would achieve that outcome,' he warned.

But he added: 'I'm confident that we have a shared understanding of the outcome that the leaders want, certainly President Trump and chairman Kim, but I think President Moon as well.'

South Korea's Kang shared in Pompeo's optimism and was at pains to insist that there is no daylight between how Washington and Seoul are approaching the talks.

South Korea's President Moon (right) reached out to the North, reopening direct talks. Kim Jong-un is seen left with Moon in Panmunjon, South Korea on April 27

'We agreed that the summit would be an historic opportunity for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, and securing enduring peace on the Korean peninsula,' she said.

'We reaffirmed that our goal is to achieve the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula,' she added, promising 'air-tight' coordination.

Pompeo's promise of an economic carrot to match the stick of 'maximum pressure' may reassure observers who are concerned that Seoul and Washington's objectives are not exactly aligned.

'There's a danger here of the peace track moving more quickly than the denuclearization track,' warned Abraham Denmark, an Asia expert and former senior US defense official.

'If that happens, it could give North Korea an opportunity to try to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington,' said Denmark, now at the Wilson Center think tank in the US capital.

So far, the North Korean regime has made vague pledges to 'denuclearize' but has not spelled out what that means, when it would happen or how it would be implemented.

In North Korea's bombastic rhetoric, 'denuclearization' has, for years, been a byword for US troop withdrawals from South Korea - an idea that Kang appeared to reject.

After her talks with Pompeo, she took pains to 'emphasize again that the US military presence in Korea is a matter for the ROK-US alliance first and foremost.'

Hardliners in the North are believed to see a nuclear weapon as a guarantee against outside efforts to topple the regime, but Trump insists he will not tolerate their growing arsenal.May 11, 2018

Iran Out of That Deal

Earlier this week, President Trump announced that he will completely pull out of the Iran Nuclear Deal. During his announcement, he criticized the deal calling it a horrible, one-sided deal that should have never ever been made. Instead of investing in the people of Iran, they continued to fund terrorist activity through Hezbollah and Hamas using funds established by this pact. It is certainly time to put an end to this sinister activity.

The Iran Nuclear Deal was established under former President Obama in 2015 between the United States, Iran, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, China, Russia, and the European Union. The pact included a reigning in of Irans nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. However, Iran entered into this deal with no intentions of complying. Recent intelligence released by Israel shows that Iran secretly developed plans to advance nuclear weapons before and after the deal was made.

The people of Iran quickly showed their hatred for the United States after the announcement by shouting threats against America while burning the American flag. Iran has stated that they will not continue the deal with the other countries in the pact without the participation of the United States. This has in-turn made Russia upset. Russia issued a warning prior to the Presidents announcement that threatened severe consequences if he withdrew. These threats and actions certainly did not deter the President from making the right decision.

President Trump has plans to create a new coalition of nations that will oppose all Iranian access to developing their nuclear weapons. They will demand that Iran stop sponsoring terrorism in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Lebanon. They will also demand no more public threatening of Israel, kidnapping of Americans, cyberattacks, and threatening freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. Details of this coalition are still yet to be determined.

Eagle Forum praises President Trumps decision to withdraw from the Iran Nuclear Deal. The United States will no longer be passive to the atrocities that the Iran regime has set into motion.A one-year-old boy has been found safe in the Oregon woods after his father abandoned him for more than six hours.

Bradley Thomas was discovered by police covered in dirt, naked and alone on Thursday after a search involving drones, helicopters and riders on horseback.

Authorities said that the boy's father Brandon M Blouin, 25, has been booked into the Deschutes County Jail on multiple charges including first-degree criminal mistreatment, second-degree child neglect, third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a minor.

Blouin, from Ohio, told police that he left his son to look for the boy's mother, but they suspect the father was on drugs when he abandoned Bradley in the forest.

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Bradley Thomas, one, was discovered naked in dirt in an Oregon forest on Thursday

Authorities say someone called around 6.15am on Thursday when Blouin came out of the woods and onto a strangers's property.

The witness said Bouin asked them to call 911.

The father told police that he had been staying in an SUV with his son and the boy's 18-year-old mother.

He added that the SUV was parked on the forest land and the mother left Bradley with Blouin.

The Sherrif's office said that when she did not immediately return, Blouin told them that he took the baby to go looking for his mother.

After a six-hour search, Detective Doug Jackson found the boy safe after his father abandoned him

At one point he confessed to putting the one-year-old down and walking away.

Detective Doug Jackson finally found Bradley lying naked in dirt around 12.10pm one mile from where Blouin's SUV was parked.

He was found in the area of Sholes Road and Tekampe Road, in southeast Bend.

Brandon Blouin, 25, has been booked on charges including neglect and assault for leaving his son

The detective who found the boy wrapped him in a sheriff officer's jacket to keep him warm and he was taken to a hospital in Bend for evaluations.

The sheriff's office held a donation for Bradley for new or lightly uses items such as clothes, toys and blankets.

Donations poured in as the office received donations from nearly a dozen of people.

KTVZ reports that toys, blankets, shows, clothing and diapers were dropped off on Friday at the office.

Sgt William Bailey said that authorities are grateful for the community's support, adding that a mother came in and dropped off blankets.

'Her young daughter wanted to make sure Bradley got his puppet and book. So we will make sure he gets these items for her. That's just a pretty cool story,' Bailey said.A 14-year-old boy has been arrested and charged following two brazen attacks on young women as they walked home from the bus stop in Western Sydney.

The women, aged 23 and 25, were allegedly stalked, grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground in the space of three days and just 500m apart in Bonnyrigg, about 40km west of Sydney.

On Tuesday night, Felicia Fuimaono, 25, was walking from the bus stop to her home on the quiet cul-de-sac of Harah Close when she said she saw a male out of the corner of her eye.

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A 14-year-old boy has been arrested and charged following two brazen attacks on young women (pictured left) as they walked home from the bus stop in Western Sydney (right)

On Tuesday, a 25-year-old woman was walking from the bus stop (pictured) to her home on Harah Close when she described seeing a man out of the corner of her eye

It was a route she walked regularly, she said.

'As I turned into my street, I took three steps and that's when he grabbed me from behind and went straight to my neck,' Felicia told 9 News.

'His hand was covering my mouth, my nose ... so I've tried to pull his hands away so I could breathe and kept asking him "what do you want? I can't breathe",' she said.

Two days later, at about 12.30pm on Thursday, a 23-year-old woman was walking along the Liverpool-Parramatta Transit way just near the northbound bus stop next to Brown Road.

The woman was grabbed from behind, placed in a choke hold, dragged behind the bus stop and thrown to the ground, police said.

'His hand was covering my mouth, my nose ... so I've tried to pull his hands away so I could breathe and kept asking him 'what do you want? I can't breathe',' Felicia (pictured) recounted

A 14-year-old boy was arrested after officers from Fairfield Police Area Command commenced an investigation

The alleged attacker fled after neighbours heard the woman screaming and was seen running across the Transit Way, police said.

'I just can't understand how this could happen pretty much in the middle of the day in a very public area,' Detective Superintendent Peter Lennon told the media.

A 14-year-old boy was arrested on Friday and has been charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He was refused bail and will appear in Parramatta's Children's Court on Saturday.

It is believed the boy lives in the area, Fairfield Police told Daily Mail Australia.Young children living with a professional carer suffered physical and mental abuse after being told evil clowns would 'get them' if they were naughty as well as suffering other horrific punishments.

The grim threats came from a registered carer in the Northern Territory who allegedly told the children their hands would be severed for stealing, The Australian reported.

The children slept in urine soaked beds and were dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, driven to the bush and forced to wait for 'demons' as they stood in front of car headlights, NT Children's Commissioner Colleen Gwynne revealed.

Young children living with a professional carer suffered physical and mental abuse after being threatened evil clowns would 'get them' if they were naughty (stock image)

On one occasion, the carer allegedly dragged one child from bed in the middle of the night and drove them to the bush to wait for 'demons' in front of car headlights (stock image)

The female carer was described as 'cruel' by the children and they were so afraid of her wrath they begged Territory Families' workers not to tell her what they had said.

The carer is the subject of ten separate investigations into child welfare including allegations about the care of two toddlers left in her care who she allegedly slapped across the face.

There are also claims against the carer's biological daughter who allegedly held one child's head under water for a prolonged amount of time and threatened another with a knife, the publication reported.

In the aftermath of the allegations neither child was ever interviewed by Territory Families and just nine months later the case was closed after it was deemed 'no abuse had occurred'.

The disturbing claims towards the carer is the second 'damning' incident in recent months where the Territory Families have allegedly failed in their duty of care.

In February, a two-year-old girl was raped in Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, as well as reportedly suffering other horrific claims of sexual assault along side her four siblings.Tourists visiting Disney World in Florida on Friday were forced to take cover after a metallic fire-breathing dragon suddenly burst into flames.

Video of the incident shows the head of the animatronic beast completely engulfed in fire, moving towards the crowd as black smoke billows to the sky.

According to The Orlando Sentinel, the attraction is Maleficent's dragon and part of the Magic Kingdom's daily Festival of Fantasy parade located in Liberty Square.

Video of the incident shows the head of the animatronic beast completely engulfed in fire, moving towards the crowd as black smoke billows to the sky

The attraction is Maleficent's dragon and part of the Magic Kingdom's daily Festival of Fantasy parade located in Liberty Square

Maleficent, the self-proclaimed 'Mistress of All Evil,' is a 'dark fairy' who first made her appearance in the Disney animated classic 'Sleeping Beauty' released in 1959.

The fire was extinguished by a park employee and the area was cleared for tourists shortly thereafter. No one was injured in the incident, a Disney World spokesperson said.

Members of the Reedy Creek fire department responded to the incident, but by the time they arrived the fire had been contained.

The Disney World spokesperson said that an investigation into the incident has been opened and are probing what caused the fire.

The dragon, described by the Sentinel as having a 'steampunk' design, usually rolls through the streets of the park bobbing up and down and occasionally rearing its head back to blow out smoke and flames.

The dragon is usually operated by a park employee, stationed near the base of the neck.

Another park employee is stationed towards the rear, while additional costumed cast members travel by foot.

Debuting more than four years ago at Disney World, the Festival of Fantasy parade includes several themed floats such as Mickey Mouse and the royal 'Frozen' sisters.

The fire was extinguished by a park employee and no one was reportedly hurt during the incidentOne Nation has revised the party rules to allow Pauline Hanson to remain President for life.

The new constitution gives Senator Hanson unprecedented control over the party processes and finances.

The revised rules not only give her the constitutional power to hold the Presidency for life, but to also choose her successor.

One Nation has revised their constitution to give Senator Hanson life-long power

'Upon resigning from the position of President, Pauline Lee Hanson shall appoint her successor to become the next President of the Party,' the constitution reads.

'The President of the Party following Pauline Lee Hanson's successor shall be appointed by majority vote of the National Executive.'

No term limit has been put on her role.

The overhaul of the constitution was voted on in a closed-door annual general meeting in Brisbane last year.

The changes came just months after a Four Corners investigation into the inner workings of the party revealed that many members were unhappy with how it was run.

'A political party's supposed to be transparent, democratic, inclusive  the party at the moment is not any of those things,' one former candidate said.

The new constitution (pictured) gives her the power to hold the Presidency for life and to choose her successor

'If the public knew what went on in the party I don't think they'd have anything to do with One Nation,' says another.

The party's former Queensland president and treasurer Ian Nelson presented the most scathing and blunt assessment: 'Absolute dictatorship. Brutal.'

Not only do the changes give Hanson the ability to preside over the party for life but she is also named in the constitution as the registered officer for all One Nations divisions.

'The President shall be the registered officer of all divisions therein of the Party by default,' the constitution reads.

This means that dealings with electoral agencies, including finical refunds from elections, all take place under her name unless she specifically delegates the role.

The changes came just months after many members spoke out against the parties culture

Since Senator Hasnon's re-engagement with the party election refunds have pumped more than $3million into One Nations coffers.

The constitution does not explain how The National Executive, which is made up of the party Treasurer, Secretary and President, are chosen.

It also does not explain how they are dispensed with, simply stating that 'If positions become vacant in any position the National Executive can nominate a replacement'.

Senator Hanson is determined not to repeat what she sees as the mistakes of One Nations first stint at political power where she allowed the party to be hijacked by co-founders David Ettridge and David Oldfield.

She has stacked the executive with trusted allies including her brother-in-law Greg Smith, as treasurer, and party secretary Rod Miles, the husband of the manager of her parliamentary office.Jennafer Machelle Price, 33, was supposed to turn over custody of her children to the Department of Social Services on Wednesday

A South Carolina mom fled across the state border with her six children to avoid the social services taking her kids.

Jennafer Machelle Price, 33, was supposed to turn over custody of her children to the Department of Social Services on Wednesday.

But the authorities say that when the social services arrived at her Long Creek Highway home in Westminster, South Carolina, Price was missing - along with her kids.

Investigators said Price and her children had last been seen about 12.45pm on Tuesday in a 2001 Toyota Sienna minivan. Her children, aged between one and 11 years old, are Alana Grant, Tristan Price, Nyomi Hardwick, Alijah Hardwick, Rylee Hardwick, and Anton Hardwick.

The Oconee County Sheriff's Office issued an arrest warrant stating that Price took each child 'for the purpose of concealing the child or circumventing or avoiding the custody order of statute.'

They have since been found in Autauga County, Alabama and the children were seized by the local social services.

Meanwhile, Price was arrested and charged with six counts of custodial interference. She is due to be extradited back to Oconee County.

er children, aged between one and 11 years old, are Alana Grant, Tristan Price, Nyomi Hardwick, Alijah Hardwick, Rylee Hardwick, and Anton Hardwick

Investigators said Price and her children had last been seen about 12.45pm on Tuesday in a 2001 Toyota Sienna minivan

Video courtesy WLTX

Price, who has a history of drug abuse, had contacted the social services herself saying she wanted to give up her children, before she changed her mind.

'Apparently, she made the decision to turn them over, and said basically she couldn't take care of them,' the Oconee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jimmy Watt.

She was previously charged with unlawful child neglect in July 2016, but the charges were later dropped.Endless free refills of fizzy drinks should be banned from restaurants, campaigners say.

The availability of the deals means that children and teens can binge on refillable drinks packed with sugar  for as little as 2.90.

One medium-sized glass can contain double the recommended maximum sugar intake for youngsters aged seven to ten  50g or 12.5 teaspoons.

Campaigners say the free refills or bottomless drinks are causing a cocktail of medical issues, from tooth decay to Type 2 diabetes, and have called on the Government to ban the practice if businesses fail to act.

Kawther Hashem, a nutritionist at the campaigning group Action on Sugar, said children consumed on average 40 per cent of their sugar intake through drinks

Many major restaurant chains popular with families offer the unlimited refills, including Harvester, Toby Carvery, Frankie & Bennys, Nandos, Pizza Hut, Five Guys and TGI Fridays. The deals involve paying a fixed price in return for a cup which can be refilled at a self-service soda fountain machine.

The chains point out that the free refill offers are not on their childrens menus, but their availability puts parents under pester power pressure to order them.

Last October, Pizza Hut and TGI Fridays vowed to stop selling refills of sugary drinks by March this year, although campaigners say these voluntary measures by a few chains do not do enough.

They point to the example of France, where the government recently banned bottomless soft drinks nationwide.

Frankie & Bennys does not advertise refillables on childrens menus, but the Soil Association food charity has accused it of offering the drinks to children.

Likewise, Nandos does not include the drinks in its childrens menu, but print the offer beneath the kids section.

Last night Rob Percival, who led a Soil Association investigation of the food and drink available in major chains, said: Nandos bottomless drink offer is directly below the childrens meal deal. It is implicit that it is available to children. We invited them to take a range of actions including making a simple statement to staff indicating that full-sugar versions are only available to adults and children shouldnt be drinking them, but they declined.

Kawther Hashem, a nutritionist at the campaigning group Action on Sugar, said children consumed on average 40 per cent of their sugar intake through drinks.

Even one glass is too much, but children will go and get more, she said. Restaurants are promoting refillables as part of meal deals, encouraging families to buy them. You need to create a level playing field. A ban is probably the easiest way to do this.

Nandos said if parents decided to order a soft drink for their child it was ultimately their choice, while Frankie and Bennys said it would only serve a refill if ordered by the parent.

Jamie Oliver said the PM should order a ban on junk food adverts

Pizza Hut said it had removed sugar-laden soft drinks from its refillable station and TGI Fridays said it would introduce organic squash, which has no artificial colours, sweeteners or flavours.

Five Guys did not respond to requests for comment.

* Jamie Oliver launched a foul-mouthed rant on the Governments obesity strategy yesterday, which he branded a piece of s***.

The chef said the Prime Minister should order a ban on junk food adverts on transport, extend the sugar tax to milkshakes and outlaw junk food TV adverts before the 9pm watershed.The best friend of a Brazilian woman who was killed last week was stopped from reading a touching tribute at her friend's funeral.

Carolina Camara prepared a tribute to Cecilia Haddad for media and camera crews at Miss Haddad's memorial service at the Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park in Perth on Friday.

'I'll make a short statement to the media. The ceremony will be private; however I would like to share a few words either before or after it,' Miss Camara said.

Scroll down for video

Ms Haddad (left) with her best friend Carolina Camara (right), Miss Camara was stopped from reading her touching tribute to awaiting media

Friends and family of murdered Brazilian woman Cecilia Haddad (pictured) gathered at the Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park in Perth for a memorial service in her memory

However, just as Miss Camara was about to read the statement, security staff arrived and told waiting media they did not have permission to film on the site and had to move away, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

A cemetery spokesperson said because the service was booked as a private affair, it was standard protocol for security to usher media away.

'In this case this was a memorial service. The person who organised it said no media. That's their decision to make,' he said.

A copy of the moving tribute from Miss Camara about her best friend Cecilia Haddad

Fairfax media was able to see some of the hand written tribute ,which described Miss Haddad as some who would 'bring light to the world'.

'There are some who bring a light so great to the world, that even after they have gone, the light remains. And that was Cecilia. So vibrant, full of life, love and compassion,' the note read.

'We know you would still be here with us today if heaven wasn't so far away. Rest in peace, my dear. We will always love you.'

Miss Haddad, 38, was found in the Lane Cove River, on Sydney's north shore, on May 1, just hours after being reported missing by a group of worried friends.

Her pockets were 'weighed down with rocks', according to the kayaker who found her, and her death is being treated by police as a murder.

Ten days after her tragic death, the mining executive's closest friends gathered to say goodbye.

Cecilia Haddad, 38, was found in the Lane Cove River, in Sydney's north shore, on May 1

Mourners cried as her friend continued to speak about the much-loved woman.

'It is too quiet here without you,' Ms Haddad's friend Carolina Camara said.

'She meant a lot to all of us and will be dearly missed.'

The memorial service was held at Pinnaroo Cemetery in Perth. Ms Haddad spent several years in Western Australia before moving two Sydney about two years ago.

Friends gathered on Friday to farewell the mining executive in Perth

Carolina Camara waits to speak to the media at the memorial service held at Pinnaroo Cemetery for Cecilia Haddad

'It is too quiet here without you,' Ms Haddad's friend Carolina Camara said

Ms Haddad's ex-boyfriend and former business partner Mario Marcelo Santoro flew home to Brazil the same weekend she went missing.

Detectives said he is a person of interest in Ms Haddad's death, and they are keen to speak to him in Brazil, but on Friday had still not formally interviewed him.

Mr Santoro, who met Ms Haddad many years ago in Rio, arrived in Sydney about 18-months ago.

'She meant a lot to all of us and will be dearly missed,' Ms Camara, pictured, said

The emotional speech described her as a 'bright light' and a 'vibrant, kind soul who made the world a much happier place'

'He told Cecilia he had something lined up (for work) here too, but his first job in Sydney was driving an Uber from memory.'

It was so unusual for Ms Haddad to drop off the radar that three friends called police to report her missing on Sunday, having not heard from her since 9.30am on Saturday.

'Three of us that I know of reported her missing within 48 hours, that shows how out of character her disappearance was,' a friend said last week.

Mourners cried as her friend continued to speak about the much-loved woman

Ms Haddad attended a 'brief' barbeque with friends on Friday night before heading home for an 'early night'.

That was supposed to be followed by a mixture of personal and business events the next day, including a meeting with a disabled client she regularly cared for.

'She spent the remainder of Friday evening on the phone to friends sharing her plans for the weekend. This is why we were concerned about her - we knew her plans and should have heard from her,' the friend said.

Ms Haddad's ex-boyfriend Mario Marcelo Santoro (pictured) flew home to Rio de Janeiro last week but is talking to NSW police

Mr Santoro, who met Ms Haddad many years ago in Rio, arrived in Sydney about 18-months ago, claiming to have a 'big job' in healthcare lined up

'The BBQ was brief and ended early. I spoke to her on Friday evening, Cecilia was an open book and an open communicator.'

'Her disability clients loved her because she treated them like real people, never like they were disabled... she had plans to provide assistance to one on the weekend.

'She had an impact on everyone she met. She was the most sincere person you ever met.'

Ms Haddad spoke to friends between 8am and 9.30am on Saturday over message and phone calls, but was never heard from again.

Police divers searched kilometres from where her body was found on Friday, the same day her father Jose arrived in Sydney to meet with homicide detectives.Lords have launched another attempt to muzzle the free Press just days after a bid was defeated in the Commons.

They demanded that the Leveson Inquiry into Press standards be reopened, despite MPs warning it would be a blow to democracy.

On Wednesday, MPs voted by 304 to 295 to block the establishment of a new inquiry, known as Leveson 2.

But yesterday, crossbench peer Baroness Hollins made fresh demands that a new inquiry be held.

Her bid has an exemption for local and regional newspapers, so any regulations the new inquiry recommends may apply to national titles only.

Yesterday, crossbench peer Baroness Hollins made fresh demands that a new inquiry be held

She tabled an amendment to the Data Protection Act, which will be debated in the Lords on Monday.

The new amendment will represent a fresh threat to Press freedom if it is backed by the Lords and returned to the Commons.

Crucially, the new amendment has a clause designed to discourage the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from voting with the Government.

The amendment could be passed if approved by the Lords and Jeremy Corbyn whips Labour MPs to vote for it in the Commons.

It is another attempt by the Lords to impose a policy that has been rejected by the Commons, following weeks of attempts by peers to frustrate Brexit by inflicting 14 defeats on the Government.

The Baroness Hollins amendment is similar to the bid by former Labour leader Ed Miliband, who was humiliated on Wednesday after his amendment was voted down.

She tabled the amendment to establish an inquiry... into allegations of data protection breaches committed by or on behalf of national news publishers and other media organisations. She told The Guardian this week there was a certain amount of outrage at Wednesdays vote.

She suggested the issue of whether to hold a new public inquiry into the media had been conflated during the Commons debate with a separate proposal to impose punitive costs on publishers who do not sign up to an officially recognised Press regulator.

When peers last voted on the issue in January, they backed a new inquiry by 238 to 209.

Her bid includes a sop to the DUP, which made an agreement to vote with the Government after the Tories lost their majority at the last election.

It requires ministers to consult Northern Ireland ministers and Assembly members.

The Baroness Hollins amendment is similar to the bid by former Labour leader Ed Miliband, who was humiliated on Wednesday after his amendment was voted down

Mr Miliband gesticulated wildly in the Commons as he claimed the failure to call the second round of the inquiry was a breach of 'honour'

Mr Milibands amendment was defeated with the support of the DUP, who were promised their own inquiry into the Northern Irish media in return for siding with Conservatives.

The Data Protection Bill is in the ping-pong stage, which means the Lords and Commons send amendments back and forth until they agree.

A move by the Lords to push through a new inquiry into Press regulation just days after it was rejected by MPs will raise fresh concerns about its willingness to challenge the democratically elected House of Commons.

Tory MPs warned this week that the Upper House must be reined in after its repeated attempts to thwart Brexit. Senior party figures said the Lords had gone too far, with amendments wrecking the Governments EU legislation.

Tory ex-leader Iain Duncan Smith warned of a reckoning and a total overhaul.

The backlash was sparked by 14 amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill, including peers voting to keep Britain in the Single Market and to axe the fixed date for Brexit.

Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski said out-of-control peers had tried to overturn the result of the EU referendum of June 2016, and abolition of the House of Lords should be in his partys next manifesto.

He added: The time has come to have a root-and-branch reform. These people are hurting the UKs negotiating position with Brussels, which is unforgivable.Connie Scott, 89, a greatgrandmother and patient of Osler House since it opened, learned about the closure in a letter sent in February

For the residents of Potter Street, Harlow, a recent Monday evening proved to be a very distressing time.

That was when Osler House, the local GP surgery, closed its doors for the final time.

Opened in 1955, the practice had been at the heart of the community, its doctors caring for and curing the ills of generations of families in this corner of Harlow, Essex.

Indeed, so respected was one of its founding doctors, John Meyrick, that his name adorns a new housing estate nearby  Meyrick Mead.

He, no doubt, would be turning in his grave at what has now befallen the practice. In his absence, it is left to the surgery's 3,300 patients to voice their fury. 'It's ridiculous,' said grandmother Joyce Noley, 58.

'This place is vital. It has been here ever since I have, and that's 40 years. There are lots of old and disabled people. Where are they meant to go?'

Retired cleaner Ellen Charles, a 71-year-old asthmatic who lives with her husband Alan, 67, who has survived a stroke, added: 'I was devastated when I found it was closing down. It couldn't be more convenient. The doctors knew my name and I knew the girls behind reception. Now that's all gone.'

As for 89-year-old Connie Scott, a greatgrandmother and patient of Osler House since it opened, she learned about the closure in a letter sent in February.

She now faces a four-bus round-trip taking more than 40 minutes each way to see a new doctor.

'When I found out about the closure, I was so angry it actually made me ill for a few days,' said Mrs Scott, who became the face of protest at the closure in an online video. 'I've been so happy in Harlow but this has broken my heart.'

What has added to the sense of anger are the circumstances in which the surgery was shut. The decision to close Osler House was taken without any consultation with patients. The powers-that-be simply informed them they had no choice but to shut the surgery for good.

Osler House was too small, too expensive to run and no other practice wanted to take on the contract, the West Essex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) claimed. They even tried to spin the closure as good news.

'There is now a huge opportunity for patients to benefit from the services offered by local larger health centre teams nearby,' the CCG said in a letter to Robert Halfon, Harlow's Conservative MP.

But is that what patients really want? Not according to Mrs Scott and her fellow patients. They say that proximity to a surgery where they can see a doctor who knows them is what matters above all.

Sadly, the reality is that up and down the country, 700 surgeries, many of them smaller ones, have closed over the past five years.

Today, one in four is a 'superpractice' with more than 10,000 patients on its books, and the proportion of surgeries with such list sizes has risen by 27 per cent since 2013.

But that isn't the only way in which general practice has changed in Britain, because Osler House wasn't run by a local GP or a partnership of doctors, but by a private company.

Called The Practice Group (TPG), this company is responsible for some 50 GP practices and healthcare centres, providing more than a million appointments each year for 200,000 patients across the country.

The Practice Group (TPG) is majority-owned by a hugely wealthy health insurance company based 4,000 miles from Harlow in St Louis, Missouri (pictured)

In 2016, the company was paid almost 30 million by the NHS for its services. And yet the reason it gave for pulling out of the contract with Osler House?

That it was no longer 'financially viable' for it to run it. Nor is this the first time that The Practice Group has pulled the plug on GP surgeries because it was not being paid enough.

Which is, perhaps, all the more surprising because TPG is, in turn, majority-owned by a hugely wealthy health insurance company based 4,000 miles from Harlow in St Louis, Missouri.

Called the Centene Corporation, its motto is 'Better health outcomes at lower costs'.

It's a corporate behemoth, with revenues tipped t o hit 45 billion in 2018 and a chief executive who pocketed 18.6 million last year.

Yet currently, it is facing legal action in the States, accused of failing to provide its customers with the medical services they have paid for.

'There are some serious issues in this case,' says Seth Lesser, a New York lawyer acting for some of the claimants.

'Centene appears to be an example where the private market is not doing a good job.'

Concerns over the involvement of foreign firms in the running of the NHS heightened as it emerged that an IT company from Dallas was at the centre of the scandal over women missing breast cancer checks having had a contract to run the software for the NHS's screening programme since 2015.

The company denied responsibility for the glitch. Dr Richard Vautrey, the BMA's GP committee chairman, says there are certainly worries about the involvement of private companies in the provision of primary care. 'Practices are being closed because they are no longer financially viable,' he told the Mail.

'Private companies are more likely to walk away from those contracts than GPs who are committed to the local community. 'The normal model remains a group of GPs working in a partnership.

If you are the business owner and also on the shop floor day by day seeing patients, then you are likely to be more responsive to their needs than if you are a remote business owner who doesn't have direct contact with patients on a daily basis.

The key point is that whoever is running the business needs to be directly connected with the local community.' For the first 50 years of the NHS, a general practice typically comprised one or more doctors working alone or in a partnership in shared premises under a standard contract with the government.

But new types of contract were introduced under a Labour government in 1998 and 2004 that were locally negotiated and allowed commercial, voluntary sector and other new providers to offer GP services. Since then, a number of privately-run commercial companies, both big and small, have entered the market.

Their share is put at less than five per cent of the 7,500-odd GP surgeries in England  but amid mounting pressures to cut NHS costs, it is a sector with the potential for massive growth.

Of the private companies active in the primary care market  Richard Branson's Virgin Care is one such player  The Practice Group is amongst the largest. It was set up in 2005 by two GPs, Dr Jeremy Rose and Dr Ajit Kadirgamar, and Peter Watts, a former investment banker.

Based in Amersham, Bucks, the company started out by winning a contract to supply GPs to carry out ward rounds at the local hospital.

It was then awarded three contracts to run GP surgeries, and over the years has taken on more contracts, as well as surgeries in prisons, walk-in centres and specialist clinics.

By centralising IT, human resources and other admin functions, The Practice Group hoped to maximise profits. In a 2010 newspaper interview, Mr Watts, then chief executive (he no longer works for the company), spoke of his ambition to grow its turnover from 18 million to 100 million in five years.

'The more patients we get, the more economic we become,' he said. 'It works on an actuarial analysis; the more patients you have, the less risk you carry.

And if we can do it for less, why not?' That same year, The Practice Group merged with another company to give them a total portfolio of 50 practices and healthcare units. 'Bigger is better,' Mr Watts said at the time. As well as investment from the founders, TPG has received substantial injections of cash.

But despite its ambitions, it has not declared a profit in any year for which accounts are available.

The 2016 accounts report a loss of 1.3 million on a turnover of 29.5 million, while in 2015 there was loss of 637,000 on a turnover of 28.9 million. During its lifetime, investors have put 19.5 million into the business.

In 2015, this included a 4.16 million investment by the American health giant Centene for a 49 per cent share of the business. In 2016, Centene increased its interest to 75 per cent with an additional 5.18 million investment.

According to a note on the The Practice Group accounts, Centene plans to inject further cash in the future.

Such sums are small beer for Centene, which is one of the biggest players in America's multibillion dollar health insurance market. It employs 32,000 staff, many of them at its swanky HQ on Centene Plaza in downtown St Louis.

In the U.S. alone, the company and its subsidiaries serve 12.3 million people in 28 states. Centene has concentrated on providing insurance for the uninsured or under-insured, from cash-strapped middle income families to prison inmates.

Concerns over the involvement of foreign firms in the running of the NHS heightened as it emerged that an IT company from Dallas was at the centre of the scandal over women missing breast cancer checks (stock image)

This year, it expects to earn more than 45 billion. Much of its success has come under the leadership of 74-year-old chief executive and chairman Michael Neidorff, the highest-paid executive of the eight largest publicly traded health insurers in the U.S.

He and his wife, Noemi, a Hungarian-born pianist, are generous patrons of St Louis' arts scene, particularly the opera. But the Centene success story is not without controversy.

Every U.S. health insurance company has to provide customers with a local list of doctors, dentists, hospitals and other medical organisations who accept their insurance plans.

However, in a federal 'class action' lawsuit announced in January, Centene has been accused of not providing adequate access to doctors in 15 states.

'Members have difficulty finding  in many cases cannot find  medical providers,' according to documents filed in the multi- million dollar lawsuit.

Buyers of its Ambetter insurance plan around the U.S. 'report strikingly similar experiences', finding that the provider network was 'largely fictitious'.

Nurses, medical students and even non-doctors have been designated as primary care providers, it is claimed. But customers discovered this only after they had paid thousands of dollars and were locked into the policy, it is alleged. People signing up for Centene insurance 'discovered there were no doctors', says lawyer Mr Lesser.

'In America, Centene has grown much too fast to be able to service all the people for whom it issued insurance,' Mr Lesser says. 'We have also seen that Centene has been refusing to provide benefits that it is supposed to be providing.

It's an insurance company that likes to collect premiums but doesn't like to pay claims.' A Centene spokesman said: 'Our networks are adequate and we work in partnership with our states to ensure our networks are adequate and our members have access to high-quality healthcare.'

Centene refused to discuss with the Mail its plans for the UK or the row over The Practice Group's decision to close a surgery.

With that background, what is to be made of the recent actions of TPG, its subsidiary in the UK? The closure of its Harlow practice is not the first to cause controversy.

It faced protests two years ago when it terminated contracts to run f ive smal l practices in Brighton, leaving 11,500 patients looking for a new GP. Again, a potential cut in funding was given as the reason.

It has also closed a surgery in Camden Road, London, the Maybury surgery in Woking, the Brandon Street practice in Leicester and the Arboretum surgery in Nottingham.

In Harlow, TPG gave six months' notice on October 31 last year to the Clinical Commissioning Group that it wanted to end its contract to run Osler House.

In an explanatory letter to the local MP, the CCG stated: 'The reason for the notice is that the provider has stated that it is not financially viable to continue to provide the services within the current NHS contract value.'

It added that the practice had been consistently expensive to run due to the low number of patients and that a recent review had seen the funding cut. Half of that reduction came into place on April 1, 2017, and the other 50pc was to take effect on April 1, 2018.

A spokesman for West Essex CCG said Osler House patients were now registered with one of ten other surgeries in Harlow, three of which are within 1.2 miles (stock image)

Eighteen months ago, The Practice Group had assured the CCG that the company were committed to continuing delivery of the contract after April 2018. Presumably, at some point, TPG decided the figures did not add up.

Questions are now being asked about the CCG's failure to consult and its role in the closure. 'CCGs should have a duty to properly consult with local residents before making major changes to the services they receive,' says local MP Mr Halfon.

A spokesman for West Essex CCG said Osler House patients were now registered with one of ten other surgeries in Harlow, three of which are within 1.2 miles.

TPG has said: 'The well-being of patients is central to every decision we make at The Practice Group, which is why we have worked closely with the local NHS commissioning body, West Essex CCG and other local practices to ensure the handful of patients we have receive uninterrupted care provision.

'Most importantly, the Osler House patients are now registered with other local surgeries.' For hundreds of former patients of a much-loved practice, that is simply not good enough.Two teens have been struck and killed by an Amtrak train while taking a popular 'shortcut' along the tracks.

Presley Trent, 13, and Samuel Rivas, 18, were killed on Wednesday afternoon in Chester, Virginia, by a train traveling from Georgia to New York.

The accident occurred just before 5pm and no one on the train suffered injuries.

Locals said they see people walking on the tracks all of the time as it's a popular shortcut but have never heard of a tragedy like this one.

Presley Trent, 13, (left) and Samuel Rivas, 18, were killed on Wednesday afternoon in Chester, Virginia, by a train traveling from Georgia to New York

Investigators said the teens were waiting for a freight train to pass in one direction and din't hear or see the Amtrak train approaching from the opposite direction

Chesterfield Police told 8News that the teens were with a group of people and standing on the tracks wen they were struck.

Family members told CBS 6 that Trent and three friends used the railroad tracks as a shortcut to get to softball practice.

The investigation determined that the teens were waiting for a freight train to pass in one direction and didn't hear or see the Amtrak train approaching from the opposite direction.

When the first responders arrived at the scene they said the remains of the two teens were 'not identifiable'.

Authorities also said video shows a passenger aboard the train attempt to alert someone of the teens on the tracks, but it was too late.

Rivas was a senior at Clover Hill High School. His mother told 8News her son was in the JROTC program and wanted to join the Marine Corps.

She added that her son had a big heart.

Trent was a seventh-grade student and softball player at Elizabeth Davis Middle School.

Her family said 13-year-old had a love for the outdoors, longboarding and her family.

Rivas was a senior at Clover Hill High School and his mother said he was in the JROTC program and wanted to join the Marine Corps

Trent was in the seventh grade and her family said she loved the outdoors and longboarding

Residents who live near the tracks are shocked and saddened by the accident.

'Young people come through here all the time,' said Wesley Pitts, who lives nearby. 'It's a shortcut to the library and so on.

Another local David Lowman called the situation, horrible', 'tragic' and 'heartbreaking'.

'These young people, there are going to be more of them that walk through here tomorrow,' Lowman added. 'They'll get off the school bus and want something at the library, and that's a shortcut.'

Amtrak says about 2,000 people are killed or injured in grade crossing and trespassing incidents nationwide each year.

The company used the incident as a reminder about the importance of exercising caution around railroad tracks and crossings.British soldiers have been deployed to the African jungle to help to stop elephant poachers that fund Islamist extremism.

Thousands of the animals have been slaughtered in the rainforests of Gabon and their ivory sold to raise money for Islamic State-linked jihadists.

More than a dozen soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Rifles were sent to the West African nation last month to train rangers, or 'eco guards', in skills such as intelligence and patrolling.

British soldiers have been training 'eco guards' and their managers at a camp in Lope National Park. Pictured: A pile of poached ivory is prepared for burning by the government to show their commitment to combat poaching

The mission, funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, is one of several UK troop deployments across Africa helping to stamp out extremism amid fears it is becoming a haven for terrorists.

Major Simon Swindells, 30, speaking from Lope National Park, central Gabon, said: 'The UK Government has agreed to ban the sale of ivory. This is about dealing with the issue at source.'

Hubert Ella Ekogha, technical director for national parks in Gabon, said: 'We are fighting in a war. We are facing bad guys who have AK47s or big rifles like .458s.'

Poachers enter Gabon in gangs of up to 15 from countries such as Cameroon and Chad. They spend weeks in the jungle hunting elephants, whose tusks they hack off with axes or chainsaws.

They then flee back over the border and the ivory is sold on the black market to buyers from Asia. Intelligence suggests some of the profits go to the IS-linked terror group Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Mr Ekogha, whose father was head of Gabon's military until his death two years ago, said tackling poaching would ultimately stop terror attacks in the UK and other countries by disrupting jihadists' funding. He added: 'We can wait for terrorists to carry out bad acts like in the US in 2001 or we can solve the issue at the beginning. If we start to fight these guys at the beginning of the chain we will have more results.'

British soldiers have been deployed to the African jungle to help to stop elephant poachers. Pictured: Rangers of the Gabon national park find an elephant that has been poached for it's tusks

British soldiers train eco guards and their managers at a camp in Lope National Park. Once they have finished their five-week training, they are sent to parks across the country.

Most of the British unit returned from Al Asad air base in Iraq in January where they were training Iraqis in how to combat IS militants.

Captain Rob Prince, 27, speaking from the park, said: 'The Ministry of Defence doesn't just fulfil traditional defence roles.

'It is certainly an argument that the ivory trade underpins an illicit economy that has various manifestations across Africa. There is not just a wildlife element  this underpins national security.'

A British rifleman from the 2nd battalion The Rifles regiment has a quiet word with a National park ranger from Gabon before they head out for an exercise

Lance Corporal Andy Whicker talks with National park rangers from Gabon in west Africa during an anti poaching training exercise in the Lope national park

He added the training was 'really important' for the rangers, 'teaching them how to patrol, enhancing their jungle navigation based on our infantry training and enhancing their planning skills'.

Professor Lee White, the British-born head of Gabon's national parks who has been dubbed the 'real-life Tarzan', said: 'The kingpins in the ivory trafficking networks rarely come from Gabon. They are based in Nigeria and are feeding money into Boko Haram.'

He added there were 'gun battles' every month in the north of Gabon, increasing the need for training from UK troops.

Gabon loses up to 5,000 forest elephants a year from poaching and the illegal ivory trade there is worth around 11million a year. There are around 40,000 to 45,000 of the animals left in the country, accounting for more than half of Africa's forest elephants.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: British troops are helping brave park rangers halt the barbaric slaughter of these majestic elephants by gangs chasing profit. Britain is at the forefront of tackling this horrific trade, which can often be exploited to fund organised crime and terrorism and so threatens us all.Veterans reacted with fury last night after the Prime Minister pushed ahead with proposals to deal with the toxic legacy of the Northern Ireland Troubles  without giving troops an amnesty.

Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley launched a public consultation which excluded a chapter that would have limited investigations on hundreds of veterans, many now in their 60s and 70s.

The issue had earlier caused a Cabinet row with some ministers concerned it would trigger a witch-hunt. But the Government went ahead with the plans following pressure from Sinn Fein.

Outrage: Chelsea Pensioner David Griffin

Hundreds of elderly veterans now face the prospect of being quizzed about their actions four decades ago. Under the proposals, as soon as a legacy unit is set up to look at all past killings, it will have five years to investigate incidents.

Northern Ireland sources say that means veterans wont be facing probes for years to come.

But last night, Chelsea Pensioner David Griffin, 77, who was recently quizzed by police over the death of an IRA terrorist in an ambush in July 1972, accused the Government of treachery.

The former Royal Marine fired at the armed man in the heat of the battle to save his comrades, but is now being investigated four decades later because the police have not closed the case.

He said: They (the Government) are putting the terrorists before us because they are scared to death the whole thing can start all over again. Im just monumentally disappointed at the sheer treachery from the very top of our state.

This is the 46th year Ive had this hanging over my head.

A group of backbench MPs will put pressure on the Government to reverse the plans during a debate on Northern Ireland next Tuesday. They are calling for a statute of limitation which would stop the hounding of British war veterans. This would cover Northern Ireland, and also Iraq and Afghanistan.

Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley launched a public consultation which excluded a chapter that would have limited investigations on hundreds of veterans, many now in their 60s and 70s. Pictured: Ms Bradley arriving at a Cabinet meeting on March 6, 2018

A No 10 spokesman said: As the Prime Minister has made clear, the current system in Northern Ireland isnt working. That is why we are consulting to get everyones views on how we get it right.

Last night, two senior military figures spoke out in disgust at the news. Lord Dannatt, head of the Army between 2006 and 2009, told the Sunday Express: War is hell. War is chaotic. And the IRA was at war with the UK.

Colonel Richard Kemp, who saw active duty in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan as well as Northern Ireland, said he was so outraged I am returning the prized commission given to me by the Queen.

Mrs Bradley insisted on Friday that the new mechanisms would be balanced, proportionate, transparent, fair and equitable. She said there was broad agreement that the current system was failing.Serena Escamilla (pictured), 26, is accused of killing her own mother May 1 following a struggle at their Christie home

The mother of a suicidal woman was shot dead trying to prevent her daughter from taking her own life.

Serena Escamilla, 26, is accused of killing her own mother on May 1 following a struggle at their Texas home.

Esperanza Escamilla, 45, died after sustaining a gun shot wound to her chest while attempting to disarm Serena after she threatened to take her own life over a recent breakup.

She was rushed to a nearby Corpus Christie hospital by emergency medical units but later died while in treatment.

Serena also sustained a gunshot wound to the stomach during the altercation with her mother and spent a week in the hospital before being booked into the Nueces County Jail on suspicion of murder, according to Caller Times. Her bail has been set at $500,000.

Police say the scuffle started after Esperanza became alarmed when her daughter said she 'wanted to shoot herself' earlier in the day.

Police say the scuffle started after Esperanza Escamilla (pictured) became alarmed when her daughter said she 'wanted to shoot herself' earlier in the day

The shootings occurred on the 200 block of Blevins Street, near Del Mar College East Campus.

Officers who responded to the incident were told that a woman 'had shot herself and her mother accidentally', the Caller Times reported.

Serena also sustained a gunshot wound to the stomach during the altercation at their Corpus Christie home (pictured)

Upon arrival, cops discovered Esperanza on a bed.

Serena Escamilla was spotted 'in the room with her back up against the wall near the bed her mother was on' bleeding from her torso.

Police investigators said an unidentified man who recently moved in with Serena had initially left the scene with the murder weapon but had brought it back and turned it into evidence a short time later.

Police said the man was leaving the home when the shooting occurred.

Savanah Plazola, one of Escamilla's children, described her mother to the Caller Times as the 'strongest woman ever... Who loved us unconditionally and would've done anything in the world for us.'

'A wonderful grandma, she loved and adored all of her babies. It's the biggest loss we've ever taken. She's irreplaceable,' Plazola added.Bernice King, 55, on Thursday called for a boycott of the Waffle House chain

The youngest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr has called for a boycott of Waffle House following two controversial arrests of black patrons.

Bernice King, 55, issued the call for a boycott Thursday on Twitter, referring to the recent arrests of Anthony Wall in North Carolina and Chikesia Clemons in Alabama, both at Waffle Houses.

'Family, let's stay out of @WaffleHouse until the corporate office legitimately and seriously commits to 1) discussion on racism, 2) employee training, and 3) other plans to change; and until they start to implement changes,' King wrote, along with a link to a report on Wall's arrest.

On May 5, staff at a Warsaw, North Carolina Waffle House called police after Wall began arguing with servers, and a video shows the responding officer choking and bodyslamming the 22-year-old to the ground.

King referenced the May 5 arrest of Anthony Wall, 22, outside a Warsaw, North Carolina Waffle House (left and right). Staff called 911 after Wall began arguing with servers

Wall, who was dining out after escorting his 16-year-old sister to her prom, admitted in interviews to arguing with servers, but it is not clear from the video what preceded the physical confrontation with the police officer. Wall was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

In a second tweet, King referred to the April 22 arrest of Clemons, who allegedly made gun threats after she was asked to leave the restaurant for bringing alcohol inside at 2.45am.

Saraland, Alabama Police Detective Brian Mims said that officers were told that Clemons had shouted: 'Why is you in my business,' 'I may have a gun, I may have anything,' and 'I can come back here and shoot this place up if I need to.' The incident occurred just an hour before four were killed in an unrelated Waffle House shooting near Nashville, Tennessee.

Clemons' dress was pulled out of place while several officers wrestled her to the ground as she struggled against them. She was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

King, in her call for a boycott, wrote about the incident: 'Ms. Clemons was violated by police. Her breasts were exposed. It barely garnered national attention,' adding 'Do #BlackLivesMatter?'

Both controversial incidents took place late at night at the 24-hour chain, and Waffle House has said race was not a factor in them.

Chikesia Clemons, 25, was arrested in an Alabama Waffle House after allegedly trying to sneak alcohol into the restaurant at 2.45am and telling staff she had a gun

'Our review of these incidents do not indicate race was an issue in the decision to call the police in either case,' Waffle House said in a statement.

'Both incidents escalated quickly, and our employees called the police because of safety concerns for their customers and themselves. We train our employees to call the police whenever they feel in danger, or if they feel their customers are in danger.'

Waffle House said it was reaching out to King and was open to discussing her concerns.

In another recent incident, black patron Jacinda Mitchell grew irate when she found the doors of a Waffle House in Pinson, Alabama locked at 3am on April 22 - just minutes before the unrelated Nashville shooting.

Mitchell shot video as she rattled the doors and announced that the people being served in the dining room were white, until a patron on the inside walked up and seemed to say 'I'll shoot you'.

In another recent incident, black patron Jacinda Mitchell (left) grew irate when she found the doors of a Waffle House (right) in Pinson, Alabama locked at 3am on April 22

Pat Warner, a spokesman for the chain, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that in that case an employee 'panicked' because only two people were working, and a large group had just left.

'She got behind, panicked and locked the door. That should not have happened. She should not have locked the door,' Warner said.

'As anybody knows who has eaten with us, we are proud of our diverse workforce and customers. We pride ourselves on that,' said Warner, the director of public relations and external affairs for Waffle House.

'We know folks are upset, but our stance is we would be proud to talk to you about it. These incidents are high profile, but we encourage everybody to get all the facts.'

Waffle House has more than 2,100 locations in 25 states, most of them in the Southern US.Tesla's engineering head has taken a leave of absence amid concerns of their cars exploding.

Senior Vice President of Engineering Doug Field is taking a break from his job but is not leaving the company, according to a Tesla spokesman.

'Doug is just taking some time off to recharge and spend time with his family. He has not left Tesla,' the spokesman told Reuters Friday.

The company has been weathering a storm of negative press coverage following a fiery crash caused by a faulty battery that killed a man in March and a series of rude outbursts by CEO Elon Musk during a conference call with media analysts last week.

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Tesla's Senior Vice President of Engineering Doug Field, left, is taking a break from his job, a spokesperson revealed on Friday. Billionaire CEO Elon Musk is pictured right

Fields' leave of absence comes after a string of explosions in Tesla's vehicles including one that killed a 38-year-old father in California in March

The cutting edge electric car company is known as a pioneer in the auto industry, but its innovative technology has come with plenty of kinks.

On March 23 a 38-year-old man named Walter Huang died after his Tesla Model X plowed into a concrete barrier on the highway in Mountain View, California.

His family says he was using the car's autopilot feature at the time of the crash.

Huang was removed from the car right before it caught on fire, and the wreckage reportedly continued to smoulder even after the flames were extinguished.

On Friday it was revealed that the high-voltage lithium-ion battery caught on fire another time while in storage six days after the crash.

On March 23 Walter Huang, 38, died after his Tesla Model X plowed into a concrete barrier on the highway in Mountain View, California

(left) Huang died in hospital after the March 23 crash. (right) Mountain View Fire Chief Juan Diaz sent a message to firefighters after the crash to warn them about the batteries

Mountain View Fire Chief Juan Diaz said the battery was dangerous because it continued to conduct electricity even after it was cooled down.

He added: 'We dont have the tools to deal with a battery that is completely, basically destroyed.'

Tesla released a statement after the crash which sympathized with Huang's relatives but appeared to shift the blame away from itself and onto him.

'Tesla battery packs are designed so that in the rare circumstance a fire occurs, it spreads slowly so that occupants have plenty of time to get out of the car.

'According to witnesses, that appears to be what happened here as we understand there were no occupants still in the Model X by the time the fire could have presented a risk.

'Serious crashes like this can result in fire regardless of the type of car, and Teslas billions of miles of actual driving data shows that a gas car in the United States is five times more likely to experience a fire than a Tesla vehicle,' it said.

Billionaire CEO Musk is pictured unveiling the Tesla Model X Crossover in 2015, similar to the one in the deadly March 23 crash

More than a month later in a quarterly earnings call outspoken CEO Musk made headlines for rude comments during a media call.

The billionaire is said to have called one industry analyst a 'boring bonehead' during the bizarre session, saying another's 'questions are so dry they are killing me'.

His conduct on the call has been blamed for the five percent nosedive in the company's shares after trades closed the following day.

Share prices dropped from a closing price of $301.15 on May 1 to a pre-market low of $278 on May 2.

In other notably odd behavior Musk tweeted that he wanted to get into the candy industry on May 5, and it was unclear if the comment was a joke or a serious idea

At the beginning of this week it was also reported that Musk threatened to fire all outside contractors at the company if they weren't willing to vouch for the quality of their work.

The billionaire mogul said in an email he wants to weed out those who he likens to a 'drunken sloth.'

The email, obtained by Electrek, reads: 'I have been disappointed to discover how many contractor companies are interwoven throughout Tesla.

'Often, it is like a Russian nesting doll of contractor, subcontractor, sub-subcontractor, etc. before you finally find someone doing actual work.

'All contracting companies should consider the coming week to be a final opportunity to demonstrate excellence.

'Any that fail to meet the Tesla standard of excellence will have their contracts ended on Monday.'

'By default, anyone who does not have a Tesla employee putting their reputation on the line for them will be denied access to our facilities and networks on Monday morning.

'This applies worldwide. Time to scrub off the barnacles.'

In other notably erratic behavior he tweeted that he wanted to get into the candy industry on May 5.

It was unclear whether the tweet was a joke or a serious idea, much like the flamethrowers he ended up selling at the beginning of this year.Meghan Markles father left a pot of blooms on the doorstep of his ex-wifes LA home in a peace offering ahead of their daughters wedding next week.

Doria Ragland was treated to a rather large flower arrangement from Thomas Markle Sr.

The gesture seemed to go down well when the yoga instructor found the present some hours after.

Meghan Markles father left a pot of blooms on the doorstep of his ex-wifes LA home in a peace offering ahead of their daughters wedding next week

Doria Ragland was treated to a rather large flower arrangement from Thomas Markle Sr

Mr Markle, 73, married Ms Ragland in 1979 but were divorced nine years later when Ms Markle was just six

Mr Markle, 73, married Ms Ragland in 1979 but were divorced nine years later when Ms Markle was just six.

Thomas is clearly trying to work his charm on Doria before the wedding, a source told the Sun.

With the eyes of the world on them both, it makes sense. There have been various squabbles in Meghans wider family, but her mum and dad have remained largely silent and both want to do their absolute best for her.

After attending his ex-wifes home, Mr Markle is believed to have returned his house in Rosarito, Mexico.

Ms Markles parents have yet to visit London yet even with the royal wedding only being one week away.

After attending his ex-wifes home, Mr Markle is believed to have returned his house in Rosarito, Mexico

Doria Ragland and Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games closing ceremony in September 2017

The Queen and Prince Philip will be visited by the couple days before the Windsor Castle ceremony.

They will also meet Prince Charles and Camilla, best man Prince William and Kate.

Kensington Palace announced that Markle Sr would be walking Meghan, 36, down the aisle when she marries Prince Harry  ending months of speculation over whether he will attend.

Ms Ragland will also be at St. George's Chapel for the nuptials and will travel to the picturesque 14th Century church in a car with her daughter on the day.

Last week Kensington Palace said: Its very important to Ms Markle that her parents have roles in her wedding.

The 73-year-old has spent the past week making preparations for his trip to London, including getting measured for a suit and visiting a pharmacy in his adopted hometown.Advertisement

Police reportedly suspect a grandfather of shooting dead his wife, their daughter and her four autistic children before turning the gun on himself at a remote farm near Margaret River.

Investigations are focused on farm maintenance business owner Peter Miles, 61, the husband of Cynda Miles, 58, father of Katrina Miles and grandfather of her four children aged between eight and 13 - who were all found dead at the 30 acre sustainable farm in Western Australia, The Australian reported.

Detectives are establishing whether Peter killed three generations of his family before calling 000 at 5.15am and taking his own life.

Peter Miles (second from left in suit and blue tie) is suspected of shooting dead his wife, Cynda, (back right), his daughter Katrina Miles (left in red dress) and her four autistic children aged from 8 to 13 before turning the gun on himself on Friday morning at their family farm 15km from Margaret River in Western Australia

Three generations were found shot dead at the rural farm in Osmington including Katrina Miles and her four children (pictured together) aged between 8 and 13

Cynda Miles (left and right), was an active member of local community group Transition Margaret River which seeks a happier and more sustainable future

The grisly murder-suicide at a remote farm house (pictured) in Western Australia shocked the nation as Australia's worst mass murders in two decades where police are establishing whether Peter killed three generations of his family before himself

Police were met with horrific scenes when they arrived at the farm. Pictured: A shed on the farm

The grisly murder-suicide at the property in Osmington, 15km from Margaret River, early Friday morning shocked the nation, and is Australia's worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.

Their daughter Katrina, 38, and her four children  Taye, 13, Rylan, 12, Arye, 10, and Kadyn Cockman, 8  were also killed. Those five were found dead in a shed converted into living quarters on the farm, which the owners named Forever Dreaming.

Katrina is thought to have home schooled her four children at the farm when they moved their after her marriage breakup.

Katrina is believed to be estranged from her children's father, Aaron Cockman, who is a builder.

Despite sharing on Facebook last month that her ex 'does not stop stalking (her)', authorities told the publication Mr Cockman, who is still alive, was not a suspect.

The children's grandparents bought the farm in 2014 and planned to live a sustainable life with their daughter and grandchildren.

The seven bodies were found in different locations on the remote property along Osmington Road. The children were found beside an adult in a shed which had been transformed into a living area.

The children's grandparents (Cynda pictured) bought the farm in 2014 and planned to live a sustainable life with their family after their daughter's marriage breakup

Katrina is thought to have home schooled her four autistic children, Taye, Ryan, Ayre and Kadyn Cockman who were aged between 8 and 13, at the farm known as Forever Dreaming (pictured)

Katrina (pictured) is believed to be estranged from her children's father, Aaron Cockman, but despite sharing on Facebook last month that her ex 'does not stop stalking (her)', police said Mr Cockman, who is still alive, was not a suspect

WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson described the incident as a 'significant tragedy'.

Commissioner Dawson said a 'male person' connected to the property had phoned police at 5.15am about an hour after nearby residents woke to the sound of gun shots.

Two firearms were located at the scene and Commissioner Dawson confirmed that at least some of the victims suffered gunshot wounds.

'Based on what we do know, this is clearly a tragedy... police located seven persons deceased. Four children and three adults,' he said on Friday.

A neighbour told the ABC he had spoken to a man who lived at the property just hours before the bodies were found.

'I was talking to him on the phone last night, I was going to ask him to come over tomorrow. He seemed very vague,' he said.

Commissioner Dawson said a 'male person' connected to the property (pictured) had phoned police at 5.15am about an hour after nearby residents woke to the sound of gun shots

This image shows the kitchen of the remote farm where a mass-murder suicide was discovered early Friday morning

Two adults were found dead outside a building on the rural property, before the bodies of four children and another adult were discovered inside. Pictured: A bedroom in the house

This image shows a dirt road on the farm where police discovered seven dead bodies including four children on Friday morning

Another neighbour, Felicity Haynes, told Daily Mail Australia that Cynda and Peter had moved to the countryside to build the sustainable farm as a home for Katrina, her daughter and three sons.

'Cynda and Pete moved out from town three years ago ... they had started to build a river farm and had done fabulous work growing their own vegetables and building dams,' she said.

'That's what makes it so tragic. They were building a self-sustainable farm to raise the family there.'

A friend of Katrina told The Australian she 'worked tirelessly to provide her children with everything they needed'.

'I always admired her for her strength The kids were kind, gentle, smart and beautiful children.'

Her mother Cynda was an active member of local community group Transition Margaret River which seeks a happier and more sustainable future.

The well-loved local also owns a craft company, Soft Salvage, where she turned recycled materials into decorative pieces, news.com.au reported.

Nearby residents said they heard gunfire around 4am but dismissed the sound as coming from kangaroo shooters (farm pictured)

Police forensics investigate the death of seven people in a suspected murder-suicide in Osmington

On the farm's website, Cynda Miles wrote of watching her grandchildren play with the animals.

'Forever Dreaming is our forever farm. It is here that we will grow as much of our food as we can, sit on the veranda and watch the birds, and watch the grandchildren immerse themselves in the animals and everything else that happens on a daily basis,' she wrote.

Police were met with horrific scenes when they arrived at the 30 acre farm with two houses on Friday morning.

Nearby residents said they heard gunfire around 4am but dismissed the sound as coming from kangaroo shooters.

'This devastating tragedy will no doubt have a lasting impact on the families concerned, the whole community and, in particular, the local communities in our south-west,' Commissioner Dawson said.

'The loss of any life is tragic, but four children and three adults, this is a significant tragedy.'

Two firearms were located at the scene and Commissioner Dawson confirmed that at least some of the victims suffered gunshot wounds

A neighbour told the ABC he had spoken to a man who lived at the property just hours before the bodies were found

Forensic officers comb the scene where four children and three adults were found shot dead on Friday at 5am local time

Another neighbour who lives across the road from the property told Fairfax he hadn't heard anything unusual overnight.

'There was nothing much I could tell [police],' said the semi-retired farmer, adding he didn't know the residents very well.

'I'd seen who I assume was the father out in a paddock one day, on a tractor. But I didn't have the opportunity to say hello.'

Julia Meldrum, deputy president of the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, told Daily Mail Australia the district was in deep shock.

'It's devastating,' the distressed mother-of-two said.

'It's just shock and devastating for the community.

The grisly murder-suicide at a remote farm house (pictured) in Western Australia shocked the nation

Four children are among seven people found dead at a rural property in Osmington, near Margaret River

Police suspect a grandfather of shooting dead his wife, their daughter and her four autistic children before turning the gun on himself at a remote farm near Margaret River

The grisly murder-suicide at the property in Osmington, 15km from Margaret River, early Friday morning shocked the nation, and is Australia's worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996

'I actually feel like vomiting. The shire has a population of 14,000 people but each town is very close knit.

Jan Walsh told Australian Associated Press they lived in a very 'caring town'.

'There's retired people who live down here, there's ex-farmers,' she said.

'It's just a wonderful place to live and everyone's so friendly.

'You wave to everyone coming down Osmington Road and you don't even know them.'

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE MASS SHOOTING - Investigations are turning to Peter Miles, the husband of Cynda Miles, father of Katrina Miles and grandfather of her four children all found shot dead - Police found seven bodies at the family farm in Osmington, 15 km from Margaret River in WA, after being called there just after 5am on Friday - Four of the victims were children, three were adults including Peter Miles - The victims suffered gunshot wounds - Two firearms were found at the scene - Katrina's estranged husband, Aaron Cockman, is not a person of interest - Locals say the family that lived at the farm were respected and contributors to the community - Osmington is in the Margaret River region, which is renowned for its surf breaks and vineyards - Osmington had a population of just 135 people in the 2016 Census - The region consists of a handful of roads, farms, vineyards, horse studs, holiday chalets, luxury accommodation, a small church, a five-star dog retreat and gourmet dining Advertisement

'In Margaret River there's a lot of children and a lot of young families. It'll be devastating for the community. It's touched many people, people I'm sure will know one another.

'The shire will be doing whatever we can to provide support and whatever else we can do in addition... I've got young children as well. It's just devastating.'

Shire president Pamela Townshend said the town would struggle to come to grips with the horror.

'At the moment all we really know is it's a small community. Everyone knows everyone to some extent,' she said.

'It's an isolated rural area. There's no centre of town. Everyone comes into town to do their shopping.

'There's a lot of giving each other vegetables, cooking each other meals, looking after each other when they're ill - very connected in deep ways.'

Flowers are left next to a police roadblock where police are investigating the death of seven people in suspected murder-suicide

Flowers and a note marked 'Katrina and family' lay at the site where seven bodies were found

Julia Meldrum, deputy president of the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, told Daily Mail Australia the district was in deep shock because of how peaceful the area is

'Everyone's involved in everyone else's business in a small town so it's going to be a huge shock for this town.

'The shire will provide as much support as we can for our town, for the community and for the remaining family members.

'There are community members already rallying to work out a support response for the family. We're already seeing this rallying.

Councillor Townshend believed the deaths should lead to further debate about gun and family violence.

'Once again we are faced with this problem in families with gun violence and male violence, assuming it is male violence,' she said.

'We need to have it firmly on the table to talk about it and not just have it as an isolated mental health issue of one person. It's society's problem.

Commissioner Dawson, who said there was no danger to the public, did not specify the ages of any of the victims

Osmington, about 260km south of Perth, is a 10-minute drive east of the Margaret River township.

The tiny community, which ABS data shows has about 135 residents, mostly consists of farmland properties and vineyards.

Australia had not experienced a mass shooting massacre, defined as the death of five or more people, since 35 people were gunned down at Port Arthur in April, 1996.

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.A convicted child abuser and murder suspect was gunned down in a hail of bullets last month when he threatened cops following dangerous car chase.

Jose M. Pietri was shot and killed at the climax of a high-speed pursuit in New Jersey on April 14, according to The Daily Journal.

Police records show that Millville Officer Joseph Dixon was the officer who killed the murder suspect.

WARNING GRAPHIC FOOTAGE: Jose M. Pietri was shot and killed at the climax of a high-speed pursuit in New Jersey on April 14

It remains unknown how many times the five-year-veteran shot Pietri, with the county coroner's office keeping autopsy records sealed while the Millville police department continues its investigation.

The Journal publicized the video, captured by a police cruiser dash cam, following an Open Public Records Act request with the local government.

The pursuit for Jose Pietri (Pictured) occurred earlier in the day when police were looking to question the ex-convict for a double shooting that left one person dead

The pursuit for Pietri occurred earlier in the day when police were looking to question the ex-convict for a double shooting that left a 47-year-old man dead and a 26-year-old woman badly wounded in nearby Winslow Township.

Video of the incident shows Pietri coming to a dead end on Holly Berry Lane as he veers his car to the right coming perpendicular to the curb.

As Millville police officers corner Pietri with their guns drawn, the clip shows an underage female emerge from the suspect's car and run towards authorities.

The image of the female minor was blurred by the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office in order to conceal her identify for her own protection, the Journal reported.

Suddenly, Pietri can be seen opening the driver seat car door and emerge from the vehicle with officer Dixon motioning for him to lie on the ground and surrender.

According to the police report, that's when Pietri raises his right arm in the direction of the cops and officers respond by opening fire.

Authorities continue shooting at Pietri after he slumps to the ground after being neutralized.

In August 2001, Pietri plead guilty to child endangerment and spent three years in prison

Pietri, 55, was rushed to Inspira Medical Center Vineland and was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.

Authorities in Camden County said that Pietri and the 26-year-old woman he allegedly shot are the parents of two young children.

'Out of respect for the surviving victims, as well as the decedent's family, there will be no information released on any individuals who were involved in the incident,' Camden County spokeswoman Alex McVeigh told the Journal.

Born in Puerto Rico, Pietri was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault of a minor younger than 13 and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child in August 2001.

The indictment states that Pietri 'knowingly did commit an act of sexual penetration' on the victim and 'knowingly did engage in sexual conduct which would impair or debauch the morals of the said child.'

According to the Journal, the victim was seven-years-old at the time of the incident.

Pietri later plead guilty to the endangerment charge in accordance with a deal with the prosecutor that would see the more serious allegation dropped in the case.

Pietri was sent to prison for three years and released n May 26, 2004, the Journal reports.A white woman has been caught on tape calling the police on a black family as they set up for a barbecue at a park in Oakland, California.

The unidentified woman in the viral video claims that the family were using a charcoal grill instead of a non-charcoal grill in one of Lake Merritt's designated grilling zones.

A bystander named Michelle Snider, noticed the commotion and confronted the woman for 'harassing' the family, camera in hand, to record the 25-minute verbal altercation.

The April 29 video is one of many that have surfaced on the internet recently, showing white people calling the police on black people for doing everyday activities such as sitting in Starbucks, participating in a college tour, and taking a nap in a campus lounge.

An unidentified white woman was recorded calling the police on a black family for grilling at the park at Lake Merritt in Oakland, California

A bystander named Michelle Snider, noticed the commotion and confronted the woman for 'harassing' the family, camera in hand, to record the 25-minute verbal altercation

In the video, Snider asks behind the camera: 'Why are you so bent out of shape over them being here?'

The woman replies: 'Because it causes extra money from our city to do things when children get injured because of improperly disposed coals.'

Police responded to the incident after the woman's call but did not issue any citations.

However, authorities questioned the family for one hour, according to Oakland Council member Lynette Gibson McElhaney.

McElhaney told the Huffington Post: 'In a city that needs significant policing services, we can't have those precious expensive resources squandered in a frivolous way.'

She added: 'Police are not a private security for any white person that's offended by the presence of black folks in our public spaces.'

The video has nearly half a million views and comments praise Snider's recording as a good Samaritan.

The woman claimed the family were using a charcoal grill in a non-charcoal zone

The April 29 incident comes after recent videos have emerged of white people calling the police on black people for doing everyday activities

The woman began to cry when police arrived claiming the woman recording was harassing her

The woman walked away to meet police at a convenience store.

As Snider followed her with the camera, the woman began to cry and told the officer she was being harassed.

The officers spoke to both parties and diffused the situation without giving the family a fine.

Lake Merritt has six designated barbecue zones, three of which permit charcoal grills and three for 'non-charcoal portable grills'.

The family were using the incorrect grill for the area they were in, however it is not illegal to do so.

'We will do our part to lean into the conversation thoughtfully and [make sure] that the activities of black people aren't being overly policed,' McElhaney said.

Also In April, two black men were arrested while waiting for a potential business partner in Starbucks while another man was denied bathroom use and had the police called on him.

In response, the franchise announced on Thursday it is changing its bathroom policy after the two videos went viral igniting a racial firestorm.

Another racial incident came last month when two Native American boys had the police called on them while touring CSU Fort Collins campus.

A white woman in the group called the police because she said they were acting 'quiet', wearing t-shirts with 'demons' on them and just did not belong.A new battlefront has emerged in the budget aftermath as the two parties offer up radically different tax cut options for Australians who earn over $90,000.

Ideological differences were on full display last week as each leader revealed their tax cut vision for Australia.

In his budget-reply speech on Thursday night, Mr Shorten announced a Labor government would offer low and middle in come earners a tax cut of up to $926, almost doubling the relief offered by Treasurer Scott Morrison in Tuesday's budget.

A new battlefront has emerged in the budget after-math as the two parties are offering radically different tax cut options for Australians who earn over $90,000

However, under Labor's proposal there will be no changes, and therefore no cuts, to decade-old income tax thresholds faced by middle and higher-income earners.

The Government legislation proposes three stages of tax reform. The first phase is supported by Labor, which would introduce an annual tax offset worth up to $530 and lift the ceiling on the 32.5 per cent tax bracket from $87,000 to $90,000.

Over $95,000 is when the two parties' ideological differences manifest and as they both offer up radically different policies.

Labor is hoping to appeal to lower to middle income voters by offering almost double the tax cuts to The Government while the Coalition is attempting to appeal to a broad array of earners by stretching out the tax cuts over each income bracket.

Phase two of the governments package, which the Labor party disagrees with, would lift the ceiling on the 32.5 per cent tax bracket from $90,000 to $120,000.

The Coalitions tax offset will also apply to those earning more than $90,000 a year, but will taper off to zero as incomes reach $125,000.

The Coalition is offering tax cuts for each income bracket up to $220,000

Then in 2024-25, The Government will abolish the second highest tax rate of 37c, which will shrink the number of tax brackets form five to four and lift the 32.5c tax threshold from 87,000 to $200,000.

Analysis done by The Australian suggests that the benefits of Mr Shorten's $928 proposed offset would be over taken by the governments plan once individuals started to earn more than $95,450.

After a person earns $95,450 of taxable income they would receive higher tax cuts under the coalitions plan rather than Labor's.

For instance, if a person earns $100,000 they would receive $300 more under the Government's plan.

Labor would halt the tax cuts for people earning $130,000 while The Government would eventually increase their cuts to earners of $220,000

A person earning a taxable income of $120,000 would receive a benefit of $1,890 under the coalition and $141 under Labor.

In a move that conservatives are labeling class warfare and progressives are calling fair, Labor would halt the tax cuts for people earning $130,000 while The Government would eventually increase their cuts to earners of $220,000.

Under Mr Shortens current plan, a tax rate of 49 per cent would apply to those earning more than $180,000.

Under The Government's plan Australian's on incomes between $41,000 and $200,000 will effectively pay the same tax rate of 32.5 per cent by 2025.

Each party will use the upcoming 'Super Saturday' of by-elections as a referendum on the competing budget visions and ideas on what classifies as 'rich' in Australia.President Donald Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, declined a chance to debate Michael Avenatti, saying that Stormy Daniels' attorney is a 'pimp.'

'I don't get involved with pimps,' Giuliani told Business Insider on Friday.

'The media loves to give him room because he makes these roundabout charges and they turn out to mean nothing.

'I think he's going to get himself in serious trouble.'

Avenatti fired back on Friday, posting a link to an article about Giuliani dressing in drag for a comedy sketch in 2000 in which Trump is seen kissing his fake breasts.

'Hey Rudy - It turns out I'm not the only 'pimp' you have experience with. History evidently is repeating itself,' Avenatti tweeted on Friday.

President Donald Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, declined a chance to debate Michael Avenatti, saying that Stormy Daniels' attorney is a 'pimp'

Avenatti (center) fired back on Friday, posting a link to an article about Giuliani dressing in drag for a comedy sketch in 2000 in which Trump is seen kissing his fake breasts

Giuliani was reacting to Avenatti's statements on Tuesday challenging him to a head-to-head debate on television.

'It would be very helpful for the public to witness a discussion between Mr. Giuliani and me concerning the facts of the case, etc.,' Avenatti tweeted.

'I am willing to participate on any network provided both sides are provided a fair shake. I am also willing to do it on 12-hrs notice.'

Giuliani shot back by accusing Avenatti of 'pimping for money.'

Avenatti, the attorney for porn star Stormy Daniels, said on Tuesday that Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, was paid $500,000 by a company with ties to a Russian oligarch who was hit last month with U.S. sanctions to punish Moscow for activities that included suspected meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

Avenatti, said a U.S.-based company controlled by Viktor Vekselberg, a businessman with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, sent Cohen the payment.

It was not immediately clear how Avenatti would know of any payments made to Cohen.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said Cohen paid her $130,000 in October 2016 to stay quiet about a 2006 sexual encounter she had with Trump.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said Michael Cohen, Trump's personal attorney, paid her $130,000 in October 2016 to stay quiet about a 2006 sexual encounter she had with Trump

The disclosures could add to pressure on Cohen, whose house, office and hotel room were raided by the FBI a month ago as part of a criminal investigation into the hush payment and other business dealings.

Avenatti said Vekselberg and his cousin, Andrew Intrater, made eight transfers to Cohen between January and August 2017 through a U.S.-based company called Columbus Nova LLC for a total of $500,000.

A lawyer for Columbus Nova said Vekselberg had nothing to do with the transactions.

Columbus Nova was listed by Renova Group as one of its companies as of November 2017, according to an archived webpage for Renova, whose website now says it is under construction. Renova Group is a conglomerate controlled by Vekselberg.

The United States imposed sanctions last month on Vekselberg and Renova to retaliate for the Kremlin's suspected meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and other 'malign activity.'

It was also learned this week that Cohen received hundreds of thousands of dollars from AT&T

The New York Times reported last week that Vekselberg was questioned by U.S. agents this year as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference and possible collusion by Trump's campaign.

Russia denies U.S. intelligence agencies' accusations it meddled in the election, and Trump has denied any collusion. He also denies having had an affair with Daniels.

It was also learned this week that Cohen received hundreds of thousands of dollars from AT&T.

AT&T on Friday ousted its top lobbyist, and the No. 2 wireless carrier's chief executive said it was a 'big mistake' to hire Cohen for advice on working with the Trump administration.

AT&T paid Essential Consultants LLC, a firm set up by Cohen, a total of $600,000 over 2017 for the advice.

Cohen and others were hired to help navigate 'a wide range of issues,' including its proposed $85billion merger with Time Warner Inc, CEO Randall Stephenson said in a memo seen by Reuters.

The disclosure of AT&T's relationship with Cohen has turned into a major embarrassment for the telecommunications company as it awaits a U.S. judge's decision, due June 12, on whether it can go through with the purchase of Time Warner, a deal that has been denounced by Trump.

'There is no other way to say it  AT&T hiring Michael Cohen as a political consultant was a big mistake,' the memo said.

President Trump expressed opposition to the merger with Time Warner during the campaign and his administration ultimately chose to fight it, with the Justice Department filing suit in November to block the agreement.President Donald Trump has criticized the press for not reporting that his administration opposed the merger between AT&T and Time Warner amidst reports that his personal lawyer Michael Cohen was paid by AT&T for consulting.

Why doesnt the Fake News Media state that the Trump Administrations Anti-Trust Division has been, and is, opposed to the AT&T purchase of Time Warner in a currently ongoing Trial. Such a disgrace in reporting! Trump tweeted.

The tweet came at around the same time as another Trump attorney, Rudy Giuliani, told Huffington Post that the president had no knowledge of payments that Cohen received from corporations.

'The president had no knowledge of it,' Giuliani told HuffPost.

President Donald Trump has criticized the press for not reporting that his administration opposed the merger between AT&T and Time Warner amidst reports that his personal lawyer Michael Cohen was paid by AT&T for consulting

The tweet came at around the same time as another Trump attorney, Rudy Giuliani, told Huffington Post that the president had no knowledge of payments that Cohen received from corporations

The former New York mayor said that the president's policy decisions weren't affected by any lobbying or benefits given to Cohen.

'Whatever lobbying was done didnt reach the president,' Giuliani said.

He cited the fact that the proposed merger between AT&T and Time Warner did not go through.

'He did drain the swamp ... The president denied the merger. They didnt get the result they wanted.'

Earlier on Friday, the head of AT&T acknowledged hiring Cohen was a 'big mistake'  just days after the firm had been revealed to be paying him $50,000 per month.

'Our company has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons these last few days and our reputation has been damaged. There is no other way to say it  AT&T hiring Michael Cohen as a political consultant was a big mistake,' wrote CEO Randall Stephenson in a memo to staff.

In another major acknowledgement of failure, the firm's head lobbyist, Bob Quinn, who oversaw the hiring of Cohen, is retiring, according to the memo.

Reuters obtained the memo Friday morning.

OUR BAD: The head of AT&T has acknowledged hiring Cohen was a 'big mistake.' Cohen is now under criminal investigation

AT&T said on Tuesday it had hired Essential Consultants LLC, a company used by Cohen, to advise it on working with the new administration in early 2017, around the time of Trump's inauguration.

Cohen is now under criminal investigation, and the FBI has raided his home and office.

According to internal documents obtained by the Washington Post, Cohen was to assist the company in dealing with its proposed massive $85 billion merger with Time Warner.

The payments were revealed by Stormy Daniels lawyer Michael Avenatti, after the funds were located in same account for an LLC set up by Cohen for a 'hush' agreement with Stormy Daniels, the porn star who claims she had an affair with President Donald Trump.

'To be clear, everything we did was done according to the law and entirely legitimate,' Stephenson wrote in the memo. 'But the fact is our past association with Cohen was a serious misjudgment.'

AT&T did not hire Cohen to lobby on behalf of the company, according to the memo. The one-year contract at $50,000 per month, from January through December 2017, was limited to consulting and advisory services, according to the memo.

Cohen is a personal injury lawyer who did real estate deals and ran a taxi company. Although he was known to be close to President Trump, he had no obvious expertise in complex telecommunications law or mergers and acquisitions.

DISCONNECTED: AT&T Senior Executive VP of External and Legislative Affairs Bob Quinn (R), with CEO of The Motion Picture Association Chris Dodd, is stepping down after hiring Michael Cohen

AT&T hiring Michael Cohen as a political consultant was a big mistake,' wrote CEO Randall Stephenson in a memo

Attorney for Stormy Daniels, Michael Avenatti revealed the payments this week

The AT&T payments by AT&T were revealed by Michael Avenatti, adult film actress Stormy Daniels' lawyer, who also said a company owned by Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg and other corporations had paid Essential Consultants for certain services.

Essential Consultants paid $130,000 to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, days before the 2016 presidential election as part of a nondisclosure agreement that barred her from discussing an alleged sexual encounter with Trump. He denies any encounter took place.

AT&T has admitted paying $200,000 to longtime Donald Trump attorney Michael Cohen for his 'insights'  even though it already has a robust lobbying operation that routinely spends $4 million over just three months.

IN DEMAND: According to documents released by Stormy Daniels's attorney, Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen received millions in payments from corporations after President Trump took office

The firm confirmed the arrangement in a written statement after porn star Stormy Daniels attorney Michael Avenatti included it in a report on payments that went through an LLC set up by Cohen weeks before the 2016 election to transmit $130,000 to the adult film actress who claims she had an affair with Trump.

Although Avenatti has not substantiated his claim that $500,000 in payments tied to a Russian oligarch were reimbursement for Cohen's payment to Daniels, to corporate payments could cause problems of their own.

Avenatti claims they amount to 'swamp' style influence peddling of the time Trump vowed during the campaign to tame.

'Essential Consulting was one of several firms we engaged in early 2017 to provide insights into understanding the new administration,' the firm said in a statement.

ATT paid Michael Cohen $50,000 for his 'insights'

'They did no legal or lobbying work for us, and the contract ended in December 2017,' according to the firm, NBC reported.

It didn't further elaborate on what work Cohen did in exchange for the funds, which came in four separate $50,000 payments that stretched from late 2017 to early 2018, according to Avenatti.

Reuters reported based on a source that Cohen's contract ran for a full year, which would have brought the total to $600,000.

'We dont have anything to share beyond the statement,' said a firm spokeswoman when asked by DailyMail.com this week what Cohen did or why the firm felt it needed his services.Advertisement

Three firearms located at the scene of a murder-suicide at a remote farm near Margaret River on Friday morning belonged to grandfather Peter Miles, 61.

Sources confirmed to The Australian that Peter is suspected of shooting dead his wife Cynda Miles, 58, their daughter Katrina Miles, 38, and her four autistic children  Taye, 13, Rylan, 12, Arye, 10, and Kadyn Cockman, 8, before turning the gun on himself.

In a press conference on Saturday, Western Australian Commissioner Chris Dawson said two officers attended the scene shortly after receiving a 000 call from a male at the Osmington property, where all seven family members lived, at 5.15am. The call lasted two minutes. He would not confirm if Peter made the call, but said investigators are not looking for any other suspects.

Peter Miles (second from left in suit and blue tie) is reportedly suspected of shooting dead his wife, Cynda, (back right), his daughter Katrina Miles (left in red dress) and her four autistic children aged from 8 to 13 before turning the gun on himself on Friday morning at their family farm 15km from Margaret River in Western Australia

Three generations were found shot dead at the rural farm in Osmington, including Katrina Miles and her four children (pictured together) aged between 8 and 13

Cynda Miles (left and right) was an active member of local community group Transition Margaret River which seeks a happier and more sustainable future

The grisly murder-suicide at a remote farm house (pictured) in Western Australia has shocked the nation. It is the worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996

Upon arrival, two officers found one male dead outside the home, one female deceased inside the house and another female and the four children dead inside a 'conversed shed structure'. All had suffered gunshot wounds. Three 'long-armed guns' were found at the property.

Commissioner Dawson would not confirm rumours that the murder-suicide was sparked by financial hardship.

He said the children's father Aaron Cockman - a local builder who is estranged from Katrina - has been informed of the tragedy and was 'devastated'.

Despite sharing on Facebook last month that her ex 'does not stop stalking (her)', police have confirmed that Mr Cockman is not a suspect.

Police were met with horrific scenes when they arrived at the farm. Pictured: A shed on the farm

The grisly murder-suicide at the property in Osmington, 15km from Margaret River, shocked the nation, and is Australia's worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.

Katrina is thought to have home schooled her four children at the farm after they moved there when her marriage broke up.

Peter and Cynda bought the farm in 2014 and planned to live a sustainable life with their daughter and grandchildren.

The children's grandparents (Cynda pictured) bought the farm in 2014 and planned to live a sustainable life with their family after their daughter's marriage breakup

Katrina is thought to have home schooled her four autistic children, Taye, Ryan, Ayre and Kadyn Cockman, at the farm known as Forever Dreaming (pictured)

Katrina (pictured) is believed to be estranged from her children's father, Aaron Cockman, but despite sharing on Facebook last month that her ex 'does not stop stalking (her)', police said Mr Cockman was not a suspect

Commissioner Dawson on Friday described the incident as a 'significant tragedy'.

He said the 'male person' had phoned police about an hour after nearby residents woke to the sound of gun shots.

'Based on what we do know, this is clearly a tragedy... police located seven persons deceased. Four children and three adults,' he said.

A neighbour told the ABC he had spoken to a man who lived at the property just hours before the bodies were found.

'I was talking to him on the phone last night, I was going to ask him to come over tomorrow. He seemed very vague,' he said.

Commissioner Dawson said a 'male person' connected to the property (pictured) had phoned police at 5.15am about an hour after nearby residents woke to the sound of gun shots

This image shows the kitchen of the remote farm where a mass-murder suicide was discovered early Friday morning

Two adults were found dead outside a building on the rural property, before the bodies of four children and another adult were discovered inside. Pictured: A bedroom in the house

This image shows a dirt road on the farm where police discovered seven dead bodies on Friday morning

Another neighbour, Felicity Haynes, told Daily Mail Australia that Cynda and Peter had moved to the countryside to build the sustainable farm as a home for Katrina, her daughter and three sons.

'Cynda and Pete moved out from town three years ago ... they had started to build a river farm and had done fabulous work growing their own vegetables and building dams,' she said.

'That's what makes it so tragic. They were building a self-sustainable farm to raise the family there.'

Inspector Chris Dawson addressed the media on the tragedy on Saturday morning

In a press conference on Saturday morning, WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said all three long-arm firearms found at the Osmington property, where all seven family members lived, were registered to Peter

Police Commissioner of Western Australia Chris Dawson holds a press conference as Augusta-Margaret River Shire President Pam Townshend looks on outside Margaret River Police Station

A friend of Katrina told The Australian she 'worked tirelessly to provide her children with everything they needed'.

'I always admired her for her strength The kids were kind, gentle, smart and beautiful children.'

Her mother Cynda was an active member of local community group Transition Margaret River which seeks a happier and more sustainable future.

The well-loved local also owns a craft company, Soft Salvage, where she turned recycled materials into decorative pieces, news.com.au reported.

Nearby residents said they heard gunfire around 4am but dismissed the sound as coming from kangaroo shooters (farm pictured)

Police forensics investigate the death of seven people in a suspected murder-suicide in Osmington

On the farm's website, Cynda Miles wrote of watching her grandchildren play with the animals.

'Forever Dreaming is our forever farm. It is here that we will grow as much of our food as we can, sit on the veranda and watch the birds, and watch the grandchildren immerse themselves in the animals and everything else that happens on a daily basis,' she wrote.

Police were met with horrific scenes when they arrived at the 30 acre farm with two houses on Friday morning.

Nearby residents said they heard gunfire around 4am but dismissed the sound as coming from kangaroo shooters.

Two firearms were located at the scene and Commissioner Dawson confirmed that at least some of the victims suffered gunshot wounds

A neighbour told the ABC he had spoken to a man who lived at the property just hours before the bodies were found

Forensic officers comb the scene where four children and three adults were found shot dead on Friday at 5am local time

Another neighbour who lives across the road from the property told Fairfax he hadn't heard anything unusual overnight.

'There was nothing much I could tell [police],' said the semi-retired farmer, adding he didn't know the residents very well.

'I'd seen who I assume was the father out in a paddock one day, on a tractor. But I didn't have the opportunity to say hello.'

Julia Meldrum, deputy president of the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, told Daily Mail Australia the district was in deep shock.

'It's devastating,' the distressed mother-of-two said.

'It's just shock and devastating for the community.

The grisly murder-suicide at a remote farm house (pictured) in Western Australia shocked the nation

Four children are among seven people found dead at a rural property in Osmington, near Margaret River

Signs leading to the family farm

The grisly murder-suicide at the property in Osmington, 15km from Margaret River, early Friday morning shocked the nation, and is Australia's worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996

'I actually feel like vomiting. The shire has a population of 14,000 people but each town is very close knit.

Jan Walsh told Australian Associated Press they lived in a very 'caring town'.

'There's retired people who live down here, there's ex-farmers,' she said.

'It's just a wonderful place to live and everyone's so friendly.

'You wave to everyone coming down Osmington Road and you don't even know them.'

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE MASS SHOOTING - Investigations are turning to Peter Miles, the husband of Cynda Miles, father of Katrina Miles and grandfather of her four children all found shot dead - Police found seven bodies at the family farm in Osmington, 15 km from Margaret River in WA, after being called there just after 5am on Friday - All three long-arm guns found at the property were registered to Peter Miles - Four of the victims were children, three were adults including Peter Miles - The victims suffered gunshot wounds - Two firearms were found at the scene - Katrina's estranged husband, Aaron Cockman, is not a person of interest - Locals say the family that lived at the farm were respected and contributors to the community - Osmington is in the Margaret River region, which is renowned for its surf breaks and vineyards - Osmington had a population of just 135 people in the 2016 Census - The region consists of a handful of roads, farms, vineyards, horse studs, holiday chalets, luxury accommodation, a small church, a five-star dog retreat and gourmet dining Advertisement

'In Margaret River there's a lot of children and a lot of young families. It'll be devastating for the community. It's touched many people, people I'm sure will know one another.

'The shire will be doing whatever we can to provide support and whatever else we can do in addition... I've got young children as well. It's just devastating.'

Shire president Pamela Townshend said the town would struggle to come to grips with the horror.

'It's an isolated rural area. There's no centre of town. Everyone comes into town to do their shopping,' she said.

'There's a lot of giving each other vegetables, cooking each other meals, looking after each other when they're ill - very connected in deep ways.'

Flowers are left next to a police roadblock where police are investigating the death of seven people in suspected murder-suicide

Flowers and a note marked 'Katrina and family' lay at the site where seven bodies were found

Julia Meldrum, deputy president of the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, told Daily Mail Australia the district was in deep shock because of how peaceful the area is

'Everyone's involved in everyone else's business in a small town so it's going to be a huge shock for this town.

'The shire will provide as much support as we can for our town, for the community and for the remaining family members.

'There are community members already rallying to work out a support response for the family. We're already seeing this rallying.

Councillor Townshend believed the deaths should lead to further debate about gun and family violence.

'Once again we are faced with this problem in families with gun violence and male violence, assuming it is male violence,' she said.

'We need to have it firmly on the table to talk about it and not just have it as an isolated mental health issue of one person. It's society's problem.

Osmington, about 260km south of Perth, is a 10-minute drive east of the Margaret River township.

The tiny community, which ABS data shows has about 135 residents, mostly consists of farmland properties and vineyards.

Australia had not experienced a mass shooting massacre, defined as the death of five or more people, since 35 people were gunned down at Port Arthur in April, 1996.

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.Advertisement

Polls have closed across Iraq Saturday evening in the first national election since the country declared victory over the Islamic State group.

The vote - the fourth since the 2003 U.S.-led toppling of Saddam Hussein - was marked by reports of low turnout and irregularities.

Results are expected within the next 48 hours according to the independent body that oversees Iraq's election, but negotiations to choose a prime minister tasked with forming a government are expected to drag on for months.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is searched as he arrives at a polling station to cast his vote in the Parliamentary elections

A man walks with a boy holding an umbrella past members of the Iraqi federal police standing guard outside a polling station in the capital Baghdad's Karrada district

A voter is searched by an Iraqi federal police officer arriving outside a poll station in the holy city of Karbala

Barham Salih, head of the Coalition for Democracy and Justice and his wife, show their ink-stained index fingers after voting at a polling station in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah

An Iraqi woman a casting her vote. Problems have been reported with the electronic voting system

A woman casting her ballot using the electronic voting system that has been introduced in bid to stamp out fraud

She shows her ink-stained finger to confirm that she has cast her vote in the country's parliamentary elections in Baghdad

Iraqi women queue at a polling station in the Wadi Hajar district of Mosul, the main city held by ISIS in Iraq

Lader of the Conquest Coalition and the Iran-backed Shia militia Badr Organisation Hadi al-Amiri prepares to casts his vote at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Baghdad, Iraq

Security forces stand guard outside a polling station during the parliamentary election in the Sadr city district of Baghdad,

One year-old Karam Mahmoud cries as an election official inks her finger at her grandmother's request at a polling site in the shadow of the Nebi Yours shrine, in Mosul

Voting began early Saturday morning in a contest that had no clear front-runner after weeks of official campaigning. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's stiffest competition came from political parties with closer ties to Iran.

Baghdad's streets began to fill up with cars before voting concluded Saturday evening after al-Abadi partially lifted a security curfew in an effort to improve turnout.

Nearly all civilian vehicles had been banned from Baghdad's streets Saturday morning and many voters complained of having to walk more than 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) to reach polling stations.

Iraq's most senior Shiite cleric spoke out on the issue of voter participation Saturday afternoon, encouraging Iraqis to vote 'to prevent the arrival of a corrupt parliament.'

'The lack of participation will give the opportunity for others to reach parliament and they will be very far from the aspirations of the people,' said Sheikh Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalai, the representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on local Iraqi television from Karbala.

Sistani has repeatedly encouraged Iraqis to vote into power Saturday a new political class to combat corruption.

For those who did attempt to vote, some in Baghdad complained of voting irregularities at polling stations linked to a new electronic voting system implemented for the first time this year in an effort to reduce fraud.

Thamer Aref, 45, along with his wife and daughter were turned away from a polling station north of central Baghdad.

Aref had turned in his old voter ID card months ago for the biometric identification card required by the new system. However, Aref's biometric card wasn't ready ahead of Saturday and, with neither card, the polling station did not allow him to a cast a ballot.

People queue in front of a polling station in the Wadi Hajar district of Mosul as the security forces stand guard

A member of the Iraqi federal police speaks to a man outside a poll station in the capital Baghdad's Karrada district

'I lost my right to vote,' he said.

An Iraqi woman prepares to cast her vote in the country's parliamentary elections in Baghdad, Iraq

Electronic voting has been introduced in a bid to cut down on fraud. It total, 329 parliamentary seats are up for grabs

Associated Press journalists documented several similar cases at a number of different polling stations across Baghdad Saturday morning.

Amira Muhammed, the supervisor of a polling station in Azamiyah, Baghdad, said some people couldn't vote because they did not pick up their new biometric ID cards in time.

'The problem is not with us,' she said.

In central Baghdad, voters supporting al-Abadi said they are doing so because they give him credit for Iraq's military victory over IS.

Al-Abadi 'took revenge' for civilians killed in insurgent attacks in Iraq 'with the victory over Daesh,' said 71-year-old Felihah Hassan, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

After IS overran nearly a third of Iraq in the summer of 2014, the group launched waves of suicide bombings targeting civilians in Baghdad and other pockets of government-controlled territory.

With support from the U.S.-led coalition and Iran, al-Abadi oversaw a grueling war against the extremists and declared victory over the group in December.

Despite al-Abadi's military achievements, Iraq continues to struggle with an economic downturn sparked in part by a drop in global oil prices, entrenched corruption and years of political gridlock.

Al-Abadi having his biometric voting card checked with his fingerprint upon arriving at a poll station in the capital Baghdad's Karrada district

A voter has his biometric voting card checked with his fingerprint upon arriving at a poll station in the capital Baghdad's Karrada district

The results of Saturday's election are expected within 48 hours of the vote, according to the independent body overseeing the election

The election sees dozens of political alliances battling it out for the 329 parliamentary seats available

Government formation negotiations are expected to drag on for months after that as the dozens of political parties attempt to cobble together a political bloc

A campaign poster of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in seen in Baghdad, Iraq. No front runner has emerged in the poll but he is hoping to benefit from the victory over ISIS

Kurdish are searched before voting in the Iraqi parliamentary elections at a polling station in Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq,

The prime minister's most powerful opponents are his predecessor, Nouri al-Maliki, and an alliance of candidates with close ties to the country's powerful, mostly Shiite paramilitary forces.

Jassim Mohsen, 58, who fought against IS with the paramilitary forces, said he's casting his vote for the alliance with paramilitary ties because of their personal sacrifices.

'I elected the Fatah list because they are the only ones who fought Daesh and gave blood,' he said.

Some Sunnis voting Saturday said they are hopeful this election will help Iraq move beyond sectarian politics and become more inclusive.

Marginalization of Iraq's Sunnis under al-Maliki is seen as a factor that allowed IS to rise in power in Iraq. Al-Abadi has led a more cross-sectarian government marked by his ability to balance the interests of his two allies often at odds: the U.S. and Iran.

Iraq Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, speaks during a campaign rally in Baghdad, Iraq

Campaign posters for parliamentary elections are displayed near destroyed buildings from fighting between Iraqi forces and the Islamic State group in Ramadi, Iraq, 70 miles west of Baghdad

Abadi's most powerful opponents are his predecessor, Nouri al-Maliki, and an alliance of candidates with close ties to the country's powerful, mostly Shiite paramilitary forces.

An Iraqi couple arrives to cast their ballots in the parliamentary elections at a polling site in the shadow of the Nebi Yours shrine, destroyed by Islamic State militants during their three-year reign in Mosul

The war left more than 2 million Iraqis, mostly Sunnis, displaced from their homes, with cities, towns and villages suffering heavy destruction. Repairing infrastructure across Anbar and Nineveh provinces, both majority Sunni areas, will cost tens of billions of dollars.

Abdulrazaq Kubi and his wife Suheila Mahdi, both Sunnis from Baghdad, said they would not be voting for al-Abadi, casting their votes instead for a Sunni-led political alliance.

'The victory is not 100 percent, there is still Daesh here,' said Mahdi. The government 'is neglecting the refugees because they are Sunni. They left them in the camps, in the winter it floods, in the summers, they go hungry,' she added.A couple in Colorado looking to sell their dream home were horrified to discover that their property was nearly destroyed at the hands of a prospective buyer.

'I mean, there was just no words the feces and the urine spread all over our white cabinets, all over our hardwood floor, it was even on the ceiling  10-foot ceilings,' said Jenny Fisch, the homeowner.

Late last year, Jenny and Paul Fisch put their El Paso County home on the market for $450,000, according to Fox affiliate KMGH 6.

Late last year, Jenny and Paul Fisch (pictured) put their El Paso County home on the market for $450,000

Shortly thereafter, they received a submission offering to buy the home at full asking price, leaving the couple over the moon

Shortly thereafter, they received a submission offering to buy the home at full asking price. The Fischs, not believing their luck, were over the moon and eager to get the deal done.

The new home-buyers, however, had a precondition: They wanted to rent the house for the first three months and promised they would close the deal after the allotted time period.

After 90 days, the Fischs found their place covered in 'feces and the urine'

Reluctantly, the Fisch's agreed, trusting their broker who assured them that their paperwork checked out.

'We were told these people were 100 per cent qualified, there was no question about it,' said Jenny Fisch.

But after the 90 day window had expired on January 31, 2018, the Fisch's new tenants still had not submitted the paperwork to buy the home.

Facing few options, the couple were forced to file an eviction notice against the individuals living in the house who at that point had overstayed their welcome.

But when the Fisch's showed up with the sheriff to serve the paperwork, their worse nightmares were realized.

'When she walked out her face was like, 'it's bad,' said Paul Fisch.

'And I lost it, I just lost it. I was like, "I dont understand why we have to go through this,"' said Jenny Fisch.

The new home-buyers, however, wanted to rent the house for the first three months before agreeing to buy it

'I mean we hired people and now my beautiful dream home is covered in feces and I dont know how were going to fix it,' she added.

Making matters worse, when the Fisch's sought assistance from El Paso County law enforcement, they were told that the issue was a civil matter and there was little they could do.

The Fischs later told KMGH 6 that their insurance company will not cover the cost of the damages, leaving them stuck with paying a mortgage for a home they can't live in and struggling to find the funds for repairs.

The would-be buyers have also skipped town and have not been heard or seen of in months.

'It was insane to me how somebody could live in such a nice home and in a matter of months, destroy everything,' said Paul Fisch.One of two journalists who accompanied Mike Pompeo to Pyongyang this week has described how his presence on the secretive trip came about.

Associated Press reporter Matthew Lee was asked along with The Washington Post's Carol Morello to accompany Pompeo on the trip days before they went.

They were not told where they would be going but were asked to apply for special passports that would grant them entry to the country.

When they suddenly took off on Monday night, they did not know if Pompeo would be able to secure the release of three US prisoners who had been held in North Korean custody for more than a year.

In a report published on Saturday, Lee describes the trip and how it differed to every other he has made as a State Department reporter.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, stands as he speaks during a dinner between North Korean dignitaries and US diplomats, Pyongyang, North Korea on Wednesday, May 9, 2018. The photograph was released on Saturday by reporter Matthew Lee who accompanied him on the trip

What the world saw: Pompeo and Kim Jong-un pose for a photograph issued by North Korean state media after their 90 minute talk on Wednesday May 9

He also shared a photograph taken during the four-day event which shows Pompeo dining with North Korean dignitaries.

His report is published in full, below.

It began with quiet words from State Department officials: Apply for a new passport immediately. You may soon be going to a country for which ordinary U.S. passports are not valid for travel.

AP diplomacy reporter Matthew Lee was one of two journalists invited by the State Department

Vague as it was, the instruction to two reporters last Friday left little doubt about our mystery destination: North Korea.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had visited the capital, Pyongyang, in complete secrecy while he was still CIA chief in early April to set the stage for an unprecedented summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Now, Washington was abuzz with rumors that he would be heading back soon to finalize details for the summit and bring back three U.S. citizens who had been held by North Korea for more than a year for alleged anti-state activities.

It would turn out to be my second visit to the isolated, authoritarian nation. Eighteen years ago, I had accompanied Madeleine Albright on her historic trip to North Korea, the first-ever by a sitting secretary of state - a highly choreographed and publicized two-day affair covered by some 80 journalists.

But this was something completely different: an under-the-radar, secret mission with only two American reporters as independent witnesses.

Pompeo is pictured arriving in Pyongyang on Wednesday, May 9

Since the death last year of Otto Warmbier, the American college student who suffered brain damage while in North Korean custody, U.S. nationals have been prohibited from traveling to North Korea without special passport validation.

An hour after handing over our passports, Carol Morello of The Washington Post and I were in possession of new ones and an extraordinary letter.

Washington Post reporter Carol Morello

'Dear Mr. Lee,' mine read, 'The Department of State grants your May 4, 2018 request for a special validation permitting travel to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ... Based on the information provided, we determined that the validation is in the national interest of the United States.'

The 'national interest of the United States.' Hmm, I pondered, had I ever done anything before that would qualify?

Carol and I, who cover the State Department, were told to pack a bag and be on stand-by, but given no departure time, let alone a date. We were sworn to secrecy and advised that any leak of a potential Pompeo return to Pyongyang would be grounds for the two press seats on his plane to go empty.

Rumors of the trip intensified through the weekend as European diplomats who wanted to meet with Pompeo to discuss the administration's imminent decision on the Iran deal - which Trump was preparing to withdraw from - were being told he would be out of the country on North Korea-related travel.

Pompeo did not know if he was guaranteed a meeting with Jong-un when he arrived in Pyongyang, according to the report

After their 90 minute talk, it took Kim 10 minutes to give word back to the State Department that he would release the prisoners

Still, Saturday and Sunday passed with no word.

Then, late on Monday afternoon, we were told we'd depart from the department's Foggy Bottom headquarters at 7:45 that night. We would fly overnight with refueling stops in Alaska and Japan, and go on to North Korea, returning in reverse order at some undetermined point. The State Department had allotted 10 hours of time on the ground. Officials cautioned though that it could be as many as 24 hours depending on the unpredictable North Koreans.

We left in a two-van motorcade from the department's underground parking garage with spokeswoman Heather Nauert, a translator and other Pompeo aides for Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. A staffer's forgotten bag caused a brief bit of alarm amid concern that our brief return to the Harry S. Truman building could attract unwanted attention. Once at Andrews, we waited for Pompeo to arrive and soon the U.S. Air Force C-32, a converted Boeing 757, its fuselage emblazoned with 'United States of America' with tail number 80001, was airborne. Destination: Pyongyang, capital of the most reclusive nation on Earth.

So began a four-day journey with no confirmed schedule on the ground in North Korea, no guarantee of the prisoners' release or on progress for the summit and little to no sleep.

When I'd visited in 2000 as a reporter for the French news agency Agence France-Presse to cover Albright, circumstances were very different. For one, no special passport was needed. Dozens of journalists had either flown with the secretary of state or taken charter flights from Beijing to Pyongyang to cover the events. There were organized press tours of the capital and a mass stadium show hosted by the current leader's late father, Kim Jong Il.

Portraits of late leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il, left, are seen along the motorcade route transporting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US diplomats in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, May 9, 2018

The dynamics between Washington and Pyongyang, still long-time adversaries, had changed, too, and in unpredictable ways. Trump and the younger Kim had traded threats and insults during 2017 as North Korea conducted atomic and ballistic missile tests, fueling fears of war. Then this year, the rhetoric had cooled significantly and Kim had made an extraordinary offer to meet with Trump, an invitation the president accepted with startling alacrity.

Notwithstanding the secret arrangements for Pompeo's return trip, we wouldn't be the first to report it.

As our plane descended Tuesday into the U.S. air base in Yokota, Japan, for its second refueling stop, Trump announced that his top diplomat was on his way to Pyongyang.

It came during his highly anticipated declaration that he was withdrawing the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal. Trump would use the fact of Pompeo's visit to counter criticism that the Iran decision meant he was not interested in negotiating with adversaries.

After a quick cold shower, which would be the only bathing opportunity in four days, we left Japan for the two-and-a-half-hour flight north and arrived at the Pyongyang airport early Wednesday morning. All normal communications were effectively shut down with staffers carrying 'burn phones' on which they could text and a limited number of satellite phones for emergency use only.

Pompeo was greeted by North Korean dignitaries and boarded a Mercedes limousine. We climbed aboard a Chevy van, identified by logos on the spare tire and driver's console as 'The American Road.' The driver, whether or not he spoke or understood English, was non-communicative, so our questions about 'The American Road' went unanswered.

North Korean souvenirs postcards and book purchased by Matthew Lee, diplomatic writer for The Associated Press

Pyongyang had changed a lot in two decades. There were more tall buildings and more vehicles, but certainly still far fewer than in other world capitals. Also different were the smartly uniformed female traffic cops who had once directed a minuscule number of cars with precision gestures. They had moved from the middle of intersections to the corners, apparently due to the installation of stoplights.

After a winding drive past grandiose memorials, museums, government offices and revolutionary billboards, we arrived at the city's main hotel for foreign visitors, the Koryo International, where many of us had stayed when Albright visited in 2000. The hotel re-opened last year after a renovation aimed at ridding it of its Soviet-style appearance, with gleaming marble floors and walls. The elevators, however, remained as slow as they had been 18 years earlier.

With Pompeo's uncertain schedule, the Koryo lobby, bookstore, luxury goods market, coffee shop and traditional Korean restaurant were Carol's and my base for the next nearly 13 hours while he met and lunched with North Korean officials and finally left for closed-door talks with Kim, just an hour after receiving confirmation that the meeting was, in fact, on. We waited for news over endless cups of coffee.

The bookstore offered some respite. It sold treatises by Kim Il Sung, North Korea's founder and the current leader's grandfather, and by Kim Jong Il on their life and politics. There was also a book of anecdotes about Kim Jong Un that had a chapter on the importance of well-fed dolphins. Postcards depicting North Korea's military might - missiles raining down on a geographic feature adorned with the Stars and Stripes and the Statue of Liberty under siege - were big sellers, according to the clerk. Dollars, euros, yen, Chinese yuan all happily accepted, she said.

But essentially we had a long, boring wait.

Still, the Koryo can offer up surprises.

The three men arrived back in Joint Base Andrews in the early hours of Thursday morning. They were greeted by President Trump and Melania Trump. They began their journey on the same plane as Pompeo and the journalists but got onto a different, smaller, government plane in Japan as they refueled

Eighteen years ago, it was the appearance of a German aid worker, Norbert Vollertson, who seized on the rare presence of foreign correspondents to risk expulsion by illegally driving one of them out of town to show him squalid living conditions and human rights abuses. He was later deported.

On Wednesday, it was when hotel staffers suddenly began to stare in rapt attention at televisions tuned to North Korean state television. It was a special report, breaking news to North Koreans about Kim's two-day trip earlier that week to Dalian, China, to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He'd traveled by plane not train: the first trip abroad by air by a North Korean leader in decades. The trip was treated as an epic and historic event that analysts said could have been a test flight to prepare for Kim's upcoming summit with Trump.

After Pompeo finally returned from his 90-minute meeting with Kim, he gave a 'fingers-crossed' response when asked if the American prisoners would be released. About 10 minutes later, a North Korean emissary arrived to give him the good news: They would be released. We would be heading home soon.

Both planes stopped in Anchorage, Alaska, to refuel on their way back. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's plane is pictured

A small team of medical personnel and officials were dispatched to collect the three detainees. The rest of us, including Pompeo, drove to the airport to board the plane for the long journey back to Washington.

As the prisoners arrived, we caught a glimpse of them leaving their vehicle and walking up stairs to the plane. Unlike Warmbier, they were ambulatory and appeared in good spirits as they boarded. They were sequestered in the middle section of the plane with curtains closed.

They were transferred to another, smaller government jet in Japan, and we would not see them again until they arrived at Andrews and emerged from their aircraft with Trump. We watched online on our cell phones from a distance as we and our plane were held far from the event, too far to make out faces or any details.

In 2000, I had written a story comparing Pyongyang to a real-life version of 'The Truman Show,' the 1998 film about a man living in a reality created for television. Standing on the tarmac in the wee hours of Thursday morning and staring at a live feed of the prisoners' return on my iPhone while Trump greeted them hundreds of yards away, that sense returned.A Gold Coast shop owner has been charged with assault after allegedly punching a 13-year-old girl, who he accused of stealing an ice-cream.

The young girl was in the Gold Coast convenience store with a friend who distracted shop owner, Chieng Xing, as she allegedly took an ice-cream from the freezer and hid it under her shirt, 7News reports.

The pair ran out of the store but Mr Xing quickly reviewed the store's CCTV footage and decided to find them.

A shop owner allegedly punched a girl, 13, because she reportedly stole an ice-cream

'He's punched her several times in the head and around the body and grabbed her by her hair,' Snr Sgt Tony Wormald alleged.

Mr Xiang says he did pull the girl by the hair by denies punching her.

'I couldn't remember punching her, maybe she falling down or get hurt but I remember I pull her hair because she tried to run away,' he said.

The shop owner called police to report the girl but when they arrived, officers charged him with assault occasioning bodily harm.

The Lucky 7 convenience store has been the target of petty thieves recently.

The girl was in the Gold Coast convenience store owned by Chieng Xing (pictured), who chased her down after she left

Mr Xian (pictured) says he can't remember punching the girl but that he pulled her hair

Mr Xiang said he was assaulted by another shoplifter he tried to stop several months ago.

He says he regrets hurting the 13-year-old girl but not that he stopped her.

'I feel sorry to hurt her, but I am not sorry I stop a criminal,' he said.

The teenager was taken to hospital with an elbow injury.Federal and local investigators are on alert for a possible serial bomber after a package left at the front door of a Southeast Texas church exploded - the second such incident in the last two weeks.

The bomb, which caused minor damage, marked the second time in two weeks that a device has been found in the city of Beaumont.

The overnight blast broke windows and caused other damage to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Beaumont's West End, the Rev. Steven Balke told KFDM-TV on Thursday.

Federal and local investigators are on alert for a possible serial bomber after a package left at the front door of a Southeast Texas church exploded - the second such incident in the last two weeks

The bomb, which caused minor damage, marked the second time in two weeks that a device has been found in the city of Beaumont

The overnight blast broke windows and caused other damage to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Beaumont's West End

After the blast, local law enforcement officials were being helped by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and the FBI

No one was injured in the explosion.

After the blast, local law enforcement officials were being helped by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and the FBI, CBS News reported.

'I heard the loud noise, and my husband heard it at the same time, and he just jumped out of bed,' Amanda Pena, whose newborn daughter was asleep in their home from across the street, said.

'To me, cause I saw a dim light, I thought it was just like lightning and thunder.'

Mark Anthony Conditt, 23, killed himself on March 21 after authorities say he terrorized the Austin area with several package bombs

Bishop C. Andrew Doyle, Episcopal Bishop of Texas, said in a statement that the church and the All Saints Episcopal School next door were evacuated and will remain closed until further notice.

But on Friday the church announced that its services would resume as scheduled on Sunday.

At a news conference Thursday afternoon, Police Chief Jim Singletary displayed resources being used in the investigation.

He declined, however, to address the nature of the bomb, motive, whether any suspects had been identified, or if there were any links between this bomb and other devices.

Authorities said a similar device was found unexploded outside a Beaumont Starbucks on April 27.

Police have disclosed no motive.

A recent series of package bombs exploded in the Austin area over a three-week period, killing two people and severely wounding four others.

Investigators said suspect Mark Conditt used one his own devices to blow himself up as authorities approached his SUV before dawn on March 21.

Conditt killed himself around 2am on Wednesday, March 21, inside his SUV as police surrounded him near a hotel on Interstate 35, just outside Austin.

He was cornered by police and took his own life by detonating a bomb he made in his SUV

He was tracked down using store surveillance video, cellphone signals, and witness accounts of a customer shipping packages in a disguise of a blond wig and gloves.

CCTV footage of Conditt posting two devices inside packages a FedEx office under the alias Kelly Killmore led police to him.

Prior to his death he left a 28-minute audio 'confession' recorded on a cell phone.A black lawyer and her daughter were handcuffed in New York after a white store clerk accused them of shoplifting last weekend.

Nancy Bedard, an attorney with Brooklyn Legal Services Corp. B, and her 19-year-old biracial daughter were enjoying a day out on May 4 when they stopped by Amarcord Vintage Fashion, which is owned by Patti Bordoni and Marco Liotta, in Brooklyn.

Bedard told the New York Daily News that they picked out a bathing suit and three dresses to try on in the dressing room, which they shared.

Black attorney, Nancy Bedard (pictured), and her teen daughter, were arrested in New York last week after a white store clerk accused them of shoplifting. The paid hadn't stolen anything.

Bedard, an attorney with Brooklyn Legal Services Corp. B, and her 19-year-old biracial daughter were enjoying a day out on May 4 when they stopped by Amarcord Vintage Fashion (pictured) in Brooklyn.

According to Bedard, after they were done trying them on, she laid the dresses on an ottoman in the store and went to leave.

It was then that a blonde store clerk approached the two women and asked them about a fifth clothing item.

'I remember counting on my fingers. One, two, three, four. There is no missing item,' the lawyer told the newspaper.

When the pair tried to leave the store, the clerk allegedly followed them out the door and down the street, berating them in front of other New Yorkers.

'It was very embarrassing,' Bedard said. 'People were staring at me, not her, but she was the one that was screaming.'

The woman then called the cops and Bedard and her daughter were both handcuffed.

Amarcord owners, Patti Bordoni and Marco Liotta (both pictured) deny their employee did anything wrong

According to local reports, when the police went through their shopping bag from the Doc Marten store they visited earlier in the day, they found nothing.

Bedard and her daughter were then uncuffed, but were taken to Woodhull hospital where they were treated for bruises and cuts from the cuffs.

'My daughter and I were hysterically crying,' Bedard told the Daily News.

'My daughter, my baby, I was so upset that she had to go through this to her physical self.'

Shortly after the incident, Bedard's husband, Philip Sturges, who is also an attorney, called for a boycott of the store on Facebook.

'Today a white female employee of Amarcord Vintage Fashion falsely accused my black wife, who is an attorney, of shoplifting, had the police chase her and our teenage daughter down in a cop car and violently handcuff both of them before searching her bag and determining she was innocent,' he wrote on Facebook.

'This was pure RACIAL PROFILING by the Amarcord employee. BOYCOTT!!!!!'

At 6pm on Friday, Bedard also attended a protest outside Amarcord. The owners shutdown the shop for two days as protesters gathered out front to protest the incident.

Shortly after the incident, Bedard's husband, Philip Sturges, who is also an attorney, called for a boycott of the store on Facebook

At 6pm on Friday, Bedard also attended a protest outside Amarcord. The owners shutdown the shop for two days as protesters gathered out front to protest the incident

But Amarcord owners, Bordoni and Liotta, deny their employee did anything wrong.

'Basically, there was some furtive behavior on the part of the patrons, an employee asked about an item of clothing and that question alone prompted the patron to pull the race card,' Daniel Kron, the attorney for the store owners, told the Daily News.

'At no time was the word '"shoplifting" used except by the patron,' he said.

Kron claimed that Bedard started raising her voice at the employee and said: 'Cause I'm black you think I'm stealing?'



According to the Daily News, an NYPD lieutenant has been transferred as a result of the incident.

A department spokeswoman said the patrol supervisor at the scene was reassigned to another command while the borough's investigations unit looks into the matter.A helicopter pilot had a low concentration of fentanyl in his blood during a crash in New Mexico that killed him and four other people including Zimbabwean opposition leader Roy Bennett, according to autopsy results obtained on Friday.

Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid and pain medication, was found in the autopsy report for Jamie Coleman Dodd, the lead pilot in the January crash in northeastern New Mexico.

The report didn't say whether Dodd may have been taking fentanyl for health reasons. Prior reports have not indicated that drugs were a cause of the crash.

Jamie Coleman Dodd (pictured), the lead pilot in the January crash in northeastern New Mexico, had fentanyl in his system, according to autopsy

Autopsies also were performed on co-pilot Paul Cobb and wealthy businessman Charles Burnett III - also killed in the crash on a grassy mesa top east of Raton.

All three men died of blunt force trauma. Burns also were a cause of death for Burnett. Bennett's wife, Heather, also died in the crash.

Wealthy businessman and action lover Charles Burnett III (pictured) was killed in a helicopter accident in January

Cobb had no drugs in his system, while Burnett had alcohol, amphetamine and oxycodone present in his, medical examiners determined.

The sole survivor of the crash, Andra Cobb, of Texas, later recounted her experience, saying the aircraft hit the ground with a loud bang before rolling forward, stopping upside down and bursting into flames.

A report by the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that the weather was clear the night of the crash, and that Dodd had thousands of hours of flying experience.

The pilot was able to call 911 but later died at a hospital.

Dodd was a long-time helicopter pilot and aviation manager at Boyert Shooting Center. The former Marine corporal was flying over the mountains, about 15 miles east of the small city of Raton, near the Colorado state line, at around 6pm when the helicopter went down.

Burnett, a citizen of the United States, Canada and England, was an investor and businessman based out of Houston.

Authorities in the U.S. state of New Mexico say key Zimbabwean opposition leader Roy Bennett (pictured left) was killed in the helicopter crash in January

He also headed the Notsew Orm Sands Foundation, funding a wide variety of causes, including medical research and education.

Known for his love of everything fast, he achieved a variety of world records using catamarans and mono-hulls powered by diesel and petrol.

Co-pilot Paul Cobb also perished in the crash

He made the Guinness Book of World Records in 1999 for an offshore water speed record of 137mph.

Bennett, 60, treasurer-general of the Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change opposition party, won a devoted following of black Zimbabweans for passionately advocating political change.

Bennett, a white man who spoke fluent Shona and drew the wrath of former President Robert Mugabe, survived a traumatic year in jail and death threats over his work.

He was known as 'Pachedu,' meaning 'one of us' in Shona and was often called the sharpest thorn in Mugabe's side.

Obert Gutu, spokesman for the MDC-T party, described Bennett's death as a 'huge and tragic loss'.

The group was heading to the Emery Gap Ranch, a mountainous property on the Colorado-New Mexico border.

Burnett bought it in February 2017, said Sam Middleton, a real estate broker in Lubbock, Texas, who helped with the purchase.Two U.S. fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace off the coast of Alaska on Friday, media reported.

The Russian TU-95 'Bear' bombers flew into a so-called Air Defense Identification Zone located about 200 miles off Alaska's west coast, at about 10am EST, North American Aerospace Defense Command spokesman Canadian Army Major Andrew Hennessy said in a statement to CNN.

Two Alaska-based NORAD F-22 fighter jets intercepted and visually identified the Russian bombers until they left the identification zone and the Russian aircraft never entered U.S. airspace, CNN reported, citing the statement.

Tensions between Russia and the U.S. have been on the rise over a number of issues.

Last week, it was learned that the U.S. is re-establishing its Second Fleet, responsible for the northern Atlantic Ocean, nearly seven years after it was disbanded as the Pentagon puts countering Russia at the heart of its military strategy.

A U.S. F-22 Raptor fighter flies over European airspace during a flight to Britain in April 2016. Two F-22 fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace near Alaska on Friday

'Our National Defense Strategy makes clear that we're back in an era of great power competition as the security environment continues to grow more challenging and complex,' Chief of U.S. Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson said last Friday.

'Second Fleet will exercise operational and administrative authorities over assigned ships, aircraft and landing forces on the East Coast and northern Atlantic Ocean,' Richardson said.

The command, which will be based in Norfolk, Virginia, will initially have 15 personnel and will eventually grow to over 200 people, officials said.

A number of decisions, like who would command Second Fleet and what assets it would include, have not yet been made.

In 2011, the fleet was disbanded for cost-saving and organizational structure reasons.

Since then, however, Russia has become more assertive, flexing its military muscles in conflicts like those in Ukraine and Syria, and tensions between Moscow and Washington have increased.

Earlier this year, the U.S. military said in a new national defense strategy that countering Russia, along with China, would be a priority, the latest sign of shifting priorities after more than a decade and a half of focusing on the fight against Islamist militants.

In presenting the new strategy, which will set priorities for the Pentagon for years to come, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called China and Russia 'revisionist powers' that 'seek to create a world consistent with their authoritarian models.'

The Russian TU-95 'Bear' bombers (like the one seen in the above stock image) flew into a so-called Air Defense Identification Zone located about 200 miles off Alaska's west coast, according to CNN.

Russia has increased its naval patrols in the Baltic Sea, the North Atlantic and the Arctic, NATO officials say, although the size of its navy is smaller now than during the Cold War era.

Since taking office last year, President Donald Trump has tried to build stronger ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But relations have instead soured over allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Russias alleged poisoning of a former double agent in Britain and Putins support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assads government in Syria.

The Pentagon also announced on Friday that it was offering to host a proposed NATO Joint Force Command at its naval facilities in Norfolk.

It was one of two proposed new NATO commands aimed at deterring Russia that the United States and Germany had offered to host.Jacqueline Ades, 31, was arrested in Phoenix on Tuesday on felony charges of threatening and intimidating, stalking and harassment, a misdemeanor

An Arizona woman has been charged with stalking a man, sending him a total of 65,000 text messages and breaking into his home to take a bath after going out with him just once.

Jacqueline Ades, 31, was arrested in Phoenix on Tuesday on felony charges of threatening and intimidating, stalking and harassment, a misdemeanor.

'He's my soulmate,' she told KTVK in an interview from jail.

Ades, who sent racist, threatening messages to the vicitm, including one in which she referred to herself as the 'new Hitler', insists she wasn't stalking the victim but was simply in love with him.

'I felt like I met my soul mate and I thought we would just do what everybody else did and we would get married and everything would be fine,' she said.

Asked outright, 'Are you crazy?'

Ades replied: 'No. I am the person that [sic] discovered love.'

The 31-year-old was arrested last week after she turned up at his work, pretending to be his wife, with a knife in her car. She also been sending him increasingly threatening messages, including one text where she said she wanted to 'bathe in his blood.'

She faces charges of threatening, stalking and harassment.

In her jailhouse interview, Ades explained she's sent tens of thousands of texts because: 'If you just give, and you don't stop giving, even if you don't receive, you all of a suddenly receive a lot.'

'When you find love, everything is not perfect. I love him.'

Ades, 31 (pictured left and right in mugshots) insists she's not 'crazy' but was simply in love

When asked if she would finally leave the victim alone now, after her arrest, she replied: 'If he wants me to,' she said. If [Victim] wants me to go to jail, I should go to jail.'

Ades reportedly met the unnamed Paradise Valley resident through a dating site in 2017.

The two went out together on a single date, but Ades allegedly fell in love and began actively pursuing the man.

The victim said Ades, who described herself on social media as a makeup artist, inundated his phone with text messages, sometimes sending as many as 500 a day, reported ABC15.

Ades' love interest contacted police twice last year after she parked outside his home and continued peppering him with unwanted texts. Police responded to the area and escorted Ades off his property.

Last month, the victim spotted her while remotely checking home surveillance video. Officers went to the home and found the 31-year-old woman taking a bath in the man's tub.

Not playing hard to get: Ades (left and right) )allegedly inundated her love interest with text messages, sometimes sending as many as 500 a day

Dark turn: After Ades was caught by police taking a bath in the man's home while he was away, she allegedly began sending the object of her desire threatening texts

Chilling words: In one missive, Ades allegedly compared herself to Adolf Hitler and called the homicidal Nazi leader a 'genius'

When police searched Ades' car, they found a large butcher knife on the passenger seat.

The victim said after that incident, Ades sent him threatening texts, one of which stated: 'Oh what would I do w ur blood! Id wanna bathe in it.'

Another menacing missive read: 'You do whatever you have to do to get here but don't ever try to leave me... I'll kill you... I don't want to be a murderer.'

In her messages to the object of her desire, Ades allegedly favorably compared herself to Adolf Hitler and praised the Nazi mass murderer as a 'genius,' as Fox 10 reported.

Then last week, Ades showed up at the victim's business in Scottsdale and falsely claimed to be his wife, which ultimately led to her arrest in Phoenix, according to police.

After being taken into custody, Ades reassured police that she had no intention of hurting the man, saying that she only sent the threatening texts to him because she loved him and feared that he would leave her.

Ades later acknowledged that her statements were 'crazy.' She was ordered held without bond and is due to appear in court on May 15.A Florida mother who was just seven days away from her due date when she was struck in the head by lightning is expecting again.

The tragedy in June 2017 left mom-of-two Meghan Davidson, 27, in a critical condition and meant she had to deliver her baby via emergency c-section. Newborn son Owen then died just two weeks later.

Now Meghan and her husband Matt are celebrating their new pregnancy this upcoming Mother's Day - less than a year after their heartbreaking loss.

Meghan Davidson, 27, is pregnant once again after losing her unborn son last year when she was struck by lightning

She and her husband Matt are expecting another son, named Ozzy, in October

Meghan is 19 weeks along and due to deliver her fourth child Ozzy in early October.

'Excited? Oh, man, was I,' she said in an interview with USA Today. 'We didn't know if we could.'

Just last year Meghan was taking a walk outside of her parent's home in Fort Myers, Florida.

Meteorologists said it was cloudy but wasn't raining that day when lightning struck the expectant mother in the head.

The strike stopped her heart and the heart of her unborn son.

She could only respond with her eyes at the time when her husband called her name

Meghan was rushed to the hospital where doctors performed an emergency c-section.

Owen was born and given oxygen assistance until he was later taken off life support.

He was pronounced dead on July 12 at the Golisano Children's Hospital in Fort Myers.

Meanwhile, Meghan had suffered a heart attack, collapsed lung, bruised heart and burns and was treated in intensive care.

She could only respond with her eyes at the time when her husband called her name.

'I don't have much memory,' Meghan said of the incident. 'I don't remember much, only the last two to three days [in the hospital].'

After months of mourning and reflection, the couple decided to try again and are now expecting to bring a baby boy they plan to name Ozzy into the world in October.

Though Meghan said she would give her life for her child, she is happy to be here with her husband children Brea and Otto

The couple say their faith has kept them going.

'I lost a child, I almost lost my wife, I stepped away from work,' Matthew said. 'Life is hard and everyone has a story.'

After the tragedy they said they received an outpouring of love and support by their local church.

The couple's church members held prayer vigils in commemoration of Owen.

'I think it's devastating, you know, you just don't understand why some tragedy happens,' church member Linda Kelly after the tragedy.

Meghan will deliver Ozzy via c-section. But despite the lightning strike, she is not considered a high-risk pregnancy.

'As a mother, I'd give my life for my child,' she said. 'If I had a choice it would have been 'take me instead.'

However she said is 'happy to be here' with her husband and children Brea and Otto.A 19-year-old man has been declared missing after he didn't return from the Mardi Grass festival last weekend in Nimbin.

Miles Moraghan attended the yearly protest against cannabis prohibition held in the hills of New South Wales.

Richmond Police District are looking for the man who they described as 180cm tall, with a skinny build and shoulder-length brown curly hair.

Miles Moraghan, 19, (pictured) has been declared missing after he didn't return from the Mardi Grass festival last weekend in Nimbin

He was last seen about 12pm on Sunday on Rainbow Lane.

Miles was last seen wearing a sleeveless white shirt with a print on the front of the Beatles and a pull over grey and a green cotton hooded long sleeve jacket.

He was also wearing dark grey pants, red van running shoes that go up to the ankles, a blue back pack and an orange winter hat, police have said.

His family have said he is not in trouble and are just concerned for his welfare.

He is from the Gold Coast but may sound like he has a Canadian accent.

Visitors to the Mardi Grass festival push up a giant inflatable joint above their heads as part of the Global Marijuana March in the eastern Australian town of Nimbin

The Mardi Grass Festival is an annual rally held in Nimbin, NSW, every year since 1993 to protest cannabis laws and educate people on the benefits of the drug, including medicinal

The Mardi Grass Festival is an annual rally held in Nimbin, NSW, every year since 1993 to protest cannabis laws and educate people on the benefits of the drug, including medicinal.

Nimbin has since become synonymous with the Mardi Grass Festival and the colourful characters found during the May weekend when it is held.

A host of revelers make the pilgrimage to the tiny village to support their message of decriminalisation each year.The family of seven suspected murder-suicide victims have broken their silence over the shooting tragedy.

Peter Miles, 61, his wife Cynda Miles, 58, their daughter Katrina Miles, 38, and her four autistic children  Taye, 13, Rylan, 12, Arye, 10, and Kadyn Cockman, 8  were all found shot to death on the grandparent's property on Friday in Osmington, near Margaret River in WA.

Detectives are working to establish if Peter killed his family and then called police before turning the gun on himself.

The family (pictured) of the suspected murder-suicide have released a statement

The statement that the family released asked for privacy and for the public to refrain form speculating

Peter Miles (second from left in suit and blue tie) his wife, Cynda, (back right), his daughter Katrina Miles (left in red dress) and her four autistic children aged from 8 to 13 were found shot to death at the property on Friday

In a press conference on Saturday, Western Australian Commissioner Chris Dawson said two officers attended the scene shortly after receiving a 000 call from a male at the property at 5.15am. The call lasted two minutes.

Police released a statement from the family's relatives on Saturday.

'We are devastated by this shocking event. We are stunned and still trying to understand how this could happen,' it reads.

'We respectfully ask the community to refrain from speculating on the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.'

'We thank the community for their support and ask that our privacy is respected as we grieve.'

West Australian Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said the children's father, Aaron Cockman, had been notified of the tragedy.

'Police have spoken to the children's father, he's understandably grieving and we're providing as much support as we can,' he said.

A community crisis support centre was opened at the Margaret River Community Centre on Saturday to offer support to members of the public.

Community members set up a makeshift memorial as they placed flowers outside the centre next to pictures of the family.

Members of the community (pictured) came together to support each other today

They laid flowers outside the community crisis support centre which was opened at the Margaret River Community Centre on Saturday

Three generations were found shot dead at the rural farm in Osmington, including Katrina Miles and her four children (pictured together) aged between 8 and 13

The grisly murder-suicide at a remote farm house (pictured) in Western Australia shocked the nation as Australia's worst mass murders in two decades where police are establishing whether Peter killed three generations of his family before himself

Commissioner Dawson said police recovered three fire arms at the scene - all licensed to Peter Miles.

He refused to confirm if police believed the 61-year-old was the shooter, only saying the investigation at the scene would take several more days.

Augusta-Margaret River Shire president Pam Townshend told the press conference on Saturday that counselling sessions were being set up for anyone who needed help.

Counseling sessions have also been set up for anyone who needs help and members of the community are coming together

Police forensics step outside of the house where five of the bodies were found

'We're providing this area, which is a place where the community can reflect and offer their condolences,' she said.

'There'll be skilled volunteers, along with a range of agencies, who will be there available to assist with community support services.'

The killing is the worst mass shooting in Australia since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, in which 35 people were killed and another 23 seriously injured by gunman Martin Bryant.

Police forensics investigate the death of seven people in a suspected murder-suicide in Osmington

Commissioner Dawson described the incident as a 'significant tragedy'.

He said the 'male person' had phoned police about an hour after nearby residents woke to the sound of gun shots.

He would not elaborate on any extra details of the phone call on Saturday.

WA Premier Mark McGowan has described the incident as shocking.

'Four young children, a mother and a grandmother being killed in this way is just a terribly distressing and sad thing, and I think we all felt it keenly,' he said.Maj. Gen. Mark Hicks (pictured) suspended the two SEAL team leaders on Thursday

Two Navy SEAL team leaders in Africa have been accused of sexual misconduct involving a female service member.

A commanding officer and command master chief assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit deployed in East Africa were suspended on Thursday and placed under investigation, ABC reported.

One of the leaders is accused of inappropriately touching a female service member while on deployment, while both are accused of sexual harassment, two defense officials told the outlet.

'Special Operations Command Africa commander Maj. Gen. Mark Hicks suspended the Special Operations Command Forward - East Africa commander and senior enlisted advisor of their duties on May 10 due to allegations of misconduct,' said Maj. Casey Osborne, Special Operations Command Africa director of public affairs.

A commanding officer and command master chief assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit deployed in East Africa are under investigation for sexual misconduct

'General Hicks directed both individuals to return to their home station for further adjudication regarding the allegations,' Osborne added.

'Naval Special Warfare and NCIS have initiated investigations as appropriate,' said Lt. Jacqui Maxwell, a spokesperson for Naval Special Warfare Group Two.

'A commanding officer and command master chief assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit have been relieved of their duties overseas due to alleged misconduct,' Maxwell said.

The Navy has eight SEAL teams, four stationed in Coronado, California and four stationed at Little Creek, Virginia. Group Two oversees the teams based in Little Creek.

A ninth team, known commonly as SEAL Team Six, is officially titled Naval Special Warfare Development Group and is headquartered in Virginia Beach.

SEALs in East Africa most commonly operate out of Camp Lemonnier, a naval base in Djibouti. SEALs also assist they Somali military with training in Somalia.A former Red Cross Hospital and First World War military home with a history tracing back to the pre-1800s is on sale for a colossal $12million.

Known as Downton Abbey, the seven-bedroom home on Milford Street in Randwick in Sydney's inner-east was bought 40 years ago for the relatively inexpensive price of $150,000.

Described as 'a monument to timeless craftsmanship, opulent detailing and the romance of a bygone era' the home is 'incomparable in scale and grandeur'.

A former Red Cross Hospital and First World War military home with a history tracing back to the pre-1800s is on sale for a colossal $12million

The labyrinth of rooms are decked out with chandeliers, bay windows and soaring decorative ceilings

Described as 'a monument to timeless craftsmanship, opulent detailing and the romance of a bygone era' the home is 'incomparable in scale and grandeur'

The Gothic-revival home is the last remaining sandstone mansion in Randwick and comes complete with a ballroom, servants' quarters and secret passageways

The Gothic-revival home is the last remaining sandstone mansion in Randwick and comes complete with a ballroom, servants' quarters and secret passageways.

For the last 40 years the home has been held by the late Frederick John and Helen Campion.

The couple's six adult children have placed the mansion on the market and stands to be sold for $12million - an entire $5.6million more than the previous record for a home sale in the suburb.

The family decided to sell because keeping the property between six siblings and their 17 children was too difficult, Patrick Campion told realestate.com.au.

The unique mansion was designed by colonial architect Mortimer Lewis, the man responsible for designing Randwick Racecourse, the District Court House and Bronte House.

Much of the interior remains true to its former years and features rich detailing including mahogany and marble fireplaces, soaring decorative ceilings, chandeliers, leadlight and bay windows.

The labyrinth of rooms are decked out with chandeliers, bay windows and soaring decorative ceilings. There are also stained glass ceilings and classical Greek-style columns of marble.

The family decided to sell because keeping the property between six siblings and their 17 children was too difficult one of the owners, Patrick Campion said

The two -storey sandstone house features water views and is situated on landscape grounds

'It's the last remaining mansion in and around Randwick. There were similar old sandstone mansions that were demolished in the 60s and this one survived,' Mr Campion said.

The home is Heritage Listed and retains much of its original form, with some contemporary updates added over the years.

The unique mansion was designed by colonial architect Mortimer Lewis, the man responsible for designing Randwick Racecourse, the District Court House and Bronte House

Known as Downton Abbey, the seven-bedroom home on Milford Street in Randwick in Sydney's inner-east was bought 40 years ago for the relatively inexpensive price of $150,000

The home is Heritage Listed and retains much of its original form, with some contemporary updates added over the years

The house features opulent features such as parquetry flooringThese are the first pictures of the man shot dead outside a Tube station in north west London last week.

Leon Maxwell, 38, of Watford, Hertfordshire has been named as the tragic victim of a shooting outside Queensbury Tube Station on the evening of May 1.

Armed police were called to the scene in Cumberland Road at around 9pm where they found Mr Maxwell suffering from gunshot wounds. He died there an hour later.

Tributes to the 'talented' songwriter and music producer, also known as Psyxs, have flooded in on social media, describing him as a 'caring and bubbly soul'.

Pictured: Leon Maxwell, 38, of Watford, Hertfordshire has been named as the tragic victim of a shooting outside Queensbury Tube Station on the evening of May 1

Mr Maxwell was a music producer and songwriter who went by the stage name of Psyxs

Close friend Kane Kabena wrote on Facebook the day after his death: 'I spoke to you 4-5 times yesterday planning our future joint business and now your gone??

'You changed a lot of perspectives just by your nature. Youll be missed by many my brother. Fly high. RIP Psyxs'

A crowdfunding page has been set up in his memory to help with funeral costs, which has so far raised 140 of the 15,000 target.

The page reveals he recently became a father, saying: 'I am trying to raise money to help leon's family with funeral cost, and the remaining of donations to be given to his new born baby.'

Mr Maxwell's murder was the 61st in London so far this year, following a string of fatal stabbings and shootings across the capital.

Police are still working to establish if there are any links between Mr Maxwell's death and another man who was shot in the same attack. The 26-year-old victim remains in a stable condition.

Scotland Yard have launched a murder investigation into the shooting but no arrests have yet been made.

Pictured: Armed police were called to the scene in Cumberland Road at around 9pm where they found Mr Maxwell (pictured) suffering from gunshot wounds

Tributes to the 'talented' songwriter and music producer (pictured), also known as Psyxs, have flooded in on social media, describing him as a 'caring and bubbly soul'

Armed police were called to the scene near Queensbury Tube Station at 9pm on May 1

Friend and fellow musician Lavinia Johnson wrote on Facebook: 'I have not slept a wink since I heard the news! I was really praying hoping someone would tell me it was a false alarm!

'Been an emotional wreck all night&day. Still not registering that my boy is gone and can't actually believe I am writing this & can't get my head around this madness wtf...RIP Psyxs

'You always made me feel welcomed in your presence with your caring&bubbly soul.

'You was so talented with so much to share with the world. Will miss you! May you rest in eternal peace.

'My deepest thoughts&condolences are with Max's family&close friends of his right now. GBNF Gone too soon.'

Anyone with any information into the murder should call the incident room on 020 8785 8244 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The scene was cordoned off by officers after Mr Maxwell was found with gunshot wounds and later diedDaniel Heazlewood pleaded guilty over the death of his mother, Linda Sidon (pictured)

A son who pleaded guilty to killing his mother has said he despised her and described her as a 'bogan'

Daniel Heazlewood was arrested in Brisbane in 2015 over the 2009 disappearance of his 46-year-old mother, Linda Sidon.

He faced a murder charge over her death but on Wednesday pleaded not guilty in Brisbane Supreme Court.

The court accepted his guilty plea to the downgraded charge of manslaughter.

In 2015 Heazlewood allegedly told a housemate that his mother was a bogan, c*** and whore,' the Daily Telegraph reported.

Ms Sidon - a New Zealand-born part-time cleaner who had a history of anxiety, anorexia and depression - had originally been thought to have committed suicide.

Heazlewood (pictured) was arrested in Brisbane in 2015 over the 2009 disappearance his mother

A five-day search for Ms Sidon's body in the Gold Coast hinterland in 2015 came up fruitless

But new leads increased police focus on her disappearance. A five-day search for her body in the Gold Coast hinterland in 2015 came up fruitless.

Ms Sidon's body has never been found, despite her son assisting police with their search.

His arrest came a day after police had completed a forensic search at the government housing unit where he lived with his mother.

Heazlewood, who was 28 at the time of his arrest, frequently visited Gold Coast nightclubs including Sin City, Shooters Howl and the Rendezvous Members Lounge.

Heazlewood's arrest came a day after police had completed a forensic search at the government housing unit where he lived with his mother

He reportedly wrote a series of posts on Facebook in 2012, saying women deserve to be blown up with live grenades.

'A lot of girls deserve a warm gift... such as a live grenade,' he wrote, according to The Gold Coast Bulletin.

'What do 80,000 battered wives have in common? They just don't know when to shut the f***up,' he wrote in another post.

Heazlewood will remain in custody until his sentencing on May 14.Malaysia's scandal-ridden former Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife have been barred from leaving the country, shortly after he announced plans for a short holiday.

The decision to place him on blacklist comes as the new Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, said there is enough evidence to begin an investigation into allegations against Razak.

Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor were due to leave on a private jet on Saturday to Jakarta, fueling rumors he was fleeing the country to escape possible prosecution over a massive corruption scandal involving the 1MDB state fund.

His coalition suffered a shocking electoral defeat this week that ended its 60 year-rule, an outcome that saw Malaysia's former authoritarian leader Mahathir become the world's oldest prime minister at the age of 92.

Malaysia's former leader Mahathir Mohamad (pictured) has become the world's oldest prime minister as he enters office at the age of 92

Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor have been barred from leaving the country, amid claims he was trying to evade prosecution for a corruption scandal involving the state investment fund

Najib's statement on social media didn't say where he was heading to but he said he is committed to 'facilitating a smooth transfer of power.'

He apologized for his mistakes and shortcomings and said he intends to continue serving the people.

'I pray that after this divisive period, the country will unite,' he said.

The Immigration Department, which had initially said there was no travel blacklist for Najib, later issued a brief statement that Najib and Rosmah 'have just been blacklisted from leaving the country'.

Najib responded swiftly by saying he respected the department's ruling and will stay with his family in the country.

The former Prime Minister announced on Saturday at he was stepping down with immediate effect as president of the United Malays National Organization as well as chairman of the National Front coalition.

Mahathir, who was prime minister between 1981 and 2003, led the opposition coalition, Pakatan Harapan, to its first election victory since Malaysian independence in 1957.

The aged ex-ruler won an outright parliamentary majority and will be sworn in by the king today.

The election result is a political earthquake for the Muslim-majority country, ending the National Front's unbroken 60-year rule.

Razak's reputation has been tarnished by corruption scandals, a crackdown on dissent and the imposition of an unpopular sales tax that hurt many of his coalition's poor rural supporters.

Many analysts had thought the National Front might lose the popular vote but cling to a majority in parliament due to an electoral system that gave more power to its rural Malay supporters.

News of Mahathir's win - previously thought to be an impossibility - sparked euphoria across Malaysia.

Outgoing Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak (pictured) of the Barisan National party coalition leaves after addressing the media at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. In a speech he said he would respect the 'verdict of the people'

Najib Razak arrives at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur after losing the election to Mahathir

'We are so happy, such a proud day for Malaysia,' David Thaiga, 57, told The Guardian as he celebrated in the street.

'We have been waiting for this for the past 60 years. This is a miracle for us. And even though I was not a fan of Mahathir, I think he was the only one who could have brought this victory.'

Sukumira Sekhar lived through Malaysian independence and the following 60 years of rule by the Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition.

The 84-year-old said: 'I'm so happy I survived to see this. I wish I could jump up and down for joy, but be sure my heart is jumping up and down. I'm so proud of the people of Malaysia, especially the young people and the Malays who swung it.'

The result is a rare exception to backsliding on democratic values in Southeast Asia - a region of more than 600 million people where governments of countries including Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines have swung toward harsh authoritarian rule.

In a lively news conference peppered with his trademark wisecracks, Mahathir flagged significant changes for Malaysia, which he described as being left in a 'mess' by defeated Prime Minister Najib Razak and the National Front coalition.

He criticized a 'fake news' law pushed through parliament by the National Front during the lead-up to the election.

Mahathir is being investigated under that law for claiming a plane he was to travel on was sabotaged during the campaign.

'We need to have this government today without delay,' Mahathir said. 'There is a lot of work to be done. You know the mess the country is in and we need to attend to this mess as soon as possible and that means today. So we expect that today, well, I'll be sworn in as prime minister.'

Supporters of the incoming government took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur to celebrate their unexpected victory.

People stood on roadsides waving the white, blue and red flag of the opposition alliance that triumphed in Wednesday's election. Cars honked their horns as they sped past.

Supporters of Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad celebrate outside the National Palace. Some described the victory as a 'miracle'

'I'm so happy,' said Zarini Najibuddin while waving the opposition flag. 'I hope we'll have a better Malaysia now. Malaysia reborn!'

But Ibrahim Suffian, co-founder of the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research, said the new government will have to contend with 'enormous forces of inertia and resistance from within the government elites.'

'The bureaucracy and the rest of the government apparatus has never been used to this idea, having been, you know, more than 60 years under the same political party,' he said.

Mahathir, prime minister for 22 years until stepping down in 2003, was credited with modernizing Malaysia but was also known as a heavy-handed leader who imprisoned opponents and subjugated the courts.

Angered by the graft scandal at state investment fund 1MDB, Mahathir emerged from political retirement and joined the opposition in an attempt to oust Najib, his former protege.

The US Justice Department says 3.3billion was looted from 1MBD by associates of Najib between 2009 and 2014, including 517million that landed in Najib's bank account and a 17million pink diamond necklace bought for Najib's wife.

He has denied wrongdoing.

Mahathir said the new government will not conduct a witch hunt, but Najib will have to face the consequences if he has broken the law.

Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia expert at John Cabot University in Rome, said it was hugely ironic that Mahathir, who damaged Malaysia's democratic institutions with his strong-arm rule, has returned as its political savior.

'It is not just a comeback,' she said.

'It is about making amends about his mistakes and moving Malaysia forward.'

Mahathir said the new government would seek the release and full pardon of Anwar Ibrahim, an opposition icon imprisoned on sodomy charges that Anwar and his supporters said were fabricated by the National Front to crush the opposition.

Anwar, whose sentence ends on June 8, should be free to participate in politics, he said. Anwar, a former deputy prime minister in the ruling party, was also imprisoned under Mahathir following a power struggle.

On the economic front, Mahathir vowed to cancel a goods and service tax imposed since 2015 and said the government could also renegotiate the terms of Chinese loans for infrastructure projects.

Mahathir disputed Najib's assertion during a concession speech that Malaysia's king must appoint the new prime minister because no single party has a parliamentary majority, calling it 'confusion.'

The constitution, he said, only specifies that the prime minister must represent those with a majority in the legislature. Opposition parties won more than 135 seats in the 222-seat parliament.

In his speech, Najib, 64, said he accepted the 'verdict of the people.'

The National Front 'will honor the principle of democracy in the parliament,' he said.A new lead in the search for missing toddler Katrice Lee has emerged after the name of a potential suspect has been handed to the police, 37 years after she went missing.

A former member of the RAF was identified by a colleague from a Royal Military Police photo fit released. He was seen putting a toddler, who may have been Katrice, in a green car.

Katrice, from Hartlepool, County Durham went missing on her second birthday in 1981. She was last seen in a German supermarket with her mother Sharon, aunt Wendy and father Richard.

Katrice Lee vanished in 1981 on her second birthday at the base in Paderborn where her soldier father was stationed

A man was seen climbing into a green saloon with a child matching Katrice's description (pictured: the photo-fit of the man)

Her father was a sergeant major at a military base in Germany.

'I trained for the RAF with a guy who looks exactly like the picture of the man with the green car.

'We went our separate ways in 1980 and I don't know where he was posted to but the police seemed interested in what I had to say' the informant told the Mirror after talking to the police.

The photo fit was released last year and based on a witness account on the unsolved case.

It was re-released last month as the Royal Military Police began a five-week long search of a river bank near the Paderborn military base where Katrice was living.

The hunt, which was unsuccessful, worked on the assumption the toddler had wandered off and fallen into the nearby river Lippe, and drowned.

A hundred soldiers spent five weeks on a forensic excavation of the banks of the river Alme in Paderborn, 70 miles south-west of Hanover.

Katrice Lee vanished on 28 November 1981, her second birthday, as her mother was buying treats for a birthday tea

This is what police believe Katrice would look like today - she went missing in November 1981

The case was reopened in 2000 and led to the arrest of a former soldier - but he was released without charge.

More inquiries were made in 2012.

Sharon, now 64, and divorced from Richard, said the toddler was 'gone in a matter of seconds'. She added: 'It's living a nightmare that you never wake up from.

'Nearly 37 years ago we became members of an exclusive club we didn't ask for membership of  we became parents of a missing daughter.

Katrice Lee was snatched from a supermarket while out shopping with her mother (pictured)

Katrice's mother Sharon, now 64, said the toddler was 'gone in a matter of seconds'

Sharon and Richard Lee, the parents of Katrice, who are desperately hoping the search will find what happened to their daughter

'I would dearly love to be able to revoke that membership.'

She said: 'The next five weeks is a double-edged sword for us as a family. We desperately want Katrice to be found but we also know that if anything is discovered during this search then my daughter's life would have been ended in very unsavoury circumstances.

'That's another emotion we have to learn to live with.'

German Police help British Royal Military police in their search for missing Katrice Lee

The search effort is focused on the banks of the River Alme in northern, rural Germany

Royal Military Police are digging up a riverbank as they look for any trace of Katrice Lee, who went missing on her second birthday

Richard, now 68, who has split from Sharon, had criticised the Royal Military Police handling of the case, but felt his voice had 'finally been heard' at a summit with Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson this year.

Mr Williamson said Katrice's case was heart-wrenching, adding: 'The disappearance of a child is every parent's worst nightmare and I have been struck by the courage and dignity of the Lee family who have never given up on their search for Katrice.

'As this major dig gets under way, the efforts and expertise of the Royal Military Police are behind the family.'TV giant Netflix has been criticised over its planned release of a teenage suicide drama - just as student stress levels across the country will be at their peak.

The second series of 13 Reasons Why is set to be released next Friday, May 18, just as students will be picking up their pens for revision and exams throughout the country.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists branded the move 'callous' as it said that suicide rates typically go up at this time of year during exam season.

Mental health experts are concerned at the timing of the latest series of 13 Reasons Why, which is about the life and death of Hannah Baker (pictured right) portrayed by Katherine Langford

The series tells the story of 17-year-old Hannah Baker's life and death and will be made available online just as students are doing their GCSEs and A-levels.

Netflix has highlighted a number of videos by cast members discussing the challenging topics that the series raises.

It has also made a video to warn viewers about the nature of the programme, and indicating sources of support and help.

Dr Helen Rayner, of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, told The Guardian: 'It's well known within children's services that there's an increase in completed suicides and suicide attempts during the exam season.

'I feel extremely disappointed and angry. This glamourises suicide and makes it seductive.'

She added that the programme introduced the idea to the young that suicide was something 'that's possible'.

General secretary of the Association of School and College Lecturers, Geoff Barton, also told The Guardian: 'I would share the concerns of parents and teachers, given that we already know the levels of anxiety young people feel during the exam season.'

Dylan Minnette (pictured left) plays Clay Jenkins who is the friend and love interest of Hannah Baker

The dramatic second series comes at a time when teenagers will be picking up their pens for their GCSEs and A-levels

But actress Alisha Boe, who plays Jessica Davis in the series, said: 'But if you are struggling with these issues yourself, this series may not be right for you, or you may want to watch it with a trusted adult.'

Around 922 people aged 25 committed suicide in England and Wales in 2014 and 2015. Suicide now accounts for 14 per cent of all deaths among 10- to 19-year-olds.'What happens in Hollywood stays in Hollywood,' so says the mantra on the website of iconic strip club Hollywood Showgirls, but that all may be about to change.

Jimmy Ozturk, a nightclub promotion manager who has worked along the Gold Coast's glitter strip for 35 years, 11 of those in front of Hollywood Showgirls, is likely to take his former boss to court in an unfair dismissal case after mediation failed.

Mr Ozturk's lawyer, Jason Murakami, has predicted if the case does proceed to trial all manner of bouncers, strippers, management, associates, and even clients could be called to take the stand.

Jimmy Ozturk (pictured), a nightclub promotion manager who has worked along the glitter strip for 35 years, 11 of those in front of Hollywood Showgirls

The nightclub has been one of the bold icons of the Gold Coast party strip for decades

Mr Ozturk was suspended from his position by the venue's owner Craig Duffy (pictured) after an internal investigation into an alleged $500 tip

Mr Ozturk's lawyer, Jason Murakami (pictured), predicted that if the case does proceed to trial bouncers, strippers, management, associates, and even clients could be called to the stand

'You'll probably have every man and his dog ringing up saying "Hell, my wife better not find out I was at this place",' Mr Murakami said.

In October last year Mr Ozturk retired, at the time telling the Gold Coast Bulletin that he wanted to spend more time with his family, including his grandchildren, and that he needed a rest.

However, the 69-year-old was involved in a behind-the-scenes dispute with nightclub management over an alleged $500 tip he received from a patron.

Documents submitted to the Fair Work Commission obtained by the Gold Coast Bulletin show that Mr Ozturk was suspended from his position by the venue's owner Craig Duffy after an internal investigation into the matter.

Jimmy Ozturk claims the money was given to him as a gift by a patron

Hollywood Showgirls is located in the Gold Coast's party strip at Surfer's Paradise

In October last year Mr Ozturk (pictured) retired, at the time saying that he wanted to spend more time with his family, including his grandchildren, and that he needed a rest

The documents include a text allegedly sent from Mr Duffy to Mr Ozturk suggesting that he retire.

'I've investigated a complaint re the $500 you took of a client five weeks ago. Effective immediately I'm suspending you. The evidence is overwhelming, it's not good ... $500 off the customer's not on. It's been a long time but retiring gracefully is the best option,' the text read.

Other texts submitted in the documents appear to show the patron confirming the money as a gift.

'I think everything will be all good when he sees it's all legit,' the alleged text from the customer says.

Mr Ozturk's lawyer said that up until the morning of the hearing he and his client would be open to private mediation and a settlement.

He has nothing against the venue or its management, said Mr Murakami, however, he affirms he has a job to do in representing Mr Ozturk, and if that means airing dirty laundry then he will do it.Former Conservative foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind is calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the rendition of Libyan dissident Abdul Hakim Belhaj.

Mr Belhaj and his wife Fatima Boudchar were kidnapped in Thailand in 2004 and returned to Libya where they were allegedly tortured by Colonel Gaddafi's forces.

Their capture was part of an M16-CIA operation linked to Tony Blair's infamous 'deal in the desert' with Gaddafi.

The couple received a formal apology from the UK Government for their part in their kidnap and torture in Parliament on Thursday.

Former Conservative foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind is calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the rendition of Libyan dissident Abdul Hakim Belhaj (pictured in 2011)

But now Sir Malcolm says the Intelligence and Security Committe should look into the case further, particularly with regards to Tony Blair and his then foreign secretary Jack Straw.

Mr Belhaj and his wife Fatima Boudchar (pictured outside Parliament) were kidnapped in Thailand in 2004 and returned to Libya where they were allegedly tortured by Colonel Gaddafi's forces

He told the BBC: 'I think it's absolutely vital and in the public interest that the role of the prime minister and ministers at the time in this affair should become better understood.

'Tony Blair was prime minister, he has been uncharacteristically silent, so far as I am aware not a word has he said.

'Jack Straw said he would love to give evidence to the ISC on those matters relevant to national security where he can't speak openly.

'What is not known is the extent to which the then prime minister and other ministers were party to what MI6 was doing.

'And we know that Mr Blair took a very strong personal interest in Libya.'

Sir Malcolm, a former chairman of the ISC, said the committee would be able to make 95 per cent of its findings public.

'That's exactly why the Intelligence and Security Committee are there. They are senior parliamentarians.

'They are the only people outside the Government who have the right, absolute right to see all the highly classified information and therefore would be able to come to a judgment.

'They could quite easily come to the judgment either that ministers, in their view, did not know, or were not involved, or that ministers were ... right up to their necks, as it were.

'There will be no reason of national security why either the involvement of the prime minister, or ministers, or their non-involvement, should not be, not only investigated, but the results announced to Parliament and to the wider public.

The couple received a formal apology from the UK Goverment (Belhaj is pictured with Dominick Chillcott UK ambassador for Turkey) for their part in their kidnap and torture in Parliament on Thursday

BNow Sir Malcolm Rifkind (pictured) says the Intelligence and Security Committe should look into the case further, particularly with regards to Tony Blair and his then foreign secretary Jack Straw

'The Intelligence and Security Committee has the right to decide on its own authority whether to carry out such an investigation.'

Mr Straw has said he 'would be happy' to give evidence to the ISC, stating that he sought to act at all times in a manner consistent with his legal duties while foreign secretary.

The couple fought a long legal battle over their rendition and the 'apalling' treatment that followed back in Libya.

Pictured: Libyan anti-Gaddafi rebel Abdul Hakim Belhaj

During an appeal hearing at the Supreme Court last year, the court heard how Mr Belhaj, a Libyan national and opponent of Gaddafi, and his wife had attempted to take a commercial flight from Beijing to London using fake passports.

But they were instead deported by the Chinese authorities to Kuala Lumpur where they were detained.

It is alleged MI6 became aware of their detention and reported their whereabouts to the Libyan intelligence services, a plan which led to them being tortured in Bangkok and held against their will in Libya.

Ms Boudchar was held until June 2004 while Mr Belhaj was incarcerated for six years until March 2010.

Belhaj's capture was part of an M16-CIA operation linked to Tony Blair's infamous 'deal in the desert' with Gaddafi (pair pictured together before his death in 2011)Michael Portillo's father has been accused by a historian of making up a famous Spanish Civil War speech with the assistance of George Orwell.

Luis Portillo, the former Conservative politician's father, wrote an article about a speech given by Miguel de Unamuno of the University of Salamanca on the evening of October 12, 1936.

Unamuno addressed a meeting on the day before he was sacked following a row with General Jose Millan Astray during the opening weeks of the Spanish Civil War.

Luis Portillo, second right, pictured with his family including Michael, aged seven, right, wrote about a historic speech given by his friend Miguel de Unamuno of the University of Salamanca in October 1936 a few weeks after the war broke out

Millan was a fervent supporter of General Franco while Unamuno was angry about the anti-Basque and anti-Catalan mood at the meeting.

The exchange between the two men was published by Portillo in 1941 in literary magazine Horizon in an article 'Unamuno's Last Lecture', possibly with the assistance of George Orwell.

According to the original article, Unamuno, who was the University's rector stood up and said: 'This is a temple of intelligence and I am its high priest.

'You are profaning its sacred precincts. You will win because you have an abundance of brute force, but you will not convince. To convince, you need to persuade, and to persuade you need something you lack: reason and right in the struggle. It seems to me to be useless to ask you to think of Spain. I have spoken.'

Luis Portillo, right, wrote about the speech in 1941 in a literary magazine with the assistance of George Orwell, left, despite not being in the university auditorium on the night of the event

Unamuno's speech warned against the threat post by Spanish nationalists, pictured

It is claimed Millan is said to have chanted 'Death to intelligence! Long live death!'

However, Portillo, who was a professor, was not in the auditorium at the time.

Now, almost eight decades later, Severiano Delgado, who is a historian and librarian at the university, has questioned whether Unamuno wrote the words which were regarded as an anti-militaristic clarion call on the need for reason.

In his 34-page paper, Delgado claims the speech as reported by Portillo was a 'liturgical drama'.

Speaking to The Guardian, Delgado said: 'Its obvious and undeniable that there was a very fierce and violent verbal confrontation between Miguel de Unamuno and General Millan Astray.

'I am not disputing that at all  its an objective fact. The thing is that a very bombastic speech is attributed to Unamuno, where he ends up talking about the temple of intelligence and being its high priest. But, in reality, Unamuno didnt deliver that speech. It was invented and written by Luis Portillo.'

He added: 'What Portillo did was come up with a kind of liturgical drama, where you have an angel and a devil confronting one another. What he wanted to do above all was symbolise evil  fascism, militarism, brutality  through Millan Astray, and set it against the democratic values of the republicans  liberalism and goodness  represented by Unamuno. Portillo had no intention of misleading anyone; it was simply a literary evocation.'A 'bright and bubbly' schoolgirl who suffered from a rare condition which left her confined to a wheelchair died just days after meeting her hero Ed Sheeran.

Aoibhe O'Connor, 11, was born with mucolipidosis, a very rare genetic disorder which causes diminished muscle tone.

The schoolgirl from Cork, Ireland, died unexpectedly after suffering a minor fall and then going into cardiac arrest on May 9.

Aoibhe O'Connor (right) and her sister Lauren (left) pose for a picture with Ed Sheeran backstage at the opening gig of his European tour in Cork, Ireland

Just five days earlier the Ed Sheeran superfan had gleefully posed for pictures with her idol.

He invited her backstage before the opening gig of his European tour in the Irish city.

Aoibhe's father John told the Irish Examiner his daughter was 'bright and bubbly' and adored Sheeran's music.

Singing superstar Ed Sheeran, who chatted with little Aoibhe five days before she died

The Thinking Out Loud hit-maker talked with his young fan and her eight-year-old sister Lauren about their favourite music.

Cork's 96fm breakfast presenter known as KC organised the meeting, which was part of a push by Aoibhe's family to make 'memories for life' for their little girl.

He tweeted two days after her death: 'Today was toughest piece of radio Ive ever had to do, announcing our little friend Aoibhe OConnor has passed away. She fulfilled her dream of meeting @edsheeran last Friday night. Rest In Peace'.

Aoibhe was a QueenBee ambassador for the children's national ambulance service Bumbleance.

The charity's co-founder, Tony Heffernan, told the Irish Examiner: 'She was a powerful little package, full of laughter and joy.'A team of SAS soldiers have flown out to try and save two British tourists who were kidnapped at gunpoint during a trip to see some mountain gorillas.

The 10-strong squad was sent out on Friday after a female park ranger was blasted to death when trying to defend the tourists in the Virunga National Park.

Rachel Katumwa, 25, was a so-called ecoguard providing security on the convoy. She became the first female ranger in the bloody history of the park to be murdered by bandits.

Kidnappers are demanding 150,000 for the return of two Britons, both male, who were abducted along with a driver while gorilla trekking in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rachel Katumwa was an 'ecoguard' providing security on a convoy in Virunga National Park

According to a friend, the 25-year-old's only concern was for the safety of those on the convoy

A sign carrying the former name, Parc National Albert, instead of Virunga National Park. The sign is riddled with bullet holes and rusted

The Congelese Army has launched an operation to rescue them.

Fellow park rangers confirmed that Rachel was a devoted conservationist who died in the line of duty.

One added: Her only thought would have been the safety and security of visitors to the park who were on the convoy.

Unfortunately armed robbers attacked as the convoy approached Rumangabo. Following the ecoguards death, two British citizens were taken away, along with their driver.

The Congolese authorities have not yet named the two Britons kidnapped, citing operational reasons.

It is thought that the attack was carried out by the MaiMai militia  a group with its roots in the war between the Congo and Rawandan forces.

Fellow park rangers paid tribute to 'devoted conservationist who died in the line of duty

Kidnapping: Two British citizens have been kidnapped while visiting the Virunga National Park, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Tourists walking through the Virunga National Park last month. The kidnapped British tourists were gorilla trekking in the region

The park ranger colleague of Rachel Katumwa. The rangers protect tourists in the area

A village near to where the ranger was killed trying to save the British tourists from being kidnapped

The kidnapped happened on Friday morning just a few hundred yards from an Army base, where soldiers from the 802nd Regiment was stationed.

Despite this there has already been criticism of the slow response time by the troops.

Local politician Zubaya Faustin said: More should have been done to support the park guards.

Some 175 Virunga guards have been killed over the past decade, making their job one of the most dangerous in the country.

Despite the risks, Virunga remains hugely popular with tourists from all over the world because of its mountain gorilla sanctuary.

The MaiMai have been robbing tourists, while concentrating on western visitors because of the high ransom demands they can potentially make.

In April five rangers from Virunga and a driver were killed following an ambush in the park, while a sixth ranger was severely wounded.

A UK Foreign Office statement reads: We are in close contact with the authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo following an incident involving two British nationals, and our staff are providing support to their families.

Armed men began firing on a convoy of vehicles after it drove into the Virunga National Park  one of the dangerous of its kind in the world.

Another man, believed to be a driver, was shot in the shoulder during the attack but either managed to escape or was set free.

According to a park officials the captors are demanding $200,000 (147,645) for the return of the two British men.

The gunmen launched their attack at 10am near the village of Kibumba inside the national park.

A view from the plains of Mount Nyiragongo, an active volcano in the Virunga National Park

A group of park rangers pause in front of a field post in Virunga National Park (file photo)

Attacked: The convoy the Brits were travelling in through Virunga National Park reportedly came under attack around 10am local time (file photo)

The village is eight miles away from the capital city of eastern Congos troubled North Kivu provicnce, Goma.

The cast Virunga National park stretches 3,000 miles across verdant savannah, along the Rwandan and Ugandan borders.

The park is home to between a quarter and a third of all Mountain Gorillas, which are highly endangered.

However, the swathes of land also gives shelter to a dozen militias and rebel outfits from three different countries.

The armed groups are remnants of Congos civil war but also made up of poachers and criminal parks.

Their presence makes the park one of the most dangerous in the world for rangers and conservationists.

In the past 20 years, at least 170 wildlife rangers have been killed, including five who were murdered with their driver following an ambush last month.

While kidnappings are not uncommon in the park, the latest abductions mark the first time in 20 years that an attempt was made to seize Western tourists.

Diplomats at the British embassy in Kinshasa were last night desperately trying to gather information from the region, where there is virtually no Western presence.

Kidnapping: Virunga National Park is a renowned gorilla sanctuary in the east of the the Democratic Republic of Congo (pictured are gorillas in the park)

A Foreign Office spokesman said: We are in close contact with the authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo following an incident involving two British nationals and out staff are providing support to their families.

Just a few dozen British tourists visit the park each year. The Foreign Office warns against all travel to the area due to the rapidly deteriorating security situation there.

The continued presence of armed groups, military operations against them, inter-communal violence and an influx of neighbouring countries all contribute to a deterioration in the political, security and humanitarian situation, the Foreign Office warns in advice released before the kidnappings.

Tourists in eastern DRC have been known to be left very vulnerable and the risk of kidnap or injury as a result of armed or criminal activity remains high.

The park's director, Emmanuel de Merode, a Belgian national, was himself wounded in a road ambush between the park and Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in 2014.The owner of Poundworld has put the discount chain up for sale, putting thousands of jobs at risk.

There are 356 Poundworld stores in Britain and they employ approximately 6,000 people.

TPG, the American private equity firm that backs the discount store, wants to sell the chain by the end of the month.

Discount retailer Poundworld has been put up for sale by its owner, putting thousands of jobs at risk across Britain

The news comes less than two weeks after Poundworld announced plans to close 100 stores in Britain.

The decision had come as part of a rescue plan to help the loss-making business, according to Sky News.

The rescue plan, known as a Company Voluntary Arrangement, was intended to help improve the ailing finances of Poundworld.

Brands New Look, Toys R Us UK and Carpetright have previously used a CVA as the high street continues to be plagued with financial uncertainty.

But the change of heart and decision to sell the chain means that the rescue plan is now in doubt - which may eventually lead to Poundworld facing administration.

Potential buyers have been contacted with TPG intending to sell the retailer by the end of May.

The retailers troubles are said to be due to falling consumer confidence, rising overheads and the weaker pound.An Alabama father-of-six has been paralyzed and is fighting for his life after he picked up a deadly snake, thinking it was harmless.

Jeffrey Phillips was trying to catch what he thought was a milk snake for his brother when it bit him, and caused devastating injuries.

The reptile was actually a coral snake, which has the same color and similar markings to a milk snake, but are actually the deadliest in the country.

He was rushed to Anderson Hospital in Meridian, Mississippi, and antivenom was flown in to try and save his life, but the time delay meant the coral snake's poison had already done a lot of damage.

Jeffrey Phillips was left paralyzed after he mistook a deadly coral snake for a harmless milk snake

He tried to pick the snake up for his brother, who used to own reptiles, and was bitten and rushed to hospital

'The snake bite has damaged his vision and he has become paralyzed,' a GoFundMe set up for the family's medical expenses said.

'Due to the fact he did not receive the antivenom promptly it has caused many neurological problems. It should have been administered within the first 4-6 hours but he didn't receive it until approximately 40 hours past the bite.

'He is still very sick and still in the Intensive Care Unit and could remain for a few more weeks. He will then need extensive physical therapy to learn how to walk, eat, write and all other every day activities.'

Phillips and his fiance Angela Patrick, who have six children between them, were due to marry in August. The wedding has had to be postponed so he can recover.

The family have no medical insurance, and paying for what will be a long and difficult road to recovery is a looming worry, but Phillips' mother Judy Kell told WTOK News she is just happy to see her son breathing.

'I've had my breakdowns, you know trying to hold it together. It's scary knowing that my son could die,' she said.

'We still don't know [what condition Phillips will be in] yet. They're still running different tests and he hopefully will regain some of his use. We just really don't know.

'He's going to have to learn how to walk, dress himself, eat, and brush his teeth and everything.'

Phillips was engaged to be married in August to Angela Patrick (pictured) but the wedding will need to be postponed

The couple have six children between them and no medical insurance, so are fundraising for Phillips' medical costs

Ms Patrick said she was devastated to see her fiance in such poor condition, but felt comforted by the outpouring of community support.

'Seeing you lying there like this has broken my heart in two,' she wrote in an emotional post on Facebook.

'You are loved by so many, all of the calls, texts and visitors - most importantly the prayers have really meant a lot to us all.

'I'm so ready to see that little grin of yours again, you are my best friend. I need you to get better, I can't imagine life without you in it.'

CORAL SNAKE OR MILK SNAKE? HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE Physically, the coral snake and the milk snake appear near-identical. But when it comes to the power of its bite, the reptiles couldn't be more different. While the milk snake is harmless, the venom of a coral snake can kill. Victims of a coral snake bite may think they've been bitten by a milk snake, as there is usually no pain or swelling at the bite site, and it can take up to 12 hours for symptoms to show. The coral snake's venom has a neurotoxin in it, which disrupts connections between the brain and muscles. Coral snakes (left) and milk snakes (right) look very similar, but can be distinguished with a short rhyme: 'Red touches yellow, kills a fellow. Red touches black, friend of Jack.' Victims of a bite will often start to slur their words, experience double vision and muscular paralysis, before dying of cardiac or respiratory failure. The snake is usually not aggressive, and there hasn't been a single reported death from a coral snake bite in the US since 1967, when the antivenin was released. Because it is easy to make a life-altering mistake when encountering a black, red and yellow snake, people are encouraged to learn a short rhyme to tell the difference between their markings. 'Red touches yellow, kills a fellow. Red touches black, friend of Jack.' Source: National Geographic Advertisement

Phillips has damaged vision from the bite, and is paralyzed. He will need extensive therapy to recover

The coral snake is often mistaken for a milk or king snake.

The pair have similar colorings and markings, but while one is non-poisonous, the other is deadly, and quite rare.

Humans are not often bitten by the snakes, and so a treatment for their venom, which is different to most other snakes, is difficult to come by.

Dr. Jarrod Fogarty, a biology professor at MSU-Meridian, told WTOK if you're not completely certain on what kind of snake it is, it's best to leave it alone completely.

A rhyme used for centuries helps to tell the difference, and Dr Fogarty says it's a good way to stay safe.

'Red touches yellow, kills a fellow. Red touches black, friend of Jack.'Two more teenagers have been charged over the shocking assault of an autistic teenager in Victoria this week.

Quinn Lahiff-Jenkins, 14, was allegedly ambushed and beaten by five attackers armed with wrenches and spanners in a horrifying attack outside Northcote High School in Melbourne's north on Tuesday afternoon.

Police made their first arrest in relation to the incident on Thursday when a Reservoir teen, 15, was charged with affray, recklessly cause injury and intentionally cause injury.

On Saturday, Transit Crime Investigation Unit detectives charged two more boys in relation to the alleged assault.

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Autistic teenager Quinn Lahiff-Jenkins, was allegedly attacked by five armed youths outside Northcote High School

'The two Reservoir teens, aged 14 and 16, were also charged with affray, recklessly cause injury and intentionally cause injury, as well as weapons offences,' a Victoria Police spokesperson said.

'All three teenagers have been bailed to appear at a childrens court at a later date.'

Victoria Police continue to investigate the incident in the hunt for the two other alleged attackers.

Northcote High School principal Sue Harrap took to social media to condemn the 'upsetting incident.'

'You may have seen some media coverage of an upsetting incident which took place near our school and appears to have involved some of our students,' she posted on the school's Facebook page on Thursday.

'This behaviour is totally unacceptable and does not reflect the values of our school. Our thoughts are with the student who was attacked and his family. We reported the incident to police and well work closely with them on their investigation.'

Quinn (pictured) told Channel 10's The Project that the alleged attack was very distressing

Northcote High School (pictured) principal Sue Harrap said the school is working to ensure the appropriate disciplinary action will be taken

The principal added she was working closely with Fitzroy High School to ensure the student who was attacked and his family get the support he needs.

'Ill be speaking to students about the incident today to make clear that this type of behaviour is entirely unacceptable from our students and to make sure anyone who is upset is offered appropriate support,' she wrote.

'We are working through the process of ensuring the appropriate disciplinary actions are taken.'

Quinn suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital.

'I like to think I'm a nice person to people and I don't like bullies,' he told Channel 10's The Project on Thursday.

'They (the bullies) would come at me and they would kill me, it was very scary. I started thinking bad thoughts, it was disgusting, it's very distressing for me.'

Quinn's mother Carmen Lahiff-Jenkins spoke out after horrific footage of the alleged attack went public.

In a candid interview with 3AW's Neil Mitchell on Thursday, Mrs Lahiff-Jenkins said the young thugs who allegedly attacked her son could be anyone's children.

'I don't imagine that these are five specific bad kids, all our kids could be out there behaving this way,' she said.

'I feel very sorry for the parents of these kids, because now they have to deal with something that I'm sure will shock them.'

Quinn was allegedly thrown off his bike by one of the boys who was carrying a wrench (pictured in black shirt)

Describing the alleged attack as 'pretty gruesome', Mrs Lahiff-Jenkins said it was her and her husband's 'worst nightmare'.

The Melbourne mother said Quinn was extremely lucky to escape with only bruises from the alleged attack, but said it was his mental health she was most worried about.

When asked what led to the alleged beating, Mrs Lahiff-Jenkins said her son was trying to defend his friend, also believed to be autistic, who was being bullied.

She said her 'justice-driven' son messaged one of the boys on social media pleading with them to stop the bullying.

'The children rang him and rang him and said, 'Meet us at the school, and if you don't come we're going to come to your house and rape your mother,' she told 3AW.

Mrs Lahiff-Jenkins said her son was so upset, he jumped on his bike immediately.

Quinn (pictured) is now too scared to leave the house, according to his mother

Confronting footage of the attack, obtained by The Herald Sun, shows Quinn being thrown off his bike by one of the boys who was allegedly carrying a wrench.

Five boys then allegedly attacked Quinn, jumping on him, pushing his head into the pavement and beating him with weapons.

Quinn was seen defenceless, trying to block the punches coming from the attacker.

Once he regained his footing, a boy allegedly grabbed his head and kneed him in the face.

Quinn was then cornered between two boys armed with wrenches who attacked him from both sides before chasing him into traffic where he was held down and kicked in the head.

Quinn's mother, Carmen (pictured), got the heartbreaking call from her son while he was in the ambulance

Quinn's mother, Carmen, got the heartbreaking call from her son while he was in the ambulance.

Ms Lahiff-Jenkins took to Twitter to share the incident with her followers, posting, 'They had been bullying him on social and calling his phone threatening to rape his mother if he didn't come to meet them.'

'They had been using homophobic language to taunt him and he had been telling them off saying things like 'he's not ashamed to be gay, he's proud' and things like that and the abuse escalated.

'All 4-5 of them punching kicking and whacking with spanners.

'And the effects on his mental health will be profound. It's so hard to be a teenage boy, let alone grapple with the social weight of autism without being targeted by bullies.

'My husband and I despair for our special boy.'

She said Quinn was now too afraid to leave his house.A $10million per year NASA program to track key global warming contributors carbon and methane has been canceled.

The program called the Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) was cut due to 'budget constraints and higher priorities within the science budget, a spokesperson for the space agency said Thursday.

A report from the journal Science called the shut down the latest move in a 'broad attack on climate science' by the White House.

'NASA's CMS has helped stitch together observations of sources and sinks into high-resolution models of the planet's flows of carbon,' the journal wrote.

'Now, President Donald Trump's administration has quietly killed the CMS.'

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A report from the journal Science called shutting down the Carbon Monitoring System the latest move in a 'broad attack on climate science' by the White House. Trump is pictured during the speech where he announced the US was pulling out of the Paris climate accord last June

The journal science reported that the key problem with cutting CMS is that the move limits the America's ability to measure greenhouse gas emissions, and 'you can't manage what you don't measure'.

However, looking at the situation from Trump's point of view, the move makes more sense.

Throughout his campaign and his presidency Trump has remained firm in his belief that global warming does not exist.

Last June he announced the US would be pulling out of the Paris climate accord, a deal signed by more than 190 nations to slash polluting emissions from fossil fuels.

Also last year Trump had proposed cutting the CMS project along with four Earth science missions.

In the March 2018 budget Congress ultimately voted to keep those space missions, but left out the CMS.

NASA spokesperson Steve Cole told Science the move to cut CMS from the budget was a joint effort by lawmakers and the Trump Administration.

The CMS was designed to monitor greenhouse gas emissions on a large scale. The map above shows concentrations of nitrogen dioxide detected by a satellite

The CMS was designed in 2010 to track sources and sinks for carbon and make high resolution models of the planet's flows of carbon.

Cole said that existing grants would be allowed to finish, but no new research would be supported.

He added: 'Winding down of this specific research program does not curb NASA's ability or commitment to monitoring carbon and its effects on our changing planet.'

Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy Kelly Sims Gallagher disagrees, calling the shutdown of the program 'a grave mistake'.

Gallagher is the director of Tufts University's Center for International Environment and Resource Policy in Medford, Massachusetts.

She said eliminating the CMS interferes with efforts to verify the emission cuts agreed to in the Paris climate deal.

'If you cannot measure emissions reductions, you cannot be confident that countries are adhering to the agreement,' she told Science.Lawyer Ogedi Ogu claims the Oxford English Mini Dictionary cost him his reputation in legal circles because the reference book had the wrong definitions of 'mortgagee' and 'mortgagor'

A Nigerian lawyer was suing the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary for more than 20,000 (10m Nigerian naira) for mixing up the definitions of two words.

Ogedi Ogu said he was left embarrassed and was no longer asked for legal advice after he lost the respect of his colleagues when he used the incorrect words while finalising a mortgage deal.

He claimed he relied on the definitions in the Oxford Mini Reference Dictionary and the Oxford English Mini Dictionary, which he purchased in 2005 and 2006 respectively, of the word 'mortgagee', which was defined as the borrower, and 'mortgagor' meaning lender.

Documents filed in Lagos State High Court by Ogu against Oxford University Press and University of Oxford state he suffered a loss of reputation as a lawyer when he used the definitions of the words, which, he claimed, were incorrect.

He became aware of the mix-up when a colleague pointed out to him he had used the wrong words when showing him their definitions in another non-Oxford branded dictionary.

A spokesman for Oxford University Press said that Source Chambers sent through the papers to their offices regarding the action.

The publisher and the university admitted the blunder but denied any liability in a letter to the lawyer after he wrote to them to complain in 2016.

Mr Ogu is seeking 20,000 in damages from the publishers as the incorrect definitions cost him his reputation among legal circles

The letter, he said: 'Our dictionaries are made available as a reference tool only; they are never held out by Oxford University Press as being an alternative to seeking independent legal or financial advice, and we cannot take responsibility for an individual's decision to use them as such.'

He also wants the court to order Oxford University Press to always ensure that all dictionaries published by them have a caveat warning readers that they are only available as reference tools and that anyone who relies on them as an alternative to seeking legal or financial advice, does so at his risk.

The court in Nigeria has yet to fix a date for the hearing.Advertisement

Barnaby Joyce, the former Deputy Prime Minister, has been snapped in a passionate reunion with his partner Vikki Campion and their newly arrived son Sebastian.

Mr Joyce, who was fulfilling parliamentary duties in Canberra, flew to his hometown of Armidale and immediately called Ms Campion from the terminal, who arrived at the airport a short time later in their white four wheel drive.

The couple clearly missed each other, sitting momentarily in the front seat and sharing a kiss before getting baby Sebastian from the back seat.

Barnaby Joyce, the former Deputy Prime Minister, has been snapped reuniting with his partner Vikki Campion and newly arrived son Sebastian after being in Canberra for the last week

Mr Joyce, who has been fulfilling parliamentary duties, flew to his hometown of Armidale and immediately called Ms Campion from the terminal, who arrived at the airport a short time later in their white four wheel drive

The couple clearly missed each other, sitting momentarily in the front seat and sharing a kiss

The pair then walked down the street to a local cafe for breakfast, enjoying the sunshine in the brisk New England weather.

Mr Joyce has said earlier in the week that his partner and new baby are, 'an incredible joy, an incredible blessing.'

The Nationals MP also said, 'I think people would be surprised when I am home I do all the cooking, do washing, hang things out, clean around the house.'

'I find it, I know it sounds weird, cathartic,' he added.

The couple then got baby Sebastian from the back seat and walked to a local cafe

The pair walked down the street to a local cafe for breakfast, enjoying the sunshine in the brisk New England weather

Mr Joyce has said earlier in the week that his partner and new baby are, 'an incredible joy, an incredible blessing'

Sebastian, now three weeks old, was wrapped in a blanket as Mr Joyce carried him down the Armidale street in the 6 degree chill.

Ms Campion, dressed in loose fitting black clothes and aviator sunglasses, walking beside her former boss.

They spent an hour and a half at the cafe before returning to the car where they strapped Sebastian in the back seat, Ms Campion instructing Mr Joyce on how to do the job correctly.

Mr Joyce seems ready to spend some downtime with new family, carrying a game of Monopoly with him later.

Sebastian, now three weeks old, was wrapped in a blanket as Mr Joyce carried him down the Armidale street in the 6 degree chill

Ms Campion, dressed in loose fitting black clothes and aviator sunglasses, walking beside her former boss

They spent an hour and a half at the cafe before returning to the car where they strapped Sebastian in the back seat, Ms Campion instructing Mr Joyce on how to do the job correctly

Mr Joyce seems ready to spend some downtime with new family, carrying a game of Monopoly with him later

Mr Joyce seemed to be enjoying being back in his hometown of Armidale

Joyce announced that he and his wife, Natalie Abberfield, had separated in December 2017, they married in 1993 and have four daughters aged between 15 and 21.

In February, Mr Joyce announced he would be resigning as leader of the National Party and step down from his ministerial portfolios.

He has since moved to the backbench and looks set to continue a lower profile political career as he raises his son.

In February, Mr Joyce announced he would be resigning as leader of the National Party and step down from his ministerial portfolios

Mr Joyce and Ms Campion live in Armidale in the New South Wales region of New EnglandHeart-stopping footage shows a shocking car chase through Michigan where one man shot out of his moving car at another man behind the wheel of a truck, before shooting himself dead.

Ruben Salinas, 27, arrived at the home of his ex-girlfriend on Wednesday night at the same time as her new boyfriend, The News Herald reported.

Salinas allegedly pulled a gun on him before the new boyfriend, 30, jumped into his car and fled, with Salinas hot on his tail.

The men drove about five miles through side streets in three different cities - and police say at least 12 shots were fired from two different weapons.

Ruben Salinas (pictured) shot himself on Wednesday after trying to gun down his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend in a wild car chase

The 27-year-old pulled a gun on the man, 30, outside his girlfriend's home before both men jumped in their cars (Salinas is in the silver sedan, his unidentified love rival in the dark truck)

The 30-year-old called 911 as he was being chased, and police were soon behind the two men.

Shocking dashcam video from the police car shows Salinas chasing his love rival at high speed through residential areas before the pair drove into hospital grounds.

The men went through the entrance once, where Salinas' car is shown being rammed by an officer, before they go through again, and Salinas fires multiple shots towards the other man, who has not been identified.

Salinas' car was rammed three times before it came to a stop, and police say the man had shot himself before they could get to him.

Police joined in on the chase and were seen ramming Salinas' car in an attempt to make him stop

Salinas eventually did come to a stop, but shot himself dead before police could reach his car

Dearmont Police Chief Ron Haddad told News Herald the two men had difficulty with each other in the past, but that Salinas had no prior convictions or documented problems with mental health.

A search of his car uncovered a hand gun and an AR-15 rifle, which were legally purchased as Salinas had a concealed carry permit. A third weapon was located in the vehicle as investigations continued.

The 30-year-old man was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Salinas' ex was not in the car during the chase.

Friends remembered Salinas as 'a great man' who was 'amazing, caring and encouraging'.

During a search of the vehicle, police located a hand gun, an AR-15 rifle and a third unidentified weapon. The first two were purchased legally but the third is still being processedBlog posts written by the white Yale University grad student who called the cops on a black classmate for napping in the common room of her dorm have revealed her alarmingly radical opinions on race, religion and human rights.

In articles dating back almost a decade Sarah Braasch expressed strong opposition to laws against hate crimes and called racism a 'silly' social construct.

Earlier this week Braasch called the police and reported a black student for sleeping on a couch in the Hall of Graduate Studies.

The student, Lolade Siyonbola, recorded her interactions with Braasch and the officers in a video that has now gone viral sparking outrage and allegations of racial profiling.

The incident on Tuesday wasn't the first time Braasch had reported a student of color to the authorities, and her online presence is chock full of controversial perspectives on race, religion and human rights.

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Sarah Braasch, left, called the police on classmate Lolade Siyonbola, right, after she found her napping in a common area of their shared dorm. In the days after a video of the incident went viral on social media it was revealed that Braasch, 43, had penned several blog posts with controversial opinions on topics like race, religion and human rights

Braasch is a 43-year-old grad student set to complete a PhD in philosophy in 2020.

Her bio on the Yale website reads: 'Her secularism and women's rights advocacy led her to obtain an MA in Philosophy, to address the sub-human legal status of the world's women at the source, the philosophical foundations of law.'

She already has two engineering degrees from the University of Minnesota and a law degree from Fordham University.

The lawyer calls herself a staunch First Amendment advocate.

Braasch, a lawyer and graduate student at Yale University pursuing a PhD in philosophy, is shown in the video after police arrived. She is a fierce supporter of the First Amendment

Multiple officers arrived at the scene to verify Siyonbola's identity after they were called to Yale's Hall of Graduate Studies at the New Haven, Connecticut, campus

In the wake of the viral video this week several controversial blog posts by Braasch have been uncovered.

In one piece for Daylight Atheism in 2011 she wrote about why burqas should be banned and called seeing a woman sporting a niqab 'barbarism', 'brazen' and a 'great shame'.

'We can no more tolerate gender segregation in the public space, above and beyond the simple fact that we can neither protect nor prosecute those whom we cannot identify,' she wrote.

When online commenters likened her remarks to a hate crime against Muslim she used the First Amendment as a defense.

'Since I hate to mince words, let me just say: Hate crimes legislation is stupid. Seriously stupid. Abominably stupid. I hate hate crimes legislation. But, I love hate speech,' she wrote.

'Hate crimes legislation has a chilling effect on free speech and freedom of association. This is why hate crimes legislation is in direct contravention of the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

'Under hate crimes legislation, anyone who has ever said anything, which might be deemed hateful, directed at one of the groups protected under the legislation opens themselves up to hate crime prosecution in perpetuity.'

Several blog posts written by Braasch dating back almost a decade have been uncovered since the Facebook video went viral. In them she expresses many radical opinions

After the video of Braasch confronting Siyonbola went viral, 'Daylight Atheist' posted a lengthy response denouncing Braasch's actions.

However, the site opted to leave her posts online saying the opinions she shared in them are not 'completely outside the bounds of discussion.'

Another site that Braasch had been featured on, The Humanist, did take down two of her posts in the wake of the viral video, but not before they had already spread to other outlets.

In one article from 2009 she wrote: 'The thing I like the most about genealogy is that once you go back a handful of generations you realize that social constructs like racism and tribalism seem downright silly.'

Hate crimes legislation is stupid. Seriously stupid. - Sarah Braasch, 2011 blog post

She also touched on the topic of the burqa ban, equating women who wear burqas to 'slaves in abusive misogynistic or otherwise patriarchal religious traditions'.

In another post she likened growing up as a Jehovah's Witness to slavery as well.

'I was a slave who extolled the virtues of being a slave. I was a salve who insisted that I had chosen slavery of my own free will, of my own free volition, as a conscious and educated choice,' she wrote.

'Because, you see, I was a Jehovah's Witness who had been brainwashed from birth to believe that God had created me subhuman  below man.

'The debate of our time is again about slavery. But this time it's about abolishing the slavery of women, usually in the context of religion.

'I have been dumbstruck and dismayed by the length to which even my ostensibly freethinking peers will go in defense of a woman's "choice" to be a slave, especially with respect to the free exercise of religion.'

Two of the sites that have featured Braasch's writings, Daylight Atheism and The Humanist, pictured, have posted responses to the incident this week condemning her actions

In one from 2010, Braasch wrote about a slavery debate she had in a middle school class.

'I was placed on the pro-slavery side of the argument. I remember spending many an hour in the local public library poring over Time Life books,' she wrote.

'And then I had a eureka moment. Some  not many, but some  of the slaves didn't want to stop being slaves. A small number wanted to remain with their owners or even return after being freed. I knew I had just won the debate. And indeed, I did. I led our team to victory.'

She added: 'Who are we to tell someone that she has to be free? Who are we to tell someone that she has to be regarded as fully human?'

A note at the top of The Humanist's website says: 'The Humanist magazine published two articles from Sarah Braasch as an outside contributor (not a staff member or regular blogger). We regret that this material remained up as long as it did and appreciate those who brought its offensive content to our attention.'A New Jersey school where a sixth grade teacher has been accused of asking students if they are 'HIV positive' has called the incident a 'misunderstanding and misinterpretation.'

The Superintendent for Hackensack City School District told ABC News that the middle school teacher in question referenced 'HIB,' which is an acronym for a state-wide policy against harassment, intimidation and bullying in schools, when talking about whether students would be allowed to go on a class trip.

But Janete Mendes, the mother of a student in the class, called the explanation 'a weak excuse' and stands by her family's claim that the teacher said students who were 'HIV Positive' could not go on an upcoming field trip.

Mendes maintained the teacher admitted to using the term 'HIV positive,' which she said could not be confused with 'HIB.'

She and other parents, she said, believe the teacher should be fired.

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Janete Mendes (pictured), the mother of a 12-year-old student at Hackensack Middleschool, called the school's explanation for a teacher allegedly saying students who were 'HIV positive' were not allowed to go on a class trip 'a weak excuse' and stands by her family's claim

The situation arose in the context of discussing a planned four-day trip for sixth grade students at Hackensack Middle School.

'A teacher had mentioned in the classroom, where if you had HIV positive, you are not allowed to come on the trip, which is a sixth-grade camp trip,' Mendes said.

The mom told ABC that her 12-year-old came home that day and asked her some uncomfortable questions after the alleged encounter.

'After a thorough investigation, it was discovered that the use of the acronym HIB, in a reference to Harassment Intimidation and Bullying, was used in the classroom,' acting Hackensack Superintendent Rosemary Marks said in a statement.

'I felt defensive about it, and he didn't know what was HIV,' she said. 'He asked me, "What is HIV? How do you catch HIV."'

Mendes was not only upset for herself and her son, but also for other parents and students, including those, if any, that might be dealing with the virus.

'I spoke to other parents, and they were shocked as well,' she said.

'They say that he should be fired for that, which I agree. That's something that you don't expose. If somebody in there has that, you really aren't supposed to say anything about it, because that's confidential.'

After initially declining to comment on what the district called a confidential personnel matter, the school district's Superintendent said the incident was a 'misunderstanding.'

'After a thorough investigation, it was discovered that the use of the acronym HIB, in a reference to Harassment Intimidation and Bullying, was used in the classroom,' acting Hackensack Superintendent Rosemary Marks said in a statement.

'Students misinterpreted or thought they heard HIV. This was a misunderstanding and a misinterpretation. We have learned, however, going forward that as adults we cannot take shortcuts with language, especially when working with children this age.'

The website for Hackensack City Schools has an entire page devoted to the 'Harrassment, Intimidation, and Bullying' policy, with references to state laws related to the policy included

The website for Hackensack City Schools has an entire page devoted to the 'Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying' policy, with references to state laws related to the policy included throughout its text.

Part of that page reads: 'The Hackensack Board of Education prohibits acts of harassment, intimidation or bullying against any pupil on school property, at any school sponsored activity or while using district provided transportation, and further prohibits false accusations of bullying made against another as a means of harassment, intimidation or bullying.'

DailyMail.com could not immediately reach a representative from the school district for additional comment.West Sacramento in California has launched a controversial new program that monitors what people are talking about online.

ZenCity trawls through all publicly available posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to find out what people are talking about and whether the opinion they are expressing is positive or negative.

City leaders insist the pilot scheme allows them to quickly respond to issues citizens are complaining about online, but privacy campaigners will worry about the mass harvesting of data following Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal.

ZenCity trawls through all publicly available posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to find out what people are talking about and whether it is positive or negative

Mayor Christopher Cabaldon has signed up to the program for the whole of 2018 at a cost of $12,000, a 60 percent discount on the normal rate.

'It allows us to hear the whole community and not just the loudest voices that come to our chambers for a public hearing,' he told CBS 13.

In March, a shooting scare at a local high school led to people complaining about the lack of updates from police, which ZenCity picked up.

The Tel Aviv-based company says policymakers can stay up to date with public opinion on social media in real time through a cell phone app, allowing quick responses to issues.

Mayor Christopher Cabaldon has signed up to the program for the whole of 2018 at a cost of $12,000. Undated file photo

They can also use a geolocation feature to see the views of social media users in specific areas.

But digital rights advocate Peter Eckersley, of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, believes there are 'many ways' the system could go wrong.

'Once you get into policing there are many more potential concerns around the use of artificial intelligence,' he said.

Civil liberties campaigners will point towards Facebook's recent data harvesting scandal as an example of how technology that relies on collecting mass social media data can go wrong.

This saw Facebook data from millions of users transferred without their knowledge to consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica, which then used it to help political groups including the Trump campaign generate personalized adverts.

West Sacramento is the first US city to sign up to ZenCity, although the start-up claims to already have a presence in local authorities around the world, including Paris.

People that wish to opt out of the program can change their social media accounts to private.After spending the afternoon at a golf course, President Donald Trump has expressed his enthusiasm for North Korea's announcement that it will dismantle its nuclear test site.

'North Korea has announced that they will dismantle Nuclear Test Site this month, ahead of the big Summit Meeting on June 12th. Thank you, a very smart and gracious gesture!' Trump tweeted early Saturday evening.

Trump spent part of the day at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia, arriving around 10am and departing at 3.18pm. In what has become a rarity for his presidency, Trump was actually captured on the links by a CNN photographer with a telephoto lens.

Earlier Saturday morning, North Korea said it will hold a 'ceremony' for the dismantling of its nuclear test site on May 23-25 in what would be a dramatic but symbolic prelude to Kim Jong Un's summit with Trump next month.

Trump (far left)spent part of the day at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia, arriving around 10am and departing at 3.18pm

In a rarity for Trump's presidency, CNN photojournalist captured him on the links (far left)

Kim Jong-un, right, met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, ahead of his planned nuclear summit with Donald Trump in Singapore next month

North Korea plans to demolish its nuclear test site in Pinggye-ri on Mount Mantap

The Punggye-ri site inside Mt Mantap in North Korea has been subjected to five different bombs. Kim Jong-un announced the decommissioning of Punggye-ri earlier this year

North Korea's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that all of the tunnels at the country's northeastern testing ground will be destroyed by explosion, and that observation and research facilities and ground-based guard units will also be removed.

The North said it plans to invite journalists from the United States, South Korea, China, Russia and Britain to inspect the process.

Kim had revealed plans to shut down the nuclear test site during his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month.

The nuclear facility was hidden in Mount Mantap and suffered multiple landslides following the bomb tests.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that if North Korea agrees to surrender its nuclear arsenal, Washington will work with Pyongyang to rebuild its tiny economy.

'If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearise, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on par with our South Korean friends.'

Images from a couple of weeks ago show the nuclear test facility at the South Support area at Punggy-ri. This has housed five of the nine nuclear tests that have occurred worldwide Since the United Nations adopted the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 1996

Satellite images taken in April 2017 show the mountainous landscape around the nuclear test site and the different portals leading to a labyrinth of tunnels

Scientists have used satellite imagery to discover that a nuclear test in North Korea was so powerful it literally moved a mountain. The explosion from September 2017 occurred at North Korea's nuclear testing site hidden inside Mt. Mantap (mountain pictured here in January 2016)

1) Bomb explodes and sends seismic waves through Mt Mantap 2) As the waves travel rebound in a process known as 'slapdown', the summit collapses sightly 3) 8.5 minutes after the explosion an earthquake is triggered and 4) Both events cause the mountain to move southA New York City mother has been banned from Lyft for, she claims, defending herself against a fellow passenger who attacked her as they shared a ride in one of the company's cars.

Josephine Cruz Bradley, 33, took a Lyft Line on April 7 to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Two other men got into the car later and one 'immediately' started 'rolling a blunt', she said.

When she complained, she said one of the men began attacking her and hit her repeatedly in the face.

The woman, who studies jiu jitsu, fought back. The car stopped and the men both fled before police arrived, she said.

Josephine Bradley Cruz, 33, was assaulted on April 7 by a Lyft passenger she was sharing a ride with. Her injuries are shown above

When NYPD detectives arrived to take statements, Bradley said the driver refused to give them the men's details.

Instead, detectives must now subpoena the company to hand over the information which could take months.

After the incident, Bradley said the company added insult to injury by banning her from using the service.

She received an email saying the decision was 'final' and accusing her of violating its rider rules.

It read: 'Thank you for your patience as we investigate this incident along with providing your feedback.

'As this is a difficult decision this email is to notify you that your account has been deactivated due to alleged violations of Lyft's Terms of Service.

'To ensure the safety of the Lyft community, this decision is final.

The woman was left with a swollen, black eye after being hit in the face several times, she said

Lyft banned her from using the service and accused her of violating its rules. It has since said that she and the other man were only temporarily banned while police investigated the incident

'Due to the severity of this report actions have been taken against all parties involved in this investigation.'

The woman shared the text of the email on Facebook along with photographs of her injuries.

The woman says she is being punished by the company for defending herself

She complained that she was being punished for defending herself.

'I'm being punished because i defended myself from my attacker and they will not get away with this.

'I'm ready to take them on,' she said.

A Lyft spokesperson told Dailymail.com: 'These allegations are extremely concerning.

'From day one, the safety of the Lyft community has been our top priority, and we have zero tolerance for this behavior.

'We are in touch with both the passenger and driver, and have communicated to law enforcement that we are able to assist with their investigation.'The White House has refused to apologize after a communications aide mocked Republican Senator John McCain's terminal brain cancer, and more leaked details from staff meetings allege staff are standing by her.

Surrogate communications staffer Kelly Sadler reportedly told colleagues in an internal meeting President Donald Trump shouldn't worry about Sen. McCain's opposition to CIA director-designate Gina Haspel's nomination.

'He's dying anyway,' she said.

On Friday, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders would not apologize for the remark, and confirmed to reporters Sadler was still employed at the White House.

'I'm not going to comment on an internal staff meeting,' she said repeatedly.

Despite efforts from the President and senior staff to clamp down on whistleblowers, information from the White House continues to leak to the press.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders (left) told reporters Friday that communications aide Kelly Sadler (right) still has her job despite mocking Sen. John McCain's battle with cancer, and later defended the aide to other staff

Arizona Republican Senator John McCain (pictured) is suffering from brain cancer and recuperating after a recent surgery, but could hold the deciding vote as to who becomes CIA director if he is well enough to return to Washington

Later on Friday, Sanders held a meeting with the White House communications team, where she was allegedly more upset about the fact Sadler's comment had leaked, than the comment itself, Axios reported.

Sanders' fury and sadness were said to be visible to those in the room, as she told off staff for sharing the content of internal meetings with the press.

'I know this conversation is going to leak too, and that's just disgusting,' she said.

During the meeting, a senior staff member reportedly stepped forward to defend Sadler's remark.

Strategic communications director Mercedes Schlapp said: 'You can put this on the record... I stand with Kelly Sadler'.

Sanders encouraged the rest of the communications staff to stand behind Sadler, not because of her comment, but because she was the victim of a leak.

A source who was in the meeting told Axios Sanders had told staff Sadler was out of line, but the Press Secretary was angrier about the leak.

She said the leak was 'selfish' and criticized using the press to air internal grievances.

Sanders also reportedly told staff the leak had dampened what was meant to be a good day for the White House, as three American prisoners were freed by North Korea.

McCain has been openly hostile to President Trump's decisions, but Sadler told staff his opinion didn't matter because: 'he's dying anyway'

There was discomfort in the room after Sadler made light of McCain's diagnosis during a communications staff meeting on Thursday, but on Friday senior staff member Mercedes Schlapp said she supported the aide

But she ultimately told a dogged White House press corps that there had been no sacking in the West Wing over the latest scandal to rankle the president.

McCain is recovering from brain surgery in Arizona, and has begun to talk publicly about his wishes for his funeral. He has pointedly said he doesn't want President Donald Trump to attend.

Should he be healthy enough to return to Washington, he could cast a deciding vote in a tough roll call on Haspel's nomination.

Sadler has yet to comment about her flippant jab at McCain. It is not known if either she or the White House has apologized to the McCain family.

A source told the Hill on Thursday Sadler had called McCain's daughter, Megan, but the contents of that phone conversation is not known.

Comments from White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney on Saturday suggest there may not be any public apology forthcoming.

'You have to have some freedom to speak, in a private meeting, candidly,' he told Fox News, calling Sadler's comment a 'bad joke'.

'I'm really disappointed that someone would undermine the President by leaking... clearly the leak was designed to hurt that person.

'It also ignored the harm it would do to the McCain family, which is doubly inconsiderate.'

Republican candidate Mitt Romney shared his anger over Sadler's comments on Twitter, saying anyone who mocked the Arizona Senator 'only humiliate themselves'.

Fellow Republican Mitt Romney said anyone who mocked John McCain only served to 'humiliate themselves'

Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a lengthy comment in defence of John McCain on Saturday

'John McCain makes America great. Father, grandfather, Navy pilot, POW hero bound by honor, an incomparable and irrepressible statesman,' he wrote.

'Those who mock such greatness only humiliate themselves and their silent accomplices.'

McCain was also defended by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who said the comments and the associated fall-out should be a 'wake-up call to all Americans to think about how we speak to each other about our politics'.

The movie star said the war veteran was a 'hero who has given his entire life in service to this country'.

The mother of three is a former opinion editor for The Washington Times. She's married to Frank Sadler, who previously served as 2016 presidential campaign manager for Carly Fiorina  another outspoken Trump critic.

The senator's daughter Meghan, a regular co-host on 'The View,' said on the show Friday that Sadler is unimportant and  unlike her father  won't be remembered for long.

Before confirming Sadler's continued employment on Friday, Sanders initially dodged DailyMail.com's question, refusing to 'validate a leak out of an internal staff meeting, one way or another'

Mrs. Cindy McCain, the senator's wife tweeted a stern message directly to Sadler on Thursday after news of the comment broke

'Kelly, here's a little news flash, and this this may be a bit intense for 11 o'clock in the morning on a Friday,' Meghan McCain declared, but we're all dying. I'm dying, you're dying, we're all dying. ... I really feel like I understand the meaning of life, and it's not how you die, but how you live.'

'The thing that surprised me most,' she continued, 'is I don't understand what kind of environment you're working in where that would be acceptable, and then you can come to work the next day and still have a job.'



'My father's legacy is going to be talked about for hundreds and hundreds of years,' she said. 'These people? Nothingburgers. Nobody's going to remember you.'

On Thursday the senator's wife Cindy hammered Sadler on Twitter, writing: 'May I remind you my husband has a family, 7 children and 5 grandchildren.'

The White House hasn't denied the accuracy of reports about Sadler's comment to a group of two dozen fellow communication staffers. It issued a tepid statement praising the anti-Trump war hero McCain, who has called the president the equivalent of a tinhorn dictator.

'The View' co-host Meghan McCain, the senator's daughter, marveled on Friday that Sadler has been allowed to keep her White House position

Sen. McCain had urged lawmakers to reject Gina Haspel's nomination to lead the CIA, based on her role in the enhanced interrogation program during the Bush Administration

'He has declined to distinguish the actions of our government from the crimes of despotic ones,' McCain writes in his forthcoming memoir. 'The appearance of toughness, or a reality show facsimile of toughness, seems to matter more than any of our values.'

A White House official tried to take the high road, saying in a statement that '[w]e respect Senator McCain's service to our nation and he and his family are in our prayers during this difficult time.'

Trump already has a history of touching a political 'third rail' by publicly bashing Sen. McCain. During a 2015 Republican candidate forum in Iowa, the future president doubted aloud whether McCain was really a war hero.

'He's a 'war hero' because he was captured,' Trump said then, referring to McCain's years undergoing torture as a prisoner of war.

'I like people who weren't captured.'

Minutes later in a scrum of reporters, Trump was asked about the bone spur in his heel that resulted in a medical deferment from the Vietnam War draft.

Which foot was it? Trump said he couldn't remember.An iconic Australian company is $22million richer after ignoring advice from an accountant that moving to online sales was a waste of time.

Adam and Deborah Drexler, who own Matt Blatt furniture, were keen to go online in the year 2000, but were advised it would be a waste of time.

Accountants told the owners they'd 'go broke' if they directly sold products online, News.com.au reported.

The company made $22 million and saved the business, after co-owner Adam Drexler (pictured) had considered driving taxis.

Iconic Australian company Matt Blatt is $22 million richer after ignoring advice from an accountant that moving to online sales was a waste of time. The company's website is pictured

'My accountant said I was wasting my time and that I'd go broke,' Mr Drexler told the publication.

Mr Drexler described his decision to move online as a 'leap of faith' given many companies were losing money selling goods on the internet.

'At that time in 2000 no one was making a profit selling products on the internet  even one of the biggest businesses at the time and today, Amazon, was notorious for losing money selling online,' he said.

The business has showrooms (like the one pictured) in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory

The company made $22 million and saved the business, after Mr Drexler had even considered a 'Plan B' of driving taxis.

The decision saved their business because they 'did the opposite of what many businesses do' by starting online, Mr Drexler said.

'Even though the nature of the business is more touchy-feely than things like books and clothing it started taking off once we opened a showroom so people could sit on the sofas and feel the fabric, but the online component of the business was very strong, about 60 to 70 per cent of the total turnover.'

The furniture company has expanded in recent times and has showrooms in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.A 10-month-old girl has died after she slipped out of her mother's arms on mall escalator, while it is claimed she was taking a selfie with her husband.

The CCTV footage starts with the couple taking a selfie outside a shop by the escalator, then walking away before returning to travel to the floor above.

They step on to the escalator at the shopping centre, in India, with the mother holding her baby in her arms.

At the beginning of the video, the husband can be seen taking a selfie with the woman and their baby

The couple then begin riding the escalator. Witnesses say at that point, the man asked his wife for a selfie

The footage shows the baby slip out of the woman's hands and over the handrail

According to shoppers who saw the incident, the husband asked his wife for a selfie while on the escalator, which resulted her losing her balance and dropping her child.

The footage shows the baby first hit the railing before falling down the gap between it and the escalator at the shopping centre in Ganganagar, Rajasthan.

Panicked shoppers can be seen rushing to try to help the baby but the infant died instantly after hitting the ground.

The baby was then rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The woman turns desperately to see what has happened but the child fell three storeys

Panicked shoppers tried to help the child but she died at the scene

Police were called and have begun an investigation.

'This is a clear-cut case of an accident,' said a spokesman.

'The family of the deceased baby has refused to take any legal action as it was an accident.'

The parents of the baby girl had come for a regular checkup at a nearby clinic, after which they decided to visit the centre to shop.

In a similar incident a few days ago a baby slipped off from mother's arms from the second floor and died in Mumbai.A mother and her three children had to flee their home after a 1 cheap phone charger overheated - causing a massive blaze.

Firefighters were called to their flat in Boscombe, Bournemouth, on Monday night when flames became visible from the property.

Residents of the block were evacuated as crews from three fire stations battled the blaze.

Gutted: The fire in the block of flats badly damaged Donna Burton's son's bedroom after a cheap phone charger was left on his bed while plugged in

The 1 phone charger responsible for the devastating blaze (left) and a shot of the bedroom after firefighters put out flames (right)

No one was injured but the source of the fire is believed to be a cheap phone charger which was plugged in at the time and left on a bed.

Mother Donna Burton was settling down with her three children, aged 11, 12 and 18 to watch Britain's got Talent on Monday evening when she noticed the smell of burning coming from one of her son's beds.

She then noticed the charger had become so hot that a hole had been burnt into the duvet cover.

She quickly unplugged the charger and returned to the living room but the family then spotted a 'bright orange glow' and realised the room was on fire.

Donna said: 'My son was charging his phone with a USB charger from a discount shop.

A warning: Firefighters have urged people not to buy cheap phone chargers as they may not comply with British safety regulations

'He'd plugged it in and then put his phone on the bed. We were watching Britain's Got Talent together and then I noticed a smell of smouldering.

'The charger had become so hot it had burned a hole through the duvet cover..

'It wasn't an electrical problem - it was the charger.

'I wanted to warn people that this could happen to them. It could have been ten times worse.'

Fire authorities have now warned people against using cheap, untested chargers.

Station manager Ant Bholah of the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: 'It appears as though the charger, which was not an official manufacturer model, overheated and this led to the bedding catching alight.

I wanted to warn people that this could happen to them. It could have been ten times worse. Mother Donna Burton

'We would strongly recommend that people avoid using cheap chargers, and never leave an electrical item to charge on top of anything that is easily combustible, such as the bed.'

Although it can be cheaper to buy imported, unofficial chargers, fake mobile phone chargers are often made with poor quality components that fail to meet UK safety regulations.

This means they can cause injury, electric shocks and even fires.

People are being urged to follow instructions for all electrical devices and use the correct chargers in line with the manufacturer's guidance.

Phone chargers also should not be left plugged in overnight as they can overheat.

Phones left charging on soft furnishings, and phones covered up as they charge, are particularly prone to igniting.

For more information, visit the Electrical Safety First website.Advertisement

A quarter-century has passed since the end of the Cold War, but a top secret NORAD base buried deep inside Cheyenne Mountain has offered a rare tour to show how it is still tracking nuclear threats from America's enemies.

Behind 23-ton blast doors lies what it known as the most secure place on earth - a warren of tunnels blasted out of Colorado granite in the 1960s teeming with high-tech surveillance and monitoring equipment.

NORAD, which is 60 years old on Saturday, called off its 'nuclear watch' in 1992 after the Soviet Union disintegrated, but the site's 300 staff are still monitoring threats to the US around the clock - including, despite the recent detente,Kim Jong-Un's North Korea.

These 23-ton blast doors defend what it known as the most secure place on earth - a warren of tunnels blasted out of Colorado granite in the 1960s teeming with high-tech surveillance and monitoring equipment

Canadian Air Force Colonel Travis Morehen said the site is still a vital part of US-Canadian missile defenses a quarter century after the end of the Cold War

The granite and steel doors also protect electronics from destructive pulses of electro-magnetic energy that nuclear explosions produce

The top-secret NORAD base inside the Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado opened its doors for a rare tour on May 12, when these photos were taken. The base remains in action a quarter-century after the end of the Cold War

The bunker lies 2,000 feet under Cheyenne Mountain outside Colorado Springs. It can be sealed off by two of its giant blast doors made of concrete and steel (pictured)

NORAD called off its 'nuclear watch' in 1992 after the Soviet Union disintegrated, but its high-tech computer rooms are still monitoring threats to the US around the clock - including, despite the recent detente, Kim Jong-Un's North Korea

The Cheyenne Mountain facility was completed on February 8, 1966, and serves as NORAD's secondary headquarters after the Peterson Air Force Base in El Paso County

Saturday is the 60th anniversary of the site's owners, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, a bi-national organization created by the US and Canada to protect the skies over both nations

The bi-national organization was created by the US and Canada to protect the skies over both nations.

The Cheyenne Mountain facility was completed on February 8, 1966, and serves as NORAD's secondary headquarters after the Peterson Air Force Base in El Paso County.

The bunker lies 2,000 feet under Cheyenne Mountain outside Colorado Springs. It can be sealed off by two giant blast doors made of concrete and steel, each 3 feet thick.

'We like to say it's the most secure facility in the world,' said Steve Rose, deputy director of the base.

The heart of the complex is a grid of six tunnels up to 40 feet wide and three stories high. They hold 15 connected buildings made of steel plates, riding on massive coil springs to absorb the shock of a nuclear blast or earthquake.

The granite and steel also protect electronics from destructive pulses of electro-magnetic energy that nuclear explosions produce.

Asked whether Cheyenne Mountain is vulnerable to more powerful modern nuclear warheads, Rose answered indirectly: 'I don't think we would be open if it was,' he said.

The base monitors North Korea with the same intensity that it did at the height of the state's missile testing program, receiving three or four intelligence reports from the country every day.

The heart of the complex is a grid of six tunnels up to 40 feet wide and three stories high. They hold 15 connected buildings made of steel plates, riding on massive coil springs to absorb the shock of a nuclear blast or earthquake

The military put NORAD in Colorado because it is near the center of the continent, far from Soviet bomber bases and missile launchers, said Brian Laslie, the organization's deputy historian. Pic: A truck parked at the tunnels' entrance

These massive coil springs that support buildings inside the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station complex near Colorado Springs

The base monitors North Korea with the same intensity that it did at the height of the state's missile testing program, receiving three or four intelligence reports from the country every day

The electronic back-end of one of giant blast doors that can be used to seal off the site if a nuclear warhead detonates. It takes 45 seconds for built-in hydraulic machinery to close the doors. If the hydraulics fail, two people can close them by hand

The military put NORAD in Colorado because it is near the center of the continent, far from Soviet bomber bases and missile launchers, said Brian Laslie, the organization's deputy historian.

The first command center was at the now-decommissioned Ent Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. By the early 1960s, it was clear Ent would not survive a nuclear attack, so work began on burrowing into the mountain.

The main room is surprisingly small, about 40 feet square. Eight big video screens line the walls. Soft lighting, muted colors and sound-muffling surfaces give the room a hushed, somber feel.

With the opening of Peterson Air Force Base in 2008, Cheyenne Mountain became the alternate command center, but staff regularly return there for a few days at a time to make sure they are ready in the event of a crisis.

Rose, the base deputy director, rejected the notion that Cheyenne Mountain is a relic.

'Couldn't be farther from the truth,' he said, noting the mountain is fully occupied by a permanent NORAD contingent as well as commands for cyber, intelligence and space surveillance. 'A lot of the other areas I can't talk about,' he added.

After the Soviet Union collapsed, 'NORAD had a bit of a slump as far as the focus of the mission,' said Royal Canadian Air Force Col. Travis Morehen, a senior command center officer. The 9/11 terrorist attacks abruptly changed that.

Before 9/11, NORAD watched only for external threats. After the terrorists turned domestic airliners into weapons, NORAD began peering inward as well, monitoring civilian air traffic for potential threats.

NORAD regularly launches fighter jets to intercept private aircraft that stray into restricted airspace, including areas where the president is traveling. It is usually a civilian who did not read official warnings. Pictured: A tunnel entrance at the site

Deputy site director Steve Rose and Royal Canadian Air Force Colonel Travis Morehen speak with reporters during the rare tour

The main room is surprisingly small, about 40 feet square. Eight big video screens line the walls. Soft lighting, muted colors and sound-muffling surfaces give the room a hushed, somber feel

A Royal Canadian Air Force CF-101 Voodoo jet intercepting a Soviet Union TU-95 Bear Bomber flying near the buffer zone that NORAD monitors around the North American continent. Photo undated

NORAD regularly launches fighter jets to intercept private aircraft that stray into restricted airspace, including areas where the president is traveling. It is usually a civilian who did not read official warnings.

In 1979 and 1980, NORAD computer glitches produced false alarms about incoming missiles. Each time, the problem was discovered quickly.

Cheyenne Mountain is an alluring setting for science fiction. It was depicted in the 1983 'WarGames' movie, among others, and in the 'Stargate' TV series.

It takes 45 seconds for built-in hydraulic machinery to close the blast doors. If the hydraulics fail, two people can close them by hand.

One door usually remained shut at all times during the Cold War. Since then, commanders ordered them closed only once, on 9/11.

NORAD is known world-wide for its 'NORAD Tracks Santa' operation, fielding calls from children on Christmas Eve asking where Santa is.

The operation has always been run out of Ent or Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, never Cheyenne Mountain, said Laslie, the NORAD historian.

A NORAD operative watches the skies over Alaska in an undated image. In 1979 and 1980, NORAD computer glitches produced false alarms about incoming missiles. Each time, the problem was discovered quickly

Another map showing areas hit by a pretend nuclear attack in an undated image taken during the Cold War between the USA and the USSR

A map showing areas hit by a mock nuclear attack during a military exercise at Cheyenne Mountain during the dangerous days of the Cold War. Photo undated

The main battle staff position in the Combat Operations Center at Cheyenne Mountain in an undated photo taken during the Cold War era

This image, taken on December 16, 1966, shows the huge blast doors at the NORAD Cheyenne Mountain site shortly after it openedThe New York City philanthropist, who was hit by a shopping cart dropped from a height of 79 feet, is said to be an incontinent 'shadow of her former self' now.

Marion Hedges, 53, was in court Friday for the start of her negligence trial over the 2011 incident, in which she was hit by a shopping cart that two boys purposely pushed over the edge of a walkway at the East River Plaza mall in Manhattan's East Harlem.

The Target shopping cart was dropped from the fourth-floor walkway, falling 79 feet before landing on Hedges, who was 47, on October 30, 2011. She had been at the mall with her son, shopping for Halloween candy to give to underprivileged children that day.

Marion Hedges (pictured in 2015 with husband Michael Hedges) was hit by a shopping cart which fell 79 feet after it was pushed over a walkway by two boys in 2011

The incident left Hedges (left in 2010, right in 2012) with brain damage among other health issues. She is now suing the mall where the incident occurred and its security firm

In court Friday, Hedges' lawyer said the incident resulted in the former real estate agent being put into a medically-induced coma and that she was left with severe brain damage, limited vision, incontinence, the inability to make love to her husband and difficulty completing basic tasks, according to the New York Post.

Hedges, a mother of two, settled with Target, which owned the thrown shopping cart, for an undisclosed amount in 2016.

She and her husband, Michael Hedges, are now suing the East River Plaza and its security company, Planned Security Services, for millions in damages.

'What happened to Marion Hedges was avoidable,' her attorney Thomas Moore said in court.

'It never would have happened had even the most basic security been observed by the owner defendant and by the security defendant in this case.'

Moore said that there were previous incidents involving kids mishandling shopping carts that occurred at the mall in 2011.

Hedges was put in a medically-induced coma and left with brain damage after the cart hit her. Nearly seven years later, she still suffers incontinence, limited vision and other symptoms

Two boys pushed the Target shopping cart over the East River Plaza's walkway railing. Hedges is suing the mall and it security firm, because she said they should have prevented the incident

Prior to the incident, Hedges (pictured in 2006) was a real estate agent and philanthropist. She has two kids with her husband, Michael Hedges

Hedges and her husband, Michael Hedges (left), are now suing the East River Plaza and its security company, Planned Security Services, for millions in damages.

In January or February, a mall store employee was said to have stopped two boys before they threw a shopping cart over the rail of a walkway.

And, in October, just 20 days before Hedges' incident, three kids successfully pushed a shopping cart down an escalator.

The East River Plaza's lawyer laid blame for Hedges' incident on the children Jeovanni Rosario, then 13, and Raymond Hernandez, then 12  who hurled the cart over the walkway.

Meanwhile, Planned Security Services' lawyer said that the company's job was to 'patrol' the mall, not 'police' it.

Rosario and Hernandez pleaded guilty to their charges in 2012.

Hernandez was given a six-month sentence in a therapeutic group home, while Rosario was sentenced six to 18 months at the Graham Windham School for at-risk kids in Westchester, New York.

In 2015, Hernandez was arrested for a string of 14 burglaries at bars and restaurants that resulted in a haul of more than $25,000, according to the New York Post.Shocking statistics reveal that more than 20,000 'additional deaths' have occurred in England and Wales in the first 16 weeks of this year.

Academics remain baffled by the spike in fatalities, which prompted several to demand a Government investigation into the matter.

However, some statisticians believe the crisis engulfing the NHS and cuts in care, along with the killer winter flu outbreak, are factors that should be taken into consideration.

The figures, from the Office for National Statistics, showed there were 20,215 more deaths in the first 16 weeks of 2018 compared to the previous five years - namely, 198,943 compared to an average of 178,778.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed there were 20,215 more deaths in England and Wales in the first sixteen weeks of the year, compared to the previous five years

The numbers show a 11.3 per cent increase in mortality.

The 20,215 figure is equivalent to an extra person dropping dead every eight minutes throughout the first 16 weeks of the year, The Telegraph reported.

Statisticians claimed in February that the killer winter flu outbreak was to blame for a 42 per cent spike in deaths across England and Wales.

Government figures revealed 64,157 people died in January - significantly higher than the death toll of 45,141 recorded in December.

Professor Danny Dorling of the University of Oxford is calling for an investigation by the House of Commons into the worrying trend

This was the highest number since records began in 2006 - and only the second time it had breached 60,000.

'Circulating influenza' was blamed in a report compiled using data of deaths from each region.

It showed deaths were higher than levels recorded during the Swine flu pandemic in 2010 - considered the worst outbreak in recent years.

The ONS report showed a similar trend in deaths was seen in all nine regions of England and Wales itself.

It read: 'Circulating influenza is likely to be a contributing factor in the high number of deaths registered in January 2018.'

Some 10,011 deaths were recorded in the South East, followed by 8,625 in the North West and 7,110 in the East of England.

At the other end of the scale, 3,503 people died in the North East in January, 3,945 in Wales and 5,401 in the East Midlands.

Figures in February showed the flu outbreak killed at least 271 people, but this is likely to have been an underestimate because it only counted for confirmed hospital deaths.

In March, top academics published an editorial for the British Medial Journal voicing concerns about the spike in deaths.

One of its authors Professor Danny Dorling, of the University of Oxford, told The Daily Telegraph: 'We would like is an urgent investigation by the House of Commons health select committee.

'The Department of Health and Social Care is not taking the slowdown in improvements in mortality seriously.'

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson told the paper: 'We keep all research in this area under review, but the "age standardised mortality rate" - which had been broadly stable in recent years - is considered a much more reliable measure, as this type of research doesn't take into account fluctuations in population numbers and the ageing population.'

Meanwhile, the NHS is lagging behind the rest of Europe's health care, new research suggests.

Out of the 21 countries analysed, the UK has fewer doctors and nurses than almost any other region, according to a UK study.

Previous research suggests there are around 100,000 healthcare-staff vacancies in the English NHS, with nearly half of nurses believing shortages prevent them doing their jobs well.

Only Denmark and Sweden have fewer hospital beds than Britain, which is also lagging behind all other European countries in terms of investment in healthcare technologies, such as MRI scanners.

The Care Quality Commission has said the NHS is straining at the seams with more than 90 per cent of hospital beds being occupied, which is far higher than the 85 per cent recommended level for safe and efficient care.

Results further suggest the UK spends just 9.7 per cent of its national wealth on healthcare, which is substantially less than the minimum 11 per cent in Germany, France and Sweden.

At the beginning of the year, NHS chiefs demanded radical action to free up beds and medical staff due to casualty units being under 'extreme and sustained' pressure with flu cases, with at least 306 related deaths, according to Public Health England.Shocking video shows the moment a police officer slapped, punched and pulled her teenage daughter's hair because she misbehaved in school.

Miami-Dade police officer Raymond Rosario was called to his 14-year-old daughter's principal's office on March 19 because she had 'disrespected her teacher'.

He is seen on CCTV footage of the Pinecrest Cove Preparatory Academy office pulling her by her hair, hitting her in the face and beating her with his belt.

At least two other people were in the room at the time, one of them believed to have been a pregnant woman, NBC reported.

Neither were seen trying to pry the pair apart or intervene in any way.

A 44-year-old police officer in uniform was seen beating up his 14-year-old daughter in the main office of Pinecrest Cove Preparatory Academy after being called to the school because she had disrespected a teacher

The 44-year-old was charged with child abuse on March 19 and surrendered himself to authorities on April 2.

An arrest report seen by The Miami Herald showed the teen told police 'she did not sustain any visible injuries and/or bruises'.

Since his arrest, the policeman of 24 years has been suspended with pay, CBS Local reported.

He is expected to sign a plea deal, and if he does not receive a criminal conviction, could possibly return to the force.

The girl's school issued a statement explaining one woman present was pregnant and too scared to intervene in the girl's beating, but the statement does not comment on the other woman seen in the clip.

Two women were also seen in the office, but neither tried to stop the angry father, 44

At one point, Rosario is seen whipping his daughter around the legs with a belt. An arrest report states the teenage girl said she had no visible injuries or bruises from the attack

'The school followed procedure in response to the unfortunate incident which occurred in the office,' the statement read.

'The witness reported the incident to administration as soon as the parent left the premises and the school immediately reported it to the Department of Children and Families who contacted law enforcement.

'The school is continuing to investigate the incident and protocol.

'The parent, who is a police officer and who often visited the school in uniform, surrendered himself to authorities.

'The person [seen] witnessing the act is an expectant mother who was unsure if the parent had a weapon. She says that at the time she feared for the safety of the victim as well as that of her unborn child.'Overheating Apple devices caused an EgyptAir plane to crash into the Mediterranean, the families of those who died claim in a lawsuit against the technology giant and the airline.

EgyptAir flight 804 flight went down in the Mediterranean while en route from Paris to Cairo in May 2016, killing 40 Egyptians, 15 French citizens, and one Briton.

Now it has been reported several of the victims claim the crash was down to the co-pilot's iPhone 6S or iPad mini overheating in the cockpit and catching fire.

EgyptAir and Apple are reportedly being sued by the relatives of those killed on flight 804 (file picture)

The Airbus A320 was en route from Paris to Cairo when it crashed into the Mediterranean

According to court documents seen by TMZ, the families claim an investigation has revealed the device ignited and led to a bigger fire in the cockpit, which ultimately took the plane down.

The families are suing for damages and both the airline and Apple are listed in the case.

Egyptian authorities have now concluded their inquiry and a file has been passed to the country's Attorney General in Cairo.

But a separate investigation by the French has stalled due to the Egyptians' apparent refusal to hand over debris and raw data from the aircraft's black box recorders.

It is understood that French investigators are exploring three possible causes: terrorism, a fire caused by the co-pilot's mobile devices overheating after being plugged into an incorrect socket in the cockpit or a mechanical fault.

The widow of Richard Osman, pictured with his mother, is seeking compensation from EgyptAir through the High Court

Debris recovered from the plane. Relatives claim an investigation has blamed overheating Apple devices

It emerged earlier this year that the widow of a British man, father-of-two Richard Osman, 40, who died on the flight is suing the airline for damages.

His widow Aurelie is seeking compensation from EgyptAir through the High Court.

The family had recently bought a house on Jersey.

The geologist flew regularly with his job at the Australian gold mining firm Centamin Ltd and was en route to Egypt at the time of the crash.

The operator is citing the fact that the plane did not crash in British territory and that Jersey - where Mr Osman booked his flight through a travel agent - is not part of the UK.

The airline, which has no office in Jersey, says that means the English courts simply have 'no jurisdiction' to consider the family's claim.

Mr Osman was the only Brit onboard the doomed flight and died just three weeks after celebrating the birth of his second daughter.

MailOnline has contacted both EgyptAir and Apple for comment.An exclusive boarding school in leafy Oxfordshire has come under fire after school leavers dressed as blacked-up slaves for their leaving pictures.

A group of pupils at the Oratory School, which boasts Made in Chelsea Star Francis Boulle and England Rugby player Danny Cipriani in its alumni, planned to arrive at the 'informal' photo shoot as enslaved cotton workers before they were turned away by their headmaster.

But the boys then took their own picture posted images on Instagram with the caption 'revolt'.

The pupils (pictured outside the school) painted themselves black and held cotton to appear like slaves, others held pretend guns up to them and posed as 'slave owners'

It was then shared on Twitter by outraged users.

Some have criticised the school for a lack of action or apology.

Three sixth form pupils painted themselves black, while two other pupils at the school in Woodcote, Oxfordshire dressed in suits with pretend guns held to 'three slaves' that were holding sheets of cotton.

The informal photo is tradition at the 11,000-a-term school and is always done in fancy dress. However, these pupils were turned away because of their controversial outfits.

One user shared the image on Twitter writing: 'Its 2018 and not much has changed! Not only did the Oratory School allow students to do blackface. They have completely ignored the issue and have yet to apologise. I guess racism is excused at this school'.

Another added: 'Tell me what's 'humorous' about slavery and black face? I'm intrigued.'

They also urged Twitter users to contact the school about the photo.

In a response, the boarding school said: 'The Head Master was present for the photo and refused to let the offensively dressed pupils participate.

'The photo - the existence of which we were unaware - was taken and posted on social media was taken unofficially and in no way with the consent of the school.

The independent Roman Catholic school, charges more than 33,000 a year and is all-boys

'We are extremely shocked and saddened that this has happened and apologise unreservedly for the offence caused. We are dealing with this internally.'

The school faced another controversy in 2014 when a tribunal heard that the public school boys had 'skinned cats alive' and 'beat younger pupils with belts, with a former teacher saying the head master had condoned the incidents with a 'boys will be boys attitude.'

The independent Roman Catholic school, charges more than 11,000 for boarding and tuition per term.MSNBC anchor Nicolle Wallace has issued an apology after suggested in her broadcast on Friday that White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders be choked.

Wallace asked NBC News' White House reporter Kristen Welker, 'How do you resist the temptation to run up and wring her neck?'

The anchor, who was an adviser for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, asked the question of Welker after noting that Sanders refused to comment on an alleged remark by White House aide Kelly Sadler, that if made was dismissive toward the state of McCain's health.

Following the exchange, Wallace tweeted on Friday: 'When I asked about whether the tension in the briefing room ever makes reporters want to wring the neck of the spokesman, I used poorly chosen words, & for that Im sorry.'

She added: 'I was trying to imagine the exasperation of getting spin & not answers re: John Mccain being "about to die."'

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MSNBC anchor Nicolle Wallace has issued an apology after using a common phrase with violent undertones in her broadcast on Friday to describe how she felt reporters must feel when trying to get White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders to answer questions

It was reported on Thursday that Sadler said, 'He's dying anyway,' during a White House meeting, when something related to Senator John McCain was brought up.

McCain, at age 81, has been diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer.

During the usual press briefing on Friday, reporters in the White House briefing room asked Sanders about the comment, but she refused to make a statement on the matter.

'I'm not going to validate a leak out of an internal staff meeting one way or another,' Sanders said.

This particular dodge apparently bothered Wallace quite a bit, because that's when she used the common phrase with violent undertones to describe how she felt reporters must feel when trying to get White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders to answer questions.

It was reported on Thursday that White Hous aide Kelly Sadler said, 'He's dying anyway,' during a staff meeting, when something related to Senator John McCain was brought up, but White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders (pictured) refused to comment on the matter on Friday

Wallace tweeted on Friday: 'I used poorly chosen words, & for that Im sorry'

Wallace followed up the 'wring her neck' comment with the remark with, 'Why can't [Sanders] just say, "If a staffer said that, we're going to get to the bottom of it and she'll be fired?"'

Welker replied diplomatically to the prompt.

'I think a lot of people were surprised, Nicolle, because there was an anticipation that she would have something to say,' she said.

After reiterating that Welker herself had spoken to sources who confirmed Sadler made the distasteful remarks, she added: 'I think there was an anticipation that the White House would at least have a comment similar to the statement that they put out overnight when they praised John McCain.'

Others accompanying Wallace in the show, however, were less careful with their words.

'I think a lot of people were surprised, Nicolle, because there was an anticipation that she would have something to say,' NBC White House reporter Kristen Welker told Wallace during their discussion on Sanders' refusal to answer questions about Sadler's alleged comment

When further discussing how White House reporters handle being met with non-answers, MSNBC's John Heilemann said, ' I would slit my throat after about maybe two of those briefings if I had to sit in that room every day'

When further discussing how White House reporters handle being met with non-answers, MSNBC's John Heilemann chimed in, saying:

'They have more fortititude than I have. I could not go down there and do what Kristen Welker does. I could not. I would slit my throat after about maybe two of those briefings if I had to sit in that room every day.'

During the course of the conversation, Wallace said, 'I don't know the difference any more between "Baghdad Bob" and Sarah Sanders.'

Heilemann has not publicly commented on his choice of words, albeit directed at himself, during the broadcast, and Wallace has not commented on the lack of public outcry toward her male counterpart related to his use of a common violent phrase.

MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace compares Sarah Sanders to Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, Saddam Husseins Iraqi information minister who once attacked a top U.S. diplomat for being "a known Jew."



On if he had to interact with Sarah Sanders, NBC's John Heilemann says: "I'd slit my throat." pic.twitter.com/7YYN17vDPF  Ryan Saavedra  (@RealSaavedra) May 12, 2018

Also on Friday, Wallace said, 'I don't know the difference any more between "Baghdad Bob" and Sarah Sanders,' making a reference that has now become synonymous with someone who boldly declares as true something that literally everyone else can plainly see is false

'Baghdad Bob' was a nickname given to former Iraqi diplomat and politician Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf who served as Iraqi Information Minister under Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

The reference has now become synonymous with someone who boldly declares as true something that literally everyone else can plainly see is false.

In reply to Wallace's comment that she saw no way to differentiate Sanders from the notorious liar, Heilemann said, 'Nor do I. I don't know the difference.'

Heilemann has not publicly commented on his choice of words, albeit directed at himself, during the broadcast, and Wallace has not commented on the lack of public outcry toward her male counterpart related to his use of a common violent phrase.This is the moment a British man was left in intensive care after being punched in the head by a fellow Brit while on holiday in Turkey.

Ben Mountford, 25, was found covered in blood by staff and his mother Gale Wright, 48, at the Idas Club Hotel in Marmaris.

Miss Wright, from Stoke-on-Trent, was left horrified after being woken up by hotel staff who told her that her son had been involved in a confrontation.

Ben Mountford (above), 25, from Birmingham, was left in intensive care after being punched in the head by a fellow Brit while on holiday in Turkey

Turkish police have arrested a 19-year-old British man in connection with the incident.

The CCTV footage shows Mr Mountford - a barber from Birmingham - arguing with another man in a car park.

The other man strikes him, sending him crashing to the ground.

Mr Mountford was rushed to hospital with doctors saying he had swelling on the brain and had to be treated for three days at the intensive care unit.

This is the moment Mr Mountford, who works as a barber, was hit before slumping to the floor after a dispute in the car park of the Idas Club Hotel in Marmaris

Mr Mountford was found covered in blood by staff and his mother Gale Wright, 48, who is a former NHS worker

Mr Mountford was left bloodied and with swelling on the brain. He was rushed to hospital and was in intensive care for three days

However, he is expected to come out of hospital on Monday, although he can't recall the attack.

Miss Wright says she left her son 'having a laugh' at the bar hours before the confrontation.

Speaking to The Sun Online, Miss Wright said: 'There was blood coming from his ear, his nose - everywhere.

'I was in total shock and was just terrified, it's the worst thing that can happen to a parent to see that.'

Miss Wright is a former NHS worker and went on holiday with her son to have a relaxing break after a difficult time.

She added: 'This is just the last thing we needed.'After a busy week of entertaining his mother and working with her father at the White House, Ivanka and Jared Kushner kick-started their weekend with some Saturday morning fitness.

The couple were pictured emerging from their Washington DC home at around 10.30am.

Together, they jogged along the road followed by a Secret Service detail, waving to neighbors as they passed.

Jared and Ivanka Kushner finish their jog on Saturday morning with a colorful Secret Service agent running behind them

Almost home! As they came to the end of their 34-minute jog, Ivanka looked desperate for it to be over

Is it over yet? The pair pushed through the final stretch of their workout - an uphill sprint

Despite the struggle of the workout, the couple seemed to be chatting throughout

The pair got in a solid 34 minutes of cardio before calling it a day.

Ivanka opted for black leggings, a black t-shirt and a patriotic USA cap for the morning workout.

Her husband stuck to a tried and tested formula of a t-shirt and shorts.

Both appeared positively out of puff as they returned home from their workout, as did the Secret Service agent trailing behind them with sweat dripping down his shirt.

Race you! Jared sped ahead at the end of the jog and appeared eager to get through the door of their home first

Jared seemed to be in a good mood as he emerged from the family's home

Ivanka paired her all-black ensemble with a patriotic white Ralph Lauren hat

The 36-year-old beamed at photographers as she kicked off her run

Earlier in the week, mother-of-three Ivanka juggled domestic duties with career as she entertained her mother-in-law between trips to the White House where she serves as a senior adviser to the president.

Jared, another senior adviser, was also there every day.

Both have taken a step-back from center of the administration after a turbulent first six months in their new jobs but they remain on hand.

Next week, the pair will fly to Israel to open the controversial new US Embassy in Jerusalem.

At the start of their jog, the pair waved in unison to a neighbor who saw them jogging past

Along with Ivanka and Jared, the delegation traveling to Jerusalem for Monday's opening includes Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin.

President Trump will not attend.

The question of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Trump's unilateral decision on Jerusalem delighted Israel, which considers the entire city its capital. But it enraged Palestinians, who want to make the easternmainly Palestinianpart of the city the capital of their future state.Teachers should not ask children what they got up to on their weekends - because it can make poorer youngsters feel awkward and uncomfortable, a charity says.

Children North East says avoiding the practice can help 'poverty proof' schools, according to The Telegraph.

If staff start discussions about activities outside of school this can lead to less well-off pupils being put on the spot and feeling uncomfortable, in contrast to richer children.

Charity Children North East says topics which can make pupils feel awkward include talking about what they may or may not have got up to at the weekend

The Charity says poverty affects almost one in three children in the UK and the solutions it comes up with for schools are individually tailored.

Its 'Poverty Proofing the School Day' initiative is in its fifth year and has received a rave review in an independent evaluation by Newcastle University.

A statement on the charity's website this week said: "You may have seen our Poverty Proofing the School Day initiative in the press this week. It has been creating a lively debate about how to tackle poverty in schools which we welcome.

"Poverty affects nearly one in three children in the UK today. For these children school can be a daily struggle filled with stigma and barriers to learning such as school trips, homework and the hidden costs of education.

While some students may be happy to contribute in class (left) others may be more reserved (right) - the charity says it tailors solutions to meet the individual schools it works with

"Poverty Proofing the school day was created because children and young people living in poverty said school was the place where they felt most discriminated.

"In every school we support, we speak to all the children and young people in the school. That means any recommendations we make to the school are based on what their children and young people have experienced and what they would like their teachers to do to Poverty Proof their school lives."

The statement added: "Now in its fifth year, we know Poverty Proofing the School day really works. An independent evaluation by Newcastle University, found that it improves school attendance, behaviour in school, uptake of free school meals and uptake of school trips and music tuition.

"Poverty Proofing has already improved the school life of over 30,000 children and young people in the north east and across the country."

One headteacher banned 'fancy' pencil cases from her school following advice from the charity. Pauline Johnstone, head at a school in Northumberland, said she had wanted to minimise the 'stigma' that poor students can face.Another two MPs have come under a citizenship cloud as questions arise over the renunciation of their respective foreign citizenships.

Emma Husar and Emma McBride both took steps to renounce their foreign citizenship, however, there is no evidence provided to the Parliament that the process was finalised.

Ms Husar, the member for the Western Sydney seat of Lindsey may have acquired Polish citizenship through her paternal grandfather.

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Ms Husar, the member for the Western Sydney seat of Lindsey may have acquired Polish citizenship through her paternal grandfather

She sent a letter to the Polish consul-general on May 24, 2016, two weeks before the close of nominations for the 2016 election, stating that she renounces 'all allegiance, obedience or adherence to Poland, and renounce Polish citizenship.'

There is no supporting documentation that the Polish Government received or acted upon the letter however.

Ms McBride, the member for the seat of Dobell, has a similar case from the 2013 election where she posted a 'Declaration of Alienage' form renouncing her Irish citizenship just days before close of nominations.

Ms McBride also did not submit any supporting evidence that the Irish Government confirmed lodgement of the form.

The High Court ruled this week that Labor Senator Katy Gallagher was ineligible to stand in the 2016 election because she was a British citizen at the time of their nomination.

Labor MPs Josh Wilson, Justine Keay, and Susan Lamb, along with Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie resigned following the verdict, acknowledging they were in the same situation as Ms Gallagher.Britons travelling abroad have been warned to curb their dangerous behaviour after it was revealed more than half of people who injured or kill themselves when jumping between balconies are from the UK.

The Foreign Office has released a video of a Spanish surgeon urging Britons to take care when abroad.

Juan Jose Segura Sampedro, who works at a hospital in Majorca, blamed the drinking culture in the UK for the large number of injuries sustained to British nationals abroad.

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Juan Jose Segura Sampedro, who works at a hospital in Majorca, blamed the drinking culture in the UK for the large number of injuries sustained to British nationals abroad

Dr Segura treats people who injure themselves when 'balconing', where people jump or cross from one balcony to another.

Research found that 61 per cent of those injured were British, the average age was 24 and 97 per cent were male.

He blamed British drinking culture on the large number of British casualties, and that he treats between ten and 15 people per year, some of who are killed or suffer serious head or neck injuries.

Dr Segura said: 'The typical story is a guy maybe 19 and 20-years-old. They are having fun and drinking more than usual and they start risky behaviour like climbing from one balcony and they fall.'

He added: 'It won't just ruin your holiday, it will ruin your life.'

Going on to talk about the risk British binge drinking culture poses, he added: 'They come to Magaluf and it seems to be a rite of passage to drink and take risks.'

Dr Segura said: 'The typical story is a guy maybe 19 and 20-years-old. They are having fun and drinking more than usual and they start risky behaviour like climbing from one balcony and they fall'

Last year, thee Britons aged 16 to 30 were killed in Majorca and 25 people had hospital treatment, although not all these were from balconing.

There were also a further ten cases related to rape or sexual assault.

Natalie Cormack, 19, from North Ayrshire, died after falling from the sixth floor of an apartment building in Magaluf last month.

She had returned home from working at a bar and forgot her keys and tried to get into her apartment by climbing from a friend's balcony.

James Walton, 22, died in March after falling from the fourth floor balcony in Majorca. The Sheffield Hallam University student had been celebrating St Patrick's Day with his friends before the fall.

Post-mortem examinations carried out shortly after the tragic incident found Mr Walton had been drinking heavily prior to the incident.

Natalie Cormack, 19, from North Ayrshire, died after falling from the sixth floor of an apartment building in Magaluf last monthA female University of Cincinnati student claims she was slut-shamed when she was suspended for allegedly sexually assaulting a male student.

The male student accused 'Jane Roe' of sexual misconduct while he was too drunk to consent, following an incident that took place while they were both intoxicated, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Roe filed the lawsuit this week stating that she was treated unfairly by the university while it conducted a Title IX investigation into the male student's claims and that his allegations were made in revenge for an earlier incident involving one of his friends.

The alleged sexual misconduct occurred in the fall of 2017, when both parties had been drinking excessively.

A female University of Cincinnati student has filed a lawsuit claiming that the school 'slut-shamed' her when suspending her for alleged sexual misconduct involving a male student

According to Roe's lawsuit, she and the male student left a party together and then walked back to his home, where the alleged misconduct occurred.

The lawsuit stated that the male student's roommates told a Title IX investigator that they tried to get Roe to leave, but that she would not. The male student himself told the investigator that she had started 'kissing and touching him.'

The male student apparently told the investigator that she asked him to have sex with her, but that he declined, although he admitted to using his finger to penetrate her.

In her lawsuit, Roe recounted a different version of events.

She said that the male student actually initiated the kissing and that he had taken her shirt off. When she asked 'if there was anything else' he was interested in doing together, she claims the male student said he wanted to go to sleep, so they fell asleep together.

After their encounter, Roe said the male student went to the Title IX office to report that he had been too drunk to consent to sexual activity with Roe, initiating the university's investigation into her alleged misconduct.

The female student, 'Jane Roe,' claimed that the male student's allegations were made in revenge for a previous sexual assault accusation she had lobbed against his friend

During the course of the university's investigation into the male student's claims, Roe's lawsuit stated that once it was discovered that the male student had participated in sexual activity with Roe while she herself was drunk, the investigators did not encourage her to file a complaint against him or launch an investigation into his behavior.

Roe's lawsuit also claimed that the male student's allegations were actually made in retaliation for a previous sexual assault accusation that Roe had made against one of his friends.

After the Title IX investigation into the male student's allegations, the university determined that Roe was 'responsible.'

She appealed the decision, but was ultimately suspended in February and only allowed to re-enroll once the male student graduates or is otherwise not matriculated.

In the lawsuit, Roe claimed that she was disciplined for 'engaging in the same sexual freedoms that men on the campus enjoy.'

'You have a woman who was the sexual aggressor, and the school doesn't really know how to deal with that situation,' Roe's attorney, Josh Engel, told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

The lawsuit also stated that Roe was treated unfairly by the school because it is 'facing pressure to prosecute females accused of sexual assault because it has been named a defendant in multiple lawsuits brought by men who alleged that UC discriminates against men.'

A University of Cincinnati spokesperson said in a statement to the newspaper that the school 'focuses on the well-being of our entire community and makes every effort to provide an equitable process that respects everyones rights and accommodates their needs.'Like zombies, they stumble down pavements and across roads, oblivious to the world.

Engrossed by their portable devices, these 'smombies' - named for their obsessive attachment to their smartphones - are a risk to themselves and others.

Ignorant of their surroundings they walk into oncoming traffic and lampposts, reports The Times.

'Smombies' - named for their obsessive attachment to their smartphones - are a risk to themselves and others. Pictured: A smart crossing that alerts drivers and pedestrians to an oncoming smartphone user

The number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents increased by 3 per cent to 5,480 in the year ending September, according to the Department of Transport.

This spike coincides with smartphones becoming an increasingly present part of our lives.

The AA discovered, via a 2016 poll, that 72 per cent of drivers regularly saw 'smombies' stepping off the pavement without looking up.

Official figures confirmed 445 pedestrians were killed in 2014 by 'lack of attention'.

Now app developers have come up with technology to protect motorists - and the 'smombies' themselves - from a deadly collision.

A British company has designed a system that uses LED lights embedded in the pavement at crossings. These warn pedestrian about to step into the road.

Called 'Line of Sight', this crossing of the future has been created by a London design team tasked with creating a safer system for pedestrians to get from one side of the road to the other.

The design has won the praise of one road safety charity and MP, with a fully working concept created in the UK capital to showcase its effectiveness.

A British company has designed a system that uses strips of LED lights embedded in the road at crossings to warn motorists if pedestrians are about to step into their path

The working prototype showed how person-detection technology utilised by the system can instantly recognise when a pedestrian is walking across - or about to walk across - and notifies motorists to stop.

The system uses strips of LED lights either side of the crossing that turn from amber to red when someone steps onto it to alert approaching drivers.

Interactive signs at the crossing can also display animations to warn those walking towards it that they could be in danger.

72 per cent of UK drivers regularly see 'smombies' stepping off the pavement without looking up

The South Korean government has also invested, developing an app that deactivates your phone if you begin to walk while using it.

The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) is targeting teenagers with the app, which currently works on all Android phones.

The teen's phone switches off if they walk more than seven paces and only turns back on when the stop completely.

The KCC says it will introduce a version of the app aimed at adults next year.

The nation's government worries its children's increasing use of smartphones is driving an increasing number of road accidents.

South Koreans, especially the young, are among the world's heaviest smartphone users.

And 40 per cent of the country's traffic victims are 20 or younger, its ministry for safety an interior revealed.

A shocking survey in 2015 by the Korea Road Traffic Authority showed 200 per cent of secondary school children had been hit by, or narrowly escaped being hit by, a car because they were using their phone.

The frequency of these incidents increases between 3pm and 5pm - when children return from school.

South Korea has already introduced pavements embedded with LED lights and a similar system is being tested in Cologne and Augsburg in Germany to make tram crossings safer.

This initiative follows on from similar ones around the world.

In China, there are special sections of pavements reserved for people using phones and walking at the same time.

In Honolulu anyone crossing the road and looking at their phone will be fined.

And Salzburg, Austria, lamp posts are being covered in airbags in another attempt to stop to smartphone zombies from bumping into them.

City authorities say tourists are increasingly hurting themselves by not looking where they are going while checking their devices.

Lampposts are being covered in airbags to stop so-called 'smartphone zombies' bumping into them as they walk around staring at their screens in the Austrian city of Salzburg

Locals have described mobile phone users as 'Smombies', the short form for a 'smartphone zombie' and civic chiefs are taking action to stop them getting injured

They believe that putting airbags on lampposts is a way of highlighting the need for people to be more careful when using their devices.

The action follows a warning from a local board which promotes safety in public and private life known as the Board for Traffic Safety (KFV).

KFV expert Martin Pfanner said: 'We are of the opinion that when people see this very public warning in the form of lamppost airbags of the dangers of not paying attention, they will change their behaviour.'

Local media interviewed phone users who said the airbags reminded them to take more care.

He said 40 per cent of the injured pedestrians were hurt because they were distracted at the time of the collision.A Swiss artist has been ridiculed for 'defacing' a French medieval walled city by turning it into something resembling a target practice at a shooting range.

Felice Varini has controversially glued giant bright yellow circles, made from thin aluminium strips, across the historic stones of Carcassonne  a massive hilltop citadel in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, which is France's second-most visited tourist site after the Eiffel Tower.

The walls of the medieval city of Carcassonne are partly covered with yellow concentric circles created by the Paris-based, Swiss artist Felice Varini at the request of the National Center for National Monuments to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the inscription of the city as a UNESCO World Heritage site

How the historic site looked before it was covered in yellow-painted aluminium strips, which have attracted both applause and condemnation

Dating back to Roman times, and drawing more than four million visitors annually, the fortress was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 for being an 'outstanding example of a medieval fortified town, with massive defences encircling the castle, its associated houses, streets and the fine Gothic cathedral'.

Tourisme Carcassonne explained the stripes covering the site's exterior walls and turrets are 'Eccentric concentric circles', and part of an event showcasing heritage and contemporary art in the area.

One unimpressed person commented online: 'Desecrating historic art is not art', while another said of Felice Varini's work: 'As a medievalist I am deeply shocked that the French authorities can allow such defacement'

The organisation said Varini's project encompasses, 'fifteen circles of yellow colour... spreading in space like a wave, fragmenting and recomposing the geometry of the circles on the towers and curtain walls of the fortifications'.

However, while the eye-catching yellow bands have proved popular with visiting tourists eager to get a snap of the spiralling artwork, some locals have become enraged, calling it 'ugly' and 'terrible', according to RT news.

Scorning the artist's efforts, one unimpressed person commented online: 'Desecrating historic art is not art', while another said: 'As a medievalist I am deeply shocked that the French authorities can allow such defacement.'

But there has been praise, too, with one supporter saying that it is 'kinda cool if you look at it from the right angle [sic]'.

On Instagram, Tourisme Carcassonne attracted mainly negative reactions with people saying they were 'sad' to see such 'vandalism completely disfiguring' the attraction.

Another told the tourist operator that the circles are a 'horror. What a shame to pay tens of thousands of Euros [for it]. It completely ruins this beautiful city'.

According to reports, some residents have gone a step further, demanding the circles to be removed in an online petition. Signed by nearly 2,000 people, the petition describes the installation as looking more like targets than a piece of art.

One resident told France Info radio that local people had not been consulted about the fluorescent bands, despite having to 'look at it all day'.

The artist is renowned for creating 'anamorphic' installations around the world

Varini, though, is apparently nonplussed about the strong reaction, saying that the circles match the city's stonework 'perfectly' and that locals are simply showing they are 'deeply attached to their heritage'.

The artist is renowned for creating 'anamorphic' installations around the world, painting on buildings, walls and streets including in England, where he placed giant geometric shapes across the facades of nine Victorian buildings around Granary Square in King's Cross back in 2013.

Anamorphism is basically a type of optical illusion where perspectives of an object  such as the walled city of Carcassonne  are intentionally distorted, so its appearance changes depending on what angle you view it from.

The yellow strips will be visible until September.Jamie Acourt, who was going by Simon Alfonzo, is believed to have spent the past 18 months in Spain, before being arrested last week

A suspect in the Stephen Lawrence murder case who changed his name and went on the run was found sporting a 'man bun' in Spain.

Jamie Acourt, who was going by Simon Alfonzo, is believed to have spent the past 18 months in Spain, before being arrested last week.

He appeared starkly different to how he did in the Nineties when he became notorious for over his alleged involvement the racist killing of Stephen Lawrence.

Acourt used to have a pale complexion a no facial hair but today has more of a buzz cut.

He was arrested while leaving a gym in Barcelona as part of a joint operation between London's Met Police, the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Spanish police.

They seized a false passport bearing the name Simon Alfonzo, reports Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

Even after his fingerprints were matched to those on his file, Acourt claimed to be a victim of mistaken identity.

Acourt is believed to have lived in the Barcelona district of Diagonal Mar, where luxury flats sell for more than 2million.

Originally from south London, he is also thought to have visited other parts of Spain, including the Costa del Sol, allegedly posing as an Italian tourist.

He is accused of being a leading members of a large-scale cannabis resin supply business.

Acourt, right as Simon Alfonzo after his arrest, is not challenging his extradition back to Britain. He is pictured right throwing a punch outside a public inquiry into Stephen Lawrence's killing

The five suspects arrive at a public inquiry into the police's handling of the case June 30. They are: Jamie Acourt (L), Neil Acourt (2nd L), Luke Knight (Front R), David Norris (2ndR, wearing suit and spectacles) and Gary Dobson (Back R wearing waistcoat and tie)

He appeared in court the day after his arrest but is not challenging his extradition to the UK.

He was last seen in Britain in February 2016 in Eltham, south-east London, where Stephen Lawrence, 18, was stabbed to death by a group of white youths in 1993.

Acourt was one of several suspected involved in the murder investigation, though he and his brother, Neil, have both denied involvement.

Two others, Gary Dobson and David Norris received life sentences after being found guilty in January 2012.

Acourt was last seen in Britain in February 2016 in Eltham, south-east London, where Stephen Lawrence, 18 (pictured), was stabbed to death by a group of white youths in 1993

Last month, the Met Police said despite rigorous efforts, the murder inquiry was 'unlikely to progress' further.

It led to Prime Minister Theresa May to declare a Stephen Lawrence Day be held annually on Aprill 22 - the anniversary of his death.

Acourt's arrest in Spain formed part of Operation Captura, an international effort to target the NCA's most wanted fugitives in the country.

Dozens of suspects have so far been arrested.

Steve Reynolds, regional head of international operations at the NCA, isad many suspects were hiding in 'plain sight among the British community are we are determined to trace them and capture them and, with the help of our Spanish partners, arrest them'.Dissolute, drug-addled, drunk, Patrick Melrose lurches across the penthouse suite of a Manhattan hotel and claws at the glass. 'What's the point of a window if you can't jump out of it,' he rages, struggling to focus on the traffic hundreds of feet below.

For his next trick, Melrose, already high on a cocktail of heroin, cocaine, Quaalude 'downers', bourbon, Valium, wine and enough martinis to slay an elephant, cooks up a fix in a hotel spoon and injects a massive overdose in an attempt to end it all  yet somehow manages to wake up among the wreckage of his room the following day.

Welcome to the unsavoury and barely believable world of heart-throb actor Benedict Cumberbatch and his strange new character.

Unsettling, comic and darkly glamorous, the new drama is hardly the pipe-and-slippers comfort viewing you'd expect from Sunday night television. Think Cumberbatch's Sherlock with added sex appeal and venom  plus pharmaceuticals.

Wealthy, sharp-tongued, charming, Patrick Melrose spends five compelling episodes mired in drugs, debauchery and family demons, and the result is a study in upper-class cruelty delivered with both stinging wit and sadness.

Laughably improbable as it might seem, Patrick Melrose is based on a reality every bit as outrageous as the events portrayed on screen  and that is the extraordinary story of author Edward St Aubyn.

Unsettling, comic and darkly glamorous, Benedict Cumberbatch's new drama Patrick Melrose is hardly the pipe-and-slippers comfort viewing you'd expect from Sunday night television. Think Cumberbatch's Sherlock with added sex appeal and venom  plus pharmaceuticals.

When we see Cumberbatch's Melrose sweating profusely, gripped by horrifying flashbacks, we could well be watching Teddy St Aubyn struggling with his past. Like his character Melrose, St Aubyn had been repeatedly raped as a child by his domineering father before lurching into a lost decade of drug abuse and multiple suicide attempts. It was only by committing it to paper and writing his widely admired novels that he could turn his life around.

Edward St Aubyn, now 58, hardly seemed destined for such a troubled existence, indeed by most standards he was born with a gilded spoon in his mouth.

His father, Roger, was a former Hussars officer with impeccable haute bourgeois credentials. There was an earldom in his extended family, and a forebear who'd come over with the Conqueror.

Teddy's American mother Lorna  reputedly born as Cole Porter played the piano in the room next door  was an heiress to a vast Ohio fortune, even if it was based on pig fat. Self-obsessed and well connected, she had a Scottish grandfather who was a close friend of the Duke of Windsor.

Even the physical circumstances of Teddy's upbringing seemed propitious. Soon after his birth, the family moved to the sunshine of Provence, where, thanks to Lorna's wealth, they bought Le Plan, a sprawling, beautiful, 80-acre estate near Toulon which included a 17th Century convent, chapel, and a clump of seven houses, all with stunning views of the mountains.

And it was in that seemingly perfect environment that the full horror of the St Aubyn family was played out.

Roger, who had trained as a doctor, was a frustrated concert pianist, a restless, overbearing snob and, much, much worse  a sadistic bully who sodomised his son from the age of three.

It is a world, portrayed in his first Melrose book, where Teddy was bullied, belittled and abused; where his frustrated father would attack his terrified mother in drunken psychotic rages; where feelings were pitilessly suppressed and repressed. It is a world where kindnesses were despised and conventions trampled.

Visitors to Le Plan included the family of psychologist and broadcaster Oliver James, who would become a close friend.

Laughably improbable as it might seem, Patrick Melrose is based on a reality every bit as outrageous as the events portrayed on screen  and that is the extraordinary story of author Edward St Aubyn (left in May and right as a child)

In one telling anecdote, James remembers an eight-year-old Teddy reading the Encyclopaedia Britannica before going to bed.

'I said: ''What on earth are you doing?'',' James recalled, and Teddy replied: 'I have to read six or seven entries of the Encyclopaedia Britannica every night, and my father is going to test me in the morning.'

Nick Ayer, son of the philosopher A J Ayer, was another to experience the poisonous atmosphere of Le Plan, although for him it was nothing new.

'My parents were vile to one another  all my friends' parents were vile to one another,' he said. 'So Lorna and Roger being vile to one another was no different.'

The young Edward found refuge in the woods, vineyards, orchards and ponds of the estate, and it was there he learned to survive by distancing himself emotionally  a distance some still interpret as a lofty hauteur. One of his female friends told me recently: 'I have this image of him sniggering with his clever friends about how thick I am.

'I think he values intelligence over everything else.'

It seems there was no protection from his mother, Lorna, who eventually divorced Roger in 1968. She professed to be a spiritual person devoted to alternative wisdom, yet she turned a blind eye to the abuse of her son, living instead in a protective bubble of denial.

When, at the age of 31, he finally told her that Roger had raped him, she deflected the conversation with a dismissive: 'Me, too'

It had been left to the child himself to stand up to his predatory father. St Aubyn has described how at the age of eight he brought the sexual abuse to a stop in a hotel bedroom. ''I thought, 'He'll probably kill me but I can't I'm going to stop him if I can,'' ' he said.

Adopting a boxer's pose, he told his father: 'I don't want to do that any more.' In the aftermath of the confrontation, his father 'collapsed'.

The brave act of saying 'I don't want to' had destroyed the abuser's power and it was more in pity than anger that, as time went by, Teddy watched the old tyrant slip into decrepitude in the weed-choked modern villa that became his last home until his death in 1985.

Like his character Melrose, St Aubyn had been repeatedly raped as a child by his domineering father before lurching into a lost decade of drug abuse and multiple suicide attempts. Pictured: Jennifer Jason Leigh plays mother Lorna

'It was spooky,' Teddy recalled.

'Poverty and dereliction, and self-neglect, and nobody ever visiting. My father was too depressed to speak, a lot of the time, and if he did he talked about suicide. In a way, he was showing me what I had done to him, by refusing to continue to be abused.

'He was reproaching me, saying, ''Look what you've reduced me to  from being this master sadist, I'm now this ruin.'' '

From France, 11-year-old Teddy was sent to Westminster School. A disturbed, defensive, difficult child, who by his mid-teens was already 'speedballing'  injecting heroin and cocaine.

Oliver James has recalled that he once saw his friend teaching others how to do it, the first steps on a journey of self-loathing and extraordinary self-destruction, although with it came great charisma.

'He's a tricky character,' said a male friend.

'But when he shows an interest in you, he kind of devours you with his big brown eyes. It's very flattering.'

At 16, Teddy left Westminster and headed for Paris then New York, commencing a 12-year narcotics binge on his way to several suicide attempts.

At first he lived in squalid flea-pits, but when at the age of 18 he inherited several million dollars, Teddy moved to the luxurious Pierre Hotel overlooking Central Park, and spent $5,000 a week on drugs.

Some instinct for self-preservation led him to move to England, where he bought a flat and then a house. He enrolled at a London crammer and won a place to read English at Keble College.

Urbane, with hooded eyes and the air of a fallen angel, he cut an exotic figure at Oxford, murmuring his bons mots and put-downs through crushed vowels and barely mobile lips.

Hugo Weaving plays the sadistic father Roger in the new Sky true-life drama

Constantly overdosing, he later described heroin as 'the perfect halfway house between living and suicide'. 'Girls would throw themselves at Teddy,' says a university contemporary, who describes how a fellow student, now a grande dame of fashion, used to sleep across his doorway like a faithful pet. Another comments: 'He's alert to every nuance of life's comedies and tragedies  a ruthless observer.'

With Oxford and the wider world going through a 'Brideshead moment'  remember Anthony Andrews and Aloysius the bear  St Aubyn was perfectly placed.

'He was like a throwback to Auden and the 1930s,' the friend continues. 'Always dressed impeccably in Savile Row suits, exuding a dark glamour.'

He was part of a year group that included Hugh Grant and Nigella Lawson. He took heroin with the writer Will Self  a friendship that has now cooled  and says he snorted some secreted in a Biro tube while taking his final exams, which he left after 40 minutes.

After graduating from Oxford in 1982 with a stylishly awful 'pass', he had enough money to ensure he never needed to consider anything so mundane as a profession, although he occasionally wrote caustic pieces for Tina Brown's Tatler.

And so, despite feigned attempts to kick his habit, he pursued his downward spiral through young adulthood  until a Damascene episode in 1985 where Teddy found himself visiting New York to bring home the ashes of the father who had tormented him.

The horror of that trip is related in tonight's first episode of Patrick Melrose on Sky Atlantic.

Cumberbatch is seen careering around New York, lurching from backstreet drug dens to an uptown gentleman's club, where he slurs addled insults at his father's old chums, and upmarket restaurants where he snarkily berates the staff, offends fellow diners and makes a clumsy, unsuccessful and barely coherent pass at a beautiful blonde.

Watching the Sky Atlantic series, it's impossible not to feel that the author, in his younger days, was a much more elegant and exotic package than even a Cumberbatch tour-de-force manages to portray. Pictured: Cumberbatch as Patrick Melrose

In reality, the death of his father had caused something to click in Teddy's head. He knew he had to write.

He went into therapy with Oliver James's psychoanalyst father and entered into a brief marriage with his student crush, Nicola Shulman, the sister of the former Vogue editor, Alexandra.

By 1988, he had kicked the drugs  he was 28 years old. If booze was now his crutch of choice, it was something that in time he learned to moderate.

Most of all, he spent four years feverishly writing what was to become his first novel, Never Mind, which was published in 1992, and Bad News, that same year.

He has said he made a pact with himself either to write or to take his own life.

He scribbled in long-hand, tortuously reworking every page, and wrapped himself in towels because the exertion  and the shame  made him sweat so much. Ana Corbero, Spanish beauty and artist, was Teddy's girlfriend after he split from Shulman, and gave him the confidence and support to get Never Mind  the most painful to write  down on paper.

Herself a victim of sexual abuse, they were kindred spirits.

'Of course, I was willing to type the whole book out for him and to call him out on his 'writer's block' and to cajole him out of it by any means,' she said a few days ago.

'I felt the story needed to be told, and I thought he would tell it well. And he did!

'We had lunch a couple of months back, after not seeing each other for decades, and it was familiar and somehow healing. We were older and even more bruised.

'I guess we were victims of our history, like our own families.'

St Aubyn turned out to be a rare talent, skewering the vapid, brittle world in which he was raised, his writing shot through with psychological insight. Literary grandee Francis Wyndham saw in him a talent of genius.

Some Hope, in 1994, was originally intended as the last of a Melrose trilogy. Ending in a qualified redemption for Patrick, and no doubt reflecting the author's own hard-won equilibrium, the book has as its centrepiece a country-house ball attended by the late Princess Margaret.

A breathtakingly funny attack on social climbing and entitlement, with a poisonous take-down of the princess, Some Hope should have won the Man Booker Prize.

But St Aubyn would have to write three more novels before he was nominated.

Indeed, until he first discussed the autobiographical element of his work with a journalist  with me, actually  his novels had not attracted the attention they deserved. Since then, his true story has inevitably and understandably added a layer of interest to his work and a certain frisson.

But even then, his chaotic family life continued to haunt him. Before her death, Lorna wanted his beloved Le Plan to become a New Age retreat, before finally agreeing to sell it to Teddy.

Today, Edward St Aubyn lives alone in a house in London and has two children by two separate mothers. Like his parents, he is impeccably well connected  Mick Jagger is a friend, as are various Shand-Kydds and Guinnesses. He is godfather to one of Earl Spencer's children.

Fatherhood, he says, has been 'massively enjoyable and redemptive. I have children who are happy, and we all love each other'.

'It's incredible and so unexpected. I mean, I've had to make the whole parenting thing up, with help from their mothers.'

Watching the Sky Atlantic series, it's impossible not to feel that the author, in his younger days, was a much more elegant and exotic package than even a Cumberbatch tour-de-force manages to portray.

However, he recently joked: 'After 25 years of being asked if I'm Patrick Melrose, it is a huge relief to say, 'No, Benedict Cumberbatch is.' 'The Trump administration is reportedly looking into a new plan that would help citizens of Iran topple the country's hardline regime.

Less than a week President Trump announced the US would be withdrawing from the landmark Iran nuclear accord despite widespread opposition from allies who warned that pulling out of the agreement could cause a global crisis.

Trump also vowed to reimpose the harsh economic sanctions in place prior to the deal implemented in 2015 in exchange for heavy restrictions on Iran's nuclear program.

With the new plan the administration would assist the Iranian public in unseating the staunch regime in Iran that's already in a very vulnerable position after months of violent protests and an imploding economy.

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The Trump administration is reportedly looking into a plan that would embolden citizens of Iran to topple the country's hardline regime after several months of violent protests

On Tuesday President Trump announced the US would withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement despite an outpouring of opposition from allies in Europe who warned pulling out of the agreement could cause a global crisis

The new plan outlined by a national security think tank would rely on the power of the public to topple the current regime led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pictured

The three-page white paper being circulated among National Security Council officials in the White House offers a democratization strategy that would drive an even deeper wedge between the Iranian public and the regime headed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The plan, obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, was authored by the Securities Studies Group, a think tank with close ties to the White House, namely National Security Adviser John Bolton.

It would work to reshape foreign policy toward Iran by explicitly seeking a regime change, something the Obama administration opposed back in 2009 when similar popular protests were occurring in the Arab country.

The current administration has been moving in the direction of this kind of policy shift ever since Bolton entered the White House in April.

Bolton has been a vocal supporter of a regime change in Iran for several years, even penning an op-ed on the topic in 2015.

Under Bolton's leadership, the Trump administration is heading in that direction as well.

National Security Adviser John Bolton, pictured, has been a longtime supporter of a regime change in Iran. He joined the Trump administration in April of this year

Renewed protests broke out in Iran following Trump's withdrawal announcement. Above protesters burn a US flag at a demonstration in the capital of Tehran on Friday morning

Women and children also vocally protested against the US decision to back out of the accord

'The Trump administration has no desire to roll tanks in an effort to directly topple the Iranian regime,' SSG president Jim Hanson told the Washington Free Beacon.

'But they would be much happier dealing with a post-Mullah government. That is the most likely path to a nuclear weapons-free and less dangerous Iran.'

The proposed plan focuses on pushing the Iranian public to make political change rather than using direct military intervention by the US.

'The ordinary people of Iran are suffering under economic stagnation, while the regime ships its wealth abroad to fight its expansionist wars and to pad the bank accounts of the Mullahs and the IRGC command,' SSG writes in the paper.

'This has provoked noteworthy protests across the country in recent months.'

The Free Beacon reported that an NSC official declined to comment directly on the paper but confirmed that the White House is working to 'change the Iranian regime's behavior'.

'Our stated policy is to change the Iranian regime's behavior of continuous destabilizing regional acts and support of terrorism,' the official said.The suspected Golden State Killer watched his sister get raped by two men when he was a boy, according to relatives, who suggested the incident could have contributed to his sick sexual assault and murder spree.

Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, who was named by police last month as the man responsible for at least 12 murders and 51 rapes in 1970s and 80s California, was '9 or 10' when his seven-year-old sister Constance was attacked on a German air force base.

'Maybe that was the start of Joe going wacko,' Jesse Ryland, 35, one of Constance's sons, told Buzzfeed News.

Suspected Golden State Killer Joseph DeAngelo (seen left aged 72 in court on April 27) was '9 or 10' when he saw his sister, Constance, (right, image undated) get raped by two men

Professor Ann Wolbert Burgess, a psychiatric nurse who has examined the early years of serial killers for the FBI, said witnessing the rape could have created a vile fantasy that DeAngelo sought to recreate.

'Of course that would be significant and could have set the nucleus of the fantasy,' she said. 'What probably happened was that it was something that he kept on his mind.'

As a child, DeAngelo moved frequently with his three siblings a child because his father, Joseph DeAngelo Sr., served with the US Air Force.

DeAngelo Sr. physically assaulted his wife, Kathleen, and was warned by cops that he would be thrown out of the Air Force if he hit her again.

DeAngelo in an undated photo taken during his sophomore year at Folsom High School

Ryland said DeAngelo Sr. also hit the children, adding: 'I'm pretty positive they were all abused like that.'

And when Constance mentioned she had been raped, she and DeAngelo Jr were ordered by their parents never to discuss it, according to his nephew.

Retired cold case investigator Paul Holes, who spent 24 years hunting the Golden State Killer, said studies show serial killers often grow up in abusive environments.

But as many people who grow up with trauma do not become violent criminals, the impact of such an upbringing remains a 'mystery', Holes added.

Constance's former wife, Kenneth Ryland Snr, told Buzzfeed she never discussed the rape during their marriage and he only heard about it from Jesse.

DeAngelo Sr. divorced his wife and moved to South Korea, where he had another set of children with the exact same names as those he had with his previous wife.

DeAngelo Jr. was previously charged with eight counts of murder in Sacramento, Ventura and Orange counties, but had a further four added this week.

Cheri Domingo and Gregory Sanchez were house sitting in Goleta when they were murdered in bed

Dr Robert Offerman and Alexandria Manning were killed on December 30, 1979

Police tracked him down by comparing DNA found at crime scenes to profiles on public genealogy websites. These identified DeAngelo's relatives, who police eventually traced to him.

The latest charges relate to the 1981 killings of Cheri Domingo and Greg Sanchez, and the 1979 slayings of Robert Offerman and Debra Manning.

On December 30, 1979, Dr Robert Offerman, 44, and Alexandria Manning, 35, were killed at a home in Goleta near Santa Barbara.

Offerman, was an osteopathic surgeon, and Manning, a clinical psychologist.

The couple had their hands bound with twine when their bodies were discovered.

Sheriff's deputies take away bags of evidence from DeAngelo's home in Citrus Heights, California, on April 26

A deputy digs in the backyard of DeAngelo's home, which is situated in a quiet, middle class community

On July 27, 1981, Cheri Domingo, 35, and Gregory Sanchez, 27, were house sitting in Goleta when they were murdered in bed.

Domingo was found with her hands tied and suffering massive head injuries. Sanchez was shot and bludgeoned.

He was a former police officer in Auburn, California, but was terminated in 1979 for shoplifting a hammer and dog repellent from a drug store.

The Golden State Killer name was coined after the criminal began his reign of terror in the summer of 1976 with a series of rapes and burglaries in the cities of Carmichael and Rancho Cordova.

According to investigators, the masked killer would break into homes at night and tie up the victims  raping the female one if present  and subsequently pillage the homes of money, jewelry, identification cards and other valuables.

GOLDEN STATE KILLER'S THIRTEEN MURDER VICTIMS Claude Snelling: September 11, 1975 Claude Snelling September 11, 1975 Journalism professor Claude Snelling, 45, was asleep in his home in Visalia, California when he heard an odd noise outside at about 2am. He rushed outside to find a masked man dragging his 16-year-old daughter Elizabeth away. The abductor shot Snelling twice, killing him, and fled the scene on foot, leaving Elizabeth unharmed. She later told how her father saved her life. DeAngelo had woken her up, standing over her in a ski mask. He told her to go with him or risk her life. She said it was 'blurry' but that she remembered him dragging her. 'The kidnapper] threw me down and shot my dad twice. Then he pointed the gun at me.' DeAngelo hit her with the gun and kicked her but fled. Snelling died on his way to the hospital. The shooting was connected to the work of the Visalia Ransacker, believed to be responsible for 102 burglaries in the area, when ballistics matched the gun that killed Snelling to one that had been stolen in a previous break-in. Brian and Katie Maggiore: February 2, 1978 Brian and Katie Maggiore February 2, 1978 Brian Maggiore, 21, and his wife Katie, 20, were walking their dog in their Rancho Cordova neighborhood, just outside Sacramento, on February 2, 1978. The FBI said the couple were chased down before being shot and killed by the Golden State Killer. Dr Robert Offerman and Alexandria Manning: December 30, 1979 Dr Robert Offerman and Alexandria Manning December 30, 1979 Dr Robert Offerman, 44, and Alexandria Manning, 35, were killed at a home in Goleta near Santa Barbara. Offerman, an osteopathic surgeon, and Manning, a clinical psychologist, had their hands bound with twine. Lyman and Charlene Smith (left) and Patrice and Keith Harrington (right) Lyman and Charlene Smith March 13, 1980 Lyman Smith, 43, and his wife Charlene, 33, were bludgeoned to death with a fireplace log in their Ventura County home. Smith was an attorney who was just days from being appointed a judge. His wife worked as a court clerk. Patrice and Keith Harrington August 19, 1980 Patrice Harrington, 28, and her husband Keith, 25, were killed in their home at Dana Point. Police said they were beaten with a blunt instrument. Patrice was a pediatric nurse and her husband was a medical student at UC Irvine. Manuela Witthuhn (left) and Janelle Lisa Cruz (right) Manuela Witthuhn February 5, 1981 Manuela Witthuhn, 28, was raped and beaten to death in her home in Irvine. She was home alone at the time because her husband was in the hospital recovering from an illness. Cheri Domingo and Gregory Sanchez Cheri Domingo and Gregory Sanchez July 27, 1981 Cheri Domingo, 35, and Gregory Sanchez, 27, were house sitting in Goleta when they were murdered in bed. Domingo was found with her hands tied and suffering massive head injuries. Sanchez was shot and bludgeoned. Janelle Lisa Cruz May 4, 1986 Janelle Cruz, 18, was bludgeoned to death in her family's home in Irvine. She was home alone at the time and police found her lying across her bed. A real estate agent who was selling the family's home was the first to discover the teen's body. Blood was found spattered throughout the home and police believe she was beaten with a pipe wrench. Advertisement

Some victims even told authorities that the Golden State Killer would call them up in the aftermath of the crime.

The serial killers crime spree took a deadly turn in early 1978 when he is thought to have shifted his attention from burglarizing homes to murder.

The first victims of the Golden State Killer are believed to be Brian and Katie Maggiore of Rancho Cordova, who were murdered while out walking their dog on February 2, 1978.

The initial murders were followed by a series of additional murders and rapes in Modesto, Davis, Stockton and other San Francisco Bay area communities.

His final crime, believed to be the murder of an 18-year old woman in the Southern California city of Irvine, was committed in May 1986.Facebook and Google have made tens of thousands of pounds from adverts which make controversial claims about abortion in the run-up to the Irish referendum in two weeks time.

Anti-abortion groups have targeted young Irish voters on Facebook with claims that abortion makes women suicidal and causes breast cancer.

Parents have also raised concerns that YouTube - which is owned by Google - has allowed videos aimed at children to be published with adverts that suggest one in five pregnancies are terminated in England.

Anti-abortion groups have targeted young Irish voters on Facebook with claims that abortion makes women suicidal and causes breast cancer

The findings come a week after the online giants suspended all advertising connected to Ireland's abortion referendum as part of moves to protect election integrity.

On May 25 Irish voters will decide whether to repeal the Eighth Amendment to the Irish constitution which makes abortion illegal.

The campaign to repeal so far has a slight lead but a large group of the electorate have yet to decide which way they will vote.

Last week Facebook decided to ban foreign advertisements relating to Ireland's abortion referendum amid fears US groups were trying to influence the result

Ireland bars political donations from abroad, but the law does not apply to social media advertising. US-based anti-abortion groups are among those who have bought online adverts in Ireland during the campaign.

However, the social media organisation has failed to block such ads, reports the Times.

An anti-abortion group based in Leamington Spa paid for an ad about an Irish woman who died after travelling to the UK for an abortion.

Aisha Chithira, 32, died six years ago when being discharged from a Marie Stopes clinic in Ealing following a termination of a 22-week pregnancy.

This is not what care for women looks like, the advert said. Facebook said it had violated the new rule when contacted for comment and removed the ad.

Googles decision to ban all adverts regarding the referendum was described by one anti-abortion group, Save the 8th, as rigging the election

A spokeswoman said they reviewed all adverts before they were published but that some got through and were only taken down when users complained.

The controversial adverts were collected in a database created using software which trails through Facebook for information on why advertisers are targeting the user.

The Transparent Referendum Initiative - made up of people checking social media activity concerning the vote - installed the software.

They discovered that the adverts were targeted at women between the ages of 18 and 45 as well as those found to have an interest in online shopping.

Googles decision to ban all adverts regarding the referendum was described by one anti-abortion group, Save the 8th, as rigging the election.

The move stopped them from buying their planned adverts during the last two weeks of the campaign.He once jokingly suggested people should invent time travel if they wanted to address questions or complaints to his younger self, so it is hardly surprising that time travellers might well attend Prof Stephen Hawkings memorial service.

Members of the public have been invited to apply for tickets to attend a celebration of the extraordinary mans life at a memorial service in Westminster Abbey on June 15, where his ashes will be interred alongside the graves of Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

Professor Hawking once threw a party for time travellers, to see if any would turn up if he posted the invite after the party. None did

Professor Stephen Hawking delivered a speech entitled 'Why we should go into space' during a lecture series marking NASA's 50th anniversary on April 21, 2008, at George Washington University's Morton Auditorium in Washington, DC

The worlds most recognisable scientist died in March aged 76, after a lifetime spent probing the origins of the universe, the mysteries of black holes and the nature of time itself.

A public ballot offering tickets for the service to the public opened on May 9, run by the Stephen Hawking Foundation. Up to 1,000 places are available at the Service of Thanksgiving, although entering your details does not guarantee you a place.

However, London travel blogger IanVisits has noted that it seems perfect that the memorial service allows people born in the future to attend the service.

When those going onto the online memorial service ballot click on the date of birth section, a pop-up box allows people to put in dates from 2019 to 2038.

The blogger, who publicises events and writes abut the capital's heritage writes: Professor Hawking once threw a party for time travellers, to see if any would turn up if he posted the invite after the party.

'None did, but it seems perfect that the memorial website allows people born in the future to attend the service. Look out for time travellers at the Abbey.'

A spokesman for the foundation told the BBC that while applicants appear  so far  to be from the present day, we cannot exclude the possibility of time travel as it has not been disproven to our satisfaction.

All things are possible until proven otherwise.

So far we have had applications from all round the world, and we do mean round  there are no flat-Earthers here.

The worlds most recognisable scientist died in March aged 76, after a lifetime spent probing the origins of the universe, the mysteries of black holes and the nature of time itself

Sarah Bridle, a professor of Astrophysics at the University of Manchester, told BBC Radio that Hawking had remained curious about the potential for time travel, even after his party in 2009.

'He was curious and he had a great sense of humour,' she said. 'He said he combined his two favourite things  experiments and champagne  to put on this party.'

In January last year, Prof Hawking posted a touching tribute to his family, friends and others who have helped and supported me along the way and made my universe so full of life, love and energy'.

Commenting on having an extraordinary time working in the field of cosmology, he said he was happy to have made a contribution to our understanding of black holes and the origin of the universe'.

His ashes will be interred at noon on Friday, June 15 at Westminster Abbey.A murder suspect attacked his lawyer in a sudden outburst of rage after being found guilty in a Florida courtroom on Friday.

Defendant Travis Davis, 20, lashed out at his lawyer Daniel Hernandez in the courtroom in Ocala, Florida.

His co-defendant, 21-year-old Kelvon Grimmage, joined in. They hit Hernandez as he lay on the floor until two bailiffs intervened and tased them.

The two young men had just been found guilty of murdering Courtney London, a young father who was shot dead in his home in front of his children in 2016.

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Murder defendant Travis Davis turned on his judge Daniel Hernandez after being found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. In this courtroom surveillance image, Davis (left in a black shirt) stands next to his lawyer (seen in a jacket and shirt, front). His co-defendants are next to him in blue and red shirts

Above, the scene in the Ocala, Florida, courtroom on Friday after he brought Hernandez to the ground behind the defense table. Local court photographers are seen standing up to capture the fracas as bailiffs ran to help

Davis (seen left in a black shirt) threw the first punches, knocking the attorney to the ground. His co-defendant Kelvon Grimmage then joined in

Branden Banks, 22, and Kiila Richardson, 23, were also found guilty. All four men were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Lawyer Daniel Hernandez said he was stunned by the attack

Their plan was to rob the man and kill him with no witnesses around, according to prosecutors.

The men each had their own attorneys.

Together, their defense was to poke holes in the testimony of the victim's child, who was five at the time of his father's murder and who named Davis as the gunman.

The jury deliberated for nine hours before delivering their verdict.

Davis erupted immediately.

Later, he said he was 'mad at the moment'.

As Hernandez struggled on the ground and bailiffs got the men under control, the judge called for order and people in the public gallery gasped.

Travis Davis, 20, was the defendant who kicked off the brawl. He was put in handcuffs and made to sit in the middle of the courtroom afterwards

When he was brought back in to the courtroom in a prison jumpsuit, he apologized to his lawyer

Kelvon Grimmage joined in as his friend beat the lawyer. He was wrestled to the ground and both men were tased

It was a dramatic scene which ended with Davis and Grimmage being put in the middle of the courtroom floor, sitting cross legged to be handcuffed.

They shouted several things to one another including 'I love you man,' at the time.

Victim: The four men had just been found guilty for murdering 28-year-old Courtney London (seen above) when the courtroom erupted

In a video of the aftermath of the fight which was obtained by The Ocala Star Banner, Davis is seen apologizing to his attorney.

A shellshocked Hernandez replied to him: 'That's OK' as he composed himself and walked away.

The attorney later told Fox News he was stunned by the young defendant's violent reaction.

'I got about five punches to the back and the side of my head, forehead.

'I got a few bumps and bruises, some scratches.

'Wed had our disagreements on some things, but we never, nothing physical had ever happened, and I certainly was not expecting to get punched,' he said.

Travis Davis, 20, (left) and Kelvon Grimmage, 21, (right)Dina Carvalho stared down the giraffe at the 1,500-acre Glen Afric reserve

The grieving widow of the director killed in a freak giraffe attack has come face to face with the animal that headbutted her husband to death.

In gripping footage Dina Carvalho, wife of South African movie director Carlos, 47, faces down the giraffe at the 1,500-acre Glen Afric reserve.

Seeking closure, she returned to the spot just days after her husband was killed.

Carlos had been sent flying by the giraffe, named Gerald, after it swung its neck at him. He landed in a crumpled heap and blood reportedly poured from his eyes, nose and ears.

In the video, the mother-of-two paces alongside the giraffe as he pushes towards her, against the fence of his enclosure.

Describing her feelings after the brave act, Dina told The Sun: 'I wanted to feel what my husband must have faced in those last terrifying seconds of his life.

Dina Carvalho stood face-to-face with the giraffe that killer her husband South African movie director Carlos

Carlos (pictured with his crew minutes before the attack) was sent flying through the air and left with devastating head injuries after the giraffe headbutted him

'The whole time we paced Gerald never took his eyes off me. So I just stared back at his restless eyes and the horns that killed Carlos thinking about that awful moment he struck my husband.

'I felt numb, defiant and incredibly sad all at the same time.'

She confronted the animal on Thursday after spending hours on the set of Premium Nanny 2 hearing the film crew describe her late husband's final moments.

Carlos Carvalho had worked on ITV's popular Wild at Heart series that featured a British family building up an animal hospital in the South African bush.

Gerald the Giraffe (pictured) crushed the camera man's skull while he was filming in Broederstroom, South Africa

But the 47-year-old was sent flying 16 feet through the air while working on a feature film with Gerald the Giraffe after the animal headbutted him, causing devastating head injuries.

He was airlifted from the scene in Broederstroom, South Africa, to the same hospital where British safari park owner Mike Hodge is recovering from a lion attack in Johannesburg but surgeons were unable to save him.

Drikus Van Der Merwe was part of the filming crew and said he was stood next to Carlos when he was attacked.

'He started chasing the boom swinger who joined our unit,' he added. 'The giraffe followed him but we didn't feel threatened because he just seemed to be inquisitive.

'We started shooting close ups of its body and its feet. Then while Carlos was looking through the camera eyepiece Gerald swung his neck and hit him against his head.

The Wild at Heart TV series followed the story of a British family who went to South Africa to set up a farm (pictured, the cast of the show)

The film-maker worked on the ITV Series Wild at Heart (pictured, the show's stars Dawn Steele and Stephen Tompkinson

'It came out of nowhere and Carlos didn't even see it coming. He wasn't aware of the danger.'

Van Der Merwe said Carlos's body lay lifeless on the ground until the on-set paramedic arrived.

'I could see he was unconscious,' he said. 'There was blood coming out of his eyes and ears so I knew he had a severe head trauma. But I never thought he would die.

'Out of all the wild animals we have filmed I can't believe a giraffe killed Carlos. I suppose we get so used to filming animals that we become desensitised in a way.'

Moments before the attack, photographer Van Der Merwe took the final pictures of Carlos alive as he worked on rigging.

Owner of Glen Afric Country Lodge Richard Brooker yesterday told how he was killed.

He said: 'Carlos was standing in front of the giraffe, the animal spread its legs, bent its neck and swung its head at Carlos. It was a terrible accident and we are heartbroken.

'Gerald will remain at the lodge. He did nothing wrong.'

Carvalho won a number of awards since he began his career as a runner in 1992.

They included a Silver Lion at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003 for a public service announcement for Childline and a 2014 African Movie Academy Cinematography Award for his work on 'The Forgotten Kingdom'.

Carlos (pictured) lay on the floor lifeless for 45 minutes while he waited for an air ambulance to arrive but died in hospital

Gerald the Giraffe (pictured) attacked the film-maker, who worked on the hit TV show Wild at Heart, in which a British family set up a farm in South Africa

Adult male giraffes which stand 18 feet tall and weigh up to 1.2 tons fight with their heads in what is called necking to prove dominance and for the right to access to females.

As the video below shows it can be very violent and can result in serious death or injury.

Carlos had his skull crushed by the horns known as ossicones on the top of the giraffe's head .

The filmmakers Cape Town agent Sandi-Lee Slabbert said: 'The giraffe headbutted Carlos during filming and he was rushed to hospital but died that night from head injuries.

'He was an amazing, amazing man and fabulous to work with. Everyone loved him and loved working with him.

'He was very well known at Glen Afric where he filmed a lot. He is a very sad loss to everyone who knew him and the industry.'

The attack happened in the park where ITV show Wild at Heart was filmed (pictured, the show's star Stephen Tompkinson with elephants on set)

In 2014, Carvalho, who was the director of photography for The Forgotten Kingdom, the first feature film produced in Lesotho, won the Haskell Wexler Award for Best Cinematography at the 14th annual Woodstock Film Festival Maverick Awards Gala held in New York.

He has won a number of awards for TV, documentaries and films over a long career.

CEO at CallaCrew who provide staff for the film world Jan Bowden wrote on Facebook that it was with a very sad heart that they had to announce the passing of Carlos.

She said: 'He was filming a feature at Glen Afric and had a fatal run-in with a giraffe on set.

'He was flown to hospital but succumbed to his injuries. He will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.'

TV's Wild at Heart on which Carlos worked for many of the seven series of which 65 shows were broadcast bewteen 2006 and 2012 was a favourite with the stars of the show.

Actor Stephen Tompkinson and actress Amanda Holden played the original husband and wife team who set up the veterinary practice and animal hospital in he African bush.

It was filmed at the majestic Glen Afric Country Lodge where Carlos died and a special set was created called Leopard's Den in the grounds which is still a a tourist attraction.

The wildlife park is home to elephants, lions, cheetahs, giraffe, hippos and monkeys and overlooks the Magailesberg Mountains and is a popular spot for TV and film programmes.Gina Haspel, who is President Donald Trump's nominee for Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director, has received the promise of a confirmation vote from a second Democratic senator.

Senator Joe Donnelly from Indiana announced on Saturday that he would would to confirm Haspel to the role, following a meeting with her on Thursday to discuss her nomination that included the use of techniques like waterboarding during interrogation of terror suspects at a base she oversaw in the early 2000s.

'I believe that she has learned from the past, and that the CIA under her leadership can help our country confront serious international threats and challenges,' Donnelly said of Haspel.

Donnelly's support, along with that of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin from West Virginia, has all but locked in Haspel's confirmation to the CIA's most senior leadership role.

Gina Haspel, who is President Donald Trump's nominee for Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director, received the promise of a confirmation vote from a second Democrat on Saturday

Haspel requires 50 votes to be confirmed as the new CIA Director, and two of the 51 Republicans in the Senate have opposed her nomination.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul from Kentucky already declared he'd vote 'no' on Haspel.

GOP Sen. John McCain from Arizona has also voiced opposition to Trump's pick, in addition to being absent from votes due to his battle with brain cancer.

These two party detractors combined created a situation where Haspel needs at least one Democrat's vote to be confirmed.

Now, with both Donnelly and Manchin on board, it seems her position as CIA Director is a foregone conclusion.

Sen. Joe Donnelly (right) from Indiana announced his support on Saturday; His promised vote, along with that of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (left) from West Virginia, has all but locked in Haspel's confirmation to the CIA's most senior leadership role

Donnelly shared a few sentences about why he has chosen to support Haspel for CIA Director on Saturday.

'As our country faces dynamic and challenging security threats, it is critically important that our intelligence agencies have the leadership and support that they need to help keep Americans safe and defend our nation from those who wish to do us harm,' he said in a statement.

'Gina Haspel has served our country and the Central Intelligence Agency for more than 30 years, and she has the strong support of both her colleagues at the agency and former CIA Directors Hayden, Panetta, and Brennan, who served under Presidents Bush and Obama.

'I had a tough, frank, and extensive discussion with Ms. Haspel on a wide range of topics, including her vision for the agency and how she would approach the job, as well as issues of detention and interrogation. I have also reviewed her record and her testimony before Congress,' he added.

'Importantly, Ms. Haspel expressed to me her commitment to be responsive to congressional oversight and to provide her unvarnished assessment  both to members of Congress and the president.'

President Donald Trump speaks while Larry Kudlow, director of the U.S. National Economic Council (right) listens during a meeting with automotive executives in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Friday; Trump has nominated Haspel to lead the CIA

While Haspel refrained from criticizing her colleagues during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday in Washintonton, DC, she stated techniques such as waterboarding would not be used in the future, under her watch as leader of the CIA

Prominent Democrats, however, are not on board with Haspel leading the CIA.

Questions arose about her role as chief of a base in Thailand in 2002, where a 'black site,' or secret, prision was located.

It's now come to light that waterboarding and other torture techniques were used during the interrogation of terror suspects who were held at the base.

While Haspel refrained from criticizing her colleagues during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, she stated no such techniques would be used in the future, while she is at the helm of the CIA.

'Having served in that tumultuous time, I can offer you my personal commitment, clearly and without reservation, that under my leadership on my watch CIA will not restart such a detention and interrogation program,' she said.

In addition to those concerns, the left has criticized the CIA as not having been entirely forthcoming in declassification of data pertaining to Haspel.

Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich from New Mexico and Kamala Harris from California also admonished Haspel personally on Wednesday, for being seemingly evasive during questioning at the hearing.



'You also, in this hearing, have a responsibility to answer the questions being asked of you,' Harris said to Haspel.

Harris has publicly stated she will vote 'no' on Haspel's confirmation.

However, several other Democrats are seen as possible, even likely, 'yes' votes for the long-time member of the CIA, including Sen. Mark Warner from Virginia, who is the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee.

Others include Sens. Angus King from Maine, Doug Jones from Alabama, Heidi Heitkamp from North Dakota, Bill Nelson from Florida and Claire McCaskill from Missouri.

Outside of Congress, Haspel counts both Obama-era and Bush-era intelligence officials among her supporters, to include former CIA Directors Leon Panetta, John Brennan and Michael Hayden.Advertisement

This is the first image to be made public showing Khamzat Asimov, the Islamic State terrorist who launched a knife attack in Paris

The Islamic State has released a posthumous video featuring the knifeman who carried out a deadly terror attack in Paris on Saturday.

20-year-old Khamzat Asimov, who arrived in France as a refugee from war-torn Chechnya, launched a nine-minute lethal knife rampage through the centre of Paris.

Asimov murdered one man and severely wounded four others - including a Chinese and Luxembourg citizen - in the attacks close to the historic Opera Garnier, in the city centre.

Hours afterwards, his parents were both arrested at the family home in Paris, where they have lived since fleeing Chechnya in the early 2000s.

Now though, ISIS have released a propaganda video featuring the killer in which he recorded a last message confirming his affiliation with the terror cell.

In the video, Asimov, who was on an anti-terror watchlist of suspected extremists, refers to his 'brothers' in ISIS overseas in Iraq and Syria and explicitly declares his allegiance with the group.

He goes on to address other extremists residing across Europe in Germany, France and the UK telling them to 'stay strong - victory is at hand'.

The attacker can be seen speaking to the camera in French as he sits in a rainy park with trees in the background.

He ends the video by looking into the camera and simply saying 'goodbye'.

In the video, 20-year-old Khamzat Asimov explicitly declares his affiliation with the terrorist group while speaking in French

The knifeman can be seen speaking into his camera-phone in the middle of what seems to be a park as he tells his ISIS 'brothers' to ' stay strong'

Pictures from Twitter appear to show a man lying in the middle of a street after the knifeman went on a rampage in Paris, slashing at the throats of his targets

The attacker was shouting 'Allahu Akbar' - Arabic for 'God is the Greatest' - as he slashed throats at random. Pictured: Police at the scene after the brutal attack

Police said they had arrested and held for questioning a friend of the attacker in Strasbourg.

Outlining details of the latest terrorist bloodbath in Paris, police said they received the first emergency call at 8.47pm on Saturday.

The attacker was shouting 'Allahu Akbar' - Arabic for 'God is the Greatest' - as he slashed throats at random.

Paris prosecutors confirmed that the dead man was born in the Russian republic of Chechnya in 1997 and had no previous criminal record - but was on the so-called 'S file' of people suspected of radicalised views who could pose security risks.

'He had no judicial record,' a source said. '(The attacker) is French, born in Chechnya. His father and mother were placed in custody Sunday morning.'

He came to France as a political refugee in the early 2000s, and as he grew up displayed an increasing interest in radical Islam, another source added.

There are some 30,000 Chechens in France, most of whom arrived as political refugees in the early 2000s because of the two Chechen Wars.

A heavy police presence remained at the scene of the attack which unfolded in central Paris yesterday as the Chechnya-born man went on a savage rampage

Armed police swooped on the area close to the historic Opera Garnier opera house yesterday where they were able to bring a halt to the blood shed by shooting the assailant dead

The man attacked several people with a knife, one of whom died, police said. Two were in serious condition and all the victims are in hospital

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb hailed in a tweet the 'sang-froid and reaction of the police who neutralised the attacker.' A large area was cordoned off where police, fire and rescue vehicles converged.

The initial attack took place on Rue Monsigny, in the 2nd arrondissement, where crowds were seen running away in panic

President Emmanuel Macron has since been active in admitting more who have suffered persecution in a Muslim-majority republic that is now part of the Russian Federation.

Last year Mr Macron complained to Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart, about the alleged torture of homosexuals in Chechnya.

Armed police swooped on the French capital's historic Opera Garnier opera house shortly after 9pm and used a taser on the attacker before shooting him dead when he refused to surrender.

According to Le Figaro, the attacker was armed with a 4in kitchen knife.

ISIS later claimed the killer was one of their 'soldiers' as President Emmanuel Macron said: 'France has once again paid the price of blood'.

Dramatic footage shows scenes of panic as people sprinted away from the scene of the rampage where someone could be seen covered in blood and lying on their back in the street.

The bloodbath, which left a 29-year-old man dead, took place in Rue Monsigny in the 2nd arrondissement - an area between the main opera house and the Louvre museum, two major tourist attractions full of bars, restaurants and theatres which were brimming on a weekend night.

One horrified witness said people hid in a bar after seeing the assailant 'slaughter' someone in the street. Another said they heard four shots in quick succession.

A British witness, restaurant owner Oliver Woodhead, said he saw the attacker come round the corner 'with blood on his hands, carrying a cutter'.

He told ITV News: 'The police tasered him a couple of times. I think they missed.

'Then there were two shots and the attacker fell just two metres in front me, in front of my front door.'

THE DEADLY JIHADIST ATTACKS ON FRANCE THAT HAVE CLAIMED THE LIVES OF NEARLY 250 Jihadist attacks have killed more than 245 people across France since the 2015 Charlie Hebdo shootings. Here is a recap of incidents that have taken place in the past three years: 2018 March 23: Gunman Radouane Lakdim killed four people in the southern towns of Trebes and Carcassonne, including policeman Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame who was hailed as a hero for taking the place of a hostage. Lakdim was shot dead by police after a stand-off. 2017 October 1: A 29-year-old Tunisian cries 'Allah Akbar' and kills two young women with a knife at the main train station in the southern city of Marseille Ahmed Hanachi is shot dead by soldiers on patrol. His attack is claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group. 2017 April 20: A 39-year-old ex-convict shoots dead an on-duty policeman and wounds two others on Paris' Champs-Elysees avenue Gunman Karim Cheurfi is killed by police and a note praising IS is found next to his body, with the group claiming responsibility. A sea of floral tributes to the victims of the deadly attack on the Promenade des Anglais seafront which killed 84 people in Nice in July 2016 From left: Larossi Abballa, 25, who knifed a police officer to death in Paris in June 2016, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who killed 86 people and injured more than 400 when he ploughed a truck through a large crowd in Nice in July 2016 and Radouane Lakdim, who killed four people in the southern towns of Trebes and Carcassonne, including policeman Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame who was hailed as a hero for taking the place of a hostage 2016 July 26: Two teenagers slit the throat of an 85-year-old priest in front of five worshippers at his church in the western town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray Abdel Malik Petitjean and Adel Kermiche, both aged 19, are killed by police. The murder is claimed by the IS. The teenagers had sworn allegiance to the group in a video. 2016 July 14: A Tunisian ploughs a truck through a large crowd gathered for Bastille Day fireworks on the Promenade des Anglais in the Mediterranean city of Nice. The attack kills 86 people and injures more than 400. The driver, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, 31, is shot dead by security forces. IS claims responsibility. 2016 June 13: Larossi Abballa, 25, uses a knife to kill a police officer and his partner at their home in Magnanville, west of Paris, in front of their young son Abballa is killed by a police SWAT team, but has already claimed the murders on social media in the name of IS. 2015 November 13: France is hit by the worst terror attacks in its history. IS jihadists armed with assault rifles and explosives strike outside a France-Germany football match at the national stadium, Paris cafes, and the Bataclan concert hall in a coordinated assault that leaves 130 people dead and more than 350 wounded. 2015 August 21: Passengers prevent a bloodbath on a high-speed Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris, tackling a man who opened fire on travellers. He was armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, an automatic pistol and a box-cutter. The gunman is identified as 25-year-old Moroccan national Ayoub El Khazzani, known to intelligence services for links to radical Islam. 2015 June 26: Frenchman Yassin Salhi, 35, kills and beheads his boss and displays the severed head, surrounded by two Islamic flags, on the fence of a gas plant in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier in southeastern France. He tries to blow up the factory, but is arrested. He commits suicide in his jail cell. 2015 April 19: Sid Ahmed Ghlam, an Algerian IT student, is arrested on suspicion of killing a woman who was found shot dead in her car, and of planning an attack on a church in the Paris suburb of Villejuif. Prosecutors say they found documents about Al-Qaeda and IS at his home, and that he had been in touch with a suspected jihadist in Syria about an attack on a church. 2015 February 3: A knife-wielding man attacks three soldiers guarding a Jewish community centre in Nice. The 30-year-old assailant, Moussa Coulibaly, is arrested. In custody, he expresses his hatred for France, the police, the military and Jews. 2015 January 7-9: Two men armed with Kalashnikov rifles storm the Paris offices of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo killing 12 people. A policewoman is killed just outside Paris the following day, while a gunman takes hostages at a Jewish supermarket, four of whom are killed. The attackers are killed in separate shootouts with police, but not before claiming allegiance to Al-Qaeda and the IS. Advertisement

The terror attack follows a series of jihadist atrocities in France, which have seen almost 250 people murdered by terrorists since early 2015.

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb is holding a special security meeting today to address the attack.

Mr Collomb said overnight that authorities are working to find anyone who might have helped the assailant.

A man from Luxembourg was among four people wounded in the attack.

The foreign ministry of the small country north of France said in a statement that the man was given emergency treatment and he's no longer in danger.

The attacker targeted five people and then fled, according to Paris police and a witness. When police officers arrived minutes later, he threatened them and was shot dead, according to police union official Yvan Assioma.

Bar patrons and opera-goers described surprise and confusion, and being ordered to stay inside while the police operation was under way on Rue Monsigny in the lively 2nd Arrondissement, or district, of the French capital.

'I was working in the restaurant and suddenly I heard a woman screaming... he came and attacked her,' said Jonathan, a witness working nearby who would not provide his surname.

'That's when the panic started, everyone started screaming and trying to reach our restaurant... The attacker just kept walking around with his knife in his blooded hands.'

The attacker targeted five people and then fled, according to Paris police and a witness. When police officers arrived minutes later, he threatened them and was shot dead, according to police union official Yvan Assioma. Pictured: A forensic officer at the scene last night

A forensic officer investigates at the scene last night. The Islamic State claimed responsibility, according to the SITE monitoring group

The initial attack took place on Rue Monsigny, in the 2nd arrondissement, where crowds were seen running away in panic. Pictured: Police and forensic officers at the scene last night

'Police were quickly on the scene, in less than five minutes. They encircled him and he tried to attack them with a knife but they shot him down,' he told reporters.

The Islamic State group's Aamaq news agency said the assailant carried out the attack in response to the group's calls for supporters to target members of the US-led military coalition squeezing the extremists out of Iraq and Syria. Aamaq did not provide evidence for its claim.

France's military has been active in the coalition since 2014, and IS adherents have killed more than 200 people in France in recent years.

Following last night's attack, an investigating source said: 'A 29-year-old man died after being stabbed by an assailant close to the Opera House.

'The attacker targeted an area full of restaurants and bars close. He shouted 'Kill me before I kill you' and also used the words Alluhu Akbar.

Police and forensic officers are at on scene after the attack unfolded earlier today. ISIS have since claimed responsibility for the outrage, saying the attack was carried out by one of their 'soldiers'

A large area was cordoned off where police, fire and rescue vehicles converged. Shocked tourists and residents looked on from behind the security perimeter

The attack took place near the city's main opera house in an area full of bars, restaurants and theatres which were brimming on a weekend night

'The executor of the stabbing operation in the city of Paris is a soldier of the Islamic State and the operation was carried out in response to the calls to target the coalition states,' a 'security source' told IS's official Amaq news agency, according to monitoring group SITE. Pictured: Two police officer at the scene of the attack last night

'He was slashing throats indiscriminately using a knife before police arrived on the scene. They were able to shoot him dead.'

The Islamic State claimed responsibility, according to the SITE monitoring group.

'The executor of the stabbing operation in the city of Paris is a soldier of the Islamic State and the operation was carried out in response to the calls to target the coalition states,' a 'security source' told IS's official Amaq news agency, according to SITE.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said France bears 'full responsibility' for the knife attack.

Kadyrov identified the 20-year-old assailant as Hassan Azimov rather than Khamzat Asimov. Kadyrov said he obtained a Russian passport when he was 14, before obtaining French nationality.

'Knowing that, I think it important to note that the entire responsibility for the fact that Hassan Azimov chose the path of crime lies with the French authorities,' Kadyrov said on the Telegram messaging app.

'He may have been born in Chechnya, but he grew up and formed his personality, his opinions and convictions within French society,' Kadyrov said.

'I'm sure that if he had spent his childhood and adolescence in Chechnya, Hassan's fate would have been different.'

The initial attack took place on Rue Monsigny, in the 2nd arrondissement, where crowds were seen running away in panic.

At one stage, many people were trapped inside a Japanese restaurant, with many fearing the knifeman was inside with them.

'Just before 9pm, we saw people rushing inside the restaurant screaming that a man was inside with a bloody knife,' a witness called Laurent told Le Parisien newspaper.

Forensics teams survey the area after the attack today. Shocked tourists and residents looked on from behind the security perimeter during the bloodshed

Anti-terrorist judges from Paris have launched an investigation, with the city prosecutor Francois Molins confirming that the suspected 'Allah Akbar' - words commonly used by Isis fanatics

The injured have been taken to the Georges Pompidou hospital, where two are said to be in a very serious condition

'People were throwing themselves on the floor in panic. Five minutes later, there was a second crowd movement.

'Customers blocked the door of the restaurant, as they were afraid that attacker had slipped inside. Then, it calmed down. Outside, even the police seemed a bit lost at first.'

Shocked tourists and residents looked on from behind the security perimeter.

'I was on the cafe terrace, I heard three, four shots, it happened very fast,' said 47-year-old Gloria.

'Then the bartenders told us to come inside very quickly. Then I went out to see what was going on, and then I saw a man on the ground,' she added.

Anti-terrorist judges from Paris have launched an investigation, with the city prosecutor Francois Molins confirming that the suspect shouted 'Allahu Akbar'  words commonly used in jihadi attacks.

President Emmanuel Macron praised the 'courage' of the police who 'neutralized the terrorist'.

The Islamic State group's Aamaq news agency said the assailant carried out the attack in response to the group's calls for supporters to target members of the US-led military coalition squeezing the extremists out of Iraq and Syria

In a tweet, Mr Macron said: 'France pays once again the price of blood but does not yield an inch to the enemies of freedom'.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb hailed in a tweet the 'sang-froid and reaction of the police who neutralised the attacker'.

The injured have been taken to the Georges Pompidou hospital, where two are said to be in a very serious condition.

Witness Gloria told the AFP news agency: 'I was on a cafe terrace and heard four shots. I then came out to see what was happening, then I saw a man on the ground.'

It follows an IS attack in southwest France on March 23, which saw the number of terrorist victims killed on French soil since January 2015 rise to 245.The billionaire warned in a commencement speech at Rice University in Texas that 'an endless barrage of lies' in national politics. He is pictured in Washington on April 19

Americans are facing an 'epidemic of dishonesty' in Washington that is more dangerous than terrorism or communism, Michael Bloomberg said on Saturday.

The billionaire, 76, warned in a commencement speech at Rice University in Texas that 'an endless barrage of lies' and a trend toward 'alternate realities' in national politics pose a dire threat to US democracy.

The former New York Major did not comment on President Trump despite previously dismissing him as a 'con'. The problem was 'bigger than one person', he said in a pre-speech interview.

In the speech, Bloomberg evoked the legend of the nation's first president, George Washington, who as a boy said he could not tell a lie when asked if he cut down a cherry tree.

'How did we go from a president who could not tell a lie to politicians who cannot tell the truth?' Bloomberg asked Rice graduates and their families gathered in Houston.

Bloomberg, who has previously branded Donald Trump a 'con', refused to comment on the President in a pre-speech interview. He is pictured at the White House on May 8 next to a portrait of George Washington, who Bloomberg held up as an exemplar

Bloomberg, who flirted with an independent presidential run in 2016, blamed 'extreme partisanship' for an unprecedented tolerance of dishonesty in U.S. politics.

People are committed more to their political tribes than the truth, he said, suggesting that the nation is more divided than any time since the Civil War.

'There is now more tolerance for dishonesty in politics than I have seen in my lifetime,' Bloomberg said.

'The only thing more dangerous than dishonest politicians who have no respect for the law is a chorus of enablers who defend their every lie.'

For example, he noted that Democrats spent much of the 1990s defending President Bill Clinton against charges of lying and personal immorality just as Republicans attacked the lack of ethics and honesty in the White House. Just the reverse is happening today, he said.

In one jab at Trump, he noted that the vast majority of scientists agree that climate change is real.

Bloomberg recalled a legend about Washington's honesty as a child during the speech. The First President is seen in an undated painting

Trump and his Republican allies have repeatedly called climate change a hoax promoted by America's adversaries.

'If 99 percent of scientists whose research has been peer-reviewed reach the same general conclusion about a theory, then we ought to accept it as the best available information  even if it's not a 100 percent certainty,' Bloomberg said.

He added: 'That, graduates, is not a Chinese hoax.'

He warned that such deep levels of dishonesty could enable what he called 'criminality.'

Asked what specifically he was talking about, Bloomberg noted 'lots of investigations' going on, but he declined to be more specific.

Several Trump associates are facing criminal charges as part of a federal probe into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election.

Three have already pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI. Federal investigators want to interview Trump himself, although the president's legal team has resisted so far.

'When elected officials speak as though they are above the truth, they will act as though they are above the law,' Bloomberg told Rice graduates.

'And when we tolerate dishonesty, we get criminality. Sometimes, it's in the form of corruption. Sometimes, it's abuse of power. And sometimes, it's both.'

'The greatest threat to American democracy isn't communism, jihadism, or any other external force or foreign power,' he continued.

'It's our own willingness to tolerate dishonesty in service of party, and in pursuit of power.'Meghan Markle's father has secretly collaborated with a British paparazzi photographer to stage a series of pictures  despite pleas from Prince Harry for the media to leave his future father-in-law alone.

Thomas Markle, who will walk his daughter down the aisle at Windsor Castle on Saturday, has been caught on CCTV willingly posing for faked photographs that have been sold to newspapers around the world. Together with other pictures taken with his co-operation, they will have netted up to 100,000.

The astonishing footage obtained by The Mail on Sunday shows the 73-year-old former lighting director arriving at an internet cafe with photographer Jeff Rayner. Minutes later the pair are seen preparing to photograph Mr Markle while he is sitting at a computer looking at a news story about his daughter and Prince Harry.

Scroll down for video

Caught on CCTV, how Meghan's dad - and his paparazzi minder - scoped out an internet cafe, handed over cash and then staged 'snatched' photo of him gazing at an image of his girl with Harry

In one revealing frame, the photographer, just feet away on the other side of the cafe, can be seen aiming his lens at Mr Markle, who is peering at a photograph of the engaged couple.

The staged photographs come despite Kensington Palace issuing a warning to publishers to respect Mr Markles privacy, saying he had been harassed by paparazzi.

A Mail on Sunday investigation has established that the internet cafe pictures are just part of a series Rayner took of Meghans father. They have been published in newspapers, magazines and on websites around the world.

1. Photographer Jeff Rayner, camera slung over his shoulder, arrives at the Omega internet cafe at 9.50am on March 27 with Thomas Markle

2. The photographer scans the computer booths for the best viewpoint as Mr Markle heads to the front counter to pay to get online

3. Mr Markle and the photographer book time to use one of the computers, but are secretly planning to choreograph a photoshoot

In all of them Mr Markle appears to be unaware they are being taken. But we can today reveal they were in fact contrived and shot with his co-operation. It is not known if he was paid to take part.

The faked images include Mr Markle apparently:

Being measured for a suit to wear to the wedding  in fact the tailor was an assistant at a party goods shop recruited for the job as the suit hire store the photographer planned to use was closed.

Being caught browsing a book of British landmarks in a branch of Starbucks  although he actually arrived at the cafe with the photographer, and set up the shot.

Working out with weights to get in shape for the big day  but the pictures appear to have been taken on a waste tip, an unlikely place to exercise but away from prying eyes.

The revelation that Mr Markle has been co-operating with a paparazzo behind the backs of his daughter, Prince Harry and Kensington Palace officials will cause huge embarrassment to the Royal Family in the run-up to the wedding. It will be galling for Harry who, in a BBC documentary last year, hit out at the paparazzi for the way in which they pursued his mother, Princess Diana. She was killed in Paris in 1997 after being chased by photographers.

And shortly after his relationship with Meghan became public in 2016, the Prince made a heartfelt plea for the media to respect the privacy of Meghan and her family.

Last night, just hours ahead of our expose, represenatives of Mr Markle wrote to editors around the world and to British newspaper watchdog the Independent Press Standards Organisation. Editors were told that he was suffering as a result of media intrusion and did not want to participate in photocalls or interviews.

4. In this grainy image, the figure of Mr Markle sitting at a desk in front of a computer screen can just about be made out, while behind him Rayner uses his long lens to capture pictures he later sells for sizeable fees

5. Rayner trains his lens on Mr Markle, who is in the corner of the cafe, reading stories about Harry and Meghan but looking at the screen at an odd angle

... to produce this lucrative shot which was flogged to the world's unsuspecting media

Kensington Palace officials did the same a few weeks before. An official letter, written by Prince Harrys communications secretary Jason Knauf, described how Mr Markle had been followed and harassed by photographers and journalists. The letter urged editors not to publish pictures of Mr Markle and called on them to stop pursuing him.

Mail on Sunday reporters have established that Mr Markle and Rayner, a 44-year-old Los Angeles-based photographer, set up at least four photoshoots. Mr Markle is seen wearing identical clothes in different sets of pictures, suggesting different scenarios were possibly staged on the same day.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry on May 19 in Windsor

Our exclusive images were captured by CCTV cameras on March 27 at the Omega internet cafe in Mr Markles adopted home town of Rosarito, Mexico. He and Rayner, who is wearing flip-flops and carrying an expensive camera, can clearly be seen arriving together at 9.50am. Over nine minutes, the pair are seen chatting and choreographing a series of photographs, two of which were published for the first time last Wednesday.

Their publication in Britain came 42 days after they were taken but just ten days before the wedding. They appeared in a number of publications including MailOnline, who were not party to any financial agreements with Mr Markle. Experts say they would have made thousands of pounds for the photographer.

Jessica Anaya, 34, who manages the internet cafe, told our reporters the photos were staged, with the photographer taking them from less than 6ft away.

She said: The man and the photographer came in together. It was in the morning.

They didnt stay long, probably about ten minutes and they left together. I thought it was strange that they were taking pictures in here. Its an unusual place to take pictures.

Porsche-driving British pap bragged of 'cheeky' pictures The man who took the set-up pictures of Mr Markle is an English former head boy who is now one of Los Angeless most ruthless paparazzi. Jeff Rayner, 44, a married father-of-one from Canterbury, Kent, once boasted of earning 18,500 for pictures of Britney Spears shopping on Sunset Boulevard and claims he has a book of celebrity addresses that would be a stalkers dream. He says of his life: I look at my friends back home  getting married, having babies  and here am I, hosing down Britney on Sunset. The trouble is, its just so lucrative. Porsche-driving Rayner bragged about his Mr Markle pictures on his Facebook page by posting a picture of the front page of the following days The Sun newspaper with the caption: Cheeky little hit in The Sun. Advertisement

He [Mr Markle] had never come here before and I didnt know who he was. He had a photographer with him. He came in and paid to use the computer, while the other person was taking pictures of him from behind.

The Mail on Sunday has been told that Mr Markle even provided a prop for one image that appeared on the front page of a British newspaper, making the photographer up to 10,000, according to experts.

The photo, which was also published worldwide, appeared to show Mr Markle being measured for a wedding suit at a backstreet store.

The Mail on Sunday spoke to the young man seen measuring Mr Markles waistline and neck.

He was described as a tailor in information supplied with the picture but this newspaper can reveal that he is 17-year-old David Flores, a student who works part-time in a shop supplying tables, chairs and bunting for parties.

Mr Markle apparently turned up to the suit hire store last month only to find it closed, so recruited Mr Flores from nearby premises.

Mr Flores revealed how Mr Markle appeared at the party shop with Rayner in tow. He said Mr Markle even supplied his own measuring tape, which he pulled from his trouser pocket. Mr Markle then instructed him to take measurements while Rayner snapped away.

Mr Flores recalled how at the end of the encounter Mr Markle paid him a tip of $15  about 11.

He said: It was really strange. This big American guy got the measuring tape out of his pocket and he was saying things in English. I dont speak good English but I understood what he wanted me to do. The photographer he was with stepped back to the street and started taking pictures.

The big man was showing me what to do with the tape, holding it across himself. I just went along with it. I was telling him the measurements but he didnt write them down or anything.

After around 20 minutes, he said thank you and gave me about $15 as a tip.

He and the photographer left together in the same car. I think it was a grey or silver minivan. The photographer was driving. I had no idea who this American man was until I saw the pictures in the news. Now I know he is Thomas Markle, the father of Princess Meghan.

That 'tailor' measuring Meghan's dad for his wedding suit? He's really a party shop boy! FAKED! HE EVEN BROUGHT HIS OWN TAPE MEASURE: Using a measuring tape Thomas Markle brought along to the photoshoot, bemused party shop worker David Flores goes along with the stunt as the photographer snaps away. Mr Markle tipped him $15 Mr Flores said: It was really strange. This big American guy got the measuring tape out of his pocket and he was saying things in English. I dont speak good English but I understood what he wanted me to do. The photographer he was with stepped back to the street and started taking pictures' 1. Thomas Markle tries to enter the suit hire shop - but it is closed... 2. So the pictures were taken in the party shop nearby. The store's fabric (right) are visible in the main images where Mr Markle has his 'suit fitting' FAKED! READING 'IMAGES OF BRITAIN' IN STARBUCKS: Meghan's father studies a book on British landmarks in preparation for the big day in Windsor Castle... ... but Starbucks barista Carlos Ortiz (above) told The Mail on Sunday that Mr Markle had arrived at the coffee shop with the photographer to set up the carefully choreographed image FAKED? GETTING IN SHAPE FOR THE BIG DAY: Apparently shedding some pounds before the wedding, Mr Markle works out with weights on April 19. But this picture was taken on a remote hill littered with discarded tyres and mattresses - an unlikely location for any workout, but could have been chosen to avoid prying eyes Advertisement

Until his daughters relationship with Harry became public Mr Markle lived a reclusive life at his seafront bungalow in a gated clifftop community 20 miles south of the American border. Even his neighbours rarely saw him. He is understood to have spoken to the Prince on the phone but will meet him and the rest of the Royal Family for the first time this week.

Friends of Mr Markle emphasised the immense pressure his daughters engagement has caused for him, with global media interest prompting the Palaces statement that he did not want any publicity and wanted to be left alone.

One friend said: Dont underestimate how stressful and, at times, distressing the attention on him has been. Remember, this is a man who has intentionally tried to live on his own away from anyone he knows.

Former Suits star Meghan is said to be devoted to her father, whose nickname for her is Bean. She credits him with encouraging her Hollywood career by taking her on to the set of the shows where he worked as a lighting director.

Very few pictures of Mr Markle have emerged, so the shots appearing to show him preparing for his starring role at St Georges Chapel on Saturday would have been highly lucrative.

Other pictures of Mr Markle taken by Rayner include one of him studying a book of British landmarks at a Starbucks cafe, and another in which he appears to be working out with weights to get in shape for the big day.

A witness to the Starbucks shoot told The Mail on Sunday that Mr Markle and the photographer arrived there together to stage the pictures of him intently studying the book Images Of Britain: A Pictorial Journey Through History.

The Mail on Sunday has established that this picture was taken on March 26  the day before the internet cafe shoot  but did not appear until April 3. It too featured prominently in a national newspaper before being published elsewhere.

Carlos Ortiz, 19, the barista who took Mr Markles order for a flat white coffee, said: They came in together. He [Mr Markle] sat down in one of the seats in the window reading this book he had with him. The other guy who was with him didnt order a drink.

He went back outside into the parking lot and started taking pictures.

Mr Markle sat in the window for half an hour. I thought it was some sort of photoshoot. We then saw it in the news and we realised the Princesss dad was here. I had no idea who he was at the time. I had never seen him here before or since, and I work here most days. Its the only time he has come in here.

When he was shown a picture of Rayner, Mr Ortiz immediately replied: Yes, thats the camera guy who was with him.

Another Starbucks employee, Jessica Moreno, 24, who was working that day, said: I saw them come in together but I was busy and wasnt paying that much attention. Then I looked up and saw one of them taking pictures outside.

Another picture apparently showing Mr Markle exercising in a bid to shed weight ahead of the big day also appeared in a British newspaper recently.

According to the photographers website it was taken on April 19. It was published two days later. The Mail on Sunday has discovered that it was taken at a remote hillside  less than a mile from Mr Markles home  covered with discarded mattresses, tyres and litter.

There are no witnesses to this shoot, but it is open to speculation as it is an unlikely location for a workout and may have been chosen so that Mr Markle would not be spotted.

Last night Kensington Palace declined to comment on The Mail on Sundays revelations.

Mr Rayner runs the picture agency Coleman-Rayner in Los Angeles with business partner Mark Coleman. The agency, founded in 2009, boasts that it prides itself on its reputation for integrity, accuracy and dependability.

Mr Rayner said last night: For all the questions, I have no comment. There is going to be no comment, thank you.

I sympathise with Mr Markle - but this hasn't helped Palace's plea for privacy

Analysis by ROBERT JOBSON, ROYAL AUTHOR

As an experienced Royal observer, I have profound sympathy for Thomas Markle Snr, the reclusive father of Harrys bride, Meghan. After all, he didnt ask to be thrust into the media spotlight.

Throughout months of intense public interest, he has wisely chosen to remain silent. He hasnt yet met the Royals. Rather, he has chosen to live in small-town Mexico, more than 5,000 miles away from St Georges Chapel.

It must be daunting to know that the world will be watching as he walks his daughter down the aisle. It is all the stranger, then, to learn that he has engaged in a sequence of staged photo stunts in the build-up to the wedding.

A line has been crossed. Meghan has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment... Her mother having to struggle past photographers to get to her front door... the bombardment of nearly every loved one in her life... Prince Harry is worried about Ms Markles safety... It is not right that she should be subjected to such a storm. Palace plea to the Press in 2016 statement

The resulting pictures, sold and syndicated around the world for large sums, appeared to give a candid and amusing insight into his preparations for his daughters big day. Some observers thought them too good to be true  and so it has proved.

Mail on Sunday enquiries have shown beyond doubt that, far from being snapped in the street by chance as he went about his business, Mr Markle had posed deliberately for a paparazzi agency  stunts that are best described as fake news. He even supplied his own props.

Was it a naive attempt to manage the media interest in him? Did he do it in return for money? Either way, the enterprise has been a mistake.

It is unquestionably a very difficult time for anyone who feels the full glare of publicity, and his friends say he has been stressed and distressed by it. Again, I sympathise. But colluding with the paparazzi does not help his case, particularly as the most famous father of the bride who inevitably had so much attention on him in the build up to the big day.

Mr Markles arrangement is the more troubling as the Palace has gone out of its way to protect him, sending letters to newspaper editors in the past few weeks requesting in the strongest terms that he and his family be given privacy.

It was made clear that there would be no picture opportunities with Meghans father because he was a man who wanted to lead his life in peace. Now it seems that Mr Markle had another agenda  and one that will hardly fit with his future son-in-law Prince Harry, who is understandably sensitive about press intrusion.

It risks undermining Harrys heartfelt pleas for privacy. No one is suggesting this is a serious offence. I, better than most, understand how difficult the media landscape can be to negotiate. And I join with everyone in Britain and the wider world in wishing Harry, Meghan and her parents the most joyful of days on Saturday.

But I know I am not the only one to hope that, with help and guidance from the Palace, this unfortunate lapse of judgment from Meghans father is his last.WHAT IS THE RING OF FIRE?

Roughly 450 volcanoes make up this horseshoe-shaped belt with Kilauea situated in the middle. The belt follows the coasts of South America, North America, eastern Asia, Australia and New Zealand. It's known for frequent volcanic and seismic activity caused by the colliding of crustal plates.

America's most dangerous volcanoes are all part of the Ring of Fire, and most are on the West Coast, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Besides Kilauea, they include: Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier in Washington; Mount Hood and South Sister in Oregon; and Mount Shasta and Lassen Volcanic Center in California.

Images of lava flowing from the ground and homes going up in flames in Hawaii have stoked unease among residents elsewhere along the Ring of Fire. But experts say an eruption on one section of the arc doesn't necessarily signal danger in other parts.

'These are isolated systems,' Westby said.

WHEN WILL THE WEST COAST VOLCANOES ERUPT?

No eruption seems imminent, experts say.

The Cascades Volcano Observatory monitors volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest and posts weekly status reports. All currently register 'normal.'

But the situation can change fast.

'All our mountains are considered active and, geologically speaking, things seem to happen in the Northwest about every 100 years,' said John Ufford, preparedness manager for the Washington Emergency Management Division. 'It's an inexact timeline.'

Some geologists believe Mount St. Helens is the most likely to erupt.

But six other Cascade volcanoes have been active in the past 300 years, including steam eruptions at Mount Rainier and Glacier Peak and a 1915 blast at Lassen Peak that destroyed nearby ranches.

Mount St. Helens' eruption in 1980 (pictured), killed dozens of people in the Pacific Northwest and sent volcanic ash across the country

WHAT KIND OF DAMAGE COULD THEY DO?

The Big Island scenes of rivers of lava snaking through neighborhoods and sprouting fountains are unlikely in the Pacific Northwest.

'Lava is not the hazard, per se, like in Hawaii,' said Ian Lange, a retired University of Montana geology professor.

Cascade volcanoes produce a thicker, more viscous type of lava than Hawaiian volcanoes, so it doesn't run as far, Lange said.

The Cascade volcanoes can, however, produce huge clouds of choking ash and send deadly mudslides into rivers and streams.

Two of the most potentially destructive are Mount St. Helens, north of the Portland, Oregon, metro area, and 14,000-foot (4,270-meter) Mount Rainier, which is visible from the cities of Seattle and Tacoma.

Mount Rainier eruptions in the distant past have caused destruction as far west as Puget Sound, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) away.

The volcano hasn't produced a significant eruption in the past 500 years. But it remains dangerous because of its great height, frequent earthquakes, active hydrothermal system, and 26 glaciers, experts said.

An eruption on Mount Rainier could rapidly melt glaciers, triggering huge mudflows  called lahars  that could reach the densely populated surrounding lowlands, Westby said.

Another major danger from a Cascade volcano eruption would be large amounts of ash thrown into the air, where it could foul aircraft engines.

Mount Rainier, which towers above the Seattle metro area, is also one of the 13 active volcanoes in the West Coast's Ring of Fire

WHAT ARE COMMUNITIES DOING TO PREPARE?

The closest settlement to a West Coast volcano may be Government Camp, on Oregon's Mount Hood.

Lava could conceivably reach the town, but the greater threat is an eruption triggering a so-called pyroclastic flow, which is a fast-moving cloud of hot ash and gas, experts said.

But Lange believes California's Mount Shasta is the most dangerous, in part because it is surrounded by towns.

The town of Mt. Shasta has numerous response plans for emergencies, including a volcano eruption, Police Chief Parish Cross said. But the plan for a volcano is pretty fluid, he said.

'We don't know the size or scope of the event,' Cross said, including which direction the eruption would occur.

This is not an issue in Orting, Washington, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Mount Rainier. Orting would be directly in the path of a lahar, and local officials each year conduct drills in which children move from school to higher ground to escape the flow.

Students usually take about 45 minutes to walk the 2 miles (3 kilometers) to higher ground, which should be fast enough to escape, officials said.

'Our concern is ice and snow melting rapidly on Mount Rainier,' said Chuck Morrison, a resident of the town of 7,600 who has long been involved in evacuation planning. 'We need a quick way off the valley floor.'

Orting is the town most vulnerable to lahar damage from Mount Rainier, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Scientists say that in the worst case, a 30-foot-high (9-meter-high) lahar with the consistency of wet concrete could rumble through Orting at 50 mph (80 kph) if volcanic activity suddenly melted snow and ice on Rainier.He is the viewers favourite who was been hailed as the saviour of News At Ten.

But anchorman Tom Bradby has been missing from ITVs flagship bulletin for more than a month without explanation, sparking concern among the four million people who tune in each night.

Now The Mail on Sunday can reveal the reason for his absence: a chronic bout of insomnia.

Anchorman Tom Bradby has been missing from ITVs flagship bulletin for more than a month

He has secretly endured weeks of crippling sleeplessness that has left him unable to present the demanding live programme, and he may even have to miss the wedding of his friend Prince Harry, where he is expected to be a guest.

Former Royal correspondent Bradby, who is paid 500,000 a year, has not fronted the bulletin for five weeks, bar one fleeting appearance to announce the birth of Prince Louis.

A source close to the newsman said last night: Tom has been off dealing with insomnia. It looks like he will be off for a further three weeks as it would be silly for him to return before he has recovered properly. He is resting and having some time to recuperate but is looking forward to getting back to work as soon as he is ready.

Bradby, 51, who lives in a 1 million house in Hampshire with his jewellery-designer wife Claudia, was last seen in public at a charity lunch in London on March 6

An ITN colleague added: Tom has been in and out of the office a few times in the past month or so, but he has kept odd hours and hasnt been able to go on air. His colleagues have been concerned about his prolonged absence. But everyone is in the dark as the powers-that-be have kept it hush-hush.

Bradby, 51, who lives in a 1 million house in Hampshire with his jewellery-designer wife Claudia, was last seen in public at a charity lunch in London on March 6, where he looked pale and a little drawn.

Fans have taken to Twitter to enquire about his absence, asking: Where on earth has Tom Bradby gone? One user asked him directly: When are you back on News At 10?

A friend said that for Bradby to miss the Royal Wedding would mean theres something seriously wrong. Everyone is hoping to see him there on Saturday.

Prince Harry, like his brother William, has grown close to Bradby. In 2010, William chose him to conduct his engagement interview and then invited him to the 2011 wedding.

ITN confirmed that Bradby was off sick.

Additional reporting: Robbie GriffithsTV queen Lisa Vanderpumps brother has been found dead after a suspected drug overdose, DailyMail.com has exclusively learned.

The body of 59-year-old Mark Vanderpump, who worked as a DJ, was discovered at his home in Gloucestershire, England, on April 30.

It is not yet clear whether the fatal overdose was accidental or deliberate.

Sources told DailyMail.com that the reality TV restaurant mogul has been left devastated by her brothers death and will be traveling to the UK for the funeral.

TV queen Lisa Vanderpumps brother Mark has been found dead after a suspected drug overdose. The pair are pictured together above in May 2015

Vanderpump is pictured with her Real Housewives castmates, from left: Kyle Richards, Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave, Lisa Vanderpump, Erika Girardi, Dorit Kemsley, Lisa Rinna

She has not been seen in public or on social media since hearing of Marks death and is understood to be focusing on the welfare of her two nephews.

In a statement released to DailyMail.com, Vanderpump described the tragedy as a shock to us all and said she had connected with her brother on April 29  the day before his death.

She said: This has come as a shock to us all. My brother and I had connected the day before this tragedy and I was completely unprepared for this.

He was my only sibling and I am shocked and saddened by his passing. I am trying to be supportive to his two young sons that he has left behind, and help them get through this tragedy.

We appreciate your consideration in this private and extremely difficult family time.

In a statement released to DailyMail.com, Vanderpump described the tragedy as a shock to us all. She is pictured above with her brother in January 2015

The two regularly vacationed together, while Mark was a frequent visitor to her Los Angeles restaurants Sur, Villa Blanca and PUMP. They are seen together above in August 2014

Lisa Vanderpump is pictured with her Vanderpump Rules castmates. From left, Jax Taylor, Stassi Schroeder, Katie Maloney, Lisa Vanderpump, Tom Sandoval, Scheana Marie, Kristen Doute

Mark was a frequent visitor to Vanderpumps Beverly Hills mansion and the two regularly vacationed together.

He was also regularly seen at her Los Angeles restaurants Sur, Villa Blanca and PUMP.

But the 59-year-old DJ had had legal troubles and his 22-year marriage had ended in divorce.

He had also participated in a British television documentary broadcast on the countrys Channel 5 called Gold Diggers and Proud.

A family member in the UK who didnt want to be named said: After 22 years of marriage, Mark was living a very colourful life until it all sadly went wrong.

The 59-year-old DJ had had legal troubles and his 22-year marriage had ended in divorce. He is seen left DJ-ing in a Twitter photo, and in a selfie, right

A family member in the UK who didnt want to be named said: After 22 years of marriage, Mark was living a very colorful life until it all sadly went wrong. Lisa Vanderpump and husband Ken Todd are pictured above at an event in March 2015

Vanderpump, who lived in Cheltenham and Monaco before moving to the US with husband Ken Todd, has been a star cast member in Real Housewives of Beverly Hills since 2010.

Her time on the show has led to several spinoffs, including Vanderpump Rules  a reality show that follows the staff working in her West Hollywood restaurant Sur.

The 57-year-old is also famous for her philanthropy, she founded the Vanderpump Dog Foundation to help fight the sale of dogs for meat and has taken part in protest marches against Chinas notorious Yulin Dog Meat Festival

Mark Vanderpump is pictured with British reality TV star from Geordie Shore Gaz Beadle in July 2016

Vanderpump, who lived in Cheltenham and Monaco before moving to the US with husband Ken Todd, has been a star cast member in Real Housewives of Beverly Hills since 2010. Her restaurant Pump is pictured aboveFlanked by a helicopter pilot and a burly minder, Prince William prepares to take off from Kensington Palace to fly to the high-security headquarters of the SAS for a dinner with Special Forces troops.

Our exclusive picture shows the Prince carrying his suit as he heads for a formal evening with the elite regiment.

He left London in the Sikorsky S-76 at 3pm on Thursday for the 50-minute flight to the base near Hereford.

That night he attended a dinner with Special Forces top brass before returning to Kensington by helicopter on Friday.

Flanked by a helicopter pilot and a burly minder, Prince William prepares to take off from Kensington Palace to fly to the high-security headquarters of the SAS for a dinner with Special Forces troops

Our exclusive picture shows the Prince carrying his suit as he heads for a formal evening with the elite regiment

He left London in the Sikorsky S-76 at 3pm on Thursday for the 50-minute flight to the base near Hereford

William and the Duchess of Cambridge have established close links with commanders, and in 2016 joined thousands of Special Forces soldiers celebrating the 75th anniversary of the SAS  motto, Who Dares Wins.

Last year, the Prince attended a ceremony to dedicate a memorial at Hereford Cathedral with hundreds of SAS troops and veterans.

The Royal couple are said to have been given training by the SAS to protect themselves from kidnap threats when Lieutenant-General Mark Carleton-Smith was Director of Special Forces.

The general, like William an Old Etonian, has just been appointed the head of the Army.It sounds clucking crazy but a model from New York doesn't go anywhere without her pet hen.

Like birds of a feather, 34-year-old Summer Rayne Oakes from Williamsburg sticks together with Kippee as she travels about the city.

While many people like to rely on dogs for emotional support animals, Oakes is the chick with the chicken as she takes her feathery friend everywhere she goes - and best of all she gets free eggs for breakfast.

Summer Rayne Oakes keeps a hen in her apartment along with 700 plants

Oakes says her 'little love' has been with her since summer 2017 and it has been both a blessing and a challenge fostering her

'I'll usually make them into a veggie omelette,' said Oakes to the New York Post, 'You can't get any fresher.'

Oakes has been with the mother hen since last May after meeting her at the Wild Bird Fund when she was just a chick.

'I was like, 'Oh my God this is the cutest thing I've ever seen in my entire life,' Oakes said. 'She jumped up onto my lap and just started preening herself. She was so comfortable there.'

Kippee was an Easter gift but was then abandoned by her previous owner after the holiday and taken to a Manhattan shelter where she was put up for adoption.

Kippee quickly imprinted on her new owner and they have been together a year

Oakes' weekend consists of time with her feathered friend, Kippee, and the coolest cacti

'She definitely chose me,' said Oakes. 'She imprinted on me right away and we've been inseparable ever since.'

The chicken now features regularly on Oakes' Instagram and can be seen sipping on sparkling water, eating pricey ham and even posing in commercials for Celestial Seasonings tea, Lulu Lemon, and fashion shoots.

The two are inseparable and have only spent two hours apart since they partnered up last May.

'If I leave her she screams and gets really depressed,' said Oakes to the Post. 'Instead of her being my emotional support pet, I'm like her emotional support human.'

Oakes's dad built the wooden tray for her to she could have breakfast in bed but Kippee loves sitting in it

The pair are regulars at their local community garden and frequently spotted together around town including on the subway and even in the Home Depot

Kippee travels around town in a bird carrier purse which certainly draws attention.

'Only in New York!' said one passerby who caught sight of the hen. 'Look! Look! It's a rooster!' a little boy screamed on the street.

'We're so disconnected from farm and forest life here in New York City,' Oakes said. 'So she's an especially great tool for me to educate the public.'

The pair have been identified while riding the subway when the woman recognized Kippee. Oakes recalls getting scolded by a police officer for letting the bird roam free at a park: 'He says, "Excuse me ma'am, is that your hen? She has to be on a leash." It was the most ridiculous conversation ever had by two people,' she told Modern Farmer.

Oakes wants Kippee to play with other hens and has recently raised $3,500 to re-build a chicken coop at a nearby community center.

'It'll be good for her,' she said Oakes.

Out of all of the pictures in Instagram, there is one chick that truly stands out

Kippee has separation anxiety so Oakes has to take her to events where she draws attention

Back at her apartment, Oakes is equally eccentric living in a virtual greenhouse with more than 700 plants.

Kippee enjoys her time looking at herself in the mirror and eating fly larvae, mealworms, seeds and crushed up egg shells which are apparently high in calcium - all of which leads to her pooping around 30 times a day.

Before this chick gets laid, each night, Kippee snuggles in bed with Oakes before going to roost at 8pm where she sleeps on a wooden plank above the model's bedroom door.A Nigerian woman is suing United Airlines claiming she and her two children were kicked off a flight because a passenger said she smelled.

Queen Obioma said she was traveling from Lagos, Nigeria, to Ontario, Canada, on March 4, 2016, when an airline employee escorted her from the plane before takeoff.

Obioma said the employee then went back on the plane and escorted her two children off. She claimed in her suit that she was told she was not allowed back on the flight because a passenger had complained about her smell, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Obioma said the drama started when she and her family boarded a United flight at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. She said when she got to her assigned seat in business class a white man was already sitting there.

A Nigerian woman filed a civil rights lawsuit against United Airlines saying the airline discriminated against her because she is black, Nigerian and African

The man reportedly refused to move, the lawsuit states. Flight personnel got involved but the man still refused to get out the seat so Obioma said she agreed to sit in the man's assigned seat nearby.

Before takeoff, Obioma said she went to the bathroom and when she tried to return to her seat the passenger who had earlier taken her seat blocked her path.

She said in the suit that a United employee then ordered her off the plane. Obioma said she was met by another employee who informed her that she was not allowed back on the plane because the pilot received a complaint from the man sitting near her that she smelled 'pungent'.

The man reportedly told the pilot that he was not comfortable flying with her. Obioma said was distraught and informed personnel that her two children were still on the flight. She said a United worker removed her children from the plane.

According to the suit, the family was on the second leg of a three flight journey from Nigeria to Canada, where her children attend school.

Obioma, a frequent flier member on the United's Star Alliances, said they were traveling from Houston to San Francisco where they were going to take a connecting flight to Canada.

Queen Obioma said in her suit that she and her two children were kicked off a United flight in March 2016 after a passenger complained that she smelled 'pungent'

She said they made the connection after a five-hour delay in Houston.

She filed a civil rights lawsuit saying United Airlines discriminated against her because she is black, African and Nigerian. She is seeking punitive damages and attorney's fees.

United said in a statement that it could not comment on the incident because they have not yet been served the lawsuit and because of pending litigation.First came the smell, an acrid stench of ammonia clinging to the breeze as I walked through the dark towards some big sheds. Then I heard sounds of snorting and snuffling, punctured by the odd piercing scream.

Stepping inside one of the buildings, I passed the bodies of two small piglets dumped in a pool of blood. Then I saw scenes of horrifying carnage and cruelty.

Inside one giant room, I found hundreds of piglets, many barely a month old, stuffed into crowded pens alongside dozens of dead, diseased and dying animals.

Almost every cage held small corpses: some stretched out as if asleep, others in heaps that could have lain there a couple of days.

Appalled: Ian Birrell points at dead piglets at a farm near Brescia, in Italy. Each one of the caged animals had a small blue tattoo on one of their thighs. This proved they were the raw material for one of Italys most famous prestige food products: prized legs of Parma ham

Many more creatures were too weak to move, little pink bodies heaving as they panted for breath on metal slats.

In one pen I counted 21 animals. Ten were dead, six seemed to be dying  one with a disfiguring skin disease  and just five were still alive.

One sparky little fellow clambered up on a pile of corpses then sank to its trotters and stared at me pitifully.

Each one of these caged animals  alive or dead, healthy or sick, big or small  had a small blue tattoo on one of their thighs. This proved they were the raw material for one of Italys most famous prestige food products: prized legs of Parma ham.

Forget all those rustic images of pampered pigs trotting happily around bucolic Italian fields and forests. For lurking behind the promotion of this world-famous artisan food lies industrialised factory farming at its most harsh and intense.

A series of recent reports have accused farmers of gross cruelty, leading the multi-million-pound Parma Ham Consortium to accuse animal rights activists of smears. The trade body insists images of filthy pens and sick animals are not credible.

Forget all those rustic images of pampered pigs trotting happily around bucolic Italian fields and forests. For lurking behind the promotion of this world-famous artisan food lies industrialised factory farming at its most harsh and intense. (Above, a pig crams its snout through the bars of its tiny cage)

It is fighting for the future of an iconic product, protected by European law, which supports 50,000 jobs and 4,000 farms while earning the medieval metropolis of Parma global recognition as a Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy.

Britain, the biggest foreign buyer of pre-cut Parma ham, is a key export market. Restrictions on production are so rigid that one UK supermarket lost a six-year legal fight for the right to slice ham sold under the label.

I went into three farms alongside the secretive investigations team from Essere Animali  an Italian group campaigning to end factory farming abuses  to probe the damning accusations against the producers of this world-famous cured meat.

Last year they released shocking footage secretly recorded over six months on a farm near Bologna. It showed workers throwing animals around, lifting them by their legs and dumping some to die in corridors.

Yet even Francesco Ceccarelli, the investigation teams head who has spent two years probing the production of Parma ham and the similar Prosciutto San Daniele, was horrified by the evidence we discovered during our nocturnal visit to one farm near Brescia.

Ive never seen so many dead, he said. Some have been dead for days and there are so many sick with terrible eyes and skin. I feel such compassion for them since there seems to be no care, no medicine. This is like a death camp for them.

We entered the farms in a military-style operation, starting shortly after midnight.

After dressing in a dark boiler suit, we clamped masks over our mouths for protection from the hideous fumes created by thousands of pigs clustered in giant sheds. One man with a walkie-talkie stood guard as we checked to see if shed doors had been left open so we could start our disturbing tour.

There were rows of female pigs in sow stalls that left them room to sit and stand but never to turn around. Such restrictive crates were banned in Britain shortly before the turn of the century

After pushing open the door to the first room, hundreds of pigs crammed into pens looked up startled as our lights flashed on. All seemed to have their tails sliced off  although routine docking (tail clipping) is forbidden under European Union regulations.

I saw some pigs with bloodied tail stumps where bored or stressed neighbours had munched on them. This was far from the only sign of cannibalism  corpses I saw later in rooms down the corridor also appeared to have been chewed.

Scores of rats scurried round the filthy shed, some sprinting along pipes beside my head. One piglet trapped in a corridor without water trotted up and nudged my legs.

These are curious and highly intelligent creatures. Yet they were packed in their barren pens, standing on slatted floors and lacking any comforts such as straw or sawdust as demanded by European rules. Some seemed sick with infected eyes  caused by high levels of ammonia in the air, claim activists  or festering sores on their bodies. One had an ear horribly blown up like a balloon.

This farm, with so many dead piglets littering its pens, seemed dirty and devoid of decent care. Yet even in another that was significantly better kept, I discovered conditions far removed from the natural imagery associated with this industry.

There were rows of female pigs in sow stalls that left them room to sit and stand but never to turn around. Such restrictive crates were banned in Britain shortly before the turn of the century.

Activists said the animals are kept confined in such cramped conditions for four weeks during artificial insemination. I watched as one sow urinated, the gush of liquid splashing from the floor on to its neighbours. Like the other farms I saw, there was no outside access for the animals during their short lives in caged captivity.

National favourite: Britain imports 300,000 Parma hams and 18 million packs of pre-sliced meat annually, while thousands of tourists visit factories around Parma to learn how the hams are cured

Another room was filled with farrowing crates, which held mothers under red lights  again with no space to turn  and litters of piglets beside them. Designed to stop offspring being crushed, these devices are banned in some European countries.

An estimated half of Italys nine million pigs are reared for Parma ham in the Po Valley region, many in the golden triangle around Brescia, Cremona and Mantua, lying between Milan and Venice. Only about 35,000 are raised by organic means.

Like Scotch whisky and Stilton cheese, Parma ham has Protected Designation of Origin status from the EU. The trade body responsible for the industry ensures the production of ham is governed by rigid and detailed rules, from the three permitted breeds of pig through to the salt used for curing. Animal rights activists argue that given the price premium  protected foods can sell for twice the cost of competitors  the industry should extend its rules to guard pigs from abuse and the cruelties of factory farming, even if this puts up costs.

We suspect 80 per cent [of pigs] are raised in these intensive methods, said Ceccarelli. For a start they could give a signal by abandoning those nursery cages and abolishing routine castration. These animals are really suffering.

One investigator claimed that, within days of starting work undercover on a farm, they saw a worker smash a pigs face with a metal bar. The image of Parma ham pigs running around fields is just a fairy tale, said another on my mission.

Lega Anti Vivisezione, another animal rights group, recently released footage from six more farms in Lombardy  four of them breeding pigs for Parma ham  that showed illegal practices, carcasses, overcrowding, sick pigs and poor hygiene. How can you talk about selling high-quality products when animals are reared in these conditions? asked Roberto Bennati, the groups vice-president.

Yet local politicians are calling for intervention to stop the activists campaign because it threatens dangerous negative fallout on the entire production of a regional gastronomic excellence, in the words of Fabio Rainieri, a councillor from the hard-right League party. Certainly the revelations threaten to ruin the image of the celebrated air-cured hams from the hills around Parma, famous from Roman times when their sweet taste was praised by Cato the Elder and the meat supposedly eaten by Hannibal.

Britain imports 300,000 Parma hams and 18 million packs of pre-sliced meat annually, while thousands of tourists visit factories around Parma to learn how the hams are cured. It is claimed dry air from the Apennine Mountains gives the delicacy its special flavour  along with local cereal grains and the high-protein by-products of Parmesan cheese-making that were traditionally fed to the regions pigs.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the chef and campaigner for ethical food production, said the revelations underlined that most Parma ham, like bacon or sausages, is a mass-produced product.

Pigs are being reared intensively  thats indoors, industrially, on a huge scale, he said. They are at the front line of animal welfare, living miserable lives. Anyone who cares about the welfare of pigs should only buy pork, ham, bacon and charcuterie from free-range, outdoor-reared pigs that is clearly labelled as such.

Reportedly, the 2001 fight over the location of the European Food Safety Agency was won when Silvio Berlusconi, then prime minister, offered all his fellow leaders a lifetime supply of the famous ham. The body is based in Parma.

These revelations about Parma ham pig farms come soon after the World Health Organisations decision to classify processed meat as a carcinogen  although the guardians of Parma ham insist it is a genuine and completely natural product, safely distinct from British bangers or Spanish chorizo.

The Parma Ham Consortium insists animal welfare is a matter for Italian and European lawmakers. The real scope of the campaign seems not the care of animals but to attack the good name of the Prosciutto di Parma [Parma Ham], it said. It said none of its 145 recognised producers had ever been formally accused of animal maltreatment. We condemn any violation of the basic norms of animal welfare which represent a criminal offence intolerable in a civil society, it added.

The consortium likes to boast of producing the King of Hams. But the memory of seeing those dead and dying pigs trapped in such callous conditions makes such claims stick in my throat.

Additional reporting: Hannah RobertsDavid Michael Seale, 43, was arrested for burglary on Tuesday in Fresno, California

A burglar caught dancing on surveillance camera may have celebrated prematurely.

David Michael Seale, 43, was arrested on Tuesday in Fresno, California and charged with felony burglary and providing a false identity to an officer in connection with the break-in.

An office worker in the commercial area near Shaw Avenue and Hughes Avenue called police around 10.10am on Tuesday to report a suspicious person leaving the building on foot.

Cops rushed to the scene, knowing that there had just been a report of an expensive laptop stolen from the building over the weekend.

Seale was found loitering a short distance away, and had the stolen laptop in his possession, according to police.

Surveillance video shows the suspect using a set of keys to enter the office building

The suspect does a celebratory dance upon gaining entrance to the office building

Cops also said they found a set of keys on Seale, which opened the building doors and the office suite where the laptop had been stolen. The keys were copies, not originals, and police are not sure how Seale got them.

Seale was initially charged with possession of stolen property and falsely identifying himself, after cops processed him and found several warrants, including a probation warrant.

Further investigation led to the surveillance tapes at the office building.

Police combed through three days of the video and say that Seale is seen on tape entering and exiting building and victim's office suite several times over the weekend.

In one instance, around 2.21am on Sunday, the tape shows a burglar unlocking the building doors and then popping and locking in a celebratory dance.

Police identified the burglar as Seale and found an expensive stolen laptop in his possession

The burglar is seen popping and locking in the foyer after gaining access to the building

Cops say Seale broke in several times over the weekend before he was arrested on Tuesday

Fresno is the birthplace of popping, a dance style that was invented there in the late 1960s.

Based on the video evidence, Seale's charges were upgraded to felony burglary.

Court records show that Seale is charged with two counts of second-degree burglary and one count each of receiving stolen property, falsely representing self to officers, and possession of burglary tools.

Seal is being held without bond on the probation violation at the Fresno County Jail.

A public defender representing him did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment from DailyMail.com

Seal has pleaded not guilty on all counts and is next due in court on May 16.China is monitoring the brain activity of employees in its factories and military

The technology works by placing wireless sensors in workers' hats or caps

When combined with AI, the gadgets can spot workplace rage and anxiety

Employers use this 'emotional surveillance technology' to boost productivity and profits by tweaking workflows

China is monitoring the brain activity of employees in its factories, state-owned enterprises and military on an 'industrial scale'.

The technology works by placing wireless sensors in workers' hats or caps that when combined with artificial intelligence can spot workplace rage, anxiety or depression.

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Employers use this 'emotional surveillance technology' to boost productivity and profits by tweaking workflows, including employee placement and break lengths.

Scroll down for video

China is monitoring the brain activity of employees in its state-run firms. The technology works by placing wireless sensors in workers' hats that when combined with AI can spot workplace anxiety or depression. Pictured is a version installed in the cap visors of train drivers

At power company State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power in the southeast city of Hangzhou, the technology has helped to lift profits by 230 million ($315 million) since it was introduced in 2014, according to the South China Morning Post.

Cheng Jingzhou, the official who oversees the company's program, said 'there is no doubt about its effect'.

He added that the brain data helps the company's 40,000 employees work to higher standards.

Click here to resize this module

More than a dozen Chinese businesses and the country's military have used a similar brain surveillance technology, according to the Post.

The gadgets were developed by the state-funded brain monitoring project Neuro Cap, based out of Ningbo University, around 90 miles (150km) from Hangzhou.

'They thought we could read their mind. This caused some discomfort and resistance in the beginning,' Professor Jin Jia, a neuroscientist at Ningbo University, told the Post.

Employers use this 'emotional surveillance technology' to boost productivity and profits by tweaking workflows, including employee breaks and placement. It has reportedly been used to monitor drivers of China's high-speed trains (stock image) to catch sleeping workers

'After a while they got used to the device... They wore it all day at work.'

Professor Kin added that some employees have been sent home as a result of their brainwaves.

'When the system issues a warning, the manager asks the worker to take a day off or move to a less critical post,' he said.

'Some jobs require high concentration. There is no room for a mistake.'

More than a dozen Chinese businesses and the country's military (stock image) have used a similar brain technology. The gadgets were developed by the state-funded brain monitoring project Neuro Cap, based out of Ningbo University, around 90 miles (150km) from Hangzhou

WHAT IS CHINA'S 'EMOTIONAL SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY'? China's military and a number of its state-owned businesses are using 'emotional surveillance technology', according to some reports. The programmes use wireless sensors in workers' caps and hats to monitor their brain activity. When combined with an artificial intelligence algorithm, these readings can detect when employees are feeling depressed, stressed or anxious. Employers can then give workers extended breaks or shift them to simpler placements to help reduce their stress levels. The technology is aiding Chinese firms in boosting productivity and profits, reports suggest. At State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power in the southeast city of Hangzhou, the technology has helped to lift profits by 230 million ($315 million) since it was introduced in 2014.

Another type of brain sensor is built into the caps of drivers of the high-speed railway line between Shanghai and Beijing.

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The surveillance gadgets, built by technology firm Deayea, trigger an alarm if a driver falls asleep.

China's brainwave monitoring programmes mark in a new stage in the country's surveillance state, which until now has focussed on facial recognition technology and heavy internet censorship.

It is not known whether employees wearing the technology are aware they are being monitored.An Australian brewery and a space-engineering firm have teamed up to design a bottle to allow astronauts to drink beer in space.

First, 4 Pines Brewing and Saber Austronautics Australia created Vostok Space Beer.

Now, they're trying to raise $1 million on Indiegogo to make their new design a reality.

'Having successfully created a beer that can be drunk in space, we now need to make the bottle so astronauts and future space tourists can drink in space just as we do on land,' the companies wrote.

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An Indiegogo campaign by Vostok Space Beer in Australia is raising money to fund a new design that will let astronauts enjoy the alcoholic beverage in space. Pictured: the prototype, deconstructed

The biggest challenge they faced is liquid's inability to pour in zero gravity. To drink beer from a bottle the same way that as on Earth, a special space beer bottle needed to be created.

'It's basically like making a fuel tank for your beer,' they explained.

The Vostok Space Beer Bottle used modified technology based on fuel tanks to defy the challenge of drinking in zero gravity.

4 Pines Brewing wanted to ensure that astronauts had the same feeling drinking a beer in space as they do at home on Earth. That meant that straws or squeegies, plungers, and springs were out of the question.

Instead, Saber made an insert that wicks the beer from the bottom of the bottle to the neck, turning any normal bottle essentially into a fuel tank.

4 Pines Brewing and Saber Astronautics Australia designed a bottle using modified tech based on fuel tanks to defy challenges of drinking in zero gravity

The bottle design has already undergone several rounds of testing, according to Space.com.

Various versions of it were dropped from a height of 75 feet (23 meters) to test how well the beer inside maintained surface tension on glass, plastic and stainless steel. They then settled on plastic.

The current focus is on the bottle mouthpiece,' the men wrote to Space.com in an email.

'There are two bottle designs which have had several rounds of industrial design with prototypes and are ready for the next parabolic flight scheduled for early next year.'

The biggest challenge they faced is liquid's inability to pour in zero gravity. To drink beer from a bottle the same way that as on Earth, a special space beer bottle needed to be created

HOW DO ASTRONAUTS DRINK IN SPACE? Astronauts don't usually allow liquids to float around the space station to prevent any damage to delicate equipment. Instead they have specially adapted tubes that allow them to drink without the liquid floating around. Astronauts aboard the ISS drink water that comes from the ambient cabin's humidity, which is eventually condensed and returned to the water supply. The water is filtered from recycled shower water, astronaut sweat and urine. Source: NASA Science Beta, Water on the Space Station Advertisement

Both companies put in $40,000 in seed funding to start the beer.

After that, the project has been fully funded using profits from the 4 Pines stout beer, which sells all around Australia.

The beer is a dry Irish style Stout made with a seven-strong malt line-up.

'We picked a high flavored beer as the baseline recipe to ensure that space travelers could enjoy the full flavor of the smoky Irish style Stout, no matter how long the flight duration,' the company explained.

'The aroma profile is of coffee, chocolate and caramel malts. These are matched on the palette with a full bodies, smooth finish and a balancing bitterness.'Advertisement

Burma has been at the top of my travel wish-list for years. Ive made more than 100 programmes for the BBC, visiting at least 120 countries in the process, but I was beginning to fear that getting to Burma might never happen.

Then, last summer an opportunity arose to finally visit the country and make a two-part documentary. But no sooner had we planned our four-week trip than the Rohingya crisis erupted.

In an appalling exodus, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people started to flee their homes in the northern Rakhine province following an offensive by Burmas military, and sought refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh.

TV presenter Simon Reeve says he always thougth that Burma was an exotic, slightly mysterious country, and it is a place with which Britain has a long connection and history. Pictured are hot air balloons flying over the ancient pagodas of Bagan

The United Nations described the offensive as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. In response, Burmas military said it was fighting Rohingya militants and denied targeting civilians.

So should we cancel our trip? No. Believing that it was more important than ever to report what was actually happening in the country, we decided to press ahead with our plans.

Id always felt that Burma was an exotic, slightly mysterious country, and it is a place with which Britain has a long connection and history. Britain was once the colonial ruler in much of Burma, and some of the things we did are connected with the current crisis.

Burma is also a country that really matters. It has huge natural resources but it has been largely cut off from the outside world for a long time.

Ancient wonders: Bagan is home to 2,000 Buddhist temples and was a highlight for Simon on his trip to Burma

Things had started to change but its now very unclear which direction the country will take next.

We started our trip in the south, in the former colonial capital of Mawlamyine. Its a beautiful city, with lots of dilapidated old buildings, but that was really just the beginning of the adventure.

From there I hopped on a train on the Burmese Railway, which was quite a treat. It was not luxurious by any means  we sat on hard benches rather than sumptuous seats  but it was really memorable as a result. We took the train to the biggest city, Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon.

I also wanted to get into the east of Burma, to an area populated by the Shan people, but we couldnt head there from within Burma itself because it is deemed a military front line.

A conflict is going on there  the longest-running civil war on Earth  so we headed into Thailand and were then smuggled back across the border. At one point we had to dash through the jungle at night to evade army patrols. It was all pretty bizarre.

Bath time: Simon (above) at the Green Hill Valley Elephant Sanctuary in Kalaw. Its focus is primarily on providing care for elephants that are no longer fit to work in the timber industry

On the move: Simon (above) during his train journey from Mawlamyine to Yangon on the famous Burmese railway

By far the most magical place I saw was Bagan, an ancient and historical city stacked full of temples and beauty. Its as if all of Europes cathedrals have been stuffed into an area the size of Bristol. Bagan used to have something like 10,000 Buddhist temples and about 2,000 of them survive today.

To my mind, it is a site that matches any of the great wonders of the world. You get these fairytale temples popping up through the jungle, many of them in need of a little tender loving care, but all the more appealing as a result.

I felt rather like Indiana Jones, heading through the jungle and pushing back branches to discover a temple that looks as though nobody has been there for years.

I would also advise visitors to go to the wonderful Green Hill Valley Elephant Sanctuary near Kalaw, which was founded in 2011.

Burma is somewhere where the utter friendliness of local people and the gentle pace of life leave such an indelible mark on your memory, says the TV presenter

Reeve said he felt rather like 'Indiana Jones, heading through the jungle and pushing back branches to discover a temple that looks as though nobody has been there for years'

People sometimes question the motives of such places but this is the real thing: its focus is primarily on providing care for elephants that are no longer fit to work in the timber industry.

Thanks to the income provided by visitors, elephants at Green Hill Valley can enjoy their retirement and receive the care they require. At the end of their visit, tourists are invited to plant a teak sapling to help with reforestation.

In terms of tourist travel to Burma, its not a place to go to with your eyes closed. How could one possibly visit a country where the United Nations says ethnic cleansing is under way without thinking really carefully about the consequences of what youre doing? But I also see the enormous advantages of tourism for making connections between us, for people to have adventures, and also for locals to earn an income.

Vintage: A 1937 poster advertising Burma Railways

I think travel and tourism are almost always good things. However, there is a saying in Burma that anything that makes money, the army has got their fingers in it, and that includes tourism.

There were times when I felt safe and there were times when I must confess I was worried.

However, I have a much better understanding now of what Burma has been through and is still going through. Its a more beautiful country than I ever imagined but its a more troubled place than I realised. There are enormous problems facing Burma, and those problems arent just affecting the Rohingya people but other ethnic groups too.

I think the Burmese government has a lot of questions to answer about its behaviour, its treatment of ethnic minorities and how much control it has over the army, which is generally held responsible for perpetrating the worst crimes against some ethnic groups.

However, Burma is somewhere where the utter friendliness of local people and the gentle pace of life leave such an indelible mark on your memory.

Getting to make the films I do is an enormous privilege. I go on exotic adventures, but they are also tough trips into which we blend light and shade. Theyre not jolly japes, although my friends rib me endlessly that they are.

Im always keen to encourage people to keep their eyes and minds open, to travel adventurously and to take a few risks  you have bigger, more memorable experiences as a result.

We should put aside our British reserve more and gently quiz people about their lives. You learn much more and you have closer, warmer, more meaningful interactions with them as a result.

Burma With Simon Reeve begins on BBC2 on Sunday, May 13 at 9pm.Theres nothing wrong with a fly-and-flop holiday  we all need a rest from time to time  but imagine going away for a few days to learn new skills. Here are some ideas, from making your own gin to becoming a blacksmith

1. REACH FOR THE SKY

Learn how to kitesurf on Portugals fabulous west coast, staying at the Hotel FeelViana, close to Viana do Castelo, known as the Jewel of the Costa Verde. Seven nights costs from 1,435pp, including flights and tuition (summitandblue.com, 01243 929121).

2. THE JAZZ SINGERS

Head to New Orleans for a singing holiday and become part of a jazz choir, performing in an old convent with magnificent acoustics.

Seven nights from 3,525pp including flights, departing October 31 (authenticadventures.com, 01453 823328).

3. MY LIFE STORY

Write your autobiography at The Watermill at Posara in Tuscany. Author Jo Parfitt leads the course from August 18 to 25.

Seven nights full-board costs from 1,560pp, including tuition but flights are extra (watermill.net, 020 7193 6246).

4. INTO THE DEEP

Take the plunge: Go diving in Malta and come face-to-face with tropical fish

A week-long trip to Malta includes a PADI Open Water Course, tuition, equipment and flights.

From 795pp, including self-catering at the Sands Apartments in St Pauls Bay (diveworldwide.com, 01962 302087).

5. FORGE FRIENDSHIPS

Discover how to make everything from pokers to kitchen hooks during a Learn To Smith course in Carmarthen.

One-day course costs from 130pp (ferricfusion.co.uk). Stay overnight at The Browns Hotel, Laugharne, from 95 (browns.wales).

6. PICTURE THE MOMENT

Over the rainbow: Take pictures of waterfalls in Iceland and learn to use a camera like a pro

Fly to Iceland for a seven-night break and capture the Northern Lights, waterfalls and magnificent glaciers on camera.

A full-board holiday costs from 2,700pp, with tuition, but flights are not included. Departures available in September and October (wildphotographyholidays.com, 01630 647828).

7. JUST THE TONIC

Daisybank Cottage in Brockenhurst, New Forest, and the Dancing Cows Distillery offer a Make Your Own Gin experience. The weekend features two nights B&B and gin on arrival.

From 180pp  dates include November 9-10 and 16-17 (bedandbreakfastnewforest.co.uk, 01590 622 086).

8. IN THE DRIVING SEAT

Brooks Country House, near Ross-on-Wye, offers a three-hour Land Rover Experience in the grounds of Eastnor Castle. The package, from 530 for two (one driver, one passenger), includes dinner, overnight stay and breakfast (brookscountryhouse.co.uk, 01989 730211).

9. COOKING UP A STORM

Airds Hotel & Restaurant in Port Appin, Scotland, offers Come Cook With Me classes with chef Chris Stanley.

The two-night half-board break costs from 625pp (airds-hotel.com, 01631 730236).

10. STRETCH YOURSELF

Head to the Anytime Yoga Retreat at five-star Pine Cliffs resort on the Algarve and enjoy three one-to-one classes, plus two massages.

Five nights all-inclusive is from 1,070pp. Flights not included (destinationyoga.co.uk).He's rocked long, flowing locks and shorter hairdos since he became a household name in the eighties.

And Johnny Depp is now sporting a completely different look as he gears up to tour with his band Hollywood Vampires.

The 54-year-old actor debuted a mohawk - which he then braided - during a rehearsal session on Thursday.

Rock on: Johnny Depp is now rocking a completely different look as he gears up to tour with his band Hollywood Vampires

The movie star had his hair shaved except down the center of his scalp, which he then chose to braid, leaving a tail.

Johnny plays the guitar and keyboard for the band as well as provide backup vocals for them.

Hollywood Vampires also includes rockers Alice Cooper and Joe Perry (from Aerosmith).

They are currently touring with these additional band members: Tommy Henriksen, Matt Sorum and Bruce Witkin.

Talented: The 54-year-old debuted a mohawk - which he then braided - during a rehearsal session on Thursday

Former touring members include: Duff McKagan, Kesha, Lizzy Hale, Brad Whitford, Glen Sobel and Robert DeLeo.

Their tour kicks off on May 17 in Verona, New York and will continue worldwide before its conclusion in Rome, Italy on July 8.

Hollywood Vampires formed in 2015 as a way to honor rock stars who died in the seventies.

Focused: He most recently sported longer hair, opting to pull it back into a low bun; the video of him and Joe Perry was shared on Thursday night to the band's Instagram page

They released an album that same year; the debut featured guest vocalists like Dave Grohl, Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh and Christopher Lee.

Johnny is known to change up his hairstyle throughout his career.

He most recently sported longer hair, opting to pull it back into a low bun.

Vibes: Johnny is known to change up his hairstyle throughout his career; seen 2010

Change: The movie star has had a variety of hairstyles and shorter tresses throughout his lengthy career; pictured in 1990 (l) and 1988 (r)

Former loves: Johnny seen with Winona Ryder; they attended the 48th Annual Golden Globe Awards in January 1991

Handsome: Johnny rocked long hair on March 25, 1993 in Beverly Hills, California

Another look: Johnny pictured with his now ex wife Amber Heard on November 21, 2015 at The Danish Girl premiere in Westwood, CaliforinaA portrait which appears to show My Kitchen Rules judge Manu Feildel sitting nude in a large saucepan has won the top prize in the 2018 Hunters Hill Art Exhibition.

In the 'photorealistic painting' by artist Mertim Gokalp, a heavily-tattooed Manu is depicted bathing in a saucepan holding a ladle, with flames lapping the pot's base.

The artist told Daily Telegraph on Saturday that the end product was a result of sharing 'the same European sense of humour' as the famed restaurateur.

The NAKED chef? MKR judge Manu Feildel poses for cheeky award-winning 'Bon Appetit' portrait as the tattoo-covered TV star appears to bath in a large saucepan

For the portrait, titled Bon Appetit, Mertim met up with French-born Australian chef, 44, in a restaurant.

'When we saw each other, we both had a silly smile on our faces as we are both naughty boys and we have the same European sense of humour... so we knew that we were about to embark on a journey that will produce an entertaining outcome,' the artist recalled.

'We could not find a cooking pot big enough for him so we decided to use a transparent plastic container for him to sit in it,' he revealed.

The portrait was awarded the top prize in the 2018 Hunters Hill Art Exhibition out of more than 380 finalists and 1000 entries.

'We are both naughty boys and we have the same European sense of humour': Artist Mertim Gokalp (right) said that the end product a joint effort

'We could not find a cooking pot big enough for him so we decided to use a transparent plastic container for him to sit in it': For the portrait, titled Bon Appetit, Mertim met up with French-born Australian chef, 44, in a restaurant

While My Kitchen Rules judge Manu showed his humorous side in the painting, he recently voiced his serious concerns for the future of cooking series MKR.

Fighting and drama may have been good for ratings on the cooking show, but Manu claims he wants to see it eradicated next season.

After a controversial run that saw contestants booted off the show, the chef has claimed MKR needs an overhaul to get the focus back on cooking.

'It (fighting) obviously has a huge impact on everyone involved and makes everyone uncomfortable,' he told The Herald Sun.

Fighting and drama may have been good for ratings on My Kitchen Rules but judge Manu (left) wants to see it eradicated next season

'It (fighting on MKR) obviously has a huge impact on everyone involved and makes everyone uncomfortable': Manu has said

'What I have been hearing (from viewers) is more food and less fighting - and I echo that,' he added.

The chef also said it was a chaotic season for him personally and he'd not like to repeat the experience.

'I, personally, don't want to see it again,' he said. 'It's the most intense season I've been part of. The most crazy decisions we've had to make. It was very upsetting.'

The painting can be seen until Sunday, May 20, at Sydney's Hunters Hill Town HallSarah Harris is one of the biggest names in television.

And on Saturday, the Studio 10 anchor didn't mince her words when it came to the #MeToo movement.

Speaking to BW magazine, Sarah warned of the dangers of the campaign and hoped women didn't use it as an excuse to self-victimise.

'I worry about it becoming an excuse to hold yourself up as a victim': Studio10 anchor Sarah Harris has hit out at the #MeToo movement in Saturday's BW magazine

The well-respected journalist started by gushing over the strides women have made in newsrooms, drawing on her own 20 years of experience, within the chat.

'When I started in TV, a lot of blokes dominated the screens and so I love that now women are equal to blokes in prime time,' she said.

'I sit on a mostly female news panel where we tackle the big issues of the day... women are really holding their own in all walks of life.'

'I sit on a mostly female news panel where we tackle the big issues of the day': Sarah remarked on the changes in newsrooms since the beginning of her career (Pictured with Studio 10 cast)

Sarah, who is known for her tireless work ethic, however, warned that she hoped women didn't see it as an 'excuse,' or a way to see themselves as a 'victim.'

'I've worked in many blokey newsrooms over the years and what I worry about is this movement (#MeToo) becoming an excuse to hold yourself up as a victim,' she said.

The Channel Ten journalist, who is also the host of Shark Tank Australia, instead said this should be a time for women to stand-up and be strong.

'Women are really holding their own in all walks of life': She added the women are taking a greater role in public life before warning of the dangers of the #MeToo movement ( Pictured with former co-host, Ita Buttrose)

First emerging in October 2017, the #MeToo movement was a way of women publicly sharing stories of assault and sexual harassment in the workplace.

However, it's come to signify social change in a large number of areas, with it recently being labelled a global phenomenon for women's rights.

In the magazine, Sarah spoke with Naomi Simson, who is a judge on Shark Tank and the founding director of Red Balloon, who was also echoed her sentiments.

She said it was important that #MeToo doesn't just represent gender balance, but also sexual orientation and racial background.

Shark Tank season four premieres on Channel Ten, Tuesday at 8.30pm.She never disappoints on the red carpet.

And Irina Shayk proved to be a vision of beauty as she attended the Chopard Party at at Chateau de la Croix des Gardes during Cannes Film Festival on Friday.

Posing up a storm before entering the party, the 32-year-old supermodel ensured all eyes would be on her on the night.

Stunning: Irina Shayk proved to be a vision of beauty as she attended the Chopard Party at at Chateau de la Croix des Gardes during Cannes Film Festival on Friday

Flaunting her enviably long pins, the Russian beauty donned an emerald velvet gown with a daring thigh high split.

The scooped neckline also showcased her ample cleavage, which was further highlighted by her dazzling diamond necklace.

The mother-of-one finished off the glamorous look by styling her glossy chestnut locks in a stylish up do.

Dressed to impress: Posing up a storm before entering the party, the 32-year-old supermodel ensured all eyes would be on her on the night

Despite welcoming her first child a little over a year ago, the stunner proved she had snapped straight back into shape as she posed up a storm on the red carpet.

Irina gave birth to daughter Lea De Seine with Bradley Cooper 14 months ago.

The genetically-blessed couple are reportedly not engaged but did celebrate their second anniversary of dating last month.

Chest a glimpse! The scooped neckline also showcased her ample cleavage, which was further highlighted by her dazzling diamond necklace

Bradley - who's been sober since 2004 - was previously married to NCIS actress Jennifer Esposito for five months before divorcing in 2007.

The pair are famously tight-lipped about their romance, and have not shared any photos of their daughter.

'I just don't talk about certain things,' the actor explained a couple of years ago during an interview with Howard Stern.The Australian bikini model has grown a legion of fans since turning her blog into a successful and profitable business.

And on Friday, Natasha Oakley appeared to use her assistant to complete some undesirable tasks around her Los Angeles house.

Taking to Instagram Stories, the 26-year-old stunner turned ghostbuster as she bemoaned about her abode's 'scary basement'.

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Who you gonna call? Bikini model Natasha Oakley asks assistant to sage her Los Angeles home and 'scary basement' to rid off spirits and negative energy on Friday

Natasha attempted to rid her living areas of spirits and negative energy by the use of her assistant's sage and healing stones.

In the clips, assistant Hannah Habib could be seen waving the smouldering herbs -which is a ancient ritual art practiced to spiritually cleanse homes.

Captioning the video, 'the Scary basement hahaha,' Natasha flat out refuses to go after her employee when she arrives at the cellar door.

'You definitely need to do it down there,' a friend adds while a freaked-out Natasha seconds: 'We'll watch you from up here!'

Earlier in her Instagram Story, the makeup-free model was seen lying in bed sick. Her assistant placed healing stones on her chest.

'We'll watch you from up here!' Natasha, 26, flatly refused to go after assistant Hannah down to "the scary basement' as her aide spent 20 minutes ridding the hosue of negative energies

Flashing with text, 'best assistant award goes to Hannah Habib', a poorly Natasha explained spooky goings on.

'So we're at home and Hannah has brought us all sorts of healing stones and candles,' she said wrapped in a cosy velvet-trimmed blanket.

With her golden locks loose over the pillow and swept to one side, her assistant clarified the meanings of the rocks.

Ritual! Natasha's aide waved the smouldering herbs around each room - which is an ancient art practiced to spiritually cleanse homes

'One is the serpentine,' she says, 'which enhances meditation for your inner peace and puts you in control of your life.'

Clad in a sheer green, full length shirt dress and clunky dark heels, her aide continues to take the lead in burning the sage around the house while a giggling Natasha stays behind the camera.

'We'll start from there, corner to corner,' Hannah explained, adding: 'Every single home takes 20 minutes.'

Sculpted! The beauty shared stunning posts from a Mexican holiday in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato showcasing eye-catching designs from her successful label

Only days before the ghostly goings on, the beauty shared stunning posts from a Mexican holiday in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato showcasing eye-catching designs from her successful label.

'San Miguel is definitely one of my new favorite places,' the blogger told her nearly two million Instagram followers.

Natasha founded the influential blog A Bikini A Day in 2012 with pal Devin Brugman. The duo later launched Monday Swimwear in 2014, turning their venture into a profitable enterprise.Dominic Monaghan told a Los Angeles court that a woman who he has a restraining order against will not stop flooding him with emails.

The 41-year-old actor said in court docs that in a period of 30 days last fall, a woman named Meredith McLarty - who was arrested in 2016 after threatening to murder the actor - sent him 54 unsolicited emails, as well as a letter to his Southern California home.

The emails, which were sent between October 9, 2017 to November 7, 2017, included partially nude pictures, porn links, poems and 'various sexually explicit messages,' the Lord of the Rings actor told the court, TMZ reported Friday.

Dealing with problems: Dominic Monaghan, 41, told an LA court that a woman who he has a restraining order against will not stop flooding him with emails. He was snapped in Australia last fall

In one email, she addressed the legal restrictions against her, as she wrote to the German-born performer: 'I could show up in New Zealand tomorrow and you [sic] I could rip off your clothes and f*** the British out of you and you couldn't use the restraining order against me because it's in L.A. County, not New Zealand.'

Monaghan, who played Charlie Pace on Lost, told the court he felt threatened as the obsessed fan sent one of the letters to his Los Angeles home.

He noted that he's gotten rid of his public email account, and had to make adjustments to his routines when meeting the public, as a result of his experience with McLarty.

Charming: The handsome actor was snapped at the Chateau Marmont last month in LA

Police took McLarty into custody in September 2016 in connection with the threats, TMZ reported, one of them in which she alluded to John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman.

Monaghan received the restraining order in 2015 after telling the court that McLarty would repeatedly leave him social media messages that included sexually-fueled remarks such as, 'Don't make me have to hurt you,' 'Come over and stick it in,' and 'I s***** a guy off tonight.'Sydney's PR queen Roxy Jacenko is known for living a lavish lifestyle, featuring designer ensembles and luxury cars.

And it appears the publicist's new puppy Oreo is also treated to the finer things in life, as she dressed the dog in a ritzy $550 Louis Vuitton Baxter leash on Saturday.

Taking to Instagram, the high-flyer shared a snap of herself with son, Hunter, and the pampered pooch at chef Pete Evans' paleo pet food launch in North Bondi.

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That's a pampered pooch! PR queen Roxy Jacenko adorns puppy Oreo with $550 Louis Vuitton dog leash as she attends chef Pete Evans' paleo pet food launch with son Hunter

The pet-friendly event was held at the North Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club.

In the first snap, Roxy was pictured with four-year-old son Hunter standing behind an Everyday Pets backdrop with the family's adorable puppy.

In a second snap, a casually-dressed Roxy, leans down to give son Hunter a peck on the cheek.

Family fun! Roxy enjoyed a day out with son Hunter, 4, and dog Oreo at the launch of Pete Evans' paleo pet food launch in Bondi

Roxy can be seen holding Oreo while Hunter clutches the pricey leash, which has the designer's monogram on it.

The mother-of-two, who is the founder of Sweaty Betty PR, has earned a reputation for liking upscale items.

On Wednesday, Roxy appeared to spend $1000 on a pair of shoes that she didn't even like as part of a bizarre office joke.

What a Croc! Roxy laughed while teetering around in $1,000 10cm-tall platform Balenciaga shoes she bought as a joke on Wednesday

Trying on a pair of Balenciaga Crocs at the Sweaty Betty HQ in Sydney, Roxy teetered around the room in the 10cm-high pink platforms.

The charm-embellished clogs retail for $1,195 on Balenciaga's Australian website.

Roxy's staffers Grace Garrick and Holly Asser couldn't help but comment on their boss' new purchase, writing: 'WTF' and 'love the fox'.

The blonde publicist captioned the photo of herself wearing the quirky shoes: 'I was always fond of Crocs so these Balenciaga ones were a given.'

Money well spent? Roxy's staffers Grace Garrick and Holly Asser couldn't help but comment on their boss' new purchase, writing: 'WTF' and 'love the fox'She recently just traveled back from filming in Africa.

But on Friday, Kate Beckinsale took a considerably shorter trip, as she stepped out for some shopping in tony Brentwood.

The 44-year-old Underworld star kept things quite casual for her outing, wearing a slouchy sweater and leggings.

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Time to spend! On Friday Kate Beckinsale, 44, stepped out for some shopping in Brentwood

On top, she opted for a white long sleeve Lauren Moshi shirt with 'LA' spelled out in safety pins on the front.

Black leggings revealed her svelte limbs, while a pair of black calf-high boots completed her laid-back outfit.

Her only accessories appeared to be her cat eye-style shades and a black purse slung across her shoulder.

When she entered one of the shops, she did switch to some normal, rectangular glasses to take a closer look at a garment.

Nothing fancy: The mother-of-one tied her hair up and back, and appeared to be mostly make-up free save for a dash of rose-tinted lipstick

The mother-of-one tied her hair up and back, and appeared to be mostly make-up free save for a dash of rose-tinted lipstick.

No doubt the retail therapy helped the Total Recall actress settle back into LA after what must have been an intense shoot in Durban for her new series.

Amazon is making the eight-part series with U.K. web ITV. In it, Kate plays Georgia Wells, a woman who returns to the African Congo and her old life when she sees her husband, who was presumed dead, on the news.

Nice material! When she entered one of the shops, she did switch to some normal, rectangular glasses to take a closer look at a garment

The series does not yet have a release date.

Kate documented her time in Africa with many Instagram snaps, including one of her looking out at a gorgeous sunset.

Her caption read 'Bye bye Durban that was fun except for the bee in my sink that apparently could kill a dog. Love and thanks.'The Bachelor In Paradise couple might be planning their own wedding soon after they hinted at an engagement in the near future.

And Keira Maguire looked beautiful in bridal white on Friday when she attended former Olympian Lisa Curry's wedding to Mark Tabone.

Keira and boyfriend Jarrod Woodgate looked smitten as ever at the newlyweds' intimate Sunshine Coast ceremony as they shared a romantic kiss while watching the proceedings.

Love is in the air! Bachelor In Paradise's Keira Maguire looked beautiful in white as she sat on Jarrod Woodgate's lap to share a sweet kiss during former Olympian Lisa Curry's wedding to Mark Tabone

The pair found love together on Bachelor In Paradise and almost turned their union into a joint celebration of sorts at Lisa's wedding.

Dressed all in white, Keira, 31, sat on Jarrod's lap and passionately locked lips with the winery manager as fellow guests milled around them.

Keira had previously given fans a glimpse at her frock during a vague Instagram Story clip - which featured frilled straps and a tight bodice.

Blonde beauty! The Bachelor In Paradise belle arrived at Lisa's wedding dressed in white, as per the request of the bride and groom

How cute! Dressed all in white, Keira, 31, sat on Jarrod's lap and passionately kissed as fellow guests milled around them

Blushing bride: Lisa, 55, wore an elegant pastel gown as she beamed with joy after tying the knot with husband Mark

The reality star is believed to have been invited by Lisa after they starred together in Channel Ten's series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2017.

Former camp mate and model Tegan Martin and the show's host Julia Morris were also in attendance.

Jarrod, 32, was seen placing his arm lovingly around the blonde bombshell's svelte waist as she peered over guests' heads to get a better view.

At one point, Keira was seen affectionately rubbing the top of Jarrod's head as she adoringly looked into her beau's eyes.

Hold me close! Jarrod, 32, was seen placing his arm lovingly around the blonde bombshell's svelte waist as she peered over guests' heads to get a better view

That's love! At one point, Keira was seen affectionately rubbing the top of Jarrod's head as she adoringly looked into her beau's eye

Meanwhile, Lisa looked every bit the beautiful bride in a blush pink wedding gown, as her Elvis-impersonator groom looked suave in a tailored suit.

All eyes were on Lisa, 55, who stood out in contrast to her guests - who were all instructed to wear white.

Lisa appeared to wear a long-sleeve pastel dress that was adorned by sequins that shone in the sunshine.

Reality TV pals: Keira and bride Lisa's former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! camp mate and model Tegan Martin showed her support at the nuptialsLaura Byrne's adventure in Bali, Indonesia, with beau Matty Johnson has continued this week, with the pair living it up like there's no tomorrow.

And Laura, 31, flaunted her toned physique in a two-piece bikini while doing some stand-up paddleboarding on Saturday.

She posted a picture of herself atop the crystal-clear waters, with the caption: 'What SUP? Paddling away from lifes responsibilities like.'

Scroll down for video

'What SUP!' The Bachelor's Laura Byrne flaunts enviable frame and pert derriere in skimpy bikini as she paddleboards during romantic Bali getaway with beau Matty J

Not one to be outdone, a buff Matty J had already posted a snap of himself to Instagram on Friday carrying a surfboard with the caption: 'Another day in paradise.'

On Thursday Laura was a picture of holiday bliss as she posed on the balcony her lavish seaside villa.

Taking to Instagram to share a glimpse at her and Matty's sun-drenched sojourn, Laura posed in a floral string bikini that perfectly flattered her gym-honed physique.

Chairman of the board: A buff Matty J posted a snap of himself to Instagram on Friday carrying a surfboard with the caption: 'Another day in paradise'

Hello from paradise! Laura was a picture of holiday bliss as she posed on the balcony of her lavish seaside villa on Thursday

'I live here now k bye,' the reality TV star captioned the photo of herself standing on her tip toes in front of a sparkling seascape.

It's the latest in a slew of jaw-dropping snaps Laura and Matty have posted from their loved-up island holiday.

Just hours earlier, Laura took took to social media with a romantic photo of herself kissing her man as they floated in their hotel's infinity pool.

Candid: Just hours earlier, Laura took took to Instagram with a romantic photo of herself kissing her man as they floated in their hotel's infinity pool

'Does this qualify as Bachelor in paradise?' the brunette wrote in the caption.

The couple's Bali adventure comes a week after Matty told Daily Mail Australia that Laura will move into his Bondi abode in June.

'She's moving into my house,' the marketing executive revealed, before going on to cheekily add that he 'kind of got' his way.

Picture perfect! Laura has been sharing a slew of jaw-dropping snaps from her Indonesian holiday this week

How's the weather down there? Laura sent fans into meltdown with this awe-inspiring snap of herself lounging at the bottom of the ocean

Matty continued: 'It's a nice little bit to look forward to, we were always umming and ahhing if I would move to Rushcutters Bay or she would move to Bondi and the way it's worked out, we decided Bondi.'

'At the moment it's all looking really exciting, but we haven't got down to the nitty-gritty yet,' he added.

'It's always tricky when you move in together and you've kind of got double the furniture. We're like, "Will I lose my couch in favour of her couch?" That's what we haven't figured out yet.'Iggy Azalea has never been shy in showing off her hourglass figure.

And the 27-year-old left very little to the imagination in a racy Instagram snap on Saturday.

The Black Widow hitmaker flaunted her shapely derriere in a black g-string, while indulging on fried chicken on-board a private jet.

That's cheeky! Iggy Azalea, 27, left VERY little to the imagination in an Instagram post on Saturday, flaunting her shapely derriere in a G-string

Iggy sported an orange plaid bikini top that showed off her toned arms, teamed with a black g-string that revealed her shapely posterior.

Crouching on a chair inside a private jet, the rapper also drew attention to her bronze silk knee-high boots.

Her wavy blonde extensions falling behind her toned back, Iggy glanced back at the camera as she tucked into a Kentucky Fried Chicken feast.

The Sydney-born star captioned the image 'It's my lifestyle.'

Blue steel! Iggy flaunted her incredible hourglass figure as she struck a sultry pose in a tiny bikini on Tuesday

Just last Tuesday, Iggy was up to her old skin-baring tricks, as she posed up a storm in a tiny metallic blue bikini for another sizzling snap.

The blonde beauty sent temperatures soaring as she paraded her showstopping curves in the sultry swimwear.

Letting her statement swimwear do all the talking, Iggy accessorised with a pair of blue tinted, square-frame sunglasses.

Turning heads: The Black Widow hitmaker sent temperatures soaring as she paraded her showstopping curves in the sultry swimwear

Styling her cropped golden tresses in wet-look waves, the bombshell framed her features with minimal makeup.

Iggy is clearly feeling body confident at the moment, as she showed off her derriere in a G-string bikini the previous day.

Taking to Instagram, Iggy flaunted her perky posterior while sitting on the edge of a pool in Calabasas, California.

Making a splash! It comes after Iggy showed off her curves and shapely derriere in a G-string bikini while posing poolside in Calabasas, CaliforniaThey first laid eyes on each other on a Mexican beach back in 1994.

And Pierce Brosnan and his wife Keely Shaye Smith proved they were still going strong years later, as they arrived for a spot of lunch in New York on Friday.

The James Bond star, 64, cut a typically dapper figure as he and his long-term love, 54 - who he has been with for more than 20 years - strolled along arm in arm.

Casual day: Pierce Brosnan, 64, and his wife Keely Shaye Smith, 54, proved they were smitten as they arrived for a spot of lunch in New York on Friday

Taking a break from his hectic work commitments, Pierce looked to be in great spirits as he enjoyed the sunshine with Keely.

The Irish actor opted for a navy blazer, casual jeans and a stylish scarf, while adding to the look with a pair of cool shades.

Walking along in a pair of brown shoes, he ensured to keep his wife Keely close by his side.

Keely embraced the summery weather and looked lovely in a black top and matching lace midi-skirt.

Smitten: The James Bond star cut a typically dapper figure as he and his long-term love - who he has been with for more than 20 years - strolled along arm in arm

In love: Taking a break from his hectic work commitments, Pierce looked to be in great spirits as he enjoyed the sunshine with Keely

Adding a touch of glamour to her look, she accessorised with a statement pearl necklace and matching earrings.

The Malibu-based, married couple of 16 years have been inseparable since meeting on a Mexican beach back in 1994.

Pierce frequently shares gushing, retro snaps of the pair with his captive, combined 1.8M social media following.

The Brosnans both dote on their two sons together - IMG Model Dylan, 21; and Next Model Paris, 17.

Sad: The 6ft2in silver fox tragically lost both his first wife Cassandra Harris and daughter Charlotte to ovarian cancer - Pictured 2005

The 6ft2in silver fox tragically lost both his first wife Cassandra Harris and daughter Charlotte to ovarian cancer. He also had sons Chris, 45, and Sean, 34, with his late wife.

Pierce recently shaved his beard after wrapping the second season of AMC western series The Son, on which he plays Texas cattle baron Eli McCullough.

The two-time Golden Globe nominee will next play Detective Robert Malloy in Simon Kaijser's mystery thriller Spinning Man - hitting US theatres April 6 - alongside Guy Pearce and Minnie Driver.

Star: The two-time Golden Globe nominee will next play Detective Robert Malloy in Simon Kaijser's mystery thriller Spinning Man - hitting US theatres April 6 - Pictured 2005

Travelling in style! Pierce and his stunning wife Keely made a glamorous arrival at the 71st Cannes Film Festival

What a man! The 007 actor was armed with a pen to sign autographs while waiting fans crowded around him when he made his arrival with his wife

Still got it! Pierce looked smoldering in his tinted sunglasses and Keely wore a matching pair with tortoise shell framesOn Married At First Sight, Davina Rankin told Tracey Jewel to stop whining about Dean Wells.

But on Saturday, the 27-year-old brushed off the TV drama, as she enjoyed a wine tour with her new man, Jaxon Manuel.

The busty brunette was sure to document her loved-up adventures to her Instagram account.

Cheers to new love! MAFS' Davina Rankin enjoyed a wine tour with boyfriend Jaxon Manuel

At 11am Saturday morning, Davina uploaded a video while on-board a packed-out bus, captioned 'Wine tour time'.

Soon after, she was seen entering Dominique Portet winery in the Yarra Valley, stopping outside to plant a kiss on Jaxon's cheek.

For the next 30-minutes, vino did flow.

Online: She was kind enough to document the occasion on Instagram

Wine tour time! At 11am Saturday morning, Davina uploaded a video while on-board a packed-out bus, captioned 'Wine tour time'

Before they hopped back on the bus, Jaxon had a hilarious idea to put a bottle of wine he bought into his jacket pocket.

In a video, his girlfriend asked: 'What?'

'Can you just caption this? Just caption it!' Jaxon was heard saying.

When in Yarra! Soon after, she was seen entering Dominique Portet winery in the Yarra Valley, stopping outside to plant a kiss on Jaxon's cheek

Who's the comedian now, Ryan? Before they hopped back on the bus, Jaxon had a hilarious idea to put a bottle of wine he bought into his jacket pocket

Davina grabbed the tip of the bottle and replied: 'Darl! This actually fits perfectly. Fashion!'

Next up was Coldstream Brewery, where footage of the MAFS star pouring cider into shot glasses appeared to indicate the lovers had embarked on a 'power hour'.

A 'power hour' is a timed drinking game - an alert sounds every minute for 60 minutes. After each alert, participants must drink a shot of beer or cider.

Passion for fashion! Davina grabbed the tip of the bottle and replied: 'Darl! This actually fits perfectly. Fashion!'

It's also possible they made the bizarre decision to serve their cider in shot glasses rather than schooners.

Regardless, they returned to the bus far more energised.

In a later video, the bus had transformed into a party bus, as dance music blared and passengers competed against Davina for the title of highest-pitched squeal.

Power hour: Next up was Coldstream Brewery, where footage of the MAFS star pouring cider into shot glasses appeared to indicate the lovers had embarked on a 'power hour'

The rules! A 'power hour' is a timed drinking game - an alert sounds every minute for 60 minutes. After each alert, participants must drink a shot of beer or cider

Last month, Davina revealed to Daily Mail Australia that she's 'extremely happy' with Jaxon.

Having only gone public with their romance just days prior, the brunette said of the surfer and cafe owner: 'The timing now is just perfect for the both of us.'Her former bodyguard has Tim Chung refused to comment on speculation that he is the father of her three-month-old daughter Stormi.

But Kylie Jenner put the rumours to one side, as she enjoyed a night out at Casa Vega restaurant in Sherman Oaks on Friday.

The 20-year-old reality star forewent her usual heavy coat of make-up as she cut a casual display for a night out with her pals.

Casual sighting: Kylie Jenner, 20, enjoyed a night out at Casa Vega restaurant in Sherman Oaks on Friday

The star opted for maximum comfort in a jumper and coat as she exited the eatery and headed to an awaiting vehicle.

A pair of chic shades were propped up on her head and she went for minimal make-up for her night off mum duties.

Her sighting comes after her former bodyguard Tim Chung made rumours worse after refusing to comment on speculation that he is the father of her child.

When the Los Angeles police officer was asked about that on Thursday evening outside Hollywood hot spot Delilah's, he made things even worse.

Low-key: The reality star forewent her usual heavy coat of make-up as she cut a casual display for a night out with her pals

Trendy: The star opted for maximum comfort in a jumper and coat as she exited the eatery and headed to an awaiting vehicle

Instead of flatly denying it, the cop smiled and shook his head and could be heard uttering, 'Can't answer that,' making suspicion grow.

Chung is a police officer who works as a bodyguard only part time. So he is likely completely unaware that acting coy only makes the rumor grow.

The officer looked more like a celebrity as he wore a white denim jacket over a black shirt and slacks with white sneakers. He was out to celebrate his birthday.

Chung also enjoyed a sushi lunch at Nobu in Malibu that same day, proving her knows all the top Hollywood hot spots.

Rumours: Her sighting comes after her former bodyguard Tim Chung made rumours worse after refusing to comment on speculation that he is the father of her child

Paying no mind: The wild fan theories have apparently been laughed off by Kylie and Travis but instead of flatly denying it, the cop could be heard uttering, 'Can't answer that,'

Speechless: When the Los Angeles police officer was asked about that by TMZ on Thursday evening outside Hollywood hot spot Delilah's, he made things even worse

Already acting like an A-lister: Chung also enjoyed a sushi lunch at Nobu in Malibu that same day, proving her knows all the top Hollywood hot spots

Confused: Chung is a police officer who works as a bodyguard only part time. So he is likely completely unaware that acting coy only makes the rumor grow. Seen with Kylie in 2016

Chung - whose Instagram account has grown by 200,000 since DailyMail.com's story that fans think he could be Stormi's father - also works part time as a model.

Tim also boasts a massive 629,000 followers on Instagram for his stunning good looks and toned torso, which he frequently shows off in shirtless shots.

In addition to Kylie, Tim has been seen looking after her older sisters Kim and Kourtney as well as their kids. According to Instagram, Tim also has five sisters of his own.

But while Tim has been on the radar of Keeping Up With the Kardashians fans for years, it's been the recent arrival of Stormi that has made him a viral sensation.

New: Stormi was born on February 1, 2018 and is only three months old

Fighting crime: Tim is also a cop for the LAPD, and often shares photos of himself in uniform

A number of online jokesters have begun spreading a wild fan theory that Tim is the true father of the three-month-old baby, citing that the little girl bears a striking resemblance to the bodyguard.

'Why does Stormi look like Kylies bodyguard?' mused one user, sharing a photo of Tim with Kylie next to a photo of little Stormi.

Another shared a photo of Rob Kardashian's baby mama Blac Chyna shouting into a phone with the caption: 'Me ringing Kris Jenner to find out if Kylies bodyguard is Stormis dad.'

According to Hollywood Life, Kylie and Travis are laughing off the ridiculous rumor and 'haven't given it a second thought.'Bachelor In Paradise's Grant Kemp is brushing off the Ali Oetjen drama.

The 29-year-old shared a close-up selfie to Instagram on Saturday, that included the text 'it's time to move on'.

It comes after the US reality star sensationally accused his ex-girlfriend of cheating with his friend.

'Truth be told': Grant Kemp, 29, revealed to Instagram on Saturday that he's 'moving on' from Ali Oetjen after sensationally accusing the Bachelorette of cheating on him with his friend

Grant in a white T-shirt and red varsity jacket was pictured in his luxury car, while stationed outside Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles.

The muscular hunk's eyes were concealed behind a pair of designer sunglasses and he held his jewel-adorned left hand up to his mouth.

Sporting a rather pensive expression, Grant cryptically captioned the snap 'it's time to move on,' alongside the hash-tag #truthbetold, hinting at his falling out with Ali Oetjen.

Sensational claims: It comes after Grant sensationally claimed that Ali, 32, 'cheated' on him with a male house guest while staying at his Los Angeles home in March

It comes after Grant sensationally alleged that ex-girlfriend Ali Oetjen, 32, 'cheated' on him with a male house guest while staying at his Los Angeles home back in March.

Speaking to KIIS FM's The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Tuesday, Grant claimed his Bachelor In Paradise co-star had only been staying at his house for four days before she was allegedly unfaithful.

Explaining the 'incident', Grant claimed that he and Ali had returned to his home with several other friends after visiting a nightclub in LA.

'Incident': Speaking to KIIS FM's The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Tuesday, Grant claimed Ali had only been staying at his house for four days before she was allegedly unfaithful

That night, at around 2:15am, he briefly left the house to greet other guests, as he lives in a gated community, and was gone for just 'five minutes'.

He returned to the house with a friend, Sabrina Jaragosky-Hicks, and claimed they both walked in on Ali hooking up with a male house guest.

Grant explained he was in love with Ali before her alleged infidelity and demanded that she pack her suitcases and leave.

'She went to a hotel and I guess she left the next night,' he added.

Ali is yet to publicly comment on Grant's sensational claims.Liam Gallagher was once again the spectacular showman on Friday as he took to the stage in Los Angeles Greek Theatre for the latest leg of his North American tour.

The 45-year-old former Oasis star gave it his all in the performance as he was joined on the stage by special guest The Verve's Richard Ashcroft, 46.

Liam's performance came ahead of the premiere of a 'devastatingly honest' documentary about the star's recent years in the spotlight, with the first screening taking place at this week's Cannes Film Festival.

Showman: Liam Gallagher, 45, put on a spectacular display on Friday as he performed in LA's Greek Theatre for the latest leg of his North American tour

Donning a typically casual display, Liam performed his array of hits to an audience of screaming fans, and didn't hold back in providing a spot of percussion as he donned a pair of maracas for the gig.

The Manchester-born star has been embarking on a brief North American tour before returning to the UK later this month, as he opens for The Rolling Stones at The London Stadium.

Joining Liam on the stage was fellow British performer Richard, who contrasted in all-white who donned a guitar for the collaboration.

Epic: The Manchester-born performer put on a casual display as he took to the stage for the show

Collab: Joining Liam on the stage was The Verve's Richard Ashcroft, 46, who contrasted in all-white as he donned a guitar for the performance

Legendary: The Wigan-born singer has made a name for himself with an illustrious solo career, as well as his work with The Verve

Liam's gig came ahead of the premiere of a documentary set to give a no-holds-barred look at his life, set to screen at the Cannes Film Festival this week.

Directed by Charlie Lewis, film-makers said Liam Gallagher: As It Was will show the 'emotional story of how one of the greatest rock frontmen went from the dizzying heights of his champagne supernova years in Oasis to living on the edge, ostracised and lost in the musical wilderness of boredom, booze and legal battles.

'The film depicts Liam emerging from Noel's shadow, managing expectations from being in the biggest band in the world to starting alone again alone, stripped bare, with nowhere to hide.'

It will also show how Liam 'struggled to define his role as a man and an artist, ricocheting between projects whilst fighting his own personal demons.'

Unusual: Never afraid to accompany his own performance, Liam donned a pair of maracas for the gig

Sensational: The latest leg of his came ahead of the premiere of a film about Liam's recent years in the spotlight, set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival

It's thought to specifically look at Liam's divorce from Nicole Appleton after he fathered a lovechild with US journalist Liza Ghorbani as well as the demise of Oasis.

The last film centering on the Mancunian and his brother, 50, was 2016's Supersonic, which examined their sibling rivalry.

The new project was described by Liam himself as 'a documentary about my musical comeback.

'It covers the writing and recording of my first solo album, right through to playing it live for the first time in my hometown of Manchester and around the world. I hope you enjoy the film.'

Raw: Directed by Charlie Lewis, film-makers said Liam Gallagher: As It Was will give an honest portrayal of Liam's recent turbulent years in the spotlightLaura Zillia couldn't keep her hands off new husband Nick Gold on Friday, as they hosted a star-studded celebrity bash at their home in Cannes to celebrate the town's iconic film festival.

The 32-year-old daughter of celebrity chef Aldo Zilli showed off her incredible figure in a skimpy black crop top and shorts as she enjoyed the festivities on Nikki Beach with her spouse and stars including James Stunt's ex-girlfriend Samantha Rowley.

Laura showered her husband of almost five weeks with kisses and cuddles as they frolicked on the beach and enjoyed an ice cold beverage together, ahead of her plans to embark on a cross-state charity road trip.

Fun time: Newlyweds Laura Zilli and Nick Gold looked happier than ever on Friday as they hosted a lavish bash at their home in Cannes to celebrate the film festival

Laura showed off her washboard abs in a tasselled halterneck crop top and tight high-waisted shorts as she cosied up to her man, adding some comfort with flat gladiator sandals.

The former reality TV star was seen dancing along the beach with pal Samantha, 30, in hilarious fashion, with the actress every inch the sun-soaked babe in a yellow bikini top and cut-off shorts.

Samantha and reported ex James are said to have gone their separate ways, after the blonde was first photographed on his arm just days after the final court hearing in his divorce from Petra Ecclestone in February, wearing a 1.5 million engagement ring.

The high-flying couple were rumoured to have been dating for several months.

Amazing: The 32-year-old daughter of Italian chef Aldo Zilli flashed her taut abs in a black tasselled crop top and high-waisted denim shorts

Sweet: Laura cuddled up to her husband as they hosted the party together, with him tenderly placing his arm around her while showering the socialite with kisses

Loved-up: Laura and Nick tied the knot last month in a lavish Jewish beach ceremony in Miami

Loving it: Also attending the party was Laura's pal and playboy James Stunt's ex Samantha Rowley, and the pair were seen putting on a hilarious display as they frolicked on the beach

Party time! The actress looked every inch the beach babe in a yellow bikini and shorts as she danced around with her pal

Also seen at the bash were makeup artist Gary Cockerill and fitness guru Joe Fournier, who were seen enjoying all the party had to offer including a shisha bar.

The couple's French abode is just one of three properties between which they divide their time, as they also boast homes in London's Primrose Hill and Miami.

Following the festivities, Laura is set to take to the road for a cross-state road trip, driving from San Francisco to Las Vegas next month in aid of Cash and Rocket.

The cause is in aid of charities that support women and children in Africa, including Shine On Sierra Leone (SOSL).

Grabbing more drinks? During the festivities Laura and Nick were also seen out and about holding hands in Cannes

Sweet: The former reality TV star also took some time to cuddle her pet pooch

Besties: Also attending the party was makeup artist Gary Cockerill, who made sure to give her friend an embrace as they partied it up together

Laura recently tied the knot with businessman Nick in a Jewish ceremony on Miami beach in front of high society friends including Samantha.

The star is chef Aldo's only-child from his first marriage to Jan Zilli. He also has a son Rocco, 12, and daughter Twiggy, 10, with second wife Nikki.

Her father Aldo has previously spoke of his pride for daughter Laura, telling The Telegraph in 2011 that he feared she would be a 'nightmare' until she settled down.

In the article - entitled 'Shes the most beautiful thing in the world. But shes a nightmare,' Aldo admitted that he had not liked any of her previous partners.

Amazing: Laura kept her brown hair poker straight as she finished her party style with aviator-style sunglasses

Check this out! The group were seen laughing over something on Gary's phone as they enjoyed plenty of ice cold drinks at the beach abode

Cheeky drag: Laura also put on a hilarious display with fitness guru Joe Fournier as they enjoyed a spot of shisha

'Shes going to become dangerous,' he said. 'When I left [home] she went a bit wild. She was coming to see me with a different guy every five minutes.

'It upset me. I didnt feel in control any more. I dont like boyfriends  not any of them. She is my blood, so I will be jealous.'

Laura, who started modelling at 15, was once the face of car manufacturer Alfa Romeo and was previously signed to the First Models agency.

Quick trip out: Strolling along the beach, Laura and Nick still sported the newlywed glowDeputy PM Hue made the statement while receiving Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Pereric Hogberg and Chairman of Comvik International Vietnam AB M.A. Zaman in Hanoi on May 11th.

Ambassador Hogberg said the two countries boast fine relations in both partnerships and traditional ties. Sweden was the first Western European nation to set up relations with Vietnam, and the two sides will mark 50 years of their diplomatic ties in 2019.

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue (R) receives Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Pereric Hogberg on May 11th (Photo: VNA)



They have good connections not only between their Governments but also between their people. The Swedish Government is committed to helping Vietnamese people to gain more benefits, he noted.

He added in 2017, bilateral trade surged by a record of 50 percent from the previous year. Swedish companies have come to and operated in Vietnam for a long time. New firms have also poured new investments into Vietnam, including those in telecommunications  a successful cooperation area between the two countries.

For his part, Zaman said Comvik has had a successfully business partnership with the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), and both share the same target of building the best new internet system in Asia.

Regarding the Vietnamese Governments equitisation of the Vietnam Mobile Telecom Services Company (Mobifone), he said with its existing strength in technology and capital, Comvik is ready to support the Government and take part in this equitisation process.

Comvik is working to shift to 6G technology, and Sweden is the worlds leading country in this digital technology, Zaman said, adding that his firm wishes to have opportunities to invest in this field in Vietnam and turn Vietnam into a leading country in this new technology.

At the meeting, Deputy PM Hue described the business partnership between Comvik and VNPT as a successful cooperation in Vietnams development as well as the local posts and telecom sector. Compared to in 1990, the telecom infrastructure in the country now is much different, which is partly thanks to the Comvik  VNPT cooperation, especially in providing technical support and improving governance capacity for VNPT and Mobifone.

Welcoming Comviks intention to continue investing in Vietnam and participate in the equitisation of Mobifone, he said the Vietnamese Government has requested the Ministry of Information and Communications and Mobifone to prepare necessary conditions to carry out Mobifones initial public offering (IPO) in 2019. This IPO will attract much interest from foreign investors.

The host also took this occasion to ask Ambassador Hogberg to help attract more Swedish investments into Vietnam, noting that the Vietnamese Government will create the best possible conditions while unceasingly improving the national competitiveness and the business climate to facilitate enterprises operations./.Advertisement

Black Panther's Michael B. Jordan has certainly been keeping busy recently.

And it seems that his upcoming film Fahrenheit 451 starring Sofia Boutella is already causing a frenzy as the pair posed together during a promotional shoot on Saturday.

The blonde beauty, 36, ensured all eyes were on her as she joined her hunky American co-star, 31, for a number of photo opportunities at Cannes Film Festival.

Beauty: Sofia Boutella, 36, ensured all eyes were on her as she joined her hunky American co-star Michael B. Jordan, 31, for a number of photo opportunities at Cannes Film Festival

The Algerian stunner wore a shimmering short-sleeved dress adorned with sparkly shimmer and mesh cutouts throughout.

Falling just above her ankles, the dress featured a bodysuit underneath which revealed Sofia's svelte legs.

The elaborate garment had a high neckline and a belt around the waist which perfectly complemented the film stars slim, petite figure.

Strike a pose: The Algerian stunner wore a shimmering short-sleeved dress adorned with sparkly shimmer and mesh cutouts throughout

The Star Trek Beyond actress, who has also appeared in the thriller Atomic Blonde alongside Charlize Theron, completed the eye-catching ensemble with a striking silver necklace and matching silver bangles and rings.

She wore black and white Mary Jane style high heels and had her dyed blonde locks tied back in to a high ponytail.

Complimenting the outfit, Sofia donned simple makeup that showed off her natural beauty.

Knockout: Falling just above her ankles, the dress featured a bodysuit underneath which revealed Sofia's svelte legs

Sofia posed up a storm with Fahrenheit 451 co-star Michael B. Jordan as they were pictured arm in arm.

Michael cut a dapper figure in a black and white polo top tucked into a pair of black trousers.

Keeping it simple yet sophisticated, the Black Panther star accessorised with silver jewelry, a black watch and a pair of striking patent loafers.

In the spotlight: Sofia posed up a storm with Fahrenheit 451 co-star Michael B. Jordan as they were pictured arm in arm

Fashion forward: The Star Trek Beyond actress, who has also appeared in the thriller Atomic Blonde alongside Charlize Theron, completed the eye-catching ensemble with a striking silver necklace and matching silver bangles and rings

Smart: Michael cut a dapper figure in a black and white polo top tucked into a pair of black trousers

Dapper: Keeping it simple yet sophisticated, the Black Panther star accessorised with silver jewelry, a black watch and a pair of striking patent loafers

Style icon: Sofia wore black and white Mary Jane style high heels and had her dyed blonde locks tied back in to a high ponytail

Glam: The elaborate garment had a high neckline and a belt around the waist which perfectly complemented the film star's slim, petite figure

Posing up a storm, the co-stars started to giggle as they worked for the cameras.

They were then joined by fellow actor Michael Shannon, 43, and director of the new film Ramin Bahrani, 43.

Making the most of their time together, the cast took the chance to joke around with one another.

Dramatic: The film is based on the book by Ray Bradbury and tells the story of how books are banned and ordered to be burned in the distant future and 'firemen' are charged with this responsibility

Responsibility: Michael stars as Guy Montag, a fireman who goes about his work without questioning motives and believes he is helping out with the end of seeking knowledge

Posing up a storm: The co-stars started to giggle as they worked for the cameras

Revelations: Guy Montag changes when he meets Sofia's character Clarisse McClellan who makes him challenge his actions and convictions

Co-stars: Michael was joined by fellow actor Michael Shannon, 43, as they posed for the photocall

The film is based on the book by Ray Bradbury and tells the story of how books are banned and ordered to be burned in the distant future and 'firemen' are charged with this responsibility.

Michael stars as Guy Montag, a fireman who goes about his work without questioning motives and believes he is helping out with the end of seeking knowledge.

All this changes when he meets Sofia's character Clarisse McClellan who makes him challenge his actions and convictions.

The HBO films will air on Saturday 19th May stateside and will be aired on Sky Atlantic just a day later on Sunday May 20th at 10:10pm.

Cast: The three actors then posed with director of the new film Ramin Bahrani, 43

Exciting: Michael, Ramin, Sofia and Michael all appeared to be excited to promote the new film

Pictured: Sofia joked around with director of Fahrenheit 451 Ramin BahraniNatalie Barr confessed that she's still 'pinching herself' after finding out that she'll be covering Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's big day for Sunrise.

The 50-year-old TV personality jetted off to London on Friday, but couldn't resist gushing about her royal wedding fever before stepping on that plane.

Speaking to the Herald Sun, Natalie couldn't contain her excitement about her regal presenting role.

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Royal wedding fever: Natalie Barr gushed over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and confessed that she's still 'pinching herself' about covering the royal wedding

She exclaimed: 'I can't believe it.

'I love the royals, but even if you dont love the royals it will be the biggest story in the world and you just can't help but get a little bit swept up in it.

'The whole world will be tuning into it and so I just can't believe we are going to be there.'

'Biggest story in the world': Natalie couldn't believe she was jetting to the UK to report on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's big day, which is due to take place on 19 May at Windsor Castle in England

London-bound! The Sunrise team will be broadcasting from famous British landmarks like the Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle next week

The Channel Seven host will keep Australians up-to-date with the latest royal wedding news, while broadcasting from famous British landmarks like the Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

Natalie is making the trip alongside fellow Sunrise hosts David Koch, Samantha Armytage, Mark Beretta and Edwina Bartholomew.

But Meghan isn't the only blushing bride around, because Edwina recently walked down the aisle herself.

Another bride in town! Edwina Bartholomew will also cover the royal union from London after walking down the aisle herself just last month

Sparkling! Edwina said 'I do' in her grandmother's wedding dress which has been passed down through three generations of her family

The 34-year-old presenter married her long-time partner Neil Varcoe, 36, in a stunning country wedding last month.

Edwina and Neil tied the knot at their Warramba property in the Capertree Valley, nestled between Lithgow and Mudgee, in New South Wales.

Watched by 160 guests, Edwina said 'I do' in her grandmother's wedding dress which has been passed down through three generations of her family.

The 1920s vintage cotton and lace gown was updated by Melbourne designer Sonia Cappellazzo and took twelve months and numerous fittings to finish.

Sunrise Live in London will be broadcast from Monday 14 May to Friday 18 May at 5.30am on Seven.Tim Chung has finally spoken out amid rumors he's the father of Kylie Jenner's daughter Stormi.

Kylie's former bodyguard posted a statement on Instagram on Friday night insisting his relationship with the reality star has never been anything but professional.

'I am a very private person and would normally never answer to gossip and stories that are so ridiculous that they are laughable,' Chung began.

Not me: Kylie Jenner's former bodyguard Tim Chung has finally spoken out to deny he is the father of Kylie's baby Stormi after fans noticed similarities

'Out of respect for Kylie, Travis, their daughter and their families, I would like to set the record straight and say that my interactions with Kylie and her family have been limited in strictly a professional capacity only.

'There is no story here and I ask that the media no longer include me in any narrative that is incredibly disrespectful to their family.'

It comes after Chung came over very coy when he was asked about the rumors on a recent outing to Hollywood hot spot Delilah's.

Instead of flatly denying it, the cop smiled and shook his head and could be heard uttering, 'Can't answer that,' making suspicion grow.

Chung posted this message to Instagram on Friday night insisting that his relationship has always been strictly professional with the reality star

Rumor mill: Fans have been speculating for weeks that Chung could be Stormi's dad instead of Travis Scott as the baby looks quite a bit like the handler

Fans have been speculating for weeks that Chung could be Stormi's dad instead of Travis Scott as the baby looks quite a bit like the handler.

Chung - whose Instagram account has grown by 200,000 since DailyMail.com's story that fans think he could be Stormi's father - also works part time as a model.

In addition to Kylie, Chung has been seen looking after her older sisters Kim and Kourtney as well as their kids. According to Instagram, Tim also has five sisters of his own.

No story here: Chung is a police officer who works as a bodyguard only part time

But while Chung has been on the radar of Keeping Up With the Kardashians fans for years, it's been the recent arrival of Stormi that has made him a viral sensation.

Luckily Kylie and Travis are taking the situation in their stride.

According to Hollywood Life, Kylie and Travis are laughing off the ridiculous rumor and 'haven't given it a second thought.'

New: Stormi was born on February 1, 2018 and is only three months oldRonnie Ortiz-Magro and Jen Harley look like they're trying to make co-parenting work.

The Jersey Shore stars were spotted together in Las Vegas together with their daughter Ariana.

It's the first time they have been seen since their explosive  and public  fight on live social media earleir this month.

Moving on: Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and Jen Harley look like they're trying to make co-parenting work

The two were seen pushing the one-month-old in a stroller as they window shopped in the Caesars Palace Forum.

Ronnie had even opted for a 'No regrets' T-shirt for the outing.

Although the physical distance between them suggested they might not be fully back together, it is certainly an improvement on where their relationship was a few weeks ago.

'Note to self, can't turn a natural born HOE, into a HOUSEWIFE. If you find them in the gutter then leave them in the gutter,' Magro said to kickoff the social media rampage.

Public arena: The former couple exchanged unpleasantries via social media

Shots fired: Jen appeared to suggest her ex was a drug abuser

'Not all people can be saved when they are so far gone. All you can say you did ur best and keep it moving.'

Harley - better known as @tt_kittymeow - responded: 'Can't turn a coke head into a father! Yeahhh buddy.'

Ron continued the public humiliation by polling his audience.

'If your significant other keeps sex videos of their ex, shouldn't they show enough respect to delete them, esp after being in a new relationship for over a year?'

Friend and reality co-star Deena Cortese seemed shocked in their private text conversation, which he also shared.

Not his? Ronnie 'wants a paternity test' for baby Ariana, according to one source

'Wow that's insane,' she said. 'What girl even keeps that lol.'

But the public fight escalated further the following day when an intense Instagram LIVE video led to a physical altercation.

In the clip Ronnie dared Jen to zoom into his phone, which he claims contained explicit content of her, before the two appeared to tussle over the phone.

An Insider later told In Touch Ronnie was pushing for a paternity test.She celebrated her brother's lavish wedding just a day earlier.

And Lady Victoria Harvey was all white on the night as she touched in France on Saturday ahead of the Cannes Film Festival, donning an eclectic look as she arrived with designer Daniel Lismore.

The 41-year-old socialite touched down in Cannes just a day after attending her brother's lavish London wedding, but looked ready to party up a storm at the star-studded film event.

She's here! Lady Victoria Hervey, 41, made a spectacular arrival in France for the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, just a day after attending her brother's wedding

Lady Victoria went for a quirky all-white look as she exited the terminal, teaming a sequinned t-shirt with matching embroidered jeans along with studded ankle boots.

The daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol finished her look with an unsual matching jacket, which added a cheeky pop of colour in the form of a green printed underlay.

Clad with luggage Victoria made her arrival with fashion designer Daniel, who sported a long green trench coat over all-black while concealing his face with sunglasses and a trilby hat.

All white on the night: The model and socialite teamed a sequinned t-shirt with matching embroidered jeans and a blazer

Besties: Lady Victoria arrived in Cannes along with fashion designer Daniel Lismore, who donned a muted green trench coat over all-black, a hat and sunglasses

Lady Victoria had made a spectacular appearance at brother Frederick Harvey, the Marquess of Bristol's wedding to his American bride in a lavish ceremony in London on Friday.

Looking glamorous in a tight-fitting pink dress, the aristocat proudly looked on as her sibling tied the knot with art consultant Meredith Dunn.

Frederick inherited his title from his half-brother John Jermyn, who died aged just 44 after squandering 30million on drugs and high living; before his death, he also claimed that he had slept with 2,000 male prostitutes.

Beaming: Victoria grinned with delight as she arrived in France just a day after her brother tied the knot with art consultant Meredith Dunn

Frederick vowed to rebuild the family fortune, after his half-brother John lost the family seat, Ickworth House in Suffolk.

The previous year, the family had suffered another tragedy, with Frederick's half-brother Lord Nicholas taking his own life after a battle with depression.

His father Victor - a playboy known as The Reptile - was married three times, and went to jail for jewel theft.Sophie Monk hasn't dated anyone since her split with Stu Laundy, which occurred on an unknown date between November and January.

On Saturday, the 37-year-old got philosophical about her outlook on romance, explaining: 'It is better to have an empty house than a bad tenant.'

Speaking to News Corp, the former Bachelorette star explained that she was too busy to meet people, and too famous to use dating apps.

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Staying single: Sophie Monk explained why she hasn't dated anyone since her high-profile split with Stu Laundy

'I can't go on apps because I'm too embarrassed that someone will screenshot it,' she explained.

So Tinder is out, and with her workload, Sophie said she just can't see anything serious coming about right now.

'It is tricky for me to meet someone, unless I am going to meet the UberEats guy, because I am always working and don't get out there much,' she explained.

Soon, the former Bardot star will appear in Channel Nine's Love Island.

Conundrum: Of her single status, the former Bachelorette star explained that she was too busy to meet people, and too famous to use dating apps

Sophie told the publication she's open to a 'holiday romance' while she's there, but given the show films in Spain, a long-term relationship is unlikely.

After months of media speculation that the pair were 'faking' their relationship, Sophie and Stu confirmed their split in January.

Sophie announced the breakup on Instagram, writing: 'I went into this experience looking to settle down and start a family.'

Time troubles: 'It is tricky for me to meet someone, unless I am going to meet the UberEats guy, because I am always working and don't get out there much,' she explained

'I gave it the best shot I could and my intentions were everything I said I was looking for, but unfortunately it just didn't work out.'

In March, ex-boyfriend Stu described Sophie as a 'career girl'.

'She's a career girl who admirably supports her family and she has the world at her feet now. Couldn't be prouder,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

The exact date of their breakup remains unknown.

(Short-term) Love Island! Sophie did admit she's open to a 'holiday romance' while she's filming Love Island, but given the show films in Spain, a long-term relationship is unlikelyShe has been mending her heartache following the upsetting fall-out of her divorce with a new man.

And Petra Ecclestone, 29, partied with Sam Palmer on a rare night out at A-list hotspot Catch in West Hollywood, California on Friday.

The Formula 1 billionaire heiress seductively put her legs on display in her racy LBD, with her vintage car dealer beau following hot on her heels in a colourful shirt.

Leggy lady: Petra Ecclestone looked leggy in her tiny LBD as she enjoyed a rare date night with beau Sam Palmer at Catch, in West Hollywood on Friday

Bernie Ecclestone's daughter extended her lengthy legs when she sauntered out of the venue in striking scarlet stilettos with impressive heels.

Layering with a series of eye-catching necklaces, the mother-of-three drew attention to her sensational decolletage.

Petra donned a boyfriend-style denim jacket which was embellished with metallic chains for an edgy vibe as well as a quirky zebra print bag.

Fashionable foot forward: Bernie Ecclestone's daughter extended her lengthy legs when she sauntered out of the venue in striking scarlet stilettos with impressive heels

They are in the thick of the early stages of a sizzling romance after just seven months of dating each other as Petra continues to put her divorce behind her.

While no details of the divorce settlement were released, Petra and her ex-husband James Stunt reached an agreement back in October last year.

It was reported that James signed a 16 million prenuptial agreement, with Petra also awarded sole custody of the couple's three children in January.

Dazzling diva: Layering with a series of eye-catching necklaces, the mother-of-three drew attention to her sensational decolletage

The former flames were married in an extravagant 12 million wedding ceremony at a castle in Rome, Italy, in 2011 but the couple were divorced just six years later.

During their marriage, the pair splashed out 100 million on a Chelsea mansion and a further 158 million on a 123-room home in Los Angeles.

Petra has found love again with Sam, who is friends with her sister Tamara's husband Jay Rutland.

Its very early-on dating, the heiress told Mail On Sunday's YOU magazine in a recent interview.

The whole thing is quite strange because my life didnt pan out the way I expected it to. I thought I wasnt the type who believed in divorce.

'I go to church and I got married thinking I would be with that person for the rest of my life. But things happen for a reason and, whatever that reason is, Ive now got my three kids.She's well known for turning heads on the runway and red carpet.

And Jasmine Tookes showed off her incredibly limber frame during a photo shoot on the rooftop of the Martinez Hotel during the Cannes Film Festival, France on Saturday.

The catwalk queen, 27, proved exactly why she's so in demand as she posed in a number of quirky positions while in an ultra chic lace blouse with tassels.

Best angles: Jasmine Tookes, 27, showed off her flexibility and lithe frame during a rooftop photo shoot in Cannes, France on Friday

Jasmine contorted her envy-inducing physique for the photo shoot and slipped her svelte pins into a pair of smart black slacks.

The Victoria's Secret beauty flipped her glossy chocolate waves around as she moved her delectable curves and ample assets with elegance.

Clearly a seasoned pro, Jasmine confidently held onto the metal hotel sign without any shoes to carry out each pose to perfection.

Whip your hair: Jasmine contorted her envy-inducing frame for the photo shoot and slipped her svelte pins into a pair of black slacks

Holding on: The Victoria's Secret beauty flipped her glossy chocolate waves around as she moved her delectable curves and ample assets with elegance

And pose: Jasmine credits her incredible figure - and apparent limber frame - from years as an athlete; she did gymnastics for a decade and played volleyball and softball

The model stunner left her effortless beauty to shine through, with only a hint of nude make-up to accentuate her features.

Jasmine is no doubt enjoying the cinematic extravaganza at Cannes, stepping out on the red carpet for the Girls of the Sun premiere later in the day.

The brunette beauty looked sensational in an ultra glamorous red princess gown with decadent diamond accessories to polish off the Old Hollywood ensemble.

Jasmine credits her incredible figure - and apparent limber frame - from years as an athlete; she did gymnastics for a decade and played volleyball and softball before she became a model at 15.

The beauty's first commercial ad campaigns were in 2010 for UGG boots and Gap.

Clearly a seasoned pro, Jasmine confidently held onto the metal hotel sign without any shoes to carry out each pose to perfection

The model stunner left her effortless beauty to shine through, with only a hint of nude make-up to accentuate her features

Model prowess: Jasmine has appeared in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and W magazines, and has walked the runways for Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo, Carolina Herrera and Moschino

She was one of 11 new models for the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2012 before she became a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2015.

Tookes was selected to wear the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Fantasy Bra (worth $3 million in 2016) at the 2016 show in Paris.

Jasmine has appeared in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and W magazines, and has walked the runways for Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo, Carolina Herrera, Moschino, Ralph Lauren and DKNY.

Her biggest advertising campaigns are for Jimmy Choo, Calvin Klein, Lancome, DKNY, Ralph Lauren and Kate Spade.

Show-stopping: Jasmine is no doubt enjoying the cinematic extravaganza at Cannes, stepping out on the red carpet for the 'Girls of the Sun' premiere later in the dayAdvertisement

She is the talk of Cannes with her fearless wardrobe choices.

And Kendall Jenner, 22, picked out another high-risk outfit when she stood out from a whole host of A-list stars on the red carpet for the Girls of the Sun premiere at the 71st Cannes Film Festival, in France on Saturday.

And if you thought Friday's outfit was daring, The Keeping Up With The Kardashian star ensured she stunned onlookers when she bared all beneath the sheer dress.

She's done it again! Kendall Jenner bares all as she went braless in transparent frilled gown at the star-studded Girls of the Sun premiere at Cannes Film Festival

Kendall went without her nipple piercing once again when she went braless to show off every inch of her cleavage and leave absolutely nothing to the imagination in the sheer gown.

The reality star put on an attention-grabbing display in the very adventurous dress, which featured phenomenal frills stitched on the sleeves and all the way down the skirt of the garment for the maximum effect.

To accentuate her supermodel figure, the catwalk queen's gown was brought in at the waist with a huge thick white belt with a silver metallic buckle.

For the frill of it! Kendall rubbed shoulders with the likes of Hollywood actress Helen Mirren, Jury president Cate Blanchett and Victoria's Secret Angel model Elsa Hosk

Hollywood's elite descended on the hottest showbiz premiere of the night in honour of the upcoming French film Eva Husson's Girls of the Sun.

The film tells the story of a Kurdish Yazidi lawyer Bahar escapes the clutches of a gang of men following her terrifying abduction and she goes on to form a commando unit to recapture her town in Kurdistan.

Husson is one of three female filmmakers out of the 21 movies in competition for the Palme d'Or and Cate Blanchett addressed the fact only three women's films were chosen after the jury's choices were criticised.

Adventurous attire: Kendall went without her nipple piercing once again when she went braless to show off every inch of her cleavage and leave absolutely nothing to the imagination in the sheer gown

What a figure: To accentuate her supermodel figure, the catwalk queen's gown was brought in at the waist with a huge thick white belt with a silver metallic buckle

Check her out: The reality star put on an attention-grabbing display in the very adventurous dress, which featured phenomenal frills stitched on the sleeves and all the way down the skirt of the garment for the maximum effect

'Would I like to see more women in competition? Absolutely,' the actress adamantly stated. Her comments came earlier this week when the choices come under fire from critics.

The Australian native did however note that it wasn't realistic to think Hollywood's historical women's movements would have such an immediate impact on Cannes.

As well as Eva's film, the two other female filmmakers to have been named in the competition are Nadine Labaki and Alice Rohrwacher.

Wow: Kendall added heavy make-up to her gorgeous features to ensure her beauty commanded the attention of the red carpet

Looking sensational: The raven-haired beauty rested her hands on her hips as she worked her charm with ease on the red carpet for the star-studded premiere

Racy! After Kendall donned just thousands of twinkling diamonds on the Met Gala red carpet last year, it's hardly surprising Kendall has upped the style stakes for this year's Cannes

Raunchy: And while she made a more demure appearance at New York City's Met Gala this year in a white jumpsuit, it seems the Kardashian was saving her sexiest looks for the 71st annual film festival

Cannes has come under criticism for years for not selecting more women directors and only one female filmmaker, Jane Campion, has ever won the Palme in the history of the Cannes Film Festival.

Eighty two women, made up of the great and the good of the entertainment industry, stood in solidarity on the red carpet in the name of the #MeToo movement at the premiere.

The trending hashtag #MeToo, which has become a front for the campaign, is direct response and outcry for help following the sexual harassment allegations that have rocked Hollywood.

Hollywood's elite have been giving a nod to the influential movement on the red carpets for all of the prestigious events in the showbiz calendar including the Oscars and the Golden Globes earlier this year.

Standing together: Hollywood's elite descended on the hottest showbiz premiere of the night in honour of the upcoming French film Eva Husson's Girls of the Sun

Storytelling: The film tells the story of a Kurdish Yazidi lawyer Bahar escapes the clutches of a gang of men following her terrifying abduction and she goes on to form a commando unit to recapture her town in Kurdistan

This years Cannes Jury president Cate Blanchett gave an impassioned speech before the film premiere alongside Kristen Stewart, Marion Cotillard, and Ava DuVernay.

The Oscar-winner enthused: 'Women are not a minority in the world, yet the current state of the industry stays otherwise.

'As women, we all face our own unique challenges, but we stand together on these stairs today as a symbol of our determination and commitment to progress.

She's inspirational: This years Cannes Jury president Cate Blanchett gave an impassioned speech before the film premiere alongside Kristen Stewart, Marion Cotillard, and Ava DuVernay

Wrapped up: 'We are writers, producers, directors, actresses, cinematographers, talent agents, editors, distributors, sales agents and all involved in the cinematic arts'

Pulling out all the stops: Cate wowed in her stunning one-shoulder black dress by Armani Prive, which featured a quirky pleat at the waist to catch the eyes of onlookers

'We are writers, producers, directors, actresses, cinematographers, talent agents, editors, distributors, sales agents and all involved in the cinematic arts.'

Kendall rubbed shoulders with the likes of model Joan Smalls, Hollywood actress Helen Mirren, Jury president Cate Blanchett and Victoria's Secret Angel model Elsa Hosk.

Joan has really shaken up her Cannes style for Saturday's premiere as the supermodel stepped out in her risque ensemble which featured a flirty feathered top that teased her bra beneath its semi-sheer bodice.

Stepping out: Joan has really shaken up her Cannes style for Saturday's premiere as the supermodel stepped out in her risque ensemble which featured a flirty feathered top that teased her bra beneath its semi-sheer bodice

Glamorous as ever: To inject a burst of colour, the Puerto Rican model plumped out her pout with a scarlet shade of lipstick which also highlighted her incredible God given looks

For a further enticing vibe, the 29-year-old flaunted her black pants as well as her tremendous legs thanks to the transparent skirt and she elevated her height with a pair of open-toe heels.

The floor-length skirt of the sexy dress was stitched with a handful of diamonds which shone brightly under the cameras flashed and snapped pictures of the stunning supermodel.

To inject a burst of colour, the Puerto Rican model plumped out her pout with a scarlet shade of lipstick which also highlighted her incredible God given looks.

Storming the carpet: Joan slicked her waist-length brunette tresses back into a high ponytail in a neat fashion and she added a pair of eye-catching earrings to her look

Joan slicked her waist-length brunette tresses back into a high ponytail in a neat fashion and she added a pair of eye-catching earrings to her look.

The gorgeous model, who has been partying hopping across the Cannes red carpet, seductively posed from the back to show off her sensational figure from all angles.

Joan headed straight from New York City's star-studded Met Gala to descend on the glamorous Cannes for the 71st annual Film Festival.

A model arrival: Victoria's Secret Angel Elsa Hosk made a heavenly arrival at the star-studded premiere among the A-list stars, from Hollywood actresses to a handful of the most beautiful models in the world

She's a beauty! The 29-year-old model looked absolutely charming in her spectacular pink ballgown which featured a figure-hugging bodice and straight skirt

Lights, Cannes, action: The runway beauty added the finishing touches of glamour with soft make-up and she wore her golden locks in perfect curls that kissed her shoulders

She made the cut! Two decorative bows made up the focal point of the garment and a racy cut-out design teased the golden-haired beauty's bare stomach

Victoria's Secret Angel Elsa Hosk made a heavenly arrival at the star-studded premiere among the A-list stars, from Hollywood actresses to a handful of the most beautiful models in the world.

The 29-year-old model looked absolutely charming in her spectacular pink ballgown which featured a figure-hugging bodice and straight skirt.

Two decorative bows made up the focal point of the garment and a racy cut-out design teased the golden-haired beauty's bare stomach.

Spinning around: For a fairytale feel, the lingerie pin-up lifted the ostentatious layer, which was stitched into the bodice at the waist, in a graceful fashion as she span around on the red carpet in her glittering pink stilettos

For a fairytale feel, the lingerie pin-up lifted the ostentatious layer, which was stitched into the bodice at the waist, in a graceful fashion as she span around on the red carpet in her glittering pink stilettos.

Elsa displayed her ample cleavage in the sweeping neckline of the strapless dress and she accessorised with a gorgeous diamond necklace to bring sparkle to her looks.

The runway beauty added the finishing touches of glamour with soft make-up and she wore her golden locks in perfect curls that kissed her shoulders.

Leading lady! Hailey Baldwin made a showy appearance in her nude strapless fishtail gown which was adorned with thousands of glittering sequins that shimmered in the spotlight

Added height: The classy high-heels worn by the model, which added to her lofty height, could be teased through the transparent material making up the skirt

Hailey Baldwin made a showy appearance in her nude strapless fishtail gown which was adorned with thousands of glittering sequins that shimmered in the spotlight.

The famous offspring slipped her envy-inducing figure into the skintight dress which hugged every inch of her astonishing physique.

Hailey accessorised her look with a huge designer bracelet but she went without a necklace as she wanted to ensure all eyes were on her decolletage.

Back to her best! Hollywood actress Helen was back on top form as she stormed the red carpet with confidence after she made a strong recovery from her tumble earlier on in the day during her outing in Cannes

Astonishing! With her arms outstretched, Helen best showed off the amazing cape sleeves on her deep blue velvet ballgown when she span around fearlessly  not letting her tumble interfere with her red carpet appearance

Stephen Baldwin's daughter wore her locks into a messy bun on the top of her head, with her pink highlights perfectly complementing the salmon beads stitched into her gown.

The classy high-heels worn by the model, which added to her lofty height, could be teased through the transparent material making up the skirt.

Kendall's BFF showed she was a natural in front of the camera and she made sure snappers caught every angle of her elaborate outfit in their photographs.

Wow: The Woman In Gold actress looked magnificent as she welcomed the Cannes red carpet with open arms to best show off her gorgeous ballgown

Commanding attention: Helen smiled sweetly to the waiting cameras as she stood out on the red carpet from a whole host of Hollywood's stars

Hollywood actress Helen was back on top form as she stormed the red carpet with confidence after she made a strong recovery from her tumble earlier on in the day during her outing in Cannes.

This isn't the first time Helen has taken a tumble at a red carpet event, as she accidentally fell at the premiere for The Unknown Girl premiere at Cannes in 2016.

The year before, the leading lady lost her footing at the Woman in Gold premiere during the 65th Berlinale International Film Festival.

Flying solo! Bollywood legend Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looked breathtakingly beautiful in her butterfly-inspired dress

So impressive: The astonishing gown featured an excessive patterned trail behind her that had the effect of wings

Looking lovely: To round off her red carpet look, she added a red shade of lipstick to her pout and she wore her raven tresses in a poker straight fashion down her back

All about the looks: As she glided up the staircase with a graceful step, all eyes were on the Bollywood legend and her show-stopping garment train

With her arms outstretched, Helen best showed off the amazing cape sleeves on her deep blue velvet ballgown when she span around fearlessly  not letting her tumble interfere with her red carpet appearance.

The 72-year-old actress looked magnificent as she welcomed the Cannes red carpet with open arms to best show off her gorgeous ballgown.

Age-defying Helen smiled sweetly to the waiting cameras as she stood out on the red carpet from a whole host of Hollywood's stars.

Model looks: Jasmine Tookes was a vision in her strapless scarlet ballgown which did wonders for her astonishing good looks and astounding model-honed figure

Bollywood legend Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looked breathtakingly beautiful in her butterfly-inspired dress, which featured an excessive patterned trail behind her that had the effect of wings.

As she glided up the staircase with a graceful step, all eyes were on the Bollywood legend and her show-stopping garment train.

The actress commanded the attention on the Cannes scene, impossible to miss in her sequinned embellished garment in vibrant purples and blues.

Bow-tiful! Amber Heard went for a sophisticated chic look in her little dress, which showed off her long legs, and she caught the eye with her blooming lovely floral stilettos

Phenomenal: Kimberly Garner looked ethereal in her strapless white ballgown which billowed out from the waist

Her Cannes moment! The former Made In Chelsea star looked so beautiful in the dress that featured a number of pleats to catch the eye

Dazzling divas: Sara Sampaio wowed in her nude ballgown with golden embellishments while Raica Oliveira looked sensational in her thigh-split number

To round off her red carpet look, she added a red shade of lipstick to her pout and she wore her raven tresses in a poker straight fashion down her back.

Kristen Stewart, who has joined forces with Cate Blanchett on the jury this year, ensured she didn't miss the hottest showbiz red carpet of the night.

The Twilight actress donned mirrored micro-sunglasses as she brought the hottest trends of the catwalk to her outfit, following in the starry steps of Kim Kardashian and Bella Hadid who have proved fond of the shades.

Again, the actress was pulling off another quirky hairdo as she styled her brunette pixie cut especially for the Girls of the Sun premiere.

She's here! Kristen Stewart, who has joined forces with Cate Blanchett on the jury this year, ensured she didn't miss the hottest showbiz red carpet of the night

So trendy: The Twilight actress donned mirrored micro-sunglasses as she brought the hottest trends of the catwalk to her outfit, following in the starry steps of Kim Kardashian and Bella Hadid who have proved fond of the shades

Different looks: Again, the actress was pulling off another quirky hairdo as she styled her brunette pixie cut especially for the Girls of the Sun premiereSaoirse Ronan, 24, left a screening in Mayfair last week after 'country bumpkin stalker' rushed towards her

He's known for writing gripping stories of obsession  and now author Ian McEwan may well have fresh inspiration for his next psychological thriller after Irish actress Saoirse Ronan was accosted by an agitated man at a film screening.

Saoirse, 24, was on stage at a Mayfair cinema last week with McEwan and a co-star for a question and answer session after a showing of her new film On Chesil Beach, based on the writer's 2007 book.

I was in the audience and watched in horror as a middle-aged man, who described himself as a 'Chuck Berry-loving country bumpkin', asked a sexually explicit question that had nothing to do with the film.

Bemused, Saoirse allowed co-star Billy Howle to answer but the man became agitated and rushed towards her from his seat just ten yards away. McEwan, 69, jumped to his feet to protect the actress.

The man came within touching distance of Saoirse  but five bouncers, believed to be a mix of cinema security and film company minders, got to him first, man- handling him out of the building. Shocked Saoirse was hurriedly escorted off stage.

A stunned McEwan was overheard discussing the incident with friends, and described the intruder as a 'creep'. Some audience members took to Twitter to share news of what had happened. One wrote: 'Didn't expect some big grown dude to just walk on to the stage... Did he want a handshake or hug? Who knows!' Another wrote: 'A shame about Saoirse's stalker'.

Author Ian McEwan jumped to his feet to protect the actress, and was later overheard discussing the incident with friends, and described the intruder as a 'creep'. Pictured: The two attending a special screening of 'On Chesil Beach' on Tuesday

Saoirse  pronounced Sur-sha  rose to fame playing a teenage writer in McEwan's 2007 film Atonement and was nominated for an Oscar this year for her role in Lady Bird.

Saoirse and the cast left the building via a side entrance when the man was seen loitering outside after being ejected.

It's understood there was no police involvement. An organiser at the event said: 'Thankfully security dealt with it swiftly.'

Quote... unquote

'The Queen came to my restaurant. I didn't bow to her, I'm not a bower.

Off with chef Richard Corrigan's head!

'I'm usually asked to be the wife of someone saving the world. Carey Mulligan tells me in Cannes that she is sick of being typecast as the woman behind a great man.

'My fan mail is nothing like as racy as Paul Hollywood's. He gets knickers and all sorts. I just get nice old ladies sending me knitting patterns.

Patrick Grant's sewing version of GBBO attracts very different fans, he told me at the London Nights exhibition.

Sadie Frost keeps trim with 450 treatment that blitzes her fat with an ice-cold rod

Here she is again, baring all  or nearly all  for the camera. But I can reveal the painful lengths selfie-loving Sadie Frost goes to to keep herself in trim.

The actress, 52, who has three children with Jude Law, has been undergoing 450-a-go 'Cool Sculpting' treatments. Sadie posted this picture of herself at a hotel in Majorca

The actress, 52, who has three children with Jude Law, has been undergoing 450-a-go 'Cool Sculpting' treatments at the Aesthetics Lab, near her 6 million Primrose Hill home.

Her fat is blitzed with an ice-cold rod during each procedure  users cite the 'indescribable pain' this involves.

Sadie posted this picture of herself at a hotel in Majorca. Now we know the price she paid for that smile!They come from over 100 countries and territories and work as mangers, managing directors, experts and technical workers, Trung said at a meeting on communication work on employment hosted by the ministry in the southern province of Binh Duong on May 10th.

Ninety-five percent of eligible foreign workers in Vietnam have been granted work permits, he said, adding that they provide a significant contingent of skilled, experienced and professional workers for Vietnam.

Foreign and Vietnamese workers at a construction site (Photo: VNA)



However, he noted that there is a lack of close, timely and comprehensive coordination in managing foreign labourers among local authorised agencies while violations have not been strictly handled.

The sense of law observance of some contractors, businesses and foreigner workers in recruiting, employing labourers and following work permits remains limited, even some foreigners enter Vietnam before applying for work permit, he said.

The increasing number of foreign workers in Vietnam requires the improvement of the legal system to ensure the rights of migrant workers, especially social security.

Social insurance authorities in the country have developed a compulsory social insurance scheme for foreign workers in the country, citing the need to follow international practices as the country deepens its integration.

The 2014 Law on Social Insurance requires compulsory enrollment of foreign workers in the social insurance scheme, starting in 2018, to ensure their equality and welfare. However, to date, it has not yet been realised due to a lack of guiding documents.

A MoLISA draft decree also proposed requiring foreign workers to take part in all five social insurance programmes  pension and insurance for sickness, maternity, vocational injuries, disease, and death./.Chelsy, 32, hasn't been asked to Harry's evening soiree at Frogmore House on Saturday and is said to be 'shocked'

Most girls wouldn't expect an invitation to their ex-boyfriend's wedding  but such is the enduring friendship of Chelsy Davy and Prince Harry that she has wangled a pass for his big day  though she'll have to clear off before dark!

Chelsy, 32, hasn't been asked to Harry's evening soiree at Frogmore House on Saturday and is said to be 'shocked'.

Says my source: 'Chelsy is the queen of night-time parties. She's wild and fun, and no evening bash is really complete without her, so friends are surprised she hasn't been invited.

'Chelsy is surprised too, shocked in fact, and a little hurt.'

Chelsy and Harry have stayed amicable since breaking up in 2010 after a seven-year romance. In 2011 they went to Prince William's wedding together.

Their relationship has been strictly platonic ever since, bar a fling in South Africa in 2015. Maybe it was Meghan who objected to having her along

PS Pippa Middleton will be another surprise absentee, having been left off the list for the evening bash.

Chelsy and Harry have stayed amicable since breaking up in 2010 after a seven-year romance. In 2011 they went to Prince William's wedding together. Pictured: The two in 2007

Chelsy Davy is pictured above at an event in London on December 1, 2017

Prince Harry books a DJ

Harry has chosen DJ-to-the-stars Sam Totolee to play at his evening bash on Saturday, I hear.

I revealed last year that when Sam performed at Pippa Middleton's wedding, he played 'I Took A Pill In Ibiza' by Mike Posner, a house music track that  needless to say  isn't about aspirin.

Harry's seriously into his house and is known for his good taste, so will no doubt encourage Sam to avoid cheesy tracks  but he's sure to throw in the odd floor-filler.

Bride-to-be spends the day with mum

Meghan will spend today with her beloved mum Doria Ragland to mark American Mother's Day.

Meghan will spend today with her beloved mum Doria Ragland to mark American Mother's Day

Doria, 51 has already arrived in the UK and has been installed at Kensington Palace, ready to help prepare her daughter for the biggest day of her life.

Meghan has said of her yoga instructor mum that she is like a 'best friend'.

It remains to be seen when Meghan's father will arrive. On Friday he was seen delivering flowers to Doria's house in LA.

It's expected that both Meghan's parents will meet the Queen and Prince Philip before the wedding.

Cressie starts wedding whispers of her own

Harry's ex Cressida Bonas, 29, had friends wondering if she is about to make a nuptials announcement of her own last week.

She paid a touching tribute to her boyfriend Harry Wentworth-Stanley on his 29th birthday, posting this snap of them on Instagram and describing him as 'my love'.

She also shared another picture of them looking cosy together, surrounded by love hearts. Friends say an engagement is definitely on the cards.

Harry's ex Cressida Bonas, 29, had friends wondering if she is about to make a nuptials announcement of her own last week. She made this touching tribute to her boyfriend Harry Wentworth-Stanley on his 29th birthday

Her Majesty's blessing

It will be a thoroughly modern marriage, but there's no getting away from tradition for Harry and Meghan, who had to have this medieval-style 'Instrument of Consent' document, signed by the Queen, circled top, before their wedding.

The vellum parchment records Her Majesty's consent to the union and the couple wouldn't be able to tie the knot without it.She's never been afraid to show off her sensational figure.

And Joan Smalls put herself on display in a sheer gown with feathered adornment during the Girls of the Sun premiere at Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.

Ensuring she would turn heads, the 29-year-old model showcased her taut stomach and offered a look at her peachy posterior in the glamorous garment.

Stunning: Joan Smalls put herself on display in a sheer gown with feathered adornment during the Girls of the Sun premiere at Cannes Film Festival on Saturday

The risque ensemble featured a flirty feathered top that teased her bra beneath its semi-sheer bodice.

She showed off her lingerie as well as her tremendous legs thanks to the transparent skirt and she elevated her height with a pair of open-toe heels.

The floor-length skirt of the sexy dress was stitched with a handful of diamonds which shone brightly as the cameras flashed and snapped pictures of the stunning supermodel.

Life's a peach! Ensuring she would turn heads, the 29-year-old model showcased her taut stomach and offered a look at her peachy posterior in the glamorous garment

To inject a burst of colour, the Puerto Rican model plumped out her pout with a scarlet shade of lipstick which also highlighted her incredible looks.

Joan slicked her waist-length brunette tresses back into a high ponytail in a neat fashion and she added a pair of eye-catching earrings to her look.

The gorgeous model, who has been partying hopping across the Cannes red carpet, seductively posed from the back to show off her sensational figure from all angles.

Dressed to impress: The risque ensemble featured a flirty feathered top that teased her bra beneath its semi-sheer bodice

Hollywood's elite descended on the hottest showbiz premiere of the night in honour of the upcoming French film Eva Husson's Girls of the Sun.

The film tells the story of a Kurdish Yazidi lawyer Bahar escapes the clutches of a gang of men following her terrifying abduction and she goes on to form a commando unit to recapture her town in Kurdistan.

Husson is one of three female filmmakers out of the 21 movies in competition for the Palme d'Or. Cate Blanchett addressed the fact only three female's films were chosen after the jury's choices were criticised.

Leggy lady! She showed off her lingerie as well as her tremendous legs thanks to the transparent skirt and she elevated her height with a pair of open-toe heels

'Would I like to see more women in competition? Absolutely,' the actress adamantly stated earlier this week when the festival kicked off.

The Australian native did however note that it wasn't realistic to think Hollywood's historical women's movements would have such an immediate impact on Cannes.

As well as Eva's film, the two other female filmmakers to have been named in the competition are Nadine Labaki and Alice Rohrwacher.She's frequently hailed as one of the most beautiful women in the world.

And Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looked breathtakingly beautiful in a butterfly-inspired dress for the for Girls Of The Sun premiere at Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.

Clad in a plunging gown which featured an excessive patterned trail, the 44-year-old Bollywood actress oozed glamour on the night.

Stunning: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looked breathtakingly beautiful in a butterfly-inspired dress for the for Girls Of The Sun premiere at Cannes Film Festival on Saturday

As she glided up the staircase with a graceful step, all eyes were on the Bollywood legend and her show-stopping garment train.

The actress commanded the attention on the Cannes scene, impossible to miss in her sequinned embellished garment in vibrant purples and blues.

To round off her red carpet look, she added a red shade of lipstick to her pout and she wore her raven tresses in a poker straight fashion down her back.

Turning heads: Clad in a plunging gown which featured an excessive patterned trail, the 44-year-old Bollywood actress oozed glamour on the night

On the move: As she glided up the staircase with a graceful step, all eyes were on the Bollywood legend and her show-stopping garment train

Aishwarya first soared to fame by taking part in the Miss India pageant in 1994 - where she placed in second position to Sushmita Sen - a beauty who later went on to win Miss. Universe and forge a successful Bollywood career herself.

The green-eyed stunner went on to compete in Miss. World and the glittering night culminated in her being crowned winner over an array of international beauties.

Since then, Aishwarya has forged a successful modelling and subsequent acting career in Bollywood, making her one of the most sought-after actresses in the Indian film industry.

Blue-tiful! The actress commanded the attention on the Cannes scene, impossible to miss in her sequinned embellished garment in vibrant purples and blues

Dazzling: To round off her red carpet look, she added a red shade of lipstick to her pout and she wore her raven tresses in a poker straight fashion down her back

Proving she wasn't just a pretty face, the star, who had embarked on architectural studies before her pageantry success, has won critical acclaim in movies such as Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Taal.

One of Aishwarya's biggest movies to date was the visual feast Devdas in 2002 - a flick which also bagged her her first ever Cannes invite.

The following year, she became the first Indian actress to be a Cannes Film Festival jury member - and has since been a firm fixture at the movie spectacle.

Breathtaking: Aishwarya first soared to fame by taking part in the Miss India pageant in 1994 - where she placed in second position to Sushmita Sen

Hollywood's elite descended on the hottest showbiz premiere of the night in honour of the upcoming French film Eva Husson's Girls of the Sun.

The film tells the story of a Kurdish Yazidi lawyer Bahar escapes the clutches of a gang of men following her terrifying abduction and she goes on to form a commando unit to recapture her town in Kurdistan.

Husson is one of three female filmmakers out of the 21 movies in competition for the Palme d'Or. Cate Blanchett addressed the fact only three female's films were chosen after the jury's choices were criticised.They're one of the country's best loved couples.

And Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright looked relaxed and tanned as they returned back to the UK from Los Angeles on Friday.

Michelle, 30, looked windswept and gorgeous at Heathrow Airport in a black leather jacket and cropped trousers, with her glossy brunette locks tied back in a loose bun.

Jetset: Michelle Keegan, 30, looked windswept and gorgeous at Heathrow Airport in a black leather jacket and cropped trousers, with her glossy brunette locks tied back in a loose bun

Not looking like she'd been on a long haul flight at all, she accessorised with a cross necklace and small Gucci leather handbag.

Former TOWIE star Mark, 31, also looked well-rested in a plain black T-shirt showing off his muscular arms and grey denim trousers, with a sweatshirt tied around his waist.

The Essex lad, who is based in LA for his presenting job with Extra! alongside Mario Lopez, stayed in the LA while Michelle celebrated her brother-in-law Josh's fiancee, Hollie Kane, with a lavish hen do in Las Vegas last weekend.

Gym-honed: Former TOWIE star Mark, 31, also looked well-rested in a plain black tee showing off his muscular arms and grey denim trousers, with a sweatshirt tied around his waist

Popular: An insider said Mark was doing well in the States, 'Mark has gone down a storm with viewers and proved really popular. Producers have been really impressed with his enthusiasm and work ethic

Go-getter: The Sun recently reported that Mark has renewed his presenting contract on US show Extra, with producers allegedly doubling his money

Ex-TOWIE stars Jessica Wright and mum Carol were also present on the hen do, offering a glimpse into the pool parties and club nights with their social followers.

Meanwhile, The Sun recently reported that Mark has renewed his presenting contract on US show Extra, with producers allegedly doubling his money.

Much of Michelle and Mark's three year marriage has been spent long distance, yet the duo have always strenuously insisted that it has no detriment on their love.

Glam: Not looking like she'd been on a long haul flight at all, Michelle accessorised with a cross necklace and small Gucci leather handbag

In love: Much of Michelle and Mark's three year marriage has been spent long distance, yet the duo have always strenuously insisted that it has no detriment on their love

The news of Mark's signing means the couple will spend more time apart as Michelle has previously insisted she will never move to the States.

An insider said: 'Mark has gone down a storm with viewers and proved really popular. Producers have been really impressed with his enthusiasm and work ethic.

'They think he's really motivated and driven so have offered to double his pay packet.'

Earlier this month, Michelle spoke to Cosmopolitan magazine about their situation, revealing: 'We're more patient with each other, laid-back, and don't sweat the small stuff. I think because we're really happy in our careers it helps with the relationship as well.'The suspected abduction of a 12-year-old boy outside his Gold Coast home appears to have been pre-planned, Queensland police say.

Oliver Yang was last seen being pulled into a dark-coloured Jeep SUV about 3.45pm on Friday on Clover Hill Drive in Mudgeeraba, by witnesses who then alerted police.

"He'd been at school and on returning home it appears that within a very short time frame the abduction occurred," Detective Inspector Marc Hogan told reporters in Saturday.

"It was directly out the front of his residence."

Police fear the missing boy, last seen in a white shirt and dark coloured shorts and Asian in appearance, may be at significant risk.

Investigators are following "a number of leads" but it does appear to be a pre-planned attack, Det Insp Hogan said.

"The early indications are that some work has gone into that," he said.

"All our options are option and we're keen to hear from anyone.

"It's really important that we find this boy as quickly as we can."

The vehicle he was seen in may have had the Queensland registration 760TNH.Soldiers who fought in two of Australia's fiercest battles during the Vietnam War will likely receive recognition for gallantry half a century later.

Veterans affairs minister Darren Chester recommended the official recognition of veterans who will march in Canberra on Sunday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the battles for Fire Support Bases Coral and Balmoral.

"The battles of Fire Support Bases Coral and Balmoral have slipped off the radar, and that's unfortunate... (It was) some of the fiercest fighting of Australians involved in the Vietnam War," Mr Chester told the ABC.A government minister would like to see the Nationals contest the Tasmanian seat of Braddon in an upcoming by-election.

Veterans' affairs minister and Nationals MP Darren Chester told the ABC on Saturday the coalition would be "defying history" by doing what no government has for over a century, to win a seat from the opposition during a by-election

"I would like to see the Nationals have a crack at the seat of Braddon. I'm of the view that The Nationals need to contest new territory to win new seats," he said.Treasurer Scott Morrison says a coalition cash boost for Victoria's Avalon Airport will yield pay-offs for the entire Geelong region.

The federal funding of $20 million in Tuesday's budget will expand the capacity of Avalon Airport's terminal by about 35 per cent in a step towards the creation of Melbourne's second international airport, which will soon take flights from AirAsia.

"That means more visitors, more business, more jobs, not just at the airport, but right through the greater Geelong region, the great Ocean Road, the whole area," Mr Morrison said from Avalon Airport on Saturday.A Californian drug-smuggler and fugitive who fled to Australia and lived under a stolen identity for almost 30 years has been sentenced to three years jail by a San Francisco court.

Peyton Eidson, 74, was the head of a major marijuana smuggling operation using an ocean-going freighter to ship 18,000kg loads of the drug from Thailand to the US in the 1980s.

Eidson fled the US for Australia in 1986 after being arrested and released on bail in California.

Eidson and his wife, Sonya, obtained fake US passports using aliases Michael and Anita McGoldrick and settled in the north Queensland town of Julatten, where they operated a health spa and over the decades became beloved members of the community.

US officials discovered his real identity in 2011 and Australian police sent him back to the US in 2017.

He pleaded guilty in January to conspiring to distribute marijuana and aggravated identity theft.

Eidson appeared in court on Friday in a wheelchair and coughed frequently during the hearing.

His lawyer, Erick Guzman, said Eidson suffered from a lung disease and required access to an oxygen tank.

Eidson apologised for what he had done and said he escaped the US to avoid tearing up his family.

His daughter, Maya, was in court and dabbed tears from her eyes as her father spoke.

"It is not the same world as 1985 and I am not the same person I was in 1985," he said.

After lobbying from federal Queensland MP Warren Entsch, Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton indicated he could support Eidson's wish to move back to Australia once he serves his US sentence.

Letters from Entsch and Dutton were submitted to US District Court Judge Susan Illston before Friday's sentencing.

US prosecutors called for Eidson to be sentenced to eight years jail while Eidson's lawyer asked for a two-year sentence.

Sonya died from cancer last year and Maya remains in Australia.

Maya, 48, said bringing her father to the US to face charges was excessive.

"He might have spent a few years on the wrong side of the fence but he definitely tried really hard to make amends for all of that," she said.The information was announced by Phan Trong Dat, Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam International Arbitration Center (VIAC), at a seminar themed Commercial Arbitration  Increasing confidence in Foreign Direct Investment in Hanoi on May 11.

The seminar focused on discussing the necessity and efficiency of the commercial arbitration method, as one of the most effective ways of resolving disputes related to FDI enterprises.

The seminar is divided into three sessions with the main contents including: An update on the situation of commercial arbitration in Vietnam and around the world; Commercial Arbitration - A new element worth noting is to help to attract foreign direct investment; Commercial arbitrage is a useful tool for controlling business risk.

The event is considered to be an important forum for lawyers and leading experts to share knowledge with enterprises and help Vietnamese enterprises to better understand and more effectively use the commercial arbitration method. Commercial arbitration is an effective tool in preserving capital inflows from legal risks in business investment.

More than 100 delegates from FDI enterprises, counterpart enterprises, potential partners with FDI enterprises, many prestigious lawyers, and representatives from state management agencies attended the seminar.Turnbull government assistant minister Jane Prentice is set to lose her place in parliament at the next federal election after failing to win preselection.

Her former staff member, Brisbane City councillor Julian Simmonds, was on Saturday chosen as the Liberal National Party's candidate for the Queensland seat of Ryan.

Ms Prentice has been the LNP's MP for Ryan since 2010, after a decade serving on the council. She is now the assistant minister for social services and disability services.

Mr Simmonds said he was "very pleased" to have been selected.

"I'll be standing up and fighting for our area," he said in a statement.

LNP President Gary Spence thanked Ms Prentice for being a "faithful servant".

"(She) has our thanks and gratitude for a lifetime of support for the Liberal Party and LNP," he said.

"We expect that her role as the Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services will continue until the election, especially given the fantastic work that she is doing with the NDIS."Aged care nurses have rallied in Melbourne, calling for changes to laws to ensure minimum ratios between staff and residents in private nursing homes.

On Saturday, Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation acting secretary Annie Butler called on immediate changes to care, where a single staff member could be rostered on to bathe, dress and feed 16 residents in one morning.

Kristine Byrnes, a carer at Euroa Health, told AAP said she often came home in tears and "had a gutful" after 20 years in the industry, which she said had become "worse and worse".A grandmother who was among seven people killed in a suspected murder-suicide in rural Western Australia has been remembered for her "deep commitment" to the environment.

Police believe Forever Dreaming Farm owners Peter and Cynda Miles, aged 61 and 58, are among the dead at the Osmington property, northeast of Margaret River.

The others are believed to be their 35-year-old daughter Katrina Miles and her four children - daughter Taye, 13, and sons Rylan, 12, Arye, 10, and Kadyn Cockman, eight.

All of the deceased, who are still yet to be formally identified, suffered gunshot wounds from weapons licensed to Mr Miles.

The family has been remembered as "lovely people" who were "deeply connected" to their community.

Cynda's social media profile shows she loved op-shopping and sustainability, referring to herself as a "waste warrior".

She ran her own business called Cynda's Soft Salvage, with items such as bowls and vintage bags named after women in famous songs like Maggie May, Cecelia and Lucille.

"I love fabric and buttons and brown paper, and I really don't like waste, so here is my little business creating useful and pretty stuff to help you navigate life without plastic and a whole lot more," she wrote on her business Facebook page.

Days before her death, Ms Miles also posted about making boomerang bags and had earlier posted a reminder about gifts for Mother's Day.

Augusta-Margaret River shire president Pamela Townshend said Cynda was a loved and very active member of the community.

"She was involved in Transition Margaret River and a lot of activities around sustainability and the environment," Ms Townshend said on Saturday.

"She had a deep commitment to the environment and she'll be so sadly missed."

Katrina's Facebook page lists her employment as "parent of four beautiful children".

At one time, she used a Global Autism Project banner on her profile picture, which said the autistic community deserved more than just awareness.

Part of the banner read: "Accept. Empower. Appreciate."

There are unconfirmed reports her children had autism.

One woman who lives in the Margaret River townsite with her family, but has a property in Osmington, described the tragedy as "scary".

"It's just such a small community so it's impacted everyone," she told AAP.

"The family is a really big part of the community."

According to a Gumtree advertisement posted on Wednesday, Peter Miles was looking for "vineyard and farm work" in the area.

"I have over 30 years farming experience and over 12 years vineyard experience," he wrote.

"I have extensive handyman abilities and experience with a wide variety of farm equipment, can repair fences, and tidy up the property from storm damage.

"I have lived in the Margaret River area all my life and welcome all enquiries."

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.Northern Territory Labor members have voted in support of banning fracking in an embarrassing rejection of the Gunner Labor government's recent lifting of a ban on the controversial gas drilling process.

About two-thirds of 120 party branch and union delegates voted against fracking on Saturday at Labor's annual conference in Darwin.

The emphatic result won't mean a reversal of Chief Minister Michael Gunner's announcement several weeks ago that fracking could go ahead under strict regulations, based on the recommendations of the Pepper scientific inquiry.

But it shows how divided Labor is on the major issue for Territorians.

Opponents say high pressure hydraulic fracturing threatens public health and the environment through using chemicals and high volumes of water.

Business groups say it will create billions of dollars in investment in an NT economy that needs it,

Left faction unions opposed to fracking, led by CFMEU Queensland/NT secretary Michael Ravbar tried and failed to dump party secretary Kent Rowe at Saturday's conference.

MPs including Mr Gunner and ministers were greeted by 200 anti-fracking protesters including activists, pastoralists and Aboriginal traditional owners who are from regions targeted for fracking and do not accept government claims it is safe.

Lauren Mellor from Frack-free NT said she hoped the decision was the start of a path to banning fracking again.

Peter Anderson, the Aboriginal owner of Manangoora cattle station and a fishing tourism business, said reckless mining and regulatory failures had already damaged rivers and the fishing tourism industry.

"Water is life for our region and we are here to tell the government today that we will not accept any more risk to our water, land or livelihoods from fracking," he said.

A spokesman for Mr Gunner said the government was keeping the promise it took to the 2016 election, which was to have a moratorium while a scientific inquiry was held.

Mr Gunner, who faces internal opposition to fracking including from Katherine MP Sandra Nelson whose electorate is close to gas fields, told the conference the government was making tough decisions that were needed.

"But I hope you can also understand we have to make decisions based on evidence. On science. On the experts," he said.

"We do this in all areas of policy and the same applies to this issue."Supercars legend Craig Lowndes is set to retire as a full-time driver at the end of next year.

According to News Corp Australia, the 43-year-old will contest only endurance races from 2020.

Lowndes next weekend will become the first driver to reach 650 race starts during the Winton SuperSprint in Victoria and he believes 700 is ultimately possible.

"I didn't think I would have had a career as long as this," said Lowndes, whose contract with Triple Eight Race Engineering expires in 2019.

"And I didn't ever think I would achieve a number like that. But hopefully, I get this year and next year (as a full-time driver) and then we might get to 700."

Debuting in 1996, aged 22, Lowndes is likely to rack up his 700th race start in 2020 at Bathurst.

"There will be another 31 starts next year," Lowndes said.

"So we will go close to achieving that milestone. Hopefully, it becomes a reality because, once I finish the main game side of it, I will go into the enduros and that will still give me a chance to accumulate.

"It would be nice to be in the 700 bracket by the end of my career."Cate Faehrmann has been preselected to replace Greens MP Mehreen Faruqi in the NSW upper house when the latter resigns to contest the upcoming federal election.

Ms Faehrmann, the former chief of staff to federal Greens leader Richard Di Natale, came out on top in Saturday's preselection ballot ahead of Abigail Boyd.

She was a previously a member of the NSW Legislative Council from 2010 to 2013 before quitting ahead of a failed bid to move to the Senate.

Dr Faruqi is more likely to make a successful transition to Canberra after she beat out Senator Lee Rhiannon and two other candidates in late 2017 to secure the No.1 spot on the NSW ticket for the next federal poll.

Ms Faehrmann was only eligible to be preselected to fill the upcoming casual vacancy after winning a court battle in April against the NSW Greens.

The party had listed her as a "provisional" member after she transferred her membership from Victoria but the NSW Supreme Court found Ms Faehrmann was not subject to any probationary period under party rules.

A second preselection ballot on Saturday determined the Legislative Council ticket for the NSW election in March 2019.

The ticket order is: David Shoebridge, Abigail Boyd, Jeremy Buckingham and Dawn Walker.

"Whilst every election is challenging, the Greens are on track to win three upper house seats at the next state election," NSW convenor Debbie Gibson said in a statement.

Saturday's outcome means Ms Walker, a sitting MP, will likely lose her upper house seat while Mr Buckingham is also in danger of being ousted from parliament.Australia's greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise with pollution levels jumping for the third year in a row.

The latest federal government figures show greenhouse gas pollution levels increased by 1.5 per cent across Australia for the year to December 2017.

"This is now the third consecutive year Australia has seen an increase in greenhouse gas pollution levels," Climate Council acting chief executive Martin Rice said in a statement on Saturday.

"The federal government continues to bury its head in the sand despite the climate siren sounding for years."

Dr Martin argues New Zealand is showing leadership when it comes to tackling global warming but Australia's recent track record is "an embarrassment".

"The window of opportunity to tackle climate change is rapidly closing and Australia must do its fair share instead of looking the other way," he said.Today's Birthday, May 13: Australian comedian, writer, artist, film-maker, director and actor Paul McDermott (1962 - ).

The multi-talented Paul McDermott has returned to television but would be virtually unrecognisable to most who know him best as the slickly-dressed, coiffured host of Good News Week.

Sporting a grey bushy beard and black thick-rimmed glasses, the 56-year-old comedian is the face of the ABC's nightly quiz show Think Tank, which debuted in February.

Unlike other Australian TV quizzes, the show's three contestants vie for bragging rights not cash, with eight "think tankers" from all walks of life offering them both good and bad advice along the way.

McDermott was born in Adelaide in 1962 as a fraternal twin to sister Sharon and son of John and Betty.

His parents uprooted their six children when he was three, moving from South Australia to Canberra.

The youngster struggled to fit in at Marist College, but his quirkiness was put to good use while at the Australian National University's School of Art from 1982 to 1986.

McDermott was recruited to join the acoustic musical comedy group the Doug Anthony All Stars (DAAS) by Tim Ferguson and Richard Fidler after Robert Piper left the group in 1985.

Playing the group's "evil bastard", DAAS's provocative style and controversial subject matter made them a polarising act.

But performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Barcelona Olympics and on popular Australian comedy show The Big Gig - as well as their own series DAAS Kapital - in the late 1980s and early 90s helped them develop a following.

The band split up in 1994 and McDermott was picked up to host Good News Week, starting each episode of the satirical panel show with a monologue wrap of the week's news.

The show was a major hit and enjoyed nine seasons on the air, all with McDermott, first for the ABC from 1996 to 1998 before moving to Network Ten for six seasons in two stints between 1999 to 2000 and 2008 to 2012.

Outside of television, the funnyman has composed children's books, written news columns, directed and produced short films, performed live comedy and tried his hand at painting.

He was nominated for the 2010 Gold Logie.Car manufacturers will be required to share information about their vehicles with every Australian mechanic if Labor wins the next federal election.

The ALP says this will mean a boost for 23,000 independent mechanics and allow car owners more choice when it comes to servicing and repairing their vehicles.

It's claimed the sharing of the information will also lead to a reduction in the cost of the work.

"Labor will stick up for small business, Aussie tradies and keeping family cost of living down," Labor leader Bill Shorten said in a statement.

The move will also create a level playing field for mechanics, Mr Shorten said.A decline in pneumonia vaccination rates among older Australians has sparked an urgent plea for action by health professionals, who say the infection claims 2000 elderly lives each year.

While the pneumococcal pneumonia vaccination rate for children has climbed to 93 per cent, it has fallen below 50 per cent for equally vulnerable seniors, according to an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday.

The figure should be a "wake up call" for Australians aged 65 and over and their doctors, says article co-author Dr Rob Menzies, from UNSW's Vaccine and Infection Research Lab.

GPs should take further steps to promote the one-off vaccine, with the preventable infection responsible for more than 8000 hospitalisations each year among those aged over 65, says Dr Menzies, who has been backed by Lung Foundation Australia.

The infection causes the small air sacs of the lungs to fill with pus and fluid, making breathing painful, causing coughing and limiting oxygen intake.

It can be caused by a virus, bacteria or fungi.

"There are grandparents out there who would be horrified if they thought their grandchildren were not up to date with the vaccines but they're not so worried about themselves," the doctor told AAP.

"But as we age our immune systems wane, deteriorate, and infections that we've been resilient against for decades we slowly become vulnerable to. That's something you don't feel."

The sudden nature of the infection came as a surprise to healthy and fit 79-year-old Rosemary, from Perth, who was blacked out and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance in 2014, spending five days in ICU and nine weeks in hospital.

"I was perfectly fine. I had no warning signs...I felt well. Suddenly I was on all sorts of medicine. I had a cannula in my arm and they were taking blood and pumping different medications via drips into me," said Rosemary, who did not give her surname.

The former dancer said she wanted to speak out because people her age needed to understand the importance of that "little prick to the arm".

Anyone who smokes, has a chronic disease or condition compromising the immune system should also vaccinate.

In addition to renewed health campaigns, Dr Menzies has called on governments to improve reporting for vaccination rates, with data scarce and often out-dated.

"Governments (need) to put systems in place to get the immunisation register functioning and supporting the pneumococcal vaccination program and produce regular data to see how we're going," he said.Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, President of the union Huynh Minh Thien affirmed that the project is a manifestation of the fine sentiments shared between the two countries and their peoples.

Licensed by the municipal Peoples Committee in 2010, the building will rise to 21 storeys, with around 13,700 sq.m of floor area. Its construction is expected to be completed in two years.

Once put into use, the building will also serve as the headquarters of the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations.

Vietnam and Slovakia established diplomatic relations in 1950. Since then, bilateral ties have developed continuously, especially in trade and investment.

Trade turnover between Vietnam and Slovakia has grown 40-fold compared to 2004. In the first 10 months of 2017, two-way trade reached about US$630 million, up 80% against the same period last year, making Slovakia one of Vietnams most important trading partners in Central and Eastern Europe.

Slovakia invested in nine projects in Vietnam with a total capital of US$247 million, making it 36th among 128 countries investing directly in Vietnam.A 12-year-old boy allegedly kidnapped from near his Gold Coast home by a man involved in a financial dispute with his family has been reunited with his loved ones in NSW.

Queensland Police say a 53-year-old man who abducted the boy from outside his Mudgeeraba home on Friday afternoon will be charged with "kidnapping for ransom".

The boy was found in Grafton in northern NSW on Saturday following a tip-off from a member of the public who recognised the dark blue Jeep SUV involved from a police appeal.

He had slight scratches "consistent with being bound", Detective Inspector Marc Hogan told reporters in Burleigh Heads.

He didn't suffer any serious injuries but was taken to Grafton Base Hospital for a check-up before being reunited with his family, who made the 200-kilometre journey south on Saturday evening accompanied by Queensland detectives.

The 53-year-old is expected to briefly appear in Grafton court on Sunday but Queensland Police won't formally apply for his extradition in front of a magistrate until Monday.

The accused is understood to be an Australian citizen of Chinese heritage.

Investigators say it's possible others were involved in the kidnapping.

"It's the case that both parties were known to each other and there were financial issues involved in the lead-up to the abduction of the child," Det Insp Hogan said on Saturday.

Police will allege that in the months before the kidnapping "requests were made for money".

It's thought the dispute involved "substantial" personal loans, Det Insp Hogan said.

"That led us pretty quickly to identifying who we should be looking at."A 44-year-old man has been charged after another man was allegedly assaulted with a machete at a house in Beenleigh, eastern Queensland.

Police say they attended the address shortly before 9pm on Saturday where they found a 64-year-old man with a non-life threatening machete wound to his arm.

A man was located at a Mount Warren Park address a short time later and arrested. He was charged with one count of acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm.

He is expected to appear in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Monday.NSW police are investigating two separate stabbing incidents which have taken place in Sydney .

A man has been stabbed multiple times in what police believe to be a domestic altercation in thre city's north west.

Emergency services were called to a home on Penelope Place, Cranebrook, at about 2am on Sunday.

A man in his late 20s was suffering stab wounds to his chest and was taken to Nepean Hospital in a stable condition. His injuries are not considered life-threatening.

Earlier, around 11.30pm on Saturday, a 35-year-old man was treated by paramedics after sustaining a stab wound to the chest in Wheeler Avenue, Lurnea, in Sydney's west.

The man was taken to hospital in a stable condition.Two men have been seriously injured after the car they were travelling in struck a tree in Melbourne's south.

Police say the car left the road at Eel Race Road, Seaford, at around 10pm on Saturday.

Both men were trapped for some time before being released by emergency services.

The driver was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries while his passenger was taken to hospital by road ambulance with life-threatening injuries.

The exact cause of the crash is yet to be established, according to police.The resurgent Bernard Tomic has won four consecutive clay-court matches for the first time to set up an all-Australian title showdown with John Millman in France.

Tomic battled from a set down and more than two-and-a-quarter hours to beat Swede Elias Ymer 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 and reach the final of the $200,000 Open du Pays d'Aix Challenger event in Provence.

Top-seeded Millman needed two hours and 41 minutes to edge Argentine Guido Andreozzi 6-7 (9-11) 6-2 7-5 in his own epic semi-final triumph.

Tomic had arrived at the tournament ranked 243rd in the world having not won a match since January.

The one-time world No.17 is guaranteed a return to the top 200 after his much-needed run.

The 70th-ranked Millman - who lost his only previous meeting with Tomic at the 2016 Australian Open in straight sets - is tipping another tough encounter with his fellow Queenslander.

"I'm not too suprised with Bernie. We all know he has great talent and when I saw him in Istanbul (last month), he looked fit enough," Millman told AAP.

"So it will be really tough tomorrow. I'm happy with how I'm going."US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital has sparked anger across the Islamic world

Thousands of Indonesian Muslims rallied in Jakarta Friday against US President Donald Trump's controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The protest was the latest in a series of protests across the Islamic world sparked by Trump's announcement in December.

The Trump administration is also moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It is due to be inaugurated on Monday.

Thousands of protesters gathered in the Indonesian capital's National Monument park, waving Palestinian flags and carrying banners -- including one that read "Stop, Trump!"

Earlier on Friday, President Joko Widodo reiterated Indonesia's support to the Palestinian people.

The question of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

"We, together with all Indonesian people, will continue to fight with the Palestinians. Palestine will always be at the centre of Indonesia's diplomacy," he said at the opening of a meeting of Islamic scholars from Indonesia, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Indonesia -- the world's largest Muslim-majority country -- does not have diplomatic ties with Israel.

The question of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The American president's unilateral decision on Jerusalem delighted Israel, which considers the entire city its capital. But it enraged Palestinians, who want to make the eastern -- mainly Palestinian -- part of the city the capital of their future state.The Mercedes-Benz plant in the US state of Alabama ran out of cockpit cross members, halting production of SUVs such as the GLE

The parts shortage that halted production at Ford, General Motors and Fiat-Chrysler factories has now forced Mercedes-Benz to stop building SUVs at its plant in the US state of Alabama, the automaker said Friday.

The Mercedes-Benz US International Inc. plant in Alabama exhausted its supply of cockpit cross members and halted SUV production on Thursday, spokeswoman Felyicia Jerald said in an e-mail.

"We currently do not have parts to resume full production of SUVS next week, but we are working with our supply base to get back to normal production levels," said Jerald, adding that the plant will continue to build passenger cars.

The SUVs, such as the GLE, GLE Coupe and GLS, are among the most popular models Mercedes-Benz sells in the United States and are also exported to customers in Europe, China and the Middle East.

As with Ford, General Motors and Fiat-Chrysler, the cause of the Mercedes-Benz production halt was a parts shortage caused by a fire last week at Meridian Magnesium Products of America, a key supplier located in Michigan.Iraqis will vote in a parliamentary election that comes five months after the country's leaders declared victory over the Islamic State group

Iraq on Saturday holds its first parliamentary election since declaring victory over the Islamic State group, with the country hoping to shore up a fragile peace as it looks to rebuild.

The vote comes as tensions surge between key players Iran and the United States over the nuclear deal, sparking fears of a destabilising power struggle over Iraq.

Roughly 24.5 million voters face a fragmented political landscape five months after the jihadists were ousted, with the dominant Shiites split, the Kurds in disarray and Sunnis sidelined.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi -- who took over as IS rampaged across Iraq in 2014 -- is angling for a new term, claiming credit for defeating the jihadists and seeing off a Kurdish push for independence.

But competition from within his Shiite community, the majority group dominating Iraqi politics, should divide the vote and spell lengthy horse-trading to form any government.

Whoever emerges as premier will face the mammoth task of rebuilding a country left shattered by the battle against IS -- with donors already pledging $30 billion.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who claims credit for defeating IS, is facing two leading challengers -- ex-premier Nuri al-Maliki and Hadi al-Ameri

Over 15 blood-sodden years since the US-led ouster of Saddam Hussein, disillusionment is widespread with the same old faces from an elite seen as mired in corruption and sectarianism.

More than two million people remain internally displaced and IS -- which has threatened the polls -- still poses a major security threat.

Iraq has long been a crucible for the rivalry between Iran and the US, with Tehran exerting influence over Shiite politicians and Washington deploying troops to fight IS.

- Shiite rivals -

Overall, just under 7,000 candidates are standing and Iraq's complex system means no single bloc should get anything near a majority in the 329-seat parliament.

Abadi -- who has balanced off the US and Iran -- is facing two leading challengers to his Victory Alliance.

Ex-premier Nuri al-Maliki is widely reviled for stirring sectarianism and losing territory to IS, but draws support from hardliners.

Hadi al-Ameri -- a former transport minister -- led Iran-backed paramilitary units that fought IS alongside Baghdad's troops and heads a list of ex-combattants.

Iraqi Kurds wave flags as they attend an election rally for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region on May 10, 2018

Votes in the Sunni heartlands once dominated by IS -- including Iraq's devastated second city Mosul -- are up in the air as traditional alliances have been shredded by the fallout of jihadist rule.

Political forces in the Kurdish community -- often seen as potential kingmakers -- are also in disarray after a September vote for independence backfired spectacularly.

The Kurds look set to lose some of their clout on the national stage after Baghdad unleashed a battery of sanctions and seized back disputed oil-rich regions.

A senior security official told AFP that some 900,000 police and soldiers are on high alert to protect the vote, with airports and borders shut for the day.

Polling stations are open from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm (0400-1500 GMT) and initial results are expected in three days.Fighters from the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement, take part in a military show ahead of the 30th anniversary of the movement's founding in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on December 5, 2017

Renowned for taking on Israel's military might, Hamas is keeping its guns silent for a change as it backs border protests, a move analysts say is more opportunistic than a switch to peaceful ideology.

The Palestinian Islamist movement's normally secretive Gaza head Yahya Sinwar gave a first ever briefing to international journalists this week, ahead of a major protest along the Israel-Gaza border to coincide with the United States moving its embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv on May 14.

Sinwar stressed the movement would not give up its weapons but committed its full backing to weeks of border protests against Israel.

Since March 30 thousands of Palestinians have gathered weekly along the border to demand a right to return to their historic homelands now inside Israel.

While some have thrown rocks and rolled burning tyres at Israeli snipers along the border, there has been almost no gunfire -- despite the presence of members of Hamas's vast armed wing.

Fifty-three Palestinians have been killed, while no Israelis have been hurt.

"If we have a way to potentially resolve the conflict without death, we're ok with that," Sinwar said on Thursday, calling the protests purely peaceful.

Israel says it is protecting its borders and only fires when all other means of deterrence have failed.

Jamal al-Fadi, a professor of political science in Gaza, said Hamas was searching for a way to refocus pressure on the decade-long Israeli blockade of the enclave and its humanitarian implications without risking another devastating war with the Jewish state.

Three confrontations since 2008 have battered Gaza while causing comparatively little damage to Israel, and Israeli officials have threatened further destruction in the event of a fourth round.

- Lack of options -

"Hamas has resorted to peaceful protests because other options are expensive for it," Fadi said.

Gaza's Hamas rulers has throwing its weight behind protests along the border with Israel in what analysts say is a bid to refocus pressure on the decade-long blockade of the enclave

"If the people hold peaceful protests it rallies international opinion to the Palestinian cause."

The protests are officially organised by civil society organisations but they have Hamas's explicit support and a number of the dead have been members of Hamas's armed wing.

Sinwar pointed out they had not been carrying weapons when killed.

Seven weeks of marches are due to culminate on May 14 and 15, with thousands of protesters expected to gather and potentially seek to break the fence into Israel.

On Thursday Sinwar indicated his support for such a step, despite potential bloodshed.

"The fence is not a holy cow or a taboo that no one should touch," he said.

"What's the problem with hundreds of thousands breaking through a fence that is not a border?"

Israel enforces a crippling blockade of Gaza it says is necessary to isolate Hamas, but critics say it amounts to collective punishment for the strip's two million residents.

Hamas maintains a large armed wing and military arsenal, but in recent years the Iranian-backed movement has found itself increasingly isolated.

Gulf Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia have appeared to privately soften their position regarding Israel in the face of the perceived joint threat of Iranian aggression, while Qatar, another longtime supporter of Hamas, has been blockaded by its neighbours.

Wars in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere have dragged global attention away from the Palestinians, while the election of Donald Trump in the United States brought to power a government he vowed would be the most pro-Israeli in US history.

Hamas is considered a terrorist movement by Israel, the United States and the European Union.

- Armed resistance 'useless' -

Sinwar, who came to power in February 2017, has been seeking largely unsuccessfully to improve Hamas's strategic position.

The party adjusted its founding charter to tone down some of its anti-Semitic rhetoric, though without retracting its call for Israel's destruction.

Hamas Gaza head Yahya Sinwar (C) shouts slogans and flashes the victory gesture as he takes part in a tent city protest near the border with Israel east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza strip on March 30, 2018

Sinwar also pushed for an ultimately unsuccessful reconciliation deal with the West Bank-based Palestinian government.

Mukhaimer Abu Saada, professor of political science at Gaza's Al-Azhar University, said Hamas has realised armed resistance is "useless" currently as a new war with Israel would result in "unprecedented destruction" in Gaza.

But he said it was unclear whether Hamas could ever genuinely embrace a peaceful strategy "because there are elements that did not abandon armed resistance".

Sinwar himself came from the movement's armed wing and was serving multiple life sentences in Israel for murder before being released in a controversial 2011 prisoner exchange.

Israeli officials dismiss any changing strategy as window dressing and the army accuses Hamas of seeking to use the protests to carry out attacks.

What happens after the protests are officially due to end on Tuesday remains unclear.

Hugh Lovatt, Israel-Palestine fellow with the European Council for Foreign Relations, said so far mass protests in Gaza had not been met with similar confrontations in areas outside Hamas control.

"The big question (over a wider escalation) is whether large-scale protests erupt next week in the West Bank."

Sinwar vowed action would continue.

"This is an intifada for the right of return. It can continue until we achieve our rights."After her wedding, Meghan Markle's relaxed Californian existence will be replaced by one of protocol and unwritten rules as she navigates life in what members of the royal family privately call 'the firm'

When US actress Meghan Markle marries Britain's Prince Harry at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle next Saturday, her career and right to privacy will be just two of the things she will have to give up.

The daughter of a yoga teacher and an award-winning Hollywood lighting director, Californian Markle is about to plunge headfirst into the world of rules and constraints of Britain's royal family.

- No 'Princess Meghan' -

Markle will give up her acting career in order to live out her fairy tale.

However, she will not become "Princess Meghan" because only women born into the royal family can carry the title followed by their name.

Her official title will instead likely be "Her Royal Highness Princess Henry of Wales". But if Queen Elizabeth II offers Harry a duchy on his wedding day, Meghan will become a duchess.

Among the titles available, the Duke of Sussex or the Duke of Clarence are the favourites.

Markle has also had to dilute her US identity by taking on British citizenship and has been baptised into the Church of England out of respect for Queen Elizabeth II's role as head of the denomination.

- Stiff upper lip -

As unelected representatives of the state, members of the royal family are heavily discouraged from expressing political opinions in public.

This will require Markle to curb her vocal advocacy and disengage from social media.

The self-proclaimed feminist had already begun to lay low before the engagement was announced, closing her blog "The Tig" and the Instagram account on which she posted photos of herself.

"She's allowed herself to be completely co-opted by the royal machinery," said republican campaigner Graham Smith.

She will now have to concentrate on the more mundane charitable activities of the royal family, and will become a patron of the Royal Foundation, alongside her husband, Prince William and his wife Kate.

The foundation is focused mainly on veterans, young people, the environment and mental health.

Despite these constraints, her biographer Andrew Morton believes that Meghan and Harry "are going to be a power couple".

"You're going to see them as far more activist than perhaps previous royal couples," he said.

- Royal rights and duties -

Markle's relaxed Californian existence will be replaced by one of protocol and unwritten rules, such as not removing one's coat in public.

She will also swap her "relatively quiet life" for one of paparazzi intrusion.

"Even though I've been on my show for... six years and working before that, I've never been part of tabloid culture," she said in a television interview aired in November.

All her movements will now have to be approved and she will live under the constant gaze of police protection.

The Queen recently appointed Harry as a youth ambassador for the Commonwealth, meaning Markle will travel widely as she also learns more about her adopted homeland.

To help her navigate life in what the royals privately refer to as "The Firm", however, the 36-year-old will have an army of staff to help her, including a hairdresser, a dresser and a driver.Addressing the event, Prof. Dao Xuan Hoc, President of the Vietnam-Netherlands Friendship and Cooperation Association, said that over the past 45 years, the relationship between Vietnam and the Netherlands has grown in a dynamic and effective manner across many fields, to the benefit of both sides.

Currently, the Netherlands is one of the largest European trade partners and investors in Vietnam, with more than US$8 billion in investment and nearly US$8 billion in two-way trade revenue recorded for 2017.

With its impressive economic development and efficient support of the Netherlands, Vietnam has progressed from being a recipient of development assistance from the Netherlands to becoming a trade partner of the European country, a demonstrative example of the effectiveness of bilateral affiliation, the professor noted.

Prof. Hoc added that over the past five years, the Vietnam-Netherlands Friendship and Cooperation Association has succeeded in launching many events and activities aimed at strengthening the mutual understanding and partnership between the two nations.

He said he hopes to continue receiving cooperation and support from the Dutch Embassy in Vietnam.

For her part, the Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam, Nienke Trooster, said that Vietnam is one of the most prioritised countries in the Netherlands soft loan provision.

Currently, the Netherlands is focusing on investing in Vietnam in a number of key areas such as trade, the private sector, water management, agriculture, and climate change, said the diplomat.

At the ceremony, a collection of extracts from 17 Dutch documentary films on the war in Vietnam were presented to Vietnam and received debut screenings.At 36 and with a successful self-made career behind her, few doubt that television star and humanitarian activist Meghan Markle is ready to join the cast of the monarchy

Meghan Markle once struggled for roles but the US actress has now landed the biggest part of all as she prepares to marry Prince Harry next Saturday and become the newest face in Britain's royal family.

At 36 and with a successful self-made career behind her, few doubt that the television star and humanitarian activist is ready to join the cast of the monarchy.

Markle made her name as savvy paralegal Rachel Zane in the US legal drama series "Suits", but cultivated a high profile for herself outside the show too.

She became a United Nations advocate for women's empowerment and a global ambassador for the World Vision Canada relief agency.

The Los Angeles-born star had more than two million followers on her now-closed Instagram account and ran a successful lifestyle blog, The Tig.

Markle was also revealed as the anonymous blogger behind The Working Actress, which chronicled the struggles of hustling for parts in Hollywood.

"She comes across as very poised, eloquent, thoughtful," said royal writer Andrew Morton, who has penned a biography of Markle.

"She's very focused and someone who has been very ambitious and really wants to give back. Her great phrase is 'make the change'," he told AFP.

"Meghan's a smart girl. She knows exactly what she's getting into."

- Ancestors royals and slaves -

Rachel Meghan Markle was born on August 4, 1981 to Thomas Markle, a white, Emmy Award-winning television lighting director who worked on top US shows like "Married With Children", and Doria Ragland, a black social worker and yoga instructor.

On her mother's side, her ancestors were slaves who worked on cotton plantations in Georgia. Her mother's surname is taken from a slave owner.

On her father's side, genealogists have traced her ancestry back to king Robert I of Scotland, who reigned from 1306 to 1329.

Markle's parents split when she was two and divorced five years later. She is now estranged from her older half-sister and half-brother, who has been scathing about her attitude towards the family.

"Her tiny bit of Hollywood fame has gone to her head, changing her into a jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you," half-brother Tom Markle wrote in an April 26 open letter to Harry.

She went to a private Catholic girls' school where she was remembered for her strong sense of right and wrong.

Aged 11, her letter-writing campaign got the consumer goods giant Procter and Gamble to change a washing-up commercial, referring to people rather than just women.

Determined to give herself options, Markle studied theatre and international relations at Northwestern University.

She graduated in 2003, after which she landed a six-week internship as a press officer at the US embassy in Argentina.

"She had all that it takes to be a successful diplomat," said Mark Krischik, her superior in Buenos Aires.

- 'Suits' springboard -

Returning to Los Angeles, in 2004 she fell in love with go-getting film producer Trevor Engelson, who helped her get on the acting ladder as she struggled for bit parts.

They married in Jamaica in 2011.

Soon after their engagement, Markle had landed her signature role in "Suits".

Filmed in Toronto, their relationship became a long-distance one. A series of flops followed for Engelson but the struggling actress became a star and the marriage collapsed in 2013.

Through a mutual friend, she met Queen Elizabeth II's grandson Harry in July 2016 while visiting London. Their romance quickly blossomed on a whirlwind camping trip to Botswana.

Since their engagement was announced in November 2017, Markle has accompanied Harry, now sixth in line to the throne, on several public events ahead of their May 19 wedding.

Arthur Edwards, The Sun newspaper's royal photographer since 1977, said her style at public engagement was unusual.

"I've seen Meghan do selfies and give autographs, which the royals never do."

But Majesty Magazine editor Ingrid Seward told AFP that some readers "don't like her way of being outspoken, saying what she thinks, having views on politics and everything else".

"Everybody's intrigued by Meghan, whether they like her or not," she added.

Her acting career behind her, Markle's royal duties are likely to focus on youth, the Commonwealth and women's empowerment.

With Harry, his brother Prince William and his wife Kate, the four will have the task of renewing the monarchy's relevance to a younger generation.The vote will be East Timor's second general election in less than a year after a months-long political impasse

East Timor faced a tense wait Saturday for the result of its second general election in less than a year, after bitter fighting between lawmakers saw parliament dissolved.

Thousands of East Timorese lined up to cast their ballot following a fractious campaign that was marred by violence and political mudslinging on the tiny half-island nation of 1.2 million.

"My expectation for the future is that whoever will win we must respect each other and prioritise the life of the whole population," voter Francisco Kalbuadi told AFP.

Political parties in the impoverished young democracy made their final pitch to voters this week, wrapping up a fractious campaign.

Violent clashes broke out last weekend between supporters of the Fretilin party and backers of the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT) led by former president and independence hero Xanana Gusmao.

Despite fears of violence on election day, there were no reports of unrest.

Parliament was dissolved and new elections called in January amid tensions between former prime minister Mari Alkatiri's minority government and the opposition centred around Gusmao's CNRT.

Alkatiri's Fretilin party, which narrowly won last July's poll, collapsed after its bid to introduce a policy programme and new budget were thwarted by a hostile opposition.

Alkatiri, a Muslim politician in the Catholic-majority country, told reporters he expected his party to be sworn into government again.

"Fretilin will be the winning party and will lead the new government again," he said Saturday in the capital Dili.

Polling booths closed at 3:00 pm (0600 GMT) and preliminary results will not be known until later in the evening.

The former Portuguese colony was invaded by Indonesia in 1975 and under a brutal occupation until it gained independence in 2002.

The election will determine the choice of prime minister, the most influential political figure. The presidency is a largely ceremonial role but the occupant can help keep the peace between feuding politicians.

Whoever wins, the incoming government will face big challenges.

The clock is ticking fast on its disappearing oil and gas reserves -- putting pressure on the new government to diversify the economy.

Oil and gas pay for the bulk of government spending, but oil revenues are in steep decline, and the country has few other productive economic sectors.

About 60 percent of East Timor's population is under 25, according to the World Bank, while some 40 percent of its people live in poverty.

Providing jobs for the enormous amount of young people and reining in public spending -- especially on large infrastructure projects -- will be key tasks for the new government, analysts say.Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was among the volunteers and rescuers who rushed to Sichuan in the immediate aftermath of the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that slammed the region on May 12, 2008, flattening entire villages

A decade since the devastating earthquake in China's Sichuan province that left more than 87,000 people dead or missing, activist artist Ai Weiwei concedes that Beijing will never provide a full reckoning of the disaster.

"We will never get a straight answer. Since the communist government was set up, the truth behind all major historical events has never been officially revealed," the conceptual artist told AFP at his studio in Berlin.

Ai was among the volunteers and rescuers who rushed to Sichuan in the immediate aftermath of the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that devastated the region on May 12, 2008, flattening entire villages.

An outpouring of grief soon turned into fury as it emerged that thousands of children were killed in 7,000 schools that collapsed entirely, sparking allegations that corruption had led to shoddy building work.

But as bereaved parents pressed for answers from authorities, they were met with a stony silence, while Ai said he was detained and beaten by police who blocked him from testifying at the trial of an activist investigating the school collapses.

Chinese rescuers in 2008 search for survivors under a collapsed building in the earthquake-striken county of Shifang in southwest China's Sichuan province

Only in May 2009 did the government say that 5,335 children were killed in school collapses -- a number that was in fact far below figures given by state media previously. No official list of the victims was released.

An official investigation into construction standards for schools was promised but the results have not been published.

Ten years on, Ai is still enraged by the government's stonewalling.

"Of course I'm still furious. Nothing has changed in this matter. It concerns people's rights and dignity, the government's responsibilities, lies and corruption," he said.

- 'Shock is too mild' -

In the aftermath of the earthquake Ai began investigating the so-called "tofu schools" -- a term likening their structural instability to the popular soft bean curd dish.

The probe sought to determine how much of the damage was wrought by natural disaster and how much was exacerbated by to human error, as well as to uncover "how this government that calls itself the people's party deals with the people's suffering".

Once the artist commissioned to help design Beijing's Bird's Nest Olympic stadium, Ai Weiwei found himself at the receiving end of the Chinese state's wrath over his activism

But his activism came at a high personal price.

Once the artist commissioned to help design Beijing's Bird's Nest Olympic stadium, Ai found himself at the receiving end of the state's wrath.

He was beaten by police who blocked him from testifying at the trial of another activist, Tan Zuoren, who had separately investigated the school collapses. Ai was detained in 2011 for 81 days and had his passport confiscated for four years.

"All that has to do with our insistence on finding out the truth, insistence on investigating the list of dead students. Insistence on getting the government to tell us how these buildings were constructed."

A Chinese woman in May 2008 crying amongst the rubble of collapsed buildings after offering prayers for her dead daughter at the earthquake damaged town of Beichuan in Sichuan Province

In 2010, Ai underwent surgery in Germany to relieve pressure on his brain from a blood clot which he said was the result of the police beating in Chengdu.

The operation happened just ahead of an exhibition in Munich, where Ai produced an installation using 9,000 backpacks writing out in Chinese: "She lived happily for seven years in this world" -- a sentence from the letter of a mother of a schoolgirl killed in the quake.

"The government has the duty to provide information because it is a servant who works for you. You can't say your servant doesn't tell you what he's used your money to buy, or how many chairs are in your house or where your bed is.

"If he doesn't tell you anything, then he's no longer your servant. He's even tougher than the boss. If you ask these questions, he can beat you and even lock you up. How can you not be shocked? More than shocked. Shock is too mild. Furious."

- 'Government won't change' -

Despite the uproar over the school collapses then, Ai said the government hasn't changed its approach.

If a new disaster were to strike, "the government wouldn't do anything differently," he said.

Destroyed and abandoned houses nearly 10 years after the May 12, 2008 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Beichuan in China's southwestern Sichuan province

"It can't change. The moment it tells the whole truth, it would no longer exist... Covering up the truth is a basic condition for the existence of an authoritarian regime."

But Ai rejects any notion that his efforts were in vain.

"I didn't make any sacrifices, I did what I should and, in fact it is what I think everyone should do. It is an individual's responsibility to ask questions that have a bearing on their lives.

"The question of whether it's worth it or not therefore does not exist."

Ai eventually moved to Berlin after Beijing returned his passport in July 2015.

For now, Ai does not see himself returning to China even in the case of another similar disaster.

"My work now is on global refugees. There are lots of issues and they are all linked... Any place where human rights are harmed is a disaster for everyone's human rights.

"I'm not (in China) now, I'm in Europe, where I'm faced with the refugee problem. So I'm facing it and making my voice heard on this problem."An Iraqi policeman guards a checkpoint by electoral posters in the old town of Mosul as the country prepares for parliamentary elections

Iraqis head to the polls on Saturday for parliamentary elections.

After the ballot, the 329 members of parliament elected from party lists will be tasked with forming a government and electing a prime minister and president.

Following the 2003 US-led invasion and the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraq held its first general election in January 2005, selecting a national assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution.

It then held parliamentary elections in December 2005, with two subsequent polls in 2010 and 2014.

Here is what you need to know about Iraq's 2018 parliamentary elections:

- Voters -

Nearly 24.5 million of Iraq's roughly 38 million people are registered to vote. They are spread out across 18 provinces.

Voters can cast their ballots at 8,959 polling stations across the country, all of which are equipped for electronic voting.

According to Iraqi authorities, nearly 11 million biometric identity cards have been distributed to authenticate identities.

The 285,564 internal refugees eligible to vote can do so in one of 166 polling stations in 70 camps spread across eight provinces in the country.

Voters will select party lists and seats will be divided up according to the number of votes each list secures.

Polling for Iraq's roughly one million security force personnel and the one million voters living abroad was held ahead of the main election day.

- Candidates -

There are 6,990 candidates, including 2,011 women, set to run in the polls.

They will be competing for 329 seats, including nine reserved for minorities -- Christians, Shabaks, Yazidis, Mandeans and Fayli Kurds -- and 83 for women.

Candidates, selected based on their position in the party, will be elected to four-year terms in parliament.

There are 87 party lists in this year's election.

The main lists are as follows:

- VICTORY ALLIANCE, led by incumbent Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

This year, for the first time since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the ranks of the executed leader's oldest opponents, the Shiite Dawa Party, are divided.

Abadi, a key figure in the Dawa Party, has put together a list composed largely of civil society personalities that cross sectarian lines.

- CONQUEST ALLIANCE, led by Hadi al-Ameri, head of the Badr organisation and a leader of the mostly Shiite Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary units, which played a key role in rolling back Islamic State (IS) group jihadists.

His candidates officially quit their military roles to run for office.

- RULE OF LAW ALLIANCE, led by former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki.

This list relies principally on the Dawa Party, which Maliki heads.

But while it is popular with public servants hired under his mandate, the list suffers from criticisms aimed at Maliki because IS seized one-third of the country under his watch.

- MARCHING TOWARDS REFORM, an unprecedented alliance between Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr and communists.

It includes mostly secular groups including the Iraqi Communist Party and Istiqama (Arabic for righteousness), a party of technocrats backed by Sadr, who suspended his Ahrar bloc and called on his 33 ministers not to run in the polls.

- SUNNIS appear on several lists. The main list, "The National Alliance", is led by Vice President Iyad Allawi -- a Shiite who presents himself as secular -- and Sunni head of parliament Salim al-Juburi.

Weakened after three years of IS rule, Sunnis could be the biggest losers in this year's elections.

- KURDS will head to polls with divided ranks to fill their northern autonomous region's 46 seats, two of which are reserved for Christians.

The main Kurdish parties are the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Kurdistan Patriotic Union (PUK).

There are also three opposition parties: the main Jamaa Islamiya, the newly created New Generation movement, and Goran (Kurdish for change).Najib Razak has announced he is quitting as head of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition as well as its main party

Malaysia's former leader Najib Razak was hit with a travel ban Saturday as speculation mounted he was about to flee the country following his shock election loss, in a possible bid to avoid prosecution over a multi-billion-dollar scandal.

An angry crowd had gathered at a Kuala Lumpur airport, shouting at vehicles and seeking to stop them entering, after a purported flight itinerary leaked online showed Najib and his unpopular wife were planning to head to Indonesia.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition's defeat in the election at the hands of an alliance led by Najib's one-time mentor Mahathir Mohamad amounted to a political earthquake, which toppled an increasingly authoritarian regime that had ruled the country for six decades.

What is Malaysia's 1MDB scandal?

At 92, Mahathir is the world's oldest state leader. The former autocrat previously served as prime minister for over two decades and was a BN stalwart.

But he came out of retirement and defected to the opposition in a bid to unseat Najib over allegations that huge sums were looted from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, which Najib set up and oversaw.

Since the opposition victory, Malaysia's king has agreed to pardon jailed top politician Anwar Ibrahim -- a former nemesis turned ally of Mahathir -- in a move that could pave the way for him to become premier. Senior members of his party said he was expected to be freed Tuesday.

- 'Blacklisted' -

Speculation had been mounting that Najib might try to flee the country as Mahathir has pledged to investigate the 1MDB controversy if he won power.

As an image of the leaked manifest for a flight on a private jet to Jakarta spread like wildfire online, Najib insisted in social media posts he was only planning a "short break" overseas to rest after the election and would be back next week.

An angry crowd gathered outside the airport after a purported itinerary leaked online showed Najib and his unpopular wife were planning to head to Indonesia

But anger quickly mounted among social media users who accused the defeated leader of seeking to flee, and the immigration department swiftly announced both he and his wife Rosmah Mansor -- unpopular because of her spendthrift ways -- were banned from leaving Malaysia.

Mahathir confirmed he had issued the order to stop the pair leaving.

"It is true that I prevented Najib from leaving the country... he and his wife," he told a press conference.

When asked if the restrictions on Najib were due to 1MDB, Mahathir said: "There are a lot of complaints against (Najib) all of which have to be investigated... we find that some of the complaints are valid.

"We have to act quickly because we don't want to be saddled with a problem of extradition from other countries."

- Anwar release -

Earlier, as dozens of people descended on the airport in a bid to stop Najib and Rosmah leaving, riot police were stationed by the gate of the airport where it was believed Najib would enter.

As a white van with heavily tinted windows attempted to pass by, the crowd surrounded the vehicle and it was only allowed to pass after they confirmed Najib was not inside.

After being hit with the travel ban, Najib later announced he was stepping down as chairman of BN and president of its main party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), following the historic loss.

Mahathir also announced the first three appointments to his cabinet -- Lum Guan Eng as finance minister, Muhyiddin Yassin as interior minister and Mohamad Sabu as defence minister.

He suggested Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali, who cleared Najib over 1MDB and shut down domestic probes, was as good as out of a job.

He said restrictions had been placed on people suspected of wrongdoing, adding: "At the moment, we don't have an attorney-general."

Xavier Jayakumar, a vice-president of Anwar's party, said the jailed politician was expected to be released from prison Tuesday.

Anwar was heir-apparent to the premiership until Mahathir sacked him in 1998 and he was subsequently jailed for sodomy and abuse of power.

But in a remarkable turnaround, the pair reconciled and joined forces as allegations mounted over 1MDB and Najib became increasingly authoritarian.

Anwar, now 70, was jailed again in 2015 during Najib's rule and had been due for release next month.An image released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) early on May 10, 2018 purportedly shows air defence systems intercepting Israeli missiles over Syrian airspace

At least 11 Iranians were among those killed in unprecedented Israeli strikes on Syria this week, a monitor said Saturday.

"At least 27 pro-regime fighters were killed" in Thursday's strikes, said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

He said "six Syrian soldiers and 21 foreign fighters, including 11 Iranians" were among the dead.

That updates the monitor's initial toll of 23, which did not specify the number of Iranians.

"The new report is due to the death of wounded or missing persons whose deaths have been confirmed," Abdel Rahman said.

Israel says it struck dozens of Iranian targets inside Syria early on Thursday in response to a salvo of rockets allegedly fired by Iranian forces into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had "crossed a red line" and that Israel's bombardment against targets in Syria was "a consequence".

The Jewish state has long warned it will not accept Iran entrenching itself militarily in neighbouring Syria, where the Islamic Republic backs Assad's regime in the country's seven-year civil war.

Israeli forces have been blamed for a series of recent strikes inside Syria that have killed Iranians, though it has not acknowledged those raids.

Israel says it has conducted dozens of operations in Syria to stop what it says are advanced arms deliveries to one of its main foes, Iran-backed Hezbollah.Duterte had openly called for Sereno's removal from the court, after they clashed over his bloody war on drugs

The ousted top judge of the Philippines will appeal against the decision to sack her, after she battled with President Rodrigo Duterte over his deadly drug war, her spokesman said Saturday.

Maria Lourdes Sereno's colleagues voted on Friday to remove her as Supreme Court chief justice in an unprecedented decision that has sparked a legal firestorm.

"She will file MR (motion of reconsideration)," her spokesman Carlo Cruz said in a message to AFP without elaborating.

Duterte had openly called for Sereno's removal from the court, calling her an "enemy" after they clashed over his bloody war on drugs and alleged abuse of power.

Sereno's expulsion came due to a petition by the chief government lawyer -- a Duterte appointee -- who argued that she was not qualified for her position and accused her of not filing statements of assets and liabilities in previous years -- accusations she categorically denied.

Legal experts, including other Supreme Court judges, have argued that Sereno's sacking is a violation of the constitution, which says a justice can only be removed through impeachment in Congress.

In opinions released Saturday, dissenting judge Marvic Leonen called the move "a legal abomination" while fellow justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa said, "this case marks the time when the Court commits seppuku (ritual suicide) - without honour".

Pacifico Agabin, an expert in constitutional law at the University of the Philippines College of Law, told AFP Sereno's appeal was unlikely to succeed, saying: "I don't think any one of the justices will have a change of mind".

Sereno, who has urged her supporters to "fight for justice and demand accountability", is the latest high-profile critic of Duterte to be targeted after speaking out against the president.

Other Duterte critics have also been ousted, punished or threatened, including Senator Leila de Lima who has been jailed, the Commission on Human Rights and an anti-corruption prosecutor who investigated allegations that Duterte has hidden wealth.

Duterte has faced global criticism for human rights abuses particularly related to his bloody campaign against illegal drugs which police say has claimed the lives of around 4,200 suspects in nearly two years. Rights groups allege the actual number is three times higher.A North Korean soldier stands before the military demarcation line separating the two Koreas, with 'Peace House' - where the summit will take place - in the background on the right

North Korea is "taking technical measures" to dismantle its nuclear test site, state media said Saturday in the latest dramatic step ahead of a historic summit between leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump next month.

"A ceremony for dismantling the nuclear test ground is now scheduled between May 23 and 25, depending on weather condition," the official KCNA news agency said, citing a foreign ministry press release.

The test tunnels would be blown up, blocking their entries, the statement said.

All observation facilities and research institutes would be removed along with guards and researchers, it said, detailing the process of closing the site.

Reporters from China, Russia, the United States, Britain and South Korea would be allowed to "conduct on-the-spot coverage in order to show in a transparent manner the dismantlement of the northern nuclear test ground," the foreign ministry statement said.

The limit on foreign journalists was due to the "small space of the test ground" which it said was "located in the uninhabited deep mountain area".

In a dramatic turnaround after Kim and Trump had traded threats of war and personal insults, the young North Korean leader vowed to pursue denuclearisation at a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month.

He is now set for the first ever face-to-face meeting between a sitting American president and a North Korean leader, scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Friday promised the US would work to rebuild North Korea's sanctions-crippled economy if it agreed to surrender its nuclear arsenal.

"The DPRK will, also in the future, promote close contacts and dialogue with the neighbouring countries and the international society so as to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and over the globe," the North Korean foreign ministry statement carried by KCNA said Saturday.Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be married at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on May 19

The head of the Anglican church in the United States will give the main speech at the wedding of Britain's Prince Harry and his US fiancee Meghan Markle, Kensington Palace announced Saturday.

The Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry, primate of the Episcopal Church, will deliver the address during the ceremony at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, west of London, on May 19.

"The love that has brought and will bind Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle together has its source and origin in God, and is the key to life and happiness," said Curry.

"And so we celebrate and pray for them today."

Kensington Palace previously announced that David Conner, the Dean of Windsor, will conduct the wedding service.

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury who is the spiritual head of the Church of England and the leader of the world's 85 million Anglicans, will officiate over the marriage vows.

Curry became the 27th presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church in November 2015. Aged 65 and from Chicago, he is the first African-American to serve in that capacity.

The Episcopal Church is a member of the global Anglican Communion led by Welby and counted 1.9 million active baptised members in 2015.

It caused a rift within the Communion in 2003 when it ordained the openly gay Gene Robinson as a bishop.

In 2012 it became the biggest faith group in the United States to approve a provisional rite for blessing same-sex unions.

- Markle baptised -

Markle was baptised and confirmed by Welby in March ahead of her marriage.

She is understood to have chosen to join the Church of England out of respect for the role Harry's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II has as supreme governor of the Anglican Communion's mother church.

Markle's father is an Episcopalian, while her mother belonged to another Protestant denomination.

Nonetheless, Markle attended a private Roman Catholic girls' school in Los Angeles.

Harry is sixth in line to inherit the crown.

Catholics are excluded from succession to the throne, and the sovereign must be in communion with the Church of England, swear to preserve it and promise to uphold the Protestant succession.

Before a 2013 law came into force across the 16 Commonwealth realms that share Queen Elizabeth as head of state, people who married Catholics were also excluded from the order of succession.The move to dismantle Punggye-ri is another step in leader Kim Jong Un's charm offensive

North Korea will destroy its nuclear test site later this month, ahead of a summit with the United States, it said Saturday, blowing up its tunnels in front of invited foreign media.

The display at Punggye-ri, in the northwest of the country, will be another step in leader Kim Jong Un's charm offensive, with a ceremony scheduled between May 23-25.

Dialogue brokered by Seoul has seen US-North Korea relations go from trading personal insults and threats of war last year to a summit between Kim and President Donald Trump due in Singapore on June 12.

But sceptics warn that Pyongyang has yet to make any public commitment to give up its arsenal, which includes missiles capable of reaching the United States.

Washington is seeking the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation" of the North and stresses that verification will be key.

Punggye-ri has hosted all six of the North's nuclear tests, the latest and by far the most powerful in September last year, which Pyongyang said was an H-bomb.

Kim has declared the development of the North's nuclear force complete and that it had no further need for the site.

The latest measures will see the tunnels of the test site blown up and their entrances completely blocked, Pyongyang's foreign ministry said, according to the official KCNA news agency.

All observation facilities and research institutes would be removed, along with guards, it said, "and the surrounding area of the test ground be completely closed".

Reporters from China, Russia, the United States, Britain and South Korea would be allowed to cover the event on site to show it "in a transparent manner".

Limits on foreign journalists were due to space constraints, it said, as the site was in an "uninhabited deep mountain area".

Analysts said the move was positive but limited in its scope.

It was "not bad, but a cost-free signal", tweeted MIT political science professor Vipin Narang.

Given the stage it had already reached, Pyongyang "may feel like they don't need to test anything for a while", he said.

Jeffrey Lewis, of the Middlebury Institute for International Studies, expected that the North "will sanitise the site before letting anyone see it".

- 'Fire and fury' -

Saturday's announcement is the latest move in a rapid sequence of events on the Korean peninsula triggered by the Winter Olympics in the South.

Tensions had been mounting for years as Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes saw it subjected to multiple rounds of increasingly strict sanctions by the UN Security Council, the US, EU, South Korea and others, and Trump last year threatened the North with "fire and fury".

But since the Pyeongchang Games, Pyongyang and Washington have agreed to the unprecedented Singapore meeting, and Kim has twice visited China to meet President Xi Jinping, after not paying respects in the six years since he inherited power from his father.

Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in affirmed their commitment to the goal of "realising, through complete denuclearisation, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula" at a summit in the Demilitarized Zone that divides their countries last month.

But the phrase is a diplomatic euphemism open to interpretation on both sides.

Pyongyang has long wanted to see an end to the US military presence in and nuclear umbrella over the South, but it invaded its neighbour in 1950 and is the only one of the two Koreas to possess nuclear weapons.

This week the North released three Korean-Americans it had detained into the care of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was making his second trip to Pyongyang in two months.

Trump also withdrew the United States from a nuclear pact with Iran, raising questions over whether Pyongyang would trust Washington's promises.

Pompeo Friday promised the US would work to rebuild North Korea's sanctions-hit economy if it agreed to surrender its nuclear arsenal.The event was held by the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) and the Vietnam  Poland Friendship Association, with Polish Ambassador to Vietnam Barbara Szymanowska and deputy chairman of Wielkopolska province of Poland Maciej Sytek, who is on a visit to Vietnam, in attendance.

In her remarks, Szymanowska thanked Ho Chi Minh City authority, HUFO and Vietnam  Poland Friendship Association for their support for the Polish Embassy in successfully implementing many projects between Vietnam and Poland, contributing to the enhancement of mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

She expected the strong bilateral relations will further expand and the two countries will continue cooperating to together build a better future for each side.

Congratulating his guests on the Constitution Day, President of the Vietnam  Poland Friendship Organisation Nguyen Dang Cuong highlighted the historic moment when Polands Constitution of May 3, 1791, the first constitution of its kind in Europe, was adopted, marking the birth of many political concepts that still exist today.

Cuong recalled Polands support for Vietnam in the countrys struggle for national independence as well as todays development. The traditional ties have been nurtured by the two countries leaders and people in multiple areas, including economics, shipbuilding, agriculture, forestry and aquaculture.The latest Ebola outbreak, the ninth in DR Congo since the deadly viral disease was discovered in 1976, comes a year after another in the northern village of Muma

The head of the World Health Organization was due in DR Congo on Saturday to aid preparations for "all scenarios" in combatting the latest Ebola outbreak.

"WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is on his way to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to assess the needs of the response first-hand. We are preparing for all scenarios," the UN health agency said in a statement.

The outbreak in the region northeast of Kinshasa near the border with the Republic of Congo has so far killed 18 people around the town of Bikoro in Equateur province, according to the WHO.

A report from the provincial council of ministers, seen by AFP, said there were "three suspected cases" in the region's capital Mbandaka, which has 700,000 inhabitants.

WHO's head of emergency response Peter Salama said Friday getting aid to the affected area was "extremely challenging" given its remoteness and lack of infrastructure.

"We know the number of suspected, probable and confirmed cases is significant. We are very concerned and we are planning for all scenarios, including the worst case scenario," he said.

DRC health ministry Ebola responders have been dispatched to the affected area with a joint WHO and UNICEF team following.

"We are about to go to Bikoro after this stop at (regional capital) Mbandaka where we began the deployment of mobile labs to start analyses" of suspect cases," Eugene Kabambi, leading the WHO communications team in DR Congo, told AFP Saturday, adding his team hoped to obtain results swiftly.

He said Health Minister Oly Ilunga had alerted local people to the ongoing risk.

The WHO has made $1 million (842,000 euros) available to stop the virus spreading, judging that risk was "high," a representative of the UN's humanitarian affairs agency OCHA told reporters Friday.

DR Congo has endured nine known outbreaks of Ebola since 1976, when the deadly viral disease was first identified in then Zaire by a Belgian-led team.A state-controlled Russia Today (RT) television broadcast van is seen parked in Moscow on March 16, 2018

Egypt said it protested on Saturday to Moscow about an online poll by Russian state-owned channel RT on whether readers view a disputed border territory as Egyptian or Sudanese.

The Egyptian foreign ministry said it contacted Russian authorities to express its "strong condemnation" of the poll, demanding "an urgent explanation for this unacceptable conduct".

The online vote focused on the Halayeb triangle, which is controlled by Egypt and lies near the Red Sea in a mineral-rich border region, and has been a bone of contention between the two neighbours for decades.

The Friday poll on Russia Today, known by its acronym RT, could no longer be seen on its Arabic language opinion polls page on Saturday.

Egypt's State Information Service, which regulates foreign media, said the poll had been removed.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry cancelled an interview with the channel on Saturday ahead of an official visit on Monday to Moscow, his spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement.

Egyptian authorities regularly comment on foreign media's work in Egypt and the country is ranked 161 out of 180 on Reporters Without Borders' 2018 World Press Freedom Index.

Moscow and Cairo boosted cooperation in December when Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled to the Egyptian capital and met with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

During the visit the two countries signed a contract to build Egypt's first nuclear power plant in Dabaa on the Mediterranean coast.

Relations further improved last month when Aeroflot, Russia's flagship carrier, resumed flights between Moscow and Cairo.

Russia had suspended flights to Egypt in 2015 after the bombing of a Russian plane carrying holidaymakers from a Red Sea resort that killed all 224 people on board, an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.Tu-95 "Bear" Russian long-range bombers, such as these pictured above the Kremlin in May, 2018, have been intercepted off Alaska

US fighter jets intercepted two long-range Russian "Bear" bombers in international airspace off western Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said Saturday.

The long-range Tupelev Tu-95 bombers were "intercepted and visually identified" Friday morning by a pair of F-22 Raptors as the Russian aircraft flew just north of Alaska's Aleutian islands, said Canadian Army Major Andrew Hennessy, of NORAD public affairs.

"At no time did the Russian bombers enter North American sovereign airspace," Hennessy said in a statement to AFP.

He added that the Alaska-based US jets monitored the Russians until the bombers left an area known as the Air Defense Identification Zone along the Aleutians, heading west.

That zone extends about 200 miles (322 kilometers) from the coastline, mostly in international airspace.

Saturday marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of NORAD, a joint US-Canadian command charged with aerospace warning and control for North America.

In April 2017, NORAD and the Pentagon said Tu-95 "Bear" bombers -- four-engine Cold War-era turboprop giants that can carry nuclear weapons -- were spotted in international airspace on three occasions -- twice near the Aleutians and once near mainland Alaska and Canada.

That was the first sighting of such Russian long-range bombers around Alaska in about two and a half years, a Pentagon spokesman said at the time.

- 'Unsafe' interception -

Tensions between Russia and the United States and its NATO allies are running at levels not seen since the Cold War.

The Alaska incident comes after a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet buzzed a US Navy P-8 Poseidon surveillance plane in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, US media reported, citing the US Navy.

Earlier, on January 29, the US Navy released video of a Russian Su-27 intercepting a US EP-3 Aries surveillance plane in international airspace over the Black Sea.

The interception, which lasted two hours and 40 minutes, was "unsafe" because the Russian jet was "closing to within five feet and crossing directly" through the surveillance plane's flight path, "causing the EP-3 to fly through the Su-27's jet wash," the US Navy said in a statement.

NATO naval officials in late 2017 also reported Russian submarines probing underseas data cables in the North Atlantic.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in January, as he unveiled the Pentagon's national defense strategy, that the United States is facing "growing threats" from Russia and China, and he warned that the US military's advantages have eroded in recent years.Opposition deputies and workers' unions called a May Day march in Antananarivo to protest legislation that would have that prevented opposition candidates from participating in elections expected later this year

The African Union is optimistic a deal will be struck in Madagascar to end the crisis that has shaken the Indian Ocean island where the president has faced street protests demanding his resignation.

Madagascar has been rocked for three weeks by violent and deadly opposition protests following the introduction of controversial electoral laws that would have prevented opposition candidates from participating in elections expected later this year.

The country's top court last week threw out as unconstitutional the contentious sections of the legislation and on Friday, President Hery Rajaonarimampianina approved the changes to the law as ordered.

The African Union, the UN and regional bloc Southern African Development Community have dispatched mediation envoys to Madagascar to try to defuse the crisis.

"In the wake of all these efforts,...the international community emissaries were able to get the main (Madagascan) parties to open high level political consultations to reconcile their points of view," according to an AU statement released Friday night.

This should lead to a "draft political agreement to allow a calm and orderly evolution towards the holding of presidential election on a date provided for by the constitution," said the AU.

Since April 21, hundreds of opposition supporters have occupied the May 13 Square in the heart of the capital Antananarivo, demanding the resignation of the president ahead of general elections seven months away.An Israeli soldier stands on an armoured personnel carrier (APC) as troops are on alert along the border with the Gaza Strip on November 13, 2017

The Israeli army said it would almost double the number of troops surrounding the Gaza Strip and in the occupied West Bank to tackle Palestinian protests against Monday's controversial opening of a US embassy in Jerusalem.

Three additional infantry brigades will be deployed next week, two around the Gaza Strip and one in the West Bank, army spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters on Saturday.

The move nearly doubles the number of fighting units currently serving, he said, without giving specific figures on troops to be deployed.

The announcement does not concern Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, where responding to protests is the responsibility of the police.

US President Donald Trump will not attend the opening of the new embassy in Jerusalem on Monday, but his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law and key adviser Jared Kushner will.

A signature campaign promise, Trump's December announcement of the embassy move led to major protests in Gaza and the West Bank.

Palestinians consider the eastern part of the city as their capital.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians are expected to protest along the Gaza border Monday, with the strip's Islamist rulers Hamas voicing support in recent days for attempts to breach the fence into Israel.

"What's the problem with hundreds of thousands breaking through a fence that is not a border?" the organisation's Gaza head Yahya Sinwar said, arguing Israel has never defined its borders.

Palestinians in Gaza have been protesting for seven weeks to be able to return to their historic homes they fled in 1948 and which later became part of Israel.

A 15-year-old teenager who was shot in the head Friday succumbed to his wounds on Saturday evening, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said.

The death brought to 54 the number of Palestinians killed since clashes began on March 30, with hundreds of others injured.

No Israelis have been injured.

Israel has vowed to use the necessary force to prevent any breach on Monday and has accused Hamas of using the protests as a pretext to carry out attacks.

On Saturday Conricus said the rules of engagement had not been changed.

The United Nations and the European Union have called for an independent investigation into the deaths, but the Jewish state has rebuffed them.

The United States has defended its ally and accused Hamas of using Palestinians, including children, as human shields by encouraging them to protest along the border.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.

Separately Saturday Israeli aircraft carried out a number of strikes against what the army said was a Hamas attack tunnel near the Gaza border.Adama Barrow took over as president of Gambia after longtime leader Yahya Jammeh went into exile amid the threat of a regional military intervention having lost a 2016 presidential election

Gambians went to the polls Saturday for the first direct mayoral elections since former strongman Yahya Jammeh went into exile in Equatorial Guinea in January 2017.

"Our predictions are that we are going to win all the seats. We will be disappointed if we lose any" up for grabs in eight municipal councils, Foreign Minister and Secretary General of the ruling United Democratic Party, Ousainou Darboe, told AFP.

The UDP won an absolute majority in last month's election for local councils in the tiny West African state which is bounded by Senegal, save for a tiny coastal strip.

Councils have previously been dominated by Jammeh's former party the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC).

The political about-turn followed Adama Barrow's accession to the presidency which cast Jammeh's old party into the electoral wilderness after the former won the 2016 presidential election.

Jammeh, who had ruled for 22 years, contested that poll but left for exile in January amid accusations of rampant corruption and human rights abuses and under the threat of a regional military intervention.

The last local elections under his stewardship, in 2013, were largely boycotted by the opposition.

Mayor Yankuba Colley, mobiliser for the APRC, told AFP participation was low.

"The turn out is not impressive at all. However, we are hopeful that we are going to win three out of the eight seats up for grabs."

Final results are expected early Sunday from a poll which ends an electoral cycle that began with the presidential poll of 2016.An Iraqi voter shows her ink-stained finger after casting her vote at a polling station in the city of Mosul on May 12, 2018

Iraqis on Saturday inflicted a blow on a political class they view as corrupt by shunning the first legislative elections since victory over Islamic State jihadists.

More than half of the nearly 24.5 million voters did not show up at the ballot box in the parliamentary election, the highest abstention rate since the first multiparty elections in 2005, although it passed off largely peacefully.

Iraqis faced a fragmented political landscape five months after the ouster of IS, with the dominant Shiites split, the Kurds in disarray and Sunnis sidelined.

Security was tight given he lingering jihadist threat. One policeman was killed and five wounded by mortar in eastern Iraq, a local official said, but there were no major incidents.

The poll -- in which turnout was just 44.52 percent -- came with tensions surging between key powers Iran and the US after Washington pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal, sparking fears of a destabilising power struggle over Iraq.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lauded the vote and called in a statement for an "inclusive government, responsive to the needs of all Iraqis".

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi -- who took office as IS rampaged across Iraq in 2014 -- is angling for a new term, claiming credit for defeating the jihadists and seeing off a Kurdish push for independence.

But competition from within his Shiite community, the majority group dominating Iraqi politics, will likely splinter the vote and spell lengthy horse-trading to form any government.

The outgoing Iraqi parliament

"Iraq is strong and unified after defeating terror," Abadi said after voting.

More than 15 blood-sodden years since the US-led ouster of Saddam Hussein, there is deep scepticism about a political system dominated by an elite seen as mired in corruption and sectarianism.

At a polling station in the Baghdad district of Karrada, 74-year-old voter Sami Wadi appealed for change "to save the country".

He called on Iraqis "to prevent those who have controlled the nation since 2003 from staying in power".

- 'Voting for security' -

Many Iraqis -- especially the country's disenfranchised youth -- skipped the vote, complaining they saw few prospects that the poll would improve their lives.

While voting stations in the capital were sparsely attended, in some parts of the country there seemed greater interest in the election.

In former IS bastion Mosul -- still partly in ruins from the months-long fight to oust the group -- residents queued up to make their choice as they look to recover from jihadist rule.

Members of the Iraqi security forces stand guard as people queue in front of a polling station in Mosul on May 12, 2018

"I am voting for security and the economy to stabilise and for a better future," said labourer Ali Fahmi, 26.

Overall, just under 7,000 candidates are standing and Iraq's complex system means no single bloc is likely to get anything near a majority in the 329-seat parliament.

A new electronic voting system appeared to cause problems for many voters with some officials saying not enough had been done to raise public awareness.

Initial results are expected in three days.

Whoever emerges as premier will face the mammoth task of rebuilding a country left shattered by the battle against IS -- with donors already pledging $30 billion (25 billion euros).

More than two million people remain internally displaced and IS -- which has threatened the polls -- is still able to launch deadly attacks.

- Shiite rivals -

Iraq has long been a crucible for the rivalry between Iran and the US, with Tehran exerting influence over Shiite politicians and Washington deploying troops to fight IS

Abadi -- a consensus figure who has balanced the US and Iran -- is facing two leading challengers to his Victory Alliance with closer ties to Tehran.

An Iraqi woman casts her vote at a polling station in the southern city of Basra on May 12, 2018

Ex-premier Nuri al-Maliki is widely reviled for stirring sectarianism and losing territory to IS, but draws support from hardliners.

"I wish for all to go to the ballot boxes to make their choice," Maliki said after casting his ballot, alleging "attempts at falsification through the pressuring of voters".

Hadi al-Ameri -- a contender who led Iran-backed paramilitary units that fought IS alongside Baghdad's troops -- called for "change" as he seeks to turn battlefield wins into political gains.

Votes in Sunni heartlands once dominated by IS -- including Mosul -- are up in the air as traditional alliances have been shredded by the fallout of jihadist rule.

Political forces in the Kurdish community -- often seen as kingmakers -- are also in disarray after a September vote for independence spectacularly backfired.

The Kurds look set to lose some of their clout on the national stage after Baghdad unleashed a battery of sanctions and seized back disputed oil-rich regions.

Putting on a brave face, the prime minister of autonomous Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, insisted the political process would not succeed "without Kurdish participation".

"No party can form the next government without alliances," he said after voting.A child being transferred to the Aquarius

More than 70 migrants, including three children, were rescued Saturday off the coast of Libya as the Aquarius, chartered by the NGOs SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders came to their aid.

An AFP photographer was aboard the vessel as rescuers hauled at least 73 people to safety, including 12 women, nine youths and three children.

Around half the group were Algerians; the remainder from sub-Saharan Africa

Around half the group -- 37 -- were Algerian with the remainder from sub-Saharan Africa.

German NGO Seefuchs said it had picked 19 other migrants headed for the Sicilian port of Trapani, where they were to be disembarked.

Migrants pulled from the waves take selfies on the Aquarius vessel chartered by two NGOs off Libya

The International Organization for Migration tweeted meanwhile that the Libyan coastguard had picked up a further 241 people, including five children, taking the annual total to 6,400 so far.No caption

Britain got a glimpse Saturday at Queen Elizabeth II's elaborate formal consent for her grandson Prince Harry's marriage to Meghan Markle, a week ahead of the wedding ceremony.

The Instrument of Consent, intricately hand-written on vellum and illuminated with decorations, sets out the monarch's approval for the union, which is required in law.

Harry is sixth in line to the throne and the first six need the sovereign's permission to marry, otherwise they and their descendants are disqualified from inheriting the crown.

Buckingham Palace released pictures of the document, which Queen Elizabeth signed in March. In her Elizabeth R signature at the top, the the R stands for regina, the Latin for queen.

The instrument is written using the "royal we", or majestic plural.

It states: "Now know ye that we have consented and do by these presents signify our consent to the contracting of matrimony between our most dearly beloved grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales KCVO and Rachel Meghan Markle."

KCVO refers to Harry's status as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, which recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch.

The document, which will be presented to the couple after the wedding, is flanked with artwork representing the bride and groom.

To the left, the design incorporates a red dragon -- the heraldic symbol of Wales -- along with the UK's floral emblems: the rose of England, Scotland's thistle and the Irish shamrock.

It also features Harry's label, which includes three tiny red escallops from the Spencer arms of his mother Diana, princess of Wales' family.

The design on the right, for Markle, includes a rose -- the national flower of the United States -- flanked by two golden poppies: the state flower of California, where the former actress was born.

It also bears the Welsh leek, Harry's label and olive branches adopted from the Great Seal of the United States.

The document depicts Harry's coronet and the Commonwealth flag.

Queen Elizabeth is the head of the Commonwealth and last month made Harry her youth ambassador to the 53-country organisation.

The instrument is sealed with the Great Seal of the Realm, used to symbolise the sovereign's approval of important state documents.

- Law to protect dynasty -

The Royal Marriages Act 1772 required descendants of king George II to seek the sovereign's consent before they wed, otherwise their marriages were deemed invalid.

The law was repealed by the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, under which only the first six in line to inherit the throne need the monarch's permission.

The first five are currently Prince Charles, the monarch's eldest son; his eldest son Prince William; his eldest son Prince George; then William's other children Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Harry, Charles's second son, was fifth at the time of his engagement in November. His nephew Louis was born on April 23.

Harry is the first to receive consent under the new law.LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada prison officials got the go-ahead Thursday to execute the state's first death-row inmate in 12 years, after the state Supreme Court ruled that defense lawyers and a rights group used the wrong process to try to stop the lethal injection.

Justices sidestepped the question of whether the state should use a never-before-tried combination of drugs that prison officials drew up for the execution of Scott Raymond Dozier.

The protocol includes a powerful painkiller that is fueling much of the nation's opioid epidemic and a paralyzing drug that could mask any signs of trouble.

FILE - In this Dec. 5, 2017 file photo, Nevada death row inmate Scott Dozier appears for his court hearing via video at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas. The Nevada Supreme Court says the state can go ahead with its first execution of a death row inmate in 12 years. In a blunt and unanimous ruling on Thursday, May 10, 2018, the state's highest court says that federal public defenders and the American Civil Liberties Union used the wrong process to try to stop Dozier's lethal injection. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, File)

The American Civil Liberties Union argued the drug is not legal to use for euthanizing pets in Nevada.

"Although we recognize the importance of this matter, both to Dozier and the citizens of the State of Nevada, the fact that this case has serious implications was all the more reason to follow established rules and procedures," the court said.

The blunt and unanimous order came just two days after the seven justices heard oral arguments in Carson City.

The ruling sends the case back to a state court judge in Las Vegas who blocked the execution last November and orders her to issue a new warrant for Dozier's execution.

Dozier, 47, has been on death row since 2007 for convictions in separate murders in Phoenix and Las Vegas. He has said repeatedly that he wants to be put to death as soon as possible and doesn't care what drugs are used.

However, Dozier allowed federal public defenders David Anthony and Lori Teicher in Las Vegas to challenge the three-drug protocol developed for his execution by the state's top doctor and prison officials.

None of the drugs the state was able to obtain - the sedative diazepam, the painkiller fentanyl and the paralytic cisatracurium - has been used for lethal injections in any executions before. Diazepam is commonly known as Valium. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has been blamed for overdose deaths nationwide.

Many states have struggled in recent years to find drugs that pass constitutional hurdles after pharmaceutical companies and distributors banned their use in executions.

Anthony and Teicher did not immediately respond to telephone and email messages about the court ruling.

Dozier would become the first person put to death in Nevada since 2006, when Daryl Mack asked to die after his conviction in a 1988 rape and murder in Reno.

The high court said Thursday that state Judge Jennifer Togliatti abused her discretion by considering a challenge of execution-protocol in the Dozier case that had not been properly lodged before the court.

Jonathan VanBoskerck, a chief deputy Clark County district attorney who argued the case for prosecutors, said additional legal challenges could still be filed in state or federal courts using different procedural grounds.

ACLU of Nevada Legal Director Amy Rose said she stands by her arguments that it would be unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment to use cisatracurium in Dozier's execution.

Dozier also used the name Chad Wyatt. His death would mark the first lethal injection since a new execution chamber was completed in 2016 at Ely State Prison, 250 miles north of Las Vegas.

____

Associated Press writer Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, contributed to this report.Deputy PM Hue made the statement while receiving Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Pereric Hogberg and Chairman of Comvik International Vietnam AB M.A. Zaman in Hanoi on May 11.

Ambassador Hogberg said the two countries boast fine relations in both partnerships and traditional ties. Sweden was the first Western European nation to set up relations with Vietnam, and the two sides will mark 50 years of their diplomatic ties in 2019.

He added in 2017, bilateral trade surged by a record of 50% from the previous year. Swedish companies have come to and operated in Vietnam for a long time. New firms have also poured new investments into Vietnam, including those in telecommunications  a successful cooperation area between the two countries.

For his part, Zaman said Comvik has had a successfully business partnership with the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), and both share the same target of building the best new internet system in Asia.

Regarding the Vietnamese Governments equitisation of the Vietnam Mobile Telecom Services Company (Mobifone), he said with its existing strength in technology and capital, Comvik is ready to support the Government and take part in this equitisation process.

At the meeting, Deputy PM Hue described the business partnership between Comvik and VNPT as a successful cooperation in Vietnams development as well as the local posts and telecom sector. Compared to in 1990, the telecom infrastructure in the country now is much different, which is partly thanks to the Comvik  VNPT cooperation, especially in providing technical support and improving governance capacity for VNPT and Mobifone.

Welcoming Comviks intention to continue investing in Vietnam and participate in the equitisation of Mobifone, he said the Vietnamese Government has requested the Ministry of Information and Communications and Mobifone to prepare necessary conditions to carry out Mobifones initial public offering (IPO) in 2019. This IPO will attract much interest from foreign investors.

The host also took this occasion to ask Ambassador Hogberg to help attract more Swedish investments into Vietnam, noting that the Vietnamese Government will create the best possible conditions while unceasingly improving the national competitiveness and the business climate to facilitate enterprises operations.LOS ANGELES (AP) - A settlement of $1.9 million was reached Thursday in a civil lawsuit stemming from the fatal police shooting of a homeless black man on Skid Row in Los Angeles three years ago, attorneys said.

A jury earlier in the day found two police officers liable for financial damages in the shooting death of Charly "Africa" Keunang, a transient from Cameroon.

Jurors were set to begin the damages phase of the trial when the settlement was announced. The agreement, which requires City Council approval, resolves all fees, costs and claims and closes any future litigation over Keunang's death, City News Service reported. The settlement will go to Keunang's family if approved.

FILE - In this March 2, 2015, file photo, a pedestrian walks past flowers and candles placed on a sidewalk near where Charly Keunang, a homeless man was shot and killed by police in the Skid Row section of downtown Los Angeles. A jury has found the two Los Angeles police officers liable for damages in the fatal 2015 shooting. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

"There's no amount of money that's going to bring back the loved one," U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. said at the conclusion of the federal civil trial.

The eight-member jury unanimously determined that Officer Francisco Martinez deprived Keunang of his Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable force and that Sgt. Chand Syed breached his duty as a supervisor to intervene during the fatal encounter.

Prosecutors in 2016 declined to file charges against the officers after it was determined the shooting justified because Keunang grabbed a rookie officer's gun during a struggle March 1, 2015.

The Los Angeles Police Department issued a statement saying that it stands by the findings of the LAPD, the city Police Commission and the Los Angeles County district attorney's office that "the uses of force by our officers were consistent with the law and Department policy."

LAPD officers "make every effort to safely take suspects into custody without the use of force," the statement said. "In this situation, force was necessary because of the violent behavior of the suspect."

Officers were responding to reports that Keunang, 43, a Cameroon national, had threatened another man living on the street in the section of the city teeming with homeless people.

Video of the shooting by a bystander was viewed millions of times online and prompted protests in the city and drew comparisons with the deaths of other black men killed by officers in the U.S.

A lawyer representing Keunang's family in the lawsuit disputed that the homeless man ever had hold of an officer's gun.

The Police Commission cleared officers of the shooting, though it found one officer's tactics violated policy. It did not publicly reveal what policy was violated.

Keunang's family sued the city of Los Angeles and four officers, seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages on allegations of wrongful death, negligence and civil rights violations.

The jury cleared a third defendant, Officer Daniel Torres, while former Officer Joshua Volasgis - who was named as a defendant - had been expected to face proceedings in state court, but the settlement effectively ends that case, said Deputy City Attorney Christian R. Bojorquez.JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - A suspected Islamic militant fatally stabbed a police officer at a police detention center near Indonesia's capital before being shot and killed by another officer, police said Friday.

The attack occurred late Thursday at the headquarters of the elite Mobile Brigade police in Depok, on Jakarta's southern outskirts, hours after 155 Islamic militant prisoners who earlier took over the headquarters and killed five officers surrendered to police, said National Police spokesman Setyo Wasisto.

He said the 23-year-old attacker used a hidden knife to stab an officer who was questioning him about why he was near the headquarters.

Police had searched the attacker and found no weapons before he was questioned, "but it turned out he was hiding a knife inside his underwear," Wasisto said. A forensic test showed the knife contained a poison.

He said other officers rushed to help when they heard screams and ordered the attacker to surrender, fired warning shots, and then shot him to death as he attempted to stab a female officer.

Separately on Thursday, the police counter-terrorism squad arrested four suspected militants in Bekasi, just outside Jakarta, after receiving information they planned to attack the Mobile Brigade headquarters to support fellow militants following the clash at the headquarters' prison.

Wasisto said police shot two of the militants who tried to grab a gun and strangle the officers. The two were injured and taken to a hospital.

He said the men were members of Jemaah Anshorut Daulah, a network of about two dozen Indonesian extremist groups formed in 2015 that pledges allegiance to Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The network, which Washington designated a terrorist group last year, has been implicated in a number of attacks in Indonesia over the past year.

Officials in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, have carried out a sustained crackdown on militants since bombings by al-Qaida-affiliated radicals in Bali in 2002 that killed 202 people, mostly foreigners. In recent years the country has faced a new threat as the rise of the Islamic State group in the Middle East invigorated local militant networks.TOKYO (AP) - Japan's prime minister on Friday warned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that Japan will not provide major economic assistance unless the North resolves the issue of Japanese citizens it abducted decades ago.

Shinzo Abe said in a televised interview that Kim should understand that agreements with the United States and South Korea on better relations and denuclearization are not enough to win Japanese aid, and that the abductees must be released.

"The key is for the North Korean leader to decide," Abe told the Fuji Television network. "It is extremely important for North Korea to normalize diplomatic relations with Japan to walk along the right track as part of international society, while accepting its requirements."

Japan says North Korea abducted at least 17 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s to train agents in Japanese culture and language to spy on South Korea. After decades of denial, North Korea in 2002 acknowledged abducting 13 of them and allowed five to visit Japan, where they stayed. The North says eight others died, but Japanese officials and their families say that cannot be trusted.

Abe said he is open to holding talks with Kim only when that would lead to a settlement of the abduction issue. "I will not just sit and talk for nothing," he said. "There is no way we will provide major economic assistance without resolving the abduction issue."

U.S. President Donald Trump is to meet Kim on June 12 in Singapore.

Abe also said international sanctions should remain in place against North Korea and any rewards must wait until Kim fully abandons his nuclear and missile programs. He said past efforts to denuclearize North Korea had failed because of hasty rewards and the same mistakes should not be repeated.

Abe praised Kim for his recent "dynamic" moves, citing his two trips to China in a matter of weeks and his deciding to hold talks with Trump.

___

Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi

Find her work at https://www.apnews.com/search/mari%20yamaguchiNEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Rapper Juelz Santana says he's working on new music while under home confinement after authorities said he tried to bring a gun on a plane at Newark Liberty International Airport.

In federal court on Thursday, his lawyer entered a not guilty plea to charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and carrying a weapon on an aircraft. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted on both counts.

Santana told the Asbury Park Press he's "not a bad guy." He says he's "praying for the best outcome."

FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2008 file photo, Juelz Santana arrives at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors in New York. Santana says he's working on new music while under home confinement after authorities said he tried to bring a gun on a plane at Newark Liberty International Airport. In federal court on Thursday, May 10, 2018, his lawyer entered a not guilty plea to charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and carrying a weapon on an aircraft. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted on both counts. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File)

Authorities say airport security on March 9 found a loaded .38-caliber handgun and non-prescribed oxycodone pills in a carry-on bag containing Santana's identification.

The 36-year-old, whose real name is LaRon James, lives in Totowa, New Jersey.WASHINGTON (AP) - The new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem will open with an initial staff of at least 50.

That's according to senior Trump administration officials previewing the highly anticipated opening on May 14. The embassy is moving from Tel Aviv in line with President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Roughly 800 guests will attend. Officials say the U.S. delegation doesn't plan to meet any Palestinian officials during their visit.

Initial embassy staff will include Ambassador David Friedman's aides and U.S. consular officers already working at the site. The embassy is opening in part of a pre-existing American visa-and-passport facility with a fraction of the total U.S. personnel in Israel.

The officials weren't authorized to be identified by name and briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) - Applebee's is suing a franchise owner in the Kansas City area after the closure of a restaurant where two black women said they were falsely accused of not paying for meals.

The chain argues that the company has suffered "significant brand and reputational damage" from the "controversial and high-profile circumstances of the closure" of the restaurant at the Independence Center Mall and the closures of six other restaurants in Missouri and Kansas, The Kansas City Star reported.

The Independence closure happened in February, after the two women posted a video showing an employee, a police officer and a mall security guard confronting them for "dining and dashing" during a previous visit, which the women denied. The video has been viewed millions of times.

At the time of the Independence restaurant's closure, Applebee's said it didn't "tolerate racism, bigotry or harassment." It's unclear whether the closure was directly related to the February incident because the Independence Center Mall has struggled financially. It got a new owner in February while facing the prospect of a foreclosure sale because its previous owner was unable to pay off a $200 million loan.

Applebee's said in a statement Friday that its lawsuit was "based on a long-standing breach of contract against an individual and is not dependent on a particular incident."

The lawsuit, which seeks $11 million in damages, was filed this month against William Georgas of Greenwich, Connecticut, who is accused of failure to pay rent, advertising fees and royalties. He is identified as a principal shareholder of Apple Central KC LLC and Apple Central LLC, which operated the seven closed locations. The suit said Georgas personally guaranteed obligations of the franchisee businesses, which were not named as defendants in the lawsuit.

Georgas' attorney didn't immediately return a phone message Friday from The Associated Press.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kansas. It alleges that Applebee's didn't approve of the franchise holder's closure of the Independence restaurant or the closure of restaurants in Kansas City and Lee's Summit, Missouri, and in the Kansas cities of Lawrence and Olathe.

The closings "left a trail of vacant buildings throughout the Kansas City area that the general public previously recognized as bustling and active Applebee's restaurants," the lawsuit said.PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) - Kosovo's prime minister says that the European Union's mission on the rule of law will turn into an advisory role next month.

Ramush Haradinaj met Friday with Alexandra Papadopoulou, head of the EU mission known as EULEX, to talk about the end of the mission's role and its further process, saying that after June 15 "the EULEX's mandate will be advisory."

In 2008, when Pristina declared independence from Serbia, the EULEX mission started to support Kosovo on its path to European integration in the judiciary, police and customs. It has a staff of judges, prosecutors and police officers working alongside their local counterparts.

EULEX also supports EU-facilitated talks between Kosovo and Serbia, which doesn't recognize Kosovo's independence, in areas related to rule of law.PARIS (AP) - France urged Europeans to stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump over the Iran nuclear deal and not act as "vassals," as the region scrambles to save the 2015 accord and billions of dollars in trade.

Arguing the nuclear deal wasn't tough enough on Iran, Trump's government is now re-imposing sanctions, and any companies or governments with links to the U.S. face sanctions if they do not comply.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Friday on Europe-1 radio that Europe should not accept that the U.S. is the "world's economic policeman."

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini delivers her speech during the State of the Union conference organized by the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, Friday, May 11, 2018. (Claudio Giovannini/ANSA via AP)

"Do we want to be vassals who obey decisions taken by the United States while clinging to the hem of their trousers?" Le Maire asked. "Or do we want to say we have our economic interests, we consider we will continue to do trade with Iran?"

European governments tried for months to persuade Trump to stick with the deal but failed, and now fear it will raise the risk of conflict in the region. Military tensions between Iran and Israel have already mounted, and oil prices are rising on the uncertainty.

Iran said it may resume uranium enrichment in a higher rate in weeks if it finds nuclear deal will not work anymore after the U.S. pullout from the deal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke Friday and underlined their aim of preserving the deal and peace in the Mideast.

Merkel said Friday the unilateral U.S. withdrawal undermines confidence in the global order, but that it wasn't enough to abandon decades of cross-Atlantic cooperation.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said that Russia and its ex-Soviet allies will sign a free trade pact with Iran. The deal between Iran, Russia and other members of the Moscow-dominated Eurasian Economic Union is set to be signed next week. The grouping includes Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.

The pact's signing had been planned for long time, but the move coincides with the U.S. move to re-impose sanctions against Iran that have rattled U.S. allies.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini insisted that it's not up to the U.S. to determine the deal's future anyway.

"This deal is not a bilateral treaty. It's a UN Security Council Resolution and it belongs to the entire world," said Mogherini, who will chair talks Tuesday with the British, French, German and Iranian foreign ministers in Brussels.

She called for calm on all sides.

"It is exactly when the things don't go well that rationality, calm, predictability, respect, dialogue are the most needed to avoid the worst case scenarios, to avoid conflict to spiral out of control," she said. "It seems that today screaming and shouting, insulting and bullying, systematically destroying and dismantling everything already in place is the mood of our times."

Europe's options, however, are limited.

As a result of the new U.S. sanctions, companies worldwide must stop doing business with Iran or risk U.S. fines or other punishment. The sanctions will not only bar U.S. companies from doing business with Iran, but they also will hurt European and other companies by prohibiting them from using American banks unless they cut links with Iran.

Planemakers Airbus and Boeing, oil companies and auto manufacturers like France's Renault and Peugeot could be among companies hardest hit.

The French finance minister said he pushed U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin this week for three things: exemptions for French companies operating in Iran; or the application of a so-called grandfather clause for deals struck in Iran since 2015; or an extension of the 90-day period to wind down operations in Iran.

However, Le Maire acknowledged he has "no illusions" that he'll get what he asked for.

Facing that reality, Le Maire said the EU should strengthen its own legal arsenal against any such future U.S. threats.

Among things the EU could consider, he said, are reinforcing a 1996 "blocking statute" that could allow companies to ignore sanctions. Another could be an independent financing mechanism allowing European companies to avoid U.S. banks.

Le Maire also proposed creating a European body that would have the same kind of powers that the U.S. Justice Department has to punish foreign companies for their trade practices.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government tried to further pinch Iran's finances by disrupting a currency exchange network allegedly used to transfer millions of dollars to Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

___

Lorne Cook in Brussels, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.KEOKUK, Iowa (AP) - A former Iowa boarding school director convicted of sexually and physically abusing students at the private school he once owned was sentenced to nine years in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender.

District Judge Mark Kruse sentenced Benjamin Trane, 40, on Thursday over his attorney's objections that Trane did not get a fair trial, The Hawk Eye reported . A South Lee County jury convicted Trane in December of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of a child by a counselor and child endangerment.

Trane owned the Midwest Academy in Keokuk, a private, for-profit school that enrolled about 100 students from mostly well-off families across the United States. It closed in 2016 following a federal raid to investigate abuse allegations.

The prison sentence came after defense attorney Alfredo Parrish criticized the judge, the prosecutor and Trane's trial attorney. He argued that the trial attorney, Lisa Schaefer, lacked experience in sex abuse cases and wasn't adequately prepared. He also said Denise Timmins, an assistant Iowa attorney general, was slow to give the defense evidence needed to properly defend Trane.

Kruse disagreed with Parrish's accusations of Schaefer's handling of her trial preparation and courtroom decisions. Trane also repeatedly denied a suggestion to waive his right to a speedy trial to give the defense additional time to prepare, the judge noted.

"The court does not find there was any ineffective assistance of counsel," he said. "I agree, she had little time to prepare her case."

Given a chance to speak during the sentencing hearing, Trane maintained his innocence and said the false accusations have ruined his life.

Kruse said Trane's comments "revictimized the victims" and contributed to his decision to run sentences for the convictions consecutively.

Parrish later filed an appeal with the Iowa Supreme Court asking it to overturn Trane's convictions and give him a new trial. The high court will determine within the new few weeks whether to hear Trane's appeal or send it to the state Court of Appeals for review.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that the appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court was made after the sentencing.

___

Information from: The Hawk Eye, http://www.thehawkeye.comBATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Pornographic films won't be eligible for Louisiana's film tax credit program, under a bill heading to the governor's desk.

Supporters of the measure say the state Department of Economic Development currently doesn't issue the tax credits to projects involving pornography. The legislation by Rep. Mark Abraham, a Lake Charles Republican, will codify that into law.

The Senate gave final passage to the measure with a 31-0 vote Friday. It previously had been approved by lawmakers in the House with a 97-0 vote.

If signed, the new law would take effect July 1.

___

House Bill 312: www.legis.la.govDeputy PM Minh made the statement during talks with Brazilian Foreign Minister Nunes Ferreira on May 12, who is on an official visit to Vietnam from May 12-13.

The officials agreed that the Vietnam-Brazil relationship has recorded positive development across fields, especially in their closer political ties, which was showed through regular visits and meetings by senior leaders and ministry and sector officials.

The economic ties between the two countries have also witnessed significant expansion, with two-way trade in 2017 hit US$3.87 billion, up 12 times in the last decade.

For his part, Brazilian Foreign Minister Nunes affirmed Brazil considers Vietnam as an important partner in Southeast Asia.

He spoke highly Vietnams increasing role and position in the region and the world, as well as his countrys determination to strengthen and expand the friendship and all-around cooperation with Vietnam.

Deputy PM Minh and Brazilian Foreign Minister Nunes underlined the need for the two sides to enhance exchange of visits, especially among senior leaders; promote the effective implementation of the Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technological Cooperation; as well as maintain regular political consultations at deputy foreign minister level.

They agreed to continue implementing signed cooperation agreement, while completing the legal framework for their bilateral cooperation in the fields of diplomacy, defence industry, trade, investment; and fostering connection and direct partnership among their business communities.

The two sides also pledged to closely cooperate and support each other at international organisations and multilateral forums.

The Vietnamese official took the occasion to urge Brazil to soon recognise Vietnams market economy.

The officials witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two countries diplomatic academies, and those between the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Alexandre de Gusmao Foundation of Brazil.AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Two little-known Texas Democrats battling for the right to face formidable Republican Gov. Greg Abbott worked Friday in their lone debate before a primary runoff to prove they support softer immigration policies - despite past records on the issue that worry some on the left.

Former Dallas County Sherriff Lupe Valdez was the state's first Hispanic, openly gay sheriff and grew up picking green beans as the farm worker daughter of immigrants. But she has drawn criticism from Hispanic activists for her handling of immigrants held in Dallas jails during her time in office from 2005 until last year.

Valdez's opponent, Houston businessman Andrew White, says he's in the process of divesting himself from his own border security firm because it sells technology designed to find people hiding in vehicles. White argues that helped save lives by preventing people from suffocating while being smuggled across the border, but critics say he's gotten rich by exploiting immigrants.

Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidates Andrew White, left, and Lupe Valdez, right, shake hands following their debate, Friday, May 11, 2018, in Austin, Texas, ahead of the state's May 22 primary runoff election. Moderator Gromer Jeffers is at center. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas Hispanics tend to favor Democrats and the candidates even took a question that was asked both in English and Spanish while squaring off at an Episcopal church. Valdez answered in Spanish, then translated her own answer. White's response was in English, but then his answer was translated.

But they clashed on immigration.

"Proven executives have tough decisions and there are no perfect solutions," Valdez said of turning over immigrants in her county's jails to federal authorities. She said she was forced to make "imperfect choices."

White, meanwhile, said of his company, "Our technology, I'm proud to say, saves lives on the border."

Both candidates condemned President Donald Trump's support for a border wall and Texas' anti-"sanctuary cities" law, which empowers police to inquire about peoples' immigration status during routine interactions like traffic stops and calls for possible removal of office and jail time for sheriffs and police chiefs who fail to comply. The Trump administration says it's a model for the nation. Abbott also was happy to send National Guard troops to the border on Trump's orders.

Valdez beat White during Texas' March primary but fell short of 50 percent among nine candidates, forcing a May 22 runoff. She has the backing of the Democratic establishment and remains favored despite past high-profile gaffes, like not being able to remember that Texas state lawmakers approved spending about $800 million to secure its border with Mexico.

Valdez looked prepared Friday, declaring early, "Please don't tell me this Latina cannot lead" and drawing applause from the crowd of hundreds on wooden pews. When asked about major newspapers endorsing White and questioning Valdez's sharpness on the issues, she replied, "Maybe the problem is I don't talk newspaper language. I talk people language."

White personally opposes abortion and has run a centrist campaign, hoping to attract both Democrats and Republicans disillusioned by Abbott's efforts to move Texas farther to the right.

At one point Friday, Valdez declared, "Andrew, you implied that women who have had abortions don't respect life" and add when White tried to answer, "You ought to apologize to women."

White eventually responded, "My personal opinions are my personal opinions. And, as governor, I'd trust women to make their own health care decisions."

White is a political novice but his father, Mark, was Texas governor from 1983 to 1987, when the now solidly red state was still controlled by Democrats. Texas hasn't elected a Democrat governor since 1990, and the party hasn't won any statewide office since four years after that - the nation's longest political losing streak.

Both candidates have struggled to raise money, outshined by U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who is giving up his El Paso congressional seat for a high-energy bid to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

The Democratic gubernatorial runoff winner isn't expected to seriously challenge Abbott, who amassed an impressive war chest worth $43-plus million to start the year. He captured his first term in 2014 by clobbering state Sen. Wendy Davis by 20 points despite her campaign attracting national attention - and racking up its own monster fundraising.

"Yes, this is an uphill battle," Valdez acknowledged. "But we're getting close to the top of that hill."

Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidates Andrew White, left, and Lupe Valdez, right, take part in a debate, Friday, May 11, 2018, in Austin, Texas, ahead of the state's May 22 primary runoff election. Moderator Gromer Jeffers is at center. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidates Andrew White, left, and Lupe Valdez, right, walk off of the stage following a debate, Friday, May 11, 2018, in Austin, Texas, ahead of the state's May 22 primary runoff election. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - To his supporters, South Korean President Moon Jae-in is a master negotiator who's fixing decades of bad nuclear diplomacy with North Korea. To his critics, he's falling prey to the same old trap that has claimed previous South Korean presidents - but with an important difference: This time the stakes are much higher.

Whoever's right, it's hard to ignore Moon's role as the architect behind a new global push to settle the nuclear standoff with the North. The outcome of his efforts may hinge on a meeting in Singapore next month between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, who spent months contemplating military strikes against the North before Moon steered him to the table.

Moon, a soft-spoken liberal, hosted Kim in a summit last month that saw them stride hand-in-hand across the border and pledge the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula, an ambitious declaration that was light on specifics.

FILE - In this April 27, 2018, file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in raise their hands after signing a joint statement at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone. Moon has stepped into the spotlight as he drives a new global push to settle the nuclear standoff with Pyongyang. (Korea Summit Press Pool via AP, File)

Moon doesn't have the power to resolve North Korea's weapons programs on his own. But in hustling between Pyongyang and Washington to set up the Kim-Trump summit and offering to broker other meetings with Pyongyang, Moon is fulfilling his promise to push South Korea into the driver's seat in diplomacy with the North.

"South Korea has never had a leader like Moon, who actively embraced a leading role in planning and coordinating a global approach to the North," said Hong Min, a senior analyst at Seoul's Korea Institute for National Unification. "He managed to convince Washington that Pyongyang would change course after a year of brinkmanship. He convinced Pyongyang he would be able to move Washington."

Despite the dangers - a derailed Trump-Kim summit might revive the animosity that enveloped the peninsula last year - Moon's push has proven wildly popular: A Gallup Korea poll last week measured his approval rating at 83 percent, a striking number in a country deeply divided along ideological and generational lines.

___

PULLING THE STRINGS

Moon's central presence could be seen Wednesday in a three-way meeting in Tokyo when he got Japan's prime minister and China's premier to issue a joint statement in support of the inter-Korean declaration, which he's looking to sell as a meaningful breakthrough that could create a positive atmosphere for the Kim-Trump meeting.

The recent flurry of diplomatic activity was almost unimaginable for most of last year, when the North ripped off a torrid run of weapons tests, including an underground detonation of a purported thermonuclear warhead and three separate tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles with a range that could strike the continental United States. Kim and Trump exchanged insults and threats of nuclear annihilation, drowning out Moon's repeated calls for diplomacy.

The dynamics shifted after Kim used his New Year's speech to propose talks with the South to reduce animosity. The North then sent hundreds of people to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the South, including Kim's sister, who conveyed her brother's desire for a summit with Moon. Moon later brokered the meeting between Kim and Trump.

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FINDING HIS SPACE

Moon, the son of North Korean war refugees, has vowed to build on the legacies of late liberal Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun and their so-called "Sunshine Policy," which Moon had a hand in building. Seoul's economic inducements resulted in a temporary rapprochement and two summits with the North in 2000 and 2007 that involved Kim Jong Un's late father, Kim Jong Il. Critics say it gave the North a lifeline as it pursued its nuclear dreams.

Moon says the decade of hard-line conservative policies he ended when elected last year did nothing to stop Pyongyang's weapons advancements. He has balanced his criticism of the North's nuclear program with hints of ambitious economic promises in exchange for a "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization."

While Moon is in a significantly tougher spot than his liberal predecessors, who governed when the North's nuclear threat was nascent, he also has more time - four more years in his term - and political space to assert his voice.

Kim Dae-jung's engagement with North Korea was often a source of discord with the hard-line administration of former President George W. Bush. Disagreements between Washington and Seoul continued during Roh's government, and the Koreas were never able to build on Roh's last-minute summit with Kim Jong Il in 2007.

For all their differences in personality, Moon has been able to maintain a coordinated approach with Trump on North Korea. Moon has so far stayed firm on sanctions, and he offered vocal support to Trump's pressure campaign last year during the North's weapons tests. While reaching out to the North in past months, Moon has credited Trump at every step, even suggesting that he take the Nobel Peace Prize if there's peace in Korea.

"It's not a bad way to approach the North - Moon playing the good cop to Trump's bad cop," said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University.

___

WILL KIM DENUKE?

There are doubts about whether Kim will ever agree to fully relinquish the nukes he likely sees as his only guarantee of survival.

Moon has maintained that Kim is genuinely interested in dealing away his nuclear weapons in return for economic benefits. But North Korea for decades has been pushing a concept of "denuclearization" that bears no resemblance to the American definition. The North vows to pursue nuclear development unless Washington removes its troops from the South and the nuclear umbrella defending South Korea and Japan.

Moon may face credibility problems if it becomes clear that Kim won't give up his nukes easily. Seoul could also be pushed aside if Washington chooses to deal more directly with China, the North's only major ally and economic lifeline. Moon has been upstaged by separate summits between Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which were seen as strengthening the positions of both countries ahead of the Kim-Trump talks.

The focus may now shift from Moon to Kim, who some believe may want to drag out negotiations until Trump is replaced by a U.S. president seen as less willing to ponder the use of military force against the North at the risk of triggering war.

Another scenario has Kim seeking a deal where he gives away his ICBMs but retains some of his shorter-range arsenal in return for a reduced U.S. military presence in the South. This could satisfy Trump but undermine the alliance between Washington and Seoul.

___

Follow Kim Tong-hyung on Twitter at @KimTongHyung

FILE - In this May 9, 2018, file photo, South Korean President Moon Jae-in attends their trilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at Akasaka Palace state guesthouse in Tokyo. Moon has stepped into the spotlight as he drives a new global push to settle the nuclear standoff with Pyongyang. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - In this July 29, 2017, file photo, people watch a TV news program showing an image of North Korea's latest test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has stepped into the spotlight as he drives a new global push to settle the nuclear standoff with Pyongyang.The signs read "North Korea launched an ICBM missile at 11:41 p.m. last night." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

FILE - In this May 9, 2018, file photo, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, left, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in pose for photographers prior to their summit in Tokyo. Moon has stepped into the spotlight as he drives a new global push to settle the nuclear standoff with Pyongyang. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool, File)

FILE -- In this June 14, 2000, file photo, then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, left, and then North Korean leader Kim Jong Il raise their arms together before signing a joint declaration during a summit in Pyongyang, North Korea. Current South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the son of North Korean war refugees, has vowed to build on the legacies of late liberal Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun and their so-called "Sunshine Policy," which Moon had a hand in building. (Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2007, file photo, then South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, left, holds hands with then North Korean leader Kim Jong Il after exchanging a joint declaration documents in Pyongyang, North Korea. Current South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the son of North Korean war refugees, has vowed to build on the legacies of late liberal Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun and their so-called "Sunshine Policy," which Moon had a hand in building. (Pool Photo via AP, File)OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed a bill Friday evening that would have permitted the state to continue sending juvenile offenders to prison with no chance for parole.

The veto came despite support for the bill from the state's district attorneys.

Fallin vetoed the bill that would have removed the jury from its role in sentencing offenders younger than 18 and put the responsibility solely in the hands of a judge. Oklahoma prosecutors argued it should remain an option for certain young offenders.

Many states across the country are eliminating no-parole sentences for crimes committed before an offender turns 18 after the U.S. Supreme Court said such sentences should be reserved for the "rarest of juvenile offenders."

In vetoing the legislation, Fallin said in her veto message to lawmakers that the bill, in her opinion, still violates the high court ruling and a similar subsequent ruling by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.

Oklahoma has at least 41 inmates serving no-parole sentences for crimes committed when they were 17 or younger.

Now in her final year in office, Fallin has increasingly made reducing the state's prison population a top priority and pushed for changes to the state's harsh sentencing laws that have pushed Oklahoma to the second-highest incarceration rate in the country, behind only Louisiana.

Before the Supreme Court ruling on no-parole sentences for juveniles in 2012, five states banned such sentences. There are now 20 states and the District of Columbia that prohibit them, including neighboring Texas, Arkansas, Kansas and Colorado.KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - The Latest on Malaysia's former Prime Minister Najib Razak (all times local):

3:30 p.m.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak says he's resigning as head of his Malay party to take responsibility for the electoral defeat that ended his coalition's 60-year grip on power.

In this Friday, May 11, 2018, photo, Malaysia's former Prime Minister Najib Razak attends an event of the United Malays National Organization's 72nd anniversary in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Najib says he will take a short holiday to spend time with his family after a shocking electoral defeat that ended the 60-year rule of his coalition. A leaked flight manifesto shows Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor are due to leave on a private jet on Saturday, May 12, 2018 to Jakarta, fueling rumors he was fleeing the country to escape possible prosecution over a massive corruption scandal involving the 1MDB state fund. (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf)

A scandal-plagued Najib, who has been barred from leaving the country earlier Saturday, told a news conference that he will step down with immediate effect as president of the United Malays National Organization as well as chairman of the National Front coalition. He says his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will take over as president of UMNO, a party that dominates the coalition.

The announcement followed strong calls from the party for the 64-year-old Najib to step down over the disastrous loss in Wednesday's elections.

The National Front obtained only 79 of the 222 parliamentary seats, losing power to a four-party opposition alliance headed by veteran politician Mahathir Mohamad.

___

12 p.m.

Malaysia's Immigration Department says former Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife are not allowed to leave the country.

Najib, whose coalition was ousted in Wednesday's general elections after 60 years in power, earlier said he planned to take a short break to spend time with his family. His holiday plans fueled rumors he was fleeing the country to escape possible prosecution over a massive corruption scandal but Najib denied this.

The Immigration Department, which earlier denied that Najib and his wife were barred from leaving, says in a brief statement Saturday the duo have "just been blacklisted from leaving the country."

___

9:55 a.m.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak says he will take a short holiday to spend time with his family after a shocking electoral defeat that ended the 60-year rule of his coalition.

A leaked flight manifesto shows Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor are due to leave on a private jet on Saturday to Jakarta, fueling rumors he was fleeing the country to escape possible prosecution over a massive corruption scandal involving the 1MDB state fund.

Najib has denied this.

In a statement Saturday posted on social media, Najib says he's committed to facilitating a smooth transfer of power and called for unity after the divisive polls.

His holiday plans come as calls emerged from his ruling Malay party for Najib to step down over the election results.VOLCANO, Hawaii (AP) - Hawaii's Kilauea volcano spawned a new lava fissure Saturday, emitting minor lava spatter less than a mile from a geothermal energy plant.

The U.S. Geological Survey said 16 fissures have now opened up on the Big Island. The latest arose around 6:45 a.m. about 1 mile (1.6 kilometer) northeast of the last fissure in the Leilani Estates neighborhood.

Scientists said the lava flow forming in the crack has been minor, but that could always change.

In this Friday, May 11, 2018 photo released by the U.S. Geological Survey, an ash plume rises from the Overlook Vent in Halema'uma'u crater of the Kilauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. Geologists warn that the volcano could shoot out large boulders and ash out of its summit crater. (U.S. Geological Survey via AP)

"The fissure itself is small," said USGS scientist Janet Babb. "As it was described to me, it is so small it could hardly be called a fissure."

Babb said the fissure is about eight-tenths of a mile east of the Puna Geothermal Venture plant.

As a precaution, plant workers this week removed 50,000 gallons of pentane stored at the site.

Geologists warn that Kilauea could shoot out large boulders and ash out of its summit crater. But scientists concurred that Hawaii is safe for visitors.

Hawaii tourism officials are hoping Kilauea's eruption won't deter travelers from visiting the state's largest island, even as geologists warn the volcano could soon shoot large boulders out of its summit.

Travel industry executives note most of the Big Island is free of eruption threats from Kilauea, which began spurting lava into a residential neighborhood last week.

President Donald Trump on Friday declared a major disaster exists on the Big Island. The move will make federal financial assistance available to state and local governments as they repair roads, public parks, schools and water pipes damaged by the eruption.

Ken Gadd, a first-time visitor from Dayton, Ohio, takes pictures of the entrance to Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, Friday, May 11, 2018. The park is closed due to the threat of an explosive volcanic eruption. Warnings that Hawaii's Kilauea volcano could shoot boulders and ash out of its summit crater are prompting people to rethink their plans to visit the Big Island. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Hannique Ruder, a 65-year-old resident living in the Leilani Estates subdivision, stands on the mound of hardened lava Friday, May 11, 2018, near Pahoa, Hawaii. Kilauea has destroyed more than 35 structures since it began releasing lava from vents about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the summit crater. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Hannique Ruder, a 65-year-old resident living in the Leilani Estates subdivision, walks past the mound of hardened lava while surveying the neighborhood Friday, May 11, 2018, near Pahoa, Hawaii. Kilauea has destroyed more than 35 structures since it began releasing lava from vents about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the summit crater. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Toxic gases rise from cracks in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii, Friday, May 11, 2018. Kilauea has destroyed more than 35 structures since it began releasing lava from vents about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the summit crater. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Center lane lines are partially visible along the lava-covered road in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii, Friday, May 11, 2018. Kilauea has destroyed more than 35 structures since it began releasing lava from vents about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the summit crater. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A stop sign is visible through toxic gases rising from cracks in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii, Friday, May 11, 2018. Kilauea has destroyed more than 35 structures since it began releasing lava from vents about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the summit crater. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Two cracks run across the road in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii, Friday, May 11, 2018. Kilauea has destroyed more than 35 structures since it began releasing lava from vents about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the summit crater. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A home destroyed the recent lava flow is seen in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii, Friday, May 11, 2018. Kilauea has destroyed more than 35 structures since it began releasing lava from vents about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the summit crater. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Hannique Ruder, a 65-year-old resident living in the Leilani Estates subdivision, walks past the mound of hardened lava while surveying the neighborhood Friday, May 11, 2018, near Pahoa, Hawaii. Kilauea has destroyed more than 35 structures since it began releasing lava from vents about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the summit crater. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Toxic gases rise from cracks in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii, Friday, May 11, 2018. Kilauea has destroyed more than 35 structures since it began releasing lava from vents about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the summit crater. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Toxic gases rise from cracks in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii, Friday, May 11, 2018. Kilauea has destroyed more than 35 structures since it began releasing lava from vents about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the summit crater. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Steve Clapper, a resident living in the Leilani Estates subdivision, takes pictures of cracks on the street as gases continue to rise from fissures Friday, May 11, 2018, near Pahoa, Hawaii. Kilauea has destroyed more than 35 structures since it began releasing lava from vents about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the summit crater. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Center lane lines are partially visible along the lava-covered road in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii, Friday, May 11, 2018. Kilauea has destroyed more than 35 structures since it began releasing lava from vents about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the summit crater. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Steam and gas rise from Kilauea's summit crater in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, Thursday, May 10, 2018. The park is closing Friday due to the threat of an explosive volcanic eruption. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Visitors are reflected in the window of the Jaggar Museum as they view Kilauea's summit crater in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, Thursday, May 10, 2018. The park is closing Friday due to the threat of an explosive volcanic eruption. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Steam and gas rise along the edge of Kilauea's summit crater in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, Thursday, May 10, 2018. The park is closing Friday due to the threat of an explosive volcanic eruption. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Visitors view Kilauea's summit crater outside the Jaggar Museum in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, Thursday, May 10, 2018. The park is closing Friday due to the threat of an explosive volcanic eruption. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

People visits the Jaggar Museum located near Kilauea's summit crater in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, Thursday, May 10, 2018. The park is closing Friday due to the threat of an explosive volcanic eruption. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - New Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Saturday appointed an ethnic Chinese as finance minister, the first ethnic minority to hold the powerful post in 44 years.

In addition to naming Lim Guan Eng, a former state chief minister, as finance minister, Mahathir also named former Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as home affairs minister and Mohamad Sabu as defense minister.

The three are leaders of the four parties in Mahathir's alliance, which scored a stunning election victory Wednesday by ousting the coalition that had ruled Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957. It was a remarkable comeback for Mahathir, who was prime minister for 22 years until 2003 and is now the world's oldest leader at 92.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, center, waves next to newly appointed Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, left, after a press conference to announce his cabinet members in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Mahathir has appointed the ethnic Chinese as finance minister, the first ethnic minority to hold the powerful post in 44 years. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

The finance minister has been an ethnic Muslim Malay since 1974 and the appointment of Lim, a chartered accountant who led the wealthy northern state of Penang since 2008, reflects reforms pledged by Mahathir's alliance to heal racial divisions in the country blamed on decades-old preferential policies.

"I don't consider myself as a Chinese, I am a Malaysian. I will ensure that the interests of all Malaysians are protected," Lim, 57, said at a news conference.

Mahathir said his Cabinet would have 25 members and that he would name the remaining members this coming week. His deputy is Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the country's first female deputy prime minister and head of another party in the pact.

Mahathir also said a special five-member council would be set up to advise the government on economic and financial matters. The council will include Hong Kong-based tycoon Robert Kuok, Malaysia's richest man, he said.

Mahathir also said he had instructed the immigration department to blacklist scandal-ridden former Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife from leaving the country. Najib said on social media earlier Saturday that he was planning to take a short vacation, but denied he was fleeing.

Mahathir said there was sufficient evidence for an investigation into Najib, in reference to a massive corruption scandal involving the 1MDB state fund that Najib set up and is being investigated in the United States and other countries. U.S. investigators say Najib's associates stole and looted $4.5 billion from the fund, but Najib denies any wrongdoing.

Newly appointed Malaysian Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng speaks during a press conference in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Malaysia's new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has appointed the ethnic Chinese as finance minister, the first ethnic minority to hold the powerful post in 44 years. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad reacts to the reporters as he arrives for a press conference to announce his cabinet members in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Mahathir has appointed an ethnic Chinese as finance minister, the first ethnic minority to hold the powerful post in 44 years. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, front right, speaks next to newly appointed Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, front left, after a press conference to announce his cabinet members in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Mahathir has appointed the ethnic Chinese as finance minister, the first ethnic minority to hold the powerful post in 44 years. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq saw a record low turnout on Saturday in its first elections since the collapse of the Islamic State group, pointing to widespread dissatisfaction with the direction of the country under Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and presaging a long period of deal-making as politicians squabble over posts in a new government.

There were no bombings at any polling stations - a first since the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003.

Al-Abadi called it a "historic day, spent peacefully by all Iraqis."

Displaced men from Mosul wait in a queue before casting their ballot in the parliamentary elections at a polling site in a camp for displaced people in Baharka, Iraq, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Polls opened across Iraq on Saturday in the first national election since the declaration of victory over the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

Riyadh al-Badran, a member on Iraq's national elections commission, said turnout was 44 percent. No election since 2003 saw turnout below 60 percent. More than ten million Iraqis voted.

With no clear front-runner, it could take months for a new Parliament to form a government name a prime minister seen as suitable to the country's rival Shiite political currents, who have adopted diverging positions on Iran.

The low turnout could open the door to Sunni-led and Kurdish electoral lists to play an outsized role in the negotiations, as well. Iraq's population is predominantly Shiite.

Results are expected within 48 hours according to the electoral commission.

Despite presiding over Iraq's war on the Islamic State group, al-Abadi was opposed by other Shiite leaders who eclipsed him in charisma and popularity. In his first term, Al-Abadi courted both U.S. and Iranian support in the war on IS.

His chief rivals were former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Hadi al-Amiri, who heads the powerful, Iran-backed Badr Organization militia, which participated in the war on IS. Al-Abadi was also opposed by the influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a staunch nationalist who has railed against U.S. and Iranian influence in Iraqi politics.

Iraq is beset by chronic corruption, a sputtering economy, and failing public services.

"The candidates have not done anything for the people," said Ramadan Mohsen, 50, who said he cast a blank vote in Baghdad's distressed Sadr City slums.

Millions of others decided to abstain altogether.

"I am certain these elections are a failure," said Abdelghani Awni, who was at a central Baghdad polling station as an observer. He did not vote. "Forget about change, from the perspective of the economy, of services - forget about it."

Iraq's most senior Shiite cleric spoke out on the issue of voter participation Saturday afternoon, encouraging Iraqis to vote "to prevent the arrival of a corrupt parliament."

"The lack of participation will give the opportunity for others to reach parliament and they will be very far from the aspirations of the people," said Sheikh Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalai, the representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on local Iraqi television from Karbala. Sistani has encouraged Iraqis to vote into power Saturday a new political class to combat corruption.

For those who did attempt to vote, some in Baghdad complained of voting irregularities at polling stations linked to a new electronic voting system implemented for the first time this year in an effort to reduce fraud.

Former Prime Minister al-Maliki said he was aware of "violations" at some polling stations in Iraq and complained the process lacked proper oversight.

"We are not reassured," al-Maliki told the Associated Press in a phone interview.

Thamer Aref, 45, along with his wife and daughter were turned away from a polling station north of central Baghdad.

Aref had turned in his old voter ID card months ago for the biometric identification card required by the new system. However, Aref's biometric card wasn't ready ahead of Saturday and, with neither card, the polling station did not allow him to a cast a ballot.

"I lost my right to vote," he said.

Associated Press journalists documented several similar cases at a number of different polling stations across Baghdad Saturday morning.

Amira Muhammed, the supervisor of a polling station in Azamiyah, Baghdad, said some people couldn't vote because they did not pick up their new biometric ID cards in time.

"The problem is not with us," she said.

A member of Iraq's electoral commission deflected blame for Saturday's reported irregularities.

"There were some problems with the electronic equipment due to misuse by some employees," Hazem al-Ridini told the AP.

In central Baghdad, voters supporting al-Abadi said they are doing so because they give him credit for Iraq's military victory over IS.

Al-Abadi "took revenge" for civilians killed in insurgent attacks in Iraq "with the victory over Daesh," said 71-year-old Felihah Hassan, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

After IS overran nearly a third of Iraq in the summer of 2014, the group launched waves of suicide bombings targeting civilians in Baghdad and other pockets of government-controlled territory.

With support from the U.S.-led coalition and Iran, al-Abadi oversaw a grueling war against the extremists and declared victory over the group in December.

Despite al-Abadi's military achievements, Iraq continues to struggle with an economic downturn sparked in part by a drop in global oil prices, entrenched corruption and years of political gridlock.

In addition to al-Maliki, al-Abadi's most powerful competition is from an alliance of candidates with close ties to the country's powerful, mostly Shiite paramilitary forces, and an alliance led by influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Jassim Mohsen, 58, who fought against IS with the paramilitary forces, said he was casting his vote for al-Amiri's list, citing the sacrifices of the country's predominantly Shiite militias in the war on IS.

"I elected the Fatah list because they are the only ones who fought Daesh and gave blood," he said.

Some Sunnis voting Saturday said they are hopeful this election will help Iraq move beyond sectarian politics and become more inclusive.

Marginalization of Iraq's Sunnis under al-Maliki is seen as a factor that allowed IS to rise in power in Iraq. Al-Abadi has led a more cross-sectarian government marked by his ability to balance the interests of his two allies often at odds: the U.S. and Iran.

The war left more than 2 million Iraqis, mostly Sunnis, displaced from their homes, with cities, towns and villages suffering heavy destruction. Repairing infrastructure across Anbar and Nineveh provinces, both majority Sunni areas, will cost tens of billions of dollars.

Abdulrazaq Kubi and his wife Suheila Mahdi, both Sunnis from Baghdad, said they would not be voting for al-Abadi, casting their votes instead for a Sunni-led political alliance.

"The victory is not 100 percent, there is still Daesh here," said Mahdi. The government "is neglecting the refugees because they are Sunni. They left them in the camps, in the winter it floods, in the summers, they go hungry," she added.

There were 329 parliament seats at stake, with nearly 7,000 candidates from dozens of political alliances.

Iraq's constitution allows lawmakers more than three months after the ratification of the election results to form a government. But many expect the process to drag on for much longer if there is no clear winner, as dozens of political parties attempt to cobble together a political bloc large enough to hold a majority of seats in parliament.

___

Associated Press writers Balint Szlanko and Salar Salim in Mosul, Iraq, contributed to this report.

A volunteer points out the place where a displaced woman from Sinjar can cast her vote in the parliamentary elections, at a polling site in a camp for displaced people outside Irbil, Iraq, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Polls opened across Iraq on Saturday in the first national election since the declaration of victory over the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

An Iraqi woman prepares to cast her vote in the country's parliamentary elections in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Polls opened across Iraq on Saturday in the first national election since the declaration of victory over the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Women leave a ballot station after casting their votes in the country's parliamentary elections in Ramadi, Iraq, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Polls opened across Iraq on Saturday in the first national election since the declaration of victory over the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

A volunteer stands at the entrance of a polling station underneath a sign that reads "station number 2" in a camp for displaced people outside Irbil, Iraq, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Polls opened across Iraq on Saturday in the first national election since the declaration of victory over the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

Iraqis wait in a long line to cast their vote in the country's parliamentary elections at a polling site in a battle-damaged building in west Mosul, Iraq, Saturday, May 12, 2018. This is the first parliamentary election since the Islamic State group was driven from the city.(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

An Iraqi woman shows her ink-stained finger after casting her vote in the country's parliamentary elections in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Polls opened across Iraq on Saturday in the first national election since the declaration of victory over the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Empty voting booths wait for voters in Iraq's parliamentary elections at a polling site in the shadow of the Nebi Younis shrine, destroyed by Islamic State militants during their three-year reign in Mosul, Iraq, Saturday, May 12, 2018. This is the first parliamentary election since the militant group was ousted from the city.(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

An Iraqi elderly man searches for his name before casting his ballot in the country's parliamentary elections in Ramadi, Iraq, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Polls opened across Iraq on Saturday in the first national election since the declaration of victory over the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Campaign posters for parliamentary elections are displayed near destroyed buildings from fighting between Iraqi forces and the Islamic State group in Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

An Iraqi elderly woman is helped by her son as she prepares to casts her ballot in the country's parliamentary elections in Ramadi, Iraq, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Polls opened across Iraq on Saturday in the first national election since the declaration of victory over the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)LISBON, Portugal (AP) - Netta Barzilai is sassy, she's fun and she can sing - and now the Israeli has won the Eurovision Song Contest with a catchy techno dance tune about women's empowerment.

The 25-year-old pre-competition favorite beat out competition from 42 other countries' performers Saturday to claim the music extravaganza's annual crown at the Grand Final with her song "Toy."

There was a strong field of contestants at this year's event in Lisbon, Portugal, which was watched by an estimated 200 million people. The votes coming in live from the capitals of participating countries delivered a tense finale, with Israel gripped in a tight, five-way race with Cyprus, Austria, Sweden and Germany.

Netta from Israel celebrates after winning the Eurovision song contest in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Barzilai eventually racked up 529 points, compared with 436 for runner-up Cyprus with "Fuego" by Eleni Foureira, and 342 for third-place Austria with Cesar Sampson's "Nobody But You."

The contest largely shed its traditional hallmarks of glitz and glitter in favor of a more restrained and tasteful tone in Lisbon, which was hosting the event because it won last year with Salvador Sobral's sober and subdued ballad "Amar pelos Dois."

Sobral last week criticized "Toy" as "horrible music," insisting the focus should be on the music and not the spectacle.

But Barzilai, with her Asian-themed show in red and yellow and her dancers doing funky chicken moves, was unrepentant.

"I'm happy people chose something different. It's refreshing," she said. "I believe authenticity (shows) through."

Her win - Israel's fourth and first since 1998 - means her country hosts next year's Eurovision Song Contest.

"Next time in Jersualem!" Barzilai shouted to the audience as she picked up her award.

The international contest began as a competition between European countries, but its huge popularity has led to the inclusion of Israel and Australia among the performers.

Barzilai, known more usually as Netta, has a witty and endearing personality. Before the Grand Final, her song had already racked up more than 20 million views on Eurovision's YouTube channel.

In "Toy," Netta makes funny noises, including a clucking sound like a chicken and barely decipherable words, and uses a looping machine and synthesizer.

The lyrics say, "I'm not your toy, You stupid boy, I'll take you down."

Portugal came last, with 39 points.

Fans caught their breath when a protester ran onto the stage and snatched away the microphone of the United Kingdom's contestant SuRie.

The man got hold of the microphone but was quickly tackled by security and taken away while SuRie stood by. The British singer kept her composure and picked up her song where she left off.

Previous editions of the annual event have also witnessed protesters getting onto the stage.

The event is organized by the European Broadcasting Union, an alliance of public service broadcasters. In each participating country, a jury and viewers award between one and a maximum 12 points to their favorite songs. Those votes are combined to give each country a single score.

Past winners have rarely become household names, but they include Swedish pop group ABBA and Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias.

Netta from Israel, center, reacts as votes are announced during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Netta from Israel performs the song 'Toy' in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Netta from Israel reacts as she wins the Eurovision Song Contest grand final in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Netta from Israel celebrates after winning the Eurovision song contest in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Netta from Israel, right, receives the trophy by Salvador Sobral after winning the Eurovision song contest in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Elina Nechayeva from Estonia performs the song 'La Forza' in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

A man takes the microphone of SuRie from Great Britain, right, as a security staff approaches in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Cesar Sampson from Austria performs the song 'Nobody But You' in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Cesar Sampson from Austria performs the song 'Nobody But You' in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Benjamin Ingrosso from Sweden celebrates when a voting is announced in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Benjamin Ingrosso from Sweden celebrates when a voting is announced in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Russia's Polina Bogusevich, who won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2017, smiles in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Amaia and Alfred from Spain drink champagne in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Melovin from Ukraine takes a selfie in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Netta from Israel celebrates after winning the Eurovision song contest in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Netta from Israel celebrates after winning the Eurovision Song Contest grand final in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Cesar Sampson from Austria performs the song 'Nobody But You' in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Netta from Israel reacts as she wins the Eurovision Song Contest grand final in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Netta from Israel celebrates after winning the Eurovision song contest in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018 during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

SuRie from Great Britain, right, reacts as votes are announced during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Eleni Foureira from Cyprus, bottom left, reacts as votes are announced during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Netta from Israel, second right, celebrates after winning the Eurovision Song Contest grand final in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Netta from Israel celebrates after winning the Eurovision Song Contest grand final in Lisbon, Portugal, Saturday, May 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)The Rencontres du Vietnam Association founded in 1993

From the successes of Rencontres de Moriond (1966) and Rencontres de Blois (1989), in 1993, Prof. Tran Thanh Van, Chairman of two aforementioned scientific organisations, founded the Rencontres du Vietnam Scientific Association to support Vietnam in the field of science and education. One of the main targets of the association is to contribute to the education and training of Vietnam's future generations.

Over the past 25 years, the Rencontres du Vietnam has organised a series of 13 international scientific conferences, with Rencontres du Vietnam acting as a bridge for Vietnam and the international community to meet and exchange. In addition to the top international scientific conferences, the Rencontres du Vietnam Association offers student courses, public talks, online exchanges, and exchange meetings with Nobel laureates and outstanding students.

International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) inaugurated in Binh Dinh in 2013

One of the most prominent events in 2013 was the inauguration of the International Center of Science and Interdisciplinary Education (ICISE) in Binh Dinh, which has become a destination for scientists. That year, the Windows on the Universe conference in the ninth Rencontres du Vietnam was attended by five Nobel Prize-winning professors, one Fields-winning professor, and many other distinguished scientists.

The ICISE has organized 40 international science conferences and 16 thematic schools with the participation of more than 3,500 international scientists, including 12 Nobel laureates, two Fields winners, two Kavli-winning professors, one Shaw-winning professor, one Kalinga (ONU) and Cino del Duca (French Academy of Sciences) winner, and many other well-known scientists.

Rencontres du Vietnam 2018 attracts 1,500 scientists

The 14th Rencontres du Vietnam 2018 hosted 12 international symposiums and six specialised thematic classes with the participation of more than 1,500 domestic and international scientists, including five Nobel laureates and other distinguished scientists.

A highlight of this years programme was the international workshop Science for Development held from May 9 to 10. The workshop was sponsored by Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, French President Emmanuel Macron and UNESCO. The workshop brought together two Nobel laureates and many world-renowned scientists. In addition, the International Science Conference Windows on the Universe will be held from August 6 to 11. The seminar will be attended by two Nobel laureates and many other distinguished scientists.

Under the framework of the 14th Rencontres du Vietnam, the Rencontres du Vietnam Association will organise an exchange meeting between Nobel winners, distinguished scientists with students and the science lovers in Quy Nhon, Hue, Da Lat, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Contributions to education in Vietnam

Over the past 25 years, Rencontres du Vietnam has supported scholarships for the Hanoi University of Science under the Vietnam National University in Hanoi. A large number of students are enrolled at the Ecole Polytechnique, a French public institution of higher education and research. The programme has also connected with Brown University (through Prof. Chung I Tan) to support some students who have travelled to the US to complete their theses on their path to graduation.

Young Doctor Le Trung Quan, who received support from the Rencontres du Vietnam Association in France, is working in Vietnam.

From 1993 to now, the Rencontres du Vietnam Association has sponsored more than 35 international classes in theoretical physics, astronomy, mathematics, applied mathematics, and medicine to train high-quality human resources in these areas for Vietnam. The association helps young students and researchers to meet and study with top professors and seek opportunities to study abroad. The association also mobilised the Institute of Physics to help the Faculty of Physics under the Quy Nhon University in building teams and improving their professional capacity and scientific research.

Training high quality engineer

The Rencontres du Vietnam Association has coordinated with the Institut National des Sciences Appliquees (INSA) (French National Institute of Applied Sciences) to train high quality engineers and help link the training between the University of Education - Hue University and the INSA. From 2009 to present, the association in conjunction with INSA Center Val de Loire, Blois offered seven courses for Vietnamese students. The association also extends cooperation with INSA Toulouse to receive students from the 2016-2017 school year.

Vallet Scholarship

Since 2000, with the founding of the Rencontres du Vietnam - Vallet Scholarship Fund, with the participation of the Vallet Foundation (France), the Rencontres du Vietnam Association has donated more than 22,000 scholarships worth an estimated VND 270 billion. Each year, the association offers VND25 billion to students nationwide. Meanwhile, the association also grants about 15 scholarships (worth EUR 6,000 each) to Vietnamese students who have good academic achievements in France.

Implementing hands-on ( La main a la pate ) method

In 2000, the association co-ordinated with French professors and local education foundations to train more than 1,500 teachers in the hands-on ( La main a la pate ) method of science. The method focuses on developing children's cognitive ability in the most scientific way, helping children to find answers to their childhood questions by putting them in real-life situations, from which they can discover the essence of problem.

Since 2011, the association has coordinated with the Department of Primary Education and Department of Secondary Education, under the Ministry of Education and Training, to implement training in this method to all localities nationwide. The association also supports the deployment of the Experimental Centre of hands-on method in Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh.

Construction of three SOS villages

Together with the Support Association for Vietnamese Children in France, the Rencontres du Vietnam has helped Vietnam build three SOS villages, including the SOS Children's Village Dalat (1974), SOS children's village in Thua Thien- Hue (2000, formerly the Centre for Child Protection Thuy Xuan), and the SOS Children's Village Dong Hoi, Quang Binh (2006). Currently, the association still provides 100% for SOS children's village in Thua Thien- Hue.

In addition to seeking funding for the construction and care for children in the three SOS villages, the association has also run the Bread-Pastry Making School since 1999 to offer training for young people with difficulties and children in the SOS villages. All graduates have secured work in large hotels in Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City.WASHINGTON (AP) - Renewed tensions between the U.S. and Cuba aren't stopping the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from shining a spotlight on the island's rich cultural heritage during what's being billed as the largest Cuban arts festival ever held in the United States.

"Artes de Cuba: From the Island to the World," which began this past week and runs through May 20, showcases the work of more than 400 Cuban and Cuban-American artists across more than 50 events. The program includes the salsa band Los Van Van and other musicians, visual artists, movies, theater companies and ballerina Alicia Alonso and the Ballet Nacional de Cuba.

"Cuba is a cultural powerhouse, and to present such a diverse slate of Cuban and Cuban-American artists all in a two-week span is unprecedented," said Deborah F. Rutter, president of the Kennedy Center.

Cuban designer Celia Ledon poses with her fashion creation at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Tuesday, May 8, 2018. Renewed tensions between the U.S. and Cuba did not stop the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from shining a spotlight on the island's rich cultural heritage during what's being billed as the largest Cuban arts festival ever held in the United States. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The festival is not without controversy.

It has come under fire from Cuban-American lawmakers, including GOP Reps. Carlos Curbelo, Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, as well as Rep. Albio Sires, D-N.J. They wrote to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in April urging him to consider the advisability of allowing "so many pro-Castro regime Cuban nationals" to enter the United States.

Last year, the United States withdrew more than half of its diplomats from Cuba and halted visa processing, citing mysterious "health attacks" in Havana that have harmed at least 24 Americans. Full diplomatic ties between the U.S. and the communist nation had been restored in 2015, under the Obama administration.

Curator Alicia Adams, vice president of International Programming and Dance at the Kennedy Center, pushed back at the notion that the festival has ideological overtones.

"It is important for people in this country to be exposed to, in the aggregate, the extraordinary talent that exists in Cuba," she told The Associated Press. "The Kennedy Center has a golden rule, and that is that we maintain the ultimate curatorial authority. Neither the Cuban government nor the American government dictated to us who the artists should be."

Cuban fashion designer Celia Ledon, 32, who is showing 10 pieces in the festival, said the festival is not political, but rather "an eclectic representation of what the Cuban culture is about."

Artist Roberto Diago, who lives in Havana, also is participating in the festival with two installations made of recycled materials. He said his installations convey how "people overcome (obstacles) and go beyond misery to build a reality as worthy as possible."

"Unfortunately, the political situation is tense," he said. "Politics always go their own way ... but culture and its international language create brotherhood. I think that is positive."

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Online:

Festival: https://cms.kennedy-center.org/festivals/cuba

___

Reach Luis Alonso Lugo at http://www.twitter.com/luisalonsolugo

Cuban designer Celia Ledon from right, and Havana-born artist Roberto Diago, join other Cuban artists during a news conference at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Tuesday, May 8, 2018. Renewed tensions between the U.S. and Cuba did not stop the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from shining a spotlight on the island's rich cultural heritage during what's being billed as the largest Cuban arts festival ever held in the United States. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)JERUSALEM (AP) - The Israeli military said Saturday it was shutting down its main cargo crossing into Gaza after Palestinian protesters caused extensive damage to it, and that it had also destroyed an attack tunnel militants dug near its main pedestrian crossing.

The twin developments come ahead of a potentially charged week along the Israel-Gaza border as weekly protests being staged there are expected to culminate with a potential breach of the border and a surge in casualties.

Once again, thousands of Palestinians protested Friday in various locations along the frontier. Later, a group of Palestinians burned a fuel complex and conveyor belt on their side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, causing more than $9 million in damages and disrupting the import of diesel fuel and building materials, the military said. It said the attack rendered the main fuel and gas lines unusable and caused further damage to electrical infrastructure and other vital equipment.

Relatives of 40 year-old Palestinian Jaber Abu Mustafa mourn over his body at the family house during his funeral in town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Israeli troops fired live bullets and tear gas Friday across a border fence into Gaza where Palestinian protesters threw stones, burned tires and flew kites with burning rags attached. One protester was killed and 49 were wounded by Israeli fire, Gaza health officials said. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

The military said the Kerem Shalom crossing will be closed until further notice and not before the damage is repaired.

A lengthy closing of the crossing would deliver further devastation to Gaza's already dire humanitarian crisis. The fuel installation is the only way to bring diesel fuel into Gaza for operating generators for hospitals and other key facilities. The military distributed a video showing Palestinians cheering as a fire was set. It was the second such attack on the facility in a week, it said. "Hamas continues to lead the residents of Gaza to destroy the only assistance they receive," the army said.

Late Saturday, the military carried out several airstrikes in the northern Gaza strip, near the Erez border crossing, to destroy a Hamas tunnel that was being built there. Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said the tunnel was being tracked for weeks and had been destroyed just a few meters (feet) inside Gaza. It's the sixth such Hamas tunnel Israel has destroyed in as many months thanks to the military's new technological means to detect and destroy them.

Hamas called the airstrikes a "failed attempt" to prevent it protests.

"Our people's response will come on Monday by marching" to the fence, it said in a statement.

Conricus said both incidents proved Israel's long-standing claim that Hamas, and other militant groups, were merely using the popular mass protests as cover for attacks against Israel. He said the military was doubling its troops along the border in advance of this week's protests and that Israel would not allow the area to become an active combat zone.

"This really shows the cynicism of the Hamas terror organization toward the citizens they are supposed to care for," Conricus told reporters. "Hamas is killing Gaza with its terrorist activities against civilian facilities."

An extended closing of the cargo crossing could be particularly painful. Cooking gas and fuel, which are delivered to Gaza through Kerem Shalom on a daily basis, are the first and most essential items likely to be affected. A fear of shortage had already engulfed Gaza late Saturday, as more cars were lining up at gas station to stock on diesel and gasoline.

The Hamas-run petrol authority in Gaza ordered that cooking gas not be provided to people with canisters on Sunday. "This is to measure how much we have and to see how much this can serve the citizens," said Khalil Shaqfa of the petrol authority.

Palestinians in Gaza have been staging weekly protests at the border fence against a decade-old blockade of the territory. The demonstrations have been organized by Gaza's Hamas rulers, but are fueled by despair among the territory's 2 million residents. The vast majority are barred from travel and trade, while the blockade has gutted the economy.

A Palestinian was killed and 175 were wounded by Israeli army fire on Friday. The Palestinian health ministry said a teenage boy died Saturday after he was shot in the head by Israeli fire on the Gaza-Israel border.

The death raises to 42 the number of Palestinians shot dead by Israeli forces since weekly protests began on March 30. More than 1,800 have been wounded. The coming week could see a further uptick in violence, as Palestinians are planning much larger protests to coincide with the United States relocating its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem on Monday and the 70th anniversary of their "nakba," or catastrophe - referring to their mass uprooting during the Mideast war over Israel's 1948 creation - on Tuesday.

Israel says it has a right to defend its border and has accused Hamas of using the protests as a cover for attacking the border. Rights groups say the use of potentially lethal force against unarmed protesters is unlawful.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008. During the most recent conflict in 2014, Israel destroyed 32 tunnels and it has placed a high priority on halting the tunnel threat since Hamas infiltrated Israel during the war. Although they did not manage to reach civilian areas, the infiltrations caught Israel off guard, with one attack killing five soldiers, and terrified the local population.

Israel is building a subterranean barrier to detect and prevent attack tunnels. Israel says the barrier, as well as new technological innovations, have rendered the Hamas tunnel project futile.

____

Akram reported from Gaza City.

Relatives of 40 year-old Palestinian Jaber Abu Mustafa react at the family house during his funeral in town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Israeli troops fired live bullets and tear gas Friday across a border fence into Gaza where Palestinian protesters threw stones, burned tires and flew kites with burning rags attached. One protester was killed and 49 were wounded by Israeli fire, Gaza health officials said. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Relatives of 40 year-old Palestinian Jaber Abu Mustafa react at the family house during his funeral in town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Israeli troops fired live bullets and tear gas Friday across a border fence into Gaza where Palestinian protesters threw stones, burned tires and flew kites with burning rags attached. One protester was killed and 49 were wounded by Israeli fire, Gaza health officials said. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea said Saturday that it will dismantle its nuclear test site in less than two weeks, in a dramatic event that would set up leader Kim Jong Un's summit with President Donald Trump next month. Trump welcomed the "gracious gesture."

In a statement carried by state media, North Korea's Foreign Ministry said all of the tunnels at the country's northeastern testing ground will be destroyed by explosion, and observation and research facilities and ground-based guard units will also be removed.

Kim had already revealed plans to shut the test site by the end of May during his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month. Analysts say that while the closure of the site is important, it doesn't represent a material step toward full denuclearization.

FILE- In this June 27, 2008 file image from TV, the demolition of the 60-foot-tall cooling tower at its main reactor complex in Yongbyon North Korea. North Korea's Foreign Ministry said Saturday May 12, 2018, it will hold a "ceremony" for the dismantling of its nuclear test site on May 23-25 in what would be a dramatic but symbolic event to set up the summit meeting between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump scheduled for next month. (AP Photo/APTN, File)

"A ceremony for dismantling the nuclear test ground is now scheduled between May 23 and 25," depending on weather, the Foreign Ministry's statement said, adding that journalists from the United States, South Korea, China, Russia and Britain will be invited to witness the dismantling.

The ministry said the North will continue to "promote close contacts and dialogue with the neighboring countries and the international society so as to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and over the globe."

Trump, in a tweet Saturday, thanked North Korea for its plan to dismantle the nuclear test site, calling it "a very smart and gracious gesture!"

Following the Moon-Kim meeting, Moon's office said Kim was willing to disclose the process to international experts, but the North's statement Saturday didn't address allowing experts on the site.

South Korea had no immediate response to the statement.

The North's announcement comes days after Washington announced that the historic summit between Kim and Trump will be held June 12 in Singapore.

South Korea has said Kim has genuine interest in dealing away his nuclear weapons in return for economic benefits. However, there are lingering doubts about whether Kim would ever agree to fully relinquish the weapons he probably views as his only guarantee of survival.

During their meeting at a border truce village, Moon and Kim vaguely promised to work toward the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula, but made no references to verification or timetables.

North Korea for decades has been pushing a concept of "denuclearization" that bears no resemblance to the American definition. The North has been vowing to pursue nuclear development unless Washington removes its 28,500 troops from South Korea and the nuclear umbrella defending South Korea and Japan.

Some experts believe Kim may try to drag out the process or seek a deal in which he gives away his intercontinental ballistic missiles but retains some of his shorter-range arsenal in return for a reduced U.S. military presence in the South. This could satisfy Trump but undermine the alliance between Washington and Seoul.

Kim declared his nuclear force as complete in December, following North Korea's most powerful nuclear test to date in September and three flight tests of ICBMs designed to reach the U.S. mainland.

North Korea announced at a ruling party meeting last month that it was suspending all tests of nuclear devices and ICBMs, as well as the plan to close the nuclear testing ground.

Kim said during the meeting that the nuclear test site's mission had come "to an end" because the North had completed developing nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles, ICBMs and other strike means.

The North also said for the first time at the meeting that it had been conducting "subcritical" nuclear tests. These refer to experiments involving a subcritical mass of nuclear materials that allow scientists to examine the performance and safety of weapons without triggering a nuclear chain reaction and explosion.

North Korea's reference to such activity is designed to communicate that even without underground testing, the country intends to maintain its nuclear arsenal and be a "responsible" steward of those weapons at the same time, said Andrea Berger, a senior analyst at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

Still, the closure of the underground testing site could be a useful precedent for Washington and Seoul as they proceed with the nuclear negotiations with Pyongyang, analysts say.

"Now that North Korea has accepted in principle that agreements should be verified, U.S. negotiators should hold them to this standard for any subsequent agreement," said Adam Mount, a senior defense analyst at the Federation of American Scientists. "It will make it more difficult for Kim Jong Un to deny inspections now that he has placed them on the table."

North Korea has invited the outside world to witness the dismantling of its nuclear facilities before. In June 2008, international broadcasters were allowed to show the demolishing of a cooling tower at the Nyongbyon reactor site, a year after the North reached an agreement with the U.S. and four other nations to disable its nuclear facilities in return for an aid package worth about $400 million.

But in September 2008, the North declared that it would resume reprocessing plutonium, complaining that Washington wasn't fulfilling its promise to remove the country from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The administration of George W. Bush removed North Korea from the list in October 2008 after the country agreed to continue disabling its nuclear plant. However, a final attempt by Bush to complete an agreement to fully dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons program collapsed that December when the North refused to accept U.S.-proposed verification methods.

The North went on to conduct its second nuclear test in May 2009.

FILE - In this Friday, April 27 file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in raise their hands after signing on a joint statement at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarised Zone, South Korea. North Korea's Foreign Ministry said Saturday May 12, 2018, it will hold a "ceremony" for the dismantling of its nuclear test site on May 23-25 in what would be a dramatic but symbolic event to set up the summit meeting between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump scheduled for next month.(Korea Summit Press Pool via AP, File)

FILE - In this May 11, 2018, file photo, a man watches a TV screen showing file footage of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with onscreen letters reading "Summit between U.S. and North Korea, Forecast, Clear." during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea. North Korea's Foreign Ministry said Saturday May 12, 2018, it will hold a "ceremony" for the dismantling of its nuclear test site on May 23-25 in what would be a dramatic but symbolic event to set up the summit meeting between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump scheduled for next month.(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

This satellite image released and notated by Airbus Defense & Space and 38 North on March 30, 2018, shows the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea. North Korea said Saturday, May 12, 2018 that it will dismantle its nuclear test site between May 23 and 25, in a dramatic event that would set up leader Kim Jong Un's summit with President Donald Trump next month. (Airbus Defense and Space/38 North via AP)

People watch a TV screen showing file footage of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 13, 2018. North Korea said Saturday that it will dismantle its nuclear test site in less than two weeks, in a dramatic event that would set up leader Kim Jong Un's summit with President Donald Trump next month. Trump welcomed the "gracious gesture." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A man watches a TV screen showing file footage of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 13, 2018. North Korea said Saturday that it will dismantle its nuclear test site in less than two weeks, in a dramatic event that would set up leader Kim Jong Un's summit with President Donald Trump next month. Trump welcomed the "gracious gesture." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A TV screen shows a satellite image of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 13, 2018. North Korea said Saturday that it will dismantle its nuclear test site in less than two weeks, in a dramatic event that would set up leader Kim Jong Un's summit with President Donald Trump next month. Trump welcomed the "gracious gesture." The signs read: "Explode all tunnels." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

People watch a TV screen reporting that North Korea will dismantle nuke test site during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 13, 2018. North Korea said Saturday that it will dismantle its nuclear test site in less than two weeks, in a dramatic event that would set up leader Kim Jong Un's summit with President Donald Trump next month. Trump welcomed the "gracious gesture." The signs read: " Punggye-ri nuclear test." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) - Activists are rallying in Massachusetts, demanding more affordable insulin.

The Boston chapter of the Right Care Alliance is rallying Saturday in Cambridge to call for an end to what the organization calls "insulin profiteering."

The coalition of patients, health care professionals and community members says price increases have made an essential drug unaffordable for many with diabetes and resulted in unnecessary deaths.

Rally organizers say the average cost of insulin in the United States has tripled in the last 10 years, and it costs a person with Type 1 diabetes an average of $1,000 per month for insulin and supplies.

Speakers include Dr. Michelle Morse, a global health equity expert at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. Attendees also will hear from patients and mothers of children with diabetes.Long before an emotional public disclosure of his childhood rape, or the allegations of his own sexual misconduct that followed, author Junot Diaz was a pioneering and polarizing figure.

He emerged as one of the few prominent Latino voices in English literature, with a reputation earned through story lines that featured blurred sexual consent, victims who wanted to be victims and characters caught in a cycle of unhealthy relationships. The plots edge eerily close to some accounts his accusers have shared.

The women, empowered in part by the #MeToo movement, broadened his notoriety with their allegations of abusive behavior. They told of forced kisses and inappropriate verbal attacks, leaving the literary and academic community grappling with the fall of one of the most acclaimed minority authors in the 21st century.

FILE - In this Sept. 3, 2013 photo, 2008 Pulitzer Prize winning author Junot Diaz pauses during an interview in New York. Diaz has long been a pioneering and polarizing figure in the literary world even before being confronted with sexual misconduct allegations on May 4, 2018, at the Sydney Writers' Festival. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology followed with an announcement it is investigating Diaz, who teaches at the university. The Pulitzer Prize Board began conducting an independent review of allegations, and Diaz was asked to relinquish his role as incoming chairman. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

"It's hard to really overestimate how prominent his voice is," said Melissa Gonzalez, assistant professor at Davidson College in North Carolina. "He's one of the few Latinos who has really not only been canonized but also established his voice as very important."

Diaz did not respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press. But he told The New York Times he takes responsibility for his past.

"I am listening to and learning from women's stories in this essential and overdue cultural movement," he said. "We must continue to teach all men about consent and boundaries."

A 49-year-old Dominican-American writer known for mixing Spanish and English in his prose, Diaz has broken down barriers in the literary mainstream. From a 6-year-old immigrant new to New Jersey to an award-winning author and professor, he defied the odds to become an American success story.

He landed on The New Yorker magazine's "20 Under 40" list in 1999. By then, he'd already published his first short story collection, "Drown." In 2008, he won a Pulitzer Prize for his first novel.

In 2012, Diaz was awarded a MacArthur genius grant, and his second short story collection, "This Is How You Lose Her," earned a spot on The New York Times' "100 Notable Books."

Diaz became a go-to name for teachers, who directed students to his work when trying to show how diverse American literature can be, said Joseph George, a lecturer at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

"Personally, I was intrigued by the way he exposed the male ego," George said. "It seems foolish now to say it, but I read it as a confession and a deconstruction that we could look at why men think this way."

George often assigned Diaz's "How to Date A Brown Girl (black girl, white girl, or halfie)" in his class. Some students recoiled at the title alone. They told him they found its narrator "disgusting," but he pushed them to delve further and try to see how the text agreed with them.

George, a white man who said he has never suffered sexual misconduct, now does not feel equipped to incorporate Diaz's work in his courses.

"I'm not the person to teach it, at least not now," George said. "It requires a different level of expertise and sensitivity."

He's not alone. Greg Barnhisel, an English professor at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, has opted not to use Diaz's books for a gateway English class next academic year. He does not want to spend the time unpacking Diaz's personal life instead of focusing on literature.

The accusations against Diaz began with a panel at the Sydney Writers' Festival on May 4, when author Zinzi Clemmons confronted him about how he had allegedly mistreated her when she was in graduate school. Hours later, after Clemmons tweeted that Diaz cornered and forcibly kissed her six years ago, other women took to social media to share their stories of verbal abuse and perceived misogyny by him.

Before the allegations surfaced, Diaz had published his own story of childhood abuse, revealing in The New Yorker last month that he was repeatedly raped when he was 8 years old.

"It is time for the burden of his bad behavior to be laid squarely at his feet, and for him to deal with the consequences of his actions," Clemmons wrote in a statement to the AP. "Not in a self-serving personal essay, but by losing some of what he has accumulated while conducting himself in this manner."

Reaction has been swift. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Diaz teaches, is investigating, and the Pulitzer Prize Board is conducting an independent review.

Though readers have expressed their disappointment over the allegations, some see the scandal as an opportunity for other Latino writers to get noticed.

"His literary presence has sucked a lot of the air out of the room," said Gonzalez, the Davidson professor. "A lot of the anger in this moment is about that fact."BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Formula One's subscription television service got off to a slow start as some viewers were unable to watch the live broadcasts of practice and qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday.

"We're sorry to say that we have experienced a few technical difficulties with F1 TV's live broadcast," F1 said.

It said it was "aware that this has impacted customers with an F1 TV Pro subscription and while we are working hard to fix these issues, we wanted to let those impacted subscribers know that we will contact them by email shortly to address this with a partial refund."

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany steers his car during the qualifying session for the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, Spain, Saturday, May 12, 2018. The Spanish Formula One Grand Prix will take place on Sunday. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

F1 said the "issues" affected customers only during live playback but all sessions from this weekend's Spanish GP were available on demand, including all onboard cameras and team radio.

It didn't say how many subscribers were affected.

F1 said the streaming platform marks F1's "biggest investment in its digital transformation to date."

The service is expected to give fans access to live feeds with access to onboard cameras for all 20 drivers, as well as to broadcasts of news conferences and other interviews.

Pricing and accessibility vary according to market, with the yearly service costing $99 (83 euros) in the United States.

F1 TV was initially expected to debut in Australia.

___

More AP auto racing: https://racing.ap.orgWASHINGTON (AP) - White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told staffers Friday that an aide's recent comment about Sen. John McCain was inappropriate but shouldn't have been leaked to the media.

Sanders told communications' staffers in a private meeting that it was inappropriate for aide Kelly Sadler to dismiss McCain's opinion during a recent closed-door meeting because, Sadler said, "he's dying anyway."

Sanders said the leak was selfish and distracted from the president's agenda and "everything we're trying to accomplish for the American people," according to a person familiar with the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the private meeting. She noted that it garnered attention following the president's welcoming home of three Americans detained in North Korea and an upcoming summit with Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

During the meeting, White House director of strategic communications Mercedes Schlapp defended Sadler, saying the private comments shouldn't have been leaked to the media, the person said.

Sanders declined to condemn Sadler's comments during a White House briefing on Friday, saying she wouldn't "validate a leak out of an internal staff meeting."

McCain, the 81-year-old Arizona GOP senator, was diagnosed in July with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. He left Washington in December and underwent surgery last month for an infection.

Sadler is a special assistant to the president. She has declined to respond to requests for comment on her McCain remark.LONGMONT, Colo. (AP) - A funeral service has been held in Longmont for a Colorado soldier who was killed by enemy fire in Afghanistan.

Gabriel D. Conde's family members shared poems and songs as they remembered the 22-year-old Army airborne infantryman Saturday at Lifebridge Christian Church.

Mourners stood and the Battle Hymn of the Republic played as Conde's flag-draped coffin was led out of the church after the service.

Mourners holding American flags line a street in Berthoud, Colo., on Friday, May 11, 2018, as a procession escorting the body of Army Spc. Gabriel D. Conde passed through town. The Defense Department said Conde died April 30 after he was hit by enemy small arms fire in Afghanistan. The 22-year-old Army airborne infantryman was a graduate of Berthoud High School and was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (AP Photo/Dan Elliott)

The U.S. Department of Defense said Conde died April 30. He was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

A day earlier, hundreds of people turned out for a procession escorting Conde's body through Berthoud, where he graduated high school.

He will be buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver in a private ceremony Monday.A jealous and vindictive fashion student murdered her former partner with sulphuric acid after he told her their relationship was over, a jury heard.

Berlinah Wallace, 48, is accused of killing Mark van Dongen by leaving him with such catastrophic injuries that he was granted euthanasia and died in Belgium.

Wallace insists she believed she was throwing a glass of water over Mr van Dongen, a 29-year-old engineer, as he lay in bed at her flat in Westbury Park, Bristol, in September 2015.

Mr van Dongen was left paralysed, scarred, had his lower left leg amputated and lost the sight in his left eye, as well as most of the sight in his right eye, following the incident.

Mark van Dongen was allegedly murdered by his ex-girlfriend (Family handout/PA)

Before his death in January 2017, Mr van Dongen told police he woke at 3am on September 23 to hear Wallace laugh and tell him if I cant have you, no-one else can before throwing the acid.

Wallace, from South Africa, is on trial at Bristol Crown Court charged with murdering Mr van Dongen and throwing a corrosive substance.

In the prosecution closing speech, Adam Vaitilingam QC told the jury Wallace had become jealous and vindictive when her five-year relationship with Mr van Dongen came to an end.

Mr Vaitilingam said Wallace had been threatening Mr van Dongen with false accusations and had made a number of silent phone calls to his new girlfriend, Violet Farquharson, to intimidate her.

She was emotionally blackmailing him, pretending to take an overdose, threatening to drop out of her course, Mr Vaitilingam said.

In her darker moments, she bought a bottle of sulphuric acid. She removed the label and she read up about attacks with sulphuric acid.

Mr van Dongen told people that she had a violent temper and he told people he was scared of her.

Counselling staff at the University of the West of England, where Wallace had studied fashion, told of her problems with controlling emotions.

In one consultation, Wallace was noted to have described an adrenaline rise when someone says the wrong thing and she feels like she could destroy everything around her.

Mr Vaitilingam told the jury: Thats what happened in this case. In the early hours of September 23, Mr van Dongen did say the wrong thing.

He told her that the relationship was over and she destroyed him. She wanted to be sure that he could never have another relationship again.

Wallace claims she bought the acid to deal with smelly drains in her flat, stating that Mr van Dongen knew it had been purchased and helped her use it.

In police interviews from his hospital bed in July 2016, Mr van Dongen said he had no idea the acid was in her flat and questioned why she had it.

Mr van Dongen had moved in with Miss Farquharson, 46, but returned to stay with Wallace on September 22.

Neighbours dialled 999 after Mr van Dongen, clad only in boxer shorts, ran into the street screaming in agony at about 3am on September 23.

Mr Vaitilingam questioned why Wallace had not called for help after throwing the acid and instead spent 25 minutes speaking to an ex-boyfriend on the phone until police arrived.

One neighbour recounted how Mr van Dongen said: I told her I was leaving her and she did this to me and was frightened of going back inside the flat.

In the ambulance, Mr van Dongen asked officers to check on Miss Farquharson as he feared Wallace was heading to her home.

Wallace had deleted more than 80 websites from her browsing history for the weeks leading up to the incident, with half or more relating to acid attacks.

She was fascinated by those sites about people getting attacked with acid, Mr Vaitilingam told the jury.

We dont know whether these sites gave her the idea for what she was going to do to Mark or whether she had the idea already.

It is no coincidence that the person who was so interested in acid attacks was about to carry out one of her own.

Wallace claims Mr van Dongen had tried to trick her into drinking the acid by placing it in a water glass by her bed.

She may have come up with this defence after reading about a court case of a man who allegedly tricked his partner in that way, Mr Vaitilingam said.

It is an absolutely nonsensical defence in this case, he added.

The prosecutor described the 15 months between the alleged attack and Mr van Dongen undergoing euthanasia as a long, slow and agonising process.

He wasnt physically able to end his own life, he told the jury.

The acid burned through 25% of his body surface area  full-thickness burns.

Richard Smith QC, representing Wallace, said Mr van Dongen had not been able to tell the truth about what happened without implicating himself.

He has inflicted it on himself because he filled the glass, he told the jury.

He said Mr van Dongen lied repeatedly, played mind games with Wallace and had been violent towards her.

Mr Smith described the case as extraordinarily unusual due to his client facing a murder charge following euthanasia.

The person who actually took the life of Mr van Dongen is an unnamed, unidentified doctor in Belgium, he told the jury.

It is extraordinary that this prosecution is inviting you to say, if you are sure that Berlinah Wallace acted unlawfully, the responsibility doesnt stop in terms of the effect upon him that she caused.

She is actually responsible for the fact that his life ended. That is testingly remarkable for you.

If you ask yourself who caused the death, it is the doctor in Belgium. What happened in Belgium is illegal in this country.

Mr Smith said the prosecution case that Wallace was responsible for murder is fundamentally an incorrect approach.

The doctors act in inserting a catheter into Mr van Dongens heart intervened and breaks her responsibility, he said.

Wallace, of Ladysmith Road, Westbury Park, Bristol, denies charges of murder and throwing a corrosive substance with intent.

Mrs Justice Nicola Davies is expected to begin summing up the case on Monday.Malaysias scandal-ridden former prime minister Najib Razak and his wife have been barred from leaving the country, shortly after announcing plans for a short holiday, the Immigration Department said on Saturday.

A leaked flight manifesto showed that Mr Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, were due to leave on a private jet to Jakarta, fuelling rumours that he was fleeing the country to escape possible prosecution over a massive corruption scandal involving the 1MDB state fund.

His coalition suffered a shocking electoral defeat this week which ended its 60 year-rule.

Former Malaysian premier Najib Razak, right, hugs ex-deputy PM Ahmad Zahid Hamidi after resigning as head of his Malay party over the poll defeat that ended his coalitions 60-year rule (Sadiq Asyraf/AP)

Later on Saturday, Mr Najib told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur that he was stepping down with immediate effect as president of the United Malays National Organisation as well as chairman of the National Front coalition.

He said his deputy, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, will take over as president of UMNO, a party that dominates the coalition.

The announcement followed strong calls from the party for the 64-year-old to step down.

We accept the peoples verdict with an open heart. Maybe this will be an opportunity for us to fix our weaknesses and shortcomings, although these are more a matter of perceptions than reality, he said. God willing, UMNO will continue to live.

Ex-Malaysian PM Najib Razak, centre, said he was committed to `facilitating a smooth transfer of power (Sadiq Asyraf/AP)

In his earlier statement on social media, Mr Najib said he was committed to facilitating a smooth transfer of power.

The Immigration Department, which had initially said there was no travel blacklist for Mr Najib, issued a brief statement that the ex-premier and his wife have just been blacklisted from leaving the country.

Mr Najib responded swiftly by saying he respected the departments ruling and would stay with his family in the country.

His holiday plans came amid strong calls from his ruling Malay party, which dominates the National Front coalition, for him to step down over the election results.

The National Front, which has ruled Malaysia since independence from Britain, obtained only 79 of the 222 parliamentary seats, losing power to Mahathir Mohamads four-party alliance amid public anger over the 1MDB scandal and rising cost of living.

Mahathir Mohamad is the new Prime Minister of Malaysia (Andy Wong/AP)

It was a remarkable comeback for Mr Mahathir, who was premier for 22 years until his retirement in 2003.

Mr Mahathir, who is now the worlds oldest elected leader at 92, has said his government will not go on a witch-hunt over the 1MDB fiasco but that Mr Najib will have to face court if he is found to be responsible.

The fund was started by Mr Najib when he took power in 2009, but it accumulated billions in debts and is being investigated in the US and several other countries.

A supporter waves a flag of the Peoples Justice Party outside the palace in Kuala Lumpur (Vincent Thian/AP)

US investigators said Mr Najibs associates stole and looted 4.5 billion US dollars from the fund, of which some 700 million US dollars landed in Mr Najibs bank account and some 30 million US dollars was used to buy jewellery for his wife.

Mr Najib denies any wrongdoing.

He sacked critics in his government, including an attorney general and a deputy prime minister and muzzled the media.

The new Attorney-General, Mohamed Apandi Ali, cleared Mr Najib in 2016, saying the money was a donation from the Saudi royal family and that most of it was returned.

Mr Mahathir, who was due to name his cabinet later on Saturday, has indicated that Mohamed Apandi would be axed for hiding evidence of wrongdoing.BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), called for coordinated efforts and orderly progress in the planning and implementation of institutional reform at the central and local levels to ensure complete victory in the area.

Xi, also Chinese President, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and head of the central committee for deepening overall reform, made the remarks when presiding over the second meeting of the committee on Friday.

Deputy heads of the committee Wang Huning and Han Zheng attended the meeting.

China should make good use of the experience from progress made in the institutional reform of the central and state organs since the third plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, and carefully plan local institutional reform, Xi said.

The meeting reviewed and approved a series of official documents on areas including reform of local institutions, constraints on state-owned enterprises' (SOEs) assets and liabilities, basic pension funds for business employees, and management rules for executives of centrally administered SOEs.

The meeting also reviewed a report on the progress of deepening reform of Party and state institutions, said a statement released after the meeting.

It also said that reinforcing the asset and liability constraints on SOEs is important for reducing leverage ratios and defusing debt risk.

Measures will be taken to improve management and promote the combination of internal control and external supervision. A restraint mechanism will be established and then continually improved.

Debt-ridden SOEs will be pushed to bring their asset-liability ratios to reasonable levels as soon as possible.

Participants of the meeting agreed to push forward pilot projects for improving supervision of operating state assets of central Party and government organs and public institutions, stressing the separation of government functions from the management of enterprises and capital.

They called for the establishment of a state capital management platform, as well as efforts to improve state capital structure, ensure the sound development of enterprises, and maintain and increase the value of state assets.

The reform at enterprises under colleges and universities should follow the path of state capital management reform, which should be carried out in line with both education principles and market rules, to enable universities to focus on education, according to the statement.

A central system for basic pension funds of enterprise employees will be established to ensure such funds are used inter-provincially. Through central management, coordination and financial aid, the security and sustainability of pension funds will be maintained, and retirees will receive the full amount of pension funds on time.

To improve management of central SOE leaders, China must adhere to the principle of the Party supervising cadres, bring the market mechanism into play, select cadres on the basis of both integrity and ability, with priority given to integrity, be both strict and caring, and place equal emphasis on providing incentives and imposing constraints.

Efforts should also be taken to improve the mechanism to assess the caliber of cadres, which should meet the requirements of a modern SOE system with Chinese characteristics and the needs of market competition.

The meeting stressed better management and aid to homeless people and beggars, and called for efforts to protect their legitimate rights and interests.

The statement said that the government will step up efforts to transform the supervision and management philosophy, system and methods in the healthcare industry, and strengthen its capacity in supervision and management.

It said major progress has been made in deepening Party and state institutional reform since the third plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, indicating that a solid foundation has been laid since the 18th CPC National Congress by deepening reform in all areas, and the mechanisms and means for institutional reform have been effective.

Following the arrangements from the third plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, the country should step up the launch of local institutional reform and constantly push forward reform, the statement said.

The CPC Central Committee's requirement on institutional reform must be implemented precisely in an all-round manner to uphold the authority of the Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership.

Institutions at the provincial or lower levels will be granted greater autonomy, and local authorities will be allowed to set up institutions and design functions based on their own conditions.

Party and government institutions will be subject to strict quota management, with the authorized sizes of institutions serving as a rigid constraint.

The country should pursue a compact and efficient grassroots management system with a view to create convenience for the people.

China will also comprehensively reform administrative law enforcement, and improve market supervision and the law enforcement mechanism, the statement said.

Local Party committees must reinforce their leadership of institutional reform, coordinate planning and implementation of the reform, and ensure continuity and stability during reform, the statement said.

The departments under provincial-level Party committees and governments should correspond with central institutions in general, but local authorities can set up other institutions based on their economic and social realities, the statement said.

In guiding and promoting local reform, authorities should ensure both the overall uniformity and flexibility in some areas, the statement said.

The meeting was also attended by members of the central committee for deepening overall reform, as well as leaders of Party and government departments.Irelands health minister has said he would like future cervical smear tests to be analysed in Irish labs, but only if they have the capacity.

Simon Harris expressed a preference for home-based examination of samples amid the ongoing controversy over inaccurate test results.

A number of the 209 cancer patients who were wrongly given the all clear had their smear samples analysed by US companies.

Mr Harris said he would be guided by Dr Scallys findings in relation to future laboratory outsourcing contracts.

The political crisis has already seen the boss of Irelands Health Service Executive (HSE) Tony OBrien quit.

Earlier this month it emerged that an audit by CervicalCheck of 1,482 women diagnosed with cervical cancer since 2008 had found potential errors in earlier smear tests in 209 of the cases, with results showing no abnormalities when they should have flagged a cancer warning.

While screening tests are not 100% accurate and there are acknowledged risks on the possibility of incorrect results, the fact the majority of the affected patients were not told of the outcome of the audit has prompted a wave of public anger.

Of the 209 women, 17 have since died.

Mr Harris had appointed Scottish healthcare executive John Connaghan as the interim director of the HSE.

The minister said he had told him that nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the full facts coming out.

I have asked him to make sure that the HSE and all of its employees co-operate in full with the Scally inquiry, he said.

I dont want any obstacle to the truth coming out here, I think thats absolutely essential.

People rightly want accountability  who knew what, where and when?

Mr OBrien had been due to retire in the summer before his dramatic resignation on Thursday night.

Tony OBrien has stepped down amid the deepening controversy (Niall Carson/PA)

It has emerged that he will continue to be paid until then, as his contract stipulates a three-month notice period.

Mr Harris said: Let me be very clear  there is no extra deal, bonus deal, no big pay-off above and beyond what is already in the contract of Tony OBrien.

The state obviously has to honour legal contracts that are already in place.

The Cabinet on Friday agreed a support package for the women caught up in the controversy. It will include financial support for treatment.

Also covered will be the cost of medicines, including experimental drugs as well as practical expenses, such as travel costs and childcare.

Bereavement counselling and other counselling services will also be provided to the families of women who have already died.

As well as Ms Phelan, others affected by the errors have also come forward to tell powerful stories.

Emma Mhic Mhathuna, 37, from Co Kerry, revealed on Thursday that she had now been diagnosed with terminal cancer, five years after being told her smear tests were normal.

Stephen Teap, from Co Cork, has expressed his anger that his wife Irene died without ever knowing that her smear tests had been wrongly interpreted.

There are a number of legal challenges similar to Ms Phelans in the pipeline.

Mr Harris has said the Government is taking steps to ensure those women would not have to go to court to get answers.

Mr OBrien resigned hours after it emerged that an internal HSE briefing note that flagged potential errors in screening tests in 2016 stressed the need for a media strategy to respond to stories of women whose cancer diagnosis was missed.

The memo to HSE bosses from Irelands National Screening Service (NSS) also advised a pause in the process of communicating to clinicians the findings of the audit of smear test results belonging to women who were subsequently diagnosed with cancer.

The HSE forwarded three 2016 memos to the Irish parliaments Public Accounts Committee on Thursday as members probed the growing controversy around the misinterpreted smear tests.Petra Kvitova claimed a hard-fought victory over Kiki Bertens to claim a record third Madrid Open title on Saturday.

In a battle that lasted two hours and 53 minutes, the 28-year-old recorded a 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 6-3 triumph over her Dutch opponent to add the trophy to her 2011 and 2015 crowns.

After overcoming Czech compatriot Karolina Pliskova in straight sets to extend her winning streak to 10 matches on Friday, Kvitova found it tougher going against the clay specialist.

Petra Kvitova recorded a 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 6-3 triumph over her Dutch opponent (Francisco Seco/AP)

After clinching her fourth title of the year, 10th seed Kvitova told WTA: I know I missed this event last year, but its made it sweeter to be standing with the trophy.By Rinat Sagdiev and Polina Ivanova

MOSCOW, May 10 (Reuters) - Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska has handed back three private jets he was leasing because U.S. sanctions imposed on him last month make it impossible to keep using the planes, the firm retained by the owners to sell the aircraft said on Thursday.

The aircraft are Gulfstream executive jets, favoured by jet-setting business people for their long range and plush interiors. They are now on sale, with the asking price for two of them set at $29.95 million each.

The return of the aircraft is an indication of how deeply the sanctions have affected Deripaska's business empire, extending beyond the direct impact on his Rusal aluminium firm, whose sales and supply chains have been heavily disrupted.

Alireza Ittihadieh, director of Freestream, an aviation sales company that listed the three jets for sale, said the jets were owned by lenders Credit Suisse and Raiffeisen, and were then leased via a management company to Deripaska-controlled firms.

"Who was using it? Senior management, including Deripaska himself," Ittihadieh told Reuters in a phone interview.

"He's sanctioned, his companies are sanctioned, he has to return the aircraft. He has to early-terminate the leases, under sanctions rules," he said, without specifying which sanctions rules applied in this case.

A representative of Rusal's press service said the firm declined to comment.

A spokesman for Credit Suisse declined to comment on a specific case, but said: "Credit Suisse works with international regulators wherever it does business to ensure compliance with sanctions. This includes compliance with the recent sanctions involving Russia."

A spokeswoman for Raiffeisen said she could not reply to Reuters questions because Thursday was a public holiday in Austria. She also said that "due to the banking secrecy law we cannot comment on potential clients."

Deripaska was included on a U.S. sanctions blacklist on April 6 because, officials in Washington said, he and other Russian oligarchs had profited from the "malign activities" of the Kremlin around the globe.

Anyone included on the list is barred from entering the United States, and U.S. firms and citizens are barred from doing business with individuals or companies that have been blacklisted.

Non-U.S. companies can also be punished by Washington if it deems they have engaged in significant transactions with a sanctioned entity. Banking sources say that has made European banks wary of handling transactions involving Deripaska or any firms connected to him.

GREY-AND-WHITE LIVERY

According to the Isle of Man civil aircraft register, where the three jets are registered, their owners are offshore companies whose shareholders are not publicly disclosed.

All three are Gulfstream G550 aircraft, which each cost around $50 million when new. They each have the same distinctive grey-and-white livery, according to photographs accompanying the sales listings, and images posted online by amateur plane-spotters.

The G550 jets have a range of 12,500 km (7,770 miles) and can come fitted with options such as a private stateroom and hand-tailored leather seats.

Ittihadieh, the aviation sales executive, said the owners of the aircraft opted to sell once Deripaska and his businesses ended the lease.

"The bank doesn't need the assets," he said. "Banks take assets. Once the lease return takes place, they either sell it or they re-lease it. And in this case they have a five-year old asset and they have chosen to sell them."

The two aircraft for sale at $29.95 million were manufactured in 2012 and carry the tail numbers M-ALAY and M-UGIC. The third aircraft, with the tail number M-SAWO, was manufactured in 2005, and no asking price was listed.

When the sanctions were imposed, the M-UGIC aircraft was in Basel, Switzerland, publicly-available flight tracking data shows. The day after the sanctions on Deripaska, April 7, the jet flew back to Moscow.

The older aircraft, with the tail number M-SAWO, was in Buffalo, New York State, the day the sanctions were imposed, according to data available on two websites that track private jets, Virtual Radar and adsbexchange.com. The following day it flew to New York City and from there on to Russia.

A week later, the aircraft made a tour of cities in Siberia where Deripaska has factories. Sources close to Rusal told Reuters that at the time Deripaska was visiting those factories.

In one past case of sanctions affecting the travel arrangements of a Russian tycoon, oil trader Gennady Timchenko told Russian state news agency Tass that Gulfstream stopped servicing his jet because he was put on a U.S. sanctions blacklist in 2014. (Additional reporting by John Miller in ZURICH, Francois Murphy in VIENNA and Tatiana Voronova in MOSCOW Writing by Christian Lowe Editing by Mark Potter)By Praveen Menon

KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad held a meeting of top alliance partners on Friday as he got down to the business of forming a government that, for the first time in the country's history, will not be from the Barisan Nasional coalition.

Mahathir, 92, was sworn into office by Malaysia's constitutional monarch late on Thursday, becoming the world's oldest elected leader.

He called a meeting of senior members from all four parties in his Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) to gather views on formation of the Cabinet and will later address a news conference, alliance sources said.

Mahathir's alliance defeated Barisan in a stunning election upset on Wednesday, ousting the coalition that has ruled the nation for six decades since independence from Britain.

Mahathir used his first news conference after being sworn in to reassure the financial community and said he would prioritise stabilising the economy and return billions of dollars lost in a graft scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

The scandal became a major factor in the election and in the ouster of Najib Razak, Mahathir's predecessor and former protege.

Malaysian markets were closed and will reopen on Monday, but overseas investors were nervous about Najib's ouster after a decade in office.

Malaysia's 5-year credit default swaps, the cost to insure against a Malaysia debt default in the next five years, climbed to an 11-month peak in late U.S. trading on Thursday.

But calm returned to offshore trading of the ringgit currency, which lost four percent on Thursday.

Mahathir, dubbed the "Father of Modern Malaysia" during his previous 22 years in power until 2003, told reporters at the news conference he would try to make the ringgit as steady as possible but did not announce any policy moves.

He was known for his strongarm, sometimes pugnacious style of rule, marked by an intolerance for dissent, from 1981 to 2003, but also for transforming his Southeast Asian country from a sleepy backwater into a modern industrialised nation. (Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan Editing by Paul Tait)SHANGHAI, May 11 (Reuters) - China stocks fell slightly on Friday, but are poised to post their best weekly performance in almost three months as interest towards Chinese blue-chips has been building steadily ahead of MSCI's A-share inclusion next month. Hong Kong shares followed Asian markets higher.

** The bluechip CSI300 index fell 0.2 percent to 3,885.99 at the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.1 percent to 3,171.90. For the week, both indexes are on track to rise nearly 3 percent.

** U.S. index publisher MSCI will officially include yuan-denominated A-shares into its emerging market benchmark on June 1.

** In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index rose 1.4 percent to 31,227.84, while the Hong Kong China Enterprises Index gained 1.1 percent to 12,372.12.

** China's CSI300 financial sector sub-index was higher by 0.03 percent, the consumer staples sector up 0.03 percent, the real estate index down 0.7 percent and healthcare sub-index down 1.57 percent. ** Chinese H-shares listed in Hong Kong rose 1.13 percent to 12,372.12 while the Hang Seng Index was up 1.36 percent at 31,227.84. ** The smaller Shenzhen index was down 0.65 percent and the start-up board ChiNext Composite index was weaker by 1.11 percent. ** Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index was firmer by 0.93 percent while Japan's Nikkei index was up 1.02 percent. ** The yuan was quoted at 6.3441 per dollar, 0.03 percent firmer than the previous close of 6.346. ** The percentage gainers in the main Shanghai Composite index were led by Jiangsu Sunrain Solar Energy Co Ltd up 10.09 percent, Chengtun Mining Group Co Ltd gaining 10.04 percent and Shanghai Wondertek Software Co Ltd up by 10.01 percent. ** The percentage losers in the Shanghai index were Aurora Optoelectronics Co Ltd down 10.03 percent, followed by Shandong Swan Cotton Industrial Machinery Stock Co Ltd losing 5.81 percent and Joinn Laboratories China Co Ltd down by 5.7 percent. ** The top gainers among H-shares were Guangzhou Automobile Group Co Ltd up 3.9 percent, Dongfeng Motor Group Co Ltd gaining 3.51 percent and Byd Co Ltd up by 3.46 percent. ** The three biggest H-shares percentage decliners were Anhui Conch Cement Co Ltd which has fallen 0.82 percent, China Communications Construction Co Ltd which has lost 0.6 percent and China Telecom Corp Ltd down by 0.5 percent. ** About 7.52 billion shares traded so far on the Shanghai exchange, roughly 50.2 percent of the market's 30-day moving average of 14.99 billion shares. The volume traded was 13.30 billion as of the last full trading day. ** As of 04:16 GMT, China's A-shares were trading at a premium of 22.29 percent over the Hong Kong-listed H-shares. ** The Shanghai stock index is below its 50-day moving average and below its 200-day moving average. ** The price-to-earnings ratio of the Shanghai index was 13.65 as of the last full trading day while the dividend yield was 2.2 percent.

(Reporting by Samuel Shen and John Ruwtich; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)By Sudip Kar-Gupta and John Miller

PARIS/ZURICH, May 11 (Reuters) - Swiss adhesives maker Sika has repelled a hostile takeover bid from Saint-Gobain in a $3.2 billion deal that gives the French company a minority stake but may make Sika a more attractive target for others.

Under the transaction announced on Friday, Saint-Gobain dropped its plan to wrest control of Sika via a minority stake that carried extra voting rights. Instead, Saint-Gobain gets a 10.75 percent holding.

The deal will also change Sika's structure so that each share has just one vote, removing the previous uneven voting arrangement that analysts said had been a deterrent to possible bidders.

Saint-Gobain's bid for the controlling stake held by the Burkard family in 2014 was opposed by Sika's board and investors, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The tussle was fought out during long and expensive court cases.

Shares in Sika surged 10 percent in early trading, on relief that the dispute was over and on the prospect it could now be a target. Saint-Gobain shares also rose by around 3 percent.

Saint-Gobain will acquire the stake from the Burkard family, heirs to the founder of Sika, for just over 3.2 billion Swiss francs ($3.2 billion), temporarily giving it a 17 percent stake.

Although the French firm will also initially hold 52 percent of the company's voting rights, Saint-Gobain will then sell nearly 7 percent of shares back to Sika and retire the extra voting rights at an extraordinary shareholders' meeting.

This will leave Saint-Gobain with a 10.75 percent stake in Sika. It will not get a seat on Sika's board.

Saint-Gobain deal bars it from making a tender offer for Sika for at least six years, but analysts said Sika's simplified share structure and new voting system could heighten bid interest from others lured by Sika's 6.3 billion francs in annual sales and 14.3 percent operating margins.

"Sika has always been an interesting target, it's just the odd shareholder structure that has been the hold up," said Sanford Bernstein analyst Phil Roseberg.

Asked if the new structure would be a catalyst to invite other suitors, Sika Chairman Paul Haelg replied: "I cannot say, might be."

ACQUISITION STRATEGY

Under the deal, the Swiss company will pay Saint-Gobain about 2.1 billion Swiss francs to cover the cost of the shares it buys back from the French firm.

The deal would lead to a positive net result of 600 million euros ($715 million) for Saint-Gobain and would be in line with its policy of small-to-mid-sized acquisitions, Saint-Gobain Chairman and Chief Executive Pierre Andre de Chalendar said.

"It's a good deal for all parties. It will be interesting to see how Saint-Gobain pursues its acquisition strategy," said Jerome Schupp, fund manager at Geneva-based investment firm Prime Partners, who said he was considering buying Saint-Gobain shares.

Sika Chief Executive Paul Schuler said resolving the Saint-Gobain dispute means the Swiss firm now has the resources for acquisitions worth 500 million francs.

"If it's in the right strategy, we are able to go even higher," Schuler told news conference. "You will see some nice acquisitions in the future, and we have the firepower."

Meriem Mokdad, fund manager at Roche Brune Asset Management which owns Sika shares, said the deal was a "win-win" for the two firms.

The dispute for control of Sika began when Saint-Gobain offered 2.75 billion francs to buy the Burkard family's stake.

"We are pleased that Saint-Gobain, as a significant Sika customer, is now the company's largest shareholder," Urs Burkard, spokesman for the Burkard family, said in a statement.

"The solution agreed between the parties involved taking into account the interests of all shareholders and forms the basis for continuing Sika's success story," he added.

The Burkards had been seeking to unload their shares for a premium.

Sika investors Cascade Investment LLC and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust welcomed the deal, adding they looked forward to Sika's "prosperous future as a truly independent company".

($1 = 0.8397 euros)

($1 = 0.9991 Swiss francs) (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta in Paris and John Miller in Zurich Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Edmund Blair)ISTANBUL, May 11 (Reuters) - Turkish police detained 150 soldiers over alleged links to the U.S.-based preacher who Ankara says orchestrated an attempted coup in 2016, state-run Anadolu news agency said on Friday.

It said those detained were among 300 military personnel, including 211 serving officers, facing arrest in an investigation by Istanbul prosecutors.

Authorities have carried out such sweeps against alleged supporters of the cleric Fethullah Gulen on a regular basis since the failed coup of July 2016, in which 250 people were killed. Gulen denies involvement.

In similar investigations on Thursday, police detained more than 80 serving air force staff, according to state media.

Turkey has detained 160,000 people and dismissed nearly the same number of civil servants since the putsch attempt, the U.N. human rights office said in March. Of that number, more than 50,000 have been formally charged and kept in jail during their trials.

Turkey's Western allies have criticised the crackdown.

Critics of President Tayyip Erdogan accuse him of using the failed putsch as a pretext to quash dissent. Turkey says the measures are necessary to combat threats to national security. (Reporting by Daren Butler; Editing by Nick Macfie and John Stonestreet)HONG KONG, May 11 (Reuters) - A Hong Kong court on Friday found two pro-independence activists guilty of unlawful assembly inside the legislature while they were still lawmakers, dealing a further blow to waning political dissent in the Chinese-ruled territory.

Opposition leaders and supporters are fighting multiple court cases and Friday's verdict in Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts is likely to further dent the confidence of activists calling for full democracy, or even outright independence for the former British colony, a red line for Beijing.

Baggio Leung, 31, and Yau Wai-ching, 26, were democratically elected and then dramatically ousted from the Legislative Council for the way in which they took their oaths, criticising China, in late 2016.

Before they were officially disqualified, the pair tried to barge into a room along with at least eight assistants, scuffling with security officers meanwhile.

"Regardless of whether they were still Legislative Council members on that day, they would not be exempted from criminal liability on account of their capacity as council members," wrote magistrate Wong Sze-lai in the 65-paged verdict.

"Their acts were likely to cause any person reasonably to fear that the persons so assembled would commit a breach of the peace."

Three assistants were also found guilty of the same charge.

Leung and Yau told reporters they would decide whether to appeal after sentencing on June 4, but that they were "actively considering it".

The two were once seen as potential leaders of a fledging movement calling for Hong Kong's secession from China. Yau was the youngest woman ever elected to the legislature.

Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula which promises it a high degree of autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China.

But the perception that China is increasingly encroaching upon the city's freedoms has spurred a young generation of activists, many taking to the streets in months of pro-democracy protests in 2014 and some calling for outright independence.

Communist Party leaders in Beijing, sensitive to calls for independence spreading to the mainland, have repeatedly slammed the movement. President Xi Jinping warned last year that any attempt to endanger China's sovereignty would be an act that crosses a "red line".

The oath-taking incident triggered China's parliament to issue an interpretation over Hong Kong's mini-constitution while a court case over their seats was under way.

The act spurred roughly 2,000 lawyers to protest against what they called China's interference in the city's much vaunted judicial independence.

Leung and Yau's disqualifications, as well as the arrest of pro-independence leader Edward Leung on rioting charges, sapped the secessionist movement of its steam. It has now largely gone underground. (Reporting by Venus Wu; Editing by Nick Macfie)KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (Reuters) - The flight manifest of a private jet scheduled to leave from an airport near Kuala Lumpur for Jakarta at 0200 GMT on Saturday names ousted Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife as passengers, two sources and two media reports said.

Officials close to Najib, who lost a general election this week, were not immediately available for comment to Reuters.

The jet was scheduled to fly to Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in the Indonesian capital at 10 a.m. local time, the sources and news reports said.

A Kuala Lumpur airport source who spoke to Reuters confirmed the booking in the names of Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor.

A source in the newly elected government of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told Reuters that Najib would be taking a holiday. Malaysiakini, a news portal, cited an unnamed source close to Najib as saying that he would take a two-day break in Indonesia.

On Friday, a day after he was sworn in, Mahathir vowed to investigate a multi-billion-dollar graft scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which was founded by Najib.

Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with 1MDB.

(Reporting by Tom Allard and A.Ananthalakshmi; writing by Praveen Menon; editing by John Chalmers and Raju Gopalakrishnan)BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Argentine counterpart Mauricio Macri on Friday exchanged letters with their views on bilateral ties, the Group of 20 (G20) Summit and the current economic and financial situation in Argentina.

In the letter, Xi said that Macri participated in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing last year and paid a successful state visit to China.

The consensuses reached by the two sides during Macri's visit has been effectively implemented, and exchanges and cooperation in various fields between the two countries have been steadily moving forward, Xi said.

Xi added that he highly values the development of China-Argentina relations and is willing to work with Macri to continue guiding the development of bilateral ties, steadily advance major projects and promote the China-Argentina comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level.

China firmly supports Argentina's G20 presidency for 2018 and is willing to strengthen coordination with Argentina to properly handle the tone and direction of the summit, stick to multilateralism, strengthen global governance, and build an open world economy, so as to make the summit a success, Xi said.

For his part, Macri said in his letter that the Argentina-China comprehensive strategic partnership has become increasingly close and achieved fruitful results.

Argentina fully supports jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative and is willing to enhance all-round cooperation with China, Macri said.

While holding the G20 presidency, Argentina will continue the consensus and results achieved at the 2016 G20 Summit held in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, he said.

Meanwhile, Macri briefed Xi on the economic and financial situation in Argentina, which has been facing economic difficulties. He also elaborated on measures taken to solve the problems.

Xi said some emerging markets including Argentina that were affected recently by external factors are facing new challenges to their domestic economic environment.

China firmly supports Argentina's endeavors to maintaining its stability and development and is willing to provide assistance to its best capability, Xi added.

China believes that Argentina can overcome temporary difficulties and achieve long-term stable, heathy and sustainable development in its economy, Xi said, stressing that China has confidence in Argentina's development and the future of bilateral ties.By Sebastien Malo

NEW YORK, May 11 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Canada's Ontario has become the country's first province to offer free legal help to victims of human trafficking, part of its concerted effort to end modern-day slavery.

Victims now can call a telephone hotline or visit a team of specialized lawyers for advice, Canada's Ministry of the Attorney General said in a statement.

Such advice might include how to obtain a protective restraining order, designed to keep an alleged abuser away from the victim, it said.

Ontario created an anti-trafficking office in 2016 and has created an advisory roundtable for survivors to contribute to policy-making efforts.

Statistics Canada recorded 240 incidents of human trafficking nationwide in 2016. Experts say the actual number is likely to be much higher but is under-reported due to lack of a uniform data-collection system.

Ontario, Canada's most populous province, accounted for nearly two-thirds of the reported cases, according to government data.

Authorities said the Ontario initiative, newly announced last week, was the first of its kind in Canada.

Without free legal help, the cost of getting a restraining order can be as high as CAD $6,000 ($7,700 US) in fees, said Barbara Gosse, chief executive of the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking.

"This will simplify it for victims because they will have trained lawyers who are specialized in human trafficking," Gosse said.

At the Hamilton Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition, Chairwoman Tessa McFadzean welcomed the measure to help break down "systemic" barriers for trafficking victims.

"Navigating the complexities of the legal system can be quite challenging particularly for survivors experiencing significant trauma and fear," she said in a statement.

The pilot project could help with prosecutions of traffickers, said Natalya Timoshkina, an associate professor who specializes in human trafficking at Canada's Lakehead University Orillia.

"When survivors agree to testify, they put themselves at risk because there is risk of retaliation from the traffickers," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Unless you provide social support, you will not secure prosecutions."

Globally, more than 40 million people worldwide were victims of modern slavery in 2016, according to the International Labour Organization.

(Reporting by Sebastien Malo @sebastienmalo, Editing by Ellen WulfhorstSpeaker Karu Jayasuriya said yesterday it was difficult for him to manage without a deputy speaker.

He said this when the matter of a deputy speaker was being discussed by the MPs.

I hope the President will take steps to appoint a new deputy speaker as it is difficult for me to manage the affairs of the House single handedly, the Speaker said and added that he had officially informed President Maithripala Sirisena on the need to appoint a new deputy speaker but had not received a response yet.

He said he was ready to work with any one and did not care whether the deputy speaker was from the Opposition or from the ruling party.

It does not matter who it is as long as I can work with him. All I want is a neutral approach from him or her, the Speaker said.

UNP MP Nalin Bandara asked the Speaker about the delay in appointing a new deputy speaker. What is keeping you from appointing a new deputy speaker now that the then Deputy Speaker Thilanga Sumathipala had resigned from the post, he said.

MP Bandula Gunawardene said his colleague in the opposition S. B. Dissanayake had clearly stated that Mr. Sumathiapala could be reinstated.

Mr. Dissanayake said on Wednesday that the SLFP had the right to appoint a new deputy speaker and that Mr. Sumathiapla could be reinstated. There is no rule that both the speakers post and the deputy speakers post should be held by the ruling party, he said. (Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)Minister and Field Marshal, Sarath Fonseka yesterday said he would never worship or apologise to any politician.

Speaking to journalists at the end of an inspection tour of the Elephant orphanage in Horowpathana, he said he had only worshiped his parents and the clergy.

The character called Sarath Fonseka had only worshiped his parents and the clergy in his life. I have never worshiped any politician and never will. When the Rajapaksa regime imprisoned me, I was told that I would be released if I apologoised. When I didnt bow down back then, people must know that I will not worship or apologised to politicians now, he said.

He said making Cabinet decisions public was a responsible duty and should not be an act of toeing any line.

In the recent past, I made some comments since I was not given the Law and Order Ministry . In some statements, some personnel were politically criticized. The reports that I worshiped and apologised to President Sirisena is a lie. We had a three-minute meeting with the President. If there were any issues, the President said we could discuss and resolve them instead of making them public. Then I replied saying I had to do that because of the atmosphere that revailed before and that we can continue to work together, he said.

Deputy Minister Palitha Thewarapperuma, UNP Horowpathana Main Organiser P. Sahidu, Horowpathana Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Charuka Udayanga Wijeratna and the Wildlife Director General were present at the event. (Pathum Darshana)WASHINGTON, May 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday spoke with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to discuss his upcoming meeting with top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un.

According to a statement of the White House, Trump, in a telephone call, thanked Lee for his willingness to host his June 12 meeting with Kim.

The two leaders also discussed regional security dynamics in the region. Trump and Lee reaffirmed the bilateral relationship, which the White House said had been "one of the United States' closest partnerships in Asia for more than 50 years."

Trump said that he looks forward to seeing Lee in Singapore soon.

When asked about the reason why Singapore was chosen, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah on Thursday told the media that the Southeast Asian nation has a relationship with both the United States and the DPRK.

They can ensure both the President's security and Kim Jong Un's security, as well as provide neutrality, he said.

Troy Stangarone, senior director of congressional affairs and trade at the Washington-based non-profit Korea Economic Institute, told Xinhua that "Singapore is a neutral location for both sides that has traditionally been seen as a place where the East meets the West."

"The United States and North Korea (the DPRK) have previously held meetings there, and the infrastructure is well placed to hold a summit meeting. Also, due to diplomatic and business ties, it is a place where the North Koreans would feel comfortable meeting," he said.Two Su-35 fighter jets and a H-6K bomber fly in formation on May 11, 2018. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force conducted patrol training over China's island of Taiwan on Friday. Su-35 fighter jets flew over the Bashi Channel in formation with the H-6Ks for the first time, which marks a new breakthrough in island patrol patterns, said Shen Jinke, spokesperson for the PLA air force. (Xinhua/Han Chao)

GUANGZHOU, May 11 (Xinhua) -- The People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force conducted patrol training over China's island of Taiwan on Friday.

Su-35 fighter jets flew over the Bashi Channel in formation with the H-6Ks for the first time, which marks a new breakthrough in island patrol patterns, said Shen Jinke, spokesperson for the PLA air force.

The Eastern Theater Command and Southern Theater Command sent forces to conduct coordinated actions during the training.

Two groups of H-6K bombers started the training simultaneously from both north and south of Taiwan island, with one group flying clockwise and the other going counter-clockwise.

KJ-2000 airborne early warning aircraft and Su-35 and J-11 fighter jets flew over the Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait regions to accompany the bombers.

The air force will continue to carry out island patrols involving multi-type combat aircraft in accordance with an established plan, Shen said.

"The air force has the resolve, the confidence, and the ability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Shen said.President Xi Jinping greets Argentine President Mauricio Macri at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, May 17, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

China is ready to boost coordination with Argentina over its hosting of the Group of 20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires later this year and to help make the summit a success, President Xi Jinping said on Friday.

Xi made the comments as he exchanged messages with Argentine President Mauricio Macri on bilateral ties, the summit and Argentina's economic situation.

China firmly supports Argentina's hosting the summit, which will be held from Nov 30 to Dec 1, and will work with the country to effectively navigate the event, advance multilateralism, reinforce global governance and build a world economy of openness, Xi said.

Macri said his country, during its G20 presidency, will further honor the consensus and outcomes reached at the G20 Summit in 2016 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

In addition, Macri briefed Xi about Argentina's economic and financial situation as well as its countermeasures.

Xi noted that some emerging economies, including Argentina, have recently encountered new challenges, affected by external factors.

China supports efforts by Argentina to promote the country's stability and development and is willing to offer help within its capacity, he said.

It is believed that Argentina can overcome the momentary difficulties and achieve long-term economic stability and healthy, sustained growth, Xi said.

Last year, Macri attended the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing and made a state visit to China. Xi said he highly values the bilateral ties and is ready to work with Macri to further develop the relationship, steadfastly advance major projects and bring the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership to higher ground.

Macri also said Argentina fully supports the Belt and Road Initiative.

Later this month, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will make an official visit to Argentina and attend the G20 foreign ministers' meeting there.

[email protected]Ambassadors of Eurofighter Nations Lobby Belgium



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Two 16-carriage Fuxing bullet trains go through a static vehicle testing at a factory in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, May 10, 2018. The new 16-carriage longer model of the Fuxing (Rejuvenation) bullet trains is currently under the final static vehicle testing by train maker CRRC in Qingdao. The Fuxing trains are expected to carry twice as many passengers when operations of the new longer model start. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

Workers assemble a Fuxing bullet train at a factory in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, May 10, 2018. The new 16-carriage longer model of the Fuxing (Rejuvenation) bullet trains is currently under the final static vehicle testing by train maker CRRC in Qingdao. The Fuxing trains are expected to carry twice as many passengers when operations of the new longer model start. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

Workers assemble Fuxing bullet trains at a factory in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, May 10, 2018. The new 16-carriage longer model of the Fuxing (Rejuvenation) bullet trains is currently under the final static vehicle testing by train maker CRRC in Qingdao. The Fuxing trains are expected to carry twice as many passengers when operations of the new longer model start. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

Two 16-carriage Fuxing bullet trains go through a static vehicle testing at a factory in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, May 10, 2018. The new 16-carriage longer model of the Fuxing (Rejuvenation) bullet trains is currently under the final static vehicle testing by train maker CRRC in Qingdao. The Fuxing trains are expected to carry twice as many passengers when operations of the new longer model start. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)Country

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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of ZimbabweLi Zhanshu (L), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, meets with Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome in Addis Ababa May 10, 2018. China's top legislator Li Zhanshu paid an official visit to Ethiopia on May 9-12 to promote the bilateral ties. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

ADDIS ABABA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Li Zhanshu paid an official visit to Ethiopia from Wednesday to Saturday to promote bilateral ties between the two countries.

In the capital city of Addis Ababa, Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), met with Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, respectively, on Friday.

During his meeting with President Mulatu, Li conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's appreciation of the Ethiopian president's contribution to China-Ethiopia friendship.

Ethiopia was the first stop of Li's first overseas visit since he assumed office in March, which, as Li said, showed the great importance that the Chinese side attaches to the development of the bilateral ties as well as China-Africa relations. He will visit Mozambique and Namibia afterwards

"The relationship between China and Ethiopia has entered a new stage of comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation, and the forthcoming Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in September will open up new space for cooperation between the two countries," said Li.

The top Chinese legislator said that China is willing to work with Ethiopia to deepen mutual political trust, strengthen practical cooperation, and constantly elevate friendship and cooperation between the two nations.

Expressing the Ethiopian side's gratitude for China's precious support, Mulatu said the bilateral ties are now in their best period in history. Ethiopia stands ready to make joint efforts with China to develop the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation and better benefit the two countries and peoples.

Prime Minister Abiy and Li exchanged views on China's political system and path of development, while Li briefed Abiy on China's governance experience and practices as well as the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress and the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core.

Li said that five years ago, President Xi put forward the principle of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good faith, and the notion of upholding justice while pursuing shared interests when advancing cooperation with Africa.

The president also said that China should combine its own development with supporting Africa's development while being a sincere friend and reliable partner for Africa.

Ethiopia is an important partner of China in Africa, Li said, noting that the practical cooperation between the two sides has played an exemplary role in both China-Africa and South-South cooperation. China firmly supports Ethiopia's development path in accordance with the African country's own national conditions and supports Ethiopia's efforts to develop the economy and maintain stability, he said.

The top Chinese legislator voiced his anticipation that the two countries should continue strengthening cooperation within the Belt and Road Initiative and the FOCAC framework. They should give full play to the role of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway as an economic "main artery," actively construct economic corridors along the railway's route, boost cooperation in the creation of industrial zones and the development of oil and gas resources, and develop new areas of cooperation.

Li invited the Ethiopian side to the first China International Import Expo to be held in Shanghai in November.

The Chinese leader also said he hopes the two countries will strengthen communication and coordination on peace and security in Africa, and increase mutual support on issues involving each other's core interests.

Abiy said that the friendly relations between Ethiopia and China are as solid as a rock. He said President Xi Jinping's thoughts on governance is of important guidance and reference for the development of Ethiopia and African countries at large.

Abiy said that the implementation of the "ten major plans" for China-Africa cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative have brought tangible benefits to Africa and that Ethiopia is willing to continue deepening cooperation with China in the fields of infrastructure construction, finance, tourism, and human resources.

During the talks Muferiat Kamil, speaker of the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives and Keria Ibrahim, speaker of the Ethiopian House of Federation Muferiat and Keria, Li briefed the two speakers on China's political system, the National People's Congress and its standing committee.

Li said the Chinese side will work with the Ethiopian parliament to improve the legal environment to better facilitate ties. He said the NPC will open a seminar for legislators from developing countries in Africa this year, and he invited Ethiopian delegates to participate.

Muferiat and Keria said Ethiopia values cooperation with the NPC, saying the African country is ready to learn from China's development experience and work with China to step up trade cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges.

During his stay in Addis Ababa, Li, together with Abiy, witnessed the signing of cooperation documents between the two sides, and he inked a memorandum of understanding with the Ethiopian parliament.

Li also visited the data center of the Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Technology, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway and the Addis Ababa light rail.Only billionaires  from Sheldon Adelson to King Salman of Saudi Arabia  can count on Trump

Youve probably heard that this week Paul Ryan convinced Sheldon Adelson to give Republicans $30 million to save the partys House majority. This unholy act of corruption was only legal because Paul Ryan left the room for the literal money shot.

For the price of 5 percent of his companys tax cuts from JUST THIS QUARTER, the casino billionaire put the GOP a lot closer to preserving their rule, preventing any actual oversight of the Trump Administration (or the Census) and making a mockery of the rule of law.

And if that $30 million isnt enough

The tax cut  the one that Adelson didnt need  is the ultimate kept promise for Trumps rich donors. But this particular billionaire was likely celebrating another Trump promise kept: Breaking the Iran deal.

Adelson, who is most likely the reason we now have John Bolton as our National Security Advisor, has has supported negotiating with Iran  if by negotiating you mean attacking the country with an atomic bomb and waiting for Iran to beg for mercy briefly before destroying Tehran and killing, presumably, millions.

Watch:

Moving us perilously closer with Iran  while tacitly admitting that the Iran Deal is working by demanding Iran continue the international inspections that only exist because of the deal  is a promise that Trump can keep. Because its a promise Mike Pence would keep.

Its the GOP promise.

A policy that necessitates regime change in Iran is the only conceivable endpoint of a demand that Iran not even pursue a nuclear power program, which was all it was doing before the deal. (We know this because even the amazing trove of intelligence found by the Israeli Mossad confirmed that Irans nuclear weapons program has been dormant for longer than Trump has been a Republican.) Strangely enough, this policy just happens to be similar if not identical to the wishes of the King of Saudi Arabia, another of Trumps billionaire patrons.

On the campaign trail, Trump did make a few very non-GOP promises.

Most notably he said he would negotiate with drug companies to get lower prices for Medicare. This week he broke this promise. This surprised no one. The New York Times covered it on page A18.

Because Trump is the worst liar to ever participate in public life, this betrayal  like Trumps broken promise to not call for cuts to Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid  garners little-to-no blowback. Trump and his staff are rarely asked to even justify these massive reversals that helped the self-proclaimed billionaire spin himself as a non-traditional Republican.

We on the left who have a hard time sympathizing with those who bought into obvious racism rarely focus on it, but Trumps betrayals of the aging white people who backed in massive numbers are endless.

Here are some other notable slights to the voters that counted on him most:

If were actually suffering from economic anxiety because of actual economic issues, the prospect of a shredding safety net and massive new burdens on the poor may not thrill you.

Still, Trumps base hasnt abandoned him. Theyve only grown more loyal as his moral failings become more transparent. This is because they understand Trumps appeal  the power to punish your enemies unrepentantly.

This is why racism is a scam: it brutalizes everyone but the richest, who are making out like Midas in this administration.

Whether its fecklessly smiting Iran for honoring a deal with us, punishing kids at our border, tormenting trans Americans, abandoning those burdened with student loan debt by profiteers or transmuting our courts into the Christian white male bastion that America will never be again, Trump keeps promises that please his big donors.

But the sadistic vows Trump keeps are paid for by the far more consequential ones he breaks.

Sheldon Adelson doesnt need Medicaid or lower Medicare drug prices. He needs bodies willing to die in a war he desperately wants. Hes got that now. And as long as hes got Trump in office, unchecked by Congress, hes got us.

[Photo by Bectrigger]Young Chinese consumers are becoming fans of domestic brands and turning their back on foreign products.

According to a survey done by leading financial services company Credit Suisse this March, China is seeing the emergence of a generation of consumers who are more likely to opt for home-made brands.

The results of the study show that over 90% of young Chinese shoppers prefer domestic home appliance brands. Over the past decade, Chinese food, drink and personal care brands have expanded their market share by 3.3 percent to nearly 70 percent, said global information, data and measurement company Nielsen.

In addition, the stereotype that foreign products are superior has been gradually abandoned by Chinese youngsters. Right now, Chinese consumers think China is good and Made in China is not bad at all, said Credit Suisses Charlie Chen earlier this March.

The smart phone market is a great example supporting Chens point. According to data tracking firm IDC, Chinese tech firm Huawei is the largest player in the Chinese cell phone market, accounting for 24.2% of the market share. Apple was ranked 5th with a share of 11.3%, and was the only foreign brand on the lists top-5.

According to Li Yanhong, founder and CEO of Chinese Internet giant Baidu, the rise of Chinese cell phones is attributed to better localization of services, software, support and data.

Such trends can also be seen in the automobile industry. Chinese automobile manufacturers gained 44.2% of the market in China over the past year, 5.8% more than that in 2014. Li predicted that the figure will rise to 65% in the next 10 years.

By Washington Examiner , May 10 , 2018





French President Emmanuel Macrons administration urged Iran to "refrain from any military provocation" against Israel, hours after Israeli forces struck dozens of Iranian military installations in Syria.





France expresses its grave concern following the firing of rockets against Israeli positions in the Golan Heights last night, the French foreign ministry said Thursday through a spokesman. It reaffirms its unwavering attachment to Israels security and condemns any attempt to undermine it. It underscores the need for all parties to demonstrate restraint in order to avoid a dangerous escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

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A golden snub-nosed monkey named Liu Yi gave birth to her 7th child at Harbin North Forest Zoo in Harbin, northeast Chinas Heilongjiang province, sources from the zoo disclosed on May 10.

Liu Yi got her name because she arrived in Harbin on June 1, 2005, the Chinese of the date being Liu Yi. Different from her birthplace in southwest Chinas Sichuan province, Harbin is known for its high latitude and biting cold winters.

In 2007, Liu Yi gave birth to her first baby. The 19-year-old monkeys age is equivalent to over 60 in human years. The birth of her 7th child made Liu Yi the record holder for oldest golden snub-nosed monkey in China to give birth to this many children at the such a high latitude.

Both Liu Yi and her baby are in good health. The baby monkey has just learnt to walk and already wants to be independent from its mom, so much so that Liu Yi now has to repeatedly pick it up and hold it in her arms.

Six of Liu Yis children now live with her, her second born is currently at a zoo in Nanjing in east China, sources from the zoo said.

By Mediaite , May 10 , 2018





Just a few minutes after President Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. plans to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, Hassan Rouhani, the country's president, stood defiantly, flanked by his cabinet, to say that he wanted to work with the remaining countries to keep the deal alive.





While Rouhani may have been sending a message to the U.S., his speech was also designed to reassure his own citizens that America's move wouldn't further damage the country's fragile economy. "He wanted to project calm and predictability," said Suzanne Maloney, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center For Middle East Policy.

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The Halayeb Triangle in the border region between Egypt and Sudan has been a source of tension between the two countries since Sudan gained independence in 1956

Egypt's foreign ministry announced Saturday that it cancelled a televised interview between Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Moscow-based TV network Russia Today (RT) on Monday after the TV network published on its Arabic website a poll about the status of the Halayeb Triangle in the border region between Egypt and Sudan.

"Egypt's foreign ministry has contacted its Russian counterpart to express its complete rejection of the poll published by the Russian government-funded RT, demanding at the same time an urgent explanation for such an action," according a statement Saturday by Egyptian foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid.

Abu Zeid revealed that the foreign ministry cancelled an interview planned for Monday between Shoukry and RT in Moscow against the backdrop of periodic meetings of Egyptian foreign and defence ministers with their Russian counterparts.

On Friday, RT published a poll on its Arabic website and Arabic Twitter account asking readers whether the Halayeb Triangle was Egyptian or Sudanese territory.

Located on the southern border with Sudan, the Halayeb Triangle has been a source of tension between the two countries since Sudan gained independence from joint British and Egyptian rule in 1956.

Cairo exercises complete political and administrative control over the 20,580 square-kilometre region, which is inhabited by tribes that trace their roots to both Sudan and Egypt.

The Triangle comprises the cities of Halayeb, Abu Ramad and Shalateen.

Egypt insists that the Halayeb Triangle is part of its territory as set by an Anglo-Egyptian Condominium in 1899, which defines Egypts southern border as the 22nd parallel north.

Egypt's State Information Service (SIS) expressed Friday its extreme regret that RT had published the poll, summoning Saturday the head of the RT office in Cairo over the action.

In a statement published Friday, the SIS said that as soon as RT published the poll, it contacted the foreign ministry to "agree on the steps and procedures to be taken" against what it described as a "violation against respectable media ethics" and "respect of state sovereignty and unity of its territories."

The SIS added that it summoned local accredited correspondents of RT to inform them of "Egypt's total rejection and condemnation" of publishing the poll in such a way.

The SIS also said it would seek to know from RT officials the circumstances behind the publishing of the poll.

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Moscow-based news channel Russia Today (RT) apologised on Saturday for publishing a poll on its Arabic-language website on Friday asking users to vote on whether they believe Egypts southern Halayeb Triangle region is Egyptian or Sudanese.

RT removed the poll from its website shortly after receiving strong criticism.

"RT apologises for the distress caused by the poll to the Egyptian side, and wishes to clarify that the purpose was not to offend Egypt, or to cast doubt over the integrity of its territory, RT said in its apology.

The website added that the aim of the poll was to discuss the topics of the hour with objectivity and neutrality.

The poll has been removed from RTs Arabic website as well as its official Twitter account.

The Egyptian foreign ministry announced on Saturday that it cancelled an interview with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry that had been scheduled with RT in Moscow.

The Egyptian State Information Service issued a statement on Friday slamming the Russian TV channel over the poll, and summoned its accredited RT correspondents in Egypt on Saturday.

Located on Egypts southern border with Sudan, the Halayeb Triangle has been a source of tension between the two countries since Sudan gained independence from British-Egyptian rule in 1956.

Cairo exercises complete political and administrative control over the 20,580 square-kilometre region, which comprises the cities of Halayeb, Abu Ramad and Shalateen.

The Halayeb Triangle is part of Egypt according an Anglo-Egyptian Condominium signed in 1899, which defines Egypts southern border as the 22nd parallel north.

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Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.As at its birth, Israel continues to wage war against Palestinians and its neighbours.

Israel approaches its 70th anniversary in much the manner it began its life: waging war. Years of covert actions and clandestine alliances with one side or the other in the ongoing battles in the Arab world have yielded to a virtual declaration of war on Iran. That war is now joined on Syrian territory, but the dangerous escalation of early May presages an explosion in the not too distant future.

The green flag for this escalation came from Washington, DC on 8 May, when United States (US) President Donald Trump, in intimate cohabitation with racists and anti-Semites of every stripe, responded to a demand the Jewish state has been making with obsessive persistence. In a speech laced with customary venality and vainglory, Trump announced that the US would withdraw from a deal that guaranteed a range of restraints on Irans nuclear research programmes.BOYANUP dairy farmer Vic Rodwell is processor Lion Dairy and Drinks 2017 Farmer of the Year, judged the best of the companys 550 milk suppliers around Australia.

Mr Rodwell and his wife Denise, who run Rodwell Farms, were flown to Sydney last week to accept the award presented during a gala function for suppliers to Lions dairy, fruit juice and beer businesses on a boat on the harbour.

It was pretty cool actually, said Mr Rodwell, who was back in the dairy on Tuesday and helping with some veterinary work on a couple of cows.

It was certainly the first time weve done anything like that, the trip to Sydney was probably the first time Denise and I have been away together for more than a day without the kids.

There were about 180 people on the boat, suppliers from all aspects of Lions business, so it was interesting to talk to the beer guys and all the others.

It opened Denises eyes about the company and its various business components.

Mr Rodwell, a former Western Dairy chairman and a board member for nine years, said he was proud but humbled to have been awarded by Lion as its best milk supplier nationally.

WA kicks a lot of goals in dairy, he said.

Rodwell Farms produces more than six million litres of milk a year with a predominantly Holstein herd averaging 700 cows on a dairy platform of about 400 hectares.

Come June we will have been supplying Lion for three years, Mr Rodwell said.

Weve got a relatively flat production curve.

We calve twice a year  in February/March/April and in August/September  but were transitioning to 70 per cent autumn calving in line with when the company wants milk and production off our feedbase.

Were looking to get more out of our grass.

Mr Rodwell said the the family had tried to be proactive in updating equipment and introducing technology such as chillers to cool milk before it enters the storage vats and made sure they were hitting the required standards.

The trip to Sydney and the chance to talk to other suppliers had reinforced his opinion Lion was an ethical company to deal with, he said.

Mr Rodwell is the second generation dairy farmer on the Boyanup property and said his son Lachlan may become the third.

His previous claims to fame were walking a dairy cow in the shallows along a beach while dressed in top hat and tails to promote a national dairy innovation forum in WA and starting a Legendairy IronKids race beside Busselton jetty with an air horn while holding a 700 kilogram cow on a lead after a parade of dairy cows up the beach.

Lion Dairy and Drinks is part of the giant Japanese beverage, pharmaceuticals and bio-chemicals manufacturer Kirin Holdings.The periodically held Egyptian-Russian two-plus-two dialogue mechanism, which involves the foreign and defence ministers of the two countries, is set to kick off on Monday in Moscow, a statement by Egypts foreign ministry said.

The meeting will include discussions between Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on boosting bilateral relations.

The upcoming meeting will be the fourth after those held in Cairo in November 2013, in Moscow in February 2014, and in Cairo in May 2017.

The discussions will cover strengthening political, economic, cultural, and tourism ties, building on the breakthrough in relations following Russian President Vladimir Putins latest visit to Egypt in December 2017, the ministry said.

In December 2017, Putin met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo, where they attended the signing of an agreement officially launching work on Egypt's first-ever nuclear power plant at Dabaa on the North Coast, which is being built in cooperation with Russia.

In April, Russia resumed flights with the Egyptian capital following a 30-month flight ban by Moscow after a Russian airliner crashed in Sinai in 2015.

Flights have not yet been resumed to Egyptian Red Sea resort destinations, however, with Egypt awaiting the arrival of Russian experts in mid-May to discuss the return of flights to the tourist getaways.

The two ministers will also discuss a number of regional issues, including the crises in Syria, Libya, Yemen, as well as the Iran nuclear deal.

The will also discuss developing cooperation and coordination between the two countries in combating terrorism.

The strategic two-plus-two mechanism between Egypt and Russia was activated in 2013, with Egypt being the sixth country to establish such a framework with Russia after the US, France, Italy, the UK, and Japan.

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A Colorado woman has been fined for property damage after placing a bottle of urine in a microwave of a 7-Eleven store, causing it to explode.

Microwave

Angelique Sanchez, 26, reportedly left the convenience store before returning to clear up the mess with napkins after the store assistant called the police.

However, after she was taken for questioning she told the police officer she was due to take a urine sample for a drugs test later that day, but then denied it being a real sample.

The officer writing the police report said: ''When I reminded her that urine blew up where people prepare their food, she told me it was not real urine.''Benedict Cumberbatch wants his own range of 'Doctor Strange' merchandise.

Benedict Cumberbatch

The 41-year-old actor portrays Dr. Strange in the Marvel Comics Universe and he wasn't impressed when his 'Avengers: Infinity War' co-star Tom Hiddleston - who plays Loki - showed off the range of products inspired by his character and realised most of the MCU's other superheroes are emblazoned on backpacks, lunch boxes and other trinkets, but his alter ego isn't.

He joked: "This is a point of contention.

"Tom Hiddleston, he comes back from doing Thor and he's like, 'Look, dude!' And he's got a Thor lunchbox, a Thor slurpy cup and Thor backpacks.

"And there's Spider-Man backpacks and Hulk backpacks too.

"And I'm like, 'I'm a Marvel superhero too! Where's my Dr. Strange backpack for Christ's sake? Where's my merch I can bloody manipulate time. I can fly!'

"Kids need to realise the potential value of having a Dr. Strange backpack."

The British actor enjoyed shooting 'Avengers: Infinity War' but his favourite days on set were when Robert Downey Jr. was also around shooting scenes as Iron Man, because he always makes sure there is excellent food and everyone is well looked after.

He told RadioTimes magazine: "It's a happy set when he's around.

"He's everything you want in a friend and colleague and you get a proper lunch break with really great food.

"He's very generous with the spoils of his success. On the days he's not there, you're eating out of a Styrofoam box going, 'What is this? Bring back Downey Jr!' "

One of the things Benedict struggles most with when he's working is learning his scripts as he admits it doesn't come easy for him to memorise lengthy passages of dialogue.

He said: "I've always found learning lines very hard. It doesn't come easy."A bishop from the US will deliver an address at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Kensington Palace has confirmed that the Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry, the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, will be addressing the congregation at the upcoming nuptials at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on May 19.

Bishop Curry said in a statement: "The love that has brought and will bind Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle together has its source and origin in God, and is the key to life and happiness. And so we celebrate and pray for them today."

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will preside over the exchange of vows whilst the Dean of Windsor will conduct the service itself.

Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Canterbury previously admitted he is listening to Stormzy to calm his nerves ahead of the upcoming royal wedding.

He said: "I'm always nervous at weddings because it is such an important day for the couple - whoever they are. I've made a couple of cack-handed mistakes over the last couple of weddings I've been involved in and I'm thinking this is probably not a good moment to make it a hat-trick ... There's a line in that ['Blinded By Your Grace' that says - 'I stay prayed up and get the job done' - I think that sort of sums it up."

And the archbishop is feeling the pressure at presiding over the wedding of the year, especially after dropping the bride's ring when his director of communications Ailsa Anderson wed journalist Simon Cole last September.

He joked: "Unlike recent weddings, I must not drop the ring, and I must not forget to get the vows in the right order as I did at the rehearsal for one of my children's weddings!"Dame Joan Collins claims she was branded a "diva" for asking for equal pay on 'Dynasty'.

Dame Joan Collins

The 84-year-old actress is credited with revitalising the flagging soap when she joined the cast as Alexis Colby but she and her female co-stars were paid considerably less than John Forsyth, who played Blake Carrington, because of a clause in his contract.

She said: "John insisted on always having a certain amount of money more than me - quite a big percentage.

"Also, on any of the 'Dynasty' DVDs' that went out or the ads, John's picture had to be anybody else's.

"When I went to [creator] Aaron Spelling and said, 'I really deserve more money', I was told, 'We can't. It's in John's contract that he gets paid more.

"[After asking for a raise], I was called a diva and a bitch and his attitude was 'Who does she think she is?' 'Greedy' was a word that was used."

And Joan claimed her request led to people working on the show leaking stories about her to portray her in a negative light.

She said: "People on the show were putting stories out to the press and the producers weren't supportive to me at all - in fact, they liked the image of battleaxe bitch and vicious vixen."

It was only when the actress left the show and ratings slumped that her salary was renegotiated for her to return, but she claims that caused "resentment" among the rest of the cast.

She added: "Thankfully the fans took my side. The people who really matter."

The 'Royals' star is delighted by the rise of the Time's Up movement because she's been subjected to unwanted sexual advances many times in the past.

She told HELLO! magazine: "I had many experiences of exploitation so I'm glad it's finally coming out in the press.

"Sadly, it's been going on since the beginning of time and not just in Hollywood.

"There are millions of young people used as sex slaves around the world.

"Something has to change."Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release

SubCategory Select Sub-CategoryUSAID the American government organisation that distributes international development aid announced on Saturday that it will be contributing $19 million to help Egypts family planning efforts through a five-year programme.

In an official statement, the US Embassy in Cairo said that USAID will be joining Egypts Ministry of Health and Population to launch a new programme to strengthen Egypts family planning in response to Egypts rapid population growth.

Activities will help increase demand for family planning services and enhance the quality of services, aiming to improve contraceptive use and reduce fertility over time, the statement said, adding that the programme will be implemented in Upper Egyptian governorates as well as parts of Cairo and Alexandria.

The embassy said the new effort "comes in response to calls by Egyptian officials, including President [Abdel-Fattah] El-Sisi, to recognise how overpopulation poses a threat to Egypts national development, and is part of the US governments commitment to stand with Egypt in its economic and social development.

Since 2017, Egyptian officials have described the country's rapid population growth as an "actual catastrophe" that threatens national development plans and demands immediate attention, just like the country's war against terrorism.

Last year, President El-Sisi said that the current rate of population growth poses a threat to the nation and restricts Egypt's progress.

In October 2017, Egypt announced that its population had reached 104.2 million, with 94.98 million living within Egypt and 9.4 million Egyptians living abroad.

In 2016, Egypt saw the birth of 2.6 million babies, according to statistics by the country's state run statistics agency CAPMAS in 2017.

CAPMAS said during the same year said the annual rate of population growth in the country was 2.4 percent.

We know that USAID family planning programmes have made tremendous impact in the past. We stand poised again to be a part of the solution to the rapid growth in Egypts fertility rate, USAID/Egypt Mission Director Sherry F. Carlin said.

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.     ,    ,     .   ,  ,     ,           .     COVID-19       ,     70 .    ,  90%     , ...At least 11 Iranians were among those killed in unprecedented Israeli strikes on Syria this week, a monitor said Saturday.

"At least 27 pro-regime fighters were killed" in Thursday's strikes, said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

He said "six Syrian soldiers and 21 foreign fighters, including 11 Iranians" were among the dead.

That updates the monitor's initial toll of 23, which did not specify the number of Iranians.

"The new report is due to the death of wounded or missing persons whose deaths have been confirmed," Abdel Rahman said.

Israel says it struck dozens of Iranian targets inside Syria early on Thursday in response to a salvo of rockets allegedly fired by Iranian forces into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had "crossed a red line" and that Israel's bombardment against targets in Syria was "a consequence".

Israel has long warned it will not accept Iran entrenching itself militarily in neighbouring Syria, where the Islamic Republic backs Assad's regime in the country's seven-year civil war.

Israeli forces have been blamed for a series of recent strikes inside Syria that have killed Iranians, though it has not acknowledged those raids.

Israel says it has conducted dozens of operations in Syria to stop what it says are advanced arms deliveries to one of its main foes, Iran-backed Hezbollah.

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This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.John F. Kennedys only grandson, Jack Schlossberg, showed off his acting chops on Fridays season finale of CBS crime series Blue Bloods.

Schlossberg, 25, the son of Caroline Bouvier Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, played Officer Jack Hammer on the popular crime drama, People reported. He took to his Instagram to share the news of the gig, which he called a dream come true.

"I don't make the rules, I just pretend to enforce them  Cash me tonight on season 8 finale of 'Blue Bloods' my dream come true!! Best show in the entire world," he wrote in the Instagram post. The post also included Schlossberg dressed a police officer posing with his mother and Blue Blood cast members Will Estes and Vanessa Ray. The shows executive producer, Kevin Wade, was also featured in the photo.

STEVIE WONDER CALLS KANYE WESTS SLAVERY COMMENTS FOOLISHNESS

When hes not acting, Schlossberg attends Harvard Law School. He has discussed whether he would follow in his familys footsteps and pursue a career in politics.

"I'm inspired by my family's legacy of public service. It's something that I'm very proud of," Schlossberg told the Today show in May 2017. "But I'm still trying to make my own way and figure things out. So stay tuned  I don't know what I'm going to do."

Last year, Schlossberg joined his mother in honoring former President Barack Obama with the annual Profile in Courage Award. Schlossberg compared Obama with his late grandfather at the event.

BROOKLYN NINE NINE FINDS NEW HOME AT NBC

Throughout his presidency, my grandfather made it clear that he alone could fix nothing; that he alone had no answers, Schlossberg said. He had the courage to plainly admit Americas shortcomings, to then lay out bold plans to address those problems and to ask his fellow Americans for help in solving them  he inspired a generation to enter public service and to ask what they could do for their country.

Caroline Kennedy served as the U.S. ambassador to Japan from 2013 to 2017.The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church, has been chosen to give the address at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding.

Kensington Palace confirmed the news on Saturday morning and said, "Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle have asked that The Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry, the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church, give the address at their wedding."

According to The Telegraph, the Bishop, who is originally from Chicago, will be the first African-American to have the honor of delivering the special address at a royal wedding ceremony.

The Bishop expressed his enthusiasm for the role and said in a statement, "The love that has brought and will bind Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle together has its source and origin in God, and is the key to life and happiness. And so we celebrate and pray for them today."

According to the Telegraph, though Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not met the Bishop and reportedly have no ties to him, they came to the decision of having Curry to deliver the address after talking to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who will officiate the couple's ceremony.

In a March interview with ITV, Welby explained that he took pride in helping the couple prepare for their upcoming nuptials and can attest to having witnessed their love firsthand.

At the heart of it is two people who have fallen in love with each other, who are committing their lives to each other with the most beautiful words and profound thoughts, who do it in the presence of God, through Jesus Christ, Welby said.

The Archbishop of Canterbury then joked that while officiating the wedding ceremony, he will try not to "drop the ring."

"And I must not forget to get the vows in the right order as I did at the rehearsal for one of my childrens weddings!Farrah Fawcett's son, Redmond O'Neal, has pleaded not guilty to charges following his Tuesday morning arrest in Santa Monica.

According to Us Weekly, on Friday, ONeal pleaded not guilty to second-degree robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a smoking device, possession of an injection/ingestion device and two counts of possessing a controlled substance.

The news of the superstar son's plea comes a day after he was charged with possessing heroin and meth during the Tuesday robbery.

The Los Angeles Police Department originally told Fox News that O'Neal walked into a Santa Monica 7-Eleven around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday morning and allegedly demanded that the store clerk hand him the money from the register. While demanding the money, the 33-year-old also reportedly threatened the store clerk with a knife.

A call was placed to the cops, and O'Neal was arrested soon after.

ONeal was scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon and prosecutors are seeking $125,000 in bail, but according to Us Weekly, the bail was placed on hold due to a 2016 parole violation.

In 2015, O'Neal was sentenced to three years in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for violating his probation related to an earlier drug-possession conviction.

And back in 2011, O'Neal's probation was revoked after he admitted to using narcotics while in court-ordered rehab. He was sentenced to a year in rehab after he pleaded no contest to felony gun and heroin possession a month before.

With bail on hold, the Hollywood son will remain behind bars until his preliminary hearing.A North Carolina dental office came under scrutiny after three female dentists, wearing cultural costumes, appeared in ad encouraging people to get their teeth whitened because Everyone smiles in the same language!

The Renaissance Dental Center, located in Raleigh, apologized after an advertisement in the May issue of Midtown Magazine was called ignorant and offensive, the Daily News reported.

The ad featured three blond, white female dentists posing in cultural garb. Jill Sonner wore a Native American costume with a headband and beaded accessories.

Anna Abernethy donned a Scottish highlander outfit while Anita Wells dressed in a Japanese kimono. Wells was accessorized with chopsticks in her hair and a colorful hand fan.

The advertisement read, Everyone smiles in the same language! and was promoting a teeth-whitening treatment.

The advertisement garnered some negative reviews and criticism from social media users who called it offensive.

WOMAN SHOCKED WHEN DOG SHE RAISED TURNS OUT TO BE A FOX

How many people blindly thought this was OK? one woman tweeted.

Im not smiling, Megan Red Shirt-Shaw, the creator of a Native American publication, tweeted. Welcome to 2018, to America, to racism without apology.

"Do not dress up in Native American or Japanese garb if you are white, like it's some kind of whimsical joke," a social media user wrote. "How hard is this? It's not."

The dental office tweeted an apology for the advertisement stating they attempted to focus upon something that unites us.

MOTHERS DAY FLOWER SITES THAT OFFER SAME-DAY DELIVERY

In one of our recent advertisements, we attempted to focus upon something that unites us.the warmth and joy behind a smile. We now realize it was ignorant and offensive, and we are truly sorry. We have learned a valuable lesson in this situation. Again, our sincere apologies, the apology stated.

Connie Gentry, Midtown Magazines editor, told The Washington Post she failed and should have pulled that ad.

The online version of the magazine has replaced the old ad with a new one featuring the three blond dentists wearing referee uniforms.

The dentists have appeared in ads before posing with wine and wearing outfits such as pajamas and construction worker garb.NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are seen by some  including me  as a safer alternative to tobacco cigarettes. But e-cigarettes pose a special danger to teenagers, both as a gateway to traditional cigarettes and because they contain chemicals that may be linked to cancer.

The e-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat up a liquid  often containing nicotine  and create a vapor that gives users a comparable sensation to smoking.

A 2016 report from the U.S. surgeon general showed a whopping 900 percent increase in e-cigarette use by high school students from 2011 to 2015.

In fact, more adolescents now use e-cigarettes than smoke traditional cigarettes. And the total market for e-cigarettes expanded by 40 percent last year, to $1.16 billion.

There has not been a big drop-off from these disturbing numbers since then, as manufacturers and retailers across the country continue to target our youth.

A major health danger from e-cigarettes is as a gateway device to tobacco. A University of Pittsburgh study published in April followed late teens and young adults who had never smoked for a year and found that e-cigarettes quadrupled their chances of picking up a cigarette within 18 months.

And a study issued in March by the University of California at San Francisco found that adolescents who use e-cigarettes are exposed to significant levels of potentially cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes.

Dr. Mark L. Rubenstein, who conducted the study, said that teenagers need to be warned that the vapor produced by e-cigarettes is not harmless water vapor, but actually contains some of the same toxic chemicals found in smoke from traditional cigarettes  kids should not be using them at all.

While this is true, e-cigarettes can be useful in helping tobacco smokers quit.

When I give smokers a general physical exam, I screen for their bigtime risks of lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease. At the same time, I put on a full-court medical press to try to help them quit smoking  before its too late.

Multiple studies support my approach, indicating that whenever you quit, your chances of an acute medical problem drop almost immediately.

But unfortunately, there is no ready formula for quitting. Psychoactive drugs like Chantix (Varenicline) or Wellbutrin dont work well and have side effects. Since nicotine is at the heart of the tobacco addiction, nicotine replacement products  including the patch, gum, lozenges, or a nasal spray  are a good place to start, but are often insufficient by themselves.

I have found that combining the nicotine patch with e-cigarettes to deal with the oral and psychological factors that keep people hooked on cigarettes is a good way to help my patients kick the smoking habit.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who I interviewed recently about this issue for Fox News, agrees with me. He sees the value of e-cigarettes as an aid to quitting smoking.

We do think the e-cigarettes could offer a potential opportunity for adult smokers to transition off of combustible tobacco on to reduced risk products, Gottlieb told me.

But at the same time, Gottlieb and others at the FDA are very worried about the dangers that e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems pose to young people. I share that worry.

Im very concerned about youth becoming addicted to nicotine through things like e-cigarettes  what we dont want to see is a whole generation of children become addicted to nicotine from the use of e-cigarettes, Gottlieb said.

Gottlieb said he and the FDA are in the middle of very vigorous enforcement to crack down on the youth use. The nationwide effort is targeting manufacturers and outlets that are selling products to children.

The FDA first set a regulation against selling or marketing e-cigarettes to children and teens under the age of 18 in 2016, when there were more than 2 million e-cigarette users in middle school and high school.

Gottlieb and the FDA are targeting manufacturers of the e-cigarette Juul, which looks like a USB drive and is a self-contained unit that comes in many flavors. A report by the Public Health Law Center found that Juul accounted for over half of e-cigarette sales in the U.S.

In late April the FDA issued warnings to 40 retailers who were found to be selling Jull to minors. If ignored, these warnings could lead to legal action against these retailers

And earlier this month, the FDA doubled down on this righteous action by sending 13 additional warning letters to manufacturers, distributors, and retailers for selling e-liquids used in e-cigarettes with labeling and/or advertising that cause them to resemble kid-friendly food products, such as juice boxes, candy or cookies, some of them with cartoon-like imagery.

One look at one of these so-called juice boxes is enough to convince any sane adult that these marketing practices are underhanded, which is likely one of the reasons that the Federal Trade Commission added its voice to these warnings.

Consider that the National Poison Data System found that there were a total of over 8,000 e-cigarette and liquid nicotine exposures among children younger than age 6 between January 2012 and April 2017. That means that nicotine liquid that was supposed to be plugged into an e-cigarette or other vaping device ended up in a childs vulnerable mouth.

Dr. Gottlieb and the FDA are trying to protect our children from toxic addictive vapors. Unfortunately, all the health warnings and regulations and forceful letters to businesses may not be enough to stop this train, but it is certainly the right place to start. Parents, doctors and schools across the country need to add our muscle to the fight.Europe needs to do more to end the war in Syria, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday as she received a peace award from Franciscan monks in the birthplace of St. Francis.

Merkel was given the Franciscan order's "Lamp of Peace," joining previous recipients such as former Polish president Lech Walesa, the Dalai Lama, the late Israeli president Shimon Peres and Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos.

In an acceptance speech in the basilica, its walls lined with frescoes by the 13th century master Giotto, Merkel called Syria "one of the biggest humanitarian tragedies of our time" and said politicians had to work harder to end it. "This conflict has become a conflict of regional interests, a conflict of religions  and that's why today's award reminds me and many other European leaders that we should be more involved in solving this conflict," she said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor, says more than half a million people have been killed in the Syrian war since it erupted seven years ago. About 85 percent of the dead were civilians killed by the forces of the Syrian government and its allies, according to the Observatory.

Speaking of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Merkel said "Those who thought that the end of the Cold War would bring peace to Europe were wrong".

More than 10,000 people have been killed since April 2014 in a conflict that pits Ukrainian forces against Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Intermittent clashes continue despite a notional ceasefire and diplomatic peace efforts.

Merkel, the daughter of a Lutheran minister in what was then East Germany, lit a candle on the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th century saint of preached peace and defence of nature.

The head of the Assisi convent, Father Mauro Gambetti, said the Franciscans had decided to give the award to Merkel, who has defended the rights of refugees trying to find a better life in Europe, because of her "commitment to promoting peaceful coexistence among peoples."

"This lamp is an inspiration for me. I will keep it on my desk," she said.

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Depending upon who and how old you are and what stage and season of life youre in, Mothers Day can elicit a complex cacophony of emotion ranging from joy and jubilation to longing and lament.

Nowhere is this truer than in the layered world of adoption. Although the practice has existed in some form or fashion since the beginning of human history, adoption has evolved over the years.

Once considered a secretive act handled entirely behind the scenes, most of modern society now sees it for what it is  a beautiful and sacred arrangement intended to serve the best interests of both child and parent.

Yes, Mothers Day conjures up all kinds of feelings for those who fall outside traditions norms. There are women who arent mothers that want to be, mothers who have lost children to tragedy  and then there are birthmothers of the adoptive world.

When most of us think of adoption, we envision that happy and celebratory scene of a child being placed in the arms of their adoptive parents. But as wonderful as it is, it doesnt tell the entire story, and not even by a half of the whole.

Thats because behind every adoption plan lays a deeply powerful and poignant story involving a birthmother. Each one is different, of course, because each child is unique. Today, adoption spans the spectrum from domestic to international and from infants and toddlers to teenagers and those on the brink of adulthood.

But every child of adoption, like every other child, has a birthmother. And for birthmothers who have entrusted their child to the care of another mother and family, Sunday is their day too. Society owes them an equal measure of honor and gratitude. Many of them stay silently in the shadows, content to watch their children from afar. Others have some degree of contact, cheering on their biological offspring in coordination with their adoptive families.

I dont think these women get enough credit. I wish they did. As an adoptive dad, I have had a front row seat to the heroism of our sons birthmothers. It is nothing short of remarkable.

But dont just take my word for it.

History tells us their sacrifices have literally changed both your world and mine.

Joanne Schieble was 22-years-old and pregnant in 1955 when she left Wisconsin and moved to San Francisco. She was in the care of an obstetrician who quietly ministered to unwed mothers. When her first choice for an adoptive family fell through (they wanted a girl), she scrambled to find another. She liked Paul and Clara, but Joanne didnt like that they werent college graduates. They assured her they would send little Steve to college. Satisfied, she signed the papers.

Eventually, the late Apple founder Steve Jobs would meet his birthmother. I wanted to meet her mostly to see if she was okay and to thank her, because Im glad I didnt end up as an abortion, he said. She went through a lot to have me.

Back in 1961, 23-year-old Paula Conway of Mississippi found herself in a similar situation. Young, unmarried and with child, her obstetrician reached out to Ted and Edna Perry, a local couple who had expressed a desire to adopt. Audrey Faith was soon placed in their arms and a lifelong love affair quickly ensued.

Looking back on the circumstances surrounding her adoption, country music legend Faith Hill evokes a strong note of gratitude for the sacrifice her biological mother made in deciding to entrust her to the care of the Perry family. I know [my birthmother] must have had a lot of love for me to want to give [me] what she felt was a better chance.

As adoptive parents of three beautiful boys, my wife Julie and I have a tender and special place in our hearts for women who sacrificially make adoption plans for their children. Not only have they enabled our dreams of parenthood, but they have given the three boys in our care wings to grow up and reach their full potential. Their sacrifice has also profoundly changed us.

Thanks to the beauty of open adoption, we have seen up close and personal both the grief and the glory attached to these heart-wrenching decisions. We have seen what modern-day heroes look like  selfless, sacrificial and motivated by motherly love, the purest form of affection this side of eternal life.

It was the novelist Charlotte Gray who once poetically observed that Children and mothers never truly part, bound together by the beating of one anothers heart. If she is right, and I believe that she is, whether Mothers Day or not, whether biological or adopted, whether our mothers are living or deceased, our moms are never truly far from us.NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

What if Hillary Clinton had defeated Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election?

What if Steve Jobs had given up and the iPhone had never been marketed?

What if President John F. Kennedy had decided racing Russia to the moon was too risky or too expensive?

In each case, the world today would be dramatically different.

In my Facebook series, What If? History That Couldve Been, which is currently in its second season, I explore ideas like these.

While it is creative and fun to describe alternative histories, it also serves a useful purpose. It moves us from simply memorizing facts to really thinking about them.

It is a way to study history dynamically, rather than statically.

Many people grow to dislike studying history because they are taught a dry, boring, fact memorization system that feels dead and sterile  and provides no meaning or context for our lives.

Yet, when history is studied actively, it is dynamic, alive, and teaches a lot about our decisions, our own lives, and todays challenges.

For instance, Arthur Wellesley, better known as the Duke of Wellington, said the Battle of Waterloo was the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life. By God! I dont think it would have done if I had not been there!"

If Wellingtons defeat of Napoleon (a decisive moment for modern Europe) was that close of a battle, it could have gone the other way. Therefore, it is totally appropriate to ask what would have happened if Napoleon had been triumphant and the British and Prussian armies had been defeated? What would Europe look like today?

Similarly, the Battle of New Orleans made Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson a hero and set the stage for his ultimate election to the presidency. Yet, this decisive battle was fought on January 8, 1815  two weeks after the War of 1812 officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent on Christmas Eve in 1814.

However, because intercontinental communication required sailing ships, word had not yet reached New Orleans when the British attacked and Jacksons American soldiers defeated them. What might have happened to Jacksons national fame if word of the peace treaty had reached the British by Jan. 7?

This pattern of actively exploring alternative outcomes leads to a much deeper understanding of the moving parts in history. It leads to a better sense of what we should be thinking about when we make decisions. It teaches us to look for the linkage points between different patterns.

For some reason, I have always thought dynamically about historic experiences. It may have come from growing up as an Army brat and living in then-war-torn places like Orleans, France and Stuttgart, Germany.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, in both cities, you could still see the bombing damage caused during World War II, which served as a vivid reminder of the consequences of history.

Orleans also has a huge statue of Joan of Arc. It is easy, almost inevitable, to marvel at this young woman who emerged at age 17 to save the French monarchy, only to be burned at the stake at 19 by her English enemies.

For over a year, I went to school near this remarkable statue and was reminded again and again how improbable events and extraordinary people can change the direction of history.

Another event that got me thinking about how history can shift suddenly was the fall of the Fourth Republic in France and the return of Gen. Charles de Gaulle from retirement.

De Gaulle was a great example of how a unique personality can shape history. He had played a role in developing armored warfare in the 1930s, then had led the Free French movement from London after the fall of France to the Nazis in 1940.

De Gaulle then organized the postwar government and served briefly as provisional president before resigning in disgust at the politicians he despised. For years, before he (briefly) retired to his home at Colombey-les-deux-Eglises to write his memoirs, he worked on sustaining a nationalist movement.

The nationalist movement seemed doomed to irrelevancy as the traditional politicians ignored de Gaulle and played musical chairs with various government positions. But all of this changed very quickly.

When I was a teenager, we were living in France as the Fourth Republic was toppled, Then de Gaulle was brought out of retirement and back to power, and the Fifth Republic was invented.

Watching de Gaulle maneuver, educate the public, undertake bold reforms, and take on bitter opponents was an amazing experience. Today, due to de Gaulles work, President Emmanuel Macron is leading one of the longest surviving non-monarchy governments in French history.

My years in Europe, where my father was serving in the Army, convinced me that history has an impact on all of us. It also convinced me that strong, determined people can have a remarkable impact on history.

I started my Facebook series because I believe in the power of asking What If?

If you start exploring what could have been, you will find yourself much more deeply engaged in studying and learning from history. Your own imagination will be enriched and your ability to solve problems will be expanded.

In the first few months of the What If? series, more than 58,000 people have subscribed to the show on Facebook and hundreds have sent in their own wish lists for topics for us to explore in future episodes. So far, our most-watched episode What if Hillary had won  has had more than 2 million views and 27,000 shares.

Doing this show has also given me the opportunity to expand my own understanding of history.

After I posted an episode on what might have happened if Sen. Robert F. Kennedy had not been assassinated in 1968, Judge James Rogan, who I worked with in Congress and is now a judge in the Superior Court of California, emailed me to inform me that I was about 95 percent correct in my assessment.

Rogan has just finished writing a historical novel on this very topic called On To Chicago: Rediscovering Robert F. Kennedy and the Lost Campaign of 1968. Rogans take during our conversation was educational for me, and I look forward to reading his book when it comes out Tuesday.

This has been very encouraging for me because understanding our history is critical to creating a strong, successful future.

I hope you enjoy the What If? episodes as much as I enjoy sharing them. You can follow the show on Facebook and submit your episode ideas here.NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

As both a president of a national organization and a mother of two, I can testify that there is truly no job more important than raising my children.

Studies have shown that being present in a childs life doesnt only help them grow emotionally and academically, but it can also help them flourish years later as an adult. Sadly, not every child gets to grow up with a mother: today, there are over 140,000 children with their mother in prison, and those numbers are on the rise.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that the number of children with a mother in prison has more than doubled since 1991. People might suspect that that statistic is a reflection of an increase in crime rates, but thats not necessarily the case. Both violent and property crime rates have been on the decline since the mid-1990s. Rather, the recent increase in womens incarceration rates is more closely tied to an increase in tough sentencing laws than an increase in criminal wrongdoing.

While sentencing changes were made with good intentions, there has been no measurable decrease in drug trafficking or drug addiction. Instead, the net of harsh drug sentencing wound up entangling lower-level offenses such as possession. This has contributed to the increase in womens incarceration rates.

Drug crimes make up a large portion of convictions for women. Sixty-four percent of women who are incarcerated for drug possession have children, and four-out-of-ten mothers reported that they were the primary bread-winners for their children prior to arrest. That means there are thousands of children who are losing not just a mother, but a financial provider that they depended on for food, clothing, and shelter.

We should do all that we can to keep mothers, who have proven to be trustworthy caregivers, with their children, especially if the cost to put them away outweighs the benefit for public safety and well-being of their children.

It must be said, first and foremost, that the crucial step to preventing incarceration is for everyone to lead law-abiding lives. Unfortunately, mothers are not perfect. Were not without trials or mistakes. Sometimes we suffer from deeply-seated issues that were unable to overcome on our own  like addiction.

The CDC reported that the number of women who have died from drug overdose has risen by more than 400 percent since 1999.

Mothers are not spared from the opioid crisis, which is why I believe the criminal justice system should carefully consider which drug crimes warrant incarceration and which warrant substance abuse treatment.

Specialty courts are one alternative to incarceration that can hold offenders accountable without breaking families apart. They work by diverting offenders with underlying issues such as substance abuse or mental health issues away from incarceration and into treatment.

For mothers that are not fit to be caregivers, this affords children the opportunity to stay connected with their mothers while they get the treatment they need. Success garnered from these alternatives has inspired states across the nation to reconsider harsh sentencing for low-level drug offenders.

For a glimpse into why theres over 3,000 drug courts today, just look to my home state, Kentucky. In a two year outcome evaluation, incarceration rates for drug court program graduates were 53 percent lower than among non-participants. Graduates were also convicted of 50 percent fewer felonies and achieved a 16 percent lower arrest rate than non-participants. With less crime and savings of more than $2 million, all Kentuckians have reaped the reward of drug court programs.

Offering treatment and support in lieu of punishment is by no means letting someone off the hook. Kentuckys drug court program is a multi-pronged approach that takes up to 25 months to complete.

With the help of these programs, Kentucky isnt just gaining safer streets or saving tax dollars, Kentucky is helping moms be more equipped to raise their kids and provide for their families.

Moms have a gift for caretaking that cannot be replicated by anyone else. When mothers are incarcerated, kids can float between family members homes or sometimes end up in foster care. Thats why I feel so strongly that we need to do all we can to provide alternatives to incarceration when possible. Drug courts can help.

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I have been consistently critical of the anti-Trump establishments obsession with Russia, Stormy Daniels, and all the nonsense that is peddled nonstop to detract from President Trumps growing tally of substantive achievements at home and abroad.

I have consistently condemned the Russia probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Ive also condemned the deeply troubling efforts of Deep State bureaucrats like fired FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to destabilize the duly elected president of the United States and remove him from office through undemocratic means.

Just last week I described all this as a political counterrevolution by the elite that undermines democracy and the rule of law. And I have put the sleazy efforts of Stormy Daniels lawyer, Michael Avenatti, in the same rotten category.

But heres something else Ive been consistent on for years: my total contempt for the corrupt, pay-to-play business model of the Washington Swamp, where Big Business bribes and lobbies Big Government to get its way  benefiting the rich, powerful and well-connected at the expense of working Americans.

Donald Trump made that exact same argument in his election campaign and its one of the main reasons he won.

Did Cohen even listen to what Donald Trump was saying on the campaign trail? Trump said he was going to be the voice for the voiceless  not the business elite. What part of Drain the Swamp did Cohen not understand?

Voters could see that politics in America was corrupt to its core. They thought that an outsider billionaire  who had no need to depend on armies of big donors and corporate insiders  was the right person to shake things up and put the American people first, after their needs had been forgotten for so long.

It was all captured in one phrase that came to define the 2016 campaigns epic battle between the populist insurgent and the corrupt Clinton machine and all it represented: Drain the Swamp!

Contrary to what his critics would have you believe, since his inauguration President Trump has delivered on many of his Drain the Swamp promises, including tough new rules on lobbying.

And dont forget one of the most overlooked aspects of draining the swamp: the dramatic cut in government regulations. The more regulations there are, the more scope there is for big corporations with the right connections to shape them to their ends.

But there is much, much more to do. As we report every week on SwampWatch, the basic, corrupt business of Congress goes on uninterrupted. Members of Congress raise money from the very same corporations that are directly affected by the committees they sit on.

Lobbyists crawl all over the legislative process. The revolving door between Congress, lobbying and the corporate world is spinning as fast as ever. And all of this, remember, is a thoroughly bipartisan swamp.

Theres no difference between Democrats and Republicans on this  although perhaps Democrats are more hypocritical about it with their endless sanctimonious lectures about the corrosive influence of money in politics. All while they pocket the cash, of course.

And that brings us to this weeks news about Michael Cohen, President Trumps one-time fixer. Cohen was reported this week to have touted himself to a number of giant global corporations as someone who could give them an inside track with the new Trump administration.

Among those giant corporations were AT&T, which paid Cohen $600,000 to help in its bid to buy Time Warner  a bid that candidate Trump strongly condemned on the campaign trail; and Swiss drug giant Novartis, which paid Cohen $1.2 million as a consultant  presumably to help the company avoid the clampdown on high drug prices that Trump had pledged.

Lets ignore for a moment the truly staggering hypocrisy of AT&Ts swampy CEO, Randall Stephenson, who tried to deflect blame for the scandal by throwing his chief Washington lobbyist, Bob Quinn, under the bus. Stephenson described the decision to hire Cohen as a big mistake and announced that Quinn would be retiring immediately.

What a joke. AT&T spends millions on exactly this kind of lobbying and influence-buying all the time. The company is just embarrassed because it was caught.

But the real damage here is not to the reputation of AT&T or Novartis  its to President Trump and his entire Drain the Swamp crusade.

According to both AT&T and Novartis, Cohen was going around pitching himself as a conduit to the incoming Trump administration.

AT&T released a memo that stated: Michael Cohen approached our External Affairs organization during the post-election transition period and said he was going to leave the Trump Organization and do consulting for a select few companies that wanted his opinion on the new President and his administration  the key players, their priorities and how they think.

Isnt that exactly whats wrong with America? Big corporations get the inside track while everyone else just has to put up with whatever government throws at them?

What about all the small businesses in America, the self-employed, the struggling forgotten men and women? Who is their consultant? Where is their inside track?

Did Cohen even listen to what Donald Trump was saying on the campaign trail? Trump said he was going to be the voice for the voiceless  not the business elite. What part of Drain the Swamp did Cohen not understand?

By cashing in on his connection to the president to help giant global corporations, Cohen insulted every single Trump voter.

Saying this plainly is not being disloyal to President Trump. In fact, it would be disloyal to not point it out. It is Cohen who has been disloyal to the president, by betraying and embarrassing him and undermining one of his most important promises to the American people.

Heres what needs to happen: Cohen must apologize, pay back his swamp fees and tell us who else he pitched his services to. We need to see the full list of the select few companies he reportedly offered to help.

Theres still time to save the Drain the Swamp agenda, which is such a vital part of the populist revolution. But first there has to be a proper reckoning for the damage Cohen has done with his cynical, shameless behavior.

Well be debating all this with my guests, including Dana Perino, this Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT on The Next Revolution on Fox News Channel  hope you can join us!NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

With North Korea dominating the headlines out of Asia, not enough attention is being paid to major developments dealing with the South China Sea  the major cause of tensions in the larger Indo-Pacific region before North Korea started testing its long-range missiles and nuclear explosives.

China recently placed advanced anti-ship missiles and air-defense batteries on islands it has built in the South China Sea  yes, China has built its own islands from almost nothing, using some of the worlds most advanced dredging technology.

The Chinese are moving quickly to dominate this critical body of water and do what no nation has done since the age of sailing ships: successfully claim water as territory.

The stakes could not be any higher. Just a cursory look at any map of Asia and one quickly realizes that whoever dominates the South China Sea dominates East Asia  largely negating Washingtons own role in the region.

Nations like Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan and others are dependent on the South China Seas vital sea routes  which carry one-third of global shipping  to power their economies and deliver vital fish, finished food products and oil supplies to their populations.

There are also potentially trillions of dollars of oil, natural gas and mineral deposits beneath the South China Sea, waiting like buried treasure to be brought to the surface.

All of this explains Chinas brazen attempt  using expansive claims in maps, passports, military exercises, the subsidizing of massive fishing fleets and a powerful non-naval maritime militia  to dominate the South China Sea, which must be considered the beating heart of Asia.

In fact, Beijings new islands and their militarization are part of a slick strategy to dominate this near sea and all of the waters around China  turning them into what some are calling a no-man's land for U.S. naval vessels and aircraft.

Known to Western analysts as anti-access/area-denial, or A2/AD, Beijing has leveraged the combined strength of its ultra-quiet submarines, over 80,000 sea mines (the worlds largest inventory), air-defense platforms, undersea tracking systems and cruise missiles.

China is sending a clear message to the U.S. and other nations traveling through the South China Sea: come too close to the Chinese coast, Chinese-claimed territory, or even Taiwan with military assets and you could pay a big price.

And that is just Step One of Chinas plan. In fact, Beijing has acquired even more advanced military assets that  if deployed in the South China Sea  would be very difficult to stop in a regional conflict, unless America and its allies were willing to pay a heavy price.

The first of these advanced military assets is what has been called a carrier-killer missile, or the DF-21D, a mobile missile that terrifies U.S. naval planners. When launched, the missile is guided using advanced radar, satellites and possibly even a drone.

Various reports indicate this missile has a maneuverable warhead that is potentially capable of defeating missile-defense systems. The missile slams down on its target at 10 times the speed of sound or faster. Even more frightening, the missile can attack naval vessels 900 miles away, ensuring China can launch an attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier long before the carriers short-range fighter jets can strike.

Additional advanced military assets China possesses include newly acquired S-400 air-defense batteries and the long-range Su-35 fighter jet  both recently purchased from Russia. Placing these in the South China Sea would allow China to patrol and defend large sections of this area from above the waves, giving Beijing a massive home-field advantage that would be tough to overcome.

While China only has limited quantities of these advanced Russian arms now, it has an amazing track record of reverse engineering almost any technology it has bought from Moscow. Therefore, it is only a matter of time before these weapons platforms will be placed all over the South China Sea and the Chinese coastline.

So far, besides promising catch phrases and grandiose policy plans that could be hard to operationalize, the Trump administrations strategy to deal with the South China Sea challenge seems to be nearly the same as the Obama administrations.

This involves taking U.S. naval vessels and sailing them close to the islands China has built, all in an effort to prove we do not recognize any of its expansive claims. These are called freedom of navigation operations.

Unfortunately for Washington, while such actions show some sort of response, they do nothing to slow Chinas assault on the status quo. As U.S. ships simply sail around the South China Sea, Beijing presses ahead with installing more military hardware. Chinas islands and equipment are permanent, while Americas naval deployments are temporary and brief.

Now is the time for the Trump administration to begin to formulate a comprehensive strategy to push back against Chinas claims. Washington should partner with South China Sea nations to formulate a means to counter China, short of military conflict.

Back in 2016, I offered a multi-part strategy that Washington could use to slow or even halt Beijings actions. One part of that strategy is something I have named shamefare. The U.S. and other nations could use this to fully expose Chinas methods of coercion.

The goal of shamefare would be straightforward: to put China on the defensive and shame it in the media by using extensive documentation to show how China is taking over the South China Sea.

America and other nations could use social media and traditional media to distribute videos and photos of the areas the Chinese are slowly dominating. This stands a chance, when combined with other methods, to make Beijing pay a heavy and near constant price.

Considering the Trump administrations clear focus on all things Asia  trade, North Korea and even a new interest in Taiwan  at the moment, Washington cannot allow China to simply dominate and effectively turn the South China Sea into a Chinese lake that extends its territory.

If that happens, Washingtons credibility throughout Asia would be undermined dramatically, to the point where nations around the region seek accommodation with China, allowing Beijing to slowly but surely dominate all of Asia  and see the U.S. pushed out.

We simply cannot allow that to happen.NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Conservative syndicated columnist George Will wrote this week that Vice President Mike Pence has become Americas most repulsive public figure. Why does Will think Pence deserves this absurd slur? Apparently, the columnist has found the vice president guilty of the heinous crime of being a decent man.

Will announced in 2016 that he was leaving the Republican Party over the nomination of Donald Trump as the GOPs presidential candidate. So it is no surprise that Will has become part of the so-called resistance to the duly elected president of the United States. Hes even become a contributor to NBC and its liberal sister news channel, MSNBC, using this as a forum to criticize both President Trump and Vice President Pence.

But dont let the Wills penchant for writing columns filled with big words that most Americans never use and cant even define obscure the fact that the central indictment of his hostile column is pretty thin gruel.

Some writers  and Will is clearly among them  think using big and seldom seen words makes them seem smart. He clearly rejects the advice given by writer George Orwell in a 1946 essay to never use a long word where a short one will do.

In attempting to prove his anti-Pence thesis, Will summons the depths of his ample thesaurus to support a conclusion that the vice president is, in fact, very polite and proper.

To wit: Will calls Pence oleaginous, which the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines as either resembling or having the properties of oil or marked by an offensive ingratiating manner or quality.

After Wills column appeared in newspapers and on websites around the country, oleaginous became the most-searched for word in the online dictionary, with searches rising by 8,800 percent.

A less acrid conclusion would be that Pence is polished. For the sins of recognizing former Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio in the audience at a recent speech and addressing his own boss  who happens to be the president of the United States  with appropriate respect and deference, Will accuses Pence of toadyism and obsequiousness.

People used to call what Pence has done savoir faire, and it is fairly standard to recognize elected and former elected officials in attendance at political or charitable events.

George Will is a neighbor and, if not a friend, more than an acquaintance. He has done me more than one good turn. He and his family have been hospitable to my family, and I, like so many others, have learned from and cited a great deal of his work over the years. All the more troubling, then, to see him stoop to ad-hominem attacks.

Since when are humility and decorum fodder for scorn of the worst kind? Since at least 1990, when Will did this to another honorable and unpretentious man: President George Herbert Walker Bush.

Will derided President Bushs modesty as arrogance, excoriating the then-president for the high crime of de-emphasizing the rhetorical dimension of the presidency that Bushs predecessor, the Great Communicator Ronald Reagan, employed with aplomb.

What is it about proper, genteel, civil, self-effacing men that George Will doesnt like? It is clearly not that he prefers improper, brash men.

Just five months ago, Will declared President Trump the nations worst president and accused him of full-throated support of the grotesque.

Will has accused the scabrous Trump of intellectual sloth and stratospheric self-confidence. In at least one instance he has even shed that trademark Willian vocabularic creativity to refer to Trump simply as a bully.

What is evident from Wills splenetic attack on Pence is just how far the Never Trump movement is willing to go to achieve its main goal of  well, what is the goal now, 16 months after President Trumps inauguration? Make voters wish they hadnt supported Trump so they could have avoided the overwhelming barrage of mordant if ultimately toothless hand-wringing from the pundit class?

To put it in Will-ian terms: The only purpose these sesquipedalian insults serve is to denigrate men who are actually working to make this country better. The intellectual elite inside the Beltway would be well-served to look at the big picture. We understand that you think youre classier than the president and smarter than the vice president. We just dont care.

What matters are the actions being taken by President Trump and Vice President Pence, and they are saving the country.

Villainizing Pence for his style obfuscates the accomplishments of the Trump administration  from the diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea, to a roaring economy and low unemployment, to strengthening the border, to appointing many terrific conservative judges. It also alienates a key ally of traditional Republicans in a non-traditionally Republican White House and era.

Pence is a confirmed, lifelong advocate for conservatism in a position to influence the direction of an administration many in the establishment worried would be unpredictable and questionably conservative.

Will and his fellow travelers on the anti-Trump road present no evidence that Pence has shed that mantle  just that he is what we all knew the vice president to be: a cordial and mannerly man.

And yet, having so far utterly failed in their mission to shame President Trump into resignation, the never-Trump wing of the Republican Party has turned its sights on Pence, who has been their ally.

For the unpardonable sin of publicly supporting his boss, his bosss political allies, and his bosss political agenda, the vice president is condemned to face the supercilious verbosity of Rogets Firing Squad.

Wills lambasting of Pence is, like so many similar hyperbolic lamentations about the rhetorical style of our elected leaders, an exercise in otiosity. The English philosopher Jeremy Bentham had a beautiful phrase that Im sorry to say applies to George Will here: nonsense upon stilts.

All this would be laughable were it not for the ultimate consequences of such malevolent backbiting: a return to power of the liberal establishment.

Will either does not understand this threat, or he so loathes the president that he is eager to bring liberal Democrats back to power  and take down a good man like Mike Pence in the process  just to validate his own sense of superiority. That may not be oleaginous; it is certainly dyspeptic.The longtime New York politician Sheldon Silver was reportedly found guilty Friday after facing charges of public corruption.

The 74-year-old, who will be sentenced in mid-June, said he felt disappointed at this point but planned to appeal, The Associated Press reported.

I am very confident that the judicial process will play out in my favor, the Democratic former Assembly speaker said as he departed the courthouse.

JURY HEARS OPENINGS AT EX-ASSEMBLY LEADERS BRIBERY TRIAL

The jurys decision was the second time Silver has heard this verdict. He was also found guilty during his first trial in 2015, however that conviction was repealed by an appeals court following the Supreme Courts decision that adjusted what was legally considered as corruption.

Prosecutors argued that Silver illegally pocketed around $4 million in fees from a cancer researcher and real estate developers who then benefited from his status in the states government. He reportedly made another $1 million investing that money.

EX-NY ASSEMBLY SPEAKER SHELDON SILVER SENTENCED TO 12 YEARS FOR CORRUPTION

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tatiana Martins argued that there was a mountain of evidence against Silver that suggested he made his money by using a form of extortion that stemmed from his political power.

However, Silvers attorney Michael Feldberg said during closing arguments that the fees were acquired lawfully and were considered common, standard and accepted practice among legislators who were permitted to work other jobs.

Silver, who was elected to government in 1976 and maintained his role as speaker for 21 years, did not take the stand in either of his trials.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Michael Cohen, the longtime personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, never discussed with the president the consulting fees he received from corporate clients, Rudy Giuliani said Friday.

The president had no knowledge of it, Giuliani said, in an interview with the Huffington Post.

Cohen reportedly received $600,000 from AT&T, $1.2 million from Swiss drugmaker Novartis, $150,000 from South Korean aviation firm Korea Aerospace Industries and $500,000 from Columbus Nova, an investment firm linked to a Russian oligarch.

One of that firms biggest clients is a company helmed by billionaire Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg, Fox News reported.

Giuliani told the Associated Press that it did not appear Cohen took any steps to advance the interests of the companies that paid him and did not speak to the president on their behalf.

Giuliani, a former mayor of New York City who recently joined Trump's personal legal team, said he represents Trump, not Cohen, but nevertheless believes Cohen did nothing wrong, HuffPost reported.

Theyre buying his advice. It can turn out to be good or bad, Giuliani said. Theres a lot of people in Washington who are paid for their advice.

However, Giuliani said he believes Cohen does not deserve the criticism he is taking from some in the media and in political circles.

The guy is under severe emotional pressure, Giuliani said. The guy is really collateral damage.

The guy is under severe emotional pressure. The guy is really collateral damage.  Rudy Giuliani, referring to Trump lawyer Michael Cohen

Giuliani is also a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, which is the office currently investigating Cohen's business dealings.

Giuliani joined Trumps outside legal team in April to represent Trump in Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into possible ties to Russia.

Meanwhile, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said Friday that the company's chief Washington lobbyist, Bob Quinn, would be leaving the company after overseeing the hiring of Cohen as a political consultant, the Wall Street Journal reported.

There is no other way to say it  AT&T hiring Michael Cohen as a political consultant was a big mistake, Stephenson's memo to employees said.

To be clear, everything we did was done according to the law and entirely legitimate, Stephenson wrote. But the fact is our past association with Cohen was a serious misjudgment.

Stephenson said Quinn plans to retire, but people familiar with the matter told the Journal that the policy chief was forced to leave.

Quinn, a lawyer who joined the company in 1993 and took over its Washington office in October 2016, didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

The telecommunications company said it was contacted by investigators with Mueller and provided "all information requested in November and December of 2017."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee wrote Friday to the FBI and Department of Justice, pushing the agencies for answers about the interview of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, citing an apparently contradiction between what former FBI Director James Comey said to the committee, and what he has said since.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, sent the letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, saying that in a March 2017 briefing, Comey told lawmakers that the agents saw no change in his demeanor or tone that would say [Flynn] was being untruthful about the contents of a call with the then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. According to committee staff, Comey also said that the FBI agents saw nothing that led them to believe [he was] lying.



But Flynn later pleaded guilty in Special Counsel Robert Muellers Russia probe to making false statements to the FBI in that interview. He also lost his job at the White House after he was said to have misled Vice President Mike Pence about the discussion with Kislyak.

HOUSE INTEL REPORT: COMEY TESTIFIED FBI AGENTS SAW NO 'PHYSICAL INDICATIONS OF DECEPTION' BY FLYNN



Last week, the release of a less-redacted version of House Intelligence Committee Republicans Russia report showed that Comey told that committee that agents who interviewed Flynn discerned no physical indications of deception.

They saw nothing that indicated to them that he knew he was lying to them, Comey said, according to the GOP-authored report.

Former deputy director Andrew McCabe made similar statements, raising the possibility that Flynn may not have knowingly lied about asking Kislyak to refrain from responding to U.S. sanctions during the transition.



Comey has suggested he was misunderstood.



No, I saw that in the media, Comey said earlier this month on Fox News Special Report. Someone misunderstood something I said. I didnt believe that and didnt say that.

Grassleys letter zones in on comments Comey has made, arguing that conflicts with what Comey told the Senate committee.



Contrary to his public statements during his current book tour denying any memory of those comments, then-Director Comey led us to believe during that briefing that the agents who interviewed Flynn did not believe he intentionally lied about his conversation with the Ambassador and that the Justice Department was unlikely to prosecute him for false statements made in that interview, the letter reads.

In the months since then, the Special Counsel obtained a guilty plea from Lt. General Flynn for that precise alleged conduct," it adds.



Grassleys letter requests transcripts of intercepted calls, any FBI summaries, the FBI agents notes of their interview with Flynn by May 25. It also requests an interview with one of the agents who conducted the interview with Flynn.

Grassley says that due to the guilty plea, the Committees oversight interest in the underlying documents requested more than a year ago now outweighs any legitimate executive branch interest in withholding it.



So too does the Committees interest in learning the FBI agents actual assessments of their interview of Lt. Gen. Flynn, particularly given the apparent contradiction between what then-Directory Comey told us in March 2017 and what he now claims, he says.



The request comes as Trump and other Republicans are increasingly raising their voices about what they see as a politically-motivated probe by Mueller.



The 13 Angry Democrats in charge of the Russian Witch Hunt are starting to find out that there is a Court System in place that actually protects people from injustice...and just wait till the Courts get to see your unrevealed Conflicts of Interest! Trump tweeted on Monday.

He also asked if the probe was being lengthened so as to impact the midterms in November.

Republicans better get tough and smart before it is too late! he tweeted.

Fox News' Catherine Herridge, Judson Berger and Alex Pappas contributed to this report.

U.S. Sen. John McCain is feeling better as he recovers from cancer treatment and surgery in Arizona, according to family members and friends.

Arizona's junior U.S. senator, Jeff Flake, told Fox News on Friday that he spoke with McCain by phone that morning, and said his 81-year-old colleague was doing better than he had been recently.

In April, McCain underwent surgery for an intestinal infection.

Flake did not go into detail, but he smiled and spoke in a tone of voice that suggested he was pleased or relieved to offer the positive update.

Flake said he did not expect to see McCain this weekend, but when asked if he expected to visit McCain again soon, Flake said, Yes, I do.

Meanwhile, McCain continues to receive a steady stream of visitors at his family's ranch in Arizona.

Daughter Meghan McCain, 33, a co-host of ABC's "The View," has been flying back and forth from New York City to Arizona to visit her father in recent weeks.

My dad's actually doing really well right now, she said on the program this week. I believe in the power of prayer, and I think it's helping."

She also clapped back at reports that White House aide Kelly Sadler had remarked, "It doesn't matter, he's dying anyway," in reference to John McCain's opposition to President Donald Trump's nomination of Gina Haspel to lead the CIA.

Its not how you die, Meghan McCain responded. Its how you live. She thanked viewers for their positive thoughts regarding her father.

We're really strong. Theres so much more love and prayer and amazing energy being generated towards us than anything negative at all. And I feel so blessed, she said.

Michael Bloomberg, a former mayor of New York City, also reportedly visited Sen. McCain on Friday, while close friend Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., visited earlier this week.

Graham and McCain reportedly watched the classic 1962 Western movie, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and talked about McCain's imprint on politics.

Graham said he told McCain he will leave behind a long list of Republicans  and Democrats  he has mentored, with Graham including himself in the group.

"Your legacy is the people you affected," Graham said he told his friend. "John McCain's going to have a hell of a legacy."

After McCain's recent hospitalization for an intestinal infection, Graham said he was worried about his friend's health. But after seeing him this week, he decided McCain will "be with us for a while."

The two weren't quite yet saying their goodbyes. In fact, "there's not talk of funerals, there's talk of the future," Graham said.

Graham also said McCains forthcoming book, The Restless Wave should be required reading.

It's a story about the country, and "even though we make our share of mistakes, we're always trying to make it a more perfect union," Graham said.

Former Vice President Joe Biden visited McCain earlier this month in Arizona.

Fox News' Lee Ross and the Associated Press contributed to this report.The United States congratulated Iraq Saturday on its first parliamentary election since declaring victory over the Islamic State group, and emphasized the importance of forming an "inclusive" government.

The Iraqi vote comes with tensions surging between Iran and the United States after Washington pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal, sparking fears of a destabilizing power struggle in Iraq.

The newly elected members of Iraq's parliament "will have the important task of forming an inclusive government, responsive to the needs of all Iraqis," read a statement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

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Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin on Friday vetoed the Constitutional Carry bill that, if passed, would have enabled handgun owners in the state to carry without first obtaining a permit.

The NRA had supported the bill's passage and had urged Fallin to sign it.

While Oklahoma is a state that respects the Second Amendment, Fallin said in a statement, she chose to veto the bill, also known as Senate Bill 1212, because the firearms requirement we current have in state law are few and reasonable.

Oklahoma is a state that respects the Second Amendment. As governor, I have signed both concealed-carry and open-carry legislation. I support the right to bear arms and own a pistol, a rifle, and a shotgun, the statement read.

Oklahomans believe that law-abiding individuals should be able to defend themselves. I believe the firearms requirement we current have in state law are few and reasonable. Senate Bill 1212 eliminates the training requirements for persons carrying a firearms in Oklahoma. It reduces the level of the background check necessary to carry a gun, it continued.

Fallin added that the bill eliminates the current ability of Oklahoma law enforcement to distinguish between those carrying guns who have been trained and vetted, and those who have not, echoing an argument that many lawmakers who opposed the mandate, such as Democratic state Rep. Shane Stone, made while the bill was debated.

The mandate is anti-safety and anti-law enforcement and too far out there, Stone previously told Fox News.

Again, I believe the firearms laws we currently have in place are effective, appropriate and minimal, and serve to reassure our citizens that people who are carrying handguns in this state are qualified to do so, Fallins statement ended.

The bill passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives in a 59-28 vote in late April. It passed the states Senate on May 2 in a 33-9 vote. At the time, some lawmakers expected Fallin to pass the legislation, while the bills author, Republican Sen. Nathan Dahm, was wary that Fallin would choose to veto Constitutional Carry because she had vetoed other gun legislation in the past, he told Fox News at the time.

Some 11 other states have passed similar legislation, which, if implemented in Oklahoma, would have eliminated the requirement to complete a short firearms safety and training course from a certified instructor and demonstrate competency with a pistol before carrying a gun in public, according to the governors office.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A second Democrat on Saturday said he would vote to confirm Gina Haspel, President Trumps nominee for CIA director, moving the agency veteran a significant step closer to confirmation.



Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., said he would support her after a tough, frank and extensive discussion, with Haspel, making him the second Democrat to back her nomination after West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin.



Democrats have expressed concern about Haspels involvement in the post 9/11-era interrogation and detention programs. In her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, while she refused to criticize colleagues for their conduct, she pledged that there would be no return to those programs under her leadership.



Having served in that tumultuous time, I can offer you my personal commitment, clearly and without reservation, that under my leadership on my watch CIA will not restart such a detention and interrogation program, she said.

CIA PICK HASPEL DEFENDS 'MORAL COMPASS' AMID DEM ATTACKS, DETAILS SPY CREDENTIALS



Haspel was chief of a base at a black-site prison in Thailand in 2002, where techniques such as waterboarding were used on terror suspects. Democrats have also complained that the agency has been selective in its declassification of information about her.



She came under particular fire from Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Kamala Harris, D-Calif., who scolded her for what she saw as her evasiveness in questioning.



"You also, in this hearing, have a responsibility to answer the questions being asked of you," she told Haspel. Harris has since said she will vote against Haspels confirmation.



But Donnelly said that after his conversation and reviewing her testimony he would back her.



I believe that she has learned from the past, and that the CIA under her leadership can help our country confront serious international threats and challenges, he said in a statement. Importantly, Ms. Haspel expressed to me her commitment to be responsive to congressional oversight and to provide her unvarnished assessment  both to members of Congress and the president.



For those reasons, and after careful consideration, I will support Ms. Haspels nomination to lead the agency to which she has dedicated her career, he added.



Haspels confirmation had been complicated by an intent to vote no by Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY., and also Arizona Sen. John McCains absence -- meaning that Haspel requires at least one Democrat to vote for her. McCain has also opposed her confirmation.



A senior Democratic source told Fox News this week that it was unclear if the Senate Democratic leadership would whip against Haspel, and that several Democrats may eventually vote for her.

The White House has noted that Haspel has backing from a number of Obama- and Bush-era intelligence officials including former CIA Directors Leon Panetta, John Brennan and Michael Hayden.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, was eyed as one Democrat who may vote for her, as well as Angus King, I-Maine. Other Democrats in play are Sens. Doug Jones, D-Ala.; Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D.; Bill Nelson, D-Fla.; and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.

Republicans have expressed confidence about Haspels confirmation, though Secretary of State Mike Pompeos confirmation was particularly grueling. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, told Fox News this week that he expected Haspel to be confirmed handily.



Fox News Chad Pergram and Mike Emanuel contributed to this report.A New York attorney reportedly told President Donald Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, years ago that former New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was allegedly abusing women.

Schneiderman, a frequent legal nemesis of Trump, resigned this week after the New Yorker magazine published the accounts of four women who claimed they were slapped and choked by him. Schneiderman has denied the charges.

Attorney Peter Gleason said in a letter filed with a federal judge Friday that he was contacted "some years ago" by two women who accused Schneiderman of sexual misconduct. But Gleason denied that the women were among the four who were quoted in the New Yorker article, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Gleason said he discussed the matter with retired New York Post columnist Stephen Dunleavy and advised the women not to speak with prosecutors.

According to Gleason, Dunleavy offered to talk about the issue with Trump prior to his presidency.

Gleason said he then got a call from Cohen, Trump's lawyer, and "shared with him certain details" of Schneiderman's alleged "vile attacks" on the women.

In his letter, Gleason asked U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood to issue a protective order sealing "any and all correspondence that Mr. Cohen may have memorialized regarding our communications."

In a brief phone interview Friday, Gleason said Cohen told him during their 2013 conversation that if Trump ran for governor, he would make the allegations about Schneiderman public.

Schneiderman's lawyer, Isabelle Kirshner, declined to comment. Lawyers for Cohen and Trump didn't return email messages.

Wood ordered Gleason on Friday afternoon either to file a memorandum supporting his request for a protective order by May 18, or withdraw the request.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.On May 25, citizens of Ireland will vote on whether to repeal the 1983 constitutional amendment recognizing the equal right to life of the unborn and banning abortion in all cases except the health of the mother, including potential suicide.

The referendum in the predominantly Roman Catholic country will be among the first tests of new policies by Facebook and Google to address concerns about election meddling raised by the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.

This month, Facebook announced it will block ads on the referendum that do not originate from advertisers in Ireland. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is vowing to have tighter restrictions on data that can influence politics.

A day after Facebooks announcement, Google said it would suspend all ads related to the referendum until after the vote.

Following our update around election integrity efforts globally, we have decided to pause all ads related to the Irish referendum on the Eighth Amendment, Google said in a statement.

Following our update around election integrity efforts globally, we have decided to pause all ads related to the Irish referendum on the Eighth Amendment.  Google statement

Ireland is one of the few developed Western nations to have strict anti-abortion laws.

Supporters of the repeal effort say the wording of the amendment does not allow lawmakers to grant exceptions in cases of rape or other circumstances. They argue that only by repealing this amendment can reasonable laws be made.

Pro-life groups say that if repealed, there will be no laws to protect the unborn at all.

One campaign slogan reads Love Both, promoting compassion for both mother and child.

Opponents of the repeal spoke out against the decisions by Facebook and Google.

A joint statement by three groups -- Save The 8th, Pro Life Campaign and the Iona Institute -- describes the tech companies' bans as an attempt to rig the referendum. They claim that the internet was the only platform available to the NO campaign to speak to voters directly, adding that is now being undermined.

James Mary McInerney, a friar at the Church of Visitation in north Dublin, said that as a Catholic it was his obligation to protect life.

We believe all life is sacred and comes from God and is a gift from God, he said.

He addressed his congregation by saying he was aware of Catholics who will vote "yes" to repeal the amendment, You cant do that and remain a Catholic.

On average, nine Irish women a day travel to the United Kingdom for abortion services, and four women a day smuggle abortion pills into the country. Current Irish law carries a sentence of up to 14 years in prison for terminating a pregnancy.

In Dublin, Irelands capital and largest city, posters for and against the referendum line every major thoroughfare. Lawmakers approved the repeal amendment in March and say if the referendum passes, they will push legislation for abortion up to 12 weeks.

Opponents are trying to gain support with headlines reading A License to Kill?

The latest polls give a slight advantage to the pro-choice, "Repeal the 8th" movement, and believe their success will depend on the youth turnout. The deadline for voter registration was May 8.

In Galway, a pro-choice registration booth was set up on the iconic Shop Street, in hopes of informing and registering progressive young voters.

In rural communities such as Doolin in County Clare, the pro-life anti-repeal sentiment holds a majority.

Some voters are opting to not vote at all. A 60-year-old taxi driver in Dublin, who said he is personally against abortion, plans to stay away from the vote. He said it was a womens issue, and women should be the ones voting.

All constitutional amendments in Ireland are subject to an open vote by the citizenry.

Ireland has a population of roughly 4.7 million people, with 78 percent considering themselves Catholic, according to the 2016 census.One Nigerian woman is taking United Airlines to court, alleging that the carrier racially discriminated against her in removing her from her flight at Houstons Bush Intercontinental Airport after a fellow passenger complained that she had a pungent odor.

On May 11, Queen Obioma filed a federal discrimination suit in Texas, stating that she and her children were wrongfully kicked off a flight headed to San Francisco on March 4, 2016, the second leg of a three-flight trip from Lagos, Nigeria, to Ontario, Canada, where her kids attend school, the Houston Chronicle reports.

NUDE MAN TASED, ARRESTED AT DAYTONA AIRPORT AFTER CAUSING BOMB SCARE

According to the lawsuit, Obioma boarded the plane and found a while male passenger sitting in her assigned business class seat, from which he refused to move. When a flight attendant failed to resolve the conflict as the man continued to refuse to move to his own assigned seat, Obioma agreed to take his spot.

Obioma went to the restroom before takeoff and returned to find the man blocking her from accessing the seat for several minutes. The mother then alleges that a United staffer, identified as Russel H., instructed her to step off the plane, where she was informed by another United agent that the pilot requested that she exit as the man causing trouble complained that she was pungent and did not feel comfortable flying with her.

DISRUPTIVE SPIRIT AIRLINES PASSENGER REFUSES TO LEAVE, FORCES WHOLE FLIGHT TO DEPLANE

Shaken, Obioma had her children removed from the flight as well, and the family made their connection five hours later. A frequent flyer member of Uniteds Star Alliance program, Obioma says the airline discriminated against her because she is black, African and Nigerian.

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United returned Fox News request for comment with the following statement:

We have not yet been served with this suit and due to the pending litigation involved in this matter, were unable to provide further comment, spokesman for the airline said, in a emailed statement.

Obioma seeks punitive damages and legal fees.Four Oklahoma troopers trying to execute a warrant on Friday were injured after getting shot at and a fire broke out at a potentially booby-trapped house, authorities said.

The encounter in Talihina, Okla., began when state troopers were assisting local authorities in carrying out a drug-related warrant, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Paul Timmons said. He said they asked for help because the man had a violent criminal history.

But when they walked in, they were met by gunfire, according to Timmons, who also said the house caught fire as soon as they tried to serve the warrant.

MASSIVE BLAZE DESTROYS CLASSIC CAR COLLECTION

The four troopers were either hit by bullets or shrapnel and have all since received medical care and were released from the hospital, authorities said. A fifth trooper was also struck, however the vest they were wearing shielded them from getting hurt, Timmons said.

It wasnt exactly clear how the blaze started, Timmons said, but "right now we suspect that the building may have been booby-trapped with some type of explosive device that maybe started the fire."

Authorities were also fairly certain the man had surveillance cameras set up, Timmons said.

Firefighters appeared to have the fire contained by the afternoon, The Associated Press reported.

WYOMING SHOOTING LEAVES MAN DEAD AND OFFICER INJURED

The unidentified suspect in the incident was shot and pronounced dead, Timmons said. A body was reportedly not recovered.

A number of buildings were burned by the fire, including two historic ones that were about 100 years old, according to Talihina Police Chief Rodney Faulkenberry.

Talihina is located about 150 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.An Army veteran, who served three tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, was sentenced to 55 years in prison Friday for the murder of his wife, whom he also admitted to burying behind his parents home.

Luc Tieman was convicted last month in the August 2016 murder of his 34-year-old wife, Valerie Tieman, who he says died of a heroin overdose. Results from the autopsy report revealed the cause of death as two gunshot wounds.

Investigators said that Tieman originally told them that his wife disappeared at a Walmart. He later changed his story and said that she died of an overdose. The autopsy confirmed that she had ingested painkillers, but that this was not the official cause of death.

Prosecutors alleged that the Army vet killed his wife so he could be with another woman he'd met online. They said that after her death, Tieman moved in with the woman and never reported Valerie missing. It was only on Sept. 9, 2016, that she was reported missing by her parents.

Valerie Tieman was found in a shallow grave, wrapped in a blanket, buried alongside a wedding band, flowers, a bag of potato chips, a note and a bottle of Gucci cologne, ironically named "Guilty."

Tieman admitted to burying his wife but offered no explanation for the items found in her grave.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.A dragon float caught fire during the Festival of Fantasy parade at Walt Disney World on Friday.

A Disney World spokesperson confirmed the incident to the Orlando Sentinel. Many park visitors filmed and took photos of the dragon  representing the "Sleeping Beauty" character Maleficent  bobbing its burning head up and down.

The dragon is designed to blow smoke and fire from its mouth, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

There were no injuries, the spokesperson said. By the time a local fire department arrived at the scene, the fire had already been extinguished, the newspaper reported.

Park officials are still investigating the cause of the fire.

A Disney World spokesperson did not immediately return Fox News request for additional comment on Saturday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.A food fight is brewing that could take a big bite out of restaurant waiters, customers and owners.

A nationwide effort to increase the minimum wage in the U.S. is attaching itself to the restaurant business, where waiters have long earned less than the minimum but usually more than made up for it in tips.

The effort wouldnt necessarily end tipping, but it could decrease tips if customers knew waiters were getting a higher wage. Meantime, small business owners who run restaurants may have to eat the massive payroll hike by cutting staff  or closing.

The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, with branches in ten cities, is steering the effort to ensure that when the minimum wage goes up, tipped restaurant servers are included. Seven states  California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Nevada, Montana, and Minnesota  have adopted the concept. In Maine, voters raised waiters minimum wage but then the legislature reversed it  under pressure from servers as well as owners.

The latest front in this battle is in Washington, DC, where a June 19 referendum will be held on Initiative 77, which would gradually raise the tipped wage from $3.33 to $15 per hour minimum by 2025. That would replace the current system, under which employers are supposed to compensate waiters up to the minimum wage if they dont make it in tips. Initiative 77, proponents believe, provides a needed guarantee.

Diana Ramirez, the D.C. contact for ROC, did not respond to requests for an interview. But at a recent meeting in Washington, she said her group was going after the system that has allowed a subminimum wage to disproportionately affect people of color and women. She added, This is the single largest source of sexual harassment in the industry, suggesting that women put up with harassment so as not to lose a tip.

Nasirul Islam, a waiter for 33 years at historic Martin's Tavern, a medium-sized restaurant and bar in Washingtons Georgetown neighborhood that opened in 1933, says the issue is one of simple fairness for those who work hard. Islam, an immigrant from Bangladesh, says he cant sleep at night out of fear Initiative 77 might pass.

Martin's is a moderately priced restaurant by DC standards, but Islam hustles and is able to average about $50 an hour in tips alone. He is deathly afraid that customers will tip less knowing he is making a higher base salary, and that Martin's will be forced to add a service charge to customers checks to stay in business, further reducing tips.

Islam says that with the incentive of a tip gone, the quality of service will decline, and those who dont put in the effort or who just started in the business will nevertheless make as much as he does. The United States is supposed to be a market economy that rewards good work, he says. You come here to work hard, for a better life, for a better life for your kids, he added. I could have gone to Russia or China. I came here.

Billy Martin, whose family has owned Martin's Tavern for three generations, said he didnt know exactly how he would make up for lost revenues, but that he could only raise prices on food items so much. Nobodys going to come in and pay $25 for a piece of meatloaf, he said.

The effort wouldnt necessarily end tipping, but it could decrease tips if customers knew waiters were getting a higher wage. Meantime, small business owners who run restaurants may have to eat the massive payroll hike by cutting staff  or closing.

Martin said he might have to cut employees or slap a service charge on checks, or both. Whats more, he noted, once employees in the back of the house  line cooks, dishwashers, and others  noticed that waiters were making almost as much as they were plus getting some tips, they could demand higher wages too.

Some studies suggest big problems for both businesses and employees. A March 2016 U.S. Census bureau study found that hiring of servers by employers increases until the minimum wage hits $4.50 per hour, but then levels out and begins declining with further minimum wage increases.

A March 2018 Harvard Business School study found that just a one dollar increase in the minimum wage leads to a 14-percent increase in the likelihood that a restaurant with an average rating on Yelp will close.

The authors calculated that, because a third of a restaurants expenses are spent on payroll, a ten percent increase in the minimum wage will cause profits to decline by two percent. The average profit margin of a restaurant is from two to five percent.

Keith Koffler is a freelance writer and the publisher of White House Dossier.Police in Kansas are now prohibited from engaging in consensual sex with people in their custody, after Gov. Jeff Colyer signed a bill into law this week.

Kansas was apparently one of 33 states that didnt explicitly forbid sexual relations "during the course of a traffic stop, a custodial interrogation, an interview in connection with an investigation, or while the law enforcement officer has such person detained."

The bill, sponsored by Kansas state Rep. Cindy Holscher, D-Olathe, was signed by Colyer, a Republican, along with several other law-enforcement measures, the Wichita Eagle reported.

The bill sprung from a case in which a detective wrongfully accused a Kansas City man of double murder, for which the suspect later spent 23 years in prison. The detective reportedly forced multiple women to have sex with him, and threatened to arrest them or their family members if they didn't comply, the newspaper reported.

Kansas law had already addressed sexual relations between police and persons in jail, but it didn't say anything about if they had been stopped on the streets or were in their custody," Holscher said. "This helps the person who was detained in their neighborhood or stopped for a ticket, that type of thing.

Several lawmakers were reportedly shocked that no law explicitly banned the act and lauded Holscher for bringing the matter to light.

Click here for more from the Wichita Eagle.A Palestinian teen shot by Israeli forces in Gaza border clashes succumbed to his wounds Saturday, the health ministry in the enclave said.

Jamal Afana, 15, was shot in the head during clashes along the border near Rafah in southern Gaza on Friday, the Hamas-run ministry said.

The death brings to 54 the number of Palestinians killed since protests broke out along the border with Israel on March 30.

No Israelis have been injured.

Major protests are expected on Monday along the border to coincide with the controversial opening of the US embassy in Jeruslem.

President Donald Trump's December announcement led to major protests from Palestinians, who consider the eastern part of the city their capital.

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Twin 5-month-old infants have died after being left for hours in a hot car in Virginia.

A neighbor said she believes the father dropped his wife off at work early in the morning Thursday and forgot the babies were in the vehicle when he got home, WTVR reported.

"His wife called me at 2 p.m. to wake him up to come and get her from work and that's when everything happened, the neighbor said. That's when he found the babies in the car.

TEXAS MOM WHO LOCKED KIDS IN HOT CAR TO 'TEACH THEM A LESSON' GETS PRISON

One of the infants, a boy, was pronounced dead soon after arriving at the hospital, the Richmond Times Dispatch reported. His twin sister died several hours later.

It wasnt intentional, the paper quoted Chesterfield Police Maj. Frank Carpenter as saying. We believe it was truly an accident.

Authorities responded to the Bellwood Maisonettes apartment complex in Chesterfield County and found the infants in an SUV.

DAD WHOSE BABY DIED IN HOT CAR WON'T BE PROSECUTED

A resident, Donna Gusti, told WTVR she and the babies parents worked at a Waffle House.

"It's tragic what happened. I don't even know how to help them with their pain, she said. It was certainly not an intentionally negligent act, it was a horrific mistake that can never be erased.A U.S. Border Patrol agent will be retried in what is reportedly the first prosecution of a border agent involving a fatal shooting across the border.

Agent Lonnie Swartz was previously acquitted of second-degree murder in the 2012 death of 16-year-old Mexican youth Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, and jurors deadlocked on lesser counts.

On Friday, prosecutors in Tucson, Ariz., said Swartz will now face charges of voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, said Cosme Lopez, a spokesman for the federal court handling the case.

Luis Parra, an attorney for the teen's family, said he was with them in the courtroom when the retrial decision was announced.

The teen, whom authorities say had been throwing rocks, was slain on a street just south of the U.S. border, in Nogales, Mexico.

"I'm relieved and very much appreciate the efforts" of the U.S. attorney's office, Elena Rodriguezs grandfather said.

Activists had called for the retrial while rallying outside the U.S. District Court building before the hearing.

Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union in New York City, and deputy director of the group's Immigrants' Rights Project, said the decision to retry the criminal case should not affect the civil action.

The jury in the first trial declared a mistrial last month after it acquitted Swartz of murder and deadlocked on verdicts involving voluntary and involuntary manslaughter.

Elena Rodriguez was killed when Swartz fired 16 shots through a 20-foot fence on an embankment above Calle Internacional, a Nogales street lined with homes and small businesses.

Prosecutors acknowledged during the month-long trial that the teen was lobbing rocks across the border during a drug smuggling attempt but said he did not deserve to die.

Defense attorneys countered that Swartz was justified in using lethal force against rock-throwers and shot from the U.S. side of the border in self-defense.

Court records say the new trial before Judge Raner Collins is set for Oct. 23 and expected to last four weeks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Gunmen killed a mayoral candidate in central Guanajuato state Friday, the third local candidate in Mexico's July 1 elections murdered in the past week and one of more than a dozen during the entire campaign.

Most of the candidates for mayorships or state assembly seats killed have been in the drug cartel-plagued southern state of Guerrero.

The Guanajuato state prosecutors' office confirmed that mayoral candidate Remedio Aguirre had been shot to death in the town of Apaseo El Alto. Aguirre was running for the leftist Morena party.

The party's candidate for governor, Ricardo Sheffield, said Morena's campaigns in Guanajuato would be suspended until officials guaranteed the safety of the contenders.

"What we have here in the state is an unbearable situation," Sheffield said.

Apaseo El Alto was once a town known mainly for its hand-crafted wood furniture. But in recent years it has been the scene of continuing violence involving fuel theft from government pipelines and train robberies.

Election violence has been a persistent problem in Mexico. In 2010, drug cartel gunmen killed the leading candidate for governor in Tamaulipas state.

But this year's presidential and local elections have been hit by mounting violence.

Last Friday, Morena's mayoral candidate in the city of Tenango del Aire, south of Mexico City was killed.

And a state assembly candidate of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary party was killed on Tuesday in Guerrero state.A pair of U.S. Air Force stealth fighter jets intercepted two Russian nuclear-capable bombers Friday morning off the coast of Alaska, a spokesman for NORAD (North American Aeorospace Defense Command) told Fox News.

The approach by the two Tupolev Tu-95 Russian "Bear" aircraft marked the first time in just over a year that Russian bombers had flown that close to U.S. territory.

Two separate defense officials reached by Fox News said the Russian bombers came within 55 miles of Alaskas west coast. The officials requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss that portion of the intercept.

The bombers entered a U.S. air-defense identification zone (ADIZ), defined as airspace extending approximately 200 miles from the nation's coastline, though mainly composed of international airspace.

The F-22s monitored the Russian aircraft until the bombers left the ADIZ along the Aleutian Islands, heading west. At no time did the bombers enter North American sovereign airspace, said the NORAD spokesman, Canadian Army Maj. Andrew Hennessey.

The Cold War-era Russian bombers, which date to the 1950s, were intercepted by U.S. Air Force F-22 stealth fighter jets around 10 a.m. EDT.

The intercept was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon.

Earlier this month, a Russian fighter jet buzzed a U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane in the Baltic Sea. The Russian Sukhoi Su-27 jet came within 20 feet of the American P-8 in international airspace.

The last time Russian bombers flew as close to Alaska was May 3, 2017, officials told Fox News.

Separately, Saturday marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of NORAD, the command that monitors all air activity emanating from within and outside North American airspace.A knife-wielding suspect who slashed five people, killing one, in central Paris on Saturday night -- before being slain by French authorities -- has been identified as a native of Chechnya, born in 1997, a French judicial official said.

The parents of the suspect, who was claimed as a soldier of ISIS after the attack, have been detained for questioning, the official said.

No other information about the attacker was immediately available.

The Islamic State group, through its affiliated news agency, claimed responsibility for the knife attack, which left a 29-year-old man dead and four others injured.

In a tweet sharing his condolences for the victims, French President Emmanuel Macron labeled the attacker a terrorist.

All my thoughts go to the victims and the wounded of the knife attack perpetrated tonight in Paris, as well as to their relatives. I salute on behalf of all the French the courage of the policemen who have neutralized the terrorist, a translation of his tweet said.

France once again paid the price of blood but did not give an inch to the enemies of Freedom, Macron said in another tweet.

ISIS said the attack was in response to its calls for supporters to target members of the U.S.-led military coalition squeezing extremists out of Iraq and Syria, the Aamaq news agency said in a statement.

France once again paid the price of blood, but did not give an inch to the enemies of Freedom.  Emmanuel Macron, president of France

In the U.S., State Department officials voiced their concern.

"We are closely monitoring the incident in Paris, and understand the authorities have initiated a terror probe," a State Department spokesperson told Fox News. "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those affected. We refer you to the local authorities for further information.

"We stand ready to provide all possible consular assistance should we become aware of any affected U.S. citizens. U.S. citizens in the France are strongly encouraged to directly contact concerned family members in the United States to advise them of your safety."

The suspect carried out the stabbing attack Saturday evening in the 2nd Arrondissement of Paris, north of the Seine River.

Counterterrorism authorities were called in to lead the investigation after Prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters that witnesses heard the suspect shouting, "Allahu Akbar" -- "God is great" in Arabic.

The assailant, after attacking bystanders with a knife, rushed at police, shouting I will kill you, I will kill you! police union representative Rocco Contento told Reuters.

The attacker was then shot by officers and later confirmed dead, Paris police said.

Witnesses reportedly said that the police first tried to use a stun gun on the attacker, but when that failed, they fired two shots, the BBC reported, citing France24.

The attack took place in a popular neighborhood near Paris famed Opera Garnier. People were asked to evacuate nearby buildings.

Police said the suspect targeted the five people.

France's BFM television interviewed an unnamed witness in a restaurant who said a young woman was at the entrance when "a man arrived and attacked her with a knife." A friend came to her aid and the attacker left, "hitting on all the doors, all the shops," the witness told BFM. He turned onto another street, and everyone scattered, the witness said.

"I was having a drink with friends and we heard a boom," a witness named Gloria, who had been in a nearby bar, recounted on Saturday night. She said she went outside to see what happened and "I saw a guy lying on the ground."

Another witness described leaving the opera house and being told to go back inside because of the attack.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb denounced the attack in a tweet.

"My first thoughts are with the victims of this odious act," a translation said.

Collomb said the lives of the injured people were no longer in danger.

Paris has been under elevated security in recent years after a string of deadly Islamic extremist attacks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Thousands of Croatian far-right supporters have gathered in a field in southern Austria to commemorate the massacre of pro-Nazi Croats by communists at the end of World War II.

The controversial annual event was held Saturday near the village of Bleiburg. For Croatian nationalists, the site symbolizes their suffering under communism in the former Yugoslavia before they fought a war for independence in the 1990s.

Tens of thousands of Croatians, mostly pro-fascist soldiers, fled to Bleiburg in May 1945 amid a Yugoslav army offensive, only to be turned back from Austria by the British military and into the hands of anti-fascists. Thousands of the so-called Ustashas were killed in and around Bleiburg.

Austria's anti-fascist groups have held protests during the event.Myanmar officials say an ethnic rebel group has launched attacks against the country's military in a northern town, leaving at least 15 people dead and 20 injured, including civilians.

A government spokesman says the Ta'ang National Liberation Army launched three attacks just after 5 a.m. in the town of Muse in Shan state, with two of the attacks occurring at military bases and the other at a bridge. The spokesman says the 15 dead and 20 injured included civilians.

A police officer in Muse says the death toll is 19, and that TNLA fighters used small arms as well as mortars.

The TNLA is among more than a dozen ethnic rebel groups that have been fighting the central government for greater autonomy for decades.North Korea has scheduled a ceremony to dismantle its nuclear testing site on May 23-25 ahead of President Donald Trumps summit with leader Kim Jong Un next month.

North Koreas Foreign Ministry said Saturday that all the tunnels at the countrys northeastern testing ground will be destroyed by explosion and that observation and research facilities and ground-based testing units will also be removed. The dramatic and symbolic event is part of the Hermit Kingdoms pledge to discontinue nuclear tests.

The Nuclear Weapon Institute and other concerned institutions are taking technical measures for dismantling the northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK in order to ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test, said the announcement. DPRK is an acronym for North Koreas official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

The North said they plan to invite journalists from the United States, South Korea, China, Russia and Britain to inspect the dismantling process.

Analysts say the closure of the site is mostly symbolic and doesn't represent a material step toward denuclearization.

The announcement comes after Trump said he would hold a summit with Kim in Singapore on June 12. It will be the first meeting ever between a sitting U.S. president and the leader of North Korea.

Kim had revealed plans to shut down the nuclear test site during his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month.

Following the Moon-Kim summit, Moon's office said Kim was willing to disclose the process to international experts, but the North's statement Saturday didn't include any mention about allowing experts on the site.

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said North Korea can look forward to a future brimming with peace and prosperity if it agrees to quickly give up its nuclear weapons.

At a ruling party meeting last month, North Korea had already announced that it has suspended all tests of nuclear devices and ICBMs and the plan to close the nuclear testing ground.

Still, the closure of the site could be a useful precedent for Washington and Seoul as they proceed with the nuclear negotiations with Pyongyang, analysts say.

"Now that North Korea has accepted in principle that agreements should be verified, U.S. negotiators should hold them to this standard for any subsequent agreement," said Adam Mount, a senior defense analyst at the Federation of American Scientists. "It will make it more difficult for Kim Jong Un to deny inspections now that he has placed them on the table."

North Koreas six known nuclear tests have taken place in Punggye-ri, a location in the northeastern part of North Korea where a system of tunnels have been dug under Mount Mantap, Reuters reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.The celebration took place at the residence of late president Anwar El-Sadat

On Friday 4 May, long-time staff members who have been doing housework at the residence of late president Anwar El-Sadat congratulated his wife, Mrs Jehan El-Sadat, on the occasion of the 70th year since their marriage.

Mrs El-Sadat told Ahram Online that to the hero Anwar El-Sadat was the most beautiful thing that happened to me in my entire life. The first time I met El-Sadat was at my 15th birthday party; he was invited by my cousin, who was his friend at the time, and he then asked my family for my hand.

She added, the happiest part of my life now is the time I spend with my children and grandchildren at President El-Sadats family home overlooking the Nile in Giza.

Jehan, a human rights activist, was the first lady of Egypt from 1970 until El-Sadats assassination in 1981. She is mother to their three daughters Noha, Gihan, Lobna and their son Gamal.

She later used her platform as first lady to touch the lives of millions in the country, and served as a role model for women everywhere.

She helped change the worlds image of Arab women during the 1970s, undertaking volunteer work and participating in non-governmental service to the less fortunate. Jehan played a key role in reforming Egypt's civil rights laws during the late 1970s.

She pushed for various legislations, often dubbed Jehans Laws, that granted more rights to women, including the right to alimony and custody of children in the event of divorce.

Jehan graduated with a BA in Arabic Literature in 1977, an MA in Comparative Literature at Cairo University in 1980, and a PhD in Comparative Literature at Cairo University in 1986.

She is also a senior fellow at the University of Maryland, College Park (where The Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development has also been endowed). She also published an autobiography titled A Woman of Egypt in 1987, and wrote a second book, My Hope for Peace, published in March 2009.

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The African Union (AU) has chosen Mohamed Abu Elenein, chairman of Ceramica Cleopatra Groups board of directors, as Best Manufacturer in Africa, in the wake of the Tenth African Union Forum for the Private Sector.

The forum was held under the auspices of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and was attended by Minister of Planning and Administrative Reform Hala El-Said.

Victor Harrison, AU commissioner for economic affairs, handed the award to Abu Elenein.

The prize statement elaborated that Abu Elenein had succeeded to create a modern industry in Africa and a world trademark for Egypt and Africa in the field of ceramics and porcelain.

The statement added that Ceramica Cleopatras success depended on state of the art technology and the creativity of its designs along with its values and principles towards clients, workers, society and the environment.

The statement continued that the company's experience during the last 40 years is a decisive example of thecontribution of the private sector to reclaiming the desert with factories, farms and tourist sites, and technological and real estate projects that develop the economy and society and create jobs and qualified workers.

For his part, Abu Elenein expressed his happiness to receive this distinguished award. He said that Cleopatras success is the fruit of the hard work of 25,000 workers and the state's support for serious investment.

Abu Elenein said his experience in the world of industry started in 1979 by building in the desert of 10th of Ramadan the first modern ceramics factory in Egypt.

In time, the company went on to be first in the Middle East and among the four biggest ceramics companies in the world.

"Our products made it to the whole world, including the Japanese market, the most difficult world market," Abu Elenein said.

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List your company in the Freightnet directory. It's Free, it's Easy and your company can be displayed in front of potential freight buyers within 24 hours.Three people were killed on Saturday when a light aircraft crashed in Spain, authorities said.

The nationality of the victims was not immediately known, though the plane began its journey in Cascais, Portugal, and was headed to Reus international airport in northwest Spain, they said.

The crash occurred in the department of Tarragona in Catalonia and did not affect traffic at Reus.

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editor's pick centerpiece

Park Board wants input as new parking vote approaches

kelseywalling / KELSEY WALLING/The Daily News file photo A cyclist rides past a truck parked on the seawall Thursday, May 3, 2018. City leaders are forming a committee to look at changes to the parking fee system along the seawall. The citys authority to collect parking fees along Seawall Boulevard expires in July 2020. kelseywalling / KELSEY WALLING/The Daily News A sign displays how beach patrons must pay for parking on the seawall in Galveston on Thursday, May 10, 2018. kelseywalling / KELSEY WALLING/The Daily News Alexis Nunez handles a call from someone attempting to park Thursday on Seawall Boulevard in Galveston. Nunez works for a call center dedicated to helping people who are having trouble parking on the seawall. kelseywalling / KELSEY WALLING/The Daily News Julenne Brown, left, and Alexis Nunez work at the seawall parking call center in the Stewart Beach pavilion on Thursday, May 10, 2018. The Galveston Park Board established the call center in part to help Spanish-speaking people have an easier time using the system.

GALVESTON

With 18 months to go before a referendum on whether to renew the citys seawall parking program, officials from the Galveston Park Board of Trustees say they want to ensure theyre included in discussions about the program before its re-pitched to voters.

Joyce Calver McLean, the park board chairwoman, said she thinks the parking program can be better.

We think theres a way to grow the revenue a little bit and to make the whole parking experience more streamlined, McLean said Friday.

Seawall parking was approved by voters in 2011, with a provision that the program would sunset and receive another citywide vote after the program was active for seven years.

The actual program didnt launch until 2013, and after a year of maligned management by the Galveston Police Department, the city council agreed to transfer control of the program to the Park Board of Trustees. The sunset provision from the voters 2011 approval would end the parking program in July 2020. Mayor Jim Yarbrough has said the program would likely come up for a vote again in November 2019.

Since taking over the program, the park board has tried to improve the user experience of Seawall parking, McLean said. The board hired seawall ambassadors, Segway-riding employees that can help people navigate the phone-based pass system.

It has also established its own call center to help people navigate the phone system. The people inside the call center can field hundreds of calls a day from visitors seeking help with seawall parking, officials said.

The park boards added services are almost necessary to make the program profitable, McLean said. PayByPhone, the private vendor that manages the city contracts for the parking system, does not have a Spanish-language option on its helpline, McLean said.

The call centers staffers do speak Spanish. That helps both improve service, and drive sales from people who might otherwise just ignore the system, she said.

Both of those programs are paid for out of proceeds from the parking fund, McLean said. While they are helpful to visitors and potentially drive more revenue into the parking program, it also cuts into the potential revenue of the program, McLean said.

From a business standpoint, there could be more money made, McLean said.

If the city intends to modify the program in a new proposal, McLean said she would support doing away with hourly payments on the seawall and going to an all-day $8 pass. That would cut down on the amount of money the program loses to transaction fees, she said. The city should try to maintain the $25 annual pass, which is popular with locals, she said.

Most of the money that the city receives from the seawall is used for maintenance, and officials expect those costs will increase now that the city has completed its seawall improvement program, a years-long beautification program that included the installation of bus stops and bathrooms on the street.

As of the end of March, the seawall parking fund had about $1.2 million in its fund balance. The city estimates that it will end the year with about $1.4 million in the fund.

The city has not announced where it will spend future capital funds from the parking fees now that the seawall improvements are done. Because it is a beach-user fee, the money must be used for the improvement of Seawall beaches, in the same way that parking fees at the East Beach must be spent on East Beach.

There may not be all that much to spend. The parking program hasnt reached the revenue heights some in the city predicted before the program went live. In 2012, city officials estimated that the program would collect up to $1.5 million a year.

The park board hopes to collect about $950,000 from parking in the current fiscal year, park board Executive Director Kelly de Schaun said on Friday. That would be a new high, though de Schaun said that collections may have reached that level in 2017, had Hurricane Harvey not essentially wiped away the Labor Day holiday last year.

If the program isnt renewed, city officials say the maintenance of improvements on the seawall would be paid for out of the citys general fund. That would mean less costs for the park board, potentially, but officials said theyd rather the program just keep going.

The parking is working, McLean said. It is generating some revenue. There may be some things that can be done to tweak it.Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!

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Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.nametalkam at 12-05-2018 12:41 AM (3 years ago) (m)

President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to the country from his trip to his doctor in London.

President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to the country from his trip to his doctor in London.

The president had earlier in the week shared that he had to travel to London on his doctors request.



He would spend 4 days on his trip, he said, leaving on Tuesday and returning on Saturday.



President Buhari has however arrived a day early from his trip.



See photos of him arriving below:



















The president had earlier in the week shared that he had to travel to London on his doctors request.He would spend 4 days on his trip, he said, leaving on Tuesday and returning on Saturday.President Buhari has however arrived a day early from his trip.See photos of him arriving below:

Post Reply I specialize in investigative reportage across several subject matter and sectors but mainly focus on metro events and investigation. Do leave your thoughts and opinion on my reports to let me know what you think about them. Thank you Posted: at 12-05-2018 12:41 AM (3 years ago) | Herokacylee at 12-05-2018 08:58 AM (3 years ago) (f)

Drama ensued yesterday when a young man identified as Longolaginro, stormed a police station with a box of money and rats, showing his interest in the arrest of the Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA for allowing rats to destroy his hhard earned savings. The aggrieved Ugandan based man claimed that the rats ate and destroyed a whopping sum of Shs 396, 000 which he kept safely in a box. The aggrieved Ugandan based man claimed that the rats ate and destroyed a whopping sum of Shs 396, 000 which he kept safely in a box.

Drama ensued yesterday when a young man identified as Longolaginro, stormed a police station with a box of money and rats, showing his interest in the arrest of the Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA for allowing rats to destroy his hhard earned savings. The aggrieved Ugandan based man claimed that the rats ate and destroyed a whopping sum of Shs 396, 000 which he kept safely in a box. The aggrieved Ugandan based man claimed that the rats ate and destroyed a whopping sum of Shs 396, 000 which he kept safely in a box. He was said to have come to the station with the box of destroyed legal tender and rats which he said would serve as exhibits to assist the judge in the case which he insisted should be taken to court. Police referred Longolangiro to the Resident State Attorney for expert advice on the case.





Alphonse Ojangole, the Kotido District Police Commander told media he had never come across such a case in his 12- year of service with the Police Force. He was said to have come to the station with the box of destroyed legal tender and rats which he said would serve as exhibits to assist the judge in the case which he insisted should be taken to court. Police referred Longolangiro to the Resident State Attorney for expert advice on the case.Alphonse Ojangole, the Kotido District Police Commander told media he had never come across such a case in his 12- year of service with the Police Force.

Post Reply I have been reporting for several years now and I am very interested in visual news reportage with strong inclusion of photos and video multimedia. Posted: at 12-05-2018 08:58 AM (3 years ago) | Addicted Heronametalkam at 12-05-2018 02:06 PM (3 years ago) (m)

The quest for greener pastures abroad by some Nigerian youths is on the increase despite calls by concerned citizens to desist from such practices.

The quest for greener pastures abroad by some Nigerian youths is on the increase despite calls by concerned citizens to desist from such practices.

The aftermath of such trips, orchestrated by touts and dubious travel agents with consequential effects, is a sordid story. Many who embarked on such trips either to the point of destination or turned back, return to tell tales of bruised emotions or disorientation.



The plight of these young African girls who are lured into the belief that life is better outside the country has become an unending story. Such obnoxious arrangements  call it economic migration, human trafficking or slavery in disguise- have attracted huge derision from the general public, even with the highly placed monarch, Oba of Benin, raining curses on the perpetrators.







Many people assume that the heinous trade started with foreign businessmen, but the truth is that Nigerians are either partners in crime or originally conceptualized the idea. In a true life story, Damilola Falodun, a 22-year old native of Ekiti State is one of such victims who escaped and returned from Oman, Middle East by sheer grace.





Vanguards Weekend Woman caught up with her during the recently held Queen Moremi Ajasoro cultural beauty pageant in Lagos. Her story is one case too many among others who either have died or do not know how to get back to Nigeria.



I am a native of Ekiti State and live at Oluwaga area of Ipaja, Lagos State. Currently, my parents are late. Before then, my father was a businessman residing in Abia State. For quite a period of time, about seven years, I never got to see him until his death in 2014.



He was separated from my mother when I was much younger, due to irreconcilable domestic issues caused by his family. Initially, he came home sparingly and after my step sister got married, he stopped coming home but ironically, he would call me especially on my birthdays to wish me well. I was 19 years old then and in school, preparing for my Ordinary National Diploma first semester exam (OND) when I received a call from home announcing that my dad was dead. I became devastated and had to miss the exam as a result of that. My father did not survive an asthma ailment coupled with the fact that he lived alone away from home.



As I was trying to get over his death, another death occurred and it was my mother, just four months after my fathers death. This occurred during the start of my second semester exams.



As a result, I could not sit for it and that was how I dropped out of school without any result. My mother became hypertensive and did not survive it. She was a petty business woman who had supported us with her trading even when my father was not there for us. I felt the pains of his absence but later got used to it. My mother was equally a caring person.



While working at DSTV office in Ilupeju, I met some friends who introduced me to another job at a resort in Epe, Inagbe Resort as a waitress. From there the idea of travelling abroad to better my condition was introduced to me by these friends, Taye and Kehinde, twin sisters who were also working in the same resort.



My initial idea was to gather some money and start a business and later continue with my education, but through their assumed conviction, my plan changed. According to them, it is easy to work and continue education abroad than here in Nigeria and I consented. They also told me that working abroad is hourly, that it would enable me to create time for studies. My initial country of interest was Canada but after unsuccessful attempt to secure Canadian visa, I opted for Oman in the Middle East and this happened in 2015.



The same twin sisters introduced me to a traveling agent, who was a pastor of a church. The pastor who was very frequent at the resort for business was very handy to handle the transaction without us knowing his office. We trusted and believed him because, as a man of God, everything he does would be genuine.



After about two months without seeing the visa, we decided to go to the agency by ourselves only to discover that the pastor has duped us and disappeared with our money. In our bewilderment and still trying to overcome the shock, the owner of the office he used told us that since we were still interested in traveling, another option was Oman in the Middle East.



According to him, the country was in need of workers and visa processing was very fast. One of us became courageous and decided to go. She eventually left for Oman and after some months, she encouraged us to come through a coded SMS message from Oman. I was inspired, and changed my mind of going to Canada since the essence was to have a new life. Within one week, after paying the agency from the money I saved from working at the resort, the visa was handed over to me en-route to Oman.



On arrival at the Oman airport, a driver was sent to pick me alongside other African girls. While on the way to their office, our passports and other traveling documents were taken from us. We stayed in the office for about two days before we were assigned to homes to work.



I was not privy to the nature of the job until we were told that the only job available in Oman for the African girls was house-help job called Shangala in Oman language and prostitution.



I also noticed that the reason the girl that left before us could not divulge any information to us was because every document including phone was taken from her.



The only means of communication was a coded text messages under the scrutiny of the masters. Under the contract agreement signed here in Nigeria by the agents, unknown to us, communication or the use of phone was not allowed; hence it would be taken away from us. It was a two year arrangement contracted by Nigerians in collaboration with their Omanis counterparts there.



In Oman, we were told by the Omani lords in a simple language, You are our property. We have bought you for two years and you dont own yourself until you finish the contract. This was why our passports were taken away from us; they called it their own property until we were done with the contract. While there, you must work for at least one year before your salary would be handed over to you.



Now, the irony is that, the so called masters would apply some tricks that would make you not to last for three months in a place. The moment you became frustrated and wanted to change from your home to another home, the entire contract would be canceled, and you would start all over again. Under these conditions, many girls were inhumanly treated. Some died in the process while some became perpetual slaves to the masters.



The job description was horrible. As a maid, you have no rest for a whole year. We must serve an extended home of about six to seven families. In Oman, they keep nuclear homes and each housemaid served the entire homes without rest or any holiday. Other inhuman treatments include sexual harassment, violent physical attack by wicked masters, while some would push you out to make sure you did not complete your contract.



Moreover, every salary you work for before the completion of the contract would be paid in advance to the agents in Oman. You can only have access to your salary when you complete a contract with a house. Information about work condition was kept secret and you dare not use their phone in their absence. The experience was horrible.



I communicated with a family relation living in the United States who had wanted to take me out before when my mother was still alive. When she got to know about how I was suffering in Oman, she quickly responded and sent a ticket to me.



When I told the agency that I had a ticket to travel home, they were initially hesitant but they eventually brought out my passport and cancelled Oman Visa in it. They then took me to the airport and handed me the passport at the point of exit. They did that so that I would not change my mind and return to Oman to live as a free person. Of all the girls staying in Oman, no one had her passport with her. The agency keeps each persons travelling documents until they are done with you. Its such a humiliating experience.



I came back to Nigeria in May 2017 after spending about two horrible years in Oman. While I was there, I noticed that all Arab countries treat young black girls the same way. They will not let you have any decent job even when you are qualified for it. They see us as objects for sex and maltreatment. The aftermath of such trips, orchestrated by touts and dubious travel agents with consequential effects, is a sordid story. Many who embarked on such trips either to the point of destination or turned back, return to tell tales of bruised emotions or disorientation.The plight of these young African girls who are lured into the belief that life is better outside the country has become an unending story. Such obnoxious arrangements  call it economic migration, human trafficking or slavery in disguise- have attracted huge derision from the general public, even with the highly placed monarch, Oba of Benin, raining curses on the perpetrators.Many people assume that the heinous trade started with foreign businessmen, but the truth is that Nigerians are either partners in crime or originally conceptualized the idea. In a true life story, Damilola Falodun, a 22-year old native of Ekiti State is one of such victims who escaped and returned from Oman, Middle East by sheer grace.Vanguards Weekend Woman caught up with her during the recently held Queen Moremi Ajasoro cultural beauty pageant in Lagos. Her story is one case too many among others who either have died or do not know how to get back to Nigeria.I am a native of Ekiti State and live at Oluwaga area of Ipaja, Lagos State. Currently, my parents are late. Before then, my father was a businessman residing in Abia State. For quite a period of time, about seven years, I never got to see him until his death in 2014.He was separated from my mother when I was much younger, due to irreconcilable domestic issues caused by his family. Initially, he came home sparingly and after my step sister got married, he stopped coming home but ironically, he would call me especially on my birthdays to wish me well. I was 19 years old then and in school, preparing for my Ordinary National Diploma first semester exam (OND) when I received a call from home announcing that my dad was dead. I became devastated and had to miss the exam as a result of that. My father did not survive an asthma ailment coupled with the fact that he lived alone away from home.As I was trying to get over his death, another death occurred and it was my mother, just four months after my fathers death. This occurred during the start of my second semester exams.As a result, I could not sit for it and that was how I dropped out of school without any result. My mother became hypertensive and did not survive it. She was a petty business woman who had supported us with her trading even when my father was not there for us. I felt the pains of his absence but later got used to it. My mother was equally a caring person.While working at DSTV office in Ilupeju, I met some friends who introduced me to another job at a resort in Epe, Inagbe Resort as a waitress. From there the idea of travelling abroad to better my condition was introduced to me by these friends, Taye and Kehinde, twin sisters who were also working in the same resort.My initial idea was to gather some money and start a business and later continue with my education, but through their assumed conviction, my plan changed. According to them, it is easy to work and continue education abroad than here in Nigeria and I consented. They also told me that working abroad is hourly, that it would enable me to create time for studies. My initial country of interest was Canada but after unsuccessful attempt to secure Canadian visa, I opted for Oman in the Middle East and this happened in 2015.The same twin sisters introduced me to a traveling agent, who was a pastor of a church. The pastor who was very frequent at the resort for business was very handy to handle the transaction without us knowing his office. We trusted and believed him because, as a man of God, everything he does would be genuine.After about two months without seeing the visa, we decided to go to the agency by ourselves only to discover that the pastor has duped us and disappeared with our money. In our bewilderment and still trying to overcome the shock, the owner of the office he used told us that since we were still interested in traveling, another option was Oman in the Middle East.According to him, the country was in need of workers and visa processing was very fast. One of us became courageous and decided to go. She eventually left for Oman and after some months, she encouraged us to come through a coded SMS message from Oman. I was inspired, and changed my mind of going to Canada since the essence was to have a new life. Within one week, after paying the agency from the money I saved from working at the resort, the visa was handed over to me en-route to Oman.On arrival at the Oman airport, a driver was sent to pick me alongside other African girls. While on the way to their office, our passports and other traveling documents were taken from us. We stayed in the office for about two days before we were assigned to homes to work.I was not privy to the nature of the job until we were told that the only job available in Oman for the African girls was house-help job called Shangala in Oman language and prostitution.I also noticed that the reason the girl that left before us could not divulge any information to us was because every document including phone was taken from her.The only means of communication was a coded text messages under the scrutiny of the masters. Under the contract agreement signed here in Nigeria by the agents, unknown to us, communication or the use of phone was not allowed; hence it would be taken away from us. It was a two year arrangement contracted by Nigerians in collaboration with their Omanis counterparts there.In Oman, we were told by the Omani lords in a simple language, You are our property. We have bought you for two years and you dont own yourself until you finish the contract. This was why our passports were taken away from us; they called it their own property until we were done with the contract. While there, you must work for at least one year before your salary would be handed over to you.Now, the irony is that, the so called masters would apply some tricks that would make you not to last for three months in a place. The moment you became frustrated and wanted to change from your home to another home, the entire contract would be canceled, and you would start all over again. Under these conditions, many girls were inhumanly treated. Some died in the process while some became perpetual slaves to the masters.The job description was horrible. As a maid, you have no rest for a whole year. We must serve an extended home of about six to seven families. In Oman, they keep nuclear homes and each housemaid served the entire homes without rest or any holiday. Other inhuman treatments include sexual harassment, violent physical attack by wicked masters, while some would push you out to make sure you did not complete your contract.Moreover, every salary you work for before the completion of the contract would be paid in advance to the agents in Oman. You can only have access to your salary when you complete a contract with a house. Information about work condition was kept secret and you dare not use their phone in their absence. The experience was horrible.I communicated with a family relation living in the United States who had wanted to take me out before when my mother was still alive. When she got to know about how I was suffering in Oman, she quickly responded and sent a ticket to me.When I told the agency that I had a ticket to travel home, they were initially hesitant but they eventually brought out my passport and cancelled Oman Visa in it. They then took me to the airport and handed me the passport at the point of exit. They did that so that I would not change my mind and return to Oman to live as a free person. Of all the girls staying in Oman, no one had her passport with her. The agency keeps each persons travelling documents until they are done with you. Its such a humiliating experience.I came back to Nigeria in May 2017 after spending about two horrible years in Oman. While I was there, I noticed that all Arab countries treat young black girls the same way. They will not let you have any decent job even when you are qualified for it. They see us as objects for sex and maltreatment.

Post Reply I specialize in investigative reportage across several subject matter and sectors but mainly focus on metro events and investigation. Do leave your thoughts and opinion on my reports to let me know what you think about them. Thank you Posted: at 12-05-2018 02:06 PM (3 years ago) | HeroYou have permission to edit this article.

Edit CloseC-level changes in state technology sometimes follow on the heels of election cycles, but the departure of one of Massachusetts top tech officials comes nearly six months before voters will decide whether to grant its governor a second term.Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito jointly announced on May 11 that Mark Nunnelly, Massachusetts inaugural secretary in its Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS), will be moving on after less than a year at the helm. Nunnelly, who joined the new Baker-Polito administration in March 2015, was first its commissioner of revenue and the special advisor to the governor for technology. He oversaw formation of EOTSS in August 2017.His departure is planned seamlessly, with Nunnelly leaving effective June 18, to be replaced by incoming Secretary Curt Wood. Wood has served as the states undersecretary for forensic science and technology within the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) since April 2011.At EOPSS, Wood was responsible for giving leadership and oversight to agencies including the state crime lab and forensic services group of the state police, the office of the chief medical examiner and the state 911 department. He most recently led the transition of the states 911 system from legacy to next-generation 911, a more enhanced and robust platform.It remains unclear why Nunnelly is leaving, although the Boston Globe reported that the 25-year former Bain Capital executive intends to spend more time with his family. Brendan Moss, Baker's press secretary had not yet responded late Friday to questions from. Nunnelly won plaudits from Baker, who pronounced his leadership instrumental in ensuring our digital presence is secure and responsive to the needs of our constituents, in a statement.We are grateful for Marks service to the Commonwealth in a variety of roles, and for his willingness to take on challenges that affect every corner of state government, Baker said, welcoming Woods knowledge and many years of experience.Secretary Wood has taken on a variety of complex projects over the last three years that have led to a more secure and efficient operation of the Commonwealths technology services, Polito said in a statement.Nunnelly called his time in the Baker-Polito administration one of the truly exceptional experiences of his career, in a statement.The talent and dedication of the leaders and teams that I have worked with throughout this administration is exceptional and inspiring, he said, indicating great confidence the team will thrive under Woods leadership.Almost since his arrival at Massachusetts, Nunnelly was a force in state IT. He moved on from the department of revenue in March 2016 to become executive director of the Massachusetts Office of Information Technology (MassIT), tasked with helping deliver more consumer-friendly IT services  a catch-all that included everything from improved licensing to easier tax filing to fielding questions on health-care services.In a statement at the time, Baker called it an important step that not only addresses some of the problems we have, but is an essential way forward to a better future, and it quickly became clear Massachusetts meant business.In an interview in September 2016 , Nunnelly said the state had to do more to understand business processes and how to change them, rather than simply throwing technology at the problem. Among the states priorities, he said then, was redesigning its website, Mass.gov, an initiative that began around that time and encompassed pilots, user research and public feedback."I think most of our content and most of the look and feel was probably established in the late '90s or early 2000s," Nunnelly said then.In June 2017 , standing on the state constitution, Baker proposed reorganizing state IT to improve data security, safeguard privacy and promote better service delivery  an act his administration said amounted to re-establishing the Massachusetts Office of Information Technology (MassIT) as EOTSS.At EOTSS, Nunnelly led a variety of transformation efforts aimed at making the states IT platform more secure and digitally oriented, the state said in a news release. These included the launch of the new Mass.gov website, migration of the executive office data network to a single, more secure and monitored network, migration of online unemployment insurance to an ugraded Web service for faster claims processing; and consolidating telecommunications and hardware purchase contracts for a $20 million savings.In its news release, the state indicated more than 76 percent of Massachusetts residents now "interact with government online," more than through any other medium.Troubled GM Korea Company announced a business plan that is intended to return the company to profitability by 2019. This viability plan will be underpinned by a record $2.8 billion investment in two new global vehicle programs and a deep partnership among major shareholders, the workforce and the Korean government.

Additionally, GM and the Korea Development Bank (KDB) have agreed on a balance sheet restructuring that will allow GM Korea to reduce its existing debt by approximately $2.8 billion.

The companys two major shareholders, KDB and General Motors, confirmed their full support of the viability plan by finalizing a breakthrough binding agreement that will help enable a profitable, long term future for GM Korea.

Under the plan, GM will:

Design, engineer and manufacture an all-new small SUV for Korea and export markets.

Manufacture an all-new CUV-type vehicle for Korea and export markets.

Engineer and manufacture a small three-cylinder gasoline engine in Korea for next generation global vehicles.

Based in Incheon, Korea, GM Korea has made significant contributions to the Korean economy and automotive industry over the last 16 years, producing 10 million vehicles since its establishment in 2002. GM Korea supports approximately 200,000 direct and indirect Korean jobs. In 2017, GM Korea sold 132,377 units in Korea and exported 392,170 vehicles to 120 markets around the world.



Haiti - Agriculture : Delivery of materials to milk producer associations





Friday, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in the presence of Walter de Oliveira, the Deputy Representative of FAO in Haiti, the agronomist Roger Rosen Jasmine, Director of Animal Production, beneficiary associations and Ministry officials, proceeded to the ceremony of handing over several lots of equipment to the milk producer associations.



This delivery is part of the project "Improvement of family farming by strengthening the milk sector through the production, processing of raw milk and the marketing of dairy products in Haiti"



In his speech Walter de Oliveira, reiterated FAO's commitment in its support to seek new investment funds for Haitian producers in general and especially for small-scale milk producers.



The agronomist Jasmin, speaking on behalf of the Director General of the Ministry Branly Eugene thanked the FAO officials for their unconditional support to the Ministry.



It should be recalled that this project, whose objective is to improve the food security of small milk producers by increasing milk productivity, transforming milk into quality products and marketing them, is financed by Brazil, FAO and the Haiti Reconstruction Fund.



This initiative covers the departments: South, South-East, Grand-Anse, West, Artibonite and North and benefits 13 dairy companies and 1,000 milk producers.



HL/ HaitiLibre





















iciHaiti - Politic : CONATEL continues its hunt for pirate radios





As part of the fight against radio insecurity, the Executive Body of the National Council of Telecommunications (CONATEL) is at work throughout the country to track down and close the pirate radio stations, which pollute the radio spectrum, causing harmful interference not only to regularly installed radio stations but also to aeronautical and police communications.



In this context, more than a dozen pirate radio stations have already been closed both in Port-au-Prince and in the North, the Artibonite and the South-East of the country https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-21783-icihaiti-politics-closure-of-6-pirate-radio-stations.html



CONATEL intends to continue its relentless fight to allow the broadcast to fulfill its vocation of contributing to the socio-economic and cultural development of the country.



Recall that nationwide, there were 697 radio stations just on the FM band, including 347 illegal (in 2016 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18543-haiti-security-over-347-illegal-fm-radio-stations-out-of-697-in-haiti.html )



See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-21783-icihaiti-politics-closure-of-6-pirate-radio-stations.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18543-haiti-security-over-347-illegal-fm-radio-stations-out-of-697-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18186-haiti-notice-the-conatel-threat-illegal-radios.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13657-haiti-technology-set-of-measures-to-regularize-telecommunications.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13466-haiti-flash-clandestine-entities-threaten-aviation-safety.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-12571-haiti-telecommunication-interference-and-fraud-towards-a-bilateral-solution.html



IH/ TB/ iciHaiti

















Average Per Capita Property Taxes: How Does Your State Compare?

by Katherine Loughead, Tax Foundation, May 11, 2018

Property tax collection is a critical source of revenue for local governments, accounting for 72 percent of local tax collections nationwide in 2015 (most recent data available). Local property taxes are largely used to fund police departments, emergency services, road maintenance, and other services mainly associated with property ownership or residency.

While states used to rely heavily on property taxes as a source of revenue, this reliance has declined over time. In 2015, state-levied property taxes accounted for only 1.7 percent of state tax collections nationwide, down from 52.6 percent in 1902.

Even with decreasing dependence among states, the extent to which localities rely on property taxes resulted in property taxes comprising 31.1 percent of all U.S. state and local tax collections in fiscal year (FY) 2015. As such, property taxes are the largest source of combined state and local tax collections, trailed by general sales taxes (23.5 percent), individual income taxes (23.5 percent), corporate income taxes (3.7 percent), and other sources (18.2 percent).

Property tax rates are set by a variety of taxing authorities , including states, counties, cities, school boards, fire departments, and utility commissions. Some tax jurisdictions levy property taxes by imposing a rate or a millage (the amount of tax per thousand dollars of property value) on the fair market value (FMV) of the property. Other jurisdictions impose property taxes on the assessed value of the property, which is typically calculated as a percentage of FMV. In some states, assessment limits, different base years, or other property tax limitations can introduce variations in the ratio of assessed to fair market value.

On average, state and local governments collect $1,518 per capita in property taxes, but collections vary widely by state, and several regional trends exist.

Property taxes are highest in the Northeast, and each of the New England states is among the 10 states with the highest per capita property taxes. Overall, the District of Columbia comes in first ($3,350), followed by New Jersey ($3,074), New Hampshire ($3,054), and Connecticut ($2,847). Property taxes tend to be highest in urban areas with heavy concentrations of high-income earners.

Among the 10 states with the lowest per capita property taxes, a majority are in the South, where sales taxes are a more prominent source of state revenue. Texas is a notable outlier, relying heavily on property taxes while not levying state individual or corporate income taxes. The nations lowest per capita property tax collections are in Arkansas ($699), Oklahoma ($678), and Alabama ($540).A MAN described as the heart and soul of Henleys green spaces has died, aged 53.

Gareth Bartle was the head of the town councils parks services team and was responsible for maintaining public spaces such as Mill and Marsh Meadows and Makins recreation ground as well as the councils outdoor equipment, machinery and vehicles.

He had worked for the council for about 14 years and played a key role in supporting Henley in Bloom.

The town won six consecutive gold awards in the town category of the Thames and Chilterns regional competition and in 2015 scooped its first Britain in Bloom gold at the third attempt and silver in the Entente Florale competition.

It was these results that spurred Mr Bartle to become a judge for Britain in Bloom and the Green Flag award, which is the benchmark standard for publicly accessible parks and green spaces in the UK.

Henley Mayor Kellie Hinton, who chairs Henley in Bloom said: Gareth Bartle was the heart and soul of Henleys open and green spaces. He was such an influential person, so creative and such a visionary for Henley in Bloom.

Although we have had time to come to terms with Gareths illness over the past six months, the sudden loss has winded us all.

Gareth had an impact on so many lives. He was parks services manager but we really did get so much more than somebody who just managed a parks department.

Everybody who speaks of Gareth talks of how he helped them in some way  always under the radar  working with schools and residents.

Councillor Hinton said she would miss her dear friend with whom she could share a joke.

She said: Gareth might have joked that I talked too much but he was always willing to listen and advise anyone who needed him, including myself. The loss of Gareth as part of Henley Town Council shouldnt be underestimated.

There will be a transitional period while we learn to adjust to a new way of working with perhaps a little less sparkle and cheekiness.

There is some comfort to be had from knowing that Gareth went out of this world on his own terms, where he wanted to be and who he wanted to be with.

Mr Bartle was born on August 2, 1964 and grew up in Woodcote where he attended Langtree School before moving on to The Henley College.

He then studied countryside management and conservation at Aberystwyth University.

After graduating he held a number of jobs, ranging from land surveyor to dispatch rider to care assistant for people with learning disabilities, before joining the town council.

He loved Welsh rugby, motorbikes, vintage vehicles, boating parties and spending time with his friends and family.

He lived in Pangbourne with his wife Janet and their children Ethan, 18, and Corinna, 15.

Mr Bartle was diagnosed with terminal lung and brain cancer in October. Despite the odds, he improved with treatment and continued to work until only recently.

He passed away at the Sue Ryder hospice in Nettlebed on Friday, surrounded by his family.

The family would like to thank everybody for their support and ask that instead of sending flowers, donations can be made directly to the hospice or Cancer Research UK.

Alternatively, people can sponsor Corinna, who will be taking part in the Reading Pretty Muddy 5k on July 14. Visit http://fundraise.

cancerresearchuk.org/page/

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After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code.

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The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those.Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print.

Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition.

If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create.Lanesborough Votes to Include New Ashford Tuition Revenue In Budget

LANESBOROUGH, Mass.  Town officials voted to include anticipated tuition revenue from New Ashford in the Mount Greylock Regional School budget, against the school official's advice.

Mount Greylock had put forth a budget aimed to keep the town's contribution for Lanesborough Elementary School flat. But, there is still uncertainty around whether or not New Ashford will continue to send their children to the district. The district is raising tuition for New Ashford and next week residents there will decide whether or not to pay it or seek to send their children elsewhere.

Superintendent Kimberly Grady previously told the Lanesborough officials that without knowing if those students will still be in the district, she did not account for the anticipated $112,000 in revenue. Instead, the district raided its reserves to keep the request flat and planned to refill those should New Ashford vote in favor.

"There is too much concern from the New Ashford side of things for me to confidently put in $112,000 to reduce the assessment to Lanesborough," Grady said in April.

In a recent 3-2 vote of the Finance Committee, however, Lanesborough officials voted to reduce that budget that goes to town meeting by the $112,000, confident that New Ashford will continue to send students there.

Finance Committee member Jodi Szczepaniak-Locke opposed it. On Thursday, when the Board of Selectmen voted to also support that reduction, Szczepaniak-Locke voiced opposition.

"I am vehemently opposed to the recent actions taken by the Select Board, members of the Finance Committee, and the town manager. We were presented with a conservative budget for our newly regionalized school district, a budget that for the fourth straight year has had a zero percent increase, a budget that was created and approved by an elected body," Szczepaniak-Locke said.

"They were conservative with regards to revenue. This means this budget was built without taking into account the New Ashford tuition money. They were smart, methodical, and they did not gamble. They did not put the bottom line at risk."

Szczepaniak-Locke is cautioning the town to be ready to find that money elsewhere should New Ashford vote against the tuition increase. She listed a number of items such as a new pickup truck for the Highway Department, work on roads around Pontoosuc Lake, a police cruiser, and the amount heading to stabilization as areas the town should be willing to cut out of its budget to replace that money should that happen.

The Board of Selectmen, however, have been confident that the agreement reached between Mount Greylock and New Ashford, one that hikes the tuition over course of three years, will pass. But, they are prepared to amend the district's budget on the floor should that vote goes against Lanesborough's favor.

"If, for some reason, New Ashford doesn't vote the money through, our budget can be adjusted on the floor," Chairman John Goerlach said.This week, Rhode Island Superior Court judge Jeffrey A. Lanphear heard arguments from attorneys representing over 30 parents in a lawsuit attempting to overturn Gov. Dan McKee's executive order requiring students in Rhode Island schools to wear masks while in the classroom. In the lawsuit, the parents argue mask-wearing poses harm to students and negatively impacts their physical and mental health. They are attempting to overturn McKee's executive order on the grounds that it unconstitutional. Do you agree that the mask mandate should be overturned by the courts? Why or why not? Let us know in this week's poll question below.

You voted:For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browserFormer Aviation Minister and foremost Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) chieftain, Femi Fani-Kayode in a tweet earlier today mocked an APC leader for a statement credited to Justice Okoro.

Fani-Kayode quoted Justice Okoro, an APC leader as saying Queen Elizabeth of England hardly shake anyone with her bare hand. She is often on hand gloves during official functions. @ MBuhari is the only Pres. in history to feel the bare hand of Queen Elizabeth in a hand shake.

See what he tweeted below;

"Queen Elizabeth of England hardly shake anyone with her bare hand. She is often on hand gloves during official functions.@MBuhari is the only Pres. in history to feel the bare hand of Queen Elizabeth in a hand shake"-Justice Okoro,APC leader. These people have lost it!  Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) May 12, 2018

See tweet below

Some Nigerians who saw the statement as not only outrageous but totally ridiculous threw serious jabs at this administration. According to them, this government has achieved anything, therefore has the right to brag about the Queen not wearing gloves as she shook hands with Mr President.

See reactions below;

That is why it is called slave mentality. In this dispensation every single thing is an achievement including commisioning a motor pack! Truth is, let us say no to recycled politicians. Those who are not into politics are doing Mich better than our politicians. Enough!  Dr. Barn (@OnCallForLife) May 12, 2018

When there is nothing tangible to celebrate as achievement. The clowns in APC can celebrate anything. I once said that Buhari loyalists are either foolish, gullible or utter illiterates!!  noble (@gentlenoble123) May 12, 2018

That's Another PMB Achievement, Just As They Claimed Not Too Long Ago That He Was The First African President To Be Recieved By Donald Trum. Truely, They Have Lost It.  Ibiyinka Jamie Jayeola (@IbiyinkaJamie) May 12, 2018

Honestly! What an achievement for APC & PMB! For this singular feat alone, they deserve to be reelected. What a #Joke!  Dilicci Bourne Opara (@Dilicci_Esq) May 12, 2018Juliet Ibrahim addresses her rumoured breakup with iceberg Slim, she has revealed why she deleted all photos of herself and boyfriend on her Instagram page.

The move sparked rumours the pair had split but she says she has decided to keep her personal life off socialmedia.

She wrote:

Dear Fans and Friends,

Months ago I decided it was time to face my day job and thus took off aspects of my private life off my social media handles. Usually, I follow trending stories about me and have a good laugh but not today.

The only story here is that I decided to take any form of relationship I have off my social media and focus on my life and my career while juggling 2 countries .

This move has sent the media crazy with insinuations about my private life. Please note that it is all about my day job on my social media handles going forward. If I need to let the world know about whats going on in my private life, be rest assured that you will be the first to know. Until then, please disregard all fakes quotes allegedly coming from me and alleged interviews which never happened.

God bless you all. Thank you for your love and support. 

Leave a Comment

commentsPopular Ghanaian actor, John Dumelo is saying goodbye to bachelor hood.

The actor is tying the knot to his fiancee, Gifty Mawunya, who has jumped from obscurity to suddenly the most sought after lady in the country.

Everyone wants to know which lady managed to finally tame the beast that is John Dumelo and contrary to a lot of reportage shes not some ordinary lady or one of the common floor members.

Mawunya is the sister of Selassie Ibrahim, the well known NDC supporting actress who ran Smarttys Management, the company at the centre of the bus branding scandal during the John Dramani Mahama presidency.

Shes also besties with none other than Nadia Buari, so clearly she runs around in those kind of high society circles.

Anyway, rumour has it that Nadia was the matchmaker for these two lovebirds.

Weve gathered some more photos of the soon to be Mrs Dumelo.

See the photos below:

Source: Ghanaweb.Punch

When Corporal Tumba Garba (retd.) joined the Nigerian Army on July 21, 1965, two years before the start of the civil war, he had no idea he would become a driver to the top brass in the military, some of whom later went on to become the countrys heads of state.

Vanguard

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that never again will unscrupulous politicians be allowed to shut down courts in the state as the immediate past Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi did for three years.

The Sun

Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has vowed that he will not allow Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and others in the newly formed Coalition of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in the State destroy the party just like they did with other parties.

Thisday

Twenty-four hours ahead of his scheduled return from London, United Kingdom, where he had gone for a four-day medical trip, President Muhammadu Buhari returned to the country yesterday evening in a manner that took many by surprise.

Daily Times

A pastors wife, Mrs Uzoamaka Ibeneme, on Friday, lost her 21-year-old marriage, when an Igando Customary Court in Lagos, dissolved the union on grounds of adultery.

Guardian

Nigerias minister of health has refused to criticise the countrys presidents preference for seeking medical attention in the United Kingdom.

Daily Trust

The Chairman of the APC Electoral Committee and Nasarawa State Governor, Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura has rolled out conditions delegates for tomorrows APC governorship primary must fulfill to be allowed to vote for their choice candidates just as he promised massive security within and outside the venue of the exercise.

Tribune

Offa community in the Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State has offered to build a N400 million police barrack as part of measures to ensure security of lives and property in the town.

The Nation

For helping the federal government rake in N13.8 billion from tax evaders,14 whistle blowers have been rewarded with the sum of N439.276 million.President Muhammadu Buhari, who arrived a day earlier than scheduled from his medical trip from the to London, United Kingdom, said nothing is wrong with him. According to Mr President who touched down at Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja on Friday by 7:00 pm after a three-day medical trip said his arrival is not earlier than expected.

When asked on by journalists why he arrived on Friday after his schedule of returning on Saturday, here is what the President said: earlier than expected.

It is not earlier than expected. I just went for a further medical check-up and I am alright, thank you, President Buhari said.

President Buhari on Monday, while informing Nigerians that he would be travelling said, I will be travelling to the United Kingdom tomorrow, to see my doctor, at his request. Will be away for four days; back in Abuja on Saturday, May 12.

Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, had said the President would return on Saturday but Buhari returned back to the country a day earlier.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had previously claimed that Buhari was being treated for prostate cancer and as such is unfit to rule Nigeria. However, the Buhari has refuted the claimed saying they were untrue.

Google Assistant is now two years old we just saw how advanced its AI and natural speech abilities are. That robot call demo from Google I/O is interesting in many ways (from an ethics point of view as well as technology). It also goes to show just how advanced Google Assistant is when compared to Siri and Alexa.

Apple and Google have a rich history of give and take (the latest example is Android P integrating iPhone X-like gestures). So heres a list of features wed like to see Apple copy from Google Assistant.

1. Keyboard Support

Currently, Type to Siri is an accessibility option. When you turn it on, you cant speak to Siri. Theres a simple solution Apple, and Google has already integrated it. Just put a little keyboard icon in the bottom-left corner (or even bottom-right, were not as picky about the button position) and let users text to Siri when they cant speak.

There are many situations when youre in an area where you cant speak out loud to your personal assistant. But you still need her help to set a calendar appointment, a reminder or to message someone really quickly. In times like these, a quick Type to Siri option would be of huge help. And while were on the topic, this feature would be at least 10 times more useful on the Mac.

Read more: How to Type to Siri on iPhone and iPad in iOS 11

2. Multiple Timers

If youre cooking, multiple timers are a god sent. Google Assistant does this really well. You can set multiple timers, name them, see all timers on one card and a lot more. Siri does none of that. This is especially bad now that HomePod is out in the open. We hope that iOS 12 will bring this functionality to all devices. It would be really useful on the iPhone and Apple Watch.

Read more: Top 10 Google Assistant Tips and Tricks for iPhone

3. Extensive Extension Ecosystem

Google Assistant has an amazing ecosystem of third-party apps and services. And its quite easy to develop for Google platform as well. Users can even assign the default apps for playing music via Google Assistant.

Siri in comparison is very limited. It only supports half a dozen categories of apps (things like messaging, finance, travel and so on). And even there, developers dont have a lot of freedom when it comes to functionality. SirKit does most of the heavy lifting of understanding and interpreting the commands (and as we know, this is not Apples strong suit).

Apple needs to realize that Siri is a cloud-based system. Developers should be able to write extensions for Siri that work via iCloud, across all the devices that support Siri. Users should be able to interact with apps and actions easily.

4. Same Siri On All Platforms

Right now, the Siri on the iPhone, Apple Watch and HomePod is drastically different. Google Assistant on Android and Google Home is much closer. Siri on HomePod is severely limited and Siri on Mac cant control your HomeKit devices.

Apple needs to unify Siris capabilities. And once again, Apple can solve this problem as well by putting Siri functionality for every user in the iCloud account instead of relying on individual devices.

5. Object Recognition in Camera

In a few weeks, a new Google Lens feature called style match will help you look up visually similar furniture and clothing, so you can find a look you like. #io18 pic.twitter.com/mH4HFFZLwH  Google (@Google) May 8, 2018

Its amazing the kind of things Google is pulling off using Google Lens technology thats backed by Google Assistant. Google Lens is integrated into the camera app and the Photos app and it can recognize objects, products, and text.

It acts like a heads up display and soon it will even show you information about things youre looking at. Just point the camera in a busy town square and Google Lens will show you information about the shops nearby and points of interests overlaid on the camera.

Apple already does this for QR codes in the Camera app so theres a precedent set for something similar to Google Lens functionality. Apple could integrate data from Apple Maps right inside the camera app. Apple also has object recognition in the new Photos app and we know that Apple is getting serious with ARKit as well. This feature would serve as a nice midpoint between the iPhone and Apples AR/VR goggles when they come out in the next 5 years.

6. Siri Intelligence Across iOS and Apple Apps

Google Assistant is everywhere on Android. From Photos app to Google Lens to Google Maps.

We saw a glimpse of something similar in iOS 11. Siri is now integrated into the Safari app and Apple News app. But its functionality is pretty limited. So limited in fact, that in almost a year of using iOS 11 (from the first beta), I have yet to see a single Siri suggestion.

Apple needs to get serious about Siri Intelligence and it needs to be sprinkled across all of Apples stock apps like Calendar, Reminders, Notes, Safari and more. And later, we should see integration with third-party apps as well.

Siri can be one of the features that can save us from using our phone too much.

7. Detach Siri Updates from iOS Updates

iOS updates roll out once in a year. A point update only comes out every three months or so. Siri should work like a cloud feature. It should be updated every week. That sounds crazy but its doable. Amazon does the same thing with Alexa. Every Friday, Echo users get an email about the new functionality in Alexa. Not every week has a big banner feature but when you look at it over a couple of months, it really adds up.

Apple is a hardware company and is obsessed with not releasing features until theyre absolutely read. Recently, this has resulted in the delay of iMessages in iCloud an AirPlay 2 features. This is where Apple needs to learn from Google. Google doesnt shy away from releasing unfinished products. This cant work from everything all the time but a software product can be helped immensely by quick user feedback and iteration.

8. The Hard One: Siri Understands All Kinds of Speech

This is one of the hardest things but we want Apple to copy how good Google Assistant is at understating speech, no matter what your accent is. Google Assistant now even supports languages like Hindi. But Siri should start with nailing English speech recognition with the hundreds of accents that are out there.

This is a simple thing but incredibly hard to do. Google is so good at this because it has the best big data and data analysis technology (which comes from Googles quest for analyzing all your personal information). Apple, on the other hand, collects little personal data, which means it doesnt have real-life data to train its speech recognition system. Apple is starting to use more data with its Differential Privacy policy feature which anonymizes data.

Apple needs to figure out the best way to go forward with this without violating their own privacy policies. Because this is the biggest thing thats holding Siri back. No matter how many features Apple builds on top of Siri, people wont use it if Siri just cant understand its users. This is the biggest thing that holding Siri back.

Your iOS 12 Wishlist

What are some of the features you wish to see in iOS 12? How do you want to see Siri get better in the next couple of years? Share with us in the comments below.

Check out the other features that wed like to see in iOS 12Today

Mainly cloudy. A few peeks of sunshine possible. High 83F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low 61F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.

Tomorrow

A mainly sunny sky. High around 85F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.MAIMANA, Afghanistan, May 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 militants were killed and 12 others injured during military operations in the northern Faryab province on Friday, an army official said Saturday.

"Afghan army launched military operations in Garziwan district of Faryab province on Friday, killing at least 20 militants including a local commander, and injuring 12 others," Spokesman for 209 Army Corps in northern provinces Mohammad Hanif Rezai told Xinhua.

During the operations, the army seized huge quantity of weapons and ammunitions, he said without mentioning the possible casualties on the army side.

Taliban militants have yet to make comments.SHADY COVE, Ore.  Mental Health First Aid visits communities that are lacking mental health support and teaches community members about how to recognize a mental health crisis and how to respond.

The curriculum is taught internationally, in 19 different countries. It started in Australia and follows a five-step action plan known as ALGEE; assess for risk of suicide or harm, listen nonjudgmentally, give reassurance and information, encourage appropriate professional help and encourage self-help and other support strategies.

What were trying to do is build awareness of how common mental illness is in the community and get people to where they can recognize the signs and symptoms of someone having a crisis or in distress and build resources in the community, said Monica Staar, a Mental Health First Aid Instructor.

Staar explained that the need for community outreach comes after major budget cuts for Jackson County, The county cut its mental health department budget severely and theyve outsourced the ongoing counseling treatment services. Right now, the only thing you can receive from County Mental Health is crisis intervention.

Staar says that surrounding communities in the state have implemented response teams to aid people in crisis. What they do in Eugene is they have a trained mental health worker and a medic that will go out as a pair, said Staar, The fire department and the police department partner with white bird clinic and they have three vans 24/7 that will respond to mental health calls.

Staar explains that current protocol in Jackson County is a police response, which can escalate the situation, You get a mental health worker but that person, for their own safety, will be accompanied by a sheriffs deputy with a sidearm. For most people in a mental health crisis, just the appearance of the uniform, never mind the weapon, is going to escalate their anxiety.

Mental Health First Aid is also taught in high schools around the world. We found in the school districts where its taught and embraced by the administration, not only do the students recognize when fellow students are having a problem but they will relay and report to teachers and administration, said Staar, and teen suicide has plummeted.

Staar says that she believes improvement is possible in Jackson County, its a matter of political will and leadership because the money is there. Theres amazing amounts of grant funding from the federal government from Health and Human Services.

Staar will be teaching the curriculum throughout May and June for free. Listed below is a schedule of upcoming workshops. If you are interested in having Mental Health First Aid come to an area near you, you can email Monica Staar at shadycovecert@gmail.com.

Mental Health First Aid Workshops:

(all meetings go from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

Rogue Retreat  Thursday, May 17

Ruch Library  Friday, May 18

Jackson County Fire District 5 (Phoenix)  Thursday, May 31

Ashland Community Hospital  Friday, June 1

Providence Hospital  Saturday, June 2MEDFORD, Ore. -- Construction experts say Measure 15-175 could be a way to help Southern Oregon's desperate need for skilled workers.

Brad Bennington, Executive Officer of the Builders Association of Southern Oregon, said the region only has 40 percent of the workforce it had 12 years ago. He said half of those workers won't even be around for much longer because they are either retiring, relocating or retraining.

"If you lost two thirds of anybody in an industry it would be a disaster and it's a disaster in our industry," Bennington said.

Bennington said the school bond on Tuesday's ballot could be a way to help.

"We need young people in the pipeline to fill these jobs, we have good paying jobs where these young people can go to work literally right out of high school," Bennington said.

Medford School District Budget Chairman Kevin Husted said it might not be the district's place to fix the problem.

"Essentially you're asking the high schools to train a workforce for these employers that are here in the Valley, that's not necessarily our job to pay to train your workforce," Husted said.

Medford resident Tom Payne said he has been trying to get a custom cabinet maker at his home for about two years. He said he supports Career and Technical Education classes and has spent years mentoring kids and sending them to trade schools. He does not think spending $25 million on two new buildings are the answer.

"I think the money can be spent and more focused if we deal with a trade school rather than trying to do it twice," Payne said.MOSCOW, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Two U.S. F-22 fighters escorted Russia's Tu-95MS strategic bombers and Tu-142 anti-submarine aircraft when they were on a routine flight Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday.

Accompanied by MiG-31 and Su-35 fighters, the Russian jets flew over the neutral waters of the Arctic Ocean, the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk and conducted re-fueling in the air, the ministry's spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

The U.S. F-22 fighters escorted the Russian aircraft for 40 minutes and kept a distance of over 100 meters, he said in a statement.

"All flights are carried out in strict accordance with the international rules for the use of airspace, without violating the borders of other countries," he added.

According to CNN reports, U.S. military confirmed the escort in a statement, saying two Alaska-based F-22 fighters "intercepted and visually identified the Russian bombers."

The U.S. statement also said that the Russian aircraft never entered U.S. airspace.Darlene McNee films her husband Robert as he attempts to survey damage at their cottage in Chipman, N.B., in this recent handout photo taken from video. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Darlene McNee MANDATORY CREDITWASHINGTON, May 11 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Foreign Minister (FM) Kang Kyung-wha said here on Friday that she and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did not talk about the U.S. withdrawal of troops from South Korea, which U.S. President Donald Trump has hinted several times.

She made the remarks during a joint press conference following her talks with Pompeo, noting that "the U.S. military presence in Korea is a matter for the ROK-U.S. alliance first and foremost."

"We are confident of our security through the Korea-U.S. joint security stance, which is why we say the issue of the alliance, any issue of the alliance, including the troop('s) presence in our country, is a matter for our two allies to discuss and not to be put on the table with North Korea," she explained.

Trump hinted in March that Washington was mulling to withdraw its 32,000 soldiers deployed on the inter-Korean border. He also complained about the U.S. obligation to protect South Korea even the country enjoys a huge trade surplus against the United States.

U.S. defense chief James Mattis said in April that the United States will discuss with its allies and the DPRK about the remaining U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula.

However, Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton ruled out the possibility on May 4th, saying the United States has no plans to change its defense posture in South Korea.Victoria Aquino hugs her two daughters, Melany, 17 and Halie, 11, as the family was reunited outside Highland High School in Palmdale, Calif., after the sheriff took the school off lockdown following a shooting, on Friday, May 11, 2018. (Dean Musgrove/Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG via AP)File-This Feb. 25, 2018, file photo shows Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin speaking during the panel Caring for our Veterans at the National Governor Association 2018 winter meeting in Washington. Fallin vetoed a bill late Friday, May 11, 2018, that would have authorized adults to carry firearms without a permit or training, dealing a rare defeat to the National Rifle Association in a conservative state. The veto comes after opposition from the business community and law enforcement authorities, including top officials with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation who have said it could erode public safety.(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)FILE - In this May 4, 2014 file photo, an Etihad Airways plane prepares to land at the Abu Dhabi airport in the United Arab Emirates. The United States and the United Arab Emirates have signed a deal resolving a years-old spat over alleged Emirati government subsidies to its airlines and accusations of unfair competition in the U.S. The deal was signed Friday in private at the State Department after months of negotiations. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)A TV screen shows file footage of the demolition of the 60-foot-tall cooling tower at its main reactor complex in Yongbyon, North Korea, on June 27, 2008 during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 13, 2018. North Korea said Saturday that it will dismantle its nuclear test site in less than two weeks, in a dramatic event that would set up leader Kim Jong Un's summit with President Donald Trump next month. Trump welcomed the "gracious gesture." The signs read: "Leaders of the United State and North Korea should have belief." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)Flooding is seen in Grand Forks B.C. in this undated handout photo. Torrential rains that pushed southern British Columbia waterways to flood stage have eased, but officials warn the new threat of unseasonable heat could rapidly melt snowpacks, adding to already swollen rivers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary *MANDATORY CREDIT*OTTAWA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- A multi-national war game named Exercise MAPLE RESOLVE 2018 will be held from 13 to 24 May in Alberta of Canada, Canadian National Defence Ministry said Friday.

Approximately 6,000 military personnel, including those from Canada, the United States, Britain, Australia and France, will participate in the exercise.

It is the largest annual Canadian Army exercise that immerses soldiers in a dynamic, multi-element, combined arms, force-on-force scenario against a challenging enemy in an environment where the realities of a deployment are replicated as closely as possible.

It sets the stage for Canadian Army soldiers to sharpen their skills within a realistic, complex, and challenging operating environment that mirrors the realities of deployed operations. It also confirms Canada's commitment to sustaining strong relationships with allies, partners and other militaries, said the ministry.

The goal of the exercise is to ensure competent, confident and integrated military forces, able to provide scalable, mission-tailored, and responsive forces for full-spectrum operations, added the ministry.EUGENE, Ore. - The annual Mothers Day Powwow kicked off on Friday, May 11, with a grand entry parade and blessing and dedication of a University of Oregon building.

One of the UOs newer residence halls, Kalapuya Ilihi received a traditional blessing ceremony and dedication. The hall has been open since September, but staff said they wanted this ceremony to be at a time when both students and native residents could attend.

Staff said this building is such an important step for the UO to continue being a leader in Native American representation. They said so many other campuses, natives dont feel welcome, but Oregon has worked hard to overcome that.

"We never really have been welcome onto campuses and universities. The University of Oregon, however, has been very, very welcoming," said Jason Younker, the assistant vice president of sovereignty in government relations for the UO.

The annual Mothers Day Powwow received the honor this year, their 50th year, of being designated as an Oregon Heritage Tradition. Its the oldest off-reservation Powwow in the state, and its been put on by the Native American Student Union since 1969.

"We can all reflect on how much growth the university has seen. So it's a good time for that reason alone," said Chris Mercier, with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.

The Powwow is all about celebrating mothers. Organizers said mothers are so important in Native culture and worth celebrating. Theyre not just the bearers of life, but so much more.

The rest of the weekend will be full of activities to celebrate Mothers Day. On Saturday, May 12, there will be two grand entries at noon and 7 p.m. And on Sunday, May 13, Mother's Day, there will be a Salmon Feast at the Many Nations Longhouse at noon.NORTH BEND, Ore. -- Allegations of discrimination of students by the North Bend School District are causing a stir in the school and community.

As detailed in a letter from the Oregon Department of Education to the school district on March 6, the district is being accused of disregarding discrimination claims by students, and forcing LGBTQ students to read passages from the bible as a form of punishment.

READ MORE: North Bend District accused of forcing bible reading

Those instances of discrimination include students being called homophobic slurs, an LGBTQ-identifying student having their hand broken after being called a homophobic slur, and a teacher likening same-sex marriage to marrying a dog in front of a classroom full of students.

That teacher was later told to apologize to the students.

While interviewing students for this story, the high school secretary came up and joined in on the conversation.

Ill go to bat for you right down to the wire. Ill lay down for any student that I feel is given, being unfairly treated, and well go together. Had we known different things, we could do that, said Secretary Corky Clark.

Student Brittany Vickoren responded by talking about the biggest issues she is seeing around the school.

And I dont feel like its just one person. Of course its not just one person. And its not the whole school that doesnt care. But, there are teachers and there are staff that have chosen to take a different approach to things, like discriminate against students, and do different things, and ignore students when they have come with complaints," said Vickoren. "Of course its not every single person and its not just one person, but there are people who dont feel like these students need help and they dont feel its important to help these students. But, it really is. And its important to the whole community and the whole student body when teachers show that they dont care. It makes students uncomfortable to be on their campus.

Clark agreed, saying she wants to help these students make the change they feel needs to happen.

And we need to make a change. And I think that by you speaking out, then thats something that we can do about that. If we know for sure that thats how you feel and whats going on and stuff, then we need to keep bringing it up and bringing it up, bringing it up, until we get it done.

Along with the issues of alleged discrimination in the letter from the Department of Education, students told the department that they were hesitant to come forward about their issues because of the school administrators religious beliefs.

They said they had been told of an incident where a student was forced to read the bible as a form of punishment.

The school district has acknowledged that issue, and in a press release stated they have taken corrective action.

The North Bend School District was instructed by the Department of Education to come to a settlement between them and the two students that made the accusations, but were unable to do so in the 30 day time period given.

As a result, the Oregon Department of Education will be holding a hearing with the North Bend School District on May 24 to determine if the school district did allow discrimination on the high schools campus.U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken with Singapore's prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, a day after announcing he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will hold an historic meeting in the southeast Asian city-state.

The White House said Friday that the president thanked the prime minister for his willingness to host the June 12 meeting. In a statement, the administration also said the two leaders discussed regional security in the Indo-Pacific region and reaffirmed the relationship between the United States and Singapore.

The statement called that relationship "one of the United States' closest partnerships in Asia for more than 50 years."

Trump announced the time and place of the meeting in a tweet Thursday.

CLARION, Iowa - In a time where school safety is being discussed heavily, one father of a student who was killed in her classroom is emphasizing the need for a safety plan in schools.

On September 27, 2006, a gunman entered Platte Canyon High School in Bailey, Colorado, and held seven girls hostage. After several tense hours, the gunman shot and killed Emily Keyes.

Now 12 years later, her father, John-Michael Keyes, travels the country hoping to prevent other parents from ever feeling this kind of loss.

"The word inconceivable is used, but few people have a visceral understanding of it. None of it seemed real. Think about it, this can't happen here, but it can happen here, it's happening somewhere everyday, I guess," Keyes says.

Since that time, he and his wife Ellen have been in charge of the "I Love U Guys Foundation", which carries with it a deeper meaning.

"While my daughter Emily was held hostage, she was able to send a text message saying 'I love u guys', and that's what we based the name of our foundation on," Keyes adds.

The foundation's focus is on how schools, departments and agencies can better protect their students and staff through program development.

Wright County Emergency Management Coordinator James Lester says that in light of recent events, it's important now more than ever to have an updated plan in place.

"Those plans are a living document. It's not something you can go out and create that plan and let it sit on the shelf and say we have a plan. It needs to be constantly talked about, constantly fine tuned, and practiced," Lester says.

Keyes agrees, saying plans must adjust according to the situation at hand.

"We've got to continuously evolve our practices. This isn't a static planning process, it's an ongoing planning process," Keyes adds.

One aspect of an emergency plan is the reunification between a parent and student, and is something that is key in developing protocol.

"Most schools do have safety plans. The reunification portion is a void, and we've got a ton of materials online, at no cost, that can help fill that void both in planning and in training," Keyes says.MASON CITY, Iowa  For the second year in a row, the Mason City Chamber of Commerce has been honored by the Mid-America Chamber Executives (MACE).

The organization represents chamber executives in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin and it has again given its Public Policy of the Year award to Mason City. This time is was for the Mason City Says YES campaign led by Allyson Krull.

MACE says its Public Policy of the Year award recognizes chambers of commerce that achieve a significant victory in public policy, whether as a part of a partnership or as the sole organization championing a cause.

The Mason City Says YES campaign helped pass two ballot measures supporting the River City Renaissance project that seeks to revitalize Mason Citys downtown mall area.MASON CITY, Iowa - President Trump is unveiling plans to potentially bring the cost of medications down, and many hope it comes to fruition.

Bethany Bjorklund works with the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health. She has a daughter with food allergies so she always carries an epi-pen. If she comes into contact with peanuts or eggs, Bjorklund's daughter could go into anaphalactic shock, and it can be very life threatening without her epi-pen.

"It must be reversed as quickly as possible. It can cause airway swelling, hives, swelling of the eyes, nose, mouth, could close into someone's airways and cause them not to breathe," Bjorklund says.

Fortunately, this hasn't happened to her daughter. Still, Bjorklund doesn't want to be without an epi-pen, but they are getting more expensive.

"With my health insurance, submitting it to them, if you get an epi-pen, it would run about 600 bucks for two epi-pens," Bjorklund adds.

And it's not just epi-pens.

Christine Spurr recently had rotator cuff surgery, and was prescribed oxycodone. She's noticed that the price for her medication has increased slightly as well.

"We have insurance and they help us pay, that didn't bother me. It's just that...well, there's $30 down the drain for one prescription, but that's how you find out I guess if it's gonna work or not," Spurr says.

She hopes that something changes soon.

"I think that the doctors and pharmaceuticals both have been making too much money on this kind of stuff. Maybe they have to have people rethink this surgery stuff, and that you're gonna have some pain, and that they can't get rid of it," Spurr adds.

According to consumer website GoodRx.com, the top 3 prescription drugs consumers must pay heavily for include Actimmune, which helps osteoporosis, Darapim, which is given to AIDS and transplant patients, and Cinryze, which helps treat angioedema, a rare life-threatening condition that causes swelling in the hands, face and throat.

On Friday afternoon, President Trump announced his administration is taking action by boosting competition, cut regulations and re-work the incentives for stake-holders in the pharmaceutical industry.

"We've wanted to be doing this, we've been working on it right from day one. It's been a complicated process, but not too complicated," Trump says.

Bjorklund hopes that the President's plan is carried out and that prices are regulated.

"Paying that much for something is probably just not realistic, though there needs to be a checks and balance on, is this really the case. Is it really how much it should be," Bjorklund says.

The amount Americans spend on prescription drugs has nearly doubled since the 1990s, according to a 2017 government investigation, and means the United States spends the most of any high-income nation.DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  A Des Moines woman who pleaded guilty to leaving her three young children alone in a filthy, feces-covered home has been sentenced to probation.

The Des Moines Register reports a judge Friday sentenced 26-year-old Destinee K. Miller to three years of probation, which she'll serve in a women's residential facility. She must complete substance abuse and mental health treatment, and she must maintain a job or pursue an education.

Miller pleaded guilty in February to neglect or abandonment of a dependent person.

Police arrested Miller in October after her children ages 4, 2 and 1 were found outside their home. One child was covered in feces and another had a full diaper.

Defense lawyer Nicholas Dial says Miller takes responsibility but noted she was overwhelmed and in a bad relationship.The Rev. Cassandra Gould with the Clean Missouri initiative addresses the media Thursday, presenting the Secretary of State's office with more than 344,000 signature petitions. (Clean Missouri Initiative)State government official honored by Forbes 30 under 30

VietNamNet Bridge - Among the 30 names listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneurs and innovators, Phan Hoang Lan has drawn special attention because she is a civil servant.









Phan Hoang Lan









Lans life did not change much after the Forbes list was released. She drives her motorbike to the office every morning and works sometimes until 9-10 pm.



Born in 1988, Lan is now head of the planning and finance department of the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Development (NATEC), an arm of the Ministry of Science and Technology.



You have a masters degree from a school in the UK. Why do you choose to work in a state agency instead of a foreign company, which surely can offer better pay?



Maybe I follow my grandparents example. They worked at the Supreme People's Procuracy.



In my childhood, when living with my grandfather, I had a dream of taking a job related to policymaking to help people have a better life. Later, when I went to school, and then studied abroad, I followed this path.



I was an information technology major at general school, and I liked maths very much. I also once dreamed of designing a robot.



Later, I studied policies for developing countries, with focus on policies related to innovation and knowledge-based economy building. My job at MST is suited to what I learned at school.



What brought you to Project 844 to support startups?



In 2013, MST kicked off a new project, called Vietnam Silicon Valley (VSV). For the first time in Vietnam, MST and the Vietnamese Government took an an initiative directed at stimulating the growth of technology startups in Vietnam.



After two years of working for the project, I realized the important significance of the support to startups. However, VSV can only give support to 10-20 startups a year. And I think I need to do something which has a larger coverage.



Our team, with support from the ministrys leaders, suggested a national program related to innovative entrepreneurship, which has the governments approval.



What are the biggest problems in incubating startup projects in Vietnam?



I think the biggest difficulty doesnt lie in resources, but in startup culture, i.e. the way of thinking. For example, policymakers and businesspeople need to get used to the failure-accepting culture.



What do you think the Vietnamese startup eco-system lacks?



We still lack policies that encourage foreign investors to pour capital into Vietnam startups. The current complicated procedures are just suited to large-scale FDI projects capitalized at millions of dollars, not to startup projects with capital of tens of thousands of dollars only.





RELATED NEWS

Forbes Vietnam announces 30 Under 30 list

Three Vietnamese entrepreneurs among Forbes Asia 30 Under 30





Kim ChiSecretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives at Pyonyang, North Korea airport on Wednesday, May 9, 2018. / AP-Yonhap



U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered Friday to help boost North Korea's economy if the regime swiftly dismantles its nuclear weapons program.

Pompeo spoke after coming out of talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.

"If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on par with our South Korean friends," he told reporters.

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12 to discuss the denuclearization of the regime.

Pompeo traveled twice to Pyongyang in recent weeks to meet with Kim and prepare for the summit.

"I think there is complete agreement about what the ultimate objectives are," he said, after saying that the U.S. objective remains the permanent, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea. "We began to work through the modalities, how we would achieve that, but I'll leave conversations about that to another time."

Pompeo also said the North's dismantling of its nuclear program will require "robust verification."











The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, escorts South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha to a joint press conference at the State Department in Washington, DC, May 11. / EPA-Yonhap



Moves to denuclearize North Korea are expected to proceed speedily this time, due to a determination by the leaders of the two Koreas and the United States to achieve that goal, a ranking South Korean government official said Friday.

The official told Korean reporters here that the dismantling of North Korea's nuclear weapons program will likely proceed at a speed far faster than under any other similar nuclear accords of the past.

"Implementation of a (denuclearization) agreement is expected to proceed swiftly if the leaders are committed to the deal," the official said.

Regarding the upcoming North Korea-U.S. summit talks, the official said, "The goal is complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement. How to reach the destination will depend on an agreement between the North Korean and U.S. leaders."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will hold a high-stakes summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore on June 12, following his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27.

Earlier Friday, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington to exchange views on North Korea and other issues.











In this Sept. 3, 2017 file photo, a man watches a TV news program on a public screen showing an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while reporting North Korea's possible nuclear test in Tokyo, Japan. / AP-Yonhap



North Korea announced Saturday it is taking "technical measures" to dismantle its northern nuclear test site, moving closer to honoring an offer made by its leader Kim Jong-un during the inter-Korean summit last month.

The North's foreign ministry issued a press release, carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), detailing the country's plans to shut down its Pyunggye-ri nuclear test ground.

The English-language statement said the ruling Workers' Party and other relevant institutions are "taking technical measures for dismantling the northern nuclear test ground" in order to "ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test."

During the third inter-Korean summit on April 27, Kim told South Korean President Moon Jae-in that he would "carry out the closure of the northern nuclear test site in May," according to Seoul's presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae.











By Doug Bandow





Lest anyone imagine that Kim Jong-un is an international ingenue, consider how well he played the People's Republic of China. Long on Beijing's as well as Washington's naughty list, North Korea forced the PRC to come calling, finally inviting Kim to visit more than six years after he took power.



Then earlier this week Kim received a second invitation. Did President Xi Jinping also promise additional support to keep China involved?



Far from being "as close as teeth and lips," as commonly said, the PRC and North Korea were at best frenemies. Their differences go back to the Korean War. Only massive Chinese military intervention saved the North's founding dictator Kim Il-sung from defeat.



China suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties; Mao Zedong's son is buried in the DPRK. Yet Kim demonstrated little gratitude for the "fraternal assistance." Indeed, when I visited the Victorious Fatherland War Museum in Pyongyang last year, I saw no mention of the PRC's contribution.



Kim zealously guarded his nation's independence. Relations with Beijing worsened as Mao criticized the plan to turn the DPRK into a de facto monarchy, with Kim's son, Kim Jong-il, chosen as heir apparent.



Contrary to the claim that China was using North Korea against the U.S., the PRC was highly displeased with Pyongyang's nuclear program. Beijing wanted a docile client state on its border to provide a stable buffer. The DPRK was anything but pliable.



The PRC desired denuclearization and stability. However, the harder it pushed the former, the less likely it was to get the latter.



Nevertheless, even before President Donald Trump pushed China to do more, an irritated Beijing was steadily tightening sanctions and increasing enforcement. The PRC also downgraded official contact with Pyongyang.



The North responded with vitriolic public criticism of the PRC. The DPRK sometimes appeared to schedule its missile and nuclear tests on important Chinese dates to spite Beijing.



When I visited North Korea last year officials indicated their desire not to be dependent on "any single country."



Kim's execution of his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, reflected at least in part the latter's role as the DPRK's chief interlocutor with China; the list of charges against him included selling off land "to a foreign country."



Kim's apparent assassination of his half-brother probably reflected fear that the PRC might try to use Kim Jong-nam, who lived in Macau under Chinese protection, as front-man in a more pliant regime.



By the end of last year, the two countries had little political and fast-diminishing economic contact.



However, Kim's international pirouette changed everything. No doubt, Beijing was happy to see its supposed client turn toward diplomacy. But rather than resumption of the Six-Party Talks, or some other international forum that included the PRC, Kim threatened to build an exclusive bilateral relationship with the PRC's most important rival.



A "grand bargain" with the U.S. could result in Pyongyang looking to the U.S. for both economic aid and security assurances. Worse from Beijing's viewpoint, such an agreement could presage reunification, with creation of a united Korea allied with the U.S. and hosting U.S. troops on China's border.



Chinese policymakers and analysts know that the odds remain against such a transformation, but the mere possibility makes Beijing nervous. In the midst of potentially dramatic geopolitical changes, the PRC is largely out of action.



Kim will be negotiating the region's future without Xi's presence. Rumors that Pyongyang will not demand the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the South, long China's objective, may be intended as a not-so-subtle warning to Beijing.



All of this apparently encouraged the Xi government to show interest in its small ally. China's foreign minister visited Pyongyang in early May, the first trip by a Chinese foreign minister in 11 years. Moreover, there are reports that cross-border commerce has picked up, perhaps reflecting more relaxed Chinese enforcement. Then Kim and Xi met again, in northern China.



Of course, the PRC's friendlier attitude gives Kim a boost in advance of the latter's meeting with President Trump. While it is hard to imagine a bidding war over Pyongyang's allegiance, China's renewed warmth reduces pressure on Kim to make more concessions more quickly.



The upcoming Kim-Trump summit will be full of promise and peril. However, so far Kim has proved adept on the international stage. He even forced his dominating neighbor and nominal ally to come calling, twice. Whatever happens next, Kim has transformed Northeast Asia.





Doug Bandow is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and a former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan. He is author of Tripwire: Korea and U.S. Foreign Policy in a Changed World and co-author of The Korean Conundrum: America's Troubled Relations with North and South Korea.

By Andrew Salmon





The success of the inter-Korean summit and the bromance ignited between Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un, have created an upbeat mood of hope nationwide. This is natural and understandable, but it has also led to euphoria. Persons ranging from provincial government officials to average citizens are calling for all manner of inter-Korean projects. Some are even talking excitedly about reunification.



This is premature. While the dispersal of conflict clouds is excellent news for all, unification is not.



North Korea would not want to be swallowed whole by the South. And given the size of its population (half that of the South's) and its economy (around one fortieth the size of the South's) the chance of the North devouring the South looks impossible.



While the prospects of a Southern-led reunification look excellent, long term, over the short term, they are staggeringly expensive. As North Korea expert Andrei Lankov recently noted: For currently working South Koreans, the financial demands of reunification would require this generation to work South Korean hours, for Bangladeshi wages, while paying Swedish taxes.



In sum: North Korea needs to globalize, normalize and economically upgrade before a reunification process begins.



China would resist Southern-led reunification. While some in Beijing have called for a pivot away from its troublesome ally, the strategic criticality of North Korea  a buffer state separating China from democratic southerners and U.S. troops  remains.



Likewise Russia, a nation engaged in strategic competition with the United States, sees the value of North Korea, a state which counterbalances American influence regionally.



Japan might like North Korean to evaporate  but would it welcome South Korea beefing up with an additional 25 million citizens and massive military forces? Given the refusal of Seoul to consider any alliance with Tokyo, and given the regular diplomatic beatings Tokyo receives from Seoul, Japan may well look askance at reunification



The only winner would be the United States, which could expand its influence while maintaining its strategic foothold on the peninsula and enjoying expanded markets for its brands.



Still, the region would not favor reunification  which, anyway, is hardly likely at present. But a peninsula peace regime looks attainable, and would win support across the region.



A peace treaty would be hugely symbolic, but would change nothing substantive: There would still be two Koreas, two armies, and a border between them. A peace regime, on the other hand, would provide major boons.



If both Koreas renounce their claims to each other in their respective constitutions  and in North Korea's case, in educational and propaganda materials  the likelihood of military clashes and Korea War II plummet. Both Koreas could cut military numbers and spending.



And peace is essential for trust. Trust would permit cross-border movements of people and commerce, and the formation of the first inter-Korean networks.



It could also permit the shipment of products through North Korea  natural gas and electricity from Siberia to South Korea  and rail links that would speed South Koreans into Eurasia. South Korea would cease to be a political island; North Korea would earn trans-shipment fees.



China would gain increased stability on its northeastern frontier, and might upgrade investments in North Korea. Likewise, Russia would gain a more secure border. Both countries could cooperate with both Koreas on commercial and infrastructure projects on the trilateral border.



Japan could relax its military posture, and start talking with North Korea opening diplomatic relations  which could possibly result in massive financial injections into North Korea on the model of the loans and colonial-era reparations Tokyo made to Seoul in 1965  which provided much of the capital for the "Economic Miracle."



Finally, Washington could pull some troops from Korea, cutting costs. However, it would not need to rewrites its mutual defense treaty with Seoul: That document focuses on overall mutual defense; North Korea is not mentioned in the treaty.



Hopefully, all parties will concentrate their energies on possibilities that are feasible and to the benefit of many  a peace regime  rather than on a distant dream which is in the interests of few  reunification.

Admiral Harry Harris / AP



Harry Harris, the rise of an American warlord



By Emanuel Pastreich



Admiral Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command in Hawaii, was slated to start work as ambassador to Australia this month. Suddenly, out of the blue, the Trump White House announced on April 24 that Harris would be assigned to South Korea.



The assignment was unprecedented at multiple levels. Assigning a military officer as ambassador to Korea when Seoul is trying to develop peaceful ties with North Korea, and the rest of East Asia, is extraordinary. Assigning a military officer who has close ties with the far-right in Japan is also extraordinary granted the sensitivity about Japan's colonial domination of Korea.



The fact that Harris was born in Japan to a Japanese mother is not a reason to oppose his appointment. Yet his being awarded the "Order of the Rising Sun" at exactly the same moment he was assigned at ambassador to Korea was extremely odd.



And then there is that matter of his role at the Guantanamo Prison camp at the time that torture and abuse were carried out within a carefully constructed legal limbo. In normal times, Harris' role in that blatantly illegal operation would be enough to end a career, at the very least.



But these are not normal times.



Many in Australia were less than pleased that this combative and virulently anti-Chinese military officer was appointed to Australia in the first place.



Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been much more willing to collaborate with this confrontational posture towards China than was Tony Abbot, or Kevin Rudd before him. Yet Turnbull is still struggling to keep the opposition even in the conservative business community under control.



Harris was desperately needed by the anti-China factions in the U.S. military to shore things up in Australia and help stamp out local opposition to the drive for war with China. The economic pressure from Beijing, and from the domestic mining, agriculture and educational sectors in Australia, was forcing even the Goldman Sachs protege Turnbull to buckle.



The reasons for assigning Harris were no mystery to insiders. Harris is not any military officer. He is the leader of a drive to push for military, economic and cultural confrontation with China across Asia. He is a taunting and provocative speaker who is not focused on professionalism, or the details of military hardware.



But there is one other country that is pivotal to the drive to confront China that has significant factions in government and in industry willing stand up to defend ties with China: South Korea.



A hard-right retired army general, James Thurman, was already lined up to be U.S. ambassador to Korea. Why was this last minute request made by CIA director Mike Pompeo (now secretary of state) that Harris be sent to Seoul instead?



Although the documentation concerning this sudden shift may not be released in our lifetimes, the intentions are clear.



Recent negotiations between North and South Korea resulted in an agreement for the first Inter-Korean summit in 11 years and the joint statement issued at that summit on April 28 demonstrated that the both sides have reached consensus across the board for mutual cooperation that could, in effect, end the state of war between the two nations in a matter of weeks, or months.



Whether Washington wants a peace treaty or not could end up being an irrelevant detail.



Such rapid progress in inter-Korean relations went further than Trump's nannies in the Pentagon could stand and they judged that it was time to call in a heavyweight like Admiral Harris to make sure the Koreans did not get carried away.



Harris is not a pawn of the powers in the Pentagon who are deeply worried that a breakthrough in negotiations could alter the U.S. posture in Asia, and tip Washington towards military retrenchment at the very moment that they were working overtime to create a state of war with China to justify a massive increase in the number of fighter planes, warships and submarines.



He is one of the central players in the military driving the push for massive military confrontation with China.



To put it bluntly, few in the federal government are willing to go as far, and to do so in such a ruthless manner, as is Harry Harris.



The Koreas have launched a process of conciliation with North Korea, coupled with serious discussions about economic and political integration with China, Japan and Russia, that threatens to go from a trickle to a waterfall. Someone needs to be there who will not hesitate to do what needs to be done to stop that process.



How Dirty Harry got on the fast track





Admiral Harry Harris' career took off in the years after he served as commander of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp from March 2006 to June 2007. The grotesque tale of how this cluster of black sites (supposedly not subject to the Geneva Conventions according to the Bush administration) served as the location for the sadistic abuse of prisoners in a manner that skirted all accountability has been described in detail by a former guard Joseph Hickman in his book "Murder at Camp Delta."

Hickman focuses a large section on the death of three prisoners during Harris's administration from what were described as "suicides." The initial report was that the prisoners killed themselves by stuffing rags down their own throats (although we cannot be sure that they were in fact suicides).



Six years of research led Hickman to the conclusion that the prison deliberately administered overdoses of anti-malarial drugs with psychoactive side effects to psychologically destroy the detainees. All this happened under Harris's watch, if not direct supervision.



Harris was the one calling the shots in what Hickman characterizes as "America's battle lab." Harris was the one calling the shots in what Hickman characterizes as "America's battle lab."

John Kiriakou, former employee of the CIA, was the only one to go to jail for his actions related to the torture programs run at the time  and he was sentenced for going public about those criminal actions! He remarked about the program run by Harris at the time, "There are credible allegations that the program included human experimentation. I can't even think about it. It makes me sick."

That is to say that Guantanamo resembled the notorious Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army that carried out covert chemical warfare research on living prisoners.

Nor was Harris the only such administrator of a torture camp who has been promoted by the Trump administration. The current candidate for CIA director Gina Haspel also oversaw extensive torture programs, and has risen up the ranks as a result.





Prisoners held in sensory isolation in the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp/ Reuters



Harry Harris not only did not ask for an investigation into the true cause of the deaths, he publicly referred to the suicides in this grotesque manner:





"They are smart, they are creative, and they are committed. They have no regard for life, neither ours nor their own. I believe this was not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us." ( Mother Jones

That is to say that Harris presented the suicides of prisoners under horrible psychological abuse as a nefarious conspiracy of inhuman enemies.



Harris's shameless behavior did not result in his dismissal, let alone his prosecution, but rather led to a series of high-profile promotions, culminating in his appointment as commander of Pacific Fleet in 2013. And then, unexpectedly, he was tapped in May of that year to serve as commander of the entire Pacific Command located in Hawaii.



The timing of that promotion also was no accident.



The Pacific Command was a hotbed of discontent about the mindless militarism that had decimated strategic planning and accountability in the military at the time. The Pacific Command was home to a significant faction of officers who spoke openly about the need to treat climate change as the most important security threat and who were willing to entirely rethink the concept of security.



Many of these officers and professors felt that that cooperation with China, on climate change and on other security issues, was not only possible, but essential for the U.S.



The Pacific Command had committed over the previous decade to a series of large-scale projects aimed at developing electric batteries and various forms of alternative energy infrastructure.









The Pacific Command had launched a global project to promote collaboration between nations in the Pacific and East Asia in the response to climate change and to establish networks for humanitarian responses to related disasters.





In so many words, the Pacific Command was laying the foundations for new set of alliances with partner nations that was directly aimed at climate change and if that project had been scaled up, it would have posed a direct challenge to the military alliance system that has defined the U.S. military since the Korean War ( Andrew DeWit ).

As a result, the Pacific Command was engaged in broad discussions with China about possible collaboration, especially related to climate change. Those efforts were in part reflected in the declaration of Presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping at the Hangzhou summit (September 3, 2016) in which both nations agreed to cooperate in the response to climate change and to increase military collaboration.



All these moves were deeply irritating to those in the Pacific Command who wanted to stick with overpriced ships and fighter planes that assured big revenue for contractors (and cushy retirement packages for officers).



But what made those conservatives see red was the decision of Pacific Command to include the Chinese navy in the biannual RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific Exercise). Not only was Pacific Command drifting away from the China threat mantra common in the corridors of the Pentagon, it was asserting policy independence from K Street lobbyists and from other far-right organizations on the mainland for whom the "China threat" was not only strategic, but a part of racist politics.



The large number of Asian Americans in Pacific Command no doubt had something to do with the hesitation to buy into such posturing.



But those pushing for a commitment to climate change in the Pacific Command had no intention of backing down even as the conservative backlash grew. The battle came to a head on March 9, 2013, when the commander of the Pacific Command at the time, Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, delivered a talk at Harvard University in which he declared that climate change was the primary long-term security threat in the Pacific region.





Locklear was stating a fact so obvious that his audience should have yawned, but in fact this statement was revolutionary in its implications ( Boston Globe ).



Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, former commander of the Pacific Command / AFP



Locklear, was the representative of a powerful faction in the Pacific Command, known as the "Harvard of the military" for the high intellectual achievement of its members, that wanted to put climate change front and center in security policy and to push for the elimination of fossil fuels.





That effort at Pacific Command (and elsewhere) is best represented by the documentary movie "The Burden" made by military veterans on the negative impact of fossil fuels on not only the climate but also on military effectiveness.

If the right wing did not respond decisively, there was a serious danger that Locklear's speech at Harvard would result in a fundamental shift in U.S. strategic policy, that is to say a move away from the "war on terror" to something more complex with a strong focus on climate change.



The powers that be, whether those benefiting from the budgets for special forces and intelligence, or those making a fortune off of the traditional carrier battle groups and finicky fighter planes, could not tolerate this move.



The attacks on Locklear within the military were fast and furious (although for the most part not public). Within two months he was unceremoniously replaced by Harry Harris.



Harris was assigned to the Pacific Command for the same reason he was assigned to Guantanamo: to keep a lid on dissent and to make sure that the worst in American policy went forward over the objections of working-level experts.



Harris was unable to end cooperation with China, or to eliminate research on climate change at the Pacific Command. But he did his damnedest.



In the process, Harris became a political figure to a degree unprecedented in the Pacific Command, giving numerous speeches in Japan (where Japanese think of him as a native son), in Australia and elsewhere in Asia and in the Pacific. His speeches were not objective assessments of strategic issues, or scientific analysis of serious issues, but openly political diatribes.



Harris could not control the fiercely independent study groups with tens of billions of dollars that had no intention of giving up their work on renewable energy and the environment. But he made sure that the discussion on security was focused on his beloved "freedom of navigation" campaigns.



"Freedom of navigation" is a catchy way of saying that the U.S. is obligated to send military vessels into the waters surrounding the islands claimed by China in the South China Sea regularly, often intentionally crossing over the 12 nautical mile EEZ (exclusive economic zone).



This is a needless provocation (imagine how the U.S. would respond if Chinese ships regularly sailed close to Hawaii) became central to the planning in the Pacific Command.



When Donald Trump came to power in 2017, the "war with China" factions in the military were his big supporters. It was not so much they had any particular organic tie to him, but rather that they wanted someone who would champion their cause.



Those officers stood out in opposition to the groups who planned for war with Russia, who planned for war with Iran, or those who were deeply invested in the "war on terror." They also fought for control of the budget with those focused on non-traditional security issues like climate change, and with a host of smaller factions that nevertheless had access to immense budgets.



The shifting nature of the military



Although Harris, like Trump, has seized the spotlight by making inflammatory and insensitive statements to the press, he has also acquired his own loyal following. His abrasive style has a certain charm and he is perceived as a straight shooter.





The Navy Times cites China expert Bonnie Glaser saying, "He (Harris) speaks his mind and he speaks it publicly, so he's something of a rarity."

His remarks to the Armed Forces Committee in February are representative of such rhetoric.



"If USPACOM has to fight tonight, I don't want it to be a fair fight. If it's a knife fight, I want to bring a gun. If it's a gun fight, I want to bring in the artillery, and the artillery of all of our allies."



It is hard to imagine a more reckless and inflammatory statement for the commander of the Pacific Command to make. In effect, Harris is bragging that all the conventions concerning military relations that have kept the peace, and avoided wars, for the last 500 years do not apply to him.



Yet, for rank and file officers, frustrated by government bureaucrats who dish out harmless mush in order to avoid offending anyone, Harris comes across as a lively, refreshing figure.



But the increase in Harris's influence is not merely a product of the rise in the fortunes of the "war with China" faction after Trump's inauguration as president. It is linked to the growing power of the military as a whole in the U.S. government.



By Jacco Zwetsloot





I am not a trained anthropologist, but I find Korea a particularly fertile ground in terms of religious activity.



Even before coming to live and work in Korea, I knew that I would find a very lively spiritual scene here. And I was not disappointed. Today I will share just a view vignettes.



One Saturday morning in 1997 I was at Jamsil Station waiting to meet my Korean language exchange partner when I noticed a woman hanging around in front of the ticket turnstiles.



It seemed she was not waiting on anyone, but rather walking about in large circles, and occasionally approaching people. Those she accosted were momentarily taken aback but quickly moved on, visibly not keen to engage in any dialogue with her.



Because she did not appear homeless or mentally ill, I decided to approach her. Thinking that she was perhaps a high school girl, I spoke to her in banmal. I learned later that she had "eaten" more years than I, which embarrassed me and I apologized, but she did not seem fazed. Perhaps she was just happy to have someone to talk to for more than two seconds?



When I asked what she was doing and why she was talking to people, she told me she knew them from her past lives. She would walk up to someone, usually a woman of a similar age, and ask if they too recognized her from a previous existence on this earth.



That was usually interpreted as a sign by many that they should avoid all contact with her and move on, but for anyone who stopped to listen, she would tell them about "do".



Do literally means "the way" but is also the same Chinese character as "Tao". However, she was not evangelizing for Taoism, but rather for a native Korean religious movement, perhaps Daesun (or Daesoon) Jinrihoe or Jeung San Do.



Both rival movements trace their roots back to a man named Kang Il-sun, who renamed himself Jeungsan, and whose followers believed him to be an incarnation of the supreme godhead.



Due to my limited Korean and the young woman's limited English, we were not able to get much further than "self-actualization" being the goal of this religious teaching, and that she did not approach people whom she did not know from a past life. This explained why she had not talked to me first.



In years since I have encountered "do" evangelists in various places, including on the street in Apgujeong. There they went around in pairs, one male and one female. The two I spoke to had come from the countryside to Seoul, and had somehow become involved in the work of speaking about this religious doctrine to people who mostly did not want to hear it.



I am told that people who do stop and listen are eventually brought to a religious retreat center, where they are trained to go out and spread the message to more people, after also donating large sums of money, sometimes to pay for ceremonies to cleanse them spiritually. Or something. On Youtube recently I saw some mildly amusing videos made by people acting out scenarios to show others what to do if approached by a messenger of "do."



I had heard about the Unification Church, or Moonie movement, long before I knew I was coming to Korea, but I had never met anyone from that religion while living in Australia, and I do not recall having even seen a church building.



In Korea, apart from meeting one American ex-Moonie and a woman whose sister was a member, I had no contact with them for a long time. That all changed one spring day in 1999 when I heard there was to be a mass wedding, the kind the Unification Church was internationally famous for, at Olympic Stadium.



I went there with my future wife, just out of curiosity and to take a look. It was quite an occasion, and the stadium was packed with people who had been brought by bus from every corner of Korea and some who had flown from overseas.



The floor of the stadium was filled with men and women of all nationalities wearing bridal dresses and suits. I had never been in such a big crowd before.



There were people from different religions around the world who spoke on the main stage about the importance of marriage. There was a Jewish rabbi, a Catholic priest, a Muslim Imam, and so on.



But these were all warm-up guys for the big act  Reverend Moon and his wife, whom followers call "True Parents." They entered the stage while the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah played from huge speaker arrangements, wearing regal looking robes and crowns. They splashed some kind of holy water around them using dippers in buckets.



It was extraordinary. I think it was also the first mass wedding that was beamed around the world live, so that people could watch and participate wherever they were. After the wedding, I joined the crowd flooding out of the stadium and back to the buses and subway station. To this day I have never seen anything quite like it.



In the early 2000s, I was looking for work as a freelance English-to-Korean translator. That was before I learned that I was not cut out for that kind of work (a story for another time). One job advertisement that kept appearing was looking for someone to translate the sermons and writings of an apparently famous pastor into several languages, so that his teaching might be made known to the outside world.



Skeptical and cautious, I checked on Google and found that not only was he controversial, but his own church network had been kicked out of the Christian Council of Korea for heresy in 1999. I decided not to pursue that work offer after all. That was probably for the best; the minister now stands accused of multiple charges of rape.



Nevertheless, somebody definitely did translate his texts, because this paper has reported several times over the last decade in what one might generously call an uncritical way about this particular pastor publishing books in more than 70 languages, and leading healing and conversion crusades in countries around the world.

Thank you for reading!

Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Thunder possible. High 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.(St.Joseph,MO) Missouri Air Guardsman Cody Harter was laid to rest Friday morning by friends, family and military veterans at the Word of Life Church.

The twenty-three year old veteran was fatally stabbed alongside MO-291 Highway and I-470 in Lee's Summit on Saturday, May 5. Harter owned his own lawn care business and was picking up equipment for work when he got into an alleged confrontation with another driver and the situation quickly became violent. Fifty-eight year old Nicholas Webb was later charged with second degree murder and armed criminal action.

Harter was a member of the Air National Guard for six years and had served in Iraq. The 139th Airlift wing provided full military service, including a 21 gun salute, a C-130 aircraft fly over and the presentation of the American flag to the Harter family.

The funeral processional was guided by 208 motorcyclists from various veteran groups.

Harter is survived by his parents Michael and Kerrie Harter, sister Kylee Harter and fiance Shelby Berkemeier.Rome, May 2 - Turmoil continued on Wednesday in the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), which is reeling after slumping to its worst-ever showing in the inconclusive March 4 election, ahead of a crunch meeting of its directorate on Thursday. Thursday's meeting was meant to decide on whether the PD should open government-formation talks with the M5S, but that possibility has been scuppered after former premier and ex party leader Matteo Renzi said he was against backing a government led by the anti-establishment group. The comments by Renzi, who quit as party head after the election debacle, irked many of fellow PD members, including caretaker leader Maurizio Martina. "When a political community on the eve of a serious discussion that regards the party and the country arrives at this point, there's something deep that isn't right", PD bigwig and outgoing Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said on Twitter. The former premier told PD Senators Wednesday that he hoped that other members were not looking for excuses for a split, sources said. Renzi loyalists make up over half of the directorate. Even so, if a significant split emerges at Thursday's meeting it may be necessary for the party to call an assembly and then a new congress to settle the scores. Franceschini that the centre-left group needed to express its confidence in Martina as necessary step towards party unity. "I read that Renzi hopes for party unity at tomorrow's directorate meeting," said Franceschini, who was in favour of talks with the M5S. "Unity can be easily built, including via the clarity of political debate, starting from an explicit vote of confidence in the caretaker leader at the directorate meeting. "I'm certain that Renzi, whose has the unity of the PD in his heart like all of us, will be the first to vote confidence in his former deputy".Welcome to the books newsletter! Im Carolyn Kellogg, L.A. Times books editor, and this is whats going on in books this week.

THE BIG STORY

William T. Vollmann writes big, ambitious journalism  books about poverty, violence, the history of North America  and now, climate change. Carbon Ideologies, a two-volume set publishing this spring, totals more than 1,300 pages. To research it, Vollmann traveled the globe and talked to experts  without email or cellphone. Writer Allen Pierleoni caught up with Vollmann in Sacramento and talked to him about his process and his new books, No Immediate Danger and No Good Alternative.

Author William T. Vollmann in Sacramento. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times )

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TRUE GRIT

For the Wright family in Utah, ranching and rodeo riding go back generations. Reporter John Branch tells their tale  and explores what its like for them to make their way in the new, modern West  in the gripping new book The Last Cowboys. Nathan Deuel has our review.

The Wright family property is near Zion National Park. (John Branch )

BESTSELLERS

The No. 1 book on our fiction bestseller list this week is The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer, now in its fourth week on the list. The Female Persuasion could be a traditional bildungsroman in which a character learns to balance cynicism with idealism as she comes of age, but theres more to it, wrote Maris Kreizman in our review. Wolitzers novel directly addresses the state of feminism in a post-President Trump world.

Entering its third week on our nonfiction bestseller list is Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Albright. The former U.S. Secretary of State looks at history  from World War I through the present day  to find patterns and signs in nations and our leaders that have brought about, and combated, fascist regimes.

You can find all the books on our bestseller lists here.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albrights book Fascism: A Warning is in its third week on the bestseller list. (Ashlee Rezin / AP )

COMING TO L.A.

In Greece, Yanis Varoufakis is famous as an opposition leader and the former finance minister. To his family, he is, in part, the guy who explains economics  thats what he does in his intelligent, readable new book, Talking to My Daughter About the Economy Or, How Capitalism Works  and How It Fails, reviewed by Mark Haskell Smith. He comes to L.A. next week to talk about the book and economics at two events at the L.A. Public Library.

Yanis Varoufakis at a May Day rally in Greece. He comes to LA to talk about his new book. (Yannis Kolesidis/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock )

MORE IN BOOKS

The Nobel Prize in literature will not be awarded this year because of a sexual harrassment scandal that rocked the Swedish Academy  and thats an insult to readers and writers, writes David L. Ulin.

Looking for a last-minute gift for Mothers Day? You might try the new, eye-catching book American Mom.

The Broadway version of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has defeated its latest legal hurdle and is scheduled to open, with Jeff Daniels as Atticus Finch, in New York in December.

A novella co-written by Stephen King and his son Joe Hill, In the Tall Grass, will be developed as a show by Netflix.

Man Booker prizewinning author Ian McEwan helped his son write an essay about his own novel. His son got a C+.

Michelle Obama will deliver the keynote address at the national American Library Assn. conference in June. The former first ladys memoir, Becoming, will be published in November.

Michelle Obama in May. In June shes expected to give a preview of her forthcoming memoir. (Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images )

Thanks for reading!

carolyn.kellogg@latimes.com

@paperhausJoshua Liang, 40, is the chief executive and founder of Diamond Bar-based Ono Hawaiian BBQ, a fast food chain serving Hawaiian-inspired plate lunches.

Liang and his older brother, Joe Liang, 49, opened the first Ono Hawaiian BBQ in 2002 at Santa Monica Boulevard and Bundy Drive. Sixteen years later, the company has 1,200 employees and 71 corporately owned locations, most of them near Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento. The company has plans to expand to central California this year.

From southern China to Southern California

When he was 9, Liang and his family moved from a rural village in southern China to his grandfathers home in Wilmington.

Id never seen a person without black hair, Liang said.

In China, his village didnt have indoor plumbing, and no one had a car. His first car ride was when he left Los Angeles International Airport; within minutes, Liang got carsick. That remains a vivid memory.

Shortly after arriving, Liangs family moved to Carson. His mother sewed in a factory downtown and his father worked in restaurants, washing dishes and prepping food, eventually opening his own Chinese restaurant.

Get with the programming

Liang attended UC San Diego, where he studied computer science and management science.

After he graduated, Liang worked for about nine months as a programmer focused on fraud detection for cellphones. But he realized it probably wasn't for him.

Honestly, I have to say I [was] probably not the greatest programmer in my group, Liang said.

More success stories from How I Made It 

You have to really want it, because if I actually didnt really want it in the beginning, I would have been burnt out in the first six months. Joshua Liang, CEO and founder of Ono Hawaiian BBQ

Early oh no moments

Liang soon left his programming job to start Ono Hawaiian BBQ. There was a Hawaiian restaurant in San Diego that he liked, and a trip to Hawaii helped him realize how much he enjoyed its culture and food.

He and Joe decided to go into business together. But opening the first restaurant was a challenge.

The Liang brothers struggled to find available real estate in Los Angeles, and were even more frustrated by landlords who preferred to rent to an established company over two guys just starting out.

They ended up buying a restaurant space near Santa Monica from a fast food chain and, with less than $50,000 to spend from savings and credit cards, they renovated the space and opened.

Unlike many order-at-the-counter fast food chains at the time, which had already upgraded to electronic order-taking platforms, the Liangs used notepads and an old-school cash register to save money.

It was a nightmare, Liang said. When we didnt have any mistakes in terms of getting food out to them, customers liked it, but I think it was more trouble than it was worth.

Making the menu

At first, Liang wanted to offer both Hawaiian and Chinese food, inspired by the food he ate as a kid.

When I ate my first Spam musubi, I remembered it was like one of the things that my grandfather used to serve, Liang said. When we first came here, one of the things he actually did was, he would grill Spam, fry an egg, put it over steamed rice and put a dash of soy sauce on it.

In the first six months, the brothers changed their menu at least three times. They originally had double the number of items that Ono Hawaiian offers now, but only six people working at the restaurant.

They found their success once they focused on plate lunches  a common meal option in Hawaii  and served everything fresh.

Today, Ono Hawaiian offers a range of plate lunches, including Hawaiian BBQ chicken and kalbi short ribs, and of course, grilled Spam and eggs.

Go all in

Liangs best advice for young restaurant owners is that they should be ready to work  a lot. Until his daughter was born in 2013, Liang regularly worked 12-hour days at Ono.

That was quite a change from his programmer job, where he had a flexible schedule and his only real requirement was to attend a weekly 10 a.m. meeting. Beyond that, he just had to meet project deadlines, which was easy, especially in comparison with the never-ending grind of running a new business.

You have to really want it, he said, because if I actually didnt really want it in the beginning, I would have been burnt out in the first six months.

Liang has also learned to be cautious when choosing new restaurant locations. At first, he was guided by a lot of guesswork, but he quickly learned that it takes two to three successful restaurants to recoup the losses of one failed one.

He now spends more time checking a communitys demographics, the traffic in an area and the customer base. Plus, its important to physically spend time in an area.

Sometimes everything on paper looks great, but when youre there, its a different feel, Liang said. In that sense, [failure] taught us to invest a lot more time in terms of studying a place before going into something.

Balancing act

Liang has learned a lot about running a business from Joe, the president of Ono Hawaiian BBQ, who had previously attempted to open his own restaurant.

The brothers have different approaches to business decisions, which helps balance each other out.

Hes always very open-minded, hes not afraid to take risks, Joshua said. Im definitely the one that doesnt let go. Im actually usually very cautious on a lot of stuff that we do.

Personal

Liang and his wife, Betty, enjoy traveling with their children, Selene, 5, and Melbourne, 1. They take weekend trips to the beach, bigger trips outside California  theyve traveled with their daughter to Hawaii and different parts of Europe  or a simple weekend of typical parental duties.

Especially in the last five years, a lot of stuff involves the kids, Liang said. Lots of birthday parties  they have an amazing social life.

Ono Hawaiian BBQ near the University of Southern California on Figueroa Street. Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles TimesHello, weekend! Im Carolina A. Miranda, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, back in the saddle after a couple of weeks off, with the weeks blazing arts and culture news  not to mention some bizarre pope-inspired fashion:

REVELATORY PERFORMANCE

A new revival of Eugene ONeills The Iceman Cometh on Broadway features none other than Denzel Washington in the well-trod role of Hickey, a recovering alcoholic who becomes a crusader against the vice he sees at the saloon that was once his hangout. Washingtons prodigious celebrity sometimes encumbers him onstage, writes Times theater critic Charles McNulty. That is not the case here. Hickey can be a showboating role, but Washington resists the temptation to exploit the theatrical occasion. Los Angeles Times

The company of The Iceman Cometh, with Denzel Washington, at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. (Julieta Cervantes )

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IN PEPPERLAND

Times music critic Mark Swed caught the dazzling California premiere of the Mark Morris Dance Groups Beatles-inspired Pepperland at Santa Barbaras Granada Theatre. Imagine German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen as a female dancer in DayGlo turquoise and purple or an otherworldly theremin solo with a cocktail lounge piano accompaniment. The program was commissioned by the city of Liverpool for the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Says Swed: No pop record of the past, and none of such significance since, had its musical range, from music hall sentimentality to Bach to Ravi Shankar to the avant-garde of Stockhausen, John Cage and Luciano Berio. Los Angeles Times

The Mark Morris Dance Group performs the California premiere of Pepperland at the Granada Theatre Thursday night. (David Bazemore )

FEELING THE BLUES

Times music writer Randy Lewis notes that the comedic jukebox musical trend can suck the life out of an evening of good tunes. A new production of Sheldon Epps 1980 show, Blues in the Night, currently at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts doesnt rely on such gimmickry. The show, which is more than a revue but well short of a conventional book musical, he writes, is centered on three female characters who take turns interpreting and collaborating on blues songs  including half a dozen songs written and original recorded by blues Empress Bessie Smith. Los Angeles Times

Yvette Cason sings in Sheldon Epps Blues in the Night at the Wallis. (Lawrence K. Ho )

ROCKING SCHOOL

Andrew Lloyd Webers School of Rock has landed at the Hollywood Pantages and Times reviewer Margaret Gray was in the audience, ready to rock out. Until she began to ponder the meaning of a hit Broadway musical about music that is supposed to be about rebellion. Can School of Rock be seen as a celebration of the death of rock n roll? The total co-opting of rock music as a profit-generating tool of the capitalist hegemony? she asks. Those questions inevitably lead to another, more chilling still: What if rock n roll has always been a profit-generating tool of the capitalist hegemony? Big questions amid the fun times. Los Angeles Times

Cast from the hit musical School of Rock, now at the Hollywood Pantages. (Matthew Murphy )

IN THE THEATERS

At the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, Times reviewer Philip Brandes finds that playwright Jane Andersons 1989 drama The Baby Dance has been revised for the contemporary era. Now focused on an affluent mixed race couple who enter a contract with a poor Louisiana woman to adopt her baby, the revise, Brandes notes, opens up new opportunities to personalize and deepen the characters. Los Angeles Times

A woman looking to adopt (Tracey A. Leigh, left) tries to bond with the birth parents (Krystle Rose Simmons and Gabriel Lawrence) in The Baby Dance: Remixed. (Jeanne Tanner )

In the meantime, reviewer F. Kathleen Foley is not at all impressed with the scattershot musical spoof Solo Must Die: A Musical Parody, at Hudson Backstage Theatre. Los Angeles Times

Find more theater in our weekly column, The 99-Seat Beat, which features the latest must-see small theater shows. Among them: Steve Apostolinas Forever Bound at Atwater Village Theatre (about a criminal underworld of rare book dealing  who knew?) and Wood Boy Dog Fish at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank, Rogue Artists Ensembles imaginatively staged re-imagining of the Pinocchio story. Los Angeles Times

PAINTING HISTORY

The Fowler Museum at UCLA is currently lined with 19 large canvases painted by Botswana-born painter Meleko Mokgosi  with a 20th canvas rolled up and leaned against a pillar. Times art critic Christopher Knight notes that the artist considers himself to be a a history painter, but what he considers to be historic is what sets his work apart. This includes scenes showing schoolyards and bedrooms with an economy of means that can be provocative. Los Angeles Times

An installation view of Meleko Mogkosis Bread, Butter and Power, 2018. (UCLA Fowler Museum )

Looking for more shows to see? I cover all thats worth checking out in this weeks Datebook, including paintings by Rick Bartow at the Autry Museum and Deborah Roberts empowered collages at Luis De Jesus Los Angeles Projects. Los Angeles Times

LIKE A PRAYER

The art world chatter this week has been about the red carpet fashion at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts annual Costume Institute gala (which was kinda like watching a papal bull in a china shop). But what of the vestments and Catholicism-inspired fashions that make up the Mets Heavenly Bodies exhibition at the heart of all the fuss? Sacrilegious? Heavens, no, writes critic Jason Farago. But it takes communion at Fellinis church rather than Franciss  a surreal congregation whose parishioners express their devotion through enchanted excess. New York Times

An installation view of Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & the Catholic Imagination at the Metropolitan Museum. (Jemal Countess / Getty Images )

And about that Met gala red carpet: Times deputy fashion editor Adam Tschorn broke down what the religion-themed looks revealed about the celebrities wearing them: Since celebrity culture and the Catholic Church are two of the most rigidly hierarchical social structures around, what the Met Gala congregants chose to wear  was an intriguing exercise in sartorial symbolism  from Rihannas bejeweled pope regalia to Lena Waithes Carolina Herrrera cape designed to look like the rainbow-striped gay pride flag. Los Angeles Times

Plus: Pictures of all the Catholic school-gone-crazy fashion. Los Angeles Times

DOCTOR AND PATIENT

Ten years ago, Michael Gittes had a mental health crisis that landed him in an institution. He credits his recovery to a sympathetic doctor, Lewis Engel, who was willing to communicate with him on his terms. Now the pair are showing their art together in an exhibition at the Gabriella Foundation. Times contributor Sharon Mizota talks to Gittes about art, mental health and his boundary-blurring collaboration between doctor and patient. Los Angeles Times

Artist Michael Gittes photographed during installation of Since We Met at the Gabriela Foundation. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times )

A GUIDE TO L.A. DANCE

Want to see some moves? Times contributor Laura Bleiberg has the essential guide to the best L.A. dance companies of the moment, with shouts out to L.A. Dance Project, Barak Ballet, Ate9, BodyTraffic, Versa-Style Dance Company and many more. These are the dancers to watch. Los Angeles Times

Gbari Gilliam, one of the founders of Versa-Style Dance Company. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times )

BOOM AND BUST

Composer Ellen Reid (Hopscotch) and writer Sarah LaBrie have teamed up for a new 40-minute work, dreams of the new world, which explores important historic cycles in American history. The piece, commissioned by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, premieres at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Sunday. The musical ensemble Wild Up will supply the tunes. Times contributor Catherine Womack reports. Los Angeles Times

Librettist Sarah LaBrie, left, and composer Ellen Reid wrote dreams of the new world. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times )

ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN

A new documentary, Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat, looks at the early years of an artist that has been relentlessly mythologized. Times movie critic Robert Abele says that Sara Drivers movie is refreshing for the frisky, contemplative, ground-level angle it takes on its hype-magnet of a subject. Los Angeles Times

A scene from Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat. (Magnolia Pictures )

IN OTHER NEWS

 Friends, Southern Californians, countrymen: Lend me your credit cards! You have another opportunity to see Hamilton  at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. Los Angeles Times

 How a record shop and taxi driving shaped the career of composer Philip Glass. The Atlantic

 Elon Musk is going to alleviate the housing crisis with  bricks. Bloomberg

 This years Venice Architecture Biennale will feature a pavilion devoted to cruising. Quartzy

 How a Chicago architecture firm turned an old Kmart into a cool new high school. Citylab

 Critic Alexandra Lange rethinks the lone genius architect profile. Good reading for anyone who likes to read or make good writing. Curbed

 U.S. lawmakers are scheduled to introduce legislation that would subject art dealers to financial regulation. The Art Newspaper

 A powerful exhibition of quilts in Massachusetts honors the Latin American migrants who have died crossing the Arizona desert. Los Angeles Times

 Margaret Atwood and Glenn Ligon will be honored at the Hammer Museums annual gala. Dear Hammer: Am available for seat-filling. Los Angeles Times

Novelist Margaret Atwood and artist Glenn Ligon. (Liam Sharp, left, and Paul Sepuya )

 Arts writer Eva Recinos considers the legacy of L.A. photographer Laura Aguilar, who recently passed away. (My obit can be found here.) Good

 A pair of interesting essays about words and their meanings: on art at that is necessary and art that is problematic. New York Times Magazine, New York Review of Books

 Ive been poking through the collected writings in Momus: A Return to Art History, Vol. 1, 2014-17, the first published volume by the arts website, and have been enjoying Catherine Wagleys essay on the risk and value of nepotism in art. Momus

 Why the dancing in the viral Childish Gambino (a.k.a. Donald Glover) video This is America is so uncomfortable to watch. The Atlantic And why Glover likely wont read the essay. Los Angeles Times

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

Vassily Kandinsky, animated. (Best if watched on full screen.) Vimeo

Sign up for our weekly Essential Arts & Culture newsletter 

carolina.miranda@latimes.com

@cmonstahBenedict Cumberbatch was just answering a question from a fan  not plotting his next project.

On a promotional lap for his 2013 The Fifth Estate, in which he portrayed Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, the English actor dived into Reddit.coms Ask Me Anything feature thats essentially a free-for-all online Q&A with the masses.

One by one, Cumberbatch responded to offbeat questions: Is fame different from how you imagined it would be? Do you bother with Halloween? Which Muppet would you like to share a scene with?

But it was one query that made a a special impression: If you could choose to be any other literary character in an upcoming role, who would it be and why?

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Patrick Melrose in Edward St. Aubyn, Cumberbatch shot back, referring to the troubled, self-destructive protagonist at the center of a quintet of novels  the first of which was published in 1992  written by St. Aubyn, a British novelist. Word found its way to the producers who had optioned the books.

Never underestimate the power of an online Q&A, Cumberbatch jokes on a recent weekday.

The actor takes on the complex antihero in Showtimes limited series Patrick Melrose, premiering Saturday. The project presents another twist for the internationally renowned actor celebrated for his diverse resume ranging from Shakespeare and the career-launching Sherlock TV series to blockbusters such as Avengers: Infinity War, where he reprised his portrayal of Marvels Doctor Strange.

Adapted for television by David Nicholls (One Day), each installment of the five-part projects tackles one of St.Aubyns loosely autobiographical novels in the series  Never Mind, Bad News, Some Hope, Mothers Milk, and At Last. The saga follows the harrowing journey of an aristocratic playboy struggling to overcome the psychological damage inflicted by his abusive father. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Hugo Weaving star as Patricks toxic parents.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Patrick Melrose in the new Showtime limited series of the same name. (Ollie Upton / Showtime )

Cumberbatch, who also serves as an executive producer on the series, became acquainted with the novels well after the last book in the series had been published  a mix of word of mouth and intrigue at seeing it on coffee tables at the home of friends piqued his interest. One sitting with St. Aubyns prose had the actor captivated.

An actor aches to be given as much to get their heads and bodies around as this role demands, Cumberbatch says from the balcony of a West Hollywood hotel room. I felt so hard for this guy. I felt for him so much because of what hed been through, but also, just this extraordinarily brilliant mind trapped in this situation. You root for him, even when hes behaving incredibly badly and being very amoral and sabotaging the good in his life. You know why hes doing it, so youre just waiting, waiting, waiting for him to turn that corner.

Nicholls, a British novelist and screenwriter who has adapted the novels Far From the Madding Crowd and Great Expectations for the screen, was eager to tackle St. Aubyns style of prose that can deftly paint a portrait of painful chaos and trauma while infusing it with biting satire and psychological insight.

Whenever anyone said to me, What would you most like to adapt? I always said the Patrick Melrose novels, knowing that they would be very, very, very, very hard to adapt faithfully, says Nicholls, who read the first book in the series, Never Mind, not long after its 1992 release.

If you synopsize the books, he adds, theyre about mental illness and depression and drug addiction and alcoholism and childhood trauma and guilt and hatred and all of those things. Theyre also among some of the funniest books Ive ever read. I love that tension between the brilliance of the comedy and the darkness of the subject matter. It is a story of recovery and redemption.

As he suspected, distilling it all neatly into episodic television was no easy task. He inverted the order of the first two books, starting with Bad News, in which the twentysomething, heroin-pumped Patrick learns of his fathers death and must make the journey to pick up the ashes  putting into motion the question about why Patricks behavior is so erratic. The answer becomes clear in the second episode.

We realized it was about memory, and it was about the gradual unveiling of information, Nicholls says. The books were never conceived as a Fargo, they were never conceived as a TV series. There isnt the same navigation to have a narrative hook in a novel as there is onscreen.

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch poses for a portrait as he promotes the upcoming Showtime series Patrick Melrose. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times )

I felt for him so much because of what hed been through, but also, just this extraordinarily brilliant mind trapped in this situation. Benedict Cumberbatch, who stars as the title character in Showtimes Patrick Melrose

The most challenging aspect, Nicholls says, was getting across a state of mind.

If you pick up the five novels and flick through them, there really isnt much dialogue, Nicholls says. The dialogue thats there is wonderful, but a lot of it is very internal. A novelist can write the words, He thought and she felt. How do you take five books that, to a large extent, take place in someones head and physicalize that journey? Well, we have the great benefit of an actor like Benedict.

The intensity of Cumberbatchs portrayal is felt from the start. The first episode finds Melrose almost exclusively in a heroin daze, unraveling with each minute. His relief comes in acting out voices and personalities as the ghost of his traumatic childhood haunts him. As an actor known for playing characters who hide emotions beneath the surface, letting it all hang out was a welcome change of pace.

It was incredibly liberating, Cumberbatch says. He is very much an emotional extrovert. Sometimes the moments are heightened by the effect of the drugs hes on, or by some trauma or breakdown or neurosis, which is coming to the surface. And other times, hes very contained and in control. The actor in Patrick Melrose is sort of one of the saving ingredients. The voices he expresses, if theyd remained internal, would have been so toxic and pulled him into full-blown paranoid schizophrenia. So both for the character, but also for me as an actor, it was very important part of it and a very big appeal to play that kind of role.

Cumberbatch credits dinners and phone calls with St. Aubyn  or Teddy, as he calls him  in helping him to fully dive into the role. Hes careful not to get into specifics of the ground they covered, but offers: I will say, he was incredibly transparent and honest and generous with his story, with his experience to help. We often talked about it in terms purely of Patrick because Patrick is removed from Teddy, which made it, I think, possibly easier.

St. Aubyn describes Cumberbatchs performance as astonishing.

Being a novelist, I suppose I was very aware of how much of the inner life of the characters was simply not going to be on the screen, because I spent so much time describing peoples mentality, says St. Aubyn, who visited the set at different junctures. So I thought, Whats going to happen? What I saw was someone manifest a whole psychological history with a gesture or with a tone, and I thought it was miraculous.

Patrick Melrose extends Showtimes experimentation in the limited series arena following the mixed response to the reboot of Twin Peaks, the groundbreaking David Lynch-Mark Frost drama. Acknowledging that American audiences may not be familiar with the Patrick Melrose novels, Showtime is banking on Cumberbatchs star power.

Weve only been in the limited series game for a year, says Showtime programming president Gary Levine. We really did get into it in the hope that we could get properties like Patrick Melrose  a compelling drama based on great source material and bring it to the masses. When we heard that Benedict was going to be Patrick Melrose  it was a no-brainer.

Cumberbatch, nearly five years removed from that Reddit.com moment, still cant believe his luck.

It was thrilling and slightly terrifying, he says of the experience. But lucky me to have gotten the opportunity. I just tried to grab it with both hands and ride it til the wheels came off. I was able to fly with Patrick.Neil Young, Roxy: Tonights the Night Live (Warner Bros.). This just-issued live recording, which came out late last month, captures a particularly momentous night. Young can explain:

In 1973, I drove my 1947 Buick Roadmaster, Black Queen, to L.A. from the North, accompanied by Ben Keith, he writes in the liner notes, referencing a longtime collaborator before adding mention of other band mates. Once we made it to Hollywood, we met up with Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina. Nils Lofgren joined us and we drove to Studio Instrument Rentals on Santa Monica Blvd.

There, explains Young, they rehearsed the songs being readied for release as Tonights the Night. The grim, electrified album is best known for its title track, about the death of roadie and L.A. music fixture Bruce Berry, and is considered by aesthetically sharp Young fans (ahem) to be his best album.

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We had finished recording [the record] and decided to celebrate with a gig at a new club opening on the Sunset Strip, the Roxy, Young continues in the notes, adding that he and the band had so internalized the songs that we just played them again, the album, top to bottom, two sets a night for a few days. We had a great time.

That they did, and whoever set it to tape deserves a preservation citation. Both a searing, emotional performance of Young and an ace band firing on all cylinders and a time capsule of West Hollywood in the early 1970s, the recording illuminates long-gone magic. Masterfully mixed, you can hear the delicate interplay among Young, guitarist-pianist Lofgren, the late steel guitarist Keith, bassist Talbot and drummer Molina.

My name is Glenn Miller. Welcome to Miami Beach, ladies and gentlemen, Young quips after introducing the band. The artist, who wore sunglasses through the entire set save for a brief moment when he deigned to remove them for the crowd, seems to be in a great mood in the then-new room, opened by an ownership group that included Lou Adler, David Geffen and Youngs manager Elliot Roberts.

One measure of the distance between then and now: When Young introduces Geffen, the crowd offers a vague, unknowing applause. Another measure: Near the beginning of the set, he asks women to jump up on stage to dance topless, and a lot of people cheer. (Later he shouts-out the famed stripper Candy Barr.)

Witty as he may be between songs, thematically, Youngs got murder, heroin, solitude and existential dread on his mind. While introducing the bloodbath of a song, Tired Eyes, he reassuringly says, Were doing okay in the 70s, we really are. Historys coming back. Everythings okay.

A few seconds later, hes working the opening tangle of electric guitar in Tired Eyes. The opening couplet hits like a bullet: Well they shot four men in a cocaine deal/They left em lying in an open field.

Young delivers the chorus to Tired Eyes not so much singing as imploring, begging to an unnamed friend, Please take my advice. Open up your tired eyes.

Its a memorable rendition, one delivered by a lyricist then in his mid-20s and at the peak of his powers. At one point, Young sighs as if hes already seen it all, though. Ten years in the business, folks, he says. Sometimes I feel like Perry Como.

Little did he know that he was just getting started.

For tips, records, snapshots and stories on Los Angeles music culture, follow Randall Roberts on Twitter and Instagram: @liledit. Email: randall.roberts@latimes.com.Though we long ago thrust monarchy from our shores, Americans still grow up on kings and queens, princesses and princes. We are raised on stories of King Arthur and parodies of stories of King Arthur; on Prince Hal and King Lear, on lords and ladies and dukes and duchesses and barons and earls. On King Friday XIII and Queen Sara Saturday. We take weird pleasure in calling Paul McCartney Sir Paul or Judi Dench Dame Judi, even though we fought a revolution in order to not have to do that.

Not every royal wedding gets major media coverage over here: Since Charles married Diana in 1981, his brothers Andrew and Edward and sister Anne have all wed, as Charles has again, with little local hullabaloo. (There are non-British royal weddings, of course, though unless they involve an American movie star, we dont want to know.) But when the big ones come along, they cause a stir, sending ripples through the media and causing writers on every platform to dust off terms like fairy tale and fascinator. This has been so at least since the present queen married Prince Philip (see Netflixs The Crown, Season 1).

There was Diana, once upon a time, in a dress that was enough for two dresses; and her son William a few babies back. Now its brother Harrys turn to make a person a princess (well, a duchess). And that the person, Meghan Markle, is an American makes this a truly local foreign event, as well as cementing the relationship between two great nations.

We are less than a week away from the happy day  Saturday, May 19, if you need to write that down  and television will be there, and there for you. The wedding itself, to take place at Windsor Castle, in the modest enormousness of St. Georges Chapel, will be covered live not only by all four big broadcast networks, but by Fox, PBS, E! and BBC America, which will simulcast the BBCs own feed. CNN and HLN are sending troops. On the West Coast it will be a toss up between staying up late and getting up early  the ceremony begins at 4 a.m. Pacific Time. Wear your formal PJs.

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Today co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb see Windsor in style in the pre-nuptial special Inside the Royal Wedding: Harry and Meghan. (Colin Hutton/NBC )

Most exciting for some viewers will be HBOs The Royal Wedding Live With Cord and Tish! featuring Pasadena broadcast legends Cord Hosenbeck and Tish Cattigan, the Rose Parade veterans who bear a strong resemblance to Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon. Coverage begins at 4:30 a.m. PT with a replay at 6:45 p.m.

Will Ferrell as Cord Hosenbeck, left, and Molly Shannon as Tish Cattigan. Theyll host live coverage of Prince Harrys marriage to Meghan Markle in The Royal Wedding Live with Cord and Tish on HBO. (HBO / AP )

But the coming week will provide programs to wet your whistle, including several documentaries on the paths that led Harry and Meghan to their engagement and the meaning of it all for the future of the kingdom and the nation. (All signs, seemingly, are good; the royal family has grown up enough to accept an American biracial divorced actress into the family, and the U.K. goes wild.) These variations on a theme come with similar titles, overlapping information and some of the same film clips arranged with different emphasis.

Of the ones Ive seen, BBC Americas imported Harry & Meghan: A Very Modern Romance (Tuesday, 10 p.m.) is in some ways the most interesting, because it hasnt been made for an American audience, but for viewers who have a more immediate, long-term interest. It has some concern for the future Duchess Meghan, as well, whom it admiringly explains as a modern woman  a feminist, an activist  to the people whose hands she has already begun to shake and shoulders to hug with enthusiasm and ease. Yes, people are reminded of her fiances mother.

Smithsonian Channel has framed the wedding within the context of its Million Dollar American Princesses series (next airing, 1 p.m. Tuesday), which is usually about rich American women rescuing British aristocrats from penury by marrying them. (You may be familiar with the arrangement from Downton Abbey.) This is not whats happening here; Suits cant have paid that well. The royal weddings of Hollywood brides Grace Kelly (a common comparison in these shows) and Rita Hayworth are examined for context in this episode on Markle. Some dramatic re-creation included.

Not the real thing: Parisa Fitz-Henley as Meghan Markle and Murray Fraser as Prince Harry in Lifetimes Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance. (Lifetime )

Today co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb host NBCs cheery Inside the Royal Wedding: Harry and Meghan (Wednesday, 10 p.m.), prowling Windsor while real English correspondent Kier Simmons takes a sneak peek inside the chapel and visits florists and bakers and tailors and hostlers whose hard work will make this party more than a quick trip to City Hall. Friends and colleagues of the bride are deposed, certain that Markle can handle whatever the queen and her country have to throw at her. If she is Cinderella, she is Cinderella come to rescue the prince.

TLC has three hours of original wedding programming Friday, the nuptial eve, featuring the same enthusiastic commentators throughout. (Britains overnight Meghanologists I find especially delightful  Can we ever remember a time when there wasnt a Meghan Markle? wonders journalist Andrew Morton.)

The bride and groom get a special apiece, Prince Harry: Wild No More (8 p.m.) for him, Meghan Markle: A Royal Love Story (9 p.m.) for her. The focused attention given each makes room for clips and tidbits other documentaries cant  including an appearance by Markle first love Joshua Silverstein, whom she kissed at camp, and the fact that Harry quietly dated Jenna Coleman, who has played his great-great-great-great grandmother in Victoria  while adding a layer of seriousness to the biographical accounts. The highly speculative Secrets of the Royal Wedding, which follows at 10 p.m., might better be titled Guesses About the Royal Wedding, but it efficiently rounds up whats known about the preparations and details and where Harry and Meghan have already broken from tradition.

What else? Lifetime has an imaginative feature docudrama, Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance, with lookalikes Murray Fraser and Parisa Fitz-Henley in the title roles (Tues. 8 p.m. and available to stream at www.mylifetime.com, along with the merely documentary Harry & Meghan: Royal Rebels.) And local PBS outlet KOCE has a Royal Wedding Watch every weeknight at 10  sure to be educational!

Even for someone who rarely spares a thought for royalty and its big book of silly rules and regulations, these shows can be moving: Its evident from nearly every scrap of footage of Meghan and Harry that these mature young people are crazy about each other, and as the programs above also make clear, impressive in their own rights. No dummies. Socially conscious. Well-spoken.

Yes, I choked up, as if at the climax of a Richard Curtis rom-com. I didnt expect to. But love, it seems, conquers all.

ALSO

Live updates: Countdown to the Royal Wedding

When Harry Met Meghan: the royal wedding is the perfect Hollywood ending for a very Hollywood story

Meghan Markles rise to Hollywood stardom

Where to watch the royal wedding at L.A.-area pubs and tea parlors

Accidentally royal: 11 films to watch before Prince Harry and Meghan Markles big day

Find out how Meghan Markle bid farewell to Suits ahead of royal wedding

robert.lloyd@latimes.com

Follow Robert Lloyd on Twitter @LATimesTVLloyd

UPDATES:

May 14, 1:10 p.m.: This story was updated with additional details on TLCs royal wedding programming. The article was originally published May 12 at 6:30 a.m.Good morning. Im Paul Thornton, and it is Saturday, May 12, 2018. Enjoy that pleasantly chilly May gray weather in Los Angeles this weekend because according to a just-released state report on climate change, the temperatures of our coastal waters are rising and cool oceans are required to chill the warm air over Southern California and give us our lovely summertime marine layer. Lets take a look back at the week in Opinion.

California voters have a tough choice for governor this June, and its not because the field of candidates is deep with talent. The two front-runners, Democrats Antonio Villaraigosa and Gavin Newsom, have serious personal and political failings to go along with their years of experience in both state and local government. California Treasurer John Chiang has plenty of experience but not much else, former state schools chief and Assemblywoman Delaine Eastins ideas are forceful but tired, and the two prominent Republicans in the race cannot be taken seriously as candidates.

Among these choices, The Times Editorial Board endorsed former Villaraigosa for governor. In times of serious budget crisis, Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles, made choices that put him at odds with old allies and the most powerful interests in City Hall. This is the kind of political courage that would serve him well as governor:

When the worst economic recession of modern times hit, Villaraigosa stepped up. In 2009, as Los Angeles grappled with a projected budget shortfall that was expected to reach $1 billion by 2013 (thanks in part to the imprudent pay raises), he pushed through deep and unpopular  but necessary  cuts to programs and city services. Two years later, he slashed paychecks, furloughed employees and rolled back pension benefits. This made the former labor organizer the enemy of the most powerful force in City Hall, public employee unions. We give him credit for this not because we are hostile to labor unions or pleased to see services or salaries cut, but because in the city, as in the state, budgets have to be balanced, leaders have to learn to say no and fiscal responsibility can't be tossed aside. By the end of his tenure, Villaraigosa had increased the LAPD to nearly 10,000 officers, seen crime drop to historic lows and persuaded voters to adopt Measure R, a bold and transformative sales tax to fund long-term transportation projects like the subway to the sea  in 2008, no less, when the national economy was melting down. His bid for mayoral control of the Los Angeles Unified School District  which he hoped would help him turn around the city's underperforming schools  was not successful, but he didn't give up the fight; the Partnership for L.A. Schools that he created took over some 18 low-performing schools and has done a creditable job leading them. Villaraigosa also has substantive experience in state government. As speaker of the California Assembly in the late 1990s, his coalition-building skills were heralded, evident in legislation such as the deal to regulate polluting diesel trucks and passage of a bill limiting handgun purchases to one a month. Villaraigosa is a complicated character with a big ego and a thin skin. We have our qualms about him. It has not been reassuring that in his post-mayoral years he has served as a consultant to Herbalife, a multilevel marketing company of nutritional supplements that has been the target of investigation for allegedly exploiting its heavily Latino workforce. Villaraigosa also worked for Cadiz, a water speculation company owned by a good friend of his that has been scheming to suck up groundwater from the Mojave Desert to sell to thirsty cities. Everyone is entitled to make a living, but we question some of Villaraigosa's career judgments. Still, he is the best choice in the field. >> Click here to read more

Readers have different memories of Villaraigosa. A former L.A. Unified School District school board member recalls his bid to assume control of the district, which was ruled unconstitutional, and another remembers his unkept promise to serve out his term on the L.A. City Council (he ended up serving only two years before taking over as mayor). Plus: The San Francisco Chronicle similarly acknowledges the flaws of Villaraigosa and Newsom, the lieutenant governor, but picks the latter, that citys former mayor, and the Sacramento Bee believes Villaraigosas support from charter school backers disqualifies him.

Trump dislikes Obama  is that why he violated the Iran nuclear deal? The remarks the president delivered Tuesday announcing the withdrawal of the United States from the Iran nuclear deal  a decision he made against the advice of our closest allies, scores of prominent diplomats and even his own secretary of Defense  sounded a lot like the uninformed statements he made on the campaign trail. They leave the strong suspicion that President Trumps primary motivation is to besmirch his predecessor, says The Times Editorial Board. L.A. Times

There is no Iran strategy. Trump created chaos by pulling the U.S. out of the Iran deal, and perhaps that was the point, says Doyle McManus. Because by all outward appearances, and despite the assurances by the president to the contrary, there appears to be no Plan B. At best, isolating the United States on Iran is a blunder; at worst, it could plunge key parts of the world into war and turn out to be a catastrophe. L.A. Times

No, it wasnt criminal justice reform in California that led to a cops death. Michael Christopher Mejia had been in and out of prison before being released in 2016  only to be arrested four times since then. So why wasnt he back behind bars before authorities say he killed Whittier Police Officer Keith Boyer in 2017? Slip-ups by prosecutors and perhaps other county agencies  not the criminal justice reforms that have received so much of the blame  left Mejia at liberty on the day of the killing, writes The Times Editorial Board. L.A. TimesShe is called Mom by some of the kids, Grandma by others. Juana Jauregui answers to both at the daycare center she runs at her East Los Angeles home.

Most of the kids speak Spanish at their own homes, Jauregui told me one morning as she supervised four little ones, with eight more scheduled to arrive later in the day. But at daycare, she speaks and reads in English and expects the kids to do the same, so theyll do better in school and beyond.

A couple of years ago, I had a student at Cal State L.A. named Daniel Noriega who wrote a beautiful paper about his mother. He called it La Mama de East L.A., and it was about Jauregui and her dedication to children. With Mothers Day on the calendar, I thought this would be a good time to meet the woman I had read about, and learn the full story of the nonprofit she began after losing someone she had tried so hard to save.

Every child that enters her home is fed, clothed, bathed, cared for, Noriega wrote of his mother. Mario  was no different.

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As Noriega told it, his sister and Mario became a couple, Mario began hanging around the house, and they had a baby. Mario was a smart young man, but deeply troubled after years of parental abuse and neglect, and he was in and out of jail.

The more Jauregui found out about the abuse Mario and his siblings had suffered, the more determined she was to try to help him kick drugs and straighten out his life, even after Mario and her daughter broke up. She wouldnt let him come to the house, because she didnt want his problems around her daycare kids. But when he was at his lowest, he reached out to Jauregui, who has worked with youngsters for 29 years, and whose first instinct is to try to understand rather than judge.

He craved the stability, the comfort, the guidance and attention she offered, Noriega wrote. She would make care packages with Tupperware full of food so that he could survive at whatever location he was staying at that night.

Jauregui keeps a letter Mario wrote to her saying he hoped she and her family would be blessed by God, and telling her he believed he would one day be the man she told him he could be.

I want to thank you, he said, for always being there when I had no place and no one to depend on.

In August 2014, Jauregui got a call from the county morgue. Mario, 28, had been struck and killed by a Metrolink train  to this day, the circumstances are unclear  and her name and address were the only contacts he had left behind.

It was up to Jauregui to locate Marios mother and discuss funeral arrangements. She says the mother had no money at first, though she later raised a small amount. Jauregui bought a pale blue coffin at Continental Funeral Home on Beverly Boulevard in East L.A., paid several thousand dollars for the services, and donated one of four family plots she had purchased years ago at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier. Mario was laid to rest in the Autumn Terrace section of the cemetery.

When he was in the system and he would sleep here, I would hear the nightmares he was having, Jauregui told me. He was raped, he was hit, he was left without food. I never gave up on him because I dont think its fair for kids to have to go through this, and Im learning there are a lot of kids like him. There are gaps in the system that these kids fall into, and nobody cares. Nobody cares.

Juana Juaregui welcomes the children who congregate at her East Los Angeles home after school every day. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times )

Jauregui also learned, in handling Marios services, that families often struggle to pay for the most basic burials. She decided to start a nonprofit, Marios Caskets, to raise money for such families and donate caskets to them. Three years ago, her son Daniel registered the nonprofit and gave his mother the paperwork for her birthday.

When he was growing up, Noriega said, he marveled at how his mother seemed to work daily magic in her kitchen. No matter how many daycare kids, former students or family and friends might show up throughout the day, there was enough to feed everyone. So it made sense that such a good cook might raise money for her nonprofit by catering parties and other events. The problem is that Jauregui, whose daycare business is open seven days a week because many parents work weekends, has so little spare time.

Its been slow this year, she said of the fundraising. But she has been putting a portion of her daycare earnings aside and hopes to have the total above $2,000 by the end of this year and begin donating caskets.

When I stopped by Continental Funeral Home, director Magda Maldonado showed me the range of coffins, including the model Mario was buried in, and said $2,000 would pay for several. Maldonado and Mikaela Ornelas, who has discussed the nonprofit with Jauregui, told me they have had foundations help pay for funerals in the past, but theyve never had an individual offer to buy caskets for strangers.

They were struck by Jaureguis generosity, they said, and they currently have a grieving family that could use the help. Thats pretty common, said Maldonado, who told me that 70% of her business involves flying bodies from the U.S. to Mexico. Most of those families make that choice because overall costs can be much lower, she said.

As I found out during my visit, theres a lot of coming and going at Jaureguis home, which has several back units. Noriega lives in one and his two sisters each live in one. Marios son, now 14, lives here with his mother. And so does Marios little brother, who was removed from his mothers care and placed in protective custody. Jauregui, who couldnt bear to see him bounced around the way Mario had been, adopted the little brother, who is now 11.

As Jauregui and I spoke, a young woman appeared at the door with a bouquet of flowers. She came in and handed them to Jauregui for Mothers Day.

Anissa, 19, told me her mother has drug and alcohol problems and has been in and out of jail. Anissa spent 12 years at the daycare center with Jauregui, and two of her siblings spent time there, too.

She calls Jauregui Mom.

This had a huge impact, Anissa said of the time she spent in Jaureguis care.

Shes now in college, works as a judicial assistant and plans to become a lawyer.

Noriega said he never felt overlooked by a mother with such a broad definition of family. The way he grew up was just the way things were.

Shes an inspiration, he said.

Noriega is about to leave Cal State L.A. with a masters degree. Hes on his way to Chapman University, where hell study for a doctorate in education, with plans to become a college professor.

In the paper he wrote for my class, Noriega said his grandfather rides through the streets of East L.A. on his bicycle, collecting discarded toys. He keeps some in a backyard shrine and says the toys represent the spirits of lost children. Others, he fixes, and they end up in the daycare center.

Souls dont become lost on purpose, Noriega wrote. They are neglected, pushed away, never given proper guidance. But in East L.A., there is a woman providing care for those souls, both lost and found.

steve.lopez@latimes.com

Get more of Steve Lopezs work and follow him on Twitter @LATstevelopezA review of a fatal shooting last year in Sunland by Los Angeles police who were on the ground and in a helicopter found that several officers fired after the suspect no longer posed an imminent threat and that others were too far away to determine the threat.

The report released Friday provides insight into a decision by the Los Angeles Police Commission that 12 officers violated department policy on the use of lethal force in the death of Anthony Soderberg.

For the record: A previous version of this article said three officers shot from a distance as much as 189 feet. The distance was 189 yards.

The review provides a detailed summary of the May 8, 2017, incident in which a woman called police when she encountered a 29-year-old man in her home who was speaking to himself and referencing Jesus, the report said.

The fatal incident marked the first time that Los Angeles Police Department SWAT officers opened fire from a helicopter, which was brought in because the house was perched on a hill and in dense terrain.

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Commissioners in a closed session this week voted 3 to 1 to find 12 of 13 officers out of policy in the shooting, in opposition to a report by Chief Charlie Beck that found the officers actions were justified. Steve Soboroff, the president of the commission, supported Becks position but declined to comment on his reasons.

The commission report concluded that Soderberg, who barricaded himself inside the home and engaged in an hours-long standoff with the LAPD, posed a threat when he armed himself with a pistol and fired into the air at the helicopter and at officers. But the investigation found that he was not armed when he emerged from the home.

The report concluded that officers failed to continually reassess the threat Soderberg posed throughout the incident. Nine of the 12 officers cited a gun or a dark object in rationalizing the gunfire that came after Soderberg emerged from the home. But, the report said, the investigation found no dark objects or guns outside of the home.

One officer fired 14 rounds from the helicopter, which was 75 to 85 yards away from Soderberg. Three of the other officers shot from a considerable distance  as much as 189 yards  which the commissioners said limited their ability to accurately assess Soderbergs actions as a deadly threat. The commission said that it was not reasonable for these officers, from their distant location, to believe their intervention with lethal force was warranted.

Most of the officers were veterans of the department with experience ranging from 11 years to 24 years.

In his report to commissioners, Beck said that all the officers involved in the incident acted in policy. The police union that represents rank-and-file officers said in an earlier statement that it was extremely disappointed with the commissions decision and that the officers should be getting a thank you instead of a rebuke.

Sam Walker, an expert on police accountability, and a former professor of criminal justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said that there seemed to be multiple problems with the shooting.

You can definitely fault the shooting from a helicopter and you can definitely fault the shooting from 189 yards, Walker said.

In recent years, Walker said that police departments across the nation  including the LAPD  have embraced deescalation tactics. Just last year, the LAPD revised its use-of-force policy, calling on officers to try to deescalate tense situations.

You dont automatically do the first thing you think you should do, Walker said.

An attorney for Soderbergs family, Greg Kirakosian, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the department this week. The suit alleges that some witnesses have contradicted the official account of the shooting. Kirakosian said that Soderberg was homeless at the time of the incident and had wandered into the home to find something to eat. He was wounded 17 times, Kirakosian said.

He was riddled with gunshot wounds, he said.

The incident began about 9 a.m. after a woman found Soderberg in her kitchen. She escaped out of a window. Officers from the Metropolitan Division SWAT team determined that because the home was in an elevated position at the end of a cul-de-sac in hilly terrain, Soderberg posed more of a threat, according to a review of the incident by Beck.

A lieutenant contacted a captain and asked permission to bring in a helicopter. The request was relayed up the chain of command and approved, and a crisis team was also brought in to negotiate with Soderberg.

The first round of gunfire began at 1:05 p.m., when an officer fired two to three rounds after he saw Soderberg holding a blue steel handgun 30 feet away. The commission found that officer acted within policy.

According to the report, Soderberg fired at the helicopter at about 1:08 p.m., then went inside the house. When he emerged at 1:48 p.m., he was no longer armed, according to the report. The last round of gunfire came from police at 2:42 p.m., the report said.

Investigators found seven cartridge casings fired from Soderbergs weapon.

nicole.santacruz@latimes.com

For more crime news, follow @nicolesantacruz on Twitter.Skyrocketing development costs and loss of state and federal subsidies are undermining Los Angeles goal of adding 10,000 units of homeless and affordable housing in a decade, officials said Friday.

At the current rate of spending, the $1.2-billion bond authorized by Proposition HHH would fall as much as 4,000 units short, they said in a report to the citizen oversight committee for the bond program.

With about a third of the money already committed, city officials are projecting that fewer than 6,000 units could be built at the current rate of spending before the money runs out.

Additional funds once expected from the states No Place Like Home program could bump up the number to about 7,500 units. But a legal challenge has stalled those funds. A measure will be on the ballot in November to determine whether they can be released.

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Faced with that bleak assessment, committee Chairman Miguel Santana said he would steer future meetings to discussion of ways to reduce per-unit costs and increase revenue so that our advice to the mayor and council is really tailored around how we still fulfill the 10,000-unit commitment we have made in light of the circumstances that have changed, since the adoption of HHH.

Santana said the committee should consider how to encourage shared housing, expand the small pool of developers capable of navigating the bureaucratic hurdles of affordable housing finance, speed up the application process and explore innovative types of construction that could reduce costs.

He mentioned shipping container construction and motel conversions as examples of innovative housing models but conceded that container construction hasnt proved to lower costs significantly.

City officials said motel conversions are also turning out to be costly.

The 10,000-unit goal for the bond was based on an assumption that the city could spend about $140,000 per unit. The remainder would be made up primarily by state funds and federal tax credits that can be sold on the financial markets.

Edwin Gipson, director of finance and development for the citys Housing and Community Investment Department, told the committee that the federal tax reform law has lowered the value of those credits by about 25%, reducing the money available to the developers.

At the same time, costs are up in a booming construction market, and builders of permanent supportive housing are competing for labor with much larger projects that offer long-term employment, Gipson said.

A Times analysis of the 29 projects currently approved for funding found their average cost to be more than $476,000 per unit. Two projects will cost more than $650,000 per unit and five more than $550,000.

An analysis of state tax credit projects during the year before the bond measure vote found that supportive housing projects in Los Angeles County cost an average of $420,000 per unit.

The rising construction and falling revenue were exacerbated by the citys haste to show progress on spending bond money.

Regulations for the measure prepared by the housing department provided for subsidies of up to $220,000 during the first year to get projects moving quickly.

The housing department also allowed HHH subsidies for several projects that would have been financed without them but would have taken much longer to get financing.

In recent years, about 300 units of permanent supportive housing have been built annually with tax credits as the primary funding source. Gipson said projects would still be built without HHH money, but he wasnt certain how many.

Tommy Newman, director of public affairs for United Way of Greater Los Angeles, said he was disappointed that the city had allowed HHH money to be used on projects that could have obtained sufficient state funds without it.

The United Way, he said, which was one of the major backers of Proposition HHH, will recommend a reduction of the maximum subsidy per unit allowed for the bond funds.

doug.smith@latimes.com

@LATDougBillionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk unveiled a zippy video Thursday night showing the progress his company has made on a tunnel beneath the city of Hawthorne, part of his grand vision for a subterranean transportation network that whisks commuters across Los Angeles County.

Yet even as he celebrates that milestone, Musk faces new challenges on another underground project: a 2.7-mile tunnel planned along Sepulveda Boulevard on L.A.s Westside.

Two neighborhood groups have filed a lawsuit over the city of Los Angeles proposal to fast-track the project by exempting it from environmental review. In Culver City, where the Sepulveda tunnel could end, officials are contemplating their own court challenge. And debate continues over the effect Musks transportation initiative could have on surface traffic, economic equity and the environment.

Theres pressure in Silicon Valley for companies to move fast and break things, said Meghan Sahli-Wells, Culver Citys vice mayor. But those companies dont have to pick up the pieces.  Were not going to let them come in here without a plan.

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Two Westside organizations, the Brentwood Residents Coalition and the Sunset Coalition, sued L.A. this month, saying the city violated state law when it sought to waive environmental review for the tunnel.

Musks Boring Co. has posted images online showing a spider web of possible tunnel routes across L.A., with proposed stations at the Getty Center, Dodger Stadium, Union Station and Los Angeles International Airport. Opponents say that map is evidence that the proposed Westside tunnel, which would start near Pico and Sepulveda boulevards, is part of a much larger planned underground transportation network.

The lawsuit said state law bars agencies from giving piecemeal approval to one component of a larger construction project. The states environmental law cannot be evaded by chopping large projects into smaller pieces that taken individually appear to have no significant environmental impacts, the suit said.

Last month, the Los Angeles City Councils public works committee unanimously agreed to exempt the tunnel from environmental analysis, which can add months or years to project timelines. The move still needs a full council vote.

In March, a city commission approved the route that the Boring Co. would use for hauling 80,000 cubic yards of dirt from the Westside tunnel. The panel also determined the project is exempt from state environmental law, according to the lawsuit. The two Westside groups are challenging both actions.

A spokesman for Mayor Eric Garcetti had no comment on the lawsuit, and a representative of the Boring Co. did not respond to questions Friday from The Times. The firm would conduct an environmental review if it moved forward with plans for passenger service in L.A., a Boring Co. official said last month.

The Boring Co. has said its technology could move drivers, as well as pods carrying passengers and bicyclists, through tunnels at speeds of up to 130 mph. A video simulation released by the company last year shows a driver steering onto a car-sized platform on the street, parallel to the curb. The platform, called a skate, sinks downward like an elevator, then carries the car through the tunnel.

An artists rendering of a pod loading passengers on a skate. (The Boring Co. )

The Boring Co. is set to participate in a town hall-style meeting Thursday at Bel-Airs Leo Baeck Temple. One online flier for the event read, Please join us to learn more about the Boring Companys vision to alleviate soul-destroying traffic through Loop, a zero-emissions, high-speed, underground public transportation system!

The video posted on Instagram shows a sped-up trip through the Hawthorne tunnel on a narrow railway track. Musk said in the caption that the public will be able to take free rides in the tunnel in a few months, pending final regulatory approvals.

Faced with Musks bold vision and aggressive timelines, cities in Los Angeles County will be forced to balance the painstaking process of public planning with efforts to innovate and embrace new technology, experts said.

Officials from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which has jurisdiction over county transportation projects, met with Boring Co. employees last month. In a statement, Metro said the Boring Co. will coordinate with the agency to avoid conflicts between Musks proposed tunnel and a heavy rail line planned through the Sepulveda Pass.

An environmental review could help address residents fears that tunneling in an earthquake-prone area could damage their homes or pose a threat to public safety, said Jim Moore, a USC professor who is a longtime critic of Metros subway projects. Approving a project without that information also could expose the city to lawsuits, he said.

As rich as Musk may be, Moore said, L.A.s pockets are deeper.

Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole criticized L.A.s push for the environmental exemption, arguing that two council members are trying to ingratiate themselves with a billionaire to promote a misguided approach to transportation.

Cole, a former deputy mayor to Garcetti, argued that the project will undermine L.A.s work in discouraging sprawl, considered a major contributor to greenhouse gases. He also warned that the tunneling project could create a new class divide among commuters.

Well have people stuck in traffic on the surface, and this miracle fast lane underground for the people who can afford it, he said. Itll be toll lanes on steroids.

City Councilman Paul Koretz, who is pushing for the exemption, disputed the notion that he is currying favor with Musk. Billionaires are all over my district, said Koretz, who represents Bel-Air, where Musk has a home. I dont particularly care. I treat them like anyone else.

Koretz said he is acting because he is excited by the technology being pursued by the Boring Co. and hopes the project can be built more quickly and at a lower cost than other forms of transportation  and at no government expense.

I would like to see something like this take us from LAX to Westwood to the Valley at a minimum by the Olympics in 2028  when L.A. will host the Summer Games and Westwood will play a major role, he said.

In recent weeks, Koretz has helped set up tours of the Hawthorne test site for neighborhood leaders in his district.

Barbara Broide, president of the Westwood South of Santa Monica Boulevard Homeowners Assn., got to see the entrance to the tunnel but did not go inside. She said the tour did not change her opinion that the project needs more environmental review than Garcetti and the council are contemplating.

It should have more rigorous discussion, Broide said. It looks like a transportation project, and I want to know why its not being reviewed like a transportation project.

laura.nelson@latimes.com

Twitter: @laura_nelson

david.zahniser@latimes.com

Twitter: @davidzahniserThe U.S. Justice Department has fined UC San Diego $4,712 for asking immigrants who are authorized to work in this country to provide documents that they are not required to produce.

The department announced the fine Thursday and issued a settlement agreement in which the university and the UC Board of Regents claim that they have not committed any wrong-doing.

The case involves suspected document abuse.

An unspecified number of immigrants were asked to re-establish their right to work in the U.S. after their authorization cards had expired, a request that was tied to their citizenship.

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The antidiscrimination provision of the (Immigration and Nationality Act) prohibits such requests for documents when based on an employees citizenship status or national origin, the Justice Department said in a statement.

UC San Diego agreed to pay the fine and to train some of its human resources workers on the specifics of the anti-discrimination provision, the department said.

University officials did not respond to a request for comment.

gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com

Robbins writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It is Saturday, May 12. Heres what you dont want to miss this weekend:

TOP STORIES

Even after previous tax windfalls, Gov. Jerry Browns announcement on Friday was breathtaking: The state has collected an unexpected $8 billion in tax revenue in recent months, even more additional cash than reported in January. The money is the latest installment in a fiscal winning streak of historic proportions in California. Browns most significant proposal for spending the cash may be a $359-million boost to ease the states burgeoning homelessness crisis. Los Angeles Times

Plus: Brown also proposed Friday to create five teams in the state attorney generals office to investigate Californias black market for marijuana after firms that received state licenses complained they are being undercut by the illicit growers and sellers. Los Angeles Times

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The overwhelmed courts

Nowhere is the crackdown on illegal border crossings more noticeable than in California. In the southern federal district in San Diego, 1,275 cases were filed in the first three months of this year. Prosecutors now plan to boost criminal immigration filings to about 1,000 per month, according to district data and attorneys at the Federal Defenders of San Diego, who have been notified of increasing prosecution levels by the U.S. attorneys office. At that pace, prosecutions could top 9,000 for the year, triple last years total and the most since at least since 2000, according to district data. Los Angeles Times

Plus: Confusion, calculation and fear are keeping DACA recipients from renewing their status while they still can. Los Angeles Times

The tunnel is coming

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk unveiled a zippy video Thursday night that showed significant progress on a blocks-long tunnel his company is digging beneath the South Bay, a milestone in the companys effort to find a new mode of transportation that will help commuters escape Southern Californias infamous traffic. Los Angeles Times

AROUND CALIFORNIA

School shooting in Palmdale: A shooting that left one student wounded sparked panic and drew a massive law enforcement response to a Palmdale high school early Friday morning. Los Angeles Times

GSK update: Decades before he killed at least 12 people and sexually assaulted 51 others in a prolific crime spree that terrorized the state of California, the man suspected of being the Golden State Killer watched two men rape his younger sister on an Air Force base in Germany, family members said. BuzzFeed News

Shrinking glaciers, bigger fires and hotter nights: How climate change is altering California. Los Angeles Times

Where will the conventions go? In the convention center arms race, Los Angeles plans to go big to take on Las Vegas and others. Los Angeles Times

Blast-off: SpaceXs upgraded Falcon 9 rocket made its debut Friday afternoon, and the rockets first-stage stuck the landing after a previous launch attempt ended in a scrub. Los Angeles Times

Wow: A brand-new, $1.3-million paving machine meant to fix the broken streets of Los Angeles is so rarely used that a homeless man is living underneath it. CBS

Great story: A local financial planner did more than most when he found a homeless man sleeping on the lawn of his Los Angeles office building. ABC 7

Solo premiere: How the mysterious Star Wars spinoff played to its first audience. Vanity Fair

Hate me cuz you aint me: Why people love to hate Californians. San Francisco Chronicle

Get the Essential California newsletter 

SpaceXs upgraded Falcon 9 rocket before the launch of Bangladeshs first geostationary communications satellite on May 11 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (SpaceX / Associated Press )

THIS WEEKS MOST POPULAR STORIES IN ESSENTIAL CALIFORNIA

1. Why did the East Area Rapist stop raping and killing? Or did he? Sacramento Bee

2. An increase in sightings of tailless whales has scientists concerned. National Geographic

3. An L.A. triple-murder suspect was tried in China, and his case could open the door for similar prosecutions. Los Angeles Times

4. Precipitation whiplash and climate change threaten Californias fresh water. Washington Post

5. Two skyscrapers are planned at 11th and Olive, adding to DTLAs growing skyline. Curbed LA

ICYMI, HERE ARE THIS WEEKS GREAT READS

How the other half lives: The Cannes Film Festival has always celebrated excess  women dripping in diamonds, buckets of rose, multimillion-dollar yachts. But extravagance in the south of France reached a whole new level on Thursday, when Magnum announced it was launching a new product during the two-week event: an $895 leather-covered cooler bag, writes Amy Kaufman. Los Angeles Times

Endorsing Antonio Villaraigosa: A behind-the-scenes look at how The Times Editorial Board made its pick. It involved inviting all 27 candidates for an interview. One even called in from Africa. Los Angeles Times

LOL: In Carpinteria, residents are complaining about the smell of all that pot. It stinks, they say. Associated Press

The Trump era: Southern California is home to the largest Korean population outside of Asia, and Sylvia Kim is one of many Korean-Americans here feeling a whipsaw of emotions over the administrations actions in recent days. While the president has infuriated some with his policies and rhetoric on immigration, others are hopeful that his approach to foreign affairs could help bring peace to a long-divided region where the vast majority of Korean-Americans still have relatives. New York Times

Meet the candidates: Take a ride with the LAPDs Robert Arcos  a third-generation Mexican American who was raised in the 1970s just blocks from the L.A. River. He also could be the departments next police chief. L.A. Taco

A history lesson: On this date 138 years ago, an angry group of American farmers protesting inequity and injustice gathered at the California railroad village of Hanford in the Central Valley. Read how it resonantes with those fighting Gov. Browns push to build a high-speed railway through the Central Valley. RealClearPolitics

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.For voters in Los Angeles County, the 11 races for Superior Court judge are perhaps the most mystifying part of the June 5 election. Its hard to find information about the candidates, and harder still to choose among them.

Voters should be aware of a few basic facts about judicial elections. First, although the peoples role in selecting judges is important, it is limited: the L.A. Superior Court has more than 480 judicial seats, and the judges serve six-year terms. But most vacancies are filled by the governor rather than by voters. And incumbent judges who are not challenged for reelection are automatically reelected, so youll never see their names on the ballot.

This year, only one sitting judge has been challenged. Twenty-six candidates are competing for 10 vacant or soon-to-be-vacated seats.

In smaller courts, voters have considerably more clout. In San Francisco, for example, four deputy public defenders are challenging sitting judges, all of them Republican appointees, for being too conservative. On a court of just 52 judges, the challenges could succeed in making a marked difference.

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In L.A., by contrast, a campaign to alter the outlook or politics of the court is far less viable. Voters here cannot, in one fell swoop, make the court more liberal or conservative. Nor should they. They should select candidates who best demonstrate integrity, intelligence and judicial temperament  by which we mean even-handedness, open-mindedness and an ability to hear out the parties before them without ever losing their command of the courtroom.

Superior Court judges preside over criminal matters, including not just trials and sentencing, but also the many preliminary stages as well, including arraignments, bail hearings and the like. They likewise preside over civil matters, including injury and commercial lawsuits, landlord-tenant disputes, and divorce, child custody, adoption and other family law matters.

Why are so many candidates deputy district attorneys? In part because they handle a lot of trials and often see the bench as a natural next step; and in part because Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed far fewer prosecutors to trial courts than have previous governors. Deputy D.A.s who once might have sought an appointment from the governor are instead turning to the voters.

The Times interviews each contestant and researches their backgrounds, accomplishments and abilities and then we make our endorsements. In some races all candidates are middling at best, and in others more than one candidate would be a credit to the judicial bench, but in each case we endorse the person we consider the best of the particular bunch.

Our recommendations:

OFFICE NO. 4

Alfred A. Coletta. Not every prosecutor would necessarily make a good judge, but Coletta is one who would probably be excellent. He has tried a wide variety of criminal cases and has won plaudits from defense lawyers and judges for fairness. Superior Court Commissioner A. Veronica Sauceda had an impressive career as a public interest lawyer and also would make a good judge but cannot match Coletta for trial experience. Also running is Deputy City Atty. Matthew Schonbrun.

OFFICE NO. 16

Sydne Jane Michel. Redondo Beach is one of the few cities in L.A. County with its own criminal prosecutors, who handle misdemeanors instead of handing them off to the district attorney. Michel is a seasoned Redondo Beach prosecutor who has the presence to command a courtroom while still respecting the lawyers appearing before her. She is a better choice than L.A. Deputy City Atty. Patricia Patti Hunter or L.A. Deputy Dist. Atty. Hubert S. Yun.

OFFICE NO. 20

Wendy Segall. This especially bitter race pits two prosecutors against each other  and seemingly has roiled various factions within the district attorneys office. Both Segall and Mary Ann Escalante are accomplished and well-regarded criminal prosecutors, and either would do well enough on the bench, but voters have to choose. The Times considered critiques from lawyers who have worked with them and against them and gives the edge to Segall.

OFFICE NO. 60

Holly L. Hancock. A deputy public defender, Hancock will appear on the ballot described as Attorney-at-Law, largely because judicial campaign lore dictates that calling oneself a public defender will turn away would-be voters. If that lore is correct its a shame, because, like prosecutors, criminal defense lawyers also generally gain a great deal of trial experience. That alone does not necessarily make them good judicial candidates, but in Hancocks case it does. She is a better choice than Deputy Dist. Attys. Tony J. Cho and Ben Colella.

OFFICE NO. 63

Malcolm H. Mackey. Mackey is the one incumbent judge in this years L.A. Superior Court races who has been challenged for reelection. The Times finds unpersuasive the assertions of challenger Anthony Lewis that Mackey is unfair to plaintiffs in employment actions  as supposedly demonstrated by two decisions more than 20 years ago that overturned jury awards. Mackey has made thousands of rulings in his long career and has a solid record and an outstanding reputation as a fair and accomplished jurist.

Its noteworthy that Mackey has served as a judge for nearly 40 years, a fact that necessarily prompts the question: How old is he? Hes 88. No matter how esteemed he may be, The Times would not hesitate to urge his retirement or ouster if it were evident that age had affected his competence or productivity. But that appears not to be the case. Quite the opposite, in fact; Mackey has a reputation as a sharp-minded judge.

OFFICE NO. 67

Maria L. Armendariz. Armendariz is a judge of the State Bar Court, which hears professional misconduct cases against lawyers and metes out discipline as necessary. Her professional background is varied and impressive. It includes experience as an ombudsman for womens prisons and negotiator in prison hunger strikes, as an attorney for the state Assembly Public Safety Committee and as a staff leader to members of the Legislature. Deputy Dist. Atty. Dennis P. Vincent is also impressive. Attorney Onica Valle Cole is making her second run for a judgeship.

OFFICE NO. 71

David A. Berger. This is the second time Deputy Dist. Atty. Berger has run for judge, and the second time he wins The Times endorsement for his impressive record as a trial lawyer. Outside the courtroom, he has a reputation for sharp-witted candor and a sometimes supercilious attitude, which he displayed as a candidate for Los Angeles city attorney and later on a website that critiqued various candidates and commented on news events. None of that gives us pause. In the courtroom, he has demonstrated himself to be a professional if somewhat tough criminal prosecutor. Our preference would be to elect both him and his rival, Superior Court Commissoner Danielle R.A. Gibbons, to the bench. But they are running against each other, we can pick only one, and we recommend Berger.

OFFICE NO. 113

Michael P. Ribons. Each of the three candidates in this race has previously run, unsuccessfully, for Superior Court judge and is trying again. Experience suggests that voters generally opt for criminal prosecutors  like rivals Steven Schreiner and Javier Perez  over civil litigators like Ribons, but in this case Ribons is the best choice. In addition to practicing law, he has served as a judge pro tem  a volunteer judge  and as an arbitrator and mediator. He has a good reputation among attorneys who have appeared before or against him. Schreiner and Perez are experienced deputy district attorneys, but Ribons is the best choice in this race.

OFFICE NO. 118

David D. Diamond. Diamond chairs the Burbank Police Commission and as an attorney has served as a family lawyer, a civil litigator and a criminal defense lawyer. He faces Troy Davis, an impressive prosecutor. Each has the backing of numerous judges of the Superior Court, and each has a reputation as good courtroom lawyer. The Times chooses Diamond for the diversity of his experience.

OFFICE NO. 126

Rene Caldwell Gilbertson. A senior attorney on the Los Angeles County Counsels Office, Gilbertson has served stints providing legal advice to the sheriff and to the Board of Supervisors executive office. But she has spent most of her career in dependency court, representing abused or neglected children. The court is badly in need of judges in dependency cases, and Gilbertson would prove an asset. Also running are Deputy Dist. Atty. Ken Fuller, and private practitioner Shlomo Freiman, who volunteers as a judge in traffic cases. Fuller, especially, shows promise, but of the three, Gilbertson is the best choice.

OFFICE NO. 146

Emily T. Spear. In this contest between Deputy Dist. Atty. Spear and Superior Court Commissioner Armando Duron, Spear is the better choice, according to attorneys who have worked against her and alongside her, and those who have appeared before Duron.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and FacebookAngelenos know Antonio. His two terms as mayor of Los Angeles began in 2005 with, in addition to great promise, his sparkling smile and optimistic pronouncements on the front pages of newspapers and on TV news broadcasts. By 2013, when he was succeeded as mayor by Eric Garcetti, Antonio Villaraigosa had amassed some impressive accomplishments despite a the disappointment felt in many quarters and fatigue over his personal peccadilloes.

So its no surprise that the Los Angeles Times received several pointed rebuttals to the editorial boards endorsement of Villaraigosa for governor, a candidate with whom voters in Southern California were well acquainted before he was L.A.s mayor (as a member of the state Assembly for six years, he served as that bodys speaker for two years prior to being elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2003).

Several other readers, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the two Democrats, Villaraigosa and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, most likely to make it past the June primary and onto the November ballot. To them, The Times Editorial Board confronted a dilemma that faces all voters: which candidate to support among less-than-ideal choices.

David Tokofsky, a former Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education member, does not remember Villaraigosa fondly:

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Your endorsement cited Villaraigosas political courage and used his push for mayoral control of the LAUSD as one of the examples. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge had another word for it: unconstitutional.

A profile in courage is when you follow the rule of law, not abuse it to fulfill your ambition. A profile in courage is when you build coalitions and alliances based on core values, not on billionaires and educational oligarchs who buy and dictate your core values.

Tarzana resident Wendy Prober-Cohen doesnt like Villaraigosa or Newsom:

I am so frustrated always seeing the slick candidates Newsom and Villaraigosa. The media love these two telegenic former mayors, love pitting the north against the south, and rarely cover the other candidates like John Chiang and Delaine Eastin, who just arent so visually fit for the front page.

Its just so much easier to make this a popularity contest and cover the candidates with name recognition (because they were mayors of the two most notable cities in California), rather than focus on the candidates with real ideas.

Gregory Dobie of Sherman Oaks recalls a time of silence from Villaraigosa:

In June 2012, I found myself in front of my apartment building with about 20 boxes of school files. I had just been laid off from my job as an adult English language and citizenship teacher by the LAUSD.

In the months before, I had participated in meetings, protests and letter-writing campaigns. While support for students, teachers and staff came from numerous elected officials, a noticeable silence came from Villaraigosa.

Political courage? Not when you stand by and watch students being denied an education and teachers being laid off.

Robert Michael LaCarr of Mount Washington calls out the former mayors associations:

Signing with Herbalife and taking money from the even more reprehensible payday lenders render Villaraigosa irreconcilably sullied for anyone who knows the truth about the depredations of these organizations.

Shame on The Times for overlooking these disqualifying associations in its endorsement.

Los Angeles resident James Kallis recalls a broken promise:

Villaraigosa disqualified himself from my vote when he ran for mayor of Los Angeles in 2005, two years after being elected to the City Council and making an iron-clad commitment to serve out his term.

Villaraigosa was asked later why he was breaking that commitment. He said that circumstances changed. That statement makes any Villaraigosa commitment about his future actions unbelievable, because circumstances might change.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook.To the editor: Gov. George Deukmejian, who died on May 8, had troubling paradoxes.

Your obituary mentions his commitment to public safety, but some of us in Long Beach remember when he was referred to as Senator Death prior to his two terms as governor from 1983-91 because he seemed obsessed with promoting the death penalty and sending minorities to prison.

As governor, he built new detention facilities and tripled the inmate population while ignoring the socio-economic conditions that foster crime in the first place.

You note his stance against apartheid in South Africa, but he also vetoed a bill to ban discrimination against gays and lesbians. This was typical of his us versus them view of democracy.

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He championed an effort by voters to oust three California Supreme Court justices, an act so clearly contradictory to the separation of powers that some wondered if he had really gone to law school at all.

Thomas Bailey, Long Beach

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To the editor: Your photograph of Deukmejian holding a 486-year-old French Bible recalled my encounter with a less known international dimension of his extraordinary life.

When Deukmejian joined the law firm Sidley Austin in 1991, I was an associate lawyer in the Los Angeles office. The following year, when an opportunity arose in Paris with a different firm, I sought the governors advice anticipating that his pragmatic approach would weigh in favor of staying in L.A. with my young family.

To my surprise, he instead recounted vividly his tour of duty in Paris with the U.S. Army in the early 1950s, speaking warmly of the friends he made. He clearly cherished the experience. When I then decided to move, the governor was generous with introductions to those friends whom he thought could be helpful.

Later in Paris, in every meeting, I felt the esteem that endured in the hearts and minds of the governors friends far from California.

Edward J. Nalbantian, Paris

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and FacebookTo the editor: After reading articles on President Trump withdrawing the United States from the Iran nuclear deal and the separation of immigrant children from their parents at the border, I wonder how Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is holding up.

Is she embarrassed when Trump breaks international agreements? Does she worry that other nations will no longer trust us to keep our word? Is she concerned about the honor of the United States and its position as a world leader? Does she wonder if adversaries like North Korea and China will have second thoughts about negotiating with us? Is she confident that allies like Great Britain and France will continue to rely on our leadership?

And how in Gods name does she feel about the new U.S. policy of arresting immigrants seeking sanctuary and separating them from their children? Can she really stomach this violation of international law and justify it to her fellow U.N. representatives? Is she ashamed as a mother, a person of goodwill, and our ambassador to the world?

Haley has my sympathy because she has the hardest job in the world.

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James Vernon, Covina

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To the editor: It has been observed that Trump tries to create chaos so he can get his way.

An angry child will sometimes send a message by creating a rumpus with consequent broken toys and a messed-up room. Trumps reckless and senseless withdrawal of the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal raises a rumpus that can irreparably mess things up on a global scale.

This is high-stakes gambling with our lives that carries potentially catastrophic consequences.

Cecil Hoffman, Pasadena

..

To the editor: Now we are the terrorists by holding children hostage.

We were supposed to be the example to other countries of how to behave in the world. Instead, with just one election we have fallen to reside with the lowest of the low.

And the Department of Health and Human Services has lost track of nearly 1,500 children who were taken hostage. How will we ever be able to make this up to these families?

To add a small touch of irony, this cruel policy was announced on the day our first lady declared that children are to be nurtured and cherished, as they are important to the future of our world. Heaven help us!

Leslie Tillmann, Rancho Mirage

..

To the editor: Gee, it sure would have been nice for Mexico to grant asylum to the people in the immigrant caravan. It would also be nice for Mexico and the Central American countries to do something to resolve their problems so that their citizens would want to stay home.

Regarding separated families, do the parents who smuggle children across our borders have any responsibility for this?

Since your paper is so strongly sympathetic to the plight of undocumented immigrants, perhaps you could make a really generous donation to help defray the costs of their medical care, food and other necessities. I am sure the American taxpayers would appreciate that.

Jay James, Pico Rivera

..

To the editor: I, for one, have reached my limit. I can no longer sit back and allow my country to lose its moral compass.

I truly felt a chill as I read about migrants who illegally cross the border being charged with a crime and likely being separated from their children. My thoughts drifted to Nazi Germany.

We cannot sit back and keep our frustration over the current state of our country to ourselves. Flood the White House with postcards, phone calls and emails opposing these policies. Make your voice heard.

Gerry Warkentine, Costa Mesa

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and FacebookAllies balk at Trump administration bid to block Chinese firm from cutting-edge telecom markets By David S. Cloud Britain and Germany are balking at the Trump administrations call for a ban on equipment from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, threatening a global U.S. campaign to thwart Chinas involvement in future mobile networks. Both countries are expected to limit Huawei and other Chinese companies from providing core components including routers. But other types of Chinese equipment for next-generation, high-speed communications could still be installed on British and German networks, officials and analysts say. The U.S. push to ban Huawei has provoked a global dispute in recent weeks, with senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, publicly urging NATO allies in Europe to exclude the company and warning that the United States might limit its military presence in countries that did not do so. Read More Facebook

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Confucius Institutes: Do they improve U.S.-China ties or harbor spies? By Don Lee Hanging red lanterns welcome visitors to the University of Marylands Confucius Institute, the oldest of about 100 Chinese language and cultural centers that have popped up over the last 15 years on American campuses, subsidized by millions of dollars from Chinas central government. But last fall, when four U.S. Senate investigators walked into the Confucius offices in Maryland and spent hours questioning staff, they werent looking for an educational exchange. The committee has been seeking detailed information from the university about the program, including contracts, email exchanges and financial arrangements that school administrators have kept under wraps since it started in 2004. American colleges once viewed these jointly funded institutes as an economical way to expand their language offerings  one that could also bring warmer ties with China and, importantly, an influx of Chinese international students paying full tuition. Read More Facebook

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U.S. policy toward China shifts from engagement to confrontation By David S. Cloud For decades, China had no closer American friend than Dianne Feinstein. As San Francisco mayor in the 1970s, she forged a sister-city relationship with Shanghai, the first between American and Chinese communities. As U.S. senator, she dined with Chinese leaders at Mao Tse-tungs old Beijing residence. And in the 1990s, she championed a trade policy change that opened a floodgate of Western investment into China. Today the Democratic senator sees China as a growing threat, joining a broad array of Trump administration officials, national security strategists and business executives who once favored engagement with Beijing and now advocate a confrontational approach instead. Read More Facebook

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Mnuchins attempt to calm markets backfires as Trump takes another shot at the Federal Reserve By Jim Puzzanghera An attempt by Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin to calm plunging financial markets backfired Monday, further rattling investors with new fears about whether major U.S. banks have enough cash on top of worries about interest rates, political instability in Washington and a slowing global economy. Adding to the volatile mix was a fresh attack on the Federal Reserve by President Trump, who declared that the central bank was the U.S. economys only problem and that it didnt have a feel for the market. The Fed is like a powerful golfer who cant score because he has no touch -- he cant putt! Trump said on Twitter. Read More Facebook

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He speaks to Democratic hearts. But is Beto ORourke a serious White House contender? By Mark Z. Barabak Hes a failed U.S. Senate candidate with an undistinguished congressional record who, for the moment, is a blazing-hot 2020 presidential prospect  despite the fact that he may not run and faces long odds if he does. Beto ORourke suggests the will-he-or-wont-he speculation is something he himself cant quite fathom. I think thats a great question, he responded in a Dallas Morning News interview when asked whether his unsuccessful November Senate bid merited a promotion to the White House. I ask that question myself. Read More Facebook

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Russian disinformation teams targeted Robert S. Mueller III, says report prepared for Senate By Craig Timberg, Tony Romm, Elizabeth Dwoskin Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. (Associated Press) Months after President Trump took office, Russias disinformation teams trained their sites on a new target: special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Having worked to help get Trump into the White House, they now worked to neutralize the biggest threat to his staying there. The Russian operatives unloaded on Mueller through fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter and beyond, falsely claiming that the former FBI director was corrupt and that the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election were crackpot conspiracies. One post on Instagram  which emerged as an especially potent weapon in the Russian social media arsenal  claimed that Mueller had worked in the past with radical Islamic groups. Such tactics exemplified how Russian teams ranged nimbly across social media platforms in a shrewd online influence operation aimed squarely at American voters. The effort started earlier than commonly understood and lasted longer while relying on the strengths of different sites to manipulate distinct slices of the electorate, according to a pair of comprehensive new reports prepared for the Senate Intelligence Committee and released Monday. Read more Timberg, Romm and Dwoskin report for the Washington Post. Facebook

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President Trump announces Mick Mulvaney as acting White House chief of staff By Associated Press President Trump says budget director Mick Mulvaney will serve as acting chief of staff, replacing John F. Kelly in the new year. I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction. Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2018 Facebook

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It aint over when its over: In Michigan, Wisconsin and elsewhere, losers seek to undermine election results By Mark Z. Barabak Democrat Gavin Newsom has yet to become California governor, but already a candidate for state Republican Party chairman is promoting a recall effort. In Michigan and Wisconsin, GOP lawmakers have rushed through legislation to thwart their incoming Democratic governors and hamper others in the opposing party from doing the jobs voters chose them to do. In Congress, GOP leaders have echoed President Trump and sought to undermine the legitimacy of Democrats strong midterm performance, raising unsubstantiated allegations of fraud and political malfeasance. Read More Facebook

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New CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger says she wont be a puppet of Mick Mulvaney By Jim Puzzanghera On her first full day leading the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Kathy Kraninger said she wont be a puppet of Mick Mulvaney, the controversial acting director whom she replaced in the powerful regulatory position. To underscore that point, the former White House aide said she would even reconsider a Mulvaney action that critics saw as a gratuitous jab at Democrats who championed the agencys creation: changing its name to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Kraningers declaration during a meeting with reporters Tuesday addressed one of the main criticisms of her selection. She is considered a protege of Mulvaney, her boss at the White House Office of Management and Budget who has executed a dramatic, industry-friendly shift at the watchdog agency. Read More Facebook

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Trumps pick for chief of staff, Nick Ayers, out of running By Associated Press Nick Ayers, right, with Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, at the funeral service for George H.W. Bush on Dec. 3. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Associated Press) President Trumps top pick to replace John F. Kelly as chief of staff, Nick Ayers, is no longer expected to fill that role. Thats according to a White House official who is not authorized to discuss the personnel issue by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Ayers is Vice President Mike Pences chief of staff. The official says that Trump and Ayers could not agree on Ayers length of service. The father of young children, Ayers had agreed to serve in an interim capacity though the spring, but Trump wanted a two-year commitment. The official says that Ayers will instead assist the president from outside the administration. Trump announced Saturday that Kelly would be departing the White House around the end of the year. Thank you @realDonaldTrump, @VP, and my great colleagues for the honor to serve our Nation at The White House. I will be departing at the end of the year but will work with the #MAGA team to advance the cause.  #Georgia  Nick Ayers (@nick_ayers) December 9, 2018 Facebook

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U.S. hiring slows to 155,000 jobs, unemployment rate holds at 3.7% By Jim Puzzanghera Job growth slowed significantly in November but still was solid, indicating the economy remains in good shape but not expanding so quickly that it will lead to sharply higher interest rates. U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs last month, well below analyst expectations and a steep decline from Octobers strong 237,000 figure, the Labor Department reported Friday. Still, monthly job gains are averaging 206,000 this year, the best since 2015. Even the slower pace of 170,000 over the last three months is close to last years average of 182,000 and well above the amount needed to keep up with population growth. Read More Facebook

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Trump is expected to pick State Department spokeswoman for U.N. ambassador By Associated Press Heather Nauert at a briefing at the State Department on Aug. 9, 2017. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) President Trump is expected to nominate State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Two administration officials confirmed Trumps plans. A Republican congressional aide said the president was expected to announce his decision by tweet on Friday morning. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly before Trumps announcement. Trump has previously said Nauert was under serious consideration to replace Nikki Haley, who announced in October that she would step down at the end of this year. Trump has been known to change course on staffing decisions in the past. Nauert was a reporter for Fox News Channel before she became State Department spokeswoman under former Secretary Rex Tillerson. Facebook

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Senate confirms new consumer financial protection chief: Kathy Kraninger, protege of industry-friendly Mick Mulvaney By Jim Puzzanghera The Senate, in a party-line vote Thursday, confirmed White House aide Kathy Kraninger to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and experts predicted a continuation of the industry-friendly shift it has taken since President Trump installed an acting director last year. Kraninger is a protege of acting director and White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney, an outspoken critic of the agency that was created in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis to prevent predatory lending and other abuses that led to it. Democrats and consumer advocates have denounced him for sharply departing from the aggressive watchdog role the bureau had pursued under its first director, Obama-appointee Richard Cordray, including scaling back enforcement and moving to reassess tough new rules on payday loans and narrow the definition of abusive practices by banks and other firms. Read More Facebook

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Shutdown postponed by two weeks under plan approved by Congress By Erik Wasson Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), shown at the Capitol on Tuesday, says President Trumps border wall is a waste of money. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Congress passed a two-week stopgap spending bill that will delay the chance of a partial government shutdown until Dec. 22 as lawmakers and President Donald Trump negotiate over his demands to pay for a wall on the southern border. The House and Senate passed the measure Thursday without dissent, and Trump has indicated hell sign the bill before the current shutdown deadline of midnight Friday. Negotiations were delayed by memorial services this week for former President George H.W. Bush. The temporary measure gives Democrats and Republicans more time to find a resolution to their biggest hurdle: funding a wall on the U.S. Mexico border wall. Trump says he wants $5 billion for parts of a concrete wall on the southern border and is willing to shut down the government if he doesnt get it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has said Democrats will provide no more than $1.6 billion for border security, because the wall is a waste of money. The presidents demands for wall funding from Congress come after he said during the campaign that Mexico would pay for it. This week he said on Twitter that a $25 billion border wall would pay for itself in two months, without providing evidence. Most of the U.S. governments $1.2 trillion discretionary budget has been appropriated already by Congress for the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1. Departments at a risk of a partial shutdown late this month include the departments of State, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Treasury and Homeland Security. Talks to resolve the differences have been on hold since a meeting among Trump, Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California originally slated for Dec. 4 was postponed due to Bush memorial events. The three are scheduled to meet on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby of Alabama told reporters the rest of the seven-bill spending package being negotiated is basically done. Shelby in recent weeks had tried to broker a compromise in which Trumps $5 billion request would be split over two years, but Schumer has rejected that. Some Democrats have been willing to trade border wall funding for deportation protections for young undocumented immigrants. Pelosi ruled out such a deal in remarks to reporters Thursday. The stopgap government funding measure also would extend the National Flood Insurance Program, which provides subsidized coverage for homes in flood-prone areas, to Dec. 21. Facebook

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Bipartisan Senate group wants to formally blame Saudi crown prince for journalists killing By Karoun Demirjian Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires. (Associated Press) A bipartisan group of senators filed a resolution Wednesday condemning Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, directly challenging President Trump to do the same. This resolution -- without equivocation -- definitively states that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia was complicit in the murder of Mr. [Jamal] Khashoggi and has been a wrecking ball to the region jeopardizing our national security interests on multiple fronts, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said in a statement accompanying the release of the resolution. It will be up to Saudi Arabia as to how to deal with this matter. But it is up to the United States to firmly stand for who we are and what we believe. The resolution put forward by Graham and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who are expected to lead the Judiciary Committee together next year, comes just one day after CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed leading senators about the details of the agencys assessment that Mohammed ordered and monitored the killing and dismemberment of Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Senators emerged from that closed-door briefing furious not only with Saudi Arabia, but Trump as well for dismissing the heft of the CIAs findings. You have to be willfully blind not to come to the conclusion that this was orchestrated and organized by people under the command of MBS and that he was intricately involved in the demise of Mr. Khashoggi, Graham said following the briefing, referring to Mohammed by his initials. He added that Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Defense Secretary James N. Mattis, who briefed senators last week, were at best being good soldiers and at worst were in the pocket of Saudi Arabia for presenting the evidence of Mohammeds involvement as inconclusive. The release of the resolution condemning Mohammed also comes as the Senate is preparing to move ahead with debate on a resolution to curtail U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. Though the Yemen resolution does not directly address Khashoggis murder, its popularity is a sign of how strained the United States patience with Saudi Arabia is on multiple fronts, including its role in worsening the civilian cost of the war in Yemen, cited by the United Nations as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Last week, the Senate voted 63 to 37 to advance the Yemen resolution past an opening procedural hurdle. But Graham and Feinsteins resolution on the crown prince has the potential of drawing broader support, especially from Republicans, who are deeply divided about how fiercely to punish Saudi Arabia over Khashoggis killing. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has been an outspoken advocate for human rights and is seen as one of the more influential foreign policy voices in the GOP, did not vote for the Yemen resolution last week or sign on to a bipartisan measure last month to sanction Saudi officials and cease weapons transfers to the kingdom. But he is an original co-sponsor of the resolution condemning Mohammed over Khashoggis death. So is Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who represents the other end of the GOP spectrum in terms of recent Saudi-related votes and endorsements. Young was an initial co-sponsor of the bill Graham wrote with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) to sanction Saudi officials deemed responsible for Khashoggis killing and stop the sale of anything but exclusively defensive weapons to the kingdom until it ceased hostilities in Yemen. Young also voted to advance the Yemen resolution  something Graham did as well, though Graham has signaled he will not be lending any similar support to the measure, fearing it may establish a precedent of invoking the War Powers Act too broadly. Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) are listed as original co-sponsors of the resolution condemning Mohammed, which also urges Saudi Arabia to negotiate with Houthi rebels to end the Yemen war, work out a political solution to its standoff with Qatar and release political prisoners. But how much sway the resolution has probably comes down to how forcefully the administration decides to heed it -- and thus far, Trump has not shown any interest in condemning the crown prince the way the senators hope he will. Demirjian reports for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Los Angeles County offices and U.S. Postal Service closed Wednesday in honor of George H.W. Bush By Brian Park The Honor Guard carries the casket of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush following his funeral on Dec. 5 in Washington, DC. (Doug Mills - Pool/Getty Images) The U.S. Postal Service will suspend regular mail delivery Wednesday, which President Trump has declared a national day of mourning in honor of former President George H.W. Bush. All retail postal outlets will be closed, and package delivery will be limited. In Los Angeles, all nonessential county departments, offices and libraries will be closed for the day, L.A. County officials said. The Los Angeles County Library said no overdue fines will be assessed for books, and due dates will be moved forward one week. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health offices also are closed Wednesday. The Sheriffs Department, Fire Department, clinics and hospitals will continue to operate, the county said. The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health clinics are being operated with reduced staffing, and the department asked patients to confirm or reschedule any appointments. All county courts and the disaster recovery centers for the Woolsey fire in Malibu and Agoura Hills will remain open. Larger federal government operations will be closed Wednesday. To honor the life and legacy of President Bush, the Postal Service will observe the National Day of Mourning. Learn how Postal operations will be affected. https://t.co/Mffch7bPCh pic.twitter.com/vG46BsIOpm  U.S. Postal Service (@USPS) December 4, 2018 L.A. County offices and libraries will be closed tomorrow (Dec 5) in observance of the #NationalDayOfMourning for President George H. W. Bush.



The Countys Disaster Recovery Centers in Malibu & Agoura Hills will remain open from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. pic.twitter.com/Sv1J7GoJ7T  Los Angeles County (@CountyofLA) December 4, 2018 @LAPublicHealth offices will be closed tomorrow December 5 in observance of the national Day of Mourning for President George H. W. Bush. Essential Services including clinics and other services will remain open: https://t.co/tZGoGGHRlg pic.twitter.com/ypXsV6vlYY  LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) December 4, 2018 Facebook

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Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to skip 2020 White House race, sources say By Associated Press Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick speaks during an interview in Boston on Dec. 15, 2014. (Elise Amendola / Associated Press) Former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts will soon announce he wont launch a 2020 presidential campaign, according to three sources familiar with his plans. They did not say why the Democrat decided against a run. A formal announcement was delayed as the country observed a day of mourning for President George H.W. Bush, one source said. News of Patricks plans was first reported by Politico. Patrick, 62, served two terms as governor, from 2007 to 2015, was assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Clinton administration and since leaving the governors office has been a managing director for Bain Capital. Patrick traveled the country in support of Democratic candidates in the recent midterm election. Earlier this year, some of Patricks supporters and close advisors started the Reason to Believe political action committee, a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing a positive, progressive vision for our nation in 2018 and 2020. Reason to Believe PAC had been holding meetups across the country, including in early presidential primary states. While Patrick is opting against a 2020 run, dozens of Democrats are considering jumping in, including nearly a half-dozen members of the Senate, several House members, and other Massachusetts politicians. On Tuesday, Michael Avenatti, the attorney for adult film star Stormy Daniels and a vocal critic of President Trump, said in a statement that he would run. Patrick had previously expressed some concerns about breaking through if he sought the nomination, telling David Axelrod, a former advisor to President Obama, that he wasnt sure he could stand out in such a large field. Its hard to see how you even get noticed in such a big, broad field without being shrill, sensational or a celebrity, and Im none of those things and Im never going to be any of those things, Patrick said in a September interview with Axelrod. Facebook

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Former Trump adviser Roger Stone invokes 5th Amendment right and wont testify before Senate Judiciary Committee By Associated Press Roger Stone in 2017. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) Roger Stone, an associate of President Trump, says he wont provide testimony or documents to the Senate Judiciary Committee. An attorney for Stone said in a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the committees top Democrat, that Stone was invoking his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination in refusing to produce documents or appear for an interview. Stone has been entangled in investigations by Congress and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III about whether Trump aides had advance knowledge of Democratic emails published by WikiLeaks during the 2016 election. Stone has not been charged and has said he had no knowledge of the timing or specifics of WikiLeaks plans. In the letter to Feinstein, Stone said the committees requests were far too overbroad, far too overreaching and far too wide-ranging. Facebook

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Watch live: Vice President Pence and lawmakers honor George H.W. Bush at the U.S. Capitol before he lies in state Facebook

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Rebuilding crumbling infrastructure has bipartisan support. But who gets to pay for it? By Jim Puzzanghera The grades for major U.S. infrastructure would give any parent indigestion if they were on a childs report card. Roads: D; bridges: C+; dams: D; ports: C+: railways: B; airports: D; schools: D+; public transit: D-. The nations overall grade: D+, which translates to being in fair to poor condition and mostly below standards with significant deterioration and a strong risk of failure, according to an evaluation last year by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Read More Facebook

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Trump calls former lawyer Michael Cohen a weak person who is lying By Associated Press President Trump says his former lawyer Michael Cohen is lying to get a reduced sentence. The president is reacting to Cohens guilty plea Thursday to lying to Congress about work he did on a Trump real estate project in Russia. During a surprise court hearing, Cohen admitted to lying in testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Cohen in his guilty plea said he made the false statements to be consistent with Trumps political message. Cohens lawyer says he continues to cooperate with special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation into Russian election interference and possible coordination with Trump associates. Facebook

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As California Republicans confront a congressional wipeout, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy faces a reckoning By Mark Z. Barabak When the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Kevin McCarthy trooped with other Republican lawmakers to a splashy Rose Garden celebration, smiling alongside President Trump as they celebrated the moment. As majority leader, McCarthy had helped round up the votes to narrowly pass the hard-fought legislation, convincing 13 other California Republicans to go along, even though several faced tough reelection fights. Fewer than half will be returning in January. Read More Facebook

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As California Republicans confront a congressional wipeout, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy faces a reckoning By Sarah D. Wire When the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Kevin McCarthy trooped with other Republican lawmakers to a splashy Rose Garden celebration, smiling alongside President Trump as they celebrated the moment. As majority leader, McCarthy had helped round up the votes to narrowly pass the hard-fought legislation, convincing 13 other California Republicans to go along, even though several faced tough reelection fights. Fewer than half will be returning in January. Read More Facebook

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Michael Cohen, President Trumps ex-lawyer, pleads guilty to lying to Congress about Trump real estate project in Russia By Associated Press Michael Cohen, President Trumps former personal lawyer, pursued a Russian real estate project on candidate Trumps behalf well into the 2016 campaign, he said Thursday while pleading guilty to lying to Congress. Cohen had previously said that the project was abandoned in January 2016, but he now admits he continued to pursue a deal and says he updated Trump and members of his family about the negotiations, according to a new court document. Read More Facebook

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James Comey says acting Atty. Gen. Whitaker may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer By John Wagner Acting Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitaker speaks at the Justice Department in Washington on Nov. 14. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) Former FBI Director James B. Comey apparently isnt too impressed with the mental prowess of President Trumps acting attorney general. Matthew Whitaker may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer, Comey said during a radio interview on Monday night in which he sized up the man Trump installed this month to replace ousted Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions. Comey was asked by WGBH News in Boston if he thinks Whitaker could derail the investigation of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Whitaker has spoken critically of the probe, and Trump  as recently as Tuesday  continues to call it a witch hunt. I think its a worry, but to my mind not a serious worry, Comey said. The institution is too strong, and [Whitaker], frankly, is not strong enough to have that kind of impact. He may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer, but he can see his future and knows that if he acted in an extralegal way, he would go down in history for the wrong reasons, and Im sure he doesnt want that, added Comey, who was fired by Trump last year and later wrote a book that portrays the president as an ego-driven congenital liar. Whitaker, a former U.S. attorney in Iowa, was Sessions chief of staff before being picked by Trump to lead the Justice Department. Trump has called Whitaker a very smart man. Earlier this year, Trump called Comey an untruthful slime ball. Wagner writes for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Interior Department watchdog clears Zinke in investigation of Utah national monument By Juliet Eilperin Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, third from the left, and Gov. Jerry Brown tour fire damage in Paradise, Calif., on Nov. 14. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) The Interior Departments Office of Inspector General has cleared Secretary Ryan Zinke in a probe of whether he redrew boundaries of a national monument in Utah to aid the financial interests of a Republican state lawmaker and stalwart supporter of President Trump. In a Nov. 21 letter to Zinkes deputy, David Bernhardt, Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall wrote that her office found no evidence that the secretary or his aides changed the boundaries of Utahs Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in an effort to help former Utah state representative Mike Noel, who serves as executive director of the Kane County Water Conservancy District. Last December, Trump shrank the monument, first established by President Clinton in 1996, by 46% based on Zinkes recommendation. Noel owns 40 acres that had been surrounded by the monument, but now lies outside its boundaries. The new boundaries also would make it easier to construct the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline, which would deliver water to sites in Kane County that include Noels property. Earlier this year, the Interior Department had proposed selling off 120 acres of federal land from the former monument that lay adjacent to some of Noels land holdings, but later reversed the plan. We found no evidence that Noel influenced the DOIs proposed revisions to the [monuments] boundaries, that Zinke or other DOI staff involved in the project were aware of Noels financial interest in the revised boundaries, or that they gave Noel any preferential treatment in the resulting proposed boundaries, Kendall wrote. Neither the Interior Department nor the inspector generals office would release the actual investigative report. In the letter, Kendall writes that her office will provide the report to Congress no sooner than 31 days from Nov. 21, when it is provided it to Zinkes office. The Associated Press first reported the inspector generals conclusions Monday night, but did not provide details from the report itself. Noel emailed Zinke about the effort to alter Grand Staircase-Escalante, according to emails released by Interior under the Freedom of Informational Act. But those emails do not make references to Noels land holdings. Noel also pushed to rename a Utah highway in honor of Trump, but abandoned that effort in March after some of his fellow Republicans objected to the idea. Noel did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. The inspector generals office still has at least two ongoing probes of the secretary, including one focused on his real estate dealings in Whitefish, Mont., and another regarding his decision to deny a permit to two Connecticut tribes who were hoping to jointly run a casino after MGM Resorts International lobbied against it. Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift welcomed the watchdogs conclusions. The report shows exactly what the secretarys office has known all along  that the monument boundaries were adjusted in accordance with all rules, regulations and laws, she said in an email. This report is also the latest example of opponents and special interest groups ginning up fake and misleading stories, only to be proven false after expensive and time consuming inquiries by the IGs office. But Kendalls spokeswoman, Nancy DiPaolo, defended the inquiry, even though she said the report has not been publicly released and we will not be speaking specifically about the matter at this time. The OIG opens investigations based on credible allegations and reports our findings objectively and independently, DiPaolo added. Any time or resources spent investigating conduct or activity that may be a violation of law, regulation or policy is a service to the public, Congress and the Department. Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement that he still intended to investigate the way Zinke and his colleague redrew the boundaries for Grand Staircase-Escalante and another Utah national monument, Bears Ears, next year. I have great respect for the inspector general, and I accept these findings, but Secretary Zinke should have known the people he listened to while destroying our national monuments had disqualifying conflicts of interest, he said. Should I chair the Natural Resources Committee in the next Congress, the process he and President Trump used to destroy Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante will be front and center in our oversight and investigations efforts. We need to know why they ignored overwhelming public expressions of support for both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, why they ignored Native American tribes throughout their decision-making, and why they removed protections on parcels of land with known mineral deposits. Eilperin and Rein report for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Trump advisor Larry Kudlow says China must do more to end trade war By Jim Puzzanghera Larry Kudlow, President Trumps top economic advisor, said Tuesday that Chinas response to U.S. efforts to rework the two economic superpowers trade relationship has been extremely disappointing but the planned meeting this weekend between the nations leaders is an opportunity for a breakthrough. They have to do more. They must do more, Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters ahead of a Saturday dinner between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 Summit in Argentina. I think the president is exactly right  to show strong backbone when prior administrations did not, to break through these Chinese walls, Kudlow said. Theyre so resistant to change. We have to protect the country. We have to protect our technology, our inventiveness, our innovation. Read More Facebook

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Watch live: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds a media briefing amid tensions at the border By Los Angeles Times Staff Facebook

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Democrat TJ Cox grabs lead over Republican David Valadao in nations last remaining undecided House race By Maya Sweedler Democrat TJ Cox slipped past Republican incumbent David Valadao on Monday to take the lead in the countrys sole remaining undecided congressional race, positioning Democrats to pick up their seventh House seat in California and 40th nationwide. Cox, who trailed by nearly 4,400 votes on election night, has steadily gained as ballot counting continues nearly three weeks after the Nov. 6 election, a pattern consistent with the states recent voting history. On Monday, he pulled ahead by 438 votes after Kern County updated its results. Read More Facebook

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Former CIA director Michael Hayden hospitalized after suffering a stroke By Deanna Paul Then-CIA Director Michael Hayden testifies before a Senate committee in 2008. (Saul Loeb / Getty Images) Former CIA Director and retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke, his family said Friday. He is receiving expert medical care for which the family is grateful, according to a statement issued by his namesake organization. The General and his family greatly appreciate the warm wishes and prayers of his friends, colleagues, and supporters. Hayden, 73, served as director of the CIA and National Security Agency during the George W. Bush and Obama administrations. He retired from the CIA in 2009. Hayden has been a vocal critic of Donald Trumps campaign and presidency. Earlier this year, after Trump decided to revoke the security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan, Hayden was one of several former intelligence leaders who signed a statement in opposition. Criticizing the president for crossing a line, he quickly became one of the individuals whose security clearance Trump threatened to review. Deanna Paul writes for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Trump tells troops hes thankful for what hes done for the U.S. and rails against courts and migrants By Associated Press President Trump talks with troops via teleconference from his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on Thanksgiving. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump used his Thanksgiving Day call to troops deployed overseas to pat himself on the back and air grievances about the courts, trade and migrants heading to the U.S.-Mexico border. Trumps call, made from his opulent private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., struck an unusually political tone as he spoke with members of all five branches of the military to wish them happy holidays. Its a disgrace, Trump said of judges who have blocked his attempts to overhaul U.S. immigration law, as he linked his efforts to secure the border with military missions overseas. Trump later threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico for an undisclosed period of time if his administration determines Mexico has lost control on its side. The call was a uniquely Trump blend of boasting, peppered questions and off-the-cuff observations as his comments veered from venting about slights to praising troops  You really are our heroes, he said  as club waiters worked to set Thanksgiving dinner tables on the outdoor terrace behind him. It was yet another show of how Trump has dramatically transformed the presidency, erasing the traditional divisions between domestic policy and military matters and efforts to keep the troops clear of politics. You probably see over the news whats happening on our southern border, Trump told one Air Force brigadier general stationed at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, adding: I dont have to even ask you. I know what you want to do, you want to make sure that you know who were letting in. Later, Trump asked a U.S. Coast Guard commander about trade, which he noted was a very big subject for him personally. Weve been taken advantage of for many, many years by bad trade deals, Trump told the commander, who sheepishly replied, Mr. President, from our perspective on the water  we dont see any issues in terms of trade right now. And throughout, Trump congratulated himself, telling the officers that the country is doing exceptionally well on his watch. I hope that youll take solace in knowing that all of the American families you hold so close to your heart are all doing well, he said. The nations doing well economically, better than anybody in the world. He later told reporters, Nobodys done more for the military than me. Indeed, asked what he was thankful for this Thanksgiving, Trump cited his great family as well as himself. I made a tremendous difference in this country, he said. Facebook

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Trump contradicts CIA assessment that Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi killing By Josh Dawsey | Washington Post (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump on Thursday contradicted the CIAs assessment that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, insisting that the agency had feelings but did not firmly place blame for the death. Trump, in defiant remarks to reporters from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, defended his continued support for Mohammed in the face of a CIA assessment that the crown prince had ordered the killing. He denies it vehemently, Trump said. He said his own conclusion was that maybe he did, maybe he didnt. I hate the crime .... I hate the cover-up. I will tell you this: The crown prince hates it more than I do, Trump said. Asked who should be held accountable for the death of Khashoggi, who was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Turkey, Trump refused to place blame. Maybe the world should be held accountable because the world is a very, very vicious place, the president said. He also seemed to suggest that all U.S. allies were guilty of the same behavior, declaring that if the others were held to the standard that critics have held Saudi Arabia to in recent days, we wouldnt be able to have anyone for an ally. Trumps remarks came after he held a conference call with U.S. military officers overseas, during which he repeatedly praised his administration and sought to draw the officers into discussions of domestic policy. Facebook

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Former FBI Director James Comey gets subpoena from House Republicans By Bloomberg Former FBI Director James B. Comey said he has received a subpoena from House Republicans, according to a Twitter post on Thursday. Bloomberg News reported last week that Comey would be receiving a subpoena alongside former Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch as part of continuing probes into their handling of investigations into Hillary Clinton and Russian election meddling, according to a top House Democrat. Happy Thanksgiving. Got a subpoena from House Republicans. Im still happy to sit in the light and answer all questions. But I will resist a closed door thing because Ive seen enough of their selective leaking and distortion. Lets have a hearing and invite everyone to see.  James Comey (@Comey) November 22, 2018 Read More Facebook

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Republican David Valadaos lead slips to 447 votes over Democrat TJ Cox in still-undecided Central Valley House race By Mark Z. Barabak Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), right, finds himself in an increasingly harrowing cliffhanger against Democrat TJ Cox. (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) On election night, it looked like Rep. David Valadao had survived a close shave and was destined to return to Washington for his fourth term. But on Wednesday, when Fresno County announced its latest vote totals, the Hanford Republican found himself in an increasingly harrowing cliffhanger against Democrat TJ Cox, with his lead in the Central Valley district shrunken to 447 votes. Thousands remain to be counted. Valadao, a repeated Democratic target, finished election night with a lead of nearly 4,440 votes. Cox, an engineer and a business owner who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2006, has steadily gained ground in the 21st Congressional District ever since. The trend is consistent with historic patterns showing Republicans in California tend to vote early and Democrats later, meaning their mail ballots continue to stream in past election day. Under California law, ballots postmarked up to midnight on Nov. 6 will be counted. Democrats have already picked up six House seats in California. They ousted Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, Mimi Walters, Steve Knight and Jeff Denham and won the seats of retiring Reps. Ed Royce and Darrell Issa. All six represented districts that backed Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016. Valadao was the seventh California Republican in a district Clinton won, though his previous successes  he last won reelection by a 14-point margin  suggested his ouster was a longer shot for Democrats. If Cox prevails, it would give Democrats a 40-seat gain nationwide, far more than the 23 seats needed to take control when Congress reconvenes in January. Facebook

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Trump says no new punishments against Saudi Arabia in Jamal Khashoggi murder By Eli Stokols In this Oct. 25 photo, candles are lit in front of a photo of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Lefteris Pitarakis) President Trump made it clear on Tuesday that he does not intend to punish Saudi Arabia or Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an American resident killed by Saudi officials in Turkey in October. In a remarkable statement replete with exclamation points, Trump cast doubt on the CIAs reported conclusions that it has a high degree of confidence that the crown prince ordered Khashoggis murder and sent his closest allies to Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul to carry it out. Read MoreThis article has been updated with staff. Facebook

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Sixteen House Democrats vow to oppose Nancy Pelosi as next speaker By Mike DeBonis | Washington Post House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Sixteen House Democrats said Monday that they will vote to deny Rep. Nancy Pelosi another stint as House speaker, a show of defiance that puts her opponents on the cusp of forcing a seismic leadership shake-up as their party prepares to take the majority. Their pledge to oppose Pelosi (D-San Francisco), both in an internal caucus election and a Jan. 3 floor vote, delivered in a letter sent to Democratic colleagues, comes as Pelosi has marshaled a legion of supporters on and off Capitol Hill to make her case. But her opponents said Monday they are convinced it is time to select a new leader. We are thankful to Leader Pelosi for her years of service to our Country and to our Caucus, they wrote. However, we also recognize that in this recent election, Democrats ran on and won on a message of change. Pelosi has expressed complete confidence that she will retake the speakers gavel in January  eight years after she lost it following massive Republican gains in the 2010 midterms and 16 years after she was first elevated to the top Democratic leadership post in the House. Come on in, the waters fine, she said Friday about a potential leadership challenge. The signers might not be able to force Pelosi out themselves. The size of the Democratic majority remains in flux, but Democrats have already won 232 seats, according to the Associated Press, with five races still undecided. All those races have Republican incumbents, but the Democratic challenger is ahead in only one of them. If the leads hold in the uncalled races, Democrats would have won 233 seats, a 16-seat majority. That means Pelosi could lose as many as 15 Democratic votes when she stands for election as speaker on Jan. 3. Read More Facebook

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Democratic senators sue over Whitakers appointment as acting attorney general By Associated Press Acting U.S. Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitaker (Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images) Three Senate Democrats filed a lawsuit Monday arguing that Acting Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitakers appointment is unconstitutional and asking a federal judge to remove him. The suit, filed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, argues that Whitakers appointment violates the Constitution because he has not been confirmed by the Senate. Whitaker was chief of staff to Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions and was elevated to the top job after Sessions was ousted by President Trump on Nov. 7. The Constitutions Appointments Clause requires that the Senate confirm all principal officials before they can serve in their office. The Justice Department released a legal opinion last week that said Whitakers appointment would not violate the clause because he is serving in an acting capacity. The opinion concluded that Whitaker, even without Senate confirmation, may serve in an acting capacity because he has been at the department for more than a year at a sufficiently senior pay level. President Trump is denying senators our constitutional obligation and opportunity to do our job: scrutinizing the nomination of our nations top law enforcement official, Blumenthal said in a statement. The reason is simple: Whitaker would never pass the advice and consent test. In selecting a so-called constitutional nobody and thwarting every senators constitutional duty, Trump leaves us no choice but to seek recourse through the courts. The lawsuit comes days after a Washington lawyer challenged Whitakers appointment in a pending Supreme Court case dealing with gun rights. The attorney, Thomas Goldstein, asked the high court to find that Whitakers appointment is unconstitutional and replace him with Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein, the second-ranking Justice Department official, has been confirmed by the Senate and had been overseeing special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Whitaker is now overseeing the investigation. The Justice Department issued a statement Monday defending Whitakers appointment as lawful and said it comports with the Appointments Clause, the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and legal precedent. There are over 160 instances in American history in which non-Senate confirmed persons performed, on a temporary basis, the duties of a Senate-confirmed position, Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said. To suggest otherwise is to ignore centuries of practice and precedent. Facebook

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Gov. Rick Scott says Sen. Bill Nelson concedes Florida Senate race By Associated Press Republican Senate candidate Rick Scott speaks with his wife, Ann, by his side at an election watch party in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 7. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) Floridas Republican Gov. Rick Scott says incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson called him to concede defeat in their extremely tight race. Scott issued a statement Sunday saying Nelson graciously conceded their Senate race shortly after the states recount ended. The final results show Scott defeated Nelson by just over 10,000 votes out of 8 million cast. Nelson is scheduled to release a videotaped statement later Sunday. The defeat ends Nelsons lengthy political career. The three-term incumbent was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000. Before that he served six terms in the U.S. House and as state treasurer and insurance commissioner for six years. Scott spent more than $60 million of his own money on ads that portrayed Nelson as out-of-touch and ineffective. Nelson responded by questioning Scotts ethics and saying he would be under the sway of President Trump. Facebook

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Orange County goes blue, as Democrats complete historic sweep of its seven congressional seats By Michael Finnegan Gil Cisneros defeated Republican Young Kim on Saturday in the last of Orange Countys undecided House races, giving Democrats a clean sweep of the states six most fiercely fought congressional contests and marking an epochal shift in a region long synonymous with political conservatism. With Cisneros victory, Democrats will constitute the entirety of Orange Countys seven-member congressional delegation, the first time since the 1930s that the birthplace of Richard Nixon, home of John Wayne and spiritual center of the Republican Party will have no GOP representative in the House. Sitting back in the 1960s, I would never have believed this would happen, said Stuart K. Spencer, a party strategist who spent more than half a century ushering Republicans, including President Reagan, into office. Read More Facebook

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Going, going ... with midterm wipeout, California Republican Party drifts closer to irrelevance By Michael Finnegan For a party in freefall the last two decades, California Republicans learned that its possible to plunge even further. The GOP not only lost every statewide office in the midterm election  again, in blowout fashion  but Democrats reestablished their supermajority in Sacramento, allowing them to legislate however they see fit After major defeats in Orange County and the Central Valley, two longtime strongholds, Republicans will have a significantly smaller footprint on Capitol Hill. (Democrats hold both Senate seats.) When the vote-counting is finished, the GOP may not even have enough lawmakers in Californias 53-member House delegation to field a nine-person softball team. Read More Facebook

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Congresswoman-elect Katie Porter says she will support Rep. Nancy Pelosi for speaker By Maya Sweedler Democratic Rep.-elect Katie Porter is congratulated by volunteers at her campaign headquarters in Irvine. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Congresswoman-elect Katie Porter said she plans to support Rep. Nancy Pelosis bid for speaker of the House and will make campaign finance reform her top priority when she enters the chamber in January. Im going to continue to have conversations, but so far I feel like Leader Pelosi is definitely making the things that were a priority to the families that elected me her priorities, including announcing her support for campaign finance reform and anti-corruption as HR1, Porter said in her first public appearance since being declared the winner in Californias 45th Congressional District on Thursday evening. It means a lot to me that she is a Californian. She understands our state, Porter added. When we talk about environmental protections, this is a person who understands as a Californian how fragile our environment is and whats at risk in things like drilling off our coasts. Porter, a law professor at UC Irvine, defeated two-term Republican Rep. Mimi Walters. The 45th District, covering inland Orange County, has never been represented by a Democrat. Porter became the third Democrat to claim a Republican-held seat in Orange County, following the victories of Harley Rouda in the 48th District and Mike Levin in the 49th. A fourth, Gil Cisneros, is running slightly ahead of his Republican opponent in the race for the open seat in the 39th District, which extends into Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Porter attributed the massive political shift in the county, for decades a conservative stronghold, to increased levels of political engagement. Folks here care about education, they care about the environment, they believe climate change is real, they want healthcare that protects preexisting conditions, they want a tax system that doesnt punish California, they want our schools and places of worship to be safe from gun violence, she said. Those are the issues we campaigned on, and to the extent that Donald Trump and Mimi Walters were on the wrong side of those issues, the voters have made clear what direction they want us to go. Porter was flying back from the East Coast when her race was called, she said. She turned on her phone to find 167 text messages from friends and supporters. Among them was Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who was one of Porters teachers in law school and with whom she has remained close. The pair spoke via FaceTime this morning, she said. Facebook

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Bitter battle for Senate seat in Florida goes to hand recount By Associated Press Employees look through damaged ballots during a recount Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) Floridas acrimonious battle for the U.S. Senate headed Thursday to a legally required hand recount after an initial review by ballot-counting machines showed Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson separated by less than 13,000 votes. But the highly watched contest for governor between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum appeared to be over, with a machine recount showing DeSantis with a large enough advantage over Gillum to avoid a hand recount in that race. Gillum, who conceded the contest on election night only to retract his concession later, said in a statement that it is not over until every legally casted vote is counted. The recount so far has been fraught with problems. One large Democratic stronghold in South Florida was unable to finish its machine recount by the Thursday deadline due to machines breaking down. A federal judge rejected a request to extend the recount deadline. We gave a heroic effort, said Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher. If the county had three or four more hours, it would have made the deadline to recount ballots in the Senate race, she said. Meanwhile, election officials in another urban county in the Tampa Bay area decided against turning in the results of their machine recount, which came up with 846 fewer votes than originally counted. Media in South Florida reported that Broward County finished its machine recount but missed the deadline by a few minutes. Counties were ordered last weekend to do a machine recount of three statewide races because the margins were so tight. The next stage is a manual review of ballots that were not counted by machines to see whether there is a way to figure out voter intent. Scott called on Nelson to end the recount battle. Its time for Nelson to respect the will of the voters and graciously bring this process to an end rather than proceed with yet another count of the votes  which will yield the same result and bring more embarrassment to the state that we both love and have served, the governor said in a statement. The recount has triggered multiple lawsuits, many of them filed by Nelson and Democrats. The legal battles drew the ire of U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker, who slammed the state for repeatedly failing to anticipate election problems. He also said the state law on recounts appears to violate the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that decided the presidency in 2000. We have been the laughingstock of the world, election after election, and we chose not to fix this, Walker said during a morning hearing. Walker vented his anger at state lawmakers and Palm Beach County officials, saying they should have made sure they had enough equipment in place to handle this kind of a recount. But he said he could not extend the recount deadline because he did not know when Palm Beach County would finish its work. This court must be able to craft a remedy with knowledge that it will not prove futile, Walker wrote in his ruling turning down the request from Democrats. It cannot do so on this record. This court does not and will not fashion a remedy in the dark. The overarching problem was created by the Florida Legislature, which Walker said passed a recount law that appears to run afoul of the 2000 Bush vs. Gore decision by locking in procedures that do not allow for potential problems. A total of six election-related lawsuits are pending in federal court in Tallahassee as well at least one lawsuit filed in state court. Walker also ordered that voters be given until 5 p.m. Saturday to show a valid identification and fix their ballots if they have not been counted due to mismatched signatures. Republicans appealed the ruling, but an appeals court turned down the request. State officials testified that nearly 4,000 mailed-in ballots were set aside because local officials decided the signatures on the envelopes did not match the signatures on file. If those voters can prove their identity, their votes will be counted and included in final official returns due from each county by noon Sunday. Walker was asked by Democrats to require local officials to provide a list of people whose ballots were rejected. But the judge appointed by President Obama refused the request, calling it inappropriate. Under state law, a hand review is required with races that have a margin of 0.25 percentage points or less. A state website put the unofficial results showing Scott ahead of Nelson by 0.15 percentage points. The margin between DeSantis and Gillum was at 0.41 points. The margin between Scott and Nelson had not changed much in the last few days, conceded Marc Elias, an attorney working for Nelsons campaign. But he said that he expected the vote tally to shrink due to the hand recount and the ruling on signatures. The developments fueled frustrations among Democrats and Republicans alike. Democrats want state officials to do whatever it takes to make sure every eligible vote is counted. Republicans, including President Trump, have argued without evidence that voter fraud threatens to steal races from the GOP. Facebook

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Democrat Gil Cisneros pulls ahead of Republican Young Kim as more votes are tallied in Orange and San Bernardino counties By Michael Finnegan Congressional candidate Gil Cisneros (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Democrat Gil Cisneros pulled ahead of Republican Young Kim in one of Californias undecided congressional races Thursday, an ominous sign for a GOP already reeling from its loss of four House seats in the state. In updated vote counts released by the registrars for Orange and San Bernardino counties, Kim fell 941 votes behind Cisneros in the contest to succeed Republican Rep. Ed Royce in Californias 39th Congressional District. The 39th straddles Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Orange counties. In another unresolved House race, Democrat Katie Porter pulled further ahead of Republican incumbent Mimi Walters in the 45th District, which includes Mission Viejo, Tustin, Irvine, Rancho Santa Margarita and Laguna Hills. Porter, a consumer attorney and UC Irvine law professor, is now 6,203 votes ahead. The Nov. 6 midterm election has been devastating to Republicans in California. If Cisneros and Porter win, the party will have lost six of its 14 House seats in the state, essentially a wipeout in every contest that both parties spent heavily to win. The three Republicans already bounced from Congress are Reps. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa, Steve Knight of Palmdale and Jeff Denham of Turlock in the San Joaquin Valley. Democrat Mike Levin won the seat of retiring GOP Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista in the fourth district flipped so far. Facebook

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Florida Senate race likely headed to second recount By Associated Press A Palm Beach County Sheriffs deputy walks past boxes of ballots before a recount on Nov. 15 in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee) Unofficial Florida election results show that the governors race seems to be settled after a machine recount but the U.S. Senate race is likely headed to a hand recount. Republican Ron DeSantis is virtually assured of winning the nationally watched governors race over Democrat Andrew Gillum. Florida finished a machine recount Thursday that showed Gillum without enough votes to force a manual recount. Unofficial results posted on a state website show the margin between U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Gov. Rick Scott is still thin enough to trigger a second review. State law requires a hand recount of races with a margin of 0.25 percentage point or less. Counties have until Sunday to inspect the ballots that did not record a vote when put through the machines. Those ballots are re-examined to see whether the voter skipped the race or marked the ballot in a way that the machines cannot read but can be deciphered. The election will be certified Tuesday. Read More Facebook

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Pelosi says she has the votes to become the next House speaker By John Wagner Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi speaks during a news conference in Washington on Nov. 14. (Susan Walsh) House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi insisted Thursday that she has the votes to become the chambers speaker despite solid opposition from more than a dozen Democrats who want fresh leadership when the party takes control next year. I have overwhelming support in my caucus to be speaker of the House, the San Francisco lawmaker told reporters. I happen to think at this point, Im the best person for that. A vote within the Democratic caucus is scheduled for Nov. 28. The full House votes on Jan. 3 to elect a new speaker. During her remarks, Pelosi touted the size of the Democratic victory in the midterms, which she called almost a tsunami. With a few races still to be decided, Democrats are poised to pick up close to 40 seats in the chamber. Pelosi called that the biggest victory for the Democrats since 1974, when the Watergate babies came in. Pelosis comments come as she faces solid opposition from at least 17 Democrats, setting the stage for a battle over who will ascend to one of the most powerful positions in Washington. After a campaign in which some Democrats prevailed in competitive districts by promising to oppose her, a coalition of incumbents and newly elected members has denied her a smooth path to the speakership. The defections, if they stand, would leave Pelosi, who has led the Democrats for more than 15 years, several votes short of the 218 she would need when the full House votes for speaker Jan. 3. However, no Democrat has stepped forward to run against her for a job she held from 2007 through 2010. Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) told reporters Wednesday that shes being encouraged to stand for speaker if Pelosi doesnt have the votes. In an interview with the Washington Post on Thursday, she said she has been overwhelmed by the support from many of her colleagues for her possible entry into the race for House speaker. Over the last 12 hours, Ive been overwhelmed by the amount of support Ive received, Fudge said, adding that there are probably closer to 30" Democrats who have privately signaled that they are willing to oppose Pelosi. Things could change rapidly, Fudge said. Fudge, 66, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said she is building a diverse coalition as she mulls a speaker run, talking with allies in the caucus, moderate Democrats and newly elected members. To this point, Pelosi has enjoyed the strong backing of the Congressional Black Caucus. On Thursday, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), one of its members, wrote a letter to colleagues praising her insight, fortitude and strategic thinking and urging support for her speakership bid. Former Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr., an African American who is contemplating a 2020 presidential bid, also voiced support for Pelosi, praising her in a tweet as an architect of the recent midterm success. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), a leader of the resistance to Pelosi, said during an interview on CNN on Thursday that Fudge is the kind of new leader that we need in this party. Shes in touch with middle America. She understands what the American people want. Shes a next-generation leader that people will look to and say, Thats the future of our party, thats the future of our country, and thats exactly the kind of leader that I want to see as our next speaker. Wagner reports for the Washington Post. The Posts Robert Costa, Erica Werner, Mike DeBonis, Paul Kane and Elise Viebeck contributed to this report. Facebook

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GOP Rep. Jeff Denham concedes to Democrat Josh Harder in Central Valley race By Maya Sweedler Rep. Jeff Denham (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) Republican Rep. Jeff Denham has conceded to Democrat Josh Harder in the race to represent Californias 10th Congressional District in the San Joaquin Valley. It has been an absolute honor to serve our community and represent the Central Valley in Congress over the past eight years, the 51-year-old congressman said. The enormity of the responsibility was never lost on me. My wife Sonia and I look forward to starting the next chapter of our lives. Harder said he had spoken with Denham and the two were committed to a productive transition. Denham, an Air Force veteran, previously represented the region in the state Senate for eight years and founded a company specializing in plastic packaging used in agriculture. While a member of Congress, he sat on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Veterans Affairs and Agriculture committees. First-time candidate Harder was born and raised in the district. After graduating from Stanford University, he served as vice president of a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Since moving back, he has been teaching at Modesto Junior College. Denhams House seat is one of four in California that Republicans lost in the Nov. 6 election, with two contests in Orange County still undecided as of Thursday morning. Jeff Denham called me this morning and we had a very productive conversation. I'm honored that I've been chosen to serve our community in Congress, and we're both looking forward to a productive transition that best serves the people of District 10.  Josh Harder (@JoshHarder) November 14, 2018 Facebook

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Democrat Katie Porter now nearly 3,800 votes ahead of GOP Rep. Mimi Walters By Maya Sweedler Rep. Mimi Walters thanks all of her supporters as she watches election results in Irvine on Nov. 7, 2018. (Alex Gallardo / Associated Press) Democrat Katie Porter opened a 3,797-vote lead Wednesday over Republican Rep. Mimi Walters in Orange Countys 45th Congressional District. In the neighboring 39th, Democrat Gil Cisneros has nearly tied the race against Republican Young Kim. Cisneros now trails Kim by a razor-thin margin of 122 votes. The 39th District straddles Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties; Wednesdays updated ballot counts came from the latter two. There are more than 202,000 ballots left to count in Orange County, which includes parts of seven congressional districts. The 45th is entirely in inland Orange County. In California, the ballots counted first tend to lean Republican and those tallied later skew Democratic. In the Central Valleys 21st Congressional District, Democratic challenger TJ Cox has pulled within 2 percentage points of Rep. David Valadao, who is serving his third term. The Associated Press had projected a win for Valadao on election night, but his 4,839-vote advantage has shrunk to 2,090. Back in CA-21, Valadao (R) wins a batch of ballots from his stronghold in Kings Co., but by a considerably smaller margin (14 points) than his previous ~30-point margin in the county. We're moving to Lean R from Likely R; today a bit scary for Valadao.https://t.co/WqJVUVkqGW  Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 15, 2018 A spokesman for Valadao told the Fresno Bee that the changes were expected and that [s]tatistically, David Valadao has won this race. Democrats in California have already flipped four House seats, defeating three Republican incumbents and claiming an open seat previously held by the GOP. Reps. Steve Knight of Palmdale, Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa and Jeff Denham of Turlock have already lost their races, and retiring Rep. Darrell Issas San Diego County seat was claimed by Democrat Mike Levin. Facebook

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Trump aide departs West Wing after rebuke from Melania Trump By Associated Press First Lady Melania Trump. (Alain Jocard / AFP-Getty Images) Deputy national security advisor Mira Ricardel is leaving the White House, one day after First Lady Melania Trumps office issued an extraordinary statement calling for her dismissal. No replacement was named. Aides said Ricardel clashed with the first ladys staff over her visit to Africa last month. Yet it is highly unusual for a first lady or her office to weigh in on personnel matters, especially the presidents national security staff. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Ricardel would have a new role in the administration. On Tuesday, Stephanie Grisham, the first ladys spokeswoman, released a statement saying, It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House. President Trumps White House has set records for administration turnover. Ricardel was the third person to hold the post under Trump. An ally of national security advisor John Bolton, Ricardel began her service in the Trump administration as associate director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, then moved to the Commerce Department last year. Bolton brought her into the West Wing shortly after taking the job in April. He is traveling in Asia this week alongside Vice President Mike Pence. Facebook

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Race for House Minority Leader is Kevin McCarthys to lose By Associated Press (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is running to take over next years shrunken caucus in closed-door elections that will set the tone for the new Congress. The race for minority leader is McCarthys to lose Wednesday. But the California Republican, who is an ally of President Trump, must fend off a challenge from conservative Jim Jordan of Ohio. Jordan is a leader of the House Freedom Caucus. The two encountered questions and finger-pointing during a private meeting with lawmakers Tuesday night as the GOP sorted through the midterm defeat that put Democrats in the majority next year. Elections Wednesday will also determine party leadership in the Senate. Voting for the biggest race, Nancy Pelosis bid to return as the Democrats nominee for speaker, is later this month. Read More Facebook

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Melania Trump calls for the firing of deputy national security advisor By Justin Sink First Lady Melania Trump arrives at the Chateau de Versailles outside Paris on Nov. 11. (Alain Jocard / AFP/Getty Images ) First Lady Melania Trumps office said she wants Mira Ricardel, the deputy national security advisor, ousted from the White House. It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House, Trumps spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement in response to a question about reports the first lady had sought Ricardels removal. Ricardel is the top deputy to national security advisor John Bolton. She drew the first ladys wrath after threatening to withhold National Security Council resources during Melania Trumps trip to Africa last month unless Ricardel was included in her entourage, one person familiar with the matter said. Grishams statement comes as several media outlets have reported that President Trump is considering a broader shakeup of his administration, including ousting Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Sink and Jacobs report for Bloomberg. Read More Facebook

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CNN sues Trump over the suspension of Jim Acostas White House press credentials By Jim Puzzanghera CNN said Tuesday that it is suing President Trump and other administration officials over the decision to suspend the White House press credentials of correspondent Jim Acosta after a conflict at a news conference last week. The suit, to be filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, escalates an ongoing battle between Trump and the cable news outlet that he frequently accuses of disseminating fake news for its aggressive coverage of him and his administration. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acostas 1st Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their 5th Amendment rights to due process, CNN said in a written statement. If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials. Read More Facebook

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Maxine Waters to take aim at Wells Fargo and Deutsche Bank as new head of House Financial Services Committee By Jim Puzzanghera Rep. Maxine Waters plans to zero in on two big banks  Wells Fargo & Co. and Deutsche Bank  when she becomes head of the powerful House Financial Services Committee. The Los Angeles congresswoman, now the committees top Democrat, is widely expected to gain the gavel after her party won control of the House in last weeks elections. While Waters has outlined a wide-ranging agenda, she said her focus on bank oversight will target two large institutions she has been tangling with for a while  including one, Deutsche Bank, that spills into her bitter feud with President Trump. With Trump in the White House, I know that our fight for Americas consumers and investors will continue to be challenging. But I am more than up to that fight, Waters wrote in a letter last week to her Democratic colleagues on the committee that was obtained by The Times. Read More Facebook

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Heres how a controversial voting system will decide a congressional race in Maine By Kurtis Lee For the first time in U.S. history, a controversial voting system known as ranked choice is being used to decide a federal election. Its happening in Maine, which adopted the system in 2016. Rather than marking a single candidate, each voter ranks them all, assigning a first-place vote, a second-place vote and so on down the ballot. Read More Facebook

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ACLU files suit to stop Trumps new asylum limits By Associated Press A group of Central American migrants march to the office of the U.N.'s humans rights body in Mexico City on Nov. 8. (Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press) The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a legal challenge to President Trumps order denying asylum to migrants if they cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in San Francisco and argues the new rules are against the law. Attorney Lee Gelernt said the regulations will put families in danger. The suit seeks to declare the regulations invalid and wants a judge to stop the rules from going into effect while the litigation is pending. The new rules were spurred in part by caravans of Central American migrants slowly moving north on foot, but officials say they will apply to anyone caught crossing illegally. Officials say about 70,000 people who enter the country illegally claim asylum. The order invoked the same national security powers Trump used to push through his travel ban. Read More Facebook

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Trump on new acting AG: I dont know Matt Whitaker By Associated Press President Trump talks with reporters before departing for France on the South Lawn of the White House on Nov. 9. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) President Trump is moving to distance himself from Matthew Whitaker as he faces criticism over his choice for acting attorney general. Trump told reporters Friday that I dont know Matt Whitaker and said he didnt speak with Whitaker about special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Whitaker has made public comments critical of Muellers investigation, and critics have called on Whitaker to recuse himself from oversight of the inquiry. Under former Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, the investigation was overseen by Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein. Of the scrutiny Whitaker is facing, Trump said: Its a shame that no matter who I put in they go after. He also called Whitaker a very highly respected man. Whitaker was Sessions chief of staff before Trump made him Sessions interim replacement. Facebook

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg out of hospital after fall By Associated Press The Supreme Court says 85-year-old Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is home after being released from the hospital. She had been admitted for treatment and observation after fracturing three ribs in a fall. The court said Ginsburg was released Friday. Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg says she is doing well and working from home. The court had previously said the justice fell in her office at the court on Wednesday evening and went to George Washington University Hospital in Washington early Thursday after experiencing discomfort overnight. Ginsburg broke two ribs in a fall in 2012. She had two prior bouts with cancer and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. Facebook

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Gun-control activist Lucy McBath defeats GOP Rep. Karen Handel in Georgia By Associated Press Lucy McBath speaks during a rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams on Nov. 2 at Morehouse College in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer / Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Democratic gun-control activist Lucy McBath has defeated Republican Rep. Karen Handel of Georgia in a suburban congressional district long considered safe for the GOP. Handel had to seek reelection after winning her seat last year in a close special election race against Democrat Jon Ossoff. McBath became an advocate for stricter gun laws after her son, Jordan Davis, was fatally shot at a Florida gas station in 2012 by a man angry over loud music the teenager and his friends were playing in a car. McBaths margin of victory was narrow enough for Handel to have requested a recount. The Associated Press declared McBath the winner Thursday after Handel conceded. Handel conceded in a statement Thursday morning, stating that after reviewing all of the election data, its clear she came up a bit short in Tuesdays vote. Handel congratulated McBath, offering good thoughts and much prayer for the journey that lies ahead for her. McBath, who is African American, declared victory Wednesday. Facebook

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized after fracturing 3 ribs in fall By Associated Press Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press) The Supreme Court says 85-year-old Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fractured three ribs in a fall in her office at the court and is in the hospital. The court says the justice went to George Washington University Hospital in Washington early Thursday after experiencing discomfort overnight. The court says the fall occurred Wednesday evening. Ginsburg was admitted to the hospital for treatment and observation after tests showed she fractured three ribs. Ginsburg broke two ribs in a fall in 2012. She has had two prior bouts with cancer and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. Facebook

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White House suspends press pass of CNNs Jim Acosta after heated exchange with Trump By Associated Press The White House on Wednesday suspended the press pass of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta after he and President Trump had a heated confrontation during a news conference. They began sparring after Acosta asked Trump about the caravan of migrants heading from Latin America to the southern U.S. border. When Acosta tried to follow up with another question, Trump said, Thats enough! and a female White House aide unsuccessfully tried to grab the microphone from Acosta. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement accusing Acosta of placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern, calling it absolutely unacceptable. The interaction between Acosta and the intern was brief, and Acosta appeared to brush her arm as she reached for the microphone and he tried to hold onto it. Pardon me, maam, he told her. Acosta tweeted that Sanders statement that he put his hands on the aide was a lie. CNN said in a statement that the White House revoked Acostas press pass in retaliation for his challenging questions Wednesday, and the network accused Sanders of lying about Acostas actions. This conduct is absolutely unacceptable. It is also completely disrespectful to the reporters colleagues not to allow them an opportunity to ask a question. President Trump has given the press more access than any President in history.  Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 Contrary to CNNs assertions there is no greater demonstration of the Presidents support for a free press than the event he held today. Only they would attack the President for not supporting a free press in the midst of him taking 68 questions from 35 different reporters...  Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 As a result of todays incident, the White House is suspending the hard pass of the reporter involved until further notice.  Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 Sanders provided fraudulent accusations and cited an incident that never happened. This unprecedented decision is a threat to our democracy and the country deserves better, CNN said. Jim Acosta has our full support. Journalists assigned to cover the White House apply for passes that allow them daily access to press areas in the West Wing. White House staffers decide whether journalists are eligible, though the Secret Service determines whether their applications are approved. Facebook

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Trump spars with reporters at post-election news briefing, ordering several to sit down By Associated Press  President Trump assails CNNs Jim Acosta at a White House news conference. President Trump sparred with reporters at his post-election news conference, ordering several to sit down and telling another hes a rude, terrible person. He told another reporter hes not a fan of yours, either. The presidents mood turned sour Wednesday after reporters pressed him on why he referred to a migrant caravan making its way to the U.S. on foot through Mexico as an invasion. Trump ramped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric against the caravan in the final days of the midterm elections. Trump was also pressed on why his campaign aired an ad featuring a Mexican immigrant convicted of killing American police officers and linking the mans actions to the caravan. Several television networks pulled the ad after airing it or declined to air it at all. Facebook

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Im living one hour at a time at this point By Christine Mai-Duc Republican congressional candidate Young Kim and gubernatorial candidate John Cox campaign in Rowland Heights. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Republican congressional candidate Young Kim greeted gubernatorial candidate John Coxs giant campaign bus, the words HELP IS ON THE WAY emblazoned across it, as it rolled into the parking lot outside her Rowland Heights field office. Standing beside Cox on Saturday, Kim predicted that a string of GOP victories Tuesday would start with voters repealing the gas tax hike. Can you imagine Gavin Newsom being our governor? Can you imagine Gil Cisneros being your representative? Kim asked the crowd, to loud boos and cries of Nooo! The former state assemblywoman who worked for retiring Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) is vying for his seat with Democrat Gil Cisneros. She led the crowd in chants of Enough is enough! and, though short-lived, Drain the swamp! Ive served you in Sacramento and Ive seen dysfunction personally, Kim continued. We cannot continue that route. She urged her supporters to stay and help make phone calls or walk neighborhoods. Lets get out there  the 72 hours is really critical. Its all going to come down to a few votes, it could be your vote, she said pointing to her left, then pivoting right, it could be your vote. So dont sit back and do nothing. Every night I go to sleep thinking, OK, how many more votes can I get or how many more people can I call tomorrow? Kim said. It can be physically exhausting but Im mentally, emotionally very energized. She listed off her events so far that day  and the next one she was heading to. Thats just what I can remember, she said. Im living one hour at a time at this point. Kims campaign invited press to two of her events on Saturday. After she was whisked away to her next event  a high tea fundraiser in Walnut, a couple dozen volunteers remained. John Freeman, a statewide field manager for the state Republican Party, tried to pump them up. This is the Super Bowl. Were not in an NFL stadium, were not getting paid millions of dollars, but you know what? Freeman said. Were walking on the field right now. This is that high-stakes-level game. Facebook

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Its going to be tough out there Democratic candidate Katie Porter speaks to volunteers in Mission Viejo. Jon Bauman, Bowzer from the band Sha Na Na, is in the background. (Victoria Kim / Los Angeles Times ) Judging from the cheers in the crowd, about half those assembled at Katie Porters campaign headquarters in Mission Viejo Sunday morning were old enough to remember 70s rock n roll star Bowzer from the band Sha Na Na. Jon Bauman, as Bowzer is known off stage, said it was her position on senior issues including retirement and social security that has him out supporting Porter over her opponent, incumbent Rep. Mimi Walters. I want you to make sure every phone is called and every door is knocked, he told the crowd of about 80 volunteers. There has never been a more important election. Both Bauman and his nephew, California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman, were interrupted by yells from Trump supporters coming from an adjoining hillside. We love Trump, the voice cried out. We love him too, he makes great fodder, the younger Bauman retorted, before introducing Porter. Porter, a UC Irvine law professor and first-time candidate, acknowledged the uphill battle some of her canvassers might face in this more conservative end of the long-red Orange County district. I know its going to be tough out there, she said, motioning to the hillside. But she said the attacks meant the other side viewed her campaign as a significant threat. This election is going to be close, she said. If we dont fight all the way to the finish line, until 8 oclock on Tuesday, this could slip away. Bowzer then took to a keyboard piano to lead the crowd in a reworded rendition of the song Good Night Sweetheart: Good night, Mimi Walters, he crooned. A woman in a black tank top, jeans and flip flops holding a cup of coffee later joined the crowd with her two sons, 17 and 14, the younger one wearing a Trump 2016 T-shirt. She declined to give her name, saying she was concerned about being attacked, but said she lived up the hill and said she had been the one yelling. She said she was encouraging her sons to talk to people on both sides and make up their own minds. We need to have a government that runs the way government teachers are telling kids its supposed to be run, said the woman, a retired registered dental assistant who voted early for Mimi Walters. Referring to Democrats, she said: Theyve had control over all these years and Californias gone to crap. Among those canvassing was Stacie Campbell, 37, who was at the launch with her husband Jerome and three children, the youngest of whom was 2 months old. Campbell, a Mission Viejo resident who runs a business, had never canvassed or volunteered for campaigns before, and her husband is a French citizen and unable to vote. She said they had been talking to their children  the older ones are 5 and 2  about the presidency and the government since Trumps election. Together, they worked on homemade Katie Porter lawn signs and put them up around town. This is the first time its felt like a big deal and there isnt a president up for election, she said. Because her city is a mix of conservatives and liberals  her next-door neighbor is an NRA-supporting Republican  she the race felt mThe Burbank City Council whittled down its long list of 28 candidates to eight people Thursday night who could serve out the rest of the late Councilman Will Rogers term.

After hearing each candidate explain why they should be chosen, council members selected the people they think deserve in-depth interviews on Monday.

The following candidates will be going on to the next round of the selection process and will be interviewed in this order: Robert S. Brody, John Bwarie, Christopher John Rizzotti, Carolyn Elizabeth Jackson, Linda Helen Muchamel, Barry Gussow, Timothy Michael Murphy and Paul Richard Herman.

The order was randomly determined during the meeting by City Clerk Zizette Mullins.

During the upcoming special meeting on Monday, council members will ask each candidate the same five questions. Each person will have 15 minutes to respond to the questions.

When not being interviewed on Monday, candidates will be sequestered in a separate room to ensure fairness among applicants.

After the interviews are completed, each council member will pick one person they think is best suited for the position, meaning that, at most, four people could be nominated as finalists.

Once the finalists are determined, council members will deliberate and vote on a candidate to step into the vacant seat. The person selected will officially be a council member Monday night, but they will be sworn into office during a council meeting on May 22.

Although 28 people qualified for the first round, candidate Davida Frieman withdrew her application before the meeting on Thursday.

Some candidates received multiple nominations. The candidate picked by Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy, Vice Mayor Sharon Springer and Councilman Jess Talamantes was Carolyn Jackson, a retired 34-year employee with the city of Los Angeles.

Jackson has also spent about 33 years volunteering in Burbank, currently serving as a member for the citys Art in Public Places Committee and Parks and Recreation Board, as well as a board member for the nonprofit Family Promise of the Verdugos.

Another candidate who received more than one nomination  from Springer and Councilman Bob Frutos  was Paul Herman, a real estate broker in Burbank, who is currently president of the Boys & Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley and a board member of Burbank Water and Power and Burbank Noon Rotary.

It is this commitment to service that has given me some insight as to the level of dedication it takes to serve in public office, Herman said. I know the toil and time each of you dedicate to the council. I applaud your efforts and would like to emulate your commitment to service.

Candidate Timothy Murphy also received two nominations, one from Frutos and the other from Gabel-Luddy. Spending 15 years as a Los Angeles County Superior Court commissioner and more recently as a private practice attorney, Murphy told council members that he was a good fit for the job because of his many years being involved with Burbank politics.

Additionally, Murphy was Rogers campaign manager when he ran for office in 2015, and Murphy said he would be honored if he could finish Rogers term.

Anybody who knows me will tell you that Im well-prepared, a hard worker and get along well with others, Murphy said. Id like to work with you. Youre a good group.

Candidate Linda Muchamel rounded out Gabel-Luddys nominations. Muchamel, a Burbank native who is a lawyer in the city, told council members her goal is to help people in need.

Muchamel has volunteered with several nonprofits, including the Fairouzah American Assn.s scholarship committee and Public Counsel.

What I find most rewarding about the law is that I can volunteer and give back to the community in a unique way, she said.

Springer also nominated Robert Brody, an administrative law judge who currently is a member of the Burbank Art in Public Places Committee.

Brody said that being in his profession has trained him to weigh all the facts before he makes a decision, adding that he is not interested in rubber-stamping projects through.

When Im looking for an answer, Im not just looking for a decision, he said. Im looking for the right decision.

Candidate John Bwarie, who was nominated by Talamantes, is a fairly new Burbank resident and said he is looking to contribute to his new community.

Bwarie, who is executive director of the San Fernando Valley Council of Governments, said he is familiar with having to deal with budgets and other issues that cities, like Burbank, can face.

You need someone who will complement your skills and expertise, and Im the best suited to do that, he said.

Candidate Christopher Rizzotti was Talamantes other nominee for the vacant seat. Rizzotti is a lifelong Burbank resident and currently serves on the citys Planning Board.

As such, Rizzotti said he is familiar with many of the development issues that Burbank and its residents have been facing.

Having served on the Planning Board for five years, I bring a voting track record to the table that includes numerous significant projects and programs that have impacted our city for the better, he said.

Frutos other nomination went to Barry Gussow, a Realtor in Burbank who currently serves on the Parks and Recreation Board.

However, Gussow has served on numerous city and nonprofit boards and commissions in the past, including the citys Traffic Commission, Family Service Agency, Burbank on Parade and Leadership Burbank.

Through the years, Ive had dealings with most of the department directors and supervisors, as well as much of the staff, Gussow said. They know me. They know my work ethic. They know that Im not just some resume builder.

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpioLauri Burns had the most unlikely training for becoming a mother. In fact, shes kind of like the St. Augustine of mothers.

As a child growing up in New York, Burns was beaten by her dad. Then, when her dad got caught beating her, he convinced the police she was the crazy one and she was locked away in a mental institution, where she was occasionally put in a straitjacket.

Burns busted out six months later and fled to Orange County, where her mother was living, and found solace in heroin and cocaine. Since heroin and cocaine cost money she started hooking on Harbor and Beach boulevards. By age 19 she had a baby girl named Summer. And by 22 that baby was taken away from her and placed in foster care. Burns stayed on the streets. Until one day when two men with a gun raped her and left her for dead on a dark canyon road.

This all happened before she turned 24.

After she was saved on the side of the road by a Good Samaritan driver, Burns saw the light. She went to rehab, got sober, enrolled in school to learn computer networking  and got her daughter back.

At age 26, Burns, by now climbing the corporate ladder on her way to a supervising position at Northrop Grumman, decided that the pain she went through happened for a reason: So that she could dedicate her life to helping other girls going through pain. Burns has since taken in 39 foster care children. And not the easy ones, either. But the cutters. The drug addicts. The kids who want to kill themselves.

Currently she has two foster kids living in her Mission Viejo home. One lost both her parents by the time she was 12. Now she works in a doctors office and is in school to be a nurse.

Not only does Burns feed these kids and clothe them, she tells them that they are strong and worth something and that she will stand by them no matter what.

I dont throw people away, she tells them.

Lauri Burns, far right, chats with former foster kids in the living room of her house in. Burns Teen Project provides a transitional home for girls whove aged out of the foster-care system at 18. (Don Leach / Staff Photographer )

Janelle Hinshaw is one of the kids Burns has fostered. She has been Burns daughter for 10 years. Her biological mother abused her when she was a toddler. At 6, she was run down by a drunk driver, suffering multiple organ injuries, which led to countless surgeries. It didnt lessen the abuse back home, though. Social Services finally took her away from her parents when she was 14, only to place her and her little sister with a group home mother who was a verbally abusive alcoholic.

At night she would cry.

I remember asking God why I didnt get a mom that would care for me. And I prayed that God would bless me and show me some kind of favor. I was praying for a real mom. I was so lost and alone, Hinshaw says.

One Christmas Eve she called Social Services begging to be removed from the abusive home, which happened to be in Irvine. The social worker gave her a cell phone number for Burns.

Burns picked up the phone, and the next day Hinshaw and her sister were at Burns house, celebrating Christmakah (Burns is Jewish) with her other foster kids.

It was like we were in a very dark space and she just had angel wings and took us home, Hinshaw says. I felt safe. It was like a ballet. It was beautiful.

Hinshaw lived there for about five years until she went off to college.

The moment I moved into her house it was an uphill walk, Hinshaw says. You get counseling and you get therapy. Its OK, we need a plan. What do you love? What are you good at? What will you thrive in?

Hinshaw got certified as an EMT within a year and today she is a health information analyst with a husband and a home in Mission Viejo.

In 2007, Burns started the Teen Project to help girls who wound up on the streets after their foster parents kicked them out when they turned 18. Three years later, the Teen Project opened a six-bed house in Lake Forest. It has since provided a transitional home for 77 girls. The girls can stay up to two years, during which time Burns puts them through vocational school and brings in volunteers to teach them life skills like cooking and budgeting.

Lauri Burns, center, with some of her former foster kids, from left, in Lake Forest: Kylie Spurrier, Rachel Weldon, Miriam Storch, Emily Brennan, Danni Jelden and Lili Grossman. (Don Leach / Staff Photographer )

Burns story has made headlines, landing her in People magazine and on Oprahs website. It has also generated support from celebrities such as Mark Wahlberg, Will and Jada Smith and Bruce Willis.

In 2014, philanthropist Bill Johnson asked her if she would work with him to open a rehab home near Burbank. Freehab gets girls off the streets, off drugs and into schooling. So far 710 girls have passed through. The newest resident: A girl who jumped off a bridge in Pasadena last month, is paralyzed and has nowhere to go.

Social workers and therapists run Freehab (for $200,000 a month), but Burns tries to get to know all the girls. She is closer with the kids at the Teen Project house in Lake Forest. Every Wednesday they go to her home for dinner and she often shows up at their house with take-out Chinese food to watch TV.

I know everything about those kids, she says. Are they getting good grades? Are they going to work on time? Are they making curfew?

And if theyre not?

I have a come-to-Jesus meeting with them, Burns says. Im just like a regular mom.

And just like a regular mom, she hands out chores and advice.

Everything I know today about being a woman, about character and purpose, she had all those talks with me, Hinshaw says. Then she laughs. We had our mother and daughter fights, too.

But Burns own traumatic past, and incredible comeback, earn her a respect that few other adults can command.

Shes walked the same walk, Hinshaw says. She knows the horrible feeling of wanting to unzip yourself from your own skin.

At the same time, she doesnt wallow.

She doesnt let us mope around and feel sad about ourselves or be the victim, Hinshaw says. Shell say: You just need a new plan, girlfriend.

And possibly a shopping trip to Nordstrom.

We get our nails done, go bowling, go to the beach  just regular family stuff, Burns says.

She wants us to feel like we arent foster kids, Hinshaw says. Like were not trash, but have worth and value. Im probably going to cry now. I really love her. Ill love her till the day I die.

For more information on the Teen Project, go to theteenproject.com.

Lori Basheda is a contributor to Times Community News.Chef Ivan Calderon, owner of Taco Rosa and Taco Mesa restaurants, has received the Surfrider Foundations Ocean Friendly Restaurant status for three of his restaurants, including Taco Rosa in Newport Beach.

The Ocean Friendly Restaurants program recognizes and promotes practices that protect oceans and beaches.

Calderon eliminated the sale of beverages in plastic bottles and began offering plastic straws only on request, uses seafood guided by Seafood Watch and implemented water and energy conservation efforts, the foundation said.

Oversize Creme de La Mer jar on exhibit through Sunday

Luxury skincare brand La Mer will exhibit an oversize Creme de La Mer jar to promote its Way to Love La Mer campaign through Sunday at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.

The custom-built jar stands 18 feet tall and wide and may be viewed at South Coast Plazas Jewel Court.

Leeza Gibbons to speak at Womens Business Symposium in H.B.

Comerica Bank will present its 12th annual Southern California Womens Business Symposium from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 18 at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa, 21500 Pacific Coast Hwy.

The event will feature Emmy Award-winning TV host Leeza Gibbons as keynote speaker. Proceeds will support Girls Inc. of Orange County.

Tickets are $195. For more information, visit bit.ly/2wB5IC4.

Fill bakery to open in shuttered Golden Truffle space

Hawaii native James Millis will open the bakery Fill in the location formerly occupied by the Golden Truffle at 1767 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa.

The establishment is expected to open in June and will serve malasadas  a Portuguese pastry  along with small-batch ice cream and coffee from Old Town Roasting Co.

Design firm in Pasea and Lido House hotel projects wins award

WATG, an integrated design firm with local projects including the Pasea Hotel & Spa in Huntington Beach and the Lido House hotel in Newport Beach, won the Global Award at the 23rd annual Assn. for Corporate Growth Orange County Awards.

More than 100 nominees were submitted for the 2018 competition, which began last fall.

Eilos Kitchen brings pop-up to Corona del Mar

Eilos Kitchen will have a pop-up location at the corner of Avocado Avenue and East Coast Highway in Corona del Mar from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays to offer seasonal menu options.

The pop-up is scheduled to run through Oct. 25.

For more information, call (949) 304-9595.

Corona del Mar resident opens Kumon Math and Reading Center

Corona del Mar resident Shamini Wijay, a 20-year veteran of the engineering industry, has opened Kumon Math and Reading Center of Corona del Mar at 2700 E. Coast Hwy.

The Kumon method is intended to help preschool- to high school-age children advance their math and reading skills.

The business requires franchisees to have a four-year college degree, be proficient in math and reading and have investment capital of at least $70,000 and net worth of at least $150,000.

For more information, call (949) 668-1566 or visit kumon.com/corona-del-mar.Five Glendale police officers were enjoying an evening of live music with friends and family in Las Vegas last October when the night took a deadly turn after a lone gunman fired upon the 22,000 people gathered for the Route 91 Harvest festival.

The outdoor venue quickly descended into chaos as concertgoers ran to find cover. The Glendale Police Department officers were near each other when the shots were first fired but soon became separated in the rush of people.



For the record: A previous version of this story stated John Dishoian was the security guard who fired his gun in the Glendale Galleria in March. Its been corrected to reflect that it was Mike Romero who fired his gun.

Though they were separated, Sgts. Manny Fernandez and Danny Fernandez, Dets. Matt Landsberger and Eric Meyer and Officer Christian Magarino jumped into action to help and protect the people around them while the gunman continued to fire at the crowd.

In the end, a total of 59 people were killed in what has been called one of the worst mass shootings in modern American history.

The mens actions were recognized during the Glendale Police Awards luncheon on Thursday. Hosted by the Glendale Police Foundation and presented by ABC-7 anchor David Ono, the event saw the five men honored with the Heroism Award.

Rather than have each mens individual action singled out during the luncheon, the five decided to be attributed as a group.

The officers helped take wounded strangers to safety, dismantled a barricade that blocked an exit and rendered medical aid to those who had been shot.

Under great threat of injury or death to themselves, each of these five tapped into a deeper need to serve others and ignored self-preservation, Ono said.

Other awards that were given out included the Glendale Police Departments Chiefs Awards of Excellence which were handed out to police cadet Argam Khoabahshian and Paul Schlossman, the schools dean of student affairs.

Brittany Lerian was the recipient of the inaugural Youth Service Award. Lerian helped established a K9 tribute in the police departments lobby.

The tribute consists of a granite wall inscribed with the Glendale Police K9 Tribute, the K9 badge and K9 prayer, Ono said. In front of the wall stands a life-sized bronze statue of a German shepherd.

Sal Areyan, Bryant Ramos, John Dishoian and Mike Romero were honored with community service awards for their actions during an attempted robbery at the Bhindi jewelry store in the Glendale Galleria in March. Ono said the men helped capture one of the robbers, with Romero being the security guard who fired his gun toward the would-be thieves.

Distinguished Service Awards were given to Detective Petros Kmbikyan and Officers Sharon Kim and Frank Segura as well as Communications Operator Michelle Lewis.

Officer Michelle Gonzalez received the Glendale Police Officer of the Year award.

andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_TrucTwenty-six people were killed and seven wounded in an attack in a rural area of Burundi, the countrys security minister said Saturday, calling it the work of a terrorist group he did not identify.

Speaking at the scene, Alain Guillaume Bunyoni told reporters that 24 people were killed in their homes Friday night and two others died of their wounds at a local hospital.

He gave no further details about the attack in the Ruhagarika community of the rural northwestern province of Cibitoke.

The attack came shortly before a May 17 referendum that could extend the presidents term. It was not immediately clear if the attack was related.

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One survivor told the Associated Press the attackers came around 10 p.m. local time and attacked households and set fire on houses. Some victims were hacked with machetes and others were shot or burned alive, she said.

Her husband and two children were killed, she said. She spoke on condition of anonymity, citing safety concerns.

This East African country has seen deadly political violence since early 2015 when President Pierre Nkurunziza successfully pursued a disputed third term. An estimated 1,200 people died.

Now Burundians are being asked to vote on a proposed constitutional change to extend the presidents term from five years to seven, which would allow Nkurunziza to rule for another 14 years.

Campaigns ahead of the referendum have been marred by hate speech, with one ruling party official sent to prison after he called for those who oppose the referendum to be drowned.

The United States earlier this month denounced violence, intimidation and harassment against those thought to oppose the referendum and expressed concern about the nontransparent process of changing the constitution.

Human Rights Watch has noted widespread impunity for authorities and their allies, including the ruling partys youth wing, as they try to swing the vote in the presidents favor.

Many in Burundi, a poor country that still relies heavily on foreign aid, worry that a new round of bloodshed will follow the referendum, no matter its results.

Already more than 400,000 people have fled the country since the political unrest began in April 2015, according to the United Nations.

Nkurunziza, a former rebel leader, rose to power in 2005 after Burundis civil war, which killed about 300,000 people. He was reelected unopposed in 2010 after the opposition boycotted. He said he was eligible for a third term in 2015 because lawmakers, not the general population, chose him for his first term.At first, it was merely a bizarre Chinese tidbit involving recycled cooking oil, a famous rapper, and an internet mix-up that went viral. Then the government intervened.

The story began on Jan 7, when the words Zi Guang Ge gutter oil began trending on Weibo, Chinas version of Twitter. Zi Guang Ge means the pavilion of violet light, which sounded like a restaurant name, and gutter oil refers to illegally recycled, low-grade oil that some restaurants use to cut costs. Many figured the posts referred to a food safety scare.

They were wrong.

In fact, Zi Guang Ge is a magazine on political affairs run by the Chinese Communist party. Earlier, the magazine had taken to Weibo to criticize PG One, a popular Chinese rapper, for lyrics boasting of drug abuse and misogyny. The criticism infuriated some of the rappers avid fans, who were outraged that a restaurant  or so they assumed  was insulting their hero.

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The fans paid an army of online posters to tarnish its name by suggesting that it was using illicit oil. Their misfire led Chinas internet authorities to reprimand Weibo, which said that it accepted all the criticisms from the regulators, and voluntarily suspended its trending topics list as a show of obedience.

China has been cracking down on paid online commenters  widely called Water Armies, because they fill up web space with bland information that dilutes meaningful conversation. But as authorities clean the internet of noise, some experts say theyre also taking the opportunity to shore up control and inject their own official -- yet not necessarily truthful -- version of events.

Paid online commenters are common throughout the world, including in the U.S., where Russian troll farm operations tried to influence the 2016 presidential election. But they assume an extra dimension in China, where private-sector water armies and government efforts to influence public opinion uneasily coexist.

Chinas president Xi Jinping has overseen a severe tightening of government control over the internet in recent years. Last June, the country formally enacted a broad cybersecurity law that demanded real-name registration for all online commenters, making the true identity of any poster visible to regulators.

In early February, the official New China News Agency reported that the Ministry of Public Security had been waging a war on the water armies since last May. The police claimed to have closed more than 40 cases, the biggest of which involved about $630,000, according to the reports.

Much like in the West, Chinas social media is rife with heated arguments and verbal attacks. While some topics -- including a long list of political issues deemed sensitive by the government -- are quickly hushed up, others, such as celebrity scandals and consumer product reviews, often heat up into freewheeling debates.

These debates authenticity has recently come under scrutiny. For example, Chinas state media CCTV reported in last April that Eternal Love, a popular TV drama, garnered 1.4 billion online plays within a single day, while Chinas entire population is about 1.3 billion. The report questioned the authenticity of the figure, noting that promoters could spend as little as about $15 to purchase 100,000 clicks on the black market.

Water armies provide a variety of services, according to media reports. Besides clicks, buyers can also pay water armies to mass-produce positive comments and ratings for their products, or negative ones for a competitor. Additionally, when there is a negative comment on the web, the Water Army can repeatedly reply with illegal content, such as advertisements for online casinos, to force the moderator to delete the entire thread.

Chinese authorities appear to deem the water armies a serious danger to the countrys internet. Internet water armies generally produce false information, make slanderous attacks, and engage in illegal promotion They scare the righteous netizens into silence, said the New China News Agency in early February.

But others arent so bothered, noting that water army posts tend to lack subtlety, making them identifiable to the trained eye.

Although state media have rushed to praise the water army crackdown, some experts point to inconvenient similarities between hunter and prey. Chinas government maintains the so-called 50 Cent Party, its own organization of commenters paid to write posts favorable to the government. The group got its name from a rumor that they receive a half a yuan, or around 8 U.S. cents, for each post.

Online marketing activities and the governments online commentator campaigns are not entirely separate things, said Xiao Qiang, an Adjunct Professor at UC Berkeleys School of Information and the founder of China Digital Times, an independent China news portal.

Xiao said that whereas the online campaigns to influence public opinion for business purposes is widespread, the political use of such campaigns is common to only a few governments. A lot of companies use influence campaigns to promote their products, semi-legally without getting caught, he said. Every country has this, but in the political arena, Russia uses this strategy in really obvious ways, and China in particular controls public opinion on a very large, obvious scale. These two governments are particularly infamous for doing this.

The 50 Cent Party has a significant presence on Chinas internet. A 2017 Harvard study estimates that on average, 448 million social media comments are posted by members of the 50 Cent Party in a year.

The 50 Cent Party is the largest governmental effort to selectively censor the flow of information in the history of the world, said Gary King, a Harvard political science professor who spearheaded the study.

Chinas internet users tend to conjure an image of 50 Cent Party members as quick to shout down or otherwise silence government critics, contributing to an online environment of rampant censorship. But despite this popular stereotype, King found that the 50 Cent Party does more cheerleading than arguing.

In this area, the goal of the Chinese leaders is to end the debate and change the subject, King said. He compared the situation to a person trying to get out of a fight with a family member, where intellectual counterarguments hardly ever attain the goal. A second option is to say Hey, lets go get ice cream. To distract. To change the subject.

Officially titled Internet Commentators, 50 Cent Party members come from a variety of backgrounds. While the public often picture shady figures typing away at a computer for money, Not everybody gets paid, said the Berkley professor Xiao. He named ardent college students and members of the Communist Youth League as two additional groups that post pro-government comments for nonmonetary benefits such as good political record.

The experts suspect that the crackdown on the water armies will only further the governments control of online opinions.

This is the direction of Chinas government -- that the opinions will be more and more controlled, manipulated and shaped by the government. Using the water army, or cracking down on unwanted topics by the water army, is just part of that effort, said Xiao.

When Weibo reinstated its trending topics list a week after the PG One incident, users had found a new section next to the old list.

Echoing Xis ideology, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the new section is also called New Era. Each item is an accolade of the governments achievements.

Fan is a special correspondent. Staff writer Jonathan Kaiman contributed to this reportThe Israeli army announced on Saturday that it had destroyed a tunnel dug by Hamas  the Palestinian militia ruling the Gaza Strip  a few feet before it reached the Israeli border, and that it was also shutting down the main cargo crossing into Gaza after fire damage by protesters Friday had rendered it totally unusable.

It was the ninth such tunnel demolished in the last seven months, according to the Israeli army.

On Saturday, the Health Ministry in Gaza reported that a 15-year-old Palestinian identified as Jamal Abu Arahman Afaneh had died from wounds sustained during the protests, raising the death toll from Fridays demonstrations to two, and the total number of Palestinian deaths since protests started on March 30 to 49.

A potentially more violent week ahead looms across all Palestinian territories  along with a surge in casualties  as the weekly protests culminate with a threatened breach of the border.

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Palestinians and Israelis on either side of the Erez border crossing reported loud blasts about 8 p.m. Erez is a pedestrian crossing that 52,000 people used in 2017, according to the Israeli army, the overwhelming number for humanitarian purposes, said Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a spokesman for the Israeli army.

In addition to its immediate and practical effect, the surgical strike on the tunnel along Erez is a signal to Hamas that Israel will not shy away from exerting the full force of its military, if necessary, during a week that will include the inauguration of a new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem; Nakba Day, in which Palestinians mark their dispossession during Israels war of independence; and the start of Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic calendar  each potent events fraught with national, cultural and religious meaning.

Palestinian authorities said that 10 missiles were launched during the Israeli strike to destroy the tunnel, causing no casualties.

Conricus said the half-mile-long tunnel had been dug for months and tracked by the Israelis for weeks.

The Hamas terror organization is trying to create a violent situation and conduct terrorist activity under the cover of riots and demonstrations next week, Conricus said, adding that the Israeli army was prepared for any eventuality.

The Israeli bombing is a miserable and failed attempt to prevent the participation of the masses of our people in the Gaza Great March of Return, Hamas said in a statement. Our answer to this attempt will be the participation of huge numbers in the march toward the border demanding their rights.

Our peoples response will come on Monday by marching to the fence, the statement said.

Israel fears that in the coming week up to 100,000 Palestinians could gather in massive demonstrations at the Gaza border and across the West Bank, where the population has so far remained indifferent to the movement in Gaza. Hamas has threatened to organize masses of people to storm the fence that separates Israel from the beleaguered enclave that has subsisted under a virtual siege since Hamas took the territory over in 2007.

The army said it is deploying three infantry brigades to potential points of conflagration, and coordinating with Israeli security services, police, firefighters and other emergency services in preparation for the week.

Conricus said the army did not have any plans for arresting or otherwise stopping thousands of people crossing into Israel if the attempt to breach the border is successful, since we are determined to avoid any infiltration into Israel and any terror attack on Israeli targets, military or civilian.

He said the army planned to use tear gas and other nonlethal riot dispersal methods and would resort to live ammunition only as a last resort. He also said Israel would try to convey a message of moderation to everyday Gazans, including instructions that they protest at a safe distance from the fence.

We are telling them not to come closer than 300 meters (about 1,000 feet) from the fence. We are telling them that anyone who comes closer than that is putting his life in danger. They should stay away, he said.

Saturdays bombing was also a signal to Israelis living on the border with Gaza, who have grown increasingly anxious as the middle of May approaches, that the army is vigilantly protecting their communities.

The indefinite closing of the Kerem Shalom border post is likely to bring even more misery to Gazas devastated population. Fuel pipes destroyed in fires there are the only vehicle for importing diesel into Gaza for hospital generators and other basic facilities.

On Saturday, the Israeli army released a video showing a few dozen Palestinians cheering as the Kerem Shalom crossing burned.

Hamas is trying to transform the border fence protests, including those expected to take place Monday and Tuesday, into covers for terror attacks, said Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis, the Israeli armys chief spokesman.

Hamas action yesterday against the Kerem Shalom crossing is cynical to both Gazans and donor countries. Hamas is killing the Gaza Strip.

Special correspondent Hana Salah contributed to this report from Gaza City.A pair of European cyclists who disappeared in southern Mexico last month and whose remains later turned up in a rural ravine were victims of an armed robbery and not an accident, a Mexican prosecutor said Friday.

One cyclist was shot in the head and his companion likely died from a head wound caused by a beating, Luis Alberto Sanchez, the chief homicide prosecutor in Mexicos Chiapas state, told the Mexican media.

Last week, a different state prosecutor had said there was no indication of foul play in the high-profile disappearance.

The case of the missing cyclists  Holger Franz Hagenbusch, a German national, 43, and his Polish traveling companion, Krzysztof Chmielewski-Podroznik, 37  has reverberated for weeks on social media and in the European and Mexican press.

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Mexico has seen a spike in murders and other crime that has almost exclusively victimized Mexican citizens and does not appear to have had a major effect on the nations multibillion-dollar tourism industry. Officials in Chiapas vowed to increase security along highways in the wake of the cyclists killings.

The bearded Hagenbusch  pictured in Facebook photos with a broad smile as he sipped soft drinks and listened to music in Mexico  was a veteran cyclist and adventurer who had pedaled through Asia, Europe and the United States before coming to Mexico, according to social media postings. He was planning a trip to Africa.

Last week, after authorities announced that the body of the Pole had been found, an assistant state prosecutor in Chiapas declared publicly that he had likely died in an accident. The narrow road on which the cyclists were riding featured a precipitous drop into the adjoining ravine, authorities said.

But Friday, Sanchez said the two cyclists were victims of an assault, with robbery a likely motive.

We have the loss of two human lives that looks to us like intentional homicide, Sanchez told Mexicos Televisa network.

A bicycle and photographic equipment were among the items missing from the scenes where the bodies were found, the prosecutor said.

The two bodies, badly decomposed, were discovered in a remote area along the winding highway between the cities of San Cristobal de las Casas and Ocosingo in Chiapas. Hagenbuschs remains were found May 4 about 200 yards down a ravine from the site where Chmielewski-Podrozniks body had been discovered April 26, authorities said.

According to media accounts here, a bus driver had reported seeing the two cyclists riding together on the San Cristobal-Ocosingo route April 20.

The German cyclists brother, Rainer Hagenbusch, had issued a plea for help on Facebook in late April after not having heard from Holger in 11 days. Holger Hagenbusch had last been in touch from San Cristobal de las Casas, a colonial town popular with tourists.

On Thursday, Rainer Hagenbusch  who had traveled to Chiapas to identify his brothers body  said on Facebook that he had confirmed that his sibling had died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Rest in Peace Holger, Rainer Hagenbusch wrote. The whole world will miss you. You were something special.

On social media, commentators condemned the killings  many bemoaned an escalating lack of security in Mexico  and paid tribute to Hagenbuschs adventurous life. One YouTube video from a friend featured images of the late cyclist in Asia and Mexico, saying: My heart is broken for you and for Mexico.

The two cyclists were reportedly headed to Ciudad del Carmen, on the Yucatan peninsula, some 300 miles to the north of San Cristobal de las Casas. En route, the pair apparently planned to visit the majestic, remote Mayan ruins of Palenque, a major tourist attraction.

The Mexican media have carried various accounts of assaults along the isolated roads between San Cristobal and Palenque.

Last year, seven assailants wearing ski masks and brandishing arms waylaid a bus carrying 28 Palenque-bound German tourists and robbed them of cash, jewelry and other valuables. None of the tourists were injured in the attack, the Mexican media reported.

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

Twitter: @PmcdonnellLAT

Cecilia Sanchez of The Times Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.Allentown Central Catholic High School students celebrated their prom Friday night at Billera Hall at DeSales University in Upper Saucon Township.

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If these photos have you looking for more prom, check out the photos from last year.

Don't forget to check back to lehighvalleylive.com/prom for full coverage of the celebrations across our region.

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Saed Hindash may be reached at shindash@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SaedHindash. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.An Easton man was injured Friday night when he crashed his motorcycle while exiting Interstate 78 in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania State Police said.

Phillip Young, 20, was traveling on I-78 west on a Suzuki Drz400 and was speeding as he took the ramp to Emmaus Avenue in Allentown, troopers said.

Young said he was traveling at a safe speed, and was slowing down as he exited the highway. Young said the back tire of the bike slid, which led to the crash.

Young lost control of the bike as he hit a right curve, and the motorcycle fell onto its left side, police said.

Young and the bike slid onto the shoulder, and then off the ramp, according to troopers.

Young suffered minor injuries to his back and left leg, and was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, in Salisbury Township, where he was treated and released.

Young will be issued a citation for speeding, troopers said.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.Liberty High School students celebrated their prom Friday night at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

Scroll through the photos above, and or click through the photo gallery from this year's prom here:

MORE PROM

If these photos have you looking for more prom, check out the photos from last year.

Don't forget to check back to lehighvalleylive.com/prom for full coverage of the celebrations across our region.

SHARE YOUR PROM PHOTOS

Don't forget to tag @lehighvalleylive in your Instagram photos and @lehighvalley on Twitter - we'll highlight the best pics!

BUY THESE PHOTOS

Are you one of the people pictured at this prom? Want to buy the photo and keep it forever? Look for a link below the photo caption to order prints in a variety of sizes or products like shirts or coffee mugs.

Saed Hindash may be reached at shindash@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SaedHindash. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.Two men accused of killing a man during a drug-fueled night in Bethlehem and then stuffing the victim's body in car trunk have reached a plea deal with prosecutors.

James Heimbach, 31, and Charles Yocum, 33, both of Bethlehem, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder Friday in the 2016 killing of Joseph Goda, said Phil Lauer, Yocum's defense attorney.

Each man admitted they were involved in the actions that led to Goda's death, but neither admitted being the person who killed him, Lauer said.

"There are so many things that are unclear about what happened," the night Goda was killed, Lauer said.

Yocum also faced a second case involved abuse of corpse, obstruction, hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence charges related to Goda's killing, but that case was dropped as part of the plea deal, Lauer said.

A pre-sentence investigation was ordered by Northampton County Senior Judge Leonard Zito and sentencing for the pair is scheduled for July.

There is no sentencing agreement as part of the plea, and the charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Both men remain in county prison while they await sentencing.

Police believe the 27-year-old Goda was killed the Friday before Labor Day weekend in 2016.

The trio began partying in the early morning of Sept. 2 at the apartment where Heimbach lived and Yocum sometimes stayed at 945 E. Sixth St. in Bethlehem, authorities said.

A building manager found the crime scene the afternoon of Sept. 2, when he went to the East Sixth Street apartment for a planned meeting with Heimbach to sign a new lease, authorities said.

No one was in the apartment, but police found blood covering the walls of a back mudroom, and blood droplets on the floor and a living room wall.

Officers also found a knife on the garage floor, a shotgun casing on top of the mattress and signs of drug use include a straw, white powdery substance and digital scale on a kitchen counter, the department said.

Two days later, Heimbach's mother called a detective to report her son was being treated at Pocono Medical Center in East Stroudsburg. Pocono Township police allegedly found him running in his underwear through traffic.

In an interview with investigators, Heimbach reportedly said that on Sept. 1 or Sept. 2 he snorted the synthetic drug Flakka, also known as the "zombie drug," with Goda, and that Yocum was with them in Bethlehem.

Heimbach believed Goda was trying to bite him, saying he jumped on top of him and started punching him in the face, police said. Heimbach allegedly told police Goda bit his hands and he was "fighting for his life."

Heimbach said he was able to break free, run out a back door and his next memory was being in Pocono Township.

On Labor Day, Sept. 5, 2016, Bethlehem police found a gray Saab registered to Yocum's mother in the parking lot of Weis Supermarket at the Tannersville Plaza.

Investigators found blood on the driver's seat and headrest, and Goda's bloody body was found in the trunk during a search at Bethlehem's police headquarters after a search warrant was secured.

Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek previously testified there were 13 drugs, including prescription drugs, found in Goda's system. The ause of death was blunt force trauma and the manner homicide.

Police then interviewed Yocum, who told investigators he witnessed Heimbach fatally beat Goda in the head with a shotgun.

Heimbach and Yocum rolled the body up into a rug and placed the body into the trunk of the Saab, according to police.

Yocum allegedly helped drive the Saab with Goda in the trunk and Heimbach in the passenger seat into Monroe County.

The pair planned to dump the body into the ocean of the Jersey Shore, but instead spent a few days continuing their drug-fueled spree, police said.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.TROPHIES

Several people were credited with saving a distraught young resident of the Children's Home of Easton after she jumped from a bridge into the fast-flowing Lehigh River. Diaquian Holloman of Easton, despite his limited swimming ability, waded in and helped create a human chain to pull the girl from the current. He was joined by Patrick Barnes, a part-time Wilson firefighter who had stopped to see if he could help, along with two police officers. Wilson, Palmer Township and state police assisted the rescue. "I think the adrenaline started pumping so we didn't really care what might happen to us at that time," Holloman recalled, after he and his brother, Antwon Gray, got a ride home to get into dry clothing.

Nazareth crossing guard Robert Frings has made a lot of friends in the last few years. School kids, parents and motorists appreciate the upbeat way he treats people at his intersection near the Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity. Three Nazareth residents, Kelly Gold, Amy Danise and Jennifer Kandl, decided to return the favor. Gold set up "Operation Smile" as a tribute on her Facebook page and a Nazareth area Facebook page, which attracted a following from residents, the Nazareth Area School District, the borough police department and the Lower Nazareth fire department, where Frings volunteers. On May 4 the trio organized an event to honor Frings at his corner, which attracted about 40 people. Gold and other parents raised $500 for Frings, who was downsized out of a 22-year job with an insurance company.

TURKEYS

Aaron Ibrahem -- a convicted felon shot and killed by a state trooper at a Walmart Supercenter -- was able to arm himself using a loophole in the law, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin. While Ibrahem was prohibited from buying a weapon because of his criminal record, he was able to legally purchase gun components on the internet and assemble them into a working Glock .40-caliber handgun. Martin said this week an investigation showed that Trooper Brian Bird was justified in fatally shooting Ibrahem during a confrontation March 28 at the Lower Macungie Township store. The Pennsylvania Legislature and Congress need to look into closing this gun-parts loophole.

If you receive a lot of robocalls, you might have heard from Adrian Abramovich. The Miami telemarketer has been fined $120 million by the Federal Communications Commission for sending nearly 100 million "spoofed" robocalls during three months in 2016. The FCC said Abramovich's operation used fake caller ID information to make it appear the call was coming from a local number, attempting to get people to pick up and listen to his advertising pitch -- "Press 1" to hear about "exclusive" vacation offers. Abramovich's robocall flurry "bombarded American consumers and repeatedly disrupted a critical telecommunications service used by hospitals and emergency medical providers," the FCC concluded.New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged voters in the southern Indian state of Karnataka to come out in large number to cast their vote

Polling is underway in 222 out of 224 seats in Karnataka which is witnessing a three-cornered contest among the ruling Congress, the BJP and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's Janata Dal-Secular(JD-S)

Urging my sisters and brothers of Karnataka to vote in large numbers today. I would particularly like to call upon young voters to vote and enrich this festival of democracy with their participation. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 12, 2018

"Urging my sisters and brothers of Karnataka to vote in large numbers today. I would particularly like to call upon young voters to vote and enrich this festival of democracy with their participation," Modi tweeted

The prime minister often uses social media to urge people to vote during elections. PTIFox has canceled the fan-favorite "Lucifer," meaning the third season cliffhanger ending on Monday night will be a frustrating series finale for viewers.

"We created a season finale with a huge cliffhanger so that there was no way Fox could cancel us," showrunner Joe Henderson tweeted Friday after learning of the cancellation. "Instead, we're going to frustrate the hell out of you fans. I'm so sorry for that."

Later, Henderson tweeted, "For people asking what to do... MAKE NOISE. I have no idea if we have a shot of coming back, but I know sure as anything that everyone wants to. We have so many more stories to tell."

"Lucifer" was averaging 4.1 million viewers and a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49 this season, including DVR playback.

Also axed by Fox were "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "The Mick," "The Last Man on Earth" and "The Exorcist."

"Lucifer" star Tom Ellis weighed in on the cancellation on social media.

Ellis, who plays the Lucifer Morningstar who leaves Hell to work with the Los Angeles Police Department, tweeted, " It has been the most amazing experience over the past 3 years playing Lucifer and falling in love with you, the fans. It fills me with great sadness to confirm the rumours that some of you have been asking. Fox has indeed cancelled #lucifer I'm so sorry guys. #gutted"

In a subsequent tweet, Ellis said, "Are we mourning? Or are we Morningstar? I can not tell you how blown away I am by the whole #SaveLucifer thing. Thank you. It means so much to me and everyone involved on the show. Night night. I'm knackered. Let's keep talking."

Co-star Lauren Graham tweeted the hashtag #SaveLucifer and in another

stated, "I want to thank each & every #Lucifer fan out there. You made us proud & we felt so much love from you over these past 3 seasons. I've gained so much from this show & was lucky to be a part of it. Love you all & THANK YOU to our epic show runners."Thirty-six people are without a home after a 6-alarm fire ripped through an apartment building on VFW Parkway in West Roxbury Saturday morning.

Boston firefighters arrived at the apartment building at 1212 VFW Parkway at about 5:50 a.m. and saw the entire building was engulfed. A gas leak was fueling the fire, firefighters said.

Response to 1212 VFW Parkway West Roxbury for a report of a building fire at approx 5:50 am for a building fire. Heavy Fire on arrival. 2 nd Alarm ordered. pic.twitter.com/YclJw0s2VP  Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) May 12, 2018

Firefighters were called to the multi-unit apartment building for reports of heavy fire on three floors just before 6 a.m. A gas leak caused the blaze, firefighters said.

National Grid and Eversource were at the scene as of 7 a.m., firefighters said.

No injuries were immediately reported.An off-duty firefighter helped save his neighbors escape the six-alarm fire in West Roxbury, the Boston Globe reports.

Boston Fire District Chief Scott Wahlen told The Boston Globe that an off-duty firefighter who lives in the building with his wife helped save several of his neighbors.

Wahlen told the Globe that the Ladder 26 firefighter banged on doors and helped four people and his wife escape down ladders.

The firefighter told people outside he: "just made it out," according to the Globe.

"It's a firefighter saying that, it's a big deal," he said.

Boston firefighters rushed to the apartment building at 1212 VFW Parkway at about 5:50 a.m. and saw the entire building was engulfed. A gas leak was fueling the fire, firefighters said.

Firefighters doused the building in water until National Grid and Eversource workers arrived to shut off the gas. The cause of the fire is under investigation.STURBRIDGE -- Massachusetts State Police arrested and charged three people with cocaine trafficking following a Friday afternoon traffic stop in Sturbridge, officials have reported.

Trooper Scott Shea, who is assigned to the Sturbridge state police barracks, was patrolling Route 84 East around 1:40 p.m. when he reportedly observed a gray SUV traveling in the center lane that had been reported as stolen in New York, according to Massachusetts State Police.

Shea, with assistance from Trooper Sergio Figueiredo, stopped the vehicle on 84 East just before Exit 2 in Sturbridge, police reported.

Troopers, following an investigation and search of the vehicle, reportedly found 1,050 grams of cocaine, according to state police.

The vehicle's three occupants -- identified as Candice Elliott, 34, of Laurelton, New York; Crystal Giles, 26, of Rocky Mount, North Carolina; and Carl Francois, 30, of Elmont, New York -- were arrested and brought to the Sturbridge Barracks where they were booked and held pending bail of $10,000, state police reported.

State police charged each occupant with trafficking in cocaine, receiving a stolen motor vehicle and possession to distribute cocaine.

Police did not release further details regarding the arrests.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated if more information is made available.SPRINGFIELD - A judge has jailed a Springfield man, charged with twice striking police cars while drunk, for violating his probation in an earlier case.

Ever A. Diaz, 20, a native of Guatemala, was ordered to serve six months at the Hampden County Correctional Center following a probation violation hearing Tuesday in Springfield District Court.

The sentence, handed down by Judge William Boyle, came three months after Diaz was arrested for allegedly sideswiping a Springfield police cruiser, running two red lights, striking a street sign and knocking over a mailbox while driving drunk.

Following his arrest, Diaz took a Breathalyzer test, which showed his blood alcohol content was 0.23 percent, or nearly three times the legal limit, according to the arrest report.

It was the fourth time in 14 months that Diaz had been arrested in Springfield, and the second time he was charged with striking a police cruiser while drunk.

In October, after allegedly colliding with a state police cruiser, Diaz pleaded not guilty to OUI, assault and battery on a police officer, and two counts of threatening to commit a crime.

At that point he was already on probation in two earlier cases. One involved a charge of resisting arrest and two counts of assault and battery on a police officer. In the other, Diaz was charged with driving an uninsured and unregistered motor vehicle without a driver's license.

Following Diaz's latest arrest in February, state probation officials moved to revoke his probation in the case involving charges of assault and battery on police officers.

On Tuesday, after hearing arguments from Diaz's probation officer and his defense lawyer, Boyle revoked his probation and gave him a six-month sentence.

In addition to the two OUI cases, Diaz, who is in the country on a work permit, is facing the possibility of being deported, according to court records. In a recent court filing, defense lawyer David Keller, who represents Diaz, said he needed more time to discuss the cases with his client and his client's immigration lawyer.

Diaz is due back in court on June 5 for pretrial hearings in the OUI cases.WORCESTER -- The victim of a 2013 shakedown by a quintet of mobsters struggling to gain footing in the Genovese crime family had the final say Friday in a long-running federal investigation.

Or, to be more precise, U.S. District Judge Timothy Hillman had the last say when he sentenced Francesco "Frank" Depergola to 38 months in prison. But tow company owner Craig "C.J." Morel had quite a bit to say about it.

Depergola, 61, of Springfield, was the last defendant to be sentenced in an extortion case focused primarily on a scheme to extort Morel that began on Sept. 30, 2013, with a slap in the face and a threat to kill Morel if he didn't comply.

Depergola's co-defendants Ralph Santaniello and Giovanni "Johnny Cal" Calabrese arrived at Morel's remote plot of land in Hampden that day initially demanding $50,000 in "back taxes" and $4,000 monthly going forward in "tribute" for a new mob regime.

The new Springfield Crew caught wind that Morel once upon a time paid local mafia capo Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno $50,000 annually until Bruno's murder in 2003. Depergola was the bag man for Bruno at that time also, Morel told Hillman. In those days he convinced the new business owner, who had a million-dollar municipal contract, that he was paying off city officials.

"Frank Depergola was part of the corrupt political culture in the city of Springfield," Morel said in court on Friday.

But Morel later learned he wasn't greasing officials at City Hall at all. He had unwittingly gotten in bed with the mob and didn't exactly know how to get out, so he kept paying. Depergola had been a longtime friend of the family, Morel said.

Morel went to state police after Santaniello and Calabrese took a fresh run at him 10 years later. He agreed to secretly record and film 16 meetings with five defendants over a "negotiated" extortion figure of $20,000.

In 2016, Depergola, Calabrese, Santaniello and co-defendants Richard Valentini, of East Longmeadow, and Gerald Daniele, of Longmeadow, were arrested and charged with extortion.

Daniele was charged in connection with stalking a debtor in 2015. He was not implicated in the squeeze on Morel.

All pleaded guilty except Valentini. He took his case to trial and was convicted by a jury in December for extortion-related crimes.

Directly before Depergola's hearing, Valentini received a 20-month federal prison sentence for his role in the Morel conspiracy. The government was pitching a 63-month sentence while defense lawyer Jared Olanoff asked Hillman for probation or house arrest.

Previously, Santaniello, Calabrese and Daniele were sentenced to five, three and two years in prison, respectively.

There was much discussion during Depergola's sentencing hearing about who was actually in charge of the new crew. While Santaniello presented himself as the volatile leader who "smashed" Morel in the face during the initial encounter, Assistant U.S. Attorney Katharine Wagner said Depergola was actually at the top of the food chain with the closest ties to New York mob leaders.

Plus, Wagner argued, it was not Depergola's first time in federal court. In 2006 he was sentenced to two years in prison for loan-sharking to a pizza shop owner. In that case, Depergola was caught on video along with Bruno chasing the man for sky-high interest payments.

"That sentence had absolutely no deterrent effect. ... He's back with the Genovese crime family," Wagner said.

In Morel's case, Depergola's defense attorney Bernard O'Connor argued his client was acting as more of an ombudsman and trying to protect the business owner. Wagner disputed this, countering that Depergola was the one who filtered information about Morel's previous arrangement with Bruno to the new crew.

Lawyers for most of the defendants, in court records and at trial, highlighted the fact that Morel had somewhat of a sketchy history -- getting fired from the Springfield Police Department in the late 1980s for insurance fraud and conceding to the Bruno payments -- as if that made Morel a deserving target of mob shakedowns.

Morel suggested Depergola had a pattern of being a treacherous friend, and a "wolf in sheep's clothing."

While he was never implicated in the crime, Depergola was among Bruno's closest confidants and the only eyewitness to Bruno's gangland-style shooting in a parking lot on Nov. 23, 2003. Bruno was killed by a paid hit man at the behest of rival gangsters, a handful of whom are serving 25 years to life in prison.

Morel quoted Depergola from a recording that he made during a meeting at his auto shop in East Springfield.

"Frank called me his 'friend' too. ... Am I going to be the next murder victim?" Morel asked Hillman.

Both Depergola and Valentini must report to prison by June 22, Hillman ordered.SPRINGFIELD - American International College alumnus Darnell L. Williams delivered the commencement address to more than 1,000 undergraduate students and master's degree candidates at the college's commencement ceremony Saturday at the MassMutual Center.

Williams received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree awarded for outstanding achievement in the social sciences and for significant community contributions at the local and national levels.

Williams, president and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, has made a lifelong commitment to equality and the creation of educational, professional, and personal growth opportunities for African Americans and other minority populations. He has made raising awareness and cultivating solutions to challenges facing communities of color and low-income families his life's work.

Born in Gary, Indiana, Williams attended AIC, graduating with a bachelor of science in business administration in 1979.

In 1996, Williams was elected president of the Springfield branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and became the president of the NAACP's New England Area Conference. In 2001, he was appointed president and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts (ULEM) and, while in that role, his efforts contributed to Boston's successful bid to host the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

In 2011, the ULEM hosted the National Urban League's Annual Conference, marking the first time in 35 years the conference took place in the city of Boston. Williams was elected to a two-year term as president of the Association of Executives for the National Urban League in 2015, and served on the National Urban League Board of Directors.

Williams has been an active participant in many civic, philanthropic, and educational ventures. He is currently a member of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy's Advisory Council on Racial Justice and Equity. Previously, Williams served Governors Deval Patrick and Michael Dukakis as a member of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority Board of Directors and Retirement Fund Board of Trustees.

He has served as trustee of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Bunker Hill Community College, and the Beaver Country Day School. He was a member of the boards of directors for several organizations including the Boston Workforce Development Coalition, the Federal Reserve Community Development Advisory Board, and the Chief Executives' Club of Boston. Locally, Williams served as the director of the United Way of Pioneer Valley, and vice chairman for the Springfield Board of Fire Commissioners.

In 2003, then Mayor of Boston Thomas Menino presented Williams with the community service award, and the Paul Parks Veterans Community Service Award in 2005. Two years later, he was honored with induction into the Human Resources Alliance for African Americans Hall of Fame. Williams received the Civil Rights Leadership Award from Harvard Street Health Center in 2017, and the Transportation Community Partner Award from the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials in 2018.

Williams and his wife, Colleen, live in Roxbury with their daughter Imani.Former national security adviser Michael Flynn is campaigning for Republican candidates around the country as he awaits sentencing for lying to the FBI, an unusual and risky course that has set off speculation and head-scratching over what he hopes to accomplish.

Flynn, the retired general who led the GOP convention in 2016 in a "Lock her up!" chant against Hillary Clinton, released a video endorsement last weekend of one of Democratic Sen. Jon Tester's opponents in Montana and said in a radio interview that he wants to do what he can for others running for office.

In March, Flynn appeared in California with Republican Omar Navarro in his primary bid for the seat held by Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters.

Many defense attorneys wouldn't advise a client convicted of a felony to make speeches and endorsements before going in front of a judge for sentencing.

"Judges like defendants to show a little remorse and be a little penitent about things, so it's risky," said Robert S. Bennett, Bill Clinton's personal lawyer during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

Flynn's lawyer, Rob Kelner, did not return a message seeking comment.

Some of those close to Flynn, who has a home in Middletown, Rhode Island, say he is simply going about his life, staying involved in politics, as special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of the Trump camp grinds on.

Justin Dillon, a former assistant U.S. attorney in Washington who specializes in white-collar crime, theorized that Flynn may be angling for a pardon from President Donald Trump.

"And making his case in public could be one way to help accomplish that," Dillon said. "I think President Trump has shown that he is willing to pardon people that he believes were wrongly treated."

But Bennett cast doubt on the angling-for-a-pardon theory. Flynn is cooperating with Mueller's investigation.

The White House has denied that any pardons have been discussed in connection with the Russia investigation. But Trump recently made a supportive comment about Flynn, tweeting on April 20 that he questioned why Flynn's life "can be totally destroyed" while fired FBI Director James Comey can profit from a new book.

Flynn, 59, served as Trump's national security adviser for 24 days. He pleaded guilty in December to making false statements about reaching out to the Russians on behalf of President-elect Trump.

His sentencing has been put on hold as he cooperates. He faces up to six months behind bars.

In endorsing Republican Troy Downing in Montana, Flynn said it was important to beat Tester in November. Trump has attacked Tester over his role in the failed nomination of White House doctor Ronny Jackson for Veterans Affairs secretary.

Tester "should have just kept his mouth shut. Instead he didn't, and it ruined the career of a great military officer," Flynn said in the video.

Asked by a Montana radio station if he had anything he wanted to say to supporters who believe he was unfairly targeted, Flynn declined and said he was there to talk about Downing.

Downing, who faces a primary in June, said during a candidate forum that he was flattered when Flynn offered his help.

"I think that he's been a casualty in what's going on in D.C., and we need to stand up for our own and we need to fight back," Downing said. "I've seen that across the state, people excited to meet this American patriot."

During Flynn's appearance in California, he told the crowd he wasn't there "to complain about who has done me wrong or how unfair I've been treated or how unfair the entire process has been."

In mid-April, his travels took him to New York City, where he spoke at a think tank.

Also last month, two of Flynn's siblings wrote an open letter in which they said they believe Flynn was the subject of a "political assassination" by the intelligence community that resulted in his being "diabolically spied on, ambushed and framed."

Friends said Flynn is just continuing the kind of political activity he engaged in during the Trump campaign.

"One of the biggest things about the Mueller investigation and having these charges held over his head is he was not allowed to move on," said Thomas A. Heaney Jr., a retired Army colonel who has been close with Flynn since childhood in Rhode Island. "That was part of his motivation for making the deal he made in the first place."The Trump administration is under fire after White House aide Kelly Sadler mocked Sen. John McCain's battle against brain cancer, dismissing McCain's opposition to Gina Haspel because he's "dying anyway." Many feel Trump should fire Sadler and apologize to McCain. That kind of rhetoric starts at the top. But others feel Trump owes McCain nothing. McCain is the one who said Trump is not invited to his funeral. If anything McCain should apologize to Trump. What do you think?

PERSPECTIVES

Many feel this kind of rhetoric starts at the top. Trump and McCain have a history of discord, with Trump famously claiming McCain was "not a war hero... because he was captured." Trump and Sadler owe McCain a serious apology.

I AM SO ANGRY!



COMMANDER in CHIEF MY ASS!@realDonaldTrump is OKAY w what @kellysadler45 said about John McCain! TRUMP IS NO LEADER!



The insult of SILENCE & NO APOLOGY FROM SPEAKS VOLUMES TRUMP & SERVICE MEMBERS & VETERANS!@USNavy @USMC @USAirForce @USArmy @CNORichardson  #HeSureActsGuilty (@TravelingUS) May 11, 2018

. @kellysadler45 I would advise an apology is in order to the McCain Family and @SenJohnMcCain  Harley Rouda (@HarleyRouda) May 10, 2018

John McCain is a war hero, and whether you respect him as a politician or not, hes always been loyal to America. As opposed to Donald Trump, who committed treason. How dare Kelly Sadler or anyone else in the traitorous Trump administration make fun of McCain because hes dying?  Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) May 10, 2018

But others feel McCain is in no position to play the victim. He's the one who said Trump wouldn't be invited to his funeral. If anything, McCain owes Trump an apology.

McCain says Trump should skip his funeral, wants Obama to deliver his eulogy. I'll bet Obama will even lie then by saying McCain was a good man. McCain traitor to the core. RIP if it's not too hot.  #MAGAhttps://t.co/1MTT31Y29x  Steven3657 (@SF3657) May 6, 2018

John McCain is a very arrogant and bitter man.



McCain has spent many years of his life supporting democrats and betraying the people who voted him into office.



Trump is too busy making America great to attend your funeral...

No need to not invite him.#maga #JohnMcCain  America First (@CoreyLMJones) May 7, 2018

John McCain doesn't want President Trump to attend his funeral.



Imagine that. Leaving the world the same way you came into it.....being a crybaby.#MAGA#SaturdayThoughts  GeorgiaPeach (@Real_PeachyKeen) May 5, 2018

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    :      ,  - .

  ,   .GRAND BLANC, MI -- About 300 students braved heavy rainfall to attend Holly High School prom themed "A Masquerade Ball" on Friday, May 11, at the Captain's Club in Grand Blanc.

Students were welcomed with a photo booth, buffet-style dinner and dancing.

The Flint Journal and MLive.com have photographed proms from across Genesee County, including Davison, Carman-Ainsworth and more throughout the state.

Have a look at MLive's prom coverage here.GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A 3-year-old girl was taken to a hospital with a head injury after police say she ran into a Southeast Grand Rapids street and was struck by a vehicle.

Police and rescuers responded about 12:50 p.m. Saturday, May 12 to Oakdale Street SE east of Madison Avenue after the child was struck.

Officers said the girl apparently darted into the street from between two cars as a vehicle was headed east along Oakdale Street.

After the accident, the driver jumped out of the vehicle to check on the child and left it in gear. The vehicle, which appeared to be a mini-van, then proceeded a few hundred yards down Oakdale Street before crashing into a tree.

It wasn't immediately clear if the girl's injuries were life-threatening. One of the first officers at the scene said she was breathing but losing consciousness.

The driver is a 45-year-old man.

According to his father, who came to the scene to wait for his son while police conducted interviews, at least one bystander punched his son in the face before police arrived.

Sgt. Chris Postma said no one needed treatment for any altercation between the driver and others.

"Obviously people were upset," he said.BYRON TOWNSHIP, MI -- Traffic is snarled on U.S. 131 at 100th Street after another semi-truck -- this time carrying large containers -- struck the overpass in the southbound lanes.

Traffic in both directions was moving slowly after the 5 p.m. Friday, May 11 crash.

It appeared that when the containers tumbled off the truck, at least two other vehicles were damaged -- a car and a small box truck. It's not clear if the containers struck the other vehicles or if the crashed.

There were no reports of injuries.

Southbound traffic was backed up a considerable distance, although police were allowing one lane of traffic to pass the scene.

The crash is at least the eighth time the bridge has been struck this year.

Byron Township Fire Department Capt. Scott Harkes said there was no additional damage to the bridge, which was already under repair after being struck Jan. 12 by two trucks hauling shipping containers.

The other bridge strikes caused little or no damage.

Harkes was with Michigan Department of Transportation engineers Friday when they determined the metal containers caused no damage.

He said one container became embedded in the beams underneath the bridge, but crews were able to dislodge it.

"We don't know why they're still hitting it," he said of the several crashes.

MDOT spokesman John Richard said the metal containers, described as crates, were simply stacked too high.

Richard said the truck driver did not have a permit for an oversize load.

He said the section of the bridge struck Friday has a clearance of 14-feet, 7-inches and it is signed as 14-feet, 3-inches. He said there are warning signs to alert truck drivers of the bridge height.LANSING, MI -- In March, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency announced it would declare the open waters of Lake Erie "impaired," a designation that's expected to result in stricter rules on agricultural pollution fueling toxic algae blooms.

The draft declaration has been widely-heralded by environmental groups as an important step toward stopping the annual toxic scum outbreaks in the lake's western basin.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich doesn't sound convinced.

Responding to questions at the Michigan Press Association convention in Lansing on Friday, May 11, Kasich said he doesn't believe the lake's open waters should be designated as impaired because Ohio and federal government lack the criteria to make that call.

"We don't have a definition that declares it'll be impaired," he said. "You just don't go around saying something's impaired if it's not."

Whether offshore waters of Lake Erie should be designated impaired has been a thorny Great Lakes water policy issue -- particularly for Ohio, which contributes the most nutrient pollution to the lake via agricultural runoff in the Maumee River basin.

The federal Clean Water Act requires that states submit a list of unhealthy lakes and rivers every two years to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. An impairment designation starts a public process that's supposed to result in enforceable limits on pollution.

Ohio and Michigan farm bureaus have fought or dismissed the designation as counter-productive; pushing instead for voluntary programs that incentivize farmers to better manage fertilizer application or enact other efforts to curb phosphorus runoff.

Michigan declared its portion of the lake impaired in 2016.

According to the Toledo Blade, scientists now think the lake should have been declared impaired in 2010.

A toxin inside the blue-green algae in the blooms can cause rashes, nausea, headaches and organ damage.

In April, a federal judge in Toledo -- which lost safe drinking water for several days in 2014 due to a toxic algae bloom -- sided with the Chicago-based Environmental Law & Policy Center, which argued in a lawsuit that the U.S. EPA should not have approved Ohio's impaired waters list without Lake Erie's open waters on it.

The EPA withdrew its approval in January.

In his Michigan remarks, Kasich -- who is term-limited this year and wont say whether he's running for president again -- also suggested the Ohio EPA may not have the authority to establish a strict limit on nutrient pollution in the lake, and that he may take some kind of "unilateral" regulatory action related to farm runoff in lieu of getting a bill through the legislature.

He also suggested he might oust administration members "that may not be working as aggressively as I would like."

Forecasters are predicting another large bloom this summer.

Kasich's full remarks are below.

John Kasich: I'm concerned about runoff. I'm concerned about this algae bloom, very much so. And where does it come from? Well, it comes from agricultural runoff. It comes from fertilizer. And we don't want to be having a problem with the agriculture industry. It's important to Michigan, it's important to Ohio, but it's also important to our environment. If you talk to farmers, they say they're the greatest environmentalists, okay. That's true, and I believe that, then you have a handful of people who are not then you better stand up and change the rules, because these synthetic fertilizers and all this runoff is very, very bad.

You also have a problem with these sewage systems and which it dumped into the lake. So, why don't we worry about that and have you take the action that like we're trying to do. The waste water treatment facilities, they need to be improved. We've invested a lot of money in it. So, let's take care of the big, ugly (Asian carp). I've seen it. I was in Chicago at the aquarium and saw that big monster, but there's other things that we can do immediately. If I'm now beginning to declare, and I know in Michigan they declare part of the lake to be in danger, or I forget. What do you call it? Impaired. And we declared part of the lake in Toledo impaired -- which has great ramifications -- and it's a tough issue but we need to work on it because that lake is a jewel.

(speaking for a couple minutes about opioid drug laws)

Garret Ellison: Just a minute ago, you mentioned the impairment designation for Lake Erie around Toledo, but can you explain why it took the state so long to impair the open waters of the lake?

John Kasich: We haven't called the open waters impaired.

Garret Ellison: Why not?

John Kasich: Because we don't have a definition that declares it'll be impaired. You just don't go around saying something's impaired if it's not.

Garret Ellison: You don't think the open waters of Lake Erie are impaired?

John Kasich: No, I do not.

Garret Ellison: Why not?

John Kasich: Because they're not. Because I don't believe that they are, that's why. The evidence and the criteria doesn't. I mean, you don't have any reason to say that they are. I mean, frankly, the lake is -- is the lake better today than it was 10 years ago? Yes. Yes. Now. But it's a big lake. It's not the deepest lake, so in order to apply these things to the runoffs -- You know, the Corps of Engineers was dumping stuff in the lake. We stopped them from doing it. I mean this was a really big fight for us and we were finally able to win. But the lake is so big, it's sort of like I remember when I was smoking cigarettes back when I was in college. I got out and I decided to quit and I went to the doctor. I said, 'Well, how long will it take my lungs to be normal?' He said, 'Oh, not a problem. You know, probably 25 or 30 years.' I mean you can't turn the lake around overnight. And so, if I had the criteria that my folks came to me and we are out there on many environmental projects, working with a lot of environmental groups, [inaudible] the whole lake was impaired, well then we'd have to do it. So, we've declared impaired certain areas of the lake, but we make our impaired based on criteria.

Now there's another part to this, and that is the federal EPA, and I don't mean just under this guy, but the federal EPA does not have criteria for this kind of impairment. So, we're developing our own and we've now moved forward to declare it unilaterally. So, that's kind of what I think about it. Now, if you have other information, I'll give you my EPA Director's name and you can talk to him and we'll hear you out.

Garret Ellison: Well, I understand that the Ohio EPA is also trying to fight the establishment of TMDL pollution cap for the lake. Can you explain why that is?

John Kasich: I don't have any idea what that even is.

Garret Ellison: Well, it's a total maximum daily load for a particular type of pollutant, in this case phosphorous, which, when the lake --

John Kasich: Well, that's because of runoff.

Garret Ellison: Right, and so why is the Ohio EPA not on board with...

John Kasich: We may not have the authority.

Garret Ellison: Yeah, states have that authority.

John Kasich: They don't have the direct authority to do it, because they don't. That's the statute. So, what we're trying to do now is to get the Department of Agriculture, and we just had a long meeting about this the other day. This is going to get these declarations are going to happen before I leave, but let me explain to you. You can go two ways as a public servant, and I will give you the perfect example on opiates.

My folks came to me in the early days of opiates and said, 'We need to impose these stringent limits, and we need to give people the death penalty if they don't abide by it.' I said, 'Well, wait a minute here. What I want is I want us to give them voluntary guidelines so we can follow what is the correct procedures, what are doctors supposed to do, and if they don't do it then we'll give them the death penalty.' Everybody signed up. Everybody signed up and as a result of that, we put in place, I think, the most effective rules, because what you don't want to do is get in between the patient and the doctor. And we have to work with doctors to see what's the right thing to do. And so now we've had such great success.

The same is true now on the issue of agriculture and the environment -- and I'm being somewhat patient -- but we will get, people know, we're going to get to the point where if you don't do this then we're going to declare it even more serious, and we will get this done, even if I have to remove people in my own government that may not be working as aggressively as I would like. So sir, you know, part of leadership is not just to bang the table and get out a sledgehammer to get your way. I think we've seen a lot of that lately. It doesn't work very well. So that's the way that I lead, and we'll see where this goes. And when you raise phosphorous, that's all from fertilizer, okay? I answered that question. So you came up with these terms or whatever and I'm telling you we're working on it. And we are reducing, but we're going to have to have even more action done.

Garret Ellison: You mean mandatory action, or voluntary action?

John Kasich: No, no, no. We'll have regulatory action, okay? .... And by the way I would probably have to do it unilaterally because we'll never get it through the legislature, okay?MUSKEGON, MI -- Gloomy weather didn't stop pet owners from attending the opening of a new dog park in downtown Muskegon.

Downtown Muskegon PetSafe Bark Park, located at 793 W. Western Ave., opened Saturday, May 12. Pet owners and community members came out to celebrate the anticipated event.

"This is really nice," said Heidi Adams, who attended the opening with her 6-year-old black labradoodle, Bella. "It's a beautiful area to come and socialize."

Bark Park includes two areas, a small dog area and a large dog area, both with grassy fields that are fenced in.

As of now, the park is open only during daylight hours, but organizers hope to provide lights in the future. It will be open throughout the spring and summer season, and closed during the winter months.

Local vendors such as Must Love Dogs Boutique, Lindsay's Mobile Dog Grooming Salon, Ebby's Pet Bakery and Muskegon Kennel Club were at the opening giving away dog treats and toys.

Dave Alexander, executive director of Downtown Muskegon Now, an economic development agency, said the idea for a dog park sparked about three years ago. The board for Downtown Muskegon Now felt it needed to create a dog park in order to bring the community together and link the downtown to the neighborhoods, he said.

By 2016, they began the process of putting the fundraising together, which resulted in raising more than $100,000.

The park was funded through Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which provided a $50,000 grant if organizers were able to match the funds, Alexander said. They did this through Patronicity, where they did crowdfunding. The donations raised provided an additional $60,000.

PetSafe, a company that specializes in pet training products, also donated $25,000.

In the future, Alexander said they want to implement lights for the nighttime and snow removal so the park can be open year-round.

"This is community," Alexander said of Saturday's turnout. "This is community in a small town. We are trying to grow the strength of our urban experience and this is just one more aspect of it that's going to be real critical for our development going forward."

Sarah Sass, a committee member for Bark Park, said she wants to get the word out about the park and inform the public that it is now open.

"We're really excited about it," Sass said. "We're happy that it's finally here. People love this. People were giving really generous (donations) for this (project). Muskegon loves dogs."

Adams, a Muskegon native, said she has lived in different states that all had dog parks. After moving back to the area three months ago, she was thrilled to see one was opening in her stomping grounds.

"This is really nice, it's a beautiful area to come and socialize," Adams said. "(I'll) probably come weekly. It's fun to meet other dog owners and chat with people who are visiting the area to share with them what fun there is to do in Muskegon."

More information on the park or how to donate can be found here.MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - In addition to tens of thousands of gruesome rape and murder videos he downloaded, Jeffrey Willis apparently made more than 15,000 of his own videos at high school swim meets showing girls' "private areas," according to testimony in the Jessica Heeringa murder trial Friday.

Gerald McCarthy, a computer crimes expert with the Michigan State Police, said the videos from swim meets and water polo matches were found in a folder on Willis' computer labeled "homemade." They were filmed with a night-vision filter that made it look like you were seeing through girls' swimsuits, McCarthy said.

McCarthy was called as a witness by Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson, who is trying Willis for the 2013 abduction and murder of Heeringa who disappeared from her night job at a gas station. Her body has never been found.

McCarthy said he viewed every one of the "tens of thousands" of "extremely graphic" videos.

"The nature of those videos were murder videos, kidnapping videos, abduction videos, rape videos," McCarthy said. "There were thousands and thousands and thousands on these external hard drives."

One of the hard drives was found hidden inside a cold-air return at Willis' home, earlier testimony indicated.

"This collection was the largest I've ever seen (of) ... extremely graphic videos that had been obtained," McCarthy said.

The videos depicted the use of the same types of items found in Willis' van, including chains, handcuffs, a ball gag and a large J hook, he said.

The "very graphic and gruesome videos" had been downloaded from web sites, he said.

But in the "homemade" folder, there were more than 15,000 videos taken at high schools in Muskegon, Ottawa and Kent counties, he said. They were labeled by the initials of the schools where they were filmed, he said.

Rather than focusing on action in the pools, the videos focused on girls' breasts, buttocks and genital regions, McCarthy said. All of the girls who were filmed were out of the pool, he said.

"It's not a video of the event itself - and there are over 15,000 of those," he said.

McCarthy said they were filmed with a handheld digital video recorder like two found in Willis' van.

Another "homemade" video was obviously filmed from right outside a home's window and showed images between the slats of drawn blinds of girls and women undressing, he said.

Willis has been criminally charged for making those videos.

According to testimony at a previous trial of Kevin Bluhm, Willis' cousin, Bluhm told police he saw Willis with Heeringa's naked, bound body with a video camera on a table nearby. Bluhm told police he helped Willis get rid of Heeringa's body, but then recanted what he said, according to testimony.

Nevertheless, Bluhm was convicted of being an accessory after the fact to murder and served 476 days in jail. He also was convicted of lying to police.

However, none of what Bluhm told police is expected to be presented at the Heeringa trial, Hilson said after Friday's proceedings. He said he is not allowed to have police testify at Willis' trial about what Bluhm told them.

And Bluhm likely would invoke the Fifth Amendment protecting him against self-incrimination as he did at Willis' trial for the murder of jogger Rebekah Bletsch in 2014, Hilson said. Willis was convicted of Bletsch's murder late last year.

Also on Willis' computer was a folder labeled VICS with subfolders labeled with coding that included Heeringa's initials and date of disappearance and Bletsch's initials and date of death, McCarthy said.

The subfolders included photographs of the women and posters seeking help solving the crimes committed against them, McCarthy said. Other Heeringa subfolders included pornographic images of women who looked like her, he said.

McCarthy called the VICS folder Willis' "trophy."

McCarthy also said he found two documents listing Willis' various passwords for websites. One was created in 2010, and the other in 2015. A comparison of the documents showed that Willis had changed five of the passwords to J4L27H13. The letters in the password are Heeringa's initials and the numbers are the date following her disappearance, McCarthy said. She vanished around 11 p.m. on April 26, 2013.

While cross examining McCarthy, defense attorney Fred D. Johnson suggested that the password instead was a collection of numbers and initials representing Willis' father's first name, his grandfather's nickname, his father's age when Willis was born and this grandfather's birthdate.

Among other testimony Friday:May 12, 2018 Countdown To War On Iran John Bolton is a ruthless man: In early 2002, a year before the invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration was putting intense pressure on [Jose] Bustani to quit as director-general of the [Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons].

...

Bolton  then serving as under secretary of state for Arms Control and International Security Affairs  arrived in person at the OPCW headquarters in the Hague to issue a warning to the organizations chief. And, according to Bustani, Bolton didnt mince words. Cheney wants you out, Bustani recalled Bolton saying, referring to the then-vice president of the United States. We cant accept your management style.



Bolton continued, according to Bustanis recollections: You have 24 hours to leave the organization, and if you dont comply with this decision by Washington, we have ways to retaliate against you. There was a pause. We know where your kids live. You have two sons in New York. Jose Bustani successfully negotiated to get OPCW inspectors back into Iraq. They would have found nothing. That would have contradicted the U.S. propaganda campaign to wage war on Iraq. When Bustani did not leave voluntarily, the U.S. threatened to cut the OPCW's budget and "convinced" other countries in the executive council to kick him out. John Bolton was also behind a campaign against the IAEA and its chief Mohamed ElBaradei. ElBaradei's phone was tapped and rumors were launched against him to oust him from his office.

bigger The U.S. administration, the neoconservatives and the media are running a remake (recommended) of the propaganda campaign they had launched to wage war on Iraq. This time the target is Iran: As with Iraq, its easier for Bolton and Netanyahu to achieve that goal if they discredit the current system of international inspections. Bolton has called the inspection efforts established by the Iran nuclear deal fatally inadequate and declared that the International Atomic Energy Agency is likely missing significant Iranian [nuclear] facilities. In his 2015 speech to Congress attacking the Iran deal, Netanyahu insisted that Iran not only defies inspectors, it also plays a pretty good game of hide-and-cheat with them. Anyone who counters their propaganda must go. Bolton, who demands to bomb Iran, is back in charge. One of his natural targets is the IAEA which certifies that Iran sticks to the nuclear deal. It seems that Bolton succeeds with his machinations: The chief of inspections at the U.N. nuclear watchdog has resigned suddenly, the agency said on Friday without giving a reason. The departure of Tero Varjoranta comes at a sensitive time, three days after the United States announced it was quitting world powers nuclear accord with Iran, raising questions as to whether Tehran will continue to comply with it. Varjoranta, a Finn, had been a deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency and head of its Department of Safeguards, which verifies countries compliance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, since October 2013. Another casualty is the State Department bureaucrat who certified Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal: One of the State Departments top experts on nuclear proliferation resigned this week after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, in what officials and analysts say is part of a worrying brain drain from public service generally over the past 18 months. Richard Johnson, a career civil servant who served as acting assistant coordinator in States Office of Iran Nuclear Implementation, had been involved in talks with countries that sought to salvage the deal in recent weeks, including Britain, France, and Germany  an effort that ultimately failed.

...

The office Johnson led has gone from seven full-time staffers to none since Trumps inauguration. The man who launched the war on Iraq now gets awards. Netanyahoo is agitating for war on Iran just like he agitated for war on Iraq. Shady groups of nutty "experts" peddle policy papers for 'regime change'. U.S. "allies" are put under pressure. With their willingness to "compromise" they actually further the prospect of war. When they insist on sticking to international rules malign actors prepare measures to break their resistance. All that is still just a "shaping operation", a preparation of the battlefield of public opinion. This buildup towards the war will likely take a year or two. What is still needed is an event that pushes the U.S. public into war fever. The U.S. typically uses false-flag incidents - the Tonkin incident, the sinking of the Maine, the Anthrax murders - to create a psychological pseudo-rationale for war. An Israel lobbyist begs for one to launch war on Iran. One wonders when and how a new 9/11 like incident, or another Anthrax scare, will take place. It will be the surest sign that the countdown to war on Iran has started. Posted by b on May 12, 2018 at 10:35 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investors point of view. We also respect individual opinionsthey represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.

To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.KEY CAST MEMBERS: Melissa McCarthy, Molly Gordon, Maya Rudolph, Julie Bowen, Gillian Jacobs, Stephen Root, Debby Ryan, Jimmy O. Yang, Chris Parnell, Luke Benward, Adria Arjona, Sarah Baker, Matt Walsh, Heidi Gardner and Jessie Ennis

Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone

DIRECTOR(S):

Ben Falcone

Buoyed by her best friend Christine (Maya Rudolph), Deanna decides to overcome her sadness about her marriage ending by righting the one thing shes always regretted: Not finishing her college degree by going back to school with her daughter. But as she will soon find out, being a college student in her 40s is going to be even wilder than it was when she was in her 20s  Especially if her daughters friends have anything to say about it.

HERES THE STORY: Deanna (Melissa McCarthy) is having a great time; her daughter Maddie (Molly Gordon) is starting her final year of college and she is set to go on a dream vacation to Italy with her husband Dan (Matt Walsh).

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Melissa McCarthy fans; Mike & Molly fans; Lifetime movie fans





WHO WONT (OR SHOULDNT) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People hoping for something more like McCarthys earlier work; many adult males who will have nothing to relate or latch on to; people who will be bored by the films cute but simplistic nature.





SO IS IT GOOD, BAD OR JUST AWFUL? Released in time for Mothers Day, Life of the Party could best be described as a simple but cute comedy, or, more descriptively, an inspirational comedy  If the Released in time for Mothers Day,could best be described as a simple but cute comedy, or, more descriptively, an inspirational comedy  If the Lifetime Network made comedies where some man didnt murder a woman





McCarthy, who co-wrote the movie with her husband and the films director Ben Falcone (who continues his short but effective cameo streak), must have had a very specific target audience in mind when creating Life of the Party: late 30s to early 50s age suburbanite women who have young daughters they want to bond with  because nearly every scene in the film feels like one big mother-daughter field trip with a few laughs here and there for good measure. Nothing like any of her previous efforts save for the forgettable Tammy, Life of the Party is cute, fun in parts  But lacks anything than its overt, sappy charm to make it last once youve left the theater.





The side characters are fairly one-dimensional but somewhat fun sidekicks, the story is easily digestible and again, McCarthy makes her character relatable as she has a fairly common story. But there again lies the issue as the film itself feels rather common, right down to its cut-and-paste ending. Maya Rudolph gets to serve as most of the films comic relief, even though she doesnt seem to be allowed to take it as far as she could.





And thats the underlying tragedy of Life of the Party: Despite all the scenarios where McCarthy and company find themselves in that would lend to more outrageous, more comedic moments, much of the film feels restrained so it can stick to a PG-13 rating. There is a much funnier, much more heartfelt movie waiting to get out of Life of the Party, but since the film would be more accurately named Life of the Afternoon Brunch Party, it sadly never materialized.





Consider going to this party if you need a simple outing for your mom or middle-aged friend  Otherwise, this classic movie scene might sum up how this party may feel for anyone else.



Sun., Oct. 10, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

FREE! Registration Required. Register online or by phone.

Bulletin Board, Health & Fitness, Lectures & Meetings

Tackle the stigma of Alzheimer's by learning the 10 warning signs. next, Coach Suzanne shares 10 Tips to Increase Your Football IQ. You'll build lifelong memories by getting into the game with the pig-skin lovin' people in your life! Suzanne Stoneall is a gifted speaker and former NFL employee who loves to break down the game of football for everyone in a fun and entertaining way. Offered through the Alzheimer's Association, Illinois Chapter - Springfield office. 1.800.272.3900BUJUMBURA, Burundi (AP)  Twenty-six people were killed and seven others wounded in an attack by an unidentified "terrorist group" in rural Burundi, the country's security minister said Saturday.

The attack came shortly before Burundians vote May 17 in a controversial referendum that could extend the president's term. It was not immediately clear if the attack was related, although some activists said they believe it was.

Speaking at the scene, Security Minister Alain Guillaume Bunyoni told reporters that 24 people were killed in their homes Friday night and two others died of their wounds at a local hospital. He gave no further details about the attack in Ruhagarika community in the northwestern province of Cibitoke.

One survivor told The Associated Press the attackers came around 10 p.m. and "attacked households and set fire on houses." Some victims were hacked with machetes and others were shot or burned alive, she said.

Her husband and two children were killed, she said. She spoke on condition of anonymity, citing safety concerns.

"These killers attacked my family and I am very angry," said another survivor, Pascal Hakizimana. "My family is dead and to make matters worse, the army did nothing to save them even when they were not far from here."

A police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to a reporter, said four of the families targeted were headed by people he called "police agents."

"(The attackers) said when leaving, 'Where are those you trust to rescue you?" he said.

Activists expressed concern.

"This is extra-judiciary killings. What one can ask is this: Do we have to see innocent people killed whenever elections are near in Burundi?" said Gerard Hakizimana, leader of a pro-democracy civic group known as Folucon F.

President Pierre Nkuruniza, on Twitter, urged unity in the East African nation and said those who carried out the attack would be pursued and punished.

Burundi has seen deadly political violence since early 2015 when Nkurunziza successfully pursued a disputed third term. He later survived a coup attempt led by senior army and police officers, including some who fled and announced they had launched a rebel group against the government.

An estimated 1,200 people, including ruling party supporters, have died in sporadic violence since April 2015, according to the United Nations, with most of the killings blamed on the authorities and their allies.

Now Burundians are being asked to vote on a proposal to extend the president's term from five years to seven, which would allow Nkurunziza to rule for another 14 years when his current term expires in 2020.

Campaigns ahead of the referendum have been marred by hate speech, with one ruling party official sent to prison after he called for those who oppose the referendum to be drowned.

The United States earlier this month denounced "violence, intimidation, and harassment" against those thought to oppose the referendum and expressed concern about the "non-transparent process" of changing the constitution.

Human Rights Watch has noted "widespread impunity" for authorities and their allies, including the ruling party's youth wing, as they try to swing the vote in the president's favor.

Many in Burundi, a poor country that still relies heavily on foreign aid, worry that a new round of bloodshed will follow the referendum no matter its results.

Already more than 400,000 people have fled the country since April 2015, according to the U.N.

Nkurunziza, a former rebel leader, rose to power in 2005 following the end of Burundi's civil war that killed about 300,000 people. He was re-elected unopposed in 2010 after the opposition boycotted. He said he was eligible for a third term in 2015 because lawmakers, not the general population, chose him for his first term.

___

Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- A high-tech, advanced manufacturing facility poised to change perceptions about Osceola County just achieved a huge milestone -- processing their first silicon wafer.

Those get broken down into tiny sensors, the foundation for microelectronic devices.

Manufacturing facility in Kissimmee processes first silicon wafer

NeoCity in Osceola is tech district poised to transform economy

STEM high school to eventually make it to district

It is a very big deal," said engineer Ankineedu Velaga. Engineers live for this."

Velaga runs the fabrication lab at BRIDG, a nanotechnology manufacturing facility in Kissimmee, located off U.S. 192 by the Turnpike.

About a year ago, BRIDG -- then called ICAMR -- was just dirt. Now, its the first part of an advanced manufacturing park called NeoCity: 500 acres owned by Osceola County, designed to be the next high-tech corridor, transforming their economy.

For Osceola County to be bold enough to say we want to create a new pillar in our economy," said Chester Kennedy, the CEO of BRIDG. Its been an amazing transformation over the last year and a half.

Kennedy said at his company, everyone celebrated their successful wafer testing, as the 8-inch silicon wafer made its way through a stepper.

Behind the scenes today @ a developing 500-acre #technology district in #Kissimmee, called NeoCity. SO cool to see the engineers suiting up and heading into the @FollowBRIDG lab in their bunny suits. More to come! @MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/228pEMnIXn  Julie Gargotta (@juliegargotta) May 11, 2018 <_script charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js">

But, BRIDG is already looking to the future: more processes will follow -- equipment readied after being in storage for months. In a few weeks, they'll be able to build a functional device.

These sensors are going to impact every area of our lives, from the way that we manage our own health to the way that we drive or are driven around," said Kennedy. Were bridging that innovation to development gap to let people who have those bold ideas have a pathway to get them into a commercialized product.

It's a capability, Kennedy explained, largely in privately-held companies, like Intel or IBM, and simply not addressable by individuals or smaller businesses.

On the second floor of BRIDG, engineers suit up, flapping on latex gloves, masks and white "bunny suits" to enter the sterile, clean space of the fab lab.

Adjacent to the BRIDG facility, dirt continues to move, crews today pouring concrete for a 100,000 sq. ft. office building set to open within the next year.

More customers are waiting to use the lab space, according to Kennedy, and his not-for-profit entity can easily transition some operations to the new space.

One of BRIDG's early partners, a global leader in nanotechnology from Belgium, is still on site. Design service IMEC works on LiDAR technology with autonomous vehicles, as well as security tech -- like that which is found in airport metal detectors -- shrinking it down.

They, too, will move some operations as the new office space is completed.

And eventually, a STEM high school, called NeoCity Academy, will open its doors, with BRIDG engineers serving as faculty members.ORLANDO, Fla. -- Orlando Police are investigating a fatal shooting in the parking lot of an apartment complex off Commander Drive Friday evening.

Investigators said the shooting followed an altercation that took place in the 4500 block of Commander Drive between two men who knew each other. The man who was shot, described by police as a 27-year-old Hispanic male, was transported to a local hospital, where he later died.

The shooter, meanwhile, has been detained by investigators.

No other information has been released.By Express News Service

Technical snags, faulty EVM and VVPAT units dampened the spirits of voters who had lined outside many polling booths in Karnataka.

Technical glitches spared none including candidates and political leaders in many places while the citizens weremade to wait for hours to cast their votes all thanks to faulty machines.

BJP's Virajpet candidate Appachu Ranjan waited for half an hour at Somwarpet polling station after technical glitch was found in the EVM. Voting had stopped for two hours in Konnur village in Gokak taluk and for 5 minutes at Handuru village in Khanapur taluk.

People were seen waiting at Sirivara polling booth no 216 after EVMs developed snags while polling was suspended briefly in Uthukula village booth number 40 in Bangarpet assembly segment.

An EVM was found jammed after H D Devegowda cast his vote in Holenarasipuram constituency but the unit was quickly replaced by polling officials.

Voting was suspended for a brief period in booth number 180 of Numperumal booth in KGF Constituency following technical problems in EVM. Voting resumed after polling officials replaced the unit following a ruckus ny voters who had been waiting to cast votes.

Former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda casts his vote at polling booth no.244 in Holenarasipura town in Hassan district #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/hfxsJ2v2sC  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

Early voters were made to wait for hours on Saturday morning in Buddani village of Jamhakandi in Bagalkot after EVMs refused to function. Seven EVMs developed technical glitches in Shivajinagar constituency of Bengaluru.

In Government High School, Kukkikatte, Udupi voters were stopped from casting votes due to faulty EVMs. Some 200 people demanded an extension of poll timing in the constituency. Voting began late in polling station 205 in Nekar Nagar of Hubballi Dharwad East constituency due to faulty EVMs. Voting commenced one and half hours late at Ingankal village of Chittapur constituency at polling booth no 16 due to faulty EVMs.By Express News Service

MUMBAI: Two people died and several were injured with many vehicles and shops burnt down after a communal riot broke out in Aurangabad city of Maharashtra on Friday night.

Prohibitory orders were imposed in the city throughout Saturday when no violent incident was reported.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also handles the Home portfolio, said that the situation is under control and efforts have been undertaken to bring people from different communities together and restore peace.

"The situation in Aurangabad is well under control. Additional forces were moved in from neighbouring towns like Jalna and more forces were deployed since morning," Fadnavis told reporters in Pune.

"The peace has been restored and the police is acting tough against the people who started the riots," Fadnavis added and also appealed people not to believe in rumours.

Police deployed in #Maharashtra's Aurangabad after clash between two groups last night. Section 144 (prohibits assembly of more than 4 people in an area) has been imposed in the city. pic.twitter.com/JPwd1evPxU  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

However, the opposition Congress and NCP have targetted Fadnavis over the riots and demanded that he should resign as home minister.

"This is intelligence failure and the government needs to conduct a judicial inquiry into the riots," NCP leader Dhananjay Munde said, while the leader of opposition in state legsilature Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said that the state needs a full-time home minister to handle worsening law and order situation and hance Fadnavis should resign from the post.

Local parliamentarian and Shiv Sena leader Chandrakant Khaire too targetted Fadnavis. Why no police protection was provided to Municipal Corporation officials who went to clamp down the illegal water conncetion, he asked.

The riots started from the Moti Karanja area of Aurangabad took lives of two people. The polce had to resort to firing to control the clashing mobs. While a 17 year old boy died in the riots, an elderly man died in blast of a cooking gas cylinder in his shop which was attacked by rioters, the police have said.

Rioters hurled petrol bombs in several places across the city causing big fires. More than 100 shops were vandalised and burnt down, while equal number of vehicles too have been destroyed, local sources have said.

At least 51 people including 10 police officials were injured in the riots. Several burnt vehicles were in the Moti Karanja area of the city.

According to sources, a petty row over clamping illegal water connection in a religious place in Moti Karanja area escalated into a communal riot. Aurangabad Municipal Corporation that started action against illegal water connections clamped down one such connection in a place of worship on Thursday. Group agitated due to the action started demanding similar action against similar water connection at the place of worship of the other religious group which led to a clash between the two groups on Friday.

Several versions of the reason behind the riots too were doing rounds since last night. However, police have blamed the rumours spread over social media for escalating tension and riots in the city.

Mobs wielding swords, sticks, and stones clashed and vandalised shops. They also attacked the police. Ten police officials including assistant police commissioner Gowardhan Kolekar and police inspector Shripad Paropkari were injured in the attack. Police the resorted to teargas and firing in the air. When the mob remained undeterred the police resorted to firing wherein one youth died.Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.Reporter

Noelle McGee is a Danville-based reporter at The News-Gazette. Her email is nmcgee@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@n_mcgee).Our County Editor

Dave Hinton is editor of The News-Gazette's Our County section and former editor of the Rantoul Press. He can be reached at dhinton@news-gazette.com.Canada to Manning: Come

Here So We Can Deport You(Newser)  Chinese government officials are calling the deadly Sichuan earthquake's 10-year anniversary "Thanksgiving Day," but critics don't seem too thankful for the new term, the New York Times reports. "Everyone knows that the earthquake killed tens of thousands of people on that day, and yet you call it 'Thanksgiving Day,'" says one user on Weibo, a microblogging site. "What do we give thanks for?" Another says, "This is clearly a tragedy, and yet it's made into a celebration." But the government sees reason for thanks, saying in state news media that "beautiful, tidy buildings" fill once-decimated areas and residents have expressed "gushing springs of gratitude" for help the region received. So is the government just glossing over a nightmare experience?

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To recap the nightmare: The magnitude 7.9 quake on May 12, 2008, left 87,000 people dead or missing, notes AFP, and killed an estimated 5,335 children when poorly built schools collapsed. China sent nearly 150,000 troops to the region, and money poured in from corporations and celebrities. But outrage grew as word got out that thousands of schools were shoddily built, possibly due to corruption, and earned the nickname "tofu schools." All criticism of the schools' construction was silenced and lawsuits were forbidden, reports CNN. But the government's reframing of tragic events to reflect positively on the country is not unusual, says David Bandurski, a co-director of the China Media Project. State media will often "cast tragedy in a new light" to deflect from "political and institutional failures," he says. (Read more Sichuan province stories.)(Newser)  Its not exactly an international incident, but the use of the term Newfie in a tweet promoting Anthony Bourdain's visit to Newfoundland and Labrador on Sunday's episode of Parts Unknown has generated a lively discussion about the meaning of the term and its use. The tweet, since deleted, came from the Parts Unknown account, which shared an article and said, "Embrace the Newfies as they are." The show apologized after several readers weighed in that the term is considered a slur; the show also made clear Bourdain wasn't involved in the tweet and said it would "stick to Newfoundlanders going forward." James Baker, a sociologist at Ontario's McMaster University, discussed the word's origins with the CBC last year.

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He said it may have been born during WWII when the US was building a naval base on Newfoundlands Avalon Peninsula and a lieutenant used the word derisively to describe locals who had quit the project. Others have run afoul of the term. Walmart, for example, was criticized when it sold T-shirts with "Newfie" on them and at least one politician has gotten into trouble for using the term. Baker notes that Newfoundlanders are more likely to take offense when the word is used by outsiders and on social media. But acceptance of the word is growing and younger Newfoundlanders are even using it as a term of endearment. Linguistics professor Paul De Decker of Memorial University of Newfoundland tells GlobalNews, "It would be great if we're now at the time, and maybe this is one episode ... where the term can take on what we call ameliorationit takes on a positive aspect." (Read more Anthony Bourdain stories.)(Newser)  A young woman near death called an emergency dispatch number in France last December and was mocked by the operator, France24 reports. Naomi Musenga, 22, called the ambulance service and in a barely audible voice complained of severe stomach pain and said she thought she was going to dieto which the operator responded she was "certainly" going to die "one day, like everyone else. Call the SOS doctors." The operator then gave her the number of France's medical emergency service, which sends medical providers directly to a house. Hours later Musenga got help and went to the hospital, but suffered two heart attacks in the hospital and died. With the operator on temporary leave, the incident has placed a spotlight on staff-shortages among Frances overworked emergency service workers.

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Jean-Claude Matry, president of the emergency services union, defended his staff. "The operators answer calls 12 consecutive hours a day," he told CNN. "They undergo a lot of stress and it becomes hard to distinguish serious causes from boo-boos." The incident is ramping up pressure on the French government to increase resources for the health system. Patrick Pelloux, head of the French association of emergency doctors, says that in the last three decades visits to the ER have risen from eight million to 21 million while calls to emergency services have tripled, which has essentially turned them into call centers. Still, Musengas family is angry. "Whether it was bad will or dysfunctions, it is a serious error," Musengas father, Policarpe, tells reporters. (Read more emergency responders stories.)(Newser)  A New York lawyer said he told Trump attorney Michael Cohen years ago that former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was abusing women, reports the AP. Schneiderman, a frequent legal nemesis of the president, resigned this week after the New Yorker published the accounts of four women who said they were slapped and choked by the Democratic ex-prosecutor. Attorney Peter Gleason said in a letter filed with a federal judge Friday that he was contacted "some years ago" by two women who claimed Schneiderman was "sexually inappropriate" with them. Gleason said he advised the women not to report what happened to prosecutors. Instead, he said, he discussed the matter with the retired New York Post columnist Stephen Dunleavy. According to Gleason, Dunleavy offered to talk about the issue with Trump, then not yet president.

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Gleason said he then got a call from Cohen and "shared with him certain details" of Schneiderman's "vile attacks" on the women. In his letter, Gleason asked US District Judge Kimba Wood to issue a protective order sealing all relevant correspondence with Cohen. In a phone interview Friday, Gleason confirmed that Cohen told him during their 2013 conversation that if Trump were elected governor, he would make the allegations about Schneiderman public. He added that shortly after that conversation, Trump tweeted about Schneiderman. "Weiner is gone. Spitzer is gone - next will be lightweight A.G. Eric Schneiderman. Is he a crook? Wait and see, worse than Spitzer or Weiner," Trump's tweet said, referring to former US Rep. Anthony Weiner and former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, both of whom resigned because of scandals involving women.

(Read more New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman stories.)(Newser)  A famous North Korean defection may have actually been a kidnapping engineered by the Southnews that comes at a slightly awkward moment for the two Koreas, the New York Times reports. A South Korean cable TV channel broke the news Thursday, saying the apparent defection of 12 waitresses and their manager from a restaurant in China in 2016 was not made by choice. "It was luring and kidnapping, and I know because I took the lead," says Heo Kang-il, the former manager. "I blackmailed them and told them to make a choice: 'If you return home, you die, and if you follow me, you live.' I am now remorseful for what I did." Three women appeared with him, their faces blurred, and confirmed his story.

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"I want to go home, because living like this is not the life I wanted," said one of the women. "I miss my parents." Like Heo, the women were among thousands of North Koreans who took foreign jobs to send money back to their government. Heo says South Korea's intelligence service then offered him big rewards to take the women South, but the rewards never came. And critics say the South only engineered the defections to trumpet them before parliamentary elections, Reuters reports. Now South Korea is in a tricky position after refusing North Korea's many demands to have the women repatriated. But for Heo, it seems to be revenge. "They had me believe that this was a big patriotic operation," he says. "But they used me and then shot me in the back." (Read more North Korea stories.)(Newser)  A horrifying incident is becoming somewhat of a trend in India, where a third teenager has reportedly been raped and then burned alive, with all the incidents happening in the span of one week. The BBC reports the 16-year-old was allegedly killed after informing her attacker, a man police have named as 28-year-old Ravi Chadhar, she wouldn't stay mum about the rape. She was reportedly doused with fuel and set on fire in her Madhya Pradesh home. CNN reports that the girl's cousin allegedly told her attacker she was home alone; both the cousin and Chadhar have been arrested.

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The other attacks occurred in Jharkhand, with one of the girls, 17, surviving in critical condition with burns to 70% of her body. Her attacker allegedly had wanted to marry her but had been denied. The first case involved a 16-year-old who was killed after her parents reported her rape to village leaders. Enraged by the punishment the elders imposed100 sit-ups and a fine of roughly $750police say Dhanu Singh Bhuiyan stormed into the girl's house in the village of Chatra, attacked her parents, and fatally set the girl on fire. (Read more India stories.)(Newser)  A day after Australia experienced its worst shooting since 1996, police confirmed the identities of the victims found at Forever Dreaming Farm in Osmington: Cynda and Peter Miles; their daughter, Katrina Miles; and her four children, two boys and two girls who ranged from ages 8 to 13. The New York Times cites Western Australia Police Commissioner Chris Dawson as saying six were homicide victims and there is no search for suspects, which the Times interprets as the deaths being a case of murder-suicide.

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The bodies of the four childrenwho were reportedly on the autism spectrum and all home-schooledand one of the adult women were found in a converted shed on the property where Katrina and her children lived, reports the BBC. They reportedly moved there following what news.com.au calls Katrina's "acrimonious split" from the children's father. "Police have spoken to the children's father, he's understandably grieving and we're providing as much support as we can," Dawson said, per ABC. Peter, 61, had three rifles, which police have retrieved. (Read more Australia stories.)(Newser)  Even lightning couldn't stop Meghan Davidson from having a loving family. The Florida woman was nine-months pregnant when lightning struck her last year, stopping her heart and the heart of her unborn son Owenand plunging her family into uncertainty for weeks, the News-Press reports. Already a mother of two, she went into ICU with a collapsed lung, bruised heart, and burns, while Owen was born by emergency C-section and placed in neonatal intensive care. "He just started looking, like, not alive at times," says her husband Matthew, who stayed with Owen while Meghan recovered. They eventually took Owen off life support when he showed little to no brain activity. "We prayed about it and prayed about it," says Meghan. "We had a prayer meeting about it."

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Devoted Baptists, they say their religious faith kept them strong. "I have a picture in my mind of Jesus holding [Owen]," says Meghan. They also relied on physical fitnessher recovery included 5K runs on Thanksgiving and Christmasand they received a much more pleasant shock when she got pregnant again. "I was so excited and relieved and thankful," says Meghan. "I didn't think 100% I could get pregnant again." Now she's nursing a baby bump at their Fort Myers home and looking forward to child number four. But she was ready to sacrifice everything for the son whose due date was just seven days away, CBS News reported last year. "As a mother, I'd give my life for my child," she says. "If I had a choice it would have been 'take me instead'." (Read more lightning stories.)(Newser)  Kansas has passed a law that most people probably assumed the state already had. The new law bans police officers from having sex with motorists that they pull over, reports the Wichita Eagle. Although Kansas did have a law prohibiting police from having sex with people in jail, the new law bans sex "during the course of a traffic stop, a custodial interrogation, an interview in connection with an investigation, or while the law enforcement officer has such person detained." Kansas was one of 33 states where sex between police and detainees is not illegal. The bill was introduced by Rep. Cindy Holscher, a Democrat, in response to the case of a detective who was alleged to have repeatedly coerced sex from black women in Kansas City by threatening to arrest them or their loved ones.

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One such incident led to the arrest of Lamonte McIntyre, who spent 23 years in prison for a double murder he didn't commit. McIntyres mother said in an affidavit that she had spurned the detectives advances, per NBC4. Holscher also cited a case in New York, where a teen alleged that two officers raped her in their van, but because the officers said the sex was consensual, no charges were filed. New York passed a similar bill in March, in response to that incident. "I was shocked," New York state Sen. Diane Savino told CBS News when she learned of the gap in the law. "It should be clear across the state for officers from every department, that when someone is in custody they do not have the ability to consent to sexual activity." (Read more rape stories.)(Newser)  It's the third oldest case in the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's files, and it dates to a Mother's Day that took a tragic turn for one Bradford, Pennsylvania, family. At Narratively, Caren Lissner has the story of Marjorie West, a 4-year-old who vanished in an instant while picnicking with her family on that fateful Sunday in 1938. Marjorie had been picking flowers in the Allegheny Forest with her 11-year-old sister, Dorothea, while her father fished. Dorothea went to hand her bouquet to her mother, who was resting in the car; she returned to find her sister gone. The search that ensued "was one of the largest for a child since the Lindbergh Baby kidnapping six years earlier," writes Lissner, involving more than 3,000 locals and many months.

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The prevailing belief is that Marjorie was taken by a passing motoristsome media accounts from the time said bloodhounds did track her scent to a nearby roadwith many family members remaining convinced she was alive somewhere with another family. While it remains a mystery, Lissner recounts one local's theory, which has made its way into Finding Marjorie West, a book he self-published in 2010. Harold Thomas "Bud" Beck says information he posted online about the case in 1998 spurred a tip that led him to a Florida nurse who told him she wasn't Marjoriebut that in 2005 she reached out to him with a new story that involved her father hitting a little girl on Mother's Day 1938 and intending to take her to the hospital. But then she woke up. Read the full story for more on Beck's story, and the response to it. (Read more Longform stories.)(Newser)  Giddyup, those are Russians: American F-22s flew out to monitor two Russian TU-95 "Bear" bombers flying close to Alaska on Friday, CNN reports. The F-22s stayed close until the Russians left a stretch of mostly international airspace along Alaska's coastline, per Fox News. The nuclear-capable bombers didn't enter US airspace, but not everyone took it kindly: "Putin's Russia is in the nuclear intimidation business and is willing to burn (a lot of) unnecessary bomber fuel," a former Pentagon weapons expert tells the Washington Free Beacon, which broke the story. "Threatening people with nuclear weapons is Russia's national sport." Russian bombers haven't flown that close to Alaska since F-22s intercepted TU-95s there last April. (Read more F-22 fighter jet stories.)(Newser)  White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told staffers Friday that an aide's recent comment about Sen. John McCain was inappropriate but shouldn't have been leaked to the media, the AP reports. Sanders told communications' staffers in a private meeting that it was inappropriate for aide Kelly Sadler to dismiss McCain's opinion during a recent closed-door meeting because, Sadler said, "he's dying anyway." McCain is battling an aggressive form of brain cancer.

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Sanders said the leak was selfish and distracted from the president's agenda and his welcoming home of three Americans detained in North Korea and an upcoming summit with Kim Jong Un. That's according to a person familiar with the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe that private meeting. Sanders declined to condemn Sadler's comments Friday, saying she wouldn't "validate a leak" from an internal staff meeting.

(Read more Sarah Huckabee Sanders stories.)(Newser)  President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday that France will not cede to "enemies of freedom" after a fatal stabbing attack in Paris was claimed by the Islamic State group, the AP reports. Macron tweeted his praise for police who "neutralized the terrorist" and his thoughts for the victims. In the attack, a knife-wielding man killed one person and injured four in a busy Right Bank neighborhood. Police say they killed a suspect. Counterterrorism authorities are leading the investigation of the attack.

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The Islamic State group's news agency claims that a man who perpetrated the attack was a "soldier" of the extremist movement. The Aamaq news agency said in a statement early Sunday that the assailant carried out the attack in response to the Islamic State group's calls for supporters to target members of the US-led military coalition squeezing the extremists out of Iraq and Syria. France's military has been active in the coalition since 2014. Macron tweeted, "France is once again paying the price of blood, but will not cede an inch to enemies of freedom."

(Read more terror attack stories.)Sorry!

This content is not available in your regionNew Delhi:

After a high-voltage election campaign, people of Karnataka will decide whether Congress' Siddaramaiah retains power or BJP's BS Yeddyurappa will once again govern the state, as they come out to vote on Saturday.

Voting is being held in 222 of the 224-member Karnataka Assembly after elections countermanded in two constituencies. In Jayanagar, the elections countermanded following the death of BJP candidate and sitting MLA BN Vijaykumar and in Rajrajeshwari Nagar after the voter ID card scandal.

While 2,948 candidates had contested the 2013 polls, almost 2,600 candidates are in the fray for 2018 Assembly polls in Karnataka. At least 4.97 crore people are eligible to exercise their right to vote.

LIVE Updates:

#06:50 PM: Total turnout figure received so far is 70%: Election Commission.

#06:38 PM: Except few polling stations, where people are still standing in the line and voting, polling has been completed in almost all polling stations: Election Commission.

#Visuals from Bengaluru: EVMs & VVPATs being sealed at a polling booth in Gandhi Nagar constituency #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/SZ4P5dUfGj  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

#06:32 PM: EVMs and VVPATs being sealed at polling booth No. 37, 38, 39 in Gandhi Nagar constituency.

#06:15 PM: Polling booth No.s 142, 143 and 144 in #Badami's Tippu Nagar were closed at 6:00 pm.

#06:00 PM: 64% voter turnout recorded till 5 pm.

#05:45 PM: Karnataka Elections 2018: Re-polling to take place in Hebbal assembly constituency's Polling Station Number 2 after polling was stopped due to EVM failure.

#03:11 PM: 56% voter turnout recorded till 3 PM.

#01: 20 PM: 37 per cent voter turnout in Karnataka till 1 PM.

#01:10 PM: Also Read: How Congress thinks PM Modi is influencing Karnataka polls from Nepal

#01:05 PM: Will take action: It is a sensitive polling booth & the clash between BJP and Congress workers happened within 100 meters of the booth. We will investigate and take further action: Ravi Channannavar, Bengaluru DCP

#12:50 PM: Clashes erupt between BJP and Congress workers: Clashes broke out b/w Congress & BJP workers outside a polling booth in Hampi Nagar, allegedly after the former thrashed a BJP corporator. Ravindra, Vijayanagar BJP candidate says, 'our corporator Anand was attacked but police isn't taking any action'.

Bengaluru: Clashes broke out b/w Congress & BJP workers outside a polling booth in Hampi Nagar,allegedly after the former thrashed a BJP corporator. Ravindra, Vijayanagar BJP candidate says, 'our corporator Anand was attacked but police isn't taking any action' #KarnatakaElection pic.twitter.com/SuXFNlI62d  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

#12:40 PM: As voting in Karnataka continues, CM Siddaramaiah says, 'Yeddyurappa is mentally disturbed. Congress will get more than 120 seats. I am very confident.'

#WATCH: As voting in #Karnataka continues, CM Siddaramaiah says, 'Yeddyurappa is mentally disturbed. Congress will get more than 120 seats. I am very confident.' #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/yE6isfZcYq  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018





# 12:30 PM: JD(S)'s HD Deve Gowda cast his vote at polling booth no.244 in Holenarasipura town in Hassan district, says, "We expect a possibility of forming the government, we have done well." (Earlier Visuals)

JD(S)'s HD Deve Gowda cast his vote at polling booth no.244 in Holenarasipura town in Hassan district, says, 'We expect a possibility of forming the government, we have done well.' #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/UiQyAsSDFe  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

# 12:20 PM: Woman stopped from entering a polling booth in Belagavi as she was reluctant to remove her 'burqa' for identification, was later allowed when a woman official identified her inside a cubicle.

Woman stopped from entering a polling both in #Belagavi as she was reluctant to remove her 'burqa' for identification, was later allowed when a woman official identified her inside a cubicle. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/eixmdaY1Op  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

# 11:50 AM: Kalaburagi: Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge casts his vote in Basavanagar, polling booth no. 108.

Kalaburagi : Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge casts his vote in Basavanagar, polling booth no.108. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/b0SGVmKRgt  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

# 11:30 AM: Congress thinks Modi in Nepal influencing Karnataka voters: As there is model code of conduct in Karnataka, PM Modi planned to pray at temples in Nepal instead, just to influence voters. This is not a good trend for democracy. Why did he only choose today as the day?: Ashok Gehlot, Congress

#11:20 AM: Yatheendra assured of Congress govt: I have been visiting villages in the constituency for last 1 & half years. Election campaigning didn't feel any different. Wherever I went, people expressed confidence in Congress govt: Dr Yatheendra, Congress candidate from Varuna constituency & son of Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

# 11: 10 AM: Spiritual Guru Sri Sri Ravishankar casts his vote at a polling booth in Kanakapura.

Sri Sri Ravishankar casts his vote at a polling booth in Kanakapura. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/0hhrSqaZ0J  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

# 11:00 AM: 24 per cent voter turnout till 11 am amid reports of EVM malfunctioning at several booths.

There are 5 booths opposite my Parent's apartment at RMV II Stage, Bengaluru. In the 2nd booth, any button pressed registers a vote ONLY to kiwi mele Kamala i.e Kamal ke phool. Angry voters are returning without casting their vote.  Brijesh Kalappa (@brijeshkalappa) May 12, 2018

#10:30 AM: BJP alleges EVM tampering: There are 5 booths opposite my Parent's apartment at RMV II Stage, Bengaluru. In the 2nd booth, any button pressed registers a vote ONLY to kiwi mele Kamala i.e Kamal ke phool. Angry voters are returning without casting their vote, says BJP spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa

#09:47 AM: JD(S)'s HD Deve Gowda, his wife Chennamma Deve Gowda, son HD Revanna & other family members cast their votes at polling booth no.244 in Holenarasipura town in Hassan district.

JD(S)'s HD Deve Gowda, his wife Chennamma Deve Gowda, son HD Revanna & other family members cast their votes at polling booth no.244 in Holenarasipura town in Hassan district. pic.twitter.com/U40iXkAM1L  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

#09:30 AM: 10.6% voting till 9 am in Karnataka Elections 2018.

#09:10 AM: Karnataka Minister KJ George cast his vote in Bengaluru, he is contesting from Sarvagnanagar constituency.

Karnataka Minister KJ George cast his vote in Bengaluru, he is contesting from Sarvagnanagar constituency. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/lY6Wd5x2C4  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

#08:55 AM: PM urges people to vote to enrich festival of democracy: Urging my sisters and brothers of Karnataka to vote in large numbers today. I would particularly like to call upon young voters to vote and enrich this festival of democracy with their participation, tweets PM Modi.

#08:50 AM: BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar casts his vote at Karnataka Reddyjana Sangha in Bengaluru's Koramangala.

BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar casts his vote at Karnataka Reddyjana Sangha in Bengaluru's Koramangala. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/gDF4oJJjf5  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

#08:45 AM: HD Kumaraswamy seeks saints' blessing: JDS's HD Kumaraswamy meets Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswami of Sri Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math in Jayanagar.

JDS's HD Kumaraswamy meets Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswami of Sri Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math in Jayanagar #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/RWJniV1B81  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

#08:40 AM: Sriramalu braces to take on Siddaramaiah: BJP's B Sriramalu performed 'gau pooja' (cow worship) before casting his vote. He is contesting against CM Siddaramaiah from Badami constituency.

Bellary: BJP's B.Sriramalu performed 'gau pooja' (cow worship) before casting his vote. He is contesting against CM Siddaramaiah from Badami constituency. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/Ht3akZlzK3  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

#08:30 AM: Congress seeks votes for Nava Karnataka Nirmana: It's time to cherish the spirit of Karnataka, it's time for a Nava Karnataka Nirmana. Karnataka defines progress, as Karnataka Votes For Congress.

It's time to cherish the spirit of Karnataka, it's time for a #NavaKarnatakaNirmana

Karnataka defines progress, as#KarnatakaVotesForCongress a pic.twitter.com/6lIDqXryeA  Congress (@INCIndia) May 12, 2018

#08:20 AM: Rahul appeals party workers to help voters reach booth: I appeal to all office bearers & workers of the Congress party in Karnataka to provide all possible assistance to those affected by the heavy rains. Our polling booth teams must remain alert and help voters facing difficulties in reaching polling booths tomorrow, Rahul tweeted.

#08:10 AM: Rains predicted in Karnataka: The IMD has predicted light drizzles in several parts of the poll-bound state.

#07:55 AM: Hubli: Faulty Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machine at booth number 108 being replaced, voting is yet to resume at the booth.

Hubli: Faulty Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machine at booth number 108 being replaced, voting is yet to resume at the booth. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/TpBzVa6u3G  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

#07:45 AM: Bengaluru: Voting for 222 seats is underway in Karnataka, visuals from booth number.172 in BTM constituency.

Bengaluru: Voting for 222 seats is underway in Karnataka, visuals from booth number.172 in BTM constituency. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/NXLy2QFY1m  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

#07:30 AM: Voting will increase in favour of BJP: Certainly there will be an increase in voting this time. They want to remove the Siddaramaiah government from Karnataka. People will come out in large numbers: Sadananda Gowda, BJP.

#07:30 AM: BSY urges people to vote for BJP: People are fed up with the Siddaramaiah government. I urge the people to come out & vote for BJP. I assure the people of Karnataka that I'm going to give good governance: BS Yeddyurappa, BJP.

#07:25 AM: BJP Chief Ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa casts his vote in Shikarpur, Shimoga.

BJP Chief Ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa casts his vote in Shikarpur, Shimoga. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/NCrU6NFrMM  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

#07:15 AM: Union Minister & BJP leader Sadananda Gowda casts his vote in Puttur.

Union Minister & BJP leader Sadananda Gowda casts his vote in Puttur. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/vZsFER7spa  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

#07:10 AM: People queue up at polling booth number 144 in Badami constituency. CM Siddaramaiah is contesting against BJP's B.Sriramulu from here.

People queue up at polling booth number 144 in Badami constituency. CM Siddaramaiah is contesting against BJP's B.Sriramulu from here. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/krjSwV0sti  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

#07:05 AM: Voting has begun for 222 of the 224 Karnataka Assembly.

Bengaluru: People cast their votes at a polling booth in Dommasandra B Munireddy School, located in BTM constituency. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/SkD7HONjiX  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

#07:00 AM: Hello and welcome to the News Nation live updates: As Karnataka comes out to vote to elect a new government on Saturday, we will bring you all the latest news and information related to the polling.New Delhi:

On day two of his Nepal visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited two iconic temples  Muktinath and Pashupatinath  and offered special prayers.

So far, the Prime Minister has visited three temples, including Janakpurs Janki Temple, during his two-day visit. While addressing a gathering in Janakpur on Friday, Modi even said that he came to Nepal as chief pilgrim and not as prime minister.

Now, the Opposition Congress has raised an objection to the Prime Ministers temple visits on a day when polling was being held in Karnataka.

Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said that Modi was trying to influence Hindu voters back home by offering prayers at temples in Nepal.

As there is a model code of conduct in Karnataka, PM Modi planned to pray at temples in Nepal instead, just to influence voters, Gehlot said on Saturday.

This is not a good trend for democracy. Why did he only choose today as the day? Gehlot asked.

After a high-voltage campaigning for weeks, voting for 222 of the 224-member Assembly was being held in Karnataka on Saturday.

Both the Congress and the BJP were trading accusations of indulging in unethical practices to woo the voters.

In what it looks like a bid to swing Hindu voters in his partys favour, BJP spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa on Saturday asked people to let election in Karnataka be a referendum on whether Modi was the reincarnation of Lord Rama.

BJP has described Modi Ji as the reincarnation of Lord Rama. Amit Shah, of Lakshmana and Adityanath, a bachelor as the reincarnation of Hanuman. Let todays election in Karnataka be a referendum on whether voters believe if these three individuals are really Gods reborn!! Kalappa tweeted.New Delhi:

Actor Arjun Kapoor has been cast as the lead in Raj Kumar Gupta's next directorial venture 'India's Most Wanted'. The film, which has a release date of May 24, 2019, is about "the capture of India's most wanted, without firing a single bullet".

Arjun shared the news on Twitter and wrote, "Honoured to be a part of an untold story that will inspire India! #IndiasMostWanted, a tribute to all the unsung heroes who dedicate their lives to protect ours. In cinemas 24th May 2019."

The actor also shared a statement saying, "India's Most Wanted" comes on the day when his debut movie film "Ishqzaade" completes six years.

"On this day, 6 years ago, 'Ishqzaade' released but it just feels like yesterday. This film gave me my identity, made me realize that movies are my true calling. May 11 will always remain the most memorable day of my life and today feels even more amazing because I'm letting you know about one of the most special films of my career," he said in the statement.

The 32-year-old actor said he is "excited" to collaborate with Gupta, who has films such as "Raid", "No One Killed Jessica" and "Aamir" to his credit.

"Working with Raj Kumar sir obviously excited me. His films are raw and gritty. They talk about true events and true heroes. When he narrated 'India's Most Wanted' to me I was moved. I was proud of my motherland and its unsung heroes. It is a film that will inspire patriotism within all of us.

"To play a character that might not be known to everybody but needs to be known by everybody was exciting. It's always been something that has been at the back of my mind. It intrigues me as an actor to play this role but it excites me as an audience that I will be getting a chance to see this story unfold on the big screen," Arjun said.

"India's Most Wanted" will co-produced by Gupta along with Fox Star.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Tej Pratap Yadav, son of former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav is all set to tie the knot with Aishwarya Rai in a starry affair on Saturday. Aishwarya is the daughter of RJD legislator Chandrika Rai and the granddaughter of former Bihar Chief Minister Daroga Prasad Rai.

Pre-wedding celebration:

Earlier on Friday, the pre-wedding celebrations started with a few traditional rituals like 'Haldi' and 'Matkor' at their houses. The bungalows of both the RJD leaders have been decorated with imported flowers while green chillies and lemons were tied at several points to ward off the evil eye.

Several renditions of folk tunes on shehnai and other musical instruments made the celebration extra special.

Earlier on Friday, Lalu Yadav was granted a six-week provisional bail by the Jharkhand High Court, giving the celebration a higher notch.

Wedding venue:

Talking about the high-profile wedding ceremony, around 50,000 guests are expected to attend the function at the sprawling veterinary college ground in Patna. The expensive venue in the heart of Bihar'sA capital city would boast of more than 200 food stalls to serve the guests.

Menu:

From starters to the main course, guests will enjoy a taste of the authentic Bihari cuisine such as litti chokha, makka roti and many more. The food will be vegetarian as the RJD chief believes that non-vegetarian dishes should be avoided during such pious occasion.

Guest List:

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi are among the top dignitaries, who are likely to attend the gala event on Saturday.

RJD national general secretary and MLA Bhola Yadav has also confirmed the presence of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, former Jharkhand CMs Hemant Soren and Babu Lal Marandi and former Union law minister Ram Jethmalani are also expected to join the celebration.

The invitation had also been sent out to President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

"We would like them all to bless the young couple if their busy schedule permits them to do so," Lalu's elder daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Misha Bharti said.

Here are the LIVE updates onA Tej Pratap Yadav-Aishwarya Rai marriage:

# 07:00 PM:A

Attended a wedding in Patna. pic.twitter.com/DBDHCUraHF a Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) May 12, 2018

#05:00 PM:A Celebrations are in full-swing outside RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadavas residence: The members of nagada team, led by Durga Mahli are performing outside the home. They have come all the way from Jharkhand's Lohardaga district.

# 04:30 PM:A Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Praful Patel attends the wedding:A "Attended the Marriage ceremony of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav Ji's son Tej Pratap in Patna today. Spent good time with @laluprasadrjd ji and his family and also met @subhashchandra ji among others. My best wishes to the newly married couple and many congratulations to the family," Patel twitted.

Attended the Marriage ceremony of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav Ji's son Tej Pratap in Patna today. Spent good time with @laluprasadrjd ji and his family and also met @subhashchandra ji among others. My best wishes to the newly married couple and many congratulations to the family! pic.twitter.com/jabEkMT5Wy a Praful Patel (@praful_patel) May 12, 2018

# 04:00 PM: Tejaswi Yadav dancing on brother Tej Pratap's marriage: Tejaswi on Saturday took to the social media platform Facebook and posted a video of him shaking legs with elder brother Tej Pratap. "Desi Boys on the floor," Tejaswi captioned the video.

# 03:06 PM: Poster seen outside the residence of Lalu Prasad Yadav, depicting groom Tej Pratap Yadav as Lord Shiva and bride Aishwarya as Goddess Parvati.

# 03:05 PM: Wedding dress:A Tej Pratap will be wearing a simple cream kurta with white pyjama as he prefers simple, fuss-free designs over elaborate ethnic Indian wear, according to his designer Azimur Rahman.

# 02:53 PM: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee congratulated Lalu: "Heartiest congratulations @laluprasadrjd Lalu Ji on the happy occasion of the marriage of your son. Also happy too that you got bail. Best wishes to your family." Banerjee tweeted.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

At least one person was killed and over 100 shops were gutted on Saturday following Friday nightas clashes between members of two communities over water in Maharashtra's Aurangabad.

The clashes erupted in on Friday after water connection to a religious place of one particular community was reportedly disconnected.

The situation escalated further on Saturday morning and an angry mob set properties on fire. Around 40 to 50 vehicles were also torched by the mob.

Following the clashes, a huge contingent of anti-riot police was deployed in Aurangabad and section 144 (prohibits assembly of more than 4 people in an area) was imposed in the area.

Aurangabad CP Milind Bharambe appealed people to maintain peace and warned of strict action against those found breaking curfew.

aI appeal to the citizens to maintain peace, do not take law in your own hands. If one group is pelting stones, the other group is requested to keep calm not respond in kind, the police is doing its duty. Section 144 of the CrPC has been imposed, if group of people are found to be breaking the curfew we will take strict action against them,a Bharambe said.

The police said that the situation was under control after a curfew was imposed in the area.

Clash between two groups in Maharashtra's Aurangabad last night, many shops and vehicles set ablaze. Police use teargas shells. Section 144(prohibits assembly of more than 4 people in an area) has been imposed in the city pic.twitter.com/tPb3j0Ua1A a ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on day two of his crucial Nepal visit on Friday offered prayers at iconic Muktinath Temple. After visiting Muktinath temple, the prime minister was also scheduled to visit the famous Pashupatinath Temple.

Later in the day, Modi would hold several meetings with top Nepalese political leaders, including opposition leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal aPrachandaa. The Prime Minister's two-day visit to Nepal will come to an end with a civic reception in the evening before heading back to New Delhi.

Earlier on Friday, Modi offered prayers at Janki Temple and flagged off a bus service from Nepalas Janakpur (the town where goddess Sita was born) to Ayodhya in India (Lord Ramaas birthplace).

Modi also inaugurated a Rs 6,000-crore Arun III project which was expected to generate 900 MW of power.

Modi also said that Nepal and India can benefit if they cooperate and work together for the promotion of five Ts: Tradition, Trade, Tourism, Technology and Transport.

LIVE Updates:

# 06:31 PM:A Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Delhi after completing his 2-day visit to Nepal, received by EAM Sushma Swaraj.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in #Delhi after completing his 2-day visit to #Nepal, received by EAM Sushma Swaraj. pic.twitter.com/PwuX8eSlow a ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

# 04:35 PM:A Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves from Nepal's Kathmandu.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves from #Nepal's Kathmandu pic.twitter.com/mJdpZnngtJ a ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

# 3:50 PM:A 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' is as much about global well being as it's about India's growth. India has taken lead in mitigating the menace of climate change. The International Solar Alliance has brought together nations from across the world: PM Narendra Modi in Kathmandu

# 03:45 PM:A Kathmandu is a mixture of the ancient & the modern. This city showcases the culture of Nepal. There is something unique about the beauty of Kathmandu. Once I find the time I will make it a point to visit Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha: PM Narendra Modi in Kathmandu

# 03:40 PM:A PM Narendra ModiA presented with souvenirs at a civic felicitation program in Rastriya Sabha Griha in Kathmandu.

# 12:50 PM: Modi meetsA 'Prachanda':A PM Modi met Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Chairman of Communist Party of Nepal - MC. Exchanged views on strengthening views on bilateral relations, tweets MEA.

PM @narendramodi met Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Chairman of Communist Party of Nepal - MC. Exchanged views on strengthening views on bilateral relations. pic.twitter.com/PfbaqmAPQd a Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) May 12, 2018

# 12: 30 PM: Modi meetsA Sher Bahadur Deuba:A Engaging across the political spectrum! President of Nepali Congress and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other members of the Nepali Congress called on PM Narendra Modi in Kathmandu. Stronger India-Nepal relations enjoy broad political support, tweets MEA.

Engaging across the political spectrum! President of Nepali Congress and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other members of the Nepali Congress called on PM @narendramodi in Kathmandu. Stronger India-Nepal relations enjoy broad political support. pic.twitter.com/9rLNab2jaq a Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) May 12, 2018

# 11:30 AM: Is Modi influencing Karnataka polls from Nepal:A As there is model code of conduct in Karnataka, PM Modi planned to pray at temples in Nepal instead, just to influence voters.This is not a good trend for democracy.Why did he only choose today as the day?: Ashok Gehlot, CongressA

# 09:30 AM:A Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering prayers Muktinath Temple. A special 'pooja' was performed for Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at #Nepal's Muktinath Temple. pic.twitter.com/Gba16qACyd a ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

# 09:01 AM:A PM Modi meets people at Nepal's Muktinath Temple.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets people at #Nepal's Muktinath Temple. pic.twitter.com/daRlN3pKTE a ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

# 08:45 AM: Modi starts day two with a visit to Nepal's iconic Muktinath Temple. The Prime Minister visited the temple.

# 08:30 AM: Hello and welcome to the News Nation live. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a crucial two-day visit to Nepal to bridge the trust deficit between the two neighbouringA countries.A Attempting to strike a right spiritual chord, Modi on day visited Janki Temple in Nepal's templeA town of Jankapur and flagged off a bus service. The PM started his day two with a visit to another iconicA Muktinath Temple. Stick with us for all the latest news and information about Modi's Nepal visit.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday admitted Pakistan's role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, popularly known as 26/11 Mumbai blast, which claimed over 150 lives in the financial capital of India.

The PML-N leader was speaking to the Pakistani daily 'Dawn' and said, "Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why canat we complete trial?"

The ousted PM was questioned why Pakistan has not yet completed the trial in the 26/11 case.

"Former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif's statement is very important for Indian govt. This proves that when Sharif was Pakistan PM, he was aware of the 26/11 attack, but still didn't try to end its trial," ANI quoted Indian public prosecutorA Ujjwal Nikam soon after Sharif's statement surfaced on the internet.

"This also proves that the Pakistan government is a puppet at the hand of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Pakistan Army. That is why, when Sharif was Prime Minister of the country, he never admitted the attack because he was afraid of ISI and Pakistan Army," he added.

Last year in July, Sharif was removed from the prime minister's post after found guilty in the Panama Papers case.

Nawaz Sharif in an interview to Pak's Dawn says, 'Militant orgs are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross border & kill 150 people in Mumbai? Why canat we complete trial?' in reference to '08 Mumbai attacks-related trials stalled in a Rawalpindi court pic.twitter.com/4Ym0g3zcrm a ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

Its been a long time now that India has been accusing Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba of carrying out the attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008. 10 heavily-armed terrorists launched a coordinated shooting and bombing leaving 166 people dead and others injured in Mumbai.

Pakistan has not even completed the trial in the 26/11 case and allowed the mastermind, Hafiz Saeed, to roam free.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

A reference book for class 8 Social Studies of Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) sparked a massive controversy after it described freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak as 'father of terrorism'.

The book under the chapter "incidents of National Movement during 18th and 19th century" stated that "Tilak demonstrated a path towards national movement, therefore, he is called as the father of terrorism."

The book further read that Tilak became a thorn in the eyes of the Britishers because he instilled the mantra of freedom among the masses.

"Tilak clearly believed that we cannot achieve anything just by pleading the British officers. Through Shivaji and Ganpati festivals, Tilak aroused unique awareness in the country. He instilled the mantra of freedom among the masses, due to which he became a thorn in the eyes of the British," the book further read.

Reacting to the controversy, Private School Association Director Kailash Sharma said that describing Tilak as father of terrorism was highly condemnable. He said that historians should be consulted before writing or making such controversial changes in textbooks.

The book, published by a Mathura-based publisher, was being used by private English-medium schools affiliated to the Rajasthan education board.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Nepal will not allow its territory to be used against India, Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Saturday assured his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during his two-day visit to the Himalayan nation.

While briefing reporters at the end of Prime Minister Modis visit, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said that the visit was a significant statement from Prime Minister Oli and India was satisfied with discussions.

Oli reiterated that Nepal would be sensitive to Indias interests and its territory would not be used against India, Gokhale said.

The two leaders also discussed the implementation of various India assisted projects in Nepal and decided to bridge the implementation gap in some of the projects, the foreign secretary said.

Two visits in two months of two state leaders sets our bilateral relationship on a very positive and forward-looking path, Gokhale said.

Nepal shares a border of over 1,850 kms in the east, south and west with five Indian states Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

During his two day visit, Modi visited three temples  Janki Temple, Muktinath Temple, and Pashupatinath Temple to strike the spiritual chord between India and Nepal.

Modi flagged off a bus service from Nepals Janakpur (the town where goddess Sita was born) to Ayodhya in India (Lord Ramas birthplace). He announced a package of Rs 100 crore to develop Janakpur, the temple city of Nepal.

The prime minister also inaugurated a Rs 6,000-crore Arun III project which was expected to generate 900 MW of power.

(With inputs from agencies)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

The high-decibel poll campaigning by the two principal rivals in theA May 12A Karnataka Assembly elections at first glance showed how aCongressifieda the BJP campaign is and how BJPfied the Congress electioneering was.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP onslaught against the ruling Congress in Karnataka with an aggressive, no holds barred attack against Rahul Gandhi while the Congress chose to peg its campaign on its performance, development agenda and countered the BJP narrative.



The Modi-Shah combine led the BJP campaign, and in the process relegated its tallest Lingayat leader and its chief ministerial face, former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa to the sidelines, like it used to happen in the Congress of yore. The Congress, meanwhile, gave Chief Minister S Siddaramaiah a free hand in everything a from candidate selection to highlighting issues to campaigning a just like in Punjab where Captain Amarinder Singh led the campaign and delivered the state to the party. The Congress has been forced to recognise the local leadership and empower it a something that the BJP used to earlier a and Congress president Rahul Gandhi was content playing the supporting role.



AICC president Rahul Gandhi had at the concluding press conference in Bangalore onA WednesdayA said as much: aPrime Minister Modi ji attacks me personally, but the election is not about Modi ji or Rahul Gandhi. The election is about Karnataka and Siddaramaiah, whether he was able to govern the state properly or not and what he proposes to do in the next five years.a



Siddaramaiah got to change his constituency, fight from another one and also got his son a ticket to fight from his previous constituency of Varuna.



The Karnataka voter will give his opinion on whether the BJP scored a self-goal in picking up Yeddyurappa as its CM face. And its continuing love affair with the controversial Bellary brothers punctured the BJPas anti-corruption plank. More important, this stance will blunt its anti-corruption plank in forthcoming elections as also the general elections due in May next year.



Siddaramaiah is not only fighting the BJP offensive, but is also trying to buck the trends in recent electoral history of over three decades. The state has not voted in an incumbent since the early 80s. Siddaramaiah got into election mode early and mounted a cleverly crafted narrative of how an aimported BJP leadershipa was trampling upon the Kannada and Karnataka pride. He tried to whip up regional sentiments against the BJPas penchant its brand of nationalism that is based on Hindi, Hindustan and Hinduism. Siddaramaiah is tapping into a section of the society that is uncomfortable with the BJPas propagation of one nation, one language, one culture theory.



He has also played the caste card in a manner that has caught the BJP in a bind. The granting of religious minority status to the dominant Lingayat community has put the BJP in a situation where it cannot oppose it. Moreover, this has made a dent in the Lingayat vote, that used to go largely to the BJP with influential Lingayat leaders welcoming the chief minister Siddaramaiahas initiative that tries to fulfil a long-pending demand of the community.



Prime Minister Modi and his team sought to trip the Congress with the charge of dynastic rule and corruption, an issue that was largely responsible for powering the BJP victory march in 2014 general elections. The PM sought to sell his development agenda to the Karnataka voter and reminded the electorate how corrupt the Congress was and how hard he was working to fight corruption.



Then there is the Janata Dal=Secular of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda that is fighting for its very survival as a third consecutive loss in assembly elections will surely lead to its disintegration. Already seven of its disgruntled MLAs walked over to the Congress in Karnataka that is led by Siddaramaiah. The CM himself is a former JD-S leader and an apprentice under Deve Gowda before he shifted to the Congress and became the chief minister.



Opinions polls predict a hung assembly with a slender lead for the Congress, making it the largest single party. However, the Congress would be short of a majority and so would the BJP be, forcing both to play ball with the JD-S.



Veteran journalists in the state, who have covered many elections, describe 2018 as the toughest one to predict as there is no wave of any sort. There is no anti-incumbency despite disappointment with the Congress government, making it difficult to guess the outcome.



Too close to a call and neck-and-neck fight is the best description of the situation as of now. ButA May 15A could prove even these safe guestimates wrong and the voter may give a decisive mandate one way or the other.



In the meanwhile, the suspense continues. Till exit polls give a definitive indication after the polling concludes onA May 12.New Delhi:

It is heartening that, invoking mutuality of interests, India has reached out to Nepal to mend fences with that neighbour. The manner in which China had wrenched New Delhi away through crafty diplomacy was a challenge that India could hardly be comfortable with.

The recently-installed Communist government in Kathmandu had been swept to power on an anti-India platform, as Nepalese in general were sore over the economic blockade that heaped hardship on the people. They blamed India for it.

The need for applying the balm on ties with this neighbour was sorely felt particularly with China distancing India from neighbour after neighbour.

The bonhomie displayed on Modis visit, the third in four years, between Modi and Nepalese Prime Minister KP Oli with a surfeit of attractive deals for Nepal made it seem as though all was back to normal.

Oli, who had been sharply critical of India during the electoral campaign held out a hand of friendship when he visited India last month and Modis visit was a prompt response.

Billed as a religious and cultural visit, Modis visit to Nepal began with a visit to Janakpur where he jointly launched the Ramayan circuit along with Oli to promote tourism in Nepal and India. Fifteen destinations in both countries, such as Ayodhya, Nandigram, Shringverpur and Chitrakoot will be developed to promote religious tourism.

The two leaders inaugurated a bus service between Janakpur, considered in Hindu mythology as Goddess Sita's "maika" (parent's place), and her "sasural" (inlaws' place), Ayodhya.

The effort was to rekindle the bond of cultural and religious kinship which dates back many centuries.

Modi and Oli set the ball rolling for the construction of the 900 MW Arun III project in Sankhuwasabha district of eastern Nepal being developed by India, through remote control. This will be the largest hydropower project to be developed in Nepal, that is expected to be completed within five years at a cost of nearly Rs 6,000 crore.

In recent times, India has been blamed for dragging its feet over deals entered into in the past and this is an attempt to produce tangible and quick returns. The venture will transform the Nepalese economy by generating around 900 MW of power as it aims to provide billions of dollars to the Nepal government in the form of free electricity, royalty and tax. India, too, would benefit through the supply of the electricity generated by the project.

Modis visit will also give impetus to another key connectivity and infrastructure project -- the Raxaul (Bihar)-Kathmandu rail link-- - + that was announced during Olis visit to India last month. This will connect Nepal to the Indian railway system.

The Raxaul-Kathmandu rail line will expand connectivity between the neighbours and enhance people-to-people linkages and promote economic growth and development. With China proposing to build its own railway line between Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region and Kathmandu by 20122, with an eye at reducing the Nepalese capitals dependence on India, this is Indias answer to the Chinese move.

Inland waterways transport with Kalughat in Bihar as the transhipment point and an agricultural partnership under which India will share its experience with organic farming and other agro initiatives were also on the agenda during Indo-Nepalese talks in Kathmandu.

An unusual request made by Oli was to allow the exchange of demonetised high-value Indian currency notes held by Nepalese banks and the general public at the earliest. According to Nepal's national bank, the Nepal Rashtra Bank (NRB), nearly 33.6 million Indian rupees in Rs.1,000 and Rs.500 banknotes are currently in the Nepali banking channel.

Although the Indian deadline for exchanging demonetised currency is long past, this plea is likely to be granted in the overall effort to restore good ties with Nepal. A way would have to be found to ensure that this is not misused.

Doubtlessly, this has been a fruitful bilateral exchange of visits. The spirit of friendship generated needs to be built upon assiduously and old cobwebs and suspicions removed once for all.New Delhi :

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said that if North Korea agreed to forfeit its nuclear arsenal, Washington would work with Pyongyang to redevelop its tiny economy. He said that United States would help North Korea rebuild its impoverished economy if it agreed to surrender the nuclear weapons.

The statement comes ahead of the historic meeting between Us President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Mike was speaking after conducting talks with South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha to prepare for the big meet on June 12 in Singapore.

"If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on par with our South Korean friends," Mike Pompeo said.

There were concerns that South Koreas desire to develop peaceful ties with North Korea may alienate it over time from the United States policy of seeking nuclear disarmament at any cost.

However, Pompeo and Kang have insisted that they agree on the need for the complete, verifiable and permanent denuclearization of the divided peninsula.

The American diplomat also said that the US would remain on board to help develop North Koreas economy, which has been affected by crippling international sanctions and its own mismanagement.

Pompeo had two recent meetings with Kim Jong Un to prepare for the summit next month and another one last weekend, to negotiate the release of American prisoners, who were held in North Korean jails.

Mike added that he had a good conversation with Kim Jong Un and found him to be a rational interlocutor.

(With PTI inputs)

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Manama : The fine for exposing personal information of individuals against their will using the Internet may be increased to BD20,000, which is 400 times the existing BD50 fine.

This comes as the Council of Representatives votes this Tuesday on a bill submitted by the second branch of the Legislative Authority in the Kingdom, Shura Council, to amend the countrys Penal Code.

The proposed amendment increases the existing punishment for publishing photographs or comments relating to individuals private or family lives from serving an imprisonment sentence not exceeding six months and/or paying a fine not exceeding BD50.

Submitted to the councils Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee on March 14 this year for approval, the bill stipulates replacing the punishments mentioned in Articles 354 and 370 of the Kingdoms Penal Code with tougher penalties.

Article 370 stipulates that a prison sentence for a period not exceeding six months and a fine not exceeding BD50, or either penalty, shall be inflicted upon any person who publishes by any method of publication news, photographs or comments relating to individuals private or family lives, even though they are true, should the publication thereof be offensive thereto.

As for Article 354, it reads that a punishment of imprisonment for no more than three months or a fine of no more than BD20 shall be inflicted upon any person who is found in a public road or in a place frequented by the public inciting pedestrians, by words or signs, to indulge in vice.

If implemented, the proposed law would punish those proved to commit the crimes mentioned in both articles by imprisonment not exceeding three years and paying a fine not less than BD10, 000 and not exceeding BD20, 000.

Committee Head MP Abdulla Binhowail earlier explained that such acts would be considered an aggravated circumstance and the maximum punishment would be inflicted if they were committed using any mean of social media networks.

The amendment aims at ensuring mutual respect between members of the society, curbing the recently spreading insults and verbal abuse phenomenon on social media networks, ensuring freedom of expression within the framework of the law and without insulting others and introducing deterrent punishments for such offences, Binhowail affirmed.

The committee discussed the bill with representatives of the related authorities by holding three meetings on March 16, April 16 and April 23 this year. The meetings were attended by representatives of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry, Interior Ministry and the National Institution for Human Rights.

Committee members approved the proposed amendment and issued a report that will be reviewed and voted on by the 40-member council during its ordinary weekly meeting scheduled this Tuesday.

Abusive and defamatory posts on local social networks have recently become a phenomenon, with some accounts dedicated to sharing scandals and exposing personal information of citizens and residents.

This received a stern response from several authorities in the Kingdom. This requires a decisive stand against suspicious calls to undermine the strong and deep-rooted relationship between the Leadership and the Bahraini people, Royal Guard Commander Staff Brigadier HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa warned in a statement on March 31. Interior Minister Lieutenant General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa also affirmed that tough steps will be taken to deal with unprecedented chaos created by disruptive social media accounts. At least ten individuals were arrested and prosecuted this year in Bahrain in relation to similar offences.The latest labour market trends are encouraging as the economy continues to recover following the oil price drop crisis of 2014, it emerged.

After an underwhelming period in the employment market since the dip in the oil prices in 2014; signs are that the labour market is on the mend, thanks to the steady recovery of the economy, according to Labour Ministry.

Speaking to Tribune, Labour Ministry Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Affairs Dr Mohammed Ali Al Ansari said that 2017 was a positive year for the labour market with the ministry noting increase in recruitment, stability in terms of unemployment and lower numbers in labour issues.

Last year there has been a significant increase in the recruitment of nationals. We also succeeded in stabilising the local market in terms of unemployment, which remained at around four per cent. On the other hand, the number of cases filed with the ministry because of different disputes between employer and employee also remain at a minimum when compared to 2016, 2015, and 2014, he pointed out.

The number of dismissed Bahraini workers in 2014 was 1,700, while in 2017 it was 1,400. We could also keep the number of dismissed workers of expatriates at an acceptable level.

Positive indicators

Newly found optimism from the oil discovery at Khalij Al Bahrain Basin and the launch of various major projects could channel a positive trajectory for the labour market, he said.

The market is always affected by the financial situation in the country. Right now there is stability in the country, there are many new projects that has come up and many whose works are ongoing. 

Last year avenues launched and Alba started works on their expansion project. he said, adding, The most positive indicator was the discovery of large amount of oil this will give a push to the economic situation of the country. This could prompt even more new projects.

Salary disputes

General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) assistant secretary for international relations Karim Radhi said that some of the high profile issues related to delayed salary are gradually being resolved. In terms of labour issues, I have witnessed four major issues from major companies. The cases are in the process of getting resolved. Some of them are yet to be resolved while progress is being made in other cases.

Ministry of Labour initiatives have ensured that the recruitment scenario remains high, especially for Bahrainis. The ministry, along with Tamkeen are funding the part of salaries of recent graduates employed in the private sector and this has been effective along with many other similar schemes, he added.

Humanitarian support urged

Urging humanitarian support, Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society general secretary Faisal Fulad said that more focus must be given to workers who lose their source of income due to health reasons.

Currently we are dealing with the case of a man who became unable to work due to health reason. He is bedridden and losing his eye sight, a travel ban has been placed on him because he was unable to clear his debts.

He is now in a helpless situation and will not be able to pay his debts. There should be a mechanism to deal with such humanitarian cases.

This is a humanitarian case, there are many like these. he said.Days of hard work put in by a group of volunteers under the umbrella Bahrain Beachcombers has finally begun to reap benefits.

Littering by beachgoers has considerably reduced across Nurana Islands, according to these volunteers.

Speaking to Tribune, Darren Schneder, the founder of Bahrain Beachcombers, said their efforts have sent a message to beachgoers who are now reluctant to litter the area.

He said the fishermen have also been restraining from throwing away rubbish into the sea while fishing.

Over the years there has been less and less rubbish that comes back on the beach. What was on the beach initially has all been picked up; we know this by observing the oxidation on the plastic. Now we continue to pick up the new rubbish left on the beach. The rubbish is not as much as it used to be, it is considerably less. There are also a lot less plastic bottles dumped into the sea by the fishermen. Clearly the government has said something to the fishermen.

He said the beaches at Nurana Islands were in a terrible state when he first began to clean them up four years ago. I formed Bahrain beachcombers in 2014 after my visits to Nurana Islands. The pollution in that area drove me towards taking action. It was terrible to see how much trash was washed up on the beach and clearly something had to be done. Having been brought up in Australia where we are taught about pollution at an early age in schools, it was a natural thing for me to pick up and dispose of it somehow. I took the initiative and started the volunteer group. Cleaning up Nurana Island beaches is especially important because it is a catchment area - meaning marine debris from around the Island gets collected there, he said.

It is a catchment area, because of how the natural flow of the ocean is. This is good because catching the plastic is better than the plastic going around the island all the time. It is actually beneficial for the island to have that rubbish collecting in that area and even more beneficial by us picking up the rubbish.

He said that about 70 people on average turn up for his beach clean ups. On a general beach-clean we get approximately up to about 70 people. It can be very fickle, you can get as little as 10 but we can get as much as 100. The number of people does not necessarily reflect how-much rubbish is picked up. Ten people can pick up an awful lot of rubbish, a hundred people could pick up not as much.

So I am never really worried about how-many people turn up as long as people turn up. Not only do we have general beach clean ups, we also have corporate beach clean ups, where companies as part of their corporate social responsibility come here to do the cleanup. There are also school clean ups where more than a hundred children come here to do the cleanup. Nurana Islands is ideal for corporate clean up and social clean up.

When asked about his message to beachgoers, he said, Just be more aware of where your rubbish goes, and make sure that your rubbish is disposed of correctly in the proper means and dont drop rubbish where it shouldnt be.Manama : Calls have gone out from senior municipal council officials to allow expatriates who are residing in Bahrain and own properties or businesses in the Kingdom to take part in the quadrennial municipal elections, similar to the citizens of GCC countries. The participation of foreign investors in municipal elections has been raised multiple times in recent years, confirms Muharraq Municipal Council Chairman Mohammed Al Sinan.

Mr Al Sinan told Tribune that the matter has been submitted as a proposal in the Council of Representatives on more than one occasion and was reviewed by the municipal councils in each governorate.

According to him, the proposal stipulates amending the existing Decree by-Law 3 of 2002 on the Exercise of Political Rights, allowing GCC Nationals to play a part in the municipal elections if they meet the criteria. The conditions for GCC citizens to participate in the elections include that they should be above the age of 21 years, own a permanent residence, properties or lands in the constituency. The edict prohibits those convicted in criminal and dishonesty cases or committed any electoral crime from participating in the elections.

The proposal never saw the light and has been shelved for years now. We hope that the Kingdoms lawmakers would look into it once again, considering its importance. The majority of the population on the island is expats. A considerable number of them are entrepreneurs, investors or business owners.

Municipal councils serve all, including citizens and residents. They equally benefit from the councils services. The right to elect should be granted to them, Al Sinan stated. Nonetheless, the council chairman affirmed that despite the absence of a legislation permitting expats to vote in the municipal elections, the doors of municipal councils are always open to receive their requests, inquiries, suggestions and complaints.

He added, Each council member should serve all those living or owning properties in the constituencies they represent. In Muharraq Municipal Council we continuously receive expats. We help them service-oriented matters that are related to residences or commercial establishments, such as shops or warehouses. We frequently solve their issues with the Electricity and Water Authority or the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning.

Part of Social Fabric Tribune also spoke to Northern Area Municipal Council Chairman Mohammed Buhumood, who shared a similar view and underlined that expats are an essential part of the social fabric of Bahrain. Commenting further, Buhumood said, They should be involved in the voting process as they have mass contributions in all fields and a direct impact on all services. The involvement of non-citizen communities, according to requirements, is a common practice in many countries.

However, Buhumood informed that expatriates in the Northern Governorate are less interactive with the areas municipal council than citizens. He attributed it to the nature of programmes introduced by the council, language barriers or the awareness of such communities about the councils services.

At the same time, Buhumood said there are no official figures available showing the amount of interaction from expat communities with the council. According to the latest statistics released by the Central Informatics Organisation, the number of expatriates living in Bahrain was 759, 000 by the end of 2016, while 665, 000 were Bahrainis. The figures also showed that the expats population steadily grew by more than 100, 000 between 2010 and 2016.Despite a significant increase in the number of children suffering from autism over the past few years, authorities are not doing enough to address the situation, allege parents.

They say their long-time demands that include a government centre and a rehabilitation programme for autistic children remain unanswered as of now.

Even Constitutional rights are being denied to autistic children. If you see, right to education is a Constitutional right of every child, yet school here runs a three-month probation programme for children, who are sent out upon being proved unfit, a parent told Tribune. Many parents of autistic children feel that great injustice is being done to their kids. The Education Ministry has itself revealed that annual educational cost for a student stands in the neighbourhood of BD3,000, while the Social Development Ministry only gives BD100 a month for the treatment of an autistic child. The treatment generally costs something between BD250 and BD350 and we parents often struggle to meet medical expenses.

There are even parents who had to rely on bank loans to treat their autistic children. These parents cite many flaws even in the diagnostic process carried out by the health department. As of now the waiting list for autistic children is three years for treatment and six months for evaluation. After a three-month evaluation process, the child has to undergo an IQ test. The Health Ministry only provides one staff member to do the test, limiting the process to two cases a day while the number of autistic children here is increasing.

Even if the parents see some symptoms of autism in their children, it takes about three years to get medical help. Delayed help meant the child wont be able to attend the primary school at the right time.

Speaking to Tribune, Sayed Zakaria, head of Bahrain Autistic Society, said, More than 4,000 autism patients are receiving rehabilitation assistance at around 25 private centers in Bahrain, while there are no government centres for autistic children. At Alia Centre alone, around 500 children are on the waiting list.

Children wait for one year after the initial diagnosis to start the actual diagnosis. The diagnosis runs only for one week instead of one month, so the results tend to be inaccurate and the government only accepts the psychiatric report as a diagnosis of autism. Urging the Social Development Ministry to increase its financial help to autistic children, he said, Considering the existing medical and other expenses, BD100 a month is too low. The ministry should increase this at the earliest.

Around four autistic children leave rehabilitation centers every month because their parents cant afford their expenses and the number of school classes allocated for students suffering autism are insufficient. Teachers are not specialists and the ministry does not accept all the children because of their low standards. The Ministry of Education is working its efforts, but because of the high cost, children are neglected.

Ahlam Juma, a mother of an autistic child said her son was rejected admission three times by a public school. Though he was accepted fourth time, he could only stay there for three months. I had to take him out because his behaviour had become bad due to wrong influences from his classmates.

The teachers werent competent either and they dont know how to deal with autistic children. Meanwhile, on the flip side, autism specialist Sakeena Kareemi said many who got specialisations in training children suffering from autism were unemployed. The cost of specialising is around BD14, 000 and many graduates having this specialisation are sitting at home while centers are complaining of not able to accommodate more students due to unavailability of resources.

The government has an obligation to educate and rehabilitate people with autism as much as it is committed to the education of healthy children, she added. It has been proved that students suffering from autism have unique set of skills, strengths and talents. Hussein Al Shehabi, father of an autistic child Ali said his son can speak five languages  Arabic, English, Spanish, Japanese and Korean.

My son is really talented. I want him to progress using his talents and skills and emerge a true contributor to the society instead of being a citizen depending on BD100 payout.Manama : HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of Bahrain Olympic Committees, Captain of Bahrain Royal Endurance Team, completed 120km-event in 05:04.48 hours, riding at a speed of 23/h, in the Royal Windsor Endurance Race held in Windsor.

His win came despite having an injury, but his determination to raise Bahrain flag in Britain enabled him to carry on and secure an outstanding achievement added to the Kingdoms bright record in this sport.

HH Shaikh Nasser dedicated his victory in Royal Windsor Endurance Race to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who has been the primary supporter to the endurance sport in the Kingdom.

Following his triumph in Windsor, HH Shaikh Nasser was congratulated by HM the King, HM Queen Elizabeth II and HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, all of whom were present to follow the race.

Its worth noting that this was HH Shaikh Nassers third title in Royal Windsor Endurance Race. Interestingly, HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum predicted HH Shaikh Nassers victory in Windsor two months ago.Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 30-year-old man for allegedly recruiting a high school boy to participate in an orgy at a residence in Funabashi City two years ago, reports the Sankei Shimbun

On August 13, 2016, Satoshi Nishizawa, a company employee living in Funabashi, recruited the boy, then aged 15, to engage in acts deemed obscene along with four other male participants.

Nishizawa, who has been accused of violating the Child Welfare Act regarding obscene acts, denies the allegations, telling the Kanagawa Police Station that he adoes not recalla the matter.

According to police, Nishizawa solicited the boy via Twitter, saying in a message that he was seeking participants for a sex party. After the pair began corresponding, the suspect requested that the boy send him a copy of his student identification card.

The other participants at the event, which was filmed, were college students, police said.

The matter emerged last year, after one of the other participants was arrested in a child prostitution case. During that investigation, an examination of a smartphone revealed footage from the incident in 2016.

Police are continuing the investigation, which includes the examination of several smartphones seized from the residence of Nishizawa.By Reno Omokri I now understand why #BringBackOurGirls cofounder, Aisha Yesufu, said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is the greatest disa...

Osinbajo and Buhari

Osinbajo DID NOT speak when: 2 Catholic priests and 17 parishioners were killed by herdsmen in Benue

When 73 Benue people were mass murdered on New Years Day

When Leah Sheribu was not released because of her faith

When radicals killed evangelist Eunice Elisha When Eunice Agbahime was beheaded by fundamentalists in Kano, or When herdsmen killed a Catholic seminarian and 12 other people in Enugu

Recession

Herdsmen killing

Nepotism

Naira devaluation

Blame game

I now understand why #BringBackOurGirls cofounder, Aisha Yesufu, said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is the greatest disappointment in Buharis government of fake change.Come to think of it, President Buhari, whose school leaving certificate is in doubt, may be forgiven for his cluelessness. But can the same be said about Osinbajo, purportedly a PhD and Senior Advocate of Nigeria?In his book, The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri said: The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality.Alighieri could have as well been writing about our Vice President. Osinbajos cluelessness and callousness have been legendary, but let me mention a few instances in which Nigerians have been heavily disappointed by Osinbajos silence at critical times in the nations history.The curious thing though is that if you dare speak against President Buhari and his fallacious government, Professor Yemi Osinbajo will SHOUT.He also attacks former President Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party as if they are the major reason why his party has underwhelmed Nigeria. Even when radicals killed Eunice Elisha, a fellow Redeemed Christian Church of God pastor, Osinbajo said NOTHING.Is it Leah Sheribu that he will now speak up for? Osinbajo is too busy reducing himself to the Economic and Financial Crime Commissions spokesman to notice that under Buhari, the Nigerian Church is facing the worst attack in its history! In a 48-page report titled Crushed but Not Defeated:The Impact of Persistent Violence on the Church in Northern Nigeria, Open Doors, the non-profit group, revealed that 13,000 churches have been destroyed in the ongoing jihad by radicals in some parts of Nigeria.This statistic ought to have shocked Vice President Osinbajo out of his reverie, but it seems nothing can stop the Vice Presidents hero worshipping of his fallen angel, Muhammadu Buhari. Osinbajos loyalty to Buhari would appear to be more total than his loyalty to Christ. Jesus told us to speak up for the weak and voiceless. Who can be as weak (in body, but not in faith) and voiceless as Leah Sheribu.Everyday Osinbajo keeps speaking in defense of Buhari. Why cant he lend his voice to also speak up for Leah! Elsewhere, I have said that the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, should remember what Mordechai told Esther. Let me paraphrase it for him: if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for Christians in Nigeria will arise from another place.And who knows but that you have come to your Aso Rock position for such a time as this? Buhari has defended his killer herdsmen kinsmen.He has come up with policies like Cattle Colony for them. He has placed them in all the sensitive positions in the security services. When will Osinbajo speak up for Christians? What shall it profit Osinbajo if he shall gain the whole Aso Rock and lose his soul? To show Nigerians the hypocrisy of Osinbajo, he keeps accusing the Jonathans of corruption, yet only this year, his own daughter, Lola Osinbajo, got married to Bola Shagayas son.This same Bola Shagaya was accused of corruption by the EFCC last year. This same Bola Shagayas account was frozen. Google it. Do not take my word for it. Have Nigerians heard anything about her case after the marriage of her son, Seun, to Lola Osinbajo? Officials of the Buhari government have taken their cue from both the President and his vice and have showed the most cluelessness.For instance, in Nigeria under Buhari, it is easier to count the days when herdsmen do not kill Nigerians than to count the days when they do. Killings are so rampant that the most profitable profession in Nigeria is fast becoming grave digging. Does the IGP care? He cant even respect the Senate. His boss cant even discipline him.When herdsmen killed 73 Benue people, Buhari implored Benue people to forgive and said I ask you in the name of God to accommodate YOUR COUNTRYMEN. Later on Buhari told the world that these herdsmen are foreigners from LIBYA and other places. So which is it? Are they our COUNTRYMEN or FOREIGNERS? Or is Buhari CONFUSED? In fact, the summary of three years of Buhari is that he has made himself a BRAND AMBASSADOR for:Going further, Buharis solution to Nigerias economic challenge is:BLAME JonathanHis solution to Nigerias security challenge is:BLAME GaddafiThe administrations solution to youth unemployment has been to:BLAME lazy Nigerian youthTherefore, Nigerians have devised a solution to their Buhari problem:BLAME Buhari with your PVC and send him #BacktoDaura!In fact, when you open a dictionary to check the meaning of BLAME GAME, you should see a picture of Buhari! That is why I was surprised when the Buhari administration banned codeine and tramadol in Nigeria.Why stop there? Why not go the whole hog? The APC has been a worse epidemic on our country than the codeine and tramadol abuse afflicting our youths. Did you hear of these drug abuse on such a large scale under the PDP? It is because people have lost hope. Instead of closing Emzor that provides jobs, Nigeria should close down APC that loses jobs. And between Buhari and our economy I honestly do not know who is more unhealthy. Both rely on foreigners to survive. Buhari depends on foreign doctors and our economy depends on foreign loans.Our President goes to London for medicine. His finance minister goes there to beg and borrow! Let me warn that with the resurgence of Ebola in DRC Congo, Nigerians should pray it does not get to Nigeria because unlike the previous government that acted fast to contain Ebola, if it comes now, this administration does not have the capacity to contain it. Their likely response will be to blame DRC or even Jonathan and the PDP. This is no joke.Remember that they blamed herdsmen on Gaddafi, and blamed their inability to initiate, start and finish any project in three years on Jonathan. Ebola does not respect propaganda. It will ravage Nigeria if it gets here under this regime that cannot accept responsibility for anythingMalam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari has challenged the opposition parties about his principals readiness to contest the 2019 election saying: are you ready for 2019? President Buhari is ready to go come lets go.Shehu speaking after the Presidents arrival in Abuja from his medical trip in London said he said: the President as you can see is back, twenty four hours before his schedule. That tells you that there is nothing really to worry about as we said from the beginning but then this is politic and we use this opportunity to put the opponent on notice are you ready for 2019 president Buhari I ready to go. Come lets go!!!We're always ready @GarShehu @JackObinyan @Zahrahmusa @eedris555 @BashirAhmaad. pic.twitter.com/4I3KGJ5ahf Usman Sabo Baba (@usmansabobaba) May 12, 2018Issac Adewole, minister of health, says Yusuf, President Muhammadu Buharis only son, did not go to Germany for treatment but rehabilitati...

Issac Adewole, minister of health, says Yusuf, President Muhammadu Buharis only son, did not go to Germany for treatment but rehabilitation.





In December, Yusuf sustained injuries after he was involved in bike accident around Gwarimpa in Abuja.





He was admitted at an Abuja hospital before he was later taken abroad.





Speaking on Hard Copy, a Channels Television programme on Friday, the minister said Buhari directed that his son should be treated in Nigeria even when people were clamouring that he should be flown abroad.





The president asked his son to be treated in Nigeria. Even when people were clamouring that his son should be flown abroad, he said no, Adewole said.



Edo State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon Jimoh Ijegbai, on Saturday fled for his life as suspected thugs...

Edo State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon Jimoh Ijegbai, on Saturday fled for his life as suspected thugs invaded the venue for the Local Government congress of the All Progressive Congress in Owan East local government area.There was heavy shooting as party supporters who had gathered to celebrate the outcome of the congress scampered for safety.The fracas which occurred at Afuze happened when party leaders in the locality were having a meeting to arrive at a consensus list of local government executives.It was learnt that the party leaders in Owan East had met on Friday night and agreed to go for harmonisation instead of going for election.Party members who had gathered at the secretariat waiting for the outcome of the meeting were chased away even as a 75-year old man identified as was locked insideThere was sporadic gunshots at the Owan East Local Government secretariat, Afuze during the Local Government Congress election.Two persons were injured in the process.The lawmaker representing Owan Federal Constituency, Hon Pally Iriase, said the crisis was because some persons wanted to jettison the directive of the National Executive Council of the APC that all zoning arrangement should be maintained.Iriase said no executive has emerged in Owan East as there was a stalemate in the meeting.He said, The sticky point is that a group is saying we must jettison the directives of NEC. I cannot see any reason why anybody should say we should re-zoned the position.The larger group of opinion here is that we cannot continue on the path of impunity. Retaining zoning formular worked out in the Ward congresses.Commissioner Ijegbai in a chat with newsmen said it was worrisome that Afuze that used to be peaceful has suddenly become a terrible place during election.Ijegbai said there was no need for the fracas if all party leaders had toed the line of last Saturday ward congress where they all agreed on a consensus. The council chairman ordered that the party secretariat should not be opened. And before we got there, they locked that 75 year old man, Mr. Osain Isaiah inside the place almost suffocating to death. We have to mobilized and force the place open and we got the man out, he said.In Owan West, the APC held parallel congresses as Mr. Ojo Asein rejected the harmonised list by the faction loyal to Prof. Julius Ihonvbere.Asein led some APC members to elect party executive at the local government council hall while Prof. Ihonvbere faction held at Avbiosi village.In other parts of the State, the local government congresses were peaceful as party leaders agreed on consensus and harmonisation.Mr. Ogbejele Idojei was elected chairmen of Esan North East local government.Leader of the party in the locality, Prince Joe Okojie said the peaceful congress has shown that the party has been repositioned for electoral victory.Prince Okojie said the party members were happy that they were carried along during the consensus arrangement.Speaking on the exercise, the lawmaker representing Egor/Ikpoba-Okha Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr. Johnson Agbonayinma, commended the party for the decision.Agbonayinma said, Members of the APC have spoken; this (consensus) is what they want, without fights and gunshots. Having a consensus is also acceptable in a democracy and this what has happened.We accept it in good faith and we appreciate our leaders. I think this is a step in the right direction.Addressing reporters after his plane touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Buhari said: I just went for further medical checkup. I am now okay. Thank you.The striking Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) Friday appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, to personally intervene in the ongoing industrial action it embarked upon to press home its demands bordering on allowances and welfare.The National Vice Chairman of JOHESU, Ogbonna Chimela, made the appeal, while fielding questions from State House correspondents at the old Banquet Hall of the presidential villa, Abuja.Chimela, who is also the National President of Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), said the Presidents intervention became necessary following the deadlock of Thursdays meeting between the union and the officials of the Federal Ministry of Health, as there was no common ground reached to resolve the crisis.According to him, President Buharis intervention has become necessary to avert possible collapse of the nations health system, adding that the president was not being given the correct information as regards the situation in the health sector.He said, From our investigation and from what we know now, we have discovered that our President, Muhammadu Buhari has not been well informed of the happenings in the health sector, is like some information are being blanketed; not getting to him because we know who he is.He is a sincere man who has the love of an average Nigerian at heart.We know that he is humane and he cannot tore with the lives of Nigerians if he is well aware of this present situation in the health sector we know he would go direct in arresting the issue and resolve it.So, we are calling on Mr President to quickly intervene in this matter because JOHESU and its members are not strike mongers, we dont love strike.Chimela regretted that the nations public health institutions were in shambles, saying that JOHESU members would have loved to go back to their respective places of work to take care of the suffering patients across the country.He, however, called for equity not equality, fairness and justice to be meted out to all health care givers so as to ensure stability in the health sector.He frowned at the statement issued by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) on Thursday threatening to resume its suspended strike should the Federal Government accede to the demands of the striking health workers under the auspices of the JOHESU.Also speaking, the National Chairman of JOHESU, Biobebelemoye Josiah, accused the NMA of assisting the federal ministry of health in frustrating the attempt to resolve the ongoing strike by the union.On the reported resurgence of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Republic of Congo and the subsequent directive on the need to check the spread of the disease into Nigeria, Josiah said JOHESU should not be blamed for possible lapses in the effective implementation of this directive.He said that due to the ongoing strike members of JOHESU may not participate in the surveillance activities at the airports and borders across the country.The Federal Executive Council (FEC) had on Wednesday directed the Federal Ministry of Health to step up surveillance activities against Ebola in the country.The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole had to reporters on Wednesday that negotiations were on over the strike embarked upon by members of JOHESU.He said, Negotiations are still on with JOHESU and the Minister of Labour is leading the negotiation and we expect that we will conclude on all issues very soon.The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday closed its case in the trial of a former governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu, who is...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday closed its case in the trial of a former governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu, who is being prosecuted for an alleged fraud of N2.9bn.Kalu was re-arraigned on October 31, 2016 by the EFCC on 34 counts of money laundering before Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos.He was re-arraigned alongside Udeh Udeogu and Slok Nigeria Limited.The EFCC closed its case on Friday following the cross-examination by its last witness, Chidi Chukwuka, a forensic investigator.The witness had while fielding questions from Kalus lawyer, Prof. Awa Kalu (SAN), told the court that the EFCC was not aware that former President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote ex-American President, George Bush, over a $1.7m Potomac house which a former governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu, purchased in 2003.He said the alleged letter between Obasanjo and Bush was none of the anti-graft agencys business.He equally denied knowledge of the existence of any similar correspondence between Obasanjo and then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair.I suggest to you that it was not only the EFCC that was interested in the property in Exhibit W1. I said so because then President Olusegun Obasanjo had correspondence with then US President, George W. Bush, Kalu confronted Chukwuka.Responding, the investigator said, My office is in the EFCC, not in the US.You may not also be aware that Obasanjo was in correspondence with then UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, with respect to some properties, Kalu suggested to the witness.Not to my knowledge, he replied.Asked by the SAN whether the EFCC discovered in the course of its investigations that the former governor acquired a family house in Boston, Massachusetts, as far back as 1997, Chukwuka said he did not investigate the property.We are aware that the first defendant, by Nigerian standard, it is possible he has a house in the US but the house in the US was not subject to investigation; so, we did not pay attention to that, he added.Did you find out that the area where that family house was located had racial issue on account of which he put it up for sale? the lawyer asked the investigator.It was not part of our investigation, he said.The lawyer further suggested to the investigator that as a result of the racial issue, the first defendant sold the property for $3.8m in 2003, to which, Chukwuka again replied that it was not part of our investigation, sir.Did your investigation show that the Potomac house was acquired with proceeds from the sale of the Boston property? Kalu asked the investigator.We found an account where $1.7m was drawn and paid from a Nigerian bank, the investigator said.Did you uncover an account from Nigeria or any part of Africa where $1.7m was drawn to pay for the property? Kalu asked.It may interest you that the suspect was investigated that time and he had foreign accounts and funds were moved from Nigeria into those foreign accounts, the investigator said.I suggest to you that the property in Potomac was funded from an offshore account in the US, Kalu put to the investigator, who then responded, You are right.Specifically, that fund was from Chase Manhattan Bank, now JPMorgan; that was where the house was paid for, Kalu said, to which Chukwuka replied, Yes.The witness, however, said he was not aware that the ex-governor is a legal permanent resident in the US who holds a green card.The witness said he was aware that Kalu filled and submitted assets declaration forms in 1999 and 2003.Did the asset declaration forms of 1999 and 2003 show the first defendant to be a pauper, a person who has no means or worthless? Kalu asked the investigator.The Jigawa Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense said it has arrested 19 persons, including a retired police inspector for allegedly molesting a 13-year-old child.The corps spokesman in the state, SC Adamu Shehu, confirmed the arrest to the News Agency of Nigeria in Dutse on Saturday.Shehu said the said the suspects were arrested on Thursday at about 4 p.m., in Kiyawa village, in Kiyawa local government area of the state.He explained that the arrest followed a complaint received by men of the command from the victims brother-in-law.A complaint was lodged by the brother-in-law of a 13-year-old girl at our Divisional office in Kiyawa LGA, on Thursday at about 4 p.m., that his sister in-law, who is an orphan and living with her mother, was being molested.Our officers immediately swung into action and started investigating the matter, and in the process were able to arrest 19 people aged between 25 and 60, including a retired police inspector, he said.The young girl, who is a street hawker, told us that some of the men took advantage of her while selling porridge popularly known as Kunu, by giving her extra money and others by making unfulfilled promises, he said.The spokesman added that three of the suspects have confessed to have committed the crime while the rest denied it.According to him, three of the suspects, who confessed to committing the offence, have already been arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court in Dutse and were remanded in prison.He added that rest are still being investigated while the girl was taken to the hospital for medical tests and care.An associate of the former First lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, Esther Oba, has asked a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, to set aside an earlier order of interim forfeiture of the sum of $8.435,789.84 million and N9.185, 327, 362 billion allegedly linked to Mrs Jonathan to the Federal Government.Trial judge, Justice Cecilia Mojisola Olatoregun, had on April 19, 2018 granted order of interim forfeiture of the monies following an exparte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, against Mrs. Jonathan, Esther Oba and some companies.Companies joined in the suit are Globus Integrated Service Limited, Finchley Top Homes Limited, AM-PM Global Network Limited, Pagmat Oil and Gas Limited, and Magel Resort Limited.The monies were alleged to be warehoused in some banks, which include: Skye Bank Plc, Diamond Bank Plc, and Stabic-IBTC and First Bank Plc.,After granting the order, Justice Olatoregun ordered EFCC to publish the order of interim forfeiture in a national newspaper, so that whosoever has interest in the money should approach the court within 14 days, to show cause why the monies will not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.At the resumed hearing in the matter, yesterday, Esther Oba, who was alleged to be instrumental to lodging the monies into the designated bank accounts, allegedly linked to Patience. Jonathan, in a motion on notice by her lawyer, Ige Asemudara, asked the court to set aside the interim order forfeiture of the money.She also urged the court to strike down the entire provisions of Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other related offences Act 2006, for being inconsistent with Section 1, 36 (5), and 44 of the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).In praying the court for the aforementioned orders, Oba, stated that the order was obtained by the EFCC by concealing material facts or misrepresenting facts, and that the order made by the court without requisite jurisdiction and in breach of fair hearing provision of the constitution, the Evidence Act, and other statues.Oba, is further contending that there was no reasonable cause of action against her, and that the exparte motion was brought in bad faith, adding that the suit constitutes an abuse of court process.However, counsel to defendants, namely; Ifedayo Adedipe and Mike Ozekhome both Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs, told the court that they were still filing their processes against the interim order of forfeiture.While on his part, EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that he was just served with Obas motion and that he will need time to respond.After hearing from counsel to parties, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, admonished them to file all applications and front-loads all documents they needed and serve same on the parties before the next adjournment.She consequently adjourned the matter till June 18, for hearing of preliminary objections and motion to discharge the interim order of forfeiture.The General Overseer of the Evangelical Outreach Ministries International, Prophet Isa El-Buba, has revealed why Nigerians seeking to cont...

The General Overseer of the Evangelical Outreach Ministries International, Prophet Isa El-Buba, has revealed why Nigerians seeking to contest in the upcoming general election with President Buhari should thread with care.

El-Buba gave the warning during an interview with journalists in Jos while reacting to the continued detention of the former Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang, by the EFCC.





El-Buba said as Nigerians prepare for the 2019 general election, they should expect mass arrest.





The continued detention of Jang without trial is jungle justice. One thing I know about Jang is that he can fight injustice and oppression. The Bible is very clear; a government that establishes itself on the seat of righteousness and justice will live.



Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that never again will unscrupulous politicians be allowed to shut down courts in the state as the immediate past Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi did for three years.In a state broadcast on Friday, Governor Wike commended Rivers Youths for resisting the Police and the APC faction loyal to the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi who planned to shut down the State High Court over a suit filed by a rival faction.He said: We have said in many clear terms that never again will unscrupulous politicians shut our courts for business as they did three years ago and the youths have reaffirmed that this commitment can never be in vain.However, while we revel in todays victory over evil, we must not lower our guards. We should be prepared for more political battles in the days and months ahead, even as I urge our people to be law-abiding and avoid the temptations of taking the laws into your hands.The governor warned those whose stock in trade is to continually cause trouble, endanger the peace of the state and task the patience of the people, that there is limit to everything.He said:  I wish to reassure Rivers people, once again of our commitment to protect our democratic institutions from those who do not mean well for the progress of our State. As we continue to take our State on a path to sustainable peace and irreversible progress may God protect us from our enemies and crown our efforts with success.He blamed the invasion of the Rivers State Judiciary on the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad and a faction of the All Progressives Congress, loyal to the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.Today, 11 th May 2018, operatives of the Federal Special Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS) invaded the State High Court complex, Port Harcourt, blocked all entrances and for hours, prevented judicial workers, judges, litigants and lawyers from gaining access into their offices and courtrooms to carryout their judicial duties and businesses. While the siege lasted, organized hoodlums from a faction of the States All Peoples Congress (APC) loyal to the Minister of Transport Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi freely harassed innocent persons, including lawyers and destroyed public property, including private vehicles packed in the Court premises. The brazen assault on the States Judiciary was carried out by the Police on the direct instructions from the said faction of the APC, which feared that the rival faction might obtain an injunction against the continuation of their highly disputed and rancorous party congresses, the governor said.He said there is a clear evidence of conspiracy by the Police officers with some known political rascals to willfully overwhelm the judiciary and thwart the course of justice.The governor said that the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) continues to lend its men and instruments to the services of opposition elements to sabotage Rivers security architecture, undermine State institutions and abuse the human rights of the people.He said: . All these are in furtherance of actualizing the ignominious political template of the APC to rig the 2019 general elections in the state and unlawfully wrest power from the people by all means.We therefore call on the Federal Government to investigate the circumstances that led to the invasion and assault on the States judiciary and bring all the culprits to justice in order to stop a reoccurrence and avert a chaos orchestrated by those who seek power at all cost using the police.Where this is not done, the Federal Government should be ready to be accountable for any breakdown of law and order in Rivers State given the readiness of the people to resist the Police and defend their democratic rights to live in peace and freely elect their leaders.Governor Wike declares that unscrupulous politicians will never be allowed to close Rivers CourtsRivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that never again will unscrupulous politicians be allowed to shut down courts in the state as the immediate past Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi did for three years.In a state broadcast on Friday, Governor Wike commended Rivers Youths for resisting the Police and the APC faction loyal to the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi who planned to shut down the State High Court over a suit filed by a rival faction.He said: We have said in many clear terms that never again will unscrupulous politicians shut our courts for business as they did three years ago and the youths have reaffirmed that this commitment can never be in vain.However, while we revel in todays victory over evil, we must not lower our guards. We should be prepared for more political battles in the days and months ahead, even as I urge our people to be law-abiding and avoid the temptations of taking the laws into your hands.The governor warned those whose stock in trade is to continually cause trouble , endanger the peace of the state and task the patience of the people, that there is limit to everything.He said:  I wish to reassure Rivers people, once again of our commitment to protect our democratic institutions from those who do not mean well for the progress of our State.As we continue to take our State on a path to sustainable peace and irreversible progress may God protect us from our enemies and crown our efforts with success.He blamed the invasion of the Rivers State Judiciary on the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad and a faction of the All Progressives Congress, loyal to the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.Today, 11 th May 2018, operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) invaded the State High Court complex, Port Harcourt, blocked all entrances and for hours, prevented judicial workers, judges, litigants and lawyers from gaining access into their offices and courtrooms to carryout their judicial duties and businesses. While the siege lasted, organized hoodlums from a faction of the States All Peoples Congress (APC) loyal to the Minister of Transport Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi freely harassed innocent persons, including lawyers and destroyed public property, including private vehicles packed in the Court premises. The brazen assault on the States Judiciary was carried out by the Police on the direct instructions from the said faction of the APC, which feared that the rival faction might obtain an injunction against the continuation of their highly disputed and rancorous party congresses, the governor said.He said there is a clear evidence of conspiracy by the Police officers with some known political rascals to willfully overwhelm the judiciary and thwart the course of justice.The governor said that the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) continues to lend its men and instruments to the services of opposition elements to sabotage Rivers security architecture, undermine State institutions and abuse the human rights of the people.He said: . All these are in furtherance of actualizing the ignominious political template of the APC to rig the 2019 general elections in the state and unlawfully wrest power from the people by all means.We therefore call on the Federal Government to investigate the circumstances that led to the invasion and assault on the States judiciary and bring all the culprits to justice in order to stop a reoccurrence and avert a chaos orchestrated by those who seek power at all cost using the police.Where this is not done, the Federal Government should be ready to be accountable for any breakdown of law and order in Rivers State given the readiness of the people to resist the Police and defend their democratic rights to live in peace and freely elect their leaders.Voting has ended in the Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary. Casting of ballots by delegates ended a...

Voting has ended in the Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary.Casting of ballots by delegates ended at 4.13 pmDelegates from Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area were the last to exercise their franchise.learnt that sorting of ballot papers has begun at press time.The agents of the aspirants are standing behind the ballot boxes allotted to their principals.The ballot papers are being drawn out of the box and the names of the aspirants voted on the ballot papers called out by the panel secretary.More details later.The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says all issues raised by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in respect of the party, have been ext...

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says all issues raised by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in respect of the party, have been extensively addressed by its newly refocused and repositioned leadership.The party gave the assurance in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan in Abuja on Friday.Ologbondiyan said that new reforms and rebranding efforts had returned PDP to the much-desired political platform that would represent aspirations of all Nigerians, ahead of the 2019 general elections.These reforms, according to him, were particularly the full entrenchment of internal democracy, all-inclusiveness and re-engineered mechanisms for good governance.In the last five months, since the coming of the new leadership, under Prince Uche Secondus, the PDP had undergone extensive re-engineering in direct responses to suggestions, criticisms and wide-range of constructive counsels from Nigerians across board.The transparent processes, leading to the peaceful conduct of an open, credible, free and fair governorship primary in Ekiti state.This is at a time when other political parties are enmeshed in impunity-induced crisis and violence is a loud testimony of the democratic credentials and principles of the repositioned PDP.He added that the reconciliatory efforts of the Gov. Seriake Dickson-led committee, and other efforts at rebuilding the party, through its contact and integration committee, were already yielding results.He also said that such efforts were manifested in the crowd that graced PDP rallies in Jigawa, Katsina and Osun states.Our party remains the only political platform with genuine followership and structure in all the electoral wards across the local government areas, states and the six geo-political zones in the country.It is also instructive to add that majority of Nigerians still identify with the PDP as the vehicle for national cohesion, unity, economic prosperity and personal freedom of our citizens.Ologbondiyan said that PDPs initiative towards the nations economic recovery had commenced with the development of a robust and all-inclusive blueprint that would reopen the currently locked-down economic space.Today, the repositioned PDP remains the best channel for the coalition of true democrats, who are desirous of removing the incompetent Buhari Presidency from Aso Rock, through the ballot, come 2019.News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Obasanjo recently said that neither the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) nor the PDP, had the capacity to rescue Nigeria from the present political and socio-economic challenges. (NAN)Comedian Oyemykke has slammed media personality, Noble Igwe for asking the EFCC to look into night clubs along certain streets in Lagos be...

His claims which he made via his twitter handle came just few hours after EFCC raided some night clubs and arrested 12 "yahoo" boys and recovered 10 cars . The commission made the news known via its facebook page.

Comedian Oyemykke has slammed media personality, Noble Igwe for asking the EFCC to look into night clubs along certain streets in Lagos because he believes they serve as fronts for money laundering.

Noble Igwe reacting to the news, lauded the agency and called on it to do more in the fight against financial crime. According to him, record labels, estate/property business, car business are major 419/ fraud fronts in Nigeria

It seems his tweets didnt go down well with motivational speaker and comedian, Oyemykke who called him out for it.

According to Oyemykke who called Noble Igwe a snitch, he has only known him from a distance but his tweets shows that he is a stupid man who only knows how to colour riot.







UPDATE: 3 missing N.J. teens found safe in Pa. after weekend search

Police are searching for three missing Bloomfield teenagers who may have stolen thousands of dollars from one of the teens' fathers, township officials said Saturday.

Ulises Yance, 16, and Alex Lopez, 15, were last seen around 7:30 a.m. Friday. Alexa Arenas, 16, was last seen Thursday.

Yance's father told police that $8,000 was stolen from him, making him think the teenagers may have run away -- possibly to New Mexico, according to a township news release. Police cannot confirm this is what happened, the release says.

The parents have been in touch with each other and remain in contact with investigators, said Alexa's father, Carlos Arenas.

"Right now, we're just really worried and concerned for her safety," Arenas said Saturday. "Whatever problems she may have, we're here for her."

The whole family is pitching in to help spread the word, posting fliers and sharing details on social media in hopes that the kids are located. Alexa has a brother and sister who are "pretty upset" about her disappearance, Arenas said.

He described the missing teens as friends, and police believe they are together.

A Bloomfield police bulletin describes Yance as 5 feet 6 inches tall, 100 pounds, with brown eyes, black hair and fair skin.

Lopez is 5 feet 11 inches tall, 150 pounds, with brown eyes, brown hair and fair skin.

Arenas is 5 feet 4 inches tall, 165 pounds, with brown eyes, brown hair and fair skin.

Bloomfield police and the State Police Missing Persons Unit are searching for the teenagers.

The township asks anyone with information about the teens' whereabouts to immediately call Bloomfield police at 973-680-4141.

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tipsTwo Monroe Township police officers and a state trooper were honored at the Gloucester County Police Awards and Memorial Service Monday for saving the life of a fellow officer who collapsed during a bicycle tour benefitting fallen officers.

Officers Pete McBride and Mike Gabianelli and state trooper Robert Costanzo received the Life Saving Award for reviving corrections officer and PBA Local 105 vice president Mike Gallagher, of Williamstown, who fell from his bike after suffering a heart attack.

Gallagher presented the award at the ceremony at Bogey's Cafe in Pitman.

"It was different to actually have Mike there," Gabianelli said. "Once we save [someone], we don't usually see them again."

McBride called the recognition "humbling."

"It's not like we were special, we just were in the right place at the right time," he said.

Dozens of South Jersey officers were riding bikes in last May's Police Unity Tour, an annual ride from Manhattan to the Law Enforcement Officer Memorial in Washington, D.C. that raises awareness for officers killed in the line of duty.

Cyclists in Chapter II, the South Jersey chapter, had biked about 12 miles from their pickup point at Deptford Target, when Gallagher fell off his bike as they passed through Mullica Hill.

McBride, Gabianelli and state trooper Robert Costanzo were riding close behind him. Gabianelli said he thought Gallagher had passed out, until Gallagher's girlfriend Kristy Savage, a county sheriff's officer, jumped off her bike and told the officers he had heart complications.

"In a blink of an eye, they were off their bikes and on the ground saving my life," Gallagher said. "They rolled me over, my eyes were wide open and I was dead."

The officers performed chest compressions and CPR, while another rider ran to the ambulance that follows the cyclists and brought back a defibrillator. Officers cut off Gallagher's shirt and shocked him back to life.

"It wasn't that it was me or Michael Gabianelli or the troopers. Any one of the people would've done it because we all do that" for a living, McBride said of rescuing Gallagher. "There were a lot of police officers that stopped and tried to help, but there's only so many people that can work on a person at a time."

Gabianelli said the fact that almost no time passed between Gallagher's collapse and their response was what saved his life.

"In most of those cases, by the time you call 911 and we get there, you're five to ten minutes after the event happened," he said.

When Gallagher hit the ground, he tore his rotator cuff and right shoulder and chipped a kneecap. Aside from an open-heart triple bypass surgery, he had a more than five month recovery for the falling injuries.

"It was rough," he said. "I went down really hard."

Gallagher was riding in memory of state corrections officer Nick Semmon, who died after - coincidentally - suffering a heart attack on duty in 2016. Gallagher didn't know him, but he chose Semmon because he was a corrections officer like him.

"It's changed my life. I eat better, I lost 18-20 pounds, I'm in the gym pretty much six days a week," he said. "I want to see my daughters graduate high school... I want to watch them get married, like every father does."

During Gallagher's annual checkup Thursday, his doctor told him he shouldn't ride in the 170-mile and four-day Unity Tour again, saying the most he should ride at a time is about 30 miles. He hadn't been on a bike since he fell last year, which was his first Unity Tour.

"That was hard to hear. Next year was my goal," he said. "I knew I couldn't ride this year, because my girlfriend, she wasn't going to let me ride. The one thing that I had my heart set on, I'm not allowed to do."

Gallagher will still help the cause by pulling trailers of bikes and supporting in other ways.

"Support is a big part of the Unity Tour," he said.

McBridge and Gabianelli were previously acquaintances of Gallagher's, but their friendship grew after they saved his life.

"Pete McBride, we were at Home Depot and I literally teared up when I started talking to him," Gallagher said. "It's just something that happens when you talk to the guy that saved your life."

McBride joined the Unity Tour for his second time this year. This Life Saving Award was his fourth: he previously received awards for rescuing two heart attack victims and a man attempting suicide.

Gabianelli's Life Saving Award was his third.

"They don't think they did anything big," Gallagher said. "They save lives all the time, but to save a fellow officer's life is a pretty big deal."

Gallagher said he regularly texts Costanzo, who works near Trenton.

"We became best friends," he said. "The blue brotherhood is even stronger with us now. It's a bond we'll have the rest of our lives. It's not a bond we chose, but it's a bond we have."The Jets just lost their college scouting director, Matt Bazirgan, to the Texans. Bazirgan will be Houston's director of player personnel.

Now, the Texans' ex-college scouting director, Jon Carr, is coming to the Jets, to take that same job, filling the the vacancy left by Bazirgan's departure, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The Texans revamped their front office under new general manager Brian Gaine, a former Jets scout. Gaine hired Patriots national scout James Liipfert to be his college scouting director, which meant Carr was out of a job.

He quickly found a landing spot with the Jets, who are on their third college scouting director in as many years.

Last offseason, Rex Hogan left for a better job with the Colts -- vice president of player personnel. Hogan was one of Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan's initial hires in 2015. Bazirgan replaced Hogan last year as the Jets' college scouting director.

Maccagnan has an extensive background in scouting. He was the Texans' college scouting director, from 2011-14, before the Jets gave him their general manager job.

Carr was promoted to college scouting director in Houston after Maccagnan left for the Jets. In the three years before that, Carr was a national college scout with the Texans. So this is not the first time he has worked under Maccagnan.

Bazirgan had worked for the Jets since 2004. He got a promotion, to pro personnel director, when the Jets hired Maccagnan.

Before spending two years as pro personnel director (2015-16), Bazirgan was the Jets' assistant director of pro personnel. His first job with the Jets was as a pro personnel intern and college scouting assistant in 2004. He was a college area scout with the Jets for eight years.

Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.A 14-year-old University Academy Charter High School student was arrested Thursday and charged with criminal sexual contact following an incident at the school earlier in the day, authorities said.

Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said the alleged incident took place inside the West Side Avenue school just before 12:30 p.m. The teenager was arrested by members of the Jersey City Police Department later that day on Stegman Street.

It is unclear how old the victim is and whether he or she is a student at the charter high school. When reached by phone Friday, the school's principal declined to comment on the alleged incident.

The identity of the teenager was not released by authorities because he is a juvenile. He has since been released from police custody to his mother, pending a court hearing.Hudson County homicide detectives have made two arrests in a shooting incident at a Downtown Jersey City housing complex that left one man dead and a woman wounded, authorities announced.

Kai Robinson, 20, of River Drive in Jersey City, was arrested in Newark Thursday and charged with the May 2 murder of Kamal McCord, 19, who was shot in the chest at 21 Merseles Court, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced yesterday.

Robinson is also charged with wounding the woman in the arm during the incident and faces counts that include murder, attempted murder, weapons offenses related to two guns and theft related to a vehicle, officials said.

Robinson made his first appearance on the charges yesterday in Criminal Justice Reform Court in Jersey City via video link from Hudson County jail in Kearny. At the hearing, the state moved to detain him through the course of his prosecution and a detention hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

The Prosecutor's Office also announced yesterday that Lasaun Rose, 24, of Jersey City, was arrested on May 4. He is charged with aggravated assault and two weapons offenses related to a third gun. The state moved to detain Rose and his detention hearing is scheduled for Monday.

Suarez said the investigation is active and additional arrests are expected. A possible motive was not provided.

On the day of the shooting, Jersey City police responded to the location on a report of male being shot at about 9:50 p.m. and found McCord dead in a Merseles Court home. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 10 p.m., officials said.

Officers found the wounded woman near 17 Merseles Court and she was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center for treatment, officials said.

According to the criminal complaint, a video shows two men getting out of a stolen car and entering the complex. They then open-fired handguns into a crowd. The video also shows the men who were in the stolen car being picked up by a second vehicle, the complaint says.

Jersey City Police Department CCTV video shows two men fitting the physical description of the gunmen and wearing the same clothing entering the nearby Booker T. Washington housing complex within an hour of the shooting, the complaint says.

At yesterday's hearing, it was noted that there was a warrant for Robinson's arrest on the charge of simple assault related to domestic violence in which he allegedly struck a woman in the face and pushed her to the ground in September. That charge was remanded to Family Court.

Suarez thanked Jersey City police for their work in the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Hudson County Prosecutor's office at 201-915-1345. Anonymous tips can be left at

http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/Whole Foods is eyeing a new location for a Jersey City store after dropping plans to open one near the Grove Street PATH station, sources told The Jersey Journal.

The upscale grocery chain is close to finalizing a deal to open in one of Mack-Cali's Harborside buildings, near the Hudson River waterfront, the sources said.

The city in 2016 announced a location across Marin Boulevard from City Hall, but those plans have been scrapped, the sources said.

A Whole Foods spokeswoman would say only that the company is "as committed as ever to bringing the highest-quality natural and organic foods to Jersey City."

A 365 by Whole Foods Market -- described by Whole Foods as "a smaller-store concept where value meets quality" -- is scheduled to open in Weehawken in the fall.A man admitted Friday to killing his stepfather by striking him repeatedly in the head with an axe at their Monroe home before he wrapped up the body with duct tape and used the man's credit cards at a convenience store.

Joao C. Torres will face 30 years in prison on a murder charge in the slaying of 46-year-old Christopher Ernst Sr. under a plea agreement with Middlesex County prosecutors, officials announced.

The 27-year-old admitted he attacked Ernst after Ernst went to bed, striking him three times with the axe in a home they shared on Garvey Drive.

"He then wrapped him in a blanket and garbage bag with duct tape and moved the body into another room," Prosecutor Andrew Carey said in a statement.

Authorities discovered Ernst dead in a garage room at the house Jan. 4, 2017 after police were called by someone concerned that Torres did not show up for work, according to officials. The killing apparently occurred that day or the day before.

Torres also admitted he stole Ernst's wallet and used the victim's credit cards at Wawa stores in Old Bridge and Sayreville, the prosecutor added.

Authorities said they caught Torres hiding in the back of a pickup truck after he fled into a wooded area several miles from the crime scene.

He is scheduled to be sentenced July 6 in Middlesex County Superior Court and will also face concurrent prison terms for disturbing human remains and fraudulent use of credit cards. A motive for the killing was not immediately clear.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.How do you know when a bear has gotten into your cupcakes?

Ready?

You find his paw prints in the icing ... womp, womp.

The stale (pun intended) joke is no laughing matter for a Rockaway Township couple who say a large black bear smashed a window of their parked SUV about 2 a.m. Thursday and began munching on two dozen assorted cupcakes.

When they went outside, all they found was smeared icing and a paw print.

Christine Allen said she baked the cupcakes ahead of a big order for her shop, Mo'Pweeze Bakery of Denville.

"Around 2 o'clock (Thursday) morning, the dog started barking and I started hearing a crunch, crunch sound," Allen told NJ Advance Media.

Her husband, Adrian, "looked outside and saw a bear in the yard!" Christine said.

"Mr. Bear could not be reached for comment on which flavor he liked best, he just ate them all," Christine joked on social media.

Lt. Peter Reilly of the Rockaway Township Police Department told The Record the bear may have done "some other damage in the area."

The Allen family believes the bear was on their property several weeks before the cupcake incident and broke down their fence. They took video of that incident.

Reilly said breaking into a car raises concern about the animal "to another level," according to the report.

Every year around this time, New Jersey officials warn people about the dangers of interacting with bears.

"Bears that learn to associate food with people and their homes and living areas, can become nuisance bears that forage in neighborhoods looking for easy sources of food," the state Department of Environmental Protection said in a recent statement.

Last month in North Jersey, a black bear was spotted roaming neighborhoods and sleeping in trees before it was caught in Ridgewood.

Officials with the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife tranquilized the animal, which they later said weighed about 150 pounds.

The bear was taken away - unconscious and unharmed - and was expected to be relocated to a wildlife area in Passaic County, local and state officials said.

Also in April, the black bear in the video below was spotted eating bird seed on a Morris County homeowner's deck.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.No doubt someone in the North Bergen galaxy must have thought this one up. They must have actually uttered the words, "let's go ahead and run the Hudson County executive's daughter. She'd make a great boss of the county Democratic Party." I'm sure jaws dropped throughout the state party.

Amy DeGise has been hand-picked to challenge North Bergen Mayor and state Sen. Nick Sacco's arch rival Brian Stack, Union City mayor and fellow senator, for chairmanship of the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDeadO).

Let me say that I met Amy several times and I found her to be a pleasant young lady. The daughter of county Executive Tom DeGise - who is in the center of the party civil war -- may have a future in politics but she has yet to even enter a local ward race. Now she wants the title of boss of the county Dems - although it would obviously only be as a figurehead in a male-dominated enclave. She's a loyal daughter trying to save her father's job as public servant.

I understand the thinking of the architect of this maneuver, Nick Sacco, who decided to back the elder DeGise for re-election after the incumbent was informed by Stack and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop that they would not support him in 2019. The subtext to the story is that the North Bergen political strongman wants to protect his influence and patronage in county government.

For Sacco, DeGise and company the key to winning the HCDeadO (which I prefer to the traditional HCDO) leadership is to win the Jersey City county committee fight and its largest contingent of votes, following the June primary. Duh!

The younger DeGise's school race win, with the help of the teachers union, was impressive. Whenever enlisting anyone to a political cause, they must bring with them either money or votes. In her case it's about collecting votes.

It begs the question that if the county executive believes he's strong enough to run for re-election, why doesn't he run for the countywide chairmanship?

While Stack could probably bury everyone in the county with actual citizens' votes, this is a battle in a private club where there is in essence an "Electoral College." He could receive 50,000 ballot votes in Union City but he'll only have about 75 party committee votes.

Yet, on the face of it, naming Ms. DeGise seems like an act of desperation. Sorry Amy. The chairmanship has been held by mayors, county executives, and an Assembly Speaker. Is it time for a school trustee to take charge? Is she the Joan of Arc of one half of the county party? How do all those other young Democratic politicians working up the ladder feel about it?

Vision Media of Secaucus, the Sacco-connected political consulting firm, sent out the press release yesterday with the young woman's comments.

"I'm so proud to have the support of some of the most important leaders in our county who all recognize the need to bring progressive new leadership to the Hudson County Democratic Organization," said DeGise, yesterday. "Over the next four weeks I will be working nonstop to secure additional support from committee members."

Those supporting her are in Sacco's galaxy. They are U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis, Kearny Mayor Al Santos, Harrison Mayor James Fife, East Newark Mayor Joe Smith, Guttenberg Mayor Wayne Zitt and Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli.

Add to the list of backers Jersey City council members Rich Boggiano and Michael Yun; West New York Commissioners Cosmo Cirillo, Margarita Guzman and Gabriel Rodriguez, Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez, Freeholder Caridad Rodriguez; and Hoboken council President Ruben Ramos and Councilwoman Jen Giattino.

Just to impress, the names of former Jersey City Councilman Steve Lipski, former Mayor Jerramiah Healy, former Assemblyman Sean Connors, and former Assemblywoman Joan Quigley were added. You be the judge if it helps.

You'll be hearing a lot of stuff about adding new blood to the party, expanding the role of women, or at least one, and even quite possibly embracing the #Me Too movement, but I doubt it.

Probably the first order of campaigning business for the younger DeGise is to disavow the support of Bayonne Mayor Davis who was re-elected this week. He leaves her vulnerable.

Davis and the Peninsula City face lawsuits by a former city female employee who said she had to work in an atmosphere of sexual harassment and that the mayor had been "sexting" her a number of times. It is an accusation that he admits, but claims it was between friends.

My best psychoanalysis of the Bayonne race is Davis decided to run for re-election when he was, I have been told, thinking of not returning. The sexting accusations helped prompt him to seek victory otherwise it would seem tantamount to resigning over the accusations that he has confirmed. Winning no doubt seems like a personal vindication to the mayor, an approval by the local masses - until the matter goes to court or there is an expensive settlement.

The text messages were too salacious to appear in any newspaper. It should make any woman politician, even former ones, make her position known on the Davis matter - unless their loyalties are more political than personal.

Some county observers see all this as providing Sacco with an out, an escape clause. Should the daughter lose badly, Sacco could always go to the county executive and tell him that they pushed the DeGise name and it didn't work. It would be wise to seek a graceful way out, say some folks. I don't see this happening. They seem to be in it to the end unless a candidate is incapable of running for reasons other than politics.

The philosophy is winning cures everything.

On the other side of the war, Stack no doubt reacted with quite a bit of anger and would love to have the county executive drawn and quartered - although one has admitted to hearing him say something like that. It makes for another great drama in what has turned into a wondrous political year - and here we thought it would be boring.

Actually, the Union City boss probably works better in a campaign when he has opposition. It is hard to believe when you consider that his vote total in this week's city election was more than 11,000 which is 2,000 more than what he totaled in the previous election. In both cases he ran unopposed. OK, but can he win on an "Electoral College" ballot.

One thing is for sure, statewide, politicians are laughing at Hudson County, again. The HCDeadO moniker must remain.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Agustin C. Torres' columns appear on the nj.com opinion website on Saturdays and occasionally in the print edition of The Jersey Journal. Submit letters to the editor and guest columns at jjletters@jjournal.com.When Dennis Edwards was taken to the Orleans Parish jail's medical clinic early on Dec. 15, nurse Natalie Henderson first noticed the jerky movements in his arms. His upper body moved so widely that someone had handcuffed his wrist to the stretcher, she said. Edwards was coming down from some kind of drugs, she thought, and was clearly "in distress." He kept flailing around. He was "not coherent," she said.

Edwards' heart rate was "knocking on 200," twice the normal threshold, Henderson said, recalling his vitals from memory at a recent interview. His oxygen saturation was below normal, and his blood pressure "at stroke levels," she said. She recognized a smell coming from his body - a foul mix of blood and feces - indicating he could have gastrointestinal bleeding, she said.

"I said, 'He needs to go to the hospital. He is going to die,'" Henderson recalled telling a supervisor at Correct Care Solutions, the company that provides inmate medical care for the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office.

Edwards, 41, was not taken to a hospital. Instead, sheriff's office officials said, he died on the floor of the Orleans Justice Center jail's medical clinic after EMS personnel were unable to revive him. It was only his second night at the jail, records show.

Four months later, Henderson was fired April 25 by Correct Care Solutions, according to a lawsuit she filed May 1 against Sheriff Marlin Gusman and her former employer, claiming her firing was retaliatory and violated Louisiana's whistleblower protection law. Her lawsuit claims she complained to jail staff about alleged "improper care" of Edwards and other inmates, "but her complaints were not answered." The suit also claims Henderson "and other nurses were being physically and psychologically sexually assaulted on numerous occasions by inmates," and that CCS supervisors and jail staff in some instances "ignored" the "assaults."

Hannah Bernard, Correct Care Solution's counsel for regulatory affairs and operations support, declined to comment on Henderson's claims or to answer questions about Edwards' death or Henderson's termination, saying the company does not comment on pending litigation. OPSO attorney Blake Arcuri declined to comment on Henderson's claims, citing the same reason. He disputed, however, that she worked for OPSO, noting her status as a contract employee.

Henderson's whistleblower lawsuit is raising new questions about the sheriff's office's actions in running a jail where a number of inmates have died in recent years. Edwards was one of six people who died while in OPSO custody in 2017 alone, according to the agency. A federal judge has cited the deaths and other poor conditions at the jail in imposing tighter monitoring over Gusman and the jail, which remains under a federal consent decree.

Henderson said she raised numerous concerns to a supervisor at CCS before her termination, which she said she detailed in emails she shared with NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. They included the decision not to order Edwards' transport to a hospital before he died, and her allegations of being harassed at the jail.

"I was trying to help the inmates, and at the same time I'm being sexually harassed... And I'm the one who's terminated," Henderson said in an interview at her attorney Joseph Albe's office in Slidell. She believes an opportunity was missed to get Edwards stabilized had he been taken to an emergency room.

"I feel like he could have been saved," she said.

'I had seen it so much'

Henderson, 33, grew up in New Orleans East and earned her licensed practical nurse certification through Delgado Community College. The job suits her personality, she said. "I love to help people," Henderson said.

She worked mostly at nursing homes before applying for a job at the jail with Correct Care Solutions in October. As a single mother raising a 10-year-old autistic son, she was attracted by the better pay and good benefits. Her lawsuit states she had an annual salary of $90,000.

Henderson said her duties included passing out medicine to inmates in their housing units. Most days, she said, one or more inmates would walk up to her as she stood at her medicine cart, exposing their penis or masturbating. "I had seen it so much," she said. She learned to turn her head and continue to "keep passing medicine." Deputies often tolerated the masturbation in the open housing units, she said. She recalled one deputy once putting a stop to the behavior, though, telling the men, "We're not having that today."

What bothered Henderson more and prompted her to alert at least one CCS supervisor and OPSO jail staff, she said, was that some of the inmates would touch her inappropriately. They also began passing around printed copies of a photograph of herself she had posted on Facebook, she said, and used the picture to taunt her. She said she never learned how the men obtained the photo, despite her inquiries to jail staff.

At least five different incarcerated men touched Henderson's buttocks while she was passing out medicine, she said. The first time, on Nov. 15, OPSO investigators launched a probe and eventually rebooked two people on sexual battery and other charges, court records show. A warrant for their arrests says video surveillance footage supported Henderson's account. Louis Handy, 28, pleaded guilty Jan. 30 to misdemeanor sexual battery and was sentenced to six months at the jail. The other man charged, Evie Jackson, 54, was deemed mentally incompetent in January and his charges remain unresolved.

Henderson alleged that when Handy learned she complained about the inappropriate touching, he called her a "rat," and told her, "I'm going to see you out there in the world." Henderson said she was pleased the sheriff's office took action. But when Handy came back to the jail after pleading guilty, he was placed on the same unit where Henderson was scheduled to pass out medicine. An attorney who represented Handy in the sexual battery case, Autumn Harrell, declined to comment on the alleged threats Henderson claims Handy made to her.

Henderson said at least three other incarcerated men touched her buttocks at the jail in other incidents. Johnny Byrd, another jailed man Henderson says touched her buttocks, was rebooked by OPSO in January on a misdemeanor sexual battery charge after she says OPSO investigated her claim, court records show. An OPSO report on the battery allegations corroborates Henderson's account. Byrd, 21, was formally charged Feb. 8, records show, and the case remains open.

The day after a Dec. 5 incident when her buttocks was touched by another inmate, Henderson said she sent a supervisor an email, which Henderson provided, writing that a deputy who witnessed the inappropriate touching had notified an OPSO supervisor. But Henderson said she is not aware anything was done in response to that, or another incident she alleged.

Less than two weeks later in December, she said, she emailed a supervisor, this time raising concerns about Edwards' death.

'He's gone'

The first two phone calls Patricia Brown got Dec. 15 saying her brother, Dennis Edwards, had died in jail, she hung up. She was sick in bed with pneumonia, she said, and not in the mood for a prank.

The third caller pleaded with Brown not to hang up. He was with the sheriff's office, the caller explained, and the news about her brother was serious. Brown, 47, said she didn't even know Edwards had been arrested less than two days earlier. Her aunt, daughter and niece accompanied her to the coroner's office to identify him.

"He was my confidant. He was my help. He was my everything. And now he's gone," Brown said in a phone interview earlier this month.

The coroner's office ruled Edwards died of natural causes from hypertensive cardiovascular disease, an autopsy report shows. At death he had several drugs in his body, including naloxone, which is given to people to reverse an opioid overdose, as well as morphine and the opioids hydromorphone and norfentanyl, the report said.

Brown said Edwards had been living at her Bridge City home with her until shortly before his death, and that she did not know him to have health problems. He had done drugs in the past, she said, but she was not aware of any medical scares related to drug use. She last saw him a week before he died.

"He didn't look like he had a problem in the world," Brown said.

Court records indicate Edwards was booked Dec. 13 on misdemeanor charges of theft, simple criminal damage to property and criminal trespassing - none a felony. He was apparently unable to pay the roughly $450 a bail bonds service would require to post the $4,500 bond assigned to him by a judge just under 17 hours before Edwards' death.

The autopsy report said Edwards died at 2:52 a.m. Dec. 15. An email Henderson said she sent to her CCS supervisor 16 minutes later, at 3:08 a.m., listed her concerns with the handling of Edwards' medical care.

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He had been in the clinic for "about 1 hour" and appeared "very unstable," Henderson wrote, according to a copy of that email she provided. An OPSO report on Edwards' death corroborates Henderson's account of the timing and who was present in the medical clinic when he died. After reading his vitals, she wrote, "I explain to the charge nurse that he need to send the patient out." The nurse in charge, Henderson wrote, "ignored everything I was asking him to do." Henderson also wrote in the email that when she saw Edwards "coding," meaning he needed to be resuscitated, she alerted the same supervisor, who Henderson said responded, "He's OK."

"The man finally stopped breathing," Henderson wrote in the email, later adding, "I stressed my (concern) to send the patient out to the hospital, I'm just emailing you what happened."

Henderson told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune the same supervisor early that morning dismissed all of her suggestions, essentially telling her to "mind her own business."

That immediate supervisor did not respond to messages seeking comment for this story.

Henderson said about two weeks passed without a response to her first email about Edwards' death, so she sent another email, this time copying two other higher-ups at CCS, she said. Eventually Melinda Parker, CCS's director of nursing for operations at the New Orleans jail, wrote back offering to set up an appointment to discuss Henderson's concerns, according to a copy of that email Henderson provided. Parker's email stated the company could not "discuss corrective counseling or conversation outcomes about another employee with you."

Parker did not return a message seeking comment for this story.

Other than the emails, Henderson said CCS did not ask her for a formal statement related to Edwards' care. OPSO did not interview her about Edwards' death, both Henderson and Arcuri said.

"If my family member died like that I would have been upset," said Henderson, explaining why she wrote to her CCS supervisors.

'I can only do so much'

Henderson pressed forward at work. But the hostility she said she was shown by men housed at the jail came to a head in March.

She had passed out medicine on March 18 when a large group of jailed men - she estimated about 20 - crowded around her, at least one holding a copy of her Facebook picture and some of them calling her names like "b----" and "hoe," she said. Handy, the man convicted of sexual battery for touching her buttocks, was among the inmates crowded around her, she alleged. One or more people "started throwing cups," she said, as the on-duty deputy remained seated.

"She wasn't saying anything. ... She just let it go on," Henderson said of the deputy.

Someone threw "some type of black wet object" her way, which hit Henderson's lip, she wrote in an email she said she sent to a supervisor the following day. To defend herself, she said she started "swinging" both arms while pushing past the men. Henderson said she feared for her safety. A ranking deputy then quickly responded to the unit, she said. Henderson said she did not know if she made contact with any men when she swung her arms toward them. Arcuri, the sheriff's office attorney, confirmed OPSO's internal unit that probes uses of force against inmates opened an investigation into Henderson regarding that incident. A document sent to the federal judge as part the consent decree mentions a preliminary finding of excessive force by a former contract employee. Arcuri said that was a reference to the Henderson probe.

In her March 19 email, Henderson wrote that if deputies made the men line up for their medicine, one-by-one, "it wouldn't be a problem."

"I can only do so much as a female, I can't be the deputy and the Nurse at the same time," Henderson wrote, according to a copy of that email she provided.

Two days later, Henderson said, CCS suspended her without pay for two weeks, citing the March 18 incident. She said she did not receive any documentation related to her suspension. She was asked if she wanted to press charges against any of the men who threw things at her, but she said she told jail staff there were "so many at the cart I didn't know who did what."

When Henderson returned to work, she said, she was told she was not allowed on certain floors where she previously worked. A supervisor told her she was a "security threat" on those floors, she said. Henderson said it felt like CCS or the jail staff blamed her for being inappropriately touched.

About April 14, Henderson said, the same nursing supervisor who she says dismissed her suggestions in December to hospitalize Edwards yelled at her when Henderson balked at a data entry assignment for which she said she had not been trained. "You are going to work where I tell you to work," Henderson said the supervisor yelled. So Henderson left the jail, she said, citing what she called a hostile environment and the lack of training. She said she told the same supervisor and another company higher-up that she was leaving before she went home.

CCS suspended Henderson April 15 for leaving her post the previous day, she said. Again, she said she did not receive documentation.

"If I complain I get harassed or reprimanded for speaking up," she wrote in an email she said she sent to higher-ups in her company. "How do they expect me to function and work when they keep pulling me off of floors. Not explaining why I can't go to a certain floor."

Henderson said on April 25, while home serving her second suspension, she received a call from a CCS representative notifying her she was being fired for leaving her post.

"It's just hurtful," Henderson said in her interview. "I'm trying to do my job and it backfires in my face."

6 in-custody deaths in 2017

Edwards ended up being one of six incarcerated people who died in custody of the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office in 2017, either inside a jail or after being transported to a hospital from an OPSO facility. No in-custody inmate deaths have been reported in 2018.

The 2017 deaths include five people who were brought to a hospital from the Orleans Justice Center jail or the Temporary Detention Center, another OPSO jail facility. One of them, Jermaine Johnson, 23, died last May, less than two weeks after authorities say he hanged himself in his cell in the Orleans Justice Center - a case that prompted additional criticism of the jail and the sheriff's operation of it.

The sheriff's office also faces a wrongful death lawsuit related to the February 2017 death of Colby Crawford, who had a history of documented mental health problems and overdosed on cocaine he injected inside the jail -- an incident recorded on OPSO's surveillance cameras.

One other death last year was tied to the jail: Terry Smith, who died Aug. 5. Smith was so severely beaten at then-Orleans Parish Prison in 2012 that he spent five years confined to a bed in a nursing home, unable to speak, walk, or feed himself. He was 71 when he died. U.S. District Judge Lance Africk cited Smith's beating in his 2013 decision to order sweeping reforms at the jail through the consent decree.

Brown, Edwards' sister, buried him Dec. 27 at Woodlawn Park Memorial Cemetery in Westwego. It would be months before she learned about Henderson, the nurse who said she raised concerns about her brother's medical care before being fired.

"I would like to shake her hand, give her a hug and say thank you for trying to save a life when they didn't," Brown said of Henderson. Alluding to other jail deaths, Brown added, "Whoever is letting this go on and doing nothing about it, they really need to be investigated. ...It ain't just Dennis."More money would be spent on public schools, libraries, community centers and infrastructure, the minimum wage would rise to $15 per hour and the death penalty would be abolished under a 1,334-page bill that U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, and the Congressional Black Caucus are pushing.

The comprehensive measure is designed to "increase the upward social mobility of black families and help ensure equal protection under the law," the Richmond-chaired caucus said in statement.

The 48-member caucus announced plans for the Jobs and Justice Act on Thursday (May 10) on Capitol Hill in Washington. It likely has no chance of becoming law as is, but members hope it will inform discussions with President Donald Trump's administration and other members of Congress about ways to improve life for black people in the United States.

"A lot of folks talk the talk when it comes to African-American communities, but few walk the walk," Richmond was quoted by USA Today as saying. "This bill will give them the chance to walk that walk."

"We know that many will say that this bill will not see the light of day," said National Urban League President Marc Morial, the former New Orleans mayor. "But I can guarantee you that the Urban League ... will call the question to each and every one who struts into our community, dances into our community, walks into our community asking for our vote: 'Where do you stand on the Jobs and Justice bill?' I want your name on the dotted line if you want me to pull the lever for you.''

The Congressional Black Caucus has had a testy relationship with Trump. As a candidate in 2016, he described African- and Hispanic-Americans as living in impoverished neighborhoods more dangerous than war zones and sought their support by asking, "What do you have to lose?"

Once in office, he met with the caucus and was given a 130-page policy document titled, "We Have a Lot to Lose: Solutions to Advance Black Families in the 21st Century." The caucus said Trump "never responded" to the document, although the president actually invited members back to the White House. Richmond, on the behalf of the group, declined the invitation.

Now the caucus has turned the 130-page policy document into legislation 10 times as large. Among other things, the legislation:

would target federal money to high-poverty areas, establish a commission to consider the effect of solitary confinement in prison and end racial profiling by law enforcers, USA Today said.

. . . . . . .

Drew Broach covers Jefferson Parish politics and Louisiana interests in Congress, plus other odds and ends, for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Email: dbroach@nola.com. Facebook: Drew Broach TP. Twitter: drewbroach1. Google+: Drew Broach.An Oregon school system is accused of forcing gay students to read the Bible as punishment, according to CNN. It's part of a trend of alleged intimidation and harassment.

The state Department of Education determined that the school system in North Bend, a coastal community in south Oregon, discriminated against students on the basis of sexual orientation. In one incident, students were forced to read the Bible as punishment, and in another, a teacher likened gay marriage to marrying a dog, saying, "If same sex marriage is OK, what about marrying your dog? It's about the same thing."

The school system denies the allegations and will make its case at a hearing May 24. State officials will determine whether the system violated state and federal anti-discrimination laws.A North Shore man was found guilty Friday (May 11) of murdering his estranged girlfriend in a "horrific" 2016 shooting that played out before the eyes of the couple's 3-year-old son.

A St. Tammany Parish jury deliberated around three hours before returning a second-degree murder verdict against Jonathan Talley, whose attorney argued that Aimee Krist was killed accidentally as the defendant had a suicidal meltdown at the victim's Pearl River home.

The jury also found Talley guilty of kidnapping the child after shooting Kirst, 33, sometime between the night of June 30 and July 1 in 2016. The Bogalusa defendant was also convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Judge Scott Gardner of the 22nd Judicial District Court, who presided over the five-day trial, set a sentencing date of May 29. Talley faces a mandatory life sentence.

In closing arguments Friday morning, prosecutors Jay Adair and Casey Dieck dismissed the defense's argument that Talley intended to kill himself but instead shot Kirst in a struggle over a gun as an attempt at "self-preservation." They said Talley had on several occasions used threats of suicide to manipulate Kirst and others. They told jurors to convict him rather than become subjects of his manipulative ways.

Dieck said testimony revealed that the single shot that killed Kirst was fired from at least four feet away. "That was not an accident. It was not a struggle. The science doesn't lie," she said.

The prosecutors also recounted for jurors a video played during the trial in which the couple's 3-year-old son - the only witness to the shooting - explained what he saw the night his mother died before his eyes. When the interviewer on the video asked the boy what the couple said prior to the shooting, he replied that his father yelled to the shooting victim, "..get out in the woods. I'm going to f...... shoot you in the head."

Adair described a videotaped interview of the child as "one of the single most powerful pieces of evidence I've seen in almost 17 years of prosecuting."

The boy also said he wanted to don his Spiderman costume and intervene in the struggle between his parents, the prosecutors said.

Adair and Dieck also hammered on the point that Talley, 37, told different stories to his parents and police as to how the shooting occurred. In one recounting of the story, he said the two were struggling over the gun and Kirst had it behind her back when it discharged. In another recounting, Talley said he was following the victim into a bedroom of her home when a door slammed, and the gun went off.

They also recounted testimony that the defendant went to his mother's home in Mississippi after the shooting and told her he would commit suicide unless he could get money to flee the country. His mother, along with his stepfather, summoned police while creating the impression that they were gathering funds to help him flee, according to testimony. Talley surrendered to the George County Sheriff's Office in the early morning of July 1, 2016.

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Jurors were also reminded that Kirst and Talley had a dysfunctional relationship that involved verbal and physical abuse. The combative nature of their relationship prompted Kirst to obtain a protective order against her estranged boyfriend in March of 2015. Talley was in violation of that order when he appeared at her home on Ed Yates Road north of Pearl River on the day of the shooting. Because he was convicted of a felony in 2004, Talley was not allowed by law to be in possession of a firearm when Kirst was shot.

In his closing argument, defense attorney James Carrington told the jury that the state did not prove its case against Talley. And while he acknowledged that the circumstances surrounding Kirst's death created a heartbreaking and horrific case, killing the victim was not his client's intent.

Carrington characterized Talley as a drug user with a history of mental problems, but a man who "never tried to hurt anyone but himself." He restated points made in opening arguments Monday that Talley went to Kirst's home to kill himself in front of her, leading to a struggle over the gun and the shot that took the victim's life.

After the shooting, Carrington said the defendant took the boy to his mother's home in Mississippi to get him away from the scene of the shooting. He contended that kidnapping was not the intent.

Carrington also questioned the boy's videotaped statements following the shooting, saying the child may have "mixed things up" in the interview. "Three-year-olds are not the best historians," he said.

Countering the prosecution's argument that the bullet was fired from a distance, Carrington pointed out that testimony revealed the bullet was fired with an upward trajectory. And, he said, the DNA of both Kirst and Talley was found on the gun used in the killing.

Those fact "raise questions" about the state's contention that Talley fired the shot from a distance.

"The state is only showing you pieces of the puzzle," Carrington said.

North Shore District Attorney Warren Montgomery offered his condolences to the victim's family members, several of whom were in the courtroom for the verdict, which was read around 3:15 p.m. Friday.

"I want to express my appreciation to the jury for their thoughtful deliberation," Montgomery said. "And I express my thanks to the law enforcement officers and the prosecutors for their fine work on this case."

After the verdict was announced, members of Kirst's family embraced Talley's family members, and they wept and comforted each other in the courtroom.A Multnomah County judge on Friday sided with a reporter and a parent seeking records that Portland Public Schools hid from public view.

The school district is now preparing to release records disclosing the names of employees on paid administrative leave and how long that leave has gone on.

Early in 2017, reporter Beth Slovic and crusading parent Kim Sordyl filed public records requests, seeking the names of all district employees on paid administrative leave.

District officials refused, so the women asked the Multnomah County district attorney to order the district to make public the names. The district attorney did so.

But the district again refused to make them public and filed suit against the pair. District officials said then, and reiterated Friday, that they were seeking clarity from the courts, not trying to be vindictive to people seeking public records.

Friday, Multnomah District Judge Judith Matarazzo provided that clarity. From the bench, she verbally granted the two women's legal motions. She ordered the school district to make public a document showing the names of employees on leave and the date the leave began.

Disclosure of the records is important, Sordyl said, because administrative leave is intended to be a short short-term paid exile while allegations against an employee are checked. The district normally is forced to pay both the employee on leave and a second person to do the employee's work while he or she is away.

A well-run human resources shop would quickly complete an investigation and clear the employee to return to work or else demote or terminate him or her, Sordyl said. Instead, under the leadership of former top HR attorney Stephanie Harper, she said, the district let accused employees languish on expensive paid leave for as long as three years.

Slovic, first at Willamette Week, then at The Portland Tribune, exposed paid administrative leaves for educators that stretched longer than two years.

Sordyl said release of the records will benefit the public. "They will gain transparency. It will also prompt the district to start handling their HR issues in a timely manner instead of paying two people to do one job."

Matarazzo is expected to issue a written ruling next week, said Jeff Merrick, attorney for Sordyl.

Slovic declined to comment and said her attorney was unavailable Friday afternoon.

The school district, meanwhile, is already preparing the records for release, spokesman Harry Esteve said.

Julia Brim Edwards, the school board chair who took office last July, said via email, "This lawsuit was yet another issue left over from the previous district administration. The new board and district leadership are committed to greater transparency and disclosure. ... This ruling provides not only a resolution for the reporter and the citizen requesting the documents, but also provides clear direction for the district."

-- Betsy HammondOn Nov. 11, 2011, then-Gov. John Kitzhaber declared a moratorium on execution of those on Oregon's death row. He went on to call for a "robust discussion on the Oregon death penalty".

In the May 6 Sunday Oregonian and on OregonLive, that same plea for a "robust discussion" resounded across the state. The expansive article ("In the crosshairs of conscience: John Kitzhaber's death penalty reckoning,") by Eben Pindyck, an independent journalism fellow at Marquette University, boosted the death penalty discussion with a well-balanced and provocative piece of journalism.

The story filled portions of four pages covering major death penalty events of more than two decades, delving deeply into emotions of many of the central characters.

The Kitzhaber moratorium has continued during Gov. Kate Brown's term. Thirty-four people remain on Oregon's death row waiting in cells for the conversation to boil up and result either in a change of the current law or have a resumption of executions.

Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty has tried mightily to stoke the conversation, eager to have voters think about, talk about and learn about the many and complicated issues that surround having a death penalty in Oregon.

This article does a very valuable service to promote the discussion. We now need to reframe the questions to "Do people deserve to die for the crimes they commit?" and "Do we deserve to kill?"

-- Ron Steiner, Salem

He is the chairman of Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty board.By Lane Borg

As executive director of the Office of Public Defense Services, the state agency responsible for making legal services available to anyone in Oregon entitled to court-appointed counsel, I am very concerned when a lawyer appointed to represent a child fails to meet with that client.

In a recent article ("In Oregon, lawyers for foster children don't even have to show up," April 28), The Oregonian describes several instances where lawyers did not meet with their child clients. This is unacceptable and contrary to practice standards. While I don't agree with all of the conclusions drawn by the article, it is accurate that our state-supported agency lacks the resources to always provide meaningful quality assurance in public defense cases.

We recognize that Oregon's decades-old system of contracting for public defense services, along with a disastrous combination of high caseloads, low compensation for cases, and insufficient oversight, does not promote or reward quality work in every case. Fortunately, our governing body, the Public Defense Services Commission, recognizes these problems and has support from state lawmakers to commit to a serious reexamination of how we do our work.

The problems with the structure and funding of the public defense system are nothing new. For nearly 20 years, Office of Public Defense Services leaders have said repeatedly in public meetings that significant reform is needed to fulfill the state's responsibility to provide lawyers for children and parents in cases involving allegations of abuse and neglect. Yet despite repeated funding requests to enhance quality assurance and system oversight, the agency remains vastly under-resourced and struggles to monitor attorney caseload and quality representation in a systemic way.

In spite of those structural and funding limitations, the agency has implemented a promising new approach for legal representation in juvenile cases that addresses the excessive caseloads, compensation issues and inadequate client contact that plagues much of public defense services in Oregon. I was gratified to see that program highlighted in The Oregonian's follow-up report ("Oregon pilot program for foster system lawyers 'wildly successful' but limited," May 4).

We have seen promising results from the state's Parent Child Representation Program. The pilot program was started four years ago in two counties and, with legislative support, has expanded to five.

Data from the program's first phase show that between 2014 and 2017, children who entered foster care from the test counties were reunited with their families an average of two months earlier than in the rest of the state. Cases that culminated in adoption also moved more quickly. And the program significantly reduced the number of children in foster care.

That's just one way we're working to improve the system for Oregon's children, even under current restraints. In addition, an independent assessment by the Sixth Amendment Center is underway to examine how our agency delivers constitutionally required public defense services.

Removing a child from the family is an extraordinary step. Even when it is necessary for child safety, it is extremely traumatic. That's why our state provides attorneys for children and parents to act as a bulwark against government overreach and to minimize the harm to children caused by placement in foster care. Not all states recognize the need for parents and children to have their own representation even when the government is represented by attorneys. We are fortunate that Oregon does.

Lawyers who represent children and parents are critically important. They obtain needed services for child clients. They advocate to keep siblings together and children with relatives. They protect the rights of disabled parents to raise their children. They serve as an important counterbalance to the enormous power of the state, and they protect the rights of children and promote child safety.

Research documents how quality legal representation for parents and children improves outcomes in juvenile dependency cases. Our plan is to continue to partner with the Legislature and stakeholders to improve the quality of services provided to parents and children. As The Oregonian's report correctly noted, "The stakes for children and families are incredibly high."

-- Lane Borg is executive director of Oregon's Office of Public Defense Services.On May 7, The Oregonian/OregonLive published an article, "Senate committee to consider Ryan Bounds' 9th Circuit judicial nomination." The article states that Taylor Foy, a spokesman for Sen. Chuck Grassley, asserted that leaders of Oregon's chapter of the American Constitution Society support the nomination of Ryan Bounds to fill a vacant seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

As chair of the board of the Oregon Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society, I must note that it is the American Constitution Society's policy not to endorse or oppose judicial nominees. While two former board members may have spoken supportively about Bounds in their individual capacities, our chapter has not endorsed Bounds or otherwise supported his nomination.

Indeed, many of our current board members individually share the concerns expressed by Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley regarding the process employed in considering Bounds' nomination, as well as the concerns voiced by other local organizations.

-- Keil M. Mueller, Southwest Portland

He is chair of the Oregon Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society.A crash in south Vancouver Friday evening left three men dead and another in critical condition, police said in a release.

Police and fire officials arrived near East Evergreen Boulevard and Grove Street at 10:20 p.m. to find a heavily damaged BMW sedan and "significant property damage" nearby. Two men were dead at the scene and another died upon arriving to an area hospital.

One more passenger remains hospitalized.

Police said in a release speed was an "obvious factor" but that it's unknown whether alcohol or drugs were a factor. Authorities did not release the names of any victims.

--Eder Campuzano | 503.221.4344

ecampuzano@oregonian.comDirect oversight of Oregon's foster care system will soon change hands for the first time in 17 years.

The shakeup follows a critical state audit in January and a steady stream of multimillion-dollar lawsuits that allege foster children were placed and left in harm's way.

A top official at the Department of Human Services confirmed Friday that the agency will hire a new manager of foster care programs and move the current manager to a new position at the same level.

The audit concluded child welfare officials recognized systemic problems but failed for years to fix them. They included a complete lack of strategy to recruit and retain foster parents. The ranks of experienced foster parents have depleted dramatically, yet the number of children in foster care has not. Every day, 6,000 or more Oregon children are in foster care.

Kevin George, who has managed the foster care program since 2001, will be replaced by a new leader hired to focus on recruitment and retention of foster families. George will move Monday to a newly created position focused on federal funding.

Marilyn Jones, a veteran leader promoted in September to the highest child welfare position, made the call to move him. She said George will remain an integral part of the leadership team as the agency recruits to fill his former position. She said she plans to revise the job description with specific emphasis on recruitment and retainment.

She said her perspective on the foster care system has remained the same since she moved last fall to Salem from Baker City, where she oversaw regional child welfare operations.

"We don't just need new homes" for children who enter the foster system, she said. "We need the right homes."

Jones said the leadership moves came about during discussions over the past two weeks. Like Jones, George has an extensive history at the agency. He was hired in 1990.

The January audit cited high employee turnover, overburdened case workers and lack of unified strategies as some of the root causes of widespread dysfunction that hampers child welfare.

Attempts to reform the system did not lead to lasting fixes, the audit found.

Internal data shows that while outcomes have improved for foster children, they still fall below federal standards. One metric tracks the safety of children in foster care. Oregon children were found to be victims of foster care abuse or neglect at double the acceptable rate last year.

Abuse in foster care has prompted several lawsuits against the state and, in some cases, high payouts to the child victims.

One suit filed this month seeks $100 million on behalf of three children who endured abuse in their Keizer foster home. The foster father, Casey Miller, was sentenced to 30 years for sexually abusing one of the girls.

Another active case, seeking $5.25 million, centers on the agency's placement of 1-year-old "S.W." with his paternal aunt in Medford. Weeks later, her boyfriend beat the boy so severely that he nearly died.

Doctors found bruises all over his body, bite marks on his face and internal injuries. He developed hepatitis caused by blows to his liver. He now suffers from cerebral palsy, seizures and post-traumatic stress. His right ankle contracted, leaving him with a gait.

"It would not have gotten where it got without the state's negligence," said Medford attorney Kelly Anderson, one of two lawyers for the boy.

The lawsuit faults the agency for failing to adequately inspect the aunt's home and investigate her background or that of her boyfriend, Petey Henthorne. It also said the agency failed to monitor the boy's wellbeing after he was placed in foster care.

"It's just absolutely critical that before DHS places a child with a foster parent they ensure the foster home is safe for the child," said Portland attorney Robert Kline, who is also representing the boy.

The state responded to the allegations in a court filing in March, arguing the blame was solely on Henthorne and the aunt. Henthorne was convicted of assault and criminal mistreatment and will remain in prison for at least seven years.

In 2015, the Department of Human Services paid out the largest state settlement at the time, $15 million to nine children who were placed with a Salem foster father who abused them.

This year the agency agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle a lawsuit brought on behalf of another girl who alleged abuse in foster care in Gresham.

Problems in foster care extend beyond homes. The Oregonian/OregonLive published a story last month that focused on the lack of a central system to ensure that foster children receive adequate representation.

Child welfare advocates sued the agency in 2016 to stop its practice of temporarily housing children in hotels or offices. The agency and advocates settled after the Department of Human Services agreed to dial back its use of hotels to by 2020 to just 24 instances a year.

Jones, and her bosses, have pledged positive change.

The Legislature approved money to fund more caseworkers and increased support for foster parents. Jones said the agency started by hiring 25 assistants to help with certification and child protective services paperwork.

Jones said the agency will recruit within Oregon and across the U.S. to fill the open foster care leadership position. Jones and deputy child welfare director Laurie Price will manage the foster care program in the interim.

Jones said as she becomes more familiar with the agency, she envisions more changes focused on the needs of children.

Note: This story has been modified to correct the last name of Portland attorney Robert Kline, and to update the comments attributed to him.

-- Molly Young

503-412-7056A Deschutes County detective said he believes he was at the right place at the right time Thursday when he found a baby apparently abandoned by his father for hours in the woods near Bend.

Detective Doug Jackson said Friday that he was part of a search party of at least 50 people, including police officers from several jurisdictions, residents and volunteers on horseback, searching for 1-year-old Bradley Thomas.

The team and a helicopter were scouring forested land Thursday southeast of Bend, near Sholes Road and Tekampe Road.

Jackson said he and a sheriff's sergeant were following footprints left by the boy's father, who told authorities he'd been running through sagebrush with the baby and set the child down somewhere near a fence. The father, Brandon Blouin, went to look for the child's mother. The baby was alone for at least six hours.

Blouin's tracks stood out for several reasons, Jackson said. He was running, it was sunny and Blouin's trail shoes left a heel imprint with lines in the middle shaped like a rainbow.

At one point, the tracks led them along a road alongside a fence line. As they walked, Jackson said he suddenly saw Bradley, naked and asleep, lying facedown among dirt and pine cones.

Jackson said he let out a sigh of relief and picked up the boy, who was warm. The child grunted as he was waking up, but didn't appear to have been seriously injured. The sheriff's sergeant took off his jacket and wrapped the child in it.

"I don't think we could've gotten a much bigger win than this," said Jackson, who has been with the sheriff's office for 18 years and a detective for one year. "When you have a needle in a haystack situation like this, it could go a number of a different ways. It was very much a team effort, and I'm just thankful that we found the kiddo."

The baby was evaluated by paramedics, who were escorting Blouin, 25, of Belpre, Ohio, as he helped searchers retrace his steps. He and the child's mother, who was found, appeared to be under the influence of methamphetamine, the detective said.

The parents and baby were taken to a hospital in Bend.When Blouin is released he will be booked into the Deschutes County Jail on suspicion of first-degree criminal mistreatment, second-degree child neglect, third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a minor, the sheriff's office said. The child's 18-year-old mother is not facing any charges, according to the sheriff's office.

Someone called 911 a little after 6:15 a.m. after Blouin came out of the woods onto a stranger's property and asked for police to be contacted, the sheriff's office said.

Blouin told deputies he'd been staying in an SUV with the toddler and the boy's mother on the forest land and at some point, the mother left the baby with Blouin, the sheriff's office said.

When she didn't immediately return, Blouin took the child and went looking for the teen. He later put Bradley down and walked away, the sheriff's office said.

The mother turned up onto another person's property around 5:30 a.m., Jackson said.

Jackson found the baby around 12:10 p.m., about a mile from where the SUV was parked. The detective said Blouin was able to help narrow down the places to search for his child.

Bradley is under the care of the state Department of Human Services, Jackson said. He said he'd seen the toddler several times in the hospital since being found, including Friday afternoon.

"He is doing incredibly well considering what he's been through," said Jackson, 46.

The child has been eating and smiling, the detective said. The last time they saw each other, he said they played peek-a-boo.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBaileyThe race to replace departing Washington County District Attorney Bob Hermann has so far been defined by an influx of outside cash and interest from groups backing candidates pushing for criminal justice reform.

And on Friday, John Legend waded into the conversation.

"Hey Oregon, you might not realize that your district attorney is one of the most powerful elected officials in your state," the award-winning entertainer says at the outset of a video posted to his Twitter account.

The two-minute spot doesn't outright reference the Washington County race. And none of its runtime is spent on issues specific to the area, or Oregon at large.

Oregon, you have the power to elect a government official who is dedicated to reforming criminal justice in your community. Make an informed decision and learn more about district attorneys by visiting: https://t.co/Cq8uS8f79D #MeetYourDA pic.twitter.com/n4tSubbCIJ  John Legend (@johnlegend) May 11, 2018

That's because much of the voiceover comes directly from another video Legend did for the American Civil Liberties Union's "Meet Your DA" campaign. The entertainer's narration draws a basic outline of a district attorney's job description with calls for reform peppered throughout.

"In a single decision, often free from oversight, prosecutors can funnel people into the prison system, trapping them in the revolving door of mass incarceration," Legend says near the video's mid-point. "Equally so, they can give them a second chance."

The emphasis on reform fits the national narrative surrounding the Washington County race, where the two candidates have built historically sizable war chests, one of whose is worth nearly half a million dollars.

Kevin Barton, a lieutenant of Hermann's whose campaign has received $100,000 from Nike co-founder Phil Knight, has so far collected $250,753, according to filings with the Oregon Secretary of State's office.

Beaverton criminal defense attorney Max Wall's campaign has so far amassed $467,036, the lion's share of which has come from the Oregon Law and Justice PAC. That PAC lists Whitney Tymas as director. Tymas is a Virginia-based consultant who advises PACS, including one primarily funded by billionaire George Soros.

It's exactly the kind of race Legend has set his sights on since the musician began focusing on criminal justice reform over the last few years. When he won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2015 for "Glory," Legend addressed the number of black men under correctional control in the U.S. during his acceptance speech.

"We live in the most incarcerated country in the world," he said. "There are more black men under correctional control today than there were under slavery in 1850."

Vox's Dara Lind wrote soon after that 1.68 million black men were either on parole or probation in 2013.

"That should make us feel ashamed, because you think of all the countries that we consider to be repressive, to be unfree in so many ways," Legend told New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker last year for Town and Country. "How can we say we're more free if we're locking up way more people than all those other countries?"

And in August 2017, Legend partnered with the ACLU on "Meet Your DA," which TechCrunch reported began as a collaboration with the non-profit's Northern California division.

--Eder Campuzano | 503.221.4344

ecampuzano@oregonian.comThe director of the federal Office of Management and Budget says that nowhere is it written he has to fund housing developments for Columbia River tribal members. So, the Northwest's congressional delegation plans to put it in writing.

Mick Mulvaney told Oregon and Washington lawmakers last October that he would not free up the $1.6 million in funding they expected, despite a 1950s-era law that authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build homes for tribal members displaced when a dam was built near The Dalles. Nor was he swayed that funds had been appropriated by the outgoing head of the Army Corps under President Barack Obama or the fact that half the work was already done.

Since then, tribal delegations and lawmakers have met with Mulvaney's staff and called the director himself advocating for the project, to no avail.

In March, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, who spearheaded the effort, added a line into the omnibus spending bill that "encouraged" the Army Corps to finish the work, but the Trump administration refused.

So now, Merkley said he is going to include firmer language in an upcoming bill that sets the spending priorities for the Army Corps.

A 2013 report by Portland-based engineers estimate that at least 84 houses are owed to tribal members along the river. That report went nowhere, but provides a basis for village planning. By the time funding was pulled, tribes were at the point of planning how many houses they'd ideally want.

No houses have been built, except for 15 at Celilo Village, which serve a fraction of the need.

However, earmarks  or line items in budget bills that serve one particular project in one location  were outlawed under the Obama administration. Merkley and other politicians must now be careful where they are allowed to use words like "shall" for fear it be struck as an earmark. The America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 is one place that will fly.

Merkley, who sits on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, wants to pass a bill that says the Army Corps "shall complete a village development plan for any Indian village submerged as a result of the construction of the Dalles Dam, Oregon." It also would command the Corps to study and provide housing to Native Americans displaced by the Bonneville and John Day dams.

The effort to replace the destroyed houses started in 2016 after The Oregonian/OregonLive reported that the federal government had promised to do so 80 years ago and never fulfilled that promise. Since then, bipartisan support in both the House and Senate has grown to complete the work.

The Army Corps in the Northwest started to work with tribes to design and site a village near The Dalles Dam. However, that work was supposed to be funded in two budget cycles.

By the time the $1.6 million was needed to finish the plan, it had been removed from the budget.

"Some of the obstacles they've placed before us seem to simply be manufactured obstacles rather than real ones," said Charles Hudson in March, intergovernmental affairs director at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. "We do get the strong impression they don't want to support this project, but they are running out of excuses to do so."

Hudson said the tribes welcome the precision of this bill. Though the tribes have at times had a contentious relationship with the Army Corps over dam issues, the head has told Congress that morals and ethics compel them to finish this project.

"Clearly the issue has moved beyond, in my view, as a regional priority to a national priority," Hudson said.

The tribes and the Northwest delegation are also pressing the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to figure out how to provide more money to maintain 30 existing fishing sites where tribal members live six months to year-round to exercise their treaty fishing rights.

The sites, as The Oregonian/OregonLive illustrated, are unsafe, unsanitary and not built for people to live there full-time.

-- Molly Harbarger

mharbarger@oregonian.com

503-294-5923

@MollyHarbargerThe state is soliciting proposals from pay and benefits consultants to help put together a new and apparently improved version of its biennial employee compensation study.

The study, completed every even numbered year, looks at how employee pay and benefits at Oregon agencies compare with comparable jobs in other public jurisdictions and the private sector. It ultimately will provide the backdrop to next year's collective bargaining with labor groups, and fodder for the likely legislative debate over possible tweaks to public pension benefits as officials look for ways to rein in runaway costs of the underfunded system.

Consequently, the compensation study is inherently political, and small changes in the methodology and assumptions can have a big influence on the results.

This year, the state is hiring a compensation consultant to work with human resources staff, who will conduct the study. Unions, while important stakeholders in the process, are no longer co-designers with veto power over the methodology, as they had been in the past. The governor's office has also reached out to members of the business community and labor unions to seek their input.

"We're trying to have agreement across the spectrum, from management and labor and the business community, on the facts around public employee compensation," said Nik Blosser, chief of staff to Gov. Kate Brown. The outside firm, he said, will "provide further reinforcement so when it comes out there will be broader agreement that the numbers are accurate, and that provides a starting point on everything from bargaining to PERS."

The last compensation study, in 2016, found that the average salary in 509 job classifications was 98 percent of market. Total compensation, including salary plus benefits, was 105 percent of market. The average salary in the jobs studied was $63,600, and the average salary and benefits was $94,898.

At the maximum base salary range, salaries were 97 percent of market and total compensation was 103 percent market.

Which salary range to focus on in policy discussions and bargaining is a subject of debate. Melissa Unger, executive director of the Service Employees International Union Local 503, says the "high end of the range is way more accurate," as it accounts for the fact that public employees have greater longevity, which drives their pay to the high end of the ranges.

Business groups want the state to focus on averages, and not leave out the bottom end of the range for entry-level employees, where the state may truly be having trouble recruiting.

The business community has also asked the state to break out the differences in compensation between different tiers of employees, because the cost of the pension is significantly different depending on when the employee started. They also asked the state for a more thorough comparison of health benefits that accounts for not only the employer contribution, but the actuarial value of benefit levels and out-of-pocket costs.

The state plans to expand the number of markets it studies to include those it commonly competes with for employees, such Clark, King and Thurston counties in Washington. But it needs to figure out how to weight those comparable markets in developing its compensation comparison.

It is also looking to drill down on pension benefits, to ensure the study more accurately reflects the benefits being paid to current employees, rather than including legacy and administrative costs of the system that employers are still forced to bear. A big chunk of the current costs of the Public Employees Retirement System, for example, is going to pay unfunded benefits for employees already retired, and does not reflect any benefits to current employees.

The compensation study is primarily intended to determine what it takes for the state to remain an attractive employer, rather than provide information on the total costs of compensation to public agencies, which are two different things.

"We want to see the most accurate comp study that can be done so the state can remain competitive as an employer," said Unger of the SEIU.

Jeremy Rogers, vice president of the Oregon Business Council, said the state also needs to understand the total costs of its workforce, and what taxpayers can afford, as it approaches collective bargaining and discussions over pension benefits.

"We probably need two studies," he said, "or one with an addendum."

- Ted Sickinger

503-221-8505; @tedsickingerThis isn't a traditional Mother's Day column. No flowers, breakfast in bed or Hallmark cards.

This one takes on death.

Resist the urge to turn away because the topic makes you uncomfortable.

If we're honest, many children see Mother's Day as an obligation. Rarely do we reflect on what a mother's love means. Nor do we acknowledge the truth that in time it will be just another Sunday in May.

I thought about all this after receiving an email from Tarvez Tucker, a doctor in the neuroscience intensive care unit at Oregon Health & Science University.

She'd written a tribute to some of her patients who had died  mothers young and old, mothers with grown children and toddlers, a man who grew up in foster care.

Sometimes loss strips away the trappings and leaves us with the recesses of the heart.

And so, a Mother's Day column on death.

***

Tucker, also a professor of neurology and neurocritical care at OHSU, told me that not a week goes by that someone doesn't die in the unit. She's often bedside. In those last moments, she's discovered the most profound expressions of love are the ones between mother and child.

A mother's love isn't better or deeper than the love a father has for a child. It is, though, a different bond. The mother carries the baby in her body. From the moment of birth, she sends her child into the world. And so begins a lifetime of letting go.

Each birthday, while a celebration, is also a time for a mother to realize what was and will never be again. No more nursing, no more crawling and never again first grade.

A mother's silent prayer is that she dies before her children, her work done, the children left to carry on. For those left behind, there is a hope that the mother knew how much she was loved.

"My brother was with my mother when she died," said Tucker. "I couldn't be there because I was in medical school. I'll always have regret. Maybe that's what drove me to write about the mothers."

Years into her career, Tucker was a full-time academic neurologist at a university in Ohio but wanted a challenge after the youngest of her four sons left for college. She applied for a two-year fellowship in neurological critical care at the University of Cincinnati. She believes she was the oldest fellow in the nation.

The world she was thrust into was far different than the classroom and dealing with outpatient cases. A philosophy major in college before deciding to become a doctor, Tucker began carrying a small notebook to gather her impressions of what she witnessed.

As this Mother's Day approached, Tucker turned to the stack of notebooks. She began writing something to memorialize some of the mothers lost in the ICU. Not all are from Oregon, and she changed the names and some details of the cases.

"But they're all true," Tucker said. "They reveal courage and love."

Emily

She had been shot in the head and chest in the crossfire of a senseless drive-by shooting on a rainy night, more typical of Midwestern storms than Portland's. Her injuries were not survivable.

Before she closed her eyes, she spoke softly to the ER nurse.

"Take care of Connor," she said steadily, of her 4-year-old son, waiting at home, who didn't know yet."Thunder scares him."

Kristin

It had started with a brief twinge of pain that shot down from her lower back to her leg. A young mother of five, she ignored it for weeks, thinking she had just pulled a muscle lifting one of her chubby toddlers.

But her family physician, a kind man whose practice spanned 30 years, was worried. He ordered an MRI scan that showed an invasive tumor, Ewing's Sarcoma, which had spread to the bones of her spine and pelvis.

At first, the cancer responded to chemotherapy and radiation. Then, six months later, cooking in the kitchen, she had a seizure. Four walnut-sized tumors had metastasized to her brain. By the time I met her, she had already had three surgeries to resect the tumors, which kept growing back.

Her neurosurgeon strode confidently into the room, white coat so crisp it rustled.

"Let's get this out again, Kristin, just another week or two, and you'll be better ... on your way home. "

She asked how much more time the operation would give her. He replied gently, perhaps one or two months.

She looked at her kids, clambering all over the bed with her, dressed in Sunday clothes for Easter.

She thanked her surgeon, and then went home to dye eggs instead.

Jeanette

The tiny bacteria multiplied quickly in her heart, settling like clinging caterpillar feet on the delicate leaflets of her mitral valve. The species was so unusual we had to look it up, and could hardly pronounce it, staphylococcus lugdunensis.

She hadn't felt sick, just tired, but she was 83, and thought that was just the reason. But then her heart began to fail. The cardiothoracic surgeon was direct: she could be cured.

But not before staying in the hospital for four more weeks, to receive antibiotics through a slender tube inserted into her chest. After that would be open-heart surgery, stopping her heart for several hours on cardiac bypass so that he could replace the failing valve.

To her daughter, and to us, on the other side of the curtain, the decision seemed straightforward.

But for Jeanette, even trying to eat pudding was exhausting.

The letting go, not whatever life remained, was important for her.

And so, she did.

She waited until her daughter had gone home, tired after four nights at her bedside. Determined, at peace, in her daughter's words later, "she set her spirit to wings to cross over."

She left staphylococcus lugdunensis on the bed behind her.

Aya

Their pickup truck was stopped at a red light and struck from behind by a distracted driver going much too fast. Her twin girls strapped in booster seats in the back were killed instantly. Her husband's pelvis and ribs were fractured and Aya's head was thrown into the windshield. She instantly lost consciousness and she arrived in our ICU in a deep coma. She slowly awoke, eight days later.

She never asked.

At first, we thought it was the language barrier, but although she was Japanese, she had learned perfect English.She listened to our plans for her rehabilitation, but hardly ever spoke; just "yes" or "no" to questions about pain.

Months later, in a rehab hospital, she died. We never discovered how.

She died the mother of two girls; all she had ever wanted to be.

Joe

Long before age 89 when he fell down the stairs at home and sustained large bilateral subdural hematomas compressing his brain, Joe had made his end-of-life wishes clear. No surgery, no ventilator, no CPR. He had firm ideas about the dignity of dying, and what life and family meant to him.

Only once, early in their marriage, had he mentioned to his wife of 56 years the story about his mother. She had left him in foster care when he was 9; he never knew why and never saw her again. He had never spoken of her again to his wife, and never at all to his three daughters, throughout his long and happy marriage.

All four "my girls" as he called them were at his side when he died. They thought they knew him with the depth of detail earned by long years of family love. He recognized them, smiled, but his last words were not to them.

He said, "Mom, I have missed you."

***

This Mother's Day, Tucker is flying from Portland to Florida to be with three of her sons.

She knows this weekend, perhaps in her ICU, someone's mother will die, and a child will be there with her.

"I'm exposed to death all the time," Tucker said. "In those last moments, I hear how people love each other."

Tucker's sons think she's too sentimental, calling her mushy when she tries to explain the depth of love for the babies who grew into the men who one day will be by her bedside when her time comes.

She has no idea what her last words will be.

But she wants to leave them a message.

"Maybe," she said, "this story is the message."

--Tom Hallman Jr.

thallman@oregonian.com; 503 221-8224

@thallmanjrIt's going to feel an awful lot like summer in Portland over the next few days, even if the blanket of clouds covering the sky Saturday morning give off a different vibe.

Temperatures are forecast to fluctuate from the upper 70s to the upper 80s during the weekend and into early next week, according to the National Weather Service. Saturday's high should reach 79 degrees with a low of 54.

And on Sunday, the high will jump to 88, which means Portlanders would do well to find a swimming pool or otherwise seek a theater for a fourth or fifth screening of "Avengers: Infinity War."

Things will cool down a bit on Monday and Tuesday, with highs hovering in the lower 80s and upper 70s and lows in the mid-50s.

But the sun will remain relentless, as spots of clouds will hover overhead but don't count on much respite from that burning ball of hydrogen in the sky.

The coast, however, may provide some relief for those looking to escape the heat. The Saturday forecast in Cannon Beach calls for a high of 62 and low of 51 with mostly cloudy skies and a light wind. Sunday will see a high of 65 and a clearer outlook.

And up on Government Camp, both Saturday and Sunday look particularly sunny with highs in the low- to mid-60s.

So expect a pleasant outlook pretty much anywhere within a couple hours of Portland. And that's got us ready to jump into the weekend like:

--Eder Campuzano | 503.221.4344

ecampuzano@oregonian.comNEW YORK, May 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stull, Stull & Brody today announced that an ERISA action has been filed and that it has commenced an investigation relating to the 401(k) defined contribution plans of Lowes Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) ("Lowes" or the "Company"). Among other things, Stull, Stull & Brody is investigating whether fiduciaries of Lowes 401(k) plans violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA") by offering the Hewitt Growth Fund as an investment option in the Lowes 401(k) Plan.



If you had an individual account under any of the Company's 401(k) plans during the last several years and have questions about your legal rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Michael J. Klein, Esq. at Stull, Stull & Brody by e-mail at LOW@ssbny.com, by calling 1-212-687-7230, x147, or by writing to Stull, Stull & Brody, 6 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10017. You can also visit our website at www.ssbny.com.

You may retain Stull, Stull & Brody, or other counsel of your choice, to represent you. Stull, Stull & Brody has litigated many class actions for violations of securities laws in federal courts over the past 40 years and has obtained court approval of substantial settlements on numerous occasions. Stull, Stull & Brody maintains offices in New York and Beverly Hills.

Attorney Advertising. Prior Results Do Not Guarantee A Similar Outcome.NEW YORK, May 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Colony NorthStar, Inc. (Colony NorthStar or the Company) (NYSE:CLNS) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, Central District of California, and docketed under 18-cv-03520, is on behalf of a class consisting of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Colony NorthStar securities between February 28, 2017, through March 1, 2018, both dates inclusive (the Class Period). Plaintiff seeks to recover compensable damages caused by Defendants violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder.



If you are a shareholder who purchased Colony NorthStar securities between February 28, 2017, and March 1, 2018, both dates inclusive, you have until June 5, 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]

Colony NorthStar operates as a real estate investment trust. The Company invests in healthcare, industrial, and hospitality sectors, as well as offers equity and debt management services. Colony NorthStar serves customers globally. The Company resulted from the January 2017 merger between Colony Capital, Inc., NorthStar Asset Management Group Inc. and NorthStar Realty Finance Corp.

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) Colony NorthStars Healthcare and Investment Management segments were performing worse than reported; and (ii) as a result, Colony NorthStars public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On March 1, 2018, Colony NorthStar reported its financial and operating results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2017, announcing a goodwill impairment of $375 million, attributable to the Companys Healthcare and Investment Management segments.

On this news, Colony NorthStars share price fell $1.78, or 22.88%, to close at $6.00 on March 1, 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

888-476-6529 Ext. 9980We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.

Korean Reunification: High Hopes and Higher Hurdles





Summary



On April 27, Kim Jong Un stepped over the military demarcation line at the Demilitarized Zone, becoming the first North Korean leader to set foot in South Korea since the war. Kim and his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, then joined hands and briefly crossed back into North Korea. Their subsequent summit was the first between leaders of the North and South in more than a decade and only the third ever. Historic symbolism aside, this is familiar territory for Korea. Since 1972, on both sides of the 38th parallel, reunification has officially been portrayed as a matter of when, not if. And occasionally, peace initiatives have edged beyond mere rhetoric, leading to vague plans to establish some sort of loose confederation between the two.

But the overriding reality is that the two sides would have to defy myriad more immediate concerns and interests to achieve reunification. As a result, various peace initiatives have routinely devolved into disingenuous ploys (particularly by the North) to ease international pressure, please domestic constituencies, exact material concessions and vie for advantage in a 70-year zero-sum fight for peninsular supremacy. And theres ample reason to doubt the Norths sincerity again. In all likelihood, Kims outreach this year is in pursuit of some combination of staving off a war with the Americans, driving a wedge between the U.S. and South Korea, easing sanctions pressure and stalling for time to overcome technical hurdles to the development of a reliable long-range nuclear deterrent. Already, the North is for all intents and purposes a nuclear power, and its keen to see how this power translates into diplomatic leverage , as well as to demonstrate that it can be trusted to act rationally with the bomb.

Still, the dogged optimism from both sides isnt empty gesturing. However strong the forces keeping them apart, both sides have a geopolitical imperative to reunify. As it stands, Korea is vulnerable to much stronger powers on its periphery (and ones that have historically used the peninsula as a steppingstone to attack each other), overly dependent on fickle allies, economically stunted and too fixated on the threats from across the DMZ to throw much weight around abroad. As one, they would become one of East Asias strongest military powers and obtain a freedom of action that hasnt been seen on the peninsula in centuries. This has been true since the Korean War, but regional changes  most important, a rising China and a remilitarizing Japan  are only heightening this imperative.

Countries never fully achieve their geopolitical imperatives  the requirements of securing a nation in all its dimensions. But neither can they ever be fully ignored. Over time, whether or not they are acknowledged by those in power, imperatives remain the core of any countrys national strategy, surviving the fickle currents of more immediate geopolitical concerns that can dominate a states short-term decision-making. Thus, the two Koreas will continue to try to reconcile, even if the failures pile up. The more sincere this pursuit, the more dramatic the implications for the East Asian geopolitical landscape.

This Deep Dive examines the complicated reality of Koreas unification dream. For the sake of better understanding what Seoul and Pyongyang have in mind as they try to build on their nascent detente, it focuses solely on the scenario of peaceful, negotiated reunification  not one involving the implosion of the North Korean regime, nor a collapse brought about by a U.S.-led military operation, nor a forceful takeover by either side. It concludes that although a largely symbolic confederation may be achievable, the odds are stacked against a truly meaningful reunification  that which Koreas imperatives dictate it must pursue to be substantially better equipped to deal with the challenges rising outside the peninsula.



Why It Must Happen

For as much as Seoul and Pyongyang are fixated on the threat they pose to each other, historically, the threats to Korea have come from outside powers. The Korean Peninsula juts southward from Manchuria and eastern Russia, with the Yellow Sea to its west and the Sea of Japan to its east. Thus, historically, the peninsula has posed a potential threat to three major powers, regardless of the intentions of its government.



Korea has always been a critical piece in any Chinese or Japanese strategy as a result. From the Chinese point of view, Korea served as Japans onramp to mainland Asia. When the peninsula was in Japanese hands, Manchuria and the Russian maritime regions, including Vladivostok, were threatened. From Tokyos perspective, if a hostile power were to hold Korea and thereby gain access to the Sea of Japan, it could threaten maritime trade and open the door to invasions of the home islands from the west and east. The result is that the peninsula has been invaded repeatedly  by the Mongols, Manchus, Chinese and Japanese, as well as by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II and the United States in 1950. These invasions were driven primarily by the peninsulas value in attacking or blocking major powers.





Still today, Koreans see the peninsula as a minnow among whales  and the whales are getting hungry. China is flexing its newfound might , both military and economic, and pushing to reshape the region . Japan, which occupied Korea from 1910 until its defeat in World War II, is gradually remilitarizing and coming to terms with its need to take more responsibility for its own geopolitical imperatives . And the continued division of the peninsula is keeping it weak. The North is still looking for its economic footing following the loss of its core benefactor, the Soviet Union, whose collapse left Pyongyang overly dependent on Beijing and perpetually at risk of coercion. It has demonstrated an extraordinary talent for regime preservation during a period marked by famine and extreme poverty, but it nonetheless is perpetually at risk of major internal destabilization. The Souths concomitant surge of prosperity has only heightened this risk, while making forced reunification by the North increasingly a pipe dream.

The South, meanwhile, is again feeling the claustrophobic constraints of its alliance with the U.S. , which has proved itself a fickle friend. The U.S. has mulled withdrawing from the peninsula repeatedly since the late 1970s, including reportedly during the Trump administration, which also happens to be contemplating a war against the North that would put the South at risk of devastation by North Korean conventional armaments . This cant be ruled out, despite Seouls success so far in talking the Americans down. Even if the U.S. holds its fire, Seoul has ample reason to believe Washington wont subsume U.S. interests to the Souths in a crisis. Seoul does not want to find itself in this position again.





A unified Korea would eventually be much more powerful, by most metrics, and in much better position to shape its own destiny and put an end to its legacy of foreign subjugation. Today, the two sides have 1.75 million troops, which if combined would be the worlds fourth-largest army. (Presumably, both sides would be able to scale down their forces dramatically, but they have demonstrated the capacity for an incredibly powerful military.) It would no longer have to devote an inordinate amount of resources to defending the DMZ and could reorient its force posture to external defense. It could conceivably emerge as a nuclear power. The U.S. would likely lose interest in military action, and thus lose the cause for keeping U.S. forces on the peninsula. China, Japan and Russia would face an ascendant and increasingly outward-focused neighbor. Over time (despite staggering initial costs), reunification could also dramatically boost the peninsulas economic heft, with North Korean minerals and cheap labor flowing south, and South Korean technology, capital and food flowing north.



Why It Wont Happen Quickly, If At All

It has made geopolitical sense since their establishment in 1948 for the two Koreas to find a way to get along and tap into their joint potential, and yet they havent, because peaceful reunification is exceedingly difficult to achieve. The North and South have fundamentally diametric economic and political systems and national ideologies.



They also have very large guns pointed at each others head. Neither side has much reason to trust the other to refrain from trying to exploit the chaos that would come with a transition and force reunification on their own terms. This trust gap is not going away, nor is the prisoners dilemma. True reunification would require breathtaking courage from leaders on both sides, who would need to ignore immediate incentives and assume enormous risk while going through the process.

This is, in part, why only two modern states have achieved negotiated, peaceful reunification. One was Yemen in 1990, and its experience ever since has been nothing anyone wants to replicate. The more instructive comparison is Germany, which reunified the same year. Prior to being sliced in two by outside powers, both Germany and Korea were cohesive cultural, linguistic and ethnic entities. Yet both became locked in a protracted zero-sum contest for supremacy between their competing halves. Both are surrounded by countries that, through the long-term lens of their own geopolitical imperatives, would rather see them stay divided. Both had U.S. troops stationed on half their home soil. And like the North, East Germany suffered greatly from the loss of Soviet aid and security.

In most ways, though, the two Germanys were much better suited for reunification.



By 1991, they were far more integrated than the Koreas are today, and the East was already beginning to disintegrate. East Germany had never adopted North Koreas extreme version of totalitarianism and collectivism, and it didnt derive its legitimacy from as intense a narrative of permanent siege by outside forces. The economic disparities between the two Koreas are also far wider. By 1991, West Germans were two to three times as wealthy as their eastern brethren, while South Koreans are estimated to be between 12 and 40 times richer than North Koreans (the Norths opacity explains the wide range in estimates). Thus, reunification was considerably less taxing for the West than it would be for the South, which likely wouldnt enjoy the same level of outside funding for the process that the West Germans did. Despite their age-old suspicion of a united Germany, neighboring powers like France and the United Kingdom accepted reunification in service of the broader project of European integration, with NATO and the common market diminishing the threat of German domination of the Continent. None of Koreas neighbors have a similar cause to tolerate a process that puts a more powerful state on their doorstep.





North Korea, despite its poverty, has already proved capable of surviving without Soviet support. And though Pyongyang does not want to be beholden to Chinese patronage, this lifeline isnt going to dry up anytime soon, given Chinas ascendancy and interest in retaining the North as a buffer state. As a result, North Korea is more likely to be able to hold out on reunification if it doesnt like the terms. By comparison, West Germany and its allies were able to gradually entice the East Germans away from the wheezing USSR, which couldnt afford to keep up heavy subsidies to its client states anyway. For all intents and purposes, West Germany absorbed East Germany. North Korea wont willingly follow suit. And unlike East Germany, North Korea has nukes.

In short, theres no template for the Koreas to follow. With so many unknowns and risks, Seoul and Pyongyang would have to start with some sort of loose confederation that enabled both sides to maintain their existing political and economic systems. (In fact, the first inter-Korean summit was intended to be held in the mid-1990s to discuss steps toward a confederation, but the death of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung in 1994 derailed the process and delayed the summit for another six years.) This structure could help weaken distrust between the two while creating mutual economic dependencies that raise the cost of abandoning the reunification process. But the path of least resistance is to delay decisions on the thorniest issues  and to date, most reunification plans made public, invariably short on details, could be best characterized as doing exactly that. And the path of least resistance wont serve Koreas imperatives. For a Korean confederation to be much more than a symbolic arrangement, the two sides would have to take on an inevitably messy and protracted process, vulnerable to innumerable political, economic and security-related headwinds.



The Problem of Two Militaries

The riskiest and most complicated challenge to meaningful reunification would be permanently backing off war footing and, eventually, merging the two militaries. This is also the most important step for the Koreas to be more than discrete countries in everything but name. If the goal is to become a unified power capable of executing a common strategy and keeping regional challengers at bay, Korea simply cant have divided forces and parallel command structures that distrust each other. A de facto military alliance wouldnt be enough, since any such arrangement would be fragile at best, beset with mutual suspicion and ripe for external exploitation. In that scenario, the two sides would have to continue to devote the bulk of their resources to deterring each other.

Eventually, the two sides would have to demilitarize the border, eject the Americans and find a way to lessen the threat they pose to each other without mutually disarming or demobilizing (a common step in many peace processes), since a unified Korea would still need a robust military. There is no easy way to do this that wouldnt make one side vulnerable to an attempt by the other to break the detente and try to impose reunification on its own terms  and neither side is likely to weaken itself substantially as a show of good faith. In other words, for the North, pulling back its artillery from within range of Seoul would eliminate its biggest deterrent against aggression. For the time being, at least, the same limit applies to the departure of U.S. forces. Even if they could achieve these initial steps, both sides would still have the firepower to rain considerable pain on the other. The Souths capacity to conduct a decapitation strike against the Kim regime will never be abandoned, for example. Meanwhile, theres still the thorny issue of the Norths nuclear stockpile.

To ease suspicions and create enough mutual incentives to keep momentum going toward reunification, a joint force would need to be established. This would also be needed to address the nuclear issue, assuming the North doesnt just hand its nukes over to Trump when they meet  and assuming the South would be willing to incur the diplomatic and economic costs of going nuclear . These steps would face their own complications, from reluctance to hand over military secrets, to heightened coup risks, to crippling bureaucratic turf battles that would erode the readiness of the joint force. Again, there would be enormous incentives to cheat. Moreover, merging the military without merging the government would be problematic to say the least and would make it nearly impossible to craft or execute a common strategy. There is some precedent for effective joint command structures serving different governments. Washington and Seoul share command of the South Korean military, for example, but this was never intended to be a permanent solution, and either side could go it alone if it so choose.



The Problem of Politics

More than anything, the North Korean regime is hellbent on survival . This is why it wants nukes, and its why it remains so closed off to the world. And though reunification would certainly be a major economic boon in the North, potentially lessening agitation among the impoverished masses, it would threaten the regimes grip on power in other ways.

The regime has survived war, famine and the loss of external support by sustaining an Orwellian reign of terror, putting the country on permanent war footing and conditioning the public to believe that the Kim dynasty is the only thing keeping the North from annihilation by outsiders (who are to blame for its internal woes). Entering into a union with the South, particularly if U.S. forces departed, would dramatically undercut Pyongyangs siege narrative and cast doubt on whether the North Korean system was still necessary. Opening the economy to outside forces would spark a scramble for wealth among North Korean elites and allow competing power centers to proliferate. Meanwhile, the small steps that could be achieved with even a loose, mostly symbolic confederation  more joint exchanges, looser travel restrictions across the DMZ, expanded joint economic ventures and so forth  would expose more North Koreans to the Souths prosperity and discredit the regime by putting its economic track record in an exceedingly harsh light. Most risky for the North, bilateral military cooperation would weaken solidarity among the Norths forces, threatening the Kim dynasty from within.

East Germany intended to carefully control the reunification process once it tore down the Berlin Wall and other parts of the Iron Curtain in 1989. But things quickly took on a life of their own. East Germans (and the East German capital) headed west in droves, and within a year the government in East Berlin collapsed. Pyongyang cannot deliver the full benefits of reunification to the North and preserve its total authority. However tightly it may think it can manage the process, things are liable to get quickly out of hand.

In the South, meanwhile, public interest in reunification has declined over time as the costs of the process have become more apparent. Economically, despite the potential for massive long-term gains, reunification would be exceedingly problematic initially, with the South effectively forced to subsidize the North for decades even in a scenario that doesnt result in regime collapse and, say, a southward flood of refugees. To prevent the disparities from sowing social chaos in the North, and to create a prosperous Korea capable of standing as one, northern institutions would need to be rebuilt from the ground up, northern industries subsidized and social safety nets extended across the 38th parallel. Total cost estimates vary widely, but even conservative ones exceed $1 trillion. (West Germany is estimated to have spent about twice that figure. Still today, Germans pay a solidarity surcharge tax of up to 5.5 percent to fund reunification.)



This reality has weighed on even the most dovish governments in Seoul, such as those in the 1990s led by Moons liberal mentors, former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun. Their Sunshine Policy of unconditional engagement with Pyongyang called for an extended soft landing, deeming immediate reunification impractical and instead focusing on preparing future generations for the process. In other words, it too kicked the can down the road. At the time, the rocky transition in Germany had served as something of a wake-up call in South Korea for how any transition is likely to defy the two governments best-laid plans. Since then, memories of what was lost with the division of Korea have faded only further, while younger generations of South Koreans have grown up amid remarkable prosperity, forced to pay attention to the North only when it lashes out. (This is, in part, why successive governments in Seoul have worked so hard to cultivate the narrative that Korean reunification is Koreas glorious destiny.)

Meaningful reunification would take decades, meaning it would be warped by numerous campaign seasons in the South (and, potentially, the extraordinary uncertainty that would come with the passing of Kim Jong Un). Political resistance would become more pronounced if and when things got messy.



The Problem of Outside Powers

The country with the most at stake in Korea is China . Pyongyang isnt as useful an ally to Beijing as it once was, and China would benefit from being able to expand its infrastructure and business networks across the peninsula, uninterrupted by the DMZ. More important, it may be able to stomach reunification if it meant an end to the U.S.-South Korea alliance.

Nonetheless, it prefers to have a weak and somewhat dependent neighbor over a larger, more powerful one, and the Norths survival as an independent state  with a substantial military and regime hostile to the U.S. and South Korea  remains important to protect Chinas periphery. Beijing certainly cannot tolerate the unlikely but not wholly impossible scenario that unification returns U.S. forces to the Yalu River, and it would face a destabilizing flood of refugees if reunification spun out of control. Moreover, the North has proved useful in deflecting the United States attention and increasing U.S. dependence on Chinas unmatched ability to manage Pyongyang. From this perspective, China wants to preserve North Korea exactly as it is. So regardless of how strange and unpredictable North Korea is, the Chinese will do what they can to prevent Korean reunification and maintain the current character of the regime.

Japan , meanwhile, benefits from the division of the Korean Peninsula to the extent that it keeps both the North and the South weak and focused largely on each other. Japan could also conceivably benefit from a strong, reunified Korea so long as the new state remained committed to the U.S.-led alliance structure, thus potentially serving as a substantial check on China.

What Japan cannot tolerate is a belligerent reunified Korean Peninsula that gets pulled firmly into Chinas orbit, however unlikely this may be. Given its location offshore and its ability to threaten Koreas export lanes, Japan would be a greater security threat to Korea than vice versa. This, combined with Korean memories of centuries of Japanese imperialism on the peninsula, means Tokyo cant be sure that a united Korea would be friendly. If the U.S. remains committed to a trilateral security architecture in Northeast Asia, however, it would likely deter Japans least-favored outcome. Japan wont always be so ill-equipped to shape regional events in its favor. But now, its left hoping that the U.S. will shape them on its behalf.

The U.S. certainly could do so  and make any discussion of peaceful reunification moot  by launching a war against the North. Its foremost strategic imperative on the peninsula is to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, so its support for reunification would depend first on whether denuclearization actually could be achieved. Beyond nonproliferation, the United States prime concern is maintaining a regional balance of power, and South Korea is an important check on Chinese power.

Given its position in Japan, the U.S. could tolerate a withdrawal of U.S. forces from the peninsula, so long as it didnt put Seoul at risk. It could tolerate reunification, depending on its form: a strong and united Korea threatens the U.S. only if it has nukes and the ability to strike U.S. shores. But like Japan, the U.S. doesnt want to risk a northern-dominated Korea that falls firmly into the Chinese orbit, even if a unified Korea strong enough to stand on its own makes this scenario somewhat unlikely.Gloves by Wing & Weft Gloves

Sudanese model Tina Johnson is on-the-rise, having modeled for brands like Chromat, Coco & Breezy and the Blonds. PAPER caught up with Johnson to talk about her inspirations, wildest hair styles and wigs.

How did you get discovered as a model?

I was discovered at a cultural festival in New Zealand.

Did you have any favorite models/role models growing up?

My mom and my sisters.



Since it's a story about wild hair, what's the wildest you've ever done your hair?

I had my hair bleached golden blonde for a job, I was mortified.

What did you think when you saw the wigs in this shoot?

I was extremely excited. Seeing the talented ladies bring everything to life was even more exciting.

If you were going to wear one of the wigs out somewhere, where would you go?

I would go shopping on 5th Avenue, then I'd have a fabulous lunch in one these fancy restaurants and see how everyone reacts to me.



Model: Tina Johnson

Photographer: Alana Tyler Slutsky

Style: Jess Mederos

Makeup: Jaleesa Jaikaran using MAC Cosmetics

Hair: Kat Zemtsova using OribeIn mid-January 2017 Patently Apple posted a report titled "A Weak Circumstantial Theory by French Investigators Points to Fiery Apple Device Bringing Down Air Egypt." We noted back then that "A report this week out of Europe noted that French investigators theorize that the batteries in a co-pilot's iPad mini 4 or iPhone 6s may have caused the mysterious crash of EgyptAir flight MS804, which went down on May 19th of last year. All 66 people onboard were killed." We ended our report stating that "Unless the French investigative team can produce the very Apple product and confirm a direct connection to the crash, putting out a theory such as this to the public is incomprehensibly irresponsible. You have to wonder what political motivation there could possibly be for such reckless behavior."

Today we're learning from various European reports that a new lawsuit has been filed against Apple for the crash of the EgyptAir Flight 804. TMZ reports that The families of several of the victims of the May 19, 2016 crash claim the tragedy was due to the co-pilot's iPhone 6S or iPad mini overheating in the cockpit and catching fire.

According to the docs ... an investigation revealed the device ignited and led to a bigger fire in the cockpit, which ultimately took the plane down.

It should be noted, however -- some industry experts have questioned this phone theory ... and believe the fire on the plane started beneath the cockpit in the avionics bay due to a short circuit or some kind of explosion.

Still, the families believe there's enough evidence to hold Apple responsible for the deaths of their loved ones."

Until there's an official government report definitively pointing to an Apple device being the cause of the crash, the action of the relatives is simply anger looking for a party to blame and nothing more.

In 2016 the BBC reported that "Egyptian investigators" announced that traces of explosives had been found on the victims. The Guardian reported at the same time that "French investigators were reported to have found trace levels of the explosive TNT on recovered debris but claimed they were prevented from further examining it. Egyptian officials denied the claim.

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.Six Lawyers in Iran File Petition Challenging Ban on Popular Telegram App

05/11/18

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

Six Iranian lawyers have presented a legal challenge to a recent judicial order blocking access in Iran to the widely used Telegram messaging and social media app, Telegram.



cartoon by Vahideh Fallahi, Ghanoon daily



On May 7, 2018, attorneys Payam Derafshan, Arash Keykhosravi, Abouzar Nasrollahi, Saeed Dehghan, Javad Parsa and Mohammad Moghimi filed a petition at the Court for Government Employees in Tehran to overturn the judicial order, which was issued by Assistant Prosecutor Bijan Ghasemzadeh on May 1.

"The order not only violates the Criminal Procedures Regulations but also the Constitution," Derafshan told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on May 7.

"The assistant prosecutor's job is to collect evidence and present it to the court and then the judge makes a preliminary ruling and after that it will reach the appellate stage," he added. "None of these steps have been followed. Moreover, the order violates Article 9 of the Constitution."

According to Article 9, "... [N]o authority has the right to abrogate legitimate freedoms, not even by enacting laws and regulations for that purpose, under the pretext of preserving the independence and territorial integrity of the country."

On May 4, three days after Iranian internet service providers, phone companies and the state-owned Telecommunications Infrastructure Company were ordered to block access to the app, President Hassan Rouhani indirectly suggested he disapproved of the decision, which he suggested was made by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

"This government has not and will not block any social media network or messenger," said Rouhani in an Instagram post on May 4.

Referring to a well-known speech by Khamenei, he added: "If a decision has been made by the highest level of state to restrict or block people's communications, the people, who are the real owners of this country, should be informed "#WeHaveNoSecrets, #TopDownRuling."

In April 2015, Khamenei said "we have no secrets" while discussing Iran's nuclear program. Iranians have widely interpreted Rouhani's usage of the "WeHaveNoSecrets" hashtag as him indirectly stating that it was Khamenei who told the prosecutor to order the ban.

Derafshan told CHRI that he and his colleagues are prepared to provide legal support to Iranians who want to file a suit against the judicial official who imposed the ban and demand punishment based on Article 570 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code.

According to Article 570, "Any official and agent associated with state agencies and institutions who unlawfully strips members of the public of their personal freedom or deprives them from their rights provided in the IRI [Islamic Republic of Iran's] Constitution, shall be sentenced to two months to three years' imprisonment, in addition to dismissal from the service and prohibition of employment in state offices for one to five years."

Derafshan added: "The assistant prosecutor argued that Telegram should be blocked because it has indecent content and things against national security. This is a very dangerous precedent because all those things could be said about the internet as a whole and the same official could order a ban on all of cyberspace."

Derafshan also told CHRI that the ban does not comply with Article 114 of the Criminal Procedures Regulations Code, which states, "Prevention of services and activities in commercial, agricultural and industrial sectors is prohibited unless there is firm and reasonable evidence of criminal actions that are a threat to society's health and security and public order. In such cases, the assistant prosecutor is required to inform the prosecutor of the reasons why the presumed criminal activities should be stopped. Such decisions can be challenged in court within five days after they are issued."Ghana has raised a total of US$ 2.0 billion from its 2018 sovereign bond issuance, which was concluded on Thursday May 10, 2018 - an indication of a strong investor confidence.



The 10-year bond raised $1.0 billion at 7.627%, while the maiden 30-year bond raised another $1.0 billion at 8.627%.



A statement, issued by the Public Relations Unit of the Ministry of Finance, said the demand for Ghanas credit peaked in excess of US$8.0 billion, representing an over subscription of three times the targeted amount.



$750m of the issuance represents new debt, while a portion of the remainder will be used to swap for more expensive existing Eurobonds, as well as other liability management operations, it said.



It explained that the issuance had some notable characteristics such as being the first time a Sub  Saharan African country with a rating of B Stable having priced a sovereign Bond at that low costs, indicating a strong investor confidence.



It is also the first time Ghana has extended its international capital market funding to 30 years, it stated.



It must be noted that despite the size, $1.25 billion, which would be used for liability management would not add up to the debt stock of the country as it is debt neutral.

Source: GNA









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Featured VideoHigh-end Williamsburg boutique Amarcord typically stays open until 8 p.m. on Fridays, but last night the security gate was rolled down by the time protesters started gathering at 6 p.m. for a planned demonstration outside the store. Last Friday, Brooklyn attorney Nancy Bedard and her daughter were handcuffed by police on Bedford Avenue after Amarcord employees accused them of shoplifting. But no stolen merchandise was found, and Bedard, who is black, says the white employee targeted her and her daughter because of their race.

Bedard and her 19-year-old daughter were trying on clothes in Amarcord around 7 pm. on May 4th. The boutique's attorney, Daniel Kron, said the pair were exhibiting a "furtive type of behavior" and "were not acting as though they were normal customers trying on clothing." According to Kron, Bedard and her daughter were "constantly going in and out of the same dressing room, coming out with different numbers of clothing... When two people go into the same dressing room together, that's a red flag that something might be going on."

Yesterday, Bedard fired back at Kron, telling Gothamist, "They're making up a lot of lies. They have two dressing rooms, okay, and they walked us into the dressing room, holding the items, pulled back the curtain, and asked us to go in together. The other dressing room was being occupied by a man. We acted like any other normal customer. Tried on the clothes, came out, looked at ourselves in the mirror. I shop all the time and I've never had these problems before."

About 50 people protesting on Bedford Ave in Williamsburg outside vintage boutique Amarcord tonight, chanting, "Don't shop here! Cuz this store is really racist! Being black is not a threat!" pic.twitter.com/71OIiNNQHP  John Del Signore (@johndelsignore) May 11, 2018

Bedard said that after trying on clothes, a white employee said there was one item of clothing missing. Bedard said she denied this and, after an argument, left Amarcord with her daughter. Another employee followed them outside as they walked away, insisting they had stolen something. According to Bedard, this employee told her that "the other clerk saw me come into the store and knew I wasn't going to buy anything, and that my intention was to steal."

The employee allegedly told Bedard that the store's video camera footage showed her stealing, and proceeded to follow her and her daughter down Bedford Avenue, "berating us, calling us thieves," according to Bedard.



Bedard, wearing a gray top at center, stands with protesters outside Amarcord. (Gothamist)

Police were called to the scene and immediately handcuffed Bedard and her daughter. After being cuffed for some time, Bedard said "a white shirt officer came over to [the officers] and asked them if they had checked my bag. They said no, and then they took my bag, that was just a shoebox that was wide open at the top, and opened it, and of course there was nothing in it but the shoes I had purchased down the street. Then they tried to put the handcuffs back on me, I have no idea why, and the white shirt officer told them to stop."

Bedard said the handcuffs caused bruising and abrasions, and that both she and her daughter were "crying hysterically. EMS took us to Woodhull Hospital. Two police cars followed us to the hospital, and four police officers followed us around the hospital the entire time, until maybe 11 o'clock at night, when they finally gave me back my identification. I said, 'Where's the report?' They said they voided the arrest."

Last night the NYPD issued the following statement announcing an internal investigation into the incident:

On Friday, May 4, 2018 at around 7:30 p.m., police responded to a report of a larceny-in-progress at 233 Bedford Avenue, in the 94 Precinct. A store employee called 911 to report two women had stolen a dress from the location. Upon arrival, officers interviewed the store employee who identified two women the employee believed had stolen property. The two women were detained for a brief period of time by officers as they conducted a preliminary investigation. During that investigation, no property was found, and the store employee became uncertain that the two individuals removed any property. Assistant Chief Maddrey has been briefed on this incident. He immediately launched an internal investigation by the boroughs investigations unit. He also directed that the patrol supervisor, a lieutenant, be transferred until an investigation is complete.

Approximately 50 protesters attended the rally, many of them attorneys, union members, and friends of Bedard, who works for Brooklyn Legal Services Corp. B. Sarah Telson, a staff attorney at Legal Services NYC, told Gothamist, "This is about racist people calling the cops on black people and getting them killed. It's unfortunate black people can't live in this world without being arrested, without the police being weaponized against them."

For two hours, the energized group picketed in front of the boutique, chanting, "White lies endanger black lives! Being black is not a threat!" and "Boycott Amarcord!"

The store's owners, Patti Bordoni and Marco Liotta, were not present, but a large sign in the window conveyed Amarcord's message to its customers. Posted online on Friday afternoon, the statement, in part, maintains that Bedard or her daughter "threatened our employees safety, humiliated her and berated her race, class, and physical appearance. The NYPD were called at the suggestion of these patrons, as well as our employees who hoped they could help to diffuse the issue. The patrons were uncooperative. What happened after that was beyond our control.

"Since then, the patrons have proceeded to defame our company. It is devastating to see our small company and our names smeared and boycotted, especially when the incident did not happen the way it has been portrayed."

Korn, Amarcord's attorney, said on Friday that Bedard "played the race card. Nothing racially motivated happened. It just so happened that it was an African-American who had gone into a dressing room with another woman, which is also a red flag."

Halfway through the protest, a woman on a bicycle pulled up and shouted at the demonstrators in defense of Liotta, who is from Italy. "He is an immigrant too," the woman, who is white and would only identify herself as a "foreigner," said. "This store's been here 20 years, this is the first time I've heard something like this! Get over this shit, nobody's racist!"

A black female protester, who declined to be interviewed by Gothamist, angrily confronted the woman to say that the reason she's now hearing about a racial profiling incident is "because it happened to a lawyer this time." The woman on the bike shrugged and rode away.



(Gothamist)Climate change is undeniably affecting all aspects of human life. While efforts are been made at all levels to address its adverse impacts, the poor and vulnerable such as women, girls, boys, aged, people with disability and the aged tend to suffer most due to their poor coping abilities.



As part of contributing to the climate adaptation process in Ghana, the Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) conducted a survey dubbed Climate Change Impacts: The experiences of Youth Leaders in Ghana targeting youth leaders in James Town, New Abirem and Gumani representing the Southern, Middle and Northern zones of Ghana respectively.



25 youth leaders were engaged in James Town drawn from the following groups No Noise Fund club, United Youth, Ashabienaa Youth, Concern Youth, Willows International, Ga Mashie Association, Great Thinkers and New Generation. In New Abirem, there were 32 youth leaders selected from groups such as Hweakwae Youth Association, Assembly Unit Committee, Yayaaso, and Aduasena. Gumani also recorded 23 youth leaders from Zee Sung youth, Nzagsi- uni association, Nasara Youth Association, N-Gang uni Youth Association, and N-Zagsi uni Youth Association.



Some key observations from the survey were as follows:





1. In terms of gender, young women are not actively involved at the local level in climate change decision making processes.



2. The youth leaders were very much aware of climate change irrespective of their geographical location as gathered from 94%, 97% and 91% of youth leaders in James Town, New Abirem, and Gumani communities respectively.



3. The youth leaders in the southern zone are of the view that use of audio-visuals (40%) is the best medium of communication as compared to Radio (47%) by the youth leaders in the middle zone and Gong-gong (48%) by the youth leaders in the northern zone.



4. Climate change is directly affecting the source of livelihood of the youth. They expressed worry over low yields in fishing; flooding leading to occurrence of sicknesses; low food production or farm produce hence affecting income levels; unbearable heat among others.



5. Partnership among stakeholders such as government, private sector, local leaders, community members and civil society is very essential in mitigating and adapting to the adverse impact of climate change according to the youth leaders.



SYND is of the view that, as government continues to put measures in place to dealing with the impact of climate change, it is imperative that the needs and views of young people are comprehensively embraced to ensure gender equality and social inclusion resulting in Leaving No One Behind as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) seek to achieve.



SYND is a youth-oriented NGO which focuses primarily on contributing to ensuring good governance in the natural resources and environment sector through active youth inclusion or partnership with relevant stakeholders such as government, private sector, civil society and media.

Source: Chibeze Ezekiel Coordinator, Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) www.strategicyouthnetwork.org









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Featured VideoThe new President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, has said he will introduce free primary and secondary education for all children from September.



He told the opening session of parliament in Freetown that the education budget would be almost doubled.



President Bio said the money would come in part from spending cuts in other areas - and he would also seek funding from international donors.



Sierra Leone is one of the world's poorest countries, and more than half the population cannot read or write.

Source: BBC









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Featured VideoTension is mounting in the Sekyere Afram Plains branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) due to the sudden disappearance of the partys polling station register in the constituency.



The matter has since been reported to the police, who have commenced investigations to retrieve the polling station register which has vanished from the NDCs office.



Samson Bandoh, the NDC Constituency Secretary for the area, who reported the case to the police, alleged that the NDC MP for the area, Alex Adomako Mensah, had hijacked the partys register.



Mr Bandoh said the MP hijacked the register to ensure the participation of his favourites in the upcoming constituency polls.



The MP wants to deny people like us, who he hates, from getting the chance to take part in the NDC elections.



What the MP has done is illegal so I have reported the case to the police at Drobonso and the NDC Ashanti Regional office, he stated in an interview.



Speaking to DAILY GUIDE on Wednesday, he said the Ashanti Regional NDC had instructed the MP to bring back the polling station register immediately.



Bandoh, however, stated that if the MP fails to comply with the partys directive, then I will go to court and place injunction on the elections.



MPs Reaction



Mr Alex Adomako Mensah, when contacted by the paper, flatly denied the allegations by the NDC Constituency Secretary for.



According to him, he has no special interest in the elections.



The NDC MP stated that some aspirants want to endorse their forms by themselves at the partys office which is illegal.



According to him, the partys constitution stipulates that the aspirants should rather go to the registered members of the party to endorse their forms.



They wanted to indulge in illegality and when they eventually faced problems, they decided to turn round to accuse me wrongly.



I am in Accra now so how can the partys documents be with me? he quizzed, adding that the organizer of the party was in possession of the documents.



Adomako Mensah told the paper that the police at Drobonso had called him over the missing party books.



I told them that I am innocent. The Ashanti Regional branch of the party also called me over the same issue and I told them that the NDC organizer was in possession of the alleged missing party books.

Source: Daily Guide









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Featured VideoKweku Baako Jnr has described as an exaggeration a recent comment by President Akufo-Addo on the contribution of Dr J. B. Danquah to the establishment of the University of Ghana.



The managing Editor of the New Crusading Guide newspaper during a panel discussion on Joy FM's newsfile programme, Saturday, said: The president virtually made Dr J.B. Danquah more or less the founder of the University of Ghana, Legon. Thats what we heard but thats contestable based on other records. Even those records still mention a role J. B. Danquah played".



According to him, "its not a question of absolute exclusion of the role or contribution of Dr J. B Danquah. Its a question of what the President said [which] amounts to exaggeration of the role of J.B. Danquah. When you exaggerate a truth, the essence of the truth is destroyed or undermined. J. B. Danquah from all the accounts that I have read including what is on the University of Ghanas website, if you put all together, bottom line, I think what the president said amounted to an exaggeration and an exaggeration that if you are not careful destroys that truth of a certain role played by Dr J. B. Danquah



Background



President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the launch of the University of Ghana endowment fund stated that his uncle, Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah, who was a pan-Africanist and a member of the big six, is the founder of Ghanas premier university, the University of Ghana.



According to the President, through the inspired vision of JB Danquah, Ghanaians were able to reject the original decision of the colonial government of establishing a single university in Ibadan in Nigeria for British West Africa in getting to agree to establish a separate university for Ghana.



How felicitous was that decision and how greatly it has contributed to the growth of modern Ghana, it will be wholly appropriate and not at all far-fetched to describe Joseph Boakye Danquah as the founder of this University. The fact which on the 70th anniversary of the university's existence should be vividly recalled that all of us are the beneficiaries of his work.



The endowment fund which is in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the University of Ghana is to provide additional non-restricted funding to enable the university to improve the delivery of her mandate.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Featured VideoBy Eugene Robinson

The one area in which any president has almost complete latitude is foreign affairs. Lord save us.

Eugene Robinson (PennLive file)

Lord save the world, actually. President Trump is making rash and risky moves that promise either brilliant success or catastrophic failure. Given that it's Trump we're dealing with, I do not like the odds.

I can only applaud his achievement in securing the release of Kim Dong-chul, Tony Kim and Kim Hak-song, the three Americans who were being held in North Korea on baseless charges -- apparently as bargaining chips. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew to Pyongyang to bring them home, and Trump was there to meet them when they arrived before dawn Thursday at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.

"We want to thank Kim Jong Un, who was really excellent," Trump said. It was an odd way to describe a dictator who leads one of the most brutal and secretive regimes on Earth -- a man whose nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, according to Trump and his advisers, pose a grave and unacceptable threat to the United States and its allies.

Trump announced later Thursday that he and Kim the Excellent (formerly known as Rocket Man) will hold their much-anticipated summit on June 12 in Singapore. I remain skeptical that Kim will ever give up his hard-won nukes and missiles, even for an ironclad U.S. promise never to attack or seek regime change, which is what Kim says he wants. I believe Kim looks at Trump and sees unprecedented opportunity.

Kim is finally getting one thing that North Korean leaders have always sought -- one-on-one negotiation with a U.S. president as equals. I believe Trump was right to agree to a summit, since the policy of not talking hasn't worked. But a lot more groundwork should have been laid, and I fear Trump will return with a bright, shiny package full of promises that turn out to be empty.

I understand why Kim would want to get out from under international sanctions and offer his oppressed people enough economic growth to make his own position more secure. I also understand why he might want to signal officials in neighboring China that if they are not more forthcoming with money, technology and other goodies, North Korea has another suitor knocking at the door.

But there's no reason to prejudge the summit's outcome when we don't even really know the agenda. Kim has already declared a pause in his provocative nuclear and missile testing. Maybe he and Trump will emerge with a pact to reach a more substantive agreement at a later date. That would be a good thing -- while we're talking, we're not shooting -- and Trump would have achieved something worthwhile.

That credit is negated, however, by Trump's unjustifiable and reckless decision to renounce the Iran nuclear deal. Of all the bad decisions Trump has made as president, this is the most dangerous. He seems to be trying to start an unthinkable war.

Officials in Germany, France and Britain have pledged to try to keep the agreement alive. But with the Trump administration already threatening to impose sanctions on European firms that continue to do business with Iran, it is unclear whether the deal can survive without the world's leading economic power and most important reserve currency.

It is customary to insert the caveat that the Iran agreement isn't perfect, that it has obvious flaws, that it could be much better, and so on. But actually it is, or was, quite good. It has provided an unprecedented window into every nook and cranny of the Iranian nuclear program; divested Iran of its stocks of highly enriched uranium that can be easily made into fuel for bombs; and halted Iran's steady progress toward nuclear weapons for at least a decade.

Put yourself, for a moment, in the Iranian regime's position. You know that the full economic benefits of the deal will never come through. You see the U.S. administration aggressively promoting your rival, Saudi Arabia, as a dominant regional power that is bristling with advanced new weapons and backed by other Sunni states. You see nuclear-armed Israel effectively joining in as a member of an anti-Iran coalition.

Iranian officials can just surrender. Or they can intensify their campaigns of asymmetrical warfare, using groups such as Hezbollah, while also secretly resuming work on a bomb.

I fear that Trump's decision greatly increases the likelihood of a major war in the Middle East -- not because he has a better idea but because he can't bear living with a landmark pact signed by Barack Obama.

Eugene Robinson is a columnist for The Washington Post. His work appears on Saturdays on PennLive.By Donna Bullock

For too many years to count, many in the state Legislature have been telling Philadelphia to solve its own funding problems, including when it comes to public education. So we did.

Acting on this urging from Harrisburg, the city enacted a beverage tax on sweetened drinks and now raises more than $80 million in local funding to improve public education and fight poverty.

Now, some of these same legislators, led by Allegheny County Republican Rep. Mark Mustio, want to kill the effective beverage tax by banning local communities from taxing food and beverages at the local level, preempting any attempts for local officials to "solve their own problems."

Proponents of Mustio's bill (HB2241) say preemption is necessary because the beverage tax is an unfair "government overreach" on local citizens. It's ironic given their solution is government overreach; that is, proposing state legislation to override a law passed by a local government to address a local issue.

Nevertheless, they forge ahead. So why does it matter?

First, eliminating the beverage tax means that Philadelphia will be forced to look elsewhere for the $80 plus million it now raises locally for education.

This means Philadelphia will again have to appeal to officials from other parts of the state for funding, only to be told by these same legislators to solve its own funding problems. Mustio conveniently sidesteps this reality by arguing that an alternative to the beverage tax is "not the issue I'm working on."

As I see it, the issue he's working on is to ensure special interests get all the breaks at the expense of children. He simply ignores the constitutional obligation the state has to ensure a thorough and efficient system of public education, no matter where a child lives.

Second, the beverage tax was enacted by an overwhelming majority vote (13-4) by City Council. Can you imagine the outcry in Allegheny County, or anywhere else for that matter, if a Philadelphia legislator proposed preempting a local law designed to support children in their community?

Third, the claim that the beverage tax is killing jobs in Philadelphia is simply not supported by the facts. In fact, unemployment claims for beverage-related industries are down, while the city's wage tax revenue from industry-related jobs is increasing.

And a recent Drexel University study shows that while consumption of sugary beverages is down, people are drinking more bottled water than before.

All of which supports the final and most important point: Despite tens of millions of dollars spent by the beverage industry to attack the tax and encourage lawmakers from hundreds of miles away to do so as well, the beverage tax is working exactly as intended.

The tax is delivering new revenues to expand pre-K programs, expand community schools and revitalize recreation centers, parks and libraries in every city neighborhood. In its first year, the tax provided funds to expand pre-K for 2,000 more children, launch 11 new community schools and generate more than 250 new jobs in the pre-K sector.

Meanwhile, the lawsuit brought by the beverage industry to kill the tax and pending before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is threatening the addition of 1,000 more children to pre-K programs and stifling the important $500 million Rebuild Initiative for child-focused parks, libraries and recreation centers.

Republican lawmakers constantly talk about the virtues of local control. But clearly, that adage only holds true if such control suits the well-moneyed special interests.

The preemption of Philadelphia's successful attempt to raise funds for our children and their education is categorically the wrong response.

State Rep. Donna Bullock, a Democrat, represents the Philadelphia-based 195th House District. She writes from Harrisburg.By Jim T. Ryan

Staff Writer

Perry County's business community has pitched a 67-acre property in Howe Twp. as a potential site for a milk processing plant, but it will have to compete with nearly three dozen other sites around the state.

The state Center for Dairy Excellence (CDE) commissioned a study last year on the state of Pennsylvania's dairy industry. The findings illustrated that the industry wasn't growing as fast or as robustly as some of the other large dairy producing states such as New York and Wisconsin, according to presentations from an April 27 roundtable in Carlisle.

Representatives from CDE were not immediately available to comment for this story.

The study authors are Dr. Chuck Nicholson, a supply chain professor at Cornell University, Dr. Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin, and Dr. Andrew Novakovic, professor of agricultural economics at Cornell.

Their work found that two new processing plants could increase marginal milk values for producers by $28.8 million a year. In addition, the plants could bring nearly $6 million in hauling savings to the industry.

One of the ideas is that state economic initiatives should focus on new processing facilities to help get more milk and other dairy products to market.

Perry County would like to be part of those initiatives, said Frank Campbell, who's involved with business and economic development groups in the county and attended the recent CDE roundtable.

There was just one problem: "In the list of possible locations, Perry County was not listed as a proposed location," said Campbell.

So he and others in the business community have started putting together efforts to get Perry County involved, enlisting the Perry County Chamber of Commerce, Perry County Economic Development Authority, and Bill Roberts, a local beef farmer and president of a commercial development company. The chamber and PCEDA have been working on ideas in recent years to bolster agriculture markets and agribusiness in the county.

Campbell said he and Roberts met with the Governors Action Team to add Perry County sites for consideration by milk processors. They agreed to add Perry to the list of potential sites, he said.

The Governors Action Team (GAT) deals directly with companies in economic development initiatives, along with the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

DCED Press Secretary Michael Gerber said in an email that the administration is working on multi-agency efforts to bolster the dairy industry in the state based on local, state and national issues affecting it. That includes new policies, attracting milk processors, and reforms in the federal farm bill.

The GAT is working with companies and local economic partners to find sites meeting their needs, he said.

"While GAT is working with milk processors, it cannot reveal any company's confidential business plans before the company is ready to do so," Gerber said.

The state did forward prospective processors to Perry, Campbell said. Known developable sites in the county just wouldn't meet the first company's needs.

However, Campbell and Roberts have submitted a Howe Twp. site as a potential location for the second company looking to expand its processing facilities.

The 67-acre farm between West Short Cut Road and Route 34 in Howe Twp. is under consideration along with other sites in the state, Campbell said.

The property is owned by Roger and Brenda Watson of New Bloomfield.

Currently, they lease the Howe property to a farmer, but had been looking to sell it, said Brenda Watson, who owns NAVTech, an engineering firm. She's onboard for agribusiness development in the county.

"We're looking for some smart development that would bring something positive to our area," she said about the potential for a milk processing plant.

How viable a Perry site is next to others around the state is yet to be seen.

"These plants are huge users of municipal water and wastewater capacity, so there are few locations that can support them without upgrades to infrastructure," Campbell said. "So the questions is, if there is not already capacity available, how long and at what expense to develop the requirements?"

The Red Hill Road area of Howe Twp. between the Juniata River and Route 22/322 is planned for public sewer lines. They will eventually tie into Newport's new sewage treatment facility.

The Newport sewer authority has awarded contracts for the project to begin this year, but Howe Twp. Municipal Authority is still in the planning phases of its sewer main expansion. Campbell is chairman of the Howe authority.

The other issue is that agricultural processing plants like to use natural gas for various parts of their operation because of its low cost compared with other energy sources. But, commercial end-use natural gas is still just a vision in Perry County. It doesn't have a natural gas distribution system for residential heating and commercial needs.

Gas needs for an agri-industrial facility could be met by trucked natural gas supplies, also called a "virtual pipeline," said Campbell.

The SEDA COG Natural Gas Cooperative has been working on potential gas projects in Perry and other counties. Campbell is one of the Perry representatives to the co-op's board.

Don Kiel, the co-op's executive director, said dairy processors and products factories are potential beneficiaries of natural gas. But he did not have any announcements about natural gas deals in Perry County, yet.

"We're trying to get some more info about dairy and what their energy use is like, so we can determine how natural gas could best benefit them," Kiel said.

Jim T. Ryan can be reached via e-mail at jtryan@perrycountytimes.comNancy Forster rushes to bring sandbags to a canoe hauling them to the base of the Osoyoos Holiday Inn Friday. She was among a group of volunteers helping mitigate the damage to the hotel.Shakila Zareen, 23, who moved to Canada as a refugee from Afghanistan in January, poses for a photograph outside her home in Vancouver on Sunday April 22, 2018. Zareen says a bullet from a rifle fired by her husband shattered her cheek bone, collapsed her eye socket and caused her to lose half of her nose. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl DyckThe Manitoba 60s Scoop Survivors Group speaks with media at Thunderbird House in Winnipeg, Friday, February 16, 2018. A federal judge has approved a multimillion-dollar settlement for Indigenous people who were taken from their families and placed in non-Indigenous foster homes in the so-called '60s Scoop.THE CANADIAN PRESS/John WoodsThis 2018 photo released by the Michigan Humane Society shows a kitten named Badges. The Troy, Mich., police department has created a new rank of "pawfficer" for the cat that has joined the force. Badges will be used for therapeutic purposes and make public appearances. (Michigan Humane Society via AP)Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak speaks during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, May 12, 2018. Najib says he's resigning as head of his Malay party to take responsibility for the electoral defeat that ended his coalition's 60-year grip on power. (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf)Army soldiers and policemen attend the scene where more than 20 people were killed in their homes in an overnight attack in the Ruhagarika community of the rural northwestern province of Cibitoke, in Burundi Saturday, May 12, 2018. More than twenty people were killed and others wounded in the attack, the country's security minister said Saturday, calling it the work of a "terrorist group" he did not identify. (AP Photo)A police officer helps evacuating residents after a knife attack in central Paris, Saturday May 12, 2018. The Paris police said the attacker was subdued by officers during the stabbing attack in the 2nd arrondissement or district of the French capital Saturday. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)Im fine with it, we need the revenue and it will encourage cycling/public transit

Hate it, its too tough on local business/too confusing

I dont like it, but its probably necessary

Vote

View ResultsRhys Blakely: Trump gambles that sanctions

will drag Iran back to the table



Atta Kenare/AFP





Experts believe Iran may look to China to dodge US imposed restrictions on dollar-denominated trade

Donald Trump made the biggest foreign policy gamble of his presidency last night as he withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and bet that Tehran could be pulled back to the negotiating table.

Promising powerful new sanctions, he offered a bold prediction on Tehran's likely reaction . The fact is, they are going to want to make a new and lasting deal, one that benefits all of Iran and the Iranian people, he said.

When they do, I am ready, willing, and able. Great things can happen for Iran. And great things can happen for the peace and stability that we all want in the Middle East. There has been enough suffering, death, and destruction. Let it end now.

Alamy

Before the accord Iran was building a plutonium reactor at Arak, which the US believed could support nuclear weapons production





Under the 2015 pact Iran agreed to restrictions on its civilian nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of a complex web of international sanctions that had been stitched together over the course of a decade.

Mr Trump's disdain for the deal predated his entry into politics: he was still best known as a reality TV star when, in 2013, he took a jab at President Obama, who had just spoken to President Rouhani for the first time. Iran is toying with our president, an incredulous Mr Trump wrote on Twitter. Tehran, he argued, was buying time and laughing at the stupidity of our leadership!

Yesterday he showed he had finally lost patience with the pact widely regarded as Mr Obama's most consequential diplomatic achievement.

The deal did not police Iran's missile programme nor curb its military interventions across the Middle East, he said. Inspections of nuclear facilities were not robust enough, and the long-term curbs on fuel enrichment were too weak. This was a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made, Mr Trump said yesterday. It didn't bring calm, it didn't bring peace, and it never will.

But as he sought yesterday to sever Iran from the global financial system he ran the risk of isolating himself from several key allies. The other signatories to the Iran deal  China, Russia, Germany, France and Britain  had urged him not to weaken it. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and President Macron of France had both travelled to Washington last month in an effort to save the agreement. Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, said during his own trip to the American capital this week that there was no credible plan B.

Mr Trump's tough stance suggested that the influence of Jim Mattis, the US defence secretary who has defended the Iran deal, has waned since the recent appointment of two Iran hawks: Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, and John Bolton, the national security adviser.

Mr Trump is expected to revive sanctions originally drafted by Congress in 2012 under the National Defence Authorisation Act designed to reduce exports of Iranian oil. Under US law he had to sign a waiver of those sanctions every 120 days, and the next deadline had been due this Saturday.

The act allows for foreign financial institutions that do business with Iran's Central Bank for the purpose of buying Iranian oil to be cut off from the US banking system.

Aggressive enforcement would be likely to increase tensions between the US and its main trading partners, including the EU and China, who both argue that the Iran deal was working. Trade relationships with the EU have already been frayed by Mr Trump's threat to introduce protectionist tariffs on imported steel and aluminium.

Between 2015 and 2017 European imports from Iran rose by nearly 800 per cent, mostly driven by oil.

A separate set of US sanctions waivers were up for renewal on July 11, focusing on more than 400 Iranian companies, individuals and business sectors. Those measures are set to be revived later this year. Several countries are expected to resist US demands that they wind down their operations in Iran. Total, the French oil company, has announced plans to invest $1 billion in one of Iran's largest offshore gas fields.

Late last year Russia unveiled plans to pour as much as $30 billion into Iran's oil and gas industries. China and India are now the biggest buyers of Iranian crude, and Airbus, the aerospace company, has a contract to sell Iran Air 100 planes, at a list price of more than $20 billion, although only three have so far been delivered.

Analysts say that the White House will also have to bring Turkey, a key hub for previous sanctions evasions by Iran, into line. Peter Harrell, a former sanctions specialist at the state department, wrote in an analysis: Washington's strained ties with Ankara make it far from clear that Turkey would co-operate.

Experts have suggested that Iran will explore the option of trading in Chinese yuan-denominated crude oil futures on the Shanghai International Energy Exchange, skirting restrictions on dollar-denominated trade and US banks.

Previous sanctions, imposed in 2012, had cut Iran's oil exports in half and caused economic turmoil. A doubling of oil exports helped to lift economic growth to 12 per cent in 2016.

Last year, however, the growth rate fell to 4 per cent while unemployment rose to record highs, according to Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, an analyst for the Brookings think tank in Washington. According to a 2016 census, among college-educated people aged 20 to 29, 36 per cent of men and 50 per cent of women are unemployed.

Mr Pompeo said: We will be working together with partners to eliminate the threat of Iran's ballistic missile programme; to stop its terrorist activities worldwide; and to block its menacing activity across the Middle East and beyond. As we build this global effort, sanctions will go into full effect and will remind the Iranian regime of the diplomatic and economic isolation that results from its reckless and malign activity.





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Rhys Blakely , US Editor of The Times of London. Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views.

Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published by The Times on May 9, 2018. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Petroleumworld and its owners.



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Petroleumworld News 05/14/2018



Joseph E. Stiglitz: How Costa Rica gets it right

Ezequiel Becerra /AFP





How has a country of under five million people become a world leader in developing

holistic policies that promote democratic, sustainable, and inclusive economic growth?

The answer lies in its people's belief that focusing on the welfare of

all citizens not only enhances wellbeing, but also increases productivity.

SAN JOSE  With authoritarianism and proto-fascism on the rise in so many corners of the world, it is heartening to see a country where citizens are still deeply committed to democratic principles. And now its people are in the midst of trying to redefine their politics for the twenty-first century.

Over the years, Costa Rica, a country of fewer than five million people, has gained attention worldwide for its progressive leadership. In 1948, after a short civil war, President Jose Figueres Ferrer abolished the military. Since then, Costa Rica has made itself a center for the study of conflict resolution and prevention, hosting the United Nations-mandated University for Peace . With its rich biodiversity, Costa Rica has also demonstrated far-sighted environmental leadership by pursuing reforestation, designating a third of the country protected natural reserves, and deriving almost all of its electricity from clean hydro power.

Costa Ricans show no signs of abandoning their progressive legacy. In the recent presidential election, a large turnout carried Carlos Alvarado Quesada to victory with more than 60% of the vote, against an opponent who would have rolled back longstanding commitments to human rights by restricting gay marriage.

Costa Rica has joined a small group of countries in the so-called Wellbeing Alliance, which is implementing ideas, highlighted by the International Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress, for constructing better welfare metrics. Recognizing the shortcomings of GDP that the Commission emphasized, the Alliance seeks to ensure that public policy advances citizens' wellbeing in the broadest sense, by promoting democracy, sustainability, and inclusive growth.

An important part of this effort has been to broaden the scope for the country's cooperatives and social enterprises, which are already strong, embracing in one way or another a fifth of the population. These institutions represent a viable alternative to the extremes of capitalism that have given rise to morally reprehensible practices, from predatory lending and market manipulation in the financial sector to tech companies' abuse of personal data and emissions cheating in the automobile industry. They are based on building trust and cooperation, and on the belief that focusing on the welfare of their members not only enhances wellbeing, but also increases productivity.

Like citizens of a few other countries, Costa Ricans have made clear that inequality is a choice, and that public policies can ensure a greater degree of economic equality and equality of opportunity than the market alone would provide. Even with limited resources, they boast about the quality of their free public health-care and education systems. Life expectancy is now higher than in the United States, and is increasing, while Americans, having chosen not to take the steps needed to improve the wellbeing of ordinary citizens, are dying sooner.

But for all of its successes, Costa Rica faces two critical problems: a persistent, structural fiscal deficit and a gridlocked political system. The economics of fiscal deficits are easy: boost economic growth, raise taxes, or lower expenditures. But the politics are not easy at all: While every political leader wants economic growth to solve the problem, there is no magic formula to achieve it. No one loves the two remaining options.

Most governments in such circumstances cut items like infrastructure, because the costs go unseen for decades. That would be an even graver mistake for Costa Rica, where infrastructure has not fully kept up with economic growth and, if improved, could itself be important in promoting growth. Of course, government could always be more efficient, but after years of retrenchment, further rationalization is unlikely to deliver much. Almost surely, the best way forward would be to raise taxes.

To reconcile taxation with an overall economic strategy that seeks to maximize all citizens' wellbeing, the tax system should adhere to three central principles: tax bad things (like pollution), rather than good things (like work); design taxes to cause the least possible distortion in the economy; and maintain a progressive rate structure, with richer individuals paying a larger share of their income. 1

Because Costa Rica is already so green, a carbon tax would not raise as much money as elsewhere. But, because virtually all of the country's electricity is clean, a shift to electric cars would be more effective in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Such a tax could help Costa Rica become the first country where electric cars dominate, moving it still closer to the goal of achieving a carbon-neutral economy. 1

With inequality still a problem (though nowhere near as acute as elsewhere in Latin America), more progressive and comprehensive income, capital gains, and property taxes are essential. The rich receive a disproportionately large share of their income through capital gains, and to tax capital gains at rates lower than other forms of income exacerbates inequality and leads to distortions. While economists differ on many matters, one thing they can agree on is that taxing the revenues or capital gains derived from Costa Rica's land won't cause the land to move away. That's one reason why the great nineteenth-century economist Henry George argued that the best taxes are land taxes.

The biggest challenges are political: a presidential system like Costa Rica's works well in a polity divided into two main parties, with rules designed to ensure that minority views are adequately respected. But such a system can quickly lead to political gridlock when the electorate becomes more fractured. And in a fast-changing world, political gridlock can be costly. Deficits and debts can explode, with no path towards resolution.

Alvarado, who is just 38, is attempting to create a new presidential model for Costa Rica, without changing the constitution, by drawing ministers from a range of parties. One hopes that the spirit of cooperation fostered by the cooperative movement, and ingrained in so much of Costa Rican culture, will make it work. If it does, Costa Rica, despite its small size, will be a beacon of hope for the future, showing that another world is possible, one where Enlightenment values  reason, rational discourse, science, and freedom  flourish, to the benefit of all.



Joseph E. Stiglitz , a Nobel laureate in economics, is University Professor at Columbia University and Chief Economist at the Roosevelt Institute. His most recent book is Globalization and Its Discontents Revisited: Anti-Globalization in the Era of Trump . Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views.

Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published by Proyect Syndicate Org. , on 05/08/2018. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Petroleumworld and its owners.



Link to original article.

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Petroleumworld News 05/14/18MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.  Google CEO Sundar Pichai broke a new barrier in artificial intelligence technology Tuesday when he unveiled a voice assistant that sounds exactly like a human voice.

At the I/O developers conference, Pichai introduced Google Duplex, which allows the assistant to speak with humanlike cadence and includes artificial intelligence that is able to comprehend context and unclear answers.

Pichai demonstrated Duplex's ability by having Google Assistant make reservations with a restaurant and a hair salon in two recorded phone calls. The receivers of the calls seemed to have no idea they were speaking to an AI voice. In the phone calls, Google Assistant said "ums" and "uhs" to make itself sound more human. In its phone call with the restaurant, where it was too busy to book a reservation, Google Assistant was able to naturally respond to questions and remarks made in a thick accent.

"We've been working on this technology for many years," said Pichai. "We're still developing this technology, and we want to work hard to get this technology and the expectations right."

Pichai also introduced a slew of artificial intelligence-powered tools in its suite of apps, including Gmail's upcoming ability to help compose emails and Google Photos' edit suggestions and ability to automatically turn document photos into PDF files.

"We are at an important inflection point in computing," said Pichai. "We know the path ahead needs to navigated carefully and deliberately."

Analysts were impressed by Google's continuing commitment to artificial intelligence.

"Where mobile was once the platform for Google's development and growth, artificial intelligence is now the basis that underpins the full spectrum of Google's endeavors," said CCS Insights analyst Geoff Blaber. "Google is weaving its assistant deeper into services such as maps and making it more immersive through visuals."

While some media attendees voiced their concerns on social media of Duplex's science fiction-esque potential, one analyst said the technology was "still a long ways to go."

"At the end of the day, [the calls were] just booking an appointment at a restaurant," said Creative Strategies' consumer technology analyst Carolina Milanesi. "These are fairly easy interactions."

This year's I/O (input/output) keynote speech, attended by more than 7,000 developers, Google staff, and media, continued last year's emphasis on AI. In the last year, Google doubled down on its AI efforts, which included Monday's announcement that its artificial intelligence research will consolidate under a separate Google AI division.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning ran through every segment of the keynote, from its newest Android software version titled P, Google Maps, and its Waymo autonomous driving arm.

Augmented reality was another key point in Google's presentation, especially on Google Maps. In a later version, Google Maps will help users find the correct direction to walk toward with an AR-generated arrow floating in a real-world environment  a feature Milanesi touted as a real game-changer.

"It solves a real-world problem," said Milanesi. "AR used in this space is something consumers will really get."

Pichai also preached responsible internet consumption, or "digital well-being." Google will introduce new features for users to track how much time they spend on the internet  and where  and a new tool called "Be internet Awesome" for parents to manage their children's screen time.

Digital well-being features were expanded in Android P. Its beta version was made available for developers Tuesday. Android P is able to learn its user's behavior to predict what the next app, song, or action might be on the smartphone. It also is packed with features seeking to reduce screen time, such as the "wind-down mode" which turns the screen into grayscale after a designated nighttime. The phone with Android P also turns to Do Not Disturb mode when the phone screen is flipped onto the table or surface.

Pichai unveiled other AI-powered tools for health care and accessibility. One upcoming feature allows Google's AI to predict its user's medical events 24 to 48 hours in advance by sorting through more than 100,000 data points per user to make a quantitative prediction, such as the odds the user will be readmitted into the hospital.

Pichai's careful tone seemed to share his predecessors' opinion about AI in their annual letter to investors last April. Google cofounder Sergey Brin wrote that artificial intelligence was the "most significant development in computing in my lifetime" and warned of safety concerns ranging from "the fears of sci-fi style sentience to the more near-term questions such as validating the performance of self-driving cars."

But one thing Pichai and other Google executives did not touch upon in keynote speeches was privacy and security. As Facebook  which announced a new board director and major organizational changes on Tuesday  reeled from revelations that British political firm Cambridge Analytica had obtained millions of users' personal data without their permission, Google barely mentioned the issues, focusing on its own AI-powered features.

"If you get too much into Facebook, then it can come across as defensive," said Milanesi. "Google is not Facebook."Ashley Lunkenheimer, a former federal prosecutor, said she decided to run for Congress after watching the "degradation of the institutions of government" under President Trump.

"The Department of Justice [is] being used to tear families apart," she said, "and lessening its oversight over police departments with historically racially discriminatory practices."

Lunkenheimer, 43, previously worked as the senior legal counsel for AmeriHealth Caritas and served as the chair of a Montessori pre-K. She is seen as one of the leading candidates in the primary for Pennsylvania's Fifth District, which is largely based in Delaware County but also includes part of Philadelphia. She is airing TV advertising, and a super PAC is supporting her.

Earlier in the campaign, Lunkeheimer was criticized by some Democrats for suggesting that she knew some of the super PAC's donors  but not saying their names. She later acknowledged that one of the group's backers is her mother.

We asked Lunkheimer about everything from outside spending to health care to whether a Delaware County resident should represent the seat. Our interview with Lunkenheimer is the fourth in a series of Q&As with all of the Fifth District's candidates, except for two did who did not respond to our request for an interview. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

Seven Quick Facts About Lunkenheimers Agenda:

Her plan to create jobs: Retrain workers, protect unions, raise the minimum wage

On a $15 minimum wage: Supports it

Student loan debt: Backs debt-free college

Marijuana: Supports legalizing medical and recreational pot

National jobs guarantee: "I would look forward to reviewing those plans in more detail"

Super PACs: "I am for ending Citizens United"

The budget deficit: "One obvious place where we can easily deliver a cost savings would be to eliminate Donald Trump's ridiculous wall"

Why are you running for Congress? My experience with a preschool Montessori education and having studied social work, having gone to the U.S. Attorney's Office, having taken guns from the hands of violent criminals and having fought the opioid epidemic before it was known nationally as an epidemic. And also protecting seniors. And then going from there into innovative Medicare, Medicaid programs. I was motivated to run in large part by seeing what I perceived to be the degradation of the institutions of government that I had valued my service for  the Department of Justice being used to tear families apart, and lessening its oversight over police departments with historically racially discriminatory practices, with not enforcing voter rights laws and also looking at a Congress that was trying to cut Medicaid and cut Medicaid expansion. And knowing if you take 13 million people off the health care rolls, I don't think it's an exaggeration to say people will die.

And then selling, from the highest levels of government, language of hate being used against so many communities. Communities of color, undocumented immigrants, the LGBTQ community and women, and anti-Semitism being at some level praised by the the government. So all of that was unacceptable, and that's what inspired me to bring the experiences I had to try to make a difference. And it just happens at this moment in time that those experiences are in the areas where this district has the most need for change from the government.

What are the biggest accomplishments of your career? I'm really very proud of the work I did to prosecute violent criminals who were committing violent crimes in Delaware County and Philadelphia County up and to including murder. I'm very proud of the work I did to protect seniors and taxpayers in this district and in this area and to work to stop pharmacists and doctors from pumping literally hundreds of thousands of opioids onto the street and into the hands of people suffering from addiction. I'm very proud of the work I did helping to launch, which went live on January 1, 2018, the community health choices program  the program I mentioned dealing with Medicaid and Medicare in the community of Pennsylvania. And I'm very proud of being the chair of a Montessori pre-K program and getting it to the point where it was able to establish a financial aid program.

A recent report found that most Americans can't afford a $1,000 emergency. Wages have been stagnating for the middle class, and income inequality is high. What is your plan to create jobs and raise wages? I did in my work see that firsthand  I saw the repercussions of seniors who had been defrauded and lost their life savings and had been put in very vulnerable financial positions. And [I] understand from that and other work that I've done how incredibly scary it is to not have the ability to handle financial emergencies and I think my plan for wage stagnation is we have an incredible opportunity in this district: Delaware County Community College has about 40 apprenticeship programs and other worker training programs in this area. So there's a great opportunity to fund and help train or retain workers. We also are in a district that has an aging population, and has one of the largest industries in this area is health care services. And so that's an area where there's movement in certain parts of the health care industry to unionize.

I think union protections would be very helpful to ensuring that individuals were paid decent wages and received health benefits and other protections. I'd like to see us raise the minimum wage to $15. I'd also like to see us  we're in a district that has a lot of the voters are concerned about the environment, and we have an opportunity here, one of the largest growth sectors of jobs in the country is renewable energy. And I'd like to see  incentives and other things brought to this district to help us convert to renewable energy and therefore also provide good jobs, often union jobs, solar panel installers and others. So those are some of the things I'd like to work on if elected to Congress that will help this district and help the broader country.

This district is almost entirely based in Delaware County, but it includes parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County. Is it important for a Delaware County resident to represent this district? For me, it's very important to represent all of the district. I was born in Philadelphia, raised in Delaware County. I've lived in Philadelphia and am raising my family in Delaware County. Where my mother raised a family, it was right on the border with Montgomery County, the part that's in the district. So I don't speak about the district as divided by counties. What I do know is that some of the issues most facing people who live in South and Southwest Philly and in the district are the issues facing people who live in Delaware County. And some of the issues that face residents of Delaware County are issues that Montgomery County is facing. They include the need to fully fund public schools.  They include having aging populations.  They include issues of the waterfront and other things, in terms of developing the waterfront, going up into Delaware County.  I want to represent the entire district and everybody who's in it.

Talk about your foreign policy positions. Do you see yourself an interventionist, an isolationist, none of the above, or somewhere in between? I haven't had a lot of opportunity to talk about some of the international experience that I do have. So if I could take a second to talk a little bit about that, I did work on international drug trafficking cases, international money laundering cases. And as somebody who was a career government servant, meaning not a political appointee, I understand the importance of having Department of Justice assistants who are not politically motivated. But having seen what's happened in the State Department, and the gutting of our carer officers and the expertise that's being lost to our government in terms of national security, is something I think that strong voices in Congress need to rise up and really speak out about the need to rebuild or keep strong our State Department.

And so that's all really important to me. We have people like [John] Bolton who have the ear of our president, and that should be very concerning, and hawks in the White House. And so I think we need to, I would like to see us  strengthen our national security positions by having more individuals who are not hawkish but are thoughtful and experienced in different regional conflicts and different regional issues, back advising Congress, advising the president so that we can be strong with hopefully avoiding conflict.

What's your position on President Trump's strikes on Syria? I do think that the role of Congress in taking military action should be recognized, and so I don't agree with the president's decision and the way he carried it out. And I think that there needs to be a very strong effort to understand also the humanitarian crisis that's happening in Syria. My numbers may not be exactly right but I understand that there may be up to a million refugees right now and as a world and as human beings, how do we be thoughtful about how to take steps to help with the Syrian crisis in a way that isn't an executive decision to bomb a nation.

Let's say it's 2019. The Democrats have taken back control of the U.S. House, and Nancy Pelosi and Tim Ryan are running against each other for Speaker. Who do you vote for? Right now, I'm obviously very focused on my race, and having the opportunity and honor of voting for the Speaker of the House and hoping that we'll be in a situation where the Democrats are voting for the Speaker of the House, and  I think that we should really be, particularly as a woman running for office, acknowledge the important contributions Nancy Pelosi has made in terms of breaking ground in the area of women's leadership in Congress but that said, I would like to see the makeup of the new Congress. I would like to  have the opportunity to listen to both Tim Ryan and Nancy Pelosi, and really think about what the country, how the country votes, and what the country, by their votes, is reflecting a desire for, and making a decision as to who I would for for Speaker of the House based on that information, which we don't yet have.

John Paul Stevens, a retired U.S. Supreme Court justice, has called for the Second Amendment to be repealed. Where do you stand on that idea? And can you talk generally about your views on gun laws? I have a great respect for Justice Stevens, and in fact he's the one justice who I've had the honor of actualy visiting his chambers, because one of my friends was clerking for him once.  That is not my position, but I understand the basis for that position and I think it reflects the incredibly strong push and I can give you a list of all the different sensible gun laws I want to see enacted and so I think my focus right now is on enacting sensible gun laws that we do not have that will help keep our communities safe both from mass shootings as well as daily and weekly violence that unfortunately occurs in this district all too often. 

I am for an assault weapons ban and a ban on extended magazines and bump stocks and by the way, I have experience with assault weapons being used in Delaware County for violence as well as extended magazines and other modifications to guns to make them more rapidly fire. I am for "red flag" PFAs to allow law enforcement to investigate reports that are concerning about the association with an individual who may be dealing with some mental health issues and also the potential for violence. I am for gun registries, and I have worked with agents to try to trace down guns that are very difficult  it's very difficult to do when guns have been sold in situations where they are not registered. So I am for universal background checks and strengthening and closing the loopholes. I have  worked to track down criminals who have went out of state to buy firearms and bring them back to Delaware county and commit violent crimes in Delaware County and Philadelphia County.

I am very much for, as part of a making our schools safer, increasing funding for mental health counselors in the schools so that they can identify children in pain and that may need some assistant from counseling to help them through that. I have worked with individuals who have committed, had a defendant who had committed felonies and was declared mentally incompetent by the court. And I've worked to have that individual registered so that if he were to try to purchase a firearm, it would appear on his background check domestic. Banning domestic abusers from being able to purchase firearms. So there are a lot of safety measures that I'm for, and I think we need strong voices in Congress, and I have the actual experience with these federal laws as they relate to guns and gun safety and would really push very strongly for them. The other night we were asked about the involvement of community groups who have been so vocal, including our youth groups, and I think that that's a really important partnership right now to keep pressure on Congress to make sure that sensible gun laws are passed.

We asked our readers to submit questions to the Fifth District congressional candidates. Here is one: Is your campaign staff unionized? No, that hasn't been raised to me by the staff. .. If they raised it, then we would discuss it. But we offer health care benefits and full salary.

Do you agree with Nancy Pelosi, who said that Democrats can be pro-life? Or do you agree with Tom Perez, who said "every Democrat" should support abortion rights? I've been asked  whether or not there's something on which I would not compromise, and I answer that question as: I would not compromise on a woman's right to choose. I think  there are a lot of reasons for that, including the sort of economic oppression and need for equality and need for women to have control over their bodies. So that is a very hard one for me, and I do not know that I would vote for somebody  it's a really strong one for me, that I would have a lot of trouble voting for somebody who was anti-choice.  I'm not necessarily for a flat-out  I guess they call it a litmus test. I do think voters decide that. And so I've told you how I would decide that.

What is your position on President Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum and other products? And where do you stand on free trade versus trade protectionism generally? I think that President Trump sort of badly formed and badly pushed for the tariffs and I think everybody, including Democrats in states where they've taken positions for tariffs, would agree. I am generally for protecting the American worker and for policies that respect that. And that said, though  what I am concerned about, what we see from this president, is we don't see thoughtful interactions with other nation about trade  about our economies versus their economies and our workforce versus those of other countries. And so I think I'd like to see thoughtful interaction over issues of trade with different regions and different nations that I'm not seeing out of this president.

You said on your website that you support debt-free college. I think that at this point right now I'd like to see us move in the direction where all our youth have access to free college or trade school.  I'd like to see an increased aid, decreased student loan interest. I think we need to move towards making sure that an individual's economic background doesn't prevent them from obtaining college or vocational or trade school  if that is something they'd like to pursue, that they have access to that. And we have great public colleges and universities and we have great community colleges, and so I think the overall goal should make sure that anyone can access a college or trade or vocational education.

On health care, you said your priority is protecting the Affordable Care Act. What is your position on Medicare-for-All? I am for it in the long term. What I'd like to see  I've worked to transition individuals to new health care systems and understand what is called health care disruption and how vulnerable that makes people. So in the short term, I'd like to strengthen the Affordable Care Act. I'd like to move towards more innovative programs, including in the areas of Medicaid and Medicare to help people stay healthy and particularly in the community, our seniors also longer  and I'd like to be very thoughtful and have it really studied on how do you transition such a large and diverse population as our nation towards single-payer.  But I'd like to do it through real, thoughtful analysis, so we make sure that as we move people to newer health care systems, for those individuals, that they are not vulnerable and they are protected, it's a very dangerous time when that happens.  I think it's been [an] important dialogue [that] is now going on in our country, is what is the best health care system for our nation, and I would be very strong. It's important to me. And based on my experience, I'd love to be involved in the dialogue about how to make sure everybody has access to quality health care. That should be our long-term goal.

What is your position on legalizing recreational or medical marijuana? I've taken the position that both for the medical, but the recreational being the more overarching one  I am for both.  Marijuana is classified as a drug on the Controlled Substance Act as having no medical value. It's a Class 1. So that's something that I think is not correct based on actual and proven medicinal value for populations, for children, such as children with epilepsy, and that needs to be changed. I also think it's well-established that there are sort of disparities in enforcement and the result to the criminal justice system and the enforcement of the justice system on communities of color in the laws against marijuana, regulating marijuana. So that should also be unacceptable to us, so I'd like to make changes. Those are the main reasons behind my position.

Do you support impeaching President Trump? I believe that President Trump has and is enacting incredily detrimental policies for our nation. I am, as a former federal prosecutor and knowing by reputation some of the people on [Robert] Mueller's team, I would like to see them go forward. I do not think a rush to impeachment before more of the investigative process is carried out is a good idea.  It needs to be based on facts and evidence that are developed, in my view, for it to be something that isn't seen as politically motivated but is something that is based on the grounds of impeachment that would be brought by Congress.

Republicans passed a sweeping tax bill last year. What would your ideal tax legislation look like? I would write it so it was more fair and equitable and  particularly  I would like to see a fair and equitable tax that fairly taxes and equitably taxes Wall Street as well as individuals. So I think that this tax bill took the opposite approach and is detrimental to working Americans. And so it should be overturned and rewritten to reflect that opposite in priorities.

What is your position on super PACs? Should they be involved in this congressional race? I am for ending Citizens United. I have seen firsthand now, as a first-time candidate, the impact that money has on these races, and am aware even now more than I was before of the fact that it makes it difficult for otherwise qualified candidates who don't have either access to financial support or have personal financial means to enter into races. And so I think it's detrimental to us as a nation to limit access to races to people based on financial measures. And so I am very for changing the laws.

I understand that some of my supporters have created an independent expenditure account to support me and that is right now, the way the laws are written, that is permissible. And I believe that my candidacy offers important experience to help change Congress and help  improve the lives of the residents of this district. So if that's the case, then that support is valuable to helping me achieve that goal, then that is what it is. But in the long term, I'd like to see the system changed.

Your mother is helping fund the super PAC backing you. How often, if it all, do you talk to your mother about the race? That's a little personal, I mean, in terms of, I am close to my mother. I talk to my mother. The fact that she's donated to an independent expenditure account has no other sort of implications.  I have not coordinated with the independent expenditure account in any impermissible way and have counseled those I'm working with not to do so either.

What percentage of your staff and advisers is women and people of color? [Her aide answers.] Paid staff for us, it's half women and one-third people of color.

[Ashley then answers.] And we also have a high percentage of individuals from the LGBTQ community as well.

The last question is from a reader: How would you deal with the most pressing public health issue right now  opioids and overdose deaths? Do you support safe-injection sites? A lot of people think the opioid epidemic is a state and health care issue, and I think it is both a state and health care issue, but I also think the federal government should play a much stronger role in what is essentially  opioids are distributed through a closed system of distribution. And they're supposed to be regulated from the moment active ingredients enter into a manufacturing process all the way down to the end prescription.  And ingredients enter into the manufacturing process all the way down to the end prescription, by which a user obtains the opioid-related product.  So I have personally worked on cases in which diversion happened, essentially from almost every step from the supposedly regulated process, and I think there are many, many things the federal government should be doing to close what are essentially either loopholes or methods of diversion and should improve their oversight and regulation and then work with state partners to enforce laws around illegal diversion. 

So work with state partners, and then we need to work very hard to ensure that health care coverage is provided to those who are suffering from addiction, and that's extremely important and we are not going far enough overall either in the private and the Medicaid and other health care providers, we're not going far enough. Because it's a very difficult addiction to overcome, and so there are many things that we need to do on all levels to help and work with community groups who are working to help individuals who struggling with addiction to engage in recovery. And finding a job and finding housing and housing stability. So I would like to see a tremendous amount done on all fronts to combat this terrible epidemic. We are losing so many individuals.

What is your position on the national jobs guarantee that Sen. Bernie Sanders is expected to unveil, and that others like Sen. Cory Booker have expressed support for? I would look forward to reviewing those plans in more detail. I am certainly for full employment. The other night we were asked about retraining for individuals in disappearing industries. I am very for promoting job retraining to help individuals who are being displaced by changing industries. And I'm for promoting employment for those who are physically able to be employed. So I would like to review what they propose or what they announce in more detail.

This another question proposed by a reader: Should we be concerned about the size of the federal budget deficit? If we should, what specific revenue increases and/or spending decreases would you support? I believe the budget deficit is a significant concern. Our long-term fiscal health will always be at risk if we continue to ignore this structural weakness. I support decreasing the budget deficit through a balanced approach of new revenue and responsible spending reductions. There are some Republicans in Congress who would argue that the fastest and easiest way to cut spending is to make deep cuts to Medicare and Social Security benefits. I think that's a reckless and dangerous approach and I will never support cuts to Social Security or Medicare benefits. One obvious place where we can easily deliver a cost savings would be to eliminate Donald Trump's ridiculous wall along the Mexico border.Pennsylvania's new online system for licensing doctors-in-training  the residents who are the backbone of staffs at many hospitals  was supposed to streamline and speed up the annual process.

But eight weeks in, the electronic system has been such a mess that only about 17 percent of the state's 9,600 trainees have gotten the credential, according to state data. Without it, they can't practice and study medicine.

Now, some big hospitals across the state are worried about facing staffing shortages on July 1, the start of the work year for residents.

"No question patient care would be compromised if any more than a small number are not licensed," said physician Jeffrey S. Berns, the University of Pennsylvania's associate dean for graduate medical education. "It would be chaotic."

The Pennsylvania Department of State, which provides administrative support to the Board of Medicine, which licenses physicians, acknowledged a rocky rollout of the new online process, which was formerly done by U.S. mail. But glitches have been fixed, and with more workers getting more overtime, the department is now processing 1,400 residents' applications a week, said Ian Harlow, commissioner of professional and occupational affairs.

"I understand where the hospitals are coming from," he said. "But I'm confident we can get them done in time."

The crunch highlights the importance of a segment of the medical workforce that patients may not appreciate. Residents, who are concentrated in teaching hospitals, make up 20 percent of Pennsylvania's doctors, medical college data show. Each spring during their three to eight years of on-the-job training, they must submit an application and extensive documentation to get licensed.

Although many residents are too preoccupied to notice the problem, some are keenly aware. Tanner Walsh, who is finishing her pediatric residency at Crozer-Keystone Health System, helps with managing her fellow trainees. That includes explaining why they urgently need to go online and make sure their license application is submitted.

"For a brand-new intern [first-year resident], who doesn't even know where the bathroom is in the hospital, this is just an overwhelming amount of information," she said.

Erik Blutinger, a third-year emergency medicine resident at Penn, just returned from a one-month clinical program in South Africa that took more than a year to arrange.

"That would be impossible to do now with the current process because of the delays in licensing," he said.

Harlow, at the Department of State, said the department is sensitive to the fact that residents' careers and livelihoods are at stake. For example, applications of overseas residents are getting high-priority processing because they can't get their visas until they have their licenses.

"I'm not saying there weren't problems," Harlow said, "but I feel like we've been responsive."

The could-be crisis reflects missteps by the state, residency program coordinators said. While they praised the state's goal of joining the digital age, they said the mid-March debut of the system came with little warning, no advance training, and software full of bugs.

Neonatologist Stephen Higgins, who oversees residency programs at Crozer-Keystone Health System, has been sounding alarms for several weeks. Of Crozer's 125 new and renewing trainees, less than 10 percent had licenses by Friday.

"I'm worried that on July 1, there might be a lack of residents to help cover these hospitals," Higgins said. "Am I crying 'the sky is falling?' If we anticipate a health-care crisis, we can't wait for the crisis to say something."

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the state's biggest residency program with 1,800 trainees, also had fewer than 10 percent licensed this week.

"We are in the same boat as the Philadelphia-area institutions," said Samantha Cascone, UPMC's director of operations for graduate medical education. "Really, all Pennsylvania institutions that have trainees are facing these same concerns. We're all worried."

The State Department said a total of about 1,600 trainee licenses had been issued by Thursday. An additional 530 applications had been kicked back to residents because of "discrepancies"  anything from a name change to no proof of completing mandated opioid education.

The old licensing process also was prone to delays. But residency program coordinators acted as a safety net, prodding residents with reminders, reviewing their paperwork before submitting it to the state for them, even filling out their applications.

"The ability to do that was taken away," said Susan Coull, associate director for medical education at Temple University Hospital, where less than 10 percent of 550 residents had gotten their licenses by this week.

Echoed Berns at Penn, "Part of the anxiety is the lack of control."

The online system requires hospitals to upload spreadsheets with identifying data about their residents. Then the state creates individual accounts and emails each resident to log in and complete the application.

Initially, the state gave the hospitals little guidance beyond emailing instruction manuals for doing the uploads. When whole spreadsheets' worth of uploaded data were rejected for no apparent reason, the residency coordinators were flummoxed and frustrated.

"The state ended up doing a training webinar, but not until they were inundated with questions," Temple's Coull said.

One big flaw discovered in the software: it spurned zip codes or Social Security numbers that started with zeros. It also didn't recognize some medical specialty codes, and was persnickety about things like hyphens and periods.

"I think the people slogging it out at the state are doing the best they can," UPMC's Cascone said. "But the decision to roll it out when and how they did was not helpful."Voorhees Town Center, seen here, isnt the only mall to see declines under the ownership of Great Neck, N.Y.-based Namdar Realty Group. Read more

For a moment, Regency Square Mall in Jacksonville, Fla., seemed on the cusp of a revival, with new out-of-town owners presenting themselves as specialists at resuscitating moribund retail centers.

But those owners  who have since become the nation's biggest mall buyers, with properties including Camden County's troubled Voorhees Town Center  never delivered the hoped-for renewal of the former Northeast Florida shopping mecca.

Instead, Namdar Realty Group, based in Great Neck, N.Y., is accused in a pair of lawsuits of failing to invest in Regency Square's most basic maintenance, resulting in leaky roofs, broken electrical systems, and a roach infestation that have kept tenants from moving in.

"Landlord is an absentee landlord with a reputation as a 'slumlord,'" reads one of the suits, filed in Circuit Court for Duval County by the operator of a home-furnishings outlet. "Landlord's continuous breaches and material failures have rendered the premises unrentable."

That sentiment resonates in Voorhees, where officials have taken steps to place the Town Center, once known as Echelon Mall, into different hands after watching it fall into disrepair since Namdar bought it in 2015 from Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT). In other parts of the country, malls acquired by Namdar have suffered sewage backups and security problems.

These instances of disinvestment and decay come as Namdar continues to snap up malls crippled by the decline of brick-and-mortar shopping at fire sale prices, many of them from big retail landlords eager to get the low-performing properties off their books.

Since 2012, Namdar has added 43 malls to its portfolio, making it the country's biggest buyer of the retail centers during the period, according to an Inquirer and Daily News analysis of data maintained by the CoStar Group, a market tracker. Since January alone, it has bought six malls, the most recent being the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills in western Pennsylvania.

The acquisitions, at a total cost of more than a half-billion dollars, were made in Namdar's name or that of partner Mason Asset Management, also based in Great Neck.

Last month, the company was part of an investor group that tried to buy Bon-Ton Stores Inc. of York, Pa., out of bankruptcy.

Behind Namdar's operations are cheap debt from overseas investors, cash from piecemeal sales of land broken off from its mall properties, and a business model based on a gamble that even the nation's worst-performing retail centers can make money if little enough is spent on their acquisition and upkeep.

Namdar "bought these deals originally on basically a formula that said, 'I can get all my money out in three years, five years, seven years, and then essentially own the dirt for nothing,'" PREIT chief executive Joseph Coradino said Tuesday at a real estate panel in Philadelphia.

Since 2012, malls acquired by Namdar traded at an average of $27.35 a square foot, compared with $149.10 for all retail center transactions tracked by CoStar during the period, according to the Inquirer and Daily News analysis.

The Voorhees property is among nine malls that Namdar bought from PREIT between 2013 and last year, making the Philadelphia company its biggest provider of the retail centers.

PREIT's sales to Namdar and others came amid a campaign to drive up its portfolio-wide average sales per square foot  a metric important to investors  by shedding its least productive properties and concentrating on its core assets, such as Cherry Hill Mall and the yet-to-open Fashion District Philadelphia at the former Gallery at Market East shopping mall in Center City

PREIT sold Voorhees Town Center to Namdar in October 2015 for $13.4 million after buying it for $18.3 million 12 years earlier and plowing about $80 million into its redevelopment, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported.

Mario DiNatale, Voorhees Township's director of community and business development, said that since buying the property, Namdar has failed to repair broken escalators or replace burned-out light bulbs, while cuts to security staff have left tenants feeling unsafe.

Because of the property's deteriorating condition, retailers including Burger 21 and the Things Remembered gift shop have fled the mall, he said.

Sonny Sekhon, owner of the Growing Smiles pediatric dental office at the property, said his unit's long-leaking roof has yet to be repaired. "It's taking forever for the mall ownership to come and address it," he said.

The mall's occupancy stood at 60 percent as of Dec. 31, 2017, down from 75 percent on Sept. 30, 2015, when it last appeared among PREIT's assets on an earnings report, according to disclosures by the companies.

The Voorhees Planning Board last month recommended that the township grant itself the authority to seize the mall through eminent domain to pressure Namdar into selling the property for redevelopment, said DiNatale, whose office is in a township-owned section of the mall. Voorhees' full Township Committee will vote on the proposal Monday.

"It's a tenuous situation here," DiNatale said. "This current owner will only do what they absolutely must do and not a drop more."

Coradino said the mall buyer may not have anticipated how quickly the properties would lose their department store anchors. Retail brands including Macy's, Sears, and JCPenney have rapidly reduced their footprints in recent years, leaving behind vast amounts of empty mall space empty.

"I don't think they anticipated that quick of a decline in the department store business," he said at Tuesday's panel, held by commercial real estate firm Newmark Knight Frank. "I don't think anyone realized how fast it was going to happen."

Namdar referred requests for comment to Mason Asset Management. Mason chief executive Elliot Nassim disputed DiNatale's characterizations, saying his team is working closely with the township to redevelop the property. He asked that any other questions be sent via an email, to which he did not immediately respond.

Voorhees wouldn't be the first local government to involve itself in one of Namdar's troubled malls.

Less than two years after Namdar bought North Carolina's Salisbury Mall  now called West End Plaza  out of foreclosure for $2.5 million in early 2012, the board of commissioners for Rowan County voted to pay $3.43 million for most of the property to convert to government offices, the Salisbury Post reported.

After the purchase, officials had to spend $1.3 million to replace the mall's leaky roof, Michael Julian, a local businessman currently running for a county commission seat, said.

Daniel Kleeburg, who operated a theater at the Salisbury Mall, said that in the months after Namdar bought the property, raw sewage began backing up into his theater due to blocked pipes.

"Literally  pardon my expression  the crap hit the fan," said Kleeburg, who closed his business after Namdar ignored his repeated requests for repairs. "It went so south, so quick."

Northland Mall in Sterling, Ill., also experienced a rocky transition into Namdar's hands, with its entire management team and half its security staff quitting their jobs after the property traded at the end of last year, according to Sauk Valley Media, a local news outlet.

In January, police arrested the mall's newly hired maintenance manager on a preexisting warrant after he was spotted wandering  apparently drunk  into and out of the mall's shuttered JCPenney store, Sauk Valley Media reported. Two days later, he was seen stumbling through the mall a second time, now carrying bolt cutters, and was again removed by police.

Things had gotten off to a better start at Regency Square, which Namdar acquired in February 2014 for $13 million from Chicago-based General Growth Properties, now the nation's second-biggest mall landlord.

"We specialize in centers that are being run poorly," Joel Gorjian, Namdar's head of property acquisitions and sales, told the Florida Times-Union as the company's ownership of the mall hit the six-month mark amid a spate of new leases. "We find those where they're not putting enough into the center, then we add tremendous value."

But lawsuits filed by would-be tenants at the property don't portray a company bent on reinvesting in neglected malls.

In one of the suits, Jacksonville-based International Decor Outlet LLC (IDO) accuses the Namdar and Mason entities that own the mall of fraud and breach of contract for thwarting its plan to convert 200,000 square feet of vacant space into a direct-to-consumer marketplace for imported home goods.

Lawyers for IDO say in the lawsuit, filed July 2017 in Duval County Circuit Court, that the owners blocked the company from accessing the section of the mall it had leased when prospective marketplace subtenants came from abroad to view the space.

When the section was finally made available, its air-conditioning did not work, its roof leaked, and "several insects and other bugs, including cockroaches, were observed in the common area of the premises," according to the lawsuit, which seeks unquantified damages and the voiding of IDO's lease.

In a separate lawsuit filed in Circuit Court the previous month, founders of the Jacksonville Automobile & Motorcycle Museum accuse the owners of failing to fix a leaky roof, which kept them from getting an occupancy permit to open a car museum in a former department store space.

While Namdar allegedly neglects some parts of Regency Square, it has been cashing in on others.

In 2015, it earned $26.2 million through the sale of the mall's AMC Theatres multiplex to Kansas City, Mo.-based EPR Properties, according to the Times-Union. The following year, it sold retail space vacated by a Belk department store to the Impact Church for $7 million to become its headquarters and central house of worship, the paper reported.

In Voorhees, the company sold a one-acre section of the Town Center tract currently occupied by the Learning Experience preschool to an investor in Monmouth County, N.J., for $2.6 million in December 2017, according to records filed with Camden County.

In a presentation for investors in Israel, where Namdar raises money from bond buyers on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange through affiliate Namco Ltd., the company touts its profits from selling off pieces of its properties.

But most of Namdar's income likely comes from a more traditional source for mall landlords: rent.

During a 2016 investor conference in New York, PREIT's Coradino said recent buyers of his company's malls could expect rates of return  or "capitalization rates"  of up to 17 percent, indicating low sale prices relative to anticipated rental income. At the time, PREIT was responding to shareholder pressure to quickly prune its portfolio of low-achieving malls.

Investors in retail real estate more commonly see returns in the 7 percent range, which was around the average rate during the first three months of this year on deals for U.S. malls, strip centers and other multi-tenant retail properties, according to a report by real estate tracker Real Capital Analytics.

PREIT's former malls  most in off-the-beaten-path markets and with department-store anchors bearing uncertain futures  traded at the higher rates because they were seen as riskier investments.

Namdar may have been willing to take on that risk because it was borrowing cheaply enough for the properties to generate lots of cash for the company before rental revenue cratered completely, thanks at least in part to its Israeli bond issue.

As of December 2016, affiliate Namco had raised 450 million shekels ($124.4 million) while paying interest of only 5.8 percent, according to a report published at the time by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

If a buyer tried to borrow money from U.S. investors to acquire out-of-the-way shopping malls, it would have had trouble finding any takers and certainly would not have found anyone willing to accept rates that low, said Thomas Gorman, a senior vice president at commercial real estate firm CBRE's capital markets unit.

The model seems to be working out in Voorhees, said the township's DiNatale, for Namdar at least.

"From what I see, they're turning a profit," he said. "Even if we're half-empty, we're also half-full."In the Democratic primary race for the First District U.S. House seat, voters face a choice between pragmatism and party messaging as they choose a nominee in a district crucial to the party's drive to flip the House from red to blue this fall.

Democrats will have to decide whether Scott Wallace, a self-funded millionaire who can put plenty of cash into the general election, has a better chance of beating Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick  a freshman who succeeded his brother, Mike  than Rachel Reddick, a young mother and Navy veteran with a profile that appeals to national Democrats in the "Year of the Woman."

"I think that PA-01 is a pretty good bellwether district of what might be going on in the country. I think if Democrats can flip this, it would indicate Democrats are on their way to flip the House," said Kyle Kondik, an election analyst at the University of Virginia. "It's among a handful of districts around the country that might be most worth watching."

As Wallace, 66, and Reddick, 33, battle it out, Steve Bacher, a little-funded progressive environmentalist, argues he is closest to the heart of the party base.

The Bucks County Democratic Committee and other powerful county Democrats have endorsed Wallace, grandson of former Vice President Henry A. Wallace, who planted the seed to the family fortune. Years before he served under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Henry Wallace founded a company that pioneered hybrid corn seeds, which was sold in 1999 to the DuPont Co. for $10 billion.

Wallace, an attorney, worked on the staff of two U.S. Senate committees early in his career. For the last two decades, he and his wife, Christy, served on the board of the Wallace Global Fund, a philanthropy that fights against climate change and for expanded voting rights. Wallace has also given a lot of money to Democratic candidates and causes.

He was planning to do the same in the First District (Eighth District before the redistricting). But when none of the Bucks County Democrats he favored agreed to run, Wallace left the Washington area, where the foundation is based, moved back to the home where he grew up in central Bucks, and filed to run.

Wallace has put up more than $2 million of his own money and has been labeled a carpetbagging millionaire seeking to buy office. Political analysts warn that if the Democrats select Wallace as the nominee, it could backfire in November.

"If Wallace prevails on May 15, this is a place where Republicans could conceivably save a 'Clinton district' by disqualifying the Democratic nominee as out of touch," Dave Wasserman, an analyst with the Cook Political Report, wrote last week.

Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia, a Democrat whom Wallace recruited to run, said Wallace has been helping underprivileged people through his family's foundation.

"That argument makes no sense," she said of Wallace's being perceived as out of touch to blue-collar Bucks County constituents. Plus, she added: "We just elected someone who is a multimillionaire as president."

Reddick has certainly used his wealth to her advantage. One of her campaign mailers calls Wallace "the Mansplaining Multimillionaire from Maryland."

Reddick, who has been endorsed by EMILY's List, was on active duty for six years, serving in the Judge Advocate General Corps. She continues to serve as an officer in the Naval Reserve.

"She fits the mold that Democrats have been recruiting all over the country. She is a woman and a veteran," Kondik said.

Reddick, too, only recently moved back to Bucks County, after her active-duty career. Until 2016, she was a registered Republican, and her opponents have hit her on it.

Reddick said that she grew up in a Republican family and, as her perspective on life changed, became a Democrat. She said she voted for President Barack Obama in 2008 and has a selfie with her 2016 absentee ballot showing she voted for Hillary Clinton and every other Democrat.

So far her campaign has raised $400,000, she said.

"People are ready for a change," she said, noting that only men represent Pennsylvania in Washington. "Being young and being a woman in the year of the women People are ready for equal representation. I know I am."

Bacher, who has lived in the county for 10 years and has raised $50,000, is relying on social media. He thinks his views, such as free tuition at community colleges and public universities and an $18 minimum wage, are resonating.

"We have more in common than that which separates us," he said.

Fitzpatrick also faces a Republican primary opponent, former Assistant District Attorney Dean Malik, who argues the incumbent is not supportive enough of President Trump.

Fitzpatrick's brother lost the seat in 2006, in his first term, when Democrats took over the House. Democrat Pat Murphy replaced him.

Four years later, Mike Fitzpatrick ran again and unseated Murphy amid a GOP wave. Then in 2016, Brian Fitzpatrick moved back from California to Bucks County to run for his brother's seat.

Since then, the district has become a little more Democratic in its voting patterns.

"If 2018 is indeed a wave year, the identity of the Democratic primary winner won't matter that much," Kondik said.You invite a few friends over. Maybe there are drinks, and before long someone breaks out the Brahms sextets. It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

When chamber music moves from the parlor into the concert hall, along with it come professional expectations. But anyone who has been around these parts much recognized that many of the players on stage at the Perelman Theater on Friday night have had various kinds of professional and personal entanglements over the years. The concert of the Brahms B Flat Major and G Major string sextets was convened by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and on its marketing materials a photo of Pamela Frank was a lure. The popular violinist showed up, but played second violin.

Did it matter? Only somewhat. Jaime Laredo played first. Laredo represented what you might call the elder-statesman flank of the assembled forces; he won the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium Competition at age 17 in 1959. His wife, Sharon Robinson, was one of the cellists. Her brother Keith was the other cellist. Laredo and Frank are familiar from the Curtis Institute  he was her teacher there  and so the evening felt like a visit of old friends.

There is value to this, and the audience's embrace was a warm one. Concerts are undeniably social affairs. But they are musical ones first and foremost, and even listening with gentle ears, with a certain confirmation bias expectant of a close rapport among players, it would be hard to say this was an evening with many great moments.

I do love Frank. In moments where her part granted prominence, she was the author of some beautifully shaped, purposeful phrasing. But overall, the String Sextet in B Flat Major, Opus 18 was rather sleepy. Tempos were slow (though the group knew how to speed up for finish-line effect at the end). Sometimes slower tempos will reveal details in phrasing or dynamics that might be otherwise missed, but here the tempo choices seemed to simply wallow.

Youth was the bright spot. Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, in the first viola chair, was assured, right on the beat, and had a refined charisma. Thank goodness she was there to whip up the energy in the last stretch of the Opus 18. Nokuthula Ngwenyama took the first viola part in the String Sextet in G Major, Op. 36, and was an equally absorbing if slightly more controlled kind of player. Laredo had moments of difficulty, though there is still an urgency in his playing that can be quite appealing. Sharon Robinson triumphed, but you could hear the struggle behind it.

The tempos were more wisely chosen in the G Major Sextet. The mysteries of the opening came across strongly, and various players had moments of individualization in the third movement. Both sextets, though, were generally short on the kind of highly detailed personal opinions you want to hear from players in this lavishly spirited music. It's the reason, after all, you have friends in the first place.Is it possible to hear the teacher's influence, phrase for phrase, in the student's playing? Sometimes, perhaps, there are echoes of ideas here and there. But if Paul Lewis' interpretations Thursday night at the Perelman Theater betrayed anything of Alfred Brendel, it was only in the big idea that it is the thinking musician's job to express strong, personal opinions.

The mid-career British pianist finished out this season's extraordinary run of pianists visiting the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society (Mitsuko Uchida, Andras Schiff, Julius Drake) with a recital of standards. His particular take on the Brahms 4 Klavierstucke, Op. 119 was perhaps the least distinctive in a distinctive bunch.

A single movement of Beethoven, though, was instructive for anyone listening for instances of Brendel brushing off on his student, since it was not to be. It was instead a concise lesson on how small a decision can alter the character of a piece.

The first four bars of the Eleven Bagatelles, Op. 119, open by laying out the beginning of a clearly unhappy tale. But Brendel, in a recording, upgrades the mood to near-fury in the next four bars by speeding up. Lewis takes a different tack. He is, in fact, a passionate player, but in general he avoids the kind of split-second contradictions in mood with which Brendel feeds his drama. Lewis kept the scope of emotion in the first bagatelle more along the lines of concerned. He functions by keeping a certain amount of emotion in reserve.

The styles of these eleven pieces vary  some are formally proportioned, others fantasy-like. In the latter, Lewis was liberation itself, making connections with other Beethoven piano works and their experimental, message-from-the-edge qualities.

Lewis paired the Beethoven with Haydn's Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI:49, which created a kind of dialogue between the two works. The first movement of the Haydn contains a cell strikingly similar to the famous four-note motif of the Beethoven Symphony No. 5. More significant, perhaps, was the emotional range Lewis gave the stormy middle section of the second movement. Here is a Beethoven moment in Haydn, Lewis seemed to say. In the Baroque-leaning Piano Sonata in B Minor, Hob. XVI:32, Lewis pointed at a more Scarlatti treatment of keyboard sounds.

While Schubert isn't far from the other composers on the program, Lewis, in choosing the Allegretto in C Minor, D. 915 as his encore, said quite a lot about himself. In his tempos and fine gradations of dynamics, he perfectly conveyed the emotional truth of each phrase. By staying within certain bounds, he also preserved the short work's cohesiveness. Brendel is a little rougher with this same music, and here you concluded that the student had exceeded the master.Stephen Spinelli Jr. in his East Falls office where he serves as chancellor of Jefferson University. Hes stepping down June 30. Read more

Stephen Spinelli Jr. championed the merger of Thomas Jefferson University and Philadelphia University, where he had served as president since 2007, saying higher education had become too expensive and too rigid, and needed to be disrupted.

He helped execute the deal and became chancellor of the not-even-a-year-old enterprise.

Now, he plans to disrupt it again  by leaving.

"It's time for a new leader to come in and shake it up a little bit more," Spinelli, 63, said this week.

Spinelli will step down as chancellor June 30 after 11 years of leadership at the East Falls campus  a longer-than-average tenure for a college president.

He will get chancellor emeritus status  a title he said he was offered  and hopes to write and lecture on the merger and the need for higher education to become more nimble. It's not a paying position, but he will have an office and email account, he said, though he plans to do much of his work from New England, where he is relocating to be closer to his grandchildren.

Spinelli said he had planned to stay no more than three years or until the merger was successfully completed. He was one of the merger's key leaders, along with Jefferson president and CEO Stephen K. Klasko, an obstetrician with an M.B.A., who will remain at the helm.

The merger of Jefferson  a health sciences university and large hospital  with Philadelphia University, best known for its design, engineering, and health science programs, was first floated in 2015 and finalized last July. The combined institution has about 7,800 undergraduates and graduate students.

Now, it's time for the next five- to seven-year phase of aggressive growth, Spinelli said, and he didn't want to sign on for that.

"I'm probably not the right guy," he said. "We don't need disruption anymore. We need execution."

It's unclear whether Jefferson will fill the position. The university also has a provost, Mark Tykocinski, a molecular immunologist. With Spinelli's departure, the East Falls campus is losing its leading voice, but Spinelli pointed out that Eileen Martinson, who had been chair of the Philadelphia University board, will become chair of the Jefferson Academic Board.

Spinelli, who co-founded the car-service chain Jiffy Lube before coming to Philadelphia University, isn't sure what his next step will be.

"God knows," he said. "I'm the chaos guy. I'm the disrupter."A 26-year-old man was fatally injured in a motorcycle crash Friday night in South Philadelphia, police said.

The accident occurred just before 7:10 p.m. at the intersection of Darien Street and Pattison Avenue. The motorcycle was traveling east on Pattison when it made contact with a black Ford Explorer on the westbound side of Pattison turning left onto Darien.

The motorcyclist was taken by medics to Jefferson University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:57 p.m. The driver of the SUV, a 17-year-old boy, was not injured. The cause of the accident was under investigation.Viktoriya Manasyan and Rashawn Miller were fatally shot last month at a house party near Temple University. Read more

A 19-year-old man was arrested Thursday and charged with the fatal shooting of a man and a woman at a house party last month near Temple University, police said.

Sydear Green, of the 1800 block of West Norris Street, was charged with two counts of murder and related offenses in the deaths of Viktoriya Manasyan, 20, and Rashawn Miller, 21. Two other men were wounded in the shooting on April 21 in the 1800 block of West Diamond Street.

Police responding to the scene found Manasyan on the ground with a gunshot wound to her back. Police rushed her to Temple University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Miller, of the 5700 block of Warrington Avenue in Kingsessing, was taken by medics to Temple with a fatal gunshot wound to the head.

Homicide Capt. Jack Ryan said Green had been kicked out of the party and Green responded by opening fire in an indiscriminate manner.

Manasyan had been living in Holland, Bucks County. She was a 2016 graduate of Council Rock South High School. She enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves and finished her basic training last year, according to her obituary. Also, she had recently enrolled at Bucks County Community College, where she was majoring in criminal justice. She was born in Ukraine and came to the United States with her family in 2002.Five people were injured, four from gunshots, when a fight erupted at a birthday party early Saturday morning in Paulsboro, authorities said.

The shots were fired outside the Elks Lodge at West Buck and Pennline Streets, according to a release from the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.

None of the victims  identified only as four males and a female  have life-threatening wounds, and the shootings are believed to be an isolated incident among individuals who know one another, said Paulsboro Police Chief Vernon Marino, who added there is no reason for widespread safety concerns in the riverside community. The fifth victim was injured while attempting to flee from the shooting, authorities said.

No arrests had been made by noon Saturday. The incident is under investigation by the Paulsboro Police Department and the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.

According to the release, police were dispatched to the Elks Lodge at 1:30 a.m. for a report of shots fired. Officers determined that one male had been punched and knocked down outside the club, which was followed by gunfire.

The injured were taken to Inspira Hospital in Woodbury and Cooper University Medical Center in Camden for treatment. Those attending the party were from several communities in Gloucester and Salem Counties, according to the release.

Based on the multiple types of shell casings at the scene, police said they believe more than one shooter was involved.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Paulsboro Police Department at 856-423-1101, its detectives at 856-423-6222, or Detective Michael Bates of the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office at 856-384-5552.Tanisha Carter plays Uno at home with her three sons (from left) Kaiden 5; Keyan, 11; and Kiye, 4. As an infant , Carter was burned over 98 percent of her body during a house fire. In the 30 years since, she has undergone more than 50 surgeries, become homeless as a single mom, and gone on to earn her bachelors and masters degrees in counseling. She has written a memoir about her triumph over adversity. Read more

What Tanisha Carter is today has much, if not everything, to do with her mother. The resolute independence, and the guts to go it alone. The determination to achieve the improbable. And yes, the burn scars rippling across her face, bearing testimony to the "beautiful tragedy" that Carter calls her life.

Just 6 months old on Jan. 10, 1983, she has no memory of the inferno that engulfed her family's house on East Garfield Street in Germantown. But as she grew up, she pieced together the story  how her mother had stepped out and left her three children alone, long enough for the two older siblings to begin playing with matches on the living-room carpet. One of them, a 3-year-old girl, died. Baby Tanisha was burned over 98 percent of her body.

Now 35, she endured more than 50 surgeries, including amputation of fingers, and excruciating pain she likened to a whole-body paper cut. Her years-long recovery is etched in her memory, down to the smell and taste of the operating-room anesthesia and the stinging schoolyard taunts over her disfigurement.

But none of it stopped her. She delivered a speech at her high school graduation, and earned bachelor's and master's degrees at Chestnut Hill College. She has worked as a parenting counselor, and is single-handedly raising three sons, ages 11, 5, and 4, in a modest rowhouse along a narrow Northeast Philadelphia street.

Carter decided she had a story to tell. Her memoir, More Than a Conqueror: Confessions of a True Testimony, is to be released in August by Christian Faith Publishing. The back cover photo shows her as a toddler in a protective mask, with surviving brother Rasheen in bandages. Both are in the arms of their mother, Eartha Rivers  the woman Carter came to see as her champion.

Because Rivers had gone missing during the fire, "she's had to wear this scarlet letter," said Carter. "But she was the one in the hospital who never left."

It was Rivers who helped Carter cope with disfigurement, who cursed people on the bus when they stared. She forced her daughter to be independent, to eat, wash, and dress herself, and warned others not to help her.

"When I began understanding that I looked different," Carter said, "and that people were going to react this way or that way, [my mother] was the one who told me: 'You're special. You survived because God had a purpose for your life.' "

She, sister Nakisha, and Rasheen, then 4, were transported to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in North Philadelphia.

Nakisha died there of smoke inhalation. Rasheen was burned on his arms, back, face, and hands, but not nearly as severely as the infant Tanisha. She sustained not only first-, second- and third-degree burns, but also fourth-, reaching to the bone.

Dr. Stuart J. Hulnick, the center's first director, rebuilt her face, reconstructing her nose and mouth with healthy skin from her back and the backs of her legs  the only parts of her body spared by the fire. All five fingers on her left hand were amputated at the knuckles; those on her right hand were shortened. Scarring on her arms still restricts her range of motion. One arm is shorter than the other, as is one leg.

"I realize I have limitations," Carter said, "but I always have been very conscious about how do I do the best with what I have. How do I hold my son without fear of dropping him? How do I take him out of the car seat  while being mindful that people are watching to see how I engage with my children."

When she was growing up, the fire was rarely discussed.

"It was like a lump under the rug" that the family stepped over and around for years, said a younger brother, Joshua Rivers, 31, of Greenbelt, Md. "We knew it was there, but no one addressed it."

When Carter dared to ask, the answers were incomplete and conflicting. Rivers' version was that she was checking on a neighbor and was absent only five minutes. By the time she returned, the house was ablaze. She attempted to open the door, she said, but a whoosh of fire and smoke pushed her away.

After a while, Carter settled for a skeleton of a story because she didn't want to further burden her mother, who had battled depression and drug addiction.

"Why did I leave the kids?" the 57-year-old Rivers said plaintively during an interview at her Southwest Philadelphia home. "I sat alone so many days and talked to God [about it]. Nobody but God."

In the years after the fire, tranquil periods of family togetherness were interrupted by turmoil as Rivers struggled with her demons and underwent rehab. Carter wound up in foster and group homes.

"I found myself putting other things before [my family]," said Rivers, who had survived her own troubled childhood with a mother who was intermittently hospitalized for depression.

Rivers had two more children, and when Carter was barely old enough, she stepped up to care for the entire family.

"She got jobs babysitting. She made sure we ate, the house was clean, helped me with my homework," said her sister, Erica Felder, 28.

When she left home for Chestnut Hill College, Carter finally focused on her own future. She paid her tuition with scholarships and loans, lived on campus, and made friends. She began seeing a therapist who told her that the fire wasn't the only trauma she endured. Her home life had also taken a toll.

After earning a bachelor's degree in communications and technology, she had trouble finding full-time employment. She ended up back home, but soon clashed with her mother. During an argument, Carter snapped at her, "My life is like this because you weren't home."

Carter left, stayed with friends, and then secured a subsidized apartment. She had her first son, Keyan, a year later.

On the list of challenges for severely disfigured people, finding a job and finding love are near the top, said Rosemary Worthy-Washington, founder of Healed With Scars, a Philadelphia nonprofit that advocates for burn victims. Employers worry about how they will be accepted by coworkers, not to mention the public, she said. And romantic relationships can be precarious because "you wonder if the guy is settling, and if he thinks you should just be glad for the company," said Worthy-Washington, who was disfigured in a car fire and underwent 100 surgeries.

Carter spent much of her 20s and early 30s "holding on to anything that looked like love," she said. She had two more sons, and worked as a grant program assistant at Chestnut Hill College for six years, all the while living in apartments provided by agencies that assist families unable to find affordable housing. Along the way, she earned a master's degree in clinical counseling psychology.

"Tanisha juggles and balances this amazing drive and intellect with the reality of her physical abilities," said Rachel Falkove, executive director the Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network, which had helped her find housing. "She's desperate to be independent."

In 2015, she settled in her current home, assuming the mortgage of a house owned by her father, Anthony Carter, who had become a firefighter out of gratitude for his daughter's rescue.

She is currently a full-time mom to sons Keyan, 11, Caiden, 5, and Kiye, 4. She supports her family with the help of Social Security disability payments, a resource on which she has had to rely during periods when she has been unable to find employment.

With some housing stability and her youngest boys in school, she is more focused than ever on personal success.

The first step was writing the book, dictating the manuscript into her phone nightly for three months. She has volunteered as a consultant to a mentoring initiative for African American boys. On Wednesday, she will speak at her alma mater, Philadelphia's Widener Memorial School for students with physical and intellectual disabilities.

She already is planning another book.

It's time to embrace the "narrative of superhero," brother Joshua has told her  a story about self-esteem and the secret powers that lie beneath the scars.In this April 27, 2018, file photo, Joseph James DeAngelo, accompanied by Sacramento County Public Defender Diane Howard, right, makes his first appearance to face charges that include homicide and rape, in Sacramento County Superior Court in Sacramento, Calif. Read more

The man suspected in the Golden State Killer crimes has been charged with four more murders, as authorities across California continue to piece together clues in a string of killings and rapes that terrorized the state four decades ago.

Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, is facing four counts of first-degree murder in the separate killings of two couples in Santa Barbara County in 1979 and 1981, bringing the total number of slayings in which he has been charged to 12. DeAngelo, a former police officer and retired mechanic, also is suspected in more than 50 rapes.

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley said authorities never gave up hope that they would solve the killings of Robert Offerman and Debra Alexandria Manning, and Greg Sanchez and Cheri Domingo, when she announced the charges Thursday.

"Violent cold cases never grow cold for victims or their loved ones," Dudley said. "Most of them spend their lives feverishly seeking answers and desperately hoping for justice."

Authorities arrested DeAngelo last month, after using a combination of DNA, genealogy and exhaustive detective work to conclude that the man quietly living out his golden years in a Sacramento suburb could be one of the nation's most notorious serial predators. It was a dramatic turn for a case that had long ago gone cold.

DeAngelo was charged with two slayings in Sacramento County, two in Ventura County and four in Orange County. He is being held in a Sacramento jail and has not entered a plea in any of the cases. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

In the new charges, DeAngelo is accused of breaking into Offerman and Manning's Goleta, California, home shortly after Christmas in 1979. Media reports from the time said the couple was bound and shot. Manning also was raped.

Authorities say DeAngelo struck about a half-mile away in July 1981, at the home of Sanchez and Domingo. The attacker tied up Domingo, then raped and killed her. Sanchez is believed to have fought the man before he was brutally bludgeoned to death.

DeAngelo has now been charged in all the known slayings linked to the Golden State Killer, but police also are exploring whether he might have carried out the killings of a mother and son in the Simi Valley area in 1978. A man convicted of the murders was exonerated last year after serving nearly 40 years in prison.

Police and prosecutors say the Golden State Killer  also known as the Visalia Ransacker, the East Area Rapist and the Original Nightstalker  began his crimes with a series of break-ins that escalated to brutal rapes in the Sacramento area in 1976. In 1979, the crimes migrated to Southern California, where DeAngelo is charged with carrying out a string of killings. The crimes appear to have ended in 1986.

Investigators cracked the case by feeding the killer's DNA into GEDmatch, a genealogy database, which linked the DNA to distant relatives. Investigators then found a common set of great-great-great-grandparents shared by the killer and the relatives and traced their descendants to the present day.

Detectives scoured the list of descendants for people who were within the right age range and had connections to the areas in California where the killings occurred. This led detectives to DeAngelo, who had never been a suspect.

The technique has stirred concerns about the privacy of data submitted to genealogy sites, but it also has spurred a fresh effort to catch one of the nation's most infamous serial criminals, the Zodiac Killer.

Police are hoping to find traces of the killer's DNA on letters he sent and then use the same technique employed in the Golden State Killer case to find a suspect.Police are investigating the death of a Montgomery County barber who was missing for over a week and whose body was discovered Wednesday in a parking lot in Lansdale.

The body of Daniel Torres was found by police at the Twin Pines apartment complex, off the 700 block of West Eighth Street, according to a police source close to the investigation. Torres, 33, of Lansdale, was last seen leaving a friend's house between 6 and 7 a.m. April 29, according to a missing persons notice.

Torres' body was found in his white Nissan Altima after Lansdale police received a call reporting a suspicious vehicle, the source said, but declined to provide more information, citing an active criminal investigation. The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office is also investigating, and a ruling on the cause and manner of death is pending further investigation, the source said.

People who knew Torres said he was a workaholic dedicated to his business, Danny's Barbershop, which he opened Bridgeport in January. He rented one floor of a building on West Fourth Street from Paul A. Keen Jr., who owns Action Lock & Key in the town.

Keen said Torres had worked at Sal's Barbershop in Plymouth Meeting for about two years before he left to start his own business.

"The way he worked, it's like he had something to prove," said Keen, 67.

But after four months of near-nonstop work, Keen said, Torres told him he wanted to take a few days off to unwind in Atlantic City, maybe with a friend. According to the missing person report filed with Pennsylvania State Police, Torres said on Facebook he would be back at work by May 2.

Keen said he expected Torres would call him from New Jersey at some point to check up on his business.

On April 30, Keen said, he called Torres "half a dozen times." The calls immediately went to voicemail, he said.

"Then I started not having a good feeling," Keen said. "He wouldn't not call me, and not not call his mother, who he talked to all the time."

Keen said he couldn't imagine who would have a problem with Torres, who would arrive early at work and stay late to accommodate his customers.

"I didn't see him having any enemies," said Anton Richardson, who had been going to Torres for cuts for about two years. "He was a very friendly guy. He just worked all the time."

In Bridgeport, Torres hung his framed business license in a corner. He commissioned someone to paint "Danny's Barbershop" on a wall in red and blue.

"I just wanted to see him succeed," said Salvatore Giannone, owner of Sal's Barbershop. "He was a great guy. He was a good friend of mine."

Keen, who was a barber himself for seven years, said every barber dreams of owning a shop.

"It's a dream that lasted four months," he said of Danny's Barbershop.Students at University of Pennsylvania used these flyers to protest an off-campus fraternity after a controversial email. Read more

Two years ago, the University of Pennsylvania campus broke into a storm of protest after an off-campus fraternity circulated an email invitation to one of its parties, featuring this lovely piece of poetry:

May we have your attention please

We're looking for the fun ones

And say f off to a tease

Wednesday nights will get you going

With bankers flowing all night

Tonight is your first showing

So please wear something tight

Outraged students posted hundreds of fliers around campus, reproducing the email under the headline "THIS IS WHAT RAPE CULTURE LOOKS LIKE."

University officials also denounced the email, and then did what university officials do: They convened a task force. The offending fraternity wasn't part of Penn's official roster of Greek organizations, which made it especially difficult to regulate. So the task force recommended new rules for all student activities, whether they occur on campus or not. Today, students are required to register all social events beyond a certain size with Penn and hire university-sanctioned bartenders and security guards.

But a few months later, the campus newspaper reported that women were still going to parties at the fraternity that had provoked the controversy. Attending such events was a "personal choice" for women, who "should be allowed to put themselves in the social spaces they are comfortable in," as one female student told a reporter.

But those personal choices have social consequences, fueling an institution that has done more to perpetuate sexual violence  and sexism, period  than anything else on campuses. And the only way it will stop is if women stop going.

>> READ MORE: My son died from hazing, but banning fraternities won't solve problems with Greek life | Opinion

The time has come for women to boycott fraternities.

It isn't just that fraternity men are three times more likely than other men on campus to commit sexual assault, as one study claims, or that women who attend fraternity parties are 1 times more likely to be victims of assault.

And it isn't just that 30 percent of campus incidents in which students are drugged  a common prelude to sexual assault  occur at fraternities. That's what allegedly happened in February at Temple University, which closed a fraternity last month while it investigated reports by students who believe they were drugged there before being assaulted.

Instead, to quote the Penn protesters, it's about the culture that fraternities embody.

From their birth in the 19th century, fraternities have sought to distinguish "real men" from the rest. And in the 20th century, when coeducation kicked in, one of the things that distinguished a real man was a demeaning attitude toward women.

Some fraternities barred new pledges from talking to females, even in class. Others encouraged members to have sex with as many women as possible. To this date, some fraternities require brothers to report their sexual conquests at weekly meetings.

Meanwhile, hazing rituals  like the one that killed Pennsylvania State University student Tim Piazza last year  required pledges to drink copious amounts of alcohol, then submit to a range of humiliations. Anyone who demurred was deemed a "pussy," which is the worst thing that a real man can be.

"The popular American macho image, the incredible terror of being thought a pansy, or worse, a faggot, impels many men to support hazing activities as consistent with masculinity," explained a member in 1978 of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), the nation's largest fraternity.

Around the country, college women have their own nickname for SAE: Sexual Assault Expected. According to journalist John Hechinger, 15 of 230 SAE chapters were reported for sexual assault between 2011 and 2016. Two chapters were the subject of five separate reports of sexual assault or misconduct in 2014 and 2015 alone. And over a single Halloween weekend in 2014, rapes were reported at SAE parties in Maryland, Georgia, and California.

At Yale, meanwhile, campus protests were triggered in 2015 when students of color were allegedly turned away at the door of an SAE party with the rebuke, "We're only looking for white girls."

But the chapter had already been kicked off campus for a pledge session in which several members boasted about having sex with the same female student, who described their humiliation of her in the school newspaper.

So why were women lining up to get into the off-campus SAE party  or to any fraternity event, for that matter? When I put that question to my own female students, they usually reply: That's where the parties are.

>> READ MORE: As an Alpha Kappa Alpha, my Greek life has been about help, not harm | Perspective

That's always reminded me of Willie Sutton's famous quip, when asked why he robs banks: That's where the money is. And it doesn't absolve students of responsibility for their own choices any more than it excused Sutton.

Let's be clear: The people who are at fault for sexual violence and humiliation at fraternities are men, not women. But anyone who goes to a fraternity party is complicit  to borrow a favorite term of the #MeToo movement  in what happens there. It won't do to rely on university officials, who have stepped up their regulation of fraternities at Penn, Penn State, and many other schools. Students have to step up, too, by voting with their feet. The only thing that will change the sexist culture of fraternities is for women to stay away from them.

Jonathan Zimmerman teaches education and history at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of "Campus Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know" (Oxford University Press).Chuan Tang Spring Spa Hotel Review Yilan Taiwan| 

Yilan City is one of the few places I visited during my trip to Taiwan earlier this year. They city is Northeast of Taipei and this place is rich with history and culture. I didnt really explore the city and the surrounding area as I was there for one night. What is interesting about this city is most hotels in this area offers natural hot spring. There are many hot spring hotels in Yilan and I stayed in Chuan Tang Spring Spa Hotel or  (in Chinese).









This is the one and only hotel I stayed in Yilan Taiwan. I also reviewed the Eslite Hotel in Taipei and you can read it here. Chuan Tang Spring Spa Hotel offers hot spring facilities for hotel guests and public. For the public, you have to admission fees for the natural hot spring facilities. This concept is similar to Japans hot spring places.

For the room, it is huge and it is good for couple or family. The design of the room is typical Taiwanese but the most important part is it is clean, spacious and comfortable. Check out the video we took for the room walkthrough.

The room comes with Flat Screen TV, working desk, wardrobe, mini bar, fridge, safe, sofa and yukata (bathing robe).







The bathroom is the highlight as it comes with a huge individual bathtub (or more like a mini pool). There is also an individual standing shower in the bathroom.

You get natural hot spring water for the bathtub. Always rehydrate yourself when dipping into hot water. Dont dip into hot spring for more than 25 minutes and always take a break to rehydrate yourself. We learned this during our trips to Japan.

On top of the wonderful huge bathtub with natural hot spring, the evening here is pretty quiet. The hotel is located off the main road so the noise level here is pretty low.

The breakfast here is good. They offer a wide range of local and International food. You will be spoilt with choices. There is something interesting that I must mention, the salted egg you get in Taiwan is made from chicken egg instead of duck egg. The taste of the local food is slightly different than our usual Malaysian Chinese cuisine but it is still good.

If you plan to visit Yilan City in Taiwan, you can consider Chuan Tang Spring Spa Hotel. They also offer private parking spaces if you plan to self drive in Taiwan. Get the best rates from Agoda.com at https://www.agoda.com/chuang-tang-spring-spa-hotel/hotel/yilan-tw.html?cid=1538606. We flew to Taipei with AirAsia X for this trip.

Chuan Tang Spring Spa Hotel Review Yilan Taiwan|  Address:

No. 43, Deyang Road, Jiaoxi Township, Yilan County, Taiwan 262







Wilson Ng A Father and traveler who enjoys to eat, shop, travel and taking pictures with Samsung S21 Ultra. Im a full time blogger, youtuber and father for two.

I travel around 17 International trips per year. Remember to follow us at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods and www.youtube.com/placesandfoods. For ads or features, contact me at [email protected] See author's postsAngels. Do they have wings? Are they invisible? Do they play the harp and wear robes of white? Do they look like people or some other kind of ethereal creature? Or are they actual humans who also happen to sometimes perform amazingly kind and timely acts of mercy?

According to the dictionary and as described in holy texts, there are different kinds of angels. Some are characterized as celestial beings who abide with God. Other sorts of angels are more like guardians who dwell among humans.

And then theres a type of angel defined as a messenger and, specifically, "a person who acts as if sent by God." I recently interacted with a few human angels in Mankato.

The organization that I work for recently hosted our annual assembly. There were about 500 people who came together for a couple days of worship, rejoicing, conversation and the business of what is called the "synod." This years theme was "Celebrating Our Global Congregation" and it was extra delightful because we got to welcome guests from Colombia, Tanzania and South Sudan.

The assembly is usually held in Rochester at Mayo Civic Center, and I write about it most years because its a highly gratitude-provoking experience.

This year, for a change of pace and nod to our friends on the far western end of the synods geographic region, we held the event at the Verizon Center in Mankato. New location equals fresh learning opportunities as well as new angelic encounters.

My role for the event was the production manager. I was involved in the technical preparations and on-site facilitating of lights and audio and video. Even after serving in this capacity for the last five years, I still get a stomach full of butterflies that flutter for the entirety of the event.

In the midst of all those metaphorical insects shifting around in my guts, I encountered miracles and angels in abundance. Here were a few:

Emmanuel the angel: A messenger of miraculous timing. In the midst of a so-cringeworthy-its-almost-funny technical glitch, Emmanuel appeared. He brought not only a relaxed presence but also a solution. After identifying a fix for the snafu, Emmanuel graciously ran to his hotel room, grabbed his laptop which happened to have the much needed and uncorrupted audio file, and saved the day.

Ed the angel: A messenger of consistency and calm. Though the events venue and team have changed, Eds presence has been a constant for many years for the assembly. He works for a company called PSAV that takes care of all of the video cameras and film recording. Eds response to any request is either "We can make that happen" or "No worries." Hes perpetually calm and its contagious.

Maranda the angel: A messenger of giftedness. The photographer who was arranged for the assembly had to back out three days prior due to medical concerns. I felt some stress and panic hoping our usual photographer would be OK and wondering who we could find as a replacement on such short notice. A friend of a friend connected me to Maranda, a brilliant eco-psychologist who studies resiliency in conservationists and also happens to be an amazing freelance photographer. Her photos of the event arent just great, theyre stellar and will serve as part of our organizations photographic archive long into the future!

Angelica the angel: A messenger of confidence and conviction. Pastor Angelica was one of our global guests from the country of Colombia. Each time she stood before the assembly, she radiated truth. Despite a language barrier, her justice-oriented, relationship-rooted spiritual convictions were clear and inspirational.

This list is just a brief sampling of the many individuals who unknowingly served as human angels over the course of the assembly. They were divine signposts signaling that our Creator does, indeed, use people as angelic messengers in our midst. Thanks be to God!Preserved in the nations fifth-oldest national park, the mountain is the tallest volcano in the Cascade Mountain Range. And it is still active.

Our visit to Mount Rainier National Park began with a fairly rigorous hike in the foothills surrounding the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise. It was late summer and the meadows were populated with colorful wildflowers. A marmot feasted on greens just feet from the trail. And a black bear was spotted at a healthy distance as he foraged for food.

About 10,000 people attempt to climb Mount Rainier each year. And about half reach the summit. Climbing permits are required for travel above 10,000 feet and/or on glaciers; Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the continental United States.

While we were in no condition or mood to scale the mountain, we did save enough energy for the short and glorious Grove of the Patriarchs Nature Trail, which leads through what has been described as "some of the richest and most productive ecosystems on earth." The trees, enormous in height and girth, towered.Following up on Kim Strassels Wall Street Journals columns on the FBI spy in the Trump campaign, Andrew McCarthy follows up in his NR column Did the FBI have a spy in the Trump campaign? Taking advantage of the unlimited space available online, McCarthy gives the necessary background to frame the question.

McCarthy orients his column on this August 2017 testimony of Glenn Simpson to the Senate Intelligence Committee (emphasis supplied by McCarthy): Essentially, what [Christopher Steele] told me was [the FBI] had other intelligence about this matter from an internal Trump campaign source, and that  that they  my understanding was that they believed Chris at this point  that they believed Chriss information might be credible because they had other intelligence that indicated the same thing, and one of those pieces of intelligence was a human source from inside the Trump campaign.

After deliberating over the evidence, Andy comments: When Simpson testified that Steele told him the FBI had a human source, I think Simpson meant exactly what that testimony implied: that someone from the FBI told Steele in August 2016  while the investigation was heating up, while the FBI was ramping up its efforts in preparation for seeking surveillance warrants from the FISA court  that the Bureau had an informant.

Conclusion: Christopher Steele, the former British spy with extensive British intelligence and FBI connections, told his friend Glenn Simpson that the FBI had penetrated the Trump campaign with a human source who was helping corroborate the dossier. There seems to be more corroboration for this assertion than for the sensational allegations in Steeles dossier.

Quotable quote: By now, [House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin] Nunes has learned that if he is catching flak, he is over the target.

NOTE: Stay tuned for something from Paul Sperry if the intriguing tweet below is a preview of coming attractions in the New York Post, as it may be.The Senate has taken a remarkably laid back approach to getting the story peddled by James Comey et al. straight. On February 15, 2017, for example the Senate Judiciary Committee requested a copy of the transcript of the widely reported call between Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and the Russian ambassador and the FBI report summarizing the intercepted calls. The Justice Department declined to provide any of that information, and instead then-FBI Director Comey provided a wide-ranging briefing to us on March 15, 2017 that touched on the Flynn issues.

Why did the committee settle for a briefing in lieu of the transcript? The Department of Justice cited an ongoing investigation and the committee took the excuse at face value. Over in the House, the widely derided House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes might have issued a subpoena some time in the past year. In the Senate, its Easy Rider.

Yesterday Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray politely seeking the information requested early last year and a few other items of interest. I have embedded Senator Grassleys letter below. Byron York reports on it in Senate chairman: Comey led us to believe Flynn wouldnt be charged.

I am a fan of Senator Grassley. In my book he is one of the good guys. He is a busy and diligent senator who takes his responsibilities most seriously. Perhaps I am missing something, but this looks lame beyond explanation to me. Senator Grassley, please dont let them blow you off this time.

UPDATE: For a more optimistic take on Senator Grassleys letter see our friend Thomas Lifsons Senator Grassley appears to be preparing to bust the frame-up of General Flynn.

Grassley Letter to Wray Dated May 11, 2018 by Scott Johnson on ScribdIrans Supreme Leader (as he styles himself) wants it to be known that he is mightily unhappy with President Trump. That is what I deduce from Josh Delks story reporting in the Hill that Irans supreme leader trolls Trump with photo of himself reading Fire and Fury.' If Fire and Fury is the Supreme Leaders book of the week, let us recall that Death to America is the Supreme Leaders favorite chant  even when Barack Obama seeks to please him.

Iran's supreme leader trolls Trump with photo of himself reading "Fire and Fury" days after Trump ends nuclear deal https://t.co/xWnfSobdsd pic.twitter.com/v7T1brzcu0  The Hill (@thehill) May 11, 2018

While the Supreme Leader is trolling President Trump, might not this suggest to the average American that President Trump is on the right track? Why, yes, I do believe it does. Scott Adams transforms my pedestrian train of thought to his own humorous use, citing his explication of Trumps techniques of persuasion.In a May 11 Facebook post, newly-elected Armenian Prime Minister explains why he has appointed Valery Osipyan as Armenias new Chief of Police. Many have voiced their concerns regarding the appointment, arguing out that Osipyan, as Yerevan Deputy Police Chief, was the governments point man when it came to quelling public protests, often employing strong-arm tactics against peaceful demonstrators.

Here are his main arguments:

According to the law, the Police Chief must be someone with the rank of Major or higher either from police department or an ancillary agency.

Osipyan is not corrupted

Osipyan is not a member of any clan

Pashinyan describes Osipyan as someone who has done the dirty work of the police in the streets for many years because he doesnt enjoy the clan/acquaintance protection that other police officials do.

Osipyan is a known quantity. Pashinyan says that ever since becoming politically active in 2007, Osipyan was always there in the streets opposing him. Thus, Pashinyan argues that he knows and understands the man.

Pashinyan says doing away with corruption and clan ties in the police are priority issues.

Pasinyan stresses the need for tolerance and reconciliation, especially between the public and police, calling for the removal of the barb wire that now separates the two. Public confidence in law enforcement must be restored.

Pashinyan says hes instructed Osipyan to resolve the following issues in the very near future: defense of human rights, reduction of criminal activity, stop the practice of bribe giving, put an end to the police proclivity to issue fines/penalties for every minor infraction.LONDON, May 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The Maltese Financial Service Authority on Friday (11 May), simultaneously wrote to Ariadne Capital Malta Limited (ACML) and issued a Press Release announcing it had withdrawn ACML's regulatory licence. This co-ordinated action should be seen in its proper context.

ACML has not been conducting any regulated business and does not intend to do so.

Of immediate relevance to the MFSA's announcement is the fact that ACML informed the MFSA on Tuesday 8 May that it wished to close its business in Malta because of the MFSA's failure to process basic administrative tasks, as well as needing to protect shareholder interests by operating in a secure legal and business environment. Sadly, the MFSA's response to ACML's closure notice vindicates the decision to leave Malta.

An announcement will follow about Ariadne's Capital Group Limited's future business operations.

About Ariadne Capital Group Limited (ACGL):

ACGL is an investment firm based in Malta and London, UK. Our mission is to put the entrepreneur at the heart of society. Our investment strategy, 'Ecosystem Economics', drives our business approach to bring David & Goliath together to dance. We are hosting the Follow The Entrepreneur Investor Summit 2018 in Dubrovnik, Croatia from the 7th to the 10th of October. http://www.follow-the-entrepreneur.com . To register: https://follow-the-entrepreneur.com/register/

Media Enquiries to Julian.Pike@farrer.co.uk

Julian Pike

Partner

Farrer & Co

Tel: +44(0)20-3375-7217

Switch : +44(0)20-3375-7000



SOURCE Ariadne Capital Group Limited (ACGL)The military situation along the Line of Contact was relatively stable last week, this according to the Artsakh Ministry of Defense.

The ministry says Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire 150 times, firing more than 1,500 rounds of various small caliber arms.

The ministry says it observed a small number of Azerbaijani military troop and equipment redeployments behind the lines in the central part of the border.Georgia SoftWorks announces the release of their UTS (Telnet Server for Windows and SSH Server for Windows) Version 8.09.0001. The GSW UTS is excellent for use with mobile devices, RFID, RF Terminal, Bar Code scanners and other data collection in wired and wireless environments.

The latest version of the GSW UTS includes several new features. A new Session Saver method has been added: (AUTO_BY_IP_AND_USER_ALWAYS and AUTO_BY_USER_ALWAYS). This updated method allows devices to more quickly reconnect to their suspended sessions. A new environment variable, gwtn_inactivity_timeout, has been added. If data is not received from a client within a specified time, then the client session is terminated. This timer affects all new connections that do not have a client heartbeat configured. The gwtn_serverside_heartbeat has also been updated. This feature functions on a per user level, identically to Server Side Heartbeat (Global), but supersedes any global setting allowing more granular control. The UTS setup now provides a new folder, Mobile, in the install directory, containing the GSW mobile client setup programs.

The Telnet Server for Windows Release, in conjunction with the GSW SSH Server for Windows Release, provides an easy-to-implement security plan that offers true End-to-End security. The GSW SSH Server for Windows Version 8.09.0001 is also available for shipping and distribution.

Georgia SoftWorks is a software development company that develops industrial quality software designed for the most rigorous commercial environments. GSW has gained its worldwide recognition from the development of the GSW Telnet Server for Windows and SSH Server for Windows. They have end users and resellers on every continent (except Antarctica) and operate in a variety of industries throughout the world. The GSW UTS has been used in demanding industrial environments since the 1990s, providing consistent operation, high-end features, performance and unmatched security.

About Georgia SoftWorks:

Established in 1991, Georgia SoftWorks is a privately held software development company recognized for creating high performance data communications, system and telecommunications applications. Georgia SoftWorks has obtained a worldwide presence with its industrial SSH/Telnet Server for Microsoft Windows. GSW's long-term commitment to SSH/Telnet has led to the pioneering of major features such as Session Shadowing, Session Monitoring, Graceful Termination, Automatic Logon, Logon Scripting and more recently Team Services technology which allows mobile device users to transfer, swap, share and recover mobile device sessions. GSW has also provided the very first SSH Server to provide Digital Certificate Authentication with an Internet Information Server (IIS) like certificate-to-user account mapping. This includes One-to-one and Many-to-one mapping methods and also supports certificate trust lists (CTL).A city of award-winning dining awaits behind San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco is also richly endowed with globally-recognized Michelin stars.

Four San Francisco chefs and restaurants were winners in this years James Beard Awards, the top culinary accolades in America.

Dominique Crenn, creator of Atelier Crenn, Petit Crenn and Bar Crenn, was named Best Chef: West, which includes California, Nevada and Hawaii. Belinda Leong and Michel Suas of B. Pastisserie in San Francisco were named Outstanding Baker. Zuni Cafe was honored for Outstanding Service. The award for Outstanding Restaurant Design (76 seats and over) went to In Situ, the new restaurant inside SFMOMA, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Miljenko Grgich of Grgich Hills Estate in the nearby Napa Valley was honored as the Outstanding Wine, Spirits or Beer Professional.

We applaud these chefs and restaurants who have been so rightly recognized by the James Beard Foundation. Their outstanding skills and innovations are perfect examples of why San Francisco is known around the world for culinary excellence, said Joe DAlessandro, president and CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association.

San Francisco has been home to Best Chef: West several times. Traci Des Jardins of Jardiniere, The Commissary, Arguello, Public House and Mujita (and James Beard's Rising Star Chef of the Year, 1995) won it in 2007. Prior winners of the regional award also include Corey Lee of Benu (2017), Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski of State Bird Provisions (2015), Daniel Patterson of Coi (2014), Michael Tusk of Quince (2011), Charles Phan of Slanted Door (2004) and Nancy Oakes of Boulevard (2001).

San Francisco is also richly endowed with globally-recognized Michelin stars. In fact, there are more Michelin three-star restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area than in New York City, and a total of 55 stars awarded throughout the region. Of the 2018 James Beard Award winners, Atelier Crenn has two stars and In Situ has one star.

For information about dining from the San Francisco Travel Association, the official destination marketing organization, visit http://www.sftravel.com/explore/dining.StaffedUps efficient hiring database ensures a pool of proficient candidates is always ready to be hired when needed, complete with pre-qualifying questions and position requirements.

StaffedUp, a web-based staffing platform designed for the service industry, announces their partnership with all Seoul Taco locations this week. Seoul Taco is a Korean-Mexican fusion restaurant on wheels known for their addictive Korean tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and nachos. With both food truck and storefront locations, Seoul Taco has made a name for themselves across the Midwest with their unique cuisine. As their business grows, Seoul Taco can rest assured knowing their open roles can be quickly filled with the talent they require in a fast-paced environment - thanks to StaffedUp.

Seoul Taco is always on the move; that is the nature of their business as a street food vendor. Being a half permanent, half mobile business, and as a functioning member of their community hosting events, you can imagine that Seoul Taco is always needing an extra employee or two. And like any company in the food industry, employee turnover is unavoidable. StaffedUps efficient hiring database ensures a pool of proficient candidates is always ready to be hired when needed, complete with pre-qualifying questions and position requirements. Utilizing an applicant tracking system designed to make sure hiring managers get the best of the best at their fingertips, Seoul Taco can post jobs on the go that candidates can apply to from any device. No matter where Seoul Taco goes, StaffedUp will be there to lend a hiring hand.

Using StaffedUps staffing software, Seoul Taco hiring managers can post all their open roles for each individual location, including the roaming food truck, directly on their website. Job seekers can apply with ease for roles such as a supervisor, general manager, crew member and dishwasher at their desired Seoul Taco location. StaffedUp allows companies to promote their brand and job openings all while managing top talent through their hiring database. This hassle-free process has allowed Seoul Taco to eliminate using costly job boards all together. StaffedUps hiring tool is competitively priced at $29 a month and is the lowest price on the market.

Visit Staffedup.com to try their platform for free, list your open roles and fill them with the exact talent you are looking for. StaffedUp continuously works to add value and support to ensure that all companies using their software get better staff, decreased turnover and a visible ROI.

About StaffedUp: Created by hospitality professionals who understand hospitality hiring. StaffedUp is a simplified recruiting software built to help hospitality employers attract top candidates while accelerating the hiring process for both sides. Learn more about their customizable hiring platform at https://www.staffedup.com to network talent efficiently and effectively.

About Seoul Taco: What started as a popular Korean-Mexican food truck in St. Louis has grown into five Seoul Taco fast-casual restaurant locations in St. Louis, Chesterfield and Columbia, MO as well as Champaign and Chicago, IL. To learn more about the menu and individual locations, visit http://www.seoultaco.com.Mom, the first person who shows unconditional love. No matter where life may lead, her protection will always follow her children. Cubans worldwide are celebrating this godsent creature by showing her how much they love her. How and where? On HablaCuba.com, with a Triple Bonus for Cubacel recharges sent to Cuba and a wonderful Facebook contest.

First things first: Cubacel promo

This month, the promo starts Monday, May 14 and is only leaving on May 19, after having processed all the top ups with extra bonuses Cuban expats are sending to their moms back home.



For 20 CUC sent - 60 CUC received

For 40 CUC sent -120 CUC received

- For 60 CUC - 180 CUC received

The promotional balance may be used for all services available to prepaid users like domestic and international calls, SMS, MMS, including SMS entumovil and Data (Nauta). Once the promotional balance is used, any charges for calls or SMS will be deducted from the main balance. The bonus expires on June 1, 2018.

Extra: free top up as contest prize

Starting Thursday, May 11, Cuban expats are invited on HablaCuba.coms Facebook contest with a Mothers Day challenge. The winner will be awarded a top up worth 20 CUC, that he or she can send during the promotional period, thus benefiting from the triple bonus.

Besides sending top ups, customers can also recharge their familys and friends Nauta accounts, in order to help them gain access to the internet. Or, if they prefer calling, they can also use HablaCuba.coms calling services. Customers can place their calls:

From any landline, mobile or even payphone in the world, through access numbers.

Through the smartphone app called KeepCalling, available for iOS and Android.

The rate for international calls to Cuba is 69.9/min, for both landlines and mobiles, and the cost of a text message is 7.

All services HablaCuba.com offers revolve around the websites mission, which is to bring people together, no matter the distance, because no distance is too long if people stay connected. HablaCuba.com offers a great solution for keeping a close relationship with everyone living back home in Cuba, due to:



the customer-focused approach, based on safe and easy to use services

the frequent special offers: bonuses on international top ups or discounts on international calls

the great Customer Service available 24/7, both in English and in Spanish.

Or, as customers put it: "Your consumer friendly instructions make it easy to cross borders and communicate with friends and family like it should be. (HablaCuba.com customer).

About HablaCuba.com

HablaCuba.com is an interactive website designed by KeepCalling, a global telecommunications company registered in 2002 in USA. Presently, KeepCalling provides its services to hundreds of thousands of consumers, with a focus on customer satisfaction. KeepCalling has been listed by Inc 5000 as one of the fastest growing companies in the USA for 5 consecutive years. In 2015 the company registered a revenue increase of over 200% from 2011 to 2014.UNCF will host the sixth annual Twin Cities Masked Ball on Saturday, May 12, at U.S. Bank Stadium. Emceed by T. Mychael Rambo, the event will include nearly 500 business, civic and education leaders, including the mayor of Minneapolis, the Honorable Jacob Frey; the mayor of St. Paul, the Honorable Melvin Carter; and Dr. Michael L. Lomax, UNCFs president and CEO. Proceeds from the evening will fund the UNCF Twin Cities Hope Scholarship for deserving Minneapolis students and UNCFs member institutions.

I am honored to celebrate UNCFs legacy of supporting some of our nations brightest minds, said Frey. "We celebrate and invest in UNCF and the work to ensure historically black colleges and universities and African American students thrive in our city and nation.

For more than 70 years, UNCF has been a vital partner in preparing underrepresented students to led healthy, productive and engaged lives, said Carter. Their work continues to lift members of our community to ensure that the future of our region and our nation is bright.

The signature fundraising event will be chaired by Greg Cunningham, vice president of global inclusion and diversity, U.S. Bank; and co-chaired by Demetha Sanders, global talent management and talent acquisition leader, Cargill.

Stories like mine are the dividends of your investment, said Cunningham. By supporting UNCF, youre paving the way for future community leaders and making a measurable improvement in the lives of deserving young Americans. Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) graduate a quarter of all Americans who receive bachelors degrees, and three-quarters of all African Americans who receive Ph.Ds. These institutions are vital in getting African Americans to and through college.

For being champions of education in their community, this years Masked Award recipients are Kaywin Feldman, Nivin and Duncan MacMillian director and president of Mia; and the Target Corporation.

The black-tie affair begins at 6 p.m., including a VIP reception, drumline, dividend testimonial, live auction and elegant dining followed by dancing.

The event is made possible by presenting sponsor U.S. Bank; co-presenting sponsors Cargill, 3M and Medtronic Foundation; and major sponsors Delta, Target and Pohlad Companies.

To stay connected to the Minneapolis office of UNCF, please visit: http://www.uncf.org/Minneapolis

Follow this event @uncf #UNCFTC #UNCF

###

About UNCF

UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nations largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF awards more than $100 million in scholarships annually and administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a wonderful thing to invest in. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities. Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous news and updates, follow UNCF on Twitter @UNCF.Shareholder Stephen K. Shahida at global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP received a Certificate of Commendation from The Veterans Consortium (TVC) for his pro bono work, specifically for his successful representation of a veteran in federal court. A reception honoring Shahida and other volunteers took place April 24.

TVC is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) serving the global U.S. veteran community and celebrating 25 years of pro bono legal service to U.S. veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors.

Greenberg Traurig has long supported TVC through various legal services. Notably, Of Counsel John D. Altenburg, Jr. has been honored by the organization in the past for his support. In addition, the firms Pro Bono Program Chair Caroline J. Heller, Litigation Of Counsel Marissa Banez, and Government Contracts Associate Danielle K. Muenzfeld have taken cases as part of TVCs pro bono program.

About Greenberg Traurigs Pro Bono Program

Greenberg Traurig lawyers across the firms offices provide pro bono legal services to the indigent and working poor, as well as to numerous civic and charitable organizations dedicated to assisting them. The firm focuses its resources on specialized and interrelated issues including civil rights and affirmative action, anti-human trafficking, family law matters, criminal appeals, immigration and political asylum, and housing and homelessness.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT 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.Michelle Rahal This book is about redemption, resilience and forgiveness

In 1968, 11-year-old Minh Phuong watched in horror as her father and two siblings were gunned down by the Vietcong in their backyard in war-torn Vietnam. Though she escaped the bullets that night, prison, torture and rape would follow.

STRAINING FORWARD ($19.49, paperback, 9781545631638; $9.99, e-book, 9781545631645) chronicles Phuongs life in Vietnam, as a refugee in France and Australia, and her spiritual journey from blind faith to ordination as a Presbyterian pastor in the United States.

Minh Phuongs escape from Vietnam in 1975 provides hope for todays refugees who flee war, imprisonment, rape and torture, Michelle Rahal says. This book is an unvarnished tale of strength and perseverance that ultimately leads to an unassailable faith in God.

STRAINING FORWARD is a riveting, spiritual journey of hope and healing that reminds readers that even in the loneliest and most desolate moments, they are never truly alone.

This book is about redemption, resilience and forgiveness, the author states. I pray readers would be spiritually transformed as they contemplate these traits in the lives of children and refugees everywhere who feel unloved, unworthy or lost against a backdrop of war, death and abuse.

Michelle Rahal is a former radio news reporter and published educator. She is a graduate of Hofstra University and holds a master's degree in education from the University of New York at Buffalo. Rahal lives in Virginia with her husband.

Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the worlds largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 12,000 titles published to date. Retailers may order STRAINING FORWARD through Ingram Book Company and/or Spring Arbor Book Distributors. The book is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com."The state's current budget crisis must be taken seriously. But not at the expense of our patients and our healthcare system." - Dr. Randy Pilgrim, SCP Enterprise Chief Medical Officer

Schumacher Clinical Partners (SCP) urges Louisiana legislators to continue to fund the public-private partnerships in the state. Proudly supporting its longtime partner, Lafayette General Health and their #SAVEUHC movement, SCP has enlisted the help of its many employees and providers across the state to advocate on behalf of their patients in saving this vital community health center

The state is in the midst of a budget crisis that our legislators and the governor are attempting to resolve, wrote Dr. Randy Pilgrim, Enterprise Chief Medical Officer, in a letter directed to employees and providers. A dangerous game of politics and strategy is occurring in Baton Rouge while our healthcare system is in jeopardy, he continued. The states current budget crisis must be taken seriously. But not at the expense of our patients and our healthcare system.

We have been part of the healthcare community in South Louisiana since 1994, and believe in the critical necessity of institutions like UHC to not only help care for patients, but to also help train and educate tomorrows physicians and nurses, Pilgrim remarked, referring to the residency training at UHC. We have always advocated on behalf of our patients, physicians, and hospitals to ensure the delivery of quality care is upheld, he added.

SCP urges the public to help bring momentum to this effort by contacting state legislators asking to support the full-funding of the public-private hospital partnerships across the state. Visit SaveUHC.com for the full list of state legislators, and sample letter templates.

###

About Schumacher Clinical Partners:

Schumacher Clinical Partners (SCP) is a privately held, physician-driven company dedicated to helping hospitals and providers focus on delivering high-quality patient care. As one of the nations largest and fastest-growing health care organizations, SCP partners with more than 7,200 providers to help care for 8 million+ patients annually with innovative, patient-centered solutions covering the entire continuum of care, including emergency medicine, hospital medicine, wellness programs and consulting services.Cognella, Inc., today announced a partnership with Eurospan, a leading independent sales and marketing agency that represents North American academic and professional publishers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asian-Pacific region, and Latin America. Eurospan provides publishers with high-quality marketing, sales, and distribution services to help them increase the visibility and sales of their titles within the international market.

All Cognella titles that have worldwide distribution rights are now eligible for international marketing, sales, and distribution through Eurospan. Cognella will continue to market, sell, and distribute all titles within the United States and Canada.

Through our partnership with Eurospan, Cognella can now confidently, efficiently, and affordably provide instructors and students across the globe with our innovative learning materials, said Cognella CEO Bassim Hamadeh. Were thrilled to create an international footprint for Cognella, and we couldnt be more excited to have a worldwide salesforce promoting our titles.

Eurospan provides publishers with dedicated sales and marketing managers, who work as a team to maximize cross-disciplinary marketing opportunities within the international marketplace. Promotional efforts for Cognella titles under this partnership will include, but are not limited to, new title announcements, mailed flyers and title catalogs, telemarketing efforts, review copy circulation to encourage adoptions, presentation at international book fairs, inclusion in Eurospans online bookstore, and registration of all titles within the Nielson BookData and PubEasy bibliographic systems.

Eurospan is delighted to be joining forces with Cognella in their international territories, said Ken Rhodes, Managing Director of Eurospan. Cognella is an innovative and forward-looking publisher operating in a rapidly developing sector, and we very much look forward to helping them progress with their ambitions.

About Cognella

Cognella is redefining academic publishing by creating teacher-driven, student-centric higher education course materials in print and digital formats under three imprints: Cognella Academic Publishing, University Readers, and Cognella Active Learning. Cognella also publishes engaging nonfiction titles featuring modern perspectives as Cognella Press. Learn more at http://www.cognella.com.

About Eurospan

Eurospan is the leading independent sales and marketing agency representing academic and professional publishers from (primarily) North America, in EMEA, APAC and Latin America, managing the publication of over 7,000 titles each year. It specialises in the provision of high quality marketing, sales and distribution services for its 150-plus clients and through Turpin Distribution, for its customers.

For media inquiries please contact:

Natalie Piccotti

Senior Marketing Manager, Cognella, Inc.

800-200-3908 x532Residents of Martuni, a community in Armenias Gegharkunik Province, yesterday voiced their concerns about a local hydro power plant, threatening to turn off the water if officials failed to respond.

Before they could carry out their threat, however, Martuni Mayor Armen Avetisyan told Hetq that the plant is owned by Mayis Mkrtchyan, and that hes promised to visit the site this Monday and discuss the matter with residents.

The 1,800-kilowatt plant, operating since 2011, is owned by MKShG Energy Ltd., a company founded in 2007 and controlled by Mayis Mkrtchyan, a brother of Armenian Apostolic Church Vayots Dzor Primate Bishop Abraham Mkrtchyan.

Officially, the companys stock is owned by Yerevan resident Sergey Aleksanyan.

Hetq has written about the Mkrtchyan familys hydro plants in Vayots Dzor. The family has now expanded the business to Gegharkunik Province.

The Martuni River, on which the plant is located, flows into Lake Sevan. The river stretches for 27.6 kilometers.

According to the Public Services Regulatory Commission, the Martuni mini-hydroelectric plant is the only operating one on the river.

Mayor Avetisyan told Hetq that the plants owners have made many promises to residents, including subsidizing their electric utility bills, but havent done so. In addition, the plant operators have used private lands without compensating the owners.

The plant is damaging. Its destroyed the fish population. It uses all the river water. The eco-system cant survive, says Avetisyan.

No water usage meter has been installed to monitor flows and thus measure the amount of water returned to the river.The founder of Brown House Buyers, LLC Trey Brown has been helping Wisconsin homeowners avoid the painful process of foreclosure for more than five years. Recently the Wisconsin market for houses has been flooded with significantly under-priced homes. This leaves many people asking themselves, should we buy houses? University Of Wisconsin Professor emeritus of real estate at the W.P. Carey School of Business, Jay Butler, states that the numbers of people who are suffering from the effects of foreclosure in Wisconsin are amongst the highest percentage of people negatively affected in the nation by the ongoing housing crisis. Milwaukee neighborhood homeowners are still struggling to make ends meet or get out from under lenders that are threatening to foreclose on their homes.

In order to protect home and family many say it stands to reason that we buy houses. Milwaukee housing experts are recommending that all potential owners who are missing or late on mortgage payments become familiar with Wisconsins foreclosure process and the Wisconsin foreclosure laws. This task can be monumental to homeowners who are facing stressful levels of financial hardship. The recent housing bubble burst still has the nations economy struggling to recover and fewer people who feel its best if we buy houses. Wisconsin homeowners find themselves underwater when it comes to the value to debt ratio of their home at a higher percentage rate than those who own homes in most other states.

In a past public address former President Obama stated, This housing crisis struck right at the heart of what it means to be middle class in America: our homes, the place where we can invest our nest egg, place where we raise our family, the place where we plant roots in the community, the place where we build memories. Many people in Wisconsin feel that the need to announce that the States motto should still be that Sell My House Fast Milwaukee. Wisconsin residents want to be able to feel safe in following that long-term investment plan.

President Trump recently announced a proposal to lower lending rates, making it possible for millions of borrowers who have not been able to get out from under bloated mortgages to refinance their homes. This plan also proposes to offer hope to those who want to afford to purchase a home. Many agree with Trump who stated that: It is wrong for anyone to suggest that the only option for struggling homeowners is to sit and wait for the market to hit bottom. Many people are thinking, Why should I sell my house fast? Wisconsin is no different.

The company Brown House Buyers, LLC sponsors highly educated, locally focused team members who care about your family and have years of expertise, dealing with avoiding foreclosure. Rather than sit and wait for someone to spontaneously buy houses in your area, this company has been able to reduce any hassle related to timelines or extemporaneous costs required by a Realtor. They understand how much is at stake for you as a homeowner. The company, Brown House Buyers, LLC adheres to the same standards as the Better Business Bureau. Their message that they are trying to get out is that sell my house fast milwaukee! and they commit to bringing Wisconsin home sellers solutions to their foreclosure problem in writing with no hidden fees or commissions required. Contact Trey Brown for further information via email at TreyBrown(at)BrownHouseBuyers(dot)com or call to speak directly with Trey at 1-866-280-4899. Or visit them at http://brownhousebuyers.com/Free Blue Willow Chat App for Mobile Devices All you have to do is download the Blue Willow Chat app!

Blue Willow Systems, a leading provider of cloud-based e-call systems for senior resident communities, announces the next step in the evolution of senior communities communications with Blue Willow Chat, a new free mobile and desktop app that enables senior living staff to communicate with each other securely and easily. With two new interactive features, Chat and Announcements, Blue Willow Chat improves communications and increases real-time connectivity for both staff and management utilizing mobile devices, while improving caregiver responsiveness and patient care.

Blue Willow Chat provides the first step in enhancing community communications and quality care at zero cost, said Bob Bailey, CEO, Blue Willow Systems. We are bringing the ease and familiarity of social media and instant messaging right to caregivers hands on the mobile devices they are most familiar with  enabling them to quickly and securely connect with each other and their managers, and ultimately provide more responsive care to seniors. All you have to do is download the Blue Willow Chat app!

Blue Willow Chat enables effortless communication among staff members across both desktop and mobile devices. It replaces the bulky, unreliable walkie-talkies of the past by allowing care staff to securely message each other on their own smartphones or other mobile devices. For administrators and management, Blue Willow Chats web desktop easily connects and communicates with mobile staff, ensuring they are informed of activities instantly throughout the community.

Blue Willow Chats innovative Announcements feature delivers a digital bulletin board that allows operators and management to post event notices and important information. Instead of posting information by pinning papers to a single board in a community which can be easily missed by many, Announcements delivers information immediately in a familiar format. A communitys entire staff can quickly be notified by pushing information to mobile phones, tablets and desktop computers. The Announcements feature also gives management full visibility into exactly which staff members have viewed each announcement.

Learn more about Blue Willow Chat, and the entire Blue Willow Platform at Argentum 2018, May 14  16, 2018 in San Diego, CA. Visit Blue Willow at booth #123 for a demo.

About Blue Willow Systems

Blue Willow Systems is a next generation SaaS resident safety platform that automatically detects falls with a patented algorithm, elegantly manages resident wandering with customized geofencing, analyzes real-time resident and staff activity, and automatically sends event alerts to both mobile and desktop devices. Blue Willow Systems provides sophisticated incident and trend reports allowing operators to deliver better care, reduce overhead, manage staff workflow and mitigate risk, resulting in increased profitability, staff effectiveness, and resident and family satisfaction.RetroFoam of Michigan Recognized by Consumers Energy for Making Homes More Energy Efficient We look forward to continued success and helping homeowners save money on their monthly energy bills.

For the past five years, Consumers Energy has awarded RetroFoam of Michigan for their hard work to make homes more energy efficient.

On Thursday, May 3, the Consumers Energy Excellence in Energy Efficiency Banquet was held at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. The annual banquet is held to acknowledge contractors across the state who participate in Consumers Energys energy efficiency programs.

Raising the Bar Award in the Home Performance with Energy Star Award category and the Preferred Contractor Network  Outstanding Performance award in the Insulation and Windows Awards category were given to RetroFoam of Michigan, a foam insulation company servicing Michigan's lower peninsula.

We are honored to receive this award from Consumers Energy in both the Home Performance and InWin programs, said RetroFoam of Michigan General Manager Eric Garcia. We look forward to continued success and helping homeowners save money on their monthly energy bills.

The Raising the Bar Award was given to RetroFoam of Michigan because they had around 67 home performance insulation jobs that got homeowners more than $40,000 in customer rebates from Consumers Energy. RetroFoam of Michigan also went from silver up to gold status and completed energy efficiency courses to continue their education and to improve the companys business knowledge.

RetroFoam of Michigan also received the Preferred Contractor Network  Outstanding Performance award due to their high customer satisfaction ratings with Consumers Energy customers. The company fills out the rebate applications for the customer, providing a good experience for the homeowner.

In 2017, RetroFoam of Michigan took home two major awards at the banquet  New Contractor of the Year in the Home Performance Category and Top Performing Contractor.

RetroFoam of Michigan has more than 15 years of experience insulating thousands of homes across the lower peninsula. The companys goal is to wow homeowners with an unheard-of contractor experience, while making their homes more comfortable and energy efficient.

Consumers Energy is Michigans largest utility, providing natural gas and electricity to residents in all 68 lower peninsula counties.I was lucky enough to be able to meet this beautiful little boy and his amazing parents. Ever since then Ive tried to do whatever I can to spread the word and help them raise the funding they need for the cure

Sabal Insurance Group is giving back to the community with a donation to Project Alive, a nonprofit with a mission to cure Hunter Syndrome. The donation will aid in funding research on gene therapy, a revolutionary approach to treating genetic diseases.

Hunter Syndrome, or mucopolysaccharidosis II (MPS II), is a rare genetic disease that is progressively debilitating, life-limiting and without a cure. It occurs almost exclusively in males and currently affects approximately 500 boys in the U.S. and less than 2,000 worldwide.

No cure exists for Hunter Syndrome. Currently, the only FDA-approved treatment on the market, enzyme replacement therapy, helps to stabilize symptoms of Hunter Syndrome, but doesnt prevent cognitive regression, meaning the child will continue to decline to an infantile state.

In 2013, gene therapy was performed on other forms of mucopolysaccharidosis with positive results, and a group of Hunter Syndrome families initiated a partnership with researchers at Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Ohio to begin research on Hunter Syndrome.

The only obstacle is the funding required for the first clinical trial for boys with Hunter Syndrome. Few companies are willing to invest in research for a disease that affects less than 200,000 people.

Project Alive aims to provide the funding required to carry out the necessary research to find a cure for the 500 boys suffering from Hunter Syndrome. To donate to the cause, click here.

About a year ago, I attended a fundraising event for Sebastian Estevez, one of the boys with Hunter Syndrome. I was lucky enough to be able to meet this beautiful little boy and his amazing parents. Ever since then Ive tried to do whatever I can to spread the word and help them raise the funding they need for the cure," said Cristina Iglesias, VP Client Services at Sabal Insurance Group.

Sabals community outreach isnt limited to Project Alive. In addition, the South Florida insurance broker is participating in the 2018 March for Cancer, a 5k run/walk to support and raise awareness of cancer. March for Cancer is the first in a series of events designed to raise awareness of cancer in general and take a step toward eliminating the disease for good. The 8th annual March for Cancer is Saturday, May 19th, at 7 a.m. at DC Alexander Park in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Founded in 2004 by Ian Norris, Sabal Insurance Group is an independent insurance broker, specializing in the development of innovative insurance solutions for both commercial and personal needs. Sabal Insurance Group is devoted to reducing clients insurance costs, while improving their insurance coverage. Sabal serves a diverse client base that spans North America, Europe, and Latin America from their headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. For more information, visit the Sabal Insurance Group website to contact the professional at Sabal.Welcome Guest! You Are Here:Welcome Guest! You Are Here:

Home Regional News EastZylofon music swiftly responded to the statement made by Willi Roi (A&R for artiste development at Zylofon music) by dissociating itself and saying it "promotes unity, progression and peaceful co-existence in the elevation of Ghanaian music."

The statement, signed by communications director Anold Asamoah-Baidoo, said "The attention of Zylofon Music has been drawn to a Facebook post by Willi Roi, A&R for Artiste Development  on Livingstone Etse Satekla (Stonebwoy), which seems to prejudice an ethnic group.

Zylofon Music, a label under Zylofon Media Limited, disassociates itself from the flippant commentary from its Executive, noting that the unfortunate post does not in any way reflect the position of the label."Stonebwoy is a Zylofon Music recording artiste and must be accorded the same level of respect shown to all the other acts signed to the label."

READ MORE: Zylofon Music to sue Stonebwoy over recent statement

"Zylofon Music promotes unity, progression and peaceful co-existence in the elevation of Ghanaian music and its purveyors, and frowns on any form of discrimination, racial hatred, ethnic or inter-ethnic hatred," the statement concluded.

But Stonebwoy has in a tweet asked the communications director to "kindly cut he press release sermon," demanding an apology from Willi Roi.He said: We are using some of the income from our oil revenue to fund the programme. I believe strongly that this is the most equitable and transparent use of the oil revenue, instead of it finding its way into the pockets of politicians and bureaucrats.

He said his government is laying a strong foundation for an educated and skilled workforce of the future, adding that we are investing in our future scientists, engineers, modern farmers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and transformation agents!

This year, the Akufo-Addo government has announced that it will spend some GH453 million ($103 million) of the countrys oil revenue on funding Free SHS, more than double the amount spent last year on funding the policy.

Addressing the gathering on the theme Enough Rhetoric: Catalysing an Era of Concrete Action, the President stated that his administration has embarked on shifting the emphasis in education to ensure that science, technology, engineering and mathematics drive all sectors of the economy.Like Lamb, hes a veteran, hes young and hes brand new to politics. And like Lamb, he has exceeded expectations in a fashion that contributes mightily to Democrats hopes for a House majority after November. If McCready succeeds in North Carolinas 9th District, which has been represented by Republicans for the last 55 years, Democrats are in a good position to win big overall.

Success is no fantasy. In the primaries on Tuesday, McCready got more votes in a two-way contest on the Democratic side than all three candidates combined on the Republican side. Whats more, hell go head-to-head in the general election not against the Republican incumbent, Robert Pittenger, who lost his primary, but against a former pastor named Mark Harris with extremely conservative social views.

Several prognosticators just changed their rating of the race from leans Republican to tossup, and the veteran North Carolina Republican strategist Paul Shumaker, who worked for Pittenger, told me: I would not be surprised if, come September or October, you dont see it rated leans Democratic.

Thats fascinating. But McCreadys race is also worth watching because of the questions it raises  and the answers it may provide  about how Democrats should run in districts that arent any hue of blue.

Like Lamb, McCready casts his military service  he led a Marine platoon in Iraq  as proof that he puts country before party. Like Lamb, he communicated quickly and early that he would not support Nancy Pelosi for speaker of the House if Democrats took back the chamber. And like Lamb, he steers away from some hot-button issues and progressive rallying cries.

When he spoke on Thursday night to the Union County Senior Democrats in the Charlotte, North Carolina, exurb of Waxhaw, he was twice pressed on whether he was prepared to impeach Trump and twice gave a studiously tempered response.

I will treat very seriously the responsibility to look at facts, he said. I know a lot of people want to talk about President Trump, but let me talk for a moment about this race and about Mark Harris.

When I had dinner afterward with him and his wife, Laura, I asked him about a few issues dear to many Democrats, especially liberal ones. A ban on assault weapons? He said that hed rather focus on background checks. A national minimum wage of $15? He has reservations. He volunteered his agreement with certain provisions in the recent tax overhaul and with some rollback of regulations.

I brought up same-sex marriage, because Harris, his opponent, led the charge against it in North Carolina. McCready didnt talk about dignity and equality. I think its been decided, he said, referring to the 2015 ruling by the Supreme Court.

McCready is among more than a dozen Democratic House candidates backed by two relatively new national groups trying to influence the 2018 election. One of them, New Politics, supports candidates with a record of national service like the military or Teach for America. Its bipartisan but has a mostly Democratic slate for the midterms.

The other, Serve America, is a Democratic PAC that is run by Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and dedicated to veterans like him, McCready and Lamb. One of the ideas behind it is that veterans can project a less partisan, petty image and perhaps do better than traditional Democrats in districts that arent blue.

Theyve learned to work with people of different backgrounds and ideologies, Emily Cherniack, who founded New Politics, explained to me recently. Their framing has been to put the country first and solve problems.

McCready has selling points beyond that, with an all-boxes-checked resume that seems impossibly long for his age, 34. He has an elite education  a bachelors from Duke, an MBA from Harvard  along with the Marines. He started a successful North Carolina company with a social conscience: It rounds up investment for solar farms.

He and Laura have four kids between the ages of 10 months and 7 years. They said that their crucial conversation before he decided to run was with their Presbyterian pastor. The restaurant that he chose for our dinner serves North Carolina barbecue at modest prices. He ate pulled pork, and when Tom Petty came over the speakers, he pronounced himself a fan.

He made clear that his dismay over the 2016 election and worry about this really dark chapter of American history were motivations for his candidacy, but also said, Im not running against President Trump. His focus, he explained, must be the bread-and-butter needs of his districts residents.

Lamb took a similar tack. In fact the most relevant, instructive thing they have in common may not be military service but the refusal to let their races be nationalized and their insistence on outsider status. Im not a politician, McCready told me, several times. This is not a career.

He even characterized Washington as  wait for it  a swamp.

I arched a brow.

I think its a pretty accurate noun, he said.

John Kibler, the president of the Union County Senior Democrats, told me, If you prayed to God for a candidate to break the stranglehold of 55 years of Republican control  God, I want the perfect candidate  it would be Dan McCready.

I asked Kibler to describe McCreadys politics. Center, Kibler said. Maybe even center-right. Thats perfect? Thats what it takes to win in this area of the state, he said.

Many national Democratic leaders agree. Despite McCreadys apostasies, he landed on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committees Red to Blue list, which directs support to especially promising candidates, last November. DCCC officials are being realists, as are the local Democrats who turned out for McCready. Theyre recognizing that a Democratic majority requires Democratic maturity.

We dont need to welcome a wider range of views if we want to keep losing, Moulton told me. But if we actually want to be a majority party, then we better embrace more Americans.

The back-and-forth about whether Democrats should be more moderate or progressive, and about how much of the party orthodoxy should prevail, is foolish. The answer differs from place to place  or at least it should at a moment when no objective matters more than containing Trump by controlling the House, the Senate or both.

McCready is a better bet for containment than any Republican elected in his stead would be. Hes a bit of a blur for my tastes, but so what? He can win. And right now thats the tastiest attribute of all.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.The Immigration Department of Malaysia said on Saturday in a post on its Facebook page that Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, had been placed on a blacklist that prevented them from leaving the country.

Mahathir said later at a news conference that he had ordered the department to bar Najib and his wife from leaving.

There are a lot complaints against him, all of which have to be investigated, Mahathir said of Najib. We had to act quickly because we dont want to be saddled with the problem of extradition from another country.

Najib wrote on social media that he would respect the decision.

In a series of messages earlier Saturday, Najib said he apologized for any shortcomings and mistakes, but did not address the scandal at the fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad, known as 1MDB, directly in his Twitter post.

He said he planned to take a short break to spend time with my family, but he did not mention news reports that said he and his wife were planning to travel to Jakarta, Indonesia, citing the leaked flight plan.

I pray that after this divisive period, the country will unite, he wrote as part of his posts on Twitter and Facebook. I apologise for any shortcomings and mistakes, and I thank you, the people, for the opportunity to lead our great nation. It has been the honour of my lifetime to serve you and Malaysia.

He has previously denied any wrongdoing in connection with 1MDB.

Malaysiakini, a news website, quoted a source close to Najib as saying the former prime minister and his wife planned to go to Jakarta for a two-day trip but would return.

A crowd of people and journalists gathered Saturday at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, where the couple were apparently scheduled to depart on a private plane. Some of the crowd peered into arriving vehicles, but there was no indication that Najib and his wife were there.

Also on Saturday, the daughter of the imprisoned opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said she expected him to be released on Tuesday.

Anwars daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar said in an interview with Channel News Asia that her father would be released and receive a full royal pardon, which would enable him to return to politics.

Anwar is a former deputy prime minister who was removed from office after falling out with Mahathir in 1998, and was then sentenced to prison for corruption and sodomy. He is now serving a five-year sentence on a second sodomy conviction. The cases against him have been called politically motivated.

During the campaign, Mahathir said winning a pardon for Anwar was one of his goals. On Friday he announced that Malaysias king said he would pardon Anwar.

At a separate news conference on Saturday afternoon, Najib announced he was resigning as president of the United Malays National Organization, the party that had governed the country since independence from Britain in 1957. He also said he was stepping down as chairman of Barisan Nasional, which had been the governing coalition until this past weeks election.

Mahathir, who previously served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003, said any wrongdoing connected with 1MDB would be investigated.

There is sufficient evidence that an investigation into certain things that have been done by the former prime minister has to be done, and if necessary the rule of law will apply, he said.

Mahathir added that the investigation would also look at whether officials had failed to fully pursue allegations in the 1MDB case. The government has to place certain restrictions on people who may be involved in wrongdoing or making wrong decisions, he said.

He added that the attorney general, Mohamed Apandi Ali, had been removed from office. At the moment, we dont have an attorney general, he said.

At the news conference, Mahathir also named his first three Cabinet ministers: Lim Guan Eng, secretary-general of the Democratic Action Party, as finance minister; Mohamad Sabu, president of the National Trust Party, as minister of defense; and Muhyiddin Yassin, a former deputy prime minister who had called on Najib to step down, as home affairs minister.

Mahathir also named a council of elders that included tycoon Robert Kuok to advise the new government.

Lim was asked by a Chinese journalist how he felt about being the first ethnic Chinese to hold his position in 44 years.

I dont consider myself as a Chinese, he responded. I am a Malaysian.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.Twenty days after the dinner, authorities in Australia charged Pell with sexual assault; he has denied the charges.

It was a no-brainer, Chmielewski said of the decision to keep Pells participation quiet. His account was confirmed by two people who were familiar with the handling of the trip, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern over retribution.

On Friday, Jahan Wilcox, an EPA spokesman, issued a statement confirming the June 9 meal took place while emphasizing that it was not a private one-on-one dinner and saying that Pruitt wasnt aware of the allegations against Pell. He also said the EPA had no knowledge that the cardinal would be attending the dinner.

However, emails obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show that as early as May 12, Pruitts scheduler, Millan Hupp, was working on plans for Pruitt to meet with Pell. Dinner with Cardinal Pell and others, an email says, proposing the dinner for June 7 and adding, Note: His 76th birthday is tomorrow.

The dinner Pell attended ultimately took place June 9 at La Terrazza, a restaurant in the five-star Hotel Eden overlooking Rome.

Pruitts trip was an official EPA visit tied to the G-7 summit in Bologna. Pruitts frequent first-class travel, including to Italy, is under investigation by the EPAs inspector general and the House Oversight Committee.

An internal debate over whether to proceed with any meeting with Pell had begun well before Pruitt left for Italy, according to three current and former agency officials. Mark Kasman, a career EPA official who helps supervise international affairs at the agency, found media reports describing the allegations against Pell and approached Chmielewski with them, Chmielewski said, urging the agency to cancel any such meetings.

Pell has been under investigation in connection with sexual abuse allegations since 2016.

Kasman, reached in Morocco where he was attending a meeting with other U.S. government officials, referred questions to the agencys Office of Public Affairs.

Pells presence at the dinner was initially revealed in EPA emails obtained by the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, this week. I am at dinner with Cardinal Pell and Mr. Pruitt, Samantha Dravis, Pruitts former policy chief, wrote the evening of the dinner to another Vatican official.

Dravis, reached Friday, said she did not know about the investigation into Pell at the time of the dinner and did not participate in any conversations or deliberations about whether the cardinals name should be left off the schedule.

At the dinner, Pruitt and Pell discussed a plan of Pruitts to stage public debates challenging the established science of climate change, the email shows.

The emails also show that much of Pruitts time in Rome was spent attending events recommended or arranged by Leonard A. Leo, executive vice president of the Federalist Society, a conservative organization that promotes limits on federal regulations. The May emails suggest that Leo was involved in planning for a dinner.

Leo did not respond to a request for comment.

Chmielewski said that a move to keep Pell off official schedules came after Pell was charged on June 29. Some senior members of the agencys leadership team agreed that it was best not to list Pells name in any official schedule the agency would release, according to Chmielewski and a second agency official. Chmielewski said that he personally shared that view.

At least four versions of Pruitts formal and detailed schedules for his week in Italy  one posted online, and three released under the Freedom of Information Act  have been obtained by The New York Times. Two of them list individual attendees at the dinner, including Pruitt and his chief of staff, Ryan Jackson. None include Pells name.

Chmielewski joined the EPA in 2017 after working on Republican presidential campaigns. Earlier this year, he said, he was fired from the agency for challenging Pruitts spending decisions. Pruitt faces 11 investigations into his spending and management practices at the agency. Pruitt testified to Congress recently that Chmielewski resigned.

Jackson said that neither he nor the administrator was informed about the investigation into Pell before the trip. He also said discussions about leaving Pells name off the schedules never took place.

The only ever conversation that happened was, Hey, these schedules change so quickly that we need to be really diligent about keeping the records of what actually happened,' Jackson said. He added that he did not know why Pells name did not appear on official schedules. Documents change every five minutes, to be entirely candid with you, he said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.The shareholders of Unilever Nigeria Plc, at its 93rd Annual General Meeting, AGM, held in Lagos on Thursday, May 10, 2018, approved the sale of the unit and also ratified the payment of N2.87 billion dividends, translating to 50 kobo per share for the year ended December 31, 2017.

The company posted an increase in profit after tax of 143% to N7.45 billion in 2017 financial year, from the N3.07 billion recorded in 2016, while its operating cost dropped by six basis points (6bps) same period.

Also READ: Diamond Bank is selling off its UK subsidiary to focus on retail banking in Nigeria

Why Unilever is selling Blue Band

His Majesty Nnaemeka Achebe, Obi of Onitsha and Unilever chairman, while addressing shareholders said the Spreads sector is slowing down as consumers are turning away from margarine for healthier alternatives.

He stated that the decision to divest from the spread business is largely due to the desire by the company to boost shareholders return.

Achebe explained that Spreads Business has been under-performing globally, adding that the transaction would enable the company to focus more on other well-performing categories.

He reiterated the drive by the management for implementation of electronic dividend and electronic bonus payment in line with the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, to eradicate the incidence of unclaimed dividend and total dematerialisation of share certificates.

Laying the financial report before the shareholders, he said that the strategic initiatives and tactical plans the board and management implemented during the year yielded positive results.

Unilever Nigeria financial book  Q1 2018 report

Revenue surged by 16% to N25.817 billion in Q1 2018 from N22.17 billion recorded in Q1 2017

Food Products segment post N12.17 billion in revenue

Home care & Personal Products Care recorded N13.64 billion

Unilever makes and sells products under more than 400 brand names worldwide. In Nigeria, the company has three segments namely, the Food and Drink segment, Home and Personal Care segments.The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa on Thursday, May 10, 2018, announced the government stance about Nigerian undergraduates studying substandard Universities in neighbouring countries.

Dabiri-Erewa said the National Universities Commission, NUC, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, and the Ministry of Education had to blacklist some of these schools to save the innocent students.

Most of these institutions that Nigerian students attend in our neighbouring countries are sub-standard, we have better standard private universities in Nigeria than those schools.

That is why National Universities Commission (NUC) Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the Ministry of Education had to blacklist some of these schools to save the innocent students''.

ALSO READ: This is why industries are rejecting Nigerian graduates

On Tuesday, May 8, 2018, Pulse reported that the SSA raised an alarm that thousands of Nigerian students had their fate trapped in about 52 non-accredited universities in neighbouring countries.

She said that most of the private schools in the neighbouring countries, especially Benin Republic, with Nigerians as their main students, were sub-standard.

In a statement by her Media Aide, Abdur-Rahman Balogun on Tuesday, May 8, 2018, the SSA warned Nigerian parents against sending their children to foreign universities where containers are used as classrooms.

The statement reads in part:

Most of these institutions that Nigerian students attend in our neighbouring countries are sub-standard, we have better standard private universities in Nigeria than those schools.

That is why National Universities Commission, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and the Ministry of Education had to blacklist some of these schools to save the innocent students.

Nigerian students are being exploited in most of these countries. There is a particular country we went to that a university is being run in the portal cabin right inside a market.Anwuka while speaking at the opening of a two-day retreat organised by the National Universities Commission (NUC) said that industries are rejecting graduates from Nigerian universities because the system is no longer churning out products that can meet the needs of industries.

The Minister suggested that there is a need to introduce a re-schooling project that would serve as a bridge between the students and industries.

At what point are we breaking the jinx of our graduates not being able to meet the needs of our industries, He questioned.

Anwuka also lamented that the Students Industrial Working Experience Scheme (SIWES) programme is no longer working due to what he called inadequate supervision.

ALSO READ: FG declares tuition fees illegal in Federal Universities

How do we address this challenge, the university system is trying to get industries to be part of what we are doing. We should look at how our graduates will be able to proceed on one whole year of practice in related fields.

It is a big challenge and it remains a problem in the Nigerian university system, at what point do we find synergy, this is one of the problems the retreat needs to address,

FG declares free education in Federal Universities

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has declared tuition fees in Federal Government owned universities as illegal.

Anthony Anwuka, announced this while briefing State House correspondents after the cabinet meeting, which was presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The FEC says the laws do not allow Federal Government Universities to charge its students.She was received by an entourage led by the First Lady Mrs Fatima Jabbe-Bio, an actress herself.

The leading African actress who is one of Times 100 most influential people in the world was lauded for her past works with both the UN and her fight for Maternal health with Amnesty International in Sierra Leone.The man identified as Peter Lojok Longolangiro also arrived at the station with all five rat suspects which he accused of destroying Shillings 396, 000 he had kept in a box.

ALSO READ: Tenant allegedly damages landlords property after eviction

Peter also presented the damaged notes as proof of the destruction wreaked by the culprit rats.

Instablog9ja reports that the police referred the complainant to the Resident State Attorney for expert advice on the case, after his complaint was heard.

The Kotido District Police Commander, Alphonse Ojangole, told URN that he has never come across such a case in his 12- year of service.

Meanwhile, the Kotido Resident State Attorney, Anthony Obwonyo Jabwor, said that the case lacks merit, adding that it should only teach people, especially those in the business industry to save their monies in the bank

Despite the verdict given by the District Police Commander, Peter insisted that the UWA should pay for the damage caused by the wild rats.

According to the father-of-ten children, this incident is the tenth of similar cases in which wild animals destroyed his property without any compensation.

ALSO READ: Landlord organises soldiers to flog tenants demanding refund

Peter also noted that in 2017, he all his crops were damaged by elephants as well as other wildlife, adding that nothing was done by the UWA.

A Community warden in Kidepo wildlife reserve, Walter Odokorach, said that its unfortunate that Peter has lost his savings to the rats.Others paraded by the Command have been identified as Abolaji Safti Ojulari, Azeez Mayaki, Suleiman Babatunde, Yusuf Habeeb and Umar Yahaya.

Instablog9ja reports that the six suspects have confessed to being members of the Aiye Confraternity, adding that they have been involved in some killings and criminal activities in Ilorin, the state capital.

The state commissioner of police (CP), Aminu Saleh, while parading the suspects, said that the ex-policemans son aka Askari was arrested on Tuesday, May 8, 2018, after a manhunt for him was launched over the alleged killing of one Yemi Bayero of Ago market, Ilorin.

Saleh added that the suspect confessed to carrying out the killing along with Abolaji Safti Ojulari, Adeyi and Tiro.

The CP also stated that Abolaji Safti Ojulari of Kankatu area in Illorin. has been a notorious cultist, adding that the suspect alongside 13 of his accomplices, reportedly killed 11 people, including a notorious hoodlum Bayo Ajia, between 2016 and 2018.

He said, the suspect was arrested on May 5, 2018, after a manhunt. He has been in the commands wanted list for over two years.

"He lives at Kankatu area Ilorin where he was hiding. He confessed to be an active member of Aiye confraternity. He also named his 13 accomplices.

ALSO READ: Family of man killed on his birthday by suspected cultists cry for justice

According to the CP, 26-years-old, Azeez Mayaki, was also arrested on Tuesday, noting that the suspect had confessed to the killing of one Lateef on February 2, 2018, at Ode Alfa Nda Ilorin.

Also, one Suleiman Babatunde, male 26 of Gambari area of Ilorin was arrested after a discreet investigation linked him to the killing of one Owolabi, male at Amilegbe area of Ilorin in July 2017 with one accomplice, Olaitan, he said.ALSO READ: Is Ghanaian actor about to get married?

According to Celebritiesbuzz.com.gh, a media house in Ghana, Dumelo wedded his long-time secret girlfriend somewhere around the Spintex area of Accra, Ghana.

His fiancee, Gifty Mawunya, who has been carefully hidden all this while, has suddenly become the most discussed topic in the Ghanaian social media space.

According to the reports, Mawunya is a close friend of Nadia Buari, who is also a popular Ghollywood star. She is suspected to have played the role of matchmaker in the relationship between Dumelo and Mawunya.

Rumour also has it that Dumelo's preparation for his wedding is the reason for his reduced social media activities.

ALSO READ: Ghanaian actor urges Christians to spend quality time with God

A video of Dumelos arrival at his ongoing Traditional marriage ceremony was also shared by the media house.

Dumelo is seen rocking a Kente cloth, one of the traditional Ghanaian attires, with Military men guarding him.The spokesman of the command, SP Chike Oti, confirmed the arrest to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He, however, did not mention the names of the victim and suspects.

Oti said that the suspects had been taken to the State CID, Panti for interrogation.

He said that preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects and victim were not accredited for the election.

We confirmed that one person was killed on Saturday at Central Primary School, Oniwaya Agege.

Three persons allegedly involved in the killing have been arrested.

The suspects have been taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti for interrogations.

The victim was killed outside the venue of the APC ward election.

The victims and those arrested had nothing to do with the election as they were not accredited, Oti said.

An eyewitness, who preferred anonymity, had earlier told NAN that there was crisis at the Agege venue of the congress after reading of list of delegates allegedly favoured one camp and marginalised another.The companies include the Emzor Pharmaceuticals Ind. Ltd, Lagos, Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Limited and Bioraj Pharmaceutical Limited in Ilorin, Kwara State.

The order was lifted on Saturday, May 12, 2018, and the companies can now resume operations.

The Director-General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye gave the directive following meetings held with the companies and its directorates of Investigation and Enforcement (I&E), Drug Evaluation Research (DER) and Narcotics and Controlled Substances (NCS).

According to NAFDAC, the production of codeine syrup is to be stopped immediately until further notice while investigations continue.

"Therefore, the hold placed on the active pharmaceutical ingredient and the already made codeine syrups stands. NAFDAC will monitor the compliance", the statement said.

"All codeine products are to be recalled and the process verified through audit trail verified by NAFDAC

"Embargo has been placed on new applications for permit or renewals for the importation of codeine as an active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough preparations, i.e., NAFDAC will not issue any permit until further notice

"The companies have been charged with administrative fees that are commensurate with the respective violations", it added.

Further action

NAFDAC said that it will hold a stakeholders meeting on the codeine crisis in a few days to develop a roadmap for the supply chain distribution and the future of codeine syrup manufacturing.

ALSO READ: Katsina State Governor Masari wants tramadol banned like codeine

The agency also noted that the stakeholders meeting was in line with the pronouncements by the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, in his press release on the codeine crisis.Asake, 67, from Southern Kaduna, passed away on Friday morning, in Abuja after an illness.

Dogara said that the late cleric would be remembered for his passion for Christ and peace initiatives.

The late cleric lived a life worthy of emulation; he was a bridge builder and a man of peace since his days as the Secretary-General of Evangelical Church Winning All.

It is with a deep feeling of loss that I condole with the late reverends family.

Late Dr Asake was devout man of God, courageous leader and scholar par excellence.

The speaker prayed the Lord to grant the deceased eternal rest in his bosom.Bello also urged the Federal Government to be committed to the ongoing Zungeru Hydro Electric Power project to increase power supply especially in Niger which electricity supply was meagre.

The governor who was represented by the deputy Governor, Ahmed Ketso, gave the urge on Saturday when the Minister of State II for Power, Works and Housing, Suleiman Zarma paid him a courtesy visit in Niger.

The minister led other ministrys officials to inspect the Federal Government projects on roads, housing and power in the state.

Speaking on the challenges confronting the state, he noted that the state being the largest state in terms of landmark across Nigeria has the highest federal roads.

According to him, many of these roads are in deplorable conditions hence needed quick intervention.

The spate of construction at sight is too slow, especially in Suleja-Minna road which take commuters manyhours to pass.

The Federal Government should hasten up in the rehabilitation.

The state government has made a lot of effort to a certain area to see how the road will be motor able but still no result.

It is not only on the Minna-Suleja road, there are other roads that are unknown to you thatare not motorable within the state.

We appreciate the gesture of the government in trying to rehabilitate the road but it should be fastto achieve its aim. If there are no good roads, the economy cannot grow.

Bello noted that the road from Katcha to Baro and Mokwa-Jebba road have been in a deplorable condition and would be worst in the rainy season.

Using our financial strength to repair a federal road will affect the repair of some state roads which we still have to put in order.

I am appealing to the Federal Government, whatever agreement in between you and the contractors handling the projects in the state please consider it.

The governor expressed dissatisfaction over the manner which the indigenous contractors in the state were not being considered in the ongoing construction of the National Housing Programme (NHP).

I need the state contractors to be considered so that it will blossom the economy of the state and improve the lives of the people, he noted.

He also called on the Federal Government to be more focus on the ongoing Zungeru Hydro Electric Power project.

In the state, there are several Dams but the highest time for electricity to last is three hours or it will be rationed.

Most of our youths rely on electricity for their petty trades and businesses to thrive.

In as much as there is no light it makes the rate of crime and unemployment to be high.

The governor however appealed to the minister to covey the complaints to the Federal Government for adequate response.

Earlier, the minister had informed the governor that his visit was to assess and evaluate the housing, power and road projects in the state to boost infrastructural development.

Zarma said that the emergency repair of the collapsed Tatabu Bridge along Tegina-Mokwa-Jebba road in Niger state at 95 per cent completion level would be completed in June.

Zarma thanked the governor for his timely intervention which sustained the project when the ministry had issues with the community at initial stage of the bridge repair.

He noted that the construction of Agaie-Katcha-Baro road (Rigid Pavement) in Niger state C/No 62540 would be completed in 2018 by the GR Baulay and C Nigeria Ltd.

According to the Surveyor, the road when completed will ease the transportation of goods and services from the port thereby increased economic activities and growth.

Baro is a river port town; the road will surely be an economic booster to the state.

Zarma assured the governor that with SUKUK fund of N3.5 billion committed to the Suleja-Minna dualisation for its actualisation.Adewole said the President had insisted that Yusuf is treated in the country, adding that he was only flown to Germany for rehabilitation.

The Minister stated this while justifying President Buhari's latest trip to London, where he had gone for a medical check-up, according to the Presidency.

Adewole was speaking on a Channels Television programme, Hard Copy, which was aired on Friday, May 11, 2017.

When asked if President Buhari's continued treatment abroad is an indictment on the country's health care system, Adewole said there are other reasons responsible for the decisions of public office holders to seek medical treatment abroad.

According to him, many of them do not want their medical record in public space, adding that doctor-patient relationship is also a factor.

103 days in London hospital

President Buhari had been treated in a London hospital for nearly three months in 2017. The nature of his ailment has never been disclosed.

Earlier this week, the President flew back to London for his medicals, a few days after stopping by in the UK capital to see his doctors while he was on his way back from the US where he had met with President Donald Trump.

ALSO READ: Buhari approves new security measures to tackle Kaduna killings

This sparked criticisms, with many concerned that all may not be well with the President's health after all, more so because he has declared his intention to run for a second term in office. The decision which did not sit well with his critics who continue to declare him unfit physically and mentally.The senate had refused the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in-charge of operations and other senior police officers to represent the I-G when he was invited on April 26.

The recent claim by the Senate that the reason for inviting the I-G is to brief them on the recent killings in some part of the Country is an afterthought which can be seen from the headings of their invitation letters, ACP Jimoh Moshood, police spokesman said in Abuja on Saturday,

Moshood said that if the invitation was for him to brief the senate on strategies adopted in tackling killings in the country, it would not have been planned for a national television.

The Senates action to cover the appearance of the I-G on National Television is against National Security, unconventional and it negates global security practice,he said.

The spokesman said that the letter the senate wrote inviting the I-G clearly showed that the invitation was not about the killings but about Dino.

From the headings of the invitation letters, it is very clear that the I-G was invited on those occasions by the Senate purposely because of Senator Dino Melayes criminal indictment,he said.

Moshood said that the purported list of killings in Nigerian this year by the senate, was shocking, unfortunate and capable of worsening the security situation in the country.

It is mischievous and heinous to play politics with peoples lives; even if it is a soul.

The release is speculative and not supported by any fact. Office of the Senate President does not receive or process security report from State commands,he said.

He said that the Force as a law abiding entity would continue to uphold the rule of law in all its ramifications.He said he does not deserve to earn a salary given that he enjoys free accommodation, free transportation and free health care while the senior civil servants in the state have not been paid full salaries since 2016.

Aregbesola disclosed this on Twitter in response to a tweet by a user S. O. AbdulRahman, who expressed disbelief over the governor's statement on a live Television show.

"...However @raufaregbesola says he's not received salary as a State Governor since inception.

I want to believe I didn't hear well.

I need some assistance here

What? I'm at loss!", the AbdulRahman said.

In his response, Aregbesola confirmed that he made the statement and that it is the truth.

The Governor said, "Dear AbdulRahman,

You heard me correctly. I have not earned a dime in salary as Governor of Osun. I enjoy free accommodation, free transportation and free health care. What is the justification for earning a salary still?".

However, a retired senior medical personnel in Osun, who pleaded anonymity, told Pulse that civil servants in the state have been receiving half of their salaries since 2015, including pensioners.

"The only time we received full payment was in September or October 2017. The half payment continued till date. Only junior officers from level 4 - 7 are fully paid," the pensioner told Pulse on the telephone on Saturday, May 12.

ALSO READ: Governor Aregbesola's office to spend N22bn in 2018

The state civil servants had on Workers' Day, May 1, staged a rally in protest of the half salary they have been receiving, which they said was not even regular.A statement by the Special Adviser, Communication and Strategy to the Governor, Mr Bolaji Tunji, said the governor was pained by the disturbing news, especially coming on the heels of the conduct of the states first local government election in 11 years.

The governor, the statement said, condoled with the family of the victim and vowed to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Ajimobi said: From the intelligence reports at my disposal, the perpetrators of this heinous and condemnable crime were the recalcitrant cultists engaging in supremacy battle in Idi Oro and Ayeye areas of Ibadan who are yet to embrace our peace initiative.

That they chose to disturb the peace of the neighbourhood on the day Oyo had a very peaceful LG election across the state is regrettable.

 I was told that elections took place successfully in the polling booth closest to the scene of the incident without any hitch before the cultists struck.

I want to use this opportunity to condole with the family of the victim for the irredeemable loss. Let me again warn that those bent on scuttling the peace that we have enthroned across the state in the last seven years will live to regret their action.

I have directed the security agents to ensure that they fish out the perpetrators of the crime and ensure that they are brought to justice. I want to appeal to the good people of Oyo State to join hands with the government to sustain our hard earned peace.

Meanwhile, Ajimobi has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the council election across the state, saying he was highly impressed with the turnout of voters.

The governor cast his vote at 12:07 pm in company with his wife, Florence, at Ward 09, Unit 20, Community Grammar School, Oluyole, Ibadan.

He said that reports reaching him from 33 local governments and35 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of the state indicated that the exercise was peaceful, orderly, free and fair.

The governor expressed confidence that his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), would win in all the local governments and LCDAs in the state due to the outstanding performance of his administration in the last seven years.

Ajimobi said that his administration had enthroned peace and security since its inception, thus erasing the typecast of Oyo as a state of brigandage and violence.In a statement on Saturday, spokesman of the agency, Mr Sunday James, said the Comptroller-General, Mr Muhammad Babandede, received the news with shock.

James said the CG was taking brief on the circumstances surrounding the death of Almu, who was an Assistant Comptroller of Immigration.

He said the immigration boss was in high-level discussion with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, under whose supervision are foreign missions, over the matter.

According to him, the discussion centres on investigation of the killing with the host authorities as it borders on international diplomacy, and repatriation of the remains of the remains of the deceased senior officer.

He added that the comptroller general was in touch with the late officers family.

Almu, who was an Immigration Attache 1 in the Nigerian Mission in Khartoum, was reportedly stabbed to death in his home in the Sudanese capital on Thursday.

Reuters quoted the Sudanese police spokesman, Omar al-Mokhtar, as ruling out the possibility of the attack being an act of terrorism.

Mokhtar, according to the news agency, said police had arrested several suspects, but did not give further details.According to a statement by Mr Laolu Akande, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Vice President, Osinbanjo is expected to Abuja later in the evening.

Bio won the countrys presidential run-off election on March 31.

NAN reports that the presidents of Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Gambia have been confirmed to attend the ceremony.

Also on the lineup is a list of Nollywood stars from Nigeria, among them Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Mercy Johnson, Osita Iheme of Aki and Paw Paw fame, as well as John Okafor, betterknown as Mr IBU.

The Nigerian music sensation, Davido, is also billed to attend.

The new Sierra Leonean First Lady, Fatima Bio, who is herself into showbiz, is thought to be the host of the artists whom she has worked with in the film industry.

There will be government delegations from other countries outside Africa, notably the U.S., where President Donald Trump last week named a delegation headed by the head of Peace Corps to fly to Freetown to partake in the event.

The inauguration comes a little over a month after Bio was sworn onto office following his electoral victory on March 31.Alhaji Mohammed Tunde-Jimoh, the Executive Secretary of the Board, gave the warning while speaking with newsmen in llorin during the sensitisation programme for the intending pilgrims.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the sensitisation programme, which was second in its series was attended by hundreds of the intending pilgrims from all the 16 Local Government areas of the state.

The Executive Secretary while speaking with newsmen re-emphasised that the board had not designate any agents or corporate bodies to collect Hajj fare on its behalf.

He said that the board would not be held responsible or refund Hajj fares paid to dubious elements in any part of the country.

Tunde-Jimoh disclosed that 1,300 intending pilgrims had paid part of the Hajj fare out of 2,200 seats allocated to the state by the National Hajj commission of Nigeria.

He expressed optimism that the allocated seats would be completed as the National Hajj commission of Nigeria has extended period for payment till end of May.

The Executive Secretary warned that the law prohibiting pregnant women from performing hajj with the board was still in force and warned intending pilgrims who are carrying pregnancy to desist.

He also cautioned intending pilgrims against involving in drug trafficking, stating that two scanning machines have been installed at the llorin lnternational Airport to detect any suspected drug barons.

He warned the intending pilgrims to shun all acts capable of tarnishing their image, the state and the country at large.Bello said this in reaction to reports that OBJ and his group, Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) has adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its political platform.

He said We are going to retire these old and bad politicians in 2019. It is just like the President said, if we dont kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria. So also, if we dont retire these old and bad politicians, good politicians will be sent away.

According to Independent, he said Let us see who they will present to contest against President Mohammadu Buhari, our God given leader, whom US President Donald Trump even referred to as sir.

Bello brags

Governor Bello also bragged saying that other states in Nigeria has so much to learn about politics fromKogi state.

He said They call us green horns. But let them come to Kogi state and learn how politics is being done. I can assure that the rest 35 states of the nation has so much to learn from our state in the conduct of our congresses.

Senate Vs Yahaya Bello

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state came under heavy backlash recently on the floor of the Senate.

Senator Ahmed Ogembe alleged that thugs loyal to the Governor disrupted an empowerment programme he was holding in his constituency, Kogi Central.

In his reaction, Abia lawmaker, Enyinnaya Abaribe said that "Yahaya Bello behaves like a little Hitler"

The deputy Senate leader, Bala NaAllah also described Governor Bello as a threat to Nigerias democracy.

Senator Dino Melaye also accused the Kogi state Governor of planning to poison him using men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Governor Yahaya Bello has severally declared his loyalty for President Buhari.It was learnt that the fake delegates did not have the required identification of eligible delegates.

Some cash totalling N158,000 was reportedly recovered from them, and one of them also concealed charm wrapped in a red cloth under his clothing.

The suspected thugs were handed over to security operatives present at the venue of the primary in Ado-Ekiti.

ALSO READ: Oshiomhole will be the kind of chairman APC needsSome 784,000 people are registered to vote across 13 municipalities and voters turned out early to cast their ballot.

"I am proud because today I have made my choice. I choose Fretilin because it has a good program to move the country forward," voter Leni Fernandes said.

Political parties on the tiny half-island nation of 1.2 million people made their final pitch to voters this week, wrapping up a fractious campaign.

Violent clashes broke out last weekend between supporters of the Fretilin party and backers of the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT) led by former president and independence hero Xanana Gusmao.

Despite a relatively peaceful election in July, some analysts have warned the charged political environment could lead to unrest this time around.

"There are concerns given the vitriol that has accompanied the campaigning, that once the results are known one of the two main groups is going to be very disappointed and there may be trouble," Damien Kingsbury, coordinator of the Australia Timor-Leste Election Observer Mission, told AFP.

Parliament was dissolved and new elections called amid tensions between former prime minister Mari Alkatiri's minority government and the opposition centred around Gusmao's CNRT.

Alkatiri's Fretilin party, which narrowly won last July's poll, collapsed after its bid to introduce a policy programme and new budget were thwarted by a hostile opposition.

The parliamentary election will determine the choice of prime minister for the former Portuguese colony.

Chosen by the winning party or a coalition of parties in parliament, the prime minister the most influential political figure, as the presidency is largely ceremonial but can help keep the peace between feuding politicians.

Fretilin and the three-party Parliamentary Majority Alliance (AMP) led by the CNRT are expected to dominate polls again.He said "six Syrian soldiers and 21 foreign fighters, including 11 Iranians" were among the dead.

That updates the monitor's initial toll of 23, which did not specify the number of Iranians.

"The new report is due to the death of wounded or missing persons whose deaths have been confirmed," Abdel Rahman said.

Israel says it struck dozens of Iranian targets inside Syria early on Thursday in response to a salvo of rockets allegedly fired by Iranian forces into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had "crossed a red line" and that Israel's bombardment against targets in Syria was "a consequence".

The Jewish state has long warned it will not accept Iran entrenching itself militarily in neighbouring Syria, where the Islamic Republic backs Assad's regime in the country's seven-year civil war.

Israeli forces have been blamed for a series of recent strikes inside Syria that have killed Iranians, though it has not acknowledged those raids.They may report on the progress of their talks as early as Sunday to President Sergio Mattarella, who could then nominate the new prime minister on Monday. That person is unlikely to be either Salvini or Di Maio.

On Friday Italian media reported Di Maio's political advisor Vincenzo Spadafora speaking of a tight team with "less than 20 ministers", but no names have been revealed.

The composition of the government team will be influenced by the number of seats held by M5S, which is more than Salvini now that he will take part in this proposed government separately from the right-wing coalition that won 37 percent of the vote on March 4.

'Significant progress'

On its own, the League picked up 17 percent, while the M5S is by far Italy's largest single party after conquering nearly 33 percent of the electorate.

"We are making significant progress on the government programme by finding broad points of convergence on issues that are important to Italians," said Di Maio after meeting Salvini in the lower house Chamber of Deputies on Friday.

Italian media report that both parties agree on rolling back increases to the age of retirement, while the M5S is willing to follow the League's hardline anti-immigration policies.

Salvini and Di Maio are also willing to make compromises over their flagship policies -- the League's drastic drop in taxes and the M5S's universal basic income -- which look tricky to reconcile in the eurozone's second most indebted country.

Spadafora emphasised the M5S's desire for Italy "to stay in the euro and in Europe," despite wanting to rediscuss "some treaties."

The EU is one of Salvini's favourite targets, with the 45-year-old making alliances across Europe with other anti-union figures like Viktor Orban and Marine Le Pen.

Warning

Salvini's possible entry into government has attracted attention in Brussels, and Mattarella, who alone has the power to appoint the executive, warned the parties against nationalism.

"To think that we can get by alone is a pure illusion or, worse, a deliberate deception aimed to sway public opinion," Mattarella said at State of the Union conference in Florence on Thursday.

At the conference on Friday was EU parliament head Antonio Tajani, who would have been Silvio Berlusconi's prime ministerial nominee had right-wing coalition partner Salvini's League not won more votes than the 81-year-old media mogul's Forza Italia party.

"Being a good Italian also means being a good European citizen. It needs to be repeated out loud, especially now," Tajani said.

"Leaving the single currency would be shooting oneself in the foot," added Tajani, in what appeared to be a direct warning to the League."We are all ready to attend your call for dialogue at the earliest possible date, for the peace of all Nicaraguans," the letter said.

Among the bishops' conditions are the cessation of repression and the entry of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to investigate deaths that occurred during anti-Ortega protests.

In the letter, the president said he agreed with the bishops on "the necessity of ceasing the violence, intimidation and aggression against citizens."

A wave of protests began in Nicaragua on April 18, triggered by an aborted attempt to reform the near-bankrupt social security system, but quickly expanded to include a wave of grievances against Ortega, including claims of corruption and repression.

The brutality of the repression by security forces, and arbitrary arrests of protesters, has sparked national outrage and fuelled protests across the Central American nation.

On Wednesday, tens of thousands rallied against the government.

The protests pose a serious challenge to the authority of Ortega, 72, who has ruled Nicaragua for the past 11 years and before that from 1979-1990."Russia can now go ahead at full speed," he added.

Russia and Iran once had difficult relations, but have seen ties improve since the end of the Cold War.

While Tehran was shunned by the international community in the 1990s, Moscow agreed to resume the construction of the Bushehr Iranian nuclear plant that Germany had abandoned.

Russia and Iran sought to strengthen their business ties long before the 2015 agreement, despite international sanctions in place.

"European companies are more exposed to the US market, they must comply not to get into trouble. The Russians are less (exposed) and have less to lose," said Igor Delanoe, an analyst at the Franco-Russian Observatory group.

He added that Russian companies continued to work in Iran "without any fuss" even when the sanctions were in place.

"They are used to working within legal and economic constraints. The US has systematically forced Iran to turn more towards Russia and China."

The situation could revitalise Russian-Iranian economic ties that have been losing ground in recent years despite the involvement of Russian nuclear and oil giants in the Middle Eastern country.

According to Delanoe, bilateral trade amounted to $1.7 billion in 2017, down 20 percent from the previous year and well below the more than $3 billion in the late 2000s.

Moscow 'is not scared'

On a visit to Tehran on Thursday, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said the two countries intended to continue "all round economic cooperation."

"We are not scared of sanctions," Ryabkov said.

This echoes statements from China, which has also said it wanted to continue normal business ties with Iran and is currently financing multi billion dollar infrastructure and electricity projects in the country.

"Russia wants to sell steel, transport infrastructure and other manufactured goods to Iran. The less competition from the US and the EU, the better," said Charlie Robertson, an analyst at Renaissance Capital.

Igor Delanoe said that Russia had a "real role to play" in Iran's energy and electricity sectors.

Another positive sign for the Russian economy is the rise in oil prices, which rose to their highest level since 2014 after the US withdrawal from the Iran deal.

Analysts at Russia's Alfa Bank said the current tensions should maintain oil prices at a high level, which they called a "great relief for the Russian market."

For the Russian state, whose finances remain highly dependent on natural resources, this is a significant source of income at a time when President Vladimir Putin is beginning his fourth Kremlin term with promises of developing Russia's economy and reducing poverty."The result is a coalition that rather goes against their nature," said Denis Bauchard, Middle East expert at the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri) in Paris.

As well as abandoning the nuclear agreement, Trump has controversially decided to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem -- a nod to Israel and and affront to Palestinians who claim part of the contested city.

"Trump has decided to give complete, unreserved satisfaction to the Israelis," said Agnes Levallois, vice-president of the Mediterranean and Middle East research institute IREMMO.

Israel launched strikes against Iranian targets in Syria on Thursday, alleging that Iranians had fired rockets at its positions. Iran denied the claim.

Any such action by Iran is a red line for Israel -- and therefore for Washington too.

Saudi influence

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for his part, wants his country to play a major role in the Gulf region and beyond.

He does not wish to see Tehran muscle in, says Hasni Abidi, director of the Study and Research Center for the Arab and Mediterranean World (CERMAM) in Geneva.

Joining Trump in denouncing an accord which limited Tehran's nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief was essential for Riyadh, Abidi said.

The lifting of economic sanctions under the deal was designed to boost the Iranian economy, allowing the country "to flourish on the regional and international stage", prompting Saudi concern.

Israel meanwhile said the accord failed to guarantee that Tehran would not ultimately develop nuclear weapons, having spent recent years developing a ballistic missiles programme.

Defenders of the accord insisted it could keep Iran's nuclear ambitions under wraps in the medium term.

Israel's strikes on Thursday sent a message to Tehran, says Levallois: "Now go home, desist from being (militarily) present in different theatres and in particular on the border with Israel."

Careful timing

The timing of the Israeli strikes, two days after Trump's announcement that he was abandoning the nuclear accord, was telling.

"The Israelis have chosen this moment to strike as they know Iran cannot respond militarily if it insists on saving an accord, which for it, is very important both in economic and political terms," said Abidi.

Under Trump, the US approach moves away from multilateral diplomacy encouraging instead the "use of force or the threat of it," in the region, notably from Israel.

French presidential officials say Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called on European signatories to help keep the deal afloat.

In a phone call on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron told Rouhani, however, that Paris ultimately wants to see an expanded accord dealing with Iran's ballistic missile development and its involvement in several Mideast crises.

Slide to conflict?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Thursday of the threat of a potential slide towards outright conflict in the Middle East.

Abidi believes neither Israel nor Iran want war.

Bauchard said Iran will exercise a "certain prudence to avoid an escalation which they could not counter."

Levallois says that while the situation could degenerate, "I do not think the Iranians will run the risk of entering a military confrontation with Israel as they know full well they would not win."

Even so, an escalation could result if the accord putting Iran's nuclear ambitions on hold for at least a decade becomes moribund.

One French diplomat warns that "If Iran had nuclear weapons it is clear that could unleash a major proliferation crisis ... opening a Pandora's box."By Naadiya Adams In the wake of South Africas July unrest, many people were arrested and incarcerated. A young man by the name of Mohammed Saleh Ahmed was one of them. He has been behind bars for around 45 days now. Radio Islam spoke to Moulana Abed Khan from Verulam...QUIZ: Guess the Road Songs

We can't wait to get back on the road again! Play this quiz and see if how many you can get right!The AM Show

Ryan Bridge: When the polls say we're sick of it, lockdowns will end - and the Govt won't care if we're 5pct off some myFind a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale

Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada.

Search Real EstateDarlene Cary's path is the epitome of the American dream. The business she built is celebrating its 5th year of American manufacturing. The history of Can Can Concealment reads like a series of events which happened at the right time and to the right person to make such a company successful.

For its five year anniversary, Can Can Concealment released the following press release, which is a good lesson in grabbing opportunity by the horns:

ODESSA, FL. Feb. 2013  Darlene Cary, Founder & Executive Officer of Can Can Concealment, LLC, encourages women to pursue product ideas that they are passionate about. In November 2012, after a 40-hour handgun training course, Darlene went to several gun stores to look for a concealed carry holster and was surprised at the lack of options. Who better to provide solutions to womens needs than a woman? Thats when she designed a holster for herself and Can Can Concealment was born.

Shes been sewing professionally since the age of 14, is an award-winning costume designer, author, and sewing educator. Darlene was regularly seen on national television for over 18 years and is trained in European tailoring and couture. It makes sense that a single idea would grow into a line that includes a size for every woman, a style for every gun and a holster for every wardrobe choice!

Her son George Cahill left his career as a cruise ship entertainer to help her with the family owned and operated business in 2014. We never would have made it this far if George didnt jump on board four years ago, she recalls with gratitude. Today George wears many hats including generating ads, graphics, IT and websites, attends trade shows and account management.

In addition to encouraging women to take responsibility for their own safety, Cary states that sourcing their raw materials and keeping manufacturing in the USA is an important part of Can Cans mission. She said, Manufacturing on our own shores and creating American jobs is a big part of what motivates me to go to work every day!

Cary combined her love of shooting and sewing to produce a remarkably secure, comfortable and stylish line of holsters for women. What began as a backyard hobby has grown into a manufacturing business that supplies the predominantly womens line to over 225 gun stores both domestic and Internationally. Darlenes grassroots approach through social media has women requesting their local Gun Stores to stock the Can Can Brand. Speaking about her customers Cary says, Its women like our Can Can Gals that make what we do worthwhile!Hlebinsky, who previously worked at the Smithsonian is exactly the kind of ambassador the shooting community needs. Torrentially well informed, passionate to the point of geekery, and blessed with a wicked sense of humor, she can swill whiskey and smoke cigars while holding forth on black powder muskets until your eyes glaze over. Spreading the gospel of responsible firearms ownership has never been more important, and being able to demystify an inanimate object while educating the public about its role in the nations history goes a long way toward countering negative publicity.

This week, Ashley tells us about a lever action shotgun. The shotgun was designed by Oliver Fisher Winchester.

Do you have a question for Ashley about anything shes discussed this week or even about some of the little-known things she loves? Want to see more Ashley Updates? WATCH HEREThis year, the Vortex Extreme will be held at the Wyoming State Fairgrounds on August 10th and 11th, 2018. The Vortex Extreme is known for its difficult courses of fire and a physically challenging aspect that isn't seen in many other matches. Fifty teams will compete by navigating mountain terrain over the distance of seven miles and engage targets between 400 and 1760 yards.

Wyoming Governor Matt Mead's office released:

th and 11th, 2018. CHEYENNE, Wyo. Governor Matt Mead is pleased to announce the State of Wyoming and the Wyoming State Fair will be hosts of the 2018 Vortex Extreme  a hunting inspired, team based shooting competition where endurance and accuracy meet. Vortex Optics, Strategic Match Design and The Wyoming Department of Agriculture have collaborated to bring this event to the Wyoming State Fairgrounds August 10and 11, 2018.

Teams of two carrying bolt action or modern sporting rifles will navigate mountain terrain and shoot multiple targets from distances of 400 yards up to 1 mile. The Vortex Extreme will headquarter at the State Fairgrounds and competition will take place on the spectacular Wagonhound Ranch above Douglas, Wyoming.

The spirit of this event sets it apart said Governor Matt Mead, Hunters and long range shooters challenge themselves, hone their skill and have a good time doing it. I am pleased that Vortex and Strategic Match Designs have partnered with the Wyoming State Fair and the Wagonhound Ranch for this world class event.

From long range hunters, to Precision Rifle Series competitors to military and law enforcement snipers  we all love shooting said Mark Boardman of Vortex Optics. This event is about great comradery, helping one another improve and a shared a passion for long-range shooting.

I want to thank the Wagonhound for hosting this years course, said Governor Mead. Events that support partnerships of private landowners and quality companies create opportunities for everyday sportsmen and sportswomen, agriculture and the state.

Teams can sign up and find more information on the Vortex Optics website, at: https://practiscore.com/vortex-extreme-invitational-2018-by-smd/registerPorterville, CA (93257)

Today

Cloudy and damp with rain this morning...then becoming partly cloudy. High 66F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

A clear sky. Low 46F. Winds light and variable.Sanjeev Gupta of Liberty House, a global supplier of metals and engineering solutions, who has emerged front-runner for a number of stressed companies, plans to fund a string of companies through a mix of equity and debt.

When Sanjeev Gupta left Ludhiana, Punjab, in the early 1980s to study in the UK as an 11-year-old, not many would have thought he would return three decades later to emerge as the biggest saviour of multiple Indian companies facing insolvency proceedings in Indian courts.

Today, 46-year-old Gupta-owned Liberty House is a strong contender to take over auto parts maker Amtek Auto, ship builder ABG Shipyard and steel companies Bhushan Power & Steel and Adhunik Metaliks.

While litigation in these insolvency cases will take some time to resolve and one can expect more surprises on the way, Gupta has made sure that his voice is heard among the big boys of corporate India, which are also vying for some of these companies.

"India is at the cusp of a historic clean-up and meteoric growth. These companies have limitless opportunities," said Gupta in a reply to email. "These companies fit into our strategies, including green steel from ship-breaking, melting and auto integrated steel," he added.

Gupta first made news in India in 2016 when he took over two closed plants of Tata Steel UK. By November that year, Gupta went ahead and negotiated the acquisition of Tata Steel's loss-making speciality steel business for 100 million pounds. The business employed around 1,700 people, and the transactions saved many jobs in the UK, making him a local hero of sorts.

Gupta had emerged as the white knight for Tata Steel after the century-old company decided to sell its UK assets. "The Tatas realised that they made a wrong call in taking over Corus at a huge premium and with financial hemorrhage, there was no other way out but to sell assets. And that's when Gupta stepped in, to buy a few steel mills in the UK," said a former director of Tata group.

Tata's steel mills were not the only assets that Gupta picked up. Over the years, Gupta, left, has acquired many beleaguered companies in Europe, including a stake in a bank.

However, some bidders have raised objections that Gupta should not be allowed to bid for Indian companies since he defaulted on a $3 million loan to Exim Bank. Both the resolution professional and Liberty House are taking legal advice on this. This due has been cleared, said a banker. However, in the case of ABG Shipyard, lenders now plan to open discussion with the second-highest bidder.

Lenders of Adhunik are also seeking directions from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on whether to accept Liberty House's offer.

In Bhushan Power & Steel, which collapsed due to Rs 490 billion debt, the resolution professional had already announced that Tata Steel was the highest bidder. But Liberty House moved the NCLT to make a late bid and was allowed.

Liberty House's bid was Rs 15 billion higher than Tata Steel's. Lenders now expect more delay in the resolution after Liberty House's bid.

"The Tatas would fight for this asset as it fits in their overall strategy. How Liberty House fights back and how much money it can bring to the table is to be seen," said a lender on the condition of anonymity.

Gupta said Liberty House would fund these acquisitions through a mix of equity and debt, and it would be asset-specific.

"Our first big step into India is with a $5 billion investment and some 50,000 employees," Gupta said on the assets that Liberty House has bid for.

Note: Lead image used only for representational purpose. Photograph: Reuters'Till we are able to understand this reality of what is happening to our fellow citizens today in 2018, it would be hypocrisy to continue to teach in our textbooks about the great atrocity of 1919,' argues Aakar Patel.



IMAGE: A mural of the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre. Photograph: Vaihayasi Pande Daniel/Rediff.com

Ninety nine years ago, in April 1919, the massacre of Jallianwala Bagh happened.

We are all taught in school of the details. An officer named Colonel Dyer (later brigadier general) ordered 90 soldiers, 65 Gurkhas and 25 Punjabis from the Baloch regiment to open fire on a crowd in Amritsar.

The soldiers fired with their Lee Enfield .303 rifles, stopping to reload every few seconds.

In about 10 minutes, the Indian soldiers fired over 1600 bullets into the unarmed crowd.

The government said the crowd had gathered there in violation of orders, and the official number said that 379 people were killed and over 1,100 wounded.

The Congress said that more than 1,000 people were killed, and we will never know the exact number.

I find it hard to believe that the official number was wrong, for several reasons. Anyway, the story shocked the world and Rabindranath Tagore gave up his knighthood.

Many of us will know that the crowd was protesting against the Rowlatt Act. What was so problematic about it?

The Rowlatt Act said that any Indian could be detained without trial.

This was preventive detention, meaning that the government would hold any citizen in jail without any crime having been committed.

Essentially, it means that if someone inside the government suspects that a citizen might commit a crime later, that citizen can be put in jail.

Indians were outraged by such a law and one Lahore newspaper described the Rowlatt Act with the headline: 'No dalil, no vakil, no appeal'. That is a good description of what preventive detention is.

This then is the background to the Jallianwala Bagh event and this is the nature of the law for which so many of our fellow citizens were protesting and were killed.

They felt the colonial government was wrong to jail Indians without charge or trial and it is difficult to see why they were wrong in protesting.

Because of Jallianwala Bagh, the Rowlatt Act's provisions were not fully implemented.

That was 99 years ago, under a colonial government. Let us turn to the present.

In November 2017, the Uttar Pradesh government jailed the Dalit leader Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan without a case. He was booked under the National Security Act.

Under the NSA, Chandrashekhar Azad does not have any of the human rights protections that are part of ordinary criminal procedure and fair trial standards.

He can be jailed for 12 months without charge or trial.

On his release, if he is released, he can be put back again under some other detention law.

Chandrashekhar Azad's term of administrative detention expired a few days ago on May 2.

On that day, a non-judicial 'advisory board' established under the NSA, put him in jail for another six months.

Instead of promising to have lunch with Dalits, it would be better if our leaders promised to treat them fairly and not use laws against them that are a basic violation of Constitutional rights.

The high court has also refused to release Chandrashekhar Azad.

Remember that he has not been charged with any crime.

This is preventive detention and in the past the Supreme Court has itself called the preventive detention laws 'lawless laws'.

There are many laws like the NSA under which the Government of India and our various states detain Indians that they may not personally like or disagree with.

We are doing to our people what even the colonial government hesitated to do. There is no problem getting Indian judges and bureaucrats to do this to their fellow Indians.

The reason I mentioned the detail of the shooting of 1919 was to reiterate that it was fellow Indians, Gurkhas and Punjabis, who actually took aim and pulled the triggers that killed so many of us in that peaceful protest.

The National Security Act sounds like a serious piece of legislation intended to save India from a security threat, but the government is not holding Chadrashekhar Azad for fear of any terrorism.

Indeed, most of our preventive detention laws have nothing to do with terrorism.

Gujarat can jail its citizens under the Gujarat Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act.

Karnataka has the Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act (popularly known as the 'Goondas Act').

Periods of possible detention under state laws range from six months to two years.

Authorities can impose preventive detention for a range of activities in different states, including boot-legging, land-grabbing and even video piracy.

Tamil Nadu had 1,268 such people in jail in 2016, of whom 62 were either graduates or post-graduates, and 21 were women, according to a report in The Hindu.

The National Crime Records Bureau for 2015 showed that Telangana had detailed 339 Indians, Karnataka 232, and Gujarat 219.

Tamil Nadu's law is called the Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Drug offenders, Forest offenders, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders, Slum grabbers and Video Pirates Act.

The vague and open nature of the wording is absolutely deliberate.

The democratic Government of India, just like the colonial government, sees citizens as a nuisance.

It does not trust the legal system and demands to have open-ended and draconian laws that can jail us without a crime being committed.

Till we are able to understand and appreciate this reality of what is happening to our fellow citizens today in 2018, it would be hypocrisy to continue to teach in our textbooks about the great atrocity of 1919.

Aakar Patel is Executive Director, Amnesty International India. The views expressed here are his own.The journalist, who shot to fame for hurling a shoe at the then US president, calling him a dog, wants to fight corruption and rebuild Iraq.

Muntadhar al-Zaidi speaks to Subhash K Jha.

IMAGE: Muntadhar al-Zaidi is running for office in Iraq. The former journalist wants to purge the country of its corrupt politicians. Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

Almost 10 years after hurling a shoe at then United States president George W Bush in Baghdad, sparking an international row, Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi is planning a political career of his own.

Al-Zaidi, 39, is to stand for parliament in the Iraqi elections and has ambitions to become the country's leader.

In a conversation coordinated by a translator, al-Zaidi says his purpose to join politics is to fight corruption.

"I look at politics as a job or an office that serves the Iraqi people. I want to fight corruption and rebuild Iraq," he says.

About the changes he wants to see in Iraq, he says, "Justice, equality, hard work and honesty. These are the traits I want to see in my country."

"First, I have to fight corruption. I also need to expose the politicians, question them about their financial dealings and return the stolen money back to Iraq," he explains.

Recounting the incident that catapulted him to fame across the world, al-Zaidi says, "The shoe throwing incident is in the past. I certainly don't use it for mileage in my political campaign."

For the uninitiated, back in December 2008, al-Zaidi -- then a journalist -- hurled his shoe at Bush in protest at the US invasion of Iraq at a news conference in Baghdad, yelling, 'This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog.'

IMAGE: In December 2008, then US President George W Bush was making a farewell visit to the country.

While holding a press conference with then Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, Bush ducked when a shoe was hurled at him.

Muntadhar al-Zaidi was arrested. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Bush, who was making a farewell visit to the country at the time, avoided being hit by the shoe, but al-Zaidi was bundled to the ground and hustled out of the room by security personnel.

While Bush flew home, al-Zaidi was sentenced to three years in prison, which was eventually reduced to 12 months. He was released after nine months after being granted a conditional discharge.

IMAGE: After hurling the shoe at Bush, al-Zaidi was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison. Photograph: Mohammed Ameen/Reuters

Al-Zaidi wants Iraq to improve relations with India and Prime Minister Narendra D Modi.

"I don't have much information on Indian politics, but I do know that Modi has the support of the masses and is a popular leader. I hope he will provide Indians with prosperity and success."

"India and Iraq share a lot of common ground," he adds. "There is a large population of Muslims in both countries and both countries share a common history of fighting imperialism. Additionally, there are many people in Iraq named after Mahatma Gandhi."

"The journalist is the voice of the people," says al-Zaidi. "He is the one who understand people more than other professionals. This is a big chance to represent my countrymen."

The Iraqi visited Rajghat with film-maker Mahesh Bhatt during his last visit to India two years ago.

"My regards to all the amazing Indian people," says the prospective politician. "I urge them to watch the play Last Salute directed by Mahesh Bhatt."Two persons died and around fifty others, including a dozen policemen, were injured as clashes broke out between two communities in Aurangabad city in central Maharashtra on Friday night, police said.

IMAGE: A police personnel looks on as fire is set ablaze during clashes between two communities in Moti Karanja area of Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Photograph: PTI Photo

The situation was under control since Saturday afternoon, but the district administration has clamped prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure banning assembly of people and suspended Internet services, said a senior police official.

One of the deceased was a 17-year-old youth who allegedly died in police firing, while the other was a 65-year-old man who was trapped in his house when an adjoining shop was set on fire by rioters, the official said.

The rioting started in Moti Karanja area around 10 on Friday night and spread to Gandhi Nagar, Raja Bazaar, Shah Ganj and Sarafa areas, forcing police to fire in the air and lob teargas shells, the official added.

Among those injured were seven women and a dozen policemen, including an assistant commissioner of police.

Rioters set fire to around 100 shops and 80 vehicles, the official said, adding that 37 persons have been arrested for rioting and arson since Friday.

IMAGE: Rioters hurl stones and sticks during a communal riot. Photograph: PTI Photo

According to local sources, tension was brewing in Moti Karanja area for the last few days as the municipal corporation was carrying out a drive against illegal water connections.

It got a communal colour when an illegal water connection at a place of worship in the area was removed, sources added.

Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde alleged that the violence reflected a failure of the state intelligence machinery, and demanded a judicial probe into the incident.

Appealing for peace, the Nationalist Congress Party leader asked police to take local people in confidence while handling the tense situation.Last updated on: May 12, 2018 20:14 IST

In what is projected as a tight race, voting was held in 222 out of 224 seats in a three-cornered contest. Now, counting of votes will take place on May 15.

IMAGE: Two newly married couples show their ink-marked fingers after casting their votes for Karnataka assembly elections in Hubballi. Photograph: PTI Photo

The high-stakes Karnataka assembly elections saw a 70 per cent voter turnout today, the Election Commission said.

The last assembly election in 2013 had witnessed 71.4 per cent polling, it said.

The polling figure is likely to go up as some voters were still queued up at the polling stations after 6 pm.

IMAGE: Voters show their voting ID as they cast their vote for Karnataka Assembly elections in Hubballi on Saturday. Photograph: PTI Photo

In what is projected as a tight race, voting was held in 222 out of 224 seats in a three-cornered contest among the ruling Congress, the BJP and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's Janata Dal- Secular.

Over 2,600 candidates are in the fray-- more than 2400 men and and over 200 women. There are a total of 5,06,90,538, voters of whom 2,56,75,579 male voters, 2,50,09,904 female and 5,055 transgender voters.

Counting of votes will take place on May 15.

IMAGE: Sending a message of women empowerment, 450 all-women managed 'pink booths' called 'Sakhi' were set up in the election. Photograph: PTI Photo

Voters turned up in large numbers in the city and were seen standing in long queues to cast their franchise in the early hours in pleasant weather with rainfall last evening bringing down the temperature.

Senior citizens were seen in good numbers standing in queues at various polling stations.

IMAGE: An elderly man outside a polling booth after casting his vote in Bengaluru. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

State BJP chief and party's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa, and Pradesh Congress Committee chief G Parameshwara were among the first to cast their votes at Shikaripura in Shivamogga and Yaggere in Tumakuru respectively.

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda along with wife Chennamma cast their votes at Paduvalahippe in Hassan district.

The seer of a prominent Lingayat seminary Siddhaganga Mutt, Sri Shivakumara Swamiji, said to be 111-years-old, also cast his vote at a booth near the mutt premises.

Cricketer Rahul Dravid, the state election icon, another cricketer Anil Kumble, film actors Ramesh Arvind, Ravichandran and scion of Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar were among the early voters.

IMAGE: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his son Yatindra cast their vote in Varuna. Photograph: @siddaramaiah/Twitter

Technical glitches in electronic voting machines delayed polling at several places in Bengaluru.

A bride in Madikeri cast her vote in wedding attire before attending the marriage ceremony.

At some places, "Thank You" cards were given to voters for exercising their franchise.

IMAGE: BJp's chief ministerial candidate shows his inked finger after casting his vote. Photograph: @BSYBJP/Twitter

From all-women managed 'Pink Booths' to the use of third generation electronic voting machines, the assembly elections in Karnataka a;so witnessed many firsts.

The country's IT hub saw electoral authorities initiate a slew of initiatives targeting a voting percentage of 75.

As the outcry about the alleged vulnerability of the EVMs to tampering grew louder, the Election Commission has come up with the 'M3 EVMs' that are tamper proof and stops when attempts are made to meddle with it.

IMAGE: JD-S state president H D Kumaraswamy and his wife Anitha Kumaraswamy show their inked fingers after casting their votes from Ramnagar. Photograph: PTI Photo

On a pilot basis, the Election commission chose five assembly constituencies in Bengaluru -- Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Shivajinagar, Shanthinagar, Gandhi Nagar and Rajaji Nagar in Bengaluru.

However, election to the Rajarajeshwari Nagar has been deferred owing to large scale malpractices and a row over seizure of over 9,750 voter ID cards from a flat.

The machine, according to sources in the office of the chief electoral officer, has features like display of battery status and digital certification. The machine can report about the malfunction on its own, they said.

IMAGE: Former cricket captain Anil Kumble, along with his family, shows his finger marked with indelible ink after casting votes for assembly elections in Bengaluru. Photograph: @anilkumble1074/Twitter

In a women-oriented step, 450 "pink booths" called 'Sakhi' have been set up.

Sending a message of women empowerment, they are entirely managed by women, right from the returning officer to the security personnel, the sources said.

Adding a riot of colours, the EC has set up ethnic polling booths in Mysuru, Chamarajnagar and Uttar Kannada districts where polling booths match the lifestyle of tribal masses living there.

Like in every election, each booth is equipped with facilities such as wheelchairs for the differently-abled to exercise their franchise easily.

IMAGE: Union Minister Ananth Kumar with his family show their inked finger after casting their ballot in Bengaluru. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

In one of the most bitter electoral battles the state has ever seen, the ruling Congress and the BJP went all out to woo voters during their acrimonious campaign that saw the top leaders of both parties criss crossing the state.

Election for the Jayanagara seat in Bengaluru has been countermanded following the death of BJP candidate and sitting MLA B N Vijaykumar.

IMAGE: The scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, waits in a queue to cast his ballot in Mysore. Photograph: PTI Photo

The Election Commission has also deferred the polls for Rajarajeswari Nagar constituency to May 28 after a massive row erupted over a large number of voter ID cards being found in an apartment.

Over 2,600 candidates are in the fray-- more than 2400 men and and over 200 women.

IMAGE: An elderly woman being taken to cast her vote during polling day for the Karnataka assembly election 2018. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

The total voters including service electors according to the 2018 final rolls are 5,06,90,538, of whom 2,56,75,579 male voters, 2,50,09,904 female and 5,055 transgender voters.

Officials said 58,008 polling stations have been set up across the state, of which 12002 have been designated as "critical", with over 3,50,000 polling personnel on duty.

IMAGE: BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar casts his vote. Photograph: ANI/Twitter

Police had made elaborate security arrangements for the smooth conduct of polls.

"82,157 people have been deployed for poll duty that includes DSPs, home guards and civil defence, and forest guards and watchers," Karnataka DGP Neelamani N Raju said.

IMAGE: janata Dal-Secular's HD Deve Gowda, his wife Chennamma Deve Gowda flash their finger after voting. Photograph: ANI/Twitter

It also includes about 7,500 personnel from states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Kerala and Goa, she said, adding, central forces have been deployed.However, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said that Modi's visit to Nepal was decided soon after K P Sharma Oli's election as the prime minister in February.

The Congress on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to influence voters in Karnataka on the polling day through his temple visits in Nepal.

Modi on Saturday prayed at Nepal's iconic Muktinath temple that is regarded sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists, becoming the first world leader to offer prayers there.

He also offered prayers at the Pashupatinath temple, located on the banks of the Bagmati river. The Pashupatinath temple is regarded as the most sacred and oldest temple of Shiva (Pashupati) in Nepal.

Polling is underway in 222 out of 224 seats in Karnataka which is witnessing a three-cornered contest.

Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot alleged that the prime minister had timed his visit to the Himalayan nation on the Karnataka poll date, and was "giving a message to Hindus" in the southern state.

Alleging violation of the model code of conduct, he said Modi's temple visits in Nepal were being aired on the day of polling in Karnataka.

This is not a good tradition in a democracy. In Gujarat also, he held a road show after voting. Today, he has adopted a new path. When Karnataka is polling today, he has gone to Nepal and is worshipping in temples there, as he could not do so in the southern state due to elections," Gehlot said.

The AICC general secretary said Modi, through his temple visits, was giving out a message to voters in Karnataka of how religious he was and that he was a Hindu.

"If one asks him (Modi), no other person is Hindu, except the BJP and RSS people, besides him and Amit Shah," he said.

On the Nepal visit being planned earlier, the former Rajasthan chief minister reiterated that the prime minister had timed his Nepal visit to coincide with the Karnataka polls.

However, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Nepal was decided soon after K P Sharma Oli's election as the prime minister.

Responding to a question at a press meet, Gokhale said Prime Minister Modi had telephoned Prime Minister Oli, who was sworn to the post on February 15, to congratulate him and the visits were discussed then.

"When Prime Minister Modi had telephoned Prime Minister Oli upon his election as the prime minister of Nepal, they had discussed the visit then. Prime Minister Oli had then expressed his desire for an early visit by Prime Minister Modi. They had discussed the visits, and the Prime Minister (Modi) had said you (Oli) come first.

"So that's how the sequence has been, first Prime Minister Oli visited India and now Prime Minister (Modi) is in Nepal," Gokhale said.

Oli had visited India in April.

On questions over the timing of the visit which coincides with the high-stake Karnataka assembly election, he said, "whenever state visits take place they are decided as per the convenience of the two nations. No one prime minister alone can say that I will come at this time."

"So, don't focus on the dates, but focus on the content of this visit," the foreign secretary said.

Modi arrived in Kathmandu yesterday on a two-day visit and held discussions with Oli on strengthening ties between the two neighbouring countries.

During the visit, the prime minister also offered prayers at the famed 20th century Janaki temple, the Mukhtinath and Pashupatinath temples and attended a civic reception at Janakpur.Yeddyurappa lacks the Karnataka BJP's unqualified support and Shah knows that.

Karnataka is Shah's test case, just as Madhya Pradesh was for his mentor Modi in 1998.

Radhika Ramaseshan reports.



IMAGE: B S Yeddyurappa, former Karnataka chief minister. Photograph: PTI Photo

B S Yeddyurappa may be the Bharatiya Janata Party's declared chief ministerial candidate for the Karnataka assembly election 2018, but his position is by no means as secure as Sarbananda Sonowal's when the latter was positioned for the top job before the Assam state election.

The shadow of former Congressman Himanta Biswa Sarma -- who has since become the BJP's ace strategist in the north east -- loomed large over Sonowal. But Prime Minister Narendra D Modi and BJP President Amit A Shah went out of their way to ensure that Sarma did not become a threat to Sonowal.

In the BJP, Yeddyurappa is being compared with Prem Kumar Dhumal.

Like him, Dhumal was projected as the CM face in the recent Himachal Pradesh election, but he embarrassingly lost his own seat, and thereby the race, to a younger person, Jai Ram Thakur.

Dhumal was just two years short of 75, the cap that Modi and Shah have set for those aspiring to hold an office in the party or government.

Yeddyurappa is a little over 75, but his caste antecedent as the leader of the powerful intermediate caste of Lingayats recommended him for the CM's position.

Yeddyurappa lacks the Karnataka BJP's unqualified support and Shah knows that.

He and his political associate of long years, Shobha Karanladje, a Lok Sabha MP from Udupi-Chikmagalur at present, have been accused of working 'unilaterally' by allegedly drawing up the candidates' lists for the election without consulting Delhi or their Karnataka colleagues.

On a recent visit to the state, Shah chided the Yeddyurappa-Shobha duo for going public with the names of some candidates.

Karnataka is Shah's test case, just as Madhya Pradesh was for his mentor Modi in 1998.

Then a BJP general secretary, Modi was appointed an MP minder before the assembly elections were held in MP that year, with a specific brief that he would have to reconcile the inner party feuds triggered by the regional colossuses of that period who were Sunderlal Patwa, V K Saklecha, Lakhiram Aggarwal, Kailash Joshi, Vikram Verma and Lakshminarayan Pandey -- names that may not ring a bell because most of them are dead.

Modi threw up his hands mid-way because some of these biggies campaigned and worked autonomously, even raising their resources from dubious godmen.

The BJP lost the election and Congress leader Digvijaya Singh won a second term.

In Bengaluru, Shah has more than two thin-skinned leaders to cope with. The formidable line-up includes Yeddyurappa's old rival, K S Eshwarappa, Jagadish Shettar, D V Sadananda Gowda and Ananth Kumar.

Barring Kumar, the other three have held truncated terms as chief ministers, a fact that endows them with a certain entitlement as worthy claimants to Karnataka's top job.

These veterans have competition from younger persons like Anant Kumar Hegde, a junior minister of skill development and entrepreneurship at the Centre, Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi and Mysore MP Prathap Simha.

Hegde, Joshi and Simha appropriate media space with their intemperate statements and reckless conduct as their seniors keep snapping at each other's heels.

Shah cracked the whip on December 31, 2017.

As Bengaluru partied hard, the BJP chief summoned 88 of his party people, including the MPs, MLAs and legislative council members, and asked to share the reports they were tasked to prepare on their allotted assembly seats.

He forbade them from holding political meetings at hotels and resorts, perfectly kosher in Karnataka, and emphasised that only BJP offices must be used.

Shah told the state leaders that indiscretions and misdemeanours on their part would not be countenanced and if there was negative feedback, the 'wrong-doer' would be marginalised.

However, Shah's tough talk did not stem the long-drawn antagonism between Yeddyurappa and Eshwarappa that nettled the central leaders, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Karnataka party cadre.

To try and balance the two men's conflicting claims, Shah took 'disciplinary' action against two each of their supporters. Even that didn't help.

As much a personality clash, the Yeddyurappa-Eshwarappa face-off has a caste element.

Eshwarappa is from the Kuruba backward caste, like Chief Minister Siddharamaiah of the Congress.

But unlike Siddharamaiah, a former Socialist who has rallied around the backing of the other backward castes, Dalits and the minorities and embedded the pieces on a complex caste mosaic, Eshwarappa has a limited appeal even among his caste of shepherds.

To bolster his political standing, in 2016, Eshwarappa launched the Sangolli Rayana brigade, named after an 18th century warrior to mobilise the support of the backward castes and Dalits.

Yeddyurappa's loyalists perceived the brigade as a parallel power centre. To Yeddyurappa's dismay, B L Santhosh, a national joint general secretary who was tasked with looking after Karnataka, encouraged Eshwarappa.

Santhosh is an RSS pracharak (whole-timer) who is not supposed to play politics. But to date, nobody from the RSS or the BJP has told him off.

That might itself signify the possibility that the Sangh is not Yeddyurappa's well-wisher and that in the end, he might plough a lonely furrow on Karnataka's politically difficult terrain.Articles Sorry, there are no recent results for popular articles.

Images Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images.A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.(Agencia CMA Latam) - The Brazilian government might need to adopt new legislation to conclude a deal with Petrobras regarding de transfer of rights area, according to the country's Planning Minister, Esteves Colnago.

"A law may be necessary at the end of the negotiation. We would have to reach an agreement with Petrobras first. After that, then we might need a law amendment, but we are still checking if that would be necessary," Colnago said, without providing further details.

The "transfer of rights" is a system that has given Petrobras the right to explore and produce up to 5 billion barrels of oil and gas in the Brazilian pre-salt layer in exchange for a company reimbursement to the federal government.

Contract values, however, are under review, as oil prices fell from almost US$ 100 to about US$ 50 a barrel since the signing of the agreement, recovering to around US$ 70 barrel as of recently.

Petrobras argues that the government should pay the company to make up for the difference. Analysts say that one way the Brazilian government could solve the dispute would be to pay Petrobras with extra oil from the "transfer of rights" area.

The government, however, argues that he owes nothing to Petrobras and should receive more payments from the company.

Negotiations between Petrobras and the government are scheduled to take place until next Thursday but could be extended for 60 days.

by Agencia CMA Latam

For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com

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What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.North Korea plans to dismantle its nuclear test site between May 23 and 25, depending on weather conditions, the state-run news agency KCNA reported, citing a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The move is to ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test, the statement said. In April, the North Korean government announced it will suspend nuclear testing and shut down its nuclear test site.

The step comes ahead a crucial summit between its leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in Singapore next month.

"A ceremony for dismantling the nuclear test ground is now scheduled between May 23 and 25, depending on weather condition," the KCNA The Nuclear Weapon Institute and other concerned institutions are taking technical measures for dismantling the northern nuclear test ground known as the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site.



The dismantling is set to start with making all tunnels of the test ground collapse by explosion. Thereafter, entries would be blocked completely and all observation facilities, research institutes and structures of guard units on the ground will be removed.

In parallel with dismantlement of the nuclear test ground, guards and researchers will be withdrawn and the surrounding area of the test ground be completely closed, the KCNA reported.

The government intends to allow not only the local press but also journalists from China, Russia, United States, United Kingdom and South Korea to conduct on-the-spot coverage, the report said.

All international journalists will be provided with charter flight from Beijing to Wonsan, and other related steps such as opening territorial air space will be taken, the KCNA reported. They will be provided special accommodation in Wonsan and a press center would be set up for their use.They will be taken to the nuclear test ground in a charter train.

"The DPRK will, also in the future, promote close contacts and dialogue with the neighboring countries and the international society so as to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and over the globe," the ministry said in the statement.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business NewsA high-stake battle for the Karnataka Assembly ended on Saturday evening, with over 35 million voting in an election crucial for the ruling Congress as well as the BJP and the JD-S.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he was "very very confident" that the Congress would retain power in the only major southern state it now rules even as officials said about 70 per cent of the over 5.06 crore electorate had voted till 6 p.m.



Voting was peaceful by and large barring a few incidents of some non-functional EVMs, missing voter names and procedural delays, an official told IANS.



All three main contenders for power -- Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) -- claimed they would win hands down.



Voting in Chikkaballapur and Ramanagara districts witnessed a record 76 per cent polling, while the average polling across Bengaluru was 48 per cent till 5.30 p.m.



The BJP's Chief Ministerial face B.S. Yeddyurappa was among the first to vote at Shikaripura in Shivamogga district. He has claimed that the BJP will secure 140-150 seats and that he will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his swearing in.



Siddaramaiah ridiculed him after voting on Saturday, saying the BJP leader was "mentally disturbed" and that the Congress was sure of bagging more than 120 seats.



JD-S chief and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, his wife Chennamma and second son H.D. Revanna cast their votes in their hometown Holenarsipura in Hassan district.



"We expect a possibility of forming the government as we have done well to get a majority," Deve Gowda told reporters.



Polling in Bengaluru's Raja Rajeshwari Nagar segment has been postponed to May 28 following the discovery of voter ID cards and cancelled in the city's Jayanagar seat following the death of BJP contestant B.N. Vijaya Kumar.



In all, voting was conducted in 26 of the 28 constituencies in the city.



Karnataka has over 5.06 crore electorate, including 2.6 crore men and 2.5 crore women. A total of 15.42 lakh voters, aged 18-19, have registered for the first time.



The highest number of voters (6.03 lakh) are in Bengaluru South and the lowest (1.7 lakh) at Sringeri in Chikkamagaluru district.



Polling was held in 58,008 stations in 30 districts, with 600 of them dubbed 'pink booths', overseen by women personnel. Over 1.5 lakh security personnel were deployed.



The vote count will take place on May 15.



In all, 2,654 candidates are in the fray, including 219 women. A total of 222 are from the Congress and BJP each, 201 from JD-S, 1,155 Independents and 800 from other national, regional and fringe parties. About 450 contestants are in the battle from Bengaluru.



Siddaramaiah is contesting from Chamundeshwari at Mysuru and Badami in Bagalkot district.



BJP's Lok Sabha member from Ballari B.R. Sriramaulu, contesting from two seats including Badami and Molakamuru (reserved) seat in Chitradurga district, on Saturday worshipped a cow and visited temples before voting.



JD-S state president and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is in the fray from Ramanagara and Channapatna seats in the old Mysuru region. Yeddyurappa is contesting from Shikaripura in Shivamogga district in Malnad region.



Siddaramaiah has fielded his son Yatindra from his hometown Varuna in Mysuru district.Exit polls on Saturday after the Karnataka assembly election predicted a hung assembly in the state with six surveys showing BJP as the single largest party and the three showing Congress in the lead.

In the tightly-fought election, the poll of exit polls predicted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may get 99 seats, the Congress 88 and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) 33.



Surveys varied in their predictions for seats for the three parties but the figures clearly indicated that the JD-S could have a decisive role in government formation.



Only the average of seats predicted by two surveys showed any party reaching halfway mark - and one survey predicted this for the Congress, another predicted it for the BJP.



Exit polls were telecast after the end of polling in Karnataka. The results will be declared on May 15.



Polling was held on 222 of 224 seats with election on two seats having been countermanded.

The ABP C Voter predicted 107 seats for the BJP, 88 for the Congress, 25 for the JD-S and four for others, while India Today-Axis predicted the BJP getting 85, the Congress 112, the JD-S 26 and others one.



Times Now VMR predicted the BJP getting 86, the Congress 96, JD-S 35 and others 3 while Republic TV-Jan ki bat predicted 104 seat for the BJP, 77 for the Congress, 37 for the JD-S and two for others.



News X-CNX predicted 106 seats for the BJP, 75 for the Congress, 37 for the JD-S and four for others.



The India TV-VMR exit poll said the ruling Congress could get 97 seats, (in a range of 90 to 103 seats), the BJP 87 seats (in a range of 80-93 seats), and the JDS-BSP alliance could get a decisive role in government formation with 35 seats (in a 31-39 seat range). 'Others', that includes independents, could win only three seats, it said.



The predictions by various surveys:



India Today-Axis My India - BJP 79-92, Congress 106-118, JD-S 22-30, Others 0

Times Now-VMR - BJP 80-93, Congress 90-103, JD-S 31-39, Others 2-4

News X-CNX - BJP 102-110, Congress 72-78, JD-S 35-39, Others 3-5

Republic TV-Jan ki baat - BJP 95-114, Congress 73-82, JD-S 32-43, Others 2-3

ABP News-C Voter - BJP 101-113, Congress 82-94, JD-S 18-31, Others 1-8

Dighvijay News - BJP 103-107, Congress 76-80, JD-S 31-35, Others 4-8

NewsNation - BJP 105-109, Congress 71-75, JD-S 36-40, Ohters 3-5

India TV-C Voter - BJP 87, Congress 97, JD-S 35, Others 3



Today's Chanakya gave BJP 120 (plus minus 11 seats), Congress 73 (plus, minus 11 seats), JD-S 26 (plus, minus seven) and others 3 (plus, minus 3 seats)

UP CM receives Nepal pilgrims in Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday received the first batch of pilgrims who arrived in the newly-launched bus service between Nepal and India from Janakpur to Ayodhya. He offered saffron scarves to the male passengers, while state Tourism Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi welcomed the women. The passengers were also offered boxes of sweets.



The reception gate was decked with flowers and many religious tableaus were present as drums played to receive the debut passengers of the cross-border bus service linking the two nations as part of the "Ramayan Circuit", inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepali counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli on Friday.



Adityanath also unveiled a special stamp published by the Indian Postal Department to commemorate the 'Deep Diwali' held by the state BJP government in 2016 on Diwali on the banks of the river Saryu in Ayodhya.



People from the temple town were excited about the event and were seen jostling with each other outside the 'Ram Katha' Park to receive and mingle with the guests who arrived.



Nepalese pilgrims who took this bus service from Janakpur, the birth place of Sita, expressed their happiness at taking the first journey to the land of Ram and said the 520-km trip was comfortable.



The bus entered from Gorakhpur and travelled along the Sant Kabeernagar highway after which it was received by district and police officials and escorted to Ayodhya.



In what can be seen as a series of steps to mend their ties, India and Nepal on Saturday agreed to boost trade and economic links, connectivity via air, land and water, people-to-people ties, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declaring that his country will work like a sherpa in the Himalayan nation's development endeavours.

A joint statement, issued a day after Indian Prime Modi and his Nepali counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli held extensive bilateral discussions here, said the two leaders agreed to maintain the momentum generated by Oli's visit to India in April, his first foreign visit after assuming office in February, by taking effective measures for the implementation of all the agreements and understandings reached in the past.



"They also agreed that effective implementation of the bilateral initiatives in agriculture, railway linkages and inland waterways development, as agreed upon by the two sides during the recent visit of Prime Minister Oli to India, would have transformational impact in these areas," it stated.

"While reviewing the close and multifaceted relations between the two countries at different levels, the two Prime Ministers reiterated their resolve to work together to take bilateral relations to newer heights by strengthening ongoing cooperation in diverse spheres as well as expanding partnership for socio-economic development on the basis of the principles of equality, mutual trust, respect and mutual benefit."



"The two Prime Ministers underscored the importance of trade and economic ties between India and Nepal," it said.



Oli, while expressing concern over Nepal's growing trade deficit with India, stated that measures to address this deficit need to be taken.



"In this context, the two Prime Ministers welcomed the outcome of the recently held Inter-Governmental Committee meeting on Trade, Transit and Cooperation to control unauthorised trade to jointly initiate a comprehensive review of the bilateral Treaty of Trade, and to consider amendments to the Treaty of Transit and related agreements with a view to further facilitating Nepal's access to the Indian market, enhancing overall bilateral trade, and facilitating Nepal's transit trade," the statement said.



Both leaders also "underlined the catalytic role of connectivity in stimulating economic growth and promoting movement of people".



"They agreed to take further steps to enhance the economic and physical connectivity by air, land, and water," the statement said.



"Recognising the vibrant people to people contacts and friendly bilateral ties, the two Prime Ministers directed the respective officials to expand cooperation in civil aviation sector, including early technical discussion on additional air entry routes to Nepal by respective technical teams."



The joint statement assumes significance given that there was a chill in India-Nepal ties during Oli's earlier stint as Prime Minister between October 2015 and August 2016 when a border blockade blamed on New Delhi crippled Nepal's economy.



There were also perceptions that Oli was leaning towards China than India.



Addressing a civic reception held in his honour here on Saturday, Modi said that India is ready to become sherpa for the development endeavors of Nepal.



"India is ready to assist Nepal in all ways in its development," he said



"Juts as a sherpa extends support for climbers to climb Mt Everest, India will do the same to Nepal."



Highlighting the deep rooted ties between India and Nepal, Modi said that the Himalayan nation was a top priority for India's Neighbourhood First Policy. He also complimented Nepal for its commitment towards democracy and success.



Apart from offering prayers at temples in Nepal during the course of his two-day visit that started on Friday, Modi inaugurated the Janakpur-Ayodhya bus service, a 900 MW hydropower project and announced Rs 100-crore aid to develop Janakpur city.



Apart from Oli, the Indian leaders also held discussions with Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and other government officials to better bilateral ties after which he said: "All misunderstandings with Nepal are over."



Earlier on Saturday, Modi also met leaders of opposition parties, starting with former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other members of the Nepali Congress.



He exchanged views on strengthening bilateral ties with former Prime Minister and Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda".



This was the Indian leader's third official visit to Nepal after assuming office in 2014.Militants from Pakistan did sneak into India to attack Mumbai in 2008 and massacre 166 Indians and foreigners, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in remarks published on Saturday.

"Militant organisations are active (in Pakistan)," Sharif told the Dawn newspaper in an interview.



"Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me," he asked, in a clear reference to the Mumbai killings blamed on 10 Pakistani terrorists. One of them was caught and hanged.



"Why can't we complete the trial?" Sharif asked, referring to the masterminds of the Mumbai massacre that almost brought India and Pakistan to war. The Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba was blamed for the Mumbai bloodbath.





"It's absolutely unacceptable. This is exactly what we are struggling for. President (Vladimir) Putin has said it. President Xi (Jinping) has said it," Sharif said.



Sharif, who was deposed following corruption charges, said ahead of a public rally in Multan in Punjab: "You can't run a country if you have two or three parallel governments. This has to stop. There can only be one government: the constitutional one."



Asked why he was ousted from public office, Sharif did not reply directly but steered the conversation towards foreign policy and national security, the Dawn said.



"We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistan's narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it."Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaois perennial nagging about faceless writers who use social media, especially Facebook, to attack their unsuspecting victims is a legitimate point.

Its a point hes made time and time again during the past few years and this week, he made it once more when he not only accused them of character assassination but also comparing them to murderers and members of terrorism organisation I.S.I.S.

People who are using social media to inflict so much hurt are the same as murderers in Arab countries, Tuilaepa said.

The only difference is that here they are killing people by assassinating their characters but in Arab countries, they are shooting them with guns.

Lets face it, the comparisons are a bit extreme but thats Tuilaepa for you.

Apparently, the Prime Minister has just returned from London where the issue of cyber security was a major point of discussion at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. While that was going on, Prime Minister Tuilaepa was taking notes and apparently learning a thing or two about cyber bullies.

Now back in Samoa, Tuilaepa is thrilled to finally have learnt that its not just Samoa struggling with the issue of faceless writers.

When it comes to the issue of online technology, all fifty three countries (of the Commonwealth) are affected by social media problems, he declared.

Tuilaepa said the problems range from character assassinations to many unfounded allegations. Thats when he brought up the point about I.S.I.S.

These people are like I.S.I.S. in their thinking, he said. Their goal is to break up governments. They like to stir up hate, create anxiety, start fights. What it does is that it makes people hate their leaders.

The Prime Minister added that these people like to find topics that incite emotional responses from their readers.

They go after sensitive topics like land and the like. So (in London) we were warned to be alert about the many different ways where the enemy is using to attack us to break up governments.

It is not a good thing, misusing and abuse of communication means that are meant to help development. There are people who are misusing these things to fabricate damaging allegations against other people.

The Prime Ministers latest comments add to a long history of his critical remarks against faceless writers who have been using Facebook and other online means to attack his Government. Believe it or not, Tuilaepa has even threatened to block Facebook completely from Samoa.

Character assassination is worse than murder, he said. The thing is that you can see that although the person is alive, he is dead. I thought it was just Samoa where this is happening, but its happening to all countries.

That being the case, so why is P.M. Tuilaepa so worried? Why does he have to make himself look like the biggest bully of them all by continuously calling people names in his crusade to find out who these faceless writers are?

Maybe Prime Minister Tuilaepa should take a leaf from New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arderns book when it comes to cyber bullying and online battles.

Some three weeks ago, Arderns partner, Clarke Gayford, became the subject of rumour and false innuendo on social media  much like a lot of the stuff Prime Minister Tuilaepa and his administration have been accused of in the recent past.

But her response is something every leader should learn from as they grapple with the reality of online and social media where anyone can say anything.

Now listen to Ardern:

Look, I have nothing further to say on this. Its just not what Im here for. Its not what Im in politics for and Ive got a job to do and Im going to do it.

To me it doesnt matter what you call it, and I wont be pointing any finger of blame to anyone.

All I know is its not why Im here. Its not had anything to do with the job that Im here to do, so Im just going to keep getting on with it, and Im going to smile through it as well.

Well isnt that wonderful? What a classy response from a classy woman. It encapsulates the idea that if leaders have nothing to worry about, why should they be bothered? Unless what the faceless writers are saying is true?

Have a wonderful weekend Samoa, God bless!Dear Editor,

I want to talk about the Faleolo International Airport first. In response to your editorial, I would argue that:





1. Airports do not attract tourists by themselves.

Nobody travels to a country to look at the airport. No, what airports do is they facilitate the increase in visitors. A larger airport that can handle more people means the ability to handle more airlines and flights into the country. That is the aim of this project.

To facilitate the increase in visitor numbers. The work to increase visitor numbers is done elsewhere - negotiations with airlines to increase flights; incentives for investors to come build more hotels and motels; deals with travel agencies and global chains etc

2. The debt being paid by current and future generations is appropriate.

These facilities will be used by those future generations. The hospital is another one. Future generations benefit from these things. Most of the old people at the opening wont be around in another decade or so (with all due respect). However, the airport is technically not for them. It is for the next generation.

In 50 years time, the generation living then will be using and benefiting from this airport in the same way our current generation are benefiting from the Matautu wharf and the paved roads all the way around the islands that past generations worked to provide through their taxes (repaying loans and direct costs).

An old man once told me, that his dream for independence in 1962 was for a paved road all the way around Upolu and Savaii.

Not for his benefit but for the benefit of his children and grandchildren. Back then it was dirt tracks where he was living far away from Apia.

The second issue is your front page story on P.M. Tuilaepa and his Tongan counterpart Akilisi Pohiva.

I would say that the Tongan P.M. is surprised because he reads the Samoa Observer too much.

Anyway, Tuilaepa was only joking yet the newspaper says he has accused the Tongan P.M. Come on.

The two P.Ms get on very well, judging by Akilisi Pohivas last official visit in 2015 and other visits since then.

PS JeffreyThe Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (S.P.R.E.P.) has paid tribute to Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaois leadership, as Samoa prepares to host the first Pacific Climate Change Centre at Vailima.

Director General Leota Kosi Latu acknowledged Tuilaepas visionary leadership during the ground breaking ceremony of the Pacific Climate Change Centre yesterday. The occasion also marked 25 years of S.P.R.E.Ps move to Samoa.

I would like to acknowledge at this significant time the hugely important role that P.M. Tuilaepa has personally played firstly in the establishment of S.P.R.E.P. itself here in Samoa, and the provision of a place for S.P.R.E.P. to proudly stand in the Pacific among its Members, he said.

Secondly, as the regions foremost champion for the need of a Pacific Climate Change Centre, and thirdly as the principal host of the Centre, here in Samoa on the S.P.R.E.P. campus. Without your personal commitment and energy Prime Minister, we would not be standing here today.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa was among guests at yesterdays ground breaking and celebration. The ceremony marked the start of construction of the US$8 million (T$19.2m) P.C.C.C. funded by Japan through grant aid.

The construction will be undertaken by the Japanese company, Konoike Company Ltd. It is expected to take 13 and a half months to complete with the handover expected to be in July 2019.

We are on the cusp of a new era for our Pacific region with our new S.P.R.E.P. strategic plan now in action, and this Pacific Climate Change Centre  a centre of excellence that belongs to our Pacific people,  will be a catalyst for Pacific climate change action, said Leota.

The Centre will play a key role in our journey ahead which will be one towards progress, resilience and environmental sustainability in our Blue Pacific.

Leota made it clear the P.C.C.C. will not be a new institution.

It will serve as a conduit for climate change resilience work in the region to directly benefit Pacific Island countries and territories, he said.

He added that it would be a shared regional resource:

 A shared regional asset belonging to the people of the Pacific

 with the support of development partners committed to the

 resilient development of Pacific island countries and territories; P.C.C.C will support, coordinate and strengthen partnerships, on

 climate action and efforts designed to build resilience

 build regional capacities to respond to climate change, and

 The P.C.C.C will build resilience in the context of climate change

 as a cross-cutting issue, affecting every community and sector; enhance and strengthen climate actions and climate resilient

 development in alignment with the Framework for Pacific Regionalism, the Framework for Resilient Development of the Pacific, the Pacific Islands Meteorological Strategy, the Paris Agreement, and other relevant regional and global frameworks and agreements;

 P.C.C.C will also function as a hub of innovation for delivery of climate change and integrated disaster risk management knowledge and services to Pacific Island members where partners and CROP can work together to develop joint projects, conduct applied research, and deliver coordinated support to PICTs;

 The P.C.C.C will also serve as a platform for fostering and enhancing genuine partnership and collaboration, as envisaged by the Governments of Japan and Samoa when they generously gave their support to the establishment of the PCCC;

 a knowledge and research hub for regional meteorological services support

The building will be constructed according to green guidelines which includes 50% of the energy to be driven by solar panels with the hope that it will be powered 100% by renewable energy in the future.

It is intended to be a showcase of sustainable building technology in the Pacific.

We all agree in the necessity of taking a holistic and long-term approach to addressing climate change, said Maugaoleatuolo Shinya Aoki, Japanese Ambassador to Samoa.

To this end, Japan intends to provide comprehensive assistance, in collaboration with the lead agency on climate change in the Pacific Region, S.P.R.E.P., including the development of the P.C.C.C. and capacity-building which supports the efforts for tackling climate change by the Pacific region as a whole.

The special day also commemorated the launch of the 25 Year Anniversary of S.P.R.E.P. which was established as an independent organisation based in Samoa through the signing of the S.P.R.E.P. Agreement in June, 1993.Cabinet has appointed a Commission of Inquiry to consider the proposed organizational structure of the merger between the Ministry of Health and the National Health Services.

The decision was confirmed in a statement issued by the Office of the Attorney General yesterday.

Prominent lawyer and former Attorney General, Taulapapa Brenda Heather-Latu, has been appointed as Chair.

Commission Members include Professor Fui Asofou Soo and Faamausili Dr Matagialofi Luaiufi. The lawyers assisting the Commission are Sefo Junior Ainuu, the Assistant Attorney General and Chief Public Solicitor, and Shalon Time, a State Solicitor.

The Commission members are honoured to serve the public as members of this Commission, and to review the proposals which have been made, as well as the suggestions proposed by nurses to improve the final structure for the merger, Taulapapa is quoted as saying in the statement.

We consider that the input of those who work in the sector, as well as those who use the services of the sector, are important in determining the best framework for public health where the welfare and care of the patient is at the heart of our decision making, and we utilize the resources we have available in an effective and efficient manner.

We will undertake the hearings and consultations beginning next week, and we expect to present our report shortly after.

The Commissions Terms of Reference require the Commission to:

 Review the proposed structure for the new merged health agency which has been proposed by a high level taskforce;

 Consider the concerns about the structure raised by nurses employed in the N.H.S;

 Recommend options for the proposed new structure after consultation with the relevant stakeholders

The Commission commences its hearings on Tuesday 15 May 2018 at Tanoa Tusitala Hotel and organizations or members of the public who wish to make a submission are invited to contact Counsel Assisting : Sefo Ainuu at the Office of the Attorney General: Phone 20295 or by email [email protected] or [email protected]

The Commission has already invited participation from: the Ministry of Health, National Health Services, Public Service Commission, Health Merger Task force, NHS Nurses, Samoa Nurses Association, Allied Health Workers, and the Samoa Medical Association.

Written submissions are required to be filed 24 hours before submissions are made, and times and dates will be allocated for interested organizations and individuals.

An inquiry Practice Note has been issued by the Commission, and will set out the procedure to be adopted by the Commission, in addition to the relevant provisions of the Commission of Inquiry Act 1964 and is available from Counsel Assisting.

Taulapapa Brenda is a former Attorney General of Samoa, and is currently a partner of Latu Lawyers.

Professor Fui is the Vice Chancellor of the National University of Samoa and Faamausili Dr Matagialofi Luaiufi is a former C.E..O of the Public Service Commission and is now an International Consultant and also sits on the Board of Bank South Pacific (P.N.G.)It is a numbers game.

With only US$12 (T$30.92) to her name, Virginia Toalepai tells us how she became the C.E.O. of one of the most successful construction consultation company in the United States.

From the four corners of her parents room, with a mattress as a chair and no desk, she is probably one of the most successful million dollar Samoan business women in the U.S.

She owns and operates World Wide Safety, which is headquartered in Nevada.

World Wide Safety ensures that construction companies are in compliance with laws and they also conduct training, inspections and write programmes and protocols for their registered clients in line with U.S. regulations.

She also owns three hundred productions, which looks at creating opportunities for children to fulfil their responsibilities and expand their horizon.

However, getting to operate a successful business in five different States wasnt easy. Undergoing a divorce at the time and left with nothing except US$12 to her name, it was definitely a bumpy ride.

I left with clothes on my back and clothes for my kids in a trash bag and we went right back to my mum and dad, Ms. Toalepai said.

I had three kids at that time with only US$12 to my name, no job, nothing.

I didnt have any job because the business that we had was left to my ex-husband. I later found a job in the first two to three months, I only had US$500 (T$1,288), which in Las Vegas is very little. 

It was the knowledge she gained from involving herself in construction inspection with her ex-husband that helped her back on her feet and start her business.

My first job I got was doing some safety consultation for a company and from there I was able to get my first cheque and went and open up my business.

Ms. Toalepai said she earned $500 her first month and US$3,000 (T$7,732) her second month, which she used to open her Worldwide Safety company on August 23, 2013.

From there, I started from my mum and dads bedroom, didnt have any desk, nothing. Even the laptop I had at that time, it was my brother who helped me get the laptop and I made payments to him. My chair was the mattress that didnt have the spring and my desk for the laptop at that time was a dresser.

Over there, you had to pay rent, you had to make car payments and you had to pay food and everything. We dont have plantations like you do here and homes here are free compared to over there. From there I joined the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association and networked a lot.

I didnt have any clients at that time. I had to go network and search. The first association that I joined when I went to the first event got me 21 accounts. Right now, we service, employees wise, over 10,000 employees.

Five years later her business exists in Phoenix Arizona, North California, South California, Las Vegas Nevada, Utah and Pennsylvania servicing more than 10,000 employees and about 150 companies. She has 30 employees of her own.

During one of her recent trips to her island home, she spoke to the business team about the nature of her business and her day to day routine.

In America a company has to make sure that whoever works for them, they got to make sure they provide proper construction tools. Were police for constructions and businesses.

When I created the name and came up with the name of my company in 2013, I had the vision of being the biggest company there is and to be worldwide.

"Thats why as we see, in America alone, we are already in five States, so my vision is to be the biggest safety company not only just the in the States, but expanding to other countries."

Ms. Toalepai said she made US$200,000 (T$515,764) in revenue during her first full year in business, $500,000 (T$1,289,411 million) in 2015, US$1 million (T$2,579,987) in 2016 and an estimated $1.5m (T$3.86m)at the end of last year.

In terms of expenses, I have offices, rent, electricity, payroll, wages, paper, printer, copy machines, computers, ink, theres different offices in different states and of course we have miscellaneous like gasoline offered to them. The States itself and the country collects taxes and all of that stuff on top of that. So expenses wise, its about $100,000 a month.

Revenue makes up for the expenses. I try not to disclose how much I have made but just that its profitable.

Ms. Toalepai also highlighted the challenges she encountered.

One of the challenges I had was construction is a mens world so having a woman come in there and interfere and try to tell them how to run things is one of the biggest challenges.

Not only that, I am young compared to all of them. A lot of them challenge my knowledge. I mean youre talking about someone whos never picked up a hammer and hammer a nail and here I am coming in to tell them how to do their work.

Ms. Toalepai adds the solution was: I go to work every single day. Even now that my company is bigger than before, I still work harder than my employees. I would sleep four hours sometimes, a lot of times. Every single day, including the weekends, this only made me smarter and deepened my knowledge.

Ms. Toalepai explained she never borrowed or loaned money from any financial institution or person.

Her advice to women and people who want to enter the construction field: Construction is more diverse now and it doesnt have to be men only because there are so many engineers and project engineers who are women. Construction is not a mens thing, there are so many branches out there that you can involve yourself in. There is so much more than using a hammer.

Businesswise, if you have the heart, you can have it all. Nothing is impossible.

About Virginia Toalepai:

Her dad is from Matautu and Fagaloa and her mum is from Vaivase and Saleimoa.

She initially wanted to be a doctor, but destiny had a different plan for her.

My passion was to be a number one doctor. My passion was to help people. I went to school to be a doctor and I changed careers but my main passion was to help people and protect people, Ms. Toalepai shared.

So I end up with having to deal with the same type of mission or safety but in the business or construction role, I got what I wanted and fulfilled what I wanted but it wasnt as a doctor or it wasnt anything I planned to have.

She was basically educated in the islands.

I was in Samoa in 1982 in Motootua and lived in Matautu, Saleimoa, from Se'esee and also Fagaloa. I went to school here at Vaivase Tai Primary School and then to Malifa and then Leiififi and then Pesega was my last year here in 1997 and then graduated here and then I went to the U.S. and finished high school there.

I attended very little college there and got married and decided to pursue Police Officer and then doctor, then from that to C.S.I., to learning safety that has the same mission of saving lives every day and thats how I got involved with construction.

Pretty much my education background was here in Samoa because I only attended two years there and graduated from colleges.In the spirit of honouring mothers, eight companies came together yesterday to facilitate gifts certificates for eight lucky customers.

This was part of the Samoa Stationery and Books (S.S.A.B.) draw for Mothers Day.

There were two draws where one lucky winner was a recipient of a Sleepwell pocket queen size bed and the second draw where seven lucky customers won $300 vouchers each.

These two draws was a collaboration by S.S.A.B. and its business partners Sleepwell Company Ltd, Misiluki Day Spa, Connexions Cafe, Loraleis Boutique, Janets, Mercy Shop and Farmer Joe, S.S.A.B. Marketing Manager Asomua Anastasia Stanley said.

One promotion was for the customer to buy any Sleepwell products and be in the draw to win a Sleepwell pocket queen size bed.

Each business partner provided a $300 voucher as well as S.S.A.B. and the customer has to spend just $50 or more and get a chance to win one of seven $300 vouchers, said Asomua.

The S.S.A.B.s Chief Executive Officer and President, Tofilau Fiti Leung Wai was very delighted when she personally presented the prizes to the winners.

She was thankful to the sponsors of this Mothers Day promotion for their never ending support and assistance since this promotion started until the last day.

Asomua told the Samoa Observer that with Mothers Day this weekend, they worked with the Managing Directors of each partner to commemorate this special day for mothers with giveaways and shopping for mum from either one of sponsors.

Asomua said being a mum is a lifelong job.

Right from raising a family, catering to the needs of the children and working to earn food on the table, they are exceptional people who need to be spoiled, pampered with gifts and what way would we appreciate the hard work of mothers than to give a little something for them, said Asomua.

The winners happy faces have given the C.E.O. and staff such a wonderful memory to keep that they were able to make these people happy on Mothers Day, not worrying about how to get mum a special gift.

S.S.A.B. aims to provide for the community and to give back to its customers showing gratitude for their support, and that S.S.A.B. is not just a business but also a family.

The S.S.A.B.s promotion for Mothers Day has made it convenient for the people of Samoa to get the things that they have always wanted at a special price.

The prices had been slashed up to 50 percent for most products in store. S.S.A.B. strives to provide Samoa with all the products that they need at an affordable price.

There were home appliances, bedroom fittings as well as kitchen appliances on specials just for Mothers Day presents. When you look for a one stop shop, Samoa Stationery and Books Limited is where you should be, said Asomua.Help us. Help us bring people to Savaii.

If you listen closely, those would be the words of many hoteliers and tourism operators on Savaii, who also wish to be given equal emphasis like Upolu.

Dive Savaii Manager, Olaf Weinhold, told the business team that not many tourists are aware of Savaii and the unique culture and beauty it offers.

He said for Dive Savaii alone, since he bought the business from the previous owner six years ago, if anything the growth rate of the business is declining.

Were surviving but were not making big profit or so, its nothing like that, Mr. Weinhold said.

I think its because not enough people make the step on the ferry and go over to Savaii. Its just a fraction of all the tourists who come over to Savaii.

It would be great if we could increase that fraction a little bit. If more people come to Savaii then of course the tourism there will have a better life.

Mr. Weinhold also suggested ways in which Samoa can better market the big island.

Make the people aware that Samoa comprises two main islands. Its not only Upolu that has all the attractions there, but its also the even bigger island of Savaii with beautiful nature, with a laid back atmosphere, with original Samoan and original Polynesian culture, which you hardly find on Upolu and much more prominent in Savaii.

I think people are just not aware of it. They go for one day and then they realise, oh we should have spent much more days here on Savaii. So if people could know more about that, which could happen in the airplane, in the airline brochures where they talk about Savaii.

When they talk about it with tour operators in their home countries, New Zealand and Australia, the tour operators would say yes it is nice, its good to go to Samoa, but if you go to Samoa dont miss out Savaii because thats the original Samoa.

I think those steps are really necessary, it doesnt work out if you mention on the website theres also Savaii, that wouldnt sell. You need to make it really personal and try to bring it to peoples attention on what they would miss out if they dont go to Savaii.

Mr. Weinhold mentioned people are also lured to the dive operators on Upolu and it does not boost their business as well.

Unfortunately more and more people take a step less to coming over to do the dive in Savaii. More divers stay here on Upolu, which doesnt help us that much.

Dive Savaii opens from Monday to Saturday and they offer tours of scuba diving and snorkeling. They also take beginning divers and snorkelers, including advance divers and diving courses.

We usually show our guests turtles, no guarantee, but usually we find them.Visitors to Samoa and returning residents have another reason to look forward to their aircraft touching down at the Faleolo International Airport.

Whether its Samoa Airways, Air New Zealand, Fiji Airways or whatever carrier, these travellers will be among the first users of the brand new Arrivals Section of the Faleolo Airport.

The Arrivals area is part of $147 million upgrade for the airport facility, which started a few years ago. While the Departure Area opened last year, travellers arriving to Samoa have had to endure the makeshift arrivals hall at the old cargo terminal.

That is no longer the case. On Thursday, the Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, Papalii Niko Lee Hang joined Chinas Ambassador Wang Xuefeng and other officials to cut the ribbon.

It was a proud moment for Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi and his administration.

As envisioned by Government, these new terminal buildings will assist tourism growth in our country, in addition to boosting economic development through air transport facilitation and trade, he said.

For those who will be using these new airport buildings, its longevity can only be assured through appropriate usage, care and maintenance.

It is your Governments hope that this upgrade project will meet our countrys airport needs for the next 50 years.

Ambassador Xuefeng highlighted the importance of the projects design, noting its Polynesian flavour.

We cant help marveling at the miracle that was achieved in two years. I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation and admiration to all those who have made this miracle possible.

On behalf of the Chinese Embassy, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the successful completion of this new airport.

The new Faleolo International Airport has become the best international airport in all the Pacific Island countries. With the upgraded services, excellent operation capability and aviation management, Samoa has moved a step further toward the aviation hub in the South Pacific region.

The total cost for the project was approximately $147 million with the construction undertaken by Shanghai Construction Group.

Here are some more photos from the opening:Even within 24 hours, Samoa has exceeded the expectations of the Crilly family from North Ireland and Christchurch, New Zealand.

They arrived in Samoa yesterday afternoon.

Heather is originally from Northern Ireland but moved with her husband, Michael, to New Zealand four years ago.

The couple brought with them their two boys, Finn, 10, and Callum, 12.

They won a free holiday trip to Samoa, but Heather said it was already part of their plans to visit Samoas shores.

It is our first time here. We wanted to come to Samoa even if we didnt win. My husband and I went before we had the kids to Rarotonga and we thought Samoa could be nice as well, she shared with Dear Tourist.

Her first impression of the island is wonderful.

It has been lovely so far, everybody was so friendly. We went to the Seafood Gourmet in town, which was really good.

We havent done much so far. We walked into town yesterday. Just flying in and landing, the view was beautiful. It is so green everywhere, Michael said.

Everyone seems to be nice and everything is accessible.

Finn said: I like it here. I love swimming in the pool. I am excited to go snorkeling.

Heather added: It is hard for me to remember how Rarotonga was like because it was a long time ago. It feels quite similar here, just way bigger. Everyone here has been really nice and laid back.

For this trip, they opt to just relax and enjoy the scenery.

It is definitely a good place to come and just chill. But there are a lot of things to do as well. So we want to rent a car to drive around Upolu.

We are only staying in this resort for five nights then we are going to sleep in fales. It is nice to be in a resort, but I want to see other stuff as well, Heather said.

We want to try the buses to have the experience. It is cool to share the same bus with the locals. It is nice to get to know a little more about the island and not just a resort, Michael said.

The island vibe is another tick on top of their list of island likes.

Christchurch is quite busy, it is always work and things to do. It is nice to come here rather than worrying about things. Compared to New Zealand, the people here I think are more relaxed. I feel comfortable.

In terms of Samoas tourism industry, she says: I think it is quite easy. We had to wait a while at the airport because of the car park, but I guess that is normal. I could not say a specific thing to change. It has been the perfect holiday so far.

I thought already of travelling more around the Pacific and coming back to Samoa. It is not far from Christchurch to come here.

A lot more people from New Zealand are going to Fiji and Rarotonga.

They leave next week Saturday, but it is probably not the last time for the Crillys to visit Samoa.There is no doubt about it. Today is a special day for all the mothers of this country  and everywhere else in the world where Mothers Day is celebrated.

And on that note, we want to wish all the mothers a very happy Mothers Day.

It is probably fair to say that the role of motherhood is not acknowledged often enough. When we talk about the development of women, we often talk about jobs, positions, education and other issues. Its okay but none of these would be possible if it wasnt for the role of motherhood.

Folks, we often pay lip service to its importance and we rarely really sit down to acknowledge what it takes. Do we know the cost? Do we know what it requires? Do we want to know?

We repeat, the role of our mothers in nurturing us is perhaps the most important role there is in the world because if they didnt care, we wouldnt be here. It is that simple. Thats why days like today are important.

Now some people say that days like Mothers Day  among others - are outdated and have become a boon for businesses to exploit members of the community through the commercialisation of the celebration.

Theyve got a point.

But if we truly value something, we would make time for it. We would make the effort to acknowledge its importance, relevance and meaning. An occasion like today is an opportunity for all of us to do that. It is a moment to sit down and say thank you mom  since most of us are too busy to say it anyway.

Needless to say, it is a day that involves everyone.

Indeed, whether you are young, old, the Prime Minister, a farmer, a fisherman or the Head of State, we all have women who nurtured, taught, inspired and helped us to become the people we are today.

In other words, no matter who we are, what we do and where we are from, we wouldnt be where we are if it was not for the love and care of our mothers.

Days like this is also a reminder about the special bond between you and your mother that overrides everything and anything. Its a bond formed and developed over nine months during the pregnancy before you and I knew anything or anybody else. Its bond formed and strengthened by the love of a mother.

For nine long months  and sometimes longer  a mother slaves over giving life to you and me, her unborn child. Its love that makes her tolerate the pain. It is love that stops her from being so careless to the point the foetus is lost prematurely.

As men, were not going to pretend that we understand what it feels like to walk around with another life in our bellies. Which is why we salute all the mothers of Samoa and the world today.

The undisputed fact of life is this: Everyone who has become a someone came from a loving mother. Which means that life is impossible without caring mothers.

One of the biggest mistakes people make these days is comparing people against each other. When it comes to mothers, they are no exception. In a world where modern success is often perceived by tertiary qualifications, job titles, car you drive and the house you live in, we simply cannot apply the same measuring stick for all the mothers.

Ive always maintained that I believe the measure of a mother is not the number of university degrees she has. Its not the powerful positions she holds. Its not the flash house, new car and the expensive clothes she wears.

Dont get me wrong; Im not saying mothers shouldnt have any of these. If would be great if they do. But not all mothers are the same and we cannot measure them with the same measuring tape.

In my humble opinion, the measure of a successful mother is found in the quality of life of the people she raised. Its found in whether her husband and children are happy. Its found in whether she has provided a platform  whatever level that is  for her family to grow physically and spiritually.

Its found in how she has contributed to the development of her extended family, church, village and country. And around all of us today are such mothers.

Young and old, every mother in Samoa has contributed one way or another to the development of our country. Some might have contributed more than others but thats beside the point.

Ladies and gentlemen, whether your mother is a cleaner, farmer, weaver, a lawyer, doctor or the C.E.O. of a government department or a multi-national company, they all blend together wonderfully to make up the world we enjoy.

Take the chance to say thank you. Happy Mothers day Samoa, God bless!Dear Editor,

Re: P.M. Tuilaepa can learn from Ardern

Just carry on with life Mr. Prime Minister.

Do not waste a second to even mention them gutless faceless homosexual ghosts. They are dead; selfless and nothing. That is what they are.

Only when they step out the comfort of the pall then I would suggest to start speaking to lawyers and sing your way along to the bank to sue their ass.

No name, no wasted energy; you sure got way better things to utilise your worthwhile time on.

They can say whatever they want just dont give a hoot unless they put a human name into source then I would suggest for you Mr. P.M. to action.

There is nothing for you the honourable prime minister of Samoa to worry about the dubious cavaliers no one; I mean no want would listen to their garbage.

What idiot in the world would use a babbling from a coward hiding behind the comfort of a velvet laced viewing window of the casket?

Not me nor the millions and millions of what the Rock had chanted about; IN ... NEW ... YORK ... CITY!!!!!

All them fools really are is just a fallen blind at the behind; what comes from the front they inhale.

Just dont waste the energy my P.M. friend; just dont waste the energy. Concentrate on what you and the H.R.P..P government is so, so good at, in developing Samoa.

All these idiots are good at is nothing.

The feint of the nefarious would not even sully the government effort of developments we all see through out the country.

We take the positive not the negative the essence of these fools existence.

Forget the negative take on the positive. That is what Samoa want from their honourable prime minister and our government.

With my utmost respect,

Tofaeono Misatauveve Iosefo Joseph Hollywood

PalisiThe Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, Papalii Niko Lee Hang, has delivered on their promise to fix the Cross Island Road.

The stretch of the road from Tanugamanono to Vaoala was recently labeled as one of the worst roads in Samoa.

But that will soon no longer be the case.

Last week, the Land Transport Authority (L.T.A.) issued a notice advising the public about the project to reseal the road, being carried out from Tanugamanono to Vaoala.

The works will be carried out for the next three months".

For this reason, we advise the public to take extra precautions when travelling along this route and to utilise the traffic management procedures on site.

Last month, the Government was criticised by members of the public including General Manager of Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, Margaret Silva.

She told the Sunday Samoan that for the 15 years shes worked at the museum, she has seen the condition of the road deteriorate.

It has caused many problems for the residents who live in this area. It affects the business people, their clients and people working in the Vailima area, including vehicle owners, Ms. Silva said.

Two years ago, the Land Transportation Authority (L.T.A.) came here to do a survey and still there has been no progress made with this road."

In response, Papalii assured the work would start this month.

He said at the time, there are Government processes they go through to assure that once they start working on this project, there are no hurdles.

Papalii said, "Cabinet has already approved the resurfacing of the Cross Island Road but then again, like everything, there is a process put in place that everyone adheres to such as surveys, financials, engineers, getting the contractors, the bidding process and these things take time."

It cannot be done overnight.

Papalii told the Sunday Samoan during an interview over the phone, this project has been in the works for some time and it takes time.

As I have said, the said project is Cabinet approved and currently we are nearing the end of getting the bidders to fix the road.As mothers throughout the country are being honoured today, the commemoration of International Nurses Day couldnt have come at a better time.

With the day especially dedicated to the role of mothers, the celebration of the important roles played by mothers and nurses that are quite synonymous in every aspect is a joyous occasion.

President of the Samoa Nurses Association Incorporated, Soliafi Papalii Pisimaka, shares with the Sunday Samoan about the challenges of being a mother and a nurse at the same time.

Beside every successful leader or father is always a good mother, she said.

Solialofi is a mother of eight, has 25 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

She graduated from nursing school in 1968 and has been a nurse for 44 years.

She later became Vice President of Samoa Nurses Association Incorporated in 1993 for 25 years.

I believe that a mothers role is in the form of a pyramid, a father, children and extended family, she said.

The 73-year-old from Matautu utilised her management skills to balance the roles she played on a daily basis  mother and a nurse.

This, she said, avoids any conflicts when it comes to fulfilling the expectations of her roles.

A mothers duties not only include food preparation, washing clothes, cleaning the house, but also proficiency in executing all tasks."

We lived through poverty in those days and it was a struggle, but mothers are known to be very good at practical performance, meaning they budget from food to finances and not only care for her family, said the Nurse Association President.

Soliafi spoke about the hurdles she encounters on a daily basis, which she overcomes with patience.

Mothers are always busy. In my case, my children were born year after year so the chores always pile up and it becomes a great challenge. Never depend on yourself because performing duties in church, villages especially homes, it needs unlimited faith in God to lead and guide through everything.

In those days, if I have the same time schedule with my husband for work and there is no one to look after the kids, I take the kids to work with me, she said.

Soliafis greatest concern is the safety of her children, but her role as a mother to be the guiding light of the home helps her ensure to make right choices.

She mentioned almost everything in life falls on the mother.

I believe that my experience as a mother helped me in caring and nurturing patients because a nurses responsibility is to care for the lives of those shes in charge of.

Fiu Fetinai Leaupepe

Fiu Fetinai Leaupepe plays a similar role but at another place.

She is a volunteer counselor at the Samoa Victim Support Group shelter, a mother of four and a nurse. The 72-year-old is from Vaitele Fou.

In those days it was a struggle to work and be a mother at the same time, Fiu said.

Fiu acknowledged that it was her family members who helped look after children when she was faced with trying to balance multiple tasks.

Her nursing schedule rotated from Tuasivi Hospital, Motootua Hospital, Afega Hostpital, Aleipata Hospital, Leulumoega Hospital, Falelatai Hospital and then back to Leulumoega Hospital.

She is the wife of former Member of Parliament Leaupepe Pita, who Fiu says is also a farmer outside of Parliament.

It wasnt an easy task.

I am also a farmers wife. We work hard on the plantation with our young kids. We leave at 6am and come home around 11am every day.

Every Sunday umu we wake up around 4:30am, prepare the food, when ready we go to church. After church my husband stay for his duties in the church community, kids attend Sunday school while I go home to get the food prepared.

Sometimes when I have no bus fare, I walk all the way to the pastors house while carrying the prepared food on my shoulders. It would take me 30 minutes to reach his house.

Fiu expressed her love for her children because at a young age they would help with every day chores.

Tables turned, and hardships became easier for Fiu when she migrated to New Zealand with her family.

She mentioned that getting her first pay cheque in N.Z. was enough to cater for their needs, when compared to their life in Samoa.

I first worked at the Union delegate at Engineering Union in New Zealand.

Fiu explained she worked as a nurse at the Capital & Coast District Health Board in New Zealand and retired at the age of 70.

While being a nurse and a mother, she was also a part-time Alcohol and Anger Management Counsellor at Pacific Motu Trust Training Programs in 1992.

In 1995, she graduated with a certificate in course of instruction in Fire & Earthquake Preparedness and Management at Capital Coast Health, Wellington.

She also worked with prisoners at Rimutaka Prison and Arahata Prison and was awarded multiple certificates for various courses and programmes she involved herself in.

As of this moment, shes a volunteer counselor at S.V.S.G.

My heart is passionate about my volunteer work. My interest in the work is motivated because of results, the lives that have changed through my work.Chinas generosity is often misunderstood.

That is the opinion of the Associate Minister of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi.

He was addressing questions from the Sunday Samoan about a common perception of the public that the Samoan Government concedes much of Samoas resources and commercial pathways to Chinese business interests in exchange for monetary gains.

It is in the nature of the Chinese to be generous, he said.

Lealailepule facilitated the visit of a delegation from Huizhou Municipality of Guangdong Province of the Peoples Republic of China to Samoa College on Friday.

We never ask them, its mostly their own generosity and how they would like to spend their own influence in the Pacific as a whole. Its not just them because even New Zealand and Australia do the same thing."

They want the world to know who they are and respect them for who they are and what they believe in with their own communist system and their own way of governing."

We respect them for who they are and they respect us for who we are. Thats it. They dont want to influence us on that level, they just want to help us, if we need help theyre friends and just to tell the world that we are here and we can help.

Leala points out that an apparent shift in the balance of power within the international political economy is causing old western super powers to be worried.

China is new in the world. Its always been America and all the western countries. China is relatively new to the Pacific. So they are trying to make themselves known with their own ideology and their influence and for us to accept them for who they are."

China is like that. They are trying to sell their own ways and thinking and at the same time they are helping a lot of small island states and I think the influence of China has made our old partners realise that they also have to do more.

Leala points out that Samoas support of the One China Policy is the main cause of their generosity in funds and that they do not have ulterior motives.

We support them too in other ways and the Government of Samoa supports the One China Policy. We are one of the first in the Pacific to make this friendship with china 30 years ago."

Thats why the Chinese Government still has us on top of their friendship list because we recognise and accept them for who they are. Theres nothing major happening, theyre just helping us and were just being a friend.

Leala believes it is mostly the Samoans abroad who are perpetuating the perception that Samoa is conceding too much to the Asian super power.

Thats the general view of most people here, especially people like you from Australia and New Zealand looking in from western countries. They always think China is coming here now with a lot of influence and all of that. We dont feel that, we just feel happy that they are able to help us in our time of need."

We are not selling ourselves. If you look at the figures, Fiji and others receive more loans from China than Samoa does. So were doing alright.Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has downplayed questions raised about the advertisement of the post of Police Commissioner.

Tuilaepa, who is also the Minister of Police, said the advertising of such a position is the responsibility of employees. It was unclear which employees he was referring to.

But he said it was a non-issue.

Pointing to questions raised in the Samoa Observer, Tuilaepa said: The Samoa Observer wants the advertisement to be printed with them because they need it, but the advertisement was published on other newspapers.

The Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Aiono Mose Sua, said the Commissioner of Police post was advertised on the P.S.C. website and Newsline.

The advertisement was published from 23 March with the closing date of 24 April, 2018.

It was advertised in a special Public Service Official Circular for the post as is done for all C.E.O. ranked posts, the P.S.C. website and in a local newspaper - the Newsline in this instance, Aiono said.

This is the arrangement before my time apparently to control expensive advertisement costs. The advertisement was not run in the Samoa Observer.

He also made it clear the P.S.C. helps when required with the recruitment and selection process for the Police Commissioner post.

The recruitment and selection of all other Police positions including the Deputy Commissioner is done by the Ministry of Police.

In response to questions on the number of applicants who applied for the Commissioner post, Aiono confirmed that several have applied.

Several applications have been received following the advertisement and the recruitment and selection process that applies for C.E.O.'s under the P.S.C. is now undertaken for the Police Commissioner post."

The P.S.C. helps with the recruitment and selection process, but it does not manage the Commissioner's contract.

The Ministry would know more about that.

In C.E.O. contracts managed by the P.S.C., if an appointment is delayed, a variation of the incumbent's contract is done to extend it to await a new appointment expected to be made as soon as possible, explained Aiono.

Two weeks ago, interested parties and members of the public raised questions as to why the post of Police Commissioner had not been widely advertised.

The only position that was advertised was the Deputy Police Commissioner which has since been filled by Papalii Monalisa Keti.

A Government official who only wanted to be identified as Oni was shocked to find out the deadline to submit application for the Police Commissioner post was Monday 22 April, 2018.A delegation from Huizhou Municipality of Guangdong Province of China visited Samoa College on Friday.

The delegation included the Secretary of C.R.C. Huizhou Committee and Chairman of N.P.C. Huizhou Standing Committee and Chairman of N.P.C. Huizhou Standing Committee, Chen Yiwei.

The visit aims to strengthen ties between the City of Huizhou and their sister college, Samoa College. The delegation visited the colleges computer lab which was funded by Huizhou City.

After taking a tour of the school, a ceremonial planting of a tree on the school grounds commenced to symbolise the ongoing and growing relationship between Huizhou City and Samoa College.

Chairman of the Samoa College Board and Associate Minister of the Ministry of Communications and information Technology, Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi said the help would put the college closer to becoming the first digital college in the Pacific.

We are honoured that you would be able to visit us during a special year as we celebrate 65 years of the college and planting of the tree is significant of our friendship as it continues, especially with the computer lab because we have planned to make Samoa College the first digital college in the Pacific Region said Lealailepule.

We have already submitted our formal request with our friend the ambassador so hopefully you can consider working together to achieve this milestone for the school and its students.

Leala told the Sunday Samoan the college has a special relationship with Huizhou City for a number of years and that they were honoured that they made a special visit.

We feel very honoured and privileged for them to come and help the school move forward.

Samoa College students have benefited from a number of student exchanges to Huizhou City and Lealailepule said they have been very generous in terms of strengthening their digital and sporting areas at the school.

Weve been having this sister college relationship for years back and they have been inviting our students to come over and every year we send some over.

Theyve been helping us a lot especially since they built a computer lab and provided the computers.

Thats why they had to include Samoa College into their schedule so they can have a look at what they helped us with over the years and the way forward. So thats why we had this tree planting for friendship and they have committed to helping us especially in the area of digital and sports.

Lealailepule said China has been very generous to the Pacific especially, Samoa and that it was good that they were looking at a grassroots level when it comes to education and developing future leaders.

The visit was timed with the opening of the Faleolo International Airport. The delegation from the city of Huizhou also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Arts and Culture Project and Friendship Project yesterday.

These two projects are funded by Huizhou Municipality of Guangdong Province of the Peoples Republic of China following cooperation established between the city of Huizhou and the Government of Samoa in 2015.The New Zealand Government has announced an increase in its development assistance budget, with the Pacific a key focus.

On 8 May, New Zealand Foreign Minister, Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters, outlined a budget increase of NZ$714 million (T$1.2billion) for New Zealands development cooperation over the next four years.

New Zealand High Commissioner to Samoa, David Nicholson, says this is a clear and positive message about New Zealands relationship with Samoa and the wider region.

New Zealand is of the Pacific, we want our region to thrive, and we value the close connections that we enjoy, said Mr. Nicholson.

With this funding, we will assist all of our Pacific partners to make progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals; support youth across the region with access to health services, education and training; support good governance, human rights, and gender equality; and promote the sustainable and inclusive growth of Pacific economies.

Climate change is another area signalled for particular support, and much of this will be directed at the Pacific.

We will support Samoa to reduce their vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and build climate resilience, as well as meet their emissions targets, Mr. Nicholson said.

This announcement is good news for Samoa, and the wider Pacific, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Government of Samoa in the further development of our Countries shared priorities.The Samoa Stationery and Books (S.S.A.B.) donated items to the Olomanu Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre on Friday.

They gifted furniture, clothing and a printer at the request of the Prisons and Correction Services.

There are more than 40 young people housed at the Olomanu Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre and most of them have been abandoned by their families.

This was according to the Commissioner for Prisons and Correctional Services, Taitosaua Edward Winterstein.

Speaking to the Sunday Samoan, he expressed his gratitude to S.S.A.B. for the much needed donation.

There are 40 kids who are at the Olomanu, which is specifically for the convicted kids from the ages of 17 downwards.

This is a helpful donation for the children to carry out their programmes and to better their ways.

This donation will go a long way in terms of taking action with our programmes and also with the clothing of these children because most of the children here have been disowned by their families, he said.

Taitosaua adds it is not the first time S.S.A.B. has helped those behind bars. Last year they also donated furniture for the Vaiaata.

They also gave chairs and certain things like that and also at this moment trying to setup a library for Vaiaata, which is useful for their spiritual growth and reputation as well.

C.E.O. of S.S.A.B. Tofilau Fiti Leung Wai believes there is always hope for the youth of Samoa who are in Olomanu.

It is the responsibility of S.S.A.B. and everyone here in Samoa to work together in love for the young generation of this nation.

It is a must for us to help the youth of our country and that also includes those who have made poor decision.

Christ came for all of us and especially those who are in need and that is the reason we are all here to today. For the children who are in Olomanu, may you always remember that this donation came from a heart of love and God is love, she said.

Tofilau also acknowledged her S.S.A.B. team for responding to the request that was made by the Prisons and Correction Services.

We then wanted to help the young ones. I thank the workers of S.S.A.B. because when the request was given I then asked them if there was anyone willing to donate to Olomanu in terms of clothing.

They reached out to me that they needed help with the young ones who are in the Olomanu Centre. When the request was given S.S.A.B. wanted to help and that is who we are here because that is how God is like.The Samoa National Provident Fund (S.N.P.F.) is going online.

The Fund is rolling out the first phase of its new I.C.T. system which aims to provide online access to both employers and members.

Chief Executive Officer of S.N.P.F, Pauli Prince Suhren, said phase one will enable all employers to have access to the Funds online portal.

The first phase is for employers to use the portal to upload their schedules online. This phase is now completed and fully functional, Pauli said.

The second phase will be for members to have access to account information details at the push of a button, such as balance of contributions and balance of loans, statement viewing and printing etc.

These new upgrades have been initiated to create a better customer service experience with an efficient time saving process.

This option will cut down a significant amount of manual processing time; eliminate potential errors due to manual loading of information and saves employers from having to go to an S.N.P.F. office with physical paperwork to submit schedules.

According to Pauli, the Fund has taken measures to utilise the step-change in technology with the onset of the high speed Tui Samoa Cable to facilitate the availability of member services online.

These initiatives are in line with our overarching primary objective of putting people first, said Pauli in a press statement.

Last year, the Fund held introductory awareness seminars and in light of the portal launch they will now be conducting more in depth workshops to show employers how the portal works. The seminars began this week and will continue for the next few weeks.

Bigger employers were contacted directly to attend specific workshops and a public notice will soon go out to all other smaller employers.

The main reason for holding many smaller workshops is to provide an environment that enables people to feel at ease with asking questions and exchange information between the Fund and employers.

The Fund has various types of loan schemes and members will still have to visit the S.N.P.F. offices for loan applications. The log-in details for each employer are also provided at these workshops and Pauli indicates that it is a possibility that they will look at developing an app for smartphones.

The S.N.P.F. employer portal can be accessed via our website: https://www.npf.ws under Links > Employer Portal. If any employer has any query, please email [email protected] or telephone 64800 ext 821.Ten customers each received a J1 Samsung smartphone yesterday as part of the Strickland Ltd Mothers Day promotion draw at Pesega.

The smartphones, purchased from Bluesky, come with a free sim card and $20 free air time.

Two police officers were present at the draw to ensure fair and just results were achieved.

Strickland Ltds Country Manager, Sanjeewa Weerawickrama, said it was a two weeks promotion for customers who spent more than $200 in purchases.

They can give it to their mothers as gifts for their special day, he said.

Bluesky Financial Controller, Anish Chandra says the company believes in connecting all Samoans, hence their involvement in the promotion.

The 10 lucky winners are:

1. Lemalu Enokati (Vaitele Uta)

2. Toma Mate (Malaemalu)

3. Andrew Silva (Vaimoso)

4. Pesamino Samu (Ululoloa)

5. Charlie (Taufusi)

6. Eteuati Peseta (Sinamoga)

7. Andrew Silva (Vaimoso)

8. Louis Epa (Vaitele Fou)

9. Charlie (Taufusi)

10. Pat Ah Him (Saleufi)Q:I recently purchased a condominium, and have discovered many improprieties with my HOA. I complained to the Attorney General who told me they cant do much. The real estate board says that the manager must have a real estate license, but the board told me it wasnt necessary. Does a property manager have to be licensed by the State of California and is there a governmental department to whom I can complain? J.C, Lake Forest

A:Your real estate board contact is confusing HOA management with rental management. Rental management in California requires a real estate brokers license, but California does not require licenses to manage common interest development associations. A number of states require licensing or minimum levels of education, but not California. California does have a voluntary title called the Certified Common Interest Development Manager, (CCIDM) established by Business and Professions Code Section 11502, requiring 30 hours of education in specified topics. Although the title is optional, Business and Professions 11504 requires managers to annually disclose to the homeowners association if the manager serving the association is or is not a CCIDM. This requirement applies to the manager serving the HOA, not the company  so having one certified manager in the company does not meet the requirement. Unfortunately, the law is typically not followed by uncertified managers. Association boards should make sure they know if their manager is certified and if they hold any other credentials. Credentials are not a guarantee of competence, but they certainly indicate a level of dedication to the management profession.

There is no state department in California overseeing HOAs, so the best protection is to have educated directors with the right attitude and a solid and qualified manager.

Q:We cant get people to serve on the board, but people will fight hiring a management company because they know assessments will be increased. The laws regarding HOAs are becoming so demanding and complex that its difficult for a self-managed HOA board to keep up. Can a board in a self-managed HOA hire a management company without a membership vote? If so, can the board then increase the assessments if that increase will be more than 20 percent without a homeowners vote? N.A., La Mirada

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A:Good management makes board service much easier, and all but the very smallest associations should have a professional and qualified manager helping them operate. Normally the hiring of association vendors is a board function. However with a vendor so important as the manager, it might be helpful to introduce the manager (and their background and qualifications) to the members. The budget will increase, and the board has the right (regardless of anything more restrictive in the governing documents) to increase assessments by up to 20 percent per year (Civil Code 5605(b)), if the association has issued the Annual Budget Report on time. If the association has not issued the Annual Budget Report items on time, the board may not increase assessments at all without a vote of the membership (Civil Code 5605(a). This is another powerful reason why professional management is important, since qualified managers get these report items out on a timely basis.

Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. is a Fellow of the College of Community Association Lawyers and Senior Partner of Richardson Ober PC, a California law firm known for community association advice. Submit potential column questions to Kelly@Richardsonober.com. Past columns at www.HOAHomefront.com.The largest building on the sprawling Palomar Family YMCA campus in Escondido was officially rededicated Saturday morning and named the Jim Bronner Gymnasium  but most likely it will be known for ever more as Jims Gym.

Jim Bronner died almost 20 years ago, but his legacy of giving has continued with his family and the business he once headed, Dr. Bronners, maker of the top-selling natural brand of soap.

Jim Bronners philosophy was to give one-third of the companys profits to charity, daughter Lisa Bronner said Saturday during a news conference at the YMCA.

He saw that if he had the ability to help, that he needed to, she said.

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This building bears his name because my dad, he wanted the best for kids and he wanted kids to stand on his shoulders and have the start that he didnt have so that they could do even better things.

As the son of the companys founder, the Dr. Bronner, Jim Bronner spent his childhood in and out of foster homes while his dad toured California giving away soap and spreading his philosophy.

1 / 10 The Palomar Family YMCA gym was named the Jim Bronner Gymnasium during an unveiing ceremony at the Y. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 2 / 10 Dozens of kids, young and older alike got a taste of Dr. Bronners Magic Foam Experience in the form of a Snofoam Snowstorm after the ceremony unveiling the Jim Bronner Gymnasium at the Palomar Family YMCA. Jim Bronner, the son of the founder of the company is credited with many achievements including The All-One Magic Foam Experience, a foam shower using their biodegradable organic soap, water and compressed air. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 3 / 10 Michael Bronner, President of Dr. Bronners Magic Soaps, foreground, and his sister, Lisa Bronner, background, watch as the name for the gymnasium at the Palomar Family YMCA, named for their father, Jim Bronner, is unveiled. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 4 / 10 Dr. Bronners Magic Soaps Foam Experience staff watched as the Jim Bronner Gymnasium was unveiled during a ceremony at the Palomar Family YMCA. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 5 / 10 A photo of Jim Bronner, of Dr. Bronners Magic Soaps fame was on display in front of the stage as Lisa Bronner, his daughter, recounted stories of her dad during the unveiling ceremony for the Jim Bronner Gymnasium at the Palomar Family YMCA. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 6 / 10 Terry Love gives dozens of kids, young and older alike a foam shower during Dr. Bronners Magic Foam Experience in the form of a Snofoam Snowstorm after the ceremony unveiling the Jim Bronner Gymnasium at the Palomar Family YMCA. Jim Bronner, the son of the founder of the company is credited with many achievements including The All-One Magic Foam Experience, a foam shower using their biodegradable organic soap, water and compressed air. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 7 / 10 Dozens of kids, young and older alike got a taste of Dr. Bronners Magic Foam Experience in the form of a Snofoam Snowstorm after the ceremony unveiling the Jim Bronner Gymnasium at the Palomar Family YMCA. Jim Bronner, the son of the founder of the company is credited with many achievements including The All-One Magic Foam Experience, a foam shower using their biodegradable organic soap, water and compressed air. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 8 / 10 Ki Light got hit with the foam just like the dozens of kids during Dr. Bronners Magic Foam Experience in the form of a Snofoam Snowstorm after the ceremony unveiling the Jim Bronner Gymnasium at the Palomar Family YMCA. Jim Bronner, the son of the founder of the company is credited with many achievements including The All-One Magic Foam Experience, a foam shower using their biodegradable organic soap, water and compressed air. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 9 / 10 Trudy Bronner, center, the widow of Jim Bronner, of Dr. Bronners Magic Soaps, and CFO of the company watched as the Jim Bronner Gymnasium was unveiled during a ceremony at the Palomar Family YMCA honoring her husband and his legacy. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 10 / 10 Terry Love gives dozens of kids, young and older alike a foam shower during Dr. Bronners Magic Foam Experience in the form of a Snofoam Snowstorm after the ceremony unveiling the Jim Bronner Gymnasium at the Palomar Family YMCA. Jim Bronner, the son of the founder of the company is credited with many achievements including The All-One Magic Foam Experience, a foam shower using their biodegradable organic soap, water and compressed air. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune)

Dr. Bronners was based for several years in Escondido until moving to larger facilites in Vista earlier this decade. The business and the Bronner family have given generously to the Escondido community for a long time.

Lisa Bronner told a story about how her father was driving through the Mojave Desert one hot day and came across a stranded motorist whom he stopped and helped.

Later that same drive he came upon a second broken-down vehicle and stopped to render aid again.

His reason was he just couldnt live with himself if he passed someone in need when he could help, she said.

My dad was many things, she added. To me he was just Pop. But out there in the world he was a chemist, he was an inventor, he was a soapmaker and he was a storyteller.

Her brother, Mike Bronner, the current president of Dr. Bronners soaps, told how his father invented a foam that fire services used to protect buildings during wildfires. Monsanto owns the patent to that product, he said, but his father later went into business for himself and invented a different type of foam used to create the illusion of snow.

He told the story of how Jim Bronner drove the familys white Ford Explorer onto the Warner Bros. Studios lot one day, getting past the guard because that same type of vehicle was what everyone at Warner Bros. drove.

He drove around the Warner Bros. lot until he found the special effects department. He just pulled up without an appointment.

Bronner demonstrated the foam, and the studio special effects guys were blown away.

It became the snowmaking foam for the industry, Mike Bronner said.

Jim Bronner eventually joined Dr. Bronners, and ever since a version of that snow foam has entertained kids and adults at festivals, schools and events.

Just after the Jim Bronner Gymnasium sign was unveiled Saturday, more than a hundred kids began squealing and screaming with joy as white foam was sprayed on them from a converted fire truck.

Trudy Bronner, Jims widow, and CFO of the business, watched as the children ran around covered in foam. She called Saturday a fun day.

Were proud to be affiliated with the Y, she said. When we first gave money to the Y starting five or six years ago, the idea was we wanted to help the kids and the families. The values of the Y are very similar to ours.

She said when the YMCA wanted to honor them with the rededication, that was fine, but that was not the reason for giving the money.

jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjonesThe online stranger threatened and harassed children for weeks and months to send him photos of themselves naked, even after at least one said he was driving her to consider suicide.

That man, Vista resident Joseph Daniel Saucedo, 26, on Friday was sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison for the coercion that began when he pretended online to be a teenage girl wanting to exchange explicit photos with other children, federal prosectors said.

Saucedo pleaded guilty a year ago to two counts of receiving and attempting to receive photos of minors, ages 11 and 16, engaged in sexually explicit conduct. A third count was dismissed.

He faced from 15 to 40 years in prison. A federal judge imposed a sentence of 19 years, 7 months in prison and 20 years of supervised release, according to a statement issued by the U.S. Attorneys Office.

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The statement said that in the plea deal, Saucedo admitted he had posed as teenage Amy Jennings to communicate online with an 11-year-old Canadian boy. As Amy, Saucedo sent the boy pictures of naked girls and asked if he would communicate with her friend, Saucedo.

When the boy refused, Amy posted a photo of his house and threatened to shame him into texting Saucedo, authorities said. They said Saucedo displayed himself naked to the boy using FaceTime and demanded pictures in return.

Early in 2016, Calgary Police Services investigating child pornography had traced images to Saucedo in Vista and connected him to the 11-year-old boys case.

Cross-border investigations came to involve the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, U.S. Secret Service and Homeland Security Investigations. San Diegos Electronic Crimes Working Group arrested Saucedo in 2016 and found cellphone evidence of nine more victims, federal prosecutors said.

The investigation revealed Amy had exchanged 130 images and 66 videos, many of them child pornography, with Kik instant messaging app users.

The youngest victim, 13, was asked by Saucedo to send pictures of herself naked at school. A 14-year-old girl was urged to commit sex acts, until she reached the point of saying his threats made her think of suicide.

Starting in 2015, Saucedo tormented a 16-year-old Florida girl for nearly a year after first posing as an agent looking for nude models. When the girl stalled, Saucedo posed as Amy Jennings with blackmail threats. He persuaded the teen to send photos of her naked breasts and conduct a sexually explicit FaceTime chat with him, prosecutors said.

This case highlights the importance of strong international partnerships to target these heinous crimes, San Diegos U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman said in the statement.

Saucedo was convicted in San Diego Superior Court in 2012 for unlawful sex with a minor. He was 20 and the girl was 14 at the time, authorities said.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune

Twitter: @pdrepardScores of mothers, fathers, sons and daughters gathered Saturday in the auditorium of Ada Harris Elementary School in Cardiff to learn about some of the most powerful tools in the world  the computer and human creativity.

Sitting at bench tables with laptop computers in front of them, the families used an icon-based programming language called Scratch to design games. At this class for total beginners, volunteers stood ready to help those with questions, while instructors explained the goals.

And after they were done, the children shared their results with each other. They were part of a worldwide event called Scratch Day, a door-opener to computer programming.

The verdict: While playing computer games someone else made is fun, making them yourself can be even better.

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Programs are created in Scratch by snapping together pieces of code like Lego blocks. The free programming system was created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to help children learn coding, but can be used by anyone. Scratch is available at scratch.mit.edu. An Internet connection and a web browser with Flash animation is all you need.

Melanie Kassem said she brought her son, Ferris, 8, because he loves computers.

Its pretty cool that you get to make your own games, she said.

Yeah, Ferris agreed, smiling.

Whats interesting about this is the idea that anyone can learn to code, said Christian Manion, who brought his son, Casey, 9.

My dad showed me (the programming language) Basic back in the day, Manion said. Just having knowledge of whats going on behind the screen, so to speak, is valuable for these kids.

Attending Scratch Day was a birthday present for Daniel Dipp Lopez, 9. His parents drove three hours to the school from their home in Mexicali.

Daniels project was to make a game with altered laws of physics, so that every time someone enters a room, its slightly different.

Maria Lopez, Daniels mother, said he likes to create apps like those on his cellphone. And he also used his skills to do his mother a favor.

I am a teacher, so I asked him to make something I could use to choose my students randomly, Lopez said. So he made a randomizer.

Lopez said theres a life lesson in learning to program.

It becomes something they can use on a daily basis when they face other tasks in their personal life or in their future jobs, she said. They will be more independent and less dependent on someone else doing it for them.

The event reflects the social role of programming, said Ido Tuchman, a parent and event organizer. Programmers usually dont work alone; they work with each other, sharing ideas, solving problems and encouraging each other.

Tuchman said the Cardiff School District was immediately receptive when he asked for its participation.

They said, What do you need? It was really nice, Tuchman said.

Helene Martin, another event organizer who is also a programmer, told the children that Scratch offers all the basic tools she uses in her job, so the concepts it teaches will carry over.

Scratchs ease of use comes at the price of limited choices and programming power that makes it impractical for complex projects, Martin said. But when users are sufficiently experienced that they chafe at Scratchs constraints, theyre ready to tackle more advanced programming languages.

Martins company, San Diego-based Nafundi, builds data-collection software for use in resource-constrained areas  in other words, parts of the world lacking modern infrastructure such as reliable electricity or communication.

For example, an infectious disease outbreak in remote areas can be tracked with information submitted by a mobile phone app and received directly by epidemiologists, Martin said. This method replaces manually recorded information that must go through several steps, taking up time and introducing potential errors with each step.

While a smartphone game and an app to track infectious diseases are very different in purpose, the building blocks are essentially the same, Martin said.

Science Playlist  On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds

bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1020A Palestinian was killed and at least 176 were wounded by Israeli army fire Friday as thousands of Gaza residents protested near their sealed border  part of a weeks-long campaign to end a decade-old blockade of the territory.

Later Friday, vandals burned a fuel complex and a conveyor belt on the Palestinian side of Gazas main cargo crossing with Israel, causing more than $9 million in damages and disrupting the import of diesel fuel and building materials, the military said.

Fridays clashes offered a preview of what will likely be a much larger protest  and possibly a border breach  on Monday when the United States relocates its embassy in Israel to contested Jerusalem amid Palestinian outrage.

President Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital and move the embassy there is causing the volcano to spew, said 25-year-old protester Ahmed Deifallah as he stood near the Gaza border, a Palestinian flag draped around his head.

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Deifallah, who is unemployed like almost half the Gaza labor force, said he would also join Mondays protest and is not afraid to die.

We are used to confronting the (Israeli) occupation with our bare chests, he said. We are used to wars and no one with us but Allah.

Friday marked the seventh weekly border protest since late March. The demonstrations have been organized by Gazas Hamas rulers, but are fueled by despair among the territorys 2 million people. The vast majority are barred from travel and trade, while the blockade has gutted the economy.

As in previous weeks, thousands flocked to five tent camps near the border  some 15,000 people, according to the Israeli military.

From the camps, smaller groups moved closer to the fence. They threw stones, burned tires and flew kites with burning rags attached to them, hoping to steer them into Israel to set fields on fire.

The area was quickly engulfed in thick black smoke from the burning tires.

Israeli soldiers, some crouching behind sand berms, fired live bullets and tear gas volleys from the other side of the fence.

The Israeli military said protesters also threw pipe bombs and grenades toward Israeli soldiers and damaged the fence.

Later Friday, Palestinians vandalized a fuel complex and conveyor belt on the Palestinian side of Gazas main cargo crossing, Kerem Shalom, the army said. It said the fuel installation is the only way to bring diesel fuel into Gaza for operating generators for hospitals and other key facilities.

The military distributed a video showing Palestinians cheering as a fire was set. It was the second such attack on the facility in a week. Hamas continues to lead the residents of Gaza to destroy the only assistance they receive, the army said.

Nissim Jan, the director of an Israeli company that operates Kerem Shalom in partnership with private Palestinian companies, said he spent large sums to repair last weeks damage. This time I cant repair and will not repair it. Where shall I bring money from? he said.

The Gaza Health Ministry said a 40-year-old protester was killed and 176 were wounded by Israeli fire Friday. Ten of the wounded were in serious condition, including a 16-year-old boy who was shot in the head. Nearly 800 others were overcome by tear gas or suffered other types of injuries.

Fridays death brought to 41 the number of protesters killed since March 30. In the same period, more than 1,800 were wounded by Israeli fire.

Despite such risks, Gazas Hamas leader, Yehiyeh Sinwar, has said he expects tens of thousands to participate in Mondays protest. He has raised the possibility of a mass border breach, comparing protesters to a starving tiger, unpredictable and full of pent-up anger.

Israel has said it will prevent any border breach and has stuck to its open-fire policies, including targeting main instigators and those approaching the fence, despite growing international criticism.

Israel says it has a right to defend its border and has accused Hamas of using the protests as a cover for attacking the border. Rights groups say the use of potentially lethal force against unarmed protesters is unlawful.

There are growing concerns that if Israel and Hamas dig in, a widespread border breach could lead to large numbers of casualties.

The protests are part of a campaign to break the blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt after the Islamic militant Hamas overran Gaza in 2007.

On Monday, they are also aimed at the inauguration of the U.S. Embassy, which comes five months after Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital  a decision that outraged Palestinians as blatantly pro-Israel.

The Israeli-annexed eastern sector of Jerusalem is sought as a future Palestinian capital  at least by those supporting Hamas political rival, West Bank-based Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas seeks an Islamic state in the entire historic Palestine, including what is now Israel, but has said it is ready for a long-term truce.

Another large-scale protest is planned for Tuesday, when Palestinians mark their nakba, or catastrophe, referring to their mass uprooting during the Mideast war over Israels 1948 creation. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were driven out or fled homes in what is now Israel. More than two-thirds of Gaza residents are descendants of refugees.

Meanwhile, Gaza government officials announced that Egypt will open its border with Gaza for four days starting Saturday. Helping reinforce the Israeli blockade, Egypt has kept the Rafah crossing point, Gazas main gate to the outside world, closed most of the time since the Hamas takeover.

Egypt opens the crossing from time to time, mainly to allow people in special categories, including medical patients and Gaza residents studying abroad, to leave the territory or return to it. The upcoming opening was framed as a humanitarian gesture ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins next week.

In Jordan, about 7,000 people participated in a nakba rally in an area close to the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Palestinian refugees and their descendants now number several million people in the region, including more than 2 million in Jordan.

Fridays rally took place before a large stage with a view of the Dead Sea and the West Bank.

One man walked onto the stage with an effigy of Trump dangling from a noose.

Laub reported from Amman, Jordan. Ian Deitch in Jerusalem and Alice Su in Sweimeh, Jordan, contributed to this reportSan Diego is the only city in California seeking state reimbursement for testing the toxic lead levels in water at local schools, which has cost the citys water agency more than $400,000.

The city has done tests at 256 schools since early 2017, but must test another 45 schools over the next six weeks. State legislation requires water agencies to test every public school, regardless of whether the agency gets a request, by July 1.

Significantly more schools in San Diego County have been tested than in any other county in California since the state requirement began.

The state has received testing results from 552 schools in San Diego County, compared to 360 in Alameda County, 280 in Santa Clara County, 263 in Sacramento County, 193 in Los Angeles County and 169 in Orange County.

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Of the schools tested by San Diego, only four have exceeded the level of lead where California law requires them to take action.

In the San Diego Unified School District, three affected campuses  Co-Operative Charter School 2, Emerson-Bandini School and Birney Elementary School  have fixed their problems.

The fourth school was a French-English learning academy called La Petit Ecole in Clairemont.

The requirement, which came in response to a national outcry over lead in drinking water at schools in Michigan, immediately prompted complaints from water agencies that it was an unfunded mandate by the state.

San Diego filed a test claim with the Commission on State Mandates in January, something no other water agencies have done. Written arguments in the case are due by June, with a hearing tentatively scheduled for November.

Its a very long, drawn-out convoluted process with the state, Brent Eidson, deputy director of the citys Public Utilities Department, said by phone. The state never intended to reimburse us.

If the commission rules against the city, San Diegos 275,000 water and sewer customers will be on the hook for the tests. If San Diego wins, every water agency in the state will be reimbursed for the tests it has conducted at local schools.

Eidson said it would be unusual for the commission to take a compromise position and order partial reimbursement.

Its usually an up or a down, he said.

The good news for San Diego and its water ratepayers is that costs for the tests have been much lower than initially anticipated.

City water officials estimated costs of more than $850,000 at public meetings last year, but have since revised those estimates downward to $470,000.

Eidson said the city has spent just under $400,000 so far and expects to spend just under $70,000 between now and June 30.

The primary source of the savings was the unexpected capability of the citys existing equipment to perform the lead tests. City officials initially thought they would need to buy new equipment.

There have also been other sources of savings, Eidson said, emphasizing that the early estimates were mostly guesses because the city had never before conducted lead testing.

We now have the benefit of having completed the work and are reviewing the expenditures to provide actual costs, he said. There were many unknowns at the onset of the testing program.

A factor that increased the citys costs was state legislation, Assembly Bill 746, which requires water agencies to test at all public schools regardless of whether a school requests it. The initial state requirement only required testing at schools that submitted requests.

Early versions of the state legislation would have required water agencies to test each public school campus at least once a year going forward, but no requirement for subsequent testing beyond July 1 was included in the final version.

Lead in drinking water can damage the cognitive development of children.

When a campus is found to have elevated levels of lead, the schools are required to fix the problem, with water agencies only required to conduct follow-up tests.

Water agencies are required to test five drinking fountains or other water fixtures at each campus, with school officials choosing the fixtures.

San Diego Unified announced last summer that it would begin testing all fixtures and cover the added costs itself. The district also decided to raise the standard of whats considered a dangerous level of lead from 15 parts per billion to 5 parts per billion.

That makes the districts standard the same as the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations standard for lead in bottled drinking water.

Eidson said the lack of positive tests for lead shows that San Diegos water does not contain dangerous levels of lead and isnt corrosive. Lead in water typically comes from corrosive water extracting the lead from old pipes.

The water itself, as it leaves our plant and comes to everybodys individual homes, is definitely lead-free, he said. The question is whether the plumbing on your particular house, or in this case a school, has lead fixtures and is our water so corrosive that it is leeching lead.

Eidson said one reason for the low frequency of local positive tests might be that much of San Diegos water comes from the mineral-rich Colorado River.

He said those minerals, especially calcium, help create an internal lining that keeps the water separate from the pipes carrying it, which could prevent or reduce the leeching of lead.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrickBillionaire investment banker George Soros has shaken up the San Diego County district attorneys race with a big push for Democrat Genevieve Jones-Wrights underdog campaign to become the top prosecutor.

The infusion of $1.5 million into Soross political committee -- with $600,000 spent for Jones-Wright so far -- is already the largest single outside investment in a local race that could be found over several days of reviewing campaign finance records.

But given San Diegos history with large sums of money in local campaigns, it might not be decisive as Jones-Wright takes on appointed incumbent Summer Stephan in the June 5 election.

In some cases, the recipient has won  but not all.

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Stephan, a Republican, has her own political committees boosting her campaign, with about $420,000 to spend.

In 2012, then-Rep. Bob Filners campaign for San Diego mayor was buttressed by independent expenditure committees that collectively raised about $2.16 million, records show.

Much of it came from organized labor including $500,000 from the Congress of Industrial Organizations. He beat then-Councilman Carl DeMaio, whose campaign had about $900,000 more in combined support from his official committee and outside groups.

Former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, an independent, benefited from about $1.83 million given to the official campaign committee and outside expenditure accounts in his 2013 bid to become San Diego mayor after Filner was forced out by a sexual harassment scandal.

Despite support from Qualcomm, labor and others that made him the best-funded candidate, Fletcher finished third place in the primary election  behind City Councilman David Alvarez and the eventual victor, Mayor Kevin Faulconer.

In one of the most striking instances of significant money not swaying outcomes in San Diego, self-funded mayoral candidate Steve Francis put about $4.56 million of his own cash into his campaign in 2008. He failed in his challenge to the incumbent mayor at the time, Jerry Sanders, who raised less than $1 million.

Jones-Wrights consultant, Eva Posner, said that the campaign is focused on reaching voters with their criminal justice reform platform.

Its about spending smart and targeting the right voters with the right message, Posner said by email. Thats how Stephans campaign could out-raise us 2-1 and still find themselves tied in a poll before the IE money came in on our side. This is a movement that was built by Genevieve, and people are recognizing how powerful her voice is and how important these issues are. We are excited that criminal justice reform is getting the attention it deserves.

Stephans campaign consultant Jason Roe did not respond to a request for an interview for this article.

Because there are only two candidates running for district attorney, the race will be decided in the June 5 primary.

While candidates backed by outside money have had mixed success, DeMaio said that it can definitely make a difference and he believes that Filners outside support from labor and others was pivotal in the 2012 campaign.

He said that outside money isnt inherently bad or questionable in itself, but if a candidate receives support only from one niche corner rather than broad support across the electorate, it should raise flags. In 2012 he was concerned that Filner had a concentration of support from organized labor, and this year hes alarmed that Jones-Wright has concentrated support from one source: Soros.

But voters usually dont distinguish between money from a campaign versus independent expenditures, DeMaio said.

They live busy lives and theyre bombarded with countless mailers and TV ads, he said, and they just want to be left alone, they just want peace and quiet.

Independent expenditure committees exist because of limitations on how much donors can give official campaigns, said Tom Shepard, a political consultant. Theres a relatively low $800 limit on individual contributors, and parties are limited to giving countywide candidates $51,800, so its its difficult to raise enough money to reach all the millions of voters. Outside money can help spread the word about a candidate, Shepard said.

He said theres a catch  the candidates campaign cant coordinate with the independent expenditure committee and the messages might diverge. Soros usual criminal justice reform drumbeat might not be the best message for Jones-Wright to use against Stephan, Shepard said.

The issues of restorative justice and reforming our incarceration rates, those are important public policy issues, Shepard said over the phone. But if you were trying to figure out the best way to defeat the incumbent in that race, those would not be the issues you would choose. But those are the issues Soros wants to talk about, and thats what the advertisements will be about.

It would be more effective to attack Stephan for being the appointed district attorney and county politicians habit of appointing people into elected offices, Shepard said. The former district attorney, Republican Bonnie Dumanis, resigned halfway through her term and backed Stephan as her successor. The all-Republican county Board of Supervisors then picked Stephan to fill the remainder of the term.

Shepard said that having resources  even several times the amount of an opponent  doesnt amount to much if it isnt spent wisely. Shepard worked for Sanders when he faced a challenge from Francis and said that the incumbent was re-elected in-part because Francis, who had nearly a $4 million financial advantage, did not run a strong campaign.

Posner said that the outside money from an independent expenditure campaign or IE doesnt change their strategy or operations.

We run our campaign and dont worry about what the IE is doing. We cant control it anyway, so there is no point, Posner sad.

John Dadian, another political consultant, said San Diego is so populated that he expects most of the independent expenditure money to be spent on television ads rather than direct mail because television can be a more efficient way to hit the entire market in a race that includes the entire county. He noted that direct mail can be sent to specific voters to tell them about specific issues.

Its a good media buy, and its going to be interesting, as a post-mortem, after the campaign, to see where they put the entire amount of money, Dadian said over the phone. I always like direct mail because you can target it so much.

Soros, a Hungarian-born investment banker, has invested millions across the country in prosecutor races and often backs civil rights attorneys and public defenders who are focused on ending racial disparities in prosecutions and sentencing, overhauling the cash bail system and diversion programs for drug offenders.

He has put $1.5 million into the California Justice PAC, the political committee that, in turn, is supporting Jones-Wright. The pack is supporting other candidates besides Jones-Wright, including Noah Phillips in Sacramento County and Diana Becton in Contra Costa County.

Twitter: @jptstewart

joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1841Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday kicked off what could be his most intense fight with fellow Democrats in his final year on the job. He unveiled his last spending plan  a $137.6 billion 2018-19 general fund budget with an $8.8 billion surplus. The termed-out governor wants the windfall to be mostly diverted to the states rainy-day fund. Lets not blow it now, Brown said in citing yet again the danger of committing the state to new long-term spending programs when volatile revenues dependent on income taxes paid by the wealthy can drop 20 percent in a year.

Acknowledging the breathing room created by a spring revenue surge, the governor proposed more spending than in his January budget. He called for using $2 billion next fiscal year on infrastructure, including projects to help with flood control and to improve facilities at universities and in the courts system. He also supports providing $359 million to help local governments deal with burgeoning homeless populations and hopes to add $96 million to efforts to limit the risks from menacing wildfires.

Unfortunately, Browns years of warnings have never been internalized by Democratic lawmakers  even those who were in Sacramento a decade ago when the last revenue recession hit and caused chaos. They want Brown to commit to increase spending on CalWorks, the states welfare program; to approve subsidized health care for poor unauthorized immigrants; and to add spending on subsidized child care programs. Some also want far more state aid for higher education and homelessness.

If these Democrats get their way, much of that $8.8 billion surplus will vanish. Their rationale: In these times of prosperity, we need to make sure we bring all Californians along for the ride, Assemblyman Budget Committee Chairman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, told the Associated Press.

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Theres a tidiness about this argument that will have broad appeal in a state that has the most billionaires but also the highest percentage of impoverished households. Yet the more this view is considered in the larger picture of how the Legislature does its job, the weaker it gets. If revenue volatility is so extreme that it hobbles efforts to provide a durable safety net, then why wont lawmakers listen to the bipartisan reformers who for years have proposed adding taxes to many services while lowering income-tax rates? This could both goose the economy and produce a steadier income stream that makes new spending commitments much less risky. If poor families dont have an easier path to the middle class, then why wont lawmakers listen to former President Bill Clinton and others who have long said computer science classes should be mandatory in high school? If housing is so costly that it prevents families from buying food, then why wont lawmakers do far more to end the housing shortage?

The agenda of politicians who want to bring all Californians along for the ride to prosperity should go far beyond pushing for more government programs. When that happens, theyll have far more of a claim to the moral high ground than they do now. And until that happens, these politicians cant lay a glove on Gov. Browns call for relative frugality.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & OpinionIran deal withdrawal a bad sign for the U.S.

Re Trump withdraws U.S. from Iran nuclear deal (May 8): The time has come for Americans to speak up. Our cherished values of truth, free press, ethics and a moral code are being changed into fake news, alternative facts and situation ethics, or none at all.

Five years of careful planning by many countries went into crafting the Iran nuclear deal. It was not perfect, but it was a well-thought-out plan to prevent the build-up of a nuclear arsenal in Iran.

It was bad enough when we pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Paris Climate Accord, giving China and Russia more influence in Asia, but we have put our own trusted allies, France, England and Germany in a very dangerous situation. This is not how we treat our friends.

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I have lived through 14 different presidents, both Republican and Democrat. I did not always agree with all of their decisions, but I always felt that they had my countrys best interest at heart until now.

Mary Agne

Scripps Ranch

Congress is the real voice of the people

Re Trump sending the world wrong message (May 10): Regarding Linda Duryeas letter on Donald Trump withdrawing the U.S. from Iran deal, one might consider it was Barack Obama who made the world less safe with his search for legacy.

And the message to North Korea and the rest of the world is you shouldnt rely on an agreement with the president of the United States that hasnt been validated and approved by the Congress  the real voice of the people.

Jim Kuriger

San Marcos

Money Iran got in nuke deal was its own

Re Remember Russia influence on Iran deal (May 5): See me throw up my hands again. The money given to Iran during the nuke deal was Irans money. It was paid to U.S contractors for weapons purchase from us before the regime change many years ago. The U.S. stopped delivery of the weapons and the monies were kept in a separate account, which continued to draw interest.

Companies in San Diego used to do business with Iran before the regime change. The Republicans have done a good job of keeping this information quiet and Fox News, over the years, implied it was taxpayer funds.

In fact, recently on The View I heard one of the women say, We paid them, never clarifying that We gave it back its money.

Are lies of omission better than up front lies? I guess this shows how far weve fallen.

Carole Lombardi

Del Cerro

Iran nuclear deal lacked support of Congress

Re America only makes deals it can shake on (May 9): What Steve Breens cartoon fails to convey is the fact that President Obama was unable to get any support for this Iran deal in Congress and so it was never elevated to the status of a treaty. Iran knew this when it entered into the deal and took all the front-loaded benefits it could get of said deal.

Obama bragged about using his pen and his phone and the result is that his so-called legacy foreign policy achievement has bitten the dust. Boo hoo. Whats even more ironic is that John Kerry (forgetting that hes no longer secretary of state) sees fit to lobby on the deals behalf with foreign leaders. I assume he will be charged with violating the Logan Act as the feds did with Gen. Flynn. Like that is going to happen.

Susan Page

Bankers Hill

Letters and commentary policy

The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below.

Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook.Who should get your vote to be the next governor of California?

The editorial boards at some of Californias biggest newspapers have some thoughts about that and are making endorsements in the gubernatorial race as vote-by-mail ballots arrive in homes statewide with less than a month until the June 5 primarys Election Day.

As a reminder, editorial boards work in the opinion sections of newspapers and operate completely indepedently from the objective journalists in each of their newsrooms.

What are endorsements? Why are they made?

Heres what the Union-Tribunes own editorial board says.

Vetting candidates is a duty we take seriously.

We endorse on the basis of experience, integrity, character and commitment. We ask ourselves: Have the candidates done the job? Can they do the job? Will they?

Our endorsements dont mean were campaigning for these candidates. They mean we weighed what we know about them and are sharing our insights with you. What you do with that is up to you.

Here is who the Los Angeles Times, The Mercury News, The Sacramento Bee, The San Diego Union-Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicle recommend you consider for one of the states most important positions. Californias next governor will have to grapple with a housing crisis, major infrastructure issues, a national debate over immigration and a rocky relationship with President Donald Trump, among many other subjects. Youll find excerpts and links to each endorsement below.

Los Angeles Times  Antonio Villaraigosa

The reason to vote for him is that having served successfully as a legislative leader in Sacramento and as mayor during tough times in Los Angeles, he is more prepared for the job than his rivals.

The Mercury News

On each issue, Newsom appreciates the political and policy complexities. His positions are rooted in a mix of progressive morality and fiscal reality.

The Sacramento Bee  Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Treasurer John Chiang

[Newsoms] principles, hedged though they often seem, generally channel the liberal majority of this blue state.

Call [Chiang] a wonk, but so is (Gov. Jerry) Brown, and like Brown, he knows the value of deliberation and frugality.

The San Diego Union-Tribune  Antonio Villaraigosa

The veteran Democrats willingness to challenge government unions while mayor of Los Angeles and his ability to get things done as speaker and majority leader in the state Assembly lend credibility to his claim that he could take on Californias political status quo.

The San Francisco Chronicle  Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom

Newsom, lieutenant governor and former mayor of San Francisco, has the track record, policy command and vision best aligned to take on the challenges in the governors office.

Santa Cruz Sentinel  Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom

Newsom has the grasp of issues and leadership skills to ensure the state doesnt slip back fiscally, but moves forward on a variety of fronts.

Well update this page as other editorial boards make endorsements in this race.

Who are you voting for? Let us know.

Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @abbyhamblin

ALSO

Get to know California's candidates for governor

How California's candidates for governor would work  or not  with Trump, in their own wordsThere have always been wacky cures for cancer circulating the internet, but most of them wont kill you. The newest solution, on the other hand, involves imbibing a potentially poisonous solution: hydrogen peroxide.

The Fresno-Madera California Poison Control Center became concerned when they witnessed a sudden spike in calls related to incidents of ingesting hydrogen peroxide. Dr. Rais Vohra, medical director of the center, told local paper The Fresno Bee that there were simply too many calls to ignore. California Poison Control was compelled to release a warning against swallowing hydrogen peroxide, according to CBS Sacramento.

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Vohra expressed concern that people were finding false health claims on the internet and blindly believing them, leading them to resort to this risky behavior. This has happened before, even driving mothers to feed their babies harsh bleach solutions to cure autism.

It turns out that claims about hydrogen peroxide do exist. On Twitter, users are tweeting misleading information that hydrogen peroxide can cure cancer.

https://twitter.com/darronmckinney/status/993376446621126657

I believe this is the cure for all diseases including cancer, one confident user said.

https://twitter.com/HealthRanger/status/858260908602265600

Beat cancer with hydrogen peroxide, another promised.

But the only thing youll beat with hydrogen peroxide is your clean bill of health.

If you drink too much of it, the National Capital Poison Center warns, There can be a lot of stomach irritation and even burns that require a trip to the emergency room and possible hospital admission. Other potential side effects include tissue burns, severe injury, or even death.

The agency cautions that any purported health benefits are not based on any real scientific evidence.

People who consume the substance may believe that since hydrogen peroxide is technically just water with an extra molecule of oxygen tacked on, it cant be dangerous.

https://twitter.com/_dumbaby/status/992576538855067648

adderall and meth dont have identical chemical makeups but theyre similar which makes them the same exact thing. anyway Im going to have a glass of hydrogen peroxide which is just water with an extra oxygen atom so no difference really, tweeted @_dumbaby in mockery of the trend.

Unfortunately for these misguided social media users, thats not how chemistry works. But if the Tide Pods scandal taught us anything, its that people will try anything that could make them famous on Twitter - even the dumbest trends just keep on trending.

View slideshow

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Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/11/2018 -- The cooking oil market across GCC has been experiencing steadfast growth since the past few decades. It has been noticed that, shifting lifestyle and elevated purchasing power has caused a rise in consumption of processed food; hence, benefitting the market for cooking oil. To understand the overall market scenario across GCC and Qatar, a new research report titled "Cooking Oil Market - GCC and Qatar Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Trends and Forecast 2017  2024", has been included to the broad database of Market Research Hub (MRH). This evaluation tries to present a comprehensive overview of the cooking oil market in the mentioned regions, with the inclusion of valuable insights about the growth trajectory during 2017 and 2024.



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As per research findings, increasing investments across R&D for developing a new set of products is supporting the GCC cooking oil market. Furthermore, with the growth of the Qatar hospitality industry, the food processing industry has indeed benefitted. The expedition of international hotel chains aiming to back up rising tourism has supplemented the progress of cooking oils industry across Qatar. The research report starts with the research scope and research methodology, which helps in enlightening the readers about the actual motive of this assessment. Important facets such as GCC cooking oil market, revenue and volume for the forecasted period 2010-2024 has been carefully enclosed in this analysis. Furthermore, market drivers, impact analysis, market restraints and opportunities acquire a separate portion. In addition, specific data about market trends analysis across the concerned market can be easily accessed.



Readers can learn about the insights associate to revenue growth strategies, market size and forecast values during the stated period. Moreover, primary winning strategies adopted by companies in the GCC and Qatar cooking oil market is formed on the basis of valuable perceptions on competitive outlook. Market segmentation on the basis of product and packaging type is part of the research report. Based on product type, palm oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, and others are the prime divisions in the cooking oil market.



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The final section of the report covers the competitive landscape which talks about the various companies operating in the GCC and Qatar cooking oil market. United Foods Company, Emirates Refining Company Ltd., Savola Group, Hayel Saeed Anam Group and Co., Ghurair Resources Oils and Proteins, Asia Africa General Trading LLC, and Omani Vegetables Oils and Derivatives Co. LLC are the prominent companies that have been examined through this analysis.



Enquire about this Report- https://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=enquiry&repid=879393



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Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRH's 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.



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Read Industry News at - https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/11/2018 -- An up-to-date research has been disclosed by QY Research Group highlighting the Global Pallet Pooling segment. The report deep dives into the dynamics of Global Pallet Pooling providing useful and unique insights. The information is shared in a precise and structured manner, giving executives and leaders an accurate picture of the upcoming market movement. The document utilizes a number of monographs, pie charts and bar-graphs to provide data which can be used to derive the latest trends in the industry. The report is also divided according to usage wherever applicable, including (but not limited to) FnB, FMCG, Minerals, Electronics, Pharma, Polymers etc. All these details are available for all major countries and associations  APCA, EMEA, United States. Other locations can be included in the report on demand.



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The document contains a comprehensive description of all the firms in question. The necessary details for the companies in Global Pallet Pooling , such as revenue, % share, supplier information, images of products are provided as well. It is expected that the industry will continue to develop in a swift manner with new competition trying to capture the share of the pie. Given the industry regulations, international government policies, state-of-the-art innovations  the competition would be fierce for all the participants.



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What is the expected industry size of Global Pallet Pooling Market in 2022?

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Email: sales@qyresearchgroup.comSD-WAN Week in Review: Versa, Nuage, CloudGenix & More

By Maurice Nagle , Web Editor

SD-WAN is a game changing technology, serving as a key component of the digital era. Digital transformation is touching all points of technology, and as the cloud adoption and applications grow, SD-WAN is an exceptional way to deliver performance, reliability, flexibility and cut costs on an organizations WAN spend. With the weekend upon us, theres no better time than the present to take a look back at the week that was in: Its time for the Week in Review!







Today, Fusion announced the acquisition of MegaPath (News - Alert) , bringing the private companys comprehensive portfolio of cloud services including SD-WAN, UCaaS, security, cloud connectivity and more to an already robust Fusion arsenal. Matthew Rosen (News - Alert) , Fusions Chairman and CEO, said, This transaction is further evidence that Fusion is rapidly building a cloud services industry leader around our unique and compelling single-source strategy. Complete coverage is HERE.

Telefonica Spain announced a collaboration with Nuage Networks, which results in the extension of its infrastructure to create an elastic, open, agile and secure network to include software-defined data centers (SDDC). The Nuage Networks Virtualized Network Services (VCS) solution enables Telefonica to deliver software-defined WAN and enterprise cloud infrastructure. All the details are HERE.

CloudGenix, a SD-WAN developer, recently announced an investment from Intel (News - Alert) Capital, which will reportedly drive the software-based transformation of networks. We chose Intel for our architecture to deliver transformative networking solutions based on application and network intelligence, said Kumar Ramachandran, CEO, CloudGenix. As enterprises across all verticals adopt CloudGenix AppFabric, the investment by Intel Capital (News - Alert) further accelerates our product and go-to-market expansion plans.Everything you need to know is HERE.

Next week, Versa Networks Senior Director of Product Marketing Dogu Narin will offer his insight on this exploding space, taking part in the panel discussion, SD-WAN: How the Market is Evolving at an upcoming industry event. The session will explore the evolution of SD-WAN, and the ripple effect of this highly touted technology. The full story is HERE.

Remember to come back early and often for your fill of all things SD-WAN! See you next week!STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The driver of a car who allegedly crashed into a telephone pole in Prince's Bay Friday night is in stable condition, according to sources.

Sources identified the driver as Joseph San Fillipo, 51.

Police said he was driving toward Tottenville on Hylan Boulevard when he struck a utility pole near Cornelia Avenue shortly before 9 p.m. on Friday.

San Fillipo was transported to Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze on Friday, according to a city Fire Department spokesman.

He was listed in stable condition on Saturday, according to sources with knowledge of the incident.

On Friday, Consolidated Edison crews were on scene checking the stability of the telephone pole.

A ConEd spokesman said no outages were reported as a result and the pole that was hit was not damaged.

FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTERSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For many of us, the eight hours a day we spend at work make it difficult to juggle all of our outside obligations.

Once you factor in the additional multiple time it takes many Staten Islanders to commute to work, particularly those living on the South Shore, it can feel as though our entire lives are spent either working or traveling to and from work.

For years, Staten Island residents have been faced with one of the nation's longest average commutes.

With gridlock-level rush hour traffic, no connecting subway line and exclusion from New York City's fast ferry system, many Staten Islanders must resort to lengthy express bus trips to and from Manhattan.

While personally fortunate enough to work just a short 15-minute drive from my home, I was recently exposed to the grueling daily commute that South Shore residents have grown all too accustomed to.

While checking out the MTA's new double decker express bus prototype, currently piloting on the X17J route from Huguenot to East Midtown, I endured one of the longest bus rides of my life.

The 53-stop route, 42 of which are made before even leaving Staten Island, had an end-to-end runtime of two hours and 36 minutes.

With a circuitous route spanning numerous neighborhoods and multiple stops spaced just blocks apart, the bus that left the route's first stop at Woodrow Road/Vineland Avenue at 7:01 a.m. did not reach the Goethals Bridge until 8:04 a.m.

After crossing the bridge, traffic in New Jersey was fairly standard for morning rush hour, with the true gridlock-level congestion not really setting in until reaching the approach to the Lincoln Tunnel.

The bus finally exited the tunnel, reaching Manhattan just before 9 a.m., nearly two hours after leaving the first stop.

After all was said and done, with just 11 stops made in Manhattan, the X17J reached the end of its journey at 9:36 a.m. -- over two and a half hours since the start of the trip.

Needless to say, after one day of commuting from the South Shore to Midtown, Manhattan, I've developed a newfound respect for those of you who endure that excruciating trip on a daily basis.

RELIEF ON THE WAY?

Thankfully, some relief could soon be on the way in the form of the MTA's Staten Island express bus network redesign -- set to take effect in August.

The ambitious new network will offer riders more direct routes, with less frequent stopping. And it is expected to reduce the average end-to-end route runtime by approximately 20 minutes.

However, in order to reduce travel times, the MTA had to eliminate a number of Staten Island stops, increasing the average distance between stops from every .25 miles to every .40 miles.

Nearly 70 percent of riders will continue using the same stop they use today, according to the MTA.

But for some of the roughly 30 percent of passengers forced to find new stops, the changes may cause some issues.

Various elderly commuters, as well as those suffering from medical issues, have voiced concerns that they will be unable to walk the extended distance from their homes to their new bus stops.

Others have complained that certain portions of Staten Island are no longer connected to certain portions of Manhattan, resulting in the need to transfer to other buses or subway lines.

When you begin to factor in the additional time spent walking to new stops, as well as the need for some passengers to transfer as a result of the redesign, the time-saving benefits of the plan could begin to dwindle.

So while expected to marginally reduce commute times, the plan is not without its faults and is unlikely to completely resolve the issue.

What may prove more helpful, though, would be the introduction of an alternate means of transportation from the South Shore to Manhattan in the form of a fast ferry.

Local elected officials and residents have been petitioning for years for a ferry system that would allow South Shore residents to travel to Manhattan by boat, without spanning the borough to reach the St. George ferry terminal.

Since being excluded from Mayor Bill de Blasio's "citywide" fast ferry service, the public outcry for quality commuting options on the South Shore has only grown.

The mayor has since said he will "seriously" consider including Staten Island in the expanded ferry service if it continues to be successful in other parts of the city.

However, the issue of determining a location and constructing a viable dock along the South Shore, coupled with the perceived lack of resources dedicated to Staten Island, has many residents convinced that the plans will never come to fruition.

So while the redesigned express bus network may shave a few minutes off of South Shore commutes, it's unlikely that any major reductions in travel time will occur without the implementation of alternate means of transportation.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

How long is your daily commute to Manhattan? Will the newly redesigned express bus network shorten your commute? Would a fast ferry offer better options for South Shore residents to reach Manhattan? What would you propose to speed up your commute?

We encourage our readers to reach out to us by posting their responses in the comment section and/or emailing them to tbascome@siadvance.com.

I'll be following up on our readers' submissions in future installments of On the Go? to find ways to improve the challenging commuting conditions on Staten Island.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Democratic congressional candidate Max Rose formally announced his 10-point plan to combat the national opioid and heroin epidemic that has taken center stage on Staten Island.

"For years now, on Staten Island and in South Brooklyn, we have lost hundreds of our loved ones to the drug epidemic, and countless more still struggle with addiction," said Rose.

The issue is one that Rose is familiar with, having previously worked to provide treatment for those struggling with addiction.

"While I was chief-of-staff at Brightpoint Health, we helped provide substance abuse treatment and healthcare to New York's most vulnerable -- including right here on Staten Island," said Rose.

Rose unveiled the following plan to "ensure not one more life is needlessly lost to a preventable overdose."

1) Reducing federal roadblocks to medically-assisted treatment

"Congress must roll back these restrictions to ensure that victims of the opioid crisis are able to get the treatment they need to beat their addiction."

2) Improving prescriber training

"Congress must mandate continuing pain medication training for doctors, and create resources for medical and pharmacy schools to eliminate over-prescribing."

3) Building on local successes

"As a congressman, I'll introduce legislation to provide more federal funding for DA offices across the country, so that they finally have the resources necessary to implement local solutions to this crisis."

4) Ensuring the federal funding necessary to end the crisis

"Just as the Ryan White Act provided funding to improve the availability of care for HIV/AIDS patients, so too must a new spending bill unleash the full power of the federal government to eliminate the scourge of the opioid crisis."

5) Improving provider communication and expanding treatment options

"As a congressman, I'll lead the effort to repeal the IMD exclusion, and fight to fund new outpatient clinics that handle substance abuse, mental health treatment, primary care, and wrap-around programs under one roof ..."

6) Maintaining and expanding healthcare access

"Congress must resist Republican efforts to eliminate funding to Medicaid, because without a fully-funded healthcare system, this crisis will only get worse."

7) Expanding clinic access in underserved areas

"We need to double the number of clinics on Staten Island to ensure that anyone impacted by this crisis has the resources they need to get better."

8) Supporting a federal lawsuit against opioid manufacturers

"Congress must hold drug corporations financially and criminally responsible for the death and destruction they've brought to our country."

9) Empowering law enforcement to stop the flow of fentanyl-laced drugs

"Congress must arm law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Postal Service with the manpower and technology necessary to catch fentanyl as it's being transported."

10) Changing federal laws that handcuff law enforcement

"Congress must stop protecting drug companies that write large campaign checks, and instead empower the DEA and other federal law enforcement agencies to adequately address and stop this crisis."

Rose criticized Republican candidates Rep. Dan Donovan and Michael Grimm for not doing enough during their times in office to address the issue.

"Under their leadership, we saw people continue to die at record rates and they did not do a thing, and that's the problem," said Rose.

Both campaigns have since refuted the claim.

"We know Max Rose just moved to Staten Island, but he should get his facts straight,'' said Jessica Proud, a spokesperson for Donovan. "As district attorney, Dan Donovan had the highest felony conviction rate of any DA in the city, worked to get a statewide and federal prescription database, had one of the most successful drug treatment courts in the state, created a model Naloxon training program, and has passed more than a dozen bills tackling the opioid epidemic, in addition to securing the largest-ever funding commitment. No one on Staten Island has done more than Dan Donovan to combat this crisis."

Grimm also fought back. "If Max Rose hadn't just moved to the district to run for office, he'd know that I led the charge in congress to tackle prescription drug abuse by sponsoring federal I-STOP legislation and working closely with local partners like Camelot and Addiction Angel to bring attention to this issue and secure resources for treatment,'' said Grimm. "Unfortunately, we wouldn't have this epidemic to begin with if Dan Donovan didn't spend his time as district attorney plea-bargaining away and covering up the extent of this growing crisis."By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent.

AgreeSystem error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

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Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fcb7fbe08)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb366168)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fcb7fbe08)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb366168)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fcb7fb1f8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb366168)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb366168)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcaee76a8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fcb65a780)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fcb65a780)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0PHILIPSBURG:--- In honor of International Nurses Day, which is celebrated globally on May 12th, I would like to share this message. The theme for Nurses Day is: A voice to lead, a theme that I can resonate with and would like to promote within our health care sector. I would like to recognize our nurses for their commitment to protecting, promoting, and improving health care for all in our country.

Registered nurses form the largest of health care professions. I cannot begin to explain the influence and impact of our nurses in our Public Health strategies. In various sectors, industries and departments our nurses are active and vocal in policy development and implementation. I would like to see that recognition of our nurses be promoted as widely as possible.

I am proud to say that the work of our nurses on Sint Maarten and our local nurses abroad is impactful and influential on a regional and international scale. Our nurses are active in improving access to health care, educating our community members, addressing poverty and nutrition, clean energy, inequality, sustainability and innovation.

Nurses, thank you for your service and dedication to your profession and those in need.

Happy Nurses Day.Washington (PAHO/WHO):--- Health authorities in the Caribbean are calling on individuals, families and communities to join the battle to reduce mosquito breeding sites in and around homes, as part of the Pan American Health Organizations (PAHO) campaign for Mosquito Awareness Week 2018.

This years campaign focuses on increasing community participation in the elimination of breeding sites for Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya, Zika and urban yellow fever.

Removing recipients that may accumulate water

Aedes mosquitos are well adapted to human settlements and tend to breed in water held in manmade containers, such as tires, buckets, barrels, planters, and trash containers. This is why it is so important to get citizens actively involved in mosquito control. Households in areas where these mosquitos circulate need to ensure that any items that can accumulate water are either discarded or emptied, scrubbed and turned over at least once a week; tightly covered to prevent mosquitos from getting inside; or thoroughly cleaned to destroy any mosquito eggs that may be attached to their surfaces.

Controlling mosquito breeding sites is essential, both for prevention and during an outbreak, said Dr. Marcos Espinal, director of PAHOs Department of Communicable Diseases and Environmental Determinants of Health.

Getting individuals, families and communities to help reduce mosquito breeding sites is a key component of PAHOs integrated strategy to control mosquito-borne diseases, which is being implemented by member countries throughout the Americas. The strategy also calls for chemical and non-chemical control measures carried out by health and environmental authorities, and for involving different sectors in an integrated and coordinated way.

Ensuring robust vector control efforts across the Caribbean is especially important given the islands vulnerability to hurricanes and other natural hazards, which often increase mosquito populations and therefore the risk of mosquito-borne diseases, said Espinal. Mosquito Awareness Week in the Caribbean is not just about one-off actions but about building awareness and commitment to sustained mosquito-control efforts throughout the year.

Mosquito-borne diseases are a significant cause of illness and sometimes death for people, families and communities living in at-risk areas. Recent data show that in 2017, countries in the Americas reported 483,208 cases of dengue (including 253 deaths) and 180,000 cases of chikungunya. From January 2015 through January 2018, there were 223,477 confirmed cases of Zika in the region.

Mosquito Awareness Week began in 2016 as a result of a decision taken at the 17th meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in 2014. This year, activities have already begun in St. Lucia and the Virgin Islands and will take place in other locations over the coming weeks.

The initiatives involve civic groups, grassroots organizations, local and national health authorities, the private sector, and other agencies that have joined forces to combat vector-borne diseases. Activities include launch events, workshops, forums, and school and community actions aimed at reducing mosquito breeding sites.Iran turns to diplomacy amid high regional tensions



Tehran, May 11 (AFP) May 11, 2018



Iran's foreign minister will embark on a diplomatic tour to try to salvage the nuclear deal amid high tensions following the US withdrawal and global fears over reports of unprecedented clashes with Israel in Syria.

Mohammad Javad Zarif will leave late Saturday for visits to Beijing, Moscow and Brussels, a spokesman said Friday, holding meetings with all five of the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran appeared determined not to be drawn into a wider regional conflict with Israel during the sensitive negotiations.

That is despite Israel's claims it struck dozens of Iranian targets inside Syria early on Thursday as part of "Operation House of Cards".

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to "throw the Iranians out" of his country.

Israel said the strikes were in response to a missile volley fired from southern Syria by Iran's Quds force, which struck the occupied Golan Heights without causing casualties.

But Iran flatly denied the Israeli version of events, saying Israel's attacks were carried out on false "pretexts".

"The repeated attacks by the Zionist regime on Syrian territory were carried out under pretexts that were invented by themselves and are without foundation," said foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi, without offering further details.

Iran must tread a delicate line as it seeks to show resolve against Trump and the Israeli strikes without alienating the European partners it needs to salvage something from the nuclear deal.



- Iran concessions? -



Zarif will hold high-pressure talks with the other parties to the deal, first in Beijing and Moscow, and then with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany in Brussels on Tuesday.

All five have condemned Trump's move to walk out of the deal and reimpose crippling sanctions, but European companies in particular will be highly vulnerable to economic pressure from Washington.

France still hopes for a wider settlement that will cover Iran's activities across the Middle East, and warned Tehran on Thursday "against any temptation for regional dominance".

Iran's hardliners are already mobilising against any concessions to Europe, with hundreds protesting in Tehran after Friday prayers, saying it was time to abandon the deal.

"Officials shouldn't trust France and Britain. They will never abandon the US for us," said Poormoslem, a housewife at the rally.

In Jerusalem, around 200 Jews gathered at the Western Wall for prayers "against the enemy".

"We came here to pray to God after the victory against Iran" following the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, said Aryeh Stern, a rabbi from Jerusalem.

Southern Syria was quiet but tense, with monitors saying Syrian, Iranian and allied Lebanese forces from Hezbollah were on high alert.

The Israeli raids had prompted concern Iran could activate its powerful ally Hezbollah to retaliate from its positions in southern Lebanon, opening up a deadly new front in the conflict.

Iranian analysts said Israel had struck first on Thursday, and that any retaliation was the work of the Syrian military, not Iran.

- 'Severe threat' to stability -



But the White House put the blame on Iran, condemning its "reckless actions" that it warned pose a "severe threat" to stability in the Middle East.

"Already this week, the IRGC has fired rockets at Israeli citizens, and Iran's proxies in Yemen have launched a ballistic missile at Riyadh," it said, referring to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Trump spoke with British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday, and "both leaders condemned the Iranian regime's provocative rocket attacks from Syria," the White House said.

The United States has said that despite its withdrawal from the nuclear accord, it wants inspections by the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to continue in Iran.

The IAEA said meanwhile that its chief inspector Tero Varjoranta resigned, without giving a reason for his sudden departure.

"The agency's safeguards activities will continue to be carried out in a highly professional manner," a spokesperson for the agency said on Friday.

Analysts say Israel feels it has a green light from Washington to move more aggressively against Iran's presence in Syria, particularly after Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal.

They also see a rare chance for Iran to hold the moral high ground.

"For the first time, Iran has the chance to show the world they are not the rogue nation they are always presented as, that they negotiated in good faith and keep to their commitments," said Karim Emile Bitar, of the Institute for International and Strategic Affairs in Paris.

Russia -- which is alone in having close relations with both Iran and Israel -- has sought to position itself as a mediator to prevent further escalation.

Its foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said "all issues should be solved through dialogue" and that Russia had warned Israel to avoid "all actions that could be seen as provocative".

However, one analyst at London's Chatham House, Yossi Mekelberg, said the strikes on Iranian targets "were likely undertaken with tacit Russian approval".

On Friday the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin had spoken with Germany's Angela Merkel and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a bid to keep the Iran nuclear deal alive.

burs-er/wd/iaUS vows to make North Korea rich if it gives up nukes



Washington, May 11 (AFP) May 11, 2018



The United States promised Friday that it would work to rebuild North Korea's sanctions-crippled economy if Kim Jong Un's regime agrees to surrender its nuclear arsenal.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's vow came as senior US officials expressed growing optimism ahead of the landmark June 12 summit between Kim and President Donald Trump.

Pompeo, who held talks Pyongyang's young leader over the weekend, even said "we have a pretty good understanding between our two countries about what the shared objectives are."

He was speaking after talks with his South Korean opposite number Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha to coordinate Washington and Seoul's preparations for the historic encounter.

Many observers have warned Kim's regime will try to drive a wedge between the allies as the summit approaches, playing Seoul's fear of war against Washington's nuclear concerns.

But both Kang and Pompeo insisted that they agreed on the need for the "total, permanent and verifiable" denuclearization of the divided peninsula.

Trump and South Korea's President Moon Jae-in are due to meet on May 22 at the White House for the next round of planning.

And Pompeo said the United States would remain on board to help develop the North's economy, which has been devastated by its own mismanagement and crippling international sanctions.

"If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on par with our South Korean friends," he said.

Since an ad hoc 1953 armistice put an end to active hostilities between the North and the South, South Korea has emerged from devastation to become a leading world economy.

But the North has remained one of the world's most isolated states and its outdated economy has been further battered by a UN-backed "maximum pressure" campaign of sanctions.

Over the past year Kim and Trump have also added a personal touch to a half-century of international enmity, swapping insults and both openly threatening devastating direct military action.



- 'Good conversations' -



Kim's regime also carried out missile tests that convinced US intelligence officials, including Pompeo in his former role as CIA chief, that North Korea could threaten US cities.

But South Korea's President Moon reached out to the North, reopening direct talks, and when Kim invited Trump to a summit to discuss disarmament the mood changed.

At the weekend, Pompeo flew to Pyongyang for a second round of talks and to recover three released American detainees, and now a summit date has been set for June 12 in Singapore.

"We had good conversations, conversations that involve deep complex problems, challenges, strategic decisions that chairman Kim has before him," Pompeo said.

The pair, he said, talked "about how it is he wishes to proceed and if he's prepared, in exchange for the assurances that we're ready to provide him, if he is prepared to fully denuclearize.

"We'll require a robust verification program, one that we would undertake with partners around the world which would achieve that outcome," he warned.

But he added: "I'm confident that we have a shared understanding of the outcome that the leaders want, certainly President Trump and chairman Kim, but I think President Moon as well."

South Korea's Kang shared in Pompeo's optimism and was at pains to insist that there is no daylight between how Washington and Seoul are approaching the talks.

"We agreed that the summit would be an historic opportunity for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, and securing enduring peace on the Korean peninsula," she said.

"We reaffirmed that our goal is to achieve the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula," she added, promising "air-tight" coordination.

Pompeo's promise of an economic carrot to match the stick of "maximum pressure" may reassure observers who are concerned that Seoul and Washington's objectives are not exactly aligned.

"There's a danger here of the peace track moving more quickly than the denuclearization track," warned Abraham Denmark, an Asia expert and former senior US defense official.

"If that happens, it could give North Korea an opportunity to try to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington," said Denmark, now at the Wilson Center think tank in the US capital.

So far, the North Korean regime has made vague pledges to "denuclearize" but has not spelled out what that means, when it would happen or how it would be implemented.



- Growing arsenal -



In North Korea's bombastic rhetoric, "denuclearization" has, for years, been a byword for US troop withdrawals from South Korea -- an idea that Kang appeared to reject.

After her talks with Pompeo, she took pains to "emphasize again that the US military presence in Korea is a matter for the ROK-US alliance first and foremost."

Hardliners in the North are believed to see a nuclear weapon as a guarantee against outside efforts to topple the regime, but Trump insists he will not tolerate their growing arsenal.Iraq holds first nationwide election since IS defeat



Baghdad, May 12 (AFP) May 12, 2018



Iraq headed to the polls Saturday for its first parliamentary election since declaring victory over the Islamic State group, with the country hoping to shore up a fragile peace and rebuild.

Some 24.5 million voters began casting their ballots under tight security, as the jihadists still pose a major security threat despite a sharp fall in violence.

The poll comes with tensions surging between key powers Iran and the United States over the nuclear deal, sparking fears of a destabilising power struggle in Iraq.

The electorate faces a fragmented political landscape five months after IS were ousted, with the dominant Shiites split, the Kurds in disarray and Sunnis sidelined.

Over 15 blood-sodden years since the US-led ouster of Saddam Hussein, disillusionment is widespread, with politics dominated by the same old faces from an elite seen as mired in corruption and sectarianism.

At a polling station in the Baghdad district of Karrada, 74-year-old Sami Wadi appealed for change "to save the country" as an early trickle of voters arrived.

"I call on all Iraqis to participate in the elections to prevent those who have controlled the nation since 2003 from staying in power," the retiree told AFP.

In the former IS stronghold of Mosul -- still partially in ruins from the devastating months-long fight to oust the group -- voters were hoping for an uptick in their fortunes as they struggle to put their lives back together.

"I am voting for security and the economy to stabilise and for a better future," said labourer Ali Fahmi, 26.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi -- who took office as IS rampaged across Iraq in 2014 -- is angling for a new term, claiming credit for defeating the jihadists and seeing off a Kurdish push for independence.

But competition from within his Shiite community, the majority group dominating Iraqi politics, should divide the vote and spell lengthy horse-trading to form any government.

Whoever emerges as premier will face the mammoth task of rebuilding a country left shattered by the battle against IS -- with donors already pledging $30 billion (25 billion euros).

More than two million people remain internally displaced and IS -- which has threatened the polls -- still has the capacity to launch deadly attacks.

Iraq has long been a crucible for the rivalry between Iran and the US, with Tehran exerting influence over Shiite politicians and Washington deploying troops to fight IS.



- Shiite rivals -



Overall, just under 7,000 candidates are standing and Iraq's complex system means no single bloc is likely to get anything near a majority in the 329-seat parliament.

Abadi -- who has balanced the US and Iran -- is facing two leading challengers to his Victory Alliance.

Ex-premier Nuri al-Maliki is widely reviled for stirring sectarianism and losing territory to IS, but draws support from hardliners.

"I wish for all to go to the ballot boxes to make their choice," Maliki said after casting his ballot, demanding authorities stop "attempts at falsification through the pressuring of voters".

Another frontrunner, former transport minister Hadi al-Ameri, led Iran-backed paramilitary units that fought IS alongside Baghdad's troops and heads a list of ex-combattants.

Votes in the Sunni heartlands once dominated by IS -- including Iraq's devastated second city Mosul -- are up in the air as traditional alliances have been shredded by the fallout of jihadist rule.

Political forces in the Kurdish community -- often seen as potential kingmakers -- are also in disarray after a September vote for independence spectacularly backfired.

The Kurds look set to lose some of their clout on the national stage after Baghdad unleashed a battery of sanctions and seized back disputed oil-rich regions.

A senior security official told AFP that some 900,000 police and soldiers are on high alert to protect the vote, with airports and borders shut for the day.

Polling stations are open until 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) and initial results are expected in three days.Russian companies to benefit from US Iran withdrawal



Moscow, May 12 (AFP) May 12, 2018



While Russia has condemned Washington for its withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, Moscow remains less exposed to the economic consequences of US sanctions than Europe and its companies could even benefit from the move.

"The deal and the lifting of sanctions in 2015 marked the return of European business to Iran. But it's unlikely they can keep doing business today, giving room to Russia," said independent political scientist Vladimir Sotnikov.

"Russia can now go ahead at full speed," he added.

Russia and Iran once had difficult relations, but have seen ties improve since the end of the Cold War.

While Tehran was shunned by the international community in the 1990s, Moscow agreed to resume the construction of the Bushehr Iranian nuclear plant that Germany had abandoned.

Russia and Iran sought to strengthen their business ties long before the 2015 agreement, despite international sanctions in place.

"European companies are more exposed to the US market, they must comply not to get into trouble. The Russians are less (exposed) and have less to lose," said Igor Delanoe, an analyst at the Franco-Russian Observatory group.

He added that Russian companies continued to work in Iran "without any fuss" even when the sanctions were in place.

"They are used to working within legal and economic constraints. The US has systematically forced Iran to turn more towards Russia and China."

The situation could revitalise Russian-Iranian economic ties that have been losing ground in recent years despite the involvement of Russian nuclear and oil giants in the Middle Eastern country.

According to Delanoe, bilateral trade amounted to $1.7 billion in 2017, down 20 percent from the previous year and well below the more than $3 billion in the late 2000s.



- Moscow 'is not scared' -



On a visit to Tehran on Thursday, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said the two countries intended to continue "all round economic cooperation."

"We are not scared of sanctions," Ryabkov said.

This echoes statements from China, which has also said it wanted to continue normal business ties with Iran and is currently financing multi billion dollar infrastructure and electricity projects in the country.

"Russia wants to sell steel, transport infrastructure and other manufactured goods to Iran. The less competition from the US and the EU, the better," said Charlie Robertson, an analyst at Renaissance Capital.

Igor Delanoe said that Russia had a "real role to play" in Iran's energy and electricity sectors.

Another positive sign for the Russian economy is the rise in oil prices, which rose to their highest level since 2014 after the US withdrawal from the Iran deal.

Analysts at Russia's Alfa Bank said the current tensions should maintain oil prices at a high level, which they called a "great relief for the Russian market."

For the Russian state, whose finances remain highly dependent on natural resources, this is a significant source of income at a time when President Vladimir Putin is beginning his fourth Kremlin term with promises of developing Russia's economy and reducing poverty.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev assessed the cost of Putin's long term goals at more than 100 billion euros.Russian bombers intercepted off Alaska: NORAD



Washington, May 12 (AFP) May 12, 2018



US fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers in international air space off western Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said Saturday.

The long-range Tu-95 "Bear" bombers were "intercepted and visually identified" Friday morning by a pair of Alaska-based NORAD F-22 Raptors as the Russian aircraft flew in the Air Defense Identification Zone, north of the Aleutian Islands, said Canadian Army Major Andrew Hennessy, of NORAD public affairs.

The Air Defense Identification Zone extends for about 200 miles (322 kilometers) from the coastline, mostly in international airspace.

"At no time did the Russian bombers enter North American sovereign airspace," Hennessy said in a statement to AFP.

He added that the US jets monitored the Russians until the propellor-driven bombers left the Identification Zone along the Aleutians heading west.

In April last year NORAD and the Pentagon said Tu-95 Bear bombers were spotted in international air space on three occasions -- twice near the Aleutian Islands and once near mainland Alaska and Canada.

That was the first sighting of such Russian long-range bomber missions around Alaska in about two and a half years, a Pentagon spokesman said at the time.Iraq holds first nationwide election since IS defeat



Baghdad, May 12 (AFP) May 12, 2018



Iraq voted Saturday in its first election since declaring victory over the Islamic State group, but widespread disillusionment appeared to dampen hope for the future.

The parliamentary poll was held under tight security across the war-scarred nation, as the jihadists still pose a major security threat despite a sharp fall in violence.

The poll comes with tensions surging between key powers Iran and the United States after Washington pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal, sparking fears of a destabilising power struggle in Iraq.

Roughly 24.5 million voters face a fragmented political landscape five months after IS was ousted, with the dominant Shiites split, the Kurds in disarray and Sunnis sidelined.

Over 15 blood-sodden years since the US-led ouster of Saddam Hussein, there is scepticism about a political system dominated by an elite seen as mired in corruption and sectarianism.

At a polling station in the Baghdad district of Karrada, 74-year-old voter Sami Wadi appealed for change "to save the country".

"I call on all Iraqis to participate in the elections to prevent those who have controlled the nation since 2003 from staying in power," the retiree told AFP.

In the former IS bastion, second city Mosul -- still partly in ruins from the months-long fight to oust the group -- residents hoped for an uptick in their fortunes as they struggle to put their lives back together.

"I am voting for security and the economy to stabilise and for a better future," said labourer Ali Fahmi, 26.

Apathy appeared high among Iraq's weary populace -- especially the young -- with AFP reporters seeing only sparse turnouts at numerous polling stations.



- 'Terror' defeated -



Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi -- who took office as IS rampaged across Iraq in 2014 -- is angling for a new term, claiming credit for defeating the jihadists and seeing off a Kurdish push for independence.

But competition from within his Shiite community, the majority group dominating Iraqi politics, will likely splinter the vote and spell lengthy horse-trading to form any government.

"Iraq is strong and unified after defeating terror," Abadi said after voting. "The elections will determine Iraq's future."

Whoever emerges as premier will face the mammoth task of rebuilding a country left shattered by the battle against IS -- with donors already pledging $30 billion (25 billion euros).

More than two million people remain internally displaced and IS -- which has threatened the polls -- is still able to launch deadly attacks.

Iraq has long been a crucible for the rivalry between Iran and the US, with Tehran exerting influence over Shiite politicians and Washington deploying troops to fight IS.



- Shiite contenders -



Overall, just under 7,000 candidates are standing and Iraq's complex system means no single bloc is likely to get anything near a majority in the 329-seat parliament.

Abadi -- a consensus figure who has balanced the US and Iran -- is facing two leading challengers to his Victory Alliance.

Ex-premier Nuri al-Maliki is widely reviled for stirring sectarianism and losing territory to IS, but draws support from hardliners.

"I wish for all to go to the ballot boxes to make their choice," Maliki said after casting his ballot, demanding authorities stop "attempts at falsification through the pressuring of voters".

Hadi al-Ameri -- a contender who led Iran-backed paramilitary units that fought IS alongside Baghdad's troops -- called for "change" as he seeks to turn battlefield wins into political gains.

Votes in Sunni heartlands once dominated by IS -- including Mosul -- are up in the air as traditional alliances have been shredded by the fallout of jihadist rule.

Political forces in the Kurdish community -- often seen as kingmakers -- are also in disarray after a September vote for independence spectacularly backfired.

The Kurds look set to lose some of their clout on the national stage after Baghdad unleashed a battery of sanctions and seized back disputed oil-rich regions.

Putting on a brave face, the prime minister of autonomous Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, insisted the political process would not succeed "without Kurdish participation".

"No party can form the next government without alliances," he said in televised comments after voting.

A senior security official told AFP that some 900,000 police and soldiers are on high alert to protect the vote, with airports and borders shut for the day.

Polling stations are open until 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) and initial results are expected in three days.US jets intercept Russian bombers off Alaskan coast



Washington, May 12 (AFP) May 12, 2018



US fighter jets intercepted two long-range Russian "Bear" bombers in international airspace off western Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said Saturday.

The long-range Tupelev Tu-95 bombers were "intercepted and visually identified" Friday morning by a pair of F-22 Raptors as the Russian aircraft flew just north of Alaska's Aleutian islands, said Canadian Army Major Andrew Hennessy, of NORAD public affairs.

"At no time did the Russian bombers enter North American sovereign airspace," Hennessy said in a statement to AFP.

He added that the Alaska-based US jets monitored the Russians until the bombers left an area known as the Air Defense Identification Zone along the Aleutians, heading west.

That zone extends about 200 miles (322 kilometers) from the coastline, mostly in international airspace.

Saturday marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of NORAD, a joint US-Canadian command charged with aerospace warning and control for North America.

In April 2017, NORAD and the Pentagon said Tu-95 "Bear" bombers -- four-engine Cold War-era turboprop giants that can carry nuclear weapons -- were spotted in international airspace on three occasions -- twice near the Aleutians and once near mainland Alaska and Canada.

That was the first sighting of such Russian long-range bombers around Alaska in about two and a half years, a Pentagon spokesman said at the time.



- 'Unsafe' interception -



Tensions between Russia and the United States and its NATO allies are running at levels not seen since the Cold War.

The Alaska incident comes after a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet buzzed a US Navy P-8 Poseidon surveillance plane in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, US media reported, citing the US Navy.

Earlier, on January 29, the US Navy released video of a Russian Su-27 intercepting a US EP-3 Aries surveillance plane in international airspace over the Black Sea.

The interception, which lasted two hours and 40 minutes, was "unsafe" because the Russian jet was "closing to within five feet and crossing directly" through the surveillance plane's flight path, "causing the EP-3 to fly through the Su-27's jet wash," the US Navy said in a statement.

NATO naval officials in late 2017 also reported Russian submarines probing underseas data cables in the North Atlantic.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in January, as he unveiled the Pentagon's national defense strategy, that the United States is facing "growing threats" from Russia and China, and he warned that the US military's advantages have eroded in recent years.N. Korea to destroy nuclear site ahead of US summit: KCNA



Seoul, May 12 (AFP) May 12, 2018



North Korea will destroy its nuclear test site later this month, ahead of a summit with the United States, it said Saturday, pledging to blow up its tunnels in front of invited foreign media.

The display at Punggye-ri, in the northeast of the country, will be another step in leader Kim Jong Un's charm offensive, with a ceremony scheduled between May 23-25.

Dialogue brokered by Seoul has seen US-North Korea relations go from trading personal insults and threats of war last year to a summit between Kim and President Donald Trump due in Singapore on June 12.

But sceptics warn that Pyongyang has yet to make any public commitment to give up its arsenal, which includes missiles capable of reaching the United States.

Washington is seeking the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation" of the North and stresses that verification will be key.

Punggye-ri has hosted all six of the North's nuclear tests, the latest and by far the most powerful in September last year, which Pyongyang said was an H-bomb.

Kim has declared the development of the North's nuclear force complete and that it had no further need for the site.

The latest measures will see the tunnels of the test site blown up and their entrances completely blocked, Pyongyang's foreign ministry said, according to the official KCNA news agency.

All observation facilities and research institutes would be removed, along with guards, it said, "and the surrounding area of the test ground be completely closed".

Reporters from China, Russia, the United States, Britain and South Korea would be allowed to cover the event on site to show it "in a transparent manner".

Limits on foreign journalists were due to space constraints, it said, as the site was in an "uninhabited deep mountain area".

Analysts said the move was positive but limited in its scope.

It was "not bad, but a cost-free signal", tweeted MIT political science professor Vipin Narang.

Given the stage it had already reached, Pyongyang "may feel like they don't need to test anything for a while", he said.

Jeffrey Lewis, of the Middlebury Institute for International Studies, expected that the North "will sanitise the site before letting anyone see it".



- 'Fire and fury' -



Saturday's announcement is the latest move in a rapid sequence of events on the Korean peninsula triggered by the Winter Olympics in the South.

Tensions had been mounting for years as Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes saw it subjected to multiple rounds of increasingly strict sanctions by the UN Security Council, the US, EU, South Korea and others, and Trump last year threatened the North with "fire and fury".

But since the Pyeongchang Games, Pyongyang and Washington have agreed to the unprecedented Singapore meeting, and Kim has twice visited China to meet President Xi Jinping, after not paying respects in the six years since he inherited power from his father.

The head of the UN's World Food Programme said Saturday it appeared North Korea was "turning a new page in history", following a four-day visit to the country.

David Beasley said he had enjoyed unprecedented access to the secretive state, telling BBC radio that North Korea's leaders had a "sense of optimism".

Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month affirmed their commitment to the goal of "realising, through complete denuclearisation, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula" at a summit in the Demilitarized Zone that divides their countries.

But the phrase is a diplomatic euphemism open to interpretation on both sides.

Pyongyang has long wanted to see an end to the US military presence in and nuclear umbrella over the South, but it invaded its neighbour in 1950 and is the only one of the two Koreas to possess nuclear weapons.

This week the North released three Korean-Americans it had detained into the care of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was making his second trip to Pyongyang in two months.

Trump also withdrew the United States from a nuclear pact with Iran, raising questions over whether Pyongyang would trust Washington's promises.

Pompeo Friday promised the US would work to rebuild North Korea's sanctions-hit economy if it agreed to surrender its nuclear arsenal.US lauds Iraqi vote, urges 'inclusive government'



Washington, May 12 (AFP) May 12, 2018



The United States on Saturday emphasized the importance of forming an "inclusive" Iraqi government as it congratulated the country on its first parliamentary election since declaring victory over the Islamic State group.

The newly elected members of Iraq's parliament "will have the important task of forming an inclusive government, responsive to the needs of all Iraqis," read a statement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

"We hope this process moves quickly, and on the constitutional timeline, so that Iraq can continue moving toward a more secure, prosperous and brighter future," he said.

In 2003, US forces invaded Iraq and toppled then-dictator Saddam Hussein. US combat troops were withdrawn in 2011, though some US military advisers remain in the country.

Iraq has been plagued by corruption and religious sectarian violence for years, although the country has entered a period of calm following crushing blows to the Islamic State jihadists.

The Iraqi parliamentary vote also comes with tensions surging between Iran and the United States after Washington pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal, sparking fears of a destabilizing power struggle in Iraq.

Pompeo noted that Iraqi citizens "from every ethnic and religious group, and from all 18 provinces, including those internally displaced, made their voices heard."

He added that Washington "stands ready to partner with Iraqi leaders as we continue to build a long-term relationship of cooperation and friendship between our two nations" that will "contribute to stability in the region and growing peace and prosperity in Iraq."Awserd (refugee camps), May 12, 2018 (SPS)  The Sahrawi President, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, said Thursday that the Sahrawis who resist and remain committed to their right to independence and freedom, will "win" because it is "a matter of time, even though the situation would require more sacrifices."



While receiving the Algerian delegation participating in the festivities celebrating the 45th anniversary of Polisario Front creation, President Ghali said that "the Algerian revolution is our example, that's why we are convinced that the victory is close."



"The Sahrawi people still believe in the justice of their cause," stressed Ghali.



On this occasion, Ghali hailed "the unflinching position of principle of Algeria in favour of the Sahrawi cause, it has adopted since the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara lands,"



"This position has never been shaken despite the difficulties and conspiracies it faced."



Regarding the latest Moroccan allegations aiming at involving Algeria and Iran in Western Sahara conflict, the Sahrawi President said that they are the result of " Moroccos disappointment following its setback at both UN and AU," saying that those "nervous reactions, attempts of deformation and deliberate inventions do not prevent us. from continuing resistance.



Law will triumph whatever are difficulties," pointed out the President. (SPS)



062/SPS/APSEl Aaiun (occupied territories), May 12, 2018 (SPS) - The Moroccan authorities prevented Friday a Swedish delegation from visiting the occupied territories of Western Sahara where they intended to hold a meeting with members of the Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Violations of Human Rights Committed by the Moroccan State (ASVDH).



The Swedish delegation comprising representatives of Emmaus International, Caroline Nord and Juan Obregon, who were returned on the same flight coming from Casablanca airport, had planned a working visit for a week to the occupied territories of Western Sahara, in the framework of the partnership with ASVDH to find out about the situation of human rights.



Despite the UN resolutions calling on Morocco to open Western Sahara to international observers, human rights activists and journalists, this prohibition comes within the Moroccan policy of siege imposed on the territory, and is a flagrant violation of the freedom of travel and movement guaranteed by law and related international conventions, and refutes the Moroccan claims that Western Sahara is open to everyone to visit. (SPS)



062/SPS/TRAHavana, May 12, 2018 (SPS) - Cuba Vice-President, Salvador Valdes, has received the President of the National Council, Jatri Adduh, who concludes Saturday an official visit to the Caribbean island.



During the meeting, they highlighted the bonds of friendship, solidarity and cooperation that unite Cuba and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.



Mr. Valdes reiterated Cuba's support for the struggle of the Saharawi people for self-determination and independence.



During his visit, the President of the National Council, Jatri Adduh, was received by his Cuban counterpart, Esteban Lazo.



The President of the National Council, Jatri Adduh, thanked Cuba for its support to the Sahrawi people, especially in the fields of education and health. (SPS)



062/SPS/TRAHavana, May 12, 2018 (SPS) - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Marcelino Medina, has reiterated Cubas support for the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination, during a meeting with the President of the National Council, Khatri Addouh.



According to a statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the meeting, the parties reiterated the good relations and exchanged views on issues of bilateral interest, in particular, issues related to cooperation in the fields of health and education.



Mr. Addouh is on an official visit to Cuba, where he had paid tribute to the national hero Jose Marti, and met with the President of the National Assembly of People's Power (Parliament), Esteban Lazo.



The Cuban parliamentarian also expressed support for the self-determination of the Saharawi people and the exercise of their legitimate right to live in peace in their territory. (SPS)



062/SPS/TRAEnglish11/05/2018

/ANTI/FASCIST SMILES AND LAUNDERED CVs

The Bosniak elite from Sarajevo uses May 9, the Day of Victory over Fascism, only to compare the Serbs from Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina with fascists who attacked the country and cities. At the same time, none of them says what kind of antifascist CVs they and their ancestors have.



By Nenad Tadic



BIJELJINA, May 11 /SRNA/ - Since the fall of the Berlin Wall begins the revision of events in the Second World War, whose goal is to launder the national CVs and place the defeated among the ranks of winners, in accordance with geopolitical interests of today.



This was first felt first-hand by antifascists from the former Yugoslavia, especially the Serbs and members of other nations who took part in battles against fascists and their domestic collaborators.



Since the Serbs rejected the disintegration of Yugoslavia, which was imposed upon an ideological and territorial pattern, they were declared xenophobes and fascists and the history between 1941 and 1945 was then cynically revised.



So the Serbs, who gave much more lives during Nazism and the Ustasha-led Independent State of Croatia /NDH/ and according to all historical documents had the most veterans in all antifascist units, became those who they actually fought against.



Serbs, without whom the formation of AVNOJ /Antifascist Council of the Peoples Liberation of Yugoslavia/, partisans or Yugoslavia would have been almost impossible, because they maintained the resistance movement until the end of 1943, were reduced to the breakers of the country for which millions of them were killed in the two world wars?!



Croatia, the country where almost no monument to antifascists - Croatian or any other - remained standing, joined the EU, while its streets and squares carried /and still carry/ the names of well-known Ustasha criminals.



The Bosniak elite from Sarajevo uses May 9, the Day of Victory over Fascism, only to compare the Serbs from Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina with fascists who attacked the country and cities.



At the same time, none of them says what kind of antifascist CVs they and their ancestors have.



According to relevant documents, the Nazi-Ustasha Handschar Division in the Second World War had several times more Muslims than partisans.



We already know everything about the attempts to cover up the truth about the Jasenovac concentration camp and numerous pits in which living and dead Serbs of all ages were thrown.



Nevertheless, all those who use the global trend of declaring the WWII winners the defeated and laundering the defeated persons CVs at the same time enjoy the benefits of republics and borders that were created mainly by the same Serbs with their resistance to fascists and Ustashas.



Globally speaking, the same thing is happening to the Russians and everyone else who nurture antifascism and whose millions of victims defeated Hitlers troops.



Since the Russians are instigators of the new world order, the Western powers have long used propaganda - films, series, books, diplomatic, information and economic isolation of Moscow - to explain that the Red Army was the same thing as the Nazi army and that Stalin and Hitler were one and the same person.



All of them, both the local and international revisionists, play the card of new generations which do not have the proper knowledge about the era of Nazism because of the education system and environment in societies which are only the reflection of present-day interests.



That is why the Ustasha salute Ready for the Homeland! has become an old Croatian salute for the young Croats while Ustasha commanders and slaughterers hold the highest decorations of new Croatia since the 1990s /such as Ivo Rojnica and many others/.



The Bosniak establishment celebrates the dates which allow them to call themselves a state and at the same time fail to say that without Serbs they would not hold the positions they hold today nor would the country they celebrate exist.



The West considers the Russians to be the Soviet aggressors who were the first to walk into Berlin and reach Hitlers hideout, losing more than 20 million troops at the time.



Politics has long abused history but cannot change it.



Hitler will never be a good guy. The Second World War was decided by the Soviet breakthrough of the Eastern Front, Ustashas were the army of the country that committed genocide, and fighters of the Handschar Division and their descendants have nothing to do with AVNOJ.



The attempt to use the Serb defence of Yugoslavia in the 1990s to revise the events from the era of Nazism and Ustashism and state that the Serbs destroyed the joint country and multi-ethnic society does not hold water.



Serbs can and are the only ones who have the right to change or annul AVNOJ if they want to. Anyone can see the reason for this in the historical documents - because it was literally them who created it. /end/dsWhich issue is most critical to the U.S. right now?

Fighting COVID-19 (47%, 15 Votes)

Securing the border (41%, 13 Votes)

Guarding against terrorism (6%, 2 Votes)

Climate Change (6%, 2 Votes) Total Voters: 32



According to the latest report, 237,000 entered under tourist status meaning they are allowed to stay up to 183 days and 43,000 already hold a Temporary Resident Permit (PTP).





The PTP validates a holder's regular immigration status in the country and is valid for one year.





After this period, it can automatically be extended until the entry into force of the Immigration Law or until the political situation in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela returns to normal.





PTP holders are allowed to work, study, pay taxes, and access health services.





"There are some 800,000 Venezuelans in Colombia. The Venezuelan immigration to Chile and Argentina has also increased. The whole region has seen this rise, not only Peru," Sevilla pointed out.









"Peru was the first country to issue the Temporary Resident Permit, a mechanism that has been welcomed by the Organization of American States (OAS)," he added.





Sevilla's statements were made after he took part in a naturalization ceremony.





(END) NDP/LIT/JAA/RMB

A total of 280,000 Venezuelan citizens are currently in the Inca country, Peruvian Migration Superintendent Eduardo Sevilla informed on Friday.Published: 5/11/2018In mid-April 2018 Russia confirmed the obvious and admitted they had lost their huge market share of commercial satellite launches. As recently as 2013 Russia had half that market. Five years later their market share had fallen to about ten percent and Russian showed no signs of regaining their dominance and expected their share of the commercial market to sink to as low as four percent. After 2013 Russia faced growing competition from cheaper, more reliable Chinese satellite launch services. But what really accelerated the Russian decline was the surprising emergence of new American launch technology, mainly the SpaceX reusable launchers (that can regularly return and land intact). This is particularly annoying because it was another unexpected new American technology (fracking) that drove down the world price of Russians main export; oil and natural gas. Fracking also made the United States the major producer of oil and gas and a new competitor for Russia in export markets.

Meanwhile, Russian space industry officials said they would put more emphasis on satellite design and manufacturing, which is a much larger (by about three times) market than launch services. But even there Russia is having problems competing, mainly because of a shortage of skilled engineers and reliable manufacturing capabilities. So while Russia has lost about $2 billion a year in launch business they will probably lose ground on the satellite side of the business as well.

While military satellites get more media attention, the real business of space, and where the Chinese have been putting most of their efforts, is in commercial satellites. The Chinese have noted that since the 1980s space satellites have gone from big business to huge business. By 2012 there were about 1,000 active satellites in orbit, and nearly half of them were American. China wanted to change that by offering the less expensive launch service and satellites to nations that have few if any, satellites of their own.

The number of satellites in use has been going down because individual satellites last longer and can do more. Even with that, the number of satellites will now start to rise rapidly because of the popularity of mini-satellites (under 100 kg/220 pounds). Some of these mini-sats are much smaller (under ten kg/22 pounds) and still useful. In some cases, dozens of mini-sats are put into orbit by one launcher.

About 75 percent of all satellites are non-military. Most of them are commercial, the rest government non-military birds. Since 2001 satellite industry revenues more than doubled, from $89 billion a year to over $200 billion now. The cost of the satellites is less than ten percent of annual satellite revenues. About four percent of the money comes from launching all those satellites and 36 percent of those launches are military. Until SpaceX became a major factor the U.S. had about a third of the launch business, mainly because of the requirement that U.S. classified satellites be launched by American rockets. About half the satellite launches (and two-thirds of the satellites) were for communications, which generates the most income (mostly for TV, followed by data). The U.S. remains the major manufacturer of commercial satellites, with over half of the market. China sees opportunity in all this and has come a long way in a short time to take advantage of it. Russia and the United States have both been using retired ICBMs as cheap satellite launchers and that started with older liquid fuel models. China does not have many older liquid fuel ICBMs and has concentrated on developing more reliable and cheaper solid fuel rockets. This is paying off. Moreover, China will sell launch service to just about anyone who can pay, no questions asked.

Space satellites are a relatively new thing. In 1957 the Russian Sputnik was the first satellite ever put in orbit. The U.S. followed in 1958. Since then, ten other nations have done the same. France launched its first satellite in 1965, Japan and China in 1970, Britain in 1971, and India in 1980. Israel launched its first satellite in 1988. Ukraine did so in 1995. Iran claims to have put a satellite in orbit, but there is no conclusive proof. North Korea put a dead (non-responsive) satellite up in December 2012 and South Korea followed with a successful launch of a very active satellite a month later.

Since 2010 China has launched about 20 satellites a year and by the end of the decade expect to have 200 satellites in orbit. This is about a fifth of the total and nearly half as many as the United States. At that point, China expects to be launching 30 satellites a year and accounting for over a quarter of the worldwide launch capability. All this momentum has been the result of three decades of effort and an enormous spurt of activity since 2010. In the two decades after 1990, China carried out 30 commercial satellite launches, putting 36 satellites in orbit. Now China puts that many satellites up in 18 months.

In late 2015 China successfully tested the latest version of its Long March satellite launcher; Long March 6 (LM 6). This version is optimized for putting multiple small satellites in orbit on the same mission and on short notice. The test launch put twenty small scientific satellites into orbit. LM 6 is a 103 ton liquid fueled rocket that can put a ton of payload into a 700 kilometers high orbit. LM 6 can operate from a standard satellite launch facility or from a TEL (transporter erector launcher) vehicle (which is basically a slightly larger trailer similar to those used for hauling tanks). LM 6 was also designed to be made ready for launch quickly (six days or so) giving it a military capability. That means if China has to get a surveillance or communications satellite in orbit quickly, LM 6 is the solution. China is also developing small surveillance and communications satellites for such emergencies. China, like Russia, will try to duplicate (or simply steal) SpaceX technology but that takes time and there is always the risk of protracted litigation.International Moslem organizations are pressuring the UN to punish and pressure for its treatment of the Rohingya Moslems. One could make a case that the Burmese military colluded with Buddhist nationalists to drive the Rohingya out of the country, something that has been an unresolved issue since the British colonial government left in the late 1940s. China is blocking any action in the UN and elsewhere Moslems are more concerned about Islamic terrorism and the Shia-Sunni conflict Iran has created. Meanwhile, the Rohingya issue remains unresolved.

Because of the Rohingya stalemate neighboring Bangladesh now considers Burma its major foreign affairs problem. Islamic terrorism sponsored by Pakistan has been kept under control but the problems created by an independent military in neighboring Burma are getting worse. The military ran Burma from the 1960s until 2011, when it finally allowed elections to get out from growing international hostility (and sanctions). But like in Pakistan the Burmese military is still an independent (of government control) organization and it played a large role in forcing over 700,000 Burmese Moslems (Rohingya, Bengalis who had been in Burma before the British colonial government left the region in 1948) into Bangladesh. Burma, or at least the Burmese military and its Buddhist nationalist allies, do not want to take the Rohingya back. But that would leave Bangladesh with a huge refugee population that, even with foreign aid paying for the camps, would be nothing but trouble for Bangladesh.

The 700,000 Burmese Rohingya Moslem refugees in Bangladesh are stuck there and for what appears to be an extended period. The Burmese government insists that only validated Burmese residents will be allowed back and the verification process is stalled. Burma is approving less than ten percent of the names Bangladesh presents as authentic Burmese Rohingya. The repatriation back to Burma of was supposed to begin in January 2018 but continued army violence against Rohingya still in Burma made that impossible. Added to that were the administrative problems and so much more. Those Rohingya going back must do so voluntarily.

Back in Burma UN officials report that adequate preparations have not been made to handle a large scale return of Rohingya. A further complication is that those Rohingya willing to go back want to return to their homes and property. If their home was destroyed (as many were during the military violence) the returnees want an opportunity to rebuild and for the government to supply money and supplies to make that possible. That would be difficult because in many of the areas Rohingya fled from local officials have treated the former Rohingya property as abandoned and available or resale and reuse. Rohingya refugees are aware of this and will not return until the government clears up the property ownership issues. That happening is considered an impossible dream by all concerned. As a result many Rohingya refugees are seeking new homelands. Bangladesh is not considered a good candidate because the country is already crowded and poor and long the source of illegal migrants to other nations. At the moment Moslem refugees are a hard sell, even in Moslem countries. No one is willing to take a lot of Rohingya and Bangladesh does not like being stuck with these large refugee camps near the Burmese border. Because the Rohingya are Moslem most Moslem nations have been quick to condemn Burma and urge international efforts to force Burma to take back the Rohingya. That has not worked either, just like international pressure on Pakistan has not eliminated Pakistani support for Islamic terrorism.

Tribal Wars

There is still a lot of fighting in the tribal areas (especially Chin, Rakhine, Kachin and Karen states) and the army has quietly adopted more brutal and illegal (according to local and international law) tactics against the rebellious tribes. The soldiers are now using more force against the civilians (shooting at the refugees and preventing them from finding food and shelter). Soldiers will also use civilians as human shields and to do that are extra careful to keep credible witnesses (especially journalists) away from the scene of the crimes. In addition, the soldiers are more frequently killing unarmed tribal officials that the army considers (accurately or not) to be working with armed (and usually un-uniformed) tribal rebels. The army has been defying orders from government (or at least provincial) officials to halt these illegal practices.

The army, or at least some soldiers and officers, have always had some involvement in the illegal drug trade but now some soldiers are working with Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to smuggle drugs (mostly the methamphetamine pills produced in large quantities by some tribal rebel groups) from the border to the refugee camps and beyond. The drug smuggling pays well and the Rohingya refugees are broke. Some are willing to do just about anything to make some money so they can pay people smugglers to get them out of Bangladesh. That is expensive because no countries in the region are receptive to refugees and the best option if you can afford it, is to get smuggled to a Western nation, claim asylum or just settle down.

The Rohingya represent a minority of Burmese Moslems Most remaining Burmese Moslems (about 1.2 million) live far from the Bangladesh border and have been officially recognized as Burmese and Moslems for centuries. These Burmese Moslems still face some discrimination and persecution but no one disputes that fact that they are Burmese citizens and generally not a threat to the nation. The Rohingya were seen as different because they looked different (Bengalis are an Indo-European people while most Burmese have an East Asian appearance). The Rohingya also have ethnic and cultural links to Bangladesh and many are relatively (in the past century) migrants from Bangladesh. Throughout the region (South Asia contains about a quarter of the world population) there are several situation similar to what has happened to the Rohingya and some of these stateless peoples remain that way for generations.

In Closing

And then theres some good news for Burma. According to a national survey, most Burmese believe living standards have increased considerably since democracy returned in 2011. The survey was able to reach over 90 percent of the population. Only in some tribal areas, and Rakhine State, where fighting is still going on, were not covered. There is still a lot of corruption and the radical Buddhist clerics are still encouraging hatred of the Rohingya. The army is still a power unto itself, some of the northern tribes are major producers of illegal drugs (especially meth) and China is still trying to buy some long-term control over the country. Aside from all that, the future looks promising.

May 10, 2018: Sometimes the rebels can do what the army does and go total outlaw. That is currently happening in the far north (Shan state) where two rival rebel groups, the SSPP (Shan State Progressive Party) and TNLA (Tang National Liberation Army), have been fighting for control of disputed territory. Over 500 villagers have fled their homes to avoid the shooting. In areas where the issue has been settled many villagers driven from their homes by the fighting are reluctant to return home because the rebels have a reputation for demanding payment from locals. The current fighting has been going on for more than two weeks but there have been few casualties among the tribal gunmen. Sometimes other tribal rebel groups are involved and the one group that tends to be involved much of the time is the TNLA.

May 8, 2018: Officials from China and Burma met to work out a police cooperation agreement that would make easier to detect, monitor and disrupt criminal activity that is common to both countries. This is mainly about keeping drugs, especially meth, out of China and to reduce smuggling in general as well as the growing incidence of Internet related crime on both sides of the border. In return for Burmese cooperation, China will help Burma in the UN and other international organizations.

May 7, 2018: In the northwest (Rakhine State) a soldier and two civilians were caught at a checkpoint with some methamphetamine pills and searches of homes found the three had $3.6 million worth of meth.

May 4, 2018: In the north (Kachin State) 17 jade miners died because of a landslide. There is more risk of this thing because unemployed jade miners become scavengers who scoured abandoned (because the owners felt there was not enough jade left to be worth extracting) jade mining sites. Some lucrative jade mines are shut because of legal problems and those sites have armed guards and police to provide security for the jade mines mainly to keep scavengers away. But many old mines that still have some jade left in them are not guarded or monitored by safety engineers in order to prevent accidental deaths and more unwelcome publicity to the lucrative but embarrassing jade industry. The scavengers have few other employment options and are not deterred by armed guards or the danger. The army hopes to get these jade mines working again and better economic ties with China will help with that.

May 3, 2018: On the west coast fighting in Chin state left four soldiers dead and five wounded. The army has been fighting the AA (Arakan Army) rebels here for some time. Along the west coast (Arakan and Chin states) the fighting is mainly about the army effort to control (tax) illegal logging by tribesmen. The tribes have been mistreated by the military for so long it is difficult to generate a lot of trust for a new peace agreement or even a ceasefire.

May 2, 2018: China announced that it is expanding its weather satellite coverage to all countries participating in the Obor (One Belt, One Road) project (by allowing China to build roads, railroads, pipelines and ports) and will share weather information with those nations. This is a big deal with many nations participating in Obor, especially those who lack the money to have their own dedicated weather satellites. Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand and Burma are all Obor participants and will benefit from regular access to the weather and land management (for farming, flood control and so on) information the expanded Chinse satellite network will provide.

April 26, 2018: In the north (Kachin State) KIA rebels continue fighting against the expanded army presence in KIA controlled territory. In the past week, the fighting has left at least ten civilians dead as the army tries to use refugees from the fighting as a weapon to force the rebels to back off. Many of the KIA fighters are related to the tribal people forced to flee the army advance. This fighting is a continuation of an army offensive that began at the end of 2017 to halt illegal (not paying a tax to the army) mining of amber and gold. Control of these mines helps finance the KIA, which has refused to participate in peace talks. The KIA still controls large portions of Kachin state but the army is spread thin and distracted by the Rohingya situation. Meanwhile, over 100,000 locals have been driven from their homes by the fighting and most of the gold and amber mining operations are still shut down, leaving the miners destitute. For the locals, the KIA offensive is popular. Moreover, many of the gold and amber mining operations are legitimate companies recognized by the government. The army incursion is seen as another example of the military acting like outlaws in the north.Akuregoda Defence Headquarters Building becomes a white elephant By Bandula Sirimanna View(s): View(s):

It will be a bitter pill for Sri Lankans to swallow as the controversial Pentagon-styled Defence headquarters building complex at Akuregoda, Battaramulla is becoming a white elephant spending millions of rupees from the countrys taxpayer money, a senior cabinet minister revealed in Colombo.

The project was launched in 2011 at an estimated cost of Rs.8 billion to house the army, navy and air force headquarters moving from Galle Face Green and Fort to Battaramulla, under a Government plan to shift all government administrative complexes to the same area, Minister of Megapolis and Western Development, Patali Champika Ranawaka said, under whose purview the Urban Development Authority (which owns this land) comes. Under the plan of the former regime, the project should have been completed in 2018.

However the Minister told the Business Times that a sum of Rs.64 billion has been spent so far on this white elephant project while another Rs. 100 billion is needed to complete the massive project.

Treasury sources said that project work will resume if and when money is raised for the project with the likelihood of work being disrupted on-and-or based on budgetary constraints.

The project commenced during the tenure of former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the cost estimate went up to Rs.20 billion. Money for the project came from US$ 125 million earned in the sale of the Galle Face land to Shangri-La Hotel.

Following the 2015 election, construction of this complex temporary halted due to non-availability of funds. Construction work resumed on the directions of the President but was suspended due to a probe into irregularities by the former regime, he said.

In the meantime these forces have been provided with temporary accommodation in 15 rented buildings at an annual rent of Rs.5 billon, he said adding that the abrupt and unplanned decision taken by the previous regime to shift the Defence headquarters to Akuregoda has put future generations under a heavy debt burden.Headless SLT management in dire straits View(s):

Sri Lanka Telecom PLC (SLT) management is in dire straits as it has functioned sans a Group CEO since last December, SLT trade unions say.

Attempts to recruit a suitably qualified and experienced person to head the management of the company by conducting interviews after calling for applications twice through newspaper advertisements were fruitless, union leaders alleged.

The two main political parties, SLFP and the UNP, had an implicit agreement previously not to interfere with appointments made by each other. However this has led to political infighting for top posts by factions in the SLT representing both parties, they pointed out.

Four senior officials earmarked by the SLT Chairman P.G. Kumarasinghe Sirisena to appoint one of them to the CEOs post came under severe opposition of the employees due to these officials alleged involvement in malpractices and corruption, an committee member of the Telecommunication Engineers Union (TEU) said.

At the Annual General Meeting of the SLT held at the BMICH in Colombo on Wednesday, Mr. Kumarasinghe assured shareholders, who were vociferous about the current situation of the company, that he will take necessary action to appoint a CEO within two months.

It is also planned to hire a local or international head hunter at a fee of Rs. 20 million to look for a suitable candidate, the ITU member said adding that a plan has also been devised to outsource IT section, project management and several other key divisions of the SLT.

The Executive Committee appointed to oversee the operations of the company following the resignation of the Group CEO has failed to bring expected results due to infighting, he revealed.

The report of a 3- member committee headed by retired Appeal Court judge, N. Sunil Rajapaksha which was appointed five months ago to inquire into alleged malpractices and irregularities at the company since 2008 is yet to be released.

SLTs profit margin is expected to dilute over 2018-2020 period, as improving profitability on fixed-broadband and mobile Internet usage will only partly offset margin dilution from a falling share of profitable fixed-voice and international operations, analysts said.

However the TEU still believes that to re-establish SLT as a successful corporate entity, it needs more robust and speedy strategic measures including the removal of other remaining disruptive elements from SLT.

(BS)Malta eyes Sri Lankan exports to boost EU businesses By Raj Moorthy View(s): View(s):

Malta, an island located in the Mediterranean sea with a small population of 450,000 people, has an eye on Sri Lankan exports to boost businesses in the European Union (EU).

There are many opportunities for sectors such as logistics, aquaculture, information and communication technology (ICT), plantation exports and so on in the EU. Sri Lanka has a very good vision but the country as a whole lacks implementation, a top visiting official from Malta said.

The European Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (ECCSL) last week organised an event titled Malta your gateway to Europe at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo. Two experts from a professional services firm, ARQ Group in Malta, David Borg and Jean Paul Fabri explained the opportunities for Sri Lankan exporters in the EU.

We believe that resilience-building has the potential of ushering a new era of growth in Sri Lanka. Our experience from other small states, primarily Malta, demonstrates that a policy effort towards building resilience can leave long-lasting effects on an economy and society. Resilience-building offers the potential for small states to not only build their capacity to absorb negative shocks but more importantly, allows countries to identify niche areas and to develop new economic sectors. Our experience demonstrates that resilience-building does contribute to economic development. Sri Lanka has a very good vision but the country as a whole lacks implementation, said ARQ Group Managing Director, Mr. Fabri.

Mr. Borg at the event mentioned that Malta has a GDP of 9 per cent while its unemployment rate is 1.2 per cent. The countrys foreign direct investments have risen to 1,489 per cent of the GDP. From the north of the country it has access to Europe and from the south to Africa. The country has no natural resources while its dependent on the UK. Malta is mainly into the financial services sector and today the country ranks third after London and Luxembourg, and has also moved into diverse banking sectors.

Mr. Borg also stated that Malta has advanced on asset registration, aircraft maintenance, high value added manufacturing, production of genetic pharmaceuticals and so on. Memory chips of iPhones are produced in Malta while aquaculture is done on a small scale. The country has the busiest harbour in the region. We want to develop the logistics sector of Sri Lanka to export goods into the EU market, he noted.

Mr. Fabri further elaborated that Malta has worked with nine governments around the world. For every improvement in governance, Maltas economic performance has improved four times over. Some 84 per cent of economic development is contributed by the private sector out of which 98 per cent is contributed by the small and medium scale enterprises.

In Sri Lanka the government and the private sector must carve out attractive regulations for investments, introduce e-Government and interact with other governments, he added.Oil at boiling point, for most economies! View(s):

It is again time for oily talk, because world oil prices are on the rise. We are caught up in between economics and politics of setting oil prices and spending on oil bills.

How we set the domestic oil price will determine who will pay for the oil bills. Well, we also have to cope with many oil blunders in the past; I am not surprised if we keep repeating the same.

It is important to examine the current oil market issue to see where we might slip and float and, how much we have to bear as individuals and as a nation.

World oil price volatility

Last week the world price of Brent crude oil surpassed US$70 per barrel, while many speculate it to go up further. A year ago, it was less than $50 per barrel and, four years ago it was more than $100 per barrel. Just before the US financial crisis, that is 10 years ago, it was $150 per barrel.

World oil prices are highly volatile. While oil price volatility causes panic in the world, in the past it has been at the source of several global economic crises as well.

There are number of short-term or long-term causes of oil price volatility, while, depending on the intensity of one or more of those factors, world oil prices fluctuate. The first is, of course, either demand or supply shocks. Major oil producing countries decide what would be the limits on oil supply causing the instability of oil prices. On the demand side, seasonal variation in oil consumption or the rapid income growth in big economies such as China and India could exert pressure on oil prices.

Secondly, geopolitical tensions cause oil trade disruptions which then affects prices. As at present, confusion over Irans nuclear deal with EU and US is said to have been a major factor underlying the current oil price hike. Thirdly, technological changes in oil industry and alternative energy technologies can affect oil prices. Fourthly, speculative attacks particularly through oil futures and options cause oil price volatility. Finally, changes in US dollar or tax policies or other policy changes among influential nations can also have some impact on world oil prices.

Producers, importers, traders

All the nations in the world are connected to the world oil industry either as oil producers, oil importers or oil traders. Sri Lanka is an oil-importing country; nevertheless, the country has a long-standing expectation to be an oil-producing country. Yet the countrys weak capacity in this particular industry, including the lack of investment funds, is a major bottleneck to realise this expectation.

By the way, Sri Lanka would have become an oil-trading country if we hadnt nationalised the countrys oil business in the early 1960s. With this nationalisation programme, multinational oil companies re-located their businesses to Singapore so that Singapore became the major oil-trading hub in Asia.

Since then, it was our own choice to remain an oil-importing country. Even going beyond that, we choose to play with oil. Being a small oil-importing country, Sri Lanka does not have a free hand for a domestic pricing policy for oil; but that is exactly, what we have done in the past. By doing so, we have almost refused to believe that we are an oil-importing country. Consequently, Sri Lanka is in a fragile state of being highly vulnerable to world oil price volatility and oil shocks.

Elections and local oil prices

In many other oil-importing countries with good and transparent practices, domestic oil price reflects its world price so that there is no third party to pay for your petrol or diesel.

Ideally, Sri Lankas domestic oil prices should be connected to the world oil prices, but we have attached it to the countrys election cycles. Just before the elections in December 2014, the government reduced the prices of petrol and diesel.

After the elections, it was a different government. Going by an election promise, 92-octane petrol price was slashed from Rs. 150 to 117 and, auto diesel from Rs. 111 to 95. Thanks to the low world market prices, the reduction in oil price could be accommodated easily, but not for long.

In 2017 the world oil prices began rising. Sri Lanka had to pay more to buy oil from the world market, but continued to sell in the domestic market at the same lower price. According to the Annual Report 2017 of the CB, average import price of a crude oil barrel increased from $46.30 in 2016 to $57.79 in 2017. But then someone else pays for your petrol and diesel.

Sri Lankas oil prices are one of the lowest in the world, except for oil-producing nations. The world average price of petrol at the end of April was $1.15, but in Sri Lanka it was $0.81. The second feature is that most of the countries in the world let the domestic price to be responsive to the world price movements. But in Sri Lanka $0.81 per petrol litre has been there for the past three years.

Fuel burdens in 2018

Although oil appears to be cheaper to the Sri Lankan consumer, it is not at all cheap for Sri Lanka as a nation. The countrys oil burden is much greater than many other countries. According to last years data, Sri Lanka has spent 30 per cent of its export earnings to buy oil. As oil prices begin to rise now in 2018, the country will have to spend more this year. This increased burden is due to be felt on two main financial accounts of the country.

The first is the external finance account. The country will need increased foreign exchange earnings to pay for higher oil prices. We are already faced with a deeper problem there due to years of sluggish performance in export earnings and foreign investment flows.

Besides, we need even more foreign exchange income to pay for the maturing foreign debt starting from this year. According to the CBs 2017 data, Sri Lanka has already spent $4.6 billion for debt repayment last year, which was nearly 24 per cent of the countrys export earnings from both goods and services.

The second is the internal finance account. The country will need more tax income to cover the losses of the state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. This means that the governments fiscal operations will be under pressure too.

Already in 2017, according to the CB, the government had also spent Rs. 1213 billion as debt repayment, which was two-thirds of the governments total revenue. This means that, if the government is spending on meeting the losses from oil sales, its fiscal implications will multiply the countrys budgetary problem as well as debt problem.

Way out

Before we talk about the way forward, we have now come to a point of trying to find a way out of this quagmire! The easiest and urgent way out is a cost-reflective oil pricing. Being an oil-importing country, Sri Lanka does not have a free hand to decide on its local oil prices. If that is the case, then the domestic price should reflect the world prices as it does in most of the other oil-importing countries.

Thus the way forward involves reforms in much more complex areas of the oil industry that would come under state-owned enterprises reforms agenda.

(The writer is a Professor of Economics at Colombo University. He can be contacted at sirimal@econ.cmb.ac.lk)

This column was written before Thursdays decision to resort to the fuel pricing formulaPolitical stability, the hallmark of Singapores development By Jayampathy Jayasinghe View(s): View(s):

Political stability and the rule of law of the government was the cornerstone of Singapores stability with a strong leader like Lee Kuan Yew who wielded power for a long period, said Tilak Abeysinghe, Director of Research, Gamani Corea Foundation and Adjunct Professor of the National University of Singapore delivering a lecture on Singapores Development Experience: Lessons for Sri Lanka at the BMICH in Colombo recently.

It was organised by the Gamani Corea Foundation.

Citing lessons learnt from Singapore, he said political stability alone does not guarantee the development of a country but has to seek the cooperation of the private sector to open up trade internationally. Referring to Switzerland, he said it was the role model of Singapore and there are lots of lessons that one can learn from Singapore as well.

Having gone to Singapore about 30 years ago the guest speaker said that he was able to witness the spectacular transformation of that country from a backward underdeveloped economy to a modern state. Prof. Abeysinghe said the per capita income of both Japan and Sri Lanka was very close to each other way back in the 1950s and the income of Singapore and Sri Lanka too was close to each other in the early 60s. However Sri Lankas economy stagnated up until 1980 and again, the eruption of the civil war affected the countrys economy.

Singapores economy too had stagnated before its independence but developed rapidly in 1965 following independence. He said Singapore has a very low infant mortality rate which is a reflection of the countrys health system and its development. Sri Lanka too has done remarkably well in that respect. In recent times the Singapore government has allocated vast sums of money on research and development and embarked on the electronic industry. But following competition from other quarters it deviated to other segments of the industry. Over the years Singapore has attracted vast sums of foreign reserves which they used to strengthen the state finances resulting in its people not being burdened with income taxes. But the corporate sector pays the highest income taxes in Singapore.

Although the western media was critical of Lee Kuan Yews dictatorial policies, he never gave into them. He challenged them in courts where the western media had to pay huge sums of money to him as settlement (for defamation). Singapore also spends vast sums of money on upgrading its defence capabilities despite its relative peaceful atmosphere since its independence to forestall any internal threats. The country does not allow any racial tension to erupt and strict laws are enforced, he said.

Economists Dr. Lloyd Fernando and Amal Sanderatne chaired the panel discussions.Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs: Neglecting the countrys highest export earner View(s):

Tea has been Sri Lankas highest export earner from the latter part of the nineteenth century and is still the countrys highest domestic value added export earner.

Despite the paramount importance of tea for the economy, the seventy post independent years have been characterized by a neglect of the tea industry. Over the past seven decades the country has lost her preeminent position in global tea production and exports, though it remains among the highest producers and exporters of tea. A new resolve to enhance productivity and increase production of tea to increase exports could be of immense benefit to the economy.

Neglect

High taxation in the past, threats of nationalization, nationalization of tea plantations, mismanagement of state owned plantations and the underfunding of the Tea Research Institute have hampered the tea plantations. The latest blunder was the banning of glyphosate imports that is an essential weedicide in 2015 without a scientific basis.

Achievement

The bright spot in tea has been the development of smallholdings tea cultivation that now accounts for nearly 70 percent of the countrys tea production. The productivity on tea smallholdings is much higher than on the estates.

Sudden interest

There was a new focus on tea exports when someone put in a beetle into a shipment of tea to Russia. Whoever may have put in a beetle or whether a beetle was in fact found will remain a mystery. Russia threatened or perhaps stopped imports of Sri Lankan tea till we agreed to import Russian asbestos. We reversed our decision on asbestos imports and Russia resumed imports of tea from Sri Lanka!!

Even exports of tea to a single country was seen as a significant blow to the economy and the government acted promptly to ensure exports to Russia. The sudden interest evoked by this episode had the unintended benefit of focusing on the economic importance of tea exports. This threat of a loss of a single country market brought out the significance of tea exports.

If exports to Russia that accounts for 26 percent of the countrys tea exports is significant then total tea exports must matter more.

Lesser significance

There has been a lesser focus on the tea industry after the diversification of exports from the 1980s as export statistics show that tea accounts for only about 25 percent of exports, while industrial exports contribute about 70 percent of total exports. Garments, which is the main manufactured export, accounts for nearly 50 percent of manufactured exports. These statistics have tended to give tea a lesser significance.

Importance

However these statistics are deceptive and distort the importance of the tea industry. Tea production has a much larger domestic value added than manufactured exports. It is estimated that the domestic value addition in tea is around 70 percent, while most manufactures, including garments, have a value addition of only about 30 percent. Therefor the importance of tea exports is much higher than the export figures suggest. Tea exports are the highest merchandise export earner On the basis of domestic value addition.

This interpretation of export values should not be taken as implying that manufactured exports are of not much significance. In fact much of the future of Sri Lankas exports lie in contributing to value chains with low value addition. Countries that have advanced in exports have been those that have exported vast volumes of low value added commodities. This is the case with China, Vietnam, Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore. What is emphasized here is that Tea is of the highest importance for the countrys exports and the economy.

Bad policies

One of the tragedies of post independent economic development has been the neglect of the countrys tea industry that has been very well captured as killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. In the 1950s and 60s the high rates of taxation on tea discouraged investment. Then the threat of nationalization that overhung the industry from 1956 till the 1970s resulted in little investment. And the ultimate blow of nationalization of the plantations in 1974 crippled the industry.

Tea production that had reached 212 million kilograms in 1960 fell to 181 million kilograms in 1980. The subsequent increase in tea production was due to the expansion of smallholder cultivation. Even today tea production on the plantations is a fraction of what was produced in the 1960s.

Privatization

The state plantations were badly mismanaged and even their capital assets were stripped. They incurred huge losses and became a severe burden to the public finances. President Premadasa realized the need to divest them from the state but realized the political constraints that hindered such a move. Fortunately, the government of Chandrika Bandaranaike took a bold decision to hand over the management of the estates to private regional Plantation Companies (RPC).There has been a revival of the plantation in recent years.

Tea production was boosted by the upsurge in small holder tea production, particularly in the South. Today, over 65 percent of total tea production is from smallholdings.

Glyphosate

The latest blow to the industry came in 2015 when the vital weedicide glyphosate was banned without any scientific basis linking its use to chronic kidney disease. Without an alternate weedicide and manual weeding being impractical owing to shortages of labour tea production declined. Fortunately this ban imposed without a scientific basis, has been lifted.

According to Navin Dissanayake, the Minister of Plantations, the tea industry has incurred a loss of Rs. 26 billion per year due to the ban imposed on glyphosate. The Planters Association of Ceylon (PA) estimates that the arbitrary ban on the importation of glyphosate caused a crop loss of over Rs. 35 billion during the past two years. It estimates the crop losses of up to Rs. 15 billion in 2016 and up to Rs. 20 billion in 2017. This a massive loss.

Future of tea

There is a visible re-emergence of an interest to revive the tea industry under Minister Navin Dissanayake. Tea is decisively an export we have a competitive advantage and there are possibilities of increasing exports. While the marketing strategies are important to achieve higher exports, the generation of a larger exportable surplus is vital.

There has to be a new emphasis on increasing production and improving productivity on estates, whose yields are much less than the potential. A vital need is a reinvigoration of the Tea Research Institute by much higher funding and recruitment of quality scientists on competitive salaries. Labour productivity has to be improved through incentive systems. There is much to be done to revive the tea plantations that have a large proportion of senile plants, is low in replanting and requires to be quanity conscious and market oriented.On modern day witches and portents of anarchy View(s):

Chants of the Joint Opposition and its enthusiasts that anarchy has been let loose upon the land as a result of foibles of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe Government bear an uncanny resemblance to the ancient cackling of double, double toil and trouble, parties burn and nonsense bubble by Shakespeares three witches immortalized in Macbeth.

The political nonsense that bubbles

Politically correct critics may well object to this ancient rendering of witches as evil. Quite rightly chroniclers must be blamed for ascribing the downfall of kings, princes and generals to temptresses rather than acknowledging that their own follies, power and greed were to blame rather than any other external temptations. But the modern-day incarnations of doomsday voices at least in Sri Lanka are certainly not of the feminine gender though the Joint Oppositions portents of impending chaos do sound unkindly like the shrill squawking of those witches of old.

Let us separate the wheat from the chaff and see if anarchy really stalks the country. True, it must be said that the nonsense that bubbles on the part of those in power has led to far more confusion than what is warranted. It is inconceivable for one that appointments such as the Presidents Chief of Staff could have taken place without thorough vetting of the credentials of the selected persons.

It is even more inconceivable that, even after the Chairman of the Timber Corporation was arrested along with the Presidents Chief of Staff after getting caught in an act of bribery in flagrante delicto, (to put a racy spin on that term) recently, the appointment of an individual who had been prosecuted for a financial crime as the next head of the Timber Corporation was stopped only at the eleventh hour.

Is the impact of public pressure enough?

What do these astounding lapses speak to? Certainly on the scale of things, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka treasury bond imbroglio and the safeguarding of the then Governor Arjuna Mahendran by many in the United National Party is not comparable to the netting of the two giant whales by the Bribery and Corruption Commission though attempts are being made to equate the two in that regard.

As has been repeatedly said in these column spaces, it was not only the fact of the treasury bond scandals themselves but the way that they were sought to be exempted from public scrutiny through one devious tactic or the other by many in the top rungs of the UNP despite manifest public fury, which called for the strongest opprobrium. Here in contrast, the sting operation of the Bribery and Corruption Commission proceeded without calls from those in the seats of power halting the process and the interdiction of both officials came soon after.

But does this suffice? Is the fact that public pressure can change the Government from a disastrous appointment that should not have been contemplated in the first place enough to feel warm and safe inside in thinking that things have really changed. It is said that a drowning man or woman clutches for any straws that he or she can find. And that is very true even where the Rule of Law is concerned in a country where the minimum has become something to be glad for. In the Rajapaksa decade, appointments of notoriously corrupt people were made with impunity and the very idea of a sting operation by the Bribery and Corruption Commission would have been laughed off as a cruel joke. Misappropriation of state funds was a given. Their cackling now is therefore even more of a joke.

Monstrous growth in Sri Lankan public life

But three years since this National Unity Government came into power in 2015, we have been taught, if nothing else, the manner in which tentacles of corruption have sunk into every aspect of the public service and bureaucracy, academic and professional life and the judiciary. And to its credit, at least now, some light is being shone on the alarming extent to which this monstrous growth has sapped the functioning of Sri Lankas governance processes.

At another level, growing public concern regarding the functioning of legal and justice institutions cannot be ignored, however much one may try. Unlike the conventional media subjected to restraints of civil critique, social media which has no such niceties has ripped the mask off the face of these institutions, subjecting all to a merciless beating that makes no distinctions between the honourable and the dis-honourable. Indeed as a long-time critic of the travails of Sri Lankas justice system, I must confess to being appalled myself at the deeply disturbing level to which social criticism has now reached, where the judiciary and the legal profession is concerned. But this was inevitable.

As two eminent judges of the Supreme Court, the late Justices MDH Fernando and ARB Amerasinghe warned repeatedly in several judgments relating to criticism of Government one and a half decades ago, if justifiable criticism is not allowed to flourish, that gives room for destructive criticism. This was said of the Government. But that is true in another sense as well. And indeed this is what has happened to the very institution to which both judges were once proud to belong to, during a very different time. It does not require much imagination to vision the supreme disdain with which respected judges of old would have shown in response to the crassness and the crudity that now prevails in the legal profession.

Containing public anger sensibly and constructively

So the questions that arise deserve more probing than the wild flailing of the Bar Association which appears to be labouring under the misapprehension that threatening all and sundry with contempt of court will be the answer to the problem. What is the role of the Bar in disciplining its members who engage in corrupt practices? How many of these characters have in fact, been dis-enrolled or otherwise dealt with?

It is common knowledge for example, that some of the prime miscreants in effecting fraudulent land transactions throughout the length and breadth of Sri Lanka are lawyers themselves. But how many of these rogues have been brought to book? Without playing politics one way or the other (ie with whoever is in power or out of power as the case may be) and without having innumerable conferences on Good Governance and the Law, the Bar should look to itself in cleaning up its own house.

Else, public anger which is raw and visceral and emanating from years of pent-up fury by suffering that ordinary people have had undergone in the face of the denial of justice may well become unstoppable. That will be the true anarchy, not the nonsensical burblings of the Joint Opposition.Shocks and disappointments came as an anti-climax in a week that promised hopeful expectations for Sri Lankans.The main shock was a decision at a special cabinet meeting on Wednesday night to substantially increase fuel prices. Hit by a rise in prices of cooking gas, milk powder and now fuel, living costs are expected to spike further. That will push the prices of consumer items, goods and services to a record high. Among the areas likely to be worst hit  for second time after cooking gas shot up  are food, transport and a variety of services.

This decision, inevitable in the wake of rising crude oil prices in the world market, and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation losing heavily each day on subsidised fuel, was put on hold until after May Day. The day to commemorate the working class had to be observed a week later by major political groups due to Vesak celebrations the week before. In recent months, prices have been rising in the world crude oil market. There were sections in the Cabinet of Ministers who believed that a price revision was long overdue and that the government had come under heavy pressure from the International Monetary Fund (Fund) not to delay a revision. The discerning people also seemed to realise the Government could not go on talking of new pricing formulas as a ruse to putting off the inevitable. The Treasury was complaining of the bleeding of the coffers. The rupee was slipping vis-a-vis the US dollar to make matters worse. The next tranche of some $ 165 million dollars is now pending from the IMF.

Beginning this week, the partners in the ruling coalition  the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP)  are embarking on what they call further reforms to their parties. How the two, which have already hit a new low in their popularity, could win the hearts and minds of the people for the 2020 elections will be a critical challenge.

On Thursday, President Maithripala Sirisena chaired a meeting of the SLFP parliamentary group meeting where matters relating to re-structuring the party were discussed. In the UNP, the reforms have seen the creation of a politburo. For the first time, the otherwise right of centre party is using the nomenclature of left wing parties. The origin of politburo as the principal policy making committee of the party was in the Communist Parties of the Soviet Union and China. UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has named senior members to the politburo and more are due. One suggestion before him is to appoint a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the party. On the other hand, this is a designation given to a modern capitalist private sector entity. A young southern politician left out of the recent party changes is making a pitch for the job. However, the recent weeks have seen some of the UNP members including back benchers locked in dialogue with key figures in the Joint Opposition. Whether such discussion will bear fruition is yet to be seen. But they are said to be discussing broader parameters of how they could agree on contentious issues including the role of some personalities in the main Opposition grouping.

It is now clear that President Sirisena will be the SLFP candidate at the presidential elections in 2020, should there be one. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is seeking to bring in the 20th Amendment to the Constitution to abolish the Executive Presidency before 2020. Confirmation of Sirisenas intentions came when he told a well-attended SLFP rally in Eravur near Batticaloa that he wished to serve the people even after 2020. As for the UNP, the newly appointed General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam has publicly announced that the partys candidate would be Wickremesinghe.

A one-time staunch ally of Wickremesinghe, a member of the so-called footnote gang which added their own dissenting thoughts to the report of the parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) over the Central Bank bond scam reacted publicly. The presumptuous young state minister, who lost his own seat in the recent local government elections told a newspaper interview that if Wickremesinghe was to be the UNP candidate, he would contest the UNP leader as an independent candidate. That leaves the Joint Opposition where the front runner is former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. His Viyath Maga organisation is the vehicle by which he will test the waters for a prospective campaign for the countrys top job. It is a grouping of professionals, some businessmen who made good during the previous administration and will hold their annual sessions at the Shangri La Hotel today. His point is that people around the world are getting tired of traditional politicians and are looking elsewhere for leadership. An example is US President Donald Trump.

One of the areas for some disappointment was expectations that President Sirisena planned to make pledges during his policy statement after the ceremonial opening of Parliament on May 8. Almost the entirety of his speech was focussed on identifying some of the achievements of his government. However, he did set out 15 broad criteria which he said will make the foundation of a truly people oriented programme to fulfil their expectations.

Sirisena added, It must be noted that the country is not in a situation where it is appropriate for different parties and groups to test their political power, but in a situation where the challenges faced by the nation should be overcome with a collective effort. In order to make this a reality, the power struggle among the parties in the National Unity Government as well as the power struggle between the government and the opposition must be contained. It is the people who are affected by all forms of conflicts over power.

That was a strong message from Sirisena to his coalition partner, the UNP and its leaders. Ahead of his policy statement, Sirisena was livid about the remarks made by UNP Minister Sarath Fonseka at a special news conference at his Ministry. Whilst making the remarks against Sirisena, Fonseka urged his staff to remove a chair next to him which was for use by his Deputy Minister Palitha Thevarapperuma. Fonseka bitterly criticised Sirisena for not appointing him as the Minister of Law and Order despite assuring him that he would do so.

He claimed that he had addressed 100 presidential election rallies whilst his wife had spoken at 30 rallies. He also claimed that the UNP had proposed to Sirisena that he be appointed Minister of Law and Order. He had been on a private visit to Indonesia. Minister Rajitha Senaratne had telephoned and intimated to him that he would get an important Ministry and to return immediately. He said he refused to return in a hurry. Upon his return, he had asked the President why he was not appointed to the Law and Order portfolio. Sirisena had said five Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs) had asked him not to appoint him, Fonseka said. So had a group of Buddhist monks though Sirisena had declined to give their identities to him. He declared that several government officials had asked him to take over the Law and Order Ministry. They had opined that he could then attend international events in countries where he is now being refused a visa. One such country is the United States.

Fonseka also claimed that former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga had confessed to him that she had not been able to speak or meet Sirisena despite many efforts during the past three months. He charged that the President was responsible for not dealing with Mahinda Rajapaksa and members of his family. He also blamed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for what he called the setback the government and the UNP suffered at the February 10 local polls.

Fonsekas tirade did not stop there. On May6, at the UNPs May Day rally chaired by Premier Wickremesinghe at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, Fonseka said that it was a mistake to have picked Sirisena for the January 8, 2015 presidential election. Fonsekas repeated comments prompted Sirisena to raise issue with Minister Malik Samarawickrema, former Chairman of the UNP. Samarawickrema who has played broker between the SLFP and the UNP on many a crisis situation, in turn, raised issue with Premier Wickremesinghe.

Fonseka led troops to victory in the military campaign against Tiger guerrillas in May 2009, though he had been in China on the final days. It prompted the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa to declare that Fonseka was the best Army Commander in the World. However, in later months Rajapaksa ordered the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to probe his alleged involvement in military deals. He received a prison sentence and was stripped of his title as a full General of the Sri Lanka Army.

Elected President in 2015, Sirisena issued a proclamation granting a full pardon to Fonseka. He was restored his military title and related perks. During the presidential election campaign, as reported in these columns, Fonseka sought and obtained an assurance from Sirisena that besides restoring his position, he would also be promoted to the rank of a Field Marshal. Thus, it was the first time a serving politician has been named as a Field Marshal. Since there was no such rank in the Army, Fonseka designed his own attire for a Field Marshal. He also got the Army to import from two specially designed batons at a cost running into millions of rupees. The first one at a lower cost was imported from India earlier. The second was from Britain.

If Fonsekas verbal barrage against Sirisena is on the grounds that he did not appoint him Minister of Law and Order, there is another story. Days ahead of his strong criticism, Fonseka had a meeting with President Sirisena. There he sought his help for the release of now retired Major General Amal Karunasekera, who was Director General of Military Intelligence (DGMI) at Army Headquarters. This was when Fonseka was the Commander of the Army and Karunasekera was under his direct command.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) detectives who are probing the killing of Lasantha Wickremetunga, Editor of the now defunct Sunday Leader, and the abduction and assault on journalist Keith Noyahar have arrested Karunasekera. He is in remand custody whilst investigations are ongoing. With the defeat of the Tiger guerrillas in 2009, Karunasekera was to be posted as Sri Lankas envoy to Eritrea, a country in the Horn of Africa surrounded by Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti. However, the Asmara government did not favour the request. It came to light that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was then operating a transit base there to stock military hardware before being smuggled to Sri Lanka.

Thereafter, he was posted to the Egyptian capital of Cairo from where he reported on Eritrea. When parting of the ways between the former government and Fonseka intensified amidst investigations against Fonseka, Karunasekera was recalled to Colombo. Detectives who questioned him said he did not divulge any details and strongly denied military intelligence personnel were engaged in any illegal operations. Karunasekeras arrest came when he was to leave Sri Lanka on a foreign assignment with a letter signed on behalf of the Defence Secretary by an official of the Ministry of Defence. He was stopped on a court order and later entered the Military Hospital just before his arrest.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Fonseka may have slipped while naming Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the one responsible for the dreaded white van syndrome of yesteryear. Asked by the reporter about that period during the Mahinda Rajapaksa Administration and who was responsible for the abduction of journalists, activists and terrorist suspects, Fonseka put the blame fairly and squarely on the former Defence Secretary. When asked if those in the army were not responsible for some of these abductions, Fonseka said that they were not because he had tight control over the military. In saying so, and if any officers and men are compromised in the abductions under investigations, Fonsekas comments might have compromised himself.

As Fonseka claimed at his press conference, a group of DIGs did meet Sirisena and urged him not to appoint the former Army Commander as Law and Order Minister. However, what has not been revealed is the fact that state legal arms also expressed serious reservations on the grounds that his name has surfaced in respect of a few inquiries. Hence, they contended that it would be difficult for them not to carry out orders issued by Fonseka if he took over the law and order portfolio. They also pointed out that some such matters were still under investigations. Thus, Sirisena had decided he would not confer that portfolio on Fonseka, though the move could have had political implications  and soon after the local government polls drubbing Sirisena began making overtures to the Rajapaksa clan  sworn enemies of Fonseka.

Despite the ongoing investigations into the attack on journalists, whether indictments will take more time remains a critical question. However, most details linked to the incidents have been pieced together by the detectives and a few key persons still remain to be questioned.

In respect of other high profile cases now being handled by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), efforts are being stepped up to bring down to Colombo two most wanted persons  Udayanga Weeratunga, former Ambassador to Russia during the previous government and Arjuna Mahendran, Governor of the Central Bank during the current government. The FCID Director who reached his retirement age of 60 has been given a years extension following a Cabinet decision on Wednesday.

Whether stepped up investigations at this juncture would be viewed by the public as a political vengeance in the wake of the rising unpopularity of the government cannot be ruled out. That would further erode the Governments credibility. On the other hand, inaction, despite promises in 2015 will continue to remain a minus factor. That such a dilemma confronts the Government at a time when there is the all-important issue of rising prices is the moot issue.

Even during May Day rallies this week, the point was made by de facto  Joint Opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa. He told the Sunday Times yesterday the poorer sections of the people will be worst hit by these price increases. The Government has done nothing to ameliorate their living conditions. LPG gas prices have gone up. Milk food prices have been increased. The people are suffering untold hardships.

Rajapaksa said that the Government should take a lesson from the recent elections in Malaysia where the 92-year-old former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed was re-elected to power. People were suffering severe hardships and they gave their verdict. In Sri Lanka, the suffering people, particularly those poorer sections were waiting to tell this government to Go, the former President said.

Sirisena, who lost 16 of his SLFP parliamentarians this week, is in an unenviable position. He has the task of reforming both his shrinking party and the countrys shaky economy. For the UNP, the internecine warfare, which one thought would be over with the defeat of the no-confidence motion on the Prime Minister is not over. Rumblings continue as silent, insidious campaigns get under way.Presidents make-believe world comes a cropper and falls apart Whilst the first rat pack flee the sinking ship, dreams die-hard as Sirisena declares, I will not be pensioned off come 2020 View(s): View(s):

Evidently, these are not the best of times for President Sirisena. As he surveys the horizon, he can only expect to see the ominous prospect of fast gathering clouds further darkening the twilight sky, with thunders rumble starting to resound in the distance, portending bad, bad, bad stormy weather. One that will blow without respite.

Sadly, and that is to put it mildly, thats what the weather forecast holds for President Maithripala Sirisena for the remainder of his term, however optimistic he maybe of basking in sunshine come 2020. One cannot help but feel sorry for him for hes a decent man: A man who came forward three and half years ago when the nation was in crisis, when democracy was imperiled and corruption rife.

A man who did not chicken out of the challenge to venture without fear, as the Biblical David did to do battle with Goliath and flay him in his own lair. A man who, not only placed his own neck but the necks of his wife and three children on the Rajapaksa rail track, for the singular purpose of liberating the nation from corruption, from dictatorship, from family bandyism; and to restore the basic values of the citizenrys democratic life and to erect once more the fallen pillars of democracy and sweep the cobwebs in the nations court rooms. And to ensure no spider would henceforth be allowed to weave its web to snare justice and have it for breakfast. No mean task.

But today, with fates tripping him at every step and turn he takes, one would hate to be in his presidential shoes  unless, of course, one is a masochist crying out for more excruciating punishment and inviting more ridicule. For the star that shone on January 8th 2015 is in danger of fast losing its glow and turning to a black hole where the gravitation pull of space time ensures light itself is trapped.

What dawned on January 9th 2015 blessed with so much hope and promise now faces its bleakest hour and stands poised to end accursed with so much disappointment and betrayal.

April New Years presidential pot of prosperitys milk may have bubbled, brimmed and spilled over, but it seems it has only done so to stain the white carpet in the presidential household. Exactly ten days before the Aluth Anuruddha dawned, he had seen his strategy of not marshalling the remaining few troops of his disintegrating party and ordering them to vote against the failed no-confidence motion brought by Rajapaksas Pohottuwa party against his own Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, backfire on him. In an attempt to wash his hands of the affair, he had allowed the residual 39 left to vote as they pleased, fearing, perhaps, they will desert him. Sixteen voted for the motion and then deserted him by resigning from their ministerial positions. It was a precursor to bad times ahead.

He had lost a contingent of his troops by giving them free rein to fire at will who resigned en mass a week later after realising their sixteen individual bullets had failed to hit the mark and with their aim gone awry, their position in a coalition government of which Ranil was the prime minister was no longer tenable. They were the first rat pack to flee the sinking ship and now wait treading the water for the Rajapaksa luxury liner to pass by to jump aboard.

Worse, he had lost the trust and faith of his prime minister who emerged unscathed after running the no-confidence gauntlet, thanks to the human shield provided by his own UNP 106 strong cadre, with some help from another 16 friends in the official opposition who rushed to his aid. They succeeded in transforming the arrows of fire designed to set Parliament aflame into harmless lotus bud stalks that drooped in mid air; and were doused in mid flight long before it fell to the surrounding Diyawanna waters.

And then shortly after the Sinhala New Year, came the grand announcement of a major cabinet reshuffle. One that would give the coalition government a new look, one that would signal a new direction, one that would herald a dramatic change, one that would meet the needs of the people, unlike the cabinet before which had been scraping coconuts these last three years.

On May 1st the composition of the new look cabinet was announced. But to the nation it was nothing more than touch up job: An act of coquetry, a complete cosmetic farce that beguiled no one. Though 18 cabinet posts were shuffled, what the people found to their disappointment and dismay were the same old flaccid faces ensconced in different soft seats in the so-called new dynamic cabinet which had been hailed as one that would infuse new blood to give new impetus to the Government to arrest the tide of decay and turn things round.

It was nothing of the sort and served only to further dent the presidents crumbling credibility. Like folks at a New York swingers club, all that had been done was to have indulged in a bit of post swapping. The sequel appeared worse than the earlier work which, too, had been bad enough.

The only new face in the cabinet, albeit another old familiar face, was the former Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe who was forced to resign last year after attacking the Government; and who said it goes against his grain and revolts his conscience and its an abject shame to be a minister of this Government that is bent on selling national assets, made a surprise comeback  just eight months after his exit  to the cabinet as the new Minister of Higher Education and Minister of Culture.

Those two appointments were the only two that were made according to the new government criteria of appointing ministers scientifically. Not that his elevation from the backbenches to those high offices of state would have in any measure changed the Governments fortunes but it must be said his doctorate qualifies him to hold the Higher Education portfolio and his eligibility is beyond question to be the Minister of Lankas Culture. Especially considering that it has become the political culture and norm of the land today for politicians of all sides and of all hues to make solemn declarations one day and swear by the opposite and change their tune the following night in the belief that the masses have short memories whilst they possess nine lives and can thus risk losing a life or two by perjuring through their teeth to achieve their political goals. Changing conscience to suit the times has become as commonplace as changing kamisays even as changing places in a game of musical chairs has become the political pastime of Lankas new kulture.

Take for instance, Mahinda Rajapaksa. After losing the presidency on January 9th 2015, he, in accordance with the amendment to the SLFP constitution he had introduced with retrospective effect, in the first year of his first term in office  to deny his predecessor Chandrika the right to hold the chairmanship of the SLFP  which amendment stated that in the event of an SLFP member becoming President of the country, the chairmanship of the party would automatically devolve on that person, he duly handed over his official letter of resignation as party chairman to the then SLFP General Secretary Anura Priyadarshana Yapa on 16th January 2015. In it he said, With effect from today, I will be handing over the leadership of the party to President Maithripala Sirisena.

However, addressing a media conference on August 21st 2017 at the Pohottuwa party headquarters in Battaramulla, he had this to say when asked by a television reporter who the present chairman of the SLFP was: I, I am still the chairman. I never resigned, no one sacked me so how can anybody from outside say he is the chairman. That cannot be.

Perhaps Mahinda, even with proof to the contrary staring at his face, believed such a white lie was worth risking one political life and was necessary to boost the morale of his Pohottuwa supporters who were still card carrying members of the SLFP and wanted to believe that Rajapaksa still wore the SLFP crown.

Then consider the case of the present president. Moments after the swearing-in ceremony as the new President, Maithripala Sirisena in his inaugural address to the nation declares he will not seek a second or another term,. He says: I have no intention whatsoever to seek a second term or another term again.

Then a few days later, in the hallowed precincts of the Sri Dalada Maligawe, he confirms his pledge. He says: I make this pledge to work honestly and compassionately to fulfill the promises given to the nation. I make this pledge at the sacred site of Dalada Maligawa, in front of the Maha Sangha, before the people of this country that I will serve the nation with dedication. I wish to state that we do not need a king, we want a real man. As I promised on the day I took oaths as President, this will be my first and last term as President.

This week on May 7th, addressing the SLFP May Day rally in Batticaloa it was clear he had second thoughts. But what were those second thoughts. He said: Some ask me whether I am going to retire in 2020. Its reported on many social media web sites. I will not retire in 2020. There is a lot more to be done. I ask, how many honest politicians are in the country? I ask how many are there who havent committed murder, who havent robbed the country. I say what we need is a new plan. For that programme, political rogues are not necessary, political thugs are not vital, political murderers are not essential. All that the country needs are political leaders who love the country.

Though some interpreted the presidents statement that he has no intention of retiring from politics in 2020 as a statement of his intention to contest the 2020 presidential election, it was nothing of the sort. The president, keeping his cards close to his chest, only said that he would not retire in 2020. He did not throw down the glove and say he would be contesting the presidential election in 2020. That was all. Nothing more.

Perhaps he will gracefully end his first term of presidential office and keep his word to the nation and instead forward his nomination to his party to contest the general elections  to enter Parliament as the MP from Polonnaruwa. Nothing wrong in that, is there? Especially when there is the Kurunegala precedent. After all, he will be seeking entry to the House as a President who, even though he was eligible to seek another term, had gracefully bowed out after his term of office had expired. Not as a defeated one.

And perhaps he had to make the statement that he will not retire in 2020 merely to keep the remaining troops loyal to him for had he said otherwise, he would have found the remainder of his party still with him, had already fled to the other side out of fear being left orphaned, even before he returned from Batticaloa to Colombo. The following day, May 8th, another grand spectacle the masses were earnestly asked to wait for was the opening of the second session of the eight parliament by the President. But it was an inauspicious start. For minutes before his arrival at Parliaments door to be greeted by the Speaker of the House and escorted to the Speakers chair to deliver the throne speech, sixteen members of his own party, some of them who had been ministers of his cabinet, had already made their Diyawanna crossing to the opposite bank. And, surely, as he made his speech, his eyes would have even fleetingly rested upon the empty seats on his side of the House before flicking his glare upon the swelling number on the other side. How much more can mortal man take?

During the last three years as President of the country and chairman of the SLFP and the UPFA, he has witnessed how his power base had been hijacked from him, the presidential carpet pulled under his feet. Fifty four SLFP and UPFA members had, while parroting the line that they would not do anything to create divisions within the SLFP, even as Mahinda Rajapaksa had said in his resignation letter as chairman of the party dated January 16th 2018, I am taking the decision as I have a great dislike to see the SLFP face the danger of division. It is the responsibility of all of us who love the Sri Lanka Freedom Party to ensure the unity of the party, had walked out even without a by your leave.

The splinter group had formed their own party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna with the lotus bud as their symbol, one still to bloom from the mud from whence it had arisen. They had called themselves the joint opposition in Parliament. They had even fielded candidates to contest the local government elections under the SLPP banner against the SLFP and UPFA. And had won the popular vote in no uncertain terms.

But, funnily enough, when it came to the crux, they were still card carrying members of either the mother ship SLFP or the UPFA which were under the chairmanship of Sirisena. Even G.L. Peiris who was the chairman of this new political Pohottuwa front was still an SLFP member. They enjoyed the best of both worlds with the driving force behind the grouping, the mastermind Mahinda nonchalantly claiming to be the undisputed king of the SLFP. They were having the cake and eating it too, claiming dual citizenship of both parties.

Both Sirisena and the SLFPs General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake had repeatedly threatened to strip the dissidents of their party membership. But the joint opposition called their bluff. The Secretary had sent many paper rockets to the dissidents, warning them of the consequences that would follow their truancy, but the rod had been spared and the child remained spoilt. Most probably, the letters had ended up in the dustbin, even as the Presidents sword, which Sirisena had threatened to raise to crackdown on corruption, had remained sheathed in its scabbard and left at home to chop jak.

Just when he may have thought his spell of bad luck had run its course and spent its force, what did he find last Thursday eve: corruption on his own doorstep. Nay, inside his office. The arrest of his chief of staff for bribery would have shaken him to the core. That would be the ammunition the opposition would use to discredit him, to tar his good name to camouflage their own mega corruption and pronounce to the people, all are of the same ilk.

But in that dark cloud, there is a silver lining. The fact that the presidents own chief of staff was arrested by the CID in a massive sting operation is proof that Yahapalanaya is no respecter of persons, however powerful. Unlike the former presidents chief of staff whose alleged multimillion frauds were never exposed but only came to light during Sirisenas term of office and the FCID obtained warrant from courts for his arrest.

For all his warts and failures, for all his procrastinations and indecisiveness, the nation should count its blessings that it has in Maithripala Sirisena a president who came at the opportune time to reverse the trend towards the total eclipse of all it holds sacred. And takes for granted until usurped,

Maithripala is not a Bodhisattva by any means but a man containing many strengths coupled with many weaknesses. And those who welcomed his advent and now shout him down and blame him for all the nations ills, should not lose sight of exactly who did not let the man do his job but placed hurdle after hurdle not in the nations interest but merely to safeguard their own in order to delay probes into their own corrupt past, postpone Nemesiss arrival at their doors.

But if Maithripala does not change his Hamlet ways in the two years left to him; if he does not get his act together and show he means business; if he fails to demonstrate hes not all talk but has the spleen and backbone to take action and execute the 2015 mandate given to him by the people in good faith and trust that he would deliver the goods before his time is up, then the 2020 budget will have to accommodate the cost of providing the welfare dole to one more pensioner.

Two faces of the same coin

Phew! How ironical life can turn out to be sometimes. One day you poke your finger in anothers eye only to get poked in both eyes.

Ever since February 2015, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been dogged by the accusation of being involved in the biggest bank robbery the country has ever known: the multibillion bond scam. The specific charge levelled against him was that he recommended Arjuna Mahendran to the post of Governor of the Central Bank.

But on what basis the recommendation to the president was made has been generally glossed over by Ranils foes once the bond scam was exposed. To recount: Arjuna Mahendran was a Royal College old boy who had graduated from Balliol College, Oxford. He had served for ten years in the Central Bank from 1983 to 1991. Then served as the Managing Director and Chief Investment Strategist-Asia at HSBC Private Bank. He was responsible for research and analysis of markets in the Asia Pacific. He served as Chief Investment Officer-Wealth Management division at Emirates NBD. He then led the analytics team in interpreting market economics and developing investment strategies for HSBCs clients in the region. From 2001 to 2004  during the period Ranil Wickremesinghe was Prime Minister in President Chandrika Kumaranatunges government  served as Chairman and Director-General of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. Thereafter, he served as Chief Economist & Strategist  Asia Pacific at Credit Suisse Group AG and was its Head of Research for Asia Pacific since October 2006. He became a Singapore citizen the same year. It was with such a CV that moved Ranil to recommend to the President that Mahendran be appointed the nations banker. And President Sirisena duly appointed Mahendran to the post. Who could have imagined at that hour, that Mahendran, backed with such a pedigree, would turn the Central Bank into his own piggy bank and, in three years to come, will be on the run wanted by Interpol?

After all, no crystal ball was in the prime ministers possession or powers of clairvoyance hidden deep in President Sirisenas psyche to foretell what the future held when the fateful appointment was made. Once the bond scam was exposed, the President appointed a Presidential Commission of Inquiry. The Prime Minister gave evidence and was absolved of any involvement in the crime of the century. The Presidential Commission only faulted him for making the appointment and for lack of judgment in doing so. But then again, who can tell the future, who can read the mind of a man one appoints in trust? Especially when he comes armed with impeccable credentials and qualifications for the job interview? Yet, Ranil Wickremesinghe had to face a no-confidence motion against him in Parliament for that one blunder. One month ago President Sirisena appointed a certain Dr. Mahanama, who had recently retired from his post as the Secretary of the Land Ministry, as the Presidents Chief of Staff, a powerful position. If Mahendran had been the nations banker, Mahanama was the Presidents Man Friday. Last Thursday evening, the CID arrested him at the Taj Samudra car park counting Rs 20 million in Rs 5000 notes received as a bribe  the first installment of Rs. 100 million  from an Indian businessman who had an eye on investing in the defunct Kantale Sugar factory. Also arrested was his partner Dissanayake, the Chairman of the State Timber Corporation, another Sirisena appointee. This week, the president appointed a certain Anuruddha Polgampola as the new chairman of the State Timber Corporation. But no sooner was the appointment announced it came to light that this Polgampolas past record cast doubts on his eligibility to head such an important institution and he was sacked forthwith on Thursday. Born on May 4th. Gone on May 10th. At least it shows the Government is willing to admit its mistakes when it is brought to their notice. But thats no excuse. The peoples trust must be discharged by those upon whom it is reposed with due diligence. So whilst Ranils appointee Mahendran is on the run with Interpol searching for him, while Sirisenas two appointees Mahanama and Dissanayake in remand custody and Sirisenas third appointee Polgampola sent home, funny isnt it how life can indeed be ironical? Or not what it seems to mean. Perhaps, next time round, both Prime Minister and President should do well to consult the crystal ball in the possession of the state intelligence services before rushing in to make important appointments on the strength of the certificates the hopefuls bring with them to the casting couch or the infectious charm they carry in their countenance and smile. Like charity begins at home, like corruption stems from public office, accountability must start from the desks at which the bucks stops. Crystal ball or no.Sirisenas second coming  or so he hopes View(s):

Hail Sirisena! Hail the mighty slayer of King Mahinda. Like Dutugemunu of old who killed Elara in mortal combat, he could not have done it alone. The Ruhunu Raja had his faithful elephant Kandula.

More than three years ago Sirisena had no personal elephant but he had the support of the party with the elephant symbol which for all the pretense of loyalty was nothing like the faithful Kandula. After all the leader of the pachyderm tribe had been persuaded, nay pressured, to stay out of the fray and support, like some others, the lacklustre and inglorious Maithripala Sirisena who having partaken in an egg-hopper feed took Mahinda of Medamulana for a ride along with the whole Rajapaksa clan that is said to have prospered during his reign.

Sirisena, the common candidate for the presidency seemed honest enough when he said during those testing times before January 8, 2015 that he had no real interest in the presidency.

All he wanted to do was bring clean and incorruptible government to Sri Lanka and that when his term is over he will pack his suitcase and whatever else he has gathered and retire to his beloved Polonnaruwa where he will share a hopper or two with the local peasantry seated perhaps on the niyara of a paddy field he seemed to like so much.

True, the people voted for him, not because many believed he was honest in what he said about governing from a modest abode and taking a bus back to Polonnaruwa, that he was making this supreme sacrifice of trying to bring peace, quiet and political decency and cleanliness to his native land wracked by all that was morally corrupt.

But let the truth be told. It is not that they wanted Sirisena, they did not want Mahinda because of the shenanigans of his clan and those near to him for which Mahinda Rajapaksa paid the price. He suffered surprise defeat just as the aged Mahathir Mohamad surprisingly clinched the Malaysian election last week.

May be those who gathered around Sirisena did so because of the venerable Sobitha Thera, the respected monk who set the stage for Sirisenas arrival. It now seems that the Ven Sobitha himself was misled by Sirisenas show of innocence, humility and seeming honesty of purpose.

Some say the Ven Sobitha passed away prematurely, disgruntled or more accurately sadly disillusioned at the way the so-called yahapalana government was turning away even in the early months from the philosophy and basic guidelines that were to be the bedrock of the new administration.

But before long the real Sirisena began to emerge. Within a couple of weeks of his assuming office, he appointed one of his younger brothers-at the time managing the State Timber Corporation, as chairman of the cash rich Sri Lanka Telecom. He justified the move saying his brother was a public servant.

Before too long, the media happened to pick up the story that brother Kumarasiri was presenting board papers to increase his salary to nearly a million rupees a month and seeking other perks.

Probably taking a tip from the presidential action, the finance minister of the UNP, Sirisenas coalition partner was pushing his own relative into a top position at Sri Lanka Insurance, raising quite a ruckus in political and trade union circles. It appeared that the rot that was to subsequently eat into yahapalana rule had already begun.

Now the real Sirisena has emerged from the woodwork or wherever he hid his real self. Speaking at a May Day (postponed) SLFP rally in the eastern province he said he had no intention to retire in 2020. As we very well know that is the year of the two elections-presidential and parliamentary.

The man who was pretending to shy away from a full first term reducing the presidential period from six to five years and restricting to two terms the president could serve by constitutional amendment made the Sri Lankans believe that the messiah had arrived.

Hail be to the savior who had come to rescue the country from the dangerous clutches of Medamulana autocracy and nepotism! Well, so the people thought. And they are daily being proven wrong. When the taste of power begins to titillate the senses and the grasp on political power becomes tighter that is the time for the nation to rethink the true intentions of their leader.

The man who willingly curtailed by one year his period in power thus making his voters believe that in all honesty he was following in the footsteps of the Ven. Sobitha and a new political culture was about to be born were soon deluded. How wrong we could be, relying faithfully on the messianic preaching when all it turns out to be months later nothing more than pretentious prattle, a national exercise in premeditated deception.

The first signs of vaulting ambition were seen in two separate episodes. There was Duminda Dissanayake, general secretary of the SLFP and the man who has spent millions of rupees each month not to occupy a massive office building, hinting quite openly that Siri the Slippery would be the partys next presidential candidate.

More recently President Sirisena sought the advice of the Supreme Court how long his current term is, obviously regretting that he was ill-advised when he reduced his term to five years. Even before he had completed three years he was thirsting for a longer stay when he would be able to wield power however diminished by constitutional change- make appointments, stamp his influence and travel the world.

Just the other day there was a story doings the rounds that kith and kin had a bar licence while banning women from purchasing beer. For a person who abjures alcohol and tobacco, not to mention environmental degradation and such other morally reprehensible habits, one would have expected at least Polonnaruwa to be kept clean, if Mirissa was too far away to worry about.

Now I have no idea whether this is a concocted story intended to embarrass the president or contains elements of truth, if not the whole truth. If it is false, it is the duty of the presidents office to deny the story in order to clear the presidents name. Only the other day the president appointed a new chairman of the Timber Corporation who was dislodged within days. Earlier he appointed a pistol (toy one we were told) wielding former mayor of Hambantota who threatened some UNP MPs on a fact-finding mission during the Rajapaksa era, as the SLFP district organizer.

Now it is said that he Sirisena wants to appoint as ambassador to Norway a Sri Lankan living in Australia, displacing one of the most senior and competent diplomats in the foreign service Jayantha Palipana. Hasnt this government already learnt a lesson from the mess it made in London until that was ended recently?

Sirisena laments that Sri Lanka does not have political leaders who love the country and the people.

It is indeed nice to hear words of truth drop from the lips of a politician. Even if it is a rare occasion it does tickle ones ears. President Sirisena says he will not retire from politics in 2020. But then Sirisena might consider another possibility- that the people could retire him.

As Mark Antony said of Julius Caesar, ambition should be made of sterner stuff.Yahapalanaya in free fall as MS drapes crumbling Unity Govt. in rhetoric By Chandani Kirinde- Lobby Correspondent View(s): View(s):

The developments in Parliament this week, with 16 Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) MPs crossing over to the Opposition, leaves little doubt that the government is falling into an abyss from which, it may not find its way out. The latest defections add to the already confusing situation in Parliament, with 3 separate groups assuming the role of the Opposition in the Legislature.

The SLFP MPs who chose to sit in Opposition are the 16 who voted in favour of the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in early April. The NCM was defeated with 122 MPs opposing it but, it led to a further split within the ranks of SLFP MPs who were part of the Unity Government, and dealt another blow to Yahapalana rule.

The 16 MPs crossed over on Tuesday, just before the ceremonial sitting of Parliament commenced, with President Maithripala Sirisena presenting his Governments policy statement to the House. They crossed the Well of the House while the quorum bells rang, and were welcomed with loud cheers by the Joint Opposition (JO) group. Among them are several SLFP MPs who contested the 2015 General Elections and lost, only to be subsequently appointed as National List MPs, with the Presidents blessings.

The Group includes MPs Dilan Perera, S.B. Dissanayka, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena and Susil Premjayanth who have been vociferous advocates for ending the alliance between the UNP and aligning with the UPFA-SLFP faction backed by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

MP S.B. Dissanayake on Wednesday told the House that the group would join hands with the rest in Opposition in Parliament to create a force against the Prime Minister and the UNP, even though they remain within Government ranks. While this is a clear cut case of these MPs wanting to have the cake and eat it too, the move, instead of strengthening the hand of the President, which they say they wish to do, will likely weaken his position within the ranks of the SLFP.

Buoyed by the 16 new entrants to the Opposition, the JO group has decided to intensify their move to secure the post of Leader of the Opposition to one within their ranks. The post is presently held by Trincomalee District MP R. Sampanthan, whose Party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), has 16 seats in the House. The JO now has 70 MPs in their ranks inclusive of the 16 who joined them this week, and are in a position to make a strong claim to the Post.

Despite the growing friction within the Unity Government, President Sirisena put on a brave face when he addressed Parliament. He called for unity among among all political forces, saying, Given the challenges the nation is facing right now, all parties should come together as one.

Many of the views he expressed were idealistic. He spoke of an economically prosperous country, free from bribery, corruption and waste, where political forces work together for the good of the common person, but 3 years after taking office, the Yahapalana Government has failed to live up to the expectations of those who voted it into office. However flowery the language politicians in power may use, the many, many mistakes the Government has committed along the way have overshadowed its good work. With incumbency fatigue setting in, President Sirisena and those in his Government will need to make some drastic changes to the manner in which they run the affairs of the country, if they have hopes of retaining power, after the next presidential and parliamentary elections.RTI: One step forward, two backwards View(s):

Few would quarrel with President Maithripala Sirisenas statement on Tuesday as he inaugurated the second session of the 8th Parliament, that his National Unity Government had enacted several people friendly laws, including the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The President praised the RTI Act as the strongest such act to empower citizens of any country in Asia.

Coincidentally these remarks were made at the very same time that RTI commissioners, experts, advocates and practitioners as well as government officials were enthusiastically applauding the strides that Sri Lanka has taken at a global conference hosted by the Sri Lanka Press Institute in Colombo to mark the first anniversary of the implementation of the law.

Even though a draft RTI law had been finalised long before our neighbours in the region had enacted RTI legislation, Sri Lanka marked a sad late entry due to the 2004 draft being pushed aside by the successive Presidencies of Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa for reasons that are pretty obvious  they did not like transparency in government. Therefore, as Sri Lankans actively using RTI today will no doubt concede, the incumbent Presidents boast on Tuesday is well merited. Much of that credit is due to his Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who first gave it the political leadership, and then saw it through in 2016.

With this progressive law coming into force in February last year, and the RTI Commission getting activated, there has been an impressive turnout from the ordinary public at accessing information that had hitherto not been available to them. As the Press Institute Chairman, however, lamented this week, the media are yet to take full advantage of this law to ferret out locked information for the public good, though the ordinary citizens have seen the benefits accruing to them.

And yet, this seemingly rosy picture is at odds with a disturbing trend whereby the very Government which pats itself on the back for its RTI success including at the 37th session of the Geneva based United Nations Human Rights Council in March this year, is approving more and more laws that protect members of various entities from being subjected to RTI scrutiny.

One prominent example was the Office of Missing Persons Act enacted a few months after the RTI Act. This protects members of the OMP but also officers, servants and consultants of the OMP from RTI scrutiny in respect of matters communicated to them in confidence. Civil society organisations have expressed concerns regarding the vagueness of the term in confidence which could mean each and every possible communication.

More recently, we have the Audit Bill which gives a similar privilege to members of the proposed Audit Service Commission and also any person appointed to any office under this Act or any other person assisting any such person for the purpose of carrying out the provisions under this Act or a qualified auditor engaged by the Auditor General.

All these persons are required to refuse RTI disclosure in respect of any information received in the performance of duties until the report or statement prepared by the Auditor General relating to such information has been presented in Parliament. The only exception is where there is a request of Parliament or an order of court or to give effect to the provisions of any written law, other than any law requiring the disclosure of information. Disobedience is an offence. Why then, is the Government back-pedalling on the Citizens Right to Information?

Any sensible reader of these clauses will see the obvious potshots aimed at the RTI law which the Government professes to be proud of. Certainly, the fact that the long delayed Audit Bill is finally before the House is a matter for relief. Amended and diluted and recast several times over, the Bill was once again put off on Friday by Parliament for another date. The objective of the legislation is to comprehensively deal with the national auditing process whereby insider trading, financial mismanagement and corrupt activities are effectively curtailed. But if that is the aim, then it begs the question as to whether giving such broad privileges against RTI to such wide categories of persons defeats that very purpose for which the Audit Act is being introduced. Legitimate restrictions may be imposed on premature release of audit reports pending before Parliament even within the scope of an information right balancing the public interest. But giving blanket protections to a few privileged offices is contrary to the fundamental principles of RTI.

The fact that the Supreme Court had dismissed a constitutional challenge to the Audit Bill is beside the point. The Court only went into the merits of its constitutionality, not its good governance score sheet. The clauses shutting out RTI relates to a policy decision taken by the Government which is a distinct matter from a constitutional test. At a time where the Parliamentary process itself has been riddled with irregularities, these proposed clauses that prevent disclosure until presentation in Parliament point to clear and present dangers. They must be narrowed and be more precisely defined to avoid a situation where the Audit Act may lead to the proposed remedy being worse than the disease.

At this weeks global conference on the first year of the RTI law in Sri Lanka, there were the usual bouquets and the brickbats. Foreign delegates had a glimpse of the RTI Commission at work. Some were aghast at its informality despite the fact that lawyers have started appearing before it. Yet, the Commission is doing its work splendidly, delivering on the intentions of the law to the ordinary men and women of this country in search of otherwise elusive official information.

A Government official announced that the Media Ministry which is the designated Ministry to drive the law was in consultation with the Education Ministry to introduce RTI to the school curriculum. While one arm of the State is moving progressively, the other arm is moving regressively, typical of the present Administration.

In general, it is a bad practice to enact new laws which shut out RTI in respect of privileged offices or individuals. That trend must cease if the Government is keen to retain its pride in bringing RTI to ordinary Sri Lankans. Openness and transparency were promised. Openness and transparency were provided by the RTI Act in 2016. Openness and transparency were applauded. Now, that too may only turn out to be a hollow boast, like many of its other unfulfilled promises.A shared passion By Nirmalie Alahakone A group of thirteen, held together by many common interests, but mainly photography, come together for the fifth time to present their exhibition of creative photography titled InFocus View(s): View(s):

The exhibition of creative photography  InFocus will open at the Lionel Wendt Art Centre on the 18th of May with veteran film actor/director Mr. Ravindra Randeniya as chief guest. The exhibition will be open for public viewing on May 19 and 20.

InFocus is presented by a group of talented professionals who have found common purpose through their passion for photography. The photographs wont be on one theme. Because we are a diverse group, with diverse interests, says Mani Rajkumar. Also, because we are not photographers by profession. So this is everyones hobby. What piques our interest is varied, adds Shiraz Hamid, who heads Global Distribution in the airline trade, and is passionate about wildlife and nature photography.

The exhibition will include 156 colour and monochrome images covering a variety of genres including nature and wildlife, people and places, street captures, culture and landscapes. These photographs, taken by the group of 13 over the last year, have been shortlisted by the 3 judges Mr. Panduka De Silva, Mr. Henry Rajakaruna and Mr. Ravindra Ranasinghe.

The group all started out as students of Panduka De Silva, Academic Director of the Photographic Society of Sri Lanka (PSSL) and then stuck together throughout the years bound by their shared interest: photography. The group includes a father-son duo, and a husband wife duo. We meet and go on trips together, we enjoy having a meal or a drink together. It was on one of our trips, on the train, that we came up with the idea of a book comprising our photos taken locally, says Nayomi Thomas, an Executive Secretary with a passion for street photography. We will be launching the book at our exhibition.

The book contains beautiful pictures of Sri Lanka covering various aspects of Sri Lankan life such as its culture and heritage, nature and wildlife, and people and places.

Titled Sri Lanka In Focus, the coffee table book will consist around 250 photographs in colour and monochrome. The group believes that this book, which brings Sri Lanka into focus through photographs, will be a useful souvenir for visitors to Sri Lanka interested in its beauty and heritage.

It is available at a pre-launch promotional rate of Rs. 4,500 until May 17 and thereafter at Rs. 6,000.

Several of the photographs on display have gained recognition and accolades when competing at National and International competitions and salons.

Reception at our exhibitions has been building. We got about 1,000 visitors last year, says Nayomi in response to a query. But you know, its not a commercial venture.

This is our passion. Her fellow photographers nod in unison.

InFocus team at a glance Niroshan Perera  Senior Bank Manager with a special interest in wildlife and nature photography

Prasada Goonaratne  IT professional with an interest in action, street and wildlife photography

Mahin Wimaladharma  Dental Surgeon by profession with an interest in all genres of photography

Nayomi Thomas  Executive Secretary with a passion for street photography

Shiraz Hamid  Heading a Global Distribution in the airline trade, passionate about wildlife and nature photography

Stuart Chapman  Corporate CEO whose passion is to showcase the human spirit and beauty of nature through photography

Nalake Fernando  Company Director with an interest in portraits, especially children

Nalinka Abeysinghe  Entrepreneur. His photographic style captures moods and beauty of the wild

Bandhula Ekanayake  Management and Hospitality Consultant with a keen eye for nature and a love for Sri Lankan culture & heritage

Salika Peiris  Finance Manager in airline accounting with an interest in nature and travel photography

Mani Rajkumar  Wholesaler in the garment trade with a keen eye to capture moods in people

Vinee Thomas  Banker with an interest in street photography

Lashan Ekanayake  Associate in the accounting field, with an eye for detail and contrast in photography from a unique perspectiveChristina Aguilera to release eight album View(s):

Christina Aguilera is to release her eight album Liberation on June 15. The 37 year old is releasing a new album after six years. She is also preparing to undertake her first tour in 10 years. Aguilera who has served as a mentor on the US edition of The Voice has also released her new single called Acceleration featuring Dolla $ign and 2 Chainz. The 15 track album is mostly hip hop inspired with Christina being the executive producer. Her last big hit was Say Something with the Great Big World in 2013.

Sir Paul McCartney received his Companion of Honour (CH) medal from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on 4th May. He was conferred with the honour last June for his service to music. As a member of the Beatles he received his MBE along with other members of the group in 1965. He was made Knight Bachelor in 2007.

Pitbulls music career has taken him to a new level after he created music to film on the US mafia boss John Gotti. The film which stars John Travolta as Gotti will have the theme Pitbull created played with credits at the end of the screening.

Queen + Adam Lambert have signed up for 10 days of shows at the Park MGM Theatre in Las Vegas. The concerts will be held between September 1 -22. Lambert who has been acting as the lead vocalist for the legendry rock band Queen has been well received by audiences. Together they have done over 150 shows in nearly 10 years.

The new super group LSD formed by Labrinth, Sia and Diplo has released their first singles called Genius last week.

One Kiss by Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa continued to hold sway over the UK singles chart as the song held on to the No: 1 position for a third week with combined sales of 70,000 with streaming at 7.3 million. The popularity of the song took off further as video was also released. Until now One Kiss has largely relied on radio airplay, lyrics video and streaming of live appearance coupled with vinyl and CD sales.

Ariana Grandes No Tears Left To Cry has stalled at the No: 2 spot with Calvin Harris & Dua Lipas One Kiss firmly at the top spot. Arianas dance pop disco hit remains at the No: 2 spot for a second week while it has topped the charts in Australia and Norway. Meanwhile Grandes new album Sweetener which features her current hit song will be released on 20th July .US rap star Post Malones new album Beerbongs & Bentleys debuted at the top of the UK album chart. Additionally several tracks from the album were picked up and downloaded to the extent that two songs have managed to get placed on the singles chart. Of the two the highest debuting track and only new entry on the top 10 is Better Now which checked in at No: 9. The only officially released single from Post Malones album is Psycho which is risen from 10 to No: 6.

TW LW

1 1 One Kiss  Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa

2 2 No Tears Left To Cry  Ariana Grande

3 3 Nice For What  Drake

4 4 Freaky Friday  Lil Dicky ft: Chris Brown

5 8 2002  Anne-Marie

6 10 Psycho  Post Malone ft: Dolla $ign

7 5 Paradise  George Ezra

8 7 Answerphone  Banx & Ranx ft: Ella Eyre/ Yxng Bane

9  Better Now  Post Malone

10 6 Lullaby  Sigala & Paloma FaithGoddesses and angels rock controversial Met Gala View(s):

Katy Perry came as an archangel, Rihanna dressed like the pope, and Kim Kardashian was a golden goddess for New Yorks Met Gala on Monday on a night of high fashion inspired by religion.

Bejeweled crosses, veils and halo-inspired headdresses ruled on the red carpet, dubbed the Oscars of the east Coast for its celebrity guest list and stunning outfits.

From saints to sinners, guests took to heart the 2018 theme of Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts Costume Institute ball.

Although some commentators had feared the Catholic theme might yield the most controversial Met Gala ever, most of the actors, models and music stars stayed on the right side of propriety in colors of red, white, gold and black.

Rihanna, one of the Met Gala co-hosts, dressed like a pope, sporting a head-turning, jewel-encrusted mitre with matching mini-dress and a priestly-style cape designed by Maison Margiela.

Katy Perry wowed in enormous, feathered six foot high white wings teamed with a Versace gold mini-dress paired with thigh-high gold boots.

The invitation-only Met Gala is a fundraising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and also marks the opening of the Costume Institutes annual fashion exhibition.

The 2018 exhibit shows how Catholicism has influenced fashion and designers through the decades and features more than 50 vestments and other religious items direct from the Vatican.

Madonna, a key religious provocateur early in her pop career, turned demure in a black, long-sleeved gown, with a huge gold crown, and a full face veil. Kim Kardashian, appearing without husband Kanye West, kept it simple in a curve-hugging, gold metallic floor length dress with plunging neckline by Versace.

Sex and the City actress Sarah Jessica Parker opted for a gold Dolce & Gabbana gown embroidered with sacred hearts and a towering nativity scene headpiece.

Jennifer Lopez chose a Balmain dress, split to the hip, with a large cross across the breast and a black feathered train.

Model Bella Hadid was among those opting for the darker side of religion, wearing a Chrome Hearts black latex and leather outfit with long black gloves, and a black veil trailing to the floor.

Actors Olivia Munn, Zandaya and Priyanka Chopra went for Crusades-inspired chain-mail outfits, while Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman was among the few men going avant-garde in an ivory cape with gold beaded crosses, an embellished suit, and gold colored shoes.

Other guests chose looks ranging from heavenly white (Dakota Fanning) to angelic yellow (Amanda Seyfried) and skin-baring black lace (Zoe Kravitz).

(REUTERS)Locarno Opens Doors for South Asia once again By Susitha R. Fernando Sri Lankas Sanjeewa selected for Locarnos Open Doors Hub View(s): View(s):

Young Sumudu Malalagama in Open Doors Lab which promotes producers

One of Sri Lankas young renowned directors Sanjeewa Pushpakumaras latest film project Amma has been selected as one of the eight projects in the Open Doors section at the Prestigious Locarno Film Festival, in Switzerland.

Open Doors is the Locarno Festival sidebar that operates under the Locarno Pro umbrella, promoting and enhancing the global reach of independent filmmaking from the South and East of the world. This year Open Doors concludes its three-year focus on the film industries of Southern Asia, selecting eight film projects in addition to presenting nine producers from the region. The eight selected filmmakers include internationally established directors such as Afghan director and Golden Globe winner Siddiq Barmak and the Nepalese Min Bahadur Bham, whose The Black Hen was selected for Venice in 2015.

To be selected to the Open Doors itself is a great achievement and I am really glad about it, said Sanjeewa Pushpakumara speaking to the TV Times of the Sunday Times. More than anything to to be able to get opinion from international experts on your film project and get guidance and feedback is a great encouragement for any young filmmaker, he added. He said additionally there are opportunities to meet potential investors and producers for international collaborations.

In a statement issued by the Locarno Festival stated, the eight projects selected for the 2018 Open Doors Hub co-production platform highlight the diversity of cinema in Southern Asia,.

The others include internationally known participant Afghan director Siddiq Barmak, winner of a Golden Globe for best foreign-language film with Osama in 2004, Sanjeewa Pushpakumara, already a competition entrant at Rotterdam, including with his recent film Burning Birds (2017), the Nepalese Min Bahadur Bham, selected for the Critics Week at Venice in 2015 with The Black Hen, Pakistans Iram Parveen Bilal, who gained international recognition for her film Josh (2014), and lastly Myanmar director The Maw Naing, whose debut feature The Monk (2014) has appeared at various festivals, including Karlovy Vary. Alongside these established auteurs, the Hub will host emerging younger talents such as the Pakistani Saim Sadiq, presenting his project Rose, produced by well-known director and producer Sabiha Sumar (Golden Leopard in 2003 for Silent Waters).

Sanjeewa presents Amma (Mother)

Sanjeewas presentation set in post war Sri Lanka. Thirty years of civil war have come to an end. Kala, a fifty-seven-years-old widow, an English Literature teacher at the university, is a Tamil who lives in Jaffna with her daughter and grandson. Her son, Rajan was abducted by an unknown group at the last stages of the war. Kala is on a relentless local campaign to find her son with several dozen other mothers in the same situation. She believes that Rajan was abducted by government forces. Kala receives an invitation from her old university friend Malini, a fifty-seven-years-old Sinhala lawyer, to join her in Colombo.

Making a note on his newest film project Sanjeewa states, While peace is fragile, vulnerable war weary communities and individuals will not be able to withstand a recurrence of war. Making this film will provide a way for my own redemption from the trauma of a lifetime. The narrative of the film suggests optimism through cultivating love and trust between victims on both sides,.

Sanjeewa who grew up spending most of his time in a war ravaged hamlet in the North-East says Amma is a reflection of memories of my generation told through the lives of two women who embark upon an odyssey for truth and justice. The film explores and poses questions about love, betrayal, brutality, sacrifice, human dignity, freedom, democracy and life. As a filmmaker I strongly believe the story has universal relevance with contemporary social realities around the globe. Empathy I feel with the stories of victims of current global crisis has prompted,.

Hailing the achievement of three year project which the Festival focused on in South Asian cinema, Locarno Festival Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian noted in the festival website, Over this three-year period, Open Doors has created a platform for a generation of directors and producers to raise their visibility and establish contacts with production models elsewhere. The programme focused on a geographical region that is rich in culture but is poorly represented at international events and has offered moviegoers and industry attendees at Locarno an opportunity to hear new voices in world cinema.,

Sumudu enters at Open Door Lab

Young Sri Lankan film producer Sumudu Malalagama is among the nine partipants selected from producers and producer-directors active in Southern Asia for the this year in the training platform Open Doors Lab at Locarno.

One outstanding participant is Sri Lankan Sumudu Malalagama, who has made a massive contribution towards encouraging young local directors and allowing new filmmaking voices to be heard, the festival organizers in its announcement noted.

Intensifying support for training producers in these regions fosters the growth of independent filmmaking. The numerous applications from women filmmakers we received this year are a highly positive signal of exactly that process at work. Our objective is to show that in these regions, too, there are hidden talents blazing a trail for a new generation of directors who want to break free from the cliches and media stereotypes and bring a fresh view of their respective countries to the international stage. Their gaze is a living witness to the incredible energy and creativity in these areas and to their personal commitment to playing a part in the rebirth of their countries, commented Sophie Bourdon, Head of Open Doors and Deputy Head of Locarno Pro.

Lastly, the sidebar also features the Open Doors Screenings, which will showcase for the Festival public a representative selection of short and full-length films from Southern Asia. The full program will be announced in July.

The Open Doors jury will award several prizes for selected projects from the Open Doors Hub. The Open Doors Grant worth 50,000 Swiss francs is financed by the Swiss production support fund Visions Sud Est (also backed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC) together with the City of Bellinzona. Frances national film and animation centre CNC will offer a prize worth 8,000 euros, while ARTE France will fund a prize worth 6,000 euros.

During the Locarno Festival, the projects will be presented to potential European and international partners as part of the Locarno Proprogramme, which runs from August 1 to 7 and the 71st Locarno Festival will take place from August 1- 11.Youth and Peacebuilding through provincial symposiums By Himaddrini R Abayanayake View(s): View(s):

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)s Youth4Youth programme enables and empowers youth from Northern, Eastern, Southern & Central provinces to interact with one another on social issues, propose and implement community projects to address these issues while also learning from one another.

During these sessions, youngsters will have the opportunity to engage with mentors from the government, private sector, academia and civil society to receive guidance in formulating sustainable solutions for community projects.

Sri Lankas youth population is estimated at 4.4 million, which amounts to 25 %of the total population.

In recognizing the need to mobilise youth, the UNFPA in Sri Lanka, which gave effect to a Security Council Resolution on Youth, Peace & Security (UNSCR 2250) strives to incorporate young people as integral stake holders in peacebuilding and the decision making process.

A Youth4Youth Southern Province symposium was held recently. I am really excited about meeting and interacting with young people of the same age, who are from a totally different region in the country, Suhail (23), from Mullativu said.

He first engaged with UNFPA through the first Youth4Youth regional symposium for youth from the Northern Province, held in November 2017. Over 100 youth from 5 districts of the Northern Province came together to actively discuss and implement solutions within their communities during the 4- day reginal symposium. Suhail, as a member of the youth- led organizing committee of Youth4Youth travelled to Batticaloa to be part of the second Youth4Youth regional symposium for youth in the Eastern Province. This symposium held in February over 4 days brought together over 80 young people representing various communities from both urban and rural settings of the Eastern Province. The symposium also included students from Vaalvosai School for Deaf Children in Batticaloa.

Elaborating the importance od Youth4Youth programme is Ritsu Nacken, UNFPA Representative in Sri Lanka said, Young people are a strong force of creativity, innovation and change. We are proud to enable youth to connect with their brothers and sisters from the North, East, South and Central Provinces and to provide them a platform to continuously engage with one another towards building lasting peace.

The Youth4Youth programme is coordinated by UNFPA in partnership with Un volunteers (UNV) and supported by the UN Peacebuilding Fund.3 fire-fighting units battle raging fire at Hameedia storage facility in Ratmalana View(s):

A fire which broke out yesterday at a storage facility of Hameedias clothing chain at Borupana Road, Ratmalana, caused extensive damage to the building and items inside it.

The major fire, which broke out around 1 p.m. forced police to call in fire fighting units from Dehiwala-Mount. Lavinia, Moratuwa and the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) to douse the fire. Officers from the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) too assisted police to fight the fire, Police Headquarters further said.

The Dehiwala-Mount. Lavinia fire brigade said last evening that the building was still burning and efforts to completely douse the fire were ongoing. A fire brigade officer said initial inquiries suggest that the fire had started on the ground floor before spreading to the upper floors.

There were no casualties, authorities confirmed. Police were yet to determine the cause of the fire last evening while a damage assessment was ongoing.CEB Engineers Union continuing work-to-rule may see unlicensed PUCSL power plants shutting down By Sandun Jayawardana View(s): View(s):

Several power plants being operated without a licence issued by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) are liable to be shut down if the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU) continues with its work-to-rule campaign.

Earlier this week, engineers stopped work at a 60 Megawatt (MW) barge mounted plant being operated at the Colombo Port. The plant had not been issued a licence by PUCSL, the power sector regulator, since 2015.

CEBEU President Saumya Kumarawadu said their members had decided to stop work at the plant as part of their work-to-rule trade union campaign as it would be illegal to operate a plant unlicensed by the regulator.

He noted that there were several other power plants which had been purchased by the CEB to supply emergency power, which were also unlicensed by the regulator. We are currently gathering information on these plants and will make a decision on whether to stop work at these plants too, he added.

The CEBEU insists that it will continue its trade union action until the PUCSL takes steps to approve the CEBs Least Cost Long Term Power Generation Plan (LTGEP) and remove PUCSL Director General Damitha Kumarasinghe, who it blames for the spat between the CEB and PUCSL over coal power plants in the LTGEP.

The PUCSL had earlier rejected coal power plants on the grounds that they are against Government policy. The LTGEP approved by the regulator currently has no coal power plants and is based on major hydro, mini hydro, solar, wind, biomass, natural gas, furnace oil-based power and gas turbine power.

The CEBEU President said he was aware that the Governments new energy policy, which includes coal, has been presented to Cabinet. But, he pointed out that it is ultimately the regulator who will have to approve a generation plan based on that energy policy. The union wants the regulator to approve the CEBs original plan before the CEB submits a modified version next year.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Times learns that the PUCSL has written to Presidents Secretary Austin Fernando this week seeking clarification on whether the Governments energy policy has undergone a change. Noting that it has already approved an amended LTGEP 2018-2037, the regulator has pointed out that according to the Sri Lanka Electricity Act, it can only approve a fresh plan based on the contents of a new energy policy approved by the Cabinet.CWC May Day rally turns NEliya into a garbage dump Text and Pix by Shelton Hettiarachchi in Nuwara Eliya View(s): View(s):

Supporters of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) left a trail of destruction and garbage in Nuwara Eliya following the partys May Day rally held on May 7.

CWCs May Day Rally was held at the open-air theatre bordering Lawson Street. The venue was changed after law enforcement officials rejected a request by CWC leaders to hold the rally in the middle of the Nuwara Eliya town itself.

A massive crowd of CWC supporters congregated along Lawson Street during the rally. Subsequently residents complained that participants had caused large-scale damage to flower beds, trees and fences at the open air theatre. To make matters, worse participants also dumped large quantities of garbage at the site.

Ultimately it was left to the Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council to clean up the mess and repair damage caused to the open air theatre.

Angered by the boorish behaviour of those participating at the rally, a civil society group, Voice of Nuwara Eliya has now written to CWC Leader Arumugam Thondaman expressing strong displeasure over the destruction caused to the theatre. They have also called on him to take adequate precautions and ensure his party members and supporters behave in a responsible manner at any future party gatherings.Dutch company gets large contract for groundwater monitoring By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s):

A Dutch company has secured a multimillion euro (Rs 4.4bn) pilot project to establish a groundwater monitoring network for the Malwathu Oya, Maduru Oya and Kumbukkan Oya basinsthree areas identified as being most susceptible to chronic kidney disease (CKD).

The project envisages the drilling of 150 boreholes to install devices that will collect real time data such as groundwater levels, nitrate concentration and pH values. This will be directly transmitted to a data management centre at the Water Resources Board (WRB) and processed. A daily forecast on the countrys groundwater situation is also being planned.

The Netherlands-based M/ Eijekelkamp Earth Sampling Group first submitted its unsolicited proposal to the Sri Lankan Government in 2013. Two years later, after the change of government, it was again taken up for consideration by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CCEM) headed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, show documents obtained under the Right to Information Act.

While the original proposal was for a full-scale network covering the whole country and costing around 32mn euros, the Government opted for a pilot project priced (inclusive of local taxes) at around 23.3mn euros.

The smaller initiative is a massive 65 percent of the total cost of the full-scale project. But the price has been justified on several grounds, including that Eijkelkamp has absorbed a nine percent cost escalation that took place since its first bid was submitted. The project will be funded through a loan from the Rabobank Netherlands backed by Atradius DSB, the Dutch export credit agency. Repayment will be over 15 years with a grace period of three years.

Groundwater conditions vary considerably throughout Sri Lanka, a project committee report states. In some areas, there are shallow aquifers which are replenished fast during rainy season or from nearby surface water sources. This form of groundwater is usually over-used.

Widespread well-drilling and pumping have increased risk of over-extraction and groundwater contamination. Meanwhile, long periods of sustained rainfall flood aquifers and cause water tables to rise above normal levels.

In 2011, the report points out, high arsenic and mercury content was detected in almost all drinking water samples collected from dry zone areas hit by Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu). These areas overlap with the distribution pattern of high ground water hardness in this country, it states. Calcium is prevalent in hard water, which is a feature of our dry zone areas. Arsenic forms strong bonds with calcium and is difficult to elicit in hard water.

Subsidies have been introduced for shallow wells in some areas and groundwater exploitation is being actively promoted by some State, provincial as well as non-governmental organisations, often without adequate knowledge of the availability of the resource, the report continues. Policymakers, aid agencies and NGOs must realise that unregulated and unmanaged groundwater development can have serious consequences.

Many of these situations could be controlled and minimised if effective groundwater monitoring and management systems were in place comprises regular collection, analysis and storage of data. It will enable accurate and well-informed decision-making to manage water, the report adds.

It is anticipated that a monitoring system, particularly when it expands to the rest of the country, will enable improved water supply for public, commercial and industrial use; in irrigation, provide information of water levels and tables in specific areas for current and future development; in agriculture, identify and obtain new, sustainable sources of water or better yields while avoiding contaminated or unsuitable water sources that may save crops from disease; and, in healthcare, prevent water-borne diseases caused by contamination of groundwater resources due to excessive use of fertiliser, pesticide, weedicide and improperly planned waste dumping sites as well as during flood and drought.

The report states that natural disaster such as droughts, landslides, earth slips and many other natural disasters can be predicted by monitoring groundwater behaviour. In the area of environmental protection, a monitoring system could help conserve the environment by preventing pollution such as fertiliser overuse or leeching of industrial chemicals.

The project committee has emphasised the importance of widening project area to the whole country and said the transfer of technology is a vital feature of the proposed pilot initiative. After the completion of the pilot project, the committee is of the opinion that the Water Resources Board shall have all the expected skills and expertise in expanding the monitoring network to cover the whole country with limited involvement of the proponent [Eijekelkamp], it asserts. Four local subcontractors have been nominated for the project. There will be a team of four hydrogeologistsone expatriate and three local. At the stage of expanding the project, it is expected that Eijekelkamp will only be involved in equipment supply and a short-term consultancy.Fuel prices to be reviewed every two months View(s):

The fuel prices increased with effect from Thursday midnight will be subject to periodical reviews and prices adjusted according to international market prices, a senior Finance Ministry official said. He said the current prices would be valid for two months and the Finance Ministry would be reviewing the prices thereafter to make recommendations on price revisions.

The comments came in the wake of an upward trend of the international fuel prices with the current world crude oil price (per barrel) standing at more than US$ 75. He said that among the issues considered in deciding on fuel prices would be the cost of fuel import, the operation cost for distribution and the profits gained.

After monitoring the situation for two months we will make the calculations and decide on the prices applicable for the next two months, he said. The official said the Government in future would not be able to take the burden on fuel price increases as the losses by subsidizing the fuel had been on the rise.

Meanwhile, the Transport Ministry will seek cabinet approval to increase both, state-run and private bus fares shortly, Deputy Minister Ashoka Abeysinghe said yesterday. To decide the fare increase, bus operators will meet tomorrow with Ministry and the National Transport Commission officials.

On Thursday, petrol (92 Octane) price was increased from Rs. 117 to Rs 137 a litre, Petrol (95 Octane) from 128 to Rs 148, Auto Diesel from Rs. 95 to Rs 109, Super Diesel from Rs. 110 to Rs 119 and Kerosene from Rs. 44 to Rs. 101. Deputy Minister Abeysinghe said they would decide on the fare increase for both state and private bus service at tomorrowss meeting but the decisions would be implemented only after cabinet approval was obtained on Tuesday. He claimed that if fares were not increased, the SLTB would lose a colossal Rs. 2 billion a year.

Private Bus owners Association President Gemunu Wijeratne said they were complying with the policies of the NTC and asking for a fare increase of ten percent.

Lankas oil import bill soaring

Sri Lankas fuel import bill is set to rise further due to international tensions, especially in view United States sanction on Iran, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) sources said. With the international prices increasing to more than US$ 75 a barrel the fuel bill is already on the rise. Last year, Sri Lankas fuel import bill amounted to Rs 609 billion. The CPC sources said that though Sri Lanka had not resumed purchase of crude oil from Iran, some of the suppliers to Sri Lanka depended on Iran oil. Last year the average price of crude oil imported by the CPC increased by 24.8 percent to US dollars 57.79 a barrel.Lankan born Tanya triggers sex-abuse probe in US View(s):

Tanya Selvaratnam, the Sri Lankan born woman at the centre of a sexual abuse case that brought down New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, visited Sri Lanka with him for Christmas as recently as last December.

The case has rocked the United States establishment at the highest levels, including the White House Oval Office of President Donald Trump.

Tanyas family which owns the Cargills group and Mr. Schneiderman lunched at the Galle Face Hotel during Christmas. She had even told one of her friends that the NY Attorney General had wanted to marry herbut only if she converted to his Jewish faith. And, this, she refused to do.

Mr. Schneiderman resigned on Tuesday, three hours after the The New Yorker reported that four women, two on the record including Tanya, accused him of physical, sexual, verbal and emotional abuse. While these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct or the operations of the office, they will effectively prevent me from leading the offices work at this critical time, he said in his resignation statement.

Tanya Selvaratnam was born in Colombo but raised in the US. She was with Mr. Schneiderman from the summer of 2016 until the autumn of 2017.Milcos dairy farmers crying over delayed fresh milk payments View(s):

Dairy farmers supplying fresh milk to the state-run Milco (Pvt) Ltd complain payments due to them from the company are delayed for months and as a result their families are in dire straits.

Admitting that there was a delay in payment, the companys General Manager Pio Fernando said the problem was owing to oversupply.

As a state-run company, we have to buy the fresh milk from farmers but this policy led to oversupply while the company was struggling to keep its market share amid tough competition from other market players.

He said the company was looking at ways to make use of the excess milk and one proposal was to increase milk powder production.

Mr. Fernando said the farmers were told that the problem would be solved within two months with the company implementing its market expansion plan.

Milco has 2,300 collection centres islandwide and they are managed by a 65,000 member-strong Farmer Managed Societies (FMS). Through this network, the company gets 150,000 liters of quality fresh milk daily and the quantity amounts to more than than 40 percent of the national milk collection.

Oddusudan FMS Secretary Kandasamy Kiritharan told the Sunday Times that many families in the North were suffering financial hardships since they had bought high yielding milch cows such as Friesians, Jersey and hybrid cows by obtaining micro-finance loans from financial companies and the Samurdhi Bank.

Usually, we get paid in the third week for the first two weeks supply. But of late, we get paid nearly after one month, he said, pointing out that the financial difficulty the war-affected families had been asked to undergo was too much to bear.

As a result of the delayed payments from the company, the farmers were charged additional interest by the finance companies and even by the Samurdhi Bank. Mr. Kirthitharan said he had obtained a Rs. 500,000 loan to buy Jersey cows and set up his dairy farm.

He said more war-affected families had taken to dairy farming in the north, leading to a sharp increase in the milk production. According to a Milco official, the companys northern regional collection point recorded 38,000 liters of fresh milk daily where it was 11,000 liters two years ago.CA Dem Wants Your "Assault" Weapons, by Any Means

By Ethan Huff. May 7th, 2018

A California Democrat was recently given a platform by USA Today to publish a shocking editorial that calls for nationwide confiscation of all "military-style semiautomatic assault weapons" from law-abiding citizens.

Representative Eric Swalwell from California's 15th District wrote that all so-called "assault" weapons need to be banned, and that a federal gun buy-back program needs to be instituted in order to effectively collect them all from the citizenry.

Rep. Swalwell even goes a step further, insisting that those who refuse to hand over their "assault" weapons be criminally prosecuted -- including law-abiding gun owners who have never been convicted of committing a crime with their legally-purchased weaponry.

Not content to simply impose a fresh ban on all new "assault" weapon purchases, which in and of itself is unconstitutional, Rep. Swalwell actually wants to see door-to-door gun confiscation teams engage in Nazi-style removal tactics in order to rid the streets of all firearms that he personally deems reckless and unnecessary. .......

Another example of the demonic leftists who wish to disarm legal gun owners, even totally disregarding their lack of criminal record or wrong doing. Once again it is the hated "assault" weapons that get targeted and yet as usual one has to wonder just how this would remotely affect criminals, considering that even if such a ban was ever effected, there would still be multiple thousands of such weapons available through underground sources. Remember booze under prohibition!

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Panel discussions: A guiding light to transparency in governance View(s):

The first panel discussion session titled Overview of Key Systemic Strengths and Weaknesses of RTI in National Systems, opened the dialogues on how various countries adopted very vibrant RTI Laws in their Constitutions, by recognising Right to Information as one of the basic human rights of an individual.

RTI Commissioner Kishali Pinto Jayawardane, former Information Commissioner of Bangladesh Prof. Sadeka Halim, and Pablo Francisco Munoz Diaz of Mexico, who is the Director General of Legal Affairs, National Institute for Transparency, and representing Access to Information & Personal Data Protection (INA), were the panelists. The session was moderated by Javid Yusuf, former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Attorney-at-Law.

Revealing that the RTI Commission has handed over 180 orders on appeals, since its inception last year, Commissioner Jayawardane reiterated her remark why the RTI can be regarded as a weapon to access information from government, particularly, by those who are economically and socially marginalized within the society fabric.

Mr Diaz who represents Mexicos Information Department of INAI, noted that, Mexicos RTI Law is open to all individuals including those who are not Mexican citizens, and the Law doesnt require an information seeker to reveal his/her identity when filing a petition.

The second panel discussion RTI and Privacy/Data Protection comprised panelists Venkat Nayak, Programme Coordinator, Access to Information Programme at Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, based in India, Jayantha Fenrnando, Director and Legal Officer at ICT Agency of Sri Lanka and Sanduni Wickremasinghe, Legal Officer, Corporate Affairs at Mobitel Telecom. The discussion was moderated by SLPI Chairman Kumar Nadesan.

With insightful presentations, each panelist presented the audience details of what data protection is and what it has got to do with ones privacy, and its link with RTI.

Since the topic of Data protection is a relatively new one, which is evolving day by day as digital technology grows, the panelists gave the idea that, now that human beings are considered as Data subjects in the digital world, and it is becoming more challenging with new threats and cyber violations.

In the third panel discussion titled Proactive and Routine Information Disclosure- low tech and high tech solutions, the panel focused on the discussion on how voluntarily made proactive disclosure by government agencies would help ordinary citizens access basic information, without the need to file an RTI petition.

The panel comprised Pablo Francisco Munoz Diaz, Sabrina Esufally, Analyst and Head of Law at Verite Research, a Colombo based think-tank, and Piyathissa Ranasinghe, Director General of RTI Commission. The panel discussion was moderated by Vikaram K. Chand, Lead Public Sector Specialist at World Bank.

The next session titled RTI and the role of civil society, moderated by Lakshman Gunasekara, President-Sri Lanka Chapter, and South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), had panelists, local and foreign, sharing their experiences of using RTI for public cause and social justice.

Rasia Wickramathunge, Editor of Groundviews, a citizen journalism website based in Colombo, Chamindha Rajakaruna, Executive Director of Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, New Zin Win, Executive Director, PYI GYIKHIN in Myanmar and Amritha Johri, Member of the National Campaign for Peoples Right to Information in India were panelists.

To mark the first anniversary of RTI, a book titled RTI Making the News, a compilation of published news articles where RTI was used to access information, was launched at the end of the first day of the conference. SLPI Chairman Kumar Nadesan officially handed over the book to RTI Chairman Mahinda Gammanpila.

Delivering key remarks, Mr Gammanpila noted there is a very positive response from public servants representing various government institutions so far, when the Commission entertains appeals explaining to them why certain information considered to be confidential for decades, need to be divulged, as the provision in the Law says so.

We are trying to assist public officials on the provision of the RTI Law which enables them to grant access to information. However, there is a fear psychosis mentality among some officers who are concerned and reluctant to divulge information, fearing personal responsibility. In some instances, they want to hang on to the orders given by the Commission, Chairman Gammanpila noted.

The first panel on the second day (9) looked at Risks and Safety of Information Seekers, and was moderated by Hana Ibrahim, Editor of Daily and Weekend Express Newspapers, representing the Free Media Movement. The session had speakers from Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka brief the audience on the risks faced by those using RTI in their respective countries, to obtain information.

Speaking on the RTI experience in Pakistan, Saima Adeel, Research Consultant at SHEHRI, a Pakistani NGO, said that RTI activists there had not faced as much of a backlash as their counterparts elsewhere in the region, because the Law itself was plagued by weaknesses. This was the Catch-22 of RTI, she quipped, observing that the more ineffective the RTI Law, lesser the risks for information requesters. She, however, pointed out that, since 2002, 73 journalists in Pakistan have been murdered for doing their jobs, with just 5 persons convicted for these crimes.

Those seeking information under RTI in India were being regularly threatened and intimidated by goons, Anjali Bharadwaj, Co-Convenor, National Campaign for Peoples Right to Information (NCPRI) in India, told the audience. Many such incidents arent even being documented. Nevertheless, between 4-6 million RTI requests were filed throughout India every year, with a large majority being filed by the poorest and most marginalised, she observed, pointing out that, it speaks for the Laws success. At least 70 such information requesters have been killed for filing RTI applications and using such information, Ms Bharadwaj disclosed.

Though the RTI Law in Sri Lanka is only a year old, some citizens and activists who have sought information too, have been targeted, revealed Sankhitha Gunaratne, Right to Information Manager at Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL).

Much of the intimidation of information seekers had been reported from the North and East, where more people were using RTI to seek information, Ms Gunaratne stressed. In Vavuniya, for example, a group of 10 persons had submitted RTI applications seeking information on housing loans from a local public authority. The Information Officer had threatened the individuals and asked them to submit letters of apology for filing RTI requests. At one point, they were shown the housing loan approval form and the RTI form, and asked, which do you want?, she said. TISL, which was facilitating the request, did not try to persuade them to continue on with their information request, as the group risked further intimidation, and even losing their housing loan benefits.

Ms Gunaratne detailed that, even some of her organizations local RTI facilitators, who were assisting people to submit RTI requests, had been subjected to intimidation and harassment.

In some areas, TISL had found that public officials tend to see constant information requesters not only as a nuisance, but as mentally challenged.

During the panel discussion that followed, panelists and audience members discussed ways to mitigate risks to RTI requesters. Many were in agreement that working collectively and filing RTIs in groups, afford people more protection, as opposed to filing requests individually. The question of whether RTI Commissions should move to prosecute individuals who refuse to release information, was also discussed.

The next session was on the Vital Importance of RTI for journalists. The session was moderated by Amal Jayasinghe, Bureau Chief, Sri Lanka / Maldives, Agence France Press (AFP). The panelists were Thomas Frigard, Journalist and member of Norways Transparency Commission, Tharindhu Jayawardena, Journalist and Secretary, Sri Lanka Young Journalists Association, and Namini Wijedasa, Assistant Editor at the Sunday Times.

Around 200,000 RTI requests are filed in Norway each year, with the majority of them being filed by journalists, Mr Frigard disclosed. About 75% of all requests are granted, while 50% of RTI complaints lead to more information. RTI is a catalyst for a transparent, democratic society, he emphasized. Mr Frigard called on journalists to be the figureheads of RTI, stating that, If journalists did a good job using RTI perhaps, members of the public may not need to file RTI requests.

Ms Wijedasa revealed that she was initially an RTI skeptic, worrying that bureaucrats would force journalists on deadline to submit RTI requests for even the simplest of information. A year on, she had been wrong to be skeptical, Ms Wijedasa stated, adding that, many bureaucrats were happy to divulge information and felt protected when the request is lodged under the RTI Act.

She observed that having lived for so long without RTI, it takes time for journalists in Sri Lanka to realize there was information out there they could get simply by asking. With RTI, I have access to Cabinet decisions, Cabinet papers, loan agreements and Tender Board decisions that I earlier had to beg and scrounge for, and have some interested party with a glaring agenda give me, she remarked. Stating that the key to using RTI was imagination, Ms Wijedasa urged fellow journalists to keep filing RTI requests.

Tharindhu Jayawardena from the Lankadeepa newspaper, had submitted almost 100 RTI requests during the year that RTI has been effective in the country. He observed there were still difficulties with RTI, revealing that, some 25-30 of his RTI requests had received no response from public authorities; not even a letter of acknowledgement they are obligated by Law to provide.

Mr Jayawardena presented a series of stories that he had written for the newspaper using RTI, pointing out how the Law had helped journalists obtain information they would otherwise have been unable to do. Noting that many officials were still not accustomed to giving out information as per RTI, Mr Jayawardena observed much work still needs to be done to train officials in this regard.

In the discussion that followed, attention was drawn to the fact that many public authorities at the local level were still lacking information officers, making it extremely difficult for people to file RTI requests.

The conferences final session held under the theme, The Vision of an RTI Law: Forward-looking thinking on the Right to Information, was moderated by Wijeyananda Jayaweera, Former Director of the UNESCO Programme for Development Communications.

Noting that many people were still unaware of how RTI works, Venkatesh Nayak suggested that Lawyers and Law students should consider holding RTI Clinics to help vulnerable and disadvantaged segments of society to file RTI requests and appeals. He also urged civil society organisations to be tactical on the kinds of RTI applications they file, until the Law matures further.

Thilaka Jayasundara, Additional Secretary (Development & Planning), Ministry of Media and Finance said that, during 2017, the Ministry, with the support of several donor agencies, focused mainly on the supply side of RTI, by training Information Officers and creating awareness among other public sector officials on the mechanics of the RTI Law. About 50% of Government organisations were successfully implementing RTI, she insisted, adding that, most officials were in fact, keen on releasing information. The problem, she said, was because such authorities lacked a culture of proactive disclosure of information. Changing such a culture overnight will not be easy, she conceded, but Ms Jayasundara said she was hopeful it would change within 5 years.

In an environment where RTI in the region seems to be in retreat due to various challenges, the first year of RTI in Sri Lanka, quite unexpectedly and against all odds, has demonstrated extremely positive progress, opined Prashanthi Mahindaratne, Senior Legal Consultant of the RTI Commission. Within RTIs first year, the Commission has rendered some 250 orders, both interim and final, out of approximately 650 fully-fledged appeals. Of these, about 150 are considered to be final orders on various aspects of the RTI Act. The matters range from corruption in the State sector right up to status of probes into cases of missing persons, Ms Mahindaratne revealed. From these stats, it appears that citizens are becoming more and more aware of the value of the RTI Law to their everyday needs, and the practice of exercising that right seems to be evolving, she further observed. Ms Mahindaratne also pointed out that compliance by the public sector on the RTI Commissions orders has so far been 100%. One of the reasons for this might be because the RTI Commission is being seen by all stakeholders as being fair and judicious in its decision making, she opined.

Nevertheless, a judicious, progressive and hard working Commission alone wont suffice, Ms Mahindaratne stressed. All stakeholders must cooperate towards the implementation of the law, she added.

She however, said the public sector is yet to fully comprehend and appreciate the fundamental principle of RTI, which is disclosure of information. Exemption from disclosure is only the exception, she emphasized, noting that based on her experience, some information officers were trying to misinterpret the information in order to bring the information within the ambit of Section 5, which deals with exempted categories.

The two-day conference came to an end with the visit of the foreign delegates to the RTI Commission, where they witnessed an appeal before the Commission being heard. Thereafter, rapporteurs presented their observations on the progress of Sri Lankas RTI during its first year.Presidents chief-of-staff bribery scam: Kantale investor pleads for release of factory By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s):

The investors behind the arrest of Presidents Chief-of-Staff I H K Mahanama and State Timber Corporation Chairman P Dissanayake on bribery charges has written to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe asking him to at least now release the Kantale sugar factory infrastructure so their project can go ahead.

Their letter makes it clear that the Prime Minister knew as far back as September 2017 of attempts to elicit bribes from the investors.

M G Sugars Lanka (Pvt) Ltd has said that, despite all Dr Mahanamas efforts to frustrate or thwart the initiative, they have remained committed and already invested millions of dollars into the project. They have requested the Prime Ministers intervention to have all land and infrastructure released to proceed without further delay.

The joint venture is made up of the Sri Lanka Government, Shri Prabulingeshwar Sugars and Chemicals Ltd of Bangalore and SLI Development Pvt Ltd of Singapore. Their letter to the Prime Minister dated Friday refers to two previous communications sent in September 2017 and February this year on the subject of retention of building and infrastructure situated at the Kantale sugar factory.

By those letters, we inter alia pointed out that Dr I H K Mahanamaformer Secretary to the Ministry of Lands and Parliamentary Reformsmade several attempts at demanding that we pay him large sums of money as illegal gratifications, which at all times we refused to do, the company writes.

It was further brought to your attention, Sir, that due to our refusal to provide those gratifications, Dr Mahanama willfully orchestrated numerous setbacks to the projectall in clear violation of the express provisions of the Shareholder Agreementwhich included delaying the handing over of the required lands to us as well as continually misleading all relevant authorities as to the status of the project, they state. No reference is made to Mr Dissanayake.

Dr Mahanama is alleged to have blocked the transfer of machinery, scrap metal and other assets belonging to the Kantale sugar factory to M G Sugars that in 2015 signed a US$ 100 million deal to revive the facility. He is said to have demanded a bribe of Rs 540mn which he later agreed to reduce to Rs 100mn. The two men were arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption (CIABOC) while counting the first installment of Rs 20mn.

The Prime Minister reportedly encouraged the investors to alert CIABOC on the assurance that the informantin this case, the Indian national K P Nagarajwould not face victimization. But on Tuesday, he is alleged to have received a death threat from a man who claimed to be a former LTTE cadre.

The suspect visited Mr Nagarajs office around 12 noon, while he was out, and inquired from two employees where he was and what his mobile number was. When they replied that they did not know, the man told them that he was an ex-LTTE fighter named Joseph Pillai. He handed over three sheets of paper with six sides of writing and asked that it only be given to Mr Nagaraj. He also said he had been instructed to kill him and that if he did not comply, his own life would be under threat from his handlers.

The letter is now in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department and Court has been informed of the development. Mr Nagaraj has been told that he can have security from the State if he so requires it.Trumps nuke deal pullout impacts Presidents Iran visit By Iqbal Athas our Political Editor now in Teheran Move to seek fuel price concessions affected by the threat of new US sanctions View(s): View(s):

TEHERAN, Sunday, May13  President Maithripala Sirisena arrived here late last night on a mission that had potential for many benefits, including a possible oil deal that could have seen lower fuel prices for Sri Lanka. However, the visit, which is the first by a head of state since the United States President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or better known as the nuclear deal, has also been affected by Mr. Trumps move which has sent shockwaves worldwide.

The threat of sanctions from Washington in the wake of Mr. Trumps move will effectively put paid to Sri Lankas import of petroleum or related products. At present, world oil prices remained near 3-1/2 year highs as the prospect of new U.S. sanctions against Iran might reduce Middle East supply. The US sanctions which will come into force in six months will penalise any corporations or banks that deal with Iran.

However, European powers Britain, France and Germany together with Russia and China  the other signatories to the Iran nuclear deal  are backing the 2015 agreement which prevents Teheran from developing a nuclear weapon.Re-import of petroleum products was high on the list of the agenda for talks between President Sirisena and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani this afternoon. Though Sri Lanka imported oil from Iran during the previous administration, with the advent of the. SLFP-UNP coalition, the Government turned to the spot market in Singapore. It is no secret that there had been many questionable deals including the import of substandard oil product. Sri Lanka still owes US$ 250 milllion to Iran as unpaid bills for previous oil imports but Teheran had not pressed on the dues when it agreed to talk on further sale.

Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana, who arrived a day earlier and en route to the Czech Republic, will also be associated together with Iranian Foreign Minister Dr Mohammad Javad Zarif. Other than his portfolio, he even teaches diplomacy and international relations at the University of Teheran.

The talks will be at the Saadabad Palace and will also see the signing of five different bilateral agreements. Sri Lankas Ambassador Mohamed Shariff Anees told the Sunday Times that among them would be closer co-operation in different sectors of the economy. We want to promote our tea exports and enhance tourist arrivals, Mr Anees said.

At present some 10,000 Iranians visit Sri Lanka a year but we want to increase this to at least 50,000. At present free spending Iranian tourists mostly visit Spain and each one is known to spend an average of $ 2000 dollars at least, he said. The Sri Lankan envoy has also arranged a session between Sri Lankan and Iranian businessman, mainly to promote Foreign Direct Investment. It gets under way today.

Foreign Minister Marapana told the Sunday Times, we have taken all steps to ensure President Sirisenas visit is successful and we see a further strengthening of Sri Lanka-Iran relations. He declined to comment on the US withdrawal of the nuclear deal and its impact.

Sirisena who arrived from the Qatari capital of Doha was driven to the luxury Hotel Espina Palace that offers a panoramic view of a large part of Teheran from its upper floors The bush green covered hills around the Iranian city are still snowcapped though spring has arrived.

Among those accompanying the President are ministers Rajitha Senaratne, Rauff Hakeem, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and Rishad Bathiuddin. Vavuniya District Parliamentarian Cader Masthanwho signed the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe but abstained later is also a member of the entourage.

In the light of the nuclear ban Iran-Lanka telephone links have been affected with failures in Viber, WhatsApp and other applications. Telephone calls are also being severely interrupted. A significantly overriding factor of President Sirisenas visit is the high security mode Iranian authorities have got into.

The media contingent for his visit, who were staying in a floor just lower to his suite, were told this morning to vacate their rooms and not to return till evening. Most who had to do their reportage for Sunday newspapers in Sri Lanka had to run hither and tither because the special Media Centre, one of the bedrooms converted, was also shut down. Earlier, the. Media Centre could not accommodate the members of the contingent because of the limited space.

A helpless Sri Lanka Embassy official said we cannot do anything about this. It is an order from the Presidential Guard. Most media personnel took their belongings and moved out. The Business Centre, sans computers, was also searched by the Presidential Guards.

The uneasy calm that prevails is evident. Iranian intelligence personnel have ringed the hotel. An escort, a friend, showed me their presence even in shopping malls and public places.All aboard: The Senior Station brings weekly adventures By Tarini Pilapitiya Seven friends come together to conduct programmes for senior citizens View(s): View(s):

On a bright Tuesday morning just before Avurudu, a group of senior citizens gathers in an air-conditioned hall at the Ladies College Institute of Professional Studies, Colombo 3. Dressed in bright Avurudu attire, they are ready to celebrate. The excitement is palpable as they greet each other, full of happy anticipation of the programme ahead.

Every Tuesday morning, they meet from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Senior Station run by a seven- person group, is a programme especially crafted for senior citizens to make them active and engaged members of society.

A non-profit venture, the Senior Station aims to fill the gaps in the rapidly growing community of elders by conducting programmes that stimulate the mind, body and soul. The seven behind the programme: Asamptha Perera, Farida Lukmanjee, Nisrin Jafferjee, Nadira Adamaly, Nisreen Jafferjee, Shanaz Nathani and Ummul Banin Caderbhoy have fondly taken the seniors under their wing. Seeking inspiration from similar initiatives abroad, the Senior Station was founded almost as a thank you to our parents Nadira says.

Although they have busy lives, some being working mothers with young children, they are all present every Tuesday morning to interact with the elderly.

The seniors take part in the lively avurudu games including Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Banis Kema (bun eating), garland making and even puzzles.

Claude Perera, 69, who has been coming for three months says there is a feeling of being wanted here. He received word of the Senior Station through brochures and curiosity made him seek out the programme. Its nice to go back down memory lane with your peers, he shares, adding that he has made many new acquaintances and feels a significant improvement in his attitude, memory and confidence.

Sheila Samarasekera, a retired beautician, also worked as a receptionist in a leading company. One of the liveliest members of the group, a regular from day one, Sheila is said to be one of the first to volunteer to sing or dance

The seniors are mainly retirees from various professional backgrounds. From secretaries to authors, journalists, entrepreneurs, academics etc, the conversations paint pictures of bygone times.

The Senior Station had a modest start as a Facebook Open Forum group as the trustees attempted to get more research on the needs and requirements of the elderly community. Through feedback from elderly caregivers Asamptha shares, we knew we needed to do something more!

Begun on January 16 this year, the Senior Stations trustees hope to incorporate more initiatives such as health, finance and logistic benefits for the elderly as well as platforms for members to present their various skills through workshops and seminars on subjects such as IT, money management, health awareness, positive thinking, teaching sessions etc.

The trustees have also worked with consulting psychologist Nivendra Uduman in putting the weekly programme together. The team has also undergone a certification in first aid and has emergency contact numbers for all its members.

Activities include light exercises (yoga and stretches), meditation and deep breathing, group based cognitive games (puzzles, quizzes, memory games etc.), sing- alongs and impromptu performances, talks and demonstrations by visiting guest speakers, skill based activities and workshops etc. Refreshments are also offered after each session.

The groups yoga expert Nisrin Jafferjee initiated the programme with some basic stretching, to good-natured grousing from some of the members. Lets start with breathing, Nisrin urges, the routine carefully followed by the seniors. The seriousness is broken by a solitary gentleman playfully declaring to the quiet hall Thank you for reminding me! For a minute I forgot to breathe.

The trustees, all old friends, instil a family atmosphere. Volunteers and even a small group of children, children of the trustees make shy conversation with stories and giggles. Farida Lukmanjee whose own children are present that morning smiles, By bringing them here were showing the next generation how to treat their elders.

Although still in its infancy, the trustees are looking to enhance their initiative with further funding, more volunteers etc. In future were trying to create a sustainable brand image and hopefully partner with medical or community organizations to receive elders discounts etc, Nadira says. All proceeds are solely for the non profit initiative as the main expenditure goes for food, logistics etc.

There is always a sense of camaraderie here, Nisrin shares. Theyre forming bonds whilst being mentally stimulated. Cognitive games such as charades, arts and crafts etc keep the seniors intellectual and motor skills stimulated. Team games also help them socialize especially motivating the shyer ones Shanaz adds.

There are so many aspects of growth and requirements for a person at any age, says Banin Caderbhoy. Were just trying to make them feel empowered, Nisreen Jafferjee adds. Were giving them two hours a week to fight to feel independent again.

Now that I think about it the trustees of the Senior Station are much like the operations of a real life train station, Nisreen laughs. Shanaz is the Station Master with her experience and calming presence, Asamptha is our administration, Banin gives the station colour being our creative person, Farida who keeps us motivated is our engine, Nisrin is the trains amenities with her skills of yoga etc, Nadira is the oil to the machine and keeps everything running smoothly and Nisreen is the railway coupling as she keeps everyone together, the ladies collectively share with a laugh. A testament to their namesake the groups combined efforts allow this well oiled locomotive to steadily transport its elderly passengers to a new adventure weekly.

For more information on the Senior Station check out their Facebook Page or contact them by email at:

theseniorstation@gmail.com or call 0778445332Appreciations View(s):

Blessed with humility she made a selfless contribution to society

SIVA OBEYESEKERE

I count myself very fortunate and privileged to have the opportunity to pay a tribute to Deshamanya Siva Obeyesekere.

She was one of our dedicated politicians, who was tireless in helping people in all walks of life. She made a selfless contribution to public causes.

Her death left a void in the lives of the socially and economically disadvantaged people of our country. Her obvious sincerity in everything she did and said, was perhaps one of her outstanding qualities.

One of her core qualities was her humility. She was completely devoid of false pride and arrogance. As a politician she proved a painstaking and conscientious woman, conscious of the dignity and high standard of honesty that was expected of a politician.

She dedicated a good part of her life to the promotion of Sri Lankan handicrafts and to help our craftsmen and craftswomen with commitment and dedication to their cause. In 1961, she was appointed Chairman to the Small Industries Advisory Board which enabled her to organize village sewing centres and other crafts.

In 1964 she was solely responsible for establishing Laksala which was the first Government Cottage Industries Emporium. Subsequently, she was responsible for organizing branches of Laksala throughout the country.

In 1965, she was elected a Member of Parliament to Mirigama. Re-elected in 1970 and subsequently appointed Minister of Health. As Minister of Health she made a selfless contribution to public causes such as the National Health Programme which was recognized by the United Nations as a model for the world.

Sad as we were when Siva died we count ourselves fortunate to have had Siva as one of our dedicated politicians who did much to alleviate the suffering of the under privileged.

She made herself always accessible to the disadvantaged members of our community and was a politician of exceptional ability and humility. I reiterate that Siva was a great and gracious woman. Loved by all her friends and held in great esteem by all those who counted her as a friend.

A school friend

Respected and much loved figure among students and academics of Moratuwa Uni

Rev. Mervyn Fernando

It was with great sorrow that my family and I came to know that a person highly respected and loved by all had passed away. For us the alumni of the University of Moratuwa, he was a person who had helped our students, the academics and the administration as well.

It was through some students of the University that I came to know Fr. Mervyn and became connected with the activities of the Subodhi Institute which he set up and served as Director of for over three decades. Many good students had been members of the Astronomical Society and Youth Club of Subodhi.

With my interest in Astronomy I too attended a number of functions and was a key speaker at these functions attended by students, teachers and even parents. They stayed at Subodhi for days and took part in night observation of heavenly bodies. He organized exhibitions and displays for students on topics ranging from the history of the Piliyandala area, astronomy, nature, wild life, etc.

He held a two week workshop on Astronomy and Cosmology with a US Professor as the resource person. I remember one participant, the DMO Medawachchiya, a lover of astronomy. Fr. Mervyn, a member and President of the Sri Lanka Astronomical Society, took a keen interest in this subject.

One of our former Vice Chancellors got down Father Mervyn to conduct a course for fresher students.

It was in the early 1990s that his wisdom and experience was received by the university which was opened after two years of closure including the assassination of the then Vice Chancellor and the Chief Security Officer, inside the campus.

As the newly appointed Vice Chancellor, one of the first activities I conducted was a workshop for staff members, counsellors, members of the National Youth Council, and others, to plan activities to win the goodwill of students. The venue was the Subodhi Institute in order to have Fr. Mervyn as the principal resource person. Fathers counselling and university experience helped us to plan a number of strategies including improving infrastructure such as the library and student hostels, setting up a professional full-time student counselling system, creating a bursary scheme for those who are marginally left out of the major bursary systems and introducing more student activities and societies.

In due course the university had a full-fledged library, expansion of hostels, setting up of a bank, bookshop, cooperative store and even a barbers salon. Qualified counsellors, were also introduced at the workshop. Classes in drama, Kandyan dancing and eastern and western classical music too were started. The campus became a hive of activities with negative features diminishing slowly.

The credit for eradicating the menace of ragging from the faculties of Engineering and Architecture goes to Father Mervyn. At an informal discussion with the student council leaders and the administration it was decided to get his views. What we wanted from him was a verdict whether ragging was good or bad. He said a questionnaire should be conducted from fresher students and immediate seniors. Under his guidance the students prepared the survey, got the students views and realized that ragging was more violent than they imagined with female students receiving the worst treatment.

Thus the student council put up notices saying that they do not condone ragging and that the council would not be responsible for anyone engaging in such activities. This ended ragging in the University of Moratuwa, except in the National Diploma in Technology (NDT) course, whose students did not belong the student council.

Father Mervyn was a close associate of Sir Arthur C. Clarke, who was also the Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa, for a long time. In my book published in Sinhala, on the life of Sir Arthur, especially concerning his involvements in Sri Lanka, there is a photograph of Father Mervyn and Sir Arthur in the audience with Pope John Paul.

May he rest in peace.

Professor G.T.Francis de Silva

Thank you, for your lilting laughter and friendship that bound us together

Lorna Aloysius

The 20th of April dawned and treasured memories flooded my mind  it was your birthday. It seemed like yesterday when you celebrated your birthday last year.

You were so excited when asking your school friends to a get-together, organised by your daughter Sonali. That day, you looked radiantly charming in your beautifully embroidered red blouse given to you by Sonali.

We your school friends, especially Daya, Anta, Ira and I, cannot forget you, having spoken to you many times each day. What convsations we had, which acted like a tonic.Thank you, Lorna for your lilting laughter and friendship which kept the bond among us strong.

My memories go back to us being friends from the baby class to the H.S.C., till we left school. But the friendship continued and endured long after. You were one of the first to ring me after the 1983 riots, to see how we were.

Lorna, my pretty Shirley Temple in our carefree schooldays at St. Bridgets Convent, you were the warm, caring, loving person who kept us bonded together.

Friends who always keep in touch are the ones we move towards and we yearn to sit within their radius. When I reflect on my present blessings, the treasured gift of loving friends like you stands as one of the greatest blessings.

Death is inevitable and it comes to all. It cannot be avoided. Life comes to an end like a streak of lightning, a bubble of water, a dewdrop on a leaf or a line drawn on water. But when it comes to one so close, the parting is extremely sad. There is no doubt that time flies with merciless speed, yet one cannot but recall treasured memories.

We may wonder why God created friends and friendship  this is because He made this world with a heart full of love. He knew that we all needed a friend like Lorna to share whatever emotions we experienced. He made special people like Lorna to see us through glad and bad times.

Malini Naganathan

You have left a void that cannot be filled

Cuda Marambe

My beloved Aiya,

Three months have flown by but my tears have not yet dried up. You were my protector. You were always there for me through my ups and downs. Regardless of how old we got, you always took care of me, with endless love.

Aiya, you were an exceptional human being, who lived a righteous life. As a talented sportsman, you knew how to play it all fair and square and this you applied to life as well. You managed to live up to your honest nature throughout your school life and also in your longstanding planting career. I remember the days where you would sing along to the tunes of C.T. Fernando at the Laxapana Recreation Club and entertain all our friends.You are still remembered by all your friends and family as the compassionate man who never did any wrong to anyone.

Since the day you left us, waking up and facing reality has been the hardest part for me and your two daughters. You have left a void in this world that cannot be filled.I hope we meet once again in Sansara.

May you attain Nibbana!

Your loving sister Seetha Marambe IlangaratneEurope Day was celebrated in Colombo this week with Ambassador of the European Union Tung-Lai Margue hosting a reception at the Galle Face Hotel.Finally, a home for Paynters paintings The saga of the lost and found 19 creations of one of Sri Lankas most renowned artists finally ends with the opening of a permanent gallery in Colombo. Chandani Kirinde reports View(s): View(s):

Nineteen paintings of one of Sri Lankas most distinguished artists David Shillingford Paynter have finally found a fitting home in a permanent gallery at the J.D.A.Perera Gallery at the Faculty of Visual Arts of the University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo. The journey of the paintings from the home of the late artist in Nuwara Eliya to the permanent gallery in Horton Place, Colombo, has taken many years and has been marred by controversy.

David Paynter who is best known for his celebrated murals at the Chapel at Trinity College, Kandy, passed away in June 1975 and after his demise, the custody of all his paintings went to his sister Evangeline Darling. It was by way of her last will that the 19 paintings were selected to be placed in a permanent gallery. She had decided so in 1990 but it was only on March 5, this year that her last wish came true and the doors of the David Paynter Gallery opened to the public.

The story of the journey of the paintings to its present location is an attention-grabbing one with a chance meeting between a student who was studying at the Faculty in 2015 and its present Vice Chancellor, Professor Sarath Chandrajeewa, then Dean of the Faculty, leading to the unravelling of the whereabouts of these paintings.

I had no idea that 19 paintings had been gifted to the Faculty by way of the last will of David Paynters sister but it was brought to my notice by a student who was studying at the Faculty when I was the Dean there. Her family had been closely acquainted with the Paynters and on a visit to the Paynter Home in Nuwara Eliya she had found out that the paintings that were gifted to be kept in a permanent gallery had gone missing, Professor Chandrajeewa said.

This prompted him to contact the Managing Director and Trustee of the Paynter Home who in turn lodged a written complaint about the lost paintings setting in motion a series of events which finally led to the recovery of all the paintings.

The Faculty of Visual Arts had always held a special place in the heart of David Paynter. In his time it was called the Government College of Arts and Crafts and housed at the Heywood Building. David Paynter served as its

Principal from 1960-63. Hence it seemed the natural choice of his sister to gift several of his paintings to the Faculty.

After David Paynters demise, all his paintings were entrusted to the custody of his sister and they were kept at the Paynter Home in Nuwara Eliya. She had chosen 19 of these to be gifted to the Faculty where her brother once served as principal, Prof. Chandrajeewa said.

To facilitate the process of transferring the paintings, Ms. Darling had appointed a three member committee comprising Professor A.J. Gunawardene, Professor Senaka Bandaranayake (both now deceased) and Professor Albert Dharmasiri, who was the representative of Ms. Darling and the Chairman of the Committee. Prof.Dharmasiri had taken over the paintings in October 2010 but they had not reached the Faculty of Visual Arts. Relatives of Paynter had made several inquiries about the whereabouts of the paintings from Faculty administrators only to be told that they were not in

possession of any such paintings.

It was five years later when Professor Chandrajeeewa took over as the Dean of the Faculty that details regarding the missing paintings began to surface. Initially he had investigated the complaint at the University level and

after failing to get the paintings back, lodged a complaint with the Financial Crimes Investigation Department (FCID) of the Police. The FCID carried out an investigation and traced the paintings and they were finally handed over to the Faculty on November 19, 2015, Professor Chandrajeeewa said.

After the recovery of the paintings, it fell on Prof. Ramyawardana Podinilame, the current Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Visual and Performing Arts to oversee the setting up of the David Paynter Gallery.

Several of the paintings had been kept in poor storage and some of the canvases were damaged with holes in them. My immediate task was to get them cleaned up and framed, Prof. Podinilame said.

These paintings, all oils on canvas, include landscapes, a self-portrait and several Christian religious scenes including two figurative paintings depicting the washing of the disciples feet by Jesus Christ.

The paintings are now exhibited at the J.D.A.Perera Gallery at Horton Place but as the first permanent gallery dedicated to a single Sri Lankan artist, it is still in its infancy with much more to be done to educate visitors on the life of David Paynter and his great works.

We are in the process of gathering information on David Paynters life as well as all his work so that visitors and particularly schoolchildren will be able to learn about the life of this great Sri Lankan artist, Prof. Podinilame said.

In the catalogue available at the Gallery, Prof. Chandrajeewa notes: He had been a great asset for all the younger generations after him. After he resigned from the Government College of Art, he bought a land in Trincomalee and did farming to raise money for the orphaned children of the Paynter Home.

The David Paynter Gallery is at the J.D.A.Perera Gallery at Horton Place, Colombo 7 and open to the public every weekday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sinhalisation of Christs scenes David Paynter was born on March 5,1900 in Uttar Pradesh in North India to missionary parents, Arthur Paynter (British) and Agnes Weerasooriya and educated at Breeks Memorial School, a school for the children of missionaries in South India and at Trinity College , Kandy. After volunteering in the first World War as a 16-year-old, at the age of 19 he won a five year scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Art, Britains oldest art school and won the Gold Medal there. There on he won the Scott Travelling Scholarship for two years study in Italy. An Indian art critic writing in the Illustrated Weekly of India in 1952 said that while in England, Paynter was influenced by the post impressionists and the cubists while in Italy he found in the work of Italian primitives (pre Renaissance artists) much that was valuable. Most Sri Lankans remember Paynter best for his murals at Trinity College in Kandy depicting several scenes from the life of Jesus Christ including the Crucifixion. It was about 1930 that the Principal of Trinity College , the Rev. A.G. Frazer and the Vice Principal Mr. Gaster decided to have a chapel built in the Kandyan style, a building in the vernacular, as it was decided. The idea was that even if it be a place of worship for Christians, the building should be in harmony with the surroundings. This seemed in those days a revolutionary idea. David Paynter, fresh from the West, fitted into the scheme as the muralist for the Chapel, the Indian writer noted. In an article written by Sujatha Kuruwita, librarian of Trinity College Kandy, and available on the Colleges official website, the writer quotes the words David Paynter used to describe his work on the chapel in an interview given over Radio Ceylon at the time. Having studied art for some time in Italy and France, I found that the painters there had painted their own countries and their own times. So I decided to paint in the way I did, with more or less Ceylon landscapes and more or less Ceylonese types. Besides, I intensely disliked many of the paintings of comparatively recent times where Christ has been portrayed as a blond Englishman and wearing Arab costume., he had said. The Sinhalisation of the paintings depicting the life of Jesus Christ provoked controversy at the time but today his paintings are considered the finest among church paintings in the country and the work of a genius who was way ahead of his time. David Paynter died of a heart attack on June 7, 1975 and was buried in the Union Church cemetery in Nuwara Eliya.Letters to the Editor View(s):

What has happened to my dear Kandy?

To get a true picture of this city one has to walk along its streets as most budget tourists do. Kandy which we all are so proud of needs urgent attention of the authorities to rectify the disgraceful state of certain areas in the city.

Born in Kandy and leaving the city half a century ago, I had the occasion to stroll along Peradeniya Road from close to the Regal cinema up to the Halloluwa Road junction during the Vesak weekend. Although I have visited Kandy on many occasions by car after graduating from the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya, in 1968, I never observed the appalling and horrendous state of this once beautiful city. The intention of writing this is to suggest remedial measures.

Most sections along the road from Peradeniya to Kandy have barely enough space for two buses to pass. There are no pavements. The only space for pedestrians is the 2x 2cement slabs that have been placed over the drains by the road. Pedestrians run the risk of falling on these or falling into the drain, where the slabs are broken or missing. They are compelled to step on to the road taking the risk of being knocked down by passing vehicles.

Some suggestions that may be implemented without high capital investments:

One way streams: One way streams for inbound traffic from Getambe roundabout, (near Gannoruwa) up to the Kandy clock-tower and for outbound traffic, from Kandy railway station towards Peradeniya, along the William Gopallawa Road are proposed, taking an example from Colombo: Bambalapitiya- Kollupitiya Galle Road stretch for inbound traffic and R.A De Mel Mawatha for outbound traffic. A few wide intersections across the railway line would be required to streamline the proposed one-way streams in Kandy.

Construction of proper pavements along city roads: As the majority of the road users in the city of Kandy are pedestrians, there is an urgent need for properly constructed elevated pavements. Broadening the pavements upto the solid white line that demarcates the edge of the road would result in motorists keeping to their motoring lanes.

Creating Green beltsand pedestrianized streets: Where space is available, shade trees that bring shade should be planted on either side of the road.

Most streets in the city centre are too narrow to access by car. Creating pedestrian areas would make the central area of the city attractive. Areas near the shrines and shops could be pedestrianized with a few multi-storey car parking facilities adjacent to the city coupled with a bus service linking the city.

Construct public amenities: Vacant land or unoccupied buildings in Kandy could be acquired by responsible authorities to make car parks, public toilets and childrens parks for the benefit of the general public.

Unprotected alleyways: There are several unprotected areas in Kandy. One such path that links the Peradeniya Upper Road with the lower road near Halloluwa junction is a virtual death-trap. All that is needed is a protective railing.

Properly constructed

overhead bridges: There is an urgent need to clean-up the existing overhead bridges and ensure proper hygienic standards are maintained. The overhead bridges across the Peradeniya Road are in a poor state. User friendly overhead bridges need to be constructed, like the newly constructed overhead bridge near the Panadura clock-tower, which is even equipped with escalators and a hood.

Alternate routes: There are several recently constructed roads and bridges linking the city with its outskirts, but these seem to be under-utilised. For example the new road linking Gannoruwa with Katugastota via Dodanwela could be a bypass to reach Katukele avoiding the Peradeniya Road, but one sees the signposts to these turns only after reaching the turning point. Prominent notices should be displayed on the availability of alternate routes well ahead.

It is hoped that some, if not all of these suggestions would be implemented as early as possible that could make Kandy a better place to live in and visit.

T.S.A. De Silva Dehiwala

Whos taking whom for a ride

I use the threewheeler when I have to commute the quick or cheap way. As I do I often have a friendly chat with the driver on stops when the wife gets off on an errand of her own.

This time around I asked him what he thought of the law that compels taxis to have taxi meters and issue receipts to commuters  he had one on his vehicle. A good thing Sir, he said,  but I cannot understand why they want receipts issued detailing the cost of the ride. 

He went on to explain that the taxi meter with provision for receipts to be issued would cost a few thousand rupees more. He surmised that a businessman or bureaucrat down the line had probably imported these new -fangled machines and was all out to make big money on their sales to these poor threewheeler owners. One cannot but agree with this poor guy although the issuance of receipts may prevent frauds. To insist on threewheeler drivers using these meters may only discourage them from using any meters at all.

Is it a need to protect the commuter or greed to make quick money with no thought for the burden it imposes on these threewheeler owners?

A commuter Via email

Wake up to the needs of the forgotten folk of yesteryear

I wholeheartedly agree with R. Suntharalingams letter The State should do more to look after the aged population, that appeared in the Sunday Times of April 29.

The aged in Sri Lanka unlike in many other countries have sadly become nonentities. The fact that they spent their youth building up their families, the village, city and the country are forgotten. Who can spend precious time listening to the tales of woe of this ailing sector of society? Maybe some feel theyre best left alone.

Buddhists believe that Lord Buddha went in search of ways of eliminating suffering. Isnt this the valuable message of Vesak? It seems that illuminating handbooks and sermons are preached to no avail.

Sometimes you see them waiting in queues with a bent spine and aching limbs, a pathetic sight to behold. Some dont even have a place called a home to live in or a decent income to substitute the pittance supposed to be their sole inheritance.

Its time this country of lions wakes up to the needs of the aging lions, the silent heroes and heroines of yesteryear, who sweated to build up a nation that proundly calls itself Sri Lanka.

This is a timely call to those in the seats of administration to wake up to the call of the hour, as the bells toll for one and all.

Solutions are galore if only we bother to look for them and set the wheels of charity moving. A decent monthly income, easy access to medical facilities, comfortable living standards, loving, tender care are all they need.

What a blissful adieu it would be for the deserving!

Celine Ruvanwella Via emailLions Club donates multi-monitor to Apeksha Hospital View(s):

It was at a simple ceremony that District Governor of Lions Clubs International District 306B1, Lion Camilus Fernando, handed over a multi-monitor costing more than Rs. 1 million to the Apeksha Hospital (Cancer Hospital) at Maharagama on April 3.

The request to help the Apeksha Hospital with this multi-monitor for the Paediatric Unit had come at a time when the Lion Ladies of Lions Clubs International District 306B1 had already decided to support not only this hospital but also the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL).

As such, in December last year, the Lion Ladies donated a portable ventilator costing nearly Rs. 1.4 million to the Neurosurgical Unit of the NHSL.

To help save numerous lives by the provision not only of the multi-monitor but also the portable ventilator, the Lion Ladies organized the fashion show, Fashion Fusion at the JAIC Hilton, Colombo in October last year to raise funds for this worthy cause.SL Ikebana marks 10 years with Pretty N Pink View(s):

The Ikebana International Sri Lanka Chapter 262 will celebrate its 10th anniversary with Pretty N Pink   an exciting programme with an exhibition from three schools of Ikebana, a dance and drum recital and a demonstration by floral artist Christopher Lim.

Pretty NPink will be held on May 20 at the Grand Ballroom of the Galle Face Hotel.

The club founded by a few qualified members to share their love and enjoyment of flowers with likeminded friends has now grown to a membership of 37.

Once a year members organize an exhibition along with a workshop conducted by Christopher Lim (RIJI) who is the Chapter adviser.

All proceeds from the event will go to help patients with breast cancer in Jaffna and Karapitiya hospitals.Chair Dahal urges India to resolve border problems

CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal has urged visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the problems related to the liaison office of Indian Embassy in Biratnagar and Nepal-India border.Israel has no real desire for armed conflict with Iran, but Trump might stumble into war By Patrick Cockburn View(s): View(s):

Israel has launched its biggest attack ever on Iranian forces in Syria. This is a serious development, but reports of the entire Middle East being on the verge of all-out war fail to fully appreciate the motives and intentions of the various players. Looked at from the Israeli point of view, it is an excellent moment to act against Iran in Syria because it is unlikely that the Iranians will respond in a serious way.

In the wake of Donald Trumps withdrawal of the US from the Iran nuclear deal, the Iranians want to show the rest of the world, and particularly the Europeans, that they are the reliable and pacific upholders of the 2015 treaty. This phase may not last long and does not mean that the Iranians have any faith in the EU states keeping the accord alive. But they do want to ensure that the EU and others will only grudgingly cooperate with the reimposition of draconian sanctions by the US.

The Iranian economy will still be very badly hit because international banks and companies will be frightened of being punished by the US Treasury, but Iran will not be as isolated politically and economically as it was before 2015. The Israelis do not want a wider war with Iran. The Israeli defence minister Avigdor Lieberman said that: I hope we finished this chapter and everyone got the message, adding that Israel does not intend the situation to escalate.

Significantly, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was heading home from Moscow where he had been seeing President Vladimir Putin as the Israeli air force was making the strikes of which the Russians were previously informed by Israel.

Mr Netanyahu evidently wanted to reassure Mr Putin that Israel is acting against Iran and is not trying to make a late-in-the-day attempt to change the outcome of the Syrian civil war, which is so far ending with a victory for Russias ally President Bashar al-Assad. The Iranians show no sign of expecting a war with the US or Israel, at least in the near future, whatever the belligerent rhetoric coming out of Washington, Tel Aviv and Tehran.

Israel has accused Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) of firing 20 rockets at Israeli military positions in the Golan Heights late on Wednesday night, but, even if this is confirmed, it would amount to a very tame retaliation by Iran for earlier Israeli airstrikes.

Irans enemies are not seeking military confrontation, said the deputy head of the IRGC, Brigadier Hossein Salami, on Thursday.

They want to pressure our country by economic isolation, he said, adding that the Europeans were powerless to salvage the deal under which Iran had curtailed its nuclear programme in return for a reduction in sanctions. The bellicose threats against Iran coming from Israel and Saudi Arabia may be leading to a misunderstanding. Leaders in both countries may be eager for the US to have a military confrontation with Iran, but they would prefer to cheer on Mr Trump from the sidelines rather than become involved in a war themselves.

Israel has grim experience in the past of becoming engaged in an unwinnable war in Lebanon between 1982 and 2000 and, since 2015, Saudi Arabia has been suffering a similar failure in Yemen. An American military attack on Iran might, indeed, happen, though not immediately and, if it does occur, it may well be because of a US misunderstanding of the real options available to it.

The one most agreeable to the White House would be regime change in Tehran: the association of leading figures in the administration like the national security adviser, John Bolton, with exiled Iranian opposition groups like the Mojahedin-e-Khalq may have be encouraging delusions about the likelihood of this happening.

The Iraqi opposition in 2003 successfully encouraged similar fantasies in Washington and London about the political state of Iraq prior to the US-led invasion. Trump may similarly be deluded about the chances of sanctions driving Iran to a new nuclear deal which would in effect be terms of surrender dictated by the US.

No doubt the revived sanctions will be devastating for the Iranian economy, but Iran has survived a more onerous economic siege in the past while, this time round, ordinary Iranians will be more likely to blame the intransigence of the US rather than that of their own leaders.

The only alternative left for Mr Trump would be military action, particularly if Iran goes back to enriching uranium as it is likely to do, given that the US has sunk the deal restraining it from doing so.

Israel might take part in such a war, but it is scarcely in its interests to do so. Air strikes against specific Iranian nuclear facilities are one thing, but these might happen on the first day of a very long conflict that would be mostly fought out on the ground. Iran has an advantage here because it is already on the winning side in the wars in Syria and Iraq.

In Lebanon, Israel, US and Saudi Arabia have a good example of the morass they would be getting into because they failed, despite determined efforts over 36 years, to change the balance of power there against Iran and its ally, Hezbollah. There is likely to be a further well-hidden reason why leaders in Israel and Saudi Arabia may hesitate a little at becoming involved in an escalating confrontation with Iran that could lead to war.

They are delighted that they have an administration in Washington that is singing their tune. Their most propagandist claims are being echoed by the president. But it should also occur to them that Mr Trump, though for the moment entirely in their corner, is mercurial, unpredictable and even mentally unstable.

He gyrates between isolationism and military intervention. He might easily provoke a crisis with Iran from which the US suddenly detaches itself  something like this happened to the Syrian Kurds earlier in the year  or he could one day stumble, along with his allies in Tel Aviv and Riyadh, into a war with Iran through sheer ignorance and miscalculation.

Courtesy The Independent, UKTanya: Brown slave girl View(s):

Sri Lankan-born Tanya Selvaratnam is one of the four women accusing Eric Schneiderman, New York Attorney General till Tuesday, of sexual harassment. Here is how the prestigious New New Yorker magazines Jane Mayer and Ronan Farrow reported Tanyas troubled relationship with Schneiderman, a supporter of the #MeToo movement.

Tanya Selvaratnam is the author of The Big Lie: Motherhood, Feminism, and the Reality of the Biological Clock, which explores infertility issues; she is also an actor and a film producer, as well as a supporter of feminist and progressive social causes. She is divorced. In 2016, she attended the Democratic National Convention, in Philadelphia, where Schneiderman introduced himself to her. She says that their first encounter felt like kismet.

They had both gone to Harvard: she as an undergraduate and a graduate student, he as a law student. She was impressed when he expressed an interest in meditation and Buddhism. They had both studied Chinese, and, when he asked, in Mandarin, if she spoke the language, she answered, Wo shuo keshi bu tai liuliYes, but not fluently.

They began dating, and appeared to be a happy couple. Selvaratnam all but lived in his apartment, attending political functions and dinners with his friends and donors, and brainstorming with him on speeches and projects. But, as she puts it, it was a fairy tale that became a nightmare.

Although Schneiderman often doted on her, he demanded that she spend more and more time with him, and he began physically abusing her in bed. The slaps started after wed gotten to know each other, she recalls. It was at first as if he were testing me. Then it got stronger and harder. Selvaratnam says, It wasnt consensual. This wasnt sexual playacting. This was abusive, demeaning, threatening behavior.

When Schneiderman was violent, he often made sexual demands. He was obsessed with having a threesome, and said it was my job to find a woman, she says. He said hed have nothing to look forward to if I didnt, and would hit me until I agreed. (She had no intention of having a threesome.)

She recalls, Sometimes, hed tell me to call him Master, and hed slap me until I did. Selvaratnam, who was born in Sri Lanka, has dark skin, and she recalls that he started calling me his brown slave and demanding that I repeat that I was his property. 

The abuse escalated.

Schneiderman not only slapped her across the face, often four or five times, back and forth, with his open hand; he also spat at her and choked her. He was cutting off my ability to breathe, she says. Eventually, she says, we could rarely have sex without him beating me.

In her view, Schneiderman is a misogynist and a sexual sadist. She says that she often asked him to stop hurting her, and tried to push him away. At other times, she gave in, rationalizing that she could tolerate the violence if it happened only once a week or so during sex.

But the emotional and verbal abuse started increasing, she says, and the belittling and demeaning of me carried over into our nonsexual encounters. He told her to get plastic surgery to remove scars on her torso that had resulted from an operation to remove cancerous tumors.

He criticized her hair and said that she should get breast implants and buy different clothes. He mocked some of her friends as ditzes, and, when these women attended a birthday celebration for her, he demanded that she leave just as the cake was arriving. I began to feel like I was in Hell, she says.

Like the other victim, Manning Barish, Selvaratnam says that Schneiderman routinely drank heavilya bottle and a half of wine, or more. He also took sedatives, she says, and pushed her to drink with him, saying, Drink your bourbon, Turniphis nickname for her. In the middle of the night, he staggered through the apartment, as if in a trance. Ive never seen anyone that messed up, she recalls. It was like sleeping next to a monster.

The next morning, she says, hed seem fine, but often berated her for not having kept him away from the alcohol. His emotional state seemed to worsen after the 2016 Presidential election. He had counted on forging an ambitious partnership with a White House led by Hillary Clinton. Instead, the Presidency had gone to Donald Trump. Earlier, Schneidermans office had sued Trump University for civil fraud, and Trump had countersued Schneiderman personally.

Selvaratnam understands how incomprehensible it may seem that she stayed in such an abusive relationship for more than a year.

But, she says, now I see how independent women get stuck in one. The physical abuse, she notes, happens quickly: Hes drunk, and youre naked and at your most vulnerable. Its so disorienting. You lose a little of who you are. She kept telling herself that she could help him change, and tried to get him to see a therapist. At times, she blamed herself for his behavior. I was scared what he might do if I left him, she says. He had said he would have to kill me if we broke up, on multiple occasions. He also told me he could have me followed and could tap my phone.

Its unclear if Schneiderman was serious when he made such remarks, but Selvaratnam says that she felt intimidated. Jacquelyn Campbell, a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, is the author of a danger-assessment checklist that helps authorities gauge the likelihood of homicide in domestic-violence situations. She says, Its often true that women dont know whether to take threats to kill seriously. But we should always take threats seriously. Its categorized as a violent act, and you can report someone to the police for it.

Selvaratnam began to spend more time apart from Schneiderman, and last fall she ended the relationship. Shed been suffering from ringing in her ears, and sometimes had vertigo. After the breakup, she, like Manning Barish, sought medical help from an ear, nose, and throat specialist.

The doctor could find no specific cause for her ailments. The writer Danzy Senna, a close friend of Selvaratnams, recalls, She was thin, fragile, and shaky. Selvaratnam confided to Senna about the abuse, and Senna was so shocked that she wrote down the details and e-mailed the account to her husband, so that there would be a dated copy of it should any harm come to her friend. Sennas document, which she shared with The New Yorker, is dated September 16, 2017, and says, in part, She told me that her boyfriend of a year, Eric Schneiderman, the Attorney General of New York, has been choking, beating, and threatening her for the entirety of their relationship, and that several times he threatened to have her killed if she ever tried to leave him.

She said he knows that she has a lot of really damning information about him, his alcoholism, sexual deviance, and drug use, and she worries about her safety.

Senna advised Selvaratnam to retrieve her belongings from his apartment. On November 3, 2017, she did so, with another friendJennifer Gonnerman, a staff writer at this magazine. As they carried her things outside, they talked about the fact that Selvaratnam couldnt possibly be the only woman who had seen this side of Schneiderman. Gonnerman asked her who else he had dated.

Selvaratnam knew of one former girlfriendnot Manning Barishand described where she had worked.

The next day, Gonnerman happened to run into a male friend who had once worked with the former girlfriend. Gonnerman asked him if hed ever known anyone who had dated Schneiderman. He said yes: a close friend of his had. Without divulging anything, Gonnerman asked, So how did that work out? He answered, He used to spit on her and slap her during sex.

Gonnerman told Selvaratnam about the other victim. She was very traumatized, Gonnerman recalls. On the one hand, she was relieved to learn it had happened before, but on the other it was, like, Why hasnt anyone stopped him? 

Selvaratnam says, I wished someone had warned me. And I wondered, Whos next? She notes, I was not planning to come forward, until I found out there was another woman. The silence of women before me meant that Id suffered, too. I felt, I will not be able to live with myself if I hear of him doing this to another woman years or months from now.

Selvaratnam reached out to the former girlfriend, and they agreed to meet. In February, Selvaratnam recalls, they sat outside on a bench for ninety minutes, and their stories came flooding forth. Selvaratnam says that she was astounded to discover how similar their experiences had been.

Selvaratnam kept notes about her exchanges with the former girlfriend, and she described them to The New Yorker. According to these notes, the former girlfriend told Selvaratnam that she had been in love with Schneiderman, but that in bed he had routinely slapped her hard across the ear and the face, as tears rolled down her cheeks. He also choked her and spat at her. Not all the abuse had taken place in a sexual context.

She said that Schneiderman had once slapped her during an argument theyd had while getting dressed to go out. The blow left a handprint on her back; the next day, the spot still hurt. When the former girlfriend objected to this mistreatment, he told her that she simply wasnt liberated enough.

Just as Schneiderman had done with the other women, he had pushed her to drink with him and to set up a threesome, and he had belittled her work and appearance, saying in her case that she had fat legs and needed Botox.

After the former girlfriend ended the relationship, she told several friends about the abuse. A number of them advised her to keep the story to herself, arguing that Schneiderman was too valuable a politician for the Democrats to lose. She described this response as heartbreaking.

And when Schneiderman heard that she had turned against him, she said, he warned her that politics was a tough and personal business, and that shed better be careful. She told Selvaratnam that she had taken this as a threat.

The former girlfriend told Selvaratnam she found it shameless that Schneiderman was casting himself as a leading supporter of the #MeToo movement. She promised to support Selvaratnam if she spoke out, but she wasnt sure that she could risk joining her. The former girlfriend told Selvaratnam shed once been so afraid of Schneiderman that shed written down an extensive account of the abuse, locked the document in a safe-deposit box, and given keys to two friends.

In February, the news broke that Rob Porter, a top aide in the Trump White House, was resigning, amid allegations that hed abused his two ex-wives. One of the women, Colbie Holderness, released a photograph of herself taken after hed allegedly given her a black eye.

The image resonated deeply among the women who had dated Schneiderman. Manning Barish recalls, After Rob Porter, I was struggling about whether to come forward. I felt guilt and shame that I was encouraging other women to speak out but wasnt doing the same. I was a hypocrite. I was in tears.

Her friends told her that she risked becoming known mainly for being Schneidermans victim, and she initially agreed to let the matter go. But, after thinking it over, she told them, If hes done this to more than one woman, Im going to say something.

After Porters resignation, Selvaratnam felt more determined than ever to speak out about Schneiderman and the broader issue of intimate-partner violence. As this story was being reported, Manning Barish became aware that there were other victims, and decided that she had three choices: I can lie. I can be silent, which is being complicit, and a betrayal of the other women. Or I can tell the truth. She concluded, Im choosing No. 3.

Manning Barish is aware of the risks faced by women who take on powerful politicians, and isnt relishing the prospect of taking on the attorney general. Its hard, she says. It affects your life, and not in a positive way.

Selvaratnam says that she considered filing an ethics complaint against Schneiderman, or bringing a civil suit, but the various legal options she considered were always connected to Schneiderman in some way.

Meanwhile, at least eight members of Congress had resigned, or announced plans to retire, after being accused of sexual misconduct. In Missouri, the legislature called a special session to take up the impeachment of Governor Eric Greitens, who had been accused of slapping, restraining, and belittling a woman during an affair. Greitens has denied the allegations, but he is facing a felony charge stemming from the womans assertion that he took compromising photographs of her, in an effort to stop her from speaking out.

Selvaratnam, by contrast, feels caught up in circumstances that have given her only one real choice: to go public. Its torturous for me to do this, she says. I like my life. Of this article, she says, I wish my name did not have to be in it, and notes, of Schneiderman, I know its going to be my word against his, because I dont have photos of bruises, and I dont have a police report. Schneidermans accusers, she feels, are in an unusually difficult situation. As she puts it, What do you do if your abuser is the top law-enforcement official in the state?Gasoline imports jump to Rs117b in first 9 months

Oil imports in the first nine months of the fiscal year surged 34.2 percent to Rs117.29 billion due to increased demand from the construction industry and smuggling into India prompted by price differentials.The former chief executive officer of Feher Rubbish Removal said Friday the company had been facing financial difficulties for the past couple of years, but the owner wanted to stay in business.

Feher, the second largest trash hauling company in Onondaga County, closed abruptly this week. The company has tens of thousands of customers in Central New York and the Rochester area.

Dale Pemberton, who served as CEO and general manager of Feher until 10 days ago, said he had been urging owner Larry Feher to sell the business or parts of it. The owner "didn't want to give up," he said.

Pemberton said at one point, the company lost Utica as a customer, and Pemberton suggested selling the routes around there to consolidate. Instead, the company kept growing, adding salespeople, Pemberton said.

"It all came to a head,'' Pemberton said.

Pemberton said the company fired him about 10 days ago because officials disagreed with his advice about selling the company and because he wanted to announce the coming closing.

Feher officials have not spoken publicly about the sudden closing of the company.

Phones at the company either rang largely unanswered or were busy Friday. A message left Friday afternoon was not answered. The doors at the company's headquarters on State Fair Boulevard in Syracuse were locked Friday.

Pemberton in an interview Friday with Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard said he worried the company wouldn't be able to pay its 90 or so employees. A lot of vendors were cash only by that time, he said.

Finally, judgments left Feher with no liquid operating capital, he said, and it had to close.

Pemberton said part of the financial trouble had to do with increasing landfill fees, the competition of the trash business and a reluctance to make changes.

After he was fired, Pemberton said he's been working to help employees find jobs with other trash haulers. He said he also set up Dependable Trash to take on numerous business and individual customers in counties such as Wayne, Seneca, Cayuga and Onondaga.

Feher, a family-owned business in operation for more than 50 years, is based in Syracuse with offices in Geneva, Watertown and Utica, according to the company's web site.Skaneateles, N.Y. -- Hill-Rom Holdings Inc. cut the ribbon Friday on a $12.7 million expansion it said will create 100 new jobs at its Welch Allyn medical equipment factory in Skaneateles.

The 100,000-square-foot addition to the factory off State Street north of the village of Skaneateles will be used as a warehouse and distribution facility. However, Welch Allyn President Alton Shader said the new building will free up space elsewhere on the company's campus for research and development, product testing and marketing operations.

To date, the company has created 60 new jobs at the plant and is on track to meet its job creation goal off 100 this year, company officials said. Hill-Rom currently employs 950 people at the plant.

Founded in 1915 by Dr. Francis Welch and inventor William Noah Allyn, Welch Allyn makes medical diagnostic equipment. Chicago-based Hill-Rom bought Welch Allyn from the Allyn family for $2.05 billion in September 2015.

Hill-Rom's acquisition of Welch Allyn created worries among employees and state and local officials that the global medical technology company would move jobs out of Skaneateles. Those fears increased when Hill-Rom laid off 50 employees in Skaneateles just two days after acquiring Welch Allyn.

"It wasn't just stress," Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul said at the ribbon cutting Friday afternoon. "I think it was a collective heart attack."

The administration of Gov. Andrew Cuomo quickly offered Hill-Rom financial incentives to not only keep Welch Allyn's existing jobs in Skaneateles, but add to them.

Hill-Rom accepted an incentive package of up to $12.3 million, consisting of $6.3 million in employment-based Excelsior tax credits and a $6 million state grant under Cuomo's Upstate Revitalization Initiative.

"We're investing more in Welch Allyn than has ever been invested before," Shader said.

Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A man was shot early Saturday morning on Syracuse's South Side.

Gunshots were reported in the 200 block of Lincoln Avenue at 1:11 a.m. When the Syracuse Police Department arrived, officers found a wounded 32-year-old man who had been shot in his left thigh, said Sgt. Richard Helterine, a police spokesman.

American Medical Response rushed the man to Upstate University Hospital. His injury is not considered life-threatening, Helterline said.

Police have asked the public for information about the shooting.

"The victim was not able to provide any suspect information to investigating officers," Helterline said. "Several residents in the area also reported hearing shots fired, but were unable to provide any suspect information."

Police asked anyone with information to call (315) 442-5222 or submit tips anonymously through the Syracuse PD app.In search of political imagination

Andheri Nagari Chaupat Raja, a play currently on stage at Kunja Theatre, brings forth a lucid adaptation of a popular Indian play. The fluidity of the musical comedy, achieved through a lyrical translation and live music meticulously synchronised with the action on stage, shows the creative strides made in adapting a play. Yet the play shows a narrow political imagination in its presentation.New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli on Friday suggested that more transparency and oversight in state government might have prevented a corruption scheme involving Gov. Andrew Cuomo's top aide.

The aide, Joseph Percoco, was convicted of three felonies in March for running a bribery and extortion scheme involving state economic development contracts. Syracuse developer Steve Aiello of Cor Development was found guilty on a single fraud count.

DiNapoli said those involved in the scheme may not have committed the crimes if his office still had oversight of State University of New York construction contracts and other economic development deals.

"One of the reasons why folks thought they could get away with something is that they knew nobody was really looking, other than the people on the inside who turned out to be benefiting from this," DiNapoli said at a meeting of the editorial board of Syracuse.com and The Post-Standard.

"I can't tell you for sure that had we had more oversight there that it wouldn't have happened," DiNapoli said. "But I can tell you common sense would indicate that if folks think there's another independent set of eyes looking at something, they might think twice before they try to steer contracts to projects in a favored direction."

The state Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would restore the comptroller's authority to pre-screen construction projects at SUNY campuses and related facilities. That authority had been removed about seven years ago.

The "New York State Procurement Integrity Act," authored by Sen. John DeFrancisco, R-DeWitt, would give those powers back to the comptroller. The bill passed the Senate with bipartisan support, 60-2.

DiNapoli, a Democrat, and DeFrancisco, a GOP candidate for governor, touted the bill as a way to restore independent oversight of contracts that were ripe for corruption, bid rigging and kickbacks.

DiNapoli said the legislation also prohibits public authorities from setting up nonprofit entities for contracts, thus evading oversight from the comptroller's office.

The legislation now faces an uncertain fate in the state Assembly, where only one sponsor has emerged. Cuomo has threatened to veto the bill, citing concerns the law could slow the process of bid awards and harm small businesses run by minority contractors.

DiNapoli told the editorial board that his office is open to negotiating changes in the proposed law with Assembly members.

"The bottom line is there needs to be more oversight in terms of spending and contracts," DiNapoli said. "That's the lesson that's coming out of the (Percoco) trial."

The next state attorney general

In other matters, DiNapoli said he is not backing any candidate to succeed former state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

Schneiderman resigned Tuesday after he was accused of physically assaulting four women.

DiNapoli said he would like Schneiderman's successor to continue to work with his office as part of a joint public integrity strategy.

"What I would not want to see is someone who is more interested in a headline than in getting it right," DiNapoli said.

Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751WASHINGTON - Gina Haspel's nomination to be CIA director received a crucial boost Saturday when Sen. Joe Donnelly became the second Democrat to support President Donald Trump's choice despite questions about her role in the previous decade's controversial interrogation program.

The senator from Indiana, who met with Haspel on Thursday, said in a statement that he had "a tough, frank, and extensive discussion" with her that covered both her vision for the agency and its past use of "enhanced" interrogations against terrorist captives, including methods such as waterboarding that are widely considered torture. While some senators still have not publicly declared their position, Donnelly's backing is likely to give Haspel enough support to win at least 50 votes, the bare minimum for confirmation.

During her confirmation hearing, Haspel pledged to abide by the current law that forbids those methods and that she would reject an order from Trump to use those techniques against a terrorist now.

"I believe that she has learned from the past, and that the CIA under her leadership can help our country confront serious international threats and challenges," Donnelly said in the statement released Saturday morning.

He also cited her support from the CIA directors who served in the Obama administration as a reason for backing Haspel.

Donnelly joins Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., as the only other Democrat to announce support for Haspel. Both of them hail from states that Trump won by overwhelming margins. Donnelly and Manchin are up for re-election in November, and Trump appeared at a political rally Thursday in Indiana, in which he singled out Donnelly and called on voters to support the Republican nominee, Mike Braun.

Haspel's chances of winning confirmation improved following a hearing that, while contentious, featured no major missteps by the nominee. Shortly after the hearing adjourned, Manchin, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, declared his support for Haspel.

In a closed session following Haspel's public testimony, the mood was less tense and more familiar, according to people familiar with the proceedings who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private discussions. Haspel spoke in Russian at one point, underscoring her long experience running clandestine operations against Russia, these people said.

The Intelligence Committee is expected to hold a vote on Haspel on Wednesday, according to sources familiar with the panel's timing, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would then like to hold a full confirmation vote the following week before the Senate adjourns for the weeklong Memorial Day recess.

Haspel's nomination came after Mike Pompeo, Trump's first CIA director, was nominated to be secretary of state; the Senate confirmed Pompeo's nomination in April. Haspel had previously been serving as deputy director.

So far, Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and John McCain, R-Ariz., are the only Republicans opposing Haspel's nomination. McCain is not expected to be in Washington for the vote later this month as he battles an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., is the only other Republican who is publicly considering opposing Haspel - in part because of his respect for McCain, a prisoner of war during the Vietnam conflict.

"I've always shared McCain's views on torture and looked up to him on this," Flake told reporters this week.

A few other centrist Democrats have not indicated how they will vote on the CIA nominee. Even if they all oppose her and Flake joins the opposition, Haspel should have 50 votes for her confirmation.

Her nomination has renewed the fierce debate over torture from the previous decade, in which McCain led the fight to outlaw the techniques that the George W. Bush administration allowed CIA interrogators to use in so-called black sites around the world following the 9/11 attacks.

Haspel delivered an order from her superior to other agency officials to destroy videotapes of the interrogations, including the waterboarding of one of the top al-Qaeda operatives.Students of Nottingham High School in Syracuse celebrated at their junior prom Friday, May 11, 2018, at Embassy Suites Destiny.

Our gallery of photos can be found above.

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As you're browsing the gallery, look for the "BUY IMAGE" link to order high-quality reprints and other products.

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See all photo galleries from proms, senior balls, and other formals around Central New York.Students of Dana L. West High School in Port Byron celebrated at their junior prom Friday, May 11, 2018, at Ventosa Vineyards in Geneva.

Our gallery of photos can be found above.

Want to buy a photo?

As you're browsing the gallery, look for the "BUY IMAGE" link to order high-quality reprints and other products.

More prom photos

See all photo galleries from proms, senior balls, and other formals around Central New York.The owners of the Owego Kitchen are ready for their next adventure to bring more visitors to the Southern Tier.

With their upcoming appearance on the television show "House Hunters" on HGTV, Julie and Ike Lovelass will have an opportunity to give some national exposure to Owego.

The Lovelass opened their restaurant Owego Kitchen in 2015. With success and growth in that business, they decided on another investment.

They want to open a special inn for Tioga travelers

"We see an awful lot of travelers coming through Owego, off of Route 17, and there weren't a lot of options. So we figured it would be a great opportunity to open an inn," said Julie to WBNG.

The Lovelass wanted a property with historic charm and character which they can turn into a bed and breakfast. They sent their idea to HGTV and got selected to be featured in an episode.

According to WICZ, the production crew from California came to Owego in November and filmed eight hours per day for five days - all just for 22 minutes for the show.

The premise of "House Hunters" is simple: In each episode, the buyers need to decide among three properties, ultimately choosing one before the end of the episode.

Although the Lovelass cannot reveal which properties are featured on the show, they did visit two in the Village of Owego and one in Apalachin, according to WICZ.

Julie did share that the property has everything they want in a bed and breakfast.



"It will be a 5-6 bedroom boutique inn, with space to do some in-house catering. We've already started the renovations and we hope to be open in the fall," she said.

The episode airs Tuesday, May 22nd, at 10:30 p.m. on HGTV.NEW YORK (AP) -- A jury has convicted former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver of public corruption charges, dashing the 74-year-old Democrat's second attempt to avoid prison after a decades-long career as one of the most powerful politicians in state government.

The verdict Friday came more than two years after his first 2015 trial resulted in a 12-year prison sentence.

An appeals court tossed out that conviction, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling that changed the legal boundaries for public corruption.

Prosecutors said Silver illegally earned $4 million from a cancer researcher and real estate developers who benefited from his clout in state government.

Defense lawyers countered that his fees were "perfectly legal."NEW YORK (AP) -- The National Rifle Association has filed a lawsuit against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state's financial regulatory agency for what it says is a blacklisting campaign to prevent firms from doing business with the gun owners' group.

The lawsuit filed Friday in federal court for the northern district of New York names the Democratic governor as a defendant along with the state Department of Financial Services and its superintendent, Maria Vullo.

It accuses Cuomo of depriving the NRA of its First Amendment rights through selective prosecution and threats.

The lawsuit comes after New York state fined insurance broker Lockton Cos. LLC $7 million for underwriting an NRA-branded insurance program called Carry Guard.

Cuomo called the NRA lawsuit "a futile and desperate attempt" to advance the group's "dangerous agenda."Indian PM Modi offers special worship at Pashupatinath Temple (In photos)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day state visit to Nepal, offered a special worship at Pashupatinath Temple in the Capital on Saturday. He spent around 30 minutes in the temple.Candidates named in city and school elections

With the passing of the filing deadline for the upcoming city and school election, several area governing bodies including the City of Tama and ...The new Google Assistant feature, which shocked the world at this year's I/O developer conference because it sounded like a human, will apparently introduce itself as artificial intelligence.

The feature drew controversy over ethical concerns on a robot masquerading as a person, but it looks like Google is already trying to cover its bases to minimize the backlash.

Google Duplex Unveiled At I/O 2018

This year's Google I/O 2018 announcements include augmented reality for Google Maps and artificial intelligence for the new Gmail feature Smart Compose. However, arguably the most head-turning news from the annual developers' conference involves Google Duplex, which works with Google Assistant.

In a demonstration at I/O 2018 hosted by Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Google Duplex was shown calling in behalf of the user to schedule a salon appointment and a restaurant reservation. The surprising thing about the AI-driven voice feature, however, is that it sounded like it was a real human in both cases. Instead of the semi-robotic voice typically heard from digital assistants, Google Duplex convincingly makes itself sound like a human through verbal ticks such as "uh" and "um," with pauses and elongations heard in normal talk.

Google Duplex is considered a very impressive Google Assistant feature by some people, but it has also received backlash. Some believe that it was a sign that companies are developing AI technologies without proper regulation or oversight, with Google Duplex serving as proof that AI is now smart enough to trick humans.

Google Duplex To Introduce Itself As A Robot

At I/O 2018, neither Pichai nor Google clarified whether Google Duplex will identify itself as AI when it talks to humans. Google has now given a clear answer for that.

"We are designing this feature with disclosure built-in, and we'll make sure the system is appropriately identified," said a Google spokeswoman in a statement. She added that the version of Google Duplex that was previewed at the annual developers' conference was "an early technology demo," with Google to incorporate what it learns from feedback in the development of the release version.

However, it remains unclear how Google will add disclosures to the Google Assistant feature. It is possible that Google Duplex will state at the start of the call that a robot is at the other end of the line, which is not seen in the Google I/O 2018 demonstration.

Google has not yet decided how to handle the disclosures to let people know that they are talking to an AI-powered system. A lot of things could still change until the Google Duplex launch, so we will just have to wait and see how Google reacts to the controversy.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.An alleged render of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has been leaked, showing the front view of the phablet. So far, fans are underwhelmed.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Design

The tipster Ice universe shared a render of the Galaxy Note 8 successor on Twitter, which if proved to be true, looks to have no major changes from the 2017 phablet in terms of design. At first glance, it simply looks like a photo of the Galaxy Note 8.

The only difference could be that the Galaxy Note 9 will reportedly be 2 mm smaller than its predecessor. The bezels should also be trimmed down, but they are still there.

Some have foreseen this happening, with Ice saying that Samsung is lazy this year. The Galaxy S9, for instance, is also like its predecessor in outward appearance.

The popularity of bezel-less displays had many Samsung fans hoping for a similar look. Although the company calls it the Infinity Display, which was first introduced on the Galaxy S8, it still has obvious bezels on the top and bottom of the screen.

Current flagships adopted the notch that the iPhone X featured to be closer to bezel-less as possible. However, it seems that Samsun is not taking that route.

A number of fans defended the South Korean company from criticisms. The looks of Note 8 age well that some even think it still rivals the recent flagships. With a sleek, high-end design, it is hard not to realize why the smartphone maker would decide to stick with the formula.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Specifications

The Galaxy Note 9 also recently appeared on the benchmarking website Geekbench, revealing a Snapdragon 845 SoC paired with 6 GB RAM. It is listed with the model number SM-N960U, so industry observers are fairly certain that the device is the follow-up to the Note 8, which has the model number SM-N950U.

It scored 2,411 points on single-core performance and 8,172 points on multi-core. Reports have noted that these scores are rather weak compared to other flagships, but it can be argued that the device was a pre-production unit. More accurate scores should be available as its release date creeps closer.

Other rumored specifications of the Galaxy Note 9 include Quick Charge 4.0, an Exynos 9810-powered variant, and the Super Speed Dual Pixel camera found on the Galaxy S9 Plus. A release date has yet to be announced, but fans believe it will take place in August.

Samsung was lazy in 2018 and I concluded that Note9 will not change much. This is just a small adjustment to Note8. pic.twitter.com/uNoAW1thcT  Ice universe (@UniverseIce) May 8, 2018

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Indian PM Modi offers worship at Muktinath Temple

Visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered worship at Muktinath Temple in Mustang district on Saturday.Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker, is bringing its smart home products to the western shores, and it is adding Google Assistant support, too.

3 Xiaomi Smart Home Products Coming To The US Soon

The company has a variety of smart home products up its sleeves, which they announced at the Google I/O event to be coming to the United States soon. Before that announcement, however, Xiaomi revealed that it is updating its products to include support for Google Assistant, which will enable users to control the devices through the smartphone app or a Google Home speaker.

According to Xiang Wang, head of international business of Xiaomi, the first products that will support Google Assistant include the Mi LED Smart Bulb, Mi Bedside Lamp, and Mi Smart Plug. The Chinese company has not yet revealed the pricing and timeline, but interested buyers can expect the lamp to arrive first.

The Mi Bedside Lamp is a sleek cylindrical lamp that comes with 16 million color options. The Mi LED Smart Bulb also comes with the same number of colors. The Mi Smart Plug connects the appliance to the network, which then allows it to be turned on or off. Users can also put timers using their phone.

These three are the frontliners of Xiaomi's attempt to penetrate the smart home industry in the country, which is already dominated by homegrown products. This is just the beginning, though, as the company plans to further expand its presence in the American market.

Xiaomi To Introduce Its Smartphones To The US Market

Meanwhile, Xiaomi is also planning to bring over its smartphones. It is already selling some products in the United States, but fans are still waiting for its famed handsets that rival the more popular flagships in the country.

"We've always been considering entering the U.S. market," said Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi.

"We plan to start entering the market by end 2018, or by early 2019."

The Chinese company has already built a presence in Europe, Africa, and Asia, including India where it beat Samsung in sales. It also revealed that it is expanding into France and Italy, while a deal with the telecommunications company Hutchison will allow it to reach farther than those countries.

Given the Americans' view of Chinese products, Xiaomi can be expected to expand into the U.S. territory slowly. Furthermore, the concerns about Chinese smartphone manufacturers, such as Huawei and ZTE, will make it even harder to get a grip in the industry.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Nearly 70 percent of cannabis dispensaries in Colorado have employees who recommend marijuana use for treating morning sickness among pregnant women in their first trimester.

Out of 400 dispensaries in Colorado, 65 percent have employees who base their recommendation on personal opinion while 36 percent have staff who plainly suggest that cannabis use is safe during pregnancy.

While there is 81.5 percent who suggested a discussion with a health care provider, only 31.8 percent gave this advice without the customer asking about it herself.

What's most worrying is that there is no known study to prove that smoking marijuana or taking other cannabis products during pregnancy poses no risk to the unborn baby. In fact, most studies found that consumption of marijuana during pregnancy is harmful to babies.

Colorado Marijuana Dispensaries

The result was obtained through a statewide cross-sectional study that involved a mystery caller methodology. The caller contacted randomly selected dispensaries from the website of the Colorado Department of Revenue Enforcement Division. The caller pretended that she is eight weeks into her pregnancy and suffering from morning sickness.

The study also found that employees who were likely to recommend cannabis use worked in medical dispensaries. Notably, 83 percent of medical dispensaries contacted advised the caller to treat her morning sickness with cannabis products while only 60 percent of retail dispensaries advised doing so.

There is one employee who told the mystery caller to Google about cannabis use during pregnancy and only consults her doctor if she feels apprehensive. Another employee hinted that a "progressive doctor" will not lie to her, adding that previous studies made on marijuana use during pregnancy were mere propaganda.

The researchers, led by Torri Metz, a high-risk obstetrician at Denver Health in Colorado, also highlighted that there are no guidelines in Colorado that regulate the kind of recommendations dispensaries could give their customers. Nevertheless, the cannabis products sold in the state come with labels saying that they may bring additional health risks to pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and even to those who are just planning to get pregnant.

Hence, the proponents of the study published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology highlight that with more states legalizing the use of marijuana, policy and education efforts should involve the dispensaries as well.

Marijuana Use And Pregnancy

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about one in 25 women in the United States who use marijuana while pregnant, even though most of the experts advise otherwise.

The tetrahydrocannabinol or THC found in marijuana can pass through a mother's body to her unborn child. Synthetic marijuana or "spice" is equally harmful. One known risk to babies is a low birth weight on top of other developmental problems.

Even the mere breathing of marijuana smoke can be harmful to both mother and child, according to CDC. Marijuana smoke contains chemicals similar to tobacco smoke.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Elon Musk publicly confirms that The Boring Company has almost completed work on its first tunnel in Los Angeles that will supposedly help with traffic congestion.

Reports claim that in 2016, the entrepreneur came up with an idea to hopefully reduce traffic when he was caught in a gridlock in LA. It apparently involves a network of tunnels that are just big enough to accommodate a multi-passenger pod the width of a personal vehicle. These electric-powered transports would move on rails at supposedly triple-digit speeds.

He even boasted that his company can do the work with technology that is at least four times faster and cheaper than other contractors. Musk has yet to prove his claims but the recent completion is one step forward.

Boring Only In Name

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO created The Boring Company in 2016 and is currently his latest business venture. The work on the first tunnel is close to completion as shown by a video he posted on Instagram, where he usually updates his followers about any of his company's projects.

Traffic is driving me nuts. Am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging... Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2016

According to Musk, the project is still waiting for regulatory approvals before they can open their doors to the public. He noted that the transport will offer free rides for everyone during its demonstration phase. Once everything is fully operational, pedestrians and cyclists can use the system for a cost that's less than regular bus fare.

Location And Route

Sources confirm that the Loop tunnel under Los Angeles worked on by The Boring Company is located 30 to 70 feet below ground. The route reportedly starts at Pico Boulevard and stretches all the way down to Washington Boulevard. It is positioned parallel to Sepulveda Boulevard and does not have any stations in between routes by design. It is interesting to recall that in 2016, Musk posted on Twitter about his plans to build a drilling machine and dig a tunnel due to the traffic he experiences during his daily commute.

Traffic is driving me nuts. Am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging...  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2016

Ongoing Hyperloop Plans

Some people wondered about the absence of any updates regarding Elon Musk's proposed Hyperloop tech. The Boring Company CEO confirmed that two other tunnels are being planned, with one already in progress that connects New York City to the nation's capital.

By next year, he hopes to start work on another one between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The latest two tunnels will allegedly use the Hyperloop design wherein the pressurized pods travel in near vacuum to achieve speeds of up to 600 mph theoretically. If proven successful, it would be considerably faster than a flight.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.The Federal Communications Commission has announced its decision to impose a $120 million fine on a Florida man for making nearly 100 million robocalls.

FCC Slams $120 Million Fine Over Robocalling Charge

The FCC announced the penalty during its monthly open meeting on Thursday, May 10. The fine was proposed in June 2017 after Adrian Abramovich, of Miami, made 96 million robocalls over a duration of three months in 2016.

Abramovich allegedly made the calls in an attempt to trick consumers into purchasing "exclusive" vacation deals from renowned travel and hospitality companies such as Expedia, Tripadvisor, Hilton, and Marriott to name a few.

According to the agency, Abramovich is the mastermind behind one of the largest, and most dangerous, illegal robocalling campaigns that the commission has ever come across.

"Our decision sends a loud and clear message," said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in a statement. "This FCC is an active cop on the beat and will throw the book at anyone who violates our spoofing and robocall rules and harms consumers."

Abramovich Denies Wrongdoing

Last month, Abramovich told a Senate panel that he was not the "kingpin of robocalling" and denied any wrongdoing. He claimed that he was engaging in legitimate business practices by offering real travel deals to consumers.

He declined to answer some of the questions that he was asked about the case, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Robocalls Rising In The US

An estimated 2.49 billion robocalls were reportedly made to consumers in the United States in October 2017, which translates to an estimated 80.5 million robocalls placed every day, and these numbers seem to be increasing every month.

YouMail, a company that blocks robocalls and tracks them, revealed that an estimated 3.4 billion robocalls to consumers were placed in the month of April in the United States, which is an all-time high.

FCC's War Against Robocalls

The $120 million fine is part of the commission's multifaceted effort to crack down on robocalls, which spurns more than 200,000 complaints to the FCC every year.

American consumers are "mad as hell" that they still get spam calls despite Congress' and the FCC's efforts to put an end to them, Pai said last year.

In November, the commission sanctioned a new set of rules and regulations to protect the masses from unwanted robocalls, allowing telephone carriers to block robocalls as potentially fraudulent when they come from specifc types of phone numbers.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Snapchat had to rework its redesign to appease users who were not happy with the changes that the company made to the app. Users were upset with the new layout, which they found confusing after years of using the previous design.

Snapchat acknowledges that the new look of the app made people feel uncomfortable using it.

Snapchat's Second Major Redesign

Snapchat users went as far as signing a petition that would make the company return to the previous layout. The petition garnered over 1.2 million signatures from disgruntled users over the changes that Snapchat made. These changes were made to the iOS version of the Snapchat app.

This new layout returns Chats and Snaps to chronological order, and Stories once again occupy the right-hand side of the app. Users will not be able to see their friends' stories on the right-hand screen. Those will be separated from the subscription or branded content found on Snapchat. This makes it easier to see content from creators and friends separately while still being able to keep an eye on it.

Changes to the Snapchat app will be available for the majority of iOS users. Snapchat hasn't said when the update will make its way to the Android version of the app.

Disastrous Redesign

Snapchat revealed the redesign in February and managed to upset both users and publishers on the app. Part of the reason the company decided to revamp the app was because it had become so bloated. Snap chief executive Evan Spiegel said that a common complaint about social media was that content by friends was being obscured by content from creators, influencers, and publishers.

To get people to interact with one another, Snapchat separated content from publishers and content from friends. People were not excited with the results. Users said that the app became confusing to use, and publishers saw their numbers drop precipitously. Influencers such as Kylie Jenner jumped ship from Snapchat to Instagram shortly after the redesign. She even went as far as declaring Snapchat dead.

Instead of a more streamlined app, users saw a confusing mess. Stories and messages all appeared in one section, influencers were moved to the Discover page, ads appeared, and there was no auto-advance on Stories anymore.

Four different publishers featured on Snapchat's Discover told Vanity Fair that unique views, subscriber numbers, and time spent dropped by 50 percent after the redesign was implemented.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.An analysis of an ancient skull reveals that ancient whales have teeth and gums. The finding suggests that the now friendly animals used to be ferocious predators.

The discovery of 34 million-year-old whale skull from Antarctica showed that whales acquire their baleens through a complex and gradual evolution process. It was previously thought that these animals developed their baleens in a more straightforward manner.

As it turned out, they first prey on larger victims, lost their teeth, forego biting and learn to suck, until the comb-like baleens structure are developed.

Now, the baleen whales feed through filtering massive small prey from seawater and their baleens work more like a strainer.

Llanocetus denticrenatus

The ancient whale skull belongs to the Llanocetus denticrenatus and was found by Ewan Fordyce, a professor from the University of Otago. He discovered the remains during an expedition in Antarctica.

His finding is now believed to be the second-oldest baleen whale ever found. The skull matched the remains found during an earlier expedition done by American researchers in the mid-1970s. This means that the researchers were able to form the puzzle of bones that belonged to the same whale.

Fordyce examined the skull with Felix Marx from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.

Their analysis, published in the journal Current Biology, stated that Llanocetus denticrenatus is an ancient relative of the humpback and blue whales even if the ancient species seemed to be daunting predators.

The relatives, nevertheless, both have distinctive grooves on the roof of their mouths. These grooves contain the blood vessels that support the baleens of the present-day whales. In Llanocetus, those grooves are found around tooth sockets, suggesting a peri-dental blood supply to the gums instead of baleens.

Ferocious Predator

Marx says that Llanocetus are huge with a total body length of about 8 meters. The species' teeth are also widely spaced. In the case of the skull found, the tooth has a tear suggesting that it was used to cut prey.

"Llanocetus was both large and a ferocious predator and probably had little in common with how modern whales behave," Marx explains.

Marx and Fordyce concluded that climate was a big contributor to the history of whale evolution, particularly the change from tropical to cooler weather condition. Possibly, when the weather changes to colder temperatures, the animals' nutrition cycles were altered as well. Hence, the species that the animals used to feed on might have evolved and whales adapted to these supply available to them.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.A lone Cuban tree frog lost its life and caused a sizeable power outage after coming in contact with high-voltage equipment. The Cuban tree frog is a highly invasive species and is the largest tree frog in North America.

Power Outage

In the early morning hours of Friday, over 800 customers of Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) experienced a power outage after a single tree frog came in contact with high-voltage electrical equipment outside a KUA electrical substation. Evidently, the Cuban tree frog made its way up the utility pole and made contact with the equipment at about 4:04 a.m. Fortunately, all power was restored by 5:25 a.m.

"The frog did not survive," said KUA in a statement. It further states that while Cuban tree frogs often sleep above ground in the day, they forage for food during nighttime, often around sources of artificial light. Unfortunately, this behavior occasionally leads them to climb up utility poles where they can come in contact with dangerous equipment.

KUA is Florida's sixth largest community-owned utility company that supplies power to over 70,000 customers in Osceola County.

Cuban Tree Frogs

Cuban tree frogs are described as excellent climbers that tend to eat anything that they can overpower or fit into their mouths. This includes insects, snails, spiders, crustaceans, snakes, lizards, and even other Cuban tree frogs. In fact, they are such voracious eaters that many first reports of Cuban tree frog sightings led to the gradual disappearance of other frogs, toads, and lizards.

These creatures eat so much that they are already considered an invasive species that poses a threat to Florida's native wildlife and biodiversity They were first brought to Florida in 1931 and became established in the state by 1952. Similarly, the presence of Cuban tree frogs in Puerto Rico has been established since the 1950s, and there they are also considered an invasive species.

They have since been observed in Alabama, Georgia, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, and even Ontario, Canada, but these populations are not considered established.

Identifying Cuban Tree Frogs

Compared to many of Florida's native tree frog species, Cuban tree frogs are pretty massive. Though the one that caused the power outage was said to be in excess of 6 inches, adults generally grow up to 5 inches in body length. They also have massive toe pads, bumpy back skin similar to toads', and can vary in color from pale tan or green with no markings to dark brown or green with even darker markings on its back and legs. They may even look white when they are cold or not active.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.A woman from Indianapolis died on Saturday after contracting flesh-eating bacteria during a vacation in Florida.

Carol Martin traveled to Clearwater, Florida, for a vacation with her family and to watch racing in February. After her family returned from the trip, Carol noticed she had a sore on her buttock that looked like a pimple.

Carol had the sore checked by the doctor twice, but she was sent home prescribed with antibiotics and advised to use a heating pad. The infection, however, worsened, and biopsy revealed that Carol actually contracted necrotizing fasciitis, a serious bacterial infection also known as flesh-eating disease.

Carol was hospitalized as her symptoms worsened and spent more than two weeks at the intensive care unit, but she eventually died.

Prompt Treatment Needed

Accurate diagnosis and prompt treatment are crucial for treating necrotizing fasciitis since it can be deadly in a short span of time.

"The first line of defense against this disease is strong antibiotics given through a needle into a vein (IV antibiotics)," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

"Doctors often use surgery  in addition to antibiotics  to remove dead tissue. This surgery is often critical to stop the infection and must happen quickly."

Bacteria In Water

Richard Martin, Carol's husband, thinks his wife's infection stemmed from her getting into the hot tub.

The CDC said that the common way that bacteria gets into the body is through a break in the skin such as a scrape, cut, burn, or bite.

The CDC warned people with open wound or skin infections not to spend time in hot tubs, swimming pools and natural bodies of water, which could be teeming with bacteria. Hot tubs in particular can be prone to bacterial growth.

"Bacteria will grow when the water chemistry is not properly balanced. What you can't see is the scary stuff about pools," said Greg Agerskov, owner of pool maintenance company The Pool Surfers. "Hot tubs are a smaller body of water and they're heated upwards of 100 degrees, which means bacteria can grow even faster there."

Agerskov advised checking the tub for red flags such as cloudy or green water. He warned that many people do not empty spas on regular water.

Other Ways To Avoid Necrotizing Fasciitis

The CDC also advised proper wound care, as well as not delaying first aid of non-infected wounds such as scrapes and blisters.

People with strong immune system and those who observe good hygiene also tend to have lower odds of contracting the infection. People with diabetes, kidney disease, and other health problems that weaken their immune system may have lowered ability to fight infection.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.BlackBerry is getting ready to take the wraps off the successor to the BlackBerry KEYone.

Come June 7, the smartphone maker is going to unveil the BlackBerry KEY2 (or KEYtwo maybe?) at an event in New York City.

BlackBerry's KEYs

The BlackBerry KEYone is the Android phone that's complete with the company's iconic physical keyboard, more or less making it true to phones that made BlackBerry what it is in earlier years.

At this point, not much is known about the BlackBerry KEY2. It isn't even clear whether or not it's going to sport a physical keyboard just like its predecessor. However, the consensus is it'll presumably have one. Just going by the name of the device, that makes a lot of sense too.

The Big Announcement

BlackBerry took things to Twitter to make the big announcement, spreading the word with the tagline "an icon reborn."

It doesn't reveal much aside from the time, unveiling date, and place of the event. The tweet was posted with just emojis too  a key, the number 2, and a pair of eyes.

Possible BlackBerry KEY2 Specs

The Chinese regulatory website TENAA may have already revealed what BlackBerry has up its sleeves. According to the listing, the BlackBerry KEY2 will keep the physical keyboard and boast a dual-camera setup on the back.

As for what's under the hood, it could have a 4.5-inch display with a 1,080 x 1,620 resolution and run on Android 8.1 Oreo right off the bat. A 3,360 mAh battery is going to keep the lights on. It could also offer 6 GB worth of RAM and 64 GB of native storage that's expandable by up to 128 GB with a microSD card. There's no word on the processor just yet.

The Bottom Line

Back in February, BlackBerry said that it's "here to stay," aiming to get between 3 percent and 5 percent market share of the premium smartphone scene over the coming years.

Sales of the BlackBerry KEYone haven't been much to rave about, with numbers stopping short of 1 million. Still, the company called it a success, but not in terms of sales but in the device's availability to consumers.

Now with the upcoming BlackBerry KEY2, it looks like the company is off to achieve its goals, banking on the demographic of physical keyboard fans. If things don't work out, it'll always have its security services to lean back on.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Stephen Hawking's family has announced a lottery offering 1,000 people the chance to honor the famed scientist at Westminster Abbey in London, England on June 15.

To Be Buried With Other Great Scientists

During the ceremony, the theoretical physicist's ashes will be buried between the graves of other great scientists notably Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton.

The organizers of the memorial services also appear to have provided time travelers a chance to be at the event.

Chance For Time Travellers To Attend Stephen Hawking's Memorial Service

Those who want to honor Hawking, who died on March 14 at the age of 76, can apply via a public ballot and would have to provide their birth date, which can be any day up to December 21, 2038. The ballot for tickets will close at midnight on May 15.

Time Travel Cannot Be Ruled Out

Hawking himself made mention in one of his lectures that rapid space-travel or travel back in time cannot be ruled out based on current understanding.

"We cannot exclude the possibility of time travel as it has not been disproven to our satisfaction," a spokesman for the Hawking's foundation said. "All things are possible until proven otherwise."

London travel blogger IanVisits who noticed that people born from 2019 to 2038 were permitted to attend the memorial service said it seems perfect that the memorial website would allow people born in the future to attend the service as Hawking himself had hosted a party for time travelers.

Hawking's Party For Time Travellers

In 2009, Hawking conducted an odd experiment on time travel. It required balloons, champagnes, and hors d'oeuvres.

He dressed up and waited for time travelers to arrive at a particular location at the University of Cambridge on June 28, 2009. He even provided the exact GPS coordinates to prevent confusion.

The invitations for the time travelers party, however, were not sent out until after the reception was over. This was an important part of the experiment since only those capable of traveling back in time would be able to attend.

Unfortunately, nobody showed up, which led to Hawking concluding that backward time travel likely is not possible.

"I have experimental evidence that time travel is not possible," Hawking said in 2012. "I gave a party for time-travelers, but I didn't send out the invitations until after the party. I sat there a long time, but no one came."

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Modi visit pushes back budget plans

The governments busy schedule due to the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pushed the date for presenting the annual policies and programmes to the House by a week.My love for literature outweighed my career aspirations

On the occasion of BP Koiralas birth centenary in 2014, a nationwide-open Nepali essay competition was held. Over a hundred writers had submitted essays on BP Koiralas place in Nepals cultural memory and in the end, Ram Prasad Pantas work was declared the best. Born in Baletaksar, Gulmi in 1953, Panta studied Sanskrit from a young age and graduated in Shastri, a degree in Sanskrit, from Benaras. Since he returned to Nepal in 1976, he has been continuously involved in Nepali literaturebe it writing for magazines or penning 28 books or establishing the literary magazine, Dayitwa.NEA trying to remove slowpoke contractor

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has been pressurising Indian company Texmaco, the contractor for the hydro-mechanical works of the Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project, to subcontract the task to Austrian company Andritz Hydro as its sluggishness threatens to make the national pride project miss its completion deadline.Nepal, India issue joint statement during Modis visit

Nepal and India issued a joint statement on Saturday during the state visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.This photograph is seen in a book titled The Convention of 98: A Complete Work on the Greatest Political Event in Louisianas History and a Sketch of The Men Who Composed It found in the library of the Louisiana Research Collection at Tulane University in New Orleans, La., Tuesday, March 27, 2018.PORTLAND, Ore.  Perhaps no part of Oregon feels less like Louisiana than this city's South Waterfront district, where rush hour could be mistaken for a scene from "Back to the Future."

Commuters whiz along in light rail and crowded bike lanes before packing into an aerial tram that soars 500 feet over Interstate 5 to the affluent community of Marquam Hill. The city calls this the "most transportation-diverse" intersection in the country  a bustling monument to Portland's renowned progressive streak.

+2 Tilting the scales: What to know about Louisiana's controversial non-unanimous jury law For the last 120 years, Louisiana has had an unusual and long-standing allowance for split jury verdicts in felony cases.

It's a reputation Portlanders come by honestly. This is a city of composting, backyard chicken husbandry, coffee snobbery and counterculture. Seven in 10 Portland voters backed legal marijuana when it passed in 2014.

But many Portlanders are blissfully unaware that their state is more akin to Shreveport than Seattle when it comes to a fundamental American right. Oregon for 84 years has shared a constitutional quirk with Louisiana that allows criminal trials to be decided by nonunanimous juries.

In every other state  and the federal court system  juries must reach unanimous verdicts in felony cases, whether convicting a serial arsonist or acquitting a low-level drug dealer. A single holdout can deadlock a jury in most American courtrooms.

That is not the case here, to the shock and chagrin of many locals.

It's an unlikely kinship for states that diverge on everything from politics to topography  and an increasingly unwanted distinction in this drizzly corner of the Pacific Northwest.

Louisiana, for all its cultural allure, has a less than endearing national reputation when it comes to criminal justice and incarceration. The associations are not lost on Oregonians.

"It puts us in the same category as Louisiana, and people don't like that," said John Hummel, district attorney of Deschutes County, one of Oregons largest.

Hummel is among a small group of Oregon district attorneys who have called for the law to be changed to require unanimous verdicts. A campaign to place a measure before state voters in 2020 is building here, and, for its supporters, Louisiana has served as an expedient foil.

On question of requiring unanimous verdicts in Louisiana, opposition often looks overseas The push to require Louisiana juries to return unanimous verdicts has resulted in some unusual alliances in Baton Rouge, with Tea Party Republ

Maybe not for much longer, though. A bill has been moving forward in the Louisiana legislature for a referendum on split verdicts, and a House vote on the measure, the last and biggest hurdle to getting on the ballot, is expected this week.

It could turn out that Oregon  where the split-verdict law owes its existence not to Jim Crow, but a different strain of ethnic hatred  soon stands alone.

"It would just be salt in the wound if Louisiana changed the law before we did," said Thomas Freedman, a Portland defense attorney who has frequently challenged the constitutionality of split verdicts. "Even the possibility of that has created a stir here."

Racial origins

Oregon and Louisiana adopted nonunanimous verdicts decades apart and under disparate circumstances. But both states' laws originated in a climate of ethnic hatred. While Oregon and Louisiana seem to have little in common on the surface, the split-verdict debate has touched on troubling parallels in the states' histories.

Louisiana's law was enshrined in the state's 1898 constitutional convention, called to "perpetuate the supremacy of the Anglo-Saxon race" by diminishing the voice of black voters. Oregon legalized split verdicts in 1934, when voters approved a ballot initiative just months after a sensational murder trial that outraged Portland and raised fears of "unreasonable jurors" sabotaging the criminal justice system.

Can't see video below? Click here.

Louisianas politicians, perhaps leery of opening the law to constitutional challenge, were careful to avoid overtly invoking a racial motive when discussing the move to split verdicts. That was less true in Oregon.

There, the concerns stemmed from the refusal of a single juror to convict Jacob Silverman of murder in the "gangland" shooting death of Jimmy Walker  a slaying authorities described as retribution for the earlier shooting of a speakeasy owner friendly with Silverman.

The body of Walker, an ex-convict, was found in rural Columbia County. Also slain was Edith McClain, who had been posing as Walker's wife.

A single holdout refused to convict Silverman of murder after 17 hours of deliberations, prompting a compromise in which the jury found him guilty of manslaughter. Silverman ultimately was sentenced to three years in prison, far less than the 15-year maximum, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. The judge attributed the lenient sentence to the circumstantial nature of the state's evidence.

The fallout came swiftly. The Morning Oregonian editorialized that "the vast immigration into America from southern and eastern Europe, of people untrained in the jury system, (had) combined to make the jury of twelve increasingly unwieldy and unsatisfactory." The Oregonian later published a cartoon of a mobster in a speeding car with a sign on the door that read, "Hung Juries."

"Ultimately, conviction will have to be made possible with less than a unanimous vote of the 12 jurors," the newspaper wrote. "But that change will not be made until miscarriages of justice have become so flagrant that the people cannot deny them. The public is so attached to the present safeguards thrown around defendants that it will not make the change willingly, and, as far as Oregon is concerned, the reorganization will require an amendment to the state constitution."

Aliza Kaplan, a professor at Lewis & Clark Law School, wrote in 2016 that the state had been "simmering with anti-immigrant xenophobia" at the time  a period of deep recession in which Oregon had embraced a powerful Ku Klux Klan and "the bigotry and fear of minority groups."

"Oregonians became angry that a Jewish man accused of killing a Protestant was spared a murder conviction and death sentence because a single juror held out for manslaughter," Kaplan wrote.

Weeks after Silverman was sentenced, the Oregon Legislature referred a constitutional amendment to voters that faced almost no opposition. It was later approved by 63 percent of the electorate.

Much like Louisiana, the state had required unanimous juries for more than 70 years before the abrupt change.

'Institutionalized racism'

Kaplan says the split-verdict law is an extension of Oregon's "history of institutionalized racism" dating to its 1859 admission to the Union, when it became the only state with an "exclusion law" written into its constitution that prevented blacks from settling or owning property.

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Today, Oregons population is just 2 percent black, to Louisianas 32 percent, the second-highest percentage in the country.

If Oregon's black population is tiny, supporters of a change to the split-jury law see troubling signs of disparate treatment in the data. Though black people comprise just 2 percent of all Oregonians, they are 9 percent of the prison population. The result is an incarceration rate for black men that's on par with Louisiana, and nearly twice that of Georgia and Mississippi.

"A lot of people think of Portland and Oregon and how progressive we are, and in a lot of ways we are," Kaplan said. "But I would say that, at least within criminal justice, we are not that way at all on a lot of issues. There are a lot of things in our criminal justice world that are more like Southern states than you would imagine."

The states also differ wildly when it comes to crime. Oregons violent crime rate is half that of Louisiana. Portland, the state's biggest city with 640,000 residents, had 20 homicides in 2016. New Orleans, with a quarter-million fewer residents, had 175.

Oregon's split-verdict system has received more attention in recent months than at any other time in its history  in part because of the debate unfolding more than 2,000 miles away in Louisiana, where the Legislature is considering a bill that would allow voters to require juries to return unanimous verdicts.

If nothing else, the discussion has educated many Oregonians who had been in the dark about the state's unusual law. Those in favor of reform, from the halls of the Oregon Legislature to the hipster microbreweries of the Willamette Valley, often frame the question in the same way: "Do we really want to be like Louisiana?"

"This is a dubious terrible distinction for both Oregon and Louisiana," said David Rogers, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon. "This is not the way we want to distinguish ourselves in the country, and if Louisiana went forward and did the right thing here, it would put a lot of pressure on Oregon."

The movement to change the law in Oregon gained unexpected momentum in January, when the state's district attorneys association came out in favor of repealing the split-jury law. But the association reversed itself weeks later.

Still, several prosecutors have spoken critically of split verdicts, including Rod Underhill, the district attorney in Portland, who said earlier this year that the law appeared to be "premised in racism" and anti-Semitism. Some of Underhill's counterparts around the state go further, saying the law undermines the credibility of the criminal justice system.

As in Louisiana, some lawmakers are agitating to change the law with or without the DAs support, though the effort is not quite ripe. State Sen. James Manning Jr., a Eugene Democrat, has called on Oregon to "join the other civilized states" in requiring unanimous juries. He told The Advocate he plans to introduce legislation to do that next year.

"I was in Louisiana," Manning, a black Army veteran once assigned to Fort Polk, told lawmakers during a committee hearing this year. "And I know what it's like."

A dearth of data

The debate surrounding split jury verdicts here has taken place without the benefit of much data.

The Advocate, over the past year, analyzed nearly 1,000 jury trial convictions in Louisiana and found 40 percent came over the objections of one or two holdouts. As common as split verdicts are, they occur even more frequently when the defendant was black. The analysis made clear that split verdicts have an adverse impact on African-American defendants, who are overrepresented in the state's massive prison population but underrepresented on juries.

The newspapers analysis also found that black defendants were more likely to be convicted in split jury verdicts than white ones, and that black jurors were significantly more likely to dissent with a split verdict than white ones.

No comparable studies have been conducted in Oregon to measure potential discrimination, Kaplan said.

But the state does have some data on the frequency of split verdicts. The Oregon Office of Public Defense Service published a report in 2009 that examined 662 jury verdicts over a two-year period. The researchers found that jury polling only occurred in about two-thirds of those proceedings; of those cases, 65.5 percent included a split verdict on at least one count. (In The Advocate's sample of 993 cases, 51 percent included a split verdict on at least one count; 40 percent were convicted by split juries on all counts.)

When the U.S. Supreme Court last considered nonunanimous verdicts  upholding the systems in both Oregon and Louisiana in 1972  prosecutors pointed to a dearth of statistical data. They said the challengers had failed to make a statistical showing of "injustice or unfairness, and that split verdicts were "less fictitious" than the "illusion" of unanimity.

"Unanimity is commonly an artificial condition among contentious, varying individual human beings," the state's attorneys wrote. "People are not unanimous unless they are forced to be."

One of those attorneys, Jacob Tanzer, then Oregon's solicitor general, told The Advocate that he never considered whether the law discriminated against minorities. His central argument, he recalled, was that a vote of 10 of 12 jurors served as a "sufficient barrier" against prosecutorial error and also fulfilled the Sixth Amendment purpose of "interposition" between the state and the accused.

"I did not do historical research into the reasons the practice had been adopted," said Tanzer, who later became an Oregon Supreme Court justice. "Of course, were there historical evidence of intent to discriminate, I should have looked for it, but it was more than equally the responsibility of defense counsel to have done so. The state public defender in the Oregon courts did not do so, but on reflection should have."

The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Tanzer in Apodaca v. Oregon, finding that the Sixth Amendment does not mandate unanimity in state jury trials even though that standard is required in federal court. The high court has since shown little interest in revisiting its decision on split verdicts.

'A gray area'

Critics of nonunanimous verdicts contend that Oregon and Louisiana, in changing their laws, abandoned the notion of guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt." If a sixth of a jury believes the defendant is not guilty, they say, how can the threshold for a conviction have been met?

Advocates for changing the law here point to the case of Olan Williams as illustrative of the problems with split verdicts. Williams, who is black, was convicted by a 10-2 vote in 2016 of first-degree sodomy.

One of the dissenting jurors was Cashmita Singleton, the lone black juror on the panel. Singleton told The Advocate she had doubts about the victim's testimony, which she described as shifting and inconsistent.

Jurors had reached a 9-3 deadlock following several hours of deliberation, with Singleton and another juror refusing to change their votes, despite intense pressure from other jurors, including one woman who began standing on a couch in the jury room. Another holdout abruptly switched her vote to guilty after the court clerk came in to ask when the panel would be back the following day. That woman explained that she could not continue deliberating because of her child care arrangement, Singleton said.

"I just put my head down, and that was it," Singleton said in an interview. "Clearly, if two people don't believe a person is guilty, there has to be some level of doubt. Everyone who has a say in that person's fate should agree on the outcome. There shouldn't be a gray area."State leaders are taking the unusual step of enacting a law to soften the blow when lots of public school letter grades decline later this year.

The measure, Senate Bill 152, would require the state to issue two letter grades and two school performance scores  one reflecting the previous, more generous scoring system and the other its tougher successor.

The measure, with the blessing of state education leaders, is moving easily through the Legislature.

It is one step from final approval, and the House is set to debate the legislation on Tuesday.

The worries among lawmakers, local school superintendents and others stem from a controversial new rating system approved last year by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

+2 Tougher grading system for Louisiana schools worry educators their institutions won't meet standards Public school letter grades, which have sparked controversy since they were unveiled in 2011, are at the center of a new dispute between stat

The plan, which is part of Louisiana's bid to make its school rigor similar to other states, features a new measuring stick for how schools perform.

That in turn will have a big impact on all-important school letter grades, which are annual snapshots of classroom performance that often cause angst for educators, students and parents.

The new rules will make it harder to earn top marks.

"There has been great concern," Senate Education Committee Chairman Blade Morrish, R-Jennings and sponsor of the bill, said earlier this month.

"The testing scores, because of the new rigor, are going to be lower," Morrish said. "We are going to have an A school be a B school, etc. But there will be new rigor."

Those worries have caused nervous superintendents, public school groups and others to line up behind the legislation.

"If you only give one score with the new standards, no one will know how we did," said Michael Faulk, former longtime superintendent of the Central School District and now executive director of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents.

"You may have a student score at the same level they did last year but the points they earn would be less," Faulk said. "It is easier to explain."

Scott Devillier, superintendent of the top-rated Zachary School District, backs the two-grade plan. "It is really just to be able to explain it to your community," Devillier said.

Some schools started getting the word out in January that the state's grading system is about to undergo major changes.

Faulk's group has prepared a templet for local superintendents.

It allows them to plug in information about their own districts, and show parents, business leaders and others how the rating system is changing.

The state Department of Education has worked with Morrish.

"That seems like a good idea to me," state Superintendent of Education John White said of the bill. "2018 marks a shift."

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The bill would require the state to publish scores and corresponding letter grades based on the old system, the 2016-17 school year, as well as those that cover the 2017-18 year.

It would also require BESE to do the same in the future whenever there is a "significant change" in how schools are rated.

Louisiana has five achievement levels: Advanced, mastery, basic, approaching basic and unsatisfactory.

Louisiana scores stall in drive for higher public school achievement Louisiana's drive to meet higher standards for A-rated schools stalled during the past school year, according to state figures released Tuesday.

The previous standard was basic, which critics said was long out of step with what most states require students to learn.

The new one is mastery, a higher bar and one students will have to average for their school to earn an A rating by 2025.

Schools used to get 125 points for mastery.

Now they will get 100.

Basic used to net 100 points. Now it will generate 80 points.

The state is also ending a generous curved system in rating schools that was in effect for four years.

+2 No more curve: School letter grades on Tuesday will be last of their kind When public school letter grades are released on Tuesday, it will mark the end of a generous scoring system sparked mostly by the tougher acad

Morrish's bill would be in addition to steps already taken to ease the move to tougher ratings.

Under the old system, schools had to earn at least 100 out of 150 points to get an A.

Under the new rules, they can do so with a 90.

In addition, yearly academic growth will count for 25 percent of a school's letter grade.

Under the previous system, those gains made up 7 percent of the grade and only applied to struggling students. "That cushions the effect for schools that do make progress," White said.

Jessica Baghian, assistant state superintendent for assessments and accountability, said BESE installed a "thoughtful" system. "We think it is a very reasonable transition plan," Baghian said.

Some educators say that, under the new rules, school scores will drop by an average of 15 points  more than a letter grade.

Baghian said state simulations show the fall will be an average of 9.6 points, which is offset by the new grading scale.

Debra Schum, executive director of the Louisiana Association of Principals, said issuing two letter grades and school performance scores is a good idea.

"It will make it clearer," Schum said.The Project Loon team from Google launch a high-altitude balloon carrying electronic testing equipment into the skies above Dos Palos, California, July 26, 2013. Team members from left to right are Bill Rogers, Hiyab Alemgesed, Michael Margraf and T.J. Tierney. (Gary Reyes/Bay Area News Group/MCT)Nepal, India to resolve key issues by Sept 19

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and visiting Indian PM Narendra Modi have agreed to resolve selected outstanding issues by September 19, the day the constitution was promulgated in Nepal in 2015. PM Oli made this pledge during a joint address with his Indian counterpart after delegation-level talks here on Friday.The St. Tammany Parish School Board will vote next week on security recommendations that would require students at all parish schools to wear uniforms and would add a resource officer and a mental health provider to each of its campuses, moves that will cost an estimated $4 million a year.

The board met Thursday as a committee of the whole and voted to recommend passage of all three changes, a strong indication that it will approve the measures when it meets formally next week. But the vote on changing the uniform policy was not unanimous, with three members voting against it.

The measures were recommended by the School Safety and Security Committee, which considered school security improvements in the wake of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting that killed 17 students and faculty members in February.

Most schools in the district already require uniforms, Associate Superintendent Peter Jabbia said. But five high schools and one junior high do not. Those that would be affected by the change are Covington High, Fontainebleau High, Lakeshore High, Mandeville High, Pearl River High and Lee Road Junior High.

Board member Neal Hennegan said parents in those schools voted against requiring uniforms and should again be asked whether they support a mandatory uniform proposal rather than having the policy imposed on them.

Board members Charles Harrell and Mary K. Bellisario agreed, but they were outvoted 10-3.

The other measure considered was whether to provide full-time resource officers and mental health providers at every school.

While noting the proposal would cost an additional $4 million a year, Jabbia said the school system wanted to move on this as soon as possible."

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He recommended drawing on FEMA money and the school system's share of the BP oil spill settlement for interim financing until a bond issue for permanent funding can be put on a future ballot.

The Safety and Security Committee that made the recommendations included School Board members and administrators, principals, teachers and parents. The members studied current security measures at St. Tammany schools and considered additional steps.

Besides uniforms and additional personnel, the committee also suggested installing perimeter fencing and more secure magnetic entryways at schools. The School Board is expected to discuss those proposals at a later date.

Jabbia said all stakeholders surveyed by the committee, including principals and law enforcement officials, recommended uniforms as a way to quickly identify anyone of school age who doesnt belong on a school campus.

At last month's School Board meeting, Superintendent Trey Folse said he also is considering a change in the system's cell phone policy in light of multiple school shootings, and will propose a revised policy before the next school year.

The change likely would loosen the current policy that prohibits students from having cell phones in schools. While Folse said he has been considering the change for some time, the Parkland shooting may have increased his resolve.

His comments came after St. Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith unveiled the App Task Force  a cell phone app that would let residents report crimes in progress to law enforcement with the push of a few buttons. Smith and app developer Sidney Torres IV both said it could be a valuable tool for students in a school-shooter situation.Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Byron C. Williams, already under a state Judiciary Commission investigation into allegations of groping and inappropriate behavior, is the subject of a new grievance over an odd recent episode in his courtroom.

Orleans Parish Chief Public Defender Derwyn Bunton sent a letter Wednesday to Chief Judge Keva Landrum-Johnson, reporting some bizarre behavior by Williams as he presided last week over his drug court docket.

According to Bunton's letter, a female public defender opened the Section G courtroom door to peek inside, then began to walk away when Williams excitedly told her to come in while grabbing her by the arm and pulling her to his side.

Williams then wrapped an arm around the public defender and began using her as a teaching tool while making references to her physical appearance before a courtroom packed with drug court defendants, according to the account.

Bunton said the judge asked them to notice how well dressed she is, how attractive she is, and what a good size she is, comparing her to the girlfriend of a drug court participant there who herself had completed the program.

He told the audience that the graduates girlfriend looked just like the attorney when she finished drug court.

The judge then digressed into a seemingly unrelated story about a drug court participant who gave birth in jail because he would not release her.

It turned out that woman was present in the courtroom, sitting as an inmate in the jury box.

Williams had the woman in the box stand up and asked the audience to compare her appearance to the (public defenders), Bunton wrote.

The judge then declared that the father of the child born in jail was in court too. He made the father come up to the front of the room as well.

Bunton wrote that another woman later that morning also made the mistake of opening the courtroom door to peek in.

Williams told her it looks like she needs drug court and made her come in. When she took offense, he said he was just 'being real' and 'thats life, we have to help each other out,  Bunton wrote.

The report of Williams' actions that Bunton cited was confirmed by multiple sources, he wrote.

Williams did not immediately return a phone message Friday afternoon.

His attorney, Ernest L. Jones, did not dispute Bunton's account, only the suggestion that it signaled misbehavior. He said Williams had been giving his usual opening statement to drug court participants.

And he always tries to teach some kind of lesson. This time, as I appreciate it, he called in some people to be examples of whatever he was trying to get at, Jones said.

He described it as a spur-of-the-moment thing. He never intended to offend anybody, and from what Im gathering, nobody complained at the time. If he did, he apologizes to anybody who was offended.

Landrum-Johnson declined to comment on the letter or how she plans to respond to it.

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Though he acknowledged sending the letter, Bunton declined to comment on the allegations against Williams, saying that the Orleans Public Defenders office is still considering subsequent action.

His letter marked only the latest grievance lodged against Williams, and it may be the least of the judge's problems.

The Advocate reported in September that Williams is the subject of a Judiciary Commission investigation into at least two complaints lodged against him last summer, including allegations by several women.

Sources told the newspaper that one of the complaints involved an allegation that Williams groped a female clerk who works for another judge, grabbing her breast.

A second complaint said Williams made off-color comments from the bench, according to courthouse sources with knowledge of the complaints.

Formal complaints to the commission, an arm of the Louisiana Supreme Court, are cloaked in secrecy. They remain under wraps unless the state's high court metes out discipline, which can include censure, suspension or removal from office.

Jones, the judge's attorney, said he was uncertain where the Judiciary Commission investigation stands.

There is no indication that Williams faces any criminal consequences from the allegations lodged against him.

Williams, 63, who is married, was a federal prosecutor under former U.S. Attorney Eddie Jordan. When Jordan became Orleans Parish district attorney in 2003, Williams followed him, serving as a state prosecutor for five years.

He then served briefly as special counsel to the Judiciary Commission in 2008 and 2009, overseeing complaints against lawyers and judges.

Williams left a post as executive counsel to the president of Southern University to run in 2014 for the Criminal District Court seat vacated by retired Judge Julian Parker.

A graduate of St. Augustine High School and Tulane University law school, Williams also is a former chairman of the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission.

Williams left his NORD-C board post last month after critics began calling for his removal based on the allegations The Advocate reported last year.

Jones told WWL-TV last month that it appears to (Williams) that he is becoming a distraction from the ability of NORD-C to continue to work for the betterment of our youth.

Jones added that we continue to vigorously deny the underlying allegations.

Several women in the courthouse, though, have reported examples of what they considered inappropriate or peculiar behavior by the judge.

One complaint was that Williams was prone to enter a womens bathroom on the second floor of the courthouse, sources said. Court officials changed the bathroom locks soon after receiving that complaint.African Food Recipe Tuwo Shinkafa African Sticky Rice Ball

African sticky rice balls is one of the easiest African food recipes ever. Tuwo Shinkafa African sticky rice balls is a popular African food sticky rice fufu dish of the Hausa and Fulani peoples of northern Nigerian. Serve this best African food recipe with any soup or stew dish such as tomato, chicken or vegetable.

Tuwo Shinkafa African Sticky Rice Balls

Ingredients

2 cups any brand glutinous rice or sticky rice

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

In large pot add water, following cooking instructions on the bag of rice. Reduce the heat and cover until the rice is soft and sticky. Turn the cooked rice out onto a clean work surface. Use a long-handled wooden spoon to flatten rice, knead rice as you would knead dough. Roll into bite size pieces serve warm with African soups and stews.





Tuwo in the of Chad, Ghana, Cameroon, Niger and the northern half of Nigeria Hausa language means, ground meal from rice or corn.

More easy lunch and dinner rice recipes to make right now so you never have to eat or prepare a boring white rice recipe again.Monday 05 September, 2016 Reliable information reaching Biafra writers desk has it that the life of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indi...Police detain 30 protesters

Police on Friday detained 30 protesters from different parts of Kathmandu for trying to disrupt the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg attends a pre-wedding reception for her son, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, October 2012 (Guy Wolff/Grand-Ducal Court of Luxembourg via Getty Images)

If you ask me, one of the best things a tiara can be is versatile. A piece that can be worn in multiple configurations automatically increases its value to the wearer significantly, allowing it to be used in different ways for different occasions. Todays tiara is just such a piece: the convertible pearl and diamond necklace/tiara, is worn by Maria Teresa, the current Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano attend a gala performance ahead of the wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, May 2004 (CLAUS FISKER/AFP/Getty Images)

The sparkler, which is easily recognizable for its intricate and unique latticework pattern of diamonds, was made by Chaumet during the reign of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg. A model of the tiara is on display at Chaumet in Paris; its clearly visible in the photo of the Chaumet models featured in Diana Scarisbricks Tiara. The main wearer of the piece is Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, although the tiara has also been worn (years ago) by one of her sisters-in-law, Princess Margaretha.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg and Queen Sonja of Norway attend the 60th birthday celebrations for King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, April 2006 (AFP/Getty Images)

Maria Teresa wears a double row of gems atop the diamond choker when she dons the piece in tiara form  a row of round diamonds situated atop the choker, and a row of larger pearls mounted a level higher. (The ladies over at Luxarazzi note that the piece was originally made to be topped with sapphires, not pearls.) It can also be worn without any of the topper stones at all.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden arrive at a state banquet in Stockholm, April 2008 (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

The grand duchess also sometimes wears the choker version of the piece stacked with other necklaces, including a diamond collet necklace, as she did during the 2008 state visit to Sweden. Though the piece is worn quite close to the neck when it is used as a necklace (as most chokers are), the piece is opened when it is placed on a tiara frame, making it seem much more substantial than it would if it were worn as a closed circlet.

Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg arrive at a pre-wedding reception for their son, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, October 2012 (Guy Wolff/Grand-Ducal Court of Luxembourg via Getty Images)

In recent years, Maria Teresa has reserved the choker tiara for her personal use. Shes worn it at state visits, birthday galas, and even the dinner held the night before the wedding of her eldest son, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume. But with the new hereditary grand duchess slowly making a tiara tour of the family vaults, surely its only a matter of time before we see it atop another Nassau noggin!

Note: This is an updated version of an earlier post, with new text and images.Rs70m milk plant to be set up in Chapagaun

The Lalitpur District Dairy Cooperative Union (LDDCU) plans to establish a Rs70 million digitalised milk processing plant in Chapagaun, Godavari Municipality. The fully automated plant will process 1,000 litres of milk per hour. It will have advanced equipment such as cream separator, homogeniser, chiller, pasteuriser and packaging machine.Art and Politics

Picasso's safe at UMMA

by Leslie Stanton

From the May, 2018 issue

Museums shouldn't be "a kind of respite," declares Christina Olsen, the new director of the University of Michigan Museum of Art. She's already at work on her first special exhibition--a look at early 1970s abstract art, with a focus on race and feminism. She hopes the show, scheduled for fall, will be provocative. A place like UMMA shouldn't be "putting its head in the sand," she says. "That's not the making of a museum that's going to matter long-term."



She believes UMMA is uniquely positioned to address contemporary controversies. "A lot of the issues that matter to the whole country--social justice, gentrification, the environment, political polarization--are ground zero in Michigan," she says. That wasn't true at her last job, at the Williams College Museum of Art in rural Massachusetts.



The National Gallery of Art in Washington recently cancelled a scheduled show by painter Chuck Close amid allegations of sexual harassment. Olsen calls this a "complicated moment" for museums, but agrees with the decision. "I think if you have clear evidence of a person having assaulted [someone], then of all the artists to show--and there are many, many to show--is that a person whose work you want to be lauding at the moment?"



UMMA has no works by Close. It does have a number by Pablo Picasso, whose own transgressions toward women are well documented. Olsen doesn't plan to hide those away, however.



The difference, she says, is that Close is still living. "There's nothing we could do as a museum that would be helpful in shifting Picasso's trajectory," she says. "It's past, it's done."



[Originally published in May, 2018.]







Strong ties shall always remain

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said Nepal is at the forefront of Indias Neighbourhood First policy and reiterated the historical strong shall always remain.Modi arrived Janakpur from New Delhi on a two-day State Visit to Nepal on Friday.Addressing a gathering after his civic reception, hosted by Janakpur Sub-Metropolitan City at Rangabhoomi Maidan, the Indian premier said spiritualism connects Nepal and India more than politics and diplomacy.Meghan Markle once struggled for roles but the US actress has now landed the biggest part of all as she prepares to marry Prince Harry next Saturday and become the newest face in Britain's royal family.

At 36 and with a successful self-made career behind her, few doubt that the television star and humanitarian activist is ready to join the cast of the monarchy.

Markle made her name as savvy paralegal Rachel Zane in the US legal drama series "Suits", but cultivated a high profile for herself outside the show too.

She became a United Nations advocate for women's empowerment and a global ambassador for the World Vision Canada relief agency.

The Los Angeles-born star had more than two million followers on her now-closed Instagram account and ran a successful lifestyle blog, The Tig.

Markle was also revealed as the anonymous blogger behind The Working Actress, which chronicled the struggles of hustling for parts in Hollywood.

"She comes across as very poised, eloquent, thoughtful," said royal writer Andrew Morton, who has penned a biography of Markle.

"She's very focused and someone who has been very ambitious and really wants to give back. Her great phrase is 'make the change'," he told AFP.

"Meghan's a smart girl. She knows exactly what she's getting into."

Read also: Lego builds miniature Windsor castle to celebrate royal wedding

- Ancestors royals and slaves -

Rachel Meghan Markle was born on August 4, 1981 to Thomas Markle, a white, Emmy Award-winning television lighting director who worked on top US shows like "Married With Children", and Doria Ragland, a black social worker and yoga instructor.

On her mother's side, her ancestors were slaves who worked on cotton plantations in Georgia. Her mother's surname is taken from a slave owner.

On her father's side, genealogists have traced her ancestry back to king Robert I of Scotland, who reigned from 1306 to 1329.

Markle's parents split when she was two and divorced five years later. She is now estranged from her older half-sister and half-brother, who has been scathing about her attitude towards the family.

"Her tiny bit of Hollywood fame has gone to her head, changing her into a jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you," half-brother Tom Markle wrote in an April 26 open letter to Harry.

She went to a private Catholic girls' school where she was remembered for her strong sense of right and wrong.

Aged 11, her letter-writing campaign got the consumer goods giant Procter and Gamble to change a washing-up commercial, referring to people rather than just women.

Determined to give herself options, Markle studied theatre and international relations at Northwestern University.

She graduated in 2003, after which she landed a six-week internship as a press officer at the US embassy in Argentina.

"She had all that it takes to be a successful diplomat," said Mark Krischik, her superior in Buenos Aires.

Read also: Meghan Markle unveiled at London waxwork museum

- 'Suits' springboard -

Returning to Los Angeles, in 2004 she fell in love with go-getting film producer Trevor Engelson, who helped her get on the acting ladder as she struggled for bit parts.

They married in Jamaica in 2011.

Soon after their engagement, Markle had landed her signature role in "Suits".

Filmed in Toronto, their relationship became a long-distance one. A series of flops followed for Engelson but the struggling actress became a star and the marriage collapsed in 2013.

Through a mutual friend, she met Queen Elizabeth II's grandson Harry in July 2016 while visiting London. Their romance quickly blossomed on a whirlwind camping trip to Botswana.

Since their engagement was announced in November 2017, Markle has accompanied Harry, now sixth in line to the throne, on several public events ahead of their May 19 wedding.

Arthur Edwards, The Sun newspaper's royal photographer since 1977, said her style at public engagement was unusual.

"I've seen Meghan do selfies and give autographs, which the royals never do."

But Majesty Magazine editor Ingrid Seward told AFP that some readers "don't like her way of being outspoken, saying what she thinks, having views on politics and everything else".

"Everybody's intrigued by Meghan, whether they like her or not," she added.

Her acting career behind her, Markle's royal duties are likely to focus on youth, the Commonwealth and women's empowerment.

With Harry, his brother Prince William and his wife Kate, the four will have the task of renewing the monarchy's relevance to a younger generation.Snapchat got some of its old look back on Friday in an update to a major redesign that riled users and caused growth to stumble.

Software changes to the Snapchat application for Apple mobile devices put "Snaps" and "Chats" back in reverse chronological order and move Stories from friends back to the right side of the app.

Snapchat also added a subscriptions feed devoted to content from celebrities, publishers and other professional sources.

The modifications undo some changes made when parent company Snap overhauled the app late last year in the name of broadening the appeal of the youth-oriented social network

"We are now focused on optimizing the redesign based on our ongoing experimentation and learning," Snap co-founder and chief executive Evan Spiegel said last week during an earnings call with analysts.

Users had complained about the abrupt overhaul of the service.

An online petition calling on Snap to undo the overhaul had more than 1.2 million signatures as of Friday.

"Many users have found that it has not made the app easier to use, but has in fact made many features more difficult," the petition on change.org states.

Read also: Snapchat joins EU group fighting hate speech

The update separated "media content" from that of friends, a move aimed at avoiding problems faced by social media rivals Facebook and Twitter over the proliferation of misinformation.

But a flurry of Twitter comments took issue with the move by Snapchat, which became a favorite of teens for its disappearing messages but also offers content from various media partners.

Snapchat's parent company took a blow when reality star Kylie Jenner temporarily turned away from the service, broadcasting her dislike of the overhaul on Twitter.

The Snapchat update that started rolling out on Friday was intended to hold true to the idea of keeping personal content separate while making it easy for users to view professional content displayed in a "subscriptions" box.

Snap's revenue and user growth in the first three months of this year fell short of investor expectations, sending the share price to a record low.

"Snapchat's slowing growth and lower-than-expected revenue are, in part, likely due to the app's redesign disappointing another key group: millennials," YouGov research writer Paul Hiebert said in an online post.

Since the Snapchat redesign late last year, its image has sunk along with its satisfaction rating in the eyes of US users ranging in age from 18 years old to 30 years old, according to YouGov survey results.Tesla Inc.s engineering chief is taking a break from the company, weeks after Elon Musk took over production responsibilities during the rocky ramping up of the Model 3 sedan.

Doug Field, a senior vice president, is taking time off to recharge and spend time with his family and hasnt left the company, a spokesman said in an email.

Read also: Tesla recalls 123,000 cars for power steering fix

Musk, 46, had asked Field about a year ago to manage both engineering and production to better align the two departments, the CEO wrote in a tweet last month. Musk was responding to a report by The Information that said he had taken direct control of production. The CEO confirmed this, tweeting that it was better to divide & conquer.

In another tweet, Musk wrote that he regarded Field as one of the worlds most talented engineering executives. Hes one of only four executive officers named in the companys recent proxy statement.

Field, 52, made headlines in March with an email to workers that urged them to prove a bunch of haters wrong by boosting Model 3 output.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 12, 2018 07:56 1245 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e36b516 1 City Sandiaga-Uno,united-states,visit Free

Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno says he is mulling over going to the United States after the celebration of the 491st anniversary of Jakarta next month.

Sandiaga said he had been invited to talk about the resilience of cities and climate change at the C40 worlds megacities network forum on June 27, five days after the celebration of the capitals 491st anniversary.

The invitation is from the C40, a cities forum set up by the former mayor of New York, mayor [Michael] Bloomberg, to anticipate climate change, Sandiaga said on Friday as reported by kompas.com.

Sandiaga said Jakarta was a member of the C40 but had been inactive, adding that he expected Jakarta to be more active in similar international forums

I wish we participated in more international events, especially those pertaining to climate change, he said.

Earlier on April 28, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan traveled to Los Angeles, US to attend a global forum and visited Moroccos capital of Casablanca and Istanbul in Turkey, in the previous week. (ami)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Statesman/ANN) New Delhi  Sat, May 12, 2018 07:15 1245 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e36a109 2 World #India,#Myanmar,#Rohingya,#RohingyaCrisis,#MyanmarRohingya,#refugees,#RefugeeCrisis Free

India on Friday underlined the need for safe and speedy return of Rohingya refugees to their homes in Myanmar while conveying to the Myanmar leadership its readiness to help the South-east Asian country in addressing the issues related to Rakhine State.

The two countries also signed seven agreements, including one that will enable people from both sides to cross the land border with passport and visa, including for accessing health and education services, pilgrimage and tourism.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who was on a two-day visit to the Southeast Asian nation, met a galaxy of Myanmar leaders, including President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and discussed border-related issues, peace and security matters and developments in the Rakhine State, including the return of Rohingya refugees, an official release said in New Delhi.

She also discussed the progress made on the projects to be undertaken in the Rakhine State under the development assistance announced by India.

Swaraj reiterated Indias readiness and commitment to help Myanmar in addressing issues related to Rakhine State. She welcomed Myanmars continued commitment to implementing the Rakhine Advisory Commissions recommendations and noted that under the Rakhine State Development Programme, India was already in the implementation stages of various projects that would respond to the needs of different sections of the Rakhine State population. Swaraj underlined the need for safe, speedy and sustainable return of displaced persons to Rakhine State.

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This article appeared on The Statesman newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta PostShare this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 12, 2018 08:55 1245 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e36c5a6 4 Business government-debt-papers,global-bonds-issuance,Japanese-yen,rupiah,weakening Free

The Finance Ministry has said the government will go ahead with its plan to issue global Samurai bonds (yen-denominated bonds) in the first half of 2018 amid the current rupiah volatility.

We see the Japanese market is a bit different, said Finance Ministry risk and financing management director general Luky Alfirman in Jakarta on Friday as reported by kontan.co.id, without explaining the differences in detail.

Meanwhile, only a few investors bought debt papers issued by the government. Orders for five series of government debt papers (SUN) only reached Rp 7.18 trillion (US$514.95 million) although the indicative target was Rp 17 trillion.

It was the lowest order since June 18, 2013, which was recorded at Rp 7.74 trillion.

Luky said the market was now in a volatile condition, heading toward a new equilibrium, particularly because the US treasury yield had reached 3 percent. Therefore, he believed the current condition was only temporary.

Luky said the government was not worried about the current market condition because it had applied front loading for its payment strategy.

He added the government could also rely on state-owned enterprises (BUMN) and special public services (BLU) to absorb government bonds.

From the financing side, we are still on track. We hope the market will return to a stable condition, he added. (bbn)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 12, 2018 09:32 1245 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e36f9af 1 Business P2P-lending,Series-A-funding,startup Free

Julo, an Indonesian peer-to-peer (P2P) lending start-up, has raised US$5 million in a Series A funding round.

The round was led by Skystar Capital and East Ventures with participation from Gobi Partners, Convergence Ventures, Provident Capital, Central Capital Ventura, Heyokha Brothers and other investors.

We have ambitious goals this year, including new product lines, nationwide expansion and continued focus on our underlying technologies and analytics, Adrianus Hitijahubessy, one of Julos founders, said in a statement received on Friday.

The funds are key to enabling us to achieve those goals and further our mission of bringing financial inclusion to the Indonesian masses.

Julo plans to use the proceeds of this round to grow its team and accelerate the growth of its loan portfolio to address the needs of many Indonesians who have no access to conventional credit facilities.

Founded in late 2016, Julo connects institutional lenders to the under-banked and unbanked. Julo promotes financial inclusion by providing unsecured cash loans of up to Rp 10 million with a payback period of up to six months via a mobile app.

Julo now processes more than 10,000 monthly applications with double-digit monthly disbursement growth rates since its inception.

Abraham Hidayat of Skystar Capital said Julo was supported by a strong team to help it grow to the next level. We believe Julo has one of the strongest technical teams in the industry, and  being Indonesians  they will be able to adapt and form partnerships faster than non-local startups, Abraham added. (bbn)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Winny Tang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 12, 2018 11:00 1245 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e371b41 1 Business Sari-Roti,sales,Nippon-Indosari-Corpindo,#Ramadhan2018,Muslim,food-and-beverage Free

Once the target of a boycott, Sari Roti bread has regained the trust of its customers. PT Nippon Indosari Corpindo, the producer of Sari Roti, saw its sales rise 9.4 percent in the first three months of this year to Rp 659 billion (US$46.79 million), compared to the same period last year.

The bread manufacturer is looking for double-digit sales growth, banking on Idul Fitri festivities and factory expansion.

We hope we can book double-digit growth in sales this year, or an increase of 15 percent, said PT Nippon Indosari external communications head Stephen Orlando at a media briefing on Friday.

Approaching the Ramadhan and Idul Fitri holidays, the bread manufacturer will prepare special packaging and promotions to increase demand for its products, he added.

In December 2016, Sari Roti was the target of a boycott from an Islamic group that campaigned for the imprisonment of then-Jakarta governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama.

Read also: Sari Roti under fire after denying involvement in 212 rally

During the rally, several three-wheeled carts distributed Sari Roti bread for free, creating an assumption that the bread company supported the protest.

Following this, the company issued a statement to clarify the issue, saying it was not involved in any political movement. The statement made protesters unhappy, who subsequently called for a boycott.

Meanwhile, despite the fluctuation of the rupiah, which was due to the strengthening United States dollar, the company said it was not facing any problems as all of its business transactions were carried out using the rupiah.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Hui Min Neo (Agence France-Presse) Berlin  Sun, May 13, 2018 00:04 1245 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e384775 2 World ai-weiwei,Sichuan,earthquake,China,disaster,building,building-audit Free

A decade since the devastating earthquake in China's Sichuan province that left more than 87,000 people dead or missing, activist artist Ai Weiwei concedes that Beijing will never provide a full reckoning of the disaster.

"We will never get a straight answer. Since the communist government was set up, the truth behind all major historical events has never been officially revealed," the conceptual artist told AFP at his studio in Berlin.

Ai was among the volunteers and rescuers who rushed to Sichuan in the immediate aftermath of the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that devastated the region on May 12, 2008, flattening entire villages.

An outpouring of grief soon turned into fury as it emerged that thousands of children were killed in 7,000 schools that collapsed entirely, sparking allegations that corruption had led to shoddy building work.

But as bereaved parents pressed for answers from authorities, they were met with a stony silence, while Ai said he was detained and beaten by police who blocked him from testifying at the trial of an activist investigating the school collapses.

Only in May 2009 did the government say that 5,335 children were killed in school collapsesa number that was in fact far below figures given by state media previously. No official list of the victims was released.

An official investigation into construction standards for schools was promised but the results have not been published.

Ten years on, Ai is still enraged by the government's stonewalling.

"Of course I'm still furious. Nothing has changed in this matter. It concerns people's rights and dignity, the government's responsibilities, lies and corruption," he said.

'Shock is too mild'

In the aftermath of the earthquake Ai began investigating the so-called "tofu schools" -- a term likening their structural instability to the popular soft bean curd dish.

The probe sought to determine how much of the damage was wrought by natural disaster and how much was exacerbated by to human error, as well as to uncover "how this government that calls itself the people's party deals with the people's suffering".

But his activism came at a high personal price.

Once the artist commissioned to help design Beijing's Bird's Nest Olympic stadium, Ai found himself at the receiving end of the state's wrath.

He was beaten by police who blocked him from testifying at the trial of another activist, Tan Zuoren, who had separately investigated the school collapses. Ai was detained in 2011 for 81 days and had his passport confiscated for four years.

"All that has to do with our insistence on finding out the truth, insistence on investigating the list of dead students. Insistence on getting the government to tell us how these buildings were constructed."

In 2010, Ai underwent surgery in Germany to relieve pressure on his brain from a blood clot which he said was the result of the police beating in Chengdu.

The operation happened just ahead of an exhibition in Munich, where Ai produced an installation using 9,000 backpacks writing out in Chinese: "She lived happily for seven years in this world" -- a sentence from the letter of a mother of a schoolgirl killed in the quake.

"The government has the duty to provide information because it is a servant who works for you. You can't say your servant doesn't tell you what he's used your money to buy, or how many chairs are in your house or where your bed is.

"If he doesn't tell you anything, then he's no longer your servant. He's even tougher than the boss. If you ask these questions, he can beat you and even lock you up. How can you not be shocked? More than shocked. Shock is too mild. Furious."

'Government won't change'

Despite the uproar over the school collapses then, Ai said the government hasn't changed its approach.

If a new disaster were to strike, "the government wouldn't do anything differently," he said.

"It can't change. The moment it tells the whole truth, it would no longer exist... Covering up the truth is a basic condition for the existence of an authoritarian regime."

But Ai rejects any notion that his efforts were in vain.

"I didn't make any sacrifices, I did what I should and, in fact it is what I think everyone should do. It is an individual's responsibility to ask questions that have a bearing on their lives.

"The question of whether it's worth it or not therefore does not exist."

Ai eventually moved to Berlin after Beijing returned his passport in July 2015.

For now, Ai does not see himself returning to China even in the case of another similar disaster.

"My work now is on global refugees. There are lots of issues and they are all linked... Any place where human rights are harmed is a disaster for everyone's human rights.

"I'm not (in China) now, I'm in Europe, where I'm faced with the refugee problem. So I'm facing it and making my voice heard on this problem."The good, bad and the ugly

The good thing about having India as our chimeki is that we dont need a visa to cross the border. And of course, Indians dont need one either. If the Desis think that they are like Amrikans then maybe we should consider ourselves Candians. We are much friendlier and laid back while the Desis do want to rule the world someday and do act like the Amrikans in the SAARC region.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Riza Roidila Mufti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 12 2018

Meet the partners: Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara (third right) along with Go-Jek CEO Nadiem Makarim (center) greets Go-Jek drivers in the Go-Food National Culinary Day night market in Senayan, Jakarta, on Friday. The event aimed to express appreciation of the ride-hailing companys drivers and small business partners. (Tribunnews/Irwan Rismawan)

Mangut restaurant in Semarang ...

These are the four words Wisyesa Sasyikirana, 25, typed into her smartphones Google search when she wanted to eat mangut, a dish made from smoked fish cooked with coconut milk, while on a visit to Semarang, Central Java, a few months ago.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 12 2018

The Jakarta administration plans to hold mass iftar (breaking-of-the-fast meal) events at National Monument (Monas) Park in Central Jakarta during Ramadhan.

Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno said on Friday the administration had been inspired by the mass iftar events in the two holy cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina, where people who needed to break their fast had food served to them.

We want to make the iftar events like those in Mecca and Medina, so we will take care of the iftar ourselves. People should not fight to get food to break their fast; they should be served, Sandiaga said on Friday as reported by kompas.com.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 12 2018

Globalizing batik: Three designers  Oscar Lawalata (left), Edward Hutabarat (center) and Denny Wirawan  will showcase their creations on June 6 to open the Batik for the World exhibition at the UNESCO House in Paris. (Courtesy of ImageDynamics)

Three Indonesian designers have come together to put the spotlight of global fashion on batik once again.



Oscar Lawalata, Denny Wirawan and Edward Hutabarat will present their creations on June 6 to open the Batik for the World exhibition at the UNESCO House in Paris.



The exhibition will run until June 12 and will feature a total of 24 batik designs from the designers.



Oscar Lawalata will showcase a collection of ready-to-wear cocktail dresses in warm tones, using methods such as embroidery and beading to spruce up the summer vibes.



For me, when designing with batik, it must be at the forefront, as opposed to just the fabric for clothes, Oscar said, adding that his collection would use batik from five areas of East Java: Madura, Surabaya, Ponorogo, Trenggalek and Tuban.



Meanwhile, Denny Wirawan will utilize the batik from Kudus in Central Java for his Wedari collection of evening wear, which was previously presented last September.



Since many of the pieces are already sold out, I decided to create a new collection with a similar theme. This was done because of time constraints, as the batik-making process takes a lot of time, Denny said, adding that the process was still ongoing.



Last but not least, senior designer Edward Hutabarat plans to unveil a collection of wedding gowns using batik from Pekalongan and Cirebon with an ocean-inspired ambiance.



My collection is fun. It is as if the bride is saying I do with the ocean in front of her, Edward said, noting that the batik wedding gowns would be accessorized with French summer flowers.



Along with the designers collections, the event will dedicate a section to exhibit batik from various locations as a heritage exhibition.



A total of 100 batik from various locations across Indonesia will be showcased, having been curated by Yayasan Batik Indonesia (YBI), Rumah Pesona Kain and Oscar Lawalata Culture.



A number of batik artisans will also be present to show the process of creating batik.



Classic: Edward Hutabarats batik design to be taken to Paris is on display in Jakarta. (Courtesy of ImageDynamics)



According to Oscar, the artisans will be brought in so that attendees from around the world can appreciate the painstakingly thorough process.



Many people might see batik as a beautiful fabric just for its pattern, but batik is judged by its process. The exhibition will feature every part of the process, from the equipment to the techniques, Oscar said.



Oscar, who is also the exhibitions initiator, believes that batik is a luxury product and that the batik artisans are the stars of the show.



We may not have the latest technology, but we have skilled hands that have continued to create to this day, Oscar said.



Batik has continued to evolve in Indonesia, from the contemporary to the traditional. Indonesians are proud to wear batik, but I think the world must know what happens in Indonesia.



In tune with Oscar, Edward said batik was the beautiful remnant of a civilization long gone and should be preserved and appreciated.



I want to say to the public in France that Indonesia is the masterpiece of God. If you dont believe me, visit Indonesia yourself, Edward said. (jlm)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Gisela Swaragita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 12, 2018 13:15 1245 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e376835 1 National Najib-Razak,Rajawali-Group,Peter-Sondakh,flight,Malaysia,Malaysia-election,Rosmah-Mansor Free

A director of Rajawali Corp has denied having any knowledge of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razaks canceled flight to Jakarta.

We are unaware of the travel plan, Satrio Tjai, the managing director of Rajawali Corp, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Mr. Peter [Sondakh] has been on leave outside of Asia for two weeks, having left on his private jet. As far as we know, there are no scheduled flights on our jets today, he said.

Read also: Malaysia's Najib may fly to Indonesia on tycoon's private jet

He denied any links between his employer and the former prime minister.

Of course we have nothing to do with the former prime ministers schedule, he said.

Earlier, a report on malaysiakini.com showed a leaked document containing Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor's flight plan to Indonesia, using a private jet operated by Premiair. The airline is owned by tycoon Sondakh, the owner of conglomerate PT Rajawali Corp.

On Saturday noon, Malaysia's immigration office banned Najib and his wife from leaving the country through Subang Airport near Kuala Lumpur.

Najib said in a tweet, "I have just been informed by the immigration department of Malaysia that my family and I are not allowed to go abroad. I respect the decision and I will remain in the country with my family." (evi)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Tokyo  Sat, May 12, 2018 21:49 1245 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e383653 2 World sexism,Japan,politics,Women,parliament Free

A Japanese lawmaker has come under fire after saying women should have several children or risk becoming a burden on the state.

Kanji Kato, a 72-year-old MP in Prime Minister Shizo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said newlyweds should raise at least three children.

The minister in charge of women's empowerment on Saturday lashed out at his remarks.

"It was a terrible gaffe," Seiko Noda, who is also internal affairs minister and a senior member of the LDP, said in a speech, according to local media.

Giving birth was different to making products, she said, adding: "The number of children won't increase by just making such remarks."

Earlier this week Kato reportedly told a group of LDP members: "I ask bridal couples to bear and raise more than three children for sure."

Kato also said he often told young women that if they do not get married and have no offspring, they will end up in a care home run with the taxes of other people's children.

Kato later retracted his remarks.

Rapidly-greying Japan has one of the world's lowest birth rates and authorities are trying out several policies to encourage people to have more children.

Last year about 941,000 children were born in Japan, the lowest since the national survey started in 1899.

In 2003, former prime minister Yoshiro Mori drew fire for suggesting childless women should be denied welfare payments in old age.

Mori said: "Women who have not had a single child get old after their wonderful free life and then ask for public money (in welfare). That doesn't make sense at all."

In 2007, then-health minister Hakuo Yanagisawa infamously referred to women as "child-bearing machines".Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 12, 2018 11:26 1245 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e37318c 1 National Najib-Razak,1MDB,Peter-Sondakh,Rajawali-Group,Malaysia,Indonesia,Malaysia-election,Rosmah-Mansor Free

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor are reported to have boarded a private jet owned by Indonesian businessman Peter Sondakh that may be bound for Jakarta.

Najib's family has been hit by a scandal involving allegations of having embezzled huge sums from 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a fund launched by Najib to promote economic development. The US Department of Justice has launched civil lawsuits seeking to seize US$1.7 billion in assets, from real estate to artworks, allegedly bought with money looted from 1MDB.

Read also: Former PM Najib, wife banned from leaving Malaysia:Immigration chief

Malaysia news portal malaysiakini.com reports that a leaked flight plan on Friday showed a flight scheduled from Subang Airport in Malaysia to Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in Jakarta at 10 a.m. on Saturday on a private jet operated by Premiair.

The airline is owned by tycoon Sondakh, the owner of conglomerate PT Rajawali Corp.

Read also: Indonesian tycoon's group denies links to Najib's canceled flight

According to Forbes, Sondakh is worth $1.84 billion, ranking him number 13 in Forbes list of the 50 richest persons in the country.

His businesses range from Rajawali Corpora, an investment firm founded in 1984, television network Rajawali Televisi (RTV) and internet service provider Velo Network, to palm oil company PT Eagle High Plantation, and several luxury hotels such as the St Regis Hotel and Resort in Bali as well as the Four Seasons hotel in Jakarta.

A director of Rajawali Corp has denied having any knowledge of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razaks canceled flight to Jakarta.

We are unaware of the travel plan, Satrio Tjai, the managing director of Rajawali Corp, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Mr. Peter [Sondakh] has been on leave outside of Asia for two weeks, having left on his private jet. As far as we know, there are no scheduled flights on our jets today, he said.

He denied any links between his employer and the former prime minister. Of course we have nothing to do with the former prime ministers schedule, he said. (gis/evi)

Editor's note: This article has been updated with a statement from Rajawali Corp's Satrio Tjai, who has denied any links to Najib Razak's canceled flight.TheJakartaPost

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 12 2018

Support for Palestine: People stage a rally in National Monument (Monas) Park on Friday, in protest against the planned relocation of the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. A move to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)

Hundreds of people, most dressed in white, flocked to National Monument (Monas) park in Central Jakarta on Friday morning in protest against the planned relocation of the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The move, planned for May 14, is controversial, as it effectively recognizes Jerusalem as Israels capital, causing concern particularly in the Muslim world.

Several Islamic groups, including the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and the Islam Defenders Troops (LPI), joined the rally they called Aksi Indonesia Bebaskan Baitul Maqdis, which started at around 4 a.m. at Istiqlal Mosque and finished at around 1 p.m. after the mass Friday prayer at Monas.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Yangon  Sat, May 12, 2018 15:07 1245 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e37ab4a 2 SE Asia Myanmar,rebels,Myanmar-military,Aung-San-Suu-Kyi,ethnic-group,insurgents,border-areas,border,China Free

At least 19 people have been killed in clashes between Myanmar's military and an ethnic armed group on Saturday in northern Shan State, Myanmar army and local sources told AFP, the most deadly flare-up in recent years as fighting in the borderlands intensifies.

Rights defenders say clashes in northern Myanmar near the China border have ramped up since January as the international community focuses on the Rohingya crisis in the west of the country.

The military stands accused of carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign against the stateless minority in Rakhine.

Saturday's violence was between the military and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, one of several insurgent groups fighting for more autonomy in the north.

"Nineteen [people] were killed in fighting," the Myanmar military source said, adding that two dozen had been injured.

Thaung Tun, a local NGO leader who helped carry the injured to the hospital, said the dead included one police officer, one rebel fighter, four members of a state-backed militia, and two women civilians.

Pictures of burned out vehicles and armed men running for cover spread quickly on social media.

TNLA spokesman Major Mai Aik Kyaw told AFP that the group attacked joint military and militia posts in the Shan state town of Muse and on a road to Lashio.

"We fight because of thorough fighting in our region and the serious offensive in Kachin State," he said, referring to fresh confrontations in Myanmar's northernmost state between the army and the TNLA-aligned Kachin Independence Army.

Upwards of 90,000 people reside in IDP camps in Kachin and Shan states since a ceasefire between the powerful Kachin Independence Army and the military broke down in 2011.

Those fleeing violence have sheltered in tents and even churches in Kachin, which is mainly Christian, as rights groups accuse the military of blocking aid.

Myanmar's patchwork of ethnic groups make up round a third of the population, but the Bamar or Burmese have filled the Buddhist-majority country's power structures since independence in 1948.

Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi said ending Myanmar's long-running conflicts was her main priority after she took power in 2016, but she shares power with the military that fought the insurgencies for decades.

Suu Kyi managed to bring two ethnic groups into a ceasefire accord in February, adding to eight others who had inked the deal before she took office.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Rashvinjeet S. Bedi (The Star/Asia News Network) Kuala Lumpur  Sat, May 12, 2018 09:23 1245 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e36cfb3 2 SE Asia Najib-Razak,Rosmah-Mansor,1MDB,Malaysia,Indonesia,Malaysia-election Free

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor have not been blacklisted from leaving the country, said the Immigration Department.

Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said that reports claiming that the former prime minister and his wife as being blacklisted were untrue.

"Both of them are not blacklisted," he told The Star Online on Saturday.

A news portal had reported that Najib and Rosmah were on a no-fly list, based on checks on the Immigration Department's Travel Status Enquiry System (SSPI) using their identity card numbers.

Najib had also posted on his Facebook page that he would be taking a short break to spend time with his family "whom I have not seen enough of in recent years".

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This article appeared on The Star newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta PostTransitioning to research in a subaltern university

Although Nepals oldest university Tribhuvan University (TU) was founded in 1959 as a teaching-only university, within some years of its founding, research efforts had already begun there in many different central departments and research institutes. Some of this started happening during the second half of the 1960s when some students opted to do research for their MA and PhD theses. This transitioning to research process at TU is incomplete, much like our countrys march towards democracy.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Sat, May 12, 2018 09:02 1245 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e36ca74 2 SE Asia Malaysia-election,Malaysia,Indonesia,Najib-Razak,Rosmah-Mansor,1MDB,Mahathir,Mahathir-Mohamad,immigration,travel-ban Free

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak said Saturday he was going to take a "short break" after his shock election loss as speculation mounted the scandal-hit ex-leader was due to jet out of the country.

Journalists descended on an airport near Kuala Lumpur in the morning as reports circulated on social media that Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor were due to board a private jet and fly to Indonesia.

Najib's long-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition suffered a shock loss in an election to an alliance headed by Mahathir Mohamad, 92, himself a former premier who came back to take on his ex-protege, Najib.

Since his defeat, there has been speculation Najib and his wife might try to flee the country as the new government has vowed to investigate a massive financial scandal that the ex-leader has been implicated in.

In a series of early morning tweets, Najib said: "I will take a short break to spend time with my family whom I have not seen enough of in recent years.

"I pray that after this divisive period, the country will unite.

"I apologize for any shortcomings and mistakes, and I thank you, the people, for the opportunity to lead our great nation."

He did not give further details about his plans.

Dozens of journalists descended on Subang Airport, a small airport just outside the capital, after what was believed to be a manifest circulated online showing Najib and his wife were due to board a flight to Jakarta on Saturday morning.

Police were guarding the airport.

Some media reports said the pair were on a travel blacklist and would not be allowed to leave.

But the immigration department's director-general Mustafar Ali told AFP: "They are not blacklisted so far."

Mahathir's victory broke the grip on power of Najib's Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which had ruled Malaysia uninterrupted since independence from Britain in 1957.

Najib's premiership was battered by allegations he oversaw the plundering of billions of dollars from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB. Najib and the fund deny any wrongdoing.

Mahathir, who is the world's oldest elected leader, has said that the king has agreed to pardon jailed leading politician Anwar Ibrahim, paving the way for his return to politics and to potentially become premier.Posted Saturday, May 12, 2018 11:01 am

Rose M. (Gates) Beard, 77, of Hillsboro, died Friday, May 11, 2018, at 10:34 a.m. at Hillsboro Rehabilitation and Health Care in Hillsboro.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, May 17, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Hillsboro.

Funeral services will be held Friday, May 18, at 10 a.m. at the church, with the Rev. Matt Ferguson, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Hillsboro officiating. Burial will be held in Irving Cemetery in Irving.

Mrs. Beard was born March 29, 1941, in Hillsboro, the daughter of Willis Gilbert and Judith Ann (Rebman) Gates. She married Howard Beard, and they later divorced.

She was a 1959 graduate of Hillsboro High School. She received her bachelor's degree in Child and Family and Community Service from Sangamon State University in Springfield. She attended one year at the University of Illinois to work toward a Master's degree in social work.

Mrs. Beard was a correction counselor at Graham Correctional Center until her retirement in 2002. During her lifetime, she lived in Irving and Hillsboro, as well as Coffeen since December of 1965. She wrote "Rose Remembers" for The Journal-News in Hillsboro.

A coordinator of the community Thanksgiving dinner, she was also a coordinator for the blood drive for ten years. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Hillsboro, she was ordained as a deacon in 1998. She was a past member of the Sangamon Area Learning Disabilities Association and of the Illinois Association for Citizens with Learning Disabilities. She was a hotline volunteer for two years and she initiated Quad Counties Learning Disabilities.

She is survived by her children, William Beard and Larry Beard, both of Coffeen, and John (wife Sandra) Beard of Gillespie; three grandchildren, Casandra (Beard) Sherwin, Courtney Beard and Haley Beard; and two great-grandchildren, David Lee and Drake Beach.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by one great-granchild, Remington Beach; and siblings, Paul Gates and Donna West.

Memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church in Hillsboro.

Online condolences may be left at www.basspattondeanfh.com.A Manhattan Jury has spoken. Former Lower East Side Assemblyman Sheldon Silver has been found guilty in his second trial on federal corruption charges.

The first verdict was tossed out on appeal after the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the definition of public corruption. Prosecutors presented virtually the same case the second time around, while Judge Valerie Caproni altered her jury instructions to conform with the new standards. The jury just got the case late Thursday, and returned a verdict a short time ago.

Silver was convicted on seven counts, including two counts of honest services fraud and one of extortion under color of official right, and a count of money laundering. He was accused of pocketing $4 million from two kickback schemes, one involving a cancer researcher at Columbia University and the other involving real estate developers with business before the state.

Following the first trial, the lifelong Lower East Side resident was sentenced to 12 years in prison. A sentencing hearing in this trial will take place at July 13.Based on the short story by renowned author Neil Gaiman, How to Talk to Girls at Parties is a surrealist film about teen punks in 70s Croydon stumbling upon an alien gathering. Shy punk Enn (Alex Sharp) and rebellion alien Zan (Elle Fanning) begin a whirlwind romance amidst a world of anarchist fan-zines and children-eating alien colonies.

We spoke with director John Cameron Mitchell about how this story is relevant today.

Neil Gaimans short story only makes up a small part of this film - how did you go about expanding this world?

The first writer Philippa Goslett really started that process, and she did it by interviewing Neil about his own youth in the Croydon area, as a punk, in a band, with a zine - the budding comic-book writer that he was - and stories from his youth. A lot of the stories ended up in the piece, and the lead [character] became Neil. And the punk element, which is not in the story, became an important part of the film.

I expanded the alien cosmology more by giving them the various colonies that are based on the chakra system, adding the plot points like the kids thinking theyre in a cult and that Zan has to be rescued. Philippa and I came up with the new characters, Nicole [Kidman]s character, Ruth Wilsons - the various buddies and lovers and aliens that populate our little cosmos just came over a few years of writing.

Neils central metaphor, which is that everyones an alien when youre in love, became a larger one, which was that maybe we can create a new species when you fall in love. Aliens fertilised by punks creates a new colony - the colony of love, the heart colony, which is a life-giving one, which questions authority, consumption, a culture of death. My little YA romance of a fairy tale is a simple story, but it has little anti-Brexit messages, about crossing borders and refreshing the gene pool being a healthy thing. I wanted to make the kind of film that would be my favourite film if I was a teenager.

Did you worry the cultural specificity of punk in Croydon in the 70s might not translate to audiences now?

Well, then you might as well not do any period pieces then, right? Of course, we all relate to people of different cultures, times, sexualities, genders  we have to. Thats called empathy, thats called fiction, thats called putting yourself in the place of the character. Interestingly there was a study that said people who read and experience fiction exhibit much more empathy than people who only read the news or read non-fiction, which probably includes social media. And I believe thats true! Because fiction requires you to identify with someone else and that is metaphor, and metaphor is required for empathy.

If you are only yourself and they are only them, you never cross the divide. And that is, of course, the danger that the aliens fear. They think that theyre helping the world by not consuming any outside resources, and only consuming their children, but when you dont sample the world, when you dont interact with people who are not like you, the natural conclusion is inbreeding and death! It really is! Thats a Brexit theme, and thats also a personal theme. Youve got to step outside yourself, and that sometimes means roleplaying. I always tell directors that they should take a short acting course so they can see what its like to be on the other side of the camera. Its uncomfortable, but the emotional dividends are large.

The intensity of this film - the animation, the costumes, the aesthetic - makes for such a wacky viewing experience. Was there ever a point where you reigned yourself in?

First of all, we had a certain budget, and I was trying to make a 70s midnight movie with this film. The aliens themselves take different forms  sometimes theyre bacteria, sometimes theyre stars  one of the jokes was, and I told Sandy Powell the costume designer, that the aliens when they take human form are taking the form and style of aliens in the 70s. Which means rubber suits and Gary Newman set pieces. So one of our jokes was that the punks wouldnt become post-punk without the aliens. And thats part of the fun!

Theres lots of shtick throughout the film  theres lots of winking to the audience. We mix heartfelt stuff with humour, and even stepping-outside-of-the-story humour. So when we have the crazy animation in space, were using crazy 70s and 80s tropes. Liquid Sky, Phantom of the Paradise, The Apple - these are all weird cult films of those times where the design is breathtaking and a little bit cheesy, so were evoking tropes that exist before us, and were not being shy about it.

Were the anti-Hollywood science fiction film. Were a nostalgic science fiction film. Were really more about the love, the music, and the fun, and the colour, and the community of the audience in the theatre, rather than trying to appeal to mass markets. In our case, its much more fun to work within your budget, and that means fun animation  not trying to recreate actual outer space, but play with these fun lightbulbs that may be the forms of the aliens, or metaphoric forms in Enns dreams.

Do you think that theres an equivalent to the punk movement amongst todays youth, and if so, what might that be?

Because of the internet, movements are splintered and atomised and rarefied, and its a little bit of a shame. It was supposed to bring us together, but sometimes the internet splits us apart and makes us feel lonely. Millennial experience was shaped by economic collapse and 9/11 so a lot of young people in the last 15 years have felt paralysed and bewildered by a truncated world of fear that their parents gave them. So young people havent necessarily been agents of change  maybe in personal change the internet has helped reach out to people who feel small, if you need a group you can feel less alone that way  but in terms of mass movement I think its splintered it a bit. And ADD has shut down determination and long term planning, which is why we saw the Occupy movement fizzle out.

But I think the post-millennial generation are best exemplified by the Parkland teenagers, who are a new kind of punk. A punk thats really, as Enn says in the film, about fixing what your parents screwed up. Its about smashing what doesnt work any more in order for the new things to grow. Scorching the ground so that the new plants can grow up. And thats what punk did in the 70s. The music itself was quite limited, but when punk imploded in 79, it allowed all these other forms of music and art to flourish, that were pun in spirit but not punk in style. So Emma Gonzalez to me is the best example of the possible new kind of punk which could be the tip of the spear for all kinds of change.

Of course, part of that came from the false feeling that was have of a conservative government here that was made possible through FOX News and Alt-Right brainwashing. Its a minority government really, and the majority of people arent Trumpists, or Brexit supporters. Once they think about it, once they go there, once they realise who their neighbours are and that their parents and grandparents were immigrants, that their friends and lovers are queer  when you really think about it, everyones an internationalist, its just that people are feeding on irrational fears through the internet, to foster a xenophobia that is somehow supposed to save us all  which is a false one. The new punk is going to have to reckon with that. Which is why we have a little Brexit metaphor in the film  people dressed in union jacks jumping off buildings to avoid contamination.

HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES IN CINEMAS FRIDAY 11TH MAY 2018Clara Mackenzie, University of Stirling and Joanne Porter, Heriot-Watt University

Across the North Atlantic, shipwrecks scatter the seabed like the carcasses of prehistoric creatures. Bygone relics of sea exploration, trade, migration and conflict, these historical monuments are important sites of cultural interest. But they also form the basis of a burgeoning recreational dive tourism industry, and contribute substantially to the biodiversity and abundance of marine life.

The stories behind how these ships came to rest on the sea bed are intriguing. In the Orkney Isles off the north coast of Scotland, for example, a major naval event at the close of World War I set the wheels in motion for the creation of a world-renowned dive site of considerable historic and environmental value.

PADI

Scapa Flow and the German fleet

The captured German warship fleet (comprising 74 vessels) was interned in Scapa Flow , a sheltered body of water between the Orkney Mainland and the South Isles. In June 1919, as its fate was debated by the allied powers, Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter gave the order to his German crews to scuttle all ships to prevent the flotilla falling into enemy hands. A total of 52 ships were successfully sunk, leaving Scapa Flow an undersea graveyard of WWI German shipwrecks.

But this is a graveyard full of life. A hundred years later, marine habitats around the Scapa Flow wrecks are thriving. The waters teem with an abundance of sea creatures including crab, lobster, starfish, sea urchin and a variety of fish species. Recent surveys around the Orkney wrecks by Seasearch volunteer divers have also reported rarities such as the fan mussel and the common skate , now internationally scarce.

Author provided

As well as being habitats where marine species can establish and flourish, these wrecks may also be some of the most biodiverse habitats of northern waters. Take the Karlsruhe for instance, a 112-metre German light cruiser, once operated by a crew of 475 men, now lying abandoned on its starboard side in 25 metres of water in Scapa Flow. Its toppled foredeck guns and armoured control tower can still be seen, creating an eerie but captivating scene.

Horse mussels are bivalve molluscs similar to the well-known, edible blue mussel, but much larger and longer-lived. Their notable size and longevity, along with an ability to bind to one another via thin secreted threads called byssus , allow these creatures to create extensive reefs that provide habitat for a wealth of other marine creatures. This makes horse mussel reefs biodiversity hotspots, with some supporting hundreds of other species. These reefs also provide a number of beneficial ecosystem services including the provision of nursery grounds for commercial fisheries species.

Habitats under threat

Unfortunately, these reef habitats are currently listed as endangered in European waters, in part due to their historical destruction by bottom-towed fishing equipment like trawlers. But under climate change these optimal habitat conditions will vastly dwindle and push these reef habitats to their northern limits as more southern temperature conditions become intolerable.

Rob Cook , Author provided

Marine biologists believe wrecks like the Karlsruhe may be instrumental in creating ideal hydrodynamic conditions for vital habitats like horse mussel reefs, but this is yet to be fully investigated. Wrecks may help to produce good feeding conditions, that is, sufficient water flow to maintain a supply of algal feed but not too vigorous that animals are unable to filter feed , and natural breaks and eddies in high current flow that allow for the settlement of mussel larvae on the sea floor.

Larvae are the microscopic offspring of invertebrate species which use ocean currents to move across large areas. In doing so, they ensure important genetic mixing between populations. Recent research by Heriot-Watt University researchers in collaboration with Scottish Natural Heritage has shown that the Karlsruhe horse mussel reef is likely genetically connected (via the transfer of genetic material between sites, termed  gene flow ) to horse mussel reefs hundreds of miles away along the west coast of Scotland. Whether settlement of larvae arriving from far-off sites could occur without the wreck in place remains unknown, but its certainly an interesting question to ponder.

Jo Porter , Author provided

Unfortunately, deterioration of these sites is a major challenge faced by local, recreational and scientific diving operations in northern communities whose livelihoods rely heavily on these underwater habitats. The marine environments of northern regions like the Orkneys also face a serious threat from global climate change due to the accelerated rates of change occurring in polar regions. However, a lack of research on impacts has meant that communities face huge challenges in finding ways to react and adapt to these problems. Dive operators, researchers and volunteers continue to work together to document these historic relics and their ecological associations.Hostmaker

superhost

and

Marriott International and Hostmaker now offer travelers staying in London the opportunity to search through a curated list of local properties for a short-term stay, Airbnb style, through the new jointly-run trial programme,Customers can browse through a carefully selected list of 200 properties based in London if they prefer a more local experience over classic hotel accommodation.is a London-based property management company which helps short-term rental hosts manage their properties globally. In 2014, combining his experience as an Airbnband being a frequent traveler, Nakul Sharma founded Hostmaker. Hostmaker was hatched in 2014 to bring the professionalism, hospitality service values and pricing expertise from the five-star international hotel industry to support property owners in making the best of their most valuable assets and deliver memorable experiences to their guests., it says on Hostmakers website.At the core, their mission is to remove the hassle surrounding short-term rental listings by providing homeowners with expertise-backed services and assisting with managing property listings on various leading, international, short-term accommodation platforms, such as Airbnb, TripAdvisorBooking.com. By offering a selection of services, including professional housekeeping, high-quality photography, managing guest relations and interior design, they aim to make the process of short-term stays run as smoothly as possible. Since Airbnb arrived onto the travel accommodation scene in 2008, it has been disrupting the traditional hospitality model by allowing people to open up their houses to members of the public, thus, providing a new mode of travel accommodation to all types of travelers  backpackers, digital nomads and families alike. At the heart of their business model is the sharing economy, which allows travelers to connect with locals in the destination and consequently has put home-sharing at the forefront of the hospitality industry. The six-month beta-stage programme,, has a range of homes which tailor to a wide range of traveler needs. Before a home can be accepted onto the list, it is subjected to a rigorous vetting process by both Marriott and Hostmaker to ensure it reaches a high standard of safety, security and design, each of which come fully equipped with full-access use of the kitchen, in-unit laundry and bathroom amenities.All guests will receive 24/7 support during their stay and a a personal check-in host who meets guests upon arrival and provides them with useful tips, recommendations and advice for their London stay. The cost for a night at a Tribute Portfolio Home ranges between 200 - 250. Given the success of Airbnb, its continual rise as a multi-billion dollar company and the growing emergence of homestay management companies, it is likely more players in the hospitality industry will adapt to the Airbnb age. Currently, the programme is solely running in London. For more information and direct bookings, go to https://www.tributeportfoliohomes.com/Do we have nicotine? Yes, as much as we can smoke.

Do we have opioids? Yes, enough to run us broke.

Do we have alcohol? Yes, an unlimited supply.

Do we have beer? Yes, we will never go dry

As though North Dakota needs a fresh supply of addicts, a committee of petitioners has placed on the November ballot a proposal to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. It will be another addiction opportunity for those who missed the others.

Before discussing the proposal, lets make a clear distinction between medical marijuana and recreational marijuana. The advocates of recreational marijuana tend to use the benefits of medical marijuana to strengthen their case.

This proposal has nothing to do with medical marijuana. Medical marijuana is already in state law so sponsors of recreational marijuana cannot use the benefits of medical marijuana as a crutch for their anemic case.

There is little doubt that the taxpayers will be picking up the bills for another batch of addicts who will require treatment, counselling, institutionalization and all of the expensive costs of recovery. North Dakota is not meeting the needs of present addicts let alone adding more to the unserved population.

This is not to mention the fact that more innocent travelers will be killed when those recreating on highways join the normal flow of intoxicated drivers. Recreational marijuana will just double the hazards of driving. Dont be surprised if gas stations add life insurance vending machines to cover you for each trip.

One parent put forth her concerns:Will pot be more accessible to my teenager next month? How about my pre-teen? Will the marijuana edibles packaged as candy make their way into my kids hands?

The proposal is very specific about limiting recreational marijuana to persons 21 or older. It proposes harsh treatment for anyone providing 420 to persons under the legal age.

But who are we kidding? Kids are into alcohol and drugs. Leakage in the controls is legendary.

A survey in Colorado asking why 720 students were expelled from public schools discovered that 32 percent of the expulsions involved marijuana. Colorado has recreational 420.

A couple of 10-year-olds in Colorado were apprehended making marijuana deals at school, selling legally purchased pot from their grandparents supply.

A fourth-grade boy brought a small supply to school, sold it to three classmates, and made $11.

Even though it is legal, kids are into alcohol and tobacco in school. What makes the folks promoting pot think that pot is going to be different? Marijuana addiction will start early.

Dr. Deepak DSouza of the Yale Medical School said he was concerned about the impact of pot on youth, whose brains dont develop until they are 25 and are more vulnerable to addiction.

Theres no question that the states that have legalized cannabis also have the highest use of cannabis among their youth, he argues.

Money will play a big role in the fall fight over legalizing recreational marijuana because there are now players with big investments in this new industry. They will be spending several million dollars to get pot legalized.

All of this is happening while the federal government has marijuana on its illegal list. It will not act because President Trump is sympathetic and Attorney General Sessions is opposed.

Another issue will be gun ownership. The Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that the law prohibits guns in the hands of anyone who uses or is addicted to marijuana.

Approving this measure will damage young lives, kill more drivers, create more addicts and add to public costs.It was a very warm Thursday afternoon when I headed out to Wolford to the Corrigidor Bar, with Toby riding shotgun on the passengers side. Thats my little black and white spotted dog in case you didnt know. He accompanies me on my exploration of these great North Dakota Plains.

The Corrigidor is known as one of the best places to eat in Pierce County, so I went to investigate the truth. I got there about one o clock, not early for lunch but thought I might catch some of the locals, as I did when I went to the Balta Bar and Grill couple of weeks back.

Walking into the Corrigidor was a little different than I expected Thursday. For one thing, I couldnt see-it was quite dark in there, but I did walk in from direct sunshine. Its big and open and spacious and the bar is on the east end. A grill was right in front of me on the north wall, and it was sizzling with hamburgers that filled the entire room with outdoor BBQ memories. I was greeted by the friendly and talkative Julie, the bartender and cook that day.

The bar seating itself was much different than down south. This isle of seats was filled with ladies at the bar eating. I quickly snapped out my camera and took a shot with Julie and the ladies before anyone shouted no pictures, what happens here, stays here which is what happened in Balta. This group was eager to talk, and find out when we were going to start covering Wolford. I said, we have been, do you read the paper? Nope, they hadnt read the paper in a year. I explained to them we are now covering all of Pierce County, not just Rugby.

The food was out in less than ten minutes. I had a fresh bun; the cheese was real cheese (I thank you for no plastic wrapper); and the hamburger was not overcooked, but not pink either. The beef was delicious. I have to say that North Dakota definitely shines in the beef department. My lunch came with fresh french fries which were very hot (we wont show my doctor I ate fries) and they have a long row of condiments to choose from which were also crisp and green lettuce (no romaine which is good right now with the ecoli outbreak), and the tomatoes were big and juicy sliced just right.

The ladies, myself and the bartender all wound up having a good long discussion about a lot of things including the fact we were all involved in some shape and form in the cancer world. Little inside joke to that one, the ladies will understand. We had a great discussion, founded some strange friendships over local north county gossip, and I learned more about my own family than I should ever know. Of course, what s said in north county stays in north county, just like the south county folks.

Julie explained that customers come from all over the country to eat their famous steaks. One night last summer the guests number over 100 in the bar with people flying in for a get together. That seemed hard to believe the number, but on Monday night the place was packed. Local banker Craig Johnson is known to bring his bank executives all the way from Rugby for this delicious food. You can identify them by their suits. No one else here wears a suit. Its come as you are, be as you may.

On Monday nights at the Corrigidor, they have a full meal with mashed potatoes and beef something, with all the trimmings. Tuesday night is Taco Tuesday. Wednesday is make it up night, which means I guess they make it up from what they have. Thursday is Burger night, and Friday and Saturday are the infamous steak nights.

As far as cost goes, this bar and grill is rated I think not expensive, for what you get. My hamburger and soda were $6.00. I felt guilty so I left her a nice tip. That was very reasonable for the quantity and quality that I was served. Overall, I rate the Corrigidor a place to return to! Its amazing what the fields of North Dakota hold along with soybeans and wheat.The Heart of America Germans from Russia organization is continuing the fundraising project that will result in a new building on the grounds of the Prairie Village Museum. There was a typical German house, called the Stumpp Exhibition Hall, on the grounds of Prairie Village Museum that had to be removed due to structural issues. The projects goals are to have a new building to display the artifacts previously housed in the Stumpp Exhibition Hall and to provide an appropriate place to tell the story of this ethnic group.

The history of the Germans from Russia is interesting. They were enticed by Catherine the Great to come to Russia from their homes in Germany. Russia needed craftsmen and farmers and the Germans were willing to leave their homeland to take advantage of this opportunity. They were promised a place to live and a way of life that allowed them to keep their language, customs and religion. When the Russian government began to back out of these promises, life became increasingly difficult. Many opted to travel to the United States and other regions that offered them opportunities to again practice their own way of life.

A large number of Germans from Russia settled in this part of North Dakota. They came to make a better life for themselves and their families. The Heart of America Germans from Russia organization is committed to telling this story to visitors in our community as well as reminding the local citizens of the history of their ancestors. The pride of ownership of these early settlers by homesteading in their new country and tilling the soil to raise their families, needs to be recorded and preserved.

The Heart of America Germans from Russia group is enthusiastic about the construction of a new building that will house and display the artifacts that have been donated by local families and also preserving the history of these early settlers to this area with writings and displays.

This group now needs your financial assistance for this construction to begin. Architectural design and costs are in the planning stages with the desire to begin construction this fall. Anyone may help this group by donating to this cause. Some have already donated money or pledged to do so. Donations of any amount are welcome and may be sent to Heart of America Germans from Russia, P. O. Box 221, Rugby, ND 58368 or by contacting any of the following: Monica Houim at 701-208-0461, Mary Ebach at 701-776-6095, Mary Schmaltz at 701-776-2249, Vicki Hoffart at 701-681-1823 and Robert Fritel at 701-208-0217.

 Submitted by Library Director Vicki HoffartDon Diepolder former farmer from Willow City is a WWII veteran now living at Haaland Estates. He just celebrated his 92nd Birthday with wife Dora. This month Diepolder was awarded a 70 year certificate of membership from the American Legion. The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization.

Diepolder joined the US Navy at eighteen and was assigned to the USS Flint stationed in the Pacific Theater in WWII. While Don served on the USS Flint, they received four stars for battle while they served in the US Navy off the coast of Japan, China and Taiwan.

Diepolder, now 92, is a resident at the Haaland Estates in Rugby. He retired from farming in 1990 from the Willow City area. Earlier in his career he worked at the Implement in Willow City but his dream was to farm. We bought the farm, and everyone thought we were foolish, said Dora. We didnt know anything much about farming, but we learned. The joke was on the neighbors, the farm flourished and they farmed until 1990. Don and Dora have been married 65 years.

Dora, now lives in the apartments across the street from where Don is receiving care after having a stroke. Im called Dora the Explorer by all the kids in Rugby, she said, in reference to her name. We really enjoy it when the kids come from the school to sing and perform with their musical instruments.

Diepolder said he didnt remember much, after the stroke I dont remember sometimes, he said. But ask him about the war and he remembers everything. It was a very sad, bad time for America, he said. War is really hard, those memories I cant forget. Don was on the USS Flint. He proudly shows his pictures of his Navy team, and the picture of the USS Flint which hangs on his wall in his room at the Haaland Estates. He is a proud member of a small population of the greatest generation that remain.

The USS Flint, which Diepolder served on during World War II, reported to the 3rd Fleet for duty at Ulithion on December 27, 1944. Diepolder remembers a 4-week cruise in support of the invasion of Luzon. The Flint screened aircraft carriers that launched strikes on Luzon, Taiwan and the China coast. The Navy launched protective anti-aircraft cover during a Japanese attack on January 21, 1945. In February that year, the Flint sailed with TF 38s for all air strikes on Tokyo preceding the attack on Iwo Jima. Later the Flint would prepare with air strikes against Kyushu in preparation for the invasion on Okinawa. The crew on the Flint aided in bringing down many airplanes in heavy attacks on Okinawa which lasted from March 18-22, 1945. The cruiser made a voyage from Japan that loaded homeward bound servicemen bringing them into San Francisco Bay, after the war concluded.

Don Diepolder is a hero living right here in Rugby, one of the greatest generations few remaining.Miss SD Kaitlin O'Neill opens up about mental health, other struggles

Before she was crowned Miss South Dakota, ONeill overcame a mix of serious mental health issues, including depression and an eating disorder.1. Yes. There should be absolute certainty that the election was free and fair.

2. Yes. The audit could and should lead to stronger laws governing elections in the state.

3. No. Former President Trump wants the audit to further cast doubt on the 2020 vote.

4. No. Its a waste of money, an attempt by Abbott to gain favor among Trump backers.

5. Unsure. It seems unnecessary but it may provide some worthwhile findings.

Vote

View ResultsA group of diverse but like-minded individuals, the members of ARC have come together in their common desire to fight hatred, bigotry, intolerance and violence because of the harm these antisocial behaviors cause to our society. In that effort, we will not use or sanction the use of illegal actions (such as violence or intimidation) in pursuit of our desired aims and if we learn of anyone who does use these unethical methods we will report those individuals to the authorities. Instead, we will use the guarantees found in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that ensure freedom of legal speech and expression.NGWENYA  When other women are being pampered by their spouses tomorrow, Ndanduleni Roseliny Mbedzi will be only wishing for the release of her husband, Amos Mbedzi.



Tomorrow marks the celebration of mothers as it will be Mothers Day.

Amos is currently languishing in jail after he was sentenced to 85 years imprisonment without an option of a fine in 2012.

Mbedzi was found guilty of two counts of murder in the death of Musa MJ Dlamini and South African, Jack Govender when a bomb exploded in the vehicle they were driving in.



Mbedzi, who was convicted of five charges including sedition and murder, was subsequently sentenced to 85 years and six months in prison.

The sentence was broken down as follows; 25 years jail for the murder of MJ Dlamini, another 25 years for the murder of Jack Govender, 20 years for attempted murder, 15 years for sedition and six month for making an unlawful entry into Swaziland.

Some South African unions, together with local progressive entities, staged a protest action, yesterday, demanding for his release.



The protest was organised by NEHAWU, in conjunction with the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) was staged at Oshoek Border.

NEHAWU stands for National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union.



It was during this campaign that Roseliny revealed to this publication that her husband has never talked to her about the 2008 incident.

She had been asked if she had had an opportunity to talk to her husband about the incident.



When you visit him, you are only allowed to talk about family, nothing else. He has never spoken about his case.

Roseliny, who had joined the approximately 400 marchers, mentioned that she would be happy to be reunited with the father of her two children.

Asked if she believed that Amos was behind the bombing of the bridge, Rosileny said: I cannot say much, until we talk about it. Yes, he was involved in politics, but not with the armed struggle.



She elaborated that Amos had left home to attend a funeral, before being informed that he had been arrested for the incident two weeks later. While she described him as a good father, the unionists regard Amos as a political prisoner.



Most members of the unions, when asked why they kept on referring to Amos as a political prisoner because he had been convicted for a criminal act, said he was wrongly charged.

A member of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU), Sipho Mkhondwane, said the local courts failed to prove that Amos was behind the bombing.



Do they have proof that he did it?, he asked rhetorically.

Mkhondwane alleged that Mbedzi was never given a fair trial.

He claimed that if Mbedzi was not released immediately, they would stage a huge blockade.

Isaac Luthuli, the National Deputy Secretary of the Young Communist League of South Africa, also concurred that proof should be presented that Mbedzi committed a criminal act.



Its a known fact that when politicians are taken to task, the ruling party will create propaganda and create character assassination. Even Nelson Mandela was once declared a terrorist, and his ANC was labelled a terrorist entity by the apartheid regime, he argued his case.

Luthuli pleaded with the South African Government to engage the local government to attain political stability.





MBABANE  Imagine going through all the necessary immigration processes at the border hoping you will cross into South Africa (SA) only to be forcefully taken in the opposite direction.



This is the ordeal political activist Mphandlana Shongwe went through when he tried to cross into SA to participate in a protest which was held in Oshoek.

The protest was organised by a South African union known as the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) which has a membership of over 235 000.



NEHAWU organised the protest in conjunction with the Communist Party of Swaziland.

The theme of the protest was Release Amos Mbedzi but also included others believed to be political prisoners in Eswatini.

Mbedzi was found guilty of two counts of murder in the death of Musa MJ Dlamini and South African, Jack Govender when a bomb exploded in the vehicle they were driving in at Lozitha overhead bridge.



Mbedzi, who was convicted of five charges, including sedition and murder, was sentenced to 85 years and six months in prison.

The sentence was broken down as follows; 25 years jail for the murder of MJ Dlamini, another 25 years for the murder of Jack Govender, 20 years for attempted murder, 15 years for sedition and six months for making an unlawful entry into Swaziland.

Shongwe was with many others who were on their way to South Africa (SA) to participate in the march but he was abruptly stopped.



Stamped



He went through the immigration process, stamped his travel document and was issued with the ticket authoring the officers at the gate to him to exit.

He was, however, stopped in his tracks before he could even get there.

Sitting down in protest did not help him much as he was picked and put into the back of a police van which then brought him back to Mbabane where he was released and advised to return to Manzini.



He was dropped of at the Mbabane Police Station.

Speaking about the ordeal, Shongwe who made it known that he was livid at the treatment by the police, said the action was tantamount to abduction.MBABANE  After a brief stint at the Mbabane Government Hospital, which was followed by recuperating at home, yesterday the prime minister left for the Republic of China on Taiwan.



In a press statement, the media was informed that Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini left the country through the King Mswati III International Airport this morning (yesterday) to meet his medical team. It is not the first time the premier leaves for Taiwan as he once spent a month there while getting medical attention.



Government Press Secretary Percy Simelane said: The prime minister is recovering well from his recent ailment and his visit to Taiwan is for a routine consultation with his doctors.



Before departure, he expressed his appreciation to all those who have put him in their daily prayers and sent him well wishes. Due to the high number of messages, he is unable to respond to all of them but appreciates and values every message.SANDLANE  Its free for all along some borderlines as fences have fallen, allowing people to move freely between Swaziland and South Africa.



This, however, comes with a security threat to the country.

Government has clearly stated that it has no funding to mend the fencing that cordons against both animals and people.

Some of these places have been without physical boundaries for over six months.



The cost of repairing and replacing the fence is estimated at above E100 million, according to Minister for Agriculture Moses Vilakati.

While the people are happy with the opportunity to move freely between the two countries, the army is having a headache trying to control this.



confirmed



Nkosinathi Dlamini, the Army Public Relations Officer, confirmed this and said some of the affected areas were in Shiselweni, Lubombo and around Sandlane.



We have reported this a countless times to the relevant ministry but nothing has been done and the fencing has not been replaced.

He added that the main cause of the fence falling off is wearing out, while other cases are those whereby smugglers cut them off for the purposes of driving away stolen cars or livestock.



Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs Anthony Masilela said this did not affect them directly because his department dealt with immigration that takes place at official points like the border gates.



observe



We only observe anything that is happening around the border gates and posts and other official entry points like the airports.

The army clarified that it was not its responsibility to mend broken fences but theirs was to control smugglers and items around those areas.



Residents who live around Sandlane said their chiefdoms and member of parliament were aware about this.



opportunity



We have held several meetings around it because we are also affected as thieves find it easier to steal cattle from this area and use the opportunity afforded by the broken fence to smuggle them into South Africa, said a male resident.



He said the neighbouring communities have also been to the places to see what they could do to restore the situation but it transpired that there was nothing as most people claimed not to have money to contribute towards the purchase of fencing material.

The area is just too wide and it requires a lot of fence rolls, he said.



Agriculture Minister Moses Vilakati said his ministry is fully aware of the challenge.

It is very unfortunate that we lack funding to finance the replacement of fencing along the borderlines.

Vilakati said some of these areas have been without a physical boundary line for a long time now.



He mentioned affected areas to be around Sitsatsaweni, Tikhuba and Mhlambanyatsi among others.

The minister indicated that they have, on several occasions, filed a request for funding from government but it turned out that funding was insufficient.



He pointed out that the absence of fencing was not only a problem regarding smuggling, but it also posed threat to agriculture as livestock may stray in-between the countries and transmit diseases such as the foot-and-mouth disease in the process.NKHANINI  Registration for the national government and parliamentary elections begins tomorrow.

The process that is expected to be flawless will last until June 17, 2018.



Chairman of the Elections and Boundaries Commission, Chief Gija announced yesterday that all voting centres will be equipped with top-of-the-range equipment to ensure a smooth-running of the process.

In 2013, 414 704 voters registered yet the EBC had anticipated over 600 000. From those who registered, 221 533 were female while 193 171 were male.



Chief Gija said, It has pleased Their Majesties to announce the registration dates of the 2018 Parliament and National Government elections. This marks the start of the entire national elections process.

He said this follows a series of pre-election activities that have been successfully undertaken in the last four years.



These include the civic voter education exercise; review of Tinkhundla boundaries, review of the election laws, procedures; and numerous consultations with non-governmental organisations, religious groups, traditional institutions, the youth and private sector.

The chief said reports from other assignments carried out informed a number of changes in the conduct of the 2018 national elections.

These include an increase in the number of Tinkhundla from 55 to 59, re-alignment of polling divisions, establishment of registration centres and a review of the opening and closing time for registration.



"Officers located a wounded person in the parking lot. Paramedics pronounced the victim dead at the scene."

THIS KILLING WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A SPATE OF MIDTOWN KANSAS CITY GUNFIRE AND A GUN BATTLE THAT SPANNED UP & DOWN THIS STREET ACCORDING TO MORNING MESSAGES SENT TO OUR BLOG COMMUNITY!!!

KCPD investigates after 2 people die in 4 separate shootings Friday

Right now we're checking the latest confirmation of rising violence in the Midtown Kansas City corridor.Whilst civic cheerleaders constantly tout a bright future for this part of the metro, the reality is that this parking lot has been prone to violence for years. Not so long ago parking lot thuggery killed off a formerly promising jazz club while nearby biz struggles with often violent hobos and tensions with transients.The latest . . .Moreover . . .This is the #43rd murder so far this year compared to 41 at this time last year.Update . . .It gets worse . . .Here's word of more gunfire throughout the KC metro last night:Developing . . ."Nick Haines, Bryan Lowry, Barbara Shelly, Brian Ellison and Dave Helling discuss the latest on the Eric Greitens criminal trial and jury selection, the key races in November's Kansas and Missouri elections, Darryl Forte being selected as interim Jackson County Sheriff, the minimum wage ballot measure and living wage registry, removing term limits in MO legislature & the Thoughts & Prayers exhibit."

Here's the world according to Kansas City journalists offering their 2 cents on topics that social media has already discussed in greater detail.Description . ..You decide . . .According to court records filed today, on Friday, May 11, sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the Detention Center after corrections officer commanders, who were reviewing video surveillance in the jail, reported inappropriate conduct involving the defendant and a female prisoner. The conduct occurred on April 29, 2018 while the corrections officer was working in the Medical Housing area of the Detention Center. The defendant admitted to the commanders that he had sexual conversation and contact with the inmate.





Prosecutors requested a bond of $100,000. The defendant is being housed in another county detention center.

I want to thank the offices of Sheriff Darryl Forte and Prosecuting Attorney Jean Peters Baker for their work on this matter. Id also like to commend the associates of our corrections staff who determined that inappropriate contact had occurred and immediately notified law enforcement. We will absolutely not tolerate these types of acts in our department and will assist authorities in this and any other prosecution in the future.









The weekend doesn't stop horrible news for Jackson County & its beleaguered prison.Here's the official statement from the Jackson County Prosecutor's office:However, at today's meet & greet the new honcho admits that he's still getting up to speed.And in fairness, jail officials offer context on this jailhouse sexual escapade . ..has released the following statement after charges were filed against a corrections officer.Check the links . . .Developing . . .Kansas City Pain Alternative

Doctor successful with alternative to opioids KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Doctors look to overcome pain and opioid addictions with new pain management techniques. Susan Whitmore, President and CEO of First Call, Alcohol and Drug Prevention & Recovery, says the majority of those currently addicted to opioids were initially given a prescription Brock Ervie is one of those examples.

Former Cons Offer Jail House Review

Former inmates react to critical report of Jackson Co. Detention Center KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A report released by a grand jury on Friday detailing a number of issues at the Jackson County Detention Center did not bring shock to inmates who have recently served time at the facility.

KCK Homicide Connection

Co-defendant found guilty in murder of Louis Scherzer A second Kansas City, KS man has been found guilty for murder of Louis M. Scherzer. Efrain Gonzalez, 19, was found guilty of first-degree murder on Thursday by a jury in Wyandotte County. He will be sentenced on May 4, 2018. On Nov.

Talking Kansas City Breakfast

SoT's Taylor Johnson Talks Egg Whites, Amaro and Finding Kansas City's Best Breakfast Taylor Johnson has only lived in Kansas City for a month and a half, but she's already feeling that Midwestern hospitality. After getting her start in Denver, Johnson moved to be closer to family. After SoT general manager Jay Sanders departed for Manifesto, Johnson found herself taking the reins.

Newsflash: Salvy Still Rules

Kansas City Royals are much better with Salvador Perez in the lineup When news spread that Salvador Perez could miss the first month of the 2018 season, Kansas City Royals fans were not happy. It was already going to be a rough season, as the team made it clear they were planning for a rebuild, but now Salvy was going to miss time?

Whilst we appreciate classic Candice, the hottie doesn't prevent us from looking at the hard facts confronting her most famous employer.Closer to home, these local news items are also worth a peek:is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . .When Prince Charles said that Greece is in his blood upon his first official visit to the country, he was not talking metaphorically as both his father and grandfather were born in this country.

The grandfather of the Prince of Wales, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, was born at Tatoi Palace, in the outskirts of Athens in 1882. His father, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was born in Corfu island, at Mon Repos Palace in 1921.

Prince Charles has visited Greece several times, but always privately. He has visited Mount Athos a few times, while he often enjoys his summer vacations in the Greek seas. Last summer, for instance, he took a mini cruise in the Ionian along with his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

Charles grandparents and Greece

Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (1882-1944) was the seventh child and fourth son of King George I of Greece and Olga Constantinovna of Russia as well as the grandfather of Charles.

Prince Andrew was an officer in the Greek army and served in the Balkan Wars (1912-1913). In 1913, his father was assassinated and Andrews oldest brother, Constantine, became king. Constantines neutrality policy during World War I led to his abdication, and most members of the royal family, including Andrew, were exiled.

On the royals return a few years later, Andrew fought again during the Greco-Turkish War (19191922), but the war went badly for Greece, and Andrew was blamed, in part, for the loss of Greek territory.

The court-martial was about to sentence him to death for the losses but Greek General Theodoros Pangalos intervened and saved him, on the grounds of his great inexperience of commanding upper ranks. He was exiled for the second time in 1922, and spent most of the rest of his life in France.

Prince Andrew was estranged from his wife, Princess Alice, but never got a divorce. He spent the rest of his life in Monte Carlo and died on December 3, 1944 from a heart attack. His body was transferred to Greece and buried in the royal cemetery at Tatoi.

Charles grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg (1856-1969), was diagnosed with schizophrenia and committed to a sanatorium in Switzerland, thereafter living separately from her husband. Reportedly, Princess Alice believed that she possessed healing powers and that she had come into erotic contact with Jesus Christ.

After her recovery, she returned to Greece in 1938 where she devoted most of her remaining years to charity work. She stayed in Athens during World War II, sheltering Jewish refugees. She was also responsible for the management of numerous orphanages and clubs, doing valuable social work during the German Occupation.

In 1949 Princess Alice moved to Tinos to establish a monastic brotherhood, even trying to construct a monastery. From then on she was wearing nun clothes until the end of her life in 1969.

The parents of Prince Charles who never visited Greece

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, have visited almost 200 countries including all EU member states. Except for one: Greece. In all the 66 years of their reign, they never visited Greece, not for one day. This is especially noteworthy given the fact that Prince Philip was born in Corfu, Charles father, was born in Greece and his grandfather, King George I, was the longest-ruling King in Greece.

The answer is very simple: Queen Elizabeth definitely feels an aversion to a country that drove her kings away and even sentenced Prince Andrew, Philips father, to death, regardless of the fact that Prince Andrew was not executed but only exiled.

Surely then, Prince Philip must feel a dislike for the country. On the other hand, he only lived in Greece for one year as an infant, as his family was exiled in 1922.

Also, Prince Andrew and Princess Alice were two highly controversial personalities, as his mother never offering him the security a family gives to a child.

Prince Philip needed a father, but there was no one there. He lived a very lonely childhood. His parents marriage broke up when his mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and later she dedicated herself to God.

As a consequence, the young prince grew up with relatives and constantly changed schools. His relatives may have cared for his education, but never offered him the emotional support he required.

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: DrKay License: CC-BY-SA pixabay.com

Source: Philip Chrysopoulos/greekreporterLockheed Martin, the global technology company, has announced the sponsorship of a robotics laboratory at Kings Academy, one of the regions foremost boarding schools.

The Lockheed Martin Incubator research facility supports equipment, technology and software that will complement the institutions science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) curricula.

The cutting-edge space will be available for use to all Kings Academy students in grades 7 to 12.

Addressing a gathering at the inauguration of the laboratory, Vice Admiral (Ret) Anthony Winns, Lockheed Martins regional executive for Middle East-Africa, said: "Cultivating talent at the earliest stages with practical STEM initiatives such as the Lockheed Martin Incubator at Kings Academy will ensure that Jordan continues to nurture the brightest minds that will lead their countrys quest for innovation and discovery."

"As a technology leader working around the globe, we understand that the security and progress of a community, business and country is dependent on its next generation," he stated.

The donation comes after Lockheed Martin marked its 50th anniversary in Jordan last year. The shared history is one of the companys oldest partnerships in the Middle East region.

Lockheed Martin has long been an industry leader in technological innovation, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with them in bringing this spirit of creativity to our students and faculty, said John Austin, the headmaster of Kings Academy.

The new Lockheed Martin Incubator will provide a dynamic space for both inspiration and experimentation, as well as enhance our practical teaching tutorials in a range of school subjects, he added.

Since 1967, Lockheed Martin has developed an extensive portfolio in Jordan that includes defence products, security-related technologies and capacity-building initiatives.

Today, the company provides 15 different machines and services to Jordan, and also engages in extensive technical training programs with the Royal Jordanian Armed Forces.-TradeArabia News ServiceOman Air, the national carrier of the sultanate, is set to launch new daily flights from its hub Muscat to the Turkish capital of Istanbul starting from June 1.

This is one of many strategic moves in the airlines ambitious and dynamic programme of fleet and network expansion.

The airline is offering very attractive fares that start from RO99 ( ) for Economy class, which received a big response from travellers. The airlines holidays division also has come up with exciting holiday packages offering tickets, hotel stay, airport transfers and excursions at a very competitive rate.

Omanis travelling to Istanbul are eligible for visa on arrival.

The new route comes ahead of other new routes - to Casablanca and Moscow - set to launch in July and October of this year respectively.

The Istanbul service will be operated by a Boeing 737-800 and will depart daily from Muscat to Istanbul Ataturk International Airport.

With a flight time of 5 hours and 25 minutes, Flight WY163 will depart Muscat daily at 8pm, arriving in Istanbul at 00.25am. The return flight WY164 will depart Istanbul daily at 1.25am, arriving in Muscat International Airports new, award-winning passenger terminal at 7.25am.

Oman Air said the new route will help strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, enhance the trading and tourism prospects, and enable its guests to explore one of the worlds most thriving cities.

Intertwining both ancient and modern cultures, Istanbul is right at the heart of Turkeys economic, historical and cultural heritage. Istanbul is a diverse and vibrant city with much to offer Oman Air guests travelling to this beautiful destination, it added.-TradeArabia News ServiceROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 12

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) students at Strawberry Fields High School organised a cyclothon here on Saturday morning.

The cyclothon was to raise funds, the proceeds of which will support education and healthcare of underprivileged children at NGO Nanhi Jaan, and also was a culminating activity for the IBDP students who are required to engage themselves in creativity, activity, and service.

A total of 110 students from Classes IX to XII, educators and parents participated in the cyclothon that was flagged off by former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Justice SS Sodhi and his wife Bonnie Sodhi, from the school.

Several activities such as promoting the event, seeking permissions from governmental offices, charting the route map and identifying positions of marshals and first-aid stations, were undertaken by the students.ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 12

In a major development, the UT Administration has decided not to remove the Sector 32-33 roundabout or any other roundabout in the city in future.

A decision to this effect was taken on a representation of Siddhant Sapra and Abhay Mohan, both Class X students of Strawberry Fields High School here. The students, in a representation to the UT Administrator and Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore, had opposed the UT Administrations decision to demolish the Sector 32-33 roundabout while giving a detailed reasoning and justification as to why rotaries are needed in Chandigarh.

The matter was highlighted in these columns on March 15.

Responding to the representation, which the UT Adviser had marked to him, the UT Chief Architect wrote to the Chief Engineer, Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, about the report of the UT traffic police on accident data in the city during the years 2014-2016. The report revealed that of the total 15 identified critical junctions in the UT, 13 are light points and only two are roundabouts, which are built as per the Code of Practice (Part-2), Intersections of Institute of Urban Transport, Ministry of Urban Development.

Therefore, in view of the facts and safety of city residents, it is requested not to remove this roundabout (Sector 32-33) or any other rotary in future, read the Chief Architects letter.

In their representation, the students had stated, Some of the rotaries Le Corbusier had planned for the city have already been demolished. It was appalling to read in The Tribune recently that the Sector 32-33 roundabout is also intended to be sacrificed and the demolition work has started. Evidently, the authorities have made no attempt to evaluate whether the Sector 33-34 rotary they replaced with traffic lights about 18 months ago brought any benefit. Commuters complain that crossing the intersection now takes over 100 seconds instead of 15-20 seconds earlier. To verify, we compared historical images available on Google Earth and found that in each instance, there is a queue of cars waiting at the Sector 33-34 light point whereas traffic is regulating itself smoothly at the Sector 32-33 rotary.

They had pointed out that at light points, traffic blockages or accidents took place within a few minutes of power failure, which was not the case at roundabouts.

Referring to Chandigarhs heritage, the students recalled, An island formed by rotary is literally an oasis of greenery amidst unsightly views of tarmac and concrete all around. In Chandigarh, roundabouts have been well maintained and are one of the reasons it is called City Beautiful, and are a part of its heritage. There is a worldwide movement for conversion of traffic lights into rotaries, but often there is not enough space for them. Even in a country like USA, which traditionally hasnt had them, more and more rotaries are being created. Closer home, traffic intersections in Central Delhi are being converted into rotaries. It is a pity therefore, that though Chandigarhs designer Le Corbusier was farsighted and created enough space for rotaries at intersections, we are senselessly demolishing them with the ill-researched, unscientific and mistaken belief that we are resolving some problem. In reality, it would increase both the time taken to cross the intersection as well as the chance of accidents and loss of life.ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Ishrat S Banwait

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 12

The latest initiative of the UT police to curb snatchings seems to be bearing fruit. The men in khaki have been tracking down those snatching accused who have jumped bail. Arresting as many as 89 such persons since April 1, the police have kept repeat offenders in check. In addition, 60 fresh arrests have been made in snatching cases.

In March this year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court took cognisance of spurt in snatching incidents in the city and rapped the UT police. Thus, from April 1, SSP Nilambari Jagdale started seeking information of each snatching trial that is on at the district courts.

Naib, a police official present in each court, prepares a roster of snatching cases heard each day. The status of the accused in the cases is also checked and the information sent to the police headquarters.

The police apply for non-bailable warrants against the bail jumper, if not done earlier. If still not tracked, the court is asked to declare the accused proclaimed offender (PO).

The police then apply for cancellation of the accuseds bail and under Section 229-A of the IPC, ask the court for enhancing the punishment for jumping bail.

The respective police station is asked to catch the accused. If the bail jumper is not traceable, the person who gave the surety is tracked and asked to produce the accused in the court. As many as 45 such persons have been served a notice since April 1. Two persons have even been fined by the court for the same.

Following this process, the Chandigarh Police have arrested 89 persons since April 1. These include 51 proclaimed offenderss (POs) and 38 persons against whom NBWs were issued.

SSP Jagdale said this greatly reduced the snatching incidents as repeat offenders were in custody once again.

It had come to our notice that the accused got bail and indulged in the same crime again. This way, we will deny them any such opportunity, she added.

As per the police, the number of snatching incidents has fallen by 56 per cent in the past one month.

According to the police, 89 snatching incidents have been reported till May 8 this year. In 38 cases, mobile phones were snatched while 32 cases pertained to purse snatching and 19 related to chain snatching.

Since only 14 cases have been reported from April 8 to May 8, there is a drop of 56 per cent in snatching incidents.rchopra@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, May 12

Three Indian alumni of UK universities have been awarded by the British Council for their outstanding achievements and contribution to the country.

Three UK alumni in India were recognised for their outstanding achievements as business professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders, and for their important contribution to strengthening collaborative ties between the UK and India, a British Council spokesperson said.

The Professional Achievement Award which recognises alumni who have distinguished themselves through exemplary leadership in their professional field, was presented to Saumya Saxena, an alumni of the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford.

Saxena is internationally recognised for her assistance to the Law Commission of India (LCI) in assessing the feasibility of a uniform civil code. Her work with Justice Verma Committee which was set up to revise rape laws in India has had an impact on every woman in the country, the spokesperson said.

The Social Impact Award, which acknowledges alumni who have made an exceptional contribution to creating positive social change, was presented to Ruchi Shah, a postgraduate of the University of the Arts, London.

The Entrepreneurial Award, which highlights alumni who have played a leading role in business innovation, was presented to Sushant Desai, a post graduate from the University of Edinburgh.

The awards were presented during a ceremony here on Friday evening.

Alan Gemmell OBE, Director India, British Council, said, We are delighted to celebrate the achievements of this years British Council Alumni Awards. This years winners join more than 1,50,000 Indians who have studied in the UK in the last 10 years and are today making a powerful contribution to Indias economic growth and knowledge ambitions. PTIsanjiv@tribunemail.com

Palwal, May 12

Three Engineers employed with a private company were killed and two others injured when a dumper rammed into a vehicle parked on the Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal Expressway near Kuslipur village on Saturday.

The police said AK Tripathi, Ranjan Nath, Satish Kumar and Pravin Aggarwal, all engineers employed with a private firm, Gayatri Constructions building the KGP stretch, were inspecting work while standing in front of their Mahindra Scorpio when a dumper rammed into their vehicle from behind.

While two of them died on the spot, another succumbed to injuries in hospital. Pravin Aggarwal and Ajay, the driver of the Scorpio, were injured in the accident. Of the deceased, AK Tripathi belongs to Allahabad in UP and Ranjan and Satish belong to Odissa and Kurukshetra, respectively. The driver of the dumper fled.

Kishor Kanyal, Project Director, NHAI, said the KGP stretch would be thrown open to traffic later this month.gspannu7@gmail.com

Sumedha Sharma

Tribune News Service

Gurugram, May 11

Following their earnest effort, Gurugram police and local administration managed to pull of a peaceful namaz meeting across around 50 sites in the city on Friday.

Thousands offered prayers in 24 masjids and around 23 open spaces amidst heavy police deployment.

While owing to the confusion and fear, many missed namaz at these venues but it remained a peaceful affair much to the relief of the community.

While the right-wing organisations had assured of no disruptions today, the police and administration took no chances and security was stepped up in the city.

Not just cops, over 76 duty magistrates were deployed to oversee the proceedings.

Even the total number and list of places where the prayers were to be held was kept a secret and it was later in the evening that it was revealed that rather than nine open spaces, the prayers were peacefully conducted in 23 open spaces.

We are extremely thankful to the local administration and police for not just maintaining law and order but also safeguarding secularism in the city and our right to religion. We hope that this Friday marks an end to fear and tension plaguing the community since weeks, said Aamir Hasan, vice chairman, minority cell of Haryana Congress.

We always went for meetings near Sikandarpur metro station but after disruptions last Friday, no meeting was to be held here. We, however, had no idea where they will be held near us and also will it be safe to step out so as precaution, all of us prayed at homes, said a local maulvi, Shamin Khan.

We have managed to restore peace and law and order and it will be maintained under all circumstances, said official spokesperson of police Ravinder Kumar.

Khattar and Gurugram administration cheated us: SHSS

Refuting claims of the administration, the Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti claimed that namaz was held at around 100 places.

First the chief minister said namaz will not be held in open but issued no formal orders and even retracted his statement. Then police said it will be held only at nine places and then last evening it was increased to 13 and we even a got a list but today they stood guarding illegal prayer sessions at around 100 places across the city.

We were befooled by all and now whatever happens will be their responsibility. We are meeting administration tomorrow to seek an answer and then deal with situation in our own way, Vikram Singh, senior leader of SHSS, said.sanjiv@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, May 12

In the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) cash-for-job scam, the special investigation team (SIT) of the Haryana Police has filed an application in a Panchkula court, seeking permission for voice sampling of eight accused.

The SIT has already submitted to the Panchkula court the call records and transcripts of all the accused involved in the scam.

Earlier, the SIT had arrested superintendent Subhash Sharma, assistants Anil Kumar, Rohtash Sharma and Sukhwinder, and IT cell employee of the HSSC Puneet Saini, Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) employee Balwan, former manpower provider Dharminder and Irrigation Department assistant Surender Kumar.

Later, the SIT arrested another HSSC employee Subhash. All are at present lodged in the Ambala jail.

A senior Haryana Police officer said that to strengthen their case they wanted to match the voice samples of all accused with the call recordings, which are with the police.

Defence counsel Sameer Sethi, who is representing superintendent Subhash Sharma, said that the SIT had no recording of his client. Therefore, the SIT had sought permission for the voice sampling of eight accused only. The court has now fixed May 18 as the next date of hearing in the case, he added.

The Haryana Chief Ministers flying squad had arrested the accused on April 5. The scam is linked to the appointment of drivers, clerks and nurses against posts advertised by the commission over one-and-a-half year.sanjiv@tribunemail.com

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 12

Hopes of leadership change in Haryana were revived on Saturday afternoon when Congress president Rahul Gandhi sat with former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for lunch at a luxury hotel here.

The meeting was made even more significant by the presence of Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot, who is in charge of party organisation. Gehlot is also a personal friend of Hooda.

The meeting went on for more than an hour with Rahul discussing with party veterans a range of political issues. The leaders are also learnt to have discussed Haryana at length given rapidly changing political landscape in the state.

Rahul was interested in finding out what the potential impact of the INLD and the BSP pre-poll alliance would be and also whether the Aam Aadmi Party would be a major factor.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal recently declared his party would fight all seats in Haryana.

The discussions also come at a time when the Haryana Congress is looking for change after the exit of Kamal Nath, former general secretary and in charge of the state.

Rahul had to put a state in charge in place in Haryana before affecting leadership change there.

Hooda is widely acceptable to the state Congress leadership with several MLAs openly speaking for his anointment as Haryana Congress president.

Many Haryana Congress lawmakers have met Rahul and earlier Sonia Gandhi to bat for Hooda once incumbent chief Ashok Tanwar is replaced. Recently, five MLAs met Rahul to ask for leadership that reflects the aspirations of the people of Haryana.

Collective leadership is a good concept but not in a state like Haryana where Hooda is the unquestioned leader and a binding force for the state Congress. He must be made the state party president to win elections, Haryana Congress MLA Jai Tirath Dahiya told The Tribune on Saturday.

Earlier MLAs Geeta Bhukkal, Shakuntala Ghatak, Jaiveer Singh and Uday Bhan backed Hoodas elevation

in a meeting with Rahul. Congress leaders also privately say Hooda is to Haryana

what Capt Amarinder Singh was to Punjab.

The Congress president has made good choices to head states. Kamal Nath has been made Madhya Pradesh president when it was widely believed Jyotiraditya Scindia would be appointed. Everyone has a utility. Veterans are indispensable in leadership roles in some states and Haryana is one of them, said a senior Congress leader.

Haryana, with anti-incumbency against BJP, may tilt the Congress way but the state leadership remains an issue with factionalism undermining partys prospects. It remains to be seen whether Rahul settles for collective leadership in Haryana or bets on the old warhorse Hooda.singhking99@yahoo.com

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 12

The 96-km Shimla-Kalka railway track, a Unesco World Heritage Site, is under threat from over 3,000 structures, including houses, government buildings, huts and industrial units, that have come up within the 30-m radius of no-construction zone of this 116-year-old track.

According to top Railways officials, Unesco has asked the caretakers of the World Heritage Track to either stop the haphazard growth in the no-construction zone and littering on the track or lose its heritage status. The Unesco World Heritage Committee is likely to inspect the track and review its World Heritage Status after 10 years.

The 3,000 structures near the track have left the High Court and the Railways heritage authorities worried.

This has come to light in a recent survey done by the Railways, revealed sources. A PIL petition was filed in the High Court as to how to save the World Heritage Site from further degrading, said an official.

Governor Acharya Devvrat, acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and other judges, NGOs and the state and Central authorities, Territorial Army and panchayat bodies started a cleanliness campaign on the track to send a message to Unesco that the things were falling in line. We will write to Unesco and assure it that the vintage track deserves the same World Heritage Status it got in 2008, said Raja Bhasin from INTACH, an NGO, which bets for protecting the heritage property in the capital city.

Clean and save the Shimla-Kalka rail track campaign was part of the effort to convey to Unesco that things are being put in place, now, said Shailender, a senior railway officer, who looks after the heritage part of the track. And no one would be allowed to spoil the landscape and track, he added.

Col AS Randhawa, who heads the Himachal Eco-warriors, the Territorial Army, said they would plant trees wherever possible along the track throughout the year. We will not only ensure that the track is clean and trees survive, but also maintain these for five years. The survival rates of plantations with us are 80 per cent, he asserted.

Prempal Ranta, Member Secretary, State Legal Services Authority, which organised the campaign at 43 locations on the track, said the Chief Justice wanted to make a sustained campaign, educating the public and schoolschildren, including locals who live along the track, about the heritage status that brings visitors from across the globe.rchopra@tribunemail.com

Srinagar, May 12

A CRPF jawan was killed and a civilian injured in a brief exchange of fire between militants and security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Saturday.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Chinar Bagh, Mohalla Takiya, in Pulwama late on Friday following information about presence of militants there, a police official said.

As soon as the search party approached the suspects house, militants hiding inside fired indiscriminately due to which house owner Bashir Ahmad sustained an injury and is stated to be stable now, the official said.

He said during the initial exchange of fire between militants and security forces, a CRPF jawan sustained injuries. Mandeep Kumar later succumbed to injuries.

The militants, taking advantage of the darkness, fled from the spot, he said, adding that the operation was called off early on Saturday morning. PTIeditorial@tribune.com

Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, May 12

A CRPF man was killed during a gunfight with militants in Pulwama district of south Kashmir on Saturday. The militants, however, managed to flee.

The police said a civilian was also injured during the gunfight after being hit by a bullet fired by the militants. They said he was stable.

The slain CRPF man has been identified as Mandeep Singh of the 182 Battalion. He was a resident of Punjab.

The militants decamped with the service rifle of the slain CRPF man and his ammunition pouch.

His service rifle is missing. We are trying to ascertain its whereabouts, said CRPF spokesman Sanjay Sharma. The gunfight started after militants fired at a joint team of security forces while it was zeroing in on a house following information about the presence of militants in Takiya Wangam village of Pulwama.

The militants opened indiscriminate fire at the security forces party, leaving a CRPF man and a civilian, the owner of the house where the militants were holed up, injured, a senior police officer said. He said the CRPF man later succumbed to his injuries.

The militants, believed to be three in number, managed to flee due to darkness, the officer said. The operation, as per local sources, concluded around 8 am on Saturday as the security forces could not locate the militants.

Two houses were damaged during the operation.

Train services remain suspended on 3rd day

The train services on the Banihal-Srinagar axis remained suspended for the third consecutive day on Saturday as miscreants had damaged the train track on Thursday. The railways authorities have been restoring the track and hope that the services will be resumed on Monday.editorial@tribune.com

Srinagar, May 12

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has conveyed to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal her concern over the safety of the Kashmiris staying in Delhi following an incident in which five Kashmiris were thrashed in a residential colony in the national capital on Thursday night.

Mehbooba spoke to Kejriwal on Saturday and asked him to ensure the safety of the people of J&K in Delhi. She asked Kejriwal to maintain the confidence of students, businessmen and employees, particularly women from the state, so that they did not feel inconvenienced in Delhi.  TNSeditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Katra, May 12

Governor NN Vohra, chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, on Saturday visited the Vaishno Devi shrine area and reviewed the preparedness of the Tarakote Marg for operation.

The marg, which is to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 19, will be thrown open for pilgrims on Sunday.

The Governor, accompanied by senior officersreviewed the upcoming Siar Dabri-Bhawan material ropeway, which is being installed at a cost of Rs 12 crore.

The trial run of the ropeway is scheduled to commence in three days. It has a carrying capacity of 5 tonnes of material per hour.

The Governor ordered speedy completion of every pending item to make the ropeway functional by the planned date. He directed the officers to ensure effective utilisation of the facility, which would enormously reduce the logistics of ferrying material, food stuffs etc. on the yatra tracks and thereby, enhance the convenience of pilgrims.

The Governor also reviewed the work on the upcoming passenger ropeway being installed between Bhawan and Bhairon Ghati at a cost of Rs 60 crore. He inspected the waiting hall for the passengers, automated fare collection system and other facilities for the pilgrims. He walked down the lower terminal of the ropeway and took stock of the safety measures for the commuters. He issued instructions for beautifying the area around the terminal.

Later, Vohra travelled on the 7-km Tarakote Marg and reviewed its preparedness for operations. He stopped at several places and took stock of the various wayside facilities and the arrangements in place for the facilitation of pedestrians.

He inspected the bhojanalayas, view points, medical unit, toilets, water points and reviewed the arrangements of power supply, lighting, sanitation, cleanliness, and safety and security arrangements for the pilgrims.

The Governor directed urgent installation of additional water ATMs to provide free filtered water to pilgrims, place more benches and dustbins at regular distances for the convenience of pilgrims.

Earlier, on reaching Bhawan from Srinagar this morning, the Governor visited the holy cave shrine of Vaishno Devi along with First Lady Usha Vohra and prayed for the peace, progress and prosperity of the state.editorial@tribune.com

Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 12

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday chaired the Unified Headquarters meeting and asked security forces to scale down counter-insurgency operations during the Muslim fasting month of Ramazan, which begins next week.

Senior officers of various security agencies, however, told the Chief Minister they will think over about the proposal after considering its practicability, sources said.

The meeting of Unified Headquarters, which is a command centre comprising the heads of all security agencies, was called by the Chief Minister to review the security scenario. It took place days after the all-party meeting here which had urged the Central government to announce a ceasefire in the region.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta, Chief Secretary BB Vyas, GoC-in-C Northern Command Lt Gen Devraj Anbu and Principal Secretary, Home, RK Goyal.

The commanders of Armys 9 Corps, 14 Corps, 15 Corps and 16 Corps, Director General of Police SP Vaid, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Rohit Kansal, Special DG CRPF, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir and Inspectors General of J&K Police, BSF and CRPF were present at the meeting.

The sources said Mehbooba advised the security agencies to exercise restraint and strictly ensure safety and security of people and their property during the counter-insurgency operations.

She also expressed concern over increasing civilian casualties during the counter-insurgency operations and subsequent protests. She asked the officers to find a way out to avert such killings. The Chief Minister also expressed concern over increasing recruitment of local youth to militant ranks and also the joining of an increasing number of educated youth.

The officers told the Chief Minister that the civilian killings during counter-insurgency operations were a result of stone-throwing and instigation.

Concerned over civilian casualtieseditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 12

The chairman, Cardiac Sciences, Mediways Hospital, Dr Harinder Singh Bedi, was invited for a special lecture at the techno college continuing medical education (CME) held in Kanpur. The event was orgainsed by the Indian Association of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons (IACTS) at LPS Institute of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, Kanpur, on May 4 and 5. The theme of the CME was Emerging technologies  Together towards tomorrow.

While elaboration on the use of the radial artery in bypass surgery during discussion Dr Bedi said, Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death all over the world. It is responsible for 31% of all registered deaths.

The most common cardiovascular disease is coronary artery disease (CAD) in which fatty deposits accumulate in walls of blood vessels (atherosclerosis) and cause obstruction of blood flow, he said.singhking99@yahoo.com

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, May 12

Two persons died and around 100 others, including several policemen, were injured as clashes broke out between two communities in Aurangabad on Friday night, police said.

Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe said the civic body had cut off water supply to a place of worship, which angered the community members who came out on streets and clashed with officials. The situation is now under control after curfew was imposed early on Saturday morning, he said, adding that Internet services had been suspended in the area.

According to the police, trouble first broke out in the vicinity of the place of worship where the water supply was first cut. Members of the community pointed out other places of worship belonging to different community that enjoyed illegal water connection and challenged the officials to act against them. After civic officials announced they would cut off all illegal water connections, the situation degenerated into a communal riot.

The police quickly moved in to control the situation after worshippers ran riot. However, the violence spread to other parts of the city and nearly 100 shops and more than 50 vehicles were gutted as members of the two communities clashed.

A physically challenged man who was trapped in a shop that was set afire by rioters was charred to death. Shortly afterwards, the police burst teargas shells to disperse the mob, but after failing to do so opened fire on the rampaging crowds, killing one more person, said Deepak Kesarkar, Minister of State for Home.

While the first reported clash happened around 10 pm on Friday night, by early Saturday morning reports of clashes poured in from across Aurangabad. Ten police officials, including Assistant Police Commissioner Gowardhan Kolekar and Inspector Shripad Paropkari, were injured in the violence.

Bharambe said the police had been asked to shoot at troublemakers. Some local politicians are being probed for instigating violence, he added.

The triggerpardeepdhull@gmail.com

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service



Mumbai, May 12

One person was burnt to death, while another was killed in police firing after communal clashes broke out in the town of Aurangabad on Friday night, according to the police.



Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe of Aurangabad told reporters in the town that the civic body had cut off the water supply at a place of worship, which angered the community members who came out on the street and clashed with officials. The situation is peaceful after curfew was imposed since early Saturday morning, Bharambe said.



According to the police, trouble first broke out in the vicinity of the place of worship where the water supply was first cut. Members of the community pointed out to places of worship beloning to another community which enjoyed illegal water connections and challenged the officials to act

against them. After civic officials announced they would cut off all illegal water connections, the situation degenerated into a communal riot.

The police quickly moved into control the situation after worshippers ran riot. However the violence spread to other parts of the town and nearly a hundred shops and more than 50 vehicles were gutted as members of two communities clashed on the streets. One physically challenged person who was trapped in a burning shop was charred to death.



Shortly afterwards the police burst teargas shells to disperse the mob, but after failing to do so opened fire on the rampaging crowds killing one more person, Deepak Kesarkar, Minister of State for Home told reporters in Mumbai.



While the first reported clash happened at around 10 pm on Friday night, by early Saturday morning reports of clashes were coming from across Aurangabad.



Police said at least 100 people, including several policemen, have suffered injuries in the violence. Ten police officials including assistant police commissioner Gowardhan Kolekar and police inspector Shripad Paropkari were injured in the violence.



The administration has cut off Internet services in the area to prevent the violence from spreading.



Bharambe said late today afternoon that police have been asked to shoot at trouble makers. He added that some local politicians are being probed for instigating violence.uttara@tribuneindia.com

Indore, May 12

The Indore district court on Saturday awarded death penalty to a 26-year-old man for rape and murder of a three-month-old girl, while likening him to "gangrene".

The verdict came within 22 days of the incident.

Additional Sessions Judge Varsha Sharma sentenced Naveen Gadke, the accused, to death under IPC section 376 (A) (death due to injuries during rape) which was introduced under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, and section 302 (murder).

He was also found guilty under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

In the 51-page verdict, Judge Sharma said, "Given the heinous and gruesome manner in which the cruel act was done by the accused, this person is like a gangrene disease in the society. Like the doctor cuts off gangrene-affected parts of a patient's body through operation, in the same way it is also necessary to keep such criminal away to protect the society from them. Such person is deadly for the society".

District prosecution officer Akram Sheikh said the special investigation team formed by the police completed the investigation within seven days of the incident and filed a charge sheet on April 27.

The charges were framed on April 28 and the case was heard on a daily basis from May 1, he said.

Prosecution examined 29 witnesses, including the suspect's estranged wife.

Gadke was distantly related to the victim's parents, who sold balloons and slept outside the historical Rajwada building here, Sheikh said.

According to the police, Gadke's wife had left him, and he went to the victim's mother on the night of April 19, asking her to intervene in the marital dispute.

As he started arguing, he was driven away. He abducted the girl from the spot while her parents were asleep in the wee hours of April 20, the police said.

CCTV footage of the area revealed his actions. "After abducting her, he carried the sleeping girl on his shoulder so that passers-by could not suspect him. He took her to the basement of a commercial building 50 metres away from where her family was sleeping and raped her," said a police official.

After raping her, Gadke banged the girl's head on the ground and killed her, he said. The child's body was found on the afternoon of April 20 and soon Gadke was arrested. PTIsinghking99@yahoo.com

Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 12

Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had sailed to Indonesia onboard INS Delhi in June 1950 to meet President Sukarno. Sixty-eight years down the line, PM Narendra Modi could recreate history during his upcoming visit to the Southeast Asian nation from May 29-31.

Discussions are on if PM Modi could sail in a ship to cover some 80 nautical miles, or 100 km, to Aceh in northern Sumatra from Port Blair.

Plans are yet to be finalised but according to sources, the message would be to advocate enhanced maritime ties with a strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific. India and Indonesia do not share any territorial disputes, which is significant to add momentum to the relationship. We expect the visit to be forward-looking, said an official.

PM Modi will be in Indonesia prior to his Singapore visit where he will address the 17th IISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies) Shangrila dialogue  first Indian PM to do so  on June 1. PM Modi will hold formal talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on May 30. A visit to the historic Hindu Prambanan temple in Yogyakarta and 9th century worlds largest Buddhist temple in Borubudur are likely. The two leaders could take a walk around some market or even fly kites  a passion in both Modis home state of Gujarat as well as Bali, which hosts a kite-flying festival each year. A cooperation on kite museums in both countries is likely.

In the month of Ramadan, countering terrorism and violent extremism will be on the table for talks. India is keen to have an interfaith and intercultural dialogue with Indonesia, the largest Muslim majority nation practising moderate Islam to promote the message of tolerance and pluralism. Indonesia held first such similar dialogue with Singapore last year. Regional security will also be key with renewal of defence cooperation, maritime agreement, technical cooperation on trains and space on the cards.

Chinas OBOR (One Belt One Road) or BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) and the Indo-Pacific security are likely to figure in talks. Indonesia is not a part of the revived Quadrilateral Security Dialogue between the US, India, Japan and Australia. But Jakarta has signed up for BRI, which has hit several delays in projects in Indonesia.gspannu7@gmail.com

Srinagar, May 12

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday spoke to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the alleged assault on a group of Kashmiris in the national capital recently.

She urged Kejriwal to ensure the safety and security of Kashmiris living and working in Delhi.

Mehbooba Mufti asked Arvind Kejriwal to ensure and maintain the confidence and safety of students, businessmen, employees, particularly women from the state so that they do not feel inconvenienced during their stay in the national capital, an official spokesman said.

A group of Kashmiri people was allegedly thrashed by a mob in southeast Delhis Sunlight Colony on May 10.

Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, however, today informed Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba that the alleged thrashing of the group had nothing to do with their origin.

He said the incident was a local issue, triggered by a dispute over feeding stray dogs.  PTIrchopra@tribunemail.com

Hassan, May 12

Just after casting his vote, Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S) supremo HD Deve Gowda on Saturday said his party expected a possibility of forming the government.

We expect a possibility of forming the government, we have done well, Gowda told media here.

Gowda cast his vote at polling booth no. 244 in Holenarasipura town in Hassan district. His wife Chennamma Deve Gowda, son HD Revanna and other family members were also present along with him.

JD-S is looking to establish itself once again in Karnataka politics and is expected to give a tough fight to both the BJP and the Congress.

Earlier in the day, the chief ministerial candidate of the JD-S, HD Kumaraswamy, met Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswami of Sri Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math in Jayanagar amidst polling for the Karnataka Assembly.

The polling, which began at 7 am in 58,546 polling stations, each equipped with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs), will conclude at 6 pm.

The election in two constituencies, Jayanagar and RR Nagar, has been postponed.

A total of 2,654 candidates are in the fray and 4.96-crore electorate, including 2.44 crore women, will cast their vote. Over 15 lakh people are first-time voters in the 18-19 age group.

Tight security is in place to ensure smooth and peaceful polling that is under way across the 222 seats out of 224 assembly constituencies. ANImonicakchauhan@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 12

The following dates show the different governments that have been formed in Karnataka since the year 1989.

1989: The Congress loses power at the Centre, but in the simultaneously held Assembly elections in the state, it returned to power with a whopping majority, winning 178 of the 224 seats, replacing the previous Janata Dal government

1994: The Congress government in power at the Centre, but lost Assembly polls witnessing return of the Janata Dal government headed by HD Deve Gowda

1999: In the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led NDA won a majority. However, in Karnataka, the Congress won 18 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats, and 132 of the 224 Assembly seats

2004: In the Lok Sabha elections, the UPA trounced the NDA, but the BJP got the largest number of 18 Parliament seats in the state. In the state Assembly elections too, the BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 78 seats, though the Congress formed a government in alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular).

2008: Mid-term elections were held. The Congress -JD(S) government dethroned giving the BJP a majority.

2013: This time, too, the Congress forms the government in the state, but in the Lok Sabha polls, which were held a year after, the BJP wins 17 of the 28 seats.monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Bengaluru, May 12

An estimated 70 per cent of the over 4.96 crore voters exercised their franchise to choose a new Karnataka Assembly in one of the most high-profile and bitterly-fought elections in the recent times.

The count is likely to go up with electors standing in queues to cast their votes beyond the 6 pm deadline for the polling to conclude, the state election office said.

Under election rules, voters who join the queue before the expiry of the deadline are allowed to exercise their franchise.

A voter turnout of 71.4 per cent was recorded in the previous Assembly elections in 2013.

Polling was held for 222 of the states 224 constituencies following the countermanding of election for the Jayanagara seat due to the death of BJP candidate B N Vijaykumar, and deferment of voting for R R Nagar seat over allegations of electoral malpractices.

Over 2,600 candidates are in the fray, including four sitting and former chief ministersincumbent Siddaramaiah, former BJP chief ministers B S Yeddyurappa and Jagdish Shettar, and H D Kumaraswamy of the JD(S).

Counting of votes will take place on May 15.

#WATCH: As voting in #Karnataka continues, CM Siddaramaiah says, 'Yeddyurappa is mentally disturbed. Congress will get more than 120 seats. I am very confident.' #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/yE6isfZcYq  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

There were reports of malfunctioning of EVMs from some polling stations, and minor clashes between Congress and BJP supporters. The two parties also accused each other of inducing voters.

Pollsters have forecast a hung Assembly, with a close contest between the states ruling Congress and main challenger BJP. Former prime minister H D Deve Gowdas JD(S), though projected to finish a distant third, is likely to play a crucial role in government formation in the event of a fractured mandate.

The outcome of the elections may have a huge impact on the fortunes of two main national partiesthe BJP and the Congressthat are vying for electoral laurel in the key southern state.

While a victory would help boost the sagging morale of the Congress, which has been losing state after state since Narendra Modi came to power at the Centre, a defeat in Karnataka, the only big state it rules apart from Punjab, may further hasten its decline.

Losing Karnataka will also drastically weaken its claim for the leadership of a broader anti-BJP alliance that is being talked about.

On the other hand, a victory will help revive positive sentiments in the party ahead of the Assembly elections in BJP-ruled Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh later this year, and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

For the BJP, desperately seeking to form its government in Karnataka, which its president Amit Shah called the partys gateway to the south, a triumph in the only southern state it ruled between 2008 and 2013, will help further galvanise its cadre ahead of the Assembly elections in the three states and the subsequent Lok Sabha polls.

A victory in Karnataka will also reflect the enduring charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his capacity to power his party to victory across the country, clearing demographic and topographical obstacles.

State BJP chief and partys chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa, and Pradesh Congress Committee chief G Parameshwara were among the first to cast their votes at Shikaripura in Shivamogga and Yaggere in Tumakuru respectively.

Former premier H D Deve Gowda along with wife Chennamma cast his vote at Paduvalahippe in Hassan district.

Seer of a prominent Lingayat seminary Siddhaganga Mutt, Sri Shivakumara Swamiji, said to be 111-year-old, cast his vote at a booth near the mutt premises.

Cricket icons of yesteryear Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, film actors Ramesh Arvind, Ravichandran and scion of Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar were among the early voters.

A bride in Madikeri cast her vote in wedding attire before heading for marriage.

At some places Thank You cards were given to voters for exercising their franchise.

Counting of votes will be taken up on May 15 and results will be declared the same day.

The Congress party had a comfortable majority in the outgoing Assembly with 122 seats, 10 more than the halfway mark. The BJP and JD(S) had 40 seats each, Karnataka Jantha Paksha 6, Badavara Shramikara Raitra 4, Karnataka Makkala Paksha, Samajwadi Party, Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha (one each) and Independents 9. PTIgspannu7@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

Patna, May 12

RJD leader Lalu Prasads elder son Tej Pratap Yadav married Aishwarya Rai as opposition leaders gathered here on Saturday. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also arrived at the wedding to wish the couple.

Lalu Prasad arrived here on Thursday from Ranchi on parole for three days to attend the elder sons marriage. But on Friday, the Ranchi High Court granted him six weeks bail.

More than 30,000 people were set to attend the event, and many had poured in from all across Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, RJD state President Ram Chander Purve said.

According to RJD leader Bhola Yadav, NCP leader Praful Patel, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, dissident BJP MPs Shatrughan Sinha and Kirti Azad and rebel Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav had reached the city.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi, and some notable BJP leaders from Bihar were also expected to arrive, Bhola Yadav said.

Bihars popular litti-chokha, Amritsari kulcha, imarti, gulab jamun, karhai paneer and kulfi besides continental dishes will be served to the guests.

There will be 200 items in the lavish dinner, a staffer at Lalu Prasads residence said. The marriage venue has been decorated with flowers from Thailand.

The venue is a sprawling veterinary college ground, spread over 9,000 square metres, RJD leader Shakti Yadav said.

All of Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devis seven daughters are married. The younger son, Tejashwi Yadav, a former deputy chief minister, is also single yet.

Laluji is enjoying every moment with his family, an insider said.

Lalu Prasad was jailed in December after conviction in the fodder scam.

Former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devis elevation as Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Council has added more happiness to the Yadav family.

All family members were seen dancing during the haldi rituals.

The former health minister of the state was seen dancing with younger brother and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in a video clip which has gone viral.

The Yadav familys joy has also doubled since Lalu Yadav got a three-day parole to attend his sons marriage. Subsequently he was granted a six-week provisional bail by the Jharkhand High Court on medical grounds.

Lalus family assumes Aishwaras arrival as a bride in its family as very lucky. Lalu got three-day parole, later on he was granted six-week provisional bail by Jharkhand High Court, Tejaswi Prasad and three other RJD leaders got sigh of relief in connection with CBI court notices and finally Rabri was promoted to Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Council today that added more happiness to the family.

Aishwarya Rai is the granddaughter of former Bihar CM Daroga Prasad Rai. With Agenciesmonicakchauhan@gmail.com

Mumbai, May 12

A 30-year-old man was on Saturday stabbed to death by another who accused the victim and his friend of staring at him, police said.

The incident occurred in the morning in the congested Madanpura area of Nagpada in south Mumbai, police said.

"The victim, Mohammad Rashid Said Ansari (30), was talking with his friend, Mohammad Rizwan Quereshi, when the accused, Fazil Mohammed Abdul Kayyum Ansari, picked up a fight alleging that the two were staring at him for a long time," a police official said.

In the course of the argument, Ansari (35) pulled out a knife and stabbed Mohammad Rashid, he said.

Rashid's friend sustained serious injuries while trying to fend off the attack, the official added.

"The two were rushed to JJ Hospital nearby where Rashid succumbed to his injuries," he said. Accused Ansari, who fled the scene, was arrested from a spot close to where the incident happened by the Nagpada Police.rchopra@tribunemail.com

Patna, May 12

A Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the Bihar capital on Saturday, police said.

Dina Gope, who was also the husband of former Patna deputy mayor, was killed when he was returning home after attending a relatives marriage, a police officer said.

Criminals used an AK-47 to kill him near his residence in Anushabad, he added.

The murder took place amid tightened security imposed here since Friday in view of RJD chief Lalu Prasads elder son Tej Prataps marriage on Saturday night.

Over 10,000 guests, including VIPs like Congress President Rahul Gandhi, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, were likely to attend the ceremony. IANSeditorial@tribune.com

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 12

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh has directed all Sikh preachers to strictly refrain from self-made explanation of Gurbani to avoid misunderstanding and confrontation in the panth.

In the backdrop of the case pertaining to an assault on Sikh preacher Bhai Amrik Singh Chandigarh at Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Southhall (UK) reaching the Takht, the jathedar warned all stakeholders to keep away from Bhara-Maroo Jang (civil war in the community).

He asserted that those deliberately explaining the Gurbani to cause misunderstanding in sangat would be entirely responsible for their misdeed.

The managements of gurdwaras should not allow those preachers who created confusion and misunderstanding among the sangat to preach on their premises, he said.

In case these managements required some guidance regarding Gurbani, Gurus history, Sikh rehat maryada (code of conduct) and traditions then they must send names of their five members for deliberations. However, they must desist from propagating their views outside, he said.

In a joint statement, Gurtej Singh, Prof Gurdarshan Singh, Jaspal Singh and Gurpreet Singh of Kendri Sri Guru Singh Sabha called upon the Sikh institutions to guarantee the honour, dignity and safety of all Gursikhs who visited their premises, regardless of the views they hold.editorial@tribune.com

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 12

Doctors at the de-addiction centre of the Jalandhar Civil Hospital  where former Mehatpur SHO Inspector Parminder Bajwa was admitted on Friday night  have been provided with medical reports, claiming he had a history of bipolar disorder.

Bajwa had lodged an FIR against Shahkot bypoll Congress candidate Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia. It is claimed he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at a hospital in Doraha in 2016. Doctors have been asked to check if there has been a relapse.

The team treating him said when hospitalised on Friday night, he was suffering from high BP and anxiety. Bajwa has been kept in isolation under heavy security. No visitor, including family members, is allowed to meet him.

The doctors said he had shown a craving for alcohol on the first day and a dope test would be conducted on him. With his history and symptoms of hyperactivity, we have been asked to check if it is owing to the bipolar disorder, said a doctor.

Dr Nirdosh Goyal, head of the department of psychiatry, said, We want to keep him away from the hullabaloo outside. A board of doctors has been set up (on Saturday) for a psychiatric assessment regarding his condition and to finalise treatment, he said. Dr Goyal said it was too early to confirm if Bajwa was suffering from bipolar disorder.

Meanwhile, questions are being raised on how and why the police, who were reportedly aware of the disorder earlier, chose to keep his name on the panel of SHOs to be given a sensitive duty during the bypoll.

Another question that is being raised is if he was fine till his posting, why did the problem reoccur only after he lodged an FIR against the Congress candidate.

Police officers close to him point out that he was a capable officer and was awarded the DGPs Commendation Disc twice in the last six months  once in Kapurthala after he busted an ATM gang and then in Jalandhar (Rural) in January this year.

A police spokesperson said the process of placing Inspector Bajwa on suspension had been initiated.

He gave false info: Cops

The Chandigarh Police have sought a detailed report on the incident in which Bajwa provided information about the presence of gangsters at a bus stand here in April, which later turned out to be untrue. On April 23, Bajwa had called up the Chandigarh Police control room, informing them about the presence of 10 armed gangsters at a dhaba at the Sector-43 bus stand. When I asked him about what colour of clothes the gangsters were wearing, Bajwa could not reply, said Chandigarh Deputy Superintendent of Police (Operations) Jaswinder Singh.

We did not find any armed gangster. Some persons on whom Bajwa expressed suspicion were found to be genuine, said the DSP.  PTI

Transfer investigation out of state: Khaira

Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Khaira has requested the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, to transfer the investigation of FIR against Hardev Singh Laddi, Congress candidate from Shahkot, and the FIR against Inspector PS Bajwa out of Punjab, preferably to Chandigarh, Haryana or Delhi for an impartial inquiry. It all appears to be a cooked up story to gag his voice, certify him with a psychological disorder, cancel the FIR and later dismiss him from service. And all this is happening as he has become an object of hatred of the CM, said Khaira. TNSuttara@tribuneindia.com

Chandigarh, May 12

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Saturday he had no objection to the opposition's demand of deploying paramilitary forces for the Shahkot bypoll.

He said the presence of security personnel would thwart the Akalis' attempts to take refuge in the "frivolous and fabricated" excuse of "misuse of official machinery" once they lose the bypoll ignominiously.

The chief minister's reaction comes a day after the Akalis approached the Election Commission with a request to deploy paramilitary forces for a fair and peaceful by-poll.

Singh said it was ironical that the Akalis, who had "abused" all the democratic systems during their own regime, were now running to the poll panel to seek deployment of forces to ensure peaceful polls.

The senior Congress leader also accused SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal of "brazenly" backing SHO Parminder Singh Bajwa, who was found by the poll panel to be unfit for duty.

He said Badal was part of the Akali campaign to "malign" the Congress-led state government ahead of the bypoll.

Mehatpur SHO Parminder Singh Bajwa, who had booked the Congress's Shahkot assembly bypoll candidate in an illegal sand mining case recently, was arrested by the Jalandhar police on Saturday for allegedly assaulting and obstructing an on-duty government official.

The Congress nominee for the by-election, Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia, among others, was booked for alleged illegal sand mining in different villages of Jalandhar district.

The Election Commission had on Saturday replaced Bajwa with Hardip Singh following complaints of being biased.

The by-poll to Shahkot Assembly will be held on May 28. The seat fell vacant following the death of SAD MLA Ajit Singh Kohar.  PTIROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Amit Sengupta

Vanishing Line, a photo show by five young photographers at the India International Centre (IIC) in Delhi, explores the subliminal architecture and zigzag time and space of urban geography, juxtaposed by the rapid changes in modernitys chaotic designs, where the rural often becomes a jigsaw puzzle with the urban. The city and the countryside move in tandem in a jarring synthesis, like a record stuck in its own, unoriginal musical groove. The photo show, sponsored by the Neel Dongre Awards, Grants for Excellence in Photography and India Photo Archive Foundation, has been showcased by IIC. It has been curated by two eminent names: Aditya Arya, veteran commercial and travel photographer, and Parthiv Shah, filmmaker, photographer and graphic designer.

Urban villages move into the labyrinth of the rural archive, as architecture and shared spaces. They merge and blur into each other, smelling of old mud and haystacks, their lanes full of old and new memories. Indeed, the lines vanish only to reappear. The cow in the city, facing the turmoil of seasons, eating non-biodegradable substances  glass, plastic, bones, polythene, garbage, creating traffic jams, worshipped as holy cow, forever left to its cruel fate. Sometimes, in the eyes of a photographer, they become political cut-outs, caricatures of the fanatic mythology of contemporary times.

The inner lanes of Mumbai which are eye-witnesses of the old heritage of Bombay protect themselves from the chaos of commerce, with their cocooned silence, sometimes surrounded by trees, sometimes by high-rise building, the smell of the sea making air corridors in the bylanes. Will they survive, will they be ravaged?

Gurgaon just cant handle its own present predicament, as it moves into future imperfect. Skyscrapers hanging like trousers in a row, alien, alienated. Shopping malls and commercial complexes look down at civilisation with an impersonal and concrete inhumanity  unable to tackle its own internal dynamics. Can they too survive their bloated infrastructure in the days to come?

Khirki Village in South Delhi, next to the old Khirki Mosque, has suddenly become home for Rabindranath Tagores Kabuliwallah. Afghans have made their residence on earth there, and, as they love Indians for centuries, the Indians too have come to love them. They have become like graffiti on the walls, their bread softer than their smiles. Time seems to be repeating itself in these vanishing lines of migrations.

The last two double-decker buses in Trivandrum. The first was brought in 1938 from London by the King of Travancore, as a royal carriage. Now, the last two run on the streets of this lovely city of Kerala, resurrecting fond memories of the past, refusing to enter the oblivion of the future.

Writes Aditya Arya: The grant is driven by the idea of supporting young photographers interested in the genre of documentary. Its a celebration of the communicative nature of this medium and a tool for creating visual narratives. A documentary photographer has a huge and responsible role in society. I firmly believe they create histories by documenting traditions and constantly evolving societies and their work has a great place in the archives, being a witness to the process of change. In an age where new inventions and new technologies of mass production are being announced every minute, it is essential to document the great traditions and craft of the past for posterity.

The young photographers who have showcased their work in the photo show are Amruta Dhawale, Arindam Thokdar, Lokesh Dang, Sidharth Behl, Surabi Janardhanan and Syed Adnan Ahmed.ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

B.N.Goswamy

Hashiya is a word we generally use for a margin or border, and this is the word that a close friend, Mamata Singhania, chose as the title of a lively exhibition that she recently organised in Delhi under the auspices of her art gallery. Ten distinguished contemporary painters  some of them from across the border, in Pakistan, and others from home  were invited to participate with their works, but each with reference, consciously, to the hashiya: responding to the very idea. Nearly every one of them was aware of the traditional, pre-modern, work that our land is so rich in  paintings, manuscripts, and the like  but the assumption was that not every one might have paid equal attention to the margins, the surrounds. When the works came in, however, it was wonderful to see how everyone had paid close heed, for there they were  margins  informing every single work: at times expanding a theme, at others making a comment, at still others raising suggestions, evoking memories, asking questions. It was as if everyone was thinking of what the great poet, Ghalib, had said once: kuchh aur chaahiye vussat merey bayaan ke liye [more space than this I need to say what I have to say].

However, in this context, I might turn to an essay that I was asked to write in conjunction with the exhibition. In that I veered  somewhat naturally  towards what I knew of hashiyas of the past. And of these I was able to recall a large number of bewildering variety. When, years ago, I was working on Mughal documents  farmans, land grants, yad-dashts, parwanas, and the like  one remained concentrated on the main text of the document, which was called matn, and then shifted to the margins where attesting witnesses, each identified by a name, placed their signatures or thumb-impressions: they were hashiya-gawahs. Occasionally, one came upon a document described as hashiya-dar, meaning having marginal notes; one even encountered an expression, pointing to a person on the outskirts, say of a piece of land, like hashiya-nashin: sitting on the edge. Margin, edge, border: these then are what one thinks of when we speak of hashiyas even though between them there are, or can be, distinctions; subtle differences. What, in a painting for instance, is an inner margin to be called, as opposed to the outer margin? Does edge lie necessarily outside of the margin, but adjacent to it, on an album page? Is it fair to designate border strictly as something that the artist himself conceived and made a part of his painting? Fine distinctions, ambiguities, remain. Ordinarily a margin  most often floral or decorative  surrounds a painting which is the main object, but this can change. In the Chandigarh Museum, for instance, there are a few folios of a dispersed Bhagavad-Gita manuscript, in which the centre is occupied completely by shlokas from the sacred text written in local takri characters, and the margins, on all four sides, feature what might be called illustrations, related in one way or another to the text. As I said, things can be very different.

There are hashiyas and hashiyas then in Indian painting. But what come most easily, floatingly, to the mind are those that one encounters in Mughal painting, especially the ones from those splendid albums that were assembled in the period of the emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan: the Jahangir-period Gulshan Album now in Iran, for instance, or what has come to be called the dispersed Late Shah Jahan Album. On the uncommonly broad margins of these, surrounding the main image in the centre, there are some singularly sensitively rendered figures that relate consciously to the central image: dazzling in the way they support, emphasise, help to interpret, the work. Here I have space to refer in detail just to one painting  and draw peripherally upon another  from the Late Shah Jahan album, in which the central image is that of a recluse being visited by a prince; an encounter, so to speak, between the shah and the gada: one a man of earthly means and the other possessed of the riches of the mind. Quietly, the painter seems to ask us to determine for ourselves who is the shah and who the gada in this case. Whether this or not, the holy man we see sitting under a tree out in the countryside, long hair streaming down to his knees, expression of utter peace on his face, listening to music being played on an ektara by a disciple, while a young prince sits between the two, waiting for the ascetic to open his eyes, for he has questions to ask, enlightenment to seek. All around at the same time, on the three sides of the hashiya, one sees small figures, seated or standing, six of them faqirs or seekers. Each of the sadhu-like men is a brilliant study: each of them is dressed  minimally clothed  differently; each sits or crouches in his own fashion; each of them has his own calabash by his side, evidently his sole earthly possession; each seems to be lost in thought while listening to the music being played in the centre of the painting. One of them, in fact, a young acolyte standing at bottom left, appears to have been on the point of leaving with his feet turned in that manner when he seems to have heard the strains of music and stops, turning his head towards it. Much the same happens in another painting from the same album, now in the Musee du Louvre in Paris, where seekers occupy the hashiya around the image of the Sufi in the centre. When you see these figures, a certain calm, like moonlight gently descending downwards, as the poet says  yoon jaise shab ko chandani, chupke zameen par aa rahey  takes the viewer over.

This is what can happen in a hashiya; the margin no longer remains a margin.ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Gaurav Kanthwal

Sumana Roys second novel Missing is a perplexing story of Bengali couple, Kobita and Nayan, that has lost contact with each other for the past one week. The seven days of emotional turmoil in their life bring out some important and some mundane aspects of the conjugal life that they have been unaware of even after decades of living together.

Kobita (54) is a social activist, in search of a young girl who was molested by a mob in Guwahati and has since mysteriously vanished in lower Assam. After reaching Assam, Kobita keeps in touch with her blind husband by phone but suddenly after three-four days the contact is lost. Nayan is worried about her as it is the fag end of July and floods have lashed lower parts of the state. The poet-husband immediately starts searching for her whereabouts  through newspapers reports.

In this post-modern Indian writing in English, Nayan is lost in the maze of crime and politics in the year 2012 in North-eastern India. Rising crime graph, Bangladeshi migrants, annual flooding woes and political turmoil, corruption all find mention in this novel. Soon after announcing that Kobita has gone missing, Roy does not build on this tense twist and but takes a mundane detour with Kobitas scholar sons research pursuit. In the end, Kobita does make an appearance but this is not reunion per se.

Missing is also a commentary on human prejudices and shortcomings and fickle nature of humanbeings. It shows how people compartmentalise others around them according to their class, castes and religion.

Apart from Kobita, Nayan, and their son Kabir, there are a couple of other characters in the house  carpenter Bimal da, his granddaughter Tashi Saha, assistant Ahmed, a Bangladeshi and the caretaker Shibu. Each of these characters has been ingrained with a prejudice and a way of demeaning the other to gain ascendance in society, and that is how Missing has shown hierarchy taking root in our parochial society.

Roy, a resident of Silliguri, has written a topical novel with characters drawn from her personal life. The storyline is simple in which the end result is almost a foregone conclusion. Roys skill is in blending her fiction with facts; facts that have been taken straight from news reports, historical events and real-life letters.

The serious and the important were the spine and flesh of news. The seemingly unnecessary is from where art  and poetry  derives its juice, Roy wrote in an essay recently. Her ingeniuity is in using Bollywood songs, Bangla poems and poets to drive home her point. Jabs and straight punches such as: the girl with face of a hut  and  Even wives give missed calls to their husbands  add humour to a tense narrative.

Roys heavy use of metaphors, her indulgence with history and current events makes her a typical Indian writer in English. Missing is her first work in fiction, but her first published book, How I became a Tree, a non-fiction, too, draws heavily from movies, mythology, history, politics and human pretensions  clearly a common theme in all her writings.ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Pushpesh Pant

Parwal aka potol in Bengal and Odisha is a beloved vegetable of people from the eastern region of the Indian subcontinent. We recall our good friend Prof Jha pining for a well-made potol tarkari in Puducherry. He missed it so much that at one time he seriously considered relocating from a central to a state university to be able to indulge in it when in season. Bengalis cook it as bhaja with potatoes in a curry and in Awadh it is encountered in its stuffed dulma avatar. Our favourite is the preparation that we were treated to at the Banaras Hindu University guest house. It was totally satvik, eschewing onions and garlic and was slow cooked on dum in pure ghee. The spicing was light but flavourful. When we went into appreciative raptures, the waiter told us to have our fill as we werent likely to get such pointed gourds in Delhi. How right he was! However, lets assure you that even if you cant source those small-sized succulent parwal outside Purvanchal, you can enjoy the extremely satisfying dish if you stay with tender, not ripened parwal. Simplicity itself!

Dum ka Parwal

Ingredients

Parwal (small, tender, unripe) 250g

250g Ginger paste 1 tsp

1 tsp Bay leaf 1

1 Cloves 2

2 Dhania powder 1-1/2 tsp

1-1/2 tsp Jeera powder 1 tsp

1 tsp Amchur powder 1/2 tsp

1/2 tsp Salt To taste

To taste Hing A pinch

A pinch Sprinkler (optional) 1/4tsp each of green cardamom, cinnamon powder

1/4tsp each of green cardamom, cinnamon powder Ghee 3tbsp

Method

Wash the parwal and scrape them very lightly. Slit lengthwise, but do not separate the halves. Mix powdered spices and salt with a little water in a small bowl. Heat ghee in a pan and first add the hing and then a bay leaf along with the cloves. When these change colour, add the spices dissolved in water. Stir fry briskly for a minute and then add the parwal. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10-12 minutes till done to taste. In between, cover once and stir to ensure that they dont stick to the bottom or burn. Sprinkle a few drops of water only if necessary. Enjoy hot or at room temperature.ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Saachi Dhillon

If you are looking for a holiday to satiate your love for history and culture, besides an opportunity to let your hair down, then Cambodias Siem Reap is perfect for you. This vibrant city has something for everyone  from night markets and the buzzing Pub Street to Sok San Street. At night, the city lights up and brims with people and lively music. From bar-hopping to getting fish massages with a free beer and experiencing ice cream made right in front of your eyes, theres plenty to choose from.

Angkor night market

Dried fruits, jewellery, cheap clothes, souvenirs, homewares, art, youll find everything in this bustling little market place. Exercise your bargaining skills. Go early and strike a good deal.

Temple Bar

This is located right opposite the popular backpackers haunt, Angkor What? Bar on Pub Street. You would be able to hear its pulsating beats from a distance. It has an open facade, which lets you enjoy the street revelry as well. Usually packed to full, it is best to get a table early. You can even shake a leg to latest international tracks being played there. Later in the night, their dance floor is overflowing with people so dont be surprised if you find yourself dancing in the middle of the street with fellow travellers.

La Boulangerie cafe

If you carry on walking down Night Street road towards the main intersection, you will hit street number 7. A quaint cafe tucked away from the buzzing Pub Street, La Boulangerie is the best place to recuperate after a long day of visiting the temples. The staff is friendly, can help you with local information and you can lounge around there for as long as you want.

Hill Street cafe

Located on the Sok San road, Hill Street Cafe has nice vibes and an array of Cambodian food at pocket friendly prices. It is great for a pleasant dinner time conversation, with bright lights and soft local music, setting the tone for the evening. Their spring rolls and seafood yellow glass noodles, Khmer style are a must have. Depending on the promotional offers running at the time, you may even get a free drink with your meal. This is also one of those few places where you can have a beer for only 50 cents!

Street sweets

For desserts, head to the intersection of Night Market Street and Sivatha Boulevard, close to Namaste India restaurant; and look out for a waffles vendor. On Pub Street, try the freshly made hand-made ice cream. The vendor will whip up custom made smooth and creamy ice cream in front of you, complete with toppings and sauces of your choice.ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Rameshinder Singh Sandhu

Inundated is the world with many aviation fans and museums dedicated to aviation but when these fans are at the Museum of Flight in Seattle; their curiosity soars like never before. Located right on the Boeing field where action never goes off to sleep with planes being tested through landings and takes offs one after the other, the museum not only rolls out many historic chapters on flying but also introduces visitors to several historic passenger planes from inside.

Each one of them with a unique story, the collection interestingly also includes the retired Air Force One which was once used by former US Presidents like Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon for various official tours and missions and later also by vice-presidents and many VVIPs. One gets so engaged while taking note of its large conference room (in the planes centre) known as the flying oval office where many major meetings took place and decisions took birth. While in the front is its communication centre, in the back are different cabins for press and presidents staff followed by food and beverage galleries.

Then meeting its neighbour  the first Boeing 747 that brought revolution in the airline industry leaves every visitor inspired. Credits to its Seattle-born lead engineer Joseph F. Sutter, who often visited the Boeing plant during his childhood with his elders and he knew when he grows up, he would love to design planes. Chasing his dreams, in 1946, he finally joined Boeing, and 20 years later headed the 747 project and considering his dedication for it, he was given the title of Father of 747 and this 747 made its first flight from New York to London on January 22, 1970.

Exploring the retired Concorde of British Airways, known for its crashing speed that crossed Atlantic in just three and a half hours from London, is equally interesting. First flown on April 27, 1978, and in museum since 2003, one can easily fall in love with its design, especially its nose and wings. It is also one of the most photographed planes here.

Coming to the latest passenger plane here, its the Boeing 787  commonly known as the Dreamliner but what makes it unique that while Boeing wanted to launch Dreamliner planes in December 2011, this was used for world tour for its promotion. The tour made 40 stops in 23 countries and travelled a total of 1,31,000 nautical miles (2,44,153 km). Half of it is with seats and half without seats to prove its spaciousness and it was also used for exhibitions during its tour. And, such stories continue in many other planes here that even date back to early 1900s, and even those that were used in First World War and Second World War. The old Boeing factory plant still preserved in its wooden charm and connected to the museum is also worth exploring.

The best spot to catch action on the Boeing field is to watch it from museums air control tower as it offers the best views. If you want more, what better than taking the live Boeing factory tour in nearby Everett where inside the worlds largest building (472 million cubic feet by volume), one can witness several passenger planes ordered by airlines from across the world in various stages of assembly. The tours given in groups are offered from one floor above the factory floor and its interesting to see how cranes are picking up different plane parts and connecting them together, followed by how they are painted and lot more that keep the visitors awestruck!Sanjam Preet Singh in Chandigarh

Sanjam Preet Singh in Chandigarh

HER father gifted her Royal Enfield Classic 350 on her birthday. At 19, she couldnt have asked for more. About seven months later, she got a chance to make the best use of the machine. She hit the road to Khardung La, the highest motorable stretch in the world, along with three other girls.

And thus Riya Yadav of Gurugram became the youngest girl to have conquered Khardung La, which is at a height of 18,380 ft. Her name is recorded in the India Book of Records and Vajra World Records. She read about the trip to Khardung La on Facebook. She discussed it with her friend Anita Krishnan and started to prepare. The to-do list included convincing her parents. They were scared; reluctant to allow me. My elder sister helped me to convince them, says Riya, 20.

She got her Enfield modified a bit. She needed a new seat according to her height. She is 5 ft 2 inches. I installed extra lights on my bike. As for the safety gear, Anita helped me get a helmet, jacket, gloves and shoes, she says.

Riya learnt the basics about the working of a bike, for example, how to change a clutch wire and fix a puncture. Yet, doubt was her enemy number one. It was my first bike trip to the hills. I was tense, she recalls.

On June 17, 2017, she and the other girls, including Anita, decided to burn some asphalt and muddy their machines. It wasnt going to be an easy ride, yet she wasnt expecting snowstorm-like conditions at Baralacha Pass. Neither was she expecting a landslide between Pang and Patso. My bike got stuck in the landslide and water was flowing like a river. I managed to get out of it on my own, Riya says.

After four days of driving, she and the other girls reached Khardung La. We all felt proud of ourselves, she says.

Back home, she noticed a change in her personality. I have stopped nagging about little things. I am at peace with my surroundings, she says. Maybe, mountains calm you down.

So what does it take to conquer Khardung La? Nerves of steel, unwavering resolve and a mean machine, says Riya, a student of political science at Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi University. She has her sights on an Army job. These days, she is recuperating from an accident. Soon, she hopes to hit the road again.

How to get ready

Travel light. Drop unnecessary things

Prepare thoroughly; research about routes, food & accommodation

Carry a riding gear such as a jacket, gloves, a helmet, a balaclava, knee guards, thermal liners, rain covers for bags and rain clothes

Ensure your bike is in good condition

Carry a medical kit and a few spare parts such as spark plugs, a clutch wire and a lever

Be in good physical and mental state

First woman aviation firefighter

Shubhadeep Choudhury in Kolkata

WHEN she was a teenager, Tanya Sanyal earned the grandiose epithet of virangana (a courageous woman) from her male tutor. A cockroach had crawled into the room where we were taking tuition. The discovery created quite a commotion. Girl students were frightened and even the boys present did not know what to do. I coolly picked up the cockroach by its antenna and dropped it outside. Our teacher was hugely impressed and called me a virangana, says Tanya (25). She was in class eleven then.

The Kolkata girl, who is undergoing training in Delhi, has chosen a job that requires a fair bit of courage. She is an aviation firefighter, the first and the only woman in the country.

The credit for introducing women in this field goes to Guruprasad Mahapatra, chairman of the Airport Authority of India (AAI). The Gujarat cadre IAS officer felt that women should be encouraged to join as firefighters at airports. He drew up a criterion for selection.

A window was thus opened and Tanya became the lucky one to break into a field that till then was a male bastion. After the completion of her training in June, she will get a posting in an airport as a member of AAIs Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) team.

Tanya, who has done her masters in botany, is honest enough to confess that she has never thought of becoming a firefighter. However, the job of an aviation firefighter is quite different from an ordinary fireman. When I saw the AAI advertisement for recruitment of aviator firefighters, I got hooked, she says.

There are a lot of women whom I look up to. But on a personal note, I shall like to mention the role played in my life by a grandmother of mine who is no more. Like me she was also a government employee. She always motivated me, says Tanya when asked about women she idealizes.

Aviation firefighters attend to other incidents such as motor vehicle accidents, fuel spills, hazardous material incidents and first-aid in the terminal. There are quite a number of alarm panels around the airport and they respond to fire alarms.

They have to be fairly knowledgeable about aviation terms and phrases. The firefighters have contact with air traffic control and the flight control centre as well as direct contact with pilots.

An airplane fire may be an extremely rare occurrence, but firefighters will have to be always in readiness for an emergency.Rifat Mohidin in Srinagar

Kashmir, like any other state of India, looks at its youth with hope. Three decades of violence is a frighteningly long period in which careers have been destroyed, a generation has lived in fear, and worse, deaths of youths have been used as a tool to promote a dangerous cause. The Tribune puts together stories of four well-educated sons of the Valley whose tragic end is a never-ending suffering for not only their families, but also those who expected them to do something worthwhile in their lives

Rifat Mohidin in Srinagar

IT is pointless to ask the family of Dr Muhammad Rafi Bhat, the Kashmir University assistant professor, why the young scholar had to die the way he did. Bhat was killed 36 hours after joining the Hizbul Mujahideen group. For the record, he is the 28th local militant this year to have been killed by security forces. Sources say he had asked for forgiveness from his parents in his last call to them. The shelf-life of militants is very less. We understand the young men have grown up in violence, but gun is no answerthe results are for all to see, says Peoples Democratic Partys youth wing president Waheed Ur Rehman Parra.

We also have to see it (the educated youth joining militants) in the larger context that it is not a law and order problem alone. It is also an emotional, political and administrative issue. The youth are a collective responsibility of our society, says Parra. In the first four months of this year, 39 youth  most of them in their early twenties  have joined militant outfits. In 2017-18, 10 graduates, four postgraduates and two MPhil and PhD holders each had joined militancy as per official record.

Heres revisiting a tragedy that befell Dr Muhammad Rafi Bhats family exactly a week back:

Bhat, 33, pursued his masters in sociology from University of Kashmir. He cleared the National Eligibility Test (NET) twice and was selected as a junior research fellow, making him eligible for direct admission in PhD. Last week, Bhat earned a dubious distinction: he became the shortest surviving Hizbul Mujahideen militant, dying in an encounter with security forces in Badigam Shopian with four others.

Students and colleagues, who knew Bhat for a long time, describe him as a sober and disciplined man, who hardly showed any militant inclination. He was very helpful and would demand us to work hard. He had a bright career. Why did he take such a step? asks Rahel Ahmad, one of his students.

On May 6, before Bhats family members could reach Shopian to persuade him to surrender, they received a call on the way that he had been killed. I am shocked. He was a professional academic, says head of the sociology department Peerzada Amin. Director General of Police Shesh Paul Vaid said the police had made a special appeal to Bhat to surrender, but he did not.

Aetimad Ahmad (25)

In the ritualistic last call that militants make before death, Aetimad told his father that he was trapped, and that there was no way to come out alive. The conversation went viral. Aetimad belonged to a well-to-do family in south Kashmirs Amshipora village in Shopian. He had completed his M.Phil from Hyderabad and had been a militant for less than five months. Aetimad had pursued masters in Urdu and had a degree in education as well. He had been categorized as category C militant, a police officer said.

Aetimad was killed in one of the biggest counterinsurgency operations in Kachdora village of Shopian along with 12 other militants on April 1 this year.

After clearing the NET, Aetimad was a potential candidate for a government job. After his disappearance in November last year, the news of him having joined a militant outfit surfaced on social media. In Kashmir, the families are generally unaware when their children join militancy. In most cases, their shocking pictures showing them wielding AK-47 rifles appear on Facebook. The educated youth were being recruited by veterans like Saddam Padder (killed), an illiterate himself. The youth just try to glamorize militancy, says a police officer.

Junaid Ahmad Khan (26)

An MBA from University of Kashmir, Junaid Khan is the son of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat chief Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai who recently took over from hard-line Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Khan, the youngest son of the separatist leader, was reported missing in March this year and later his photograph holding an AK 47 appeared on Facebook with a message that he had joined Hizbul Mujahideen. Though the police urged Sehrai to appeal to his son to shun the gun, the family did not do so.

The family had filed a missing person report with the police, but after his picture appeared, they said they stopped looking for him. The youth are joining militancy because they feel alienated and angry. The government should understand that it is not the problem of employment and economic packages alone, says Aqib Gulzar, a university student.

Inspector General of Police Swami Prakash Pani says the police are making efforts to keep the youth away from violence. There have been many cases when many youngsters have returned home after appeals by their families.

Manan Wani (26)

His phone was switched off on a cold day of January this year. The family of Manan Wani started looking for him and lodged a report. The family says they lost contact with their son from January 4. He was last seen in the university hostel on Jan 3. Manan belongs to Tekipora village in Kupwara.

Mannan had enrolled in Aligarh Muslim University after completing bachelors in geology and earth sciences from the University of Kashmir in 2011. After his masters and MPhil in geology from AMU, he secured admission in PhD in applied geology and was pursuing the degree when he disappeared.

Some days later, the picture of Manan holding an AK-47 appeared on social media, and later the Hizbul Mujahideen claimed he had joined the outfit. After his picture surfaced, he was suspended from the university.

Mr Mannan Bashir Wani, Research Scholar at Department of Geology, Aligarh Muslim University has been awarded the Best Paper Presentation Award in an International Conference on Water, Environment, Energy and Society held at AISECT University, Bhopal, says the AMU website. Manan did his schooling at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Kupwara and was active in student politics. His father is an Urdu language lecturer while his brother is a junior engineer.harinder@tribunemail.com

Dehradun: The police on Saturday rounded up a large number of beggars from the vicinity of the Badrinath shrine after they received reports of harassment of pilgrims. Following repeated complaints on part of pilgrims about harassment from beggars, the Chamoli police started a campaign against beggars. It arrested them under anti-begging law. The arrested beggers around 30 were produced in the court and subsequently sent to Pursari jail. Uttarakhand last year banned begging. The police asserted that they had also started a verification drive. TNSlaxmi@tribune.com

BEIRUT: At least 19 Iranians were among the 42 killed in unprecedented Israeli strikes on Syria this week, a monitor said on Saturday. At least 27 pro-regime fighters were killedin Thursday's strikes, said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. He said six Syrian soldiers and 21 foreign fighters, including 11 Iranians were among the dead. In strikes near the capital on Wednesday, the Observatory said 15 were killed, including eight Iranians. Israel says it struck dozens of Iranian targets inside Syria on Thursday in response to a salvo of rockets allegedly fired by Iranian forces into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had crossed a red line. Agenciesgspannu7@gmail.com

New York, May 12

Americans are facing an epidemic of dishonesty in Washington thats more dangerous than terrorism or communism.

Thats according to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who warned in a commencement speech today at Texas Rice University that an endless barrage of lies and a trend toward alternate realities in national politics pose a dire threat to US democracy.

The 76-year-old billionaire, who flirted with an independent presidential run in 2016, did not call out any politicians by name.

Although he derided Donald Trump as a con and a dangerous demagogue before his election, in an interview before the speech, Bloomberg refused to comment specifically on the Republican presidents troubled history with the truth.

Fact checkers have determined that Trump has made hundreds of false and misleading statements since entering the Oval Office.

This is bigger than any one person. Its bigger than any one party, he said in the interview.

In the speech, Bloomberg evoked the legend of the nations first president, George Washington, who as a boy said he could not tell a lie when asked if he cut down a cherry tree.

How did we go from a president who could not tell a lie to politicians who cannot tell the truth? Bloomberg asked Rice graduates and their families gathered in Houston.

He blamed extreme partisanship for an unprecedented tolerance of dishonesty in US politics.

People are committed more to their political tribes than the truth, he said, suggesting that the nation is more divided than any time since the Civil War.

There is now more tolerance for dishonesty in politics than I have seen in my lifetime, Bloomberg said.

The only thing more dangerous than dishonest politicians who have no respect for the law is a chorus of enablers who defend their every lie.

For example, he noted that Democrats spent much of the 1990s defending President Bill Clinton against charges of lying and personal immorality just as Republicans attacked the lack of ethics and honesty in the White House. Just the reverse is happening today, he said.

In one jab at Trump, he noted that the vast majority of scientists agree that climate change is real. Trump and his Republican allies have repeatedly called climate change a hoax promoted by Americas adversaries.

If 99 per cent of scientists whose research has been peer-reviewed reach the same general conclusion about a theory, then we ought to accept it as the best available information  even if its not a 100 per cent certainty, Bloomberg said.

He added: That, graduates, is not a Chinese hoax.

He warned that such deep levels of dishonesty could enable what he called criminality. Asked what specifically he was talking about, Bloomberg noted lots of investigations going on, but he declined to be more specific.

Several Trump associates are facing criminal charges as part of a federal probe into Russias meddling in the 2016 election.

Three have already pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI. Federal investigators want to interview Trump himself, although the presidents legal team has resisted so far.  APlaxmi@tribune.com

BAGHDAD: Iraq voted on Saturday in its first parliamentary election since declaring victory over the Islamic State, with growing tension between neighbouring Iran and the US threatening a power struggle. Turnout appeared weak as polling stations closed across the country after 11 hours of voting that took place under tight security given the ongoing threat posed by the jihadists. There were no major incidents reported across the country, with the only flareup coming when, a local official said, shelling killed a policeman and wounded five others in eastern Iraq. Roughly 24.5 million voters face a fragmented political landscape five months after IS was ousted, with the dominant Shiites split, the Kurds in disarray and Sunnis sidelined. AFPuttara@tribuneindia.com

Lahore, May 12

Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif has for the first time acknowledged his countrys role in allowing the Mumbai attacks of 2008.

In statements published in Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, Sharif, Pakistan's disgraced prime minister who was banned for life from holding a public office by the country's Supreme Court after his name appeared in last year's Panama Papers scandal, questioned his country's policy of allowing "non-state actors" to kill more than 150 people in the Mumbai attacks of 2008.



He also admitted that the country had isolated itself internationally.

"Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistan's narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it, Sharif told Dawn.

Without naming Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed and Maulana Masood Azhar's militant organisationsJamaat-ud-Dawah and Jaish-e-Mohammadoperating in the country with impunity, Sharif said: Militant organisations are active in Pakistan.

"Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill over 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can't we complete the trial?"

The Mumbai attacks-related trials are stalled in a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court.

He further said: It's absolutely unacceptable (to allow non-state actors to cross the border and commit terrorism there). President (Vladimir) Putin has said it. President Xi (Jinping) has said it".

US President Donald Trump has accused Pakistan of giving the US nothing but lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists.

Sharif, 68, was disqualified by the Supreme Court for not being "honest and righteous" as he failed to declare in 2013 a salary he got from the company of his son in the UAE.

In February, the apex court also disqualified Sharif as the head of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Citing the military and judiciary establishment, Sharif further said: You can't run a country if you have two or three parallel governments. This has to stop. There can only be one governmentthe constitutional one.

The relations between the military and Sharifs government were at its lowest ebb in October 2016 when the latter told the former to act against homegrown militant groups or face international isolation.

The Mumbai attack case has entered into the 10th year but none of its suspects in Pakistan has been punished yet, showing that the case had never been in the priority list of the country that appears to be keen to put it under the carpet.

A number of Pakistani witnesses both official and private testified and provided evidence against the seven accused, but the Pakistani authorities have been insisting on sending Indian witnesses for reaching a verdict in the case.

Some 166 people were killed in the attack carried out by 10 LeT men. Police and security forces killed nine attackers but lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was caught and hanged. PTI(by Tsem Rinpoche and Cindy Hew)

Of the many types of Malaysian ghost, one of the most perplexing is the Orang Minyak, literally translated as Oily Man. Interestingly, Michael Newton in his Encyclopedia of Cryptozology: A Global Guide (McFarland and Co., 2005) defines the Orang Minyak as

An aggressive unknown hominid or primate reported from peninsular Malaysia.

He further states that,

Natives of the region claim that this large biped attacks rural villages by night and carries off young women.

However, the exact nature of the Orang Minyak is unknown and local opinions remain divided as to whether it is actually a ghost or a man consumed by black magic.

Origins

The differing opinions stem from two popular theories as to the origins of the Orang Minyak. According to one school of thought, the Orang Minyak gave up his humanity to the devil by bartering his soul in exchange for either supernatural powers or to win back a loved one. In this regard, not only is there a lifetime commitment to enslave oneself to the devil, but this devilish pact also obligates the Orang Minyak to rape 21 virgin women within seven days of his initiation, failing which he will not receive his promised rewards.

The other theory maintains that the Orang Minyak is a selfish and deluded human who sought out the dark mystical powers of black magic to satisfy his worldly desires. According to an Islamic faith healer from Kasturi Syifa, the top common wishes of Orang Minyak are to be good looking, to have the ability to sweet-talk and charm young women, to have the ability to be invisible, and also the ability to vanish into thin air.

Similar to the first theory, the black magic hypothesis also comes with the requirement to rape virgin women but differs in terms of the quota. Depending on which sources one subscribes to, it can be 21, 44 or 99, with no specific prescribed timelines. It is further believed that these rapes serve to boost as well as seal the dark supernatural powers of the Orang Minyak.

The existence of differing theories can be attributed to the vagueness of the legend of the first Orang Minyak found in Malay folklore. Passed down verbally over generations, it is one of the primary sources of information about the Orang Minyak.

The Legend of the First Orang Minyak Legend has it that the first Orang Minyak was an orphan born with really ugly features including a disfigured face, a prominent hunchback and huge visible boils all over his body. He lived in a small village in Malaysia but was always bullied due to his less than desirable physique and obvious limping gait. Apart from cruel taunts, the unfortunate fellow was subjected to violent beatings from some of the villagers for no apparent reason. It is also said that children and women avoided him like the plague. This early Malaysian equivalent of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame subsequently fell in love with a girl in his village but knew that his love would never be requited. Consumed by anger and frustration, he either chanced upon or sought out the devil who gave him the black magic practice of Orang Minyak. In return, the devil demanded his full subservience and also the rape of 21 virgin women within seven days, failing which the dark powers would not come to be.

In 1958, this particular legend was adapted into an award-winning movie, Sumpah Orang Minyak by the late P. Ramlee, Malaysias most celebrated filmmaker. His portrayal of the villain in the movie typifies the Orang Minyak of the 50s and 60s. The following video highlights selected clips of P. Ramlees artistic interpretation of the Orang Minyaks pact with the devil.

Or view the video on the server at:

https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/Origin-of-Orang-Minyak.mp4

Appearance and Characteristics

The strong emphasis on the requirement of rape in both prevailing origin theories has led to a general consensus that the Orang Minyak is exclusively male. His trademark state of undress, coated only in slippery black oil or grease, fits in well with his standard modus operandi of breaking and entering at night with the primary intention of rape or the secondary objective of theft.

The Orang Minyak is also said to have red eyes which are hauntingly hollow yet penetrative. Some victims have claimed to be arrested by his gaze, leaving them physically helpless in the face of the Orang Minyak. Others have testified to being stuck in a nightmarish state of paralysis while the Orang Minyak was having his way with them. Apart from a trail of greasy residue, the Orang Minyak is said to always leave a signature black grease mark on his victims forehead.

According to Malay folklore, the scattering of either banana blossom petals (kelopak jantung pisang) or a specific type of yam leaves (daun keladi bira) across the bedroom floor of any young maiden can serve to ward off uninvited visits from the Orang Minyak.

Malay folklore also reveals that the Orang Minyak is weakened by batik cloth, but no further explanation is given. Nonetheless, batik cloth remains the traditional weapon of choice in any attempt to capture an Orang Minyak. The same prescription goes on to state that the Orang Minyak can be exterminated by biting or chopping off his big toes whilst he is trapped in batik cloth.

Recent Sightings

Whether it is a result of fact, fantasy or otherwise, real-life attacks and sightings of the Orang Minyak are abundant throughout Malaysia.

The Orang Minyak phenomenon reached its height in the 1960s when reports of Orang Minyak attacks and disturbances became prevalent across several villages and a few major Malaysian towns. It resulted in many unmarried women, typically those living in student dormitories, borrowing sweaty clothes to mislead the Orang Minyak into thinking that they were with a man.

From that time until the 2000s, reported Orang Minyak sightings have reduced steadily in frequency. However, to date, there are still occasional reports of Orang Minyak appearances with the latest being reported on 1st April 2018, where a 17-year-old teenager was allegedly attacked as she was hanging laundry in the backyard of her family home in the village of Pengkalan Demit, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan.

According to the news report, the victim, Nik Anis Ashira Kamarulzaman, claimed that she was grabbed from behind and forcibly brought into the living room where she was strangled and her hands, feet and waist were bound. Grease marks were also visible on her neck and feet.

I felt as if I was under a spell; I didnt know who this person was. I only realised what was happening when I felt the persons hands clutched around my neck. My hands, feet and waist were also tied up. I couldnt breathe due to the rope knotted tightly around my waist. I could only cry and scream for help before the person fled through the kitchen window.  Nik Anis Ashira Kamarulzaman

A few months prior to this incident, around December 2017, an alleged Orang Minyak was caught on CCTV committing a burglary in the residential neighbourhood of Lorong Dewan Simpang 3, Gombak, Selangor. The CCTV footage revealed a naked greasy humanoid figure escaping with a bag on his shoulder and was uploaded to the victims Facebook account.

The 17-second-long CCTV footage received over 300,000 views. The then Gombak Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Ali Ahmad, also confirmed that a police report had been lodged and, in fact, the police had located the bag in question which was abandoned a short distance from the crime scene.

In 2016, a year before the Gombak incident, a Malay woman was nearly raped by an Orang Minyak at a petrol station washroom in Bandar Batu Rawang, Selangor. According to the report in the local daily Berita Harian, the woman narrowly escaped after putting up a fight and escaping, screaming at the top of her lungs for help. The alleged Orang Minyak perpetrator escaped in the midst of the chaos. These facts were also confirmed by Assistant Commissioner Ali Ahmad.

However, despite many newspaper reports seemingly lending credence to paranormal tales of the Orang Minyak, there are also many reports debunking it. A notable example is the capture of an alleged Orang Minyak during the Chinese New Year holidays in 2014 through the collective efforts of the community around Dataran Pahlawan in Melaka. According to the report in the local daily China Press, the so-called Orang Minyak was caught whilst attempting to harass young women in the area and had a bottle of unidentified dark oil with him. He has since been handed over to the police.

Alleged capture of an Orang Minyak at Dataran Pahlawan Melaka in 2014 through the collective efforts of the community. Alleged capture of an Orang Minyak at Dataran Pahlawan Melaka in 2014 through the collective efforts of the community.

Although debates, contradictions and uncertainties are aplenty when it comes to determining the existence of as well as the true nature of the Orang Minyak, the legend of the Orang Minyak is definitely here to stay. As long as Orang Minyak sightings continue to be reported, public fascination with the phenomenon will continue to persist.

Sources / References:

For more interesting information:



Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 13 of the Malaysian Copyright Act 1987, allowance is made for fair dealing for purposes such as non-profit research, private study, criticism, review or the reporting of current events. The Operator and author(s) of TsemRinpoche.com, a not-for-profit blog, do not claim ownership on the intellectual property rights of the contents, images and/or videos reproduced in this article. Any subsisting intellectual property rights shall belong to the legal owner of the contents, images and/or videos.Srinagar, May 12 (UNI) Train service remained suspended for the third day on Saturday in the Kashmir valley following damage caused to railway track by demonstrators on May 9 afternoon.

We could not resume the service as repair work was still going on, a railway official told UNI this morning.

He said train Baramulla in north Kashmir to Banihal in Jammu region via Srinagar will remain suspended till further orders.

Train service was resumed only on May 9 after remaining suspended for security reasons since Sunday after an encounter ensued in Shopian in which five Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militants were killed. Later during the subsequent demonstrators six civilians died in security force action.

We had resumed the train service May 9 but had to suspend it again in the afternoon in south Kashmir after some demonstrators damaged track at Panzgam. However, train service continued in north Kashmir on May 9.

He said repair work was going on to install three hundred track-circuit operating clip (TCOC) which were missing at Panzgam in south Kashmir after demonstrations.

Therefore, he said, no train will chug on Srinagar-Badgam and Baramulla in north Kashmir. Similarly, all trains will remained suspended on Srinagar-Anantnag-Qazigund in south Kashmir to Banihal in Jammu region.

He said railways has suffered heavy damage to rail coaches, tracks and lighting system in the past also.

This is the seventh time the train service has been suspended in the valley this month. Last month the service had to be eight times for security reasons. In 2016 train service remained suspended for over 50 days due to summer unrest.

He said in the past train service was suspended on the advice of police for security reasons, but this time we had to stop all trains, after the tracks were damaged.

Last month window panes, including front screen, were damaged after some demonstrators pelted stones on train between Srinagar- Baramulla track, he said adding the service is for common people but we cannot compromise on their security.

However, official sources said that some miscreants have damaged the track since train service is being considered very cheap, safe and fast as compared to other transport which are very costly.

The cabs and other transporters had field day when trains are suspended in the valley.

UNI BAS AKC 0636The red pandas are coveted for their shiny copper fur and "cute" appearance AFP/Joe Freeman

The three animals, nicknamed Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and Peace, were among six found stuffed into crates during a random check of a van traveling from China over the border into northern Laos in January.

Dehydrated and lacking food, three died within days, while the survivors were taken to a sanctuary run by the non-profit Free the Bears in the hills around the tourist hotspot of Luang Prabang.

It was "very very hard" to save the red pandas who perished, says Sengaloun Vongsay, Laos programme manager for Free the Bears.

It was the first discovery of red pandas in Laos, experts said, fueling fears the endangered species may be the latest targets of the illegal pet industry, coveted for their shiny copper fur and "cute" appearance.

"They're eating well, they're generally pretty relaxed," said Michelle Walhout Tanneau, operations manager for Free the Bears.

Landlocked Laos is a key transit hub in the illegal and lucrative global trade in wildlife, sharing borders with Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and China.

Laos' government did not immediately respond to a request for comment, though Free the Bears said that one Chinese national had been arrested over the find.

With their forest habitats under threat, red panda populations in Nepal, Bhutan, India, China and Myanmar are vulnerable.

Free the Bears has provided temporary enclosures and set aside a section of tree-covered land where the red pandas could live in case they could not be released back into the wild.

The two superstar nicknames were given by staff, while "Peace" was chosen by a donor.

Rod Mabin, a spokesman for the non-profit, said the group was consulting with experts and the red pandas would live in the sanctuary for the foreseeable future.

"Ultimately we'll try to make the decision which is best for the future health and safety of the animals and to provide them the best life possible," he said.The appreciation in land prices seen in HCM City in recent time is spreading to its adjoining provinces, according to traders and agents.-Photo zing.vn

Bien Hoa city, Long Thanh and Nhon Trach in Dong Nai Province are seeing prices surge as are places in Binh Duong and Long An Provinces.

Thuy Diem, a broker in HCM Citys District 7, told Viet Nam News that prices in border areas between Long An and HCM City have risen sharply.

They have gone up by 30-40 per cent since the end of last year, and will continue to rise.

She thought the prices are increasing because housing projects are being developed there.

Many projects have been developed and many HCM City residents have moved to live there. That is what is pushing land prices up here.

Land prices in Nhon Trach are also up by 40 per cent.

Online newspaper vnexpress.net reported that land prices in Can Giuoc and Can Duoc districts of Long An Province have increased by 30 per cent.

From VND5.5-7 million in 2016, prices have now risen to VND10-14 million (US$438-614), it said.

In Nhon Trach District of Dong Nai Province, prices are up 60-100 per cent, it said.

In Binh Duong Province, prices in Lai Thieu Town bordering HCM Citys District 12 have jumped to VND23 million ($1,000) per square metre from VND18 million ($789) five months ago.

Huynh Phuoc Nghia of the HCM City University of Economics is quoted in the report as saying the land price hikes have spread to a radius of 25-50km.

In the last one year prices in Dong Nai, Long An, Binh Duong have surged, but even in more distant places like Binh Phuoc, Lam Dong and Phu Yen prices are rising.

He attributed it to the development of infrastructure.

"Many infrastructure works have been completed in Nhon Trach, Bien Hoa, and Long An making the higher prices acceptable," he said.

But experts are sounding a warning that buyers should be careful since speculators could be manipulating prices.

There are cabals of brokers who specialise in manipulating land prices, they said.

Land prices cannot be predicted and do not follow any rules, and so buyers should be careful, Nghia said.Mumuso currently has 27 stores in Vietnam

On May 11, Mumuso Vietnam Co., Ltd., which imports and exports Mumuso goods, organised a media conference in Ho Chi Minh City to react to suspicions that it flogs Chinese goods labelled as Korean in origin.

Nham Phi Khanh, director of Mumuso Vietnam, said that Mumuso is a registered trademark at the South Korea Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) since 2014 and holds a business licence. Thus, the operations of Mumuso in South Korea are absolutely legal.

However, this is a very competitive market, so Mumuso decided to target developing countries first. This is the reason why South Korean consumers are unaware of Mumuso, confirmed Khanh.

We are not ambiguous about the origin of the goods. They are made in China, and this is also indicated on the package. We have reduced the cost of goods by decreasing the costs of production. Manufacturing is done in China, but the designs are made by a South Korean company, Khanh told the media conference.

Mumuso is a retailer chain trademarked in South Korea, which sells items for beauty, healthcare, fashion accessories, offices, and home appliances. Mumuso has 27 stores and around 200,000 customers with membersship after over one year of setting foot in Vietnam.

According to a representative of Mumuso Vietnam, the retailer chain plans to raise its number of stores to 80 this year, and 200 by the end of 2019.

Some of Mumuso's goods are very similar to famous products from South Korean brands

Several days ago, Korean media expressed suspicions that Mumuso stores are falsely assuming Korean origins because its headquarters is located in China, and listed abnormalities in the companys mode of operations and the origin of the products sold at this store chain.

South Korean MBC channel is trying to discover the real origin of Mumuso, to determine whether it is a South Korean brand or sells fake goods. There are many beauty items with designs and packaging very similar to products of famous South Korean brands, with the only difference being the name. This makes it very easy for customers to confuse items if they do not look at the products closely.

Most of all South Korean words on the product packaging are meaningless, however. On Mumusos website, they only say Coming from South Korea in South Korean.

Mumuso is present in over 20 countries but in Korea, Mumuso is completely unheard of and has no retail stores. Many Mumuso stores in Hanoi are offering products labeled MumusoKorea, so everybody believes that this brand is from South Korea.

As a result, on May 10, the Ministry of Industry and Trade's (MoIT) Market Management Department has received documents of the South Korean Business Association asking for supervision of Mumuso Vietnam. The department is checking the dossiers and legal certificates of this brand.

Another issue brought up with Mumuso's practices in Vietnam is the lack of Vietnamese-language labels and instructions, which is a violation of domestic regulations.

According to the Hanoi Market Management Department, all import goods have to be labelled in Vietnamese, including the name of the importer, the product, instruction manuals, and ingredients. If distributors do not label their imported goods in Vietnamese, they will be punished in accordance with Vietnamese regulations.US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet in Singapore on Jun 12, and Washington and Seoul are laying the groundwork with preparatory meetings. (Photo: AFP/Mandel Ngan)

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was to welcome Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha to Washington, one month before US President Donald Trump and North Korean autocrat Kim Jong Un are to meet.

Pompeo is himself just back from Pyongyang, after securing the first fruit of the tentative thaw in ties between Washington and Kim's regime - the return of three American detainees.

Now, he is working with his own diplomats and with regional allies like South Korea to prepare the agenda for the more high-stakes encounter between two unpredictable leaders.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in's administration is conducting its own efforts to normalize ties on the divided peninsula and secure lasting peace.

Washington's focus is on disarming Kim's regime, which has recently tested what appear to be missiles capable of carrying his nuclear threat to US cities.

But both Washington and Seoul - longtime treaty allies - cooperate closely and also confer with the North's larger neighbour China, which has a stake in the outcome.

"There's a danger here of the peace track moving more quickly than the denuclearization track," warned Abraham Denmark, an Asia expert and former senior US defense official.

"If that happens, it could give North Korea an opportunity to try to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington," said Denmark, now a director at the Wilson Center, a think tank in the US capital.

Pompeo and Kang were due to give a joint news conference at the State Department later Friday.

'VERY SPECIAL MOMENT'

On Thursday, Trump revealed that the first-ever between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader will take place in Singapore on Jun 12.

The location and date were announced in a presidential tweet just hours after Trump welcomed to the United States three American prisoners released by Pyongyang.

"We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!" Trump wrote.

The talks, which are expected to last a day, are set to focus on North Korea's rapidly advancing nuclear and ballistic weapons programs.

"I think it will be a big success," Trump said.

The release of Kim Hak-song, Tony Kim and Kim Dong-chul removed one obstacle, providing Trump with evidence that his twin-track policy of engagement and "maximum pressure" is working.

"We're not under any illusions about who these people are. We know who we are dealing with here," said Victoria Coates, of the National Security Council.

"But we got, up front, our people home."

NEUTRAL SETTING

The United States and North Korea are technically still at war - a stop-gap armistice ended the brutal three-year Korean war in 1953 and around 30,000 American troops remain in neighbouring South Korea, which the US supported in the conflict.

Singapore will provide a neutral backdrop for the summit, avoiding some of the security and political challenges of meeting in the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South.

When Trump and Kim do sit down, the two relatively untested leaders will be presented with a puzzle that has stymied seasoned diplomats for decades.

A series of US administrations has sent envoys, both official and unofficial, to Pyongyang in the hope of stopping North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Map and factfile on North Korea's nuclear tests. (Graphic: AFP/Gal Roma)

Former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter visited after leaving office. Multiple rounds of non-proliferation talks have taken place, and a deal was even signed in 1994.

But, despite the optimism of that moment, all efforts to limit North Korea's nuclear program have so far failed.

And, more than two decades and multiple provocative weapons tests after the last accord, the threat from Pyongyang has only grown.

TROOP WITHDRAWALS?

So far, the North Korean regime has made vague pledges to "denuclearize" but has not spelled out what that means, when it would happen or how it would be implemented.

In North Korea's bombastic rhetoric, "denuclearization" has, for years, been a byword for US troop withdrawals from South Korea.

Hardliners in the North are believed to see possession of a nuclear weapon as a guarantee against US-led efforts to topple Kim's regime.Co To Island is located in the east of Van Don island in Quang Ninh province. The island preserves a very pristine and peaceful beauty. Co To Beach has always been a most favorite beach destination in Northern Vietnam. It ranks among top 10 beautiful islands in Vietnam along with Phu Quoc, Nam Du and Ly Son.This article is the follow-up to -  Russia is opposed to a war between Iran and Israel , by Thierry Meyssan, Voltaire Network, 8 May 2018.

On 8 May 2018, in advance of the specified date, Donald Trump announced that his country was going to retire from the multilateral agreement concerning the Iranian nuclear programme, JCPoA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), and consequently from the secret bilateral clauses signed with Teheran.

Although no-one knows the exact content of these clauses, they evidently have to do with the sharing of the Middle East. During the whole period of their application, US and Iranian forces have met on a number of battlefields across the Greater Middle East, without ever confronting one another directly. This period is now over.

Teheran had the choice to attack either US soldiers or Israel. General Qassem Soleimani chose the Syrian Golan, which is illegally occupied by Israel.

This morning of 10 May 2018, at approximately 0h30, the al-Qods Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard  the Iranian military elite  attacked Israel from its bases in Syria. Israel is the Pentagons arsenal in the region (sites 51, 53, 55 and 56). The Hebrew state, choosing to escalate, riposted disproportionally, firing close to 70 missiles on Iranian targets in Syria and attempting to destroy the Syrian anti-aircraft defence system.

Officially, the Iranian operation was a response to the Israeli attack on 29-30 April against the bases of the Revolutionary Guard. On that night, the Syrian anti-aircraft defences had remained paralysed, since they were deprived of Russian radar data. However, on this occasion, on the contrary, they were able to destroy several Israeli missiles.

Israeli missiles and Syrian anti-missiles confronted each other for several hours. Although the Iranian attack was countered by the Iron Dome, and caused no damaage in Israel, there were losses among the Iranian assailants and in the Syrian defence system.

This episode occurred just after Benjamin Netanyahus meeting in Moscow. The Israeli Prime Minister had made the journey to tell his Russian interlocutors that Israel would not allow itself to be attacked from Gaza, Lebanon and Syria at the same time. As I explained in a previous article, Russia considers that the Israeli attitude is justified.

Damascus and Moscow were trapped by their alliance with Teheran. While they are grateful to the Revolutionary Guard for having saved the Syrian Arab Republic at the beginning of the war, they nonetheless now find themselves engaged in a conflict which is not their own  both countries recognise Israel as a State, which the Islamic Republic of Iran refuses to accept.

Paradoxically, this situation had been anticipated by the White House. Donald Trump, for whom regional peace can only be possible if each party accepts its own defeats, considers Iran to be a danger because it refuses to recognise the State of Israel. It is precisely in order to force all regional actors to accept reality as it is that he is moving the US embassy to Jerusalem.

This morning, at the Conference on the security of Herzliya, the Moldavo-Israeli Minister for Defence, Avigdor Liberman, had every right to express his pride in having defended his country and inflicted losses on his adversaries. He did not miss the opportunity to remind the participants that Israel is a small country whose leaders are regularly welcomed both by the Kremlin and the White House. By doing so, he implicitly praised himself for this turn of events, which will oblige US forces to remain present in Syria, and Russia to take note of this fact.

Israel is attempting to pressure Syria into controlling the Iranian troops on its territory just as it pressured the Lebanese government to control Hezbollah.

But this strategy failed in Lebanon, where Hezbollah is today both the main military organisation  far more powerful than the national army - and the strongest political organisation  as we saw during the general elections on 6 May. Of course, Syria is still a State in the fullest sense of the term, which Lebanon still is not, and the Iranians are not integrated into the Arab population, while Hezbollah directly represents the Lebanese people. We should therefore be careful of this parallel.

From the Russian point of view, the deployment of the Revolutionary Guard alongside the Chiite populations of Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, is more or less comparable to that of the Russian soldiers protecting Russian citizens living in Transnistria, Abkhazia, Ossetia and Ukraine. But the presence of the Revolutionary Guard in Gaza  where they supervise the Islamic Jihad and a faction of Hamas  can not be justified in the same way, not to mention their infiltration in Africa and Latin America.

Besides which, if Moscow were to ask Teheran to withdraw its forces in Syria, they would have to replace them, or else allow Ankara to install new troops there. The withdrawal of Iran would apply not only to the Revolutionary Guard, but also to their auxiliaries  the Afghan and Iraqi Chiite militia. This would force Hezbollah to make a choice in its turn.

From the Syrian point of view, the embarrassment is palpable. No-one dreams of sending home these merit-worthy allies, nor of allowing them to trigger a new conflict with Israel.

The question must be asked  why did the Revolutionary Guard take this initiative, and did they consult with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei before they did so? In other words, should we interpret these events as a real threat to Tel-Aviv and Washington, or as a political game pertinent only to the Iranian interior?

Indeed, as soon as the United States had withdrawn from the nuclear agreement, President Hassan Rohani appeared on television to declare that the JCPoA was a multilateral agreement, and could not be blocked by a single party. He tried in particular to reassure his citizens by affirming that the country had prepared for this eventuality, and that their quality of life would not be affected. He was not believed. Within a day, Iranian money collapsed, losing close to a third of its value.

Speaking in his turn, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei cursed Donald Trump, thus giving the impression of confirming that a catastrophe had ravaged the country. Furthermore, he expressed doubt that the Europeans would be capable of opposing the United States, concluding that they too would also abandon the agreement.

For the moment, European companies are waiting to see what their governments will do before they pronounce themselves. However, they are all preparing to lose their investments, as it happened during the first round of sanctions.

In any case, while the United States have not yet drawn military conclusions from their withdrawal from the JCPoA, the Iranians have regained their freedom of movement. By attacking Israel, they have answered President Trump. It is probable that they will maintain the pressure in Syria and elsewhere, until Washington returns to the negotiating table.Photo: Byron Cohen/ABC

Final decisions are being made quickly as networks decide what their TV lineups will look like over the 2018-2019 season. At ABC, returning shows will include Black-ish (as creator Kenya Barris might be trying to get out of his contract with the network for a new one at Netflix), Fresh Off The Boat, American Housewife, Splitting Up Together, Speechless, The Goldbergs, Modern Family, The Good Doctor, and Rosanne. There are also four Shondaland shows still kicking: For the People, Station 19, How To Get Away With Murder, and Greys Anatomy. As for shows that wont be returning, Scandal just wrapped its last season, and the following programs have been cancelled: Designated Survivor, Quantico, The Crossing, Deception, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, Inhumans, Alex, Inc., The Middle, Once Upon A Time, The Mayer, Ten Days In The Valley, and Somewhere Between.

As for shows that wont be returning, Scandal just wrapped its last season, and the following programs have been cancelled: Designated Survivor, Quantico, The Crossing, Deception, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, Inhumans, Alex, Inc., The Middle, Once Upon A Time, The Mayer, Ten Days In The Valley, and Somewhere Between. The fate of Marvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. remains undecided.

But old shows going out also means more room for new ones coming in. There will be an untitled Goldbergs spinoff; a crime procedural called Take Two that stars Rachel Bilson as a former TV cop who starts shadowing a real PI; Single Parents, the Liz Meriwhether comedy about solo parents helping each other out that stars Taran Killem and Leighton Meester; Nathan Fillions cop drama The Rookie; A Million Little Things, which follows a group of friends who decide to shake up their routine lives after one of them dies; the legal drama The Fix from executive producer Marcia Clarke; Whiskey Cavalier, the new crime-busting action dramedy starring Lauren Cohan and Scott Foley; The Kids Are All Right, which has nothing to do with the movie, and centers on an Irish-Catholic family of two parents and eight sons all trying to co-exist amidst the cultural changes of the 1970s; and finally, Grand Hotel, about a Latino family in Miami Beach running the areas last family-owned hotel.Photo: VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images

Cannes jury president Cate Blanchett and Palme dOr-winning director Agnes Varda stood atop the steps at the Lumiere Theater this evening, joining arms with 82 other women to demand an increase in female representation at the Cannes Film Festival and in the film industry at large. Representing each of the 82 female directors who have climbed those steps to see their own films premiere at Cannes in the festivals 71 years  versus the 1,688 male directors  the group represented 5050X2020, an initiative which, as its name suggests, seeks to get to 50/50 gender representation across the entire Cannes lineup by 2020.

Blanchett and Varda read the groups statement in English and French respectively, and emphasized the need for a cinema whose demographics more accurately reflect the worlds. Women are not a minority in the world, yet the current state of our industry says otherwise, they said. As women, we all face our own unique challenges, but we stand together on these stairs today as a symbol of our determination and commitment to progress. The statement, which can be viewed in full here, went on to demand equality and safety in the workplace for women, equal pay, and transparency.

Related Stories A Roomful of Men Asked Carey Mulligan Terrible Questions at Cannes

The demonstration took place before the premiere of Eva Hussons Girls of the Sun, one of only three films by women directors playing in this years competition, out of 21. (That puts the numbers at a dismal 14 percent for female directors, while the entire festival lineup comes in at 24 percent for female directors. This is down from 2017s competition.) Last year, juror Jessica Chastain commented at a press conference how disturbed she was by the depiction of women in many of the films she watched; she challenged the festival and director Thierry Fremaux to include more female storytellers in the next years lineup. So when the competition films for this years festival were announced and still reflected no change, there was reason to wonder what was going on behind the scenes.

The Cannes Festival, a notoriously  and yes, often lovably  stodgy institution, is facing pressure on all sides to catch up to the present. The heated back and forth between Fremaux and Netflix has generated a lot of press, but the festivals old-school culture also trickles down into latent, implied belief that women just cant make an important film on the level that men can; that their primary purpose is to be looked at. It imbues everything from the expectations of women on the red carpet, to events and panels that run throughout the festival. Even after the powerful moment 5050X2020s women staged, the red carpet DJ found it appropriate  perhaps  funny?  to blast Pretty Woman over the loudspeakers as the group dispersed and made their way into the theater. One step at a time.Michael Shannon and Michael B. Jordan. Photo: HBO

The Bill of Rights tells us that its better to be happy than free. One of the authors of the Bill of Rights was Benjamin Franklin, who created the very first fire department in order to burn books more efficiently.

If you lived in the world of the new HBO version of Fahrenheit 451, which premiered tonight at the Cannes Film Festival and will air on the network next Saturday, you would believe all that and more, even though none of it was true.

But you already do live in that world, kind of. And a big part of what makes Fahrenheit so bracing is the way that it breaks it down for us.

The seeds of the future depicted by writer-director Ramin Bahrani were planted long ago by Ray Bradbury, whose same-named 1953 Orwellian novel was set in an illiterate, hedonistic dystopia that had declared books illegal. Fire departments doubled as stormtroopers, helping the government control the minds as well as the activities of citizens by roasting the homes and possessions of anyone convicted of possessing books. The entire citizenry, including the firemen, were made more mentally pliable through prescribed drugs, and got most of their information from wall-sized televisions broadcasting mind-numbing drivel and state propaganda. The books hero, fireman Guy Montag, eventually goes against his own government (which tends to happen in stories like this), and the book escalates into an emotional as well as literal conflagration before ending on a reflective, shamefaced note.

Bahrani  an Iranian-American filmmaker whose filmography includes Man Push Cart, Chop Shop, and At Any Price  casts a more jaundiced eye on the United States circa 2018 than Bradbury did in the 1950s, when he was worried about the paranoid, authoritarian, anti-intellectual tendencies of the McCarthy era, as well as the sudden infiltration of televisions into the majority of American homes. (TV is a creepy, invasive force in a lot of Bradburys short fiction, The Veldt in particular.) This is a bleak film that ends on a much more wrenching note than Bradburys source; while not entirely a downer, it embeds any hopefulness it might possess in a wordless image that might take some effort to decode. This is a highly idiosyncratic and personal adaptation of a classic science fiction novel, more temperamentally aligned with brainy, slightly chilly science fiction films like The Day the Earth Stood Still, A Clockwork Orange, Gattaca, and Ex Machina than dystopian epics that lean on scale and mayhem. It should also be considered one of the key pop culture works of the Trump era. It speaks directly to the persistent cultural conditions (chiefly anti-intellectualism) that made Trump possible, as well as to the sorry state of the country at the time of the films release.

Bahrani began adapting Bradburys novel in election year 2016, and shot it (with Michael B. Jordan as Montag and Michael Shannon as his boss, Captain Beatty) in 2017. It feels timeless, but also very much of-the-time. More so than Francois Truffauts 1966 version of Fahrenheit  which seemed to get so tangled up in translating a French New Wave filmmakers sensibility to the Hollywood system that it never attained a personality of its own  this Fahrenheit is distinctive, so on-message from one moment to the next, and so scary in both its depictions and implications, that there are times where it feels as if its intellectually brutalizing the audience, slapping viewers across the face to get them to wake up from a stupor.

The first third of Fahrenheit plunges us eyeball-deep into the mind-set of American fascists, good soldiers who believe deeply in their mission to crush dissent and homogenize society intellectually since they cant homogenize it culturally. The fully indoctrinated and wildly enthusiastic Montag roasts books and brutalizes citizens in order to demonstrate that hes absorbed the values of his supervisor and surrogate daddy, Beatty, who raised him from childhood after Montags father died. The circumstances of that death (and the fate of the rest of his family) are a bit fuzzy, and they only gain a wee bit more clarity as the film goes on because Montag is recalling them through a haze of memory-weakening, defiance-sapping pharmaceuticals delivered via eyedrop (a great touch that connects reading and watching).

Although its set in a mid-sized Ohio city, it depicts a physical world thats merely an adjunct to the virtual one that dominates peoples waking life and feeds them approved thoughts. The old days are described as unruly, an intellectual wild west in which books and publications could say almost anything they wanted, and people argued about ideas. This, Beatty tells Montag, is how they ended up in a second civil war that killed 8 million Americans, including Beattys own father. In order to prevent more wars, Beatty says, society must become monolithic, waging constant war against eels (short for illegals). Bahrani avoids allowing this sentiment to lapse into such vagueness that anyone can treat Fahrenheit as their own personal self-justifying metaphor: the film makes it clear that the ruling class has drawn self-interested conclusions and acted accordingly, and that the values of Beattys bosses are strictly monocultural, that no dissent is allowed here, and those with physical limitations or deformities (such as the two blind people and a citizen with Down syndrome shown huddled in an abandoned building) are not welcome in broad daylight. Unauthorized writing is called graffiti, and holding it, circulating it, or uploading it to the official state-run internet (called the Nine) is a crime. The number of languages actively spoken in around the world has been reduced from hundreds to 16. The plan, whatever it is, appears to be working.

The fact that Montag is a black man serving what appears to be a white-dominated, heavily militarized government seems at first to have been downplayed by Bahrani. But soon enough, you realize that hes dealing with it in other ways, through haunting, fragmented images, and in the play of feeling across Jordans expressive face and the sadness and terror in his eyes. The more we see of the incident involving Montags father, the more it suggests an imminent police murder or vigilante killing. This makes it seem as if Montag has been assimilated into the body politic of the state that wrecked his childhood: he lost his black father and now concentrates on pleasing his white father. It seems as if rebellion is not an option for Montag because the thought would never occur to him. The thought would never occur to him because the states mission to eradicate all trace of non-state-approved texts has been very successful. While sifting through a library of forbidden books, Beatty tells Montag that Huckleberry Finn was banned because some people were offended by Mark Twains use of the N-word, then picks up a copy of Richard Wrights Native Son and tells him that other people (authoritarian whites, presumably) wanted that one banned for different reasons. What didnt they like about it? Montag asks, but Beatty doesnt reply.

Some of the state-sponsored violence in the film attains an almost Kubrickian level of discomfort. Bahranis staging links the science fiction brutality shown here to violence that real-life civilians experience at the hands of uniformed Americans (domestically and abroad). Soldiers kick down doors, beat people on the street, destroy offending materials, and chant marching songs to get their adrenaline flowing and feel like theyre part of one, big, wonderful team of brothers. They take pleasure in dominating, abusing, and humiliating unarmed people, even as they claim its all for the greater good of the fatherland and that theyre just regular working stiffs doing their jobs.

Montag eventually excavates his buried conscience and starts to realize that he did not arrive at this juncture without being systematically conditioned over the course of a lifetime. Although Bahrani avoids adding an obligatory love story, the relationship between Montag and the resistance fighter Clarisse (Sofia Boutella) has the feel of a romance based in intellectual awakening. But this is not the kind of movie in which a sensitive, handsome man can simply decide to become a better man and start killing off bad guys by the cartload en route to receiving a medal and a kiss on the cheek. Montags struggle is mainly conveyed through Jordans reactive performance, as he stands there enduring the verbal assaults of his bad father Beatty, a tinpot dictator who proclaims, while leading police on a burning spree, They tried to say theres no evidence danger exists  well, show me the evidence danger doesnt exist. The remainder of the film is more conventional, and its outcome feels more inevitable  its hard to imagine a story like this getting greenlit if it were just about a fascist soldier who was horrible to people and never changed  but the sense of overwhelming unease, punctuated by moments of shock and nauseating images of the classics of world literature being incinerated, never loses its power to disturb.

Long stretches of Fahrenheit are about as subtle as a labor leaflet or a soapbox sermon, and it makes no apology for this aspect of its method. Bahrani is a true believer in the power of the morality play: see 99 Homes, a film about the 2008 economic meltdown modeled on Oliver Stones Wall Street, with Shannon in the Michael Douglas part. Fahrenheit is about cultural domination, annexation, brainwashing, and the reproduction of ideology that strengthens the state and sows fear in the hearts of its critics. Its the kind of film in which characters read each others emotional states or political convictions and then verbalize them in terms of analogies. Fully half the lines out of Shannons mouth are aphorisms that could be printed on an Inspirational Quote of the Day calendar marketed to sadists who worship power. (If you dont want a person to be unhappy, dont give them two sides of a question to worry about, Beatty tells the troops.) The burning of books is treated as the visually arresting cornerstone of a larger project to defoliate or destroy the historical memories of Americans, and make them fear and loathe any thought not served up by the government and the corporate media (depicted here as cheerleaders for the state). The movie makes the same argument in favor of a robust and humanistic culture that A Clockwork Orange makes for the necessity of free will: It may produce some bad results, but its still vastly preferable to the alternative. A handful of colors predominate: inky black, flame orange, puke green, and police-light red and blue, the colors of a nation that demonizes intellectuals and education, is fueled by fear, and nakedly worships power and cruelty. This society not only refuses to entertain anti-authoritarian sentiments, it makes reality TV-style superstars of skull-cracking cops like Montag and Beatty, and broadcasts their adventures on video screens throughout the city, including gigantic ones plastered across the faces of skyscrapers. As one character casually mentions, in the time before bots and automated writing  nobody was reading any more, or they were just glancing at headlines generated by an algorithm. That time sounds like the time were in right now. Bahrani is showing us is where he thinks were headed.Photo: Mauricio Santana/Getty Images

The legendary director Jean-Luc Godard isnt interested in making traditional narrative films these days, but even in his most experimental art projects, mainstream cinema is still a major influence. Godards latest movie, The Image Book, screened at the Cannes Film Festival today, and its a feature-length montage comprised of clips from other movies, juxtaposed with harrowing news footage and Godards own weary narration. In one section, footage of real-life executions is soon followed by Jimmy Stewart swimming to Kim Novaks aid in Vertigo, while in another, a gay-porn clip of a man getting rimmed is interspersed with the laughing pinhead from Tod Brownings Freaks. Its a fascinating document, but hardly the sort of thing that will make its way to American multiplexes.

That said, one of our foremost big-budget auteurs may have an unlikely cameo in Godards latest: Michael Bay, the blow-em-up director behind Bad Boys and the Transformers franchise. The closing credits for The Image Book  which, true to Godards narrative-scrambling form, run well before the movie has ended  cite every film that footage was purloined from, and among them is 13 Hours, Bays 2016 Benghazi thriller.

Could this be real? Did the 87-year-old titan of French cinema actually watch a war film from the man who memorably gave us racist robots, animal-cracker foreplay, and the weird statutory-rape subplot in Transformers 4? In The Image Book, Godard distorts much of the footage he uses from other films, so Bays distinctive cinematography isnt immediately recognizable, but the credits place 13 Hours in a collection with images and footage of the Middle East. Another reporter at Cannes also tweeted that he caught a moment from 13 Hours in The Image Book, though the footage  likely gunfire and explosions  goes by quickly. And Godard did brag that in the four years he spent assembling The Image Book, he watched more films than Cannes director Thierry Fremaux has ever seen. Maybe Godard cast a wide net!

Still, I was curious about this unlikely collision between two men occupying totally different places in the cinematic canon, and this morning, during a press conference for The Image Book, I got my chance to investigate. Godard was patched in to the room of reporters via FaceTime, and as journalists queued up one by one to use the microphone, an attendant held the phone up so Godard could see his questioner.

Thats how I found myself staring at an iPhones pixelated depiction of one of the most famous directors to have ever lived, ready to ask him a question about the movie John Krasinski got buff for.

I noticed that you use footage from the film 13 Hours, which was directed by Michael Bay, I said to Godard. Im curious what your feelings were about that film, and if youre generally familiar with his works.

As a translator leaned toward the phone and recited my question in French, Godard squinted. He hadnt heard of 13 Hours.

Remind me of what you actually see in that part of my film? he replied. I dont remember the reference. As for Michael Bay, Godard was drawing a blank: I dont remember the name of that person.

Had Jean-Luc Godard really just pulled off an I dont know her? Incroyable.

I think if I inserted that footage you speak of, continued Godard, it contained something that I didnt find anywhere else. But since he was curious, I told him a little bit about 13 Hours and the section of The Image Book I was fairly certain it had been used in, since the credit scroll for Godards movie listed the referenced films in what appeared to be chronological order. Still, Godard was unconvinced. No, he said. I dont think that these images come from that film.

But it was in the credits, I repeated, suddenly mortified that I was correcting Jean-Luc Godard. Did this man deserve to be hectored about Michael Bay? Did anyone?

Maybe you should show me! said Godard, brightly. We could use digital technology.

Had the Wi-Fi in the room been better, and had there not been two dozen reporters queued up behind me, perhaps I would have pulled out my phone to show Jean-Luc Godard a YouTube of Michael Bays Navy Seal movie. Instead, I just smiled and joked, Maybe after the press conference.

I walked away from the mic, but Godard was not done. The attendant holding the phone turned it toward me as a jolly Godard kept shouting at my back. Maybe I didnt put it in! he said. Maybe Im right, maybe I dont need to comment on it.

I turned back to Godard, who offered me one last challenge: All you need to do is find the portion of 13 Hours, he said, and do the click!

This was said as though we were texting buddies who regularly exchange Michael Bay GIFs, and wouldnt that be something! Still, if Godard lives in a bubble where he has never heard of the man who made Transformers: Age of Extinction, who am I to pop it? Maybe it was just a credits snafu. Maybe he used the footage once, cut it, and some assistant forgot to log the change.

Or maybe he was just having fun with me, and Godard is a closet Bay head. After all, this is the man who famously said, All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl, two subjects that are Bays forte. If you add to that formula a robot dog humping Megan Foxs leg, perhaps these unlikely directors arent so different after all.Scottsboro police have a man in custody who is wanted for a purse snatching in Nashville.

Gilbert Dean O'String, 48, of Anderson, S.C., is charged in Scottsboro with breaking and entering a vehicle, theft and being a fugitive from justice.

O'String is accused of breaking into a vehicle on Willow Street in Scottsboro, and police said they found him with items that had been stolen from the vehicle. He admitted the crime, Scottsboro police said.

O'String also had a warrant for robbery out of Nashville, where, police said he knocked a 70-year-old woman down and took her purse on May 3. Metro Nashville police released video of the incident on YouTube.

The woman had facial injuries and broken bones in her right hand as a result of the robbery, police said.

O'String got out of prison in June 2017 and has prior convictions for theft, forgery, identity theft, fraudulent credit card and reckless aggravated assault, police said.

He's being held in the Jackson County Jail without bond.AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A judge has ruled that Texas isn't complying with a decades-old voter registration law and wants a quick fix.

U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia says Texas is running afoul of the National Voter Registration Act that requires letting people sign-up to vote while getting or renewing their driver's license.

Garcia ruled Thursday that Texas is falling short by denying drivers who renew online the same instant voter registration as drivers who renew in-person. He gave Texas a week to propose a remedy.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office said Friday it was reviewing the order and weighing its options.

Texas has also been sued in recent years over a voter ID law and the fairness of Republican-drawn voting maps. A federal appeals court last month upheld the voter ID requirements.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

5/11/2018 4:25:34 PM (GMT -5:00)An inmate who was already in the Dekalb County jail received additional years to his sentence.

Joshua Kilgro, 45, had 19 years added to his sentence after attempting to arrange the assault of a prosecutor.

Authorities say Kilgro tried to solicit someone to cause a prosecutor to run his vehicle off a mountain road in order to injure him and keep him from attending a sentencing hearing.

Kilgro pleaded guilty in Dekalb County Circuit Court yesterday to criminal solicitation to commit first-degree assault.

He was also sentenced to 12 months for third-degree assault regarding a fight he was in while in jail.LOS ANGELES (AP)  Oprah Winfrey paused before talking politics Friday as she stood in front of a crowd of graduates at the University of Southern California.

Then she decided it was safe.

The rumors from my last big speech have finally died down, she said to laughter and applause.

That speech at the Golden Globe Awards in January, full of fiery rhetoric on the fight for justice and the #MeToo movement, brought weeks of chatter about a presidential run for the 64-year-old media magnate and movie star that she has since dismissed.

The misogyny needs to stop! she shouted at one similar moment during Fridays commencement address to graduates of USCs Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

She also mentioned electoral activism, gun control and climate change, but kept it far more casual and apolitical than at the Golden Globes, mostly sticking with more standard inspirational fare.

She emphasized the importance of public service and asked the future journalists and public communicators to be warriors for truth in a time of rampant misinformation.

The truth exonerates, and it convicts, she said. It disinfects, and it galvanizes. The truth has always been and will always be our shield against corruption, our shield against greed and despair. The truth is our saving grace.

Winfrey had an answer for those who wondered why she was speaking at this smaller, satellite commencement ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium instead of the schools main ceremony, where stars of her caliber usually speak.

I was going to be here anyway, she said.

Thando Dlomo, one of Winfreys daughter-girls, whom Winfrey has mentored and sponsored since meeting her on a trip to South Africa when she the girl was in seventh grade, was in the crowd getting a masters degree in journalism.

I was looking for smart, bright, giving, resilient, kind, open-hearted, girls who had it, that factor that means you keep going no matter what, Winfrey said. She came in and recited a poem about her teacher, and when she left I said shes got it.

Winfrey wound down with some ordinary life tips, including:

 Eat a good breakfast. It really pays off.

 Put your phone down at the dinner table.

 Know that what you tweet, post and Instagram today might be asked about in a job interview tomorrow or 20 years from tomorrow.

 Invest in a quality mattress.

 Dont cheap out on your shoes.

Wearing black gown and bright red hood, Winfrey led the graduates into the auditorium along with the schools dean, Willow Bay, as the USC marching band played its fight songs.

Those on the dais with her included Bays husband, Disney CEO Robert Iger, who in Winfreys presence had a rare moment where he wasnt the richest person in the room.Based on the proposal of Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has signed a decree appointing Davit Tonoyan Minister of Defense of Armenia, the official website of the President informed.

May 12, 2018, 10:10 Davit Tonoyan appointed Defense Minister of Armenia

STEPANAKERT, MAY 12, ARTSAKHPRESS:Davit Tonoyan

1998 - 2004, He held various positions at the headquarters of NATOs Allied Command Operations

2004 - 2007, Armenias Armed Forces Representative to NATO

2007 - 2009, Head of International Military Cooperation and Defense Programs of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia

2009 - 2010, Head of Department of Defense Policy of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia

2010 - 2017, First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia

February 2017 - May 2018 Minister of Emergency Situations of the Republic of ArmeniaCity, WKCTC Awarded Grant for Art Park

Advertisement

By West Kentucky Star Staff

May. 11, 2018 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 11, 2018 | 05:14 PM | PADUCAH, KY

West Kentucky Community and Technical College and the City of Paducah partnered together for an Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and have been awarded $25,000 for planning of a proposed art park.



Paducah Junior College Inc., WKCTCs foundation, will match the NEA grant funds for a total of $50,000 for the park to be created in the empty lots adjacent to PSADs 2D and Graphic Design Building at 905 Harrison Street.



The three vacant lots are located at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and 10th Street, and can become a community park with rotating art exhibits and features that engage the community year-round.



The Paducah grant is one of 60 NEA Our Town grants approved nationwide.



NEAs Our Town program encourages local partnerships that integrate design and the arts into the fabric of the community and that serve as a vehicle for economic revitalization.



Were delighted that ongoing collaboration with the City of Paducah will further enhance arts education in our region, while continuing to revitalize a formerly deteriorating area into a thriving arts locale, said WKCTC President Dr. Anton Reece. We appreciate the efforts of all those involved in securing this grant, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Representative James Comer, who championed the project on behalf of the College, the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Paducah. We are deeply appreciative to Senator McConnell and Representative Comer for their support in helping bring this grant to fruition.



I was proud to support West Kentucky Community and Technical Colleges application to secure the necessary funds to foster the cultural heritage of this region, said Senator Mitch McConnell. By using the schools available public space, the entire Paducah community can enjoy the benefits of the Interactive Art Park. In addition, WKCTC students can utilize the skills they learn to continue to support the citys economic growth and artistic experience, he said.



Congressman James Comer agreed and added, I look forward to the lasting impact of this creative center, which will create a public forum to enrich and facilitate artistic discussion, inspiration and creation for generations of local artists and further solidify this deserving city as a cultural hub in western Kentucky.



The Paducah Junior College Board of Directors approved the matching funds last fall. Many corporate and individual donors have invested generously in PSAD, and this opportunity builds upon those investments, said Lee Emmons, PJC executive director. The foundation sees this project as an investment not only in education, but in economic development as well, and we are excited to be a part of it.



I am grateful that the National Endowment for the Arts is providing this funding which will help advance our local creative capacity, said Paducah Mayor Brandi Harless. Furthermore, I applaud West Kentucky Community & Technical College for developing a vision for these lots that will enhance the Lower Town neighborhood and the entryway to the Paducah School of Art & Design.



PSAD director Paul Aho said the design process will consider the physical and cultural aspects of the site and contribute to other public assets within the community. This planning grant will allow WKCTC to engage the services of a pool of artists and artist teams from around the country to present their vision for what might become of this property as a public resource, point of entry into Paducahs downtown, and enhancement to the art school campus.



NEA Chairman Jane Chu said the variety and quality of the Our Town projects speaks to the wealth of creativity and diversity in our country. Through the work of organizations such as the Paducah School of Art & Design in Paducah, KY, NEA funding invests in local communities, helping people celebrate the arts wherever they are, Chu said.



For a complete list of projects recommended for Our Town grant support, visit the NEA web site at arts.gov.Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required.

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Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required.By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 08, 2018 | 05:06 PM | PADUCAH, KY





According to Paducah Police, 26-year-old Briar Rushing has now been charged in connection with the shooting late Monday night in the area of Nolan Drive and Vermont Street. He is wanted on a warrant for first degree assault.Anyone with information about Rushings whereabouts is asked to call the Paducah Police Department at 270/444-8550 or Crime Stoppers at 443-TELL. Tipsters also may access the online tip form through the City of Paducah website at http://paducahky.gov/west-ky-crime-stoppers. Information leading to an arrest or indictment may result in a reward of up to $1,000.Original Story:Two people were injured in a shooting late Monday night near Nolan Drive and Vermont Street in Paducah.Paducah Police said they received a call around 11 p.m. from someone reporting shots fired, and arrived to find that 23-year-old Destyni Paschall of Calvert City, and 27-year-old Randall Snow of Paducah had been injured. Both were taken to Lourdes Hospital and were later transferred to a Nashville hospital.Officers spoke with neighbors, and are seeking anyone with information in the case. They say 26-year-old Briar Rushing of Paducah has been identified as a person of interest in the case. There is also an outstanding warrant charging Rushing with absconding parole.Anyone with information is asked to call the Paducah Police Department at 270-444-8550 or Crime Stoppers at 443-TELL. Tipsters also may access the online tip form through the City of Paducah website at http://paducahky.gov/west-ky-crime-stoppers. Information leading to an arrest or indictment may result in a reward of up to $1,000.Police Memorial Services Tuesday, Wednesday

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By West Kentucky Star Staff

May. 11, 2018 | MURRAY, KY / PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 11, 2018 | 04:51 PM | MURRAY, KY / PADUCAH, KY

Special memorial services will be held Tuesday, May 15th in Murray and Wednesday, May 16th in Paducah in connection with National Police Week.



On behalf of the Murray Police Department and all local law enforcement agencies, Chief Liles would like to invite everyone, all former and current law enforcement and supporters, to the Police Memorial Service that will be held at the Murray City Cemetery on Tuesday, at 10:00 am. The service will include speaker Steven Hunter, and The Murray Police Department Honor Guard, and representatives from other local law enforcement agencies, will conduct a wreath and flag ceremony.



The Paducah Police Department would like to invite all to attend brief ceremonies and the placement of American flags on the graves of four Paducah officers who have died in the line of duty since the establishment of the department. Additionally this year, there will be dedication of foot stones placed at the graves by the department, with assistance from Jerry Beyer and Wilbert Vault Company. The ceremonies will begin at 1:00 pm Wednesday, at Mount Kenton Cemetery.



The Police Memorial Services are being conducted during National Police Week. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week.Stuffed Animals Collected for Family Court

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May. 11, 2018 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 11, 2018 | 05:53 PM | PADUCAH, KY

As part of Child Abuse Awareness Month in April, staff members from Four Rivers Behavioral Health collected more than 100 stuffed animals and this week donated them to the McCracken County Family Court.



In cases of child abuse, children are often placed with relatives or in out of home care. Said Samantha Powell, a prevention specialist at Four Rivers Behavioral Health. She went on, A simple stuffed animal can make all the difference in the world to a scared child in a tough situation. Its a great way to give them a little comfort.



Powell and Allison Clark, program director for the agencys First Steps program, spearheaded the stuffed animal drive. During the month of April, they placed collection boxes throughout the organizations downtown Paducah office. Stuffed animals also were collected at Four Rivers Behavioral Healths satellite locations in Murray and Mayfield.



Family Court Judge Deanne Henschel said, I was thrilled for Family Court to be selected as the recipient of one of Four Rivers Behavioral Healths community projects. Judge Henschel continued, This means more than one hundred children will leave the Courthouse, a scary place for many, with a happy memory and a new toy.



Four Rivers Behavioral Health takes on many such projects throughout the year. This past Christmas, the organization collected gifts for seniors in low income housing, including blankets, scarves and personal care items. Each February, the agency collects money from employees to send Candy Grams to co-workers. This year, the money collected went to Heartland Cares. Judge Henschel said, Its great to see an organization so committed to their community. I couldnt be more grateful for their generosity.



Four Rivers Behavioral Health is a private, not-for-profit agency that for more than 50 years has provided comprehensive mental health, substance abuse and developmental/intellectual disability services to clients in Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, McCracken, and Marshall Counties.Sixteen candidates, several of whom are current or former elected officials, have applied to fill the vacancy created after Eric Schneiderman resigned as state attorney general.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie's office released the list of candidates who will be interviewed Tuesday by a panel of lawmakers. The state Legislature can appoint a replacement.

The applicants include Barbara Underwood, who is serving as acting attorney general after Schneiderman's resignation. Underwood is the longtime state solicitor general. She has held that post since 2007, when she was first appointed by then-Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Schneiderman reappointed her in 2011.

Former U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman, who is also an ex-Brooklyn district attorney and New York City comptroller, is among the candidates who will be considered. U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who ran for state attorney general in 2006, applied for the post. Two state Assembly members, Thomas Abinanti and Daniel O'Donnell, are also seeking the appointment.CAMDEN, N.Y.- A former Camden high school student pleaded guilty on Friday for causing a very scary day throughout the Camden school district back in march. 22 year old Bradley Davis pleaded guilty to one count of attempted making a terroristic threat.

Davis was originally charged with making a terroristic threat.

Back on march 5th, Camden schools Superintendent Jeffrey Bryant received a call at 2:30 am from Camdens police chief about a Facebook threat. Police say an acquaintance of Davis noticed that Davis had posted messages on Facebook indicating that he planned a school shooting at an unidentified school in the Camden school district.

All school buildings were shut down for the day. Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on July 18th.NEW YORK (AP) - A jury has convicted former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver of public corruption charges, dashing the 74-year-old Democrat's second attempt to avoid prison after a decades-long career as one of the most powerful politicians in state government.

The verdict Friday came more than two years after his first 2015 trial resulted in a 12-year prison sentence.

An appeals court tossed out that conviction, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling that changed the legal boundaries for public corruption.

Prosecutors said Silver illegally earned $4 million from a cancer researcher and real estate developers who benefited from his clout in state government.

Defense lawyers countered that his fees were "perfectly legal."New York State is trying to make it easier for vulnerable New Yorkers to keep cool this summer.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that $3 million is being allocated to help New Yorkers purchase air conditioners if they suffer from serious health issues that are aggravated by extreme heat.

To qualify for the assistance, applicants must meet HEAP eligibility criteria and income guidelines, and have at least one member of their household that suffers from a documented medical condition thats made worse by extreme heat.

"When the heat and humidity of summer arrives, it's important that vulnerable New Yorkers are able to stay safe and comfortable in their homes, Cuomo said in a news release. "I encourage anyone with a medical condition that is worsened by high temperatures to apply now, so an air conditioner can be installed before the first heat wave hits."

Cuomo says the cooling assistance will be on a first come, first served basis. Applications will be accepted at local Departments of Social Services through Aug. 31, or until the funding runs out.

For a full list of locations where applications will be accepted, click here.



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Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home pagePublic talk to raise awareness of pre-diabetes

This article is old - Published: Saturday, May 12th, 2018

People with diabetes can find out about complications of the condition at a meeting in Wrexham.

If you, or someone close to you is worried they may be on the verge of Type 2 Diabetes there is a chance to find out more at a talk organised by the Local Support Group Wrexham  Diabetes UK.

The meeting is taking place at Maesgwyn Hall, Mold Road, Wrexham on Monday, 14 May at 7.15pm.

Diabetes expert Dr A.N.Nixon, consultant at the Department of Diabetes & Endocrinology, Wrexham Maelor Hospital will give a talk on Pre-Diabetes: Your Questions Answered.

The talk will be of particular interest to those who have recently been told they have high glucose levels that can increase your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes and what steps to take to prevent developing the condition.

Olwen Ward, chair of the local support group Wrexham, Diabetes UK said: This meeting will help people with Pre-diabetes find out more how to manage their condition.

There can be serious complications with diabetes, but the right care can help people avoid these. For those who want to take action and avoid developing Type 2 Diabetes Dr Nixons talk could provide the answers they are looking for.

We are a friendly, welcoming group for all people affected by diabetes, their friends and relatives in Wrexham and surrounding areas. We meet every month and are always seeking new members.

Diabetes UK local groups offer people living with diabetes a chance to meet, share experiences and gain support from others with the condition. There are 3.8 million people with diabetes in the UK. 3.2 million have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, and around 630,000 more have Type 2 diabetes but dont know it yet.

You can find out more about diabetes and Diabetes UK at diabetes.org.ukWrexham Glyndwr University welcomes Complete University Guide successes

This article is old - Published: Saturday, May 12th, 2018

Wrexham Glyndwr University has risen in this years Complete University Guide rankings  and seen a series of courses ranked among the best in Wales for student satisfaction.

The 2019 guide also rates Wrexham Glyndwr Universitys Occupational Therapy course the top in UK for student satisfaction  and 11th in the UK overall.

In Wales, the Universitys Education and Nursing were also top for student satisfaction  and the third highest in the UK. Computer Science was rated the second highest in Wales for student satisfaction, and the 10th highest in the UK.

Art & Design subjects and Psychology were rated third highest in Wales for student satisfaction and the Criminology and Criminal Justice Course joint fifth highest in the UK for student satisfaction.

In the overall rankings, Wrexham Glyndwr University was among the seven Welsh institutions who moved up the table.

Wrexham Glyndwr University Vice Chancellor, Professor Maria Hinfelaar, said: Wrexham Glyndwr University are pleased to be among the Welsh Universities who have risen in this years Complete University Guide league table.

Students are at the heart of the work we do here at Wrexham Glyndwr University and we are confident we will see further improvement in future tables.

Were also delighted that our Occupational Therapy course topped the Welsh and UK tables for student satisfaction and that our Nursing and Education courses were top in Wales  plus our Art & Design, Computer Science and Psychology courses were also all in the top three.

We are committed to driving academic excellence and providing a progressive, inspiring environment thats designed to allow each student to reach their potential.

Our ambitious Campus 2025 estates strategy renewal programme has already seen an innovative social learning space, The Study, open and improved catering facilities unveiled, with much more to come.

We are working closely alongside our award-winning Student Union  judged Wales best Higher Education union at this years NUS Wales awards  on the programme and on all aspects of the student experience.The new president of the incumbent Citizens Action Party (PAC), Carlos Alvarado, who won in April elections marked by deep popular discontent, gave a rabidly nationalist and reactionary inaugural speech on Tuesday. His government, he began, emerges out of a national agreement, with the first multi-party cabinet anda multi-party Congress directory.

Behind the ruling classs historical consolidation of power behind the incoming Alvarado administration, as the president himself noted, were uncertain times in the concert of nations. This was a veiled allusion to the stagnation of productive investments in the country and regionally, and to the mounting threats of commercial and military conflicts between the largest global economies.

Alvarado openly warned that the response by the ruling class will be an escalated assault against social programs and a frontal clash with the working class: Well be austere, beginning with an efficient use of the public treasury; well keep a strict fiscal discipline; well be rigorous in controlling public spending.

In the face of such a right-wing program aimed at implementing the dictates of Wall Street and the national oligarchy, nothing remains of the perfunctory promises of reforms to assist the poor and reduce inequality that Alvarado and the trade unions made during the campaign.

Setting the stage for this coming government, the last Congress approved labor and legislative reforms to expedite the implementation of austerity measures, the attacks on jobs and the criminalization of strikes, particularly of public employees and workers organizations independent of the trade unions. A police build-up has also been underway for more than eight years, and the trade unions are coordinating closely with the new administration to undermine any resistance.

Moreover, bills are currently being discussed to embed in the Constitution (Articles 176 and 184) new draconian limits to the public deficit, which would require mass firings in the public sector. Another constitutional change (Article 112), proposed ostensibly to combat corruption, would facilitate the expulsion of any legislator who falls out of favor with two-thirds of the Congress.

The historical precedent for this coalition governmentembodied in the agreement signed on March 8 between Alvarado and Rodolfo Piza, the new minister of Interior and former presidential candidate of the conservative Social-Christian Unity Party (PUSC)is the 1995 pact between the leaders of the two traditional right-wing parties, Jose Maria Figueres Olsen of the National Liberation Party (PLN) and Rafael Angel Calderon Fournier of the (PUSC).

While the 1995 pact included a new World Bank structural adjustment program, sweeping deregulation and partial privatization of banking and pensions, the new agreement between the major political forces includes new regressive taxes, an outright prohibition of collective agreements that increase public spending, among other structural adjustments. These policies are being pursued in the interests of paying bondholders and accelerating the creation of a platform of cheap labor that can compete with the more impoverished countries in Southeast Asia, the rest of Central America and the Caribbean.

Alvarados speech drew largely from his past experience as a local marketing executive for the transnational P&G, resembling nothing so much as the kind of talk given by a tactless manager to workers ahead of a mass layoff. He asked for sacrifices for the common cause of the enterprise, and invoked outmoded calls for national unity from mid-19th century oligarchs, whom he described as our grandparents generation.

In front of a scattered crowd and as passers-by and the surrounding city carried on largely uninterested in the ceremony, Alvarado then candidly laid out the measures that cannot be postponed to escalate the decades-long assault on public employment and the living standards of the working class.

In his half-hour speech he urged the Congressno less than seven timesto approve his fiscal plan, which seeks to impose a regressive value-added tax and incorporate cuts to annual wage increases for public employees, among other measures, to deal with Costa Ricas public deficit.

During the weekend, the statistical agency INEC announced that unemployment rose last year to 10.3 percent and 25 percent for youth, explained by a drop in available jobs. Moreover, real wages fell for the public and private sectors, while informality is above 40 percent and 150,000 youth (15 to 24 years of age) neither work nor study.

Alvarado on Tuesday announced further partial privatizations of major public services, indicating that unemployment and issues relating to education, transport, water and electricity will be dealt with within the framework of private concessions and the drive of the private sector.

In reality, the resources exist for a massive public works project to provide quality social infrastructure and expand essential social services to everyone, while putting an end to unemployment, but it would require the seizure of the enormous wealth accumulated by a handful of Costa Rican oligarchs and extracted by transnational corporations, whose interests the establishment parties represent.

While the rise of the PAC and the Broad Front (FA) mirrored the left bourgeois governments that rose to power on a wave of social opposition across Latin America, starting with Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, the Solis administration didnt even implement minor social reforms like its South American counterparts. The PAC and FA exposed their political bankruptcy immediately, by responding to the deepening crisis of the capitalist system with further attacks against the working class. Similarly, however, the so-called pink-tide governments and their right-wing successors have also escalated sharply their austerity measures and realigned their states and security apparatuses with US imperialism.

In fact, the PAC has simply operated as window-dressing for the same traditional forces, particularly the PLN. The incoming coalition government is the culmination of a series of political realignments within the ruling establishment to confront a growing crisis of political rule. During the 1990s, as the PLN and PUSC became deeply discredited after decades of eviscerating public health, education and social programs, they sought to attain a new facade more closely aligned with the trade unions to prevent the development of an independent opposition among the working class.

In 2000, Otton Solis and other PLN leaders left the party to found the Citizens Action Party as a progressive and left alternative, opposing the plans to privatize the state electric company and the Free Trade Agreement with the US. In 2010, Luis Alberto Monge, the former PLN president who had consolidated the counterrevolutionary turn of the party through a 1982 pact with Reagan, was convinced by Soliss project and backed the PAC. In 2014, the former PLN national secretary, Luis Guillermo Solis was elected president as the candidate for PAC, and now the new PAC administration is incorporating the PLN into its government.

On a parallel course, the Stalinist and pseudo-left Broad Front (FA) was founded in 2004 by Jose Merino and other politicians from previous PLN-tied experiments that sought to contain growing social opposition through social-democratic parties like Democratic Force (FD). Once PAC was elected in 2014, FA then entrenched itself within the new Solis administration to underpin the governments ties to the trade union bureaucracy.

The Broad Fronts services to the government and the Costa Rican ruling class have translated into a sharp loss of popular support among workers and youth. It lost eight of its nine seats in the legislature in the February elections, even as social opposition continues to grow in the working class, reflected recently in the April 25 public-sector strike and mass protests on May Day.TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - It has been one week since a son lost a father, a mother lost a son and a community lost a police officer.

Terre Haute Police Officer Rob Pitts was killed in the line of duty Friday, May 4th. Now, thousands across the country plan to pay tribute to others like him during National Police Week in Washington, D.C. starting Sunday.

Officer Pitts' death was too recent for his name to be added to the memorial wall this year but he is still being recognized for his sacrifice thanks to a fellow officer hundreds of miles away.

Philadelphia police officer and forensic composite artist Jonny Castro keeps fallen heroes alive through digital portraits.

He says, "It's just, maybe, a way to give back. I mean these officers gave their lives."

Castro creates beautiful tributes to preserve public servants and so families can feel their presence long after they've gone. Each face is added to his Wall of Heroes. One of the most recent additions in Terre Haute's Rob Pitts.

Officer Castro will be one of the thousands attending National Police Week.

"I've never been to Police Week before. This is my first one but I will be meeting a lot of the families I painted these portraits for."

While there, Castro will hand deliver Pitts' portrait to Terre Haute Police Chief John Plasse.

Castro says he hopes his work will comfort all those mourning the loss of Officer Pitts and bring him back to them even if it's just for a moment.

Castro creates his art for families and departments for free. To learn more visit Jonny Castro Art on Facebook.

Pitts' name will be added to the memorial wall by next year.(CNN Money) -- Google wants to turn a regular Android phone into an artificial intelligence-powered helper for the blind.

Lookout is a new app that uses image recognition and artificial intelligence to describe a scene through a phone's camera. Google announced the app at its annual I/O developer conference this week.

Google is testing the app now and said it will be released later this year, starting on Pixel devices.

If you walk into building lobby with an Android camera held in your hand or worn around the neck on a lanyard, pointed outward, Lookout will detect people and objects like elevator doors, and read nearby text. The app doesn't require an internet connection.

Google says Lookout is designed to keep users engaged with what's going on without bombarding them with information. It only describes the most important items. If a person wants to stop the narration, they put a hand over the camera or give it a knock to pause the app.

The company says the app uses similar technologies to Google Lens, a visual search tool. It combines machine learning, image recognition and several different machine learning models, according to the company.

Related: Silicon Valley's new motto: be responsible

"What blind people need is access to information," Erin Lauridsen, director of access technology at LightHouse in San Francisco. "A lot of times the way these things are promoted and generate capital is all about making blind people 'see' but it really is about taking visual information and translating it into non-visual information."

Google is not the first company to use artificial intelligence and smartphones to help the blind. Microsoft has a similar app for iOS called Seeing AI.

Seeing AI can read printed or handwritten text, describe colors and recognize denominations of currency. Unlike Google Lookout, Seeing AI has a facial recognition component. After pointing the phone at a person, Seeing AI describes them and says how far away they are. If you've trained the app to recognize faces, it'll tell you the person's name. (Google said it may add facial recognition to Lookout in the future).

App-based technology for the blind isn't limited to big companies. The VocalEyes AI app, which can describe a person's emotion or age based on their face, was created by an 18-year-old high school student at an MIT summer program.

Related: How Facebook uses artificial intelligence to explain photos for the blind

There are also more traditional apps that still use humans instead of AI. For example, Aira gives members smart glasses with a built-in camera so trained employees can describe what they see through the camera. Meanwhile, Be My Eyes relies on volunteers to check out what's around you though a live video chat.

"I think that AI is trending in general, and it makes sense to see how it can help for people who are blind but i think there are a lot of unanswered questions," said Lauridsen.LOOGOOTEE, Ind. (WTHI) - When you're in high school, it may be hard to see how classes like geometry or, computer sciences will be related to your career field. But at Loogootee high school, students got a chance Friday to take those skills and put them to work.

The little robots may not look like much. But Loogootee freshman Shaelyn Arthur says there's more than meets the eye.

Arthur says, "We use different sensors to detect where the intruder and at which point they'd be coming from.

And then send it to the deter team to intercept it."

Using the skills taught in their stem classes, students like Shaelyn programmed these robots to detect, analyze and deter intruding robots.

The program is presented by direct employers institute. The group works with employers to show what employees work with.

Executive Director Simone Murray explains, "They bring in a project that they work on. They work with the teachers. They work with the students in class on a weekly basis during their class time. So it makes it a little more authentic."

Friday the employer was Stimulus Engineering of Loogootee. The company provided real-life scenarios, and the students provided the skill to complete the tasks.

Arthur says, "It was really interesting for me. Because this is the type of field that I'm going to go into. The math or engineering field. So this was a great test out."An attack on a police post Saturday in Myanmar by ethnic rebels left 19 dead and dozens more injured, according a government spokesman.

About 100 fighters from the Ta'ang National Liberation Army attacked at 5:15 a.m. local time in the town of Muse, in northern Myanmar at the border with China, spokesman Zaw Htay said in a Facebook post.

Those killed include a police officer, four border guards and civilians, Htay said, citing initial reports. Twenty-nine others, including 20 civilians, were reported injured.

It's the latest deadly clash in a decadeslong conflict between insurgent groups and Myanmar's government. The Ta'ang National Liberation Army is one of more than a dozen armed groups that have been fighting the government for more autonomy.

A TNLA spokesman told Agence France-Presse that the group attacked because of the military's offensive against an aligned armed group in Kachin State, further north in the country.

Reports of conflicts in the north have increased recently. About 6,800 people were newly displaced in Kachin since early April because of the violence, The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported this week.BELDEN, Miss. (WTVA) - It was the "Mother of all Giveaways" Friday morning as one lucky woman won a car.

Northeast Mississippi NAPA Auto Care Centers handed the keys over to Donna Clingan of Pontotoc. She won a 2009 Toyota Camry.

She was selected from more than 300 nominations for the prize. She was nominated by her daughter-in-law, Brandy, who described Clingan's selfless contributions to her family.

Clingan spoke about her family.

"Oh, she's such a special person to me," she said. "I love my family so much and all I want to do is take care of them."

This was the second year for the contest.

Eight runner-ups in the contest won $500 NAPA Auto Care gift certificates.OXFORD, Miss. (WTVA) - Oxford and Lafayette County partnered together to find a creative solution to prevent the "summer slide."

"Oh, the places you'll go...," a well known line from a Dr. Seuss book and the inspiration of a mobile literacy project.



Suzanne Ryals Suzanne Ryals

"We we wanted a way to reach out to the community so we can touch kids' lives through the summer time," stated Suzanne Ryals, director of early childhood and reading for the Oxford School District.

A former school bus is helping move the project.

"This bus gives us the opportunity to take reading to kids in the summer," she said.

Ryals' passion for education is contagious, a love for learning she hopes to pass on as she travels to pre-schools, head-starts and other child care programs.

"We'll take puppet shows, read alongs. We'll take different activities we can take outside," Ryals continued.

Partnering with the library helps to reach children who may not be able to attend summer programs. Also, plans for book distributions are also in the works.

"We know if a child picks out a book, they are more likely to read it."

Educators encourage parents to read to their children and for students to read at least 20 minutes a day.

It's taken a year to create the mobile literacy program; an idea first inspired by a visit from the Moonshot Moment Rocket Mobile Reading Lab last June.

This nationally recognized program in Florida has the goal of achieving 90 percent literacy rate for students by the time they reach the third grade.ATLANTA (AP) - A Georgia gubernatorial hopeful boasts of owning a pickup truck "in case I need to round up criminal illegals" in a new campaign ad released weeks after he caused a stir by featuring a shotgun in another spot.

Secretary of State Brian Kemp calls himself a "politically incorrect conservative" in the ad released Wednesday that appears aimed at answering - and riling up - his detractors. The Republican garnered strong criticism with an earlier campaign video released in late April in which he holds a shotgun and pretends to threaten a young man interested in his daughter.

Critics argue that Kemp is making light of gun violence and, in the new ad, advocating vigilante action against undocumented immigrants. Many of Kemp's supporters simply see the ads as humorous defenses of archetypal conservative symbols.

"I'm so conservative, I blow up government spending," Kemp says in the latest video, as an explosion fills the screen behind him. Kemp then holds up a gun "that no one is taking away" and revs a chain saw to "rip up some regulations."

"I got a big truck," he says as he slams the door on a pickup. "Just in case I need to round up criminal illegals and take 'em home myself."

"Yep, I just said that," Kemp then adds.

Kemp has emphasized that he would seek a strong deportation policy as governor. Only the federal government has the authority to deport people, though state and local law enforcement authorities can decide how they cooperate with their federal counterparts.

Stephanie Cho, executive director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta, slammed Kemp's rhetoric in a statement.

"His ad is beyond anti-immigrant, as he quite literally threatens to abduct individuals," Cho said. "Georgia needs a governor who ... does not promote reckless vigilantism. There is no place for hate and fearful rhetoric toward any people."

Recent polling shows Kemp in second place in the crowded GOP primary. He trails behind Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and is locked in a battle for second - and a possible runoff spot - with former state Sen. Hunter Hill.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The Florida Highway Patrol welcomed some new troopers Friday.

The 71 new graduates are part of the 138th basic recruit class.

The troopers completed their courses at the Florida Highway Patrol Training Academy.

Florida Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis, DHS-MV Executive Director, Terry L. Rhodes, and FHP Director, Colonel Gene Spaulding, were in attendance.

"This was an emotional day to see this next group of the 138th graduate class here," said Patronis. "It's a very large class, but the men and women are committed to be professionals to create and strengthen our community."TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Sealey Elementary was placed on a very brief heightened level of a security after a foot pursuit by the Tallahassee Police Department at the Centre of Tallahassee Mall.

According to Leon County Schools, the incident spilled out into the nearby area and the school resource officer felt it was a good idea to place the school on alert after hearing about the incident.

The heightened level of security only lasted about 10 minutes and the school is back to operating normally.

The Tallahassee Police Department is currently investigating the incident.NORTH FULTON COUNTY, GA (WSB/CNN) - A police officer has been suspended and an investigation opened by a metro Atlanta police department following a recent arrest.

WARNING: The video and story may contain content viewers find disturbing.

The incident in question was captured on dashcam video from Alpharetta Police Department.

Authorities said a 65-year-old woman was pulled over May 4 after her car swerved and nearly hit another vehicle.

The video showed the situation escalate when Rose Campbell, a diabetic grandmother, refused to get out of her car.

"I didn't expect that in America," Campbell told WSB. "I didn't expect that in Atlanta. I didn't expect that especially in Alpharetta."

Officers yelled at her and forcibly took her into custody.

"Youre not in charge. Shut the f*** up and get out of the car," Officer James Legg says in the video to Campbell.

Legg, one of the officers who arrived after a call for backup, was suspended by the police department and an investigation was opened.

Alpharetta police said the officer used language and tactics that were "inappropriate, even inflammatory."

Video shows Legg then grab the woman's arm and shoulder, and she starts to scream.

Other officers also assist in apprehending Campbell.

"As I was watching the video, I had some major concerns about what I was seeing," Alpharetta Police Chief John Robison told WSB. "There are aspects of the videothat simply do not represent who we are as an organization."

Campbell has retained a civil rights attorney but isnt sure if she will press charges.

Copyright 2018 WSB via CNN. All rights reserved.JONES COUNTY, MS (WDAM) - "Dabs" are an expensive high, but many young adults and teens are giving up the leafy green marijuana in exchange for the more high-potent narcotic.

The amounts are small and the prices are high, coming in at nearly triple the amount someone would pay for plant-based marijuana.

"The main reason I smoke is to get high. And for me, there is no comparison. Dabs just get me a lot higher," one user from California said.

Dabs, also known as marijuana wax, honey oil and budder, are highly concentrated extracts of cannabis. This potent high is exploding across the nation as a reformed way to smoke marijuana.

People in the Pine Belt are shy about sharing their experience when dabbing, but many users in in Mississippi are getting high on the product sent directly from states where marijuana is legal, like California and Colorado, according to law enforcement.

"The amount of time I stay high from one dab compared to the amount of time I stay high from one bong hit is not even comparable, not even close," said the California user. "A dab will keep me nice and high for a good 45 minutes to an hour. A bong hit keeps me relatively stoned for 15, 20 minutes, if that."

While users may think smoking dabs is validated and the new go to high, WDAM takes a look behind the scenes into what this drug really is.

"Pure THC. So, it causes the psychosis, the hallucinations, those types of things because of the purity of it," said Major Jamie Tedford of the Jones County Sheriff's Department.

The tool to start the process is a butane torch with flame temperatures heating up to more than two thousand degrees Fahrenheit.

"They will actually take the propane, they will use that to heat the pipe up first before they put the dab on," Tedford said.

The method Tedford describes is meticulous, and the instrument used is better known as an oil rig.

Tedford has spent more than 20 years in law enforcement, and more than 10 of those years fighting the war on drugs in elite, special-trained narcotic units. He said dabbing is an extremely dangerous way of inhaling marijuana, but users are making the switch to dabs because it contains a much higher concentration of THC than the plant, as much as 70 to 98 percent THC.

"You're having to break down the product itself to be able to ingest it," Tedford said. "Because there are so many different components, it's a manufacturing process and you could actually be charged with manufacturing, depending on what type of paraphernalia you have and what step you are caught in. However, this amount right here [about three grams] is well, well over the limit to be charged with a felony."

According to Mississippi law, it's a DEA Scheduled 1 Controlled substance, in the same class as heroin. Tedford said it's critical parents are aware and can recognize the telltale signs of possible use. One indicator is small, colorful tie-dye containers.

"This just looks like a lip balm case," Tedford said. "So, if you saw it in your daughter's purse or in your son's truck or something like that, most people wouldn't even recognize it. They use little canisters like this to sell it in. Most parents would overlook this. I believe it is relatively new here to our area and our younger people in Mississippi."

Here's what you need to watch for in a possible user: mood swings, abnormal anger outbursts and a sudden raspy voice change.

"The vapors off this have to be really, really hot," Tedford said. "So that impacts the windpipe, your lungs and those types of things. So if the parents will start watching raspiness, especially in a female you will hear that voice change. But, you could pick up on that and maybe deter it or drug test your kids and those types of things before it got to a point where they were actually hooked on it."

While users claim it's a new electrifying high, it's illegal and can be addicting.

"The side effects of it are unbelievable as far as the trips that it causes you," Tedford said. "We actually hear of people overdosing to the point of putting them in the hospital because of the psychosis trips, hallucinating, those types of things, including shortness of breath and thinking someone is after you. It's because of the potency of the THC in it."

The Jones County Sheriff's Department wants you to be aware of this drug and it's dangers. If you feel your child is using or you know someone who is, the Jones County Sheriff's Department is open if you have questions, concerns or would like to leave a tip.

That number is 601-426-3147. There is also a text line available for those not wanting to talk. You can text 601-551-8477.

Copyright WDAM 2018. All rights reserved.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Law enforcement motor unit officers took a couple of practice laps Friday at Doak Campbell Stadium ahead of the 14th Annual Capital City Challenge.

That challenge brings out the finest bike cops from agencies across the region, even stretching as far as Tennessee and South Carolina.

The competition put those officers through challenging obstacle courses all to raise money for the Special Olympics.

Officer Damon Miller with the Tallahassee Police Department says that participating is a big deal.

"It can be nerve wracking, especially if it's your first time. I remember my first time competing, you've never done it before, you're in front of people, but you just have to revert back to your training and hopefully you'll come out on top," said Miller.

You an see who comes out on top Saturday. The competition runs from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. at Doak Campbell Stadium.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Thursday, the City-County Board of Adjustment and Appeals voted unanimously to reject a variance request to allow eight units to be built in the middle of Levy Park Neighborhood and now residents say they are breathing a sigh of relief.

Many say that the eight, three-story and skinny buildings would cause too much traffic in a quiet neighborhood.

Now that the variance was denied, residents say that they would hope no changes come to the property.

"The hope is that it would stay this way and it is a beautiful scene and we love walking in this neighborhood and the quietness of this neighborhood," said Levy Park Neighborhood resident Lance Ehrhardt. "And so any changes in the increase of traffic will definitely be a big disappointment and will impact I think the neighborhood and the value for the homeowners."

Residents say they will attend the Tallahassee comprehensive planning meeting on May 14 to stay engaged with the development of that property.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee board has unanimously denied all zoning variances filed for the Levy Park neighborhood.

Dozens of people filled the Tallahassee's board of adjustments and appeals meeting this afternoon regarding the variance filed in Levy park neighborhood.

Patrons at the meeting say one neighbor has decided to sell his property and ask for a variance but also wants to build eight, three-story buildings on Green Street.

If the zoning had been passed, residents say that two historic homes would be demolished and it would have long term effects on the neighborhood.

"On each property they're asking for zero foot back and it's supposed to be five feet on each side and just that bit of difference is the difference from saving this neighborhood from something that would be massively intrusive to keeping it the way it is now," said Penny Herman, who is against the variance.City seeks input on annexing surrounding neighborhoods

WORLAND When Mayor Jim Gill was elected and took office last year, one of his initiatives was to grow Worland. One of those steps is a desire to literally grow Worland in its population and geographical size.

The city has begun the first steps in attempting to annex several subdivision and residents on the north and east side of the city into city limits. Letters and surveys were sent out to county residents so the city officials could gauge what, if any, interest there was to annex into the city.

Our Grow Worland Initiative is a big part of our mission for this city of Worland this year, along with improving streets. Promoting a business-friendly atmosphere also fits in to that equation. I think that it is important for a city to show growth in the new census that will be coming up. After all, how do we attract new businesses to the area if we arent showing growth, Gill said.

He added that the overall purpose of Grow Worland is to provide an opportunity for residents to make a living here and enjoy their experiences here.

Gill said helping Worland grow is something he wants to help Worland accomplish, because I think its an important aspect of who and what we need to be.

According to the letter sent to residents, In 2020, the

latest U.S. Census will take place, only those living within city limits of Worland will count toward our official population number. We have until December 2018 to submit the latest boundary map of the City of Worland for the official county. With this in mind we are working to bring subdivisions that border city limits in to the city.

There are a couple of reasons the city is working on expanding its boundary. City Attorney Kent Richins said, Its about community. We are all in the same community. He said the people who live in the areas the city wishes to annex, already received city water and some are also on the city sewer system, thus receiving city services. Those people work and play in Worland, but they legally do not live in Worland, Richins said.

When services were brought to those areas in the 1970s and 1980s, there was no agreement for annexation, which new areas now are required to sign, Richins said.

The City of Worland has been stagnant as far as boundaries go. Obviously when you look adjacent to the boundaries theres a lot of population. And that population is essentially part of Worland, but for whatever reason that boundary line seems to be an issue. It would be a great advantage to the City of Worland if these folks were part of the City of Worland legally.

FINANCIAL MOTIVATION

While annexation would bring areas already receiving some city services into city limits, the City of Worland has a monetary motivation for the growth initiative.

According to the letter, the number of official municipal residents are used by state and federal agencies when distributing tax dollars back to the local community. One of those revenue sources is the Federal Urban Systems Funding.

According to the Wyoming Department of Transportation, the city of Worland is one of 17 Wyoming municipalities with a population greater than 5,000, based on the 2000 Census. The federally-funded program uses a local match ratio of 90.49 percent federal and 9.51 percent local. This funding source was used to pave and expand 23rd Street, according City Clerk/Treasurer Tracy Glanz.

She said the city receives just over $103,000 annually and currently has $630,000 available. The local Urban Systems committee is looking at using the funding eventually for a Washakie Avenue project.

Glanz said if the citys population drops below 5,000, and the current Urban Systems funding is not specifically allocated toward a project then the city loses all of the funding. They also will no longer receive the annual funding.

According to WYDOT, The Urban Systems (STPU) is a federally-funded road construction program to assist Wyoming urban cities address road and street needs created by increased traffic generation, changes in land use patterns and other community development characteristics. By definition, an urban municipality is one with a census population greater than 5,000.

She said the funding, while likely to be used on Washakie Avenue, has not been allocated since the overall project is estimated at over $2 million, plus there is a time limit for project completion once funds have been allocated to a project.

In 2010, the Census had Worlands population at 5,487. Acccording to census.gov, the estimated population in 2016 was at 5,316.

Richins said while the issue of annexation and growing Worland is in part financial because everybody counts, its also about family and everybody works together to the same end.

Richins said of the about 30 responses they have received, there is little to no interest to annexing into the city. He said the responses were typical of what they have been over the years. The city sent more than 100 letters for 300 to 400 residents in the areas they city would like to annex.

BENEFITS

There are also benefits for residents if they become official Worland residents. They would be allowed to vote for council and mayor seats. They also would be eligible to seek office, Glanz said.

Currently the residents are charged an out-of-city rate for water and while they would have city taxes to pay, it would even out for the cheaper in-city rate for water.

The letter to residents outline some of the advantages of city services offered to city residents including water and sewer, along with sanitation. There is also police protection as the Worland Police Department does not patrol outside the city limits but does respond in an assistance capacity to the Washakie County Sheriffs Office.

Other services also include street maintenance, mosquito control and sanding and snow plowing.

Richins and Gill said with any annexation there is always a cost analysis. Gill said the city would be able to offer the services listed.

Richins and Glanz said the county residents enjoy the lifestyle they have now and most of that would not change if annexed.

Gill said the city would annex the areas into a Worland Rural zone that would allow activities currently allowed in the county, including farm animals and fireworks. He said there would be no change for those residents coming in and it shouldnt be a problem for the city residents adjacent to them as they live with the conditions now.

One of the concerns is the fact that the city currently does have a building code for residential homes, but the county does not. The city is considering what to do with the building codes after building official Nick Kruger resigned. His last day was Friday.

The next step for the city is to set up neighborhood meetings with the areas they hope to annex and speak directly to the residents. If neighborhoods opt to move forward with annexation and petition would be drafted to it could be submitted to the city council, Richins said.

Richins said, If there are people interested in annexation, we would like to hear from them.Missile fire is seen from Damascus, Syria on May 10, 2018. (Reuters photo)

DAMASCUS, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian air defenses have effectively responded to the Israeli missile strikes that targeted several military positions in Syria at dawn Thursday, destroying much of the missiles, according to state news agency SANA.

Israeli missile strikes destroyed a radar station, an arms depot, and caused damage to several air defenses battalions, killing three soldiers and wounding two others, the agency quoted the Syrian army as saying.

This "flagrant aggression" will only lead the Syrian army to achieve more in the battles on the terrorist groups across Syria, according to the army statement.

The Syrian army, meanwhile, stressed determination to confront any attack with "full responsibility and decisiveness."

Earlier in the day, the missiles of the Syrian air defenses lit up the sky over Damascus while tracking the Israeli missiles and destroying them, sending a rattling sound that reverberated across the city like thunder.

The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the intense Israeli missile attacks targeted positions of the Syrian army, Hezbollah and the Iranians in different parts of Syria.

The UK-based watchdog group said the Israelis targeted the Syrian positions near the capital Damascus and its countryside, central Syria, and the southern province of Qunaitera near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The Dumair air base in the eastern part of Qalamoun region in the northern countryside of the capital Damascus is believed to have been hit, the group said, adding that the Israeli missiles fell near a position where Iranian fighters are stationed in that area.

The Israeli attack left big damages and losses in the offensive that started in the southern province of Qunaitera and expanded to other Syrian areas.

The Israeli attack started when the Israelis on Wednesday evening targeted military positions in Qunaitera, which pushed the Syrian side to shell Israeli military positions in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The cross-border tension expanded and the Israelis started shelling other military posts in Syria.

The pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV released a report about the targeted Israeli sites in Golan Heights.

The targeted Israeli military sites are a military reconnaissance center, a position for border security, a military center for electronic jamming, a military center for spying on wireless and wired networks, a communication station, an observatory for precision weapons, a gunships heliport, the headquarters of the regional military command of brigade-810, the command center of the military battalion in Hermon, and the winter headquarters of the special snow unit, according to the report.

This tension comes a day after Israel targeted a Syrian military site in the Kisweh area in the southwestern countryside of Damascus, as activists said 15 fighters were killed, including eight Iranians.

Last month, the Israelis targeted two military sites in Syria where Iranian fighters were located, including the T-4 air base in central Syria.

The Israeli attack comes amid heightened tension with Iran, following last month Israeli attacks on Syrian positions where Iranian military experts were located. It also comes after the United States announced withdrawal from the international nuclear deal with Iran on Tuesday.

It's the second large-scale missile strike on Syria since April when the United States and its Western allies launched a series of missile strikes on Syrian military positions in retaliation to allegations of chemical weapons use on a former rebel-held area east of Damascus.

But the confrontation with Israel early Thursday was long and more intense, reflecting the boiling tension between Israel on one side and Iran and Syria on the other.

Israel has repeatedly said it was not going to tolerate an Iranian military presence inside Syria and targeted several positions where Iranian fighters were believed to have been stationed in recent years.

The Thursday attack was major Israeli-Syrian confrontation since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 00:11:23|Editor: Li Xia

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People take part in a protest to condemn U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in Tehran, Iran, on May 11, 2018. Thousands of people marched on the streets in Tehran on Friday chanting anti-U.S. slogans. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)

TEHRAN, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Iranians held rallies on Friday to condemn U.S. withdrawal from 2015 international nuclear deal.

In the capital Tehran, thousands of people marched on the streets after Friday prayers chanting anti-U.S. slogans and singing anti-Trump notes.

They carried placards with the iconic decades-long Iranians' protest language of "Death to America."

They also shouted slogans against Israel and Saudi Arabia, who, they believed, sympathized with the U.S. President Donald Trump's anti-Iran rhetoric.

The ralliers in Tehran issued statement whereby they vowed to withstand the U.S. pressures and adhere ardently to the ideals of the Islamic establishment.

On Tuesday, Trump announced U.S. withdrawal from the international Iranian nuclear deal, saying that Washington will not extend the waiver for the unilateral sanctions against Iran.

The move by the U.S. president sparked international discontent.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 03:57:28|Editor: Yamei

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U.S. President Donald Trump (Xinhua file photo)

WASHINGTON, May 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday spoke with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to discuss his upcoming meeting with top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un.

According to a statement of the White House, Trump, in a telephone call, thanked Lee for his willingness to host his June 12 meeting with Kim.

The two leaders also discussed regional security dynamics in the region. Trump and Lee reaffirmed the bilateral relationship, which the White House said had been "one of the United States' closest partnerships in Asia for more than 50 years."

Trump said that he looks forward to seeing Lee in Singapore soon.

When asked about the reason why Singapore was chosen, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah on Thursday told the media that the Southeast Asian nation has a relationship with both the United States and the DPRK.

They can ensure both the President's security and Kim Jong Un's security, as well as provide neutrality, he said.

Troy Stangarone, senior director of congressional affairs and trade at the Washington-based non-profit Korea Economic Institute, told Xinhua that "Singapore is a neutral location for both sides that has traditionally been seen as a place where the East meets the West."

"The United States and North Korea (the DPRK) have previously held meetings there, and the infrastructure is well placed to hold a summit meeting. Also, due to diplomatic and business ties, it is a place where the North Koreans would feel comfortable meeting," he said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 04:22:35|Editor: Xiang Bo

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Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias (R) and his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto attend a press conference in Sounion, Greece, May 11, 2018. Foreign ministers of the Visegrad Group and Balkan EU member states on Friday reiterated their commitment to deepen cooperation to address common challenges during a meeting at Sounion. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

SOUNION, Greece, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of the Visegrad Group and Balkan EU member states on Friday reiterated their commitment to deepen cooperation to address common challenges during a meeting at Sounion, 75 km southeast of Athens.

The ministers of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland which form the Visegrad Group, along with the four Balkan countries which are already EU members (Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia) convened with representatives of neighboring states aspiring to join in, as well as Cyprus, to exchange views on Europe's future.

The second ministerial meeting of the so-called "Visegrad 4 plus Balkan 4 plus" dialogue platform ended with delegates expressing willingness to work together to resolve pending issues, face future challenges and strengthen their voice regarding EU's enlargement.

In a changing world, Europe should be empowered to better serve its citizens, giving answers to real problems and crises, Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Kotzias and many of his counterparts said addressing the one-day event.

Concerning EU's global role, the Greek minister stressed that the EU should not insist on memoranda, sanctions, and measures -- such as embargoes -- against third parties.

"We had a very fruitful discussion exchanging views and ideas. We talked openly and honestly," Kotzias said during a press conference at the end of the meeting.

"It is a vital interest of the EU to accelerate enlargement. The more we are, the stronger we are," said on his part during the press briefing Peter Szijjarto, minister of foreign affairs of Hungary, the rotating presidency of the Visegrad group.

Referring to migration, an issue which has caused rifts within Europe in recent years, he underlined that the position of the member states of the Visegrad group is clear.

"We must not encourage migration. We must stop migration," the Hungarian minister stressed.

On the sidelines of Friday's event, foreign minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Nikola Dimitrov referred to Saturday's talks with Kotzias and UN special envoy Matthew Nimetz in Greece regarding the name dispute between the two neighboring countries.

"We saw the other day the two Koreas (DPRK and ROK) are making progress. If they can do that, we ... will hopefully be able to do the same and better," Dimitrov told media here.

UN-mediated efforts have intensified in recent months in order to resolve the row which started in 1991 when FYROM declared independence from Yugoslavia choosing the name Macedonia, which is also the name of a northern Greek province.

The name dispute is a main obstacle in FYROM's accession to the EU.SARAJEVO, May 11 (Xinhua) -- At a regular session in Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) capital Sarajevo on Friday, The government of Canton Sarajevo (CS) pledged readiness to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants.

The significant increase of immigrants influx on the territory of BiH is considered as urgent at the session, requesting all BiH competent institutions to make prompt decisions regarding the determination of status of migrants, according to an official press statement.

Members of the CS government pointed out that it is evident that migration crisis culminates in Canton Sarajevo and BiH, and after BiH state authorities solve the status of migrants, the CS government will engage in humanitarian assistance.

"The Government of CS, with an aim of urgent temporary care, will undertake only the necessary activities to ensure the safety and security of CS," the official press statement said.

At the session, members urged BiH institutions to, in the shortest possible time, inform the government of CS of the number and status of migrants, and on their plans regarding the securing the necessary funds.

Official data revealed that BiH is faced with the increased influx of migrants whose number exceeded 3,500 since the beginning of this year, three times more than the total number of registered migrants in 2017.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 04:32:39|Editor: yan

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HAVANA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who took office less than a month ago, has been reviewing national development programs designed to strengthen strategic sectors, state daily Granma said on Friday.

Diaz-Canel described the programs to boost agriculture and livestock, industrial production, renewable energy and other areas as "fundamental" for the sustainable development of the Caribbean nation.

Ministers and deputy ministers overseeing the key sectors took part in a series of meetings with Diaz-Canel, as part of the review process.

Gustavo Rodriguez, head of agriculture, said there was an urgent need to improve the yields of staples such as rice, grains, tobacco, coffee, honey, vegetables and cattle, but it required greater extensions of arable and irrigated land.

Diaz-Canel noted that while agricultural production has increased, speculators push up the prices of goods, one of the main complaints of Cuban households.

"Today there is more production than years ago and prices are still high. We have to establish measures to effectively control this situation," said the president.

Cuba spends some 2 billion U.S. dollars each year on food imports, a costly burden for an economy shackled by nearly five decades of trade embargo.

Officials also reviewed the national energy program, described by Raul Castro, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), as the most vital to sustainable development.

Energy and Mines Minister Alfredo Lopez provided an updated report on a policy approved in 2014 to develop renewable energy and to promote energy efficiency, in a bid to reduce fuel imports.

Cuba produces only half of its oil and gas needs, importing the rest mainly from Venezuela. But the political crisis racking the South American country has affected fuel supplies to the island.

Cuba's new leader has pledged to continue the economic reforms started by his predecessor and to safeguard the social benefits put in place since the 1959 socialist revolution, including free universal healthcare and education.

Major economic challenges remain, including eliminating the dual-currency system, attending the housing deficit, raising food production, and working toward energy independence.by Alessandra Cardone

FLORENCE, Italy, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Ahead of a crucial European summit scheduled in June, top European Union (EU) officials gathered here on Friday to urge reforms in various sectors of the bloc.

Addressing the 8th edition of "State of the Union" conference -- running in the Tuscan city on May 10-12 -- European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called for a radical change in foreign policy decision-making.

The voice of Europe would remain largely inaudible, he warned, unless EU members agree to abandon the current unanimity principle in favor of a more efficient voting system.

"Our foreign policy is now organized in a way that Europe's voice is not heard in the large concert of nations, because we still have to decide unanimously," Juncker declared.

"Yet, there is a difference between unanimity, which means one vote alone can block a decision, and consensus. I therefore propose that we decide by qualified majority from now on."

The EU executive body's chief stressed that such a change would be possible under the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty, which was signed in 2007 and is in force since December 2009.

In another keynote speech, European Parliament President Antonio Tajani addressed defence, borders control, and migration policy.

"Parliament and Commission have proposes a strong increase in funding destined to security, counter-terrorism, and external borders control," Tajani said.

"Personally, I believe we need to create a European FBI (The United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation), with a more efficient information exchange system between investigative agencies," he said.

The official added that European citizens' safety might be improved also through a single European agency focused on tracking financial transactions linked to terrorism and other transnational crimes.

Tajani also appealed for a change in the Dublin Regulation governing EU's migration policy in terms of asylum, and concerning in which state asylum seekers are allowed to file their claim.

It was a hot issue, since the migration crisis has put solidarity among EU members under strain in the latest years, and the southern EU countries like Greece and Italy were left to face the major burden of the migrant inflow.

"The parliament already voted in November in favor of a fairer and more efficient European asylum system, and finally the EU Council has also started discussing it," Tajani pointed out.

"We cannot leave alone those states that, for geographical reasons, support the most weight of humanitarian crises," he added.

The State of the Union conference -- which annually draws European politicians, opinion makers, and analysts for a three-day debate -- also saw a long address delivered by European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi.

The central banker urged the completion of both banking union and monetary union, and the approval of a new fiscal tool to help euro-zone's members to face crises.

"We need an additional fiscal instrument to maintain convergence during large shocks, without having to over-burden monetary policy," he said.

"Its aim would be to provide an extra layer of stabilization, thereby reinforcing confidence in national policies," he added.

According to Draghi, the euro-zone would have shown some progress on these fronts already, with post-crisis regulatory reforms significantly strengthening the banking sector, and the European banking supervision allowing a more uniform approach.

Yet, some form of common stabilization function to prevent countries from diverging too much during crises would be needed.

"Public risk-sharing through backstops for failing banks helps reduce risks across the system by containing market panic when a crisis hits," Draghi explained.

At the same time, "a strong resolution framework ensures that, when banks do fail, very little public risk-sharing is actually needed, as the costs are fully borne by the private sector," he said.

The European Council -- the body charged with setting the EU's political agenda and priorities since the Lisbon Treaty entered into force -- will gather prime ministers and heads of state in Brussels on June 28-29.

According to a provisional agenda, EU leaders are expected to address security and defence, growth and competitiveness, and a multi-year financial framework, among other issues.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 05:27:59|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, May 11 (Xinhua) -- A surge in births among Rohingya refugee women in Bangladesh is imminent, and the fact that possibly thousands of the pregnancies resulted from rape makes the provision of proper medical care in the camps more difficult, according to a report of the UN News portal on Friday.

With the monsoon season fast approaching in Bangladesh, UN agencies and their partners are struggling to protect nearly 700,000 Rohingya refugees from disaster and disease. While the imminent new births are already a great challenge to the world body, the wrenching legacy of sexual violence makes the job even harder.

The displaced population includes an estimated 40,000 pregnant women, UN officials estimate, many of whom are expected to give birth in coming weeks.

An unknown but significant share of these pregnancies, aid officials believe, resulted from rapes committed by members of the Myanmar army and allied militants.

Pregnancies resulting from "what we believe could have been a frenzy of sexual violence in August and September last year could come to term very soon," Andrew Gilmour, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, told UN News. "So, we are expecting a surge of births."

In March, Gilmour traveled to Cox's Bazar on Bangladesh's southeast coast, where the refugees have settled in camps and make-shift clearings after escaping violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State.

Fearing stigma, sometimes feeling depressed or shamed, pregnant refugee women are often reluctant to admit that they were raped, according to medical and aid workers.

Attacks by Rohingya activists on Myanmar security posts in northern Rakhine State on August 25, 2017 prompted alleged massive retribution by Myanmar security forces and vigilante groups, forcing the mostly Muslim Rohingyas to flee into neighboring Bangladesh. Sexual violence as well as killings and the burning of villages were reported.LONDON, May 11 (Xinhua) -- A Scottish community announced Friday that it has succeeded in buying a remote island that has just six residents.

The handful of residents on the Hebridean island of Ulva feared for the future after its owner, Jamie Howard put it up for sale with a price tag of 5.7 million U.S.dollars.

It led to worldwide interest from prospected wealthy buyers, but Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stepped in and blocked an open-market sale to allow the island community to raise funds to match the asking price.

The North West Mull Community Woodland Company led the campaign to buy the island for the community and announced today that it had succeeded.

In a statement the community company announced an agreement had been reached with the owner to buy Ulva for the community.

"Negotiations have been successfully concluded for the purchase of Ulva Estate on behalf of the community of the island. Binding contracts were concluded today and ownership will transfer on June 21," the statement added.

The 2,000-hectare island, which has only six residents, one of them its current owner Jamie Howard, includes cottages, a country house, a little-used Grade II-listed church and Neolithic standing stones.

A visitor and tourism plan has been compiled by the islanders to market Ulva's natural beauty, trading on its wildlife tourism, tranquility and seafood.

The community also plan to repopulate Ulva and regenerate its local economy after decades of depopulation.

A grant of more than 5.5 million U.S. dollars from the Scottish Land Fund enabled the campaigners to submit a formal offer to purchase the island. A public funding appeal also led to donations flooding in from more than 500 people across the world.

Colin Morrison, chair of the North West Mull Community Woodland Company, said: "We cannot thank everyone enough, not just for the financial support, but also the encouragement we've been given throughout the process. We have been heartened by the degree of interest and depth of support we have received from official agencies, commercial organisations and also private individuals at home and abroad."GOMA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Two western tourists were kidnapped Friday in Virunga National Park, in an ambush in the North Kivu province, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to officials at the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICC), which is in charge of managing the park, the two tourists were kidnapped while returning to the city of Goma accompanied by park wardens.

The two foreigners came from the Kibumba tourist site when their vehicle was ambushed. One of the park wardens who accompanied the tourists was killed in this ambush, according to Joel Wengamulay, the Communication Director of ICC.

The ICC also said that the identity of the attackers are not yet known. But more details about this incident will be given.

Since the beginning of the year, armed attacks have been increasing in the eastern part of the DRC. Several armed groups active in different places brought about kidnaps and attacks.ODESSA, Ukraine, May 11 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian edition of the 17th "Chinese Bridge", Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, was held in Ukraine's southern Black Sea resort of Odessa on Friday.

Under the theme of "All under heaven are one family," the competition was staged at the South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University (SUNPU).

The contest attracted fifteen Chinese-learning students from five cities in different parts of Ukraine.

The contestants demonstrated their talents and knowledge of Chinese language, culture and history during the four rounds of the competition: self-introduction speech, questions and answers, talent show and improvisation.

Elisaveta Ruban, a student of the Confucius Institute of the SUNPU, won the contest and will represent Ukraine at the international "Chinese Bridge" final in China.

Two second-prize winners, Anna Cherneva, also a student of the Confucius Institute of the SUNPU, and Karina Arakelova, a student of the Confucius Institute of Kharkov National University, will go to the final as guests.

The international contest "Chinese Bridge," launched by China's Confucius Institute Headquarters in 2002, aims to encourage foreign students to learn Chinese.Chinese game live-streaming platform Huya made NYSE debut on May 11, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Ming)

NEW YORK, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Huya, a Chinese live-streaming platform for video games and e-sports, rang the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) opening bell on Friday in celebration of its initial public offering (IPO).

Huya, trading under the ticker symbol of "HUYA", priced its IPO of 15,000,000 American depository shares (ADSs), at 12.00 U.S. dollars per ADS for a total offering size of approximately 180 million dollars, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs.

Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs (Asia) and UBS investment bank are the joint book runners on the deal.

Dong Rongjie, CEO of Huya, told Xinhua on Friday that the IPO on the NYSE marks a brand-new development stage for the company.

"I think the move will help us expand the market overseas and inspire our team to develop more innovative products as well," he said.

Huya started trading at 15.50 dollars per share on Friday, climbing 29.17 percent from its pricing, and was traded at 16.30 dollars apiece around midday.

Dong noted that the money raised will be used in further investing in live-streaming game and e-sports.

Huya reported net revenue of about 336 million U.S. dollars in 2017, driven mainly by live-streaming services and advertising.

The company said that by the end of last year, it had average monthly active users of over 86 million, with each mobile user spending about 99 minutes on average on the platform each day.

China has become the world's largest games market in terms of revenues and gamers, according to consultancy Frost & Sullivan Research. The country is also home to the world's largest active user base of live streaming, according to Huya's filing.SAN FRANCISCO, May 11 (Xinhua) -- A student of a high school northeast of San Francisco has been arrested for hacking into the computer system of the Mount Diablo Unified School District in order to change the grades of his own and other students, a TV report said on Friday.

The student whose name was not disclosed because of being a juvenile, was studying at Ygnacio Valley High School in Concord, a city northeast of San Francisco in northern California.

He was accused of targeting teachers with a phishing scam and hacking into the Mount Diablo Unified School District computer system, in an attempt to change his grades as well as those of other students, police said.

"We wrote numerous search warrants to get the IP addresses of the possible phishing site email ... we did good old fashioned police detective work and we narrowed it down to an address," said Sgt. Carl Cruz, the Concord Police Financial Crimes Supervisor.

Police said the high school student had created a fake website and emailed teachers in a phishing attempt to get their log-in and personal information.

One teacher actually logged into the fake website, which made it possible for the student to access the Mount Diablo Unified School District IT network and get into the grade system, according to the police.

Police said the student successfully changed the grades of his own and a dozen others.

A Mount Diablo Unified School District spokeswoman said the student has been suspended.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 09:23:40|Editor: Li Xia

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KATHMANDU, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Nepal and India have agreed to further deepen their bilateral cooperation in wide-ranging areas such as hydropower, agriculture, connectivity, trade, information technology and tourism.

The two South Asian neighbors on Friday reached the consensus during bilateral talks between Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in the Nepali capital Friday evening.

"India is our close friendly neighbor, and we want to take our bilateral relationship to a new high based on equality, mutual trust for the benefit of the two countries according to the change of times in this 21st century," Oli said during a joint press statement.

The two sides have agreed to explore ways to enhance cooperation in the field of agriculture, and for which the agriculture ministers of the two countries will meet soon, Oli said.

On the occasion, Indian Prime Minister Modi said the two sides will work to expedite process to complete connectivity and infrastructure projects such as railways, highways, trans-ways and information ways.

Modi arrived in Kathmandu for a two-day state visit on Friday afternoon.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 10:43:52|Editor: Xiang Bo

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ADDIS ABABA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- China and Africa are determined to forge ahead with their booming relations, undaunted by the unrelenting and often gratuitous criticism from the West.

For many African countries, China is their largest trading partner and source of investment, and their cooperation with China has grown leaps and bounds in recent years, drawing worldwide attention as well as sour speculation.

While some constructive criticism is welcome to keep Sino-African relations on the right track, much of it is misplaced, including those decrying a so-called "neo-colonial drive" by China and so-called "hazards" behind Africa's cooperation with China.

The booming ties between Africa and China, including the frequent official visits by both sides in recent months, suggest that Africa has given such naysayers little consideration.

In addition to the abundant amount of evidence dismissing their claims, critics are advised to heed the true nature of Africa-China friendship and exercise caution when drawing "parallels" with the West's colonial history on the African continent.

Africa's relations with China are characterized by equality. China has never colonized Africa, and the two sides have built camaraderie during a time of mutual development.

Today, China remains the world's largest developing country. It shares similar problems with Africa and yet keenly understands the need for economic development and improvement in people's livelihoods. Africa and China are friends bound by mutual understanding and the common pursuit for prosperity.

In its cooperation with Africa, China respects the choice of the African people to pursue their own development paths and does not impose "prescriptions." Cooperation projects are often proposed by African nations, based on their own development needs, and China offers technical support and funding for their realization.

That explains why China's African projects are often in the infrastructure sector: Africa wishes to close its infrastructure gap to facilitate an economic take-off, while China has the capacity to assist with its vast experience due to its infrastructure booms in the recent past.

Equality and mutual respect make Africa-China relations strong. Many Africans know this and are thus unlikely to be misled by any mud-slinging.

In the future, Africa-China collaboration is set to extend to more areas. As long as the two sides stick to this equal partnership, relations will stride ahead and grow in popularity, with or without the blessings of the West.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 10:48:53|Editor: Xiang Bo

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BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- An opera dedicated to the epic Long March led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) will return to the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing this summer.

The NCPA announced that the "The Long March" will show from June 28 to July 3. Tickets are now available.

The three-hour opera is an original NCPA production, which debuted in July 2016 to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March. It is the 11th opera produced by the NCPA featuring Chinese national themes.

The Long March was a military maneuver carried out by the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army of the CPC from 1934 to 1936. During this period, they left their bases and marched through raging rivers, frigid mountains and arid grassland to break the siege of Kuomintang forces and continue to fight Japanese aggressors. Many marched as far as 12,500 kilometers.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 10:53:54|Editor: Xiang Bo

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TOKYO, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese public is applauding the return of more sound Japan-China ties, marked by the just concluded visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Li wrapped up an official visit at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Japan on Friday, the first by a Chinese premier in eight years.

During the visit, the Chinese premier called for a more lasting, stable bilateral relationship. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the treaty of peace and friendship between the two Asian countries.

Abe welcomed Li's remarks on bilateral ties, while calling for more coordination and less competition between the two East Asian nations.

The positive momentum in bilateral relations has been widely praised.

"Japan and China resuming high-level talks is very important to eliminating conjecture and speculation," Tsukasa Kuriyama, adjunct lecturer at Chuo University in Tokyo, told Xinhua.

"I hope that leaders of our two countries could forge good relations, and bring countries in the region closer together and move forward in unison," he said.

Tase Yasuhiro, political analyst and columnist with leading business publication Nikkei, said, "I think the Chinese premier's visit here was very fruitful."

He added that the consensus reached between regional major countries - including China and Japan - on the Korean Peninsula issue is particularly important.

During Li's visit, Asia's two largest economies signed several documents on cooperation, including a memorandum of understanding on setting up a maritime and air liaison mechanism, a crucial step in managing issues in the East China Sea.

Asahi Shimbun, a well-read newspaper in Japan, said in an editorial that the agreement to set up the liaison mechanism, reached after years of intermittent talks, "is a step forward."

Continued efforts are needed to bolster the effectiveness of the system to prevent accidental clashes between navy vessels or military aircraft, the editorial added.

The Japanese business community is excited about the opportunities in improved relations, especially those generated by China's further reform and opening-up and its Belt and Road Initiative.

"For Japanese enterprises, they might face bigger opportunities for exploring the massive Chinese market as China has a population of some 1.4 billion people," said an article published by Japan's Kyodo News.

"As Japanese enterprises are suffering a dwindling domestic market, the Chinese market is all the more important to them," it said, citing products like industrial robots sold well in China are where Japan enjoys an advantage.

"The Belt and Road Initiative is something that Japan should certainly be involved with. As neighbors, everyone wins," said Wataru Nakajima, logistics manager of JFE Holdings, Inc. in Tokyo.

He hailed in particular the two countries' commitment to promoting free trade.

Combining Japan and China's efforts to promote free trade has "a direct bearing on my business and all those involved in materials production, technology and exports, the lynchpins of our economy," he said.

During his visit, the Chinese premier also stressed the need to cement people-to-people exchanges, something warmly welcomed by Japan's leaders.

Japanese Emperor Akihito said he often recalls the moment when he was warmly welcomed by the Chinese people during his visit to China over 20 years ago, and strongly felt the hearts of the two peoples were connected.

University lecturer Kuriyama hopes that outstanding differences between the two won't dictate future relations.

"Japan and China have always been indispensable partners economically and connected culturally in some areas. As an educator, I hope our younger generations would be more future-oriented and regard each other as friends and most importantly, neighbors," he said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 11:19:00|Editor: Xiang Bo

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Li Zhanshu (L), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, meets with Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome in Addis Ababa May 10, 2018. China's top legislator Li Zhanshu paid an official visit to Ethiopia on May 9-12 to promote the bilateral ties. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

ADDIS ABABA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Li Zhanshu paid an official visit to Ethiopia from Wednesday to Saturday to promote bilateral ties between the two countries.



In the capital city of Addis Ababa, Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), met with Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, respectively, on Friday.

During his meeting with President Mulatu, Li conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's appreciation of the Ethiopian president's contribution to China-Ethiopia friendship.

Ethiopia was the first stop of Li's first overseas visit since he assumed office in March, which, as Li said, showed the great importance that the Chinese side attaches to the development of the bilateral ties as well as China-Africa relations. He will visit Mozambique and Namibia afterwards

"The relationship between China and Ethiopia has entered a new stage of comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation, and the forthcoming Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in September will open up new space for cooperation between the two countries," said Li.

The top Chinese legislator said that China is willing to work with Ethiopia to deepen mutual political trust, strengthen practical cooperation, and constantly elevate friendship and cooperation between the two nations.

Expressing the Ethiopian side's gratitude for China's precious support, Mulatu said the bilateral ties are now in their best period in history. Ethiopia stands ready to make joint efforts with China to develop the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation and better benefit the two countries and peoples.

Prime Minister Abiy and Li exchanged views on China's political system and path of development, while Li briefed Abiy on China's governance experience and practices as well as the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress and the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core.

Li said that five years ago, President Xi put forward the principle of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good faith, and the notion of upholding justice while pursuing shared interests when advancing cooperation with Africa.

The president also said that China should combine its own development with supporting Africa's development while being a sincere friend and reliable partner for Africa.

Ethiopia is an important partner of China in Africa, Li said, noting that the practical cooperation between the two sides has played an exemplary role in both China-Africa and South-South cooperation. China firmly supports Ethiopia's development path in accordance with the African country's own national conditions and supports Ethiopia's efforts to develop the economy and maintain stability, he said.

The top Chinese legislator voiced his anticipation that the two countries should continue strengthening cooperation within the Belt and Road Initiative and the FOCAC framework. They should give full play to the role of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway as an economic "main artery," actively construct economic corridors along the railway's route, boost cooperation in the creation of industrial zones and the development of oil and gas resources, and develop new areas of cooperation.

Li invited the Ethiopian side to the first China International Import Expo to be held in Shanghai in November.

The Chinese leader also said he hopes the two countries will strengthen communication and coordination on peace and security in Africa, and increase mutual support on issues involving each other's core interests.

Abiy said that the friendly relations between Ethiopia and China are as solid as a rock. He said President Xi Jinping's thoughts on governance is of important guidance and reference for the development of Ethiopia and African countries at large.

Abiy said that the implementation of the "ten major plans" for China-Africa cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative have brought tangible benefits to Africa and that Ethiopia is willing to continue deepening cooperation with China in the fields of infrastructure construction, finance, tourism, and human resources.

During the talks Muferiat Kamil, speaker of the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives and Keria Ibrahim, speaker of the Ethiopian House of Federation Muferiat and Keria, Li briefed the two speakers on China's political system, the National People's Congress and its standing committee.

Li said the Chinese side will work with the Ethiopian parliament to improve the legal environment to better facilitate ties. He said the NPC will open a seminar for legislators from developing countries in Africa this year, and he invited Ethiopian delegates to participate.

Muferiat and Keria said Ethiopia values cooperation with the NPC, saying the African country is ready to learn from China's development experience and work with China to step up trade cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges.

During his stay in Addis Ababa, Li, together with Abiy, witnessed the signing of cooperation documents between the two sides, and he inked a memorandum of understanding with the Ethiopian parliament.

Li also visited the data center of the Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Technology, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway and the Addis Ababa light rail.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 11:34:02|Editor: Yamei

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British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves the Methodist Central Hall after voting in the local council elections in London, Britain on May 3, 2018. Millions of people in towns and cities across England were voting Thursday in what is seen as a litmus test of the big political parties. (Xinhua/Tim Ireland)

LONDON, May 11 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday told U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call that her government remains firmly committed together with European partners to maintaining the Iran nuclear deal.

A Downing Street spokesperson said May held a telephone call with Trump Friday evening.

The two leaders condemned the Iranian rocket attacks against Israeli forces earlier this week. They agreed on the need for calm on all sides.

Britain and its European partners remain "firmly committed to ensuring the deal is upheld, as the best way of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon," said the spokesperson in a statement.

May raised the potential impact of U.S. sanctions on those firms which are currently conducting business in Iran.

The spokesperson said May and Trump also discussed the relations between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), as May began the call by congratulating Trump on the safe return of three U.S. citizens who had been held in the DPRK.

"The two leaders looked forward to the summit which will take place between President Trump and (DPRK leader) Kim Jong-un in Singapore," the spokesperson said, adding that Britain would continue to work with the United States to keep up the pressure for denuclearization of DPRK.

According to the spokesperson, May and Trump are looking forward to Trump's visit to Britain in July.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 11:59:05|Editor: Yurou

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A security member stands guard next to voters lining up to cast their votes at a polling station during the Karnataka assembly election in Bangalore, India, on May 12, 2018. India's southern state of Karnataka went to polls Saturday, seen as a prelude to the general elections due next year. (Xinhua)

NEW DELHI, May 12 (Xinhua) -- India's southern state of Karnataka went to polls Saturday, seen as a prelude to the general elections due next year.

Amid tight security, the voting began at 7:00 a.m. local time and will go on till 6:00 p.m. for 222 of the 224 assembly seats in Karnataka, which is ruled by India's main opposition Congress party.

Voting was cancelled in one constituency after a candidate's death, while in another constituency it has been deferred by the country's Election Commission.

While the country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to win the state to regain their southern India's only bastion, it is a big test for Congress President Rahul Gandhi's leadership who took over the party's reins from his mother Sonia Gandhi in December last year.

The face of Congress state leadership is 69-year-old incumbent Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, while the BJP has fielded former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa as its chief ministerial candidate.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the election campaign in the state, while Gandhi too left no stone unturned to woo the voters, both rural and urban in the state capital Bengaluru.

Winning the state is crucial for the BJP as it will be sort of an indicator of the southern India's mood ahead of the general elections next year. So far no ruling party has won state polls for the second time in a row.SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A paramilitary trooper belonging to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was killed and a civilian wounded Saturday in a fierce gunfight with militants in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The gunfight broke out at village Takiya-Wagum in Pulwama district, about 35 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"Early today a CRPF trooper was killed in a gunfight with militants here," a police official posted in Pulwama told Xinhua. "The area was cordoned off during night and the gunfight triggered during the early hours and continued for couple of hours."

Police said the militants believed to be three in number managed to break the cordon during wee hours and escape from the spot.

Locals said three houses suffered damage in the stand-off.

During the gunfight a civilian was also wounded. He was identified as owner of one of the houses.

On Friday a policeman was killed after militants attacked a police post in adjacent Budgam district.

A guerilla war and separatist movement is going on in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was just out of office after a shocking defeat in the general elections, has been banned from leaving the country, the immigration department said Saturday.

The immigration department announced via its social site account that Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor has just been backlisted from leaving the country.

"I was already informed that the immigration department of Malaysia doesn't allow me and my family to foreign countries," Najib said in a tweet moments later, "I respect this instruction and will stay in the country with my family."

In a historic election earlier this week, Najib's Barisan Nasional coalition, which has been in power since Malaysia's independence in 1957, lost to the Pakatan Harapan coalition led by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has since taken office as prime minister.State aid eligibility for the buses comes to approximately $140,172, over half the purchase price. The cost is incorporated into the district's 2018-2019 debt service calculation, so it does not raise the planned budget, the newsletter said. For borrowing the necessary funds, VanHorn said, the district's financial advisers will find the best deal for the district from lenders if the purchase is approved.

The newsletter said another proposition involves the Aurora Free Library and the Hazard Library Association. The annual tax levy in support of both libraries would increase from $100,650 to $110,150 per year.

VanHorn said she hopes the community approves the planetarium deal so children can visit the planetarium again as she did as a Union Springs student. Taxpayers have been "great" about approving the district's budgets and initiatives in the past, she said.

"I think the community will be supportive; we're hoping," VanHorn said.

The community will also be able to vote on school board candidates Tuesday.

Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.

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MAPUTO, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The pragmatic cooperation between China and the southern African nation Mozambique is yielding tangible results, which will help consolidate bilateral relations and showcase itself as an exemplary model for China-Africa cooperation, Chinese ambassador to Mozambique Su Jian has said.

In an interview with Xinhua earlier this week, Su said that bilateral cooperation has gained huge momentum in areas including infrastructure, agriculture and cultural exchanges in recent years.

For instance, the state-of-the-art twin-tower suspension bridge over Maputo Bay is being constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC). The bridge, with a main span of 680 meters and loan support from China, is due to open next month and greatly ease traffic from the capital city Maputo to the outlying urban district of Katembe on the other side of the sea.

"The bridge project also includes the construction of link roads of more than 180 km in length. It will southwardly directly connect to the border with South Africa, with the potential to boost development of trade and tourism," Su said.

As for agriculture, Su said that a major rice farm project in south Mozambique's Gaza province is contributing to the country's food security.

"Currently, Mozambique has a rice shortfall of between 400,000 and 600,000 tonnes. If the project achieves its set targets, it could potentially help Mozambique tackle the shortfall," Su said.

The Wanbao Mozambique rice farm, invested by the China-Africa Development Fund, is the largest of its kind undertaken by China in Africa. The project, a comprehensive business that incorporates plantation, storage, processing and sales, aims to develop 20,000 hectares of farmland, and will lead farmers in surrounding areas to grow crops over another 80,000 hectares.

"Agriculture requires long-term investment which means you get returns for your investment after long periods. However, the rice farm project undertaken by China demonstrates Chinese companies' efforts in giving back to Africa. The project is also in response to the actual development needs of Mozambique," Su said.

Data from the Chinese Embassy in Mozambique shows that nearly 100 Chinese companies have accumulatively invested nearly seven billion U.S. dollars in Mozambique as of May 2017, in areas including energy and resources development, agriculture, fishery, construction, telecommunications, and process manufacturing.

According to Su, China has become Mozambique's largest foreign investor and one of its biggest infrastructure builders since the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit was held in Johannesburg in December 2015.

Regarding cultural and people-to-people exchanges, the ambassador said that more Mozambicans are learning to speak the Chinese language through the Confucius Institute, an organization promoting the Chinese language and culture. Meanwhile, China is set to begin construction of a cultural center in the campus of Eduardo Mondlane University, which located in the capital of Maputo, dedicated to showcasing the cultural ties between the two countries.

The ambassador made the remarks as China's top legislator Li Zhanshu is paying an official friendly visit to Ethiopia, Mozambique and Namibia from May 9 to 18.

Su said the visit by Li is set to elevate bilateral pragmatic cooperation in Africa.by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON May 11 (Xinhua) -- Pyongyang this week released three U.S. prisoners in the lead-up to the upcoming meeting between leaders of the two countries, and experts say it's the first step forward in a series of obstacles, speedbumps and hurdles.

"This removes one of the potential obstacles to reaching an agreement with the United States," and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) "seems to be taking every step they can to present themselves as a reasonable partner for the United States," Troy Stangarone, senior director of congressional affairs and trade at the Washington-based non-profit Korea Economic Institute, told Xinhua.

U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this week welcomed back three Americans who had been held prisoner by the DPRK, on what critics said were, at best, spurious charges. The U.S. president said the prisoner release was proof that his diplomacy with the DPRK was working.

"I think you probably broke the all-time in history television rating for 3 o'clock in the morning," Trump told journalists upon the prisoners' return, standing along side of them at the U.S. military base where they landed past midnight.

The event occurred in the run-up to the historic meeting between DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and Trump, which is slated for June 12 in Singapore according to Washington-- the first time a sitting U.S. president has ever met with a DPRK leader.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that the "time seems right for this type of meeting," since Trump wants the DPRK to denuclearize, Pyongyang needs economic assistance, and the new leader of South Korea hopes to improve family travel to DPRK.

"Each country has different interests, but share a common interest in resolving key elements of this situation," West added.

"The biggest challenge will involve trust and verification. It is not so hard to reach an agreement, but it is going to involve meaningful verification so that the agreement gets fully implemented. That likely will be the most contentious part of the negotiations," West said.

"There is a chance the summit could be successful if each party is willing to make some concessions. There already have been several good faith concessions from several countries and that offers hope of a successful resolution," West said.LOS ANGELES, May 11 (Xinhua) -- A 14-year-old boy who shot and wounded a student at a southern California high school Friday morning has been arrested, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The shooting happened on the campus of Highland High School in Palmdale at around 7 a.m. local time (1400 GMT) when some students were still arriving at school.

The victim, a 15-year-old student from the school, was struck in the shoulder area by gunfire and was transferred to a local hospital, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell in a press conference later in the day.

"The juvenile is currently in stable condition," said the sheriff.

The shooting suspect, who fled the scene after the incident, was arrested at a supermarket by an off-duty police officer and was taken into custody, McDonnell said.

The boy was detained on one count of attempted murder, he added.

The suspect's identity was not immediately released, but authorities confirmed he is a former student at Highland High who had transferred schools within the last month, ABC7 reported.

The incident is the 21st school shooting in the United States this year, according to statistics accumulated by CNN.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 13:04:16|Editor: Yamei

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MUMBAI, May 12 (Xinhua) -- With China and India forging a closer partnership, tour operators are excited about the fast development of the China-India tourism market.

According to statistics of the Indian government, 250,000 Chinese visited India in 2017 while about 800,000 Indians visited China, said STIC Travel Group Chairman Subhash Goyal, adding "we as a company have explored and are trying to create a lot of awareness of the tourism potential of China."

Established in 1973 in New Delhi, the STIC has become one of the largest travel groups in India, representing about 20 of the world's best travel, aviation, tourism, cruise and hotel brands exclusively in the country.

India officially started providing E-Travel Visas to Chinese nationals in 2015, aiming to attract Chinese visitors by offering convenience for those who are willing to travel, visit or conduct business in India. As of February 2018, Chinese use of the e-visa ranks sixth in India, according to Goyal.

"This is a very small percentage of the total number of Chinese visiting India," Goyal said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

He said he expected "e-visa utilization from China would be in the top 2-3 positions" but only if some problems could be resolved, including the e-visa payment that works only during standard Indian office hours.

The STIC started cooperating with Air China, China's state-owned flag carrier, as early as 2002 when the two companies signed the All India Passenger Sales Agreement. Meanwhile, the company has been handling other Star Alliance members, such as United Airlines of the United States, Ethiopian Airlines and Ukraine International Airlines.

"The advantage with Air China is that China and India are two of the world's most populated countries and also China is one of the fastest developing countries in the world," Goyal said.

Benefiting from business expansion of Air China in India, the STIC's profit has increased in recent years.

"With the launch of its Mumbai operations (in 2015), Air China was the No.4 airline, operating on the ex-Mumbai to China route. Today, Air China has grown to No.2 in the same category, which is a testimony of its growth and progress in India," Goyal said.

Talking about cooperation in the future, Goyal said he saw tremendous opportunities between India and China "for the simple reason that China has become the factory of the world and India is the back office."

Researches suggest that in the next five years, the annual growth rate of the aviation markets in China and India is expected to reach 8.8 percent.

"I hope that one day there will be an open sky between our two countries and Air China will be flying to major India cities like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Cochin with daily and double daily operations," Goyal said.

"I also feel that Indian carriers like Air India, Jet Airways, Indigo, Spicejet and Vistara Airlines etc. should fly all major cities in China like Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou," he added.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 13:09:16|Editor: Li Xia

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MOSCOW, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Russia's strategic bombers and anti-submarine aircraft have conducted routine flights over the Arctic Ocean, the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk, local news reported Saturday.

The Aerospace Forces' Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers and the Navy's Tu-142 anti-submarine aircraft have conducted flights over the international waters of the Arctic Ocean, the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk, TASS news agency quoted a statement of the Russian Defense Ministry as saying.

The aircraft were accompanied by the Aerospace Forces' Mikoyan MiG-31 supersonic interceptor aircraft and the Shukhoi Su-35 fighters, the Defense Ministry added.

The bombers and anti-submarine aircraft performed aerial refueling during the flights, said the statement.

The ministry said that the flights are carried out in strict compliance with international rules for the use of airspace, so there is no violation of state borders.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 13:24:19|Editor: Yamei

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MOSCOW, May 12 (Xinhua) -- "We were so warmly escorted ... when we were leaving, they expressed their gratitude. This amazed me, and it is true. We sat down with the guys and said: nowhere else we had a farewell with such deep respect," said Sergei Salov, head of a detachment of Russian rescuers working at the site of the devastating 2008 earthquake in southwestern China.

A 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Wenchuan county in China's Sichuan province on May 12, 2008, leaving more than 69,000 dead, 374,000 injured, 18,000 missing and millions homeless.

Russia was among the first foreign countries to dispatch relief goods, rescue operations and medical aid to Wenchuan. Salov, the then director of the department of operational management of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, arrived at the spot with his relief team on the fifth day after the earthquake.

"The destruction was terrible. Particularly frightening was the fact that the buildings were not just destroyed -- they seemed to have folded, which meant that it was very hard for people to survive. And it was very difficult to pull the survivors from under the ruins," Salov said.

The rescuers went straight to work upon arrival and asked those who survived for any details about potential survivors.

"Our rescuers with a dog specialists and a specially trained dog went to inspect the ruins. And in one place the dog sat down. It meant that under the ruins there was someone alive. There were concrete ceilings, and to penetrate below, it was necessary to chisel the concrete slab," Salov said when telling the story of saving a survivor stuck in the ruins for more than five days.

After a cautious operation, the rescuers managed to spot a woman buried deep down in the ruins and free her from the rubble where she lay for 127 hours, he said.

According to Salov, the Russian detachment was 100-strong, of which 40 people were doctors and medical staff, another 30 were search and rescue personnel, and the rest were all kinds of support servicemen and technical staff.

"The work of all was really difficult, but especially that of psychologists. They worked through translators, and often without translators ... After all, communication sometimes goes on the level of feelings, looks, touches and works at the subconscious level. People felt that they were not left alone with their terrible misfortune. And so they felt better," Salov said.

Complete support and cooperation from the Chinese side was an important reason for the successful work of the Russian rescue operations, Salov said.

"The Chinese did not interfere with our work, but if we asked for help, we received it as quickly and fully as possible, and sometimes even more than expected. It was a great job," he said.

Salov said it is a wise decision by the Chinese government to establish a special ministry for emergency situations.

"There must be people with special training and ready to come to the rescue in any situation. This is huge work, including work to coordinate the actions of various services and departments," he said.

The Russian rescuers were deeply impressed by the farewell they received by the locals.

"There was a feeling that the city was empty," Salov said. "But when we were about to leave, suddenly a lot of people appeared out of nowhere. We were so warmly escorted ... It's worth a lot."Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 14:09:26|Editor: Li Xia

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HAVANA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Friday met here with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and the two vowed to strengthen cooperation and boost bilateral ties.

Abbas, who arrived in the Cuban capital on Thursday for an official visit to the country, was received by Diaz-Canel with military honors at the Revolution Palace.

According to an official release, both leaders agreed to continue to develop solidarity and friendly relations and vowed to boost cooperation for the well-being of their nations.

Diaz-Canel ratified Cuba's permanent support for the right of the Palestinian people to establish their own state, with East Jerusalem as its capital in line with the pre-1967 borders, said the text.

In addition, the Cuban leader rejected a unilateral decision by the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move its embassy there.

Abbas thanked the Caribbean nation for its historical support.

Earlier, Abbas paid tribute to the island's national hero, Jose Marti, with a flower wreath at Havana's Revolution Square.MEXICO CITY, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Mexico, Canada and the United States have instructed their negotiating teams to continue talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) next week, Mexico's Economy Ministry said on Friday.

Meanwhile, Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, are to meet again "as soon as possible" to evaluate any progress made, the ministry said.

On Friday, the three envoys wrapped up a meeting begun in Washington on Monday, in which "they worked intensely to identify points of agreement that would lead to the balance needed to reach a successful negotiation," according to the ministry.

The meeting concluded amid new criticism of the trade deal from U.S. President Donald Trump, who described NAFTA as "a horrible disaster" for the American economy.

Trump was meeting in Washington with the representatives of ten U.S. and foreign automakers to try to reach more flexible standards in fuel efficiency towards the year 2025.

This week, Paul Ryan, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, said that for congress to approve a renewed NAFTA, an agreement in principle of the revamped trade deal had to be ready by May 17.

Guajardo said Mexico would not cede on key points in order to rush through an agreement.

"We have always said that we are not going to sacrifice quality and balance ... for time," Guajardo told reporters.

Talks this week focused on some of NAFTA's thorny issues, including rules of origin for the automobile industry, a U.S. proposal to include a five-year sunset clause, and changes to the dispute resolution rules.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 15:01:39|Editor: Yurou

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A voter inks his finger after casting ballot at a polling station in Baghdad, capital of Iraq, May 12, 2018. Iraq held parliamentary election on May 12, in which 7,000 candidates competed for 329 seats. (Xinhua/Meng Tao)Yangon, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's foreign trade through sea routes hits 1.595 billion U.S. dollars in the first 27 days of the six-month transitional period, according to official figures from the Commerce Ministry Saturday.

It was increased by 353 million U.S. dollars compared to the same period in fiscal year 2017-2018.

From April 1 to 27, the country's export value through sea routes amounted to 502 million U.S. dollars while its import totalled 1.093 billion U.S. dollars.

Meanwhile, the country's trade with foreign countries via border gates reached 466 million U.S. dollars during the period.

In accordance with the figures, the country's total trade with foreign countries hit 2.06 billion U.S. dollars as of April 27.

The country's main export products include agricultural products, animal products, fisheries, minerals and forest products.

Capital goods, intermediate goods and consumer goods are mostly imported into the country.

The authorities are exerting efforts to boost the country's exports as well as to reduce the imported luxury commodities to decrease the trade deficit.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 15:04:35|Editor: ZX

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ZHENGZHOU, May 12 (Xinhua) -- DNA tests have confirmed a body retrieved from a river in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou is the suspect of the killing of a female flight assistant, local police said Saturday.

The 21-year-old woman was killed on May 6 after hailing an auto from China's car-hailing company Didi Chuxing in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province.

Zhengzhou police launched an investigation to search for the Didi driver surnamed Liu, who abandoned his vehicle and jumped into a river after allegedly killing the passenger.

At 4:30 a.m. Saturday, police found a body in a river in Zhengzhou. DNA tests confirmed it was the suspect's body.

On Friday, China's Ministry of Transport announced plans to enhance regulation of the car-hailing industry, on its official WeChat account.

The notice said that any car-hailing companies or drivers who offered hailing services without approved licenses would be added to the Close Attention List or Discredit Joint Punishment Subjects List.

Didi Chuxing Friday afternoon announced the nationwide suspension of its hitch service. The service is designed for commuter cost-sharing.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 15:09:37|Editor: Yurou

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MEXICO CITY, May 11 (Xinhua) -- A mayoral candidate was shot dead in broad daylight in central Mexico on Friday, local law enforcement authorities said.

Jose Remedios Aguirre, running for mayor of Apaseo el Alto, a town in central Guanajuato state, is the second mayoral candidate assassinated this week in the lead up to general elections in July.

The Guanajuato state Attorney General's Office said Aguirre's body was found at the entrance to a park.

Local media cited a police report as saying that at least two men shot Aguirre as the victim was entering the park. The killers then fled in a car.

Aguirre, 34, candidate of the left-leaning National Regeneration Movement (Morena), was leading the polls, according to Ricardo Sheffield, Morena's candidate for Guanajuato governor.

Sheffield said "the motive (of the killing) was clearly political."

Aguirre was the former chief of police in Apaseo el Alto, a town of under 65,000 inhabitants.

Last Friday, another Morena's mayoral candidate in the city of Tenango del Aire, south of Mexico City was killed.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 15:24:40|Editor: Yurou

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ADEN, Yemen, May 12 (Xinhua) -- One police officer was killed and five others were injured on Saturday in a fresh attack on a police patrol in Yemen's southern port city of Aden, an Interior Ministry official told Xinhua.

The Interior Ministry source, who asked to remain anonymous, said that some five policemen were also injured when their patrol was ambushed by unknown gunmen in Aden's neighborhood of Mansourah.

The condition of the injured were critical and shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment, the source said.

According to the source, the attackers also suffered casualties during the clash with soldiers, but their number could not be exactly specified.

Such armed attacks and ambushes are common in the Yemeni southern regions, especially in Aden, where various military factions backed by the Saudi-led coalition are deployed.

The southern port city of Aden is considered as Yemen's temporary capital and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government based itself there since 2015.

During the past two years, the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and other terrorist groups including the Islamic State had an active presence in Yemen's southern part.

The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including capital Sanaa, in 2014.

Saudi Arabia leads an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Iran-backed Houthi rebels forced him into exile.

The United Nations has listed Yemen as the world's number one humanitarian crisis, with seven million Yemenis on the brink of famine and cholera causing more than 2,000 deaths.WASHINGTON, May 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and visiting South Korea Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said here Friday that they are looking forward to the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and top leader of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un.

During a joint press conference with his South Korea counterpart Kang, Pompeo said "we look forward to our continued preparations with the DPRK to make the summit in Singapore on June 12th, a true success for the American and Korean people and for the world."

"The release of these three citizens helps set the conditions for a successful meeting," Pompeo said.

The White House on Wednesday confirmed the release of three U.S. citizens detained in the DPRK, saying U.S. President Donald Trump appreciates the release and views it as "a positive gesture of goodwill."

Kang of South Korea said that the Trump-Kim summit "would be a historic opportunity for resolving the nuclear issue and securing enduring peace on the Korean Peninsula."

"We reaffirmed that our goal is to achieve the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula," she added.

Also on Friday, White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders told the media that the summit "is certainly a process that has moved in the right direction," adding that the U.S. side "plan for a full day of meetings on the 12th with some time reserved to carry over if necessary," presumably confirming earlier reports that the summit will be a day long, possibly extending to a second day.

"Certainly the best outcome would be an agreement for complete and total denuclearization," she said, "but this is the beginning part of these conversations ... And we've been pretty upfront about that."

"We've seen some signs of goodwill" from DPRK, she added.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 15:39:42|Editor: Lu Hui

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Iraqi President Fuad Masoum shows his inked finger after casting ballot at a polling station in Baghdad, capital of Iraq, May 12, 2018. Iraq held parliamentary election on Saturday. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

BAGHDAD, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Millions of Iraqis headed Saturday to thousands of polling centers across the country to vote for their representatives in the next parliament, for the first time after the full territorial defeat of Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq.

The polls kicked off at 7:00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) as people started to cast their votes at ballot boxes across the country, while others queued outside the polling centers.

Iraq's Vice President Nuri al-Maliki was the first top official to cast his vote at a polling center in the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad.

"This is an important day in Iraq's history, and in the history of the political process which was built on the freedom of voting," Maliki told reporters after he cast his vote.

"Election is the only way to give democracy a success, and I call on all the people to choose the proper person, whoever they believe, to be their representative in the coming Council of Representatives (parliament)," Maliki said.

The second top official to cast his vote was the current parliament Speaker Salik al-Jubouri, who told reporters "we are optimistic and we have a hope that Iraqi people would densely participate in the voting process."

"This is the election after security challenges stage. It is the stage of stability, therefore there must a collective contribution that people can express unity," Jubouri said.

At the first minutes after opening a polling center in Salhiyah neighborhood in downtown Baghdad, Kamil Khudir, a middle-aged man, was very happy to be the first who cast his vote hoping to make a difference in their lives after years of chaos, violence and poor governance since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

"I expect the voting can bring better life for our people. Young people are jobless and we need public services. We need everything," Khudir told Xinhua.

The voting process will continue during the day until 6:00 p.m. (1500 GMT).

More than 24 million Iraqis are eligible to vote in up to 8,959 polling centers across Iraq in the first general election since Iraq's historical victory over the IS militants last December.

About 7,000 candidates, representing 205 political entities, will compete for the 329 parliamentary seats to form a new government which will rule Iraq for the next four years.

Backgrounder: Iraq's 1st parliamentary election after IS defeatSource: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 16:24:50|Editor: Yurou

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BAGHDAD, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Iraq will hold its parliamentary election vote on May 12, in which about 7,000 candidates will compete for 329 seats. This is the first election after the country's historical victory over the Islamic State group in December last year.

This year's election sees some changes with the lists of coalitions and parties, as leading blocs are internally divided, which used to represent sectarian and ethnic identities: Shiite, Sunni and Kurds in the last three elections.

Such internal division in the traditional leading blocs would produce a different political map in the country after the upcoming polls.

SHIITE

Major Shiite coalitions, representing Shiite parties, have dominated the political scene since 2003.

Al-Nasr Coalition (Victory), headed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, included dozens of candidates from mainly Shiite parties and politicians in addition to a fewer number of candidates from other Iraqi spectrum.

The coalition is empowered by the recent victories over the extremist Islamic State (IS) group.

State of Law Coalition, headed by head of the Iranian-backed Islamic Dawa Party Nuri al-Maliki, is empowered by dozens of thousands of people loyal to Maliki himself, who held the position of prime minister from 2005 to 2014.

Despite his large number of loyalists, Maliki is rejected by many local, regional and international parties, especially after Iraq lost about one-third of its land to IS and more than four million people were displaced during his eight-year rule.

It is the first time in Iraq's elections that the Islamic Dawa Party, a Shiite, run in two separate coalitions after internal struggle between the two wings of the party led respectively by Maliki and Abadi.

The two Dawa wings could re-unite after the elections to form the largest coalition to select the next prime minister, who will in turn, form the next government.

Al-Fath Coalition (Conquest), headed by Hadi al-Ameri, is another challenger of Abadi. The coalition is an umbrella group for the Shiite political Badr Organization and paramilitary Shiite militias of Hashd Shaabi, who fought the IS group with government forces.

Other runners include Al-Hikma al-Watany Movement, or the National Movement of Wisdom, headed by Shiite cleric Ammar al-Hakim, who was previously the leader of Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq.

SUNNI

The Sunni Arab politicians entered the May 12 elections in two major blocs.

Al-Qarar (Decision) Coalition, is led by the former parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, with many smaller Sunni parties and politicians. The coalition is backed by the prominent Sunni businessman Khamis al-Khanjar.

Another one is Al-Wataniyah (National) Coalition, which is led by the Shiite secular Ayad Allawi, a veteran politician and former prime minister.

The coalition includes the current parliament speaker Salim al-Jubouri and veteran Sunni politician Salih al-Mutlak. The coalition is mostly formed by moderate Sunni parties in addition to a few Shiite moderate parties.

KURDS

The Kurdish political parties are facing tough hurdles after the controversial referendum held on September 25 last year, as they have been facing divisions in their parties.

Losing some parliamentary seats in Baghdad is inevitable for the Kurds, after they lost control over the disputed areas outside the Kurdish region, including Kirkuk province.

Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), headed by the Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, dominates the provinces of Erbil and Duhok.

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), was led by the late Iraqi former President Jalal Talabani, and was later headed by Acting Deputy Secretary General Kosrat Rasul Ali.

PUK mainly dominates Sulaimaniyah province and the ethnically mixed province of Kirkuk, which is part of the disputed areas.

Gorran (Change) Movement is a political Kurdish group led by Omar Said Ali. It is the official opposition to the ruling two-party coalition of KDP and PUK.

The movement is showing strong competition to PUK's stronghold in Sulaimaniyah province in northeastern Iraq.

Iraq's previous general election was held on April 30, 2014, when the Iraqis elected 328 lawmakers for the parliament.TIKRIT, Iraq, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Four paramilitary Hashd Shaabi fighters were killed Saturday in a bomb attack while protecting the polling centers in Iraq's central province of Salahudin, a provincial police source said.

Three others were wounded in the attack, said the same source.

The incident took place in the morning when a roadside bomb went off near a Hashd Shaabi patrol tasked with securing roads leading to polling centers in Mes'hag area, some 50 km north of the provincial capital Tikrit, Colonel Mohammed al-Jubouri told Xinhua.

On Friday, another provincial source reportedly said that six suicide bombers wearing explosive belts were killed when a joint force from Iraqi army police and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi raided their hideout in Rufai'at area, some 80 km southwest of Tikrit.

The operation was based on intelligence reports about a group of Islamic State (IS) militants preparing for carrying out attacks on polling centers during Saturday's elections in several areas in the province.

Early on Saturday, more than 24 million Iraqis are eligible to vote in up to 8,959 polling centers across Iraq in the first general election since Iraq's historical victory over the IS militants last December.

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.

On Dec. 9, 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi 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 are still capable of carrying out attacks from time to time against the security forces and civilians.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 17:35:07|Editor: Lu Hui

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TEHRAN, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Iranian lawmakers have submitted a bill to Majlis (parliament) to adopt measures which would safeguard nuclear deal implementation by the signatories of the accord except for the United States, official IRNA news agency reported on Saturday.

Based on the bill, the Iranian government has to ask for "reliable, full and comprehensive" guarantees from the Europeans plus Russia and China for the implementation of the deal, Chairman of Iran's Majlis Nuclear Commission Mojtaba Zonnouri told IRNA.

The talks with the European countries should not last for over a month, Zonnouri said, adding that the move by Majlis is in response to the May 8 decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to leave the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Zonnouri went on to say that according to the bill, if the Europeans failed to provide Iran with guarantees or violated it after offering the guarantees, the Iranian government will start the nuclear fuel production in full cycle.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that he has ordered foreign minister to consult with European countries, Russia and China within one to two weeks over the issue.

"If Iran's national interests are secured, we will remain in the deal," Rouhani said.

On Tuesday, Trump announced U.S. withdrawal from the international Iranian nuclear deal, saying that Washington will not extend the waiver for the unilateral sanctions against Iran.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 17:45:08|Editor: Lu Hui

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Iraqi President Fuad Masoum shows his inked finger after casting ballot at a polling station in Baghdad, capital of Iraq, May 12, 2018. Iraq held parliamentary election on Saturday. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

BAGHDAD, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Millions of Iraqis headed Saturday to polling stations across the country to elect the next parliament, for the first time after defeating the Islamic State (IS) group.

The polls kicked off at 7:00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) as voters lined up to cast their ballots.

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi hailed the election as an important achievement of the Iraqi people after defeating the IS terrorists and unifying the country.

"This election is decisive for Iraq's future, so the voters should actively participate in the voting," Abadi told state TV Al Iraqiya after casting his ballot at Karrada polling center in the capital Baghdad.

Iraq's President Fuad Masum, a Kurd, cast his vote at a polling center inside the Royal Tulip Alrasheed hotel in the heavily fortified Green Zone, Baghdad.

He said there exists a channel of dialogue between the central government and the Kurdistan region, when asked about post-election ties between the two sides which were strained after the independent referendum by the Kurds in the northern Kurdistan region last September.

Iraq's Vice President Nuri al-Maliki, head of State of Law Coalition, was the first top official to cast his vote at the same polling center. "This is an important day in Iraq's history," Maliki told reporters.

"Election is the only way to give democracy a success, and I call on all the people to choose whoever they believe as proper person to be their representative," Maliki said.

At the first minutes after the opening of a polling center in Salhiyah neighborhood in downtown Baghdad, Kamil Khudir was very happy to be the first to cast vote.

"I hope the election would bring about a better life for the Iraqis after years of chaos, violence and poor governance," he told Xinhua.

In response to IS threats to disrupt the voting, Iraqi government has deployed a large number of security forces across the country, creating a three-layer protection for all polling stations.

Still, there were sporadic attacks in the provinces of Salahudin and Diyala.

An explosive device was detonated near a polling station in Mes'hag area of Salahudin province Saturday, killing four security guards. In Diyala's provincial capital Baqubah, security forces killed two suicide attackers.

About 24 million Iraqis are eligible to vote in the race in which around 7,000 candidates are vying for 329 seats in the parliament.

The 8,959 polling stations across the country will close at 6:00 p.m. local time (1500 GMT). The election results are expected to be announced in 24 hours afterwards.Iraqi President Fuad Masoum displays his inked finger after casting the ballot at a polling station in Baghdad, May 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Meng Tao)

BAGHDAD, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Millions of Iraqis headed Saturday to polling stations across the country to elect the next parliament, for the first time after defeating the Islamic State (IS) group.

The polls kicked off at 7:00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) as voters lined up to cast their ballots.

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi hailed the election as an important achievement of the Iraqi people after defeating the IS terrorists and unifying the country.

"This election is decisive for Iraq's future, so the voters should actively participate in the voting," Abadi told state TV Al Iraqiya after casting his ballot at Karrada polling center in the capital Baghdad.

Iraq's President Fuad Masum, a Kurd, cast his vote at a polling center inside the Royal Tulip Alrasheed hotel in the heavily fortified Green Zone, Baghdad.

He said there exists a channel of dialogue between the central government and the Kurdistan region, when asked about post-election ties between the two sides which were strained after the independent referendum by the Kurds in the northern Kurdistan region last September.

Iraqi Vice President Nuri al-Maliki talks to the media after casting his ballot in Baghdad, May 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Cheng Shuaipeng)

Iraq's Vice President Nuri al-Maliki, head of State of Law Coalition, was the first top official to cast his vote at the same polling center. "This is an important day in Iraq's history," Maliki told reporters.

"Election is the only way to give democracy a success, and I call on all the people to choose whoever they believe as proper person to be their representative," Maliki said.

At the first minutes after the opening of a polling center in Salhiyah neighborhood in downtown Baghdad, Kamil Khudir was very happy to be the first to cast vote.

"I hope the election would bring about a better life for the Iraqis after years of chaos, violence and poor governance," he told Xinhua.

Security force members set up barbed wire outside a polling station in Baghdad, capital of Iraq, May 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Meng Tao)

In response to IS threats to disrupt the voting, Iraqi government has deployed a large number of security forces across the country, creating a three-layer protection for all polling stations.

Still, there were sporadic attacks in the provinces of Salahudin and Diyala.

An explosive device was detonated near a polling station in Mes'hag area of Salahudin province Saturday, killing four security guards. In Diyala's provincial capital Baqubah, security forces killed two suicide attackers.

About 24 million Iraqis are eligible to vote in the race in which around 7,000 candidates are vying for 329 seats in the parliament.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 18:05:12|Editor: Lu Hui

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WASHINGTON, May 11 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Foreign Minister (FM) Kang Kyung-wha said here on Friday that she and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did not talk about the U.S. withdrawal of troops from South Korea, which U.S. President Donald Trump has hinted several times.

She made the remarks during a joint press conference following her talks with Pompeo, noting that "the U.S. military presence in Korea is a matter for the ROK-U.S. alliance first and foremost."

"We are confident of our security through the Korea-U.S. joint security stance, which is why we say the issue of the alliance, any issue of the alliance, including the troop('s) presence in our country, is a matter for our two allies to discuss and not to be put on the table with North Korea," she explained.

Trump hinted in March that Washington was mulling to withdraw its 32,000 soldiers deployed on the inter-Korean border. He also complained about the U.S. obligation to protect South Korea even the country enjoys a huge trade surplus against the United States.

U.S. defense chief James Mattis said in April that the United States will discuss with its allies and the DPRK about the remaining U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula.

However, Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton ruled out the possibility on May 4th, saying the United States has no plans to change its defense posture in South Korea.NEW DELHI, May 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people were killed and 20 others injured in a collision between a tempo and a tanker in the western Indian state of Maharashtra on Saturday, police said.

The accident occurred near Jamb village close to Mukhed on Latur-Mukhed Road in Marathawada region of Maharashtra.

"The impact of the collision between the tempo carrying guests from a marriage function and the tanker was such that 14 people, mostly women, died on the spot," a police official said.

The injured have been admitted to a local hospital where the condition of four are said to be serious, he added.

Preliminary probe suggested that both the vehicles were travelling at high speed.

"Anyway an investigation has been ordered into the incident and a manhunt is on to track down the tanker driver who is absconding," the official added.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 18:25:20|Editor: ZX

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TEHRAN, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Bolivia discussed to further cooperation in defense and technical sectors, Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Major General Hossein Baqeri said on Saturday.

The Iranian top commander made the remarks in a meeting with the visiting Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Bolivia Admiral Yamil Octavio Borda Sosa in Iran's capital Tehran.

The visit of the high-ranking Bolivian delegation to Tehran would hopefully lead to closer relations between the two countries' armed forces and the two nations as well, Baqeri was quoted as saying by official IRNA news agency.

Iran sees Bolivia as a country resisting the U.S. ambitions, Baqeri said, adding that Iran respects the Bolivian armed forces which have made a lot of efforts to achieve the independence of that country.

He said that Sosa would also visit the Iranian Ministry of Defense to get acquainted with the potential of the armed forces.

For his part, the Bolivian official said the aim of his visit is to bring the two nations closer and to reach good mutual agreements.KAMPALA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The Ugandan military on Saturday assured tourists that the country is safe amid reports of two British nationals being kidnapped in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Brig. Richard Karemire, the military spokesperson told Xinhua by telephone that Uganda is peaceful and tourists should continue coming.

He said the military and other security agencies continue to protect all the tourism facilities including national parks.

Karemire's comments come after two British citizens were kidnapped on Friday while touring the Virunga National Park located in the eastern part of DRC near the border with Uganda.

Uganda and DRC have in the past launched joint military operations to wipe out armed militia in the vast central African country.

Fighting in the eastern DRC has forced thousands of Congolese to flee to Uganda.KATHMANDU, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Nepali ruling and opposition party leaders met with visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Saturday, with both sides expressing willingness to foster relationship between the two countries.

The Indian prime minister held separate meetings with Chairman of ruling CPN Maoist (Centre), Pushpa Kamal Dahal, President of major opposition party Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba and Rashtriya Janata Party-Nepal President Mahantha Thakur in the Capital, according to spokesman at the India's Ministry of External Affairs Raveesh Kumar.

"Prime Minister Modi is engaging across the political spectrum in Nepal. During these meetings, the two sides exchanged views on strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries," the spokesman tweeted.

Also on Saturday, Modi performed special worship in Muktinath and Pashupatinath, the two venerated temples in Nepal.

Modi arrived in Nepal on a two-day state visit on Friday morning at the invitation of his Nepali counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli. He is scheduled to return home later in the day.BUJUMBURUA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 26 persons were killed and seven others injured on Friday night in a gunmen attack in northwestern Burundi, the Burundian security minister said Saturday.

The attack took place at a village in the province of Cibitoke, near the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo, said Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, Minister of Public Security and Disaster Management.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 19:22:31|Editor: Yurou

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to people after offering prayers at shrine Muktinath, a sacred pilgrimage for both Hindus and Buddhists in Mustang, Nepal, May 12, 2018. Modi said on Friday that his government has given top priority to relations with Nepal under his Neighborhood First Policy. (Xinhua/Prabin Shrestha/DOI)DHAKA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- May 12 is a red-letter day for Bangladesh when the country moved to a new era by launching its first "Bangabandhu-1" satellite.

The launch made Bangladesh the 57th nation in the world and fourth in South Asia after India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to own a satellite.

Early on Saturday from Cape Canaveral in Florida, Falcon-9 rocket of SpaceX propelled the satellite into space at about 2:14 a.m. Bangladesh local time.

"With this we entered a new era," said Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a message on Saturday.

She expressed her thanks to the satellite building and launching company, the U.S. and the French governments and their peoples for their support.

She also thanked Russia for renting its orbital slot to Bangladesh.

Once the satellite becomes active at its orbital slot, it will be reportedly controlled from three stations in the United States, Italy and South Korea for about a month.

Finally, the satellite will be controlled and maintained from ground stations in Bangladesh.

The satellite was successfully deployed at Bangladesh's specified orbit slot "within 36 minutes" of the launch and two ground stations in Bangladed received test signals from it, Bangladeshi State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak told journalists at the Kennedy Space Center,

He, along with hundreds of Bangladeshis including Prime Minister's ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy, watched the first 36 minutes of the launch.

Many in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country reportedly gathered in front of TV screenes early on Saturday to see the satellite's live launch.

In September 2016, Bangladesh signed a 14-billion-taka (about 180 million U.S. dollars) loan agreement with the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) to finance the country's first-ever satellite "Bangabandhu-I."

In November 2015, Bangladesh signed a 19.51-billion-taka (about 248 million U.S.dollars) deal with French firm Thales Alenia Space for the satellite project.

The Bangladeshi government has purchased a 119.1 east longitude orbital slot from Russia-based Intersputnik for 15 years for 28 million U.S. dollars.JUBA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- More and more South Sudanese women are inspired to participate in their country's peace and reconciliation efforts thanks to an essay writing competition launched by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) early this year.

The annual competition attracted over 100 candidates from the 32 states of South Sudan where only ten people emerged winners.

Gladys Arek, a 15 year-old student of Don Bosco School in Juba who was the overall winner, said women should form local associations which will act as vehicles to spread the message of peaceful settlement to the conflict and help mobilize communities.

"Men have been trying a lot to bring peace but have failed and they should bring women on board to help sensitize and mobilize local communities on peace and cohesion," Arek told Xinhua during a recent interview.

The theme of this year's essay competition was about how women can contribute to durable peace in South Sudan.

Arek noted that women like former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf helped post-conflict reconstruction in her country and that South Sudanese women can borrow a leaf from those role models.

"South Sudan citizens should forget about their past political and ethnic differences and concentrate on the present (peace) because our past will hold us hostage," she said, adding that women leaders rarely embrace violence to settle political differences compared to men.

The UNMISS and several international NGOs have been increasingly pushing for gender balance by encouraging more women participation in peace talks.

Khana Kockedhie Magel, 16, from Loreto girls' school in the central Lakes state, said intermarriages among the 46 ethnic groups of South Sudan will help unite communities and diffuse ethnic violence in the country that has contributed to death of thousands and displacements.

"If the Dinka man marries a Nuer woman in future their children will be able to discuss when differences arise among the two tribes instead of resorting to violence," said Magel who came second in the UN Essay competition.

"Intermarriages among ethnic groups will help to reduce possibilities of conflict as children born from these mixed marriages are most likely not to embrace violence but instead dialogue is used to solve differences," she added.

Jacob Mach Kuany, 20, from the eastern Kapoeta day school, said women should fight for their rights and also take on various roles like mediators, counselors to help solve the conflict that has caused trauma and largely harmed women and children.

"We must collectively participate in advocating peace in South Sudan and women should take on the role of counseling and mediation in communities," said Kuany.

The Minister for Education Deng Deng Hoc said that women are already involved in peace building through their positions in the government.

He said the constitution of South Sudan provides for at least 25 percent to be reserved for women in the public service.

However, women leaders of late have been increasingly demanding a share of 35 percent in the transitional unity government.

Intermarriages have been happening in South Sudan, it's something to be encouraged for the nation building and stability, according to Hoc.

He added that bringing peace to the youngest nation should not be left to only politicians and that South Sudanese women should fully participate.

"To achieve long term peace and development we must invest in social services and the knowledge sector so that every South Sudanese is educated," Hoc said.

The UNMISS gender unit officer Maria Nakabito said the theme of the essay writing competition advances the provisions of the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution 1325 which calls for women participation in peace building, and prevention against gender based violence.

"We are actually recognizing the policy framework that informs women on peace and security. The strategy ensures that we get engaged to ensure the UN Security Council is popularized in South Sudan," she said.

South Sudan descended into violence in December 2013 after political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy 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.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 19:55:39|Editor: Yurou

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RAMALLAH, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Foreign Affairs Ministry slammed on Saturday the positions of three European Union (EU) members that blocked an EU condemnation of the U.S. embassy move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The ministry said that the positions of Hungary, Romani and the Czech Republic contradict the EU policy and their action against such a statement is "a clear breach of international law, UN resolutions, the Geneva Conventions and the human rights principles," adding that it encourages the "Israeli occupation authorities to continue violating international law."

Media reported that France and other EU members presented a statement that includes three main clauses: the EU considers East Jerusalem as a capital of two states, the city's final status is decided through negotiations, and no EU country would move its embassy to Jerusalem as the U.S. would do.

Israel has beefed up security measures in Jerusalem ahead of the U.S. embassy relocation ceremony on Monday, in line with U.S. President Donald Trump's decision recognizing the city as Israel's capital and ordering the moving of his country's embassy to it on Dec 6, 2017.

The ceremony is scheduled as part of the 70th anniversary of Israel's declaration of independence, on the eve of what Palestinians commemorate as the Nakba Day, or "Day of the Catastrophe," in memory of the forcible transfer of two thirds of the Palestinian people and ethnic cleansing of at least 418 villages as a result of the 1948 war.

Palestinian factions and political groups called for escalated protests during this week and declared Monday a day of Rage.

Guatemala and Paraguay announced they will follow the U.S. step and move their embassies to Jerusalem during May.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 20:10:43|Editor: ZX

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WUHAN, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A direct air route will be launched on May 18 between the central Chinese city of Wuhan and Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, according to Hubei Airport Group.

Tibet Airlines will use an Airbus A319 for the service, which will take about three and a half hours.

The flights will depart from Lhasa at 4:40 p.m. and arrive in Wuhan at 8:00 p.m. everyday. The return flights will leave Wuhan at 9:10 p.m. and arrive in Lhasa at 12:50 a.m. except Thursday. On Thursday the flight will leave Wuhan at 8:55 p.m. and arrive in Lhasa at 12:35 a.m.

In the past, the journey involved a transfer flight and the shortest trip took nearly seven hours.

The opening of the air route will help attract more tourists from central China to Tibet.by Xinhua writers Zhu Shaobin and Nie Zuguo

MAPUTO, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A twin-tower suspension bridge with a main span of 680 meters hanging over Maputo Bay is decorating the skyline of southern African nation Mozambique's capital city Maputo, becoming a new landmark project that will ease the city's cross-sea traffic.

The project, costing 785.8 million U.S. dollars with 95 percent of the funding from China, is being built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and set for official launch on June 25, Mozambique's Independence Day.

As the sun sets to one side of the bay and colors the bridge with a golden hue, 20-year-old Mozambican crew-driver worker Fernando was wrapping up his day's work at the bridge, and sent a hello greeting "ni hao" in Chinese upon seeing us.

Due to his family's financial burden, the youth said he's working at the bridge to make some savings so that he can apply for a public university. "I am working at the bridge to build my future," he said.

"My biggest dream is to travel to London and study in Oxford University. But Mandarin is also important. There are many Chinese people working in Mozambique. So next year, I will also learn the Chinese language so that I will be able to better work around the Chinese," he said while getting excited about the imminent launch of the bridge.

"It's a wonderful and fantastic bridge! People now depend on the boats and ferry to get across the water to the Katembe district at the other side. The boat takes a long time and is dangerous," he said.

Project manager at CRBC Cao Changwei has been in charge of the project since construction commenced in 2014. He said the bridge will cut travel time between Maputo and the under-developed Katembe urban district to about ten minutes compared to up to three hours by ferry or driving around the bay by circumventing.

According to him, the whole bridge project also involves the construction of link roads totaling 187 km that will link southward to the border area with South Africa.

"It will greatly shorten the travel time between Mozambique and South Africa and become a major international passageway that will boosts Mozambique's passenger and cargo transport, tourism as well as economic growth along the project," Cao said.

"Many people now buy land in Katembe to make business because of this bridge. The economy in Katembe will develop very much," Fernando said.

According to the CRBC, the local government is planning to develop the Katembe district through various ways, including land development, tourism, commercial services, logistics and modern industries.

Cao revealed that the project so far has created over 20,000 jobs, both full time and part time, for the locals. Currently, the project hires 3,788 local people compared to a Chinese staff team of 467.

Meanwhile, CRBC also trained over 5,000 locals for various job posts required for the project, including welding, steel bending and machinery operation, Cao said.

"My new house is almost ready for use. I will get some new furniture once I get my salary this month," said 40-year-old Morgado, who is a driver working at the project.

Growing up in a family with four siblings in Katembe, Morgado had a difficult childhood as his parents barely made ends meet by selling cassava starch. He also went through much toil-and-moil by working odd jobs.

"I worked in South Africa for five years but my life was still difficult. But after I worked in CRBC, my life changed, he said, without hiding his joy that he and his wife Percilia now can even make savings in the family.

Meanwhile, Fermando told Xinhua that even though his father wanted him to study engineering, he has decided to pursue language studies. "I will learn more English and Chinese to enhance my chances," he beamed.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 20:25:46|Editor: Yurou

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Malaysia's new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad attends a press conference in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, May 12, 2018. Newly elected Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Saturday named three ministers in his "small cabinet" and announced the establishment of a "council of elders" to advise the government, taking the first step in governing the country. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Newly elected Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Saturday named three ministers in his "small cabinet" and announced the establishment of a "council of elders" to advise the government, taking the first step in governing the country.

The three new ministers, all leaders of the component parties of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, are finance minister Lim Guan Eng, defense minister Mohamad Sabu and minister of home affairs Muhyiddin Yassin.

Mahathir made the announcement at a press conference after a meeting attended by key PH leaders.

The three names fell short of his earlier promise to announce 10 ministers and are much fewer than the previous number of more than 25.

The other seven ministers for key functions, including education, rural development, public roads, economy, transport, foreign affairs and multimedia, science and technology, are expected to be unveiled next week.

When asked about whether the PH government ran into trouble finding the right persons for the cabinet, Mahathir said they need to assess candidates' qualifications and experience.

"We can't say abracadabra and everything happens. It takes time," he said.

Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, president of the People's Justice Party, will be appointed as the deputy prime minister.

Mahathir, admitting that "many of us have less or no experience in running a government," said some expertise of those with knowledge or previous knowledge of any administration needed to be tapped.

He said a special team of eminent persons, called the "council of elders," has been formed to advise the government on economic and financial matters during the transitional period.

The council include former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, former central bank governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, former national oil firm Petronas CEO Hassan Merican, renowned billionaire Robert Kuok Hock Nien and Jomo Kwame Sundaram, an economist.

According to Mahathir, the team will assist in shaping up policies and programs to achieve the 100-day promise that PH had made to the people. Thus, he said the lifespan of this team will be 100 days.

Mahathir, who during the campaign pledged to thoroughly investigate the scandal regarding the state development fund 1MDB, said he made the decision to ban former Prime Minister Najib Razak from leaving the country.

Mahathir also said he has already removed the attorney general, who cleared Najib of any offence.

"At the moment, we don't have an attorney general," he said, adding the new government also placed restrictions on people who have been involved in wrongdoing.by Habtamu Liben

ADDIS ABABA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian experts and officials have voiced support for Chinese development endeavors in Ethiopia, saying they are important to Ethiopia's economic ambitions.

Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, an economic adviser to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA), said in an interview with Xinhua that Chinese-funded and built infrastructure projects in Ethiopia and the rest of Africa are "both timely and important."

"Infrastructure is the mainstay of any economy. Unless you have roads, railways, airports, and energy production, the economy will suffer," Costantinos said.

With regards to the Ethio-Djibouti railway, built by Chinese companies to connect Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa to the port of Djibouti, Costantinos affirmed that it would highly benefit land-locked Ethiopia.

"We have expected a lot from this railway and it will help Ethiopia's growing economy that demands a growing import from abroad and export to the rest of the world," he said, adding that "the investment will not only help the transport of goods but also transport of people among Ethiopians and with the people of Djibouti."

The expert's view has been shared by other Ethiopian government officials, who believed the Chinese infrastructure projects would facilitate Ethiopia's export transportation demands.

Ahmed Shide, Ethiopian Minister of Government Communications Affairs Office (GCAO), told Xinhua that China has not only become Ethiopia's top economic partner but a model for Ethiopia's economic ambitions.

Shide said having seen China's success in having an efficient infrastructure to facilitate exports from industrial parks, Ethiopia is building a "development belt" to copy the Chinese success story.

The "development belt" will see Ethiopia build industrial parks located along the path of existing or under-construction rail lines to speedily transport products made in industrial parks to ports in neighboring Djibouti.

According to the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC), Chinese companies, with close to 379 projects that were either operational or under implementation during the past five years, are on top of Ethiopia's investment landscape both in terms of number and capital.

Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Minister, Workneh Gebeyehu, who called for strengthening the socioeconomic partnership between Ethiopia and China recently, also said that the ties between the two countries has shown consistent upward trajectory over the past years.

Gebeyehu said the relationship between Ethiopia and China "has grown to an excellent level, where the two countries enjoy a comprehensive cooperation and partnership."

The newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Tan Jian also said the partnership between Ethiopia and China could be seen as a role model for the South-South cooperation.

"The relationship between Ethiopia and China is based on comprehensive, strategic and cooperative partnership in all areas and at all levels," Tan said in an interview with Xinhua. Tan also stressed cooperation in human resource development and science and technology.

"The bond between the two peoples is very important and it should be the foundation for the relationship between China and Ethiopia," Tan said.A local employee works at Huajian factory, south of Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, Oct. 18, 2016. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

by Habtamu Liben

ADDIS ABABA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian experts and officials have voiced support for Chinese development endeavors in Ethiopia, saying they are important to Ethiopia's economic ambitions.

Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, an economic adviser to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA), said in an interview with Xinhua that Chinese-funded and built infrastructure projects in Ethiopia and the rest of Africa are "both timely and important."

Photo taken on Sept. 20, 2015 shows a train operating on the light rail in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

"Infrastructure is the mainstay of any economy. Unless you have roads, railways, airports, and energy production, the economy will suffer," Costantinos said.

With regards to the Ethio-Djibouti railway, built by Chinese companies to connect Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa to the port of Djibouti, Costantinos affirmed that it would highly benefit land-locked Ethiopia.

"We have expected a lot from this railway and it will help Ethiopia's growing economy that demands a growing import from abroad and export to the rest of the world," he said, adding that "the investment will not only help the transport of goods but also transport of people among Ethiopians and with the people of Djibouti."

The expert's view has been shared by other Ethiopian government officials, who believed the Chinese infrastructure projects would facilitate Ethiopia's export transportation demands.

Ahmed Shide, Ethiopian Minister of Government Communications Affairs Office (GCAO), told Xinhua that China has not only become Ethiopia's top economic partner but a model for Ethiopia's economic ambitions.

Shide said having seen China's success in having an efficient infrastructure to facilitate exports from industrial parks, Ethiopia is building a "development belt" to copy the Chinese success story.

The "development belt" will see Ethiopia build industrial parks located along the path of existing or under-construction rail lines to speedily transport products made in industrial parks to ports in neighboring Djibouti.

According to the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC), Chinese companies, with close to 379 projects that were either operational or under implementation during the past five years, are on top of Ethiopia's investment landscape both in terms of number and capital.

Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Minister, Workneh Gebeyehu, who called for strengthening the socioeconomic partnership between Ethiopia and China recently, also said that the ties between the two countries has shown consistent upward trajectory over the past years.

Gebeyehu said the relationship between Ethiopia and China "has grown to an excellent level, where the two countries enjoy a comprehensive cooperation and partnership."

The newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Tan Jian also said the partnership between Ethiopia and China could be seen as a role model for the South-South cooperation.

"The relationship between Ethiopia and China is based on comprehensive, strategic and cooperative partnership in all areas and at all levels," Tan said in an interview with Xinhua. Tan also stressed cooperation in human resource development and science and technology.

"The bond between the two peoples is very important and it should be the foundation for the relationship between China and Ethiopia," Tan said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 21:00:53|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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Burundian Public Security and Disaster Management Minister Alain Guillaume Bunyoni (C) speaks as he visits a village in the province of Cibitoke, northwestern Burundi, on May 12, 2018. At least 26 persons were killed and eight others seriously injured in a gunmen attack on Friday night at a village in the province of Cibitoke, northwestern Burundi, the security minister said Saturday. (Xinhua/Evrard Ngendakumana)

BUJUMBURA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 26 persons were killed and eight others seriously injured in a gunmen attack on Friday night at a village in the province of Cibitoke, northwestern Burundi, the security minister said Saturday.

Burundian Public Security and Disaster Management Minister Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, who visited the village near the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), said the "terrorists" who crossed the border from the DR Congo killed 26 people, among which 24 died on the spot and 2 others died at the hospital.

The terrorists retreated into the DR Congo after the attack, said Bunyoni, adding that the Burundian government is in touch with DR Congo's leaders in order to plan a joint operation to fight against them.

He also "strongly" condemned the killings.

The Burundian government will pay fees related to the funeral of the dead people due on next Tuesday, as well as fees related to the victims' medical care, said Bunyoni. The government will also assist families of the victims of the killings, he said.BUJUMBURA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 26 persons were killed and eight others seriously injured in a gunmen attack on Friday night at a village in the province of Cibitoke, northwestern Burundi, the security minister said Saturday.

Burundian Public Security and Disaster Management Minister Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, who visited the village near the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), said the "terrorists" who crossed the border from the DR Congo killed 26 people, among which 24 died on the spot and 2 others died at the hospital.

The terrorists retreated into the DR Congo after the attack, said Bunyoni, adding that the Burundian government is in touch with DR Congo's leaders in order to plan a joint operation to fight against them.

He also "strongly" condemned the killings.

The Burundian government will pay fees related to the funeral of the dead people due on next Tuesday, as well as fees related to the victims' medical care, said Bunyoni. The government will also assist families of the victims of the killings, he said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 21:15:57|Editor: ZX

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BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature has published a draft revision to the Criminal Procedure Law to consult public opinion.

The draft was submitted to the National People's Congress Standing Committee for review in late April.

Key revisions include introducing default judgments, codifying the practice for leniency in guilty pleas, and expedited trials.

The revision will adjust certain provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law to avoid conflict with the Supervision Law.

The Criminal Procedure Law was created in 1979 and has undergone two major revisions, in 1996 and 2012.

Members of the public can either visit the congress website, npc.gov.cn, or send their opinions to the top legislature by mail. The deadline for submitting opinions is June 7.HANOI, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The seventh plenary session of the 12th Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) wrapped up here on Saturday, reaching consensus on three important issues regarding personnel, salary and social insurance.

The three projects include the building of a contingent of senior officials, especially at the strategic level with sufficient virtue, capacity and prestige on par with their assigned tasks in the new circumstance; the reform of wage policies; and the renovation of social insurance policies, Vietnam News Agency reported on Saturday.

Addressing the closing ceremony, CPVCC General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong highlighted the need of developing a contingent of officials, especially strategic officials meeting the requirements of the new period.

He asked for resolute and persistent direction over the implementation of solutions and tasks set forth at the six-day session, focusing on ideological, moral and lifestyle education among party members as well as younger generations.

He underscored the principle that all power must be controlled through mechanisms, and authority must go with responsibility.

Meanwhile, it is vital to timely discover and handle violations of party regulations and state's law, tackling the abuse of power to conduct wrongful activities in personnel work or abetting activities of bribery for job titles, he said.

During the session, the CPVCC also came up with instructions, goals, tasks, policies and measures to continue speeding up salary reform.

It stressed the need to ratchet up the reform of social insurance policy to turn social insurance into a key pillar of the social security system, considering it an urgent and long-term task.

To ensure the health of the social insurance fund in the long run, the CPVCC underscored the need to quickly supplement, revise and fix irrationalities in the retirement insurance mechanism. The retirement age would be raised under a proper roadmap regarding its suitability to specific groups and occupations.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 21:29:05|Editor: Yurou

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A Yemeni girl receives an anti-diphtheria vaccine during a national campaign for immunization against diphtheria disease, at a health center in Sanaa, Yemen, on May 12, 2018. A national campaign for immunization against diphtheria disease launched amid fears of a wide outbreak. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)by Eric J. Lyman

ROME, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Political leaders and investors across Europe are watching nervously as Italy inches towards the first founding member of the European Union (EU) to be led by a populist, Euro-skeptical government.

Italy's political process has been deadlocked since the March 4 general elections, where four parties combined to earn nearly 83 percent of the votes cast, but none of them approached the 50-percent threshold required to form a government.

Two of the parties, the anti-establishment Five-Star Movement and the federalist Northern League, have been in intense negotiations and could unveil an agreement for a new government as soon as Monday.

"Significant steps have been made regarding the composition of the new government and the nomination of a prime minister," Five-Star Movement head Luigi Di Maio and The League's Matteo Salvini said in a joint statement this week.

Both parties are skeptical about the euro currency, centralized decision-making, European Union fiscal rules, and the bloc's policies on refugees.

As the likelihood of a government led jointly by the two parties is increasing, market jitters are on the rise.

The yield on benchmark 10-year Italian government bonds rose to a three-month high on Thursday, nearly crossing the 2-percent barrier for the first time since March. Bond yields are a reflection of investors' confidence in a country.

Additionally, the Italian stock exchange fell by 300 points on Wednesday and Thursday before recovering slightly on Friday. The euro currency even lost ground against the U.S. dollar and other major currencies over the second half of the week.

"The European Union is facing a lot of big problems, ranging from Brexit to migrants, and from economic growth to the Middle East," Gian Franco Gallo, a political affairs analyst with Milan's ABS Securities, told Xinhua. "All of those issues become much more complex with a populist government sitting in Rome."

Media reports have said leaders in other European capitals are following the developments in Italy closely.

Gallo speculated that rules limiting deficit spending could prove to be an early topic for negotiations, as the Five-Star Movement and the Northern League have both promised more spending for young Italians and lower taxes across the board. Italy has had already the second highest level of government debt in Europe in per-capita terms.

Italy could be the first of the six founding members of the EU to be led by a populist government. With that likelihood increasing, Italian President Sergio Mattarella warned this week that Europe was in dire need to reform.

"The European project has lost its ability to meet the expectations of large portions of its population," Mattarella said.

If a deal is made, it is unlikely that either Di Maio or Salvini would allow the other to become prime minister. The parties would most likely agree to a compromise candidate, where the names being mentioned include lawyer and Northern League Senator Giulia Bongiorno, who, if selected, would become Italy's first female head of government.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 21:41:03|Editor: Yurou

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JERUSALEM, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Israel announced on Saturday to shut down the main cargo crossing in the Gaza Strip, Kerem Shalom, one day after Palestinian protesters set fire to the fuel pipelines in the facility.

Israel's Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman ordered the Israeli Crossings Authority, which controls the crossing, to close it down after visiting there on Saturday.

"The crossing will remain closed until the damages are repaired. It will reopen in accordance with a situation assessment," Israeli military said in a separate statement.

"The crossing will be open for humanitarian cases approved on a case-by-case basis only," the army said.

According to the statement, the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom was vandalized on Friday night by "dozens of violent rioters."

The fuel terminal has been totally disabled, with damage caused to connection stations of the gas pipelines, making the main gas line out of order, the military said.

Additionally, the fueling site sustained fire and fracture damages, and damage was caused to electricity infrastructure of conveyors for grains and food for livestock. Fences, light poles and cameras were vandalized too.

The military blamed Hamas movement, the Palestinian Islamist organization that runs Gaza, for the riots.

"The Hamas terror organization is responsible for everything that happens in the Gaza Strip, both above and below the ground, and will bear the consequences for its actions," the statement read.

On Friday, thousands of protesters marched towards the fence as part of weekly rallies to protest over Israel's blockade on the coastal enclave and their right to return to their lands and families they had to leave in the 1948 war, Israel's Independence War.

In Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip, Israeli forces shot and killed Jaber Abu Mustafa. The 40-year-old man was shot in his chest, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

More than 730 others were wounded in the clashes, according to the ministry.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 22:01:06|Editor: ZX

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By H. L. Bentley

CHENGDU, May 12 (Xinhua) -- In Beichuan, Sichuan Province, time stands still. This town was once home to 160,000 people, now the only signs of life are flurries of white butterflies that flutter among the wreckage of collapsed homes, crumbled buildings and crushed cars.

At twenty-eight minutes past two on the afternoon of May 12, 2008, Sichuan was struck by a mighty earthquake, 8.0 on the Richter scale, so sudden and powerful, that many residents had neither time to run nor hide. Tens of thousands of people were killed.

In Sichuan, they call the sharing of stories "Bai Long Men Zhen," or simply: dragons talking. Ten years on from the Wenchuan earthquake, I traveled across the Dragon Gate mountain fault zone to see how the province has risen again; to hear the dragon speak.

Across the plains

Chengdu is 70-km from the epicenter. The city lies on the Sichuan plains in the heart of the ancient Chinese empire, but the plains suffered drought and floods. Water from the mountains besieged the city.

It was a Qin-dynasty governor who began the mammoth Dujiangyan irrigation project, which was to change the course of the river. Before the invention of dynamite, the mountain face was heated with fires and the frigid river water was used to crack and weaken the rock. The work took six years.

Only 25-km from the epicenter, Dujiangyan was all but destroyed, but, despite early concerns about cracks, the irrigation works stands intact.

The day the sky fell

A 88-km drive to the northeast of that ancient engineering marvel is Luobozhai, at 2,000-meters above sea level This tiny community is known locally as the "village in the clouds."

Tremors were not unknown in Luobozhai. Back in the 1970s, local officials would warn villagers to find safe ground by shouting through loudhailers, but nothing they had ever experienced could prepare the village for the terror to come.

A whole village was destroyed. No family spared. Lives extinguished under rubble and mud. Loved ones vanished, never to be seen again.

"It felt like the end of the world. I never thought I would live to see today," Wang Baojian, who ran a small family home stay, told me.

He had stepped outside when the earthquake struck, meaning he was safe. His sister no so. She had rushed back inside her house to save her baby, moments before it collapsed. Their bodies were last to be pulled from the wreckage of the village.

"Throughout the search and rescue I knew where they were -- we just couldn't get them out."

Luobozhai, with clean mountain air and unbelievable views, has always been a popular tourist destination. After the earthquake, one of Wang's former guests wrote to ask if he had survived, and when he could come to visit. It was six months before Mr Wang could contact the concerned guest. In an emotional phone call, he said; "there is nothing left to visit." The reply was a simple kindness "Things can always be bought again. What do you need?"

The guest, along with others who had enjoyed Wang's hospitality, sent him 260,000 yuan (about 41,000 U.S. dollars), which along with 90,000 yuan from the government, meant Wang was able to rebuild his home stay and his life. Meanwhile the original village has been abandoned, the crumbling buildings left to stand in silent testament to all those who perished.

Lessons learned

After the earthquake, a huge financial package helped rebuilding. Laws were changed, building standards were raised. This tragedy, it was promised, would never be repeated.

Sichuan was faced with a huge task -- to build itself back up -- and provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across China helped with reconstruction where they could. Wenchuan No. 1 Primary School, for example, was rebuilt with help from Guangdong. The campus is bright and airy. Walls are decorated with students' paper cutting, embroidery and art. While the corridors of the higher stories of the building are full of the laughter and chatter of excitable children, the ground floor is eerily quiet.

In the chaos of the earthquake, people, many people, were crushed to death as buildings collapsed. That's why this campus has no classrooms on the ground floor, and why students go through a practice drill at least once a year. They must stay in class for 2-3 minutes after the alarm sounds, awaiting the severity of the incident to be determined. Those are very long minutes.

Yingxiu is less than three-km away from the epicenter. In what was once a thriving town the ground appears to be swallowing the bowed walls and crumbled roof of a school. It is a poignant memorial to those who died. For the survivors, in the days that followed the earthquake, their problems were far from over. Infrastructure was in tatters, and they were cut off from basic amenities like water and electricity.

Liu Yong from Yingxiu State Grid was one of the first people on the scene. As his wife was airlifted to hospital, Liu stayed to help. It would take three months to fully reconnect Yingxiu. The area survived on an intermittent supply from generators. The experience was to prove a hugely important lesson, and one which would pay off in the future. After the 2017 earthquake in Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan, the State Grid was able to reconnect the area within 48 hours.

Today, those affected have returned to some kind of normality, often a forgotten part of the recovery process. When shattered lives are put back together -- stronger and more vital than ever before -- only then can the dragon begin to tell its tales.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 22:06:07|Editor: ZD

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A contester takes part in the preliminary contest of the "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition at the University of South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, May 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhang Yongxing)

by Zhang Yongxing

SUVA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Cheers and applause erupted from a packed hall of the University of South Pacific (USP) building in Fiji's capital city of Suva on Saturday evening, as a Chinese language contest with the participation of university students of the South Pacific island states concluded.

"This is an amazing, unbelievable and unforgettable Chinese language competition. All the student participants should be praised for their wonderful performance," a group of audience told Xinhua while the judges also nodded in agreement.

The 17th edition of the "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students Fiji Regional Final, seeing 11 participants, is more like a vivid and engaging cultural journey for the audience.

The judges and audience are also impressed by the participants' well-prepared, fluent and emotional Chinese speeches and wonderful performances in knowledge quiz and talent show.

The students shared their experiences about learning Chinese language and culture , and performed Chinese folk songs and dances, showing their language gift and knowledge of Chinese scriptures.

Ilaisa George Senimoli, 27 and Sofia Adituraga Mucunabitu, 21, both from the USP, were awarded the first prize and the second prize respectively, and they will participate in the final competition in Changsha, capital city of China's Hunan province in July this year.

They told Xinhua that they love China, Chinese language and culture, looking forward to the forthcoming trip to China and seeing the changing China in person.

The theme of this year's competition is "One World, One Family", showing the Chinese people's traditional culture of pursuing friendship, peace and harmony.

Yang Hui, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute (CI) at the USP, spoke highly of the competition.

"This competition is not only for competing on Chinese language and cultural knowledge like its name, but also a bridge to connect two nations and peoples. Through years of development, CI here has become a bridge for USP and other universities in China, facilitating the academic communications and cooperation in different levels," she said.

For his part, Derrick Armstrong, deputy president of USP, said the competition enjoyed a great success and "The CI at the USP is now playing an important role in forging good relationship and friendship between the Pacific Island countries and the Chinese people."

As the judge and wife of the Chinese Ambassador to Fiji, Lu Qi said "language is the bridge for human communication, and language and cultural exchange enable us to establish profound friendship".

"I believe that with the further development of relationship between China and Fiji, with the increasing exchange between Fiji and the other countries, more and more bilingual and multilingual talents are needed. I hope that all the students here could work hard to learn Chinese and Chinese culture, to light up your own future, and to make contributions to the friendship between China and Fiji in the spirit of 'One World, One Family'," she said.KATHMANDU, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Nepal and India agreed on Saturday to take bilateral relations to a new high by expanding partnership for the socio-economic development on the basis of the principles of equality, mutual trust, respect and mutual benefit, said a joint statement.

In the 16-point statement, Nepali Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli and his visiting Indian counterpart Narendra Modi shared the view that effective implementation of the bilateral initiatives in agriculture, railway linkages and inland waterways development as agreed upon by the two sides during recent exchange of high level visits would have transformational impact in these areas.

The two sides also agreed to expedite implementation of the economic and development cooperation projects.

"The two prime ministers directed their respective officials to address outstanding matters by September 2018, with the objective of advancing cooperation in all areas," the joint statement said.

The two prime ministers discussed about possible measures to reduce Nepal's trade deficit with the southern neighbor, according to the statement.

"The two prime ministers also considered amendments to the Treaty of Transit and related Agreements with a view to further facilitating Nepal's access to the Indian market, enhancing overall bilateral trade, and facilitating Nepal's transit trade," it said.

Nepal and India also agreed to take further steps to enhance the economic and physical connectivity by air, land, and water, the statement said.

"Recognizing the vibrant people to people contacts and friendly bilateral ties, the two prime ministers directed the respective officials to expand cooperation in civil aviation sector, including early technical discussion on additional air entry routes to Nepal by respective technical teams."

Nepal and India also agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in power sector in line with the bilateral Power Trade Agreement signed in 2014, it said.

Modi arrived in Nepal on Friday for a two-day state visit.VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Ten years after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China, Andrei Bazirevski, head of All-Russian Children's Center "Ocean," can still clearly recall the warm moments when affected Chinese students recuperated at the center.

"It was a good story about people caring for each other," Bazirevski told Xinhua in a recent interview. "Caring for each other with sincerity can conquer all disasters."

A 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Wenchuan county in China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008, leaving more than 87,000 dead or missing and millions homeless.

After the catastrophe, then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev invited 1,500 Chinese students to recuperate in Russia, 890 of who lived in the "Ocean" center in the Pacific coastal city of Vladivostok.

Bazirevski said Russians were saddened by the deadly earthquake, and it was a pleasure for the center to host the Chinese students.

"Our center arranged therapy and various cultural and recreational activities for them so that they felt like they were at home," he said. "Teachers also invited them to visit their homes and tried to make them happy each day."

On departure, many Chinese children were reluctant to separate with their Russian friends, Bazirevski said. The center published their stories on its magazine and photos of the Chinese students are still on its wall.

Caring for each other, regardless of nationality and ethnic group, propels the human society and civilization, he said.

In his view, frequent non-governmental exchanges between the Russian and Chinese people over recent years, which were based on mutual care, took bilateral relations to new heights.

The "Ocean" center has signed cooperation deals with a number of Chinese educational institutions and receives Chinese students of all ages every year with ever improved curricula and recreational programs, Bazirevski said, adding that the center welcomes Chinese students in Vladivostok.YANGON, May 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 19 people, including a police, four militias and 14 civilians, were killed and 27 others injured in attacks by armed groups in Muse township, Myanmar's Shan state Saturday morning, said a release from the office of the Commandar-in-Chief of Defense Service.

The attacks were launched by a 50-strong combined force of Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) at 05:00 a.m. local time. A police outpost at the Pan Kham bridge was targeted.

Meanwhile, some 30 members of the combined force also launched attacks near the residence of a militia leader while 10 other members assaulted the Manweik gate at the same time.

The military returned fire, forcing the armed groups to retreat at 08:00 a.m. local time.by Nemanja Cabric and Wang Huijuan

BELGRADE, May 12 (Xinhua) -- On the occasion of the first anniversary of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held last year in Beijing, a Serbian expert has numerated to Xinhua a number of tangible benefits the China-proposed initiative has brought to his country.

TANGIBLE BENEFITS

According to Neven Cveticanin, a senior research assistant at the Institute of Social Sciences, the most visible fruit borne so far is the Zemun-Borca Bridge, newly-named Pupin Bridge, built and funded by Chinese companies. The bridge has become the second across the Danube River in Belgrade after 79 years.

"It's a very useful bridge between two parts of Belgrade, and we see travel on the bridge every day in our ordinary life," Cveticanin explained.

If the bridge serving over 1 million Belgraders grabs the top in the eyes of Cveticanin, the steel mill in Smederevo that helped save some 5,000 jobs after it was purchased by a Chinese company has to be the next.

Similar achievements are being done or to be done in projects discussed and advanced at last year's forum in Beijing, including modernization of the Belgrade-Stara Pazova railway, construction of a joint industrial park as well as deals on how to boost agricultural cooperation.

But Cveticanin believes the true benefits are far more reaching than what the several landmark projects created.

The results are just on the street, said the expert. "We can notice that many Chinese citizens came to Serbia for business and tourism, and some small Chinese companies such as restaurants and small markets are popular among Serbian customers."

China has come into the daily life of Serbians, said Cveticanin.

For the scholars like Cveticanin, some benefits brought by the growing Serbia-China cooperation may not be as visible as those seen in businesses but still tangible.

He gave himself as an example, saying the closer bilateral ties brought closer the scholars of the two sides including him.

Last December he participated in Beijing at a meeting of think-tanks from 16 countries of Central and East Europe and China, and had a chance to "exchange some notes and some thoughts" with his counterparts.

Cveticanin believes increased cooperation in science and education will bring in the development and cooperation in overall ties.

Therefore he suggested that Serbia and China should encourage the exchanges between universities and experts of the two countries.

MODEL EFFECT

By numerating the bilateral achievements, Cveticanin sees opportunities beyond the two countries. He believes that China-Serbia cooperation can set an example to CEE countries, and thus boost China-CEE cooperation.

"This initiative, the Belt and Road, is useful for cooperation between the two countries... China established a win-win strategy in which it invests in infrastructure and projects which can be useful not only for Serbia but for Europe as well," he said.

He continued the initiative is wise, impressive and one of the biggest in the world in terms of money and projects.

"If China shows results in Serbia, and if this cooperation proves useful for the country, its economy and citizens, it could be a good example for other countries," Cveticanin said.

"Despite Serbia's candidacy to the European Union and what it needs to fulfill to join EU, at this moment, Serbia is still open and still in a position to implement bilateral cooperation between Serbia and China, which is a trend not only in Serbia, not only in Central and Eastern Europe, but in Europe as a whole," he further explained.

Cveticanin estimates that China will remain a credible partner of both West and the East thanks to its wise strategy.

"I think that all CEE countries are in a position to seek cooperation in various parts of the world. We know that we are under Western umbrella in terms of the global spheres of interest, but after all I think that it will be no problem to cooperate with China as well," he concluded.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 23:31:25|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will pay a working visit to China on May 13 at the invitation of State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

"According to my information, Zarif will visit China, Russia and some European countries, during which he will exchange views with relevant parties on the developments of the Iranian nuclear issue. China is one stop of his visit," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang Saturday.

Geng said that China is a contracting party to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and follows closely the developments of the Iranian nuclear issue.

"We are willing to maintain communication with Iran and other relevant parties," he said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 23:31:25|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Four decades after its reform and opening-up, populous China retains its allure as a huge, growing market and an investment destination while becoming a big source of investment.

These are expected to enable the world's second largest economy to remain a power engine of global growth as well as contribute more to globalization and free trade, by creating new growth points and business opportunities.

Such an outlook has found support in China's economic and trade data in the first quarter, on top of its steps this year to broaden market access in efforts to further open up in a shift towards a high-quality growth.

RISING INVESTORS' CONFIDENCE

Increased investors' confidence indicates more of the impact of China's further reform and opening-up.

The investors' confidence in China's economic performance was recently showcased by the JP Morgan Chase's China summit held in Beijing on May 8-9, which was attended by 2,200 investors and corporate executives from 50 countries and regions.

"Investors from around the world are moving to add investment here in preparation for opportunities to emerge in the future," said Jing Ulrich, managing director and vice chair of Asia Pacific of the New York-based bank.

For example, an investment facilitation policy adopted in late April in China's financial sector, which licenses foreign investors to set up securities trading firms with holding status, has triggered swift market reactions.

JP Morgan Broking (Hong Kong) Limited has made such an application, planning to hold 51 percent of the stakes. Japan's largest securities trader Nomura has released a plan to set up a holding firm in China.

Considered as a milestone in the internationalization of China's capital market, global index provider MSCI will list a number of China A-shares in its market indices beginning June.

The measures provide new channels for global investors to share in the big cake of China's strong growth.

STEPS TO OPEN UP FURTHER

Manufacturing is another key sector to reduce restrictions on foreign investment. Regarding trade, China called off import tariffs on anticancer drugs from May and will significantly lower that on vehicles and other goods.

They are among the concrete measures outlined by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the annual conference of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) held in April in southern China's island province of Hainan.

"We have a genuine desire to increase imports and achieve greater balance of international payments under the current account," Xi said in a keynote speech.

The first China International Import Expo scheduled for November in Shanghai is expected to well serve this purpose.

In addition, the Hainan island will become a pilot free trade zone, and eventually, a free trade port, Xi said during an inspection tour there after attending the BFA gathering.

The moves reaffirmed a strong political will and a roadmap to deepen China's reform and opening-up from the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in last October. They meanwhile represented China's continued commitment to free trade and globalization.

SUPPORT FROM DATA, TREND

China reported a year-on-year growth of 6.8 percent in the first quarter, the 11th quarter in a row with a growth rate between 6.7 percent and 6.9 percent.

Consumption contributed 77.8 percent, more than last year's average 58.8 percent, continuing an uptrend since five years ago.

In 2018, China's total retail sales of consumer goods are estimated to reach some 6.4 trillion U.S. dollars, replacing the United States as the world's largest retail market, said Wang Changlin, an economic expert with China's State Development and Reform Commission.

Services accounted for 61.6 percent of the first quarter growth, consolidating a leading role that marks an economic structural transformation, the National Bureau of Statistics said while attributing this partly to changes in China's consumption structure.

"Rapidly growing per-capita disposable incomes and a high employment rate will sustain robust consumption," JP Morgan Chase's Ulrich has commented.

Today, China is the major trading partner of over 120 countries and regions. In the first quarter, customs data recorded a 21.8 percent drop in China's trade surplus, with imports rising 11.7 percent and exports 7.4 percent.

A country of net capital outflows since 2015, China, in the first quarter, has kept for five months an increase in its outward foreign direct investment, reaching an amounted volume of 25.5 billion dollars in 140 countries and regions.

ENGINE FOR GLOBAL GROWTH, FREE TRADE, GLOBALIZATION

According to data from the World Bank, China has maintained an annual growth of 7.1 percent over the past five years, contributing over 30 percent of global economic growth, more than the contribution made by the United States, the eurozone countries, and Japan combined.

Xi voiced China's staunch support for free and inclusive trade at the BFA annual conference, saying globalization is in line with the common interests of all countries.

"We will continue to safeguard the international order and rules, and support free trade and the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment," Xi said at the four-day meeting.

"The international community should abandon the cold-war mentality and advocate working together to build a community with a shared future for mankind," he said.

To make globalization more inclusive so that its benefits can be shared more extensively, Beijing has proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and is asking others to join it.

Proposed by Xi in 2013, the BRI aims to achieve policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes, thus building a platform for international cooperation to create new drivers of growth.

"China's pledge to continue to deepen reform and opening-up by liberalizing market access and reducing trade barriers sends a clear signal that it wishes to not only improve itself, but to inclusively share the benefits derived from China's development model," Jon R. Taylor, a U.S. political science professor at University of St. Thomas in Houston, told Xinhua in an interview in mid-April.HANOI, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Police of Vietnam's northern Lao Cai province said on Saturday that they had arrested two men for transporting 120 kg of heroin.

The two men from central Nghe An province were arrested on Friday when they were transporting 329 cakes or nearly 120 kg of heroin.

The two detainees, Nguyen Van Dai, 43, and Nguyen Van Ly, 27, well hid the drug in a pickup truck.

They confessed that the drug was transported from Laos to Nghe An and then to Lao Cai.

According to Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces death penalty.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 23:46:30|Editor: Liu

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BAGHDAD, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Iraqis voted on Saturday in the first parliamentary election after winning a four-year war with the Islamic State (IS) group, hoping that the war-torn country would embrace new changes to heal division, fight corruption and improve governance.

Up to 8,959 polling stations in the country opened from 7 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) to 6 p.m. local time (1500 GMT), amid tight security measures. Around 7,000 candidates were vying for 329 seats in the parliament.

Despite IS threat to disturb the election, Saturday's polls were held in a relatively calm manner thanks to the tight security measures imposed by the government, with a large number of security forces deployed to provide three-layer protection to the polling centers.

There were only sporadic attacks in the provinces of Salahudin and Diyala. Four security guards were killed in Mes'hag area of Salahudin province, while two suicide attackers were killed in Diyala's provincial capital Baqubah.

The incumbent Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, leader of the Al-Nasr (Victory) Coalition, hailed the election as an important achievement for the Iraqi people after defeating the IS terrorists and unifying the country.

"This election is decisive for Iraq's future, so the voters should actively participate in the voting," Abadi told state TV Al Iraqiya after casting his ballot at the Karrada polling center in Baghdad.

Iraq's Vice President Nuri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, said after voting at a polling center inside the Royal Tulip Alrasheed hotel that "this is an important day in Iraq's history."

"Election is the only way to give democracy a success, and I call on all the people to choose whoever they believe as proper person to be their representative," he said.

This year's election, which shows continued fragmentation along political, sectarian and ethnic lines, is believed to be a chance to alter the political landscape and bring about reforms, analysts said.

However, it could also open up opportunities for sectarian and ethnic hardliners, who will be empowered by the political polarization, to complicate and delay the formation of the next government, said Ibrahim al-Ameri, a political analyst and teacher of politics at Baghdad University.

Ameri believed that the post-election stage would be more important, as coalitions will regroup to form the largest alliance that would designate the next prime minister.

Although the Al-Nasr Coalition was expected to lead the vote, it may not be able to form the next government if it could not secure a majority of 165 seats in the parliament. The coalition needs to hold tough negotiation with other smaller alliances in order to form the government.

"We have seen a lot of wars, killings and sectarian violence, but today we want peaceful means to achieve our goals," said Amal al-Jubouri, a lawyer and a human rights activist.

She called on Iraqis to trust the democracy as election is the only path to changes.

Jubouri is a female member of a UN mission campaign in Iraq aimed at supporting the Iraqi women to take part in the country's political process.

In December 2017, Abadi announced the full liberation of one third of Iraqi lands from IS control after the government forces backed by anti-IS international coalition defeated the militants.

Since the liberation, the security situation in the country has been dramatically improved. Many Iraqis are looking forward to comprehensive reforms, blaming the current Shiite-led government for failing to repair the crumbling infrastructure, reduce unemployment and end corruption.

Fadhel Eleiwi, 24, still unemployed years after graduating from Agriculture College of University of Baghdad, is one of thousands of college graduates desperate to find a job.

"We want to change the miserable situation of our country, as the ruling parties failed to find solutions to the problems of Iraq. Perhaps, new faces could give us new hope," Eleiwi told Xinhua.

Kifah al-Sudani, a retired nurse in her 60s, told Xinhua that people should bear responsibility and vote for the right candidate.

"People are looking forward to achieving social justice, better housing, jobs, education and rebuilding the country's industry and agriculture. To make such dreams come true, voters must choose carefully and differentiate between the good and the bad," she said.

About 75,000 local monitors and 963 international ones were deployed across the country to observe the voting.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-12 23:46:30|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- China has released a risk map of marine disasters and called for measures to prevent and mitigate the risk of such disasters.

The map, released by the Ministry of Natural Resources Friday, shows high-risk coastal areas including the estuaries of the Yangtze and Zhujiang rivers, the Leizhou Peninsula, and some parts of the northern coast of the Hainan Island.

Major marine disasters include sea ice, storms, typhoons and tsunamis. Rising sea levels also affect coastal areas, including economically developed cities with large populations, such as Tianjin and Shanghai.

China is one of the world's countries most affected by marine disasters. From 2001 to 2017, direct economic losses caused by marine disasters totaled more than 207.5 billion yuan (about 32.8 billion U.S. dollars).

Coastal areas have become China's most densely populated areas. But due to global climate change, the risk of marine disasters continues to increase.

"China will take further efforts to monitor, assess, and mitigate disaster risks, and will shift focus from post-disaster relief to disaster prevention," said Wang Hong, head of the State Oceanic Administration, at a press conference on the risk map held Friday in Beijing.

Saturday is China's national day for disaster prevention and relief, marked annually on May 12.TIRANA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Albania can rely on Germany's support on its path to the European Union (EU), German Minister of State for Europe at the German Federal Foreign Office Michael Roth affirmed at a joint press conference with the Albanian Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Ditmir Bushati on Saturday.

"Albania's path to the European Union membership is difficult, but it is a journey ultimately worthwhile. Over the past years Albania has marked a number of great accomplishments, particularly in the rule of law and democracy, justice system and its independence," said Roth.

The German minister also urged Albanian opposition to assume its responsibilities in the country's crucial processes.

"I expect the opposition to assume its responsibilities. Despite conflicts in domestic politics, which is a sign of a vibrant democratic system, you must always set aside the divisions to move forward," underlined Roth.

Bushati said Albania sees Germany as a partner in its path to EU.

"Germany is harsh critic, but also a partner in Albania's EU membership process. Further steps we need to undertake as part of the EU accession were on focus of our talks," said Bushati.

On April 17, Albania received a positive recommendation by the European Commission (EC) for the opening of the membership negotiations with the EU.PYONGYANG, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced Saturday that it will hold a ceremony for the dismantling of its nuclear test site on May 23-25, taking a step forward towards the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"In accordance with the decision of the Third Plenary Meeting of the Seventh Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the Nuclear Weapon Institute and other concerned institutions are taking technical measures to dismantle the northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK in order to ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement published by the official Korean Central News Agency.

"A ceremony for dismantling the nuclear test ground is now scheduled between May 23 and May 25, depending on weather condition," the statement said.

The ruling WPK said that the country will close its nuclear test ground and suspend missile tests in order to concentrate all the nation's efforts on economic construction, during a plenary session chaired by the country's top leader Kim Jong Un last month.

Pyongyang pledged to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula at a summit between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the truce village Panmunjom on April 27.

The Blue House of South Korea said on April 29 that during the summit, Kim told Moon that he will shut down the nuclear test site and show the process to the world.

Pyongyang said Saturday that it will detonate explosives in all tunnels of the test ground, completely block entrances, remove all observation facilities, research institutes and structures of guard units at the test-facility.

"In parallel with dismantlement of the nuclear test ground, guards and researchers will be withdrawn and the surrounding area of the test ground be completely closed," the statement said.

Foreign journalists will be allowed to conduct on-location coverage, which the Foreign Ministry says will show transparency.

"In due consideration of small space of the test ground, journalists from other countries will be confined to those from China, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom and South Korea," said the statement.

"All international journalists will be provided with a charter flight from Beijing to Wonsan," it said.

Saturday's announcement came ahead of a scheduled summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore on June 12.

Trump said Thursday that "The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th."

"We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!" Trump said.

Trumps remarks came on the heels of the DPRK's release of three detained U.S. citizens, who came back with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo early Thursday after his visit to Pyongyang in preparation for the Trump-Kim summit.NAIROBI, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday pledged his government's support to all Kenyans affected by rain-related calamities.

Kenyatta said those affected by floods in various parts of the country and the victims of the collapsed dam tragedy in Nakuru will receive government assistance to both ease their grief and rebuild their lives.

"Let them (victims of recent calamities) know that my government will give every support in this moment of grief and difficulty, so that they can rebuild their lives and livelihood," said the president, who led Kenyans in a one-minute silence in honor of the fallen compatriots.

The president spoke in Nairobi where he launched this year's National Tree Planting Day and the Nairobi Clean-up campaign.

Kenyatta announced that an extra 10 million U.S. dollars will be made available to the Kenya Red Cross to continue with its relief work, in addition to the 15 million dollars already set aside for this purpose.

"Indeed, every family in the Republic that has lost a loved one can rely on a similar guarantee from my government. We will stand with you; we will pray with you; we will support you. Wherever you are in the country, we are with you," he said.

The East African nation has been facing ongoing floods. On Wednesday night, the Patel dam in Solai area of Nakuru county, 190 km north-west of Nairobi burst its banks after heavy rains, killing at least 45 people.

Following the rain-related havoc, said the president, the government had responded well in rescuing marooned Kenyans, providing water, food and essential medicines and restoring water systems and sanitation where necessary.

Kenyatta said the floods had affected 32 counties, left more than 170 people dead, and displaced another 332,000 in addition to the destruction of property and infrastructure.

The current flooding is likely to continue as heavy rainfall is forecast to continue for the coming weeks in the region.TIRANA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Albania has destroyed most part of a drug trafficking network in a police operation, which seized 8 tons of drugs and arrested 38 people, Albanian state police informed on Saturday.

"These people acted as a structured group in narcotics trafficking. Their activity was launched in other countries, mainly those of the European Union," said the police spokesman.

The group leader Met Kanani was caught in Turkey with a large quantity of cannabis. Some of his collaborators, who carried the Albanian cannabis from Greece to Turkey, were also arrested.

According to the Albanian police declaration, the "army" of traffickers led by Kanani also distributed heroin to European Union countries.NAIROBI, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Kenya plans to grow 1.8 billion trees in the next five years in an effort to achieve the 10 percent globally accepted tree cover, President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Saturday.

Kenyatta, who launched this year's National Tree Planting Day and the Nairobi Clean-up campaign in Nairobi, noted that at 7 percent, Kenya's forest cover remains low against the targeted 10 percent.

He said the government plans to achieve the globally accepted 10 percent tree cover by 2022 by intensifying tree planting and protection through a massive national exercise.

The Kenyan leader announced the establishment of a Presidential Environment Award Scheme to honor those who distinguish themselves as excellent environmentalists.

He said the government will look into opportunities for green bonds and tax rebates on forest products to create opportunities for innovation for the young people, all aimed at liberating the energy and enterprise opportunities for the youth.

Kenyattta also launched a fresh campaign to clean up Nairobi aimed at restoring the city to its glorious past.

He said the city was falling under the weight of garbage and reckless dumping of chemicals and other hazardous industrial waste in the city and its waters.

"We must reject the dumping of garbage on our roads and chemicals in the rivers before we can truly say we have restored the green city in the sun," he said.

He said the dumping of garbage was the cause of blocked drainage systems in the city which must be addressed urgently.

"We have come today for an important exercise to clean-up our environment and protect it," said the president who was on his way to the Moi Forces Academy, Eastleigh to launch this year's National Tree Planting Day.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-13 00:26:49|Editor: Liangyu

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One contestant reads a poem during the "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition in Vilnius, Lithuania, May 12, 2018. The first Lithuania edition of Chinese Proficiency Competition "Chinese Bridge" for school students was held here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Guo Mingfang)

VILNIUS, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The first Lithuania edition of Chinese Proficiency Competition "Chinese Bridge" for school students was held here on Saturday.

Eleven contestants aged between 14 and 19 years old from Lithuanian capital city Vilnius, second largest city Kaunas and port city Klaipeda participated in the competition staged at Donelaicio Auditorium of Vilnius University.

Under the theme of "Learn Chinese, Double your world", the event was divided into three parts: a free speech in Chinese, a quiz on the knowledge about China and Chinese culture and talents show.

The competition was staged before a jury of five and the audience of about 200 people.

Joana Pocopkaite, a 17-year-old girl from Vilnius Jesuits Gymnasium, won the competition for high proficiency in Chinese language, and the second place was secured by Umberto Masi, a 19-year-old student from Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Engineering Lyceum. They will later represent Lithuania at the finals in China.

"In spite of second place, I have secured the ticket to China for the finals and also got a chance to visit China. This makes me so happy and excited," Masi told Xinhua.

The international contest "Chinese Bridge," launched by China's Confucius Institute Headquarters in 2002, aims to encourage foreign students to learn Chinese.Chinese children from China's quake-hit Sichuan Province play at the beach of Vladivostok, Russia, Aug. 4, 2008. (Xinhua/Zheng Yue)

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Ten years after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China, Andrei Bazirevski, head of All-Russian Children's Center "Ocean," can still clearly recall the warm moments when affected Chinese students recuperated at the center.

"It was a good story about people caring for each other," Bazirevski told Xinhua in a recent interview. "Caring for each other with sincerity can conquer all disasters."

A 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Wenchuan county in China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008, leaving more than 87,000 dead or missing and millions homeless.

After the catastrophe, then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev invited 1,500 Chinese students to recuperate in Russia, 890 of who lived in the "Ocean" center in the Pacific coastal city of Vladivostok.

Bazirevski said Russians were saddened by the deadly earthquake, and it was a pleasure for the center to host the Chinese students.

"Our center arranged therapy and various cultural and recreational activities for them so that they felt like they were at home," he said. "Teachers also invited them to visit their homes and tried to make them happy each day."

On departure, many Chinese children were reluctant to separate with their Russian friends, Bazirevski said. The center published their stories on its magazine and photos of the Chinese students are still on its wall.

Caring for each other, regardless of nationality and ethnic group, propels the human society and civilization, he said.

In his view, frequent non-governmental exchanges between the Russian and Chinese people over recent years, which were based on mutual care, took bilateral relations to new heights.

The "Ocean" center has signed cooperation deals with a number of Chinese educational institutions and receives Chinese students of all ages every year with ever improved curricula and recreational programs, Bazirevski said, adding that the center welcomes Chinese students in Vladivostok.by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his counterpart in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Zoran Zaev will meet in Sofia next Thursday, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative in the name dispute Matthew Nimetz announced on Saturday.

According to Greek national news agency AMNA, the two leaders will hold talks on the sidelines of the EU-Western Balkans Summit, Nimetz said after a six-hour meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and FYROM Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov in Sounion that took place 75 km southeast of Athens.

It was the fourth times within a few months the three men met trying to hammer out a solution to the longstanding name row between the two neighboring countries.

The two foreign ministers did "hard, intensive and good work" to prepare the meeting between the prime ministers, the UN special envoy said.

Dimitrov visited Greece to attend a regional ministerial meeting which was held at Sounion on Friday on EU's enlargement and cooperation across the continent.

UN mediated efforts have intensified in recent months in order to resolve the row, which started in 1991 when FYROM declared independence from Yugoslavia and chose the name Macedonia, which is also the name of a northern Greek province.

Athens is worried that the use of the same name by the neighboring state could lead to territorial claims.

All sides have expressed confidence lately that FYROM and Greece can strike an agreement on FYROM's new name in the coming weeks before the EU summit scheduled for late June when EU enlargement will be on the agenda.DUBLIN, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has told a visiting senior Chinese official that his country is willing to deepen exchanges and cooperation with China in all fields under the framework of the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative.

Varadkar made the remarks during a meeting on Thursday with Cai Qi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee.

During the meeting at his office building, Varadkar said that Ireland is willing to further exchanges with China at various levels, continue deepening exchanges and cooperation with China in all fields under the framework of the B&R Initiative, and push forward the development of bilateral ties.

He also said that the Irish side is willing to deepen the party-to-party exchanges, and strengthen cooperation with Beijing Municipality, so as to help promote the strategic partnership for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

For his part, Cai said both countries have in recent years maintained high-level contacts, strong momentum of economic and trade cooperation, and deepening cultural exchanges.

Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Ireland diplomatic ties. Cai said China is willing to work with Ireland to deepen exchanges and enhance cooperation and alignment of strategies under the B&R Initiative, so as to strengthen the strategic partnership.

He said that the CPC is willing to strengthen the exchanges and learning from each other with the ruling Fine Gael party, and that Beijing Municipality will further deepen mutually-beneficial cooperation with Ireland.

Cai led a CPC delegation for a three-day visit to Ireland at the invitation of the Irish government, which ended on Friday.

During his visit, Cai also met with Irish officials at different levels, witnessed a signing ceremony of a cooperation agreement between Beijing University of Technology and University College Dublin.PRAGUE, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A parachutist fell to the ground and died at the scene on Saturday near Pardubice airport in Mlada Boleslave in Czech Republic.

Spokeswoman for the Central Bohemia emergency service, Petra Effenbergerova, said the man died instantly despite the emergency aid provided to him on the spot.

Central Bohemia police spokesman Zdenek Chalupa said the accident happened during a mass jump, and the circumstances of the accident were being investigated by local detectives.

Chalupa said police will work along with the Air Accidents Investigation Institute (UZPLN) on the investigation of the causes of the accident.

Accidents involving parachutists happen several times a year in Czech. According to the data published by the UZPLN, air accidents claimed three human lives in the Czech Republic in the first months of this year.

In the first half of last year, three persons died in air accidents, and in the same period in 2016, seven people were killed.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-13 02:32:06|Editor: yan

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JERUSALEM, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Israel said on Saturday that its air force struck and disabled a "combat tunnel" in the Gaza Strip that reached near Israeli territory.

A military spokesperson accused Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist group that runs Gaza, of building the tunnel.

The route of the tunnel ran from the besieged Palestinian enclave and stopped a few meters before the security fence.

The spokesperson said in a statement that the tunnel was planned to cross into Israel before Israeli fighter jets bombed it on Saturday night.

The route passed near the Erez Crossing, a humanitarian passage in the northern Gaza Strip, and was supposed to end underneath an Israeli community near the fence.

The tunnel was connected to another one that was dug under the Kerem Shalom Crossing which was destroyed by Israel in January.

Israel has destroyed several cross-border tunnels over the past year, the last of them in April.

"The identification and neutralization of the tunnel is part of an ongoing effort to thwart the underground terror from the Gaza Strip," said the spokesperson.

Israel's Defense Minister accused Hamas of "talking about its willing in a long-term appeasement but actually, it continues to dig terror tunnel."

"We will continue to strike terror infrastructure," the minister said in a statement.

He added that the only possible agreement with Gaza is "demilitarization (of the Gaza Strip) in return for rehabilitation."Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-13 02:57:12|Editor: ZD

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Li Zhanshu (L), chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), meets with Thomas Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission during his visit to the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on May 11, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

ADDIS ABABA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Li Zhanshu has called for closer China-Africa cooperation while meeting with Thomas Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission at the AU headquarters in Ethiopia's Addis Ababa.

During the meeting on Friday, Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), said China and Africa are always a community of common destiny as they share deep-rooted friendship and the same pursuit of development and prosperity.

Li said guided by China's African policy of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith and the correct viewpoint of righteousness and benefit, put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the ten major cooperation plans have progressed well and a number of major cooperation projects have been realized, bringing substantial benefits to the African countries and the African people.

Li envisaged the huge potential for cooperation as China is endeavoring to achieve its "two centenary goals" while Africa is also pushing for the realization of its Agenda 2063.

China is happy to see a united, peaceful and prosperous Africa and stands ready to further its comprehensive and practical cooperation with the continent, Li said, noting the hope for more fruitful results within the frameworks of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

The top legislator also expressed the belief that China and Africa will work together to make the Beijing summit of the FOCAC in September a historic event to advance China-Africa cooperation.

Leaders of China and African countries will consult with each other and blueprint China-Africa cooperation in the new era in pursuit of win-win results and common development at an even higher level, according to Li.

Hailing the important role the AU plays in promoting unity and integration of Africa, Li said the Chinese side attaches great importance to the ties with the regional bloc and is willing to support, within China's capability, its efforts to strengthen the AU organs as well as its ability of peacekeeping and improving people's livelihood.

He also said China will support the AU's push to lead Africa's integration, play a bigger part in regional and international affairs and safeguard the continent's unity and common interests.

Quartey welcomed Li's visit to the AU headquarters, whose office building, according to the deputy chairperson, embodies high-level cooperation between Africa and China.

While expressing thanks to China's strong support to the AU, Quartey said China's peaceful development has offered enormous opportunities as well as a new option for Africa.

The deputy chairperson said Africa's Agenda 2063 is highly compatible with the Belt and Road Initiative, calling for joint advancement. The AU is willing to actively participate in the FOCAC Beijing Summit and to deepen its all-round cooperation with China, he said.

The AU also expects China to enhance its support to Africa on infrastructure, education and science and technology, Quartey said.

Li and Quartey also exchanged views on African situation and other issues.HOUSTON, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Innovation and technological cooperation between China and the United States has played an important role in promoting the healthy and smooth development of bilateral relations, Chinese Consul General in Houston, Li Qiangmin, has said.

Cooperation in science and technology, in the meantime, has brought tangible benefits to the peoples of the two countries, Li told Xinhua prior to the third U.S.-China Innovation and Investment Summit scheduled to be held on May 14-15 in Houston, the fourth largest U.S. city.

Li pointed out that innovation is the soul of a company's development. Without innovation, it is difficult for a company to sustain its development. Many American companies have a history of innovation and development and are worthy of learning from China in many aspects, he added.

Supported by Science and Technology Ministry of China and Chinese Consulate General in Houston, the summit is co-hosted by China Science and Technology Exchange Center and US CHINA Innovation Alliance.

The summit aims to provide a unique opportunity for U.S.-based technology companies to connect with investors, strategic partners, leading incubators or accelerators, and professional services firms from China.

It serves as the platform for companies to leverage significant resources from China to accelerate their growth and to expand their market potential.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-13 03:42:20|Editor: yan

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SANAA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that the diphtheria outbreak has killed at least 91 people in war-torn Yemen since late October.

A total of 1,725 suspected cases of diphtheria have been recorded in 20 of Yemen's 23 provinces, compared to 1,516 suspected diphtheria cases with 84 associated deaths reported on April 3.

Diphtheria, which spreads through sneezing caused by a common cold, has mainly infected children in Yemen.

Also in the day, a UN-backed national campaign for immunizing children against diphtheria was launched.

In March, the WHO, the UN International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Yemen's health authorities launched a large-scale vaccination campaign across the country to combat the disease.

The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces including the capital Sanaa in 2014.

Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military intervention coalition in Yemen since 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile.

The UN has listed Yemen as the country of the world's most serious humanitarian crisis, where 7 million Yemenis are on the brink of famine, and cholera has caused more than 2,000 deaths.Posted Friday night, May 11, 2018.

No George Smiley: Philip Seymour Hoffman as Gunther Backmann, a German spymaster on the hunt for terrorists, contemplates his next move while wondering if hes acting on principle or out of ruthless ambition in one of Hoffmans last movies, Anton Corbijns adaptation of John le Carres novel, A Most Wanted Man.

Ive been on a John le Carre kick today, going back and forth from The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and its companion novel---is there a name for a book or movie that takes place at the same time with some of the same characters and tells a parallel story as another book or movie in the same series? There are prequels and sequels. Are there side-quels?---le Carres latest, A Legacy of Spies. This has put me in the mood to watch a movie based on one of his novels. Nope. Not The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Saving that one for a Family Movie Night. Same with "Our Kind of Traitor". We're saving that one too. And not Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Still too vivid in my memory after six years. Not The Constant Gardener either. That ones never grabbed me. The Tailor of Panama would be fun, but Im not in the mood for fun. And not Little Drummer Girl. Im waiting for the miniseries. I could go with Russia House but, again, nope. Im going with this one. A Most Wanted Man. BecausePhilip Seymour Hoffman. Is there a better reason? Heres my review from when it was in the theaters, back in the summer of 2014

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the novels of John le Carre, the spy game is a tawdry, debasing, corrupting, soul-curdling, heartbreaking, while you still have a heart---over time it shrivels the heart inside you when its not taking it right out of you---conscience-deadening business. No one who gets into it and no one whose life is touched by it survives without their principles and sense of self-worth shredded. Except for George Smiley, of course.

Smiley pays a price. Theres his purgatorial marriage to Lady Ann, for a start. Its never clear if its a punishment or a penance hes assigned himself. Whichever, he seems to accept that their mutual unhappiness is his fault and its somehow connected to his work as a spy. But he survives, that is, he continues to do his job while holding on to some of his principles and not totally compromising others. Hes able to do this because hes the most competent agent in British Intelligence and hes able to be that because hes the most modest person in the service, at least the most lacking in vanity and careerist ambitions. What ambition he does have is inextricable from his commitment to doing his job well and if that means seeking and obtaining promotion, thats fine. Moving up (or over or across or back, as necessary. A career as a spymaster is a chess game.) isnt self-aggrandizement as it is for the likes of a Percy Alleline. Its taking steps towards finishing the job, being finished with it, the ultimate goal being to make spying unnecessary by defeating his Soviet counterparts and helping to bring the Cold War to an end.

If there are others like George Smiley in le Carres universe, one of them is not Gunther Bachmann, the German spy heading a secret and only quasi-official anti-terrorism unit in Hamburg who is a main character in le Carres 2008 novel A Most Wanted Man and the main character in Anton Corbijns film adaptation now in theaters and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his final movies as Bachmann.

Bachmann might like to be, like Smiley, that is, if he knew who Smiley was and what hed accomplished and how hed accomplished it. But if he does, hes temperamentally disqualified. For one thing, he has little of the necessary modesty. Hes vain of his skills, his intelligence, and his achievements. And he lacks the patience, for another. Thats partly due to the nature of his current assignment which is to identify and thwart imminent terrorist attacks, preferably by breaking up plots before the plotters even know what theyre plotting themselves. But its also due to his still being in mid-career. We know from hints dropped in the novels and TV and film adaptations of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smileys People that at a similar point in his life Smiley hadnt yet learned to take a longer, more objective view. The significant difference between Bachmann and Smiley, however, is that Bachmann is personally ambitious. Not to move up. To move out.

Bachmann is in Hamburg doing what hes doing because something went terribly wrong at his last station in Beirut. Were not told exactly what, except that it involved meddling by the CIA, against whom Bachmann now holds a grudge and whom he already despised as bloodthirsty and incompetent. But he also blames himself for having let himself be outfoxed by those bloodthirsty incompetents at the cost of the lives of several of his assets and operatives.

Bachmann is looking to restore his reputation in the hope of winning a new assignment out in the field where the real action is but also where hell be out of the reach of interfering superiors, politicians, and diplomats and freer to operate as he knows he knows best how to do. But he also wants to be where the people hes spying on, deceiving, manipulating, betraying, and sacrificing to the cause arent his fellow Germans and innocents.

The bitter irony is that to get to that place he has to spy on, deceive, manipulate, betray, and sacrifice fellow Germans and innocents.

This doesnt make him feel guilty, at least not that guilty. It makes him more determined to do it in order to get what he wants sooner.

This time out, there are three innocents hes about to make use of, two German citizens and one who wishes to become a citizen.

That third innocent may not be that innocent: Issa Karpov (Grigory Dobrygin), the illegitimate son of a Soviet general and the fifteen year old Chechen girl he raped but then professed to have fallen in love with. She died shortly after Issa was born, but the general took care of their son, or at any rate paid for him to be taken care of, and then made him his heir. A pious Muslim, having been raised in his mothers religion, who makes a show of his piety, Issa has sneaked into Germany after his release from the last of the several prisons where he spent a good part of the years since 9/11 when he was not spending them with various jihadist groups in the Middle East. Hes come to lay claim to his inheritance which his father secretly deposited in a Hamburg bank. He insists he doesnt want the money, which for good reason he considers dirty, for his own use. The question is, then, what does he want it for? To give to charities that will help the Chechen people his father waged war upon or to funnel it to militant Islamists here in Germany or in the Middle East?

Bachmann doesnt much care where the money might be going. If its going to be used to fund terrorists, hell put a stop to it, of course. But its better for his purposes if Issa plans to give it away, because Bachmann knows just where it should end up, in the accounts of his real target, a philanthropist who almost certainly skims from the many charitable organizations he advises and directs to send to terrorist groups around the world. Almost certainly.

Bachmann plans to use Issa and his money to learn for absolutely certain. That is, he plans to use Issa as bait for a trap.

The other two innocents Bachmann makes his pawns are not as innocent as they should be, either, or at any rate their consciences arent as clear as theyd like, which makes them both vulnerable to Bachmanns manipulations: Issas idealistic lawyer, Annabelle Richter (Rachel McAdams), an attorney for an organization called Sanctuary North dedicated to helping immigrants obtain residency, citizenship, and, if they need it, political asylum, and a lovelorn banker named Tommy Brue (Willem Dafoe) who finds himself caught up in Issas story because his bank is the front for a illegal shadow bank set up near the end of the Cold War by Brues father to launder money stolen by corrupt Soviet politicians and high-ranking military officers and stash it away for them for the day when they need to get out of Russia while the getting is good. One of those secret depositors was Issas father, and Tommy Brues bank is the repository for a fortune that Brue feels duty-bound to hand over to Issa, provided Issa decides that he wants it and the police dont nab Issa beforehand.

Going in to the theater, I was wondering how Corbijn and screenwriter Andrew Bovell had gone about trying to turn a rather talky novel into a satisfying work of visual storytelling. Le Carres A Most Wanted Man is built upon extensive conversations and internal monologs in which characters tell each other what has happened and what is going to happen and the reasons for both. Most of the exciting and dramatic action takes place within quotation marks, that is, it takes place in a reported past, and that reporting is often second and third-hand. Thats where the more interesting and dynamic characters, Issas and Brues fathers, live too, in the past. (In the novels present, both are several years dead.) This works fine on the page. A story told within a story being told works on readers imaginations just as if it comprised a novel all on its own. But on screen characters talking about the past are just characters talking about the past. Makes for dull viewing. So I expected Corbijn and Bovell would resort to extensive flashbacks.

That isnt what they did.

The focus is all on the present with the working out of Bachmanns personal dilemma becoming the driving force behind the narrative. Tension and suspense build out of the questions of how ruthless hell be in pursuing his goals and whether or not hell do the right thing in the end, because he really is one of the good guys and doing his job right and doing the right thing are the same for him as they are for George Smiley. His problem is, like I said, hes not a George Smiley.

One of his problems.

Another problem is that he may not have time to do what he needs to do, right or not. Hes competing with the state police, other spy agencies, and, once again, the CIA for Issa and the right to claim his money. The cops just want to make headlines. The other spies dont let Bachmann in on their agendas. All he knows is that politics and politicians are involved and that always means trouble for him. But the CIA, in the ingratiating and seemingly reasonable and cooperative person of a senior analyst played by Robin Wright in an unconvincing short black wig with a sweep of scythe-sharp bangs slashing across her forehead, wants to do what the CIA did a lot in the Bush years. So were put into the position of rooting for Bachmann even as we suspect we wont like what he does.

This approach doesnt require much of a change from the Bachmann of the novel to the Bachmann on the screen. It does require significant changes in the characters of Annabelle Richter and Tommy Brue, changes that diminish them as admirable human beings but make them more dramatically useful and, not so oddly, more sympathetic by making them more vulnerable to Bachmanns scheming and manipulations.

As Annabelle, McAdams has the difficult task of acting out from behind the tangled tresses of her long golden blonde hair. The hair is perfectly in keeping with her character or, rather, its a perfect expression of her character, a spoiled rich girl rebelling against her establishmentarian family by playing at being a radical lawyer trying not to look like a spoiled rich girl rebelling against her family by playing at being a radical lawyer. It would probably have been a more effective disguise if she just dressed like a lawyer instead of a grad student whos planning the next several days holed up in the library in a determined effort to complete a draft of her dissertation, a style choice that sends confusing messages to Issa and Tommy Brue.

In the novel, Annabelle isnt rebelling against her family, she exemplifying a family trait of taking things a few steps farther than other people in the same situation are content to. Its not enough for her brother the psychiatrist to be a Freudian, he has to be the Freudians Freudian. As a liberal lawyer, its not enough for Annabelle to champion underdogs, she has to take on the most wretched and hopeless clients. Shes a much tougher nut than her movie counterpart. Her exploitable vulnerability is in her shaken self-confidence. She recently failed to save a client from deportation. And now shes constantly undermining herself with the fear shell fail Issa in the same way.

But that version of Annabelle only makes sense in the context of her family who are characters in the book but for whom there is no room in a two-hour movie.

McAdams Annabelle is immature, naive, more emotional than coolly intellectual in a lawyerly way. Her commitment to her work seems more an adopted attitude than to have a real passion as its source. And shes way out of her depth. She knows it too and, while her self-doubting counterpart in the novel feels desperately in need of help, this Annabelle is desperate to be saved from a predicament of her own making. Which makes her an easy mark for Bachmann who recognizes that what she wants is to have the whole problem taken out of her hands.

The Tommy Brue of the novel is the jovial, bluff, outgoing son of an expatriate Scot whose heart is still in the highlands. Hes competent, canny, and knows his business, and, more important, knows his customers businesses. Hes somebody youd gladly trust with your Euros. But theres something a little off. His wife despises him. Hes hopeless with his difficult and neurotic daughter, and hes so immediately and completely smitten with Annabelle, who is less than half his age, that despite his having been married twice and having a grown daughter, he appears to have not even a teenagers clue as to how to relate to a woman. At first glance, he comes across as charmingly young for his age, in body and at heart, but it turns out not be as much the attractive youthfulness of a man enjoying an extended prime but the pathetic boyishness of someone whos never really grown up. And no wonder. All his life, Tommy Brue (and note how he goes by a little boys nickname) has been defined in other peoples eyes and in his own as another, better mans son.

Even now, with his father seven years dead and himself running the bank for as long, he still sees himself as answering to the man he refers to as Edward Amadeus and not father, papa, or dad. When thinking his way through a problem, hes in the habit of addressing Edward Amadeus, practically holding dialogs between himself and the old mans ghost, essentially asking for the ghosts advice and permission to do whatever it is Tommy thinks needs to be done.

Again, as with the Annabelle of the novel, we have a character who only makes sense in the context of his family. But Tommys daughter is never seen or heard from and barely mentioned. His contemptuous way appears in one brief scene only to express her contempt. And Edward Amadeus is only a stick to beat the plot along, a piece of exposition produced when required to explain the action not an active participant in the unfolding of his sons personal drama popping up through the stage floor to intone Remember!

And while youd expect that Tommy, the novels Tommy, to be played by someone big, hearty, and full of good cheer, he appears on screen in the small, shrunken-looking, and sad-eyed form of Willem Dafoe who plays him as a weak, self-doubting, fraud or at least a fraud in his own eyes. We hardly need the scene with the contemptuous wife. This Tommy Brue is clearly a man used to living with the knowledge that hes contemptuous and who believes he deserves it.

The novels Tommy at sixty is still as devoted to his father and in awe of him as he was at twelve and hes determined to do right by the old mans memory, which means seeing things through as he thinks Edward Amadeus would have wanted even though that means making himself complicit in his fathers crimes and by extension Issas fathers far worse crimes. Its not so much a case of the sins of the father being visited upon the son as the son volunteering to complete the transgression.

If theres a dead father haunting the movie Tommy, its not one who commands respect and obedience based on love and respect, but one who terrifies based on a lifetime of bullying and abuse. And thats the ghost Bachmann channels as he sizes Brue up as a beaten man who expects, even needs to be bullied.

Its a rare treat, but also a bit disconcerting, to see Dafoe playing a character so completely without menace and, apparently, meanness, also without any inner reserves of strength, a weak man whose facade of competence and superiority is easily cracked. revealing a moral coward who its no trouble to embarrass, rattle, and cow. It was probably even more fun for me because Id just rewatched The Grand Budapest Hotel in which his character is the embodiment of menace and meanness. But, again, still disconcerting. A part of me kept asking What evils at work here that this can be to Willem Dafoe?

Issa is pretty much what he is in the book, as much a puzzle and a challenge for audiences as he is for readers and for Gunther. Its intrinsic to his character that he deflects sympathy. Simultaneously resistant to all efforts to help him and abjectly compliant and too stubbornly withdrawn to explain himself either way, hes inscrutable, hard to figure, harder to like, self-righteous, full of his own sense of superior virtue, a sullen version of Dostoevskys Idiot Prince Myshkin, reflexively holding himself up as a moral example that he makes so unattractive no one wants to live it up to it even if they could.

Issa is taciturn, wary, unforthcoming. Hes not monosyllabic, but he uses as few sentences as possible and speaks haltingly as if not just thinking over each word but as translating them through his first two languages, Russian and Turkish, before delivering them in German. Dobrygin, who captures Issas tensed, spidery figure as described by le Carre in the novel, does most of his acting through his mournful, questioning, accusatory eyes. But when, to disguise himself, Issas forced to shave his beard, to his humiliation and shame, revealing Dobrygins own very boyish face, the mournfulness to outright sadness and pain, the questioning becomes a beseeching: Please dont hurt me anymore. Im trying so hard to be good. His whole aspect is that of a hurt little boy trying to be brave while abjectly expecting a whipping.

Which is natural considering the scars on his back from his stints in the prisons where he was torture. Issa is someone who had to withdraw so far into himself as his only defense against torture that he cant climb out again. The little boy lostness of his expression and demeanor is what remains of the man who is lost to himself. The lost little boy would be easier to pity, however, if he wasnt such a moral scold and quite possibly a once and future terrorist.

It may be that in using Issa Bachmann is also saving him from himself.

Which brings me to Hoffman as Bachmann.

I suppose it would have been fitting if this was one of Hoffmans greatest performances and hed gone out at the very top of his game. But thats a sentimental notion and unnecessary to his legacy. In A Most Wanted Man he does what he did best throughout his career, create an entirely new person distinct from every other character he played and to do it without showiness or show-offiness and, seemingly, without effort. As he plays him, Bachmann is irritable, impatient, prone to bullying not just assets like Tommy Brue and Annabelle Richter but his superiors and his rivals in other agencies, people he should be placating if he wants to get his career back on track. He has his tender side and shows he had and probably still has a heroic one. But hes relentless and ruthless and for the most part deliberately difficult to like and even more difficult to figure, probably because he doesnt seem to much like himself or have himself at all figured out. Hoffmans Bachmann is a protagonist hard to root we root for anyway because he is so confoundedly human.

Corbijn makes Hamburg a dark and guilty place. Its as gritty and full of shadows and fog as the London of Tomas Alfredsons 2011 adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy but an even more oppressive, comfortless, and paranoia-inducing city and a more congenial home to spies and other villains because its lacking George Smiley.

What it has is a Gunther Bachmann and he and his people are lost in the gloom.

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Retrieved from the dark and guilty place known as the archives: From January 2012, my review of Aflredsons Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy starring Gary Oldman as George Smiley.

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"A Most Wanted Man" directed by Anton Corbijn, screenplay by Andrew Bovell, based on the novel by John le Carre. Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright, and Grigory Dobrygin. Rated R. Available on DVD and Blu-ray and to watch instantly at Amazon.

The novel "A Most Wanted Man" is available in paperback and for kindle at Amazon and as an audiobook from Audible.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-13 04:07:27|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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Mourners carry the body of Palestinian boy Jamal Afana, 15, during his funeral in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on May 13, 2018. Jamal Afana died Saturday of his wounds sustained close to the border with Israel in the southern Gaza Strip a day ago, medics said. (Xinhua/Khaled Omar)

GAZA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian boy died Saturday of his wounds sustained close to the border with Israel in the southern Gaza Strip a day ago, medics said.

Jamal Afana, 15, was critically wounded in his head by Israeli gunfire east of Rafah town on Friday, Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the health ministry in Gaza, said in a short text message to reporters.

Israeli soldiers also shot dead a 40-year-old man and wounded around 1,000 Palestinians on Friday, with 13 of them critically injured, Al-Qedra said.

The death toll of Palestinians has climbed to 49 with more than 8,000 injured since March 30, the first day of the six-week anti-Israel mass protests, known as the "Great March of Return" rally.PRAGUE, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Prague's Municipal House has hosted on Saturday the 73rd Prague Spring International Music Festival, country's largest classical music event held each year in various instrumental sections.

The main dramaturgical line of this year's Prague Spring is the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic.

The opening concert was performed by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Tomas Netopil. It traditionally started with a masterpiece of the Czech music "My Fatherland" by Bedrich Smetana.

The composition represents six symphonic poems inspired by the history, legends and landscape of Bohemia. Since 1952 the works have been performed to open the Prague Spring International Music Festival on May 12, the anniversary of the death of their composer.

Prague Spring started on Saturday morning at the Vysehrad Cemetery with a traditional ceremony to honor the memory of Bedrich Smetana, who marked the beginning of the festival.

Later afternoon there was a musical picnic in Kampa Park at 4 p.m. local time. The opening concert was held in the evening and broadcasted live in eight cinemas across the Czech Republic.

The festival will be completed on June 3 by the Slovak Philharmonic with their new chief conductor James Judd. The festival will offer 60 concerts. Because the event focuses on supporting young performers, this year's performer is a violinist Julian Rachlin.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-13 05:12:40|Editor: yan

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LIMA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo on Saturday slammed as a "vile lie" the alleged existence of a Swiss bank account containing 3 million U.S. dollars, in the name of a member of his entourage.

The politician, who is under investigation for allegedly receiving 20 million dollars in bribes from Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht, has been indignant since government sources leaked this information.

"I want to express my deep concern and indignation, as this news is a vile lie," Toledo reacted upon seeing the news printed by the local press.

Toledo, who was writing on Facebook, said that the allegation of this bank account sought to affect his honour and credibility.

"We are certain this was done with the dark purpose of blocking the habeas corpus presented in my favor, where we demand due process be respected," he said.

Toledo said his lawyers would present a demand to Peru's attorney-general on Monday, demanding a full clarification about this Swiss bank account.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-13 05:22:42|Editor: yan

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ANKARA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkey is set to receive its first F-35 aircraft, world's most advanced fighter jets, despite an initiative launched by U.S. senators to block the delivery amid faltering relations between Turkey and the United States.

Defense sources close to the project told Xinhua that the first F-35 will be delivered to the Turkish Air Force on June 21 in the United States where a ceremony will take place.

"This plane will be deployed at Eglin air base in Florida, U.S. for a year where Turkish pilots will get training," said Ozgur Eksi, a senior analyst with the Istanbul-based C4 defence magazine.

Several batches would comprise some 20 other jets which are expected to be delivered gradually until 2022.

The F-35 fighter jet is being developed and built by U.S. defence contractor Lockheed Martin for the United States, Britain, Australia, Italy, Norway, Turkey, the Netherlands, Denmark and Canada in a project worth about 400 billion U.S. dollars, making it the world's most expensive weapons program.

A total of 3,000 F-35 jets are to go into service around the world in coming years.

Now, two Turkish Air Force pilots are getting special training in the United States, Anadolu Agency reported citing defense sources.

After the training is completed and another warplane is delivered, the F-35 jets are planned to be brought to Turkey in September 2019. The trained pilots will fly the two F-35 jets accompanied by a refuelling plane.

Meanwhile, a number of U.S. congressmen have urged the Trump administration to suspend the procurement because of Turkey's decision to buy Russian S-400 advanced air defence systems.

"If they take such a step at a moment when we are trying to mend our bilateral ties, they will definitely get a response from Turkey," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told private broadcaster CNN Turk in an interview last week.

In 2014, Turkey placed an order for the first two F-35 jets for the projected fleet of 100 F-35A aircraft and plans to deploy the aircraft by 2019.

The F-35 jets are planned to be deployed at the 7th Main Jet Base Command in Turkey's eastern Malatya province, located at the southern borders of Turkey with Iran, Iraq and Syria.

The F-35 jets will replace Turkey's aging fleet of F-4 and F-16 aircraft. Last December, the Pentagon said Italy and Turkey would provide the initial heavy maintenance of the F-35 fighter jets and their engines.

Turkey is still in negotiations to purchase 16 vertical landing type aircraft.

In terms of industrial participation, the Turkish defence industry plays an important role in the program as a parts supplier for the F-35 program.

Ten Turkish firms, including Aselsan, Kale Aviation, Roketsan, and Turkish Aerospace Industries, are involved in the production of parts and electronic systems and the engine maintenance for F-35.

U.S. senators have introduced a bill calling on President Donald Trump's administration to exclude Ankara from the program, citing the country's human rights records and the fact that an evangelical pastor, Andrew Brunson, is still jailed there and tried for "espionage" and "terrorism" charges after the botched military coup of July 2016. He faces up to 35 years in prison.

Ties between the United States and Turkey have soured dramatically over rival stances on the war in Syria and Washington's refusal to extradite cleric Fethullah Gulen to Turkey over his alleged role of masterminding the failed coup.

Tensions have risen further over Turkey's soon expected purchase of Russian S-400 defense system, worrying NATO partners and Washington alike. The multi-billion-dollar deal could eventually lead to the U.S. placing sanctions on Turkey to which Ankara has wowed to retaliate.

Washington imposed an arms embargo on Turkey following the Turkish invasion of northern Cyprus in 1974, a military operation which was in response to a Greek coup to annex Cyprus to Greece.

Ironically, this embargo pushed Turkey to develop its own defense industry over the years, diminishing considerably its dependence on foreign countries.

Experts believe that blocking F-35 delivery to Turkey will eventually cause the collapse of the whole massive project because important parts of the aircraft such as the central fuselage are manufactured in Turkey.

"The U.S. will shoot itself in the foot, it would definitely harm the entire project," argued Ozgur Eksi.

Observers have argued that if the U.S. administration imposes military sanctions on Turkey, it would enhance the country's already extensive cooperation with Russia and push Ankara towards Moscow's influence sphere.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-13 05:27:43|Editor: Xiang Bo

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A police officer closes the door at a polling station in Baghdad, Iraq, May 12, 2018. Iraq's Independent Electoral Commission (IHEC) said on Saturday that the turnout in the parliamentary election has reached 44.5 percent with votes of over 4,000 polling stations still uncounted. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

BAGHDAD, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's Independent Electoral Commission (IHEC) said on Saturday that the turnout in the parliamentary election has reached 44.5 percent with votes of over 4,000 polling stations still uncounted.

"The total number of voters in and outside Iraq reached 10,840,989 out of more than 24 million eligible voters," Ryadh al-Badran, an IHEC senior official, told a press conference in the capital Baghdad.

With the votes of about 4,321 polling stations still uncounted, it is believed that the final turnout will rise, Badran noted.

Millions of Iraqis headed Saturday to 8,959 polling centers across the country to vote for their parliamentary representatives in the first general election since Iraq's historic victory over the Islamic State (IS) group last December.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-13 05:32:45|Editor: ZD

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Police officers cordon off the site where a knife attack happened in Paris, France, May 12, 2018. A man randomly attacked bystanders with a knife on Saturday night in central Paris, local media reported. At least one person was killed and several others injured, with two seriously wounded, French news channel BFM TV reported. The knife attacker, not identified yet, was shot dead by police. (Xinhua/Han Bing)

PARIS, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A man randomly attacked bystanders with a knife on Saturday night in central Paris, Paris prefecture confirmed.

"Five people in the 2nd district of Paris were attacked by an individual armed with a knife," the prefecture tweeted.

"One victim died. Two were seriously injured and two were wounded slightly," it added.

The knife attacker, not identified yet, was shot dead by police.

The incident took place in Opera district of central Paris, and the site was about 400 meters away from Paris Opera House.

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb denounced "heinous act" and praised police "composure" and swift reaction to neutralize the attacker.

Citing a police source, French newspaper Le Figaro reported that the operating mode of the attacker, who shouted something during the stabbing rampage, suggested a terrorist motivation.

France has become a major target of frequent terrorist attacks in recent years. A wave of attacks, claimed by the Islamic State, had broken several times the calm at home with the bloodiest was in Paris where a series of explosives and shootings left 130 victims in November of 2015.

In October 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron signed anti-terrorism law which he said was necessary to muscle security at home to combat high terrorism menace.

The bill enshrines emergency security rules into ordinary law that allow police will have more power to search, arrest without judge approval and restrict people movements and gathering.LONDON, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Workers in Britain are suffering the worst pay squeeze for two centuries, the head of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) told a major rally in London's Hyde Park Saturday.

Tens of thousands of workers from across the country set off from the Embankment alongside the Thames across Trafalgar Square, to Piccadilly Circus, and then to Hyde Park in the "New Deal for Working People" rally.

The marchers came from a wide range of professions and jobs, including teachers, nurses, office workers, paramedics and ambulance drivers as well as civil servants and office cleaners.

At Hyde Park they were addressed by Frances O'Grady, general secretary of the TUC who told them British workers are suffering the longest squeeze on real wages in modern history.

Another speaker, Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain's main opposition Labor Party, told the rally that his party would create a government ministry to guarantee worker's rights.

"We will give workers more power by strengthening their rights and freedoms to organize together to improve their lives," Corbyn said, criticizing Theresa May's Conservative government for a lack of wage growth and cuts in spending on public services.

New research by the TUC said 10 years on from the financial crisis real wages are still worth 32.5 U.S. dollars a week less than in 2008, and wages are not forecast to return to their pre-crash level until 2025.

O'Grady told the marchers today: "UK workers are suffering the worst pay squeeze for two centuries. It's taking wages longer to recover from this crash than from the great depression and Second World War.

"This means families are struggling to get by. Millions of kids are growing up in poverty despite having parents in work. Moms and dads are skipping meals and turning to dodgy lenders to make ends meet.

"That's why tens of thousands are marching today for a new deal for working people. We need great jobs in every region and nation of the UK, and higher wages for all workers, not just the bosses."

A TUC spokesperson added: "Not since the beginning of the 18th century (when it took 24 years), has it taken so long for real wages to recover from a slump."

The TUC has compared the current wages squeeze with every major earnings crisis over the past 200 years. Even during the Great Depression era (10 years) and revival from the Second World War (7 years) real wages recovered more quickly.

The TUC estimates that as a result of pay not keeping pace with the cost of living, by 2025 the average worker will have lost out on around 25,000 U.S. dollars in real earnings.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-13 05:57:50|Editor: yan

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HAVANA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The Cuban government is to offer training to specialists from across the Caribbean on how to cope with natural disasters at a new meteorological center in the province of Ciego de Avila, local press reported on Saturday.

According to the Cuban media, the minister of science, technology and the environment, Elba Rosa Perez, said that this institution would offer preparation courses to mitigate disaster damage to scientists and researchers from Caribbean nations.

"This is an ideal place to address ... weather predictions and climate change. Furthermore, it can offer technical assistance, scientific and technological services and innovations," she said.

As well as studying the climate, the site is also an advanced center for weather predictions and counts with an early warning system ahead of dangerous climate conditions such as hurricanes.

Furthermore, Perez said the site has the conditions, the technology and the personnel required to become an excellent convention center in Cuba.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-13 06:22:53|Editor: ZD

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DAMASCUS, May 12 (Xinhua) -- It seems that gone are the days when Israel would infiltrate the Syrian airspace for hit-and-run strikes, as the Syrian side has upped its game in such confrontation, starting with shooting back on Israeli warplanes and most recently responding to an attack with another attack on Israel, the first of its kind since the Arab-Israeli war in 1973.

Worrying about the Syrian government's alliance with Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah, Israel has repeatedly struck Syrian positions throughout the Syrian crisis, on the pretext that the targets contain weapon shipments sent from Iran that would end up in the hands of Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, the Syrian government accuses Israel of aiding the rebels in southern Syria close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, backed by video footage emerging about how Israel is offering medical treatment to the rebels.

At some point, observers believed that Israel was aiding rebels to create a buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border akin to what it did in Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war.

With the progress of the Syrian army and its allies on the ground, which has apparently sparked Israel's fears, the Jewish country increased its attacks, repeatedly warning that the Iranian military presence in Syria won't be tolerated.

The Israeli strikes, however, have also become intolerable by Syria, which cannot just keep taking in such attacks that target its sovereignty without punching back.

The turning point between the Israel-Syrian confrontation appeared in February, when the Syrian army said it shot down an Israeli F-16 fighter jet, which targeted an air base in the central province of Homs on the pretext that an Iranian drone was sent from the base and infiltrated the Israeli airspace.

In April, Israel carried out an attack on the T-4 air base in Homs, killing a number of fighters including Iranians.

On April 14, the U.S., France, and Britain launched a series of missile strikes on military positions in Syria over its alleged chemical attack in a formerly rebel-held area near Damascus.

The U.S.-led attacks were seen by analysts as a planned assault that played in the hands of Israelis.

On May 8, Israel targeted a Syrian military site in the Kisweh area in the southwestern countryside of the capital Damascus, with activists saying 15 people were killed, including eight Iranians.

Since then, Israel was anticipating a payback from Iran, particularly with all the wrangling about Iran's international nuclear deal, as Israel has been a staunch opponent to the deal along with President Donald Trump, who announced his country's withdrawal from the deal on May 8.

On May 9, Israel fired on military positions in Qunaitera, but this time the response was not just air defenses. Actual rockets slammed Israeli military positions inside the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The targeted Israeli military sites include a military reconnaissance center, a position for border security, a military center for electronic jamming, a military center for spying on wireless and wired networks, a communication station, an observatory for precision weapons, a gunships heliport, the headquarters of the regional military command of brigade-810, the command center of the military battalion in Hermon, and the winter headquarters of the special snow unit, according to the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV.

Later, the Israelis launched a series of missiles strikes on Syrian military positions, and said that it had targeted Iranian military bases in the country.

A Syrian military statement, however, said that most of the Israeli missiles were destroyed before hitting their targets, adding that a radar station was hit as well as air defenses battalions, stressing readiness to respond to any "aggression."

For their side, the Israeli army said that the overnight Israeli airstrikes on Syria have set back Iran's military capabilities there by "many months."

Israel's military said its air force struck "dozens" of military targets belonging to the Iranian al-Quds forces in Syria overnight between Wednesday and Thursday.

Also, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman Friday called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to expel Iranian forces from Syria.

"I will take this opportunity to send a message to Assad: Get rid of the Iranians ... get rid of the Quds Force," Lieberman said during a tour in the town of Katzrin in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Maher Ihsan, a Syrian political expert, told Xinhua that Israel has received a strong message that its missiles and warplanes will not only be responded with air defenses, but the attacks will be retaliated as it recently happened in Qunaitera, where the response to the attacks came almost instantly and targeted Israeli military positions in the Golan Heights.

"It's the first hot escalation and actual crossfire between both sides since the Arab-Israeli 1973 war and it's an indication that the Syrian side and its allies will not stand idle about any future Israeli strikes," he said.

On possible escalation into a full-fledged war, Ihsan said no one wants an open regional war, but what is happening is an attempt by the U.S. and Israel to contain the Iranian regional influence, particularly in Syria and this "tussle started when the U.S. withdrew from the nuclear deal."

"But this means that the area is open to several eventualities, as we have mentioned before that any Israeli attacks will no longer pass unnoticed," he noted.BESSEMER  Just under $1.4 million  thats the amount former Ironwood Township Treasurer Jyl Renee Olson-DeRosso is ordered to pay in restitution as part of her criminal case on embezzlement and forgery charges.

After listening to arguments from both sides May 1, Gogebic County Circuit Judge Michael Pope ruled Friday the township is owed $1,398,654 in restitution to cover both the amount stolen and some of the costs the township incurred investigating the embezzlement.

We understand that collecting this amount from the defendant certainly has its challenges, but this is something that will follow her for the rest of her life, Gogebic County Prosecutor Nick Jacobs said. It should also enable the township to successfully pursue the collection against their bonding and available insurance.

He added he was pleased with the courts findings, which granted the majority of what he requested at the May 1 hearing.

In March, Olson-DeRosso, 48, pleaded guilty or no-contest to 10 counts related to forgery and embezzlement which occurred between 2011 to 2016 while she served as a treasurer.

Fridays restitution order breaks down the amount owed into $1,243,535 in stolen money  including $218,765 in fraudulent checks and $1,024,770 in other embezzled funds  and $155,118 in costs incurred during the investigation.

In this case, the testimony and exhibits clearly established the township sustained direct financial losses as a result of the defendants criminal actions, Pope wrote.

Were not surprised, township supervisor Steve Boyd said, regarding the restitution figure. As weve done all the research  between the different audits that have come through, the forensic audit, all of our own records  everything weve done for this was validated. Im pleased with the courts decision that it recognizes the severity of what she did.

Of course were all still  saddened by the whole situation. But restitution shows justice has been done, as far as the restitution goes, and were hopeful we can begin to recover the taxpayers dollars so they can be put where they were supposed to be put in the first place.

The May 1 restitution hearing included testimony from Plante Morans Michelle McHale, who the township hired to conduct a forensic audit over the past financials in an effort to determine a total for the amount of money missing from the township, as well as Olson-DeRosso.

The Plante Moran forensic audit concluded the amount of cash diverted from three township accounts from June 2013 to November 2016 was between $959,864 and $1,024,770. This figure didnt include an additional $196,862 in fraudulent checks written from the townships tax collection and trust and agency accounts, which the Michigan Department of Treasury discovered in its earlier investigation and which Olson-DeRosso admitted to taking.

In his opinion on restitution Friday; Pope explained he used the high end of the forensic audit, as the lower figure didnt include a complete accounting of the townships garbage fund for 2013 and 2014  which would have increased the lower end of the range.

He also said he used a larger figure for the amount in fraudulent checks as Boyd testified in the hearing additional checks were discovered after the state of Michigans report came out.

Pope largely dismissed Olson-DeRossos testimony in her defense.

(The) defendant acknowledged she was poor at accounting and even conceded she probably never should have been township treasurer. As such, the court puts no weight on her testimony challenging the Plante Moran forensic audit, Pope wrote. Given her acknowledged deficiencies in accounting, the court also puts no weight toward defendants testimony on other possible causes for the missing funds.

Pope didnt award any money for hours township employees spent investigating the matter, take part of Olson-DeRossos salary for time spent embezzling funds or profits from the sale of items allegedly purchased with township funds. He explained the necessary burden of proof wasnt met or the profits from sales were accounted for in other calculations.

Going forward, Boyd said claims had previously been filed with the townships bonding and insurance companies but were stalled until a restitution figure was announced and the criminal trial concludes.

While there is also a civil suit against Olson-DeRosso and counter-suit against the township, Boyd said the township was waiting for the conclusion of the criminal case Monday before continuing with the litigation.

While McHale testified at the restitution hearing the numbers in the forensic audit likely didnt represent the townships complete losses, it likely isnt cost-effective to pursue the investigation further given the already sizable figure as well as the bonding and insurance caps.

Were satisfied with the conclusion of the court, Boyd said, when asked whether the figure included the full amount Olson-DeRosso took while treasurer.

Olson-DeRosso will be sentenced on the 10 felony counts Monday.Coun Perez reiterates warning to barangay leaders involved in drugs

07 Aug 2017 Hits:37 Comments(0)

Liga ng mga Barangay President, Councilor Jerry Perez yesterday reiterated his warning to all barangay officials from using or selling drugs. Perez said he is closely monitoring the activities of all the barangay officials and vowed sanctions against erring leaders. Aqui gane na mio barangay ya quita ya iyo na puesto cunel dos barangay leaders quien mas temprano ya sale positivo na...BENGALURU: The Congress will emerge as the single largest party in Karnataka Assembly elections 2018 with 106-118 seats, predicted India Today-Axis My India Exit poll. While the BJP is expected to win 79-92 seats, the JDS+ will win 22-30 seats and others are likely to bag 1-4 seats.

Unlike the India Today-Axis exit poll, other exit polls including Republic TV Jan Ki Baat, News X-CNX, ABP-C Voter suggested that the BJP will sweep Karnataka polls establishing itself as the single largest party.

Times Now-VMR and IndiaTV-VMR, on the other hand, walked along the lines of India Today exit poll, predicting the win of the grand old party in the 2018 Karnataka polls.

All the predictions will end on May 15 when the votes cast for the 222 assembly seats will be counted.

Karnataka went to polls on Saturday with 4.94 crore voters exercising their franchise to decide the fates of over 2500 candidates.

Now it is to see if the Siddaramaiah-led ruling Congress government could restore power for a second consecutive term. Or, will the Narendra Modi-powered BJP, who is eyeing to dethrone the Congress government, spread its wings to the 22nd state.New Delhi: The world will celebrate Mother's Day on May 13, Sunday this year. Although we don't need a single to celebrate Mother's Day as it should be celebrated every year. Yet if ever we have to make her feel special then perhaps this one dedicated day for all the mothers is the perfect way to do so.

So we have compiled a list of heartfelt messages that you can send to your mommy dearest on this special day if you are away from home

*Today, I will make the most of it by saying 'Thank you Maa'. Loads of love for everything you do. Happy Mother's Day!

*You have been the greatest inspiration in my life and will continue to be forever. I love you the most mom, always!

*I can't express in words how much gratitude and love I feel for you. Thanks for being there always with me and the family. Happy Mother's Day Maa!

*Here's wishing you a Happy Mother's Day. I take this opportunity to say 'I love you' the most in this world.

*You were my first guide, who then became my mentor. Whatever I am today is because of you. A big thank you for everything you do mom.

*Impossible word is not in your dictionary mom, you made all my wishes come true and today I take this opportunity to say 'thank you'!

*A very very Happy Mother's Day' mommy dearest. You are my idol in life.

*Maa, I love you truckloads, and on this special day I pledge to make you proud!

*Your unconditional love for family has made me realise that only a mother can possess such a selfless trait of only giving and not expecting anything in return. Love you loads mom!

*A very 'Happy Mother's Day' mom. Not just because you are the world's bestest mother but also because you made me feel that I am the bestest kid ever. Love you truck loads maa!American e-commerce giant Amazon seems to have made it a habit of raking up controversies repeatedly. The latest row emerged when a brochure for an event organised by the company had a an incorrect map of India.

The brochure for a company event scheduled for earlier this week in Mumbai had an incorrect map of India. It almost instantly sparked a row with people on social media urging those invited for the event to boycott it. Many asked the company to issue a public apology. A spokesperson for Amazon Internet Services later told Economic Times that the matter is being taken seriously. "We are working with our teams to ensure such inadvertent errors are not repeated," the spokesperson told the newspaper.

This is hardly the first time Amazon has landed itself in a spot of bother in India. In 2017, footmats with Indian national flag prints were for sale on Amazon Canada - leading to a massive outcry. The matter was taken up by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and the Seattle-based company had to not only pull back the product from all its websites but also issue a public apology.New Delhi: Scenes of absolute chaos, anarchy and pandemonium were witnessed on Saturday when Congress party workers clashed with each other over the ticket distribution for Kanpur Municipal Corporation polls. That senior party leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Raj Babbar were present at the venue at the time which would further embarrass Congress.

The incident took place at the Ragender Swarup Auditorium in Kanpur where Congress workers had assembled along with leaders like Azad and Babbar. While the exact cause of the chaos that eventually broke out is not yet known, several workers were seen yelling at each other and taking on aggressive postures. In a video of the incident, Azad and Babbar - sitting on a stage - can be seen watching in stunned silence even as someone on the mike repeatedly urges the workers to calm down.

#WATCH Clashes broke out among Congress party workers during a party conference at Ragender Swarup Auditorium in #Kanpur, allegedly over the distribution of tickets for Kanpur Municipal Corporation polls '07. Party leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad & Raj Babbar were present at the event. pic.twitter.com/aFFDmnobTl  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 12, 2018

The latest incident is likely to cause massive embarrassment to Congress at a time when party president Rahul Gandhi has said workers need to come together and strive for favourable results in upcoming state elections the Lok Sabha elections next year.New Delhi: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said a strategic agreement has been signed with UAE according to which the country will store six million barrels of oil in India.

Pradhan, who is currently in the UAE, said a seven-year agreement has been signed between the two countries which would enable oil to be stored safely in India. "Leaders of both nations have decided to strengthen their strategic partnership. For the first time, UAE has decided to store 6 million barrels of oil in strategic storage. Such engagement is taking our relations to a new height," he told news agency ANI. "This is a 7-year agreement. It is in the interest of both the nations. UAE will make a presence in Indian markets and the oil will be stored safely in our nation."

India is a major importer of oil and it reached record levels at 4.4 million barrels a day in 2017. Shaky international crude prices in recent months have led to petrol and diesel prices in the country reaching record highs while the current US-Iran standoff over the nuclear deal does not promise a bright future either. As such, experts say India ought to be widening its horizons instead of depending much on any one country for its oil needs.

The latest deal between India and UAE though is only for strategic storage.New Delhi: Bravehearts of the Indian Army will soon get a new shield that could prove to be a lifesaver during combat operations. The new bulletproof jackets for Indian Army soldiers would reportedly be capable of blocking fire from AK-47 assault rifles.

AK-47 - considered one of the deadliest assault weapons in the world - would be of no threat to soldiers of the Indian Army because they would soon be getting a bulletproof jacket especially designed to block out fire from a wide range of guns and rifles. Even steel hard core bullets, it is claimed, would be incapable of causing any damage.

Manufactured in India by Defence Materials and Stores Research and Development Establishment (DMSRDE) after five years of research, these jackets promise to shield soldiers from fire coming in from any direction.

Officials say that the main advantage of the jacket would be in close-combat operations during which it would shield a soldier's chest, back, neck and groin area from enemy fire. Chances of stealth attacks from the enemies too could be negated as close-range firing would be no match for these jackets. Unlike conventional bulletproof jackets though, these jackets are believed to be ultra-lightweight and won't restrict movement of soldiers who are wearing them. "These jackets weigh 10.4 kilos each. This is much lighter - and yet stronger - than what armies of other countries are equipped with," said a DMSRDE official.

Indian Army has reportedly already raised a request for these jackets and one lakh units are being provided in the first phase. Additionally, these jackets could also be provided to BSF and paramilitary forces.Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today spoke to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the alleged assault on a group of Kashmiris in the national capital recently.

She urged Kejriwal to ensure the safety and security of Kashmiris living and working in Delhi.

"Mehbooba Mufti asked Arvind Kejriwal to ensure and maintain the confidence and safety of students, businessmen, employees, particularly women from the state so that they do not feel inconvenienced during their stay in the national capital," an official spokesman said.

A group of Kashmiri people was allegedly thrashed by a mob in southeast Delhi's Sunlight Colony on May 10.

Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, however, today informed Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba that the alleged thrashing of the group had nothing to do with their origin.

He said the incident was a local issue, triggered by a dispute over feeding stray dogs.NEW DELHI: Ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday admitted that Pakistan-based terror outfits were responsible for 2008 Mumbai blasts.

Speaking in an interview to Pakistan media Dawn, Sharif said, "Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross-border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Why can't we complete trial?"

As many as 10 heavily-armed Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists forced their way into the city of Mumbai on November 26, 2008 and carried out coordinated shooting and bombing. The assault on the financial capital of India lasted until November 29.

Attacks on Mumbai's landmarks such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Hotel, and Leopold Cafe killed 166 and injured over 300. Since then, India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of having supported the terrorists and given proof that the handlers of these terrorists were based in Pakistan.

A timeline: What happened on 26/11?

On November 23, a total of 10 terrorists left Karachi by boat through the Arabian Sea. The terrorists, on their way to Mumbai, hijacked a fishing dinghy, killed four of the crew members and forced the captain to take them to India. The terrorists then killed the captain of the boat when the boat was just 7 kilometres away from the Mumbai coastline. Upon reaching Mumbai, the terrorists divided themselves groups and went separate ways.

On November 26, the first group of terrorists, including Mohammed Ajmal Kasab and Ismail Khan, attacked Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Shooting indiscriminately, the attackers killed 58 people and injured more than 100.

Next, Nariman House business and residential complex was attacked. The attackers took rabbi, his wife, and five Israelis hostage and later killed them.

At around 9:30 PM, Leopold Cafe was attacked by four terrorists. They entered the cafe and opened firing. The attack killed 10 people. The terrorists also planted bombs in two taxis that killed five and injured over 10 people.

The terrorists then entered the Taj Mahal hotel by breaking down a door. They were later joined by two more terrorists who opened indiscriminately and threw grenades. The final site of the attack was Oberoi-Trident Hotel.

On November 27, the central dome of the Taj Mahal hotel was bombed. The top floors of the hotel caught fire. 44 hostages were freed from the Oberoi-Trident Hotel and the operation was started to evacuate Taj Mahal hotel.

O November 28, a few more people were rescued from Nariman House. The siege ended at the Oberoi-Trident Hotel. 30 people were killed. The siege finally ended with the arrest of Ajmal Kasab and killing of all the terrorists.LUCKNOW: The Aligarh Muslim University Students Union (AMUSU) on Saturday wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind, urging his intervention to end the controversy over Muhammad Ali Jinnah's portrait on the university campus.

"Wed again like to make it very clear that the students of Aligarh Muslim University are in no way defending Mohammad Ali Jinnah or his portrait," AMUSU president Maskoor Ahmad Usmani said.

In their letter to Kovind, the students alleged that no satisfactory action has been taken by the Uttar Pradesh government yet. They also said that the Aligarh district administration was yet to act against those who trespassed into the campus and indulged in acts of violence on May 2.

AMUSU leaders warned they would intensify their stir and start a relay hunger strike if their demands are not met. They are also demanding action against the police officers responsible for lathicharge on students on May 2.

AMUSU leaders, including Usmani, sought an appointment with Kovind over the issue. Last week, the varsity examinations were also deferred due to the issue.

"We have high regard for the president and we hope his prompt intervention will ensure justice and fair play on this critical issue which we are presently facing," Usmani said.

He said a similar letter has also been sent to Union Human Resources Development Minister Prakash Javadekar.

"We are now eagerly awaiting the response to our letters which were sent three days back," he said.

Students of the university have been agitating for nearly two weeks, demanding action against the right-wing protesters, who entered the campus and demanded the removal of Jinnah's portrait from the student union's office. The row started after local BJP MP Satish Gautam wrote to AMU, raising objections to the portrait.

The BJP has also hit out at those who opposed the call to remove Jinnah's portrait in AMU, saying those standing with Jinnah also stood for terrorist Afzal Guru. BJP spokesperson Sudanshu Trivedi said that those who are standing for Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah also stood for terrorists like Afzal Guru.

Here's the full text of the letter:

PRESIDENT,

ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION

ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY

As youd be well aware of the recent developments in Aligarh, primarily in Aligarh Muslim University of how we have been protesting since 2nd of May at the varsitys main gate Bab-eSyed. It is the tenth day of our protest and wed like to convey you that former Vice President Janab Hamid Ansari Sahab has written a letter to us in which he has raised some serious questions on the disruption of the event he was supposed to speak in, the precise timing of the disruption and the excuses manufactured for justifying it.

All these questions that are put up by the former Vice President only prove our claim that there was a breach in his security and that right-wing groups namely Hindu Jagaran Manch, Hindu Yuva Vahini, and Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad tried to attack him (Mr. Ansari) on 2nd of May. We have been saying this since the day of the incident but unfortunately, so our claim was either repeatedly denied by certain media organizations or was completely overlooked.

The issue of Jinnahs portrait was a hoax manufactured by some in media who had vested interests along with the ruling party in the center. Wed again like to make it very clear that the students of Aligarh Muslim University are in no way defending Mohammad Ali Jinnah or his portrait. It must be clear to everybody that AMU being a central university of national importance is not run by right-wing organizations like ABVP or Hindu Yuva Vahini. If the portrait has to be removed, it must be removed by the directions of the government of India, and the government must formulate a policy for removal of all such portraits, statues, and symbols. Until any such direction by the government, the portrait shall remain untouched. What has to be done with the portrait is upon the government and university administration to decide and not by the goons who tried to attack our former Vice President Hamid Ansari.

That being said, wed like to draw your attention towards the ongoing protest on the university campus. The students are still protesting against the right-wing groups who tried to attack former Vice President Hamid Ansari, and also against the district administration of Aligarh who brutally attacked the students of AMU for registering their protest peacefully. Were also enclosing the letter sent by Janab Dr. Hamid Ansari Sahab. Dear friends in Media,

Regards, Maskoor Ahmad Usmani

(With inputs from PTI)In 2014, the Supreme Court unexpectedly cleared the way for a dramatic expansion of gay marriage in the United States, and more events that haKATHMANDU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on his third visit to Nepal since assuming office in 2014, stressed that Nepal is at the top of India's Neighbourhood First policy while announcing a Rs 100 crore package to develop Janakpur on Friday.

On Saturday, Prime Minister will visit Kathmandu's Pashupatinath Temple and Mustang's Muktinath temple. Here's a quick look at the Prime Minister's itinerary.

7:30 AM: PM Modi will offer prayers at the Muktinath temple

10:25 AM: Visit to Pashupatinath Temple

11:50 AM to 13:25 PM: Meeting with various leaders in hotel

15:05 PM: Arrival at Rashtriya Sabha Griha followed by civic reception

A high layer of security has been maintained in Mustang in view of PM Modis visit to offer puja at Muktinath temple. Following the visit to Muktinath Temple, Modi will return to Kathmandu and offer prayers at the Pashupatinath temple. He is expected to hold several political meetings with leaders from various parties later in the day.

This is PM Modi's second meet with counterpart K P Sharma Oli in less than two months. The duo held extensive talks to improve bilateral ties. Nepal and India reached six major understandings so far.

In a series of tweet, the PM Modi hailed the ties between the two nations, commending the Himalayan nation for successfully holding elections to lauding the historic and cultural ties between the two neighbours.



Cultural relations are at the core of India-Nepal friendship. PM Oli and I talked about ways to increase our cultural linkages, especially through the development of Ramayana and Buddhist tourist circuits. We want more pilgrims and tourists to visit each others countries. pic.twitter.com/OBt6EBZBHp  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 11, 2018

During my talks with PM Oli, we reviewed the full range of our bilateral ties and the ground covered since our last meeting in Delhi. Cooperation in boosting connectivity, through waterways and railways was actively discussed. There were also deliberations to improve trade ties. pic.twitter.com/7q54TkR6vq  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 11, 2018

Modi and Oli held one-on-one and delegation-level talks where both sides agreed to resolve outstanding issues before September 19 that marks Nepal`s Constitution Day.

India is ready to partner with Nepal for cross-border connectivity and agreed to commence survey to link Kathmandu with the Indian Railways` survey soon.

A team of Indian experts will begin the survey for the feasibility of the rail linkages and India is also sending a team of experts to conduct feasibility survey for inland water navigation.

"We are connected with Nepal through rail, water, transmission line, petroleum pipeline," Modi told the media.

With agency inputsKATHMANDU: Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Saturday dismissed rumours that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Nepal was timed in a way to coincide with the Karnataka assembly elections on Saturday. Responding to a question at a press meet, Gokhale said the dates of the visit were discussed when the Prime Minister had telephoned his counperpart KP Oli to congratulate him for his post on February 15.

"When Prime Minister Modi had telephoned Prime Minister Oli upon his election as the prime minister of Nepal, they had discussed the visit then. Prime Minister Oli had then expressed his desire for an early visit by Prime Minister Modi. They had discussed the visits, and the Prime Minister (Modi) had said you (Oli) come first. So that's how the sequence has been, first Prime Minister Oli visited India and now Prime Minister (Modi) is in Nepal," Gokhale said.

Dismissing the reports, he added that "whenever state visits take place they are decided as per the convenience of the two nations. No one prime minister alone can say that I will come at this time. So, don't focus on the dates, but focus on the content of this visit."

Oli had arrived in Delhi on April 7, when he said the "historical" and "renewed" friendship between India and Nepal was oriented towards the future and the bilateral ties have evolved according to the "needs of times".

Modi had arrived in Kathmandu on Fridya on a two-day visit and held discussions with Oli on strengthening ties between the two neighbouring countries. He also met Nepal's former prime ministers Prachanda and Sher Bahadur Deuba, and opposition leaders and held wide-ranging discussions on ways to strengthen bilateral ties.

During his visit, the Prime Minister visited several religious spots including the famed 20th century Janaki temple, the Mukhtinath and Pashupatinath temple. PM Modi along with PM Oli jointly flagged off a bus service connecting Sita's birthplace Janakpur to Ayodhya.Ajmer (Rajasthan): School textbooks in Rajasthan has a new narrative. Freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak, also known as Lokamanya Tilak, has been described as the `father of terrorism`.

Chapter 22 of the reference book for Class 8 Social Studies has a chapter on "Incidents of National Movement during 18th and 19th century". One of the subtopics is on Tilak.

"Tilak demonstrated a path towards national movement, therefore, he is called as the father of terrorism," reads page 267 of the book.

The book published by a Mathura-based printer is being used by private English-medium schools affiliated to the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE).

"Tilak clearly believed that we cannot achieve anything just by pleading the British officers. Through Shivaji and Ganpati festivals, Tilak aroused unique awareness in the country. He instilled the mantra of freedom among the masses, due to which he became a thorn in the eyes of the British," the book further reads.

The chapter is also reportedly poorly phrased, with strong ideological opinions.

The incident has sparked a row.

"Describing Tilak as the "father of terrorism" is highly condemnable, said Private School Association Director Kailash Sharma. Before writing or making such controversial changes in texts, one should consult with the historians first."

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh tweeted, Class 8 book calls Bal Gangadhar Tilak 'father of terrorism' Would CM Rajasthan please correct it and punish the guilty?

Class 8 book calls Bal Gangadhar Tilak 'father of terrorism' https://t.co/c1ZghCLptP

-via @inshorts

Would CM Rajasthan please correct it and punish the guilty?  digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) May 11, 2018

Other academicians and historians called it derogatory to term Tilak as 'the father of terrorism'.

This is not the first such textbook incidence in Rajasthan.

In 2017, Rajasthan state board schools gave prominent space to Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar, pushing to the role of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru to the margins.

With agency inputsNew Delhi: Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha on Saturday took to Twitter to say that any citizen of India can aspire to be the Prime Minister of the country in what may well be words of support for Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul at a poll rally in Karnataka earlier this week `had said that he is ready to become the PM if Congress won the Lok Sabha elections next year. It was a statement much jeered at by political rivals led by BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too had said that Rahul's ambitions to be the PM 'reeked of arrogance.'

Shatrughan though said there is nothing wrong with someone wanting to be India's PM. "Anybody can become PM in our democracy. Naamdar, Kaamdar, Daamdar or for that matter any average Samajhdar, if he has the numbers & support. "Anybody can become PM in our democracy. Naamdar, Kaamdar, Daamdar or for that matter any average Samajhdar. If he has the numbers and support," he tweeted without actually taking Rahul's name. "Why are we making such a hue and cry about it? After all isnt it their internal matter and any PMship has to be through verdict of majority?"

Anybody can become PM in our democracy. Naamdar, Kaamdar, Daamdar or for that matter any average Samajhdar, if he has the numbers & support. Why are we making such a hue and cry about it? After all isnt it their internal matter & any PMship has to be through verdict of majority.  Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) May 12, 2018

Shatrughan is not the first to have apparently come out in support of Rahul. Shiv Sena - a party which has had a hate-love-hate relationship with BJP in Maharashtra - too recently questioned why Rahul was being targeted for his PM remark.

Both Congress and BJP have begun their respective preparations for the elections next year - urging party workers and leaders to step up and reach out to the masses.NEW DELHI: Indicating a tight race between BJP and the Congress, most exit polls for the Karnataka Assembly elections 2018 on Saturday predicted a hung assembly with the JD(S) likely to play the kingmaker, but were divided on which of the two national parties will emerge as the largest in the House.

According to the ABP-C Voter exit poll, the BJP is expected to win between 97-109 seats, while Congress is likely to win 87-99, JD(S) by HD Deve Gowda 21-30 and others 1-8 in Karnataka.

Clearly, according to the ABP -C Voter exit poll, the state is likely to have a fractured mandate and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's party may play the kingmaker's role in the later stage of government formation in the state.

Here is what the other exit polls predicted for Karnataka

-Republic TV-Jan Ki Baat exit polls on Karnataka assembly elections 2018 predicts that BJP will be the single largest party with 95-114 seats. Congress is likely to win 73-82, JD-S 32-42 seats and other 2 to 3 seats in Karnataka. In the 2013 Karnataka elections, Congress had won 122 seats, BJP and JD-S had ended with 40 seats each while 22 seats were won by others and independents.

-According to IndiaTV-VMR exit poll, BJP may win 87 seats, Congress 97 seats, JD-S 35 seats in Karnataka, the survey predicts a hung assembly.

-News X-CNX exit poll survey predicts BJP will emerge as the single largest party in Karnataka with 102-110 seats, Congress second with 72-78 seats, JD-S + third with 35-39 and others will get 3-5 seats.

-According to Times Now-VMR Exit poll on Karnataka Assembly elections, Congress will win 90-103 seats, BJP 82-93, JDS 31-39 and others 2-4. Karnataka has a 225-member assembly of which the voting takes place for 224 seats. But this time voting was held for 222 seats only. The results will be declared on May 15

-Congress will emerge as the single largest party in Karnataka Assembly elections 2018 with 106-118 seats, BJP second with 79-92, JD-S+ 22-30 and others 1 to 4.

-Suvarna on Sunday denied conducting exit poll survey for Karnataka Assembly elections 2018. However, according to media channels, Suvarna conducted exit polls on May 12, following the conclusion of voting in Karnataka. The channels showed the following prediction of Suvarna exit poll - Congress 106-118 seats, BJP 79-92, JD-S 22-30 and others 1-4 seats.

Polling was held today for 222 seats in the 225-seat Karnataka assembly. Voting takes place for 224 seats. One is nominated from Anglo Indian community



The high-stakes battle for the Karnataka Assembly ended on Saturday evening, with over 35 million voting in an election crucial for the ruling Congress as well as the BJP and the JD-S.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he was "very very confident" that the Congress would retain power in the only major southern state it now rules even as officials said about 70 percent of the over 5.06 crore electorate had voted till 6 pm.

Voting was peaceful by and large barring a few incidents of some non-functional EVMs, missing voter names and procedural delays, a poll panel official said.

All three main contenders for power - Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) - claimed they would win hands down.

Voting in Chikkaballapur and Ramanagara districts witnessed a record 76 percent polling, while the average polling across Bengaluru was 48 percent till 5.30 pm.

The BJP's Chief Ministerial face BS Yeddyurappa was among the first to vote at Shikaripura in Shivamogga district. He has claimed that the BJP will secure 140-150 seats and that he will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his swearing in.

Siddaramaiah ridiculed him after voting on Saturday, saying the BJP leader was "mentally disturbed" and that the Congress was sure of bagging more than 120 seats.

JD-S chief and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, his wife Chennamma and second son HD Revanna cast their votes in their hometown Holenarsipura in Hassan district.

Polling in Bengaluru's Raja Rajeshwari Nagar segment has been postponed to May 28 following the discovery of voter ID cards and deferred in the city's Jayanagar seat following the death of BJP contestant BN Vijaya Kumar.

In all, voting was conducted in 26 of the 28 constituencies in the city.

Karnataka has over 5.06 crore electorate, including 2.6 crore men and 2.5 crore women. A total of 15.42 lakh voters, aged 18-19, have registered for the first time.

The highest number of voters (6.03 lakh) are in Bengaluru South and the lowest (1.7 lakh) at Sringeri in Chikkamagaluru district.

Polling was held in 58,008 stations in 30 districts, with 600 of them dubbed 'pink booths', overseen by women personnel. Over 1.5 lakh security personnel were deployed.

The vote count will take place on May 15.

In all, 2,654 candidates are in the fray, including 219 women. A total of 222 are from the Congress and BJP each, 201 from JD-S, 1,155 Independents and 800 from other national, regional and fringe parties. About 450 contestants are in the battle from Bengaluru.

Siddaramaiah is contesting from Chamundeshwari at Mysuru and Badami in Bagalkot district.

BJP's Lok Sabha member from Ballari B.R. Sriramaulu, contesting from two seats including Badami and Molakamuru (reserved) seat in Chitradurga district, on Saturday worshipped a cow and visited temples before voting.

JD-S state president and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is in the fray from Ramanagara and Channapatna seats in the old Mysuru region. Yeddyurappa is contesting from Shikaripura in Shivamogga district in Malnad region.

Siddaramaiah has fielded his son Yatindra from his hometown Varuna in Mysuru district.NEW DELHI: Karnataka may be heading towards a hung assembly this time, with neither Congress nor BJP is likely to win a clear majority in the 225-member state assembly.

According to IndiaTV-VMR exit poll, BJP may win 87 seats, Congress 97 seats, JD-S 35 seats in Karnataka, suggesting a hung assembly in Karnataka.

HD Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (S) will emerge as the third largest party, according to India TV-VMR exit poll predictions.

The final seat tally projections by India TV-VMR exit poll show the ruling Congress leading with 97 (in a range of 90 to 103 seats), BJP trailing with 87 seats (in a range of 80-93 seats), and the Janata Dal(S)-BSP alliance set to become the decider with 35 seats (in a 31-39 seat range).

'Others', which include independents, may win only three seats, the exit poll claimed.

Polling was held today for 222 seats in the 225-seat Karnataka assembly. Voting takes place for 224 seats. One is nominated from Anglo Indian community

The high-stakes battle for the Karnataka Assembly ended on Saturday evening, with over 35 million voting in an election crucial for the ruling Congress as well as the BJP and the JD-S.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he was "very very confident" that the Congress would retain power in the only major southern state it now rules even as officials said about 70 percent of the over 5.06 crore electorate had voted till 6 pm.

Voting was peaceful by and large barring a few incidents of some non-functional EVMs, missing voter names and procedural delays, a poll panel official said.

All three main contenders for power - Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) - claimed they would win hands down.

Voting in Chikkaballapur and Ramanagara districts witnessed a record 76 percent polling, while the average polling across Bengaluru was 48 percent till 5.30 pm.

The BJP's Chief Ministerial face BS Yeddyurappa was among the first to vote at Shikaripura in Shivamogga district. He has claimed that the BJP will secure 140-150 seats and that he will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his swearing in.

Siddaramaiah ridiculed him after voting on Saturday, saying the BJP leader was "mentally disturbed" and that the Congress was sure of bagging more than 120 seats.

JD-S chief and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, his wife Chennamma and second son HD Revanna cast their votes in their hometown Holenarsipura in Hassan district.

Polling in Bengaluru's Raja Rajeshwari Nagar segment has been postponed to May 28 following the discovery of voter ID cards and deferred in the city's Jayanagar seat following the death of BJP contestant BN Vijaya Kumar.

In all, voting was conducted in 26 of the 28 constituencies in the city.

Karnataka has over 5.06 crore electorate, including 2.6 crore men and 2.5 crore women. A total of 15.42 lakh voters, aged 18-19, have registered for the first time.

The highest number of voters (6.03 lakh) are in Bengaluru South and the lowest (1.7 lakh) at Sringeri in Chikkamagaluru district.

Polling was held in 58,008 stations in 30 districts, with 600 of them dubbed 'pink booths', overseen by women personnel. Over 1.5 lakh security personnel were deployed.

The vote count will take place on May 15.

In all, 2,654 candidates are in the fray, including 219 women. A total of 222 are from the Congress and BJP each, 201 from JD-S, 1,155 Independents and 800 from other national, regional and fringe parties. About 450 contestants are in the battle from Bengaluru.

Siddaramaiah is contesting from Chamundeshwari at Mysuru and Badami in Bagalkot district.

BJP's Lok Sabha member from Ballari B.R. Sriramaulu, contesting from two seats including Badami and Molakamuru (reserved) seat in Chitradurga district, on Saturday worshipped a cow and visited temples before voting.

JD-S state president and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is in the fray from Ramanagara and Channapatna seats in the old Mysuru region. Yeddyurappa is contesting from Shikaripura in Shivamogga district in Malnad region.

Siddaramaiah has fielded his son Yatindra from his hometown Varuna in Mysuru district.BENGALURU: Karnataka went to polls early on Saturday morning with 4.94 crore voters exercising their franchise to decide the fates of over 2500 candidates, contesting from 222 assembly seats.

Remember that, you can only vote from the your allocated polling booth in a certain constituency if your name in the voter's list or the electoral roll.

Sounds easy right? But how can you check your name on the list?

Below, we present a quick guide on how to check your name on the voter's list online:

Step 1: Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer website

1. Go to the official website of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Karnataka: http://ceokarnatakatemp.kar.nic.in.

2. Now from the options below, click on 'Search my Name in Voter List' link.

3. Now search for your registered name via one of the following

Search with Electoral Photo ID Card (EPIC) number.

Search with Name and Other Details

Search Status of Application through your Cellphone number

If you're unable to access that 'Search my Name in Voter List' link, try the alternation Mirror sites: 'Search Name-Mirror Site-1', 'Search Name-Mirror Site-2'

Alternatively, you can also click on Electoral Rolls list and search for your name

Step 2: National Voters Services Portal

You can also search for your name by accessing on the National Voters Services Portal: http://electoralsearch.in/. Just enter the details asked and results will reflect on screen.





Step 3: Polling booth details

If you're sure about your name in the voter's list and just want to know the details of your polling station, such as address and other details, you can simply send an SMS.

SMS your EPIC (Voter ID) card Number to +91 9731979899:

Type KAEPIC <space> ID Card No.

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If your name is on the electoral roll, but you do not have the EPIC card, you can still vote. Carry a valid ID card that can act as alternative photo ID cards to the polling booth. ID cards accepted by the Election Commission are:Bengaluru: The D-Day for the elections in Karnataka is here. In just a few hours, the 4.94-crore strong electorate will begin exercising their franchise to decide the fates of over 2500 candidates, contesting for 222 assembly seats. The Karnataka election, essentially, is a triangular contest among the incumbent Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S).

The southern state of Karnataka is one of the three states, where Congress is still in power. The others being Punjab and Mizoram and a union territory, Puducherry.

Siddaramaiah, the incumbent Chief Minister who is also leading the campaign in the state, is highly confident that Congress would retain the state and win with a huge majority. During the past few weeks, he has travelled extensively across the state, wooing voters, while lambasting the BJP for fielding tainted candidates in the high-stake elections.

While, the BJP, led by star campaigner Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has left no stones unturned and campaigned extensively in various parts of the state. Not only he has cornered and attacked the Congress on numerous occasions, he has also promised to make a "Nava Karnataka" (New Karnataka) if the party wins.

The third force in the state, the JD(S), led by former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, is also confident that his party would win enough seats to play a kingmaker role, if not from the government, in case the electorate throws up a fractured mandate.

Here is a look at some of the key constituencies and key players:

1. Varuna:

The high-profile Varuna constituency in Mysuru district was supposed to see a neck-to-neck electoral fight between Siddaramaiah son`s Dr. Yathindra and former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa`s son, B.Y. Vijayendra.

However, the sudden decision by the state BJP unit to not field Vijayendra has pulled the curtains on this big showdown.

Siddaramaiah has been contesting from this constituency since 2008. However, he decided to pass on the baton to his son this time.Hence, the constituency would be still making news as Dr. Yathindra (37) will be making his political debut today.

Yathindra is now fighting against BJP`s Thotadappa Basavaraju and Abhishek S. Manegar of the JD(S).

A Congress bastion, Siddaramaiah, in the last election, easily defeated Karnataka Jana Paksha`s (KJP) Kapu Siddalingaswamy and Cheluvaraj of the JD(S) by a comfortable margin of 29,641 votes (18.45 per cent), securing 52.53 per cent of the total votes polled. The seat witnessed a voter turnout of 82.43 per cent.In 2008, Congress won with a margin of 18,837 votes (13.16 percent), getting polled by 50.23 per cent of the total voters.There are a total of 2,13,812 voters in the constituency, including over 1 lakh female and 13 other voters.

2. Chamundeshwari:

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is fighting from this high-profile constituency and will be facing BJP`s S.R. Gopalrao and G.T. Devegowda of the JD (S), a powerful face from the Vokkaliga community and an ex-mentor of the chief minister.

Chamundeshwari in Mysuru district is named after the goddess who is worshipped with great fervour during the annual Dasara festival.

In the previous two elections, the seat has either gone to the Congress (2008) or the JD (S) (2013).There are a total of 2,89,138 voters in the constituency. Among them over 1.42 lakh are female voters and 32 others.

3. Badami:

Badami, a tourist town in Bagalkot district in northern Karnataka is renowned for its cave temples.

Siddaramaiah is contesting from this constituency and holds prominence here as it is dominated by the Kuruba community, a shepherd community to which the chief minister belongs.

Winning the Badami and Chamundeshwari seats would help Siddaramaiah to again stake claim to the state`s top post for second consecutive time, if the party wins the elections with a brute majority.

The Karnataka Chief Minister is locking horns with B. Sriramulu of the BJP.In the 2013 elections, Congress won the Badami seat with a margin of 15,113 votes (10.87 per cent) securing 41.31 per cent of the total votes polled. The constituency saw a voter turnout of 70.71 per cent.In 2008, however, the BJP won this constituency with a margin of 5,107 votes (4.29 per cent), receiving 44.85 per cent of the votes polled.

There are a total of 2,14,834 voters in the constituency, having over 1 lakh female voters and 16 others.

4. Chittapur:

Priyank Kharge, son of prominent Congress heavyweight Mallikarjun Kharge, will contest from Chittapur seat in Kalaburagi district in north Karnataka.

He would be looking to further consolidate his position from this assembly constituency, which has majority Lingayat voters.

Priyank`s father won in the 2008 elections, with a margin of 17,442 votes (18.25 per cent), registering 52.16 per cent of the votes polled.

The young Kharge also won in 2013, with a margin of 31,191 votes (25.21 per cent) securing 56.08 per cent of the total votes polled.Priyank is currently the Minister of State (MoS) for Information Technology (IT) and Tourism in Siddaramaiah`s cabinet.

He is up against BJP`s Valmik Naik.

The JD(S), however, has not fielded any candidate for the Chittapur seat.There are a total of 2,28,618 voters in the constituency. Of the total voters, over 1 lakh are female and 32 others.

5. B.T.M. Layout:

A prominent locality in the southern part of Bengaluru city, former Karnataka Transport Minister and current Home Minister R. Ramalinga Reddy of the Congress is the incumbent MLA of this constituency.

The constituency falls on the Bengaluru Urban district of the Lok Sabha seat.

In 2013, Reddy won the BTM Layout seat with a margin of 49,048 votes (44.39 per cent), securing 63.1 per cent of the total votes polled. The constituency witnessed a voter turnout of 53.43 per cent.

His daughter, Sowmya Reddy is contesting from the Jayanagar seat.

There are a total of 2,63,860 voters in the constituency, including more than 1.24 lakh female and 20 other voters.



6. Mandya:

The Mandya constituency will be a keenly watched electoral battle as it has been termed as the "hotbed of Cauvery politics" by the media.

The agricultural lands in the district receive water from the Krishnarajasagara (KRS) Dam, built across Cauvery river. However, successive droughts have reduced the water level of the dam considerably.

Mandya has seen massive and violent protests over the sharing of Cauvery river water between the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The Congress has fielded P. Ravikumar, who will lock horns with M. Srinivas of the JD(S) and N. Shivanna of the BJP.In 2013 elections, popular Kannada actor Ambareesh won from this seat for Congress with a margin of 42,937 votes (28.1 per cent), securing 59.11 per cent of the total votes polled. The constituency witnessed a voter turnout of 68.58 per cent.In 2008, the JD(S) won the Mandya seat with a margin of 10,529 votes (8.11 percent) registering 36.39 per cent of the votes polled.

There are a total of 2,21,658 voters in the constituency. Among the total, over 1.1 lakh are female and 35 others voters.

7. Ramanagaram and Channapatna: Like Siddaramaiah, former chief minister and JD(S) heavyweight H.D. Kumaraswamy will be contesting from the constituencies of Ramanagaram and Channapatna respectively.

The decision by Kumaraswamy to contest from these two seats in Ramanagaram district is seen as an opportunity for the party to return to the centre stage of Karnataka politics.

In Ramanagaram, which is a predominant JD(S) seat, Kumaraswamy won in both 2008 and 2013 elections.

He will face Leelavathi of the BJP and Iqbal Hussain of the JD(S) from this seat.In the 2013 elections, he defeated Congress candidate Maridevaru with a margin of 25,398 votes (17.08 per cent), securing 56.12 per cent of the total votes polled. The Ramanagaram constituency witnessed a voter turnout of 80.58 per cent.

In 2008, Kumaraswamy defeated BJP`s M Rudresha with a margin of 47,260 votes.

There are a total of 2,05,031 voters in the constituency. Among them 1,02,978 female and 25 other voters.

In Channapatna, the JD(S) leader`s wife Anitha Kumaraswamy lost to Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate, C.P. Yogeshwara in the 2013 elections, with a margin of 6,464 votes (3.84 per cent), securing 47.53 per cent of the total votes polled. The seat witnessed a voter turnout of 84.78 per cent.This time, Kumaraswamy will contest from this seat, where he is locking horns with Yogeshwara and H.M Revanna of the Congress.

The constituency has a total of 2,16,448 voters, including 1,10,272 female and 9 others.

8. Shikaripura:

Another constituency to watch out is the high-stake Shikaripura seat in central Karnataka, which will be contested by former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, who is also the BJP`s chief ministerial candidate.

Very popular among the Lingayat community, Yeddyurappa would be hoping to win votes from the 50,000-strong community.

The former chief minister contesting the Karnataka polls has not gone down well with the Congress, claiming that the BJP was fielding tainted candidates, like Yeddyurappa.

It is to be noted that Yeddyurappa was credited for helping the BJP to win Karnataka elections in 2008, which was the first time the saffron party came to power in a southern state.

This time, the former chief minister will lock horns with Congress` Goni Malatesha and H.T. Balegar of the JD(S).In 2013 elections, Yeddyurappa defeated H. S. Shantanna of the Congress with a margin of 24,425 votes (17.63 per cent) securing 49.89 per cent of the total votes polled. The constituency witnessed a voter turnout of 80.24 per cent.

In 2008, he defeated former chief minister S. Bangarappa of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and erstwhile Congress and BJP leader with a margin of 45,927 votes (36.43 per cent), registering 66.22 per cent of the votes polled.NEW DELHI: It will be a close contest between Congress and BJP in the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 with no party winning a clear majority, according to the Times Now-VMR exit poll.

The Times Now-VMR exit poll claims that the ruling Congress is likely to win 90-103 seats in the 224-member state assembly, with the BJP coming close to the second spot by winning between 80-93 seats.

The JD(S)-BSP combine will finish third with 31-39 seats while other parties in the fray will get 2-4 seats.

Times Now-VMR exit poll data also suggest a remarkable improvement in BJP's overall tally, with around 87 seats  a little more than double the 40 seats it secured in the 2013 assembly polls.

On the other hand, the Congress party's seat share will slide down to around 96 seats from its current 122-member strength in the Vidhan Soudha.

No party will reach the halfway mark of 113 seats required for a simple majority, it claimed.

Polling was held today for 222 seats in the 225-seat Karnataka assembly. Voting takes place for 224 seats. One is nominated from Anglo Indian community



The high-stakes battle for the Karnataka Assembly ended on Saturday evening, with over 35 million voting in an election crucial for the ruling Congress as well as the BJP and the JD-S.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he was "very very confident" that the Congress would retain power in the only major southern state it now rules even as officials said about 70 percent of the over 5.06 crore electorate had voted till 6 pm.

Voting was peaceful by and large barring a few incidents of some non-functional EVMs, missing voter names and procedural delays, a poll panel official said.

All three main contenders for power - Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) - claimed they would win hands down.

Voting in Chikkaballapur and Ramanagara districts witnessed a record 76 percent polling, while the average polling across Bengaluru was 48 percent till 5.30 pm.

The BJP's Chief Ministerial face BS Yeddyurappa was among the first to vote at Shikaripura in Shivamogga district. He has claimed that the BJP will secure 140-150 seats and that he will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his swearing in.

Siddaramaiah ridiculed him after voting on Saturday, saying the BJP leader was "mentally disturbed" and that the Congress was sure of bagging more than 120 seats.

JD-S chief and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, his wife Chennamma and second son HD Revanna cast their votes in their hometown Holenarsipura in Hassan district.

Polling in Bengaluru's Raja Rajeshwari Nagar segment has been postponed to May 28 following the discovery of voter ID cards and deferred in the city's Jayanagar seat following the death of BJP contestant BN Vijaya Kumar.

In all, voting was conducted in 26 of the 28 constituencies in the city.

Karnataka has over 5.06 crore electorate, including 2.6 crore men and 2.5 crore women. A total of 15.42 lakh voters, aged 18-19, have registered for the first time.

The highest number of voters (6.03 lakh) are in Bengaluru South and the lowest (1.7 lakh) at Sringeri in Chikkamagaluru district.

Polling was held in 58,008 stations in 30 districts, with 600 of them dubbed 'pink booths', overseen by women personnel. Over 1.5 lakh security personnel were deployed.

The vote count will take place on May 15.

In all, 2,654 candidates are in the fray, including 219 women. A total of 222 are from the Congress and BJP each, 201 from JD-S, 1,155 Independents and 800 from other national, regional and fringe parties. About 450 contestants are in the battle from Bengaluru.

Siddaramaiah is contesting from Chamundeshwari at Mysuru and Badami in Bagalkot district.

BJP's Lok Sabha member from Ballari B.R. Sriramaulu, contesting from two seats including Badami and Molakamuru (reserved) seat in Chitradurga district, on Saturday worshipped a cow and visited temples before voting.

JD-S state president and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is in the fray from Ramanagara and Channapatna seats in the old Mysuru region. Yeddyurappa is contesting from Shikaripura in Shivamogga district in Malnad region.

Siddaramaiah has fielded his son Yatindra from his hometown Varuna in Mysuru district.BENGALURU: BS Yeddyurappa is "mentally disturbed, said Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as Karnataka went to polls on Saturday. He added that Congress will win over 120 seats. His statement on Yeddyurappa came when a reporter asked his views on the later offering prayers at temple.

#WATCH: As voting in #Karnataka continues, CM Siddaramaiah says, 'Yeddyurappa is mentally disturbed. Congress will get more than 120 seats. I am very confident.' #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/yE6isfZcYq  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

BJP's chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa was one of the few early voters on Saturday morning. Yeddyurappa voted in Shikarpur in Shimoga. Just before casting his vote, he said that people are fed up with the Siddaramaiah government. "I urge the people to come out and vote for BJP. I assure the people of Karnataka that I'm going to give good governance," Yeddyurappa said.

The state assembly polls, being viewed as a precursor to national elections 2019, is one of the most complex elections of the state. While the ruling Congress and the BJP are the main contenders for power, former prime minister HD Deve Gowda's JDS is likely to play the kingmaker, according to most surveys and opinion polls.

Later, Siddaramaiah thanked people for standing in queues to vote in the elections. "Today People of Karnataka are standing in queues to create history & show the nation the way to liberal, progressive, peaceful & compassionate politics & governance. I thank them for their support & wish them well," Siddaramaiah tweeted.

About 11% polling was recorded in the first two hours of voting in Karnataka. Dakshina Karnataka district recorded the highest voter turnout with 16% votes registered until 9:30 AM, followed by Udupi district which recorded 15% turnout. Election authorities said "moderate to brisk" voting has been witnessed in 222 out of 224 seats where polling began at 7 am. People were seen standing in queues to cast their votes in the early hours itself. Senior citizens were seen in good numbers standing in queues at various polling stations to cast their votes early.New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) announced late on Saturday that Karnataka had seen a voter turnout of 70%. And at the end of voting day, a long list of exit polls made a number of predictions which effectively pointed to the possibility of a hung assembly in the state.

But that is not what leaders of all competing parties have been claiming so far and even boasted about triumphs at the end of Saturday.

(Also see: In pics: When Karnataka came out to vote)

BJP party chief Amit Shah, in an exclusive interview to Zee News earlier this week, has said his party will not need post-poll alliance because it will get absolute majority. " We do not have pre-poll partners, so there is no question of post-poll partners," he had said.

The party's CM candidate BS Yeddyurappa cast his vote in Shikarpur and said that he is confident of BJP getting more than 150 seats. "The atmosphere for BJP in the state is very good. There is no doubt in my mind," he said.

Congress leaders too have shown similar confidence with many of them predicting a sizable win after voting concluded. Siddaramaiah was one of the first off the block to claim that his party was coming back to power 'with absolute majority.'

Ghulam Nabi Azad echoed the confidence and told reporters that Congress will return to form the next government in the state. State leader KC Venugopal too said the mood within the party is upbeat.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi, at one of his several election rallies, had said that his party may have had a string of losses in recent times but that it would stop with Karnataka. He said a win here will only be the first of many to come.

Deve Gowda's JD-S too has predicted a strong performance for itself and could possibly play a crucial role if BJP or Congress is unable to reach the magic number needed to form the government.

And reaching the magic number - 112 in case of Karnataka - is what appears rather unlikely. At least according to a number of exit polls.

The maha exit poll conducted by Zee News shortly after the polling ended showed that a fractured mandate is a real possibility.

So while politicians cutting across party lines are entitled to their views and predictions, ground reality may well be different. All eyes now would be on May 15 - the counting day.BENGALURU: The maha exit poll collated by Zee News shortly after the polling ended on Saturday predicted a hung assembly in Karnataka with no political party winning a clear majority in the 225-member assembly. According to the Zee Maha exit poll, BJP is likely to win 102 seats, Congress 92, JD-S 26 and others, including independents, 2.

This implies that no major political party will be able to reach the halfway mark of 113 seats required for a simple majority.

In such a scenario, the JD(S) led by HD Deve Gowda will assume the role of a kingmaker in the later stage of government formation in this southern state. Though the final picture will emerge only after the counting of votes on May 15, the exit poll predictions have clearly shattered the hopes of Congress to retain power in the state for the second time and the BJP, which was hoping to make a comeback, putting the ball in the HD Deve Gowda's court.

Here is what the major exit poll surveys projected for Karnataka.

-According to ABP-C Voter exit poll, BJP is likely to win 97-109 seats, Congress 87-99, JD-S 21-30 and others 1-8 in Karnataka.

-Republic TV-Jan Ki Baat exit polls on Karnataka assembly elections 2018 predicts that BJP will be the single largest party with 95-114 seats. Congress is likely to win 73-82, JD-S 32-42 seats and other 2 to 3 seats in Karnataka. In the 2013 Karnataka elections, Congress had won 122 seats, BJP and JD-S had ended with 40 seats each while 22 seats were won by others and independents.

-According to IndiaTV-VMR exit poll, BJP may win 87 seats, Congress 97 seats, JD-S 35 seats in Karnataka, the survey predicts a hung assembly.

-News X-CNX exit poll survey predicts BJP will emerge as the single largest party in Karnataka with 102-110 seats, Congress second with 72-78 seats, JD-S + third with 35-39 and others will get 3-5 seats.

-According to Times Now-VMR Exit poll on Karnataka Assembly elections, Congress will win 90-103 seats, BJP 82-93, JDS 31-39 and others 2-4. Karnataka has a 225-member assembly of which the voting takes place for 224 seats. But this time voting was held for 222 seats only. The results will be declared on May 15

-Congress will emerge as the single largest party in Karnataka Assembly elections 2018 with 106-118 seats, BJP second with 79-92, JD-S+ 22-30 and others 1 to 4, according to India Today-Axis My India Exit poll.

-Suvarna on Sunday denied conducting exit poll survey for Karnataka Assembly elections 2018. However, according to media channels, Suvarna conducted exit polls on May 12, following the conclusion of voting in Karnataka. The channels showed the following prediction of Suvarna exit poll - Congress 106-118 seats, BJP 79-92, JD-S 22-30 and others 1-4 seats.

Karnataka Assembly elections 2018: 70% voter turnout, says EC

Polling was held today for 222 seats in the 225-seat Karnataka assembly. Voting takes place for 224 seats. One is nominated from Anglo Indian community

The high-stakes battle for the Karnataka Assembly ended on Saturday evening, with over 35 million voting in an election crucial for the ruling Congress as well as the BJP and the JD-S.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he was "very very confident" that the Congress would retain power in the only major southern state it now rules even as officials said about 70 percent of the over 5.06 crore electorate had voted till 6 pm.

Voting was peaceful by and large barring a few incidents of some non-functional EVMs, missing voter names and procedural delays, a poll panel official said.

All three main contenders for power - Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) - claimed they would win hands down.

Voting in Chikkaballapur and Ramanagara districts witnessed a record 76 percent polling, while the average polling across Bengaluru was 48 percent till 5.30 pm.

The BJP's Chief Ministerial face BS Yeddyurappa was among the first to vote at Shikaripura in Shivamogga district. He has claimed that the BJP will secure 140-150 seats and that he will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his swearing in.

Siddaramaiah ridiculed him after voting on Saturday, saying the BJP leader was "mentally disturbed" and that the Congress was sure of bagging more than 120 seats.

JD-S chief and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, his wife Chennamma and second son HD Revanna cast their votes in their hometown Holenarsipura in Hassan district.

Polling in Bengaluru's Raja Rajeshwari Nagar segment has been postponed to May 28 following the discovery of voter ID cards and deferred in the city's Jayanagar seat following the death of BJP contestant BN Vijaya Kumar.

In all, voting was conducted in 26 of the 28 constituencies in the city.

Karnataka has over 5.06 crore electorate, including 2.6 crore men and 2.5 crore women. A total of 15.42 lakh voters, aged 18-19, have registered for the first time.

The highest number of voters (6.03 lakh) are in Bengaluru South and the lowest (1.7 lakh) at Sringeri in Chikkamagaluru district.

Polling was held in 58,008 stations in 30 districts, with 600 of them dubbed 'pink booths', overseen by women personnel. Over 1.5 lakh security personnel were deployed.

The vote count will take place on May 15.

In all, 2,654 candidates are in the fray, including 219 women. A total of 222 are from the Congress and BJP each, 201 from JD-S, 1,155 Independents and 800 from other national, regional and fringe parties. About 450 contestants are in the battle from Bengaluru.

Siddaramaiah is contesting from Chamundeshwari at Mysuru and Badami in Bagalkot district.

BJP's Lok Sabha member from Ballari B.R. Sriramaulu, contesting from two seats including Badami and Molakamuru (reserved) seat in Chitradurga district, on Saturday worshipped a cow and visited temples before voting.

JD-S state president and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is in the fray from Ramanagara and Channapatna seats in the old Mysuru region. Yeddyurappa is contesting from Shikaripura in Shivamogga district in Malnad region.

Siddaramaiah has fielded his son Yatindra from his hometown Varuna in Mysuru district.Washington: SpaceX`s updated version of Falcon 9 rocket "Block 5" lifted off in Florida on Friday, boosting Bangladesh`s first communications satellite into orbit. The "Block 5" booster, the final substantial upgrade to SpaceX`s Falcon 9 launch vehicle, was launched at 4.14 p.m. from NASA`s Kennedy Space Centre, starting its maiden flight, Xinhua reported.

The vehicle, aiming to bring astronauts to the International Space Station in the future, came with many design changes to improve its reusability and reliability. Those changes may make engineers easier to refurbish its first stages for more flights.

It is designed to be capable of 10 or more flights with very limited refurbishment as SpaceX continues to strive for rapid reusability and extremely high reliability, according to SpaceX`s news release.

The new rocket has improved its helium tanks submerged in liquid oxygen propellant tanks in the second stage. The helium tanks were ruptured in a pre-launch test on Sept. 1, 2016, causing an explosion.

The rocket`s first stage was successfully recovered, landing on the "Of Course I Still Love You" offshore droneship, about 8 minutes after the launch.

Bangabandhu Satellite-1 is Bangladesh`s first geostationary communications satellite, expected to have a primary service area encompassing Bangladesh and the surrounding region including territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal.

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday received the first batch of pilgrims who boarded the Janakpur-Ayodhya Bus which was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. The bus which completed its maiden trip to Ayodhya is part of the Nepal-India Friendship Bus Service that was launched jointly by Prime Minister Modi and his Nepali counterpart KP Sharma Oli in Janakpur as part of the Ramayan Circuit Bus Service.

Upon arrival of the bus, Adityanath offered saffron scarves to the male passengers, while state Tourism Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi welcomed the women. The passengers were given boxes of sweets too. The reception gate was decked with flowers and many religious tableaus were present as drums played to receive the debut passengers of the cross-border bus service linking the two nations.

The UP CM also unveiled a special stamp published by the Indian Postal Department to commemorate the 'Deep Diwali' held by the state BJP government in 2016 on Diwali on the banks of the river Saryu in Ayodhya.

People from the temple town were excited about the event and were seen jostling with each other outside the 'Ram Katha' Park to receive and mingle with the guests who arrived. Nepalese pilgrims who took this bus service from Janakpur, the birthplace of Sita, expressed their happiness at taking the first journey to the land of Ram and said the 520-km trip was comfortable.

The bus entered from Gorakhpur and travelled along the Sant Kabeernagar highway after which it was received by district and police officials and escorted to Ayodhya.

The new bus route is aimed at increasing tourism between the two countries. While flagging off the bus service, Prime Minister Modi had said: " Tourism is developing at a fast pace across the world. The Ramayan Circuit has immense potential."

It is likely that more routes will be launched between India and Nepal.

(With agency inputs)Aligarh: As the ongoing protest by AMU students entered its 11th day on Saturday, the students' union leaders said that the stir would be intensified and a relay hunger strike started this evening if their demands were not met. AMUSU president Mashkoor Usmani said that a general body meeting of the students' union was held yesterday.

In the meeting, it was decided that a relay hunger strike would begin this evening if authorities do not agree to take action against members of right-wing organizations who barged into the campus and were involved in acts of violence, Usmani said.

They were also demanding action against the police officers responsible for a lathicharge on students on the same day. A number of students were injured in the lathicharge, he said. Around midnight last night, AMU Students' Union met District Magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh to press for their demands and to hammer out a solution before this evening.

"We are hopeful after last night's talks that something concrete would come out by this evening," Usmani said. He said the students would cooperate with the administration in ensuring that the annual exams, which began today, were not affected by the ongoing protest.

However, when contacted, the district magistrate said it was not possible to concede to their demands even before they have called off their protest. Singh also dismissed allegations that the clash which took place on Wednesday was a part of a conspiracy to attack former vice president Hamid Ansari.

He said that had Ansari, who was present then in the campus, felt that he was a target of miscreants, he would certainly have filed a complaint with the police. "I have told the leaders of the AMU Students Union that they should not make such baseless allegations," he said.

Activists of Hindutva organisations last evening held a protest at the Ramlila Grounds, demanding that the portrait of Mohammad Jinnah be immediately removed from the university premises and a probe be conducted into the alleged anti-national activities there.

According to media reports, the state president of the Vishwa Hindu Personal Board, Dharmendra Singh Pawar, yesterday said in Gajraula town that he would offer Rs 1 lakh to anyone who would remove Jinnah's portrait.Kolkata: A supporter of an Independent candidate for the coming panchayat polls was killed in West Bengal`s Bhangar on Friday, following which police arrested local strongman of the ruling Trinamool Congress Arabul Islam. Hafizul Molla (26), a resident of Bhangar`s Machibhanga in South 24 Parganas district, died after an armed attack on a political rally brought out by the "Jomi, Jibika, Bastutantra O Poribesh Raksha Committee" (committee to protect land, livelihood, ecology and environment)`, which has been leading a movement against the construction of a power grid sub-station in the area.

Bhangar has been on the boil for over a year now on the issue of construction of the sub-station.

According to the leaders of Jomi, Jibika, Bastutantra O Poribesh Raksha Committee, the deceased was shot in the head while walking in the rally, taken out in support of the Independent candidates backed by the committee for the polls.

"Hafizul Molla, a resident of Bhangar`s Machibhanga has been shot dead allegedly while walking in a rally taken out by the committee in Polerhaat-2 in South 24 Parganas district`s Kashipur," Sarmistha Chowdhury, leader of CPI-ML Red Star, that has been backing the movement, told IANS.

"The attack was conducted by a group of miscreants backed by local Trinamool Congress leader Arabul Islam, who opened fire and hurled bombs at the rally," she said.

Following the killing, a huge contingent of state police launched raids at various pockets in the area in search of Islam and his associates.

Arabul was finally arrested at around 10.30 p.m from a field behind his residence at Gazipur, said Baruipur Superintendent of Police Arijit Sinha.

According to Sinha, Arabul -- a former MLA -- was nabbed by the police after tracking his mobile location.

Meanwhile, Chowdhury said a local resistance group called "Bhangar Andolan Sanghati Committee" would hold a rally on Saturday from Kolkata`s Moulali to Esplanade to protest the killing.

Nine Independent candidates backed by the local committee and the ultra-left parties are contesting in eight Gram Panchayat and one Panchayat Samiti seats in Bhangar after the Calcutta High Court directed the State Election Commission to accept their nomination papers submitted through WhatsApp, as they were allegedly physically restrained from completing the paperwork.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday was seen playing a traditional drum in Muktinath temple in Nepal. He performed the ritual of beating the traditional drums along with the temple priests at the temple in Nepal. He greeted the local pujaris as he rung the traditional bells placed outside the temple. Some local temple artists played cultural music to welcome the Prime Minister.

In a Buddhist traditional red dress, PM Modi prayed at Nepal's iconic Muktinath temple. He is the first world leader to offer prayers at the temple. He carried out rituals both according to the Hindu and Buddhist tradition. After praying, he also greeted and interacted with people waiting at the temple premises who presented him with flowers and traditional stoles. Some also gave him mementoes. Hoardings were placed in the temples, hailing Indo-Nepal friendship.

Muktinath Temple is regarded as sacred place for both Hindus and Buddhists located in Muktinath Valley. The temple at an altitude of 3,710 metres at the foot of the Thorong La pass in mountainous Mustang district.

He flew down in an IAF chopper to the hill-top temple situated in Mustang district, where he was greeted by Nepal's top-level officials. The entire temple premise was decorated with fresh flowers to welcome him.

On Friday too, PM Modi offered prayers and played a musical instrument at the 20th century Janaki temple in Janakpur in Nepal. He also performed a special puja at the shrine in the temple town of Janakpur, some 225 km from capital Kathmandu. The Prime Minister was facilitated by one of the members of the temple board and was presented with a memento that depicted the landscape of the temple.

PM Modi is on a two-day visit to Nepal. On Saturday, he will fly down to Kathmandu to visit the Pashupatinath temple. While in Kathmandu, he will hold meetings with the Nepali Congress and some former ministers of Nepal. He will emplane for New Delhi in the evening to end his two-day visit to Nepal.US Air Force stealth fighter jets on Friday intercepted two Russian nuclear-capable bombers off the coast of Alaska, a report in Fox News said. The US Northern Command reportedly said that Russian nuclear forces dispatched the two strategic bombers Tu-95 Bear bombers into the 200-mile Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the Bering Sea near the Alaska coast.

Northern Command chief was reported in Washington Free Beacon as saying that at approximately 10 a.m. eastern time, two Alaskan-based NORAD F-22 fighters intercepted and visually identified two Russian TU-95 Bear' long-range bomber aircraft flying in the Air Defense Identification Zone off the western coast of Alaska, north of the Aleutian Islands.

The Russian bombers reportedly came within 55 miles of Alaskas west coast, north of the Aleutian Islands, but remained in international airspace. At no time did the bombers enter North American sovereign airspace.

The Russian aircraft were monitored by the F-22s until the bombers left the ADIZ along the Aleutian Islands.

A Russian fighter jet buzzed a US Navy reconnaissance plane in the Baltic Sea earlier this month. The Russian Sukhoi Su-27 jet came within 20 feet of the American P-8 in international airspace.

No unusual activity related to the encounter was reported and there were no communications between the F-22s and bombers. The latest bomber incursion reportedly seems to be part of a pattern of Russian nuclear coercion aimed at the United States.More than 50,000 military servicemen received state awards from the Defence Ministry during the Anti-terrorist operation, as Dmytro Hutsuliak said at the briefing in Ukraine Crisis Media Center, 112.ua reports.

From the beginning of Russian aggression around 52,000 military servicemen were awarded with state awards for the courage, commitment and exemplary performance of military duties and more than 53,250 military servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were awarded by the Defence Ministry, he said.

In particular, from the beginning of 2018 as of May 10 more than 2,500 military servicemen and Armed Forces, officers were awarded the ministerial encouraging rewards.

232,300 military servicemen were awarded the status of a combatant.

Earlier, Ukraines President Petro Poroshenko rewarded two military servicemen with the order of Bogdan Khmelnytsky of the 3rd level and 44  with the order for courage of the 3rd level.It demonstrates for whom he is really important, - Vasyl Hrytsak, the Head of SBU, said

The so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic put Ruban on the list of hostage exchange, as Vasyl Hrytsak, the Head of SBU, stated at the briefing in Cherkasy, broadcasted by 112 Ukraine.

We were surprised when we got this information. Donetsk side announced the exchange of Volodymyr Ruban and put on the list those people they are interested to exchange. It demonstrates for whom he is really important, Hrytsak said.

Ruban was detained on March 8 at the Ukrainian checkpoint at the demarcation line of Donbas Conflict zone. It is stated that Ruban is suspected in the illegal handling of arms, preparation of a crime and terrorist action. Later the Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv arrested Volodymyr Ruban, the Leader of Center of POW Release 'Officer Corps' for 60 days without a right to the bail. The Court extended the arrest on May 4 to July 2.

Nadiya Savchenko, Ukraine MP, is one of the defendants in Rubans case. Earlier, she intended to bail him out. Now, she is also under arrest, after Ukraines MPs agreed on that.

The hostages' exchange between Ukraine and ORDLO took place on December 27, 2017. 73 Ukrainian prisoners came back home. 233 people were transferred to the occupied territory.

Earlier, Bogdan Mertsonya and Igor Dziubak, Ukrainian border guards came back home on March 2. Russian special services kidnapped them near the state border in Sumy region in October 2017. Ukraine transferred to Russia Vladimir Kuznetsov and Askar Kulub, servicemen of the Russian Federal Security Border Service, arrested in Kherson region in summer of 2017.

It remains unknown when the next hostage exchange takes place. As it was reported, at the session of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk Ukraine claimed its readiness to exchange 23 Russians for its political prisoners kept in Russia. Meanwhile, the militants demand to pass them 80 convicted in exchange for 15 Ukrainian prisoners.

According to Iryna Herashchenko, Berkut officers, terrorists and Russian are in the militants list.Russian sent another illegal humanitarian convoy to the territories beyond Ukraine's Government control

Open source

The humanitarian convoys sent by Russia to the territory beyond Ukraines control which did not pass the check are illegal, as Heather Nauert, U.S. Department of State Spokesperson, wrote on Twitter.

#Russia sent another illegal, uninspected convoy across the border into eastern #Ukraine on Monday, likely to resupply its forces. Despite Russias ongoing violation of Ukraines territorial integrity, #ResilientUkraine is becoming stronger and more prosperous.  Heather Nauert (@statedeptspox) May 11, 2018

Russias Ministry for Affairs for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters announced they have sent the 76th humanitarian convoy to Donbas.

According to the Ministry, 40 trucks had to deliver more than 400 tons of humanitarian supplies, including childrens grocery baskets, study books and medical equipment.

As it was reported earlier, moving of Russias humanitarian convoys is being conducted with a violation of the international law and conditions agreed with the ICRC. Therefore, the Ukrainian inter-ministerial team is carrying out only the visual monitoring without control functions. Armed Forces officers state that after Russias humanitarian convoy arrives, the militants become more active in Donbas.Open source

Kurt Volker, the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine, told about the aim of his visit to Donbas on Twitter.

Im heading to eastern Ukraine next week to see more about the situation on the ground and to learn about the humanitarian crisis in the #Donbas. #ukrainenotforgotten  Kurt Volker (@SpecRepUkraine) May 11, 2018

Earlier, Kurt Volker said that he plans another visit to Ukraine in the middle of May. The diplomat stated that during his visit he intends to go to Donbas. At the same time, he is not ready to say whether he will visit Russia and whether he will conduct any talks with Russian officials.

As it was reported earlier, Kurt Volker demanded Russian and the militants to stop threatening the OSCE observers. This statement was the reaction to the incident which occurred on April 5 near occupied Kremenets near Donetsk. The militants did not allow the OSCE observers launch drones and threatened with a weapon.According to Oleksandr Danylyuk, Ukraines Finance Minister, such reduction will compensate the losses due to the imposition of tax on withdrawn capital

Open source

Oleksandr Danylyuk, Ukraines Finance Minister, stated that there is a need to reduce expenses for Ukraines General Prosecutor Office and the SBU, and to increase expenses for counter-intelligence. He said it in the interview for Novoye Vremya news agency.

First of all, it is the General Prosecutor Office. The number of prosecutors per thousand people in our country is the highest in Europe. Then  the SBU. Primarily, I mean economic units. It is better to allocate more money for counter-intelligence as it defends our independence. Reducing the expenses for General Prosecutor Office and SBU we not only save expenses but also provide additional incentives for economic growth, the Minister said.

According to him, such reduction will compensate the losses due to the imposition of tax on withdrawn capital, which was not supported by the International Monetary Fund because of the risks for the economy.

Even if there will be losses from the budget, and considering the fact that there will be some within the first couple of years, we have to find compensators, Danylyuk added.

Earlier, $6,300 billion is budgeted for defense sector in 2018. In particular, the army will get $2,3 billion, Internal Ministry, Border Guard Service and State Emergency Service will get $2,5 billion, Border Guard Service Administration will receive more than $346,1 thousand, the National Guard - $7,6 million, SBU - $292,3 thousand, The General Prosecutor Office - $292,3 thousand, State Bureau of Investigation - $25 million.

As it was reported earlier, Poroshenko has postponed the presentation of a bill on withdrawn capital tax in the Verkhovna Rada due to the position of the international partners.

As it was reported earlier, Poroshenko stated that it was high time to discuss changing the income tax for withdrawn capital tax at the meeting with businessmen during the business forum in Kyiv on December 1. According to him, the changes of the taxation might be introduced since 2019 and this has to encourage investments and struggle with corruption.

Income tax differs from the withdrawn capital tax in a tax base, in other words, in what is being imposed on.

Now it is the operating profit of the enterprise  revenue without expenses.

After the withdrawn capital tax is imposed it will not have any sense to optimize the expenses or put money in offshores. Therefore, the enterprises will demonstrate the real financial results.Open source

The outcome of the meeting of Donald Trump, the U.S. President, and Kim Jong-un, the Leader of North Korea, which is to be held on June 12 in Singapore, might be the announcement of the end of the Korean War, as Nikkei reports.

Japanese news agency found out the details of the coming summit agenda. In particular, the U.S. intends to confirm the terms of a full denuclearization of North Korea. Japan supports the initiative and offers a concrete term  2020 year. Such time limits might coincide with the U.S. presidential elections.

This is seen as a reference to declaring the Korean War over, which would constitute a major achievement. Declaring an end to the war would pave the way for talks with Beijing and Seoul to turn the armistice into a peace treaty to officially end hostilities, which may work in Kim's favor, the news agency reports.

Earlier, the leader of two Koreas conducted a historic meeting on April 27 in Panmunjon, near-border village on the territory of South Korea. During the talks, Kim Jong-un announced his intentions to shut down a nuclear test site in Punggye-ri.

As it was reported earlier, Trumps meeting with Kim Jong-un is scheduled for the end of May  early June. CBS News referring to the sources stated that the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea are choosing the place of a bilateral meeting  it will be either Mongolia or Singapore.Open source

The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) stated that the Moscow Patriarchate is interfering in the process of recognizing the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine and is trying in every way to prevent it. This is stated in the address on behalf of the Holy Synod of the Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine Filaret, published on the website of the UOC-KP.



As noted in the appeal, the question of providing the UOC-MP autocephaly is a matter that is solved directly between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Patriarch of Constantinople, and the President of Ukraine does not interfere.



"At the same time, there are numerous facts of political and state interference by the Russian Federation and the pro-Kremlin political forces in Ukraine in the process of recognition in order to prevent it. Through diplomatic and other channels, pressure is being exerted on the power of Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate for the Patriarchate of Constantinople, other Local Orthodox Church: Pro-Kremlin political structures in Ukraine organized the collection of signatures, which, in their opinion, should "testify to the reluctance" of rights the Slavs in Ukraine to support the initiated work, "the synod representatives note.



The Synod of the UOC-KP accuses the Moscow Patriarchate and the Metropolitanate of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine of using influence, including financial, to distribute "subscription lists" - while there was no public church order to do so.



"Given these facts, we protest against the interference of the Russian Federation in church affairs, and the use of influence by pro-Kremlin politicians in the leading structures of the Moscow Patriarchate's Metropolitanate in Ukraine with the aim of preventing recognition of autocephaly. We believe that by their actions they violate the laws of Ukraine, incite inter-confessional discord, intervene in the affairs of religious organizations, encourage some religious organizations to interfere in the affairs of others, "the UOC-KP said.



At the same time, representatives of the Synod noted that under the guise of religious activities the structures of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine were engaged in spreading the aggressive Kremlin ideology of the "Russian world" and called on not to succumb to provocations aimed at inciting hostility.

Related: DNR militants put Ruban on hostage exchange listThe Emergency Service rescuers started a search operation of two local fishermen, who set sail on a boat in the Sea of Azov more than 24 hours ago and did not come back

Two fishermen from Berdiansk (Zaporizhia region), who went missing in the Sea of Azov, were probably detained by Russian border guards and are in Yeysk (Krasnodar Krai), as the representatives of Emergency Service press office told Interfax-Ukraine.

Wife of one of the fishermen, who set sail in the Sea of Azov on May 10 on a motorboat and did not come back, called the duty room of Berdiansk National Police on May 11 at 18:26.

The woman informed the police that she received a call from Russias Border Guard Service and found out that her husband and his friend are in Yeysk, Krasnodar Krai.

The Emergency Service rescuers of Zaporizhia region stopped the search operation.

As it was reported earlier, on May 11 in Berdiansk water area the Emergency Service rescuers started a search operation of two local fishermen, who set sail on a boat in the Sea of Azov more than 24 hours ago and did not come back.

According to the rescuers, as to the information received from the local population, two fishermen set sail in the Sea of Azov on Amur boat from the territory of Iskra recreation facility, located on Berdiansk spit, at 5:30 on May 10 and did not come back.

Earlier, it was reported that on May 10 two fishermen from Kherson died on the territory of Cabo Verde, an African state.Russias aircraft were "intercepted and monitored by the F-22s until the bombers left the ADIZ along the Aleutian Island chain heading west, and did not enter the U.S. airspace

According to North American Aerospace Defense Command, US F-22 stealth fighters in international airspace intercepted two Russias TU-95 "Bear" bombers near Alaska on Friday, as CNN reports.

Russian long-range combers got into the Air Defense Identification Zone which extends for around 200 miles from Alaskas western coast.

At approximately 10 a.m. ET, two Alaskan-based NORAD F-22 fighters intercepted and visually identified two Russian TU-95 'Bear' long-range bomber aircraft flying in the Air Defense Identification Zone around the western coast of Alaska, north of the Aleutian Islands," Andrew Hennessy, NORAD and USNORTHCOM Spokesperson, Canadian Army Maj, said.

According to Andrew Hennessys statement, Russias aircraft were "intercepted and monitored by the F-22s until the bombers left the ADIZ along the Aleutian Island chain heading west, and did not enter the U.S. airspace.

Earlier, the U.S. jets intercepted Russias aircraft on May 3, 2017.Ukraine's Embassy is checking the information on the murder of a woman

Open source

Anastasiya Lashmanova, a Ukrainian citizen, was found dead in Kotor, Montenegro in the evening of May 11, as Vijesti reports.

The body with stab wounds was found in an apartment where the woman lived. The Prosecutors Office took on the investigation. The police department has not officially confirmed that it was a murder. The law enforcers informally stated that the body of a Ukrainian was found with marks of violence.

It was noted that Lashmanova was the director of Mimoza Group and Sea Trade companies. The latter purchased Mimoza hotel in the centre of Tivat three years ago and concluded the construction of a new hotel complex there. Besides, the woman was the owner of Perla complex and in Porto Montenegro in Tivat.

The representatives of Ukraines Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of the Ukrainian in Montenegro.

The consul confirmed the Ukrainian citizenship of the woman who died in Montenegro on May 11, 2018. Immediate procedural measures are being conducted, Vasyl Kyrylych, the Head of Consular Affairs Administration, wrote on Twitter.

Earlier, 29-years-old Ukrainian, who worked in one of the local hotels, was murdered in Egypt in February.Open source

Half a million Ukrainians used visa-free regime with European Union states, as Petro Poroshenko, Ukraines President, wrote on Twitter.

Half a million Ukrainians used visa-free regime with European Union states since June 2017! he wrote.

As it was reported earlier, visa-free regime between Ukraine and European Union states came into force on June 11.

It should be noted that the system of fixation of biometric data for citizens of 70 countries was introduced on January 1, 2018. The biocontrol in a test mode on Ukraines border with Russia was established on December 27.

As we reported earlier, Ukraine started conducting talks with white Schengen states to establish a visa-free regime with them. The white Shenzhen zone states are those which have the visa-free regime with the European Union. Apart from Ukraine, 61 states are included in this list. Ukraines Government is conducting talks with them to get a right for the visa-free admission for Ukrainians.

Earlier, the visa-free regime with Kuwait was introduced and an agreement with Qatar was signed. Besides, talks with South Korea are being conducted.Gamelan is the name of the traditional music that flows out of Bali and Indonesia. Using large ensembles composed of various complex percussion instruments, the music of Gamelan is named after the Indonesian word for mallet. The sound produced by these percussion instruments and mallets used to strike them is very different than 12-tone Western music: it incorporates uneven intervals, note subsets and minor scales ; the tuning for such instruments and ensembles is equally complicated and vastly different from Western systems too, making for a listening experience both interesting and often unheard of. On Sunday, May 13 from 3 to 5pm , Outpost Performance Space hosts Burque's own Gamelan group, Gamelan Encantada . This group of studied musicianswho happen to be artists in residence at the UNM Composers' Symposiumbring their vital and vibrant sounds to life for a mere $15 to $20 . Join them as they explore one of the richest musical traditions of any point on Earth, east or west. (August March)

Celebrating their 20th anniversary, this percussion ensemble brings their fascinating sound with roots in the gong/metallophone orchestras of central Java in Indonesia.

Gamelan Encantada is a percussion ensemble with roots in the gong/metallophone orchestras of Southeast Asia, specifically those of Central Java in Indonesia. In addition to presenting traditional Javanese music, the ensemble is also committed to performing contemporary and experimental music. In 2011, they celebrated their 20th Anniversary with the release of their CD, Oasis in the Desert: New Music from New Mexico. Frequent past participants in Albuquerques Festival of Asian Cultures and at various events at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, they have also been featured at Globalquerque, and were Artists in Residence at the 2012 UNMs Composers Symposium. Most recently, they performed at the Chatter Sunday chamber music series as part of a world-wide celebration of the centennial of the birth of West Coast composer, Lou Harrison. Todays concert will focus mainly on compositions by women, including a suite of traditional Hebrew songs set to gamelan by Jody Diamond, a leading figure in the American Gamelan scene and one of Lou Harrisons first gamelan teachers; two pieces by young composers, Maria Siino and Breonna Taylor (both graduate students in composition at Mills College); a two-part piece by Barbara Benary of NYCs Gamelan Son of Lion; and two traditional Javanese pieces honoring women. Gamelan Encantada is directed by Jenny DeBouzek. Current members are Oscar Alcala, Sooz Hoffman, Bob Kasenchak, Tessa Martinez, Larry Moore, Chris Morosin, Nathan Smerage, and Devin Williams. Sharon Eliashar will be the vocal soloist in the Diamond suite.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, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. The termless ceasefire agreement, which came into force in May 1994, put a base for peaceful negotiations and created conditions for the activities of the mediators, Davit Babayan  spokesperson of the President of the Artsakh Republic, told ARMENPRESS.

On May 12, 1994, a termless agreement on ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, signed by the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the Azerbaijani Republic and the Republic of Armenia through the mediation of the Russian Federation, entered into force. This agreement, as well as the February 6, 1995 trilateral agreement on strengthening the ceasefire, signed under the auspices of the OSCE, still remain the only real achievement, which laid the foundation for peace talks and created conditions for the activities of the mediators. This agreement played and still plays a great role for the region, Davit Babayan said.

According to Babayan, that agreement played an important role for the establishment of stability in the region. He said according to that agreement tens of thousands of lives were saved, since it was unclear what would happen if it wasnt signed. That agreement also played an important role for Azerbaijan, since, according to Davit Babayan, in 1994 Azerbaijan was facing a complete collapse, if that agreement wasnt signed, perhaps todays Azerbaijan would not exist as a state.

But our goal was not the collapse of Azerbaijan state, was not to organize the massacre of the Azerbaijani people. The Azerbaijani people are not enemy for us, its Azerbaijani authorities who spread hostility. Therefore we want the agreement to be maintained and later be a comprehensive settlement between Azerbaijan and Artsakh. The Republic of Artsakh should be recognized, the Artsakh presidential spokesman said.

He stated that the May 1994 agreement has worked almost uninterruptedly for 22 years, then in April 2016, in fact, it stopped existing for several days because Azerbaijan unleashed war.

It again entered into force in several days since it is a termless agreement and without any preconditions. During the April four-day war Azerbaijan was trying to cast a shadow on that document, but the mediators, as well as the international community highlighted its importance. This agreement also derives from the interests of the world power centers, Davit Babayan noted.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of the German Bundestag Committee on Foreign Affairs Norbert Rottgen, representing the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), called on the European Union to hold a summit on the Middle East, TASS reports.

The European diplomacy and foreign policy are highly demanded at the moment. Eventually, the talk is about our own interests in connection with the security and stability in Europe which we cannot separate from the current political situation in the Middle East, he said.

Norbert Rottgen said as of now the Europeans have showed a low will in connection with responsibility.

The situation in the Middle East became tense when US President Donald Trump announced withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. During the period from May 6 to 12 the situation in the Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact has been relatively stable, Artsakhs defense ministry told Armenpress.

During the past week the Azerbaijani forces violated the ceasefire regime in the line of contact nearly 150 times by firing more than 1500 shots at the Armenian positions.

In addition, a limited number of movements by the adversary were observed during the week, but the Artsakh Defense Army units carefully followed them and kept them under control.

The Defense Army units control the situation in the frontline and continue vigilantly conducting the combat service.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan visited the defense ministry and introduced newly-appointed defense minister Davit Tonoyan to the staff, the government told Armenpress.

I understand that there is no need to introduce Davit Tonoyan in the defense ministry since he has worked, served in the ministry, the Armed Forces for many years, and I am convinced that you all know him better than I can introduce. I want to state that this appointment, in fact, expresses the policy we are going to carry out for the development of the Armed Forces. For us it was important that the process of the change of the government will be organic, and the Armed Forces will not feel an effect of any political shock, the PM said, adding that the normal development, issues of the Armed Forces will be an absolute priority for the government since the talk is about the national security of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh. PM Pashinyan said it is necessary to make all efforts to steadily increase the level of security of Armenia and Artsakh.

The PM also introduced the priorities he put as a task before the new defense minister. The first and the most important task is the constant increase of the Armys combat readiness. Today Armenia has high international ranking, and it continues increasing which means that Armenias positions are strengthening in international relations and negotiation processes, and they must continue strengthening. I also want to note that the Army, the Armed Forces must be a firm back for Armenias diplomacy and the negotiation process. The next task, that we are going to solve in the future and believed that Davit Tonoyans candidacy is the most appropriate for that, relates to the Armys depolitization. I already had a chance to specifically thank the representatives of our Army, the Armed Forces in the Artsakh Republic that during the domestic political crisis the Armed Forces managed to not become a part of the political process as enshrined by the Constitution. This shows high-level of institutional establishment of our Armed Forces. We should continue this process. During the political processes, including elections, the Army should not be engaged as part of the election process, our task is to ensure the election freedom of each citizen, and in this regard each citizen, especially those serving in the Armed Forces, must be free in their choice as it is enshrined by the Constitution, laws and this refers to all, starting from ordinary ones up to general, Nikol Pashinyan said, adding that the Armed Forces should not be pro-governmental, opposition and should not consider themselves as a political factor.

The Armenian PM expressed confidence that from now on solving this issue is real, and this process should continue until the end.

Coming to the next task, the PM stated: We should rule out the situation when the parents of soldiers conduct material support function and have to provide their sons with clothing, hygiene items and etc. We have already discussed this topic with the General Staff of the Armed Forces, and based on the results of this discussion I have announced that this practice we consider ended. If parents will face a similar problem, I again call on them to apply to media and the PMs staff, rather than to implement that demand. I have the assurances of the representatives of the Armed Forces that we today are able to provide our soldiers with all necessary items which is the duty of the state.

Commenting on the organization of education process in the Armed Forces, Nikol Pashinyan said soldiers sometimes return from the Army to the civil life with lower educational base. I consider this as a serious issue. We all need to actively cooperate and understand the nuances of its solution. Soldiers must return from the Army with higher educational base, this means that organizing the soldiers educational process is very important, PM Pashinyan said.

As for the incidents taking place in the Armed Forces, the PM emphasized: We should not allow the news on death of soldier to become a regular headline for the public. Any case caused by both the adversarys actions and different incidents should be thoroughly investigated, conclusions must be made with the goal to prevent such cases, he said, adding that the public should be convinced that we all do everything possible to protect the life and security of every soldier. This is really a very important priority, and I expect that the defense minister will solve this issue.

PM Pashinyan thanked former defense minister Vigen Sargsyan and the Armed Forces for the conducted service and added that the Armed Forces enjoy the complete trust of the Armenian people. This is very important. At the same time, I am happy to note that todays Armenian government also enjoys the peoples trust, perhaps not so much as the Army, but at least we have a positive situation which is unique. We must be able to turn this into results that will significantly change Armenias security environment and will maintain the positive atmosphere existing in the Republic, Nikol Pashinyan said.

Davit Tonoyan thanked the Prime Minister for the trust and added that it is a great honor for him to return to a familiar atmosphere  the defense ministry. He said all instructions of the PM will be reflected in the governments program within a short period of time. I assure you that the combat readiness of the Armed Forces will be at a level which will create favorable conditions for you to hold successful talks in the negotiation process, and if necessary, also from power positions, Davit Tonoyan said.





English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Lawmaker of the Armenian Parliament Lena Nazaryan will not be a member of the upcoming government, reports Armenpress.

She posted a note on Facebook, congratulating her team members on their appointments.

Dear friends, thank you for encouraging me to be a member of the government. But at this stage I have decided to remain in the Parliament where I still have something to say. As for the concerns according to which there are few women in the posts of decision-makers in the government, yes, we are also concerned over this. But the problem is that the women, who seek changes, must not constantly talk about this issue, but must be the solution of this issue. I say this from my own experience. Good luck to everyone! We will meet in the Parliament, she said.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a congratulatory letter to Nikol Pashinyan on being elected Prime Minister of Armenia, the Armenian government told Armenpress.

The letter says:

I congratulate you on your election as Prime Minister of Armenia and wish you success on fulfilling the new important duties.

During this significant period of peaceful changes in your country, I hope that the Armenian government under your leadership will be able to justify the peoples expectations for reforms, including the strengthening of law and democratic institutions, as well as will make efforts to resist current socio-economic challenges. The United Nations, as well as the UN Armenia team, are ready to provide assistance in this regard.

As you remember, the UN firmly and consistently supports the important efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs aimed at settling the Nagorno Karabakh conflict through peaceful negotiations. I hope at this sensible period for the peaceful settlement, these efforts will receive a greater impetus and will bring positive results which will help establishing lasting peace and prosperity for all peoples in the South Caucasus.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Paolo Gentiloni, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, sent a congratulatory letter to Nikol Pashinyan on being elected Prime Minister of Armenia, the Armenian government told Armenpress.

Paolo Gentiloni wished success to PM Pashinyan on conducting his mission.

The friendly ties between our two countries have centuries-old roots which have transformed into a firm political, economic and cultural cooperation between our societies over the years.

I am convinced that under your leadership our countries will be able to continue and strengthen the path already launched by using the relations with Yerevan, the maximally developing opportunities with the EU which will allow your country to strengthen the institutions and democratic processes, protect human rights and rule of law, putting grounds for a greater social and economic prosperity.

I hope we will be able to continue working with a constructive spirit with other regional players aimed at ensuring peace, stability and prosperity in the South Caucasus, the letter said.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Slovakia Peter Pellegrini sent a congratulatory letter to Armenias new Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on assuming office, the Armenian government told Armenepress.

PM Pellegrini wished Pashinyan achievements in his responsible work for the benefit of Armenia and the development and welfare of the Armenian citizens.

I believe that your activity in that position will contribute to the peaceful development of the domestic political situation and the prosperity of your country.

Let me express my satisfaction over the high-level traditional friendly relations between Slovakia and Armenia.

I am convinced that the cooperation between our countries will continue developing in all spheres of mutual interest, especially in the economic one, reads PM Pellegrinis congratulatory letter.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. There is no criminal case filed against the former principal of Yerevans Monte Melkonyan public school in the Investigative Committee proceedings, the Investigative Committee told Armenpress.

Earlier Anahit Bakhshyan, member of the Yerevan City Council from Yelk faction, said on Facebook that a criminal case was launched against former principal of the Monte Melkonyan public school Ruzanna Azizyan.

A heated protest involving school children, parents and staff launched in Yerevans Monte Melkonyan school on May 4. The protesters were demanding the resignation of the principal  Ruzanna Azizyan.

School children were chanting Azizyan Go Away outside the school.

Teachers were also involved, claiming to have been treated unfairly because of their participation in the latest demonstrations. Teachers claim the principal had even locked the exits of the school in order not to allow the teachers to join the protests.

Ruzanna Azizyan filed for resignation on May 5. She has been dismissed on May 5 following her resignation request.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Criminal case was filed against former principal of Yerevans Monte Melkonyan public school Ruzanna Azizyan, Gor Abrahamyan, adviser to the Prosecutor General of Armenia, told ARMENPRESS.

Earlier today the Investigative Committee informed that there is no criminal case against the schools former principal in the Committees proceedings.

A heated protest involving school children, parents and staff launched in Yerevans Monte Melkonyan school on May 4. The protesters were demanding the resignation of the principal  Ruzanna Azizyan.

School children were chanting Azizyan Go Away outside the school.

Teachers were also involved, claiming to have been treated unfairly because of their participation in the latest demonstrations. Teachers claim the principal had even locked the exits of the school in order not to allow the teachers to join the protests.

Ruzanna Azizyan filed for resignation on May 5. She has been dismissed on May 5 following her resignation request.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. New Police Chief of Armenia Valery Osipyan on May 12 held a consultation with the leadership staff of the Police external service, the Police told Armenpress.

The Police Chief thanked the staff for the service conducted in the recent period.

Talking about the issues of the service, Valery Osipyan said there should be no corruption in the units conducting external service. In case of discovering such cases, police officers will be strictly punished and held accountable.

It was stated that the community police stations must further coordinate their activities, and the community police officers should regularly meet with people, listen to their issues of concern and give solutions or guide them to respective authorities. The community police officers must be fully aware of the situation in their service areas.

The Police Chief also attached importance to the proper holding of the upcoming events in Armenia, such as the celebrations dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Republic of Armenia, the 2800th anniversary of Yerevan and the Francophonie summit.

During the consultation other issues relating to the external service were also discussed.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Newly-appointed minister of education and science of Armenia Arayik Harutyunyan has summed up his first working day live on Facebook, reports Armenpress.

The minister said the first day was quite busy, a number of issues relating to different sectors were discussed.

The discussions showed that there are a lot of works to be done and numerous issues to be solved. I want to report that the work has launched, the minister said, adding: Everything will be good, all issues will be solved, and our education system will gradually improve. You will see that.

Arayik Harutyunyan was appointed minister of education and science on May 11 by the Presidents decree.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanAt least 19 people have been killed in clashes between Myanmar's military and an ethnic armed group on Saturday in northern Shan State, Myanmar army and local sources told AFP, the most deadly flare-up in recent years as fighting in the borderlands intensifies. Rights defenders say clashes in northern Myanmar near the China border have ramped up since January as the international community focuses on the Rohingya crisis in the west of the country. The military stands accused of carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign against the stateless minority in Rakhine. Saturday's violence was between the military and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, one of several insurgent groups fighting for more autonomy in the north. "Nineteen [people] were killed in fighting," the Myanmar military source said, adding that two dozen had been injured. Thaung Tun, a local NGO leader who helped carry the injured to the hospital, said the dead included one police officer, one rebel fighter, four members of a state-backed militia, and two women civilians. Pictures of burned out vehicles and armed men running for cover spread quickly on social media. TNLA spokesman Major Mai Aik Kyaw told AFP that the group attacked joint military and militia posts in the Shan state town of Muse and on a road to Lashio. "We fight because of thorough fighting in our region and the serious offensive in Kachin State," he said, referring to fresh confrontations in Myanmar's northernmost state between the army and the TNLA-aligned Kachin Independence Army. Upwards of 90,000 people reside in IDP camps in Kachin and Shan states since a ceasefire between the powerful Kachin Independence Army and the military broke down in 2011. Those fleeing violence have sheltered in tents and even churches in Kachin, which is mainly Christian, as rights groups accuse the military of blocking aid. Myanmar's patchwork of ethnic groups make up round a third of the population, but the Bamar or Burmese have filled the Buddhist-majority country's power structures since independence in 1948. Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi said ending Myanmar's long-running conflicts was her main priority after she took power in 2016, but she shares power with the military that fought the insurgencies for decades. Suu Kyi managed to bring two ethnic groups into a ceasefire accord in February, adding to eight others who had inked the deal before she took office. Upwards of 90,000 people reside in IDP camps in Kachin and Shan states since a ceasefire between the powerful Kachin Independence Army and the military broke down in 2011 Those fleeing violence have sheltered in tents and even churches in Kachin, which is mainly Christian, as rights groups accuse the military of blocking aid

The 12-year-old Queensland boy who was allegedly abducted yesterday afternoon, has been found uninjured, in New South Wales.

Police earlier issued an Amber Alert calling for urgent public assistance to help locate the Mudgeeraba schoolboy who was last seen on Clover Hill Drive at 3.45pm.

He was found by police in Grafton, New South Wales Saturday morning, and is believed to have suffered no major injuries, The Queensland Police Service confirmed in a statement.

The 12-year-old boy was allegedly abducted from Mudgeeraba in the Gold Coast Hinterland has been located in NSW. Source: Queensland Police

A 53-year-old man is assisting police with inquiries.

Police are still looking to locate the dark blue 2013 Jeep Compass with Queensland registration 760 TNH believed to be linked the boys disappearance.

The Queensland Police Service will continue with liaise with New South Wales Police as part of their investigations, a spokesperson said.

Police thanked the media and the public for their assistance in locating the boy.

Anyone with further information is encouraged to call 131 564.Iraqis voting across the country in parliamentary polls Saturday insisted they were hoping for change, even as the same old names continued to dominate the ballot papers. Just over 15 years after the US-led invasion upended Iraqi politics there is widespread fatigue with an entrenched elite viewed as mired in graft and sectarianism. "For the past three parliamentary terms, the corrupt have been playing out the same comedy to keep their grip on the country," said Ahlam Hamza, a teacher in the town of Hilla, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of Baghdad. "Now it is a national duty to get rid of them." Retiree Taher Mahmoud was casting his ballot in the southern city of Basra, the heart of Iraq's key oil producing region. But taking into account the pitted roads and the dilapidated infrastructure that plagues the area, the 56-year-old was clear about his aims. "We don't want to let the corrupt come back to power because they don't work for the general good, but for their own interests," Mahmoud told AFP. "People have to wake up and vote for better candidates." The nationwide poll on Saturday comes at a time of cautious hope for Iraq, five months after the country declared victory over the Islamic State group. Ahead of the vote, top Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali Sistani weighed in and called for Iraqis not to re-elect those who had proved to be "corrupt and failing". - 'Corrupt sharks' - But there remains plenty of scepticism that the elections will bring a radical overhaul, with only a minority of the candidates being fresh faces. "The corrupt sharks continue to suffocate us, sitting at the top of their party lists," said voter Ahmed Nasser, 65, in Hilla. "But we want change because they have brought us nothing but graft and chaos." First-time election hopefuls are often buried low down on their party lists, meaning that they have little chance of getting elected. But in the multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk to the north, Abdallah al-Obeidi said as he exited the polling station that he had managed to "choose a new candidate". "I did it because I am tired of all these old faces," said the 55-year-old voter. In the western province of Anbar, a Sunni region that was the last in Iraq to be recaptured from IS, unemployed Omar al-Doulaimi demanded more from those representing him. "We want someone who will be honest with us and not someone who will just increase his own personal wealth," the 27-year-old said. Those sentiments were echoed back in the capital Baghdad, where housewife Umm Zineb said she didn't care who was in charge -- as long as they are trustworthy. "Whether they are communists, religious or secular the most important thing is that they should care about the country and the people," she said. An Iraqi voter has her biometric voting card checked with her fingerprint upon arriving at a poll station in Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk on May 12, 2018 An Iraqi voter dips his index finger in ink at a polling station in the northern multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk on May 12, 2018



A pony was reportedly dumped in a womans suburban backyard after her 13-year-old granddaughter responded to a free online ad stating the animal would be put down if nobody took him.

The shocked homeowner said a man dropped off the skinny young colt, covered in mites, to her property at suburban England and left without providing any further details about the animal.

The shocked homeowner, unsure what to do with the pony, contacted UK animal charity World Horse Welfare for assistance.

A pony was reportedly dumped in a womans suburban backyard after her 13-year-old granddaughter responded to a free online ad stating the animal would be put down if nobody took him. Source: RSPCA

Field officer Rachel Andrews called on RSPCA Inspector Charlotte Melvin, who was closer to the site, to urgently assess the animal.

She checked the pony over then World Horse Welfare arranged to transport the pony, who has been named Mr Melvin Andrews, to a private boarding establishment.

You couldnt make this up! A 13-year-old girl responded to a plea on an online free ads site where a lady said she didnt want the pony anymore and that he would be put to sleep if no one had him, Inspector Melvin said.

A man reportedly dropped off the skinny young colt, covered in mites, to the womans property in suburban England and left without providing any further details about the animal. Source: RSPCA

She gave her nans address and the next thing that happened was a man just came along and dumped the pony there, no words of advice or anything like that  and leaving a very shocked nan.

We dont know where this poor pony came from but he clearly was not treated well before being abandoned.

Every horse and pony deserves responsible ownership, which includes responsible breeding, selling and rehoming.

Mr Melvin Andrews has reportedly settled in well at the Penny Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre and has been described as a lovely little pony.

The welfare group is appealing for anybody who can help find him a good permanent home, to get in touch.Iraq on Saturday holds its first parliamentary election since declaring victory over the Islamic State group, with the country hoping to shore up a fragile peace as it looks to rebuild. The vote comes as tensions surge between key players Iran and the United States over the nuclear deal, sparking fears of a destabilising power struggle over Iraq. Roughly 24.5 million voters face a fragmented political landscape five months after the jihadists were ousted, with the dominant Shiites split, the Kurds in disarray and Sunnis sidelined. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi -- who took over as IS rampaged across Iraq in 2014 -- is angling for a new term, claiming credit for defeating the jihadists and seeing off a Kurdish push for independence. But competition from within his Shiite community, the majority group dominating Iraqi politics, should divide the vote and spell lengthy horse-trading to form any government. Whoever emerges as premier will face the mammoth task of rebuilding a country left shattered by the battle against IS -- with donors already pledging $30 billion. Over 15 blood-sodden years since the US-led ouster of Saddam Hussein, disillusionment is widespread with the same old faces from an elite seen as mired in corruption and sectarianism. More than two million people remain internally displaced and IS -- which has threatened the polls -- still poses a major security threat. Iraq has long been a crucible for the rivalry between Iran and the US, with Tehran exerting influence over Shiite politicians and Washington deploying troops to fight IS. - Shiite rivals - Overall, just under 7,000 candidates are standing and Iraq's complex system means no single bloc should get anything near a majority in the 329-seat parliament. Abadi -- who has balanced off the US and Iran -- is facing two leading challengers to his Victory Alliance. Ex-premier Nuri al-Maliki is widely reviled for stirring sectarianism and losing territory to IS, but draws support from hardliners. Hadi al-Ameri -- a former transport minister -- led Iran-backed paramilitary units that fought IS alongside Baghdad's troops and heads a list of ex-combattants. Votes in the Sunni heartlands once dominated by IS -- including Iraq's devastated second city Mosul -- are up in the air as traditional alliances have been shredded by the fallout of jihadist rule. Political forces in the Kurdish community -- often seen as potential kingmakers -- are also in disarray after a September vote for independence backfired spectacularly. The Kurds look set to lose some of their clout on the national stage after Baghdad unleashed a battery of sanctions and seized back disputed oil-rich regions. A senior security official told AFP that some 900,000 police and soldiers are on high alert to protect the vote, with airports and borders shut for the day. Polling stations are open from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm (0400-1500 GMT) and initial results are expected in three days. Iraqis will vote in a parliamentary election that comes five months after the country's leaders declared victory over the Islamic State group Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who claims credit for defeating IS, is facing two leading challengers -- ex-premier Nuri al-Maliki and Hadi al-Ameri Iraqi Kurds wave flags as they attend an election rally for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region on May 10, 2018The Israeli army said it would almost double the number of troops surrounding the Gaza Strip and in the occupied West Bank to tackle Palestinian protests against Monday's controversial opening of a US embassy in Jerusalem. Three additional infantry brigades will be deployed next week, two around the Gaza Strip and one in the West Bank, army spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters on Saturday. The move nearly doubles the number of fighting units currently serving, he said, without giving specific figures on troops to be deployed. The announcement does not concern Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, where responding to protests is the responsibility of the police. US President Donald Trump will not attend the opening of the new embassy in Jerusalem on Monday, but his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law and key adviser Jared Kushner will. A signature campaign promise, Trump's December announcement of the embassy move led to major protests in Gaza and the West Bank. Palestinians consider the eastern part of the city as their capital. Tens of thousands of Palestinians are expected to protest along the Gaza border Monday, with the strip's Islamist rulers Hamas voicing support in recent days for attempts to breach the fence into Israel. "What's the problem with hundreds of thousands breaking through a fence that is not a border?" the organisation's Gaza head Yahya Sinwar said, arguing Israel has never defined its borders. Palestinians in Gaza have been protesting for seven weeks to be able to return to their historic homes they fled in 1948 and which later became part of Israel. A 15-year-old teenager who was shot in the head Friday succumbed to his wounds on Saturday evening, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said. The death brought to 54 the number of Palestinians killed since clashes began on March 30, with hundreds of others injured. No Israelis have been injured. Israel has vowed to use the necessary force to prevent any breach on Monday and has accused Hamas of using the protests as a pretext to carry out attacks. On Saturday Conricus said the rules of engagement had not been changed. The United Nations and the European Union have called for an independent investigation into the deaths, but the Jewish state has rebuffed them. The United States has defended its ally and accused Hamas of using Palestinians, including children, as human shields by encouraging them to protest along the border. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008. Separately Saturday Israeli aircraft carried out a number of strikes against what the army said was a Hamas attack tunnel near the Gaza border. An Israeli soldier stands on an armoured personnel carrier (APC) as troops are on alert along the border with the Gaza Strip on November 13, 2017An Italian court has lifted a ban on three-time former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi running for elected office, Italy's media reported Saturday, clearing the way for yet another political comeback. The decision comes as the leaders of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and the far-right League inch closer to a deal for a coalition government, just days after Berlusconi signalled he would not block such an agreement. The Corriere Della Sera reported that a Milan court ordered the immediate "rehabilition" of Berlusconi on Saturday, which "cancels all the effects" of his 2013 tax fraud conviction -- including a ban on holding elected office. The ban on the 81-year-old media mogul, who is notorious for his "Bunga Bunga" sex parties, had originally been until 2019 and the court's decision taken on Friday was made a month ahead of schedule, the newspaper added. It means that Berlusconi would be able to again run for prime minister if coalition negotiations fail and new elections are called. But it may be too late as M5S and the League seem to be making headway in their talks. A right-wing coalition including the League and Berlusconi's Forza Italia party won 37 percent of the vote in March 4 elections, while M5S became Italy's largest single party with nearly 33 percent. However, coalition talks were stalled for two months as M5S insisted the League, which led the right-wing coalition with 17 percent of the vote, ditch Berlusconi and his party. On Wednesday, Berlusconi seemed to give the green light for the League to go ahead without him, and its leader Matteo Salvini and M5S's Luigi Di Maio are to meet in Milan on Saturday to continue talks. They may report on their progress as early as Sunday to President Sergio Mattarella, who could then nominate the new prime minister on Monday. Dubbed "the immortal", Berlusconi dominated Italian politics for more than two decades, and despite sex scandals, serial gaffes and legal woes, he made an astonishing return from political oblivion for the March vote. However, coming second to the League in his conservative alliance was a humiliating setback for Berlusconi, who was forced out of parliament in 2013 after being convicted of corporate tax fraud. A court has cleared the way for Italian billionaire Silvio Berlusconi to run for prime minister againMalaysia's former leader Najib Razak was hit with a travel ban Saturday as speculation mounted he was about to flee the country following his shock election loss, in a possible bid to avoid prosecution over a multi-billion-dollar scandal. An angry crowd had gathered at a Kuala Lumpur airport, shouting at vehicles and seeking to stop them entering, after a purported flight itinerary leaked online showed Najib and his unpopular wife were planning to head to Indonesia. The Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition's defeat in the election at the hands of an alliance led by Najib's one-time mentor Mahathir Mohamad amounted to a political earthquake, which toppled an increasingly authoritarian regime that had ruled the country for six decades. At 92, Mahathir is the world's oldest state leader. The former autocrat previously served as prime minister for over two decades and was a BN stalwart. But he came out of retirement and defected to the opposition in a bid to unseat Najib over allegations that huge sums were looted from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, which Najib set up and oversaw. Since the opposition victory, Malaysia's king has agreed to pardon jailed top politician Anwar Ibrahim -- a former nemesis turned ally of Mahathir -- in a move that could pave the way for him to become premier. Senior members of his party said he was expected to be freed Tuesday. - 'Blacklisted' - Speculation had been mounting that Najib might try to flee the country as Mahathir has pledged to investigate the 1MDB controversy if he won power. As an image of the leaked manifest for a flight on a private jet to Jakarta spread like wildfire online, Najib insisted in social media posts he was only planning a "short break" overseas to rest after the election and would be back next week. But anger quickly mounted among social media users who accused the defeated leader of seeking to flee, and the immigration department swiftly announced both he and his wife Rosmah Mansor -- unpopular because of her spendthrift ways -- were banned from leaving Malaysia. Mahathir confirmed he had issued the order to stop the pair leaving. "It is true that I prevented Najib from leaving the country... he and his wife," he told a press conference. When asked if the restrictions on Najib were due to 1MDB, Mahathir said: "There are a lot of complaints against (Najib) all of which have to be investigated... we find that some of the complaints are valid. "We have to act quickly because we don't want to be saddled with a problem of extradition from other countries." - Anwar release - Earlier, as dozens of people descended on the airport in a bid to stop Najib and Rosmah leaving, riot police were stationed by the gate of the airport where it was believed Najib would enter. As a white van with heavily tinted windows attempted to pass by, the crowd surrounded the vehicle and it was only allowed to pass after they confirmed Najib was not inside. After being hit with the travel ban, Najib later announced he was stepping down as chairman of BN and president of its main party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), following the historic loss. Mahathir also announced the first three appointments to his cabinet -- Lum Guan Eng as finance minister, Muhyiddin Yassin as interior minister and Mohamad Sabu as defence minister. He suggested Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali, who cleared Najib over 1MDB and shut down domestic probes, was as good as out of a job. He said restrictions had been placed on people suspected of wrongdoing, adding: "At the moment, we don't have an attorney-general." Xavier Jayakumar, a vice-president of Anwar's party, said the jailed politician was expected to be released from prison Tuesday. Anwar was heir-apparent to the premiership until Mahathir sacked him in 1998 and he was subsequently jailed for sodomy and abuse of power. But in a remarkable turnaround, the pair reconciled and joined forces as allegations mounted over 1MDB and Najib became increasingly authoritarian. Anwar, now 70, was jailed again in 2015 during Najib's rule and had been due for release next month. Najib Razak has announced he is quitting as head of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition as well as its main party Factfile on the Malaysian 1MDB corruption allegations. An angry crowd gathered outside the airport after a purported itinerary leaked online showed Najib and his unpopular wife were planning to head to IndonesiaItalian anti-establishment and far-right leaders are inching closer to a deal over a joint government under the watchful eye of Europe as they meet on Saturday to hash out a deal that could be announced as soon as Sunday. Matteo Salvini, leader of the nationalist, strongly eurosceptic League, and head of Five Star Movement (M5S) Luigi Di Maio are set to meet in Milan on Saturday to continue talks over a "German-style" government contract, which both hope to sign "as soon as possible." They may report on the progress of their talks as early as Sunday to President Sergio Mattarella, who could then nominate the new prime minister on Monday. That person is unlikely to be either Salvini or Di Maio. On Friday Italian media reported Di Maio's political advisor Vincenzo Spadafora speaking of a tight team with "less than 20 ministers", but no names have been revealed. The composition of the government team will be influenced by the number of seats held by M5S, which is more than Salvini now that he will take part in this proposed government separately from the right-wing coalition that won 37 percent of the vote on March 4. - 'Significant progress' - On its own, the League picked up 17 percent, while the M5S is by far Italy's largest single party after conquering nearly 33 percent of the electorate. "We are making significant progress on the government programme by finding broad points of convergence on issues that are important to Italians," said Di Maio after meeting Salvini in the lower house Chamber of Deputies on Friday. Italian media report that both parties agree on rolling back increases to the age of retirement, while the M5S is willing to follow the League's hardline anti-immigration policies. Salvini and Di Maio are also willing to make compromises over their flagship policies -- the League's drastic drop in taxes and the M5S's universal basic income -- which look tricky to reconcile in the eurozone's second most indebted country. Spadafora emphasised the M5S's desire for Italy "to stay in the euro and in Europe," despite wanting to rediscuss "some treaties." The EU is one of Salvini's favourite targets, with the 45-year-old making alliances across Europe with other anti-union figures like Viktor Orban and Marine Le Pen. - Warning - Salvini's possible entry into government has attracted attention in Brussels, and Mattarella, who alone has the power to appoint the executive, warned the parties against nationalism. "To think that we can get by alone is a pure illusion or, worse, a deliberate deception aimed to sway public opinion," Mattarella said at State of the Union conference in Florence on Thursday. At the conference on Friday was EU parliament head Antonio Tajani, who would have been Silvio Berlusconi's prime ministerial nominee had right-wing coalition partner Salvini's League not won more votes than the 81-year-old media mogul's Forza Italia party. "Being a good Italian also means being a good European citizen. It needs to be repeated out loud, especially now," Tajani said. "Leaving the single currency would be shooting oneself in the foot," added Tajani, in what appeared to be a direct warning to the League. Di Maio, who has softened the M5S's stance on the EU since being named leader, shot back at Tajani on Friday, saying that "maybe those who see a threat to Europe in this government actually see a threat to their position." Luigi Di Maio (left) and Matteo Salvini are also willing to make compromises over their flagship policiesRomanian President Klaus Iohannis on Saturday clashed with the government over its Middle East and EU policies Saturday, lambasting them as "improvised" and bad for the country. Iohannis, who hails from the centre-right, spoke out after the left-wing government refused to back a proposed joint EU statement condemning US President Donald Trump's decision to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. The foreign ministry said the text "lacked balance" and that, together with Hungary and the Czech Republic, Romania had refused to sign it but agreed to a compromise whereby it could be issued in the name of EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and not on behlaf of all 28 member states. "This is the second time that they have tried to carry out improvised foreign policy and it has gone badly, very badly," Iohannis told reporters. "Suddenly we are once again thrown onto the margins of EU, next to countries for which I have the utmost respect, but which are quite Eurosceptic," he added. Iohannis previously clashed with the government over the issue last month when the ruling party floated the idea of Romania following the US's lead and moving its own embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Iohannis said no transfer could take place before Israelis and Palestinians agreed on the city's status, stressing that decisions about Romania's missions abroad were in any case his prerogative as president. He has also been at loggerheads with the government over its judicial reforms which critics, including the EU, say will weaken judicial independence and the fight against corruption. The latest spat came as some 4,000 anti-government demonstrators gathered in Bucharest's central Victory Square for a protest called "We want Europe, not dictatorship" and unfurled a large EU flag. "The danger of stepping further away from Europe is real, we can see that with every decision they make," said 38-year-old lawyer Radu Ropota, referring to the government's repeated clashes with Brussels. "They have shown us that they only care about themselves and that's frustrating," he added. "I think that we can not go down as a country without us, the people, having something to say," said Marius Dulan, a 32-year-old graphic designer. The protestors' criticisms echo those of Iohannis, who said that the government's "anti-European policies... risk pushing us out of Europe". Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who hails from the centre-right, spoke out after the left-wing government refused to back a proposed joint EU statement condemning the US decision to move the American embassy in Israel to JerusalemAt least 86 pro-regime fighters were killed in Syria over the past week in battles against the Islamic State group as regime forces push to clear jihadists from their last stronghold in Damascus, a monitor said Saturday. The jihadists have lost 57 fighters in the clashes in the Hajar al-Aswad district on the outskirts of Damascus since May 5, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Since mid-April, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have pounded IS in its last Damascus bastion. Retaking the area, which includes Hajar al-Aswad and the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmuk, would place the regime in full control of the capital and its surroundings for the first time since 2012. "The clashes continue. Despite its firepower, the regime has been unable to achieve any significant advance on the ground for a week," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said. "IS is entrenched in tunnels and underground shelters and it has been conducting counter-attacks since Saturday." At least 203 pro-government fighters have been killed along with 159 IS jihadists since April 19, according to the Observatory. Government forces have retaken 60 percent of Hajar al-Aswad, but jihadists still control 80 percent of Yarmuk, the monitor said. Once a thriving district home to some 160,000 Palestinians and Syrians, Yarmuk's population has fallen to just a few hundred people. The regime continued to pound the area with air strikes and artillery fire on Saturday, the Observatory said. IS has been expelled from most of the country since it declared a "caliphate" across large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014. But it still holds around five percent of Syrian territory, in eastern and central desert holdouts and on the edge of Damascus. Syria's war has killed more than 350,000 people since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests before spiralling into a complex conflict involving world powers and jihadists. Explosions appear on the skyline of southern Damascus during regime strikes on April 28, 2018, targeting Islamic State jihadists in the Palestinian Yarmuk refugee camp and neighbouring areasThe head of the Anglican church in the United States will give the main speech at the wedding of Britain's Prince Harry and his US fiancee Meghan Markle, Kensington Palace announced Saturday. The Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry, primate of the Episcopal Church, will deliver the address during the ceremony at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, west of London, on May 19. "The love that has brought and will bind Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle together has its source and origin in God, and is the key to life and happiness," said Curry. "And so we celebrate and pray for them today." Kensington Palace previously announced that David Conner, the Dean of Windsor, will conduct the wedding service. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury who is the spiritual head of the Church of England and the leader of the world's 85 million Anglicans, will officiate over the marriage vows. Curry became the 27th presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church in November 2015. Aged 65 and from Chicago, he is the first African-American to serve in that capacity. The Episcopal Church is a member of the global Anglican Communion led by Welby and counted 1.9 million active baptised members in 2015. It caused a rift within the Communion in 2003 when it ordained the openly gay Gene Robinson as a bishop. In 2012 it became the biggest faith group in the United States to approve a provisional rite for blessing same-sex unions. - Markle baptised - Markle was baptised and confirmed by Welby in March ahead of her marriage. She is understood to have chosen to join the Church of England out of respect for the role Harry's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II has as supreme governor of the Anglican Communion's mother church. Markle's father is an Episcopalian, while her mother belonged to another Protestant denomination. Nonetheless, Markle attended a private Roman Catholic girls' school in Los Angeles. Harry is sixth in line to inherit the crown. Catholics are excluded from succession to the throne, and the sovereign must be in communion with the Church of England, swear to preserve it and promise to uphold the Protestant succession. Before a 2013 law came into force across the 16 Commonwealth realms that share Queen Elizabeth as head of state, people who married Catholics were also excluded from the order of succession. Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be married at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on May 19Lunaticoutpost.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program , anaffiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.Amazon, the Amazon logo, MYHABIT, and the MYHABIT logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.Don't be a pest to the forum.No profanity in thread-titles or usernamesNo excessive profanity in postsNo Racism, Antisemitism + HateNo calls for violence against anyone..This website exists for fun and discussion only. The reader is responsible for discerning the validity, factuality or implications of information posted here, be it fictional or based on real events. The content of posts on this site, including but not limited to links to other web sites, are the expressed opinion of the original poster and are in no way representative of or endorsed by the owners or administration of this website. The posts on this website are the opinion of the specific author and are not statements of advice, opinion, or factual information on behalf of the owner or administration of LunaticOutPost.Com. The owners or administration of this website can't be hold responsible for content hosted on sites that posters link to in; including, but not limited to, posts, signatures, private messages and such. This site may contain content not suitable for minors and if you feel you might be offended by such content, you should log off immediately.This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Users may make such material available in an effort to advance awareness and understanding of issues relating to civil rights, economics, individual rights, international affairs, liberty, science & technology, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.In accordance with industry accepted best practices we ask that users limit their copy / paste of copyrighted material to the relevant portions of the article you wish to discuss (no more than 50% of the source material) provide a link back to the original articleIf you are a legal copyright holder or a designated agent for such and you believe a post on this website falls outside the boundaries of "Fair Use" and legitimately infringes on yours or your clients copyright please contact [email protected] This website is owned by :Marco ZwaneveldDrijfriemstraat 522516 XR The HagueNetherlands.I will not rent, sell, share or otherwise disclose your personal information to any third party.We might contact you from time to time regarding your purchases or the services (like forums and announcement lists) you have subscribed to.Some of the 3rd party advertisers on lunaticoutpost.com may use cookiesto track peformance and/or to serve relevant ads.If you wish to read more and/or opt out of such cookies, please visit: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/LOS ANGELESIts no surprise the rows of vendor booths at DomCon LA are filled with leather, metal and fur. Floggers and whips are of course the accoutrements of choice for attendees, but some vendors recognize some fans might want more traditional pleasure products with with BDSM.

Lana Morgan, CEO of Exotica Erotica, travelled from New York City to debut her new company and products she designed herself.

We have items for all types of people and all types of bodies, Morgan told AVN. We are still new but we are working very hard to create products people will love.

Among the companys designs are a wand vibrator that can heat up to 97 degrees and has dual motors so the handle can be used as an insertable stimulator. There is also a unisex anal plug that vibrates, and a powerful bullet vibrator that is popular among consumers, she said. Morgan noted she is already planning to produce a longer bullet with a more flared base so it will be safe for vaginal and anal use.

Also exhibiting at the conference was Orchid and Serpent Erotic Accessories. Company CEO Susan Miller was on hand at the booth, which was a unique mixture of sex toys and geeky items. Belts fashioned from seat belts and adorned with superhero logos lined the back wall, while anal plugs, glass items and violet wands and accessories were arranged on the tables.

We try to have something for everyone here, Miller said. And we try to make it affordable. Not every sex toy needs to be overpriced.

Miller said she attends several trade shows each year, including DomCon and the AVN Show in Las Vegas each January (she is usually found in The Lair) and the rest of the year she operates her online retails stores.

We have a lot of the geeky stuff on a different website so customers under the age of 18 can safely shop, too, she said.

Online, at OrchidAndSerpentStores.com, she carries everything from custom electroplax items to gas masks and collars and restraints.

Occupying the biggest booth on the show floor was Sybian, where attendees could see demonstrations of the original Sybian, many of its newest accessoriesincluding the new fluid-proof sheets from Sheets of San Francisco and Sybian branded lubricant from Sliquidas well as its Venus for Men product.

According to company rep Bunny, who was at the show to showcase the items and explain them to customers unfamiliar with the products, the Venus for Men is a high tech, hands-free masturbation machine that creates a powerful stroking motion. The Venus for Men comes with custom-fit attachments, including the primary attachment for the penis, and attachments for head and nipple massagers.

And of course those looking for more traditional BDSM items at DomCon LA were treated to row after row and booth after booth of floggers, whips, chain maille pieces and more.

DomCon LA continues Saturday and Sunday, May 12-13, at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport. For more, visit DomConLA.com.How many times have you said to someone "We live in a free country?" How many times have you commented "Thank God we live in a free country." How many times have you heard others, including our nation's leaders and representatives, say "The United States is a free country."On the news we often hear commentators compare other countries to the United States, the premise being that we have a more free country. And how many times have you read in the news how the United States sets the example and is a beacon to the rest of the world because we are such a free nation.Yes, we have freedoms. They are outlined in the Declaration of Independence and they are recognized and secured (supposedly) in the US Bill of Rights. But that doesn't necessarily define us as a "Free People." The real question is to what extend we are able to exercise those rights. That is the real measure of our freedom and our liberty.But the reality is that the comment "We live in a free country" has become a soundbite, a cliche. We speak and hear it so often - indeed, for most of our lives we've heard it - that we believe it. We take it for granted that it is true.We believe we have freedom in the marketplace and freedom over our personal and real property. But an honest assessment shows that there are so many regulations and so many taxes and fees and conditions and filings with respect to each that we truly do not have economic freedom or freedom with respect to our property (including our wages and other earned "income").So, are we a "Free Country?"Let's look at a screen shot of Americana right now, in 2018. Populism has been on the rise here and as we are learning first-hand, it threatens freedom by pitting "us" against "them." Take, for example, the Phillips v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission which is a case sitting with the Supreme Court right now. As many probably know, the case presents a butting of two important issues: The Right to Exercise One's Religious Beliefs Even in Conduct in the Marketplace versus The Right Not to Be Discriminated Against in Public Accommodations (including goods and services). The fact that Religious Liberty, probably the most important of our rights as sought by those who settled and founded our country and one seemingly protected without conditions or limitations in the First Amendment to the US Constitution is under scrutiny to have both imposed by our highest court, is in and of itself an indicator of our freedom index. Next, look at the arbitrary nature of our tax system. Those who can be taxed to fund the government and all the many programs (most of which are unconstitutional) are taxed in every possible way, shape, and form. Property is taxed multiple times, over and over and over again with each transfer, and improvements require more taxation. Sums that can be taken out of a person's paycheck WILL be taken out and although characterized to sound palatable to the American people, are simply various forms of taxation. All of these funds are used by the government to redistribute wealth and services; they are not intended to be a rightful, fair, or equal token to the government in return for the benefits the country provides. We believe we have an almost unlimited right to free speech, but today, that right falls away quickly when the audience includes an individual who is too fragile to hear a viewpoint that he or she does not agree with. Free Speech today is, in reality, limited by feelings and a seriously low tolerance for opposing views, facts, or truth.If Congress doesn't do anything about the Affordable Care Act and the notion that the government must provide funding for healthcare for everyone and can regulate the healthcare profession, then we will officially be one of the countries of the world providing socialized medicine and healthcare. Ronald Reagan had warned about this back in 1961 and several Supreme Court justices warned of the same in 2012. As Reagan noted:" Interestingly, during President Harry S. Truman's administration, it was proposed that the government establish a compulsory health insurance program for all people in the United States, which the American people, without reservation or serious debate, rejected. They rejected government healthcare (Hillarycare) during the Clinton administration, and they opposed it during the Obama administration. But popular opinion and public concern didn't stop President Obama.The snapshot of Americana now in 2018 isn't nearly the snapshot many remember 30-40 years ago, and those who remember the 50's and 60's may hardly recognize the country we've become. We could speak freely, worship freely, and we could travel without having to put lots of money aside for toll roads and bridges. Fanily was still the institution we believed in, strived for, and worked hard to preserve. We may not have had a ton of luxury items or electronic devices, but we were happy and sociable and weren't consumed with talk of race and diversity, and we didn't see our communities rapidly change due to an uncontrolled immigration of Hispanics. We enjoyed an era of color-blindedness and for a time, we enjoyed economic prosperity. We were safe in our homes and communities, our parents had job security, we went to school to learn how to think (not to be taught what to think), and we all felt like we had a shot at the American Dream, if we were willing to be educated and work hard. Most parents were reluctant to accept government hand-outs because of the stigma of receiving something not earned. It was an era of respect because, quite frankly, most people earned it.Again, the question is: Are we a Free country?The fact is that we are not truly a free country anymore. A look at the various factors that affect the extent to which we can exercise our freedoms shows quite clearly that we are not a "Free Nation" but rather one that is only "mostly free." I don't think that would have been good enough for our Founding Fathers. I think they would be deeply disappointed in what we've allowed the government to become, for it is the government that is - and has been - responsible for most of the factors burdening and constraining our freedoms.There are detailed studies, conducted by reputable organizations such as the Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation, the Fraser Institute, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom which assess the various factors that define the extent of a country's personal and economic freedom. Using such analysis, they measure each country's degree of freedom. These studies are called the Human Freedom Index and the Economic Freedom Index. The results of each of these does not bode particularly well for the United States or we as Americans.Because freedom is inherently valuable and plays a role in human progress, it is worth measuring carefully and worth taking note of.The Human Freedom Index looks at a broad range of factors to measure human freedom, which is defined as, and understand to mean, the absence of coercive constraint (that is, government, economic, and legal constraint). In other words, a measure of human freedom is a measure of the extent of coercive constraint or restraint on a person's essential liberties, civil liberties, economic freedom, and property rights. Some refer to this as "negative freedom." The Human Freedom Index uses 79 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom - the two most generalized categories - in the following more specific areas: Rule of Law (laws) Security and Safety Movement Religion Association, Assembly, and Civil Society Expression and Information Identity and Relationships Size of Government Legal System and Property Rights Access to Sound Money Freedom to Trade Internationally Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business[For a complete look at the 79 factors used in the study: https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/human-freedom-index-files/2017-human-freedom-index-2.pdf Go to pp 15-19. The ranking follows on pp. 19-23. This is the data compiled by the Cato Institute, the Fraser Institute, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom]The Index measures and ranks 159 countries.According to the Human Freedom Index, the United States ranks only 24th with respect to "Personal Freedom" and 17th with respect to "Human Freedom" (a measure that includes all the areas above - personal, civil, economic, government and the rule of law, etc). The U.S. fell from 16th place in 2008 and 19th place in 2013 to 24th place for Personal Freedom, showing a troubling trend for our country and its people.Ahead of the United States, in terms of Personal Freedom, are the countries (in order, #1-23): Norway, Finland, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Sweden, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Canada, Portugal, Great Britain, Slovenia, Estonia, Iceland, Taiwan, the Czech Republic, Malta, and Japan. [The Cato Institute, the Fraser Institute, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom,; pp. 6-7]Technically, the United States is not considered "Free" but rather, is considered "Mostly Free." 14.5% of the 159 countries analyzed have more personal freedom than the United States and 84.2% have less. These numbers hardly entitle us to brag that we lead the world in freedom and are the model for other nations to follow.Economic freedom is a measure of success in the marketplace. Beyond this specific indication, economic freedom is, and has historically been, seen as an important indicator of personal freedom. There is a reason for that. A person or family that is self-sufficient is not dependent on others or the government. Dependency stifles freedom and limits options. Our nation's most prosperous eras have been the ones that have provided Americans jobs, education, opportunities, and wealth. When America prospers, its people prosper. They are lifted out of poverty, sickness, and ignorance.According to the Human Freedom Index, the United States ranks 11th with respect to "Economic Freedom." . The countries that rank higher than us include (in order, #1-10): Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland, Ireland, Great Britain, Mauritius, Georgia, Australia, Estonia, and Canada. Actually, Canada is ties with the US. [The Cato Institute, the Fraser Institute, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom,pp. 6-7]The Heritage Foundation, which conducted its own study of Economic Freedom, has the United States ranked 18th in the world, in 2018. The Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom looks at 12 individual freedoms, from property rights to financial freedom, in 186 countries. The top-ranking countries, in order, are: Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland, Australia, and Ireland. These top 6 are considered "FREE," according to the Heritage Foundation. The countries that follow (#7-17) are: Estonia, Great Britain, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Ireland, Denmark, Taiwan, Luxembourg, Sweden, Georgia, and the Netherland. The countries that occupy the #7-34 positions (which includes the United States, at #18) are considered "MOSTLY FREE." [2018 Index of Economic Freedom, Heritage Foundation -Although President Trump is working very hard to improve the situation in the United States with respect to our economic freedom, right now, our position is certainly nothing to brag about.As mentioned above, with respect to "Human Freedom," the United States ranks 17th. Again, the "Human Freedom" Index is a measure that includes all 79 distinct indicators among the areas of economic freedom, personal freedom, and civil liberties - the major ones, which are contained in our First Amendment: speech, religion, association, and assembly. The countries that rank higher than the US include (in order, starting with the most free): Switzerland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia, Finland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Canada, Austria, Sweden, Estonia, Luxembourg, and Germany. [The Cato Institute, the Fraser Institute, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom,pp. 6-7]said Ian Vasquez, director of the Cato Institute's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity and co-author of the study, commenting on its results.I hope this article and the data provided convinces you that we, as Americans are not a free people and that our country, despite the talking points, is not really a free country. We are "mostly free," which should never be a consolation that we are willing to settle with. So next time you are filled with pride and patriotism and want so badly to sing the praises of the United States, please be sure to speak honestly of her.Honesty is the first step in admitting there is a problem.Human Freedom Index 2017, Cato Institute, the Fraser Institute, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (Full Report) -Country Profiles:"The Human Freedom Index," Cato Institute -2018 Economic Freedom Index, The Heritage Foundation -On Tuesday, former president Barack Obama, eschewing the time-honored practice of refraining from criticizing his successor (as exemplified by George W. Bush), hastily issued a statement condemning President Trump for quitting the very Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) that Obama and his administration lied about in order to sell to the American public.Obama hilariously claimed, "The reality is clear. The JCPOA is working - that is a view shared by our European allies, independent experts, and the current U.S. Secretary of Defense. The JCPOA is in America's interest - it has significantly rolled back Iran's nuclear program."Obama added that some of the countries of Europe have signed on to the deal in the belief that the Iranians (who have proven to be liars) can be trusted:He didn't mention that even Saudi Arabia and the UAE approved of Trump's decision, not to mention Israel.Obama huffed,Okay, let's see what he had to offer:Well, there you are, forget American sovereignty. Long live the international regime! Worth noting: the deal was not between the United States and Iran - it was between Obama and Iran. The U.S. Senate didn't sign off on the deal, so it wasn't a treaty. It was merely an Obama administration policy, easily tossed out by the next president.Second, the JCPOA has worked in rolling back Iran's nuclear program. For decades, Iran had steadily advanced its nuclear program, approaching the point where they could rapidly produce enough fissile material to build a bomb. The JCPOA put a lid on that breakout capacity. Since the JCPOA was implemented, Iran has destroyed the core of a reactor that could have produced weapons-grade plutonium; removed two-thirds of its centrifuges (over 13,000) and placed them under international monitoring; and eliminated 97 percent of its stockpile of enriched uranium - the raw materials necessary for a bomb. So by any measure, the JCPOA has imposed strict limitations on Iran's nuclear program and achieved real results.Really. David Albright, the president and founder of the Institute for Science and International Security, told Bloomberg after Israeli intelligence retrieved a warehouse full of documents related to the Iranian nuclear program, "The most significant thing is that this is a warehoused collection intended to be used later for reconstitution. They could have destroyed these documents. But these were being carefully protected and hidden with the intention to reuse them when they launch their weapons program." And Iran has already signaled - moments after Trump killed the deal - that they would ramp up their nuclear program faster than before. So much for the notion of a hampered Iranian capacity.Back to Obama:If you believe that, there's this bridge in Brooklyn I can sell you. In October 2017, The Hill reported Obama again:This, of course, neglects the crucial problem: the deal itself allows Iran to build ballistic missiles and foster terrorism around the Middle East, even as it socks away the crucial information for building a bomb until the deadline runs out.Fifth, the JCPOA does not expire. The prohibition on Iran ever obtaining a nuclear weapon is permanent. Some of the most important and intrusive inspections codified by the JCPOA are permanent. Even as some of the provisions in the JCPOA do become less strict with time, this won't happen until ten, fifteen, twenty, or twenty-five years into the deal, so there is little reason to put those restrictions at risk today.This is simply a lie. The prohibition on Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon ends the day the deal ended. Everyone recognized that, including Iran.Then, some blathering:And some unintended hilarity:Well, yes. And just who was it that closed his eyes while Iran was lying all these years?And the usual pie-in-the sky Obama conclusion: "We have been safer in the years since we achieved the JCPOA, thanks in part to the work of our diplomats, many members of Congress, and our allies."Nuclear power advocates are jumping on the climate change bandwagon. They are repackaging the industry as a clean energy alternative, and making a case for government subsidies.The Joint Legislative Commission on Energy Policy got that pitch in April. Nuclear energy representatives said nuclear plants are far more reliable than environmentalists' preferred solar and wind turbine power plants. They also produce exponentially more electricity.While acknowledging solar, wind, and other renewable sources should be among the components used to address climate change, Jeff Merrifield, a former member of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, told lawmakers nuclear power can contribute to the effort. Merrifield is a resident of Davidson, and a partner in the Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw, Pittman global law firm.But states such as North Carolina that set up Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards should instead have adopted a Clean Energy Standard to capture nuclear power output, Merrifield said. Under such a standard, Duke Energy would qualify for financial incentives similar to those given renewable energy sources if it increased output at one of its reactors.Nils Breckenridge, regional sales manager at NuScale Power, which is developing new-generation nuclear plants, said REPS were intended to help more expensive clean energy sources grow. He said states might want to consider zero-emission tax credits to help expand the nuclear industry in the same way.Natural gas is nuclear's chief competition, and is currently less expensive, Breckenridge said. But it emits pollutants. Giving zero emission tax credits to nuclear plants would level the playing field, and put more cleaner-burning fuel into production.The thought of expanding taxpayer subsidies to other power sources has drawn critics across the ideological spectrum.said Jon Sanders, director of regulatory studies at the John Locke Foundation.Incentives and purchase mandates artificially raise the total cost of electricity for North Carolinians as consumers and taxpayers.Sanders said.Sanders said.- construction costs for unused capital investments -said Mollie Diggins, state director of the North Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club, an environmentalist group.Diggins said itJim Warren, executive director of the environmental group NC WARN, said South Carolina Electric & Gas spent billions of dollars and raised rates repeatedly before canceling two reactors in South Carolina that had the same design as Duke's facilities.Warren said.Nuclear advocates note the dominant role it plays in the Carolinas' energy portfolio. Preston Gillespie, Duke senior vice president and chief nuclear officer, told the legislative committee nuclear comprises about 60 percent of Duke's clean power in the Carolinas. Nuclear plants provide the state's and nation's largest carbon-free baseload generation.set by the federal government, Gillespie said.Breckenridge and Merrifield said funding is a major obstacle to building new nuclear plants.The lengthy regulatory approval process and construction time means it can take two decades to bring a nuclear power plant online. Most nuclear plant developers couldn't tie up capital without any revenue that long. Merrifield said financiers require loan guarantees to build nuclear facilities, and states could provide that backing.Breckenridge said the U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense have lots of facilities that could offer guaranteed power purchase agreements to nuclear power companies. Federal production tax credits issued for renewable energy projects should be applied to nuclear plant construction to help lower costs. A federal loan guarantee program also would be helpful.Duke's nuclear energy output in place of traditional fuel sources has eliminated carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to that produced by 17 million vehicles, he said. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas many link to climate change and warmer global temperatures.To paraphrase Mark Twain, Merrifield said reports of the nuclear industry's demise are greatly exaggerated."There is actually a very active program for building and deploying new nuclear reactors around the world," with 65 under construction in 13 countries, Merrifield said.There are 440 nuclear power plants in 32 countries. The U.S. leads the world with 99 units in operation, and two under construction, Merrifield said.U.S. nuclear plants provide about 20 percent of the nation's electricity, but 60 percent of its carbon-free power.Sixteen countries rely on nuclear for at least one-quarter of their total power needs, with France tops at 70 percent, Merrifield said. China has 20 nuclear plants, and proposes to catch up to the U.S. by 2030.In 2017 the U.S. nuclear industry experienced just 39 "scrams," sudden shutdowns of a nuclear reactor for a potential safety threat. That is the safest operation level ever, Merrifield said. In contrast, there were more than 300 in 1990. Some units have not had a scram in more than 10 years.Duke Energy's Carolinas nuclear plants produce 11,000 megawatts of power, accounting for 52 percent of the utility's electricity in the Carolinas, Gillespie said.Duke operates Brunswick Nuclear Plant, Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant, and McGuire Nuclear Station in North Carolina, and three other nuclear plants in South Carolina. Their 20-year licenses with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will expire between 2030 and 2046, and Duke will begin planning for the first relicensing by 2021 or 2022.Duke's nuclear plants in 2017 operated around the clock at a 95.6 percent capacity, its second highest mark ever.Gillespie said.Renewable wind and solar cannot achieve those high operating volumes. When the sun isn't shining, and the wind isn't blowing, they aren't producing electricity.Commission Co-Chairman Sen. Paul Newton, R-Cabarrus, said it is not possible to go 100 percent renewable as some advocates insist . He cited Germany as a case in point.Newton said. To fill the frequent renewable power voids Germany uses constantly running coal-fired plants for reliable backup.Rep. Rodney Moore, D-Mecklenburg, queried Gillespie about security at the nuclear plants.Gillespie said.Control systems are separated from the internet, and constant checks are conducted to detect cyber threats.Gillespie said the NRC uses ex-military and paramilitary forces to wage mock assaults on Duke security forces at its nuclear plants.Gillespie said.Merrifield said as many as 60 new wave nuclear designs are under development in North America that are smaller than traditional models.Breckenridge said the NuScale reactor could be used at "mission-critical facilities" such as a microgrid, hospitals, military bases, and national laboratories that must run without fail.Breckenridge told lawmakers his company is attempting to get an NRC license for its small modular nuclear technology. It could produce 600 megawatts of power on a 35-acre site. It would create 1,000 jobs during construction, and employ 360 operators when opened.Breckenridge compared that to the Amazon Wind Farm in eastern North Carolina, which has the potential to produce 200 megawatts of electricity, but requires 20,000 acres for its wind turbines, and needs just 10 maintenance workers and operators.Now that it is fully apparent, to all who have the ability to pay some modicum of attention, that Imposter President Biden has extreme cognitive issues, in addition to being an inveterate liar: Can OUR Republic continue with this Executive Office that has completely failed, so many times, on far too many issues here at this early date in this abysmal presidency?

No, Joseph R. Biden is completely unqualified, morally and cognitively, to represent real Americans, and lead this Republic of disparate peoples.

Yes, Joseph R. Biden has started whispering again, even softer now than before; so, I know he still cares, plus, OUR media will soon stop reporting on Afghanistan in favor of OUR Socialist ideals.The millennial generation is taking a lot of heat lately, with even some of its members a bit shame-faced about their values, habits, and much else . Most troubling to the economically literate are surveys revealing millennials' high level of comfort with socialism: at least one poll suggests a majority might prefer to live in a socialist or communist society. Since many in this age group are also OK with using physical force to silence those with whom they disagree, it's not unreasonable to fret they'll transform America into something like Venezuela if given the chance.But I spend my work days in the company of millennials, and I'm less worried. A recent classroom discussion illustrates why.My freshmen had averaged a disappointing C+ on their first mid-term exam, and there were plenty of pained expressions as I returned their papers. But I brought forth sighs of relief by announcing that, given how low some grades were, it might be fair to "scale" their scores. A reprieve!Then I revealed my proposed scaling formula-a tricky one surely used to good educational effect by other professors over the years. As grades were re-calculated, hands shot up and different students wore pained expressions. The problem was that my formula added points to the below-average scores by taking them from those who had done well.said one of my more conscientious, front-row students.I agreed,The student frowned. That phrase had always seemed so appealing before.Another front-row student weighed in:I agreed, recapping reasons why some students might have been diverted from adequate study, such as jobs or team practices. A few students looked away; perhaps they had other reasons.a back-row student asked. Here I shrugged sympathetically and totaled up exactly how many test points the class had produced.Since this was a class in macroeconomics, I lapsed into jargon.I said, tabulating the class's total output of points.Glum silence."Anyway," I continued,At which point my millennials revealed their socialist inclinations were paper thin: only three percent voted for my proposed scale. Even those who would have been recipients of points voted against it. The overwhelming consensus was that, at least in this case, my redistributive policy was unfair.Most gratifying, however, was that these millennials also recognized that my scale would be counter-productive in the long run. When I asked what would happen on their next test if I made this scale permanent policy, the response was immediate:Exactly. I pointed out that if their total output of points fell even modestly on the next test, the C+ average might turn to a C-...or worse.Gratifying, too, is that surveys of millennial opinion outside my little classroom suggest that similar thinking prevails. The college years seem to be the high-water mark for socialist sentiment. As Lloyd George once said,More precisely, millennials' views about income redistribution and the role of government tend to flip once they can readily identify the costs of such policies-and who will pay them.My students knew how much-or how little-effort they and many of their classmates had put into preparation for this test. They may be used to thinking that "out there," in a capitalist economy which they are regularly told is inherently evil and exploitative, there is zero correlation between performance and reward, or that if you are rich it is because you have made someone else poor.But as millennials enter that "real world" and start to gather evidence about how it actually works, and as they move up the career ladder and start earning money, for example, their enthusiasm for Robin Hood-style government cools considerably. I would argue that this is not mere self-interest but demonstrates awareness and wisdom. It's easy to hate rich one-percenters (and others) when you don't know who they are or how they achieved their condition-especially when our leaders demonize them and delegitimize their accomplishments. It's easy to assume that the supply of appropriable wealth is almost infinite and that it can be tapped without adverse effect.When, however, millennials can see how hard it is to achieve success and can readily analyze the long-term consequences of punishing it, they quickly reach some wholesome and important conclusions. And often they act on those conclusions: on their next mid-term, my classes averaged a B. Maybe the kids are all right after all.Of course, a classroom is not necessarily reflective of the "real world," in which there is broad support for some amount of income and wealth redistribution. The hotly-debated question is how much. We must be both hard-headed and soft-hearted in weighing what economists call the "equity-efficiency trade-off." Those of us in classrooms play a role in this debate - even if our teaching is not remotely related to Das Kapital or The Wealth of Nations. When we inflate grades, for example, we're saying there's a free lunch; we're confirming a bias that redistribution is like magic, conjuring benefits without costs.Debunking such myths-taking advantage of teachable moments to defend rigorous grading standards or to frankly discuss the crucial "how much redistribution" question-probably won't make us more popular. But it will certainly make those in our charge more productive as students and wiser as citizens.Contact: White House

White House Press Office

The Trump Administration has prioritized funding for fundamental AI research and computing infrastructure, machine learning, and autonomous systems. The Federal Government's investment in unclassified R&D for AI and related technologies has grown by over 40% since 2015, in addition to substantial classified investments across the defense and intelligence communities. In the annual guidance to heads of executive departments and agencies, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the White House Office Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) directed agencies to focus on emerging technologies including machine learning and autonomous systems. President Trump's FY2019 Budget Request was the first in history to designate artificial intelligence and autonomous and unmanned systems as Administration R&D priorities.The Trump Administration is enabling the creation of new American industries by removing regulatory barriers to the deployment of AI-powered technologies. Last September, the Department of Transportation released an update to the 2016 Federal Automated Vehicles Policy, providing non-regulatory guidance to automated vehicle developers to enable the safe integration of driverless cars onto American roadways. In October, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum to permit States and localities to conduct innovative commercial and public drone operations currently prohibited under FAA regulations. Last month, the FDA approved the first ever AI-based device for medical diagnostics to detect diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness among working-age Americans.President Trump has taken Executive action to give the American worker the skills to succeed in the 21st century economy. Last June, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing industry-recognized apprenticeships and creating a cabinet-level Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion. In September, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum prioritizing high-quality Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, with a particular focus on computer science education, and committing $200 million in grant funds that were matched by a private industry commitment of $300 million.The Trump Administration's National Security Strategy recognizes the need to lead in artificial intelligence, and the Department of Defense is investing accordingly. President Trump's National Security Strategy was the first in history to specifically call out the importance of AI for the future of the American military. The National Defense Strategy committed to investing broadly in military applications of autonomy, AI, and machine learning.Executive departments and agencies are applying AI to improve the provision of government services to the American people. The President's Management Agenda calls for using automation software to improve efficiency of government services and maximizing Federal data sharing with the American public, which will support non-Federal AI research applications. The General Services Administration is conducting pilot programs that leverage AI, including a tool to predict regulatory compliance that is scheduled for production in cloud.gov this year.LEADING INTERNATIONAL AI NEGOTIATIONS: White House OSTP led U.S. delegations to the 2017 and 2018 G7 Innovation and Technology Ministerials, and is working with our allies to recognize the potential benefits of AI and promote AI R&D. In March, OSTP negotiated the 2018 G7 Innovation Ministers' Statement on Artificial Intelligence, following an AI outcome document from the 2017 G7 innovation ministerial, which recognizes the importance of AI innovation for economic growth and supports efforts to promote trust in and adoption of AI technologies. The Trump Administration is also pursuing international AI R&D collaboration through agreements such as the first-ever Science and Technology (S&T) agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom and the March Joint Statement between the United States and France on S&T cooperation.NASA successfully launched the InSight mission to Mars this week. This is a great overview of what scientists will be learning about Martian geology.

Via NASA:

Previous missions to Mars have investigated the surface history of the Red Planet by examining features like canyons, volcanoes, rocks and soil, but no one has attempted to investigate the planet's earliest evolution  its building blocks  which can only be found by looking far below the surface.

Because Mars has been less geologically active than the Earth (for example, it does not have plate tectonics), it actually retains a more complete record of its history in its own basic planetary building blocks: its core, mantle and crust.

By studying the size, thickness, density and overall structure of the Red Planet's core, mantle and crust, as well as the rate at which heat escapes from the planet's interior, the InSight mission will provide glimpses into the evolutionary processes of all of the rocky planets in the inner solar system.

In terms of fundamental processes that shape planetary formation, Mars is a veritable "Goldilocks" planet, because it is big enough to have undergone the earliest internal heating and differentiation (separation of the crust, mantle and core) processes that shaped the terrestrial planets (Earth, Venus, Mercury, Moon), but small enough to have retained the signature of those processes over the next four billion years. Within its own structural signature, Mars may contain the most in-depth and accurate record in the solar system of these processes.

The InSight mission will follow the legacy of NASA's Mars Phoenix mission and send a lander to Mars, which will delve deeper into the surface than any other spacecraft  to investigate the planet's structure and composition as well as its tectonic activity as it relates to all terrestrial planets, including Earth.Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 1 Vote(s) - 5 Average

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Russia has shown its willingness to allow attacks by Israel on the Iranians AnatoliyGolitsyn

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05-12-2018 02:00 AM



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Post: #1 Russia has shown its willingness to allow attacks by Israel on the Iranians

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Missile fire is seen from Damascus, Syria on May 10, 2018. Photo: Reuters/Omar Sanadiki



While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu marched in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Immortal Regiment in memory of Russian fighters who died in World War II, Israel was getting ready to retaliate for an Iranian rocket attack on Israeli military units in the strategically sensitive Golan. Israel attributed the missile attack to Irans al-Quds Force, an elite unit of Irans Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) operating in Syria.



The Quds Force reports directly to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, who certainly authorized the Iranian strike and must take full responsibility for the consequences.



The first ever incident in which Iran directly attacked Israel territory  with the launch of 20 missiles  ended in complete failure.



The Israeli Defense Ministry reported that four of the 20 projectiles launched by Iranian troops were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system and the rest fell in Syria. The rockets included both Grad and Fajr-5 models.



The Grad is an old Soviet tube-launched 122mm rocket that is largely a terror weapon because it is inaccurate. The Fajr-5 is a larger Iranian-produced missile (333mm) that is based on a Chinese model. It supposedly has an accuracy of some 220 meters.



Israel responded to the Iranian attack with a much larger strike of 70 missiles that targeted Iranian bases, command centers and weapons depots in Syria and Syrian air defenses around Damascus, and other more forward air defenses on the Syrian part of the Golan.



According to Israels Defense Ministry, the Syrian air defenses have been battered to the degree where they are no longer functional and need to be completely rebuilt. Israel says the retaliatory strike was successful against most of the Iranian targets but it will take time before a reliable assessment can be made.



Irans attempt to strike Israel and the powerful response suggests a significant change is afoot in geostrategic dynamics in the Middle East.



Rest of article here: Missile fire is seen from Damascus, Syria on May 10, 2018. Photo: Reuters/Omar SanadikiWhile Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu marched in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Immortal Regiment in memory of Russian fighters who died in World War II, Israel was getting ready to retaliate for an Iranian rocket attack on Israeli military units in the strategically sensitive Golan. Israel attributed the missile attack to Irans al-Quds Force, an elite unit of Irans Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) operating in Syria.The Quds Force reports directly to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, who certainly authorized the Iranian strike and must take full responsibility for the consequences.The first ever incident in which Iran directly attacked Israel territory  with the launch of 20 missiles  ended in complete failure.The Israeli Defense Ministry reported that four of the 20 projectiles launched by Iranian troops were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system and the rest fell in Syria. The rockets included both Grad and Fajr-5 models.The Grad is an old Soviet tube-launched 122mm rocket that is largely a terror weapon because it is inaccurate. The Fajr-5 is a larger Iranian-produced missile (333mm) that is based on a Chinese model. It supposedly has an accuracy of some 220 meters.Israel responded to the Iranian attack with a much larger strike of 70 missiles that targeted Iranian bases, command centers and weapons depots in Syria and Syrian air defenses around Damascus, and other more forward air defenses on the Syrian part of the Golan.According to Israels Defense Ministry, the Syrian air defenses have been battered to the degree where they are no longer functional and need to be completely rebuilt. Israel says the retaliatory strike was successful against most of the Iranian targets but it will take time before a reliable assessment can be made.Irans attempt to strike Israel and the powerful response suggests a significant change is afoot in geostrategic dynamics in the Middle East.Rest of article here: http://www.atimes.com/article/missile-at...landscape/ AnatoliyGolitsyn

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Post: #2 RE: Russia has shown its willingness to allow attacks by Israel on the Iranians





"But, but, but, muh Putin is fighting the nWO!!!!!" LoP Guest

lop guest

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05-12-2018 02:03 AM











Post: #3 RE: Russia has shown its willingness to allow attacks by Israel on the Iranians

THey are all NWO bit*hes. LoP Guest

lop guest

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05-12-2018 02:12 AM











Post: #4 RE: Russia has shown its willingness to allow attacks by Israel on the Iranians

All countries compete to suck Izi's dick. Funny how that works. LoP Guest

lop guest

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05-12-2018 02:14 AM











Post: #5 RE: Russia has shown its willingness to allow attacks by Israel on the Iranians

MainStreetFatCat Wrote: (05-12-2018 02:00 AM) "But, but, but, muh Putin is fighting the nWO!!!!!"







how can vlad fight jizzrael when he's mother is a jew? how can vlad fight jizzrael when he's mother is a jew? Builder of the Adytum

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05-12-2018 02:36 AM



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Post: #6 RE: Russia has shown its willingness to allow attacks by Israel on the Iranians

Russia will not attack the US or Israel for their attacks in Syria on Syrian and Iranian forces.





The fix is in.



Sorry, Putin-tards. You backed the wrong horse.





Told you so. Adytum/Tekton/The Ghost of David Carradine AnatoliyGolitsyn

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05-12-2018 02:38 AM



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Post: #7 RE: Russia has shown its willingness to allow attacks by Israel on the Iranians

LoP Guest Wrote: (05-12-2018 02:14 AM) MainStreetFatCat Wrote: (05-12-2018 02:00 AM) "But, but, but, muh Putin is fighting the nWO!!!!!"







how can vlad fight jizzrael when he's mother is a jew?

And according to Israeli law, Jewishness is passed down through the mother.



[img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QUp_ao7_B18/VRf7jyue5xI/AAAAAAAAJ6c/JtIyzbxBKag/s1600/Putin's%2Bmother%2BSHOLOVA%2Bis%2BJewish.jpg[/img] And according to Israeli law, Jewishness is passed down through the mother.[img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QUp_ao7_B18/VRf7jyue5xI/AAAAAAAAJ6c/JtIyzbxBKag/s1600/Putin's%2Bmother%2BSHOLOVA%2Bis%2BJewish.jpg[/img]















Securus Technologies markets a product to law enforcement that taps into realtime cell-tower data from mobile carriers to produce fine-grained location tracking of anyone carrying a phone; it is nominally marketed to find parolees and wandering Alzheimer's patients, but because it has no checks or balances, cops can query it willy-nilly to find anyone's location.



That's what, Cory Hutcheson, ex-Sheriff of Mississippi County, MO, is accused of doing; prosecutors say that for three years, Hutcheson abused Securus's system to track all kinds of people  even a local judge  without a warrant.

Securus claims that it restricts the use of its system to legally permitted surveillance, requiring users to upload warrants or court orders prior to use; but it does not vet or review those orders before granting access. Securus also does not make the alleged court orders visible to carriers before it queries their databases, meaning that the phone companies have to take Securus's word for it.

The carriers, meanwhile, are exploiting a loophole in privacy laws that nominally prohibit selling this kind of data: by burying "consent" to the sale of your location data in their lengthy, never-read agreements, the carriers are able to circumvent the law; primarily to sell your data to marketers, but also to surveillance companies like Securus.

Hutcheson is a great object lesson in the problems with "extraordinary access" or "lawful interception" rules that weaken digital security to help law enforcement. The US has about 18,000 police agencies, and Hutcheson presided over a sparsely populated, rural district. Before the latest indictments, he was already under indictment for forgery and for illegal surveillance; he lost his job following the death of an inmate in his custody (though of course, no one was held accountable for that death).

He is a crooked, corrupt cop, in other words. Whether you think he's typical or atypical, if he represents even one percent of law enforcement agents who have access to tools that allow their wielders to attack the public in far-reaching frightening ways, that means that criminals and spies and griefers have a wide pool of corrupt officials to choose from if they want to abuse the system.

We're all familiar with the detective movies where someone writes down a license plate and the PI casually remarks that he'll get a friend on the force to run the plate and find the drivers' identity. It's just not surprising that a cop might allow a friend to "harmlessly" abuse a police database. When we discuss backdooring phone crypto or other far-reaching attacks on the security of the digital world, we're really saying, "Cops and dirty cops and friends of dirty cops and their friends will all have access to all your digital life."



Privacy concerns about Securus and location services were raised to the F.C.C. last year before the company's sale to Platinum Equity, a private equity firm, for about $1.5 billion. Lee Petro, a lawyer representing a group of inmate family members, wrote letters urging the commission to reject the deal, based in part on concerns about locating people who spoke with inmates over the phone. Securus, founded in Dallas in 1986, has marketed its location service as a way for officials to monitor where inmates placed calls. Securus has said this would block escape attempts and the smuggling of contraband into jails and prisons, and help track calls to areas "known for generating illegal activity." In an email, Securus said the service was based on cell tower information, not on phone GPS. Securus received the data from a mobile marketing company called 3Cinteractive, according to 2013 documents from the Florida Department of Corrections. Securus said that for confidentiality reasons it could not confirm whether that deal was still in place, but a spokesman for Mr. Wyden said the company told the senator's office it was. In turn, 3Cinteractive got its data from LocationSmart, a firm known as a location aggregator, according to documents from those companies. LocationSmart buys access to the data from all the major American carriers, it says.

Service Meant to Monitor Inmates' Calls Could Track You, Too [Jennifer Valentino-DeVries/New York Times]News / National

by Staff reporter

President Emmerson Mnangagwa's advisor Chris Mutsvangwa is fighting attempts to unseat him as leader of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA by opponents emboldened by ructions within the ruling Zanu-PF party.Mutsvangwa, who is battling to regain his Norton seat in a primary poll re-run after being hammered by Langton Mutendereki, is already in a weakened position since he lashed out at his boss Mnangagwa and also the party's national political commissar, Engelbert Rugeje, for his election defeat.The Daily News can report rivals in at least three Mashonaland provincial executives of ZNLWVA are agitating for a no-confidence vote in Mutsvangwa.The war veterans chairperson, who has not said whether he will step down voluntarily before his current term ends, has reportedly been deserted by several prominent allies in the war veterans body since ascending to the President's Office as adviser to Mnangagwa after the military-assisted ouster of former president Robert Mugabe, amid reports he had become detached from them, and seemingly ignoring their concerns.That sentiment has been cemented after the carnage suffered by war veterans in the Zanu-PF primaries, where several of them were defeated and there was silence of the grave from their leadership.In an interview with the Daily News yesterday, Mutsvangwa poured cold water on his reported imminent ouster.He said there was no way he could be relieved of his post by people from the street."Why do you get excited by frivolous things posted on social media? How can a person with no locus standi remove me from power? Only a congress and bona fide chairmen can do that," he said."Before pursuing such a frivolous matter you ask yourself if such a matter is worth your salt as a journalist," added Mutsvangwa.Mutsvangwa's arch-rival, Norton independent Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa, who is a former Mashonaland West Zanu-PF provincial chairperson, alleged on microblogging site on Wednesday that the ZNLWVA boss was drowning."Was raining, now pouring for Mutsvangwa as Mash West war veterans executive withdraw him from ZNLWVA national executive," Mliswa said."The war veterans accuse Mutsvangwa of being self-centred and only turning to them when things go sour for him personally."ZNLWVA chairperson for Mashonaland West province Cornelius Muoni told the Daily News:"My executive never sat to deliberate on such an issue and I don't know where you are getting that information."Efforts to get clarification from Mashonaland Central ZNLWVA chairperson Sam Parirenyatwa on the matter did not yield much.Parirenyatwa said he was not in a position to comment on Mutsvangwa's fate because he was locked up in an undisclosed meeting.In an earlier interview with this paper, he had claimed that he was unaware of Mutsvangwa's purported ouster.Parirenyatwa, however, tellingly revealed that Mnangagwa had scheduled a meeting today with war veterans but could not disclose the agenda.ZNLWVA secretary-general Victor Matemadanda said he was yet to get finer details what the hullaballoo was all about."I am hearing the news from the media, you are the second journalist to ask me about that today but I have no idea where it is coming from. I am trying to get in touch with the chairperson to find out," Matemadanda said.Factionalism and tribalism in Zanu-PF has always been a source of divisions and splits in ZNLWVA since the turn of the millennium.First was a split engineered by Wilfred Mhanda (now late) who broke away to form the Zimbabwe Liberators Platform, which was formed by war vets in 2000 in protest at the anarchy that accompanied government-sponsored seizure of commercial farmland from mainly white farmers who were accused of backing the newly-formed MDC party.In 2011, influential politicians in Zanu-PF had attempted to dethrone Jabulani Sibanda, who led the association after the death of its founding chairperson, Chenjerai Hunzvi.The anti-Sibanda camp was a rag-tag team of war veterans led by Buhera South MP Joseph Chinotimba, who alleged the ZNLWVA leader had irregularly dismissed provincial chairpersons from five of the country's 10 provinces without the national executive's consent.At the time, Sibanda was linked to a Zanu-PF faction led by Mnangagwa, who was the ruling party's secretary for legal affairs and Defence minister.Those who were demanding his ouster were said to be aligned to a camp linked to the late retired army general, Solomon Mujuru.The two factions are reportedly fighting silent internal battles to succeed Mugabe.While the plot did not succeed at the time, in 2011 there was a simmering fallout within the war veterans association amid calls for the launch of a grouping of the war veterans led by Manicaland war veteran and former army colonel, Shadreck Beta.Beta was pushing for the formation of a non-partisan organisation to represent the former freedom fighters.He set up what he called the Zimbabwe National War Veterans Co-ordinating Committee to spearhead the project.Sibanda was eventually ousted in 2014 after he accused former first lady Grace Mugabe of staging a bedroom coup on Mugabe.Then, the source of the problem was the succession war between Mnangagwa and former vice president Joice Mujuru.The ouster of Sibanda was followed by the rise of Mutsvangwa, who fought in Mnangagwa's corner along with the Team Lacoste faction in the debilitating succession battle.Mutsvangwa's rise was not without drama as another faction of war veterans backing the Generation 40 faction and led by George Mlala claimed leadership of the association despite a court ruling that Mutsvangwa's executive was bona fide.Fast forward to this year, Mutsvangwa is under the cosh from his former comrades who accuse him of being egocentric after the motor-mouth special adviser claimed the Zanu-PF primary elections had been a sham.This came in the aftermath of his loss in the Norton constituency primary elections.News / National

by Byo24News Reporter

Tension is simmering between government doctors and the Zimbabwean government after the latter unilaterally slashed on call allowances barely two months after the two parties reached an agreement.Zimbabwe witnessed a crippling strike on March this year after junior government doctors downed tools demanding an increase in their allowances.The strike which lasted almost a month came to an end after government agreed to award doctors an increment.But to the dismay of doctors, after only a month, government slashed the allowance without consulting doctors.In a statement, Zimbabwe Health Doctors Association described the move by government as criminal."To our dismay, the Health Services Board has unilaterally imposed a slash, thereby violating the agreement. This is a direct effort meant to sabotage the health care system," the association said.Doctors called on the ministry of health and child care to look into the matter and respond accordingly."HSB has oppressed our members for too long and we say enough is enough," ZHDA declared.News / National

by Byo24News Reporter

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has, in the interest of public trust in the financial system, banned local banks from trading in crypto currency.The central bank issued local banks with a 60 days ultimatum for financial institutions to stop working with crypto currency exchanges.In a circular released on Friday evening, RBZ drew "banking institutions' attention is once again drawn to the risks involved with virtual currencies and the need to ensure strict adherence to sound risk management."As the custodians of public trust, RBZ, said has an obligation to safeguard the integrity of payment systems."Crypto currencies have strong linkages and interconnectedness with standard means of payments and trading applications and rely on much of the same institutional infrastructure that serves the overall financial system."The central bank said; "financial regulators around the world have identified the dangers and risks presented by virtual currencies to financial stability which include risk of loss due to price volatility, theft or fraud, money laundering and other criminal activities.Also, cryptocurrencies can be used to facilitate tax evasion as well as externalization of funds in violation of a country's laws, RBZ said.As a way of safeguarding "the integrity, safety and soundness of the country's financial system, and to protect the public in general," the RBZ ordered financial institutions to "ensure that they do not use, trade, hold and/or transact in any way in virtual currencies."Banks are also required to "ensure that they do not provide banking services to facilitate any person or entity in dealing with or settling virtual currencies; and also that they "exit any existing relationships with virtual currency exchanges within sixty days of the date of the circular and proceed to liquidate and restitute existing account balances."Local banks have been prohibited from maintaining accounts, registering, trading, clearing, collateral arrangements, remittances, payment and settlement accounts, giving loans against virtual tokens, accepting them as collateral, opening accounts of exchanges dealing with them and transfer / receipt of money in accounts relating to purchase or sale of virtual currencies.Major crypto currency exchanges facilitating the trade of virtual currencies in Zimbabwe are Bitfinance (Private) Limited (Golix) and Styx24.Golix has gone further to set up an ATM machine through which cryptocurrency transactions are facilitated.News / National

by Staff reporter

MDC Alliance presidential candidate Advocate Nelson Chamisa has been exposed internationally as a serial liar following a grilling by a British journalist, forcing him to admit that he has never met US President Donald Trump.Chamisa, in what has become a sort of trademark, in January claimed at a rally in Mutare that he had met Trump.

Chamisa backtracks on claims he made from Kos Nkosi on Vimeo.

He claimed the US President promised to extend $15 billion to the MDC Alliance if it wins the country's elections.In a probing interview with BBC Hardtalk anchor Stephen Sackur on Thursday, Adv Chamisa backtracked on the claims.Adv Chamisa was in Britain where he made presentation on different platforms.Mr Tendai Biti and him last December visited America where they advocated for sanctions against the new dispensation."When we met President Trump in America alongside Biti, he asked us how much we needed to move the country forward and we told him that we needed $15 billion . . . ,"During the interview Sackur took him to task over his earlier statements.He tried to weasel his way out by claiming: "All those statements were said by other people not me . . . . I said I met the Trump administration. We did not (meet). We met the Trump's administration that's the point I meant," said Adv Chamisa.Relentlessly, Sackur asked: "What I mean is that it was not true that you saw Donald Trump and Donald Trump indicated to you that if you won . . . but there is a video that shows you at a rally in January in Zimbabwe saying you met Donald Trump. We are still confused you are saying you did not meet Donald Trump?"The American embassy in Zimbawe, released a statement in January denying Chamisa's statements after a video and voice notes of the incident went viral.The MDC-T leader, during the interview, claimed that party supporters who attacked then MDC-T deputy president Dr Thokozani Khupe at the burial of the party's founder Morgan Tsvangirai in Buhera had been removed from the structures."All those people who were identified have been dealt with because everything was captured under a video camera. We are not going to have bad apples affecting the good basket of democrats. We will not accept any violent elements within our midst," said Adv Chamisa.Last month Mr Chamisa in an interview with South Africa television station ANN7 said "Zanu-PF agent provocateurs" caused the skirmishes during Mr Tsvangirai's burial.Mr Sackur touched on the MDC-T leader's penchant of making 'silly' and 'nonsensical' electoral promises."There is a difference between making promises that you can keep and promises that are nothing more than a fantasy. And let's go through some of yours. In January you told people in your country that you can solve Zimbabwe's liquidity crisis in two weeks and if you fail to do so you will leave office because you have committed two weeks to solve liquidity crisis," said Sackur."That's nonsense. With due respect Mr Chamisa saying you can solve a problem that has dogged the country for years and fix it in two weeks. That just sounds silly."He even ridiculed Adv Chamisa's for his bullet train claims saying it was beyond nonsense.Adv Chamisa however defended himself saying he was a youthful futuristic politician."That is the future, I'm a visionary I'm a young man and I have said that we must begin to build infrastructure such as the one you have in the UK," said Adv Chamisa.Zimbabwean lawyer and writer Ms Petina Gappah observed on her Facebook page that Mr Chamisa had failed his first international test."We are hoping that this trip inspires MDC to really examine their international media strategy and examine honestly the advice they give their leader. The terrain shifted dramatically in November. The days of old lazy narrative are behind us. They need to be clever and sophisticated," she wrote.She said the MDC-T was failing to come up with its own strategies but only reacted to events in the ruling Zanu-PF to its detriment."They need a narrative that makes them look like they are ready to govern, and not being mere rabble rousers. They were exposed in the last trip because it was a reactive trip made in panic after SB's trip. So they came with no manifesto, no real ideas beyond slogans. The advisors should have said: wait until we make greater impact," wrote Ms Gappah."And it was poor advice to do all media that asked (sic). You do only the media that you think will be good for you. And you go with talking points," she said.Ms Gappah said ill advice from Mr Chamisa's handlers led to the monumental blunder of appearing on Hardtalk."Hardtalk is a terrible format if you want to introduce yourself to a global audience. It is not as though there are no other formats. Chamisa received poor advice from his handlers Coltart, Welshman and Biti. They are all lawyers who know little about strategic communication. Did they develop top lines? Counter points? How hard was it to anticipate the weaknesses and work on strengthening? They sent their man with no armour," she said.News / National

by Staff reporter

ONE September night last year, Derick Amos dropped off at Mazowe from a car he had hiked along the Harare-Bindura highway."It was around 8pm and I was coming from Harare Central Hospital where my mother was admitted," he recalled.After being dropped off, the 24-year-old narrated how he started his 7km walk to his place of residence, Jumbo Mine, which is adjacent to part of the former First Lady Grace Mugabe's dairy business empire, Gushungo Holdings.As he trudged down the road, carrying his backpack, exhausted after spending a day at the hospital, Amos said three men approached him as he was just about to pass the gate that leads to Gushungo Dairies."They identified themselves as officers from the President's Office and demanded to see my identity card, and I showed it to them," he said.Members and informers of the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), one of the State security organs Mugabe used to stifle civil liberties, were known to introduce themselves as officers from the Office of the President."They ransacked my bag and the only thing they found was the empty lunch box that I had used to take food to my mother," he said."Just when I thought I was free to go, they dragged me off the road and started assaulting me with fists and open palms, accusing me of attempting to break into the then First Family's farm."After bludgeoning him, he said they let him go and he could not even make a police report because they had threatened him not to do so.Amos' ordeal, at that time was not an isolated case as residents in the area around Mazowe, where Grace was building her empire that straddled across dozens of kilometres across the fertile and mineral-rich lands in Mazowe spoke of the terror that was perpetrated by State security agents, allegedly at the behest of the First Family.Six months after Mugabe was ousted, marking the end of the reign of terror in the area, villagers are still recounting tales of the horror they experienced."Living in this place was now a nightmare as one could be terrorised for, say, parking their vehicle close to the farm, or selling oranges along the highway that Grace used when visiting her empire," one Mazowe resident said."The ouster of Mugabe was just in time," said Morgan Mazanhi, adding that the Mugabe's had proposed that the road that leads to their farm, and also used by many others going to surrounding farms and mines, be cordoned off so that it could only be used only by the First Family."If they had managed to do that, then all the people who lived in the area were to go the very long way via Concession to reach the Harare Bindura Highway," Mazanhi said."It is now business as usual here, kwanga kwaipa," said one of the many pirate taxi driver who shuttle people between Mazowe and Jumbo Mine."Seven months ago, we had been banned from using that route and to pick up passengers anywhere near the First Lady's properties. Any attempt to question the State agents was seen as resistance and this meant one would be up, or at worst get a night in detention."The terror did not spare the dozens of vendors who sell mostly oranges on the highway."This place was always crawling with State security agents. They were all over, and apart from restricting our business, they monitored our communication such that is was now scary to just say anything that would be perceived as negative to the First Family," said a middle-aged woman who identified herself as Mai Taku and sells oranges a stone's throw away from Grace's orphanage.Far from the common residents, gold panners and artisanal miners around the area were also hounded out of their holes.Another villager Shepherd Mazara said when Grace came after Mugabe's fall, she was told that she was no longer in power as the miners returned to their mining claims.Grace reportedly made a police report and as the case took a political twist, with Grace alleging that President Emmerson Mnangagwa was behind the invasion.What was evident for the people of Mazowe, however, was that Grace, who had tormented them for years using State instruments, had been defanged."We are free now," a vendor said.News / National

by Staff reporter

OPPOSITION parties in Zimbabwe need to create a crisis that will result in international intervention to come up with conditions for a free and fair election, a leading academic has said.Speaking at a public debate hosted by the Southern African Political and Economic Series Trust on Thursday, Tony Reeler, an academic with the Research and Advocacy Unit warned that Zimbabwe would likely descend into chaos whatever the result of the presidential election."The broader playing field is extremely worrying. It requires security sector containment. The military must be brought under civilian control."Traditional leaders have already declared their allegiance. There must be a clear way in which their influence is contained. There is need for comprehensive monitoring, and we suggest we must set-up a multi-party co-operative monitoring process that watches what the military and the traditional leaders do. We do not only demand that the military and traditional leaders must make statements to the effect that they will abide by the constitution," Reeler said."As is the case in most situations after a military coup, there must be peacekeeping people. Peacekeeping forces will meliorate or minimise violence."The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) must be the target of a multiparty comprehensive monitoring team that could also include regional and international organisations. These people could be placed in Zec, the military and such other institutions to observe if they are doing their jobs properly."Former President, Robert Mugabe was forced out of power last November after the military stormed key State institutions triggering an internal Zanu-PF process that resulted in the former guerrilla leader's resignation.Another academic and publisher, Ibbo Mandaza said the international community has chosen to "sanitise a coup if there is a free and fair election"."The international community turned a blind eye to a coup. They chose to say we will sanitize a coup if they are free, fair and credible elections. It's a platitude, hypocritical, cynical especially on the part of those who govern our world, the European Union, British, US and the African Union."By participating we are legitimising the coup as happened in 2013 before the election after the Heads of State warned against taking part in the election because it would be rigged," Mandaza said.People's Democratic Party spokesperson and MDC Alliance member Jacob Mafume said the opposition could still win the elections despite of the skewed conditions.News / National

by Staff reporter

Zimbabwe Information and Communication Technologies (ZICT) has called for the set up of a Cyber Security and Internet Court.ZICT - a division of the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers - said there was an increase in Cyber Crimes which include electronic bank transfers, card cloning, Internet abuse, identity theft and many other security breaches.ZICT said if this is not possible, government must allow cyber security crimes to be heard in the newly-established Commercial Court."If they do not have personnel who are equipped enough we have experts both Local and international who are eagerly waiting to empower the locals to take up leading roles," ZICT leader Engineer Jacob Kudzayi Mutisi said.He said Zimbabwe is fast becoming a cashless country and with this advancement in technology, "the conman and hackers have identified loopholes and vulnerabilities that can completely derail this cashless trajectory."Mutisi said in other countries like China they have set up a Cyber Security and Internet Court whose role is to accept the electronic filling, try cases via livestream and hear only e-commerce and Internet related cases.News / National

by Staff reporter

MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has dismissed President Emmerson Mnangagwa's promise of a free and fair election saying if he was sincere he would not be rejecting opposition demands for an open tender for the procurement of ballot papers to be used in this years' harmonised elections.In a wide-ranging interview with Stephen Sackur on the BBC's HARDtalk, a current affairs interview programme, Chamisa dared Mnangagwa to part with the past and agree with the opposition on how the election is going to be held.He rejected Sackur's claims that Mnangagwa had put in place adequate preparations for a free and fair poll which the opposition has endorsed."In fact there's a fundamental dispute around the manner in which these elections are being marred in preparation. We are not in agreement in terms of who prints the ballot paper, we are not in agreement in terms of where the ballot paper is going to be, the security of the ballot paper, its distribution, we are not in agreement.And this is three months before an election we are not in agreement in terms of the role that should be played by our important and esteemed security forces in terms of elections, we are not agreed," Chmisa said."Our view is that this election can be, has the potential to be a free and fair election but we need to resolve some of the fundamental issues around how the election itself is going to be conducted. Whether or not the voters' role has been audited, whether or not the processes that are supposed to be done in respect of the electoral amendment are respected. Just yesterday we were in Parliament we did not agree the opposition with the ruling party on the content, character and substance of that electoral act."Chamisa said governments like the UK are reaching out to Mnangagwa not because they think he has proven to be a good leader but to protect their interests."They are reaching out to the people of Zimbabwe. Let me say this you cannot have change without change agents. You cannot have transformation without transformers. Mr Mnangagwa is not a transformer they can never be any reform without reformers. What he is he is a transactional leader who has transacted a particular process in November and he's there not as a face of transition, not as a face transformation. We represent that change that is yet to come."Chamisa also said he has no appetite to bring deposed president Robert Mugabe and his wife to justice for the atrocities and theft of State resources they are accused of."Well I must say that Mr Mugabe is part of our past he's part of our old order and I have no time for us to be pursuing the past, to be pursing the old order. Our critical challenge going forward is to make sure that we resolve fundamental deep and structural issues that are affecting our society," Chamisa said, adding though that he wanted to create a Zimbabwe society were people account for their crimes.News / National

by Staff reporter

AFTER spending 80 years on the same farm, building a school that the late Defence minister Moven Mahachi once attended, the Smart family thought nothing would uproot them from this property they had grown to call home.After all, they had voluntarily surrendered three other farms at the height of Zimbabwe's chaotic and violent land reform programme when thousands of white farmers violently lost vast tracts of land to locals. Some were maimed, while others were killed. But just when everyone thought the land grabs were now a thing of the past, all hell broke loose last year when a man of the cloth, Bishop Trevor Manhanga, invaded Lesbury Estates demanding that they pack their bags and vacate.This week the Zimbabwe Independent drove to Lesbury Estates in Rusape and spoke to Rob Smart (71) and his 40-year old son Darren, who missed out on the tobacco season, but managed to grow potatoes. Rob's father Roy, who is now late, first settled on the property in 1938. For a country with a checkered history of human and property rights violations, theirs is somewhat a miraculous story of purpose and unity."In August we were parked outside talking to our chief (Tandi), the community and our workers and all of a sudden a guy who was hired started firing at us, in broad daylight about 10 metres away and luckily none of us were hurt," Darren Smart said."The community was very angry and no one ran away. They confronted that man and said if you're gonna shoot anybody, you will have to shoot all of us. It was a frightening time and we tried hiding behind the community. Eventually this guy who was shooting at us realised that he is not gonna get anyone and we reported it to the police."While many were at home on Workers' Day, the Smarts, who nearly lost their lives and only farm to Manhanga, were busy working on their crop and trying to pick up the pieces. Rob and his family returned on December 21 to ululations and tears of joy from former workers and their families who had also been kicked out.According to Darren Smart, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was then Vice-President, took a personal interest in Smart's violent eviction, while at an investment conference in Johannesburg when news broke out that the tobacco farmer had lost his farm to a Zanu-PF-associated cleric.Investors fretted and Mnangagwa, who had painstakingly assured them of investment security, was left with egg on his face.Mnangagwa was to later become President after long-time leader Robert Mugabe was toppled last November in a military coup that made international headlines. Farm grabs and threats of taking over foreign-owned companies had become the epitome of Mugabe's rule under the guise of correcting historical legacy issues. Agriculture, which used to be the backbone of the economy employing more workers than any other sector, floundered.During the land reform programme, white farmers complained Mugabe's cronies used state security forces to kick them off their farms, sometimes in the middle of harvesting. A number were killed in the process."Before we were kicked-off, we were growing 60 hectares of tobacco and another 70 hectares of maize and we were planning of another 80 hectares of tobacco this season and also boosting the maize production up to another 100 hectares. Previous to that we used to do 200 hectares of tobacco and another 220 hectares of maize when we had the other farms. We lost a lot of tobacco and maize because we were grading at the time," Darren Smart said."In picking up the pieces it's been difficult, but the main thing is that we are back. The government, the police and the military have been extremely helpful and they have helped us get back here. The community is over the moon, Chief Tandi is happy and the school is operating again. The school has 225 pupils and the parents working here can get some income. We are slowly retooling and getting everything back to normal."With elections beckoning, the Smart family says Zimbabwe needs a leader who brings peace and stability. "I think it doesn't matter who wins, I think people just want peace, stability and jobs. We just want to continue moving. I think Zimbabwe's agriculture needs a lot of investment and trust to move forward," Darren said.In December, Agriculture minister Perrence Shiri 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.News / National

by Staff reporter

THE liquidator of Limpopo Mining Resources, also known as River Ranch Mine, previously linked to the late army general Solomon Mujuru, has opposed an application by the mine's majority owners, Rani Investments, to have the company removed from liquidation.In the application, Rani Investments also shot down proposals by the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) to acquire the mine for a "ridiculous" US$4 million.In opposing papers filed last week at the High Court, the Liquidator, Winsley Evans Militala, who described Rani Investment application as "premature", said there was no satisfactory reason as to why the liquidation of Limpopo Mining Resources must be set aside.Rani Investments, the majority shareholder of Limpopo Mining Resources Private Limited with an 80% stake, last month filed a High Court application requesting the removal of the company from liquidation. The other 20% shareholding is held by Khupukile Resources Private Limited, a company owned by Mujuru, who died in an inferno after the house in which he was sleeping was allegedly gutted by fire under mysterious circumstances at his Beatrice farm outside Harare on August 15, 2011.The company is resisting an offer by the ZCDC which wants to acquire Limpopo Mining Resources for US$4 million through real time gross settlements (RTGS). In its application, Rani Investments described the ZCDC offer as "too ridiculous to even consider" as it only constitutes about 4,8% of the debt owed to the creditors. Limpopo was placed under voluntary liquidation in 2012.According to the liquidator in a letter dated March 7, 2018, Limpopo Mineral Resources total debts amount US$21,4 million and Rani Investments, being the major shareholder, is the major creditor with US$21 million. Through the company's operations director Karl Snater, Rani Investments wants the setting aside of the order placing Limpopo Mining Resources under liquidation in terms of the provisions of Section 227 of the Companies Act (Chapter 24:03).Snater said Rani Investments will inject enough money to pay off its creditors and the statutory fees for it to be removed from liquidation.Rani Investments said it would convert part of the debt owed to it into equity and part of it into a long-term loan. It will then inject the necessary capital in the form of a loan to kick off operations.However, Militala, opposing the application, argued that there are no details of the compromise being alluded to by Rani Investments. "The Application being sought cannot succeed. Applicant need to satisfy the Court that all proceedings in relation to the winding up ought to be set aside. In this case there is no satisfactory reason why this liquidation must be set aside," states the liquidator.". . . The compromise must be entered into or discussed before an application of this nature is made. Section 191 of the Companies Act provides for this compromise. There is no compromise that is there for the creditors, master and liquidator to consider. This application ought to have a detailed compromise or agreement for the court to consider. A compromise cannot be made or agreed to after the company has been taken out of liquidation as this does not protect the creditors. This application is only meant to frustrate the powers of the liquidator in terms of Section 221 of the Companies Act. The liquidator has received an offer to have the assets of the company sold to Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company."Militala said the High Court should take note that Limpopo Mining Resources was not yet able to pay its liabilities, cannot continue to trade as a going concern and that it is not able to operate its business.He said Limpopo Resources Limited had to prove that there are satisfactory reasons to set aside the liquidation process. "In casu there are no satisfactory reasons for the company to be taken out of liquidation. This is so for the following reasons: there is no scheme or arrangement to take care of the interest of the creditors; there is no acceptable scheme to secure payment of Master's fees and liquidator's fees; the mining claims are no longer in the name of the company as the claims certificates expired and some have since been reissued to a government arm called Mining Promotion Company," Militala said."The special grant that was in favour of the company expired and has not been renewed, the assets of the company only outstanding are the existing buildings, machinery and equipment and in the absence of the renewed special grant and claim certificates, there is no operations that can be resuscitated by the Applicant."The liquidator said there have been no serious purchasers of the assets of the company. He said several buyers came but none of them showed interest.Militala said there was an offer for US$4 million for the remaining assets which he said was reasonable."Applicant has not presented a counter offer above the offered US$4 million or shown the liquidator a buyer who is prepared to pay above the offered amount.News / Religion

by Ihechukwu Njoku

Nigerian Pastor TB Joshua has given a stark rebuke to churchgoers who rely on their "dirty money" to pave way for them to receive God's blessings.In an impassioned sermon, the cleric decried the level of 'pride' shown by church members nowadays. "We are too proud - that is why we believe so much in money,"he told congregants at The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) on Sunday 6thMay 2018."'Money answereth everything' - that is the voice of pride,"he continued in the sermon titled 'Read The Bible With Forgiveness' which was subsequently uploaded to Emmanuel TV's official YouTube channel."When you speak, one can hear the voice of money. When you walk, one can see the traces of money But money is dirty; the journey of money is too far," he bluntly continued.The cleric advised that all genuine Christians should rather engage in an assignment in their various churches, stressing the need to set a day aside in the week for such purpose."Get interested in His plans and work with His projects. Go and work in the church where humility can come,"he candidly counselled, explaining this would afford the opportunity to work freely with people irrespective of their social class.Joshua recounted how his own mother would regularly bring him to church at the weekends and he watched intently as she diligently cleaned the church premises and simultaneously prayed."When I asked her what she was saying in her prayers, she told me, 'Lord, as I clean Your house, clean my life, future, family and children'. Here I am today."The cleric further added that people should stay within their respective churches to render their services, without feeling the need to join a 'megachurch'. "It's not the size of the ministry that determines the strength of the ministry," he explained."The strength of the ministry is the relationship of the ministry to God; it is not the population or crowd, fame or popularity. You can see just two members in a church that is more connected to God than the biggest church."Joshua further encouraged the faithful not to lose heart when facing persecution, using his own ministerial experience as an example."When you look at my antecedents, you will see I have more degrees in persecution than praise. I am a professor when it comes to persecution but I am just a first-degree holder in praise Well, I am not expecting praise because my reward is over there," he concluded.Opinion / Columnist

So, after much anticipation, the Zanu-PF election manifesto is finally out. After reading the document, one is left with one big question: why was the nation made to wait so long for it, seeing the shallow manifesto was clearly hurriedly written by someone behaving like a lazy sophomore.Muckraker has read the entire thing, all 78 pages of it, and can confirm that it was, indeed, written by a juvenile author and elections strategist. A novice in fact. Reading the document was a tough job, but someone has to do it, even at the risk of losing a few brain cells in the process. But much like plumbers and scientists, who spend whole days looking at bacteria, someone has to do it.The whole document is riddled with atrocious grammatical howlers, and many of the forecasts and figures just do not add up. Appreciation of basic mathematics, let alone economic concepts, is missing from its economic growth targets. Images have been grabbed randomly from the internet.Let nobody convince you that this manifesto was written by adults, actual grown-ups who are part of a 55-year-old party that has been in government for almost 40 years.Once you convince yourself that this was actually outsourced to a juvenile, it becomes less scary to think that this may actually have been written by grown folks in charge of a whole country.Which grown men and women would come up with an election manifesto that blames the weather for some of their failures?"Modest success was recorded under ZimAsset under the most trying times where challenges included sanctions, Zanu-PF Government capture by G40 cabal, corruption, climate change among a host of other challenges that threatened to derail implementation of ZimAsset," we are told.This coming from a party with an army of leaders with PhDs! (no pan intended).DreamlandA most hilarious bit about the manifesto is found under a section called "Zanu-PF's unparalleled successes".Which ones are these "unparalleled successes"? ZanuPF has this gem of such success; "Zanu-PF is a tried and tested party, whose unparalleled achievements for the people, over the years are unmatched."It ends there. No successes listed, beyond telling us that the "move from Pariah State to a global partner is a key success factor". Who destroyed this country in the first place by the way?This reminds Muckraker of those high school exam questions. You skip the question one because you have not studied a thing, you know nothing and you have no idea what to write. But when you get to the question two, it starts with "based on your answer to question one, list the following".It is at that point that you realise that you have failed. So you spend the remaining three hours just dawdling and drawing lewd pictures at the back of the exam paper. And that's just how you end up with this type of manifesto.No wonder President Emmerson Mnangagwa is not on the campaign trail yet. What does he have to sell to the electorate?Zanu-PF must be relieved that few voters actually read manifestos and base their voting decisions on ideological or positional considerations, not ideas and competence. Otherwise, with this manifesto, not even Mnangagwa would vote for himself!Chamisa boobsIt looks like the term "What Chamisa meant" has become the most heard MDC-T campaign message. Muckraker is losing count of the number of times MDC-T leader Nelson Chamisa's rather tardy publications relations machinery, and indeed, his multitudes of adoring supporters, have had to rush to his defence in recent months, wielding that "what he actually meant" defence.Even senior journalists have appointed themselves "Chamisa interpreters", burdening themselves with the busy task of interpreting the MDC-T leader when he says something even slightly amiss.But all this is to be expected in a campaign season. Candidates will inevitably make mistakes, and rivals will seize upon them. Even small errors will be made to appear as if one detonated a nuclear bomb.Leaders and their supporters need to relax. Nobody is perfect, and everyone should acknowledge errors, sharpen their message, and move on. This is an election of imperfect politicians, not of these prophets whose flock thinks they are gods.It is a race to get to the feeding trough and rule people. Nobody believes this is a race to holiness and heaven. Unless, of course, you are Minister of State for Midlands Province Josaya Hungwe, who has convinced himself that every senior political figure, including the First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa, is Jesus Christ and must be worshipped without question.But, then again Chamisa must wake up. He cannot afford to make childish mistakes like he is doing now at a scandalous rate. Some of the things he says are completely unnecessary, he can do without that.While he did well in London, addressing issues around governance (devolve, decentralise, de-corrupt); economy (recovery,); social rights (women, children, disabled, weak); infrastructure; and international relations, he needs big ideas, depth and clarity. He can't afford to be pedestrian and wishy-washy on big stages.This means he must read and focus. He should not be all over the place. Most people who engage him complain about his lack of concentration, urgency and maturity. Not that his competitors are any better, but he needs to up his game to avoid conclusions like the one reached by Diana Jeater, professor of African History at University of Liverpool, who wrote after Chamisa's Chatham House address:"The MDC Alliance is undergoing generational renewal. I had heard great things about Chamisa as an orator. So I arrived expecting to be impressed and encouraged. Alas, I left unimpressed and discouraged."Trouble in paradiseHow quickly things change in a week, especially if they involve professional shape-shifters like former Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo.It seems there is trouble brewing in the National Patriotic Front.Last week, Moyo was praising Savior Kasukuwere as one of Zanu-PF's best-ever organisers. While we were still laughing at this comical fiction, Moyo, a world-beating somersault champion, then told us that Kasukuwere had in fact sold out to "the Junta".Trouble in paradise.This is the outfit that tries to pass itself off as a serious political party, but it is really just shrapnel from former president Robert Mugabe's shattered ego. Now they are splitting, and no amount of "Mhamha save us!" screams will save the party.What did they expect? Anyone that puts Moyo and former Youth minister Patrick Zhuwao in one room and expects anything other than hot air to come out of there is overdosing on our newly legalised medicinal marijuana.Which normal people can claim to be campaigning for "generational renewal", while fronting that with a 94-year-old?Besides, there is no honour among that lot. They saw it that horrific November night when Kasukuwere put on a bulletproof vest after a nerve-wrecking shooting by soldiers and skilfully disappeared into the darkness, leaving behind the scared stiff professor and their families.We are now running out of fingers to count the number of parties that have come out of Zanu-PF and MDC, only to go on and split themselves.Former vice-president Joice Mujuru and her faction left Zanu-PF and formed ZimPF, which then itself split into the NPP and ZimPF.Meanwhile, Thoko Khupe's struggling crew is only the latest in a string of MDC offshoots; MDC Ncube, MDC 99, PDP, Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe and so forth. Put three Zimbabwean politicians in a room and they somehow manage to form four parties, someone once said.The General can't be like rhumba starFor a while now, haters and detractors have been spreading malicious speculation that Operation Restore Legacy hero has been bleaching his skin. It has now been revealed to the nation that retired General Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga does not in fact use skin lightening products like DRC rhumba stars.It was reported as breaking news by The Herald, which quoted Chiwenga at his sister's funeral as saying he had been hit by a mystery disease that caused his skin to go lighter.There is widespread relief, or is it disbelief. We were all beginning to worry that an avowed defender of African pride and Zimbabwe's owner hated his dark African melanin so much.We are, however, worried by the revelations that this mystery ailment apparently also spread to his wife, The "Second First Lady" Mary herself. Clearly this must be cause for alarm for our Health Ministry. They need to spring to action. How can they just chill like that when there is a disease out there that is turning this proud black nation into a Caucasian country of sorts?We need a cure fast. Surely there must be a difference between our own General Chiwenga and General Defao, a DRC rhumba star from the 1990s, known as much for his nimble feet as he was for his bleached skin.Now that we know that our VP's skin was affected by a disease, it won't be long before we are also told there is a mystery bacteria that afflicts one's vocabulary, causing one to confuse one's Ls and Rs with dyslexic paralysis.Opinion / Interviews

President Emmerson Mnangagwa is not delivering change in the country after the years of Robert Mugabe, a Zimbabwean opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, has said.He told HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur: "He has refused to be the face of the new order. In fact, he has chosen to be the new face of the old order."Mnangagwa became president after Robert Mugabe resigned in November 2017. Elections are planned to take place later this year. Find below excerpts of the interviewQ: You could be a man in a hurry that your critics think you are a bit too much in a hurry. You understand that criticism?A: Well I'm a man on a mission, a man willing to change the face of politics not just in Zimbabwe but on the African continent. I'm a democrat, I'm a revolutionary, I believe in the transformation of promise and this is why I'm willing to take up the challenge, no matter how big.Q: Talking about the man in a hurry because it was quite extraordinary what you did. Your former leader of the Movement for Democratic Change Morgan Tsvangirai died in South Africa, one day later you decided to seize the interim leadership of the party not to the confirmation of other party members.A: After the death of our icon, a great revolutionary around African continent, the face of change in Zimbabwe, we had to make sure that within the confines of constitutionalism, rule of law the party constitution, we kick in to provide leadership because we have such (Interviewer interjects)Q: You didn't find decency, respect for a man who has just passed and for his family and for the feeling the party as a whole needed at all and then you wouldn't had pulled thisA: It wasn't of course and of course what we did was within the constitution, we then did it much way after, in fact it was two weeks after the demise of our President that we had to have the internal processes that then gave way to a democratic outcome in terms of who should then be leading the MDC.Q: Well you make it all sound so simple The Chronicle newspaper in Bulawayo and Bulawayo of course is a stronghold of the opposition in Zimbabwe. The editorial in that paper said "we are appalled by Chamisa's disrespect he's showing to his leader by angling for his position just a day after his death."A: Well they must be appalled because they are rooting for the ruling party, they support the ruling party. They would want to see the opposition in disarray; they would want to see us in sixes and sevens. We have not given them the chance. What we want to have in Zimbabwe is to have Zimbabweans having a real chance to fight for democracy, to have an alternative and to have the best of a new order.Q: But there's disarray, that's the problem. There's disarray because by the time of his death Morgan Tsvangirai had three different deputies of which you were one. But one of the others who was a long-standing vice president of the party Thoko Khupe she was so infuriated by your grab for the reins of power that she refused to accept it and now she's running as an alternative MDC leader with her own team, her platform with the determination to destroy you.A: The beauty about democracy is that we must have more, the merrier and the fact that she has decided to walk away is actually something that is regrettable but something that has not shaken the base.Q: You say we wanted to avoid disarray, you are not avoiding disarray infact you have made the chaos inside your party.A: We are the most popular ones, you go across the whole country in Zimbabwe, the mood is just electric. The electricity, the momentum is unbelievable.Q: Well, we will talk about that, your message and how it's being received in your country but let's just prolong it longer with the politics of your party. You say it was all constitutional we did it by the book?A: Indeed.Q: I doubt that there's any rule book in your party that suggests that young thugs should physically intimidate people in your party that have other different views on who should be leader but that's what's been happening.A: Well we have the challenges and I must say that the challenges are as a result of the DNA, theof certain of politics of our country where violence has been a major issue we are trying (Interviewer interjects)Q: You are supposed to be differentA: Of course this is what I'm dealing with as a new leader, as a new face (Interviewer interjects)Q: Well if you are dealing with it do tell me what has happened to these young men who surrounded Thoko Khupe at the funeral in the same village while the funeral was taking place of Morgan Tsvangirai she was forced to take shelter in a hut and as the local reporting suggests, there's a young man who tried to set that hut alight and as far as she was concerned, it was an attempt on her life and these people responsible for that action are supporters of yours.A: (Shaking his head) All those people who were identified because everything was under a video camera have been dealt with. We have said we are not going to have bad apples affecting the basket of good apples of democracy, we will not accept any violent element, any violent element within our midst.Q: Could it be because the bad apples still seem to be in the bus when you say you have dealt with, that is isn't happening because of the fourth of March in Bulawayo Khupe's supporters were again attacked at a meeting that she was chairing.A: This was a different meeting all together, a different geographical setting all-together then there's an investigation that was done to deal with those issues that we have said let's move forward by making sure that in our midst we do not want people who thrive on violence. We have been victims of violence for the past 18 years we have been at the receiving end of State-sponsored violence. I myself am a victim of that violence, nearly left for dead several times at the airport, at the various circumstances but I have said we cannot use violence to transact politics on a new dispensation.Q: I suppose the danger is that some of your supporters have picked up habits perhaps in t-ps from the way with Zanu-PF with Mugabe has done Zimbabwe in so many years. In other words they are bad habits that conform in Zimbabwe that your party now seems to be taking along on board itself.A: Now I can tell you that the Movement for Democratic Change is a happy family of democrats. All those elements are bent on using violence to transact politics have been dealt with and shamed, the devils.Q: In what way, you say 'been dealt with', be specific with me that's a broad term, what has happened, have they been expelled from the party, have they faced justice, have they been in the courts?A: We chuck out all the culprits and we also appeal to the police at any given point in time as we did in Buhera to help us deal with those culprits. In fact, our complaint was to do with the police themselves who actually did not do anything about it when in fact they were the ones who were escorting the colleagues that were affected.Q: Let's just talk a little bit about the legacy of Robert Mugabe before we get into the election policy platforms and your rivalry with Mr Mnangagwa for the presidencyDo you want Robert Mugabe to face the courts, to face justice?A: Well I must say that Mr Mugabe is part of our past, he's part of our old order and I have no time for us to be pursuing the past, to be pursing the old order. Our critical challenge going forward is to make sure that we resolve fundamental deep and structural issues that are affecting our society.Q: Well of course deep structural issues are including surely an accounting for terrible violence gotten around the killings for example where thousands and thousands of people were killed. Wouldn't Zimbabwe be an appropriate society if people were held to account for what happened?A: Indeed they have to account. Part of what I'm going to do under my new administration starting from July after the election is to institute a truth, forgiveness, reconciliation and compensation programme across the whole country. To look at our checkered past, to investigate it to be truthful about it and to be humble about so that we create a new chapter going forward based on peace, based on reconciliation and also more importantly based on nation-building, part of the legacy of Mr Mugabe.Q: But then the people of Zimbabwe would like to know what that means. For example, there were serious allegations floating around the country about missing billions revenues in the diamond industry reported to have gone missing after the government's balance sheetpeople would like to know are you prepared to take Robert and Grace Mugabe into a court room?A: If I would be given the chance to drive the vehicle called Zimbabwe into a new dispensation, I cannot be that driver who is driving looking in the rear-view. The past is important but the past should not arrest us.Q: So I will take that as a no, Mr Mugabe and Grace Mugabe can rest easily?A: Let us look at Mr Mugabe's contributions, his omissions and commissions. Let's say where he has had omissions, we are ready to correct, to repair and of course we need to make sure that those who were affected are compensated so that there's proper national healing going through.Q: I suppose nobody would dispute that what Zimbabwe needs right now is mature, responsible, wise leadership?A: Indeed.Q: Would in not be true to say that in the months that he has had power, Emmerson Mnangagwa has exhibited all of those qualities. He did set-up a truth and reconciliation commission. He has insured that the process of the establishment of rules and parameters of elections are in place. Ballot papers have been printed. He has assured the international community it will be free and fair and invited the EU and the Commonwealth in Zimbabwe to send monitors, all that you welcome I can imagine?A: We don't. In fact there's a fundamental dispute around the manner in which these elections are being marred in preparation. We are not in agreement in terms of who prints the ballot paper, we are not in agreement in terms of where the ballot paper is going to be, the security of the ballot paper, its distribution, we are not in agreement. And this is three months before an election we are not in agreement in terms of the role that should be played by our important and esteemed security forces in terms of elections, we are not agreed.Q: When you say it maybe you sound partisan and defensive and maybe in longest I'm looking at independent analysts like Eldered Masunungure director of the Mass Public Institute in Harare he says "This election looks like it will be the freest and fairest and possibly most peaceful since 2000."A: Well he said it looks like, it's his opinion and this is the beauty of a democracy when you have a diversity of opinions, that's his view. Our view is that this election can be, has the potential to be a free and fair election, but we need to resolve some of the fundamental issues around how the election itself is going to be conducted. Whether or not the voters' role has been audited, whether or not the process that are supposed to be done in respect of the electoral amendment of the electoral amendment are respected. Just yesterday we were in Parliament we did not agree the opposition with the ruling party on the content, character and substance of that Electoral Act.Q: The reason I talk about wisdom and responsibility and truth is that clearly in Zimbabwe political tempers tickle and rise very quickly it did happen in the past. It seems to me you and one of your associates in the opposition Tendai Biti have been stalking the flames in recent days. Tendai Biti said "unless we get a clear commitment from the seccurocrats" by which I think he means the Zanu-PF military nexus "unless we get clear commitment from them that they won't interfere the election" he says will be a "sham" and you have said if you don't get your way on things like the ballot papers, you gonna bring the election to a halt, you are raising the temperature?A: We are lowering the temperatures. In fact, Mr Mnangagwa is rising the temperature by continuing to be the old order. He has refused to part with the past, he has refused to be the face of the new order, in fact he has chosen to be a new face of the old order and that is our fundamental issue. If we are to be able to move forward, let us agree on how the election is going to be held. Wisdom is not when you have destroyed the country, wisdom is not when you have problems that we are currently having, cash shortages, failing to deal with the economic issuescorruption like the one we have seen in terms of the Airways in Zimbabwe where there has been massive corruption under the tutelage and tutorship of President Mnangagwa.Q: Well Emmerson Mnangagwa has a record and his record is since he got in the power he talked about truth and reconciliation and passed measures to(Chamisa interjects)A: What has he achieved?Q: Well I haven't finished. He also passed the indigenisation law and economic empowerment act which foreign investors seem to like, the foreign governments seem to like. He's also pledged to fight what you just described as the scourge of corruptionThe man is actually delivering on a transformation?A: In fact we are the change that delivers. Mr Mnangagwa is the change that doesn't deliver. In fact Mr Mnangagwa represents change without the change; he represents the face of the old.Q: Why do you think governments like the UK government are reaching out to Mnangagwa and suggesting that they think he's proven to be a good leader for Zimbabwe?A: They are reaching out to the people of Zimbabwe. Let me say this, you cannot have change without change agents. You cannot have transformation without transformers. Mr Mnangagwa is not a transformer, there can never be any reform without reformers. What he is, he is a transactional leader who has transacted a particular process in November and he's there, not as a face of transition, not as a face transformation. We represent that change that is yet to come.Q: Well you keep telling me you have got that change, I guess it is an attractive slogan for many people in your country, but there's a difference between making promises you can keep and making promises good enough in a world of fantasy. Let's go through a few of yours. In January you told people of your country that you could solve Zimbabwe's liquidity crisis in two weeks and indeed if you fail to do so, you would leave office because you said you are committed. Two weeks to solve liquidity crisis and that's nonsense to me.A: That nonsense is very sensible, in fact that is the most credible message that has ever been received by Zimbabweans. Why am I saying so? The most fundamental issue in Zimbabwe is not a crisis of cash, but a crisis of leadership, a crisis and a deficit of confidence and trust. The issues that we are going to deal with are issues of productivity, issues of skills transfer, and issues of investor confidence.Q: With due respect Mr Chamisa, politicians will say they can fix a problem that has been dogging the country for years, fix it in two weeks that just sound silly.A: During the inclusive government with all due respect Mr Sackur, during the inclusive government, when I was the minister of ICT, Mr Biti who is my colleague was the minister of finance, we fixed this problem within a time if four days. There was cash across the board in all the banks so it's not just a question of hyperbole; it's not just a question of political promises. We know our competence we have a track record, we can trusted, we can deliver.Q: Well it reminds me of the promise you made to party supporters in Chinhoyi saying you gonna build a bullet train from Bulawayo to Harare, you said with this infrastructure it will help people to travel from one city to another in 35 minutes, that is beyond nonsense.A: That is the future. I'm a visionary, I'm a young man and I have said we must begin to build infrastructure such as the infrastructure you have in the UK, what it doesn't do is... (Interviewer interjects)Q: I'm not a transport expert but it's well over 400km from Bulawayo to Harare and what this train of yours it's gonna be travelling at 800km per hour which by the way fastest mangalore train in the whole world can't take more than 400km an hour so I don't know where you finding it from?A: What I must emphasise is that I was emphasising the point of modern transportation, bullet trains being elsewhere on the African continent, we are aware of Morocco recently unveiled a bullet train, we are aware of Ethiopia this is the kind of examples that I was giving.Q: Zimbabweans should they want politicians who are serious who talk about and make promises that can be delivered in fact the other promise can't be delivered but one promises that seems to me you could deliver if you want to but maybe you wouldn't wantjust a few days ago you made a speech saying you gonna chuck out all the Chinese investors and workers currently in Zimbabwe you said I will call the Chinese and tell them that the deals they signed are unacceptable and they should return to their country, should that be good for Zimbabwe?A: I must say that our transformational policy is premised on infrastructure as I indicated infrastructure is going to be key.Q: But the Chinese have delivered airports, have delivered roads they have delivered clean water and sanitation infrastructure and you want to throw them out?A: I have not said I will throw anyone out. I have said that all the deals that have been signed have to be reviewed, have to be assessed and audited in the context of what is good for Zimbabwe, what is safe for investment and that position has got nothing to do with any nationality. We are pleased to do business with any serious investors across the border, the Chinese included.Q: But it is about credibility isn't it, with all this you actually striking the right balance between populism and credibility?A: I think the credibility is very high; in fact Zimbabweans are going to vote for us. They believe in our message, they know that what we have promised is not something that is beyond our reach we have promised in the inclusive government. Even when I was minister of ICT, I dealt with issues of WiFi, issues of connectivity bringing in the fibre optic cables into the country, so I'm not a sort of guy who just give empty promises. I'm a serious guy, I mean business, I'm in the digital age and these things I'm saying are going to be delivered, are available with BOO, BOTM, BOOS in terms of triple Ps - public, private partnerships agreements that we are ready to put in place to make sure that we deliver on transportation, on energy on water and of course on communication.Q: You say you are a serious and credible guy and of course that has been measure not just in Zimbabwe but around the world. At the end of last year in Washington DC a lot of serious questions were raised about your behaviour in Washington DC. You did see some senior people, congress people, you also claimed that you had seen Donald Trump, you claimed you had a conversation with him in which he asked you how much you needed to move the country forward, you told him $15 billion and he said to you he would provide the money if you won the election. That was not true, was it?A: Very true that, yes in terms of our infrastructure programme according to the African Development Bank (Interviewer interjects)Q: What I mean is it's not true that you had seen Donald Trump and Donald Trump indicated to you that he would provide if you won the election?A: All those statements were said by other people not what I said.Q: But look because there's a video that shows you at a rally in January back home in January you said that you met TrumpA: I said that I met the Trump administration.Q: You are telling me you did not meet Donald Trump?A: We did not, we met the Donald Trump administration and that's the point I made.Interview transcribed by Daily News reporter Austin KarongaA company selling cannabidiol oil has suspended sales in Canada after a CBC News investigation revealed its product is illegal.

HempWorx, a Las Vegas-based multi-level marketing company sold the oil through a network of Canadian affiliates.

The product was popular in the alternative medicine world because many believe CBD oil  which does not get you high like regular pot  has wide-ranging health benefits.

But CBD is a controlled substance like marijuana, which is illegal without a prescription. And HempWorx CBD oil is not authorized for sale in Canada, according to Health Canada.

"Anyone who has evidence that this product is being sold in Canada should provide this information to law enforcement, and should be aware that this product would be illegal to purchase," a spokesperson for the federal department told CBC News on Thursday.

On Friday, the company sent out an email to affiliates announcing it was "temporarily suspending HempWorx from sale in Canada until licensing has been awarded by Health Canada."

'Completely different'

Dr. Jen Gunter, a Winnipeg-born obstetrician-gynecologist who focuses specifically on celebrity wellness trends, says the advertising for such products sounds the same as health products that have been approved for sale in Canada.

"It sounds the same, and that's what's really concerning," Gunter said. "To somebody that doesn't have a medical background, that does sound exactly like, 'Oh there's good medical studies.' But it's completely different. It's really glossing over the edges, and it's almost like a shell game.

"It's very hard for the public to tell the difference."

She suggested consumers should look to what Health Canada says about a product, and look for results from "randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials."

'Not-so-great news' for sellers

Multiple messages to HempWorx were not returned. In April, one of its Winnipeg-based affiliates told CBC News that its sale is "100 per cent legal."

Story continues

It is not clear what type of licensing the company was seeking from the health regulator but the email said it made the application nine months ago.

The company acknowledged the problems this could cause for its Canadian affiliates who were building their HempWorx businesses.

"This may be not-so-great news, and we are committed to making things right for you," the email said. "Canadians will not get purged from the system for not meeting active order requirements."

The company told affiliates the shut-down to the Canadian market was "due to the increasing demand to bring HempWorx products to Canada and our commitment to compliance."

Got a tip for the CBC News I-Team? Email iteam@cbc.ca or call the confidential tip line at 204-788-3744.BEIJING (Reuters) - Bombers and fighter jets from China's air force conducted encirclement drills around Taiwan on Friday, the latest round of increasingly frequent military maneuvers near the self-ruled island that Taipei has denounced as intimidation. China claims Taiwan as its sacred territory, and its hostility toward the island has grown since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party. In the past year, Beijing has stepped up such military exercises, designed to send a message to Taiwan that it will thwart what it sees as any moves toward independence, even as Tsai has pledged to maintain the status quo and keep the peace. The People's Liberation Army Air Force said in a statement on its official microblog that H-6K bombers and surveillance aircraft flew in opposite directions around Taiwan, displaying "a new upgrade in combat capabilities". It said it was the first time Su-35 fighter jets had flown with the bombers through the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines. China is in the midst of an ambitious program to modernize its armed forces, developing stealth fighters, aircraft carriers and advanced missiles as it strives to acquire a world-class military by the middle of the century. That goal, coupled with an increasingly assertive stance in the disputed South China Sea waterway and around Taiwan, has rattled nerves around the region and in Washington. Taiwan is well equipped with mostly U.S.-made weaponry, but has been pushing for Washington to sell it more advanced equipment, including new fighter jets, to help it better deter its giant neighbor. Military experts say the balance of power between Taiwan and China has now shifted decisively in favor of China, which could probably overwhelm the island unless U.S. forces came quickly to its aid. (Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)SOUNION, Greece (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia held "hardworking and intense" talks on Saturday to bridge their differences in a decades-old dispute over the name of the former Yugoslav Republic that has complicated its hopes of joining the EU and NATO. The row began in earnest in 1991, when Macedonia broke away peacefully from former Yugoslavia, declaring its independence under the name Republic of Macedonia. Greece, which has its own region called Macedonia, has asked its neighbour to change its name, as well as what it says are "irredentist" references denoting territorial ambitions in Skopje's national constitution, which Greece says must be taken out. "I can characterise the meeting as being very serious, hardworking, intense a few times," said Matthew Nimetz, an American diplomat who has been the United Nations special envoy on the name dispute since 1994. He was speaking after the conclusion of a meeting of the two foreign ministers at a resort east of Athens. Positive work had been done, he said, and the two ministers would be briefing their prime ministers who were expected to meet in Bulgaria on May 17 on the sidelines of an EU-Western Balkans summit. The two countries decided last year to renew their efforts to try to reach a settlement well before the summer. The foreign ministers, Nikos Kotzias of Greece and Nikola Dimitrov of Macedonia, did not take questions. In statements on Friday, Dimitrov said discussions were at a pivotal point. "We are in a very delicate phase ... in a way tackling one of the last remaining differences," Dimitrov said. Both sides see 2018 as a year of opportunity. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras hopes to resolve the matter to gain more political leverage in Europe, and at the same time increase his popularity at home where many Greeks feel the country's debt crisis and three massive bailouts have compromised its sovereignty. Meanwhile, Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who came to power a year ago, wants to accelerate his country's accession to NATO and the EU to boost international support for his fragile coalition. Greece has said a compromise could include a compound name with a geographical or chronological qualifier by which the country would be known and referred to in all international institutions - the so-called "erga omnes". Examples could include Upper Macedonia and North Macedonia. Pending a settlement, the ex-Yugoslav nation was admitted to the United Nations in 1993 under the name Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). (Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Michele Kambas; Editing by Clelia Oziel and Hugh Lawson)Prince Edward Island businesses Cows Creamery and Holman's Ice Cream Parlour say they're going to keep using vanilla in their ice cream as they always have, despite the spike in price for the exotic ingredient.

Vice-President of Cows Chad Heron says the company is used to the fluctuating costs of vanilla  though this may be a little more extreme.

Heron said the company's recipes won't be changing.

"We've been using the same type of vanilla all along. It's critical to what we're doing here," he said.

"So, we don't really have discussions, you know, 'Can we not have it?' That's not really on the table. Or 'Can we use another ingredient?' That's not up for debate here."

Ken Meister, the owner of Holman's in Summerside says though the latest increase in cost is significant, there's no way he'll be using less real vanilla in his products.

"We're not going to change our recipes or use less. People want vanilla to taste like vanilla. They want vanilla in their vanilla milkshakes, and we're not going to use an alternate product."

Short supply to blame

Heron explained Cows uses vanilla from the island nation of Madagascar and that small changes in price are felt greatly by the business.

"All we can do is try to plan for that as best we can, set our pricing, commit to the quality, tell the customer we're not jeopardizing anything on that end, and then try to weather it," he explained.

According to Industry Canada trade data, Canadians imported more than two-thirds of its vanilla last year from Madagascar. They spent roughly $42.9 million on the flavour, almost four times the cost of vanilla imported in 2013.

The high cost of vanilla is being blamed on a short supply. Last spring, cyclone Enawo tore through Madagascar, where about 80 per cent of the world's vanilla is grown.

"Vanilla has fluctuated like this in the past with other storms or political unease," Heron said.

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Cost of ice cream up

Cows sets its ice cream prices each year in the spring, factoring in all costs including labour, fuel, and ingredients like vanilla.

This year, Cows ice cream prices have gone up by about 10 per cent compared to last, and will remain the same until next year, Heron explained.

"It's up a little bit," Heron said. "Which is obviously partly and definitely due to the vanilla increase in price for sure, but we use dozens of other ingredients as well which all fluctuate in the world market," adding that the rise in minimum wage and labour costs were also factored in.

Meister explained that while Holman's did adjust its prices this year, it was to reflect an overall price change from when the parlour first opened, not to reflect the cost of vanilla.

'Trying to ride it out'

Overall, Meister said he estimates that his vanilla costs are up about $500 a month.

He added that he's hoping it's a temporary fluctuation.

"We're trying to ride it out," he said.

Both he and Heron expect to see the prices go back down.

"All we can do is hope that they avoid storms, they avoid any political issues, a good crop year, and then the price will come back down," Heron said.

More P.E.I. NewsAs municipalities across the country enact or consider a ban on single-use plastics bags, east-coast retailers want to be at the table when the issue is discussed.

Jim Cormier, Atlantic Director for the Retail Council of Canada, said he'd like any rules around plastic bags to be implemented happen provincially, not by municipality.

"You could have a retailer in that area versus a retailer in just in the outskirts of that area and you're picking winners and losers between them based on customer preference," said Cormier.

"It's absolutely amazing the lengths some folks will go to in order to get something as simple as a bag."

On Monday, Moncton city councillors said they have plans to enact a ban on plastic bags, and they will discuss the issue with councillors from nearby Dieppe and Riverview at the next tri-community meeting.

Cormier said he and his members would prefer a per-bag fee be put in place rather than a complete ban, but that they are willing to work with whatever regulations are put in place.

"It's not as if retailers look at (plastic bags) and say, 'Oh, I absolutely love those,' but they are in a highly competitive industry where they are doing everything that they can to serve the customer and customers; they continually say that they want them."

According to Cormier, many retailers are chain stores with locations around New Brunswick and sometimes across the country. He said it would be expensive for each store to deal with different regulations.

Consumers say they like it

Outside two busy grocery stores in Moncton, many people liked the idea of a bag ban but most had at least one single-use bag in their carts.

"I've been using my bags for over a decade so it's about time that it happens," said Elaine Collin, who had all her groceries packed in reusable bags.

Jean Leblanc was with his mother while pushing a cart full of groceries in plastic bags. When asked about a ban he said, "I have no problems with that... if it's going to help the environment then sure why not."

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He said he normally brings his own bags but gestured at his cart with a laugh. "I wasn't planning on doing groceries, but I'm doing them for my mom."

Elizabeth Bourgeois wants the ban in place to help reduce trash. "(I go out) picking up trash in the spring and it's terrible; they catch in the trees and they are on the sidewalks."

"I'm one of the people who suffered through the flooding and my property is now littered with plastic bags and plastic bottles," said Dave Nelson, whose property was flooded by the St John River. He said he'd like to see a return to recyclable paper bags.

While Brian Moore packed most of his groceries in reusable bags, he bought more than he planned and used one plastic bag. He said if there is a ban, "there has to be some exceptions on it." He said a good way to do it would be to charge five cents a bag, so anyone caught off guard would still be able to get their food home.

Jeannita Fougere had most of her groceries in reusable bags but is firmly against a ban, calling it foolish.

"If they ban it, a lot of people are going to be miserable," Fougere said.

"I usually bring my bag, but when you're in there, you want something else and you don't have any bags so of course you have to have a plastic one."

But Melanie Makischuk, who moved to Moncton from Toronto, said she got used to it when her old grocery store stopped offering bags.

"I forgot my bags a lot, but eventually you remember them because you end up with an abundance of these reusable bags so you just have to remember once you get home, empty them out, you put them back in the car."

Bans in Montreal, Victoria

Montreal enacted a full ban on single-use bags on Jan. 1, but penalties won't be imposed until June 5. Certain bags, such as small plastic bags used for fresh vegetables or medication, will not be banned for hygienic reasons.

The City of Victoria plans to ban businesses from offering plastic bags to consumers starting July 1. Councillors there approved a bylaw which prohibits grocery stores from offering or selling plastic bags to shoppers, but stores can still offer paper bags or reusable bags for a cost if customers ask.

Cormier said his group is working with both the provincial governments in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia but hasn't heard from anyone representing New Brunswick.

CBC News was told Serge Rouselle, New Brunswick's minister of environment, was not available for an interview. The department said New Brunswick is waiting to see what Nova Scotia and P.E.I. decide to do on the issue.FILE PHOTO: An S-300 air defense missile system launches a missile during the Keys to the Sky competition at the International Army Games 2017 at the Ashuluk shooting range outside Astrakhan FILE PHOTO: An S-300 air defense missile system launches a missile during the Keys to the Sky competition at the International Army Games 2017 at the Ashuluk shooting range outside Astrakhan, Russia August 5, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

By Andrew Osborn

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is not in talks with the Syrian government about supplying advanced S-300 ground-to-air missiles and does not think they are needed, the Izvestia daily cited a top Kremlin aide as saying on Friday, in an apparent U-turn by Moscow.

The comments, by Vladimir Kozhin, an aide to President Vladimir Putin who oversees Russian military assistance to other countries, follow a visit to Moscow by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, who has been lobbying Putin hard not to transfer the missiles.

Russia last month hinted it would supply the weapons to President Bashar al-Assad, over Israeli objections, after Western military strikes on Syria. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the strikes had removed any moral obligation Russia had to withhold the missiles and Russia's Kommersant daily cited unnamed military sources as saying deliveries might begin imminently.

But Kozhin's comments, released so soon after Netanyahu's Moscow talks with Putin, suggest the Israeli leader's lobbying efforts have, for the time being, paid off.

"For now, we're not talking about any deliveries of new modern (air defense) systems," Izvestia cited Kozhin as saying when asked about the possibility of supplying Syria with S-300s.

The Syrian military already had "everything it needed," Kozhin added.

The Kremlin played down the idea that it had performed a U-turn on the missile question or that any decision was linked to Netanyahu's visit.

"Deliveries (of the S-300s) were never announced as such," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call, when asked about the matter.

"But we did say after the (Western) strikes (on Syria) that of course Russia reserved the right to do anything it considered necessary."

The possibility of missile supplies to Assad along with its military foray into Syria itself has helped Moscow boost its Middle East clout. with Putin hosting everyone from Netanyahu to the presidents of Turkey and Iran and the Saudi king.

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ISRAELI LOBBYING

Israel has made repeated efforts to persuade Moscow not to sell the S-300s to Syria, as it fears this would hinder its aerial capabilities against arms shipments to Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. Israel has carried out scores of air strikes against suspected shipments.

On Thursday, Israel said it had attacked nearly all of Iran's military infrastructure in Syria after Iranian forces fired rockets at Israeli-held territory. S-300s could have significantly complicated the Israeli strikes.

The missile system, originally developed by the Soviet military, but since modernized and available in several versions with significantly different capabilities, fires missiles from trucks and is designed to shoot down military aircraft and short and medium-range ballistic missiles.

Though since been superseded by the more modern S-400 system, the S-300s are still regarded as highly potent and outstrip anything that the Syrian government currently has.

Syria currently relies on a mixture of less advanced Russian-made anti-aircraft systems to defend its air space.

Russian media on Friday were actively circulating a video released by the Israeli military which showed an Israeli missile destroying one such system -- a Russian-made Pantsir S-1 air defense battery -- on Thursday in Syria.

Related Video: Congress Reveals Thousands Of Russian Facebook Ads

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(Additional reporting by Denis Pinchuk; Editing by Richard Balmforth)Dave Bartholomew - Gettin' Funky: The Birth of New Orleans R&B - Proper Records

Supreme Jubilees - It'll All Be Over - S & K Records (1980) / Light in the Attic (2014)

Atertha Franklin with Joe Ligon - One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism - Arista Records (1987)Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Top Sunscreens Named by Consumer Reports

The best sunscreens for 2018 have been named in Consumer Reports' annual list.

The group assessed 73 sunscreen lotions, sprays, and sticks labeled SPF 30 or higher, CBS News reported.

SPF (sun protection factor) is meant to indicate how well a sunscreen protects against ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, which can trigger skin cancer.

"Every sunscreen is tested at the lab in the same way -- and we use sunscreens we buy off the shelves, the way a consumer would," Trisha Calvo, deputy editor of health and food at Consumer Reports, told CBS News.

The group said this year's top four sunscreens are: La Roche-Posay Anthelios 60 Melt-In Sunscreen Milk; Equate (Walmart) Sport Lotion SPF 50; BullFrog Land Sport Quik Gel SPF 50; Coppertone WaterBabies SPF 50 Lotion.

Of the 73 sunscreens tested, 24 had less than half their labeled SPF number, which means consumers may not be getting the amount of sun protection they expect, CBS News reported.

During its years of testing sunscreens, Consumer Reports has found that "natural" or "mineral" products with only titanium dioxide, zinc oxide or both as active ingredients have tended to be less effective than those with chemical active ingredients, such as avobenzone, the researchers said.

No mineral sunscreens made this year's list of recommended sunscreens, CBS News reported.

-----

More Illnesses in Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Eggs

The number of people who have become ill in a salmonella outbreak linked with Rose Acre Farms eggs now totals 35 in nine states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

Since its last update on April 19, 12 more illnesses have been reported, the CDC said.

Illnesses began between Nov. 16, 2017 and April 14, 2018. The outbreak has resulted in 11 hospitalizations. No deaths have been reported.

On April 13, Rose Acre Farms recalled over 206 million eggs that were sold in many states under different brand names. For full information, go to the FDA's Recalls website.

Consumers, restaurants and retailers should not eat, serve, or sell recalled eggs produced by Rose Acre Farms' Hyde County farm. Throw them away or return them to the place of purchase for a refund, the CDC said.

It also recommended washing and sanitizing refrigerator shelves or drawers where the recalled eggs were stored.

All eggs need to be handled and cooked safely to prevent illness. Eggs should be cooked until both the yolk and white are firm, and scrambled eggs should not be runny, the CDC said.

Salmonella can cause illness 12 to 72 hours after being ingested. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Most people recover within a week, but some cases can last longer and be more severe.

-----

First Death Confirmed in DRC Ebola Outbreak

The first death and 11 new cases have been confirmed in an Ebola outbreak in the Bikoro region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said Thursday.

Three health care professionals are among the confirmed cases, according to Minister of Health Dr. Oly Ilunga. The outbreak of the deadly virus was announced Tuesday, CNN reported.

On Thursday, the World Health Organization said 27 cases of fever with hemorrhagic symptoms were recorded in the Bikoro region between April 4 and May 5, including 17 deaths.

Of those 27 cases, two tested positive for Ebola, according to the WHO.

The agency said the risk to public health is high at the local level, moderate at the regional level and low at the global level, CNN reported.

The health ministry and the WHO have developed a plan to deal with the Ebola outbreak over the next three months. The WHO said the full extent of the outbreak is unknown and the location poses significant logistical challenges due to limited communication and poor transportation infrastructure.Ministry of Tourism has decided to expand Buddhist tourism circuit under Swadesh Darshan Scheme to 21 more states to make it Indias first trans-national tourist circuit. Earlier it was envisaged only to seven major Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Key Facts

Now, Ministry of Tourism has identified stupas and viharas in these 21 states, around which small intra-state Buddhist zones will be developed. The states now that will be covered includes Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala, West Bengal, Goa, Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir.

The expansion of Buddhist tourism circuit aims to catch new-age Buddhist tourists from the West, besides those from traditional markets in South East Asia. The ministry is in talks with World Bank and Japanese government for funding of infrastructure projects connected with Buddhist tourism circuit. It also plans to involve the private sector in building tourism infrastructure pertaining to the circuit

Swadesh Darshan Scheme

The Union Ministry of Tourism had launched the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in 2014-15 with an aim to develop theme based tourist circuits in the country. These tourist circuits will be developed on principles of high tourist value, competitiveness and sustainability in an integrated manner. They will be developed by synergizing efforts to focus on concerns and needs of all stakeholders to enrich tourist experience and enhance employment opportunities. Under this scheme, 13 thematic circuits have been identified for development. They are Buddhist Circuit, North-East India Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit.India and Peru signed agreement in field of Renewable Energy. The pact was signed after bilateral meeting between Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister of Peru Cesar Villanueva Arevalo in Lima. Vice Presidents visited Peru was last leg of his first state visit to three Central American nations Guatemala, Panama and Peru. This was very important visit as it will help to enhance and strengthen Indias bilateral relations with these nations and will increase trade, investments and cooperation among these countries.

Key Facts

During the meeting, India and Peru discussed various bilateral and international issues of mutual interest. The discussions were held in field of pharmaceuticals, space, defence, supply of LPG, clean energy, agriculture and science & technology.

They also discussed possibility of collaboration in Quinoa cultivation and processing with Peru. Peru is important country for multilateral issues for India and it supported Indias candidature for permanent seat in United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Both countries agreed to work together to combat menace of terrorism.The U.S. Postal Service reported yet another quarterly loss, a total net loss of $1.3 billion during its second quarter from January to March.African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights calls on Mauritanian government to review draft law that applies death penalty for blasphemy.





The African Union's human rights body has called on Mauritania to "review" a draft law that applies the death penalty for blasphemy as global outrage grows over the imprisonment of a young blogger.





Cheikh Ould Mohamed Ould Mkheitir has been detained for more than 4 years despite his death penalty being downgraded to a 2-year sentence in November.





The decision by an appeals court to spare Mkheitir's life, which caused clashes and outrage in the conservative Muslim nation, came after he repented for charges of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a blog post.





Later in November the government moved to harden up religious laws so that showing repentance for blasphemy and apostasy could no longer prevent the death penalty.





But the text of the bill has not yet been promulgated by President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, without official explanation.





The head of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, Soyata Maiga, called on the government to reconsider the bill in the capital Nouakchott on Wednesday.





"The African commission uses the occasion of its current session in Mauritania to urge the highest authorities to review this legislation," she said.





"This review must be done in accordance with the guidelines and efforts of the African commission's working group on the death penalty and extrajudicial killings in Africa."





The African Union-backed group, whose decisions are not binding, advocates for the death penalty to be abolished.





Mauritanian authorities have not commented on Mkheitir's fate since November.





Some 20 NGOs have since asked the country's authorities to end the "secrecy" and guarantee the safety of the blogger, who is in his thirties.





The case contributed to Mauritania falling 17 spots in Reporters Without Borders' 2018 World Press Freedom Index, the biggest drop of any African nation.





The death sentence has not been applied in Mauritania since 1987.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

middle-east-online.com, May 11, 2018Kenya will fast-track laws to make wildlife poaching a capital offense as part of the country's bid to conserve flora and fauna, a senior government official said late Thursday.





Najib Balala, the Minister for Tourism and Wildlife, said that once the laws are enacted, the offenders of the wildlife crimes will face the death penalty in accordance with the laws of the land.





"We have in place the Wildlife Conservation Act that was enacted in 2013 and which fetches offenders a life sentence or a fine of 200,000 U.S. dollars. However, this has not been deterrence enough to curb poaching, hence the proposed stiffer sentence," Balala remarked during the official launch of the northern white rhino commemorative stamps at Ol Pejeta Conservancy located in Laikipia County on the slopes of Mount Kenya.





The initiative to issue a set of stamps to celebrate the northern white rhino was instigated by the Postal Corporation of Kenya in honor of "Sudan", the remaining male northern white rhino that died on March 19 after suffering from age-related health issues and from a series of infections.





Richard Vigne, the CEO of Ol Pejeta Conservancy that was home to Sudan, said the tragic story of the northern rhino will be captured forever as a signal to the world. He added that whilst Kenya remains a global leader in conservation, there are nonetheless many species across the planet that face a similar plight.





Vigne said that once Sudan's condition worsened significantly and he was unable to stand up, and obviously suffered a great deal, the decision to euthanize the mammoth was made by his veterinary team. This left Najin and Fatu as the two remaining northern white rhinos on the planet.





"Despite the extremely low numbers remaining, Ol Pejeta and Kenya Wildlife Service are working closely with the scientific community to try to recover this species from imminent extinction," Vigne noted, adding that the only way this can be done is through in vitro fertilization (IVF).





The conservationist said that because scientific practice has never ever been done in rhinos before, it will require the removal of eggs from the ovaries of the 2 remaining females to be fertilized using semen stored from males over the last few years to create viable mature embryos for storage in liquid nitrogen.





Once this has been achieved, a technique to reintroduce the embryos into surrogate southern female, because the 2 are infertile, with the aim of achieving pure bred northern white pregnancies.





"This effort will cost a huge amount of money, but is a noble effort to reverse at least one of the wrongs that mankind has wreaked upon other species that inhabit this planet with us," Vigne stated.





Patrick Omondi, the Director of Research in the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, said plans were underway to build a wildlife conservation museum that will feature wildlife icons, adding that the remains of Sudan will be displayed in a national conservation museum.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!





"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Xinhua, May 11, 2018Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 4 Vote(s) - 2 Average

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Germany vows to Resist America - Merkel receives award for selling out to NWO Magnus74

100% Right 48% of the Time

User ID: kaput

05-13-2018 12:59 AM



Posts: 144









Post: #1 Germany vows to Resist America - Merkel receives award for selling out to NWO

Advertisement



The head of the Assisi convent, Father Mauro Gambetti, said the Franciscans had decided to give the award to Ms Merkel, who has defended the rights of refugees trying to find a better life in Europe, because of her "commitment to promoting peaceful coexistence among peoples."



"This lamp is an inspiration for me. I will keep it on my desk," she said.



http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2018...syria.html



The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor, said on Saturday more than 500,000 people have been killed in the Syrian war since it erupted seven years ago.



About 85 percent of the dead were civilians killed by the forces of the Syrian government and its allies, according to the Observatory.



The German stance on Syria: Ready to help, but not militarily

"Just doing nothing at all is also difficult," the chancellor said, adding that if the US, the UK and France were to take military action, Germany would seek nonmilitary ways to help.



http://www.dw.com/en/the-german-stance-o...a-43356242



Let's examine their thinking.

So Merkel was reelected and the Germans want to now RESIST AMERICA and fight Trump for backing us out of the one sided Iranian deal (WONG)



The most shocking realization, however, is one that affects us directly: The West as we once knew it no longer exists. Our relationship to the United States cannot currently be called a friendship and can hardly be referred to as a partnership. President Trump has adopted a tone that ignores 70 years of trust.



http://www.spiegel.de/international/worl...07260.html





Spouting nonsense over an imaginary trade war (WRONG)



There will be no trade war with Germany, new US ambassador promises

The new U.S. ambassador to Germany said that President Donald Trump only wanted "a level playing field."

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/11/no-trade...mises.html





So lets get this straight: They won't use military assets to help beat Assad and Russia to stop the migrant crisis (WRONG)

Yet will open their boarders to migrants and refuse to defend the German people. (WRONG)



Now they wish to back stab that friend that freed them from the USSR and reunited their country, mind you, after starting two world wars and killing thousands of Americans.

(SO VERY WRONG- this is what we get for forgiveness?)



Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

A) Germany has gone full retard and is a rouge nation.

or B) Germany is now a puppet to the NWO, including the Catholic Church, Putin and the Russian, Chinese and Iranians alliance.



Tell me I am wrong.. When you come to behead me be careful not to bruise the face. Merkel was given the Franciscan order's 'Lamp of Peace'The head of the Assisi convent, Father Mauro Gambetti, said the Franciscans had decided to give the award to Ms Merkel, who has defended the rights of refugees trying to find a better life in Europe, because of her "commitment to promoting peaceful coexistence among peoples."The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor, said on Saturday more than 500,000 people have been killed in the Syrian war since it erupted seven years ago."Just doing nothing at all is also difficult," the chancellor said, adding that if the US, the UK and France were to take military action, Germany would seek nonmilitary ways to help.Let's examine their thinking.So Merkel wasand the Germans want to now RESIST AMERICA and fight Trump for backing us out of the one sided Iranian deal (WONG)Spouting nonsense over an imaginary trade war (WRONG)The new U.S. ambassador to Germany said that President Donald Trump only wanted "a level playing field."So lets get this straight: They won't use military assets to help beat Assad and Russia to stop the migrant crisis (WRONG)Yet will open their boarders to migrants and refuse to defend the German people. (WRONG)Now they wish to back stab that friend that freed them from the USSR and reunited their country, mind you, after starting two world wars and killing thousands of Americans.(SO VERY WRONG- this is what we get for forgiveness?)Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.A) Germany has gone full retard and is a rouge nation.or B) Germany is now a puppet to the NWO, including the Catholic Church, Putin and the Russian, Chinese and Iranians alliance.Tell me I am wrong.. (This post was last modified: 05-13-2018 02:08 AM by Magnus74 .) Magnus74

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User ID: 1337

05-13-2018 01:09 AM



Posts: 144









Post: #2 RE: Merkel receives yet another award for trying to make Germany a migrant cesspool

My brother was killed while stationed in Germany while in the Air Force in the late 70's. He was 20. He loved it there and loved the German people. I was just a 10 at the time, but I still have the momentos from Germany he had sent me. What is happening in Germany? This is a lead story on Drudge. When you come to behead me be careful not to bruise the face. Magnus74

100% Right 48% of the Time

User ID: 1337

05-13-2018 01:11 AM



Posts: 144









Post: #3 RE: Merkel receives yet another award for trying to make Germany a migrant cesspool



1 star for what? copy and pasting the truth... When you come to behead me be careful not to bruise the face. (This post was last modified: 05-13-2018 01:11 AM by Magnus74 .) Brad Nailer

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05-13-2018 01:34 AM











Post: #4 RE: Merkel receives yet another award for trying to make Germany a migrant cesspool

Catholics are an insane lot, one of the great dangers to Humanity and Nature throughout the ages. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

05-13-2018 02:19 AM











Post: #5 RE: Germany vows to Resist America - Merkel receives award for selling out to NWO

Wow. I never thought i'd say this. But f*#k you, Franciscans.

Your precious refugees would either burn down your monasteries or take them over, tear down the crosses and put minarets on it.

That is what they would do your monasteries given the opportunity.

I will not even go into what they would do to you. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

05-13-2018 02:28 AM











Post: #6 RE: Germany vows to Resist America - Merkel receives award for selling out to NWO

We dodged our very own version on Merkel by electing Trump. TicklePickle

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User ID: 1337

05-13-2018 02:34 AM



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Post: #7 RE: Germany vows to Resist America - Merkel receives award for selling out to NWO

Hard to take a country seriously when they have a twat like Merkel as their leader. TicklePickle

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05-13-2018 02:39 AM



Posts: 1,352









Post: #8 RE: Germany vows to Resist America - Merkel receives award for selling out to NWO

Brad Nailer Wrote: (05-13-2018 01:34 AM) Catholics are an insane lot, one of the great dangers to Humanity and Nature throughout the ages.

They blindly worship a guy wearing a pagan fishead hat.



And the Papal hall, where the pope conducts most of his speeches, looks like a serpent's head:







You can even see the two fangs in the middle which make up the two columns in the center of the stage.



The Catholic church is all about deception and hiding the evil at its core. They blindly worship a guy wearing a pagan fishead hat.And the Papal hall, where the pope conducts most of his speeches, looks like a serpent's head:You can even see the two fangs in the middle which make up the two columns in the center of the stage.The Catholic church is all about deception and hiding the evil at its core. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

05-13-2018 02:46 AM











Post: #9 RE: Germany vows to Resist America - Merkel receives award for selling out to NWO











https://youtu.be/5cs_es5DR8U Merkel is the Bismarck. Magnus74

100% Right 48% of the Time

User ID: 1337

05-13-2018 02:47 AM



Posts: 144









Post: #10 RE: Germany vows to Resist America - Merkel receives award for selling out to NWO

TicklePickle Wrote: (05-13-2018 02:39 AM) Brad Nailer Wrote: (05-13-2018 01:34 AM) Catholics are an insane lot, one of the great dangers to Humanity and Nature throughout the ages.

They blindly worship a guy wearing a pagan fishead hat.



And the Papal hall, where the pope conducts most of his speeches, looks like a serpent's head:







You can even see the two fangs in the middle which make up the two columns in the center of the stage.



The Catholic church is all about deception and hiding the evil at its core.



Holly Crap... never knew this.. TY Holly Crap... never knew this.. TY When you come to behead me be careful not to bruise the face. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

05-13-2018 02:56 AM











Post: #11 RE: Germany vows to Resist America - Merkel receives award for selling out to NWO

LoP Guest Wrote: (05-13-2018 02:46 AM) Merkel is the Bismarck.









https://youtu.be/5cs_es5DR8U

She's no Victor Orban

https://lunaticoutpost.com/thread-30384.html She's no Victor Orban LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

05-13-2018 02:58 AM











Post: #12 RE: Germany vows to Resist America - Merkel receives award for selling out to NWO

Magnus74 Wrote: (05-13-2018 02:47 AM) TicklePickle Wrote: (05-13-2018 02:39 AM) They blindly worship a guy wearing a pagan fishead hat.



And the Papal hall, where the pope conducts most of his speeches, looks like a serpent's head:



link to image: https://steemit-production-imageproxy-th..._1680x8400



You can even see the two fangs in the middle which make up the two columns in the center of the stage.



The Catholic church is all about deception and hiding the evil at its core.



Holly Crap... never knew this.. TY

Too bad you can't zoom in on the horrific nightmare sculpture behind the demon pope's throne. The headbanger in me finds the sculpture amazing, but it's not exactly suitable for Sunday Best. Too bad you can't zoom in on the horrific nightmare sculpture behind the demon pope's throne. The headbanger in me finds the sculpture amazing, but it's not exactly suitable for Sunday Best.















Nevada prison officials got the go-ahead Thursday to execute the state's 1st death-row inmate in 12 years, after the state Supreme Court ruled that defense lawyers and a rights group used the wrong process to try to stop the lethal injection.





Justices sidestepped the question of whether the state should use a never-before-tried combination of drugs that prison officials drew up for the execution of Scott Raymond Dozier.





The protocol includes a powerful painkiller that is fueling much of the nation's opioid epidemic and a paralyzing drug that could mask any signs of trouble.





The American Civil Liberties Union argued the drug is not legal to use for euthanizing pets in Nevada.





"Although we recognize the importance of this matter, both to Dozier and the citizens of the State of Nevada, the fact that this case has serious implications was all the more reason to follow established rules and procedures," the court said.





The blunt and unanimous order came just 2 days after the 7 justices heard oral arguments in Carson City.





The ruling sends the case back to a state court judge in Las Vegas who blocked the execution last November and orders her to issue a new warrant for Dozier's execution.





Dozier, 47, has been on death row since 2007 for convictions in separate murders in Phoenix and Las Vegas. He has said repeatedly that he wants to be put to death as soon as possible and doesn't care what drugs are used.





However, Dozier allowed federal public defenders David Anthony and Lori Teicher in Las Vegas to challenge the 3-drug protocol developed for his execution by the state's top doctor and prison officials.





None of the drugs the state was able to obtain - the sedative diazepam, the painkiller fentanyl and the paralytic cisatracurium - has been used for lethal injections in any executions before. Diazepam is commonly known as Valium. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has been blamed for overdose deaths nationwide.





Many states have struggled in recent years to find drugs that pass constitutional hurdles after pharmaceutical companies and distributors banned their use in executions.





Anthony and Teicher did not immediately respond to telephone and email messages about the court ruling.





Dozier would become the 1st person put to death in Nevada since 2006, when Daryl Mack asked to die after his conviction in a 1988 rape and murder in Reno.





The high court said Thursday that state Judge Jennifer Togliatti abused her discretion by considering a challenge of execution-protocol in the Dozier case that had not been properly lodged before the court.





Jonathan VanBoskerck, a chief deputy Clark County district attorney who argued the case for prosecutors, said additional legal challenges could still be filed in state or federal courts using different procedural grounds.





ACLU of Nevada Legal Director Amy Rose said she stands by her arguments that it would be unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment to use cisatracurium in Dozier's execution.





Dozier also used the name Chad Wyatt. His death would mark the 1st lethal injection since a new execution chamber was completed in 2016 at Ely State Prison, 250 miles north of Las Vegas.

Nevada Supreme Court overturns lower court ban on using a paralytic in Scott Dozier execution, citing procedural issues

Nevada's Supreme Court has ordered a lower court to vacate its decision blocking part of the state's proposed 3-drug lethal injection combination, although 1 of the drugs it needs to carry out an impending execution has expired and it's uncertain if and when the state can replace it.





The unanimous ruling comes 2 days after oral arguments were held in the case of 47-year-old Scott Dozier, whose execution was scheduled for November 2017 but has been indefinitely delayed. Dozier, who was convicted of 2 murders in Nevada and Arizona, voluntarily gave up his appeals and says he wants to be put to death.





While a federal public defender raised the prospect that including the 3rd drug and final drug in the protocol, a paralytic, could lead to a torturous execution that would violate prohibitions on cruel and unusual punishment, the justices focused their ruling on the procedural elements of the case.





The justices rebuked both the District Court judge and federal public defenders representing Dozier, saying the challenge to the execution protocol was "procedurally improper" and led to confusion and a failure to follow the correct procedures for appealing a death penalty case.





The decision said the federal public defender didn't file a 1983 action or another appropriate mechanism to challenge the execution method, and instead raised the challenge as part of a "Motion for Determination Whether Scott Dozier's Execution Will Proceed in a Lawful Manner" in a post-conviction proceeding that had already been suspended.





Justices said they were presented with no legal authority suggesting the execution could be challenged that way, and they rejected the reasoning that Eighth District Court Judge Jennifer Togliatti had "inherent authority" to ask questions about the execution protocol because she'd signed the execution warrant and had a responsibility to ensure the procedure was carried out lawfully.





"The district court therefore exceeded its authority and manifestly abused its discretion when it considered the challenge," the justices wrote.





Togliatti ruled in November that the state's proposed drug combination to carry out the execution presented a "substantial risk of harm" to Dozier as the method had never been tested and because prison officials presented little evidence in court. The court found that the inclusion of the paralytic could mask symptoms that the first 2 drugs were not working, leading to the possibility that Dozier would be aware but unable to communicate as he suffocated.





Justices noted in a footnote that the federal public defender's actions appeared to "be at odds" with Dozier's directive that his counsel not take any actions to delay the execution.





A representative of the attorney general's office told justices this week that the state's supply of diazepam - the 1st of the 3 drugs proposed to be used in the execution - had expired on May 1, but said it might be possible to replace the drug. Pharmaceutical companies that have barred the use of their drugs for executions have made it difficult for states to carry out the killings.





Lawyers for Dozier didn't immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday on what their next steps would be.





A spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Corrections said the agency was waiting for the issuance of a warrant of execution before they could get started setting a date for Dozier to be put to death.





Dozier's execution would be the 1st to take place in the state in more than 11 years, and would be the 1st carried out in a new execution chamber in Ely State Prison.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

: Associated Press, May 11, 2018The Nevada Independent, May 11, 2018Srinagar: Kashmiri separatists have reacted sharply to Army chief General Bipin Rawats remark that neither militants can fight the Army nor will azadi (freedom) happen in the restive state.

Reacting to the Gen. Rawats assertions, separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the longing of people of Kashmir to be the masters of their own fate is far stronger than any military power.

Gen. Rawats threat that Army will bomb us like Syria is real but so is the resilience of people to stand by their commitment to achieving the universal right to freedom and self-determination for which they have been struggling for the last 70 years, he said. JKLF chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik said the Armys Chiefs remarks were illogical and recalled Gandhijis reply to a British envoy that he would prefer a non-competent poor independent country over a competent and wealthy illegal occupation and slavery.I am writing this after US President Donald Trump announced scrapping of the Iran nuclear deal a few days ago, imposing new sanctions on that country and those trading with it. This was done with the aim of defanging Irans nuclear ambitions by bringing Iranian ballistic missiles and similar issues into the newly-negotiated deal. This step also permits US to sell its shale oil to the world after stopping the exports of Iranian oil. Indians who thought that we had a strategic partnership with America are now becoming aware of the possibility of India coming under US sanctions for purchasing Russian weapons in future, under a 2017 law called CAASTA. I will go back to this later. Further, those who went gaga over the recent informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinas President Xi Jinping at Wuhan should read Brahma Chellaney who wrote: India is the only country to have repeatedly cried betrayal, not by friends, but by adversaries in whom it had reposed trust. Indias foreign policy since Independence can actually be summed up in three words: Hug, then repent. I must say India must be the only major nation whose leadership has shown not only lack of resolve and strategic vision, but also an utter disdain for the military. All strategic advice to the political leadership is given by unaccountable bureaucrats, and retired diplomats and police officers.

In my view, President Xi Jinping has learnt a great lesson from the Second World War, which is never to fight two enemies at the same time. Hitler had started World War II by invading Poland on September 1, 1939. Then, in six weeks starting May 10, 1940, he conquered France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, after which he turned his attention to Britain; but then made a huge strategic mistake by opening a second front in the east, by simultaneously launching strikes against the then Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. China, having initially antagonised most nations (including India, Japan, the US, Australia and Vietnam), then tried to buy a few friends with either its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) or its chequebook diplomacy  particularly in relation to the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malay-sia, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Seychelles, etc. It has now responded to the unpredictable United States Presidents trade war threats, the peace moves in the Korean peninsula (where China may lose influence in case of a Korean reunification), scrapping of Iran nuclear deal , and the ongoing proxy conflict with Russia in Syria, and the possibility of a Quadrilateral alliance taking shape with the US, India, Australia and Japan as the initial partners.

Besides consolidating its growing ties with Russia (now under US sanctions), China has apparently decided to temporarily mend fences with Japan and India, all the while focusing on its main adversary, the United States. The Chinese President appears to have partly succeeded with the Wuhan talks with India, while still opposing Australias entry into the June 2018 Malabar exercises at Guam between the naval forces of the US, Japan and India (three Indian Navy ships are now exercising with the Singapore Navy and may enter other ports en route to Guam), thus delaying the formation of the Quad. India, which ignored military reforms and modernisation, while being in permanent election mode, should not rejoice too much over Wuhan, as it may soon come under the US sanctions under the 2017 CAASTA (Countering Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) in case it buys advanced Russian arms like the SA-400, nuclear submarines (SSN) or frigates this year, as expected, in accordance with an earlier agreement between Mr Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The irony is that while the Indian Navy exercises with US Navy, the US will not supply SSNs to India (or to any other country) and it has no equivalent to the SA-400, while its frigate-equivalent warships would be twice as costly. India stands to lose in this US-China standoff  the Indian military, which uses 62 per cent Russian military hardware, will be left practically defenceless against its two hostile neighbours.

India should realise Wuhan was just a short, tactical Chinese pause, while it deals with the US to achieve President Xis goal of making China a developed country by 2035, and a global power by 2049. Once China becomes a full-fledged global power, it will turn against its strategic partner Russia to correct some historical wrongs and reclaim 600,000 sq km of territory it had lost. In 1689, a strong China signed the Treaty of Nerchinsk with a comparatively weaker Russia, to stop the Russian eastward expansion, by removing Russian outposts from the Amur river basin, blocked Russias easy access to the Sea of Okhotsk and far eastern markets, among other issues. This treaty prevented a potential Russian military defeat at the hands of the Chinese, while giving China a status equal to that of Imperial Russia. This treaty was further confirmed and expanded in 1727 by the Treaty of Kyakhta; and Russia-China relations continued to be governed by this treaty till 1858, when a weakened China was forced by Russia to sign the unequal Treaty of Aigun, under which Russia gained over 600,000 sq km of Chinese territory. China, which clashed with the USSR in the Ussuri river conflict of March 2-15, 1969, is biding its time and will someday (after dealing with the United States, and resolving its territorial claims against India and in the South China and East China Seas) revisit the 1689 Treaty of Nerchinsk with Russia.

Indians must realise that China has always been a great power (barring its self-declared century of shame/humiliation from 1839 to 1949), which even when not prosperous had given top priority to its national security. It militarily intervened in the Korean war to fight the US in October 1950 (when US-led UN forces advanced towards the Yalu river near China; fought India in 1962 (coinciding with US involvement in the Cuban missile crisis of 1962); defeated the then South Vietnamese ships at sea on January 19-20, 1974 to establish control over the Paracel Islands (when the US had practically withdrawn from South Vietnam); invaded Vietnam on August 25, 1978, when Indias then external affairs minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was visiting Beijing. Now that China is rich with a $14 trillion economy, and has carried out military reforms and military modernisation, built artificial islands in the South China Sea, it is determined to correct other past wrongs (real or imagined). Hence, its is vital for India to focus on its economy, national security and build up its comprehensive national power).

Doklam bought India some breathing time and it needs to be gainfully employed, if India doesnt want to repeat its thousand years of shame/humiliation wherein almost any invader who came overland across the Khyber Pass or by sea found an unprepared people led by rulers who didnt understand the link between national prosperity, national security and sea power. Our military must not suffer because our scientists cant produce modern weapons or due to a lack of military reforms. Independence comes at a cost, and India must be ready to pay that cost. Just as it must learn from history in order not to repeat its past mistakes.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Mexican counterpart, Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray, met in Washington in early May to discuss bilateral and regional issues, including the modernization of the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.

In particular, we spoke of four vital areas in which we work with Mexico every day: trade; management of our shared border; security; and the shared regional and global priorities of our two countries, said Secretary of State Pompeo.

First is the fact that the economic interests of the two countries are deeply intertwined.Mexico is our second largest export market, third largest trading partner. The importance of modernizing NAFTA cannot be overstated, and we will continue to work towards an agreement with Mexico and with Canada.

Every day, more than 1.7 billion dollars in trade crosses our nearly 2,000 mile [3,110 Km.] common border, supporting thousands of jobs in both countries. And that leads into the second point: As we manage this border together, we seek to improve efficiency at our ports of entry to support the legitimate flow of commerce between our two countries.

Third, the United States and Mexico work together to improve security and disrupt the operations of transnational criminal organizations. Our security is linked to one anothers, said Secretary of State Pompeo:

It will take our shared resources and commitment to disrupt criminal groups that illegally traffic drugs, weapons, and human beings. Continued cooperation under the Merida Initiative advances our mutual security objectives. Weve made some progress through the U.S.-Mexico Strategic Dialogue to disrupt these transnational criminal organizations. We should be proud of that.

And finally, the U.S. and Mexico work together on regional and global challenges. For example, we are working with our partners in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador to reduce insecurity and violence, enhance economic opportunity, and fight corruption. These shared efforts address the underlying conditions driving illegal immigration. We also cooperate with Mexico to build regional consensus on the crisis in Venezuela, said Secretary of State Pompeo.

Mexico is one of the United States closest partners. Together we are working to build a more secure, prosperous, and democratic hemisphere. We are neighbors, allies, and friends.The United States and ASEAN expressed their commitment to enhance cooperation at the 9th U.S.-ASEAN Joint Cooperation Committee, or JCC, Meeting held recently in Jakarta.

ASEAN and the United States took stock of their cooperation across a wide range of areas and noted the positive progress made in the implementation of the U.S.-ASEAN Plan of Action. The meeting also noted the United States robust participation in various ASEAN-led forums, such as the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum, and support for ASEAN community building, especially in priority areas of cooperation under the ambit of the three ASEAN Community pillars of political and strategic cooperation, economic cooperation, and socio-cultural engagement.

In reiterating its commitment to strengthen relations with ASEAN, the United States underscored the important role that ASEAN has played in maintaining peace and stability in the region, making ASEAN central to the Indo-Pacific region, and a key partner in the United States Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy.

Representatives from ASEAN congratulated the United States on Secretary of State Mike Pompeos recent assumption of office and looked forward to his participation at the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference Plus One with the United States and the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting to be held in early August in Singapore.

The annual JCC Meeting was co-chaired by Ambassador Dato Shariffah Norhana Syed Mustaffa [dah-TOK shah-ree-fah NORE-hah-nah shed moo-stah-fah], Permanent Representative of Malaysia to ASEAN, and Ms. Jane Bocklage, Charge dAffaires of the U.S. Mission to ASEAN, and attended by the Permanent Representatives of ASEAN Member States as well as representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat and the U.S. Mission to ASEAN.

The United States is proud to partner with ASEAN to enhance the prosperity and security of the United States and the Asia-Pacific region.Es responsabilidad del director, y expresa la opinion del diario sobre asuntos de actualidad nacional o internacional

Primera vuelta del pleno de investidura con el diputado Quim Torra como candidato a la presidencia. Parlament de Catalunya. Barcelona. ALBERT GARCIA

It is hard to believe how low the pro-independence leaders are going to make the Catalan government fall. The nomination of Quim Torra i Pla as regional premier confirms the most disturbing tone of its plans: the building of an independent Catalonia in confrontation with half of the Catalan people and the rest of Spain, and in line with European ultra-nationalist xenophobic movements. Even the way the candidate has been chosen, hand-picked by ousted regional premier Carles Puigdemont, confirms the authoritarian drift of secessionism.

The first statements by Torra as nominee leave no room for doubt. There will be a place for the government in exile, efforts will be made to meet the mandate of October 1, which implies restoring the breakaway laws passed by the Catalan parliament and voided by Constitutional Court, and a move toward a constitutional process. These are more than disturbing words because, unless they remain mere rhetoric, they imply the beginning of a new unilateral process of independence determined to violate the Constitution and the Catalan Statute once more, and continue to cause a clash with more than half of Catalan voters.

The xenophobic profile of this lawyer and essayist exacerbates the crisis. He has apologized for his contemptuous offensive comments against Spaniards and has deleted them from the social network where they were posted. He has apologized by saying that he published them six years ago and that what matters are the facts, not the words. It is a poor and scant apology from someone who has not made clear if he still thinks that Spaniards only can plunder, as he then believed. His undeletable ideology is connected to the xenophobic movements of the European far-right. Catalan independentism, which began its breakaway process with a promise of a new democracy in the form of a republic, is more similar to the nationalism of Viktor Orban in Hungary than to the Europeanist republicanism of Emmanuel Macron. It is not a surprise. During the time he spent in Belgium after fleeing there from Spain, Puigdemont strengthened ties with the N-VA Flemish nationalists and the Vlaams Belang racist neo-Nazis.

Puigdemonts party, Together for Catalonia (Junts per Catalunya) is following a path with a difficult return, from the centrists and liberals to whom Convergencia was aligned with in the past to the anti-European far-right parties. In the Catalan case another exceptional feature  it converges with the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), signaling a distancing from unilateral independentism and yet it has resulted in a claudication to Carles Puigdemonts follies and dictates. Is Torra really a candidate for the ERC and its party chief, Oriol Junqueras, as the head of Catalonias government? Is he really the appropriate person to represent the dignity of Catalan self-government and institutions before the rest of Spain and Europe? Can someone with such ethnic prejudices and so little democratic disposition lead a fruitful dialogue?

The choice of Torras is a terrible signal, especially for Catalans, because it is a promise of conflict and unlawfulness instead of policies to solve their real problems.Claims by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova that Ukrainian veterans who fought in Donbas had been threatening a Russian diplomat at the UN premises are untrue, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.

"An eloquent example of Russian officials spreading fakes... Russian statements are insinuations," the ministry's spokeswoman, Mariana Betsa, wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

A day earlier Zakharova told journalists after an information committee meeting in New York that Ukrainian veterans of the Donbas operation had been making physical threats against a Russian diplomat at the UN.

The Russian, who attended the event, was threatened by Ukrainian special-operation veterans, she said.

"The Ukrainian side invited, as it claimed, ATO veterans, including people, who were introduced as snipers coming from the south-east of Ukraine, to the media event," Zakharova said.

"Following this event, those people clad in camouflage approached a Russian representative, press officer of the Russian Foreign Ministry, and started making death threats on the sidelines of the UN. People clad in camouflage were running around the UN, yelling, taking photographs of Russian diplomats and threatened them. Those were direct threats," Zakharova said.U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Heather Nauert has called illegal the supply of goods with humanitarian aid from Russia to Donbas, produced earlier this week by the Russian Emergencies Ministry.

"Russia sent another illegal, uninspected convoy across the border into eastern Ukraine on Monday, likely to resupply its forces," Nauert wrote on Twitter on Friday.

In addition, she accused Russia of "fueling the violence" in Donbas and called on Moscow to "end efforts to destabilize Ukraine."

"Last week Ukraine's Donbas region saw 6,000+ ceasefire violations and 21 Ukrainian soldiers wounded. Russia is fueling the violence; it arms, leads and fights beside anti-government militants. Russia must implement Minsk and end efforts to destabilize Ukraine," Nauert wrote.Three wounded in 50 enemy attacks on Ukrainian positions over past day

Illegal armed groups have opened fire on the positions of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) 50 times over the past 24 hours, wounding three Ukrainian servicemen, the JFO's press center has reported.

"The situation has remained complicated in the JFO area over the past 24 hours, on May 11. Active hostilities continued in all directions. Russian occupation forces violated the Minsk agreements 50 times over the past day, including 19 times with the use of heavy weapons," reads a report as of 07:00 on Saturday, which was posted on the Facebook page of the JFO's press center.

The situation remained tense in the Donetsk sector, where fighting continues round-the-clock near Verkhniotoretske, Kamianka, Avdiyivka, Opytne, and Pisky. Militants used 120mm mortar to fire at the village of Zaitseve.

In the Luhansk sector, near the villages of Krymske, Troitske and Novozvanivka, militants were more active with the onset of darkness.

"JFO units also defended actively near Hnutove and Shyrokyne in the Mariupol sector," the report says.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, three militants were killed and four wounded.

Three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded during the fighting.The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide additional assistance in the amount of $125 million for Donbas and adjacent territories that felt the influence of Russian aggression.

"This additional technical assistance will be aimed at ensuring further stabilization and consolidation of Ukrainian communities in the region, increasing the resilience of the local economy and accelerating its development," reads a report posted on USAID Ukraine's page on Facebook.

It notes that the announcement on the provision of $125 million will be made during a joint press conference on Tuesday, May 15, by Assistant Administrator of the USAID's Bureau for Europe and Eurasia Brock Bierman, U.S. Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. The press conference will be held in Sloviansk (Donetsk region).

As reported, Volker will arrive in Ukraine on Monday.

"I'm heading to eastern Ukraine next week to see more about the situation on the ground and to learn about the humanitarian crisis in the Donbas," Volker wrote on Twitter.Ukraine's Joint Forces Commander Serhiy Nayev has visited a base hosting troops from other countries during a trip to the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) zone in Donbas.

"Joint Forces Commander Lieut. Gen. Serhiy Nayev has visited a unit which hosts soldier volunteers from other states. The frank talk that took place on the forward positions focused on problems to be solved to ensure reliable defense of our positions," the JFO said on its Facebook page on Saturday.

One volunteer, Olga Chikhelidze-Batagova, said that Nayev visited the 25th battalion and "talked not to the commanders... but to the soldiers."

"He asked about problems and needs..., promised to solve and help," Chikhelidze-Batagova wrote on Facebook.

She also posted a video footage showing Nayev talking to volunteers from Georgia.

On May 1 Kyiv changed the format of its operation in Donbas from "anti-terrorist operation" led by the Security Service of Ukraine since April 2014, into a Joint Forces Operation controlled by the Defense Ministry and the Armed Forces of Ukraine.Head of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative Eka Tkeshelashvili has said she is convinced that without an Anti-Corruption Court the system of fighting corruption in Ukraine cannot be as effective as possible and justify all expectations.

She said in an interview with the Interfax-Ukraine news agency that the Anti-Corruption Court is a key link in the fight against corruption and that the need to create it in full accordance with the recommendations of the Venice Commission had been repeatedly stressed by European partners.

Tkeshelashvili noted that the recommendations of the Venice Commission still remain a "stumbling block" in the drafting of a respective bill for second reading.

This is not just any wish on the part of Ukraine's partners, this is a well-balanced vision of what elements must be included in this law so that the court could be really independent, effective and fulfill its role, she said.

Tkeshelashvili stressed that the fight against corruption was important, including to ensure security in Ukraine.The border guard service of the city of Yeysk (Russia) has refused to provide information on the whereabouts of two Ukrainian fishermen who went missing in the Sea of Azov, spokesman of the Consular Service Department of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Vasyl Kyrylych has said.

"The border guard service of the city of Yeysk has refused to provide information about the possible stay there of Ukrainian citizens who had disappeared in the Sea of Azov. The consul left to find out the reasons and circumstances of the detention and demand that they immediately be released," Kyrylych told Interfax-Ukraine Saturday.

As reported, two fishermen from Berdiansk (Zaporizhia region), who went missing in the Sea of Azov for a day, have probably been detained by Russian border guards and stay in the city of Yeysk, the Krasnodar Krai.

The press service of the main directorate of the State Emergency Service in Zaporizhia region told Interfax-Ukraine that the wife of one of the two fishermen, who went to the Sea of Azov by a motorboat on May 10 and did not return, called the duty department of the Berdiansk department of the National Police at 18:26 on May 11. The woman told the police that she had received a phone call from the Russian border guard service about the detention of her husband and his friend and that they stayed in the city of Yeysk.The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is checking reports on the possible involvement of Russian servicemen in the handover of weapons to Ukrainian MP Nadiia Savchenko and Head of the Officer Corps Prisoner Release Center Volodymyr Ruban, SBU Chief Vasyl Hrytsak has said.

"Investigators of the Security Service of Ukraine are currently checking data on the involvement of servicemen (Russian citizens) of the Russian Armed Forces in the transfer of weapons directly to Nadiia Savchenko and Volodymyr Ruban," he told reporters in Cherkasy region on Saturday, when asked about the data published earlier by Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko.

Hrytsak expressed confidence that this case would be investigated "within a reasonable time" and that it would be transferred to court in a few months.

On May 11, Lutsenko said that Ukrainian investigators had identified Russian servicemen who supplied Savchenko with weapons to commit a terrorist attack: "Colonels of the Russian Armed Forces are behind the military units from which the weapons were transferred to carry out the terrorist attack. They will appear in criminal proceedings."

Ruban was detained at a Donbas checkpoint on March 8 while trying to smuggle an arsenal of weapons into the part of Ukraine not controlled by Kyiv.

Ruban is suspected of preparing armed attacks on top state officials, preparing a terrorist act with the use of weapons and explosions that could pose a threat to life and health of people.

According to investigators, Ruban planned "to use mortars, grenade launchers, small arms and explosive devices to carry out an armed attack on the residences of statesmen, political leaders, in particular: Petro Poroshenko, Arsen Avakov, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Oleksandr Turchynov and others with the purpose of their murder."

On March 9, the Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv arrested Ruban for two months, until May 6. On March 20, Kyiv Court of Appeal upheld this decision.A Ukrainian citizen has been killed in Montenegro, and priority procedural measures are being held, spokesman for the Consular Service Department of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Vasyl Kyrylych has said.

"The consul has confirmed the Ukrainian citizenship of a woman killed in Montenegro on May 11, 2018. The priority procedural measures are being held," Kyrylych wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

According to local media cited by the Yevropeiska Pravda online newspaper, the deceased woman is Anastasia Lashmanova. According to police, the body of the woman with traces of violence, including stab wounds, was found in the apartment where she lived.

Lashmanova headed a number of companies, in particular, in the hotel industry. Her assets are estimated at around EUR 105 million.

The media reported that Lashmanova lived in Montenegro for several years and had a Russian passport.The polygraphic materials and weapon seized during searches of the leader of the Communist Party banned in Ukraine have been sent for forensic tests, Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Chief Vasyl Hrytsak said.

Petro Symonenko was questioned by the SBU, Hrytsak said in an interview with the 112 Ukraine television channel. "We carried out 24 searches at his home and not only at his home," Hrytsak said.

"Currently we are working with the materials we gathered during these procedures... Investigators ordered expert analysis of the materials, primarily printed matter, on the presence of signs of the crime stipulated in Article 109 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code [calling for violent change or overthrow of the constitutional system or government takeover]," Hrytsak said.

The material also includes a Stechkin automatic pistol with 120 cartridges, he said.

"After analysis the items seized during the search could be admitted into criminal case evidence, and proceedings with Symonenko will subsequently be planned," Hrytsak said.

Symonenko was questioned by the SBU on May 10. SBU spokeswoman Olena Hitlianska said that Symonenko had been questioned as part of a criminal inquiry under Article 109 part one and Article 111 part one (high treason) of the Criminal Code.

On May 8 the SBU carried out searches at Symonenko's home and seized an item looking like a Stechkin pistol. During the searches SBU officers seized propaganda materials calling for constitutional change and government takeover, and seized a Stechkin pistol-like item, with a silencer and 120 cartridges.

Earlier in the day SBU officers searched the homes of senior Communist Party members in and around Kyiv and found propaganda materials containing banned Communist symbols, planned for distribution on Victory Day on May 9.German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed concern about the tense situation in eastern Ukraine and frequent ceasefire violations, according to European media.

"Ukraine concerns us and in the 'Normandy Format' - which groups Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine - we try to get the Minsk (ceasefire) accords respected," she said during her visit to Italy on Saturday.

According to Merkel, "every night there are violations of the ceasefire and every day there are human casualties."Iranian analysts say the United States withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran, also called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is likely to escalate factionalism and infighting in Iran and have far-reaching consequences for the countrys economy.

Speaking to Radio Farda on May 10, analyst Mehdi Mahdavi-Azad said, For the time being, all factions pretend to be in agreement with each other. But hardliners demand radical measures such as leaving the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and starting a war with Israel, while moderates want to wait until the 2020 presidential elections hoping there would be a new U.S. president in office by that time.

Mahdavi-Azad added, It is not clear who will have the upper hand, but it is clear that the pullout escalates factionalism and infighting in Iran.

He explained, JCPOA has been the pillar of Irans economy, foreign relations, and domestic politics during the past two years. The pullout will bring about a political jolt in the country that would disrupt the current political balance in domestic politics.

Elaborating on other possible implications of the United States pullout, Mahdavi-Azad said, The U.S. withdrawal will empower hardliners, including the IRGC.

He added, Following his administrations failure to improve the economy or stop the ban on popular messaging application Telegram, JCPOA was Rouhanis only achievement.

The government will clamp down on civil liberties in order to prevent political unrest, and the situation will be reminiscent of how it was under former hard-line President Mahmud Ahmadinejad during his last years in office, Mahdavi-Azad said.

Economic analyst Mehrdad Emadi told Radio Farda in a May 10 interview that the U.S. withdrawal from JCPOA would increase the cost and risk of economic exchanges with Iran for European parties.

He added that Iran is likely to face heightened restrictions on importing technology.

Asked how the EU will guarantee the continuity of contracts between Iran and private European companies, Emadi said there is a risk European companies might fear losing profits in the United States if they do business with Iran.

This is the part of President Trumps withdrawal statement that some observers have failed to notice, he said. European companies might decide to avoid the risks involved in working with Iran.

Emadi added that reactions such as burning the U.S. flag at the Iranian Parliament would prompt Europeans to hesitate. This kind of political suicide has had many examples in Iran in recent years, he said, adding that such behavior leads to a reluctance in Brussels to support cooperation with Tehran within the framework of JCPOA.

Iranian analyst Mehran Barati told Radio Farda that working with Iran within the framework of JCPOA without the United States might work for European parties in the short term, but as soon as the United States bans oil purchases from Iran the shipping and insurance industries will feel the consequences.

He added that European intelligence agencies have warned private companies to hold off investing in Iran for the time being, as they fear punitive U.S. measures that would affect European investors wanting to enter the Iranian market.

Trump announced on May 8 that the United States would leave the 2015 nuclear deal signed by Iran with six world powers and that he would immediately reinstate sanctions on Tehran. The agreement, worked out with Iran by the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran limiting its nuclear program.

JCPOA, designed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb, has been strongly criticized by Trump, who called it "a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made."

The other signatories have indicated they would adhere to the agreement.On 11 May 2018, Deputy Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, Mr. Elmir Valizadeh attended the next meeting of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Working Group of the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan).

The main focus of meeting was the discussion of The Strategic Roadmap for the Development of Telecommunication and Information Technologies in the Republic of Azerbaijan published in December 2016. The discussions also emphasised the importance of ICT infrastructure for the digital economy and further enhancement of ICT efficiency in the public sector.

The event was opened with the welcoming addresses of Mr. Farid Isayev, Deputy Chairman of AHK Azerbaijan, and Mrs. Theresa Schonfeld, Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy in Baku. These were followed by a brief introduction of Mr. Rufat Hajialibayov, Chairman of the ICT Working Group of AHK Azerbaijan, about the activities of the Working Group and the principal topic of the meeting.

The honorary guest speaker of the meeting Mr. Valizadeh shared his insights about the ICT policy of Azerbaijan and briefly discussed the ongoing action plans based on the Strategic Roadmap. He, moreover, underlined the importance of 5G Technology in the rapidly advancing world of technology.

In the Q&A session of the meeting, Deputy Minister responded to the enquiries of the senior company representatives and encouraged the participants of the meeting to provide their suggestions on the discussed topics and on the opportunities to improve the implementation of the ICT strategy in Azerbaijan.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 12

Trend:

U.S. Embassys acting Deputy Chief of Mission Carter Wilbur and Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Economy Sahib Mammadov opened a newly renovated milk collection and processing facility in Guneshli village in Saatli.

The facility will produce the first ever yellow cheese in Azerbaijan.

Representatives from the Saatli Executive Committee, municipal government and local community also attended the opening.

When local residents heard about the Socio-Economic Development Activity funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Azerbaijani government, they knew exactly what they needed. USAIDs local partner East-West Management Institute worked with community leaders from the five villages to renovate the antiquated milk collections facility, which could not handle the amount of milk produced by local farms, causing farmers to lose profits on milk that spoiled before they could sell it. The local farmers also decided to invest in equipment and supplies for making yellow cheese.

The facilitys new equipment will process milk and produce dairy products much quicker than before, accepting more milk from local farmers, reducing the amount of milk lost to spoilage and increasing farmers incomes. The renovated facility can now process all the milk stored into cheese, with the capacity to store 20 tons of milk and produce 400 kg of white brinsen cheese and 500 kg of yellow cheese a day. The facility will boost the local economies of Guneshli, Nasimikand, Fatalikand, Shirinbay and Varkhan villages, home to more than 12,700 residents, making Saatli cheese stand out from other cheeses in Azerbaijan.

The additional income means farmers will be able to invest more in their cattle, not only providing them grass, but also giving them special feed. This will result in higher quality milk and therefore a higher quality product, said Karam Gochiyev, a local farmer from Guneshli who also worked to plan the project.

Together, the United States and Azerbaijan have implemented 120 community projects in 105 Azerbaijani communities, benefitting more than 206,000 people. These projects promote cooperation between citizens, donors, and government to advance socio-economic development and improve quality of life in rural areas.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 12

Trend:

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed hope for progress in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Russias RIA Novosti news agency cited May 12 the congratulatory message to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the occasion of his election to the post of prime minister.

Guterres added that the UN resolutely and consistently supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through peaceful negotiations.

"I hope that during this sensitive period for the process of peaceful settlement, these efforts will be more effective and will lead to positive results that will help establish lasting peace and ensure prosperity for all the peoples of the South Caucasus," the message says.

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, May 12

Trend:

The Azerbaijani army is fully ready for large-scale military operations, said the countrys Defense Minister Colonel General Zakir Hasanov at the official meeting on May 12.

Based on the remarks made by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the military potential of the Azerbaijani army, during the event dedicated to the 95th birth anniversary of the national leader Heydar Aliyev, the defense minister set specific tasks for officials.

Thoroughly analyzing the current situation at the front, the minister ordered to keep under constant control the activities of the enemy on the front line and in deep defense, to be ready for its possible actions and also to take resolute measures to immediately prevent possible provocations by the enemy.

Zakir Hasanov also expressed his opinion regarding the irresponsible statements made by various officials, including the newly elected prime minister of Armenia after the change of power in the country.

The defense minister warned the military and political leadership of Armenia that such actions of the enemy are not acceptable and the Azerbaijani army is fully ready for large-scale military operations.

Colonel-General briefed the managerial personnel about the requirements arising from the order of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in connection with the organization and holding of high-level celebrations on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Armed forces of Azerbaijan and gave appropriate instructions to the responsible persons.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 12

Trend:

The Day of Azerbaijani Culture was held at the headquarters of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Beijing, the SCO said.

The Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Azerbaijani embassy in China and the SCO Secretariat organized the event.

A group of artists from Azerbaijan staged various performances to mark the "Day of Culture" in Beijing on May 11, giving Chinese audiences a taste of their unique folk culture.

The opening ceremony of Azerbaijani Day of Culture featured traditional folk music and dances, as well as an exhibition of Azerbaijani ancient handicraft arts, including carpet sewing, shabaka making and copper products.

Rashid Alimov, general secretary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, spoke at the ceremony.

"Mutual respect for the diversity of cultures and civilizations, as well as a deep and comprehensive understanding of diversity, is essential to mutual trust, equality and aspirations for joint development," Alimov said.

He attached great importance to deepening cultural exchanges with China, in a bid to foster healthy and mutually beneficial bilateral ties.

Akram Zeynalli, ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to China, said in his speech that the series of cultural events held between China and Azerbaijan provided platforms for both sides to improve the relations by expanding cultural cooperation, a sentiment that reflects the spirit and principles of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Touching upon the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, Zeynalli said that there is still great potential to tap, while stating that Azerbaijan's participation in the initiative will broaden its scope, including to economic trade, the creation of trans-Eurasian economic and transport corridors and tourism.

Several folk songs and dances featuring the traditional Mugham music were performed throughout the show. The show drew waves of applause from the audience and exposed visiting Chinese guests to Azerbaijani culture.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 12

By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:

ADY Container, a subsidiary of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, jointly with the Swiss company Hupac Intermodal have successfully completed the test transportation of containers from Europe to Iran through international South-West transport route, a source in the company told Trend.

The source said the container train was sent from the Polish city of Slawkow to Iran through the territory of Azerbaijan via the South-West corridor for testing purposes.

"The train successfully reached the Astara station (Iran) and has already left for the opposite direction. The operator of the project is ADY Container, which has implemented this trip together with Hupac Intermodal," said the source.

The source noted that the container train has passed 399 kilometers across the territory of Poland, 965 kilometers across the territory of Ukraine, 1040 kilometers across the Black Sea, 396 kilometers across the territory of Georgia, and 596 kilometers across the territory of Azerbaijan and Iran.

"In total, the train passed 3,396 kilometers in nine days. The containers are equipped with GPS system which allows tracking their location. ADY Container implemented the test transportation in order to check technologies on the South-West route and measuring the time of movement of the train," said the source.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @MTsurkovTrendBaku, Azerbaijan, May 12

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

Tashkent will host the Uzbekistan and China: the prospects for joint implementation of the One Belt, One Way initiative international conference on May 14, Uzbek media reported on May 12.

Reportedly, the main purpose of the event is to discuss prospects for development of the bilateral relations between Uzbekistan and China.

The event will be organized by the Institute of Strategic and Regional Studies under the president of Uzbekistan and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences in cooperation with the Academy of Public Administration under the president of Uzbekistan.

The One Belt, One Way is an initiative put forward by China in 2013 to unite the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Sea Silk Road of the XXI century.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanovBaku, Azerbaijan, May 12

By Ilkin Shafiyev - Trend:

The achievements of the Baku International Sea Trade Port can be applied on a global scale, Managing Director for Policy and Strategy at International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) Patrick Verhoeven told Trend on the sidelines of the World Ports Conference 2018.

Verhoeven previously noted that the IAPH intends to create a global database of positive practices within the World Ports Sustainability Program.

"A new port is being created in Baku practically from scratch. This is a very interesting project from the point of view of infrastructure, environmental decisions, format of relations with the public, as well as the innovative concept of a free trade zone. These are interesting developments and can be included in this program," he said.

In this regard, according to Verhoeven, the IAPH cooperates with the Port of Baku.

"The Port of Baku project is very interesting and innovative. We intend to study its experience," he added.

The IAPH World Ports Conference 2018 is held in Baku on May 8-11. The main theme of IAPH World Ports Conference 2018 is "Ports of the Future: Creating Hubs, Accelerating Connectivity".

The event is attended by port heads, government representatives, professors and experts from around the world, including Europe, Japan, Iran, Georgia, Indonesia, Nigeria and others. The participants of the event will discuss cargo transportation along the Silk Road, the development of transport hubs and the role of ports, as well as issues of multiculturalism, cultural differences in global logistics, the work of free trade zones, increasing competition among them and other topics.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @IlkinShafiyev

Subscribers of Trend News Agency can read this and other exclusive materials before they are published in open access.

More information on Trends news products can be found here.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 9

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

A meeting with Indonesia's Iran-based Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Octaviano Alimuddin was held at the Turkmen Foreign Ministry, the ministry said.

The parties considered cooperation in the cotton industry, gas industry and transport.

An exchange of views on possibility of boosting mutually beneficial trade and economic relations between entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan and Indonesia was also held, the ministry said.

A particular attention was paid to interaction within international organizations.

Turkmenistans Turkmenbashi Complex of Oil Refineries (TCOR) is preparing to produce biaxially oriented polypropylene film (BOPP). A contract for construction of a unit for production of a packaging film of two types  a transparent single layer and coextruded film  was signed with Indonesian company P.T. Istana Karang Laut.

The production will start at the end of June. More than 20,000 tons of films of various types, including for packaging food and industrial products, will be annually produced from local raw materials.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 12

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

The Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan has published a message for citizens of the country visiting Kyrgyzstan.

In line with the December 19, 2016 Decree of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic No. 689 On Registration of Foreign Citizens and Stateless Persons in the Territory of Kyrgyzstan, foreigners, including citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan, are required to carry out the registration procedure within five (5) business days from the moment of crossing the state border of the Kyrgyz Republic, the message read.

A fine of 10,000 Kyrgyz soms (about $145) is levied for violation. This amount is established in accordance with the law of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Detailed information can be obtained from the official website of the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the Kyrgyz Republic (www.uzbekistan.kg) or by calling the Consular Section of the Embassy at (+996 312) 986 296.

In early May, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan agreed to open new border crossing points to create more favorable conditions for residents of bordering regions of both countries.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanovAshgabat, Turkmenistan, May 12

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed a resolution approving the composition of the intergovernmental Turkmen-Kazakh commission on economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation from the Turkmen side.

The document was signed in order to further develop the partnership between Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, expand bilateral trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural ties.

In early May, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov at a meeting in Ashgabat with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Ashikbayev discussed issues of cooperation in the Caspian Sea. Ashgabat and Astana are discussing the prospects of trade and economic partnership, the development of the legal framework, cooperation in the gas sphere, in the field of agriculture, in the development of cross-border mineral deposits, and in the field of transport, the environment and fisheries.

Kazakhstan is involved in a major project to deliver Central Asian gas to China. CNPC has been purchasing Turkmen fuel since 2009 through the territories of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

In addition, in December 2014, the project for the construction of the transnational railway Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran was completed.

According to preliminary calculations, the annual volume of transportation may eventually amount to 10-12 million tons of cargo.

Along this trade route, goods can be freely transported to the countries of the Persian Gulf, to the Indian Ocean, and exported to Europe. In 2016, Kazakhstan joined the Central Asia-Middle East transport corridor project (Uzbekistan - Turkmenistan - Iran - Oman).

The new corridor will allow the Central Asian countries to connect with the Persian and Omani ports along the optimal route in the future.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 12

By Umid Niayesh - Trend:

On May 8, the US President Donald Trump put an end to Washingtons commitments under the nuclear deal walking away from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached in 2015 between Tehran and the six world powers. Trump also announced that the US re-imposes the "highest level of economic sanctions" on the Islamic Republic, including the sanctions against the countrys oil sector.

Mehrdad Emadi, an economic expert and consultant at the UK-based Betamatrix International Consultancy, believes that the re-imposition of the US sanctions against Tehran will not cut the countrys oil export to below the pre-nuclear deal period in short term, but in medium term it can seriously impact Tehrans oil sale.

"In the short to medium term, I do not envisage a fall in Iranian exports to below one million barrels a day. However, in medium term, with the economic slowdown in Turkey and China, it is conceivable that Irans exports could decline to 1.2 -1.4 million barrels a day," Emadi told Trend May 10.

Before it got hit with sanctions in 2012, Iran was exporting 2.5 mb/d of crude oil and gas condensate, of which 18 percent was supplied to the EU. After 2012, the EU cut Iran oil purchase and Asian countries had to decrease Iranian oil import gradually, which led to a drop in export of Iranian oil and gas condensate to 1.2 mb/d in 2015. After elimination of sanctions in 2016, based on nuclear agreement, Iran resumed its oil exports and increased it to over 2.8 mb/d in April.

"Reintroduction of sanctions will not stop Iran from selling its oil, but at the same time it will reduce the presence of Iran in international oil markets," according to Emadi. "To explain this dichotomy, Irans main buyers - China and India - are locked into long term contracts which allow them to pay in their national currencies, yuan and rupee. But given the fact that neither currency is as convertible as the US dollar and the euro, effectively Iran ends up being forced into spending the yuan on Chinese goods and the rupees on Indian goods," the expert noted

He further remarked that similar arrangements also have been agreed on with Turkey in the last six months.

"Yet in my view this is not a meaningful presence in the international oil market, where exporters compete to get the best deal for their crude. None of these three countries will be prepared to fully comply with US demands; however, the more significant part of Iranian exports is where Iran earns hard currency from the sale of its crude."

In this category, the EU, South Korea and Japan are the main sources of hard currency for Irans oil revenues, and the US sanctions  as it was shown before the JCPOA  found their greatest impact in Europe, where buyers of Iranian crude reduced their purchase to 80 percent, the expert said, adding that similarly, Korea and Japan reduced their imports from Iran to less than 50 percent of its pre-sanction level.

Emadi further said "the significance of this group is that without their payments in hard currency, the Iranian economy will face a currency crisis created by the shortfall of its earning of dollar and euro. Observing the recent events in the value of Iranian rial, such a shortfall could result in the depreciation in the value of rial pushing the rial-to-dollar rate to 110,000  within the first 12 months and again doubling the rate in the second year."

"My forecast is that should Europe cave in under pressure and boycott Iranian oil, Iran will see a reduction of 700,000 barrels a day in its exports," he added.

Responding to a question about options available to refineries in the EU and among the Asian buyers of Irans oil to avoid the US punishment in case of continuing purchase from Tehran, the expert said it should be considered in the context of the position of their national governments in each country.

"Should the governments decide to comply with US demands, the refineries - as was seen in Europe and Japan - will have to make the necessary adjustments to process crude from other countries," Emadi said.

The closest substitute for Iranian medium sulfur crude is from Russia (Ural); however, given the restriction facing Russia, the next best alternative is Iraqi crude from southern Iraq and should Iraq be able to expand its export capacity, then the EU and Asian refineries would find it less costly to substitute Iraqi oil for Iranian crude, the expert explained.

"However, if they resist the pressure from America, then I expect to see a small number of refineries being targeted by the US treasury - imposing heavy fines on them to make an example for other refineries."Tehran, Iran, May 12

By Kamyar Eghbalnejad - Trend:

The US decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal wont have serious impact on Irans oil exports, Seyed Pirouz Moussavi, managing director of National Iranian Oil Terminals Company (NIOTC), told Trend May 9.

Iran was already prepared for all scenarios, Moussavi said.

The comment comes one day after the US President Donald Trump announced that the US walks away from the accord reached in 2015 between Tehran and the six world powers. Trump also announced that the US re-imposes the "highest level of economic sanctions" on the Islamic Republic.

"The world certainly needs Irans oil," Moussavi said, adding that Iran will continue playing its key role in the global oil market.

Irans oil exports may face some decline, but the country will never leave the international oil market, he added.

Before it got hit with sanctions in 2012, Iran was exporting 2.5 mb/d of crude oil and gas condensate, of which 18 percent was supplied to the EU.

After 2012, the EU cut Iran oil purchase and Asian countries had to decrease Iranian oil import gradually, which led to a drop in export of Iranian oil and gas condensate to 1.2 mb/d in 2015.

After elimination of sanctions in 2016, based on nuclear agreement, Iran resumed its oil exports.

The latest statistics of Irans oil ministry indicates that Tehran exported 2.877 million barrels of oil per day (mb/d) on average to Asian and European countries in April, which is a new record in last one year.

The exports included 2.617 mb/d of crude oil and 260,000 b/d of condensate during the last month.

The share of the European countries in Irans oil exports was about 40 percent.

The former post-sanctions record high belongs to February 2017, when Iran exported 3 mb/d of oil and condensate to global markets.Tehran, Iran, May 12

By Kamyar Eghbalnejad - Trend:

Iran plans to export homegrown oil industry know-how to other countries, Jafar Tawfiqi, head of Research Institute of Iranian Petroleum Industry, told Trend.

As technical knowledge in any field of oil industry passes the final tests inside the country and becomes valid, we will export it to other countries, the official said.

Tawfiqi, who recently had a meeting with Azerbaijans SOCAR for cooperation in the field of nanotechnology, said that the new approach of this institute besides analyzing technology of the oil industry, is development of this technology.

"Today, we intend to use membrane technology for sweetening gas, he said, adding that Iran has obtained the needed technology in this field.

The Institute seeks to increase speed and quality and reduce costs in oil sector and cooperate with reputable foreign companies in oil sector technology, he said.

The Research Institute of Petroleum Industry is a governmental research institute founded in 1959 in Tehran, Iran and is affiliated with National Iranian Oil Company. The institute is a major research institute in Iran and is the largest of its kind in the Middle East. RIPI has become a major technology provider for Irans petroleum industry.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 12

Trend:

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will start an intensive tour to three Asian and European countries to talk the nuclear deal with counterparts following the US withdrawal.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry quoted Spokesman Bahram Qassemi as saying that Zarif will travel to Beijing on May 12, as the first step of his visit which later takes him to Moscow and Brussels.

The trip will done in line with the President Hassan Rouhanis directive for intensive talks on the possibility of preserving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA aka nuclear deal) while the Iranian nations interests are guaranteed, Qassemi said.

The Iranian top diplomat will fly to Brussels on May 15 to hold meetings with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Britain, as well as EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini in Brussels, the spokesman added.

The US President Donald Trump announced May 8 that the United States walks away from the accord reached in 2015 between Tehran and the six world powers. Trump also announced that the US re-imposes the "highest level of economic sanctions" on the Islamic Republic.

Following the US decision, President Rouhani said he ordered the Foreign Ministry to negotiate with the European countries, China and Russia in coming weeks.

Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also has said that "It is not logical to continue the implementation of the JCPOA without receiving enough guarantees from three European countries, the UK, France, and Germany."Baku, Azerbaijan, May 12

Trend:

Bolivian Army is interested to cooperate with Iran in weapon industry, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri said.

The Iranian commander made the remarks May 12 after a meeting with visiting commander of the Armed Forces of Bolivia Admiral Yamil Octavio Borda Sosa, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

The army of Bolivia has expressed interest in technological cooperation with Iran and working on arms as well as house construction for military forces and training issues, Bagheri said.

He added that the Islamic Republic welcomes cooperation with Bolivia in the mentioned fields.

Bagheri said that the Bolivian commander is scheduled to visit Irans defence ministry and will get familiar with the house construction capabilities of the Iranian side.

The Iranian commander expressed hope that the sides will reach good agreements for mutual cooperation.

The Bolivian commander, who arrived in Tehran on May 11, is also scheduled to meet Irans Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami and Police Commander Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 12

Trend:

Two people were killed in an attack in Irans north eastern of Mashahd, Deputy Prosecutor of Khorasan Razavi province said.

Irans Tasnim news agency quoted Hassan Heidari as saying May 12 that unknown people have opened fire at the victims inside a passenger car.

The incident has occurred at Mashhads Television square, Heidari said, adding that there is no urgent information available on the motive of the action.

The judiciary official further said that the security forces are investigating the issue.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 12

By Azer Ahmadbayli  Trend:

If something goes wrong in Iran, the president is seen as responsible, while the Supreme Leadership should always remain beyond criticism.

Recently, Tehrans Culture and Media Court signed a decree for telecommunication companies to block the Telegram on the pretext of protecting national security.

In Iran, Telegram app is used by almost a half of the population.

The Iranian president said it was not his administration that blocked the Telegram messaging service, the IFP News reported.

So far, no social network or messenger has been blocked and will not be blocked by this administration. The recent filtering and blocking of Telegram was neither done, nor approved by the administration, Rouhani wrote on his Instagram page.

Then, President Rouhani made another comment. Responding on criticism that the Telegram, among other sins, is a source of pornography and amorality, he posted the following: If someone bought gasoline at a gas station, and then used it to set fire to someone's house, does this mean that we should close all the gas stations? Sometimes in social networks some people scold and insult the government, but I believe this is also no reason to close them.

Why has President Rouhani dissociated himself from that decision so clearly and without further ado? After all, he could remain silent or say something about "terrorist threat" Telegram poses to the state.

But no, he further says: Any move pertaining to executive affairs which is done without going through legal procedures by using force and judicial channels runs counter to the motto of Independence, Freedom, Islamic Republic and is the direct opposite to democracy.

Most of the comments in social networks criticize the presidential administration or express mistrust to Rouhanis position.

This user also remains skeptical about Rouhanis power: Mr. President, I am addressing you. You are the nations first executive person. You have no right, under various pretexts, to shift matters that you are responsible for, onto others. Cancel Telegram filtering or, if you cant do it, resign and we will elect the states new executive power.

There have been fewer comments in the Net that supported the president.

The post says: If Telegram is still working, it means that behind the scene there is an implacable war going on between Rouhani and the internet-filtering brothers. We will be standing by him.

The exact answer to above said question remains open, but it seems Rouhani is quite sincere in his words.

And yet tension among the top Iranian leadership is increasing, and this is not in favor of Rouhani. After all, he, though a member of the regime, is only a president, that is the executor of the will of the Supreme Leadership.

In this regard one can recall the words of the former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, who once characterized the post of a president in Iran as a chief of logistics.

Many Iranians, who voted for Rouhani, are now disappointed that since the nuclear agreement was signed, domestic problems are not only unresolved, but many have worsened.

But is it solely Rouhani who has to bear responsibility for that? Arent all significant steps in Iran's domestic and foreign policy taken after the approval of the Supreme Leader?

Khamenei controls all the power institutions in the country, including the judiciary that has blocked Telegram. Why not to say to 40 millions of his people  followers of Telegram: it is me who gave an order to ban this social network. Or would he be disgusted by the Iranians' anger?

It is interesting who in Iran - except for the US and President Trump - will be named a major contributor to the failure of the nuclear agreement and imposition of new sanctions due to his moderate policy. I think it will also be President Rouhani and his administration.Armenian President Armen Sargsyan appointed the countrys Permanent Representative to the United Nations Zograb Mnatsakanyan as foreign minister, a decree was published on the presidential site on Saturday, TASS reported.

The previous foreign minister, Eduard Nalbandyan, held the office since 2008.

Zograb Mnatsakanyan graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) in 1990. He has worked for Armenias Foreign Ministry since 1991. In 2011-2014, Mnatsakanyan was a deputy foreign minister. Since 2014 he has been Armenias ambassador to the UN.Georgia is increasing the export of electricity to Turkey, announces Georgias Ministry of Economy, Agenda reports.

As of May 9, 2018 export of electricity increased by 61.4 percent compared to the same period of 2016, says Georgias Ministry of Economy.

In total, Georgia exported 63,715,000 kWh hour to Turkey as of May 9, 2018.

As Georgias Economy Minister Dimitry Kumsishvili said the governments goal is to increase electricity export and make Georgia an electricity hub.

Kumsishvili said tha an increase in electricity exports is a result of active cooperation with Turkey.

The bilateral meetings regarding electricity export was held in February and April of 2018.Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered the reopening of the nations airspace and resumption of air traffic on Saturday, Reuters with reference to the state television reported.

The shutdown had come into effect at midnight on Friday as a security measure ahead of the voting which started on Saturday morning. There was no significant incident reported by midday.

Islamic State militants, who overran a third of Iraq in 2014, had threatened attacks ahead of the elections, the first since the defeat of the militants last year.Three people were killed on Saturday when a light aircraft crashed in Spain, authorities said, Reuters reported.

The nationality of the victims was not immediately known, though the plane began its journey in Cascais, Portugal, and was headed to Reus international airport in northwest Spain, they said.

The crash occurred in the department of Tarragona in Catalonia and did not affect traffic at Reus.01:04 (GMT+4) A man killed a passer-by in a knife attack in the heart of Paris and injured four others before being shot dead by police, French authorities said, Reuters reported.

A person attacked five people in the second district of Paris. Police intervened immediately, Pierre Gaudin, a senior official at the Paris prefecture, told reporters.

The individual died. Another person, seriously injured (by the attacked) died from their injuries.

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb called it an odious attack.

The Paris prefecture had earlier said a person had carried out a knife attack in the second arrondissement - or district - of the French capital. Paris opera and landmark retail stores are located in that area.

France has been on high alert as a series of attacks commissioned or inspired by Islamic State have hit the country over the past three years in which dozens of people have been killed.

00:12 (GMT+4) A man attacked bystanders with a knife in the heart of Paris on Saturday before being shot by police, Reuters reported citing BFM TV.

Four people were injured, including two seriously, BFM said.

A police source confirmed there had been a knife attack without giving any details.Google Inc. has acquired Israeli cloud migration company Velostrata. No financial details were disclosed. Headquartered in San Jose, California with R&D in Netanya, Israel, Velostrata was founded in 2014 by CEO Issy Ben-Shaul, and Chief Product Officer Ady Degany. The company has raised $31.5 million to date from investors including Norwest Venture Partners and 83 North.

Velostrata CEO Issy Ben-Shaul wrote on a website blog," Today, I am excited to announce that Velostrata has signed an agreement to join Google Cloud, subject to customary closing conditions! When we started Velostrata back in 2014, we laid out a clear vision - to simplify and accelerate enterprise transition to cloud."

He continued, "After seeing enterprise customers struggle to unchain their massive workloads from their data-centers and find a viable yet safe cloud strategy, we knew there must be a better way. To realize that vision, we assembled a core team of systems and WAN optimization experts that had worked together for many years, and developed a breakthrough technology - real-time agentless workload streaming."

"Velostratas patented solution allows workloads to transparently migrate to the public cloud in minutes by decoupling compute from storage without degrading performance. Workloads are adapted on the fly for cloud execution. Customers can either migrate their entire data-centers or operate in a hybrid cloud environment and migrate workloads on-demand."

"To date, we have successfully mobilized many enterprise customers to cloud at scale, migrating thousands of servers with complex workloads and large databases - with minimal downtime and a simplified deployment. We are most grateful to our great customers and partners who trusted us and let us serve their most demanding production workloads, including top brands in healthcare, finance, energy and the public sector."

"Over the years, Google Cloud has made significant investments in building a robust global cloud infrastructure that delivers industry-leading availability, reliability and security. Google Cloud continues to innovate with advanced compute and services platforms. We are proud to join forces and help pave the way for enterprise customers to transform their most demanding enterprise workloads on Google Cloud Platform."

"Finally, I would like to thank our investors for their support and guidance, and most of all our amazing Velostrata team and their families for their extreme dedication, loyalty and perseverance. We are truly excited about the future ahead of us and looking forward to continuing the journey together as part of Google Cloud when the deal closes."

Google Cloud VP engineering Eyal Manor said, "This acquisition, subject to closing conditions, will add to our broad portfolio of migration tools to support enterprises in their journey to the cloud. That way, businesses can simplify their onboarding process to Google Cloud Platform, and easily migrate workloads to Google Compute Engine."North Korea is "taking technical measures" to demolish its nuclear test site and that foreign media would be invited to observe the ceremony, Sputnik reported citing the KCNA news agency.

Only journalists from South Korea, China, the US, Russia and the UK will be allowed to attend the ceremony for the demolition of the nuclear site, the North Korean Foreign Ministry reported.

The journalists will be offered to arrive in the North Korean city of Wonsan by a special flight from Beijing, and then will be transported to Punggye-ri, where they will be able to shoot the process of the nuclear test site destruction for subsequent publication, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) agency noted.

"A ceremony for dismantling the nuclear test site is now scheduled between May 23 and 25, depending on weather conditions," the KCNA said, citing a foreign ministry press release.

North Korea is now making all the technical preparations for the closure of the test site, the KCNA news agency reported.

The dismantling will involve collapsing all of its tunnels with explosives, blocking its entrances and transferring all observation facilities, research buildings and security posts.

Kim Jong-un revealed the plans to shut down the nuclear test site during his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Yonhap agency noted.

The agency clarified, with reference to the office of the South Korean president, that the North Korean leader had promised to close the Punggye-ri test site in May.

North Korea announced that it was a nuclear power in 2005 and in 2009 withdrew from the six-party talks on denuclearization.

Pyongyang began carrying out nuclear and ballistic missile tests, which led to a series of sanctions targeting North Koreas vital exports and imports and money transfers, imposed by the United Nations Security Council and a number of individual states.Trade between Russia and Egypt may go up to ten billion US dollars in 2018, said the chairman of the Russia-Egyptian Business Council under the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mikhail Orlov, TASS reports.

"Trade is growing dramatically It was about six billion US dollars last year and is likely to be even more this year: I think we can make up to ten billion US dollars," he told TASS on the sidelines of the KazanSummit international economic event.

According to Orlov, bilateral trade has a potential of 25 billion US dollars. However to achieve such indices Moscow and Cairo need to simplify procedures of mutual financing of projects, harmonize phytosanitary standards and remove administrative barriers in the pharmaceuticals sector.

On May 10-12, Kazan is hosting the 10th International Economic Summit "Russia - Islamic World: KazanSummit," a major international economic event organized by Russia and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The event has gained a reputation of a good business platform to establish new contacts and a present Russias economic possibilities and investment potential.The residents of lower Puna district on Hawaiis Big Island should be prepared to evacuate at any moment amid the possibility of an explosive eruption of the islands Kilauea volcano, the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said in a statement on Saturday, Sputnik reported.

"Residents of lower Puna between Kapoho and Kalapana, are advised to be on the alert in the event of possible gas emissions and volcanic eruption. There may be little to no advance notice to evacuate, so take this time to prepare," the statement, published on the Hawaii County Civil Defense website, read.

The major Kilauea volcano eruption started on May 3 prompting evacuations in the Puna district which is home to around 10,000 residents.

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said in a press release earlier on Saturday that US President Donald Trump had approved a major disaster declaration for the state of Hawaii, providing state and local authorities with federal assistance in their recovery efforts in the areas affected by the ongoing eruption of the Kilauea volcano.

"Federal funding is available to the state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the Kilauea volcanic eruption and earthquakes in Hawaii County," FEMA said in the release.

Willie Nunn, the FEMA federal coordinating officer in the affected area, said that "additional designations may be made at a later date" depending on further damage assessments.

The funding was disbursed to the Hawaii authorities after Governor David Ige signed a disaster declaration request on Wednesday. The governor's office said the estimated cost to protect residents over the next 30 days would likely exceed $2.9 million.

Ige expressed his gratitude to the federal authorities as his request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration had been approved.

The US Geological Surveys Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said Friday that the withdrawal of lava from the summit lake of Halemaumau crater could lead to a steam-driven eruption. The observatory noted that such an eruption could generate ash plumes as high as 20,000 feet, which would affect the area of up to 12 miles.

The biggest danger from such an eruption is ash fallout, according to civil defense. The observatory said that 15 fissures, which have emerged since May 3, have not produced any lava since Wednesday.

However, lava previously emitted from those openings has reportedly destroyed 36 structures, including over two dozen homes, and covered 117 acres of land. The recent volcanic activity in Hawaii has also caused countless earthquakes, including a magnitude 6.9 earthquake on May 4m which was the strongest earthquake to strike Hawaii since 1975.KYODO NEWS - May 12, 2018 - 18:26 | World, All

North Korea's state-run media said Saturday that the issue of Pyongyang's past abductions of Japanese nationals has already been settled, while Japan has made resolving the issue a condition for normalizing relations.

"The reactionaries of Japan are hyping the 'issue of abduction' which had already been settled," the Korean Central News Agency said in English. "This is just a mean and foolish behavior to stem the trend of peace on the Korean peninsula at any cost."

Japan maintains that Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s remain unaccounted for, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made resolving the matter a condition for normalizing diplomatic ties with Pyongyang.KYODO NEWS - May 12, 2018 - 12:14 | All, Japan

The Japanese government is making arrangements for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of a landmark U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore on June 12, government sources said Friday.

As leaders from the Group of Seven industrialized nations are scheduled to gather in Canada on June 8 and 9, Abe hopes to hold talks with Trump on the fringes of the summit and coordinate efforts toward resolving issues related to Pyongyang, the sources said.

Abe is expected to ask Trump to push North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to address the long-standing issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s, the sources said.

The prime minister also hopes to reaffirm the need to press Pyongyang to abandon its weapons of mass destruction, including biological and chemical weapons, and missiles of all ranges.

Abe has placed priority on resolving the abduction issue. Following the return to the United States of three U.S. citizens detained by Pyongyang, Abe said the Trump-Kim summit will lead to progress on the Japanese abduction issue.

(Abe, right, and families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea)

"It would be better (for the two leaders) to meet, and they will likely do so," a Japanese government source said.

Asked about the possibility of a Japan-U.S. summit, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, the top government spokesman, told a press conference Friday that Japan aims to convey its stance and throw its support behind the United States.

Speculation has emerged that Trump may visit Japan to brief Abe about the outcome of his meeting with Kim in Singapore.

Trump said Thursday he plans to meet with Kim on June 12 in Singapore in what will be the first ever summit between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader.

Recent weeks have seen a flurry of diplomatic activity since the historic April 27 inter-Korean summit, when South Korean President Moon Jae In and North Korean leader Kim agreed to pursue complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Japan, China and South Korea agreed in a trilateral leaders' summit on Wednesday in Tokyo that they will work toward the peninsula's denuclearization in a rare show of unity.

The G-7 groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.KYODO NEWS - May 12, 2018 - 16:58 | All, World

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered on Friday to help improve North Korea's sanctions-hit economy if the country "quickly" dismantles its nuclear weapons program.

"If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on par with our South Korean friends," Pompeo said as the two countries prepare for what will be the first bilateral summit on June 12 in Singapore.

He called for "robust verification" in ridding Pyongyang of nuclear weapons as part of an effort to achieve the permanent and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

(UPI/Kyodo)

Pompeo made the remarks during a joint news conference with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung Wha after their talks in Washington.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are planning for "a full day of meetings on the 12th, with some time reserved to carry over, if necessary," suggesting talks could extend into the following day.

"Certainly, the best outcome would be an agreement for complete and total denuclearization," Sanders said at a press briefing.

Pompeo called for "a robust verification program" so as to "ensure that North Korea doesn't possess the capacity to threaten not only the United States, but the world with nuclear weapons."

Such a program should involve partners around the world, such as South Korea and Japan, according to the chief U.S. diplomat.

The Pompeo-Kang talks came ahead of a meeting between Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae In on May 22 at the White House at which the two leaders are expected to ensure close coordination ahead of the Trump-Kim summit.

Referring to his meeting Wednesday with Kim in Pyongyang, Pompeo said he referred to the possibility that the United States would assure Kim of his regime's security in exchange for full denuclearization.

(KNS/Kyodo)

Pompeo said he discussed "challenges, the strategic decision that Chairman Kim has before him about how it is he wishes to proceed and if he is prepared in exchange for the assurances that we're ready to provide to him if he is prepared to fully denuclearize."

Kim is chairman of the North's ruling Workers' Party of Korea.

Kang said the international community will not ease or lift sanctions on North Korea until the world sees visible and meaningful action by Pyongyang toward denuclearization.

Rather than merely words or promises from North Korea for denuclearization, "we very much hope to see further steps, more concrete steps toward denuclearization being produced at the U.S.-North Korea summit," Kang said.

"So we're not talking about sanctions relief at this point," she said.

Kang dismissed speculation that a drawing down of the 28,500 American troops stationed in North Korea could be part of a deal on ending Pyongyang's nuclear weapons ambitions.

"We would like to emphasize again that the U.S. military presence in Korea is a matter for the ROK-U.S. alliance first and foremost," she said, referring to the acronym for South Korea's formal name, the Republic of Korea.

She said the U.S. military presence in South Korea "has played a crucial role for deterrence and peace and stability of the region."Kerala Government released a comprehensive set of guidelines for the planned reopening of schools early next month even as the threat of COVID-19 pandemic still persists.NEW YORK... May 11, 2018 - BGN Technologies, the technology-transfer company of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), announced that a research group led by Prof. Varda Shoshan-Barmatz of the BGU Department of Life Sciences and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, is developing a new molecule to treat cancer that inhibits cancer cell growth and changes these cells back to normal ones.

"Although this is in the early stages, we are excited with results that demonstrate this novel molecule's potential for cancer treatment," says Prof. Shoshan-Barmatz. "Basically, we've discovered a code for reprograming cancer cells that causes them to lose their oncogenic features."

The novel treatment is based on siRNA (small interfering ribonucleic acid), which silences expression of the mitochondrial gatekeeper protein, VDAC1. This protein is highly overexpressed in many solid and non-solid tumors and is crucial for supplying the high energy demands of malignant cells.

By silencing VDAC1, the researchers were able to inhibit cancerous cell growth. This offers potentially wide applicability, since treating the cells in a culture with the siRNA resulted in significant inhibition of cancerous cell growth without affecting noncancerous cells -- an indication of a potentially safe treatment.

Prof. Shoshan-Barmatz has previously demonstrated that silencing VDAC1 expression using the siRNA method -- a tool that temporarily silences protein coding genes -- leads to inhibition of cancer cell growth both in vitro and in mouse models of glioblastoma lung cancer and triple negative breast cancer.

Treatment of cancer cells with VDAC1-specific siRNA also induces metabolic rewiring of the cancer cells, reversing their oncogenic properties and diverting them towards normal differentiated cells.

"Using the siRNA treatment for several types of cancer in mouse models reprogramed cancer cell metabolism, reduced tumor growth and angiogenesis, reduced tumor invasiveness, and induced cancer stem cell disappearance and cell differentiation," says Prof. Shoshan-Barmatz.

"We have patented the technology and are now seeking partners to further develop and advance this promising treatment in a clinical setting in the hope that it will lead to a novel path for cancer treatment," says Dr. Ora Horovitz, senior vice president of business development at BGN Technologies.

###

About BGN Technologies

BGN Technologies is the technology-transfer company of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). BGN Technologies brings technological innovations from the lab to the market and fosters research collaborations and entrepreneurship among researchers and students. To date, BGN Technologies has established more than 100 startup companies in the fields of biotech, high-tech and cleantech, and has initiated leading technology hubs, incubators and accelerators. Over the past decade, BGN Technologies has focused on creating long-term partnerships with multinational corporations, securing value and growth for BGU, as well as the Negev region. For more information, visit the BGN Technologies website.

About NIBN

The National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev (NIBN) is an autonomous entity that functions under the auspices of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). NIBN objectives are to develop biotechnology projects toward commercialization -- promoting excellent science and translating outstanding interdisciplinary basic research into applied projects that will appeal to the biopharma industry. In its capacity as a national institute dedicated to biotechnology research and development, NIBN is committed to establishing collaborative links with Israeli industry. In that spirit, its newest, recently inaugurated NIBN building includes a cluster of research laboratories and office space for industrial rental use.

About American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU) plays a vital role in sustaining David Ben-Gurion's vision: creating a world-class institution of education and research in the Israeli desert, nurturing the Negev community and sharing the University's expertise locally and around the globe. As Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) looks ahead to turning 50 in 2020, AABGU imagines a future that goes beyond the walls of academia. It is a future where BGU invents a new world and inspires a vision for a stronger Israel and its next generation of leaders. Together with supporters, AABGU will help the University foster excellence in teaching, research and outreach to the communities of the Negev for the next 50 years and beyond. Visit vision.aabgu.org to learn more.

AABGU, which is headquartered in Manhattan, has nine regional offices throughout the United States. For more information, visit http://www.aabgu.org.A Cleveland.com article detailed the lengths the small midwestern city would go to lure Amazon's in 50,000-person HQ2. In a document obtained by reporter Mark Naymik, we learn that Cleveland was ready to give over $120 million in free services to Amazon including considerably reduced fares on Cleveland-area trains and buses.

The document, available here, focuses on the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA)'s ideas regarding the key component in many of Amazon's decisions - transportation.

Ohio has a budding but often tendentious connection to public transport. Cities like Columbus have no light rail while Cincinnati just installed a rudimentary system. Cleveland, for its part, has a solid if underused system already in place.

That the city would offer discounts is not surprising. Cities were falling over themselves to gain what many would consider - including Amazon itself - a costly incursion on the city chosen. However, given the perceived importance of having Amazon land in a small city - including growth of the startup and tech ecosystems - you can see why Cleveland would want to give away plenty of goodies.

Ultimately the American Midwest is at a crossroads. It could go either way, with small cities growing into vibrant artistic and creative hubs or those same cities falling into further decline. And the odds are stacked against them.

The biggest city, Chicago, is a transport, finance, and logistics hub and draws talent from smaller cities that orbit it. Further, "smart" cities like Pittsburgh and Ann Arbor steal the brightest students who go on to the coasts after graduation. As Richard Florida noted, the cities with a vibrant Creative Class are often the ones that succeed in this often rigged race and many cities just can't generate any sort of creative ecosystem - cultural or otherwise - that could support a behemoth like Amazon landing in its midst.

What Cleveland did wasn't wrong. However, it did work hard to keep the information secret, a consideration that could be dangerous. After all, as Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete K. Rahn told reporters: "Our statement for HQ2 is well provide whatever is necessary to Amazon when they need it. For all practical purposes, its a blank check."Iran has accused U.S. President Trump of making a deal with some OPEC producers to keep prices high as they support the U.S. economy and boost federal taxes. Trump appears to have a good relationship with Saudi Arabia who has been a strong opponent of the Iran nuclear deal and was now quick to offer to fill any gap that new U.S. sanctions would leave on international oil markets by curbing Irans abilities to export its crude. Saudi Arabia is also a vocal supporter of ever-higher prices, as it prepares to list its state energy giant Aramco.

Technicals

Crude oil prices consolidated on Friday and were lower mid-day in North America, as prices generated an inside day. For the week prices are up nearly 2%, following news that President Trump would pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. Resistance is seen near the weekly highs at 71.89. Support is seen near the 10-day moving average at 69.52. Prices are overbought as the fast stochastic is printing a reading of 83, above the overbought trigger level of 80 which could foreshadow a correction.

EIA Forecast Point to Higher Prices

Crude oil prices continue to trade at elevated levels and forecasts are now changing to reflect a stronger demand versus supply balance. The EIA sees Brent crude oil averaging $71-per barrel this year. So far, Brent prices have averaged $67.40 per barrel in 2018, which means the EIA expects prices to remain near current levels for the balance of the year. If this is true, the term structure of the market will need to flatten, as prices run up the curve to current levels.

The EIA Upwardly Revised Its Crude Price Estimate

The energy Information Administration revised its crude oil price estimates in May in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook. The upward revision comes as the agency estimates that global oil inventories fell for five consecutive quarters at an average of almost 0.6 million barrels per day. Oil inventories for countries within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development at the end of April were an estimated 3% lower than the previous five-year average in terms of days of supply.

Story continues

For crude prices to average $71 per barrel the term structure of the crude oil curve will need to continue to flatten. Currently prices are backwardated, which means that current prices are higher than deferred prices. July Brent prices are $2 per barrel higher than December prices, as demand for spot oil is generating a premium. This also reduces any incentive for refiners to store and hold oil, as they will lose money by storing oil as the prices is lower for future oil.

Geopolitics Plays a Role

In addition to falling global oil inventories, crude oil prices have likely been driven higher recently because of heightened market perceptions of geopolitical risks and strong global economic signals. In Several geopolitical risks are present that could remove oil supplies from the market and tighten balances in the coming months. These risks included the uncertainty around the re-imposition of oil sanctions against Iran and the upcoming results of May elections in Venezuela. Brent is more likely to be subject to volatile swings compared to WTI which is landlocked and reflects the supply and demand imbalances that are slightly different from Brent.

U.S. import prices increased

U.S. import prices increased 0.3% in April, while export prices rose 0.6%. The flat reading on March import prices was revised down to -0.2% and February was bumped to 0.2% from 0.3%. The 0.3% March export price gain was not revised nor was Februarys 0.2%. On a 12-month basis import prices are up 3.3% year over year, unchanged from March which was revised from 3.6% year over year. The 12-month export price index rose to a 3.8% year over year pace from 3.4% year over year.

Canada employment dipped

Canada employment dipped 1.1k in April after the 32.3k gain in March, coming in contrary to expectations for an increase the median was +20.5k. But full time jobs grew 28.8k in April after the 68.8k surge in March. Part time jobs fell 30.0k after a 35.9k contraction in March. The unemployment rate was 5.8%, holding at the 40-year low of 5.8% seen in March.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

More From FXEMPIRE:When life gives you lemons, make lemonade -- then issue a press release about it.

It's been two years since DARPA, America's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, announced it was funding a project by Aurora Flight Sciences to build an electrically powered, fan-propelled, vertical take-off and landing prototype aircraft called "LightningStrike." The new plane, equipped with Rolls-Royce engines and Honeywell generators to power its fans, would be able to launch (and land) vertically, tilting its fans horizontal once airborne for flight.

Aurora planned to begin full-scale test flights this year, but before that could happen, Boeing (NYSE: BA) swooped in and bought the company last year. At the time, Boeing said it was buying Aurora for its tech and its experience as a "world-class innovator, developer and manufacturer of advanced aerospace platforms" -- but inheriting the DARPA contract, valued at $89 million was certainly a plus.

Airplane with electric motor on tail

NASA STARC-ABL concept art could offer a "civil or commercial" future for Boeing and Aurora. Image source: Aurora Flight Sciences.

DARPA detaches

Unfortunately, that contract just went up in smoke.

On Thursday, Aurora issued a press release advising that "it has reached an agreement with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to transition its X-Plane program technology to commercial applications." Aurora characterized this agreement as "expanding on DARPA's vision" and a move to take advantage of "completely new markets." The folks at Aviation Week, however, had a different take on the news.

To hear AW tell it, what really happened last week is that DARPA "canceled" plans to advance LightningStrike to "Phase 3" and conduct full-scale flight tests, which had suffered setbacks related to the plane's electrical generator, and had fallen behind schedule. DARPA also noted that it was having trouble finding a "service partner" (i.e. a military service) to develop LightningStrike into an official Pentagon program. AW described this decision as "a blow" to Aurora and its new owner Boeing -- and it sure sounds like it could be.

Story continues

LightningStrike grounded?

Is this the end for LightningStrike? Not necessarily. In a statement to AW, DARPA noted that there is "strong interest in a civil or commercial transition" for LightningStrike. The plane's ability to launch and land from an airstrip no bigger than a parking space, for example, then fly from place to place under remote control, would make the aircraft ideal for service as a "drone" air taxi. And in fact, Uber has already expressed interest in using LightningStrike for this purpose. Even prior to DARPA's decision to exit the project, Aurora had been in talks with Uber to build a fleet of 50 VTOL aircraft for Uber to test "drive."

Boeing's new subsidiary also has a deal with NASA "to perform a comprehensive evaluation of the Single-aisle Turboelectric Aircraft with Aft Boundary Layer propulsion (STARC-ABL) aircraft concept." Like LightningStrike, STARC-ABL would utilize turboelectric propulsion. Unlike LightningStrike, STARC-ABL would use electric motors to supplement, not replace, an airliner's usual gas turbine airplane engines.

And of course, there could be other civil or commercial opportunities we haven't heard of yet.

Rumblings of thunder?

On the other hand, DARPA's decision does seem to throw into question a second Aurora contract that is even bigger than the one with DARPA.

Last summer, before Boeing announced its purchase of Aurora, the soon-to-be-subsidiary was named as one of two recipients of a contract with the U.S. Air Force to support the latter's "Aerospace Systems Air Platform Technology Research" project. This contract, which would run through 2025 and be worth up to $499 million for the companies participating (Northrop Grumman also has a piece of the contract), pays Aurora to conduct research into "autonomy, electric propulsion, advanced manufacturing, multi-vehicle coordination, and advanced multidimensional optimization" for use in military drones.

The ASAPTR contract is potentially a very lucrative deal for Boeing. I say this not just because of the up-front money (which is substantial, and could even be more than Boeing paid to acquire Aurora, since that sum, while still not disclosed , was apparently not large enough to be considered "material" to Boeing), but because of the potential for Boeing to win follow-on manufacturing contracts if Aurora's research goes well.

And yet, those words from DARPA do raise concerns: No service partner interested in Aurora's tech... That could mean that, eight months after awarding Aurora the ASAPTR contract, the Air Force -- definitely a military service -- is no longer interested in what Aurora has to offer.

And if that's the case, then no matter how little Boeing paid to acquire Aurora, it may still have paid too much.

More From The Motley Fool

Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Student loans are one of the biggest stressors facing college graduates. In fact, the Federal Reserve of St. Louis says that nearly 44 million Americans owe $1.5 trillion in student loans. Many students dont have another option to finance their education, but more and more universities are doing their part to help.

This month, Dartmouth College announced plans to eliminate loans from its student financial aid packages and increase the size of scholarship awards. Currently, half of all Dartmouth undergraduates receive some form of financial aid. The hope is that eliminating student loans will provide more opportunities for middle- and low-income families.

Every deserving student will have the opportunity to enjoyand excel inthe full Dartmouth experience. Our residential life will be more vibrant than ever, as we will attract an incredibly diverse mix of students from all socioeconomic, geographic, and cultural backgrounds, said President Phil Hanlon in a statement.

Like other colleges, Dartmouth has students who struggle with debt. Currently, students whose families make $100,000 or less are already exempt from having to take out loans. Even so, some students still need extra assistance, and the university says that the average amount borrowed hovered around $23,400 for 2017 graduates.

Dartmouth College is doing away with student loansc

Dartmouth is just the latest school to take this step. According to US News and World Report, there are currently 50 institutions that offer a no-loan policy to lower-income families. Overall, just 16 schools offer the no-loan option to every student, regardless of family income.

Many of the schools offering loan-free financial aid packages are Ivy league universities with tuition costing $45,000 or more per year. This includes Harvard University, Princeton and Yale. The 2018-2019 school year will be the first year that Brown University will remove loans from its financial aid packages.

One reason Ivy league schools are leading the charge is their access to endowments, or money thats been donated and can be used for improvements to the institution. At the end of 2016, Harvards endowment stood at $36 billion, followed by Yale with $25 billion.

Story continues

Dartmouths endowment is as robust, so it started a campaign entitled The Call to Lead, to fund their loan-free program. The hope is to raise $3 billion, $500 million of which will be used for financial aid. Of that, $80 million will be used in the initiative to eliminate loans from Dartmouth financial aid packages.

Since announcing the campaign on May 1, Dartmouth has raised $20 million.

Dartmouth will implement these financial aid policy changes in the coming years as the endowed funding is secured through the campaign, said a Dartmouth spokesperson.

Brittany is reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @bjonescooper.

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How FAFSA changes will affect your college financial aidDonald Trump announced his decision to pull the US out of the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday (Getty)

European leaders have vowed they wont be dictated to by Donald Trump as they scrambled to save the Iran nuclear deal thrown into doubt by the US President.

The French and German governments stressed the need for political independence from the White House as they took steps to safeguard the agreement which lifted economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for limits on the countrys nuclear programme.

There is a realization among all European states what we cannot keep going in the direction we are headed today whereby we submit to American decisions, said French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said of EU-US relations: We are prepared to talk but also to fight for our positions where necessary.

Their comments came as it was announced UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will take part in emergency talks with his Iranian counterpart in Brussels next week.

MORE: Iran nuclear deal not dead despite US exit

The meeting, which will also be attended by the German and French foreign ministers, has been convened by EU high representative for foreign affairs Federica Mogherini.

Mogherini launched a thinly veiled verbal assault on the US President as she set out her determination to save the Iran nuclear deal during an address in Florence today.

With the world in a state of chaos, she said the EU needs to control tensions by preserving the Iran deal.

I know this is not the mood of our times, she added.

It seems that today screaming and shouting, insulting and bullying, systematically destroying and dismantling everything that is already in place is the mood of our times.

I have the impression that this impulse to destroy is not leading us anywhere good.

EU high representative for foreign affairs Federica Mogherini speaking in Florence today (Getty)

Trump described the deal as horrible and one-sided as he announced US withdrawal on Tuesday, which could lead to penalties for European businesses that have begun trading with Iran since it was signed in 2013.

French exports to Iran doubled last year to 1.5 billion, while German exports rose by 400 million last year to 3 billion.

Story continues

Defending the deal today at the European University Institutes state of the union conference, Mogherini said it had opened up trade while providing security in the region.

Asked whether it would be saved, Mogherini replied: Yes.

Im not saying its easy. Its going to be very difficult and its going to be very different from the past but our determination is to keep this agreement in place.

MORE: EUs fire and fury over Trumps delaying tactics on trade tariffs

She said she had been encouraged by Iranian President Hassan Rouhanis commitment to abide by the deal if the other signatories did so.

Along with the UK, France, Germany and the EU, China and Russia are the party to the deal.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin about how to preserve the agreement today.

She too had stern words for Trump today. Merkel said it was important to maintain a strong transatlantic partnership but added: If everybody does what they like, then this is bad news for the world.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will fly to Moscow for talks with the Russian government on Monday, before going to Tuesdays meeting in Brussels.



Chinese official prepares the flags for the China-USA bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Hamburg, Germany July 8, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/Files

(Reuters) - Top officials from China and the United States reached a consensus on some aspects of the countries' trade row, but disagreements over other issues remain "relatively big", according to the Chinese government on Friday.

The talks over the past two days have involved a high-level U.S. trade delegation led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and senior Chinese officials, and followed months of threats and counter-threats from both sides in a series of disputes over trade practices.

Below are some key points from framework proposals put forward by the two countries at the start of the talks, according to sources with knowledge of the matter, and what is known of the outcome:

TARIFFS AND NON-TARIFF BARRIERS:

Chinese proposal: Said it would lower tariffs on some U.S. products, including cars.

U.S. proposal: Asked China to cut tariffs on all products to levels no higher than that of the United States. Washington will impose additional tariffs if China fails to comply with agreed-upon commitments.

What we know of outcome: The two sides exchanged opinions on solving tariff issues, Xinhua said. BILATERAL TRADE

Chinese proposal: China proposed increasing imports from the United States; asked U.S. to let its government and companies freely buy and use Chinese technology products and services; asked the U.S. to resume imports of cooked poultry from China.

U.S. proposal: Asked China to cut trade imbalance immediately and cut its trade surplus in goods with the United States by at least $200 billion by 2020; asked China not to distort trade through investment restrictions and ensure any investment restrictions or conditions imposed by China were "narrow and transparent".

What we know of outcome: The two sides exchanged opinions on expanding U.S. exports to China and bilateral services trade, said Xinhua. BILATERAL INVESTMENT:

Chinese proposal: Asked United States to treat Chinese investments equally under national security reviews; asked United States to stop issuing restrictions on new investments; agreed to implement its commitment to open up its financial and manufacturing sectors; proposed discussion on increasing film import quotas with U.S. and further opening up its Hainan free trade zone.

Story continues

U.S. proposal: Asked China not to oppose, challenge, or otherwise retaliate against the United States' imposition of restrictions on investments from China in sensitive U.S. technology sectors or sectors critical to U.S. national security, in light of China's investment restrictions and state-directed investment in sensitive U.S. technology sectors, including industrial plans such as Made in China 2025; asked China to give U.S. investors in China fair, effective and non-discriminatory market access and treatment.

What we know of outcome: the two sides exchanged views on expanding two-way investment, according to Xinhua. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY:

Chinese proposal: Requested United States terminate its Section 301 IP probe, not implement proposed 25 percent tariffs.

U.S. proposal: Asked China to protect U.S. IP by immediately ceasing market-distorting subsidies and other types of government support that can contribute to excess capacity in industries targeted by the Made in China 2025 plan; asked China to eliminate "specified policies and practices" with respect to technology transfer; asked China to agree to immediately cease the targeting of U.S. technology and IP through cyber operations, economic espionage, counterfeiting, and piracy, and abide by U.S. export control laws.

What we know of outcome: the United States and China exchanged views on IP protection, said Xinhua. ZTE:Chinese proposal: United States should listen to ZTE's appeal on sanctions.

U.S. proposal: No mention

What we know of outcome: China lodged solemn representations on ZTE, the United States attached great value to those representations, Xinhua said.

AGRICULTURE:

Chinese proposal: China offered to consider new information provided by U.S. firms on Beijing's anti-dumping probe on sorghum imported from the United States.

U.S. proposal: Asked China not to take any retaliatory action directed at imports of U.S. agricultural products in response to any U.S. actions, including any new U.S. restrictions on investments or imports; asked China to improve market access for U.S. agricultural products and U.S. services "in specified ways".

What we know of outcome: No mention by Xinhua

(By Michael Martina and Shu Zhang; Writing by Ben Blanchard and Ryan Woo; Editing by Alex Richardson)Dividends play a key role in compounding returns over time and can form a large part of our portfolio return. Over the past 10 years, General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) has returned an average of 4.00% per year to shareholders in terms of dividend yield. Should it have a place in your portfolio? Lets take a look at General Electric in more detail. Check out our latest analysis for General Electric

5 checks you should use to assess a dividend stock

When assessing a stock as a potential addition to my dividend Portfolio, I look at these five areas:

Is its annual yield among the top 25% of dividend-paying companies?

Has it paid dividend every year without dramatically reducing payout in the past?

Has dividend per share risen in the past couple of years?

Does earnings amply cover its dividend payments?

Based on future earnings growth, will it be able to continue to payout dividend at the current rate?

NYSE:GE Historical Dividend Yield May 11th 18

How does General Electric fare?

The current payout ratio for GE is negative, meaning that the company is not yet profitable and is paying dividend by dipping into its retained earnings. If theres one type of stock you want to be reliable, its dividend stocks and their stable income-generating ability. Dividend payments from General Electric have been volatile in the past 10 years, with some years experiencing significant drops of over 25%. These characteristics do not bode well for income investors seeking reliable stream of dividends. Compared to its peers, General Electric has a yield of 3.27%, which is high for Industrials stocks but still below the markets top dividend payers.

Next Steps:

After digging a little deeper into General Electrics yield, its easy to see why you should be cautious investing in the company just for the dividend. On the other hand, if you are not strictly just a dividend investor, the stock could still be offering some interesting investment opportunities. Given that this is purely a dividend analysis, I recommend taking sufficient time to understand its core business and determine whether the company and its investment properties suit your overall goals. Below, Ive compiled three important factors you should further research:

Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for GEs future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for GEs outlook. Valuation: What is GE worth today? Even if the stock is a cash cow, its not worth an infinite price. The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether GE is currently mispriced by the market. Dividend Rockstars: Are there better dividend payers with stronger fundamentals out there? Check out our free list of these great stocks here.



To help readers see pass the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned.By Parisa Hafezi and Tim Hepher

ANKARA/PARIS (Reuters) - Iran expects to hear from Airbus <AIR.PA> in the coming days about the fate of an order for 100 planes that looks to have been wrecked by the United States' decision to reinstate sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

The deal, potentially worth about $18-20 billion at list prices, was agreed in December 2016. But so far only three planes have been delivered, with industry sources blaming delays on the wariness of banks to finance business with Tehran.

The U.S. administration appeared to deal a fatal blow to the transaction on Tuesday when President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran and said it would reimpose sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Washington said at the time that it would also revoke the export license needed by planemakers to sell commercial planes to Iran. Although Airbus is a European firm, its aircraft use U.S. components and technology.

"Airbus will announce its decision in the coming days," senior adviser to Iran's Roads and Urban Development Minister Asghar Fakhrieh-Kashan told the semi-official Fars news agency.

"No downpayment has been made by Iran to the planemakers for future deliveries," he added.

An Airbus spokesman declined to comment.

Washington's decision to reinstate sanctions signals the collapse of about $38 billion in plane deals between Tehran and Western firms, with Airbus facing greater risks than its U.S. rival Boeing, people involved in the deals say.

IranAir, the national flag carrier, had ordered 200 passenger aircraft, with 100 from Airbus, 80 from Boeing <BA.N> and 20 from ATR. All the deals are dependent on U.S. license because of the heavy use of American parts in the planes.

Iran has so far imported only about 11 aircraft, three from Airbus and eight from Franco-Italian turboprop maker ATR <LDOF.MI>.

"During the talks with Airbus and Boeing we did not consider any possibility of such exit from the deal and it was not mentioned in the contracts," Fakhrieh-Kashan, a former deputy minister who negotiated the contracts, told Fars.

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Other Iranian airlines had also made provisional plane orders, but had yet to sign firm contracts.

SANCTIONS WINDOW

Industry sources say Airbus is resigned to losing Iran's business for the time being, but will carefully consider its options before cancelling it from its official order book, as doing so could tip it into negative net orders - orders minus cancellations - for the year.

But the loss of U.S. export permits and confirmation that Iran has not paid a deposit, as previously reported by Reuters, could force Airbus to tell investors the deal cannot go through.

Fakhrieh-Kashan raised the prospect that some deliveries could, however, still go ahead in a 90- to 180-day window allowed for winding down current business under the new U.S. sanctions framework.

"We are in contact with Airbus and they are exploring all possibilities that might exist to take advantage of the limited time in front of us," he told Reuters by telephone.

"It all depends on European government support and policies," he added.

The other major signatories of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, including European countries, China and Russia, have said they will stand by the agreement. However, Germany, France and Britain, in a bid to bring Washington back into the deal, want talks to be held with Tehran in a broader format covering Iran's ballistic missile program, its nuclear activities beyond 2025 and its involvement in conflicts in the Middle East.

Under the nuclear deal, Iran curbed its nuclear program in return for lifting most international non-nuclear sanctions imposed on the country that crippled its economy for years. Most sanctions were lifted in 2016.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Edmund Blair and Mark Potter)How Japan Is Creating a Template for Cryptocurrency Regulation





Some countries in Asia are feeling the pain of inadequate cryptocurrency regulation, while others, like India, China and South Korea, have taken an uncertain or hostile stance to cryptocurrency. In contrast, Japan is building a clear framework for how virtual currency exchanges, and soon initial coin offerings (ICOs), should operate there. In doing so, Japan is becoming a hotspot for virtual currency exchanges that can afford to comply with its strict rules, while also creating a regulatory template for the rest of Asia to follow.



Japan has always been friendly to cryptocurrency, but it took an early hit in 2014 when Tokyo-based cryptocurrency exchange Mt. Gox became the target of the largest bitcoin hack ever. The exchange was handling 70 percent of all of the bitcoin transactions in the world when, after a series of messy complications, it abruptly stopped trading in February 2014. Following that, 650,000 bitcoin worth $390 million at the time (or $6 billion at todays value) were reported missing.

In response to the massive virtual currency heist, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Paris-based international body that creates policies to combat money laundering, issued its Guidance of Risk-Based Approach to Cryptocurrencies in 2015. The 46-page report recommends that countries license virtual currency exchanges and subject them to the same rules and oversight as any other financial institution or money transmitting business.

New Laws, Big Changes

Prompted by a desire to protect consumers and the FATFs recommendations, Japan revised its Payment Services Act. The new law, which went into effect in April 2017, does two things. First, it legally defines virtual currency as a form of payment. (Japan still does not define bitcoin as legal tender, but acknowledges that you can use it to purchase things with.) Second, the law requires any virtual currency exchange that wants to do business in Japan or solicit its citizens to register with the countrys Financial Services Agency (FSA).

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Because existing exchanges needed time to bring their operations up to date with the new standards, the FSA gave all exchanges that were in operation before the law went into effect a six-month grace period to apply for a license. Any exchange that applied for a license within that period was allowed to continue operating for an indeterminate period of time while their application was still pending. These exchanges fall under a special category of quasi-operators, meaning they are not fully licensed operators, just somewhere in between.

Under the new law, virtual currency exchanges in Japan are now required to be accountable to their customers. They have to keep customer assets separate from the assets of the exchange, maintain proper bookkeeping, undergo annual audits, file business reports and comply with strict know-your-customer and anti-money-laundering rules, and more.

First Licensed Exchanges

Registering as an exchange in Japan is a long, involved process that can take up to six months. The FSA licensed the first 11 exchanges in September 2017. In early December 2017, it licensed another four, and at the end of December 2017, it licensed the 16th exchange. At that time, 16 quasi-operators still had applications pending and were in the process of upgrading their internal operations. Then, in late January 2018, disaster struck. Coincheck, one of the quasi-operators, was hacked, resulting in the loss of $530 million worth of NEM tokens.

The Coincheck theft prompted heavier oversight. The FSA began conducting on-the-spot inspections for all quasi-operators to look for security gaps, and in March 2018, the FSA sent out punishment notices to seven exchanges, even requiring two to halt operations for 30 days.

According to Asia News Network, the FSA is grappling with how to handle its quasi-operators. Shutting unqualified operators down too quickly could cause customer backlash, but, at the same time, the FSA needs to make sure the proper security checks are in place.

Japans plan is to pass on part of the work of overseeing virtual currency exchanges to a self-regulating body (SRO) that functions similarly to how the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) works in the U.S.

To that end, in April 2018, the Japan Virtual Currency Exchange Industry Association launched. The new group, comprised of the first 16 licensed Japanese virtual currency exchanges, will have the power to create and enforce rules and set fines, and eventually develop standards for ICOs.

Legalizing ICOs

After tackling virtual currency exchanges, Japan is now moving on to the ICO market. The process began in October 2017 when the FSA issued a statement warning investors about the volatility of ICO tokens and the risk for fraud. In that statement, the FSA also clarified that, depending on how an ICO is structured (and whether its token has the characteristics of virtual currency or an investment), it may fall within the scope of the Payment Services Act or the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act.

In April 2018, the Center for Rule-Making Strategies at Tama University released a list of guidelines for regulating ICOs. The government-backed report states that ICO projects should clearly spell out how they plan to distribute funds. It also outlines rules for tracking the progress of a project, confirming the identity of buyers and restricting insider trading. According to Bloomberg, the proposal will be deliberated by Japans FSA and could become law in a few years.

Japan is still fine-tuning oversight of its virtual currency exchanges, and its ICO framework may take a few more years to develop. But, by putting clarity around an industry that has long operated with little or no oversight, Japan is setting the stage for a future when cryptocurrencies will play a larger role in society.

This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.Starbucks (SBUX) as we know it today would not exist if it werent for the help of Bill Gates Sr., the father of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, according to executive chairman Howard Schultz.

In 1983, a 30-year-old Schultz made his first trip to Italy. At the time, he was an employee of Starbucks, which was a small Seattle-based roaster. While in Milan, he encountered the world of Italian coffee bars, where he experienced the romance and the theater of espresso.

What really caught my attention was the sense of community that existed inside of these coffee bars, and what I began to realize and label as the third place between home and work, Schultz said at an event hosted by The Atlantic Council on Thursday.

The young Schultz raced back to the U.S. to share his experience and convince the Starbucks founders that he had seen the light.

Not interested

Now, Im not the founder of Starbucks, he said. I was an employee of the company, and I had to convince the founder to embrace my idea. And I thought I was a pretty good salesman at the time. And he basically turned me down cold and said, not interested.

Soon after, Schultz left and set out on his own with his first coffee bar Il Giornale, named after a daily newspaper published in Milan.

Starbucks ultimately encountered some financial trouble and the founder approached Schultz to buy the company.

The founder came to me and said, You would be the right steward to acquire the rights of Starbucks, which had six stores at the time for $3.8 million. That was the good news. The bad news is I didnt have any money.

Schultz was given 60 days to raise the capital. About 30 days in, the founder informed Schultz that he had received an all-cash offer with a quick closing. It turned out that bid came from one of Schultzs investors in Il Giornale.

It turned out that an investor of mine in my store went behind my back and was going to steal the company from me. Worse than that, this was one of the titans of Seattle. So I was crushed. I came home. I probably cried to [my wife] Sheri, Were going to lose everything, our dream. Its over. I dont know what to do.

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I had never heard of Bill Gates Sr. And Bill Gates at the time was not Bill Gates

A young attorney friend whom Schultz had confided in recommended that he meet with Bill Gates Sr., a prominent Seattle lawyer.

I had never heard of Bill Gates Sr. And Bill Gates at the time was not Bill Gates. Bill Gates Sr. was Bill Gates, Schultz said.

Schultz met with Gates Sr. in his office at 8 a.m. and explained his story. Gates asked him two questions: Is everything true? and Have you left anything out? Gates Sr. then requested that Schultz come back in two hours.

When Schultz returned, Gates Sr. told him that they were going to take a walk and see the man.

My heart was racing. I didnt know what was going to happen, Schultz said. And we stormed into the guys office, and hes sitting at his desk and Bill Gates leaning over, all six-foot-seven of him, and basically points a finger at him and says, You should be ashamed of yourself. This is whats going to happen  youre going to stand down, Howard is going to buy the company, and were never going to hear from you again. Do you understand? I was like, Oh, my God! Now, this is the way business is done.

There was one problem, though. Schultz was still short on financing.

I said, Mr. Gates. I have to tell you one thing. Im $2 million short. And he said, Were going to find the money and my son, and I are going to invest, Schultz recalled. If it werent for Bill Gates Sr. there would be no Starbucks.

Schultz was turned down by 217 of the 242 investors he approached. The identity of the investor who tried to steal the Starbucks deal is still not known publicly.



Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.Teachers across Arizona will return to school on Friday, six days after beginning their statewide strike.

The end to the strike follows the signing of new legislation by Gov. Doug Ducey that addresses some, but not all, of their demands. The state House and Senate pulled an all-nighter to get the bill to his desk, according to The Hill.

The measure will give teachers a 20% raise by 2020 and provide an additional $371 to education funding over the next five years, restoring in part the funding cut during the recession.

Nevertheless, the legislation did not include provisions for pay increases for other support staff such as librarians and counselors, nor does the increased funding reach the requested $1 billion.

Ralph Quintana, president of the Arizona American Federation of Teachers, told The Wall Street Journal that even though the economy has recovered, theyre refusing to give us the restoration of our yearly funding. Its a step in the right direction, but its not going to fix the problem.

At the peak of the strike, more than 1,000 schools were closed, affecting more than 850,000 students.FILE - In this Jan. 23, 2018, file photo, immigration advocates hold a rally on Capitol Hill in Washington. Three judges have ordered the Trump administration to continue a program that has shielded hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation. Now, a lawsuit filed last week in Texas seeks to shut down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and may create a legal clash that could speed the issues path to the Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Three judges have ordered the Trump administration to continue a program that has shielded hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation. Now, a lawsuit filed last week in Texas seeks to shut down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and may create a legal clash that could speed the issue's path to the Supreme Court.

President Donald Trump's decision in September to phase out the Obama-era program, called DACA, resulted in protests and a failed congressional effort to salvage it. Experts say it's a matter of when, not if, the Supreme Court will rule on the program. It could be the second opportunity for the high court to weigh in on a high-profile decision of the president's, with a ruling on Trump's travel ban expected before the end of June.

Josh Blackman, a professor at South Texas College of Law Houston, said the Texas lawsuit filed May 1 tees up "a fast pass to the Supreme Court."

If Texas and six other states persuade a judge to issue a nationwide order barring the government from continuing DACA, that decision could conflict with existing judges' orders telling the government it must partially continue the program. That's the kind of conflict the Supreme Court generally steps in to address.

The high court has already finished hearing arguments ahead of its summer break at the end of June, and it's rare for the court to hear arguments again before October. But if judges issue conflicting orders on what the government must do with DACA, the court might be asked to make an interim, procedural decision, said Stephen Yale-Loehr, who teaches immigration law at Cornell University's law school. The Texas lawsuit "creates even more uncertainty in what is going to happen," he said.

DACA, created in 2012, has provided protection from deportation and work permits for about 800,000 young people who came to the U.S. as children and stayed illegally. A person enrolled in the program gets protection from deportation that lasts two years and can be renewed.

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Judges in California and New York have ruled that the Trump administration must allow current DACA participants to renew their enrollments, but the government doesn't have to process new applications. A ruling by a judge in the District of Columbia would require the government to also process new applications, but it has been put on hold until late July.

While these lawsuits challenged Trump's decision to wind down DACA, the lawsuit filed by Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina and West Virginia aims to end it. The states argue the creation of the program was unlawful, an overreach by President Barack Obama, a conclusion the Trump administration agrees with.

And the states filed the case in a way to put it before a potentially sympathetic judge, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville, Texas.

Hanen criticized the Obama administration for lax enforcement of immigration laws. And in 2015 he ruled against an expansion of DACA by Obama as well as a program that would have protected the parents of children who are in the country legally. His ruling blocking the programs was upheld by an appeals court. The Supreme Court, short a member after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, was divided 4-4 on the case in 2016, leaving the lower court's ruling in place.

University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck said the Texas case "increases the likelihood of conflicting orders to the government and conflicting substantive conclusions about DACA's legality."

If Hanen sides with the states, he could order the government to immediately stop processing new DACA applications or renewing old ones, which would contradict the existing orders. That would create a "pretty chaotic" situation that the Supreme Court would likely want to resolve, Vladeck said.

Beyond what happens in Texas, two courts of appeal are readying to weigh in on DACA, too. Arguments before the San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit are scheduled for Tuesday. And arguments before the New York City-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit are expected this summer.

There is also the possibility that the Trump administration could issue a new memo, replacing one from September, with a fuller explanation of why it chose to wind down DACA, a move that would lead to another flurry of legal filings. The fact the administration hasn't yet done that, though, suggests it may be reluctant to do so.

The Trump administration has seemed eager to get the issue to the Supreme Court quickly. Earlier this year it took the unusual step of asking the high court to hear the California case before a federal appeals court had ruled on it. The high court declined to do so in late February, but it may not be able to avoid the issue for long.

"We're moving toward the Supreme Court," Vladeck said. "How quickly depends on what happens next."

___

Follow Jessica Gresko on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jessicagresko(Refiles to fix typo in par 11)

By Jack Kim and Jamie Freed

SINGAPORE, May 11 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's trip to Singapore for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump poses logistical challenges that are likely to include using Soviet-era aircraft to carry him and his limousine, as well as dozens of security and other support staff.

The choice of Singapore as the site of the first-ever meeting of a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader was as much because it was within reasonable flight time and distance from Pyongyang as because of the island states political neutrality, a South Korean presidential official told reporters.

Since becoming North Koreas leader in 2011, Kim has only taken one known overseas trip by air  and that was earlier this week to Dalian in China to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He flew in his personal Ilyushin-62M jet accompanied by a cargo plane that people with knowledge of North Korean affairs say is believed to have carried his limousine.

"It looks very much like the trip to Dalian was a dry run," said Andray Abrahamian, a research fellow at Pacific Forum CSIS and formerly with Choson Exchange, a Singapore-based group that trains North Koreans in business skills.

At 4,700 km from Pyongyang's Sunan airport, Singapore is easily in the range of the Il-62M aircraft. The Soviet-era narrow-body jet with four engines was first introduced in the 1970s and has a maximum range of 10,000 km.

But the Ilyushin-76 cargo plane cannot fly more than 3,000 km without refuelling if carrying a full load. It will therefore have to stop off at a friendly location like Vietnams capital on the way to Singapore or fly with a reduced load.

The Il-76, originally designed for moving heavy machinery to remote parts of the Soviet Union, is big enough to fit a school bus or two shipping containers inside it, according to passenger and cargo flight operator Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions.

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But the cargo plane has had some safety issues. In the latest incident last month, a crash killed 257 people on board after takeoff from an Algiers air base. Unlike his father Kim Jong Il, who died in 2011 and who travelled by armoured train on his rare trips abroad because he feared being shot down, according to a North Korean defector familiar with his security details, the younger leader is not known to be averse to flying.

But air travel of this distance does pose a significantly greater challenge in transporting communication and security equipment and personnel needed to back up a summit meeting.

SUITE FIT FOR A LEADER

Lee Yun-keol, a defector who had worked for the North's government and now heads the North Korea Strategic Information Service Center in Seoul, said the trip will involve dozens of security personnel and equipment including possibly a personal toilet for the leader.

It will also mean burning a large quantity of jet fuel, a refined oil product sharply limited by U.N. sanctions targeting North Korea imports. Kim's two planes will need around 50 metric tons of jet fuel per aircraft for the flight from Pyongyang to Singapore.

China, the main source of fuel for the North, exported just 3 tons of jet fuel in March and made no official exports the two previous months, according to Chinese customs data.

But the North's planes can pick up extra fuel when they fly to China and Russia for commercial operations, and international security experts believe the North may have been stockpiling the fuel which it has also used for its missile programme.

The United States had preferred Geneva," the South Korean presidential official told reporters, requesting anonymity to discuss the arrangements for the summit meeting.

"But Singapore was selected as it was the most realistically viable destination Kim Jong Un could probably travel when considering the travel time and flight distance."

The two sides initially considered meeting in the Panmunjom truce village straddling the Korean military border, the scene of the third inter-Korea summit attended by Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month, the official said. The official said the South did not know the reason why Panmunjom was dropped.

There was no confirmation on the specific location for the meeting between Kim and Trump although there are a number of sites in Singapore that can guarantee security protection, including hotels that have experience hosting high-security events, Singapore media and a Singapore government official said.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the country was "honoured to host it, and would do our best to facilitate a smooth and successful meeting," in a telephone call with Trump on Friday.

Trump said the summit would contribute to resolving the long outstanding issue of securing peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, Singapore's foreign ministry said.

The meeting is scheduled for one day on June 12, but if either or both of the leaders decide to stay overnight, there is only one hotel room in all of the city that meets security protocol" for the U.S. president, according to a source with knowledge of previous U.S. presidential visits.

That is the 348-square meter Shangri-la Suite in the Valley Wing of the hotel of the same name, at a current rate of S$10,000 ($7,500) a night for June 12. ($1 = 1.3348 Singapore dollars) (Additional reporting by Dewey Sim in Singapore, Christine Kim and Joori Roh in Seoul Editing by Martin Howell and Toby Chopra)Drugmaker stocks rose handsomely the day President Trump outlined his new plan for bringing down drug priceswhich means Wall Street doesnt think his plan will work.

Earlier this year, Trump declared that drugmakers are getting away with murder through the high prices they charge, and he said the government would bid more aggressively when buying drugs. But his formal plan to lower drug prices, unveiled on May 11 after several delays, does not call for the one move many experts believe would be most effective: A new law that would allow Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical providers. Medicare is the largest single purchaser of drugs in the country, yet federal law prohibits the giant program from negotiating on drug prices. Instead, it relies on private-sector partners to get the best prices.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar looks on as President Donald Trump speaks during an event about prescription drug prices in the Rose Garden of the White House, Friday, May 11, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

That apparently wont change under Trump, which is a big victory for an industry that spends $280 million a year lobbying in Washington, more than any other sector. Instead of freeing Medicare to flex its market muscle, Trump is calling for a variety of other reforms and new rules intended to improve competition and force drugmakers to lower prices to get customers. But the uptick in share prices of companies such as Merck (MRK), Pfizer (PFE), Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) and Eli Lilly (LLY) suggests investors believe Trumps plan wont impact prices enough to threaten revenues or profits.

This index fund composed of drug company stocks spiked on news that Trump would go easier than expected on pharmaceutical firms. Source: Yahoo Finance

Trumps plan identifies several problems with pharmaceuticals in the US health system: List prices and out-of-pocket expenditures by consumers are too high, government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid overpay, and foreign governments pay less than their fair share for drugs developed by American companies. Many experts agree with that diagnosis, although some argue that foreign governments are simply more effective negotiators able to leverage their heft as large drug purchasers to push costs down.

Trumps solutions include more than a dozen measures meant to provide more information to consumers, so they can comparison shop more effectively, and to make more choices available, which in theory ought to push prices down. Trump wants to explicitly allow pharmacists to help patients get the cheapest medications, which theyre not allowed to do now in some instances. He wants to tighten rules on drugmaker incentive payments so that consumers, not middlemen, get the bounty. Trump even suggested drugmakers should be required to run prices in their ads, so consumers know how much it costs to emulate that happy-looking couple on the beach.

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Some of the Trump proposals would require new legislation, which will, of course, incite fierce lobbying and industry opposition. Other ideas might be executed through new regulations that dont require Congressional action, a process also subject to intense lobbying. So its not like Trump will sign a few executive orders and suddenly everybody will be saving hundreds at CVS.

Trump is going much softer on the drug industry than he could have, however. Reform advocates have called for years for a new law letting Medicare negotiate drug prices, especially for drugs that dont have much competition and tend to be very expensive. Medicare purchases about 29% of all prescription drugs in the United States, making it the drug industrys single-biggest customer. Yet Congress forbade Medicare from negotiating with drugmakers when it expanded the program in 2006 to cover ordinary prescription drugs, and prevented Medicare from taking other steps to lower prices, the way insurance companies do in the private market. The Veterans Administration, by contrast, is allowed to negotiate with drugmakers, and pays considerably less for drugs.

Trumps plan lists other proposals the government may pursue, such as establishing value-based arrangements in which the government would determine which drugs offer the best bang for the buck, and prioritize those. Thats a popular idea among reformers, and it could work if data accurately reveals which drugs produce the best outcomes. But just about everything related to health care is complicated, as Trump himself observed last year, and Washington is where complicated ideas go to die. Pharmaceutical investors seem to be counting on that.

Confidential tip line: rickjnewman@yahoo.com.Click here to get Ricks stories by email.

Read more:

Rick Newman is the author of four books, including Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman

Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedInBy David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Friday pressed automakers to build more vehicles in the United States and launched a fresh attack on the North American Free Trade Agreement that has benefited them, while the companies urged him to work with California to keep nationwide U.S. vehicle emissions standards.

CEOs or senior executives from 10 U.S. and foreign automakers met with Trump for about an hour at the White House as the Transportation Department considers loosening federal fuel efficiency and pollution standards implemented under Democratic former President Barack Obama.

Afterward, two major auto industry trade groups said in a joint statement that Trump expressed an "openness to a discussion with California on an expedited basis." California and 16 other states covering about 40 percent of the U.S. population sued last week to block the Trump administration's efforts to weaken the fuel efficiency requirements.

A U.S. Transportation Department draft proposal would freeze these requirements at 2020 levels through 2026, rather than allowing them to increase as previously planned. The Trump administration is expected to formally unveil the proposal later this month or in June.

The chief executives of General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co and Fiat Chrysler, along with senior U.S. executives from Toyota Motor Corp, Volkswagen AG <VOWG_p.DE>, Hyundai Motor Co, Nissan Motor Co, Honda Motor Co, BMW AG and Daimler AG met with Trump, as did the heads of the two trade groups.

"We're really talking about environmental (controls), CAFE standards, and manufacturing of millions of more cars within the United States," Trump, known for his "America First" policies, said at the top of the meeting, referring to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for cars and light trucks in the United States.

"We're importing a lot of cars, and we want a lot of those cars to be made in the United States," Trump added, specifically mentioning Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and North Carolina.

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Automakers want the White House and California to reach an agreement on maintaining national standards, fearing a prolonged legal battle could leave the companies facing two different sets of rules - and the state level and nationally - and extended uncertainty.

Much of the hour-long meeting focused on NAFTA and other trade issues, with Trump blasting the pact with Canada and Mexico.

"We're renegotiating it now. We'll see what happens," Trump said, adding that Mexico and Canada "don't like to lose the golden goose."

"But NAFTA has been a horrible, horrible disaster for this country, and we'll see if we can make it reasonable," the Republican president added.

Automakers have called NAFTA a success, allowing them to integrate production throughout North America and make production competitive with Asia and Europe. They have noted the increase in auto production over the past two decades with NAFTA in place, and have warned that changing it too much could prompt some companies to move production out of the United States.

Major automakers reiterated this week they do not support freezing fuel efficiency requirements but said they want new flexibility and rule changes to address lower gasoline prices and the shift in U.S. consumer preferences to bigger, less fuel-efficient vehicles.

'FULLY SUPPORTIVE'

Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne, whose company is shifting production of Ram heavy-duty pickup trucks from Mexico to Michigan in 2020, told Reuters before the meeting his company is "fully supportive" of Trump's efforts to revise the mileage rules and hoped for "an agreed way forward."

NAFTA changes proposed by Trump's administration would not require Fiat Chrysler to end production in Mexico but rather to "redirect" exports of Mexican-built vehicles to other global markets, Marchionne added.

Marchionne said he still hopes the administration will reach a deal with California to maintain nationwide standards and said Trump is an ideal negotiator to get an agreement.

Noting that automakers want a deal with California, Democratic U.S. Senator Tom Carper said, "Our businessman and self-proclaimed 'dealmaker' president should be able to take yes for an answer and help us secure a win-win solution that is well within reach."

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow and Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt also attended the meeting. Trump directed Chao and Pruitt to continue administration talks with California to see if a deal can be reached quickly, an auto industry source said.

Democrats and environmental advocates plan to challenge the administration's plans to weaken vehicle rules touted by the Obama administration as one of its biggest actions to combat climate change by reducing planet-warming emissions.

The Trump administration plans to argue that freezing the rules would lead to cheaper vehicles, boost sales and employment and improve safety by prodding faster turnover of older vehicles.

The Obama-era rules adopted in 2012 sought to double average fleet-wide vehicle fuel efficiency to about 50 miles (80 km) per gallon by 2025, but included an evaluation due by April 2018 to determine if the rules were appropriate.

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Additional reporting by James Oliphant; Editing by Will Dunham)Donald Trump Jr. posted a series of tweets as the news unfolded Monday, one of them to show that his father suspected Schneiderman of illicit behavior all along. Schneiderman also had said, "No one is above the law, and I'll continue to remind President Trump and his administration of that fact every day" just last fall and Trump Jr. retweeted it, adding, "You were saying???"

 The Times-Herald Record, Middleton

The project has been years in the making.

Like so many other large-scale undertakings in Niagara Falls, it did not come without its share of controversies.

While many agreed almost from the start that it was a good idea to take better advantage of the community's ties to the rich history of the Underground Railroad, the path to doing so proved challenging with questions being raised at various points about funding, stewardship and even the history itself.

Members of the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Commission, established to oversee the investment of state dollars into the endeavor, took on the tough task from the beginning and stayed with it through all the various twists and turns.NEW YORK, May 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SmartMetric, Inc. (OTCQB:SMME), the maker of the biometric activated and protected multifunction cyber access, building access and identity security card, has entered into a sales and marketing agreement with one of the largest companies in the security infrastructure industry in South America, Grupo Datco.



SmartMetric is a leader in biometric card based products. The company has developed an industry first in combining a cyber-access card that can be used with standard desktop smart card readers that also has inbuilt RFID MiFare allowing the same card to be used for doorway and building access. The card stores the card holder's fingerprint inside the card and will only grant cyber access and or building/doorway access upon a positive fingerprint match with the card holder when they are attempting to use the card.

The RFID MiFare and smart card chip are FIPS approved. The card has a super thin finger print scanner built inside allowing the card to be as thin as a credit card. This thinness allows the card to be used with standard smart card readers that are used for cyber network access as well as physical doorway and building access. Something that existing physical access cards cannot do due to their size and thickness.

In addition to logical and physical access control, the SmartMetric biometric activated security card acts as an identity card that can be used to validate a card holder without being inserted into a reader. Two bright LED lights indicate green or red when the card holder touches the cards surface. If the person is the legitimate card holder than following a 0.25 second scan by the card of their fingerprint the LED illuminates Green. Of course, if the card holder is not the legitimate person then it will illuminate Red. Having an internal rechargeable battery allows this instant ID verification to take place anywhere on a Business or Government grounds or building/s.

We are excited about our new relationship with a major company in the security integration industry in South America and are confident that sales will follow as they present our unique leading edge biometric card product throughout the South American region," said SmartMetrics President and CEO, Chaya Hendrick, today.

ABOUT GRUPO DATCO

Datco was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Argentine telecoms and IT holding company Datco provides IT infrastructure, communication services and hardware, as well as professional services and consulting in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico and Spain.

Grupo Datco ended 2017 with revenues of $US110 million dollars. Revenue came from items, such as consulting, infrastructure and communications services.

Datco has built more than 13,500 kilometers of fiber optics in Argentina and Chile. In addition to fiber optic infrastructure in Brazil and other countries in South America. The company through its security division is the market leader in secure access control for both Government and Business in the region.

The company started its international expansion in 1999, when it launched offices in Chile, followed by openings in Peru and Spain, and then Mexico and Puerto Rico in 2011. Also in 2011, the company acquired Oracle platinum partner Interservices Consulting and SAP consulting services company Baitcon to increase its professional and consulting services offering.

ABOUT SMARTMETRIC

SmartMetric is a United States company with its head office in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company was founded in 2002 and became a publicly traded company on the OTCQB in 2004 trading under the symbol OTCQB:SMME.

The company has a team of electronics engineers in Tel Aviv, Israel and has mass manufacturing capacity in various parts of the world. The company can now manufacture 1 million cards a month and has the capacity to increase this significantly based on product demand.

The SmartMetric biometric card is protected by five (5) recently issued patents. Additional patents are pending. SmartMetric is prepared and willing to defend its patents vigorously against all infringers. To this end SmartMetric has engaged legal representation highly experienced in patent litigation and enforcement.

Safe Harbor Statement: Forward-Looking Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Also such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "may," "could," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "likely," "will," "would" and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us and our management, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, if we are unable to access the capital necessary to fund current operations or implement our plans for growth; changes in the competitive environment in our industry and the markets where we operate; our ability to access the capital markets; and other risks discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which filings are available from the SEC. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are made as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable laws. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Grupo Datco

San Martin 1004

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Contact

Adrian Carnevante  Director

+54.(9)11.4103.1300



SmartMetric, Inc.

3960 Howard Hughes Parkway

Las Vegas, NV 89169

+1.702.990.3687

Contact:

Chaya Hendrick

chaya@smartmetric.com

www.smartmetric.com



VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mundoro Capital Inc. (TSX-V:MUN) (www.mundoro.com) ("Mundoro" or the "Company") is pleased to report that it has entered into an Option Agreement (Agreement) with an arms length third party private company (Private Company) to which it has granted an option on one of Mundoros exploration projects, the Saje Lead-Zinc Project located within the Zvezda license in southeastern Bulgaria.



CEO & President, Teo Dechev commented: "We are delighted to have signed this Agreement with a new partner in the region. Mundoro is achieving our corporate strategy to work with partners on select projects within our portfolio while retaining 100% ownership over a core portion of our portfolio. Realising value from our existing portfolio of over 10 licenses with multiple targets on various license is a key focus for the Company.



Summary of Terms

Under the terms of the Agreement, the Private Company has committed to drill a minimum of 1000 meters on the Saje Project (Option Period). Thereafter, the Private Company will have one month to provide written notice to enter into an agreement with Mundoro in respect of the Saje Project. The Private Company is sole funding all costs during the Option Period. Upon entering into an agreement, the Private Company will pay to Mundoro annual advance royalty payments in January of each calendar year until commercial production. Mundoro will retain a 2% net smelter returns (NSR) royalty on any metals production at the Saje Project. The Saje Project has no carrying value in the Company's balance sheet as at December 31, 2018.



Saje Lead-Zinc Project Information



The Saje deposit is located within Mundoros 100% owned Zvezda exploration licence area. The Saje deposit is a brownfield area that was initially explored starting in the 1960s and exploited by a government run company from 1984 to 1992 for Lead and Zinc with by-products of Copper and Silver. The deposit is situated in the western part of the Spahievo ore field at the eastern border of a rhyolite caldera. It is comprised of structurally controlled alteration zones, some of which are the main ore bearing zones. Zones are hosted in Eocene-Oligocene andesites intruded by monzonite pluton. The width of the ore zones vary from 1 m to 17.8 m. The ore mineralization is represented by galena, sphalerite and chalcopyrite. Table 1 below summarises the underground production from the deposit from 1984 to 1992 by the government run company:

Period Ore

(kT) Grade Content Metals Pb,

% Zn,

% Cu,

% Ag,

ppm Cd,

ppm Pb,

t Zn,

t Cu,

t Ag,

kg Cd,

kg 1984-1992 425.5 1.86 1.23 0.24 7.9 71 7909 5227 1017 3373 30000

The historical production figures for the Saje deposit from 1984 to 1992 are derived from a report prepared in 1998 by the Government run company "Gorubso-Kardjali EAD". This report is held with the Bulgarian National Geological Fund, who have made it available for public review. The qualified person has reviewed this report and verified the contents of the report and its conclusions. Nevertheless, the company does not have access to all underlying data and information used to prepare the report, and neither the qualified person nor the company are able to verify the reliability of the production figures or the key assumptions, methods and parameters used to prepare them.

Further Joint Venture Discussions

Mundoro ended Q1-2018 with approximately C$4.7 million in treasury with the Timok North Projects optioned to JOGMEC; and the Timok South Projects, which is the largest contiguous exploration area in the Timok district available for joint venture. The Company continues to have ongoing discussions regarding potential joint ventures for Mundoros Timok South Projects licenses: Savinac, Sumrakovac, Bacevica and Osnic. Although there are ongoing discussions, the Company cannot provide assurance that a transaction will be concluded as a result of these discussions.

Qualified Person

Technical information contained in this Press Release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. G. Magaranov, P. Geo., Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

On behalf of the Company,

Teo Dechev, Chief Executive Officer, President and Director

About Mundoro Capital Inc.

Mundoro is a Canadian mineral exploration and development public company focused on building value for its shareholders through directly investing in mineral projects that have the ability to generate future returns for shareholders. The Company currently holds a diverse portfolio of projects in two European countries as well as an investment in a producing gold mine in Bulgaria and a feasibility stage gold project in China. The Company holds eight 100% owned projects in Serbia, the four Timok North Projects are in option to JOGMEC, and the four Timok South Projects are being advanced by Mundoro. Mundoros common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "MUN".

For further information please contact:

Teo Dechev, CEO, President and Director of Mundoro Capital Inc. at +1-604-669-8055

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This News Release contains forward-looking information and statements (forward-looking statements) under applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included or incorporated by reference in this News Release are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the completion of exploration work on any Projects and licenses and results of that exploration work, the prospect of one or more joint ventures on the Timok South Projects and other statements regarding activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates may occur in the future. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "will", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", promising, encouraging or "continue" or similar words or the negative thereof. The material assumptions that were applied in making the forward looking statements in this News Release include expectations as to the Company's future strategy and business plan and execution of the Company's existing plans. There can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which these forward-looking statements are based will occur. We caution readers of this News Release not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements contained in this News Release, which are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include general economic and market conditions, changes in law, regulatory processes, the status of Mundoro's assets and financial condition, actions of competitors and the ability to implement business strategies and pursue business opportunities. The forward-looking statements contained in this News Release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this News Release are made as of the date of this News Release and Mundoro undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise, except as required by law. Shareholders are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and for a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com.

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.Montreal, Quebec, May 11, 2018 - SEMAFO (TSX, OMX: SMF) announces that at its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held on May 10, 2018, all directors nominated in the 2018 management proxy circular were re-elected. A total of 233,580,184 common shares or 71.75% of our issued and outstanding common shares were represented in person or by proxy at the meeting.

Detailed results are as follows:

Nominee Votes for % of

Votes for Votes

Withheld % of Votes

Withheld Terence F. Bowles 230,714,670 99.97 61,519 0.03 Benoit Desormeaux 229,776,376 99.57 999,813 0.43 Flore Konan 222,090,965 96.24 8,685,224 3.76 John LeBoutillier 201,173,357 87.17 29,602,832 12.83 Gilles Masson 229,032,166 99.24 1,744,023 0.76 Lawrence McBrearty 229,428,794 99.42 1,347,395 0.58 Tertius Zongo 221,866,831 96.14 8,909,358 3.86

Additionally, the proposal to appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as auditors was approved:

For: 98.98% Withheld: 1.02%

Finally, an advisory resolution on the Corporation's approach to executive compensation was approved.

For: 93.92% Against: 6.08%

About SEMAFO

SEMAFO is a Canadian-based mining company with gold production and exploration activities in West Africa. The Corporation currently owns and operates the Mana Mine in Burkina Faso, which includes the high-grade satellite Siou deposit, and is targeting production start-up of the Boungou Mine in the third quarter of 2018. SEMAFO's strategic focus is to maximize shareholder value by effectively managing its existing assets as well as pursuing organic and strategic growth opportunities.

The information in this release is subject to the disclosure requirements of SEMAFO under the Swedish Securities Market Act and/or the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act. This information was publicly communicated on May 11, 2018 at 7:30 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time.

For more information, contact

SEMAFO

John Jentz

Vice-President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations

E-mail: John.Jentz@semafo.com

Ruth Hanna

Analyst, Investor Relations

E-mail: Ruth.Hanna@semafo.com

Tel. local & overseas: +1 (514) 744 4408

North America Toll-Free: 1 (888) 744 4408

Website: www.semafo.com

AttachmentImperial Valley News Center

Department of Energy Selects $3 Million in Research Projects to Advance Biofuels, Bioenergy, and Biobased Products

Washington, DC - Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $3 million in funding for advanced biofuels, bioenergy, and biobased products available through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI). DOE has selected two projects from the University of Tennessee and Northwestern University that will receive between $1 million to $2 million each.

Research projects funded through BRDIa joint program organized through DOE and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)will help develop economically and environmentally sustainable sources of biomass and increase the availability of competitively-priced renewable fuels and biobased products, all while helping to improve energy security by increasing and diversifying our domestic energy sources.

Integrating science and engineering, the two DOE projects will develop diverse, cost-effective cellulosic biomass technologies for use in the production of biofuels, as well as a range of biobased products that potentially can increase the economic feasibility of fuel production in a biorefinery. The DOE selections are:

The University of Tennessee (UT), Knoxville, TN  UT will be developing an integrated biorefinery design that combines the production of liquid fuels and renewable chemicals to verify production of affordable cellulosic ethanol.

Northwestern University (NU), Evanston, IL  NU will be developing a rapid synthesis of next-generation biofuels and bioproducts from lignocellulosic biomass. The project will employ several strategies to reduce the timeframe of discovering biosynthetic pathways to optimize fuel and chemical production, including bottom-up engineering principles, computational models, and cell-free framework systems.

Both these projects will lower the costs of the production of bio-based fuels, as well as co-products for chemicals and other uses. If successful, both projects will help the Bioenergy Technologies Office to meet its goal of less than $3 per gallon gasoline equivalent for advanced biofuels.

The Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) accelerates research and development of energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, and renewable energy technologies and solutions that strengthen U.S. energy security, and boost domestic energy production, energy resilience, and energy affordability. Learn more about EERE's work with industry, academia, and national laboratory partners on a balanced portfolio of research in biomass feedstocks and conversion technologies. For more information on funding opportunities for advanced bioenergy technology projects, see the Bioenergy Technologies Office's financial opportunities.As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQNew York, May 12 (IBNS): The chances of the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) spreading across borders are low, said the United Nations health agency on Friday, although nine neighbouring countries remain on alert.

Peter Salama, who leads the World Health Organizations health emergencies programme said that WHO was preparing for all eventualities, speaking at a press conference in Geneva.

To date there have been 32 suspected cases in and around Bikoro in remote Equateur Province  close to the Congo River  two confirmed by laboratory testing. There are 18 probable cases and a dozen classified as suspicious, according to WHO.

We have three healthcare workers infected, and one who is being reported as of yesterday, as having died, said Deputy Director-General Salama, warning that those who take care of patients are at greater risk of being infected and could pass the virus to others.

Given the significant number of suspected probable and confirmed cases, we are planning for all scenarios, including the worst-case scenario, he added.

Two of the neighboring countries  the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Republic of Congo  have a slightly higher level of risk because of their river-based links to DRC, Salama said.

UN agencies on the ground

WHO is working closely with authorities in DRC to scale up operations rapidly and mobilize health partners that have helped in relatively recent Ebola outbreaks in West Africa: Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

As the affected communities are located in hard-to-reach areas, implementing an effective response will be dependent on ensuring access from the air and securing sufficient funding.

It is absolutely a dire scene in terms of infrastructure. There are very few paved roads, very little electrification, very poor water and sanitationthe only way we mount a serious response in this outbreak is through an air-bridge, Mr. Salama said.

This is going to be tough and its going to be costly to stamp out this outbreak, he stressed.

WHO is in discussions with the World Food Programme (WFP) to organize airlifted supplies to the affected area, and to clear ground so that planes can land.

The UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) has also mobilized doctors, sanitation and hygiene specialists, to help contain the spread of the disease.

WHO now has a team on the ground along with partner Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), and will invole an additional team of between 20-40 specialists in epidemiology, logistics, contact-tracing, and vaccination programmes, in the coming days.

Having already deployed personal protective equipment on the ground, WHO plans to have a mobile laboratory up and running by this weekend, following approval from the DRCs Ministry of Health.

The initial focus will be on surveillance and understanding the extent of the outbreak; safe burials; case by case management; and preparing for any public health measures deemed necessary in terms of vaccination.

Salama emphasized that the vaccination operation for Ebola is far more complex than that for orally-administered polio vaccine. This is a highly complex sophisticated operation in one of the most difficult terrains on earth, he said.

$2 million allocated from emergency fund

Meanwhile, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock on Friday approved a $2 million expenditure to help UN agencies and partners to fight and contain the outbreak.

We know that coordinated early response will be critical containing this outbreak, he said, after signing off on the spending from the UNs emergency account, known as the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

According to the World Health Organization, this is the DRCs ninth outbreak, since the discovery of the Ebola virus in the country in 1976.

The virus is endemic to DRC, and causes an acute, serious illness which is often fatal if untreated. The virus is transmitted to human through contact with wild animals and can then be passed from person to person. Ebola is fatal in about 50 per cent of cases.

An outbreak in West Africa which began in 2014 left more than 11,000 dead across six countries, and was not declared officially over by WHO until the beginning of 2016.

First symptoms generally include the sudden onset of fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, symptoms of impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.



MONUSCO/Jesus NzambiLima, May 12 (IBNS): Top leadership of Peru has acknowledged that their country has a lot to learn and benefit from the success story of India and resolved with India to significantly enhance trade relations as the two countries celebrated 55 years of diplomatic ties in Lima on May 11, 2018.

Vice President M.Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday held extensive talks with President, Prime Minister and senior Ministers of Peru in Lima on Saturday on a range of issues indicating specific areas for enhanced engagement.

He spoke at length about Indias strength in supply of quality and cost effective generic medicines, Information Technology, defence equipment, Science & Technology, Space applications etc.

During the delegation level talks, the Peruvian Prime Minister Cesar Villanueva Bardales, leading a delegation of four ministers and senior official noted that India is acknowledged as a leader in pharma sector and Peru could take benefit of the same.

Health Minister of Peru Silvia Pessah Eljay suggested that Indian Government may do needful to enable Indian Pharma companies set up generic medicines production facilities in Peru.

Peruvian side agreed to consider suggestion of Shri Naidu for hassle free registration of Indian pharma companies for supply of medicines.

Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru Rogers Valencia Espinoza, while speaking of the potential of bilateral trade between the two countries said Peru was keen about concluding a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with India.

He mentioned that two rounds of discussions were already in this regard and the third round is to be held in Delhi in August this year. He stressed on the need to conclude this agreement at the earliest for mutual benefit.

Perus Minister of Foreign Affairs Nestor Popolizio Bardales stressed that India deserved to be a Permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in line with its size, role and responsibilities in the global scheme of things.

He reiterated Perus support to India in this regard.

Referring to the success of Information Technology Centre in Peru set up by India, the Peruvian side more such centres in other parts of the country.

Earlier, during his talks with the President of Peru, Vice President Naidu said that 55 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries is an important landmark and it was time to assess the achievements so far to chart out a clear course of action to realize the full potential.

Peruvian President said his country is closely watching Indias progress in different sectors including its transition from an agrarian economy to being an IT leader with strong capacities in Science & Technology, space sector etc.

He informed Naidu that concerned ministers were asked by him to make time bond action plans for progressing on identified areas of cooperation.

Sharing Naidus concern about terrorism, President of Peru noted that while terrorists come out with new strategies, the global community to act together to counter terrorism in all its different forms and shapes.

After the delegation level talks, India and Peru signed an Agreement on Cooperation in New and Renewable Energy. Peru is a founder member of the International Solar Alliance, established with India taking the initiative.

Perus External Affairs Ministry organized a special programme in Lima commemorating the 55 years of diplomatic ties with India.

Peruvian youth performed Bharat Natyam which was appreciated by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu.New York, May 12 (IBNS): A top United Nations rights official has welcomed the Afghan Governments undeniable commitment to improving an often dire human rights record, while also voicing concern over continued attacks on civilians ahead of key elections later in the year.

Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Andrew Gilmour, was speaking at the end of a four-day visit to Afghanistan in which he noted rising civilian casualties, due mainly to terrorist attacks, but also highlighted continuing discrimination against women at many levels of society.

The Government has made significant progress in ending violence against women, but the use of mediation for the gravest cases of violence, including murder; severe violence and harmful traditional practices, is to be regretted, said Mr. Gilmour.

What would send a strong signal to those men who continue to violently abuse women with impunity, would be to start seriously prosecuting them, he added.

While recognizing the Governments work on human rights, particularly its ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, which reinforces Afghanistans compliance with international human rights standards, he urged the authorities to investigate and prosecute military or civilian perpetrators of so-called bacha bazi  a form of sexual abuse against boys.

Turning to the vulnerability of civilians in recent days during the registration process for elections in October, he referred to a report released by the UN Assistance Mission (UNAMA) on Thursday, that detailed a disturbing pattern of attacks at election-related facilities, which have resulted so far in 271 civilians killed and injured.

At a conference on peace and reconciliation, he called the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) an impressive and crucial pillar of society, saying: the people of Afghanistan want security and a lasting peace built on accountability and justice. I hope the Government hear these compelling voices.Meeting with President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday, Gilmour welcomed the Presidents clear commitment to take additional measures to protect civilians, despite extremely difficult circumstances.

Reduce civilian casualties during military operations

In the Kunduz province, Gilmour stressed to the provincial authorities the need to reduce civilian casualties during military operations.

He spoke with community representatives from Laghmani village, Dasht-e-Archi district about the Afghan forces firing on 2 April of rockets and machine guns on a religious gathering  leading to the reported death and injury of more than 100 people, mainly children.

The UN rights official said he was deeply troubled by the incident and urged the Government at the highest levels to better protect civilians, hold perpetrators accountable in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law and restore trust between the residents of Dasht-e-archi and the Government.

Accepting full responsibility for what clearly was a terrible mistake, and a sincere apology for the suffering caused, is always a useful step in advancing reconciliation and failure to do so provides great ammunition for terrorists and extremists, he said.



UNAMA/HamediImage: Google Maps

Kabul, May 11 (IBNS): Heavy clashes have been reportedly going on between the Taliban militants and local uprising forces in Afghanistan's Ghor province, media reports said.

According to local officials, the clashed started last evening at around 8 pm after Taliban militants attacked Oshan village in Shahrak district of the prvince.

Conforming the news, Abdulhai Khatibi, provincial governors spokesman, has said that the village has fallen under Taliban rule.

At least one person has been killed in the ongoing clash.

The Taliban is yet to comment on the news.Image: Google Maps

Kabul, May 12 (IBNS): At least 60 persons have been killed in a clash between the Taliban militants and security members in Afghanistan's Farah province, local Tolo News reported.

While 45 Taliban soldiers were killed during the clash, at least 16 soldiers died.

Over 40 militants affiliated with the terrorist group were also wounded.

The Taliban has confirmed the clash, which took place on Friday night, when a group of militants attacked Farah City in order to seize control.Ottawa, May 12 (IBNS): Canada is celebrating the 60th anniversary of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), an organisation which provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty and protection to North America.

The organisation was created by Canada and the United States.

In a tweet, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked all men and women who work for the organisation.

He tweeted, "NORAD is an enduring symbol of the important partnership between Canada & the US, and today, we celebrate its 60th anniversary and thank the men & women in uniform who work together to protect the safety & security of both our countries."

The organisation was formed on May 12, 1958.

In a statement, Trudeau said: "The key to NORADs success has been its ability to evolve and meet new challenges, and to take advantage of new opportunities. We can trust in its ability to continue to adapt as needed to meet the needs of the future.

"On behalf of the Government of Canada, I thank the members of the Canadian and United States Armed Forces working side-by-side in NORAD for their service over the past 60 years. Canadas commitment to NORAD is unwavering, and we will continue to work together to protect the safety and security of our countries."A white paper that offers a strategy by which the Trump administration can assist an already aggravated Iranian public is being circulated among National Security Council officials. It outlines a democratization strategy that focuses on driving a deeper wedge between the Iranian people and the ruling regime.

The Security Studies Group, or SSG, a national security think-tank with ties to senior White House national security officials, including National Security Adviser John Bolton, authored the plan, which examines American foreign policy toward Iran and emphasizes a policy of regime change. This would require a fundamental shift in U.S. policy towards Iran, something to which the Trump administration appears to be receptive. In fact, Bolton is a longtime and vocal supporter of regime change.

U.S military intervention is minimized, and focus is placed on supporting the Iranian population that is angry at the ruling regime. The ordinary people of Iran are suffering under economic stagnation, while the regime ships its wealth abroad to fight its expansionist wars and to pad the bank accounts of the Mullahs and the IRGC command, SSG writes in the paper. This has provoked noteworthy protests across the country in recent months.

SSGs president, Jim Hanson, said in an interview, The Trump administration has no desire to roll tanks in an effort to directly topple the Iranian regime, Hanson said. But they would be much happier dealing with a post-Mullah government. That is the most likely path to a nuclear weapons-free and less dangerous Iran.

An NSC official declined to comment directly on the report, but said, Our stated policy is to change the Iranian regimes behavior of continuous destabilizing regional acts and support of terrorism. The official added, The National Security Council is in receipt of reams of policy papers and reports, some are read with interest, others are not. Receipt of a policy paper in no way means that we are going to adopt the position of that paper.

The JCPOA purposefully destroyed the carefully created global consensus against the Islamic Republic, said a source close to the issue. Prior to that, everyone understood the dangers of playing footsie with the worlds largest state sponsor of terrorism. Its now Trump, Bolton, and [Mike] Pompeos job to put this consensus back in place.

The source also discussed John Bolton, John is someone who understands the danger of Iran viscerally, and knows that youre never going to fundamentally change its behaviorand the threats against Israel and the Saudis especiallyuntil that revolutionary regime is gone, he said, adding that nothings off the table right now if Israel is attacked.

Another source close to the White House and familiar with the issue said, The problem is not the Iran nuclear deal its the Iranian regime. The source could only speak on background, but added, Team Bolton has spent years creating Plans B, C, and D for dealing with that problem. President Trump hired him knowing all of that. The administration will now start aggressively moving to deal with the root cause of chaos and violence in the region in a clear-eyed way.

The SSG claims that regional sources tell us that Iranian social media is more outraged about internal oppression, such as the recent restrictions on Telegram, than about supporting or opposing the nuclear program. Iranian regime oppression of its ethnic and religious minorities has created the conditions for an effective campaign designed to splinter the Iranian state into component parts.

More than one third of Irans population is minority groups, many of whom already seek independence, according to the paper. U.S. support for these independence movements, both overt and covert, could force the regime to focus attention on them and limit its ability to conduct other malign activities. It continues, U.S. policy toward Iran currently does not publicly articulate two components vital to success: That a new birth of liberty based in self-determination for the Iranian people should be official policy; and that military action should be anticipated if other measures fail.

The plan alleges that, A credible hard power option exists. That option does not consist of large invasion forces or long, costly occupations.

The probability the current Iranian theocracy will stop its nuclear program willingly or even under significant pressure is low, the plan states. Absent a change in government within Iran, America will face a choice between accepting a nuclear-armed Iran or acting to destroy as much of this capability as possible.

As Trump emphasized in his statement about exiting the deal earlier this week, U.S. officials must make efforts to publicly differentiate between Irans ruling regime and its people. The plan agrees, stating, Any public discussion of these options, and any messaging about the Iranian regime in general, should make a bright line distinction between the theocratic regime along with its organs of oppression and the general populace. We must constantly reinforce our support for removing the iron sandal from the necks of the people to allow them the freedom they deserve.The major anti-regime protests in more than 140 cities and towns throughout Iran in late December and January, in which protesters slogans, like Down with Khamenei and Down with Rouhani, showed the Iranian peoples desire for the overthrow of the clerical regime in its entirety.

The West believed that the regime was stable and had popular support, and so they based their policy on appeasement and compromise. Demonization of the MEK, the main Iranian opposition movement, was part of this policy.

Now, with the popular uprising that heard protesters echoing the slogans advocated by the Iranian resistance in general, and the MEK in particular, viability of the opposition movement was proven.

Advocates of appeasement are seeing the end of this policy. The Foreign Policy article is a case in point, in that the essence of the article is that the MEK lacks popular support among the Iranians, and does not represent a viable alternative. However, the people of Iran have made their political allegiance clear.

According to the MEK, More than 100,000 activists have been executed for their defense of democracy and human rights in the last three decades. In fact, in the summer of 1988, in one of the largest crimes against humanity, more than 30,000 political prisoners, primarily MEK activists, were executed in the course of a few months in for their beliefs and principles. Talk of the massacre has been suppressed for almost three decades.

On January 2nd, Hassan Rouhani, the regimes president, complained to French President Emanuel Macron that the MEK was causing the unrest in Iran. In their phone conversation, he asked Macron to restrict the activities of the group. Rouhanis desperate appeal flies in the face of claims about the MEKs lack of popularity in Iran.

MEK supporters form an extensive social network inside Iran amongst various sectors of the society like academics, intellectuals, scientists, traders and businessmen. It has the largest non-governmental social network inside Iran.

MEK activists outside of Iran, who left their homeland due to the existing suppression, are among the most educated, intellectual and productive members of the Iranian society. According to international media, more than 110,000 took part in the latest MEK gathering outside of Iran, which was held in Paris on July 1, 2017.

The 10 point plan of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president of the National Council of Resistance of Iran has the support of American and European dignitaries, parliamentarians, and bipartisan Congressmen and Senators.They have taken part in the resistances major international gatherings in Paris over the years. In addition to scores of Republican dignitaries, a number of Democrats, including Ed Rendell, former Chairman of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean, former presidential candidate and chairman of the Democratic Party, Bill Richardson, former UN Ambassador, and Congressman Patrick Kennedy, have taken part in these events.

Regarding the inclusion of the MEK in the U.S. terror list and its subsequent delisting: the blacklisting of the MEK in the US took place on October 1997. Senior Clinton administration officials acknowledged that this was done to send a good will gesture to Mohammad Khatami, the president of the regime at the time. The MEK was delisted after 20 judgments by the highest courts in the UK, EU and US, which ruled unanimously that there was no evidence linking the MEK to terrorism.

According to The Wall Street Journal on May 7, 2008, Iranian officials for years have made suppression of the MEK a priority in negotiations with western governments over Tehrans nuclear program and other issues, according to several diplomats who were involved in the talks.

Contrary to the articles claims, the presence of the MEK in Iraq and its campaign to put an end to the carnage of the Iran-Iraq War is a source of credibility for the MEK. It was Khomeini who pursued the continuation of the war. The Peace Plan of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in 1986 was endorsed by more than 6,000 parliamentarians, political parties and political leaders in Europe.

The MEKs role in the disclosure of the nuclear weapons program of the regime played a leading role in exposing various aspects of Tehrans secret nuclear weapons program. The MEK relied on its extensive network inside Iran taking high risks in order to prevent the worlds main sponsor of terrorism from acquiring the most dangerous weapon in the world. In the past 25 years, in more than 100 revelations, the MEK exposed secret sites and hidden projects. Many senior US officials, including US President George Bush, his National Security Advisor, and his Secretary of State, declared that it was the MEK who exposed key sites of the clandestine nuclear weapons program, including Natanz and Arak.

The Iranian peoples demand for democracy, along with the adherence of the MEK to their principles for realizing the aspiration of the Iranian people, has been much more profound than what was perceived. The regime must sense that their nightmares is turning to reality.Application Process Now Open to Fill Board of Trustees Vacancy

Persons interested in being considered for appointment to fill a vacancy on the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees can now submit application materials to the Districts Office of General Counsel. The deadline to submit a completed, hard copy application package to the General Counsel, 770 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90017, is by 4:30 p.m., Thursday, May 31, 2018.

Complete details of the required materials are posted on the Districts website www.laccd.edu at http://www.laccd.edu/Board/boardsearch/Pages/default.aspx or by calling (213) 891-2188. All applicants are responsible for the timely submission of required materials. Submissions received after the May 31 deadline will not be considered. A postmark or a delivery companys time stamp will not be accepted in lieu of actual delivery to the District offices by the stated deadline.

Applications must include responses to a questionnaire, a resume or curriculum vitae, and other materials that an applicant feels are relevant. The maximum amount of materials that can be submitted per applicant is 10 single-side pages, minimum of 12 point font.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Board of Trustees voted at its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on May 9 to pursue the appointment process to fill the vacancy instead of calling for a Special Election which had been estimated by County election officials to cost about $4.3 million.

The Boards action means the application period opened effective May 10 and will close May 31. The Board of Trustees will hold at least one special meeting, currently expected to be Friday, June 8, 2018 at the Boards Hearing Room. If necessary, an additional Special Meeting of the Board will hold on June 12. The Board deadline by state law to appoint someone to fill the vacancy is June 15.

The vacancy occurred after former Trustee/Board President Sydney Kamlager assumed her new elective office on April 16 in the California State Assembly. The person who fills the vacancy would hold the seat until the term expires on December 14, 2020.

The successful new Trustee must be at least 18 years old; be a resident of the District and a citizen of the state; a registered voter and not otherwise disqualified from holding elective office under the California State Constitution or other state laws. He or she must not hold another elective office and cannot be a current employee of the District or must resign from such employment prior to being sworn in.On May 1, an electrical problem started a fire in a large, former police building in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Officials say at least two people died as a result.

The building was home to a group of people who had jobs but could not afford to live in the citys expensive apartments. Marta Maria Maia da Fonseca and her husband were among them. They escaped the burning building with their 14-year-old daughter. They spent that night in an open area in front of a church with several other families affected by the fire.

The next day, they moved in with a sister and six other relatives in a neighboring city. Da Fonseca and her family had lived in three different abandoned buildings, called squats, in the past 10 years. We have to start all over again, said da Fonseca.

The fire has brought a renewed attention to the movement of housing groups that have taken over about 70 abandoned buildings in downtown Sao Paulo.

But the fire has also raised concerns that the buildings could be dangerous. Squatters often create their own connections to electrical power and make any repairs themselves.

Jose de Anchieta Rocha, Jr. is with the Housing Movement in the Fight for Justice. He said, You cant say this, that were criminals, that were vagrants, that were invaders. We occupy because there are no housing policies. We occupy because (the buildings were) abandoned, abandoned for decades.

City officials say they will help the now-homeless squatters. They promise to pay about $340 immediately, then $115 a month for one year. Da Fonseca told the AP she does not think she will get anything. She says her name is not on the citys list of people living in the building. Others say the amount is not enough to pay for rent or for the cost to replace lost belongings.

Sao Paulo is known as the financial capital of Latin America. And it is home to much of Brazils economic wealth. But the citys center is full of places in poor condition. Museums and theaters remain, but they share the area with old buildings that have no windows. The downtown area is home to most of the citys homeless population and many illegal drug users. Dozens, if not hundreds, of buildings sit empty. Businesses have long since moved to more modern buildings in new neighborhoods.

So, since the 1990s, groups have been breaking into the empty buildings at night and setting up squats. In many, residents each pay a little money to hire a doorman or a cleaner. Some squats have rules: residents are asked to be quiet, neighborly and observe a curfew. Some have fire-preparation measures, check that wiring is safe and make sure fire alarms are working.

Over the years, the city government has struggled to renew the downtown area. Officials often say they want to bring the area back to life, but some observers fear they want an area without poor and working class people.

Rocha of the housing movement said, We are a very unequal country, where the wealth of 100 million people is in the hands of six.

Fernando Chucre is a city housing official. He says that adding low-income housing is an important part of efforts to solve Sao Paulos housing shortage.

The city hopes to build new homes by working with the state and federal governments, as well as with private investors.

Following the fire, the mayors office ordered city agencies to visit the 70 buildings now occupied by squatters. Chucre said the city government will work with squatters leaders to fix any problems. He added that if a building is declared unsafe, officials will help find other housing.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Sarah DiLorenzo reported this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted it for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.

____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

vagrant  n. a person who has no place to live and no job and who asks people for money

curfew  n. an order or law that requires people to be indoors after a certain time at night

squat  n. an empty building that squatters live in

We present the short story "Doctor Heidegger's Experiment" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Here is Barbara Klein with the story.

That very unusual man, old Doctor Heidegger, once invited four friends to meet him in his office. There were three white-bearded gentlemen, Mister Medbourne, Colonel Killigrew, and Mister Gascoigne. And, there was a thin old lady whose husband had died, so she was called the Widow Wycherly.

They were all sad old creatures who had been unfortunate in life. As a young man, Mister Medbourne had lost all his money in a badly planned business deal. Colonel Killigrew had wasted his best years and health enjoying the pleasures of women and drink. Mister Gascoigne was a ruined politician with an evil past.

As for the Widow Wycherly, tradition tells us that she was once a great beauty. But shocking stories about her past had led the people of the town to reject her. So, she lived very much alone.

It is worth stating that each of these three men were early lovers of the Widow Wycherly. And they had once been on the point of killing each other over her.

"My dear old friends," said Doctor Heidegger, "I would like your help in one of my little experiments." He motioned for them to sit down.

Doctor Heidegger's office was a very strange place. The dark room was filled with books, cobwebs, and dust. An old mirror hanging between two bookcases was said to show the ghosts of all the doctor's dead patients.

On another wall hung a painting of the young woman Doctor Heidegger was to have married long ago. But she died the night before their wedding after drinking one of the doctor's medicines. The most mysterious object in the room was a large book covered in black leather. It was said to be a book of magic.

On the summer afternoon of our story, a black table stood in the middle of the room. On it was a beautiful cut-glass vase. Four glasses were also on the table.

Doctor Heidegger was known for his unusual experiments. But his four guests did not expect anything very interesting.

The doctor picked up his black leather book of magic. From its pages he removed a dried-up old rose.

"This rose," said the doctor, "was given to me fifty-five years ago by Sylvia Ward, whose painting hangs on this wall. I was to wear it at our wedding. Would you think it possible that this ancient rose could ever bloom again?"

"Nonsense!" said the Widow Wycherly with a toss of her head. "You might as well ask if an old woman's lined face could ever bloom again."

"See!" answered Doctor Heidegger.

He reached for the vase and threw the dried rose into the water it contained. Soon, a change began to appear. The crushed and dried petals moved and slowly turned from brown to red. And there was the rose of half a century looking as fresh as when Sylvia Ward had first given it to her lover.

"That is a very pretty trick," said the doctor's friends. "What is the secret?"

"Did you ever hear of the Fountain of Youth?" asked Doctor Heidegger. "The Spanish explorer Ponce De Leon went in search of it centuries ago. But he was not looking in the right place. If I am rightly informed, the famous Fountain of Youth is in southern Florida. A friend of mine has sent me the water you see in the vase."

The doctor filled the four glasses with water from the Fountain of Youth. The liquid produced little bubbles that rose up to the silvery surface. The old guests agreed to drink the water, although they did not believe in its power.

"Before you drink, my friends," the doctor said, "you should draw up a few general rules as guidance before you pass a second time through the dangers of youth. You have had a lifetime of experience to direct you. Think what a shame it would be if the wisdom of your experiences did not act as a guide and teacher."

The doctor's four friends answered him with a laugh. The idea that they would ever repeat the mistakes of their youth was very funny.

"Drink, then," said the doctor. "I am happy that I have so well chosen the subjects of my experiment."

They raised the glasses to their lips. If the liquid really was magical, it could not have been given to four human beings who needed it more. They seemed as though they had never known youth or pleasure. They looked like they had always been the weak, unhappy creatures who were bent over the doctor's table.

They drank the water.

There was an almost immediate improvement among the guests. A cheerful glow like sunshine brightened their faces. They looked at one another imagining that some magic power had really started to smooth the lines on their faces.

"Quick! Give us more of this wondrous water!" they cried. "We are younger, but we are still too old!"

"Patience!" said Doctor Heidegger who watched the experiment with scientific coolness. "You have been a long time growing old. Surely you could wait half an hour to grow young!"

Again he filled their glasses. The four guests drank the liquid in one swallow. As the liquid passed down their throats it seemed to change their whole systems. Their eyes grew clear and bright. Their hair turned from silver to darker shades.

"My dear widow, you are lovely!" cried Colonel Killigrew, who watched as the signs of age disappeared from her face.

The widow ran to the mirror.

The three men started to behave in such a way that proved the magic of the Fountain of Youth's water.

Mister Gascoigne's mind turned to political topics. He talked about nationalism and the rights of the people. He also told secrets softly to himself.

All this time Colonel Killigrew had been shouting out happy drinking songs while his eyes turned towards the curvy body of the Widow Wycherly.

Mister Medbourne was adding dollars and cents to pay for a proposed project. It would supply the East Indies with ice by linking a team of whales to the polar icebergs.

As for the Widow Wycherly, she stood in front of the mirror greeting her image as a friend she loved better than anything in the world.

"My dear old doctor," she cried, "please give me another glass!"

The doctor had already filled the glasses again. It was now near sunset and the room was darker than ever. But a moon-like light shined from within the vase. The doctor sat in his chair watching. As the four guests drank their third glass of water, they were silenced by the expression on the doctor's mysterious face.

The next moment, the exciting rush of young life shot through their blood. They were now at the happy height of youth. The endless cares, sadness, and diseases of age were remembered only as a troubled dream from which they had awoken.

"We are young!" they cried.

The guests were a group of happy youngsters almost crazy with energy. They laughed at the old-fashioned clothing they wore. They shouted happily and jumped around the room.

The Widow Wycherly - if such a young lady could be called a widow - ran to the doctor's chair and asked him to dance.

"Please excuse me," answered the doctor quietly. "My dancing days were over long ago. But these three young men would be happy to have such a lovely partner."

The men began to argue violently about who would dance with her. They gathered around the widow, each grabbing for her.

Yet, by a strange trick owing to the darkness of the room, the tall mirror is said to have reflected the forms of three old, gray men competing for a faded, old woman.

As the three fought for the woman's favor, they reached violently for each other's throats. In their struggle, they turned over the table. The vase broke into a thousand pieces. The Water of Youth flowed in a bright stream across the floor.

The guests stood still. A strange coldness was slowly stealing over them all. They looked at Doctor Heidegger who was holding his treasured rose. The flower was fading and drying up once more.

The guests looked at each other and saw their looks changing back. "Are we grown old again so soon?" they cried.

In truth they had. The Water of Youth had powers that were only temporary.

"Yes, friends, you are old again," the doctor said. "And the Water of Youth lies wasted on the ground. But even if it flowed in a river at my door, I still would not drink it. This is the lesson you have taught me!"

But the doctor's four friends had learned no such lesson. They decided at that moment to travel to Florida and drink morning, noon, and night from the Fountain of Youth.

Now it's your turn to use the words in this story. Do you think people should look for a Fountain of Youth? Have you ever seen an older person who is trying to act younger than they really are? Write to us in the comments section.

______________________________________________________________

Try this Listening Quiz to check your understanding.

Quiz - Doctor Heidegger's Experiment Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

vase - n. a container that is used for holding flowers or for decoration

Fountain of Youth - n. 1. in stories and legends: a fountain with magic water or

a source of the kind of energy or health that young people usually have

wondrous - adj. causing wonder or amazement : very beautiful or impressive

magic - adj. having the power to make impossible things happen; having supernatural power

nationalism - n. a feeling that people have of being loyal to and proud of their country often with the belief that it is better and more important than other countries

temporary - adj. continuing for a limited amount of time; not permanentAngela Ricketts husband is in the United States Army.

On February 10, 2015, she received a text message: Dear Angela! it read. Bloody Valentines Day!

We know everything about you, your husband and your children, the Facebook message continued.

The writer claimed to represent the Islamic State, or IS militant group. The message said the militants had gained control of her computer and telephone.

Ricketts was one of five military wives who received death threats from the self-declared CyberCaliphate.

However, they were not from IS.

The Associated Press says it has found evidence that the women were targeted by a Russian group known for attacking computers. It reportedly is the same group that was active during the U.S. presidential election campaign two years ago. The Russian hackers released emails from John Podesta, the chairman of Hillary Clintons presidential election campaign.

The operation is similar to the online campaign by Russian hackers to spread false information in the months before the 2016 elections.

Links between CyberCaliphate and the Russian hackers, often called Fancy Bear or APT28, have been documented earlier in both the U.S. and Europe. But this information had not been shared with the women involved. Many of the women believed they had been targeted by Islamic State supporters.

Never in a million years did I think that it was the Russians, said Ricketts, a writer and activist for military families and veterans.

Completely new ground

At the same time that Ricketts received her message, four other women across the country received similar messages.

Liz Snell, wife of a U.S. Marine, was at her husbands retirement ceremony in California when she found that the Twitter account of her group, Military Spouses of Strength, had been attacked. It was broadcasting public threats to herself, the other women and their families. The threats also reached Michelle Obama, when her husband Barack Obama was U.S. president.

The women later found they had all received the same threats. However, they refused to be frightened.

Fear is exactly what  at the time  we perceived ISIS [IS] wanted from military families, said Lori Volkman, one of the victims.

Volkman and the other wives decided to share their stories through different media organizations.

Military families are prepared to deal with violence thats directed toward our soldiers, Ricketts told Fox News. But having it directed towards us is just completely new ground.

We might be surprised

On April 9, 2015, almost two months after the wives were threatened, the television signal of French broadcaster TV5 Monde went dead.

The stations communications equipment had been damaged, and its internal messaging system disabled. On the stations website and Facebook page was the sign of CyberCaliphate.

The cyberattack shocked France. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said evidence suggested the broadcaster was the victim of an attack of terror.

But Guillaume Poupard, the chief of Frances cybersecurity agency, was not ready to support the ministers claim.

We should be very prudent about the origin of the attack, he told French radio. We might be surprised.

Government experts later found evidence the attack did not come from the Middle East, but Moscow.

Speaking to the AP last year, Poupard said the attack resembles a lot what we call collectively APT28.

The Russian government has repeatedly denied plotting attacks against Western targets.

Similar goals

A cybersecurity company called Secureworks provided evidence to the AP that the military wives were targeted by Russian hackers. Recent AP research found that a group called Fancy Bear, which Secureworks calls Iron Twilight, was trying to break into the military wives email at same time that CyberCaliphate sent its messages.

Lee Foster, with cybersecurity company FireEye, said the fact that the Russian hacking and CyberCaliphate activities happened at the same time makes it clear the groups were linked.

The CyberCaliphates attacks are similar to the activities of a group called the St. Petersburg troll farm. It paid Russian employees to put false information into social media. They tried to raise fears of the IS militants threat to the United States by producing false stories of IS attacks.

The AP said it has found no link between CyberCaliphate and the St. Petersburg trolls. However, their goals appeared to be the same: keep tensions high and extremist Islam in the news.

Im Phil Dierking.

Raphael Satter reported this story for the Associated Press. Phil Dierking adapted his story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Have you ever been the victim of a cyber-attack? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story

Valentine - n. a card or gift that you give usually to someone you love on Valentine's Day

online - adj. connected to a computer, a computer network, or the Internet

veteran - n. : someone who fought in a war as a soldier, sailor, etc.

spouse - n. a husband or wife

perceive - v. to notice or become aware of something

internal - adj. existing or located on the inside of something

cybersecurity - n. he state of being protected against the criminal or unauthorized use of electronic data, or the measures taken to achieve this.

prudent - adj. having or showing careful good judgment

resemble - v. to look or be like (someone or something)

troll farm - n. an organization whose workers try to create conflict in an online communityStandardized testing is a major part of applying for admission to colleges and universities in the United States.

SAT or ACT results, for example, are just one measure admissions officials use to decide whether to accept an applicant. But many students and parents spend a great deal of time, effort and resources trying to ensure a high score.

For some students, testing can be the most difficult part of the application process. And new research has raised debate about the fairness of standardized tests.

Last month, researchers with the National Association for College Admission Counseling published findings from a series of studies on these tests. They looked at the academic records of over 950,000 students at 28 public and private colleges and universities in the U.S.

Unlike most schools, those chosen for the studies do not require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores. The decision to submit scores is left to the students.

The research found one major finding: The similarity in study program completion rates between those who submitted test results and those who did not. Students who chose not to submit test scores performed a little better. They were found to be one to two percent more likely to complete their study programs in four years than those who did submit test scores.

William Hiss is a writer of the report, and a former admissions officer at Bates College. The private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine made college entrance examinations optional 30 years ago.

Hiss says his teams research is proof that standardized tests are not a good measure of how successful a student might be at a given school.

Hiss argues that this is the case because the tests do not measure all the skills students will need in a college environment. They simply measure how a student operates under time pressure which is not the usual situation for college students.

If students need to stay up until two oclock in the morning writing their papers, they do it, he told VOA. If they are working in a team on an experiment and it takes extra timethey take extra time. If they need help with their writing or math, almost all colleges have writing and math support...So the ways in which standardized testing works are not the ways in which college educations work.

Hiss adds that many students lack the skills to succeed in high-speed testing environments. Some may be very strong candidates for college, yet avoid applying because they fear the entrance exams. Such candidates may include people with disabilities and non-native English speakers.

Hiss notes that first generation students, minority students, as well as those with little money, are especially affected. His research showed that about 42 percent of students who chose not to submit test scores were members of these groups. Some schools saw their minority population increase as much as 11 percent after they ended the entrance exam requirement.

Hiss says many students from these groups do not have the same chance to prepare for the tests as wealthier white students.

Oscar Schak agrees. He is a top researcher with the Education Trust, a non-profit organization that works to expand education for disadvantaged populations. He says public schools systems that serve poor and minority communities often lack resources that students in richer areas enjoy. And those students can also often pay for even more assistance, such as private tutoring.

Because of this, Schack says, colleges should give more weight to other predictors of academic success, such as high school performance.

Given that it does raise some barriers... just having to take the exams and pay for the exams, I would argue that institutions should err on the side of de-emphasizing the exams, Schak said.

However, Jack Buckley finds several major problems with the claims the recent research is making. Buckley is a top official with the American Institutes for Research. He says the studies have not shown evidence of widespread problems with entrance exams or their use in the admissions process. And, he argues, no thoughtful admissions official would consider only standardized test results of applicants.

Buckley notes that the companies that administer the SAT and ACT have made many changes to their tests over the years. Buckley worked with the College Board on it most recent changes to the SAT. They took effect in 2016. He says the changes ensured that the tests are designed in a way that is fair to all students.

Many schools actively accept students with weak test results in order to offer more chances for higher education to disadvantaged populations, Buckley says. Tests also can provide good information about a students strengths and weaknesses. That way, colleges and universities can better know what support services they need to offer.

Blaming a testfor inequality is like blaming a thermometer because a room is hot, Buckley said. They do not cause those inequalities. Its a piece of information that, were I an admissions officer, I would want to know.



Derek Briggs adds that is it not clear that standardized tests create better admissions conditions for wealthier students. He is a professor of education at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Briggss own research has shown that for-profit services that claim to be able improve test results have little real effect.

In fact, his research shows that private lessons led to less than a 20 percent increase on either part of the SAT.

The conventional wisdom is that the effects of the test preparation are much, much higher, he said. But theres not a lot evidence to support that.

However, Briggs admits his research is about 10 years old.

Im Pete Musto. And Im Caty Weaver.

Pete Musto adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

We want to hear from you. How should colleges and universities weigh standardized test results in the admissions process? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________ QUIZ Quiz - Research Raises Questions over Making SAT and ACT Optional in College Admissions Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

standardized testing  n. any form of testing that requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from common bank of questions, in the same way, and that is scored in a consistent manner

apply(ing) - to ask formally for something, such as a job, admission to a school, or a loan, usually in writing

academic  adj. of or relating to schools and education

submit  v. to give a document, proposal, or piece of writing to someone so that it can be considered or approved

optional - adj. available as a choice but not required

disabilities  n. conditions such as an illness or an injury that damage or limit a person's physical or mental abilities

disadvantaged  adj. lacking the things such as money and education that are considered necessary for an equal position in society

tutoring  n. special lessons involving just one student and one teacher

institution(s)  n. an established organization

de-emphasizing  v. taking away attention from something

thermometer  n. an instrument used for measuring temperature

conventional wisdom - n. opinions or beliefs that are held or accepted by most people American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved.

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 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research.Parkland Corporation operates as a marketer, distributor, and refiner of fuel and petroleum products in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Canada, International, USA, Supply, and Corporate segments. The Canada segment supplies and supports a coast-to-coast network of 1,860 retail gas stations under the Ultramar, Esso, Fas Gas Plus, Chevron, Pioneer, and Race Trac as well as operates convenience stores under the On the Run/MarchA Express brand. Additionally it offers bulk fuel, bulk and cylinder exchange propane, heating oil, lubricants, and other related products and services to commercial, industrial, and residential customers in various industries, such as oil and gas, construction, mining, forestry, fishing, and transportation under the Ultramar, Bluewave Energy, Pipeline Commercial, Chevron, Columbia Fuels, and Sparlings Propane brands. The International segment operates retail service stations under the Esso, Shell, and Sol brands; and delivers and supplies gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, propane, and lubricants to customers in various sectors, including power, oil and gas, and mining. The USA segment operates a network of gas stations; and delivers bulk fuel, lubricants, and other related products and services under the Farstad Oil, Rhinehart Oil, Tropic Oil, Superpumper, Harts, and On the Run brands. The Supply segment manufactures transportation fuels; transports, stores, and markets fuels, crude oil, and liquid petroleum gases; and manufactures and sells aviation fuel to airlines. This segment also engages in the wholesale, supply, and distribution business. The company was formerly known as Parkland Fuel Corporation and changed its name to Parkland Corporation in May 2020. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Read More4 hours ago

2 Downgrades In Healthcare You Might Want To Buy

When Opportunity Knocks In The Healthcare Industry Today were focusing on two stocks in the real of healthcare that just received some notable analyst activity. The activity is notable because it is bearish in light of recent market expectations and opens up what we see as potentially high-return entry opportunities.

Read ArticleConagra Brands, Inc. engages in the manufacture and sale of processed and packaged foods. It operates through the following segments: Grocery and Snacks; Refrigerated and Frozen; International; and Foodservice. The Grocery and Snacks segment includes branded, shelf stable food products sold in various retail channels in the United States. The Refrigerated and Frozen segment comprises branded, temperature controlled food products sold in various retail channels in the United States. The International segment consists branded food products, in various temperature states, sold in various retail and foodservice channels outside of the United States. The Foodservice segment focuses in the branded and customized food products, including meals, entrees, sauces, and a variety of custom-manufactured culinary products packaged for sale to restaurants and other foodservice establishments in the United States. The company was founded by Alva Kinney and Frank Little in 1919 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Bristol-Myers Squibb: 1096271 B.C. ULC, 345 Park LLC, A.G. Medical Services P.A., AHI Investment LLC, AbVitro LLC, Abraxis BioScience Australia Pty Ltd., Abraxis BioScience Inc., Abraxis BioScience International Holding Company Inc., Abraxis BioScience LLC, Abraxis BioScience Puerto Rico LLC, Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Adnexus, Adnexus a Bristol-Myers Squibb R&D Company, Allard Labs Acquisition G.P., Amira Pharmaceuticals, Amira Pharmaceuticals Inc., Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Apothecon LLC, B-MS Generx Unlimited Company, BMS Benelux Holdings B.V., BMS Bermuda Nominees L.L.C., BMS Data Acquisition Company LLC, BMS Forex Company, BMS Holdings Sarl, BMS Holdings Spain S.L., BMS International Insurance Designated Activity Company, BMS Investco SAS, BMS Korea Holdings L.L.C., BMS Latin American Nominees L.L.C., BMS Luxembourg Partners L.L.C., BMS Omega Bermuda Holdings Finance Ltd., BMS Pharmaceutical Korea Limited, BMS Pharmaceuticals Germany Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals International Holdings Netherlands B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Korea Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Mexico Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Netherlands Holdings B.V., BMS Real Estate LLC, BMS Spain Investments LLC, BMS Strategic Portfolio Investments Holdings Inc., Blisa Acquisition G.P., Bristol (Iran) S.A., Bristol Iran Private Company Limited, Bristol Laboratories Inc., Bristol Laboratories International S.A., Bristol Laboratories Medical Information Systems Inc., Bristol-Myers (Andes) L.L.C., Bristol-Myers (Private) Limited, Bristol-Myers Middle East S.A.L., Bristol-Myers Overseas Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Israel) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (NZ) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Proprietary) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Taiwan) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (West Indies) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb A.E., Bristol-Myers Squibb Aktiebolag, Bristol-Myers Squibb Argentina S. R. L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Australia Pty. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Axia Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb B.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Belgium S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Business Services Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada International Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Delta Company Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Denmark Filial of Bristol-Myers Squibb AB, Bristol-Myers Squibb EMEA Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Egypt LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Epsilon Holdings Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Ltda., Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Portuguesa S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb GesmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb GmbH & Co. KGaA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holding Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings 2002 Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Germany Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Ireland Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Pharma Ltd. Liability Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Ilaclari Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb India Pvt. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Company Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Investco L.L.C., Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K., Bristol-Myers Squibb Kft., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg International S.C.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb MEA GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Manufacturing Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Marketing Services S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Middle East & Africa FZ-LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Norway Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Nutricionales de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Peru S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (HK) Ltd, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (Thailand) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Holding Company LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Ventures Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Polska Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Products SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico/Sanofi Pharmaceutical Partnership Puerto Rico, Bristol-Myers Squibb Romania S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.A.U., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Holding Partnership, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Service Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Services Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Spol. s r.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Theta Finance Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Trustees Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Colombia S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Costa Rica Sociedad Anonima, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Guatemala S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb/Astrazeneca EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership, Bristol-Myers de Venezuela S.C.A., CHT I LLC, CHT II LLC, CHT III LLC, CHT IV LLC, CR Finance Company LLC, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals Inc., Celem LLC, Celem Ltd., Celgene, Celgene A.B., Celgene AS, Celgene Ab (Finland), Celgene Alpine Investment Co. II LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. III LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. LLC, Celgene ApS, Celgene B.V., Celgene BVBA, Celgene Brasil Produtos Farmaceuticos Ltda., Celgene CAR LLC, Celgene CAR Ltd., Celgene Chemicals Sarl, Celgene China Holdings LLC, Celgene Co., Celgene Corporation, Celgene Distribution B.V., Celgene EngMab GmbH, Celgene Europe B.V., Celgene Europe Limited, Celgene European Investment Company LLC, Celgene Financing Company LLC, Celgene Global Holdings Sarl, Celgene GmbH [Austria], Celgene GmbH [Germany], Celgene GmbH [Switzerland], Celgene Holdings East Corporation, Celgene Holdings II Sarl, Celgene Holdings III Sarl, Celgene Ilac Pazarlama ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Celgene Inc., Celgene International Holdings Corporation, Celgene International II Sarl, Celgene International III Sarl, Celgene International Inc., Celgene International Sarl, Celgene K.K., Celgene Kft., Celgene Limited [Hong Kong], Celgene Limited [Ireland], Celgene Limited [New Zealand], Celgene Limited [Taiwan], Celgene Limited [UK], Celgene Logistics Sarl, Celgene Ltd, Celgene Luxembourg Sarl, Celgene Management Sarl, Celgene NJ Investment Co, Celgene Netherlands B.V., Celgene Netherlands Investment B.V., Celgene Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Celgene Pte. Ltd., Celgene Pty Ltd, Celgene Puerto Rico Distribution LLC, Celgene Quanticel Research Inc, Celgene R&D Sarl, Celgene RIVOT LLC, Celgene RIVOT Ltd., Celgene RIVOT SRL, Celgene Receptos Limited, Celgene Receptos Sarl, Celgene Research Incubator At Summit West LLC, Celgene Research S.L.U., Celgene Research and Development Company LLC, Celgene Research and Development I ULC, Celgene Research and Development II LLC, Celgene Research and Investment Company II LLC, Celgene S. de R.L. de C.V., Celgene S.L.U., Celgene S.R.L., Celgene SAS, Celgene Sarl AU, Celgene Sdn Bhd, Celgene Services Sarl, Celgene Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Celgene Sp. Z.o.o., Celgene Sro [Czech Republic], Celgene Summit Investment Co, Celgene Switzerland Holding Sarl, Celgene Switzerland II LLC, Celgene Switzerland Investment Sarl, Celgene Switzerland LLC, Celgene Switzerland Sarl, Celgene Tri A Holdings Ltd., Celgene Tri Sarl, Celgene UK Distribution Limited, Celgene UK Holdings Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing II Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing III Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing Limited, Celgene d.o.o., Celgene sro [Slovakia], Celmed LLC, Celmed Ltd., ConvaTec Divestiture, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals AB, Crosp Ltd., Delinia Inc., Deuteria Pharmaceuticals Inc., DuPont Pharmaceuticals, E. R. Squibb & Sons Inter-American Corporation, E. R. Squibb & Sons L.L.C., E. R. Squibb & Sons Limited, EWI Corporation, EngMab Sarl, F-star Alpha, FermaVir Pharmaceuticals L.L.C., FermaVir Research L.L.C., Flexus Biosciences, Flexus Biosciences Inc., Forbius, Galecto Biotech, GenPharm International L.L.C., Gloucester Pharmaceuticals LLC, Grove Insurance Company Ltd., Heyden Farmaceutica Portuguesa Limitada, IFM Therapeutics, Impact Biomedicines Inc., Inhibitex, Inhibitex L.L.C., Innate Tumor Immunity Inc., JuMP Holdings LLC, Juno Therapeutics GmbH, Juno Therapeutics Inc., Kosan Biosciences, Kosan Biosciences Incorporated, Linson Investments Limited, Mead Johnson (Manufacturing) Jamaica Limited, Mead Johnson Jamaica Ltd., Medarex, Morris Avenue Investment II LLC, Morris Avenue Investment LLC, MyoKardia, O.o.o. Bristol-Myers Squibb, Oy Bristol-Myers Squibb (Finland) AB, Padlock Therapeutics, Padlock Therapeutics Inc., Pharmion LLC, Princeton Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Receptos LLC, Receptos Services LLC, RedoxTherapies Inc., Route 22 Real Estate Holding Corporation, SPV A Holdings ULC, Seamair Insurance DAC, Signal Pharmaceuticals LLC, Sino-American Shanghai Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Societe Francaise de Complements Alimentaires(S.O.F.C.A.), Squibb Middle East S.A., Summit West Celgene LLC, Swords Laboratories, VentiRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Westwood-Intrafin SA, Westwood-Squibb Pharmaceuticals Inc., X-Body Inc., ZymoGenetics, ZymoGenetics Inc., ZymoGenetics LLC, ZymoGenetics Paymaster LLC, iPierian, and iPierian Inc..The following companies are subsidiares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise: 3Com International Inc., 3PAR Inc., Apogee, Aruba Networks Inc., Aruba Networks International Cayman, Aruba Networks International Limited, BlueData Software, Cloud Cruiser, Cloud Technology Partners, Cloud Technology Partners Inc., Compaq Computer (Mauritius), Compaq Trademark B.V., Cray, Cray Inc., EDS World Corporation (Far East) LLC, EYP Mission Critical Facilities Inc., H3C Holdings Limited, HP Enterprise Services Australia Pty Ltd, HP Financial Services (Australia) Pty Limited, HP Financial Services (Chile) Limitada, HP Financial Services (Japan) K.K., HP Financial Services Arrendamento Mercantil S.A., HP Financial Services Company (Korea), HP Financial Services International Holdings Company, HPE Government LLC, HPFS Global Holdings I LLC, HPFS Global Holdings II LLC, HPFS Rental S.R.L., Hangzhou H3C Technologies Co. Ltd, Hewlett Packard Caribe BV LLC, Hewlett Packard Colombia Ltda., Hewlett Packard Enterprise (China) Co. Ltd., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V. Amstelveen Meyrin Branch, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Cie, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Costa Rica Limitada, Hewlett Packard Enterprise GlobalSoft Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise India Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Ireland Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Luxembourg SCA, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Polska sp. z o.o., Hewlett Packard Pathfinder LLC, Hewlett Packard Taiwan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (Israel) Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (M) Sdn. Bhd., Hewlett-Packard (Nigeria) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Schweiz) GmbH, Hewlett-Packard (Tanzania) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Thailand) Limited, Hewlett-Packard ApS, Hewlett-Packard Argentina S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Australia Pty Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Belgium SPRL/BVBA, Hewlett-Packard Bermuda Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Brasil Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Bulgaria EOOD, Hewlett-Packard Caribe B.V., Hewlett-Packard Caribe Y Andina B.V. LLC, Hewlett-Packard Chile Comercial Limitada, Hewlett-Packard Cyprus Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Egypt Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Financial Services (India) Private Limited, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Canada Company, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Company, Hewlett-Packard France SAS, Hewlett-Packard G1 SPV (Cayman) Company, Hewlett-Packard Gesellschaft mbH, Hewlett-Packard Ghana Limited, Hewlett-Packard GmbH, Hewlett-Packard Guatemala Limitada, Hewlett-Packard HK SAR Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Hellas EPE, Hewlett-Packard Holdings Ltd., Hewlett-Packard International Bank Designated Activity Company, Hewlett-Packard International Bank Public Limited Company, Hewlett-Packard International Sarl, Hewlett-Packard Italiana S.r.l., Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Korea Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Leasing Limited, Hewlett-Packard Limited, Hewlett-Packard Luxembourg Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Macau Limited, Hewlett-Packard Manufacturing Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Marigalante Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Middle East FZ-LLC, Hewlett-Packard Mocambique Limitada - Sociedada em Liquidacao, Hewlett-Packard Nederland B.V., Hewlett-Packard New Zealand, Hewlett-Packard Norge AS, Hewlett-Packard OY, Hewlett-Packard Operations Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Peru S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Philippines Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Portugal Lda., Hewlett-Packard SARL, Hewlett-Packard SIA, Hewlett-Packard Servicios Espana S.L., Hewlett-Packard Singapore (Sales) Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Hewlett-Packard Sverige AB, Hewlett-Packard Technology Center Inc., Hewlett-Packard Teknoloji Cozumleri Limited Sirketi, Hewlett-Packard The Hague B.V., Hewlett-Packard Venezuela S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Vision Limited, Hewlett-Packard d.o.o., Hewlett-Packard s.r.o., Limited Liability Company Hewlett Packard Enterprise, MapR Technologies, New H3C Technologies Co. Ltd., Niara Inc., Nimble Storage, Nimble Storage Inc., Nimble Storage Israel Ltd, Nimble Storage Japan GK, Nimble Storage UK Limited, Plexxi, RedPixie, SGI (Silicon Graphics), Sapphire Holding Co, Scytale, Shanghai Hewlett-Packard Co. Ltd., Silver Peak, SimpliVity, Sinope Holding B.V., Trilead, UAB ES Hague Lietuva, and Unis Huashan Technologies Co. Limited.Gildan Activewear Inc. manufactures and sells various apparel products in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It provides various activewear products, including T-shirts, fleece tops and bottoms, and sport shirts under the Gildan, Gildan Performance, Gildan Hammer, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, Anvil by Gildan, Alstyle, Prim + Preux, and GoldToe brands. The company also offers hosiery products comprising athletic; dress; and casual, liner, therapeutic, and workwear socks, as well as sheer panty hoses, tights, and leggings under the brands of Gildan, Under Armour, GoldToe, PowerSox, GT a GoldToe Brand, Silver Toe, Signature Gold by Goldtoe, Peds, MediPeds, Kushyfoot, Therapy Plus, All Pro, Secret, Silks, Secret Silky, and American Apparel. In addition, it provides men's and boys' underwear products, and ladies panties under the Gildan and Gildan Platinum brand names; and ladies' shapewear, intimates, and accessories under the Secret and Secret Silky brands. The company sells its products to wholesale distributors, screen printers, or embellishers, as well as to retailers and consumer brand companies. The company was formerly known as Textiles Gildan Inc. and changed its name to Gildan Activewear Inc. in March 1995. Gildan Activewear Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

Read MoreKAZ Minerals PLC, together with its subsidiaries, engages in mining and processing copper and other metals primarily in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan. It operates through Bozshakol, Aktogay, East Region and Bozymchak, and Mining Projects segments. The company operates the Aktogay and Bozshakol open pit copper mines in the east region and Pavlodar region of Kazakhstan; three underground mines in the east region of Kazakhstan; and the Bozymchak copper-gold mine in Kyrgyzstan. It also develops greenfield metal deposits; operates Koksay deposit in Kazakhstan, and the Baimskaya licence area in the Chukotka region of Russia; and produces and sells various by-products, such as gold, silver, molybdenum, and zinc. In addition, the company supplies and distributes heat, water, and electricity; and offers construction, project management, financing, management, sales and logistics, and repairs and maintenance services. The company was formerly known as Kazakhmys PLC and changed its name to KAZ Minerals PLC in October 2014. KAZ Minerals PLC was founded in 1930 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.

Read MoreWall Street analysts have given Enel Generacion Chile a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but Enel Generacion Chile wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.Kinder Morgan, Inc. operates as an energy infrastructure company. The firm engages in the operation of pipelines and terminals that transport natural gas, gasoline, crude oil, carbon dioxide (CO2) and other products and stores petroleum products chemicals and handles bulk materials like ethanol, coal, petroleum coke and steel. It operates through the following segments: Natural Gas Pipelines, CO2, Terminals, Product Pipelines and Kinder Morgan Canada. The Natural Gas Pipelines segment engages in the ownership and operation of major interstate and intrastate natural gas pipeline and storage systems, natural gas and crude oil gathering systems and natural gas processing and treating facilities. The CO2 segment focuses on the production, transportation and marketing of CO2 to oil fields that use CO2 as a flooding medium for recovering crude oil from mature oil fields to increase production. The Terminals segment consists of the ownership and operation of liquids and bulk terminal facilities located throughout the U.S. and portions of Canada that trans load and store refined petroleum products, crude oil, chemicals, ethanol and bulk products, including coal, petroleum coke, fertilizer,

Read More

Ronald Reagan

The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.

Albert Einstein

If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.

Winston Churchill





It isnt so much that liberals are ignorant. Its just that they know so many things that arent so.

With integrity nothing else counts; Without integrity nothing else counts.

Winston Churchill





Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life, but define yourself.

Harvey S. Firestone





It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office. H. L. Menken



Referenda insure all have a voice in land use decisions.

U.S. Supreme Court

Listen carefully to first criticism of your work. Note just what it is about your work the critics don't like - then cultivate it. That's the only part of your work that's individual and worth keeping.

Jean CocteauAs scientists try to research the medical benefits of marijuana, a simple problem has emerged: How do you research marijuana if no one can produce it under federal law?

Despite a solution proposed in mid-2016, which allowed the Drug Enforcement Administration to approve marijuana manufacturers, only the University of Mississippi has been approved, despite dozens of applications. And there's no sign the DEA intends to approve others anytime soon.

Advocates seem to blame one person for the delays: Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Ian Prior, spokesman for the Justice Department, declined to comment on the issue.

"The holdup is the Department of Justice," said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.

Congress is trying to take action to get the process moving.

A House committee recently approved a bipartisan bill authored by Rep. Luis Correa, D-Calif. It pushes the Department of Veterans Affairs to research marijuana's ability to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and other chronic pain.

Correa found many veterans already use marijuana as an alternative to highly addictive opioids.

Correa said the VA is already authorized to research cannabis under federal law, but when he asked the agency about its policies, officials said it had that authority.

"Cannabis is good for treating epilepsy, seizuresit is well-documented, we know it works. The question is what else does it work for?" Correa said.

"For us to stick our heads in a hole in the ground, and not research the medical aspects of thisit's criminal," he said. "Absolutely criminal."

Even in places where medical or recreational marijuana is legal at the state level, the VA has to comply with federal law and therefore cannot prescribe cannabis for medical purposes.

If the bill can pass Congressunlikely in an election year, but not impossible since it has support from members of both partiesincreasing future demand on medical marijuana research and the limitations of only having one manufacturer could severely limit research capabilities.

Gaetz introduced legislation in April that would force the attorney general to approve a certain number of cannabis manufacturers per year. It has 30 cosponsors, including Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., House Judiciary Committee chairman, a sign the legislation has a chance of at least making it to the House floor.

In the Senate, Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, sent a letter to Sessions a month ago asking why the applications at the DEA have stalled, with a Tuesdaydeadline for response. At least 25 manufacturers have applied, according to the letter, and none have been approved.

Prior said Thursday that officials "plan on responding in as expeditious a manner as possible." He did not respond to a follow-up question on if they thought they would respond by the deadline or ask for an extension.

Hatch and Harris mentioned concerns over veterans in that letter, and also warned that Senate legislation may be forthcoming to force the consideration of more manufacturers.

"Ninety-two percent of veterans support federal research on marijuana, and the Department of Veterans Affairs is aware that many veterans have been using marijuana to manage the pain of their wartime wounds," they wrote.

An official for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which works with the University of Mississippi in distributing marijuana for research purposes, said current inventory is "more than sufficient" for current needs. And while the agency said there hasn't been a major increase in demand for marijuana in recent years, there has been "emerging interest from the research community for a wider variety of marijuana and marijuana products."

The NIDA official said it's difficult to make sure certain strains are available at certain times, but the University of Mississippi does have a wide variety of plants available to researchers. NIDA does support increasing the number of manufacturers to "increase the variety and strains available to scientists."

There were 354 individuals and institutions approved by the DEA to conduct research on marijuana and its related components as of Aug. 11, 2016, the most recent data available. The University of Mississippi is the only manufacturer available to legally produce marijuana for those researchers.

The university can produce over 500 kilograms of marijuana in an outdoor growing season, and about 10 kilograms during indoor seasons, according to the university website.

He said many veterans in places like California, where mariojuana is legal for recreational use, are self-medicating using strains they can find in dispensaries, which are not necessarily the strains the University of Mississippi is producing for research.

"If you ask the University of Mississippi all the cannabis shops they sell toit's zero," the congressman said. "It's just good scientific practice. We need to test the stuff that people are using to medicate."

Explore further Bill to make medical marijuana available in Malta proposed

2018 McClatchy Washington Bureau

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Activists are rallying in Massachusetts, demanding more affordable insulin.

The Boston chapter of the Right Care Alliance is rallying Saturday in Cambridge to call for an end to what the organization calls "insulin profiteering."

The coalition of patients, health care professionals and community members says price increases have made an essential drug unaffordable for many with diabetes and resulted in unnecessary deaths.

Rally organizers say the average cost of insulin in the United States has tripled in the last 10 years, and it costs a person with Type 1 diabetes an average of $1,000 per month for insulin and supplies.

Speakers include Dr. Michelle Morse, a global health equity expert at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. Attendees also will hear from patients and mothers of children with diabetes.

Explore further Drugmaker Novo Nordisk profits jump in diabetes scourge

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.Asked by reporters about the mens return, Mr. Trump replied, The true honor is going to be if we have a victory in getting rid of nuclear weapons.

The arrival of the men in Maryland capped a whirlwind journey for Mr. Pompeo, who secured their release during a 13-hour visit to North Korea to arrange the summit meeting.

The president spent the hours before their arrival in a celebratory mood. He mentioned in a cabinet meeting that everyone thinks he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for overseeing the prisoners release.

But I would never say it, Mr. Trump continued. The prize I want is victory for the world.

The president had also posted excitedly on Twitter that he planned to greet the Hostages (no longer) upon their arrival. Their plane touched down just before 3 a.m.

In a statement as they traveled to the United States, the prisoners said that they wanted to give their deep appreciation to the United States government, President Trump, Secretary Pompeo and the people of the United States for bringing us home.

We thank God and all our families and friends who prayed for us and for our return, they said.

Mr. Trump, who delivered on a long-held promise this week by ending the United States involvement in the Iran nuclear deal, has sought to deliver on another by improving relations with North Korea after nearly seven decades of mutual antagonism.

Analysts are watching the negotiations closely to see if the return of the prisoners is a gesture of genuine good will from the North, or if Mr. Kim will ultimately use the release of the men as leverage for prolonging the time frame for reducing or completely dismantling North Koreas nuclear abilities.8 octobre 2021 :Exercons-nous a lesprit critique, partie 4 : petit kit de detection des discours conspirationnistes

Nous avons demarre cette serie depuis que le responsable de notre blog voisin, autorise la [...] Nous avons demarre cette serie depuis que le responsable de notre blog voisin, autorise la [...]

8 octobre 2021 :Un arret de la Cour administrative dappel de Paris permet le sacrifice des terres agricoles de Gonesse

Communique du Collectif Pour le Triangle de Gonesse La Cour Administrative dAppel de Paris a [...] Communique du Collectif Pour le Triangle de Gonesse La Cour Administrative dAppel de Paris a [...]

8 octobre 2021 :A Sevran, un bus pour laide aux demarches administratives

Un an apres avoir obtenu le label France Services, le PIMMS (points dinformation mediation [...] Un an apres avoir obtenu le label France Services, le PIMMS (points dinformation mediation [...]

8 octobre 2021 :Immobilier : les prix continuent de grimper en Ile-de-France sauf a Paris

Les prix de limmobilier sont en forte hausse ces derniers mois en Ile-de-France. Les [...] Les prix de limmobilier sont en forte hausse ces derniers mois en Ile-de-France. Les [...]

7 octobre 2021 : Se Construire  theatre au Lycee Voillaume, le 11 octobre 2021 a 10h

SE CONSTRUIRE est la reconstitution dune enquete sur le quartier des Beaudottes a Sevran et [...] SE CONSTRUIRE est la reconstitution dune enquete sur le quartier des Beaudottes a Sevran et [...]

7 octobre 2021 :Bon pere de famille, notre maire?

Nous vous parlions hier de ce projet immobilier sacrifiant l'espace Averino recemment inaugure [...] Nous vous parlions hier de ce projet immobilier sacrifiant l'espace Averino recemment inaugure [...]

7 octobre 2021 :Incendie au Vieux Pays

Photo envoyee par un de nos lecteurs vers 13h30. L'incendie a debute dans le magasin qui jouxte [...] Photo envoyee par un de nos lecteurs vers 13h30. L'incendie a debute dans le magasin qui jouxte [...]

7 octobre 2021 :Samedi 9 octobre, les jardins du zephir fete la semaine du developpement durable

FORMATION AU COMPOSTAGE ANIMEE AdultesFormation qualifiante avec un maitre composteur. Un [...] FORMATION AU COMPOSTAGE ANIMEE AdultesFormation qualifiante avec un maitre composteur. Un [...]

7 octobre 2021 :Un nouveau programme immobilier: la Jaganda

Une jangada n'est pas qu'un train de bois, un vaste radeau en Amerique du Sud, c'est aussi un [...] Une jangada n'est pas qu'un train de bois, un vaste radeau en Amerique du Sud, c'est aussi un [...]

7 octobre 2021 :Pourquoi la taxe damenagement augmente?

L'explication de la municipalite Serait ce la fin du betonnage dans notre ville??? Voici ce [...] L'explication de la municipalite Serait ce la fin du betonnage dans notre ville??? Voici ce [...]

7 octobre 2021 :Le Rugby Aulnay Club fete ses 60 ans

Le maire -adjoint charge de l'urbanisme, President du "Rugby Aulnay Club" fetera avec le ,maire [...] Le maire -adjoint charge de l'urbanisme, President du "Rugby Aulnay Club" fetera avec le ,maire [...]

6 octobre 2021 :Pas de retransmission du conseil municipal en direct

Nous ne tirerons pas sur le pianiste mais il est bien dommage qu'une ville telle que la notre [...] Nous ne tirerons pas sur le pianiste mais il est bien dommage qu'une ville telle que la notre [...]

6 octobre 2021 :Un projet immobilier de 120 logements incluant lespace Averino vendu

La municipalite vend les bijoux de famille Suite a notre article relatif au conseil municipal [...] La municipalite vend les bijoux de famille Suite a notre article relatif au conseil municipal [...]

6 octobre 2021 :Tarifs de trois piscines

Le Blanc-Mesnil, Villepinte, deux villes voisines de la notre dont les tarifs de leur piscine [...] Le Blanc-Mesnil, Villepinte, deux villes voisines de la notre dont les tarifs de leur piscine [...]

6 octobre 2021 :Le Phoneside vendu dans les FNAC

Nous vous avions deja parle de ce produit issu d'une start-up aulnaysienne. Depuis, son [...] Nous vous avions deja parle de ce produit issu d'une start-up aulnaysienne. Depuis, son [...]

6 octobre 2021 :Lavenir de la friche PSA se dessine un peu plus

Le Parisien revient sur le "show des grands projets" dont nous vous avons parle ainsi que [...] Le Parisien revient sur le "show des grands projets" dont nous vous avons parle ainsi que [...]

5 octobre 2021 :Conseil municipal du 6 octobre, les documents COMPLETS en ligne [MAJ]

Le prochain conseil municipal aura lieu ce mercredi 6 octobre a 20h a la salle Pierre Peugeot [...] Le prochain conseil municipal aura lieu ce mercredi 6 octobre a 20h a la salle Pierre Peugeot [...]

5 octobre 2021 : La semaine bleue , cote velo

Nous ne touchons aucun euro de cette enseigne mais le mail qui nous a ete envoye nous a semble [...] Nous ne touchons aucun euro de cette enseigne mais le mail qui nous a ete envoye nous a semble [...]He was a very generous, open man, said Warren Winiarski, founder and former proprietor of Stags Leap Wine Cellars, where Koerners first wife Joan Rombauer worked as a marketing assistant. From his flying days, his aspirations were always high and he reached them. I admired him and Joan.

Hugh Davies of Schramsberg and Davies Vineyards said, Clearly, he was a giant of a man, he was big and he was a big presence. He was a very community-oriented, selfless presence. He was one who really was always there to help the other members of the tribe, so to speak. Were all in this together and he was somebody who embodied that. He wanted to help make our community endeavors be successful, to make better wines, to raise our community to a better place and he succeeded.

Koerner Rombauer was born and raised in Escondido, where he married Joan Ransome, his wife of 43 years. He served in the California Air National Guard as a pilot from 1956 to 1965, beginning his lifelong love of flying. Koerner and Joan had two children, Sheana and KR, who were born in Escondido. They moved to Texas where Koerner began his career as a commercial airline pilot flying for Braniff International Airways in 1965.Its time for some fun with numbers, dissecting a new state report on population trends.

The big number is 39.8 million. Thats the state Department of Finances latest calculation of Californias population as of Jan. 1.

Its doubtless a little low, since California has a very large number of residents who fly below the official radar  the homeless and many undocumented immigrants, particularly. So lets call it 40 million.

Thats almost twice as many as those living in California when Jerry Brown began his first stint as governor in 1975. However, as the latest data again confirm, the states rate of population growth has been declining.

During the 1980s, thanks to high immigration and birth rates, California was expanding by 2-plus percent a year, adding 6 million residents in just 10 years. However, immigration, legal and illegal, is now a fraction of what it once was (we lose more people to other states than we gain) and births are declining while deaths are rising.

In 2017, the state report says, California added just 309,000 people. Numerically, thats about half of the 1980s surge and our annual growth rate (.78 percent) is scarcely a third of what it was then.The history of economic sanctions has yielded one clear rule: Unilateral sanctions, even from a country as powerful as the United States, never work. (See Cuba, where a tyrannical regime has withstood a U.S. trade embargo for more than half a century.)

But lets imagine that the Treasury Department gets tough on Europe, makes sanctions effective and does damage to Irans already sputtering economy. Does it seem likely that Tehran will meekly sign a new agreement with the president who walked away from the previous accord?

Thats a hope, not a strategy. But thats what the president says will happen.

Irans leaders will naturally say that they refuse to negotiate a new deal ... and thats fine, Trump said. Id probably say the same thing if I was in their position. But the fact is they are going to want to make a new and lasting deal.

Maybe. Or the regime might collapse, an outcome Trump didnt call for explicitly but seemed to hint at. Or Irans hardliners, with their backs against the wall, could revive their nuclear-weapons program and confront the West with the choice of going to war or accepting a nuclear Iran. Thats the eventuality the 2015 deal was designed to avoid.The recent attack on Kanye West is nothing new for Negroes who venture outside of the mindset of the plantation. Martin Luther King, Jr. received the same reaction when he began to speak out against the Vietnam War, and as they say didnt stay in his place.

Whats so insidious about this conversation about Kanye West is the fact that Negroes are cutting other Negroes down because of what he said and who he said it about. The whole incident reminds me of the great divide in the black community.

Black people are putting down each other because another black chooses to voice political support of a White man while others voice support of their White political positions, its like my massa is better that you massa, both are put each other down for someone else rather than uplift each other up for having the guts and integrity to utilize the freedom that came with Civil Rights, to speak ones own mind.

Remember, it was fellow Africans who helped the slave traders capture other Africans for the slave market. And why? Because they relished the authority and what the slave traders could do for them.Armenia sets up governmental commission for funeral of Ambassador Vigen Chitechyan

Armenia opposition MP: Yerevan, Baku are synchronously working to destroy Armenian statehood

Slovenia Ambassador to Armenia: Armenian-Slovenian economic relations not adequate to existing potential

Cavusoglu: Ukraine has applied to obtain observer status in Turkic Council

Turkey building a wall on border with Iran

Basque Country Parliament, affirming European Parliament's stance, adopts resolution on Armenian POWs

Turkish FM touches upon Armenia-Azerbaijan relations

Armenia FM receives Apostolic Nuncio of Holy See Jose Avelino Bettencourt

Saakashvili's father calls on son to stop hunger strike

Armenian and Belarusian MFAs hold political consultations

Digest: Russia offers 3+3 Caucasus regional platform, more on COVID-19 vaccination in Armenia

Armenia MOD receives Diaspora Armenian benefactors

Armenia Ambassador presents credentials to Turkmenistan President

Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker and Russia Ambassador: We are interested in expansion of cooperation

Armenia finance ministry-European Investment Bank cooperation development directions discussed

One dollar drops below AMD 480 in Armenia

Hague court announces dates for considering petition for Armenian captives return, urgent measures against Azerbaijan

Armenia minister, Rosatom representative discuss cooperation in new sectors for infrastructure development

Armenia PM underscores need for effective investigation of criminal cases on 44-day war circumstances

Armenia MFA: Servants, followers of Armenian Church should have unimpeded access to cathedral in Artsakhs Shushi

Armenia opposition With Honor Faction lawmaker: MPs can be part of any parliamentary delegation

Turkish Armed Forces' 3rd army corps commander visits Nakhchivan

Sergey Markedonov: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not over

Opposition 'Armenia' faction: There is always a threat of war, but it is less likely in the near future

Armenian and Greek competition protection authorities sign Memorandum of Cooperation

Georgia FM comments on possibility of his country joining 3 + 3 format proposal including Armenia

Ruling power MP: Armenia needs to consider, grasp opportunities of 3 + 3 negotiation format

12 new cases of coronavirus reported in Karabakh

FM meets with Sweden ambassador, stresses need for return of all Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan

Ukraine MP who penned Armenian Genocide recognition draft decision dies

Azerbaijan organizes another visit to occupied Shushi of Artsakh

Ombudsman in Rome, presents Armenian captives issue to international media

ANCA calls on US Congress to investigate State Department failures related to Armenia, Artsakh

Armenia opposition MP: Tatev bypass road will not resolve all our problems in current situation (PHOTOS)

1,202 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Opposition Armenia bloc challenges, at Constitutional Court, community enlargement law package

Armenia Central Bank chief in Rome, meets with Italy PM

Russia peacekeepers, philanthropists hand warm clothes to Artsakh families

State Department: US, Russia do not want to allow Iran to have nuclear weapons

Newspaper: Armenia state to no longer cover treatment expenses of patients not vaccinated against coronavirus?

Newspaper: Armenia judicial system to be in volatile situation in short time

UN Human Rights Council agrees to appoint special rapporteur on Afghanistan

Russia citizen driver, 52, dies on the spot after his car crashes into truck in Armenia

Launch of Armenian Studies Program announced during Armenia President's visit to Sapienza University

Will Turks be able to enter 26 countries of Schengen Area without visas?

Dinner served in honor of Armenia President and his wife in Italy

Armenian parliamentary standing committee chairman meets with Russia Ambassador

Armenia Ombudsman submits to Pope Francis reports on tortures of Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan

Customs Attache: There hasn't been and there is no bias against Armenian drivers at Upper Lars checkpoint

Greece-France defense agreement will allow them to help each other in case of third country's attack

Treatment of coronavirus-infected but unvaccinated people to become paid service in Armenia as of December?

Turkish FM: Turkey's position on supporting Ukraine's "integrity and sovereignty" remains unchanged

Russian peacekeeping forces, charitable organizations provide assistance to boarding school in Karabakh

Zakharova: Moscow proceeds from priority to ensure geopolitical stability in South Caucasus

Armenia President pays tribute at Altar of the Homeland monument at Venice Square in Rome

Turkey, Iran to hold political consultations

Karabakh FM expresses condolences over death of Vigen Chitechyan

Armenia territorial administration and infrastructure minister has new deputy

Armenia Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan receives US Ambassador

Armenia Security Council Secretary, Netherlands Ambassador attach importance to fight against corruption

Digest: Armenian POW returned from Azerbaijan, PACE speaks on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination risks

Armenia and Italy are deepening cooperation in justice sector

Apprehended ARF-D members are released

Armenia high-tech industry minister receives Russia Ambassador

Armenia Embassy in Russia hosts delegation led by Armenian parliamentary speaker

Decisions to arrest Armenia ex-defense minister, arms supplier are appealed

Dollar continues going down in Armenia

Artsakh President to Putin: Your role in process of peaceful, final settlement of Karabakh conflict is invaluable

Amir-Abdollahian: We consider inadmissible Zionist regime provocative movement in our region from Azerbaijan territory

Iran FM announces readiness to visit Armenia, Azerbaijan

US ambassador to Armenia attends unveiling of new x-ray machine donated to Ashtarak city hospital (PHOTOS)

Putin: Russia attaches great importance to close cooperation with strategic ally Armenia

Police disrupt ARF youths protest outside Armenia government building

Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople meets with the Pope, in the Vatican

UK envoy to Armenia does not comment on Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, Karabakh situation

Iran Supreme Leaders representative leaves Azerbaijan

Armenias Pashinyan to Russias Putin: We are grateful for your efforts to establish peace in South Caucasus

Putin, Aliyev confer on situation in South Caucasus

Putin, Erdogan discuss regional issues

4 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh

PACE new resolution urges to ensure that COVID-19 vaccination is not mandatory

Zelensky sacks Ukraine ambassador to Armenia

PM: Armenia, Armenian people are grateful to Japan

Armenia PM: We have made decision regarding local elections

Armenia, Italy presidents farewell ceremony held in Rome (PHOTOS)

Sarkissian to Putin: Armenia highly values your contribution to maintenance of peace, stability in region

Having legal system is important for business development in fair environment, says UK ambassador to Armenia

Armenia President, Italy PM meeting in Rome (PHOTOS)

Baku not ruling out another meeting between Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs

Armenia President meets with Rome mayor

1,309 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Biden approval rating hits new low in latest poll

Armenia ombudsman in Italy parliament, presents evidence of Azerbaijan torture of Armenian captives

World oil prices dropping

Serial killer in US lured by social media is sentenced to 160 years in prison

Newspaper: Armenia authorities face new problems in setting up parliament committee of inquiry into 44-day war

Newspaper: Opposition Armenia bloc plans to hold forums, rally

Armenia PM admits that in 2018 he could have disclosed Karabakh negotiation process content

Armenia health minister: Out of 2,446 hospital beds for coronavirus patients, 2,300 are occupied

China-Taiwan military escalation reaches peak in past four decadesYEREVAN.  The new Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, informed on his Facebook page that he and his family will move to live in the governmental private house; he noted that this is a requirement of the countrys law.

We are moving to that private house based on several considerations, Pashinyan explained. The Republic of Armenia legislation defines that the Prime Minister [of the country] must live in that private house. If that private house remains empty, there can be a symbolism that there is no Prime Minister in the Republic of Armenia. (). In the future, we will think about how to amend, or not to amend, the [respective] legislation.

I intend to also occupy the state[-owned] private house provided for the Prime Minister. At this moment, [ex-President and ex-PM] Serzh Sargsyan and former Constitutional Court President [current Supreme Judicial Council Chairman] Gagik Harutyunyan live in that area.

Pashinyan noted that Sargsyan will be moving to another place in the near future, and he will be provided another private house in the manner prescribed by law.

As for Gagik Harutyunyan, it will be seen from legislation as to what extent it is permissible that he lives in the governmental private house, added the new PM. He said the law clearly states that the Prime Minister shall live there.

Incidentally, Nikol Pashinyan promised to show this private house in one of his upcoming live streams on his Facebook page.

Yesterday [Thursday] I was there for the first time, he added. You [Armenias taxpayers] will know what you are paying for.Home | News | General | Breaking: President Buhari returns to Abuja from London

President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Abuja from London after a successful routine medical check-up in London.

Reports have it that the president who arrived Nigeria on Friday had initially planned to return on Saturday but decided to reduce his stay in the UK by a day.

The presidential aircraft conveying him and some of his aides landed at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja at about 7.00 p.m.

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Alhaji Muhammad Bello and a representative of the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, were at the airport to receive him.

The Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari was among other government officials that received him.

Buhari departed Abuja for London on Tuesday for the routine medical check-up.

NAN

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: GeneralHome | News | General | NNPC to commence oil exploration along Gongola Basin  GMD

The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Dr Maikanti Baru, on Friday said that the company would commence oil exploration along Gongola Basin.

NNPC

Baru said this in Bauchi while delivering Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) pre-convocation lecture titled Enhancing University-Industry Collaboration to support Nigerian Content Policy, Industrialization and Economic Growth.

Baru explained that the exploration would be conducted in collaboration with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, and Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola.

He said the partners were providing technical support in the area of environmental impact assessment.

Soon, we shall start drilling exploratory wells in the Gongola Basin commencing with appraisal of the Kolmani River-1 discovery Field.

This is one of the significant achievements of this administration within the last three years, especially on oil exploration activities, Baru said.

He said that Nigerian companies were now participating in oil and gas activities that were hitherto carried out by foreign companies.

We now have Nigerians holding senior technical positions, proud owners of oil rigs and marine vessels, while spare parts hitherto being imported, are now produced in the country.

For the first time, Nigerians are allowed to participate in bidding and lifting of oil and Nigerians now constitute half of the off takers.

We want to develop domestic in-country value addition capacity capable of transforming Nigeria to self-reliant exporter of refined products, energy, power, oil and gas services, the GMD said.

He said that educational advancement would continue to play key role in sustaining the gains of the Nigerian content policy.

Universities will assist through the production of highly skilled manpower and research outcomes that can help the industry remain profitable and grow in spite of the stiff competition and increased economic uncertainties.

There is cogent need to also realign the objectives of our educational pursuits to reflect the progress and challenges of the 21st Century economy, which is technology and innovation.

The Nigerian university system, compared with those in developing countries, has fallen short of the progress required to support sustainable and economic growth, Baru stated.

According to him, without effective synergy between Universities and industry, Nigerias technological and economic progress will continue to stall, while other countries move forward.

Nigerian university system rose from 30 universities in the 1980s to 162 universities in the last four decades but without cogent alignment, Baru observed.

NAN

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: GeneralHome | News | General | My wife was sexually battered by Alfas while seeking for love charms, husband tells court

Ibadan  A 31-year-old man, Kehinde Oludayo, on Friday told an Idi-Ogungun Customary Court, Agodi, Ibadan, that his wife, Jumoke, 26, was sexually battered while seeking for love charms from spiritualists.

sex

Oludayo made this known when he testified in the petition brought by his wife seeking dissolution of their seven year marriage for alleged brutality and lack of care.

He told the court that his wife fell into the hands of fraudsters while seeking for love charms from Alfas but was sexually battered.

The father of two accused his wife of infidelity and lack of respect for him as her husband.

He told the court that his wife never obeyed his instruction, saying her curiosity for miracles led her to fall into the hands of some fraudsters that assaulted her sexually.

My lord, she didnt recognise me as her husband because she lives a carefree life.

In her search for love charms from some fraudsters that pretended to be Alfas made her to fall prey and she was gang raped.

Though she opened up to me and pleaded for forgiveness but her attitude didnt change after the shameful experience. he said

The respondent denied the allegation of brutality and that he tried his best in performing his responsibility as a husband and father of the two kids of the union.

He alleged that her mother-in-law pushed his wife to divorce him, saying his in-laws hate him.

He, however, pleaded with the court to resolve the issue instead of dissolving the marriage, saying he still love his wife despite what she did.

Earlier, Jumoke, had told the court that her husband turned her into a punching bag and always threatened her life.

She described her seven-year-old union with the respondent as a calamity, saying she was tired of constant beatings.

She further said that Oludayo never care for the upkeep of the kids nor treat her with love.

She, however, was silent on the allegation of been sexually assaulted, and gang raped, but insisted that the court should dissolve the marriage.

Jumoke threatened to kill herself if the court fail to grant her request.

The President of the court, Chief Mukaila Balogun, said that evidence of both parties, especially that of the petitioner had proved that there was no more love between them.

Balogun noted that the rampant cases of domestic violence which had led to wife killing husband and husband killing wife was enough to uphold the request of the petitioner.

Though, the court prioritise resolution of marriage disputes but is handicapped in some instances.

The marriage is therefore dissolved and custody of the two kids is given to the petitioner.

The respondent is ordered to pay N7,000 monthly for the upkeep of the children and should be responsible for the education of the children. (NAN)

DAK/OFN/MZA

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: GeneralHome | News | General | Aftermath of APC ward congresses: Okorocha, Abe, Sani, others weigh options

*Amaechi, Abes supporters shut down Port-Harcourt Court Complex

*Court restrains APC from holding Rivers LG Congresses,

*Amaechi faction vows to go ahead

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor, Egufe Yafugborhi & Davies Iheamnachor

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and several other leading lights of the All Progressives Congress, APC who lost out in the intrigues that characterised last weekends ward congresses of the party are this weekend weighing their options amidst confusing signals on the local government area congresses scheduled for today.

Besides Okorocha, among other leading lights who lost out upon claims of failure to conduct ward congresses were Senators Magnus Abe, Shehu Sani, Othman Hunkuyi, minister of communication, Adebayo Shittu.

Okorocha

The battle for supremacy in the Rivers State chapter of the APC was on knife-edge yesterday after supporters of Abe obtained a court injunction to stop todays local government congresses in the state. The injunction was preceded with much drama in Port-Harcourt yesterday as the court complex as APC supporters allegedly belonging to the mainstream camp of the minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi occupied the court complex to prevent the issuance of the injunction.

They were, however, pushed aside by a combination of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP partisans and supporters of Abe to allow the court to issue the injunction. The melee inevitably drew the attention of Governor Nyesom Wike who flayed Amaechi for trying to instigate violence and cripple the Rivers State judiciary.

Meanwhile, after being outsmarted by his rivals in the Imo State branch of the APC, Governor Okorocha was yesterday weighing his options even as he launched a tirade against one of his leading political antagonists in the party, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume.

The governor was yesterday insisting that fresh congresses would hold, a claim that has been dismissed by his rivals led by his deputy and onetime right-hand man, Prince Eze Madumere. The Madumere camp comprising of Senators Ararume, Osita Izunaso, and Benjamin Umajumogu, Hope Uzodinma, Okorochas former Commissioner for Information, Theodore Ekechi among others, however, insist that they are forging ahead with the local government congress today.

A source in the national leadership of the party told Saturday Vanguard yesterday that the local government congress would go ahead in Imo State saying:

Okorocha has lost out, and the best he has been offered is to get his nominees into the local government congress panel, but that can be of no respite to him as he lost out at the wards.

Saturday Vanguard could not immediately confirm the next political moves of the governor who last Thursday warned that the APC was now behaving like the PDP of old. Yesterday, the governors Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo warned that Ararume and his group would not frustrate Okorochas plan to foist his son in law, Uche Nwosu as governor in 2019.

In case they do not know, APC members in the state will never, never allow them to reap where they never sowed. And they will never be allowed to destroy APC.

They cannot do all these. And by the grace of God, by 2019 Uche Nwosu will be voted into power by Imo people as their governor, in whom they are well pleased, the statement said. It could not be confirmed the directions Shittu, Senators Sani, Hunkuyi would trudge to sustain leverage in the party.

However, Senator Abe who complained that there was no congress in Rivers State obtained a court injunction to stop todays local government congress.

The order was given as Governor Wike and the state Attorney General, Emma Aguma, SAN expressed worry over the conduct of some APC members who temporarily shut the state judiciary for hours in attempt to arrest the eventual court judgment.

The chaos escalated when a counter force of youths, allegedly including elements from the PDP moved in to break the locks on the court gates, paving the way for the court sitting where the injunction was given.

In the melee journalists, litigants and lawyers present at the court complex were brutalised by thugs as policemen shot sporadically to disperse the crowd.

Following the restoration of calm, Justice Chiwendu Nwogu, issued an injunction barring the APC from going on with the LG congress and adjourned further hearing till 26th June.

Henry Bellow who appeared for the applicants said: I am counsel for members of the APC unconstitutionally excluded from participating in the purported congress even after they had satisfied the conditions precedence to their participation according to APC guidelines.

They paid money for nomination forms. They paid but got to APC secretariat, it was locked only to hear winners have emerged in the Congress and it is against the constitution of the party.

There was, however, more confusion when Cuturu Eddeh, counsel for the APC defendants, said to have been sent from the national office to take over the matter, accused the state legal adviser of the party, Chiwikpe Chieme of professional misconduct, adding that he (Chiwikpe) had no mandate to represent APC on the matter. He said that Chiwikpe had been suspended from the party since last year.

The attorney general of the state, Aguma, expressed strong reservations over the crisis, said: APC supporters came here and closed the court, but youths of Rivers came and opened it. The police behaved well except for the men of Special Anti-Robbery Squad, who were shooting at Rivers youths.

What is happening is not related to court. It is APC verses APC, and they came to close the court. Tomorrow they will come to say that the state is unsafe.

Wike raps APC, Police

The situation also caught the attention of Governor Wike who visited the court later in the day to inspect damages, warning that he will not allow the APC to breach the rule of law in the state.

The governor said, This is very unfortunate. Do not trivialize this invasion by saying it is just an attack by the APC on the judiciary. This is a complete coup by the Nigerian Police and the APC to overthrow the Rivers State Government.

We have said it before, and we have been vindicated by this callous joint invasion of the Rivers Judiciary. We cannot continue to rely on the police to defend us. We must all stand up to defend democracy. What has happened is a sign of what APC and Police have planned.

APC Federal Government is not prepared for election. Therefore, they want to truncate the nations democracy. They are fomenting trouble to create an avenue for the military to take over.

The APC Federal Government sponsored Senator Omo-Agege at the Federal High Court. Nobody invaded the court. This action by the Police and APC is not acceptable.

The governor who accused his predecessor, Amaechi of masterminding the youth violence at the high court, further said, We must defend ourselves and the nations democracy. We cannot continue to rely on the police. Remember, it was the police that kidnapped a sitting governor.

Nigerians have rejected the APC, and there is nothing anybody can do about it. Since they are unpopular, they want to truncate the nations democracy.

He commended Rivers youths for rising in defence of their mandate by mobilising to open the courts, despite the shootings by the Nigerian Police.

LG congress must go on  APC

Reacting to the development, Spokesman for the Rivers APC, Chris Finebone, insisted that the LG congress would hold in Rivers despite the restraining court order. Finebone said, What happened today is proof that our earlier alarm that a small group in APC collected money from Governor Wike to destabilize and sabotage the party came to lights as PDP came to distabilize the protest of APC around the court.

He accused the PDP of mobilising the thugs that besieged the court.

Our position is that the Congress has started long ago. The train has long left the station. Our congress is not a stand-alone thing. Legally there is nothing anybody can do in a process that has started.

The LG is a continuation of it. The party has not also been served any letter of Injunctions. So the Congress will hold as planned including that of May 19th. The intervention of PDP is not necessary. It shows the Government of Rivers is out to pocket the judiciary.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: GeneralHome | News | General | Honorable Killed After Paying N500K To Kidnappers, Corpse Recovered In Forest (Photos)

The corpse of a lawmaker has been recovered in a forest after his abductors killed and dumped the body even after receiving an amount of ransom.

Delta State Police Command yesterday recovered the remains of Hon. Onos Onokpoma from Okurekpo thick forest in Ethiope East after a two days thorough search.

According to reports, the notorious kidnappers who are said to hail from Eku, Okurekpo and Oviorie have been apprehended and currently in Police detention, also the victims keeper is currently on the Run, his wife has been apprehended, including two others suspects who were fingered in the conspiracy are also on the run.

The kidnappers were said to have collected a ransom Of N500,000.00 after executing Hon. Onose Onakpoma





Hon. Evance Ochuko Ivwurie, member Representing Ethiope East in the House of Representative personally led and coordinated the arrests and recovery of the victim.

The anti kidnap Unit Of the Delta State Police Command recovered the body of Hon. Onose Onakpoma who was kidnapped and shot dead by a notorious group of kidnappers operating in Ethiope East LGA.

The Omote Eboh, a kidnap-for-ransom network in the thick forest between Okurekpo and Okuekpagha boundary (Omue tete) carried out a major robbery operation on 31st March, 2018 where they robbed over 20 people including Hon. Onose Onakpoma and there after which they kidnapped him and hauled him to the thick forest where he was promptly killed before the Kidnappers called to pick up a ransom of N500,000.00 and thereafter vanished into the thin air with no trace of Hon. Onakpoma and a little or no trace of the Kidnappers.

Most of the perpetrators of the heinous crime have been apprehended including those who aided the escape of the kidnap Victim Keeper- Omote Eboh and his wife.

Hon. Honourable Evance Ivwurie member representing Ethiope East in the Delta State House Of Assembly continues with all efforts to make good [on] his commitment to ensure the arrest of the perpetrators and ensure the recovery and return of the remains of the kidnap victim Hon. Onakpoma to his hometown in Urhuoka, Abraka to accord to him the decent burial he deserves, said Barrister Akoro M. C spokesman and Legal Assistant Of Hon. Evance Ivwurie.

Hon Onakpomas remains are in the Eku Baptist Government Hospital morgue while officials are preparing legal documents to release the body to the family.

Source: NationaHelm

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: GeneralHome | News | General | End Of The Road: How Offa Robbery Suspect Was Nabbed After Sneaking Into A Hotel In Kwara

One of the Offa robbery suspects has been nabbed by the police after he reportedly sneaked into a hotel in Kwara.

A report by the New Telegraph has shown that a serving policeman identified simply as Isiaka (surname withheld) is among the principal suspects being held for the Offa robbery in Kwara State on April 5.

It was learnt that the suspect, who is a native of Ilorin, the state capital, is a sergeant and was among the first set of suspects arrested over the incident and had remained in detention since then.

A source, who is privy to the investigation, told New Telegraph that the suspect is still being held because investigators believe he had more to say.

He is among the eight people that have now been confirmed to have more to say over the robbery, out of the initial 12 that were arrested around Offa and Ilorin. You will recall that eight suspects were initially arrested and in line with our mandate, we profiled them so as to ascertain the level of involvement of each suspect.

So far, we have every reason to believe he has more to tell us beyond what he had said. It is for this reason we are still keeping him, the source said yesterday.

Meanwhile, the former police constable, Michael Adikwu, who was arrested over the bloody incident in had actually vowed to kill many policemen, following his dismissal from the state command.

Sources within the command who were familiar with his case revealed during the week that Adikwu was actually on a revenge mission over his dismissal, a probable reason for the high number of policemen that were killed during the operation. Nine policemen were among the about 30 victims of the robberry, which shook the entire nation over its barbaric execution. Adikwu had been dismissed after an orderly room trial found him guilty of complicity in the escape of some robbery suspects from detention.

He was subsequently tried in court and sentenced to three years imprisonment. I knew him then, and I know that when he was dismissed for aiding the escape of some robbery suspects he did actually vow that he will kill many policemen, one officer confided in our reporter in Ilorin yesterday.

Asked for details on how the robbery kingpin was nabbed, another source confirmed that Adikwu had sneaked into a hotel (name withheld) around Niger/Muritala area of Ilorin on Monday night to enjoy himself.

He came alone and we still wonder at the effrontery so soon after the robbery. He didnt know that he would be recognised but you remember the CP had informed the public to assist. So, it was somebody who had seen his picture and saw him entering the hotel that gave the hint and our men moved in that same night. He was an easy target.

It was easy to identify him because he had pulled off his face mask once they entered the bank, not knowing that another CCTV was still recording their activities as they were ransacking drawers in one of the banks.

He led investigators from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT) to two other members of his gang.

Meanwhile, a visit to the command headquarters during the week indicated that security had been reinforced around the SARS office where some of the suspects are still being detained. Police commissioner for Kwara State, Aminu Pai Saleh, had on assumption of duty in the state revealed that hoteliers were assisting the police in tracking the robbers.

The proprietor of a hotel where the armed robbers allegedly spent the night before the operation has been arraigned before an Ilorin Magistrates Court along with the hotels accountant, a receptionist, a room keeper and a club house operator as well as four lodgers who were staying in the hotel at the time the suspected robbers also allegedly lodged there.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: GeneralHome | News | General | You Wont Believe What Happened After Young Boy Failed To Recite The Quran Before His Aunt In Lagos

A young boy who failed to recite to the Quran before his aunt in Lagos, has ended up receiving a brutal punishment.

It has been reported that a Magistrate court sitting in Ikorodu, Lagos State on Friday, arraigned a 29-year-old woman, Ummi Bashiru for allegedly battering her nephew over his inability to recite the Quran.

Bashiru, a resident of Gbodo area, Ewu Owa community in Ikorodu, is being tried on a count charge of assault, an offence he denied committing.

The prosecutor, Sgt. John Ibreredem told the court that the accused committed the offence on April 26, at her residence.

He further disclosed that Bashiru assaulted the 12-year-old nephew who lives with her by using an electric wire and stick to beat him severally.

The accused is an aunt to the boy. She usually beats him severely with horsewhips, cutlass and other dangerous weapon which has left permanent scars on his body.

The last beatings aroused the neighbours who reported her to the police.

She battered the boy with electric wire because he cannot recite Quran, Iberedem told the court.

He said that the offence contravened Section 171 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Bashiru, was, however granted bail in the sum of N200,000, with two sureties in like sum by the Chief Magistrate, F. A. Azeez

Azeez, who adjourned the case until May 31.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: GeneralKUALA LUMPURMalaysias scandal-ridden former leader Najib Razak was hit with a travel ban Saturday as speculation mounted he was about to flee the country following his shock election loss, in a possible bid to avoid prosecution over a massive financial scandal. An angry crowd had gathered at a Kuala Lumpur airport, shouting at vehicles and seeking to stop them entering, after a flight plan leaked online showed Najib and his unpopular wife Rosmah Mansor were planning to fly to Indonesia. The defeat of Najibs Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition in last weeks poll by an alliance led by his one-time mentor Mahathir Mohamad was a political earthquake, which toppled an increasingly authoritarian regime that had ruled the country for six decades. At 92, Mahathir is the worlds oldest state leader. He previously served as prime minister for over two decades and was himself accused of ruling with an iron fist. Speculation had been mounting that Najib, who has been embroiled in a massive scandal related to state fund 1MDB, might try to flee the country as Mahathir has pledged to investigate the controversy. As the image of the leaked manifest for a flight to Jakarta spread like wildfire online, Najib insisted in social media posts he was planning only a short break overseas to rest after the election and would be back next week. But anger quickly mounted among social media users who accused the defeated leader of seeking to flee, and the immigration department swiftly announced both he and Rosmah were banned from leaving Malaysia. The immigration department has just now blacklisted Najib and Rosmah from leaving the country, Mustafar Ali, director-general of the immigration department, told AFP. Najib said in a tweet: I have just been informed by the immigration department of Malaysia that my family and I are not allowed to go abroad. I respect the decision and I will remain in the country with my family. Rosmah has long been a lightning rod for public anger in Malaysia due to her reported love of luxury shopping trips and vast collection of designer handbags. Her openly spendthrift ways have been galling for ordinary Malaysians who increasingly complain of soaring living costs, particularly after Najibs government introduced an unpopular sales tax in 2015. Earlier, as dozens of people descended on the airport in a bid to stop them leaving, riot police were stationed by the gate of the airport where it was believed Najib would enter. As a white van with heavily tinted windows attempted to pass by, the crowd surrounded the vehicle and demanded it be opened so they could see who was inside. They tried to rock the vehicle and one man shouted, I hate Rosmah.It was only allowed to pass after those inside rolled down a window to prove Najib was not in the van. Businessman Raja Singham, 49, who had tried to block the van from entering, said: We have the right to know who is inside the car, as a citizen I will fight for that. We have suffered for so many years. I dont want them to get out of the country. The US State Department alleges in civil lawsuits that $4.5 billion was pillaged from 1MDB in an audacious scheme of fraud and money-laundering and funneled to the United States where it was used to buy everything from artwork to high-end real estate. Almost $700 million ended up in Najibs personal bank accounts, although the attorney-general said it was a donation from the Saudi royal family and cleared the then-premier of misconduct. Najib and 1MDB deny any wrongdoing.Mahathir was expected to reveal his cabinet line-up later Saturday. In the latest dizzying development after last weeks shock poll results, Mahathir announced Friday that the king had agreed to pardon jailed leading politician Anwar Ibrahim, his former nemesis turned ally. This would pave the way for Anwars return to politics and to potentially become premier later. Mahathir has said he plans to eventually hand the premiership to Anwar. Anwar was heir-apparent to Mahathir until they had a dramatic falling out. Mahathir sacked him in 1998, and he was subsequently jailed. He was released and then imprisoned again under Najibs rule in 2015. Mahathir and Anwar reconciled in recent years in a bid to oust Najib, an extraordinary twist even by the head-spinning standards of Malaysian politics.Home | News | General | 2019: It will be a very difficult task for Obasanjo to remove Buhari - Tony Momoh

Prince Tony Momoh, has said no matter how former President Olusegun Obasanjo tries to remove President Muhammadu Buhari from office in 2019 it will be a very difficult task.

Momoh a national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) speaking in an interview with Daily Independent also allayed the fears of Nigerians over the possibility of mistaking the All Progressives Congress (APC) for ADC, which is the acronym of African Democratic Congress.

NAIJ.com gathered that ADC is the political platform adopted by Obasanjos Coalition of Nigerian Movement (CNM).

READ ALSO: Party member reportedly shot dead at APC congress in Agege

According to the former minister of information, the acronym of both parties are different while their logos are also different from each other.

On Obasanjos quest to terminate Buharis reign by 2019, he said Obasanjo as a democrat will never get involved in a coup and in the eventuality of that, such a coup will not succeed as it will be resisted by well-meaning Nigerians.

He said: Obasanjo will not get involved in any coup and no coup in Nigeria that is resisted ever succeeded. So, how will he remove Buhari and put another person there? Will he call the Yorubas, Northerners, South Easterners and South South to vote against Buhari?

APC is different from APC and I dont see them as a threat to our party. Everybody have their crowd. Do you think APC crowd will enter ADC? Both parties have their logo which is different from each other."

In a previous report by NAIJ.com, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria, said the All Progressives Congress (APC) is reveling in an unrepentant misgoverning of Nigeria, and taking Nigerians for fools.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

He made the comment while briefing journalists at his presidential library home in Abeokuta, Ogun state, on Thursday, May 10, Punch reports.

The former president also disclosed that in order to actualise its dream for a new Nigeria, his Coalition for Nigeria Movement had adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a political platform.

Consider rest - Obasanjo to Buhari - on NAIJ.com TV:

[embedded content]

Subscribe to watch new videos

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: GeneralHome | News | General | President Kenyatta pledges govts support for flood victims amid crisis

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday pledged his governments support to all Kenyans affected by rain-related calamities.

Kenyatta said those affected by floods in various parts of the country and the victims of the collapsed dam tragedy in Nakuru will receive government assistance to both ease their grief and rebuild their lives.

This handout photograph released by The Presidential Service Communication Unit (PSCU) shows Kenyas President Uhuru Kenyatta (L) watched by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi as he addresses media representatives outside his office in Nairobi on August 14, 2017.

Let the victims of recent calamities know that my government will give every support in this moment of grief and difficulty.

So that they can rebuild their lives and livelihood, the president said, who led Kenyans in a one-minute silence in honor of the fallen compatriots.

The president spoke in Nairobi where he launched this years National Tree Planting Day and the Nairobi Clean-up campaign.

Kenyatta announced that an extra 10 million dollars will be made available to the Kenya Red Cross to continue with its relief work, in addition to the 15 million dollars already set aside for this purpose.

Indeed, every family in the Republic that has lost a loved one can rely on a similar guarantee from my government.

We will stand with you; we will pray with you; we will support you. Wherever you are in the country, we are with you, he said.

The East African nation has been facing ongoing floods, on Wednesday; the Patel dam in Solai area of Nakuru county, 190 km north-west of Nairobi burst its banks after heavy rains, killing no fewer than 45 people.

The president said following the rain-related havoc, the government had responded well in rescuing marooned Kenyans, providing water, food and essential medicines and restoring water systems and sanitation where necessary.

Kenyatta said the floods had affected 32 counties, left over 170 people dead, and displaced another 332,000 in addition to the destruction of property and infrastructure.

The current flooding is likely to continue as heavy rainfall is forecast to continue for the coming weeks in the region.

NAN

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: GeneralHome | News | General | Osinbajo attends inauguration of Sierra Leones President Bio

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Saturday left Abuja to attend the inauguration of President Julius Bio in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

According to a statement by Mr Laolu Akande, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Vice President, Osinbanjo is expected to Abuja later in the evening.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN,

Bio won the countrys presidential run-off election on March 31.

Newsmen report that the presidents of Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Gambia have been confirmed to attend the ceremony.

Also on the lineup is a list of Nollywood stars from Nigeria, among them Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Mercy Johnson, Osita Iheme of Aki and Paw Paw fame, as well as John Okafor, better known as Mr IBU.

The Nigerian music sensation, Davido, is also billed to attend.

The new Sierra Leonean First Lady, Fatima Bio, who is herself into showbiz, is thought to be the host of the artists whom she has worked with in the film industry.

There will be government delegations from other countries outside Africa, notably the U.S., where President Donald Trump last week named a delegation headed by the head of Peace Corps to fly to Freetown to partake in the event.

The inauguration comes a little over a month after Bio was sworn onto office following his electoral victory on March 31.

The occasion also coincides with the 56th birthday anniversary of the president.

NAN

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: GeneralHome | News | General | Rtd. police inspector, others in trouble over abuse of 13-year-old girl

The Jigawa Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense (NSCDC) has arrested 19 persons, including a retired police inspector for allegedly molesting a 13-year-old girl.

The corps Spokesman in the state, SC Adamu Shehu, confirmed the arrest in Dutse on Saturday.

Police IG orders commissioners to strategise over security

Shehu said the suspects were arrested on Thursday at about 4 p.m., in Kiyawa village, in Kiyawa local government area of the state.

He explained that the arrest followed a complaint received by men of the command from the victims brother-in-law.

A complaint was lodged by the brother in-law of a 13-year-old girl at our Divisional office in Kiyawa LGA on Thursday at about 4 p.m., that his sister in-law, who is an orphan and living with her mother, was being molested.

Our officers immediately swung into action and started investigating the matter, and in the process were able to arrest 19 people aged between 25 and 60, including a retired police inspector, he said.

The young girl, who is a street hawker, told us that some of the men took advantage of her while selling porridge popularly known as Kunu, by giving her extra money and others by making unfulfilled promises, he said.

The spokesman added that three of the suspects have confessed to have committed the crime while the rest denied it.

According to him, three of the suspects, who confessed to committing the offence, have already been arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court in Dutse and were remanded in prison.

He added that others are still being investigated while the girl was taken to the hospital for medical tests and care.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: GeneralPosted Saturday, May 12, 2018 7:45 am

Living in Americas heartland, I thought Id heard about every redneck joke thats ever been told, but I was amused recently by a couple about the mothers of rednecks.

You know a man is a redneck if his mother keeps a spit can on the ironing board.

You know a man is a redneck if his mother has been in a fistfight at a high school sporting event.

In rural America, we love, admire and respect our mothers. We operate on the basic premise that if Mama aint happy, aint nobody happy. So, we work really hard to make sure Mama is happy.

One of the most beautiful tributes to a great mother is in Proverbs 31. The passage was written from the point of view of a father to a son, sharing wisdom about the value of a good wife and mother, telling him that she is more precious than jewels. I thought I might share it with you.

The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good. She rewards him with good, not evil all the days of her life.  She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household.  Her hands reach out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy. She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all in her household are doubly clothed.  She opens her mouth with wisdom and loving instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle. Her sons rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her, saying many women are capable, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.

Someone once said that becoming a mother, even considering the pain of childbirth, isnt nearly as difficult as being a mother. It means changing dirty diapers, scrubbing dirty faces, washing muddy clothes, kissing away hurts, mending broken hearts, and wiping away lots of tears. It means dealing with disappointment and delight. Over and over again.

For everything your mother has done for you, Id advise going right over to the ironing board and giving her a hug. But, for goodness sakes, careful with that spit can.

Roger Alford offers words of encouragement to residents of Americas heartland. Reach him at rogeralford1@gmail.com.Franco-Nevada (NYSE: FNV) went public in the U.S. market more than a decade ago, and over that time, the company has established itself as a major player in an important niche in the natural resources industry. Franco-Nevada neither mines gold nor drills for oil, but by helping to finance projects that mining companies and oil drillers want to pursue, it ensures it can get a cut of the profits. That's been a winning business model lately, and throughout its history as a publicly traded company, Franco-Nevada has stood out for one thing that it's done consistently well: paying and raising its dividend regularly over time.

Coming into Wednesday's first-quarter earnings report, Franco-Nevada investors had modest expectations for favorable performance on the precious-metals streaming specialist's top and bottom lines. Franco-Nevada did far better than most had expected in producing earnings growth, and executives have high hopes for the rest of the year.

Land-based oil drilling rig in winter conditions in a pine forest.

Image source: Franco-Nevada.

Franco-Nevada starts 2018 strong

Franco-Nevada's first-quarter results were encouraging. Revenue was up just a fraction of a percent to $173.1 million, but that was still better than the slight decline that most of those following the stock were expecting. Net income showed much better results, rising 43% on an adjusted basis to $63.9 million. That worked out to adjusted earnings of $0.34 per share, which was quite a bit better than the consensus forecast among analysts for just $0.27 per share on the bottom line.

From a production standpoint, Franco-Nevada's shift toward greater oil and gas exposure proved vital to its sustained growth. Total precious-metals production was off more than 15,000 gold equivalent ounces to about 113,400 ounces, with double-digit-percentage declines in gold, silver, and platinum-group metals. Production of other minerals also was down, cutting total metals production by 12% to 115,671 gold equivalent ounces. Yet the oil and gas segment saw revenue jump by nearly three-quarters to $19 million, and that single-handedly helped Franco-Nevada post record revenue despite the production drop.

Story continues

Franco-Nevada's product mix has shifted. Precious metals accounted for 87% of production, leaving energy to pick up the rest. The breakdown within metals was 68% gold, 14% silver, and 5% platinum-group metals. Geographically, more than 80% of revenue came from the Americas, split roughly evenly between Latin America and the northern part of North America, combining the U.S. and Canada.

CEO David Harquail praised the company's progress. "Franco-Nevada's diversified portfolio continues to deliver," Harquail said, "with record quarterly revenue and net income being realized in the first quarter." The CEO also said that Franco-Nevada's debt-free balance sheet gives it plenty of opportunities to capitalize on future project financing.

Can Franco-Nevada keep up the good work?

Franco-Nevada has several current financing projects that it thinks will start paying off. Harquail pointed to Tasiast, Subika, and Candelaria as good candidates for greater production, and the streaming giant also believes that Cobre Panama will start producing within the next year. The CEO also knows that the oil and gas area will keep bulking up overall production for the foreseeable future, especially with the recent rise in oil prices.

For the 11th straight year, Franco-Nevada announced a dividend increase. The company made what has now become an expected $0.01-per-share boost to its quarterly payout, with shareholders to receive $0.24 per share every three months. That works out to just a 1.3% dividend yield, but the streaming specialist noted that when you compare the payout to the cost basis of original investors at the IPO in the late 2000s, the effective yield rises above 8%.

Franco-Nevada shareholders took the news in stride, and the stock traded on either side of the unchanged mark on Thursday following the late-Wednesday announcement. The company has done a good job of getting profits during good times and bad in the natural resources industry, and now that the energy industry is back on an upswing, Franco-Nevada should have an excellent chance to pick up good assets and reap the rewards well into the future.

More From The Motley Fool

Dan Caplinger has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has started the evacuations of migrants from Libya to Niger for resettlement in third countries.

The UN agency has started the operation with a flight of 132 mostly Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers. The Agency evacuated about 1,020 refugees and asylum seekers to Niger last year.

The UNHCR estimates about 18,000 people are being held in detention centers for migrants that are controlled by the Tripoli government.

Most of the migrants are held in detention centers in conditions that have been condemned by humanitarian groups as inhumane.

UN last year said it aims to evacuate as many as 10,000 in 2018.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has also helped 15,000 migrants return to their countries of origin with EU support and the active cooperation of the African Union.

Migrant smuggling has flourished in Libya since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with more than 600,000 making the perilous journey across the central Mediterranean.

In February, the EU adopted an additional 115 million package to support the task forces work, which will be used by the IOM and the UNHCR to provide protection for migrants and refugees in Libya and to evacuate some people in need of international protection.I want to make a truly heinous amount of money by getting some tinhatter to bet me their life's saving that this wedding isn't going to happen.

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Lol I know! Let them put their money where their mouth is

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damn they got a black reverend lmao they really rubbing that racists' nose in it huh



they're still leeches tho

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If Sherman Hemsley was still alive, I'd pay him to do his Deacon Frye walk past all the old white people in the pews

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Lol

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i can't

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lmao

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LMAO!



Random Sherman Hensley story- my friend is a waitress in Texas- and Sherman was having lunch with Kenny Loggins.

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crying

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Why does the queen need to give more an informal consent of approving Meghan and harry? When she approved harry proposing to Meghan awhile back

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its tradition

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she's sovereign and there's some ancient law that people in the royal family have to get the sovereign's official permission. They did the same for Will and Kate right before the wedding.

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he's sixth in line and it's the law

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Damn it, I was hoping for the bridal party announcement today since we're officially a week out but guess we're going to have to wait until Monday at this point. Maybe they'll surprise us and reveal it tomorrow.



Meanwhile, the tinhats are really desperate at this point. The one who's relying on a form of astrology to predict the wedding won't happen is still claiming Philip's going to die and thus postpone it. They said it the day before those pictures of him at the Windsor Horse Show came out, and I figured that'd stop them in their tracks.



Has it? Of course not. They're like "Philip's going to die in the next week!!!!!!!!!!!! But let's joke about him and Elizabeth fucking first because of those pictures! He's still going to die, though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"



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Can I ask you a question, are you American? I've noticed you do a lot of the BRF posts.

If so what is the fascination/coverage with/of the Royals over there?

Genuine question no snark, I'm not a Royalist, but always wondered about the "American" element.





On another note those "tin haters" need Jesus...it's pure and simple racism!

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LOL, with all the shit that's currently happening, I needed an escape, tbh. This one is working because it's about something happy and exciting. That's pretty much it.

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MAIL ON SUNDAY EXCLUSIVE: Meghans dad staged photos with the paparazzi #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/xT0CxBnE6M  Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) May 12, 2018







she really needs to throw her whole family (except for her mom) away huh. she really needs to throw her whole family (except for her mom) away huh.

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It's really not a surprise at this point that he called the paps after seeing the pictures but ugh, poor Meghan.



After that horrific letter asking Harry to call off the wedding, her piece of shit half-brother is now begging for an invitation again.

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it was really obvious when he was photographed at a cafe in mexico reading a book about england LMAO



i'm just surprised the tabloids ratted him out.

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Her half-brother is such a dipshit.

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i couldn't BELIEVE the nerve of the half brother. i'm kind of impressed

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As if the Middletons didn't perfect staging photo-ops and make the best use of the tabs.

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it's hard to believe this ceremonial shit is still happening in 2018

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The whole royalty shit needs to die. How many lives in countries they once conquered and left to rott could be saved with that kind of money

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but bb it's ~tradition~ and ~tourism~ and ~decorative~ and whatever bullshit ppl peddle :/

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Well, it's very colorful

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What an exhausting load of bullshit, my god. Just get married already ffs



Edited at 2018-05-12 10:15 pm (UTC)

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I can't see myself getting up at 5am for this. I just wanna see her dress.

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LOL, I'm waking up around six (the Royal Family's supposed to arrive at 6:20). I get up between six and seven normally anyway.



I can't wait for the dress, tiara, and their new titles.

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Lol I misread titles as titties and I was like, are we expecting her to have a new rack or something?

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I was contemplating asking the day off but nah, this shit is on YouTube right after and if I don't work, I don't get paid a single cent so whatever I'm working lol

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i took the weekend off from work for this, but don't tell anyone...

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20 minutes after the ceremony there will be gifs of the most interesting parts on twitter.

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Imma sleep through the whole thing. I know it will be on YT by the time I wake up and I can just watch the best bits.

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do we know what dukedom Harry will be bestowed with or what the top ones are?

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Sussex is the top choice (please no) followed by Clarence (need them to go with this one).

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i was thinking Sussex was in the running. i'm agree with Clarence, it would fit better.

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Clarence is my preference. But well see...

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Clarence? Wasn't there a Duke of Clarence that had a bunch of bastard children raised at court (the FitzClarences), who were then thrown out of royal society for being bastards? Or was that another Fitz- family?

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Sussex is the best bet. Fingers crossed Elizabeth trolls and gives him Windsor 

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Ive been watching Megan and harry specials on various tv shows and its interesting but also a lot of hulpa for a man and family

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I really don't get why anyone cares. It's just a wedding. *shrug*

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because these people are better than the rest of us!!

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I don't understand the fascination with royals. Especially from an American POV

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mte

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I'll check out the ontd post with pics to see what everyone wore like I do with other events because I like to see the clothes. But I won't watch it, I have never watched any royal event, they sound boring as hell.

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Love the poppies! I hope Meghan works them into her coat of arms.

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California poppies, a rose/the US national flower, and olive branches from the US seal. Makes more sense than the white lily Kate got on her instrument of consent. The symbol of St. Catherine of Siena, which seems like a pretty tenuous connection.

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Good luck Meg, I hope you know what you're doing.





Slightly OT, anyone else getting weird spammy comments about OJ and the Kardashians and a lecture on race?

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LinkThe ousted top judge of the Philippines will appeal against the decision to sack her, after she battled with President Rodrigo Duterte over his deadly drug war, her spokesman said Saturday. Maria Lourdes Sereno's colleagues voted on Friday to remove her as Supreme Court chief justice in an unprecedented decision that has sparked a legal firestorm. "She will file MR (motion of reconsideration)," her spokesman Carlo Cruz said in a message to AFP without elaborating. Duterte had openly called for Sereno's removal from the court, calling her an "enemy" after they clashed over his bloody war on drugs and alleged abuse of power. Sereno's expulsion came due to a petition by the chief government lawyer -- a Duterte appointee -- who argued that she was not qualified for her position and accused her of not filing statements of assets and liabilities in previous years -- accusations she categorically denied. Legal experts, including other Supreme Court judges, have argued that Sereno's sacking is a violation of the constitution, which says a justice can only be removed through impeachment in Congress. In opinions released Saturday, dissenting judge Marvic Leonen called the move "a legal abomination" while fellow justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa said, "this case marks the time when the Court commits seppuku (ritual suicide) - without honour". Pacifico Agabin, an expert in constitutional law at the University of the Philippines College of Law, told AFP Sereno's appeal was unlikely to succeed, saying: "I don't think any one of the justices will have a change of mind". Sereno, who has urged her supporters to "fight for justice and demand accountability", is the latest high-profile critic of Duterte to be targeted after speaking out against the president. Other Duterte critics have also been ousted, punished or threatened, including Senator Leila de Lima who has been jailed, the Commission on Human Rights and an anti-corruption prosecutor who investigated allegations that Duterte has hidden wealth. Duterte has faced global criticism for human rights abuses particularly related to his bloody campaign against illegal drugs which police say has claimed the lives of around 4,200 suspects in nearly two years. Rights groups allege the actual number is three times higher.Two children were burned alive and eight others injured in a fire that destroyed 100 homes yesterday in the Philippines. Flames ripped through the tightly packed houses in Cebu City at 6am on Monday morning (May 7) spreading rapidly and leaving residents trapped inside. The youngsters - nine-year-old Jovielyn Digman and her two-year-old brother John Mark - were unable to escape. Nagiel Banacia, the chief of Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office said the kids were trapped as the parents couldnt get them out because the fire burned the entrance of their house first in the Ermita district of Cebu city. Parents Joel and Jennelyn Digman, also suffered second degree burns in their futile attempt to rescue the two youngsters. Eight other people were seriously injured in the fire which ravaged more than 100 properties and left at least 400 people homeless. Fire chiefs said the inferno started after a liquefied petroleum gas tank exploded. It took fire crews more than two hours to control the blaze.Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The Federal Communications Commission's repeal of net neutrality rules will take effect in a month, it announced Thursday.

The net neutrality regulations, established in 2015, are meant to ensure all internet traffic is treated equally. They prohibit internet service providers from creating slow and fast lanes online, and from engaging in preferential treatment of some content over others.

The rules were a culmination of years of legal and political battles over online traffic amid the rise of the internet and as it grew to be indispensable.

"On June 11, these unnecessary and harmful Internet regulations will be repealed and the bipartisan, light-touch approach that served the online world well for nearly 20 years will be restored," said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in a statement Thursday.

Pai, a Republican, voted against the Open Internet Rules in 2015 as a commissioner of the FCC. After he was appointed FCC chairman by President Donald Trump, Pai set out to repeal the rules. The Republican-majority FCC voted to do just that in a partisan 3-2 vote in December, after a record number of Americans weighed in during the public comment period.

"The agency failed to listen to the American public and gave short shrift to their deeply held belief that internet openness should remain the law of the land," said Jessica Rosenworcel, the sole remaining Democratic commissioner in the FCC, in a statement Thursday. "The agency turned a blind eye to serious problems in its processfrom Russian intervention to fake comments to stolen identities in its files."

There were charges that bots were among the millions of commenters to the agency.

The FCC's announcement comes ahead of a Senate effort to overturn the repeal. Wednesday, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, launched an effort to force a vote in the Senate. That vote could come as soon as next week.

"The Senate must act NOW and pass my resolution to save the internet as we know it," Markey said in a tweet Thursday after learning of the FCC announcement.

In a later tweet, Markey said: "Next week, when we force a vote on my resolution to save #NetNeutrality, every senator will have to go on record on how they see the internet: a dynamic, diverse, democratic space that fosters innovation, or just another market for massive corporations to control."

The FCC is also facing lawsuits from nearly two dozen state attorneys general who oppose the repeal of the rules.

The FCC's repeal, titled Restoring Internet Freedom Order, was adopted in December. Pai said Thursday that the June 11 effective date should give internet providers time to comply with a new transparency rule included in the order. The transparency rule requires ISPs to state whether they block or throttle any content, and whether they engage in paid prioritization.

2018 The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.The first breeding female wolverine has been documented south of Interstate 90 in modern times, confirming a comeback for the charismatic carnivore in the Cascades.

Renowned for their agility, power and all-terrain finesse, wolverines are among the most rare mammals in North America.

A denizen of deep snows, capable of traveling hundreds of miles in conditions that send other land animals into hibernation, wolverines were extirpated in Washington by over-trapping, and shot on sight as vermin, like most other predators in the 1900s.

Remnants of Washington's native wolverine population retreated to Canada. From there, they have begun a slow recolonization of their native habitat in Washington, starting with the North Cascades.

The sighting of the breeding female indicates they may be extending their range into the south Cascades.

"This is showing that wolverines are able to expand into more of this historic distribution that has been unoccupied since the 1930s," said Jocelyn Akins, a wildlife biologist and conservation director of the Cascades Carnivore Project, a nonprofit formed to monitor rare carnivore populations in the Cascades.

Wolverines used to range along the Cascade Crest but today remain exceedingly rare, with perhaps just 25 animals in Washington and only about 250 to 300 in the entire Lower 48.

Also called the skunk bear for their striped coat, wolverines (scientific name "Gulo gulo," or the "gluttonous glutton") are solitary, secretive and furtively avoid humans, keeping to remote, wild places.

Pound for pound, they are among the most ferocious carnivores in Washington, capable of sniffing out frozen carcasses and tunneling through feet of snow to crack open bones and tear apart even frozen carrion. Their powerful jaws and molars are specially adapted to shear off chunks of rock-hard flesh and bone.

"If wolverines have a strategy it's this: Go hard, and high and steep and never back down. Not even from the biggest grizzly and least of all from the mountain. Climb everything ... eat everybody. Alive, dead, long dead, moose, mouse, fox, frog, it's still warm heart or frozen bones," writes Doug Chadwick in his book, "The Wolverine Way."

Their long, thick, brown and gold coat sheds frost and is underlaid with a soft insulating layer of fur that lets the wolverine shrug off the most brutal cold. Sharp, semi-retractable claws make them the superheroes of the wild, able to scrabble up and down trees and rocky slopes.

Weighing in at about 30 pounds, they are the largest of the weasel family on land; sea otters are in the same family and outweigh them in the water.

Delivered weeknights, this email newsletter gives you a quick recap of the day's top stories and need-to-know news, as well as intriguing photos and topics to spark conversation as you wind down from your day.

Female wolverines come into mating season only about once every two years. When not seeking a mate, they are solitary creatures.

Tracking wolverines requires near heroic effort. Using remote, motion-triggered cameras, the Cascades Carnivore Project has been able to snag hair for DNA analysis and photographically document the presence of the same female south of the Cascades beginning in 2016. The discovery this spring that she is lactating demonstrates she is reproducing, great news for an animal persisting in such small numbers.

Photos were taken of her east of Mount Rainier on the Naches Ranger District, in the William O. Douglas Wilderness.

The female is known to be the same one seen earlier, because each wolverine has a unique blaze of fur on its chest, making photo identification possible.

A male was also documented in the same area, probably her mate.

"It's a big deal," said Patty Garvey-Darda, wildlife biologist with the U.S. Forest Service on the Cle Elum Ranger District of the Okanogan National Forest. "Nobody knows for sure, but it appears maybe they have expanded their range."

Charlie Raines, director of the Cascade Checkerboard Project with the Sierra Club, a long-running project to protect and connect wild lands in the Central Cascades, said protection and reconnection of vast swaths of wild country can only help the recovery of the wolverine, an animal that needs lots of space to roam.

Seeing wolverines in more of their traditional territory is a good sign that those efforts are paying off, Raines said.

"It shows when you protect and restore the habitat and provide connectivity, these wild creatures will re-inhabit their original range. This is good news. We need some more of that."

The Washington Department of Transportation is nearing completion of an overpass by this fall for wildlife at I-90. It will enable animals like the wolverine to cruise the landscape north and south of the freeway in search of food, mates and denning habitat.

Under-crossings along the freeway just east of Snoqualmie Pass at Gold Creek are already completed and being used by all sorts of animals, large and small, terrestrial and aquatic. Even pika got a break, with piles of rocks put along the crossings just for them.

The crossings are part of a historic effort in Washington, documented in a new film, to improve 15 miles of I-90 for wildlife passage, in addition to widening the road for motorists.

Garvey-Darda said if even rare animals like the wolverine use the crossing, that is a signature of success. "Building these over-crossings and under-crossings will give us a lot more assurance that we can keep viable populations of wildlife in the Cascades," said Garvey-Darda, liaison to WSDOT on the crossings project.

The over-crossing is expected to be particularly helpful to wolverines, she said.

Explore further Researchers: Wolverine appears to be thriving in California

2018 The Seattle Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.It was just before 5 a.m. and four critically endangered wolves were tucked under a seat on a commercial flight from St. Louis to Arizona.

The Mexican wolf puppies, one of the most endangered subspecies of the gray wolf in the world, sat piled in a carrier at the feet of a conservationist.

She was on a mission along with a team of others to bring the tiny wolves born in captivity at the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, about 30 miles southeast of St. Louis, to two different packs of wild wolves in Arizona and New Mexico that might raise them along with their own.

But pulling it off would be a logistical feat.

"The stars, the moon, the planetseverything had to align," said Regina Mossotti, director of animal care and conservation at the Endangered Wolf Center.

For these pups to make it into a wild pack, they needed to be no older than 14 days and born within three days of the wild pups they would be paired with and conservationists had to be able to find and hike to the wild den in time.

"None of us were sleeping much," Mossotti said.

The stakes were highthe Mexican wolf was just recently saved from the brink of extinction, largely through the work of the Endangered Wolf Center. In the last 40 years, the wolves have gone from just seven to about 150 in the wild today.

Phase one: Mating watch

The first pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that is rewilding an endangered wolf pup started to fall in place in February in Eureka.

Groups of volunteers at the wolf center were given the unusual assignment of watching its enclosures in shifts 24/7 to report when the wolves mated.

They marked that a female named Sibi who had been shot before coming to the center was set to give birth after mating with a male, Lazarus.

Using the volunteers' breeding alerts, staff know the female would be due within 60 to 63 days.

They entered the due date into a database monitored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Meanwhile, biologists with the service were tracking the behavior of Mexican wolves in the 7,000-square-mile span known as the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area in Arizona and New Mexico, where most wild Mexican wolves live today.

The biologists use GPS collars to track the wild wolves and note when they begin circling the den, signaling the birth of a new litter.

Then the matchmaking begins.

The Fish and Wildlife service searched the database of wolf litters born in captivity, looking for one born within three days and with lineages that will add to the genetic diversity of the wild pack. They also need to find a pack with several healthy pups. At least two have to be left in captivity with the parents.

In early April, it started to come together. Five pups where born to the wild Elk Horn Pack in Arizona, six pups were born to the Frieborn Pack in New Mexico, and, in Eureka, Sibi gave birth to seven healthy puppies in captivity.

The matchif they could make it happenwas perfect.

Phase two: Wolves on a plane

Next the conservationists had to transport the young wolves some 1,200 miles from St. Louis County into the wild.

They hoped to go on April 16, but were forced to delay because of 60 mph winds and wildfires.

Still, luck was on their side. The fire turned. The winds slowed, and they were able to leave two days later. The pups were still just 10 days old.

The day began at about 3 a.m. for the wolf fostering team, when they put on headlamps and entered the center's wolf enclosure. With black gloves on their hands, they removed the four pups while avoiding the parents.

They checked the animals' health and packed them for the flight, already feeling nervous, Mossotti said.

"You have these critically endangered, federally-owned, helpless, tiny animals in your hands and it's your job to keep them safe and get them across the country," Mossotti said. "So yeah, there's a lot of pressure."

The wolves hadn't yet opened their eyes or started to make noise, so they sat silent in their carrier as they were passed through TSA and placed under the seat on the three-hour flight.

After they landed, the team boarded a tiny plane from the Arizona Game and Fish Department that Mossotti calls "scary small" and made their way to the Blue Range Recovery Area in search of the wild packs.

Phase three: Finding the den

The conservation team split up to find each den, carrying the pups in backpacks all the way.

Using GPS collars on the wild wolves, they trudged through high-elevation expanses in both Arizona and New Mexicoclimbing over trees downed by fire and tracking the wolves to pinpoint the small hole in the ground that marks the den.

Once they spotted the wild litter, the biologists used a bit of trickery.

They needed to make the wild-born pups smell the same as the two born in captivity to trick the parents into raising the new additions.

To do this, biologists rubbed the new pups in the dirt and the urine of their adopted wild siblings. They dotted the wild pups with the formula the center-born pups have been eating. They wore gloves and clothes washed in unscented detergent to avoid leaving a human scent.

And, before too long, they moved away from the pack, hoping nature would be kind to the pups they left behind.

Trail cameras and microchips in the pups will, in time, tell if the small wolves survive. It's gone both ways in the past.

"Unfortunately being wild is hard," Mossotti said. "Things happen: they are fighting for food, there's disease, there's other predators and, unfortunately, they also get shot or trapped. People see them as a threat."

Saved from the brink

This type of work has undoubtedly saved Mexican wolves from extinction. The species was decimated by ranchers who, concerned about their livestock, shot, poisoned or trapped the wolves in the late 1800s.

There was a turning point in 1976, however, when the Mexican wolf was placed on the Endangered Species List, giving the animals federal protection. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began an effort to capture the remaining wolves in the wild.

Only seven were found: six males and one female, Nina.

After failed attempts to breed Nina in captivity, she was brought to the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka in 1981 with the hopes that its large habitat and seclusion would allow her to breed. And it did.

Since then, the Endangered Wolf Center has taken part in several more landmarks in its effort to save the Mexican wolf: the first of the species raised in captivity were released into the wild in 1998, the first was born through artificial insemination using previously frozen sperm and, in 2015, a wolf born in captivity was fostered into a wild pack.

The recent effort marks the third time the center has been able to complete a fostering and the first time members of one Mexican wolf litter has been fostered with two different wild packs at once.

Fostering has now become part of the official federal recovery plan for the Mexican wolf, but conservationists say more needs to be done.

Mexican wolves are restricted to one 7,000-square-mile recovery area. If they venture out, game wardens relocate then back within the confines.

"They are all packed together," Mossotti said. "So we worry how that might limit the recovery effort. They like to move, one pack can cover 100 square miles."

Hunters worried about competition for game and ranchers have fought efforts to allow the wolves more space, Mossotti said, sitting in an office at the Wolf Center.

But despite these concerns, Mossotti said the wolves actually help the ecosystem, keeping populations of deer and other prey in check and weeding out disease.

As Mossotti was speaking, Lazarus the wolf howled for several long moments in the distance.

"They're misunderstood," Mossotti continued. "They don't want to hurt us, they're scared of us. They just want to survive."

Explore further Mexican gray wolf population grows by 1 animal, survey says

2018 St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.The Moroccan city of Marrakech will host the United Nations Public Service forum June 21- 23 to be held under the theme: Transforming governance to realize the Sustainable Development Goals.

The event will bring together ministers and senior decision-makers to discuss how to transform governance and innovate the way governments, institutions and public administrations are organized and work to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Participants will also look at how governments can become more effective, inclusive and accountable. The gathering is an opportunity to discuss some issues related to good practices, strategies and approaches to transforming governance and innovating public administration.

During the forum, the 2018 UN Public Service Awards will be handed over to the winners for their innovative practices. The Awards promote the role, professionalism and visibility of public service and governments capacity to anticipate and respond to the challenges of the SDGs through creativity and innovation, especially in the delivery of services.

This international event seeks to promote enhanced cooperation and partnerships. Its ultimate goal is to contribute to developing the capacity of governments to anticipate the various challenges posed by the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Drawing from the strategies that different countries are implementing and their related successes and difficulties, the Forum can inspire participants to develop their own solutions and pathways to realizing the SDGs, otherwise known as the Global Goals, seeking to end poverty, protect the planet and ensuring that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

These global goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development goals, while including new areas such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice, among other priorities. These goals are interconnected  often the key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with another.

The SDGs work in the spirit of partnership and pragmatism to make the right choices now to improve life, in a sustainable way, for future generations. They provide clear guidelines and targets for all countries to adopt in accordance with their own priorities and the environmental challenges of the world at large. Poverty eradication is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda, a universal commitment to leave no-one behind

The SDGs tackle the root causes of poverty and unite the world community to make a positive change for both people and planet.Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.At least 19 people were killed Saturday in northern Myanmar when ethnic rebels attacked security force posts and a casino in an area bordering China, the most deadly flare-up in recent years that undercuts government efforts to win peace in the troubled country. Rights defenders say clashes in the north have ramped up since January as the international community focuses on the Rohingya crisis in the west of the country. The military stands accused of carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign against the stateless minority in Rakhine. The Ta'ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, one of several insurgent groups fighting for more autonomy in the north, said it launched the operation on Saturday, while government and military sources confirmed the death toll. Images and video from the skirmishes shared on social media showed armed men fanning out across a residential street while a rebel soldier took cover behind a car. The sound of automatic gunfire filled the air as ambulances picked up the wounded. "Nineteen (people) were killed in fighting," an official with Myanmar's military told AFP, adding that two dozen had been wounded. Government spokesman Zaw Htay said in a Facebook post that one police officer and three state-backed militia members had been killed while 15 of the dead were innocent civilians. He called the operation terrorism. "The attack to target innocent people is not asking for ethnic rights," he said. "It is just a destructive terrorist attack." A statement posted on the page of Myanmar's commander-in-chief said military columns were in pursuit of the "terrorist insurgents". - 'Serious offensive' - TNLA spokesman Major Mai Aik Kyaw told AFP that they attacked joint military and militia posts and a casino just outside the Shan State town of Muse and on a road to Lashio. "We fight because of heavy fighting in our region and the serious offensive in Kachin State," he said, referring to fresh confrontations in Myanmar's northernmost state between the military and the TNLA-aligned Kachin Independence Army. He challenged the government statistics about the civilian toll from Saturday's violence, saying it was much lower. "We feel sorry for civilian deaths. We are sorry. But it's hard to say how they were killed during the fighting," he said. The TNLA said later Saturday on its Facebook page that six civilians died, but they put the number of state-backed militia members killed at 25, well above the government figure. Muse in Shan state is situated at a crossing between Myanmar and China's Yunnan province, a major source of trade between the two countries. The TNLA spokesman said he believed some residents had fled over the border. It is unclear if members of the powerful Kachin Independence Army, or KIA, took part in the attacks though the commander-in-chief's post said they did. More than 100,000 displaced people now reside in camps in Kachin and Shan states since a ceasefire between the KIA the military broke down in 2011, according to the latest UN statistics. Those fleeing violence have sheltered in tents and even churches in Kachin, which is mainly Christian, as rights groups and rebels accuse the military of blocking aid. Myanmar's patchwork of ethnic groups make up round a third of the population, but the Bamar, or Burmese, have filled the Buddhist-majority country's power structures since independence in 1948. Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi said ending Myanmar's long history of clashes was her main priority after she took power in 2016, but she shares power with the military that fought the insurgencies for decades. More than a third of Myanmar's townships are affected by unresolved conflict, according to a 2017 report from the Asia Foundation. Suu Kyi managed to bring two ethnic groups into a ceasefire accord in February, adding to eight others who had signed the deal before she took office. Reverend Hkalam Samsun, chairman of the Kachin Baptist Convention, said the Kachin people were "disappointed" with Suu Kyi. "She should stand firm with the people but she compromised with the military," he said. "She ignored the ethnic issue." At an anti-war protest in Myanmar's former capital Yangon late Saturday police scuffled with demonstrators and several were detained, according to an AFP reporter on the scene.An SBS Transit bus collided into an SMRT bus at a bus stop in Bukit Batok in Singapore on Friday, 11 May 2018. (Photo credit: Fauzidah Rahmat)

UPDATE: This story has been amended to include a second statement from SBS Transit as well as an update on the number of injured.

34 people were injured and sent to the hospital after an SBS Transit bus collided into an SMRT bus at a bus stop in Bukit Batok on Friday morning (11 May).

At around 9.05am this morning, an SMRT bus (service 970) that had stopped at a bus stop along Jalan Jurong Kechil was hit from behind by another bus (service 157). Our bus captain and several passengers were injured, said Margaret Teo, vice president for corporate communications at SMRT.

Tammy Tan, senior vice president for corporate communications at SBS Transit, confirmed that SBS Transit bus service 157 had collided with an SMRT bus.

We are very sorry that this has happened and our priority now is the well-being of all injured passengers, she said.

Both SMRT and SBS Transit spokespersons said the transport operators were assisting the police in their investigations into the accident and that they had teams to render assistance to the injured.

A Land Transport Authority (LTA) spokesperson told Yahoo News Singapore that the authority is working closely with the police, SMRT and SBS Transit to investigate the incident.

LTA takes a serious view of the accident involving two buses from SBS Transit and SMRT this morning, and have emphasised to the bus operators that safety is of paramount importance, the spokesperson added. We have also sent a team of care officers to the three hospitals to render assistance to the injured.

The police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said separately that they were alerted to the accident along Jalan Jurong Kechil at about 9am.

SCDF and the police said that the injured were conveyed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, National University Hospital, and Tan Tock Seng Hospital in a conscious state.

In a second statement issued on Friday evening, Tan said that SBS Transit staff had visited the three hospitals to assist those injured in the accident.

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She added that the transport operator is in contact with most of the casualties and will continue to try to get in touch with the rest.

Of the 34 who were conveyed to hospital, 24 received outpatient treatment while seven are warded. Three more are still waiting to complete their medical assessments, said Tan. We will continue to monitor their progress and be on hand to help as much as we can.

Security guard Fauzidah Rahmat, 49, heard a loud bang at 9am. She went over to take a look and saw that two buses had been in an accident and some passengers were hurt, she told Yahoo News Singapore.

She called 995 at 9.04am and then helped the injured. An ambulance arrived shortly after she made a another call to 995, she added.

Linie Gabas Sajonia, 46, a domestic helper who was on board bus service 157, told Yahoo News Singapore that she was standing near the window on the bus when she heard a loud bang. She then saw a male passenger with a bloodied head and a female passenger who lost three teeth.

Photos of the accident show an SMRT bus and an SBS Transit bus at the bus stop with visible damage.

The SBS Transit bus had mounted the kerb and crashed into a safety bollard at the bus stop. Its windshield was shattered and the front bumper had fallen off.

The photos also show the SMRT bus, which was plying service 970, in front of the other bus, with its rear badly dented and cracked. Debris can be seen on the ground around the two buses.

More Singapore stories:

US navy seaman reported missing in Singapore found: police

Former bank officer jailed 25 weeks for forging clients documents

Facebook removes, then reinstates We are against Pinkdot in Singapore groupNew Malaysias Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad gestures during a news conference in Kuala Lumpur New Malaysias Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad gestures during a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia May 10, 2018. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin

By Rozanna Latiff

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's new government, led by 92-year-old Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, has vowed to bring back billions of dollars allegedly stolen from state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

The alleged misappropriation of $4.5 billion from the fund, founded by ousted premier Najib Razak, is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and other countries like Switzerland and Singapore.

In the past three years, the scandal has led to arrests, the shuttering of several banks, and seizures of multi-million dollar assets around the world. It also played a role in the ouster of Najib in the May 9 election, political analysts have said.

The case has dogged Najib since the Wall Street Journal reported in August, 2015, that about $700 million in 1MDB funds flowed into his personal account. U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits later showed he received transfers of more than $1 billion from 1MDB. Najib has denied any wrongdoing.

Following are the details:

WHAT IS 1MDB?

1MDB is a state investment fund founded in 2009 by Najib, who chaired the fund's advisory board until 2016.

The fund, aimed at promoting economic development, was set up allegedly with the help of a Malaysian financier, Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low.

HOW DID $4.5 BILLION GO MISSING FROM 1MDB?

Between 2009 and 2013, 1MDB raised billions of dollars in bonds for use in investment projects and joint ventures.

With the aid of several high-level 1MDB officials, their associates and bankers, the U.S. DOJ said $4.5 billion was instead diverted to offshore bank accounts and shell companies, many of which were linked to Low and some of his associates.

The siphoned funds were allegedly used to buy luxury assets and real estate for Low and his associates.

Since July 2016, the DOJ has filed civil lawsuits seeking to seize a total of $1.7 billion in 1MDB-linked assets.

The assets include gifts given by Low to celebrity friends, such as a Picasso painting for Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, and jewelry for Australian model Miranda Kerr, the lawsuits say. DiCaprio and Kerr have since handed the items to U.S. authorities and say they are cooperating with the investigation.

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Other assets include a private jet, real estate in London, Los Angeles and New York, and a $107-million stake in EMI Music Publishing.

Low, through spokesmen, has consistently denied wrongdoing. His current whereabouts are unknown.

HOW WAS NAJIB INVOLVED?

According to the DOJ, other beneficiaries of 1MDB funds included Riza Aziz, Najib's stepson and a friend of Low's.

Some of the funds were used to finance the Hollywood films "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "Dumb and Dumber To", both produced by Red Granite, a film company co-founded by Riza.

Red Granite has agreed to pay the U.S. $60 million as part of a settlement deal.

A person described in the U.S. lawsuits as "Malaysian Official 1" was said to have received more than $1 billion in 1MDB funds, some of which was used to buy jewelry for the person's wife.

U.S. and Malaysian sources have said "Malaysian Official 1" refers to Najib.

Riza and Najib have consistently denied wrongdoing. The Malaysian government said the money in Najib's account was a donation from a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family.

WHICH COUNTRIES ARE INVESTIGATING 1MDB?

At least six countries have launched money-laundering, financial mismanagement and criminal probes into 1MDB's business dealings.

Malaysia's attorney-general cleared Najib of wrongdoing in 2016, saying the funds in his account were a legitimate donation. The country's central bank, however, has fined 1MDB and several banks for unspecified breaches of banking regulations.

As part of an extensive review into 1MDB-related transactions, Singapore shut down the local units of Swiss bank BSI and Falcon Bank in 2016 citing failures of money laundering controls and improper conduct by senior management, froze millions of dollars in bank accounts, and charged several private bankers.

In Switzerland, financial watchdog FINMA has confiscated 104 million Swiss francs ($110 million) in illicit profits from 1MDB-related deals by banks BSI, Falcon, and Coutts & Co since mid-2016.

U.S. prosecutors last year requested a stay on its civil lawsuits in order to conduct a criminal probe.

In February, U.S. and Indonesian authorities seized the Equanimity, a $250-million yacht believed to be owned by Low and bought with 1MDB funds, at a port in Bali, Indonesia.

WHAT IMPACT HAS 1MDB HAD IN MALAYSIA?

Najib withstood multiple calls to resign and sacked the deputy prime minister and the attorney-general in actions seen linked to the scandal.

The government has also taken steps seen by critics as limiting discussion of 1MDB, including detaining civil rights activists, suspending a newspaper, and blocking websites and blogs.

In 2016, Mahathir resigned from the ruling coalition saying he was disgusted by the 1MDB scandal, and later joined forces with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, his former foe.

Their alliance succeeded in ousting Najib in a stunning election win on Wednesday, with political analysts crediting public anger over 1MDB as a key factor.

HOW WILL MAHATHIR DEAL WITH 1MDB?

After being sworn in as prime minister, Mahathir vowed to investigate 1MDB and said Najib "would face the consequences" if he was found to have broken any laws.

He also said he would review the conduct of and possibly replace the heads of government departments that previously investigated the scandal, including the anti-corruption commission, and the attorney-general who cleared Najib.

Mahathir is also planning to appoint a finance ministry adviser who would oversee efforts to investigate and recover 1MDB funds abroad, two sources told Reuters.

GRAPHIC: Malaysia's 1MDB scandal http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/MALAYSIA-SCANDAL/010020XT28M/index.html

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff and Praveen Menon; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)Malaysia's former leader Najib Razak was hit with a travel ban Saturday as speculation mounted he was about to flee the country following his shock election loss, in a possible bid to avoid prosecution over a multi-billion-dollar scandal. An angry crowd had gathered at a Kuala Lumpur airport, shouting at vehicles and seeking to stop them entering, after a purported flight itinerary leaked online showed Najib and his unpopular wife were planning to head to Indonesia. The Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition's defeat in the election at the hands of an alliance led by Najib's one-time mentor Mahathir Mohamad amounted to a political earthquake, which toppled an increasingly authoritarian regime that had ruled the country for six decades. At 92, Mahathir is the world's oldest state leader. The former autocrat previously served as prime minister for over two decades and was a BN stalwart. But he came out of retirement and defected to the opposition in a bid to unseat Najib over allegations that huge sums were looted from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, which Najib set up and oversaw. Since the opposition victory, Malaysia's king has agreed to pardon jailed top politician Anwar Ibrahim -- a former nemesis turned ally of Mahathir -- in a move that could pave the way for him to become premier. Senior members of his party said he was expected to be freed Tuesday. - 'Blacklisted' - Speculation had been mounting that Najib might try to flee the country as Mahathir has pledged to investigate the 1MDB controversy if he won power. As an image of the leaked manifest for a flight on a private jet to Jakarta spread like wildfire online, Najib insisted in social media posts he was only planning a "short break" overseas to rest after the election and would be back next week. But anger quickly mounted among social media users who accused the defeated leader of seeking to flee, and the immigration department swiftly announced both he and his wife Rosmah Mansor -- unpopular because of her spendthrift ways -- were banned from leaving Malaysia. Mahathir confirmed he had issued the order to stop the pair leaving. "It is true that I prevented Najib from leaving the country... he and his wife," he told a press conference. When asked if the restrictions on Najib were due to 1MDB, Mahathir said: "There are a lot of complaints against (Najib) all of which have to be investigated... we find that some of the complaints are valid. "We have to act quickly because we don't want to be saddled with a problem of extradition from other countries." - Anwar release - Earlier, as dozens of people descended on the airport in a bid to stop Najib and Rosmah leaving, riot police were stationed by the gate of the airport where it was believed Najib would enter. As a white van with heavily tinted windows attempted to pass by, the crowd surrounded the vehicle and it was only allowed to pass after they confirmed Najib was not inside. After being hit with the travel ban, Najib later announced he was stepping down as chairman of BN and president of its main party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), following the historic loss. Mahathir also announced the first three appointments to his cabinet -- Lum Guan Eng as finance minister, Muhyiddin Yassin as interior minister and Mohamad Sabu as defence minister. He suggested Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali, who cleared Najib over 1MDB and shut down domestic probes, was as good as out of a job. He said restrictions had been placed on people suspected of wrongdoing, adding: "At the moment, we don't have an attorney-general." Xavier Jayakumar, a vice-president of Anwar's party, said the jailed politician was expected to be released from prison Tuesday. Anwar was heir-apparent to the premiership until Mahathir sacked him in 1998 and he was subsequently jailed for sodomy and abuse of power. But in a remarkable turnaround, the pair reconciled and joined forces as allegations mounted over 1MDB and Najib became increasingly authoritarian. Anwar, now 70, was jailed again in 2015 during Najib's rule and had been due for release next month.By Rozanna Latiff and Tom Westbrook KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad barred his predecessor, Najib Razak, from going overseas on Saturday, saying there was enough evidence to investigate his links to a multi-billion-dollar scandal. Immigration authorities issued a travel ban on Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor just minutes after the ousted prime minister said they were leaving on a weeklong trip overseas to rest after his thumping electoral defeat. "It is true that I prevented Najib from leaving the country," Mahathir said at a news conference, adding that doing so had averted extradition problems later. "There is sufficient evidence that an investigation into certain things ... done by the former prime minister has to be done and, if necessary, the rule of law will apply," he said. During a day of fast-moving events, Mahathir also named his first few cabinet ministers, including Lim Guan Eng, a former banker and qualified chartered accountant, as finance minister. Lim is the chief minister of Penang state, but is largely unknown in international financial circles. It is also only the second time since Malaysia became independent six decades ago that the post has gone to a member of the ethnic Chinese minority. Mahathir also named a defense minister and a home or interior minister, but said other appointments would be made later. Mahathir and Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the wife of his jailed ally Anwar Ibrahim, make up the rest of the cabinet. Zeti Akhthar Aziz, who was internationally lauded during a 16-year stint as central bank governor, and billionaire tycoon Robert Kuok were among those named to a special team that will advise the government on economic and financial matters for the next 100 days. Mahathir has been prime minister of the Muslim Malay-majority nation earlier, for 22 years, governing in a tough, pugnacious style. He said the attorney general, who had cleared Najib of wrongdoing in the graft scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), had been sacked. The attorney general, Apandi Ali, declined to comment. As Najib came under increased pressure, the world seemed to be opening up for Anwar, who, from jail and a hospital bed, combined with Mahathir to hand out the defeat to the administration alliance. Mahathir has said the king has indicated to him that a royal pardon for Anwar would be announced soon. Anwar's daughter Nurul Izzah told Reuters her father was likely to be freed on Tuesday. Late on Saturday, Mahathir met Anwar in his hospital room, where he is recovering from a shoulder operation. There was no word on what was discussed in the first meeting between the two since their alliance won the election. NO HOLIDAY After the ban on his travel was announced, Najib said in a Twitter message that he would respect the decision and would remain in the country. Questions about his whereabouts were answered when he appeared at a meeting of his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) to announce that he was stepping down as the party's president and as chairman of the Barisan Nasional, the alliance dominated by UMNO that has ruled Malaysia for six decades. Earlier, dozens of people - mostly journalists - gathered at an airport near Kuala Lumpur from where Najib and his wife were reported to be leaving for the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and tried to look into cars entering the complex. "I'm here to catch the thief," said a man in the crowd, as riot police stood on guard. There was no sign that Najib or Rosmah had come to the airport. Reports had widely circulated on social media and local media that the couple were named on the flight manifest of a private jet scheduled to depart for Jakarta at 10:00 a.m. (0200 GMT). But police later said there was no flight due to leave the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport with Najib or his wife. Najib lost the election at least partly because of popular disgust over the 1MDB scandal. News broke in 2015 that about $700 million allegedly stolen from 1MDB had made its way into his personal bank accounts. He denied any wrongdoing, even as U.S. authorities alleged that over $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund in a fraud orchestrated by a financier known to be close to Najib and his family. U.S. Attorney-General Jeff Sessions called the 1MDB scandal "kleptocracy at its worst" and the fund is the subject of money-laundering investigations in at least six countries, including Switzerland, Singapore and the United States. Filings by the U.S. Justice Department in a civil lawsuit indicated nearly $30 million of the money stolen was used to buy jewelry for Rosmah, including a rare 22-carat pink diamond set in a necklace. (Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan; Additional reporting by A.Ananthalakshmi, Praveen Menon and Joseph Sipalan; Editing by John Chalmers)Malaysia's outgoing Prime Minister Najib Razak speaks at a news conference following the general election in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 10, 2018. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - The flight manifest of a private jet scheduled to leave from an airport near Kuala Lumpur for Jakarta at 0200 GMT on Saturday names ousted Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife as passengers, two sources and two media reports said.

Officials close to Najib, who lost a general election this week, were not immediately available for comment to Reuters.

The jet was scheduled to fly to Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in the Indonesian capital at 10 a.m. local time, the sources and news reports said.

A Kuala Lumpur airport source who spoke to Reuters confirmed the booking in the names of Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor.

A source in the newly elected government of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told Reuters that Najib would be taking a holiday. Malaysiakini, a news portal, cited an unnamed source close to Najib as saying that he would take a two-day break in Indonesia.

On Friday, a day after he was sworn in, Mahathir vowed to investigate a multi-billion-dollar graft scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which was founded by Najib.

Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with 1MDB.

(Reporting by Tom Allard and A.Ananthalakshmi; writing by Praveen Menon; editing by John Chalmers and Raju Gopalakrishnan)Philipp Jenne

LIESSTAL, SWITZERLAND.- A 104-year-old Australian biologist who drew international attention to his right-to-die case ended his life in Switzerland on Thursday, an advocacy group said. Exit International, the group that helped David Goodall carry out his wish, said the scientist was declared dead at 12:30 p.m. in Liestal, a town outside the city of Basel, where he had traveled to take advantage of Switzerlands assisted-suicide laws.

My life has been rather poor for the last year or so. And Im very happy to end it, Goodall said Thursday in the room where he died shortly after. The British-born scientist said this week that he had been contemplating the idea of suicide for about 20 years, but only started thinking about it for himself after his quality of life deteriorated over the last year.

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He cited a lack of mobility, doctors restrictions and an Australian law prohibiting him from taking his own life among his complaints, but he was not ill. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, where the procedure is available for anyone who acknowledges in writing that they are taking their lives willingly  without being forced.

But the practice is frowned upon by many doctors and some others who say it should be reserved for the terminally ill. Goodall and his supporters want the practice to be more accepted as a legitimate choice for elderly people in sound mind. On Wednesday, Goodall told a crowded news conference that medically assisted suicide should be more widely available.

At my age, and even at rather less than my age, one wants to be free to choose the death and when the death is the appropriate time, he said. Hundreds of people  some far more frail than Goodall, who used a wheelchair  travel to Switzerland every year to take their lives.

The best-known group to help foreigners end their days in the Alpine country is Dignitas, but others include Life Circle in Basel, Goodalls choice. Goodall took his life with an intravenous drip of pentobarbital, a chemical often used as an anesthetic but which is lethal in excessive doses.

A doctor put a cannula in his arm, and Goodall turned a wheel to allow the solution to flow, Exit International said.NICOLE WINFIELD

Vatican City, Italy | May 10

Chilean bishops are arriving in Rome ahead of an expected brow-beating next week from Pope Francis, who says he was misled about a bishop at the center of the Chilean Churchs sex abuse scandal.

One top-ranked churchman is apparently not coming: Cardinal Javier Errazuriz, retired archbishop of Santiago who sits on Francis kitchen cabinet. Abuse survivors have laid much of the blame for the scandal on Errazuriz, whom they accuse of discrediting victims and covering up abuse rather than punishing pedophiles.

Francis had invited Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton and Jose Andres Murillo to the Vatican so he could personally apologize for having discredited them during his January trip to Chile.

Errazuriz was quoted by Chiles La Tercera paper as saying he wasnt coming for personal reasons.

The executive committee of the Chilean bishops conference said Thursday the 30-plus bishops were coming with humility and hope. They praised Francis recent meetings with victims of the Rev. Fernando Karadima of Chile, saying his example showed us the path that the Chilean church is called to follow.

Francis had invited Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton and Jose Andres Murillo to the Vatican so he could personally apologize for having discredited them during his January trip to Chile. Francis had said their accusations against a Karadima protege, Bishop Juan Barros, were calumny and demanded they present proof of his wrongdoing.

The men, who had frequented Karadimas posh Santiago community when they were teens, say that Barros witnessed and ignored their abuse. He has denied their accusations, but twice offered to resign.

Francis twice rejected his resignation, after apparently being counseled that Barros was innocent. Francis hasnt said who counseled him, but Errazuriz has admitted he didnt initially believe accusations against Karadima, and in more recent emails he called Cruz a liar and a serpent.

Francis summoned the bishops to the Vatican last month, warning that he wanted to discuss short, medium and longterm reforms to the church. In the letter, he admitted he had made grave errors in judgment about the Barros case, but blamed a lack of truthful and balanced information for his missteps.HRISTOPHER BODEEN

Beijing, China.- A peace agreement with North Korea will go far toward easing the impoverished nations chronic food security woes, the head of the United Nations World Food Program said Friday, a month before President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for a historic summit in Singapore.

Fresh from a four-day visit to the North, Executive Director David Beasley also told The Associated Press that he detected a certain degree of euphoria among the North Koreans he met and a feeling of momentum toward a better future.

This is a very important time in world history and lets all hope that we can move forward and put this page in history completely behind us, he said in an interview in Chinas capital, Beijing.

The former South Carolina governor said a positive outcome to talks with the U.S. and others would reassure donors that aid was reaching those who needed it most. And if it leads to the lifting of U.N. economic sanctions imposed over the Norths nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, the countrys food situation would improve further.

If we can put these nuclearization and political issues behind us, I believe that the world can come together and the citizens and people of (North Korea) will have a brighter future, Beasley said. If a deal can be reached and the sanctions can be lifted, I believe the opportunities are great.

Washington hopes the summit will lead to the North abandoning its nuclear weapons program, something Kim has said he would consider if he was provided with security assurances. Though an agreement remains elusive, the simple fact that the leaders of the long-time adversaries plan to meet has given rise to hopes for a turning point in tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Around 10 million of North Koreas 25 million people have humanitarian needs, and problems such as malnutrition, anemia, under-nutrition and stunting are severe, Beasley said. While such woes are common in other food-insecure countries, North Korea faces the added hardship of being mostly mountainous, forcing its citizens to cultivate every scrap of arable land, Beasley said. North Korean agriculture is also characterized by a near-total reliance on human and animal labor and a lack of fertilizers and other inputs.Colleen Barry

MILAN, Italy.- Italian prosecutors announced the breakup of a terror cell Thursday with the arrest of 11 Syrians and three Moroccans suspected of supplying the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front in Syria with fighters and 2 million euros ($2.3 million) in funding.

Italy's chief terror prosecutor, Federico Cafiero de Raho, told reporters in Rome that the investigation had uncovered links between those financing terrorism and illegal immigration but did not find proof that migrant traffickers were bringing in foreign fighters.

"We don't have proof that this network brought in foreign fighters, but it is true that the network that finances terrorism also sustains clandestine immigration," he said.

The money was transferred largely using the informal network known as hawala that is common in much of the Arabic world and evades the usual checks to monitor for terror financing, the prosecutor said.

Four suspected militants, one Syrian and three Moroccans, were detained on charges of association with terrorism, while another 10 Syrians were arrested on suspicion of money laundering and other financial crimes linked to terror financing.

All were legal residents of Italy, authorities said.

The news agency ANSA said one of the arrests was made in Denmark, a Syrian who had been running a construction company in Sardinia and who authorities say was the bank guaranteeing the hawala transfers, receiving a percentage for each operation.

The man's brother was arrested last year in Sweden with cash equal to about 70,000 euros, while another associate with a large amount of cash was detained in Hungary, ANSA said.Zeke Miller | Hope Yen

WASHINGTON.- President Donald Trump is considering an Army veteran who is a Republican member of Congress for the position of Veterans Affairs secretary, part of a lengthening search for a nominee following the abrupt firing of David Shulkin in March.

A White House official on Thursday said Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, who was elected to the House in 2016, was among the list of candidates for the job heading an agency of 360,000 employees serving 9 million veterans.

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The White House official would not say if Mast is the leading candidate for the VA position. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Mast is the first member of Congress to open a lawmaker satellite office in a VA facility, setting up shop in the West Palm Beach VA to meet with veterans.

He was wounded when serving in Afghanistan in 2010, which resulted in the amputation of both of his legs. Mast, 37, has often voted along with Trump on key issues in Congress, more recently announcing he supported an assaultweapons ban following the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

Trump is seeking a nominee to lead the VA after White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson withdrew his nomination for the post last month.Josh lederman | Matthew Lee

WASHINGTON, US.-The United States aspires to have North Korea as a close partner and not an enemy, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday, noting that the U.S. has often in history become good friends with former adversaries.

Pompeo said he had told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of that hope during his brief visit to Pyongyang earlier this week, during which he finalized details of the upcoming June 12 summit between Kim and President Donald Trump and secured the release of three Americans imprisoned in the country.

We had good conversations about the histories of our two nations, the challenges that we have had between us.

He said his talks with Kim on Wednesday had been warm, constructive, and good and that he made clear that if North Korea gets rid of its nuclear weapons in a permanent and verifiable way, the U.S. is willing to help the impoverished nation boost its economy and living stands to levels like those in prosperous South Korea.

We had good conversations about the histories of our two nations, the challenges that we have had between us, Pompeo told reporters at a news conference with South Koreas visiting foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha. We talked about the fact that America has often in history had adversaries who we are now close partners with and our hope that we could achieve the same with respect to North Korea. He did not mention other adversaries by name, but Pompeo and others have often noted that the U.S. played a major role in rebuilding Japan and the European axis powers in the wake of the Second World War. With U.S. help, those countries recovered from the devastation of conflict.

If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends, he said. Kang praised the upcoming meeting between Trump and Kim in Singapore as an historic opportunity, but added a few notes of skepticism as well.

Amid concerns that North Korea will demand the U.S. withdraw its troops from neighboring South Korea, Kang emphasized that the U.S. military presence there must be a matter for the U.S.-ROK alliance first and foremost, using an acronym for South Koreas official name, the Republic of Korea. She said the U.S. troop presence in the South for the past 65 years has played a crucial role for deterrence, peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.

Therefore, she said, any change in the size of the U.S. forces in the South Korea should not be on the table at the summit.Better Life Lab is a partnership of Slate and New America.

Our society depends on womens unpaid care of children, elderly, and dependent family members. Although statistics are improving, women in the United States still do roughly twice as much unpaid labor for their families as men.

This series of documentary cinemagraphsa type of image that combines stillness and motionmakes visible work that is so often unseen and undervalued. Like the cinemagraph that loops to infinity, care labor has no end. Upon completion, it dissolves and must be done again.

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Theresa Navarro breastfeeds her infant Penelope in Brooklyn. Nursing an infant is a repetitive process that not only requires many hours of labor during the day, but being awake throughout the night.

Theresa, soothing her young daughter. Nursing and holding the baby have caused a repetitive stress injury in her wrist. At the time of this photograph, she tracked six hours of breastfeeding per day.

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Melissa Hernandez, with her son Erosm, mopping the floor after he enjoys a meal in Brooklyn. The simple acts of feeding and cleaning up require hours of work every day.

After giving birth, Melissa gave up her full-time job to be able to be her sons primary caregiver. As a single parent, and now freelancer, people keep asking, When are you going to put him in day care and go back to work? She replies, This is work!

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Elise Thompson is a single mother who works full time at a major U.S. bank. Prior to having her son, she moved back home to help raise her younger sister who needed support after her mothers passing.

Elise with her son Emerson and his friends Lou, Charlie, and Dylan while they play on a trampoline in Patterson, New Jersey. Shes never far away to make sure that the kids are safe.

Roxanne Henriques lives in New Jersey with her husband, Kareem, and their two young children. Although her husband has a more flexible job, she is the de facto house manager. Roxanne either does the shopping or has to provide him with a list.

Roxanne soothes her daughter Zoe while also watching her son Carter. Like many mothers, she is the primary parent who takes care of meltdowns and emotional support.

Jetta Antonakos regularly visits family friend Ruth Sinton to make sure that she doesnt get isolated or neglected. Ruth is just one of several elders for whom Jetta plays a critical support role.

Jetta throws rocks into the water with her grandson Nico. She uses flex days off from her full-time job to help care for him.Up late: Maggie Haberman talks to Isaac Chotiner about her months and years of watching Trump repeatedly confirm her opinion of his character.

Swan song: Here goes Paul Ryan, trying, with his last bit of political juice, to get at least one million people kicked off food stamps via the reauthorization of the farm bill. Jordan Weissmann explains why the addition of new work requirements is cruel overkill.

Wont work: Jamelle Bouie understands why term limits seem like such a good idea, but in actuality, he argues, the seductive proposal would lead to a huge loss in governmental expertise.

How this happens: In Italy, the far right and the far left are merging. Yascha Mounk sees an unhappy repeat of a 20th-century pattern.

For fun: How to lose yourself in surreal memes.

Such sweet oblivion,

RebeccaFord apparently had no problem saying no to Michael Cohen. An executive with the auto giant rejected an eyebrow-raising offer of consulting services from Cohen, President Donald Trumps longtime personal attorney, in January 2017. Special Counsel Robert Mueller found out about the offer and now wants more details, reports the Wall Street Journal. Mueller has requested numerous documents from Ford, including emails, that detail what exactly Cohens offer entailed.

Mueller has already interviewed Fords head of government affairs, Ziad Ojakli, who didnt give many details beyond saying that he declined Cohens offer. The Detroit Free Press confirmed that Cohen offered Ford his consulting services. Michael Avenatti, attorney for Stormy Daniels, also confirmed the news.

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I can confirm that Mr. Cohen solicited Ford Motor Company, Avenatti said. It was in late 2016 into 17. On multiple occasions. There was no policy. He was trying to sell access to the president. My understanding is that it was by phone and electronic communication.

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The interest from Muellers office on the offer comes after confirmation that AT&T, pharmaceutical company Novartis, and an investment firm tied to a Russian oligarch all paid Cohen for consulting services. They made the payments through Essential Consultants, which was the company that had been set up shortly after the presidential election to pay off Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

Both AT&T and Novartis have said they paid Cohen to help them understand Trump, although it doesnt seem they got much bang for their buck and they both regret it. AT&T fired its top lobbyist Friday and the companys CEO said it was a big mistake to hire Cohen. To be clear, everything we did was done according to the law and entirely legitimate, CEO Randall Stephenson said in a memo. But the fact is our past association with Cohen was a serious misjudgment. The CEO of Novartis also apologized to employees for the payments to Cohen. We made a mistake in entering into this engagement and, as a consequence, are being criticized by a world that expects more from us, wrote Vasant Narasimhan, the companys chief executive.

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Novartis has said the contract with Cohen was pretty much useless as he was unable to provide the services that Novartis had anticipated. But the company kept paying Cohen because it couldnt get out of the contract. It doesnt seem many will be satisfied with the explanations and apologies though. Lawmakers are also trying to dig into what kind of consulting services Cohen was offering and what the firms were trying to get out of their contracts with Trumps personal attorney. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state, the top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has sent a letter to Novartis asking for details on the $1.2 million contract. This arrangement raises serious concerns about the length Novartis was willing to go in order to curry favor with this Administration, and perhaps more troublingly, what it expected or was promised in return, notes the letter.In 2016, the number of homicides in Chicago jumped by 58 percent year over year. Why? Most social scientists have struggled to reach any firm conclusions. But in a speech on Tuesday in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions claimed hes found the smoking gun in a study by former federal judge Paul Cassell and economist Richard Fowles: Its called the ACLU effect. Liberal police reform, this theory insinuates, is deadly business. Is Sessions right? Should we really be scared of the ACLU? No. The ACLU effect is a mirage.

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Cassell and Fowles attribute the homicide spike to a drop in stop-and-frisk activity by the Chicago Police Department, which they tie, in turn, to a deal between Chicago and the ACLU requiring officers to document street stops more thoroughly. The agreement aimed to create a reservoir of evidence for determining whether stops are unjustified or discriminatory. The theory behind the ACLU effect, then, is that requiring officers to collect all this data slowed them down nearly to a halt. If you want crime to go up, Sessions scoffed, let the ACLU run the police department.

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CPDs street-stop activity did plummet by about 75 percent in late 2015from around 40,000 stops per month to 10,000as homicides and other gun crimes broke sharply upward. But that doesnt mean the decline in street stops caused the homicide spike. For one thing, other crimes in Chicago didnt jump nearly as much when stops slowed down. So Cassell and Fowles need some theory for why street stops, when conducted en masse, were depressing gun violence but not other crimessuch that, when stop and frisk dropped, gun crimes alone shot up. They dont have one. In fact, other research suggests that when proactive policing slows down, we might, if anything, expect a greater increase in property crime than violent crime.

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Second, why ignore all other cities? Street stops nosedived in New York just like in Chicago, yet homicides didnt go up. Consider this as well: In either 2015 or 2016, homicides jumped as much in Austin, Texas; Memphis; Baltimore; Washington; Milwaukee; San Antonio; and San Jose, California, as in Chicago. Indeed, its not even clear that these spikes are atypical given historical homicide rates and fluctuations. In any event, if street stops hadnt fallen before homicides spiked in these other citiesand Ive seen no evidence that they hadthis strongly suggests that other causes are at play.

There are other, better explanations for the decline in stop and frisk that have nothing to do with the ACLU agreement.

Likewise, Chicago homicides were already rising in 2015 before street stops declined. They had climbed 17 percent over the 2014 total, with the same or more killings in nine out of 12 months. Then homicides fell by 121 in 2017 (a trend that continues) while street stops remained (relatively) low. The point is that stop and frisk couldnt have caused either of these changeswhich occurred, respectively, before and after the ACLU agreement took effectbecause stop and frisk itself was consistent during the preACLU deal period and postACLU deal period. The study points out that CPD altered its tactics in 2017, rolling out data-driven command centers and gunshot detectors. If that explains 2017, though, then it would prove that we can fight crime without dragnet-style stop-and-frisk.

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Third, a lot else was happening in Chicago during the period in question. CeaseFire, a well-regarded violence-prevention program, lost funding in March 2015. A study out of Northwestern University found that CeaseFire had reduced shootings by 41 to 73 percent in seven Chicago communities. And CeaseFire claims to have credible district-level evidence connecting the homicide spike to the programs dismantlement.

The explosive Laquan McDonald video was then released in November 2015. Cassell and Fowles doubt the video mattered because, they say, the public knew about the shooting and cover-up months earlier. No Chicagoan who lived through the furor over the videos release could possibly agree with the authors dismissive take. Cassell and Fowles also question why a video of police violence would trigger private violence. There could be any number of explanations. It seems quite possible, for example, that frayed ties between citizens and police affected how and when citizens called police and to what extent they cooperated with law enforcement officials.

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Theres a second puzzle in all this: Even assuming the decline in street stops caused the homicide spike, why blame the ACLU for the decline in street stops? Stop-and-frisk activity actually began to fall in November 2015, six months before CPD finished preparing officers to collect data under the ACLU agreement. To state the obvious, the agreement couldnt have caused a change in police activity that gathered steam before CPD implemented it.

Moreover, a parallel state law called SB 1304 took effect on Jan. 1, 2016, imposing new data-collection requirements on police throughout the state (including Chicago). The law and the ACLU agreement are not identical, but theyre similar. This means the ACLU effect is to blame only if the additional data-collection requirement of the agreementjust the increment that went beyond SB 1304caused a massive decline in street stops. This is hard to believe.

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There are other, better explanations for the decline in stop and frisk that have nothing to do with the ACLU agreement. In a climate of heightened scrutiny of police across the nation, release of the Laquan McDonald video put CPD under the microscope. In early December 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation of the department and Mayor Rahm Emanuel appointed the Police Accountability Task Force, which then released a critical, 190-page report in April 2016. At the very same time, CPD was rolling out body cameras, newly memorializing police encounters with an increasingly distrustful citizenry. Unsurprisingly, some research finds that officers who wear body cameras conduct fewer street stops. Again, none of this has anything to do with excessive paperwork. Instead, as CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson put it, no officer want[ed] to be on a viral video.

Ultimately, the ACLU effect offers an alluringly simple explanation for the Chicago homicide spike, with national implications for crime control. The problem is its far too simple. And it needlessly sullies police reforms good name.North Korea issued a dramatic gesture on Saturday ahead of the highly anticipated meeting between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, saying it will dismantle its nuclear testing site within the next two weeks. In a statement published by state media, North Koreas Foreign Ministry said the country would take action to make sure all tunnels of the test ground collapse by explosion sometime between May 23 and May 25. It will also block all entrances to the site that the country has used for all six of its nuclear tests and remove observation facilities and other structures around the area. In parallel with dismantlement of the nuclear test ground, guards and researchers will be withdrawn and the surrounding area of the test ground be completely closed, noted the statement.

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North Korea said it would invite journalists from the United States, South Korea, China, Russia, and Britain to witness the dismantling of the test site. The statement even got into details of how the journalists would get there, saying there would be a charter flight from China and a train ride to the test site.

Pyongyang had already pledged to get rid of its nuclear test site but the announcement Saturday came shortly after Trump announced he would be meeting with the North Korean leader on June 12 in Singapore. It also came a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that if North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends. If Pyongyang makes the right moves there is a future brimming with peace and prosperity for the North Korean people, he added.

Despite the talk coming from Washington, North Korea has never pledged to get rid of its nuclear weapons unilaterally. And while South Korean officials said Pyongyang also planned to invite experts to witness the shutdown of the Punggye-ri site, there was no mention of that in Saturdays statement.Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed a law that is being described as the first anti-gay law of 2018. The measure says no adoption or foster agency can be required to place a child in any situations that violate the agencys written religious or moral convictions or policies. Although the governor emphasized that the law does not ban same-sex adoption or foster care in Oklahoma, it does effectively allow religious-based adoption agencies to discriminate not only against same-sex couples but also single people and non-Christians.

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Gay-rights groups have pledged to challenge the law in court. Make no mistake, we will fight for the most vulnerable Oklahomans targeted by this law. Our message to Gov. Fallin and the lawmakers who championed this travesty is simple: Well see you in court! said the head of Freedom Oklahoma*, Troy Stevenson. Oklahomans for Equality also said in a Facebook post that it is looking into taking legal action against the law.

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The law was praised by religious groups, including Oklahomas Catholic bishops who said it would pave the way for more adoptions. The new law will bring more adoption services to the state and allow crucial faith-based agencies to continue their decades-long tradition of caring for Oklahomas most vulnerable children, the states Catholic bishops said in a statement.

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The law is now the first of the 120 anti-LGBT bills pending before state legislatures to make it into law, notes the Blade. The bill also marks a stark shift for the conservative Oklahoma Legislature that in recent years has been trying to avoid moving forward with bills that discriminate against same-sex couples. But in this case at least the Oklahoma Legislature wasnt coming up with anything original as several other states have similar laws in place allowing religious organizations to discriminate against same-sex couples. The American Civil Liberties Union is currently challenging a similar law in Michigan.The White House seems determined to stand behind special assistant Kelly Sadler, who said at a private meeting Thursday that it didnt matter Sen. John McCain opposed the White House nominee to lead the CIA because hes dying anyway. The comment angered relatives and friends of the senator who is battling brain cancer but the White House has declined numerous opportunities to apologize for the comment, instead focusing on the leak of the comment itself.

Im not going to validate a leak one way or the other out of an internal staff meeting, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. When she was asked why she wouldnt simply apologize to the McCain family, Sanders said Im not going to get into a back and forth because, you know, people want to create issues of leaked staff meetings.

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Sanders criticized the White House communications and press staff for the leak. During the dressing down, Sanders focused more on how the remark was leaked apparently in an attempt to target Sadler with a damaging story, a source told CNN. Sanders was visibly upset and furious during the meeting, Axios reported. I am sure this conversation is going to leak, too. And thats just disgusting, she reportedly said.

On Saturday there was fresh evidence that Sadler isnt going to suffer any consequences for the joke with White House budget director Mick Mulvaney coming to her defense. You have to have freedom to speak in a private meeting, to speak candidly, Mulvaney said Saturday on Fox News. Weve all said things in private, especially in smaller groups that we work with, that we would never say publicly.

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.@MickMulvaneyOMB: "You have to have a freedom to speak in a private meeting to speak candidly. We've all said things in private, esp. in smaller groups that we work with, that we'd never say publicly...I'm really disappointed that someone would undermine @POTUS by leaking it." pic.twitter.com/MtBw4ImfTK  Fox News (@FoxNews) May 12, 2018

Although Mulvaney said the comment was awful he also emphasized it was a badly considered joke that she said fell flat. Besides, Mulvaney said, the real issue was not the comment but the leak that revealed it to the public. The leak was designed to hurt that person, Mulvaney said. Also, it completely ignored the harm it would do to the McCain family, which is doubly inconsiderate.

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@kellysadler45 May I remind you my husband has a family, 7 children and 5 grandchildren.  Cindy McCain (@cindymccain) May 10, 2018

McCains family was quick to criticize Sadler for her comment. May I remind you my husband has a family, 7 children and 5 grandchildren, his wife, Cindy McCain, wrote to Sadler on Twitter. Meghan McCain also mentioned the comment on The View. I dont understand what kind of environment youre working in where that would be acceptable and then you can come to work the next day and still have a job, she said. Sadler reportedly called Meghan McCain to apologize but has yet to make a public comment.

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AdvertisementCell phone video shot by a bystander shows how a white police officer in Wisconsin repeatedly punched a black teenager in the face. Police in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin responded to a call from security at Mayfair Mall on Friday that reported five disorderly teenagers. An officer was able to spot several of the teens in the mall parking lot and attempted to speak to them, according to a statement from the police.

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The cell phone video shot by a bystander shows how a security guard was struggling to hold on to a teenager before an officer violently punched the teenager in the face. That makes the teenager fall to the ground, at which point he is again punched multiple times. Whyd he punch him like that? a person can be heard saying in the video. Aint he a minor? The man who shot the video said he immediately knew that kind of violence was inappropriate from a police officer. I knew it was wrong, that punch was wrong, Tyrone Jackson said. If it was just a tussling, trying to get him down, okay that would be something different. But the punch to the face, twice, to a minor, it was something serious to me. Police arrested a 17-year-old male, who was cited for disorderly conduct, battery and resisting an officer.

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Police have vowed to investigate the incident but insist the video only shows a small portion of the interaction between the officer and the teenager. Law enforcement officers are reportedly reviewing additional video that supposedly shows how the teenager began to fight with the officer when he tried talking to him. I can assure you that we take all situations seriously when they involve a use of force by our officers, Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber said in a statement. We thoroughly review all incidents in which force is used by an officer and will do so in this incident, as well.Imagine you live in a country whose government intervenes in most aspects of your digital life. Everything you do online is tracked, monitored, reported, and can be used against you. The only news or opinion pieces you can read are tightly controlled and regulated by the authorities, and access to foreign sources is strictly forbidden.

Thats the reality for people in countries like Syria, Ethiopia, Iran, Russia, and China. But fortunately there are organizations and even governments that have our backs. For several years, it has been the bipartisan agenda of the U.S. government to support whats been called internet freedom around the world. The U.S. position says the world benefitseconomically, and in terms of democracy and human rightsif the internet is free and people have access to a variety of news sources.

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That is why the U.S. governmentworking through the Department of State, the Broadcasting Board of Governors, and the Open Technology Fundhelped to incubate and support developing technologies like Psiphon, Ultrasurf, Signal, Tor, Greatfire, and Lantern that allow those living in countries with restrictive controls to access the open internet. These vital anti-censorship tools use a technical strategy called domain fronting, a phrase as boring as network neutrality but no less important to freedom of expression online.

Domain fronting works by routing online communication through the infrastructure of a major technology company like Amazon or Google, in order to obscure the actual destination, which would otherwise be blocked. Think of it like a piece of mail. Using one of these tools, you can send a letter to a service on a Google server. From the outside, it looks like just a letter to Google. But when opened, the letter inside contains instructions to hand it off to another recipient.

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The phrase domain fronting is as boring as network neutrality, but no less important to freedom of expression online.

Google has long championed these ideals. But unfortunately, it now appears to be stepping back from themand leading the way for other private sector actors to do the same. In the past couple of weeks, Google made changes to technical infrastructure that make domain fronting impossible. Amazon, which has never committed to support internet freedom or human rights, quickly followed suit. While Google has avoided the public conversation, Amazon issued a dry description of its decision as terms of service enforcement and a technical policy fix against misconfigurations and abuse from unrelated third parties. The moves may stem from reports a year ago that Russia-based hackers Cozy Bear abused domain fronting. While these attacks require a response, quashing this crucial tool like any other bug is the wrong approach. Like many things online, its just not as simple as knee-capping the bad guys. Rather, this decision could have immediate, dire consequences for folks already facing massive censorship campaigns, while the malicious actors move on to exploit the next vulnerability in their war chest.

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The genius of domain fronting is that countries cant simply block the relatively small service behind the domain front unless they shut off access to the whole suite of popular Amazon or Google products, such as Gmail, Google Search, and YouTube, as well as the many other popular websites online that use the companys infrastructure. So domain fronting forces governments and state-controlled internet service providers in closed societies to pay a heavy price for shutting down an anti-censorship tool.

Its not just individuals, like journalists or activists, who rely on the domain fronting. Major public and private international media organizations use this technique to reach audiences globally when they are operating in repressive countries without a free press. These include private media organizations such as the New York Times, the Associated Press, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, and international broadcasters including the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., the British Broadcasting Corp., and Deutsche Welle. Even U.S government-supported media like Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks use domain fronting to reach their intended audiences.

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There are limitations to domain fronting. This strategy works only when it can rely on a large corporation that is too popular to block. That doesnt work everywhere. For example, Google is enormously popular, but it is already blocked in China. But where it does (or did) work, domain fronting enables millions of people to experience the internet that many of us take for granted.

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Though it is far from ideal to rely on a private company for this strategy, the technique has created important opportunities to provide access to a free and open internet. Google and Amazon have long known about domain fronting and have previously ignored complaints,

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even threats, from foreign governments. Rightly so: Under the U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, companies have the duty to respect human rights, an obligation that exists over and above compliance with national laws and regulations. The principles also note that larger businesses may have more capacity to support human rights than smaller firms. What more should big companies do? For one, Google has joined Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook, and others in the Global Network Initiative, committing to, among other things, avoid or minimize the impact of government restrictions on freedom of expression. Googles policy work and technical efforts, like collaborations with Alphabet subsidiary Jigsaw, continue to offer activists routes around firewalls and defense from attacks. However, we cant think of many more direct ways to minimize restrictions on freedom of expression than through domain fronting.

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In fact, in a 2014 New York Times op-ed, Eric Schmidt, then the CEO of Google, spoke of similar techniques in describing how both the private and public sectors could help expand internet freedom worldwide. (At the time, Schmidt was also chairman of New America; New America is a partner with Slate and Arizona State University in Future Tense.) Highlighting the increasing censorship in places like Russia, Vietnam, and Ukraine, Schmidt wrote:

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Obfuscation techniqueswhen one thing is made to look like anotherare also a path forward. A digital tunnel from Iran to Norway can be disguised as an ordinary Skype call. Deep packet inspection cannot distinguish such traffic from genuine traffic, and the collateral damage of blocking all traffic is often too high for a government to stomach.  Much of the fight against censorship has been led by the activists of the internet freedom movement. We can join this open source community, whether we are policy makers, corporations, or individuals.

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We still hold out hope for such a vision. Access Now, the digital rights organization we work for, has called on Congress for support and directly asked the companies to reverse course. Representatives from the major platforms will come to our upcoming conference RightsCon Toronto and hear from toolmakers and human rights defenders whove depended on domain-fronting apps. Our goal is to get concrete commitments from the companies to collaborate with advocates and technologists toward a sustainable and open way to protect the most vulnerable, and on a timeline that recognizes that this is an issue hurting people now. If the Russias, Turkeys, and Irans do not stop their campaigns against the free and open internet, and the Western democracies continue sliding toward censorship, then the ecosystem of big and small internet firms needs to build stronger ties and trust. That begins with the most powerful coming to the table, with proper mannerslike listening before they talkand meeting their responsibility to respect our rights.Slovak woman on Arctic mammoth expedition

Mammoths on Wrangler Island in Siberia were the object of Pecnerovas research.

Patricia Pecnerova is a Slovak scientist who studies ecological and evolutionary biology. She moved to Stockholm after graduation where she is studying for her PhD. degree, working in the Museum of Natural History and researching mammoths, startitup.sk wrote.

Arctic research

She was part of Arctic explorative expeditions in the north of Greenland and Wrangel Island where she researched the life of mammoths. Both the New York Times and Economist wrote about her research, startitup.sk reported.

Mammoths on Wrangler Island in Siberia were the primary object of Pecnerovas research, where the mammoth population was the last group globally to die out. The island is also one of two places where mammoths survived until the end of the Ice Age, startitup.sk wrote.

Pecnerova researched how the mammoths could survive from a genetic point of view. To carry out her research, she managed to go to the Arctic twice, for several weeks each, startitup.sk reported.

We collected information of all animal and plant species on the expeditions. We try to compare how they look today and how it was in the past to predict how they will look in the future, said Paulina Pecnerova , as quoted by Czech portal aktualne.cz.

video //www.youtube.com/embed/aLTFMzDhbMU

Strict training

During the expedition, she lived in a tent. Once, a bear watched for three hours in the Arctic winter. Scientists had to wear a gun due to security and she went through detailed shooting training beforehand, startitup.sk wrote.

A year before Pecnerova went on the Greenland expedition she was tested in the Swedish mountains. She helped with a project focused on Arctic foxes as a way to test if she was able to camp in nature, carry heavy loads and help herself if she ended up alone in nature, startitup.sk reported.

One of the things she is sorry about is the low interest of evolutionary biology from the public, startitup.sk reported.

It is a fantastic thing that could be beneficial for the world. I would like my research to help people widen their horizon in this field, said Pecnerova for aktualne.cz.

12. May 2018 at 7:25 | Compiled by Spectator staffThe following companies are subsidiares of Amphenol: ARCAS Automotive Group (Luxco 1) S.a.r.l., AUXEL FTG, AUXEL FTG India Pvt Ltd., AUXEL FTG Shanghai Co., AUXEL S.A.S., Air LB International Development S.A., All Systems Broadband, Amphenol (Changzhou) Advanced Connector Co., Amphenol (Changzhou) Connector Systems Co., Amphenol (Changzhou) Electronics Co., Amphenol (Maryland), Amphenol (Ningde) Electronics Co., Amphenol (Qujing) Technology Co., Amphenol (Tianjin) Electronics Co., Amphenol (Xiamen) High Speed Cable Co., Amphenol Adronics, Amphenol Advanced Sensors Germany GmbH, Amphenol Advanced Sensors Puerto Rico, Amphenol Air LB GmbH, Amphenol Air LB North America Inc., Amphenol Air LB SAS, Amphenol Alden Products Company, Amphenol Alden Products Mexico, Amphenol Antenna Solutions, Amphenol Assemble Tech (Xiamen) Co., Amphenol Australia Pty Ltd, Amphenol Automotive Connection Systems (Changzhou) Co., Amphenol Bar-Tec, Amphenol Benelux B.V., Amphenol Borisch Technologies, Amphenol CNT (Xian) Technology Co. Ltd., Amphenol Cables On Demand Corp., Amphenol Canada Acquisition Corporation, Amphenol Canada Corp., Amphenol Comercial, Amphenol Commercial Interconnect Korea Co., Amphenol Commercial Products (Chengdu) Co. Ltd., Amphenol Commercial and Industrial UK, Amphenol ConneXus AB, Amphenol ConneXus Ou, Amphenol Custom Cable, Amphenol DC Electronics, Amphenol Daeshin Electronics and Precision Co., Amphenol EEC, Amphenol East Asia Electronic Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Amphenol East Asia Limited, Amphenol FCI, Amphenol FCI Asia Pte. Ltd., Amphenol FCI Connectors Singapore Pte. Ltd., Amphenol Fiber Optic Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Finland Oy, Amphenol France Acquisition SAS, Amphenol France SAS, Amphenol Germany GmbH, Amphenol Gesellschaft m.b.H., Amphenol Goldstar Electronic Systems (Baicheng) Co. Ltd., Amphenol Goldstar Electronic Systems (Yulin) Co. Ltd., Amphenol Holding UK, Amphenol Intercon Systems, Amphenol Interconnect India Private Limited, Amphenol Interconnect Products Corporation, Amphenol Interconnect South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Amphenol International Ltd., Amphenol Invotec Limited, Amphenol Italia S.r.l., Amphenol JET (Haiyan) Interconnect Technology Co., Amphenol Japan Ltd., Amphenol Kai-Jack (Shenzhen) Inc., Amphenol LTW Technology Co., Amphenol Limited, Amphenol MCP Korea Limited, Amphenol Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Amphenol Middle East Enterprises FZE, Amphenol Nelson Dunn Technologies, Amphenol Netherlands Holdings 1 B.V., Amphenol Netherlands Holdings 2 B.V., Amphenol Omniconnect India Private Limited, Amphenol Optimize Manufacturing Co., Amphenol Optimize Mexico S.A. de C.V., Amphenol PCD, Amphenol PCD (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Phitek Limited, Amphenol Printed Circuits, Amphenol Provens SAS, Amphenol RF Asia Limited, Amphenol Sensing Korea Company Limited, Amphenol Shouh Min Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Singapore Pte. Ltd., Amphenol Socapex SAS, Amphenol Sunpool (Liaoning) Automotive Electronics Co., Amphenol T&M Antennas, Amphenol TCS (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Amphenol TCS Ireland Limited, Amphenol TCS de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Amphenol TFC Fios E Cabos do Brasil Ltda., Amphenol TFC MDE Participacoes Ltda., Amphenol TFC do Brasil Ltda., Amphenol Taiwan Corporation, Amphenol Technical Products International Co., Amphenol Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Technology (Zhuhai) Co., Amphenol Technology Macedonia Dooel Kocani, Amphenol Tecvox LLC, Amphenol Tel-Ad Ltd., Amphenol Thermometrics, Amphenol Thermometrics (UK) Limited, Amphenol Times Microwave Electronics (Shanghai) Limited, Amphenol Tuchel Electronics GmbH, Amphenol Tuchel Industrial GmbH, Amphenol Tunisia LLC, Amphenol USHoldco Inc., Amphenol-Borg Limited, Amphenol-Borg Pension Trustees Limited, Amphenol-TFC (Changzhou) Communication Equipment Co., Anytek Electronic Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd, Anytek International (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Anytek International Co. Ltd., Anytek Technology Corporation Ltd, Asia Connector Services, Berg UK Ltd., Blueline Product Limited, C&S Antennas, C&S Antennas Limited, CSA Limited, Casco Automotive (Suzhou) Co., Casco Automotive Group, Casco Automotive Singapore Pte., Casco Automotive Tunisia S.a.r.l., Casco Holdings Co. Limited, Casco Holdings GmbH, Casco Imos Italia S.r.l., Casco Logistics GmbH, Casco Products Corporation, Casco Schoeller GmbH, Casco do Brasil Ltda., Cemm Thome Corporation, Cemm Thome SK, Cemm-Mex, Changzhou Amphenol Fuyang Communication Equipment Co., ContactServe (Proprietary) Limited, East Asia Connector Services, Edwin Deutgen Kunstofftechnik GmbH, Ehrlich Werkzeug & Geratebau GmbH, FCI Besancon SA, FCI Connectors (Shanghai) Ltd., FCI Connectors Canada, FCI Connectors Dongguan Ltd, FCI Connectors Hong Kong Limited, FCI Connectors Italia S.r.l., FCI Connectors Korea Ltd., FCI Connectors Malaysia Sdn Bhd, FCI Connectors Sweden A.B., FCI Connectors UK Ltd., FCI Deutschland GmbH, FCI Electronics Hungary Kft, FCI GBS India Private Limited, FCI Japan K.K., FCI Nantong Ltd, FCI OEN Connectors Limited, FCI PRC Limited, FCI Taiwan Limited, FCI USA LLC, FCIs-Hertogenbosch B.V., FEP Fahrzeugelektrik Pirna, FEP Fahrzeugelektrik Pirna GmbH & Co. KG, FEP Fahrzeugelektrik Pirna Verwaltungs GmbH, Fiber Systems International, Filec Production SAS, Filec SAS, Friedrich Gohringer Elektrotechnik GmbH, GE - Advanced Sensors Business, Guangzhou Amphenol Electronics Co., Guangzhou Amphenol Sincere Flex Circuits Co., Guangzhou FEP Automotive Electric Co., Hangzhou Amphenol JET Interconnect Technology Co., Hangzhou Amphenol Phoenix Telecom Parts Co., Holland Electronics, Intelligente Sensorsysteme Dresden GmbH, Invotec Circuits Holdings Limited, Invotec Circuits Limited, Invotec Group Limited, Invotec Holdings Limited, Ionix Aerospace Limited, Ionix Holdings Limited, Ionix Systems Limited, Ionix Systems Ou, Jaybeam Limited, Jaybeam Wireless SAS, KE Elektronik GmbH, KE Ostrov  Elektrik, KE Presov Elektrik, Konnektech, Kunshan Amphenol Zhengri Electronics Co., LPL Technologies Holding GmbH, LTW Technology (Samoa) Co., LTW Top Tech (Samoa) Co., Lectric SARL, Martec Limited, Mocorp Holding A/S, Nantong Docharm Amphenol Electronics Co., PROCOM, PT Casco SEA, PerLoga Personal und Logistik GmbH, Piezotech, Piher Sensors & Controls S.A., Piher Sensors And Controls, Precision Cable Manufacturing Corp. de Mexico, Procom A/S, Procom Antennas AB, Procom France SARL, Pyle-National Ltd., RSI International Limited, S.C.I. Palin, SEFEE SA, SGX Europe SP. z.o.o., SGX Sensortech (IS) Limited, SGX Sensortech China Holdco Limited, SGX Sensortech China Limited, SGX Sensortech GmbH, SGX Sensortech SA, SSI Control Technologies, STEMFI SA, SV Microwave, Shanghai Amphenol Airwave Communication Electronics Co., Shanghai Amphenol Electronics Technology Co., Shanghai Tecvox Trading Co., Shenyang Amphenol Sunpool Automotive Electronics Co., Sine Systems Corporation, Skymasts Antennas Ltd., Societe dEtudes et de Fabrications Electroniques et Electriques, Spectra Strip Limited, TCS Japan K.K., TFC South America S.A., Tecvox Europe S.r.l., Telect, Telect Mfg., Telect de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Teradyne Connection Systems, Thermometrics Mexico, Tianjin Amphenol KAE Co., Times Fiber Canada Limited, Times Fiber Communications, Times Microwave Systems, Times Wire and Cable Company, U-Jin Cable Industrial Co., Zhongshan Feisaide Electromechanical Co., and i2s-sensors.Representatives of Mumuso Vietnam, which has been alleged in a recent coverage on South Korean television as falsely claiming itself as a South Korean store chain but in fact only sells Chinese goods, fell short of clarifying those allegations as they addressed local media on Friday.

The press conference in Ho Chi Minh City was held shortly after Seoul-based SBS News questioned in its report whether Shanghai-based Mumuso is really a South Korean company as it wants customers to believe.

Mumuso, which is running many stores in different countries including Vietnam, is accused of duping customers into thinking it is a South Korean brand that specializes in selling South Korean-made products.

At Fridays meeting, legal representatives of Mumuso Vietnam underlined that the company registered its brand under the protection of Korean Intellectual Property Office, and has a branch in Shanghai, China.

The Shanghai branch has also been designated as the companys headquarters, according to the representatives.

Mumuso has authorized this Chinese-based entity to take over its business activities, including production technology and brand management.

Mumuso is present in Vietnam under a franchise contract with the Shanghai-based company.

However, the Korean Intellectual Property Office has asserted that while Mumuso was really registered in South Korea, the company does not engage in any production activities or have any presence in the East Asian country.

SBS News also said that it could not find the Mumuso office in South Korea.

Representatives of Mumuso Vietnam speak at the press conference in Ho Chi Minh City on May 11, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Addressing these claims, the Mumuso Vietnam representatives said the companys office in South Korea was relocated in August 2017 due to a number of objective reasons.

SBS News [reporters] just came to the old address, so they could not find our company, the company representatives explained.

Nham Phi Khanh, Mumuso Vietnams director, admitted that the company has yet to have any outlet in its home country, but quickly added that this is a deliberate business strategy.

Khanh said Mumuso wants to strengthen its brand overseas before returning home, where competition is fierce.

In Vietnam, Mumuso has so far had 27 outlets in all three regions, mostly in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, according to information on its website.

The stores sell everything from cosmetics to consume household goods, all labeled as Mumuso - Korea, with product information mainly written in Korean and Chinese, and prices ranging from VND22,000 (US$1) to a few million dong.

As observed by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters, the products all come with the made in China tag.

Despite this, many local customers said they have misled by the brands trademark, which reads Mumuso.kr, and the Korean labels, believing that all Mumuso products are from South Korea with quality up to the countrys high standards.

Khanh admitted that as Mumuso has no production activities in South Korea, all of its merchandise has never undergone quality inspections in the East Asian country.

The products are in fact imported directly from China to Mumuso stores around the world, he added.

Khanh stressed that this does not mean the companys products are of poor quality.

Our products meet standards and regulations set by the Drug Administration of Vietnam and the Department for Food Safety and Hygiene under the Ministry of Health, he added.

The press conference ended without a clear statement from Mumuso Vietnam over the controversy.

The company even announced its plans to increase the number of outlets in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to 80 in the future, despite the origin scandal.Australian police found seven dead people on Friday, including four children, in a rural town in the Margaret River wine-growing region, and said guns were involved in the killings.

The bodies of four children and three adults were found at or near a property in Osmington near the southwestern tip of Australia, Western Australias Commissioner of Police Chris Dawson told a news conference.

Dawson said firearms were found at the scene. He said there appeared to be gunshot wounds.

I can only describe it as a horrific situation, Dawson said.

We have no information to raise concern about wider public safety issues at this point in time.

Gun crime in Australia fell sharply after strict controls were introduced in response to a mass shooting in 1996, when a lone gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania.

That prompted the government to buy back or confiscate a million firearms and make it harder to buy new ones.

Australia has banned all semi-automatic rifles and all semi-automatic and pump-action shotguns, and has a restrictive system of licensing and ownership controls.

While there have been some mass killings since Port Arthur, the latest killings could prove to be the single biggest incident of gun-related deaths since 1996.

Police said they went to the property after getting a telephone call.

The reason police went to the property was from a telephone call which weve recorded, said Dawson, who would not comment on the identity of the caller.

He said homicide detectives were helping police.Read whats in the news today, May 12!

Politics

-- Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Nguyen Trung Thanh has talked about Vietnams development orientations and experience at a recent speech at Cubas National Defense College.

-- Vietnamese State President Tran Dai Quang on Friday received Vietnamese and foreign scientists at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi after the scholars had attended a seminar themed Science for Development in Qui Nhon City in south-central Vietnam.

Society

-- New car parking fares will be implemented on 36 streets in Ho Chi Minh City, mostly in the downtown area, beginning June 1, starting from VND20,000-30,000 (US$0.88-1.32) for the first hour and increasing progressively the longer a vehicle is parked.

-- At a court in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday, prosecutors turned down request for a shorter prison term for Dinh La Thang, a former member of Vietnams Politburo who was in January sentenced to 13 years behind bars in a graft crackdown, believing the punishment is harsh but necessary for the defendant.

-- A 78-year-old Vietnamese man who was last November handed a three-year prison term for lewd acts against two minors, has had his sentence reduced to only 18 months as the court of appeal ruled there was insufficient evidence to charge him for both counts.

-- Police in Ba Ria City in the southern province of Ba Ria  Vung Tau has apologized for handcuffing a 13-year-old girl who threw rocks at officers that had come to her house for coercive land clearance.

Business

-- Taiwanese firm Formosa, which in 2016 was found responsible for causing mass fish deaths along the central coast of Vietnam due to pollutants from its steel plant in Ha Tinh Province, has basically finished amending its mistakes and building necessary waste treatment systems to prevent future crises, according to inspectors.

-- Vietnamese realty developer FLC Group, which has been found in violation of construction regulations in many past projects, has been approved to develop a nearly 100-hectare villa and resort project on the Cu Lao Xanh, an islet off the coast of Quy Nhon City in the south-central province of Binh Dinh.

-- The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the central province of Quang Nam is calling for businesses and residents to buy locally grown watermelons in an effort to save farmers from huge losses as watermelon prices plummet.

-- Over 1,200 pigs were found to have been injected with water to increase their weight in the southern province of Dong Nai as inspectors raided a local slaughterhouse on Friday.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!A little and poorly-equipped medical center in an rural district of a northwestern mountainous Vietnamese province is always exuding warmth thanks to its free kitchen, where people can cook their own meals while taking care of their hospitalized family members.

Most of the patients at the clinic in Muong Nhe District, Dien Bien Province come from underprivileged farming families of various ethnic minority groups such as Hmong, Dao, and Ha Nhi.

When a member suffers from sickness, it is understandably a burden for the whole family to cover the medical fees.

The medical center has dedicated a shared kitchen, where people can do their own cooking free of charge, to help patients and their families cut down expenses while staying for treatment.

The charitable kitchen is equipped with six stoves and 32 cupboards to store foods and supplies.

Kitchen cabinets are marked with numbers to help people easily know where their foods are stored. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The medical center has stoves, cupboards, dishes, utensils and people can freely use any of these pieces of equipment, Hieu, a doctor working at the center, said.

Ly Thi Dua, a local woman whose fingers were cut off by a farming machine, is receiving treatment at the Muong Nhe medical center.

As her husband now works away in a southern province, their daughter, fourth-grader Gia Thi Nhia, has to stay with her at the medical center.

No other members of my family are available to take care of my mother, so I come here to cook for her, Nhia explained.

I have been cooking all the time at home, so this is not a big problem for me.

Gia Thi Nhia does cooking for her mother at the Muong Nhe medical center. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Either in the morning or afternoon, people taking care of their family members at the medical center go out to buy groceries or search for vegetables in the local forest.

In the evening, they cook in the shared kitchen, and later have dinner together, sharing their everyday stories with others.

Several of them are also willing to share their small pieces of meat or fish to those they believe are more needy than them.

The little kitchen at the Muong Nhe medical center somehow brings people closer, besides helping them save some money by cooking on their own.

Dr. Nguyen Van Hieu examines a sick child at the Muong Nhe medical center. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A mother takes care of her sick child at the Muong Nhe medical center. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Ly Sop, whose mother is being treated at the Muong Nhe medical center, prepares dinner in the charitable kitchen. Photo: Tuoi Tre

People smile while having their meals together at the Muong Nhe medical center. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A simple meal of a family at the Muong Nhe medical center. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A person warms up his hand by holding it close to the fire. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A man cuts the meat inside the kitchen. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A man chops some of the wood to prepare for cooking. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Some pots have been placed on the stove for cooking. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A woman does cooking at the shared kitchen. Photo: Tuoi TreCAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA, the data driven company that was shown to be breaking the law through their use of personal data that was obtained wrongfully in both moral and legal standings, shut down recently citing the loss of clients after the Facebook scandal. But there are suggestions that this could be a ruse to then resume operations under a different guise.

There were suggestions in the Guardian that the company could re-emerge because the leaders of Cambridge Analytica formed a complex web link of companies that are controlled by SCL, with around 18 in UK alone.

Web of data

More recently however, the company Emerdata Limited was created in August 2017 and Alexander Taylor, CAs Chief Data Officer, was the one who was initially listed as the owner of the company alongside the chairman of SCL, the parent company of Cambridge Analytica, Julian Wheatland. Subsequently Firecrest Technologies Limited was then incorporated as a subsidiary of Emerdata in March 2018.

Furthermore, for a brief period of time the former CEO of CA, Alexander Nix was listed as a director for both companies. However, this changed quite rapidly but the daughters of Robert Mercer, Rebekah and Jennifer, are listed as directors of Emerdata. Robert Mercer is a US hedge fund billionaire and was a significant funder of CA, he also supported Donald Trumps Presidential campaign and Brexit campaign.FILE PHOTO: Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo

Thomson Reuters

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari returned home on Friday after traveling to Britain this week to see his doctor, his spokesman said.

The 75-year-old president spent five months of last year in London on medical leave for an undisclosed ailment. His office said on Monday that his doctor had requested to see Buhari and the president would return home on Saturday.

"President Buhari just returned," his spokesman, Garba Shehu said in a tweet.

Shehu said earlier in the week it would be a "routine check-up".

However, the surprise announcement that Buhari would travel to see his doctor renewed concerns about his health weeks after he said he would seek re-election in a poll to be held in February next year.

Buhari's critics say he is too ill to be at the helm of one of the continent's biggest economies.

(Reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Alison Williams)

See Also:An Arizona woman has been accused of stalking a man she met online after bombarding him with 65,000 text messages, breaking into his home and threatening to kill him.

Jacqueline Ades, 31, broke into the man's house while he was out of town, police said, and was caught on his home surveillance system. When officers arrived at the house, they found Ades in the bath. A local ABC-affiliate reported that a large butcher's knife was found in her car.

She was arrested and charged with trespassing but less than a month later turned up at the man's workplace and demanded to be let in. The local business, which has not been named, reported the disturbance. When police arrived, Ades was acting irrationally and claiming to be the wife of the owner.

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Related: Woman dies after emergency responders mocked her call for an ambulance

But it far from being married, the pair reportedly only dated once, according to the victim. Following their date, Ades sent around 500 text messages per day.

05_11_Arizona_police

John Moore/Getty Images

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"Don't ever try to leave me, Ades allegedly pleaded in one message 3TV/CBS 5 reported. I'll kill you... I don't wanna be a murderer!"



"I hope you die you... rotten filthy Jew," Ades reportedly wrote, in another attempt to coax a positive response out of the man. "I'm like the new Hitler...man was a genius."



Speaking to media after her arrest, Ades confirmed that she had met the man online and that she felt he was the healing angel that a psychic told her to expect.

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"I felt like I met my soulmate and everything was just the way it was, she said, according to ABC15. I thought we would do what everybody else did and we would just like get married and everything would be fine, but that's not what happened," Ades said.

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The woman refused to ask questions about her trespassing and threatening texts, which reportedly included: I want to wear your body parts" and also "bathe in your blood."

She denied she was ever planning on hurting the man, adding: I just want to love him so much, that's it. And if he doesnt like it then Ill go home and Ill love my ex-boyfriend.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekHundreds protested outside Georgian parliament buildings on May 12, after police were criticized for using excessive force during raids on nightclubs in Tbilisi early that morning.

Police raided two popular nightclubs in the Georgian capital and arrested eight suspects in relation to drug crimes, after five deaths were suspected of being related to the drug mephedrone.

However clubgoers were reported to have confronted the police and to have recorded the officers actions, leading to several arrests of protesting civilians. Credit: Tornike Mandaria via StoryfulOn Friday, the World Health Organization announced it is preparing for the worst case scenario in the new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This comes only three days after the outbreak was officially announced and a week after the first reported case.

In a press conference given in Geneva on Friday, Peter Salama, head of the WHOs emergency response, told reporters the international health organization is taking the newest outbreak of this Ebola virus very seriously.

"We are very concerned, and we are planning for all scenarios, including the worst case scenario," Salama told reporters, Medical Xpress reported.

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Since April 4, there have been 32 suspected or confirmed cases including 18 deaths, Reuters reported.

The outbreak is contained to the Democratic Republic of the Congo so far. However, nine surrounding countries are on high alert for the virus, especially neighboring Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. In addition to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, past Ebola outbreaks have occurred in Gabon, South Sudan, Ivory Coast, Uganda, Republic of Congo and South Africa. The Ebola outbreak in 2014 was the largest to date and affected multiple countries in West Africa including Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

RTSP4GH

Baz Ratner/Reuters

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Officials are concerned about the virus reaching Mbandaka, the capital of Equateur province, Medical Xpress reported. The city is home to one million residents and only a few hours away from Bikoro, the area where the majority of cases have been reported.

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Ebola Sypmtoms

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ebola, officially known as Ebola virus disease, is a rare condition caused by an infection with one of five known Ebola virus species.

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Symptoms of Ebola include fever, severe headache, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting and unexplained bruising or bleeding. Infected individuals may also experiment abdominal pain, weakness and fatigue.

The virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from an infected person or even a primate or fruit bat. The virus is also spread through sexual contact. The CDC reports that health care providers for Ebola patients are at highest risk. Family and friends who care for sick individuals are also at heightened risk for Ebola exposure.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekUpdated | A new study involving more than 100,000 gamers from across the globe has contradicted Albert Einsteins ideas regarding a mind-boggling phenomenon that is a cornerstone of quantum mechanicsor the physics of the very small.

The researchwhich was led by the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) in Barcelonawas conducted by an international team of physicists who managed to close a loophole found in a common test of quantum mechanics.

The phenomenon in question, known as quantum entanglement, occurs when pairs, or groups, of particles interact with each other in such a way that they defy the classical laws of physics. One object can seemingly influence another simultaneously, even if they have no direct physical connection and are separated by vast distancesthe length of the universe, for example.

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While Einstein didnt disagree with quantum mechanics entirely, he did find the idea of quantum entanglement to be problematic, once famously describing it as spooky action at a distance." He suggested this quantum behavior was impossible and that it could be explained by hidden instructions in the entangled particlesan argument based on two fundamental principles: locality and realism.

Locality says objects can only be influenced by causes in their immediate vicinity. (Part of this concept is that nothing can travel faster than light.) Realism, meanwhile, holds that objects in the universe have well-defined properties even when we are not looking at themin other words, matter has a reality independent of ourselves. Together, these principles came to be known as local realism.

While the concepts expressed by local realism may seem natural to us, growing evidence suggests that they are incompatible with quantum mechanics. Firstly, quantum mechanics shows the simple act of observing particles in the universe can change their characteristics, thereby violating the principle of realism.

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Secondly, particles that are linked or can communicate over vast distances in an instantthe spooky action at a distanceclearly violate the principle of locality. (In this case, some hidden form of information must be traveling faster than light between the two particles.)

The standard way to test quantum mechanics in relation to the principle of local realism is to use something called a Bell Test, which was first developed by the CERN physicist John Stewart Bell in 1964. This is an experiment that determines whether the real-world is really as strange as quantum physics says it is. It does this by looking for the presence of hidden variables, that are not part of quantum theory, to explain the behavior of subatomic particles.

According to a website set up by the researchers who conducted the latest study, Bell tests involve producing a pair of entangled particles and sending them to two separated measurement stations, traditionally called Alice and Bob. (Entanglement means that their properties are strongly correlatedfor example, if one particle spins left, the other must spin left, too, no matter how far away they are from each other).

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Alice and Bob make simultaneous, unpredictable measurements on the particles, the authors wrote on the website. Quantum mechanics says that the measurement Alice makes will instantly influence Bobs particle, with the effect that the measurement results agree. In local realism, this influence cannot happen, and Bob and Alices measurement results will often disagree. This agreement or disagreement, called correlation, is the signal that allows an experiment to decide about local realism.

While many Bell tests over the decades have appeared to confirm the ideas of quantum mechanics over those of local realism, there is an issue here. The Bell test requires random and independently generated number sequences to determine which measurements to perform on quantum objects. But generating truly random numbers is difficult. Researchers could be influenced by unknown biases, and most computerized random number generators are not truly random, among other factors.

This flaw in the Bell test is known as the freedom of choice loopholethe possibility that these hidden variables could be influencing the experiments. This then casts doubt that the measurements are truly random, meaning it would not be possible to completely rule out the explanation offered by local realism for the behavior of any given particles.

For the new study, published in the journal Nature, the physicists enlisted more than 100,000 volunteer gamers from all around the world to try to close this loophole by generating random numbers with sheer manpower.

They were asked to play a custom-made online game called The Big Bell Quest, in which players had to tap two buttons repeatedly on a screen, representing the values one and zero. Players leveled up by creating unpredictable strings of these ones and zeros.

This provided the scientists with more than 90 million randomly human-generated binary digits, or bitsthe smallest unit of computer datawhich were then used in lab experiments around the world to determine how entangled particles were measured.

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People are unpredictable, and when using smartphones even more so, Andrew White from the University of Queensland, in Australia, who was involved in the study, said in a statement.

These random bits then determined how various entangled atoms, photons, and superconductors were measured in the experiments, closing a stubborn loophole in tests of Einsteins principle of local realism.

GettyImages-3422085

Photo by Keystone/Getty Images

The findings of the study showed that quantum particles that are separated by large distances can still instantly affect each other, contradicting Einsteins principle of local realism.

And because the experiment made use of so many people, the researchers can be sure that their results were precise.

A common way to reduce the uncertainty on the result of an experiment is to repeat it many times and then check if the results are statistically significant, they wrote on the website. Every random number the community contributes allows the scientists to perform another run of the experiment, and to reach a more precise result. Moreover, the more different individuals are participating, the more we are assuring the statistical independence that is so important for this kind of experiments.

Furthermore, these results resonate with those of advanced experiments conducted in 2015, in which other groups of researchers also developed loophole-free Bell tests.

But lets not take too much away from the great German physicist. After all he did come up with the groundbreaking special theory of relativity, which revolutionized physics and transformed our understanding of the universe as we know it.

(The institutions involved in the latest study were: ICFO and the University of Seville, Spain; Griffith University, The Centre for Engineered Quantum Systems and the University of Queensland, Australia; Universidad of Concepcion, Chile; Linkoping University, Sweden; Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; the University of Science and Technology of China; the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina; the Austrian Academy of Sciences; Ludwig-Maximilian University, Germany; the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis and The French National Center for Scientific Research, France; the National Institute of Standards and Technology, United States; and ETH Zurich, Switzerland.)

This article has been updated to include the names of the institions who participated in the new research.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekThe mayor of London is planning to ban junk food advertisements across public transport in the British capital in a bid to stop the "ticking time bomb" of child obesity.

City Hall issued a statement from Mayor Sadiq Khan on Friday announcing the new measure; he expects feedback before it is implemented. The move is an attempt to curb the unhealthy habits of Londoners, its children especially, as figures from City Hall show that 40 percent of 10- and 11-year-old kids are either overweight or obeseone of the highest rates in Europe.

I am determined to do all I can to tackle this issue with the powers I have and help Londoners make healthy food choices for themselves and their families, Khan wrote on his Twitter page after announcing his new proposed measures. We know junk food ads create pressure on families, and that children are particularly susceptible.

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According to London City Hall, there is a disproportionate spread of childhood obesity in different areas of London, as a young person in a less affluent borough such as Barking and Dagenham is nearly twice as likely to be overweight as a counterpart in Richmond-Upon-Thames.

05_11_Sadiq_Khan

Suzanne Cordeiro/Reuters

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"We need to ensure those families have access to nutritional and healthy food but aren't disproportionately exposed to adverts for unhealthy foods," Khan told BBC Radio. He cited similar advertising rules introduced in Amsterdam as being successful toward combating obesity.

Khan has not proposed a ban on specific brands or companies from advertising on Londons Underground train system, signature red buses or any other service run by Transport for London. Rather, he is pushing for a ban on ads that show food or drinks high in fat, sugar or salt, he told Sky News.

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Mike Bloomberg, former mayor of New York, praised Khans move, writing on Twitter that his is a great example for other cities seeking to combat the global epidemic of obesity. TV chef and anti-obesity activist Jamie Oliver also rallied in support of Khan, calling his initiative incredible and a massive message in favor of healthy eating on LBC radio.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekUPDATE: 6:28 p.m. EDT The SpaceX launch of the Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket that was scheduled for Thursday was scrubbed with less than one minute to go in the launch countdown. SpaceX tweeted after the launch was aborted that "a standard ground system auto abort" occurred but that the rocket and the payload were in good health. The backup window for the launch set was set for 4:14 p.m. EDT Friday.

Original story

After several delays, SpaceX is scheduled to launch its new Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket Thursday evening from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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The new rocket is SpaceXs latest innovation to increase the reusability of its launching system. The technology incorporated in the Block 5 first stage allows the stage to be reused up to 10 times as is with just limited refurbishment between launches, according to SpaceX.

Until now, SpaceX has only ever used any of its boosters twice. The new Block 5 would change that; it would require little work between flights aside from inspections, refueling, attaching the payload and fairing. During a conference call Thursday before the flight, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said he expects to see Same day re-flight of the same rocket, as early as next year. The rocket is designed to launch twice in a 24-hour period.

Thursdays launch is meant to put the Bangabandhu Satellite-1 into geostationary transfer orbit shortly after the rocket launches from Earth. The launch window was originally set to open at 4:12 p.m. EDT and the launch was pushed to 5:47 p.m. EDT, the company tweeted. The launch window was set to stay open until 6:21 p.m. EDT, according to SpaceX.

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Following the launch, SpaceX planned to attempt to recover the first stage of the rocket on one of its droneships stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

The payload contained the Bangabandhu Satellite-1, the first geostationary communications satellite for the country of Bangladesh. The satellite is expected to bring Ku-band coverage to Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal in addition to surrounding countries. The satellite will provide direct-to-home services and video distribution, along with other small aperture terminal communications.

Story continues

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Musk said he was proud of the SpaceX team who worked hard prior to the launch to make it a successful one. Hopefully it all goes as planned and we do a great job for the people of Bangladesh today, he said at the end of the call.

The launch will be broadcast live on SpaceXs website as well as YouTube or here:

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekThere aren't too many people who would breathe a sigh of relief at having to shell out 1.1m for a personal mistake - but Jes Staley, the Barclays (LSE: BARC.L - news) chief executive, is one of them.

Mr Staley has been fined 642,430 by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) for his role in attempting to unmask a whistle-blower in June 2016 and has also had 500,000 docked from his 2016 bonus by Barclays itself.

Yet it could have been so much worse.

The FCA and the PRA agonised for more than a year over whether to call for Mr Staley's head but decided, in the event, that a financial penalty was punishment enough.

That was probably a pragmatic decision in view of the turmoil that Barclays has endured in recent years as ousting Mr Staley would probably have destabilised the bank and left it searching for its fourth chief executive in just six years.

:: Barclays boss Jes Staley fined 642k for attempting to unmask whistleblower

However, a lot of people still feel that Mr Staley should have lost his job over the affair, as it was the first big test of the Senior Managers Regime - a new set of rules put in place following the financial crisis to ensure that executives of big financial institutions are made personally accountable for their actions in the job.

Erika Kelton, a lawyer who specialises in whistle-blower cases, said the decision contradicted claims from UK regulators that they want to offer better protection to whistle-blowers.

She (Munich: SOQ.MU - news) told the Financial Times: "Simply put, it's a victory for executives who brook no challenges to corporate behaviour and a loss for employees who do nothing more than express concern at company conduct."

Brad Birkenfeld, a former UBS (LSE: 0QNR.L - news) banker whose whistle-blowing led the Swiss bank to be fined $780m for US tax fraud, told Financial News: "It is blatantly clear Jes Staley violated several contractual and legal standards in the UK and in Barclays.

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"My initial response when I heard about this transgression was that he should have been fired immediately.

"We now scare off other whistle-blowers from coming forward."

And Nick Leeson, the rogue trader jailed for his part in bringing down Barings in 1994, said: "For whistle-blowing to gain momentum, the regulator can't let this slide.

"It is important to bring people to task. It sends out the right message."

Moreover, while 1.1m is a huge sum for ordinary mortals, some will question whether it will be that painful for Mr Staley.

He earned 4.2m in total in 2016, the year in which the offence took place, so the amount docked from his bonus that year by Barclays amounts to less than an eighth of that sum.

He earned a further 3.9m last year.

Accordingly, paying these fines is hardly going to leave him going to a food bank for his next meal.

In fact, he could have been fined even more: the final notice from the FCA and PRA makes clear that each of them could have fined Mr Staley 10% of his earnings during the year in question, making a total of 917,800, but the fine was reduced in view of the fact that the Barclays CEO "settled at an early stage".

Leave aside the fine, though.

What will probably have hurt Mr Staley most is that he has been censured by the two regulators.

It is not the first time a major financial services CEO has been punished in this way - Tidjane Thiam, the former CEO of the Prudential (SES: K6S.SI - news) , was similarly castigated in 2013 for failing to keep the FCA properly appraised of a potential takeover - but it is the first time that a sitting chief executive of one of the UK's major banks has been.

The criticism of Mr Staley for breaking rules requiring him to act with "due skill, care and diligence" will also have hurt.

For all of the good work that Mr Staley has done in recent years in restoring the financial performance of Barclays, which will soon be the only major European investment banking player in a field dominated by Wall Street's big guns, the eventual appraisals of his career will also highlight his role in this affair.

No wonder Barclays was stressing that "there were no findings by the FCA or PRA that Mr Staley had acted with a lack of integrity nor any findings that he lacks fitness and propriety to continue to perform his role as group chief executive officer."

One other interesting point in the final notice from the regulators is worth dwelling on.

The FCA and PRA will have been stung by accusations that their decision not to demand Mr Staley's head will have undermined attempts to protect whistle-blowers in the financial services sector.

So it is notable that the regulators have today said Barclays will now be subject to special requirements by which it must report to them annually on how it handles whistle-blowing.

They will want to make sure that in Barclays, more than any other institution, there will be no situation any future potential whistle-blowers will be afraid to bring to the attention of their bosses.As he has many times before, Donald Trump kicked off his day with a rant on social media. In his latest Twitter tirade, the president covered the possibility of firing Robert Mueller, as well as a potential military attack on Syria.

If I wanted to fire Robert Mueller in December, as reported by the Failing New York Times, I would have fired him. Just more Fake News from a biased newspaper!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2018

Trump on Twitter

The issue between Donald Trump and Russia has been building up for sometime, especially as the investigation into the Kremlin's hacking of the 2016 election picks up steam.

In recent months, special counsel Robert Mueller has put pressure on the president by indicting several of his past and present associates in relation to whether or not Russia worked in cahoots with the Trump campaign. Despite the mounting evidence, Trump has continued to deny any wrongdoing, claiming no "collusion" with Russia, while even recently tweeting out a threat that the U.S. could soon take military action against the Russian-backed Syria.

Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all! In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS. Where is our Thank you America?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2018

In a pair of tweets on April 12, Donald Trump gave his thoughts on whether or not he would fire Robert Mueller as special counsel.

"If I wanted to fire Robert Mueller in December, as reported by the Failing New York Times, I would have fired him," Trump tweeted, before adding, "Just more Fake News from a biased newspaper!"

Not stopping there, Donald Trump then elaborated on the current situation in Syria, giving new details following his aforementioned military threat.

"Never said when an attack on Syria would take place," Trump tweeted. "Could be very soon or not so soon at all! In any event, the United States, under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of ISIS," Trump went on to add, before concluding, "Where is our 'Thank you America?'"

Twitter backlash

Following Donald Trump's tweets, those who oppose the administration took time to hit back.

"I wish he'd fire you. You don't work for him. What even are you?" one tweet asked.

Just like you would stop watching propaganda machine @foxnews? NYT doing better than ever, while @seanhannity losing viewers to @maddow.  VJK (@VJKUTZ) April 12, 2018

I wish he'd fire you. You don't work for him. What even are you?  Scepticus (@Scepticus_D) April 12, 2018

We believe NY Times over a fake, lying POTUS. I believe you inquired but was told the American People would rise up and drag you out of the White House. Try it and find out! Voters will take to street. Weve had enough. impeachment is coming!  stantampa (@stantampa) April 12, 2018

"Just like you would stop watching propaganda machine Fox News?

NYT doing better than ever, while Sean Hannity losing viewers to Maddow," a Twitter user wrote. "You can't fire Mueller. You can ask Rosenstein to fire Mueller which obviously he won't. You can fire Rosenstein and then ask the solicitor general Noel Francisco to fire Mueller. Chances are he wont either," a tweet stated.

Oh, please. You can't fire anyone, especially not face-to-face. You let others do the firing, and no one with brains will fire Mueller.  Harried Hellion (@HarriedHellion) April 12, 2018

Same BS you say over and over again right before you get rid of someone.



EXCEPT MUELLER ISNT GOING ANYWHERE   Shelly Splainin  (@sheLLbeLL_xo) April 12, 2018

See like Paul Ryan people are distancing themselves from you. Members of DOJ have a career to worry about after youre out of office.  Bill Cranford (@billcranford) April 12, 2018

"Same BS you say over and over again right before you get rid of someone," a social media user wrote. "Oh, please. You can't fire anyone, especially not face-to-face. You let others do the firing, and no one with brains will fire Mueller," a follow-up tweet read.With the confirmation that Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be meeting next month, the president decided to praise the rival nation on social media. In response, critics made sure to fire back with opinions of their own.

North Korea has announced that they will dismantle Nuclear Test Site this month, ahead of the big Summit Meeting on June 12th. Thank you, a very smart and gracious gesture!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2018

Trump on North Korea

In the year and a half that he's been President of the United States, Donald Trump has not held back his opinion of North Korea and leader Kim Jong-un.

Trump infamously went on multiple Twitter rants, mocking Kim by referring to him as "Rocket Man" and "Little Rocket Man." Trump took his insults to the United Nations where he once again used the nickname in front of world leaders, putting an even bigger strain on the relationship between the two rival nations. Despite this, North Korea and South Korea recently came to a historic agreement to settle their differences, leading to a meeting between Kim and Trump next month in Singapore.

North Korea invites US media to cover dismantling of nuclear testing site https://t.co/dX2P0SUP68 pic.twitter.com/xUEdsxfJ6c  The Hill (@thehill) May 12, 2018

With just weeks to go before Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un get together, North Korea announced that they would be dismantling their testing site for nuclear weapons, while inviting the United States media to cover the event.

In response, the president decided to praise the country for their decision. "North Korea has announced that they will dismantle Nuclear Test Site this month, ahead of the big Summit Meeting on June 12th," Trump tweeted, while adding, "Thank you, a very smart and gracious gesture!" With tension still high, those who oppose the Trump administration gave their thoughts and weren't impressed.

Twitter erupts

After Donald Trump thanked North Korea for ending their nuclear testing site, social media went viral. "Trump is a racist, narcissistic, thin skinned, selfish, lying, sexually deviant, unhinged, pesky little man child who is unfit to be POTUS!" Bishop Talbert Swan tweeted, while adding, "resign Trump!"

RESIGN TRUMP!!!!  Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) May 12, 2018

The nuclear test site their dismantling was already unstable and highly damaged.  Ryan Hill (@RyanHillMI) May 12, 2018

The test site that already entirely collapsed and was entirely unusable?



Impressive.  The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) May 12, 2018

"The test site that already entirely collapsed and was entirely unusable?

Impressive," a Twitter user wrote with sarcasm. "Youre still a dotard though," an additional tweet added. "The nuclear test site their dismantling was already unstable and highly damaged," yet another tweet stated.

We wont believe it until he does. We dont believe him any more than we do you. WORST PRESIDENT IN HISTORY  Desperado (@wannabe12u) May 12, 2018

Wow Smart and Gracious. Two things that you arent!  Kay Stewart (@KayStewartArtwk) May 12, 2018

Youre still a dotard though  Craig Boeckers (@chaskatowm) May 12, 2018

"Wow Smart and Gracious. Two things that you aren't!" a social media user replied. "We wont believe it until he does. We dont believe him any more than we do you. WORST PRESIDENT IN HISTORY," a follow-up tweet went on to read. As the meeting with Donald Trump and North Korea inches closer, only time will tell how the future relationship between the countries plays out.The ways of the world are strange and Singapore overtook other contenders like Switzerland to host the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula. The main topic of discussion will be the denuclearization and Singapore will host the meeting on June 12. The Washington Post reports that Singapore will get the distinction of playing host to the biggest diplomatic event of the year. There had been many options in front of the organizers and Singapore beat other hopefuls, including Switzerland.

Even North Korea and the United States were ruled out due to various considerations.

How Singapore won the bid?

The search was on for a neutral venue and Singapore won hands down because it has close links to both the US and North Korea. Singapore has had diplomatic ties with North Korea since 1975 and the hermit kingdom has an embassy in Singapore. As for America, there is a bilateral free-trade agreement between them and Singapore is a strategic partner. Incidentally, Singapore has earned recognition of neutrality in global affairs. Its government has successfully conducted high-profile diplomatic events on short notice and is now poised to host Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un for another such event that will gain international coverage.

Why was Singapore chosen?

The reluctance of Kim Jong-un to travel far away from his own country was a major factor to choose a venue nearer home. The leader of North Korea travels by his own aircraft, which are very old models. Using such aircraft for long distance travel will mean stopovers for refueling, which does not fit in with Kims scheme of things.

Hence, venues like Sweden or Switzerland were ruled out. Yes, the summit with Donald Trump could have been held in North Korea itself or in the United States. However, both were given the thumbs down and it boiled down to Singapore, which is easily reachable from North Korea. It is a modern metropolis of a country that has made tremendous progress within a short time.

What was once a poor country and, with an able leadership, has jumped in leaps and bounds to occupy a prominent place in world affairs.

From Kims approach to the summit, it appears he wants to abandon his nuclear weapon programs, agree to denuclearization, and concentrate on rebuilding his nation. Once he looks around Singapore, he will realize that his country can also match the progress. The example of the development of Singapore could influence him to turn over a new leaf.On Thursday (May 10), John Kelly, the White House's chief of staff, gave an interview, on NPR (National Public Radio), and was asked a series of questions about issues affecting Americans. One topic of discussion was about undocumented immigrants, an issue of debate that continues to surface. Kelly told listeners that "a vast majority of the people who move into the United States are not bad people," and added that they're "not criminals or MS13s," which is a notorious Latin gang.

This much is true, nevermind the glaring fact that it contradicts his boss' previous claims about immigrants, specifically Mexican immigrants.

It's worth noting that not every immigrant emigrates from Mexico, an assumption on which Trump has couched his reform message. And it should be said that building a wall is not the answer to illegal immigration, nor is inflaming a sensitive issue [VIDEO] with false stereotypes to gain the support of those who fear a browner America. Kelly went on to say undocumented immigrants are not people who would "easily assimilate into the United States," and that "they're overwhelmingly rural people." Then came the kicker. Without hesitation, he stated, "the countries they come from fourth, fifth or sixth-grade educations are kind of the norm." Sobering ideology right?

One must question if this is really an issue about undocumented immigrants, race, color, or stereotypes?

Or are just the latter three constructs at play? Is John Kelly saying that immigrants lack the skills and intellect to be Americans? Too much of a country-bumpkin? Did he forget he is the descendant of poor immigrants? Or that immigrants, legal and illegal, are hardworking individuals? This is the way it is and has always been.

Descendants of immigrants in the White House

Almost every American, including White House staff, is a descendant of immigrants unless they are descendants of those forced to immigrate by way of kidnap and enslavement or those that resided here for 15,000 years before and were forced onto reservations. This is why Kelly's comments are not only rooted in nativism borne of a racist-mindset but blood-curdling hypocrisy.

In a CNN interview on Friday (May 11), genealogist Jennifer Mendelsohn gave America a peek into the background of some White House staffers, like Mr. Kelly, who is the descendant of Italian and Irish immigrants.

Kelly's own great-grandparents faced the same issues as many of today's undocumented immigrants. His great-grandmother didn't speak English and lived in the US for 37 years without learning the language, and his great-grandfather lived as an illegal immigrant for 47 years, according to Mendelsohn. He would have been deported under the Trump administration's policies. Kelly isn't the only White House employee with this kind of history. Vice President Pence's family took advantage of chain migration and brought over their family members.

Stephen Miller, a senior adviser for the White House who has been vehemently opposed to immigration reform and finding resolve for DACA kids, is a Jewish fellow who descends from Eastern Europeans who immigrated to the US. His great-grandmother spoke no English and this was documented in the Ellis Island book.

We the people

The race-rhetoric from the White House should not be ignored. Americans cannot be partisan on what is decent and just. In fact, the US owes Donald Trump much thanks for doing what other presidents could not, and that is, try to dismantle the American dream, incite hate of ethnic groups, uproot democracy, and deny constitutional freedoms. Because of his actions, the resolve of the people is strengthened.

He will ultimately serve as the catalyst for a revolutionized way of being.

Although the US land was stolen from its original owners, and then people were stolen from their homelands to develop the ill-gotten land, the true ideals of the American dream have endured. This is evidenced by everything America is today--a melting pot of humanity and all that is good. And just so we're clear, slavery in the US was not a choice [VIDEO]. We must reject the ideas that immigrants are gang members, rapists, violent, uneducated, and socially inept. If that were the case, the US would not exist. America is a nation that was built upon the tired-whipped backs, crimson blood, and salty sweat of immigrants and descendants of the enslaved.

And as such, we must not allow anyone to cast dispersions on what Americans hold dear. We, the people, must stand together to protect the dream of the dreamers, after all, this is the land where anything is possible.

As a nation, we have evolved despite a stained past. America will not allow the Trump administration to make a mockery out of our beloved torchbearer, Lady Liberty, and the Mother of Exiles. She is a symbol and honored icon of sorts. Americans have long believed her message of "world-wide welcome." It is the soul of who we are. We welcome the tired and weary, and those who want a better life. These are the people who've worked tirelessly to make America great, and it was long before a Trump Towers existed anywhere.

So remember, the next time Donald Trump, the son, and husband of an immigrant or any Trumpian speaks unkindly about undocumented immigrants, breathe deep and keep in mind, somewhere in that family tree lies an undocumented immigrant, who probably didn't speak English. Instead, tuck away the offense, and know that God really does bless America, all we have to do is stand strong, stand united, and stand as one--one United States of America.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (more commonly known as the Mormon Church) announced on May 1, it was breaking with the Boy Scouts of America to create its own youth program. As shocking as this announcement seems to be, its been a long time coming.

As the Mormon Church continues it's exponential growth across the world, it's facing a new challenge that really is a single question. How do you meet the needs of a massive influx of first-time members from non-Western countries with vastly different cultures?

The Mormon Church is a unique study because it's making the transition from a US-based religion to a global faith in our modern world.

But it is being viewed under the microscope of the 21st century, and that is leading to misunderstanding.

Lacking understanding

Ever since the Mormon Church was founded in 1830, misunderstanding, scandals, and mistrust of the new faith have been a consistent issue. The Mormon Church bears the dubious distinction of being the only religion in US history to have undergone a government-sanctioned persecution order. Enacted in 1838 in Missouri, over 5,000 Mormons were forced into freezing conditions from their homes.

Yes, we are different from normal society. We uphold traditions that state we don't drink coffee, alcohol, have pre-marital sex, etc. The church does lean towards the conservative end of social matters like how it considers any sex outside of traditional marriage to be a sin (the Catholic Church does too).

I could fill up this article with examples considered to be 'controversial'. I could do that to almost every other faith or sect if I wanted to.

It seems to be through the lens of social issues that any change that the Mormon Church makes is interpreted. This major change has proven to be no exception. Various articles and videos have graced the covers of national newspapers like the Chicago Tribune and right-wing websites like the Conservative Times.

These titles often lead with headlines like "Mormon Church retreats from scouting-and reality" and "Boy Scouts lose 425,000 scouts a week after a national change." Is this really due to the Boy Scouts recent move to include those of the LGBTQ community and girls?

Some writers have cited some of the following events and reasons as evidence that is why the church is withdrawing.

As the Scouts extended membership to gays and transgenders, Church leaders greeted the moves with caution and even issued a press statement to that effect. And last year, the church announced that it was ending the implementation of the Venturing program, while leaving Scouting (12-14) in place.

Other actions of the LDS Church suggest otherwise. Despite the increasing gulf between Scouting standards and those of the Mormon Church, the church didn't unilaterally cut ties when these decisions were made. Since these decisions were made starting in 2013, some 425,000 LDS Scouts have continued to benefit from the Scouting program.

As for the Venturing program, the Mormon Church noted in a press release that it was too hard to implement effectively.

As an Eagle Scout and former participant in an LDS troop, I can testify to this fact. Scout leaders within the church are assigned carefully, not employed, or are fully trained volunteers. This coupled with what teenage boys do, makes it difficult to do these activities effectively.

The changes announced won't take place until January 2020. The decision to include girls won't happen until February of 2019. On this particular issue, the fact-checking website Snopes.com noted, "So if the church....was objecting to the increased integration of girls, it does not appear to have been sufficiently bothered by it to prevent those 11 months of overlap."

Worldwide faith

Every year, around 200,000 converts are brought into the church from across the world.

The majority of membership now resides in countries other than North America and Europe. Most growth is happening in Latin America, Africa, and Asia at a pace that is keeping the Mormon Church on its heels.

Scouting isn't available in many of these countries. What about the LDS youth in China, Vietnam, Cambodia, or the Congo region of Africa? Is it fair that LDS youth in North America and Europe have access to an excellent leadership program that most of these converts have never heard of and don't have access to? Is that 'true equality?' Should we treat them any differently from US-born members and converts?

I would like to propose that the answer is no. These disadvantaged LDS youth and others should be offered this opportunity as well.

Not much is known about the new program yet, but the announcement states that the new program will, "discover their eternal identity, build character and resilience, develop life skills and fulfill their divine roles as daughters and sons of God.

The jury cannot be convened on what the new youth Scouting-like program will look like, but what if it turns out to be just that? Not just covering the spiritual aspect, but to develop "build character and resilience" as well. Shouldn't these disadvantaged members of humanity have that type of program available to them as well?

What is often lost in the rampant media coverage is that this is a complete overhaul of the youth program. Both boys and girls will be beneficiaries of this new program.

Isn't this something we should be celebrating?

Let's for once put away the poisonous partisan lens of social issues. Lament the loss of a 105-year partnership, but celebrate the opportunities that will be extended to hundreds of thousands of youth around the world.Mariah Brown of "Sister Wives" is doing great and living her life. She recently shared with fans that she was going to graduate school, but didn't give out the details. Today she went to her Instagram to share her exact plans and also a big move across the country that goes along with it. Mariah sounds like things are going well for her and her girlfriend Audrey as well.

Mariah shares what is next

Mariah Brown posted a picture of herself along with a caption explaining what is going to happen next. She said, "Im so ready to finally head back to school and continue my education at Loyola University Chicago.

Ill be getting my Master of Social Work + Social Justice. I can wait to move across the country with my favorite person + little dogs. On to the next adventure //."

This means that Mariah Brown's girlfriend Audrey Kriss must be making the move with her. They seem to be doing great and there is no reason not to think that when Mariah says "my favorite person" she means Audrey. They will be pretty far away from her family in Las Vegas since they will be clear in Chicago. Lucky for her, Meri Brown, her mom, has been doing a lot of traveling with her online clothing boutique business so that may make things easier for them to see each other. They will find a way to make it work and see each other.

Fans share their thoughts

The fans seem really excited for Mariah Brown and her choice for graduate school. One fan said, " Im a huge fan of the show and am in chicago/Loyola graduate. Hit a brother up if u need something." Another fan replied, "Good luck! Received my MSW last year from Appalachian State. Working on my LCSW and soon my LCAS credentials.

My degree has opened many doors for me and will for you too." It sounds like Mariah made a great choice.

Most of the comments on her post are people congratulating her or telling her all about the area she will be moving to soon. Hopefully, the TLC cameras will be following her around when she moves and gets settled in the area.

The fans enjoy getting updates on the children as well as the adults in the Brown family. Mariah is one that the fans know well since she is Meri and Kody Brown's only biological child together.

Fans can't wait to get more updates on the Brown family. The show "Sister Wives" has been renewed, but TLC hasn't shared when it will be back with new episodes. They have already shared some of the plans for this summer and "Sister Wives" wasn't talked about so it may be the fall before it returns.The premise or principle behind net neutrality is that internet service providers enable access to all content and applications independent of the source. The Federal Communications Commission confirmed on Thursday (May 10) that the 2015 US open-internet rules will be eliminated on June 11. According to Reuters, the rules will cease to exist. In addition, providers will be given power over what content consumers can access.

The implementation of net neutrality was a hallmark for former President Barack Obama. As part of Donald Trump's new direction and the new administration is to undo what his predecessor did.

The announcement by the FCC was made back in December 2017 to repeal the rules for net neutrality. What this also does is give providers the ability to slow websites and they can do it as long as they disclose their practices.

A group of states instituted legal proceedings to block the repeal

In light of these new rules, a group of states came together and sued in order to block the rules from taking effect next month.

FCC announces net neutrality rules in U.S. will officially expire on June 11. https://t.co/J4pACr0cW0 pic.twitter.com/uU5o6qUaF2  ABC News (@ABC) May 10, 2018

As reported in the above news release, internet service providers like Comcast Corp and AT&T Inc will enjoy plenty of freedom to control content as they see fit.

On the other hand, large tech companies like Facebook and Alphabet (Google) are opposed to these new measures.

Democrats introduce bill to overturn net neutrality repeal, have the votes to pass it https://t.co/bd5C4XreHp pic.twitter.com/AWp9Hm32Wl  The Hill (@thehill) May 10, 2018

An FCC commissioner, Jessica Rosenworcel, said that the federal agency had failed to serve and listen to the American people.

It emphasized the FCC was on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of the law, and on the wrong side of the American people.

While this is scheduled to take effect, a new development has started in the US Senate. In a report by The Hill, Democrats in the Senate announced on Wednesday (May 9) their efforts to vote and restore net neutrality protections.

Democrats explained that the FCC's Chairman, Ajit Pai, under this new direction for access to content, enables protections for large corporations and hurts consumers. The vote is scheduled for the following week to reject the FCC's repeal. As to whether it will succeed it does face hurdles. At the moment there is support from 47 Democrats along with two independents, and one Republican, Senator Susan Collins. It is possible since they believe they have enough votes, to overturn these new rules from taking effect permanently.

Takeaways and final thoughts on net neutrality

Nothing is certain and the vote will take place in the middle of next week. The FCC voted 3-2 to reverse the Obama-era rules, which could slow access and begin charging for certain online content. Will the Democrats succeed in blocking the official repeal of net neutrality?Bunzl plc operates as a distribution and services company in the North America, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and internationally. The company offers food packaging, films, labels, counter-service packaging, foodservice disposables, take-out food packaging, first aid products, point of purchase displays, stationery, bags, and cleaning and hygiene supplies to grocery stores, supermarkets, retail chains, convenience stores, food wholesalers, ethnic grocers, and organic food outlets. It also provides food packaging, napkins, disposable tableware, food service disposables, guest amenities, light and heavy catering equipment, cleaning and hygiene products, and safety items to hotels, restaurants, caterers, the leisure sector, and food processors and packers; and footwear, gloves, safety helmets, workwear, harness equipment, tools, safety signs, traffic management, and ancillary site equipment, as well as ear, eye, respiratory, and face protection products to customers in the industrial and construction markets. In addition, the company offers cleaning systems, floorcare items, hand cleansing products, hygiene paper, janitorial products, cleaning machines, mops, polishes, and protective clothing and washroom chemicals to facilities management companies, contract cleaners, and other industrial and healthcare customers; and counter service packaging, point of purchase display items, stationery, and cleaning and hygiene products to department stores, boutiques, office supply companies, retail chains, and home improvement chains. Further, it provides gloves, aprons, bandages, facemasks, gowns, headwear, mattress covers, overshoes, procedure packs, tapes, wipes, incontinence products, and swabs to the healthcare sector, including hospitals, retirement and nursing homes, and doctors' surgeries and clinics; and various products to government and education establishments. Bunzl plc was founded in 1854 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Read MoreIntelsat S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides satellite communications services worldwide. The company offers a range of communications services to media companies, fixed and wireless telecommunications operators, data networking service providers for enterprise and mobile applications in the air and on the seas, multinational corporations, and Internet service providers; and commercial satellite communication services to the U.S. government and other military organizations and their contractors. It provides various on-network services, including transponder services; managed services that combine satellite capacity, teleport facilities, satellite communications hardware, and other ground facilities to provide managed and monitored broadband, trunking, video, and private network services to customers; and channel services primarily used for providing point-to-point bilateral services to telecommunications providers. The company also offers off-network services comprising transponder, mobile satellite, and other services. In addition, it offers satellite-related consulting and technical services that include the lifecycle of satellite operations and related infrastructure ranging from satellite and launch vehicle procurement through telemetry and commanding services, and related equipment sale services. The company was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Intelsat S.A. is a subsidiary of Serafina S.A.

Read MoreRoyal Dutch Shell plc operates as an energy and petrochemical company worldwide. The company operates through Integrated Gas, Upstream, Oil Products, Chemicals segments. It explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; markets and transports oil and gas; produces gas-to-liquids fuels and other products; and operates upstream and midstream infrastructure necessary to deliver gas to market. The company also markets and trades natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), crude oil, electricity, carbon-emission rights; and markets and sells LNG as a fuel for heavy-duty vehicles and marine vessels. In addition, it trades in and refines crude oil and other feed stocks, such as gasoline, diesel, heating oil, aviation fuel, marine fuel, biofuel, lubricants, bitumen, and sulphur; produces and sells petrochemicals for industrial use; and manages oil sands activities. Further, the company produces base chemicals comprising ethylene, propylene, and aromatics, as well as intermediate chemicals, such as styrene monomer, propylene oxide, solvents, detergent alcohols, ethylene oxide, and ethylene glycol. Royal Dutch Shell plc was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Read More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.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of The Sherwin-Williams: Acquire Sourcing LLC, CTS National Corporation, Comex North America Inc., Compania Sherwin-Williams S.A. de C.V., Contract Transportation Systems Co., Deep Pride Limited, Dongguan Lilly Paint Industries Ltd, Duron, EPS (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., EPS B.V., EPS Polidrox Industria e Comercio de Resinas Ltda, Geocel Holdings, Geocel Limited, Guangdong Valspar Paints Manufacturing Co Ltd., Guangdong Yuegang Dadi Paints Company Limited, Guardsman Australia Pty Limited, Guardsman Industries Limited, Inver East Med S.A., Inver France SAS, Inver GmbH, Inver Industrial Coating SRL, Inver Polska Spoka Z O.O, Inver Spa, Invercolor Bologna Srl, Invercolor Ltd, Invercolor Roma Srl, Invercolor Torino Srl, Invercolor Toscana Srl, Isocoat Tintas e Vernizes Ltda, Isva Vernici Srl, Jiangsu Pulanna Coating Co. Ltd., Leighs Paints, M.A. Bruder & Sons, Omega Specialty Products & Services LLC, Oy Sherwin-Williams Finland Ab, PT Sherwin-Williams Indonesia, PT Valspar Indonesia, Paint Sundry Brands, Pinturas Condor S.A., Pinturas Industriales S.A., Plasti-Kote Co. Inc., Plasti-kote Limited, Productos Quimicos y Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Quest Automotive Products UK Limited, Quetzal Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Resin Surfaces Limited, Ronseal (Ireland) Limited, SWIMC LLC, SWIPCO  Sherwin Williams do Brasil Propriedade, Sayerlack, Sherwin Williams Colombia S.A.S., Sherwin-Williams (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Belize) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (Caribbean) N.V., Sherwin-Williams (Ireland) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sherwin-Williams (Nantong) Company Limited, Sherwin-Williams (S) Pte. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Shanghai) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (South China) Co. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Vietnam) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (West Indies) Limited, Sherwin-Williams Argentina I.y C.S.A., Sherwin-Williams Aruba VBA, Sherwin-Williams Automotive Mexico S.de R.L.de C.V., Sherwin-Williams Balkan S.R.L., Sherwin-Williams Bel, Sherwin-Williams Benelux NV, Sherwin-Williams Canada Inc., Sherwin-Williams Cayman Islands Limited, Sherwin-Williams Chile S.A., Sherwin-Williams Coatings India Private Limited, Sherwin-Williams Coatings S.a r.l., Sherwin-Williams Czech Republic spol. s r.o, Sherwin-Williams Denmark A/S, Sherwin-Williams Deutschland GmbH, Sherwin-Williams Diversified Brands (Australia) Pty Ltd, Sherwin-Williams Diversified Brands Limited, Sherwin-Williams France Finishes SAS, Sherwin-Williams Italy S.r.l., Sherwin-Williams Luxembourg Investment Management Company S.a r.l., Sherwin-Williams Norway AS, Sherwin-Williams Paints Limited Liability Company, Sherwin-Williams Peru S.R.L., Sherwin-Williams Pinturas de Venezuela S.A., Sherwin-Williams Poland Sp. z o.o, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings, Sherwin-Williams Realty Holdings Inc., Sherwin-Williams Services (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sherwin-Williams Spain Coatings S.L., Sherwin-Williams Sweden AB, Sherwin-Williams Uruguay S.A., Sherwin-Williams do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., Spanyc Paints Joint Stock Company, Syntema I Vaggeryd AB, TOB Becker Acroma Ukraine, Taiwan Valspar Co. Ltd., The Sherwin-Williams Acceptance Corporation, The Sherwin-Williams Headquarters Company, The Sherwin-Williams Manufacturing Company, The Sherwin-Williams US Licensing Company, The Valspar (Asia) Corporation Limited, The Valspar (Australia) Corporation Pty. Ltd., The Valspar (Finland) Corporation Oy, The Valspar (France) Corporation S.A.S., The Valspar (France) Research Corporation SAS, The Valspar (Germany) GmbH, The Valspar (Malaysia) Corporation Sdn Bhd, The Valspar (Nantes) Corporation S.A.S., The Valspar (Singapore) Corporation Pte. Ltd, The Valspar (South Africa) Corporation (Pty) Ltd, The Valspar (Spain) Corporation S.R.L., The Valspar (Switzerland) Corporation AG, The Valspar (Thailand) Corporation Ltd., The Valspar (UK) Corporation Limited, The Valspar (Vietnam) Corporation Ltd., The Valspar Corporation, The Valspar Corporation Limitada, UAB Sherwin-Williams Baltic, Valspar (India) Coatings Corporation Private Limited, Valspar (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Valspar (Uruguay) Corporation S.A., Valspar (WPC) Pty Ltd, Valspar Aries Coatings S. de R.L. de C.V., Valspar Automotive (UK) Corporation Limited, Valspar Automotive Australia Pty Limited, Valspar B.V., Valspar Coatings (Guangdong) Co. Ltd., Valspar Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Valspar Coatings (Tianjin) Co. Ltd, Valspar D.o.o Beograd, Valspar Inc., Valspar Industries (Ireland) Ltd., Valspar Industries (Italy) S.r.l., Valspar Industries GmbH, Valspar LLC, Valspar Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Valspar Paint (Australia) Pty Ltd, Valspar Paint (NZ) Limited, Valspar Powder Coatings Limited, Valspar Rock Company Limited, Valspar Specialty Paints LLC, Vantaco Oy, and ZAO Sherwin-Williams.Vous etes confrontes a une infestation par la puce, la punaise de lit ? Voici plusieurs actions qui sont a mettre en uvre pour faire []Hannah Devlin in The Guardian:

Scientists are preparing to create miniature brains that have been genetically engineered to contain Neanderthal DNA, in an unprecedented attempt to understand how humans differ from our closest relatives.

In the next few months the small blobs of tissue, known as brain organoids, will be grown from human stem cells that have been edited to contain Neanderthalised versions of several genes.

The lentil-sized organoids, which are incapable of thoughts or feelings, replicate some of the basic structures of an adult brain. They could demonstrate for the first time if there were meaningful differences between human and Neanderthal brain biology.

Neanderthals are the closest relatives to everyday humans, so if we should define ourselves as a group or a species it is really them that we should compare ourselves to, said Prof Svante Paabo, director of the genetics department at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, where the experiments are being performed.

Paabo previously led the successful international effort to crack the Neanderthal genome, and his lab is now focused on bringing Neanderthal traits back to life in the laboratory through sophisticated gene-editing techniques.

More here.Getty Images

En espanol | More than 37,000 Medicaid recipients in Louisiana could lose access to some of their benefits on July 1 if the state votes to opt out of four key parts of the program. At stake are beds in nursing homes, health care assistance at home, and aide from community-based services for some of the states most vulnerable residents.

The Louisiana Department of Health has begun sending notices warning older citizens and individuals with developmental disabilities who receive Medicaid that their health care service might be terminated. The loss of benefits would be the result of budget cuts the state House of Representatives passed in April that eliminated four Medicaid programs to cover an overall $550 million budget shortfall. These programs are defined as optional under the federal-state Medicaid partnership, which means that  with federal approval  a state can eliminate them and still remain a Medicaid provider.

The largest of these services is the Long-term Care Special Income Level Program, which provides Medicaid to low-income elderly, blind and disabled individuals whose medical needs and low income qualify them for institutional care. This program covers health services for about 80 percent of nursing facility residents in the state.

Threatening to evict 17,000 nursing home residents from the very places they call home, and take away critical services that help many other seniors and persons with disabilities remain independent at home and in their communities, is no way to negotiate a state budget, said AARP Louisiana State Director Denise Bottcher in a statement issued yesterday.

In order for the Medicaid cuts to take effect, the state Senate would have to pass the measure, and the federal government must approve ending the programs. The state Senate was deliberating the budget at the time this article was published. The Louisiana Department of Health opted to send early notifications to allow individuals and families time to prepare. Nearly 1.6 million people in the state overall receive some type of Medicaid benefit.

The Louisiana Department of Health has warned that forcing so many people off Medicaid would have ripple effects, and that informal care agencies and hospital emergency rooms might be inundated with patients with nowhere else to go.

We have alerted social service agencies, health care providers, advocates for the elderly and people with disabilities, religious organizations and other human service and community organizations of what to expect. But we know there is not the capacity to effectively and humanely deal with this situation, said Rebekah Gee, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

LAS CRUCES  The New Mexico State University Board of Regents in a surprise move hired both a new chancellor and a president to serve as a two-person leadership team.

NMSU regents unanimously voted Friday to appoint as chancellor Dan Arvizu, an alum of the university and former CEO and director of the U.S. Department of Energys Renewable Energy Lab.

The new president of NMSU is John Floros, dean of the Kansas State University agriculture college and K-State Cooperative Extension.

The fact that were bringing an Aggie home is very exciting, said Debra Hicks, NMSU Board of Regents chair, after the announcement Arvizu was selected as the new chancellor.

I think today is an exceptionally great day for New Mexico State University, said Kari Mitchell, regents vice chair.

Our Aggie community really loves this place, as do I, and I believe they have a right to great expectations, said Arvizu during a news conference after the regents meeting.

Floros was not present for the announcement because of graduation ceremonies at his current university. But the new chancellor said he had already started discussions with the new president he referred to as an exceptional researcher and academic rock star.

John and I are both aligned in spirit and in philosophies and all the approaches in how we are going to lead this institution, Arvizu said.

The two men were among five finalists for the chancellor job that also included Barbara Damron, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Higher Education Department, Brian Stevenson, a business professor and former president of Lakehead University in Canada, and Robert Marley, provost and executive vice chancellor at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

All of the candidates visited NMSU for job interviews and public forums. Hicks said the regents after much discussion decided on Monday to create two positions.

Im eager to help this team move this university forward, said Chancellor Garrey Carruthers, who is stepping down. The regents did not renew his contract.

I take it as a compliment from the board of regents that it takes two people to replace me, he said with a big smile, as those attending the meeting broke into laughter and applause.

At the meeting the regents honored Carruthers for his years of service to the university. He will continue to teach at NMSU.

Hicks said the final contracts are being drawn up and she could not provide the salary amounts for the two new positions yet. The current chancellor earns $385,000 a year.

Arvizu takes the helm at the end of May as the university copes with budget cuts, a reduction in funding for research and increasing competition in recruiting and retaining students.

Enrollment is absolutely essential, Arvizu said.The hemlines are shorter, the graduating class is smaller but the excitement is the same.

Three hundred nine students graduated from West Mesa High School on Friday afternoon, ushering in the 50th anniversary of the schools first graduating class.

An hour before the ceremony, the seats in Tingley Coliseum began to fill.

The cheers of seniors dressed in their white caps and gowns filled the arena: Seniors! Seniors! they chanted.

In a special section near the stage, sat the original Mustangs, the class of 1968.

Fifty years ago, 497 students graduated, recalled 68-year-old Patty Tingley.

To celebrate the golden anniversary, the class of 1968 walked in with the 2018 grads.

The uncertainty will hit them when they get the diploma, said Karen Gallegos Padilla, 67. I know I felt excited but also unsure.

Thirty-eight of the original Mustangs were in attendance Friday, proudly donning sashes that read WMHS 1968.

Were a family, said Gallegos Padilla.

Gallegos Padilla has a long history with the school, having worked at West Mesa for 38 years as well. She is also a co-organizer of bringing the class of 1968 to the grad ceremony Friday.

It feels surreal. It feels like that was us just yesterday, she said.

The former homecoming lady said the friendships she created in high school are what she remembers most.

A group of the alumni, including organizers Tingley and Gallegos Padilla, has continued to meet on a regular basis and get dinner, a 30-year tradition.

And tradition is why the class of 1968 felt it was important to be there Friday afternoon.

We paved the way for them, Gallegos Padilla said.

Tingley noted that original group wrote the class song, picked the Mustang mascot and school colors and designed the class ring.

I cant believe its been 50 years, she said.

Tingley, West Mesas first head varsity cheerleader, said graduation hasnt really changed as the emotions and excitement transcend the 50 years. But one thing shes noticed change is the fashion, joking that clothing is a bit less conservative than it once was.

Having generations of Mustangs in the same room is something Gallegos Padilla thinks is unique to Albuquerque, saying its a traditional city, affording it opportunities to celebrate a long history of residents and students in the same place.

Mary Thais Lopez, 67, is also part of the class of 1968, currently living in a house behind her alma mater.

With generations of West Mesa grads, Thais Lopezs family have all been Mustangs, some also graduating in a milestone year.

Her daughter, Kathy Montgomery, turned her tassel in the 25th anniversary ceremony in 1992, and her granddaughter, Maya Montgomery, is walking in this years 50th anniversary.

Three of her kids and four grandkids have gone to West Mesa.

The class of 2018 recognized this year was unique.

Alec Reichard, 18, said he thinks people will remember the golden grads, saying people take note of the landmark moments most.

Its awesome. It feels special, he said about the class of 1968 coming to the ceremony.

Montserrat Silva, 18, echoed that feeling, saying its nice to have the original grads in the same room with the class of 2018.

They know what we went through. They accomplished the same thing as we did.

We welcome suggestions for the daily Bright Spot. Send to newsroom@abqjournal.com.NEW YORK  President Donald Trump and his lawyers likely wont decide whether he will answer questions from Russia probe investigators until after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month, according to the presidents legal team.

Rudy Giuliani, the presidents new attorney, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday that any preparation with Trump for a possible interview with federal investigators would likely be delayed until after the June 12 summit in Singapore because I wouldnt want to take his concentration off something far, far more important.

Giuliani, who also suggested that special counsel Robert Muellers team had indicated it would not attempt to indict Trump, said he had hoped to resolve the question of a possible interview by May 17, the one-year anniversary of Muellers appointment, but that was no longer feasible.

Several things delayed us, with the primary one being the whole situation with North Korea, Giuliani said. The president has been very busy. It really would be pretty close to impossible to spend the amount of time on it we would need.

The presidents lawyers have not decided whether it would be in Trumps best interest to sit for an interview. Giuliani warned that it could be a perjury trap and suggested that lies told by others could land the president in legal trouble, though he said that Trump himself would not close the door entirely on an interview.

The president would probably like the resolution, the former New York City mayor said. If we were convinced it would speed up the process, we may do it. If we believed they would go into it honestly and with an open mind, we would be inclined to do it. But right now, were not there.

Muellers investigation has operated largely in secrecy, with the public getting only glimpses into its operation through witnesses who are questioned or when indictments and guilty pleas are unsealed. But Giuliani suggested that a recent conversation with Muellers team led him to believe that the special counsel, citing a Justice Department opinion, had ruled out the possibility of trying to indict a sitting president.

Mueller has floated the idea of issuing a grand jury subpoena for Trump to answer questions, former Trump attorney John Dowd has said, though it is unclear how serious prosecutors were about such a move. Even if Muellers team decided to subpoena Trump as part of the investigation, the president could still fight it in court or refuse to answer questions by invoking his Fifth Amendment protection from self-incrimination.

Giuliani said Friday that if a subpoena were issued to get Trump to appear, the presidents legal team would oppose it unless they could reach agreement on the ground rules. He argued that Trump could invoke executive privilege, and the team would point to Justice Department opinions in fighting a subpoena and on both law and the facts, we would have the strongest case you could imagine. He noted the handover of 1.2 million documents as evidence of cooperation.

He also indicated that the presidents lawyers may be more likely to agree to an interview if Muellers team narrowed the scope of what it was investigating. Though Giuliani would not provide an exact date for when a determination would be made about the interview, he said it probably would be silly to make a decision much before the highly anticipated summit. He said that the demands on Trumps time meant that his legal team had not done a lot in terms of preparing the president for a possible in-person interview.

It would take a while and hes focused on North Korea, said Giuliani.

A number of Trump allies, including Vice President Mike Pence this week, have stepped up calls for Muellers investigation to wrap up, suggesting it was interfering in the presidents ability to do the countrys business. Muellers team is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible coordination with Trump associates as well as whether the president obstructed justice. So far, the special counsels office has charged 19 people  including four Trump campaign advisers  and three Russian companies.

Both Trumps former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and his deputy campaign chairman, Rick Gates, have pleaded guilty and are now cooperating with the probe. A number of other former White House and campaign staffers, including Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon, as well as Inauguration Day committee chairman Tom Barrack, have been interviewed.

Trumps longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen, had his office and home raided by federal agents and, this week, was revealed to have been selling his insight into Trump to corporations. Giuliani said the arrangement looks bad but insisted there was no crime.

Giuliani demurred when asked if Trump would consider it a red line for his children to be interviewed. Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared, Kushner, both worked on the campaign and are senior advisers at the White House, while Trumps adult sons, Don Jr. and Eric, were also leading figures on the campaign. Giuliani said he did not expect those interviews with Mueller to take place.

Our understanding is that hes pretty much finished, Giuliani said. As far we know, were basically the last witness.

The special counsels office has not outlined the duration of the probe.

Some of Trumps recent tweets revealed the presidents anxiety about how the investigation could sway voters as they decide whether to keep congressional Republicans in power or force him to face an aggressive Democratic majority. Giuliani repeated his call for the probe to end soon but suggested that if it lasted until Novembers midterms, it would be helping Republicans.

It makes the campaign feel it its about impeachment, the former mayor said. I think the Democrats would be making the same mistake we did back during Clinton.

In 1998, amid the furor of President Bill Clintons impeachment, voter backlash cost the Republicans the chance to pick up seats in both Houses of Congress.

___

Associated Press writers Chad Day and Eric Tucker contributed reporting from Washington.

___

Follow Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemireCopyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

Local law enforcement agencies have had a few previous interactions over the years with a 7-year-old girl who agents say was sex-trafficked by her relatives.

But the girl and her siblings never disclosed abuse  even in interviews with specially trained detectives  according to spokespersons for the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office and the Albuquerque Police Department. No criminal charges were filed in connection with the reports reviewed by the Journal, although one of the suspects, 37-year-old James Stewart, had pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child abandonment involving the eldest child in 2008. No details about that case were immediately available.

Last week, special agents with the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General arrested Stewart and his wife, Teri Sanchez, 37, accusing them of sex trafficking and abuse of the 7-year-old girl, their close relative. Stewart faces charges including human trafficking and promoting prostitution, and Sanchez is charged with abuse of a child and contributing to the delinquency of a child.

The AG filed a motion for pre-trial detention, asking for the pair to be held in jail until their trial. A hearing on that motion began Friday and will be continued Monday.

The girl and her two elder brothers, ages 8 and 14, were taken into CYFD custody.

Nurse reported case

The AGs investigation began when an elementary school nurse who had taken the AGs training workshop about sex trafficking reported to special agents in mid-April that she believed the girl showed signs of human trafficking and sexual assault.

When the girl underwent a forensic interview as part of the investigation, she told investigators that Stewart would force her to perform sex acts on his friends and that she would get weed and pipes and stuff. She said Sanchez would take her to strip clubs and dress her in high heels, press-on nails and makeup.

While neither APD nor BCSO investigators had found signs of sex trafficking or physical or sexual abuse in their previous encounters with the family, they did report seeing signs that the children were underfed and unkempt and that Stewart and Sanchez were in dire financial straits, according to incident reports filed in each case. The agencies forwarded their reports to the Children, Youth and Families Department for assistance.

In court documents, special agents detailed 25 prior referrals to CYFD, and the department secretary, Monique Jacobson, said last week that she had serious concerns about the way her department handled interactions with the family.

Four employees have been put on paid administrative leave pending the result of the ongoing review.

The governor also expressed outrage over the charges and expressed concern about the way CYFD handled previous allegations.

Governor Martinez has issued executive orders and instituted reforms and rules to address situations just like this case, spokesman Ben Cloutier wrote in an email Wednesday. The Governor is very concerned that these executive orders have not been properly followed and has directed CYFD to investigate. If it is determined proper procedures were not followed, there will be severe consequences.

Gilbert Gallegos, an APD spokesman, said last week that APD will review prior police reports as well. He did not respond to questions about whether this review has been completed. but he did email a statement.

As we continue to assess the interactions and look for areas to improve, our experts in the Crimes Against Children Unit were fully engaged and determined they could not pursue a criminal investigation without disclosures of abuse, Gallegos wrote in an email.

He did not answer specific questions or respond to requests for an interview with a detective.

Financial hardship

Incident reports obtained by the Journal this week paint a picture of a family experiencing homelessness and financial hardship.

In 2012, there is a call about Sanchez panhandling with the girl and her brother, then 1 and 2 years old.

The next year, police were called again, this time because the kids were playing, unattended, in a puddle off Central and San Mateo.

A police officer noted in that case the children appeared to be healthy and happy but the familys apartment was dirty and had minimal nutrition. Sanchez told the officer she was waiting for her brother to give her $45

In 2016, Stewart himself called deputies, reporting that the children had been left with a neighbor a couple of days earlier. He said the children told him the neighbor rubbed them on the stomach, back and legs.

The report was forwarded to BCSOs Special Victims Unit, but department spokeswoman Felicia Maggard said the unit did not investigate it further because it does not denote a disclosure of any kind of sexual contact.

In April 2017, deputies were called to Lucky 66 Bowl on Fourth Street on reports of the girl being left in a pickup while Sanchez worked inside.

Sanchez told deputies she and Stewart were homeless and the children stayed with her mother sometimes. She also said she did not appreciate deputies contacting her while she was singing karaoke, according to the incident report.

When deputies talked to Sanchezs mother, she told them she is concerned for (the children) because they along with Teri and James P. Stewart have all been homeless since January of this year, the deputy wrote in the report. She said that she doesnt feel like the children are getting enough to eat nor are they able to properly bathe themselves.

Maggard said the case was assigned to a Special Victims Unit detective because a welfare check was requested and because there had been another contact within the same week. She said the children underwent a forensic interview  a specialized interview designed to bring out information about mistreatment or abuse.

There was also some mention of the female child indicating she had been uncomfortable sleeping with (Stewart) which caused concern of sexual abuse, but there was NO DISCLOSURE made of sexual abuse at the time of these incidents/investigation, Maggard wrote in an email. Forensic interviews were conducted on May 4, 2017, and neither child made ANY DISCLOSURE of abuse (physical or sexual).

However, she said the cases were forwarded to CYFD because there were concerns about Stewart and Sanchezs ability to care financially for the children.

Homeless

During the sex trafficking investigation, school officials told special agents with the state Attorney Generals Office that the girl, her brother and the family were homeless, that they frequently came to school unkempt and fell asleep in class, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

The children are among about 4,000 homeless students enrolled in Albuquerque Public Schools.

School officials recounted one incident with the girl that they found particularly troubling and possibly indicative of abuse. In November 2017, the girl arrived at school unwashed and smelling like urine, according to the complaint.

When her teacher helped her change into clean clothes, she saw the girl had bloodstains on her underwear and grew concerned about possible sexual assault, according to the complaint.

When the girl and her brother did not attend school the next day, officials called CYFD, and an investigator and uniformed police officers visited the family members in their hotel room, according to an incident report.

The report lays out the interaction:

The officer took the girl into the hallway away from Stewart and Sanchez to ask her questions about her well-being and ask whether she felt safe.

(The girl) stated she did and never made any gestures or statements that would lead me to believe she is being abused somehow by (Stewart and Sanchez), the officer wrote in the report. (The girl) stated she felt safe with (Stewart and Sanchez) and stated when she does get in trouble (Stewart and Sanchez) usually just make her go to bed.

The officer wrote that he then told Stewart and Sanchez to make sure the kids go to school.

School officials later told police they had seen the blood on the girls underwear while helping her change but they did not ask how it got there. The report does not say whether officers asked Stewart, Sanchez or the girl about the blood.

The CYFD investigator notified detectives with APDs Crimes Against Children Unit about the call, and they interviewed the girl and Stewart and Sanchez again.

According to the incident report, after their interview there was nothing that would cause concern of (the girl or her brother) being abused in any way by (Stewart and Sanchez).EVERYWHERE, AMERICA  With the rise of candidates like Roy Moore in Alabama and Don Blankenship in West Virginia, who, after the Upper Big Branch mining disaster, which killed 29 people, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for willfully violating mine safety standards and who recently released an anti-McConnell ad talking about China People, Republican voters are finding themselves faced with a serious dilemma.

On the one hand, Mr. Blankenship has said some pretty racist things, commented one potential voter. On the other hand, he did go to prison after all those miners died. So its a tossup.

This is like the opposite of that Roy Moore situation in Alabama, Potential Voters wife noted. He was very racist and also at times anti-Semitic, but he was too fond of minors. This works better out loud.

Republican primary voters in many states now face what should be an easy choice between a relatively traditional, mainline candidate and a garbage bag filled with dead squirrels that has said many racist things and speaks warmly of President Trump. But  complicating this decision  the garbage bag full of squirrels has recently been accused or convicted of a serious crime. This has given hope to many establishment Republicans, who would be depressed at the prospect of forking hard-earned cash into the campaign coffers of an eldritch abomination cursed in many tongues and on many continents, whose name is death and whose face is a coil of writhing tentacles, if this abomination were not guaranteed to win in November.

I hate to lose. So Im gonna go out on a limb here and ask the people of West Virginia to make a wise decision and reject Blankenship! No more fumbles like Alabama. We need to win in November, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted about Blankenship. His father followed suit shortly thereafter, urging people to Remember Alabama. Don Blankenship, currently running for Senate, cant win the General Election in your State  No way!

I understand why Xenophobe McTriangleShirtwaistFactoryDisaster is getting so much buzz in my home state, said one Establishment Republican. People are fed up with Washington. They want an outsider. But I just dont think he can win in the general.

Asked whether there were any principled reasons for objecting to this candidate, the Establishment Republican emitted a low, hollow laugh like the thump of a spade against a coffin where perhaps no one was buried.

This party used to have class, he observed. We used to have subtext. Candidates who used racially tinged sesquipedalian epithets instead of these awful monosyllables. Now we have all these people running around with bullhorns shouting things that are better gently implied to a table of big donors at a dinner closed to the media where everyone is given three forks.

I am just nervous about who I will have to disavow strongly in the run-up to the primary, then begrudgingly funnel money to anyway, commented another congressional leader.

Another, more optimistic Establishment Republican was excited to see what principle it turned out the party did not actually believe in. With Trump, it turned out we were okay with nepotism, completely indifferent to financial responsibility and shady business dealings, couldnt care less about respecting women, and placed no value whatsoever on expertise. With Roy Moore, it turned out that these Family Values had been much overstated. I cant wait to see what else it turns out weve been paying lip service to for decades!

Usually I have to strain to listen for what I want to hear in the words of a nice gentleman in a seersucker suit, one voter commented, which is why Al Livesmatter and his outsider campaign are so refreshing. I dont like that Al just finished serving a term in jail for pushing a school bus off a cliff, but I understand that everything the news reports is a lie, and we live in a Deep State conspiracy that can only be staved off by building additional Confederate monuments and stockpiling guns and gold, so.  

Follow Alexandra Petri on Twitter, @petridishes. (c) 2017, Washington Post Writers Group. Alexandra Petri writes the ComPost blog, offering a lighter take on the news and opinions of the day. She is the author of A Field Guide to Awkward Silences.What does the word asylum conjure up in your mind? An overpopulated mental ward with screaming patients frothing at the mouth? A snake pit, as depicted in the 1948 movie of the same name in which actress Olivia de Havilland battles schizophrenia, shock treatments and a sadistic nurse?

The word asylum simply means An institution offering shelter and support to people who are mentally ill. So why dont we have more psychiatric asylums to help the ever-growing number of Americans who battle serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disease? Asylum is not a dirty word.

The answer is simple: Money. And the fact that decades ago, following shocking disclosures about the care in some institutions, it was decided to close the doors of almost all psychiatric hospitals in favor of smaller community-based treatment centers. Thousands of troubled souls were released, but the centers never materialized, in part because few citizens wanted a psychiatric care home in their backyard. Today, the majority of severely mentally ill people have become the problem of the police, whose only alternative is to arrest them and lock them up.

This is what we do to mentally sick people  put them in an unsafe and violent environment? When did we decide that being mentally ill is akin to a criminal offense? And how does jailing such a person help anyone? Once released, they will still suffer from their illness and it may be even more profound at that point.

We need to treat these individuals like we would treat someone with a serious cancer, Professor Dominic Sisti of the University of Pennsylvania told me the other day.

Sisti is a Ph.D. in ethics of behavioral health care and author of an often-quoted paper called Improving Long-term Psychiatric Care  Bring Back the Asylum. He noted the moral distress of his student interns at being forced into the practice of treating and streeting mental patients. That is, getting them back out on the street within 72 hours when the federal funds to treat them run out.

The way we allocate money and resources to help these most vulnerable people is not fair, and it is clearly not working.

According to The Treatment Advocacy Center, an organization dedicated to making treatment possible for the severely mental ill, an estimated 15 percent to 20 percent of inmates in local jails and state prisons have a diagnosable and serious mental illness. In 2014, for example, there were 383,000 people with severe psychiatric problems locked up compared to about 38,000 getting treatment in state psychiatric institutions. Something is wrong there.

At the same event at which I met Dr. Sisti, I listened to several other experts in the field of mental illness. Dr. Emanuel Trujillo, a former director of psychiatry at New Yorks famous Bellevue Hospital, believes it is unethical for society not to force the profoundly mentally ill to take anti-psychotic medicines. He cited one of his own patients who declared, I am fine. I am God. You are the crazy one.

The Washington Post reports that a man with schizophrenia stabbed out both his eyes while incarcerated in a Minnesota county jail. Jailers in New York did not know what to do with a schizophrenic inmate, so they left him in solitary confinement for 13 years. It is clear that penal institutions are no place for those suffering from profound mental disease. Ill go one step further and agree with legal scholars who believe it constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

The biggest hurdle to getting mental patients out of jails, off the streets and into bona fide treatment programs is money. States look to the feds to help, but regulations on Medicaid and other government programs are so restrictive that meaningful treatment is impossible. Hospital emergency rooms are flooded with those needing urgent mental health care and, according to D.J. Jaffe, executive director of Mental Illness Policy Org, If you can walk in, youre not considered to be a priority (patient) and the alternatives are homelessness, jail or the morgue.

Dr. Jeffrey Geller, director of psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, addressed those who worry about the warehousing of people should asylums make a comeback. Geller says that is already happening in substandard, poorly subsidized adult homes and other care facilities where mental patients get room and board, but no services, due to the ill-conceived structure of federal assistance. Once targeted therapy begins, Geller said, Most could be treated, live on their own and, for those who could not, they can be afforded asylum care.

The conversation about the need to bring back asylums  once a taboo subject  is now being openly discussed among academics and other experts in the field of mental illness. Its time the rest of us began to listen.

www.DianeDimond.com; email to Diane@DianeDimond.com.Kudos to Intel for stepping up, and being a good neighbor and corporate citizen.

Were talking about the companys recent announcement it will work with several northern New Mexico nonprofits to help with water conservation in the Rio Grande watershed.

Its part of the companys goal to restore 100 percent of its water use around the world back to the communities surrounding its plants by 2025. The company has already funded environmental projects in California, Oregon and Arizona.

Manufacturing chips takes a substantial amount of water, but the company has already made strides with its conservation efforts. It already returns 80 percent of the water it uses back to the communities it works in.

Its laudable that rather than resting on its laurels, Intel has set the ambitious goal of offsetting 100 percent of its water use within seven short years.

We are doing this by going out into the community and working with nonprofits, like the National Forest Foundation and Trout Unlimited, locally, Intel spokeswoman Linda Qian told the Rio Rancho Observer.

The first project funded in this state is in northern New Mexico. Qian notes that during winter, not much water flows through the Rio Grande, which impacts how fish are able to rear and spawn. In partnership with Trout Unlimited, Intel is paying landowners in the area to release additional water into the watershed during low-flow times.

This year, the Rio Grandes flow was increased by 12 percent, which shows how impactful the work is, Qian said.

Impactful, indeed. We hope the work continues and the communities that host Intel realize the company is going above and beyond to be a good neighbor.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.WASHINGTON  Officially, their governments dont speak. The United Arab Emirates doesnt even formally recognize that Israel exists.

But an impromptu bit of dinner diplomacy between Israels prime minister and a prominent Emirati ambassador sheds light on one of the worst kept secrets in the Arab world: the quiet ties between Israel and some of its Arab neighbors that are increasingly coming out in the open as they find common cause against mutual foe Iran.

The venue back in March was Cafe Milano, the upscale Georgetown restaurant often frequented by powerful Washingtonians, from Barack Obama to Trump Cabinet members. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in town for an annual pro-Israel policy conference, was midway through dinner with his wife, Sara, when an unexpected request came his way.

By coincidence, the Emirati ambassador to the U.S., Yousef al-Otaiba, was at the restaurant hosting Brian Hook, the State Departments policy planning chief, and a group of U.S. journalists, along with Bahrains ambassador, Sheikh Abdullah bin Rashed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa.

The Americans dining with Otaiba got wind that Netanyahu was nearby. Word was sent to see if the Israeli would mind making an appearance at their dinner. That request first passed through the restaurants owner, then one of the journalists, who had walked by Netanyahus table while on the way to the restroom.

It wasnt long before Netanyahu and his wife came over to say hello on their way out. They lingered, answering a few questions from the group about Iran and other issues. There were smiles, a few laughs about the oddity of the situation, and Netanyahu shook hands with the two ambassadors before leaving the restaurant.

Neither the Israelis nor the Emiratis publicly disclosed the encounter, but it was described to The Associated Press by six people who either attended the dinner or were briefed on it. The individuals who attended spoke on condition of anonymity because the dinners ground rules were that it be considered off the record. The AP did not attend the dinner.

The Israeli and Emirati embassies in Washington declined to comment.

In and of itself, the interaction does not signal any historic establishment of ties between Israel and the UAE or any other country. Yet it casts light on how friendly cooperation between the Jewish state and the Arab Gulf nations, until recently kept behind the scenes, are creeping into public view.

Its become an open secret, even not a secret at all, demonstrated in public ways that are taboo-breaking and important in beginning a process of preparing Arab publics to share the Arab leaderships view that Israel is a strategic partner, said Dan Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel. But there is a danger in irrational exuberance. This is a very fragile process.

Driving the shift  until recently unimaginable in the Arab world  is a growing alignment between Israel and the Sunni Arab nations against Iran, the Shiite-led nation that Israel considers an existential threat. Saudi Arabia and its allies in the region, including the UAE, share a view that Iran now presents more of a threat to the region than Israel, whose thriving economy and prosperous tech sector have become attractive models for other Middle East nations to try to replicate.

Yet there are risks for the Arab nations in moving too fast. After all, Arab leaders have spent much of the past 70 years teaching their populations that Israel must not be allowed to exist and championing the cause of the Palestinians.

Those leaders may have some common ground with the Israelis, but the Palestinian issue remains a deeply emotional cause throughout the Arab world and would constrain them from going too far in their relations with Israel unless there is a resolution. While Israel and the U.S. have sidelined the Palestinian issue, these behind-the-scenes ties are likely to continue, and may be enough for Israels own strategic needs.

Netanyahu frequently boasts of growing, discreet cooperation with moderate Arab countries. Though he doesnt identify them by name, theyve long believed to be Sunni Gulf countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The Saudis, for instance, recently broke a decades-old practice and agreed to allow Indian flights to Israel to pass through Saudi airspace, cutting the trip by several hours. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, even met with pro-Israel Jewish American leaders during his recent high-profile trip to the U.S., during which he was quoted as criticizing the Palestinians.

Israeli businessmen quietly operate in the UAE. The Emirati Embassy in Washington is planning an interfaith Iftar  the meal eaten by Muslims to break the Ramadan fast  that will include a U.S. rabbi.

Qatar allows an ambassador to stay in Israel and to work with Israeli military officials while overseeing Qatari-funded construction projects in Gaza. The tiny, wealthy nation also recently hosted prominent Jewish-American leaders for a visit to Doha where they met with the countrys ruling emir.

Bahrain late last year sent an interfaith delegation including Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Jews to Israel, in what was perceived as testing the waters for what might happen if the nation were to recognize Israel. And its foreign minister, Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, stunned Israelis and Arabs this past week when he tweeted support for Israels self-defense after Israel retaliated for an Iranian rocket barrage by attacking suspected Iranian targets in Syria,

As long as Iran has breached the status quo in the region and has evacuated its troops and missiles, any state in the region, including Israel, is entitled to defend itself by destroying the sources of danger, the foreign minister wrote.

___

Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

___

Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAPA man is in jail after police say he fatally shot another man outside a southeast Albuquerque apartment complex Tuesday night.

Richard Robinson, 73, was booked into jail early Saturday morning on an open count of murder in the death of 58-year-old Chris Michens.

Police say Robinson shot Michens in the head around 9 p.m. Tuesday out front of the Conquistador apartment complex, near Madeira and Anderson SE.

Afterwards, Robinson fled the area and officers found Michens in a pool of blood on the sidewalk. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Police issued an arrest warrant for Robinson on Thursday.Mothers, love, chastise, worry, tease, protect At the end of it all, mothers understand and that is when they smile  a different smile for each emotion. Britannia Good Day pays tribute to the many smiles of a mother in their latest film for Mothers Day called #MotherOfAllSmiles.

Mothers have been celebrated in Indian media from time immemorial. For example, Indian cinema of the 20th century defined and popularized the notion of faultless motherhood and duty-bound children. By and large, mothers and children had simple relationships defined by their love and duty to each other. Todays millennial generation enjoys a more nuanced view of the world. They have more opportunities to explore professionally and in personal relationships, more confidence about taking risks, less hurry to settle and lesser interest in settling for less.

The millennial mother therefore has more situations to find sync with, with her child. She must deal with the varied experiences and explorations of her child and yet keep her equanimity. She is not docile. She knows her influence and must exercise it without stepping on her childs liberties. She must keep her emotions in check but not quite lose control of a situation. Above all, she has to be understanding so that her child can grow up to become a free-thinking, well-rounded individual. The timeless quality of motherhood is love and the millennial mother shows her love for her child with the understanding smile.

The film is intended for a social media campaign to celebrate International Mothers Day on 13th May.

Ali Harris Shere, VP-Marketing, Britannia Industries Ltd. Says A mothers love is most special, and those heart-warming, all- knowing smiles of a mother are truly every childs anchor and safe place. We have all grown up encountering those moments, and no matter where we are we carry her smiles close to our heart. So what better way to celebrate International Mothers Day than by creating a film which celebrates the #MotherOfAllSmiles!

We always think of a smile as one expression. Little do we realize that a smile has as many moods and emotions as the person wearing it. On Mothers Day, we celebrate the many smiles that Mom bestows on us, that go on to make the world a happier place for us. The brand that is all about smiles, celebrates the woman who adds so much beauty and meaning to it, making us want to keep her smiling more. For every emotion expressed in the film, theres as much left unsaid in the beautiful bond between the mother and the son. We all know a smile goes a long way. This film ensures it finds a place in our hearts., said Priya Shivakumar, ECD & Creative Head, JWT Bangalore and ChennaiWould you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier?

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Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page.One of the key organizers for Secret Stages is no longer involved with the Birmingham music festival.

Travis Morgan, co-founder and programming director of Secret Stages, announced this week that he's left his role with the festival after an eight-year tenure.

"Leaving has been a very difficult decision for me, because of what the festival means to me," Morgan said via an email statement. "I am someone who is passionate not only about sharing music, but also about the city of Birmingham, so being able to help showcase diverse lineups of musical artists from all over the country, while also showing off the city I love was truly a dream come true."

Morgan emphasized that he's still on good terms with other organizers for the festival, including co-founders Jon Poor, Sam George and Chuck Leishman. However, Morgan said the work he did for the festival -- finding, recruiting and booking bands -- became too time-consuming.

"I could not do the extensive research to find bands for the festival that I enjoyed, and therefore, decided it was time to pass the baton," Morgan said. "I am also trying to reduce my stresses, slow down, take a deep breath and enjoy things more."

Secret Stages bills itself as a "music discovery festival," presenting music acts that are on the rise, on the fringe, cutting-edge or simply worthy of listeners' attention. Since the debut event in 2011, Morgan has been the lead music curator, essentially finding and choosing the acts for Secret Stages each year.

"I actively recruited over 400 unbelievably talented bands to perform at Secret Stages," Morgan said in his statement. "Some of those bands played Birmingham (even Alabama) for the first time; some played their first show ever. Having the opportunity to research and explore the variety of undiscovered music around the country was a massive undertaking every year. I would listen to 50 bands to find one that I was over the moon about, but I did it, year after year, band after band."

Morgan said he's working at a new job and planning to go back to school full-time.

Morgan's LinkedIn profile currently lists him as a public relations consultant with an emphasis on bands, brands and booking. In the past, he's worked as a video editor, data imaging technician and record label manager. He founded a Birmingham label, Skybucket Records, in 2003, and was label manager for Communicating Vessels in 2013-2017.

In his role with Secret Stages, Morgan booked acts such as St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Shovels & Rope, G-Side, Robert Ellis, Jacuzzi Boys, Banditos, Fly Golden Eagle, Lambchop, Hiss Golden Messenger, Futurebirds, Belle Adair, Barton Carroll, Pujol, Ponychase, Shonna Tucker and Ear Candy and more.

Before leaving Secret Stages, Morgan selected some of the acts for this year's festival, according to his statement. The 2018 lineup hasn't been announced, but the event is set for Aug. 3-4 at Avondale Brewing Co. in Southside.

That's a new location for Secret Stages, which previously was held downtown, at several venues in the area of Second Avenue North and 23rd Street. Tickets are on sale now, priced at $30 for weekend passes, $65 VIP.

"I am happy to see the festival continuing strong in my absence and feel that the move to Avondale is a wise decision and I know the festival can flourish there, Morgan said. "I was able to book some acts for the 2018 event which I'm incredibly excited to present. But most importantly, I am parting with the festival and its dedicated staff on good terms. Everyone who works at Secret Stages gives it 100 percent, so everything is in good hands."A "well-known" company is considering locating in Bessemer and bringing with it up to 3,000 jobs.

"Right now, it is looking very good that we will secure this tenant that will have between 1,500 and 3,000 jobs that would be very beneficial to that area," said Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens.

The unnamed company is considering building on U.S. Steel-owned property off Powder Plant Road near Bessemer City High School and Alabama Splash Adventure. The acreage of the property wasn't released.

The economic development project would mean a "sizable capital investment," in western Jefferson County and Bessemer, Stephens said. Starting wages will be at least $14 an hour, he said.

He said the state of Alabama, Bessemer and Jefferson County are offering the unnamed company a generous incentive package.

Stephens said the company is looking to help train its workforce at Bessemer City High School.

The Jefferson County Commission this week vacated right of way for Old Powder Plant Road as requested by U.S. Steel to clear the title on the property and allow for its development. The ownership of the right-of-way had been transferred to the county from the Alabama Department of Transportation.U.S. F-22 stealth fighters intercepted two bombers off the coast of Alaska on Friday, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The Russian TU-95 Bears were in international airspace, but had flown into the Air Defense Identification Zone, which extends about 200 miles off Alaska's western coast, CNN reported.

"At approximately 10 a.m. ET, two Alaskan-based NORAD F-22 fighters intercepted and visually identified two Russian TU-95 'Bear' long-range bomber aircraft flying in the Air Defense Identification Zone around the western coast of Alaska, north of the Aleutian Islands," NORAD and USNORTHCOM spokesman Canadian Army Maj. Andrew Hennessy said in a statement.

The aircraft were intercepted and monitored until they left the airspace near the Aleutian Islands.A man was sentenced to 19 years in prison for trying to have a DeKalb County prosecutor assaulted and his vehicle run off a mountain road, authorities said today.

Joshua Kilgro

Joshua Kilgro, a 45-year-old from Fort Payne, pleaded guilty to solicitation to commit first-degree assault. The intended victim was DeKalb County prosecutor Scott Lloyd.

Kilgro wanted to stop Lloyd from attending a 2014 sentencing hearing, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said in a news release. So Kilgro asked another man to run Lloyd's vehicle off a mountain road, according to authorities. That man reported the request to law enforcement, Marshall said.

"This defendant's attempt to thwart justice was properly met by the righteous arm of the law, resulting in even more convictions and a stern sentence," Marshall said in a statement.

Kilgro already is serving time for DUI, burglary and drug possession. This week, he also was sentenced to a year in jail for a misdemeanor assault charge that stemmed from a jailhouse fight, authorities said.

The solicitation case was investigated by the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office. Kilgro was prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Stephanie Billingslea, Leigh Gwathney and Ternisha Jones.

Kilgro had been indicted for solicitation of murder but pleaded to the lesser charge.The mayor of the North Carolina town where a 22-year-old black man's violent arrest in a Waffle House has drawn wide scrutiny and prompted an internal investigation defended the police in a video he posted Friday.

"This is not a racially motivated issue," Warsaw Mayor A.J. Connors said in the video. "This was just a young man who had broken the law and a law enforcement officer arrested him."

The video of Anthony Wall's struggle with a police officer has drawn outraged reactions from across the country and criticism from organizations such as the NAACP. It is one of a surge of videos recently that have reinvigorated a long-simmering debate about the treatment of minorities in public spaces and at the hands of police.

Wall, who had taken his 16-year-old sister to prom, had gotten into an argument with people at the restaurant when someone at the restaurant called the police. It's unclear whether it was a Waffle House employee.

Wall later posted a video of his arrest to Facebook. An officer, wearing a vest with the word "Police" on the back, pushed Wall against the plate-glass window. When Wall protested, the officer wrapped his hands around Wall's neck, held him against the window and squeezed.

"Get your hands off of me," Wall said, struggling to speak.

Seconds later, the officer slammed Wall to the ground in front of the gold Mercedes-Benz that Wall and his sister had posed by for pictures hours earlier.

Wall told WTVD that he "was pretty much trying to scream for air and trying to breathe because he was holding my throat, and that's when I got aggressive with him because you are choking me." He added that he was not fighting the officer; his arms were in the air when the officer choked him.

Connors said that Wall had "brought on the issue."

"The young man came into the township of Warsaw, went into a restaurant, he became disruptive, he brought on the issue, which called for an arrest," he said. "This young man was irate and doing things and threatening employees."

Connors, a pastor who also worked as the chaplain for the police department before he was elected last year as mayor of the small town about an hour south of Raleigh, said that the officer used force because Wall "refused to cooperate or follow them or obey the law."

"The officer made every effort to secure him so that the public would be safe," he said. "Also, we must understand that this young man had broke the law. He was there, he started a fight and an officer's job is to make an arrest, if they see fit or there is a reason to."

Wall did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He told the Raleigh News & Observer that he was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct for arguing with Waffle House employees.

Connors said that Wall had been arrested, charged and paid his bail bond for release. Wall was also checked out by emergency medical technicians after the incident, Connors said. Waffle House released a statement on Friday as well, saying that it, too, did not see race as an issue in the incident.

"We believe there is more to these stories than the short videos that have been posted might suggest," the company wrote. "Our review of these incidents do not indicate race was an issue in the decision to call the police in either case. Both incidents escalated quickly, and our employees called the police because of safety concerns for their customers and themselves."

Waffle House said that it was planning to contact Bernice King, the youngest daughter the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who had called for a boycott of the restaurant until it implemented certain changes.

The Warsaw Police Department and Onslow County District Attorney Ernie Lee are investigating the incident, according to the News & Observer.

It is unclear whether the officer, who has not been identified, remains on duty while police investigate his use of force. On Facebook, the video has been viewed more than a million times. Many commenters said the officer should be fired, charged with a crime or both.Alabama authorities have found and taken custody of six children and their mother after the woman reportedly fled a South Carolina order to surrender the children.

Jennafer Machelle Price, 33, was supposed to turn over her children Wednesday to social services in Oconee County, S.C., according to a report on FOX Carolina.

Jennafer Price, shown in a photo released by authorities, was taken into custody in Alabama Friday for allegedly fleeing South Carolina with her six children to avoid a change in custody. (Oconee County Sheriff's Office)

Instead, she and the children were gone when social services arrived.

Oconee County sheriff's deputies said Friday that the children were safe and in the custody of Alabama social services. Price was also in custody charged with six counts of custodial interference, deputies said.

The sheriff's office said Price has a history of narcotics abuse, FOX Carolina reported. The department released a mugshot of her following an arrest in 2016.

South Carolina social workers headed to Alabama Friday to take custody of the children, the report said.Jefferson County's school board has banned nearly two dozen Alabama high school students who damaged their school in a prank from walking at their graduation this month.

The students at Clay-Chalkville High School spray-painted and egged their school building this week in an apparent senior prank, Clay Mayor Charles Webster said today. The 22 teens punished were identified through school security camera footage.

A report by Birmingham television station ABC 33/40 said the students damaged a sign with eggs and painted the back of the school using some vulgar language. Total damage was estimated at $50,000,

Webster said the decision to ban the teens from graduation "went before the (Jefferson County) school board" and was upheld despite some parents' complaints.

Clay is a small town of about 10,000 east of Birmingham, and the high school also includes students from the surrounding area. Principal Michael Lee could not be reached for comment Saturday.Ed Richardson was packing up his office on Friday morning when he sat down with reporters to reflect on public education in Alabama: past, present and future.

When the clock struck noon on Friday, Richardson's 8-month term as interim state superintendent would come to a close, and newly-appointed State Superintendent Eric Mackey, who joined Richardson for the interview, would take the reins soon after.

"I didn't get everything done I wanted to," Richardson said, "but Dr. Mackey is more than up to the task, and so I'm confident we'll have some stability here that we've needed for years."

Richardson took the interim position in September after former Superintendent Michael Sentance resigned under board pressure having spent barely a year in the position. Before Sentance, Tommy Bice held the position for four years.

Richardson is well-known for his bold, matter-of-fact declarations on public education in Alabama. He tells it like he sees it.

And he has seen public education from every perspective, having over the past 40-plus years served as a teacher, a principal, a local superintendent, a state superintendent, a college professor, and a university president.

It is clear Richardson is bothered by Alabama's poor educational reputation on the national stage.

At his final board of education meeting Thursday morning, he told board members he was "personally embarrassed" by the low achievement scores of Alabama's public school students and where the state ranks nationally in education measures.

"It's hard for me to swallow," he told board members, "when you look at where we are compared to other states."

Asked what has changed since his last term as state superintendent---from 1995 until 2004---Richardson said educating students is a much harder job than it used to be.

"One of my favorite jobs was being a school principal. And I couldn't be one [today]," he said. "They'd have me arrested before the second day." (Later he would tell reporters he still believes in both the chalkboard and the paddle.)

Disagreements between teachers and parents over issues like grades can result in lawsuits, and that possibility intimidates teachers, he said.

"Parents do not have the same relationship with their schools," Richardson said. "They don't know the teachers as well. They're not involved like they used to be. And so, they're estranged."

The public's negative view of schools, he said, is reinforced by negative stories about schools in the media.

The list went on.

"Boards of education have become more of micromanagers," he said. "Superintendents don't stay in their jobs long enough."

He was critical of the department of education, too. Because of multiple leadership changes, he said, the department "is best at counting beans and reading you what the rules say rather than trying to find a creative way to interpret the rules so that the local system can do what it needs to do."

Richardson, looking to Mackey, said making those structural changes in the department was easy. Mackey will have the tougher job, he said, making sure the right people are in the right jobs and getting units within the agency working together toward a goal.

When Richardson took the interim position, he had four things he wanted to accomplish, he said, to set the stage for the next superintendent to be successful.

First, complete Alabama's federal education plan and get school and district report cards online. Check.

Second, get rid of a multi-million-dollar deficit in the department's operating budget and right-size a top-heavy organizational chart. Check.

Third, decide on a new standardized test for students. That one's not yet complete but the groundwork was laid, and the goal of having a new test in place by Fall 2020 is still in sight, he told board members.

The fourth goal was to have the tough stuff done in the Montgomery County schools intervention. The intervention, for financial and academic reasons, began in February 2017 under Sentance and was "a mess" when Richardson took over.

"If I had a regret about leaving at this time," he said, "it is that I was not able to finish that up in a satisfactory way."

Richardson criticized the Montgomery Board of Education, saying board members don't know their proper role hindering real progress and improvement. But that's not unusual, he said.

In every one of the 15 to 20 interventions he had been involved in, Richardson said, "The weak link is the board of education."

He criticized the Alabama Education Association for what he called delay tactics that would have helped fix the school district's budget. Those delays had a domino effect, he said, because the district couldn't show the accrediting organization that it had a plan to right-size finances.

The lawsuit AEA filed to block the sale of the historic Georgia Washington school to Pike Road City schools earlier this year was particularly harmful, he said. The sale would have provided much-needed cash for the district, which may now be forced to cut hundreds of jobs because of poor finances.

Last week, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in Richardson's favor, allowing the sale and confirming the state superintendent's authority during school district interventions.

He has spent a lot of time and department resources on the Montgomery intervention, he said, acknowledging at least 20 more of Alabama's 137 school systems need help improving student achievement.

In spite of the criticism, Richardson had kind words for those working in schools across the state.

"We've got some great people out there," he said, "but we've got to make sure we all know where we're going."

Richardson said improving education in Alabama is difficult. He said Alabama doesn't have a history of placing a high value on education given that most jobs were physical in nature and didn't require high levels of education.

"The history of this state has set us up for failure," he said. The skills that are needed in today's jobs are much different, he said, and that's what schools need to focus on.

More than half of Alabama's public school students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, he said and that level of poverty presents tough challenges. "Poverty is the biggest killer of educational achievement," he said.

He said Alabama's history of racial strife continues to be a problem. It isn't a thing of the past, he said. "We've just become more sophisticated in how we express it," he said. That strife gets in the way of educational progress, he said.

"I hope we can get past that and understand how important the education of our children is," Richardson said, "and that we can say let's get past this rural, urban, poor, black, white business, and see if we can make something happen."

Improving education is slow work, he said, and real change can take six to eight years. Mackey needs to be given time to implement his plans, he said.

What's next for Richardson? He said he has a few projects in the works, but didn't go into detail.

He said he will not return to serving on the Alabama Public Charter School Commission.

Richardson said he started working on a book years ago and had finished about a third of it before he started advising Huntsville City schools in 2011. Then came the 2012 intervention into Birmingham City schools, he said, and he just hasn't had time to work on it.

"I want to write the book on public ed(ucation)," he said, "in terms of why it is where it is and offer my suggestions."

No doubt it will be an interesting read.I'll never forget how my old editor, Goodloe Sutton, cried when he told me about the plot to kill his family.

In federal prison, one inmate had tried to pay another, who was about to be released, $150,000 to burn down the Suttons' home with the Suttons in it. The guy making the offer was Roger Davis, a former Marengo County sheriff whom the Suttons, through their rural weekly newspaper, had helped put in that prison.

By providence, the other inmate was a jailhouse informant who told authorities of the plot and also where Davis had buried the money before going to prison.

But law enforcement told the Suttons to be cautious still. Goodloe gave his son a loaded shotgun to keep under his bed and said to shoot if anyone ever tried to get in the house, and even if he thought the intruder was dead after the first shot, empty the gun.

That's the point in the story where Goodloe broke down. It wasn't that he'd been scared, but no one should ever have to tell their kid something like that, he said.

I was still in college then. On my way home to visit my parents, I had stopped by the Democrat-Reporter in Linden, where I had worked the summer before, to see how things were going. That was when Goodloe told me the end of what had been a years-long story.

The short version: Davis had extorted money from bail bondsmen, and at least two of his deputies had run a protection racket for a drug kingpin. Goodloe's wife Jean, who worked as the managing editor at their tiny rural weekly newspaper, smelled corruption and began dragging as many of their secrets as she could unearth onto the front page of their newspaper -- one public record at a time. They toiled away, not knowing whether anyone cared or was reading.

But someone was. Federal and state authorities quietly followed behind their work until one day they swooped in and swept up Davis and deputies.

That was 20 years ago, but lately, I keep going back there in my mind -- for a few reasons.

First, because Jean, who died not long after all that, taught me how to be an investigative reporter. For Jean, open government was her second religion, and she converted me to be a zealot like her.

I've heard it said that every writer has one big idea that they work on all of their lives. Mine I got from Jean, and it's this: The only antidote to public corruption is transparency. Not that drivel politicians talk about on the campaign stump, but real public access to documents and meetings. Access to public records is the best weapon the public has to protect itself against government abuse.

Second, just how Jean sniffed something rotten in the wind in Marengo County, I keep catching that same putrid odor on the wind across Alabama today.

Last year the Southern Center for Human Rights and Alabama Appleseed sued 49 Alabama sheriffs who refused to turn over the same sorts of public records Jean used to put Davis behind bars -- even after all but two candidates running for Alabama Attorney General have said those records should be public.

RELATED: 49 Alabama sheriffs hide jail food funds, flout open records law



One thing Jean taught me was that the harder someone fights giving you a public record, the more valuable it is. There's something big going on there.

And finally, because it showed me how terrifying public corruption could be. It's dangerous and even life-threatening, especially in small towns and backwoods where local officials rule like potentates.

Ever since my colleague Connor Sheets exposed how Etowah County Sheriff's Todd Entrekin turned his jail food fund into a lucrative private enterprise, we've been receiving tips from all over the state saying, in essence, "If you think that guy's a piece of work, wait until you meet my sheriff."

We're trying to run down as many of those leads as we can, and we're working at our full bandwidth. So please, be patient, and most importantly, keep those tips coming.

And in the meantime, if you live in one of those 49 counties where the sheriff believes jail food money is none of your business, this is an election year and a good opportunity to trade up to a better brand of law enforcement.

You don't need to keep a gun under your bed. You have something more powerful than that.

You can vote.

Kyle Whitmire is the state political columnist for the Alabama Media Group.

Want access to the best analysis and in-depth reporting about Alabama each week? Sign up for the weekly Reckon Report newsletter and follow Reckon on Facebook and Twitter.The world at large is these days celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx (May 5, 1818  March 14, 1883) the revolutionary political economist who, with a single act of theoretical genius, redefined our enduring understanding of the material foundations of our economic class, social life, political positions, and ideological proclivities in his three-volume magnum opus, Das Kapital (18671883) . His very vocabulary of theorising the economic foregrounding of social and political (and even religious) forces have now become integral to the social sciences and the humanities  used and abused by friends and foes alike.

In a world ravaged by the wanton cruelty of predatory capitalism  now most notoriously led by the imperial presidency of Donald Trump and his billionaires cabinet, aided and abetted by their European and regional allies  the enduring wisdom of Marxs theory of capital and its political consequences continue to guide the course of our struggles for global justice.

Marx, however, was incurably Eurocentric in the very cast of his critical thinking. Although he was aware of the expansionist proclivities of a capitalist economy, Marx never fully developed a theory of how colonialism was the modus operandi of this capitalist tendency. Although in the 1850s, Marx wrote brilliantly in his essays for New York Daily Tribune on various aspects of European colonialism, his Eurocentric blind spot led him to his notorious notion of Oriental Despotism and the scandalous argument that colonialism was actually good for India because it modernised the subcontinent.

Such theoretical blinders and political blunders barred the extension of his own insights into a more global theory of capital and its political consequences. When it came to his perception of the non-European world, Marx was as much an Orientalist as the rest of his European contemporaries  though he, of course, wished to see the world liberated globally from the terrors of an abusive capitalist system. But when he said, Workers of the World Unite, he basically had European workers in mind. The rest of the world had to be liberated from their feudal ways and modernised before reaching the revolutionary consciousness of his European audience.

The necessary and crucial task of extending Marxs groundbreaking ideas to the world at large remained for the next generation of Marxist critical thinkers, the Polish-born German Jewish revolutionary thinker and activist Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) in particular.

Bourgeois nationalism on the postcolonial sites

There is a legitimate Marxist critique of aspects of postcolonial theory as it is received and perceived on North American university campuses and made palatable to soft-spoken liberalism, where the bitter roots of this critical movement in colonial experiences are sweetened for bourgeois palatability. In this version, Cesaire, Fanon, Malcolm X, and even Edward Said are robbed of their experience as African, Caribbean, African American, or Palestinian and given a gentle and sociable aura not to frighten white people.

But there is another version of postcolonial theory that in fact begins long before Cesaire, Fanon, Malcolm X, or Said and is rooted in such radical Marxist thinkers as Rosa Luxemburg who, early in the 20th century, were busy thinking far more globally about the significance of Marxs thought  even more poignantly than did Marx himself.

As a Jew, a woman, and a socialist revolutionary, Rosa Luxemburg was in a unique position to think about the meaning of Marxs ideas from the vantage point of disenfranchised segments of the world in or out of Europe. As a Jew, she was the internal other of Europe; as a woman, its gendered alterity; and as a socialist revolutionary, its nightmare.

In her groundbreaking book, the Accumulation of Capital (1913), Rosa Luxemburg demonstrated how capitalism expands the domain of its predatory operation globally to exploit resources, abuse cheap labour, expand its insatiable need for new markets, and accumulate ever-increasing surplus value. European imperialism, she suggested, was the military machinery to enable and facilitate this globalization of capital.

Without Rosa Luxemburg correction of Marxs theory of capital, his blindfolded Eurocentrism would have had two fatal deficiencies. He could not account for the European longevity of the capitalist system and he would have been irrelevant to the colonial extension of capitalism. Luxemburgs argument that the endemic crisis of the capitalist system propels it to imperialism and colonialism effectively brought the realm of the colonial into the critical apparatus of Marxist thinking.

Rethinking Marx on the margin?

To be sure, in his Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism (1917), published about half a decade later, Vladimir Lenin, too, connected the economic vicissitude of capitalism and the military logic of imperialism together, arguing military expansionism was the mechanism through which European countries delayed the endemic economic crisis in their own countries.

Other major Marxist theorists, such as Karl Kautsky and Nikolai Bukharin, had also paid close attention to the link between capitalism and imperialism. These figures were pioneering theorists dismantling the racist colonialist assumption that colonialism was instrumental in the process of so-called modernisation. It was because of them that modernisation was exposed for what it has been: a euphemism for colonisation.

In an excellent recent book, Marx at the Margins (2010), Kevin Anderson has sought to rescue Marx from his European provincialism and offer us, with some degree of success, a different version of Marx. The only problem with such revisionist accounts and other Marxist theorists seeking to expand Marxs insights is that even in their closer attention to global consequences of capitalism, they remained Eurocentric in the sense that, even in their world-system theories  a la Immanuel Wallerstein  they still believe in a core-periphery dichotomy between capital and its colonial consequences.

There is no core or periphery to the global operation of capital and the military forces that sustain it. The ruling elites in the US, the EU, Asia, Africa, and Latin America are as much the beneficiary of the system they violently uphold as those who are disenfranchised by it are dispersed in these very places.

Racism is a mere ideological veneer to the hardcore economic logic of colonialism and imperialism. Predatory capital is colour-blind and gender-neutral. It abuses white and coloured labour identically and it makes no difference to its maddening logic if you are a Donald Trump or a Saudi prince, an Egyptian general, an Indian entrepreneur, a Russian oligarch, or a Chinese businessman. Those who are abused and maligned by the selfsame system are as much among the poor of the US and Europe as they are in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Colour and gender codification of power is a mere false consciousness to the economic logic of power and domination.

The migrant labourers, more than 300 millions of them, roaming around the globe in search of a half decent wage, are neither in the centre nor in the periphery of any system. They are the most obvious victims of the predatory capitalism made invisible by a false geography of centre and margin, or core and periphery.

By giving detailed accounts of the British economic atrocities in India, and French colonialism in Algeria, Rosa Luxemburg anticipated the more detailed accounts of postcolonial theories by decades. By bringing the presumed margins of self-centring Europe to global consciousness, she enabled the postcolonial theorist a veritable voice at the worldwide gathering of critical Marxist thinking.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.Brexit issues: UN envoy condemns Growing racism

While UK laws and politicians make distinctions between illegal immigrants and people in the UK lawfully, it doesnt follow that the public will see the differenceArmed group crossing from DRC shot and burned villagers, killing at least 26 and wounding seven, officials say.

At least 26 people have been killed and seven others wounded in an attack in northwest Burundi, according to officials.

The attack took place on Friday in the village of Ruhagarika in the province of Cibitoke, located near Burundis border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Speaking at the scene on Saturday, Security Minister Allain Guillaume Bunyoni told reporters that 24 people were killed in their homes on Friday night, while two others died of their wounds at a local hospital.

In a statement earlier in the day, Bunyoni said attackers came from the DRC and returned there after the assault.

They shot and burned people, he said, blaming the attack on a terrorist group.

{articleGUID}

Witnesses said the violence began around 10:00pm (20:00 GMT) on Friday, when a group armed with guns and knives entered Ruhagarika, and began killing people and setting fire to buildings.

These criminals went house to house and committed real carnage, a local official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP news agency.

He said he was horrified by the violence.

Some of the victims were stabbed, others were shot, there is even a whole family that was burned alive in their home, the official added.

One survivor told The Associated Press the assailants hacked people with machetes and shot at or burned others.

She said her husband and two children were killed in the attack.

The violence came shortly before Burundians vote on May 17 in a controversial referendum that could extend presidential term limits.

The government has in recent weeks deployed soldiers to border areas after accusing exiled opposition groups of seeking to disrupt the vote.Officials in French capital say person who carried out knife attack was overpowered by police.

A man armed with a knife in Paris has killed at least one person and injured several others before being shot dead by police, according to French media.

The attack on Saturday reportedly took place near the main opera house in the French capital.

The Paris prefecture said a person who carried out the knife attack was overpowered by police, without giving any more details.

Citing sources close to official investigations, AFP news agency said that two people, including the attacker, were killed and several were injured.

BFM TV also said that one person was killed in the attack, while the assailant was shot dead by police.

In a message on Twitter, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb praised the cool and quick reaction of the police forces who neutralised the attacker.

There was no immediate information about the suspects motive.Palestinian factions need to reinvent themselves and find successful strategies to give the public hope, analysts say.

The Palestinian national movement, which has led the decades-long struggle against Israels takeover of Palestine, has reached the lowest ebb in its history, according to analysts.

But as Palestinians mark this week the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, the Catastrophe that followed the dispossession of their homeland and the creation of Israel in its place, there are signs of possible change.

For more than a quarter of a century, the Palestinian movement has been split into two increasingly irreconcilable ideological factions, Fatah and Hamas  now reflected in a profound geographical division between their respective strongholds of the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

Both camps have not only failed to bring about any significant achievements, say analysts, but illegal Jewish settlements have steadily spread across the West Bank and a 12-year blockade, bolstered by Israeli military attacks, has choked Gaza into a humanitarian disaster.

There is no tangible regional or international support for the Palestinian cause, and the Trump administration barely bothers to conceal its role now as a cheerleader for Israel.





That includes a decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem this week, effectively recognising Israels claim on a city Palestinians regard as their future capital.

The Palestinian national movement has moved beyond crisis to the point of bankruptcy, said Ghassan Khatib, a former cabinet minister in the Palestinian Authority (PA), and now a lecturer at Bir Zeit University, near Ramallah.

Neither the armed resistance of Hamas nor the diplomacy of Fatah has made any gains, he told Al Jazeera. They are failed governments, and the public is deeply dissatisfied.

The dire situation has left observers wondering whether the Palestinian national movement can reinvent itself and find more successful strategies over the coming years and decades.

Both Fatah and Hamas are preparing for major demonstrations, hoping to bring attention to decades of oppressive Israeli rule.

But the events are also likely to underscore how much ground they have lost to Israel  and how the pressure for new thinking is coming from the ground up, not from the leadership.

Recent weeks have seen regular protests at Gazas perimeter fence attracting tens of thousands of Palestinians and dominated by young people. The emphasis has been on direct, non-violent mass action, spurning the high-level diplomacy of Fatah and Hamas traditional commitment to armed resistance.

Although the Gaza protests  under the banner of the Great March of Return -were not initiated by Hamas, it had shown a willingness to support them, noted Diana Buttu, a former legal adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Hamas has recognised the utility of the marches, she told Al Jazeera. It adopted them rather than crushed them. The hope must be that Fatah will soon realise this too  that they understand there is utility to people resisting.

Ahmed Al-Naouq, a youth activist in Gaza, pointed out that the focus of the protests was the demand that the refugees  a large majority of Gazas population  be allowed to return to the lands, now in Israel, they were expelled from in 1948.

In Gaza, we are more creative and flexible in our thinking because we have no other choice. We want to break out of this prison, he told Al Jazeera.

My father worked for many years inside Israel. We are ready to live alongside Israeli Jews in peace  they need to set aside their fears.

Nathan Thrall, a local analyst with the International Crisis Group, a conflict resolution organisation based in Washington and Brussels, pointed out that the Gaza protests were returning the Palestinian struggle to its historical roots.

Even before the founding of the PLO, the central issue in Palestinian nationalism was the refugees  more so than the 1967 issue [of the occupation], he told Al Jazeera.

The right of the 750,000 Palestinians made refugees by the 1948 war and their descendants to return to their ancestral lands originally lay at the heart of the platforms of all the political parties, he said.

The national movement slowly compromised on that.

Under the Oslo process launched in 1993, it was widely assumed that the refugees, if they returned at all, would move to a separate and minimal Palestinian state rather than their former towns and villages.

There was an intentional ambiguity: the leadership talked about the right of return at the same time as it promoted the two-state solution, even though the two principles appear contradictory, said Thrall.

But the Palestinians historic compromise had turned into a dead-end.

The two-state idea was never seen as ideal. No one marches for it or is prepared to sacrifice their life for it, he said.

But that pragmatism has yielded no results and has led to great popular disenchantment. Now ordinary people are going back to the roots of the Palestinian issue.

That appears to return Palestinian nationalism to its original vision of a single state, as long propounded by the PLO under its leader Yasser Arafat.

He only accepted the partition of historical Palestine in the late 1980s, faced with overwhelming western pressure.

It is significant that there has been a steady increase in support for one state among the Palestinian public, now at around 30 percent, Buttu said.

That is surprising, given that today, not one Palestinian party, in the West Bank and Gaza or the 48 areas [of Israel], publicly supports it.

Even Hamas, she said, had effectively followed Fatah and abandoned its traditional goal of Palestinian-Islamic rule over all of historical Palestine.

Gradually Hamas has adopted the two-state formula, plus, in its case, a long-term truce with Israel, Buttu said.

C ritical gap

In an indication of Hamas growing desire to compromise, Israeli media reported this month that unprecedented strategic distress had led the movement to offer Israel a truce in return for easing the blockade and allowing it to rebuild Gazas infrastructure.

What was evident, said Khatib, was a critical gap between the national leaderships and Palestinian public opinion, especially among the youth.

The latter was increasingly interested in popular, non-violent struggle as a way to break out of the Palestinians isolation.

But there are strong vested interests that will try to maintain the current situation, he said, pointing to the Palestinians dependence on foreign donors, Israels control over the transfer of income to the PA, and, in turn, the vast number of families relying on PA salaries.

Neither Fatah nor Hamas are in a position to advance popular struggle. They are bureaucratic governments, with structures, leaders and ideologies that militate against non-violence as a tactic.

But Khatib and others admit that change is likely to happen  some think rapidly  once 82-year-old Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas departs the scene.

Asad Ghanem, a politics professor at Haifa University, said ending the factionalism was a precondition for turning the different parties into an effective vehicle of national struggle.

There must be a unified national movement, he told Al Jazeera.

The PA has to stop being the security contractor for Israel. Then we can solve the real problems. We must demand an elected and unified leadership with a single platform.

The biggest problem currently facing the Palestinian national movement, said Buttu, was that, despite its various institutions, it was dominated by one person in the figure of Abbas.

Abbas has made all these institutions irrelevant, and they have allowed themselves to become irrelevant, she said.

That has entirely marginalised other approaches, like boycotts and the one-state solution. It has ensured the alternatives cant be effective.

She noted that Abbas had all but ignored imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti during the Palestinian prisoners hunger strike last summer.

Barghouti is widely reported to be a student of non-violent strategies of resistance like those of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. He is said to have found support among the jailed leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Look at the difference between the way the ANC [in South Africa] kept attention on Nelson Mandela while he was in jail, said Buttu.

They made sure people knew who he was. But Abbas has done his best to extinguish Barghouti, so young people barely know who he is after so many years behind bars.

The prisoners are a hugely powerful and symbolic issue for Palestinians, and yet Abbas has preferred not to capitalise on it.

With Abbas gone, Thrall thinks Fatah and Hamas may be capable of adapting to new thinking. But they will do so only if there is a groundswell of popular sentiment that forces them to, he said.

He pointed to the decisions in January of the PLOs Central Council to urge the ending of security cooperation with Israel, which Abbas has previously termed sacred, and to adopt the anti-apartheid-like struggle of the boycott (BDS) movement, even though it conflicts with Abbass strategy.

Thrall said the moves reflected pressure, in the case of security cooperation, from the Palestinian public and, in the case of BDS, from civil society organisations in the West Bank and Gaza.

Buttu noted that Palestinians were still conducting popular forms of struggle, despite the lack of institutional support.

Look to the Ahed Tamimis, she said, referring to the 17-year-old girl arrested and jailed for slapping an Israeli soldier who invaded her home.

She isnt choosing to be a teenager like her peers around the world. She chooses to resist; she is defiant like the rest of her village of Nabi Saleh. The same is true of those marching in Gaza.

At the moment they have to operate as one-offs, because of the failure of the bigger political structures.

Thrall observed that what happens in occupied East Jerusalem could prove decisive. Israel, he noted, was extremely concerned about large numbers of Palestinians there seeking Israeli citizenship and voting in city elections.

If a majority starts applying for citizenship that could prove to be a deadly blow to a two-state solution, and it could happen very rapidly, he said.

Then the PA would no longer speak on behalf of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, which is supposed the future Palestinian capital.

That might be the point at which Palestinians were driven into mass protests for equal rights in a single state, along the lines of a civil rights or anti-apartheid struggle.

Buttu agrees that Israel could be gravely mistaken in thinking it has crushed Palestinian nationalism.

I often wonder what it looked like in Algeria in the 1930s or 40s, or in South Africa in the early 1980s, she said.

The French in Algeria and apartheids leaders in South Africa thought they had the situation wrapped up, with a pretty ribbon on the package. They did not realise that in a few years everything would utterly change.Ahmad Khatami said Israeli cities face destruction if that country continues to act foolishly.

More video clips from the storyVote expected to be a referendum on PM Haider al-Abadis tenure and his pledge to be more inclusive of Sunni minority.

Iraqis have voted in the first parliamentary election since the country declared victory over the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group at the end of 2017.

Polls opened at 7am on Saturday and closed at 6pm (04:00 to 15:00 GMT). While the independent body overseeing the election projected a high turnout among the 24.5 million registered voters, participation appeared to be low.

The low turnout was partly blamed on a 24-hour curfew put in place by the government since midnight, which was partially lifted by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi later in the day.

Few foresee a dramatic government shake-up given the countrys sectarian divides, but the balloting is expected to be a referendum on al-Abadis tenure and his pledge to be more inclusive of Iraqs Sunni minority.

Corruption, security, poverty, Irans influence and the future of US forces currently in Iraq are other issues that have dominated the run-up to the election.

A total of 6,990 candidates from 87 parties are competing against one another, with nearly 2,011 female candidates who are guaranteed 25 percent, or 83, of the seats. Nine seats will be allocated to minorities.

The main lists can be divided into Shia, Sunni and Kurdish coalitions, with Shia parties being the most prominent due to their greater influence over Iraqi politics since 2005.

Candidates elected based on their position in the party will be elected to four-year terms in parliament.

An electronic voting system is being used for the first time this year to try to reduce fraud and speed up the counting process.

Results will be released within 48 hours of Saturdays poll close, according to the independent body overseeing the elections.

Security has been tightened across Iraq in the days before the election after ISIL threatened to target polling stations.

Baghdad, Mosul and other major cities are imposing curfews on election day, and travel between provinces has already been restricted. As of Friday, airports and border crossings will be closed.

Main contenders

The 2018 vote will see competition between two main Sunni coalitions, four Kurdish lists and five main Shia coalitions, from which the next prime minister of Iraq will be chosen. That candidate will, in turn, determine the fate of Iraqs national unity.

Al-Abadi, heading the Nasr (Victory) Coalition, is seeking to retain his post but faces stiff competition from his predecessor, Nouri al-Maliki, heading the Dawlat al-Qanun (State of Law) Coalition, and the Fateh alliance of candidates, who have close ties to the powerful, mostly Shia, paramilitary forces.

Fatah is headed by Hadi al-Amiri, a former minister of transport who became a senior commander of paramilitary fighters in the fight against the ISIL. Many of the candidates on his list were also paramilitary commanders before they cut their official ties with paramilitary forces to seek office.

Influential Shia scholar Muqtada al-Sadr leads the Sairoon Coalition, an alliance of the Sadrist Movement and the Iraqi Communist Party. His campaign has focused on fighting corruption and social issues.

Finally, the Hikma Coalition (Wisdom), created by Amar al-Hakim in July 2017, is running on a platform to attract a younger electorate from traditional Shia parties.

Sunni leaders have coalesced around two primary lists, one of which is al-Qarar al-Iraqi, led by Osama al-Nujaifi, one of Iraqs three vice presidents, and his brother, and the other is the Wataniya Alliance represented by Salim al-Jabouri, the current speaker of parliament, and Saleh al-Mutlaq, former deputy prime minister, and former Prime Minister Iyad Allawis secular coalition.

According to Ibrahim Marashi, associate professor at the Department of History, California State University, San Marcos, Arab Sunni parties have failed to agree to run under a single list for 2018 [which is] indicative of the failure of one party that will represent their aspirations.

Next government

No one group is expected to able to win the 165 seats required for an outright majority. Instead, the bloc that wins the most seats will have to bring together a majority by getting the support of smaller alliances.

The process of choosing the next prime minister is expected to take months and will likely result in power being dispersed across different political parties with clashing interests.

Until a new prime minister is chosen, al-Abadi will remain in office, retaining all his powers.

Political power in Iraq is traditionally divided along sectarian lines among the offices of prime minister, president and speaker of parliament.

Since the first elections following the 2003 US-led toppling of Saddam Hussein, the Shia majority has held the position of prime minister, while the Kurds have held the presidency and the Sunnis have held the post of speaker of parliament.

But with instability in the Kurdish region of Iraq since the 2017 independence referendum, the Kurds have become divided and are unlikely to have a substantial impact on the formation of the new government.

As a result of the referendum and fiasco that ensued, the Kurdish vote is more fragmented today than at any point since 2003, said Fanar al-Haddad, a research fellow at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.

The constitution sets a quota for female representation, stating that no less than one-fourth of parliament members must be women.

Once results of the election are ratified by Iraqs Supreme Court, parliament is required to meet within 15 days.

Its eldest member will chair the first session, during which a speaker will be elected. Parliament must then elect a president by a two-thirds majority vote within 30 days of its first meeting.

The president is charged with naming a member of the largest bloc in parliament  the prime minister-designate  to form a cabinet within 30 days. If that individual fails, the president must nominate a new person for the post of prime minister.

In the past, forming a government has taken up to eight months. In 2005, allegations of vote-rigging delayed the ratification of election results for weeks.

Experts envision that al-Abadi may win a second term, but also see most of the main Shia coalitions being represented in government.

This is especially true for al-Amiris Fateh Coalition which has closer ties than the Nasr Coalition does with Iran, a country that plays a large role in Shia politics in Iraq.

The Fateh Coalition [represented by al-Amiri] will inevitably be a part of the coming government. Its a question of how big a chunk of the political pie they will have, said al-Haddad.Berlusconi was convicted of tax fraud in 2013, triggering a bar on holding any elected position for six years.

An Italian tribunal has lifted a ban on veteran centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi that had prevented him from holding public office, meaning he could run to be prime minister in the next national election.

However, the decision might have come just too late for the 81-year-old four-time premier, who only three days ago gave his blessing to his political ally the League to form a government without him in the wake of a disappointing election result.

Berlusconi was convicted of tax fraud in 2013, triggering his expulsion from the upper house of parliament and a bar on holding any elected position for six years.

However, in a decision made public on Saturday, a court in the northern city of Milan, which oversees the application of sentences, ruled that the bar could be lifted a year early for good conduct.

Finally five years of injustice has come to end, Berlusconis Forza Italia party said in a statement.

Berlusconi can once again be a candidate.

Berlusconi campaigned actively ahead of a March 4 national election, even though he was not a candidate. But Forza Italia did not perform as well as he expected, slipping behind the League to lose its top spot in the centre-right bloc.

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Berlusconi blamed the poor showing on the fact that voters knew he could not be prime minister.

The centre right emerged as the single largest force at the March vote, while the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement emerged as the biggest individual party.

Neither side won enough seats to govern alone, and efforts to put together a coalition were complicated by 5-Stars refusal to work with Forza Italia, saying Berlusconi symbolised political corruption in Italy.

After more than nine weeks of stalemate, and with fresh elections looking increasingly likely, Berlusconi on Wednesday finally gave his blessing to the League to seek a coalition deal without Forza Italia.

Negotiations between the League and 5-Star are continuing, with President Sergio Mattarella giving them until Monday to strike an accord. Both parties say that if they fail to agree on terms, the only solution would be a revote, perhaps in July.

A political source, who declined to be named, said the fact Berlusconi was now free to run might make him less amenable to a League/5-Star government and that he could work to make life difficult for it in parliament, should it take office.

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The billionaire media tycoon was written off after he quit as prime minister in 2011 amid a sex scandal involving his bunga bunga parties, while Italian bond yields surged to unsustainable levels at the height of the eurozone debt crisis.

However, he has fought hard to remain politically relevant.

Last year he appealed to the European Court of Human Rights to overturn the ban on holding public office. A verdict is still awaited, but the Milan ruling makes it irrelevant.Kenya floods: Search for survivors continues

Fears abound that the number of people killed is much higher than estimates because many bodies are yet to be recovered from the debris.Jailed opposition leader who was charged with sodomy to be given full pardon and released on Tuesday, local media say.

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is set to be released from custody and granted a full royal pardon on Tuesday, local media reported.

Channel NewsAsia cited Nurul Izzah, Ibrahims daughter, as saying on Saturday that the paperwork for her fathers release was under way.

Newly elected Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said at a press conference on Friday that the king of Malaysia had decided to pardon Anwar, but did not give a date for his release.

In 2015, Anwar, 70, was jailed for five years for sodomising a former aide, a charge he described as a politically motivated attempt by former Prime Minister Najib Razak to end his career.

Sodomy is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia, where the offence carries a jail term of up to 20 years.

Anwar was previously imprisoned for six years after being overthrown as deputy prime minister in 1998 on earlier charges of sodomising his former family driver and abusing his power.

He was freed in 2004 after Malaysias top court quashed that sodomy conviction.

Anwar is currently in Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital in Kuala Lumpur, where he is recovering after surgery, according to Malaysian local media.

Under Malaysian law, unless he is pardoned by the king, Anwar would be disqualified for five years from running for office after his release.Ousted PM resigns as president of UMNO party and chairman of ruling coalition after authorities issue travel ban.

Malaysian ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak has been hit with a travel ban days after his Barisan Nasional coalition, which ruled Malaysia for 60 years, lost a general election.

Malaysias Immigration Department announced the travel ban on Saturday, moments after the scandal-plagued Najib said in a Facebook post that he and his family were taking a post-election holiday overseas starting from Saturday and would return next week.

Malaysias new leader Mahathir Mohamad confirmed he prevented Najib from leaving.

The 92-year-old said there was sufficient evidence for an investigation into Najib regarding the massive corruption scandal involving the 1MDB state fund that Najib set up.

US investigators say Najibs associates stole and laundered $4.5bn from the fund, with some $700m landing in Najibs bank account and around $30m used to buy jewelry for his wife. Najib has denied any wrongdoing.

There are a lot of complaints against him, all of which have to be investigated, Mahathir told a news conference. We have to act quickly because we dont want to be saddled with extradition from other countries.

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Najib on his Twitter account said he would respect the travel ban.

I have been informed that the Immigration Department does not allow me and my family to go abroad. I respect the direction and will remain with the family in the country, Najib wrote.

He also resigned as president of his UMNO party, and as chairman of the Barisan Nasional coalition, with immediate effect.

We all feel sad about what happened, but as a party that upholds democratic principles, we accept the peoples decision, he said, referring to the stunning defeat of the long-ruling alliance in Wednesdays general election.

Najib said his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also the former deputy prime minister, would take over as the new president of the United Malay National Organisation (UMNO), the main party in the Barisan Nasional alliance.

No witch-hunt

Meanwhile, two senior police officers told Reuters news agency that police raided a deluxe Kuala Lumpur apartment block at which relatives of Najib had been staying.

Police said they were acting after a complaint that a government vehicle had delivered dozens of boxes made to carry designer handbags and other items to the apartment for Najibs wife, Rosmah Mansor.

We are looking for government documents that may have been illegally taken, said a senior police officer, who requested anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media.

The government are worried they could be sensitive and important, and could be taken out of the country.

He declined to say whether any documents had been found and described the operation as ongoing.

Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor were hit with travel ban on Saturday [File:Reuters]

Mahathir, who is now the worlds oldest elected leader, has said his government will not go on a witch-hunt over the 1MDB fiasco but that Najib would have to face the court if hes found responsible.

The fund was started by Najib when he took power in 2009, but it accumulated billions in debts and is being investigated in the US and several other countries.

He sacked critics in his government, including an attorney general and a deputy prime minister, and muzzled the media.

The new Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali cleared Najib in 2016, saying the money was a donation from the Saudi royal family and that most of it was returned.

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Mahathir has indicated that Mohamed Apandi would be fired for hiding evidence of wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, the incoming prime minister named Lim Guan Eng, a former banker and qualified chartered accountant, as Malaysias new finance minister.

Mahathir also named former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin as the home or interior minister and Mohamad Sabu, a long-time opposition politician, as the defence minister.

Former central bank governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz and billionaire tycoon Robert Kuok were among those named to a special team that will advise the government on economic and financial matters for the next 100 days.Authorities issued travel ban moments after Najib said on Facebook he was taking a holiday overseas on Saturday.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor have been blacklisted from leaving the country, immigration authorities said on Saturday.

The statement by the Malaysian Immigration Department was issued moments after the scandal-plagued former prime minister said on Facebook that he and his family were taking a post-election holiday overseas starting from Saturday and would return next week.

Najib said on his Twitter account he would respect the government ban on him leaving the country.

I have been informed that the Immigration Department does not allow me and my family to go abroad. I respect the direction and will remain with the family in the country, Najib wrote.

Later on Saturday, Najib announced he was quitting as head of the Barisan Nasional coalition and its main party after leading the coalition to a shock loss in Wednesdays parliamentary elections.

I have taken the decision to step down as president of UMNO and chairman of Barisan Nasional immediately, he told a press conference.

The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) is the main party in the coalition.

Najib faces being investigated by the incoming government over a corruption scandal at Malaysias state-owned investment fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), from which officials are alleged to have stolen more than $4.5bn.

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Some of that money is alleged to have ended up in Najibs personal bank account.

Najib has denied any wrongdoing and said the money was a donation from the Saudi royal family, which he had since returned.Malaysia politics: A turbulent shift in power

The former prime minister and his wife have a travel ban on them, while a jailed opposition leader is due to be released soon.Jose Remedios Aguirre was killed by gunmen in the town of Apaseo El Alto, according to officials in Guanajuato state.

Gunmen have shot dead a candidate in central Mexico ahead of a July election, marking the third murder of a politician within the country in the past week.

Jose Remedios Aguirre, a mayoral hopeful for the leftist Morena party in Guanajuato state, was killed in the town of Apaseo El Alto on Friday, the state prosecutors office said.

Ricardo Sheffield, a Morena candidate for governor in Guanajuato state, told Al Jazeera that the party resumed campaigning on Saturday to honour Aguirre.

He had previously suspended all campaigning in the state until officials could guarantee the safety of all its contenders, according to a report by the Associated Press news agency.

Its very unfortunate what we are living through, particularly in Guanajuato, which is the state this year with more violence than anywhere else in Mexico, Sheffield said.

Our governor sticks his head in the ground like an ostrich and ignores what is happening; people are being killed every single day.

The office of incumbent Guanajuato Governor Miguel Marquez denounced Aguirres murder in a Twitter post on Friday, adding that a special investigation had been set up to investigate the killing.

Campaigning marred by violence

Aguirres murder followed the killing on Tuesday of a state assembly candidate for the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party in Mexicos western Guerrero state.

The killing took place four days after Morenas mayoral candidate in the city of Tenango del Aire, in Mexico state, was murdered on May 4.

Scores of politicians have been killed in Mexico since September 2017, when campaigning for the countrys July 1 elections began.

The ballot will see voters elect a president on a six-year term, 500 members of the lower house Chamber of Deputies and 128 members of the upper house Senate.

Voters will also select local representatives.At least 19 people killed in Taang National Liberation Army attacks near border gate with China, officials said.

At least 19 people, including four members of the security forces, were killed by an armed group near the main border gate with China, a spokesperson for the Myanmar government told reporters.

The Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) launched three attacks on early Saturday in the town of Muse in Shan state, also injuring 20 others, Zaw Htay, the spokesperson said.

Mai Aik Kyaw, TNLAs spokesman, told AFP news agency that they attacked military posts, a casino just outside the town of Muse on a road to Lashio.

The TNLA and other ethnic groups have been fighting against government forces for decades, seeking greater autonomy and federalism.

Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi said ending Myanmars long history of clashes was her main priority after she took power in 2016, but she shares power with the military that fought the insurgencies for decades.

More than a third of Myanmars townships are affected by unresolved conflict, according to a 2017 report from the Asia Foundation.

Aung San Suu Kyi managed to bring two ethnic groups into a ceasefire accord in February, adding to eight others who had signed the deal before she took office.Nicaragua protests: UN calls for access to investigate deaths

Dozens of students died during anti-government protests, and now the UN wants to investigate their deaths.The dismantlement of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site will take place between May 23-25, North Korean state media says.

North Korea has announced it will dismantle its nuclear weapons testing site in less than two weeks, according to state media.

The dismantlement of the Punggyeri nuclear test site will take place sometime between May 23 and May 25, depending on weather conditions, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday.

It will involve the removal of all research buildings, observation facilities and security posts.

The Nuclear Weapon Institute and other concerned institutions are taking technical measures for dismantling the northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK [The Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea] in order to ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test, KCNA said.

It added that North Korean media and reporters from South Korea, China, Russia, the US and UK will be allowed to attend the dismantlement ceremony.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged to close the site during a landmark summit last month with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, but experts have warned verifying any dismantling may prove difficult.

Kim is also scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump next month.

Mission finished





Prior to Kims meeting with Moon, the North Korean leader announced on April 21 that all nuclear and missile tests were to be suspended, saying the Punggyeri site had finished its mission after completing its nuclear programme.

Four days later, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper reported that the facility had collapsed, threatening an unprecedented risk of radioactive fallout.

The newspaper said the Punggyeri site, situated near Mount Mantap in northeastern North Korea, was wrecked beyond repair by a landslide.

It suggested the incident may have been the reason for Kims announcement of a suspension in testing.

Six nuclear tests  including North Koreas most powerful test to date in September 2017  have been carried out at the facility since Pyongyang began experiments in 2006.

Trump-Kim summit

The announcement of the sites dismantlement comes ahead of a planned meeting between Kim and Trump in Singapore on June 12, which, if it takes place, will mark the first summit between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.

Trump is expected to push North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons at the meeting in exchange for the removal of economic sanctions and US assistance in rebuilding Pyongyangs ailing economy.

The US president has pledged to try and make the summit a very special moment for world peace. This week, however, he faced international criticism after withdrawing Washington from a landmark multinational nuclear deal with Iran, signed under the government of his predecessor, Barack Obama, in 2015.

The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th. We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2018

On Friday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would work to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends for North Korea, if Pyongyang opts to take bold action to quickly denuclearise.

If Chairman Kim chooses the right path there is a future brimming with peace and prosperity for the North Korean people, Pompeo said at a press conference alongside South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.

Pompeo has visited North Korea twice in the last six weeks in order to attend negotiations regarding the Trump-Kim meeting.

South Korea has said it hopes the summit will lead to denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, as well as permanent peace on the peninsula.

Last month, Kim and Moon pledged to formally end the 1950s Korean War and pursue complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in the first inter-Korea summit since 2007.

The two leaders signed a joint statement that committed both to deepening ties and working towards reunification after the meeting on April 27, which saw Kim become the first North Korean leader to set foot in South Korea since the Korean War, which took place from 1950-1953 prior to an armistice agreement.







IAEAs Tero Varjoranta steps down three days after the US pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

The chief of inspections at the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has resigned.

The sudden resignation of Tero Varjoranta was announced on Friday in a statement by the agency, adding that he had been replaced by Massimo Aparo, a nuclear engineer and former acting director of the Office for Verification in Iran, according to the IAEA statement.

The IAEA did not offer details on the reasons for the changes.

The departure of Varjoranta, who held the post since October 2013, comes three days after the United States announced it was quitting the nuclear accord with Iran.

As the bodys deputy director general and head of the safeguards department, Varjoranta had been responsible for policing the deal in Iran and was highly regarded.

Under the accord signed in Vienna with six world powers  China, France, Russia, the UK, the US, Germany, and the European Union  Iran scaled back its uranium enrichment programme and promised not to pursue nuclear weapons.

The IAEA is policing those restrictions and said on Wednesday, that Tehran has been meeting its nuclear commitments fully.

Iran is subject to the worlds most robust nuclear verification regime, Director General Yukiya Amano said.

As of today, the IAEA can confirm that the nuclear-related commitments are being implemented by Iran.Strong winds and flooding rain have caused havoc across Victoria and Tasmania.

A deep low-pressure centre brought damaging winds and torrential rain to many parts of southeastern Australia on Thursday night and through Friday.

Winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour (km/h) were reported near Melbourne, but it was on the island of Tasmania where the worst of the storm was felt.

Hobart, the state capital, recorded 129mm of rain, nearly three times the May monthly average. The rain caused flooding through the centre of the city, and more than 13,000 people were left without power.

In downtown Hobart, police reported that major roads were affected by floodwater, and traffic lights were not operating.

It was the largest rainfall total the city has ever recorded in May and the highest total for any month since 1960.

The State Emergency Service reported that flash flooding has also occurred in Blackmans Bay, Kingston and Sandy Bay.

On Mount Wellington, in the southeast of the island, the rainfall was even higher at 233mm, and a gust of 131km/h was recorded.

As the low-pressure centre moves into the Tasman Sea, winds are blowing from a southerly direction, bringing cold air from the Antarctic region. Snow has fallen in parts of southeastern Australia, and accumulations of up to 40cm are possible over the Blue Mountains to the west of Sydney.Following evacuation deal, Syrians from southern Damascus say they are stranded without access to basic needs.

At least 2,000 people are stuck near the al-Bab district of Aleppo in Syria for the fifth consecutive day after departing towns in southern Damascus following an evacuation deal, activists told Al Jazeera.

Among the evacuees are rebels and their families, who were in control of Yalda, Babbila and Beit Sahem  towns that have been reclaimed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assads forces.

The evacuations came in stages after government forces launched a fierce push to retake the area from rebel groups Jaish al-Islam and Hayet Tahrir al-Sham last month.





Since April 19, government forces backed by Russian fighter jets have also been attempting to push out ISIL fighters from the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, which has been under siege since 2012.

The towns and the camp lie a few kilometres from central Damascus, where Assads government resides.

Though evacuations started a few days following the south Damascus offensive, more have been taking place over the past weeks, with rebels groups surrendering pockets across the area.

Under the deal, the opposition agreed to surrender medium to heavy military hardware in exchange for safe passage.

Lack of coordination

While some convoys headed towards rebel-held Idlib, others were promised entry into al-Bab and Jarablus, which is under the control of Turkish-backed rebels.

The first three convoys that were headed towards al-Bab made it, but its the fifth, sixth and part of the seventh one that are being denied entry, Majd al-Masry, a Yarmouk-born activist who is among those stuck, told Al Jazeera.

It is unclear why the evacuees are being denied entry, but activists say it may be due to a Turkish-Russian fallout over lack of coordination.

When we were promised a deal, the Russians apparently did not notify the Turks about our expected arrival, al-Masry said.

The convoys, comprising more than 65 buses, are currently held near the last remaining government checkpoint and are receiving some water and canned food from the Syrian Red Crescent, which only operates in government-controlled areas.

If we move forward, wed be risking access to the Syrian Red Crescent, al-Masry explained.





But the humanitarian situation at the border requires much more, especially amid the current climate shift.

Those stranded have endured rainfall and extreme temperature changes, with heat waves persisting during the day and harsh cold winds during the night.

We dont even have access to portable restrooms, and diseases began to spread among the women and children particularly, al-Masry said. We have among us pregnant women in need of medical attention and elderly men who suffer from heart disease.

The convoys that carried rebels belonging to Jaish al-Islam and other sub-faction groups cannot make their way towards Idlib either.

These groups with us have been fighting the al-Nusra Front  we cant go to Idlib for that reason  its too dangerous, al-Masry explained.

The Syrian government has since 2015 regained control of the majority of Syria, with opposition groups now restricted to the northern part of the country, namely Idlib province.

It has thus far managed to regain large swaths of land through a series of evacuation deals that usually come amid a military offensive.

Last week, a massive convoy of buses carrying more than 3,000 opposition fighters and their families from the besieged city of Homs successfully arrived in al-Bab. The city was the last remaining rebel stronghold outside Idlib.

Are we not human?

Several youth activists among the stranded evacuees have called on the United Nations to facilitate their safe passage but to no avail.

Al Jazeera contacted the UN in Syria but received no response by the time of publication.

We dont have food, we dont have water, we dont have anything at all, Firas al-Tawil, 35, told Al Jazeera.

The food we carried with us is quickly running out  We call on all sides, the Turkish government, and international organisations to allow us entry, he said.

Some have resorted to sleeping in the buses, which are not enough to accommodate everyone at the al-Bab border. Others have laid mattresses on top of the double-decker buses, and some families created makeshift tents using corrugated aluminium panels.





Are we not human? 50-year-old Ala al-Khouli said.

We endured a seven-year siege, have been displaced several times, and now we cant even get basic rights, she told Al Jazeera.

We do not deserve this, the mother of four continued.

The desert-like, barren area lacks even trees that people can temporarily shelter under, one resident explained.

Others wondered how much worse their situation would become in the next few days, especially with the holy month of Ramadan due to start later this week.

Weve been in the same exact clothes for days, Ali al-Omar, 29, told Al Jazeera. Its just a huge open space with nothing but people all over, he said, describing the scene near the border.

Al-Omar fears for his four children, who have only been eating canned beans for almost a week.

Only God knows how much more of this well be able to take  If I had known, I would have packed blankets for my family, he said.

Why is no one answering us?Thousands of people have gathered in southern Austria to commemorate Croatian fascists and civilians who were killed at the tail end of World War II.

Held annually for more than three decades, Saturdays event in Bleiburg was held to mourn the killing of civilians and members of the Croatian Ustasa, a fascist group that controlled the Nazi-aligned Independent Croatian State (NDH), and others in May 1945 by Yugoslav Partisans.

Estimates of the total number of people killed vary widely, with some reaching the tens of thousands.

The memorial, which included a religious ceremony and political speeches, was attended by Croatian politicians and clergymen as well as Bosnian Croat political figures, according to German-language and Croatian media reports.

Upwards of 100 people staged a counter-protest against the event. Police were deployed in large numbers.

In a statement provided to Al Jazeera by email, the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance (DOW), a group that monitors fascist and neo-fascist activity, described the Bleiburg commemoration as the biggest annual neo-fascist reunion in Europe.

Having drawn as many as 30,000 participants in the past, Rudolf Edlinger, president of the DOW, said: The Bleiburg commemoration glorifies the Croatian Nazi-collaborationist regime.

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Edlinger added: It goes without saying that we have no objection to a peaceful memorial for the dead. However, the event in [Bleiburg] has turned into a fascist gathering of huge dimensions.

Whitewash

Vjeran Pavlakovic, a professor at the University of Rijeka, explained that the Bleiburg commemorations started during the communist rule of Josip Broz Tito in former Yugoslavia.

Bleiburg was for many years the gathering place of diaspora Croats who were opposed to the Tito regime, he told Al Jazeera.

It was an attempt to draw attention to the situation of Croats in communist Yugoslavia, he said, adding that former Ustasa organised the relatively small event with efforts to justify and whitewash [the] fascist collaborationist state.

Under the NDH, hundreds of thousands of Serbs, Roma, Jews and anti-fascists were killed by Ustasa. In the Jasenovac concentration camp alone, more than 80,000 people perished.

The event was attended by Croatian Catholic clergymen and politicians from Croatia and Bosnia [Lisi Niesner/Reuters]

Since Croatia declared its independence in 1991, the event has grown in both size and scope, gradually obtaining a veneer of mainstream legitimacy owing to the Croatian parliaments sponsorship of the commemoration in 1995.

Although parliament revoked its sponsorship of the event in 2012, it was reinstated in 2016.

In the past, the commemoration, which has grown to bring out tens of thousands of people, drew attention over participants use of fascist slogans and symbols, Pavlakovic said.

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He explained that the event has layers, explaining that it includes an official religious mass and relatively moderate right-wing political speeches and is attended by participants who make the journey for religious or familial reasons, as well as radical right-wing supporters or pro-Ustasa groups.

Anger in Austria

In the lead-up to the Bleiburg commemoration this year, controversy erupted in Austria, with critics arguing that it should not be permitted to take place.

The criticism has also overlapped with anger about the makeup of Austrias current government, which includes the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) as a junior coalition partner.

Austrian legislators and members of the European Parliament, including some from the ruling Austrian Peoples Party (OVP), decried the commemoration.

In a Twitter post, Othmar Karas, an OVP member of the European Parliament (MEP), described the event as the misuse of remembrance.

A participant wears a shirt that says Za Dom Spremni (Ready for Homeland), a fascist slogan [Lisi Niesner/Reuters]

The Social Democratic Party of Austrias MEP Josef Weidenholzer also spoke out on Twitter. No to the celebration of Croatian fascist Ustasa on Austrian soil. It harms the reputation of Austria and Europe, he wrote.

Photos posted on social media showed that some attendees wore pro-Ustasa insignia.

In this thread, @DaneilMajic shows some of the most, um, creative, outfits of #Bleiburg2018. Captions auf Deutsch. https://t.co/DyrHyiR9lB  Valerie Hopkins (@VALERIEin140) May 12, 2018

Good morning from Unter Loibach graveyard. The official #Bleiburg commemoration is about to begin. There are pilgrims, a heavy police & private security presence, plus a chopper flying overhead. MPs from Croatia & Bosnia are here. Some 159-200 gathering for ounterprotest 3km away pic.twitter.com/SFvKehGMYX  Valerie Hopkins (@VALERIEin140) May 12, 2018

Writing on Twitter in German, one reporter noted the presence of several badges and symbols of the Croatian Defence Forces (HOS), the far-right paramilitary group that fought in Croatia and Bosnia during the Yugoslav wars.

HOS-Abzeichen auf der Veranstaltung allgegenwartig, obwohl eigentlich nicht zugelassen. pic.twitter.com/tknQgQ5knb  Danijel Majic (@DanijelMajic) May 12, 2018

Speaking to Al Jazeera by email ahead of Saturdays Bleiburg commemoration, Austrian government spokesperson Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal said authorities were not legally authorised to block the event.

He added that authorities would monitor it closely for potential violations of the law, which prohibits Nazi symbols and salutes.

As stated [previously] by the Austrian government, the clerical event is organised by a private association on private premises and can therefore not be prohibited by the government, Launsky-Tieffenthal said.Iraqi officials say 44.5 percent of voters cast ballots in election seen as verdict on PM Haider al-Abadis tenure.

Vote counting in Iraqs parliamentary election is under way, with low turnout and polling irregularities marking the first vote since the country declared victory over ISIL last year.

The vote on Saturday is widely seen as a verdict on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadis tenure and his pledge to be more inclusive of Iraqs Sunni minority.

Turnout stood at 44.52 percent with 92 percent of the votes counted, the electoral commission said late on Saturday.

Nearly 7,000 candidates from dozens of political alliances are competing for the 329 seats in parliament.

Al-Abadi, who heads the Nasr (Victory) coalition, is seen by some as a frontrunner, but he faces stiff competition from Hadi al-Amiri, a paramilitary commander heading the Fatah alliance.

Another strong contender is Nouri al-Maliki, a former prime minister who is being seen as a possible kingmaker in the vote.

The results are expected within 48 hours of the vote, according to the independent body overseeing the process.

Difficulties in voting

By Saturday afternoon, less than 20 percent of residents in the capital, Baghdad, had turned out to vote, according to the Iraqi High Electoral Commission (IHEC).

Initial IHEC reports put the overall turnout at 32 percent, compared to about 60 percent in the last elections four years ago.





Commenting on the apparent low participation of voters, Renad Mansour, a research fellow at UK-based think-tank Chatham House, told Al Jazeera: Many Iraqis, especially in Sunni areas do not view the election as legitimate. Many boycotted the vote because they do not believe it will make a difference.

The low turnout was also partly blamed on a curfew and vehicle ban that came into force after midnight across several provinces in Iraq.

The government restrictions left the streets of the capital, Baghdad, looking empty during the early hours of the vote.

With public transport also banned, only vehicles belonging to security forces and politicians were allowed to move around.

The polling stations were far away from us and without cars allowed, it was really hard to get to the polling stations, said Amal, a housewife living in central Baghdad.

The ban was partially lifted by al-Abadi later in the day, in an effort to improve turnout

Meanwhile, only 285,000 people out of Iraqs displaced population of two million had registered to vote, the electoral commission said.

Security was tight at polling stations in Baghdad during Saturdays vote [Wissm al-Okili/Reuters]

The poll saw the implementation of a new electronic voting system for the first time in a bid to reduce electoral fraud.

Yet, many wanting to cast their ballots at different polling stations across the country complained of irregularities.

We visited IHEC and checked the biometric system, we were very surprised how faulty the workflow and management was, we reported this, Hiwa Afandi, the head of the Kurdistan Regional Governments department of information technology, said in a post on Twitter.

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Not using technology is better than a faulty implementation. Auditing and certifying is a must for such application where trust is a big issue, he added.

The IHEC insisted that despite the irregularities, voting hours would not be extended because the electronic voting system had been scheduled to close at 6pm (15:00 GMT).

Iraqs political system

Negotiations over the formation of a new government are expected to drag on as no single alliance is expected to able to win the 165 seats required for an outright majority.

Instead, the bloc that wins the most seats will have to rely on the support of smaller grouping to achieve a majority.

Until a new prime minister is chosen, al-Abadi will remain in office and retain all his powers.

Political power in Iraq is traditionally divided along sectarian lines among the offices of prime minister, president and speaker of parliament.

Since the first elections following the 2003 US-led toppling of Saddam Hussein, the Shia majority has held the position of prime minister, while the Kurds have held the presidency and the Sunnis the post of speaker of parliament.

The constitution sets a quota for female representation, stating that no less than one-fourth of parliament members must be women.

Once the election results are ratified by Iraqs Supreme Court, parliament is required to meet within 15 days.

Its eldest member will chair the first session, during which a speaker will be elected. Parliament must then elect a president by a two-thirds majority vote within 30 days of its first meeting.

The president is charged with naming a member of the largest bloc in parliament  the prime minister-designate  to form a cabinet within 30 days. If that individual fails, the president must nominate a new person for the post of prime minister.

In the past, forming a government has taken up to eight months. In 2005, allegations of vote-rigging delayed the ratification of election results for weeks.

Voting in Kurdish areas

While official estimates of voter turnout are yet to be announced, Kurdish areas  where a banned referendum on secession was held last year  witnessed a relatively higher voter turnout compared to other parts across the country, according to reporters on the ground.





In Kurdish areas, mobilisation might have worked in getting people out to vote. One of the main reasons behind this is that the referendum made Kurds realise that they cannot ignore Baghdad because when they did during the referendum, it backfired, explained Mansour, the Chatham House analyst.

Following the September 2017 referendum, the Iraqi military seized control of disputed territories, including the city of Kirkuk.

The territorial losses left many Kurds disillusioned by their leaders.

As a result, the two main parties that have traditionally dominated the local political scene  the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)  are now expected to see a drop in their share of the vote.

In contrast, smaller political forces such as Goran (Change), the Democracy and Justice Party  led by former senior PUK official Barham Saleh  and the Kurdistan Islamic Group  also known as Komalk led by Ali Bapir  are likely to record a strong poll showing.

ISIL, US-Iran ties

In Baghdad, some Sunni voters expressed hope the election would help Iraq move beyond sectarian politics and become more inclusive.

I voted for new people to come into the government, Haitham Hasballah, from the capitals neighbourhood of Mansouria, told Al Jazeera.

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The political situation in Iraq has been getting from bad to worse, so we definitely need new faces.

Another voter, Shaker Mahmoud, told Al Jazeera: I voted for new people. I dont want anyone from the old government. Im hopeful that change will take Iraq towards a positive direction.

Still, others in central Baghdad said they voted for al-Abadi, giving him credit for Iraqs military victory over the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

After ISIL overran nearly a third of Iraq in the summer of 2014, the group launched waves of suicide bombings targeting civilians in Baghdad and in other areas of government-controlled territory.

But with support from a US-led coalition and Iran, al-Abadi oversaw a fierce war against the groups fighters and declared victory over ISIL in December 2017.

Despite al-Abadis military achievements, Iraq continues to struggle with an economic downturn sparked in part by a drop in global oil prices, entrenched corruption and years of political gridlock.

The war left more than two million Iraqis, mostly Sunnis, displaced from their homes, with cities, towns and villages suffering heavy destruction. Repairing infrastructure across Anbar and Nineveh provinces, both majority Sunni areas, will cost tens of billions of dollars.

The election comes at a critical juncture in Iraqs relations with Iran and the US.

Both countries are allies of the Iraqi government but their bilateral ties are increasingly strained.

Additional reporting by Osama al-Zein and Bakr Ubaidi in BaghdadThere is a trope in many stories and even popular songs concerning the idea that, inasmuch as a soul is priceless, the devil delights in persuading it to be given up in exchange for something of no value, an exchange which is nothing if not asinine. For instance, in the delightful old BBC production of The Box of Delights, the devilish villain offers an informant, who has the appearance of a rodent but who may once have been a man, moldy old cheese as payment for, well, everything. The trope, albeit not the rat, can also be found in Nobel laureate Bob Dylan's song, When You Gonna Wake Up.

In order to believe that the Deep State has been acting legitimately in regard to President Donald Trump, in order to believe in the narrative pitched by the legacy media, one would have to willingly exchange if not one's soul then one's capacity to think for moldy cheese.

For instance, a sitting president cannot be indicted. Obviously, this means no investigation can be conducted against him. This is the conclusion of the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel. The indictment or criminal prosecution of a sitting President would unconstitutionally undermine the capacity of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned functions. Obviously, any investigation would unconstitutionally undermine the president.

Yet we have a special counsel whose investigation is doing just that. A special counsel, let it be remembered, is a prosecutor. In order for one to be appointed, a crime must be identified to serve as the investigation's predicate. Both logic and DOJ regulations (28 CFR 600.1) affirm this.

But Rod J. Rosenstein appointed one without establishing a criminal predicate.

Two months down the road, Rosenstein belatedly supplied one. But guess what? It's secret.

Prosecutors, whether they are called special counsel or not, do not perform intelligence investigations, which are conducted by intelligence officers. Prosecutors... prosecute crimes. Investigations as such belong to the province of the FBI and other agencies, not the prosecutors. Indeed, all this is confirmed by the testimony of acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, taken after Comey had been fired. McCabe testified no one had interfered with the FBI's investigation, that the White House had never even contacted him. And most tellingly, when asked by Senator Marco Rubio whether he needed to have this investigation taken away from the FBI, he replied succinctly: No, sir. (And in this, at least, McCabe performed a great service to the American people.)

Yet Rod J. Rosenstein's appointment of the special counsel specifically referenced the taking over of an FBI counterintelligence investigation.

Ostensibly, the special counsel's investigatory remit does not include the person of Donald J. Trump. Supposedly also he is not the target; it's supposed to be about the Russians and the campaign.

But everyone knows it is Trump who is being investigated. Here is the tagline of a recent article in National Review: These days, a number of people seem to be under the impression that investigating President Donald Trump is the most vital project undertaken by this nation since its founding. And as U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, in a hearing concerning charges brought by the special counsel against Paul Manafort, stated, You dont really care about Mr. Manafort. What you really care about is what information Mr. Manafort could give you that would reflect on Mr. Trump or lead to his prosecution, or impeachment, or whatever. Moreover, the special counsel wants to question Trump. Does anyone who has not had a lobotomy doubt that the object of such questioning would be to trick Trump into perjuring himself? This investigation, purportedly not about Trump, is about Trump as much as impeachment procedures against him would be.

Congress has legitimate investigative and oversight authority over agencies of the executive branch. This has been acknowledged even as far back as the Constitutional Convention. It is clear as a bell that the DOJ and FBI have acted, at the very least, curiously, in regard to Mrs. Clinton's dangerous mishandling of national security information, in regard to the increasingly strange -- and secret! -- appointment of a special counsel to investigate a president, and in regard to so many other related matters. Documents related to these matters, requested multiple times and now subpoenaed, are clearly legitimate matters of interest to the Congress. It has been widely reported how Rosenstein has resisted providing these documents, defying Congress.

But when informed that some in Congress have drafted articles of impeachment for this defiance, Rosenstein openly mocked them and described this as extortion.

The FISA court was put in place in order to protect American citizens from being spied upon in the same manner that we spy upon the intelligence operatives of enemy nations. Specifically, probable cause that there is good and reasonable evidence that the person to be surveilled is an agent of a foreign power must be demonstrated. The FISA process was used to electronically surveil Carter Page, a Trump campaign associate, and apparently the campaign in general. The warrant was extended four times.

But as the Nunes memo demonstrates, the good and reasonable evidence the warrant was based upon consisted of merely the so-called Steele dossier. The information therein came from unnamed Russian sources and no information was provided which would have lent those sources credibility. (As any lawyer knows -- or should know -- information must be provided to the judge concerning why an informant is to be believed; either a track record must be described or circumstances related which would make the information credible: neither was provided in the dossier.) Even James Comey admitted that the information was not verified. Nor was it disclosed to the FISA court judge that the dossier had been paid for by the Clinton campaign.

It's completely insane. But we are supposed to accept it.

But it's not just about Rosenstein.

Former FBI Director James Comey infamously leaked a memo which was directly quoted by the New York Times to influence Rosenstein to appoint a special counsel to investigate Trump. As we know, Comey's gambit succeeded: Rosenstein did appoint a special counsel. This is supposed to be accepted by us as legitimate and normal procedure followed by principled men.

But Rosenstein was Comey's boss while Comey was FBI director; the director reports to the Associate Attorney General. Comey could have provided the memorandum to Rosenstein. Indeed, if he was concerned that the president was committing an offense, he had a legal duty to report it -- to Rosenstein, not the press.

But Comey's leaking is curiouser and curiouser. Even CNN correspondent Anderson Cooper expressed astonishment when, during an interview with Cooper, Comey first claimed he did not leak anything since he went through a friend (Alan Dershowitz described this maneuver as cowardly), and then he provided a definition of leaking which no one else has, restricting it to unauthorized disclosure of classified information. By Comey's definition, an FBI director who provided information to the criminals of impending raids or arrests (none of which is classified) would not be guilty of leaking. Obviously, that's nonsense. Andrew McCabe, former acting FBI director, got in trouble for leaking unclassified information.

As momentous the decision was to appoint a special counsel, one would imagine that the decision-making process would bear scrutiny. For instance, the DOJ (in the person of Rosenstein) resisted disclosing the contents of Comey's memoranda. As Andrew McCarthy recently wrote, When the memos were finally disclosed, we learned that there was no investigative or national-security reason to have concealed them.

So, despite all of this asininity (and there is much more than that touched upon herein), we are to believe in the legitimacy of the Justice Department's decision-making process in regard to their having taken such a momentous action -- the appointment of the special counsel -- and in the integrity, legitimacy and constitutionality of the special counsel's investigation.In the late night/early morning hours following polls closing on Election Day 2016, emotions and expectations ran the gamut for Democrats who believed a Donald Trump victory was an impossibility. Polling results that were almost universally synchronized in favor of the illegitimately nominated Democrat, Hillary Clinton, had begun to swing in a direction that was closer to our eventual reality in the days leading up to November 8th, 2016.

Still, for many, the victory by Donald Trump during his first attempt to win an election at any level was the shock of the century. Had those observers more carefully monitored recent history, it would not have been.

Here are some facts related to the DNC effort in the 2016 Presidential election:

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz worked towards undermining Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and socialist themed, populist movement and used her power to help ensure the primary victory of Hillary Clinton.

In Clinton, the DNC ran a failed former presidential contender who spent the years since the 2008 primary under scrutiny for matters related to the attack against the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya as well as the sale of precious American Uranium to a Russian energy company.

The DNC had been thoroughly beaten in the two preceding mid-term elections in 2010 and 2014. The DNC pulled off a victory in the 2012 Presidential Election between incumbent President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in an election where many speculate that Romney was severely affected by revelations that the Obama IRS was maliciously delaying the approval of nonprofit organizations that leaned conservative and worked to mobilize voters.

John Podesta, in his infinite wisdom, thought it wise to use as his email password the word password, leading to Podestas account being victimized by a phishing operation.

The DNC lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York alleges that the 2016 Trump Presidential Campaign worked with unspecified Russian elements as well as the controversial website WikiLeaks. The lawsuit claims that all three of the named parties played a role in the hacking of DNC computers. Wikileaks released thousands of hacked emails from people close to Trumps opponent, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Conveniently omitted from the lawsuit is an analysis of the substance of the emails and how the embarrassing, racist, and downright criminal communications contributed to the DNCs historic loss. What we did learn was that there was a plot to hurt Bernie Sanders with southern voters using his Jewish faith. "This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist," DNC chief financial officer Brad Marshall wrote.

Also brought to light by Wikileaks were blatant examples of racism displayed by DNC operatives. In one case, Zachary Allen, Democratic consultant with the firm TIPAH Consulting, questioned Executive Assistant LaQueenia Gibsons name. LaQueenia is a name! Allen wrote to Scott Comer, the finance chief of staff and LGBT finance director for the DNC. Im sorry, boo. I hope you got a raise with this title.

Another case saw DNC Creative Strategist, Rebecca Christopher, send a script for a potential anti-Trump video intended to be used to pander to Hispanic voters. In her estimation, the video was important to taco bowl engagement.

The total refusal by the DNC to acknowledge their own internal failings as being responsible for their inability to establish any majority on Capitol Hill or win the 2016 is laughable. After the suit filing, the comments from DNC Chairman Tom Perez sounded like either pure delusion or desperation.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Russia launched an all-out assault on our democracy, and it found a willing and active partner in Donald Trumps campaign, Perez told the Washington Post . This constituted an act of unprecedented treachery: the campaign of a nominee for president of the United States in league with a hostile foreign power to bolster its own chance to win the presidency.

This lawsuit should be thrown out of court immediately. The fact that the DNC even had the nerve to file such a frivolous suit should signal to GOP Brass that the Democrats are going to ride this phony Russian collusion narrative and hope the fruitless Mueller probe extends into November.Eric Greitens was a Democrat. This must be understood if one is to make any sense out of what is happening in the Soros-funded coup in Missouri. The former Navy SEAL and head of a military charity came to his senses and switched parties, and after coming to the GOP he immediately ran for governor. Much like Donald Trump, Greitens had no political experience and was from outside the political power structure. Few thought he had a chance to win, but he did. A lot of people weren't happy about that.

Greitens was very pro-police, something guaranteed to anger the Black Lives Matter/Antifa radicals in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Greitens swift and firm resolve when police officer Jason Stockley was acquitted of murdering a black suspect prevented another Ferguson riot but ginned up the organization that had burned down Ferguson, and there was a great desire for payback.

Enter newly elected St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, who had been active in the Ferguson protests and was heavily subsidized by none other than George Soros. In fact, her campaign for circuit attorney received no less than $190,750.73 from Soros-funded groups. It should be pointed out that Soros funded the bloody riots in Ferguson to the tune of $33 million dollars.

This is in line with a plot the mad Hungarian devised to overthrow the political order. Soros has been buying up district attorneys by the gross. Soros has meddled in DA races in San Diego, San Antonio, Houston, Philadelphia, Portsmouth, Va. and a host of other places. Why is he doing this?

This is the criminalization of politics, something the left has been doing for some time. Consider the bogus criminal charges brought over the years against Republicans -- Tom Delay, Ted Stevens, Rick Perry, Scott Walker, Joe Arpaio, Ken Paxton, and a host of others. In most cases the prosecution wasn't even interested in winning so much as in damaging the accused politically. And this is especially the case with Greitens -- Gardner wanted his trial to begin on November 1, just before the midterm elections!

Greitens is accused of felony invasion of privacy for allegedly photographing a woman he was having an affair with and using it for blackmail. The only problem is, the woman never filed a complaint and has so much as admitted she may have dreamed the whole thing. The woman's ex-husband -- who divorced her over the affair with Greitens -- vowed to "get" Greitens, and in fact he was likely the one who went to the circuit attorney's office. Greitens is also accused of slapping the woman, which is what one might expect in an S&M session, something Greitens and the woman engaged in willingly.

Now all this is grossly immoral on Greitens part, and I am not excusing him, but the prosecution is clearly a political hit job.

Here's the thing: the prosecution does not have the photograph. Nor do they have any other physical evidence. They do have a tape made by the husband, quite possibly illegally, according to Missouri Rev. Stat.  542.400:

"It is unlawful to record an "oral communication, which is defined as "any communication uttered by a person exhibiting an expectation that such communication is not subject to interception under circumstances justifying such expectation.

So, the prosecution has no problem with the husband violating the law, but is hell-bent on punishing the governor all the same. And of course, the woman was not going to be truthful with her husband; she had been having an illicit affair, one that continued well after the alleged photograph was taken. And recently to cover the violation the husband's lawyer claimed the woman secretly made the tape with him. Ri-ight.

Missouri's Republican attorney general Josh Hawley sent another referral down to St. Louis over another accusation against Greitens, this time accusing him of contacting people on the donor list of his charity for contributions. This was dealt with by the House Ethics Committee, and Greitens paid a hundred-dollar fine, but Hawley says there is evidence Greitens wasn't entirely candid with them. Hawley -- a RINO who is breaking his pledge to not run for higher office and is seeking to run against Claire McCaskill for the U.S. Senate -- has recused himself and given the case over to the same people who are so horribly mishandling this trial.

And it is being mishandled. Gardner hired a private investigator rather than use the St. Louis police, and the investigator, William Tisaby, a former FBI agent and bigamist, has tampered with evidence on a number of occasions. Claimed there was a video camera glitch that deleted a deposition by the woman involved with Greitens, Tisaby then under pressure produced the tape and only a few minutes were gone. Tisaby also claimed he had taken no notes of the deposition and yet the tape clearly showed him writing furiously the entire time. The presiding judge in the case called Tisaby to testify over withholding evidence and he did not show up. The judge gave him a second chance and his lawyer showed, and the lawyer asked that the testimony be continued because he had been hired at 2 A.M. the night before and needed time to prepare. Eventually Tisaby did show up and he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights multiple times.

Also, Gardner herself met personally with the witness in a motel in Illinois where there were no witnesses and no records. This is highly unethical, to put it mildly.

Nonetheless the presiding judge refused to throw the charges out.

Gardner recently hired the attorney who represented Michael Brown's family, by the way.

Almost half of all cases brought before the circuit attorney's office had to be delayed because Gardner did not bother to share evidence with the courts and defense attorneys. Gardner has been conferring with Missouri Democrats while prosecuting Greitens. She refused to prosecute black perpetrators on numerous occasions and has mishandled cases that she has prosecuted.

She could only get away with this sort of thing in St. Louis, where the Democrats own the town. Jennifer Joyce, the woman Gardner replaced, was a member of the Obama Truth Squad, a group of prosecutors and other authorities who threatened opponents of Obama. Gardner is just taking this to the next level.

Meanwhile, the attorney for the husband of the "victim" had his legal fees paid by an anonymous donation. According to the Belleville News Democrat:

"Al Watkins, the St. Louis attorney who represents the ex-husband of Greitens alleged victim, confirmed the payments, which came in two $50,000 increments, while talking to reporters shortly after a St. Louis judge ruled that he could not also represent an investigator in the case."

Watkins was going to represent Tisaby.

The money, it turns out, came from Scott Faughn, the publisher of the Missouri Times, an influential liberal publications with ties to the Missouri legislature. Tea Party activist William Hennessey explains:

"Eric Greitens campaigned mostly on cleaning up the tax credit mess in Jefferson City. Everybody thought it was just a campaign promise. But it wasnt. Greitens was serious. He cut over $150 million in tax credits his first year. That created enemies. Enemies who consider taxpayers dollars their own."

And apparently the money going to Watkins came from some shadowy business sources that suckle at the teat of the Missouri taxpayer. Hennessey points out that all five Republicans on the House Committee investigating Greitens are retiring at the end of the legislative session and most likely will be working as lobbyists. Greitens plan to cut tax credits will seriously hurt their future financial prospects.

And as soon as the story broke about the governor, RINO Republicans in the Missouri legislature (a body they own) called for Greitens to resign from office, and have well begun the process of impeachment. No effort to defend the governor was taken. While it makes sense -- Greitens offended many of them -- the GOP must learn they have to defend their own. By not defending Greitens, they are risking losing their large majority to the Democrats, who were withering away in Missouri until now.

In the end, this is a microcosm of the Mueller investigation and the plans to impeach Donald Trump. If they succeed with Greitens, they will be emboldened to take out Trump, and any other Republican they do not like. This must be stopped. It is one of the most egregious railroadings we have ever witnessed.

UPDATE: KMOX radio just announced no photos were found on the governor's cell phone.

Tim is a resident of St. Louis. Read more from Tim and friends at The Aviary www.tbirdnow.mee.nuI recently took my children and one of their friends to see Avengers: Infinity War. (WARNING: movie spoilers ahead!) As a kid I was a fan of the superhero universe -- Marvel and D.C. (remember these guys?) -- and Ive passed that interest on to my children. Weve seen most of the Marvel and D.C. films. (Note to the studios: we will never attend the R-rated crap!) In spite of a wide array of characters with varying story lines, Marvel Studios has done a good job of weaving a common thread throughout multiple films in order to bring most of their characters together in Avengers: Infinity War.

This effort has proven to be wildly successful as Infinity War just had the biggest opening weekend of all time. When we got to the point in the film where the plot -- and the motives for the plot -- were made clear, the thought occurred to me that those watching who are corrupted by a liberal worldview had to be conflicted, or at least confused.

Thanos -- the chief antagonist of the film -- is, of course, a murderous thug (who looks like the love-child of Barney the Dinosaur and King Kong). He has tremendous power and is bent on having things his way. And his way means killing off half of the universe. As the film makes clear, he is motivated to do such in order to bring balance to what he sees as an overpopulated universe.

Sounding much like a member of the modern left and declaring that a planets -- and the universes -- resources are finite, Thanos sees himself not as a warrior or a conqueror, but as an agent of mercy -- even a savior. He merely seeks balance so that we can all live happily ever after. So what if he has to murder billions in the process?

Several writers have already tackled the irony of a bunch of Hollywood leftists casting as a villain a Hulk-like being obsessed with fixing the problem of overpopulation. Whether championing the right to kill children in the womb, promoting the ever-imminent -- but never realized -- threat from climate change, and so on, the modern left has long used the myth of overpopulation to further their efforts at getting what they really want: power. If only they had the Infinity Stones.

The so-called Infinity Stones are the common thread skillfully woven throughout many of the previous Marvel films. There are six of these stones, with each giving its owner a unique and tremendous power. As explained in Guardians of the Galaxy, [B]efore the universe first began, there were six singularities. These six singularities were then condensed into concentrated ingots. Whoever controls all six stones and wields them using the Infinity Gauntlet has the power to reshape reality.

In other words, if one possesses all of the stones -- Thanos goal in Infinity Wars -- then one gains omnipotence and omniscience. At the end of Infinity Wars Thanos has all of the stones. He merely snaps his fingers and his plan for population control takes effect. Viewers watch as close to half of the Avengers heroes -- along with half of the rest of humanity -- are dissolved into ash (think of Lots wife turning into a pillar of salt).

Whether big government liberalism, socialism, communism, or otherwise, modern leftists have long lusted for the power to reshape the world into their perverse version of reality, and a mere snap of their fingers would suit them just fine. We have seen a taste of this in the real world. The electoral process has often proven too slow or unreliable for todays liberals, thus the judicial or executive equivalent of a finger snap has often given American liberals exactly what they wanted.

Everything from abortion to same-sex marriage, immigration policy (DACA), environmental policy (e.g., Obamas war on coal, war on oil, etc. -- thanks to his pen and phone), perverse gender edicts, dangerous military edicts (based on an ignorant and perverse view of gender), and the like, have been achieved via some political snap of a finger. Whatever the excuse -- overpopulation, global warming, sexual rights, gun control, health care, hate speech, income inequality, and so on -- liberals look for most any opportunity to gain the power necessary to usher in utopia. If only they had the Infinity Stones.

Of course, the real-world equivalent of the Infinity Stones is totalitarianism, and far too many of todays American left are far too comfortable with an all-powerful state led by those who are wise in their own eyes and devoted to the theology of self. Of course, those liberals seeking to win an election in the U.S. will never (yet) admit this, but if you watch and listen closely enough, you will hear the little totalitarians reveal themselves. Leftist politicians, pundits, and sheeple alike have given strong clues that oftentimes, they would just rather not bother with democracy, much less our Constitution. If only they had the Infinity Stones.

This is particularly true when devoted leftists in the media and on campuses feel threatened by information and ideas (read: the truth) -- from the likes of the thought outlaws who operate in the Intellectual Dark Web -- that they dont like. It has become commonplace for these agitprop provocateurs of the American left to encourage and actually employ violence, threaten careers, and otherwise advocate for censorship when it comes to anything that threatens the tenets of modern liberalism. If only they had the Infinity Stones.

Whether to silence man-made climate change skeptics or pro-lifers, punish Christians, grab guns, or even reverse a presidential election, Democratic politicians -- where they still have power in the U.S. -- have displayed a stunning penchant for totalitarianism. Remember when a cadre of Democratic attorneys general -- including the now infamous Eric Schneiderman -- stood with Al Gore and threatened -- via investigations -- climate deniers?

Remember when California passed a law that forced pro-life pregnancy centers to promote abortion? (The case challenging this law was just heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.) In addition, California wants to outlaw leaving the homosexual lifestyle (via the infamous You Must Stay Gay bill) and thus criminalize the Bible. So that their attempts at implementing their totalitarian dreams is much easier, liberals want to criminalize guns, thus the 2nd Amendment has got to go. If only they had the Infinity Stones.

Ironically, few things make a modern liberal squeal louder than the notion that there is an Absolute Power to which we all will eventually have to give an account. Almost certainly -- if possible -- they would snap their fingers and make Him disappear as well. Thank God theres no such thing as Infinity Stones.

Trevor Grant Thomas

At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason.

www.trevorgrantthomas.com

Trevor is the author of the The Miracle and Magnificence of America

tthomas@trevorgrantthomas.comThe question of whether torture is immoral does not have quite the yes or no answer that California Senator and posturing Democratic presidential wannabe Kamala Harris implied it had during the questioning of CIA nominee Gina Haspel. Classic torture is the intentional infliction of excruciating pain and permanent injury. Merely pouring water down the nostrils of a terrorist does not meet that classic definition.

And yes, who is doing it matters. Brutalizing an American prisoner of war to get information to be used to kill more Americans is immoral. Making a Khalid Sheik Muhammed think you might actually drown him, which you have absolutely no intention of doing, to save American lives by disclosing future plans and plots is not an immoral purpose.

Extracting needed information by such methods from the likes of a Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the man who decapitated Daniel Pearl before turning passenger jets into manned cruise missiles, is not an immoral choice What about the choices the murderous and soulless Mohammed, who Kamala Harris turned into a victim, forced his genuine victims to make? As far as we know, Sen. Harris, no terrorists were ever forced to choose death by incineration or jumping out of a 100-story building.

One wonders what Harris would recommend if a terrorist planted a nuke set to go off in an hour in Washington, D.C. Would we tell him (or her): You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you. You have the right to an attorney. Now, please, tell us where you planted the nuke. In that situation few Americans would be unwilling to attach the battery cables to the prisoners privates. Sometimes the end does justify the means.

We need to distinguish between what is torture and what is not. Sawing off Nicholas Bergs head was torture. Saddams routine practice of putting dissidents into tree shredders feet first was torture. Forcing prisoners to listen to Christina Aguilera is not.

Waterboarding Khalid Sheik Mohammed and his two companions saved lives, as documented by CIA and Senate intelligence investigators in 2014:

In particular, the CIA said that al-Qaeda captives who broke under interrogation disclosed the name of bin Ladens courier, Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti. By tracking this individual, the CIA was able to locate bin Ladens own hideout in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad. A statement from the CIA said that information "obtained from detainees played a role, in combination with other streams of intelligence, in finding Osama bin Laden". In particular "detainees in CIA custody" gave up intelligence that "fundamentally changed" the CIA's assessment of Abu Ahmed's "potential importance to our hunt for bin Laden".

One wonders what Harris thinks about Obamas reliance on Predator drone strikes to deal with terrorists, rather than capturing them to gather intelligence. Was that program favored by the Nobel Peace Prize winner immoral? The silence from the Harrises of the world spoke volumes:

There are lots of hypocrisies surrounding the recently released executive summary of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on the CIA's detention and interrogation program. But they pale in comparison to the current Democratic silence about President Barack Obama's policy of targeted drone assassinations. How is assassinating a suspected terrorist -- and anyone unfortunate enough to be in his general vicinity -- with a drone missile morally or legally different from waterboarding a confessed terrorist at Guantanamo Bay? At least the waterboarded suspect survives the ordeal. The Senate Intelligence Committee report failed to disprove the CIA's contention that only three detainees were waterboarded. A small number of detainees were subject to sleep disturbance or excessive temperatures. In contrast, drone strikes ordered by Obama may have assassinated thousands.

Fighting terrorism is different when a Republican president is doing it. Democratic presidents are tough. Republican presidents and their nominees are cruel and immoral. Fighting terrorism is a nasty business and the results and methods must be effective We may never use such techniques again but then we may have to.

Harris does not appreciate the fact that but for the grace of God and the heroes of Flight 93 there might not be a U.S. Senate for her to pontificate in. And but for enhanced interrogation techniques many more would have fallen victim to terrorist evil, including some of her constituents.

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.It has been a tough several weeks for the Democrats, as several of the parties' members have allegedly engaged in conduct that some would construe as...less than stellar. More particularly, John Kerry allegedly violated the Logan Act, New York Democratic attorney general Eric Schneiderman allegedly engaged in improper sexual conduct, and Robert Mueller and his team allegedly engaged in an impermissible witch hunt. Maybe things might be better if some of these players simply played by the rules.

Several days ago, we learned that John Kerry secretly engaged in "shadow diplomacy" to save the Iran nuclear deal that was brokered by former President Obama. What Mr. Kerry "forgot," however, is that there are laws prohibiting such conduct. Mr. Kerry is no longer a member of the Obama administration. Rather, he is a private citizen and is not permitted to negotiate on behalf of the United States pursuant to the Logan Act.

The Logan Act says:

Any citizen of the United States who ... without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

"Assuming Mr. Kerry is not authorized to embolden the Iranians and Europeans with false hope, pushing the string our president is trying to pull, then he is in express violation of the act. Unlike the Flynn case, there is little ambiguity here. The violation is textbook."

Despite this, Mr. Kerry allegedly met with the Iranian foreign minister and the German and French presidents and spoke with the European Union foreign affairs chief. These meetings were all part of Mr. Kerry's secretive efforts to save the nuclear deal.

Bad move, Mr. Kerry!

Things were not much brighter for the Democrats on the legal front. Several days ago, New York's Democratic attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, resigned amid accusations by four women that he engaged in physical violence against them.

By way of reminder, Mr. Schneiderman was an advocate of the #MeToo movement, an alleged "champion" of woman, and one "who pledged to use his office to hold others accountable for abusing their power."

Due to these horrific allegations, a criminal probe has now been opened. It is tragically ironic that the person who purportedly fought for the rights of women is now being investigated for violating some of those very rights he fought to protect.

It appears that Mr. Schneiderman will be busy defending himself for the foreseeable future!

Things were not much brighter for the Democrats in the courts. Recently, a Virginia federal judge (T.S. Ellis III), presiding over the Manafort case, scolded special counsel Robert Mueller and his team. More particularly, the judge questioned Mueller's true motivation behind the fraud investigation against Mr. Manafort and suggested that it was "aimed at getting him to provide evidence against the president." More particularly, Judge Ellis said:

You don't really care about Mr. Manafort's bank fraud," said Ellis, who is known for being combative with attorneys in his courtroom. "You really care about getting information Mr. Manafort can give you that would reflect on Mr. Trump and lead to his prosecution or impeachment.

Ellis said the special counsel, which is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, wanted Manafort, "The vernacular is, to sing." The judge also put it another way, saying the office set out to "turn the screws and get the information you really want."

While the judge's comments do not necessarily reflect how the Manafort case will turn out, they serve as a sharp reminder that Mr. Mueller does not have unfettered discretion and that he cannot engage in a witch hunt against President Trump or anyone else. While some Democrats salivate over the idea of impeaching President Trump, the judge's comments delivered a stark reminder to Mr. Mueller, his team, and all interested parties that the so-called "investigation" will not be used as a "fishing expedition" to achieve that goal.

While Democrats are predicting a "blue wave" in November, some in their party are hurting their efforts by creating "splashes" of their own. Regardless of whether it is an alleged Logan Act violation, allegations of physical violence, or a politicized witch hunt aimed directly at the president, the Democratic Party has had a stretch of bad luck recently while the Republican Party is going full steam ahead!

Mr. Hakim is an attorney and a political commentator and writer. His articles have been published in several online magazines and newspapers including the American Thinker, L.A. Times, Sun-Sentinel, Florida Jewish Journal, and Palm Beach Post.

www.eladhakimpa.com

https://thoughtfullyconservative.wordpress.com

https://eladhakim.contently.com/?public_only=true

Twitter: @Elad3599There are several recent important stories getting very little air time on network and cable news. Here are some:

Iraq, the U.S., and Turkey worked together to capture five ISIS leaders. They did not kill them with drones, which allowed them to get intelligence that allowed them to kill other ISIS members.

Iraq has arrested five senior members of the Islamic State, including a top aide to the militant group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in an operation that involved U.S. and Turkish intelligence support[.] A spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Thursday that the information gleaned from Ithawi had led to two recent Iraqi airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Syria.

According to Newsbusters:

CBS Evening News was the only member of the big three networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) to even mention it that evening. The national evening newscasts of Spanish-language Univision and Telemundo also kept quiet about it.

Israel took out most if not all Iranian military installations in Syria. We get to see how the Iranian deal with Obama and Kerry stabilized the region and how Iran uses the billions Obama gave him to support Assad and terrorism. (Does this look as if Iran is trying to stabilize or destabilize the region?)

Israeli carried out its largest wave of airstrikes in Syria since the 1973 war, striking around 50 Iranian military bases, supply depots, and intelligence sites as well as Syrian regime air defense batteries, the Israeli military said.

Congress, Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump all promised to move our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. None kept his word until Trump, and now Israel wants to name a square in Embassy Row after Trump. Israel said ten other countries are considering moving their embassies. The media and Democrats all said moving the embassy would destabilize the region.

A traffic island located next to the new American embassy in Jerusalem will be named in honor of the United States and President Donald Trump. The area will be called "United States Square  in honor of President Donald Trump," Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat announced on Tuesday. "President Trump has decided to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish people, to stand on the side of the truth, and to do the right thing," Barkat said in a statement. "Naming this square in honor of the president is our way of showing our love and respect for the president and the American people, who always stand by the side of Israel."

According to the State Department, President Obama didn't require Iran to sign the Iran deal. It is not a treaty or an executive agreement, so why are the media and others acting as though it had been a binding agreement that Trump was reneging on? It appears to be some sort of worthless agreement that Obama did not present to Congress for ratification, either. Chuck Schumer and other Democrats were against the deal at the time also.

President Obama didn't require Iranian leaders to sign the nuclear deal that his team negotiated with the regime, and the deal is not "legally binding," his administration acknowledged in a letter to Representative Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.) obtained by National Review. "The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is not a treaty or an executive agreement, and is not a signed document," wrote Julia Frifield, the State Department assistant secretary for legislative affairs, in the November 19 letter.

Democrats are acting as though they are morally opposed to Gina Haspel because of the intensive interrogation techniques after 9-11. Somehow, they weren't outraged when they voted for John Brennan even though he was higher up than Gina Haspel at the CIA at the time. They didn't seem concerned at all about waterboarding when they and John McCain voted for Brennan.

Selective outrage and selective morality indicate that they don't really care. They appear to be sexist because they are willing to vote against an extremely qualified woman while they voted for a man with the same history or worse.

Democratic Sens. Patrick Leahy (Vt.) and Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) joined with 31 Republicans in voting against Brennan's nomination. All have expressed concerns about the Obama Administration's drone program. Thirteen Republicans wound up voting for Brennan, including five members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Among the most notable were Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.).

There also hasn't been much time to report on the economy and especially the skyrocketing revenues to the government in April. It just doesn't fit the agenda or predictions so the media need to hide it so they can strive for a "blue wave."

The true reason they don't have time to cover these stories is that they have to give massive amounts of time to the truly honorable and honest porn star and her attorney.

I wonder why the media elites don't tout the biography of the sleazy attorney.

He's become famous as the brash lawyer for the porn star who purportedly bedded the future president, but before Michael Avenatti accused Donald Trump and his attorney of a payoff scheme to muzzle Stormy Daniels, he faced allegations of dubious business dealings as owner of a flailing coffee chain. Since his investment firm bought bankrupt Tully's Coffee for $9.15 million at auction five years ago, Avenatti's company has been named in more than 50 state and federal legal complaints, including commercial lawsuits, breach of lease actions and warrants for unpaid taxes, court records show. All the while, Tully's has shuttered store after store  from Everett to Bellevue, Tacoma to Seattle, and beyond  with employees left in limbo, landlords left unpaid and customers left holding now seemingly worthless loyalty cards.

As always, journalists are extremely worthless if their stories are based purely on an agenda and Democrat talking points aimed at destroying Trump. That is what we get every day.Like most Cuban-Americans, I have friends and relatives down in South Florida. I speak often with them on the phone.

On Friday morning, a Cuban friend told me that Governor Scott could end up as the next senator from Florida. I was surprised to hear it, but my friend referred me to an article from the Tampa Bay Times:

Among more than 200 experts and veterans of Florida politics surveyed in the latest Tampa Bay Times Florida Insider Poll, nearly six in 10 this week said they expect Scott to unseat the three-term Democratic Senator. Just over two months ago, more than 57 percent of the Florida Insiders surveyed expected Nelson to win. "I'm very worried about Sen. Nelson," said a Democrat. "I think the Democrats need to reevaluate our candidate and Gwen Graham should jump to the Senate Race immediately." A Republican had a similar thought: "Bill Nelson's best chance is a run for Governor. He should pivot now before Scott pastes his face to the floor. At least Nelson would win his party's nomination. Better chance to win in the general than any other declared candidate in his party." "Rick Scott is focusing on Hispanics way before Nelson is. He did this in 2014. He is traveling to Puerto Rico, getting close to Venezuelans, Cubans and Colombians," said a person registered to neither major party. "Nelson cannot ignore our Latino community and should have messages in English and Spanish. Commercials in both languages. He can not only depend on the Dixiecrats."

Time will tell who wins in Florida. However, I think Governor Scott's tough stance against President Obama's "one way" policy toward Cuba may be paying off. He recently wrote a letter calling for Cuba to be excluded from a recent Latin American meeting.

Another secret Scott weapon could be the Venezuelans. I don't know how many are citizens, but they are very anti-communist, too. I can only tell you that the Venezuelans I know support President Trump's posture against Maduro.

We will wait for the voters to vote, but maybe a surprise is brewing down in Florida.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.Pulling up American Thinker on my phone the other day, Google offered the search suggestion: "American Thinker Conservative." I clicked. Why not  what harm could Google do me? What I was treated to was a plethora of websites, touting themselves as neutral fact-checkers, indignant about American Thinker's "conservative bias." How enlightening! Now tell me who's buried in Grant's tomb...

What we have here is a nice illustration of a propaganda strategy that should not be underestimated  the inane idea that the reasonable position is always some compromise in the middle  the myth, in other words, that the left is the center. Can't we all just get along  and do things my way?

Let us dispense with the naive smiley-faced idea that compromise is automatically the best solution to all problems. If we had rigorously pursued compromise before the American Civil War, half of the U.S. would probably still have slavery. If we had made compromises at the end of the Second World War, instead of insisting on unconditional surrender, the Nazis and the Japanese militarists would have been left intact. "Compromises" like the Iran deal, the Paris Climate Accord, GAT, NAFTA, and numerous other diplomatic schemes liberal administrations have concocted have been little more than giveaways at the expense of ordinary American citizens.

Compromise works only when it brings together different but still compatible interests. It fails when it is used as a rhetorical sleight-of-hand to surrender wealth or sovereignty to parties who despise us. As has been said before but needs to be said until people's ears ring with its repeating  compromising with leftists always amounts to agreeing to accept their entire destructive program over a longer period of time. There is no middle ground, no compromise, between capitalism and socialism, between nationalism and globalism, or between Christianity and atheism. The left should be invited to shove its sophisticated Hegelian dialectics into the evil sunless places where even the Podesta brothers dare not go.

Frankly, even the idea of a political continuum is a misleading bit of leftist propaganda. It is self-destructive to accept the idea that concern for human beings is the province of the left, and that a razor's breadth to the "right" of conservatism lie racism, militarism, and the police state. Today's leftist governments have accomplished two out of three of those vices perfectly well  in their own sweet virtue-signaling way.

There is no general political continuum. There are only good ideas and bad ones, truths and falsehoods, the possible and the utopian. Conservatism is fundamentally about the preservation of ideas known to work. It makes no sense to compromise with either unproven fantasies or known failures.

We should care that liberals call us right-wing extremists, wingnuts, racists, homophobes, Islamophobes, fascists, or anything else no more than we should care if they called us grandfather clocks. As one doesn't get one's feelings hurt by the ravings of psychotic street people, one need not be overly vexed by the insults of people who believe that there are, and have always been, fifty-odd genders. In a world of the insane, the sane will inevitably be called extremists. We should never agree to become insane by degrees to get along with them, or to be apologetic about our lack of sensitivity toward other people's mass hallucinations. Call me crazy  I will wear it as a badge of honor.A professor at Fresno State University recently said she was happy that Barbara Bush had passed away and delighted at the thought of former President George H.W. Bush's grief. As utterly despicable as her comments were, outrageous remarks by college professors have become more and more common. At John Jay College, a professor expressed his satisfaction in teaching "future dead cops." At Orange Coast Community College, a psychology professor told her class that the election of Donald Trump was "an act of terrorism." And at my campus, Queens College, we have a professor who has compared Republicans to ISIS.

To be clear, freedom of speech is protected by the 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution as well as by deeply rooted principles of academic freedom. Freedom of speech must always be cherished and respected  even speech the average person might find repugnant. On the other hand, how do we protect students from professors run amok? How do we protect students from professors who use their classrooms as their own personal bully pulpits, holding their students as a captive audience?

Freedom of speech is paramount, and so there are no easy answers, but there are a few possible remedies. First of all, we must insist that college professors adhere to their own code of standards as promulgated by the American Association of University Professors (the AAUP). According to AAUP guidelines, "[t]eachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, but they should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to their subject." Furthermore, according to the AAUP's Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students, "[t]he professor in the classroom and in conference should encourage free discussion, inquiry, and expression. Student performance should be evaluated solely on an academic basis, not on opinions or conduct unrelated to academic standards."

It is an unfortunate reality that all over the country, far too many professors disregard these important standards of conduct. For example, an English professor teaching a course on the great works of George Bernard Shaw ought not to use each and every class as an opportunity to bash Republicans. An economics professor should not use most of his classes as a chance to bash Democrats. And all professors, regardless of political ideology, should not only respect the free speech rights of their students, but strongly encourage a full, free, and fair exchange of ideas. According to a recent report by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, 32.3 percent of colleges surveyed had policies that "seriously infringe upon the free speech rights of students." It is time that colleges insist that all professors follow their own professional standards. Perhaps there should be a refresher course once a year on the aforementioned AAUP principles, and professors who willfully refuse to adhere to them should probably face disciplinary action. In addition, colleges that habitually infringe upon the free speech rights of students should risk losing their state and federal funding.

Last but not least, we must insist upon intellectual diversity. The best way to combat offensive speech is not with censorship, but with even more speech. If colleges encourage racial, ethnic, and religious diversity, why not intellectual and political diversity as well? A wide diversity of ideas encourages critical thinking. Should a typical department in the social sciences have eight liberals for every one conservative? Would it not be better to have a few liberals, a few conservatives, and a few centrists?

Let's not censor speech. Let's have more of it!Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, the laconic Midwesterner with a steel trap mind, dropped a bombshell yesterday with a letter (the full letter appears below  pdf here) to Deputy A.G. Rod Rosenstein (who supervises the Mueller probe) and FBI director Christopher Wray. But in keeping with Grassley's style, which has so often misled his opponents into overconfidence, you have to read between the lines to see where he is heading. The end point: uncovering the plot to frame General Flynn for lying to the FBI, including likely criminal acts by senior members of the FBI.

Recall that facing financial ruin, and threats to prosecute his son on unrelated charges, General Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, yet James Comey told the Grassley Committee in a briefing:

[T]he FBI agents who interviewed Lt. General Michael Flynn, "saw nothing that led them to believe [he was] lying." Our own Committee staff's notes indicate that Mr. Comey said the "agents saw no change in his demeanor or tone that would say he was being untruthful." Contrary to his public statements during his current book tour denying any memory of those comments, then-Director Comey led us to believe during that briefing that the agents who interviewed Flynn did not believe he intentionally lied about his conversation with the Ambassador and that the Justice Department was unlikely to prosecute him for false statements made in that interview. In the months since then, the Special Counsel obtained a guilty plea from Lt. General Flynn for that precise alleged conduct.

Comey has since changed his tune, in "a Fox News interview in which he denied he ever told lawmakers that he did not believe Michael Flynn lied."

General Flynn's sentencing has been delayed repeatedly, as Judge Emmett Sullivan (who replaced Judge Contreras after he was removed from the case) has demanded that all exculpatory evidence be handed over to him.

Grassley is now demolishing the excuses that the FBI and DOJ have used to deny the same evidence to his committee:

The Department has withheld the Flynn-related documents since our initial bipartisan request last year, citing an ongoing criminal investigation. With Flynn's plea, the investigation appears concluded. Additionally, while we are aware that the Special Counsel's office has moved to delay Lt. General Flynn's sentencing on several occasions, we presume that all related records already have been provided to the defense pursuant to Judge Sullivan's February 16, 2018 order requiring production of all potentially exculpatory material. Thus, although the case is not yet adjudicated, the Committee's oversight interest in the underlying documents requested more than a year ago now outweighs any legitimate executive branch interest in withholding it. So too does the Committee's interest in learning the FBI agents' actual assessments of their interview of Lt. Gen. Flynn, particularly given the apparent contradiction between what [then-director] Comey told us in March 2017 and what he now claims. Accordingly, no later than May 25, 2018, please provide: 1. The information requested in our February 15, 2017 letter, including the transcripts of the reportedly intercepted calls and any FBI reports summarizing them; and 2. The FBI agents' 302s memorializing their interview of Flynn and 1A supporting docs, including the agents' notes[.]

The killer bombshell is the final paragraph, in which Grassley at long last reveals the name of the other FBI agent present when Peter Strzok interviewed General Flynn about his conversation with Russian ambassador Kislyak and requests an interview with him by committee staff members:

[P]lease make Special Agent Joe Pientka available for a transcribed interview with Committee staff no later than one week following the production of the requested documents[.]

As Sundance of Conservative Tree House points out, "it's likely Chairman Grassley outed the name for a very specific reason."

And what might that reason be? Sundance reminds us of previously released text messages between the lovebirds Peter Strzok and Lisa Page:

Regarding the "widely held belief" that Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe told the FBI agents (Strzok and Pientka) to shape their FBI reports of the interview (FD-302's) to assist a "Flynn lied" narrative. evidence of that is within the most recent text messages between Lisa Page and Peter Strzok: January 23, 2017, the day before the Flynn interview, Lisa Page says: "I can feel my heart beating harder, I'm so stressed about all the ways THIS has the potential to go fully off the rails." Weird! Strzok replies: "I know. I just talked with John, we're getting together as soon as I get in to finish that write up for Andy (MCCABE) this morning." Strzok agrees with Page about being stressed that "THIS" could go off the rails(Strzok's meeting w Flynn the next day) Why would Page & Strzok be stressed about "THIS" potentially going off the rails if everything was by the book? BECAUSE IT WASN'T! It was a conspiracy to entrap Gen Mike Flynn. All Strzok needed was an excuse to speak w Flynn. Everything in the 302 was likely fabricated. February 14th, 2017, there is another note about the FBI reports filed from the interview. Peter Strzok asks Lisa Page if FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is OK with his report: "Also, is Andy good with F-302?" Lisa Page replies: "Launch on F 302". And he reminds us that previously, on September 10, 2016, Strzok texted about withholding 302s that he called "VERY inflammatory"

So Andrew McCabe was "good" with the F-302, meaning there was some issue with them. Fabricated, as Sundance believes? A blogger calling himself "Stealth Jeff" writes:

[T]he fact that Grassley has now gotten the go ahead to publicly reveal this FBI agent's name is HUGE. The endgame is approaching. They can reveal who their whistleblower is because it's too late. The IG reports on the Clinton Email fiasco and the FISC Court scheme are dropping any day now. After that, when the public has digested them, the indictments are unsealed. FBI Agent Joe Pientka ALSO filed a FD 302 form following that interview with Michael Flynn. Now Grassley is demanding to see both his & Strzok's FD 302 forms from that interview. And he's going to get them.

Make no mistake: if 302s were altered and Agent Pientka testifies to that, people are going to jail.

Complete Grassley letter:If you've been following the reaction in the press to Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, you would think the most important issue is war or peace with the Iranians. Scuttling the deal, many are saying, will force Iran to "restart" its nuclear enrichment program (that it only paused anyway), which will force the U.S. to engage Iran militarily to stop the Iranians.

Whether Iran goes back to open enrichment of uranium is not the primary question. What matters is that exiting the deal leaves the U.S. perfectly free to ratchet up the pressure on an already feeble Iranian economy and openly assist elements in Iran who want regime change.

Foreign Policy:

All nuclear-related sanctions are to be reimposed as quickly as possible, consistent with U.S. law. No later than the first week of November, every one of the most powerful U.S. economic penalties ever inflicted on Iran will be back in full force. That includes sweeping secondary sanctions against foreign firms caught doing proscribed business with the Islamic Republic. Despite the frantic efforts of their leaders, it appears there will be no reprieve, no carveouts, no shielding of European companies from the brutally harsh consequences of what Trump has wrought. Commercial entities the world over now have a brief window to unwind their interests in Iran's deeply troubled $400 billion economy or risk being shut out of America's $20 trillion market, including the ability to conduct transactions in the U.S. dollar, the international currency of choice.

The reasons why the E.U. was so eager to sign off on a flawed deal were entirely commercial. This was made evident in the weeks and months immediately following the agreement's implementation. Dozens of contracts were signed between some of Europe's biggest companies and the Iranian government, suddenly flush with a hundred billion dollars in unfrozen assets. Lifting the sanctions also opened the door for companies around the world to do business with Iran.

The E.U. is now trying desperately to salvage something of the deal, but one might ask, why? As the Foreign Policy article points out, the U.S. reimposing sanctions will destroy the new commercial ties between Iran and the E.U. even if the Europeans keep the agreement in place.

Trump has hinted that if Iran begins industrial-scale nuclear enrichment, all options are on the table.

In his withdrawal statement, Trump warned, "If the regime continues its nuclear aspirations, it will have bigger problems than it has ever had before." The next day, he further amplified the threat: "I would advise Iran not to start their nuclear program. I would advise them very strongly. If they do, there will be very severe consequences." Meaning what, exactly? It sure sounds like a threat to use military force. And that would make perfect sense. Surely, the president and his advisors understand that one likely consequence of killing the deal and reimposing sanctions is that Iran might begin expanding its nuclear program again. A credible threat of force is clearly intended to deter such a dangerous move. But what if it doesn't? What if Iran calls Trump's bluff before sanctions can have their intended effect or, indeed, are even fully operational again? Then he may have to strike Iran's nuclear facilities with all the attendant dangers and unforeseen consequences that entails, or risk being exposed as a paper tiger. It goes without saying that absent a rock-solid commitment to move militarily against Iran's nuclear program in short order should it prove necessary, the president's decision to crater the Iran deal prematurely really would constitute not just a major gamble, but extreme diplomatic malpractice.

But Iran's nuclear program is only a small part of the administration's focus now that the deal is history. With the president's withdrawal statement, background materials revealed the breathtaking nature of the policy shift:

Never have an intercontinental ballistic missile, cease developing any nuclear-capable missiles, and stop proliferating ballistic missiles to others;

Cease its support for terrorists, extremists, and regional proxies, such as Hezbollah, Hamas, the Taliban, and al Qaeda;

End its publicly declared quest to destroy Israel;

Stop its threats to freedom of navigation, especially in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea;

Cease escalating the Yemen conflict and destabilizing the region by proliferating weapons to the Houthis;

End its cyberattacks against the United States and our allies, including Israel;

Stop its grievous human rights abuses, shown most recently in the regime's crackdown against widespread protests by Iranian citizens;

Stop its unjust detention of foreigners, including United States citizens.

The administration is already seriously considering plans to assist dissidents in overthrowing the regime. These other goals make it absolutely clear that Iran's days of being free to destabilize the Middle East and the world are over, and the regime's days are numbered.As the trajectory of a comet changes as it passes by a star, so some of Donald Trump's most adamant critics are starting to alter their course due to the gravitational pull of the president's significant achievements.

First up is Rich Lowry, editor of National Review and formerly a NeverTrump. In a piece in the New York Post, Lowry writes regarding Trump's pullout of the Obama-Iran nuclear deal:

His exit from the agreement is another instance of the Trump paradox. The president who says more outlandish and untrue things than anyone who has ever occupied the office of the presidency is also extraordinarily determined to deliver on his big promises. Trump often doesn't mean what he says, but when he says what he means  watch out. The combined forces of international pressure, polite opinion, outraged New York Times editorial, resistant advisers, and sheer inertia aren't an obstacle.

Lowry goes on to debunk the argument that Trump is just doing what any other Republican president would do in his place:

But it's not at all clear that another GOP president, even if he was on record favoring these moves, would have pulled out of the Paris climate accord and withstood the howls about impending imperiling the planet; or ended DACA despite all the media pressure to keep it; or exited the Iran deal with the Europeans waging an intense lobbying campaign in its favor.

Reality is dawning on Lowry as he ends his column by noting that President Trump "hasn't shrunk from the core commitments that defined his candidacy." Imagine that: a president who keeps his campaign promises.

The next NeverTrump is a much more interesting case. It's David Brooks, the house "conservative" of the New York Times, the man who childishly commented on his perverse attraction to President-Elect Barack Obama due to the sharp crease in his pants. Brooks's column is titled "Donald Trump's Lizard Wisdom."

Here Brooks credits Trump on three fronts: China, Iran, and North Korea. In each case, Brooks acknowledges that the leaders of these countries are "thugs." He goes on to theorize that the reason Trump may be uniquely qualified to deal with these characters is because of his experience of dealing with thugs in his construction projects in the dog-eat-dog environment of New York City and Atlantic City, New Jersey. As Brooks puts it: "[t]here is growing reason to believe Donald Trump understands the thug mind a whole lot better than people who attended our prestigious Foreign Service academies." Ouch  how that must sting our foreign affair elites, to read such words in the pages of their beloved Times.

Regarding North Korea, Brooks notes how the establishment took Trump to task for his bellicosity directed at "Little Rocket Man," Kim Jong-un. But guess what: it seemed to work. Hostages have been released without a planeful of money paid as ransom, and talks are scheduled. Some even speculate about a Nobel Peace Prize.

Next up, China. As Brooks observes:

Over the past few decades, the Western diplomatic community made a big bet: If we all behave decently toward Chinese leaders, then they'd naturally come to embrace liberal economic and cultural values and we could all eventually share a pinot at the University Club. The bet went wrong. Today's Chinese leaders are polite and coolheaded, but their economic, political and military behavior remains pure thug.

Trump, in contrast to his more sophisticated predecessors, put the screws to the Chinese. The result has been trade concessions from China with many more in the pipeline. Brooks quotes fellow Times man Tom Friedman, who said Trump is picking the right fight with China at the right time.

On Iran, although it must break his heart to admit it, Brooks says the premise of the Obama-Iran deal was all wrong. It was relying on the delusion that the Iranian leaders are "worldly sophisticates, who, if we just gave them the welcome mat, would join our community of nations. This is the vanity of the educated class going back centuries. Since we're obviously so superior, everyone else secretly wants to be like us. It's wrong. Thugs gotta thug. [R]eligious fanatics gotta fanaticize."

What Brooks is saying in his backhanded way is that Trump is accomplishing what no other president could do. But this faux conservative still has to demean Trump by attaching the term "lizard brain" to him. The lizard brain, by the way, is pop psychology for the primitive Six F survival instincts: fight, flight, feeding, fear, freezing up, and fornication.

Brooks has come a long way recognizing Trump's accomplishments. But he misses a big one. It may be understandable, given Brooks's position, but he fails to note the first thug Trump dumped on its fanny. It was the bullying liberal media.Two Russian TU-95 Bear bombers were intercepted in international airspace off the coast of Alaska yesterday and escorted out of the U.S. air defense zone.

CNN:

The Russian long-range bombers flew into the Air Defense Identification Zone, which extends approximately 200 miles off Alaska's western coast. "At approximately 10 a.m. ET, two Alaskan-based NORAD F-22 fighters intercepted and visually identified two Russian TU-95 'Bear' long-range bomber aircraft flying in the Air Defense Identification Zone around the western coast of Alaska, north of the Aleutian Islands," NORAD and USNORTHCOM spokesman Canadian Army Maj. Andrew Hennessy said in a statement. The Russian aircraft were "intercepted and monitored by the F-22s until the bombers left the ADIZ along the Aleutian Island chain heading west," and never entered US airspace, according to the statement. The last such intercept of Russian aircraft by US jets took place on May 3, 2017.

Russia has constantly been testing our air and sea defenses, but rarely so close to U.S. airspace. There have been numerous instances of U.S. intercepts of Russian aircraft in the Baltic, where Vladimir Putin has been putting pressure on Eastern European countries like Poland and the Czech Republic.

And there have been several instances of Russian fighters buzzing U.S. warships in that region.

Putin isn't so much "testing" U.S. air defenses as he is reminding the U.S. that Russia has a powerful military as well with the ability to strike the U.S. at any time.After a relatively lackluster first entry into the connected speaker market with last years Harmon Kardon-built Invoke, Microsoft is reportedly ready for a second attempt in partnership with Taiwanese electronics maker Quanta Computer. Thats according to a new report published out of Germany and based on unspecified developer documentation. Having said that, there have been at least a few technical specifications outlined in the purported documents. Among the most interesting points of note is that it claims to be optimized for the Internet of Things but theres no way to know how the company plans to accomplish that and no details for what that actually means have been given.

For starters, the smart speaker is said to feature one of Qualcomms Snapdragon 212 SoCs, generally used for the mobile industry in budget devices. The chipset is typically comprised of four ARM Cortex-A7 cores, clocked at 1.3GHz and backed by an Adreno 304 graphics unit. The use of such a low-end chip is hardly surprising though since most of the performance power, aside from audio drivers and the like, would almost certainly be reliant on server-side hardware. The speakers smarts would presumably be powered by Microsofts own Cortana, though there might be some room for integrating Amazons Alexa for smart home integration given recent speculation about a collaboration between the companies. The addition of well-thought-out smart home integration would be a definite improvement over the companys last smart speaker. In the meantime, it goes without saying that theres no way to determine what type of speakers would be included or how powerful those would be.

According to the documents, the project is still very early in development, so its probably best if nobody sets high expectations to see a finished product anytime soon. Moreover, this could very well just be a reference device  which is something generally created to provide a starting point for other manufacturers to follow. Theres no guarantee that would actually happen, however, and without some kind of incentive, its difficult to see Microsoft making headway there. After all, Google has been making tons of headway with its Assistant while Amazons Alexa continues to maintain the overwhelming lead. So Microsoft it seems as though Microsoft has nearly all of its work still ahead of it, whether the report is accurate or not.Prior to the start of Google I/O 2018 it remained to be seen how interesting Googles developer-focused event would be from the Android TV perspective. There had been little news coming through in the way of leaks leading up to the event and the absence of large-scale Android TV news in general over the past few months seemed to indicate 2018 would be a quiet year for the platform. That was not the case though with a number of major announcements coming through over the last few days resulting in what was arguably one of the most interesting Android TV I/O events so far.

Android P is coming

Google announced the first developer outing of Android P a few months ago and Android TV was notably absent from the proceedings. Which at the time looked suspiciously like the platform had fallen out of favor. There was literally no developer preview version made available for Android TV, and no word on whether P would even come to Android TV. Though, that has now changed with Google confirming Android P is coming, while also releasing the P Preview SDK for Android TV, and confirming some of the changes that can be expected. Although arguably, these are more minor changes and ones which look to speed up the signing up process through the likes of autofill, auto-installation of apps, and set up notifications, as well as better performance on low-end Android TV devices.

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A new devicebut only for developers

Along with announcing Android P, Google also showcased a new Android TV device. Although, this is not a device which will be made available to the general public. Instead, the new ADT-2 follows in the footsteps of the ADT-1 as a device that is intended for development purposes. In other words, it is a developer device. What is of interest, however, is this is the device that had been recently spotted passing through the FCC confirming that device is now no longer expected to become generally available. While the ADT-2 is not meant for consumers, it does look like an interesting device due to its form factor that is more similar to a Chromecast than an actual Android TV box. Either way, with the lack of support now for the original ADT-1, and the Nexus Player having been retired at the software level, the arrival of the ADT-2 is not only timely, but very much in need if app developers are to support future versions of Android TV.

Android TV coming soon to a speaker near you

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While the ADT-2 is not set for general release, one of the most interesting Android TV announcements to come from Google I/O was the introduction of the JBL LINK BAR. At the basic level this is just a soundbar, albeit one which comes with Google Assistant functionality  much like a number of new speakers now do. What makes the LINK BAR unlike those other speakers, however, is the LINK BAR also features Android TV. It is literally a soundbar that adds Android TV to your TV, making it the first speaker-related product to do so and highlighting how Android TV has now migrated over to a completely new form factor. Whats more, this is only the first of such products as Google has confirmed a number of hybrid devices like this will be released going forward. So while the box market is starting to look a little deserted and vacant, Android TV seems to be growing beyond traditional form factors which makes for an interesting-looking future. If nothing else, the arrival of hybrid devices may prove significant in helping to expose potential new users to the platform.

Android TV is growing

Speaking of new users, and while new form factors like the LINK BAR will help increase awareness of the platform, if Google is to be believed the platform seems to be growing sufficiently fine on its own merit. As Google took the opportunity at this years event to confirm the number of new users to the platform has doubled in the past year alone. In addition, Google also confirmed that its not just new users that are growing with more partners having now come on board. With Google specifically stating Pay TV operators and set-top boxes (STBs) are greatly helping to expand the availability of the ecosystem, more so than the direct-to-consumer product route. In other words, Android TV as a service seems to be the current best route to expanding adoption, quickly. Likewise, when it comes to content, Google states the Android TV ecosystem has never been more healthy or varied as there are now more than 3,600 Android TV-optimized apps and games available to download.

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Wrap up

So yes, while little had been expected from Android TV going into this years event, it seems there was more than many might have bargained for. The news was not grand in terms of the number of announcements that came through but the ones that did come were of enough significance to suggest Google has not given up on the platform, contrary to the belief of some. Yes, there are hurdles which Android TV needs to overcome in the near-future including new devices and better app support, and it seems most of the announcements made at this years event were specifically aimed at remedying these issues. The takeaway from Google I/O 2018  the future for Android TV now looks a little brighter than it did just a few days ago.An LG Electronics-made Android smartphone bearing the model number LM-V350EM has been certified by the United States Federal Communications Commission earlier this week, as revealed by a set of testing documentation published by the agency on Friday. The device is believed to be the LG V35 ThinQ, yet another 2018 flagship from the South Korean company which is expected to be released exclusively on AT&Ts network several months from now. The newly discovered listing reveals little about the phone itself, safe for confirming its compatible with AT&Ts 4G LTE bands.

Shortly following the early May announcement of the LG G7 ThinQ, AT&T said it wont be retailing the new phablet and will instead be releasing an exclusive LG-made product this summer. While the company hasnt clarified whether that exclusivity will only pertain to the United States or apply globally, the handset in question is believed to be the V35 ThinQ which AndroidHeadlines already detailed last month before also obtaining an official render of the device seen above. The V35 ThinQ isnt meant to be a direct successor to last years V30 and the newer V30S ThinQ as LG is also understood to be planning to commercialize the V40 ThinQ in the second half of the year. The company is instead more likely to present it as a stepping stone between its 2017 and 2018 main V-series releases. Compared to the new G7 ThinQ, the V35 ThinQ should provide an upgrade in the display department, featuring a 6-inch OLED panel instead of an LCD one.

The fact that the FCC already certified the LG-V350EM is indicative of a summer release, with the majority of LG-made products historically passing through the U.S. telecom regulator several months ahead of their official debut. The render obtained by AndroidHeadlines seen above appears to have been made particularly for the purpose of AT&Ts promotional activities and mentions August 10, with the LG V35 ThinQ possibly launching around that date. The Korean OEMs overall flagship strategy is presently being described as extremely confusing, having been envisioned as LGs latest attempt at reviving its struggling smartphone business, starting with the high-end market segment thats usually associated with the most lucrative profit margins in the industry.COP26 may be a cop-out in the making COP26 is just about a month away. Delayed for a year by the Covid-19 pandemic, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference has built up even more expectations and momentum during the intervening monthsFor some years now, geeks with tons of money, the likes of Elon Musk, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, are gridlocked in a race to take humanity into the next chapter of evolution, and perhaps towards humans becoming a Type 2 civilization, as described by Russian astrophysicist Nikolai Kardashev.We are probably centuries if not more away from that moment. But having a first look at how these three men plan to shape our future is a first step in understanding what we may become.Earlier this year, we detailed Elon Musks and SpaceXs Falcon-Dragon combo for space exploration. A while back, we covered Richard Bransons view of the future. Now lets take a closer look at Jeff Bezos perspective.Bezos company in charge with the creation of his space program is called Blue Origin. It was founded in the year 2000 and has a stated goal of enabling, just like Richard Branson;s Virgin Galactic, private human access to space.Blue Origin focuses on suborbital to orbital flight, powered by vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) vehicles, just like Elon Musks SpaceX. In its first years of operation, it was a rocket engine supplier for other entities, like the United Launch Alliance (ULA).The space vehicles Blue Origin is currently working on are the New Shepard and the New Glenn.The New Shepard, named after the first American astronaut in space, Alan Shepard, is a suborbital crewed rocket intended for space tourism or transport of NASA and other nations astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).First tests of the New Shepard started in 2006, with the most recent one being the eighth test flight in the last days of April, which took the rocket to an altitude of 66 miles (107 km).The spacecraft is made of a capsule and booster rocket that launch vertically from a launchpad. 150 seconds from launch, the booster engine cuts off, and the capsule glides into space. Both the booster and the capsule are intended to come back down to Earth safely.When fully operational, the capsule would serve as a research facility as well. Blue Origin says it is ideal for studies in microgravity physics, gravitational biology, technology demonstrations, and educational programs.When humans are allowed onboard, six of them will be able to fit in a space ten times larger than the one Alan Shepard had on his Mercury flight in 1961.The New Glenn takes its name from the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth, John Glenn, and is a orbital launch vehicle not yet developed.According to Blue Origin, the system has more than twice the volume of any 3-stage rocket commercially available. It will be capable of reaching low-Earth and geostationary orbits with the help of a re-ignitable engine powered by liquid oxygen.Just as the New Shepard and SpaceXs Falcon, the first stage is reusable, flying back to earth after completing its mission.Being an orbital craft, the New Glenn will not only be used to transports tourists to the edge of space, but to place satellites and other equipment into orbit at the request of various space agencies.New Glenn will be built using the expertise gained with the Shepard.Both space machines will be powered by in-house built engines. The first is the BE-3, the first new liquid hydrogen-fueled rocket engine to be developed for production in America in over a decade. At full throttle, it is capable of generating the equivalent of more than 1 million horsepower.The second is the BE-4, scheduled to fly on ULAs Vulcan rocket in 2019. It will be five times more powerful than the BE-3.Unlike SpaceX, Blue Origin is not yet conducting regular flights into orbit. The New Shepard has been hauling research payloads from NASA, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and commercial customers during the April test, but the first manned missions are scheduled for an yet undisclosed date.Following these tests, Blue Origin plans to begin work on the New Glenn, which is set to take its maiden flight sometime in 2020.Specifically, the French have selected the electrified Dual Clutch Transmission called hybrid DT2 for the range of mild hybrids equipped with a 48V motor. The choice has been made because a dual-clutch transmission has fewer components, thus being more compact and lighter than conventional ones.In addition, it delivers outstanding performance and a very favorable fuel economy at a competitive cost, said PSA in a statement.The next generation of this design, with a 48V motor configuration, will be installed by Groupe PSA in its vehicles.Punch Powertrain was established in 1972 as a subsidiary of DAF. It provides transmission for a number of automotive companies, mostly Chinese and none the size of PSA.The efforts being made by PSA to electrify its range became obvious in April, when the company announced the creation of the Low Emission Vehicles Business Unit . This division will be in charge with defining the electric strategy of the group.PSA is one of the few carmaker which havent specifically said what cars will be electrified first. DS, the groups luxury division, announced at the beginning of May that from 2025 all of its cars will have an electrified version.In all, there are rumors there will be 40 different electrified models. The PSA Group includes the Peugeot Citroen and Opel brands.The rollout will be supported by the return of the PSA brand to one of the worlds largest auto markets, the United States.In January, PSA announced Atlanta had been chosen as the location for its future American headquarters. Small steps would see the French make a comeback in North America in 10 years time, but meetings with dealers will begin as soon as this year.A Chicago pilot and his passenger survived bailing out of their TBM Avenger on May 7 over northeastern Arizona. Ron Carlson and Kenny Franzese hit the silk near Fort Apache in Navajo County after an apparent engine failure in the freshly restored warbird. The two were ferrying the big single-engine torpedo bomber from Phoenix to Chicago when things went wrong. I was on the instruments and a big bang in front, and everything just started shaking, Carlson told NBCs Chicago affiliate. Carlson told AVweb in a podcast interview here was no place for a forced landing on the rugged terrain below and smoke was filling the cockpit and he was also afraid he wouldnt be able to see if he tried for a landing. He told Franzese to abandon the aircraft.

Franzese went first and clung briefly to the wing before letting go. Carlson followed and both were pretty banged up but mobile when they landed. Carlson had a broken rib and sprained ankle and Franzese needed surgery to fix a major facial injury. They spent a night separated before they found each other on a gravel road the next morning. Franzese followed a gravel road and found help, returning in a pickup truck with two forestry workers. An hour later I was taking a rest and boom, a pickup truck comes by with Kenny in it, Carlson said. So I know at that point, the adrenaline just went out and the next thing I knew I had a cold Gatorade in my handsso that was the best thing. The wreckage of the aircraft has not yet been found.

Carlson bought the aircraft in flying condition in Australia in 2017 and it underwent restoration in Stockton, California. He was flying it home from restoration when the mishap occurred. The Avenger was built for the U.S. Navy but spent most of its life in Canada, first in the Royal Canadian Navy and then as a waterbomber in British Columbia before going through various owners in the U.S. and finally being exported to Australia in 2006. The plane was re-registered in the U.S. in 2017 and underwent a thorough restoration, including making the wing-mounted machine guns functional. They get demonstrated in this short video shot two days before the crash.Although the U.S. cancellation of the nuclear agreement with Iran will likely tank big airliner orders from Iran, neither Airbus nor Boeing seem likely to be immediately damaged, according to industry sources. Thats because the Iranian orders were of questionable firmness and were far in the future with uncertain financing.

Between the two aerospace giants, the orders totaled $39 billion. IRAN Air and Iran Aseman Airlines had 100 Airbus aircraft on order while Boeing had secured orders valued more than $16 billion after the Obama Administration lifted sanctions on the malign country in 2016. Iran Airs agreement with Boeing included 15 orders for wide-body 777-9s and 15 of 777-300ERs.

According to industry experts, both companies anticipated trouble with the Iranian airlines ability to finance the aircraft, as well as uncertainty about the political arrangement remaining in place. Teal Groups Richard Aboulafia told NPR this week that as a result, neither company had logged the orders as hard business.

Boeing ended the first quarter of this year with a backlog of more than 5800 airplanes, including more than 4600 orders for 737s. The companys current production remains unaffected, according to CEO Dennis Muilenburg. Airbus has 7100 aircraft in its order books, claiming its producing at capacity for the next nine years, according to an Airbus spokesperson.

One of the biggest incentives for Tehran with lifted sanctions had been to reach new deals with the U.S. and Europe. Airplanes used by airlines in Iran are among the oldest in the industry. Iranian officials estimate a need for up to 500 passenger jets in the coming years. Boeings stock price actually rose on the news Tuesday, but dipped slightly on Thursday.Airbus stock dipped sharply on Tuesday, but recovered most of the lost ground by late Friday.Police in Western Australia responded early Friday morning to reports of a shooting at a home in Osmington, south of Perth, that killed seven family members, including a mother and her four children, reports Sky News Australia.

Why it matters: This is the first mass shooting in Australia in more than 20 years. The nation famously outlawed semiautomatic weapons in 1996 following the Port Arthur massacre that killed 35 people.After Tuesday's West Virginia primary, red-state Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin is now trailing Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey by two points in his re-election race, according to a new poll conducted by WPA intelligence.

Why it matters: That's within the margin of error, but the poll is a sign that the GOP has improved its chances of defeating Manchin since Don Blankenship lost the primary this week. Manchin is in an especially vulnerable position given that President Trump won West Virginia by 42 points 2016.

Meanwhile, several Republican leaders and outside groups are looking to West Virginia as a sign of what to expect in places where red-state Democrats face similar struggles.

By the numbers:

46% of West Virginia voters surveyed said they would vote for Morrisey in the November general election, while 44% said they would vote for Manchin. 11% were undecided.

51% said it was time for a new person to be in the U.S. Senate," 37% said Manchin "deserves reelection," and 13% refused to answer.

Among undecided voters, 59% have an unfavorable view of Manchin, while 30% have a favorable view.

Methodology: WPA conducted the study in West Virginia on May 10 among 400 likely voters. The margin of error is 4.9 percent.

Go deeper: Takeaways from the Tuesday night primariesTrend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on amending the "Decree on Ensuring the Implementation of the Law of Azerbaijan on Salt Iodization for the Purpose of Mass Prevention of Iodine Deficiency Diseases", dated Sept. 27, 2003.

In accordance with the decree, the powers of the relevant executive authority, as envisaged in Article 6.2 of the "Law on Salt Iodization for the Purpose of Mass Prevention of Iodine Deficiency Diseases, will be implemented by the Food Safety Agency.

Thus, the Agency will carry out examination of salt samples to determine the compliance of quality and safety indicators of iodized salt with standards and requirements.

The Azerbaijani president has also signed a decree on amending the "Decree on Ensuring the Implementation of the Law of Azerbaijan on Grain, dated Oct. 23, 2003.

Thus, the Food Safety Agency will receive the powers of the Economy Ministry and the Healthcare Ministry to carry out state control over the quality of grain products and hygienic registration in the state registry of grain processing products.

Both decrees come into force July 1, 2018.Trend:

The annual EU-Central Asia High Level Political and Security Dialogue is planned to be held in Ashgabat in the coming weeks, Head of the EU Liaison Office in Turkmenistan Lubomir Frebort said in his welcoming speech on the occasion of Europe Day, Nebit-Gaz, online newspaper of the countrys Oil and Gas Complex, reported.

This negotiating mechanism is one of the elements of regular political contacts between Central Asia and the EU, he said.

The EU official noted that partnership between the EU and Turkmenistan is being built in such areas as trade, energy and transport.

The EU is one of the three biggest trade partners of Turkmenistan with mutual trade value of 1.6 billion euros, according to the report.Trend:

On May 8, the US President Donald Trump put an end to Washingtons commitments under the nuclear deal walking away from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached in 2015 between Tehran and the six world powers. Trump also announced that the US re-imposes the "highest level of economic sanctions" on the Islamic Republic, including the sanctions against the countrys oil sector.

Mehrdad Emadi, an economic expert and consultant at the UK-based Betamatrix International Consultancy, believes that the re-imposition of the US sanctions against Tehran will not cut the countrys oil export to below the pre-nuclear deal period in short term, but in medium term it can seriously impact Tehrans oil sale.

"In the short to medium term, I do not envisage a fall in Iranian exports to below one million barrels a day. However, in medium term, with the economic slowdown in Turkey and China, it is conceivable that Irans exports could decline to 1.2 -1.4 million barrels a day," Emadi told Trend May 10.

Before it got hit with sanctions in 2012, Iran was exporting 2.5 mb/d of crude oil and gas condensate, of which 18 percent was supplied to the EU. After 2012, the EU cut Iran oil purchase and Asian countries had to decrease Iranian oil import gradually, which led to a drop in export of Iranian oil and gas condensate to 1.2 mb/d in 2015. After elimination of sanctions in 2016, based on nuclear agreement, Iran resumed its oil exports and increased it to over 2.8 mb/d in April.

"Reintroduction of sanctions will not stop Iran from selling its oil, but at the same time it will reduce the presence of Iran in international oil markets," according to Emadi. "To explain this dichotomy, Irans main buyers - China and India - are locked into long term contracts which allow them to pay in their national currencies, yuan and rupee. But given the fact that neither currency is as convertible as the US dollar and the euro, effectively Iran ends up being forced into spending the yuan on Chinese goods and the rupees on Indian goods," the expert noted

He further remarked that similar arrangements also have been agreed on with Turkey in the last six months.

"Yet in my view this is not a meaningful presence in the international oil market, where exporters compete to get the best deal for their crude. None of these three countries will be prepared to fully comply with US demands; however, the more significant part of Iranian exports is where Iran earns hard currency from the sale of its crude."

In this category, the EU, South Korea and Japan are the main sources of hard currency for Irans oil revenues, and the US sanctions  as it was shown before the JCPOA  found their greatest impact in Europe, where buyers of Iranian crude reduced their purchase to 80 percent, the expert said, adding that similarly, Korea and Japan reduced their imports from Iran to less than 50 percent of its pre-sanction level.

Emadi further said "the significance of this group is that without their payments in hard currency, the Iranian economy will face a currency crisis created by the shortfall of its earning of dollar and euro. Observing the recent events in the value of Iranian rial, such a shortfall could result in the depreciation in the value of rial pushing the rial-to-dollar rate to 110,000  within the first 12 months and again doubling the rate in the second year."

"My forecast is that should Europe cave in under pressure and boycott Iranian oil, Iran will see a reduction of 700,000 barrels a day in its exports," he added.

Responding to a question about options available to refineries in the EU and among the Asian buyers of Irans oil to avoid the US punishment in case of continuing purchase from Tehran, the expert said it should be considered in the context of the position of their national governments in each country.

"Should the governments decide to comply with US demands, the refineries - as was seen in Europe and Japan - will have to make the necessary adjustments to process crude from other countries," Emadi said.

The closest substitute for Iranian medium sulfur crude is from Russia (Ural); however, given the restriction facing Russia, the next best alternative is Iraqi crude from southern Iraq and should Iraq be able to expand its export capacity, then the EU and Asian refineries would find it less costly to substitute Iraqi oil for Iranian crude, the expert explained.

"However, if they resist the pressure from America, then I expect to see a small number of refineries being targeted by the US treasury - imposing heavy fines on them to make an example for other refineries."Trend:

A meeting with Indonesia's Iran-based Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Octaviano Alimuddin was held at the Turkmen Foreign Ministry, the ministry said.

The parties considered cooperation in the cotton industry, gas industry and transport.

An exchange of views on possibility of boosting mutually beneficial trade and economic relations between entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan and Indonesia was also held, the ministry said.

A particular attention was paid to interaction within international organizations.

Turkmenistans Turkmenbashi Complex of Oil Refineries (TCOR) is preparing to produce biaxially oriented polypropylene film (BOPP). A contract for construction of a unit for production of a packaging film of two types  a transparent single layer and coextruded film  was signed with Indonesian company P.T. Istana Karang Laut.

The production will start at the end of June. More than 20,000 tons of films of various types, including for packaging food and industrial products, will be annually produced from local raw materials.Trend:

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will start an intensive tour to three Asian and European countries to talk the nuclear deal with counterparts following the US withdrawal.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry quoted Spokesman Bahram Qassemi as saying that Zarif will travel to Beijing on May 12, as the first step of his visit which later takes him to Moscow and Brussels.

The trip will done in line with the President Hassan Rouhanis directive for intensive talks on the possibility of preserving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA aka nuclear deal) while the Iranian nations interests are guaranteed, Qassemi said.

The Iranian top diplomat will fly to Brussels on May 15 to hold meetings with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Britain, as well as EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini in Brussels, the spokesman added.

The US President Donald Trump announced May 8 that the United States walks away from the accord reached in 2015 between Tehran and the six world powers. Trump also announced that the US re-imposes the "highest level of economic sanctions" on the Islamic Republic.

Following the US decision, President Rouhani said he ordered the Foreign Ministry to negotiate with the European countries, China and Russia in coming weeks.

Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also has said that "It is not logical to continue the implementation of the JCPOA without receiving enough guarantees from three European countries, the UK, France, and Germany."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. Moody's revises South County Hospital's outlook to stable from negative

Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "Baa3" issuer rating on Wakefield, R.I.-based South County Hospital.

2. Moody's upgrades Agnesian HealthCare to 'A1' on SSM Health affiliation

Moody's Investors Service upgraded Fond du Lac, Wis.-based Agnesian HealthCare's rating to "A1" from "A2," affecting approximately $57 million of rated debt.

3. S&P revises Methodist Hospital's outlook to negative on declining operating performance

S&P Global Ratings affirmed its "BBB" long-term rating on Gary, Ind.-based Methodist Hospital's series 2014 revenue refunding bonds.

4. S&P upgrades St. John's Medical Center's rating to 'A-'

S&P Global Ratings upgraded its long-term rating on Jackson, Wyo.-based St. John's Medical Center to "A-" from "BBB+."

5. S&P downgrades Jefferson Regional Medical Center to 'A-', outlook negative

S&P Global Ratings downgraded Pine Bluff, Ark.-based Jefferson Regional Medical Center's underlying rating to "A-" from "A."

6. Fitch downgrades Eisenhower Medical Center to 'BBB-'

Fitch Ratings downgraded the rating on Rancho Mirage, Calif.-based Eisenhower Medical Center's series 2017A and 2017B revenue refunding bonds to "BBB-" from "BBB," affecting approximately $333.3 million of debt.

7. Fitch downgrades CHS to 'C' following debt exchange offer

Fitch Ratings downgraded Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health System's issuer default rating to "C" from "CCC" after the company commenced a debt exchange offer on three series of unsecured notes due in 2019, 2020 and 2022.

8. Fitch downgrades Parkland Health & Hospital System to 'A+'

Fitch Ratings downgraded the rating on Dallas County Hospital District to "A+" from "AA," affecting approximately $718.5 million of debt. The district does business as Parkland Health & Hospital System.

9. Fitch affirms 'BB' rating on MaineGeneral Health

Fitch Ratings affirmed its "BB" rating on Augusta-based MaineGeneral Health's outstanding series 2011 revenue bonds, affecting $280.4 million of debt

10. S&P assigns 'A' rating to East Alabama Medical Center

S&P Global Ratings assigned its "A" rating to Opelika-based East Alabama Medical Center's proposed $31.7 million series 2018A revenue bonds.A state judge suspended the medical license of Marco Chavez, MD, May 7 after the psychiatrist admitted to drinking 16 ounces of vodka before 8 a.m. prior to seeing patients, according to NBC Bay Area.

In her May 7 ruling, the judge stated Dr. Chavez admitted to having a drinking problem during a May 3 hearing, and said he drank two eight-ounce glasses of vodka mixed with cloves at 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. as a "home remedy" suggested by his mother, according to the report. He said his mother had hoped the concoction would help mitigate Dr. Chavez's drinking problem.

The judge's factual findings of the case indicate the Medical Board of California initiated its investigation into Dr. Chavez in February 2017 after receiving a complaint from a patient alleging Dr. Chavez mailed her a sample box of medication that also contained an empty vodka bottle.

A medical board investigator visited Dr. Chavez in his practice three times during a three-month period between January and April of this year. During the April 18 visit, the investigator noted he "observed signs and symptoms that caused him to suspect [Dr. Chavez] was intoxicated."

According to court documents, Dr. Chavez told the medical investigator during the April 18 visit he had not had a drink since Feb. 24 and denied he had an alcohol addiction. However, later during the same visit, Dr. Chavez admitted his mother gave him a "Mexican home remedy" comprising two eight-ounce glasses of vodka mixed with cloves, which he had imbibed that morning.

Following the investigator's visit, police arrived at Dr. Chavez's office to administer a blood alcohol test and discovered the psychiatrist had a blood alcohol content of .216, almost three times the legal limit of .08.

Dr. Chavez admitted during the May 3 hearing he regularly drank in excess with his friends on Sundays, which he referred to as "Sunday Funday," and said he would knowingly not schedule patients on Mondays. He said he was in the office April 18  a Monday, according to Dr. Chavez  to care for a patient, but had not been planning to work that day. However, officials noted April 18 was a Wednesday.

The judge ruled May 7 Dr. Chavez's testimony "was not persuasive evidence of rehabilitation" and suspended his license, effective the same day.

To access the judge's ruling, click here.Pottstown (Pa.) Hospital nursing employees picketed May 8, alleging there are safety issues at the facility, according to The Post.

The workers are represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals. Striking employees said the hospital  part of Reading, Pa.-based Tower Health  is understaffed, and took issue with the hospital's on-call policies for some positions due to its effect on the workers' sleeping patterns, according to the report. The picket took place amid ongoing negotiations between the hospital and union.

Hospital spokesperson Debra Bennis discussed the contract negotiations and picket in a statement to The Post.

"We are negotiating in good faith , and are committed to developing work policies, procedures and practices that apply equitably to all our employees, and that give them the tools needed to provide the best possible care," she said.

She added Pottstown Hospital and Tower Health respect employees' right to unionize and picket, and said the picketing did not interrupt patient care.

More articles on human capital:

Kaiser workers to protest at hospitals across California: 10 things to know

Hospitals and unions: 11 recent conflicts, agreements

Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital workers hold picket amid contract negotiationsHere are 10 spine surgeon and neurosurgeons making headlines.

Syracuse, N.Y.-based Crouse Hospital surgeon Eric Deshaies, MD, is leaving the hospital to direct a spine program in Charlotte, N.C.

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons appointed Shelly Timmons, MD, as its first female president.

Neurosurgeon Dan Surdell, MD, performed a cerebrospinal fluid leak repair on a woman whose CSF leaked out of her nose for two years.

James St. Louis, DO, will now accept Medicare for laser spine procedures.

Neurosurgeon Louis Kralick, MD, settled a malpractice lawsuit concerning a spine procedure performed in 2013. Dr. Kralick also made headlines in March for allegedly photographing the genitalia of a patient undergoing spine surgery at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage.

Lane Spero, MD, is now performing robot-assisted spine surgery using Globus Medical's ExcelsiusGPS system and Medtronic's StealthStation at The Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain.

Between January 2013 and December 2016, Vineland, N.J.-based James Sanfilippo, MD, performed the highest number of spinal fusion procedures in the state.

San Francisco Magazine named neurosurgeon Ronnie Mimran, MD, to its 2018 Bay Area's Top Doctors list.

Phoenix-based orthopedic group The CORE Institute welcomed orthopedic spine surgeon Tajdip Sandhu, MD.

Orthopedic spine surgeon P. Richard Emmanuel, MD, has been named a 2018 Top Doctor in Beverly Hills, Calif.

More articles on spine:

Not just allergies: Dr. Dan Surdell performs cerebrospinal fluid leak repair on patient with chronically runny nose

Porter Adventist spine surgeon halts surgery mid-procedure due to contaminated tools: 5 insights

10 spine surgeon leaders to knowLast week, I was lamenting the silence that surrounds Bangor, Co Down and its once great reputation as a food destination. I had just been to Gary Bell's new restaurant, Underground Dining, and had a quick check to see where the old greats had got to.

They were all there. Wheathill, Cafe Essence, Guillemotte, Boat House, along with a few others, had combined to make Bangor a kind of northern Kinsale. I was relieved to see they are all in rude health and still serving great food.

Towns and communities with less to offer make more of their restaurant repertoires than Bangor by promoting specially designated restaurant weeks and food festivals. I was making the point that the town deserves a promotional shove.

Happily, I'm back in Bangor this week to eat in the joint winner of the Irish Curry Awards 2017 Best Restaurant in Ulster, Bangla. Bangla sits in a prominent position on Bangor's Main Street and shares the prestigious award with Nu Delhi in Belfast (which will be reviewed very soon).

Bangla is a bit of an institution. Prolific tweeting chef Brian McMillan predicted a few years ago that Bangla would win a key Irish Curry Award, because it's just so authentic.

My rear gunner for this review is Ali Askir, no stranger to good Bangladeshi cooking himself and, indeed, the founder of the Irish Curry Awards. I invited the reluctant Ali along. For the record, Ali needs you to know that he is not one of the judges of the awards. But I am.

Bangla won thanks to three simple factors: the ambience, the service and the food. Its interior is unmistakeably Asian: from the plush purple velvet upholstery, twinkly lights, chandeliers and discreet Bangra soundtracks to the generous hospitality, there is no doubt that even a space alien's first visit to earth happening on Bangla would instantly know where he was.

Ali and I went at lunchtime, when we were less likely to be befuddled, or influenced by other forces. The menu is intriguing and I'm glad he was there to help me through it. Having said that, the server was completely on the ball and knew her subject forensically.

There are plenty of classic starters from the tandoor oven, but more besides. A chicken chaat masala is rich and the chicken fillet tender. It's a quality meat with none of the hinted rubberiness which has started appearing in lesser curry houses.

The masala sauce is dry, full of garlic, ginger and chilli with just enough tomato to bring on a tangy finish. It's so good, you'll be comparing your local masala to this standard.

But the real reason for coming here is the Bangladeshi Golda Macher Malkairi. King prawns grilled and then dropped into a sauce of yoghurt, lemon juice, garam masala and cashew nuts and almond powder. The sweetness of the almond underlines the depth of the garlic, ginger and chilli within and combines to make the dish something both light and very satisfyingly savoury with a nudge of spiciness.

This is a heavenly dish and served with a fluffy plain naan (they quarter the naan, but I'd rather have it straight from the oven still puffed and souffleed like a little pillow), a hearty, wholesome lunch to put you on your feet for the rest of the day. Just try not to burp near anybody.

A lamb saag and a jaljal chicken prove just how different these dishes and curries can be. We tend to fall into a dumbed-down trap of thinking that most of these are the same, their sauces coming from a central pot. But not here.

In Bangla, these dishes are cooked in a flat pan, keeping things ungreasy and light. What's more, there is no central pot, or shared curry paste. It's all made from scratch.

The lamb rump is tender, free of fat, or gristle, and the accompanying spinach offers a counter-balance of irony leafiness. The jaljal is spicy and tangy with the Worcestershire sauce. Both of us are very impressed and even though we have taken the precaution of ordering half portions, there's still too much. Bear that in mind when you get there.

Bangla is a Bangor landmark and, if you're a curry head, this place is not going to let you down.

The bill

Chicken chaat .................................4.25

Malakairi (half)....................................9

Jaljal (half).......................................6.50

Lamb saag........................................6.50

Plain rice x 2....................................3.90

Plain naan........................................1.95

Coke x 2............................................1.60

Total................................................33.70Nigel Farage has quashed speculation that he is considering joining the DUP as he prepared to appear at a party function in Ballymena.

The former Ukip leader received a warm welcome at the fundraising dinner last night.

Earlier, comments by Arron Banks, who bankrolled Ukip, sparked speculation that Mr Farage could be considering a shock move to the unionist party.

Asked during an interview on Sky News if Mr Farage would use the DUP to run for Parliament, he said all things were possible in politics. But Mr Farage said: "I will be remaining Ukip MEP. I have shared platforms with Labour MP Kate Hoey, Tory minister Liam Fox and other people like George Galloway.

"I am happy to support those who supported the Leave campaign during the Brexit referendum. My visit is nothing more than that."

Among those at the DUP dinner last night were Paul Frew, Paul Girvan, Sammy Wilson and Ian Paisley.

A series of senior Conservatives have already visited Northern Ireland at the DUP's invitation. Before the dinner, Mr Paisley tweeted: "Looking forward to welcoming my great friend @Nigel_Farage to my North Antrim constituency tonight to talk about Brexit and Beyond.

"I notice the media fever over this already. I welcome many guests from many parties to North Antrim and Nigel will love the place and its people."

A DUP spokesman said: "Nigel Farage will be the guest speaker at a local DUP event in County Antrim. Mr Farage has already indicated this trip is not about joining the DUP."

In any event, under DUP rules someone cannot become a member of the party unless they live in Northern Ireland, the spokesman added.

Mr Farage visited Northern Ireland several times when he was leader of Ukip. A branch of Ukip was set up in Northern Ireland under former Ulster Unionist David McNarry but it has failed to establish itself as a one of the main parties.

Mr Farage encouraged the Republic of Ireland to "Irexit" from the EU during a speech in Dublin recently.

Ukip has collapsed in the polls across the UK following the Brexit referendum and has no MPs.The courage that resulted in the Good Friday Agreement only serves to highlight the failure behind the current impasse at Stormont, the leader of the Green Party in Northern Ireland has said.

Speaking ahead of the party's annual conference in Belfast today, North Down MLA Steven Agnew said the recent celebration of the 20-year anniversary of the Agreement felt more like a memorial.

"Twenty years ago, parties set aside their own selfish interests and put the people of Northern Ireland first. Today, two parties seek not better governance but a way of keeping power while saving face," he accused.

"As a result, Northern Ireland is left with no government and no voice when it comes to Brexit," Mr Agnew added.

The cabinet is currently split over customs arrangements and Prime Minister Theresa May has said further work is needed to find a solution that will deliver on her promise of frictionless trade without the need for a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Mr Agnew said the UK as a whole must remain a member of a customs union. "This is the only way to guarantee no hard border on this island or between the islands," he continued.

"The Green Party will continue to use its voice to ensure that those who voted to remain are represented and that we all get the opportunity to have our say on the final Brexit deal.

"We will continue to press for a vote on the final deal because that is true democracy."

The theme of the Green Party conference is the power of local councils to make a difference.

"With the Assembly currently not sitting, it is right that this conference focuses on the valuable work carried out by our local councils and their role in providing local democracy," Mr Agnew added.

"The message to MLAs is clear - if you do not want the power, if you do not want the responsibility, then councils are ready and willing to step up."A new tourism campaign is showcasing Northern Ireland's stunning coastline across Europe.

It will promote the Causeway Coastal Route as the ultimate road trip to an estimated seven million Europeans over the coming weeks.

Covering 120 miles of contour-clinging coastal beauty, it starts in Belfast and follows the coast road through the nine Glens of Antrim, winding through picturesque villages and unforgettable scenery.

The advertising campaign, by Tourism Ireland in conjunction with Tourism NI and Derry & Strabane District Council, will promote the Causeway Coast and Northern Ireland as a 'must see' destination, in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and the Nordic countries.

It began yesterday and will run until the beginning of July, reaching around seven million prospective holidaymakers.

It includes adverts on popular websites and email marketing, as well as a big push on social media.

Describing the Causeway Coastal Route as the 'ultimate road trip', it will feature on the homepage of the various European versions of Tourism Ireland's website.

Finola O'Mahony, Tourism Ireland's head of Europe, said: "We're delighted to unveil our latest campaign for Northern Ireland which will promote the Causeway Coastal Route as the ultimate road trip to millions of Europeans over the coming weeks.

"It will highlight the many attractions and experiences along the spectacular route, including Titanic Belfast, the Giant's Causeway (left), the walled city of Derry and our wonderful National Trust properties.

"It will also remind people about our connections with Game of Thrones and show why the Causeway Coastal Route and Belfast were the worthy recipients of Lonely Planet's 'Best Region in the World' accolade."

Rosemary Lightbody from Tourism NI said it would showcase the best of Northern Ireland: "Businesses along the Causeway Coastal Route, including our two gateways, will have the potential to maximise business referrals by showcasing quality, purchasable and distinctive visitor experiences."The bullet riddled van after the ambush which killed eight IRA men

A Sinn Fein MP has branded claims that RUC members held parties in the van used in the Loughall massacre as "sickening."

The Irish News has reported a former RUC member boasted how he and colleagues held "parties" in a van where several IRA men were shot dead by the SAS more than 30 years ago.

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The claim was made earlier this week on a Facebook page called "Hereford Veterans Association", which is understood to be used by British army veterans.

Hereford is the home of the SAS regiment.

A former RUC member, posting underneath the picture of the van, wrote: "During continuity training in 1988 we'd have parties in the back of it. The orange lights of HG (Gough Barracks) made for an interesting spectacle as they shone the very many bullet holes."

The post was later removed.

An eight man IRA unit and a passing civilian were shot dead in Loughgall on May 8, 1987 as they attempted to launch an attack on an RUC station in the village.

Expand Close The IRA terror gang shot dead in Loughgall by the SAS in May 1987, clockwise from top left: Patrick McKearney, Tony Gormley, Jim Lynagh, Paddy Kelly, Eugene Kelly, Seamus Donnelly, Gerard OCallaghan and Declan Arthurs / Facebook

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Whatsapp The IRA terror gang shot dead in Loughgall by the SAS in May 1987, clockwise from top left: Patrick McKearney, Tony Gormley, Jim Lynagh, Paddy Kelly, Eugene Kelly, Seamus Donnelly, Gerard OCallaghan and Declan Arthurs

It is believed three IRA men died while sitting in the van, while others were shot and killed outside the van when the SAS ambushed the unit.

Sinn Fein MP Francie Molloy said the claims will add to the grief of the families of the IRA men.

The Mid Ulster MP said: Our first thoughts are with the friends and families of the nine men killed at Loughgall in May 1987.

Claims that members of the RUC disrespected their memory in such a callous, calculated and deliberate way are sickening and will only add to the hurt and grief of the families.

The actions of these RUC members stand in stark contrast to the actions of the Loughgall families who have been campaigning in a dignified and respectful manner for inquests into the deaths of their loved ones in order to access the truth of what happened on that awful day.

Sinn Fein supports the right of the Loughgall families, and the families of all those bereaved by the conflict, to an inquest and we will continue to do so."

Expand Close The scene in May 1987 following an attack on Loughgall RUC station, Co Armagh, during which eight IRA members were killed in an SAS ambush / Facebook

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Whatsapp The scene in May 1987 following an attack on Loughgall RUC station, Co Armagh, during which eight IRA members were killed in an SAS ambushRelatives of Barney McGinley reacted angrily as his killer was jailed yesterday.

His widow clenched her fists and banged the glass windows of the public gallery as his nephew Patrick McGinley (49), from Ardlougher Road, Irvinestown, was told he would serve four years in prison for manslaughter.

As he was led away from the dock in handcuffs, and as tears rolled down her cheeks, Brigid McGinley shouted while other relatives expressed their outrage.

Patrick McGinley's son William (29) was jailed for three-and-a-half years - he pleaded guilty to wounding Barney McGinley's son, Bernard Oliver.

He will serve a further three years and nine months on supervised licence upon his release.

Patrick McGinley jnr (24), from Lisfarrell in Edgesworthtown, Co Longford, was ordered to carry out 150 hours community service and Bernard Patrick McGinley (18), from Ardlougher Road, Irvinestown, was given a 12 month probation order after they both pleaded guilty to affray over the same incident.

Some relatives stood up and pointed at the four men who sat side-by-side in the dock and shouted "you have to come out" after the two avoided prison.

Outraged family members confronted the dozen armed police officers outside the fourth floor courtroom to express their disappointment in the PSNI and judicial system which they said had let them down terribly.

Police officers and a family liaison officer tried to calm them down as they were ushered away from the courtroom.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph outside the court, Noel McGinley, brother of the deceased, described the sentences as a hurtful insult to the entire family who have "suffered enough". He said: "Four years is a joke, it's an absolute disgrace.

"Not a lot of criminals get treated like he [Patrick] is being treated."

Judges are bound by sentencing guidelines and must take into account mitigating circumstances, such as early guilty pleas, co-operation with police and remorse, as well as aggravating factors, such as intent and excessive violence.

Noel said his brother's widow Brigid has been left devastated by the horror which unfolded before her eyes outside the Catholic church that day in 2015.

"She is on the verge of a breakdown - that woman was standing there when it happened and she is almost suicidal," he continued.

"It would have been better for all of us if they had thrown the case out and given him nothing - they might as well have given him a pat on the back."

The deceased's brother-in-law, Johnny Mack, was among the many relatives who had travelled from Co Longford to be present for the sentencing.

He described the sentences as a "huge disappointment".

"They might as well have dismissed the case," Mr Mack commented.

A nephew of the deceased branded the sentence as "pathetic" and "ridiculous".

"We were promised they would get anything from 20 years to life because this was a clear-cut murder case, then the charges were dropped and deals were done," he said.

"No one ever asked the family how they felt about the charges being changed."Patrick McGinley was jailed for the manslaughter of Bernard Barney McGinley

A father and son have been jailed for a total of seven-and-a-half years over a shooting at a Traveller wedding in a border village.

Patrick McGinley was imprisoned for four years after he pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Barney McGinley outside a church in Newtownbutler, Co Fermanagh over three years ago.

Mr Justice Colton told the 49-year-old, from Ardlougher Road in Irvinestown, that he would serve a further four years on supervised licence following his release from prison.

As the sentence was passed, relatives of the deceased left the public gallery, shouting: "You have to come out you know. You can stick your f***ing four years".

As McGinley was led handcuffed from the dock to the cells, the deceased's tearful widow Brigid repeatedly banged on the door of the public gallery, shouting at the defendant.

His son William McGinley (29), of Sallyswood, Irvinestown, was jailed for three-and-a-half years after he admitted wounding Barney McGinley's son, Bernard Oliver McGinley, with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.

The judge told him that he would serve a further three years and nine months on supervised licence on his release from jail.

Two other sons of Patrick McGinley snr, Patrick McGinley jnr (24), of Lisfarrell, Edgesworthtown, Co Longford, and Bernard Patrick McGinley (18), of Ardlougher Road, Irvinestown, had pleaded guilty to affray over the same incident.

Patrick McGinley jnr was ordered to carry out 150 hours of community service and Bernard Patrick McGinley was given a 12 month probation order.

It was the Crown case that the shooting happened outside St Mary's Catholic Church in Newtownbutler on February 11, 2015 where the niece of Patrick McGinley snr was due to marry.

Senior prosecutor Neil Connor QC said that "there appeared to a considerable amount of bad blood between the two families which could be termed as a 'family feud'.

"As a result of this 'feud' there was bad feeling in existence before the event in question."

The court heard 63-year-old Barney McGinley turned up with his wife in a van and parked in the church car park near to his nephew, Patrick McGinley snr.

Mr Connor said that there appeared to have been "some sort of altercation and they had a heated exchange" before the victim drove out of the car park and headed up the main road where he met other family members.

Following a discussion, Barney McGinley then returned and parked outside the church where there was a further altercation and a home made 'pipe gun' or 'stick gun' was produced.

The court heard a claim the weapon was brought to the scene by a "person in the company of the deceased''.

The court heard that Patrick McGinley snr claimed he had "forcibly removed the pipe gun from the deceased" and he claimed that during a struggle it was discharged.

William McGinley picked up the "crude" weapon, reloaded it with a further shotgun cartridge and fired it into the back of the deceased's son, Bernard Oliver McGinley, from a range of six to ten feet.

During what was described as a "melee", Patrick McGinley jnr and his teenage brother Bernard Patrick McGinley then became involved by rushing forward from the church to assist their father.

Barney McGinley was put in a vehicle and taken to Lisnaskea police station, from where he was airlifted to the Erne hospital by helicopter, but later died.

Mr Justice Colton said it was clear the 'stick gun' or 'pipe gun' had "not been brought" by any of the four defendants to the wedding and had in fact been brought by an associate of the deceased.

He said there was "no question of pre-planning or premeditation" on the part of father-of-five Patrick McGinley snr.

The judge said it was clear from victim impact statements that Barney McGinley was a "much loved father of nine, grandfather of 48 and great grandfather of two" who had been married to his wife Brigid for 41 years.Years after losing her older sister Lena to dementia, TV presenter Gloria Hunniford is championing a new model of elderly care in Northern Ireland.

"Most families don't want to put someone in a home, it's a particular fear of Irish families," she told the Belfast Telegraph.

"That was the culture in my sister's household, but the reality is she became a danger not only to herself but to her husband who was 80 at the time.

"She would do things like leave the gas on and not light it, therefore that could have been really dangerous."

"Another thing is she would leave doors open and try to get out in the middle of the night. She wanted to go 'home' to her mum and dad and to her bicycle. In the end it became impossible for my brother-in-law to look after her."

Although content the care home was the right choice at the time, she said it was hard to shake the institutional feeling.

"I stayed in a similar home for a week as part of a BBC documentary. There was a gentleman who was mentally so sharp, but he was in a wheelchair.

"He ate all his meals in his room and didn't join in any activities. I found that really sad, it was quite institutional. It just struck me that even though he had freedom he was locked away."

She said the "bright and bubbly" EastEnders actress Dame Barbara Windsor was also in her thoughts after news this week that she was in the advanced stages of dementia.

"It was a very heartfelt statement from her husband, just about how difficult it is to deal with properly," she said.

"I think what happens initially with dementia is that people make mistakes in conversation or become forgetful. You tend to correct them, but you learn as a family not to do that all the time and go along with certain things."

As guest of honour, last night Ms Hunniford launched a flagship new project for the Belfast Central Mission.

Copelands Dementia will provide nursing and residential care between Donaghadee and Millisle in Co Down. Due to open in early 2020, the new home will comprise six households, each holding 10 residents.

A first for Northern Ireland, the setup is based on the Household model of care developed in America and aims to replicate the feeling of home for those living with dementia.

Visual clues and familiar activities help residents to avoid confusion and increased anxiety as well as helping staff and residents to interact more easily.

"If we're honest everyone would want to stay in their own homes, but sometimes that's not possible," Ms Hunniford said.

"But here people are being encouraged to cook, read and join in a bit of light housework. It's more like being at home. If you can create that environment,

I think that's very exciting."A woman was remanded in custody yesterday after she was found guilty of leaving another woman blind in one eye in a hammer attack

A woman was remanded in custody yesterday after she was found guilty of leaving another woman blind in one eye in a hammer attack.

Samantha Goldring was convicted at Belfast Crown Court of causing the other woman grievous bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon with intent.

Goldring (37), from Tynan Drive in Newtownabbey, asked to go into custody.

Judge Gordon Kerr QC said that was a "sensible decision".

A jury heard evidence from both the victim - who lost the sight in her left eye in the attack - and from Goldring.

The injured woman, who is from north Belfast and in her 20s, told the court she went to Goldring's then home at Enfield Street after being told her boyfriend was there. She said she first went there at around 5pm on Saturday, April 8 last year and was told by Golding that her partner wasn't there.

After seeing him in the street at 10pm, the woman followed him to Goldring's house.

She said: "I went round and rang the door and whatever, and there was no answer. Then I just had a moment of madness. There was a magnet in my pocket. I threw it and put the wee girl's windows in.

"She came flying out like a psycho. I didn't realise she had a hammer in her hand at the time. It was quite a small hammer and I felt a couple of blows to the head, but I didn't go down."

Goldring admitted striking the other woman with a hammer, but when she was called to give evidence she claimed she initially wasn't aware she had it in her hand, then only used it in self-defence.

Claiming she didn't know the woman who called at her home was the girlfriend of the man she was drinking and taking cocaine with, Goldring denied she and the man were romantically involved, saying they were just friends.

Goldring, originally from Essex, told the jury she only used the hammer to stop a "frenzied attack" on her. She said confronting the woman was "the worst decision I ever made".

Saying she had a hammer as she was doing DIY, Goldring said when she opened her door to see what had happened to her window, the other woman came at her "like a Tazmanian Devil" and attacked her first. The jury deliberated returned majority 'guilty' verdicts on both charges.A Co Antrim man has been sentenced to a minimum of 12 years in jail without parole for what a judge described as a "senseless, vicious, sustained and frenzied'' murder.

Christopher Keenan (36), of Broombeg View, Ballycastle, pleaded guilty in March this year to the murder of labourer Anthony McErlane in Ballycastle more than two years ago and is currently serving a mandatory life sentence.

Giving his tariff ruling yesterday at Antrim Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, Mr Justice Colton said the family of Mr McErlane had described him as a "much loved and much missed brother, father and grandfather''.

The judge said that although the defendant had expressed remorse for the murder, Mr McErlane's family "do not believe he has demonstrated remorse''.

The prosecution had told a tariff hearing last week that Mr McErlane had died as a result of "gratuitous and extensive violence'' in a drunken fight, during which he sustained more than 40 injuries.

Prosecution counsel Jackie Orr said that on January 28, 2016, the 48-year-old victim had been drinking with Keenan and his uncle John Keenan at the latter's flat in Broombeg view.

She said Mr McErlane was seen "jumping out of a window of the flat'' and went to a nearby house where a woman applied Germolene to a head wound he had sustained during an argument with the Keenans who had all been drinking heavily. The court was told Mr McErlane left the house and went back to John Keenan's flat.

Ms Orr said Mr McErlane had been subjected to "gratuitous and extensive violence''.

Another aggravating factor was Keenan's lengthy criminal record of 100 convictions, including violent assault, robbery, hijacking, threats to kill and 15 assaults on police.

Defence counsel John McCrudden QC said Christopher Keenan "regrets and completely apologises for what he did'', but accepted his apology "may not be well received'' by the victim's family.

He argued that Keenan should be given considerable credit for his guilty plea, given that he had made admissions at police interview.

Mr Justice Colton told the court yesterday that he was giving Christopher Keenan a 25% reduction on his tariff for his guilty plea.

John Keenan had also been charged with Mr McErlane's murder, but the court had previously ruled that based on the evidence presented by the prosecution, he had "no case to answer''.Robert Payne has not been seen for 10 days. Credit: PSNI

Police are becoming increasingly concerned for the welfare of a 23-year-old man from Coleraine.

Robert Thomas Payne was last seen in the Lodge Road area of Coleraine 10 days ago.

Constable Campbell said: Robert, who is from the Derry/ Londonderry area but has been living in Coleraine, was last seen on Wednesday, May 2.

"He is described as 58 in height, of slim build, with short brown hair. He may have been wearing a tracksuit when he was last seen. Robert also has a number of tattoos including that of a rose on the right hand side of his neck; a tribal sleeve on his left arm and Chinese writing on the left side of his neck.

I am appealing to Robert, or anyone who has been in contact with him, or believes they may have seen him to contact police in Coleraine on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 560 of 04/05/18."Relatives of people killed in the Troubles have said they are "sceptical" of the new public consultation on the past.

The long-delayed consultation around proposals to deal with legacy issues was unveiled yesterday amid a political row over the exclusion of an amnesty for security force members.

The four-month public process will seek to canvass views on a series of new mechanisms to investigate, document and uncover the truth around killings during the 30-year conflict.

But some victims' families have branded some of the proposals "naive".

Colin Worton, whose brother Kenneth was killed at Kingsmill, raised concerns over the proposed Historical Investigations Unit (HIU), which would take forward outstanding Troubles-related deaths from the PSNI's Historical Enquiries Team, the Police Ombudsman's Historical Investigations Directorate and Troubles-related deaths from April 11, 1998, to March 31, 2004.

The HIU would aim to deal with all 1,700 outstanding deaths in just five years.

"It seems naive to think they can deal with 1,700 deaths in that space of time," Mr Worton said.

"Anything that helps victims move on and get closure is good, but there have been so many panels set up about legacy and nothing ever seems to come out of them. The whole thing seems like a talking shop.

"It's hard to be optimistic, we've been here that many times. I live to be proven wrong."

Stephen Gault, whose father Samuel was killed in the 1987 Enniskillen bombing, said a "clear definition of victims" needed to be made as part of the proposed Oral History Archive (OHA) project to "prevent accounts of victims and terrorists being placed alongside each other".

The consultation document states that "anyone who has been touched by the Troubles would be able to share their memories and tell their stories and have these recorded in the archive", including "former paramilitaries".

"Both the Enniskillen bomb and Loughgall happened in 1987 - if they didn't make a distinction, victims and terrorists could be placed alongside together in the archive," Mr Gault added.

"I couldn't accept that as a way forward."

Mr Gault added that he would have preferred to see a proposal for a Statute of Limitations to prevent the prosecution of soldiers who served in the Troubles included in the consultation.

But, speaking yesterday, Secretary of State Karen Bradley insisted there was "no support" in the region for a "Northern Ireland only statute of limitations".

"The people have been very clear to me in Northern Ireland - the way to address the legacy of the past, the way to address the legacy of the Troubles is for people to go through this process of understanding what happened, for victims to find out the truth and to see justice being done," she said.

"That is what people have been clear they want, they don't want to draw a line in the sand and pretend it never happened - they want to deal with it this way and that's what I support."

Mrs Bradley also defended the Prime Minister's controversial claim earlier this week that only ex-security force members are currently being investigated over Troubles killings, insisting it was not an attempt to interfere with the region's justice system.

The consultation is based on a blueprint agreed by the Stormont parties and UK and Irish governments in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement.

The implementation of the agreed mechanisms has been delayed amid the current political impasse.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said: "I am glad the Government has now published the consultation. It is vital that the voice of victims is at the centre of this process and that their views shape the outcome."

She added: "Several decades have passed since many of the events which occurred during the Troubles. Victims are getting older and we owe it to them to make progress quickly."

Sinn Fein's Northern Ireland leader Michelle O'Neill said: "While today's publication of the draft bill is welcomed, it is already long overdue.

"Victims should not have had to wait so long to get to this stage.

"They should not have had to see so many false promises from the British Government come and go during that period."Staff and customers at a newsagents in north Belfast fought off two masked men, one armed with a hammer, during an attempted robbery.

The incident happened at the shop close to the upper end of the Cavehill Road on Friday evening.

Sergeant Alexander said: Two males entered the shop, which is close to the junction with North Circular Road, just before 7pm and demanded money from staff members.

"Both males had their faces covered and one was armed with a hammer. One male was wearing all dark clothing with his hood up and the other was wearing navy bottoms and a white hooded top.

When staff and customers intervened, the pair were forced to leave empty-handed.

"They left the scene in a silver Ford Fiesta car which had been stolen the previous night (Thursday 10 May), in the east Belfast area. No-one was hurt in the incident although the shop owner and customers were left shocked.

Just after 7pm last night, officers observed the car being driven in the west Belfast area. The occupants then abandoned the vehicle and made off on foot.

"A 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery a short time later. He remains in police custody at this time."

Anyone with information on the incident should contact police on 101, quoting reference number 1142 of 11/5/18.Nurses regularly go through shifts without taking breaks, a survey has found

Nurses regularly go through shifts without taking breaks, a survey has found.

Three quarters (75%) said they do not have time to take a break during one or two shifts every week, according to the poll by journal Nursing Standard.

Almost three in five (59%) said they are regularly unable to have a drink of water.

Around 2,000 nurses responded to the survey, with many describing a lack of breaks, excessive workloads, hunger and dehydration as affecting their well-being.

One nurse said she had received treatment for kidney stones because she had not been able to drink enough fluid.

Kim Sunley, from the Royal College of Nursing, commented: "It is sad that not taking breaks seems to now have become 'the norm'."

The topic of hydration is due to be debated at the Royal College of Nursing annual conference in Belfast, which begins on Sunday.The Government faced calls for a major change of direction on public services, pay and jobs as tens of thousands of people joined a demonstration demanding a new deal for workers.

Amid threats of strikes in parts of the public sector over pay, union leaders said there was a new mood sweeping the country after years of austerity.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn won huge applause from crowds at a rally in Londons Hyde Park when he pledged the next Labour government would launch a ministry to guarantee workers rights.

He accused the Conservatives of cutting public spending while protecting those who dodge paying taxes, saying: We will give workers more power, by strengthening their rights and freedoms to organise together to improve their lives.

Expand Close People dressed as Theresa May Bots during the TUC rally (Gareth Fuller/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp People dressed as Theresa May Bots during the TUC rally (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union, warned of a strike ballot among civil servants in support of demands for a 5% pay rise.

Our members in the civil service have had enough of the pay freeze and cuts to jobs. If the Government will not give them what they deserve, we will strike.

The demonstration, organised by the TUC, was the biggest for years, with the aim of calling for a higher minimum wage, a ban on zero-hours contracts and more funding for the NHS, education and other public services.

Years of cuts to public servicesThe NHS in crisisPolice numbers in free fallDown with this sort of thing! #TUCNewDeal @unisontweets pic.twitter.com/tl118pMY8O  Trades Union Congress (@The_TUC) May 12, 2018

Workers involved in current disputes including those at restaurant chains TGI Fridays and McDonalds and rail companies over the role of train guards, joined the march, along with nurses, ambulance crews, postmen, teachers, civil servants and cleaners.

TUC general secretary Frances OGrady said workers have had enough of low pay, poor quality jobs and constant cuts to public services.

She added: There is a new mood in the country. People have been very patient but they are now demanding a new deal, for decent jobs, fair wages, to fund public services and for strong trade unions.

In a message to big business leaders, she said: You cant hand out bumper dividends to shareholders and cut workers wages, you cant fill your boots in the boardroom and tell workers to tighten their belts, and you cant build world class companies on the back of second class rights.

The greed has to stop.

I believe that we will win! Rings out. Marchers in fine voice #TUCNewdeal pic.twitter.com/STeXHE9HdT  Unite the union: join a union (@unitetheunion) May 12, 2018

Dave Ward, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said it was the most important demonstration for 50 years.

He said: This is the start of a serious challenge for a new deal for all workers.

The world of work has become a pressurised environment, based on a flexible labour market and bogus self-employment.

To mark the event, the TUC published data which it said showed that workers were suffering the longest squeeze on wages in modern history.

A decade on from the financial crisis, real wages are worth 24 a week less than in 2008 and are not forecast to return to pre-crash levels until 2025, said the union organisation.

The TUC said the current stretch of wage stagnation was the worst for 200 years, adding that by 2025 the average worker will have lost out by around 18,500 in real earnings.Faith in action: Rosamond Bennett, seen here in Myanmar, is asking local people to support Christian Aid Week to help the charity continue its work

What does home mean to you? For me, it's a place of happiness and safety. It is somewhere I look forward to being; that sense of peace and belonging. It's where my family creates special times and memories. Home has an emotional connection that goes beyond bricks and mortar. It's where my roots are put down and part of who I am.

How, then, would I react if war came to my village in the middle of the night? Or an earthquake. Or a hurricane. How could I leave my home and where would we go? In that brief flash of existence between a life-and-death choice, what would I bring with me?

Christian Aid Week starts tomorrow and this year we're remembering people who have faced this terrifying ordeal. Remarkably, more than 40 million people have had to abandon their homes to escape war and violence to save their lives.

A further 24 million were forced to flee by natural disasters in 2016 alone. Yet, because they haven't crossed a border, they remain hidden and we rarely hear about them.

There is a frightened, traumatised person leaving their home in fear for their lives every single day, every single second. But as they remain unrooted within their own country, they receive almost no political attention, funding or support, and are among the most vulnerable to poverty and exploitation in the world.

Nobody makes the decision to leave their home and never go back easily. People taking this path try to stay as close to home as they can and, when they do cross borders, they tend to stay in neighbouring countries.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. These set out, for the first time, a definition of an internally displaced person, a person who is effectively "on the run" at home, and outline some of their vulnerabilities.

In just two decades, the context has changed dramatically. In 1998, there were twice as many refugees as there were internally displaced people.

Today, there are up to 65 million internally displaced, compared to around 25 million refugees, taking conflict and natural disaster into account. These numbers are set to increase. More countries today experience violence than at any time in the last 30 years, with estimates that, by 2030, more than half of the world's poor will be living in countries affected by high levels of violence.

In Syria, as bloodshed continues, there are over six million people internally displaced. Other conflicts, such as in Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, shine a light on the failure of the international community to adequately provide for people at risk and without their homes.

I visited camps for displaced people in Rakhine, Myanmar before the more recent mass movement of people. In one camp, which took five hours to reach by a small boat, there were about 770 families, crammed into prison-like conditions, with limited food and healthcare. The dirt, the squalor, the lack of food and water, the lack of privacy and the lack of dignity for these people was beyond inhumane.

Christian Aid is campaigning to raise awareness of the rights of internally displaced people and the need for their protection.

We are calling for the UN to ensure a fair deal for internally displaced people; one that is funded in the long-term, ambitious to meet the scale of the problem, provides inclusive protection for all people on the move, including those who have been trafficked, and that respects international law, which protects all people and respects the fundamental human rights of internally displaced people.

We are working with local organisations across the world, including in South Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo to provide relief and protection to displaced people. In Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, we are supporting the Rohingya, formerly displaced in Myanmar and now refugees.

Rebuilding lives is possible and new homes can be created by and for people forced to flee, with some support. Christian Aid Week this year tells the story of Vilia from Haiti who lost her home and her mother when the earthquake struck Port-au-Prince in 2010. Christian Aid worked with our Haitian partner, KORAL, to build a new, disaster-resistant home for Vilia and her family. When Hurricane Matthew hit in 2016, Vilia sheltered over 50 people in her home.

This Christian Aid Week, we will speak up for people like Vilia, before even more become forgotten. And as our red collection envelope hits doormats across the province, we know that you, too, will remember people forced from home this week.

Rosamond Bennett is chief executive of Christian Aid. To support Christian Aid Week, visit www.christianaid.ie or call 9064 8133Informed by phone of his father's death, Benedict Cumberbatch's Patrick Melrose drawls slurry thanks, gropes for his heroin syringe and grins. So begins David Nicholls's masterly adaptation for Sky Atlantic of Edward St Aubyn's five personally inspired novels about Melrose - a wealthy, socially privileged survivor of childhood paternal rape and later, colossal substance abuse. Expectation is high for this major TV event - and so are the stakes.

The books' legions of fans - many of whom likely have no experience of the arcane codes of upper-class life, of drug dens or extreme sexual abuse, let alone all three - adore them for their blend of wrenching sadness and stinging wit. Writing them saved St Aubyn, now 58, from suicide, and he is protective of them as transformative works of art, a way of turning "painful lived experience into what I hope is pleasurable reading experience".

The first, Never Mind, detailed the rape of five-year-old Patrick by his father and won the Betty Trask Award for a first novel when it appeared in 1992, having taken four years of feverish, longhand rewriting by St Aubyn, wrapped in towels, sweating with exertion and transferred shame.

The fourth, Mother's Milk, was shortlisted for the Man Booker prize in 2006 and became a bestseller. The TV adaptations kick off with the second novel, Bad News, with an addled Melrose reeling through mid-Eighties New York with his father's ashes.

Although three of the five novels take place in a single day and feature exotic locations - country houses, ritzy joints and grotty dives in Manhattan, a Provencal family estate - they are not otherwise obvious screen properties. "All together they are 800 pages long, with 50 named characters, and they are about an internal process of change and a society where few people say what they actually mean," says Nicholls.

Best known for his novel One Day, Nicholls has previously reworked Hardy and Dickens for the screen and semi-seriously likens the business of adaptation to "vandalising a finished work".

For his part St Aubyn said last year of the TV Melrose that he felt like a man who hands over "a thrashing, living fish" and gets back "a fishbone".

Nicholls hastens to add that St Aubyn has since been "very tolerant and understanding of the way drama and fiction are different" and it is best, perhaps, to see the Sky films as a further transformation of the material.

Cumberbatch - who has rarely been better - is a new, swaggering, sardonic, suffering version of Melrose. And although the situations remain rarefied and extreme, the central truth is simple and embracing.

"The journey Patrick goes on to a kind of redemption and peace of mind is very affecting," says Nicholls. "He is looking for a way not to forget the past but to live with it. That I think is universal."

If St Aubyn hadn't lived his own source material no writer would dare invent it. His father, Roger, was an Old Etonian doctor, former soldier and would-be concert pianist, descended from a baronetcy established in 1671. His mother, Lorna, came from a wealthy and well-connected Europhile American family: Cole Porter was apparently playing piano in the other room when Lorna was born, and her mother Lela later married the Duc de Talleyrand. The family were posh, rich and savagely snobbish, but not proper toffs.

St Aubyn was born in 1960 - he has an older sister, Alexandra, but guards her privacy. Melrose does not have a sibling in the books - and spent most of his childhood in Le Plan, an 80-acre estate including seven houses, a convent and a vineyard in Provence.

St Aubyn's friend Nick Ayer, the son of philosopher AJ Ayer and Gully Wells, who were friends of the family in France, recalls it as a time when parents were all "vile to one another". Roger's cruel manner did not seem unusual.

Roger raped Edward from the age of three (Patrick is five in the books) to eight, when Edward somehow fought him off. His parents divorced that year, 1968. When he told his mother of the abuse later, she apparently responded "me too".

She claimed not to have known about her husband's abuse, but correspondence with a former nanny led him to believe she must have done. She said Never Mind's publication was "the proudest moment" of her life. It seems likely Roger assaulted others and St Aubyn has since described his father's sexuality as "polymorphous", including gay relationships in later life.

St Aubyn boarded at Westminster School and began injecting heroin at 16. At 17, he lived in cheap hotels in New York and Paris, wrote poetry and took drugs, often grabbing a handful of pills blind from his drawer then guessing from the effects what they were. At 18 he inherited several million dollars from his grandmother Lela, moved into more expensive hotels and upped his drug expenditure to $5,000 a week.

In yet another improbable turn, through a crammer course taught by novelist Penelope Fitzgerald, he won a place at Keble College at 19. His Oxford milieu included Will Self, Hugh Grant and Nigella Lawson, and though he was thought witty and charming - he was and remains handsome - he could be cruel and was constantly overdosing.

In 1982 he began dating Nicola Shulman, sister of former Vogue editor Alexandra, who would herself become a model and author. St Aubyn dabbled in journalism but was still using, and told the Standard in 2011: "Heroin saved my life. It was the perfect halfway house between living and suicide."

When his father died in 1985 he tried to write again, tried to kick heroin, tried to overdose, and finally asked his childhood friend, the psychologist Oliver James, if his psychoanalyst father would take him on.

He made a pact - to publish a book or kill himself - and last took heroin in 1988, the year he began work on Never Mind. Its successors, Bad News and Some Hope, were planned as the second and third parts of a trilogy, and he then wrote two non-Melrose novels, On the Edge and A Clue to the Exit, before realising the Melrose story required further exploration in Mother's Milk and 2012's At Last.

St Aubyn and Shulman had married in 1987 but divorced a couple of years later. He had a daughter, Eleanor, in 1994 with Alexandra Marr, and in 2000 a son, Lucian, with Jane Longman, a painter who had modelled for Lucian Freud. He is separated from both women but they live near him in west London and he describes himself as an "over-compensating" parent.

His mother took up both writing and alternative therapies, and threatened to turn Le Plan into a New Age retreat until she relented and allowed him to buy it off her. He sold his house in Notting Hill to do so.

In 2014 St Aubyn published Lost for Words, a satire on literary prizes, and in 2017 Dunbar, a prose take on King Lear, but the Melrose novels are his magnum opus. Although well-reviewed, they were initially a niche taste. As novelist Alan Hollinghurst told the New Yorker: "There was a lazy assumption in some quarters that, because they were written by an upper-class person about his own world, they must be trivial or snobbish or somehow irrelevant."

Mother's Milk changed all that: it was a gateway drug into the Melrose world. The adaptations will be another one, and for a new audience, just as potent.

Patrick Melrose, Sky Atlantic, Sunday, 9pmEx-EastEnders star Rita Simons tells Gabrielle Fagan about coping with her daughters hearing difficulties and also overcoming her own mental health issues.

Rita Simons played tough, glamorous and straight-talking Roxy Mitchell on BBC Ones EastEnders for 10 years, until her role ended dramatically last year, when she drowned in a swimming pool with her on-screen sister Ronnie.

Since then, shes proved theres life after Albert Square  shes set to star in feature film The Krays: Dead Man Walking, which is released later this year, and shes currently performing in a UK tour of Legally Blonde The Musical.

The 41-year-old, whos married to hairdresser Theo Silverton and has twin daughters, speaks candidly about moving on, coping with her daughter Maiyas hearing problems and how she deals with her own anxiety...

What was the event that shook your world?

When we were told that Maiya, at five months old, was deaf. It was shattering and I was in complete denial. Tests revealed she has enlarged vestibular aqueducts  a genetic deformity of the inner ear.

Shes profoundly deaf in her right ear and is partially deaf in her left ear, but a cochlear implant four years ago and hearing aids have changed her life. Before that, she used to have tantrums, because she was so frustrated at not being able to hear properly.

Today, she has an incredible singing voice, impeccable speech, an ear for accents and her talent even won her a place at drama school. She has her own agent and has auditioned for West End shows.

Theres still a worry about safeguarding the hearing in her left ear. Going through puberty could possibly reduce it, but weve decided not to dwell on that and just hope for the best. Its also at risk if she has a knock on the head or hears an extremely loud noise, but Theo and I resolved years ago not to mollycoddle her.

Wed rather she grew up having fun, than grew up with issues because shed been restricted from being a normal child. There may be things we can do to fix that ear if, God forbid, something happened, but we could never give her back the fun she didnt have.

As someone who has to go through every day caring for a child with hearing problems, my advice would be to do all you can to prevent hearing loss, especially at a young age. It can be hard to get the message across to youngsters about the need to protect their ears and be careful about not listening to music at excessive noise levels, but once its gone, you cant get it back.

You suffer from generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), how do you cope with mental health issues?

Its difficult sometimes. Its like a terrible knot in your stomach and its to do with producing too much adrenaline.

I go through phases with it; Im in a good one at the moment where its barely there, which is amazing. After I left EastEnders, I suffered with it for a couple of months, because of the uncertainty of starting new work.

Currently, its sporadic. I aim to channel my nerves and anxiety into my performance, to make it a positive in my life. I deal with both GAD and OCD [obsessive compulsive disorder], which I was diagnosed with as a child.

Going to the gym and looking after myself helps. Also, Ive been meditating religiously for the last five months and its really made a difference.

How did you feel about turning 40?

My husband Theo is everything to me  hes my rock and without him, Id be completely lost. He, very sweetly, organised a big party for me but at the 11th hour, I made him cancel it, because I didnt want to enter my 40s with a hangover.

In the end, the two of us went to a spa in the countryside; we went on bike rides and had treatments like an old couple. Whod have thought the girl who was once young, crazy and party-centric would do that?

I feel about 18 in my head and Im genuinely so happy in life. Im not aiming for world domination  I just want to carry on doing the things which make me happy work-wise, which are acting, singing and dancing, and being with my family.

Do you ever miss working on EastEnders?

It was tough when I first left and I missed it terribly, because Ive made lifelong friends, but Ive been so lucky. Im having a ball. Ive done a film and Im touring as beautician Paulette Bonafonte, with possibly the best cast Ive ever met, in Legally Blonde The Musical.

Every soap actor feels secure in their job and its always scary to leave, but I had faith that it would work out and its been wonderful to have so many new opportunities to show what I can do.

The greatest thing to come out of Eastenders is that Sam [Womack, who played her sister Ronnie Mitchell] is like my sister. In the 10 years that we worked together, we never had an argument. We Facetime each other about six times a day and shes my best friend for the rest of my life. I adore every inch of her.

Whats the best piece of advice youve ever received?

I was in a girlband when I was younger and our manager told me, If you dont give up, you cant fail.

Thats always stuck with me. I never give up on things, so I dont give in to failure.

I regard Maiyas hearing as my greatest achievement. It wasnt easy going through it and deciding how to help her, but we did it as a family and now it has worked out brilliantly.

Rita Simons is supporting a Cochlear campaign to raise awareness of the risk of permanent hearing loss. Visit cochlear.com for more informationIf you're looking for a different sort of whodunnit to get hooked on, ITV's Innocent should do the trick. The four-part drama is centred around David Collins (Lee Ingleby), who has served seven years in prison for murdering his wife Tara, but has always insisted he isn't guilty.

Despised by most of his family and friends - especially his wife's sister, Alice (Hermione Norris), who now looks after his children - his only support comes from his brother Phil (Daniel Ryan), who has been tirelessly campaigning to get him freed.

When David is suddenly released on a technicality, the question remains: what really happened on the night of Tara's death?

"I was really intrigued and wanted to know who these people were, and whether David was innocent or not," says 42-year-old Ingleby, perhaps best known for BBC drama Inspector George Gently, of taking on the role. "I thought it would be quite a challenge to play somebody in that position."

Ryan, whose TV credits include Linda Green, Mount Pleasant and Skins, confides he isn't "really drawn to whodunits".

"I love things that have got an emotional heart and that's why I was drawn to this," the 50-year-old says.

His character has certainly gone through a lot, having sacrificed his career and livelihood, and even lost a relationship, while fighting to get the appeal and re-trial for his brother.

It's a prospect once-childless Alice is utterly devastated by, having now formed a successful family unit with David's children and her husband Rob.

"It's got a side order of crime story for me, this show," Manchester-born Ryan continues. "I found it very, very moving, the tug of these kids caught in the middle."

As with many TV dramas, Innocent expertly shows the world from other people's points of view - and that's something Cold Feet star Hermione Norris (51) thinks is "more important today than ever".

"We all live in quite small communities," elaborates the London-born actress, "and naively believe everyone shares the same view, when they don't."

Be prepared with Innocent - even as the story develops, you'll continue to feel a real uncertainty about who and what to believe. And, of course, there are many unexpected turns.

"It's not quite as simple as 'you're guilty' - even with Hermione's character," says Ingleby, when asked if he thinks people will root for David to be found innocent.

"It's like anything - there's reasons why certain things happen, why people have certain opinions, which come later on."

And how David deals with suddenly being freed was an interesting element for Burnley-born Ingleby to explore both "psychologically and physically".

"It will take a lot for people to change their mind about him, even if hard evidence comes forward," explains the star.

"Even if you are innocent, sometimes the damage has been done already. There is always that suspicion hanging over David. It's hard to regain people's trust."

All in all, David is a man full of rage.

"It's a big story in a small town," says Ingleby.

"People look at him everywhere he goes. It's hard. So sometimes that anger bubbles up."

There's definitely a lot of hatred between David and Alice, hence some serious confrontation on screen - especially over his determination to re-introduce himself to his children, who were very young when he was sentenced.

"Those scenes were great," recalls Ingleby. "David is saying, 'He's my son' and she's saying, 'You gave up that right. I became their guardian and I'll do anything to protect them'. The relationship between David and her (Alice) is a simmering pot of resentment."

For Norris, summoning up the rage that Alice feels towards her former brother-in-law was understandably "tiring".

"A day-long shoot can be quite exhausting," she admits. "When you're filming a scene you're not doing it once, you're doing it loads of times. It's very draining."

However, there were fun times on set, too, and Norris remembers one particularly funny moment when she and Ingleby were asked to pose for a stills photographer together.

"We had just played a really intense and emotional scene and neither of us could stop laughing. It was terrible. We literally lost it, laughing."

Meanwhile, Ingleby and Ryan, who had previously worked together on BBC drama The Street, enjoyed going out for drinks off set to further their brotherly bond.

"We filmed in a very rural spot north of Dublin, with nothing much else, but the local pub was kind of handy," quips Ryan. "It was good to build that up."

Innocent airs on ITV over four consecutive nights, starting from Monday, 9pmA SpaceX rocket carrying a Bangladeshi satellite blasts off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in this screen grab from a video recording of the launch, May 11, 2018.

Bangladesh blasted its way into the space age Friday after U.S. company SpaceX launched Dhakas Bangabandhu-1 satellite into orbit, in a social-media event described by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as a glorious day for the South Asian country.

The French-made communications satellite, which cost U.S. $250 million, took off at 4:14 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on top of a SpaceX rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., atop a reusable Falcon 9 Force 5 rocket. The emblem of Bangladeshs government decorated the exterior of the capsule holding the satellite.

From now on, we become a proud member of the satellite club, a beaming Hasina said in a pre-recorded address that was broadcast on national television and social media minutes after the successful launch. We entered into a new era.

The 3.9-ton satellite traveled to a path 22,000 miles above Earth and went into orbit at 4:52 p.m.



SpaceX, a privately-owned California-based space transportation firm, said in a statement that the satellite would provide telecommunications coverage for Bangladesh and surrounding nations, and would also allow Bangladeshis living in remote, previously-unreached areas to receive internet and phone service.

About eight minutes after lift-off, the first stage of the rocket safely landed on an autonomous drone ship floating more than 300 miles off the Atlantic coast.

The SpaceX rocket tried to take off on Thursday, but the launch was aborted just one minute before its lift-off time of 5:47 p.m. due to a problem with ground systems that automatically triggered the vehicles abort sequence, according to a press statement from SpaceX.



This is a historic occasion, which is a matter of great pride for the people of Bangladesh within the country and beyond, said Mohammad Ziauddin, Bangladeshs ambassador to the United States, in a statement on Thursday.

The satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space, of Cannes, France, was named after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladeshs founding father and Hasinas father who was assassinated in 1975.

It is expected to have a 15-year lifespan and will help save money for the Dhaka government, which currently spends $14 million annually to rent from the services of foreign satellites, government officials said.

SpaceXs newest rocket, the Falcon 9 Force 5, propelled the satellite into orbit. If all goes as planned, SpaceX would fly the same rocket twice in a single day in 2019, which would be another first for the company.

The satellites coverage area includes Bangladesh and other countries, including India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Indonesia, according to a Thales statement.

The Bangabandhu satellite will help to make Bangladesh an advanced country, Shahjahan Mahmood, chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, which will manage the satellite, told the Dhaka Tribune.

It would also speed up many aspects of our daily life.Police personnel guard the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) detention center in Depok, West Java, where five officers and an inmate were killed during a 30-hour riot by prisoners, May 9, 2018.

Indonesian police said Friday they had shot and killed two suspected terrorists, including one who fatally stabbed an officer, after the pair allegedly planned to help inmates who were rioting at the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) detention facility in West Java.

Also on Friday, officials announced that a court hearing for an alleged Islamic State (IS) leader housed in the prison was postponed for a week because of the two-day riot that left five officers dead and inmate dead. Amaq, a news agency affiliated with the extremist group Islamic State, claimed IS supporters were behind the riot at the prison holding convicted Indonesian terrorists, but police rejected the online claim.

National Police spokesman Inspector Gen. Setyo Wasisto said the first suspect, a 40-year-old identified by the initials R.A., was killed in Tambun Bekasi early Thursday after he and a colleague, J.G., 30, tried to strangle officers who were taking them to Jakarta for questioning.

They also tried to seize firearms so police shot them both, Setyo added.

The men and two others were arrested at Tambun Station in Bekasi after police received information they were heading toward Brimob to assist the inmates, Setyo said. J.G. has been treated at a police hospital while the other men are in police custody as officers continue their investigation.

From the interim investigation, the four are members of JAD (Jamaah Ansharut Daulah), Bandung, Setyo said, referring to the Indonesian network of the extremist group Islamic State that pledged allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Later on Thursday, police shot and killed alleged militant Tendi Sumarno, 23, after he fatally stabbed another officer at the Brimob compound.

We are still investigating, Setyo said, adding the attacker pulled out a hidden knife and stabbed the officer who was questioning him for being at the compound.

The officer was killed hours after 155 terrorist inmates, who had started a riot at the center on Tuesday evening, killing five policemen and holding another one hostage, surrendered.

Deputy police chief Syafruddin said the five officers were killed sadistically. Most had deep neck wounds and other wounds on their bodies. In addition, four other officers were injured including the officer who was taken hostage.

One inmate was killed as well.

Riot details

The riot began Tuesday evening when an inmate asked an officer for food that had been brought by his family, police said. The officer was not aware of the delivery, triggering an angry response.

Authorities said 155 inmates had armed themselves with about 30 weapons taken from an area where the prison stored contraband seized during police operations, Reuters news service reported.

Wiranto, Indonesias coordinating minister of political, legal and security affairs, said the inmates were asked to surrender one by one, and 145 of them complied, giving up their weapons. The final 10 surrendered at 7:15 a.m. Thursday after police conducted an ambush, but he did not release details of the action.

The 145 were transferred to the maximum-security facility on the Nusakambangan penal island in Central Java, while the 10 holdouts remained at Mako Brimob as part of the ongoing investigation.

Aman Abdurrahman (left), talks to his lawyer during a hearing in the South Jakarta District Court, April 28, 2018. [Arie Firdaus/BenarNews]

Hearing postponed

Meanwhile, the court hearing Friday for Indonesias most prominent IS ideologue, Aman Abadurrahman, on charges related to his alleged involvement in recent terror acts in Indonesia was postponed for a week.

We cannot bring the defendant to court, therefore we cannot read out the charges today. We request a postponement, prosecutor Anita told the South Jakarta District Court, according to local media.

The hearing was rescheduled for next Friday.

Probably because the situation is not yet conducive because of the riot in Mako Brimob, defense lawyer Asludin Hatjani told BenarNews.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Muhammad Iqbal said the inmates had demanded a meeting with Aman as part of their negotiations. Police allowed the meeting.

A recording calling for prisoners to surrender circulated online on Friday. When asked if the voice on the recording was Aman, Setyo replied I need to check it first.Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (front right), speaks next to newly appointed Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, (front left), during a news conference in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, to announce three members of his cabinet.

Updated at 11:25 a.m. ET on 2018-05-15

Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Saturday said police were ordered to remove the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) report from the Official Secrets Act to determine if legal action can be taken against those responsible for mishandling billions of dollars.

The prime minister also started the process of establishing his own government, naming three cabinet members. Meanwhile, Mahathirs expected successor, Anwar Ibrahim, who is waiting for royal pardon, is expected to be released from a prison hospital on Tuesday, Anwars daughter said.

We will be investigating as soon as possible money laundering and we have to contact America, Singapore, Switzerland and Luxembourg. We also have to sit through the evidence to determine whether its valid. It will take time but we want to act as soon as possible, Mahathir said.

His announcement came minutes after the man he replaced as prime minister, Najib Razak, resigned as chairman of the United Malay National Organization (UMNO) political party and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. Najib has denied all allegations that he improperly received millions of those dollars from 1MDB.

Najibs resignation followed pressure from those within the party over BNs upset by Mahathirs Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Wednesdays election.



The U.S. Department of Justice is trying to recover more than $1.7 billion in real estate and other assets allegedly siphoned off through complex transactions from 1MDB, which Najib formed in 2009 ostensibly to pursue projects that would benefit Malaysian citizens through development projects.

Court documents allege that about U.S. $681 million of 1MDB funds were diverted into Najibs personal bank accounts, but Najib said the money came as a political donation from a member of the Saudi royal family.

Earlier on Saturday, Najib told reporters he decided to resign, calling it a moral responsibility because his party lost power for the first time since Malaysias independence in 1957. Najib thanked party leadership and reminded everyone of its contribution to the nation over the last six decades.

Maybe a lot of this had to do with the question of perception rather than reality, but thats how it is.  Whoever wins the war on perception, they may be able to win the support of the people, he said in an attempt to explain the election loss.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announces his resignation as president of the United Malays National Organization in Kuala Lumpur, May 12, 2018. (S.Mahfuz/BenarNews)

Najib's news conference was held after his plan for a short family trip to Indonesia was cancelled because the immigration department issued a travel ban for him and his wife.

Later, Mahathir confirmed he had asked the authorities to issue the ban.



There are a lot of complaints against Najib so we have to look into all this, said Mahathir, adding he wants to settle a 1MDB investigation as soon as possible. We do not want to be saddled with extradition requests.

New cabinet members



Mahathir turned to leaders of PH coalition parties to fill three of what is expected to be 10 cabinet seats. The prime minister named Lim Guan Eng of the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP) as finance minister, Mohamad Sabu from faith-based National Trust Party (Amanah) as defense minister and Muhyiddin Yassin from Mahathirs Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu) as home minister.

Earlier this week, Anwars wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, was named deputy prime minister.



We need this administration to be familiar with finance and defense initially, Mahathir said. Then home/internal affairs would have to be familiarized after that. Other ministries will be familiarized accordingly.



Anwar, the leader of the Peoples Justice Party (PKR), is expected to leave the prison hospital on Tuesday, a month earlier than his scheduled release in June, according to his daughter, Nurul Izzah. Mahathir has promised to serve as prime minister until Anwar, 70, receives a royal pardon for his second conviction on sodomy charges.

Mahathir also announced the formation of a team of eminent persons to advise the government on economic and financial matters during the transitional period.



We realized, of course, that many of us have no or little experience in running a government. Of course this expertise must come from those with experience in running previous governments, or having held some responsible posts, Mahathir said.



The team will be headed by former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, former central bank governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, former president and CEO of Petronas Hassan Marican, businessman Robert Kuok and economist Jomo Kwame Sundaram.



In the interim before we have proper ministries going, we need to investigate a lot of things and some may involve ministries and personnel themselves. So we need people who arent involved to study the reports, Mahathir said.



The team is to exist for 100 days, according to a statement regarding its formation.



While those named to cabinet and transition roles have government experience, Mahathir told reporters he was committed to a diverse cabinet.

There needs to be women and youth representation in cabinet. Thatll be announced in due course, he said.



Since the election upset, womens rights advocates have been calling for greater representation in the government.



While we celebrate Pakatan Harapans decision to make Wan Azizah Malaysias first deputy prime minister, her appointment alone is not enough, Rozana Isa, executive director of Sisters in Islam, and Angela M. Kuga Thas from the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, said in a joint statement.



The new cabinet will be largely made up of people, including men, who have little or no experience in federal government. This presents a great opportunity to reflect the new governments commitment to include women in decision making posts.



Hareez Lee in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.

Correction: This story was updated to reflect that Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was named but not sworn in as deputy prime minister.

Updated at 11:30 a.m. ET on 2018-05-15

Nearly two decades after fleeing on a motorcycle to escape from police only to suffer a black eye while in their custody, Anwar Ibrahim is on a journey likely to propel him to the top spot in Malaysias government.

Weeks earlier in September 1998, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad sacked Anwar as his deputy. Following the black-eye incident, Anwar was arrested, convicted and jailed on corruption and his first sodomy charge. In 2004, the sodomy conviction was overturned but his corruption conviction stood.

Almost two decades later, Anwar and his bitter foe Mahathir made amends as they joined forces in a mission to defeat Prime Minister Najib Razak and his powerful Barisan Nasional bloc with their upstart alliance of political parties.

On Wednesday, their four-party Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) coalition dealt BN a stunning defeat in the 14th General Election while running under the banner of Anwars Peoples Justice Party (PKR). Anwar led the opposition in the previous election, in 2013, in which his side won the popular vote but could not win enough parliamentary seats to topple BN.

And as this weeks historic vote unfolded, Anwar, 70, was confined as a prisoner at Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital, after suffering a shoulder injury while being transported in a prison van. In February 2015, he began serving a five-year sentence on a second sodomy conviction.

Now, he is waiting for a royal pardon and to be released from his prison sentence. Mahathir, 92, who was sworn in again as prime minister on Thursday, has promised to cede the office once Anwar is freed.

Mahathir said the handover should happen soon.

In the course of our discussion with King yesterday, he said he is willing to pardon Anwar Ibrahim immediately, Mahathir said Friday.

Anwars wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who was named the countrys new deputy prime minister, said her husband could be released next week if all goes well. Previously, no woman had held the position of deputy PM. She has matched her husband in that achievement.



There are many things that we have to look through, she said. What most is important is the King has expressed his willingness to give a full pardon to Anwar, she said at the hospital.

Even while locked up since 2015, Anwar has been seeking to change Malaysia and called on his supporters to challenge the ruling party.

Yes, Anwar is inside the prison and still listening to our shouts for reform. He constantly reminds us to be strong and continue to unite against inhumane treatment, Wan Azizah said in February 2016 on the one-year anniversary of his incarceration.

Wan Azizah, who serves as PKR president, was among at least 113 Pakatan coalition candidates elected to the 222-seat parliament on Wednesday, giving it a simple majority needed to unseat BN. She campaigned under the PKR banner whose symbol is said to represent the 1998 attack on Anwar.

Vote for Pakatan Harapan (whose) logo looks like an eye. The eye represents that of Anwar who was punched, she told supporters during a rally days before the election, local media reported.

A supporter of Anwar Ibrahim holds a banner depicting Anwars black eye during a peaceful demonstration to mark the opposition leaders 54th birthday, in Sungai Buloh, Malaysia, Aug. 12, 2001. [AFP]

Anwars journey

The most recent roadblocks for Anwar assuming power began with his second sodomy conviction. He was acquitted on the charge in 2012, but the Court of Appeal reversed the decision two years later and ordered the five-year sentence.

On Feb. 10, 2015, a Federal Court panel rejected Anwars appeal and he was taken into custody.

Anwars accuser, former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan, called on his former boss to seek forgiveness while in prison, adding some people were misled to believe that Anwar was a political prisoner and not a felon.

I was the victim in this case. Am I not human, that my rights as a victim are denied by human rights groups, Saiful said in 2016.

Last year, Anwar unsuccessfully challenged his conviction on two occasions, claiming Saiful offered perjured testimony and that the prosecuting attorney was paid 9.5 million ringgit (U.S. $2.2 million ringgit) to try the case.

One positive step occurred in September 2016 when Anwar met with his former boss for the first time since Mahathir dismissed his then-deputy. They were in court together as Mahathir backed Anwars legal challenge against Najibs implementation of a tough national security law, which, rights groups said, would allow the party in power to trample on human rights with impunity.

After that meeting, Mahathir told reporters it was possible for the two men to join forces to oust BN.

I cannot continue holding a grudge, Mahathir told BenarNews in an interview that month.

Later, the new opposition coalition involving Anwars PKR, Mahathirs Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu) along with the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the faith-based National Trust Party (Amanah), bickered over who would be prime minister if BN could finally be toppled. In June 2017, Anwar announced he would not be the candidate.

With regard to the calls to focus full attention on the general election, therefore, I choose not to offer myself as a prime ministerial candidate, Anwar said.

The friction (over who will be prime minister) is exhausting (the opposition), as the final decision lies with the people in the general election.

Mahathir pointed out that at 92, he was not interested in returning to the post he held for more than two decades. If, in the end, nobody comes forward, nobody agrees to any candidate and they point out to me, itll be churlish of me, just because I want to retire and rest and all that, not to respond to them, he said.

In the end, the coalition decided Mahathir would be its candidate who would serve until Anwar took over.

The coalition maneuvered through several more roadblocks leading up to the most monumental electoral upset in Malaysian history. One of those roadblocks was directed specifically at Anwar and Mahathir.

In November 2017, the government released a 524-page report recommending authorities investigate the pair in connection to billions of dollars in central bank losses during the 1990s when they were in power.

Wan Azizah stuck up for her husband, challenging the timing of its release.

The report was ready and was sent to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong [Malaysian king] six weeks ago, it should have been given to us much earlier, she told reporters at parliament.

Today, when we asked to debate the findings, it was rejected. This shows that whatever we have assumed before has now become true, that it is a political move over an issue that was resurrected after so many years to implicate their political opponents, Wan Azizah said.

Correction: This story was updated to reflect that Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was named but not sworn in as deputy prime minister.Updated at 11:45 a.m. ET on 2018-05-15

Malaysian King Sultan Muhammad V has agreed to pardon Anwar Ibrahim, paving the way for the jailed politicians entry back into politics, a transitional requirement that would allow him to take over political power, new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Friday.



Mahathir made the announcement during a news conference after meeting leaders of the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH) at his office in Kuala Lumpur.



In the course of our discussion with the king yesterday, he said he is willing to pardon Anwar Ibrahim immediately, Mahathir said.

Meanwhile, Malaysias new leadership has taken precautions to prevent Najib Razak, the prime minister defeated in the May 9 election, and his wife from leaving the country, the Wall Street Journal reported late Friday, after reports emerged that the names of the couple were on a private airplanes manifest that was scheduled to take off from Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

Najib had planned to take a short break, then return to Malaysia, an official with his United Malays National Organization (UMNO) told the paper.

Najib has been shadowed for the past three years by corruption allegations tied to the Malaysian state investment fund 1MDB. Mahathir had pledged in the electoral campaign to work to get back for Malaysia billions of dollars allegedly stolen from the fund and to prosecute those who broke the law.

The Journal cited sources close to Prime Minister Mahathir saying steps had been taken to stop Najib and his spouse from going abroad, and these sources had confirmed the details of the flights manifest. According to the Reuters news agency, citing two sources and local media reports, the private jet was scheduled to fly to Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in Jakarta.

Unlikely alliance

Mahathir, 92, emerged triumphant after leading Malaysias main opposition bloc to an upset victory on Wednesday by forging an unlikely alliance with Anwar, his former protege and deputy.

Anwar, 70, was expected to succeed Mahathir but was prosecuted and jailed in 1999 on allegations of corruption and sodomy, which were widely believed to be politically motivated.

In 2015, Anwar was jailed for sodomy for a second time and is due to be released on June 8.

As part of his campaign promise while running as the opposition blocs leader, Mahathir agreed to seek the pardon for Anwar and vowed to make way for his former nemesis to replace him as prime minister.



Anwars daughter, Nurul Izzah, said the actual date of his pardon had not been confirmed.



It will take time, the documentations, so I cannot tell you now, she told reporters after visiting her father at the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital in Kuala Lumpur. God willing, we hope for the best.

Anwar had been recuperating at the hospital after a surgery.



But Anwars wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said his release might take place next week, at the earliest, if all went well.



There are many things that we have to look through, she told reporters Friday. But whats most important is, the king has expressed his willingness to give full pardon to Anwar.

Mahathir, during the news conference, also announced the formation of his administrations 10 core ministries, including defense and foreign affairs.



We discussed things in depth, and for right now we are only going to create a small cabinet, he said. We do not want a huge cabinet.



Oh Ei Sun, a senior analyst at the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute, told BenarNews that the new cabinet list could be a consolidation of related functions, allowing the countrys economy to propel forward.



Basically it will be a combination of Economic Planning Unit previously under the prime ministers office, and perhaps the industry portion of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Oh said.



During the electoral campaign, the opposition promised to downsize the prime ministers office, which had 28 separate ministries under the Najib Razak administration. Mahathir said discussions on cabinet appointments would take place on Saturday.



This is to give time for parties to decide which ministry they want to be in and who will be in it, Mahathir said.



When asked whether Anwar will be given a cabinet-level position, Mahathir replied that the law requires that the jailed politician must first become a member of parliament.



That process can take a long time. It will be decided when the time comes, Mahathir said.



On foreign affairs, Mahathir said he wanted to maintain good relations with other countries, while remaining neutral on controversial issues.



Malaysia is a trading nation and we want to ensure the market for Malaysia is as large of possible, he said.

Mahathir was apparently reacting to news reports that China had urged him to uphold the bilateral agreements between Beijing and Kuala Lumpur.



Some foreign powers may want to impose sanction to countries that are not doing what they want, but big powers will not influence our policies, Mahathir said without elaborating.

On Thursday, Mahathir told reporters that he had no problem with Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a wide-reaching infrastructure program that includes the 688-kilometer (430-mile) East Coast Railway Link, a railroad that would connect the west coast to the east coast of peninsular Malaysia.

But Mahathir added that his government would not like to see too many warships in this area, because [a] warship attracts other warships.



Changing of the guard



A few top government officials are facing the risk of being removed from their positions, Mahathir also told reporters.



Our intention is to go for people who have shown a tendency to be corrupt or who have committed known corrupt acts, Mahathir said.



Mahathir did not name names, but analysts said among those in the firing line could be Attorney General Apandi Ali, who had cleared Mahathirs predecessor, Najib, of corruption allegations related to state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

The U.S. Department of Justice is trying to recover more than $1.7 billion in real-estate and other assets allegedly siphoned off through complex transactions from 1MDB, which Najib formed in 2009 ostensibly to pursue projects that would benefit Malaysian citizens through development projects.

Court documents allege that about U.S. $681 million of 1MDB funds were diverted into Najibs personal bank accounts, but Najib said the money came as a political donation from a member of the Saudi royal family.



At the moment the AG [attorney general] has undermined his own credibility. He has hidden evidence of wrongdoing and that is wrong under the law, Mahathir said.

Mahathir was sworn in as Malaysias seventh prime minister on Thursday, a day after the coalition he led defeated the nations longest-ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, in the 14th general election. PH garnered 113 seats out of the contested 222 parliamentary seats.

Correction: This story was updated to reflect that Wan Azizah Wan Ismail did not take the oath of office as deputy prime minister.Addressing media, the health minister condemned the false propaganda against the vaccination campaign on social media. Mohindra said around eight crore children across 14 states and Union Territories have been vaccinated till date with this vaccine.

In a recent press conference chaired by Punjabs health and family welfare minister Brahm Mohindra, medical specialists from World Health Organization (WHO) and Post Graduate Institute of Medical education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh have emphasized that MR (measles and rubella) vaccination was totally safe and people should remain away from rumours suggesting otherwise.

Specialists included PGIMERs additional professor of pediatrics department Dr. Sanjay Verma and WHOs Dr. Srinivasan. Dr. Srinivasan said that the MR vaccine was produced by Pune-based Serum Institute of India under strict quality control and was a WHO pre-qualified vaccine. He also added same vaccine was being exported to European countries and the US. He said measles is number one killer among vaccine preventable disease with more than one lakh deaths globally, including 30% happening in India. Dr Verma said measles and rubella disease was still a big challenge and cause of disability and mortality as he himself attends to several such patients in PGIMER.

Addressing media, the health minister condemned the false propaganda against the vaccination campaign on social media. Mohindra said around eight crore children across 14 states and Union Territories have been vaccinated till date with this vaccine. He added in Punjab around 14 lakh children have been administered the MR vaccine till Thursday.

Mohindra appealed to the parents to get their children aged between 9 months and 15 years vaccinated with the MR vaccine and help eliminate these two diseases.The proposal is aimed at stopping private agents from charging exorbitant fees from nurses seeking a job in Gulf countries. Furnishing details of nurses working in Gulf countries as on 19 December 2017, the Indian government said Saudi Arabia was the biggest employer with 3,621 Indian nurses under Emigration Check Required (ECR) category working there, followed by Qatar with 350 nurses and Kuwait with a 118 workers.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had recently unearthed a Rs. 200 crore scam and arrested Varghese Uthup, a Kuwait-based recruiter. Uthups Kochi based firm was charging Rs. 19.5 lakh to recruit nurses in Kuwait instead of Rs. 19,500 as service charge.

In another incident, an advertisement was circulated on social media sites in the north eastern states of India offering job opportunities for nurses in the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health and the Kuwait Oil Company. The Manipur government had issued a statement that time saying that the advertisement was put up without the involvement of authorized state-run agencies and to dupe prospective nurses in the country, financially or otherwise.

The Indian embassy in Kuwait that time had informed that the agency mentioned in the advertisement is not registered under Section 10 of the Emigration Act, 1983 and hence was not authorised to carry out overseas recruitment business as they did not have the valid registration certificate.

According to the news reported by Firstpost, the Indian embassy in Kuwait has now recognized six state-run agencies to recruit nurses from India. In a bid to streamline the recruitment process and keep away the unscrupulous agents who fleece applicants, we have submitted a proposal to the Kuwaiti government. They have accepted it. We are working on the procedures. Soon, the recruitment will be done only through six state-run agencies, said a senior official at the embassy to Firstpost.

The proposal is aimed at stopping private agents from charging exorbitant fees from nurses seeking a job in Gulf countries. Furnishing details of nurses working in Gulf countries as on 19 December 2017, the Indian government said Saudi Arabia was the biggest employer with 3,621 Indian nurses under Emigration Check Required (ECR) category working there, followed by Qatar with 350 nurses and Kuwait with a 118 workers.

The six state-run agencies in India authorized for the recruitment of Indian nurses abroad are Norka-Roots Centre and Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants in Thiruvananthapuram, Overseas Manpower Corporation Ltd in Chennaim, UP Financial Corporation in Kanpur, Telangana Overseas Manpower Company in Hyderabad and the Overseas Manpower Company in Vijayawada.

Six state-run agencies had been recognised by the Indian government for the recruitment of nurses to 18 ECR countries in 2015. But despite the Indian government taking several other steps to prevent nurses from being duped by emigration-related fraudsters, including a mandatory ECR requirement, migrant rights activists in India said the number of nurses migrating through unofficial channels and private agencies remain high.

Activists say nurses opting to migrate to Kuwait are charged anywhere between Rs 10 and 15 lakh by unauthorised private agencies. While they manage to get the job they were looking for at times, in most cases, they are cheated of their money and denied basic working rights on reaching the Gulf nation.

Once the government plan is put in place, job seekers will have to pay only Rs 30,000 for the recruitment process, said the embassy official, adding that there are at least 5,000 nursing job opportunities coming up in Kuwait.The hospital values the contributions of nurses at all skill levels and encourages career advancement.

Columbia Asia hospitals have created an environment that supports nursing practice and focuses on professional autonomy from decision making at the bedside, nursing involvement in determining the nursing work environment, professional education, career development and nursing leadership. The hospital values the contributions of nurses at all skill levels and encourages career advancement. The professional nursing ladder helps nurses grow and advance professionally while focusing on their clinical practice.

They work hard day in and day out by ensuring the patient recovers to health as a caregiver, a nurse works hard as a caregiver by providing hands-on care to patients. They may be physical needs, which can range from total care (everything for the patient) or help a patient with illness prevention.

Case Study 1

On 14th Of October, the emergency Room of Columbia Asia Hospitals received a call from the 17th floor of Saleria apartments Bangalore, about an old lady who had an emergency and needed to be rushed to the hospital. The team of Nurse from Columbia Asia Referral Hospital Yeshwanthpur rushed in the ambulance to reach the patient.

Unfortunately, the lift was not working, therefore the nurse had to walk up the 17 floors to reach up to the patient. The patient being old and overweight challenged this operation furthermore. Carrying the patient who was heavy, aged and unwell all the way down 17 floors was a herculean task.

Kudos to the team of ER nurse Shinto Thomas (ER Nurse), Lakshman (Nurse Aide), Pemmaiyah, Aswathappa(Nurse Aide), Satya Raju (Ambulance Driver), Nurse Aides and ambulance assistant went and climbed up to 17thfloor and brought the patient down successfully with utmost care.

Case study 2

On 4th March at 11.45 pm, a patient SUKHPAL SINGH was admitted to Emergency Room as a case of Road accident. He was injured badly and was almost unconscious due to the poor GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale).

The patient was working as a labourer at a shop and belonged to a very poor family. They had almost no money to pay the hospital bills. The patients father started crying and requesting for help. Emergency Room Staff Nurse, Ms Karamjeet Kaur attending on the patient was moved seeing fathers plight & helplessness whose son was fighting for his life & helped him by depositing Rs10,000 from her own account which helped patients companions clear the outstanding amount.

The empathetic approach of Ms Karamjeet Kaur in this situation is commendable.

Case study 3

An IT engineer of about 37 yrs from Manyatha Tech park recently visited the clinic with a complaint of giddiness. Staff nurse Tinu, who checked the vital parameters found something amiss as the patient was sweating profusely. She immediately advised him to take ECG, but he refused. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the nurse took the onus and went ahead with the ECG which revealed that the patient had a Myocardial infarction.

she wasted no time and immediately informed the ambulance, hurriedly made arrangements to shift him to hospital. Inspite of the fact that the nurse acted quickly, the moment the patient entered the ambulance he had the cardiac arrest. In the Ambulance nurse Nithin was alone, however she didnt panic and began giving him continuous CPR throughout the way from the clinic to the hospital.

The patient was revived in the hospital and taken to the cath lab for Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). He was in the ICU on ventilator support, tracheostomy done and shifted to the ward after a week. He was later discharged on 28th Feb 18.

The critical thinking of the nurses saved the life of a young IT tech.

: Col Binu Sharma, Senior Vice President- Nursing ServicesAre You Single? Now You Can Rent A Girlfriend For 10 Rs Here!! Pulse oi-Syeda Farah

Single Boys   , 10   Rent   Beautiful Girlfriend |  

If you have been a loner who wishes to spend some good time with a partner or a friend, but are an introvert, it can make it difficult for you to approach any person. But what happens when you get an opportunity to spend some good time with a beautiful young girl at the cost of just 10 Rs?

Sounds to be something impossible right? Well, here is some good news for all the shy lads who have been longing to make their social networking site rich by posting pictures with young, beautiful girls of their choice!

Wondering what? Then find out below, as we reveal the details of this interesting concept of hiring a girlfriend for the cost of just 10 bucks!

They Met At A Sex Change Clinic And Are All Set To Marry

This Interesting Place Is In China!

Well, this may disappoint many, as the place is in South China's Guangdong Province, where a shopping complex named "The Vitality City in Heyuan City" has a store that has a number of beautiful young girls and models who stand like a podium in the store.

The Concept Of The Shop!

Here, the men are allowed to select the one woman that they'd like and wish to take along as their girlfriend by paying only 10 Rs for 20 minutes. Imagine, all it takes is just 10 Rs. cool, isn't it?

More About The Golden Offer!

To avail this "Golden Offer," all that a guy needs to do is scan a QR code on the chosen girl's mobile phone and pay the price! And once the QR code is scanned, the girl can accompany the man in the mall and he could take her around the stores and even carry her shopping bags, if asked to do so. The men renting these girls could even ask them out on a lunch or date. If anyone wants to continue further after completing the 20 minutes, the fee amount has to be paid again.

But Hey, There Is A Catch!

But taking out the girl with you is not that easy, as there is a catch! Here, the men who avail the offer can only take the girl in the premises of the shopping complex. Apart from this, there is no touching that is allowed without the lady's consent.

Insane! Love-making Dolls Are Like A Family Here!

So Are You Ready?

So let us know if you are planning to head to the Vitality City shopping complex of China to rent a girlfriend for as low as Rs 10!

For more such interesting and viral stories, keep checking our section, as we bring in the most bizarre stories from across the world!From spending his earliest days in and out of hospital to dreams of becoming a doctor himself, Hunter Goodon was more than thankful to the donors who have helped him through his post-secondary career.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/5/2018 (1245 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Advertisement Advertise With Us

From spending his earliest days in and out of hospital to dreams of becoming a doctor himself, Hunter Goodon was more than thankful to the donors who have helped him through his post-secondary career.

"Your donations do mean a lot," he said to the crowd of 150 people at the Brandon University Foundation luncheon on Friday. "Especially to students like me."

Goodon was one of three students who offered words of appreciation during the annual event at Harvest Hall for receiving thousands of dollars in scholarships and bursaries from BU in the last year.

At just two and a half years old, Goodon was diagnosed with leukemia and spent the next three years at the Childrens Hospital in Winnipeg and CancerCare Manitoba, undergoing near daily treatments of chemotherapy and blood transfusions.

"Its really for this reason, that for as long as I can remember, Ive wanted to be a pediatric oncologist," he said. "Ive wanted to help kids who are sick with cancer to fight and beat cancer, and show them that there is more to life than just being stuck in a hospital every day."

The young Metis student, who is pursuing a major in biology with a minor in chemistry, received $3,245 from the Eva Emeline Pickard Memorial Scholarship, Brandon College Class of 1951 Scholarship and the Donna and Bill Parrish Scholarship, and recently completed his second year at BU.

MICHAEL LEE/THE BRANDON SUN Brittany Beaudin, who recently completed her third year in pre-nursing, was the recipient of the Louis Riel Institute Bursary, the Kiwanis Bursary for Indigenous Students and the Ernestine R. Whiteside Bursary.

Goodon said he would like to serve as a positive role model for other Indigenous youth and hopes to someday close the health-care gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Manitobans.

Brittany Beaudin, who just completed her third year of pre-nursing, said she was honoured and humbled to have been asked to speak on Friday.

Beaudin attended BU her first year out of high school, but left after it became too expensive and she struggled to keep her grades up due to work.

After working shifts as a health-care aide in Winnipeg, Beaudin came back to BU to apply for the nursing program.

She was denied last year, but went on to apply for the Louis Riel Bursary, Kiwanis Bursary for Indigenous Students and Ernestine R. Whiteside Bursary, and was approved for a total of $7,730.

She is currently waiting to hear if she has been accepted into the nursing and psychiatric nursing programs.

"I hope you feel that you have helped not only me, but many others in their post-secondary journey and I hope you continue to do so," Beaudin said. "Im sure I speak for most if not all students when I say thank you."

MICHAEL LEE/THE BRANDON SUN Mohammed Agavi, a third-year accounting student and the vice-president external of the Brandon University Students Union, received this year's BU International Undergraduate Student Scholarship.

The last student speaker was Mohammed Agavi, a third-year accounting student who received $2,790 through the BU International Undergraduate Scholarship.

Agavi, who is also the vice-president external for the Brandon University Students Union, is a native of Nigeria who lived in Toronto before coming to Brandon.

"The fact that I can not go into work on a Sunday night and actually study for a test, as opposed to having to work a five- or six-hour shift, we really appreciate it," he said.

The BU Foundation rang in more than $72 million in total assets for 2017, nearly $6 million higher compared to the previous year.

Approximately $1 million in new donations and contributions were raised, which was less than the $2.3 million raised in 2016.

This was due in large part to a $1.1-million contribution from the Knowles-Douglas Commission, said Scott Lamont, vice-president administration and finance for BU.

Lamont said the money was given to the foundation in the form of a donation and was later put into a trust to be used at a future date.

Since the foundation is a registered charity, Lamont said the money is non-taxable.

 mlee@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @mtaylorleeOver 1,000 doctors have signed a public declaration in support of repealing the 8th Amendment.

Doctors from across the country attended the National Doctors Together For Yes summit in Dublin this morning.

Speaking at the event, Together For Yes spokesperson Dr Mark Murphy said the 8th amendment puts doctors in a "constitutional straitjacket."

He said: "Doctors across Ireland want change. We want repeal. We are here today to say that the 8th amendment isnt working  it puts doctors in a constitutional straitjacket which holds us back from providing proper care to our patients.

Today Doctors Together For Yes are revealing a public declaration by over 1,000 doctors who want change the law to allow us provide compassionate care to our patients. We are GPs, we are psychiatrists, we are obstetricians, we are medical students. We are Together For Yes.

Doctors Together For Yes are saying loud and clear today: we want change. Nothing at all will change unless we remove the 8th amendment.

Today in Ireland we now have backstreet abortion. Thousands of women access unknown tablets over the internet and take then completely unsupervised without the ancillary care that should be available to them. We need to end backstreet abortion. Dr Rhona Mahony #doctors4yes pic.twitter.com/hpkIVekxtH  Together for Yes (@Together4yes) May 12, 2018

Obstetrician and gynaecologist Professor Louise Kenny, a specialist in the management of high-risk pregnancy, said that in her 25 years of practice she had witnessed at first hand the harms of the Eighth Amendment.

"Under the Eighth Amendment, doctors like me can only perform a termination of pregnancy if we agree that there is a real and substantial threat to a womans life. There is no medical or legal definition of real and substantial, and the uncertainty this creates is unhelpful and occasionally dangerous."

"I have cared for women whose health has been irreparably harmed by the 8th amendment. I have cared for women who have died because of the Eighth Amendment. As an obstetrician, I never met a woman who wanted a termination, but Ive met many women who desperately needed one."

The list of doctors is available at www.togetherforyes.ie/doctors

Meanwhile, the LoveBoth campaign is holding a Stand Up for Life rally in Merrion Square in Dublin this afternoon.

Organisers say they expect thousands of supporters of retaining the 8th amendment to turn out for the march.

Our last and final #StandUpForLife Rally before the vote is right here in Dublin! Come join us in Merrion Square at 2pm! #LoveBothVoteNOhttps://t.co/IxGbA9nmHY  LoveBoth (Official) (@lovebothireland) May 12, 2018

Spokesperson for the LoveBoth campaign Cora Sherlock has this message.

"The purpose of today's event is to remind people that there are just two weeks to go until we go to the polls for abortion on demand.

"That's what we're voting on on May 25 and to ask them to make every effort between now and then to make sure that the people they know are familiar with the fact that the only way to keep abortion on demand out of Ireland is to vote No.

Doctors Together for Yes launch public database; LoveBoth hold Stand Up For Life Rally in Dublin

Earlier: Campaigning for the referendum on the 8th Amendment continues in earnest today.

A 'Doctors Together for Yes' summit is being held in Dublin this morning, while local groups are canvassing around the country across the weekend.

Voting YES will enable evidence based and compassionate care for women who have a crisis pregnancy.



Dr Mark Murphy will tomorrow Chair a national summit of medical professionals, hosted by Doctors Together for Yes.#doctors4yes pic.twitter.com/hB4zLnKfgK  Together for Yes (@Together4yes) May 11, 2018

The group will launch its public database of over a thousand practicing doctors who have declared their support for the repeal of the 8th Amendment.

The summit will be attended by Minister for Health Simon Harris and will include doctors from multiple fields of medicine including general practice, obstetrics and gynaecology, and psychiatry.

Meanwhile, a LoveBoth Stand Up For Life Rally gets underway at 2pm this afternoon in Dublin's Merrion Square.

In advance of the event, Dr Ruth Cullen of the LoveBoth campaign said: There is nothing restrictive about the Governments proposals on abortion. A No vote on May 25 is the only way to avoid abortion on demand in Ireland.

"Its really encouraging though the way people are starting to scrutinise the Governments proposals and see for themselves just how extreme it is.

"Today's rally in Dublin will be the last big pro-life gathering in advance of the referendum.

Don't forget to come and show your support at our final #StandUpForLife Rally tomorrow at Merrion Sq. 2pm! #LoveBothVoteNO #8thref pic.twitter.com/se7J35W5mr  LoveBoth (Official) (@lovebothireland) May 11, 2018

- Digital DeskThe National Famine Commemoration will take place at University College Cork today.

The State ceremony will be led by President Michael D Higgins and hosted by the Tanaiste Simon Coveney, on behalf of the Government.

Minister Coveney will launch the Great Irish Famine Online which is a new digital resource being made available to users all over the world for the first time.

President Higgins will visit An Bothan, a replica of a dwelling, reflecting the horrible living conditions of the time.

Mike Murphy gives a public lecture, Mapping the Great Irish Famine, today, May 11, at 7:30pm.



This free lecture will take place in the Aula Maxima, UCC, and all are welcome to attend.https://t.co/gPUFO9R5CA pic.twitter.com/BmG1iJ7RlA  UCC Ireland (@UCC) May 11, 2018

The annual event pays tribute to all those who died or suffered in the Famine and will involve music performances, words of remembrance, military honours and wreath-laying ceremonies.

The President of UCC Professor Patrick O'Shea says it's a hugely important resource.

He said: "The entire database, the maps down to the parish levels will be available to anybody worldwide.

"People will be able to see the impact of their ancestors where they lived.

"My own family came from Glengarrif and it's interesting to see the facts associated with the area at the time."

- Digital DeskBy Olivia Kelleher

President Michael D Higgins called for a renewed commitment to support all vulnerable people in the world at the annual Famine Commemoration Ceremony at UCC today.

The Great Hunger, though not the sole foundation event in the formation of the Irish diaspora, must yet still be considered the single most important event in the formation of a distinct Irish American identity, President Higgins said.

President Higgins said it should never be forgotten that between 1846 and 1855, around 2.1 million people left this island, more than in the previous two and a half centuries combined.

"1.5 millon of those went to the United States. An editorial in the Times of London would later state that it is there the Irish Famine of the 1840s would become a central part of collective memory, with all the difficulties this ensues, and a significant component of American politics," he said.

President Higgins speaking at the 'National Famine Commemoration' in #UCC this afternoon about the effects of the famine on #Cork City and County pic.twitter.com/Ne4Zc2K7PW  Oliver O'Hanlon (@OOH99) May 12, 2018

The President spoke of our solidarity with migrants and refugees borne out of our historic experience. He paid tribute to the members of the crew of the LE William Butler Yeats who were present at the ceremony.

"That practical solidarity has been displayed, with unwavering courage and devotion to duty, by the officers and sailors of the LE William Butler Yeats, in the course of their humanitarian mission to the Mediterranean," he said.

"As President of Ireland may I commend and salute you for your service."

President Higgins added that given the "catastrophic dimension" of Ireland's history, "we must deliver not only charity but justice".

He said maintaining the commitments of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Accord cannot be "met with such an indifference as would mean simply abandoning and jettisoning millions of our fellow human beings".

Tanaiste Simon Coveney said that it was a significant ceremony commemorating an event which had "such a shaping influence on this country."

"Don't forget that during that Famine period two million people emigrated," he said.

"Another million people died. It changed our population structures. It changed the way in which people lived.

"Even today Ireland is the only European country that has a population that has less today than back in 1850."

"The Famine is an extraordinary tragedy in Irish history. Don't forget that UCC was established and built during the period of the Famine.

"It showed the difference in the time between those who had privilege in Ireland and those who didn't."

To mark the commemoration, UCC staff recreated An Bothan, a mud cabin, a replica of a fourth class dwelling reflecting the horrendous conditions in which our forebearers lived, suffered and died.

Ross O'Donovan, who supervised the building of the hut, said that the conditions for inhabitants were very sparse.

"40% of the population were living in class four housing in the 1841 census before the Famine," he said.

"This is an example of a class-four house. The conditions inside could only be described as very basic. The potato failing caused economic and social disaster in the country."

Among the members of the public at the event were siblings John and Mary O'Callaghan from Cork City. Mary said she was prompted to go to the ceremony by John who attends the Cope Foundation in Togher in the city. The foundation assists individuals with intellectual disabilities.

John has had a lifelong love for history and having heard about the event on RTE's Nationwide, he was intent on being in the crowd.

John (62) said he "likes going way back" and is fond of attending old churches and graveyards. Mary said her brother possesses "an amazing interest in all things historical."

Meanwhile, UCC is launching a Famine Online Project which was born out of the Atlas of the Great Irish Famine which was published in 2012. The project sets out to publish online the 1841 and 1851 famine database.

Today's event featured music by The Vanbrugh, Niall Vallely, Karen Casey, Massed Choir, Band of the Southern Command and readings by Lord Mayor Cllr Tony Fitzgerald, County Mayor Cllr Declan Hurley and UCC President Patrick OShea.

The choir included representatives of Cork Penny Dinners, the High Hopes Choir, Crosshaven Community Choir and UCC Choral Society.Victoria was first out of the blocks in 1991, when it amended its Crimes Act to require judges to direct juries in rape cases that the fact a person did not say or do anything to indicate free agreement to a sexual act was "normally enough" to show they did not consent. Tasmania had the Victorian developments in mind in 2004 when it went even further and became the first state to legislate that a person does not freely agree to a sex act if they do not "say or do anything to communicate consent". It was guided by the 1998 report of a Tasmanian task force on sexual assault and rape, which concluded "the unrealistic expectations of the courts for women and girls to attempt to fight off their attacker ... distorts the intention of the law and is a major barrier to reform". Victoria subsequently scrapped its 1991 jury direction and introduced a new definition of sexual consent in 2016, which mirrors the Tasmanian provision. At a press conference with the Attorney-General on Tuesday, Goward said she endorsed the Tasmanian law and was "hopeful that the Law Reform Commission will come to a similar conclusion".

"You must explicitly ask for permission to have sex. If it's not an enthusiastic yes, then it's a no," Goward said. "I feel that this is where the law in NSW needs to go. That is certainly the case in Tasmania." Speakman was quick to hose down that language. He said the government was not committing to any particular outcome and it wanted to get the balance right. The Tasmanian law does not embrace a model of "enthusiastic consent", which would set a high bar and criminalise a range of conduct otherwise regarded as legal. But the active model of consent embodied in its Criminal Code has attracted criticism in some quarters. Criminal barrister and Australian Lawyers Alliance spokesman Greg Barns, who is based in Hobart, said the Tasmanian law was "unworkable because it fails to recognise the reality of how things happen" in sexual encounters. In his view, the language of the Tasmanian Criminal Code is "nebulous" and in reality there is not "a great deal of difference between the Tasmanian law and NSW law".

Jurors in NSW are already directed, in accordance with the language of the state's Crimes Act, that consent involves a "conscious and voluntary agreement", which can be given verbally or expressed by actions. They are also told "absence of consent does not have to be in words" and a person who does not physically resist "is not, by reason only of that fact, to be regarded as consenting". Luke Lazarus, son of prominent nightclub owner Andrew Lazarus, was acquitted of sexual assault last year. Credit:Facebook Commentators have questioned whether the Tasmanian law would have brought about a different result in the Lazarus case, or if the same factual inquires would be conducted in either case but through a different lens. The parties accepted that Mullins, then an 18-year-old virgin, had not consented to anal sex with the then 21-year-old Lazarus. The case turned on whether he had knowledge that she did not consent, which is a crucial element of the offence.

Knowledge includes not only actual knowledge of a lack of consent but recklessness or having "no reasonable grounds" for believing there is consent. After a retrial in 2017, the NSW District Court found Lazarus had a genuine and honest belief, based on reasonable grounds, that Mullins was consenting even though "in her own mind" she was not. He was acquitted of the crime. Judge Robyn Tupman found Mullins had not asked Lazarus to stop - a fact hotly contested during the trial - and "did not take any physical action to move away". Barns says it is "far from clear" there would have been a different outcome in the Lazarus case if NSW had adopted the Tasmanian provision and the laws were "very similar". Dr Helen Cockburn, an expert in sexual consent laws and a lecturer in criminal law at the University of Tasmania, takes a different view. She believes the trial would have been conducted differently under Tasmanian law - but nobody can predict whether the outcome would be different.

In Tasmania the court "would not be able to take into account absence of manifest dissent" in assessing whether there were reasonable grounds for a mistaken belief in consent. The fact that a complainant had not said no or moved away "certainly wouldn't support a claim of mistaken belief in consent", Cockburn says. Former NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Nick Cowdery was in the top job when NSW last amended its sexual consent provisions, in 2007. The changes were considerable and included expanding the range of circumstances in which an offender will have knowledge of a lack of consent to those in which they have "no reasonable grounds" for believing there was consent. "I remember the long and detailed process that was undertaken. It was a highly controversial outcome," Cowdery says. "Maybe it focused too much on the offender's guilty mind and not enough on the mind of the 'victim,' but there had been then - and sometimes are still - cases of false allegations of non-consensual activity that are hard to defend.

"A balance had to be struck - maybe the Law Reform Commission will find that the balance needs to be reset." Cowdery says it would be "a bad mistake to take the Lazarus case as the archetype from which laws of general application must be framed" and the government had taken the sensible approach in referring the state's sexual consent provisions for review. "The wording of provisions of this kind will always be crucial," he says. "I don't see a problem with requiring that all parties to sexual relations indicate in some way to the other parties that they are consenting to the activity - but does that mean that in every situation all parties should stop, take stock, cogitate and signify overtly their consent? There are problems of principle and practice here." Tasmanian barrister Kim Baumeler, a former prosecutor who now appears regularly as defence counsel, says she has seen cases on both sides of the ledger: those in which the jury had convicted the accused where the evidence arguably might have produced a different result, as well as those in which she thought a jury might "happily convict and they've acquitted".The Gold Coast schoolboy at the centre of an amber alert was kidnapped for ransom over personal loans between his parents and his abductor, police will allege.

The boy, 12, was found shortly after midday on Saturday in the New South Wales city of Grafton, about 240 kilometres south of where he was allegedly abducted from less than 24 hours earlier.

The boy was found with no major injuries and a 53-year-old man, who police said was not related to the child, was assisting with inquiries.

The boy and his alleged abductor were found inside the dark-coloured Jeep Compass. Credit:Queensland Police Service

Detective Inspector Marc Hogan said the pair were found by New South Wales Police after a member of the public recognised the Jeep Compass SUV that officers were searching for.Sarcoptic mange disease is the most agonising disease in the animal kingdom and threatening the existence of bare-nosed wombats, but Queensland researchers may have a solution.

A new creation by QUT designers, a hospital burrow, could rid our furry friends of this disease and save them from extinction.

There are high hopes the invention could play a key role in saving bare-nosed wombats from extinction.

A prototype is being tested at Sleepy Burrows Wombat Sanctuary near Canberra and a crowdfunding campaign has been created to fund the rollout of the invention.

The hospital burrow resembles wombats' homes in the wild, quarantines the infected animals to stop the spread of sarcoptic mange and makes administering the animal's treatment easier.A smoke alert was issued to surrounding suburbs, and the Department of Environment and Regulation Pollution Response Unit were alerted.

There is no word yet on what started the blaze, with fire crews bringing flames under control within the hour.

Flames broke out at Billabong Brewing on McCoy Street in Myaree about 7.15pm.

Multiple crews were called to a major structure fire in Perth on Saturday evening.

Western Power and police were also called to the incident.

A man who called in the fire was flagged down by a couple in a car on McCoy Street who asked him to make the phone call to emergency services.

Bec, who works at nearby Western Diagnostics, said she was forced to move her car when she saw the flames.

A smoke alert has been issued with residents warned to remain indoors. Credit:Hannah Barry.

Kristen, a co-worker, had left for the day when she saw four cars parked on McCoy Street, watching the building burn.The NSW Greens membership base has spread its support across the party's rival factions, in a bitter preselection battle which pitted the left and right flanks against one another.

Cate Faehrmann, who previously served on the Legislative Council from 2011-2013, will return to NSW politics after being preselected to replace Dr Mehreen Faruqi, who is poised to transfer to the Senate.

The preselections, which are determined by the party's grassroots memberships, were held on Saturday to fill both the casual vacancy and to select the party's NSW upper house ticket for March 2019 election.

David Shoebridge claimed the top spot on the party's ticket ahead of his rival Jeremy Buckingham, securing 1161 primary votes compared with Mr Buckingham's 780 votes.

Mr Shoebridge's victory is a critical win for the party's left faction, after Senator Lee Rhiannon lost the top Senate ticket spot to Dr Faruqi last year.Two more teenagers have been charged after a teenager with autism was allegedly beaten with spanners outside a Melbourne high school.

The 14-year-old boy was allegedly attacked by a group of teens outside Northcote High School on St Georges Road on Tuesday afternoon.

Video footage of the assault obtained by News Corp appears to show the boy being pulled from his bike, punched, kicked and attacked with spanners before being pinned to the ground while a boy repeatedly punches him in the head.

Later in the video, the boy appears to be pushed violently to the ground and kicked in the head.

You got a problem? You got a problem? one of the assailants can be heard saying.New York: A billionaire real estate developer from Macau has been sentenced to four years in prison for bribing two diplomats, including a former president of the UN General Assembly, to help him build a conference centre in Chinese territory.

The corruption case is the worst financial scandal for the world body since the abuse of the Iraqi oil-for-food program more than 20 years ago.

Billionaire Ng Lap Seng, centre, exits the federal court in New York on Friday. Credit:Bloomberg

The developer, Ng Lap Seng, 69, was convicted in US District Court in Manhattan in July on two counts of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, one count of paying bribes, one count of money laundering, and two counts of conspiracy.

On Friday, Judge Vernon Broderick, ordered Ng to forfeit $US1.5 million ($1.9 million), representing the assets used in the crimes, and to pay a $US1 million fine.The speaker of the Catalan Parliament Roger Torrent said he had proposed Torra as candidate to be regional president after consulting with political parties.

Former leader Carles Puigdemont, now living in Germany, put forward little-known Catalan MP Quim Torra as the new candidate in a televised address published on social networks.

Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont attends a meeting with lawmakers of his party, Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia), in Berlin.

Madrid: The Catalan Parliament votes to approve a new leader of the region on Saturday, in the fifth attempt to form a government since the last administration was fired by Madrid nearly seven months ago for declaring independence.

The separatist movement in the wealthy north-eastern region has failed to form a government despite winning most seats in a December election called by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy after Puigdemont led a secession attempt.

Time is running out to form a new administration, as a new leader must be found before May 22 or fresh elections must be called. A new election is likely to return similar results to the last, a poll showed on Friday.

All four previous candidates proposed by the pro-independence movement were blocked by the courts because they were either living abroad or being held in custody for their role in a referendum and subsequent declaration of independence.

One of the blocked candidates was Puigdemont himself, who is in Berlin waiting for a German court to rule on whether to extradite him to Spain on a charge of misuse of public funds.

Torra, a pro-independence activist with little previous political experience who has published books on the history of Catalonia, must win an absolute majority in Saturday's vote to be elected leader.A cleric holds a poster showing portrait of the late Iranian revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini at anti-American protests in Tehran on Friday. Lewis' warnings were echoed by nearly a dozen current and former US and Israeli intelligence officials and private security contractors contacted by The New York Times this week. "With the nuclear deal ripped up, our nation and our allies should be prepared for what we've seen in the past," General Keith Alexander, former director of the National Security Agency, said. Over the years, state-backed Iranian hackers have showed both the proclivity and skill to pull off destructive cyber attacks. After the United States tightened economic sanctions against Tehran in 2012, state-supported Iranian hackers retaliated by disabling the websites of nearly every major US bank with what is known as a denial-of-service attack. The attacks prevented hundreds of thousands of customers from accessing their bank accounts. Those assaults, on about 46 American banks, detailed in a 2016 federal indictment, were directly attributed to Iranian hackers.

Iranian hackers were also behind a digital assault on the Las Vegas Sands Corporation in 2014 that brought casino operations to a halt, wiped Sands data and replaced its websites with a photograph of Sheldon Adelson, Sands' majority owner, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the indictment. Security researchers believe the attacks were retaliation for public comments Adelson made in a 2013 speech, when he said that the US should strike Iran with nuclear weapons to force Tehran to abandon its nuclear program. But after the nuclear deal with Iran was signed, Iran's destructive attacks on US targets cooled off. Instead, its hackers resorted to traditional cyber espionage and intellectual property theft, according to another indictment of Iranian hackers filed in March, and reserved their louder, more disruptive attacks for targets in the Middle East. US President Donald Trump shows the signed Presidential Memorandum. Credit:AP With the nuclear deal at risk, US and Israeli officials now worry Iran's hackers could retaliate with cyber attacks of a more vicious kind. The Israeli war game sessions have included what could happen if the US and Russia were drawn into cyber warfare between Israel and Iran, according to a person familiar with the sessions but who was not allowed to speak about them publicly.

The United States has a blueprint for what it might expect in Saudi Arabia, where there is growing evidence that Iranian hackers may have been responsible for a string of attacks on several Saudi petrochemical plants over the past 16 months. The attacks crashed computers and wiped data off machines at the National Industrialisation Company, one of the few privately owned Saudi petrochemical companies, and Sadara Chemical, a joint venture of Saudi Aramco Dow Chemical. The hackers used malware  nearly identical to the bugs used in a similar 2012 Iranian assault on Aramco  that replaced data on Aramco computers with an image of a burning American flag. Private security researchers and US officials suspect that Iranian hackers also played a role in a more serious attack at another, yet-to-be-identified Saudi petrochemical plant in August that compromised the facility's operational safety controls. Analysts believe it was the first step in an attack designed to sabotage the firm's operations and trigger a chemical explosion. The tools used were so sophisticated that some forensic analysts and US officials suspect Russia may have provided assistance. The August 2017 assault in Saudi Arabia marked a dangerous escalation that put officials and critical infrastructure operators in the United States on high alert. The industrial safety controls that hackers were able to compromise in Saudi Arabia are used in tens of thousands of other installations, including nuclear plants, oil and gas pipelines and water treatment facilities across the United States. "Iran has upped its game faster than analysts anticipated," said Matt Olsen, former general counsel of the National Security Agency and a former director of the National Counterterrorism Centre. He now works closely with energy companies monitoring cyber threats as president of IronNet, a private cyber security company.

Olsen added that Iran was "now among our most sophisticated nation-state adversaries. We can anticipate those capabilities could well be turned against the US." American officials fear that the Saudi Arabia attack, which was ultimately thwarted by an error in the attackers' computer code, was a training drill for a future attack on infrastructure or an energy company in the United States. Similar attacks have happened before. In 2013, Iranian hackers infiltrated computers that controlled the Bowman Avenue Dam in Rye Brook, New York. They gained access to computers that control the dam's water levels and flow gates, according to the 2016 indictment. But any attempt to manipulate the dam's locks and gates would have failed because the dam was under repair and offline. US officials believed the true target of the cyber assault was the Arthur Bowman Dam, a much larger dam on the Crooked River in Oregon.A senior executive working in a leading IT company, venturing out to vote in South Bengaluru's Padmanabhanagar assembly constituency, told Business Today this morning, "People seem quite keen to vote this time. Early in the morning itself in my apartment complex, people were asking if I had cast my vote or not." This on a weekend in the city of nerds is a welcome development, say corporate leaders based out of Bengaluru and Mysuru. "There were long queues starting at 7 am when I went to cast my vote. Last time there was nobody. This time, there were already 20 people," says HealthCare Global chairman & CEO Dr B S Ajaikumar. This, he says, means "the educated class has woken up and wants to be heard." Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the chairperson and managing director of Biocon, India's leading biopharmaceutical company, says, "I am glad that there is at last a greater awareness about the importance of voting. This is good for democracy and good for Bengaluru. MLAs will have to take their duties seriously as they will be held accountable henceforth." While Business Today has no proof of this, but apparently many residential colonies in Bengaluru have decided to vote in blocks for a preferred MLA so that their problems are taken seriously. Part of the reason for the interest in voting this time is the active involvement of Bengaluru's citizen bodies and the messages over radio and on the internet.

All the three major parties - Congress, BJP and JD(S) - have a lot at stake. While the Congress is busy reaching out to the poor, citizens in the India's Silicon Valley feel the other parties - BJP and JD (S) also have not left any stone unturned. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his recent visit to London did not want to lose any opportunity to reach out to the Lingayat vote base. He garlanded the portrait of Basaveshwara or Basava, the 12th century philosopher, statesman and poet. That apart, one voter reminded us, "he held 17 shows this time, more than the 12 odd planned originally apart from the active participation by Amit Shah this time."

However, Bengaluru's 11 million population is not really a reflection of how Karnataka, as a whole, will vote, considering that the city represents only 27 of the 227 constituencies. An IIM Bangalore professor, who went out to vote early in the morning said he did see a queue, but not a very long one. One may still have to wait till the end of the day to see if the actual voting is higher. Many expect the numbers to be in tune with the last election. Venturing out to cast his vote, Rajesh Mehta, chairman, Rajesh Exports, the leading Indian gold company says, "The voter turnout in 2013 in Karnataka was also high and the pooling percentage then was over 70 per cent. I think it will be at the same level this time too considering that it falls on a weekend. However, higher turnout is always a welcome development and good for democracy." This coming from the head of one of the only three Indian companies to figure in the global list of Fortune 500 companies as he ventures out to cast his vote is good for Bengaluru and the state.Within hours of the Fortis Healthcare board announcing the Munjal-Burman bid as the preferred bid to take over India's second largest hospital chain, Sunil Kant Munjal and Anand Burman sat down with Rajeev Dubey & Joe C Mathew to explain what convinced them to bid for the company mired in allegations of poor corporate governance, their apprehensions and how they plan to turn around the struggling healthcare chain. Also, whether they are financial investors waiting to flip the company for a better price. Or, whether the Singh family can come back into the company at all.

The eight-member Fortis board was split 5:3 in favour of the Munjal-Burman offer which had proposed a binding offer, infusing the highest Rs 1,800 crore into the company without any due diligence. More than Rs 1000 crore of that will be invested in the form of preferential equity allotment and warrants right after the shareholders approve the proposal.

Two Fortis shareholders have called an extraordinary general meeting on May 22 to discuss the fate of 4 board members who were part of the board that decided on the 4 offers on the table. Shareholders will also vote on approving the Munjal-Burman offer:

Excerpts from the interview:

Many structures were proposed by bidders to separate the assets so that they are not affected by the ongoing investigations or past legal issues. But you proposed to invest in the company itself. How are you comfortable with that?

We think the extent of the problem now is probably less and not more than what is normally assumed. Because some money has also come back recently. Which is a good sign. Whatever be the reason, if some of it is coming back, then hopefully some more will.

In case any of the other deals came through, and they wanted to separate this entity or that entity, it's an 8, 10, 12 month process, plus a merger process, by that time the company is finished.

At this moment the company does not have the strength to stand on its feet for too long without getting external support. Which is also why our offer was found more suitable than others. Because ours was the only one that was completely binding, only one which says I am putting the money in the company, no questions asked, and we are doing it right away. Ours was the quickest to get money into the company. And of course it comes with the experience of the two groups which have come with large experiences of all kinds. Publicly, what we have announced is limited to a few businesses, but we do many, many more things. Its problem has turned this into a unique opportunity also.

When did you decide to come together?

Munjal: We are very old friends, very close friends, both as families and as individuals. We have often talked of doing something together, though never did anything together or looked at it seriously. Of and on, we have said, oh what about this opportunity. It's just providence, both of us looked at it separately, and when we had a conversation, we said this is perfect. Both of us are interested, we have been talking about doing something together, and here it is. And let's do this.

Burman: And this was exactly two months before.

Do you anticipate any resistance from the minority shareholders?



Being minority stakeholders, we know what is good for minority shareholders.

When did you buy this 3% equity you together already have in the company?

Burman: Over a period of several months. Ever since the share price began to fall. It's still a very valid proposition, that has not lost its place at all. And if you can have some part in the growth (of Fortis), it is an even better proposition.

Munjal: We have an interest in education and healthcare for a long time. Over 30,000 kids are studying in our schools right now. We run B.Ed, M.Ed medical, nursing colleges. We have a university - B M Munjal University. Besides this I am involved with many education institutions outside. I am on the board of IIM Ahmedabad, I chair ISB's Mohali campus, SRCC, the whole bunch of them. In healthcare also, I chair the board of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana. We have invested in a large number of entities around healthcare technologies. So, we did not want to start a green field project, because to build a green field project in India is a very tough and complex thing. First, acquiring land is difficult, then getting all the permissions and clearances in place is a long, drawn out process. So this looked like a good opportunity. It was set up very well as a high quality asset. In scale, it is the second largest in India. Not only that, it has very good potential, the way it is being set up. It has got teams of doctors and nurses, good facilities. But it suffered over the last couple of years due to reputational reasons, credibility, all kind of innuendo and finger pointing, and now of course, there are SFIO investigations going on. So we looked at it a while ago.

Why didn't you proceed then?

We did approach twice. The first was the year before last, and the other was early last year. We backed off for two reasons. One, we were not allowed diligence. The other was the Daiichi case. The issue was going on, and Daiichi had made it very clear that they will go after anybody who becomes the owner of any asset that is currently owned by the Singh brothers. So we said, it is not worth it. They had already won the case in Singapore, a case going on in Delhi, and they had a battery of lawyers working on both sides. So we said we don't want to walk into something like that.

Now that the Daiichi overhang is over because their ownership has dropped down to near nothing, and the best of it now becoming a public knowledge almost, and with public investigation going on, you can be sure that whatever is not okay, will come out. So our comfort, it is unfortunate to say this, but our comfort comes from the fact that it has now broken out into an open problem. It is reasonably a public secret now what the problems or shortfalls (of the company) may be. There is enough public pressure now, we believe, at this stage. For anything wrong to be done would be very difficult. It is in public glare, there is so much media attention. In India, in recent times, I have not seen any asset looked at so openly in this manner. When we started we were thinking it's quite a transaction, but along the way, it became hotly contested, which also gives one a comfort that it is a good asset.

Because these are companies who have done the diligence, 18 months each of diligence. That gave us further comfort that people, who have done this for 18 months, are still interested and offering this kind of pricing, then we are on the right track. We are not doing anything grossly out of place, that's our belief. Plus, in a country like India, healthcare is crying out for attention. We are not reaching enough Indians with healthcare, and the quality of healthcare in India is still behind what it should be. So we thought that if we can bring our knowledge, our expertise, our experience, not just of healthcare, but of running large diversified enterprises, dealing with large number of people, with varying backgrounds, running systems which have good supply chain, good procurement, good management systems, we believe it's possible to not just slow down the decline, but generally get it to where it goes back and becomes one of the leading healthcare institutions in India.

Have you structured your partnership?

Yeah. We have an internal arrangement of how we are going to operate.

What is that?

Nothing that we can share at the moment.

Is it an equal investment?

We are not announcing that either. But definitely we are going to work together. We will be designating persons in concert (agreement) also so that it is seen as one block.

But your investments remain separate?

Yes.

Coming to Fortis, what exactly are these 30, 100, 365 day plans that you have?

We're not, at this moment, able to share details but I can tell you broadly. Because, we have no locus standi at this point to make a plan for the company even though we are 3 per cent shareholder. But we are just minority shareholders.

We're hoping that once our investment goes in and we have 3 members on the board, that they will be able to share with the company a set of ideas which could help the company in the immediate short term, the short term and the medium term. The plans are around systems and process, technology, centres of excellence, hub and spoke systems. Some are very technical on healthcare, some are management related, some are to do with soothing the entire system. Right now there's also a little bit of ruffle, uncertainty around this. People are nervous. To soothe the nerves in the system first. Both Anand and I got many calls saying this is a fantastic thing. It was heartening to hear that.

Generally, it seems to be going in the right direction. But we'd like to do it in a conservative manner, as we've done most of our things. Think long term but action on an everyday basis. Remain conservative in your approach. Don't over-leverage but quick action. If something has to be done, we will do it. But we will do it sensibly. We'll do it for reasons of business. Not for any other reason. We're not doing it to show to anybody. We'll always do the right thing.

Are you backing the plan to acquire the RHT assets?

RHT is a very obvious thing to do for 2 different reasons. One, that parts of this hospital are actually owned by them. We're operating the hospitals without owning it. Second, the moment you bring that in, your margin bumps up quite dramatically. The cost to that is quite high. Yes, we will support the company to buy that asset back.

What happens to any regulatory or any other questions that are raised or liabilities related to that?

We'll cooperate with all the authorities. The company is always liable. If there's a misdemeanor, the company will be liable. If some investigations are pointing to the previous promoters, that will be personal to them. If we come into any key position then we have to take responsibility for the company. We'll extend full cooperation to investigation and we'll do what is the right thing to do.

We want to bring care back into the system. Remember, you are dealing with people. You are dealing with people who are emotionally damaged. If you are injured, if you are sick and you come to a hospital, you are frazzled already. So we want to make it a little bit more humane. How can you create a system where you not only take care of a person's disease but also the emotional state. If you focus on the care, the business becomes healthy.

You mentioned that the 18-24 month long due diligence by your rivals gave you confidence but can one also assume that your interaction with the promoters since they are also well known to you...

But we have very marginal interaction with the promoters. Obviously we meet them at social functions. But we have no other dealings. When we approached them earlier, it was we who had approached them. But they said no 'due diligence', so we walked away. So there was no real detailed conversation.

We would have actually liked to have a conversation because we were interested. This time we've had no conversation with them because they have no role now. We've met with the board. We've met with the teams that are running the management. We've met with some of the investors. We've met with some of the doctors.

But the very fact that they denied diligence, do you think it was more to do with the emergency to infuse cash?

It's hard to say that. Probably was. It's only speculation now. Sometimes, on hindsight you get smarter. We still don't know. They said so much diligence has been done by so many people that we don't have the time. So we said ok. Then we're not interested. We'll walk away.

But this time we're saying despite that, here we are because the opportunity has actually changed now.

Will there be any role for the Singh family in Fortis?

No. They have no role now.

What about Brian Tempest, Harpal Singh?

What we saw was frankly fairly independent. I saw him 2 days ago when we made the presentation. To me he seems very independent. We don't know how much of that is new or was he always like this. I don't know. But he frankly sounded very independent. Harpal also, interestingly, is Malvinder's father-in-law. The conversation with Harpal was where is the problem, what is to be done with SRL, why is this important, what can you guys do when here. So our conversations have all been around how do you make this much more efficient and a flourishing enterprise.

Also, if you look at the board right now, they are under such a magnifying lens that if they behave anything other than independent, they're going to be in trouble.

Are you looking at changes there?

I don't think we need to, once we have a larger board. Three new board members have already joined. Once three more of ours join, the board will be right-sized. It was too small. There were only 4-5 of them. That was not normal also not normal for a company of this size. So if they were to do any hanky-panky, they'll be minority in any case. Frankly, I don't think anybody would do anything right now. My personal belief is nobody will try anything wrong. First, our system doesn't allow it and they're all quite conscious of both of our companies and their reputation and their style of functioning. We've learnt that you could be working with the most difficult people and you can have the most wonderful working relationship still.

On SRL you are saying that it should be completely sold off because it distracts...

We made two comments there. One, we've said where we stand looking at this from outside. It is clear that SRL needs attention to grow. SRL is a large system, the largest in India. But it still needs attention. It's not growing as much as the other competition. The hospital itself needs attention.

Is there enough bandwidth? We don't know. If there's not, then we would recommend that this is sold so that the focus remains on one thing. But as we get closer, as we understand more, when we have people on the board and we are able to talk to the board and the management of SRL, if it makes sense to retain it we have no problem retaining it. We're not going with a fixed mind. We've expressed a view that if it's going to divert attention, it should be sold. We have to have single minded focus to build Fortis first. That's what we are getting into. SRL is an allied business. If it's possible to build both without losing attention on either side, then that's great. If not, then it should be sold.

Are you seeing yourself as a financial investor or a strategic investor?

We're a long-term investor.

You are not looking at it as an asset that you'd like to flip over some time once you have steadied it, stabilised it and when value is better?



We're both long term players. If you look at all of our entities.

Since investment was coming from your family offices, it appears more like a financial investment...

Family office is the vehicle for making the investment. In both our systems, what we do is we mark what funding is available where, which entity will make the investment. That's all that's relevant. It doesn't decide what you're doing to do with the business. These are two completely different things. One is where the money is coming from, what you're doing with that money. Our operating companies are also invested from our family offices, by the way.

At the EGM, do you expect any hindrances, whether from other shareholders or minority shareholders, whether this deal should go through at all?

There's no question of a better offer. The board has recommended this. There's an expert committee, there are external advisors and then there's the board. Between these three groups, the board has recommended our offer. It will now go to the EGM. If it passes in the EGM, everything is over and done with. If it doesn't pass in the EGM, then you go back to square one. I don't think the company can afford to do that. I'm sure the shareholders realise that.Kathmandu, May 12 (PTI) Describing his two-day Nepal visit as "historic", Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the talks with Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli were "productive" and his trip has added new vigour to India-Nepal ties.

"My Nepal visit was historic. It gave me a great opportunity to connect with the wonderful people of Nepal," Modi tweeted at the end of his third trip to Nepal since assuming office in 2014.

Stating that his talks with Prime Minister Oli were "productive", Modi said his trip has added new vigour to India-Nepal relations. "...I reiterated Indias strong support to Nepal as they pursue their development agenda...," Modi said.

A joint statement issued today said the two Prime Ministers agreed to maintain the momentum generated by the visit by taking effective measures for the implementation of all the agreements and understandings reached in the past.

They also agreed that effective implementation of the bilateral initiatives in agriculture, railway linkages and inland waterways development, as agreed upon by the two sides during the recent visit of Prime Minister Oli to India, would have transformational impact in these areas, it said.

The two leaders reiterated their resolve to work together to take bilateral relations to newer heights by strengthening ongoing cooperation in diverse spheres as well as expanding partnership for socio-economic development on the basis of the principles of equality, mutual trust, respect and mutual benefit, the statement said.

They emphasised the need for regular convening of bilateral mechanisms, including Nepal-India Joint Commission at Foreign/External Affairs Ministers level, to review the overall state of bilateral relations, and for the expeditious implementation of the economic and development cooperation projects.

They welcomed the outcome of the recently held Inter-Governmental Committee meeting on Trade, Transit and Cooperation to control unauthorized trade to jointly initiate a comprehensive review of the bilateral Treaty of Trade, and to consider amendments to the Treaty of Transit and related Agreements with a view to further facilitating Nepals access to the Indian market, enhancing overall bilateral trade, and facilitating Nepals transit trade, the statement said.

The two leaders agreed to take further steps to enhance the economic and physical connectivity by air, land, and water. They also directed their officials to expand cooperation in civil aviation sector, including early technical discussion on additional air entry routes to Nepal by respective technical teams.

They reiterated the importance of advancing cooperation in water resources for mutual benefit in areas such as river training works, inundation and flood management, irrigation, and to enhance pace of implementation of ongoing bilateral projects. They also expressed satisfaction over constitution of the joint team, which will visit areas affected by inundation and floods and consider appropriate measures for sustainable solution.

The two Prime Ministers also agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in power sector in line with the bilateral Power Trade Agreement.

They also directed their officials to address outstanding matters by September 2018, with the objective of advancing cooperation in all areas.

The two leaders underscored the importance of regional and sub-regional cooperation under BIMSTEC, SAARC, and BBIN frameworks for forging meaningful cooperation in identified sectors.

Prime Minister Modi extended an invitation to Oli to pay a visit to India. Oli accepted the invitation; dates will be finalized through diplomatic channels. PTI ZH ZHChandigarh, May 11 (PTI) The Punjab government today signed a pact with the UK for setting up of bio-gas and bio-CNG plants in the state. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in the presence of Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Andrew Ayre, deputy high commissioner, British High Commission, as part of the states efforts to find sustainable solutions to paddy straw burning, which has become a major environmental concern.

Giving details, an official spokesperson said the MoU has been signed with Rika Biofuels Development Ltd UK by Punjab Bureau of Industrial Promotion (PBIP) and Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA).

Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) will facilitate regulatory clearances and incentives by the state government. He said these plants will be based on a new patented anerobic digester concept and straw extruding technology. Rika plans to build in excess of 10 bio-CNG plants with a total investment of USD 100-150 million, creating up to 1,000 jobs across the whole operation and supply chain with the aim of having the first plant operational in 2019, he said. The capacity of each plant will be around 100 MT of paddy straw intake daily, he said.

He said these projects would promote sustainable agriculture practices by stopping burning which severely damages the soil. The digestate/bio manure, which is rich in organic and inorganic matter, gives a perfect mix of nutrients that promotes long-term soil health and improves agricultural yield, he said.

"The Government of Punjab will facilitate identification of land parcels in various locations of the state for setting up the plants and also ensure incentives and benefits as applicable for such plants under the State Industrial and Business Development Policy-2017," he said. Rika Biofuels is a specialist anaerobic digestion project developer, specialising in processing problem feed stocks, including high volume manures and agricultural wastes such as crop straws. Gregory Krupnikovs, Director of Rika Biofuels, said "We are very excited to be working with the Punjab government and look forward to developing these projects and helping the State of Punjab and India solve environmental problems arising from the burning of paddy straw." PTI VSD MKJ MKJwhats-on, music-theatre-arts

Senior Curator of Indigenous Art at the National Gallery of Australia FranchescaCubillo said the exhibition The national picture: the art of Tasmania's Black War was "very important for us to have". The exhibition, three years in the making, brings together for the first time a large group of paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and objects from public and private collections including the Queen Victoria Museum in Launceston, the British Museum and the State Library of New South Wales. It focuses on the period in the 1830s and 1840s when 90 per cent of the Tasmanian Indigenous population was killed by the British colonists and the surviving 47 were exiled to Flinders Island but is also relevant to what was happening on the mainland where other frontier wars were taking place. There are also contemporary works by Indigenous artists commenting on the period. Cubillo said, "The exhibition is talking about a part of Australian history that very few people are aware of. The story is being told through wonderful, complex and problematic imagery from the period." The exhibition was curated by Professor Tim Bonyhady from the Australian National University and Dr Greg Lehman from the University of Tasmania, both of whom specialise in the period. Lehman, who is himself a Tasmanian Aboriginal, said one of the key things in the exhibition was the work of Benjamin Duterrau (1768-1851), "the only major colonial artist in Australia who is yet to have an exhibition dedicated to his work". Duterrau arrived in Australia in 1832 as a free settler and became interested in the efforts of Methodist bricklayer George Augustus Robinson to bring peace between white settlers and Tasmanian Indigenous people and depicted Aboriginal people in his work. Bonyady said Duterrau's oil paintings were the biggest of the era and the exhibition is named after the largest - three metres by four metres - which is now lost. "He also did the first etchings by an Australian artist in Australia and the first art lectures in Australia." Cubillo said like many people, she was taught that Truganini was the last Tasmanian Aboriginal person. "Of course, that's not the truth." She said of the original surviving 47 Tasmanian Aboriginals' descendants, many of whom were consulted in the preparation of the exhibition, "they feel a personal connection to these works. "They don't see these as artworks by famous artists - they see them as their family." The national picture: the art of Tasmania's Black War opens on Saturday, May 12 at the National Gallery of Australia and runs until Saturday, July 29. Admission is free. nga.gov.au.

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Real estate agents and renters advocates have welcomed a freeze on laws allowing the operation of commercial rental bond guarantors in Canberra. The government put a 'stay' on legislation on Thursday as part of a suite of housing reforms, having only just recently allowed their operation. Commercial rental bonds allow tenants to pay a private company premiums to front their bond for them with any claims made at an additional cost to tenants. But renters rights groups raised the alarm last week about the fees behind these agreements and the lack of consumer protections, while real estate agents were concerned landlords would be left without a bond if renters skipped on their premiums. The ACT government said more time was needed to look into the "serious concerns" around the products. "During community consultation, the government identified some issues with the way in which these products interact with the current legislation," a government spokeswoman said. Renters groups have pointed to other government backed programs, like ACT Housing's Rental Bond Loan Scheme, as an alternative with better consumer protection. Phd student James Goldie took a no-interest loan from ACT Housing when he and his partner couldn't afford to front their bond. "I was aware that we were below average wealth wise, but I was certainly surprised. I assumed you would absolutely have to be bottom of the barrel to apply for this," Mr Goldie said. Canberrans can apply for a no-interest rental bond loan if they meet a set of criteria, including fitting an income bracket of $715 gross per week for singles or $893 gross per week for two-person families. "I can't even remember how I found out about it. I don't think it's really advertised at all, unless you're poking around the ACT Housing website," Mr Goldie said. The Real Estate Institute of the ACT's chairman, Craig Bright, said his organisation would be happy to consult with the government as they reassessed the legislation. His organisation was concerned that if a renter stopped paying premiums to their guarantor whether there would be no bond for their property. "Also, we believe that there should be a full disclosure to what a commercially guaranteed bond will cost the tenant on an ongoing basis over a number of years," Mr Bright said. Care Financial chief executive Carmel Franklin welcomed the freeze and said the ACT government could consult with her organisation further. "Our concern is if the person is going to be worse off in the end," Ms Franklin said. "It might seem like a good option because it's a small payment rather than a big payment, but it provides far less protection."

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Data showing the increase in popularity of the birth centre at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children sheds some light into recent allegations of overcrowding. As more and more women look to a more natural birth under the midwife continuity of care program pressure is placed on a health care system crying out for more resources. Data from ACT Health shows that the proportion of women giving birth at a birth centre in the ACT increased from 6.2 per cent in 2011 to 8.3 per cent in 2015. While the number of mothers opting for this birthing preference has grown it still represents only a small proportion of births as the great majority of babies are delivered in hospitals. In 2015 there were 421 babies born at the Centenary birth centre compared to 5775 in hospitals. Given the huge demand and the anecdotal evidence of women putting themselves on the waitlist as soon as they discover they are pregnant - more needs to be done to facilitate this option for mothers-to-be. The popularity of the program means many women miss out on the continuity of care and can experience frustrations with the public health care system and birthing in the regular ward. The Canberra Times has published horror stories in recent weeks of traumatic births inside the Centenary Hospital following allegations made by senior staff that a raft of issues were putting mothers and babies at risk. This includes staffing, overcrowding, daily overbookings of inductions and poor management, leaving caring staff unable to do the job in a satisfactory manner. Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris has conceded there are issues with demand for services at the Centenary Hospital and want to encourage more women to birth at Calvary Hospital. This is not likely to happen with the popularity of the birth centre and the highly regarded medical facilities at the associated Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. It is pleasing that ACT Health is reviewing the program with a view to expanding it in the territory. The word-of-mouth warnings delivered to pregnant women to book in to the program show the positive experiences of the majority of mothers who birth there. There will always be good stories to share, such as those reported in the Sunday Canberra Times for Mothers Day. But expansion of the program, improving staffing numbers and resources, and dealing with the allegations will make the birthing experience more positive for more mothers.

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Melba resident Jess Kirsopp was in a pram, barely two, when she waved her tiny hands at Princess Diana, and a few months later Queen Elizabeth, in our bicentennial year. The excitement of being metres away from two very famous royals in 1988 - despite being just a toddler - sparked a passion for Britains Royal Family that could easily earn her the title of Canberras number one Royals fan. Jesss engagement ring is a lookalike of Kate Middletons ceylon diamond engagement ring. Shes the proud owner of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle souvenir wedding condoms, and she once stood at a side entrance of the Australian War Memorial for three hours in the rain to catch a glimpse of the Queens shoe (she saw much more of Prince Phillip). Add to that a silicone replica of Prince Williams - ahem - crown jewel and a case of 65-year-old soap, a souvenir of Queen Elizabeths 1953 coronation, and its fair to say Jess is the definition of the word fanatical. On Monday, Jess and mum Janine Vickers will board a plane along with 15 other Canberrans to head to London for the globally-anticipated wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. During a whirlwind five-day group trip organised by MIX106 radio personality Kristen Henry, the mother daughter team will enjoy high tea at The Ritz, as well cruise along the River Thames - complete with a private piano player. The London visit culminates on Saturday May 19 at noon with the wedding of Prince and Harry and his Hollywood princess. Its a once in a lifetime opportunity and we literally cant wait, Jess said. I watched Kate and Wills wedding on television and just never even imagined I would be in London for the next wedding. People have said, Youre not going to see anything, its you and half a million other people and Im like - I dont care! Its just the vibe of being in London, being around people as passionate about the wedding as you are, staying late in the pubs, not to mention the pomp and pageantry. To say the trip to London is a dream come true for both Jess and Janine is an understatement. Janine first fell in love with Britains Royal Family through princess Diana, who was born the same year as Janine - 1961. Janine would mail order magazines from England for more exclusive photos of Diana and was in tears when the peoples princess exchanged vows with Prince Charles in 1981. When Diana died it was devastating, Janine said. My first thought was for her little boys and my heart just went out to them - ever since then I've followed the two boys like a mother figure. Ive followed them in the news and often thought gosh, If Diana was here, she'd be giving Harry what for. But I love Harry because hes the wild child, and deep down, Im a bit of a wild child too. Daughter Jess spent her childhood cutting out pictures of the Royals from magazines and drawing family trees - her own, as well as those of British and European royalty from the 17th century onward. Shes a a total nerd, a history nut, Jess said, and was a super excitable one-woman tour guide for husband Tim during their honeymoon to, you guess it, London in 2014. You wouldnt want to watch Netflix series The Crown with her: she spoils every scene with her extensive knowledge of Elizabeths life. Im working at Guardian Early Learning Centre out at Forde and even the kids in my class know Im a Royal nut, Jess said. If they find a picture of someone wearing a crown when theyre cutting up books and magazines theyll knock on my door and say, I found this for you! Do you want it?' Its so sweet. With just two sleeps to go until they board the plane, Jess is less about packing a formal outfit and hat for the wedding day and more about delving deep into the history of the hotel theyre staying at, Londons St Ermins. It was used as a base by Mi5 in the second world war and there are secret tunnels that go underneath it to the houses of parliament, she said. Ive figured out where the door to one of the secret tunnels is.

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The valiant efforts of governments and health groups to inform and educate the community about healthy food choices (Most dont understand kilojoules, May 6, p.6) will never succeed, for three fundamental reasons: first, because these efforts are overwhelmed by the greater marketing resources and sophisticated approaches of the food and beverage industry (including the fast food sector), who effectively manipulate the environment in which food choices are made; second, because when people make decisions about food choices  and we are said to make more than 200 food decisions every day  many of these are mindless, subconscious or habit-based decisions; and, third  as the recent consumer research has shown  conscious decisions about food will prioritise many other factors before health, even where information is provided.For these reasons, information and education will only achieve so much and are unlikely to persuade those who resist health messages and whose priorities and interests are elsewhere.Rather than trying to influence millions of individuals to make conscious decisions which prioritise health  which is often an abstract and long-term concept  governments should be addressing the obesogenic environment, encouraging or mandating food reformulation, restricting unhealthy food advertising to children, and focusing on other strategies which would make the healthy choices the easy choices by default. Karina Morris, Weetangera Canberra social service providers are facing increased demand from working families confronting cost of living pressures, in an Australia boasting 26 years of uninterrupted economic growth (Social services seeing more working families, Sunday, CT, May 6, p.7).Millions of working poor are being left behind, in a country of 11,000 millionaires and, according to the Financial Review Rich List (2017), 60 billionaires. Corporations are banking ever greater profits. Australian taxation figures disclose some 700 of Australias largest pay no tax, while many others pay token amounts, with few actually remitting 30 per cent, which, ironically, Turnbull, at the behest of the Business Council of Australia (BCA), strains to lower. Then there are the disrupters  Amazon, Google, Uber, etc  which parasitise communities, paying no tax, driving down wages, destroying businesses, courtesy fawning politicians, and operating completely extraterritorially, beyond Australias legal reach.St Johns and Canberra City Cares ability to meet basic needs is compromised both by increased demand and reduced donations, as people have less discretionary income. Carnells Chamber of Commerce and Westacotts BCA ferocious  successful?  campaigns, urged on by Minister Cash, to reduce penalty rates, further pauperised the already poor, reducing them to precarious subsistence, in a rich country.Considered government policy encouraging high levels of immigration plus a plethora of skilled work visas, granted on whim to employers, are used as wedges to drive down wages, subliminally succeeding where Work Choices failed.Is this really the country for which so many fought and died? Albert M. White, Queanbeyan Gratifying to see that the Canberra Times saw fit to devote a double-page spread (May 6, p.4-5) to the 30th anniversary of the opening of Parliament House.A shame that reporter Andrew Brown didnt have time to interview more of the contributors to its design and construction other than a member of the architectural firm of Mitchell, Giurgola & Thorp and a steel fixing contractor.It would have been interesting to have comments from the construction director, other members of the architectural team, the public art consultant responsible for the co-ordination of the $13 million artworks programme, former members of the NCDC (sadly now defunct), some of the members of the Concrete/Holland Joint Venture team who actually were responsible for building and fitting out this iconic edifice. I would like to think that we may see a follow-up article (or articles) with more reminiscences from workforce who were proud contributors to one of Australias most prestigious architectural and engineering projects. P. Watson, Red Hill Once again the interests of the community are secondary to protecting the interests of a profession, (Complaints against vets revealed, CT, May 6, p.1).If justice is to be served then the names of so-called professionals found guilty of offences against their clients must be revealed.Redacting their names from FOI responses will only ensure that we, the public, must consider all professionals to be guilty by association. Roger Dace, Reid There were a few notable omissions from the smells and tastes of certain foods from our past (Back in time with a bite@, Relax, CT, May 6).I long for Arnotts to bring back the Butter Oat, the look and taste of the Triple Treat from Streets and Margins of Gosford with their Golden Shandy. Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook, NSW Five months ago our town council snuck in a nefarious piece of legislation so that from May 7, agents could ask renters to pay a third party for a commercial guarantee, instead of lodging a cash rental bond. (Cane toad sprung on renters, May 6, p.19).The right for people to ask is functionally equivalent to the right to demand.Tenants would have to pay a fee to this third-party company.In fact, renters would have to pay ongoing fees to a commercial guarantor to front their bond for them. (Rental bonds go commercial, May 6, p.7).A critical point over and beyond the loss of direct appeal rights on bond decisions and the imposition of an annual fee for the service is what, if any, degree of separation is required between the agent, the commercial guarantor and the owner in situations.The scheme also legitimises the sharing of secret client databases and the black-balling of difficult tenants who know and insist on their rights.The bottom line is that Andrew Barr has again sold the little people out in favour of the real property industry. Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message eld, not as an attached le. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610. Keep your letter to 250 words or less. References to Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published).news, latest-news

The number of dependent migrant women suffering domestic violence is dropping according to statistics from the Department of Home Affairs, but one Canberra expert believes more women are staying put in violent relationships rather than seeking help. Migrants on domestic or partner visas are able to enact specific family violence provisions under the legislation so they can still be considered for permanent residency, despite their relationship breakdown. Evidence in such cases are crucial, either by court ruling or alternatively by complex non-judicial means. Statistics from the Department of Home Affairs show the number of people enacting the provisions has dropped slightly over the past five years. According to the data, 540 people made claims of domestic violence in the 2016-17 financial year, compared with 668 in 2013-14. Without providing reasons for the cancellations, a Home Affairs spokeswoman said there were 474 cancellations of partner visas in 2016-17. But statistics from the Domestic Violence Crisis Service show much greater numbers of migrant women needing help. According to DVCS executive director Mirjana Wilson, it was possible the people needing help in these situations didn't know how to access it. She said from January 1 this year, 62 culturally and linguistically diverse women sought help. At least 18 of those women were on visas. And that's in the ACT alone. "Overall, DVCS's operational experience is that culturally and linguistically diverse women report similar forms of domestic and family violence," Ms Wilson said. "However, what we have observed and learnt is that the impact of the violence is often intensified by the stressors of the migration experience generally and the restrictions of visa status, which often results in an increase of womens dependency on the person using violence for economic security and residency rights." Ms Wilson said what women were telling them at DVCS was that the person using the violence was spreading lies about the impact on their visa status. "They use threats of deportation and the removal of children as added means of control," she said. "Sometimes for these reasons, culturally and linguistically diverse women may tend to endure domestic and family violence for prolonged periods before seeking help." About a third of all referrals to a legal clinic run for migrants in the ACT are in relation to domestic violence. More than 40 per cent of Beryl Women's Refuge clients are from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and the majority of those are seeking shelter to escape domestic violence. Domestic violence provisions in the legislation are notoriously hard to enact. In April, migration agent Vanessa Burn called for changes to the system that sees migrant women trapped in relationships because of lack of knowledge and lack of support.

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In a strange irony, the decision of the High Court on Katy Gallagher's eligibility to sit in parliament triggered a series of byelections around the country, but residents of the ACT won't be going back to the polls. Ms Gallagher's time as senator ended with the High Court judgment, but the process of electing a new senator isn't quite so clean cut, and it doesn't involve an extra democracy sausage. So what happens now? Byelections are only used for vacancies created in the House of Representatives, and Ms Gallagher didn't resign from her position in the Senate, meaning a casual vacancy that can be filled by the party itself doesn't exist. The High Court, sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns, must now wait for the Commonwealth to file a summons in front of a single justice requesting a recount of the 2016 election for senators to represent the ACT that excludes Ms Gallagher as she was ineligible. At that hearing, which is likely to happen within the next few weeks, the court will order the Australian Electoral Commission to do the recount at a specific time and date, and also declare a date for a second hearing where the result will be declared. Labor's David Smith is set to take the Senate seat in that recount, but with the upper house not due to sit until June 18 due to Senate estimates, he will have at least a month to wait until he can be sworn in, and possibly longer depending on when the High Court declares him elected. Unlike her lower house colleagues who announced their intention to resign to the media a day before officially resigning to the House of Representatives, Ms Gallagher's time as a senator ended, and the salary and entitlements that go with it, as soon as the judgment came down. It's not just Ms Gallagher who must consider what to do next, but also her staff. The employment status of her staff remains unclear; due to Labor's factional politics it's unlikely they would continue in the same roles in Mr Smith's office. On Friday Ms Gallagher continued her steadfast silence since the decision was handed down. Aside from a written statement released on Wednesday, she has given no indication when she might front the public or media.

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Workers in Canberra's inner suburbs are set to receive a bigger bump in their pay packets from the income tax cuts announced in Tuesday's budget than anywhere else in the country. Modelling by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM) has applied the three phases of the seven-year income tax cuts proposed by Treasurer Scott Morrison to average income data around the country, with some ACT suburbs set to reap the benefits more than any other suburb in Australia. In the ACT, workers in Kingston, Braddon and Phillip will experience the most extra money in their pockets in the next financial year, while workers in Hawker, Garran and Hughes will see the smallest increase to their pay packets. Overall, all areas of the ACT are set to have at least $119 more a year to spend than they did in 2017-18. Kingston and Braddon are among the top 10 per cent of suburbs around the country to gain the benefits in 2018-19, with workers in the trendy inner south and inner north areas to have between $178 and $268 more in their pockets. All areas of the ACT will be in the top 50 per cent of people to benefit from the tax cuts, with Barton, Kingston and Yarralumla residents to see the highest increases of up to $9593 a year. Suburbs like Scullin, Bonner and Holt would receive the lowest increases out of ACT suburbs, of between $4001 and $4267. In contrast, the bottom ten per cent of earners around the country will experience increases of $2246-$3158 a year from 2024-25. Associate professor at the University of Canberra and NATSEM modeller Jinjing Li said the analysis showed the income tax cuts wouldn't be felt as much by those on lower incomes. "It is true that in terms of in term of personal incomes it favours middle incomes in 2018-19 and higher incomes in 2024-25," he said. "People in the ACT are on average benefiting a lot more, even the worst part in the ACT is probably considered above average or at average at a national level." Under the final phase of the tax overhaul in 2024-25, the suburb of Barton is among the suburbs to experience the greatest benefits, alongside NSW's North Sydney and Lavender Bay and East Melbourne in Victoria. The top 10 per cent of earners will end up with between $5995 and $9593 more a year, according to NATSEM's analysis. The first stage of the income tax overhaul involves a tax offset of up to $530 for those earning between $48,000 and $90,000, with the offset decreasing gradually to zero for incomes between $90,000 and $125,000. Between next year and 2024-25 the government will gradually increase the upper threshold of the 32.5 per cent tax bracket until it includes all workers earning between $41,000 and $200,000 a year. The analysis also shows that across the country, workers in Labor-held seats are set to be some of the biggest beneficiaries of the plan, with residents in the electorates of Sydney, Melbourne Ports and Grayndler to end up with thousands of dollars more income in 2024.

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Kuala Lumpur: "You may ask questions, but in a very orderly fashion. Please remember, I was 'the dictator'," Malaysia's new prime minister Mahathir Mohamad says. The meeting room on level 3D of the Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya roars with laughter. The clock is just about to strike midnight but Mahathir, 92, is just getting started at this press conference, his fourth in 24 hours. A huge crowd of supporters and a press pack that has swollen to hundreds of correspondents from around the region are on hand to witness the end of 61 years of one-party rule. Twenty-four hours earlier, and six hours after polls had closed in Malaysia's historic 14th general election, Mahathir had delivered a blunt warning to the man he once mentored, Prime Minister Najib Razak, as well as the nation's Electoral Commission and even the state's security services to play by the rules, finish counting the votes and respect the rule of law. The wily Mahathir, wary of Malaysia's old guard objecting to a transfer of power to the opposition after all this time, has sent exactly the right signals to the royal families, the Electoral Commission and the state's security services in the last 24 hours to ensure change took place. Of course he knew how to do it. For 22 years, Mahathir was the old guard, the prime minister, leader of the ruling Barisan Nasional and the figurehead in a system he has now helped tear down as a reborn democrat. A six-hour swearing-in delay at the royal palace hinted at the behind-the-scenes turmoil as Malaysia finally, peacefully, transitioned to a new political era. The new-old leader of this nation of 31 million people set about reassuring Malaysians his government would be pro-business, pursue billions of dollars siphoned off by Najib and his cronies in the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund scandal, and get rid of repressive laws. At a time when democracy has been in decline throughout the region and the world, the majority-Muslim nation of ethnic Malays (60 per cent), Chinese (20 per cent) and Indians (8 per cent) has defied expectations and finally, fully embraced change. According to Professor Clive Kessler of the University of NSW, who has studied Malaysian elections since 1967, the fact Mahathir could joke about being a dictator says a lot. "This is someone concerned about his place in history, who is aware of the criticism people have made of him, and he will see this as his opportunity for redemption and to secure his place in history. "The problems facing this new government are great, they are inexperienced and while they presented a united front to defeat Najib, they aren't really united. It's also unclear how much institutional resistance, from the public service, police and the judiciary, there will be to change." But according to the ANU's Malaysian politics expert Amrita Malhi, so far the signs are quite promising. "The royal families, police, and military all seem to be keen to show the public that yes, the transition will happen. There will be plenty of challenges, but the oppositions campaign did not give the sense that they would launch a full-frontal assault on institutions and structures that many Malay Muslims, in particular, hold dear," she says. She also disagrees with suggestions that the incoming government is inexperienced. "Many in their ranks have been around since 1998, when Mahathir first sacked Anwar [Ibrahim, his then deputy prime minister], and theyve worked for two decades to have the chance to implement democratic reforms." The Mahathir-Anwar relationship is one of the most fascinating aspects of this election. Years before Mahathir mentored Najib, he mentored Anwar. The pair fell out, spectacularly, over Anwar's desire for reform and at the turn of the last century, he was jailed on trumped-up sodomy charges. That Anwar and Mahathir could reunite to take down Najib  Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, is now Mahathir's deputy prime minister  speaks volumes about the desire for change. Wan Azizah, incidentally, is one of the greatest heroes of this moment after taking over the opposition leadership more than a decade ago, after Anwar was jailed. Anwar is due to complete his second stint in prison on a second set of trumped-up sodomy charges, brought during Najib's rule, on June 8. Amnesty Internationals Malaysia researcher Rachel Chhoa-Howard said the new government should immediately release Anwar and abolish a raft of repressive laws, such as Najib's "fake news laws", which were designed to stifle debate online. This may actually happen. Mahathir said Thursday night "we want to abolish laws that are oppressive and unfair", referring to the fake news law. And he has promised repeatedly in recent days that he will seek a royal pardon for Anwar, so he can re-enter politics, and then hand over the prime ministership to him (though on Thursday night he would not put a date on when exactly this will happen). As Kessler puts it: "Mahathir wont live forever, and while it wont be easy to get a royal pardon, my sense is that the intention is to hand over. I think he is genuine." Among the key promises the new government has made are scrapping the very unpopular GST, stabilising Malaysia's currency, the ringgit, and reviewing major infrastructure projects such as the China-funded East Coast Rail Link (which is part of the Belt and Road initiative). This won't be easy, either. The heads of some government agencies and departments, cosy with the government, are in Mahathir's sights for "aiding and abetting a prime minister who the world condemned as a kleptocrat". That could prompt the some of the institutional pushback referred to by Kessler, but would likely have the overwhelming support of ordinary Malaysians. Many questions remain about the unexpected, unlikely "reformasi" moment that confounded analysts and swept Malaysia's old order aside this week. It will be years before some of the answers become clear. This was a victory for the Malaysian people. And, arguably, it was one only Mahathir Mohamad, the veteran autocrat-turned-democrat who promised a "Malay tsunami" of votes, could deliver.

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/bb08d048-4293-4547-a8b1-69b9c66d5bdb/r0_212_4000_2472_w1200_h678_fmax.jpgModified On May 12, 2018 11:12 AM By CarDekho for Nissan Kicks

The Kicks can be a rival to the Hyundai Creta while the Terra can compete with the Fortuner and Endeavour

Nissan is not doing very well in India. Apart from the fact that the carmaker doesnt have a really wide network, it lacks attractive products too, that too in the right segments (read SUVs). While theres the Terrano that competes against the Duster and the Creta, it is ageing faster than Nissan would have wanted. The Sunny and the Micra arent contributing much to sales charts of the carmaker either.

And until now, Nissan really didnt have an SUV that fit the needs of the Indian market, where traditional boxy designs with a rather butch road presence and feature-rich insides have worked well. But Nissans latest SUV duo - Kicks and Terra - has qualities in them to make inroads in the Indian market, and even flourish if they come with the right mix of features and at competitive prices.

Nissan Kicks

The Nissan Kicks is a compact SUV of the Hyundai Cretas size. It was recently launched in the US at a starting price of $17,990 (~ Rs 12.12 lakh). The Kicks is also on sale in China and will eventually replace the ageing Juke in almost all markets.

The Kicks that is sold in the US and China is based on Nissans V platform, which also underpins cars such as the Micra (fourth-gen model, currently on sale in India) and the Sunny. At 2,620mm, the Kicks wheelbase, for instance, is nearly identical to the Sunnys (2,600mm). However, as far as its overall length is concerned, it is roughly the same size (4,295mm) as the Hyundai Creta (4,270mm).

Rumours surrounding the Kicks India launch have been doing the rounds since some time but we think if Nissan has to bring it to India, it might be underpinned by the B0 platform, which also underpins the Captur, Duster and Terrano. While the V platform, on which the US-spec Kicks is developed, has also been localised in India, its the B0 platform that might give it the right size to compete with the compact SUVs here.

If the Kicks is underpinned by the B0 platform in India, it will be larger than its version that is underpinned by the V-platform. Wheelbase, for instance, would be similar to the Captur or Duster at 2673mm, which is roughly more than 50mm compared to the model on the V platform. The overall length can then also be over 4300mm. It will be more like what Renault just did with the Captur, which is based on the B0 platform here instead of the Renault Clios B platform.

The India-spec version of the Kicks could be powered by the Capturs 1.5-litre petrol (106PS/142Nm; a derivative of the Sunnys HR15 engine) and 1.5-litre diesel engines (110PS/245Nm). Transmission options could include a CVT with the petrol and EDC (Renaults Efficient Dual Clutch) with the diesel, both of which are also expected with the Captur in the future.

Compared to the Nissan Terrano and the Renault Duster, the Kicks comes with a more extensive feature list, much like the Captur. It offers smoked LED projector headlamps with Nissans signature LED daytime running lights, machined wheels and dual-tone paint scheme. It is only the Captur that offers full-LED headlamps, including dynamic LED turn signals, in the compact SUV segment in India at present. The upcoming Hyundai Creta facelift is likely to carry forward the existing halogen projector setup.

On the inside, the Kicks gets a mounted 7-inch infotainment system that supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, something that people miss on the Renault Captur. Compared to the Captur, the Kicks also offer a newer, low-set dashboard with a clean minimalist layout. Thats because the cabin and styling bits of the Captur that is sold here is borrowed from the European version that has been around since 2013. The Kicks shares its dashboard with the new fifth-gen Nissan Micra.

Nissan Terra

The Nissan Terra is a full-size SUV based on the ladder-frame underpinnings of the Nissan Navara pickup truck. Nissan recently revealed it for the Chinese market but it is expected to launch the SUV in Thailand and Philippines too. Likewise, we hope Nissan selects it for the Indian market too since it appears to be a competitive product to go against the likes of the Fortuner and Endeavour, which are easily doing over 2500 units a month together.

The Terra is expected to borrow a diesel engine from the Navara, which could be one of the two engines offered on the pickup. The Navara gets a 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel engine and a 2.5-litre unit. Incidentally, both the engines develop the same 190PS of maximum power. The Navara also has a petrol engine in its lineup: a 2.5-litre unit that makes a maximum power of 183PS. Outside, it is available with both manual and automatic transmission options. In India, Nissan can offer both the Terra with both petrol and diesel engine options, like the Fortuner.

The Terra is feature-rich too, though the list isnt as extensive as it is on the Ford Endeavour. You can read in detail about the Terra here.

Let us know what you think about these SUVs in the comments section below.Servicemen and women of the United States military and National Guard endure intense training in preparation for real combat scenarios, all while maintaining peak physical fitness. From the outside perspective, the most nervewracking part of this line of work is the ultimate call to duty  deployments, war zones, and the like.

The truth is, casualties related to non-combat situations are more common than many know. This is how many U.S. service members have died in non-combat crashes in 2018.

1. 2 soldiers killed in a helicopter training

January 20, 2018

When an Apache helicopter crashed at Fort Irwin, California, on January 20, 2018, 1st Lt. Clayton R. Cullen and Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) Kevin F. Burke of the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division were both killed. To add insult to tragedy, the accident happened in the midst of the government shutdown, which made the emergency $100,000 death benefit null and void.

Next: Less than two months passed before another non-combat related casualty.

2. 2 naval soldiers killed in a fighter jet training flight

March 14, 2018

An FA-18 fighter jet from the Strike Fighter Squadron 213 went down off the coast of Key West, Florida, killing two naval aviators. The crash took place as the fighter jet approached the Naval Air Station in Key West. President Trump later took to Twitter, sending his condolences to the families.

Next: It wasnt ISIS that brought this helicopter down.

3. 7 U.S. airmen killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq

March 15, 2018

Although these servicemen were part of a task force working to fight against ISIS forces in western Iraq on March 15, 2018, the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter crash was not caused by enemy fire. Of the seven dedicated members of the military, two were also New York City firemen. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio released this statement:

They are truly two of New York Citys bravest  running into danger to protect and defend others, both in New York City and in combat overseas. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I extend my deepest condolences to their families, loved ones, and fellow service members and FDNY members.

Next: Four crew members tragically killed.

4. 4 crew members killed in a California helicopter training mission

April 3, 2018

Helicopter training exercises are both routine and necessary. Unfortunately, a routine training of the Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter went down on April 3, 2018, killing four crew members. According to CNN and the Marines website, CH-53 helicopters are used to transport heavy equipment and supplies, and are capable of lifting 16 tons. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Next: The next day, this jet went down.

5. 1 pilot killed in a Nevada Air Force Base training flight

April 4, 2018

On April 4, 2018, at the U.S. Air Forces Nevada Test and Training Range, an F-16 fighter jet crashed and killed the Thunderbird pilot. This routine training flight went down at 10:30 a.m., becoming the third F-16 Thunderbird jet to go down in the last two years.

Next: A Kentucky helicopter crash only two days later.

6. 2 soldiers killed in a crash during a helicopter training at Fort Campbell

April 6, 2018

Chief Warrant Officer Ryan Connolly and Warrant Officer James Casadona were the Army soldiers killed in an AH-64E Apache helicopter crash on April 6, 2018. This routine training flight took place in the Fort Campbell, Kentucky training area. Connolly had served with the U.S. Army since 2001, and Casadona had served since 2012.

Next: The highest number of non-combat related deaths occurred on this one flight.

7. 9 killed in a cargo plane crash in Georgia

May 2, 2018

Even though Puerto Rico Air National Guards WC-130 cargo plane endured days of maintenance, the plane went down shortly after take-off on May 2, 2018, killing all nine crew members on board. The crash took place on a Savannah, Georgia, highway.1 dead, 1 injured in Pueblo East Side shooting

An Oct. 7 shooting near East Fourth Street in Pueblo has left one man dead and another injured.Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

Scores of beloved mothers throughout America cheerfully anticipate a very special day ahead. Most are excited about plans to gather with their children and reflect upon cherished memories and significant lessons gleaned along the twists and turns of typical parenting adventures. Some of these precious moms, however, will not be shedding tears of joy, but instead very painful ones upon being reminded of deep grief from the loss of their precious offspring. Whether those untimely deaths were from illness or other causes, these women can feel a seemingly inconsolable emptiness on "Mother's Day."

My heart will especially ache this second Sunday in May for those who have endured the unimaginable loss of children ripped away in senseless acts of gun violence. Some of these tragedies have occurred in educational institutions  like the Parkland, Florida high school  which intended to hold the promise of a bright and meaningful future. Others transpired in houses of worship, like the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas. Horrified mothers impacted by these bloodstained events will need special prayer and counsel to endure this historical date of celebration - which has now become their annual day of intense mourning. And even more difficult this day will be for moms in homes where fatalities were impetuously committed with a family owned firearm. For all of these hurting women, Tara Watkins Anderson offers this inspiring bereavement quote: "The strongest person in the world is a grieving mother that wakes up and keeps going every morning."

Sadly, each day in America concludes with additional shooting victims  and more weeping mothers. The USA owns nearly half of all the world's firearms  with the shameful status of #1 in gun fatalities among the wealthiest nations. At this writing, the Gun Violence Archive indicates that over a thousand children have already been shot in 2018. Johns Hopkins University researchers discovered that our teens are eighty times more likely to die from gunfire than in other developed countries. As a parent of five children, I myself am greatly concerned for the future of a society that promotes liberal gun ownership - as if the more firearms accessed, the fewer deaths would occur. On the contrary, multiple studies since the 1980s have revealed quite the opposite.

Just as Christians strongly rally for laws against abortion clinics, we must also support reasonable gun restrictions to save human lives. As former public school teachers, my own mother and I are astounded by proposals to even arm educators  adding the role of sharpshooter to their already numerous responsibilities. With the potential for student aggression and crossfire casualties, those who could die in such tragedies would likely far outnumber the many killed in all the school massacres thus far combined.

This past December marked the fifth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting when twenty young children and six staff members brutally perished. Shockingly, the killer used his own mother's AR-15 style rifle, first slaughtering her, and then firing over 150 bullets in under five minutes upon the frightened school victims. Physicians have remarked how distinctively this type of firearm pulverizes body tissues. Even so, many owners argue for keeping them legal for game hunting and protection  but many states have inadequate restrictions, making it all too simple for someone intent upon mass human destruction. Gun enthusiasts adamantly insist that it is only the shooter and not the firearm access to blame. We would all concur that this clearly is a heart problem  and yet one in which evil is given the chance to kill with an easily acquired high powered gun. The late Rev. Martin Luther King once judiciously stated: "It may be true that the law cannot change the heart, but it can restrain the heartless."

In light of all this, since the Biblical purpose of government is essentially to promote morality and protect citizens, many of our nation's grieving moms  and numerous others concerned about violent repercussions - are wisely demanding legislative action. We need consistent nationwide restrictions on these deadly mass marketedweapons - with well-enforced penalties for violators. Our ultimate goal should be to reduce future civilian purchases of semi-automatics - which are devastating families  and so horribly grieving Almighty God. Perhaps then, America's mothers who lament for their fatally shot loved ones, will be comforted with the hope that our elected officials are being led to honor the Prince of Peace. May we remember these magnificent promises from chapter five of Matthew's gospel - in the greatest sermon given on earth by Christ Himself: "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted... Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy...Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

I can't believe the depth of ignorance of many modern people in the West. Mass murderer Joseph Stalin, ruthless dictator of the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953, appears to be making a comeback, at least among some. During a time of willful ignorance toward what Stalin had been doing to his own people, he was often called "Uncle Joe"  with affection, in the West.

Walter Duranty, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist with the New York Times, was infamously known as "Stalin's Apologist."

Roger Baldwin, the founder of the ACLU, even visited the Soviet Union in the 1920s and wrote a book praising it  Liberty Under the Soviets (1928).

But we should know better today because the crimes of "the Man of Steel" (the meaning of Stalin's adopted name in Russia) have become widely exposed.

However, on May 2, 2018, the Drudge Report had a headline declaring: "London marchers hold STALIN banners..." The story by Tim Stickings in the Daily Mail (UK) (5/1/18) states, "Protesters marked International Workers' Day with a rally in London's Trafalgar Square...with some marchers holding up pictures of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin." This was a part of the annual May Day protests. He adds, "One banner, pictured by Twitter users, featured a large portrait of Stalin, along with a quote from his work speaking of the 'dictatorship of the proletariat' and the transition from capitalism to communism."

Thankfully, Stickings helped put the infamous Soviet leader in perspective (unlike some of the protesters): "Millions of people died in Stalin's Russia, many of them transported to labour camps to work in extreme temperatures or executed in mass killings of political prisoners, while others died in disastrous famines."

I once interviewed former socialist Joshua Muravchik, who wrote Heaven on Earth, which chronicles the rise and fall of socialism in various manifestations. He told me how Stalin "starved to death [millions] in a deliberately created famine that was intended to impose collectivization of farms in the Soviet Union."

These peasant farmers did not want Communism forced on them. Muravchik describes what happened next: "When they resisted being collectivized, Stalin deliberately starved them into submission by simply sending the army and the secret police to the rural districts and taking away their produce, so they had nothing left to eat."

During the 1930s, in his forced famine against the Ukraine, Stalin even had the census workers shot, so the world would never know just how many people he killed after all. The estimates of the number of human beings killed by their own government in Stalin's Russia ranges from 20 to 40 million people. Muravchik adds, "The Communist countries did prove to be the greatest killers of all time. We don't have even to this day exact numbers."

Stalin had once observed that one person being killed was a "tragedy," but 10,000 killed was merely a "statistic."

But Stalin didn't just have it in for peasants who resisted collectivization, he also targeted Christians. In 1925, the Soviets under Stalin had founded the League of Militant Godless (LMG) to eradicate all religion. Dr. David Barrett, editor of the massive World Christian Encyclopedia, says that in 1934, Stalin, "widely regarded as the Antichrist, attempt[ed] liquidation of [the] entire Christian church."

And yet by 1941, the LMG disbanded in failure. Despite all the crushing, brutal attacks; despite the fact that Stalin boasted of having killed some 10 million Ukrainian Christians, he still could not eradicate Christianity. Nor could his predecessor, nor his successors in the Soviet Union. Jesus said He would build His church, and the gates of hell could not prevail against it.

From time to time, I reread 1984. Stalin is front and center in that novel written by a former socialist, George Orwell, in 1948. Big Brother with his big, bushy mustache is Joe Stalin. Big Brother is watching.

Then you have Emmanuel Goldstein, the subject of the "two-minute hates," where people vent their spleen against the vanquished former comrade. He is undoubtedly patterned after Leon Trotsky, who was there in the beginning of the Russian Revolution, working alongside Comrade Joseph, until the latter managed to get complete control. Then Trotsky became "an enemy of the people."

There's a little obscure island that I have seen on numerous occasions off the southern coast of Norway, unofficially dubbed to this day "Trotsky Island," for the man sought refuge there for two months while hiding from Stalin's grasp. When Stalin found out where he was, Trotsky fled to Mexico, where a Stalinite later murdered him.

I realize there is a great deal of ignorance among Americans and Westerners in general these days. But please, let's not bring back any appreciation of "Uncle Joe" Stalin. The blood of 20-40 million cries out in opposition.

Jerry Newcombe, D.Min., is an on-air host/senior producer for D. James Kennedy Ministries. He has written/co-written 28 books, e.g., The Unstoppable Jesus Christ, Doubting Thomas (w/ Mark Beliles, on Jefferson), and What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? (w/ D. James Kennedy) & the bestseller, George Washington's Sacred Fire (w/ Peter Lillback) djkm.org @newcombejerry www.jerrynewcombe.comPatricia Heaton tells atheist to 'dig a little deeper' in Twitter exchange about God and prayer

Actress Patricia Heaton recently had an interesting discussion about prayer and God's existence with her followers on Twitter.

The exchange stemmed from a quote that the star of "The Middle" shared on Twitter, which came from a Carmelite nun. Heaton wrote, "You come to realize very soon, that prayer isn't something you do, it's something that God does that you're open to. And so the more you try to be open to God, surrendered to Him, His life flows into us in prayer."

Non-believers replied by asking questions or sharing why they didn't believe in God, and thus didn't feel they had a need to pray.

One Twitter user wondered why Heaton, who openly shares her Christian faith to her nearly 400,000 followers, believes so much in God's existence when this hasn't been "100 percent" proven. Another Twitter follower claimed that the idea of God was perpetuated to instill fear in people, "that if they didn't do as they were told, bad things would happen."

Heaton interjected that she believes there's more evidence about God's existence than there is about His non-existence and she told her followers to "dig a little deeper." But when the atheist suggested it was best to stop digging, the actress replied, "Never stop digging."

I would say there's more evidence for His existence than not. Of course everyone goes through moments of doubt, but I think our intrinsic desire for eternal peace and to be eternally known keeps us coming back. Not a complete answer but its a start.  Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) May 3, 2018

Maybe dig a little deeper.  Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) May 4, 2018

Heaton has had a number of exchanges with non-believers on social media in the past but she always responded with kindness. Last year, an atheist also challenged the actress' belief in God and it elicited a heated discussion among her followers. Nevertheless, Heaton didn't take offence.

Meanwhile, the TV mom recently returned from a humanitarian trip to Uganda with World Vision. She helped prepare meals and shared hundreds of prayers from her followers for the refugees.Alabama governor denounces school's decision to send teacher home for wearing 'just pray' shirt

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has criticized a public school in Mobile County for sending a teacher home for wearing a shirt emblazoned with the words "just pray."

The principal at Pearl Haskew Elementary School in Irvington had asked third grade teacher Chris Burrell to change the shirt in question on April 23, citing a policy prohibiting teachers and students from wearing clothes with explicit religious messages.

Burrell explained in a social media post that she bought the shirt last year in a fundraiser to support 11-year-old Aubreigh Nicholas, who is suffering from an inoperable brain tumor called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).

In a statement on Wednesday, Ivey condemned the school's decision, arguing that the teacher's shirt was protected by religious liberty.

"Religious liberty is a cornerstone of the freedoms we enjoy in our country. For a teacher to be disallowed from wearing a shirt that exhorts others to pray, especially for a child suffering from terminal cancer, is simply unacceptable," the governor said, according to AL.com.

"The right to express one's religious beliefs, including prayer which was often invoked by George Washington himself, is not lost when one enters the schoolhouse door. I am committed to protecting religious freedom for everyone, including our teachers and school children," she continued.

The issue has drawn media attention after Burrell wrote about the incident on her Facebook page. According to Fox News, the teacher explained in her now-deleted post that she "didn't think twice" about wearing the shirt as she did not intend to promote any religion.

The principal initially asked her if the could wear a sweater to cover the wording, but she was later asked to go home and change her shirt.

Burrell asserted that the principal did not know that the shirt was a part of the fundraising efforts to support Nicholas.

Fox News reported that the shirt was created by a group called Aubreigh's Army, which seeks to raise awareness about DIPG.

Mobile County Public Schools Superintendent Martha Peek argued that the school principal still "would have had to exercise her judgment" even though she was not aware about the fundraising campaign for Nicholas.

Yahoo News reported that the Mobile County Public School System handbook does not specifically mention religion when it comes to the prohibition of certain messages on clothing.

The handbook specifically prohibits clothing with messages promoting alcohol, tobacco and controlled substances, as well as those containing words or symbols that are sexual in nature or those that depict violence, nudity and profanity.Trump administration to ease restrictions on federal funding for Christian colleges

The U.S. Department of Education has reportedly announced its plan to scrap several rules and regulations, including restrictions related to federal funding for religiously-affiliated schools.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is reportedly planning to review the regulations that govern how faith-based schools receive and use money from the federal government.

"Various provisions of the department's regulations regarding eligibility of faith-based entities and activities do not reflect the latest case law regarding religion or unnecessarily restrict religion," said Liz Hill, an Education Department spokeswoman, according to The New York Times. "The department plans to review and to amend such regulations in order to be more inclusive," she added.

A document obtained by Politico suggested that the Education Department is drawing up plan to assemble a panel that will negotiate changes to the requirements for religious colleges taking part in student aid programs.

The department said that some religious colleges are being "unnecessarily" restricted from participating in federal programs, noting that some rules are "overly broad in their prohibition of activities or services that relate to sectarian instruction or religious worship."

"Other provisions may be overly broad in prohibiting the benefits a borrower may receive based on faith-based activity." the document stated, as reported by Politico.

The document hinted at the education department's plans to amend regulations "regarding the eligibility of faith-based entities to obtain grants from the department or to participate in state-administered programs and the activities that they may perform."

The proposal follows a Supreme Court ruling in June that declared Missouri's decision to deny funds to a church-run preschool to be unconstitutional. The Trinity Lutheran Church had sued the state after being excluded from receiving a state grant to make its playground safer.

Last year, Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued guidance detailing how agencies can enforce federal laws to bolster religious protections.

The New York Times noted that federal law contains several restrictions on funding for higher education and faith-based institutions.

One regulation prohibits the use of work-study financial aid for the construction or maintenance of facilities used for religious worship.

Another rule bars state education departments from partnering with "pervasively sectarian" institutions for the Gear Up program, which provides funding for tutors, mentors and outreach efforts for at-risk youths.

Republican lawmakers appear to be aggressively fighting against restrictions on religious schools. According to The New York Times, a legislation called the Prosper Act has been introduced in the House to allow religious colleges to bar same-sex relationships and allow religious student groups to bar applicants or members who are not of the same faith.U2 disappoints legions of fans after declaring pro-abortion support

Irish rock band U2 has disappointed legions of fans after admitting its pro-abortion stance. In posts across all its social media accounts, the band shared an image in favor of the repeal of Ireland's Eighth Amendment, as the country moves to vote on the abortion referendum on Friday, May 25.

U2 fans on Twitter had a divided reaction on the band's public call to repeal the law. Some applauded the band for their stance while many also expressed their disappointment and moved to unfollow the legendary band.

"I have loved and followed you for 20 years. I still love you but I can't follow you down this road," one fan wrote in the replies. "[U2] promotes Christian values and this doesn't seem one in any way," another fan said.

In 1983, Ireland approved the inclusion of the Eighth Amendment in its Constitution, which acknowledges the protection of the rights of the unborn child. Faith groups and other activist groups have been campaigning against the abortion in the run-up to the referendum.

Surveys, however, showed that the vote to repeal the Eighth Amendment has been gaining the lead as the referendum date draws closer. If that happens, the Irish government must legalize abortion.

U2 made known its pro-abortion stance on the eve of the launch of its "eXPERIENCE & iNNOCENCE tour" in the U.S. Incidentally, the band will open the tour in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a staunchly conservative state.

"I think it will ruffle a few feathers," guitarist the Edge told the Irish Mirror on what fans can expect. "We have a history of issues we are interested in like equality and injustice and I don't want to talk too much about the show but there is quite a lot of content there."

On the matter of the referendum, Edge said that he's aware abortion can be a divisive topic. He believes, however, that repealing the Irish amendment is "the smart thing to do."United Methodist Church votes down proposal to declare God isn't 'male or female' in Book of Discipline

The United Methodist Church (UMC) has voted to reject a proposal that sought to insert a declaration that God is not "male or female" in the Book of Discipline.

On Monday, the UMC released the results of the vote on five Constitutional Amendments that were approved by the 2016 General Conference, The Christian Post reported.

One of the items on the ballot was Constitutional Amendment I, which declares that "it is contrary to Scripture and to logic to say that God is male or female, as maleness and femaleness are characteristics of human bodies and cultures, not characteristics of the divine."

The results revealed that the proposal garnered 66.5 percent of the vote, just 0.2 percent short of the minimum requirement of 66.7 percent majority.

Another proposal, Constitutional Amendment II, sought to affirm the denomination's commitment to gender equality by including the term "gender" in the list of groups or identities that would not be excluded from the Church.

The UMC Council of Bishops said in a statement on Monday that it was disappointed by the failure of the two proposals.

"While we are not completely clear concerning the motivation that caused them to miss the two-thirds required majority by slim margins, we want to be clear that we are unequivocal in our commitment to the equality of women and their full inclusion in our Church," the statement read.

"We recommit ourselves as individual bishops, and the Council of Bishops, to leading the church toward the goal which Christ has given us to fully include both men and women in the life and ministry of Christ's church," it continued.

The results of the vote came after the Council of Bishops recommended a new proposal that would allow individual pastors to make their own decisions on issues such as the ordination of LGBT people as clergy and conducting same-sex weddings.

A discussion on same-sex marriage and homosexual clergy had resulted in a deadlock during the 2016 General Conference in Portland, prompting the bishops to create a 32-member commission that would make recommendations on how to settle disagreements on the issue.

The Book of Discipline holds that "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching" and that openly practicing homosexuals cannot be ordained as ministers.

The proposal endorsed by the bishops, called the One Church Plan, seeks to remove the language that would allow individual pastors to decide whether to perform same-sex weddings and ordain homosexual clergy. But the amendment would include protections for pastors and conferences that may have objections to same-sex marriage or the ordination of LGBT individuals.Constantin Brancusis La jeune fille sophistiquee ( Portrait de Nancy Cunard)

From The Collection of Elizabeth Stafford, and acquired directly from Brancusi in 1955, this unique sculpture  a portrait of heiress Nancy Cunard  will be offered at auction for the very first time on 15 May in New York

Constantin Brancusis La jeune fille sophistiquee (Portrait de Nancy Cunard), a unique sculpture conceived in Paris in 1928 and cast in polished brass in 1932, comes from The Collection of Elizabeth Stafford who, with her husband Frederick Stafford, acquired the work directly from Brancusi during a visit to his studio in 1955. It has remained in their collection ever since. An extraordinarily rare and important work, it is the only existing example in brass of Brancusis stylised portrait of the Anglo-American heiress and writer Nancy Cunard. The work (estimate on request) retains the artists original hand-carved marble base  a factor of immense significance given the importance Brancusi attached to materials, and the interplay between his sculptures and the pedestals upon which he placed them.

Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957), La jeune fille sophistiquee (Portrait de Nancy Cunard), conceived in 1928 and cast in 1932; unique. Estimate on request. This work was offered in the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale on 15 May at Christies in New York and sold for $71 million  Succession Brancusi  All rights reserved. ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2018

Conor Jordan, Deputy Chairman, Impressionist and Modern Art at Christies in New York, describes it as a daring and exquisite work of art and one of the vanishingly small number of the artists brass sculptures with its original carved base not in a museum collection. Brancusi (1876-1957) had famously arrived in Paris on foot from Romania in 1904, from beyond the mountains and beyond the stars as he liked to say. By the 1920s, he enjoyed a near mythic status among the Parisian avant-garde as the author of a revolutionary visual language. From his studio in Montparnasse he carved works of increasingly radical simplicity, guided by instinct and often using the ovoid form as his starting point.

Nancy Cunard photographed by Man Ray, 1925. Photo: Fine Art Images / HIP / TopFoto.  Man Ray Trust/ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2018

In La jeune fille sophistiquee (Portrait de Nancy Cunard), Brancusis purity of line renders the cool beauty of Nancy Cunard, who was a major patron of artists and writers in Paris between the wars. Cunard counted Marcel Duchamp, Ezra Pound and James Joyce among her circle, and it was in this context that she first encountered Brancusi in 1923. The meeting came about through the Dada poet Tristan Tzara, one of her many paramours. The iconoclastic heiress, who openly flouted sexual, racial and class boundaries, struck Brancusi as the very embodiment of the liberated Twenties  a figure of and for the moment. Everything about the way she behaved, he recalled, showed how truly sophisticated she was for her day. Cunard never posed for Brancusi, and in fact was unaware until many years later that he had sculpted a figure that bore her name. However, with superbly distilled volumes, the artist succeeded in capturing Cunards elegance and stylised presentation, creating a precise, individualised characterisation that simultaneously arrives at a universal, essential form.





When the Staffords arrived at Brancusis studio, they were astounded by the beauty of his work. Mr. Stafford returned the next day and purchased La jeune fille sophistiqueeRichard Diebenkorn: West Coast to the world

An introduction to the American artist who sustained virtuosity in a range of styles, from gestural abstraction to figuration and back again

Born in Portland, Oregon, Richard Diebenkorn (1922-1993) moved with his family to San Francisco when he was two years old. Even as a child, he was curious about art-making. A set of postcards of the Bayeux Tapestries given to him by his grandmother enchanted him, and he enjoyed drawing on leftover shirt boards because of their smooth surface. At Stanford University in California he pursued a liberal arts degree, but his courses were brought to a halt by the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Diebenkorn absorbed many lessons from Matisse, especially concerning his use of colour and the organisation of perspectival space into flattened planes. (Decades later, in 1964, his continued dialogue with Matisse would culminate in a life-altering trip to Leningrad, where Diebenkorn viewed several of Matisses greatest paintings at the State Hermitage Museum. He would later describe this visit as a real marker... an expanding experience.) Sketches and watercolours continued to occupy him during the war effort. In 1945 Diebenkorn was dispatched to Hawaii, where he worked as a cartographer alongside Walt Disney-trained animators. Often travelling by air over endless miles of landscape, he developed an eye for compressing three-dimensional landscape into two-dimensional design.

Years later, he would recall, One thing I know has influenced me a lot is looking at landscape from the air Of course, the Earths skin itself had presence  I mean, it was all like a flat design  and everything was usually in the form of an irregular grid. The West Coast painter par excellence Diebenkorns first mature paintings were done in an Abstract Expressionist vein, a series that crystallized during the post-war years. In what proved to be a crucial moment in the history of the movement, Diebenkorn, along with countless other artists, took advantage of the G.I. Bill, and enrolled at California School of Fine Arts in 1946.

In Diebenkorns work we see colours that remind us of the beach and the topography of the Bay Area, of the streets of Santa Monica, says Sara Friedlander, Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Christies in New York. No New York artists could paint light like Diebenkorn. He had a very different touch. Indeed, because he wasn't living in New York, Friedlander continues, he wasn't influenced by critics or dealers or curators, all of whom had their own stake in Abstract Expressionism and the New York School. He was free to do what he wanted to do, working on his own terms. Being isolated from the New York scene really made him the artist that he is today. From abstraction to figuration  and back again Towards the end of 1955, as the Berkeley series reached its conclusion, Diebenkorn decided to switch to a strictly figurative mode. Later, he would recall, One day, I felt it was all done. There were things working on me... pressures causing me to change... I felt I could move on to something else.

Alongside many other artists who returned to the figure, Diebenkorn had come to feel that Abstract Expressionism had lost much of its verve. With David Park and Elmer Bischoff, Diebenkorn became associated with the Bay Area Figurative Movement, and would continue to work in a representational mode for the next decade.

In lush evocations of the female form, he continued many of the pictorial innovations of his previous series, but set them within an intimate portrayal of the human figure. In these clearly figurative paintings we see elements of the way in which Diebenkorn is breaking down the canvas into linear shapes, Friedlander says.

In late 1966 Diebenkorn took up a professorship at the University of California in Los Angeles, where he would teach until 1973, and moved into a studio in Santa Monica. There he began working on a series of paintings that would become some of the most celebrated of his career. Named after the suburb he now called home, the Ocean Park paintings not only marked the final break with the artists more representational style, but also represented a considerable departure from the prevailing artistic developments in Southern California.

Maybe someone from the outside observing what I was doing would have known what was about to happen, he would later comment on his shift from figuration back to abstraction in 1966. I didnt see the signs. Then, one day, I was thinking about abstract painting again Then, suddenly, I abandoned the figure altogether. In his earlier Albuquerque, Urbana and Berkeley series, Diebenkorn used the landscape as inspiration for his reductive style of painting. But by the time he made his Ocean Park paintings, he felt he had resolutely abandoned figuration in favour of something much more spiritual and contemplative. A late work from this series, Ocean Park #126 (1984), distills Diebenkorns search for a new form of expression between figuration and abstraction. In May 2018 it sold for $23,937,500 at Christies in New York, setting a new world auction record for the artist.

Retrospectives and recognition Diebenkorns first significant retrospective was held in 197677 at the AlbrightKnox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York; the show then travelled to Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, Los Angeles, and Oakland. Just two years later, in 1979, he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member, and became a full Academician in 1982. In 1991, two years before his death, Diebenkorn was awarded the National Medal of Arts.Two members of the Future Business Leaders of America chapter at Cinco Ranch High School reached out to American troops stationed overseas through Operation Shoebox.

With help from other students and the community, they exceeded their goal and won third place for community service projects at the FBLA state leadership conference and will advance to national competition this summer in Baltimore.

John Bryan, who teaches business courses at Cinco Ranch as well as serving as adviser to the FBLA chapter, said Maggie Eich, a sophomore, came up to him and said she wanted to do Operation Shoebox as a community service project last fall. She worked with Jeanie Xu, a junior. Each year the FBLA State Action Team chooses a statewide community service partner. This year it was Operation Shoebox.

They ran with it all, said Bryan. It was successful because of them.

The two students set a goal of collecting 300 items including body wash, face soap, mouth rinse, q-tips, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes, candy and snacks. They ended up collecting more than 1,300 items.

Because of Hurricane Harvey, we werent sure how many people were willing to donate, said Xu. When everyone brought them, we were very grateful and very surprised because we did not expect it.

The project was important to Eich who has relatives in the military, said Xu. Her great-grandfather served in the air force, her grandfather served in the marines and cousins served in other military branches.

I also wanted to show my support for the troops, added Xu. In addition to helping troops overseas, the students wanted to foster patriotism in the chapter and community.

The students composed a flier listing common donation items, the deadline and where to drop off donations. They issued reminders at meetings and contacted area hotels for hygiene items. Xu said they picked up many donations from Courtyard by Marriott. After that they got together and counted donations and then assembled them.

Every care package had a little hygiene kit with toothpaste, body wash and shampoo, said Xu. Care packages also include candy, envelopes and nonperishable food items. Xu said the state team accepted the boxes to send them to troops.

I know they brought a ton of shoeboxes to the state leadership conference, said DAnn Matlock, FBLA state adviser.

In addition to helping troops, the project gave the students experience in planning, executing a plan, following through and making a presentation.

Wed like to continue this next year because of the overwhelming success, Xu said. Hopefully, well raise even more donations.

Xu and Eich are among 22 Cinco Ranch High students who advanced to nationals this year, said Bryan, who works with two advisers - Rita Perry and Derek Spier. Fifty-two Cinco Ranch students attended the State Leadership Conference in Dallas in March. At the state conference, Cinco Ranch also won the Vernon Payne Award for the most active chapter in the state and the award for the largest chapter in the state.

The chapter has 220 members, said Bryan, who added that the chapter offers a lot of different opportunities. Two of those opportunities fall in the categories of community service and leadership.

For example, the chapter organized a Color Run to benefit the Arc of Katy last month and raised more than $5,000, said Bryan. Three or four times per semester, students visit residents at The Brookwood Community in Brookshire to play softball. They also help elementary schools with projects as well as community groups such as the Alzheimers Association and the annual YMCA Turkey Dash on Thanksgiving.

Were lucky to have so many kids who like to volunteer and help out in the community, said Bryan whos in his 16th year at Cinco Ranch High School. He earned an accounting degree and worked in the business sector for 11 years before he became a teacher. High school youth ministry through his church led him to change careers. After participating in an alternative certification process, he earned his certificate to teach high school business classes.

And, both Eich and Xu also know about the leadership opportunities. Eich was a freshman ambassador and next year will be vice president of the school store, the Cougar Den. Xu has belonged to FBLA all three years of high school and served as an ambassador her freshman year and vice president this year and last. Next year she will be president.

Bryan notes that four of this years Top 10 students at Cinco Ranch High are FBLA officers, including the valedictorian. Cinco Ranch students have held district and state FBLA leadership posts. Their success continues after high school. Bryan said students have gone on to attend the Wharton School of Business and Stanford University.

.The board of directors for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority  a subsidiary of Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 10  discussed expected road projects in Kingwood over the next five years during the May 10 board meeting.

In a nutshellyou have your intersection improvements that we identified in the Kingwood Mobility Plan; you have Mills Branch (Drive reconstruction); and you have Northpark Drive (overpass and reconstruction), said board consultant Ralph De Leon.

Chairman Stan Sarman said LHRA/TIRZ10 is in the process of obtaining funds for Phase I of the Northpark Drive expansion project, which will run from Hwy. 59 to Russell Palmer Road and includes expanding the roadway to a 6-lane divided thoroughfare with a flyover at the Loop-494 railroad tracks.

The projected cost for Phase I is $38.8 million, with $23.3 million to be paid using TIRZ funds.

The city of Houston previously allocated $15.4 million to a proposed mobility project on Kingwood Drive in 2020. However, the funds could be available sooner.

We have met with Public Works about getting an early draw on funding that the citys looking at passing on for the Northpark Drive, and we got an email yesterday that theyre working on getting $6 million transferred over to us so we can proceed on with the design of Northpark Drive. And thats part of the $15 million thats the total amount being transferred from Kingwood Drive to Northpark, Sarman said.

De Leon said there are a lot of unknowns as far as the formula to determine what the cost to TIRZ will be on Phase II of the Northpark Drive project, which will expand Northpark Drive to six lanes from Russell Palmer Road to Woodland Hills Drive at a projected cost of $17.9 million.

The LHRA/TIRZ10 are in the process of completing a Transportation Improvement Program application with the Houston-Galveston Area Council for federal funding to cover 80 percent of the cost. If approved, they would be responsible for 20 percent of the project cost.

Were talking about 80 (percent and) 20 (percent) like it means something, De Leon said. Its really not 80-20 at all. What happens is that the mayor (of Houston) is asking us to design Northpark to a 500-year (flood) event, but TxDOT designs to a 2-year event. Theyre not bound to the mayors decision, nor is the feds.

De Leon explained that when calculating the 80 percent reimbursement on the project, the state would pay 80 percent of what the project would have cost if designed and constructed using TxDOT standards.

Were going to have to pay for that design differential. So, even though were saying 80-20 on the eastern sector, numerically we have to have a little bit of (cushion) on our side which is why you have some fund balance left over, De Leon said.

Intersection improvements

Several other mobility projects are included in the TIRZ10 five-year capital improvement plan, most being intersection improvements.

One of the projects already in progress includes improvements made to two Northpark Drive intersections  at West Lake Houston Parkway and Kings Crossing. Improvements focused on increasing safety for both drivers and pedestrians such as adding turn lanes and sidewalks.

Rachel Ray-Welsh of Walter P Moore said the intersections should be completely finished by the end of July.

Theyre pretty much done, Ray-Welsh said. The big thing theyre waiting on are the signals, the mast arms and the poles for the signals.

The signal currently Northpark and West Lake Houston Parkway is temporary, she explained. The installation of the permanent signals was temporarily delayed due to an unexpected issue that forced them to change manufacturers.

After the new signals are installed, the intersection might be restriped due to complaints about the current striping. Restriping is contingent upon having enough road width, but Ray-Welsh said she thinks there will be enough room to restripe the intersection.

Additionally, two street lights at Kings Crossing Drive need to be relocated and adjusted by CenterPoint, which Ray-Welsh anticipates may take a few weeks to accomplish.

The cost of the two intersection projects is approximately $1.7 million, according to documents provided in the board meeting packet.

From 2019-2023, TIRZ10 plans to make improvements to: Kingwood Drive at Willow Terrace; Kingwood Drive at Trail Wood Village and Woodland Grove Drive; Kingwood Drive at Chestnut Ridge Drive; Kingwood Drive at Woodland Hills Drive; Kingwood Drive at Royal Forest Drive; and Kingwood Drive at Green Oak Drive.

The order in which these intersection projects are done has yet to be determined. Sarman and other board members will analyze the intersections and assign prioritization.

What you dont want to do is reconstruct the intersection and have all the traffic then congest at the one downhill from it, De Leon said. There needs to be some logic to how we do these. What Ive done is Ive left sufficient ending fund balance through all five years that you can move things back and forth and it should still be affordable.

Mills Branch Drive

Also included in the 5-year plan is reconstructing Mills Branch Drive stretching from Kingwood Drive to Northpark Drive. Traffic signals will be added at Mills Branch and Kingwood drives along with sidewalks, crosswalks and lights.

mfeuk@hcnonline.comMontpelier, Vt.

Former Democratic Gov. Philip Hoff, who's credited with starting Vermont's transition from one of the most Republican-entrenched states in the country to one of the most liberal, has died. He was 93.

Hoff, who became the first Democrat elected governor of Vermont in more than 100 years in 1962, died on Thursday, according to The Residence at Shelburne Bay, where he had been living.

"Phil Hoff forever changed the state of Vermont," said Steve Terry, a former journalist who helped write a biography titled "Philip Hoff: How Red Turned Blue in the Green Mountain State." "His influence in the 1960s has molded and created the Vermont many of us know today."

During his six years in office, Hoff helped start a process that evolved into the state's environmental movement. He focused on reducing pollution and cleaning up the state's rivers and streams.

He also emphasized education reform and helped revamp the state's judicial system.

Hoff's policies helped refocus state government on meeting the needs of residents, a philosophy embraced by his Republican successor, Deane C. Davis.

The office has alternated between Democratic and Republican governors since Hoff was elected.

At the mid-point of the 20th century, Vermont remained one of the most Republican states in the country. The state was dominated by a couple of political families, but Hoff shook up the staid Vermont political structure.

He became governor when the state was under a federal court mandate to reapportion the state House, where each of the state's 241 cities and towns were represented by a single person, no matter the community's population.

"The people of Vermont have clearly said that they don't want to continue with the old ways, and if we fail to respond to forces at work in our society, we face a bleak future," Hoff said at his 1963 inaugural address.

"I loved it any time he came into the office because there was a sense of vibrancy and life," said U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, who joined Hoff's Burlington law firm after graduating from law school in 1964. Two years later, Hoff appointed Leahy as Chittenden County state's attorney, a post he held for eight years, until his 1974 election to the U.S. Senate.

"I'd see the governor all the time," Leahy said. "I was the star-struck young lawyer in his office. I'd see people staying in the halls, just waiting to say 'hi' to him. We'd have meetings with him. It was exciting."

Philip Henderson Hoff was born on June 29, 1924, in Turners Falls, Mass. He took time off from Williams College to serve in the Navy during World War II and returned to Williams after the war. He graduated and went on to law school at Cornell University before moving to Burlington in 1951.

Hoff first ran for office in 1958 for a seat on the Burlington Board of Aldermen. He was defeated.

Two years later, he was elected to the Vermont House after running what Terry called "a minimalist campaign." He had no campaign literature of his own and instead handed out brochures promoting the presidential candidacy of U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts.

After one term in the Legislature, Hoff won the race for governor in 1962 after he campaigned on the need for change and to end 100 years of one-party rule.

Hoff was briefly considered as a vice presidential candidate in 1968 but withdrew his name when it became clear his friend, Sen. Edmund Muskie of Maine, was being considered. Hoff ran for the U.S. Senate in 1970, but lost to the incumbent GOP Sen. Winston Prouty.

Hoff returned to the Legislature in 1982 after being elected to the state Senate. He served three, two-year termsThe group that claimed responsibility for the killing of four US and four Nigerian soldiers in Western Niger last October is led by Polisario member Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, a well-known figure in regional jihadist circles, the voice of America reported.

Al-Sahrawi is a longtime veteran of the West African sub-region with deep networks in Mali, said Jacob Zenn, fellow of African and Eurasian Affairs for the Jamestown Foundation in Washington and a consultant on countering violent extremism.

Al-Sahrawi who was battle hardened within the ranks of the Polisario under the protection of its ally Algeria was a senior leader in groups of multiple ethnicities that engage in both terrorist attacks and criminal activity, Jacob Zenn said.

Al-Sahrawi also used to be a leader in Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), where he became associated with Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the one-eyed Algerian leader of the group, he said.

The Polisario member was in 2011 one of the extremists who came together to form the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, MUJAO, one of the jihadist groups that seized control of northern Mali for several months in 2012.

In 2015, Al-Sahrawi issued a baya, or pledge of allegiance, to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the overall leader of the Islamic State militant network.

According to Zenn, al-Sahrawi still has connections to many of the AQIM sub-groups in Mali because of his experiences. But his loyalty is to the Islamic State.

Al-Sahrawi involvement is but the three that hides the forest. Morocco has been warning of an ongoing connivance between Polisario and terrorist groups in the Sahel.

The disenchanted youth in the Polisairo-run camps are lured by the lucrative activities offered by terrorist networks that also engage in trafficking and criminal activities.

Recently, an EU-funded report entitled: Illegal Markets and the Acquisition of Firearms by Terrorist Networks in Europe, highlighted the documented connection between the separatist front and the jihadist groups swarming in the Sahel-Sahara powder keg, notably the MUJAO and Ansar Dine (a creation of the Algerian intelligence services/DRS) based in the city of Gao, in northern Mali.JERSEYVILLE  New evidence leading to murder charges in the disappearance and death of an East Alton woman in 2010 surfaced after the suspect was charged in a domestic violence incident and his son was subpoenaed by a Madison County grand jury.

Additional charges have been filed against Roger W. Carroll in the death of Bonnie Woodward, and details of the investigation came out during testimony during his preliminary hearing in Jerseyville Monday morning.

Carroll was charged April 12 with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of concealing a homicide in Jersey County, and one count of aggravated kidnapping in Madison County. The Jersey County charges were amended April 20 to include a third first degree murder and aggravated kidnapping charge. He was also charged March 5 with unlawful restraint, a felony, and misdemeanor domestic battery, after allegedly using a stun gun on his wife.

On Monday, Carroll pleaded innocent on all charges.

Madison County States Attorney Tom Gibbons said the additional murder charge stems from a murder committed during the course of a felony, the aggravated kidnapping charge, so it needed to be filed in Jersey County. He said the Madison County charge would probably be dropped.

Madison County Lead Assistant States Attorney Jennifer Mudge has been named a special prosecutor in the Jersey County cases.

During Mondays hearing retired Alton Police Department Capt. Scott Golike, now a special investigator for the Madison County States Attorneys Office, testified for about 40 minutes before Circuit Judge Eric Pistorius found enough evidence to move forward with the case and set a pre-trial hearing for 9 a.m. Thursday, June 14.

Before hearing evidence several potential witnesses who were attending the hearing were told to leave the courtroom.

Mudge first questioned Golike about the initial investigation into Woodwards disappearance. Woodward was last seen June 25, 2010 near her vehicle in the parking lot of the Eunice Smith Nursing Home, where she had worked for 27 years. Golike noted several times that since then there has been no activity with her cell phone or social media accounts.

Part of the initial investigation also centered on the disappearance of Woodwards stepdaughter Heather Woodward, then 17.

Later in his testimony, Golike said Nathan confirmed that he (Carroll) used Heather as bait.

Bonnie was desperately looking for Heather and he used that to get her to come with him, Golike said.

Golike described the relationship between the two as particularly stressful and said Heather had moved out of their home on June 10, 2010, and spent a week with a teacher who was attempting to help her before staying at the Carrolls. She was reported as a runaway on June 17, 2010.

She went on a vacation with the Carrolls to Goreville, Illinois, where Monica Carrolls family was. Heather eventually walked into the East Alton Public Library and told them police were looking for her.

Golike said that multiple witnesses said they saw Bonnie Woodward near the car talking to a white male described as being in his 40s and several saw her leave with the man.

Fingerprints found on Woodwards car were later matched to Carroll, who told investigators he was cutting brush on his property in Jerseyville on that day.

Golike said that after to March 2 domestic incident Carroll was found on his property in what Golike said was an attempted suicide.

He also said Carrolls wife, Monica Carroll, said he killed for her before.

Golike then said Carrolls son, Nathan Carroll, who was 16 at the time of the incident, was subpoenaed and appeared before a Madison County grand jury on March 29.

Nathan and his father made an unusual departure from Goreville the morning of June 25, according to Golike, leaving early in the morning.

The son testified that on the trip home his father said Bonnie Woodward was a bad person and he was going to kill her, Golike said.

The two did a surveillance trip to Woodwards East Alton home and the nursing home, then Roger Carroll dropped Nathan off at home, and got out a 9mm handgun and loaded it. Roger Carroll then shaved, cut his fingernails and left.

Nathan testified that he later heard eight or nine gunshots, and saw Woodwards body when he went to see what was going on. According to Golike, Nathan described seeing the lower part of a body wearing tan hospital scrubs similar to Woodwards work clothes.

According to Golike, Nathan said his father used a bucket loader to move the body to a pre-prepared pile of brush, then lit the brush on fire.

The two tended the fire for approximately eight to 10 days.

Golike said based on that testimony they got a search warrant and excavated at the site of the fire, and found a spent 9mm shell casing and a 9mm projectile. Both matched the pistol that Nathan Carroll described his father loading.

Golike also said they found what appeared to be teeth in the area, but did not say if they were matched to Woodward.

After Mudge finished, defense attorney Scott Snider had a few questions.

It was noted that none of the witnesses who saw Bonnie Woodward in the nursing home parking lot were able to pick Carroll out of a photo lineup, or positively identify the car the two allegedly left in.

Carroll remains in custody at the Jersey County Jail with no bond.

Gibbons said that Nathan Carroll has been given full immunity, in part because he was a juvenile and was dragged into the incident.

It was also noted during testimony that both Nathan and Monica Carroll had invoked their Fifth Amendment rights during the initial interviews. Gibbons also noted that Monica Carroll did not have a legal obligation to come forward about the crime.

Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447.The graduating class of Texas Southern University was reminded Friday evening that the fate of the country is in the hands of lawyers who have a responsibility to uphold the law no matter whom they are prosecuting.

Thats what Congresswoman Maxine Waters told a group of 183 students during the Thurgood Marshall School of Laws hooding ceremony, where the symbolic doctoral hood is placed over the head of graduates who have completed the necessary coursework to receive their Juris Doctor.

The class will receive its diplomas Saturday.

Other distinguished guest included Reps. Al Green and Sheila Jackson Lee, both Houston Democrats.

Waters, an advocate for civil rights and outspoken opponent of President Donald Trump, used her speech to encourage students to focus their talents on reshaping the world rather than looking for a big payday.

No matter what you decide to do with your degrees, you have been trained to make an impact on this world and peoples lives, she said. With great power comes great responsibility.

Highlighting recent indictments and the scandals that have hit the White House, Waters said lawyers will play an important role shaping Trumps presidency.

Think about the attorneys on the national stage, she told the students. You all are now assuming the same responsibilities.

She took a few minutes highlighting noteworthy attorneys who worked to hold powerful people accountable and cases that have made impacts on U.S. law and history.

People will put their trust in you, she said. By becoming a lawyer, you are making a commitment to uphold the law.

She also took a moment to recognize a student  Ieshia Champs, a 33-year-old mother of five  whose personal journey and struggles have gone viral.

Champs was placed in foster care after being taken from her parents but was later returned to her mother. Champs bounced around homes for a few years and eventually dropped out of high school. She became a mother at 19.

With the support of her beautiful family, Champs got her GED, and now shes graduating from law school, Waters said.

She hopes to be appointed to a federal court.

Each student has his or her own harrowing journey, said Waters, who has served Californias 43rd Congressional District since 2013.

I have no doubt that your experiences will help you get over any obstacle that comes your way, she said.

She is the most senior of the 12 black women serving in Congress and is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

With 41 years of public service, she was named one of Time Magazines 100 most influential people. Shes also known for her appeal to young people, who affectionately refer to her as Auntie Maxine.

She ended her speech Friday by telling the students that the obstacles they face wont end. She said to use that as motivation, however, to keep growing and fighting for what they know is right.

Thank you very much and stay woke, she said to cheers and applause.

john.harden@chron.com

twitter.com/jdhardenIn September 2017 Stacy Bailey, an art teacher at Charlotte Anderson Elementary School in Arlington, Texas, was placed on paid administrative leave after a parent complained she was pushing her "homosexual agenda" on her students, according to a lawsuit Bailey filed against Mansfield Independent School District this week.

According to the lawsuit, Bailey has been with Mansfield ISD for over six years and has never had an issue pertaining to her lifestyle.

On August 23, 2017, she introduced herself to her students with a "First Day of School" powerpoint which included a photo of her and her now-wife, Julie Vazquez, in fish costumes from the Disney movie "Finding Nemo," followed by a set of class rules rewards and expectations.

IN TROUBLE: Texas teacher fired after sending profane text to mother of autistic student

Bailey met with the principal of the school a few days later to discuss the complaint.

According to the lawsuit, Bailey was placed on leave in September 2017 when the same parent complained again after she taught her students about artist Jasper Johns and mentioned his partner Robert Rauchenberg. The art class learned about Rauchenberg the previous year.

Bailey was asked to sign documentation saying she'd shown sexually inappropriate images to the children but refused saying it was "discrimination" because of her orientation.

According to Dallas News, Mansfield ISD released an email statement to employees in March 2018 saying that despite their policy to "not comment on employee personnel matters" some misinformation about the issue has created a disruption in the "educational environment" at the school.

The article paraphrases the statement saying, "the statement said Bailey was not suspended over her request to include LGBTQ language in the district's non-discrimination policy, but rather due to the district's concern that Bailey 'insists that it is her right and that it is age appropriate for her to have ongoing discussions with elementary-aged students about her own sexual orientation, the sexual orientation of artists, and their relationships with other gay artists.'"

The article continues, saying that administrators met with Bailey on more than one occasion after receiving the complaints, but "Ms. Bailey refused to follow administration's directions regarding age-appropriate conversation with students."

According to the lawsuit, Mansfield ISD asked for Bailey's resignation in October 2017, but later in April 2018 voted to renew her contract after parents and students informed the district that Bailey was a good teacher and should be brought back.

On May 1, 2018, Bailey was informed that though her contract had been renewed, she'd been transferred to a secondary school.

Bailey is suing the school district for loss of earning capacity, mental anguish, emotional pain, and suffering, lost employment benefits, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment of life, damage to professional reputation and other damages.

She is also asking the district to declare that it "illegally discriminated against [Bailey] because of her sexual orientation," and seeks to be reinstated to her original position at Charlotte Anderson Elementary.

Take a look through the gallery above to see some photos of Bailey and her now-wife.

Daniela Sternitzky-Di Napoli is a digital producer at Chron.com. You can read more of her stories here and follow her on twitter at @Dani_DiNapoli.

William Axford contributed to this report.A slim margin of 37 votes decided the election of Euless' first Muslim councilmember this past Saturday.

Thousands of voters in the small town outside Dallas turned out to support Salman Bhojani, a Pakistani immigrant attacked on the campaign trail because of his faith.

"I am proud to have participated in a race that saw the highest voter turnout in a Euless city election in twenty-five years," wrote Bhojani on his campaign site. "I am also proud to have run a positive, issues-focused campaign that rose above the negativity others sought to inject into the race."

A little over 4,000 votes were cast in the election that pitted Bhojani, 38, against Molly Maddux, a 63-year-old retired teacher and Tea Party candidate.

Bhojani's victory is no doubt a sour note for Jonathan Stickland, a Texas House Representatives and member of the Freedom Caucus who donated $15,000 to Bhojani's opponent, according to the Star-Telegram.

Stickland made headlines when he weighed in on the race, controversially highlighting Bhojani's faith and describing him as "sneaky" in a Facebook post.

"He is a Muslim, lawyer, and a lifelong Democrat who supports raising your taxes," Stickland wrote, urging voters to watch a video of how "the Koran was read for the first time at a city council meeting thanks to Mr. Bhojani."

In an interview with Chron.com, Bhojani punched back saying his actions on the job will prove Stickland and others wrong.

"The fears people have are unfounded, they're not actual fears, just political fears," he said. "Stickland used [my faith] to rouse the Islamophobia in the country that's been seen from the president all the way down to city council ... Fortunately, it did not work in their favor."

"I want to represent the city regardless of people's faith or ideology," Bhojani said. "I'm going to change that image one person at a time."

Bhojani is set to be sworn in at a Euless City Council meeting on May 22. He is the city's first minority councilmen.

To dive deeper into how elections are playing out throughout Texas, you can check out Houston Chronicle's 2018 Election HQ here.Michael R. Bloomberg, media mogul, philanthropist and former mayor of New York City, asked the 2018 graduating class of Rice University to reject the divisive rhetoric and growing incivility on display in Washington and around the country as they leave to launch their own careers.

The country is more divided now than it has been since the Civil War, Bloomberg told the graduates and their families. Bloomberg lamented an era during which alternative facts and post-truth have entered the nations vocabulary, and like-minded groups huddle together, drowning out the opinions of others and rejecting scientific and other evidence that contradicts their world views.

How did we go from a president who could not tell a lie, Bloomberg said, referring to George Washington, to politicians who can not tell the truth?

Rice, which opened in 1912, held its 105th commencement under a hot sun on Saturday morning, awarding nearly 2000 diplomas, including bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees. Bloomberg served as mayor of New York City for three consecutive terms beginning in 2002, first elected as a Republican but later switching to an independent.

The co-founder and chief executive of Bloomberg L.P., a financial services, software and media company, Bloomberg has an estimated net worth of $53.4 billion, making him the 11th richest person in the world, according to Forbes magazine. Bloomberg, 76, has signed The Giving Pledge, joining a movement of other wealthy individuals and families to give away most of their money during their life.

So far, Bloomberg has given away $6 billion, including $700 million last year. During the introduction of Bloomberg, Rice President David W. Leebron joked that maybe some of Bloombergs money could be diverted to Rice.

Bloomberg let him down gently when it was his turn to speak, noting that Johns Hopkins, his alma mater, has preempted Rice. Bloomberg has given Johns Hopkins $1.5 billion.

In the well-received speech that included shout-outs for well-loved university haunts  including Whataburger for honey butter chicken biscuit sandwiches  Bloomberg warned the graduates of the danger of turning a blind eye to the lies and distortions coming from some political leaders. Bloomberg, who considered an independent presidential campaign two years ago, did not single out any politician by name, but he was a high profile critic of Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign, branding the future president as a con and demagogue.

The Washington Post has documented more than 3,000 false or misleading statements made by Trump since he took office in January.

Elected officials who promote alternate realities along with those who let it happen and dont say anything  are creating one of the most serious dangers facing democracies, said Bloomberg told the Rice graduates. As an example, he cited climate change and the overwhelming scientific consensus that human activity, namely the burning of fossil fuels, is accelerating global warming.

Still, Bloomberg said, some federal agencies have banned workers from using the words climate change, showing that officials at the highest levels of power see the plain truth as a threat, he said.

They fear it. They deny it. And they attack it, just as the communists once did, Bloomberg said. And so here we are, in the midst of an epidemic of dishonesty, and an endless barrage of lies.

Free societies depend on citizens who recognize deceit in government, Bloomberg said. He told Rice graduates to hold themselves to the highest standards of ethics, urging them to keep their minds open and follow the evidence wherever it might lead.

Listen to people you disagree with without trying to censor them or shout over them, he said. And have the courage to say things that your own side does not want to hear.

lynn.sixel@chron.com

twitter.com/lmsixelSuicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics is Destroying American Democracy, by Jonah Goldberg (Crown Forum, 464 pp., $28)

Jonah Goldberg toggles between two weekly columns, a regular TV gig, a pair of podcast series, a weekly newsletter, an endowed chair at a think tank, and an editorial position at National Review. And yet, despite his ubiquity, the conclusion one reaches after finishing Goldbergs new book, Suicide of the West, is that he is, if anything, underappreciated. Perhaps thats a symptom of his success. Goldbergs breezy style and comic sensibilities can mask his intellectual gifts. That the same individual who introduced the phrase feckless crapweasel into the conservative argot has written this sweeping volume about the origins of modern prosperity and the forces arrayed against it demonstrates a versatility that should inspire admiration from readers and envy from his fellow writers.

The books thesis is straightforward: the triumphs of the modern Westcapitalism, liberalism (in the classical sense), rationalismdo not represent natural extensions of human nature, but rather the taming of it. As Goldberg explains in a mixture of political philosophy, intellectual history, and cultural analysis, most of mankinds natural instinctstribalism and suspicion of outsiders; emotionally driven romanticism; the search for security via strongmenmilitate against anything like liberal democratic capitalism taking root. That it ever happened, and that it has managed to endure for some three centuries, inspires Goldbergs term for the phenomenon: The Miracle. If the 200,000-year life span of Homo sapiens were a single year, he writes, the vast majority of human economic progress would have transpired in roughly the last fourteen hours.

Goldberg doesnt attempt to provide a definitive answer for why these ideas managed to take hold (though he does offer a buffet of other thinkers diagnoses). Rather, hes focused on the implications: if our enemy is human nature, then the battle is never truly won. Every generation must exert itself to keep the forces of decay from setting in.

What unnerves Goldberg, and explains the books downbeat title, is a sense that the rot is indeed taking hold. In the rise of identity politics and populismboth predicated on a zero-sum, Us vs. Them view of the worldhe sees the reassertion of tribalism. In the electorates embrace of pronouncements like Barack Obamas We are the ones weve been waiting for and Donald Trumps I alone can fix it, he sees a bipartisan reversion to government as cult of the anointed, far from the vision of the Founders. In the decay of the family, he sees the erosion of civil societys keystone institution, creating a vacuum ineffectively filled by an overreaching government.

Another author may have responded to this parade of horribles with a detailed policy agenda. Goldberg, however, sharing the late Andrew Breitbarts belief that politics is downstream from culture, argues that a broader civic reorientation is a more pressing priority, and that such an awakening must begin with gratitude. Not only should citizens of free societies be cognizant of the wonder-working powers of The Miracle; they also ought to be mindful of its inherent contingency. Critics of the liberal order, Goldberg argues, are so fixated on its shortcomings that they are blinded to how it tends toward self-correctionand how the only thoroughgoing alternative is a reversion to the unhappy, pre-Miracle status quo. Making the perfect the enemy of the good is a luxury allowed only in societies where a steady supply of the good can be taken for granted.

Goldberg also argues persuasively against seeking transcendent meaning from politics. He essentially concedes the two predicates of romanticisms hostility toward modernity: that man has an irrepressible thirst for a sense of meaning, and that liberal democratic capitalism does not slake it. He parts company with the romantics, however, because he views this condition as a feature, not a bug. Capitalism, to Goldberg, is nothing more than the best system weve discovered for organizing our economic affairs, and liberal democracy the best for organizing our political affairs. That should be enough. That neither is sufficient to fill the void in our souls is not an indictment of either but rather of those who ask them to carry more weight than they can (or should have to) bear.

Indeed, by Goldbergs reading, any search for collective meaning will inevitably yield authoritarianism. Save in times of war or some other existential crisis, he writes, meaning cannot be a mass, collective enterprise without crushing the rich ecosystem of institutions that actually give us meaning and ensure liberty and prosperity. Family, friendship, religion, civil societythese are the only vessels of meaning compatible with a free society. Any god born out of the state will inevitably be a false one.

Considered as a whole, Suicide of the West belongs perhaps to a new genre, uniquely suited for our times: the civilizational self-help book. As such, it is divided into three parts. The first two contain sweeping analyses of human nature, The Miracle, capitalism, the state, the tension between reason and romanticism, and the American Founding. The third, more topical, section can be thought of as the Goldberg Netflix special: a distillation of much of his best recent work, with contemporary developments pressed into the service of the thesis advanced earlier. That fusion is more or less seamless in 2018. How it will come off to future readers remains to be seen. If Goldberg is right that were already seeing the leading indicators of decline, and if his warnings go for naught, then the third section will eventually read like a stop sign that went unheeded. If, however, we right the ship, then the books concluding section will become decidedly secondary to the rest of the volume. Either way, the first two parts of this bookmasterfully crafted and responsive to timeless questionsshould be relevant beyond its authors lifetime.

Long one of conservatisms wittiest defenders, Jonah Goldberg turns out to be one of its best contemporary theorists as well. With Suicide of the West, he has provided a topographical map charting the road back from decline.The missiles supplied by Iran through its proxy Hezbollah to the Polisario separatists could take down commercial aircraft, military expert Dore Gold said.

Morocco now has documentation of arms deliveries that were made by Hezbollah to the Polisario. These included SAM-9 and SAM-11 surface-to-air missiles, and not just the older-generation SAM-7 (Strela) missiles that have previously proliferated throughout the Middle East, said Dore Gold of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

Morocco has cut its diplomatic ties with Iran which facilitated, through its embassy in Algiers, an alliance between Hezbollah and the Polisario.

Iran used its embassy in Algeria to advance its aims, making it a conduit for the supply of weapons and financial aid, said the Israeli expert, adding that the Iranians utilized their traditional proxy, Hezbollah, for this operation.

Hezbollah is a critical arm for Iran in the Middle East since their operatives speak Arabic, as opposed to Farsi (Persian), the language spoken in Iran, he said.

One of the key figures at the nexus of the Iranian-Polisario relationship is Irans cultural attache in its embassy in Algiers, Amir Mousavi, he said.

He then warned of the hegemonic goals of Iran in North Africa where it sought to strengthen its foothold in Algeria and Mauritania.Our next Breakfast Briefing, how we procure in the changing world of IT, will explore the processes charity organisations should undertake before making investments in technology and how charities can get the most out of their partnership with suppliers.

We have worked together with the Charity IT leaders group to identify a topic which will provide functionally relevant information to technology decision makers in the charity sector.

Getting the right systems in place to make your charity run as effectively as possible can be a challenge. Join us in in June to discuss how building meaningful partnerships can have a positive impact

This event is designed to provide space for charities to debate with other charities. As a result, there are no corporate spaces available and we will withdraw places booked by non-charity delegates. We will issue a refund minus an administration fee of 15%.On this weeks episode, Meg reports on a rally in Midtown Manhattan against Alden Golden Capital, the owner of Digital First Media properties such as The Denver Post. Journalists from all over the country traveled to the Lipstick Building on East 53rd Street to air their grievances against the hedge fund, mainly focused on censorship and dramatic cutbacks. Then Pete is joined by CJR colleagues Jon Allsop and Alexandria Neason to unpack two of this weeks biggest stories.

Subscribe via iTunes  Stitcher  RSS Feed  SoundCloud

SHOW NOTES:

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Meg Dalton and Pete Vernon are CJR Delacorte Fellows. Find Meg on Twitter @megdalts and Pete @ByPeteVernon.Michael Cohen, longtime personal lawyer and confidante for President Donald Trump, exits the United States District Court Southern District of New York, April 16, 2018 in New York City.

AT&T on Friday ousted its top lobbyist, and the No. 2 wireless carrier's chief executive said it was a "big mistake" to hire Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, for advice on working with the Trump administration.

AT&T paid Essential Consultants, a firm set up by Cohen, a total of $600,000 over 2017 for the advice. Cohen and others were hired to help navigate "a wide range of issues," including its proposed $85 billion merger with Time Warner, CEO Randall Stephenson said in a memo seen by Reuters.

The disclosure of AT&T's relationship with Cohen has turned into a major embarrassment for the telecommunications company as it awaits a U.S. judge's decision, due June 12, on whether it can go through with the purchase of Time Warner, a deal that has been denounced by Trump.

"There is no other way to say it  AT&T hiring Michael Cohen as a political consultant was a big mistake," the memo said.

President Trump expressed opposition to the merger with Time Warner during the campaign and his administration ultimately chose to fight it, with the Justice Department filing suit in November to block the agreement.

In a fact sheet that accompanied the memo, AT&T said Cohen approached them about working on their behalf in the post-election transition. He was given a one-year contract at $50,000 per month, which ran from January through December 2017, that was limited to consulting and advisory services.

AT&T never asked Cohen to set up meetings with anyone in the Trump administration, and he did not offer to do so, it said.

"To be clear, everything we did was done according to the law and entirely legitimate," Stephenson wrote in the memo. "But the fact is our past association with Cohen was a serious misjudgment."

Stephenson said he took responsibility for the Washington team's failure to vet Cohen.

AT&T's head lobbyist, Bob Quinn, who oversaw the hiring of Cohen, is retiring, according to the memo. But two sources familiar with the situation said Quinn was forced to retire.

The sources requested anonymity because they are not permitted to speak to the media. Quinn did not respond to a request for comment.

AT&T's board of directors does not hold Stephenson responsible for the lack of vetting, according to one source.

The AT&T payments were first revealed by Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who also said a company owned by Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg and other corporations paid Essential Consultants for certain services. Avenatti would not say how he obtained the information.

Shares of AT&T rose 1.3 percent to close at $32.29.

Touting his close relationship with Trump, Cohen offered to provide consulting services to Ford Motor. But his overture was quickly rejected, even before any specific fees were discussed, a person briefed on the matter said on Friday.

Mueller's team learned of Cohen's January 2017 offer and has asked Ford for information and records about it and has interviewed Ford's head of government affairs Ziad Ojakli, the person said.

The office of Robert Mueller, special counsel in the Russia probe, asked Ford about the matter last year and it was unclear if it had made any recent inquiries, the person said.

An attorney for Cohen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Cohen's outreach to Ford was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Drugmaker Novartis said on Wednesday it had a $1.2 million contract with Cohen's firm, but soon realized the agreement was a mistake.

Essential Consultants paid $130,000 to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, days before the 2016 presidential election as part of a nondisclosure agreement that barred her from discussing an alleged sexual encounter with Trump. He denies any encounter took place.



Boston Dynamics' SpotMini robot was the star attraction at TechCrunch Robotics Sessions conference at U.C. Berkeley, California, on Friday.

The four-legged machine strutted in front of the marveling crowd of robot enthusiasts, looking for or presenting the next big thing in the robotics industry.



Founder Marc Raibert said at the conference that the SpotMini is currently in preproduction and will be on sale starting in 2019. Boston Dynamics plans to build about 100 over the next year to be sold for commercial use.

Conference attendees were in awe of the SpotMini.

"Robots are running away with technoogy," said Julia Cecchetti, a student at Penn State University who someday hopes to work in robotics research.

The increasing agility of robots is transforming industries from from agriculture to warehousing.

Soft Robotics, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, uses pliable robotic arms in its machines, packing delicate items like eggs and picking tomatoes off trees.

Driscoll's, the largest berry distributor in the world, is testing out an automatic strawberry harvester.

And John Deere is also investing heavily in technology, automating its tractors and combines, which are outfitted with computer vision technology.

"Like facial technology, it goes through the fields. It identifies weeds versus crops," says Alex Purdy, Head of John Deere Labs,CNBC's Jim Cramer didn't rename his dog Everest to Nvidia for nothing  he did it because the company is a "remarkable" leader in the world of computing chips, he said on Friday.

"Nvidia's a rescue dog, and I feel compelled today to rescue Nvidia, the company, from the narrative that I most feared: the one that says its stock is falling ... because of a decline in cryptocurrency mining," the "Mad Money" host said one day after Nvidia's earnings report.

Beating analysts' expectations on the top and bottom lines, Nvidia's first-quarter report showed a slowdown in its cryptocurrency-mining segment.

When the price of bitcoin neared $20,000, crypto-fanatics bought Nvidia's powerful, costly gaming chips to mine the cryptocurrency, "inflating the company's bottom line in an unsustainable way," Cramer said.

In its previous quarter, Nvidia's management warned investors of the unexpected boost and forecast an eventual slowdown. This quarter, they doubled down on that message: while the mining results were still strong, next quarter would show a steeper drop, they said.

"That ... non-news dominated the headlines and caused investors to panic, just as I feared, even as every other line of business was downright fabulous: gaming, data center, artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, you name it," Cramer said.

"Look, I warned you this would happen," he added. "But apparently that wasn't enough to prevent the stock from selling off on something that should've been expected by everybody. Why? In part because Nvidia's stock had run so much that a lot of people felt it was way too expensive."

"This quarter will show a big drop off in crypto sales. Everyone knows that. At least I thought they did," Cramer wrote on Twitter ahead of the report.

But what mattered more than the stock's near-term costs was its long-term outlook, the "Mad Money" host argued. He noted that in 2016, shares of Nvidia looked like they were trading at 40 times earnings, but by the end of 2017  the year of the crypto craze  it was only trading at 12 times earnings.

"That's what happens when you keep blowing away the estimates," Cramer said, pointing to Nvidia's other wildly strong lines of business making chips for top cloud companies like Amazon Web Services and the Google Cloud and for voice-enabled devices like Amazon's Alexa.

"I think that if you totally strip out the cryptocurrency-mining business, which is basically what will happen next quarter, Nvidia's stock will still turn out to be incredibly cheap based on, say, its 2019 or 2020 earnings," Cramer said. "[That] is why I say that Nvidia's no dog in real life, just in my household, and it should be bought, not sold. This is not a cryptocurrency story and the rest of the business, the actual core business? It's booming."With the stock market locking in the largest weekly gain since March, CNBC's Jim Cramer wondered if newfound optimism around trade and U.S.-China relations could continue. "To some degree, I think that's wishful thinking," the "Mad Money" host admitted on Friday. "But, hey, wishful thinking worked when it came to the unlikely progress between North and South Korea, so maybe this optimistic spin on trade makes more sense than the pessimistic one." Cramer wasn't sure how investors' moods would change going into next week. But he knew what he would be watching, so with that in mind, he turned to his weekly game plan, which will include earnings from a struggling consumer foods giant: Campbell Soup. The "Mad Money" host warned that Campbell, which reports Friday, could face difficulties as part of the market's most beaten-down sector, the food group. "The company's worked mightily to become more natural and organic, but its older products are still what define the business," Cramer said. "I know plenty of people who just hope Campbell will put itself up for sale."

Kors vs. Coors: Which stock wins?

A Michael Kors retail store on Market Street in San Francisco. Adam Jeffery | CNBC

Sometimes, Cramer finds it useful to compare two completely different companies to find out what works and what doesn't in a given market environment. So, on Friday, Cramer looked into the stocks and businesses of luxury retail play Michael Kors and beer brewer Molson Coors to see which one would win out if they were stacked side by side. "While both of these stocks got slammed last week, ... they've had very different trajectories of late," Cramer said. In short, "Michael Kors has been leaving Molson Coors in the dust," Cramer said. "I'd hate to see what Thanksgiving looks like at the Coors household: 'Molson, why can't you be more like your brother Michael?'"

Forget Nvidia's crypto 'troubles'

Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Cramer didn't rename his dog Everest to Nvidia for nothing  he did it because the company is a "remarkable" leader in the world of computing chips, he said on Friday. "Nvidia's a rescue dog, and I feel compelled today to rescue Nvidia, the company, from the narrative that I most feared: the one that says its stock is falling ... because of a decline in cryptocurrency mining," the "Mad Money" host said one day after Nvidia's earnings report. Beating analysts' expectations on the top and bottom lines, Nvidia's first-quarter report showed a slowdown in its cryptocurrency-mining segment. When the price of bitcoin neared $20,000, crypto-fanatics bought Nvidia's powerful, costly gaming chips to mine the cryptocurrency, "inflating the company's bottom line in an unsustainable way," Cramer said.

Software CEO on leveraging A.I. and cloud

Barak Eilam, CEO of NICE Systems Ltd. Adam Jeffery | CNBC

Barak Eilam, CEO of software company Nice, told Cramer on Friday that his company uses data analytics and artificial intelligence to serve two key purposes: improving customer experiences and fighting financial crime. The Israeli company, whose market cap is over $6 billion, has been leveraging cutting-edge technologies to both serve customers in the best possible ways, Eilam told Cramer in a Friday interview. "The beauty of our cloud story is that we are not cannibalizing our own base. We actually use cloud in order to grow our total addressable market fivefold," the CEO said. "By developing CXone"  Nice's flagship platform  "we actually now have the ability to grow into the cloud on a rapid basis, so our Q1 result is 33 percent growth," Eilam continued. For more on Nice's behind-the-scenes influence, watch Eilam's full interview here.

Prologis CEO talks data opportunity

Prologis' recent acquisition of DCT Industrial Trust will give the logistics and e-commerce-focused real estate investment trust scale and save it money, Prologis Chairman and CEO Hamid Moghadam told Cramer on Friday. "DCT is a company that we've always had a really high regard for, probably the closest strategy to Prologis in the U.S. and the highest quality portfolio of significant size that there was out there," the CEO said. "What we want to do is use that platform to serve our customers better." Roughly 2 percent of the world's GDP, or gross domestic product, moves through Prologis' buildings. Moghadam said his newly enlarged company will also begin to leverage data to boost its prospects. "We haven't even started to scratch the surface on the information side and the information opportunity of the business," he told Cramer. "We're really re-engineering the customer experience, making it much easier for our customers to move in, to utilize the space more efficiently. And, really, the data side of the business is increasingly important." Watch Moghadam's full interview here.

Lightning round: Don't fret it with ITWPresident Donald Trump's plan to lower drug prices in the United States is "fair to all players" in the health-care industry, GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy argued on Friday.

"There are not bad industry players," the Louisiana Republican told CNBC's "Closing Bell." "There are just incredibly bad incentives."

Cassidy, who spoke shortly after Trump unveiled his plan to lower drug prices, said the president is attempting to strip down some of the unnecessary complexities in the health-care industry. That includes the role of pharmacy benefit managers, which negotiate drug benefits for insurance plans and employers.

Trump sharply criticized PBMs during his speech from the White House on Friday.

The senator argued that in some cases the role of PBMs has "expanded" under Trump's plan. He was referring to Trump's plan to create "new tools to negotiate for lower prices" in Medicare Part D plans.

Part of Trump's plan would require insurers and PBMs to share a portion of the rebates they get on prescription drugs with consumers to lower their out-of-pocket costs. It could also make it easier for cheaper generic drugs to reach the market. Drugmakers have accused PBMs of profiting off higher list prices because they can negotiate bigger discounts.

"Someone getting a prescription or a blood test or an X-ray should know the cost of that before she has it done," said Cassidy, a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. "The president is all about that."

Shortly after Trump's speech, health-care companies such Aetna and Express Scripts said that they supported the Trump administration's plan to tackle high drug prices.

However, not everyone was positive about Trump's plan. Shortly after the Trump's speech, top Democrats, including veteran Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said the president was "abandoning his promise" to allow direct negotiation to lower drug prices.

Reuters contributed to this report.Coils of steel stand on trains in front of the ThyssenKrupp steel mill on March 5, 2018 in Duisburg, Germany.

The new U.S. ambassador to Germany said the row over Washington's planned imposition of punitive tariffs on European goods would not trigger a trade war, adding that U.S. President Donald Trump only wanted "a level playing field".

In an interview with the Funke newspaper group, Richard Grenell insisted that the United States was awaiting proposals on how punitive tariffs could be averted.

"Germans are doing a phenomenal job on trade," he said.

"There will be no trade war ... We are talking with our friends to solve a problem."

The United States wanted to see Europe's proposals before deciding what would follow the expiry of an already extended June 1 deadline to impose tariffs, he added.

Less than a week into the job, Grenell has already triggered headlines with his demand in a tweet that German companies in Iran should "wind down operations" immediately after Trump withdrew the United States from an international nuclear deal.

In the interview, Grenell maintained the hard line on Iran that has caused dismay in Europe's capitals, restating the U.S. government's position that Europe must re-impose sanctions on Iran.

"We expect our friends and allies to help us to bring Iran back to the negotiating table," he said, adding that the United States had proof Iran had violated its commitment not to enrich uranium.



Hackers aren't your only risk when it comes to identity theft and fraud. Data breaches and hacks like those at Equifax, the IRS and Yahoo! tend to dominate the conversation  and no wonder. Breaches hit a record high in 2017, with 1,579 reported incidents exposing nearly 179 million records, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center, which helps consumers dealing with identity theft and fraud. But in recent years, a little more than half of thefts of consumers' personally identifying information were classified as "non-digital," meaning they didn't involve  or at least, didn't start with  the thief exploiting some cyber vulnerability, according to a 2017 report from the University of Texas at Austin's Center for Identity. "That's usually a surprise to people," said R. Sean McCleskey, director of organizational education and measurement at the Center for Identity. "It doesn't get the attention, to some degree, that cybercrimes get." Analog thefts include say, data retrieved from a stolen laptop, lost wallet or pilfered mail. It also encompasses "insider theft" via family members and employees at companies where you do business, who exploited their access to paper or digital records. The Center for Identity analysis used data from more than 5,000 identity theft and fraud cases occurring from 2000 through 2016. (Click on graphic to enlarge.)

Even among notable breaches, non-digital methods add up. For example, according to ITRC data, 4.5 percent of incidents last year involved physical theft, with almost 1.4 million records compromised across 71 breaches. (And those are just the incidents large enough to trigger breach notification laws, said Eva Velasquez, chief executive and president of the ITRC. Actual rates are likely much higher.)

Damage is no paper cut

Despite that prevalence, experts say non-digital, analog incidents of identity theft and fraud often get lost in the conversation, in part because consumers are skeptical about the potential risk and impact compared to the looming threat of big-name hacks they hear about in the news. "It doesn't matter if you're one of 10 affected in a theft or one of 1,000; the experience is the same," said Velasquez. "We often hear, 'Oh, how much damage can they do?" she said. Plenty, as Amy Wang can tell you. The occupational therapist's best guess as to how her information was compromised came in a letter a few years ago from Wells Fargo: An employee had sent account and profile details for Wang and her husband to a third party.

Is it resolved now? Well, yeah, for the moment. But somebody, somewhere, has all this information. We don't know when they're going to pull the trigger and use it. Amy Wang identity theft victim

But the first sign of problems didn't pop up until late 2016, when the Miami family started receiving a lot of extra mail. Specifically, from credit card issuers. They were mostly denials of credit, for store cards applied for in her or her husband's name. Then a few actual cards, followed by bills. Big bills. "Whoever it was charged more than $20,000," said Wang, who spoke last year at a Federal Trade Commission conference about her ordeal. "They had the Christmas shopping season of their lives."

Provided by Amy Wang

She likened the onslaught of fraudulent charges and new accounts to the arcade game Whac-a-Mole, where a player must hit randomly appearing targets: "We'd get rid of one, and then more would come up." The thieves upped their game in early 2017, filling out a change-of-address form with the post office. By the time Wang received notification of the change, her family's mail was already being forwarded to a new, undisclosed address  allowing the perpetrators to collect a treasure trove of valuable data, including bank statements and tax documents. Wang filed a police report and engaged in a brief tug-of-war with the thieves: She got her mail back, only to receive another change-of-address attempt, which she diverted. And, meanwhile, someone attempted to access the family's tax records with the IRS.

One of the change-of-address orders thieves filled out to redirect the Wang family's mail. Provided by Amy Wang

Hours on the phone resolved all the fraudulent charges and new credit card accounts, and most of the family's legitimate creditors were willing to waive late fees and interest on bills that were late during the period when their mail was redirected. The IRS issued the family identity protecting PINs for future tax filings, and the Wang family froze their credit reports to curtail new credit applications. But the thieves were never caught, and Wang still doesn't know the full scope of the data compromised. A particular concern: That the perpetrators now have her children's data as well, with a long game in mind. "Is it resolved now? Well, yeah, for the moment," Wang said. "But somebody, somewhere, has all this information. We don't know when they're going to pull the trigger and use it." For Andrea Woroch, missing mail was the red flag. Last summer, the consumer advocate started seeing neighbors posting updates to neighborhood-based social networking site Nextdoor.com about missing mail in their Bakersfield, California, community. When Woroch went to retrieve her mail, she noticed some of the units in the mailbox bank were ajar.

Andrea Woroch with her husband and daughter. Provided by Andrea Woroch

Several Amazon packages disappeared, and the thief made off with a prepaid debit card loaded with more than $8,000 worth of short-term disability payments for Woroch's maternity leave, along with a birthday card her father sent containing $200 cash. Then her husband received a TJMaxx store credit card in the mail, which someone else had filled out a preapproved offer for in his name. More from Personal Finance:

5 strategies to keep your dream wedding venue from blowing your budget

Hit the brakes before you take this step with your 401(k)

3 ways to get other people to pay off your student loan Assessing what other mail might have gone missing was taxing, and resolving the known losses took weeks, she said. In the end, Woroch escaped with minimal financial loss  she was able to have the prepaid card reissued and the funds reinstated, and the missing online purchases refunded or resent. Her community association replaced the mailboxes and keys, which seems to have stopped the thief. "A $30 package, yeah, that's not great that someone stole it," she said. "But it pales in comparison to having your Social Security number or bank account info stolen."

Halfdark | Getty Images

Here's how to manage your risks for non-digital, analog methods of identity theft and fraud:

Safeguard information

It's not terribly hard for thieves to find a lower-paid employee at say, a doctor's office or local retailer to make an offer of cash for customer info, said the Center for Identity's McCleskey, who is also a retired Secret Service agent. Businesses don't always understand how much data they're collecting, or how to store it properly, he said. In the Center for Identity report, the perpetrator was an employee in 10 percent of cases, and a medical service provider in 9 percent of cases.

It's amazing to me that we'll be so guarded with very interesting things we have, but we'll hand over our identity information on the spot. R. Sean McCleskey Director of organizational education and measurement at University of Texas at Austin's Center for Identity

Consumers need to push back on businesses to store data properly, he said, and also be cautious about what information they give out. Just because the doctor's office asks for your Social Security number, doesn't mean you are required to provide it. "It's amazing to me that we'll be so guarded with very interesting things we have, but we'll hand over our identity information on the spot," McCleskey said.

Secure your stuff

"A lot of [analog theft] is self-compromise," said ITRC's Velasquez. "You have information you really should be protecting, and you're making it available." Think about the value of personal information that's easily accessible while you're on the move, or in spaces like your home or office. Even trusted people like family members, friends and coworkers can be identity thieves: A 2018 Javelin Strategy & Research report estimated 60 percent of child victims, and 7 percent of adult victims, personally knew the perpetrator.

"You wouldn't leave $1,000 on the counter, you'd hide that," McCleskey said. "$1,000 is not easily replaceable, I'll give you that, but if someone gets your identity and starts running around, that's much harder to repair." On the move: Don't routinely keep documents like your Social Security card or passport in your purse or wallet, Velasquez said. Password-protect devices you travel with, like your cellphone and laptop. And don't leave documents or devices in your car. At home: Don't leave sensitive mail or documents out in plain sight. Ideally, keep papers with sensitive financial information in a home safe or locked file cabinet, or a safety deposit box at the bank, said certified fraud examiner Peggy Tracy, owner of Priority Planning LLC in Wheaton, Illinois, who specializes in forensic accounting and divorce consultations. "Why tempt people by leaving things around the house?" she said. At the office: Take the same precautions with personal data at work as you would at home. In a 2015 CareerBuilder survey of office support staff, 10 percent had found items in the trash or around the office that could be compromising to the worker or company  with respondents' notable finds including personal tax returns and bank statements, passports and a list of employee salaries.

Scale back paper records

Go paperless as much as possible, Tracy said. Elect to receive payments via direct deposit, when you can, instead of by paper check or a physical prepaid card. Sign up to receive your bank and brokerage statements electronically, rather than by mail, and opt out of prescreened credit card and insurance offers. "Paper documents can be stolen or manipulated," she said. By that same measure, regularly clear your files of paper records you no longer need, like old credit card bills, income tax returns, and insurance explanation of benefits statements. "The more paper you leave around, the easier it is for people to find it," Tracy said.

Somphop Nithiphadungwong | Getty Images

Clean up your trash

Run sensitive documents through a cross-cut shredder before you dispose of them, Tracy said. That includes not just financial statements, but anything that has personal information on it. (She goes so far as to pull the address labels off magazines.) "People are still known to pick through trash," she said.

Monitor your mail

Keep tabs on what you're sending, as well as receiving. A thief could easily build a good profile on you from a few pieces of mail, especially outgoing mail that might contain personal checks or signed documents, McCleskey said. Deposit outgoing mail in a secured box at the post office, rather than in your own mailbox or a mail collection box on the street (especially after the day's last collection). "Thieves have contraptions that let them reach in and pull mail out," he said. (Federal investigators are currently looking into a rash of such "mail fishing" thefts in New York and New Jersey.)

Investing in a locking mailbox or a post office box to protect incoming mail can be a good idea, too, said Velasquez  especially if your schedule is such that letters and packages could sit there for hours, you live on a busy street that gets a lot of foot traffic from tourists and shoppers, or you reside in a rural area where thieves can easily come and go unnoticed.

Be careful who you trustThe Spanish Parliament has rejected a draft bill that sought to undermine Moroccos interests thanks to a block vote of the ruling Peoples Party Mps.

The Spanish Peoples Party of Mariano Rajoy has opposed the draft bill tabled by the deputies of the extreme left, Podemos, and those of the Catalan republican left, ERC, which was meant to harm Moroccos interests, reports Assabah daily in its weekend issue (May 12 & 13).

The draft bill authors wanted to condition the Morocco-European Union negotiations on the fisheries agreement with Moroccos consent to a peaceful solution of the Sahara conflict under the UN process, writes the Moroccan daily newspaper.

According to the official Spanish news agency EFE, the PP deputies in the Parliaments first Chamber rejected in a block vote the draft, tabled and supported by the two pro-Polisario parties, while the other parties abstained in the vote, the newspaper added.

This is not the first time that the two far-leftist groups have taken such an initiative. Over a year ago, the Spanish Senate had rejected a motion of the ERC calling on the central government to officially recognize the pseudo-SADR. The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee turned down the motion after the PP deputies opposed it. The ERC, Podemos and the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) all together could not impose their draft, the daily recalled.

Regarding the fisheries negotiations, Assabah noted that the Spanish government is keen on renewing the Morocco-EU fisheries agreement, which expires on July 14. The agreement allows European vessels, most of them flying the Spanish flag, to continue fishing in the Moroccan territorial waters. Spain also rejects the Polisario thesis, which is based on a biased interpretation of the judgment of the European Court of Justice.

Yet, the daily added, PP Senator Clara San Damian explained that the rejection of the draft bill is based on political considerations that have nothing to do with the fisheries agreement. She stressed that the Moroccan Sahara issue will have to be settled within the framework of the UN and that the fishing agreement is in full compliance with international law.

For the daily, the decision of the Spanish Parliament reinforces the action of the European Commission, which has recently started new negotiations with Morocco on technical aspects of the fisheries agreement protocol.An American flag flies outside the Wynn Boston Harbor Resort Casino during construction in Everett, Massachusetts, U.S., on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018.

Still, Elaine Wynn has insisted she's not seeking a seat on the board for herself or anyone that will represent her.

"Elaine's campaign goes way, way back  and the sexual harassment allegation probably gives her another platform to maybe get some of her previous grievances out," said Tuna Amobi, an analyst at CFRA Research.

Elaine Wynn's campaign is part of a broader plan, which she's titled "Restore Wynn," to force change on the company she co-founded and served as a director until April 2015. She believes the company long controlled by her ex-husband "needs and deserves a new board that is truly independent and wholeheartedly committed to the company's long-term success."

After exiting in February, Steve Wynn unloaded his 12 percent stake in the company in March for $2.1 billion . He has denied the sexual misconduct allegations, which were first reported in January by The Wall Street Journal .

She is seeking to remove legacy board member John J. Hagenbuch, whom she has referred to as a "close friend" of her ex-husband Steve Wynn, the company's former chairman and CEO who resigned earlier this year following sexual misconduct allegations. "No one with close personal ties to Mr. Wynn should serve on this committee," she said in a recent filing.

Elaine Wynn, the ex-wife of Steve Wynn and now largest shareholder of Wynn Resorts, is behind a proxy battle that is set to come to a head at the company's upcoming annual meeting May 16.

As Wynn Resorts remains under a regulatory cloud and struggles to get back on track, another challenge has emerged: a bitter proxy contest from its largest shareholder and a "campaign for change."

Also, she's asked that shareholders vote against approving the company's executive compensation plan  the so-called say on pay. Three independent proxy advisory firms  Institutional Shareholder Services, Egan-Jones Proxy Services and Glass Lewis & Co.  have come out in support of her position on rejecting the say-on-pay proposal and to withhold votes from Hagenbuch.

Hagenbuch, a six-year board member, is chairman of M&H Realty Partners and WestLand Capital Partners, investment firms he co-founded. He served on the three-member special committee of the Wynn Resorts board investigating the allegations against Steve Wynn.

Hagenbuch didn't respond to requests for comment for this story.

Wynn Resorts defends Hagenbuch, stating in recent documents in connection with the proxy contest that "Jay has the experience to effectively identify and manage Wynn's risk exposures and attendant vulnerabilities."

In a letter to shareholders Thursday, Wynn Resorts' board said Elaine Wynn's "campaign has been entirely disingenuous and is only serving to undercut the stability and progress we are making to transform Wynn Resorts." Also, it said, "her goal to 'Restore Wynn' reflects an insensitivity to the needs of the company at this important juncture."

Added Wynn Resorts' letter, "Both ISS and Glass Lewis have focused on the point that Elaine Wynn was a member of the board from 2002 to 2015, and that she herself bears some responsibility for some of the past vestiges for which she now criticizes the board."

Elaine Wynn, who holds a more than 9.2 percent stake in Wynn Resorts, sees the vote to oust Hagenbuch from the board as a referendum on the company's other legacy directors who oversaw the investigation into her ex-husband as well as the company's response to the allegations. She reportedly learned about an alleged sexual misconduct incident involving her ex-husband in 2009 and reportedly told the company's general counsel.

"Though the board acted swiftly when faced with a crisis, the legacy directors apparently failed to change the batteries of the smoke detectors well before the fire broke out," said ISS, the proxy advisory firm, in its recommendation and analysis released last week.

ISS also is critical of the legacy directors for their handling of the allegations and the length of time it took to get diversity on the Wynn Resorts board. In April, the company named three women as new independent board members and expanded its board.

"When the legacy directors decided to remove Elaine Wynn from the board in 2015 (thus eliminating all gender diversity from the board), it took them nearly twice as long to appoint a single woman director, Patricia Mulroy, as it took the board to appoint Betsy Atkins, Dee Dee Myers, and Wendy Webb last month," ISS said in its analysis.

CFRA's Amobi calls the addition of the three female directors "a significant step to kind of ease some of those concerns in terms of the overall [corporate] governance situation."

Shares of Wynn Resorts were down nearly 3 percent on Friday but the stock remains up 16 percent so far this year, easily outperforming the S&P 500 index.

Morningstar analyst Dan Wasiolek said the campaign by Elaine Wynn can be viewed as a distraction, and there are others, too.

"Obviously, the company has had to deal with a lot  dealing with gaming regulators, updating its board of directors and continuing to review that process," said Wasiolek. "But the company seems to be executing within that environment."

The proxy fight by Elaine Wynn comes as there's still uncertainty about Wynn Resorts' existing gaming licenses and its $2.5 billion casino resort project in Massachusetts. On Monday, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission agreed to take Steve Wynn's name off the gaming license for Wynn Resorts' planned casino in Boston, but it may not be enough to close the investigation.

Wynn Resorts' new CEO, Matt Maddox, last month sought to distance the company from Steve Wynn by telling the commission that management had taken several steps, including corporate culture and dropping the "Wynn" name from the planned Wynn Boston Harbor project, which is scheduled to open in June 2019.

"It seems it's not just about Steve Wynn, but it's also about what was or what wasn't presented to the gaming regulators at the time they were issuing the licenses," said Morningstar's Wasiolek.

The Massachusetts gaming regulator told CNBC on Wednesday its "investigation is active and ongoing." And Nevada's casino regulator said Thursday there remains "an active investigation" into the Las Vegas-based company.

"The company continues to fully cooperate with the Nevada and Massachusetts investigations," said Michael Weaver, a Wynn Resorts spokesman.

One risk is regulators could force more changes on the board and the leadership team who were on the gaming application.

Ultimately, some analysts believe Wynn Resorts will be forced to sell or break up the company.

Jefferies analyst David Katz said the company today lacks its "chief visionary and [its] chief diplomat"  Steve Wynn  and over time "won't be able to grow in the same ways and therefore capture the same multiple that it has historically. And therefore, they're going to conclude that the better option is to sell the company, either in whole or in parts, eventually."

The company's Macau business is seen as especially attractive, perhaps, but Wynn Macau's license is set to expire in 2022. There have also been reports the company's Boston Harbor property under construction may be sold. But CEO Maddox insisted in April in an appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box" that "Boston is not up for sale."Google CEO Sundar Pichai at the company's 2018 Google I/O event in Mountain View, Calif. Source: Google

Google revealed a vision for artificial intelligence that was simultaneously exciting and controversial at its developer confab on Tuesday. The Google Assistant called a hair salon to make an appointment and then called a restaurant to find out about table availability. The performances did more than steal the show. They also overshadowed everything Microsoft announced about AI at its own conference this week. "Google reaffirmed its leadership position in AI," as Atlantic Equities analyst James Cordwell put it in a Wednesday note. Cordwell's note made no mention of Microsoft. Media outlets were quick to point out that Google did not disclose to people on the other end of the calls that the caller was a computer program, not a person, even though it did sound surprisingly natural. The underlying issue? People might not treat automated calls in the same way that they would human ones. Two days after the presentation, Google, which plans to test the technology this summer, clarified that it will make sure to let people know whenever it's the Asssitant calling and not an actual person.

Microsoft's most imaginative example of AI this week involved its Cortana assistant greeting people by name as they sat down at a meeting, transcribing what they said and highlighting action items. The system didn't get every word right, but other than that, it received hardly any criticism in comparison with the Google calling feature, which goes by the name Duplex. Both exhibitions are backed up by long-term investments. Researchers at Google and its sister company DeepMind, both under parent Alphabet, are constantly publishing academic papers describing their latest experiments. Microsoft, with its vast longstanding research arm, is also regularly putting out papers. Both Google and Microsoft announced progress in their efforts to provision more powerful chips for AI. (But only Microsoft is keen to see its chip architecture adopted in other companies' facilities.) Google and Microsoft do business in some of the same markets that cross consumer and enterprise -- search, desktop operating system, productivity tools. But when it comes to demonstrating how people can use AI in 2018, the companies have a discernible distinction. Microsoft is emphasizing business uses, while Google is working to enhance services for mainstream audiences. And that makes sense, as Microsoft is increasingly chasing business subscriptions to cloud-based Office apps and corporate uses of its Azure cloud, while Google continues to get most of its money through online tools for the broad public.

Dueling keynotes

The difference in focus was manifested throughout the companies' dueling keynotes.

Microsoft showed how a drone made smart with AI can recognize anomalies in pipes as it flies above them. It said that the Visual Studio app for writing code will provide AI-powered suggestions, and that Cortana will help plan meetings and surface relevant documents in the Microsoft Teams chat app. Cortana also chimed in with helpful information as one person was typing out a business document in Word. A Microsoft executive gave people a look at new AI-fueled grammar-checking capabilities in Word, too. It stood out as one of the few instances this week of Microsoft announcing an intent to deliver AI that anyone can use in whatever way they like -- but then again, Microsoft was showing it off as an example of what third-party developers can do when they use the company's underlying technology for adding AI to Windows apps. KeyBanc analysts led by Brent Bracelin said in a Wednesday note that they walked away from developer sessions at Microsoft's Build conference convinced that Microsoft "has ambitious plans to integrate AI and [machine learning] functionality in a pervasive manner across the entire application portfolio." Google countered Microsoft's event with demonstrations of AI bubbling up personalized recommendations of places in Google Maps and articles in Google News. Google also announced Gmail is getting a feature to help you write emails and said DeepMind found ways to make batteries in Android devices last longer. But days later, Google's Duplex calling technology was the one thing people kept talking about. tweet Richard Socher, chief scientist at Salesforce, told CNBC that it was impressive how Google was able to pull together multiple AI efforts into one demonstration. It was a glimpse of the future of AI in the real world, even though it ties together several research innovations that have emerged in recent years, he said. "In the next two to five [years] I can very well see this becoming much more prevalent," Socher said, adding that he's personally keen to bring similar technologies to big businesses.

Related: CNBC interviews Google AI chief Jeff DeanIraqis began voting in the first parliamentary election on Saturday since defeating Islamic State, but few people expect its new leaders to deliver the stability and economic prosperity that have long been promised.

Voting stations opened in Baghdad and other cities, Reuters reporters said.

The oil producer has struggled to find a formula for stability since a U.S.-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, and many Iraqis are disappointed with their politicians.

The three main ethnic and religious groups  the majority Shi'ite Arabs and the Sunni Arabs and Kurds  have been at odds for decades, and the sectarian divisions remain as deep as ever.

Much of the northern city of Mosul was reduced to rubble in fighting to oust Islamic State, and it will require billions of dollars to rebuild. The economy is stagnant.

Sectarian tensions, which erupted into civil war in 2006-2007, are still a major security threat. And Iraq's two main backers, Washington and Tehran, are at loggerheads.

Some voters voiced their doubts that the new parliament would be able to tackle the challenges faced by Iraq.

"I will participate but I will mark an 'X' on my ballot. There is no security, no jobs, no services. Candidates are just looking to line up their pockets, not to help people," said Jamal Mowasawi, a 61-year-old butcher.

Incumbent prime minister Haider al-Abadi is considered by analysts to be marginally ahead, but victory is far from certain.

Once seen as ineffective, he improved his standing with the victory against Islamic State, which had occupied a third of Iraq.

But he lacks charisma and has failed to improve the economy. He also cannot rely solely on votes from his community as the Shi'ite voter base is unusually split this year. Instead, he is looking to draw support from other groups.

Even if Abadi's Victory Alliance list wins the most seats, he still has to negotiate the formation of a coalition government, which must be concluded within 90 days of the election.

"It's the same faces and same programmes. Abadi is the best of the worst; at least under his rule we had the liberation (from Islamic State)," said 50-year-old fishmonger Hazem al-Hassan.

His two main challengers, also Shi'ites, are his predecessor Nuri al-Maliki and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia commander Hadi al-Amiri.

Amiri spent more than two decades fighting Saddam from exile in Iran. The 63-year-old leads the Badr Organisation, which was the backbone of the volunteer forces that fought Islamic State.

He hopes to capitalise on his battlefield successes. Victory for Amiri would be a win for Iran, which is locked in proxy wars for influence across the Middle East.Sen. John McCain aired his distaste for "evil" Vladimir Putin and expressed qualms about President Donald Trump's handling of the Russian leader, in an excerpt of his new memoir that was published in the Wall Street Journal on Friday.

McCain's memoir, "The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights and Other Appreciations," is expected to be released on May 22. Arizona's senior senator and the GOP's 2008 presidential nominee has been home battling brain cancer, a diagnosis he revealed last year.

In the book's excerpts published by The Journal, McCain minced no words. He blasted both Russia's president and his party's leader, with whom he's had a number of public disagreements. Much of the published comments focus on Russia's suspected meddling in the 2016 election, and Trump's reaction to the controversy.

"Vladimir Putin is an evil man, and he is intent on evil deeds, which include the destruction of the liberal world order that the United States has led and that has brought more stability, prosperity and freedom to humankind than has ever existed in history," McCain wrote. "He is exploiting the openness of our society and the increasingly acrimonious political divisions consuming us."

Putin has vigorously denied all allegations that Russian meddling was in any way linked to the Kremlin. However, in February a federal grand jury indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities for alleged illegal interference in the 2016 election.

"Putin's goal isn't to defeat a candidate or a party. He means to defeat the West," McCain wrote. "He meddled in one election, and he will do it again because it worked and because he has not been made to stop," McCain wrote.

While the senator said he was skeptical about Trump or his aides colluding with Russia, he felt an investigation was needed to dispel the possibility that a U.S. president could be vulnerable to extortion.

McCain said he wanted to make Putin pay a "steep" price for Russia's role in the 2016 election, and faulted Trump for his "naivete" and "general lack of seriousness about Putin's antagonism to U.S. interests and values."

The investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller has engulfed the Trump administration, and hangs over GOP efforts to preserve its Congressional majority in November. While the president has insisted repeatedly there was no collusion with Russia, McCain remained critical of Trump's handling of the situation.

"President Trump seems to vary from refusing to believe what Putin is doing to just not caring about it," McCain wrote in his book. "He needs to comprehend the nature of the threat Putin poses. He needs to understand Putin's nature, and ours," he added.

The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

The full excerpt can be found on the Wall Street Journal website.Perhaps not the legal eagle he used to be. Photo: The Washington Post/The Washington Post/Getty Images

President Trump is known for saying the quiet part out loud, a habit that has served him shockingly well as a politician. One arena where this practice remains almost universally frowned upon is the legal profession. But a single brave lawyer is throwing convention to the wind there, too, and his name is Rudolph Giuliani.

During his first few days as counsel to the president, the former New York mayor made a huge unforced error on Fox News, telling Sean Hannity that Trump reimbursed Michael Cohen for his $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels in 2016.

On Friday, the former New York mayor was at it again.

In an interview with HuffPost, Giuliani implied that Trump personally intervened to block the merger between Time Warner and AT&T, which the White House has vociferously denied. The comment was meant as a defense of the president in the wake of revelations, first brought to light by Stormy Daniels lawyer Michael Avenatti, that Trump fixer Michael Cohen had been paid by AT&T for consulting work after Trumps election.

Whatever lobbying was done didnt reach the president, Giuliani said. He did drain the swamp  The president denied the merger. They didnt get the result they wanted.

Trump has personally railed against the Time Warner-AT&T deal, a stance that may well have more to do with his burning hatred of CNN than anything else. The Department of Justices opposition to the detail raised eyebrows because, while its position may be defensible on antitrust grounds, it doesnt fit with the rest of the Trump administrations laissez-faire ideology. The Trump administration has insisted that the presidents personal opinions have nothing to do with the DOJs position.

Someone apparently forgot to send Giuliani the memo, and on Saturday, he once again had to walk back a careless remark.

New: While President Trump was opposed to the AT&T-Time Warner merger during the campaign and has been consistent on that, he didn't interfere with the Justice Department case, Giuliani tells @DanaBashCNN. He told me directly he didnt interfere.  Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) May 12, 2018

President Trump was reportedly angry over Giulianis undisciplined media appearances last week; he is not likely to be thrilled this time around, either.

On Friday, AT&T has called its contract with Cohen a big mistake, and forced out the executive who had arranged it.

As for the AT&T-Time Warner merger, its fate will be decided by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, who presided over a week-long trial that wrapped up last week. He is expected to rule by June 12.Mohammed Amin MBE is Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum. He is writing in a personal capacity.

By definition, you cannot be elected as a Member of Parliament without receiving more votes from your constituents than any other candidate. Also, in practice, apart from the rare single-issue candidate, you cannot get elected without being the candidate of a recognised political party. Otherwise, you lack the benefit of name recognition, have to formulate your own political programme, suffer from lack of volunteers to campaign for you etc.

Nevertheless, our long Parliamentary history makes some things crystal clear:

An MP has no obligation to follow the voting instructions of his or her party. The Party may expel them, may deselect them as a candidate in the next general election, and generally pour opprobrium upon them. However, no party leader has the power to compel any MP how to vote. Indeed, an MP is free to change his or her political party every day of the week, as long as they can find other political parties that will accept them as incomers!

An MP has no obligation to vote in accordance with the wishes of his or her electors. Even if 100 per cent of his or her electorate write to the MP demanding that he or she votes in a particular manner, the MP is free to disregard them. The electorate may of course choose to vote against the MP in the next general election, but that is the constituents only remedy.

An MP is free to vote as he or she wishes, regardless of any promises or commitments they may have made to their political parties, or indeed to their voters during the election campaign. Doing a volte face on an election promise will indeed attract severe criticism, but the MP is free to break as many election promises as he or she wishes.

The only obligation of an MP is to exercise their best judgement, to vote in the best interests of the nation, and not to vote out of self-interest, for example for personal pecuniary benefit.

The above truths are often forgotten, or attacked in this populist age, but they remain true nevertheless. We are governed by a representative democracy, not by opinion poll, not by the tabloid press, and not by plebiscites.

Obviously, on a day-to-day basis, MPs follow the voting instructions of their parties because otherwise organised government would risk becoming impossible. However, issues such as war and peace, fundamental moral issues, and major national issues such as Brexit are a sharp reminder of what the duty of MPs is.

Where Britain is today

I think it is fair to say that the our countrys Brexit negotiating position is in some disarray.

Blame rests with the Prime Minister who rushed to serve an Article 50 notice ignoring my advice in The Government must go to the ECJ to establish whether Article 50 notice is revokable and then after losing her Parliamentary majority failed to seek cross-party consensus on negotiating strategy as I recommended in The Government should now agree a Brexit position with other parties and the devolved administrations.

Instead overwhelming priority has been given to internal negotiations within the Conservative Party, while the other political parties have been ignored. Negotiations with the EU-27 have repeatedly taken a back-seat to internal Conservative Party machinations.

Meanwhile, the 24-month Article 50 clock ticks away remorselessly, as in a game of chess. The equivalent of losing on time when your chess clocks flag falls is leaving the EU on 29 March 2019 without any kind of deal. While this would not be quite as bad as the hypothetical ultra-hard Brexit of my article Ultra-hard Brexit  a mathematical perspective, few people apart from some Brexit fantasists would consider leaving the EU with no exit deal to be in the national interest.

What happens next

Sometime this year, assuming the Government does not completely abandon negotiating with the EU-27, the government will put a Brexit departure agreement before Parliament. In the normal way of governments, it will attempt to bully Parliamentarians by telling them that this is the only deal available, and that if they do not vote for it the world will end.

That will be the moment for every MP to look in the mirror and remind themselves what it means to be an MP. Accordingly, it is quite clear what their duty is. That is to ask the question: Is this deal better than any of the alternatives below?

The alternatives are:

Leave the EU with no deal.

Try to negotiate a fresh deal within the limited time available.

Remain within the EU by the UK unilaterally withdrawing its Article 50 notice. (My article The Government must go to the ECJ to establish whether Article 50 notice is revokable briefly discusses the withdrawability legal question, but in any event I expect that in practice the EU-27 would have no objection to the notice being withdrawn.)

If any of the alternatives look preferable to the deal, then Parliament should instruct the government to follow the alternative that Parliament prefers.

Indeed, even before the deal gets to Parliament, the Prime Minister should ask herself the same question. If she concludes that remaining within the EU is in the national interest, she should exercise the Royal Prerogative to withdraw the Article 50 notice, and then tell her Cabinet and her Party what she has done and why. That is called leadership.

Regardless of what is said by Conservative Brexiteers now, I do not believe that in a fit of pique they would emulate Samson by forcing a General Election which in those circumstances might be won by Jeremy Corbyns Labour Party.Defense company BAE Systems has selected Tapestry Solutions, a Boeing subsidiary, to assist with standardizing and automating its manufacturing operations. Tapestry has already set up its Enterprise Sensor Integration (ESI) software platform at BAE Systems facility in Nashua, New Hampshire.

The ESI platform is designed to bring together disparate sensors and devices to give manufacturing managers a single user interface to work from. Developing a complete picture of asset movements and inventory is part of BAE Systems effort to streamline manufacturing operations.

According to Tapestry Solutions, plans are in place to roll out ESI at further BAE Systems manufacturing plants in New Hampshire, New Jersey, Texas, and California.

Tapestry Solutions ESI software has been designed to give defesce and commercial manufacturers more control and insight into their data. The system is sensor-agnostic, which is designed to help BAE Systems make light work of any connectivity challenges with regards to legacy equipment and future advances.

Malek Murison is editor at Internet of Business, a CFE Media content partner. This article originally appeared here. Edited by Chris Vavra, production editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.97%

Website carolehochman.com uses latest and advanced technologies like: Boostrap. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 211145 bytes (206.20 kb uncompressed) and 24030 bytes (23.47 kb compressed).

This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-04-23, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.VMware's CFO has decided to turn down Uber's offer to become the ride-sharing company's CFO and prepare it for a public offering sometime next year, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Zane Rowe had emerged as the top candidate for Uber's CFO position, which has been vacant since 2015a critical role to its IPO plans. But after a month of advanced talks with the company, Rowe backed out, sending Uber scrambling to find another candidate, according to the report.

[Related: VMware's Ross Brown Exits, Channel Chief Brandon Sweeney Takes Over Cloud Provider Program Duties]

Rowe held the CFO position at VMware's former parent company EMC before replacing Jonathan Chadwick at VMware in January of 2016before Dell closed its acquisition of EMC. Before that, he led North America sales for Apple.

A VMware spokesperson told CRN the company would not comment on the report.

Rowe also represents VMware on the board of Pivotal Software, a spin out from EMC and VMware that had its own IPO last month.HARTFORD  A 39-year-old New Haven man was sentenced to 122 months in prison after he was caught in possession of crack cocaine and semi-automatic pistol despite being on supervised release from prison.

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Steven Singh, a New Haven resident also known as Smurf, was sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 122 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.When 9-year-old Jeremy Brown is in pain, it feels like he is being stabbed, while the pain experienced by Deborah Oliver, 40, is like a hundred simultaneous charley horses.

Brown, of Bridgeport, and Oliver, of New Haven, have sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder that causes excruciating pain, life-threatening complications and a shortened life expectancy. Almost one-half of sickle cell patients die in their 40s.

The disease affects some 100,000 Americans, about one in 365 African Americans and one out of 16,300 Hispanics; and in lesser numbers, people with Middle Eastern, Indian, Caribbean and Mediterranean ancestries. An estimated 2,000 people in Connecticut have SCD.

But the disease  discovered over 100 years ago  receives little research, funding or attention.

 Just two medications have been developed to treat the disease: hydroxyurea, approved in 1998; and Endari, approved in 2017.

 There is no national data registry for tracking the disease.

 Only four of the states 27 acute care hospitals have sickle cell treatment programs. And the last SCD awareness program by the Department of Public Health (DPH) was in 2007.

 A 2013 study in the journal Blood reported that cystic fibrosis, which affects 30,000 people nationally, receives seven to 11 times more funding per patient than sickle cell disease. The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis challenge in 2014 raised more than $115 million for about 20,000 patients in the U.S. The bulk of the funds  $77 million  were allocated for research.

I think its ignored because its predominantly a disease of inner-city African Americans, said Dr. William Zempsky, a pain specialist at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center in Hartford, which treats children with SCD.

The other treatment programs are at Yale New Haven and Bridgeport hospitals and UConn Health in Farmington. In total, they treat about half of the state residents with SCD, estimated Dr. Biree Andemariam, the UConn program director. There are no hard statistics on adults with SCD born before 1990, when the state started testing newborns for it. More than 660 babies were born with it from 1990 to 2017, according to DPH.

Andemariam said that about 1,000 patients get no care or go to emergency rooms when in crisis. She and Zempsky created an ER treatment protocol for hospitals without sickle cell programs but none of the Connecticut ERs they approached use it, she said.

Advocates say poor ER care has caused deaths due to lack of knowledge about SCD. Virginia Pertillar, executive director of Citizens for Quality Sickle Cell Care, said patients endure harmful, unnecessarily long waits, are accused of seeking opioids to get high, not to relieve pain, and are mistreated or maltreated.

Quite honestly, because this primarily affects people of color in this country, some of the disparities in care and research dollars and pharmaceutical interests are intertwined with our countrys history of the marginalization experienced by people of color, Andemariam said.

Dr. Gregory Buller, Bridgeport Hospitals chief of medicine, said most SCD patients do not have the income or clout to raise awareness, with many on disability or a limited work schedule. If Warren Buffett had sickle cell disease, then the approach to it might be a whole lot different, he said.

Treatment

In SCD, blood cells are sticky and deformed, causing clots, hampered blood flow, intense pain and, potentially, strokes, organ damage and breathing problems. Most adult patients have chronic pain. Children and adults have pain crises that erupt unpredictably and can last more than a week.

Bone marrow transplants are the only cure, but theyre risky and limited to very sick people who can find a donor match and who dont have organ damage. Yale New Haven Childrens Hospital has done about a dozen successful transplants, said Dr. Farzana Pashankar, a hematologist-oncologist who specializes in SCD.

Pashankar said the hospital has expanded potential donors from siblings to also include parents and nonrelatives so more patients can be eligible for transplants.

University of Illinois Hospital doctors reported in April that they cured seven adults of SCD by using stem cells from family donors who previously would have been considered incompatible because their cells were only partial matches. One patient has died.

Dr. John D. Roberts, medical director of Yale New Havens adult sickle cell program, said because of the death, whats unclear is whether it was really successful. He said that the results translate to a 12.5 percent death rate, probably too high.

In Paris, doctors reported that they have cured a boy with SCD using gene therapy. Scientists have called this development encouraging and promising but needing long-term follow up and more cases.

Treatments include opioids, transfusions, and the two SCD-targeted medications, hydroxyurea and Endari.

Jeremy Brown, a third-grader who wants to be an actor, has the most severe and debilitating form of SCD. Two years ago, he began taking hydroxyurea, a chemotherapy drug. He has been hospitalized once since. Before that, he was hospitalized at least monthly starting when he was 6 months old, said his mother, Tangi Small. Her husband lost a job after absences due to Jeremys hospitalizations. The couple and their four children became homeless, living in transitional housing for three years.

Jeremy has endured intense pain in his arms and legs, fever, a distended stomach, bulging eyes and pneumonia. He cannot gain weight. Twice he could not breathe on his own and was connected to a machine that removed some sickle cells and replaced them with normal ones. He has been prescribed morphine and oxycontin.

Oliver, a clinical technologist, has a different strain. She has pain crises about once a year, for which she is hospitalized and gets blood transfusions. She had her gall bladder removed and a hip replacement due to SCD complications. She limps from bone deterioration in her other hip. She is frequently online, searching for SCD advice from other patients. She was diagnosed when she had pneumonia at age 4.

Im not afraid to die, Oliver said. Thats not a fear. My concern is not fulfilling whatever my purpose is. I try to live each day as if its my last. I try to get the fullness of each day. I have no regrets.

Connecticut SCD program directors said they are reducing hospitalizations with outpatient care, including individualized care plans, managing pain and reducing stress with psychiatric care and social work counseling, non-opioid medications, and self-management of opioid use, depending on need.

Roberts said that in 2015, advocates successfully lobbied to include SCD among the debilitating illnesses eligible for treatment with medical marijuana. It was not included in the 2012 state law.

The median life expectancy for SCD is 42 for men and 48 for women, according to Kathryn Britos-Swain, state sickle cell coordinator. Fewer children are dying, but adult mortality is not improving. A study by investigators at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine showed it got 1 percent worse each year between 1979 and 2005.

This is obviously a concern to families living with sickle cell disease and to sickle cell physicians, Roberts said.

Small said she cried when her son was diagnosed because I knew people who had it and passed early. Four of her friends died from SCD at ages 17, 18, 21 and 32.

Research

Connecticut sickle cell research includes: Yale using synthetic marijuana to test marijuanas effect on sickle cell pain; UConn studying quality of life, mental health, chronic pain, trauma and cell membranes; Connecticut Childrens working on a web-based tool to manage pain; and Bridgeport, Yale and UConn studying infections.

Pharmaceutical company interest in funding research has risen, but it is still difficult to get funding, Andemariam said, citing her inability to obtain funding to complete her work on SCD patients trauma.

Zempsky predicted better treatment options in the next decade as a result of new research. But, he said, right now, the status quo is not very good.

For information on sickle cell:

The National Health, Lung, and Blood Institute

Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Southern Connecticut

Citizens for Quality Sickle Cell Care

Yale New Haven Hospitals sickle cell programs

Sickle Cell Infusion Center, Bridgeport Hospital

New England Sickle Cell Institute, UConn Health

Connecticut Childrens Medical Center

Connecticut Department of Public Health, sickle cell information

Childrens camp, parent retreats: Hole in the Wall Gang Camp

This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (c-hit.org).MASHANTUCKET  Sue Hatfield, a former registered nurse from Pomfret who has been a state prosecutor for the last 13 years, won the Republican nomination for state attorney general Friday night.

Hatfield defeated John Shaban, a Redding attorney and former three-term state lawmaker who lost a 2016 challenge to Democratic 4th District U.S. Rep. Jim Himes. Unofficial totals had Hatfield with 69 percent of the vote to Shabans 23 percent.

Hatfield promised to use the post of the states top civil lawyer to challenge sanctuary cities, attack the opioid crisis, be more hospitable to business, and promote the rights of gun owners.

We must stand up for legal citizenship, she said while accepting the nomination. I will not bring this position back to the Blumenthal era, she said, taking a swipe at U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a former longtime Connecticut attorney general who led the states first ban on military-style rifles in the early 1990s.

Its been 64 years, to be exact, since the last Republican won the attorney generals office for the state of Connecticut, and we will reclaim this seat in 2018, she said. My office will be a fierce advocate for state taxpayers, she said, promising to root out waste and fraud.

She was nominated by House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, of Derby, who said Hatfield is aptly qualified to be the next attorney general, replacing George Jepsen, who is not seeking re-election.

She isnt afraid of a fight, Klarides said. It takes that fight and that fortitude and that fearlessness to make the right decision, no matter who is tugging at you.

Klarides said Hatfield would be a crucial piece of a GOP takeover of state government in the fall.

The new majority of House and Senate Republicans will need an attorney general who will join us in that cause to make Connecticut that amazing state we know she can be again, Klarides said.

At about 8:40, former New Fairfield First Selectman Susan Chapman accepted the unanimous support of the convention for her bid to challenge Democratic Secretary of the State Denise Merrill.

We need a secretary of the state who takes the integrity of our elections very seriously, Chapman said.

Kaitlyn Krasselt contributed to this reportSouth Korean officials point to the nuclear test site where North Korea conducted a hydrogen bomb test in early 2015. Photo: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

North Korea is continuing to make grand gestures ahead of its upcoming summit with the U.S. and South Korea, announcing on Saturday that it will dismantle its only known nuclear test site, complete with an accompanying ceremony, between May 23 and 25 (depending on the weather). According to North Korean state media, the regimes Foreign Ministry has announced that it will demolish the sites underground tunnels using explosives, as well as dismantle the buildings at the facility, which is located near the northeastern village of Punggye-ri.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced that the test site would be shut down at his meeting with South Korean president Moon Jae-in last month. The regime has also announced that it will suspend its testing of nuclear devices and intercontinental ballistic missiles  though Kim has explained that they are only doing so because they have already successfully developed the weapons.

Kim has already invited foreign journalists to watch the dismantling of the nuclear test site, an offer the Foreign Ministry reiterated and explained the process for on Saturday. The demolition viewing party is now scheduled less than three weeks before the June 12 summit in Singapore between Kim, Moon, and President Trump. It should be noted, however, that it is not yet clear if North Korea will also allow disarmament experts to come monitor the work.

In 2008, North Korea invited journalists to watch it destroy a cooling tower at a reactor site after signing an earlier nuclear deal with the U.S. in exchange for about $400 million in aid. Three months later, it accused the U.S. of failing to live up to the terms of the agreement and resumed processing plutonium. All announcements from North Korea regarding its nuclear program should be viewed skeptically, and even more so regarding denuclearization, which has never meant the same thing to North Korea that it has to the U.S. and its allies. President Trump, at least in some of his public statements, hasnt made it clear that he understands what North Korea has been offering thus far, either.

There also seems to be little incentive for Kim to give up his countrys nuclear weapons, particularly after President Trump deliberately violated the 2015 Iran nuclear deal this week, in what he paradoxically framed as an example of Americas trustworthiness. There might also be a new war in the Middle East as a result of Trumps decision by the time he meets with Kim and Moon.

For its part, however, Pyongyang appears to be playing all the right symbolic notes ahead of the historic summit. Earlier this week, North Korea released three Americans who were imprisoned in the country to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, apparently fulfilling a U.S. precondition for the upcoming summit. President Trump met the three men upon their arrival in the U.S., and has already begun appreciating the congrats about his possible Nobel Peace Prize for bringing victory for the world at the summit.Penn State vs. Iowa: How to watch, what to look forIndias Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a foreign visit again. This time to neighbouring Nepal, a country he has visited three times in the past four years.

When Modi visited Nepal in August 2014, it was the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister in 17 years. He visited Nepal again in November 2014 to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit.

The PM's ongoing two-day visit is especially intriguing because it comes on the heels of Nepal Prime Minister KP Oli's India visit in April. With all these frequent high-profile visits, one would expect a strong and healthy bilateral relationship to exist between India and Nepal. But, that is far from the truth.

At best, Modis ongoing visit is being seen as an attempt to "heal old wounds" and "restore neighbourly ties".

From the Muktinath Temple visit. I thank the people for their affection. pic.twitter.com/GPdJve4cSr  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 12, 2018

Visit to Janaki temple is a memorable experience for me, PM @narendramodi wrote in the Visitor's Book at the Janaki temple. pic.twitter.com/MSlvEqPs25  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) May 11, 2018

Some more glimpses from my visit to the Muktinath Temple. pic.twitter.com/ecwMXkHeX4  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 12, 2018

Besides formal meetings with Nepals political leaders, Modi is spending most of his time doing what he likes the most - religious politics for domestic audience. He was seen offering prayers at Janaki Mandir, Muktinath Temple, Pashupatinath temple and also inaugurating with his Nepali counterpart, the Ramayana Circuit Bus Route, connecting Janakpur (birthplace of Sita) and Ayodhya (birthplace of Rama).

However, it is highly doubtful that such religious symbolism will make the communist Prime Minister of Nepal abandon his pro-China tilt and become friendlier with India or its Hindu nationalist prime minister.

It's worth mentioning here that PM Oli was the main force behind Nepal getting a secular Constitution in 2015, which was then adamantly opposed by the Modi government.

By projecting himself as a "Hindu leader", Modi will not be successful to get the approval of the Nepali population. First of all, there has not been any significant religious-political mobilisation in Nepal, unlike India, which has witnessed a surge in Hindutva forces in recent years.

Moreover, the people of Nepal have not forgotten or forgiven PM Modi for subjecting them to a terrible humanitarian crisis by enforcing an unofficial blockade on their landlocked country while it was recovering from the impacts of a devastating earthquake.

Just before Modis visit to Nepal, #BlockadeWasCrimeMrModi was trending among twitter users of that country. Even as the Indian media focus on Modis meeting with political leader and visits to Hindu temples, Journalists in Nepal have been talking about the outcome of recently promised railways and waterways links between the two countries.

There have been talks between China and Nepal for the construction of China-Nepal railway for many years now. However, not to annoy India, Nepal was unwilling to go ahead with that plan. But after Indias unofficial blockade in 2015, Nepal decided to sign an agreement with China in March 2016 for rail link between the two countries. Chinas railway is expected to reach Nepals border by 2020. Since December 2017, Chinese engineers have also started conducting initial survey inside Nepal for the construction of the rail link.

To counter China, last month, Modi promised both rail as well as water links between the two countries. As per the plan, the railways will link Indias Raxaul to Nepals Kathmandu, and for the waterways, Koshi river will be developed.

Besides advancing discussions on these two projects, Modi and Oli are also laid the foundation stone of the long-awaited Arun III hydro-electric project developed by Indias SJVN.

However, Modi is wrong if he thinks that the declaration of mega-projects will bring Nepal closer to India. Going by history, it has not been easy to implement Indian projects in Nepal. The construction of the Arun III dam was supposed to start in the 1990s. Environmental opposition, local politics in Nepal and fluctuating bilateral relations have been the primary reasons for the delay of many Indian projects. Adding to the existing challenges, there have been terror attacks on these projects in recent months, most likely by some Maoist groups.

It is time for Modi and India to think beyond mega-projects while defining bilateral relations with Nepal.

The other problem is that Modi is trying to outcompete China in Nepal with the help of mega-construction projects. This is nothing but playing into the hands of China. China is a global leader when it comes to building mega-projects, it can build such projects much faster, at a lesser cost and probably better than India.

By not accepting its limitations, the Modi government has also substantially increased its financial aid to Nepal in 2018, compared to 2017, hoping to counter China.

Chinas economy is five times bigger than that of India. Modi needs to realise while China has promised to invest $8.3 billion in roads and dam projects in Nepal, Indias commitment is only $317 million.

It's high time Modi realises that his so-called "Modi Doctrine", despite such high-octane visits, has failed to improve India's bilateral relations with its key neighbours, particularly with Nepal. His personalised and much-imposing style focused on transactions has done more harm than good to build partnership with the leaders in Indias neighborhood. His emphasis on soft-power of religion and yoga has its limitations. China not just enjoys the backing of Pakistan but that of other South Asian nations too. Beijing has already surrounded India with its friends and allies.

The only way for India to win back its friendship with countries like Nepal is to abandon the "Modi Doctrine" and adopt the core principles of the two-decade old "Gujral Doctrine". Former PM IK Gujral, when he was the foreign minister of India in 1996-1997, had clearly outlined his five-point road map to build trust between India and its neighbours and the basis of it was the unilateral accommodation. Particularly, with all its neighbours besides Pakistan and China, India is not supposed to ask for reciprocity, but to give and accommodate what it can in good faith and trust.

Modi should not make Indias support to Nepal and other neighboring countries in building dams, roads, railways or waterways, conditional upon their relations with China or even Pakistan. At this time, while the China-Pakistan axis is getting increasingly stronger, and China has become a global power, India has to find ways to rebuild trust and good faith with its traditional friendly neighbours. And that will not come in exchange of fear, bribe or blackmail, it has to be carefully built with mutual understanding, respect and compassion.

Unless Modi realises this, these repeated high-profile visits to Nepal are not going to bring any desired results.

Also read: Modi is in Nepal, but Nepalis are unhappy with the visitGeopolitics is witnessing a paradigm shift. Political upheaval is not limited to the West. Hopelessness, sadness, the waning viability of old ways: these are the subjects of politics across the world.

This is the reason dynamic dictatorship or populist regimes are getting accepted: diversion by war (Russia, Turkey); ethno-religious "cleansing" (Hungary, Myanmar); the amplification of presidential forces and the related deserting of social liberties and the control of law (China, Rwanda, Venezuela, Thailand, the Philippines) and some more.

Indeed, there is an understanding that homogenous populism is emitting in numerous nations around the globe. Many have noticed the similarities between contemporary leaders like Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, Viktor Orban of Hungary and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.

There is a feeling that something is noticeable all around  that something is similar between farthest of the places. In any case, this does not draw any closer. For there is no unanticipated event. All nations today are designed with a similar framework, which subjects them with similar issues and pressures.

Rotten system

After so many years of opening the economy to the world, finance and data systems have effectively grown beyond the control of national governments. The circulation of planets richness and assets to a great extent remain uncontested by any political system.

In India, it isn't that our "netas" are corrupt, it's just that the politicians are tainted as a result of the "system". We don't need to look far to observe how our legislators start of and how then the system changes them completely when they get to the end of it.

It will be difficult to beat these breaking points if we continue with the culture of our redundant politics where participation is decided by a binary vote at the end of 4-5 years. Polarisation, lack of concern, and lack of influence are results of a democracy where power is limited to a vote in EVM machine/ballot.

Improving trust in times of democratic recession: Blockchain Politics

There's a motivation behind why we need to go to a polling place to cast our vote. Anonymous voting is the most effortless approach to secure the trustworthiness of the vote while ensuring voter privacy. This trust of this voting has been attacked in recent times due to machines, ballot getting rigged and EVMs getting hacked.

Voting digitally has been a troublesome test since it's hard to validate that each ballot is verified and true while also keeping them anonymous. Blockchain voting could change that with its cryptography.

Blockchain voting as of now is changing the electoral process. At the present time, those in the military from West Virginia, USA who are serving abroad can vote in their home elections by utilizing their cell phones for voting. A blend of encryption and blockchain registry counts and verify these votes.

Different nations like Brazil, Denmark, South Korea, and Switzerland are researching blockchain voting as well. But, in this regard, Estonia is leading all the nations. Estonias citizens have unique ID cards that enable them to vote on the blockchain rapidly and safely.

Through blockchain, people can control decisions substantially more rapidly and public referendum is an attainable alternative.

Blockchain politics working in layman terms

In layman terms, people can delegate their vote on the issue to anybody they want, for instance, an expert in that specific field. This expert has the same number of votes as were designated to him or her, and can either vote on laws to himself or delegate them further to another trusted person.

The way to keep delegates is that anytime a citizen can withdraw their vote from the delegate back for themselves. For instance, if an expert changes his opinion on a matter to which people disagree with or gets influenced by cash, enterprises or lobbyists, the actual voters can take their votes back.

This makes delegates more responsible for their activities than representative in the current framework. Moreover, voters can give their votes on various issues to different individuals which they see the best fit. For instance, you can delegate your vote on environmental change issues to your most loved ecological researcher/leader, regardless of whether you don't believe him or her sanctioning financial policy.

You would then be able to delegate your financial policy vote to your girlfriend who is a banker, who may further delegate her vote to a trusted economist. In the meantime, you can keep your vote on social issues to yourself if you have strong opinions and need to be accountable and responsible for your vote.

Now, lets look at the 10 simple reasons through which blockchain can disrupt the current political system in future for a better democratic system.

Voting should be transparent

One of the greatest advantages of blockchain voting is that it increases transparency. Currently, when you vote, you don't generally comprehend what has happened to our vote. Youre unsure that your vote is counted and completely trust election commission to count it correctly.

But on the blockchain, it could be achievable to track your vote and see that it lands up at the correct place. Despite the fact that it wouldn't have your data attached to it, your vote would exist on the blockchain history.

No election rigging and fraud

One of the advantages of increased transparency is a decrease in electoral fraud. It becomes tough to cheat the framework or vote in the wrong ward with blockchain id verification system in place. Also, in those nations where autocrats hack elections; blockchain can be a liberator towards a truly democratic system.

Starting a blockchain voting framework requires purchase from the present government obviously. However, after some time blockchain could turn into a global voting standard, with the majority of the nations upholding for blockchain governance in all countries.

Real time voting and referendums

We can verify and count votes in real time using blockchain thereby making voting transparent and in a considerably shorter time span. Moreover, when elections are digital, it takes less investment for polling infrastructure and resource management to hold them.

Decisions can be taken more quickly when referendums are conducted more often in 5 years. Suppose you could vote on your smartphone on the municipality issue today or whether to hike taxes to pay for another open gym in your locality. Interesting, wouldnt it be?

Autonomous organisations and corporate governance

Apart from governments as major beneficiaries of blockchain voting, organisations, councils, unions can vote for employees, leadership and stakeholders for better democratic organisation structure.

Increased voter engagement

Another standpoint of blockchain voting could be increased engagement. If blockchain e-voting is possible from smartphones or desktops, the voting process will become as simple as signing in and casting your vote in a couple of minutes. This would likely to increase voter turnout drastically thereby leading to the strengthening of democracy.

Making political economy robust

No high marketing campaigns or muscle power will be required to influence voters. Delegates knowledge and domain expertise will be prime factors in winning votes.

Accountability: Bottom to top approach

A single individual can be associated at all decision-making levels, from basic leadership to any elective inquiry.

No time, money wastage by opposition and power holders

Majority will hold power than a legislator or a parliamentarian in a liquid democracy. Since delegates chosen will have power based on majority votes, there will be no requirement for a violent opposition by people/groups to gain control of power.

Internal democracy in political parties

No political party will be needed for a delegate to stand for elections. Even, if there will be, the entire control over results of decisions of the party will be controlled by workers or volunteers.

Knowledge and skill over muscle/money power

Domain experts and educated grassroots leaders will be leaders in this democratic system than uneducated politicians or "netas" who prefer muscle/money over people. Bottom to top approach will allow people to make more knowledgeable decisions.

Conclusion

Blockchain politics cant be called utopian system as its under validation across the globe and countries have started adopting the model. It may have its own challenges but still, it presents a better framework which snatches the power from individuals and distributes it to the people.

While it may take a decade or 15 years time to arrive in India because of lack of basic digital infrastructure and conflict with power, it still offers a hope to citizens across the world to improve their democracies through technology. Absolute power, in the hands of the people.

Also read: How Modi is taking Karnataka election campaign to NepalThe leak hunter. Photo: JOSHUA ROBERTS

Axios reported on Saturday some rather delicious details from a meeting in which White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders reprimanded her staff for continuing to leak to the press, knowing full well that her lament would itself be leaked. Jonathan Swan reports:

At yesterdays meeting of the White House communications team  in the wake of a leak from the prior meeting of a callous remark about John McCains brain cancer  a visibly upset and furious Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told the group: I am sure this conversation is going to leak, too. And thats just disgusting, according to a source in the room.

Swan then writes that five  yes, FIVE  sources indeed leaked details of the meeting to Axios. Its unclear how many people total attended the meeting (six, perhaps?), but given this White Houses history of rampant, unchecked blabbing to reporters, its easy to understand Sanderss mood of indignant resignation.

The Trump administration never apologizes for anything, and it dislikes leakers perhaps more than any other group, including immigrants and journalists. So when it was revealed that Sadler downplayed Senator John McCains opposition to CIA director Haspel on Thursday because hes dying anyway, it made sense that the White House focused more on the fact that Sadlers line found its way to the New York Times than on the substance of her comment.

Swan reports that his array of sources told me senior leaders on the press team spent more time focused on the fact that Sadlers now-infamous comment had leaked, than that it was said in the first place  though Sanders did admit it was wrong.

Sanders refused to comment on the controversy at a press briefing on Friday, and Sadler remains gainfully employed at the White House.

Swan also reports that at least one person openly defended Sadler during Fridays meeting: White House strategic communications director Mercedes Schlapp, who said, You can put this on the record  I stand with Kelly Sadler.

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Ltd, Pittsburgh Corning Asia Limited, Pittsburgh Corning CR S.R.O., Pittsburgh Corning Europe N.V., Pittsburgh Corning France, Pittsburgh Corning Gesellschaft m.b.h., Pittsburgh Corning LLC, Pittsburgh Corning Nederland B.V., Pittsburgh Corning Singapore Pte. Ltd, Pittsburgh Corning Suisse SA, Qingdao Novia Polymer Co. Ltd., SIA Paroc, Soltech Inc., The Modulo /ParMur Group, Thermafiber, Thermafiber Inc., Transandina de Comercio S.A., UAB Paroc, UC Industries, and Vitro Fibras.Wall Street analysts have given Bombardier a "Buy" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but Bombardier wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.The Donkey Party awaits a wave thats still likely but too far in the distance to discern clearly. Photo-Illustration: Daily Intelligencer; Photo: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

In Americas hothouse political environment, people overreact to single events all the time. The latest special election or primary; the latest poll; the latest over-the-top boast or cry of panic from a party leader  you can be sure multiple confident predictions of future political trends will emanate from multiple voices, only to be ignored or walked back when the next big thing happens.

There already seems to be an overreaction under way to the results of four state primaries on May 8, and especially to a potential Republican catastrophe that did not occur: a West Virginia Senate nomination for renegade ex-con and all-around eccentric Don Blankenship. Yes, had Blankenship won, Democrats slim chances of defying one of the worst Senate landscapes in history and taking back control of that chamber would have gone up significantly. And Republicans are now moving the goalposts to make Senate control part of the definition of a successful year for the Donkey Party, as shown by this remark from conservative activist Terry Schilling:

For the Democrats to truly ride a blue wave, they would need to recapture both the House and the Senate. And, despite the hype, math is not on their side for either objective.

Now Axios seems to be accepting that dubious premise in a piece with the highly suggestive headline: Reality Check: Anti-Trump Midterm Wave Could Be More of a Ripple:

[The midterms] probably wont be a wave of historic proportions, based on Cook Political Reports latest predictions. At best, it could allow [Democrats] to win the House while barely shifting the Senate at all.

Theres no universally accepted definition of a wave election, but every definition is usually characterized by party gains, not some arbitrary objective like control of one or both congressional chambers. The most frequently cited definition of a wave is from veteran election forecaster Stu Rothenberg: an election where there is a net gain or loss of 20 House seats. He doesnt include Senate seats in his definition at all, for the very good reason that only a third of that chamber is at stake in any given election, which means the partisan landscape can vary enormously. The one for 2018 is so bad for Democrats that actual losses this year are entirely consistent with a national wave that delivers the House gavel to Nancy Pelosi, as David Wasserman recently pointed out:

Fact: if all '18 election results were an 8% pro-Dem uniform swing vs. '16 prez results, Dems would gain 44 House seats & lose 4 Senate seats.  Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) April 13, 2018

So it makes sense to put the Senate aside in discussions of a November wave or trickle for Democrats.

The other phenomenon to which there has arguably been an overreaction has been the positive shift for Republicans in early 2018 in both the presidents approval ratings (a big factor in shaping midterm waves) and in the generic congressional ballot (the poll question simply asking voters which party they want to control the House) as compared to the last quarter of 2017. In retrospect, those terrible numbers for Trump (approval ratings down into the 30s) and his party (frequently a double-digit deficit in the generic ballot) were a brief departure from a relatively stable public opinion landscape that have made a reversion to the mean look exciting to Republicans.

From a longer perspective, things look different. Trumps approval ratings have not, so far, made some sort of ever-ascending climb, as Nate Silver noted earlier this week:

[O]ver the whole course of his presidency, the range Trumps approval ratings travel in has been remarkably narrow 

Trumps 8-point approval-rating range is the narrowest of any [post-World War II] president to this point in his term.

And as Alan Abramowitz pointed out this week, the same is true of the generic ballot:

On average, Democrats led by 7.1 points over the past year, and Democrats have led in almost every individual poll. The monthly average ranged from 6.2 points in February 2018 to 10.1 points in December 2017. The December result was clearly an outlier, however, and may have led to a misinterpretation of more recent results as indicating a significant decline in the Democratic lead. Except for the December results, the monthly averages have fallen within a fairly narrow range of 6.2 to 7.8 points.

Experts vary on how big a national House popular vote (the measurement that the generic ballot approximates) margin Democrats would need either to reach Rothenbergs 20-net-House-seat-gain standard for a wave election, or the 23-net-House-seat-gain theyd need to take over the chamber. Abramowitz thinks a Democratic advantage as small as four points could flip the House. Wasserman thinks it might require more like 7 percent.

All these theories about the election landscape from 30,000 feet must eventually play out in individual races, and a lot of Republican hopes ride on the idea that incumbency and gerrymandering will save the House for them even if they lose the national House popular vote decisively. These very real GOP assets, however, have been eroded by a near-record wave of GOP retirements and by the stunning Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that rewrote the map for that heavily gerrymandered state in a way that significantly improves the odds for big Democratic gains.

More importantly, there are simply a lot more ripe Republican than Democratic targets as we approach the general election season, a warning sign that is highly consistent with wave election dynamics that tilt the playing field and create more competitive districts in previously safe territory. According to the Cook Political Reports House ratings, of the 59 genuinely competitive races, 54 are currently held by Republicans and just five by Democrats.

Republicans arent the only ones, however, who are in danger of overreacting to positive news that may be less significant than they think. The great talisman for Democrats heading toward November has been the consistent over-performance of their candidates in special elections, which suggests to some that the polls arent adequately capturing Democratic enthusiasm. While there is historically a significant correlation between House special elections and subsequent regular elections, there is some reason to wonder if Democrats will be able to maintain their enthusiasm gap in the context of regular midterm elections in which key components of their coalition (young people and Latinos, in particular) have traditionally failed to vote in numbers proportionate to the older white voters now leaning Republican. And there is another whole set of questions about polls and enthusiasm, though 2018 polls that screen out voters who did not participate in the pro-GOP 2010 and 2014 midterms could overestimate GOP odds in a big way.

The bottom line is that we all need to buckle up for the long haul and exhibit some patience in figuring out what this election cycle will produce. A Democratic wave that flips or nearly flips the House and minimizes Senate losses is still the best bet. Overreaction to one poll or one primary is still going to happen, of course, but it makes about as much sense as just flipping a coin.Medtronic Plc is a medical technology company, which engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of device-based medical therapies and services. It operates through the following segments: Cardiac and Vascular Group; Minimally Invasive Technologies Group; Restorative Therapies Group; and Diabetes Group. The Cardiac and Vascular Group segment consists of products for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of cardiac rhythm disorders and cardiovascular disease. The Minimally Invasive Technologies Group segment focuses on respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, renal system, lungs, pelvic region, kidneys, and obesity diseases. The Restorative Therapies Group segment comprises of neurostimulation therapies and drug delivery systems for the treatment of chronic pain, as well as areas of the spine and brain, along with pelvic health and conditions of the ear, nose, and throat. The Diabetes Group segment offers insulin pumps, coninuous glucose monitoring systems, and insulin pump consumables. The company was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of InterContinental Hotels Group: 2250 Blake Street Hotel LLC, 24th Street Operator Sub LLC, 36th Street IHG Sub LLC, 426 Main Ave LLC, 46 Nevins Street Associates LLC, Allegro Management LLC, Alpha Kimball Hotel LLC, American Commonwealth Assurance Co. Ltd., Asia Pacific Holdings Limited, BHMC Canada Inc., BHR Holdings B.V., BHR Luxembourg SARL, BHR Pacific Holdings Inc., BHTC Canada Inc., BOC Barclay Sub LLC, Barclay Operating Corp., Bristol Oakbrook Tenant Company, Cafe Biarritz, Cambridge Lodging LLC, Capital Lodging LLC, Compania Inter-Continental De Hoteles El Salvador SA, Crowne Plaza Amsterdam (Management) B.V., Crowne Plaza LLC, Cumberland Akers Hotel LLC, Dunwoody Operations Inc., EVEN Real Estate Holding LLC, Edinburgh IC Limited, General Innkeeping Acceptance Corporation, Guangzhou SC Hotels Services Ltd., H.I. (Ireland) Limited, H.I. Soaltee Management Company Ltd, HC International Holdings Inc., HH France Holdings SAS, HH Hotels (EMEA) B.V., HH Hotels (Romania) SRL, HI Sugarloaf LLC, HIM (Aruba) NV, Hale International Ltd., Hoft Properties LLC, Holiday Hospitality Franchising LLC, Holiday Inn Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Holiday Inns (China) Ltd, Holiday Inns (Chongqing) Inc., Holiday Inns (Courtalin) Holdings SAS, Holiday Inns (Courtalin) SAS, Holiday Inns (England) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Germany) LLC, Holiday Inns (Guangzhou) Inc., Holiday Inns (Jamaica) Inc., Holiday Inns (Malaysia) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Middle East) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Philippines) Inc., Holiday Inns (Saudi Arabia) Inc., Holiday Inns (South East Asia) Inc., Holiday Inns (Thailand) Ltd., Holiday Inns (UK) Inc., Holiday Inns Crowne Plaza (Hong Kong) Inc., Holiday Inns Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Holiday Inns Inc., Holiday Inns Investment (Nepal) Ltd., Holiday Inns of America (UK) Ltd., Holiday Inns of Belgium N.V., Holiday Pacific Equity Corporation, Holiday Pacific LLC, Holiday Pacific Partners LP, Hotel Inter-Continental London Limited, Hotel InterContinental London (Holdings) Limited, Hoteles Y Turismo HIH SRL, IC Hotelbetriebsfuhrungs GmbH, IC Hotels Management (Portugal) Unipessoal Lda, IC International Hotels Limited Liability Company, IHC (Thailand) Limited, IHC Buckhead LLC, IHC Edinburgh (Holdings), IHC Hopkins (Holdings) Corp., IHC Hotel Limited, IHC Inter-Continental (Holdings) Corp., IHC London (Holdings), IHC M-H (Holdings) Corp., IHC May Fair (Holdings) Limited, IHC May Fair Hotel Limited, IHC Overseas (U.K.) Limited, IHC UK (Holdings) Limited, IHC United States (Holdings) Corp., IHC Willard (Holdings) Corp., IHG (Australasia) Limited, IHG (Marseille) SAS, IHG (Thailand) Limited, IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan LLC, IHG ANA Hotels Holdings Co. Ltd., IHG Bangkok Ltd, IHG Brasil Administracao de Hoteis e Servicos Ltda, IHG Commission Services SRL, IHG Community Development LLC, IHG Cyprus Limited, IHG ECS (Barbados) SRL, IHG Franchising Brasil Ltda, IHG Franchising DR Corporation, IHG Franchising LLC, IHG Hotels (New Zealand) Limited, IHG Hotels Limited, IHG Hotels Management (Australia) Pty Limited, IHG Hotels Nigeria Limited, IHG Hotels South Africa (Pty) Ltd, IHG International Partnership, IHG Istanbul Otel Yonetim Limited Sirketi, IHG Japan (Management) LLC, IHG Japan (Osaka) LLC, IHG Management (Maryland) LLC, IHG Management (Netherlands) B.V., IHG Management MD Barclay Sub LLC, IHG Management SL d.o.o, IHG Management d.o.o. Beograd, IHG Orchard Street Member LLC, IHG PS Nominees Limited, IHG Systems Pty Ltd, IHG Szalloda Budapest Szolgaltato Kft., IHG de Argentina SA, IND East Village SD Holdings LLC, Inter-Continental D.C. Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Investment Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Partner Corp., Inter-Continental Hospitality Corporation, Inter-Continental Hoteleira Limitada, Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Owning Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation, Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation de Venezuela C.A., Inter-Continental Hotels of San Francisco Inc., Inter-Continental IOHC (Mauritius) Limited, Inter-Continental Management (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental (Branston) 1 Limited, InterContinental (PB) 1, InterContinental (PB) 2, InterContinental (PB) 3 Limited, InterContinental Berlin Service Company GmbH, InterContinental Brasil Administracao de Hoteis Ltda, InterContinental Gestion Hotelera S.L., InterContinental Hotel Berlin GmbH, InterContinental Hotel Dusseldorf GmbH (Germany), InterContinental Hotels (Puerto Rico) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Canada) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Espana) SA, InterContinental Hotels Group (Greater China) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (India) Pvt. Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Japan) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (New Zealand) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Shanghai) Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Customer Services Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Healthcare Trustee Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group Operating Corp., InterContinental Hotels Group Resources Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group Services Company, InterContinental Hotels Group do Brasil Limitada, InterContinental Hotels Italia S.r.L., InterContinental Hotels Limited, InterContinental Hotels Management GmbH, InterContinental Hotels Nevada Corporation, InterContinental Management AM LLC, InterContinental Management Bulgaria EOOD, InterContinental Management France SAS, InterContinental Management Poland sp. z.o.o, InterContinental Overseas Holding Corporation, Intercontinental Hotels Corporation Limited, KG Benefits LLC, KG Gift Card Inc., KG Liability LLC, KG Technology LLC, KHP Washington Operator LLC, KHRG 11th Avenue Hotel LLC, KHRG 851 LLC, KHRG Aertson LLC, KHRG Alexandria LLC, KHRG Alexis LLC, KHRG Allegro LLC, KHRG Argyle LLC, KHRG Austin Beverage Company LLC, KHRG Baltimore LLC, KHRG Born LLC, KHRG Boston Hotel LLC, KHRG Canary LLC, KHRG Cayman Employer Ltd., KHRG Cayman LLC, KHRG DC 1731 LLC, KHRG DC 2505 LLC, KHRG Donovan LLC, KHRG Employer LLC, KHRG Goleta LLC, KHRG Gray LLC, KHRG Gray U2 LLC, KHRG Hillcrest LLC, KHRG Huntington Beach LLC, KHRG King Street LLC, KHRG La Peer LLC, KHRG Miami Beach LLC, KHRG Muse LLC, KHRG NPC LLC, KHRG Onyx LLC, KHRG Palladian LLC, KHRG Palomar Phoenix LLC, KHRG Philly Monaco LLC, KHRG Pittsburgh LLC, KHRG Reynolds LLC, KHRG Riverplace LLC, KHRG SFD LLC, KHRG Sacramento LLC, KHRG Savannah LLC, KHRG Schofield LLC, KHRG Sedona LLC, KHRG State Street LLC, KHRG Sutter LLC, KHRG Sutter Union LLC, KHRG Taconic LLC, KHRG Tariff LLC, KHRG Texas Hospitality LLC, KHRG Texas Operations LLC, KHRG Tryon LLC, KHRG VZ Austin LLC, KHRG Vero Beach LLC, KHRG Vintage Park LLC, KHRG WPB LLC, KHRG Wabash LLC, KHRG Westwood LLC, KHRG Wilshire LLC, KHRG Zamora LLC, Kimpton Hollywood Licenses LLC, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group LLC, Kimpton Phoenix Licenses Holdings LLC, Kimpton Sedona Licenses LLC, Louisiana Acquisitions Corp., MH Lodging LLC, Mercer Fairview Holdings LLC, PML Services LLC, PT SC Hotels & Resorts Indonesia, Pollstrong Limited, Powell Pine Inc., Priscilla Holiday of Texas Inc., RM Lodging LLC, Regent Hotels and Resorts, Resort Services International (Cayo Largo) L.P., SBS Maryland Beverage Company LLC, SC Cellars Limited, SC Hotels International Services Inc., SC Leisure Group Limited, SC NAS 2 Limited, SC Quest Limited, SC Reservations (Philippines) Inc., SCH Insurance Company, SCIH Branston 3, SF MH Acquisition LLC, SPHC Group Pty Ltd., SPHC Management Ltd., Semiramis for training of Hotel Personnel and Hotel Management SAE, Six Continents Corporate Services, Six Continents Holdings Limited, Six Continents Hotels Inc., Six Continents Hotels International Limited, Six Continents Hotels de Colombia SA, Six Continents International Holdings B.V., Six Continents Investments Limited, Six Continents Limited, Six Continents Overseas Holdings Limited, Six Continents Restaurants Limited, SixCo North America Inc., Solamar Lodging LLC, Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation (BVI) Ltd., Southern Pacific Hotels Properties Limited, Universal de Hoteles SA, White Shield Insurance Company Limited, and World Trade Centre Montreal Hotel Corporation.MPs have approved the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee recommendation to scrap pre-entry examinations for admission into the Law Development Centre (LDC).

MPs argue that the scraping of the pre-entry examinations would give chance to more students to train in the legal practice and enable Ugandans easy access to legal services.

Law Development Centre (LDC) graduates. MPs want to scrap off pre-entry exams for students to join the institute

We debated these issues and found that the policy is neither serving the purpose nor helping the already graduate lawyers who want to access the bar course. Pre-entry examinations are not a guarantee of quality assurance, committee chairperson Jacob Oboth Oboth (West Budama south) said.

The quality of lawyers is not determined at pre-entry but at the centre. We discussed with Law Development Centre (LDC) and they didnt have any problem with its scrapping, Oboth added as he presented Legal committee's report on different issues of the ministerial policy statements.

Oboth told the House that the committee held several meetings and its interactions with LDC authorities and they indicated no rejection to the proposal to stop pre-entry examinations.

According to Defense minister Adolf Mwesige, there were sufficient checks and balances in the system before the introduction of the pre-entry examinations, which helped the legal system, produce good lawyers.

We seem to be punishing our children so much subjecting them to so much. In my view the examinations should be removed, Mwesige said.

Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Kahinda Otafiire argued that the introduction of pre entry examinations was to try to decongest LDC since classes had huge numbers of students going up to 1000.

This question of pre-entry to LDC was a bit tricky. We came to a conclusion that a class of 1000 is a rally, Otaffire said.

He added: government has chosen to solve the problem of congestion by creating regional centres.

Although some MPs including Bududa Woman MP Justine Khainza, Bukooli North MP Gaster Mugoya and Aruu MP Odonga Otto among others were against the scrapping of the examinations, speaker Rebecca Kadaga put a question and members adopted the committee report.

It has always been prerequisite that for anyone to get admitted into LDC they ought to sit and pass pre-entry exams.

namuloki16@gmail.comWall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI EAFE ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI EAFE ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here. American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved.

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 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research.MAXIMUS, Inc. engages in the operation of government and human services programs. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Services; U.S. Federal Services; and Outside the U.S. The U.S. Services segment offers a variety of business process services, and appeals and assessments for state, provincial and national government programs. The U.S. Federal Services segment includes process solutions, program management, as well as system and software development, and maintenance services for various United States federal civilian programs. The Outside the U.S segment comprises of national, state, and county human services agencies with a variety of business process services, and related consulting services for welfare-to-work, child support, higher education institutions, and other human services programs. The company was founded by David V. Mastran in 1975 and is headquartered in Reston, VA.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Masco: A&J Gummers, Airex 3 LLC, Arrow Fastener, BEHR PAINTS IT! INC., BSI Holdings, Behr (Beijing) Paint Company Limited, Behr Paint (Beijing) Commercial Co. Ltd., Behr Process, Behr Process Canada Ltd., Behr Process Corporation, Behr Process Paints (India) Private Limited, Behr Sales LLC, BrassCraft Manufacturing Company, Brasstech Inc., Bristan, Bristan Group Limited, Cambrian Windows, ColorAxis Inc., Davenport Insulation Group, Delta Faucet (China) Co. Ltd., Delta Faucet Company, Delta Faucet Company India Private Limited, Delta Faucet Company Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Delta Faucet Company of Tennessee, Diversified Cabinet Distributors Inc., Duraflex, Duraflex Limited, Erickson Framing, Glass Idromassaggio, Guy Evans Inc., Hans Grohe Pte. Ltd., Hansgrohe, Hansgrohe A.B., Hansgrohe A/S, Hansgrohe AG, Hansgrohe Armature Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Hansgrohe B.V., Hansgrohe Brasil Metals Santitarios Ltda., Hansgrohe CS s.r.o., Hansgrohe Deutschland Vertriebs GmbH, Hansgrohe Handelsges.mbH, Hansgrohe Inc., Hansgrohe India Private Ltd., Hansgrohe International GmbH, Hansgrohe Japan K.K, Hansgrohe Kft., Hansgrohe Ltd., Hansgrohe N.V., Hansgrohe Pty Ltd, Hansgrohe S. de R. L. de C. V., Hansgrohe S. a r.l., Hansgrohe S.A., Hansgrohe S.A.U., Hansgrohe SA (Pty) Ltd., Hansgrohe SE, Hansgrohe Sanitary Products (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Hansgrohe Sanitary Products W.L.L., Hansgrohe Sp. z.o.o., Hansgrohe Wasselonne S.A., Hansgrohe d.o.o., Hansgrohe ooo, Hansgrohe s.r.l., Hot Spring Spa Australasia Pty Ltd, Hot Spring Spas New Zealand Limited, Huppe B.V., Huppe Belgium S.A., Huppe GmbH, Huppe Insaat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Huppe S. a r.l., Huppe S.L., Huppe Spolka z.o.o., Huppe s.r.o., IDI Group inc, Inrecon, Jet Acquisition LLC, Kichler Lighting LLC, L.D. Kichler Lighting Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Landex of Wisconsin Inc., Liberty Hardware Asia Co. Ltd., Liberty Hardware Mfg. Corp., Liberty Hardware Retail & Design Services LLC, Masco Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Masco Building Products Corp., Masco Cabinetry Hong Kong Limited, Masco Canada Limited, Masco Capital Corporation, Masco Chile Limitada, Masco Corporation Limited, Masco Corporation of Indiana, Masco Europe Inc., Masco Europe S. a r.l., Masco Europe SCS, Masco Framing Corp., Masco Germany Holding GmbH, Masco HD Support Services LLC, Masco Home Products Private Limited, Masco Home Products S.a r.l., Masco Retail Sales Support Inc., Masco Singapore Pte. Ltd., Masco WM Support Services LLC, Mascomex S.A. de C.V., Masterchem Industries, Masterchem Industries LLC, Mercury Plastics LLC, Milgard Manufacturing, Mill's Pride, Mirolin Industries Corp., My Service Center Inc., NCFII Holdings Inc., Newport Brass, Oz Acquisition LLC, Peerless Sales Corporation, SCE Unlimited, Service Partners, Shanghai Hansgrohe International Trading Co. Ltd., SmarTap, SmarTap A.Y. Ltd., Tapicerias Pacifico SA de CV, Tempered Products Inc., Texwood Industries, The Faucet-Queens, The GMU Group, The L.D. Kichler Co., Tvilum, Vapor Technologies Inc., Vapor Technologies Shenzhen Co. Ltd., Watkins Distribution UK Limited, Watkins Europe BVBA, Watkins Manufacturing Corporation, and Wellness Marketing Corporation.Wall Street analysts have given iShares Gold Trust a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares Gold Trust wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.Unit Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, acquisition, development, and production of oil and natural gas properties in the United States. It operates through three segments: Oil and Natural Gas, Contract Drilling, and Mid-Stream. The Oil and Natural Gas segment explores for, acquires, develops, and produces oil and natural gas properties. Its producing oil and natural gas properties, unproved properties, and related assets are primarily located in Oklahoma and Texas, as well as in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. The Contract Drilling segment is involved in the contract drilling of onshore oil and natural gas wells for a range of other oil and natural gas companies primarily in Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, North Dakota, Colorado, and Utah. It has 55 drilling rigs in its fleet. The Mid-Stream segment buys, sells, gathers, processes, and treats natural gas for third parties. This segment operates 3 natural gas treatment plants, 14 processing plants, 22 gathering systems, and approximately 1,475 miles of pipeline in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Unit Corporation was founded in 1963 and is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Read MoreWABCO Holdings Inc., together with its subsidiaries, supplies electronic, mechanical, electro-mechanical, and aerodynamic products worldwide. The company engineers, develops, manufactures, and sells braking, stability, suspension, steering, transmission automation, and air management systems primarily for commercial vehicles. The company's products include pneumatic anti-lock braking systems, electronic braking systems, electronic stability control systems, brake controls, automated manual transmission systems, and air disc brakes; and various conventional mechanical products, such as actuators, air compressors, and air control valves for medium and heavy-duty trucks, buses, and trailers. It also offers pneumatic and hydraulic braking and control systems for off-highway vehicles; conventional braking systems; electronic and conventional air suspension systems; steering technologies; and vehicle electronic stability control and roll stability support products, and advanced driver assistance systems. In addition, the company supplies electronic suspension controls and vacuum pumps to the passenger car and SUV markets, as well as provides remanufacturing services. Further, it offers replacement parts, fleet management solutions, diagnostic tools, training, and other expert services for commercial vehicle aftermarket distributors and service partners, and fleet operators. The company sells its products primarily to truck and bus original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), trailer OEMs, and car manufacturers; and manufacturers of heavy duty and off-highway vehicles in agriculture, construction, mining, and other industries. WABCO Holdings Inc. was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Occidental Petroleum: 1PointFive Inc., 1PointFive P1 LLC, APC Aviation Inc., APC International Holdings LLC, APC Midstream Holdings LLC, APC Venezuela Srl, ARCO Long Beach, Altura Energy, Amarok Gathering LLC, Anadarko 20-25 Company, Anadarko 20-36 Company, Anadarko 20-47 Company, Anadarko 20-48 Company, Anadarko 20-49 Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 403 c/e Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 406B Company, Anadarko Algeria Company LLC, Anadarko Algeria Oil & Gas Company, Anadarko Brazil Investment I LLC, Anadarko Brazil Investment II LLC, Anadarko Canada E&P Limited, Anadarko China Holdings 2 Company, Anadarko Colombia Company, Anadarko Consolidated Holdings LLC, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Block 103 Company, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Company, Anadarko DBMOS Operator LLC, Anadarko Development Company, Anadarko Development Holding Limited, Anadarko E&P Onshore LLC, Anadarko Egypt Holdings Company, Anadarko Energy Holding Limited, Anadarko Energy Services Company, Anadarko Exploracao e Producao de Petroleo e Gas Natural Ltda., Anadarko Finance Company, Anadarko Gabon Company, Anadarko Ghana Mahogany-1 Company, Anadarko Global Energy S.a.r.l, Anadarko Global Funding 1 Company, Anadarko Global Funding II Ltd., Anadarko Guyana Company, Anadarko Holding Company, Anadarko International Development S.a.r.l, Anadarko International Energy Company, Anadarko International O&G Company, Anadarko International Trading Corporation, Anadarko Jordan Company, Anadarko Kenya Company, Anadarko LMM S.a.r.l, Anadarko Land Corp., Anadarko Mexico B.V., Anadarko Mexico S.a.r.l, Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell BR Corp., Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell LLC, Anadarko Natural Gas Company LLC, Anadarko New Zealand Company, Anadarko OGC Company, Anadarko Offshore Holding Company LLC, Anadarko Offshore Well Containment Company LLC, Anadarko Oil & Gas 5 LLC, Anadarko Peru B.V., Anadarko Petroleum, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Anadarko Realty LLC, Anadarko Rockies LLC, Anadarko Royalty Holdings Company, Anadarko UK Corporate Limited, Anadarko US Offshore LLC, Anadarko USH1 Corporation, Anadarko Venezuela Company, Anadarko Venezuela LLC, Anadarko Venezuela Srl, Anadarko WCTP Company, Anadarko West Texas BR Corp., Anadarko West Texas LLC, Anadarko Worldwide Holdings C.V., Atlantic Rim Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Aventine LLC, Baseball Merger Sub 2 Inc., Bear Branch Exploration LLC, Big Island Trona Company, Bitter Creek Coal Company, Bravo Pipeline Company, Cain Chemical, Cain Chemical Inc., Carbon Finance Labs LLC, Concord Petroleum Corporation, Conn Creek Shale Company, D.S. Ventures LLC, DMM Financial LLC, Deerwood Exploration LLC, Downtown Plaza II, Elk Hills Field, FLAG Development LLC, FP Westport Commodities Limited, FP Westport GmbH, FP Westport LLC, FP Westport Limited, FP Westport Services LLC, FP Westport Trading LLC, Fosters Mill Exploration LLC, Glenn Springs Holdings Inc., Globrep Representaciones S.A., Grand Bassa Tankers Inc., Grupo OxyChem de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Headwater II LLC, Houndstooth Resources LLC, INDSPEC Chemical B.V., INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Export Sales LLC, INDSPEC Holding Corporation, Ingleside Cogeneration GP LLC, Ingleside Cogeneration Limited Partnership, Interore Trading Ltd., Joslyn Partnership, KERR-McGEE TT E&P LTD., KM BM-C-Seven Ltd., KM International Insurance Ltd., Kerr-McGee Corporation, Kerr-McGee Natural Gas Company Inc., Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Onshore LP, Kerr-McGee Shared Services Company LLC, Kerr-McGee Stored Power Corporation, Kerr-McGee U.K. Energy Corporation, Kerr-McGee Worldwide Corporation, Kerr-McGee do Brasil Ltda., Kerr-McGee of Canada Northwest Ltd., Laguna Petroleum Corp., Laguna Petroleum LLC, Liwa Oil & Gas Ltd., MC2 Technologies LLC, Mariana Properties Inc., Marico Exploration Inc., Miller Springs Remediation Management Inc., Moncrief Minerals Partnership L.P., NGL Ventures LLC, Natural Gas Odorizing Inc., New OPL LLC, OEVC Energy LLC, OEVC Midstream Projects LLC, OIH LLC, OLCV CE Holdings ULC, OLCV CE US Holdings Inc., OLCV Net Power LLC, OLCV Services LLC, OOG Partner LLC, OOOI Chem Holdings LLC, OOOI Chem Sub LLC, OOOI Chemical International LLC, OOOI Chile Holder LLC, OOOI Ecuador Management LLC, OOOI Oil and Gas Sub LLC, OOOI South America Management LLC, OPM GP Inc., OPM Holdco LLC, OTCF LLC, OTH LLC, OXY CV Pipeline LLC, OXY Campus LLC, OXY Inc., OXY LPG LLC, OXY Libya E&P Area 103 BR4 B.V., OXY Libya E&P Area 35 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P Concession 103 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 102 B.V., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1981 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1985 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P NC 143 144 145 150 B.V., OXY Libya Exploration SPC, OXY Libya LLC, OXY Little Knife LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings I LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings II LLC, OXY Middle East Holdings Ltd., OXY Oil Partners Inc., OXY PBLP Manager LLC, OXY Support Services LLC, OXY Tulsa Inc., OXY USA Inc., OXY USA WTP LP, OXY VPP Investments LLC, OXY West LLC, OXY of Saudi Arabia Ltd., OXYCHEM (CANADA) INC., OXYMAR, Oakwood Exploration LLC, Occidental (Bermuda) Ltd., Occidental (East Shabwa) LLC, Occidental Advance Sale Finance Inc., Occidental Al Hosn LLC, Occidental Angola Holdings Ltd., Occidental CIS Services Inc., Occidental Canada Holdings Ltd., Occidental Chemical Asia Limited, Occidental Chemical Belgium B.V.B.A., Occidental Chemical Chile Limitada, Occidental Chemical Corporation, Occidental Chemical Export Sales LLC, Occidental Chemical Far East Limited, Occidental Chemical Holding Corporation, Occidental Chemical International LLC, Occidental Chemical Investment (Canada) 1 Inc., Occidental Chemical Receivables LLC, Occidental Chemical de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Occidental Chile Investments LLC, Occidental Chile Minority Holder LLC, Occidental Colombia (Series G) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series J) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series K) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series L) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series M) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series N) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series O) Ltd., Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (Canada), Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (International), Occidental Dolphin Holdings Ltd., Occidental Energy Marketing Inc., Occidental Energy Ventures LLC, Occidental Exploradora del Peru Ltd., Occidental Exploration and Production Company, Occidental Hafar LLC, Occidental International (Libya) Inc., Occidental International Corporation, Occidental International Exploration and Production Company, Occidental International Holdings Ltd., Occidental International Oil and Gas Ltd., Occidental International Services Inc., Occidental Joslyn GP 2 Co., Occidental LNG (Malaysia) Ltd., Occidental Latin America Holdings LLC, Occidental Libya Oil & Gas B.V., Occidental MENA Manager Ltd., Occidental Middle East Development Company, Occidental Midland Basin LLC, Occidental Mukhaizna LLC, Occidental Oil Asia Pte. Ltd., Occidental Oil Shale Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas (Oman) Ltd., Occidental Oil and Gas Corporation, Occidental Oil and Gas International Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas International LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas Pakistan LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas of Peru LLC, Occidental Oman (Block 27) Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 65 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 65 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 72 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 72 LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Company LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman North Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oriente Exploration and Production Ltd., Occidental Overseas Holdings B.V., Occidental PVC LLC, Occidental Peninsula II Inc., Occidental Peninsula LLC, Occidental Permian Ltd., Occidental Permian Manager LLC, Occidental Permian Services Inc., Occidental Peruana Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 101) Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 103) Inc., Occidental Petroleum (Pakistan) Inc., Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Occidental Petroleum Corporation Political Action Committee, Occidental Petroleum de Venezuela S.A., Occidental Petroleum of Nigeria, Occidental Petroleum of Oman Ltd., Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd., Occidental Power Marketing L.P., Occidental Power Services Inc., Occidental Qatar Energy Company LLC, Occidental Red Sea Development LLC, Occidental Research Corporation, Occidental Resource Recovery Systems Inc., Occidental Resources Company, Occidental Shah Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental South America Finance LLC, Occidental Specialty Marketing Inc., Occidental Tower Corporation, Occidental Transportation Holding Corporation, Occidental West Texas Overthrust Inc., Occidental Yemen Ltd., Occidental Yemen Sabatain Inc., Occidental del Ecuador Inc., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Bab) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Shah) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi LLC, Occidental of Abu Dhabi Ltd., Occidental of Bahrain Ltd., Occidental of Bangladesh Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Chipiron) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Cosecha) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Medina) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Putumayo) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia (Teca) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia PUT-36 LLC, Occidental of Dubai Inc., Occidental of Iraq Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Iraq LLC, Occidental of Oman Inc., Occidental of Russia Ltd., Occidental of South Africa (Offshore) Inc., Occidental of Yemen (Block 75) LLC, Oceanic Marine Transport Ltd., Opcal Insurance Inc., Oryx Crude Trading & Transportation Inc., Oxy BridgeTex Limited Partnership, Oxy C & I Bulk Sales LLC, Oxy Canada Sales Inc., Oxy Carbon Solutions LLC, Oxy Carbon Storage LLC, Oxy Climate Ventures Inc., Oxy Cogeneration Holding Company LLC, Oxy Colombia Holdings LLC, Oxy Colombia TopCo Ltd., Oxy Delaware Basin LLC, Oxy Delaware Basin Plant LLC, Oxy Dolphin E&P LLC, Oxy Dolphin Pipeline LLC, Oxy Energy Canada Inc., Oxy Energy Services LLC, Oxy Expatriate Services Inc., Oxy FFT Holdings Inc., Oxy Holding Company (Pipeline) Inc., Oxy International Ventures Ltd., Oxy LPG Terminal LLC, Oxy Levelland Pipeline Company LLC, Oxy Levelland Terminal Company LLC, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures LLC, Oxy Midstream Strategic Development LLC, Oxy Oleoducto SOP LLC, Oxy Overseas Services Ltd., Oxy Permian Gathering LLC, Oxy Permian Plaza LLC, Oxy Petroleum de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Oxy Renewable Energy LLC, Oxy Salt Creek Pipeline LLC, Oxy TL LLC, Oxy Taft Hub LLC, Oxy Technology Ventures Inc., Oxy Transport I Company LLC, Oxy Vinyls Canada Co., Oxy Vinyls Export Sales LLC, Oxy Vinyls LP, Oxy Westwood Corporation, Oxy Y-1 Company, OxyChem Ingleside Ethylene Holdings Inc., OxyChem do Brasil Ltda., OxyChile Investments LLC, Oxychem Shipping Ltd., Permian Basin JV Tax Matters Member LLC, Permian Basin Limited Partnership, Permian VPP Holder LP, Permian VPP Manager LLC, Phibro, Placid Oil LLC, Ramlat Oxy Ltd., Rio de Viento Inc., Rodeo Midland Basin LLC, San Patricio Pipeline LLC, Scanports Shipping LLC, SequestCo LLC, Stetson Exploration LLC, Sun Offshore Gathering Company, Swiflite Aircraft Corporation, Transok Properties LLC, Troy Potter Inc., Turavent Oil GmbH [in liquidation], Tuscaloosa Holdings Inc., UP Petroleo III Ltd., Upland Industries Corporation, Venezuela US SRL, Vintage Gas Inc., Vintage Petroleum, Vintage Petroleum Argentina Ltd., Vintage Petroleum Boliviana Ltd., Vintage Petroleum International Finance B.V., Vintage Petroleum International Holdings LLC, Vintage Petroleum International LLC, Vintage Petroleum International Ventures Inc., Vintage Petroleum Italy Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America Holdings Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America LLC, Vintage Petroleum Turkey Inc., WGR Asset Holding Company LLC, WGR Canada Inc., Wardner Ranch Inc., Western Gas Resources Inc., Western Gas Resources-Westana Inc., Western Midstream Holdings LLC, Woodlands International Insurance Ltd., and YT Ranch LLC.SunTrust Banks, Inc. operates as the holding company for SunTrust Bank that provides various financial services for consumers, businesses, corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit entities in the United States. It operates in two segments, Consumer and Wholesale. The Consumer segment provides deposits and payments; home equity and personal credit lines; auto, student, and other lending products; credit cards; discount/online and full-service brokerage products; professional investment advisory products and services; and trust services, as well as family office solutions. This segment also offers residential mortgage products in the secondary market. The Wholesale segment provides capital markets solutions, including advisory, capital raising, and financial risk management; asset-based financing solutions, such as securitizations, asset-based lending, equipment financing, and structured real estate arrangements; cash management services and auto dealer financing solutions; investment banking solutions; and credit and deposit, fee-based product offering, multi-family agency lending, advisory, commercial mortgage brokerage, and tailored financing and equity investment solutions. This segment also offers treasury and payment solutions, such as operating various electronic and paper payment types, which comprise card, wire transfer, automated clearing house, check, and cash; and provides services clients to manage their accounts online. The company offers its products and services through a network of traditional and in-store branches, automated teller machines, Internet, mobile, and telephone banking channels. As of December 31, 2018, it operated 1,218 full-service banking offices located in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. SunTrust Banks, Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Read MoreWall Street analysts have given iShares China Large-Cap ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares China Large-Cap ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.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...Augusta Gold Corp., a junior exploration company, engages in the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties in the United States. It primarily explores for gold, silver, and other metals. The company holds interests in the Bullfrog gold project located in the north-west of Las Vegas, Nevada. It also owns, controls, or has acquired mineral rights on Federal patented and unpatented mining claims in the state of Nevada for the purpose of exploration and potential development of metals on a total of approximately 7,800 acres of land. The company was formerly known as Bullfrog Gold Corp. and changed its name to Augusta Gold Corp. in January 2021. Augusta Gold Corp. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Read MoreVice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has urged the private sectors of both Ghana and Nigeria to lead the way towards a healthy collaboration in trade, investment and growth.



He called on them to brainstorm on issues that will help address the barriers to trade, business and investment, and propose pragmatic ways to address them together with the business community.



Dr Bawumia was speaking at the Ghana-Nigeria Trade and Investment Conference in Accra yesterday.

He called on African countries, especially those in the West African sub-region, to leverage the use of their resources for growth.



According to him, innovative thinking, co-operation and leveraging of resources for growth are some of the most sustainable solutions to improve livelihoods, reduce poverty, create wealth and ultimately contribute to regional peace, security and stability.



Speaking at the first-ever Ghana-Nigeria Trade and Investment Conference, dubbed Ghangeria Rising, in Accra, the Vice-President called on businesses to challenge each other and increase their competitiveness in the ECOWAS sub-region.



There is no reason that Ghana, Nigeria and Guinea, for example, cannot co-operate wholly to develop an integrated aluminium industry using energy from Nigeria to dry processing of bauxite from Guinea and Ghana, and to use the alumna to feed the Ghanas aluminium shell smelter.



It is so with bauxite as it is with iron ore, energy resources, fertiliser production and agro processing, among others.



We have the opportunity to change our development paradigm through such engagements by the private sector, he stressed.



The Ghangeria Rising Conference is an annual high-level event that seeks to bring together key investors, businessmen and women, promoters and facilitators, policymakers and regulators to discuss trade business and investment opportunities between Ghana and Nigeria.



Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, in her address, indicated that the peaceful political climate and favourable legal framework for investment in Ghana are both God-sent and hard earned and contribute significantly to an enabling business environment critical for private sector competitiveness and sustainable development.



Government, she stated, takes pride in its commitment to creating and ensuring macro-economic stability as demonstrated in the 2017 budget.



Though Ghana and Nigeria have the biggest economies in the sub-region, she bemoaned trade volumes between the two are not impressive as indicated by our 2017 trade figures.



The challenge, therefore, is for our bilateral trade and investment to be given the needed boost. We all have a role to play as much as would all benefit from any dividends that accrue there from, she added.

She said Ghana is committed to the implementation of all ECOWAS protocols, particularly those on the free movement of persons, the right of residence and the right of establishment goods and services.



Trade is a pillar on which regional integration rests. It offers immense potential to promote sustainable development in our two countries and Africa as a whole.



It also to create the much-needed employment for teeming youth in the continent who are faced with severe unemployment challenges, she noted.



Ghana, she recalled, in a bid to promote trade at the continental level joined 43 other African states in Kigali in March 2018 to sign the African continental free trade area.



Consequently, she disclosed in her address that Ghana has deposited the instrument of ratification at the African Union commission yesterday, together with Kenya, indicating that it is our humble contribution to the continental goal of creating the largest free trade area worldwide.



The Ghangeria Rising is an initiative of Notice Board Limited, an African legal associates, with the aim to present an opportunity for participants to network and engage in continuous discussions for future investment decisions.



This year is the first edition, and, according to organisers, it would continue to be a platform of open and honest conversation about sustainable business by Ghanaian and Nigerian businessmen and women.

It would also be a platform for businesswomen and men to collaborate around lawful business opportunities and their associated challenges to search for pragmatic solutions.



This years edition of the Ghangeria Rising Conference was on the theme Harnessing the Business Opportunities in Ghana and Nigeria to Accelerate Inclusive Economic Growth and Development.

Source: The Finder









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Featured VideoGambia is selling several planes and a fleet of luxury cars bought by former president Yahya Jammeh as it seeks to reduce a mountain of crippling debt contracted during the authoritarian leaders decades-long rule.



Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup, fled Gambia early last year as West African neighbours were poised for military intervention to topple him after he refused to step down following an election loss to current President Adama Barrow.



While most of his people struggled in poverty under one of West Africas most oppressive regimes, Jammeh acquired vast wealth, much of which he packed into planes and carried with him into exile in Equatorial Guinea.



However, a fleet of vehicles, including several Rolls-Royces with Jammehs name embroidered in their red leather headrests, were left behind on the tarmac.



The fleet of expensive vehicles at State House and the three planes bought by former president Yahya Jammeh have been put on sale, Finance Minister Amadou Sanneh told Reuters. My ministry will soon start publicising the sales.



IMF warns against Gambias high debt



The International Monetary Fund warned Gambia on Wednesday against any new borrowing after its debt stock reached 130 percent of gross domestic product at the end of last year.



Most of that debt was contracted under Jammeh, either through borrowing or the governments taking on the liabilities of state-owned enterprises.



Let me be very clear  it may even go higher because we have not opened the books of the state-owned enterprises, said Jaroslaw Wieczorek, who led a recent IMF mission to Gambia. It could be a lot of liability.



Since taking office and discovering government coffers were largely empty, Barrows administration has worked to disentangle Gambias state finances from Jammehs sprawling personal business empire.



Sanneh said last year that around $100 million, more than a third of the governments annual budget, had been siphoned from state firms.



Barrow set up a commission that visited Jammehs many properties  one estate boasts a mosque, jungle warfare training camp and a vast private safari park  to establish an inventory of his possessions with the aim of recovering looted assets.



Investigators have also sought to establish what wealth Jammeh may have stashed abroad.



The process has faced opposition from Jammehs political party and supporters, who have accused Barrows government of carrying out a witchhunt against the ex-president.

Source: Africanews.com









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Featured VideoAbout Me Scott Because prophetic scriptures are found throughout the bible, it is obvious that a comprehensive, systematic approach would be useful, if not necessary, for the understanding of prophecy. Past prophecies have been fulfilled in a literal manner, as confirmed by the dating of these writings and historical records of confirmation. These past prophecies also serve as a model of how to interpret future prophecies. A literal view of prophecy clearly indicates a certain sequence of events will occur within a single generation, concluding with the Tribulation and Second Advent and these events will be obvious. The prophetic signs appear to be present in this generation and we believe these signs are revealed in the news from around the world. View my complete profileAfter a fair first day and beautiful second day, the third day at Cannes Film Festival 2018 saw the women go bold mostly by wearing plunging necklines.

Deepika Padukone was dressed in golden Aberta Ferretti plunging neckline gown and wore Charolette Olympia shoes. Her photo was also liked by her alleged beau Ranveer Singh who left the comment When you put it like that

Huma Qureshi too opted for Manish Malhotras plunging neckline golden dress with a white Drome jacket and paired it with Mele and Marie clutch.

Kangana Ranaut, on the other hand, raised the hotness quotient by just wearing jacket, bra and trousers.

To give some relief from all this hotness, Dhanush too made his appearance at the Cannes, where he unveiled the latest poster of his Hollywood film The Extraordinary Life Of A Fakir.

Sonam Kapoor, who got married to entrepreneur Anand Ahuja two days back, will be joining them soon.

By Monday, with all the Bollywood beauties, we can expect the major action happening.Actor Vicky Kaushal is going through extensive military training for his next project Uri, based on Indian Armys surgical strikes across the LoC. The actor, who plays a Pakistani major in Raazi that released today, will be playing a commander-in-chief who led the 2016 surgical strike in Uri. Aditya Dhar is directing the project.

I am training for five hours every day. Then there is three to four hours of military training, you get to enhance your stamina, go through obstacle training, you are slithering. I am receiving gun training right now, the actor told PTI.

I go to gym and train at the naval base in Cuffe Parade (in Mumbai). Army men help me with training. As of now they are helping us. I have to gain some weight. I am looking forward to the shoot, he adds.

The film produced by Ronnie Screwvalas production arm, RSVP, will go on floors soon. We will fly to Serbia, where we will shoot for two months, he says. Recently, the teaser of Sanju, a biopic on Sanjay Dutt, was released in which Kaushal apparently plays the role of Ranbir Kapoors on-screen friend. You will see me and the entire cast in the official trailer, which will come in due time. It is about Sanju and with this film we show the magic Ranbir has created, he says.

Kaushal says he met Dutt but after the shooting, of the Rajkumar Hirani-directed film, was over. I met Dutt after finishing the shoot for Sanju. My dad and he have worked together. When I met him first at the Diwali party. He was sweet to us and was like you are my son and call me if you are ever in problem. He has a big and beautiful heart, he says.

The 29-year-old actor is also part of Karan Johars short in Lust Stories. The anthology film feature four short films by Karan, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar and Dibarkar Banerjee.

We have already shot for the film and it is ready and coming out on Netflix in June. The theme is lust for all the four stories. I got to work with Karan for the first time. Ours is a quirky comedy film and it is something Karan has tried for the first time. It has turned out well. We had a blast shooting for it. I cant talk much in detail, he says.Vijay's film Mersal had been dragged into controversy by BJP leaders over dialogues relating to demonetisation and GST. Such opposition only meant that the film got a huge dose of free publicity. It appears now its the turn of actor-producer Vishal's Irumbu Thirai, which hit the screens on May 11. The movie, directed by debutant P.S. Mithran, is facing the wrath of political outfits for reportedly showing the Aadhaar scheme in poor light and taking a dig at PM's vision of 'Digital India'.

Police personnel on guard outside Vishals residence.

The film, which revolves around a plot of cybercrimes also brings up topical issues around Aadhaar and crimes on bank databases while revealing the details of the inner workings of the Digital India project, has irked a few fringe groups.

It is true that Hindu Munnani Katchi people protested in front of certain theatres. A show was cancelled in Kasi Theatre, after reported pelting of stones by miscreants. However, the shows resumed post noon after police took control of the place. Police protection was provided to theatres like Sathyam Cinemas and AGS Cinemas in T. Nagar to keep at bay any agitations, said a source from the production house. Police protection was also given to Vishals residence at Anna Nagar.

Irumbu also makes references to how the central government allegedly wasted public money by lending to the likes of Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. There is also a scene in the film where the Digital World Don, played by Arjun, acquires Aadhaar details of entire India by his crooked ways and tries to encash it.

Meanwhile, Vishal who has been getting accolades from all quarters for the solid and bold content of Irumbu.took to his social media handle and thanked the audiences and his dedicated team. Apparently he has said, Yes it is #aadharcard #DigitalIndia. I won't budge to tell the truth.The World Health Organization is planning to try out an experimental Ebola vaccine to fight the outbreak of the virus. (Photo: AP)

Kinshasa (Congo): Ebola vaccines will be shipped as quickly as possible to Congo as the number of suspected cases in the latest outbreak grows, the head of the World Health Organization said Friday as the agency prepared for a "worst-case scenario."

The World Health Organization is planning to try out an experimental Ebola vaccine to fight the outbreak of the virus.

The global health agency says 34 people have been reported or confirmed infected with the virus, which kills between 20 percent and 90 percent of victims, depending on the strain and the care they get.

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus in a Twitter post said the agreement was made in a phone call with Congo's health minister on Thursday. WHO still needs Congo's final authorization, which is expected in the coming days, Dr. Peter Salama, the agency's emergencies chief, told reporters in Geneva.

Two cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the latest outbreak in a remote northwestern part of Congo. There is no specific treatment for Ebola. A new experimental vaccine has been shown to be highly effective, though quantities are limited.

Congo's health minister on Thursday announced the first death since the outbreak was declared early this week, though the hemorrhagic fever blamed for the death has not been confirmed as Ebola.

On Friday, the health ministry announced one new suspected case in Bikoro and a second in the Iboko health zone. It also said it knew of three sick people in Mbandaka, the capital of Equateur province, where it is sending experts to investigate.

Mobile laboratories were being deployed to Mbandaka and Bikoro on Saturday, the ministry said.

"The problem here is that we already have three separate locations that are reporting cases that cover as much as 60 kilometers and maybe more," Salama with WHO said. "We have three health care workers infected and one who has been reported as of yesterday as having died."

While the risk of the latest outbreak spreading into other countries is low, nine nearby countries have been put on high alert, Salama said.

It is "absolutely a dire scene in terms of infrastructure" as medical teams try to contain the outbreak in a region with poor water and sanitation, few paved roads and little electricity, he said.He wrote the May 3 letter to his half-sister asking her to reconsider and invite him - along with the rest of her family - to her wedding to Prince Harry.

After writing an open letter to Prince Harry, asking him not to marry his sister Meghan Markle, and making the biggest mistake in royal history, the estranged brother Thomas Markle Jr has once again penned an open letter - this time begging for a chance to attend the royal wedding.

He wrote the May 3 letter to his half-sister asking her to reconsider and invite him - along with the rest of her family - to her wedding to Prince Harry.

The letter, published in InTouch reads, Meg I know that Im not perfect, nor is anyone else in our family, as Im sure you have read by now. But good, bad, or perfect, were the only family that you have.

He went on to add, It does hurt my feelings not getting invited to your wedding, along with the rest of the family. But its not too late to send me an invite along with your entire family.

According to him, as written in the letter, it is important for him and the family to be at the wedding to show their love and support.

The 51-year-old went on to say that he's proud of Meghan and wished her a 'long future' with Prince Harry. He also apologized for an April letter in which he told the British royal that Meghan 'is obviously not the right woman for you' and encouraged Prince Harry not to go through with the wedding.

Apologising for the same, he acknowledged that they have grown 'distant' over the years, but reminded the future royal that they are still family.

Meghan's half-brother and her half-sister, Samantha Grant, have repeatedly lashed out at the former Suits actress.Police said that the fire broke out at 3:25 am on the ground floor of the building in which the couple was injured. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: An elderly couple was charred to death and another person injured in a fire that gutted their house in the early hours in west Delhi's Moti Nagar area, police said.

The deceased were identified as Chedi Lal, 70, and his wife Laxmi, 62. Vinay, who was staying with the couple as a tenant, also got injured while trying to rescue them, they said.

Police said that it was suspected that the couple's son, who is mentally ill, allegedly set them on fire and fled.

The injured neighbour told the police that he saw the couple's son fleeing from the spot.

Police said that the fire broke out at 3:25 am on the ground floor of the building in which the couple was injured. They were admitted to a hospital where they were declared brought dead, police said.

Locals claimed that the couple's son used to physically abuse his parents.

Another neighbour claimed that he used to forcibly take away money from his mother and would often create ruckus in and around the house.

The couple was staying in a 2BHK house and Lal ran a chaat shop. Their other children also expressed suspicion about their brother's involvement in the incident and said that he would beat his parents and torture them, police said.She boarded a share auto near Guindy Race Course bus stop. According to police, the auto driver and his friend, already in the auto, allegedly took the girl to a secluded place and started molesting her.

Chennai: Five days after an engineering college student was allegedly molested by a share auto driver and his friend, the city police arrested them on Saturday. The arrested persons were identified as share auto driver A. Janarthanan (27) of Kosapet in Porur and his friend S. Pavin (21) of Kovur.

The incident happened on May 7 evening, when a Tiruchy-based girl, studying in a city engineering college and staying at Porur, was returning after college. She boarded a share auto near Guindy Race Course bus stop. According to police, the auto driver and his friend, already in the auto, allegedly took the girl to a secluded place and started molesting her.

However, the girl managed to jump off of the auto near Porur. She also filed a complaint with Guindy police, which registered a case. The police gathered CCTV grabs and identified the registration number of suspected auto. On investigation, it had come to light that the driver of the share auto A. Janarthanan and S. Pavin (21) were involved in the incident.

After investigation, we arrested the duo on Saturday early morning and the share auto was seized, the police said. The police also said that Janarthanan and Pavin will be remanded after enquiry.During the investigation, it was revealed that the money is being funnelled to an unknown destination through hawala agent in Sowcarpet.

Chennai: Busting a lottery racket in the city has led the Chennai police to hawala gang that operated from Sowcarpet, on Saturday. The police also intimated the Enforcement Directorate for further delving into the racket.

According to the police sources, nearly Rs1 crore hawala money had been seized from an agent operating from Sowcarpet. Based on a tip-off, the special team of Washermenpet district police, formed by DC Shashank Sai, had raided a house at Netaji Nagar in Tondiarpet.

The house belongs to Shankaralingam, who is suspected to be the kingpin in one number lottery racket. During the search operation, we have seized Rs 3.80 lakh from the house and arrested Shankaralingam, police said.

During the investigation, it was revealed that the money is being funnelled to an unknown destination through hawala agent in Sowcarpet. Based on the information the special team searched Navkar Agencies, run by Naresh in Nattu Pillaiyar Street.

We have also seized nearly Rs 95 lakhsof unaccounted money and receipts of various transactions from Naresh. Meanwhile, Shankaralingam and Naresh have been arrested for further interrogation, the police said.According to the police, Sumit Shivhare, the groom, demanded an additional Rs two lakh for bullet bike and air conditioner besides the earlier settled Rs 11 lakhs in dowry to complete the final ritual of the marriage.

Bhopal: A groom, a purported army jawan, literally turned the marriage altar a battle ground for allegedly being denied a bullet bike and an air conditioner in dowry in district headquarters town of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, by opening fire and thrashing his bride, police said on Saturday. The incident took place late on Friday night.

According to the police, Sumit Shivhare, the groom, demanded an additional Rs two lakh for bullet bike and air conditioner besides the earlier settled Rs 11 lakhs in dowry to complete the final ritual of the marriage, exchange of garlands. He had allegedly created a ruckus at the marriage stage by brandishing his firearm and then opening blank fires when the members of the brides family expressed their inability to meet his fresh dowry demands.Chennai: Health Minister C. Vijaybaskar awarded 251 nurses on the International Nurses Day on Friday, in recognition of their outstanding performance and dedication to the nursing profession.

Appreciating the nurses workforce in health care sector, health minister said that nurses should be appreciated for their timeless work, in spite of odd hours or government holidays.

According to the advanced nurse appointments, change in uniform, 500 nurse superintendent in stage 1, 1500 nurse superintendent in stage 2 and promotion of 2,000 members from their designation has been reviewed. Additional appointments for nurses will be done at the government medical college hospitals. The medical colleges have initiated the change of nursing diploma courses to degree nursing courses and bridge degree courses, he added.

Health minister also mentioned that state was predominant when compared with other states as it could carry out effective prenatal care, prevention of contagious disease, first aid treatments and handled emergency situations with the help of nurses workforce in the state.Chennai: Teaching profession is one of the noblest professions. It is teachers, who have produced doctors, lawyers and judges. If there is no quality and genuineness in the institutions which impart education, there is no possibility of getting quality teachers and we cannot expect such teachers to inculcate moral values to the children. The interest of the educational institution must be to impart education and not to issue certificate of qualification, as education is different from qualification, said the Madras high court.

Justice S.Vaidyanathan made the above observation while dismissing a petition from Alwin College of Education in Valasarawakkam, which sought a direction to the Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University to conduct the practical examination to 37 students, who were admitted in the year 2016-2018 batch in the college and consequently permit the 37 students to write the University Examination to be conducted by the university to be held in April 2018.

The judge said it was not in dispute that the petitioner college started functioning in the year 2006 and they submitted an application for grant of recognition to the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). Though conditional recognition was granted by the NCTE, to the petitioner college, on a perusal of the documents placed before this court, it was clear that the college has not submitted vital documents to the university, even after a lapse of one year from the universitys communication. Out of the 12 documents sought by the university, the college has produced only 6 documents before May 10, 2017. However, on mercy grounds, the university permitted 37 students of 2016-2017 batch to take up their first year examinations, the judge added.

The judge said there was no recommendation by the NCTE to the petitioner college with regard to the academic year 2015-2016 and that the University has not granted affiliation to the petitioner from the year 2012. However, the college continued admitting students. Further, the commission constituted by the university, paid a surprise visit to the college and found that the college was functioning in a temporary leased building and that the college building was not shifted to a permanent building and site, as per NCTE norms. In the commissions report, it was also stated that out of 37 students enrolled for the first year B.Ed programme, not even a single student was present on April 10, 2017 and out of 21 students enrolled for the second year B.Ed programme, only four students were present on April 10, 2017. Thus, there were several violations/ lapses pointed out by the university and the college has not functioned properly with the true spirit of imparting quality teachers training to the candidates enrolled in their college. The college has maintained false records to dupe the educational authorities. Since the college has not taken diligent steps in carrying out the directions of the university for grant of permanent affiliation, they are not entitled to the relief sought for in the present petition, the judge added.The last assembly election in the state in 2013 had witnessed 71.4 per cent polling. (Photo: AP)

Bengaluru: After a high octane campaigning that lasted for weeks, over five crore people in Karnataka will decide on who will form the next government in the state.

Voting for the Karnataka Assembly elections 2018 for 222 seats began at 7 am and will be on till 6 pm.

The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka faces a tough challenge from the BJP which is hoping to return to power in the state.

Karnataka is the only southern state where BJP has been in power.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed over 20 public meetings in the last ten days of campaigning for the BJP whose chief ministerial candidate is BS Yeddyurappa.

Meanwhile, Congress president Rahul Gandhi toured across the state and interacted with voters from all walks of life.

The war of words between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi often got bitter and personal, especially during the last leg of campaigning.

Just hours before the Karnataka Assembly election, the Election Commission on Friday deferred voting in Bengaluru's Rajarajeshwari Nagar (RR Nagar) constituency, where nearly 10,000 voter ID cards were found in a flat, to May 28.

Also Read: K'taka polls: After voter ID row, voting in Rajarajeshwari Nagar deferred

Voting for another constituency in Bengaluru was postponed due to the death of the BJP candidate and the sitting legislator.

The votes will be counted for 222 of the 224 seats on May 15.

Opinion polls have predicted that neither the Congress, nor the BJP will get majority Karnataka and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular) will be the kingmaker.

Over 2,600 candidates are in the fray -- more than 2,400 men and over 200 women.

The total voters including service electors according to the 2018 final rolls are 5,06,90,538, of whom 2,56,75,579 are male voters, 2,50,09,904 females and 5,055 transgender voters.

Officials said 58,008 polling stations have been set up across the state, of which 12,002 have been designated as "critical", with over 3,50,000 polling personnel on duty.

Here are updates on Karnataka Assembly Election 2018 voting day:

08:45 pm: Re-polling to take place in Hebbal assembly constituency's polling station number 2 on May 14 after polling was stopped there due to EVM failure: Sanjeev Kumar, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer

06:52 pm: Total turnout figure received so far is 70 per cent: Election Commission

06:40 pm: Except few polling stations, where people are still standing in queue and voting, polling has been completed in almost all polling stations: Election Commission

05:45 pm: 61.25 per cent voter turnout recorded till 5 pm in Karnataka

05:40 pm: Re-polling to take place in Hebbal assembly constituency's polling station number 2 after voting was stopped due to EVM failure

04:20 pm: Rain lashed parts of Hubbali affecting voting, voters take shelter at polling station 185

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

03:25 pm: Voter turnout in Kalaburgi affected as temperature hits 43 degree Celsius. Locals say, "In the morning, there was a rush at the booths. However, there is hardly any crowd now as the temperature is quite high. Right now, it is more than 40 degrees"

Voter turnout affected due to high temperature in Kalaburgi. (Photo: ANI)

03:10 pm: 56 per cent voter turnout recorded till 3 pm in Karnataka

02:45 pm: Former foreign minister and BJP leader SM Krishna casts his vote in a polling booth in Bengaluru

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

02:25 pm: Voters queued up at a polling booth in Dharwad's Navalgund

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

02:13 pm: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah casts his vote in Chamundeshwari. He is contesting from Chamundeshwari and Badami constituencies

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

02:04 pm: 37 per cent voter turnout has been recorded in the state till 1 pm

01:23 pm: Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar in queue to cast his vote at polling booth number 240 in Kanakapura

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

01:04 pm: Former Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde casts his vote at a polling booth in Bengaluru. "Over the years, I feel that malpractices have increased. Distribution of sarees. alcohol, dhotis and cookers have come out in open. It is not a good sign in democracy," Hegde said

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

01:00 pm: "It is a sensitive polling booth and the clash between BJP and Congress workers happened within 100 meters of the booth. We will investigate and take further action," Ravi Channannavar, Bengaluru DCP said

12:57 pm: Clashes broke out between Congress and BJP workers outside a polling booth in Hampi Nagar, Bengaluru after Congress workers allegedly thrashed a BJP corporator. Ravindra, Vijayanagar BJP candidate says, 'Our corporator Anand was attacked but police isn't taking any action'

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

12:52 pm: Woman stopped from entering polling both in Belagavi as she was reluctant to remove her 'burqa' for identification; she was later allowed when a woman official identified her inside a cubicle

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

12:48 pm: 87-year-old wheelchair-borne woman came to cast her vote at booth number 150 in Shimoga

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

12:45 pm: Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde in queue to cast his vote in Karnataka's Sirsi

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

12:32 pm: Right before her wedding, a bride casts her vote at polling booth number 131 in Madikeri

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

12:30 pm: 'Yeddyurappa is mentally disturbed. Congress will get more than 120 seats. I am very confident,' says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

12:25 pm: In Dharwad, BJP workers staged protest outside booth number 58 in Karadigudda, alleging that polling staff at the booth were asking people to vote for Congress candidate Vinay Kulkarni. Election Commission officials are present at the spot

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

12:21 pm: BJP's B Sriramalu casts his vote in Bellary

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

12:03 pm: Young voters outside a polling booth in Sadashiv Nagar

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

11:52 am: Shivakumara Swami of Siddaganga Matha casts his vote in Tumakuru

11:49 am: Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge casts his vote in Basavanagar, polling booth number 108, in Kalaburagi

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

11:46 am: "I have been visiting villages in the constituency for last 1 and half years. Election campaigning didn't feel any different. Wherever I went, people expressed confidence in Congress government, says Dr Yatheendra, Congress candidate from Varuna constituency and son of Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

11:28 am: JDS's HD Kumaraswamy and wife Anitha cast their vote in Ramanagara. Kumaraswamy says, 'We are confident that JDS will cross the magic number on its own'

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

11:15 am: 24 per cent voter turnout recorded till 11 am in Karnataka

10:55 am: Sri Sri Ravishankar casts his vote at a polling booth in Kanakapura

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

10:23 am: A differently abled person arrives to vote at a polling booth in Badami

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

09:42 am: Moorusavir Math's Gurusidda Rajayogindra Mahaswami casts his vote in Hubli

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

09:39 am: HD Deve Gowda's wife Chennamma Deve Gowda, son HD Revanna and other family members also cast their votes in Holenarasipura town in Hassan district

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

09:33 am: Mysuru's erstwhile royal Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar casts his vote in Mysuru

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

09:27 am: 10.6 per cent voting till 9 am has been recorded in Karnataka, reports news agency ANI

09:21: Karnataka minister KJ George cast his vote in Bengaluru. He is contesting from Sarvagnanagar constituency

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

09:12 am: 'We expect a possibility of forming the government, we have done well," says HD Deve Gowda

09:05 am: Former prime minister and JD(S) leader HD Deve Gowda casts his vote at polling booth number 244 in Holenarasipura town in Hassan district

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

08:50 am: JDS state chief HD Kumaraswamy meets Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswami of Sri Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math in Jayanagar

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

08:40 am: "Today People of Karnataka are standing in queues to create history & show the nation the way to liberal, progressive, peaceful & compassionate politics & governance. I thank them for their support & wish them well," Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tweets

08:33 am: BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar casts his vote at Karnataka Reddyjana Sangha in Bengaluru's Koramangala

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

08:16 am: BJP's B Sriramalu performed 'gau pooja' (cow worship) before casting his vote in Bellary. He is contesting against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah from Badami constituency

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

08:10 am: Most parts of Karnataka could continue to have light to moderate rainfall accompanied by gusty winds, the weather department has said in its forecast for the state. Officials suggest it would be best for the voters to get out early

Also Read: With rain forecast, weather officials ask Karnataka to vote early

07:56 am: A glitch in Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machine in Hubbali is being reported by news agency ANI. The machine at booth number 108 being replaced, voting is yet to be resumed

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

07:30 am: A woman waits in queue at polling booth number 172 in BTM constituency, with her dog in tow

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

07:20 am: People queue up at polling booth number 144 in Badami constituency. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is contesting against BJP's B Sriramulu from here

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

07:19 am: People in Bengaluru cast their votes at a polling booth in Dommasandra B Munireddy School, located in BTM constituency

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

07:15 am: Early voters have started queuing up outside a polling booth in Puttur

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

07:11 am: BS Yeddyurappa has won the Shikaripura seat in Shivamogga district of Karnataka seven of the eight times since he first contested there 35 years ago. The only time he lost the constituency to the Congress was in 1999

07:10 am: People are fed up with the Siddaramaiah government. I urge the people to come out and vote for BJP. I assure the people of Karnataka that I'm going to give good governance, says Karnataka BJPs chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

07:08 am: Union Minister, BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda casts his vote in Puttur

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

07:06 am: BJPs chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa casts his vote in Shikarpur, Shimoga

07:03 am: BJP's chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa arrives at a polling booth in Shikaripura, Shimoga to vote. According to reports, BS Yeddyurappa was seen offering prayers and performing a puja before stepping out to the polling booth

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

07:00 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged voters in Karnataka to come out in large numbers and cast their votes. On his Twitter PM Modi said, "Urging my sisters and brothers of Karnataka to vote in large numbers today. I would particularly like to call upon young voters to vote and enrich this festival of democracy with their participation."

06:45 am: High security has been put in place ahead of voting. There will be 10,500 police personnel deployed in Bengaluru city limits during the voting hours today. In addition, there will be staff from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and other units

06:30 am: The BJP is contesting in 223 of the 224 seats, the Congress in 221. The JD(S)-BSP combine is contesting in 218 seats. 180 settling legislators are contesting. 1,142 Independents too are contesting in today's elections.Mumbai/Islamabad: Ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday appeared to admit that Pakistani terrorists carried out the 2008 Mumbai attacks, known as 26/11, in an interview to the Dawn newspaper.

"Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can't we complete the trial?" he was quoted as saying.

India has long accused Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) of carrying out the attacks in Mumbai on 26 November, 2008, that left some 166 people dead and as many injured after 10 terrorists with backpacks, automatic weapons and grenades launched a three-day siege in the financial capital of India, targeting several locations.

Nine of the attackers were killed by police while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was caught and hanged after being sentenced to death.

The Mumbai attacks-related trials are stalled in a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court.

Sharif further said, It's absolutely unacceptable (to allow non-state actors to cross the border and commit terrorism there). President (Vladimir) Putin has said it. President Xi (Jinping) has said it." US President Donald Trump had accused Pakistan of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists.

(With PTI inputs)Mumbai police, citing Roy's suicide note, said the 1988-batch Indian Police Service officer took the extreme step 'out of frustration' due to his prolonged battle with cancer. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: In a case supervised by late Himanshu Roy as Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) in Mumbai, two accused were sentenced to life imprisonment on the day Roy ended his life.

A sessions court in Mumbai on Saturday awarded life imprisonment to two persons in the 2012 murder case of actor Meenakshi Thapa. It awarded the sentence to Amit Jaiswal, 36 and his girlfriend Preeti Surin, 26.

"Jaiswal and Surin, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, had befriended Thapa, 26 on the sets of 'Heroine', a Bollywood film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar.

Both the accused used to work as model coordinators.

Under the impression that the actor belonged to a rich family, the duo hatched a conspiracy to abduct her and demand Rs 15 lakh ransom from her family.

They persuaded the actor, who had moved to Mumbai from Dehradun, to accompany them to Uttar Pradesh on March 12, 2012, stating that there was an acting assignment for her.

Subsequently, they had abducted her, but after realising that her family was in no position to pay up, they strangulated her, according to the prosecution.

"Himanshu Roy was the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) when Thapa was murdered. As it was a sensitive case, he played a key role in getting it transferred to the Crime Branch and was instrumental in solving it," a crime branch official said.

Roy committed suicide by shooting himself at his south Mumbai residence, police said.

Mumbai police, citing his suicide note, said the 1988-batch Indian Police Service officer took the extreme step "out of frustration" due to his prolonged battle with cancer.

"Roy was on medical leave for the last two years as he had cancer and the suicide note, in his own handwriting makes it clear that he ended his life out of frustration due to this illness," a police statement said.

Roy, who is survived by his mother and wife, would have been 55 next month.

Roy shot himself with a licensed revolver at his home in Nariman Point at 12.40 pm and was rushed to Bombay Hospital where he was declared dead at 1.40 pm, an official said.President Ram Nath Kovind also expressed his gratitude towards the entire nursing community for playing a vital role in keeping our country healthy. (Photo: @rashtrapatibhvn/Twitter)

New Delhi: Commemorating the occasion of International Nurse Day, President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday addressed a gathering at an event organised by the Ministry of Health in the national capital hailing nurses as the 'true nation builders'.

"Indian nurses have earned respect for themselves around the world. In many countries' health-services, especially in Gulf countries, Indian nurses are serving in large numbers. Their efficient services and disciplined work-style have gained people's affection and appreciation," said the President.

He also expressed his gratitude towards the entire nursing community for playing a vital role in keeping our country healthy.

"You all (nurses) play a critical role in keeping the country healthy. You have served the country through nursing with loyalty and dedication. This country is thankful to all the nursing personnel," said President Kovind.

(Photo: @rashtrapatibhvn/Twitter)

"The nursing personnel who have received awards today represent unity in India's diversity. From Andaman and Nicobar Islands to Daman and Diu and the nursing personnel from Himachal Pradesh to Kerala have received these awards. I congratulate you all," he added.

Taking to his Twitter account, he highlighted the shortage in the number of nurses in the country, saying, "At present, there are 1.7 nurses per 1,000 people in India, and the world average is 2.5 nurses. In the past few years, the number of registered nurses and other health workers has crossed 27 lakh (till March 2017). But this number is not sufficient."

International Nurse Day is celebrated on May 12 every year, commemorating the birth anniversary of English social reformer and the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, and in appreciation of the contributions of nurses to society around the globe.Bengaluru: Voting in Bengaluru's Rajarajeshwari Nagar (RR Nagar) constituency where nearly 10,000 voter ID cards were found in an apartment this week has been deferred to May 28, the Election Commission decided on the eve of Karnataka Assembly elections. Counting of votes in this seat will take place on May 31.

The Election Commission order said the seizure of nearly 10,000 cards and a truck-load of campaign material in the constituency had suggested there was "planned design to induce the voters, thus attempt to vitiate the poll process".

It is imperative to defer the election for the time being so that the "vitiating effect of the distribution of money and gift items to the electors loses its intensity" and the ID cards were returned to the voters, the poll body said in its order to defer the elections from this seat by 16 days.

Also Read: K'taka polls: After voter ID row, voting in Rajarajeshwari Nagar deferred

The BJP, which had claimed to have discovered the ID cards, called the commission's order a "victory of democracy". It said the police case filed against the Congress candidate and sitting legislator Munirathna, who it described as the Congress's moneybag, would land the state's ruling party "in a soup".

Victory for Democracy! EC orders countermanding of RR Nagar polls after court ordered FIR against Congress candidate Muniratna Naidu for creating more than 10k fake voter ids. With Siddaramaiah's money bag, Muniratna in the dock, Congress is in a big soup in Karnataka.  BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) May 11, 2018

The Congress had earlier responded to attempts to link the election ID cards to its candidate as a conspiracy, accusing the BJP of enacting the "drama" of raiding an apartment owned by a local BJP leader and planting "fake evidence".

But a police probe, conducted under the supervision of the Election Commission, appeared to point fingers at the Congress.

Deputy Election Commissioner Chandrabhushan Kumar, who was rushed to Bengaluru to inquire into the allegations, told the Election Commission that the local police had recorded statements of 8 of the 9,564 individuals whose identity cards were found in the Bengaluru flat.

They told the police that their cards were taken away a month back in exchange for water cans. They were also promised cookers once the polling were over.

"Water cans were seized from those houses. Seized water cans bear the photo and texts of the INC, or Indian National Congress candidate from the Rajarajeswari Nagar seat," the Election Commission said.Karnataka Assembly elections 2018: People of Karnataka are voting between 7 am and 6 pm. (Photo: ANI | Twitter)

Bengaluru: Large parts of Karnataka could continue to have light to moderate rainfall accompanied by gusty winds, the weather department has said in its forecast where voting for the assembly election started at 7 am.

Officials suggest it would be best for the state's five crore voters to get out early.

"We are expecting light to moderate rainfall in Karnataka tomorrow (Saturday). At isolated places, we are expecting heavy rainfall, accompanied with high-speed winds," CS Patil of the met department said, according to news agency ANI. He added that most of the rain was expected in the later part of the day.

According to a five-day warning put out by the met department, 23 of Karnataka's 30 districts could have thunderstorm with gutsy places at isolated places.

The seven districts that are not expected to have any rainfall are Koppal, Raichur, Yadgir, Bidar, Uttara Kannada, Udipi and Dakshin Kannada.

On Friday night, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had asked the party's polling booth teams to "remain alert" and "help voters facing difficulties in reaching polling booths tomorrow".Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed confidence that Congress will win over 120 seats in the state. (Photo: ANI | Twitter)

Bengaluru: Brushing aside BJP chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappas claim that his party will win 150 seats and he will form the government in the state on May 17, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday called him mentally disturbed. He expressed confidence that Congress will win over 120 seats in the state.

"Yeddyurappa is mentally disturbed. Congress will get more than 120 seats. I am very confident," Siddaramaiah told the media.

He also said that the Congress party will come back to power with complete majority.

#WATCH: As voting in #Karnataka continues, CM Siddaramaiah says, 'Yeddyurappa is mentally disturbed. Congress will get more than 120 seats. I am very confident.' #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/yE6isfZcYq  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

Earlier on Saturday, after casting his vote, BS Yeddyurappa exuded confidence that his party will form the new government in Karnataka on May 17 after thumping victory.

BS Yeddyurappa is the BJP candidate from Shikaripura.

Laying out a "post-win" schedule, Yeddyurappa said: I will fly to Delhi on the 15th once the results are announced and meet Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi. I will invite him and others for the swearing in ceremony which is going to happen most likely on the 17th.

BJP's chief ministerial candidate, BS Yeddyurappa also projected that his party would win between 145 and 150 seats in the 224-member assembly. Two of the seats are not voting today.

I have toured the entire state three times and am 100 per cent confident that we will win by a big margin. You all will see for yourselves this evening what the exit polls say, said Yeddyurappa adding that the people were fed up of the Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Also Read: Will form government in Karnataka on May 17, says confident Yeddyurappa

222 out of 224 Karnataka Assembly constituencies are voting today. Counting of votes and the announcement of results will take place on Tuesday, May 15.Hyderabad: In an election year, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao wants all sections of society to get into the TRS fold by making them happy. Mr Rao is taking very calculated steps in this direction. In the last four years, he concentrated on the weaker sections such as SCs, STs, BCs, minorities and others. Now he is concentrating on the poor among the forward castes.

With the implementation of the Rythu Bandhu scheme, the TRS government has attracted the farmers. Recently, Mr Rao said that the state government would introduce welfare measures for the poor belonging to forward castes. The forward castes remained the only section without any scheme to woo in the last four years. In the election year, Mr Rao wants to implement some schemes to please this section also.

Another important section comprises government employees and teachers who are conducting agitations against the state government. During the elections government employees play a key role. Keeping this in view, Mr Rao constituted a Cabinet sub-committee to look into the issues of employees and teachers. The sub-committee submitted its report to Mr Rao on Friday. On May 16, the Chief Minister will be holding a meeting with the leaders of state government employees and teachers to discuss about their problems. The main demands of government employees are appointing a Pay Revision Commission (PRC), transfers, promotions and other issues. The state government employees are opposing the implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme introduced by the Central government. For the first time all Telangana employees associations have put up a united fight against the TRS government. Mr Rao is likely to announce several welfare schemes for government employees apart from appointing a PRC.

Generally PRC takes a long time to submit reports. But KCR wants to fix the time for the commission to submit its report to the government at the earliest.Chennai: State cooperation minister Sellur K Raju appears to have got into real trouble trying to ridicule superstar Rajinikanth's political ambitions. His remarks at a media interaction on Thursday that the actor might at best "get Karaikudi aachi and not Tamil Nadu aachi (government)" has infuriated the highly influential Nagarathar community of the Chettinad region down south, where the married woman is respectfully called 'aachi'.

With the Nagarathars raising in protest, Minister Raju on Saturday tried to make amends by tendering apology but in the process further ruffled the feathers as its leaders saw it to be a half-hearted retraction.

We want an unconditional apology, nothing less. The minister is now trying to give an excuse saying he had only referred to late actor Manorama when he said aachi (she had done a role as aachi) and did not mean our women. We do not accept, said former Supreme Court judge A. R. Lakshmanan, a prominent member of the Nagarathar community, which also has well-known personalities such as former Union Minister P. Chidambaram and top industrialists A.Vellayan, AC Muthiah and the late MAM Ramaswamy.

And who is he (Raju) to comment about Manorama? asked Justice Lakshmanan, adding that the community representatives have decided to take up the matter with the Chief Minister and even move the court with a libel suit.In his half-cocked retraction of the offensive aachi remark, Minister Raju said his words were misunderstood whereas he had never intended to hurt anyones feelings. If I have hurt anybody, I am truly sorry. I had only referred to Manorama who had done an aachi role in a movie, he said on Saturday.

Sources said the ministers colleagues too are as much embarrassed if not upset with his aachi comment, with the social media too getting pretty active on this latest hot thing in TN politics. Rival camper TTV Dhinakaran offered a piece of friendly advice to the beleaguered Raju, telling the ex-friend he should quietly, and quickly, apologise without any riders (such as Manorama) since everyone in Tamil Nadu knows who aachi refers to, which community. TTVs tweet has gone viral.

BJP state president Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan too has slammed Minister Raju saying his disparaging remark was terribly wrong and in poor taste. The Minister should not have uttered a derogatory remark hurting people. He should speak with caution, she said. The Nagarathars, also known as Nattukottai Chettiars, have been famous for generations for their business acumen and have created hugely successful business houses, such as the Murugappa Group, the MA Chidambaram Group, the Chettinad Group, Thyagaraja Group, Karumuthu, Loyal Textiles and the AVM Studios, besides giving the country many prominent banks.

The community spread across Sivaganga and Pudukottai districts, Chennai, Singapore, Malaysia, US and Europe, is said to be worth more than Rs 1 lakh crores. And the Nagarathar families, rich not in just material wealth but also in tradition and culture, hugely respect their women.Bhopal: A local court in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday sentenced a man to death for raping and murdering a 4-month-old girl in district headquarters town of Indore in the state on April 20.

Indore session court judge Varsha Sharma while awarding death sentence to the accused, 21-year-old Naveen Gadke, termed it an inhuman act and observed, Such a small child who didnt know other than crying was treated inhumanly.

Before pronouncing the verdict in the case, the judge asked the accused what punishment he thought he deserved for committing such a heinous crime.

To which, the accused replied that whatever punishment the court deemed appropriate.

He however appealed to the court to fulfil his last wish to arrange a meeting with his mother and sister before he was taken to jail. He was convicted in just 21 days after he committed the crime.

This was the second speediest disposal of such case in the country. The trial in the case was completed in record seven working days.

A Jodhpur court in Rajasthan had earlier disposed of a case relating to rape of a foreign woman in just 18 days.

We are happy that the accused was given death sentence, parents of the victim who were also present in the court told reporters after the judgment.

The accused, a cousin of victims mother, took the baby on his shoulder when she was sleeping along with her parents in an open space near the Rajwada fort in Indore city to the basement of a nearby commercial complex where he raped her and then threw her from a height leading to her death.

The CCTV installed in the area caught him taking the baby on his shoulder to the commercial complex and then coming out alone after some time. Later, the blood soaked body of the baby was recovered at the basement of the complex.Karimnagar: The Karimnagar police commissionerate on Saturday said that it stood first in the citizens feedback in the state with 59 per cent complainants expressing satisfaction over the police services.

In a statement issued here, police commissioner V.B. Kamalasan Reddy said that 59 per cent of the complainants, (351 out of the 877 who filed complaints during the three months between January 1, and March 31) expressed satisfaction over police services.

The DGP office, Hyderabad called these complainants over phone and took their feedback on police services they received in their respective cases including response, behaviour and investigation and other aspects.

Mr Reddy said they will try to increase this positive feedback to 80 percent in the coming days.Ms Radha Kumari from Baghlingampally, said that her sister had rescued the puppy from Malkajgiri on April 10 and handed it over to her as it was unwell. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: An animal activist has filed a case against a veterinary doctor alleging that he had administered an overdose of anaesthesia resulting in the death of a puppy.

Ms Radha Kumari from Baghlingampally, said that her sister had rescued the puppy from Malkajgiri on April 10 and handed it over to her as it was unwell.

She went with the puppy to the Narayan-guda Veterinary Hospi-tal. Duty doctor Praveen Kumar told me that water had accumulated in the puppys body and it would recover after medication. Later he would perform a surgery to remove a tumour, she said.

On April 30, she took the puppy for a check-up. As Dr Praveen was busy, Dr Mirza Ali Tahir Baig attended to the puppy.

"Dr Baig said the tumour was dangerous and should be removed immediately. Following his advise I took the puppy to his clinic at Warasiguda that evening. He gave two doses of anaesthesia to the puppy and and operated upon it, she said. The puppy died on May 1.

The police registered a case and exhumed the puppys body, A post mortem was conducted at the Narayanguda Veterinary Hospital.

Chilkalguda SI S. Brahmachari said We cannot make an arrest based on allegations.Congress leader Ashok Gehlot alleged that PM Modi's temple visits in Nepal were a violation of the poll code on a day Karnataka voted. (Photo: ANI/Twitter)

New Delhi/Bengaluru: As voting began for Karnataka Assembly polls on Saturday morning, Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Saturday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his temple visits in Nepal.

Gehlot alleged that PM Modi's temple visits in Nepal were a violation of the poll code on a day Karnataka voted.

"As there is model code of conduct in Karnataka, PM Modi planned to pray at temples in Nepal instead, just to influence voters. This is not a good trend for democracy. Why did he only choose today as the day?" the Congress leader said.

Voting for 222 constituencies is being held in Karnataka on Saturday. The results of the election battle will be declared on Tuesday, May 15.

Meanwhile, amid speculation over the timings of PM Modi's visit, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Saturday said the visit was decided soon after KP Sharma Oli's election as prime minister.

Also Read: Focus on content of PM Modis Nepal visit, not dates: Foreign Secretary

Prime Minister Modi, who is currently on a two-day visit to Nepal to strengthen Indo-Nepal ties, visited Muktinath temple on Saturday and offered prayers. He became the first world leader to do so. According to the foreign ministry, Modi offered prayers at the life-size golden statue of Lord Vishnu at the temple located at an altitude of 3,710 metres in the mountainous Mustang district.

He also visited the famous Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, the most sacred and oldest temple of Shiva in the country and offered prayers.Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale claimed that the National Democratic Alliance under PM Narendra Modi would once again come to power in 2019. (Photo: File/ANI)

Pune: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Friday said that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi would have to wait for "10 to 15 years" to become the country's Prime Minister.

He said that there was, however, nothing wrong in nurturing such an ambition.

"Rahul Gandhi has spoken about his Prime Ministerial ambitions. But I think he will have to wait for 10 to 15 years. There is nothing wrong with having an ambition to become prime minister. However, it is too early to express such an ambition," said Athawale.

The Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment claimed that the National Democratic Alliance under PM Narendra Modi would once again come to power in 2019.

He added that the BJP would win Karnataka with a clear majority as communities like the Lingayats, OBCs etc were supporting the party.

"The Congress is projecting the BJP as an anti-Dalit party, but people are wise enough to understand what is right," he said.

Earlier in the day, Athawale visited Bhima Koregaon and met the family members of Pooja Sakat, whose house was torched during the violence that occurred there on January 1.

Pooja, who was a witness to the violence, was found dead in a well nearby in April.

"Pooja's family claims she was either murdered or was forced to commit suicide. Nine people have been named in the FIR of which two have been arrested. I have asked police to arrest the rest soon," he said.Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy returned to Hyderabad without meeting AICC president Rahul Gandhi. He submitted the proposals for the TPCC executive committee and other committees to Mr Koppula Raju, the incharge of Mr Gandhis office, and TS Congress incharge R.C. Khuntia.

Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy had been summoned to Delhi on Saturday morning to submit proposals. But it turned out that Mr Gandhi was busy.

After Mr Gandhi started appointing new PCCs to all states, and the TPCC was asked to continue till the new committee is announced by the AICC. The TPCC has only one working president, Mr Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. In the new committee, the high command is likely to appoint two more working presidents to the TPCC. The name of legislator A. Revanth Reddy is among the names under consideration.

The high command has appointed 3 working presidents for the Odisha PCC and four for its Madhya Pradesh unit. The TPCC has 13 vice-presidents and 24 general secretaries.

According to sources there will be no major changes in the present committee except one or two changes and appointing new working presidents.

Retirement at 60, says Congress

TPCC chief spokesperson Dasoju Sravan on Friday demanded that the TRS government increase the retirement age of government employees from 58 to 60 years.

Speaking to the media on Saturday at Gandhi Bhavan, Mr Sravan said that the government employees had fought for Telangana statehood risking their lives and salaries but the state government had not solved their problems in the last four years.

He alleged that the state government was playing with the lives of lakhs of employees and that the Congress was ready to fight on their behalf.

During the statehood agitation, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao had spent many hours with government employees but after becoming Chief Minister he was not sparing even five minutes to discuss their problems, he alleged.

He said that some leaders of the employees had become loyal to the government after getting good postings and had betrayed the employees. He demanded that the state government discuss the Contributory Pension Scheme with the Centre and also bring home the Telangana employees working in AP.On August 5, 1983, Karnataka chief minister Ramakrishna Hegde inaugurated a seminar on Centre-state relations in Bangalore at which he fired the first salvo in a campaign which he continued to wage for his next five years in office. He said: Even the governor has become a glorified servant of the Union. An omnipotent and omnipresent Union that the present Central government has grown into and withering states are the very negation of the democratic policy. The governor of Karnataka was stung to the quick. The description fitted him eminently. He angrily retorted that the governors were not servants of anybody. Little did he realise that in Hegde he had caught a Tartar who would make him regret his denial. For, on August 17, the chief minister promised the state Assembly that he would prove his remarks to the hilt.

He did. On September 22, he tabled in the state Assembly a documented White Paper on the Office of the Governor; Constitutional Position and Political Perversion. Both were proved. A commission on centre-state relations, headed by Justice R.S. Sarkaria of the Supreme Court appended the white paper to its report in full. Now, over three decades later, the position is worse. It has steeply deteriorated. Governors vie with one another to please their masters in New Delhi; specifically the power-hungry Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by wantonly needling the chief minister if he belongs to a political party which is opposed to Modis party, the BJP. This is precisely what the Sarkaria Commissions report had warned against. It said: It is desirable that a politician from the ruling party at the Union is not appointed as governor of a state which is being run by some other party or a combination of parties.

To be fair, the Congress had set the precedents by flouting this feeble recommendation devoid of any check on power. But the grossness of today belongs to the BJPs governors. They publicly attack their chief ministers. Their behaviour before their appointment as governors seems to have weighed heavily in the minds of the people who matter as ones who were uniquely qualified to do a hatchet job. Three stand out from this crowd. Ram Naik of Uttar Pradesh a dedicated RSS man; the governor of West Bengal, Keshari Nath Tripathi, who had won his spurs as one of the most partisan speakers of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly and the crassly loudmouthed Kiran Bedi as lieutenant-governor of Puducherry.

In the past, gubernatorial misbehaviour consisted of partisan decisions on the appointment of the chief minister in a hung Assembly, dissolution of the Assembly or refusal to dissolve it despite the chief ministers binding advice and the like. The Centres hand was ill concealed in such situations. In the early decades of Congress rule at the Centre, governors openly acted as political instruments of the Central government. But they kept silent publicly for the most part. The loud pipsqueaks are recent entrants. India has now come to such a pass that the office of head of state has been perverted beyond recognition in the states. Parliamentary democracy has been undermined; contrary to the intentions of the framers of the Constitution.

In the early days of Constitution-making, it was proposed to have elected governors in the states. It was soon realised that the elected governor would be a rival centre of power vis-a-vis the chief minister. It was then decided that the governor would be a head of state governed, like the President, by identical conventions of the parliamentary system. Dr B.R. Ambedkar assured the Constituent Assembly on December 3, 1948, that the position of the governor is exactly the same as the position of the President. But while the President is elected by the Central and the State Legislatures, the governor is appointed by the President, that is, the Central government. He has no security of tenure, can be transferred from one state to another and be sacked freely. After every change of government in New Delhi, governors are sacked to be replaced by those of the party that had come to power at the Centre.

The Supreme Court ruled that his office is not subordinate or subservient to the Government of India. He is not amenable to the directions of the Government of India, nor is he accountable to them for the manner in which he carries out his functions and duties. He is an independent constitutional office which is not subject to the control of the Government of India. He is constitutionally the head of the state in whom is vested the executive power of the state and without whose assent there can be no legislation in exercise of the legislative power of the state. Politics decide the very opposite. Only a constitutional amendment imposing checks on abuse can ensure his independence. That requires a consensus which is impossible in the polarised politics of today. Meanwhile, federalism suffers as much as parliamentary democracy.

By arrangement with DawnIn the wake of the demand by Aligarh MP Satish Gautam that Mohammad Ali Jinnahs portrait be banished from the walls of the Aligarh Muslim University students union office where it has uninterruptedly hung since 1938, perhaps, the time has come to revaluate Jinnahs relationship with post-Partition India and our quarrels with our own past. It of course is no small coincidence that Mr Gautam is affiliated to the BJP. His Lok Sabha profile page states that he is a businessperson, asserts his educational qualifications as matric and proclaims his active association with the RSS from school days.

Given that his myriad preoccupations may not have provided him with the time or opportunity to read the 700-page work authored by the extremely versatile Jaswant Singh entitled, Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence, it would be instructive for him to do so during the long summer vacation. However, it is surprising that the member has not come across L.K. Advanis statement of June 4, 2005 at Jinnahs mausoleum in Karachi where he described the founder of Pakistan as secular and an ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity. It would also be fair to point out that Mr Singh was expelled from the BJP after the book was released and then taken back. Even Mr Advani lost his job as the president of the BJP after the Jinnah episode only to remerge later as the prime ministerial face of the party in the 2009 general elections.

Perhaps, Mr Gautam was only taking a leaf out of the Prime Ministers book for whom a revisionist and a distorted view of history is more than a fair game in the run up to the 2019 elections. In his play book Field Marshal Cariappa; Gen. Thimayya; freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev are all fair game to discredit, malign and slander their opponents. By that yardstick using Jinnah to further the cause of social polarisation  a cause extremely dear to the hearts of the right-wingers may only tantamount to kicking around in the basement while the heavy hitters are trying to twist more contemporaneous historical facts.

However, far removed from all this hysteria and histrionics  the pointless hype or hoopla of a photograph hanging or not hanging on a wall  the larger question is how do we deal with our history that is at the least complex if not convoluted and by no stretch of imagination an exercise in linearism? There is the usual brouhaha about who should claim legitimate parentage about the two-nation theory  should it be Mohammad Ali Jinnah in 1940 or Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1937? However, a perusal of a piece written by A.G. Noorani in the last fortnight of 2001 in the Frontline throws up a fascinating piece of historical trivia. Noorani articulates: The Hindu Mahasabha leader Lala Lajpat Rai wrote in the Tribune of December 14, 1924: Under my scheme the Muslims will have four Muslim states: (1) The Pathan Province or the North-West Frontier; (2) Western Punjab (3) Sindh and (4) Eastern Bengal. If there are compact Muslim communities in any other part of India, sufficiently large to form a province, they should be similarly constituted. But it should be distinctly understood that this is not a united India. It means a clear partition of India into a Muslim India and a non-Muslim India. This was 16 years before the League adopted the Pakistan Resolution in Lahore, on March 23, 1940.

Now no one can ever accuse Lala Lajpat Rai of not being a nationalist. He was supremely patriotic and martyred himself at the alter of nationalism. However, he had a view, may be a minority view, but he was unafraid of articulating it like so many other stalwarts of the freedom struggle. While history may be important, nations cannot become hostages of their own past. The European continent was at war with itself since millennia, but that did not stop them after two devastating world wars in the 20th century to come together and first create the European Common Market that led to the evolution of the European Union. Anyone who has a nodding acquaintance with European history is acutely conscious of the deep divisions between the various ethnic sub-nationalities that make up the nations of Europe. However, the laundry list of historical grievances did not stop them from putting it all aside and working towards creating a better future. If they had continued to live in the graveyard of bitterness would Europe have emerged from the rubble of World War II?

History is being rewritten all around us. The historic meeting between the President of South and the dictator of North Korea is now being followed up by a summit in Singapore between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 12. It may just pave the way for a new reality in North Asia. Earlier too the world has been a witness to the remarkable reunification of the two Germanys beginning with the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 or for that matter the creation of Asean setting aside old prejudices in Asia. In the subcontinent too we need to liberate ourselves of our prejudices and inane politics. Even a child now understands that Jinnah, Tipu Sultan or any other historic figure is nothing but a code for crude Muslim bashing. It will not get India anywhere. In the process we forgo the vast opportunities that a unified, integrated and cohesive South Asia offers. Jinnah is as much part of undivided Indias past as anyone else. Nothing will be gained by rattling old skeletons. Let them rest in peace and lets look towards the future for we owe it to succeeding generations. As Winston Churchill famously remarked: If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future.The process for the local bodies election in West Bengal  with polls due on May 14  has been thoroughly vitiated on account of violence let loose by the ruling partys cadres in the state. Recent orders of the Calcutta high court and the Supreme Court point to the extent of distortion that has occurred. In the absence of adequate police support, the Election Commission has evidently not played the part expected of it. Surprisingly, chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who hopes to lead the nation, appears to have shown little concern for democratic norms as her partys cadres have gone on the rampage.

It is shocking that 34 per cent of all seats have been won uncontested. The ruling party allegedly did not permit its opponents to file nominations. Bodily harm was caused to those who attempted to do so. On Friday, senior Trinamul Congress leader Partha Chatterjee cynically noted that those who cannot even file nominations had no business being in politics. Given the extraordinary state of affairs, the high court permitted candidates to email their nominations. This was stayed by the apex court, but the top court has said that the results of the seats that went uncontested will not be announced with the other results.

We seem to be on new terrain here. Does this mean that the poll body can entertain a challenge to the process for every constituency where there was a single nomination, and then order a collective re-poll? Reports of ideological opponents the CPI(M) and BJP moving jointly in some places to cope with the violence have been shot down by the CPI(M), but the denial has been met with scepticism. The atmosphere evidently has been anything but democratic.God didnt want us having sex

He called it forbidden fruit -

So did Tyrannosaurus Rex

Subsist on grass and root?

Creatures roamed the earth before

That apple tempted Adam

And many a lusty dinosaur

Spotted his mates and had em.



 From Nagobala Dude by Bachchoo

I have never been invited to write an obituary, though I have written about the death of friends and relatives. To write meaningfully about anothers life is daunting if not impossible. Very few biographies can be truthful, insightful and very few last. Yes, Jesus and Buddha had their biographers and so, deservedly, did Shakespeare though less is known about his life than the other two. The columnist Charles Moore reveals in his weekly pious, right-wing offering that he has come across the internal editorial instructions that the Times (UK) hands out to people writing its obituaries. It invites obituarists to ask unusual questions about the dead: Were they cold-hearted bastards in the work-place? Did they enjoy baiting their neighbours dog and did they teach their grandchildren to smoke.

The editorial tips go on to urge obituarists to treat the subjects as fictional characters and to hint at the opposite of whats written  His wife was definitely not once a high-class prostitute. I shall go against the inclinations of a lifetime and turn tomorrow, as I have never once done, to the obituary pages of the Times. I suppose this approach of the Times contributes to gaiety of nations and cant lead to libel suits as the law says you cant libel the dead. Obituaries are reserved for those who deserve only a little fame and I am sure I wont be able to judge the truth or otherwise of any of them.

Thats not so with writers whose work one has read, especially in my case if the writer is of Indian origin. When Nirad Chaudhuri died in 1999, the obituary in the Royal Society of Literatures bulletin said: Nirad Chaudhuri was an old fool. He wrote one good and unexpected book, The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian, and then took to clowning. He pretended to interviewers that he was a great reader and scholar. But he wasnt. Much of the reading he did was really a form of idleness. His subject was always himself; and when he appeared to speak or write with humour he wasnt; he was always dead serious. Away from that subject of himself he nibbled, he flitted, and he had no means of making a whole of anything. He quoted to impress. It was hard to know what his moral centre was. When in his later books he touched important subjects, he babbled.

I am certain that the writer of this obituary (and, gentle reader, you may have guessed from the tone who the writer is) had not been given the Times guide to writing them. These thoughts about obituaries are occasioned by the fact that two of my friends have died in the last two weeks and I feel compelled to mark their passing and write this humble memorial to their achievements. Naresh Sohal who died suddenly of a heart attack, was a self-taught Western classical musician. An Indian Punjabi, as his name testifies, he lived in Britain for a substantial chunk of his life and began to teach himself the ins and outs of classical music  starting from scratch and evening classes and getting eventually to orchestral arrangements of his own compositions for the BBCs Promenade concerts.

Over the last few months we were working together on a stage musical  in the style of West Side Story and he had put the music to several of the lyrics I had written. There was still some way to go and perhaps five to ten more songs to write, but what he had produced so far was beautiful and set the tone and mood for each scene of the drama. Without wanting to sound like Nirad Chaudhuri in the quotes from his obituary above, Id like to complete the commissioned work on the musical, either by asking another composer to write the remaining songs using Nareshs harmonies and melodic tropes, or by pointedly finishing the play with the rest of the lyrics being recited with Nareshs incidental music as background or played in darkness  with the audience being made conscious of why the singing has come to its end.

My other friend, Ratnakar Kini, passed his last few years in Herne Bay on the Eastern coast of England suffering from Parkinsons disease. I first met him decades ago when I came from University in Cambridge to spend some of my holidays with Adil Jussawalla and other friends in London. Kini, as we always called him, had a tiny bed-sitter in the same building in bed-sit land of central south-west London, as Adils tiny room and we would trek to the local pubs for half pints of beer (all we could afford) and talk poetry, literature and other pretentious stuff.

We were all writing then. Adil was an accomplished and published poet, Kini had published some poems in journals and I was straggling along, writing doggerel and calling it verse, published in a few University magazines (so no change there then - Ed.). We hung around the Poetry Societys little auditorium in Earls Court and were even invited to read as a trio of Indian poets there. We were subsequently billed to read here and there at venues in London and I have Kinis recorded voice from a reading we did at a pub popularly called The Dog. In his last years Kini set up a website called asiamajor.wordpress.com, saving the columns and writings of his acquaintances, friends and others to a tranche for posterity. He told me he had acquired and saved past copies of all the columns I had written and I told him I was very grateful because it was what I hadnt done. What are friends for? To be missed and written about tillFinalists will be competing for approximately $5 million in awards and scholarships.

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF), a program of Society for Science & the Public and the worlds largest international pre-college science competition, will take place in Pittsburgh from May 13-18.

Nearly 1,800 high school students selected from 420 affiliate fairs in 80 countries, regions and territories will showcase cuttingedge research and inventions.

Finalists will be competing for approximately $5 million in awards and scholarships.

The full list of finalists is available in the event program (starting on page 60). This year, four finalists are from the Pittsburgh area.

Remake Learning, a Pittsburgh-based network that ignites engaging, relevant, and equitable learning practices in support of young people navigating rapid social and technological change, will launch Remake Learning Days, from May 17-25. This festival of more than 270 events features future-ready, hands-on educational experiences for youth, families, caregivers and educators throughout southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

When:

Remake Learning Days Kickoff Breakfast - Thursday, May 17, 8-9:30 a.m. ET

The Remake Learning Days Kickoff takes place at Intel ISEF. Learn about Remake Learning Days programming throughout the month of May. Then, tour the Public Exhibition of Projects, showcasing the work of nearly 1,800 student finalists from around the world conducting groundbreaking research in 22 STEM fields.

Intel ISEF Public Exhibition of Projects - Thursday, May 17, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. ET

This is the best opportunity for registered media to see, interview, film and photograph students from across the country and the world who are working to find solutions to global challenges through science, technology, engineering and math research. This year, research topics range from virtual reality to sustainable energy to machine learning.

Intel ISEF Awards Ceremony - Friday, May 18, 9-11:30 a.m. PT

Registered media are invited to attend the awards ceremony where the winners will be announced. The top prizes awarded by the Intel Foundation include the $75,000 Gordon E. Moore Award, named for the Intel co-founder and fellow scientist. Two additional top winning projects will receive Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards of $50,000 each.

Who:

Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science & the Public.

Rosalind Hudnell, Intel vice president of Corporate Affairs and president of the Intel Foundation

Sunanna Chand, Remake Learning Director

Where:

David Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Fort Duquense Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

Public Exhibition of Projects  DLCC Halls B and DE

Awards Ceremony  DLCC Hall A

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair brings together young innovators from around the world to explore solutions to the worlds most pressing challenges and share their passion for STEM, said Rosalind Hudnell, Intel vice president of Corporate Affairs and president of the Intel Foundation. We are continually inspired by these brilliant, young minds and their creative approaches to solving important, complex issues.

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair encourages the best and brightest future scientists and engineers to come together to develop solutions to the worlds most intractable problems, said Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science & the Public and Publisher of Science News. These students hold the key to global innovation in creating a better world for generations to come.

Theres no better backdrop to be officially kicking off nine days of hands-on, technology-infused learning experiences than at the worlds top competition that sparks big ideas from young innovators, said Dorie Taylor, producer for Remake Learning Days. Our goal since the inception of Remake Learning Days in 2016 has been to spark a learning revolution for students, inspiring them as well as the adults in their lives to meet their futures head-on. By connecting them with ideas that tap into their passions, we hope to encourage them to embrace education as a bridge to this future.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.The two leaders discussed how best to address Iran's 'destabilising' behaviour. (Photo: File)

Washington: The US and Britain on Friday condemned Iran's "destabilising" behaviour in the Middle East, saying its actions pose a severe threat to international peace and stability.

In a telephonic conversation, US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the Iranian regime's "provocative" rocket attacks from Syria against Israel.

"Trump called on all nations to join the United States and the United Kingdom in making clear that the Iranian regime's actions pose a severe threat to international peace and stability," the White House said in a readout of the call.

The two leaders discussed how best to address Iran's "destabilising" behaviour, it said.'NAFTA has been a horrible, horrible disaster for this country. And we'll see if we can make it reasonable,' Trump told reporters during a meeting with major auto makers at the White House. (Photo: File)

Washington: Amidst intense negotiation with Mexico and Canada on the North America Free Trade Agreement, President Donald Trump on Friday said that it is a "horrible, horrible disaster" for the US.

The Trump administration is currently negotiating NAFTA with Mexico and Canada. "NAFTA has been a horrible, horrible disaster for this country. And we'll see if we can make it reasonable," Trump told reporters during a meeting with major auto makers at the White House.

"We will see what happens. We're negotiating NAFTA right now. I've never been a NAFTA fan. NAFTA has been a terrible deal for the United States and one of the worst trade deals in history," he said.

"We have some bad deals in this country - between the Iran deal, NAFTA - Mary, we can look at any deal. Bad deals. But now we're going to good deals," he said in response to a question.

NAFTA has been a terrible deal, he said. "We're renegotiating it now. We'll see what happens. Look they (Mexico and Canada) don't like to lose the golden goose, but I'm representing the United States. I'm not representing Mexico, and I'm not representing Canada," Trump added.Palmdale, California: A 14-year-old boy used a rifle to shoot a former classmate in the arm Friday at their California high school and dumped the gun in a field before he was caught in a shopping centre, authorities said.

Reports of the shooting and an ultimately false report of another attack at a nearby elementary school sparked chaos, terrifying parents and drawing a massive police response in the high desert city of Palmdale in Southern California.

Police descended on Highland High School after dozens of 911 calls and some reports that there were hostages in the campus library, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said.

As officers swarmed the library, more 911 calls came in reporting that gunshots were heard at an elementary school across town.

Dozens of officers with several agencies blanketed both campuses looking for possible shooters and victims. Meanwhile, Antelope Valley Hospital was told several people were dead and as many as 25 students were injured, said Dr Pavel Petrik, the trauma centre's chief of surgery.

In the end, there was just one shooting and one victim, at Highland High School, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County deputies detained a 14-year-old former Highland High School student in the shooting of a 15-year-old boy, who was hit in the arm.

The shooting was sparked by a dispute between the two students, said Captain Darren Harris with the sheriff's department.

"We were very fortunate that the incident wasn't much worse than it was," McDonnell said at a news conference. "The outcome was much better than anybody could have anticipated."

Dr Petrik said the reports of multiple casualties and dozens of injuries caused the hospital to virtually shut down the operating and emergency rooms for an onslaught of victims.

"Everyone from the blood bank to the lab to radiology to everyone ... it was maybe 100 people downstairs waiting for the arrival of all of these injured children," he said. "Thankfully we only had one child that was shot."

He said the boy had surgery and was expected to be fine.

McDonnell said the 14-year-old suspect had fired multiple gunshots in a courtyard but did not elaborate on whether the teen was aiming for anyone in particular.

"Those shots, in some cases, went into an area adjacent to the courtyard where they were being fired from, so the potential was for anyone to be able to take a stray round there, whether they were aimed at or not," McDonnell said. "So a very dangerous situation."

The teen was caught about an hour later at a shopping centre after the boy called his father to say he fired his gun in the air and was headed to a grocery store near campus, McDonnell said.

He said the teen's father called a family friend who's an off-duty police officer and told him where the boy was.

The off-duty officer, who works for Los Angeles police, then detained the teen without incident. He was being held on suspicion of attempted murder.

It's unclear where he got the rifle.

McDonnell said the boy's mother had called the officer earlier in the morning to tell him she and her husband were having trouble with him and that the teen had run away.

The parents recently transferred the boy from Highland High School though it was unclear why. McDonnell declined to elaborate.

Parents and students were outside the school crying as investigators remained on campus.

Student Pualani Revis told KABC-TV that students ran into her classroom saying there were gunshots going off.

"We barricaded the room," she said. "We went to the back of it to make sure we were safe."

Johnny Lewis, whose 17-year-old son is a student at the school, told The Los Angeles Times that he raced to the campus with his wife after hearing reports about the shooting.

"We didn't know at that time if our son was in danger, injured or shot or what," he said. "It's just ridiculous with all the guns in schools. I never knew it would happen to us here."Washington: Two US fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace off the coast of Alaska on Friday.

The Russian TU-95 Bear bombers flew into a so-called Air Defence Identification Zone located about 200 miles off Alaskas west coast, at about 10 am EST, North American Aerospace Defence Command spokesman Canadian Army Major Andrew Hennessy said in a statement to CNN.

Two Alaska-based NORAD F-22 fighter jets intercepted and visually identified the Russian bombers until they left the identification zone and the Russian aircraft never entered US airspace, CNN reported, citing the statement.

Russian bombers TU-95 and TU-142 were escorted by two F-22 fighter jets in international airspace for 40 minutes, the RIA news agency cited the Russian Defence Ministry as saying on Saturday.

The US fighter jets did not get closer then 100 meters to the Russian bombers, the Russian military was quoted as saying.Talking to reporters at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the US State Department, he said Donald Trump and the world have set the 'conditions' for a successful outcome from the June 12 summit between the US President and Kim in Singapore. (Photo: AP/File)

Washington: The United States and its international partners are ready to provide North Korea with assurances if its leader Kim Jong-un is prepared to fully denuclearise the Korean Peninsula, a top American diplomat said on Friday.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who returned from North Korea a day earlier after meeting with Kim, said he had a "good conversation" with the North Korean leader. Talking to reporters at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the US State Department, he said Donald Trump and the world have set the "conditions" for a successful outcome from the June 12 summit between the US President and Kim in Singapore.

Responding to a question about Kim's personality, Pompeo said, "You asked about my conversations with Chairman Kim. This question is sort of undignified. 'Is he rational'? Yes, we had good conversations, substantive conversations, conversations that involve deep, complex problems, challenges the strategic decision that Chairman Kim has before him about how it is he wishes to proceed and if he is prepared in exchange for the assurances that we're ready to provide to him if he is prepared to fully denuclearise. And I'm not sure how to define it fully."

He said the US wants to ensure that its efforts yield the end result, that North Korea should not become a threat to the world.

"It's pretty clear what that means. It would be an activity that undertook to ensure that we didn't end up in the same place that we'd ended up before, or multiple passes at trying to solve this conundrum for the world, how to ensure that North Korea doesn't possess the capacity to threaten not only the US but the world with nuclear weapons," Pompeo said.

"So, in order to achieve that, it will require a robust verification programme and one that we will undertake with partners around the world, which will achieve that outcome in a way that frankly no agreement before it has ever set forth. A big undertaking for sure, but one that Chairman Kim and I had the opportunity to have a good, sound discussion on so that I think we have a pretty good understanding between our two countries about what the shared objectives are," he said.

Pompeo said he had a "good" conversation with North Koreans and did his best to convey the US message to them. "We were each representing our two countries, trying our best to make sure that we were communicating clearly, that we had a shared understanding about what our mutual objectives were. We had good conversations about the histories of our two nations, the challenges that we've had between us," he said.

"We talked about the fact that America has often in history had adversaries who we are now close partners with, and our hope that we could achieve the same with respect to North Korea," Pompeo added.

He was joined by his visiting South Korea counterpart Kang Kyung-wha. The US and North Korea, Kang said, are "very clear" that the sanctions remain in place until and unless they see visible, meaningful action taken by North Korea to denuclearise. "The North Korean leader has committed to denuclearisation, and formally so through the Panmunjom Declaration. We very much hope to see further steps, more concrete steps towards denuclearisation being produced at the US-North Korea summit. So we're not talking about sanctions relief at this point," he said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met Nepal's former prime ministers Prachanda and Sher Bahadur Deuba, and opposition leaders and held wide-ranging discussions on ways to strengthen bilateral ties.

Modi met the leaders from a cross-section of Nepal's political parties, a day after holding extensive talks with Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.

"PM Modi met Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda, Chairman of Communist Party of Nepal - MC (Maoist Centre). Exchanged views on strengthening views on bilateral relations," Raveesh Kumar, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, tweeted.

The two leaders also discussed various aspects relating to India-Nepal relations, the Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet.

"Engaging across the political spectrum! President of Nepali Congress and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other members of the Nepali Congress called on PM Modi in Kathmandu. Stronger India-Nepal relations enjoy broad political support," Kumar tweeted.

Modi also met a delegation of the Rastriya Janata Party - Nepal, which was led by Mahanta Thakur and held "fruitful and extensive" discussions, Kumar tweeted.

Modi also congratulated the party on their recent electoral performance and exchanged views on deepening our bilateral relations with Nepal.

Commenting on Modi's series of meetings, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told reporters that the prime minister held "short but good meetings" with the Nepali leaders.

He also paid courtesy calls on President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Vice-President Nanda Bahadur Pun yesterday.

Modi arrived in Kathmandu yesterday after a brief halt in Janakpur where he offered prayers at the famed 20th century Janaki temple and attended a civic reception. He also offered prayers at the Mukhtinath and Pashupatinath temples today.Prime Minister Narendra Modi today prayed at Nepal's iconic Muktinath temple that is regarded as sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists, becoming the first world leader to offer prayers there.

Modi also offered prayers at the Pashupatinath temple, located on the banks of the Bagmati river. The Pashupatinath temple is regarded as the most sacred and oldest temple of Shiva (Pashupati) in Nepal.

After offering prayers at the Pashupatinath temple, Modi signed the visitor's book and was presented with a miniature replica of the temple.

"Jai Pashupatinath! Feeling blessed after praying at the majestic Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu," Modi said in a tweet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message in the visitors book at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu #Nepal pic.twitter.com/5islFX8D01  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

Earlier, in the morning, Modi offered prayers at the Muktinath temple in Mustang district near the Nepal-China border.

Modi was accorded a warm welcome by the people of the remote Himalayan region. He spent nearly half an hour in the temple, which is popular for both Hindus and Buddhist pilgrims.

Modi took the holy water from 108 stone water taps in the temple premises and took pradakshina by circumambulating around the holy temple. Muktinath is one of the most important pilgrimage sites of Nepal for both Buddhists and Hindus. It is a great example to the world of a sacred place shared in harmony by devotees of two world religions.

"Spent a blessed morning at Muktinath. This land is spiritual and serene. From the Muktinath Temple visit. I thank the people for their affection," Modi tweeted with photos of him praying at the temple.

"PM Modi visited the highly venerated Muktinath temple, located at 12,172 ft, to reinforce the strong cultural connect between India and Nepal. PM Modi offered prayers at the human-size golden statue of Lord Vishnu as Shri Mukti Narayan," said Raveesh Kumar, official spokesperson at the Ministry of External Affairs, after Modi's visit to the Muktinath temple.

Modi will be the first foreign guest to pay homage at the main sanctum of Muktinath temple when he offers his prayers on Saturday, Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli said yesterday.

High-security alert has been maintained in Mustang in view of Modis visit. The local administration had put in place a special security plan to make Modis visit safe and systematic.Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today accused the Congress of misusing its powers in Karnataka and exuded confidence that the BJP would form the government in the southern state with a clear majority.

The chief minister who reached here after receiving the first bus carrying pilgrims from Janakpur in Nepal to Ayodhya will stay at the Goraknath temple tonight.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli yesterday jointly inaugurated a direct bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhya - the two sacred cities for Hindus.

About the Karnataka Assembly elections, voting for which was held today, Adityanath said, "Congress misused its power there. Their ministers were found distributing money openly and they also used other ways to get votes."

"But the people of Karnataka are in full enthusiasm and we got their immense support. We believe that we will win in the state with a massive majority," he said.

In what is projected as a tight race, voting was held in 222 out of 224 seats in a three-cornered contest among the ruling Congress, the BJP and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's JD(S).

"Suicide by farmers is the highest in Karnataka... The benefits of government schemes were not reaching the needy. The government there was working with a feeling of political hostility... I feel they will pay for it," Adityanath said.

"I am certain that after witnessing the negative attitude of the Congress government, people there will ensure that the BJP takes over the charge of governance," he said.

On a tweet of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav asking the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh to fulfil the promises made by the ruling party for Ayodhya, the chief minister said, "Whatever development work is done in Ayodhya has been done by us."

Adityanath said that due to the efforts of the prime minister, a new era of cordial relations between India and Nepal has begun.

"This was the third visit of the prime minister to Nepal... strong relations between the two countries exist from ancient times. PM Modi took this relationship a step forward and started bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhya," he said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Nepal was decided soon after K P Sharma Oli's election as the prime minister, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale today said, amid speculation over its timing which coincides with the Karnataka assembly election.

Responding to a question at a press meet, Gokhale said Prime Minister Modi had telephoned Prime Minister Oli, who was sworn to the post on February 15, to congratulate him and the visits were discussed then.

"When Prime Minister Modi had telephoned Prime Minister Oli upon his election as the prime minister of Nepal, they had discussed the visit then. Prime Minister Oli had then expressed his desire for an early visit by Prime Minister Modi. They had discussed the visits, and the Prime Minister (Modi) had said you (Oli) come first.

"So that's how the sequence has been, first Prime Minister Oli visited India and now Prime Minister (Modi) is in Nepal," Gokhale said.

Oli had visited India in April.

On questions over the timing of the visit which coincides with the high-stake Karnataka assembly election, he said, "whenever state visits take place they are decided as per the convenience of the two nations. No one prime minister alone can say that I will come at this time."

"So, don't focus on the dates, but focus on the content of this visit," the foreign secretary said.

Modi arrived in Kathmandu yesterday on a two-day visit and held discussions with Oli on strengthening ties between the two neighbouring countries.

During the visit, the prime minister also offered prayers at the famed 20th century Janaki temple, the Mukhtinath and Pashupatinath temples and attended a civic reception at Janakpur.

Opposition Congress party leader Ashok Gehlot today alleged that prime minister Modi had timed his visit to the Himalayan nation on the Karnataka poll date and was "giving a message to Hindus" in the southern state.

Alleging violation of the model code of conduct, he said Modi's temple visits in Nepal were being aired on the day of polling in Karnataka.

"This is not a good tradition in a democracy. In Gujarat also, he held a road show after voting. Today, he has adopted a new path. When Karnataka is polling today, he has gone to Nepal and is worshipping in temples there, as he could not do so in the southern state due to elections," Gehlot said.The Congress on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to influence voters in Karnataka on the polling day through his temple visits in Nepal.

On Monday, Modi prayed at Nepals iconic Muktinath temple that is regarded sacred by both the Hindus and the Buddhists, becoming the first world leader to offer prayers there.

He also offered prayers at the Pashupatinath temple, located on the banks of the Bagmati river. The Pashupatinath temple is regarded as the most sacred and oldest temple of Shiva (Pashupati) in Nepal.

Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot alleged that the prime minister had timed his visit to the Himalayan nation on the Karnataka poll date, and was giving a message to Hindus in the southern state.

Alleging violation of the model code of conduct, he said Modis temple visits in Nepal were being aired on the day of polling in Karnataka.

This is not a good tradition in a democracy. In Gujarat also, he held a roadshow after voting. Today, he has adopted a new path. When Karnataka is polling today, he has gone to Nepal and is worshipping in temples there, as he could not do so in the southern state due to elections, Gehlot said.

The AICC general secretary said Modi, through his temple visits, was giving out a message to voters in Karnataka of how religious he was and that he was a Hindu.

Planned in advance

Modis visit to Nepal was decided soon after K P Sharma Olis election as prime minister, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said, amid speculation over its timing which coincides with the Karnataka Assembly elections.Polling was peaceful, barring stray incidents, in the state on Saturday.

Police resorted to mild lathi charge as workers of BJP and Congress clashed in minor incidents at Nargund, Gadag district.

Tension prevailed at a polling station near the City Municipal Council (CMC) office as workers of the two parties indulged in a heated exchange of words. Police caned the workers to disperse them. The police lathi-charged the activists of the two parties at Somapura on the Hubballi-Vijayapura national highway.

There were a verbal duel and throwing stones at Shivaji Circle. BJP candidate C C Patil noticed a principal returning officer giving directions to voters when he came to cast his vote at a booth at Adhyapak Nagar. He called up the deputy commissioner, urging him to change the officer.

BJP and Congress workers threw stones at each other at Chigarihala in Kembhavi seat in Yadgir district.

Aide votes on disabled woman's behalf

A disabled woman was allowed to send her sister-in-law to vote on behalf of her at Chikkanargund in Nargund, Gadag district. The voter, Basamma Gobbaragumpi, signed the register sitting inside a vehicle. She sent Siddamma, her sister-in-law, to go to the voting compartment to cast the vote on her behalf. The polling officer said there was a provision in the rules to do so.SALT LAKE CITY  Utah Valley University's former Title IX director claims in a lawsuit that she was fired in retaliation for alleging the Orem school failed to comply with federal and state civil rights laws.

The civil complaint Melissa L. Frost filed in 3rd District Court on Tuesday includes a wide range of allegations, including campus police treating gay male students' sexual assault complaints less seriously, administrators' reluctance to provide training that sexual orientation and gender identity are protected from discrimination and harassment, and a pattern of not hiring the most-qualified applicants for jobs.

UVU hired Frost to head its new Office of Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action and Title IX in 2014. It fired her in June 2017. A week after her firing, Frost filed a complaint against the university with the U.S. Department Education's Office for Civil Rights, alleging Title IX violations and retaliation for her voicing her concerns about compliance.

The school has been under a federal Title IX investigation for how it handles sexual assault reports since last fall.

UVU issued a statement saying it is a safe, welcoming and supportive environment for everyone, due in part to its commitment to Title IX.

"University leaders are aware of and disappointed in Ms. Melissa Frosts allegations. We do not share her views," said UVU spokesman Scott Trotter. "We are confident the actual facts in this matter will prevail and will rebut Ms. Frosts story."

Trotter said the school isn't able to comment on the details of the lawsuit because it is a pending legal matter, "but we can say that UVU leaders took immediate action to review her allegations when she first raised her Title IX retaliation claim" last June.

Frost, who filed the lawsuit on her own behalf without a lawyer, claims school officials were slow to refer students the Title IX office and dragged out a sexual assault case involving athletes for more than a year.

Furthermore, Frost said she told her supervisor she had seen a pattern of women being required to work longer and harder than men, women earning less than men and that people of ethnicity or who are not members of the LDS Church, if hired, dont stay at UVU, according to the lawsuit.

Frost said she also received reports of misuse and waste because UVU reportedly processed LDS Church missionary visas while representing the university abroad and that a vice president inappropriately used grant money.

Frost gave the investigator UVU hired to look into her retaliation claims a 37-page summary of her concerns, including that she had told the school's attorney she was about to start a "discrimination harassment" investigation into allegations by three women against "white males" in upper management.

The attorney specifically requested to review the case to determine whether there was sufficient information for Frost to move forward, according to the lawsuit.

"This level of review had never been required previously," Frost wrote in the lawsuit.

Trotter said the university hired a "nationally respected, impartial" Title IX investigator with no ties to UVU.

"The investigator thoroughly investigated Ms. Frosts retaliation claim and found it wholly unsubstantiated. We continue to fully cooperate with the Office for Civil Rights, including having already provided (the office) with the investigation report," he said.

Frost is seeking reinstatement at UVU, payment for lost wages, benefits and seniority rights, and if she is not reinstated, compensation for future lost income and diminished value of her retirement account, according to the lawsuit.Longtime Southern Baptist leader Paige Patterson, embroiled in controversy over past remarks about domestic violence and his descriptions of women, has issued an apology.

I wish to apologize to every woman who has been wounded by anything I have said that was inappropriate or that lacked clarity, said Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in a Thursday (May 10) statement titled An Apology to Gods People.

We live in a world of hurt and sorrow, and the last thing that I need to do is add to anyones heartache. Please forgive the failure to be as thoughtful and careful in my extemporaneous expression as I should have been.

The statement was the latest attempt by Patterson or his seminarys officials to contain the reaction to an audio clip from the year 2000 that emerged two weeks ago, in which Patterson said he considered it unbiblical to recommend divorce, even in cases of domestic abuse.

In that clip he told a story of instead advising a woman who was physically abused by her husband to pray quietly on her knees while her spouse slept. In a 2014 video he describes a 16-year-old walking by as built and notes that the Bible uses similar language (beautifully and artistically made) to describe the creation of the first woman.

In the first sentence of his apology, Patterson cited a sermon illustration used to try to explain a Hebrew word (Heb. banah build or construct, Gen. 2:22) and said it and other sermons have obviously been hurtful to women in several possible ways.

I would also like to reiterate the simple truth that I utterly reject any form of abuse in demeaning or threatening talk, in physical blows, or in forced sexual acts, he said. There is no excuse for anyone to use intemperate language or to attempt to injure another person. The Spirit of Christ is one of comfort, kindness, encouragement, truth, and grace; and that is what I desire my voice always to be.

A former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Patterson is considered an architect of its conservative resurgence (critics call it a takeover) that began in 1979 and has been a revered figure among many Southern Baptists. But in the last week, separate groups of Southern Baptist women and men have issued open letters to the trustee board of Pattersons seminary questioning his current leadership. That board has scheduled a special meeting on May 22.

To all people I offer my apology, but especially to women, to the family of Southern Baptists, my friends and the churches, Patterson concluded. I sincerely pray that somehow this apology will show my heart and may strengthen you in the love and graciousness of Christ.

Karen Swallow Prior, a Southern Baptist, an English professor at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., and a signatory on a letter of Southern Baptist women concerned about Pattersons remarks, said she was pleased to see the apology.

Its definitely a step forward, Prior said in a phone interview Thursday. Repentance is proven over time, and I hope that Dr. Patterson continues to weigh and consider the impact that his pattern of harmful statements to and about women has had.

The May 6 letter she signed had more than 3,000 signatories by Thursday. It has been followed by a letter from Southern Baptist men signed by more than 200.

We join our sisters in declaring that Jesus is nothing like this, the men wrote. Dr. Pattersons behavior confuses the message of the Gospel. His continued leadership  without repentance and reprimand  calls into question the witness of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Meanwhile, some prominent men in the nations largest Protestant denomination tweeted their appreciation of his apology.

The current president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Steve Gaines, said: I am so grateful for this apology to women from @_PPatterson_ . Please read and RT, and please pray for our Southern Baptist Convention.

Ronnie Floyd, a former SBC president, thanked Patterson on Twitter for clarifying your position and leading towards unity. Jack Graham, another former SBC president, said: Thank you Dr Patterson for your heart to seek peace and unity with a clear and unequivocal apology.SALT LAKE CITY  Kim Reeves had three children, one on the way, when she decided she wanted to go to law school.

She had already earned a bachelor's degree in history and a master's in business administration, but Reeves was still seeking a path that would lend to more flexibility given the responsibilities of a growing family, her spouse's military deployments and demands of a business that designs and creates custom dance costumes, choir dresses and bridal apparel.

The more she and her husband Jesse talked about it, law school seemed like the right fit.

"I had a baby in the spring of 2014. I ordered an LSAT (Law School Admission Test) prep book that I took to the hospital with me when he was born and I started studying, Reeves said.

In the fall of 2015, she joined other first-year students at the University of Utah's S.J. Quinney College of Law. Her commute from Alpine to the law school became a dividing line between a full load of legal studies and her family.

"I found pretty early on that once I got home, I needed to be 'home.' I kind of tried to treat it as a job and come home at a regular time in the evening and when I was home, I was 'home' and weekends belonged to my kids," she said.

Attempting to strike that balance meant something had to give.

Although she had the grades for it, Reeves decided against law review. A "cost-benefit analysis" told her she couldn't afford the time away from her children nor was she planning to seek a position in a large downtown law firm, she said.

"I didn't go to law school to not see my family again. So I don't need the 2,200 billable-hours-a-year job," Reeves said.

So she set her own goals, to get good grades and select her classes so that her legal writing loads were more manageable. Still, law school is rife with stress: pressure to finish in the top 10 of the class, "do that clerkship, get that job," she said.

"I'm mostly passed that," Reeves said. "But inherently, I'm a very competitive person and law school could be very competitive."

ExpandThe Reeves knew that it was likely that Jesse, serving in the Utah Air National Guard, would be deployed while she was in law school, but they wanted to have another child closer in age to their youngest instead of waiting until she was finished with her law degree.

In the spring of Reeves' first year of law school, the Reeves found that they were expecting. The baby was born in early November, delivered by C-section. Jesse Reeves was still deployed but watched the birth via FaceTime.

Roughly 2  weeks later, Reeves was back at school, infant son and stroller in tow.

Reeves said classmates and faculty helped her get back up to speed. The new law school building had changing tables and nursing rooms, which was very helpful "because I wanted to breastfeed as long as I practically could," she said.

She and a couple of schoolmates in the class ahead of her who also had babies traded off child care while they attended their respective classes.

Although Reeves' mother, sister and sister-in-law took care of things at home during school days, it was still a grind keeping up with her many responsibilities, she said.

"The spring semester of my 2L year after my baby was born is kind of a blur to me. I could not get that baby to go to sleep before 1 or 1:30 (a.m.) and I would have to get up at 6:30 in the morning to get ready, nurse him and get up to the law school in time for class. I really think I only got three to five hours of sleep that whole semester. I think I slept a little more on the weekends but it's really a blur," she said.

Because she took a lighter classload the first term of her second year, Reeves took 18 credit hours both terms of her final year so she could graduate on time and take classes she wanted to take.

When Reeves graduated Friday among a class of 97 law students, she had a large cheering section of immediate and extended family. They all played a role in ensuring she could complete her legal studies on time and keep life manageable at home, for which she is profoundly grateful, she said.

The couple's children, who range in age from 12 years to 18 months, (four boys and one girl in the middle) helped in their own ways.

"Overall they've done really well. I'll take that as a huge blessing," she said.

While she could have scaled back their activities to help manage things at home, the Reeves made deliberate choices to keep their lives as normal as possible.

Reeves said she hopes that her children have learned, as she's earned not only a law degree but an MBA, that their family values education and they, too, can do hard things.

While her family and law school family were supportive, there were occasional naysayers who asked, "Why would you want to do that? Don't you care about your kids?"

"I said 'I care a lot about my kids. That's why I'm actually doing it. I'm going to be able to pay for college now,'" she said.

Reeves plans to relocate to Idaho to start her legal career in business law with the law firm Hopkins, Roden, Crockett, Hansen & Hoopes.

Her goal is to provide legal services to people starting businesses, help them put together deals and solve problems.

"My general philosophy of life is, how can I solve a problem. How can I create value for other people, myself and my family.

"If I'm going to work on something that's not going to provide value for me and my family, why should I ask my family to sacrifice for that? If I cannot provide value for other people why should they pay me for that?"

If that sounds like something you might hear on "Shark Tank," Reeves comes by it honestly. She knows what it takes to start and grow a business.

Reeves is owner and creator of a successful fashion design company that makes custom dance costumes, choir robes and bridal apparel. She's operated the business while earning her undergraduate degree in history from the U., her MBA and continues to serve established clients.

"I'm not quite ready to let that die," Reeves said, explaining that she learned to sew when she was 3 and she has family members who were models and fashion designers.

"I love it. I love rhinestones."

Some joke that she's Utah's version of Elle Woods, the fictional fashion design major who was admitted to Harvard Law School, the stuff of the motion picture "Legally Blonde."

Reeves is also blond, but unlike Woods, she wasn't hosting mixers with her law school class. She's lived the life of a suburban mom and law student and military spouse.

Cathy Hwang, an associate law school professor who taught Reeves in three separate courses related to business law, calls her "an inspiration."

She approached the challenges of law school with a cool, calm demeanor reminiscent of the most seasoned of attorneys, Hwang said in a statement.

Besides earning high marks, Reeves served on the law schools faculty hiring committee, a curriculum committee, the Student Veterans Association and the Federalist Society.

Shes hardworking, never afraid to speak her mind, and extremely engaged in the life of the school. Not only is she a talented student, but shes a valued community member. Im so glad she chose to spend her three years here, and I cant wait to see her take her smarts, her calm demeanor, and her passion for service into business-law practice, Hwang added.

Reeves, who is in her 30s, said she enjoyed the intellect and scholarship of her classmates.

While there were several members of the class in their 30s and a couple in their 50s, Reeves said she sometimes felt older among her peers.

"Very few of them have a 12-year-old," she said.

But she's found that life lessons that come with nearly 15 years of marriage and the births of five children are a boon.

"We've bought and sold a couple of houses. I've seen this contract stuff and how it really works in the real world. It's been really nice having that perspective," she said.SALT LAKE CITY  Rachel Magnusson has worked as an oncology nurse for 12 years, six of which she's spent in the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

"Oncology is a hard field.  And a lot of our patients are terminally ill, and so it can be very emotional, taxing. But at the same time, with that intensity of emotion comes, I think, a great capacity to bond and connect with people," she said.

Magnusson, who says the "intense connection" she forms with patients keeps her in the field, is one of more than 500 nurses who work at the hospital.

Many nurses, patients, family members and other staff members had their hands blessed by faith and spiritual leaders in the Huntsman Cancer Institute on Friday during the hospital's yearly Blessing of the Hands during National Nurses Week.

As musicians played peaceful woodwind background music, several nurses were teary-eyed as they went through lines and spoke with leaders from an array of faiths, including Catholic, Episcopalian, Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, Latter-day Saint and a Native American healer.

"You will see many tears here. You come into this thinking, you know, 'I don't have anything to cry about.' And then spiritual leaders may ask you a question or two about how difficult your job is, or the patients that you've lost," said Sue Childress, director of nursing at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

The institute sponsors the hand-blessing event every year as one of several ways it helps its nurses deal with compassion fatigue, something experienced by many people who give much of their time and energy to caring for others.

"They're dedicated to caring for patients and making sure that they're safe while they're getting their treatment here. They're compassionate, smart people, and we want to honor them with blessing their hands and recognizing the work that those hands do every day of the year here," Childress said.

Magnusson says compassion fatigue is a "real thing," experienced by people in her field as well as many other fields, including teaching.

Terresa Newport, a Presbyterian chaplain at the institute, explained how she blessed the hands of those who attended the event.

"We ask that the Divine come through hands as they're anywhere in the world," she said.

Fred Wenger, a Jewish rabbi, said he begins by asking people what they do and then tries "to find something spiritual to share about what the challenges of their job are."

He then tells them about the "shortest healing prayer in the Bible," in Exodus when Moses says a healing prayer for his sister, Miriam.

"Dear God, heal her," Rabbi Wenger quoted.

"Ultimately, we simply pronounce blessings, but it's God who does the blessing," he explained.

The blessing of the hands gave Robin Roberts peace and inspiration.

"It's releasing," she said.

Roberts is a caregiver for her husband, a cancer patient. Friday was his last day at Huntsman Cancer Institute before he checked out of the hospital.

"I love all of them, what they all have to offer," she said of the spiritual leaders.

"Especially when you're a caregiver, when you have someone close to you like your husband, you have just a lot of emotions. And it's really reassuring to get the messages from them, because they're the messages that you know."

She said the spiritual leaders gave her guidance to help her find peace, wisdom, inspiration and guidance.

After having her hands blessed, Magnusson said she spoke to the rabbi. Though she is not of his same faith, she "appreciated his thoughts and sincerity."

"I find that in my work as a nurse, there's a lot of spiritual questions that come up with patients.  I think this event kind of embodies that, that we're all of different faiths and beliefs and backgrounds, but everyone here is here of their own accord. They feel drawn to events like this," she said.SALT LAKE CITY  Police arrested a man Saturday morning at the Mormon temple in St. George after he allegedly broke in and damaged artwork, furniture and other items.

The incident briefly upset temple operations. One endowment session was canceled before normal operations resumed.

"At approximately 5 a.m. this morning, an individual broke a window and entered the St. George temple," said Eric Hawkins, spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "He then proceeded to the fifth floor of the temple, damaging furniture, artwork and other items along the way.

"After causing additional damage on the fifth floor, he was contained by temple workers (no physical restraint was required) until police arrived and he was arrested."

Hawkins said workers addressed the damage.

Charles Gregory Logan, 22, of St. George, was booked into the Washington County Jail for investigation of burglary, assault, criminal mischief, interfering with arrest and disorderly conduct, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

Jail records indicate Logan posted bond and was out of custody as of Saturday evening.

St. George police did not respond to numerous requests Saturday for additional information about the incident. A spokeswoman said no one would be available to provide information to the public until Monday.

Logan's prior criminal history in Utah includes a February guilty plea for drinking alcohol or having an open container in a vehicle, state court records show.

He also pleaded guilty in September 2017 to misdemeanor drug possession and drug paraphernalia possession, according to court records. A charge for interference with an arresting officer, stemming from the same case, was dropped.

Logan also entered a plea in abeyance for a misdemeanor drug possession charge in June 2017.SALT LAKE CITY  Despite the great strides being made by Utah's homegrown companies, the number of women recognized for their achievements is lacking, according to some observers.

And that can impact a company's bottom line.

"It's difficult to be a woman in business in Utah because you're a minority, and there are a lot of obstacles that you have to overcome," according to Allison Lew, founder of Braid  a Utah company that provides workshops for entrepreneurs. One major issue for women is raising capital to get their business up and running.

"Nationwide, less than 3 percent of all venture capital goes to women-founded companies," she said. "We hope that by increasing visibility for these women that we can see a shift in the percentage of venture capital that is distributed (among businesses)."

To achieve that goal, Lew and others organized the Sego Awards, Utahs first that specifically honor female entrepreneurs and business leaders in the Beehive State. The award was developed to highlight the achievements of women who have impacted Utah in areas such as revenue growth, innovation, community influence and advocacy, Lew explained.

"We are delighted to have received so many inspiring nominations and applications, and we congratulate our finalists on this exciting accomplishment, Lew said. The Sego Awards were created to recognize the amazing work that female entrepreneurs all across the state are doing to build their companies, and we are proud to support and recognize their accomplishments."

The finalists and winners in various categories were formally honored during a gala on Friday night at Sundance Mountain Resort.

The nominations we received confirmed just how many impressive women Utah has contributing to the business community, said Trent Mano, event co-organizer and co-founder of Convoi  a global industrial relocation firm. We learned a lot about the inspiring work these women are doing and are excited to celebrate those accomplishments with them.

Lew noted that Utah is home to more than 80,000 women-run businesses generating approximately $14 billion in revenues. She said despite the impressive earnings, women lack the profile of their male counterparts in the state's business community.

"We wanted to increase visibility for these women and get them out and on the radar," she said. "(There is little recognition) even though they are doing just as well and even better than male-owned businesses."

She explained that the awards were named after the Utah state flower, the sego lily, which thrives in the harsh, desert climate.

Lew said economic power is often gained as businesses grow and become successful, but women have often been left out because so many spend much of their time running their enterprises that they aren't able to cultivate the relationships necessary to get noticed by funding sources. Hopefully, that dynamic can change when investors can recognize the number of talented women that are changing the state's business landscape.

Recognition for young female entrepreneurs is especially important for companies that are working hard to establish themselves, said Jenny Wecker, founder and CEO of Fawn Design, which makes designer diaper and parent accessory backpacks. She was the first place recipient for "Fastest Growing Company Under Five Years."

"I've always felt supported by others as a female entrepreneur, but an award like this will open doors to so many more opportunities," she said. Her advice to other women entrepreneurs is to believe in themselves and display that belief to others.

"Walking into a room with confidence helps anyone take you seriously. There is a ways to go in leveling the playing field, but I do feel like we are getting closer," Wecker said. "We can't control others, but we can control how we present ourselves and our business. Do it with confidence, and humility and that will set you up for success."

"I hope that awards like these will help to highlight the impact that women are making at organizations in Utah and throughout the country," said Ayde Soto, founder and chief technology officer of SimpleCitizen  a Salt Lake City digital immigration solutions company  who won the award for "Innovation in Technology."

She considers herself fortunate to be in Utah "surrounded by other inspiring women leaders doing great work at their companies and in their communities."

"The more we come together like this to show appreciation for the amazing work these women are doing, the more opportunities there will be for women to lead in management roles, the C-suite and on boards," Soto said. "Thats a wonderful thing for the tech ecosystem in Utah."

Vanessa Quigley, co-founder of Provo-based Chatbooks.com  the first place winner for "E-commerce," lauded the "many talented, passionate and fearless women" in the state's increasingly diverse business sector.

"There are women in Utah's business community doing some amazing things and we need more of a spotlight on those achievements," she said. "As female founders and CEOs become more visible, we not only help level the playing field for female entrepreneurs but also strengthen the impact of girls and women across the state."SALT LAKE CITY  The San Juan County Clerk's office said a Navajo candidate for an open seat on the county commission is not a resident of Utah and forwarded its findings for a criminal investigation.

Willie Grayeyes, chairman of the board of Utah Dine Bikeyah and a key proponent behind the designation of the Bears National Monument, became the subject of a residency investigation after a complaint was lodged by Wendy Black, a contender for the same seat.

Black asserted Grayeyes' principal place of residency was not within the voting precinct claimed, or in the geographic boundaries of the election area.

Clerk John David Nielson, in a May 4 letter to Grayeyes, said components of the investigation point to protracted absences from his claimed residency and information from Grayeyes' own sister that he actually lives in Tuba City, Arizona.

"All the other witnesses, particularly the witnesses who live in Navajo Mountain and Paiute Mesa (including your sister Rose) stated that you do not live in the region, had not lived there for years and that you were living in Tuba City, Arizona," the letter stated. "It is apparently common knowledge that you do not live in the area and in fact reside in Tuba City."

Grayeyes provided sworn declarations to the clerk's office that he maintained full-time residency at Navajo Mountain, grazed cattle at Paiute Mountain, had served in an elected office for the Navajo Nation and was born in Utah.

Nielson's letter said the investigation did not support residency at Navajo Mountain.

"Considering the length of your absences from the residence, there is evidence that your absences from your property are quite lengthy. Multiple witnesses told the deputy you had not lived in the area for years," the letter stated.

San Juan County forwarded its findings to Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings for a criminal probe.

Grayeyes, when reached for comment, said, "I have nothing to say."

Correction: An earlier version incorrectly spelled John David Nielson's last name Nielsen.Save my User ID and Password

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Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site.Aurobindo and others in the race to buy Novartis portfolio of US assets

Hyderabad-headquartered Aurobindo Pharma is in the race to buy the dermatology generics dermatology business of Swiss drug giant Novartis AG for about $1.6 billion.

Among the others in the fray are Apollo Global Management, CVC Capital Partners, Indian drugmaker Aurobindo Pharma and Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group are among the shortlisted bidders for Novartis AG's portfolio of assets that could fetch as much as $2 billion, Bloomberg yesterday reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Among the others in the fray are Apollo Global Management, CVC Capital Partners, Indian drugmaker Aurobindo Pharma and Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group are among the shortlisted bidders for Novartis AG's portfolio of assets that could fetch as much as $2 billion, Bloomberg yesterday reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

The assets include Novartis US dermatology business, the report said.

A buyer for the assets held by the drugmakers US-based Sandoz unit could emerge within the next few weeks, the report added.

Since the beginning of this year, Novartis has been seeking to sell its US generics assets, which also include its oral treatments business.

Novartis' new CEO Vasant Narasimhan told analysts late last year that the company was looking at its options for its US generic pill business due to falling prices.

"There are significant pricing declines. At least in the medium term, we don't see a shift to that situation, and so we're assessing how best to optimise that given that dynamic," Narasimhan told investors and analysts during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call, according to Reuters.

The move comes after Novartis recently went on an acquisition spree. Earlier this year, it acquired Advanced Accelerator Applications SA for around $3.9 billion, and last month agreed to buy AveXis Inc. for $8.7 billion.

But in March, it agreed to sell its 36.5 per cent stake in its consumer healthcare joint venture to GlaxoSmithKline for $13 billion

Based in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies by both market capitalisation and sales.

Novartis was created in 1996 from the merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz Laboratories, both Swiss companies with long histories. Ciba-Geigy was formed in 1970 by the merger of J R Geigy Ltd) and CIBA - founded in Basel in 1859.

The sale of the dermatology generics business, which novartis runs under the Sandoz brand, is in line with Novartis' plan to exit some of its not-profitable businesses.

If Aurobindo Pharma is successful in clinching the deal, it would be the largest acquisition of an overseas business by any Indian drug producer, after Lupin's 2015 acquisitions of Gavis Pharmaceuticals and Novel Laboratories for $880 million, in a cash-free and debt deal

Analysts feel that Aurobindo has placed an aggressive bid for low margin assets. IIFL had earlier said.

"Aurobindo has operating margins more than 23 per cent. We believe that Sandozs dermatology business could have margins less than 16 per cent, and hence, the deal would be margin dilutive. It also seems that Aurobindo has placed an aggressive bid for the low margin assets."Ex-PM Razak barred from leaving Malaysia, 1MDB probe may reopen

Malaysias newly elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Saturday he had stopped his predecessor Najib Razak from leaving the country, and sacked the attorney general who had cleared him of involvement in a multi-billion-dollar scandal

Combined caption: Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (left) and predecessor Najib Razak

It is true that I prevented Najib from leaving the country  as far as I know, he and his wife (were prevented from leaving). Im not aware of other people, Mahathir told reporters at a news conference.

Immigration authorities issued an overseas travel ban on Najib and his wife amid reports that the government was reopening investigations into a multi-billion-dollar graft scandal at a state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

The order by immigration authorities came minutes after Najib announced in a Facebook post that he and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, were taking a week-long holiday overseas to rest after his thumping defeat in Wednesday's general election.

"The Malaysian Immigration Department would like to confirm that Najib Razak and Rosmah Mansor have just been blacklisted from leaving the country," the agency said on its official Facebook page. It gave no reason.

Moments later, Najib said in a Twitter message that he would respect the decision and would remain in the country.

Questions about Najib's whereabouts were answered when he appeared at a meeting of his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) to announce that he was stepping down as the party's president and as chairman of the Barisan Nasional, the alliance dominated by UMNO that has ruled Malaysia for six decades.

"We all feel sad about what happened but as a party that upholds democratic principles, we accept the people's decision," he said, adding that his former deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi would take over as head of UMNO.

Mahathir also said he had replaced the countrys attorney general, who had cleared Najib of all wrongdoing in the 1MDB scandal. We have placed a number of restrictions on certain people who have been involved in wrongdoing or making wrong decisions, he said. So at the moment we no longer have an attorney-general. He also said he had instructed that a 1MDB report that was classified as an official secret during Najibs term be released.

A former prime minister for 22 years, Mahathir returned to politics after a feud with Najib over the 1MDB scandal, and teamed up with an opposition alliance including former foe Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar, 70 is serving a five-year sentence for sodomy, a charge he and his supporters say was politically motivated.

Mahathir has said the king has indicated to him that a royal pardon for Anwar would be announced soon.

Two sources told Reuters on Friday that new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad planned to reopen investigations into a graft scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) that has plagued Najib since 2015.

Mahathir would appoint a finance ministry adviser to "restart the 1MDB probe and bring back the money", said one source, who worked closely with his campaign team. The second source, a lawmaker, said the announcement could be made on Saturday when Mahathir names members of his new cabinet.

Najib, 64, lost this week's general election to an alliance headed by Mahathir, his mentor-turned-rival, at least partly because of popular disgust over the 1MDB scandal.

Mahathir, who was the country's premier for 22 years and was sworn in again as prime minister on Thursday, said he would not be looking for a scapegoat in the scandal. "What we want is to restore the rule of law ... if the law says that Najib has done something wrong, then he will have to face the consequences," he said.

News broke in 2015 that about $700 million allegedly stolen from 1MDB had made its way into Najib's personal bank accounts.

He denied any wrongdoing and was cleared by Malaysia's attorney-general, even as US authorities alleged that over $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund in a fraud orchestrated by a financier known to be close to Najib and his family.

US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions called the 1MDB scandal "kleptocracy at its worst" and the fund is the subject of money-laundering investigations in at least six countries, including Switzerland, Singapore and the United States.

Filings by the US Justice Department in a civil lawsuit indicated nearly $30 million of the money stolen was used to buy jewellery for Rosmah, including a rare 22-carat pink diamond set in a necklace.

In a Twitter message on Friday, Najib said he was praying that, "after this divisive period", Malaysia would unite.Heat and sound wave interactions in solids could run engines, refrigerators

A solid can serve as a medium for heat and sound wave interactions just like a fluid does for thermoacoustic engines and refrigerators  resulting in leak-free machines that can stay operating longer.

Leaky systems have limited how engineers design thermoacoustic devices that rely on the interplay between temperature oscillations and sound waves. Researchers at Purdue and the University of Notre Dame have demonstrated for the first time that thermoacoustics could theoretically occur in solids as well as fluids, recently presenting their findings at the 175th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America.

"Although still in its infancy, this technology could be particularly effective in harsh environments, such as outer space, where strong temperature variations are freely available and when system failures would endanger the overall mission," says Fabio Semperlotti, Purdue assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

Thermoacoustics has been an established and well-studied phenomenon in fluids whether as a gas or liquid  for centuries. "Applying heat to a fluid enclosed in a duct or cavity will cause the spontaneous generation of sound waves propagating in the fluid itself," says Carlo Scalo, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue. "This results in so-called singing pipes, or thermoacoustics machines."

While fluids have been historically used for these systems, the extra step of building something to contain the fluids and prevent leaks is cumbersome. This led the researchers to consider solids as a replacement.

"Properties of solids are more controllable, which could make them potentially better suited to these applications than fluids. We needed to first verify that this phenomenon could theoretically exist in solid media," says Haitian Hao, Purdue graduate research assistant in mechanical engineering.

Thermoacoustics enables either waste heat or mechanical vibrations to be converted into other useful forms of energy. For refrigerators, sound waves generate a temperature gradient of hot and cold. The vibrating motion makes cold areas colder and hot areas hotter.

Engines use an opposite process  a temperature gradient provided by waste heat leads to mechanical vibrations.

Solid state thermoacoustics initially seemed unlikely, since solids are somewhat more "stable" than fluids and tend to dissipate mechanical energy more readily, making it harder for heat to generate sound waves.

The researchers developed a theoretical model demonstrating that a thin metal rod can exhibit self-sustained mechanical vibrations if a temperature gradient is periodically applied to segments of the rod.

This balanced unwanted mechanical energy dissipation and showed that, like fluids, solids contract when they cool down and expand when they heat up. If the solid contracts less when cooled and expands more when heated, the resulting motion will increase over time.

Solids can also be engineered to achieve the needed properties for achieving high thermoacoustics performance. "Fluids do not allow us to do this," Semperlotti said.

Extreme temperature differences in space would be perfect for generating mechanical vibrations that are then converted to electrical energy on spacecraft.

"A solid state device would use the sun as its heat source and radiation towards deep space as its cold source," Semperlotti says. "These systems could operate indefinitely, given that they do not have any part in motion or fluid that could leak out."

Researchers still need to complete an experimental setup to validate this design idea and better understand the thermoacoustics of solids as discovered through mathematical calculations and modeling.

"Possible applications and performance of these devices are still in the realm of pure speculation at this point," Semperlotti says. "But the phenomenon exists and it has the potential to open some remarkable directions for the design of thermoacoustic devices."After years of listening to grownups giving out hell about various matters on the radio, I very often need a serious injection of innocence and naivety.

That is why I get such a kick working with schoolchildren. In a world going steadily crazy because of texting and the excesses of technology, I have my faith restored in humanity by youngsters.

And what profound lesson have they taught me over 30 years? Simply this, be they Catholic or Protestant, its either growing up or grownups who destroy them.

I could pick any school, from Mizen to Malin, but one recent encounter with children has left a permanent glow, a school where the weans positively glowed with ideas and buzz with imagination.

A few hours there and I was convinced that my occasional pessimistic prognoses about future generations was way off kilter.

Here the weans love the sound of words - they savour the taste, the smell, the touch and sound of colour and, most importantly, theyre not afraid to be wrong! 2+2=4 might give the rest of us sleepless nights but children who appreciate imagination dont care if it occasionally equals 5 or 7  after all, grownups who are always convinced they are right have invariably made a right hash of the world.

Some years ago, I was in a two teacher country school in Cavan and just before I departed, I decided to devote 5 minutes to a question and answer session about the days creativity  poetry and storytelling. Ive a question for you, mister, volunteered one lad. Fire away, says I. Whered you get the tie, Mister? he asked. The teacher put her head in her hands, but I just laughed and reminded her, The child always speaks the truth. In other words, he or she will ask what they consider the important question.

That is why our young people are not allowed to vote; not because theyre incapable of making an adult decision but because were terrified that theyll see through the bullshit, tell it like it is and might even demand standards of our elected representatives, like saying precisely what we mean, for example. And we cant have that complication now, can we?

If all of you grownups reading this today had the opportunity  for the first time in your lives  to tell your loved ones or your employers what you really thought of them, how many of you would have a relationship or a job by tomorrow? Exactly! Not one of you.

Adults live a lie in order to maintain the veneer of civilisation  children are unencumbered by this protocol

One of my most vivid memories from boarding school is of a dear friend getting a right lashing from the leather strap because he tried to answer a question in the kind of way an innocent 12-year old might. The Maths teacher, a rather fierce Reverend, asked him Stand up, Maguire, and tell the class what a right angled triangle is?

Up he stood and uttered the immortal line, Straight over and up, Father! Five minutes later, as he hopped about the classroom with the ubiquitous sore arse, he looked at me with big innocent eyes and exclaimed, Jesus, Galligan, it is straight over and up, isnt it?

He remained a close friend but has since sadly passed away.somehow or other, because of that incident, I felt I was in the company of real genius, not the type who got straight As but the decentskins who say it as best they can.

Maybe that is why, ever since, I have found my greatest solace in the company of those with the big innocent eyes. Long may they live but may they never grow up.



As a child, my son Kelan referred to the yock for the TV as the remote patrol. I never corrected him as his description was not only apt but more accurate in these days of multi-channel dross.

In a school some years ago  while facilitating a Creative Writing class  a young lad complained to me that modern movies had too many special defects. He too was deadly accurate.

The following are examples of History exam answers which probably relegated the poor weans to a failure mark but to whom I would have given 100% for imagination. They restore my faith in humanity:

Without the Greeks, we wouldn't have history. The Greeks invented three kinds of columns - Corinthian, Doric and Ironic. They also had myths. A myth is a female moth.

One myth says that the mother of Achilles dipped him in the River Stynx until he became intolerable. Achilles appears in 'The Illiad', by Homer.

Homer also wrote the 'Oddity', in which Penelope was the last hardship that Ulysses endured on his journey. Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of that name.

Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock.

In the Olympic Games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled the biscuits, and threw the java. The reward to the victor was a coral wreath.

The government of Athens was democratic because the people took the law into their own hands. There were no wars in Greece, as the mountains were so high that they couldn't climb over to see what their neighbours were doing. When they fought the Persians, the Greeks were outnumbered because the Persians had more men.

Eventually, the Romans conquered the Geeks.

History call people Romans because they never stayed in one place for very long. At Roman banquets, the guests wore garlic in their hair.



Extinguished

Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides of March killed him because they thought he was going to be made king. Nero was a cruel tyranny who would torture his poor subjects by playing the fiddle to them.

Then came the Middle Ages. King Alfred conquered the Dames, King Arthur lived in the Age of Shivery, King Harold mustarded his troops before the Battle of Hastings, Joan of Arc was canonized by George Bernard Shaw, the Magna Carta provided that no free man should be hanged twice for the same offence.

In midevil times most of the people were alliterate.

The greatest writer of the time was Chaucer, who wrote many poems and verse and also wrote literature.

Another tale tells of William Tell, who shot an arrow through an apple while standing on his son's head.

The Renaissance was an age in which more individuals felt the value of their human being. Martin Luther was nailed to the church door at Wittenberg for selling papal indulgences. He died a horrible death, being excommunicated by a bull.

Gutenberg invented the Bible. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure because he invented cigarettes. Another important invention was the circulation of blood.

Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100-foot clipper.

Henry VIII found walking difficult because he had an abbess on his knee.

When Queen Elizabeth exposed herself before her troops, they all shouted 'hurrah.' Then her navy went out and defeated the Spanish Armadillo.

The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespear. Shakespear never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He lived in Windsor with his merry wives, writing tragedies, comedies and errors.

Writing at the same time as Shakespear was Miquel Cervantes. He wrote 'Donkey Hote'. The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote 'Paradise Lost.' Then his wife died and he wrote 'Paradise Regained.' During the Renaissance America began.

Christopher Columbus was a great navigator who discovered America while cursing about the Atlantic. His ships were called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Fe.

My own favourite story actually happened in a school in West Donegal in 2005 when a young lad informed me that My great-granduncle was on the Titanic. He survived, but when he came home to Dungloe, he drownded in the bath!Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.

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Support our mission and join our community now.Australians love their SUVs.

The high-riding family wagon is now the most popular new car purchase in the country, accounting for almost 43 per cent of all registrations in 2018.

More and more car makers are jumping on the SUV bandwagon. This week saw uber luxury marque, Rolls-Royce, come to the SUV party with its first high-riding model, the Cullinan.

The ultimate high roller shares its underpinnings with the brand's flagship Phantom sedan, which puts the Cullinan's intentions aimed squarely at the 0.1 percenters.

Offering unapparelled luxury paired with a high-driving position, the Cullinan is sure to be a hit with the prestigious brand's growing younger demographic as the old-school brand continues to look for newer less traditional customers.

However, while Rolls-Royce has developed a niche SUV, there are plenty of manufacturers set to offer more accessible SUVs over the next 12 months. Here are some of the models to look out for.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio

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Microsoft, Oracle and Facebook, along with 31 other companies, on Tuesday signed the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, an agreement aimed at defending against cyberattacks, whether coming from rogue hackers or nation-states. The 34 tech firms committed to stronger defenses, no offensive attacks, capacity building and collective action.

The accord is designed to protect the integrity of the 1 trillion connected devices that could be in use around the world within the next 20 years. Security remains a major issue in the tech world, with economic losses expected to reach US$8 trillion by 2022, according to Juniper Research.

The companies that signed the Cybersecurity Tech Accord plan to hold the first meeting during the security-focused RSA Conference taking place this week in San Francisco. The meeting will focus on capacity building and collective action.

The companies agreed to mount a stronger defense against cyberattacks, regardless of the motivation underlying them. They also pledged not to help governments launch cyberattacks against innocent citizens or enterprises. They promised to protect their products and services from any tampering or exploitation that could enable their use in such attacks.

The signatory companies plan to do more to empower developers, as well as the people who use technology products, to improve their capacity to defend against attacks. This could include joint work on developing stronger security practices.

Finally, the Cybersecurity Tech Accord companies aim to take collective action to establish formal and informal partnerships with industry, civil society and security researchers, to improve collaboration that will ensure the disclosure of vulnerabilities and other threats. The goal is to minimize the potential for the introduction of malicious code.

Not Fully Binding

The Cybersecurity Tech Accord is very much a work in progress -- one that the companies noted remains open to consideration of new private sector signatories. However, one key takeaway from Tuesday's announcement is that the companies have the option to adhere to some or all of the principles.

That could mean the companies still could do what is in their best interests rather than adhere strictly to the principles of the agreement.

"It will be very interesting to see how this plays out, since many devils lurk in the details," said Jim Purtilo, associate professor in the computer science department at the University of Maryland.

"Some companies signing this accord actively collaborate with governments in development or manipulation of technologies that are commonly part of cyberattacks," he told TechNewsWorld.

"Will they no longer participate in those projects, on the theory that their efforts could result in deployment of an attack? Or will they out the white hat (ethical) hackers who help friendly governments understand the digital battle space?" pondered Purtilo.

"What about researchers who study means of effecting a cyberattack at the nation-state level? I bet these collaborations will still go on," he added.

More Than PR?

The timing of the Cybersecurity Tech Accord announcement is noteworthy.

"The agreement is probably best seen as a blend of PR, marketing and corporate vision," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

Coming during the RSA security conference and a week after Mark Zuckerberg's congressional testimony, the announcement arrives as the IT industry and media outlets are focusing on security issues, King told TechNewsWorld.

"It also follows the minor brouhaha that erupted a week or so ago when 3,000 Google employees signed a petition protesting the company's involvement in 'The Business of War' via work it pursues in government contracts," King added.

Taking the World Stage

The 34 firms also may be digging into their respective deep pockets to solve a problem that the world powers have been unable to stop: the growing threats in a connected world.

"That may be one of the underlying points to the initiative -- along with the fact that few, if any, entities exist that could or would orchestrate an effective response to cyberattacks and cyberterrorism events that have an increasingly global reach," suggested King.

"It's also important to note that many or most of the signers are working in numerous global markets, so the accord could also be interpreted as an assurance to partners and customers that they won't be actively stabbed in the back," he added.

What isn't clear is how these companies -- even if they won't work with the U.S. government offensively -- might sign on to help defend it.

"Active defenses in cyberspace are among the assets available to our government for purposes of national defense -- said simply, these are robust cyberattacks," warned Purtilo.

How might the signatories address efforts against an enemy state in a potential time of war?

"A plain reading of the accord tells us that these corporate signatories would intervene to neutralize such an attack -- but would a company actively intervene in order to oppose a U.S. government operation?" asked Purtilo.

"If Putin unleashes an overtly hostile action in cyberspace, then most Americans would be happy for corporate assistance in quashing it, but I doubt most would appreciate corporate interference with our military's countermeasures, as they apparently just committed themselves to doing," he explained. "The accord says they won't enable cyberattacks against the innocent; I wonder which corporate board decides which citizens are which?"

Conspicuous by Their Absence

Not all of the major tech giants have signed on to the accord. Notably missing are Amazon, Apple and Google -- companies that have a significant global presence.

"Two points underscore their decisions not to participate: one, active programs they already have in place with defense and other government agencies that may conflict with the accord; and two, plans or efforts to work in countries that are suspected of being involved in cyberattacks, particularly China," suggested King.

"Broadly speaking, it's sensible for organizations to avoid initiatives that might immediately or eventually hinder them," he pointed out.

This accord -- like so many treaties and agreements over the eons -- may be worth little more than the paper, or screen, it was written on.

"The accord may not be fully thought through," Purtilo said candidly.

"If it was done for PR value, then they might get a little bump for one news cycle, but there will be lasting problems if the public starts to see corporate messaging contrast with corporate actions over time," he added.

"The accord itself is fairly bland," noted King.

"Refusing to help governments mount cyberattacks on innocent civilians and businesses is hardly controversial," he said. "The bigger question is how or whether the signers would know if their products and services were being used in such attacks. Facebook's fake news mea culpas are rooted in the company's claimed cluelessness about how partners were playing with user data the company willing sold to them."

Peter Suciu has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2012. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, mobile phones, displays, streaming media, pay TV and autonomous vehicles. He has written and edited for numerous publications and websites, including Newsweek, Wired and FoxNews.com. Email Peter.



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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday endured a second day of congressional criticism during a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. His appearance followed an intense session with the Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committees a day earlier.

Some members of the House committee questioned whether Facebook tracked users offline. Some blasted what they claimed were repeated instances of censorship, alleging that legitimate conservative viewpoints were flagged as hate speech.

Zuckerberg also faced a number of questions about whether Facebook had tracked the activity of non-Facebook users, or whether it had tracked members' activities after they logged off the site.

Algorithm Angst

Rep. Ben Lujan, D-N.M., asked Zuckerberg about the privacy rights of people who were not Facebook users, but whose data nevertheless was collected by Facebook.

Zuckerberg denied knowledge of "shadow profiles" of people who were not Facebook members, but said that Facebook did collect data on non-members for security purposes, in part to prevent data scraping.

Committee members questioned Zuckerberg repeatedly about several recent incidents they found troubling. In one case, they asked about Facebook's blocking of conservative vloggers Diamond and Silk as "unsafe." They also questioned Facebook's rejection of an ad from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, that depicted the crucifixion of Jesus.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., who chairs the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, asked Zuckerberg if Facebook subjectively manipulated algorithms to prioritize or censor speech.

Facebook does not think of what it does as censoring speech, Zuckerberg responded, saying the company works to protect the site from extreme behavior like terrorism.

"Let me tell you something right now," Blackburn said. "Diamond and Silk is not terrorism."

She later tweeted about plans to address Facebook algorithms in upcoming forums.

I asked Mark Zuckerberg if Facebook subjectively manipulates algorithms to push their own agenda, and censor conservatives. We look forward to having another hearing on algorithms soon to address this important issue. https://t.co/BMeEW0WlXf  Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) April 11, 2018

Blackburn and other representatives asked Zuckerberg if he supported regulations that would create new privacy rights for Facebook users, with some pointing to Europe's General Data Protection Regulation, which takes effect next month, as a model for protecting users from exploitation.

While Zuckerberg said Facebook planned to extend its GDPR compliance globally, he appeared hesitant to make that commitment as an official guarantee.

The questions lawmakers have posed to Zuckerberg over the past couple of days indicate that many members of Congress have a limited understanding of the intricacies of data collection, the use of algorithms, and the business models of Facebook and other social media companies.

It's unclear whether Congress will be able to follow through on promises to legislate comprehensive privacy protections, observed Nate Cardozo, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

"We're skeptical of Congress' ability to get meaningful reforms passed," he told the E-Commerce Times, "but we look forward to reviewing any statutory language as it's proposed."

Cambridge Analytica Fallout

Meanwhile, as Zuckerberg was testifying in Congress, the board at Cambridge Analytica on Wednesday announced that acting Chief Executive Alexander Tayler would step down from his post and return to his former role as chief data officer.

The resumption of his former post would allow him to focus on the various technical investigations and queries, the company said. It did not name a new acting CEO.

The British Information Commissioner's Office executed a search warrant on Cambridge Analytica late last month and seized a large number of documents.

The House of Commons Digital committee investigating fake news will hear return testimony next week from Alexander Nix, the suspended chief executive of Cambridge Analytica.

David Jones has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2015. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, e-commerce, open source, gaming, artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles. He has written for numerous media outlets, including Reuters, Bloomberg, Crain's New York Business and The New York Times. Email David.



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Facebook has been in seriously hot water for its data monetization model almost from the firm's beginning. The Cambridge Analytica, election meddling and fake news scandals have turned up the heat.

Facebook's problems aren't limited to the public and government backlash that spans several countries; the firm faces potentially devastating legal threats too. On the surface, it appears to be a clear-cut issue: Social media and other tech companies must be reined in.

Certainly, the EU thinks so, as is evidenced by its new General Data Protection Regulation. However, despite the horrendous damages wreaked to date, the outlines of the social media problem aren't quite clear, and neither is the fix.

When Data Is All You've Got

Chief among the most concerning worries resulting from a long line of recent scandals are election-fixing, or at least election meddling, in several democracies. Very few citizens of those countries would consider it a good thing for a foreign power to use social media to sway elections.

Several countries, including the U.S., France and Germany, have determined that Russia-backed election meddling is a continuing threat, and that social media is at the heart of its preferred tactics.

One would think that the need to curb or end attempts to unduly manipulate election outcomes by a nation state or other outside entity -- such as UK-based Cambridge Analytica -- would be irrefutable. Certainly, Facebook sees the writing on the wall.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced several measures to address heightened anxiety over its role. Facebook publicly apologized for the Cambridge Analytica data-sharing scandal and promised it would notify users if they were among the 87 million people whose data was "improperly shared" with the firm.

Facebook also promised to increase transparency and improve vetting of its political advertising and news providers.

Is that enough?

Promises, Profits and Patriotism

"Facebook and other technology firms are thus far proposing to fix the problem via self-regulation only -- by setting up rules that they themselves would promise to follow, rather than being held accountable by some sort of legislative authority that would involve users having some sort of legal recourse," said Jessica Baldwin-Philippi, assistant professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University.

"The problem with this is that, as we've seen, there is little accountability," she told the E-Commerce Times.

In fact, Facebook did not act on the issues of election meddling and fake news until there was a massive public outcry, even though it was aware of the problems much earlier. The same is true of the illicit data sharing with third parties such as Cambridge Analytics.

Data monetization is Facebook's business model. Facebook and some other tech firms exist solely to gather and sell everyone's data, exposing users' lives in increasingly more granular detail.

Facebook works hard to pull more intimate details about your life than what you voluntarily post on social media or release as exhaust while searching the Web. Among the most troubling data mining the company recently has done: its Child Predator Survey; and a secret effort to gather patient data from hospitals and other medical groups to add to what it knows about users.

Indeed, Facebook appears to respect no boundaries in its search to own an increasingly large hoard of personal data.

Facebook's Usage Agreement "is 70 pages long," noted Ronald Jones, a cybersecurity faculty member at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

The privacy and usage agreement from the Facebook company Masquerade specifies that it collects, mines and sells Facebook content, such as images of faces, he also pointed out.

"The Facebook agreements indemnify Facebook actions in selling/delivering/providing user related information to Cambridge Analytica, so their actions were legal. No US laws appear to be violated," Jones told the E-Commerce Times. "Are tougher regulations needed for social networking? What about the first amendment? Also, who decides what is or is not acceptable for the social networking space?"

Freedom of speech means that it may be very difficult to curb the speech spewed by hostile nation states, or to stem the tide of fake news proliferating on the network, he added -- and he isn't the only one who thinks so.

"What is harmful content? Harmful in what way? To whom? And why? And what is fake news?" asked Richard Santalesa, founder of the Sm@rtEdgeLaw Group.

"News has been faked, or slanted, since the first stylus was put to a clay tablet," he told the E-Commerce Times. "The Constitution and First Amendment don't contain a right not to be offended, and there's no such thing as a hate speech exemption to speech that's otherwise protected by the First Amendment."

Thus, regulating tech firms is a tough and perhaps unforgivable thing to do in the minds of many American patriots. Yet the traditional American claim that market forces will police bad behavior doesn't hold true either.

What People Want

Take, for example, Facebook's effort to gather patient data. The market had no knowledge of that until investigative reporters exposed it. Given that traditional news media outlets have been getting pounded as fake news, and actual fake news has been held up as truth by some others, how is the market to learn of such misdeeds or know whether a response is needed?

"What every person must understand is Facebook is not about people other than as its currency," remarked Janice Taylor, CEO of Mazu.

"You, me, our children are tokens -- data points that reinforce the money printing machine," she told the E-Commerce Times.

"If we go away, Facebook loses its entire business," Taylor continued. "Are Mark and Sheryl [Sandberg] really going to shut down the money printing machine? They may grease it, disguise it better, lie some more -- but at the core root of Facebook/Instagram is [the desire] to print money for themselves and their shareholders."

Even if Facebook has seen the light and truly sets out to self-regulate to an appreciable degree, there is nothing to hold it on that course over time.

"EU-style rules about data privacy would be a fine step," suggested Fordham's Baldwin-Philippi, "but again, Facebook could always change that policy in the future -- as it has many times before. Relying on technology firms to regulate themselves strips users of recourse if and when something goes wrong."

Actual laws spelling out data ownership could go a long way in solving this problem for users -- but that might mean the end of Facebook and other social media companies, since their business model centers on their ownership of users' personal information.

"In the U.S., the people do not own their personal information, while in the EU the people have undisputed ownership of the personal data," explained Harrisburg University's Jones.

While Americans presumably will be safer with protections in place, and so will democracy, many may not want that protection.

"People think that if I am not on Facebook I can't build my business," noted Mazu's Taylor.

"What about my family memories? My calendar of events?" they might worry.

"We as people need to understand that Facebook was never about you or I or connecting people -- it was about money and control," Taylor emphasized. "Why do we think they care more about us now that they are getting caught? Does a drug dealer suddenly care about all the drug users once he is arrested? What if the drug dealer just makes better cocaine. Should we trust him then?"

Reining In Data-Crazed Tech Companies, Part 2

Pam Baker has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2007. Her main areas of focus are technology, business and finance. She has written hundreds of articles for leading publications including InformationWeek, Institutional Investor magazine, CIO.com and TechTarget. She has authored several analytical studies on technology, as well as eight books, the latest of which is Data Divination: Big Data Strategies. She also wrote and produced an award-winning documentary on paper-making. She is a member of the National Press Club, Society of Professional Journalists and the Internet Press Guild. Email Pam.



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Following two days of often contentious exchanges between members of Congress and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg this week, the focus in Washington and Silicon Valley has shifted from how Facebook plans to change its data practices to how to implement some of those plans.

The company already has taken steps to streamline its disclosure and privacy policies to give its 2 billion monthly active users more control over their data and limit the sharing of that information with third parties.

However, officials in Washington also have begun to roll out legislation designed to give consumers more power over what Facebook and other companies can do with their personal information.

Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., this week introduced the "CONSENT (Consumer Online Notification for Stopping Edge Provider Network Transgressions) Act," a bill that would require the Federal Trade Commission to establish consumer privacy protections on edge providers like Facebook, Google and similar firms.

If it became law, it would require edge providers to inform users of data collection and sharing policies, as well as notify them of data breaches, and it would require opt-in permission to share or sell users' personal data. It also would require the providers to maintain "reasonable" data security.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., has dusted off the "Browser (Balancing the Rights of Web Surfers Equally and Responsibly) Act," a 2017 bill that would provide Internet users more protections. The proposal has gained support following the Zuckerberg hearings, she said.

Hot Topic, Short Window

There are a few factors that may prevent new legislation from being passed in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, noted Allie Bohm, policy counsel at Public Knowledge.

Among them are the looming midterm elections, the short time remaining in the current congressional session, and the lack of good existing legislation as opposed to bills that would need to be written from scratch.

On the other hand, this may be the best time for the tech industry to get something passed, Bohm pointed out, and doing so could help Silicon Valley's financial prospects.

"Having some sensible consumer regulation may help consumer confidence and save their bottom line," she said.

The data privacy issue has been front and center for the last several weeks, and in the Trump era it's rare for any single legislative issue to remain on the front burner that long, Bohm remarked.

Public Knowledge has urged lawmakers to focus on three areas:

The bill must provide for meaningful notice and consent from customers, meaning the new privacy language should not be buried on page 39 of a 40-page document, where few would see it. The bill must provide for strong data security involving all the entities that use consumer data. Whether someone is buying a house, looking for a job or renting an apartment, all of the data must be secure. Consumers must have meaningful recourse, in particular removing language calling for mandatory arbitration to settle disputes. For many consumers, the cost of legal fees might outweigh any settlement they could get. There also should be a provision for liquidated damages.

At the state level, the "California Consumer Privacy Act," a ballot initiative, has gained renewed traction after Facebook pulled its official opposition.

The bill has three main elements, according to Rick Arney, independent chairman of the Lending Club Fund Governance Board, who coauthored the measure:

Consumers would gain the right to find out what kind of data a large company had about them; Consumers would have the right to tell that company to stop collecting their personal data; and Consumers could hold companies accountable if their data were compromised in a cyberbreach.

"The whole reason why we put this initiative together is that significant abuses are happening with data," Arney told the E-Commerce Times.

Backers have nearly all the signatures they need to get the initiative on the ballot this fall, he said.

Facebook has pulled out of the Committee to Protect California Jobs, an organization created to oppose the initiative, Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed.

Committee members include Google, Verizon, Comcast and AT&T. Facebook and Google each contributed US$200,000 to the group, according to government filings.

Facebook withdrew from the committee "in order to focus our efforts on supporting reasonable privacy measures in California," Stone told the E-Commerce Times.

Zuckerberg emphasized that commitment in his responses to lawmakers this week on Facebook's plans for compliance with Europe's General Data Privacy Regulation and the company's overall support for data privacy regulations, Stone pointed out.

With regard to the numerous questions that Zuckerberg promised Facebook's staff would research, Stone said that the official committee records will be held open so that legislators can ask additional questions. The House committee record will be open for an additional 10 days, and the joint Senate committees' record will be open for another 14 days. The committees then will give Facebook time to respond to members' questions.

Privacy Positions

Some movement toward increased data protection is likely to come in the U.S., following the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, but implementation probably will stop short of the levels new European laws will provide, suggested Rick Edmonds, media business analyst at Poynter.

"A likely result is for Facebook to continue the current series of measures to address the issue," he told the E-Commerce Times.

That may be easier than trying to frame a solution in new legislation of FCC/Commerce regulations, he added.

Digital privacy is a complicated issue that will require complex legislation, remarked Andrew Howard, chief technology officer at Kudelski Security.

The European General Data Privacy Regulation is the first attempt to guarantee privacy rights at scale, he told the E-Commerce Times, and it's unlikely the U.S. will follow suit in the near term.

"While there is a lot of noise currently in the U.S. Congress about data privacy, action is unlikely in the near future," Howard said. "Americans, especially younger generations, are generally more comfortable with the privacy versus usability tradeoff."

It will take time to determine whether the GDPR actually works, he added, noting the irony that most of the big tech companies will have to comply with these regulations anyway, as they conduct a large percentage of their business in Europe.

The real question at the center of this debate is about consent, maintained Jason Hart, CTO at Gemalto.

"Click blindness" is very common, he told the E-Commerce Times. In order to access a service, users give immediate consent to share information without reading or understanding what they're permitting, and their data then is used for market research or advertising, or just sold for profit.

"Should we apply a standard of ownership to the information we share online,"Hart wondered, "similar to that which is established by our laws on plagiarism or copyright infringement?"

David Jones has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2015. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, e-commerce, open source, gaming, artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles. He has written for numerous media outlets, including Reuters, Bloomberg, Crain's New York Business and The New York Times. Email David.

By Mary Ann Lieser

A group of teens gather quietly in the predawn darkness. Dressed in warm clothing, they meet before breakfast to help capture and pack broiler chickens to be taken to a slaughterhouse. They fed, watered and watched the birds grow; now they prepare them for their final trip. Eventually, the birds will return as meat and be cooked for the teens to eat.

High school students at Olney Friends School, located on 350 acres near Barnesville, Ohio, witness the cycle of birth and death time and again during their four years on campus. Founded in 1837 to serve the children of Quaker families, Olney has always had a farm program and students have been involved in its operation to varying degrees.

Mark Hibbett

During the past decade, Olney has integrated farm work and food production into every aspect of student life, from the barn to the kitchen to the classroom. In 2015, Olney became the nation's first USDA certified organic campus.

"Olney has had conservation practices to protect the environment in place for a hundred years," said Don Guindon, farm manager. Guindon spent his childhood on the school farm, where his father served for decades in the position he now holds. He's continued the sustainable practicesthe use of crop rotation, cover crops and contour plowingthat help maintain soil fertility and combat erosion. The farm also produces and uses about 40 tons of compost annually, utilizing manure and kitchen waste from the school as well as the autumn leaves gathered by the nearby town.

The Olney school farm has 52 beef cattle, eight goats, 150 laying chickens and as many as 800 meat chickens. Students fatten a varying number of feeder pigs each year, produce hay for their livestock, and grow a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Constantly looking to diversify, they have recently added beekeeping to their repertoirethey currently have two active hives and hope to have five later this year.

One week the farmers might lecture the biology class about artificial insemination. The next week the class might visit the greenhouse to help pollinate lemon trees by hand to provide a bigger harvest. An art class is working on designs to remodel a portion of the greenhouse. Farm skills are well integrated into the classroom.

The school has a diverse student body with many international students30 percent of the student bodywho speak English as a second language. Most of Olney's approximately 50 students live on campus full time. The cafeteria serves three meals a day, seven days a week and manages to use food that derives about 40 percent from the farm or local area.

Mark Hibbett

The staff is looking at ways to nudge that number up by using homesteading practices to preserve more of the harvest. Mark Hibbett, assistant farm manager, is exploring possibilities: using the farm's cabbage to make kimchi, using strawberries to make preserves and using eggs to make noodles. And he's looking for ways students can be involved in each step.

Olney already adjusts the farming schedule to maximize the possibilities for student participation. Some crops are planted late so the teens, who are gone over summer break, can help with the harvest when they return to campus.

Freshman Izraa Rosa grew up in a vegan family and says his parents appreciated knowing that the food at Olney is locally sourced and pesticide-free. For Rosa, who's from Cleveland, the biggest benefit of the farm program is that he's nudged out of his comfort zone. "I grew up in the city, where my friends and I were careful not to get our shoes scuffed up. Now I get my hands dirty and I love it. I'm more open-minded and open to new experiences."

Adam Dyer, the newest member of the farm staff, said that "any time students help with morning chores, they realize how much work goes into everything. Those eggs don't just appear on our plates at breakfast. Someone has to come down at 6 o'clock and collect them."

Olney has always had a strong farm identity, but the school's goal is not necessarily to graduate future farmers. Graduates go on to four-year colleges, and few if any work in agriculture later. "Our goal is well-rounded citizens who are smart consumers with social awareness. The farm is a great place to absorb lessons in the complexity of sustainable systems," Guindon points out.

Mark Hibbett

One of the most popular ways to absorb those lessons at Olney is to help tend its goats. When the babies are born, students watch the mothers clean them, then they make sure the babies are moving and active and getting milk. "When the students are there for every step of the process, they own it," Guindon said. Six does recently gave birth to 13 kids and a crew of 19 students trained as goat midwives took turns spending nights in the barn, watching for signs of early labor.



Antonia Sigmon is a senior who has been involved in as many farm activities as possible during the last four years, from picking potatoes to clipping goats' hooves. During the winter of her freshman year, many of the goat kids were born and she remembers how magical it seemed walking in the snow and the moonlight down to the barn, where she took the midnight shift to bottle-feed them.

"I've been excited about working with the animals ever since," she said. "And I like being in contact with the land and everything that's growing."

Olney still honors its Quaker roots. Twice a week the students participate in traditional waiting worship, when the school gathers for about 20 minutes to reflect quietly as a group. Weather permitting, evening collection might be held in the orchard when the trees are in bloom, in the hay mow when the first cutting of hay is fragrant, or in the barn where the sound of the cows' breathing is audible. And evening collection is sometimes held in the goat barn where the midwife crew brings the young goats out to play.

Reposted with permission from our media associate YES! Magazine.The care provided by a mother can impact the body clock and health of offspring after birth, according to new research published in The Journal of Physiology. By reducing abnormalities in the body clock of offspring, it may be possible to develop therapies for serious lifestyle-related diseases, such as heart disease and obesity.

The body has an internal clock that regulates sleepiness over a 24 hour period, called your circadian rhythm. The circadian system is important so that processes in our body are synchronised with day and night, i.e. when it is light or dark outside. Disturbances in these mechanisms can lead to poor health, such as heart disease.

The mother-offspring interaction is very important for health later in adulthood. This is the first study to provide compelling evidence that the circadian characteristics of a mother may positively affect the likelihood of disease developing in offspring. Providing better maternal care significantly reduced abnormalities in the circadian system and resulted in a lower likelihood of development of heart disease.

The study conducted by the Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences was performed in two strains of laboratory rats, in which the maternal care and synchrony of their circadian clocks with external day/night cycle differed. The effect of maternal care provided by the genetic mother of these pups was compared with maternal care of the foster mother. The pups either had an aberrant circadian system and were genetically determined to develop disease in adulthood or they were healthy controls. The researchers tested the effect of maternal care on the body clock before and just after weaning, and on their activity rhythms, heart rate and blood pressure in adulthood. Proper maternal care provided to pups genetically predisposed to develop disease led to improvement of their clock function and abolished the rise in their heart rate in adulthood.

The data obtained in pups before weaning were based on population samples because the researchers could not assess circadian rhythms of the clocks in each individual pup within the body without disturbing the maternal behaviour. Additionally, in the rat strain spontaneously developing disease, the molecular mechanisms connecting the circadian clock and the pathology has not been understood.

Alena Sumova, corresponding author for the study said: "These results point to a real possibility to reduce abnormalities in the offspring's body clock and therefore limit the progression of disease in order to improve health. Our future research will be directed at understanding in more detail how an aberrant circadian system contributes to the progression of disease. We believe that this research is worth future explorations as it may provide novel therapies for serious life-style related diseases in humans.'

###Almost every article published by swissinfo.ch containsa percentage, an age, an amount of money or some other figure.Heres a round-up of the most interesting statistics to appear in the past weeks stories.

Monday

14

Swiss police seized 14 kilograms of heroin worth over CHF2 million during a cross-border investigation carried out with the German authorities.

Tuesday

41

For the first time, Switzerlands Federal Tax Administration (FTA) sent details on advance tax rulings to its partners in the spontaneous exchange of information deal. The FTA said it had transmitted a first batch of reports to 41 countries.

Wednesday

20

The number of gigabytes stolen during a cyberattack on the Ruag technology company in 2016. The defence ministry was criticised for its response to the theft.

Thursday

104

The 104-year-old Australian scientist David Goodall ended his life at a Swiss clinic. He had drawn international attention to his right-to-die campaign.

Friday

3,220,000,000

The purchase price in francs paid by French industrial company Saint-Gobain for all outstanding shares of Schenker-Winkler Holding from the Burkard family, heirs to the founder of Swiss chemicals manufacturer Sika. The deal ends an almost four-year legal dispute.Oscar-winning director Pawel Pawlikowski claimed Friday that he had been blacklisted by Poland's populist rightwing government and compared censorship in the country now to the dark days of communism.

The 60-year-old, who won the best foreign language movie for Ida in 2015, told AFP that the film had been banned from being shown on television or in Polish cultural institutes abroad.

The film is on a blacklist There is now a blacklist of books, theatre directors and filmmakers who must not be supported, he said.

I have the honour to be on this list, Pawlikowski said as his new film, Cold War was premiered at the Cannes film festival.

With the new government, which has taken total control of public television, it is just like under the communism. The propaganda on TV is incredible, he said.

His last film Ida became the target of attacks and a petition by the countrys Culture Minister Piotr Glinski, then in opposition, when it was nominated for an Academy Award.

He accused Pawlikowski of blackening the countrys reputation.

The film about a young Catholic nun who learns she is a Holocaust orphan, touches on the killing of Jews during the Nazi occupation by Poles with whom they had sought refuge  a fact swept under the carpet for decades.

 Holocaust law 

It also alludes to the role of Jewish communists in post-war Polands security services and that the judiciary played in eliminating the regimes opponents.

In March, Glinskis government passed a controversial Holocaust law making it illegal to attribute Nazi crimes to Poland.

Pawlikowski, 60, who has spent most of his life in exile in Britain, said he did not set out to give a history lesson.

I dont make political films and I dont like watching them. I prefer to tell stories about characters who have complicated relationships, but in a world where history weighs on them, that becomes political, he told AFP.

He said he feared that Polands ruling conservatives  who have been accused by the EU of attempting to roll back rights and the rule of law  will turn his new film into another political scandal for not having sufficiently pointed out the horrors of communism.

Cold War is the story of two star-crossed lovers  loosely based on Pawlikowskis own parents  flitting dangerously back and forth over the Iron Curtain until one is thrown into a communist work camp.

Described as unbearably lovely by the Hollywood Reporter, Joanna Kulig is already an early favourite for best actress award at the festival, and has been compared to the late French legend Jeanne Moreau by some critics.

Any film which does not simplify reality will have problems today (in Poland), Pawlikowski argued.

Poland is going through a very ideological time with the new rightwing government which is reinterpreting everything based on two very simple criteria  Back then was absolute evil, and now everything is great. We are a noble people, it was the terrible communists (who did those things) and not us, it was the Martians, he said.

This is not a time for nuance, he added.Privacy Settings

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NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using.Egypt said it protested on Saturday to Moscow about an online poll by Russian state-owned channel RT on whether readers view a disputed border territory as Egyptian or Sudanese.

The Egyptian foreign ministry said it contacted Russian authorities to express its strong condemnation of the poll, demanding an urgent explanation for this unacceptable conduct.

The online vote focused on the Halayeb triangle, which is controlled by Egypt and lies near the Red Sea in a mineral-rich border region, and has been a bone of contention between the two neighbours for decades.

The Friday poll on Russia Today, known by its acronym RT, could no longer be seen on its Arabic language opinion polls page on Saturday.

Egypts State Information Service, which regulates foreign media, said the poll had been removed.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry cancelled an interview with the channel on Saturday ahead of an official visit on Monday to Moscow, his spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement.

Egyptian authorities regularly comment on foreign medias work in Egypt and the country is ranked 161 out of 180 on Reporters Without Borders 2018 World Press Freedom Index.

Moscow and Cairo boosted cooperation in December when Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled to the Egyptian capital and met with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

During the visit the two countries signed a contract to build Egypts first nuclear power plant in Dabaa on the Mediterranean coast.

Relations further improved last month when Aeroflot, Russias flagship carrier, resumed flights between Moscow and Cairo.

Russia had suspended flights to Egypt in 2015 after the bombing of a Russian plane carrying holidaymakers from a Red Sea resort that killed all 224 people on board, an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.US fighter jets intercepted two long-range Russian "Bear" bombers in international airspace off western Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said Saturday.

The long-range Tupelev Tu-95 bombers were intercepted and visually identified Friday morning by a pair of F-22 Raptors as the Russian aircraft flew just north of Alaskas Aleutian islands, said Canadian Army Major Andrew Hennessy, of NORAD public affairs.

At no time did the Russian bombers enter North American sovereign airspace, Hennessy said in a statement to AFP.

He added that the Alaska-based US jets monitored the Russians until the bombers left an area known as the Air Defense Identification Zone along the Aleutians, heading west.

That zone extends about 200 miles (322 kilometers) from the coastline, mostly in international airspace.

Saturday marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of NORAD, a joint US-Canadian command charged with aerospace warning and control for North America.

In April 2017, NORAD and the Pentagon said Tu-95 Bear bombers  four-engine Cold War-era turboprop giants that can carry nuclear weapons  were spotted in international airspace on three occasions  twice near the Aleutians and once near mainland Alaska and Canada.

That was the first sighting of such Russian long-range bombers around Alaska in about two and a half years, a Pentagon spokesman said at the time.

 Unsafe interception 

Tensions between Russia and the United States and its NATO allies are running at levels not seen since the Cold War.

The Alaska incident comes after a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet buzzed a US Navy P-8 Poseidon surveillance plane in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, US media reported, citing the US Navy.

Earlier, on January 29, the US Navy released video of a Russian Su-27 intercepting a US EP-3 Aries surveillance plane in international airspace over the Black Sea.

The interception, which lasted two hours and 40 minutes, was unsafe because the Russian jet was closing to within five feet and crossing directly through the surveillance planes flight path, causing the EP-3 to fly through the Su-27s jet wash, the US Navy said in a statement.

NATO naval officials in late 2017 also reported Russian submarines probing underseas data cables in the North Atlantic.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in January, as he unveiled the Pentagons national defense strategy, that the United States is facing growing threats from Russia and China, and he warned that the US militarys advantages have eroded in recent years.Moscow is a lively city, full of things to see and places to visit, from the Kremlin to lots of spots for shopping and sightseeing.

The sprawling city of Moscow is a mixture of historical and contemporary sights. A tourist in Moscow is spoiled with choices, from museums and galleries to music venues and festivals. From the Red Square and the Kremlin to tours in the outskirts of the city, there is something for everyone. You can shop, engage in cultural activities in the capital of music and theatre, or simply enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Moscow.

The Kremlin

The Moscow Kremlin is one of the most ancient parts of the city and symbolizes the whole of Russia. It is both a cultural sight, as well as the center of Russia, and the residence of the President of Russia. The Kremlin has a lengthy history. In 1990, the Moscow Kremlin and the Red Square became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There are many tours around the Kremlin. Various museums are inside the complex, such as the Armory Chamber, Cathedral of the Annunciation, Cathedral of the Archangel, Cathedral of the Assumption, the Patriarchs chambers, Church of the Deposition of the Robe, Ivan the Great Bell Ensemble, Sobornaya Square, and the Archeology of the Moscow Kremlin collection.

The Kremlin is open to visitors from Friday to Wednesday between 10h00 and 18h00.

For more information, go to www.kreml.ru.

Advertisement

Bolshoi Theatre

The Bolshoi Theatre is the most famous theatre in Moscow. The theatre shows around 3-4 different operas and 2-3 ballets each year. The focus is on classical masterpieces from composers such as Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, and Tchaikovsky. Russian ballet is world famous and is an important part of the Russian culture.

For information about tickets and opening times, check www.bolshoi.ru.

Advertisement

St. Basils (Pokrovsky) Cathedral

The well-known St. Basils Cathedral is located on the opposite side of the Voskresensky Gate of the Red Square. It was built under the rule of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible in 1554-1560 in honour of conquest of the Kazan Khanate. According to the legend, when the Tsar saw the finished cathedral, he ordered the architects to be blinded so that they would not build such a beautiful building anywhere else.

Despite the gruesome story behind it, the Cathedral itself is an architectural masterpiece consisting of nine altars spread out on one single foundation. St. Basils is a must-see for anyone visiting Moscow.

GUM Department Store

The GUM is a huge shopping center, one of the largest in Europe. It is the most famous place to shop in Moscow, but also has stunning architecture. It is on Red Square and the first part of it was built in 1812, under Alexander I.

The shop itself has a luxurious style, selling brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Hugo Boss, and Burberry. There are also many cafes and restaurants.

GUM is famous also as a cultural centere. It hosts art and photo exhibitions, and it is one of the venues of the international art festival Chereshneviy les.

Advertisement

Moscow Metro

The Moscow metro is famous for its architecture and the stations called underground palaces of Moscow have become the main sights of the city.

The old, pre-war stations symbolize the industrialization of Russia, whereas the post-war ones symbolize victory and pride of the nation. The first metro line was the Sokolnicheskaya, built in 1935. Majakovskaya is one of the most beautiful stations. Revolution Square, Kropotkinskaya, Komsomolskaya, and Novoslobodskaya are also interesting architectural monuments from 1930-1950.

Some of them are also protected by the state as valuable cultural objects. The underground complexes are full of statues, monuments, and art such as paintings, mosaics, and stained-glass windows. The idea was to give every station an individual shape and appearance.

Advertisement

Kuskovo Estate

This estate was built in the 18th century and is representative of typical Russian estate architecture. It is a magnificent site, with a palace, a large park and ponds. The estate is an ideal place to visit on a nice day out.

In the past, Kuskovo hosted grand parties twice a week for numerous guests, such as estate owners, Moscows nobility and even the Empress Catherine II of Russia. The estate itself is very beautiful combination of baroque and classicism. Kuskovo also has a museum, and in the summer it hosts festivals and concerts.

For more information, check www.kuskovo.ru.

Historical Museum (SHM)

The historical museum of Moscow has a vast collection representing every phase of the Russian history. The museum is on Red Square and it has multiple exhibitions, which display Russia from antiquity until the 21st century. The museum is one of the most popular in Moscow. If you are interested in Russian history, this museum is a must-see.

Central House of Artist (CHA)

Central House of Artist is the largest exhibition centre in Russia. Opened in 1979, it consists of 27 halls with 60 galleries. Each year the CHA hosts hundreds of exhibitions from all over the world. There is also a beautiful park with an open air Sculpture Museum, along with recreation areas and playgrounds for children.

CHA also functions as a conference centre, and as a festival and concert venue. Tretyakov Gallery is also in the same building as the CHA.

Guide.moscow.ru / ExpaticaFriday, May 11, 2018

Mothers are the backbone of humanity in so many ways  they birth us, raise us and push us to be the best versions of ourselves. But one thing that often doesnt get highlighted on mothers day are the incredible accomplishments women have achieved, all while taking on the responsibility of raising children. Here are five working mothers that are inspiring us to reach higher this mothers day.

Bozoma Saint John

Chloe Gottlieb

A mother to two, Chloe Gottliebs career in the advertising industry has spanned nearly twenty years. Inspired by a speech Bob Greenberg gave at her graduation ceremony, Gottlieb went on to work for R/GA, where she built the largest experience design team at any global agency. Her work earned her a spot on AdAges 2016 Women to Watch and Business Insiders 2015 Most Creative People in Advertising. She now works as a Co-Chief Creative Officer for R/GAs U.S. offices.

Samantha Bee

A mother of three, Samantha Bee has joked that the key to being a working mother is

noise cancelling headphones

. The other key? Having an incredible comedy career that started off with a tour of a Sailor Moon stage production (where Bee played the titular role). After spending over ten years at the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Bee went on to create her own show on TBS, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. In 2017, Time named Bee one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Tammy Duckworth

Senator Tammy Duckworth, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, exemplifies grit in so many ways. She is the first Asian American woman elected to Congress in Illinois, the first disabled woman to be elected to Congress, and the first female double amputee in the Senate. In 2018, Duckworth also became the first U.S. Senator to give birth while in office. After the birth of her second daughter Maile, Congress unanimously approved changes to rules that previously only allowed senators and select staff on the floor during votes, allowing her to bring her daughter onto the Senate floor ten days after giving birth.

Samantha Wojcicki

Susan Wojcicki is a mother of five  and CEO of YouTube. Wojcickis career in tech started when she became Googles first marketing manager in 1999. Wojcicki grew with the company, becoming senior vice president of Advertising & Commerce, where she helped to develop Google products like AdWords, AdSense, DoubleClick, and Google Analytics. In 2014, she became the CEO. She is a strong advocate for work life balance, and ahead of her taking her fifth maternity leave

wrote an op-ed

for the Wall Street Journal about the importance of paid maternity leave.

These are just five mothers who are changing the world  there are countless other examples of mothers who are inspiring the masses and conquering the workplace. This Mothers Day, make sure to thank all of the incredible mothers in your life (and hey, breakfast in bed wouldnt be a bad idea either).

Bozoma Saint John has had an illustrious career, in addition to raising her now 8-year old daughter, Lael. Her resume speaks for itself  after graduating from Wesleyan University in 1999 with a degree in English, she went on to work for Arnold Worldwide and SpikeDDB. Her career completely transformed after she revolutionized PepsiCos marketing efforts by creating partnerships with music festivals. Her experience in the music industry then led her to land jobs at Beats Music and Apple. Last summer, Uber tapped Saint John to be their first ever Chief Brand Officer, where shes been tasked with creating a brand that people feel good about supporting.The post Badass Working Moms to Inspire you this Mothers Day appeared first on AdLibbing.orgA Bexar County judge on Friday denied a request by San Antonio technology company HouseCanary Inc. to keep confidential some court exhibits used in a recent trial that resulted in a $706 million verdict, one of the largest jury awards ever in the county.

The exhibits, though, will remain hidden from public view until at least early next week while HouseCanary decides whether to appeal the ruling by state District Judge David A. Canales.

Jurors found in favor of HouseCanary with the large award, but its lawyers argued that the 30 exhibits entered as evidence during the trial include trade secrets, contracts and sensitive financial records that would cause it significant harm if they are made public.

Lawyers for Detroit-based Amrock Inc., formerly Title Source Inc., which was on the losing end of the March jury verdict following a seven-week trial, and media organizations opposed HouseCanarys request to retroactively seal the materials.

The legal disputes started about two years ago when Amrocks predecessor, a provider of title insurance, property valuations and closing services, sued HouseCanary claiming it failed to deliver functioning software for valuing residential properties. Amrock and Quicken Loans share the same parent company.

HouseCanary responded by filing its own lawsuit alleging Amrock fraudulently misappropriated the San Antonio companys technology even after purporting to terminate their agreement.

A 12-person jury deliberated three hours before unanimously finding that Amrock used HouseCanarys proprietary data and technology with malice to secretly develop competing software, Bloomberg reported.

Jurors awarded HouseCanary $235.5 million in actual damages and $470.8 million in punitive damages.

On Friday, HouseCanary sought to keep the 30 exhibits used to secure the verdict from public view.

The San Antonio Express-News first requested to see the court exhibits from the trial on April 19, 11 days before HouseCanary filed its motion to seal. Canales told the paper he wanted to consult with a staff attorney before deciding whether to release any of the exhibits.

Despite follow-up requests from the newspaper, it was never permitted to view the exhibits.

Anybody that knows me knows me well enough to know Im not trying to close these things off to the public, Canales said in court. Im not trying to rebuff anybody in terms of having access to court records.

The judge said he didnt want to release anything to the public that could be covered under previous sealing and protective orders issued in the case. He also said he was out on an unexpected personal matter that prevented him from taking up the request right away.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, a nonprofit group that represents journalists and media on First Amendment issues, and Houston Forward, an African-American-owned newspaper, joined Amrock in opposing the sealing request.

Joshua Romero, an attorney representing the media, said he was concerned about keeping from the public exhibits relied upon to obtain the largest verdict ever awarded in Bexar County. He reminded the court the vital duty the press has to report on such cases.

When exhibits are shown to the jury, and thats part of what they relied on to come up with a verdict, its only fair, without any sealing, that the public and the press be allowed access to those records, Romero said.

Amrocks opposition to the motion to seal the exhibits is an effort to give HouseCanarys competitors broad access to documents that they can study, HouseCanary attorney Matthew Behncke told Canales.

Among the exhibits are HouseCanary business and financial records showing employee salaries, revenue figures, and where it expects to generate future sales, Behncke said. These are things that (Amrock) and other HouseCanary competitors would derive a significant advantage from seeing, he added.

Amrock countered that if the documents were as sensitive as HouseCanary claimed, HouseCanary would have taken steps to protect them before introducing them at trial.

HouseCanary sat on its rights and it has lost any right to protection of supposedly confidential documents, attorney Catherine Stone argued for Amrock.

Patrick Danner is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | pdanner@express-news.net | @AlamoPDSUTHERLAND SPRINGS  A hunter and taxidermist, Steve Bradbury is a proud gun owner who thought about getting a license to carry a handgun but never considered it a priority.

That changed after Bradbury, a San Antonio firefighter, was driving past First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs the day of the Nov. 5 massacre that killed 26 people and stopped to help first responders take care of the victims. After that, he had a different mindset: I said, All right, thats it, Im getting it.

About a month later, Bradbury took a couple of tests, one on paper and one at a shooting range, and got his license to carry, along with five or so buddies.

Others were inspired in the same way. Residents of Wilson County, with a population of 49,304 that includes Sutherland Springs, filed 222 gun license applications in November, an increase of 167 percent from the previous November, according to Texas Department of Public Safety data obtained by the San Antonio Express-News through an open records request.

It was the highest per capita increase of permit requests in the state among counties with a population of 10,000 or more. An additional 175 people requested licenses in December, a 150 percent increase over the same month in 2016.

The spike came after several months of declining requests in the small county southeast of San Antonio. The surge pushed the county tally to 1,245 permit requests last year  253 more than in 2016  also the largest increase in the state. By comparison, the number of requests declined by more than 200 in Bexar County last year and by more than 37,000 statewide, a 10 percent decrease.

If somebody went into a church or a movie theater, and you had no way out  you need to have that option to defend yourself, Bradbury said, standing outside the VP Racing Fuels gas station near the church Thursday. After seeing the destruction somebody can do by themselves, and nobody stopping them, I thought, I need to do it.

Across the country, data analyses have consistently shown that many Americans react to large-scale, tragic events by arming themselves. Wilson County, Bexar County and Texas as a whole followed that trend after the Sutherland Springs massacre. The number of applications spiked in Bexar County in November to 2,147, from 1,690 in October. In November 2016, Bexar County residents filed 1,309 permit requests.

Frequently after some incident, people realize that its a dangerous world and one of the rights that we have as citizens under both the U.S. and Texas Constitution is to bear arms in defense of ourselves or the state, said Richard Briscoe, legislative director of Open Carry Texas.

That application surge continued into January and February this year  in Wilson County, Bexar County and Texas as a whole.

Hurricane Harvey also appears to have affected the numbers. September  the month after Hurricane Harvey hit Aug. 25  yielded a surge in applications across the state. There were 36,378 applications received by DPS that September, the highest month for 2017, closely followed by November at 34,005. The year before, the number of statewide requests was 23,502 in September and 24,132 in November.

In the United States, theres a shift toward understanding in the response to a mass shooting, said Harel Shapira, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. The growing response is not passing legislation to make it more difficult to acquire guns, but the opposite: that the only way to respond to this is by further arming the population.

Avoid, deny, then defend

With more requests for permits came more demand for firearms training in Wilson County. In March, the Sheriffs Office responded with a training session it called Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events, held at Sutherland Springs River Oaks Church.

It began with a prayer.

We come together to learn in the midst of tragedies, Pastor Paul Buford said. We ask you (God) to bless tonight, watch over us, give us the wisdom tonight to understand whats going on, and what we need to do.

A part of the session, which also walked attendees through national mass shooting statistics and typical fight/flight/freeze responses, was dedicated to addressing the armed citizens in the room.

Theres probably several in here that have it  which is great, said Stephen Moore to murmurs of agreement from people who were armed. But how does the armed citizen fit into this whole equation?

Moore said people who are armed should take it upon themselves to train beyond what the test requires to obtain the license. The couple hours spent shooting a paper target, he said, doesnt cut it in an active-shooter situation. And even then, he said, the weapon should be used as a last resort.

The mantra stressed by the Sheriffs Office and other local law enforcement is Avoid, Deny, Defend. And as Moore pointed out, avoiding the situation by checking exits or running away and denying the gunman access to you by erecting barriers or turning off lights come before defend.

Were not looking really for you to be an offensive person in these type of instances, said Gary Laughlin, another investigator. Youre basically there to defend yourself and the people that are with you. You just dont have the training to go out and focus on that person and start shooting at someone.

Briscoe of Open Carry Texas said his organization strongly recommends additional training beyond the basic class but that we do not believe training is a precondition to exercise the enumerated constitutionally protected right to bear arms.

To avoid the police confusing the good guy with a gun and the bad guy with a gun, Moore urged attendees to immediately drop their guns in an active-shooter event once law enforcement arrives.

Show us your hands. Thats one of our things, he said. The hands will kill you.

Stephen Willeford, a National Rifle Association certified instructor who is hailed as the good guy with the gun in the Sutherland Springs massacre, sat in the front row of the training and nodded vigorously.

That gun is not worth your life, Willeford said, adding, What you need for training, youre not going to get in one day.

New gun culture

Frank Pomeroy, pastor of First Baptist Church, where the massacre occurred, gifted his wife, Sherri, a handgun for Christmas. David Colbath, a survivor, is learning to shoot with his left hand because his right was badly injured in the shooting. Some members of the congregation now bring their handgun to services every Sunday.

James Harrell, a truck driver from Alice who travels through Wilson County regularly, doesnt have his license but said that after the November shooting, hes moved that to the top of his priority list.

I dont have one, but I still carry, he said, sitting at Baldys Diner in La Vernia, a few miles from Sutherland Springs. I believe everybody should, because there are a lot of crazy people out there. Youve got to protect yourself.

Across the country, theres been a steady rise in applications for license to carry since the 1990s, according to a recent study by The Southern Sociological Society. As the number of guns in America increases, the number of households with them has decreased  meaning the majority of the countrys guns are concentrated in a small number of homes.

Also changed in the past 20 years is the motivation behind acquiring them. In 1999, the majority of surveyed gun owners said they used their guns for hunting, but last year the majority of owners said protection was their main priority, with hunting second, according to a 2017 Pew Research Center study.

Shapira, the UT-Austin professor, called this a new gun culture, organized around self-defense and connected to a broader trend toward militarization in the U.S. He emphasized that the reaction to mass tragedies is culturally driven  those who grew up with guns, and with a certain mentality about them, are more likely to respond to a mass shooting like the one in Sutherland Springs by applying for their license to carry than those who didnt grow up in that environment.

Its not just that someone one day wakes up and says, Oh, Im going to get a gun or This massacre happened and Im going to get a gun. Its people who have already been socialized in a particular way that guns are the accurate response to this, and  probably already have guns, Shapira said.

Such is the case for Bradbury, who grew up with guns and said of his recent license: Its my legal right to have it, and I want to protect my family. He said he has three shotguns, two deer rifles, an AR-15, two small rifles and two handguns.

But Julie Workman, a survivor of the massacre, felt differently. She wont be pursuing her license, mostly because she said she could never take another human life.

Bradbury said that though he carries, he has trouble imagining that himself, too.

Its got to be terrible to take a life. Ive never taken a life, but I can imagine, even if hes the lowest of the low  its a human being, Bradbury said. I would never, ever shoot somebody unless I absolutely had to. If I had no other option. And it would probably change my life forever.

sfosterfrau@express-news.net | @SilviaElenaFF

Staff Writers John Tedesco and Luke Whyte contributed to this report.AUSTIN  Kaylee Delgado was ready to find inspiration in Lupe Valdezs run for governor.

The idea of a Latina in power is, obviously, something very appealing to a young Latina like myself, said Delgado, who grew up in Brownsville and is majoring in biology at St. Edwards University in Austin.

Delgados parents were migrant farmworkers when she was growing up, and her father still is.

That made Valdezs race particularly meaningful, since the candidate came from a migrant farmworker family to blaze a trail as the first woman and first Latina elected sheriff of Dallas county.

But after hearing Valdez skirting around a question about her record as sheriff on detaining immigrants for the federal government, Delgado went the other way.

She and other student leaders with the Latino group Jolt agreed to back Houston businessman Andrew White in the May 22 runoff for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott.

Early voting starts Monday.

He understands how important the Latino community is going forward, and how important it will be in politics, Delgado said of White, seeing him as ready to fight for people like her on issues such as immigration and social justice.

But the Jolt kerfuffle didnt shake Valdez supporters such as Sen. Jose Menendez, a San Antonio Democrat who first talked with Valdez in 2004 when she was running for sheriff and cold-called him to ask for his support.

I found her to be extremely forthright, straightforward and honest, said Menendez. He said both candidates are excellent but particularly likes Valdezs resume, which includes work as a federal agent before becoming sheriff.

Whoever is in that seat (as governor) is going to have to weigh a lot of different, competing interests and bring some wisdom and some judgment to the calls that they have to make, Menendez said.

He also said that while there shouldnt be a quota system for selecting candidates, I do think its better for us  whether its a state, a country or a political party  to work hard to bring diversity to the forefront. Thats what makes us stronger.

The Jolt snub was in stark contrast to the welcome Valdez received at the Southwest Voter Registration Education Projects Willie C. Velasquez Benefit Dinner on Wednesday in San Antonio, which had the feel of a family gathering.

Although the group is non-partisan, Valdez received standing ovations as she took the stage for a speech and as she finished.

Warm laughter and applause were quick to come from the audience as she talked about her family, the not-always-warm welcome she received when she took over as sheriff and her ideals.

I believe in giving people a fighting chance, she said, sounding a theme of her campaign.

Whites signature phrase is an echo of his father, the late Democratic former Gov. Mark White, who quoted Texas icon Sam Houston to describe his guiding principle.

We need leaders who do right and risk the consequences, White says.

The candidates cite strengths that come from their differing backgrounds.

Valdez, 70, worked as an elected official to oversee a large, important agency and address problems that had put it under federal monitoring. The foundation for change, she said, was the attitude that we are there to serve and protect.

Her record overseeing the jail drew a sharp question from Jolt at a forum for what one questioner called her anti-immigrant record.

But Valdez has pointed out that she was targeted by Abbott when she said she wouldnt comply with all federal requests to detain unauthorized immigrants past their release date if they were accused of only minor offenses. She told the San Antonio Express-News that she did what she could, but she didnt want to risk the loss of grants to other programs if she went too far.

White, 45, is an entrepreneur who sold his home to start home-warranty and home-repair companies, sold them at an apparently big profit and now invests in other startups that deal with technology and energy innovations meant to promote safety and be more environmentally friendly.

There is a greater purpose to all of these in addition to an economic purpose, he said.

After getting criticism from Jolt about a border-security business he owns, in which his father had been a partner, White disclosed plans to sell it.

Whichever candidate wins the nomination, both appear ready to fight for the same Democratic issues in the uphill battle against Abbotts formidable campaign machine.

They favor health care improvements, education investment and a shift of state money from securing the border  which they point out is the federal governments job  to public schools.

Both support raising the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour, although only Valdez has said she supports making it $15. White said it should be higher, but he doesnt think $15 is possible.

Both oppose the sanctuary cities ban that was championed by Abbott and fought by local law enforcement officials around the state, including Valdez.

And both decry the bathroom bill backed by Abbott. The failed bill would have restricted transgender peoples use of public restrooms.

Valdez, a lesbian, early in the race recounted her reaction to a newspaper photo of a child clinging to an adult during the discussion of that measure. She told the Express-News, The face was a face of hurt. And I remember saying, what are we doing to our children?

White  who was endorsed by Houstons GLBT Political Caucus even though Valdez was the first lesbian elected Dallas County sheriff  said he supports same-sex marriage 100 percent.

If Im elected governor, Ill be happy to oversee or perform marriages right there in the state Capitol for same-sex couples, he said.

On abortion, both said they support a womans right to choose the procedure, although White describes himself as personally pro-life.

That personal position has alienated some influential Demorats despite him saying that he would veto measures infringing on womens decision on abortion.

Whites campaign statements on gay marriage and abortion led him to resign as an elder in his Presbyterian Church, although he said he remains a member of the congregation.

The first rule of an elder is not to create controversy, and my campaign was creating controversy because of my stance on marriage equality and because of my stance supporting Roe vs. Wade, he said.

Asked about giving up such a position for his run, White said, Im trying to become the governor of a state with 28 million people in it who have one of the worst education systems and a failing health care system, and people are suffering. This is the most important thing Ive done in my life.

Valdez also has given up something, as someone who could easily have retired as sheriff with a reputation as a trailblazer. With her statewide race,she has opened herself up to questions and criticism when she doesnt give crisp answers or stumbles over facts. But she keeps her eye on what she sees as the big picture.

You want a person (as governor) who not only has the ability and the leadership, but also has compassion, she said. Ive been there. I know what it is not to have health insurance. I know what it is to have to work two jobs to go to college. And I certainly know what it is to make choices on your budget: Rent or doctor. . The type of governor that I would want is somebody who never stops trying, but also has compassion.

pfikac@express-news.net @pfikacCity Clerk Leticia Vacek will tell the City Council on Thursday that the local firefighters union collected enough valid signatures on petitions to force a charter-amendment election in November.

That prompted Mayor Ron Nirenberg to reiterate his strong disagreement with all three of the union-backed changes to the citys charter, adding that other amendments, ones he would have preferred, are unlikely to get on the November ballot.

We will not put citizen directed-charter reform proposals on the same ballot that is sullied by the deception and self-interests of Chris Steele, (the unions president), Nirenberg said.

The San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association earlier this year launched a campaign to gather signatures of voters on three petitions, calling for an election that, if ultimately approved by voters, could bring major changes. They say their campaign, called San Antonio First, is about letting voters directly make decisions more often.

After they delivered the petitions to the city clerk, Vacek and her staff verified that the signatures were valid.

City Attorney Andrew Segovia said during an interview that Vacek had confirmed that there were more than 20,000 valid signatures on each petition  the minimum number required for charter amendments under state law.

I expect that on Thursday, she will certify that during a presentation Thursday to the City Council, he said.

Nirenberg described the amendments as bad for the governance of San Antonio.

One would limit the salary of the city manager to 10 times the lowest-paid full- time employee at the city and cap the managers tenure at eight years. Another would give the fire union the sole right to declare when it has reached an impasse with the city on contract negotiations and unilaterally require that the city go to binding arbitration rather than seek recourse in the court system.

The third would drastically reduce the threshold for any referendum. It would lower the required number of signatures to 20,000 from the current standard of about 75,000, which amounts to 10 percent of the number of registered voters in the previous municipal election. It would also extend the amount of time that could be spent gathering those signatures.

That amendment also would remove protections that San Antonio voters had imposed on referenda, including a ban using them against council appropriations, tax levies and utility rates.

If the petitions are certified and the fire union proposals are on the ballot, we will make sure San Antonians know that all three of the measures are bad ideas, the mayor said Friday. One proposal will deny taxpayers their day in court if a collective bargaining impasse is reached. Another would make it impossible for San Antonio to recruit first-tier city managers.

The third would dangerously undermine our representative form of government and usher in a California-style government by referendum, he said. The end result would be diminished services and unnecessary expenses to the local taxpayers and ratepayers.

Councilman Greg Brockhouse, an ally of the public safety unions, has previously said that hes worried about the effect the city-manager amendment would have on municipal government.

Steele, the fire union boss, has said that amendment, if approved would not retroactively apply to City Manager Sheryl Sculley.

With the imminent certification of the signatures, Segovia said, the city will further analyze the three items that are expected to go before voters in November. That includes ensuring the language passes constitutional muster.

Separately, a charter-review commission is in the midst of considering other proposed changes that could be placed on the November ballot. Its members were expected to wrap up their work this summer.

Now, those ballot measures will have to hold, Nirenberg said.

Opposition to the fire union propositions is absolutely paramount. Because of that, it doesnt make sense to confuse voters with additional ballot propositions. That means that any important revisions to the Charter will need to wait until the fire union propositions are dispatched, he said.

The council has until Aug. 20 to call the November charter-amendment election.

Josh Baugh is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | jbaugh@express-news.net | @jbaughWASHINGTON  As a 1st Marine Division lieutenant in the 1991 Gulf War moving troop convoys across battlefields, David Winnett breathed nerve gas from exploded Iraqi munitions and smoke from oil-well fires lit by the fleeing enemy.

At 10 oclock in the morning, it was completely black from the smoke  so dark you couldnt see your hand in front of your face, said Winnett of New Braunfels, whos disabled from ailments caused by airborne toxins.

Many Marines and soldiers grew sick in that short war, which consisted of just four days of ground combat and six weeks of airstrikes. Winnetts illnesses arrived later and still haunt him.

Hes not alone.

The Veterans Administration has estimated that about 40 percent of the 700,000 troops who took part are afflicted with what has come to be known as Gulf War Illness  an assortment of seemingly disconnected ailments that include brain cancer, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, gastrointestinal ailments and other illnesses.

Twenty-seven years later, costs of the Gulf War still are being tallied, as ailing veterans battle the Veterans Administration for compensation they believe theyve earned. Many of them feel victimized again by the recent firing of VA Secretary David Shulkin, whod promised to address long-standing problems with the VAs handling of compensation claims.

Shulkin said last week he was especially interested in persuading the White House Office of Management and Budget to endorse adding brain cancer to the list of ailments that would enable Gulf War veterans to automatically qualify for compensation. The potential cost: $79 million over five years, according to a recent study.

It was a high priority for me to address this issue as I believed that Gulf War veterans have waited too long for an answer. I hope it can be resolved soon, Shulkin said in an email.

Upheaval in the agency under the Trump administration has left veterans advocates dispirited, worried about justice both for those who fought in the Gulf War and about the VAs willingness to meet responsibilities to other troops exposed to battlefield poisons.

Legislation signed into law 20 years ago established a Gulf War service connection for ailments associated with chemical, biological and other toxic agents. That law also applies to the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, enabling care and compensation for veterans that could run into the billions of dollars.

For veterans exposed to toxins, a war that began in the last century against Saddam Husseins Iraq has never ended.

Internal VA documents obtained by the San Antonio Express-News show the VA rejected more than 300,000 claims related to Gulf War Illness, from 2002 through last year.

Most of those claims were rightfully denied, veterans advocates acknowledge, after examiners determined illnesses werent properly diagnosed or were unconnected to Gulf War exposures.

Nonetheless, approval rates for claims are startlingly low, just 17 percent  three times less than for other disabilities  the Government Accountability Office reported last year after examining VA records from 2010 through 2015.

Winnett already felt the effects when he retired in 1995 at the rank of captain. He was constantly fatigued, his vision blurred and he had cognitive problems. Symptoms grew worse, including unbelievable pains that came out of nowhere.

So began Winnetts medical odyssey that, 15 years later, would bring a successful disability claim for fibromyalgia, a medical condition characterized by muscle pain and chronic fatigue.

Even so, Winnett, a Mustang Marine  an enlistee later commissioned without a break in service  was suspicious for years about what was referred to then as Gulf War Syndrome. He wondered whether veterans sought to game the system.

His thinking changed in 2008 when he went to Washington along with other Gulf War veterans for a hearing at VA headquarters.

I saw some of these folks in wheelchairs and walkers. I thought, what in the hell is going on here? I was feeling lousy, but some of these folks were 10 times worse than me, Winnett recalled.

In short order, he became a leading advocate for victims of Gulf War Illness, known among veterans and researchers as GWI. His New Braunfels-based website serves as a chat room and an information clearinghouse for 12,000 members.

I strongly believe once a Marine, always a Marine, and you dont leave him on the battlefield. When weve got Marines who are sick from the battlefield, as far as Im concerned, they never really came home. Theyre still there, said Winnett, now a paraplegic as a result of botched surgery on his back.

Like many others, hes concerned about what he sees in Washington.

No matter who they put in there, even if theyre open to discussing GWI, we have to start all over again. Its crazy, he said.

Ocean of suffering

A March 28 VA inspector generals report documented an error-ridden appeals process, underscoring veterans frustrations. Investigators found the backlog of pending appeals had climbed agency wide to more than 300,000, with the average time of closing cases 936 days  more than 2.5 years.

In a three-year period through 2015, an estimated 1,600 veterans died while waiting for their appeals to be resolved.

Nicholas Ferrante, another Gulf War veteran from New Braunfels, lived to win 100 percent disability status from the VA. Just barely; he died last year, after battling the agency for compensation for more than a decade.

Ferrante, a U.S. Army linguistics expert in a special operations unit in Kuwait, spent hours at a time in a tower monitoring communications, according to his widow, Arana Ferrante.

He became ill soon after the destruction of an Iraqi munitions storehouse, she said, and returned home from the war with a host of symptoms, including burning eyes, chronic fatigue and rashes.

Within three months, while stationed in the Washington area, he was diagnosed with a serious blood disorder, antiphospholipid syndrome, that would plague him the rest of his life.

Ferrante retired in 2001 after 21 years of service. With more autoimmune diseases plaguing him, he was awarded 30 percent disability  a rating based on lost earnings capability.

His health continued to decline, and the VA increased his disability status to 60 percent. But out-of-pocket treatment costs exhausted the familys savings, Arana Ferrante said.

They kept saying theres not enough proof. At the VA, they didnt have people who understood what these veterans are going through, she said.

Finally, in the year before he died at age 60, Nicholas Ferrante won full disability, which his widow attributes to help from VA doctors in San Antonio.

My husband did not die an easy death. I was with him through it all, and Ive seen all these other men and women from the Gulf War, an ocean of them, suffering and not getting proper attention from the VA. How shameful, she said.

Surrounded by toxins

Juana Leilani recalls the shrill whoops from the chemical alarms that kept sounding as Scud missiles landed around them in Saudi Arabia at the start of the war. She and other soldiers spent the night in a tent, sleeping in gas masks and full protective clothing. They were told not to worry.

Leilani, 50, of Austin, cant be sure if she was exposed to chemical toxins then or at other times while traveling around in a Humvee as an equipment supply specialist delivering parts for helicopter repair.

But she knows she became ill soon after her return, first with breathing problems, then headaches that, she said, doctors told her were psychological. At age 32, she entered menopause.

Ten years ago, she started having problems eating; shes had three procedures to widen the esophagus to correct an abnormality. Eating remains a challenge, compounded by joint pain and memory loss.

Not until this year was she able to get partial compensation for hearing loss and PTSD. But, she said, the VA has denied her claims for ailments associated with the Gulf War.

Hearing and reading all the comments from other veterans, too many of us have the same symptoms for this to be a coincidence, she said.

Leilanis problem, like that of many veterans, has been the inability to document the source of their afflictions in a complicated and often adversarial compensation claim process.

Gulf War veterans by law are entitled to benefits if they have certain service-connected disabilities. They also may qualify under a presumptive service connection rule if they have multi-symptom diseases classified as undiagnosed.

But, as Louis Celli, the American Legions director of veterans affairs, notes: Doctors dont want to say I dont know whats wrong with you, so they will send you to somebody else. Getting an undiagnosed illness as a diagnosis is very difficult.

Pentagon secrecy and sloppiness hasnt helped.

It was common knowledge that in March 1991, Army combat engineers and explosive ordnance disposal units destroyed Iraqi weapons caches at Khamisiyah in southern Iraq that contained missiles, some loaded with sarin and cyclosarin nerve gases.

When confronted with evidence in 1996, the Defense Department acknowledged more than 100,000 American troops might have experienced low-level exposure.

The Pentagon also claimed that classified chemical detection logs kept for Gen. H. Norman Stormin Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of the American-led alliance, had gone missing, complicating veterans task of winning compensation claim. A Pentagon inspector generals report later concluded the records probably were destroyed inadvertently. But many veterans view it as a coverup.

Among other airborne hazards, fires burned for months after Iraqi forces torched some 650 oil wells in Kuwait just south of the border with Iraq. Veterans said they had no protective gear to shield them from the oily smoke.

In some areas, battlefields were laden with depleted uranium, a source of heavy metal and radiological contamination, used widely in U.S. munitions and as armoring for tanks.

About half of those who went to the war were given tablets three times a day of PB (pyridostigmine bromide), intended to combat exposure to the nerve agent soman  none of which, it turned out, was present in Iraq. Numerous studies have shown the PB may have contributed to Gulf War Illness.

There also were dangerous pesticides, some of which are forms of nerve agents, used in copious amounts out of fear of swarming, biting insects, notes Lea Steele, who conducts research on Gulf War Illness at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

I hear stories from veterans about putting highly concentrated DEET on their skin while they were putting pyrethoids (insecticides) on their uniforms. Meanwhile, they were using fly baits and pest strips in their tents, while planes flew over spraying camps with additional pesticides, said Steele, a neuroepidemiologist and a former science director at the federal Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illness.

Baylor is part of a new study funded by the Pentagon using brain scans to assess the health of Gulf War veterans nationwide. Steele and others also hope to develop the diagnostic test for Gulf War Illness.

Steele observed that most people, even health professionals, are unaware that scientific studies have proved consistently that Gulf War veterans illnesses are associated with exposures, and not the result of stress. She noted that victims of the Tokyo subway sarin gas attacks in 1995 carried out by cultists have many of the chronic systems of Gulf War veterans, more proof of long-term damage from nerve agents.

Gulf War Illness remains a serious and widespread problem, she said. I still hear from veterans who go into VA but find that their doctors are not familiar with Gulf War Illness and dont know what might help in treating their symptoms. The effects on veterans health and their lives can be profound.

What happens now?

In interviews, more than a dozen Gulf War veterans cited difficulties in getting compensation or care.

For years after they returned home, many veterans were told by VA doctors that their ailments were stress-related. Not until 17 years after the war ended did the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illnesses debunk that thinking in a 454-page benchmark study concluding that Gulf War Illness is a serious physical disease resulting from toxic exposures that affects people differently according to their genetics.

Claims examiners continue to display ignorance, with just 10 percent agreeing to training that was only elective, the GAO report found last year.

Responding to Express-News questions, the VA said examiners since have completed a course in Gulf War Illness  a 90-minute online seminar.

In an email, the VA also defended its heavy rejection of claims by noting that two follow-up reviews proved that examiners were correct roughly 90 percent of the time.

Veterans advocates saw a champion in Shulkin, someone unafraid to say publicly, as he did last year, that toxic exposures were significant and that the VA bore responsibility for people who returned from that war not the same.

In a November meeting with Shulkin, veterans advocates said they were assured that improvements would be made. According to interviews with four people in the meeting, Shulkin agreed to set up a new VA-led working group to tackle longstanding problems related to claims.

But Shulkin is gone and the VA leadership in flux. The presidents nomination of Ronny Jackson to replace Shulkin collapsed last month amid allegations of Jacksons improper behavior as White House physician, leaving a leadership void in the governments second-largest agency.

Now, Ronald Brown, president of the National Gulf War Resources Center, and advocates accustomed to working with VA secretaries have no contact with VA acting director, Robert Wilkie.

It used to be, with the VA secretary or others inside the VA, if I sent them an email, they would always respond. I was stunned after sending three emails to Mr. Wilkie and not getting back even an Ill look into this, or anything, Brown said.

Veterans for Common Sense director Anthony Hardie, a disabled Gulf War veteran, said Shulkin had agreed to everything asked of him.

He went for it all. I was surprised at what an easy sell it was. Its really disappointing now because we thought we had a good shot at getting these things fixed, Hardie said.

VA spokesman Curt Cashour said in an email that theres a plan for the working group veterans want. He disagreed with those who contend that the VA is in disarray, pointing to a recent statement listing VA improvements and short-term priorities  none of which dealt with veterans claims.

In a number of cases, employees who were wedded to the status quo and not on board with this administrations policies or pace of change have now departed VA. Under Acting Secretary Wilkies leadership, senior VA officials are now on the same page, speaking with one voice to veterans, employees and outside stakeholders, the statement read.MASHANTUCKET  Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton pulled out a third-round victory on Saturday, giving him the Republican Conventions endorsement for governor in a state party that is clearly split between conservatives and moderates.

Boughton brought the crowd, cheering, to its feet, then said he loved everyone and realized that the summer-long primary campaign  leading to what might be a five-way contest for a spot on the November ballot  has only begun.

When the 50-year-old veteran of two previous failed efforts for governor gained one vote over 50 percent, at about 6:20 p.m., supporters moved to end the period of third-round vote switching, setting off a raucous parliamentary crisis at the first GOP convention since 1962 to have multiple rounds of balloting.

Convention Chairman Themis Klarides, of Derby, the minority leader in the state House of Representatives, ordered that the convention hall at Foxwoods Resort & Casino be cleared of all but the 1,125 delegates.

She told delegates to sit down, then after a tense standoff with supporters of Tim Herbst, the former Trumbull first selectman, asked those in favor of closing the vote to stand.

Im so grateful to be standing here, Boughton said when the voting ended, after which the convention shifted to candidates for lieutenant governor. Im so grateful to be alive.

Readying for next round

Last year, Boughton had brain surgery, then earlier this year he had a seizure related to dehydration that has made water bottles his constant companion. Boughton tried to bring together the divided convention, acknowledging that Herbst got 40 percent of the voting.

Whether you voted for me or not, Im going to earn your vote, come August, Boughton said.

Herbst said he would have picked up as many as 40 more votes if the balloting had continued.

I decided it wasnt worth it, he said. Were going to live to fight another day, and thats what the primary is for. Im proud of what we did. This election is not going to be decided by Hartford insiders or political insiders. Its going to be decided by the people of Connecticut.

During a long afternoon of roll-call votes, town-by-town, congressional district-by-congressional district, the convention dropped five of its eight gubernatorial hopefuls, setting up the possibility of a showdown with the two favorites after a wild-card challenger, Steve Obsitnik, a Westport tech entrepreneur, became the wild-card qualifier for the August primary.

Obsitnik said he would take a couple days off, then check to see when he is eligible for his anticipated $1.25 million grant from the states public-financing program. For months he has traveled around the state in an autograph-laden mobile home.

Well just get back on the road in a few days, he said.

Contrasting candidates

But looking ahead to the primary, the fruits of the first state GOP convention will yield two moderates  Boughton and Obsitnik  with the more conservative Herbst.

The diluted vote of moderates could benefit Herbst in the primary, depending on the success of two other candidates petitioning to reach the ballot.

Mike Handler of New Canaan and state Rep Prasad Srinivasan of Glastonbury were eliminated in the first ballot, then Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti, David Walker of Bridgeport, and Peter Lumaj of Fairfield fell by the wayside as support that got them into the second round shifted, mostly to Boughton and Herbst.

Obsitnik, a Stamford native who attended the U.S. Naval Academy and served on submarines before joining the high-tech industry on the West Coast, qualified for the August party primary with 17.6 of the vote.

Srinivasan, a physician, was a single vote short of the 8 percent threshold in the first round.

David Stemerman of Greenwich, who closed his multi-billion-dollar hedge fund to seek the nomination, did not put his name under consideration for the 1,125 delegates present in Foxwoods Resort & Casino.

Stemerman and Madison millionaire Bob Stefanowski have decided to petition their way onto the August primary ballot.

Were executing the strategy weve been building for months, Stemerman said after the first round of voting.

He acknowledged that he was late getting into the race, in March, saying, Theres no clear front-runner. It would be very presumptuous for me to think I can compete here.

Shortly after 3 p.m., the remaining candidates began maneuvering for second-round votes from those who had committed their first-ballot votes for Handler, the CFO of Stamford, and Srinivasan, an allergist who is a member of the state House of Representatives.

Walker, the former comptroller general of the U.S., scored 9 percent to make the second round, and said he was confident of gaining the 15 percent support needed to get into the partys August primary, but fell short of that mark.

Greenwich contractor Peter Thalheim, under-financed and barely noticed on the campaign trail, did not get nominated. The protracted gubernatorial nominating pushed voting for lieutenant governor candidates into the evening.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCTThe farming industry has agreed a list of principles that it believes should guide policy development and implementation once the UK leaves the EU.

The statement, agreed by the UK Farming Roundtable, highlights the industry's priority to ensure equal access to the UK's single market for all producers.

The Roundtable, which includes 15 organisations, says the differences between devolved governments in developing distinct agricultural policies to replace the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) must not adversely impact on trade within the UK.

The organisations said the UK governments must "establish and maintain regular, formal and cooperative arrangements to manage policy, legislation and delivery of regulation across the UK" and that a priority should be to "take every step to retain and protect a single market access for food, agricultural commodities, live animals and plant products throughout the UK".

The farming organisations, which include the likes of the NFU, the CLA and the National Sheep Association, met at the headquarters of the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) in Belfast.

They want a UK policy framework for farming which maintains the current devolution settlement of policy and regulation for the devolved governments of the UK.

A guiding principle agreed upon is that no single country determines or curtail UK policy in the rest of the UK.

They say that no part of the UK should be able to act, or avoid action, that threatens to curtail access for other parts of the UK to third country markets, or that question the UKs adherence to its international agreements.

The organisations also welcome the governments commitment to provide the same cash total in funds for farm support as is currently paid out under the CAP.

"In the longer term, with the development of a new domestic agricultural policy, at least the same level of public investment in agriculture should be retained," the Roundtable added.

The signatories to the statement are: NFU, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland, CLA, British Poultry Council, LEAF, National Sheep Association, Scottish Land and Estates, Soil Association, Tenant Farmers Association, Ulster Farmers Union, National Pig Association, British Egg Industry Council, RABDF, National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs.Dorset farmer named Dairy Woman of the Year

She was praised for her work with schoolchildrenAishwarya In Michael Cinco

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan donned the Michael Cinco iconic gown and has us swooning over her ultra-glamorous look like never before.

The Hottest Mama Of B-town

Seen here is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan leaving her hotel with daughter Aaradhya Bachchan to own the red carpet like a pro.

The Craze Around Her Look Is Just Unmatchable

That's the thing about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The craze/excitement around her look is just unmatchable and no star at Cannes grab eyeballs like her!

Awww!

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan poses with her munchkin Aaradhya Bachchan, who's looked super cute in a red dress. Daniella Rahme, Helen Mirren and Ola Al Fares also joined Aish-Aaradhya for a picture.

Surprising Fact!

As per the Michael Cinco's official Instagram account, this iconic dress of Aishwarya Rai has 20-foot long fully embroidered cape with intricate full silk thread works and Swarovski crystals.

Its A Yay From Her Fans

Fans of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan around the world, are praising her look for Cannes day one red carpet look and it's pretty clear that it's a yay' from their side.

*Drop Dead Gorgeous*

This ultra-violet work of art is inspired by a butterfly and needless to mention that Aishwarya pulled off this look like a pro.

Slaying Since Forever

These gorgeous pictures of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan can make any man go weak on his knees. Like literally!

Eye Drama

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan steals the show with her gorgeous dramatic eyes.

Train Goals!

A look at the 20-foot long train of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's iconic outfit.

Whats Your Thought?

We loved the butterfly-inspired look of the Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. What about you? Let us know in the comments section below.Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2018) - GLOBAL BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES CORP. (CSE: BLOC) (FSE: BWSP) (OTC Pink: BLKCF) ("BLOC" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that that the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") has approved the listing for trading of its common share purchase warrants (the "Warrants") issued on December 21, 2017 pursuant to its bought deal private placement led by Canaccord Genuity Corp. with a syndicate of underwriters including Clarus Securities Inc., Eight Capital and Haywood Securities Inc.

LISTING OF WARRANTS

The Warrants will commence trading on the CSE on May 10, 2018, under the symbol "BLOC.WT". There are currently 33,698,340 Warrants issued and outstanding. Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one common share of BLOC at a price of $1.75 until December 21, 2019.

SPINOUT OF MINING DIVISION

On January 25, 2018, the Company announced that it intended to pursue a plan of arrangement to spin out the value in its mining division. The spinout will be on a one-for-one basis with every share held of the Company entitling the holder to one share of Global Blockchain Mining Corp. ("Blockchain Mining") The anticipated assets of Blockchain Mining will include as constituted at present, 6,666 machines and 100MW of power, Coinstream Mining Corp. ("Coinstream"), and Coinstream's additional assets, including its stake in Distributed Mining Corp. and the wholly owned Mozambique facility totaling 25 megawatts of capacity.

All shareholders' as of the March 1, 2018 (the "Record Date" for the plan of arrangement), will receive shares in Blockchain Mining as soon as it commences trading with the CSE. Furthermore the Company has applied for a US trading symbol and will provide additional details as soon as they become available.

The Company also announces that further to our April 24th news release, the initial listing application for Blockchain Mining has been submitted to the CSE under the ticker "FORK". Management anticipates FORK should commence trading in late May 2018, subject to approval by the CSE.

CORPORATE UPDATE

Further to the press release dated February 27, 2018, the Company wishes to advise that the below projects remain on track and that BLOC is looking forward to provide further information in the coming days and weeks:

Trade finance in conjunction with major state actors;

Enterprise peer-to-peer storage solutions;

Ethereum hard fork with features that enhance it as a global payment rails solution (the laser blockchain);

Tokenization of twelve incumbent gaming networks with over 400 million users, including functionality for both e-sports and gambling;

Securitization platform for artworks, including music, video and brands, in partnership with some of the world's most recognizable artists, brands and studios, something not possible before the advent of blockchain; and

Launch of an exchange federated on the Stellar network with leading forex (foreign exchange) and remittance partners to be announced.

In addition, the Company continues with its collaboration on, and monetization of, existing strategic equity and ICO investment holdings. The Company is currently reviewing over half a dozen new partnerships, including final-stage discussions on an investment into a genetics-to-sale cannabis blockchain platform, participation in the launch of an exchange for security tokens and a utilities exchange, and the launch of back-end payment systems to create fungibility for the Company's projects, and projects on which the Company is partnered.

OTHER CORPORATE MATTERS

On February 20, 2018, the Company announced that it would be making an investment of $2 million in the private token offering of MEvU, a product of Decent Tech Inc. ("MEvU"). The investment would be made in addition to the Company's acquisition of a 30% interest in Decent Tech Inc., MEvU's parent company. Based on recommendations from the Company's Investment Committee and the Board of Directors, BLOC has decided not to proceed with the investment in MEvU or Decent Tech Inc. at this time.

The Company also announces that Mr. Shidan Gouran will be taking over the CEO duties and title from Mr. Rik Willard effective immediately as Mr. Willard continues to focus on his other ventures. Mr. Gouran will continue to act as President & CEO for BLOC.

The Board of Directors would like to thank Mr. Willard for his contributions to the Company and wish him all the best with his future endeavors.

On behalf of the Company:

Shidan Gouran, President & CEO

(416) 854-3017

For more information, please contact:

IRTH Communications, LLC

ir@globalblockchain.io

800-689-8089

About Global Blockchain Technologies Corp.

The Company provides investors access to a basket of direct and indirect holdings within the blockchain space, managed by a team of industry pioneers and early adopters of all major cryptocurrencies.

The Company is focused on streamlining the currently arduous, lengthy, and complicated process that interested investors must undergo in order to gain exposure to the cryptocurrency space, with a view to becoming the first vertically-integrated originator and manager of top tier blockchains and digital currencies.

BLOC is listed on the CSE and its common shares trade under the ticker symbol "BLOC". Additional information relating to BLOC is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, the CSE at www.theCSE.com, as well as on the Company's website at www.globalblockchain.io.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Generally, any statements that are not historical facts may contain forward-looking information, and forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or indicates that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be" taken, "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to the Company's goal of streamlining the current arduous, lengthy and complicated process that interested investors need to undergo in order to gain exposure to the cryptocurrency space with a view to becoming the first vertically integrated originator and manager of top-tier blockchains and digital currencies. The Company has no assets and its business plan is purely conceptual in nature and there is no assurance that it will be implemented as set out herein, or at all. Forward-looking information is based on certain factors and assumptions the Company believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made, including but not limited to: statements and expectations regarding the ability of the Company to (i) successfully engage senior management with appropriate industry experience and expertise, (ii) gain access to and acquire a basket of cryptocurrency assets and pre-ICO and ICO financings on favourable terms or at all, (iii) successfully create its own tokens and ICO's, and (iv) execute on future M&A opportunities in the cryptocurrency space; receipt of required regulatory approvals; the availability of necessary financing; permitting and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: risks related to changes in cryptocurrency prices; the estimation of personnel and operating costs; general global markets and economic conditions; risks associated with uninsurable risks; risks associated with currency fluctuations; competition faced in securing experienced personnel with appropriate industry experience and expertise; risks associated with changes in the financial auditing and corporate governance standards applicable to cryptocurrencies and ICO's; risks related to potential conflicts of interest; the reliance on key personnel; financing, capitalization and liquidity risks including the risk that the financing necessary to fund continued development of the Company's business plan may not be available on satisfactory terms, or at all; the risk of potential dilution through the issuance of additional common shares of the Company; the risk of litigation. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information set out in this presentation, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 11, 2018) - Intercontinental Gold and Metals Ltd. (TSXV: ICAU) (the "Company") is pleased to announce today that it intends to proceed with a normal course issuer bid to purchase up to 877,873 of its common shares (the "Bid").

The Company is commencing the Bid because it believes that the current market price of its common shares may not fully reflect the underlying value of the Company's business and future prospects. The Company believes that the repurchase of its common shares for cancellation is in the best interests of its shareholders because the Bid will increase the respective proportionate shareholdings and equity interests in the Company of all remaining shareholders.

As at the date hereof, the Company has 17,557,464 common shares issued and outstanding. The 877,873 common shares that may be purchased by the Company under the Bid represent approximately 5% of the Company's issued and outstanding. The Company received acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") to commence the Bid on May 14, 2018. The Bid will terminate on May 14, 2019, or an earlier date in the event that the number of common shares sought in the Bid has been repurchased. The Company reserves the right to terminate the Bid earlier if it feels appropriate to do so.

All common shares will be purchased on the open market through the facilities of the TSXV, and payment for the common shares will be made in accordance with TSXV policies. The price paid for the common shares will be the prevailing market price at the time of the purchase. Purchases may be suspended at any time, and no purchases will be made other than by means of open market transactions during the term of the Bid.

The Company has engaged Integral Wealth Securities to act as broker through which the Bid will be conducted.

About Intercontinental Gold and Metals Ltd.

Intercontinental Gold and Metals Ltd. is a Next Generation Metals and Mining Company providing leverage to commodity prices, exploration and development success and significant growth potential for our stakeholders. Our physical commodities marketing and trading operations provide insights in global primary supply and demand trends that in turn create a strategic and competitive advantage investment and expansion opportunities on a global basis. The Company generates revenues from the purchases and sales of gold and silver (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 gold miners (ASGM) in Latin America (LATAM). 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.Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 11, 2018) - Royalty North Partners Ltd. (TSXV: RNP) ("RNP" or the "Company") would like to provide an update on the current status of each of the Company's existing investments and overall outlook for the Company.

Country Wine & Spirits ("CWS")

As previously announced on February 27, 2018 the Company has entered into a settlement agreement with CWS whereby CWS will pay to RNP the sum of US$1,200,000 over the next 30 months at which point all CWS obligations to RNP will be extinguished. To date the payments required under the settlement agreement have been received.

SunSystem Technology ("SST")

SST has reorganized its business to focus solely on its operations and maintenance services ("O&M") segment. RNP has agreed to an amendment to the original loan agreement entered into between SST and RNP on March 21, 2017. The revised loan agreement allows SST to raise additional debt financing from new debtors in order to facilitate the growth of the O&M business. RNPs security position will be subordinated to the new capital being raised. Payment minimums to RNP under the amended agreement will be modified to $20,000 USD per month for the period of April to June of 2018, $25,000 USD per month for the period of July to September of 2018 and $30,000 USD per month thereafter ($360,000 USD annually). Additionally, SST will have the option to buy-out the loan obligation for $2,800,000 USD until January 1st, 2019 and $3,500,000 USD thereafter. All other conditions including percentages of revenues for payment calculations under the original loan agreement will remain unchanged. RNP believes there are still several risks which could affect the SST's ability to make future payments under the amended loan agreement.

Advanced Wire Products ("AWP") and Blue 360 Media ("Blue")

With respect to the Company's other two investments, AWP and Blue, both companies are either meeting or exceeding the expectations of RNP management.

However, based on the reduction in the CWS and SST future income streams, and the debt obligations of the Company, the board is exploring potential strategic opportunities in order to be able to repay current debt (being the Credit Facility with CIBC), including, but not limited to, potentially entering into loan modification agreement with one or more investees to allow them to buy back all or part of the loans early, the possible sale of one or more of its investment assets, or equity financing.

CIBC Credit Facility

The Company originally entered into a credit agreement in Q2 2017 with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce ("CIBC") for a committed credit facility initially in the amount of $5,000,000 CAD (the "Credit Facility") maturing on the third anniversary of closing the Credit Facility. The Company was in default of certain covenants of the Credit Facility as at December 31, 2017 and has not been issued a waiver in respect of this default since this time. In March 2018, in discussion with the Company, CIBC reduced the Credit Facility available to RNP to $1,900,000 CAD. In the short-term, the Company's first priority is to repay the Credit Facility with CIBC. The reduced Credit Facility continues to provide RNP sufficient funds to continue to operate the business while it determines a strategy to fully repay the remaining balance. Beyond this, the Company intends to continue receiving income from its' remaining investments in accordance with the latest contracts between the Company and its partners.

Change in Officers

Chris Buss, Chief Investment Officer, has left Royalty North to pursue other opportunities. We thank Chris for his contribution to Royalty North and wish him success in his new role. He will not be seeking re-election as a Director of the Company at the upcoming Annual General Meeting.

Outlook

Moving forward the Company does not currently intend to make additional investments in the same capacity as it has in the past. Management of the Company and the Board of Directors are currently exploring a variety of avenues for the future of the Company, including strategic alternatives, to keep the company solvent and able to satisfy its liabilities.

On behalf of the Company,

"Justin Currie"

Chief Executive Officer and Director

About Royalty North Partners Ltd.

Royalty North Partners is a Vancouver, BC based, TSXV-listed (RNP) company which has, to date, focused on creating a diversified portfolio of cash flowing royalties by providing financing to private businesses with gross revenues in excess of $10 million. RNP has typically invested in companies with stable cash flows in non-resource-based sectors looking for growth/acquisition capital, recapitalization or succession liquidity. In return for the investment, RNP has typically received as consideration a percentage of the future gross sales.

For more information, please contact:

Victoria McMillan, Chief Financial Officer

Royalty North Partners Ltd.

Phone: (604) 628-1033

www.royaltynorth.com

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented constitutes "forward looking statements" within the meaning of certain securities laws, and is subject to important risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The words "may", "could", "should", "would", "suspect", "outlook", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "plan", "target" and similar words and expressions are used to identify forward-looking information. The forward-looking information in this news release describes the Company's expectations as of the date of this news release and accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. While the Company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required by law.

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. WIRE SERVICESVancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 11, 2018) - PowerBand Solutions Inc. (TSXV: PBX) (OTC Pink: PWWBF) (FSE: 1ZV) ("PowerBand" or the "Company") a leading online remarketing platform to buy and sell used vehicles, is pleased to announce it is attending the 8th annual LD Micro Invitational.

"With a pending OTCQB listing, we are very excited to participate in the LD Micro Invitational conference in California. The U.S. is the world's largest equity market and we view this forum as a great opportunity to provide investors widespread awareness of the Company's developments and progress as we expand operations throughout North America," said Kelly Jennings, CEO of PowerBand.

The event will take place from Monday, June 4, 2018 to Wednesday, June 6, 2018 at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel in Bel Air, California. The conference will feature 234 companies in the small / micro-cap space and is expected to draw over 1,000 investors.

PowerBand will be giving a presentation and meeting with investors. Investors attending the conference will have the opportunity to hear first hand the Company's growth plans for 2018.

For more information regarding the Company's powerful suite of cloud-based auction software tools and corporate updates as they are announced please visit www.powerbandsolutions.com.

About PowerBand Solutions Inc.

PowerBand Solutions Inc. is a technology provider listed on the TSX Venture Exchange that is developing solutions for automotive and other industries that drive efficiency and transparency in the marketplace. PowerBand has developed and commercialized a leading-edge online remarketing platform that increases revenues and profit margins for its automotive dealership, Original Equipment Manufacturer, commercial fleet and rental company customers. PowerBand's remarketing platform, the PowerBand Exchange, incorporates the industry's latest auction technologies, inventory management, market intelligence, and appraisal processes.

For further information, please contact:

Patrick Piette, Investor Relations

(416) 526-9911

ppiette@powerbandsolutions.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the Company 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 future plans and objectives of the Company, are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

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. As a result, we cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize and 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 at the date of this news release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by Canadian securities law.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.Technavio's new research report on the electronics parts forward logistics market in APAC offers an analysis of the most important trends expected to impact the market outlook from 2018-2022. Technavio predicts a trend as a major factor that has the potential to substantially impact the market and contribute to its growth or decline.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180512005044/en/

Technavio has published a new market research report on the electronics parts forward logistics market in APAC from 2018-2022. (Graphic: Business Wire)

According to Technavio market research analysts, the electronics parts forward logistics market in APAC will grow at a CAGR of over 9% during the forecast period. One of the key factor driving the growth of the market is the increasing electronic parts trade between China and India. China and India have cumulatively witnessed a growth of around 35% in the global merchandise trade during 1990-2015 because of the presence of a sizeable middle-income population. High population density acts as a key driver for trade between India and China. In the middle of 2017, India increased import duty on certain product categories such as mobile phones, watches, and perfumes that are imported from China. However, increased import duty will take a long time to have a serious impact on China's imports to India.

This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing

Save more with Technavio. Buy2 reports and get the third for FREEView all Technavio's current offers

In this report, Technavio highlights the penetration of blockchain technology in logistics supply chain as one of the key emerging trends in the electronics parts forward logistics market in APAC

Penetration of blockchain technology in logistics supply chain

Blockchain technology is also known as distributed digital ledger. It is used to store and transform data digitally with high security. This technology maintains the sequence of all transactions and shares it with the two transacting parties. The technology aids to increase transparency and reduce the possibilities of data corruption or data alteration during transactions between two parties. Blockchain technology is moving toward the growth stage in developed economies. But, in APAC, the technology is in its introduction stage. Emerging economies in APAC such as China and Japan have started implementing this technology in different industries such as pharmaceuticals and service industries.

"As a service industry, logistics is expected to benefit from the blockchain technology. The implementation of the blockchain technology in logistics supply chain showed an increase of around 30% efficiency when compared with conventional logistics supply chain. In case of electronics parts logistics, blockchain technology is expected to remedy challenges because of stock keeping unit proliferation," says a senior analyst at Technavio for research on transportation and distribution

Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Electronics parts forward logistics market in APAC segmentation analysis

This market research report segments the electronics parts forward logistics market in APAC into the following end-users (industrial and consumer electronics) and key regions (China, Japan, and others).

Of the two major end-users, the industrial segment held the largest market share in 2017, contributing to nearly 46% of the market. This region is anticipated post steady growth and dominates the global market throughout the forecast period.

China was the dominating region for the electronics parts forward logistics market in APAC in 2017, accounting for a market share of almost 31%. This region is expected to grow steadily during the forecast period.

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About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180512005044/en/

Contacts:

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Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

www.technavio.comBy Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bill aimed at tightening oversight of foreign investment in the United States because of concern about China's acquisition of critical technology is headed for a vote this month in the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, the panel said on Friday. The committee also released draft proposals that will be voted on to amend the bill, which was introduced last November by Senator John Cornyn.

By Diane Bartz

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bill aimed at tightening oversight of foreign investment in the United States because of concern about China's acquisition of critical technology is headed for a vote this month in the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, the panel said on Friday.

The committee also released draft proposals that will be voted on to amend the bill, which was introduced last November by Senator John Cornyn.

Proposed changes to the measure appear aimed largely at blunting opposition from high tech companies and investment firms, which had worried that even innocuous transactions would be subject to extended reviews by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS.

CFIUS is an inter-agency panel led by the Treasury Department that assesses potential foreign investment to ensure it does not harm national security.

The bill in the Senate, and a companion measure in the U.S. House of Representatives, would broaden CFIUS' reach in hopes of reining in China's acquisition of U.S. high tech knowledge even as China has sought to focus on production of higher-value goods, like robots, computers and telecommunications equipment.

The bipartisan legislation has the support of President Donald Trump's administration.

The new version eliminates a measure which some tech companies complained would force them to go to CFIUS to get approval for technology sales if they involved intellectual property licensing and support.

The draft also spells out that an investment can be deemed passive, and not subject to CFIUS oversight, if foreign investors have no access to non-public technical information or rights to be on the board of directors of a U.S. critical infrastructure company.

The proposed changes include noting specifically that CFIUS could consider in its national security review if a deal would potentially expose sensitive data about U.S. citizens, including genetic information.

Cornyn supports the proposed changes.

"As China has increasingly weaponised investment, it's a national security imperative to strengthen the interagency review process to safeguard military and dual-use technology and know-how," he said in a statement that accompanied the release of the proposed changes.

The panel has killed a long list of deals, including a plan for Chinese conglomerate HNA Group to buy most of SkyBridge Capital, a hedge fund investment firm founded by Trump's former aide Anthony Scaramucci.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Tom Brown)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.The Delhi government on Saturday wrote to Lt Governor Anil Baijal asking him to meet the ministers and legislators on Monday over the CCTV installation issue

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Saturday wrote to Lt Governor Anil Baijal asking him to meet the ministers and legislators on Monday over the CCTV installation issue.

"I have written a letter to the LG and asked him to meet us at 3 pm on Monday. In the letter I have also written to allot us any other time on Monday if he is busy at that time," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told media.

He also said that people are angry as they were expecting that the CCTVs will be installed soon.

"Several RWAs have been coming to us asking if we are installing the cameras or they will do it themselves from their own money," he said adding that the project got interrupted when it was in its final stage.

Sisodia said that all the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ministers and MLAs will gather at the chief minister's residence and will walk down to the Lt Governor's house.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that they will urge the LG not to follow the BJP's "orders".

"All ministers and MLAs will walk upto LG house from my residence on Monday at 3 pm to urge the LG not to follow BJP's directions and to allow CCTV cameras to be installed all over Delhi to strengthen women security," he tweeted.A committee appointed by the Assam govt for protection of land rights has warned that indigenous communities in the state are at risk of becoming landless.

A committee appointed by the Assam government last year to suggest measures for the protection of land rights has warned that the indigenous communities in the state would be reduced to a "landless class of people" if effective constitutional, legal and administrative measures are not implemented soon.

"Protection of land rights of the indigenous people of Assam is, in fact, inextricably linked to protection of their identity and the solution to the problem of the foreign nationals' issue gripping Assam over the last seven decades of Independence," said one of the two reports submitted by the committee which is replete with data showing encroachment of land in the state over the past several decades.

The seven-member committee was headed by former Chief Election Commissioner HS Brahma and included retired bureaucrats, lawyers, academics and social activists.

The report has also raised an alarm over the transfer of land from the farmers to the trading community, encroachment by neighbouring states and river bank erosion. While making a case for the "full implementation" of the Assam Accord, the committee has underscored the importance of: sealing the India-Bangladesh border, detection and deportation of foreign nationals from the state after a repatriation treaty with Bangladesh, deletion of the names of illegal migrants from the voter's list, an eviction drive against encroachers, a new land policy and a complete ban on the sale of agricultural land to "non-agriculturists and non-indigenous persons."

The 184-page report offers several recommendations to the government to check the deteriorating situation in the state which witnessed large-scale demonstrations only last week against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, which seeks to offer citizenship to certain sections of migrants from the neighbouring countries.

Report submitted by post

Serious differences had emerged among the committee members after the first report was submitted by HS Brahma and Srikumar Dohutia. The other members were peeved with the report since they were expecting a detailed note on the encroachment of land by illegal migrants, neighbouring states, private institutes and the despicable role played by a section of the bureaucracy in facilitating the transfer of land from the indigenous communities. Subsequently, four members of the committee led by former education secretary Rohini Baruah decided to compile a separate report for the government.

However, in an unexpected turn of events, Baruah and his colleagues were never given an appointment by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal despite several reminders. Following the established norm, the report was mailed to an official who was expected to produce hard copies for the members who would have formally handed over the report to the chief minister. Since there was no response, the members decided to send the report by post to Sonowal last week.

"We felt humiliated by the attitude of the chief minister who was informed that we wanted to meet him for delivering the report. We decided to make our stand clear since we had accomplished the task given to us. This is a very serious issue that raises many questions about the future of the indigenous communities and the country as a whole. Surprisingly, we have heard that the report has not yet reached him," said Baruah.

Assam government's vague stance

On 25 April, Sonowal directed the state revenue department to implement the recommendations of the committee, which essentially means the first report (the second report was sent by post early this month).

The 147-page report has several similarities with the second report on the issue of illegal migrants and the encroachment of land. It mentions the earlier report submitted two decades ago by former Assam governor Lt Gen (Retd) SK Sinha to the President of India, which was replete with suggestions on preventive measures but surprisingly put on the backburner by the ministry of home affairs.

Civil society organisations have asked the government to make its stand clear on the reports and have demanded that they be made public. Upamanyu Hazarika, a Supreme Court lawyer and convener of the Prabajan Virodhi Manch, wanted to know the differences between the two reports and the government strategy to implement the recommendations.

The issue has also become the focus of local news channels and dailies. So far, the government has not yet given any reply to either of the reports. An earlier statement issued by the chief minister's office only said that one of the priorities of the new government was to "ensure land rights of the indigenous people and enable them to enjoy the dignity of life in their own land."

The author is a senior journalist in Assam and wrote 'Rendezvous With Rebels: Journey To Meet Indias Most Wanted Men'.The situation in several parts of Aurangabad town remained tense on Friday, after clashes erupted between rival gangs that killed one person and left at least 10 policemen wounded

Two persons, including a teenage youth, were killed, while several others were injured in Maharashtra's Aurangabad, after violent clashes between rival groups took place on Friday.

A report on News18 said two groups clashed in Aurangabad's Shahganj area after a heated argument on Friday night. The clashes then turned violent, when hundreds of youth took to the streets and indulged in stone pelting, burning shops and vehicles.

The report added that one of the dead was a 17-year-old youth, while at least 10 policemen, including assistant commissioner Govardhan Kolekar, were injured in the violence. While the police have imposed curfew in certain parts of the city, Section 144 of the CrPC, which prohibits the assembly of more than four persons in an area, was also invoked. Internet services too have been suspended in the area, the report added.

The police is said to have resorted to lathicharge to control the rioting mobs, and when that didn't work, also used teargas and light firing.

A report in The Times of India said a 17-year-old succumbed to bullet injuries at MGM hospital in the city. The deceased was a resident of Rengtipura. Ten policemen, including including an assistant commissioner, Govardhan Kolekar, and a couple of police station chiefs, including inspector Hemant Kadam and inspector Shripad Paropkari, were injured in the ensuing violence.

The report added that the police are suspecting the role of an independent corporator for instigating the violence. DCP (Zone-I) Vinayak Dhakne was quoted as saying in the report, "We have deployed heavy bandobast across the city and riot control police has been put to action."

The situation has since been brought under control, said a report in The Indian Express. The report quoted Aurangabad commissioner of police Milind Bharambe as saying, "I appeal to the citizens to maintain peace, do not take law in your own hands. If one group is pelting stones, the other group is requested to keep calm not respond in kind, the police is doing its duty. Section 144 of the CrPC has been imposed, if group of people are found to be breaking the curfew we will take strict action against them."Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb came in for fresh criticism after he said Rabindranath Tagore had rejected his Nobel prize in protest against the British government

Agartala: Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb came in for fresh criticism after he said Rabindranath Tagore had rejected his Nobel prize in protest against the British government.

The Opposition was quick to react to the chief minister's folly. Tagore didn't return the Nobel Prize for Literature, which was conferred to him for his work Gitanjali in 1913. However, he refused to accept the British Knighthood in protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919.

Speaking in Bengali at a programme in Gomati district on the occasion of Tagore's birthday on Wednesday, the chief minister had said, "Rabindranath Tagore not only rejected the Nobel Prize in protest against the British government, but also got Biswosrestho (world's best) award for Gitanjali. However, Tagore cannot be confined to the (Gitanjali) award."

Tripura's royal scion, Pradyot Kishore Devburman, who is also the TPCC working president, said he was "very unhappy" with the chief minister's comment. "Tagore surrendered the knighthood conferred on him in 1919 to protest against the massacre at Jallianwalabagh in Punjab. My grandfather was also very perturbed at the incident. I found it in his diary. It is not good if our chief minister said like this. It does not have any sense," he said.

Tagore had visited Tripura seven times and was close to four successive kings  Birchandra, Radhakishore, Birendra Kishore, and the last king Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur, said Panna Lal Roy, a writer, who wrote a number of books on Tagore's relation with Tripura kings.

Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Birajit Sinha told a press conference, "Even we are receiving phone calls from abroad and people are laughing at his comments. He has tarnished the image of our state and made us feel ashamed."

TPCC vice-president Tapas Dey said, "Tripura is a state where 98 percent people are literate, but I wonder what the people of our country or abroad are thinking about our state now. Our beloved chief minister's comment is embarrassing for us."

CPM state secretary, Bijan Dhar said, "I can only laugh at his comment."

The Tripura chief minister has been riding a wave of controversy with a slew of remarks such as the existence of the internet during the Mahabharata war, whether 1994 Miss World Diana Hayden should be considered an Indian beauty and the questionability of mechanical engineers joining the civil services.Days after BJP President Amit Shah made a pro-Karnataka comment on the Mhadei inter-state water dispute, Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik on Saturday denied that Shah had made any commitment to divert water from the Mhadei river to Karnataka

Panaji: Days after BJP President Amit Shah made a pro-Karnataka comment on the Mhadei inter-state water dispute, Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik on Saturday denied that Shah had made any commitment to divert water from the Mhadei river to Karnataka and resolve dispute within six months.

Naik's statement comes on the day when Karnataka went to polls after a high profile and heated election campaign, in which the contentious Mhadei river dispute featured prominently, at least in the northern regions of the state.

"He (Shah) never said we will give (water) to Karnataka, he only said that he will think about it," Naik told a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state headquarters in Panaji.

"This matter is sub-judice and before the Tribunal... But if need be, it can be considered from a humanitarian point of view... Neither our President nor our Prime Minister said water will be given (to Karnataka)," he added.

Shah, in an election rally in Karnataka's Hubbali region last week, promised to resolve the Mhadei dispute within six months and assured voters that water from the multi-state river would flow into Karnataka within the time frame.

Naik, a Lok Sabha MP from North Goa, also said Goa was willing to indulge in out-of-court talks with Karnataka, provided the latter does not indulge in chicanery.

"We are always ready for discussion. But they (Karnataka) indulged in chicanery by illegally constructing (a canal), without paying heed to the Tribunal and the Court. If you do such chicanery, then what is the point of sitting across a table," Naik said.

Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra are currently contesting parties before the Mhadei inter-state water disputes Tribunal over the controversial Kalsa-Bhandura dam project across the Mhadei river, through which Karnataka aims to divert water from the Mhadei basin to the nearby basin on the Malaprabha river.

The Tribunal hearing the dispute is expected to deliver a verdict in a few months.

Mhadei, also known as the Mandovi river, is considered as a lifeline in the northern parts of the coastal state.

It originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji in Goa, while briefly flowing through Maharashtra.

The river's course is 28.8 km in Karnataka, and over 50 kilometres in Goa.A CRPF trooper was killed and a civilian injured in a gunfight on Saturday between a group of militants and the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said

Srinagar: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper was killed and a civilian injured in a gunfight on Saturday between a group of militants and the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said.

Constable Mandeep Kumar of 182 battalion of the CRPF, was killed in the gun battle with four to six militants holed up in a house in Wagum village.

The house owner was injured in the firing exchange. He received bullet injuries on his shoulder and was said to be out of danger.

"In order to avoid civilian casualties, the security forces used extreme restrain," a police officer said, adding that the militants taking advantage of the darkness managed to escape.

The gunfight had started after a joined team of the Rashtriya Rifles, Special Operations Group of state police and the paramilitary troop launched a search and flush out operation, following information of militant presence.

As the security forces tightened the cordon, hiding militants fired at them triggering the encounter.

Scattered incidents of stone-pelting was reported in the vicinity. Fearing an escalation the security forces abandoned the cordon and search operation in the area.

Authorities have suspended mobile internet services in Pulwama to check spread of rumours. Rail services between Baramulla town and Bannihal town of Jammu region have also been suspended for the day.A gunfight started on Saturday between a group of holed up militants and the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama District, police said.

Srinagar: A gunfight started on Saturday between a group of holed-up militants and the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama District, police said.

Sources in the security forces told IANS that the security forces, including the Rashtriya Rifles, Special Operations Group of state police and the Central Reserve Police Force, surrounded Wagum village on the outskirts of Pulwama town following information about a group of militants hiding there.

As the security forces tightened the cordon, hiding militants fired at them triggering an encounter which is going on, sources said. It said a group of four to six militants are hiding inside a house in the village which has been marked off.

Meanwhile, authorities suspended mobile internet services in Pulwama to check spread of rumours. Rail services between Baramulla town and Bannihal town of Jammu region have also been suspended for the day.Nashik-based doctor Raj Nagarkar, the oncologist who was treating Himanshu Roy, said no cancerous traces were found in his body on 30 April, the last time the police officer underwent a PET examination.

Himanshu Roy's suicide may not be connected to the cancer he was diagnosed with. Nashik-based doctor Raj Nagarkar, the oncologist who was treating Roy, said no cancerous traces were found in his body on 30 April, the last time the police officer underwent a PET examination.

Speaking to Mid-Day, Nargarkar said Roy was cured of the disease. "It would be wrong to say Roy committed suicide because of cancer. He was cured of the disease. It is a loss to the police force and to us, as we all worked very closely and were even satisfied with the results," he said.

The scan was conducted on Roy on 30 April, 11 days before he shot himself with his service revolver at his residence in Mumbai. When Roy learnt the results of the test, he was "very pleased" and even asked when could he resume duty, Nagarkar recalled.

According to Nagarkar, "the medicines had done wonders and all the soft tissues and cancer were almost missing from the scan". "We told him we are reducing his medication and will keep eye on his development," he added.

In a separate interview that Nagarkar gave to The Hindu, the doctor said it wasn't so much the disease itself but the emotional trauma it had on him that may have led to Roy taking the extreme step.

"With positive progress like his, it would be a mistake to say that he killed himself because of the illness. More than the physical problems, it was his state of mind that probably took over," he was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

The report said that the HCG Manavata Cancer Centre in Nashik, of which Nagarkar is the medical director, has another branch called Centre for Difficult Cancers (CDC), which is where Roy was undergoing treatment. "I had spoken to him three weeks ago about an open forum for cancer patients, and he had immediately agreed to be a speaker at this forum. He has been regularly exercising as well. He was at the gym on Thursday too," Nagarkar added.

Roy, the former Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief, shot himself in the mouth on Friday afternoon. He was rushed to Bombay Hospital, where he was declared dead. The 1988-batch IPS officer had served as additional director general of police (establishment).

He who was the joint commissioner of police (crime) from 2012-2014 and is credited with leading the investigation into the Indian Premier League (IPL) betting scandal. He was then transferred to the state ATS. During his tenure as the agency's chief, software engineer Anees Ansari was arrested for allegedly planning to blow up a school at the Bandra Kurla complex.

With inputs from PTIA man, accused of rape and murder or a six-month-old girl in Indore, was awarded death sentence by a POCSO court in a fast-track trial on Saturday, media reports said.

A man accused of the rape and murder of a four-month-old girl in Indore was given the death sentence by a district court on Saturday, according to several media reports.

#BREAKING -- Man sentenced to death for raping 4-month-old baby in Indore, Madhya Pradesh pic.twitter.com/ldLgwREl9D

On 21 April, the Madhya Pradesh Police arrested Sunil Bheel (21) after they recovered the blood-soaked body of the infant from the basement of a commercial building in Rajwada area, NDTV reported.

The police identified Bheel and said CCTV footage showed him carrying the infant over his shoulder before the incident. The post-mortem, carried out at the state-run MY Hospital, suggested the victim might have been raped before she was killed as her private parts bore an injury mark, a source said.

HC Mishra, Deputy Inspector-General of police, said that the victim's family didn't name Bheel as he is the victim's uncle.

"Suspects were ruled out by special investigation team (SIT) and the victim's uncle was arrested. The accused had an argument with victim's mother after which he committed the crime", he told ANI.

With inputs from PTIThe Election Commission has set up voter information booths at all polling sites and standardised voter information posters are also displayed to help voters use EVMs and find their polling centres easily.

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Polling will be conducted at 222 of the 224 seats with the elections deferred at Jayanagar and Rajrajeshwari Nagar Assembly seats.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) will lock horns in the triangular contest on Saturday, with Karnataka voters set to elect a new government.

The election to the Jayanagar Assembly constituency was postponed following the death of BN Vijay Kumar, MLA and BJP candidate, while polling at RR Nagar seat was deffered following recovery of nearly 10,000 voter I-cards from a flat owned by a BJP leader.

For voters convenience, photograph of the candidates will be affixed on each voting machine. Further, electronically-transmitted postal ballot will be available to all service voters and to those serving in Indian missions aboard.

The Election Commission has set up voter information booths at all polling sites and standardised voter information posters are also displayed to help voters use EVMs and find their polling centres easily.

A total of 15.42 lakh voters, aged 18-19, have registered to cast their ballot for the first time.

Over 4.96 crore voters, including 2.52 crore men, 2.44 crore women and over 4,500 people who identify themselves as 'transgenders', have registered to vote.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges citizens to come out and 'vote in large numbers'

The BJP's chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa and senior leader Sadananda Gowda cast their votes in their respective constituencies.

Voters in Belgaum district's Chikkod-Sadalaga Assembly seat may also face trouble arriving at voting booths due to rainfall.

EVM malfunction was reported from a booth in Bengaluru's Shivajinagara and at the Lamington School booth in Hubbali, reported News18.

According to News18, voters will get to use the NOTA (None of the Above Option) for the first time in the Karnataka election. A total of 2.57 Karnataka residents had used the option in Lok Sabha elections in 2014, but this will be the first time it will be used in Assembly elections in the state.

Voters to use NOTA for first time in Karnataka Assembly polls

"82,157 people have been deployed for poll duty that includes DSPs, home guards and civil defence, and forest guards and watchers," Karnataka DGP Neelamani N Raju told News18. This also includes about 7,500 personnel from states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtram Chattisgarh, Kerala and Goa, she said, adding, central forces have been deployed.

Nearly 2,000 passengers were reported to be stranded at Kempegowda bus station on Friday evening in Bengaluru as state buses were deployed for election duty, according to News18.

Officials said 58,008 polling stations have been set up across Karnataka, of which 12,002 have been designated as "critical", with over 3,50,000 polling personnel on duty, according to News18.

JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda cast his vote at polling booth number 24 in Holenarasipura town in Hassan district on Saturday morning. "We expect a possibility of forming the government, we have done well," he told ANI.

The Election Commission said the voter turnout across Karnataka stood at 10.6 percent on Saturday morning till 9.15 am. Voting for the Karnataka Assembly election began at 7 am.

A technical error was reported in Melapura village in Srirangapatna due to defective EVMs. Voters who came to the poll early were disappointed as polling that was to start at 7 am was delayed. The error came into light when BJP taluk president T Sridhar came to vote at the booth. At Hebbadihundi, in the same constituency similar problems arose.

People from Karnataka will be able to celebrate the largest festival of democracy with a great number of celebrations," Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

"The voter turnout is a sign of dynamic democracy. I welcome all my young friends who are voting for the first time in Karnataka.

'Welcome all young friends voting for the first time in Karnataka': Rahul Gandhi

In the first two hours since voting began at 7 am, EVM malfunctioning was reported from several booths across the state, including in Bengaluru and Hubbali. A power crisis was also reported from a pollng booth in Rajajinagar constituency, according to NDTV . Names of voters were also missing at a few booths. In Belagavi, burqa-clad women were asked to reveal their faces, the report mentioned.

Speaking to CNN-News18, scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee said, "We deserve a good government. I have friends in all parties. But I will vote for whoever is deserving."

According to CNN-News18, 10.45 percent voter turnout was registered till 9.30 am on Saturday.

The Congress and JD(S) are locked a close battle in Old Mysore region. The BJP is clearly third there. With BJP gaining in North Karnataka and coastal region, it boils down to how much the Congress can secure in Old Mysore.

As polls continue in Karnataka, EC figures showed that Dakshina Kannada district recorded the highest polling percentage at 16 percent, reported CNN-News18.

According to News18, election authorities said "moderate to brisk" voting was seen in 222 seats out of the 224 where polling began at 7 am. There were also several reports about delay in voting due to some EVM glitches from different parts of the state.

Indian Oil offers Re 1 discount per litre to encourage voting in Belagavi The Indian Oil is offering Re 1 discount per litre petrol to all those who exercised their franchise in Belagavi. While the regular price is Rs 75.86, on Saturday voters can fuel at 74.86. Input by S Shankar Patil/101Reporters

People were seen standing in queues to cast their votes in the early hours itself, factoring in that the temperature may go up later in the day. Also, it has been raining in different parts of south interior Karnataka for the last couple of days during the evening hours. Senior citizens were seen in good numbers standing in queues at various polling stations to cast their votes early. - PTI

About 11 percent polling was today recorded in the first two hours of voting in Karnataka. which is witnessing a three-cornered contest among the ruling Congress, the BJP and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowdas JD(S).

Around 11% polling registered in first two hours across Karnataka

Police seized State BSP chief N Mahesh's car, along with cash worth Rs 11,00,950. Mahesh's relatives were then taken into custody. The arrested have been identified as Prem Nath and Devi Prasad of Humnabad. A case was registered in Kollegal town station by AE Sector Magistrate Kumar.

Three polling stations were shifted in CV Raman Nagar constituency in Bengaluru without prior intimation thus causing inconvenience to the voters of booth numbers 138, 139 and 140.

Ola and Uber services have been down in the Old Mysore region since Friday. The drivers have reportedly gone back to their villages to vote, according to The Hindu.

Speaking to reporters, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son Dr Yathindra, who is contesting from Varuna constituency, said that people across the state express confidence in the Congress government. "I have been visiting villages in the constituency for last one and a half years. Election campaigning didn't feel any different. Wherever I went, people expressed confidence in the Congress government," he said.

A Bengaluru school, New Blossoms Education Society, decided to award four marks to students in their mid-semester tests, if their parents go to vote and show their inked fingers, reported The Hindu.

BJP workers outside booth number 58 in Karadigudda, Dharwad staged protests alleging that polling staff at the booth were asking people to vote for Congress candidate Vinay Kulkarni.

About 24 percent polling was recorded within the first four hours after voting began for the fiercely fought Karnataka Assembly polls on Saturday morning.

According to state electoral authorities, the highest 31 percent voting was recorded in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts respectively at 11 am while Bengaluru Urban recorded the lowest at 17 percent.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru DCP Ravi Channannavar said, "It is a sensitive polling booth and the clash between BJP and Congress workers happened within 100 metres of the booth. We will investigate and take further action."

Clashes broke out between Congress and BJP workers outside a polling booth in Hampi Nagar, allegedly after the former thrashed a BJP corporator. Ravindra, Vijayanagar, BJP candidate says, "Our corporator Anand was attacked but police isn't taking any action".

JD(S) supporters are hoping for a post poll alliance with BJP with Kumaraswamy at the helm. That Vokkaligas are also smitten by Modi helps that sentiment. Modi for prime minister, Kumaraswamy for chief minister is what they say.

The Election Commission announced that the overall voter turnout across the state stood at 36.5 percent at 1 pm after six hours of polling.

Adding a riot of colours, the EC has set up ethnic polling booths in Mysuru, Chamarajnagar and Uttar Kannada districts, where polling booths match the lifestyle of tribal masses living there. Like in every election, each booth is equipped with facilities such as wheelchairs for the differently-abled so they can exercise their franchise easily.

From all-women managed 'Pink Booths' to the use of third generation Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), the Assembly elections in Karnataka are marked by several firsts . The country's IT hub saw electoral authorities initiate a slew of initiatives targeting a voting percentage of 75.

From 'Pink Booths' to third generation EVMs, EC strives to make Karnataka Assembly polls more voter friendly

As EC aims to score at least 75% poll percentage; Here's a look at voter turnout in the past

According to CNN-News18, a Karnataka school has adopted a unique way to encourage people to vote. The school has said students will get four extra marks if their parents vote and show their inked finger.

Meanwhile, Yeddyurapa said that the Congress party had even bribed voters in its desperation, even as he claimed that the BJP will win over 150 seats.

After casting his vote at Chamundeshwari seat, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence that his party will script history by consecutively forming a second government in Karnataka. When asked that Yeddyurappa has also claimed that he will win with majority, Siddaramaiah quipped, "He's mentally disturbed now, he's dreaming."

In the past too, free dosas in the shape of Kannada letters and requests like 'Nanna matha nanna hakku' (my vote, my right), 'Ellaroo mathadana maadi' (please all of you vote), 'Praja prabhutva bhadrapadisi' (strengthen the democracy) were distributed among voters with an aim to spread awareness about elections.

With less than 40 percent vote count being reported in the state till 1 pm, the business establishment in the state have taken it upon themselves to encourage voters to exercise their franchise. According to News18 , cyber cafes and food joints in Bengaluru are offering attractive discounts to people who exercise their franchise.

However, speaking to India Today, Siddaramaiah said that he will be the chief minister for another term. There have been no comments from the Congress party so far.

The Congress party's official stand on its chief ministerial candidate has been that the party MLAs will elect their leader after the election, even as it fought the election under the chief minister's leadership.

I will become CM for another term, claims Siddaramaiah even as Congress keeps mum

On 6 May, a 4-month pregnant women was murdered at Hunasikatti village of Kittur. Her husband Suresh was arrested. Villagers were urging for the arrest of parents and relatives of Suresh as well. The villagers gathered in large numbers at the polling station and boycotted elections, pressing for their demands. The police are trying to convince them to vote.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he was "very very confident" that the Congress would retain power in the only major southern state it now rules as officials said more than half of the over 5.06-crore electorate had voted till 3 pm.

In a politically crucial Assembly election ahead of next year's Lok Sabha battle, millions voted in Karnataka on Saturday with the ruling Congress as well as the BJP and JD-S claiming they will win hands down.

Majority of the 3500 residents of Chittapur taluk's Tarkaspet village in Kalburagi district are boycotting elections over their demand for Gram Panchayat headquarters for their village.

Congress candidate from Holenarasi[ur, BP Manje Gowda was allegedly attacked by JD(S) workers at Parasanahalli. Gowda said the mob threw stones at his car and his assistant suffered a head injury in the incident .

In Yadgir, electors have shown that the polls takes equal priority to family affairs. Somanna, whose mother Siddhama passed away this morning, turned up at the polling station with his son, Saran to cast his vote.

As per the Model Code of Conduct, various media houses are barred to reveal or discuss the results of any form of exit polls. However, with the polling ending at 6 pm in Karnataka, the results of various state-wide electoral surveys will start coming out. Watch out this space for latest updates.

All eyes on exit polls with half an hour of polling left

The Chief Election Commissioner has clarified that re-polling will take place in a polling station in Lottegollahalli in Hebbal due to malfunctioning of a ballot unit. The re-election is likely to take place on Monday.

Dakshi Kannada exhibited better turnout than rest of Karnataka. Till 5 pm, about 1 hour before the polling closed, about 72.05 percent voters had exercised their franchise. A total of 79.07 percent, the highest number of people, came out to vote in Bantwal.

Exit polls conducted by leading pollsters are divided over the outcome of closely-contested Karnataka elections. While Times Now-VMR and India Today-Axis My India predicted that Congress will be the single-largest party, News Nation and ABP News-Cvoter said that BJP will lead. However, all these polls predicted a hung house. Follow the outcome of all exit poll surveys here .

Majority of the 3500 residents of Chittapur taluk's Tarkaspet village in Kalburagi district are boycotting elections over their demand for Gram Panchayat headquarters for their village.

Congress candidate from Holenarasi[ur, BP Manje Gowda was allegedly attacked by JD(S) workers at Parasanahalli. Gowda said the mob threw stones at his car and his assistant suffered a head injury in the incident .

In Yadgir, electors have shown that the polls takes equal priority to family affairs. Somanna, whose mother Siddhama passed away this morning, turned up at the polling station with his son, Saran to cast his vote.

As per the Model Code of Conduct, various media houses are barred to reveal or discuss the results of any form of exit polls. However, with the polling ending at 6 pm in Karnataka, the results of various state-wide electoral surveys will start coming out. Watch out this space for latest updates.

All eyes on exit polls with half an hour of polling left

The Chief Election Commissioner has clarified that re-polling will take place in a polling station in Lottegollahalli in Hebbal due to malfunctioning of a ballot unit. The re-election is likely to take place on Monday.

The Election Commission said that in all the 164 polling units, 157 control units and 470 VVPATs had mechanical problems and were replaced. The EVM failures were within prescribed limits.

Polling booth No.s 142, 143 & 144 in #Badami 's Tippu Nagar were closed at 6:00 pm. #Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah contested against BJP's Sriramulu from the constituency #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/GTPAFKMVZH

Dakshi Kannada exhibited better turnout than rest of Karnataka. Till 5 pm, about 1 hour before the polling closed, about 72.05 percent voters had exercised their franchise. A total of 79.07 percent, the highest number of people, came out to vote in Bantwal.

Exit polls conducted by leading pollsters are divided over the outcome of closely-contested Karnataka elections. While Times Now-VMR and India Today-Axis My India predicted that Congress will be the single-largest party, News Nation and ABP News-Cvoter said that BJP will lead. However, all these polls predicted a hung house. Follow the outcome of all exit poll surveys here .

Karnataka Assembly Election 2018 LIVE updates: "This Amit Shah is like a comedy show and Narendra Modi's image has drastically declined, his speeches are completely hollow and have made no impact on the voters of Karnataka. Therefore we are not worried," Siddaramaiah said.

The Congress party's official stand on its chief ministerial candidate has been that the party MLAs will elect their leader after the election, even as it fought the election under the chief minister's leadership. However, Siddaramaiah claimed that he will be the chief minister once again.

According to the polling percentage recorded till 1 pm, polling in urban Bengaluru is the lowest at 28 percent, however, constituencies in Dakshina Kannada region recorded good turnout in comparison.

Clashes broke out between Congress and BJP workers outside a polling booth in Hampi Nagar, allegedly after the former thrashed a BJP corporator. Ravindra, Vijayanagar, BJP candidate says, "Our corporator Anand was attacked but police isn't taking any action."

Meanwhile, Bengaluru DCP Ravi Channannavar said, "It is a sensitive polling booth and the clash between BJP and Congress workers happened within 100 metres of the booth. We will investigate and take further action."

About 24 percent polling was recorded within the first four hours after voting began for the fiercely fought Karnataka Assembly polls on Saturday morning. According to state electoral authorities, the highest 31 percent voting was recorded in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts respectively at 11 am while Bengaluru Urban recorded the lowest at 17 percent.

According to The Hindu, Karnataka registered 21.1 percent voter turnout till 11 am. Meanwhile, voting was suspended briefly at booth number 32 in Yadgir city due to technical issues and was later resumed.

Ola and Uber services have been down in the Old Mysore region since Friday. The drivers reportedly went back to their villages to vote in the Karnataka Assembly election, according to The Hindu.

The Election Commission said that the voter turnout stood at 24 percent till 11 am across Karnataka. Meanwhile, Dalit voters in Hemmanahalli village in Maddur taluk in Mandya district decided to stay away from polling. The poor infrastructure facilities at their colony prompted not vote. There are nearly 1,000 voters in the village and of them around 300 of them are Dalits.

As polls continue in Karnataka, Election Commission figures showed that Dakshina Kannada district recorded the highest polling percentage at 16 percent, reported CNN-News18.

The Election Commission said the voter turnout across Karnataka stood at 10.6 percent on Saturday morning till 9.15 am. Voting for the Karnataka Assembly election began at 7 am.

JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda cast his vote at polling booth number 24 in Holenarasipura town in Hassan district on Saturday morning. "We expect a possibility of forming the government, we have done well," he told ANI.

82,157 people have been deployed across Karnataka for poll duty that includes DSPs, home guards and civil defence, and forest guards and watchers, Karnataka DGP Neelamani N Raju told News18. The number also includes about 7,500 personnel from states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtram Chattisgarh, Kerala and Goa.

BJP's chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa cast his vote early in the Shikaripura constituency in Karnataka on Saturday. Meanwhile, a BJP worker was arrested in Hebbal for "threatening voters not to vote before local BJP MLA Narayanaswamy cast his vote, delaying the voting by 10 minutes, according to News18.

EVM malfunction was reported from a booth in Bengaluru's Shivajinagar and at the Lamington School booth in Hubbali, in Karnataka reported News18.

As voters gathered to exercise their franchise across Karnataka on Saturday, reports emerged that voters were facing inconvenience as an EVM in a booth at Bengaluru's Chamarajapete was not working due to power outage after rains on Friday night. The EC said the machine will be replaced.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) will lock horns in the triangular contest on Saturday, with Karnataka voters set to elect a new government.

Polling will be conducted at 222 of the 224 seats with the elections deferred at Jayanagar and Rajrajeshwari Nagar Assembly seats.

The election to the Jayanagar Assembly constituency was postponed following the death of BN Vijay Kumar, MLA and BJP candidate, while polling at RR Nagar seat was deffered following recovery of nearly 10,000 voter I-cards from a flat owned by a BJP leader.

The Election Commission has set up voter information booths at all polling sites and standardised voter information posters are also displayed to help voters use EVMs and find their polling centres easily.

For voters convenience, photograph of the candidates will be affixed on each voting machine. Further, electronically-transmitted postal ballot will be available to all service voters and to those serving in Indian missions aboard.

Voters can check the polling booths allotted to them on the state election commission website, or alternatively voters can also install the Chunavana App, which can be downloaded on Android and iOS devices. Launched by the state election commission, Chunavana app is a handy guide for voters on tracking polling booths, reading up on candidates, contact numbers of officials to lodge complaints etc. The app can also be used to book a wheelchair for physically challenged persons or elderly voters.

The EC has set up 600 all-women run polling booths to push voter percentage among women; five such booths will be present in urban areas while one will be in rural areas. Twenty eight special polling booths bearing an ethnic look have also been set up in the state to encourage primitive and nomadic tribes to vote.

Over 4.96 crore voters, including 2.52 crore men, 2.44 crore women and over 4,500 people who identify themselves as 'transgenders', have registered to vote.

A total of 15.42 lakh voters, aged 18-19, have registered to cast their ballot for the first time.

The voter turnout in the previous Assembly election held in the state in 2013 was 71.45 percent. The poll panel hopes the voting percentage would surpasses 75 per cent in 2018, after it held several voting awareness programmes across the state.

The Election Commission has also decided to continue the pilot phase of Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in this election, in which one polling station will be chosen and checked.

With inputs from agenciesUttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday accused the Congress of misusing its powers in Karnataka and exuded confidence that the BJP would form a government in the southern state with a clear majority.

Gorakhpur: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday accused the Congress of misusing its powers in Karnataka and exuded confidence that the BJP would form a government in the southern state with a clear majority. The chief minister who reached here after receiving the first bus carrying pilgrims from Janakpur in Nepal to Ayodhya, will stay at the Goraknath temple on Saturday night.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli on Wednesday jointly inaugurated a direct bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhya: the two sacred cities for Hindus. About the Karnataka Assembly elections, voting for which was held on Saturday, Adityanath said, "Congress misused its power there. Their ministers were found distributing money openly and they also used other ways to get votes."

"But the people of Karnataka are in full enthusiasm and we got their immense support. We believe that we will win in the state with a massive majority," he said. In what is projected as a tight race, voting was held in 222 out of 224 seats in a three-cornered contest among the ruling Congress, the BJP and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda's JD(S). "Suicide by farmers is the highest in Karnataka... The benefits of government schemes were not reaching the needy. The government there was working with a feeling of political hostility... I feel they will pay for it," Adityanath said.

"I am certain that after witnessing the negative attitude of the Congress government, people there will ensure that the BJP takes over the charge of governance," he said. On a tweet of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav asking the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh to fulfil the promises made by the ruling party for Ayodhya, the chief minister said, "Whatever development work is done in Ayodhya has been done by us."

Adityanath said that due to the efforts of the prime minister, a new era of cordial relations between India and Nepal has begun. "This was the third visit of the prime minister to Nepal... strong relations between the two countries exist from ancient times. PM Modi took this relationship a step forward and started bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhaya," he said.Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday spoke to her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal about the alleged assault on a group of Kashmiris in the national capital

New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday spoke to her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal about the alleged assault on a group of Kashmiris in the national capital.

An official at the Delhi chief minister's office said that during a telephonic conversation, Kejriwal told Mufti that in the national capital, law and order, and police directly come under Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Kejriwal assured Mufti that he would convey her concern to the Union Home Minister.

The Delhi chief minister told her that he would write to Lt Governor Anil Baijal, who is in-charge of police, to ensure safety of Kashmiris in Delhi.

However, sources in the CMO expressed "surprise" at the phone call, saying Mufti's PDP is an ally of the BJP, and hence, she should have directly conveyed her concern to Singh.

A group of Kashmiri people was allegedly thrashed by a mob in southeast Delhi's Sunlight Colony on Thursday, following which police launched a probe.

The victims, including four women, were allegedly surrounded and beaten up by a mob of 30-40 people.

The victims alleged that they were targeted because they were Kashmiris.The Kerala Congress on Saturday said mere arrest of some police officers and suspension of Ernakulam superintendent of police (rural) AV George over the custodial death of a 26-year-old youth is not adequate.

Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi: The Kerala Congress on Saturday said mere arrest of some police officers and suspension of Ernakulam superintendent of police (rural) AV George over the custodial death of a 26-year-old youth is not adequate.

Earlier, a sub-inspector and three others were arrested in connection with the death of Sreejith in police custody, while George was put under suspension on Friday. It all began with 56-year-old Vasudevan hanging himself after being threatened by a group of men at his house in early April. A special police squad took Sreejith, father of a two-year-old, and nine others into custody on 7 April and charged them with abetment to suicide and rioting. Subsequently, Sreejith was taken to a hospital where he died on 9 April.

The Congress-led Opposition was up in arms over the youth's death, alleging that the government and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who also holds the home portfolio, were shielding George. "Things are now clear that George was being shielded by Vijayan and the CPM, as he was acting on behalf of a section of the party leaders. So, just his suspension won't do, he should be charged with murder," Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala told reporters here.

Sreejith's mother told the media on Saturday that the conspiracy to arrest Sreejith was hatched at the behest of a local CPM leader and that a meeting was held to decide who all should be arrested for barging into the house of Vasudevan. No sooner had she made this statement, reports came that a local CPM leader near Sreejith's home was called in by the police probe team, questioned and his statement taken.

Chennithala said that the role of CPM leaders in Kochi must also be probed. George had been in news previously, as he was involved in the arrest of PDP leader Abdul Nasir Maudany a few years back, probed the actress kidnap case, which led to the arrest of superstar Dileep and a few other high profile cases. Meanwhile, according to informed sources, state police chief Loknath Behra has submitted the report of the police probe team led by Inspector General of Police S. Sreejith to Vijayan.Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has told his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, that Nepal's territory will not be used against New Delhi's interests, Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said

Kathmandu: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has told his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, that Nepal's territory will not be used against New Delhi's interests, Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said in Kathmandu on Saturday.

"Oli reiterated that they will be sensitive to our concerns and their territory will not be allowed to be used by anybody against India. Prime minister Modi reciprocated the sentiments," Gokhale told the media.

Gokhale called Oli's view "very significant".

There was a chill in India-Nepal ties during Oli's earlier stint as prime minister between October 2015 and August 2016 when a border blockade blamed on New Delhi crippled Nepal's economy.

There were also perceptions that Oli was leaning towards China than India.

Gokhale said that Modi's two-day visit to Nepal was aimed to strengthen bilateral relations "whether it be cross-border electricity or cross-border connectivity".

"We are looking into cross-border electricity and cross-border connectivity not only with Nepal but other neighbouring countries as well," he said.

After assuming office in February, Oli made his first foreign visit to India in April.

Stating that India welcomed the restoration of democracy in Nepal, Gokhale said that both the government and the opposition in the Himalayan nation were parties to it.

He said both sides agreed to be committed towards the stated projects. "We will address this within a set timeline."

According to Gokhale, Oli confirmed to Modi that Nepal will host the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit this year.

BIMSTEC comprises seven countries lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal  Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Gokhale also said that Modi's visits to cultural sites in Nepal "suggested that there should be strong people-to-people ties".

Apart from offering prayers at temples in Nepal, the Indian leader inaugurated the Janakpur-Ayodhya bus service, a 900 MW hydropower project and announced Rs 100-crore aid to develop Janakpur city.

He also held extensive discussions with Oli, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and other government officials to better bilateral ties after which he said: "All misunderstandings with Nepal are over."

Modi also met leaders of Opposition parties, starting with former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other members of the Nepali Congress.

He exchanged views on strengthening bilateral ties with former prime minister and chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda".Ten people were killed and 32 injured when a tempo and a tanker collided on the Latur-Mukhed road in Maharashtra's Nanded district, around 580 kilometres from Mumbai, police said

Mumbai: Ten people were on Saturday killed and 32 injured when a tempo and a tanker collided on the Latur-Mukhed road in Maharashtra's Nanded district, around 580 kilometres from Mumbai, police said.

The incident happened on Saturday morning at Jamb village in Nanded when a fuel tanker collided with a tempo carrying people to a marriage ceremony, SB Choube, Senior Police Inspector of Mukhed told PTI.

Among the dead were eight women, and of the 32 injured, 10 persons were critical, the official said.

The injured have been admitted to hospitals in Mukhed and Latur district, he said.

Police said that those dead and injured were passengers travelling in the tempo.

Latur deputy superintendent of police Ganesh Kindre said that the people in the tempo hailed from Kharosa village in Latur's Ausa tehsil.Describing his two-day Nepal visit as 'historic', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the talks with Nepalese counterpart KP Sharma Oli were 'productive'.

Kathmandu: Describing his two-day Nepal visit as "historic", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the talks with Nepalese counterpart KP Sharma Oli were "productive" and his trip has added new vigour to India-Nepal ties.

"My Nepal visit was historic. It gave me a great opportunity to connect with the wonderful people of Nepal," Modi tweeted at the end of his third trip to Nepal since assuming office in 2014.

Stating that his talks with Prime Minister Oli were "productive", Modi said his trip has added new vigour to India-Nepal relations. "...I reiterated India's strong support to Nepal as they pursue their development agenda...," Modi said.

My Nepal visit was historic. It gave me a great opportunity to connect with the wonderful people of Nepal. Talks with PM Oli were productive. New vigour has been added to India-Nepal relations through this visit. Gratitude to the people and Government of Nepal for their warmth. pic.twitter.com/ZLE5TMX4nI  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 12, 2018

A joint statement issued on Saturday said the two prime ministers agreed to maintain the momentum generated by the visit by taking effective measures for the implementation of all the agreements and understandings reached in the past.

They also agreed that effective implementation of the bilateral initiatives in agriculture, railway linkages and inland waterways development, as agreed upon by the two sides during the recent visit of Prime Minister Oli to India, would have a transformational impact in these areas, it said.

The two leaders reiterated their resolve to work together to take bilateral relations to newer heights by strengthening ongoing cooperation in diverse spheres as well as expanding partnership for socio-economic development on the basis of the principles of equality, mutual trust, respect and mutual benefit, the statement said.

They emphasised the need for a regular convening of bilateral mechanisms, including Nepal-India Joint Commission at foreign/external affairs ministers level, to review the overall state of bilateral relations, and for the expeditious implementation of the economic and development cooperation projects.

They welcomed the outcome of the recently held Inter-Governmental Committee meeting on Trade, Transit and Cooperation to control unauthorised trade to jointly initiate a comprehensive review of the bilateral Treaty of Trade, and to consider amendments to the Treaty of Transit and related agreements with a view to further facilitating Nepal's access to the Indian market, enhancing overall bilateral trade, and facilitating Nepal's transit trade, the statement said.

The two leaders agreed to take further steps to enhance the economic and physical connectivity by air, land, and water. They also directed their officials to expand cooperation in civil aviation sector, including early technical discussion on additional air entry routes to Nepal by respective technical teams.

They reiterated the importance of advancing cooperation in water resources for mutual benefit in areas such as river training works, inundation and flood management, irrigation, and to enhance pace of implementation of ongoing bilateral projects. They also expressed satisfaction over constitution of the joint team, which will visit areas affected by inundation and floods and consider appropriate measures for sustainable solution.

The two prime ministers also agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in power sector in line with the bilateral Power Trade Agreement.

They also directed their officials to address outstanding matters by September 2018, with the objective of advancing cooperation in all areas.

The two leaders underscored the importance of regional and sub-regional cooperation under BIMSTEC, SAARC, and BBIN frameworks for forging meaningful cooperation in identified sectors. Prime Minister Modi extended an invitation to Oli to pay a visit to India. Oli accepted the invitation; dates will be finalised through diplomatic channels.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said all misunderstandings with Nepal are over and the bilateral ties are heading to a new high

Kathmandu: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said all misunderstandings with Nepal are over and the bilateral ties are heading to a new high.

Stressing that the recent election and its outcome would be written in golden words in Nepal's history, the Indian prime minister said ties between India and Nepal are special and "I am visiting at a special time".

He made the remarks after the delegation-level talks with his Nepali counterpart KP Oli.

"India stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of Nepal. India-Nepal ties are above inter-governmental relations. It is more like a family," said Modi.

"I, the Indian government and the Indian people heartily felicitate the Nepali people for the progress made under federal democratic setup."

In a bid to reach out to the new communist government in Nepal, Modi held extensive discussion with his counterpart and senior government officials to better the bilateral ties that is all set to reset after New Delhi's repeated attempt to cultivate Oli-led government in Nepal in the recent months.

After the talks, Modi and Oli categorically reached some understandings.

Meeting Oli twice in less than two months, Modi assured him that all genuine and necessary grievances of Nepal would be addressed in a time-bound manner.

In this respect, Nepal and India have reached half dozen major understandings during the two-day state visit of Modi that is expected to give momentum in bilateral ties in future.

However, India remained silent on exchanging banned Indian notes parked in various financial and banking institutions and held by general people, and on Nepal's request to add four additional air routes via India.

Modi and Oli held one-one-one and delegation-level talks where both sides agreed to resolve outstanding issues before September 19 that marks Nepal's Constitution Day.

India is ready to partner with Nepal for cross border connectivity and agreed to commence survey to link Kathmandu with the Indian Railways' survey soon.

A team of India experts will begin the survey for the feasibility of the rail linkages and India is also sending a team of experts to conduct feasibility survey for inland water navigation from Nepal to India.

"We are connected with Nepal through rail, water, transmission line, petroleum pipeline," Modi told the media.

He also announced a gift of India-made indigenous radiotherapy machine for Bhaktapur-based cancer hospital.

Both sides also agreed to dispatch a joint technical team to resolve the recurrent inundation problem along the Nepal-India border.

Both prime ministers agreed on expansion on cooperation in agriculture. The first meeting of agriculture ministers from Nepal and India would be held soon to chart out a roadmap on agriculture research and development, education and organic farming.

The two leaders also agreed for an early meeting for the construction of 46,00mw Pancheshwor Multipurpose Project jointly by India and Nepal.

"We have evaluated the partnership between Nepal and India. Some of the projects have gained progress and some are in the process of achieving good progress. We have agreed to review compherensively the trade and transit treaty," said Modi.

"We are connecting through waterways, railways, roadways, transmission line and oil line, and will cooperate in areas of security and defense."

The much-awaited 900-megawatt Arun III Hydropower Project was inaugurated amidst a joint press conference organised at Battisputali-based Hotel Dwarika's in the Capital.

The Investment Board Nepal (IBN) on Thursday had granted an electricity generation licence to SJVN Arun III Power Development Company to generate power from the Arun III project located in eastern Nepal.

Earlier, in the day Modi was conferred with the guard of honor at a ceremonial function at Nepal Army Pavilion. The Nepal Army cannon offered a 21-gun salute in the honor of Indian prime minister.Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday prayed at Nepal's iconic Muktinath temple that is regarded sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists

Kathmandu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday prayed at Nepal's iconic Muktinath temple that is regarded sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists, becoming the first world leader to offer prayers there.

Modi wore a Buddhist traditional red dress and carried out rituals both according to the Hindu and Buddhist tradition. After praying, he also greeted and interacted with people waiting at the temple premises.

Better connectivity leads to enhanced India-Nepal friendship. That is why topmost priority is being given to boosting connectivity. pic.twitter.com/qtotpU21nV  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 11, 2018

Modi will be the first foreign guest to pay homage at the main sanctum of Muktinath temple when he offers his prayers on Saturday, Nepal prime minister KP Sharma Oli said on Thursday.

High security alert has been maintained in Mustang in view of Modi's visit. The local administration had put in place a special security plan to make Modi's visit safe and systematic.

Muktinath Temple is regarded as sacred place for both Hindus and Buddhists located in Muktinath Valley. The temple at an altitude of 3,710 metres at the foot of the Thorong La pass in mountainous Mustang district.India is ready to be the 'Sherpa' to help Nepal scale the mountain of success, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, hailing the Himalayan nation's successful journey from bullets to ballots

Kathmandu: India is ready to be the 'sherpa' to help Nepal scale the mountain of success, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, hailing the Himalayan nation's successful journey from bullets to ballots.

Addressing a civic reception programme to honour him in Kathmandu, Modi stressed on the special relations shared by the two neighbours and admired Nepal's spirit of resilience and commitment towards democracy.

"Nepal has covered a long journey from yuddh to buddh (war to peace). You have left the bullet to opt the ballot way...But this is not the destination. You have to go a long way," Modi told the gathering.

"You have reached the base camp of the Mount Everest and the main climb is yet to be done. And the way mountaineers are strongly helped by sherpas to scale the summit, much the same way India is ready to work as the sherpa for Nepal," he said, amid applause.

Prime minister Modi said India stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Nepal in its development journey. 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' is as much about global well being as it's about India's growth, he added.

"India has always worked for global good. India has taken the lead in mitigating the menace of climate change. The International Solar Alliance has brought together nations from across the world," he said.

Describing Kathmandu as a mixture of the ancient and the modern era, Modi said the city showcases the culture of Nepal.

"There is something unique about the beauty of Kathmandu," he said.

"Nepal is a country of diversity and Kathmandu is a world in its own," Modi said. "The diversity gives fresh air to any outsider."

Modi also expressed his desire to travel to Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha in his future visit.

"During my previous visits, I prayed at Pashupatinath. This time, in addition to Pashupatinath, I went to Janakpur and Muktinath. These places illustrate close ties between our nations," he said.

He repeated 'Nepal Bhaarat Maitri Amar Rahos (Long live Nepal-India Friendship)' thrice at the end of his speech.

Earlier, Kathmandu Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya presented symbolic key of the city to Modi, which symbolises that the door to Kathmandu would always remain open to him.

Modi was also presented with various memoir tokens including a 55-kg Lord Buddha statue.

Delivering the welcome speech at the function, Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said the relations between Nepal and India will continue to deepen and widen in the coming days.There is consensus not only among the students, teachers and the administration of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) but also locals that, contrary to the perception created by media reports, the recent controversy and violence around the 143-year-old varsity has little to do with the portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Aligarh: There is consensus not only among the students, teachers and the administration of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) but also locals that, contrary to the perception created by media reports, the recent controversy and violence around the 143-year-old varsity has little to do with the portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. And there is more to it than what meets the eye.

One of the reasons behind this widespread scepticism is the fact that the man who stirred the controversy  BJP Lok Sabha MP from Aligarh Satish Gautam  had been a member of the AMU court between 2014 and 2017. Why didn't he raise the issue earlier, and how come his letter flagging the issue was leaked to the media even before it reached the vice-chancellor office, ask those in the AMU community.

Of the "real purpose" behind the attack on the varsity by Hindutva activists, however, there are diverse views. While some insist on linking the entire episode with the ongoing Karnataka Assembly elections, the others see it as a "diversionary tactic" by supporters of the BJP government at the Centre and state to hide its "failures".

Still, others feel that it had something to do with former vice-president Hamid Ansari's visit to the university.

Those with an academic bent of mind portray the incident as an attack not just on AMU but on all institutions of higher learning in the country and their pluralist ethos. They point to a pattern in the attacks and urge one to look at "the larger picture".

While the students have been openly questioning the local administration and the police's impartiality, some of the teachers feel the university administration could have handled the portrait controversy "in a better way".

The varsity administration, however, avers that it did everything "that needed to be done" on the first day itself and has been doing its best to "maintain peace on the campus so that that academics does not suffer and students' future is not jeopardised in any way".

The controversy started with a letter written by MP Gautam to the AMU vice-chancellor on 30 April in which he questioned the presence of a portrait of Jinnah  Pakistan's founder  in the AMU Students Union (AMUSU) office.

On 2 May, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy is said to have tweeted: "Somebody needs to teach AMU a lesson. Who will do it?", with a link to an article with the same heading.

On 2 May, former vice-president M Hamid Ansari was scheduled to visit the AMU at the invitation of the AMUSU that was to confer its lifetime membership  an honour also bestowed on Jinnah in 1938 and which explains the presence of his portrait there  on the former vice-president and a former vice-chancellor of the university.

The next day, on 3 May, Ansari was to deliver a lecture on pluralism in the Kennedy Hall at the varsity and in the evening attend a dinner hosted by the AMUSU. His schedule had been conveyed to the Aligarh administration in advance by Ansari's office as per protocol.

Ansari reached the university on 2 May at the scheduled time, that is, 1 pm, and was lodged at the AMU guest house which is near the Baab-e-Syed gate of the university.

A little later, a group of men, owing allegiance to the Hindu Yuva Vahini, an outfit founded and patronised by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, started creating a ruckus near the administrative block of the university by raising objectionable slogans. The AMU security confronted them and handed them over to the Civil Lines police.

As per the statement given by the AMU proctor's office to the police, the men returned barely half an hour later with more people  around 25-30 men, some of them wielding pistols, lathis and stones  and shouting expletives and objectionable slogans against the AMU, tried to barge into the university through Baab-e-Syed.

"First the persons handed over to the police were let off easily. Then the miscreants were allowed to come near Baab-e-Syed at a time when a former vice-president of India was in the university guest house which is less than 100 metres away from Baab-e-Syed. Then the students going to lodge the FIR against all this were brutally beaten up by the police and Rapid Action Force. How could there be so many lapses on the part of the administration within a few hours," AMU Teachers'Association (AMUTA) President professor Hamid Ali asked while speaking to IANS.

Several students were badly injured in the police assault and had to be hospitalised.

Ansari cut short his two-day programme and returned to Delhi soon after the incident as the local administration expressed its inability to provide him security cover. Last year, there was an attempt to poison the drinking water tank of a madrasa in the town run by Ansari's wife, Salma Ansari.

AMUSU president Mashkoor Ahmed Usmani said that neither is the controversy about Jinnah's portrait nor is the students' protest.

"Jinnah's djinn will disappear again after Karnataka elections. Our protest is not about him or his portrait because the portrait has been there long before us. We are protesting against the use of brutal force against the students who were moving peacefully. We are also demanding a judicial probe into the entire incident and quashing of FIR against the unknown students of AMU," Usmani told IANS.

"But a section of the media is portraying our protest as if we are supporters of Jinnah. We are not. His portrait is there since 1938, along with many others who were conferred with the lifetime membership of the AMUSU," he added.

The students are also nursing a resentment against the university administration which, they think, "failed to rise to the occasion".

Nevertheless, vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor did visit on Tuesday the dharna site  where students were preparing for the final exams commencing from Saturday  to "express solidarity with the genuine demands of the students".

"I share our students' pain and have endorsed the demand for judicial inquiry and conveyed the sentiments of the AMU fraternity to all concerned," Mansoor said in a statement on Tuesday.

University Public Relations Officer (PRO) Omar Peerzada said that the administration had no objection to the students' protest as this was being done "in a peaceful, democratic way inside the campus".

Of the students and teachers unions raising questions on the impartiality of the local administration, Peerzada said the AMUSU and AMUTA were independent bodies and were "entitled to their views".

"On our part, we have very good relations with the local administration as well as the Union HRD Ministry and we have had their full support so far," Peerzada told IANS.

Meanwhile, it is business as usual in the rest of the town even as armed police surrounds the campus of the historic and multi-faceted university that has a long list of distinguished alumni who have made their names in politics, armed forces, civil service, sciences and academia. Incidentally, the university was ranked No 1 in the country this year in official rankings.The losses that the 1998 Pokhran-II nuclear tests caused to India and its economy have never been discussed. And as the lack of celebrations on the 20th-anniversary of the nuclear tests show, India has moved on as if nothing happened.

On 11 and 13 May 1998, India conducted five nuclear explosions in the Pokhran range in Rajasthan. This came 24 years after 1974 when India conducted its first nuclear test, also in Pokhran. Indira Gandhi had then violated the terms under which nuclear technology was imported from Canada and India faced sanctions.

India's first nuclear test came in a period which was decidedly unstable. China had become a nuclear power 10 years before that, becoming the last of the five veto holders in the United Nations to get an atom bomb. It was also a period during which much of the world was at war. The United States was finishing a bloody conflict in Vietnam and the then Soviet Unions invasion of Afghanistan was a few years down the line.

The 70s, nevertheless, were less predictable and conflicts were more common. During the Korean war, Americas top general MacArthur had threatened nuclear strikes against China and North Korea so casually that even the Americans were alarmed. This was the background to Indiras tests, 48 years ago.

Under Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1998, there was no such compulsion. This was the period after the cold war had ended. The Soviet Union had collapsed, and India was on the cusp of information technology revolution. It became clear during this period that Bengaluru would lead India to a brave new services-led economic future.

It was a period when the economic rise of nations like Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea and the other Asian tigers proved that power lay in wealth and not weaponry. North Korea, which was a big military power but with millions of impoverished citizens, only proved this further.

India did not have any debate over the tests in 1998. The Vajpayee government, in fact, wanted to test nuclear weapons during its first 13-day government, but an alarmed bureaucracy had said it could not agree to this. This shows how casually the tests were taken.

There were celebrations, including firecrackers and sweets, which ensured that there was no debate after the tests either and certain basic questions were neither asked nor answered. Twenty years later, when the emotion has gone and the issue is now boring, let us look at those questions:

First, did the tests make India a nuclear power? The answer is no. Indira and India were punished by the world after 1974, denying us access to nuclear technology, precisely because India had violated the earlier terms by weaponising India's nuclear programme. The 1998 tests repeated that.

Second, did it make India safer? The answer is no. One year after Pokhran-II, in May 1999, Pakistan provoked a war in Kargil, in which India lost 500 soldiers. Ten years after that the country had the attack in Mumbai. The most violent phase of the conflict in Kashmir was actually after Pokhran-II, in 2001, when 4,500 people died.

Third, did it improve India's nuclear technology? The answer here is also no. The Manmohan Singh government made a deal with the United States, but it has not got anywhere.

Fourth, did it raise Indias status? The answer is no. India has long insisted it should be a member of the Security Council. The nuclear tests did not help the country get there. Most likely it harmed New Delhi. Narendra Modi decided India should be a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, but that has not got anywhere either.

Fifth, did the 1998 tests help India produce more electricity because of nuclear technology? The answer is no. Indias focus today has become solar rather than nuclear.

Sixth, did it alter the power dynamics of the South Asia region? The answer is again no. Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in Balochistans Chagai region only two weeks after Pokhran-II, and today there is a nuclear stalemate in the subcontinent. We can no longer use our conventional superiority for fear that the conflict will escalate. China has pushed its economic initiative strongly in the Indian subcontinent and today New Delhi's concern is not China's military might but its ability to take away all of India's options.

Today Pakistan is actually ahead in terms of the number of nuclear devices that it has produced, according to many sources. It is indisputable that it is our action of 1998 that drove Islamabad to it. These were the questions we should have asked ourselves, but did not, in 1998. Any mature society, and particularly a democracy, should have debated a move that will have such far-reaching consequences. We treated it like setting off a firecracker.

Knowing all this, would India have still gone ahead with the nuclear tests? I will leave it for the reader to decide. I cannot figure out a single benefit that the tests gave us. I will, however, point to one significant loss. The 1998-1999 was the only year in the last quarter century that India had net-negative foreign investment.

Foreign money ran away from India that year because capital is a coward and does not like the uncertainty of the sort produced by such casual treatment of a destructive technology. The loss to India and its economy from this has never been discussed. And as the lack of celebrations on the 20th-anniversary of the nuclear tests show, India has moved on as if nothing happened.cIn what appears to be a case of poor choice of words, a Class VIII reference book described freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak as the 'Father of Terrorism'

Jaipur: In what appears to be a case of poor choice of words, a Class VIII reference book described freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak as the "Father of Terrorism".

Printed by a Matura-based publisher, the book is used by private English-medium schools affiliated to the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE).

The Rajasthan State Textbook Board publishes books in Hindi, leaving students no other option but to use reference books.

Tilak demonstrated a path towards national movement, therefore, he is called as the father of terrorism, reads page 267 of chapter 22 of the book.

The description is part of sub-topic "Incidents of National Movement during 18th and 19th century".

"Tilak clearly believed that we cannot achieve anything just by pleading the British officers. Through Shivaji and Ganpati festivals, Tilak aroused unique awareness in the country. He instilled the mantra of freedom among the masses, due to which he became a thorn in the eyes of the British," the book reads.

Officials at the Student Advisor Publication Private Limited, which publishes the book, said the mistake had been rectified in the revised edition.

The translators made the mistake. It had come to our notice and was corrected in the revised edition last month. The first edition was published last year, Rajpal Singh, a production official at the publisher's office, told PTI.

Dr RS Khangarot, professor of history in Agrawal PG College, Jaipur, said Tilak awakened the people of the country during the Home Rule movement in 1916.

Such a mistake in books is unacceptable, even if it was an error in translation, he said.

Retired professor of history, Rajasthan University, BL Gupta said British author Ignatius Valentine Chirol had described Tilak as "the father of Indian unrest".

"It is derogatory to call Tilak the father of terrorism," he said.A woman can lodge a complaint under the domestic violence law against the excesses committed by her ex-husband even after the dissolution of marriage, the Supreme Court has said

New Delhi: A woman can lodge a complaint under the domestic violence law against the excesses committed by her ex-husband even after the dissolution of marriage, the Supreme Court has said.

The top court refused to interfere with the order of the Rajasthan High Court which held that the absence of subsisting domestic relationship in no manner prevents a court from granting relief to the aggrieved woman.

The high court had passed the order while adjudicating a matrimonial dispute.

A bench of justices Ranjan Gogoi, R Banumathi and Navin Sinha dismissed the appeal against the high court verdict, saying it was not inclined to interfere with the order in the facts of the case.

During the hearing, advocate Dushyant Parashar, appearing for the estranged husband, said that the provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, which came into force on 26 October, 2006, could not be applied retrospectively.

He submitted that if the provisions of the domestic violence law were allowed to be used retrospectively, then it would be subjected to gross misuse.

Parashar contended that husband-wife relationship often ends on an acrimonious note and if the provisions of the act were allowed to be used retrospectively, then it would further increase the acrimony and rule out the possibility of any compromise.

He said that legislature's purposive interpretation has to be kept in mind while interpreting any provisions of the law.

The bench, however, refused to agree with the contention of Parashar and declined to interfere with the high court order in the facts of the case.

The high court had held on 30 October, 2013 that the subsistence of marriage or domestic relationship was not a condition precedent for an aggrieved person to invoke the protection orders and other reliefs under the provisions of the act.

"If the aggrieved person had been in a domestic relationship at any point of time even prior to coming into the force of the act and was subjected to domestic violence, the person is entitled to invoke the remedial measures provided under the act," it had said.

The high court had said cited an example saying that even after the dissolution of marriage between the parties, if an ex-husband attempts to commit an act of violence such as entering the place of employment of the divorced wife, trying to establish contact with her or causing violence to her dependents or other relatives, she is not precluded from seeking protection orders under the law.

It had said that likewise, if the divorced husband attempts to dispossess the woman from the shared household or property jointly owned, she can approach a court for appropriate relief.Tamil Nadu was in a state of panic on Friday after unfounded messages circulating on WhatsApp, asking people to not trust immigrants as they are part of a child trafficking group, went viral.

Tamil Nadu was in a state of panic on Friday after unfounded messages circulating on WhatsApp, asking people to not trust immigrants as they are part of a child trafficking group, went viral. Reportedly, two people have lost their lives in less than 24 hours, after being suspected of being child traffickers.

In the first case, a mob beat a man to death and hung him from a bridge in Pulicat on Wednesday on the suspicion that he was a child trafficker. Police launched an investigation and secured at least 20 people who were part of the mob. Preliminary enquiry revealed that the mob attacked the man as they thought he was a North Indian and had entered their area to kidnap children, said the police.

In the other case, a 63-year-old woman Rukmani was lynched by a group of villagers in the Tiruvannamalai district while she was travelling to the suburbs of Tiruvannamalai with her relatives to pay a visit to her family deity. Four of her relatives also suffered injuries and are undergoing treatment at a hospital. Police officials have rounded up at least 30 people and have charged them with murder.

Another man named Sanjay, a migrant from North India, was tied to an electric pole and thrashed brutally. Upon investigation, police found out that he too was a victim of the paranoia.

SP Pagalavan, superintendent of police, Vellore, told CNN-News 18, People fear that their children may be kidnapped and to make them believe that such WhatsApp messages are false, we have formed police teams and are travelling to villages and asking people to not believe in false messages.

In the Tiruvallur district, a transgender person was attacked by locals merely on suspicion for being a child trafficker. Near the Andhra border, many districts have witnessed brutal attacks on northern immigrants for suspected anti-social activity.

Sreedhar, inspector-general of police, South Zone said, Without any evidence, people spread WhatsApp messages. Not all WhatsApp messages are true. People should not believe such forwards and take law in their own hands.

The police, meanwhile, has recognised the alarming effect of these messages on the general public and awareness drives are being organised across the state.

According to a report by The News Minute, in Vellore, Pagalavan has dispatched autorickshaws with speakers to announce messages to the public and a similar method has been adopted in Kancheepuram too. Police officers travel in these autos, asking people to not panic and turn violent if they suspect that someone could be a child abductor.One of the reasons for the conversion is the clash between Thakurs and Dalits that took place in Shabbirpur village, when Dalit homes were set on fire, while Thakurs had also used abusive language against Ambedkar

Babasaheb Ambedkar, having seen the plight of Dalits, had resolved not to die adherent to the religion of his birth. In 1950, he authored an article titled 'Buddha and his Religion', in which he wrote, "If the new world is to be different from the old world, then there should be more religion in the new world."

On 14 October, 1956, Ambedkar converted to Buddhism, but before doing so, he closely grasped the nuances of the Hindu religion.

The new world has become even more different for Dalits who are following Ambedkar's path today, and there is a need for them to move a different faith. It is to understand why they have chosen to do so that Firstpost travelled to Naiamu village in western Uttar Pradeshs Muzaffarnagar district.

Located in the Charthawal tehsil, about 25 kilometres from Muzaffarnagar, Naiamu has a population of around 7,000 people, of whom nearly 3,500 are Muslim and 2,000 are Dalit. There is road connectivity but the road is in bad shape. The day Firstpost hit ground zero, water from the drains had spilled over onto the streets. The doorway to the only primary school had a heap of filth on it.

In front of a small house was a group of people, both old and young, who were eager to talk about their day-to-day frustrations. More than the municipal neglect was a greater problem: The discrimination they faced. Almost all Dalits here had converted to Buddhism in June 2017. Prior to their conversion, they confessed to have submitted appeals and memorandums to the Charthawal Police Thana and other authorities, but alleged that no one came forth to understand their grievances, or even attempt to resolve them.

In June 2017, they stated that Buddhist organisations (they failed to recall their names) had come from Hardwar and organised a conversion programme at the Guru Ravidas Temple, and on that occasion, nearly 800 Dalits had renounced the Hindu faith and adopted Buddhism. A certificate to the effect had also been awarded to each of the new converts.

Now these people do not wish to be regarded as Hindus. They have added 'Boudh' before their names to publicise their new faith. What's not clear, however, is if the conversion took place due to social discrimination alone or there are other factors underlying their action.

With some prodding, it emerged that one of the reasons for the conversion is the clash between Thakurs and Dalits that took place in Shabbirpur village, and that injustice was done to the Dalits at that time. According to Naresh Baudh, Dalit homes had been set on fire during the riots, while the Thakurs had also used abusive language against Ambedkar, while figures of Ravidasji had been desecrated, which is why they converted to Buddhism in frustration.

Shabbirpur village, where the rioting took place on 5 May, 2017, is located in the adjoining Saharanpur district. Villagers mention that these Dalits had participated in a meeting held at Saharanpur on 9 May that was convened by Chandrashekhar Ravan, the founder of the Bhim Army. Though the meeting was progressing in a peaceful manner, the police resorted to a lathi charge followed by stoning that caused anger among the Dalits. In retaliation, they decided to convert.

Dalit youth Deepak Kumar Baudh said there is no concept of untouchability among Muslims, a scourge prevalent only among Hindus. He said that if he or any of his relatives were to visit upper caste homes, tea wold be served separately to them. His elders tolerated such discrimination, but it's beyond people like him to do so. He said Ambedkar had shown them the path they were now following.

A similar streak of anger at social discrimination had led to some Dalits of Naiamu converting to Buddhism even back in 2004. Another Dalit youth, Vinay Kumar Baudh, revealed that whenever there is a dispute between Hindus and Muslims, the upper caste Hindus call Dalits their 'Hindu brothers', but on occasions when there isn't need for them, they indulge in discrimination.

The Dalits here believe that Muslims, who do not practice any untouchability, are in fact better people for them. When asked as to whether the conversion had resolved their problems, a silence prevailed for a while after which Vinay Baudh remarked that since there was no discrimination in Buddhism, they are all equals now.

There is an influence of the Bhim Army among the villagers here, and on social issues, Dalits stand alongside the Bhim Army. Even for the Bharat Bandh on 2 April, Dalits participated in peaceful protests. There is a school being run in the village under the aegis of the Bhim Army, though it is not referred to as 'Bhim Pathshala'.

The Dalits of Naiamu state that neither have they received the benefits of various Dalit welfare schemes, nor has any leader visited this village under the BJP's 'Grasm Swaraj Yojana'. They also say no BSP leader has come here, not even for the conversion ceremony. A reason for other leaders not coming here, they feel, is that it is generally taken for granted that Dalits are all committed BSP voters, although it was conceded that votes were cast in favour of Modi during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

A few days ago, news that BSP would visit the Dalit community and organise a chaupal (community gathering) made the rounds, but there has been no such event till now. Gulbir, a local doctor associated with the BSP, told Firstpost that there would be no chaupal exclusively for the Dalits, but for all backward and forward communities, who would all be made to understand the atrocities being committed against Dalits.

There is currently much anguish among the Dalits of these backward regions of Muzaffarnagar, who find themselves entangled in the politics of the times, sometimes struggling to find their footing within their own faith and sometimes trying to walk away from their own faith.Yogi Adityanath on Saturday received the first batch of pilgrims who arrived in the newly-launched bus service between Nepal and India from Janakpur to Ayodhya.

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday received the first batch of pilgrims who arrived in the newly-launched bus service between Nepal and India from Janakpur to Ayodhya.

He offered saffron scarves to the male passengers, while state tourism minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi welcomed the women. The passengers were also offered boxes of sweets.

Ayodhya: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath received the first bus of Indo-Nepal bus service from Janakpur to Ayodhya. The service was inaugurated by PM Modi in Nepal's Janakpur, yesterday. pic.twitter.com/8e7RJQhsCs  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 12, 2018

The reception gate was decked with flowers and many religious tableaus were present as drums played to receive the debut passengers of the cross-border bus service linking the two nations as part of the "Ramayan Circuit", inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepali counterpart KP Sharma Oli on Friday.

Adityanath also unveiled a special stamp published by the Indian Postal Department to commemorate the 'Deep Diwali' held by the state BJP government in 2016 on Diwali on the banks of the river Saryu in Ayodhya.

People from the temple town were excited about the event and were seen jostling with each other outside the 'Ram Katha' Park to receive and mingle with the guests who arrived.

Nepalese pilgrims who took this bus service from Janakpur, the birth place of Sita, expressed their happiness at taking the first journey to the land of Ram and said the 520-kilometre trip was comfortable.

The bus entered from Gorakhpur and travelled along the Sant Kabeernagar highway after which it was received by district and police officials and escorted to Ayodhya.The Gurusaday Museum  which opened in 1963 and is housed in a sprawling building in Joka on the fringes of the city amidst a mango orchard now heavy with fruit  is facing its darkest hour

For most people in Kolkata, Gurusaday Dutt is just the name of a street curving through an upscale leafy neighbourhood in the city. Few know that the civil servant it is named after bequeathed the city a treasure trove of folk art  intricate blankets or kanthas, patachitra scrolls, 17th century terracotta figures. Even fewer know that the museum  which opened in 1963 and is housed in a sprawling building in Joka on the fringes of the city amidst a mango orchard now heavy with fruit  is facing its darkest hour. Last year, the Ministry of Textiles which had supported it, stopped its funding and demanded that it be self-sufficient.

I am completely nonplussed, says Dr Bijan Mondal, the executive secretary of the Gurusaday Museum. Its like your father fed you for years and suddenly says, 'now leave tomorrow'. Even to fundraise, we need funds first. We havent paid the staff salaries for more than six months.

If theres a silver lining to this doomsday scenario, it is that in its moment of crisis, the museum has suddenly been rediscovered. Theres a citizens effort to try and save it. Bappaditya Biswas, creative partner at Byloom, a boutique well-known for helping revive Indias handloom sari traditions with a contemporary flair, discovered the museum when a Canadian client told him about it. Now he regularly brings foreign visitors to it. In some ways its more fascinating than the Indian Museum. You see the kanthas, the moulds they used to make sweets, he says. It gives a glimpse of life.

On the 136th birth anniversary of Gurusday Dutt on 10 May, there was a daylong event to Love the Museum, complete with a selfie booth  something hitherto unheard of at the museum. Theres now even a Facebook group  Save Bengals Folk History  with its own hashtag #SaveFolkMuseum.

Shrutakirti Dutta, a research scholar at Jadavpur University, started the group with a few likeminded friends. She admits she too hadn't heard of the museum, until it was facing imminent closure. But when she visited it, she was amazed. We know so much about the swadeshi movement or the 19th century Bengal Renaissance, she says. But this is a domestic history. There are molds to make aamsotto (mango leather) and sandesh. This is also the history of generations of women. Narrativising it is so very important.

That is what is unique about this museum. In one gallery there are 11th century black stone images of Vishnu and Durga and Buddha. That could belong to any Indian museum. But the painted scrolls, the sandesh molds, the wooden toys, the blankets, the necklaces made out of rice grains are its true riches.

Like many Bengalis I grew up with my own kantha, made from torn saris. But its only at this museum that I realised how many kinds of kanthas there are  sujni, betan, durjani, khoka, lep, rumal to name just a handful. The names all come from the purpose of the kantha, says Subhankar Mandal, an art historian photographing the kanthas. For example, the arshilata is the kantha used to cover the mirror, from aarshi or mirror and a lata-like a vine growing over it. He says there is no museum that has so many kanthas telling so many stories. One, for example, holds up a mirror to 19th century Bengal's babu-and-sahib society complete with bayonet and sword-wielding soldiers, elephants and a phaeton car, all painstakingly hand-stitched.

These were labours of love, made for near and dear ones. You can think of it as the diary of a lady, says Snehangshu Sekhar Das, a designer with the ministry of textiles. It has her emotion, her selfless love. I remember one had the words 'Aamay Jeno Bhulo Na (Do Not Forget Me Please)' stitched into it.

Gurusaday Dutt understood the importance of that plea. He documented the lyrics of the songs sung alongside the patachitra scrolls before they were forgotten. He took pains to record the names of some of the women (like Nirmala Sundari Devi and Mandasundari Dasya) who stitched these blankets, painted these scrolls  all without thinking of themselves as artists. Dutts civil service career allowed him to travel extensively and he collected some 2,500 objects to rediscover the folk traditions that were already disappearing. In 1932 he held an exhibition at the Indian Society of Oriental Art where Abanindranath Tagore marveled at the collection, hailing Dutt as a jeweller. Dutt left his collection to the Bengal Bratachari Samity he had formed, an organisation that tries to build national consciousness through folk traditions. His grandson Devsaday Dutt says he grew up with this collection. It was in our house till I was about 11 or 12, he remembers. My grandfather came from rural Bengal. His attachment to it was something else. My father and I are urban. Neither of us can come close to that.

Now as the museum faces an uncertain future, there are some rays of hope. When the Kolkata Metro expansion is complete, it will pass right by the museum. That will certainly make it more accessible  though it raises the question: does a citys heritage only matter if it lives within its tourist-friendly precincts? Dutt deliberately bought this land outside the city, in what was then jungle, to be closer to rural Bengal. He wanted to build a training centre for folk artists and a cooperative.

Dr Mondal is surprised and moved at the many ways the city has reached out to help the beleaguered museum. Shrutakirti Dutta says Save Bengals Folk History is keen to do a crowdfunding campaign. Jayanta Sengupta, secretary-curator of the Victoria Memorial, a museum that sees a footfall of 3.6 million a year and growing, says he would be honoured to host the highlights of the Gurusaday collection at the Victoria Memorial as a way to showcase the priceless collection". "Perhaps the next generation will be made aware, Sengupta says.

But time is scarce. Already many of the paintings, some belonging to Jamini Roy and Abanindranath Tagore, the 18-panel scrolls telling stories from great poems are at risk in the muggy heat of Kolkata. What climate control can we afford? says Mondal ruefully. When it is hot I can turn on the fan. When it rains, I keep the windows closed. Nothing more.

He listens to the talk about footfall, marketability, reinvention, digital storytelling, audits, transparency and interactive displays with both attention and some nervousness. These are uncharted waters for a museum that existed on the fringes of both the city and its consciousness for decades.

This event itself could be our turning point, he says. Though we must remember, if something is marketable, it becomes a handicraft. This is not a handicraft museum, this is a folk art museum. Thats what Gurusaday Dutt collected.

Folk art should stay in a folk museum, agrees Devsaday Dutt as he walks past a garlanded statue of the grandfather he never saw. See, I have no ownership in this. My grandfather did not leave any of this to us. It belongs to the nation. Lets see if the nation treats it as its heritage.Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to influence voters in Karnataka on the polling day through his temple visits in Nepal

New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to influence voters in Karnataka on the polling day through his temple visits in Nepal.

Modi on Saturday prayed at Nepal's iconic Muktinath temple that is regarded sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists, becoming the first world leader to offer prayers there.

He also offered prayers at the Pashupatinath temple, located on the banks of the Bagmati river. The Pashupatinath temple is regarded as the most sacred and oldest temple of Shiva (Pashupati) in Nepal.

Polling is underway in 222 out of 224 seats in Karnataka which is witnessing a three-cornered contest.

Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot alleged that the prime minister had timed his visit to the Himalayan nation on the Karnataka poll date, and was "giving a message to Hindus" in the southern state.

Alleging violation of the model code of conduct, he said Modi's temple visits in Nepal were being aired on the day of polling in Karnataka.

This is not a good tradition in a democracy. In Gujarat also, he held a road show after voting. Today, he has adopted a new path. When Karnataka is polling today, he has gone to Nepal and is worshipping in temples there, as he could not do so in the southern state due to elections," Gehlot said.

The AICC general secretary said Modi, through his temple visits, was giving out a message to voters in Karnataka of how religious he was and that he was a Hindu.

"If one asks him (Modi), no other person is Hindu, except the BJP and RSS people, besides him and Amit Shah," he said.

On the Nepal visit being planned earlier, the former Rajasthan chief minister reiterated that the prime minister had timed his Nepal visit to coincide with the Karnataka polls.

Follow LIVE updates of the Karnataka Assembly Election 2018 hereWith the Karnataka Assembly election being perhaps one of the most polarising contests in recent history, exit polls have emerged as an important tool to discover voters' mood.

With the Karnataka Assembly election being perhaps one of the most polarising contests in recent history, exit polls have emerged as an important tool to discover voters' mood.

Firstpost takes a look at the exit polls  Times Now-VMR exit poll, India Today-Axis My India, RepublicTV-Jan ki baat, ABP News-CVoter Poll, NewsX-CNX, News Nation poll, Today's Chanakya and Dighvijaya News poll  to give you a picture of how things may pan out.

Of eight exit polls, six gave BJP a clear edge, while the rest reckoned that Congress would emerge as the single largest party. Interestingly, three polls predicted that the BJP and Congress might win enough seats to form the government on their own power: India Today-Axis My India for Congress and Republic TV-Jan ki Baat and Today's Chanakya for BJP. It seems as if a hung Assembly might be on the cards, but only time will tell.

Agency Congress BJP JD(S) + Others Times Now-VMR 90-103 80-93 31-39 2-4 India Today-Axis My India 106-118 79-92 22-30 1-4 Republic TV-Jan ki Baat 73-82 95-114 32-43 3-4 Dighvijay News 76-80 103-107 31-35 NewsX-CNX 72-78 102-110 35-39 3-5 Today's Chanakya 73 120 26 3 News Nation 71-75 105-109 36-40 3-5 ABP News Cvoter 87-99 97-109 21-30 1-8

Clear lead to BJP

The Republic TV-Jan ki Baat exit poll gave the BJP the clear edge in Karnataka, and predicted the saffron party would net between 95 and 114 seats. By contrast, it predicted the Congress to win between 73 and 82 seats and the JD-S only between 32 and 43 seats.

The Dighvijay News exit poll predicted between 103 and 107 seats for the BJP under the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah combine, between 76 and 80 seats for the Congress headed by Siddaramaiah and party chief Rahul Gandhi. The JD-S was estimated to get between 31 and 35 seats.

The NewsX-CNX exit poll put the BJP as a clear frontrunner. It estimated that the BJP would get between 102 and 110 seats. The poll put the Congress a distant second and estimated that it would grab only between 72 and 78 seats. The JD-S was predicted to pick up between 35 and 39 seats.

The News Nation poll put BJP on firm footing, estimating that it would win between 105 and 109 seats. It predicted the Congress to nab between 71 and 75 seats, while the JDS would pick up between 36 and 40 seats.

The ABP News CVoter exit poll predicted 97-109 seats for BJP, 87-99 seats for the Congress and 21-30 for JD-S.

Today's Chanakya exit poll stated that the BJP would net an impressive 120 seats and easily clear the 112 mark needed to form the government. The agency predicted the Congress would see its seat share fall to 73, while the JD-S would net 26 seats.

Congress to prevail

The Times Now-VMR exit poll said the Congress would net between 90 and 103 seats, the BJP would win between 80 and 93 seats and the JD-S would prevail in 31 to 30 seats.

The India Today-Axis My India exit poll said the Grand Old Party would come out on top with between 106 and 118 seats. It predicted that the BJP would nab between 79 and 92 seats and the JD-S would get between 22 and 30 seats.

Siddaramaiah takes swipe at Modi, Shah

Siddaramaiah took a swipe at Shah and Modi on the day of polling, and said, "This Amit Shah is like a comedy show and Narendra Modi's image has drastically declined, his speeches are completely hollow and have made no impact on the voters of Karnataka. Therefore we are not worried."

The Congress party's official stand on its chief ministerial candidate has been that the party MLAs will elect their leader after the election, even as it fought the election under the chief minister's leadership. However, Siddaramaiah claimed that he will be the chief minister once again.

According to the polling percentage recorded till 1 pm, polling in urban Bengaluru is the lowest at 28 percent, however, constituencies in Dakshina Kannada region recorded good turnout in comparison.

Clashes broke out between Congress and BJP workers outside a polling booth in Hampi Nagar, allegedly after the former thrashed a BJP corporator. Ravindra, Vijayanagar, BJP candidate says, "Our corporator Anand was attacked but police aren't taking any action."

Meanwhile, Bengaluru DCP Ravi Channannavar said, "It is a sensitive polling booth and the clash between BJP and Congress workers happened within 100 metres of the booth. We will investigate and take further action."

About 24 percent polling was recorded within the first four hours after voting began for the fiercely fought Karnataka Assembly polls on Saturday morning. According to state electoral authorities, the highest 31 percent voting was recorded in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts respectively at 11 am while Bengaluru Urban recorded the lowest at 17 percent.

According to The Hindu, Karnataka registered 21.1 percent voter turnout till 11 am. Meanwhile, voting was suspended briefly at booth number 32 in Yadgir city due to technical issues and was later resumed.

Ola and Uber services have been down in the Old Mysore region since Friday. The drivers reportedly went back to their villages to vote in the Karnataka Assembly election, according to The Hindu. Votes will be counted on 15 May.

With inputs from PTI

Firstpost reviewed this story after reports emerged that the Suvarna news 24x7 exit poll was fake. We have deleted references to that poll.

Click here for LIVE updates on Karnataka Assembly Election Result 2018

Click here for LIVE resultsKarnataka registered 70 percent polling across 222 constituencies for the 15th Assembly poll on Saturday after a bitter run up to the election

Bengaluru: Karnataka saw 70 percent turnout across 222 constituencies for the 15th Assembly poll on Saturday after a bitter run-up to the election. Polling was, by and large, peaceful with some villages declaring a boycott and an incident of stone-pelting in Yadgir district. In Bengaluru, polling wasnt enthusiastic, with the urban population registering less than 50 percent voter turnout till 6 pm.

Bengaluru rural and adjacent constituencies of Ramanagaram, Chamarajnagar, Mandya and Hassan witnessed over 70 percent turnout. Elections were not held in two Bengaluru city constituencies: Polls in Rajarajeshwari Nagardue were deferred to 28 May due to malpractice, while in Jayanagar, the sitting MLA and BJP candidate BN Vijayakumar died after cardiac arrest.

The Election Commission (EC) declared that re-polling would be held at a polling station in Hebbals Lottegollahalli due to malfunction in electronic voting machines (EVMs). Reports of malfunctioning EVMs emerged from elsewhere; an early count said 164 polling units, 157 control units and 470 VVPATs malfunctioned.

Despite the EC maintaining a strict vigil to ensure free and fair polls, a 500 percent increase in cash seizures was observed: Rs 67.27 crore in cash, and gold and silver worth more than Rs 43 crore. Liquor worth Rs 23.36 crore and gifts stocked in godowns in the form of sarees, clothes, vehicles and utensils were also seized. There were reports of cash being distributed overnight and many party workers being caught.

The EC made elaborate arrangements to draw more voters in Karnataka with first-time initiatives such as pink booths (also called 'sakhi booths'), which were managed by women officials dressed in pink, but there was no bar on men exercising their franchise at these polling stations. Flowers, bangles and pink nail polish bottles were handed out to women voters. Some of these booths even had a play area to keep children occupied while parents played their part in democracy.

These booths are part of an effort to ensure women come out and vote under the SVEEP (Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation) programme, said Haveri deputy commissioner MV Venkatesh.

Some voters stuck, others boycott election

Through the day, there were reports of brisk polling in all 30 districts as heavy rain was predicted for later in the evening.

Many found it tough to travel to their native place to cast their vote as the Karnataka State Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses were requisitioned for poll duty. While trains were chock-a-block, private bus operators fleeced passengers.

Bus operators are collecting more than double the fare from Bengaluru to Mangaluru. While the normal fare is Rs 400, I paid Rs 1,000, said Jayakumar Shetty, a hotel worker in Bengaluru. The story was similar in other parts of the state.

Death and transport woes

One ailing farmer brought on a stretcher to the polling station in Maddur taluk died soon after he cast his vote, confirmed fellow villagers. Mandya-Mysuru region witnessed a strong battle between Congress and the regional JD(S) where every vote counts. In Bailhongal taluk of Belgaum district, villagers from Hogarthi boycotted voting as police reportedly refused to act in a case where a pregnant woman was murdered. The villagers are upset that her in-laws haven't been arrested. Members of a family came out to vote despite their mother Siddavvaa's death at Shahapur constituency in Yadgir district.

In Kodagu, tribals of Kerathottu Paisari hamlet, protesting the lack of drinking water and roads and dejected about polling stations being set up 7 kilometres away, boycotted the polls in Virajpet constituency. Two hundred voters refused to walk to the polling stations without any transport and demanded the deputy commissioner visit their hamlet.

Poor infrastructure at a Dalit colony in Hemmanhalli of Maddur taluk kept around 300 voters away. They claimed they have been denied drinking water, drainage facility, street lights and roads and access to housing and loan schemes.

All three coastal districts averaged 72 percent percent polling, though politicos and analysts wanted the figure to cross 80 percent in different pockets to ensure a clear cut winner on Tuesday.

Analysing poor voter turnout in pockets, Biddanda Chengappa, political analyst and head of department of political science in Christ University, said, It does not augur well considering the proportion of representation of people, which leads to lopsided development and clogging up of the democratic process. This is why some countries penalise citizens for not participating in the electoral process.

Name calling, accusations fly

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is pitted against BJP Member of Parliament B Sriramulu in Badami. They are also contesting from other constituencies: Siddaramaiah from Chamundeshwari in Mysuru city and Sriramulu from Molakalmuru in Chitradurga. Siddaramaiah's son Yathindra is contesting from Varuna, currently represented by the chief minister.

BJPs chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa is contesting from Shikaripura in Shivamogga district. HD Kumaraswamy from JD(S), the other chief ministerial aspirant, is also contesting from two seats: Channapatna and Ramanagaram constituencies. From Badami to Chamundeshwari, candidates and their supporters conducted elaborate pujas to ensure their electoral success.

In south Karnataka, the fight is between JD(S) and Congress, while it is a direct contest between heavyweights Congress and BJP elsewhere. The key issues: Lingayat, Bengaluru's infrastructure, Mahadayi river issue and corruption. The run-up to the election saw all three major players accusing each other of betraying the state and failing the people.

Congress and BJP have been at each other and often strayed below the belt. While Siddaramaiah mocked Yeddyurappa and BJPs choice of candidates as tainted with corruption charges, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Congress government by calling it 10 percent sarkar.

On polling day, Siddaramaiah even went so far as to call Yeddyurappa mentally deranged when the latter reportedly said "I will fly to Delhi on the 15th once the results are announced and meet Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi. I will invite him and others for the swearing-in ceremony which is going to happen most likely on the 17th.

Three Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) workers were detained after they were allegedly found distributing money north Karnataka's Humnabad. The police seized Rs 11 lakh cash and a car from them. In another case, close aides of MLA and KSRTC chairman C Puttaranga Shetty were arrested while allegedly distributing money near a polling booth at Venkataiah Chathra village in Chamarajanagar. The flying squad arrested two people and seized from them a vehicle and Rs 97,500 cash.

With inputs from Anil Budur Lulla, Maheswara Reddy and M Raghuram. Contributors are Karnataka-based freelance writers and members of 101reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.Voting in Karnataka began on Saturday as the state prepares to elect its 15th Legislative Assembly after a fortnight-long bitter campaign by the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S)

Bengaluru: Voting in Karnataka began on Saturday as the state prepares to elect its 15th Legislative Assembly after a fortnight-long bitter campaign by the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S). Counting of votes will take place on 15 May.

"Preparations have been made to conduct a free and fair polling in 222 of the 224 assembly constituencies across the state amid tight security," state Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar told reporters in Bengaluru on Saturday.

The Election Commission (EC) on Friday postponed voting in Bengaluru's Raja Rajeshwari (RR) Nagar segment to 28 May in view of the voter ID cards case, and had earlier countermanded polling in the city's Jayanagar seat following the death of BJP contestant BN Vijay Kumar on 4 May.

A single-phase polling will be held in 222 constituencies, including 36 reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and 15 for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) and 26 in Bengaluru from 7.00 am to 6.00 pm.

The state has an over 4.97 crore electorate, including 2.52 crore men and 2.45 crore women. New voters are 15,42,000 in the 18-19 age group.

Voting will be held at 58,008 polling stations in 30 districts across the state, with 600 of them marked as pink booths, manned by all-women personnel, and 28 ethnic booths.

"Around 3.6 lakh personnel will be on duty from dawn to dusk at all polling stations with required facilities to enable the electorate to cast their vote in EVMs comprising 94,841 balloting units and 84,830 controlling units that are connected to Voters Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs)," said Kumar.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure peaceful voting, maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident at all the polling stations.

"About 1,40,000 security personnel have been deployed for the election, with para-military forces from 585 central and state companies at 20,826 polling stations, including 12,001 critical or hyper-sensitive booths," state Director-General of Police Neelamani Raju told the media in Bengaluru.

In the state capital (Bengaluru), about 10,500 police personnel, 4,500 armed forces and 2,5000 home guards have been deployed at 7,400 polling booths in 26 constituencies across the city.

"As 1,469 polling booths among them have been identified as sensitive, we have deployed additional forces, including 150 senior officers to supervise the election process," said Bengaluru Police Commissioner T. Sunil Kumar.

In all, 2,654 candidates are in the fray, including 219 women. In all, 222 candidates are from Congress, 222 from BJP, 201 from JD(S), 1,155 Independents and over 800 from other national, regional and fringe parties. About 450 contestants are in the battle from Bengaluru, which has the largest number (28) of seats in the state.

Of the prominent candidates, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is contesting from Chamundeshwari at Mysuru and Badami in Vijayapura district in the state's northwest region.

BJP's Lok Sabha member from Ballari (ST) seat BR Sriramaulu is also contesting from two seats, including Badami and Molakamuru (reserved) seat in Chitradurga district

JD(S) state president and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy is in fray from Ramanagara and Channapatna seats in the old Mysuru region.

BJP's state unit president and its chief ministerial nominee BS Yeddyurappa is contesting from Shikaripura in Shivamogga district in Malnad region.

Siddaramaiah has also fielded his son Yatindra from his home town Varuna in Mysuru district.

Click here for LIVE updatesThe Karnataka election marks a complete transformation of Indian politics. It is unrecognisable to those who watched candidates slogging day and night.

It could have been the office of a start-up; only the posters on the walls made it clear that this was what has come to be known as the party war room  the hub where political strategists and party cadres come together to chart out their work. Their work is to help the party and its candidates grab more and more votes.

War rooms were laid out all over Karnataka, in starred hotels and plush houses. The BJP top brass was meeting at a home in the upscale locality of Malleshwaram in north-west Bengaluru, those of the ruling Congress at a similar venue on Cunningham Road. A motley crew of young professionals  techies and MBA types, at home with gadgets and jargon  pored over Excel sheets and PowerPoints on their laptops and large mobile phones. In another corner of the hall, a bunch of veterans discussed voter feedback gathered in the old-fashioned way of actually interacting with people. Were they nostalgic about past battles, and trying to recall the lessons they had learnt in dusty rallies? Were they trying to come to terms with the new age of flamboyant, technology and data-driven election campaign?

At any rate, the marriage of politics and big data has finally happened, not surprisingly in the tech hub of India, Bengaluru. There have been elections before in which cyber technology  especially social media  played a major role, as in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. But, the first election in which the whole of the hi-tech armoury was deployed is the one that just ended  the Karnataka Assembly elections.

This was also the first election in India after the Cambridge Analytica fracas hit the headlines. This London-based company (which calls itself political consultancy and has a tagline that says Data drives all that we do) is accused to have illegally harnessed personal data from Facebook, collected through the bait of a game, and used it for political purposes. To simplify, if a party (or a candidate) has a good idea of the political views and likes/dislikes of as many voters as possible, it can use this information to fine-tune its own outreach to voters and influence their votes. Though the internet and social media penetration in India is yet to achieve a critical mass, it is getting there faster and faster, and a new ploy like this can indeed decide the outcome when elections are won and lost over a margin of a few thousand votes.

While laffaire Cambridge Analytica rang alarm bells for the law-enforcement agencies worldwide, it seems to have only inspired new-age political consultants in India. They are also helped by the alleged loopholes in data and privacy laws here.

If war rooms look like start-up offices, that is no coincidence; many are indeed staffed and run by tech start-ups from Bengaluru, Delhi and Pune. Their techies and marketing experts have developed tricks to get whatever relevant data that can be gathered about as many voters as possible  and also apps to track any changes in voters thinking as the voting day comes closer. Voters phone numbers and email IDs too have been collected, not always through legal routes. There are agencies available for hire that will do all the micro-planning for the candidate  for the right price.

Big money meets big data

Which brings us to the second aspect of the twin attack on the gullible voter: Funds. This was arguably also the costliest election of its kind in India so far.

Money and muscle power are now replaced by money and data power  at least in our own Silicon Valley as yet. In place of social engineering, it is time for social media engineering. The Karnataka election marks a complete transformation of Indian politics. It is totally unrecognisable to those who watched candidates slogging day and night, addressing rallies and going to as many homes as possible, folding their hands before voters and seeking their blessings.

If you have any doubt, consider this vignette: A candidate walks into the war room of a national party and demands Rs 30 crore to counter his main rivals aggressive campaign. There is no reason to believe his demand was not met, and that would mean the particular Assembly constituency would have witnessed a spending upward of Rs 60 crore by any conservative estimate.

Here is another vignette: A candidate of a national party is believed to have told one of his sympathisers that he had earmarked Rs 50 crore only for his Assembly election. In effect, he was promising to distribute nearly Rs 7,000-10,000 to each voter.

Karnataka was stinking with cash in this no-holds-barred battle. So much so that when ATMs in many parts of the country went dry for many days in March, it was blamed on this election. Ironically, the states most critical political happening was mired in slush cash. Digital money was missing.

Pointless blame game

Who is to be blamed? One can hear BJP leaders protesting as vehemently against the Congress as the Congress against the BJP. HD Deve Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy, who lead another important regional outfit, Janata Dal (Secular), were aiming to play the kingmaker in the eventuality of a hung verdict, and are not above blame either.

Irrespective of who wins the Karnataka elections, it marks the beginning of a new trend in politics  the tendency to treat voters like robots who respond to a software program through remote control. Voters, in this scheme of things, are not supposed to be intelligent enough to decide whom to vote for. They are reduced to puppets on strings, and armed with all the relevant information about him or her, geeks were out to manipulate their behaviour. In any case, voters intelligence may not be a match for artificial intelligence backed by the razzmatazz of the money power. Pushed out of the agenda were all the issues that mattered to the citizens.

On Tuesday, as you will be analysing results for caste and regions trends, these code writers and brand consultants will be analysing which trick worked and which needs to be tweaked. For they will be preparing for the big gamble next year.

Democracy in its content may remain intact but it will be flagrantly violated in spirit. That is the essence of the Karnataka election.

This article appears in the May 1-15 edition of Governance Now.Glitches in EVMs delaying polling left hundreds of voters fuming in Karnataka's Assembly segments on a hot and humid Saturday.

Bengaluru: Glitches in EVMs delaying polling left hundreds of voters fuming in Karnataka's Assembly segments on a hot and humid Saturday.

Scores of balloting machines across the state were reportedly malfunctioning, leading to the voters having to wait for long hours in the queues for the machines to be fixed to cast their ballots.

Glitches were reported from a few polling stations in Hebbal, Yelahanka, Bengaluru South Assembly segments in the city, and at a few booths in Chamarajanagar, Vijayapura and Ballari districts.

A total of 164 polling units and 157 control units of the EVMs along with 470 Voters Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) have malfunctioned so far, state Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar told reporters in Bengaluru.

EVMs comprising 94,841 balloting units and 84,830 controlling units that are connected to 86,495 VVPATs have been deployed across the state's 58,008 polling stations in 30 districts.As Karnataka polls to elect a new government, unique offers are being used all across the state to tempt voters to cast their ballot.

As Karnataka polls to elect a new government, unique offers are being used to tempt voters to cast their ballot. Cafes and food joints in Bengaluru are offering discounts and other freebies to people who have cast their votes, according to media reports.

According to News18, Nisarga Hotel on Nrupathunga Road in Bengaluru is offering free dosas to new voters and coffee for everyone with ink on their fingers, indicating that they have voted in the Assembly election. Owner Krishnaraj said that the idea was put forward by some regular young patrons, the report added.

Another hotel Vasudev Adiga has announced that free coffee will be served from 7 am till 7 pm on 12 May to those who have exercised their right to vote. A hotel official told Deccan Chronicle, "It has been observed that there is low voter turnout as compared to the population of the state. We would like everyone to vote, as it will help in electing the right candidate."

Meanwhile, a cyber cafe in Rajajinagar 2nd Stage, run by S Vishweswaraa Iyer, is offering free internet access to those who vote on Saturday, reported The Times of India.

"We will also offer other discounts. Photocopying per sheet will cost 25 paise as against the regular rate of Rs one. The facility will be extended till the BBMP elections, scheduled in 2020. The main idea is to encourage youngsters to vote." Iyer told The Times of India.

Several groups in Bengaluru are giving flowers and saplings to young voters for being part of the process, as per NDTV. They have, however, clarified that they aren't supporting any particular party and just want to push youngsters to vote, the report added.

Follow our LIVE blog on Karnataka Assembly Election 2018Asked if she will lead the front of regional parties, Mamata said everybody will work like a 'united family' and whatever is good for the country will be done.

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday that the Congress cannot have a majority on its own in the next Lok Sabha polls and the federal front being mooted by her and other regional parties will be "the future".

Banerjee, also the supremo of the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, said the future lies with the federal front, a concept she has been pushing for quite some time now.

"Various regional parties will emerge victorious in their respective states. Federal Front of regional parties is the future. If regional parties come together and form a platform, it would be good for the country," she said in an interview to Bengali news channel Zee 24Ghanta.

On Rahul Gandhi's claim that he is ready to become the prime minister if the Congress emerges the largest party in the 2019 polls, Banerjee said: "He is free to give his opinion. But the fact is, in the present situation of the country, the Congress can never have a majority of its own."

Asked if she will lead the front of regional parties, Banerjee said everybody will work like a "united family" and whatever is good for the country will be done.

Banerjee predicated the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti and the Telugu Desam Party will perform well in the Lok Sabha polls.

Earlier this year, Banerjee had said she would try to unite all anti-BJP forces to defeat the saffron party in the general elections. She had met several opposition leaders, including TRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao, in an effort to cobble up a formidable front against the BJP.

In the interview, she predicted that neither the Congress nor the BJP will get a majority in the Karnataka Assembly polls and the JD(S) will emerge as the kingmaker.

"The Congress should have worked more tactfully with HD Deve Gowda, it would have helped them," she said.

Banerjee lauded the performance of Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Raman Singh, chief ministers of BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh respectively, but said the saffron party will lose assembly elections in the two states.Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh on Saturday said Congress president Rahul Gandhi should visit his constituency, Rajnandgaon, and take a leaf out of his book to develop Amethi.

Raipur: Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh on Saturday said Congress president Rahul Gandhi should visit his constituency, Rajnandgaon, and take a leaf out of his book to develop Amethi.

The Congress has been out of power in Chhattisgarh for 15 years because it is against development, Singh said, addressing a rally at the launch of his `Vikas Yatra' from the Naxal-affected Dantewada district.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off the yatra, which seeks to highlight achievements of Raman Singh's 15-year rule.

"Chhattisgarh has registered a tremendous growth in the last 15 years. But the Congress can't see it. The Opposition has taken out a yatra to oppose development," the chief minister said, referring to the Opposition party's announcement that it will launch `Vikas Khojo (look for development) Yatra' to counter BJP's Vikas Yatra.

"Today, they (Congress leaders) visited Rajnandgaon. AICC state in-charge PL Punia and state Congress president Bhupesh Baghel were there. I said, why Punia or Baghel, the Congress should invite AICC president Rahul Gandhi, who has done nothing for the development in Amethi and Raebareli, to Rajnandgaon and make him go around to see the development," he said.

"Rahul Gandhi should be asked to carry out the same amount of development in Amethi in 20 years," Singh said.

"If Congress leaders really want to see development, they should visit Dantewada, its education city Jawanga, ask the parents whose kids have cracked IIT and medical entrance exam from the tribal region," the chief minister said.

"You have to step outside to see development. Development cannot be suppressed by sitting in AC rooms and spreading false propaganda on social media," he said.

The Congress will continue to be out of power for another 15 years if it opposes development, Singh said.

BJP sources said the party was making an all-out effort to improve its performance in the Bastar region, where it didn't fare well last time.

Of the 12 seats in Bastar, the BJP won only four in the 2013 Assembly polls.Islam, a district-level leader of the TMC and a former MLA, was arrested last night on the orders of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who is also in charge of the home department

Bhangor: Trinamool Congress leader Arabul Islam was on Saturday sent to ten days police custody in connection with the killing of a supporter of an

independent candidate in the 14 May West Bengal panchayat polls.

Islam, a district-level leader of the TMC and a former MLA, was arrested last night on the orders of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who is also in charge of the home department.

He was produced before the Baruipur sub-divisional magistrate's court today and remanded in police custody till 22 May.

The police, which has registered a case of murder against Islam, had sought his remand for 14 days.

Hafizul Mollah, 25, was on Friday hit by a bullet on his chest when he, along with other supporters of the independent candidate, was taking part in a procession from Kashipur to Machhibhanga in Bhangor in the state's South 24 Parganas district.

The police are now on the lookout for the TMC leader's son and brother for their alleged involvement in the incident, a senior police officer said.

After Islam's arrest, police searches yielded a large number of bombs from areas around his residence and an adjoining pond, he said.

Most of the independent candidates in the area are associated with the Jami Rakkha Committee (save land committee), an anti-land acquisition outfit opposing the setting up of a power grid unit in Bhangor in the state's South 24 Parganas district.

The procession yesterday was taken out in response to an alleged attack by Islam's associates on the residence of the rival independent candidate on the night of 10 May.

Islam, who is the chairman of the Bhangor II Panchayat Samiti, is facing a challenge from an independent candidate in the rural polls. Mollah was grievously injured when bombs and bullets rained on the members of the procession, the police said. He was rushed to a nursing home and then to a hospital, where he was declared 'brought dead', they said.

The Jami Rakkha Committee alleged that Islam's men had unleashed violence so that he could win the election without any opposition. It also claimed that several other supporters of the committee were injured in the attack. A large police contingent remained deployed in the area to maintain peace, the police said.

The State Election Commission is keeping watch on the law and order situation in all districts, including South 24-Parganas district, officials said. Area domination by special forces through route march have already begun in all sensitive and super sensitive areas, the police said. Several contingent of forces from other states have already arrived. The rest would reach in Bhangor by Sunday, they said.tech2 News Staff

Lenovo is reportedly working on a fully bezel-less smartphone to break away from the new trend of shipping smartphones with a notch. It will be called the Z5.

Now, we did come across a phone with nearly no bezels in the Vivo Apex earlier this year but that was concept smartphone while the smartphone Lenovo is working on will apparently be a production variant phone. It was Lenovo's Vice President Chang Cheng who took to Chinese social media website Weibo to share a concept sketch of a phone with no bezels.

According to Cheng, Lenovo has made four major technological breakthroughs and patented as many as 18 technologies to come up with the Lenovo Z5. He did not mention anything much but this sketch also arrives a day after Cheng posted another teaser of the phone, revealing a portion of the phone, which hinted that the company could settle for a notch. The new sketch confirms that it will be a fully bezel-less smartphone, however.

It will be interesting to see what Lenovo decides to do with the front-facing camera, the earpiece and the fingerprint scanner which tend to be on the front of the phone. According to a report by GSMArena, Cheng will be making an official announcement about the Lenovo Z5 on 14 June, which is when we can expect to have more answers after the smartphone.tech2 News Staff

We are just days away from the official launch and have seen endless leaks about the OnePlus 6 so far. One thing that we usually hear OnePlus talking about is their flagship phone's camera performance. Finally, OnePlus has opened up, and in a rather novel way at that.

OnePlus has just opened a blind canera test on its website, pitting photos taken using the OnePlus 6 against other premium flagships  the Google Pixel 2, the Apple iPhone X and the Samsung Galaxy S9. These are phones with some of the best cameras around, so it's interesting that OnePlus has decided to put its unreleased flagship against them.

The company is focussing primarily on four categories and have divided sets of four photographs each based on these categories. The four categories are: Architecture, Low Light, Low Light Portrait and Portrait. The test in itself is simple. You see all four images in each set, clicked using the four phones and then vote for whichever strikes you as the best choice.

OnePlus is also encouraging fans to share the blind test with more and more people, offering the top 3 sharers a unit of the OnePlus 6 each. The company has set up a live scoreboard on the same webpage, revealing which individual has shared the test with others the most. Unfortunately, OnePlus isn't choosing to reveal the results of the voting. Hopefully, they don't pull a Xiaomi and delete the vote if the 6 fails at garnering enough votes.

From all the rumours we have had so far, the OnePlus 6 is expected to sport a vertically-placed dual-camera setup on the rear, which will be a combination of a 20 MP + 16 MP sensor, and a 16 MP camera up front.

The smartphone will be officially launched globally on 16 May in London followed by a launch in India on 17 May. Tech2 is headed to the event to cover it live, so be sure to check back in for updates.At least 19 people were killed Saturday in northern Myanmar when ethnic rebels attacked security force posts in restive Shan State, army and government sources said.

Yangon: At least 19 people were killed Saturday in northern Myanmar when ethnic rebels attacked security force posts in restive Shan State, army and government sources said, the most deadly flare-up in recent years as fighting in the borderlands intensifies.

Rights defenders say clashes in the north near the China border have ramped up since January as the international community focuses on the Rohingya crisis in the west of the country.

The military stands accused of carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign against the stateless minority in Rakhine.

Saturday's operation was launched by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, one of several insurgent groups fighting for more autonomy in the north.

Images and video from the skirmishes shared on social media showed armed men fanning out across a residential street while a rebel soldier took cover behind a car. The sound of automatic gunfire filled the air as ambulances picked up the wounded.

"Nineteen (people) were killed in fighting," the Myanmar military source said, adding that two dozen had been wounded.

Government spokesman Zaw Htay said in a Facebook post that one police officer and three state-backed militia members had been killed while 15 of the dead were innocent civilians.

He called the operation terrorism.

"The attack to target innocent people is not asking for ethnic rights," he said. "It is just a destructive terrorist attack."

A statement posted on the page of Myanmar's commander-in-chief said military columns were in pursuit of the "terrorist insurgents".

'Serious offensive'

TNLA spokesman Major Mai Aik Kyaw told AFP that they attacked joint military and militia posts in the Shan State town of Muse and on a road to Lashio.

"We fight because of heavy fighting in our region and the serious offensive in Kachin State," he said, referring to fresh confrontations in Myanmar's northernmost state between the military and the TNLA-aligned Kachin Independence Army.

It is unclear if members of the powerful Kachin Independence Army, or KIA, took part in the attacks on Saturday though the commander-in-chief's post said they did.

More than 100,000 displaced people now reside in camps in Kachin and Shan states since a ceasefire between the KIA the military broke down in 2011, according to the latest UN statistics.

Those fleeing violence have sheltered in tents and even churches in Kachin, which is mainly Christian, as rights groups and rebels accuse the military of blocking aid.

Myanmar's patchwork of ethnic groups make up round a third of the population, but the Bamar, or Burmese, have filled the Buddhist-majority country's power structures since independence in 1948.

Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi said ending Myanmar's long history of clashes was her main priority after she took power in 2016, but she shares power with the military that fought the insurgencies for decades.

More than a third of Myanmar's townships are affected by unresolved conflict, according to a 2017 report from the Asia Foundation.

Suu Kyi managed to bring two ethnic groups into a ceasefire accord in February, adding to eight others who had signed the deal before she took office.

Reverend Hkalam Samsun, chairman of the Kachin Baptist Convention, said the Kachin people were "disappointed" with Suu Kyi.

"She should stand firm with the people but she compromised with the military," he said.

"She ignored the ethnic issue."Iraq on Saturday holds its first parliamentary election since declaring victory over the Islamic State group, with the country hoping to shore up a fragile peace

Baghdad: Iraq on Saturday holds its first parliamentary election since declaring victory over the Islamic State group, with the country hoping to shore up a fragile peace as it looks to rebuild.

The vote comes as tensions surge between key players Iran and the United States over the nuclear deal, sparking fears of a destabilising power struggle over Iraq.

Roughly 24.5 million voters face a fragmented political landscape five months after the jihadists were ousted, with the dominant Shiites split, the Kurds in disarray and Sunnis sidelined.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi  who took over as Islamic State rampaged across Iraq in 2014  is angling for a new term, claiming credit for defeating the jihadists and seeing off a Kurdish push for independence.

But competition from within his Shiite community, the majority group dominating Iraqi politics, should divide the vote and spell lengthy horse-trading to form any government.

Whoever emerges as premier will face the mammoth task of rebuilding a country left shattered by the battle against Islamic State  with donors already pledging $30 billion.

Over 15 blood-sodden years since the US-led ouster of Saddam Hussein, disillusionment is widespread with the same old faces from an elite seen as mired in corruption and sectarianism.

More than two million people remain internally displaced and Islamic State  which has threatened the polls  still poses a major security threat.

Iraq has long been a crucible for the rivalry between Iran and the US, with Tehran exerting influence over Shiite politicians and Washington deploying troops to fight Islamic State.

Shiite rivals

Overall, just under 7,000 candidates are standing and Iraq's complex system means no single bloc should get anything near a majority in the 329-seat parliament.

Abadi  who has balanced off the US and Iran  is facing two leading challengers to his Victory Alliance.

Ex-premier Nuri al-Maliki is widely reviled for stirring sectarianism and losing territory to IS, but draws support from hardliners.

Hadi al-Ameri  a former transport minister  led Iran-backed paramilitary units that fought Islamic State alongside Baghdad's troops and heads a list of ex-combattants.

Votes in the Sunni heartlands once dominated by Islamic State  including Iraq's devastated second city Mosul  are up in the air as traditional alliances have been shredded by the fallout of jihadist rule.

Political forces in the Kurdish community  often seen as potential kingmakers  are also in disarray after a September vote for independence backfired spectacularly.

The Kurds look set to lose some of their clout on the national stage after Baghdad unleashed a battery of sanctions and seized back disputed oil-rich regions.

A senior security official told AFP that some 9,00,000 police and soldiers are on high alert to protect the vote, with airports and borders shut for the day.

Polling stations are open from 7 am to 6 pm (0400-1500 GMT) and initial results are expected in three days.Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has said that the Pakistan indeed sent terrorists to Mumbai for the 26/11 terror attack

Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday for the first time indicated that Pakistan establishment "allowed" terrorists to enter India as he sought a speedy trial in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. He also reportedly admitted, in a first, that anti-India terror organisations are indeed operating out of Pakistani soil.

In an interview published by the Pakistani daily Dawn, Sharif asked, "Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai?"

"Explain it to me," he continued "Why can't we complete the trial?" Sharif said in an apparent reference to the long-standing court case in the Mumbai attacks, which killed 166 people.

The case has been stalled in a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court since October 2009.

On 26 November, 2008, 10 terrorists of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) arrived in Mumbai by sea route and opened fire indiscriminately at people on different locations. In the mayhem that followed over the next three days, 166 people were killed, including 18 police officers and two NSG commanders, and 308 people injured, besides property worth crores left damaged.

An admission of sorts also came in for the first time from Sharif on the power the military and various anti-India groups hold in his country. The former prime minister spoke of "parallel governments" and said it was difficult to run a state like that.

"You cant run a country if you have two or three parallel governments. This has to stop. There can only be one government: the constitutional one", he said.

He also blasted the government for its failure in foreign policy. "We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistans narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it", he said.By Andrew Cawthorne and Andreina Aponte CARACAS (Reuters) - Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos predicted on Friday there would be 'regime change' soon in neighbouring Venezuela, which holds a controversial presidential election on May 20 likely to consolidate socialist rule. Santos, who has taken an increasingly tough line against President Nicolas Maduro as tens of thousands of Venezuelans cross the border to escape an economic crisis at home, was speaking at a meeting with businessmen in Budapest. 'With a regime change, which will come and will come very soon, the Venezuelan economy, with a bit of good governance, will take off very fast,' the centrist Santos said, without giving details of how such change could come about.

By Andrew Cawthorne and Andreina Aponte

CARACAS (Reuters) - Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos predicted on Friday there would be "regime change" soon in neighbouring Venezuela, which holds a controversial presidential election on May 20 likely to consolidate socialist rule.

Santos, who has taken an increasingly tough line against President Nicolas Maduro as tens of thousands of Venezuelans cross the border to escape an economic crisis at home, was speaking at a meeting with businessmen in Budapest.

"With a regime change, which will come and will come very soon, the Venezuelan economy, with a bit of good governance, will take off very fast," the centrist Santos said, without giving details of how such change could come about.

Maduro, 55, is widely expected to win re-election in a vote which the mainstream opposition is boycotting and many foreign countries have condemned as unfair.

Two of the opposition's most popular figures have been barred from standing, the election board and courts lean towards the government, and Maduro benefits from state giveaways to voters, a formidable party machine and a divided opposition.

"The 'voting' in Venezuela on May 20th is being done only to provide a phony cover for a dictator," the U.S. envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said this week.

"IMPERIALISTS, GO TO HELL!"

Maduro says Washington and its "lackeys" in the region like Santos are bent on toppling socialism in Venezuela via a coup in order to take control of the OPEC nation's oil riches.

"The imperialists have gone crazy," he said at a campaign rally in western Trujillo state on Friday. "They talk as if they are the owners of the world, the owners of Venezuela ... North American imperialism, take your orders and go to hell!"

The former bus driver and foreign minister, who narrowly won election to replace Hugo Chavez in 2013, says Venezuela's election system is the cleanest in the world.

"Neither rain, nor thunder nor lightning will stop elections going ahead in this sovereign republic," he added, to cheers from red-shirted supporters.

Maduro's closest rival is Henri Falcon, a former Chavista who defected in 2010 but has now split from the main opposition to break a boycott and run for president.

In Hungary, Santos lamented the suffering of Venezuelans, including hungry people crossing the border, blaming it on bad governance and corruption. But Venezuela, with the world's largest oil reserves, was Colombia's natural trade partner and would rise again, he told the businessmen.

"If I had to bet, I would bet on Venezuela for sure."

(Additional reporting by Vivian Sequera and Deisy Buitrago; Editing by Julia Symmes Cobba and Phil Berlowitz)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.By Marc Frank HAVANA (Reuters) - New U.S. travel restrictions and a destructive hurricane season last year sucked some air from Cuba's tourism boom but foreign businesses from Spain's Melia Hotels to China's Jin Jiang are pursuing new investments in what remains a promising frontier. According to sources with knowledge of industry figures, tourist arrivals in the first three months of the year fell to roughly 1.4 million compared with 1.5 million in the same period of 2017.

By Marc Frank

HAVANA (Reuters) - New U.S. travel restrictions and a destructive hurricane season last year sucked some air from Cuba's tourism boom but foreign businesses from Spain's Melia Hotels to China's Jin Jiang are pursuing new investments in what remains a promising frontier.

According to sources with knowledge of industry figures, tourist arrivals in the first three months of the year fell to roughly 1.4 million compared with 1.5 million in the same period of 2017.

Of that figure, 177,000 people arrived by sea and spent relatively little money onshore, an increase of 38,000 from the previous year, as foreign cruise lines stepped up their visits.

The downward trend continued in April, the sources said, the tail end of the November-to-May high season in Cuba.

Yet hospitality companies including Spain's Melia Hotels International and Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, Singapores Banyan Tree Holdings Ltd. and Apollo Global Management LLCs Diamond Resorts International Inc. have all announced new projects.

Representatives of the companies often complain about the impossibility of owning their properties outright and the local bureaucracy, but acknowledge they make a profit.

"Cuba was, is and will be a key tourism area so it is just a matter of timing," said Eric Peyre, who represents Louvre Hotels SAS, a French subsidiary of Chinas state-owned Jin Jiang International Hotels Development Co <600754.SS>, one of the worlds largest.

Peyre, who has worked in the Cuban tourism industry for 25 years, said the company just took over one hotel but plans to have 10 within a few years.

"Every hospitality company will come to Cuba one day or another and we have decided to enter now," he said.

Over the last two years more than a dozen cruise lines have also arrived, including U.S. leaders Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. , Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. , which have steadily increased their Cuba stake.

"United States cruise lines continue to add sailings and increase the size of vessels on the routes," said John Kavulich, president of the New York based U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, who follows the sector. He said the main restraint on growth was port capacity in Cuba.

The dip in tourism revenue this year is painful for Cuba's Communist-run government, which is struggling with declining export revenues and dwindling support from crisis-hit ally Venezuela.

The Trump administration has made it more difficult for people to travel to Cuba, banned Americans from patronizing military-owned establishments and issued a travel warning that it may be unsafe to visit Cuba.

HAVANA HARD HIT

Havana was particularly hard hit as the number of American tourists dramatically declined, leaving once overflowing hotels and restaurants with plenty of room to spare.

The U.S. trade embargo restricts Americans to cultural, religious and educational tourism or family visits, thus making Havana, and not beach resorts, a top draw for U.S. visitors.

U.S. visitors, not including those of Cuban origin, fell to 98,000 in the first three months of the year versus 160,000 a year earlier. Of those, 25,000 came on cruise ships, twice the number during the same period in 2017, the sources said.

Nevertheless, there are five new five-star hotels under construction in Havana, three of which broke ground recently.

The hotels are all owned by the military-run Gaviota hospitality corporation and will be managed by foreign firms. The Trump administration has forbidden U.S. citizens from patronizing Gaviota.

Other hotels in the Cuban capital are undergoing renovations. Most are owned by non-military tourism companies, such as the famous sea-front Hotel Habana Riviera built by U.S. mobster Meyer Lansky on the eve of the 1959 revolution.

"Everybody is planning long term. That is why the Cuban government is building in Havana and all foreign companies are asking how to be part of this development," Peyre said.

Foreign businessmen and local experts say 2017, with a booming 26 percent growth in arrivals before Hurricane Irma hit in September, was a fluke and so this years downturn is not the end of the world. Despite the hurricane's impact, arrivals for last year as a whole rose 16 percent.

"We are very pleased that we can show the world that for us Cuba is indeed the next big frontier market and a great place to invest," said Sebastiaan Berger, CEO of Ceiba Investments, a Guernsey-incorporated company with close to 20 years experience in Cuba and a $175 million portfolio.

Ceiba announced this month a $150 million project to upgrade four joint-venture hotels and build a fifth with Cuban partner Cubanacan and Melia Hotels International. The Melia Habana Hotel will add 168 rooms.

Berger, like Peyre, was unperturbed by the Trump administration.

"We are a company dedicated to investments in Cuba and have been investing in real estate under Presidents Bush Sr., Bush Jr., Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and now Trump," he said.

(This story, in 19th paragraph, corrects to "1959 revolution," not "1958 Communist revolution"; in last paragraph, corrects spelling of Obama's first name to Barack, not Barrack)

(Reporting by Marc Frank; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Alistair Bell)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.At least 11 Iranians were among those killed in unprecedented Israeli strikes on Syria this week, a monitor said.

Beirut: At least 11 Iranians were among those killed in unprecedented Israeli strikes on Syria this week, a monitor said.

"At least 27 pro-regime fighters were killed" in Thursday's strikes, said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

He said "six Syrian soldiers and 21 foreign fighters, including 11 Iranians" were among the dead.

That updates the monitor's initial toll of 23, which did not specify the number of Iranians. "The new report is due to the death of wounded or missing persons whose deaths have been confirmed," Abdel Rahman said.

Israel says it struck dozens of Iranian targets inside Syria early on Thursday in response to a salvo of rockets allegedly fired by Iranian forces into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had "crossed a red line" and that Israel's bombardment against targets in Syria was "a consequence".

The Jewish state has long warned it will not accept Iran entrenching itself militarily in neighbouring Syria, where the Islamic Republic backs Assad's regime in the country's seven-year civil war.

Israeli forces have been blamed for a series of recent strikes inside Syria that have killed Iranians, though it has not acknowledged those raids. Israel says it has conducted dozens of operations in Syria to stop what it says are advanced arms deliveries to one of its main foes, Iran-backed Hezbollah.Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed led a funeral prayer in absentia of the Kashmiri militants killed recently.

Lahore: Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed led a funeral prayer in absentia of the Kashmiri militants killed recently. Saeed led the prayers on Friday at the JuD headquarters in Chauburji Lahore which apparently has been taken over by the Punjab government a few months ago. He also led a rally outside the JuD headquarters to express solidarity with the Kashmiris.

Interestingly, Saeed has offered Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and ousted premier Nawaz Sharif "relief" if they quit their friendship with the Indian prime minister. "If the prime minister (Abbasi) and former prime minister (Sharif) want to rid of the problems they are facing today they first will have to quit their friendship with Indian prime minister (Narendra) Modi and slavery of the United States," he said.

Saeed further said Islamabad should stop making lame excuse regarding extending support to the Kashmiris and tell the people about its limitations. He said the Kashmiri militants' struggle has entered into the 'decisive' phase.

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people. It has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014.

The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a $10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice.JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's Defence Minister warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday to renounce the Iranian military presence in his country, saying the activities of Assad's staunchest regional ally would only cause 'damage and problems'. Speaking on a tour of the Golan Heights, the minister, Avigdor Lieberman, told Assad to beware especially of Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Quds Force, the branch of its Revolutionary Guards that oversees operations outside Iran's borders

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's Defence Minister warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday to renounce the Iranian military presence in his country, saying the activities of Assad's staunchest regional ally would only cause "damage and problems".

Speaking on a tour of the Golan Heights, the minister, Avigdor Lieberman, told Assad to beware especially of Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Quds Force, the branch of its Revolutionary Guards that oversees operations outside Iran's borders.

"I have a message for Assad: Get rid of the Iranians, get rid of Qassem Soleimani and the Quds force, they are not helping you, they are only harming."

"Their presence will only cause problems and damage. Get rid of the Iranians and we can, perhaps, change our mode of life here," he said.

On Thursday, Israel accused Iran of firing rockets from Syria into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the first time that Iran has attacked Israel with rockets.

Israel struck back with its heaviest air strikes in Syria since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, saying it had attacked nearly all of Iran's military infrastructure.

(Editing by William Maclean and Kevin Liffey)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May agreed with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday that talks were needed to establish how U.S.

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May agreed with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday that talks were needed to establish how U.S. sanctions would affect companies operating in Iran, as she again reiterated her support for the nuclear deal.

Trump said earlier this week he would revive U.S. economic sanctions, which would penalise foreign firms doing business with Tehran, as he pulled the United States out of the landmark accord.

May spoke to Trump on Friday. "The prime minister raised the potential impact of U.S. sanctions on those firms which are currently conducting business in Iran," her spokeswoman said. "They agreed for talks to take place between our teams."

(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Alison Williams)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.The United States aspires to have North Korea as a 'close partner' and not an enemy, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday, noting that the US has often in history become good friends with former adversaries

Washington: The United States aspires to have North Korea as a "close partner" and not an enemy, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday, noting that the US has often in history become good friends with former adversaries.

Pompeo said he had told North Korean leader Kim Jong-un of that hope during his brief visit to Pyongyang earlier this week, during which he finalised details of the upcoming 12 June summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump and secured the release of three Americans imprisoned in the country.

He said his talks with Kim on Wednesday had been "warm," ''constructive," and "good" and that he made clear that if North Korea gets rid of its nuclear weapons in a permanent and verifiable way, the US is willing to help the impoverished nation boost its economy and living stands to levels like those in prosperous South Korea.

"We had good conversations about the histories of our two nations, the challenges that we have had between us," Pompeo told reporters at a news conference with South Korea's visiting foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha. "We talked about the fact that America has often in history had adversaries who we are now close partners with and our hope that we could achieve the same with respect to North Korea."

He did not mention other adversaries by name, but Pompeo and others have often noted that the US played a major role in rebuilding Japan and the European axis powers in the wake of the Second World War. With US help, those countries recovered from the devastation of conflict.

"If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearise, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends," he said.

Kang praised the upcoming meeting between Trump and Kim in Singapore as an "historic" opportunity, but added a few notes of skepticism as well. Amid concerns that North Korea will demand the US withdraw its troops from neighboring South Korea, Kang emphasised that the US military presence there must be "a matter for the US-ROK alliance first and foremost," using an acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

She said the US troop presence in the South for the past 65 years has played a "crucial role for deterrence," peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. Therefore, she said, any change in the size of the US forces in the South Korea should not be on the table at the summit.

"The next few weeks will be critical, requiring air-tight coordination between our two countries," Kang said, noting that South Korean President Moon Jae-in would be in Washington to see Trump later this month.

Since Trump announced plans to hold a summit with Kim, questions have been raised continually about whether the two leaders have the same objective in mind when they speak about "denuclearisation". To the US, that means the North giving up the nuclear weapons it has already built. But, North Korea has said it's willing to talk now because it's already succeeded in becoming a nuclear-armed state, fueling skepticism that the North would truly be willing to give those weapons up.

Pompeo said there would need to be "complete" and "verifiable" denuclearisation that would remove North Korea as a threat to the South, the United States and the rest of the world. He said a massive inspection and monitoring regime would be required to ensure the North's compliance.

"I think there is complete agreement about what the ultimate objectives are," Pompeo said, though he declined to offer more detail.ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari returned home on Friday after travelling to Britain this week to see his doctor, his spokesman said. The 75-year-old president spent five months of last year in London on medical leave for an undisclosed ailment.

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari returned home on Friday after travelling to Britain this week to see his doctor, his spokesman said.

The 75-year-old president spent five months of last year in London on medical leave for an undisclosed ailment. His office said on Monday that his doctor had requested to see Buhari and the president would return home on Saturday.

"President Buhari just returned," his spokesman, Garba Shehu said in a tweet.

Shehu said earlier in the week it would be a "routine check-up".

However, the surprise announcement that Buhari would travel to see his doctor renewed concerns about his health weeks after he said he would seek re-election in a poll to be held in February next year.

Buhari's critics say he is too ill to be at the helm of one of the continent's biggest economies.

(Reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Alison Williams)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.A 14-year-old boy used a rifle to shoot a former classmate in the arm Friday at their California high school and dumped the gun in a field before he was caught in a shopping centre

Palmdale, California: A 14-year-old boy used a rifle to shoot a former classmate in the arm Friday at their California high school and dumped the gun in a field before he was caught in a shopping centre, authorities said.

Reports of the shooting and an ultimately false report of another attack at a nearby elementary school sparked chaos, terrifying parents and drawing a massive police response in the high desert city of Palmdale in Southern California.

Police descended on Highland High School after dozens of 911 calls and some reports that there were hostages in the campus library, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said.

As officers swarmed the library, more 911 calls came in reporting that gunshots were heard at an elementary school across town.

Dozens of officers with several agencies blanketed both campuses looking for possible shooters and victims. Meanwhile, Antelope Valley Hospital was told several people were dead and as many as 25 students were injured, said Dr Pavel Petrik, the trauma centre's chief of surgery.

In the end, there was just one shooting and one victim, at Highland High School, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County deputies detained a 14-year-old former Highland High School student in the shooting of a 15-year-old boy, who was hit in the arm.

The shooting was sparked by a dispute between the two students, said Captain Darren Harris with the sheriff's department.

"We were very fortunate that the incident wasn't much worse than it was," McDonnell said at a news conference. "The outcome was much better than anybody could have anticipated."

Dr Petrik said the reports of multiple casualties and dozens of injuries caused the hospital to virtually shut down the operating and emergency rooms for an onslaught of victims.

"Everyone from the blood bank to the lab to radiology to everyone ... it was maybe 100 people downstairs waiting for the arrival of all of these injured children," he said. "Thankfully we only had one child that was shot."

He said the boy had surgery and was expected to be fine.

McDonnell said the 14-year-old suspect had fired multiple gunshots in a courtyard but did not elaborate on whether the teen was aiming for anyone in particular.

"Those shots, in some cases, went into an area adjacent to the courtyard where they were being fired from, so the potential was for anyone to be able to take a stray round there, whether they were aimed at or not," McDonnell said. "So a very dangerous situation."

The teen was caught about an hour later at a shopping centre after the boy called his father to say he fired his gun in the air and was headed to a grocery store near campus, McDonnell said.

He said the teen's father called a family friend who's an off-duty police officer and told him where the boy was.

The off-duty officer, who works for Los Angeles police, then detained the teen without incident. He was being held on suspicion of attempted murder.

It's unclear where he got the rifle.

McDonnell said the boy's mother had called the officer earlier in the morning to tell him she and her husband were having trouble with him and that the teen had run away.

The parents recently transferred the boy from Highland High School though it was unclear why. McDonnell declined to elaborate.

Parents and students were outside the school crying as investigators remained on campus.

Student Pualani Revis told KABC-TV that students ran into her classroom saying there were gunshots going off.

"We barricaded the room," she said. "We went to the back of it to make sure we were safe."

Johnny Lewis, whose 17-year-old son is a student at the school, told The Los Angeles Times that he raced to the campus with his wife after hearing reports about the shooting.

"We didn't know at that time if our son was in danger, injured or shot or what," he said. "It's just ridiculous with all the guns in schools. I never knew it would happen to us here."The public ballot for tickets to Professor Stephen Hawking's thanksgiving service opened on Saturday with visitors from the future welcome to apply.

London: The public ballot for tickets to Professor Stephen Hawking's thanksgiving service opened on Saturday with visitors from the future welcome to apply. The theoretical physicist who captured the imagination of millions around the world died on 14 March at the age of 76.

His ashes are being interred on 15 June at London's Westminster Abbey, by the graves of fellow scientific giants Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

The world-renowned cosmologist's three children Robert, Lucy and Tim are offering up to 1,000 free tickets to the public through a ballot system, run by the Stephen Hawking Foundation. Applicants need to give their birth date - but eagle-eyed fans of the man who dedicated his life's work to unravel the mysteries of the universe spotted that it can be any day up to 31 December, 2038.

London travel blogger IanVisits was among those who noticed the quirk that allows people born more than 20 years into the future to apply. "Professor Hawking once threw a party for time travellers, to see if any would turn up if he posted the invite after the party," he wrote.

"None did, but it seems perfect that the memorial website allows people born in the future to attend the service.

"Look out for time travellers at the abbey." Potential applicants - from the future or otherwise - are forewarned not to apply if they cannot arrange their own transport and any necessary visas.

The service is set to be attended by Hawking's family, friends and colleagues.

"We are so grateful to Westminster Abbey for offering us the privilege of a service of thanksgiving for the extraordinary life of our father and for giving him such a distinguished final resting place," said Lucy Hawking.

Propelled to stardom by his 1988 book "A Brief History of Time", an unlikely worldwide bestseller, Hawking's genius and wit won over fans from far beyond the rarefied world of astrophysics.

Westminster Abbey will also be open to the public free of charge after the service so people can pay their respects at his grave.

John Hall, the Dean of Westminster, said: "The service of thanksgiving for the life and work of Stephen Hawking will celebrate not only his remarkable achievements as a scientist, but also his character and endurance through his years living with a devastating illness."

Hawking's death triggered a flood of tributes from Queen Elizabeth II to NASA, reflecting his impact both as a scientist and for his refusal to give up in the face of crippling motor neurone disease.US fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace off western Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said

Washington: US fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace off western Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said Saturday.

The long-range Tu-95 "Bear" bombers were "intercepted and visually identified" Friday morning by a pair of Alaska-based NORAD F-22 Raptors as the Russian aircraft flew in the Air Defense Identification Zone, north of the Aleutian Islands, said Canadian Army Major Andrew Hennessy, of NORAD public affairs.

The Air Defense Identification Zone extends for about 200 miles (322 kilometres) from the coastline, mostly in international airspace.

"At no time did the Russian bombers enter North American sovereign airspace," Hennessy said in a statement to AFP.

He added that the US jets monitored the Russians until the propeller-driven bombers left the identification zone along the Aleutians heading west.

In April last year NORAD and the Pentagon said Tu-95 Bear bombers were spotted in international airspace on three occasions  twice near the Aleutian Islands and once near mainland Alaska and Canada.

That was the first sighting of such Russian long-range bomber missions around Alaska in about two and a half years, a Pentagon spokesman said at the time.What happened

April was a roller-coaster ride for investors in Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX). The copper and gold miner kicked off the month on a strong note, only to give up all of its gains and more in the fourth week of April. By the end of April, Freeport-McMoRan stock registered its worst month so far this year, ending 13.4% lower according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Specifically, the market dumped Freeport-McMoRan in the last week of April on the back of two negative developments.

So what

Firmer oil and copper prices kept Freeport-McMoRan shares northward bound for the better part of April. For instance, Freeport-McMoRan shares gained 5% on a single day in trading on April 18 after crude oil and copper prices gained momentum.

The euphoria, however, was short-lived. Just as investors hoped Freeport-McMoRan was headed for better days, the miner dropped a bomb on April 24, sending the stock plunging.

To be fair, Freeport-McMoRan's first-quarter numbers, as reported on April 24, were great, what with the miner generating 46% higher revenue and growing its net income nearly threefold over Q1 2017. Yet, Freeport-McMoRan's adjusted net earnings per share of $0.46 fell short of analysts' estimates. It was the reason behind the shortfall, however, that spooked investors.

Lower gold production from Freeport-McMoRan's Grasberg mine in Indonesia, one of the world's largest copper and gold deposits, because of unplanned maintenance was largely to blame for the company's lower-than-expected earnings. Grasberg's been in a geopolitical muddle for years now, and the company has had to work through several deals with the government over the years to keep the mine running.

Fresh problems surfaced last quarter when the Indonesian government tightened environmental standards and gave Freeport-McMoRan six months to comply with the decree. During the miner's Q1 earnings call, CEO Richard Adkerson didn't just call it "a sensitive matter," but expressed shock over the Indonesian government's move. Adkerson even went on to say that he feared "political motivations" behind the decree, as what was expected of it from Freeport-McMoRan "just cannot be done."

Perhaps what struck investors even more was Adkerson stressing that it's "physically impossible" for anybody to mine according to the decree. Not surprisingly, the market interpreted it as a sign of growing resentment between Freeport-McMoRan and the Indonesian government, one that could eventually delay an extension of operating licenses for PT Freeport Indonesia (better known as PT-FI), the company's subsidiary in Indonesia that operates Grasberg and other mines.

Now what

Freeport-McMoRan believes that Indonesia's new environmental order is equivalent to revisiting a system to treat waste that was agreed upon by the company and the government 20 years ago, which sounds next to impossible.

Management is negotiating with relevant authorities and believes it will find a way out, but if history is anything to go by, any settlement could come at a price, as Freeport-McMoRan will likely have to cede to the demands of the government to keep its mines running. The reason is simple: Indonesia accounted for 26% of its copper and 99% of its gold production in 2017.

With the presidential elections in Indonesia also less than a year away, the risks for Freeport-McMoRan, unfortunately, are too real for investors to ignore.Altria Group (NYSE:MO) and Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) have long been bastions of bountiful dividend income for investors. With the tobacco titan and soda giant currently yielding 5% and 3.6%, respectively, that remains the case today.

But which of these dividend stalwarts is the better buy? Let's find out.

Competitive advantage

Altria once enjoyed a seemingly unassailable competitive position, but the cigarette colossus is now facing potential disruption from new forms of nicotine inhalation, such as vaping. Altria is attempting to counter this threat by introducing new heated tobacco products, but it's not yet clear whether these moves will be enough to offset declining sales of traditional tobacco products.

Like Altria, Coca-Cola finds itself on the wrong side of several trends, as consumers shift away from high-sugar and artificially sweetened beverages. But while its soda business stagnates, Coca-Cola has moved to diversify its beverage empire into naturally flavored juices, teas, and bottled water, among other areas. Coca-Cola therefore enjoys broader revenue diversification than the largely tobacco-focused Altria and a stronger overall competitive position.

Advantage: Coca-Cola

Financial strength

Let's now take a look at some key metrics to see how Altria and Coca-Cola stack up in regards to financial fortitude.

Metric Altria Coca-Cola Revenue $19.49 billion $35.41 billion Operating income $9.59 billion $9.43 billion Operating cash flow $4.92 billion $7.11 billion Free cash flow $4.72 billion $5.43 billion Cash $1.25 billion $20.68 billion Debt $13.89 billion $47.75 billion

Altria and Coca-Cola excel at turning cigarettes and soda into cash for investors. However, Coca-Cola has a far more cash-rich balance sheet, which makes it the more financially sound business.

Advantage: Coca-Cola

Growth

With demand for cigarettes and soda likely to decline further in the years ahead, revenue growth will remain a challenge for both Altria and Coca-Cola in the coming years. Still, thanks to price hikes and cost cuts, Altria's earnings per share are forecast to grow by about 10% annually over the next five years. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola's EPS is expected to rise by less than 8% annually over the next half-decade, driven mostly by the company's margin-expansion initiatives. Thus, Altria has the edge when it comes to expected EPS growth.

Advantage: Altria

Valuation

No better-buy discussion should take place without a look at valuation. Let's check out some key value metrics for Coca-Cola and Altria, including price-to-free cash flow, price-to-earnings, and price-to-earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratios.

Metric Altria Coca-Cola P/FCF 22.56 33.78 Forward P/E 12.95 18.99 PEG 1.43 2.73

On all three metrics, Altria's stock is considerably less expensive than that of Coca-Cola. Investors appear to be pricing in the possibility that a slowdown in heated-tobacco product sales could cause Altria to fall short of analysts' growth projections. That may prove to be the case, but at this point, much of this risk is already baked into Altria's stock price. And at these levels, Altria is the better bargain.

Advantage: Altria

The better buy is...

Ultimately, you'll need to decide which of these factors is more important to you. Investors with low risk tolerance will find Coca-Cola's broader revenue diversification and balance sheet strength more attractive. Value investors will likely be more intrigued by Altria's lower-priced stock. Either way, you'll be buying a proven business that should continue to deliver bountiful dividend income for many years to come.There's been a rash of news recently lamenting changes in the auto industry -- including Ford's (NYSE:F) move away from sedan production in the U.S. In this week's episode of Industry Focus: Energy and Industrials, host Sarah Priestley talks with Motley Fool senior auto specialist John Rosevear about what's happening in the auto industry and what it means for the future of cars, trucks, pickups, and SUVs.

Find out exactly what changes Ford made to its North American lineup; how Ford is approaching fuel efficiency; why the stock has been selling off so much in the last few months; the biggest concerns for Ford's long-term future; and more. Also, the hosts talk about private company Aston Martin, which is reportedly considering going public.

A full transcript follows the video.

This video was recorded on May 10, 2018.

Sarah Priestley: Welcome to Industry Focus, the show that dives into a different sector of the stock market every day. Today, we're talking Energy and Industrials. It's Thursday, the 10th of May, and we'll be discussing Ford. I'm your host, Sarah Priestley, and joining me on Skype is Motley Fool contributor and senior auto specialist, John Rosevear. John, how are you doing?

John Rosevear: I'm doing well! How are you, Sarah?

Priestley: I'm good. I was just telling you, I'm very excited that it's almost Friday. We have a food truck festival going on near the office. It's all the good things today.

Rosevear: Oh, good!

Priestley: Recently, we've seen a lot of headlines around Ford. A couple of my favorites: "Ford Is Basically Giving Up on The U.S. Car Business, and GM (NYSE:GM) Is Not Far Behind." Second favorite: "Ford to Kill Fusion, Taurus and Fiesta Cars to Make Way for More SUVs." We've seen a huge amount of attention on Ford's plan to reduce its passenger car lineup and refocus on its larger vehicles, which is all part of this trend toward SUVs, pickups, and crossovers that we've seen in the U.S. and we've actually talked about on this show before.

According to industry forecasts, in three years' time, 73% of all consumer vehicles in the U.S. are expected to be utility vehicles of some sort. Only 27%, obviously, cars. This is overall. Company specifics are actually much higher, Ford at 90%, GM at 84% SUVs, crossovers and trucks. John, I wanted to get your expert opinion and peek behind the curtain a bit. What's actually going on behind these headlines?

Rosevear: What's really happening is, Ford has this global portfolio of models. Some of them, they make in some regions. Some, they make in many regions. What they're doing is eliminating, essentially, all of their sedan models from the lineup in North America -- Canada, U.S., Mexico. Production of the little Fiesta for North America, it's built in Mexico, that ends next May, 2019. Focus production has already ended, last week, I think, along with the C-Max, which was built on the same production line in Michigan. That factory is not closing. That's where they're going to build the Ranger pickup later this year. Then, the Bronco SUV, the all-new revived Bronco off-road SUV, is coming next year. Then, there's a third smaller off-road SUV in the works, too. It may be called the Maverick, reviving another name from the 70s. That may be built in the same place, it's not clear yet.

The Focus won't completely go away. They're going to import one variant of the all new next-generation Focus from China. It's called the Focus Active. If you imagine a Focus given the Subaru Outback treatment, that's the Focus Active. It's a crossover-y Focus. The midsize sedan Fusion was such a big deal when it was introduced several years ago. It was Ford finally going head-to-head with a product that could rival the Accord and Camry. It was gorgeous, it was well-regarded. It sold like hotcakes. Sales have trailed way off. Ford is giving the Fusion a mild update for 2019, and I mean really mild -- some trim changes and stuff like that. Then it goes away entirely, at least for North America, in, probably, 2021.

There was an all-new Fusion under development. It will not be launched in North America. It is not clear whether it will be sold overseas. The Fusion is identical in all but name and a few details to another Ford sedan called the Mondeo, which is sold in Europe and China. It's the same car. Not clear what's happening to the Mondeo, either. We'll find out.

The big Ford Taurus, legendary name, sales have been tiny in recent years. That ends sometime fairly soon. Ford hasn't given a date yet. That's built in Chicago Assembly, a factory near Chicago which also builds the Explorer. There's an all-new Explorer coming, and a new Lincoln built on the same architecture as the all-new Explorer called the Aviator. The Aviator launches sometime next year. We believe the Explorer will launch sometime next year, too. The factory is just going to build more Explorers and the new Aviator, and that will fill in any gap left by the end of the Taurus. Ford is saying no one is going to get laid off, nothing like that, they're going to be plenty busy.

The Mustang is Ford's other car, of course. That's not going anywhere. Mustang sales numbers are actually not all that huge, but it's such an important brand-builder for Ford.

Priestley: Yeah, it's iconic.

Rosevear: They only build it in Michigan. They export it all over the world. It's the aspirational car. It's the car that Ford fans want. Everybody has a story about a Mustang. There were these enthusiasts in Europe who waited years and years for Ford to sell it there. Ford finally sells it there. It's been a big deal. That's not going away. There's a next-generation Mustang coming in two or three years. Not clear what else is going on at that factory.

Also not clear what's happening with Lincoln's two sedans. Back in March, which might have been a thousand years ago in Ford time, I don't know, but it was only about five or six weeks ago, Lincoln's president, Joy Falotico, told me that they aren't getting rid of the sedans anytime soon. In fact, the Continental is practically all-new, and the smaller sedan, the MKZ, was just given a big face lift. But the MKZ is built on the same production lines as the Fusion, so it's not clear what's going to happen there.

There have been rumors and suggestions and tidbits of news from suppliers suggesting strongly that there's an all-new Continental under development. It may be rear-wheel drive, it may have the famous suicide doors that the early 60s Continentals had, the iconic Lincoln Continentals. That's where the rear door opens backwards. So, if you visualize the side of a four-door, they open up like one big opening, and it makes it easy to get in and out. That may be a rear-wheel drive vehicle. The Continental right now is built at the same factory as the Mustang. The Continental and the all-new Mustang may share architecture. We're not sure yet. But, we don't think the Continental is going away. Not clear about the MKZ after three or four years from now, but it'll be around for at least a while longer.

Priestley: Excellent. So, there's a lot of developments. You mentioned the Ford Fusion. I actually remember the furor around that. It was my company car when I was working in the Midwest, and I loved it, so kind of sad to see that go. But, it's important to put all of this into context, because cars are still a big part of the market outside of North America. I know back home in the U.K., the trend is there, too, but you don't see as many of these big trucks and crossovers, purely because our roads can't really accommodate them.

Rosevear: Exactly. I don't remember whether it's the Fiesta or the Focus that's the best-selling car in the U.K., but it's one of them. Either way, the Fiesta and the Focus are both huge sellers for Ford throughout Europe, particularly in Western Europe. They get optioned up, they sell at good margins. It's kind of a different business than what we see in the United States, even though it's the same basic cars.

Ford launched an all-new Fiesta in Europe last year. It's getting very good reviews and selling quite well. All-new Focus has been shown. It's coming later this year. These are models that are not, except for that one Focus Active, coming to the United States at all. But they're all-new models. So, Ford continued development of these vehicles and is launching them there. It'll launch the Focus in China, too. I'm not sure if the Fiesta gets launched in China, but it will be launched in some other Asian markets. I know they sell it in Thailand and some other places, as well. We don't know what's happening with the Fusion.

The Taurus, that ship already sailed. There's an all-new Taurus. The current Taurus in the United States was launched in 2009 or 2010. It's actually a very dated model. Ford did an all-new Taurus. It was launched in China in 2016. It looks like a big Fusion. It's mechanically related to the Lincoln Continental. It did well for them for a while. Sales have trailed off a bit. But Ford has never announced plans to launch it here. I don't know what the deal was with that. Maybe the plan to discontinue the Taurus has been in the works for a while. The takeaway is that Ford has not abandoned cars, sedans, globally. But, it's not going to sell them in the United States, at least for the next little while.

Priestley: Yeah. As you said, this isn't the total abandonment that a lot of the headlines have presented. It's more of a case of Ford and GM playing up to their current strength. Jim Farley, Ford's President of Global Markets, called their new lineup authentic off-roaders, and it looks very compelling. The F-series trucks, they sold 73,000 last month, 12th consecutive month of sales gains. The Expedition, which still has that newness factor, the average Expedition spent just 12 days on the lot during April's sales and trading statement. But, I think it's really important for people to know, 75% of the sales for Ford are coming from trucks and vans, and they have this whole commercial aspect that a lot of people tend to overlook.

So, the move kind of makes sense with all the caveats that go with that, but the market's reaction has been so tepid. The stock is down 11% since the start of the year, and obviously some of that is other factors, too. What's the investor reaction on this?

Rosevear: I think the reaction to this specific issue has been subdued. There's a larger issue going on with Ford. They fired CEO Mark Fields last May and replaced him with Jim Hackett, who came to Ford from outside of the auto industry. He ran Steelcase for years. Very tech-minded, very futurist, very much a deep thinker kind of guy. Ford has been working on this big plan to improve its profitability and improve what Hackett calls its fitness globally. We've seen bits and pieces of it, but Ford has yet to really show us all their cards and show the plan and tell us exactly where they're going. And I think, when you listen to Wall Street analysts on the call, patience is being tested. I think that's a lot of what's going on with this stock right now. Institutional investors are backing away a little bit. Between you, me, and our large audience, I think Ford needs to do something about that. And I've said as much to Ford. [laughs] Yeah, it's an issue. I think this confuses a lot of people, this latest development where they're getting rid of the sedans. To think about this from a shareholder's perspective, Ford has a given number of factories in North America that can build vehicles for North America. Building new factories is really expensive. It's not going to do that anytime soon. SUVs sell with larger profit margins than sedans do, generally speaking. I think what Ford is saying is, "One way to boost our margins in a hurry in a market that's mad for SUVs is to just blast SUVs out of all of our North American factories." I think, if you look at it with that simplicity, the plan starts to make sense.

Priestley: It does. And I think, like you said, Jim Hackett is essentially betting that the profits gained from this rise in the average selling price and the average transaction price is going to accommodate for the sales for the sedans. And, they're heavily incentivizing a lot of the sales of these sedans, because it's such a commoditized market, and Jim Farley said this, he said it just won't be traditional silhouetted sedans that tend to be commoditized that they're going to develop, and that makes such sense, because it's really become such a hotbed of competition.

Rosevear: Right. And Ford is also suffering here from, the Focus, Fusion and Fiesta are all dated models. Like I said, they've already introduced the all-new ones, all-new Fiesta overseas and the all-new Focus is being rolled out shortly. There would probably have been in the plan an all-new Fusion the next year or the year after, certainly, we'd be hearing about it by now.

And, they're competing against the Camry and Accord, which were heavily redone, all-new, for 2017, both of them, I think. Ford was a step ahead when the Fusion was first launched several years ago, now it's kind of a step behind, so it has to ramp up incentives, especially in that category, midsize sedans, where sales are so huge, and a lot of those cars get sold on price, monthly payment.

Priestley: Yeah, absolutely. So, how were the sales across the board for the auto makers in April?

Rosevear: Ford's U.S. sales were down, I think, 4.7%. Pickups are still doing well. The sedans are down. SUVs are more or less a wash. The thing about Ford's SUVs right now is, they're just in a tricky spot in their product cycle. The Explorer and Escape are their mainstay SUVs, those are the names everybody knows. They're still doing well. They're still selling in strong numbers, but they're both dated models. All-new ones are coming next year. It's that thing where all-new models tend to command the highest prices, get the biggest margins, get the most sales interest, and then interest kind of tails off over a model's life cycle. Those two are just near the end of their life cycle. So, they're not seeing the sales growth in SUVs that some other companies who have newer products competing against -- Toyota has a new RAV4, for instance, that's doing well, whereas the Escape has slipped back a bit. But that's just ordinary course of business in autos.

Toyota's sales were also down about the same amount, just under 5%. The Camry has been the exception to the "everybody's walking away from sedans" rule recently. It has sold surprisingly well. Toyota has been aggressive on price and it's a very good product. It was all-new last year. But, Camry sales are starting to slip, they're down almost 10% from a year ago in April.

Honda was down 9.2% overall. Again, they have an all-new Accord, but it's really lost ground to the Camry. I think it's because Toyota has been more aggressive on pricing. Honda has tried to move the Accord upmarket a little bit to improve margins, and that hasn't drawn the number of buyers that perhaps they'd hoped.

Nissan took a big hit. Nissan's sales boomed for a while because they were very aggressive with pricing and incentives, offering the best deal out the door. That gave them big sales gains but crunched their margins. They weren't getting anything like the operating margins in North America that we're seeing from Ford or even from Honda. They're trying to cut back on all of that and to get better pricing. They're also selling a lot of cars to rental car fleets, which is a business that Ford and GM have pulled away from, so there was an opportunity, but those are low profit margin sales. They sell cars in bulk in batches. It's trying to roll back all of that. Its U.S. sales were down 28% less month, and it's really adjusting and resetting here.

Fiat Chrysler did great. Fiat Chrysler already gave up its mainstream car models over the last couple of years. They're selling Jeeps, Jeeps, Jeeps and more Jeeps. Also, somewhat surprisingly, the Dodge Caravan minivan had a great month in April. Sales were up quite a bit.

The last big name on our list is GM. They have given up reporting monthly sales, they've gone to quarterly reporting. Of course, Bloomberg talked to people inside GM and the dealers and got the story that their sales were down probably 2.5-3% in April. With GM, the story is similar to Ford. GM's big pickups, the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, all-new ones are coming at the end of the year, so they're selling down, basically, the last of the old ones -- they're still making them, but only for a little while longer -- at big discounts, moving them out. The tooling is all paid off. They can afford to take discounts on them and sell them aggressively on price.

Where GM's story is shining is on crossover SUVs. Over the last few years, they launched a complete new line of crossover SUVs across all four of their U.S. brands -- Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC. There are nine or 10 new models. They're all doing well. The Chevy Equinox in particular has been racking up huge sales. These are products that are very much up-to-date, very competitive, and designed around profitability, which is one of CEO Mary Barra's things. These are more profitable than the products they replaced, both because they have more appealing options that encourage people to buy more expensive versions, and also just because of various manufacturing innovations. This has been a big story for GM. It's driven them to some very good margins, and they expect that to continue even as they go through the expensive transition to the all-new trucks. They expect the Crossovers to keep their margins fairly strong. So far, so good.

Priestley: Yeah, that would be impressive. I think a lot of the market fear around the moves that they're making is the worry that they're making the same mistakes they've previously made when they emphasized the high-profit truck businesses and slowed investment in fuel-efficient vehicles, and then getting caught out when gas prices rose. Jim Farley addressed this. He said, "It's our plan that these new vehicles will give our customers utility benefits without the penalty of fuel economy. In fact, they get great fuel economy." Do you think the innovation is really there? We're seeing fuel prices begin to creep up again. It's a valid concern. Do you think they're addressing it?

Rosevear: There are a few things here, if you grab Ford people and talk to them on background or whatever, that they'll tell you that they're thinking. First and foremost, all of Ford's SUVs, and pickups, even, are considerably more fuel efficient than they were a decade ago. Second of all, we talk a lot about crossovers, which is an SUV-shaped vehicle built on a structure more like a sedan's. These are different from the big truck-based SUVs that were popular 15 years ago that were based on pickup truck chassis. They're lighter in weight, they drive more like cars, and they're more fuel efficient. A modern Ford Explorer gets considerably better fuel economy than a 2005 Ford Explorer, for instance.

Ford is also saying, "We have a small crossover, the new EcoSport." Ford is also investing in, there are going to be a whole bunch of new hybrids. For instance, the next-generation Explorer will be available as a hybrid. There's never been an Explorer hybrid before. They're going to do a hybrid F-150 for, I think, 2020. This is all in the works. So, there's that, too. If there's a concern, well, they have hybrids. And, they have pure electric cars coming, too.

The last thing, of course, is that if they really have to all of the sudden sell Focuses and Fiestas here, they can import them while they get factories set up. [laughs] They're building them in huge numbers. The Focus will be built in huge numbers in China. Fiesta, I believe, in Thailand as well as Europe, and of course the European factories as well. They could arrange to have some here in a matter of, not years, I mean, it would take several months to get everything set up, get the supply chain set up and get them distributed and so forth, but we're not talking years. They could respond, in auto industry terms, fairly quickly. If they really needed to have small cars in the U.S. again, it could be done. It's not like development has stopped on the Focus and Fiesta, because they're so important in Europe and, to a lesser extent, in China.

Priestley: Yeah. One near-term headwind that I wanted to ask you about because it's been a big news topic recently, the F-150 plant in Michigan that's facing, potentially, weeks of downtime after the fire damaged the premises of a parts supplier, Meridian Lightweight Technology. It looks like it might actually also cause issues for the Missouri production plan.

We've talked a lot about how these high-end trucks are demanding a higher value and getting more margin for the company. If these plants idle for too long, it's between 10,000-15,000 F-150s a week that's out of the supply chain. Apparently, there's around a quarter of a million F-150s in the dealer network. I mean, I don't think investors should be too worried about this, but what's your take?

Rosevear: Well, we have to look, as investors, at the sales and shipments. Ford books revenue when a vehicle is shipped to a dealer. But, then, the dealer, which is an independent business -- these are franchises -- then sells it on, then Ford counts the sales after the dealer sells the car or truck to a customer. The dealers have plenty of inventory of F-150s. All of the Detroit automakers keep big inventories of their full-size pickups because they sell in huge numbers and because they're available in so many different combinations -- two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, crew cab, club cab, short bed, long bed, heavy duty, extra heavy duty -- more so than with cars. So, inventories of trucks have always been higher. That's seen as the right way to do business with trucks, to keep around a 90-day supply, whereas you want to aim at more of a 60-70 supply with a sedan or a crossover. So, there are plenty out in dealer lots.

Ford held a press conference last night. One of the things they said was, "We are going to lose some production, but we will be able to make that up in the long run, and we don't think customers coming to dealers are really going to notice. We think that just about everybody who wants a new Ford truck is going to be able to find the one they want because we have plenty in inventory for the time being. We'll make up the lost production as necessary once we have this part supply issue worked out, which, we don't have an ETA on that yet, but we think it's sooner rather than later." It was quite a fire at the factory. I've seen photos of it. The factory took significant damage.

Apparently, Ford was able to get some of the tooling for its specific parts out of this factory. The question is whether that can be set up somewhere else, or whether they need to wait for repairs to this particular factory or what. But, Ford is moving aggressively to restore supply of these parts. They will lose some production. That will probably be visible in their second quarter results. Although, 15,000 F-150s is not a ton. But, if they lose 60,000, you're going to see that in the second quarter North American results, because they won't have the revenue from those trucks, because they won't have shipped them. Will they make that up in the third quarter? Yeah, absolutely. The workers at those factories will collect some overtime pay working weekends. [laughs]

Priestley: Yeah, they might need it.

Rosevear: That's how it works. And that's good money. One the other hand, you don't want to lose weekends in the summer. But, it'll happen. They won't have trouble with it. It's just, you may see, effectively, some revenue in North America get shifted from the second quarter to the third quarter, and we may have to have to rework our expectations for how the year unfolds. Long-term, I don't think there's a big issue here. I don't think you're going to be driving droves of customers away because they can't find any F-150s.

Priestley: Yeah, people tend to be pretty loyal to their truck brands. I think, this is a nightmare for any manufacturer, especially if you've got a single-source supply, to hear about something like this. But, no, they seem to be dealing with it appropriately. Thank you so much for shedding all the light on this Ford issue. I have one last little question for you, because I know that we're both Aston Martin fans. They turned their first profit since 2010, and they're considering going public. I just wanted to get your opinion on the rumored news.

Rosevear: Well, nobody gets into a job like I've got without being a car enthusiast. Aston is my great love. I had an Aston for a while, an old 1977 V8 Vantage. I will have another one after my kids are out of college, I hope. [laughs] You know? I watch the company closely.

I'm a big fan of the current CEO, Andy Palmer, who came from Nissan and has really put the company on course to profitability. They had a good year in 2017, driven by good results for a new model. They have another new model this year, an all-new V8 Vantage, it's just now rolling out. Reviews have been very strong, and with Aston that means it'll sell.

I did a quick analysis. They've always been a private company, so we've never really had earnings reports to look at, but they released some limited 2017 numbers a couple of months ago. Back in February, I did a comparison of what Aston told us about its performance in 2017 with Ferrari (NYSE:RACE), which, the stock has taken off since its IPO a few years ago, powered by the fact that Ferrari has huge profit margins. Their operating margin in the first quarter was, like, 25%, which is ... Ford would love to get to 10%.

Priestley: [laughs] Yeah.

Rosevear: Seriously! They're a luxury company that happens to sell cars, and that's the way to think of them. Aston's profitability is not quite at Ferrari's levels. It's probably well ahead of Ford's. They sold about 5,000 vehicles last year, whereas Ferrari did about 8,400. And yes, these numbers are tiny, but this is Aston Martin and Ferrari. [laughs] You know? These are little companies, compared to 70,000 F-150s a month and that kind of thing.

What I think Aston would tell you is, they're in a stable place, they have new models rolling out, they have a partnership with Daimler, which is supplying them with engines. Aston used to be owned by Ford. They used to get their engines from a big Ford factory in Germany. That relationship is winding down, and they're getting a new generation, up-to-date, high-technology engines and some other parts from Daimler, from Mercedes-Benz, effectively, an engine design that's being built specifically for Aston. So, that's a good relationship.

Daimler owns a small stake in Aston. They have new technology. They have an electric vehicle on the way. They're pulling this together. They have a brand-new factory in Wales. They're going to roll out an SUV, a luxury SUV, which I think is something Aston could get away with. And, they're relaunching an old brand. Years and years and years ago, Aston Martin bought a maker of luxury sedans called Lagonda. And there have been Lagonda sedans on and off over the years. Tiny volumes, typically. In fact, the proper name of Aston is Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. But, they're relaunching Lagonda, starting in about four years, as an electric-only super luxury brand. Basically, if you've had the Tesla and you want to move upscale, that's where they want to be. [laughs] They want to be there waiting for you.

Priestley: More luxury than Tesla.

Rosevear: Yeah. When your $150,000 Tesla just isn't doing it for you anymore, you can spend $400,000 on a Lagonda. That's the vision. Anyway, all of this adds up to, Aston has room to grow, both in terms of margins and in terms of overall sales.

The trick with any luxury company is, how far do you grow sales before the brand gets dented? Ferrari capped its sales at 8,000 a year for a long time. They think now they can ease it up to 10,000. So far, so good. Their pricing has continued to be very strong. Aston may never quite get to Ferrari's level of super-coveted-ness, but if it can get into the ballpark, there will be some upside to this, if they go public, subject to the cycles at the global economy, of course.

Priestley: Of course.

Rosevear: Luxury products behave in very interesting ways during economic downturns. Sometimes they're dented, and sometimes they're not as dented as you'd think, and sometimes sales just fall off a cliff. [laughs] It sort of depends.

I think there's some really intriguing upside for Aston if it decides to go public. They have a couple of big investors who are looking to exit, now that Aston is stable and profitable. These are private equity companies that want to go on to the next turnaround, basically. There's no rush, but whether they exit via an IPO, or, because it's possible, somebody could acquire Aston, it's possible Daimler could acquire Aston. This is just hypothetical, I don't see any explicit signs that something like that is in the works. But, there are number of possibilities for the way that'd happen. IPO is one of them. If it goes public, I will definitely be taking a closer look at it as an investment, and not just because I like Astons. [laughs]

Priestley: [laughs] We'll definitely get you back on the show if that becomes a reality. Thank you so much for joining me today and imparting all your wisdom!

Rosevear: Thank you for having me!

Priestley: No, thank you! That's it from us today. If you would like to get in touch, please feel free to email us at industryfocus@fool.com, or tweet us on Twitter @MFIndustryFocus. Thank you to Austin Morgan for producing the show. As always, people on the program may own companies discussed, and The Motley Fool may have formal recommendations for or against stocks mentioned, so don't buy or sell anything based solely on what you hear. For John, I'm Sarah Priestley. Thanks for listening and Fool on!Quote: CR172 Originally Posted by No need to act like Chicken Little and claim the sky is falling. Fairly old news around here.

Quote: And yes, Ford did get a "gubmint bailout". They all did.

There is roughly 83 DOH (days on hand) at the moment ... no reason to panic.No, they didn't. So tired of people talking about crap that they don't understand.PRIOR to the big SHTF situation, Ford put up all of its assets, including the blue oval logo, to procure LOANS to restructure. This was not and is not a bailout. When YOU get a mortgage to buy a house or a loan to buy a truck, do you say you got a "bailout"? No, you don't.GM and Chrysler FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION. They SCREWED all of their investors and all of the suppliers. Very few got anything out of the BK.GM got $51B in US taxpayer money. In the end, the taxpayers only got $39.7B back from the sale of the stock and GM payments. The taxpayers LOST $11.3 billion.GMAC got $17.2B in US taxpayer money. When the government sold that stock, the taxpayers actually made $2.4B in profit.Chrysler got $12.5B in US taxpayer money. In the end, taxpayers only got back $11.2B. The taxpayers lost another $1.3 billion.Ford took ZERO dollars as part of the "gubmint bailout". FACT.Ford Motor Company didn't need any funds since it had already cut costs. But it asked to be included (the "line of credit") so it wouldn't suffer by competing with subsidized companies -- but they were in such good shape, they didn't need it, despite the government subsidizing their competitors.When all was said and done, taxpayers lost $12.6 billion on GM and Chrysler. They lost NOTHING on Ford. Zero.Alex Ross with Bianca Andrew & STROMA



Literature & music come together in this unique concert. New York Times critic and best-selling author of The Rest is Noise, is coming to Aotearoa for this very special tour, in partnership with the Auckland Writers Festival.



Alex Ross shares the stage with mezzo-soprano Bianca Andrew and NZs preeminent modern music ensemble STROMA, with one mission: to dispel the elitist aura that often surrounds modernist and post-modernist masterpieces, allowing audiences to share in his passion for this repertoire.



Keep an eye out for our programme notes, available on our website ahead of the concert.(Reuters) - South Korean prosecutors raided the country's biggest cryptocurrency exchange, Upbit, on Thursday and Friday on suspicion of fraud, Yonhap news agency reported.

The agency did not give details. Neither Upbit nor the financial investigation team of the Seoul Southern District public prosecutors' office was immediately available for comment.

Upbit sent a note to its clients that it is co-operating with the prosecutors and that it can guarantee that all its clients' assets are secure.

Four executives from two other South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges were detained in April in connection with the alleged embezzlement of billions of won.Anthony Cardinale, a defense lawyer who has represented mobsters, described the trial of 84-year-old Francis P. Salemme as a last vestige of such federal prosecutions.

Everybodys been burned to a crisp here by informants, he said.

Cardinale is better known as "Cadillac Frank", described by the New York TImes as a fearsome gangster who admitted to multiple killings, went to prison for a car bombing that blew a mans leg off, and survived an assassination attempt outside an International House of Pancakes.

Salemme is now on trial for the murder of a man whose remains turned up behind a mill building in Providence, R.I last year, the murder itself having taken place more than a quarter of a century ago.

It is alleged that back in 1993, Mr. Salemme and a son, Frank Salemme Jr., had a secret stake in a nightclub managed by a real estate developer, Steven DiSarro. The Salemmes worried that Mr. DiSarro might become a cooperating witness in the criminal activities of Salemme. They say Mr. Salemme stood by as his son strangled Mr. DiSarro while another associate, Paul M. Weadick, held his legs, then had him buried in Providence. The younger Mr. Salemme died years ago; the other two men now stand charged with one count of murdering a witness.

The New York Times writes:

These days, organized crime in New England is in a continuous state of uncertainty and disarray because of so many leadership changes, said Brendan Doherty, the former superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police. Its not what it was 20 to 25 years ago, but theres no one trial thats going to put an end to it.

Mobsters today, Mr. Doherty said, have expanded to more sophisticated crimes than nightclub shakedowns, like major bookmaking operations, high-end loan sharking, offshore gambling, real estate flips, fraudulent loans and drug trafficking.

The new young criminals coming in  they dont even know who these old-time mobsters are, Mr. Doherty said.In a post issued on the official blog of the company, studio head Casey Hudson has made it clear that BioWare is just as focused on the single-player and story component of Anthem as it is on multiplayer.

We create worlds of adventure, conflict, and companionship that inspire you to become the hero of your story, said Hudson, who was the boss of the Mass Effect series during the course of the original trilogy.

I think the reason people are concerned about whether these things are possible in a multiplayer game is because it just hasnt been solved well before, he said. With Anthem, were taking this problem head-on and structuring the entire game design to provide a specific solution for this.

Its truewere trying something really different here. Anthem represents one way to deliver innovation and new experiences in the spirit of our mission. We also have teams envisioning future BioWare games, and theyre designing approaches that are different from Anthemincluding one thats very Dragon Age. As we try new things, I hope that youll come on the journey with us, and continue asking questions that will help shape Anthem into something well all love to play.

While he didnt have any particular to reveal at this stage, Hudson pointed out that well learn more about this topic very soon, which is quite probably at the upcoming pre-E3 2018 EA Play media briefing.You can now book a bus in Andhra Pradesh with Paytm News oi-Rohit PayTm has forged an agreement with Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) to enable bus bookings on 1,250 routes run by APSRTC.

PayTm has become a lot more than just a digital wallet. You can shop clothes, electronic items, book movie tickets and carry out seamless transactions within seconds on the app. The app has now added one more useful service in its repository. PayTm has started offering bus services in Andhra Pradesh, India.

As per TOI, PayTm has signed an agreement with Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation to enable bus bookings on 1,250 routes run by APSRTC. PayTm will provide intrastate services to its customers in AP; however, the app will soon extend support for interstate services.

"We are glad to partner with APSRTC and make their complete bus inventory accessible to Paytm's strong 300+ Mn user base. We have received an overwhelming response from customers and are already driving a significant volume of bookings for APSRTC's services," said Abhishek Ranjan, vice president, PayTm.

PayTm has also said that the company will partner with more state-run and private bus operators across Andhra Pradesh in the coming months. There's no official word on partnerships with other state-owned transportation services in India.

Notably, PayTm has added the bus booking section on the platform. The app's web platform also shows a 24x7 helpline number (9555123123) to serve customers. Earlier, PayTm was providing ticket booking services for flights and trains.

PayTm is also offering some introductory offers on bus bookings. The app's web platform talks about a promo code- BUS50 that promises to offer a cashback of up to 50 percent when a user makes a booking. In addition to the state-owned bus services, we might also see some private collaborations for the bus booking services on PayTm. We cannot rule out the possibility that PayTm can rope in services like redbus, travelyaari, etc. in future to make it easy for consumers to book buses across India.

Xiaomi's Global Mi Home Experience Store in Delhi: Products Rundown

We would like to know your experience about the new bus-booking service on PayTm. Let us know in comments.

Best Mobiles in IndiaASUS ROG to launch gaming smartphone at Computex 2018 News oi-Vishal Kawadkar ASUS ROG planning to join the bandwagon of gaming smartphones.

ASUS ROG brand will reportedly announce the Android-powered gaming smartphone at Computex 2018. The device has been doing rounds of the rumor mill for quite some time. Computex 2018 will be running from June 5 through June 9.

The company is said to jump into gaming smartphone bandwagon for past few months. Asus Global CEO Jerry Shen, in an interview, said that the company is "expected" to release a phone built for gaming. Unfortunately, there's no confirmation on the potential release of the device in question.

Asus building a gaming smartphone doesn't come as a surprise, considering its experience in the PC gaming industry with its Strix and Republic of Gamers (ROG) sub-brands. However, gaming smartphones are yet to fully take flight in the smartphone industry.

Besides, Nubia recently showcased its Red Magic gaming smartphone, going in direct competition with the Razer Phone and Xiaomi's Black Shark smartphone. Now the reports are pouring in saying that the first sale of the Red Magic phone only lasted 37 seconds. The smartphone was announced in mid-April and is company's first attempt to cater mobile gamers.

Nubia tried several prototypes before going ahead with a flashy LED stripe on the rear panel. The top-end variant of the device comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage, while the base model has 64GB storage and 6GB of RAM. Other features include a 6-inch FHD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It comes equipped with a 24MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing camera. It has a USB Type-C port, 3.5mm audio jack, and starts at the equivalent of roughly $500.

Asus join hands with Paytm Mall, launches Vivobook X507

The company also made headlines when it sent invites for the Red Magic launch event to its rivals Razen and Xiaomi. The company also posted the image on its social media handle which is addressed to two of its rival gaming brands - Razer Phone and Black Shark. Though this seems like a warm gesture from the company to invite its competitors to the launch event of its first gaming smartphone, only Nubia knows what was the actual reason for the invites.

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsBlackBerry KEY2 images surface online again News oi-Vishal Kawadkar BlackBerry might soon unveil its next flagship device soon.

BlackBerry KEYone was one of the unique smartphones launched in 2017. For some, it remains as their primary device. But, it's about time that the company brings a follow-up to the handset. Now, a new hands-on image has appeared of the alleged device.

The photo was shared in the CrackBerry Forums. As seen in the image, the device retains the same form factor. The most notable changes including matte finish for the keypad. It has a new key whose functionality is currently unknown. Plus, the keys have a larger and flatter in contrast to its precursor.

The same image was also shared on Weibo. In addition, an image captured what's likely clicked by the new phone has the "BlackBerry KEY2" branding at the bottom. Though the company hasn't confirmed the name of the device, KEY2 is probably what the device will be called. Few reports also suggest that the phone will soon see the light of day.

The device was also spotted in the TENNA listing with name BlackBerry Athena. The listed phone doesn't come with the BlackBerry logo on the spacebar, which is a slight change from the original design of BlackBerry KEYOne.

Previously, known tipster Evan Blass tipped that future BlackBerry Android smartphones will have support for wireless charging. The leak also suggests that the company will also launch a Samsung DeX-like phone-to-PC solution.

The device is said to be under development at Optiemus Infracom, one of BlackBerry's product partners that holds the rights to manufacture products with BlackBerry's branding in the sub-continent including India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The gadget seems to shaped like company's signature style, featuring a single port that will power it, designed to used as a pad, with wireless charging capabilities being the most logical explanation for the device.

BlackBerry KEYone First Impressions

Given BlackBerry's focus on the enterprise segment and the fact that it designs the best-in-class security solutions for mobile devices for business clients, a phone-to-PC solution sounds like something the company would fancy. Though the company doesn't manufacture smartphones itself anymore, it does contribute to the process to help grow its ecosystem. Few of company's upcoming smartphones are doing rounds of the rumor mill for quite some time now. The devices have already made several appearances including Geekbench, configuration files, and even in European device registration database.

Best Mobiles in IndiaSony Xperia XZ Premium, XA1 Ultra and XA1 Plus price slashed News oi-Abhinaya Prabhu Sony has announced massive price cuts on three smartphones.

In the competitive Indian smartphone arena, price cuts on devices have become quite common. Sticking to this trend, Sony has slashed the pricing of some of its 2017 models. The Xperia XZ Premium, XA1 Ultra and XA1 Plus have got the price cut. What's more interesting is that the Sony XZ Premium has got a massive discount of Rs. 10,000.

After taking this price cut to effect, the Xperia XZ Premium, XA1 Ultra and XA1 Plus will be available at a discounted pricing of Rs. 49,990, Rs. 22,990 and Rs. 19,990. The new pricing will be reflected in both the online (Flipkart and Amazon India) and offline channels.

New phones could be coming soon

Sony has not revealed any concrete reason for the price cut these three phones. The company unveiled the Xperia XZ2, Xperia XZ2 Compact and XZ2 Premium earlier this year. This hints that Sony could be in plans to launch these phones in India in the near future. However, an official confirmation regarding the upcoming launches is yet to be made.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

This smartphone is a yesteryear flagship model. It was launched in the country in June last year for Rs. 59,990. With the newly announced price cut, this smartphone has got Rs. 10,000 discount thereby taking it down to Rs. 49,990.

There is a 5.5-inch 4K HDR display with a resolution of 2160 x 3840 pixels. The smartphone comes with a Snapdragon 835 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space. The device makes use of a 19MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, 960fps video recording and Motion Eye. At the front, there is a 13MP selfie camera on board. A 3230mAh battery powers the smartphone from within.

Sony Xperia XZ1 First Impression

Other phones to get the price cut

The Xperia XA1 Ultra was launched at Rs. 27,990 but is now available at Rs. 22,990. Likewise, the Xperia XA1 Plus priced at Rs. 24,990 is now available at a reduced pricing of Rs. 19,990. Both these smartphones received the Android Oreo update sometime in March.

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsXiaomi might skip Mi 7 branding for the next flagship News oi-Vishal Kawadkar Xiaomi will call its next flagship Mi 8.

Xiaomi might be planning what industry giants have done in the past. Samsung did it with its Galaxy S series, and Oneplus did it with its series. Now it seems Xiaomi is also going to skip a model number for its forthcoming Mi series smartphones.

Traditionally, we should be looking at Mi 7 launch this year. However, the popular blogger from China, Mocha RQ claims that Xiaomi will skip 7 in favor of naming it Mi 8. He explains that the company wants to bring its flagship series with its 8th anniversary. Further, he adds that the device will be unveiled in May and will hit the shelves in June.

There are reports surrounding a special anniversary smartphone. The device is said to launch alongside the Mi 7 (or Mi 8). Regardless of the naming, we know for sure that the company will soon be launching a new smartphone. It will be the first Android smartphone to boast 3D facial recognition crammed into the notch.

Other important features include Snapdragon 845 processor with 8GB RAM and 256GB ROM. The device is expected to launch in May and we can expect the teaser in the next few days.

Xiaomi's Global Mi Home Experience Store in Delhi: Products Rundown

Besides, Samsung is planning to dethrone Xiaomi from the Indian smartphone market with the launch of four new smartphones. According to a report by XDA developers, the company will launch four J series smartphone this month. Samsung is probably trying to win back its top spot in the Indian market. Currently, Xiaomi is leading the market with its India-exclusive devices.

For years, Samsung held the top spot in the country. While it still holds the number one spot globally, it was dethroned by Xiaomi from the Indian market in Q4 last year. Xiaomi continues to be on the first spot in the Q1 2018 as well. This means Samsung has a lot of work to get back on the first spot.

Currently, not much information is available about the four new Galaxy J devices. However, it's certain that the device will feature the 'Infinity Display.' This is eye-catching because the company only made the Infinity Display available for its Galaxy S, Galaxy Note, and Galaxy A series devices.

With the new phones, the company will be bringing the high-end feature to the budget phones. This might prove to be a good strategy to go head-to-head with Xiaomi. Last month the company launched a Galaxy J Duo that failed to compete with the less expensive Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro.

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsXiaomi's new smart home devices will soon receive Google Assistant support News oi-Sandeep Sarkar The first three Xiaomi products that will get the support initially are the Mi Bedside Lamp, Mi LED Smart Bulb and the Mi Smart Plug.

Google I/O developer conference has revealed various interesting services and features which the tech companies would be rolling out for their users. Among other announcements made, Xiaomi has also announced a whole lot of products that are expected to be compatible with Google Assistant. The first three Xiaomi products that will get the support initially are the Mi Bedside Lamp, Mi LED Smart Bulb and the Mi Smart Plug.

As per Xiaomi, these devices will be launched in the US soon. It is being speculated that the Mi Bedside Lamp will be available in the US starting this month. However, there is no report on when the other devices will launch in the US or globally. Also, there is no information on the pricing details of the devices.

Xiaomi also says that the Mi Bedside lamp can be controlled using the touch sensitive panel which is placed at the top of the device. It can also be controlled using the Mi Home app and also via voice. This is where Google Assistant comes in the picture. Yes, the Mi Bedside Lamp could be controlled using voice command with the integration of Google Assistant.

Xiaomi's Global Mi Home Experience Store in Delhi: Products Rundown

Also, the Mi LED smart bulbs will now get the compatibility with software, this will allow the users to control the brightness and colour temperature by giving voice commands. As for the Mi Smart Plug, it will allow a user to switch off or on by not only using an app but also using voice commands.

Xiaomi has been in an expansion mode lately. The tech giant is not only targeting the smartphone industry but also IoT devices, home appliances, smart wearables along with some set of other products in India and globally.

Xiaomi has also recently announced that it plans on selling its smartphones in the UK and other European countries this year. Even though Xiaomi doesn't have a stronghold in the US smartphone industry, the announcement of Google Assistant based IoT devices could sure attract some portion of the users.

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsA Western Connecticut State University professor was awarded a National Science Foundation grant to further his research of previously unknown riverweed species in the Amazon River watershed in South America.

Thomas Philbrick is using the grant to collaborate with Brad Ruhfel, an assistant professor at Eastern Kentucky University, on a three-year project. Philbricks field and lab work in riverweed taxonomy will be complemented by Ruhfels research on the evolutionary relationships of these species and their distribution across South America during geological time.

In South America, we are gaining an understanding of the nature and diversity of species in these river systems so that we can also understand what is at risk of being destroyed, Philbrick said in a news release.

About a third of the $200,000 grant will be used for Philbricks study, which spans more than three decades and resulted in the discovery of many plant species.

Philbrick plans to use the grant to finance new field studies in upstream regions of the Amazonian watershed in the northeastern, northwestern and southwestern regions of Brazil, as well as hire a student research assistant. The fieldwork will also be used to publish the series of monographs documenting the new species.

He noted that documentation of the rich biodiversity of major river systems in the Americas also provides the basis for analyzing the environmental impact of human activity on the flora of these watersheds, such as the destruction of species as a result of dam construction.

When I began my work more than 30 years ago, I would never have predicted that the discovery and description of species new to science would become such an important part of my research, he said.AT&T's chief executive said Friday his company made a "serious misjudgment" to seek advice from President Donald Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen, and announced that its top lobbying executive in Washington would be leaving the firm.

"Our company has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons these last few days and our reputation has been damaged," AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson wrote in a companywide internal email. "There is no other way to say it - AT&T hiring Michael Cohen as a political consultant was a big mistake."

The email comes at a critical time for AT&T. A judge is deciding whether its controversial $85 billion merger with Time Warner violates antitrust law. Internal AT&T documents obtained by The Washington Post show how AT&T agreed to pay $600,000 to Cohen last year in exchange for guidance on policy matters, including issues it is facing at the Federal Communications Commission and its proposed deal with Time Warner.

Stephenson's apology was also an extraordinary admission from a company that has long run one of Washington's largest and most sophisticated lobbying shops and donates millions of dollars each year to hundreds of candidates on both sides of the aisle. Last year, AT&T spent nearly $17 million on federal lobbying, the third highest among companies.

Some within Washington's cozy lobbying circles expressed bemusement that AT&T was apologizing for behavior that has become commonplace for corporations in the capital - paying for advice about the government's most powerful decision-makers.

"It's no secret this type of activity goes on in D.C. regularly as companies and organizations try to understand the political climate - as well as the leadership that is driving the D.C. agenda," said Nicol Turner-Lee, a fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former policy advocate for the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council.

The White House said the Justice Department's ongoing opposition to the AT&T-Time Warner merger shows the president was not influenced by special interests or the companies' lobbying efforts.

"Why doesn't the Fake News Media state that the Trump Administration's Anti-Trust Division has been, and is, opposed to the AT&T purchase of Time Warner in a currently ongoing Trial. Such a disgrace in reporting!" Trump tweeted Friday.

When AT&T swung its deal with Cohen, the merger was very much an issue in Washington. Trump had expressed skepticism of the merger on the campaign trail

On Jan. 12, 2017, Stephenson arrived at Trump Tower in New York to meet with then-President-elect Donald Trump. Cohen was also in the building that day, but he and Stephenson did not meet and have never met, AT&T said. Cohen was not discussed in Stephenson's meeting with Trump, according to a person familiar with that encounter.

Cohen had reached out to AT&T even before Stephenson's huddle with the president, the person said.

AT&T said Friday it was also approached at the time by Avenue Strategies, a lobbying firm launched by former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. But AT&T said it did not meet with Avenue a second time.

"We didn't engage with them. We didn't hire them," said Larry Solomon, a spokesman for AT&T.

Instead, the telecom giant moved ahead with Cohen. Its payments flowed into Essential Consultants, a company Cohen set up in the fall of 2016 to pay pornographic-film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 as part of a confidentiality agreement to keep her quiet about an alleged sexual encounter she had with Trump.

AT&T's association with Cohen emerged just this week from information released by Daniels's attorney, Michael Avenatti. Once brought to light, the company apologized and then ousted its lobbying head.

AT&T declined to answer when its CEO found out about the Cohen contract. In his companywide email, Stephenson acknowledged that his "Washington D.C. team's vetting process clearly failed." But the company would not answer questions about what specifically went wrong and whether it would enact changes in how it conducts business in Washington.

Some in Washington expressed sympathy for Bob Quinn who was ousted Friday as AT&T's senior executive vice president of external and legislative affairs. Stephenson said in his email that Quinn was retiring.

Under AT&T's rules, Quinn had significant leeway to approve the Cohen contract because its $600,000 price tag did not trigger oversight from more senior executives, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal company practices.

But Quinn appeared to recognize that the Cohen deal was a mistake, according to another person who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss Quinn's situation.

"People should recognize that he [Quinn] came to recognize it was a misjudgment - witness the fact last year that he terminated the contract, got out of it as fast as he could, and that's a point that's not being written right now as people pile on," the person said. "But that's factually accurate and it ought to carry more weight in this situation."

Quinn started with the Bell system as an operator for Illinois Bell in 1980, before AT&T was broken up by the Justice Department in a landmark antitrust action four years later. After law school, he joined AT&T as an attorney in 1993 and later ascended the ranks of the company's massive lobbying operations. He took over the top job in Washington right before Trump's election.

Quinn did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Federal law requires companies such as AT&T to register individuals as lobbyists if they devote at least 20 percent of their time contacting and trying to influence key government decision-makers, including the president.

To that end, ethics experts said Friday that the wireless giant could be in the clear legally.

"I don't know [if AT&T] had to register him, based on what I've learned and what has come out in media reports. They were asking him to help them get a feel on the administration and where the administration is going," said Scott Amey, general counsel for the Project on Government Oversight.

"I think this is all showing or highlighting some of the public's worst fears when it comes to how Washington, D.C., works and the numerous gaps in the system, and how elections and even policy are driven by those with deep pockets and those with the biggest bullpen of lobbyists," he said.Introduction

Just in case you missed it, Google held its annual developer's conference earlier this week. It was jam-packed with interesting announcements, most-notably, the announcement of the first public beta of Android P.

Android P represents a significant leap forward for more than a few reasons, not the leas of which an interesting development, made possible by Project Treble - immediate AOSP beta availability for some third party devices.

Currently, besides Google's own Pixel phones, you can also try Android P on a Sony Xperia XZ2, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S, Nokia 7 plus, Oppo R15 Pro, vivo X21, or Essential Phone.

We wanted to take a quick look what Android P feels like so we went ahead and registered a couple of devices for beta access. We enrolled a Pixel 2 XL in the beta (the update arrived OTA), and we downloaded the needed ROM to flash it to the Oppo R15 Pro. In both cases, the process was straightforward enough with the only side note that on the Oppo R15 Pro the Color OS got replaced by the stock Android P.

We spent quite a bit of time playing around with the two phones looking for the new features that Google promised us.

On the following pages, you will find a comprehensive breakdown of some of the new features and changes we found, complete with some initial impressions. But don't miss Angie's video hands-on above too.By Vasia Orion | Published on 2018/05/11

Nothing makes one feel welcome like a work which doesn't take itself too seriously, and "Life on Mars" more than qualifies. The series has dropped a new, fun ride of a teaser pair, and its colorful, animated main posters are here to fill up that cup of retro happiness it gives us.

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Life is a bumpy ride, and the amusement park ride theme is absolutely brilliant. It's surreal and quirky, absurd and entertaining, while at the same time providing all the information we need on what we can expect from each character and from the drama itself; chasing baddies in cheesy, glorious style. Horsies away!

The posters reuse the drama's tagline, which can also be heard in the teasers, reading "These 1988 guys' exciting retro investigation record". The fashion is baggy and character-appropriate, with the eager rookie being the only one in uniform. The chemistry between the actors is what I look forward to the most, because it can make or break an ensemble piece, especially when it comes to comedy.

The posters also provide the drama's release date, which is June 9th. I'm quite worried over the network's love for Netflix deals lately, so I hope with all my hoping might that we will be seeing "Life on Mars" sooner than some of OCN's other recent dramas.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'Published on 2018/05/12 | Source

Added episodes 27 and 28 captures for the Korean drama "Switch - Change The World" (2018)

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Directed by Jo Young-min, Nam Tae-jin

Written by Baek Woon-cheol, Kim Ryoo-hyun

Network : SBS

With Jang Keun-suk, Han Ye-ri, Jung Woong-in, Jo Hee-bong, Shin Do-hyun, Ahn Seung-hwan,...

32 episodes - Wed, Thu 22:00 (2x35min)

Formerly known as "Operation King" (, gong-jak-wang)

Synopsis

A smart con artist impersonates a prosecutor. He passed all the necessary exams, but never managed to get work in the legal profession.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2018/03/28

MoreA motorist who caused the death of a 70-year-old woman through dangerous driving has been allowed to attend his son's First Communion before going to prison for five years.

Postman David Byrne was convicted in March at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for causing the Patricia Dunne's death.

The court heard that Byrne (42) has Type 2 Usher Syndrome, a degenerative eye disorder that causes peripheral vision loss.

Yesterday, Judge Patricia Ryan agreed to a request by his lawyer, Michael O'Higgins, to allow Byrne to attend his son's First Communion.

Byrne, who has no previous convictions, took an undertaking in court to present himself at Mountjoy Prison on Monday morning to start his sentence.

The father-of-two, of Sunnyhill, Castlemartin Lodge, Kilcullen, Co Kildare, had pleaded not guilty to causing the death of Mrs Dunne at Collins Avenue East, Killester, Dublin, on October 16, 2015.

He also denied dishonestly inducing the National Driving Licence Service (NDLS) to issue him with a driving licence on September 30, 2014, and making a false or misleading statement to get insurance on September 16, 2015. He was found guilty of all three charges.

Forgive

At the sentence hearing last week, Mrs Dunne's son, John, read from his victim impact statement and said his family would never forgive Byrne.

He said Byrne had put them through two weeks of hell in court by not pleading guilty to the dangerous driving causing death charge. He said the family believe his mother's death was a factor in his father's death.

The trial heard that Mrs Dunne had been walking home pulling a shopping trolley around midday when she began to cross the road.

A van slowed to allow her to cross, but Byrne's car then hit her and she was "flung up in the air" before the vehicle came to a stop.

Gda Pamela Dunne told Fionnuala O'Sullivan, prosecuting, that Byrne went to the garda station the following day and gave consent to access his medical records. He told gardai he couldn't recall being advised not to drive in 1997.

Passing sentence, Judge Ryan extended her sympathies to Mrs Dunne's family, saying that it had been inappropriate to do so before now.

She acknowledged that a doctor's report described Byrne as a psychologically vulnerable man who has been unable to accept his disability for most of his life.

The judge ordered that Byrne receive appropriate treatment in prison for his medical condition.Conor Emmett has been jailed for 15 months over child porn

A young Dublin man caught with graphic child pornography showing the sadistic rape and torture of a baby girl has been jailed for 15 months.

Gardai found 5,919 images and 328 video files on two laptops and a phone belonging to Conor Emmett (20) after an intelligence operation involving the FBI and Europol.

Gardai said the graphic material was at the upper end of seriousness in such cases.

At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday morning, Judge Karen O'Connor suspended the last 15 months of a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence.

Victimless

Det Gda Brid Wallace, from the Cyber Crime Bureau, said the images and videos spanned all categories of seriousness, including video files showing the rape and torture of an 18-month-old girl.

Emmett, of Northway Estate, Finglas, pleaded guilty to possessing the digital images and videos on two laptops at his home on May 17, 2016. He had no previous convictions.

In sentencing him, Judge O'Connor said this was by no means a victimless crime and must be taken very seriously by the court.

However, she noted Emmett's early plea, the fact that he was a very good student, has been involved in charity work and has engaged in intensive re- habilitation.

Det Gda Wallace told Derek Cooney, prosecuting, that one video showed an 18-month-old girl being sexually abused by a masked female. The court heard that this child has since been identified in Thailand and taken to safety.

"She has no recollection of the abuse but suffered serious internal damage and will not be in a position to have children when she is older," Det Gda Wallace said.

The detective told Mr Cooney that gardai also found a "Welcome to Paedophilia Handbook" on Emmett's computer.

"This included sections entitled 'How to handle police and the public if things go wrong', 'How to have sex with kids in safe and rewarding ways' and 'Hunting season'," Det Gda Wallace told the court. A garda memo of interviews stated that Emmett had first accessed child porn when he was aged 16.

Tara Burns, defending, said Emmett has done great work to overcome what was obviously a sickness. "There is no other way to explain this as it is truly and seriously dreadful," she said.

Ms Burns handed in several letters to the court, which included letters from the defendant, his parents and a family friend.

"My client is from an extraordinarily good family and has parents that have supported him throughout because he is a kind, caring and loving person," she said.

Ms Burns said that representatives from One In Four, a victim support group with whom Emmett has completed a programme, said he had made honest disclosures in relation to his behaviour.

Interested

She said Emmett told a psychiatrist attached to this programme that he was "looking at the material because it interested me".

Ms Burns said the defendant did very well at school, completed Gaisce awards and now volunteers at a charity shop.

"He stepped off the precipice and has broken his parents' hearts," she added.

The court previously heard that Emmett came to garda attention when the FBI began monitoring a Tor network after arresting an individual in America.

The FBI passed this user's and other Irish users' IP addresses to Europol, who sent them to gardai at the Online Child Exploitation Unit.

Gardai raided Emmett's home in May 2016 and he admitted he had accessed child porn.TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar has defended the Government's response to the cervical cancer screening scandal amid accusations its reaction has been "shambolic".

Mr Varadkar insisted that action has been taken since the CervicalCheck storm broke.

He also revealed that the Government will seek to settle outstanding cervical cancer legal claims and pursue the labs for the costs afterwards.

However, the Government has been criticised for its handling to the controversy.

Fianna Fail health spokesperson Stephen Donnelly branded it "shambolic" and asked: "How on earth were they caught so unprepared?"

Labour's Alan Kelly said the Government "needs to take full control of this crisis and they have not yet done so".

Mr Varadkar made his remarks defending the Government at a press conference following a specially convened Cabinet meeting.

He apologised again to the women who had been affected and got emotional when asked what he would say to terminally-ill mother-of-five Emma Mhic Mhathuna.

He said there are "no words that I can say that can give her comfort at this time".

Crisis

A planned Cabinet meeting in Monaghan, which was to mark two years of the current Government, was postponed as ministers stayed in Dublin to discuss the crisis.

Mr Varadkar was asked if this change in plan was due to concern over the Government's political survival.

The Taoiseach responded by saying he did not want anyone to have the impression that the Government is only acting now.

He said it first became aware of the issue 15 days ago and was "still only becoming aware of the facts".

Mr Varadkar said the Government only learned of controversial 2016 HSE memos about the audit of cervical cancer screening when the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was told about it on Thursday.

He said actions taken include setting up a helpline for patients concerned about their smear tests and efforts to find and contact the 209 women who have been affected.

Six women are still to be tracked down and notified.

Mr Varadkar also said the Government has set up a scoping inquiry ahead of a future statutory investigation and has commissioned a full review of more than 1,400 cases of people who were diagnosed with cervical cancer.

"They're all things that were done long before yesterday," he added.

Health Minister Simon Harris outlined a package of measures to support affected women and their families, including the provision of medical cards and covering the cost of drug treatments.

He said whatever resources are needed for the help being offered will be provided.

Separately, a man whose wife was one of the 17 women to die as a result of the cervical cancer scandal believes she was "murdered" by the HSE.

The man, named Paul, spoke to Niall Boylan on Classic Hits 4FM yesterday to talk about his wife Julie, who died in April 2017. She was 36 years old.

"When the news of the scandal broke it was playing on my mind all weekend," he said.

"I went back to work on Monday and a few friends started texting me, asking if I heard the news."

Paul started to suspect his wife could have died as a result of misdiagnosis, as her story sounded very similar to Vicky Phelan's.

He contacted his wife's doctor to make an appointment, but was not able to as the doctor was overbooked.

He then decided to call a local radio station to get information on just who contact.

However, when his phone started to ring Paul said he was too anxious to talk, so he handed the phone to a friend.

However, the phone call was not from the radio station, but from a woman in the HSE.

"I answered the phone and she said, 'I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, but your wife was identified as one of the 17 women'."

Julie had a standard smear test in 2009. She then went back in 2013 for another test and found out she had cancer of the cervix.Kya (10) had to sleep on a makeshift bed at a garda station when her family was made homeless

These upsetting photos show a 10-year-old girl sleeping on chairs pulled together in a Dublin garda station after her family was made homeless when their landlord's house was repossessed.

Amy O'Reilly (27) took daughter Kya to Ballyfermot Garda Station on Thursday night to find a place to bed down because, she says: "There was just nowhere else to go."

Expand Close Homeless young mother Amy OReilly with her children Kya (10) and Cruz (5) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Homeless young mother Amy OReilly with her children Kya (10) and Cruz (5)

Amy, who was made homeless with her family three months ago, said her sons Skyler (7) and Cruz (5) were able to stay with their father.

"I slept in Ballyfermot Garda Station because I couldn't find any emergency accommodation," she said.

"Focus Ireland said there was nowhere available and the best place to stay was in a garda station."

The mother-of-three, who recently had to drop out of college, says her children are now often late for school or absent due to their homelessness.

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However, bedding down in a garda station was a new low, she said.

"I was trying to stay in friends' houses but they can't help me all the time. I outstay my welcome," said Amy.

"My daughter had to sleep on chairs pulled together in the garda station.

"The guard gave me blankets from the cell. A woman who was passing by went and got me a child's duvet for my daughter.

"The woman garda was very nice and caring, and she gave my daughter crisps and water, but we shouldn't be living like this. I'm getting depressed."

The family were made homeless after a High Court ruling in December, when Mr Justice Paul Gilligan said Amy was not entitled to remain in the property on Cedar Brook Avenue, Cherry Orchard, Dublin.

Amy appeared before the court to say she did not understand what was happening as she had been paying rent.

The house was subject to proceedings between its owner and a previously Bank of Ireland-appointed receiver.

The judge issued a stay order until February to allow Amy to find a home, but she has been unable to do so.

"We've been staying in hostels, hotels, friends' houses and even recently in a friend's car," Amy said.

"My kids cry themselves to sleep and I run up debts trying to get them to school in taxis or on buses.

"I was studying to become a psychotherapist because I want to help people in bad circumstances, but I had to drop out and the only reason I am carrying on is for the kids.

"But I feel we're being treated like animals."

She asked the Herald to print these pictures to show the dire situation she finds herself in, which is also faced by other homeless families.

Unacceptable

Focus Ireland confirmed it had directed Amy to a garda station "as it was not possible to find emergency accommodation for her and her family".

"It is important to note that the legal responsibility for responding to homelessness and providing emergency accommodation lies with the local authority," director of advocacy Mike Allen said.

"The role of Focus Ireland is to work with the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive every night to try to ensure that every family which is homeless is provided with shelter.

"it is not always possible to find emergency accommodation for every family. Circumstances like this are becoming increasingly frequent.

"We have raised our severe concerns about the situation with Tusla, the Minister for Housing, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and An Taoiseach, and are waiting for a response to what we consider to be an unacceptable situation."

A garda spokesman said: "An Garda Siochana has a strong working relationship with the management of Inner City Helping Homeless and other authorities and continues to work closely with the organisation.

"Because of the nature of their work, gardai deal with many on the margins of society, and together with other state agencies and NGOs, we work to ensure positive outcomes for many vulnerable people. Our primary role is always the protection of life."

On one night alone last May, up to a dozen homeless families in Dublin were directed to garda stations as there was no emergency accommodation for them.

Disgraceful

Then Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald told the Dail it was "unacceptable" that homeless families stayed in garda stations.

Karen Kiernan, the chief executive of One family, which represents single-parent families, said: "The vast majority of homeless families are one- parent families, women on their own with children."

Ms Kiernan said it was "disgraceful" that some families have been sleeping in garda stations due to the sheer scale of the homelessness crisis.

"The big issue is the Government won't build public housing immediately," she said.

The Dublin Regional Homeless Executive said: "in gen- eral terms a family, unless there are other extenuating circumstances, would be approved to self-accommodate in a hotel that we will pay for, or alter- natively they would be approved for the Housing Assistance Payment and can source their own private rented accommodation.

"It is important that people who find themselves in these difficult circumstances get in touch with homeless services immediately so that we can work with them."Grease actress Didi Conn has heaped praise on Saoirse Ronan, calling the Irish star "phenomenal".

Didi (66) starred as Frenchy in the 1978 musical alongside John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

She saw Lady Bird star Saoirse (24) on the Broadway stage last year when she starred in Arthur Miller's The Crucible, but admitted she struggles to pronounce her name.

Amazing

"I don't know how to say her name. She's phenomenal, come on," she said.

"She's so great. I saw her on Broadway on stage and she is just amazing. You guys are really great.

Didi, who has visited Ireland many times over the years with her composer husband David Shire, also said she hopes the Eighth Amendment will be repealed in the upcoming referendum.

"I believe in a woman's ability to choose. That's just the bottom line," she said. "Children need to be wanted. I think you feel it in the womb.

"There just are so many horrible things that can hap- pen that women need the choice."

Although she was already married by the time she filmed Grease, the New Yorker admitted there was some behind-the-scenes flings on set, mostly thanks to actor Jeff Conaway, who played Kenickie.

"There was some rockin' and rollin'. Jeff Conaway's trailer was always rockin' and rollin', what can I say?" she told the Herald.

"There was true affection between John and Olivia, although they both had relationships, but there really was an attraction."

Didi admitted that none of the actors in Grease ever suspected the film would become the favourite of so many fans around the world when they were making it.

Party

"No, trust me. I would definitely have asked in my contract for them to put some points in there. I had absolutely no idea," she said.

"We really all had a good time. A lot of people in the movie were in the Broadway show, so they really knew these characters."

Didi was recently in London celebrating the 40th anniver- sary of the film.

She launched a Now TV "slumber party screening" pop-up earlier this week, which was an exact replica of Frenchy's bedroom.Two adults, two children overcome by smoky fire in Noland Village

Two adults and two children were overcome by a smoky fire in their Noland Village home in Hagerstown on Thursday night.Many people were shocked when the pains of demonetisation did not have any adverse effect on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)s performance in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in 2017. In Gujarat too, despite there being discontent against Goods and Services Tax (GST), big cities overwhelmingly voted for BJP in the December assembly elections.

These results belied statistical evidence that demonetisation and GST did have a significant, if only temporary, adverse impact on economic activity, especially in the informal sector. What explains this hiatus between economic and political outcomes? Numerous interviews conducted by HT across Karnataka just ahead of the elections could answer this question.

It is around 10pm in Puttur, a small city in Dakshin Kannada district. A group of vegetable sellers, all of them Muslims, is preparing to shut shop when we approach them to talk.

They begin by complaining about high diesel and petrol prices and then claim that demonetisation had made a big dent on their incomes. We get a completely different picture when we talk to a Hindu vegetable seller just a few metres ahead. There were some problems, but it was nothing extraordinary, we are told.

The experience is similar in Mangalore Bunder the next morning. Hundreds of fishing boats have arrived, and trucks are waiting to carry the catch to various places. Hindu shopkeepers do not admit to facing a lot of problems due to demonetisation or GST. A Muslim lorry driver has a lot of complaints about both demonetisation and GST, though. For every trip he makes, he has to pay Rs1,800 in GST (which was not the case earlier), he complains.

It is clear that responses to economic policies such as demonetisation and the implementation of GST are not independent of the overall political moorings of respondents. In the communally polarised coastal region of Karnataka, the communal divide seems to have subsumed issues such as demonetisation.

Things are not in black and white everywhere though. At the Kapu beach in Udupi district, we meet a group of young men who cater to the tourism economy. One of them operates two sand-scooters. He explicitly admits to voting for the BJP. His Hindutva leanings are visible. He proudly displays the custom-made trident shaped key for his sand-scooter. It is his response to the economic performance of the Modi government which is surprising though. Demonetisation has killed the business on the beach, he admits.

The difference in the approach of BJP supporters described here probably captures a political economy insight. Demonetisation did have an adverse impact on people, but necessary economic activity such as fishing or vegetable sales did not come to a grinding halt. Those who are invested in Hindutva are prepared to politically forgive the BJP for this policy, lest the Muslims gain politically.

Things might have been drastically different for the BJP supporter engaged in the tourism economy though. Demonetisations dent on incomes in the informal sector might have led to a long-term postponement of expenditure on luxuries such as sand-scooter rides and family picnics on the beach. The pain has been too much for him to pretend it is not there. For Muslims, the economic pain is another addition to other problems they face at the hands of BJP. These divisions explain why there has not been and probably will not be a one-to-one relation between economic and political implications of demonetisation.Deve Gowda is everything to us, explains an elderly man in a village near a lake in Channarayapattana taluk dominated by the Vokkaliga (Gowda) community. HD Deve Gowda, the leader of the powerful Vokkaliga community in Karnataka, is the founder of the Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)]. So strong is his hold in South Karnataka (and that of his son, HD Kumaraswamy) that voters have nary an opinion on demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, or much of anything else.

But it would be wrong to say that JD(S) only does well in South Karnataka (where the Vokkaliga are numerous). Of the 40 seats JD(S) won in 2013, 20 were from outside South Karnataka  where the JD(S) has been effective in leveraging local patronage networks to win non-Vokkaliga votes.

Read: Karnataka elections 2018: Polling underway in 222 constituencies, 10.6% voter turnout till 9 am

Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah is well aware that if he is to return to power, he will have to significantly eat into the non-Vokkaliga votes of JD(S). Congress politician Devaraj Urs, the last chief minister to secure re-election (in 1978), famously constructed the AHINDA (a Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) coalition to win the election. Siddaramaiah is trying to reconstruct this coalition of disparate groups by pointing to a number of popular welfare schemes he created.

To understand the impact JD(S) has on the electoral system, we characterised the number of seats won by JD(S) and the number of seats in which JD(S) plays spoiler by region. We defined JD(S) as a spoiler when it finished third or lower, as compared to Congress and the combined vote share of BJP and KJP (since BS Yeddyurappa has returned to the party), but has greater vote share than the margin between Congress and a combined BJP/KJP.

Watch video: Free dosa at this Bengaluru cafe for first timers who vote today

In effect, these are seats in which JD(S) had no chance of winning but had enough votes to push the second place party over the top. While in the south, JD(S) wins many seats and is spoiler in very few, the situation is reversed outside the south  where JD(S) won 20 seats but played spoiler in 41.. This implies that there are a large reservoir of votes that the AHINDA strategy can plausibly bring into the Congress fold from JD(S) to stave off a stronger BJP than 2013.

Indeed, weve found evidence that it is working. If one of the three components of Siddaramaiahs AHINDA strategy is likely to band together unanimously, it is the Muslim vote. There is perceived bonhomie between JD(S) and BJP this time and this is acutely understood by the Muslim population across regions. Campaigning by the likes of UP CM Yogi Adityanath has helped consolidate the Muslim vote towards Congress. We must ensure at all costs that our Karnataka does not become like UP  where such communalism is common, explained a Muslim rice trader in Honnali town of Davangere district.

Read: Karnataka elections: JD(S) is effective in leveraging networks across the state

Compared to the Muslim question, Dalit voting presents a much more fractured picture. In a village in Haveri district, a middle-aged Dalit farmer told us that although he appreciated many of Siddaramaiahs welfare schemes he was worried about local power structures. Siddaramaiah is a Kuruba leader, and can be very partial to Kurubas. Since there are many Kurubas in the village, if BJP wins here we might be able to reduce their influence. To add to the complication, there is enmity with another nearby Dalit community.

They (the other Dalit community) think that we have come up through reservations at their expense. If they feel that we are going to vote for the BJP, they would definitely vote for the Congress, he said.

By contrast, both young and middle-aged Dalit voters in Bhadravati said they would be firmly behind Congress. The JD(S) is a party of Gowdas, and Siddaramaiah is not a casteist leader. Under him, Muslims, Dalits and a few of the backward class communities have had peace and good relations. In this election, Congress needs to win over non-Vokkaliga voters from the JD(S) to score a big victory. An effective AHINDA consolidation is exactly what will guarantee such an outcome.

(Neelanjan Sircar is a senior fellow, Centre for Policy Research. Pranav Kuttaiah is a research assistant at the Centre for Policy Research)It has been years that fans have been requesting Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to join the social media. The actor who is a private person despite her career choice decided to stay away despite the entreaties. Even husband Abhishek Bachchan and father-in-law Amitabh Bachchans successful presence on social media could not tempt her. However, all that changed Friday when Aishwarya started her Instagram account before she walks the Cannes red carpet again.

The actor posted a throwback photo with daughter Aaradhya, probably one from the family album. Aaradhya is seen as an infant and both the mother and daughter are in silhouettes. Also, instead of using one photo, Aishwarya used the grid view to post the photo. She captioned the photo, And I was born...again.... Using the grid as the first Instagram photo collage was the choice of Aamir Khan as well when he came to the platform earlier this year. Aaradhya has also accompanied Aishwarya to Cannes like last year.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan shared a throwback photo with Aaradhya on Instagram and wrote how she was born again in the moment.

Among the cutest comments on the photo was from daddy Abhishek. Soon after the actress uploaded the grid Junior Bachchan commented, How about a photo credit Mrs.B? In the past, Abhishek would often share photos of Aishwarya walking the red carpet at Cannes. The actor has already been a part of the prestigious film festival for 17 years.

Aishwarya has said earlier about her daughter, Aaradhya and I have a soul connect. My day begins and ends with her. From the moment I wake up my entire perspective on the day is centred on her. Her constant presence in my life is not even something I consciously think about it. Its just there! And I wonder how I lived before she was born. Only a parent would understand how I feel.

However, as far as Instagram debuts go, Aishwaryas has been underwhelming. The actors Instagram profile is yet to get that all important blue tick which signifies it as verified. This left most fans wondering if it indeed was Aishwaryas official account. This probably also explains that why the number of followers is still 1,04,000 a day after the actor made her debut.

On Friday, her reps shared a screenshot of the actress official account on their Instagram page with the caption, Official Instagram handle of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan announced  https://www.instagram.com/aishwaryaraibachchan_arb/.

Among the Bollywood celebs who follow Aishwarya as of now is Sonam Kapoor and Abhishek.

Aishwarya is awaiting the release of Fanne Khan, in which she stars with Anil Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao.Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has started her 17th Cannes sojourn and her preferred look is all pastel colours and sequins. The Bollywood actor is representing a cosmetics brand at the Cannes Film Festival and will be walking the ramp on May 12 and 13.

Aishwarya reached Cannes with daughter Aaradhya on Friday. The actor also made her Instagram debut on the same day and she will be capturing her journey at the French Rivera via social media this year. With this Manish Arora outfit, Aishwarya has started her Cannes diary on a positive note.

 A post shared by AishwaryaRaiBachchan (@aishwaryaraibachchan_arb) on May 12, 2018 at 5:32am PDT

Feel the light A post shared by AishwaryaRaiBachchan (@aishwaryaraibachchan_arb) on May 12, 2018 at 2:02am PDT

On Friday, the actors fan pages shared videos of her arrival in Cannes. The doting mom smiled as a very eager Aaradhya asked for a big bouquet of flowers kept ready for them at their hotel by the welcome party. Aishwarya was seen in a dark outfit and big sunnies. Aaradhya wore a cute black dress with pink hearts and her classic hairband.

Aishwarya has been a regular at the film festival for years. She will represent LOreal as their brand ambassador for two red carpet appearances. Deepika Padukone has already made two appearances at the festival on Wednesday and Thursday. She will soon be joined by Sonam Kapoor and Aishwarya. Kangana Ranaut also made her Cannes debut this year; she was hosted by a liquor brand.While returning from a party at Salman Khans resident, Bollywood star Jacqueline Fernandez escaped unhurt after her car was hit by an autorickshaw allegedly driven by a drunk driver at Bandra (Mumbai) on Saturday morning, officials said.

The 32-year-old actress from Sri Lanka was returning home around 2:45 am. from Salmans residence after attending a party to celebrate the upcoming film Race 3. The accident took place on Carter Road, Bandra.

Speaking to Spotboye, Jacqueline said, Yes, it did take place. The rickshaw driver was drunk. We will soon give out an official statement. We are fine. Police came and sorted it out.

Her car suffered minor damage but she did not suffer any injury. The police were summoned.

Directed by Remo DSouza, Race 3 features Salman, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Jacqueline, Daisy Shah and Saqib Saleem and is likely to be released during Eid. The trailer of the film will be unveiled on May 15.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

Follow @htshowbiz for moreEven as Bollywood biggies, including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, reached France to be a part of the 71st Cannes Film Festival, Shweta Bachchan Nanda hosted a party at her residence in Mumbai. The bash was attended by Katrina Kaif, Abhishek Bachchan, Zoya Akhtar and Karan Johar, among others.

Karan Johar and Zoya Akhtar arrive together for the party. (Viral Bhayani)

Sidharth Malhotra was also spotted at the bash. (Viral Bhayani)

Kiran Rao arrives at Shwetas place. (Viral Bhayani)

Rahul Khanna also attended the party. (Viral Bhayani)

Aditya Raoy Kapur at Shweta Nandas party (Viral Bhayani)

Karan Johar shared moments from the party on Instagram...

Video - Katrina Kaif, Sidharth Malhotra & Aditya Roy Kapur on Karan Johar's Insta story (1/2) pic.twitter.com/gCw1XrZBwo  Katrina Kaif Online (@KatrinaKaifFB) May 11, 2018

Video - Katrina Kaif, Sidharth Malhotra & Aditya Roy Kapur on Karan Johar's Insta story (1/2) pic.twitter.com/gCw1XrZBwo  Katrina Kaif Online (@KatrinaKaifFB) May 11, 2018

Recently, Shweta wrote an article for Vogue magazine where she talks about the emptiness she felt in her life when her two kids left home to study abroad. The article also talks about finding a new purpose at 40 when your entire life has been caring for your children.

Earlier in April this year, Harper Collins India acquired the publishing rights for Shwetas debut novel, Paradise Towers which will be published in 2020. Shweta had said in a statement, The idea for Paradise Towers came to me one morning on waking up. This is not unnatural for me. I come from a family of storytellers. As children, we were encouraged to write and read and our imaginations were given a free reign.

Read: Amitabh Bachchan lauds daughter Shwetas article, says she is the best

Follow @htshowbiz for moreThe first time I ever had pizza, it was not in New York or Naples or anywhere quite so glamorous. I had my first pizza in Ahmedabad and it was home-made.

It happened like this: my aunt Sushila Subodh (Sushilamami to me) has been regarded as one of Ahmedabads best cooks for decades. In the 1960s, when most of us knew very little about Western food, one of her specialities was pizza. She made it, I think, to please her husbands family. They had all gone to university in America, had developed a love for pizza and had been dismayed to find no sign of pizza anywhere in India.

The tomatoes that are an integral part of the Brits Spag Bol owe more to Naples than Bologna (Getty Images)

So Sushilamami took up the challenge and began turning out high-quality pizzas that became the stuff of legend. My family told me that Sushilamami loved making Italian dishes. (Which she did; they were outstanding.) This was hard to reconcile with another claim: that the family had discovered pizzas in America.

So what was this thing called pizza, exactly? Was it Italian or American?

You must remember that, in that era, our exposure to Italian food in India was severely limited. Outside of Sushilamamis kitchen, it was hard to find pizza. And nobody ever used the term pasta. We called all pasta macaroni. A little later, in the 70s, grocers started stocking spaghetti and, at least in North India, a few housewives began serving spaghetti in keema gravy, a variation on spaghetti bolognaise.

Nor were there many Italian restaurants. When Indian hotels wanted to serve continental food, they went with classic French. At coffee shops, there were only a few attempts to put spaghetti on the menu. At the Mumbai Taj, the Sea Lounge served

Spaghetti Carbonara and Spaghetti Napolitana, made so inauthentically that the Taj managed to insult the populations of both Rome and Naples at a single stroke.

The Tajs Trattoria alerted the restaurant trade to the potential for Italian cuisine in India

There was, apparently, an Italian nightclub at Mumbais Ritz Hotel called The Little Hut but I was too young to be allowed inside. And though other restaurants had such Italian names as Venice and Napoli, there was nothing particularly Italian about the food. At Bombellis (Swiss Cafe), the pastry shop made a pizza that was no more than a patty. (Though Mario, their pianist was, if I remember correctly, an Italian; presumably he had the sense to steer clear of the pizza.) And try as I might, I cant remember a single Italian restaurant at any Oberoi hotel in the 1960s and 1970s.

Why didnt anyone want to serve Italian food?

Well, the restaurant trade was in its infancy and nobody had realised that Italian was the one European cuisine that Indians would love.

The original Diva in Delhi is one of the only pizza-free Italian restaurants I would go to

In 1977, when they were about to open the Taj Mahal Hotel in Delhi, Ajit Kerkar, Camellia Panjabi and the two top Taj chefs Satish Arora and Arvind Saraswat toured Italy, eating their way through the country. They shortlisted the best dishes they had eaten, came back to India and opened Casa Medici on the rooftop of the Delhi Taj.

As a restaurant, Casa Medici was about 20 years ahead of its time. The food was authentically Italian, which was hard to do in that era when ingredients could not easily be imported. Casa Medici worked as a nightclub (it had a band) for rich Indians and tourists but it had zero impact on the way that Indians ate.

A few years later, when it took over the President Hotel in Mumbai, the Taj had a brighter idea. It abandoned the fancy Italian food of Casa Medici and opened a casual trattoria called, with a staggering lack of imagination, Trattoria, which doubled as the hotels coffee shop.

It was Trattoria, more than any other Italian restaurant, that alerted the restaurant trade to the potential for Italian cuisine in India; but not the haute cuisine of Casa Medici. What Indians really wanted was pasta and pizza  lots of lots of pizza, actually. (So Sushilamami had the right idea!)

After grocers started stocking spaghetti in the 70s, a few housewives began serving spaghetti in keema gravy (Shutterstock)

In that sense, we were only following a global trend. It has often been said that every country has its own version of Chinese food. What we dont realise is that the same is true of Italian food.

In 1920, an Italian visitor to New York ate at an Italian restaurant and was introduced to Chicken Parmesan (or Parmigiana) and spaghetti with meat balls. Having never eaten them in his own country, he remarked that he found them quite tasty and hoped that someone in Italy would invent them for local diners.

In time, American-Italian became a cuisine in its own right. (Like our Sino-Ludhianvi Chinese food.) Dishes that had never been heard of in Italy like Veal Marsala and Clams Casino became fixtures on every menu. Fettuccine Alfredo was invented in Rome in 1914 but only became famous in the 1920s after American movie stars Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford said they liked it. Even today, the dish is a staple of Italian restaurants in America, not of those in Italy.

Now, Americans make fun of red sauce Italian and prefer the real thing (at least in the big cities) but there is no denying that Italians owe America big-time for popularising their cuisine.

Until the Americans got involved, pizza was little known internationally  often poor Italians would just smear sauce on bread, put it in the oven and call it pizza. But the Americans reinvented pizza, exported it and turned it into a global craze (which is why, as a small boy, I was confused about whether it was Italian or American).

So it is with British-Italian food. Spaghetti Bolognaise is an abomination to purists. Yes, there is a complicated meat sauce, called a ragu, made in Bologna but it bears no resemblance to what we call Bolognaise sauce in most of the world. And the tomatoes that are an integral part of what the Brits call Spag Bol owe more to Naples than Bologna. Nor do they eat their ragu with spaghetti in Bologna  they prefer fettuccine.

In the Swinging Sixties, when social barriers were breaking down in London, the new elite needed new restaurants. Two former waiters Mario Cassandro and Franco Lagattolla revolutionised the restaurant scene by opening trendy Italian restaurants that served dishes that they had invented in London including Pollo Sorpresa, a sort of Chicken Kiev with an Italian accent.

A few of those Italian restaurants survived on the basis of a devoted clientele  San Lorenzo, La Famiglia etc.  but ever since The River Cafe opened in London in the late 1980s, even the Brits have discovered real Italian food. Which is not to say that the era of Spag Bol is over but that people now recognise that there is British-Italian and theres the real thing.

Why did it take so long for us to realise that Indians liked Italian food? Well, mainly because, when it comes to taste, nobody (not even a market research operation) knows anything. The Chinese food explosion happened by chance. The current sushi roll craze was unexpected. And so it was with the Italian boom.

It has often been said that every country has its own version of Chinese food. What we dont realise is that the same is true of Italian food

But a few qualifications need to be made:

One: I am not sure there is really an Italian food boom. I think Indians love pasta and pizza but I dont think we have much affection for the rest of Italian cuisine. The Tajs Casa Medici did not work in the long run. Neither did the Hyatt Regencys Valentino. And I cant think of a single pizza-free Italian restaurant that I would really want to go to in most of India with the possible exception of the original Diva in Delhi and Vetro in Mumbai.

Two: Indians love carbohydrates. Anything with a high rice and wheat content stands a good chance of success. This is why Indians order both rice and noodles at Chinese restaurants, why we like rice-encased sushi rolls and why we love pasta and pizza. Take away the carbs and all restaurants struggle.

Three: Much of the restaurant-going market is vegetarian. So, any cuisine that has vegetarian options is more likely to succeed. With pizza and pasta, the vegetarian element is already there. With the others, you have to invent things like Gobhi Manchurian and Masala Paneer sushi roll.

Four: My pet theory is that the story of Indias love of foreign food is actually a discovery of umami, an element that we dont necessarily have much of in our cuisine. (Think about: tomato, parmesan, soya sauce  what do all of them have in common?) But thats another piece for another time.

So was my Sushilamami ahead of her time?

You bet!

Her pizzas would still beat the hell out of most of the stuff sold in the Indian market today. They were served hot, straight from the oven, were entirely vegetarian (it was a good Gujarati household) and made with fresh, natural ingredients.

I just didnt realise then how lucky we were to eat her pizzas!

From HT Brunch, May 13, 2018

Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch

Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunchA calm corridor lined with decorative wooden arches leads me to the Rajput Suite of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai. Inside, the drop dead gorgeous Padma Lakshmi, stripped of make-up, greets us in her bathrobe. Even at 47, Padma radiates beauty, and is in Mumbai to attend an event for M.A.C. The supermodel wears many hats. She is an actor, a television host, an author, a food expert, an activist and a single mom.

I have been lucky to have fashioned a living out of what interests me. It takes you a while to realise what you are and what you want, says Padma, who started off at 21 with a career in modelling, and married one of the most high profile authors of our times, Salman Rushdie, at 28. From being a glamour girl and one half of a celebrity couple to becoming a multi-hyphenate star, her journey has been long and one of self-discovery.

The mother

The role she enjoys the most is, of course, being mother to eight-year-old Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell. The tiny tot makes frequent appearances on her Instagram with the cutest hashtags ever  #littlehands!

Padma likes to be a fun mom, she also makes sure that she instils the values she holds dear in her daughter (Instagram)

But while Padma likes to be a fun mom, she also makes sure that she instils the values she holds dear in her daughter. For instance, Padma is part of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Known to be vocal about reproduction rights, immigration rights and womens rights, she gave young Krishna a first-hand taste of activism when she was just five. The mother-daughter duo walked to school with Krishna holding a picket sign reading We want books from home. The bookworm wanted to protest her schools directive of not allowing her to bring her favourite books to class. It was a token gesture, but that was Padmas way of teaching her daughter to stand up for what she believes in.

The immigrant

Like every mother, Padma is concerned about the growing intolerance in the world. Racism was always there in America, but under the Trump administration, the iron fist has lost its velvet glove, she says. Although New York is a relatively safe city, she wants Krishna to be aware of the political realities.

Racism was always there in America. but under the Trump administration, the iron fist has lost its velvet glove

Meanwhile, shes teaching her daughter to be aware of her Indian roots, travelling with her to India often, letting her great grandmother teach her to make dosas and dressing her in traditional clothes. Shes still going to be much less exposed to Indian culture than I was, because shes biracial, says Padma. Also, shes never lived in India for a long stretch. She is just an American kid who eats dal at home and loves to wear bindis. She understands Tamil, but will not reply to me in Tamil. But she also has gaana classes at home every week  a guruji comes every week to teach her Carnatic music.

The Indian in New York

When Padma was about two years old, her mom, a single parent, moved to the US. Over the next few years, she divided her time between her grandparents in Chennai and her mother in New York, before finally moving to the Big Apple in 1979.

Padma has a degree in Theatre Arts and American Literature. So it was not surprising that she dabbled in writing and is today an accomplished author (Taras Taraporvala )

In 1980s New York, when India was mostly perceived as a third-world country, Padma had a tough time. In her memoir, Love, Loss, And What We Ate, she mentions how she gradually learned that for many Americans, her skin colour was associated with stinky food, strange clothes and malaria-infested third world slums. The pressure to fit in made her change her name from Padma to Angelique during the four years of her high school. But she insists that although she faced racism, she never really struggled with her Indianness.

I am as much a New Yorker as I am a Madrasi, she says. Even today, I speak Tamil when I am in Chennai. But she will not be upset if Krishna doesnt take to her Indian backstory. I dont really care if she wears jeans or saris. I care more about what kind of human being she grows up to be, says Padma.

The author

Padma got her first publishing contract when she was still in her 20s, but that was because of a marketing hook. I had just done a movie (Caraibi) for which I had to gain 20 pounds. Modelling was my full-time career and I needed to lose that extra fat. So I did it in the healthiest way possible, she says. Disney had just acquired a publishing arm, and people are always curious to know what a model eats!

If you really want to know any city well, cab drivers are your best bet

But Easy Exotic, a compilation of recipes and short essays, got the best debut award at the 1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. And today, Padma has five titles to her credit. We are raised in a way where you are supposed to know your career path by 23; you should be engaged by 28; married by 30 and have your first kid at 34, and then be set in your ways, says Padma. But you are going to live till 80 or 90, so what do you do with the rest of your life?

The culinary expert

Her stint as the host of the Emmy award-winning food show Top Chef, currently in its 15th season, is Padmas most popular role. But her food career arose from her modelling career, not a culinary school or restaurant experience.

Padma walked the Womens March last year with her daughter. According to her, since issues like immigration rights and womens rights concern her daughter as well, it is only apt that Krishna be part of these (Taras Taraporvala )

Travelling all the time, she would explore the local vegetable and spice markets, ask waiters at the five-star restaurants for recommendations, and also ask cab drivers where the best local delicacies were served. If you really want to know any city well, cab drivers are your best bet, she says.

...AND The activist

Padma is actively involved in spreading awareness about womens reproductive health. In 2009, she co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America, which was instrumental in the opening of the MIT Center for Gynepathology Research.

I suffered from endometriosis all my life and was never treated for it properly, she says. When I got better and saw how normal women lived during their periods, it got me terribly angry inside. It made me realise that there is misogyny even in healthcare.

I realised the misogyny in healthcare When I suffered from endometriosis. I got better and saw how normal women lived during their periods and it got me angry

Most womens health-related problems often go undiagnosed because of lack of knowledge about the symptoms, says Padma. Most of these symptoms are such that people think you made them up. The disease develops in tandem with your womanhood. So, you get a very warped idea of your own femininity, she says.

She has often mentioned her condition as one of the reasons why her relationship with Rushdie went south. According to her book, Rushdie accused Padma of using her endometriosis as an excuse not to have sex with him, and he went as far as calling her a bad investment because of her condition.

The basic problem today is that girls have become liberated, but the boys have not caught up!

It is not easy for a woman to talk about sexual health. It was not like I wanted to go on national television and talk about my vagina. It is awkward. And not at all sexy. It was like whipping a band aid off. , Padma says. But eight years later I am glad I did it. I didnt want the next generation of women to go through what I had gone through.

Her foundation educates boys as well as girls. They need to understand the disease too. You cant just educate half the population and expect an overall change. The basic problem today is that girls have become liberated, but the boys have not caught up! says Padma.

The forever young

Padma Lakshmi is content with her life. At 47, she has got her first makeup contract: she has just designed a M.A.C capsule collection. Even this collaboration has its roots in her personal struggles. If you are a woman of colour, it is a struggle to find make-up that will have good colour retention on your skin, she says. When you are a dark person, most Western make-up artists would put a dark eyeshadow on you. But I wanted to wear light colours too!

When last year she saw her daughter refusing to eat because she is watching her weight, it dawned on her that her own struggle to lose weight is having a negative impact on little Krishna, and made her realise the importance of instilling body positivity in her daughter (Taras Taraporvala )

This campaign is a landmark moment for another reason. As a model in the 1990s, I worked a lot. But I never had a cosmetic campaign thats considered the gold medal for modelling. So, to finally have one and for something I have designed at that, is kind of very sweet. And the fact that I am doing this at 47 says a lot about how the beauty industry is evolving, she says.

Surround yourself with people who have a positive influence on you. that works better than any beauty regime

Looking the way she does means a lot of effort, Padma admits. I have to take care of my skin, I have to use sun block, hydrate, exercise, eat right, she says. Also, happiness is a big factor in how you look. Surround yourself with people who have a positive influence in your life and that works better than any expensive beauty regime or any personal trainer. I am happier today than ever before. I dont want to go back to my 20s.

(Join the conversation on twitter using #PadmaOfManyParts)

Follow @ananya1281 on Twitter

From HT Brunch, May 13, 2018

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Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunchVacation planning in my family is like a collision between a bullet train and a goods engine. Cousins living abroad are either jobless or have control over their calendars in a way that is not possible in India. They want to plan holidays a year in advance with the efficiency of a quarterly conference call. So, they email the family group with irritating chirpiness: Hey, why dont we all meet in Tanzania over Christmas?

Radio silence from all of us living in India, caught up as we are with chasing plumbers who havent shown up or trying to link our multiple cards for the nth time.

A few weeks later, a more urgent email comes: Hi guys, havent heard back so just thought Id check about Tanzania.

People abroad dont give gentle reminders like we do in India. They merely check or reach out or wait to hear back, pretending to be pashas reclining on cushions while losing their patience.

After the fifth reminder, I decided to take action.

Ma, do you want to go to Tanzania for Christmas? I asked.

My mother was staring at the television where a serpent was rising out of a goddesss crown and trying to devour a child who was floating above a fire made by zen-like rishis who were chanting stentoriously, ignoring serpent, child, goddess and the spear (trishul) that was flying towards them.

What? she asked without turning.

I repeated the question, knowing full well what her answer would be.

Parkalaam. Lets see. Dekhte hain.

For the elders in my family, urgency is reserved for three things: births, weddings, deaths. Everything else goes into the vault of possibilities  or uncertainties. A vacation six months later? Who knows? Things may happen. Plans get changed, shifted, cancelled. Zinda hain toh... dekhte hain. A double caveat. Pozhaichu kidanthaal parkalaam.

This refusal to engage drives the NRIs nuts. More emails flood our family group, each getting progressively rude. They have to apply for leave, find a dog-sitter, get a phone card for Tanzania, take vaccination shots, book hotels. Hello? Why arent you guys responding?

The elders arent responding because they are trying to figure out if Kirti will get pregnant again and with whom.

I am trying to figure out in which camp I fall  the super planners or the ad hoc responders. The problem with the Indian approach is that it lends itself to the worst possible outcome. Consider this example.

A month ago, my husband and I visited an aunt and uncle in Saket. We were sitting around making small talk, when Uncle said, Why dont we go to Noida for dinner at this new dhaba?

I was horrified at the suggestion. Before I could say anything, my husband chirped, Why not? I love dhaba food. Of course, aunty may prefer to stay home.

For the elders in my family, urgency is reserved for three things: births, weddings, deaths. Everything else goes into the vault of possibilities, including vacations

Oh, no. You youngsters have come all the way. We should do what you like. And a drive is the best way to chat. Unless of course, Shoba prefers to eat at home.

Oh, no, aunty. I dont want you to trouble yourself. Lets go have a nice meal at this dhaba.

You know the end of the story, right? We drove in the heat to a dodgy dhaba which took hours to find, ate some rotten parathas, and returned home late. All of us burst into the house, and burst out at each other. I only said yes because I thought you wanted to do it. I only suggested it because I thought you youngsters were bored. We only agreed to go to save you housework, to be polite.

This is called the Abilene Paradox: where a group does something that nobody wants to do because each person thinks that everyone else wants to do it. Public agreement, private disagreement. This happens a lot in India  among friends and especially in families that value harmony, so individuals are expected to go with the flow. This happens especially in cross-generational settings where nobody wants to rock the boat, ergo Indias greatest invention: the multi-cuisine restaurant where families dont have to bicker about whether they want to eat dal or nachos or noodles.

Management experts use the Abilene Paradox in companies to foster employee honesty. Look for a series of articles on The Abilene Paradox: the management of agreement to know what I mean. One solution is to promote graffiti where individuals can anonymously voice their dissent or disagreement  kind of like the graffiti on walls where you dont know who did it.

I decided to take this graffiti approach in our family email group. I created an anonymous email account and sent a message to my cousin. It said, Vikram. Nobody wants to go to Tanzania. Everyone hates Tanzania. Stop bombarding the group with emails. Let us go to Matheran instead.

Turns out everyone did, want to go to Tanzania that is. They had privately written to Vikram expressing interest. And I was caught in the paradox of the Abilene Paradox, which also is all too common in India: private agreement, public silence.

(This column addresses the issue of parenting our parents, an integral part of This Indian Life and our culture. If you have stories about the weird and wonderful relationships that enrich or enervate your life, write in.)

From HT Brunch, May 13, 2018

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Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunchReserve Bank has initiated prompt corrective action against public sector lender Dena Bank in view of high non-performing loans, restricting the bank from giving fresh credit and new hiring.

The public sector lender on Friday reported widening of its net loss to Rs 1,225.42 crore in the March quarter on mounting bad loans and higher provisioning to cover them.

The net loss stood at Rs 575.26 crore in the January-March quarter of 2016-17.

Sequentially, the loss widened from Rs 380.07 crore in December quarter of 2017-18.

Reserve Bank of India, vide their letter dated May 31, 2017, has initiated Prompt Corrective Action for Dena Bank and imposed certain restrictions, in view of high Net NPA and negative RoA ( return on assets), the bank said in a regulatory filing.

In continuation to the above, we wish to inform that the RBI vide their letter dated May 07, 2018 (received by the Bank on May 08, 2018) has restricted the Bank from assuming fresh credit exposure and recruitment of staff, it said further.

Dena Bank said it was put up to the Board in its meeting held on May 11, 2018.

Banks asset quality has worsened with the gross NPAs hitting a high of 22.4 per cent of the gross advances as on March 31, 2018, from 16.27 per cent as of end-March 2017.

In value terms, the gross NPAs or bad loans rose to Rs 16,361.44 crore from Rs 12,618.73 crore.

Net NPAs were also up at 11.95 per cent (Rs 7,838.78 crore) from 10.66 per cent (Rs 7,735.12 crore).

Earlier in January this year, Allahabad Bank had informed about being placed under RBIs PCA mechanism.

The RBI has initiated similar action against other public sector banks, including IDBI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank and UCO Bank before this.

The RBI in April 2017 had issued a new set of enabling provisions under the revised PCA framework with a clause that if the bank does not show improvement then it could be either be merged or taken over by other bank.Mom. Ma. Ammi. Mummy. Masterchef. Mentor. Most stylish. Makes everything alright...the list is endless. There can be no one way to talk about your mother. The same mummy who will bake for you a delicious fluffy chocolate cake while cooing with love can turn into a sarcasm-dripping, high-pitched banshee on hearing you backtalk or skipping school lessons. Just as the Internet is flooded with memes of angry moms, there are countless examples of children crediting their success and achievements solely to their mothers. And while every day is just as good a day to thank and acknowledge your mother for all that she does, it seems appropriate we do so on Mothers Day.

Heres meeting working mothers and daughters with inspirational stories of their own.

EMOTIONAL ANCHOR

Mother: Sonali Arora, chief commissioner of income tax, Shimla

Daughter: Megha Arora, UPSC rank 108

If theres one thing that I have learnt from my mom, it is compassion. She is extremely large hearted and benevolent in her inter-personal relationships. She is an emotional anchor for all of us and especially for my father. She has made me believe that I could achieve anything I set my heart and mind to, says Megha Arora, as we ask her about her mother, Sonali.

These life lessons have worked out well for the young Megha, who returned from the US and UK after higher studies to pursue a career as a bureaucrat like her mother. As a mother, you support your child in whatever they wish to do. When she decided to study abroad, we supported it. In fact, we werent sure she would come back. So it took us by surprise that she wanted to return and take the civil services exam. But we made sure we supported her decision, says Sonali.

She feels mothers need to offer all the emotional support they can to make their children strong individuals. Professional jobs can be demanding. But I learnt to keep a balance and always took out time for the family. Its wise to take short periods of leave, especially when children need you, is her advice for working mothers.

For Megha, who also has an elder sister Neha, a doctor, settled in Canada, some of her favourite childhood memories are visiting her mothers office. Seeing my mother go to office everyday left an indelible mark on me. I always strived to become economically and professionally empowered to do big things, admits Megha, who is gearing up to start a career as a bureaucrat.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

Mother: Keshni Anand Arora, additional chief secretary, Haryana

Daughter: Shruti Arora, UPSC rank 118

Mother Keshni Anand Arora with daughter Shruti Arora. (Sanjeev Sharma/HT)

Even though she comes from a family of bureaucrats  her mother being a distinguished IAS officer along with her aunts  Shruti admits she was always given the freedom to choose. My mother is hard working and I always looked up to her, says Shruti. It was in college that I decided to prepare for the civil services exam. Though it wasnt a smooth run, my parents were supportive, she says.

Having cleared the exam in her third attempt, the she is set to join the Indian Police Service.

I taught my daughters to believe in themselves. We have nurtured them to be independent in thought and to face challenges as they come, says mom Keshni. As parents, the bureaucrat says its equally important to teach children how to cope with struggles and failure. And thats something Shruti admits has helped her. I was always encouraged even if success didnt come the first time, says the avid fencer, who was also encouraged to try varied things.

Despite her mothers stature, Shruti says she was never intimidated. We are best friends and do a lot of things together, be it going out shopping or having coffee or having a heart to heart conversation, she adds.

PASSION AND PROFESSION

Mother: Dr GK Bedi, gynaecologist and IVF specialist

Daughter: Dr Raveena Bedi, assistant professor, radio diagnosis, GMCH-32

Mother Dr GK Bedi with daughter Dr Raveena Bedi. (HT Photo)

When Dr GK Bedi learnt her daughter, Raveena, wanted to be a doctor, at first she tried to dissuade her. As parents you want your children to have an easier life. As first generation doctors and later starting our own practice, we knew it was a challenging profession. I gave Raveena the freedom to choose other careers as well, says Dr Bedi, who has spent over three decades in the profession.

But Raveena decided to follow her mothers often-dished out advice  to find your passion and make it a profession. I saw how happy my mom would go to work each day as she loved her profession. I knew that I also wanted to be a doctor and she understood what it meant to me, says Dr Raveena.

Today, they may be specialising in different areas but Dr Raveena feels the lessons her mother taught her have helped her evolve both as a doctor and person. From her, I have learnt how important it is to have a career and how to balance a personal and professional life. She has been a pillar of support always and if I can be even a fraction of what she is, it would be an achievement, admits Dr Raveena.

As a working mother, Dr Bedi feels its important to instil family values in children. I became a mother at 24 and learnt to balance life and work early on. The family support at home helped my children and me. Working mothers often feel guilty about not being able to spend enough time but it matters more that you spend quality time. You have to lead by example and children are sharp learners. Today, I am lucky as both my children value the hard work I put in, says Dr Bedi.

LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER

Mother: Honii Sandhu, designer and creative head, Opulent Heirlooms

Daughter: Mminaal Sandhu, fashion designer

Mother Honii Sandhu with daughter Mminaal Sandhu (Sanjeev Sharma/HT)

Shes been dressing up the whos who of the region for 23 years now. But even though designer Honii Sandhu was hard at work establishing her signature fashion label, she never pushed her daughters, Mminaal and Scheherazade to join the business.

I wanted them to choose for themselves, says Sandhu. So it didnt come as a surprise when elder daughter Mminaal decided to pursue formal education in fashion design from Central St Martins, London, and later the London School of Fashion. Initially, I wasnt sure about following in my mothers footsteps. But a chance to design outfits for my friends and then later when I started dealing with clients independently, I realised I enjoyed doing this and was equally passionate like my mother, says Mminaal.

At their joint workspace and studio, the two designers complement each other. My mother is a perfectionist and I see that in the way she works and the designs she makes, says Sandhu, who always looks up to her suggestions when she is stuck somewhere.

Incidentally, the two have their distinct styles. While Honii is a traditionalist, Mminaals designs are contemporary and targeted at a younger age group. I let her choose the way she wants to approach design. It is important to not only give your child freedom but also have trust in what they choose to do, says Honii, who doesnt believe in tutoring children to be the way parents want them to be. Its wise to have an open relationship and offer support wherever you can, says this mom.

FREEDOM TO CHOOSE

Mother: Deepa Singh, advocate, Punjab and Haryana high court and former additional advocate general, Punjab

Daughter: Malvika Singh, assistant advocate general, Punjab

Mother Deepa Singh with daughter Malvika Singh (Sant Arora/HT)

As a first generation lawyer in. her family, Deepa Singh knew her career choice wasnt an easy one. But hard work and perseverance paid off. Little did she know that one day, her daughter would do her proud in the same way.

I was in seventh standard when my mom starting working. I would love to hear her stories from work and in some way I think that helped me make my decision to be a lawyer too, says Malvika. An alumna of the University of California, Berkeley, and Panjab University, where she did her doctorate, Malvika credits her mother for the person she is today. She has shown me that we are our own wishing tree and we can align ourselves with our destiny to become the person we are meant to be, she says.

For Deepa, who has another daughter, also a lawyer, her role was to give both children sound education and the freedom of choice. You cant spoon-feed them. As a mother and as parents, you have to not just guide them but make them strong and independent to make own choices, says the advocate.

Believe in yourself is a mantra she has given her daughters. I am like a friend to them. We gym together, go for runs together, Deepa says. And this Mothers Day, Malvika also shares her mothers advice: You evolve in crisis, its the best teacher. So dont shy away from difficult situations. Face them head on.What if Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un really do make a deal? There is plenty of reason for scepticism. Why would Kim surrender the nuclear weapons programme he has worked so hard to expand? Why would the US withdraw its 28,500 troops? How can Kim build a sustainable North Korean economy that relieves him of the need to blackmail his way to financial help? There are other unanswered questions.

But its possible that a meeting between Trump and Kim will produce an agreement that represents a major step forward. Maybe it begins with the release of three US citizens detained in North Korea. With a pledge to continue the discussion of denuclearisation, perhaps Kim will agree to a permanent suspension of tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles, removing the threat that North Korea can launch a nuclear attack on the US mainland. In exchange, Trump might pledge to draw down the total number of US soldiers on the peninsula with numbers and timing to be determined at a later date.

North Korea then welcomes inspectors to take stock of its nuclear assets. Trump gives his blessing to a peace deal between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in and promises the US will not invade North Korea so long as it continues to comply with a test ban and cooperates with inspectors. Whatever the details, there is enough room for compromises that can make a deal possible.

North Korea would be an obvious winner. Even without an active nuclear programme, the DPRK has enough conventional military firepower to keep its leverage in future negotiations. Kim has already improved his and his countrys image with South Koreans, particularly young people, who feel less natural kinship than their parents and grandparents with their neighbours to the north. A deal with Trump would intensify that effect. The greater test will come when Kim begins to experiment with an opening of the North Korean economy, and therefore the country, to outsiders.

South Koreas Moon Jae-in would be a clear winner for as long as the deal holds. Moon knows that former South Korean president Kin Dae-jung won a Nobel Prize for his work toward a Korean peace deal in 2000. The Nobel committee is unlikely ever to offer Donald Trump anything, and Moon, despite his protestations that Trump is more deserving, is an obvious choice for a future prize. South Korea itself will be a winner for as long as a pre-emptive US attack on North Korea is no longer up on the table.

Donald Trump is an obvious winner. Every step away from conflict with North Korea allows him to argue that his high-pressure approach is a winner and that hes better able to bring lasting peace than Barack Obama proved to be. Securing the release of Americans held in the DPRK is a win by itself. The United States wins if Trump can earn a test ban on missiles capable of hitting the US. But over the long-term, the US will find it has less influence over the future of the region.

Thats why China is the biggest winner of all. The Chinese leadership has long feared that a North Korea-related security emergency could spill across the border into northeast China. A peace deal would reduce that threat. And as US influence recedes with a partial drawdown of US troops, China will gain another step toward becoming East Asias dominant diplomatic and economic player.

The biggest loser from a Trump-Kim deal would be Japan, which remains within range of North Korean weapons that dont need to be tested. A lighter US presence in the region, further expansion of Chinese influence, and a burst of national pride in Korea all create trouble for Tokyo.

Of course, there are still clear obstacles to a deal. Will Trump back away when Kim makes clear that he will freeze, but not surrender, his nuclear weapons programme? Will Kim accept anything less than an explicit US pledge never to invade his country? Will Kim react badly, as his government did in early May, if Trump continues to insist he has forced Kim to the table? Or maybe Kim is simply playing for time by beginning a negotiation process he hopes will bring immediate economic relief while extending the talks until Trump is no longer president?

For now, it appears the two men will meet. Each has an interest in a deal that makes him a winner. For now, we should suspend our scepticism until we see what sort of a deal they can make.

Ian Bremmer is president, Eurasia Group, and author of the forthcoming book Us vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism.

The views expressed are personalBy now, we have heard all the answers to the rape `crisis  as it is being described  which has been going on. Each incident seems worse than the last, the victims and perpetrators younger and younger, the sense of remorse totally lacking in the offender. We have debated how the law must kick in with full force, that the death penalty is the only solution. But we still know little about what young people growing up understand about sexuality, what it means and how it must be handled. No, we know very little.

We hear all sorts of nonsensical advice on how young people should behave. They must not hug in public, they must have no proper interaction between the sexes, they must get married young to avoid temptation, I could go on. Much of this comes from politicians, but such sentiments are very much there in the puritanical society that India still is.

We are still very uncomfortable talking about the fact that young people have sexual desires, so it is brushed aside giving rise to frustration and ignorance. It is not spoken about at home, it is rarely spoken about at school. Imagine what a difference it would make to young people, especially young boys, if sex education were made the norm and accepted in schools. There is nothing new with this argument, except that it remains very much in the realm of discussion. Young boys have little knowledge of sex and what they do comes from sources which tend to distort it. It is not that the appropriate knowledge does not exist. There has been at least two decades of research on the subject by educators resulting in valuable inputs for adolescents in school curricula. But the problem is that it has never been implemented.

If parents dont want their children to learn about sex in a scientific way, teachers are also reluctant to deal with the subject. Unless this warped culture is changed, there can be little hope that young men will become more sensitive to what constitutes unwanted behaviour. In most cases, they seem to think that sexually assaulting a woman is no big deal.

The other aspect that all state governments need to consider is the circumstances from which the rapists, or at least the majority of them, come. In the Delhi gang rape, they came from the real margins of society, themselves brutalised and degraded. Many young men who come to cities for jobs find themselves isolated, marginalised and victimised, with no moral compass on what is right and wrong. Most of them have had little normal contact with women at all and what little they have has been of a predatory nature.

There is the myth too that Indian family values are strong and that these are protective. This is often far from the truth. Sexual and other violence often comes from those closest to us. Boys grow up seeing their mothers brutalised by their fathers and take this to be the norm. The family as the foundation for a young persons character is often the reason why he is unable to deal with women in a rational and respectful manner. Violence in the family is often unreported, turning out damaged young men who, in turn, feel that assaulting women is normal behaviour.

Given the rate at which rapes are taking place, it has become imperative to look beyond just the law and NGOs. Many years ago, the powerful Sikh clergy spoke out against female foeticide. It had a salutary effect. The pool of people who should be engaged should be widened, starting with teachers. The clergy of different faiths, cultural organisations like the RSS, other civil society movements and a massive media blitz could help. Politicians cannot speak in neutral terms about these horrible crimes any more. They are not incidents, or aberrations; they seem to be becoming more frequent and violent.

And most of all, more men should be drawn into the fight. I dont mean those holding candles at vigils. I mean from the cohort like those who carried out the Delhi gang rape. The change will come when this is addressed and not through the fear of the law alone. The discourse at the moment is disjointed and sporadic. It becomes high decibel after every incident. It has to be ongoing, it has to be consistent and it has to include, most of all, young men who have grown up thinking that hitting or raping a woman is not a criminal activity.

lalita.panicker@hindustantimes.comRahul Gandhi has always had the image of being a reluctant leader. He is 47, but Chanakya has heard enough people in Delhis political circles still referring to him as a boy, although this may well have more to do with the relative age of Indian politicians in general than any disrespect for the man. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is 67, a full two decades older. In general, Indian politicians arent supposed to hit their stride till they are well into their 50s. Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah, at 53, is considered young.

Gandhi also has the image of a part-time politician, perhaps because of his frequent (although not as frequent as his political rivals would have us believe) holidays or breaks from work. It has become important for a political leader to be 24x7x365, especially in the context of the BJP, an always-on political party which approaches every election, small and big, with similar intensity. The most energetic manifestation of this, of course, is the prime minister, who remains the BJPs ace in the hole

That was then, though.

For several months now, starting from before the Gujarat elections, Gandhi has seemed a different person. Some BJP leaders attribute this to a tendency among liberals, the preferred four-letter word of the Modi administration, and liberal media to talk up a rival to Modi ahead of the general elections in 2019. Other, more neutral political analysts, put it down to growing fatigue with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the run-up to the polls. And, of course, a few link it to actual, real, on-the-ground change in Gandhi. Some members of the Congress believe the second theory is closer to the truth. One of Gandhis associates told Chankaya, Rahul hasnt changed; you guys have.

But something had changed in Gandhi.

His campaigns in Gujarat and Karnataka were intense. He addressed 30 rallies in Gujarat, scores of smaller meetings, and visited 12 temples; in Karnataka, he had addressed over 100 rallies and meetings till the end of campaigning on Thursday. He has spent much of the past few months (24 days across eight legs) in the state. Meanwhile, his and his partys messaging has improved, becoming more uniform and cogent, and largely lacking in the kind of gaffes that did neither party nor man any good in the past. And unlike in the past, the Congress seems to have learned how to use local factors to its advantage. In Gujarat, this took the form of the H-A-J partnership with Patidar leader Hardik Patel, backward classes leader Alpesh Thakor, and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani. In Karnataka, this has taken the form of respecting the strengths of local leader, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah. Finally, Gandhis party seems to have got its head around how modern-day campaigns, online and offline, are run.

On May 8, Gandhi indicated, for the first time, his willingness to be prime minister. For 10 years, between 2004 and 2014, and especially after the Congress-led United Progressive Alliances surprise win in 2009, which many attributed to him, Gandhi steadfastly refused to be part of the Union Cabinet.

Gandhis readiness to take the top job changes several dynamics. It signals the beginning of a straightforward mano-e-mano fight at the hustings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two, to state the obvious, are very different people, and not just from the popular kaamdar vs naamdar (worker vs dynast) line the prime minister has grown very fond of in recent weeks. Modi is by far the better orator, and also has an earthy sense of humour that connects well with the audience, but Gandhi does come across as more sincere and approachable. Perhaps this is because Modi is on the campaign trail so much that at least some of his oratory looks like a stump speech.

Gandhi, unlike Modi, has no administrative experience. He hasnt run either a state or a ministry, and it is only a few months since he started running a party. That isnt much of a resume in terms of the work experience required to run a country and could pose a problem even with the Congress own allies, current and potential. In Uttar Pradesh, which sends the most representatives to Parliament, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, look likely to fight together in the polls. BSP leader Mayawati has prime ministerial aspirations, as does another leader who is trying to build a federal front against the BJP, the Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee. With the possible exception of the Samajwadi Partys Akhilesh Yadav, many of these leaders see themselves as peers of former Congress president and Rahuls mother Sonia Gandhi, whose mandate now is to manage relationships with existing and future partners.

And the Congress will need partners.

While it is certain that the Congress will better its 2014 tally of 44 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, it is unlikely to be in a position to have, on its own, the minimum numbers required to form a government. Indeed, even with partners, it will be a challenge to derail the BJP juggernaut. Still, stranger things have happened in politics and 2004 is still far too recent (and shocking) for anyone to have forgotten it.

If that happens, Gandhi may be willing; he may even, giving him the benefit of the doubt, be able, but will he be acceptable?

letters@hindustantimes.comAs a rule I have stayed as far as I can from officialdom. Sometimes it is not avoidable as in getting a passport made, or getting the addressed changed in an Aadhaar card, opening a bank account and such other things. But I have kept away from the needless honour of being an advisory member of state-sponsored Akademis of art or literature for reasons that are purely personal like an allergy to meetings and wasting precious time and, of course, general lethargy.

I have never understood why painters and writers of proven merit decide to become part of the officialdom and devote all energy to organising things instead of creating art. One has seen the best of them drifting this way, delivering speeches on the brilliance of the administrator or minister who may be at the helm of affairs, spending time in an office allotted to them or being in a position to dispense favours to old friends they have left behind to mess about with art and literature.

The other reason is that as a poet or even a scribe, it is best to remain on the other side if the fire is to be kept alive in your art. Our revolutionary poet of Punjabi, Avtar Paash, challenged Buddha and said Beech ka rasta nahi hota (There is no middle path). To give the Devil his due, however, some of the awards Ive received for writing art critiques or for service to literature have included cash, which has come in handy for buying a new mobile phone, a winter coat or a pair of good glasses.

To those who do not know me well and who make an offer to be a subsidiary to such activity, I say in all innocence, I am sorry I will be no good because I have a problem and cannot attend meetings! My colleagues or seniors will vouch for the fact that I do have this chronic problem and one reason is that meetings are often held in the mornings and I belong to the owl species at their best reading or writing at night. In my city reporting days, I remember a kind and grave news editor counselling me, You must come to the morning meeting because the other reporters find fault only with the one not present.

However, there are times when the most determined do a turnaround and so did I when the present head of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi asked me to join the governing council in an honorary position, assuring me that meetings would be in the afternoons some two or three times a year. Since he is a friend and I have a warm relationship with the other two office-bearers too, I decided to say yes. The other reason was that it is never too late to learn the art of participating in meetings and it behoves a person with greying hair to attend meetings. So I gave my consent and was there for the meeting on time. The mood was congenial and the kachori served with tea delicious. As it got over all honourable governing council members were given a file with a note that the administrator was pleased to announce the councils of the three Akademis along with long lists of names. We were told by the Akademi president with a friendly laugh that there was a form at the end which all had to fill and paste a photograph for police verification. It is just a formality, he added sheepishly.

So all was well till I got a phone call from the Akademi office telling me that I had not sent back the form. Lo! It had slipped my mind. So I sat down thinking it would be a single sheet, something like the form house owners give to tenants. But this turned out to be totally different. It was four long pages, and started with a loud warning against furnishing of false information. Then it went on to not only enquire about my origin but also that of my dear-departed dad who passed away some 56 years ago. Then they wanted to know if I was originally Pakistani or Bangladeshi. I cant figure out why Nepal and Sri Lanka were left out. Then my religion and caste was asked despite the great Bhakti poet Kabir cautioning: Jaat na poochho sadhu ki/ Poochh leejio gyan! (Ask not the sage her/his caste; Asses his knowledge).

Then I was asked to furnish the addresses of all the homes that I had lived in after attaining the age of 21. Now even the four pages would be adequate to record my nomadic life. For example in my 11 years in Delhi I changed nine flats and back in Chandigarh I changed nine in 13 years. I was fuming by the time I reached one line which said any false information would impair my fitness for employment under government. Now when did I seek employment under government?

The last straw, however, was when I was asked to declare if I had been arrested for any fraud or crime. Sorry my friends in the Sahitya Akademi, I found it very insulting to be asked if I was a criminal. My sympathies to all writers, artists , and musicians who are regularly put through this rigmarole.

Khuda Hafiz!The voting in Karnataka is over and were now awaiting the results day after tomorrow. If the polls are correct, neither the Congress nor the BJP will get a majority though the former could be marginally ahead. In this situation the critical question is: what will the JD(S) do?

If HD Deve Gowda adheres to his stand not to support either and, instead, sit in opposition, we would have an impasse. Then anything could be possible. Siddaramaiah may be forced to step aside, splits could be engineered in the two big parties and, of course, there would be a lot of talk of money changing hands. But if Deve Gowda is truly implacable, we could even head towards a period of Presidents rule followed by another election.

So, instead of a calm after the electoral storm, the real turbulence may be about to begin. A solution may neither be easy nor swift but it could be surprising.

However, nothing that happens in Karnataka will diminish the bigger question thats already staring India in the face: what will happen at the national elections in one years time? Most people believe two outcomes can be credibly discounted.

First, the Congress will not get a majority and its hard to believe Rahul Gandhi could emerge as prime minister with the support of allies. Second, the BJP is unlikely to win as many seats as in 2014. Its losses in UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Haryana are unlikely to be made up by gains in the North East, Bengal and Odisha.

The key question is how many seats will the party lose? If the BJP retains around 250, any government it forms will be more dependent on allies than the present one. In turn, this will have an impact on Mr Modis style and authority. Even if neither alter dramatically, they cannot be the same as they are today.

However, what if the BJP only wins 210 or 220? As the single largest party it could still form a government but now might the allies demand a different prime minister? Or is this fanciful thinking? The truth is we just dont know.

What happens in 2019 depends not just on how voters view the BJP after five years in office but also on the quality and unity of the opposition it faces. This could be the cause of either Mr Modis denouement or survival.

In the unlikely event of opposition parties collectively implementing Mamata Banerjees suggestion of a one-to-one fight, the BJP could be in serious trouble. However, though Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav seem determined to make this a reality in UP, its hard to believe its possible in Bengal and Tamil Nadu or, even, Maharashtra, leave aside Delhi.

Still, its possible we could end up with a situation analogous to 1989, with the BJP as the biggest party but others together comprising the majority. This is reminiscent of the National Front or United Front, a political khichri forever pulling apart rather than holding together. Its bound to be a weak and short-lived government.

The final question is: who will that benefit? Narendra Modi, who can credibly claim apres moi le deluge? Or Rahul Gandhi, who could symbolise a fresh start with a new face?

My hunch is if the BJP slides to the 200 mark it will opt out of forming a government altogether and prefer to sit in opposition. Mr Modi might believe this is a brief interlude before time and tide restore him to power.

The views expressed are personalTension prevailed in a Haridwar village after a Dalit youth was killed and his kin injured in shooting allegedly by people of a dominant caste who opposed their use of the village canal water for irrigation.

Villagers of Hatshyampur in Jhabreda block of Haridwar staged a sit-in demanding the arrest of the accused and refused entry to an ambulance bringing the body of the killed youth. District authorities deployed heavy police force and suspended internet services.

On Thursday evening, Vedpal, a Dalit, was irrigating his farm using the village canal when some villagers of a dominant caste tried to stop him. A war of words ensued which gave way to a physical fight.

Vedpals son, Vikas (20), who came to save his father, was shot dead by one of the villagers. They also fired on Vedpal and his cousin Anit, injuring them seriously.

The assailants escaped after the incident. Injured Vedpal and Anit were taken to a hospital for treatment. Police later took Vikass body for post-mortem. But, when they brought back the body on Friday, angry villagers stopped the ambulance at the village border. They demanded the arrest of the four accused and Rs 20 lakh ex-gratia immediately for the kin of the victims.

Villagers were also angry at police for conducting the post-mortem at night and stalled the ambulance for about seven hours. As the situation became tense, district magistrate Deepak Rawat, superintendent of Haridwar police Krishan Kumar VK and SP City Mamta Vohra arrived at the spot.

Jhabreda legislator Deshraj Karnwal also arrived at the village but was drawn into a verbal altercation with some of the villagers. After much persistence by the DM and SSP, and with the announcement of the arrest of two persons in connection with the case and Rs 8 lakh compensation, the villagers agreed to allow the ambulance.

Accused Lalit, Mehkar, Amit and Lokesh have been arrested, with three country-made revolvers and live cartridges, on Saturday.

After the final rites of the deceased were performed, some villagers pelted stones at a house in the village playing bhajans as they felt it disrespected the family of the deceased. However, it was learnt that someone had wrongly put on the music system.

SP Vohra said additional police personnel have been deployed and round-the-clock monitoring was being done.

Only a few days back, the brother of a local Dalit leader was shot dead in neighbouring Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.Uttarakhand education minister Arvind Pandey, who has faced flak from teachers for implementing dress code and biometric devices in schools, would be felicitated in Haldwani on Sunday for implementing NCERT books in the curriculum of CBSE affiliated schools.

This is being hailed as a historic move as it will help parents save money on books. It was estimated that many parents who had been spending up to Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 on text books now has to pay only Rs 1,000 Rs 2,000 for NCERT books.

However, the process of distribution of NCERT books had its own share of hiccups. There were complaints that the schools were promoting books by private publishers. District administration of a number of districts conducted raids on godowns of booksellers which revealed some irregularities such as evasion of Goods and Services Tax or GST.

The education department has now claimed that almost all the students have procured the books and there are no problem in distribution.

RK Kunwar the director of school education, Uttarakhand, said that the enforcement of selling of NCERT books is being followed. The administration of various districts has been conducting raids on godowns of the booksellers and checking for the situation, he said.

Kunwar pointed out that they have earlier floated tenders for supply of 32 lakh books which was later raised to 60 lakh.

Chandra Shekhar Kargeti, a social activist, however, says that there have been irregularities in supply of NCERT books and it must be looked into. The nexus between private publishers and schools is still active and they have found a way out for selling their books. He said that only strict enforcement and smooth supply of books in the future would help the students get relief from the high priced books.Aiming to give a boost to culinary tourism in Uttarakhand, the government will soon launch a scheme under which all delicious ethnic pahari cuisines will be popularised among tourists visiting the Himalayan state.

We have a unique gastronomy culture in the state, which reflects from a number of tasty and nutritious local dishes but hardly anybody outside the state knows about them, said tourism minister Satpal Maharaj.

We will soon introduce a scheme, under which ethnic cuisines will be popularised among tourists to give boost to culinary tourism in the state, he said. The scheme will also give boost to the locals income helping us to check distress migration from the hills.

Maharaj said the state government is promoting culinary tourism because it has a USP in the delicious Kumaoni and Garhwali cuisines, which are also good for health.

He said Bhang ki Chutney, Ras, Bhatt ki Chulkani or Thatwani, you name any Kumaoni dish and it has a tongue tickling taste and can also be categorised as super food. Same is the case with Garhwali recipes, be it Phaanu, Chainsoo, Arsa, Dhabna roti (bread stuffed with cooked pulses), or, Mandve ka Halwa (sweet prepared from finger millet).

All these (Kumaoni and Garhwali) dishes being tasty and rich in iron and protein contents will be our USP in promoting culinary tourism in the state, said Maharaj.

As part of the initiative all kinds of ethnic Kumaoni and Garhwali cuisines will be first publicised among tourists through newspapers and electronic media.

Through this publicity blitzkrieg they will get to know about the distinctive tastes and the nutritious value of the local cuisines prepared and savoured in both the regions, he said, adding that the step will be followed by a two-pronged strategy.

As part of that plan, we will first select qualified chefs and cooks who are experts in preparing Kumaoni and Garwali dishes.

All these duly selected professionals will be leased out plots on routes to various tourist spots, so they can open restaurants, prepare pahari dishes and offer them to visiting tourists, the minister said, adding that such restaurants will also be set up on way to the Chardham.

Besides, it would be made mandatory for all state-run guesthouses to also serve the local delicacies to tourists, Maharaj said.

The plots for restaurants would be leased out to only those professionals who would be good at cooking local dishes and would also maintain high standard of hygiene in keeping with visitors expectations, he said.

Plans are also afoot to promote local cuisines as a brand on the lines of McDonalds and Patanjali, he said.

Once the local dishes get promoted, high-end and foreign tourists would also relish them fetching the local hoteliers and restaurateurs good returns, the minister said.

At a later stage the communities too would be trained in preparing the local cuisines, so they can serve them to tourists staying on their premises under the home stay scheme.

Maharaj said the promotion of local cuisines will also help boost the hill farmers income. Their income will get a boost because the farm produce that will be used in preparing ethnic cuisines will be purchased from them.

Those associated with the hospitality industry welcomed the move to promote culinary tourism in the state.

If the visitors develop a liking for the local cuisines, then naturally the influx of tourists into the state will increase, said Ajay Vaishya, who owns a hotel in Mussoorie.

Pankaj Aggrawal, who runs a sweetmeat shop in the popular hill station, appreciated the idea to promote culinary tourism. It will ensure a 100% increase in the influx of tourists, he said.An elderly couple was charred to death and their tenant injured in a fire at their home, allegedly triggered by their son, in west Delhis Moti Nagar early Friday, police said.

The tenant told the police that the elderly couple  70-year-old Chedi Lal and his wife, Lakshmi, 63  in their last moments said that the house was set on fire by their 40-year-old son, Santosh Gupta, who is untraceable.

Police said the missing son is the prime suspect in the blaze. It would be premature to call it a murder. It could be a mischief or threat gone out of control. We will have clarity on the circumstances of the fire after we arrest and interrogate the couples son, said Vijay Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (west).

But when HT visited the house on Friday, the tenant alleged the couples absconding son was a drug addict who was often aggressive and abusive towards his parents.

The officer said a case under Indian Penal Code sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 436 (mischief by fire with intent to destroy house) had been registered.

He went back to rescue his wife

The house caught fire around 3am when everybody was asleep. The door dividing the house owners and tenants is usually locked on the tenants side. I woke up to cries for help from my landlady. When I tried to open my door, I found it locked from outside. The landlady was shouting, saying her son had set them ablaze, said tenant Vinay.

When I came out of the burning house, I found Santosh running away. I tried to call him out, but he ran, Vinay alleged.

The charred house of the elderly couple who were killed after a fire broke out in their house at Sudarshan Park near Moti Nagar in New Delhi on Friday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PhotoT)

At the burning home, Chedi Lal was able to come out initially but found his wife trapped inside and went back. I saw Lal returning to his home to rescue his wife, who is diabetic and moves with help. But Lal was unable to escape again because of an explosion in the refrigerators compressor, said Asma Khatoon, a neighbour.

The fire tenders were delayed by 15 minutes because of the narrow streets and haphazard parking, a fire department official said. By the time the fire fighters reached the spot, the couple was already dead. Their bodies were found a feet from each other, said an investigator.

Psychiatric issues

The couple owned a flat in a multi-storey building in Sudershan Park in Moti Nagar and rented out a portion.

They had nine children. Locals said that over the past 12 years, the couple had lost four children  three sons and one daughter. Of them, three died natural deaths and one son was murdered.

Of the five surviving children  three sons and two daughters  four live with their families elsewhere in the city.

The couple lived with Santosh, who was under medication for psychiatric issues, the DCP said.

According to family and local residents, Santosh did not work. He would often beat my parents if they questioned him or refused to give money for drugs. Because of his demand, my parents ran a snacks cart despite their age, said Santoshs brother, Pritam.



Guwahati : At least eight people were killed and several others injured in lightning strikes and thunderstorm in Assam in the last 48 hours.





An official of Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said that, eight people are reportedly killed in lightning and storm in the state in past 48 hours.





According to the reports, two people died in Karbi Anglong district while six others died in lower Assams Kamrup, Barpeta and Kokrajhar district.





Following the thunderstorms, power supply was disrupted in many areas as electric poles were damaged, uprooted trees and roofs of many houses were blown away.





In Karbi Anglong district, 50-year-old Mohan Baishya was killed in Howraghat town area as an uprooted tree fell on his house at Howraghat area.





Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) Project Officer Kripal Jyoti Mazumdar said that, in past 48 hours six people were died in lightning and two others died in thunderstorm.





The ASDMA official further said that, 64 people were died in the state in lightning and storm while 25 people died in this year so far.



A year after taking over the probe in the case of the missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday informed the Delhi High Court that they had announced an award of Rs 10 lakh to anyone providing clues about Najeeb.

The agency also informed the court that they had sought the assistance of the Interpol for issuing a yellow notice to ascertain his whereabouts.

In its eighth status report since the time it has been handed the probe on May 16 last year, the CBI informed a bench of Justice S Muralidhar and Justice IS Mehta that despite all efforts, they are yet to ascertain the whereabouts of Najeeb, who went missing from the varsity campus after an alleged brawl with some ABVP students.

It is stated that no information has been received about the missing student from any part of the country. Even the assistance of Interpol has been sought for the issuance of Yellow notice. A reward of Rs 10,00,000 has been announced for providing clues about the missing student, the court said in its order.

Appearing for the CBI, its counsel Nikhil Goel informed the court that they are yet to find concrete leads with respect to the persons specifically named by the Petitioner (Fatima Nafees). It also said that out of the nine mobile phones of suspected students, three have not been examined as two of them are not in working order and the third one is protected with a pattern lock.

He also said they will be sending the said mobiles to Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Hyderabad, to examine them. Following this, the bench directed that the phones should be immediately sent to Hyderabad and should submit a report no later than one month.

During the proceedings on Friday, Fatima Nafees, Najeebs mother expressed her anguish and frustration on the slow pace of probe by the CBI and has lost faith in the probe agency.

Appearing for her, senior advocate Collin Gonsalves sought Rs 10,000 from the court for every hearing that the mother has been coming to the court from Badaun. Besides, he also sought that the task of analysing CBI record be entrusted to a former judge for better assistance.

The bench said that it would listen to the arguments in this aspect on July 12 while fixing it as the next date of hearing.The commander-in-chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command has been empowered to take disciplinary action against all officers and men under him, requisition military assets from the three services, handle land acquisition cases, and also been granted additional financial powers, according to documents and people familiar with the matter.

In early April and in early May, 16 years after Indias first tri-services command was raised in Port Blair, the government passed orders to vest more powers in the Commander-in-Chief of Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN), setting the stage for a larger goal of creating integrated commands to synergise the functioning of the three services, said senior officials who did not wish to be named.

The officials said the CINCAN was likely to have the same financial powers as army commanders and their equivalent in the other two services.

Two government orders, passed on April 4 and May 4, seek to remove functional problems in the tri-service environment by bestowing more powers on CINCAN, currently a three-star naval officer.

These are important but small steps towards jointness and integration, and the overall authority of the joint commander, said Sudarshan Shrikhande, a retired rear admiral.

Until the orders were issued, CINCAN had limited powers to initiate disciplinary action against personnel from the army and the air force as they were governed by the Army Act and the Air Force Act respectively.

An order passed on May 4 under the provisions of the Air Force Act, 1950, has empowered CINCAN, or, in his absence, an officer not under the rank of an Air Commodore to convene General Courts Martial and confirm the findings and sentences.

A similar order was passed under the Army Act, 1950, on April 4 to bring army personnel under CINCAN. Only in cases where a soldier has been sentenced to death, CINCAN will have to withhold confirmation and refer the proceedings to the chiefs of the army or the air force, as the case may be.

Earlier all such disciplinary cases, except the navy as CINCAN is a naval officer, were forwarded to the respective service headquarters for action.

India is focusing on fortifying its farthest military outpost, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, amid Chinas growing influence in the Indian Ocean region. Myanmars Coco Islands, where the Chinese navy has set up a surveillance post, are barely 40 km from the Andamans northernmost tip Landfall.

Airstrips at Campbell Bay and Shibpur have been extended from 3,000 feet to 12,000 feet to support all types of aircraft, including fighter jets, officials said.

The Andamans are more than 1,200 km away from mainland India.

A significant volume of Chinas oil imports passes through the Malacca Strait, about 350 km from these islands.Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, back home on parole for his son Tej Pratap Yadavs wedding, is mainly staying under the radar.

Despite his reputation as a colourful personality, the ailing Prasad is sticking to the conditions laid down by authorities at Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi for granting him three days parole. Parsad, incarcerated at the jail in Jharkhand after his conviction in three fodder scam cases, was being treated at a Ranchi hospital for a host of ailments, including diabetes and kidney disease.

Tej Pratap will wed Aishwarya Rai, granddaughter of former Bihar chief minister Daroga Prasad Rai and daughter of RJD MLA Chandrika Rai, at the veterinary grounds in Patna later on Saturday.

Since he landed in Patna on Friday, Prasad has remained mostly indoors, choosing to meet only select people inside his 10, Circular Road residence, while overseeing preparations for the wedding.

Lalu Prasad Yadav's son Tej Pratap Yadav's haldi ceremony was held in Patna last night. He will be tying the knot with Aishwarya, daughter of RJD lawmaker Chandrika Prasad Rai, today. pic.twitter.com/rSPH9INzfU  ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2018

Doctors have advised him not to take any physical strain due to his weak health. Lalu took rest in the morning and did attend some rituals in the day, said, a close aide of the family.

On Friday, the RJD chief spent the day sleeping and spoke only to family friends and party leaders for a while in the evening. Later that night, Prasad attended a musical programme on the lawns of house as part of the celebrations for Tej Prataps wedding, according to videos released by the family to the media.

We are taking all care to ensure parole conditions are not breached. This is why he is not keen on meeting people and instead only focusing on his health and rituals related to his sons wedding. He is spending quality time with his family during this event as he had missed them for long due to his incarceration, said another aide.

After the wedding, Prasad will fly to Ranchi on Monday to report to jail authorities. He is expected to be soon out of jail as he has been granted provisional bail for six weeks for treatment in specialised hospitals.

Prasad has told his aides that he would visit the Asian Heart Institute in Mumbai for check up and also premier hospitals in New Delhi. Lalu is concerned about his health as he has already several ailments and wants to be treated at good hospitals. He has not been happy with the treatment in RIMS, Ranchi, said a close aide of the RJD chief.Ive made the BJP realise what it is without me, roared former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa after the 2013 election. In 2012, Yeddyurappa, the most prominent leader from Karnatakas powerful Lingayat community, formed the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP)  a not so subtle attempt to destroy the electoral fortunes of the BJP by stealing away its core base of Lingayat voters. Reeling under accusations of corruption and illegal land deals, the central leadership all but forced Yeddyurappa to resign his chief ministership, leading to his vengeful defection. It worked. The BJP dropped to just 40 seats in the 2013 state election, down from 110 in the previous one.

This time, the KJP is gone and Yeddyurappa is back in the fold for the BJP as its chief ministerial candidate, and the working assumption was that the Lingayat community had returned to the BJP. That was until current Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah took advantage of a schism in the Lingayat community by distinguishing higher status Veerashaivas from other Lingayats, to whom he has granted minority status. As we travelled through Karnataka, we observed that predicting the voting behaviour of Lingayats is anything but straightforward.

To bring some data to the issue, we start by considering what would happen if Yeddyurappa brought every vote back with him to the BJP. Chart 2 compares the actual election results (in number of seats) by region with a model in which the vote shares of BJP and KJP are merged into a single party. Predictably, a combined BJP/KJP performs much better in Bombay, Central, and Hyderabad Karnataka where the Lingayat community is large in number  in these three regions, the BJP/KJP combine picks up 28 more seats compared to when the BJP and KJP contest separately. All told, in the hypothetical scenario of a perfect transfer of KJP votes to BJP, the Congress still wins 99 seats (instead of 122) while the combined KJP/BJP wins 75 seats (up from 46 when they are split), and the JD(S) holds steady at 35 seats (instead of 40). These numbers point to the differing geographic bases of the JD(S) and the BJP/KJP, while demonstrating the centrality of these three regions in determining the ultimate outcome in this election.

But the model of perfect vote transfer is far too simplistic. We hear in Bunder, the port area of Mangaluru, that there is dissension in BJP ranks as Yeddyurappa has brought his own workers back into the organisation. The politics of Siddaramaiah may also win over non-Lingayats who had voted for the BJP but are wary of a dominant Lingayat community.

There is also extraordinary complexity in the Lingayat vote. In the lush paddy fields outside Hirekerur town in Haveri district, a young Lingayat farmer told us that the implications of the minority status decision for Lingayats was unclear. The impact of the decision would be more on the powerful Lingayat mutts that can gain state benefits and expand their reach than on ordinary people. You cannot assume that Lingayats as a whole will vote either way because of a decision like this. In turn, he conceded, these mutts could potentially influence the choices of Lingayat voters.

The young man tells us that Siddaramaiahs move, while not directly appealing to voters,is a higher level game: Certain Lingayat maths share close relations with Yeddyurappa and the BJP. Siddaramaiahs move gives options to those mutts aggrieved with the BJP patronage of other mutts.

One prominent Bengaluru-based political watcher tells us, The Lingayats work quietly, and we can never really tell what they will do. When the Lingayats finally show their cards, they will decide this election.The Congress, the principal Opposition party, seems to have buried its plans to legally challenge Rajya Sabha chairperson M Venkaiah Naidus order on the Oppositions notice seeking the removal of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, said three party leaders in the know of things.

The stand, however, comes after deep divisions over the move within the party.

Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Friday welcomed his partys decision to withdraw the petition challenging Naidus rejection of an impeachment motion against CJI Misra.

Good and wise decision of Congress not to pursue impeachment issue with Cong MPs in SC any further, he tweeted.

Two Congress Rajya Sabha MPs Pratap Singh Bajwa and Amee Yajnik, withdrew their petition challenging Naidus rejection of the motion against CJI Misra on May 8 after the court refused to provide details of an administrative order that led to setting up of a constitutional bench to hear the matter.

The two MPs had moved the top court, alleging Naidus rejection was politically motivated.

Party insiders suggested that one section within the Congress pursued the motion in the wake of the four Supreme Court judges outburst at an unprecedented press conference in January, during which they aired grievances against the way the Chief Justice was allocating cases, exercising his power as master of the roster. This section thought a notice for impeachment would serve as a deterrent. The other section, led by Singhvi, felt that the move could portray the Congress as anti-judiciary and would yield little since the party lacked numbers in the House to get it passed.

Singhvi even wrote a seven-point argument on why the Congress should not move the notice to the Rajya Sabha chairman.

After Naidu rejected the notice, Singhvi gave another note to the party High Command saying that the rejection has given a chance for an honourable exit and it must be used. He not only cautioned the party from pushing its luck in the Supreme Court but also refused to appear for a subsequent appeal in the apex court, said a senior party member.

Former law minister Salman Khurshid also maintained that impeachment is too serious a matter to be played with frivolously on the grounds of disagreement with any judgement or point of view of the court. He, however, added that he was not party or privy to discussions that took place between different sections within the Congress on the issue.

As many as 71 Rajya Sabha MPs from the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Indian Union Muslim League signed the notice submitted to Naidu on April 20.

With seven signatories having retired, 64 sitting Rajya Sabha MPs had effectively signed the motion; the minimum number required is 50.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former finance minister P Chidambaram and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh were among the members who had not signed the notice.

While Singh had not been involved in drafting the notice of motion because of his stature as a former PM, Chidambaram was deliberately kept away because of the INX Media and Aircel-Maxis cases pending against his son Karti.

Soon after Naidu rejected the motion on April 23, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal had termed his order as unprecedented, illegal, ill-advised and hasty and asserted that the party would challenge it in the Supreme Court.

He had also hoped that the CJI would have nothing to do with the petition when it would come up for listing in the court. As the master of the roster, it is the CJI who assigns cases.

When asked about the partys decision to not take forward the legal challenge, Vivek Tankha, the chief of Congress legal department, said, If withdrawal of petition leads to greater cohesion and faith in the independence and integrity of our Judiciary, it would gladden any sane heart.As the death toll in the pre-panchayat poll violence in Bengal touched 16 till 5 pm on Saturday, a proliferation of country-made semi-automatic pistols and crude bombs recovered from a district triggered concerns ahead of elections.

The polls will be held on May 14 and at the time of filing this report, violence was reported from many places across the state. On Saturday afternoon police seized a large quantity of ammunition at Salboni in West Midnapore while villagers at Bhangar in North 24 Parganas district discovered hundreds of crude bombs inside several pits dug behind the home of local Trinamool Congress (TMC) heavyweight Arabul Islam.

Islam was arrested on Friday night, hours after the supporter of an Independent candidate was shot dead. Islam was charged under several sections of Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.

The pistols were manufactured in clandestine workshops in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Bengal and are sold for anything between Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000. Unlike the crude single-shot pipegun or katta from yesteryears, the pistols fire eight shots in quick succession with reasonable accuracy up to a distance of 20 metres.

Most of these pistols fire the 7.65 mm rimless ammunition that is manufactured by the Indian Ordnance Factory at Khadki, Maharashtra. Civilians owning licensed pistols buy this ammunition from authorised gun dealers. But some unscrupulous dealers are selling these to criminals. For example, Delhi Police arrested two gunrunners in November 2017 and seized more than 1,300 live cartridges of .315 and 7.65 mm caliber from them. An authorised arms dealer in Aligarh allegedly rigged the registers to show the illegal sales as legitimate, said a senior state police officer who did not want to be quoted.

In recent months, dozens of these pistols have been seized by police from gunrunners and illegal workshops in different districts.

On Thursday, director general of state police Surajit Kar Purkayastha asked his officers in the districts to intensify raids.

Earlier, these pistols were brought from central Indian states because demand was low in Bengal. The violence perpetrated by the ruling party makes it apparent that demand for pistols has gone up. So, these are now made by local gunsmiths. It is Bengals new industry, alleged CPI(M) politburo member and Lok Sabha MP Md Salim.

Bengal has turned into an armoury. Earlier, Bihar used to supply illegal guns to criminals across India but now Bengal has become the manufacturing hub and a haven for criminals and gunrunners. The end result is the bloodshed you witness everyday, alleged BJP national secretary and former state president Rahul Sinha.The career span of terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir has shrunk considerably over the last few years due to a raft of factors including better coordination among security forces, a first-rate intelligence network, and poorly trained terrorists, according to army officers monitoring the situation in the state.

From three to four years a few years ago, the career span of terror recruits, many of them recruited by handlers as cannon fodder, has come down to a few months now, these people added on condition of anonymity. There has been a sharp fall from the time Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) commander Burhan Wani was active to the killing of 13 terrorists in a single day on April 1, said a senior army officer who did not wish to be named.

Wani was active for around six years before he was gunned down in an encounter in July 2016, plunging the state deeper into conflict. Waseem Malla and Naseer Pandit, both Hizb commanders and contemporaries of Wani, ran the terror machine in south Kashmir for three to four years before they were killed in an encounter with security forces in April 2016.

Similarly, Hizb commander Saddam Hussain Paddar, considered the last of Wanis boys, was killed by security forces in May almost four years after he joined the ranks of the terror outfit. Paddar was among the 10 militants who posed with then-HM commander Burhan Wani in a picture that went viral on social media and is said to have romanticised militancy in Kashmir.

A second army officer who asked not to be identified said many of the terrorists killed in recent months have only been active for months.

For instance, he said, terrorist Sameer Lone had joined the HM in February 2018, Ishfaq Malik in January 2018, Rayees Ah Thokar in June 2017 and Aediman Fayaz Malik in November 2017.

Kashmir university sociology professor Mohammad Rafi was killed on Sunday, within 36 hours of joining the HM ranks, the officer added.

The security forces have really galvanized their intelligence network. Flow of intelligence comes from people. If we extrapolate, the lifespan of terrorists is getting shorter as people are fed up with them, said former northern army commander Lieutenant General BS Jaswal (retd).

Jaswal also stressed that homegrown terrorists were no match for the army. The army has tremendous experience in the state. Several units are doing their third stint in J&K. Thats why we are decimating them faster, he said.

Jaswal added that earlier the terrorists went to Pakistan for training, but the current crop was poorly trained and all they had was on-the-job training exposure.Haryana health minister Anil Vij ordered the arrest of a corrupt SDO at a meeting in Kaithal even as the official pleaded for a chance to present his own case, according to a dramatic video clip on social media.

Arrest him, Vij is heard telling policemen in the video purported to be of the district grievance redressal committees monthly meeting chaired by the minister on Friday.

The minister wanted the Public Health Engineering Departments sub divisional officer (SDO) Ved Pal arrested over a graft complaint made by a contractor, Digvijay Singh of Kakheri village.

However, the local police had not carried out the arrest order up to this evening.

The minister repeatedly refused to hear out the SDO even when Superintending Engineer AK Pahwa came out in support of the junior officer, who is posted in Guhla.

Vij said if the complaint was proved false, the SDO can file a case against the complainant under section 182 of the Indian Penal Code, which punishes giving false information to a government official.

Pahwa suggested that an FIR should be registered only after an inquiry into the complaint.

Vij said, Corruption is rampant in your entire department. I am not going to listen to anything. You can place your proof of innocence in the judicial court, he said in Hindi.

The SDO was seen being pushed back by the security staff as he tried to show some documents to the minister.

The minister got angry when the SDO said he was trying to place his version in a democratic manner.

Arrest him, minister told the policemen present at the meeting.

Oh bhai, mera naam Anil Vij hai. Pata hai tere ko (My name is Anil Vij. Do you know that)? he is heard saying at one point.

When the SDO was told to sit by the security staff, he likened Vijs behaviour to the reign of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

It is like the rule of Aurangzeb, Aurangzebs rule was better than this, the official said.

Following this, the minister ordered the security staff to show him the door.

The police said on Saturday they are waiting for a record of the meetings proceedings before making the arrest.

The minister could not be reached for comment.National cyber security chief Gulshan Rai told a parliamentary panel this week that India hasnt made concerted efforts to confront the management of popular social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp amid growing fears of misuse of user data.

Rai said this at a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on information technology, which discussed privacy issues and data breach in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The panel, headed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian Anurag Thakur, wanted to know if Facebook can be summoned and held accountable for any data breach of Indian users.

The question is whether we can enforce legal provisions. I think we can. Top management is located somewhere. What matters is how to enforce our own legal provisions, Rai said.

When Thakur asked Rai if the government can restrict exposure of personal data on social media platforms, Rai said: We have also not made concerted efforts till now to confront these managements. We are moving in the direction, and we expect to resolve it considering the size of the market.

We have sufficient clout, he added.

The panel expressed concern about whether Indian users are adequately protected by the terms of service agreements.

Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba made a presentation on privacy issues and said these must be addressed by the governments data governance policy.

Gauba and Rai pointed out that after the media coverage of the Cambridge Analytica leak, many social media management have redesigned their terms of agreement for users.

Rai said India was among the first 12 countries to have law on information technology and related privacy issues.

Cyber security and privacy became a riveting subject after whistleblower Christopher Wylie alleged in March that Facebook had leaked data of 87 million users to London-based consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica .

Wylie also alleged that Cambridge Analytica had been hired to carry out political campaigns in India, saying the firm compiled a database of over 600 districts and 700,000 villages.

Responding to Wylies revelations, information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad issued a warning to Faceook founder and chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg. We have got stringent power in the IT Act, we shall use it, including summoning you in India, Prasad had said.India is ready to be the Sherpa to help Nepal scale the mountain of success, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, hailing the Himalayan nations successful journey from bullets to ballots.

Addressing a civic reception programme to honour him in Kathmandu, Modi stressed on the special relation shared by the two neighbours and admired Nepals spirit of resilience and commitment towards democracy.

Nepal has covered a long journey from Yuddh to Buddh (War to Peace). You have left the bullet to opt the ballot way...But this not the destination. You have to go a long way, Modi told the gathering.

You have reached the base camp of the Mt Everest and the main climb is yet to be done. And the way mountaineers are strongly helped by Sherpas to scale the summit, much the same way India is ready to work as the Sherpa for Nepal, he said, amid applause.

Modi said Nepal must identify its needs and priorities to deliver results. India will stand shoulder-to-shoulder to help Nepal in its development journey. In your success lies our success, in your happiness lies Indias happiness.

He said Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas is as much about global well being as its about Indias growth.

India has always worked for global good. India has taken the lead in mitigating the menace of climate change. The International Solar Alliance has brought together nations from across the world, he said.

Modi congratulated Nepalese people for their combined strengths to rebuild the country after the devastating earthquake of 2015. He also congratulated them for the Constitution that reshaped the countrys political history by embracing federal system.

There is an atmosphere of hope and optimism in Nepal, Modi said, adding that India would always become partner to Nepals progress.

Describing Kathmandu as a mixture of the ancient and the modern, Modi said the city showcases the culture of Nepal.

There is something unique about the beauty of Kathmandu. Its a special city. It has an important place in the history of the world, he said.

Nepal is a country of diversity and Kathmandu is a world in its own, Modi said. The diversity gives fresh air to any outsider.

He also said that the work has begun on the detailed project report for linking Kathmandu to India via rail network.

Modi expressed his desire to travel to Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha in his future visit.

During my previous visits I prayed at Pashupatinath. This time, in addition to Pashupatinath, I went to Janakpur and Muktinath. These places illustrate close ties between our nations, he said.

He repeated Nepal Bhaarat Maitri Amar Rahos (Long live Nepal-India Friendship) thrice at the end of his speech.

Earlier, Kathmandu mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya presented symbolic key of the city to Modi, which symbolises that the door to Kathmandu would always remain open to him.

Modi was also presented with various memoir tokens including a 55-kg Lord Buddha statue.

Delivering the welcome speech at the function, foreign minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said the relations between Nepal and India will continue to deepen and widen in the coming days.

Historic visit

Modi also described his two-day Nepal visit as historic and said the talks with his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli were productive.

My Nepal visit was historic. It gave me a great opportunity to connect with the wonderful people of Nepal, Modi tweeted at the end of his third trip to Nepal since assuming office in 2014.



Guwahati, May 11 : Assam government will take stern action against illegal coal mining activities in the state.





Assam Hills Area Development (HAD) minister Sum Rongang on Friday said that, illegal coal mining activities still going on in the state and the state government will take measures to stop all illegal activities.





Addressing a press conference held at Janata Bhawan, Dispur, the Assam minister further said that, the state government will also take appropriate measures to increase revenue collection.





Only Rs 7.46 crore has been allocated to the mining department in the state budget for 2018-19 fiscal. We are now preparing a road map as how to increase revenue collection and to stop all illegal mining activities, Sum Ronghang, who also holding the mining department said.





On the other hand, the Assam minister said that, he will look into implementation of all development schemes under the both autonomous councils.





The state government will also probe all anomalies allegedly happened in Karbi Anglong Autonous Council and North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council. We have taken the matter very seriously and no one will be spared if guilty found against him, Sum Ronghang said.





The Assam minister said that, around Rs 533 crore has been allocted in this financial year budget for hills areas development.





The state government has allocated Rs 374 crore for Karbi Anglong Autonous Council and Rs 139 crore to North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council. Development is our top priority and we will not compromise with it, the Assam minister said.



TV exit polls are predicting seats for political parties after voting in Karnataka elections ended at 6pm on Saturday and the state waited for ballots to be counted on May 15.

If neither the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or Congress emerge as a clear winner, the Janata Dal (Secular) may assume the role of kingmaker in the 224-member state assembly.

Here are the highlights of the Karnataka elections:

10.15pm: Karnataka chief electoral officer Sanjeev Kumar says voting percentage is 67.4%.

9.50pm: Not only now, but I had been telling since the last six months that we will form the government in Karnataka with clear majority, says Siddaramaiah according to ANI.

9.27pm: Siddaramaiah tells NDTV that the question of seeking support from HD Deve Gowda-led JD(S) doesnt arise after exit polls show hung house.

9.09pm: Karnataka chief electoral officer Sanjeev Kumar refuted Congress Brijesh Kalappas tweet that all votes went to BJP despite pressing any button at a polling booth in RMV II Stage in Bengaluru, reports ANI. Something was tweeted, but that problem was never there. It was an EVM malfunction. Claim factually wrong, Kumar said.

8.57pm: Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, We will form the government in Karnataka. The language used by the Prime Minister in the state does not suit the stature of the head of the state and during the entire campaign, he has misquoted history.

8.55pm: Re-polling to take place in Hebbal assembly constituencys polling station number 2 on May 14 after polling was stopped there due to EVM failure, said Sanjeev Kumar, Karnataka chief electoral officer.

8.45pm: BJP candidate G Lallesh Reddy complained of electoral malpractices. Im BJP candidate from BTM constituency. When I was visiting booths today, I was surprised to see people with lot of ID cards. They were ticking, calling people and giving them IDs asking them to vote. Later the IDs were again given back there, ANI quoted Reddy as saying.

I entered there and questioned them. A man was making a video of it when his mobile was snatched away. Several Congress people threatened to kill us. I told the officers concerned. They have assured action, but nothing has happened yet. We will inform EC, Reddy added.

8.29 pm: Commenting on the India Today-Axis My India exit poll result that gave Congress the edge, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah told India Today that he was expecting the result. He said the results were nearer to the truth and the exit poll showed the ground reality.

8.20pm: Total seizure of cash is Rs 94 crore, liquor worth Rs 24.78 crore, various inducements like sarees, vehicles, dhotis, utensils, electronic gadgets worth Rs 66 crores. This is more than 8 times the seizures made in the last assembly election: news agency ANI quotes Election Commission.

8.00pm: Union minister Shripad Naik denies BJP president Amit Shah in an election rally made a commitment to divert water from Mhadei river to Karnataka and resolve the dispute within six months.

7.30pm: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath accused the Congress of misusing power in Karnataka and exuded confidence that the BJP would form government in the southern state with a clear majority. Congress misused its power in Karnataka. Their ministers were found distributing money openly and they also used other ways to get votes, he said.

7.00pm: India TV predicts 97 seats for Congress, 87 for BJP, 35 for JD(S) and 3 for others.

6.52pm: NDTV survey predicts 72-78 seats for Congress, 102-110 for BJP, 35-39 for JD(S) and 3-5 for others.

6.50 pm: ABP and C-Voter survey predicts 87-99 seats for Congress, 97-109 for BJP, 21-30 for JD(S) and 1-8 for others.

Exit Polls BJP Congress JD(S) Others Republic TV 95-114 73-82 32-43 02-03 India Today 79-92 106-118 22-30 -- Times Now-VMR 80-93 90-103 31-39 -- News X-CNX 102-110 72-78 35-39 03-04 ABP-C Voter 97-109 87-99 21-30 1-8

6.45pm: Republic TV predicts 73-82 seats for Congress, 95-114 for BJP, 32-43 for JD(S) and 2-3 for others.

6.42pm: News X-CNS exit poll predicts 72-78 seats for Congress, 102-110 for BJP, 35-39 for JD(S) and 3-4 for others.

6.40pm: India Today-Axis exit poll predicts 106-118 seats for Congress, 79-92 for BJP and 22-30 seats for JD(S).

6.38pm: Times Now-VMR exit poll predicts 90-103 seats for Congress, 80-93 for BJP and 31-39 for JD(S).

6.20pm: Times Now-VMR, India Today-Karvy and ABP-CSDS are prominent news organisations which carried out exit polls projecting seats for parties in the 224-seat assembly.

6.00pm: Polling for Karnataka assembly elections ends.

5.49pm: 64.35% voter turnout recorded till 5 pm, according to Election Commission website.

5.41pm: Re-polling to take place in Hebbal assembly constituencys polling booth number 2 after polling was stopped due to EVM failure, reports ANI.

5.34pm: In Badami, polling booth numbers 142, 143 and 144 in Tipu Nagar witness less turnout of voters. Locals say turnout is low as many residents are out of the district due to lack of employment here, reports ANI. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah is contesting against BJPs Sriramulu from Badami constituency.

5.12pm: A bride-to-be turned heads at a polling booth when she arrived all decked up in traditional attire to exercise her franchise. So did a disabled man in a wheelchair.

A bride-to-be turned heads at a #polling booth when she arrived all decked in traditional attire to exercise her #electoral franchise'#KarnatakaElections2018

Read @ANI Story | https://t.co/NGE1RVpLuK pic.twitter.com/kHV6uvuYpo  ANI Digital (@ani_digital) May 12, 2018

4.36pm: Congress leader Brijesh Kalappa claimed that an EVM at a polling booth in Bengaluru was registering votes only for BJPs Lotus symbol irrespective of which button was pressed.

4.26pm: Rain lashes parts of Hubli affecting voting.

Voters take shelter at polling station number 185 in Hubli due to rains. (ANI/Twitter)

4.23pm: Union minister Ananth Kumar Hegde urges voters to vote. It is a great chance in democracy to cast your vote and it is a responsibility and duty which democracy gives us. It is the chance given by our elders to find the leader who can lead us, he said in Sirsi, reports ANI.

4.21pm: BJP workers stage protest in Dharwad constituency, alleging that polling staff at a booth were asking people to vote for Congress candidate Vinay Kulkarni, reports ANI. The incident took place outside booth number 58 in Karadigudda village.

4.20pm: A Muslim woman was stopped from entering the polling booth in Karnatakas Belagavi after she refused to remove the veil of her burkha for identification, reports ANI.

4.17pm: 111-year-old seer Shivakumar Mahaswamiji of the Siddaganga Math at Tumakuru casts his vote, reports PTI. The seniormost pontiff of the powerful and politically influential Lingayats has reportedly never given a miss to voting since Independence.

3.57pm: Majority of the 3,500 residents of Chittapur taluks Tarkaspet village in Kalaburagi district are boycotting elections over their demand for gram panchayat headquarters for their village, reports ANI.

Villagers of Tarkaspet stage a sit-in demanding gram panchayat headquarters in their village. (ANI/Twitter)

3.40pm: 43-degree Celsius temperature in Kalaburagi affects voter turnout, reports ANI. Locals say there was a rush at the booths in the morning, but by afternoon, there is hardly any crowd at the booths as the temperature is quite high.

3.37pm: Congress leader Ashok Gehlot accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to influence voters in Karnataka on the polling day through his temple visits in Nepal, reports PTI.

3.25pm: Voter turnout recorded till 3pm is 53%.

3.03pm: This Amit Shah is like a comedy show and Narendra Modis image has drastically declined, his speeches are completely hollow and have made no impact on the voters of Karnataka. Therefore we are not worried, ANI quotes chief minister Siddaramaiah saying.

2.58pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Nepal was decided soon after KP Sharma Olis election as prime minister, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said, amid speculation over its timing which coincides with the Karnataka assembly election.

2.48pm: A bridegroom arrives at a polling booth in Dharwad to cast their vote.

#WATCH Groom Mallikarjun Gamangatti and bride Nikhita Jodi arrived at polling booth 191-A in Dharwad to cast their vote #KarnatakaElection2018 pic.twitter.com/AeTyf1mgcH  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

2.47pm: Former foreign minister and BJP leader SM Krishna casts his vote at a polling booth in Bengaluru.

2.05pm: A person who came for voting died in Belthangady in Dakshina Kannada district.

1.45pm: 37% voting turnout has been recorded till 1pm, reports ANI. Dakshina Kannada district records highest percentage at 48, with Bengaluru recording the lowest turnout so far at 29%.

1.38pm: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah says the JD(S) has distributed a lot of money in Chamundeshwari constituency, their candidate says he is a society secretary, so from where did he get so much money? Also, the BJP is openly supporting JD(S), they have put up a dummy candidate here.

1.35pm: We appeal to people to exercise their voting rights and choose a government of clean image. We are hopeful that public will take a huge decision today to change the politics of nation, will reject national parties BJP and Congress, and instead vote for JD(S)-BSP alliance, says Danish Ali of the JD(S).

1.08pm: Former Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde casts his vote at a polling booth in Bengaluru. Over the years, I feel that malpractices have increased. Distribution of sarees. alcohol, dhotis and cookers have come out in open. It is not a good sign in democracy, says Hegde.

1.03pm: Ravi Channannavar, Bengaluru deputy commissioner of police (DCP), says it is a sensitive polling booth and the clash between BJP and Congress workers happened within 100 meters of the booth. We will investigate and take further action, the DCP told ANI.

1.01pm: Clashes break out between Congress and BJP workers outside a polling booth in Bengalurus Hampi Nagar, allegedly after the former thrashed a BJP corporator. Ravindra, BJP candidate from Vijayanagar constituency, tells ANI: Our corporator Anand was attacked but police isnt taking any action.

Bengaluru: Clashes broke out b/w Congress & BJP workers outside a polling booth in Hampi Nagar,allegedly after the former thrashed a BJP corporator. Ravindra, Vijayanagar BJP candidate says, 'our corporator Anand was attacked but police isn't taking any action' #KarnatakaElection pic.twitter.com/SuXFNlI62d  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

12.56pm: A woman was stopped from entering a polling both in Belagavi as she was reluctant to remove her burqa for identification. She was later allowed when a woman official identified her inside a cubicle, reports ANI.

12.32pm: Congress leader and chief minister Siddaramaiah calls BJP chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa mentally disturbed. His comment came after Yeddyurappa said he was confident of victory and set May 17 as the swearing-in date for his government. The Congress will get more than 120 seats. I am very confident, says Siddaramaiah.

12.23pm: BJPs B Sriramalu casts his vote in Bellary. He is contesting from two constituencies  Molakalmuru, a Congress bastion, and Badami, where he is pitted against current chief minister Siddaramaiah. He worshipped a cow and then visited temples before voting, reports ANI.

11.57am: ANI quotes Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot saying: As there is a model code of conduct in Karnataka, PM Modi planned to pray at temples in Nepal instead, just to influence voters. This is not a good trend for democracy. Why did he only choose today as the day?

11.52am: While senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge casts his vote in Basavanagar, Shivakumara Swami of Siddaganga Matha votes in Tumakuru.

Kalaburagi : Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge casts his vote in Basavanagar, polling booth no.108. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/b0SGVmKRgt  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

11.50am: Dr Yatheendra, Congress candidate from Varuna constituency, says he has been visiting villages for the last one and a half years. Election campaigning didnt feel any different. Wherever I went, people expressed confidence in the Congress government, says the son of chief minister Siddaramaiah.

11.30am:JD(S)s HD Kumaraswamy and his wife cast their votes in Ramanagara. We are confident that JD(S) will cross the magic number on its own, Kumaraswamy says.

11.22am:BJP Karnataka chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa on Saturday expressed confidence that his party will form the new government on May 17.

11.17am: 21.2% voter turnout has been recorded till 11am. Belagavi district records highest turnout till 11 am at 26.2%.

11.15am: Chief minister Siddaramaiah in a tweet says: Today people of Karnataka are standing in queues to create history & show the nation the way to liberal, progressive, peaceful & compassionate politics & governance. I thank them for their support & wish them well.

11.10am: Sri Sri Ravishankar casts his vote at a polling booth in Kanakapura.

11.08am: Congress leader Brijesh Kalappa alleges EVM tampering in a Bengaluru booth.

There are 5 booths opposite my Parent's apartment at RMV II Stage, Bengaluru. In the 2nd booth, any button pressed registers a vote ONLY to kiwi mele Kamala i.e Kamal ke phool. Angry voters are returning without casting their vote.  Brijesh Kalappa (@brijeshkalappa) May 12, 2018

10.15am: During the initial hour of voting, there were reports of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) malfunctioning in some booths; power crisis in a polling station in Rajajinagar seat; voters names missing at few booths and women clad in burqa made to reveal their faces at a Belagavi polling booth -- that led to a few hiccups.

10.05am: Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge says the Congress is confident. BJP will not win more than 60-70 seats maximum, forget getting 150. They are just dreaming of forming the government, says Kharge.

9.59am: Former cricketer Anil Kumble and his family show inked fingers after casting their votes in Bengaluru.

9.45am: Moorusavir Maths Gurusidda Rajayogindra Mahaswami cast his vote in Hubli, Mysurus erstwhile royal Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar votes in Mysuru. Karnataka minister KJ George, who is contesting from Sarvagnanagar constituency, casts his vote in Bengaluru.

9.30am: 10.6% voter turnout has been recorded till 9am, reports ANI.

9.13am: JD(S)s HD Deve Gowda casts his vote at polling booth number 244 in Holenarasipura town in Hassan district, says, We expect a possibility of forming the government, we have done well.

8.50am: JDSs HD Kumaraswamy meets Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswami of Sri Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math in Jayanagar.

BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar casts his vote at Karnataka Reddyjana Sangha in Bengalurus Koramangala.

8.30am: BJPs B Sriramalu performed gau pooja (cow worship) before casting his vote. He is contesting against chief minister Siddaramaiah from Badami constituency.

The Congress has moved the Election Commission to disqualify Sriramalu, considered to be close to the controversial Reddy brothers, citing sting videos allegedly showing him and G Janardhana Reddy negotiating a bribe to a relative of a former chief justice of India to influence a verdict in a mining case.

Bellary: BJP's B.Sriramalu performed 'gau pooja' (cow worship) before casting his vote. He is contesting against CM Siddaramaiah from Badami constituency. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/Ht3akZlzK3  ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2018

8.15am: Police have deployed 82,157 personnel for election duty that include DSPs, home guards and civil defence and forest guards and watchers, Karnataka DGP Neelamani N Raju has said.

8.01am: A faulty Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machine is being replaced at booth number 108 in Hubli. Voting is yet to resume at the booth, ANI reports.

7.42am: Chief minister Siddaramaiah urges people going to cast their votes to remember the remarkable progress Karnataka has made in 5 years.

7.08am: BJP chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa and Union minister and BJP leader Sadananda Gowda cast their vote in Shimoga and Puttur, respectively.

7.01am: Voting begins in 222 assembly segments in Karnataka.

6.58am: BJPs Sadananda Gowda says there will be an increase in voting this time. They (the people) want to remove the Siddaramaiah government from Karnataka, he says.

6.50am: Yeddyurappa says people are fed up with the Siddaramaiah government. I assure the people of Karnataka that Im going to give good governance, ANI quotes the BJP chief minister candidate saying.

6.48am: BJP chief minister candidate BS Yeddyurappa performs puja at his residence ahead of voting, appeals everyone should come out and vote. We (BJP) will get more than 150 seats and Im going to make the government on May 17, he says.

6.47am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet urges voters to come out in large numbers to vote. Urging my sisters and brothers of Karnataka to vote in large numbers today. I would particularly like to call upon young voters to vote and enrich this festival of democracy with their participation, tweets the PM.

6.45am: Preparations in Karnataka begin ahead of assembly polls, voting to start at 7am.As voting ended in Karnataka on Saturday, a range of exit polls indicated that the election could throw up a hung assembly, with only a narrow margin separating the incumbent Congress and the challenger Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A hung House could position the Janata Dal (Secular), or JD (S), the third political force in the state, as the potential kingmaker.

Two exit polls gave Congress the edge. India Today estimated that the Congress could win anywhere between 106 and 118 seats while placing the BJP tally at between 79 and 92 seats and that of the JD (S) at 22 to 30 seats. Times Now-VMR gave the Congress between 90 and 103 seats,the BJP between 80 and 93 seats, and JD(S) between 31 and 39 seats.

Three other polls said the BJP had the edge. The ABP News-C Voter poll estimated that BJP would win between 104 and 116 seats, Congress between 83 and 94, and JD(S) between 20 and 29 seats. NewsX-CNX gave the BJP between 102 and 110 seats, Congress 72-78 seats and JD(S) between 35 and 39 seats. Todays Chanakya came up with a slightly wider range, placing the BJP tally at between 109 and 131 seats; It predicted that Congress would win between 62 and 84 seats and the JD(S) between 19 and 33 seats.

To be sure, exit polls in India have got it wrong, sometimes spectacularly, in multiple elections in the past . Both the principal contenders in Karnataka, the Congress that is trying to hang on to the last large state it controls, and the BJP that is trying to wrest back the only southern state it has governed in the past, have asserted that they would win the election with a majority on their own. For the BJP, a win would give it a springboard for expansion in the south.

The exit polls triggered a war of words between the two parties, which only backed the polls that showed them as the favourites and claimed they would win when the results are declared on May 15.

Even though it is satisfactory to note that most exit polls are showing a Congress victory or a majority for the Congress party, we are more than confident that the Congress will get 130+ seats on May 15 when the results will be declared, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

Anil Baluni, Rajya Sabha MP and head of the BJPs media cell, had a similar reaction to the exit polls. These are just trends which show improvement for the BJP and a slide for the Congress . BJP chief Amit Shah has said the party will win more than 130 seats and this will be proved right when the results are announced on May 15.

Political analysts said the exit polls had revealed nothing new about the nature of the contest. The fact that the race will be close was known from the beginning itself. All of these exit polls are equally divided and none of them have disclosed the methodology. So the suspense remains, said Delhi-based political analyst N Bhaskara Rao.

A Narayana, associate professor for public policy at the Bengaluru-based Azim Premji University, agreed.

The exit polls have once again confirmed that these elections are not an easy battle to judge. Actually, these have revealed nothing. Our expectations from the elections are as uncertain as before, he said.

Both the Congress and BJP went the extra mile in the often acrimonious election campaign, showing how crucial Karnataka is for both. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah led the BJP campaign; the party has projected B S Yeddyuruppa as its chief ministerial face. The Congress campaign was led by party president Rahul Gandhi and CM Siddaramaiah. The JD(S) was spearheaded by the father-son duo of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and former CM HD Kumaraswamy.

Chief minister Siddaramaiah declared that his party would win an outright majority. I am confident that the Congress will get more than 120 seats. I will be the next chief minister for the state. There is no chance of a coalition government, he said after exit poll numbers came in. The BJPs Yeddyurappa wrote in a Twitter message that the party ..is headed towards a landslide victory.

JD (S) may l end up as the kingmaker in post-poll government formation if either of the two national parties falls short of a majority. JD(S) spokespersons were not available for comment.Exit polls predicted a close fight between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress in Karnataka where voting ended at 6pm on Saturday, with the turnout provisionally pegged at 67% and seen rising up to 70%.

The state assembly has 224 seats but elections were postponed in south Bengalurus Jayanagar after the BJP candidate died and in the citys RR Nagar after thousands of voter identity cards were found in an apartment. Some 2,654 candidates, including 216 women, are in the fray.

Senior deputy election commissioner Umesh Sinha said the voting percentage was likely to go up as data was still being collated from various polling stations where people queued up beyond 6 p.m. when the voting was supposed to end.

Sinha said the highest polling of 76 per cent was recorded in Chikkaballapura and Ramanagara while Bengaluru Urban had the lowest turnout at 48 per cent.

Sinha said the seizure of cash, liquor and other goods was to the tune of Rs 186 crore, which was six times more than the Lok Sabha and eight times more than the Assembly election in 2013.

Leaders of the Congress, the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular) to say the they were confident of victory. Catch the live coverage of Karnataka Elections 2018

Elections that matter

For the Congress, a win in Karnataka would be a shot of confidence ahead of upcoming battles in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan later in the year, apart from the big prize of the general elections in 2019. The importance of Karnataka can be gauged by the fact that even United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi has hit the campaign trail after a two-year hiatus.

Exit Polls BJP Congress JD(S) Others Republic TV 95-114 73-82 32-43 02-03 Todays Chanakya 120  11 73  11 26  7 3  3 India Today 79-92 106-118 22-30 -- Times Now-VMR 80-93 90-103 31-39 -- News X-CNX 102-110 72-78 35-39 03-04 ABP-C Voter 97-109 87-99 21-30 1-8 India TV 87 97 35 3

The BJP is attempting to snatch the last large prize in the Congresss kitty. After falling out with N Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh, it will be hoping that a win in Karnataka will serve as a gateway to its southern ambitions. It will also want to send a message to both opponents and allies who might be sitting on the fence ahead of 2019 that it is still the pre-eminent national party.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held numerous public rallies across Karnataka, and BJP president Amit Shah personally took charge of the campaign in the state.

Sustaining a regional force in a state with heavy presence of two national parties is not an easy task. However, Deve Gowda and his son and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, who both lead the JD (S), have managed to do it, primarily on the fact that Vokkaligas, the second-largest community in the state spread over the Old Mysuru region, have largely been loyal backers of the party.

Having been out of power for a decade, JD (S) has been constrained in terms of resources but still packs enough punch to win about 10-20% of seats in the state. The best case scenario for the party is where both Congress and BJP lack a majority and are dependent on it to make numbers. If it crosses 50 seats, it will demand the CMs chair or at least the chair by rotation, an arrangement it had with the BJP earlier.

Opinion polls have margins of error and have notoriously gone wrong in the past. But of the eight polls done by well-known agencies till now, four indicate a hung house, three indicate Congress having a majority and only one gives the BJP a majority of its own. Whether this will change based on Modis last-week blitz will be revealed on May 15. History is against Siddaramaiah though. The last time a state government was re-elected was in 1985.

(with agency inputs)Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday urged the people of Karnataka to participate in the festival of democracy by voting in large numbers.

Gandhi also welcomed first-time voters to take part in the electoral process.

Voter exercising his right without fail is the sign of functional democracy. I welcome all my young friends who are casting their vote for first time in Karnataka, Gandhi said in a tweet in Kannada.

I request people of Karnataka to celebrate this biggest festival of democracy in large numbers with fervour, and make it successful, he said.

       .          .



          .  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 12, 2018

The Congress chief had extensively campaigned across the state with an aim to bring the party back to power in Karnataka, which is the only large state ruled by it after Punjab.

Gandhi had made nine visits, each one spanning about three days, to the state as part of his Janashirvada Yatre. He had addressed roadside meetings and rallies and taken part in road shows across the state in a customised bus.

The Congress has not announced any chief ministerial candidate but maintains that incumbent Siddaramaiah will be the partys face during the campaign.

Siddaramaiah tweeted, Today people of Karnataka are standing in queues to create history and show the nation the way to liberal, progressive, peaceful and compassionate politics and governance. I thank them for their support and wish them well.Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday asked security forces to ensure a secure and hassle-free environment for people during the Muslim holy month of Ramzan.

At a meeting of top officials of various security agencies in the state, Mufti advised them to ensure safety and security of the public and their properties, while dealing with security and law and order related incidents, a government spokesman said.

She asked the agencies to synchronize efforts and adopt a calibrated response to various situations during Ramzan, the upcoming tourist season and the Hindu pilgrimage, Amarnath Yatra  from mid-May to late August.

The unified headquarters meeting came days after Mufti chaired an all-party meet and urged the Centre to halt security operations during the religious occasions.

More than 60 people  including militants, civilians and security personnel  have been killed in encounters and clashes in the last two months.

The proposal was opposed by BJP, which is the ally of Muftis PDP, on the grounds that a unilateral ceasefire was not in the national interest.

The Indian Army too is opposed to a unilateral ceasefire in the state. Senior officials who did not want to be named cited the increase in militant-initiated strikes during the last truce, announced by then-prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, between December 2000 and May 2001.

The army is worried that something similar could happen in the event of a ceasefire now.

Mufti, however, underscored the need for engaging meaningfully with the people, particularly youth, during the unified headquarters meet.

She stressed on increased community policing activities and enhanced outreach by the administration, the spokesman said.

Deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta, chief secretary B B Vyas, DGP S P Vaid, GoC-in-C, Northern Command Lt Gen Devraj Anbu, principal secretary (home) R K Goyal, principal secretary to chief minister Rohit Kansal, ADGP, CID, A G Mir, Kashmir divisional commissioner Baseer Ahmad Khan, inspectors general of JK Police, BSF and CRPF, Jammu & Kashmir Frontiers and other senior officers attended the meet.Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed led a funeral prayer in absentia of the Kashmiri militants killed recently.

Saeed led the prayers on Friday at the JuD headquarters in Chauburji, Lahore, which apparently has been taken over by the Punjab government a few months ago. He also led a rally outside the JuD headquarters to express solidarity with the Kashmiris.

Interestingly, Saeed has offered Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and ousted premier Nawaz Sharif relief if they quit their friendship with the Indian Prime Minister.

If the prime minister (Abbasi) and former prime minister (Sharif) want to rid of the problems they are facing today they first will have to quit their friendship with Indian prime minister (Narendra) Modi and slavery of the United States, he said.

Saeed further said Islamabad should stop making lame excuses regarding extending support to the Kashmiris and tell the people about its limitations. He said the Kashmiri militants struggle has entered into the decisive phase.

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people. It has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014.

The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a $10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice.Islamabad Pakistans former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has questioned the policy of using Pakistan-based militant groups for cross-border attacks on India as he mounted a scathing attack on the powerful military establishments perceived meddling in politics.

Sharif, ousted from his post by the Supreme Court last July for dishonesty in the Panama Papers case and subsequently barred from contesting elections for life, indicated during an interview with Dawn newspaper that Pakistan had been isolated by the world community for failing to counter terrorism.

On the campaign trail in Multan ahead of general elections expected in a few months, the three-time premier said: Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me.

Why cant we complete the trial? he added, an apparent reference to the trial of seven Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) members, including operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, for their alleged role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.

Its absolutely unacceptable. This is exactly what we are struggling for. President (Vladimir) Putin has said it. President Xi (Jinping) has said itWe could have already been at 7% growth (in GDP), but we are not, he added.

The Mumbai attacks trial, which began in early 2009, has stalled in an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad. The judge has been changed more than eight times and the chief prosecutor was recently removed.

Lakhvi is currently free on bail.

Sharif, 68, evaded a question on the reason for his ouster from public office and steered the conversation towards foreign policy and national security. He indicated that Pakistans policy on terrorism had failed to satisfy the world community.

We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistans narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it, he said.

In an apparent reference to the militarys meddling in politics and its role in anti-corruption investigations against members of the Sharif family and leaders of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), the 68-year-old Sharif said: You cant run a country if you have two or three parallel governments. This has to stop. There can only be one government: the constitutional one.

Sharif, whose second term was ended by a coup led by former army chief Pervez Musharraf in 1999, has for long run into trouble with the military for his efforts to normalise relations with India.

In 2016, the PML-N governments relations with the military establishment soured after Dawn reported that the civilian leadership had told the army of Pakistans growing international isolation for failing to act against terror groups such as the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Haqqani Network.

Observers believe the row resulted in the armys efforts to whittle down Sharifs powers and sideline the PML-N ahead of the polls in 2018.

Sharif denied that his third ouster from office represented a failed approach on his part and suggested he had no regrets or would do anything differently if he returned to public office.

The Constitution has to be supreme. There is no other way. Look, we put a dictator on trial; it had never been done before, he said, referring to Musharraf.

Sharif rejected speculation that he would consider a deal if it was offered to him, including another stint in exile for avoiding a jail sentence in ongoing anti-corruption cases.

Why would I do it now after 66 appearances (in an anti-corruption court)? We dont even get an exemption (from court hearings), he said, referring to how he was unable to visit his ailing wife Kulsum Nawaz, who is being treated for cancer in London.

Its not easy to stay awayLook, we have no other choice, he added. These games have gone on too long. Something has to change.

Sharif also deflected questions on who would lead the PML-N in the general elections and whether his brother, Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif, would be the prime ministerial candidate. He said: There is a lot of appreciation for Shehbaz Sharif.

.Parties advocating a unilateral ceasefire by the Centre in Jammu and Kashmir are playing politics over Ramzan, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Saturday and asserted that the government had a consistent policy with regard to Pakistan and terrorism.

I want to ask a question to those who are suggesting a unilateral ceasefire whether they are true followers of Islam? As long as we understand Islam and Holy Quran, those who observe fast it is imperative for them not to indulge in any type of violence or harm anyone.

Instead of advising them (militants), suggesting others means that you are not faithful to Ramzan but you are playing politics over it, Singh told reporters in Jammu.

On May 9, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said the Centre should consider a unilateral ceasefire in the state starting from Ramzan in mid May till the completion of the Amarnath Yatra in August.

She made the remarks after chairing an all-party meeting, which was convened to discuss the present situation in Kashmir Valley, especially after a tourist from Chennai was killed in stone pelting on May 7.

Everyone (all parties) agreed that we should appeal to the Centre to consider a ceasefire like the unilateral ceasefire in (former PM Atal Bihari) Vajpayees time during Ramzan (later this month) till Amarnath Yatra and Eid, she had told reporters.

The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP, which is sharing power with Muftis PDP, opposed her call for a unilateral ceasefire claiming such a step was not at all in national interest.

An opinion came up during the discussion for a unilateral ceasefire on the lines of one declared by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. We have a strong view... Unilateral ceasefire in the present situation is not in national interest at all, BJP state units chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi earlier said.

Sethi said that militants were demoralised due to the Armys action and a unilateral ceasefire would ease pressure and allow them to re-energise.

Union minister Singh asked why those advocating unilateral ceasefire on the pretext of Ramzan had not advised the terrorists.

They (terrorists) are observing fast and in the Holy Quran they are directed not to indulge in any act of violence or harm anyone during fasting. They need to make understand this, he said.

He said ceasefire was never one-sided. If the other side makes a mercy plea, then it makes a sense, he said.

Singh said the Centre had not received any proposal with regard to a ceasefire from the state government so far.

It is their personal view (ceasefire during Ramzan) and there are people who make statements to address their constituencies. Home minister Rajnath Singh has made it clear that there is no such proposal, he said.

On Muftis repeated plea for resumption of dialogue with Pakistan, he said it was the prerogative of the Centre.

Every day it is being said (hold talks with Pakistan) but we have not done it till date. The Modi government is the only (dispensation) in the country which has taken a stand (on Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir and terrorism) and has shown consistency and commitment, the Union minister of state in the Prime Ministers Office said.From all-women managed Pink Booths to the use of third generation Electronic Voting Machines, the assembly elections in Karnataka are marked by several firsts. (Live updates)

The countrys IT hub saw electoral authorities initiate a slew of initiatives targeting a voting percentage of 75.

As the outcry about the alleged vulnerability of the EVMs to tampering grew louder, the Election Commission has come up with the M3 EVMs that are tamper proof and stops when attempts are made to meddle with it.

On a pilot basis, the Election commission chose five assembly constituencies in Bengaluru-- Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Shivajinagar, Shanthinagar, Gandhi Nagar and Rajaji Nagar in Bengaluru.

However, election to the Rajarajeshwari Nagar has been deferred owing to large scale malpractices and a row over seizure of over 9,750 voter ID cards from a flat.

The machine, according to sources in the office of the chief electoral officer, has features like display of battery status and digital certification. The machine can report about the malfunction on its own, they said.

In a women-oriented step, 450 pink booths called Sakhi have been set up.

Sending a message of women empowerment, they are entirely managed by women, right from the returning officer to the security personnel, the sources said.

Adding a riot of colours, the EC has set up ethnic polling booths in Mysuru, Chamarajnagar and Uttar Kannada districts where polling booths match the lifestyle of tribal masses living there.

Like in every election, each booth is equipped with facilities such as wheelchairs for the differently-abled to exercise their franchise easily.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governments proposal to merge labour laws that govern institutions such as Employees Provident Fund Organisation and Employees State Insurance Corporation to create a Labour Code on Social Security has run into resistance from Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swaymsevak Sangh (RSS).

The BMS, which has in the past criticised the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) governments labour policies for leaving out unorganised workers from the ambit of social security programmes, has called for a rethink on the proposal. It has also demanded the creation of a separate ministry of social security, pointing out that four ministries now handle issues related to about 490 million workers.

The RSS is also the ideological front of the BJP, but its affiliates have flagged concerns over the implementation of labour laws and proposed schemes.

The Union ministry of labour and employment has proposed merging and rationalising 15 existing labour laws related to schemes such as the Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952; the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, and the Employees State Insurance Act, 1948 to put in place an overarching Code after its passage by Parliament. It would lead to the creation of state-level social security schemes. While a uniform law on social security would be ideal, tinkering with the existing schemes such as the ESI and EPF is not advisable, said BMS president CK Saji Narayanan.

In the new social security code, entire ESI and EPF funds will be divided among states. Employees working in them will have to work under states. The experience of state governments running ESI hospitals and facilities, and the Centre giving funds (to them) has proved to be a failure in many states, he said.

Narayanan also cited the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Fund, overseen by states and mostly unused, to caution against the merger of social security schemes.

The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 is failing because there is no tripartite body to monitor it as in ESI or EPF, he said. Representatives of the government, employers and employees have a say in decision-making at the employees insurer and retirement savings body.

Narayanan conceded that some provisions in the proposed Code such as universal insurance coverage, enrolment of unorganised workers in social security schemes, creation of a gratuity fund, and making the employer liable for social security contributions of contractual workers were positive.

He wants the government to allocate at least 10% of the budget to social security.

Compared to other countries, India has a very minimal budget allocation to social security even though 93% of our workforce is in the unorganised sector, Narayanan said. Without government funding, there will be cross subsidising, that is the entire ESI and EPF funds will be soon diverted and depleted to meet the benefits of SEC-IV category of workers in unorganised sector who need not pay contribution, he said.

BMSs concerns are shared by trade unions such as the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), which is affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Tapan Sen, its general secretary, said that schemes such as EPF and ESI are well run and there is no reason why the government should dismantle functional social security institutions.

We have objected to the proposed Code as it seeks to pool all the resources into a centralised fund which will be handled by the Centre, but the responsibility of delivering social security will lie with the state boards under the state governments, Sen said.

Feedback from the unions is being examined by the labour ministry, which will present it to the cabinet soon.



MALAYSIA, May 12: Malaysia's new leader, Mahathir Mohamad, said Saturday that defeated scandal-tainted Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife have been barred from leaving the country to prevent them from fleeing from possible prosecution over a massive corruption scandal.





A leaked flight manifesto showed that Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, were due to leave on a private jet on Saturday to Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, fueling rumors that he was bolting the country after a shocking electoral defeat earlier in the week that ended his coalition's 60-year grip on power.





Najib had said in a statement on social media on Saturday that he was planning to take a short vacation to spend time with his family. The immigration department, which initially said there was no travel ban, later issued a statement to say Najib and his wife had been blacklisted from leaving the country.





Mahathir confirmed that he prevented Najib from leaving. He said there was sufficient evidence for an investigation into Najib, in reference to the massive corruption scandal involving the 1MDB state fund that Najib set up and is being investigated in the United States and other countries.





U.S. investigators say Najib's associates stole and looted $4.5 billion from the fund, with some $700 million landing in Najib's bank account and around $30 million used to buy jewelry for his wife. Najib has denied any wrongdoing.





"There are a lot of complaints against him, all of which have to be investigated," Mahathir told a news conference. "We have to act quickly because we don't want to be saddled with extradition from other countries."





Mahathir said the investigations would take some time because investigators need to contact authorities in other countries and gather evidence. He has said Najib will have to face a court if any wrongdoing is found.





Najib responded swiftly, saying he respects the immigration department's ruling and will remain in the country with his family. He also said he was committed to "facilitating a smooth transfer of power."





Later Saturday, Najib said at a news conference that he was stepping down as president of the United Malays National Organization and as chairman of the National Front coalition to take responsibility for Wednesday's election defeat. The announcement came after strong calls emerged from the UMNO, the linchpin of the coalition, for Najib to resign.





The National Front, which has ruled Malaysia since independence from Britain, won only 79 of the 222 parliamentary seats, losing power to Mahathir's four-party alliance amid public anger over the 1MDB scandal and a rising cost of living.





It was a remarkable comeback for the 92-year-old Mahathir, who was prime minister for 22 years until his retirement in 2003.





Najib, 64, said his deputy, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, would take over as UMNO president.





"We accept the people's verdict with an open heart," Najib said. "Maybe this will be an opportunity for us to fix our weaknesses and shortcomings, although these are more a matter of perception than reality. God willing, UMNO will continue to live."





Amid the 1MDB scandal, Najib sacked critics in his government, including an attorney general and a deputy prime minister, and muzzled the media. The subsequent attorney general, Mohamed Apandi Ali, cleared Najib in 2016, saying that the money was a donation from the Saudi royal family and that most of it was returned.





Mahathir has indicated that Mohamad Apandi could be dismissed for hiding evidence of wrongdoing.





Also Saturday, Mahathir appointed Lim Guan Eng, an ethnic Chinese, as finance minister, the first ethnic minority to be appointed to the powerful post in 44 years. He also named former Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as home affairs minister and Mohamad Sabu as defense minister. The three are party leaders in his alliance.



An agreement that improves road connectivity between the Bay of Bengal countries is in the process of being realised.

If it goes according to plan, the movement of traffic and trade will become easier between India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organisation of these seven nations and a Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) between them was finalised last month.

It will now be discussed internally and then at the BIMSTEC meeting, which will be held in Nepal later this year.

Established in 1997, BIMSTEC is a regional grouping of seven countries comprising 22% of the global population.

There are 14 sectors that have been identified as priority areas, with transport and communication getting top billing.

According to the MVA, all vehicles from BIMSTEC countries will require one permit to cross the border of a fellow BIMSTEC member.

The permit may be obtained online.

Once BIMSTEC motor vehicle pact kicks in, the other road connectivity projects in the region, including those between India, Myanmar and Thailand, including the Kaladan multimodal project and the trilateral highway project, will become part of the arrangement, said an official with the ministry of road transport and highways on condition of anonymity.

Five countries of BIMSTEC share a land border with India. The Petrapole border checkpoint between India and Bangladesh in West Bengal is the busiest land custom station in Asia and handles more than 60% of Indias border trade with Bangladesh. The Raxual border checkpoint in Bihar sees over 800 trucks cross over to Nepal every day.

With external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj signing a land crossing agreement with Myanmar on Friday, the BIMSTEC MVA becomes all the more important.

Once signed, the agreement is expected to boost intra- and inter-regional trade by allowing seamless movement of passenger, personal and cargo vehicles between countries.

Officials will discuss the MVA at the BIMSTEC summit slated for later this year in Nepal.

Each member country has its internal mechanisms for signing international treaties. Some countries need their parliament to ratify the pact before they sign it, said an official.

The draft text of the MVA was drawn up by the first working group meeting that took place in India last month.

A second meeting of transport sector officials of the respective countries will meet again soon to discuss the details of the agreement again, said a senior official of the union road transport and highways ministry, who did not wish to be named.

A motor vehicle pact that eases movement of cargo and people between the countries has been attempted twice in the past.

At the 18th South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, held in 2014, India proposed an MVA, which was opposed by Pakistan and couldnt be passed.

In 2015, the Bangladesh Bhutan India Nepal (BBIN) MVA was signed, but was rejected by the upper house of the Bhutanese parliament.

The BIMSTEC MVA is the third attempt.Two people were killed and several injured in clashes that broke out between groups of two communities following a minor dispute between two persons at Aurangabad in Central Maharashtra, 355km from Mumbai, on Friday night.

About 100 shops and a large number of vehicles were set on fire as mobs ran riot through parts of the city. Police issued firing orders and a curfew was imposed. Around 11 police personnel were also injured. On Saturday evening, the situation was tense but under control, said local authorities.

Jaganlal Bansile, 62, with physical impairment, was charred to death while Abdul Halim Haroon Qadri, 17, died of bullet injuries in police firing. Police have detained 41 people.

The clashes began in Gandhi Nagar area after 10pm on Friday and the violence soon spread to other parts of the city, police said.

A drive taken up by local municipal authorities against illegal water connections in the city two days ago is what reportedly caused the violence. The officials had cancelled a connection at a religious place, to which some locals protested while demanding that connection to a religious structure belonging to the other community too be cancelled.

Taking note, the authorities took action on the other religious structure but it led to tension between the two groups.

However, the trigger for the violence was a minor dispute between two persons over borrowing a mobile phone which turned into clashes among two groups the next day and later spread in several parts of the city.

Aurangabad police commissioner Milind Bharambe said there were two rounds of violence, first on Friday night followed by another early Saturday. It was a minor issue but the tension escalated due to rumours. We have imposed section 144 of the CrPC. I appeal people to help police maintain peace, he added.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was in Pune on Saturday, said, Riots ensued following a very petty issue. Investigation is on to identify the culprits.

The state government has also deployed units of State Reserve Police Force, Indian Reserve Police (IRP) Battalion in the cityThe Rajasthan government has constituted a four-member committee to dispose of the cases registered against protesters who indulged in violence during the Bharat Bandh called by SC/ST community. The committee will submit its report within three months.

On April 2, a nationwide bandh was called by Dalit organisations to protest against the Supreme Courts ruling that they say dilutes the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The protests turned violent after the demonstrators clashed with law enforcement agencies. Nearly 275 cases were registered in connection with the violence and rioting during the bandh across the state.

The committee will be headed by social justice minister Arun Chaturvedi. Three other members are civil supply minister Babulal Varma, chairman of Rajasthan heritage protection and development authority Oankar Singh Lakhawat and additional chief secretary, home, Deepak Upreti. The committee will submit its report to the home department within three months, said an official who did not wish to be named.

Twenty-three people from the SC community, who were in jail after being arrested for allegedly causing violence during the Bharat Bandh on April 2, have been released on bail. The government apparently wants to dispose of the cases before the assembly elections later this year. The government has decided not to make any more arrests in the cases before the committee submits its report.Cow smugglers fired at a police team and Bajrang Dal activists in Rajasthans Bharatpur district and escaped on Saturday, police said.

The border districts of Alwar and Bharatpur together account for a third of cattle smuggling cases recorded in Rajasthan, police data shows.

Nearly 100 Bajrang Dal activists, on being informed about cow smuggling, reached the spot near Mungaska and Dholabas villages under Pahari police station. They informed the police after cow smugglers fired at them.

A team from Pahari police station reached the spot, but was forced to retreat when nearly 10-12 cow smugglers fired at them from a nearby hill, said Kaman police circle officer Rai Singh Beniwal.

He said cow smugglers had collected stray bovines from local areas and gathered near the hill, from where they were trying to transport bovines by a pick-up van via Jurahara to Haryana. Police seized the van and a motorcycle.

Beniwal said smugglers fled, dumping the bovines at Mungaska, Dholabas, and Bolkhera villages. He said police rescued 18 cows and 7 bulls from forests. Police teams have been formed to arrest absconding cow smugglers.

Bajrang Dal district convenor Rameshwar Gurjar said cow smugglers were trying to transport more than 50 stray bovines to Haryana for slaughter. They had kept the bovines near the hill, where they made a ramp to push them into the pick-up van.

We reached there and informed police. They opened fire on us and the police jeep, and fled. They dumped the bovines in the villages, which are all Muslim-dominated, Gurjar said.

Smuggling of cows for beef is considered a business in Mevat area of eastern Rajasthan. In Bharatpur district, 65 cases have been registered in 2015 against cow smugglers under Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation Temporary Migration or Export) Act 1995, 65 in 2016, and 27 till May 2017, police data shows.

In the past three years, Rajasthan has ramped up efforts to protect its 13 million bovine animals and end smuggling by setting up 39 police outposts across the state, six each in Alwar and Bharatpur.

The state, where cow slaughter is punishable by up to 10 years in jail, also has set up Indias only cow welfare ministry.

The state has also been dogged by reports of cow vigilante violence. In April last year, dairy farmer Pehlu Khan was lynched by alleged cow-protection vigilantes in Alwar who accused him of smuggling the animal.

In Bharatpur district, Ghatmika village grabbed national headlines last year after local resident Umar Mohammad was found dead on the railway tracks in Alwar. Police said he and two others were transporting cattle when anti-social elements attacked them.The district administration in Rajasthans Bharatpur on Saturday banned mobile internet services for 48 hours, till May 13, in view of the proposed agitation announced by Gujjars to press for 5% reservation from within the 21% OBC quota.

The Gujjar community leaders have called a mahapanchayat at Adda village in Bayana block of Bharatpur on May 15, which would take call on reviving the quota agitation.

Divisional Commissioner, Bharatpur, Subir Kumar said mobile internet services will remain barred till May 13 and may be extended in some areas in case Gujjars proceed with their agitation.

We are in talks with Gujjar leaders. We have asked them not to create and law and order problems. The district administration is on alert and extra police forces will be called if needed, said Sandesh Nayak, district collector.

Superintendent of police Anil Kumar Tank said several battalions of the Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) will reach Bharatpur on Sunday and will be deployed in sensitive areas.

Incidentally, Gujjars in some 80 villages of Bharatpur have decided decided to boycott the agitation. They have accused Community leader Colonel (retd) Kirori Singh Bainsla of harbouring political ambitions. Some community leaders also announced that theyll not let Bainsla launch the agitation from Adda village.

Bainsla, meanwhile, reached Adda village on Friday. He said the mahapanchayat would be held as per the schedule. He also did not announce any change in venue. His supporters have already started a village to village drive to garner support for the mahapanchayat.

On Friday, Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel announced his support to the stir by the Gujjar community. I will support the Gujjar agitation in a non-violent manner and will be ready to fight for the rights of any community, Patel had told reporters in Pushkar.

Gujjars in rajasthan are currently getting one per cent reservation under Most Backward Classes (MBC). They want bifurcation of OBC quota so that the community gets five per cent reservation.

The Rajasthan Assembly had in October last year passed a bill to raise OBC reservation from 21 to 26 per cent to provide five per cent quota to the Gujjars 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.An influential Rajput outfit wants Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat appointed as Rajasthan BJP chief and will be soon sending postcards in thousands to party national president Amit Shah urging him to the needful.

The move is likely to have an impact on the ongoing tussle between Shah and chief minister Vasundhara Raje, who are not on the same page when it comes to appointing the new state party chief.

While Shah wants to appoint Shekhawat, a Member of Parliament from Jodhpur and tall Rajput leader, the Raje camp is opposing his name ostensibly because it would upset the Jat community in Rajasthan. Jats constitute about 12% of the states population. The Raje camp wants Srichand Kriplani, the cabinet minister for urban development and housing, appointed to the position.

Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena national secretary Surajpal Singh Amu said members of the outfit will send postcards to Shah to urge him to appoint Shekhawat to the post. There is widespread resentment in the community on delay in the announcement of his name, he said.

Sena president Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi has supported the move.

With the party central leadership rejecting the names suggested by Raje, the announcement of Rajasthan BJP president has been deferred and will take place after the Karnataka election results are out. Sources said that after the party national general secretary, Ram Lal, put pressure on Raje to accept the partys nominee, she got in touch with Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, who met Shah and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to try and convince them about dropping Shekhwats name. Shah, who also met Bhagwat to apprise him about the situation, has postponed the final decision as he was busy campaigning in Karnataka.

Gogamedi has also given an ultimatum to the Rajasthan government to implement the agreement reached between the community leaders and the government in July 2017 after the encounter of gangster Anandpal.

We will launch protests across the state at divisional level if the government doesnt agree to our demands by May 20, he said.

Sena leaders were critical of the state government saying it had not taken any steps to address the concerns raised by the community. Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena had remained at the forefront of the protests against Bollywood film Padmaavat and Amu and reportedly offered a Rs 10-crore bounty for beheading actor Deepika Padukone and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Ahead of the by-elections to two parliamentary and one assembly seats in January, Rajput organisations had announced their support to the Congress and some community leaders had also campaigned for the Opposition candidates on all three seats. The Congress had won the three bypolls.As the state government inches close to winding up the much hyped scheme that actually proposed to spend a sum of 36,000 crore, official figures reveal that only a sum of about 21,000 crore has been spent on waiving crop loans of debt ridden farmers across Uttar Pradesh.

Though an additional sum of about 950 crore to waive crop loans of about 1.38 lakh more farmers, who lodged complaints, has been released this week, questions are being raised over implementation of the scheme following complaints that many genuine farmers have been denied the waiver.

A lot of genuine farmers have been left out in most of the districts. In many cases the banks have ignored the claims of farmers. We had requested the state government to consider crop loan waiver even for the farmers who have paid the loan amount. The government has failed to do so and a large chunk of money remains unused due to a poor monitoring mechanism, said Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait.

According to sources dealing with the implementation of the scheme, the state government had received nearly 11 lakh complaints on the website of the scheme and through other channels. A district level committee headed by respective district magistrate has reviewed all the complaints. If senior officers are to be believed, only those related to 1.38 lakh farmers were found genuine. In many cases the farmers prefer to reach out to the ministers, government officers or legislators instead of getting in touch with the banks of district magistrates. A sum of about 4000 crore has been earmarked in the annual budget for 2018-2019 as well to provide funds for the crop loan waiver, said another officer adding, the government will have to take a call on extending the last date (April 15, 2018) for receiving the complaints from uncovered farmers.

The Yogi Adityanath government had begun implementing the scheme to waive crop loans of up to 1 lakh of small and marginal farmers in October 2017. Soon, there were complaints that loans of only 1 to 500 was waived in about 11000 cases in different districts.

Asked about the total funds released and the number of beneficiaries now, principal secretaries, agriculture, Amit Mohan Prasad said, A sum of about 20600 crore has been disbursed to different banks to waive loan of about 34.11 lakh farmers across the state.

As most of the banks have joined the government one time settlement (OTS) scheme launched to write off the non performing assets (NPAs) of farmers, the government is also moving towards writing off all the NPAs linked to the farmers. A sum of 149.83 crore to write off the NPAs was released on March 31, 2018. Two banks have joined the scheme late and we hope to release funds to write off their NPAs linked to famers soon, said Prasad.Richard Feynman, physicist, safe-breaker, prankster, seducer of women, prize-winning linguist, artist, member of the Manhattan Project and of a Brazilian samba band, and winner of a Nobel Prize, made physics cool. Generations of nerds, starting with my own, have sworn by Surely Youre Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character (it was published in 1985, when I was in high school).

In Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myricks retelling of Feynmans story, the physicist is presented as a man who never really grew up. It doesnt gloss over his womanising.

It is somewhat apt that the best book I have read on Feynman, whose centenary falls this month (he was born on May 11, 1918) is Feynman, a graphic novel by Jim Ottaviani (the writer, a former nuclear physicist himself) and Leland Myrick. Feynman made physics accessible, like few others before him (and few others after him) have. His lectures on physics and talks, still popular online, are a lesson on how to explain complex issues simply. The closest anyone has come to doing this is perhaps the Italian physicist Carlo Rovelli, whose Seven Brief Lessons on Physics is a must for anyone who wants to sound knowledgeable about Physics without really being so. What better way to tell the story of the life and work of the legendary physicist then, than a graphic novel.

A graphic novel is just a comic book trying to sound all grown up. And as evident from its retelling of Feynmans story, here is a man who never really grew up. I remember having an epiphany about the true nature of genius the first time I read Ottaviani and Myricks book (published by First Second) in 2011; that was at a time when I was still writing a weekly column on graphic novels for a newspaper.

Richard Feynmans own greatness, as the novel suggests, seem to have had very little effect on him. He continued to ask questions, play the bongo (the famous orange juice song would sometimes be pulled out after lectures) and have fun.

Feynman is a straightforward retelling of the physicists life, including a brief (and graphical) explanation of QED or Quantum Electro Dynamics (those interested in more detail may invest in Feynmans own QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter), the work for which he won the Nobel Prize in 1965 (along with Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, and Julian Schwinger; all three worked on the subject independently). Ottaviani and Myricks treatment of some of the basics of QED reinforce my belief that science, especially complex science, is best taught through comics. The book tracks his life through school, MIT, Princeton, his work on the Manhattan Project, Cornell, and Caltech. From Neils Bohr to Albert Einstein to Robert Oppenheimer, a succession of the 20th centurys greatest physicists make an appearance as minor characters in Feynman, but his association with them, and his own greatness, seem to have very little effect on Feynman, who continued to ask questions, play the bongo (the famous orange juice song would sometimes be pulled out after lectures) and have fun.

He died in 1988.A day after the murder of Shiv Sena leader Sachin Sawant, 47, the mastermind and his accomplice mourned the death and paid glowing tributes with the biggest garland at the funeral, according to the family.

Brijesh Patel, 36, and his aide Nilesh Sharma, 27, are among the seven people arrested. They allegedly gave a 10-lakh contract to the other accused to bump off Sawant over a slum redevelopment rivalry. One person is wanted. Patel and Sharma garlanded Sawants body but kept smiling, said Sawants son Omkar. The Kurar police confirmed that Patel and Sharma attended the funeral on April 23 as they were confident that no one will suspect them. They were remorseless, said the police.

I saw them smiling but I didnt feel they could be behind the murder. Their garland was the biggest. But they didnt touch my fathers feet, which is a norm for younger people, said Omkar.

The seven accused in the past were involved in petty. Sharma has been living near Sawants residence at Ganesh Krupa chawl in Kandivli (East) since childhood. Sharma has had first information reports (FIRs) registered against him for assault and theft.

The trouble began when Sharma and his brother started committing crimes and were depending on Sawant to bail them out. The relationship between the two worsened after Sharmas elder brother molested a woman, and Sawant refused to help him.

It became more acrimonious when Sharma demanded his share in a Slum Redevelopment Authority project in Kandivli. Sharma asked for Sawants help in facilitating alterations to his chawl. But Sawant did not cooperate. This was the last straw that snapped the ties six months ago.In a case that depicts the typical state of affairs of Indias legal system, it took almost a quarter of a century to complete the trial of a Borivli resident charged with slapping a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus driver during a road rage incident in August 1993.

Incidentally, the prosecution listed and examined only two witnesses against 48-year-old accused, Chetan Shah, but neither of them were able to identify the man who slapped the driver.

On August 31, 1993, BEST bus driver Manabhai Baniya was driving towards Shanti Ashram, and had reached Maharashtra Lane when the incident took place around 1.50pm. He was driving slowly as vehicles were parked on either side of the road, when a Maruti car entered the lane from the opposite direction.

As per the prosecution, Shah, who was driving the car, was miffed as the road was blocked.

The two got into a verbal spat, and as the argument escalated, Shah allegedly stepped out of the car and slapped the driver across the cheek. Baniyas cheek started to bleed, the prosecution claimed.

Baniya then filed a case at the Borivli police station under section 332 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from duty  a crime that attracts a punishment of three years in jail.

During the trial, the prosecution examined Suresh Rane, the then bus conductor, and Maruti Rathod, the then assistant police inspector who had investigated the case.

Rane told the court that neither could he remember the incident, nor was he able to identify the accused as the incident took place in 1993.

Similarly, Rathod said that he was not able to identify the accused as too much time had passed.

Both witnesses could not identify the accused therefore, their evidence is not sufficient to prove beyond reasonable doubt that this accused [Shah] slapped the informant [bus driver], ruled metropolitan magistrate AB Shendge.

After over 25 years, the trial ended in April this year, with the court absolving Shah of his alleged crime.



Guwahati : Poachers had killed another one horned rhino in Assams Kaziranga National Park (KNP).





According to the reports, a male rhino was killed by poachers at Kukurkata reserve forest area inside the national park.





The poachers had managed to escape with its horn.





On Friday morning, forest guards had found a bullet injuries carcass of male rhino inside the park.





Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) of the national park Bhaskar Buragohain said that, forest guards heard firing sound inside the park area at around 7-20 am and the incident was happened near Chiralkhowa camp of Kukurkata reserve forest area under Burapahar range in the park.





We suspected that, poachers had killed the rhino, Bhaskar Buragohain said.





Meanwhile, forest officials, armed guards and police personnel had rushed to the area and launched operation against the poachers.





Poachers had killed 14 rhinos in 2016, 7 in 2017 and 4 in this year so far in the world heritage site declared by UNESCO.





The latest report of Rhino Population Estimation, 2018 revealed that, total number of rhinos in Kaziranga National Park counted 2,413.



The Looney, The Lover & The Poet RATING: 3.5 / 5 WHERE: 216, Khar-Danda Road, Khar Danda WHEN: Noon to 1.30 am COST: About Rs 3,500 for two, with one cocktail each CALL: 98200-29933

We stepped into The Looney, The Lover & The Poet for lunch on a torrid summer day. It occupies the Khar Danda space where the short-lived Mumbai outpost of Thalassa had set up shop.

In fact, we caught glimpses of quite a few decor elements from its predecessor  including the Portuguese azulejo tile bar counter and straight-backed wooden chairs. But there are new trimmings too: colourful fabric pinwheels attached onto the ceiling, dreamcatchers and fairy lights in the al fresco space.

The Italy-meets-Thailand savoury cannolis, stuffed with kafir lime-laced crab meat and limoncello salt, should have had less of the processed crab stick and more of the real crustacean. (Satyabrata Tripathy / HT Photo)

Intent on paying homage to a Midsummer Nights Dream, this place borrows more than just its name from the Shakespearean comedy.

The menu here is quite literally all over the place. A perfect example is our quartet of Italy-meets-Thailand savoury cannolis generously stuffed with kafir lime-laced crab meat and limoncello salt. We only wish theyd used less of the processed crab stick and more of the real crustacean.

The Afghani ashak dumplings were plump and succulent, with a ricotta cheese and scallion core. (Satyabrata Tripathy / HT Photo)

Plump and succulent with a ricotta cheese and scallion core, the Afghani ashak dumplings were slathered in an umami-rich lamb sauce.

Bursting with its kale, green apple and cucumber flavours, the gin-based Almost A Detox held great promise of a healthy cocktailif there ever is such a thing. Caprice, our non-alcoholic strawberry, pineapple and goji berry drink was refreshing, if a tad diluted with all the ice.

The Hokkaido chicken curry was more Goan than Japanese kare, but served with fluffy jasmine rice was nonetheless comforting and flavoursome. (Satyabrata Tripathy / HT Photo)

The khachapuri, that wonderful, boat-shaped cheesy flat bread from Georgia, was sublime. Perfectly marinated artichokes, sundried tomatoes and mushrooms sat atop a soft pizza-like base, with toasted pine nuts providing texture.

Though missing the authenticity mark by a mile, and more on the lines of a Goan curry than a typically Japanese kare, the Hokkaido chicken curry, served with fluffy jasmine rice was both comforting and flavoursome.

Our dessert  homemade chamomile ice-cream cushioned by a moist, fragrant pistachio cake, dusted with bee pollen and drizzled with honey  was a winner. (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

With a limited dessert selection to pick from, we got a portion of All The Honey in the World. Honey-drizzled, homemade chamomile ice-cream cushioned by a moist, fragrant pistachio cake, dusted with the very au courant bee pollen made this one a winner. Whats in a name? One might ask. The Looney, The Lover & The Poet has something of an answer.

(HT reviews anonymously and pays for all meals)Navi Mumbai

The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) is busy developing mega projects across the city, but seems to have failed to check out its own backyard. Barely three km from Cidcos head office in Belapur, is the more than 400-year-old Belapur fort. After constant reminders from residents and historians from the city, Cidco finally started the process to restore the 16th century structure.

Mohan Ninawe, public relations officer, Cidco, said, After we got the nod from the archaeological department, we allotted Rs 17 crore for restoration of the fort and tendering process was also done. However, as the highest quoted bid was higher than the budget allocated, the tender was recalled and retendering process will start soon. Also, the consultant for carrying out the work is yet to be decided.

Apart from restoring the fort, amphitheatre, food court, parking plaza and senior citizen centre has also been planned in the vicinity to make the place more happening and engaging.

The fort in Kille Gaothan area in Belapur, constructed by the Siddis of Janjira in 1560, has been witness to glorious Maratha empire reigns. It has also seen the Portuguese and British eras, including when some part of it was destroyed after the British captured it. Now, however, it is facing civic apathy. While the crumbling structure has managed to survive against time, it is slowly losing the race. It sees very few visitors nowadays  mostly history buffs or those who want to get a glimpse of the ruins.

Reaching the fort is a herculean task. One has to wade through shrubs and bushes after reaching the village area. With the roots of huge trees penetrating deep inside its stone walls, the structure is crumbling.

In 2009, a proposal regarding restoration of the fort was put forward after historians and residents stressed the need to conserve the fort. It was also planned to allocate Rs10 crore for the restoration project and Cidco had appointed a Pune-based firm for the same, but the work never took off.

Over a period of time, the fort has decayed a lot, said Lanceya Menzes, a history enthusiast and resident of Vashi. When I visited it some 12 years ago, it was in much better shape but times have changed. Most of the walls have fallen and looking at the present structure, it would be difficult to know what the structure looked like in the past. I dont know how Cidco will do the restoration work. But as per their plan, it seems that they are more interested in developing other amenities near the fort rather than the fort itself, added Menzes, who is a regular to the fort area to carry out her dissertation projects and research.

The fort area has also turned into a safe haven for anti-social elements and is infested with pests. Locals raised an alarm regarding this, following which the security personnel who guard the Cidco guest house, near where the fort area begins, keep a watch on those who enter the area.

The top of the fort offers visitors a birds eye view of the entire city. However, people can no longer enjoy the visual delight as stairs to the top have broken and there is no other way to reach it.

Historians view

Maharashtra has a rich history of forts and the Belapur fort, which is crumbling, has so much history associated with it. There used to be an underground tunnel that connected the fort to Elephanta caves. Over time, the tunnel shut down but it still has its own historical importance.

--Siddhi Dawra, history blogger and Belapur resident

The fort was destroyed to shatter the Marathas stronghold, it was witness to the richness of the Marathas and is also linked with Peshwa Baji Rao, whose brother Chimaji Appa captured it from the British and named it Belapur fort. History tells us about our victory and losses, hence it is important that future generations know about it.

It is important to consult historians and conservationists during restoration so that the originality (of the fort) is not lost. It is very much possible to get the same material used in the construction of the fort for the restoration.

--Louiza Rodrigues, head of department of history, Ramnarain Ruia autonomous college, Matunga

It is important that an experienced architect along with historians is there in the restoration panel as the work needs a high level of precision and supervision. It is important that the main purpose of restoration of the fort should not be left behind in a bid to develop other amenities.

--Anita Nair, 28, history student and Kharghar resident

Localspeak

It is hard to believe that officials have woken up (only) now, when fort is about to collapse. All across the state, the government is taking steps to preserve rich history but here we fail to maintain an existing structure right under our nose. If we lose the fort, it means we lose history.

--Ananya Dage, 36, a Belapur resident for the past six years

We have seen the fort crumble in front of our own eyes. If the officials had initiated the work some 10 years back there was hope that we would have saved something but now, there is hardly anything to save. Yet, we hope that a leaf from history would be there to remind us of our glorious history.

-- Shankar Tamhane, 45, resident Killa Gaothan village

Creating mega cities and building skyscraper buildings is fine but what about maintaining and conserving history, which connects us to our roots? Isnt it our responsibility to preserve this and hold this for generations to come?

-- Vivek Khera, 36, Belapur residentThe Bombay high court has paved the way for decongesting the western side of the Vikhroli railway station, of a shopping centre and some smaller shops along the same line.

Last week, a division bench of Justices Abhay Oka and Riyaz Chagla rejected a petition filed by Raju Joganpalli and others, challenging the demolition notice issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to the shopping centre, Vinayak Arcade, and 45 other shops lining the area outside platform number one of Vikhroli railway station.

Joganpalli, who owns the shopping centre, had approached the high court claiming he was the legal owner of his shopping arcade and had sought direction for non-interference from the civic body with the 594-square-metre property.

He claimed that more than 50 years ago, when the railways department started acquiring land outside Vikroli station, they had awarded him his property on March 31, 1967 for exclusive possession, use and occupation.

To further his case, Joganpalli showed proof of permission granted to him by the BMC to repair Vinayak Arcade in January 2008.

The high court, however, refused to accept his claims, citing a 2012 case where he could not prove his shopping centre existed before 1967  the same year the area was officially reserved for the railways. The high court said its judgment in favour of the railways was upheld by the Supreme Court and had, thus, attained finality.

The HC has therefore held that the demolition notice issued by the BMC  calling upon the petitioner to remove the shopping centre within fifteen days of receiving it  was legal and did not warrant any interference.

However, on the petitioners request, the bench has continued the interim relief granted earlier for eight weeks, so as to enable them to approach the Supreme Court.To boost redevelopment of buildings that fall in the citys airport funnel zone, the state government will prepare a separate set of rules, detailing how tall they can be built. It has not set any deadline to draw up the draft.

Funnel zone is an imaginary flight path extending outwards and upwards from either side of the runway.

The redevelopment of more than 6,000 buildings around the airport in Vile Parle, Santacruz, Kurla and Ghatkopar has been stuck as floor space index (FSI) cannot be fully consumed because of height restrictions. FSI decides how tall you can build your structure.

Nitin Kareer, principal secretary, urban development department, said the state government is preparing a draft over the height restrictions, on the recommendation of the civic chief.

A separate set of regulations will be made. There are various options. Residents can either use the unconsumed FSI or be given concessions for redevelopment, Kareer said.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Ajoy Mehta said various alternatives are being explored to make redevelopment viable. There are two to three options: extra FSI (in the form of TDR) or reverse FSI or an increase in the base FSI. We have not put it immediately in the DCPR. The state government will come up with a separate regulation for it, Mehta said.

A state government official said, The state government and other agencies have recognised that residents near the airport are at disadvantage. A majority of them are from the middle-income group, and these dilapidated buildings need to be redeveloped. Around 3.6 lakh people live in these buildings.

Shirish Sukhatme, senior architect and member of the Practising Engineers, Architects and Town Planners Association (PEATA), called for a solution to break the redevelopment deadlock.

One option is to reduce the floor height and add more habitable space. The length of the runway could be increased, which would give an additional 10 metres to each building, he said, adding that the state government should ask the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to survey the area.

The new Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR) reduced FSI for the suburbs, including areas near the airport, to 1.33 from 1.5 for roads not wider than nine metres.

According to the DCPR which was released on Thursday, the planning committee had suggested to the state government that unconsumed FSI can be utilised in the form of transferable development rights (TDR).

TDR allows developers to use additional FSI.

Currently, they cannot avail TDR if a building falls in the funnel zone.Following the state forest departments interest in developing a mangrove park in Mumbai, the Development Control and Promotions regulations (DCPR) has reserved a plot, marked as Natural Area, in Dahisar. The proposal now seeks suggestions and objections from citizens.

Natural Area is a type of reservation in DCPR for lands that are environmentally sensitive, and where development is restricted.

Vivek More, deputy chief engineer of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMC) DP department, said, The BMC had only proposed a reservation for the mangrove park, but had not specified an area for it. It has now been marked by the state government in Dahisar. Despite this, we will ensure no construction is allowed in the area.

N Vasudevan, additional principal chief conservator of forest, and the state mangrove cell, said, We had written to the BMC for the plot in Dahisar, to boost eco-tourism in the area. It will have boating, mangrove trails and bird watching spots.

The DCPR provides for board walks in mangroves, trekking facilities and public sanitation for visitors. While it is silent on the area required for the mangrove park, an official from the forest department said, When we proposed the plan to the BMC, we envisioned an area of around 80 hectares to be reserved for the park. While no development will take place within the area, leaving mangroves untouched, citizens will be able to skirt them using wooden boards. This will make sure the roots of mangroves are intact, and the ecosystem is preserved.From dreaming of becoming a doctor to following his passion for Indian classical music, Himanshu Roy considered various career options before joining the Indian Police Service (IPS).

Roy shot himself dead at his Nariman Point home on Friday.

As a student at Campion School in Cooperage, Roy was known for his focus on academics and co-curricular activities.

Even after he passed out of the school, Roy stayed in touch with Old Campionites Association until a few years ago. We never saw him at annual get-togethers, but he kept track of the wellbeing of his school through his friends, said Paul Machado, principal of the school.

Keen on pursuing medicine, Roy joined St Xaviers College, but soon realised science was not his calling.

He later got registered with the Institute of Chartered Accountancy of India (ICAI).

As he was not a practising chartered accountant, there wasnt much interaction with him once he passed his exams, said a spokesperson for ICAI.

In St Xaviers College, he was known for his love for Indian classical music.

We will always remember him for his interest and participation in the institutes Indian Music Group. For many years, he has been a patron and on numerous occasions had helped us reach out to musicians for our various programmes, said Agnelo Menezes, principal of St Xaviers College in Mumbai.

Menezes said Roy stopped taking interest in the group only two years ago owing to his ill health.A braveheart, principled and supercop  this is how friends and colleagues described additional director general of police Himanshu Roy, who shot himself dead on Friday, ending his two-year battle with bone cancer.

Roy was the Dabangg in the Mumbai police force. It was a pleasure to work under him. We admired his courage. He was known as a man of principles. He guided his subordinates and was very understanding, said Latif Sheikh, retired senior police inspector of crime branch, as he waited outside Gokuldas Tejpal hospital, where Roys post-mortem was underway.

The 1988-batch senior Indian Police Sevice (IPS) officer, son of a doctor in Colaba, studied in Campion School. After Class 12 from St Xaviers College, Roy tried to study medicine, but quit. He studied chartered accountancy and worked for a few years with a firm, Arthur Andersen, before taking the UPSC examinations. At the examination hall in Mazagaon, he ran into his future wife Bhavna, sister of author Amish Tripathi. Bhavna went on to become an IAS officer, but quit soon after their marriage.

Roy was first posted at Malegaon in 1991, where he handled the riots in the wake of Babri Masjid demolition. He was a very fine officer. He was highly professional and disciplined. Roy ensured his officers made a foolproof case, ensuring conviction, said PK Jain, former additional director general of police.

Later, he served as superintendent of police in Nashik, becoming the youngest SP, and later at Ahmednagar, before being appointed the deputy commissioner of police of Mumbai polices economic offences wing. He also worked in the traffic department and zone 1. When Roy first came to Mumbai, looking at his self-confidence, I gave him the important responsibility of zone-1, said MN Singh, former Mumbai police commissioner. He was later promoted as the commissioner of police in Nashik from 2004 to 2007, where he handled the Khairlanji murder case. In 2009, he was made the joint commissioner of police (crime) and is credited to have worked on important cases including murder of journalist J Dey, Laila Khan, among others.

He was also instrumental in the investigation into the 2013 IPL spot-fixing and betting. After his stint at the crime branch, Roy was transferred to the states anti-terrorism squad (ATS). There, he headed the team that foiled the conspiracy to blow up an American School at Bandra-Kurla Complex. Later he got a side posting as additional director general of police (establishment). Himanshus passing away is a great loss, said Mumbai police commissioner Datta Padsalgikar.The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has granted permission to set up 46 new technical colleges in Maharashtra in academic year 2018-19, 42 of which would be pharmacy colleges. The list also includes two architecture institutes.

The state currently has 438 pharmacy institutes, offering diploma, graduation and masters courses to aspirants. The new institutes will add around 3,700 seats in the current pool of 36,133 seats, available across the existing programmes.

On the other hand, the AICTE has also approved the closure of 40 technical institutes - most of them being engineering colleges and polytechnic institutes.

Experts said that the addition of new institutes and closure of existing ones is in accordance with the recent trends in professional education. At a time when technical courses such as engineering, management and computer application are witnessing a dip in enrolment, the demand for pharmacy courses is on the rise.

Data from the states Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) also shows that 56,490 out of 1.38 lakh seats for the bachelor of engineering (BE) course, and 4,842 out of 34,863 seats for Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master in Management Studies (MMS) programmes are lying vacant. On the other hand, merely 299 out of 13,353 seats for the BPharm course have no takers.

Even when we went through recession, the healthcare sector didnt suffer any loss. The pharma sector is thriving because there is a rise in lifestyle diseases, said Krishna Iyer, a professor at Bombay College of Pharmacy and chairman, board of studies for pharmacy at the University of Mumbai.

Iyer said that the pharmacy graduates have many employment and higher education opportunities available to them.

Many graduates find employment in allied industries such as insurance companies, medical transcription and clinical data entry and processing. Marketing of medicines has become more cut-throat, thereby generating more jobs, he said.

The experts also said that pharmacy has emerged as an alternative to medicine, as the latter has a limited intake and is increasingly becoming unaffordable to a large section of the population.

Students who cannot get admission in medical courses opt for pharmacy, said GD Yadav, vice chancellor, Institute of Chemical technology, Matunga.

Iyer said that adding new pharmacy institutes will expand availability of medicines in mofussil areas of the state.

If the colleges are spread out across the state, people have better access to medicines, he said.

The experts said that the technical education body needs be cautious while increasing the intake of pharmacy courses.

I am not worried that pharmacy colleges will face the same situation as the engineering colleges. This is because, besides AICTE, the Pharmacy Council of India also keeps a check on these institutes, said Yadav.Bayroute RATING: 3.5 / 5 WHERE: Minoo Manor Building, Prakash Pethe Marg, Cuffe Parade WHEN: Noon to 1.30 am COST: Rs 3,000 for a meal for two, not including alcohol. Full bar available. CALL: 90290-08335 / 36

A meal at Bayroute induces nostalgia for anyone who has visited the Levant, and is transportive for those who have yet to make a trip.

The Manakeesh Zaatar, a flatbread overlaid with the oregano-suffused spice mix, is as good as any found in the cafes of Beyoglu in Istanbul.

Smooth, mild, nutty Hummus Bayroute swirled with tart, creamy labneh, topped with pine nuts, sumac, and sesame, is comparable to versions found at Wafi Gourmet or Al Hallab in Dubai.

The smooth, mild and nutty Hummus Bayroute is comparable to versions found at Wafi Gourmet or Al Hallab in Dubai. (Aalok Soni / HT Photo)

Rich, lightly salted Laban  a fermented yogurt drink that is closer to kefir than to savoury lassi  evokes a tall glass of its close cousin ayran, served at cafes overlooking Naqshe Jahan Square in Ispahan, Iran.

These, among the 80-plus dishes on this month-old restaurants Arabic-style right-to-left menu, could easily (and soon) make Bayroute Mumbais best Eastern Mediterranean restaurant.

Rich, lightly salted Laban will remind you of the cafes overlooking Naqshe Jahan Square in Ispahan, Iran. (Aalok Soni / HT Photo)

Bayroute replaces the citys first Moshes in Cuffe Parade. Mud-textured walls are cleverly peppered with decorative mirrors, ceramics, and ornaments.

There is a banyan tree in the courtyard, and filigreed arches, gossamer drapes, flickering lanterns, and mosaic flooring in the main dining room.

Koshari, the Egyptian national dish, is a dry khichdi of rice, macaroni, noodles, masoor, chickpeas, and birista. It sounds odd, but is in fact deeply delicious and aromatic. (Aalok Soni / HT Photo)

Suspend disbelief and ignore the generic grating lounge music, and it feels a bit like the Restaurant La Mosquee at The Blue Mosque in Paris. Even more so because Bayroute shares one significant quality with that stunning Moroccan tea house  indifferent, uninformed service.

Server after server couldnt be bothered to describe dishes to us, and when they attempted to, their accounts were rudimentary.

The feta and pine nut-stuffed falafel balls are perfect, crunchy on the outside and fluffy and flavourful on the inside. (Aalok Soni / HT Photo)

The feta and pine nut-stuffed falafel needs no explanation. Five lemon-sized balls are lined up alongside small saucers of harissa, tahina, and marinated olives. Theyre crunchy on the outside, fluffy and flavourful on the inside, and perfect all over.

Bayroute serves pide, the boat-shaped, galette-like flatbreads also known as Turkish pizza. After our first bite of pide dijaj with chicken, fava beans and coriander seeds, we decided to save our carbs for koshari.

Bayroute serves pide, the galette-like flatbreads also known as Turkish pizza. The mix of chicken, fava beans and coriander seeds didnt really work for us. (Aalok Soni / HT Photo)

This Egyptian national dish is a dry khichdi of rice, macaroni, noodles, masoor, chickpeas, and birista. It sounds odd, but is in fact deeply delicious and aromatic, with satisfyingly springy carbs and plenty of bite.

Shorba mantis liquid component, a soup of intensely flavoured but light-bodied lamb broth, was delicious. Its solid component, lamb dumplings, were edible rubber.

Do not leave without trying the full-bodied harissa and toum with fluffy pita. (Aalok Soni / HT Photo)

Dont leave Bayroute without having the yin-yang platter of full-bodied harissa and toum with fluffy pita. The Tunisian chilli pastes grainy, complex warmth delightfully counters the velvety cloud-like Lebanese sauces allium intensity. Just dont breathe on anyone after.

(HT reviews anonymously and pays for all meals)The Aarey police on Friday recorded the statements of 15 youngsters in connection with the death of 20-year-old Atharva Shinde, the son of a Mumbai police inspector.

These youngsters were present at the party on May 7, at an Aarey Colony bungalow, where Atharva had gone before he was found dead. They have been allowed to leave.

All of them were subjected to a medical test to ascertain if they consumed drugs or alcohol. Although the reports are awaited, some of the youngsters and their family members admitted they had consumed drugs and alcohol at the party, said an official. Speaking to HT, a father of one of the youngsters said, My son consumed drugs. He said many others at the party also consumed different types of drugs.

One of the youngsters told HT that it was a harrowing experience being questioned by the police for hours. It was like a nightmare. At least five to ten officers were shooting several questions at me. I told them the whole truth. There was a fight there which scared me and I stayed away from the whole fracas, said the youngster who had managed to get a rickshaw driver to call his father. His father then guided the driver who dropped the youngster home. I was high. Thankfully, I got some help, he said.

Atharva had gone to the party on the night of May 7 but left the next day around 7am. CCTV footage shows Atharva moving around in the area in an inebriated condition and vomiting several times. He then collapsed around noon and died.

At least two to three people saw him in a disturbed state but no one helped him. His body was found at 9am on Wednesday by his father.

Atharva had several injuries to his chest, face and head. Based on the post-mortem report, a murder case was registered.

The police learnt that there was a fight at the party but the sequence of events that took place after Atharva left the bungalow has startled them.Kathmandu, Nepal: Visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered special Pooja at Muktinath Temple on Saturday morning.





Modi is on a two day visit to Nepal at the invitation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, He is leaving for India today after returning back in Kathmandu from Jomsom.





Security has been beefed up in and around the Jomsom. As weather condition in Jomsom is clear, Modi will be able even to enjoy the side seen of the region.

Indian Prime Minister Modi will return back in Kathmandu after offering special pooja at the Muktinath Temple.





Even though the recent visit of Indian Prime Minister Modi is preferred to term as religious trip, it is taken importantly as the visit is expected to mend the sourced relations between the two neighboring countries.





Bilateral relations between the neighboring countries had reached at the lower point after India imposed unofficial blockade for about six months in 2015 on the name of expressing its displeasure over the newly promulgated constitution of Nepal.





Both the Prime Minister of Nepal and India held one-to-one talks on Friday evening on ranges of issues related to the bilateral relations.



The Versova police on Saturday arrested the 40-year-old driver of a water tanker after it collided with an auto-rickshaw resulting in the death of the auto driver. A passer-by was critically injured in the accident.

The auto driver who was killed has been identified as Fariz Shaikh, 22, and the driver of the tanker has been identified as Akrabuddin Khalifa.

According to the Versova police, the accident took place on Saturday morning when the driver of the tanker lost control over the vehicle. On JP Road, Versova, another auto-rickshaw overtook the tanker from the left side, and the driver claims that to save the auto-rickshaw, he tried to steer the vehicle to the right, said an officer. Police said the tanker driver claimed that when he tried doing so, he lost control and banged into another auto-rickshaw ahead of it, killing the driver and critically injuring another auto driver, Abdul Mohammad, 45.

Eyewitnesses said the water tanker also rammed into a row of bikes parked in front of an eatery, before coming to a halt. Police sources said the auto-rickshaw driver suffered grievous injuries and succumbed to them. Mohammad was being treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a local hospital.

A case has been registered under sections 304 A, 279 and 338 of Indian Penal Code (IPC), said the officer. The tanker driver came to us and a case was registered. To secure bail, he will have to go to the court. A team from Versova police station went to the spot and took the statements of the eyewitnesses, he said.Dr Virendar Sarwal, a senior cardiac surgeon, has parted ways with Max Super Speciality Hospital, Mohali, after alleging that patients are charged illegally when they are referred from one department to another and from other hospitals to his department.

A cardiologist at Max asked for Rs 15,000 as referral money to be paid in cash to him if he sent me a patient for cardiac surgery. I refused. I dont buy patients, says Dr Sarwal, who was till recently the head of the department of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery at the hospital.

He is the proprietor of Kanahiya Dayas Sarwal Heart Surgery in Mohali and he says Max had outsourced its department to him till his services were terminated on April 20, 2018.

Sharing an email with HT in which the hospital authorities allegedly charged another patient Rs 10,000 as referral money, he said he had been objecting to the unethical practice since April 2017. Referral money is the commission a doctor gets for referring a patient to another doctor.

When contacted, Max Super Speciality Hospital denied the allegation. In a statement, Munish Ojha, the head of public relations and branding, Max Hospital, said, The doctors allegations are false and malicious. We have never asked any clinician at Max Healthcare to pay a fee to anybody to source patients. We believe such practices are unethical.

PRESSURE TACTICS

Dr Sarwal said the hospital authorities terminated his services after he raised the issue at a meeting with senior officials on April 20. The next day, he wrote to Sandeep Dogra, the senior vice-president and zonal head of operations of Max Hospital.

Various issues involving unethical practices, violation of law and code of medical ethics devised by the Medical Council of India (MCI) were brought to your notice but were never taken seriously, he said in the letter.

Dr Sarwal said doctors empanelled with the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) were also involved. He said that referral money was sought by the cardiologist for sending ECHS patients for cardiac surgeries. A list of patients was sent to me and the money was to be given to ECHS doctors. I refused and reported the matter to the authorities but no action was taken. Instead, the cardiologist stopped sending patients requiring surgeries to me, he said.

Dr Sarwal said he was even pressurised over email from the hospitals marketing department to give it the referral money for patients referred by certain doctors. The finance head started deducting referral money from my payout for that cardiologist and for peripheral physicians for referring four patients. I objected as its against the medical code of ethics and an act of corruption under the Indian Penal Code, he said.

LEGAL RECOURSE

The matter reached the Mohali district court on May 5. The court stayed the termination order.

The hospital authorities moved the Punjab and Haryana high court, which ordered on Friday that: A senior advocate for the appellant (Max hospital) has handed over a cheque for Rs 14,16,600 and the senior advocate of the petitioner has accepted the cheque.

The parties will mutually settle their account. It was agreed that the end of the relationship will be termed as mutual cancellation of contract and not termination, the order said.

The only sticking point that remains is that as per the respondent, there are some patients on whom he had operated who need to visit him for follow-up and his prayer is that he may be allowed to attend to them and for that may be given some space so that he can attend to his medical duty, the high court order says.

The case has been adjourned to May 15 after the Max counsel said that the hospital would have no objection to this.A day after a bundle containing 33 answer sheets of the Class 10 Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) mathematics exam went missing from the Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS), Sector 19, the school authorities said they would lodge an FIR in the case.

The school had received the papers from CBSE for checking.

GMSSS-19 principal Sanjay Kumar Walia, however, said , it was still not clear whether the papers went missing from the school premises or from the CBSE office. As the CBSE replaces actual roll numbers from the answer sheets with fictitious ones, it cannot be ascertained which school or city these answer sheets belong to," he said.

Taking serious note of the matter, CBSE has directed the UT education department to conduct an inquiry.

The matter was referred to the UT education department after the schools head examiner, Devinder Singh, reported that the answer sheets were missing.

The school gates were locked on Friday as CBSE officials arrived for investigations and checked bags in which the papers had been sent to the school.

Giving details, Walia said, Around 11,000 answer sheets had reached the school on May 4 from the CBSE for checking. There were approximately 2,400 answer sheets of mathematics in it, besides those of Punjabi, social studies, economics and physical education. The answer sheets are not counted when these are handed over to the school authorities, but now we have leant that 33 sheets are missing."

The bags containing all the answer sheets were being reopened and the sheets in them being recounted, Walia said, adding, we will also lodge an FIR. This has happened for the first time that answer sheets have gone missing in our school.

The education department has constituted a three member committee to probe into the matter. Director school education (DSE), Rubinderjit Singh Brar, said, "Professor Dalip Kumar from Post Graduate Government College for Girls, Sector 42; Rajinder Kaur, deputy director, Adult Education and law officer Amandeep Kaur, will investigate the matter and file a report within 10 days."

CBSE regional officer RK Khaderao refused to comment on the issue.

The Class 10 mathematics exam was in the news earlier this years as question papers were leaked before the exam.Once the Chandigarh International Airport opens back on June 1, its operating time will be extended by half an hour, the Centre told the Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) on Friday.

Also, the airport will be made functional for five hours  1pm to 6pm  on Sundays as well, said assistant solicitor general Chetan Mittal in court.

At present, the airport is closed every Sunday and functions between 7am and 5:30pm on the remaining six days of the week. The runway upgrade is undertaken at night and on Sundays.

However, from May 12 to May 31, all air operations have been cancelled to facilitate the work. This is the second closure after the one from February 12 to 26 earlier this year.

The court was told that last two layers of the runway are to be laid during the 20-day closure. The work is behind schedule by four days due to bad weather in recent days, Mittal told court, adding that the operations are expected to resume on June 1.

If there is any further change, the HC will be apprised of it on the next date of hearing  May 25, he said.

The HC bench of justices AK Mittal and TS Dhindsa was hearing a petition on infrastructure related issues at the airport, filed in 2015. The bench directed the Centre to hold a meeting before the next hearing to decide as to when the night operations can be started at the airport.

On installation of CAT-IIIB ILS (instrument landing system) on the runway, Mittal told court that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) will reimburse the cost to the Indian Air Force.

The CAT-IIIB work is to be undertaken by the same contractor who has been allotted the CAT-II work, he said.

It will help in early completion of the facility, said Mittal.

CAT-IIIB ILS helps an aircraft to land in zero visibility conditions while CAT-II allows operations when visibility come down to 300 metre.From loving unconditionally to living life with positivity, this Mothers Day, celebs from the television industry talk about the qualities they share with their mothers and their plans for the most important person in their lives.

Rupal Nand

My mum, Vishakha Nand, is one of the most special people in my life. Every year, I make it a point to celebrate Mothers Day with sweets, gifts and handmade greeting cards. This year, I plan to take time out and surprise her. I look exactly like her and she is extremely proud of the fact that I have taken after her. She taught me how to find happiness in the smallest of events and live life peacefully.

Ashwini Kasar

Ashwini from Marathi serial Katti Batti with mom Seema Kasar

Mothers are the only people who love you unconditionally and with no expectations. Simple love, care and gratitude can make her very happy. My mother, Seema Kasar loves to travel and taste food from different places. I think I have inherited the same thing. She likes to listen to music while doing her chores which is my habit too. She writes poems and articles which anyone can relate to and I too, have the same interest.

Ashutosh Kulkarni

Ashutosh from Marathi serial Lek Majhi Ladki with mom Suniti Kulkarni

Today, I have been able to successfully work in the industry because my mom trusted and supported me. My mom, Suniti Kulkarni taught me the precious virtue of patience. I am indebted to her for life because she has been so loving and caring throughout. I try my best to keep her happy in every possible way. Also, the dimples that people love about me are something I get from her.

Akshar Kothari

Akshar from Marathi serial Chhoti Malkin with mom Jyoti Kothari

Ideally, we should be celebrating every day as Mothers day because her dedication and love cannot be measured in a day. I developed a liking and interest in acting because of my mother, Jyoti Kothari. She worked in many plays before I was born and today she is reliving her theatre days through me. Her love is unmatchable and you can never pay her back for what she had done for you. I try my best to keep her happy in every possible way.

Ajinkya Raut

Ajinkya from Marathi serial Vithu Mauli with his mom Ujwala Raut

Honestly, I dont believe in celebrating days but recently due to my hectic schedules I am on a lookout for such days. I am away from home so I have asked my sister to arrange for a surprise party for my mum. My mother, Ujwala Raut has some great qualities and to start with, I have eyes just like her. I have imbibed her way of being able to explain things in the shortest way possible. She has this knack of making a point with the least amount of words and I am glad that I have been able to imbibe this.Chinese billionaire Ng Lap Seng was sent to prison on Friday for four years by a US federal judge after being convicted of bribery in a UN corruption scandal.

The 69-year-old Macau businessmen was found guilty in July 2017 after a five-week New York trial of bribing a former president of the UN General Assembly and a former deputy ambassador for the Dominican Republic.

The wealthy real estate developer from Macau was convicted on six counts in connection with a years-long scheme to pay more than $1.3 million in bribes to UN officials.

In addition to his four-year prison term, Judge Vernon Broderick ordered Ng to pay a fine of $1 million, forfeit $1.5 million and make restitution to the United Nations for its legal fees.

Ng bribed John Ashe, president of the Assembly for a year from September 2013, and Francis Lorenzo to win UN support for a multi-billion-dollar UN conference center that he wanted to build in Macau.

On Friday, Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said he corrupted the highest levels of the United Nations and exploited a center for international diplomacy as an instrument for his greedy intentions.

Four other defendants, including Lorenzo, have pleaded guilty. The fifth, Ashe, who was arrested in October 2015 and came from Antigua and Barbuda, died in 2016.

The scandal was a blow to the United Nations, which seeks to promote corruption-free good governance worldwide.

After the arrests, then UN chief Ban Ki-moon promised to examine the finances of the presidents office and ordered an audit to shed light on the murky ties between the United Nations and Ng.

The UN cooperated extensively to facilitate the proper administration of justice in this case, by disclosing thousands of documents and waiving the immunity of officials to allow them to testify at trial, spokesman Farhan Haq said.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Kathmandu, Nepal: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has returned home after concluding his two day state visit in Nepal. Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali saw him off at the Tribhuvan International Airport on Saturday afternoon.





During his two day stay in Nepal, Indian Prime Minister Modi held bilateral talks with various dignitaries including his Nepali counterpart KP Sharma Oli, President Bidya Devi Bhandari, vice president Nanda Bahadur Pun and other leaders from different political parties.





Likewise, Modi, who had stated during his speech at the civic-reception ceremony in Janakpur that he was visiting Nepal as a Prime Pilgrim and not as a Prime Minister, also visited various pilgrimage sites like Jajaki Temple, Muktinath Temple and Pashupatinath Temple.





Both the sides in Nepal and India have termed the visit as of an important visit to mend the bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries. Modi has also given similar message through his tweet.



At the time of this writing, Im on a plane ride back from attending four lodging industry conferences in 10 days, which caused me to be staying at four different large, branded hotels in Minneapolis, Dallas and San Antonio, all of which were close to the convention centers. While all of the staff I encountered were polite and efficient, their service style was overall reactive and not proactive. Notably absent were some core essentials of hotel hospitality excellence that used to be part of Hotel 101 orientation.According to a report obtained by the Blast, Chris Bosh is being sued by his mother after allegedly taking away her home and some of her assets. Freida Bosh alleges that her son had her sign papers back in 2005 according her full ownership of a residence in DeSoto, Texas. She claims the contract carries with it, a promise to look after her financial needs for the test of time.



In August of last year, Freida was surprised to find out she wasn't the sole proprietor of the property. She claims that her son's lawyer's distorted the paperwork to reflect a new agreement that gave her less control of the situation. The lawsuit claims that her son Chris has tried to evict her on countless occasions since the two reportedly "fell out of favor."



Chris' handling of the situation is likely influenced by misdeeds that have occurred on the property while in his mother's control. In December, she was arrested for forcing a disabled person to use her cheque to pay the rental fees on the property. She was also suspect to charges of aiding and abetting a drug operation on the property.That criminal case, it appears is still pending. Freida is seeking "unspecified damages" for essentially being cut off for a determined period of time.Nav's forthcoming album Reckless now has a release date. The Toronto rapper and producer revealed that the album would arrive on May 18th during his Friday night show in Houston. "I'm dropping my album next week Friday," he said. "The wait is over. I just thought I would share that with Houston 'cause y'all so close to my heart."

Nav is currently on his "Freshman" tour. At a show last month, he announced both Reckless and Perfect Timing 2, the sequel to his collaborative project with Metro Boomin. He's set to perform at Miami's Rolling Loud festival tonight.

The rapper made headlines earlier this year when he criticized XXL's Freshman list. "To my fellow artists. We shouldnt look to a magazine for validation or to tell us if we "hot or not", especially one that hasn't been credible for 10 years @xxl. Make music for yourself and your fans. I would never show up for the Freshman List cuz I don't need their approval," he wrote. He shared a song called "Freshman List," as well as naming his tour in protest.

Nav released his self-titled project in 2017. He followed it up with Perfect Timing a few months later. Find his full list of tour dates with 88Glam here."We don't want to become a public bathroom, but we're going to make the right decision 100% of the time and give people the key," is the resolution Starbucks head office came to in response to organized boycotts. An incident in April where two individuals were asked to leave and then subsequently arrested for public loitering became a PR nightmare for the coffee magnate. The arrests and the relative inaction by those implicated in the mess, led to massive by Black Lives Matter activists outside of the Philadelphia storefront.



Executive chair Howard Schultz made the policy announcement yesterday at a press conference in Washington, DC. Schultz admitted that his stores do little for the communities "they serve," in many instances at the cost of maintaining a Microeconomy. The caveat is that all policy changes at Starbucks fall under a 90-day review system. If the safety of customer is somehow compromised by the issuance of this order, the policy will thereby be nullified. Therein lies an issues of satisfying different ideas of civic order all at once.



Since the messy incident in Philadelphia, Starbucks PR team has reiterated a desire to welcome all clients "regardless of the color of your skin, your sexual orientation, your ethnic background, your station in life."

The United States is producing record volumes of oil, with nearly one-third of it coming from the Permian Basin. But rural West Texas can only use so much oil, which means energy companies need to get all that crude somewhere else.

And thats the problem.

The Permian Basin now accounts for more than half of the oil-drilling rigs across the United States, but the flow of crude is coming faster than energy companies can build pipelines to move it to refining and port hubs near Houston and Corpus Christi. That has created a bottleneck that is slowing delivery to energy markets, forcing producers to discount Permian crude by $10-to-$15 a barrel to the U.S. benchmark and leading pipeline companies to propose new projects.

The benchmark oil contract settled at $70.70 in New York Friday.

The San Antonio developer of the EPIC Crude Oil Pipeline said on Friday that it signed anchor customers to ensure the project has the financing to move forward. Apache and Noble Energy have committed to use 30 percent of the EPIC oil pipelines planned capacity of 590,000 barrels a day.

The pipeline, which would trek 730 miles from near the New Mexico border to Corpus Christi, is slated to come online by the end of 2019. The two Houston oil producers also have the option to buy large stakes in the pipeline.

The pipeline company, EPIC Midstream Holdings, disclosed the contracts as the Permian Basin added another five rigs, according to the Houston oilfield services company Baker Hughes. The Permian now has 463 operating oil-drilling rigs, about 55 percent of the 844 across the country, and, according to the Energy Department, produced about 3.2 million barrels of the nations record 10.7 million barrels a day in early May.

Other companies also are proposing new pipelines and expansions to try to catch up with the Permians production. Houstons Enterprise Products Partners is slated to put its new, 416-mile Midland-to-Sealy crude oil pipeline into full service later this month.

Magellan Midstream Partners of Oklahoma and Plains All American Pipeline of Houston are expanding their BridgeTex oil pipeline from West Texas to the Houston area. Plains, which owns the only major pipeline that runs from the Permian to Corpus Christi, also plans to complete a new pipeline system  Cactus II  by the fall of 2019.

Houston-based Phillips 66 is leading another Permian-to-Corpus crude pipeline project, the Gray Oak Pipeline, which was just authorized in April.

We expect massive capacity expansion from existing and new pipelines to help continue the Permian boom, said Ethan Bellamy, an energy analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co.

Most of that capacity wont come online until 2019  or later. Companies also are building natural gas and natural gas liquids pipelines from the Permian because West Texas oil wells also produce large volumes of natural gas and associated liquids. EPIC, for example, is building an adjacent natural gas liquids pipeline as well

Enterprise is constructing the Shin Oak Pipeline to transport natural gas liquids to the Houston area. That would allow Enterprise to convert one of its existing natural gas liquids pipelines  Seminole or Chaparral  to crude oil by 2020.

jordan.blum@chron.com

twitter.com/jdblum23That redbird in your yard may not necessarily be a cardinal.

It could be a summer tanager. Cloaked in vibrant red,  its a bird my grandfather called the cardinals summer cousin. It migrates here from winter homes in Central Mexico down to South America, where even in nonbreeding plumage, the bird strikes a pretty pose.

I saw scores of them landing in coastal woodlots in April. After crossing the Gulf of Mexico, they were headed to breeding grounds across much of the eastern and southwestern U.S., including Houston neighborhoods.

Features distinguishing summer tanagers from northern cardinals begin with its subtlety different shade of red plumes. Male summer tanagers in breeding plumage have rose-hued feathers, whereas male northern cardinals in breeding plumage have crimson feathers and a black face mask.

Adult male summer tanagers are the only birds in North America with virtually an entire red plumage, making for easy identification. But immature males landing in coastal woodlots this spring looked like unkempt vagabonds with splotchy red heads and orangish body feathers.

We know the female northern cardinal differs from the showy male with her red-tinted pastel brown, making her quite gorgeous. But the poor female summer tanager has only yellow-orange plumage besmirched with rusty-red, as though she is splattered with red paint.

More Information Tanager facts Texas tanagers migrate from Latin America. Summer tanagers breed throughout Texas but not commonly in the Panhandle. Western tanagers have a red head, yellow body and black wings and breed in far west Texas. Hepatic tanagers are liver-red with varying tones of gray around the ears, wings, flanks and back; they breed in Big Bend National Park and far west Texas. Scarlet tanagers are a deep crimson with coal-black wings and merely migrate through coastal Texas toward breeding grounds in the northeast region of North America. Female tanagers in Texas are yellowish to yellowish-green or brownish-green. See More Collapse

Summer tanagers quickly can be told from northern cardinals by their long, stout, bone-colored beaks. They are designed to feast on insects, with a particular preference for bees and wasps. Cardinals have robust conical beaks shaped like a nutcracker and employed to crush seeds and crunch beetles.

A slight peak on the crown of a summer tanager gives it a crested appearance, but its nothing like the dramatically pointed, triangular crest that crowns a northern cardinal.

The tanagers song sounds a bit like the tune of a robin with raspy notes, sounding like cheerily-cheerily-cheerup, but the bird utters a unique bouncing call, which sound like pick-e-tuck-tuck.

I always thought my grandpa had been mistaken about summer redbirds being cousins to cardinals because summer tanagers were classified in the Thraupidae or tanager family of neotropical birds.

But scientists ultimately have determined that summer tanagers have more in common with cardinals than tanagers; they reclassified them in the Cardinalidae family.

Grandpa was right, after all.

Email Gary Clark at texasbirder@comcast.net.The Salvation Army Womens Auxiliarys annual Reflections on Style is always a triple threat, but this years four-day chic boutique, runway show and luncheon added international flair into the mix with its Destination Fashion theme.

Upon entering the River Oaks Country Club, luncheongoers were welcomed by flag-waving models, each representing a different country that receives aid from the Salvation Army. Later, the catwalk portion showcased a range of first-class fashion, from jet-set in-flight looks to ensembles inspired by London, New York, Paris and Italy. Afterward, the ballroom full of shoppers raced to the lobbys boutique pop-up to purchase must-have items.After more than 25 years of serving local children and their families, a long-standing, privately owned preschool in The Woodlands is closing its doors for good.

The Woodlands School for Young Scholars, located at Grogans Park, will have its last day for students on May 25. The school will remain open until June 2.

School Director and Owner Sheryl Krzemien, who took over the school in 2003, said making the decision to close the school has been difficult and somewhat emotional.

I dont want to be emotional, but thats probably been the hardest for me, Krzemien said of the students shes leaving behind and trying to help move into other schools. I know there are options for that, but the schools are not uniquely what we do; and some of the younger kids are from families that have been with me with two or three kids.

The school currently has about18 enrolled students and four teachers, the smallest staff the school has ever had, Krzemien said. At its largest, The Woodlands School for Young Scholars had 80 students and 12 teachers, she added. Over the years, the staff has dwindled and with it the amount of students enrolled in the school.

Krzemien said she had been mentally preparing to close the school for some time. Both of Krzemiens children, who are now adults, each went through the preschool when it was under a different owner. Her son, who is preparing to go to graduate school for his masters degree, recently graduated from college, she said.

I started when he was a kindergartner. I think its time for me to move on, Krzemien said. Its time to move on and maybe do something different. Its been great for us as a family and for the community.

Krzemien said she still very much a part of her students lives and is planning an event to close out the school year, where former staff and TWSFYS families will be invited to attend.

The school will donate its books and educational materials to St. Augustine School in Belton, Texas, and to a local Houston-area school recovering from damage from Hurricane Harvey.

Michelle IrachetaWorship services will go on as usual this weekend at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, days after the church office was damaged by an explosive device, the Rev. Steven Balke said Friday.

Beaumont Police and the FBI cleared the crime scene at the church Friday afternoon, removing the yellow caution tape intended to keep parishioners and gawkers away.

BPD declined on Friday to release any further information about the device, which detonated sometime between 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and 8 a.m. Thursday.

Officers were called to the church just after 9 a.m. on Thursday about some "criminal mischief," when they discovered the explosive device, Chief Jim Singletary said Thursday.

The explosion broke one window and caused minor damage to exterior brick walls and bushes next to the office door.

Employees at businesses near St. Stephen's Church on Friday said they were staying alert but otherwise treated the day as normal.

India Plowden, who watched the stream of panicked parents on Thursday picking up their children through the window of Malley Cleaners on Delaware Street, said she wasn't worried about a repeat incident in the same neighborhood.

"I'm more concerned about another incident in another area," she said.

On April 26, an explosive device was found outside Starbucks on Dowlen Road, about a mile from the church on Delaware.

That package, which was left on top of a trash can outside the store, was found just before sunrise by an employee. Unlike the device at the church, the package found at Starbucks did not detonate.

BPD confirmed that the package contained a "legitimate explosive device" but declined to reveal the contents of an accompanying note.

Singletary declined to comment on Thursday about any possible connection between the two incidents but asked residents to report any suspicious packages found at their homes or businesses.

"We're on alert," said Patrick Davis, who was working at Beaumont Major League Barber Shop on Delaware Friday. "I'm not picking up any packages."

He said fewer customers were coming in and the area seemed less busy than on typical Fridays.

Janice Wooten, who works at State Farm in the shopping center next to the church, said she wasn't concerned about coming to work Friday but called all of her grandchildren on Thursday to warn them about not touching suspicious items.

With so many homes still being repaired after Harvey, people are receiving "lots of packages," she said. "I told them all to be more careful, and not to pick up any packages that aren't expected," she said.

"I hope the community can just watch out for one another and be mindful," Plowden said.

Lamar University announced on Friday it would have heightened security for this weekend's graduation ceremonies "in response to recent events in our area."

"There is no credible threat at this time. We are just being overly cautious," said Daniel McLemore, Lamar's associate director of marketing communications. "It's the smart thing to do."

In an email to students, the university warned people to report any suspicious items to LU police or 911.

Beaumont Police, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the Thursday explosion.

Singletary said Thursday that no information about suspects, possible motives, intended victims or the components of the device would be released.

LTeitz@BeaumontEnterprise.com

Twitter.com/LizTeitz

ICYMI: Package left at Beaumont Starbucks in April contained explosive device

LTeitz@BeaumontEnterprise.com

Twitter.com/LizTeitzTo say for certain whether Alfred Dewayne Brown killed veteran Houston Police Officer Charles R. Clark in a botched three-man robbery in 2003, youd need three things.

To have been there to witness the shooting. To be omniscient. Or to have really good evidence.

Harris County attorneys have none of the above. So, it appears they got creative.

In a motion last week, county attorneys Seth Hopkins and Celena Vinson asked a federal judge to dismiss Browns civil rights lawsuit stemming from his wrongful conviction, claiming that the evidence that freed him from death row actually shows his guilt.

Its a ridiculous claim -- yet another in a long string of delays Brown has endured since Texas highest criminal court tossed out his conviction after finding that prosecutors violated his rights at trial.

Read more: Ex-death row inmate Alfred Brown bluffed his way out of prison, county alleges

That violation stemmed from the fact that prosecutors withheld evidence, a phone record, that the court deemed exculpatory, meaning it had the potential to help his defense. Brown had always maintained his innocence, saying a landline call he made on the morning of the murder would show he was at his girlfriends house when police maintained he was with the killers.

No evidence of the phone call was presented at trial. Years later, in a homicide detectives garage, a phone record surfaced that showed a call was made from the girlfriends house at the time Brown said it was.

It was enough for former District Attorney Mike Anderson to agree to a new trial for Brown. It was enough for an appellate court to reverse Browns conviction. It, along with witness recantations and other crumbling aspects of the case, was enough to lead another district attorney, Devon Anderson, to decide after a lengthy review not to retry Brown.

But its not enough for the county attorneys, who claim that a more sophisticated analysis conducted by a recently hired expert shows that the fateful call was actually a three-way call that originated from another apartment where the killers were believed to be shortly after the murder. That, they claim, shows that Brown was with the killers, and then simply called someone at his girlfriends house, who then patched the call through to the girlfriends workplace.

These records destroy Browns alibi, the county attorneys claim in the motion.

If the records didnt help Browns defense, then the county attorneys reason that they werent exculpatory, and so Browns prosecutors didnt violate his rights by withholding them. Thus, they conclude Browns conviction shouldnt have been reversed, and he lacks a civil rights claim as well.

See, I told you they got creative.

DA: Former prosecutor withheld key email in death row case

The convoluted theory can be torn apart in so many ways. Even if one accepts the new three-way call analysis, Brown could have easily been at the girlfriends house, as he claimed, received the call from the killers whom he knew and then called his girlfriend quickly thereafter.

The truth is, the phone record by itself doesnt prove much of anything, and that includes Browns innocence. Hopefully, special prosecutor John Raley will determine the latter issue after a thorough review.

The phone record is important, but it wasnt accompanied by some video surveillance footage of Brown dialing the telephone from a certain location. People who argue Brown is guilty have long floated a three-way call scenario, and others have suggested the obvious: anyone at the girlfriends house could have made the call.

Heres the thing, though: Exculpatory evidence doesnt have to prove a defendants innocence. It just has to have the potential to help his defense. And this phone record did just that.

Perhaps thats why prosecutor Dan Rizzo, who had requested the phone record himself, didnt mention it at trial. Perhaps thats why they didnt tell defense attorneys about it. Indeed, if it were so helpful in proving Browns guilt, youd think prosecutors, highly motivated as they were to get justice for a slain police officer, would have presented it to the jury.

Read more: Rizzos defense in Alfred Dewayne Brown case questionable then, chilling now

Still, perhaps the best evidence that the phone record could have helped Brown comes from a recently unearthed email in which then-homicide detective Breck McDaniel acknowledged as much before trial.

Its worth noting that McDaniel himself took the stand during Browns trial as the states expert on phone record analysis and technology. He cited his past testimony in hundreds of cases, training including the Secret Service and the U.S. Marshals Electronic Surveillance unit, and his work as an instructor in the field.

I was hoping that it would clearly refute Ericas claim that she received a call at work, McDaniel wrote, referring to Browns then-girlfriend. She was Browns strongest alibi witness until a grand jury bullied her into changing her story and Rizzo, the prosecutor, threw her in jail before trial.

But, McDaniel went on, it looks like the call detail records from the apartment shows that the home phone dialed Erica's place of employment on Hartwick Street at about 8:30 a.m. and again at 10:08 a.m."

A prosecutor has a duty not to convict, but to do justice. The moment Rizzo realized he had evidence that had even the potential to help Brown, he was bound by law to turn it over. He didnt. He sat on it, and then claimed years later the phone record was lost inadvertently.

Thats a violation of Browns rights. That comes across loud and clear. The rest is just static.

lisa.falkenberg@chron.com

twitter.com/chronfalkenbergImagine being faced with eviction, or fleeced by a tradesman. Or imagine that your dog had nipped a small child, or that your sweetheart had always dreamed of a simple courthouse wedding.

On such occasions, you might find yourself explaining your situation to someone like Jeff Williams, a Republican who serves as Justice of the Peace for Precinct 5, Place 2, in Harris County.

Williams, who took the bench in 2011, is seeking a third term in office  and hell get one, if he wins the Republican primary runoff on May 22. There is no Democratic candidate in that precinct.

But Williams placed second in the March primary, and might well lose the runoff to his opponent, Mike Wolfe. And so, on Thursday, Williams sent me an email asking if he could explain his situation to me.

My column in that days paper concerned the mudslinging in the Republican primary runoff in the Second Congressional District, and had noted that some of the mud being slung at Dan Crenshaw was being slung by talk radio host Terry Lowry, via his Linkletter.

READ MORE: Mudslinging in the Second Congressional District runoff should stop

I too have been the subject and unlucky recipient of lies and half-truths, misrepresentations and mudslinging by the Linkletter, Williams wrote.

If you'd like more information about it to set the record straight, I'd be thrilled to talk with you.

I had never crossed paths with Williams prior to this, and its foolish to make assumptions about Republican judges in Harris County. Some of them are honorable and effective public servants. Others are puppets of party activists like Lowry and Steve Hotze. And it can be hard to tell the difference, since theyre all Republicans and most of them have generic-sounding names like Jeff Williams or Mike Wolfe.

But after making a few inquiries, I concluded that Williams was in the public-servant category.

All the sane people are supporting him, one Republican source told me.

He explained that Harris Countys notorious slates are supporting Williams challenger  despite the fact that Wolfe is not a lawyer and has no legal experience  because Williams, in his capacity as justice of the peace, has married all couples who request his services and can present him with a valid marriage license.

Thats among the reasons the Houston Chronicle endorsed Williams in February. The editorial board also added a note of caution about Wolfe, who serves on the Harris County Department of Educations board of trustees.

READ MORE: For Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5, Place 2: Jeff Williams

Wolfe is generally treated as an embarrassment within local governance and should be kept as far as possible from the levers of power in Harris County, the editorial board noted.

The Linkletter, by contrast, endorsed Wolfe, who proudly listed the Linkletters endorsement in a full-page ad he placed in the special edition of the Linkletter published shortly before this years Republican primary.

That edition of the Linkletter also included a parenthetical about Williams, on its slate of endorsements, accusing him of asking Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack for a temporary chapel for (gay) weddings after the Harvey flood.

A follow-up edition of the Linkletter included a guest editorial about the Williams vs. White runoff by a local plaintiffs lawyer, Eric Dick.

Mr. Williams is inhumane and an utter embarrassment to the party, Dick wrote, denouncing his handling of cases in the courtroom.

Dick, in an interview Friday, would not provide any evidence of the mistreatment he described in the guest editorial, saying only that he had gotten the information from an attorney whose name he would not provide.

I explained to Dick that it would be unreasonable for me to report the unnamed attorneys allegations without at least hearing them for myself.

What youre trying to do is to spin the truth because you dont like it, Dick retorted.

On what basis are you making that assumption about me? I asked.

How youre acting, he said.

READ MORE: Texans are in the mood to vote without meddling from anyone

Dick, who serves as vice chair of HCDEs board of trustees, declined to answer my follow-up question about whether there are any circumstances under which it might, in theory, be acceptable for a journalist to ask questions.

Harris County Commissioner Radack, however, confirmed that Williams had never asked him to build a wedding chapel in the temporary Precinct 5 courthouse, which was set up after Hurricane Harvey in a building that normally hosts a Peter Piper Pizza.

Engineering was in charge of finding him a location for his marriages or a conference room or whatever he was asking for, said Radack.

A tricky thing about the Linkletter, and Harris Countys other notorious slates, is that they sometimes endorse a reasonable Republican candidate despite themselves.

The Williams vs. Wolfe runoff, however, is not one of those cases. So if youre among the hundreds of thousands of Texans who live in Precinct 5 of Harris County, Id encourage you to vote in the Republican primary runoff, if youre eligible to do so.

You might find yourself in the peoples court someday. And imagine how youd feel if you had to explain your situation to someone like Wolfe, who isnt even a lawyer and would, as a justice of the peace, be empowered to rule against you, for any reason he  or Lowry  might think he should.

I was elected to follow the law, and to protect rights, said Williams, the incumbent  and, in this context, the better choice.The federal tax overhaul cut taxes for millions of American families and businesses. But the law also had an unintended effect: raising the state-tax bite in nearly every state that has an income tax.

Now, governors and state legislators are contending with how to adjust their own tax codes to shield their residents from paying more or, in some cases, whether to apply any of the unexpected revenue windfall to other priorities instead.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in December, did not directly affect state budgets. It cut federal tax rates, but also made other changes that mean more income will be subject to taxation. Because most states use federal definitions of income and have not adjusted their own rates, the federal changes will have big consequences for both state budgets and taxpayers.

Residents of the majority of states would experience an unlegislated tax increase, said Jared Walczak, an analyst with the Tax Foundation, a conservative think tank.

In Minnesota, the state estimates that residents could pay more than $400 million in additional state taxes in the next fiscal year because of the new federal law. That has set off a fight over how to respond. The states Democratic governor wants to give most of that money back to Minnesotans through tax cuts aimed at low- and moderate-income families; the Republican-controlled legislature wants broader-based tax cuts. Both sides say they must resolve the issue before the legislative session ends May 21.

Apart from the nine states with no broad-based income tax, nearly every state will face a similar decision. Almost all of the states base their tax codes in some way on federal definitions of income, before applying their own adjustments and deductions and setting their own tax rates.

The federal tax overhaul, which eliminated or capped several deductions and exemptions, effectively broadened what counts as income for some families. Previously, for example, a married couple with three children earning $70,000 might have been taxed on only about $36,000 of that income, according to the Tax Policy Center, a research group. The tax law, however, eliminated the so-called personal exemption and made other changes, which could increase this familys taxable income to about $46,000.

At the federal level, those changes were more than offset for most families by lower tax rates and an increased child tax credit. In the example of a married couple with three children, the familys federal tax bill would be lowered by more than $2,000 under the law. At the state level, however, the changes leave families owing tax on a larger share of their income, without the reduced rates or new credits to soften the blow.

A handful of states have already taken action, in some cases using the extra revenue from the federal law as lubrication for deal-making. Colorado, for example, took advantage of its estimated $200 million in extra revenue to pass a budget that included extra funding for roads, public education and school security. Idaho, on the other hand, moved quickly to return the revenue windfall to residents through tax cuts.

The challenge is especially acute in Minnesota because its tax code is closely tied to the federal definitions.

The Minnesota Department of Revenue estimates that if the state tax code incorporates the federal change in calculating taxable income, 870,000 Minnesota families will pay more for the 2018 tax year, by an average of $489 per person.

In theory, Minnesota could try to maintain its status quo by simply leaving its taxes linked to the previous federal definitions. But that would force taxpayers to calculate their income under two different systems.

If we do nothing, then it becomes very difficult for our citizens to file taxes, said Roger Chamberlain, a Republican state senator who heads the bodys tax committee.

Beyond an agreement that something must be done, the consensus breaks down. The state Senate recently passed a plan, backed by Chamberlain, that would cut rates and impose an automatic trigger that would lower taxes further anytime the state runs a budget surplus  a move Democrats call fiscally irresponsible. The House, which is also controlled by Republicans, previously passed a tax cut of its own.

Mark Dayton, Minnesotas Democratic governor, has taken a different approach, proposing new tax credits for low- and moderate-income residents, while raising taxes on businesses. A recent Department of Revenue analysis found that Minnesotans would pay $91.5 million more under the governors tax plan  which includes some proposals unrelated to the federal law  with the entire burden falling on the 10 percent of taxpayers with the highest incomes. Cynthia Bauerly, the state revenue commissioner, said no wage earner would pay more in taxes under the governors plan.

Business groups have criticized the governors proposal, which they argue would make Minnesota less competitive. Some progressive groups say the state should go further, using the extra revenue generated by the federal law to fund a paid family-leave program or childhood savings accounts.

This is exactly the kind of thing you could use to start the core investment of a program like that, said Chris Conry, strategic campaigns director for TakeAction Minnesota, a liberal advocacy group. You could give every kid born in Minnesota $500 at birth.

Similar debates are playing out in statehouses across the country, in a few different ways. In some states, the state tax code automatically incorporates changes to federal law; for those states, doing nothing probably means an automatic tax increase on residents unless their legislatures take action.

In other states, including Minnesota, such updates are not automatic. So legislatures must pass so-called conformity bills that adopt some or all of the federal changes, or else leave residents to contend with possibly conflicting tax systems.

Several states have yet to address the issue, or have barely begun the process. In Maine, the legislature recently adjourned without a deal on how to adapt to the federal law. In California, the legislature has not even tried to pass a conformity bill, choosing instead to focus on developing workarounds for the federal laws cap on state and local tax deductions, which would hit California residents especially hard.

Some state tax systems are linked more closely to the federal tax code than others. The difference lies in how states define income for the purposes of their tax calculations. Most states, including Maine and California, start with adjusted gross income, Line 37 on a standard 1040 form. Any federal provisions that get applied farther down the 1040 form  like itemized deductions  do not affect those states tax collections.

But a handful of states, including Minnesota, base their tax codes on federal taxable income, Line 43 on the 1040 form. And what goes on between those two lines is where most of the changes passed by Congress will be felt, resulting in a higher taxable income for many families. (A few states apply a hybrid of the two methods.)

Even in states that are less affected, failing to adapt their tax codes to the federal law could make it hard for residents to figure out what they owe  and, in some cases, force them to pay more. The longer states wait, the less time residents, businesses and state tax officials have to adapt to the new rules before next years filing season.

Inaction becomes action this time, said Richard C. Auxier, a research associate at the Tax Policy Center. Peoples taxes will change, states revenues will change.

Several factors are complicating the issue for states. Congress passed its tax overhaul late in the year and with minimal debate, giving states relatively little time to assess the effects and plan a response. Even now, the full impact on state budgets is not clear, meaning legislatures are deciding how to take advantage of a revenue stream that could fall short of estimates. In addition, most of the changes to the individual tax code expire after several years, further muddling states plans.

Moreover, the tax debate is hitting as state budgets are strained by rising health care and pension costs, among other factors. Those strains could worsen in coming years if the federal government cuts back funding  perhaps because of deficits caused, in part, by the tax law itself.

And states, unlike the federal government, generally cannot plug budget holes by running deficits. That makes the unexpected revenue from the tax law a fiscal temptation.

For states, this is about as good as its going to get, said Nicholas Johnson of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank. Were overdue for a recession, which always hit state budgets hard.

State officials, however, have mostly avoided calling for using the extra tax revenue to increase spending. Much of the base-broadening in the federal law comes from the elimination of the personal exemption, which primarily benefited families with multiple children. Few politicians want to advocate raising taxes on parents.

Thats your windfall, a tax increase on large families, Auxier said.The nations best-selling pickup, the one that branded itself in the lore of the 850,000-acre King Ranch, that has conquered those thorny mesquite plains of South Texas, the wild mountains of the Big Bend, and the concrete canyons of Houston - has, for the moment, run out of gas.

Ford has a little more than two months of inventory on the F-150, after a fire at a magnesium parts plant in the Midwest prompted it to shut down all production of the vehicle and scale back production of larger F-series models.

Its not clear when Ford can restart two assembly lines that make the F-150, but analysts and dealers seem confident that Ford will find a way. Its truck line makes up 10 percent of all U.S. auto production. But if the shutdown lingers, whats a Texan to do? The state sells more pickups than any other; Houston more than any market. When legions of bass fishermen showed up during Hurricane Harvey to lend a hand with their boats, odds were good that any given vessel was towed by a Ford.

In terms of Texas culture, I dont think its a big deal short term, but if its a sustained problem it will be an issue, said W.F. Strong, communications professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Texas raconteur.

Hell be ordering the F-150 black King Ranch edition, with leather and wood trim. Hes waiting for the new model year. At this point his biggest concern isnt that theyll run out, but that customizations could be limited.

I think for about 100 years we Texans were judged by our horses on their size and strength, and now were judged by our trucks, said Strong, author of the forthcoming Stories from Texas: Some of Them Are True, including an ode to Harveys bass boat heroes.

It was a stroke of marketing genius, 15 years ago, when Ford wrapped their truck in the manly ethos of the King Ranch brand, he muses in one of his essays. Every leather seat within the truck is emblazoned with the King Ranch Running W cattle brand. Macho sublimity.

Fords F-150 lists for as little as $27,700 to more than $70,000 for a fully decked-out Platinum model. Measured in horsepower, they are vestiges of a frontier lifestyle to which Texans cling, even though we may never take them off road, Strong said. Houston and Dallas people are still living the dream of the ranch.

That dream isnt likely to be interrupted, said Frank Pierce, general manager of Sterling McCall Ford in Houston. His dealership has an unusually high inventory of F-150s because of a soon-to-be-completed remodel, and all signals from the company point to a supply rebound. They havent backed off buyer incentives, he said.

I think were just going to go hard until theres an actual problem, Pierce said. I dont know that its actually going to go that far.

If it did, it would mean a lot to a lot of people, he said. The F-150 is the staple of everything we do.

Theres little danger of customers defecting to another brand, said Michelle Krebs, senior analyst at AutoTrader. The loyalty rate for full-size pickups is the highest in the industry at about 70 percent, she said. For those who do shop around, Fords troubles come as its main competitors come out with new or redesigned products, including the Dodge Ram 1500, Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra.

It was going to be a really competitive truck year anyway, Krebs said.

Ford has assured investors that impacts will be short term, and it has not changed its stock guidance, projecting a full-year earnings per share of $1.45 to $1.70.

I have a couple of customers who I have trucks on order for that are just concerned, but once the trucks are assigned a VIN number, the parts are allocated for them, said Paul Diamanti, a 10-year sales veteran at Sterling McCall.

Bob Leaumont, 71, was trading in a 2007 F-150 with 119,340 miles for a 2018 model. Hes owned three of them.

It has always been dependable, he said. Its a myth that theyre going to run out.

Company executives told reporters a Ford crisis team is on site at the Eaton Rapids, Mich., parts plant and working to move tools from there to a Canadian plant to resume production. Eaton Rapids City Manager Aaron Desentz told the Detroit Free Press that Meridian believes it can be up and running in 120 days.

But analysts said switching to a contingency supplier may be tricky. The lightweight magnesium parts industry is still immature and other affected automakers - including Fiat Chrysler and Mercedes - likely are courting the same short list of alternate sources, said Kristin Dziczek, vice president of the Center for Automotive Research's Industry, Labor & Economics Group.

The May 2 fire at Meridian Magnesium Products severely damaged a smelting area and put about half the plant out of work. Lightweight magnesium parts increase fuel efficiency.

Ford said it has idled 7,600 workers because of the fire.

Dziczek said automakers including Ford, which sells 1 million F-series trucks a year, dug deep into their supply chains after a 2011 tsunami interrupted a Japanese supplier, and they developed better contingencies for critical suppliers.

I dont know that (Texans) are going to be separated from their pickup truck, she said. This is simply too valuable of a business line for Ford to have it be down for very long.

Krebs wasnt as bullish because of the relative rarity of magnesium parts suppliers.

I dont know if theres a Plan B for this one, she said. I have not seen a firm plan or timeline.

For now, Strong expects to order the King Ranch edition, with options of his liking, this fall. It suits his tall 6-foot-5-inch, 250-pound Texan frame, his country upbringing in tiny Falfurrias, near the King Ranch at the northern edge of the borderlands. But there could be cause for a shiver later this summer.

If the supply chain is getting cold, Strong said, then were going to have pneumonia here when it comes to trucks.AUSTIN  The two Democrats struggling to cross the finish line first in the May 22 gubernatorial runoff had sharp exchanges Friday night over abortion, immigration policy and public school finances as they squared off in their only debate.

The forum provided the first political sparks in the six-month campaign as former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez slammed Houston investor Andrew White for his personal pro-life stance, suggesting that he had implied that women who had abortions do not value life.

She said he should apologize to Texas women.

He denied ever saying or implying that, and said his personal view will not affect his support of the Roe V. Wade mandate allowing abortions. He said he shares his position on the issue with former Vice President Joe Biden and former vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine.

She fired the one bullet she had. It was untrue, White said after the debate.

Both White and Valdez said they would veto any new anti-abortion measures should they become governor, and will support legislation to roll back current laws that limit womens choice.

They both were eager to energize voters for what assuredly will be a low-turnout election, and they jousted in the debate at St. James Episcopal Church over numerous issues important to Democratic voters. After the event, which was carried on cable systems only in some parts of the state and livestreamed on the internet, both candidates said they gave winning performances.

Early voting starts Monday in the race to see who will face Republican incumbent Greg Abbott in November.

CHRONICLE ENDORSEMENT: Texas Democrats' best hope lies with White for governor

White was questioned about his churchs stance against gay marriage and homosexuality, to which he said he personally supports LGBTQ equal rights  and noted he received the endorsement of the states largest LGBTQ organization.

Valdez, a lesbian, shot back she had been endorsed by many other state LGBTQ groups, and was in a better position to represent those Texans.

Valdez was put on the defensive about why she agreed to allow federal immigration agents into the Dallas County jail while she was sheriff, a decision that moderator Gromer Jeffers of The Dallas Morning News said was at odds with the positions of immigration advocates who have said she should have refused  as did Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez.

I did not bring (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) into the jail, Valdez responded. There are no perfect solutions. I made the decision because we were going to lose funds.

I had to make imperfect decisions, she said. I did what was best for the communities.

Border issues

White was also grilled about his ownership in a border security company that has helped federal immigration agents detect and capture undocumented immigrants attempting to sneak into Texas from Mexico.

Its a humanitarian issue. Our technology saves lives, White answered, saying he is working to sell the company at the suggestion of a Latino advocacy group that has endorsed him.

For her part, Valdez asserted that she is the only one of the two who has fought actively against anti-immigrant Republican legislation for years.

On taxes, both candidates were quizzed for details about how they will pay for their proposed reforms in education and healthcare, among other plans, that carry big price tags.

Without giving specifics, Valdez said she will work to close loopholes in current law and will scour the state budget to ensure that it aligns with Texans priorities. White said he will close property-tax loopholes for owners of skyscrapers that allow them to greatly cut their taxes, and will expand gambling at horse racetracks to raise additional revenues for schools.

Both candidates said they will support having the state pay a larger share of public school costs, to reduce the burden on local homeowners. Both endorsed universal pre-K for children as a step forward to improving education in Texas.

To a question on how they would limit gentrification in Texas larger cities, where longtime residents with limited incomes are being forced out because of higher taxes, both said they supported affordable housing incentives  though their details varied.

Claiming at one point that Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are driving the crazy train of divisive ultra-conservative policies in Texas, White tried to cast himself as the Democrat who can attract support from enough moderate Republicans in November to defeat Abbott  in a state where GOP voters outnumber Democrats by 800,000.

Even so, Valdez insisted she is the better choice. I am the candidate of the working Texans and I will never, never, never stop working for you, she said.

Both said they will support whomever the Democratic nominee is in November.

Church issues

Earlier Friday, a war of words had erupted over Whites position on abortion, after a prominent Texas pro-life group usually aligned with Republicans blasted the Texas Democratic Party for pressuring White to renounce his pro-life values to run as a Democrat.

(White's) previously stated stance of being deeply, personally pro-life and his position as an elder of a Houston church that is part of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) gave us hope that the Democratic Party would be open to a pro-life candidate, said Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life.

As an elder in a PCA church, Mr. White was tasked with upholding the Church's teachings, which include opposing abortion in all forms. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.

The Houston Chronicle reported that White had resigned his position as an elder as a result of the controversy over his public pro-choice position as a candidate.

For too long, the Democratic Party of Texas has abandoned Texans who believe in defending the sanctity of life, Pojman said. They have turned the abortion debate into a litmus test and excluded candidates who seek to bring a pro-life voice into the party, and thus have forced Mr. White to abandon his pro-life position.

White rejected Pojmans call to be pro-life.

Let me be clear: I trust women to make their own healthcare decisions. Period, White said. Once again, Abbott and his allies are scrambling to try to pick the Democratic nominee for governor. But Democratic primary voters get to decide.

mike.ward@chron.comAs state authorities struggle to successfully prosecute more than 100 people indicted in the aftermath of the 2015 deadly biker clash in Waco, federal prosecutors are pushing forward in San Antonio with a racketeering trial of two former leaders of the Bandidos for 16 years of alleged criminal conduct.

An anonymous jury of eight men and four women, and four alternates has been picked for the trial in San Antonio of former Bandidos president Jeffrey Fay Pike, 61, of Conroe and then-vice president John Xavier Portillo, 57, of San Antonio. Opening statements are scheduled for Tuesday morning in front of Senior U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra for the trial that may last up to three months.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric Fuchs and John Gibson submitted a sealed list of 100 witnesses (not all may testify) that include former Bandidos, rival bikers, police officers, federal agents and gang experts, as the prosecutors try to prove that between January 2000 and up until their arrests in January 2016, Pike and Portillo were involved  directly or indirectly  in a host of racketeering crimes. Federal officials allege Portillo, who was vice president from 2013 until his arrest, and Pike directed or sanctioned extortions, beatings, even killings, of rivals in order to keep control of the Bandidos territory and profits.

The Bandidos were formed in the Houston area in the 1960s and earned an outlaw reputation, using the motto: we are the people our parents warned us about. Law officers consider the Bandidos to be Texas ruling biker gang.

But its current and former members say they just like motorcycles, particularly Harleys, and the biker lifestyle. Many pride themselves in the one percenter credo, a phrase coined by the former president of the American Motorcyclist Association who once stated that 99 percent of bikers are law-abiding citizens and 1 percent outlaws.

Its not a gang, Royce Showalter,one of the Bandidos last surviving founders, in 2015 told the San Antonio Express-News. Its a motorcycle club. (The police) theyve always tried to say theres crime involved.  But you can say that about any group. You get so many people in a group and there may be a few who might be bad eggs.

Pike was national president of the group from February 2006 until he gave up the post when he, Portillo and then national sergeant-at-arms Justin Cole Forster, 32, in January 2016 were indicted and arrested. Portillo and Forster have been jailed since, and others have moved into their posts within the Bandidos.

The Bandidos have been in national headlines in recent years largely over the deadly 2015 confrontation in Waco, though the incident may only be briefly mentioned in the federal trial, Fuchs told Ezra last week.

The May 2015 shootout involving members of the Bandidos and Cossacks motorcycle clubs outside a Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco left nine bikers dead  including Jesse Delgado Rodriguez, 65, of New Braunfels  and 20 injured.

We are not going to try the Waco case in here, Ezra said last week during a pre-trial motions hearing. Theyre having a hard time having it tried in Waco, let alone here. Im not going to spend valuable trial time on it. ...Its not part of this indictment. 

During last weeks hearing, Ezra ruled on other numerous pre-trial motions that included anything from objections by prosecutors to defense lawyers introducing evidence that the Bandidos are now a nonprofit organization to objections by the defense over the Bandidos being referred to as the Bandidos Motorcycle Organization.

The Bandidos in May 2017 filed as USARG Inc. to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation with 123 licensed chapters in the United States, court records said.

The judge denied motions to sever the defendants cases or to delay the trial despite objections from Dick DeGuerin, Pikes lead lawyer, and Mark Stevens, Portillos lead attorney.

The latest indictment alleges Portillo declared war on rivals after becoming vice president in 2013 and outlines several clashes between the Bandidos and rival clubs. The indictment also accuses Bandidos bikers of harassing and attacking bikers across Texas, as part of the war that Portillo had declared, and lists the killings of three men in separate incidents: Robert Lara in Atascosa County in January 2002, Anthony W. Benesh III in Austin in March 2006 and Geoffrey Brady in Fort Worth in December 2014.

Pike and Portillos defense lawyers have argued that the feds are wrongly holding Pike and Portillo accountable for conduct limited to within respective Bandidos chapters or to individual members.

In October 2016, Forster pleaded guilty to federal racketeering, drug trafficking and extortion charges as part of a plea deal. That same month, Bandidos member Frederick Fast Fred Cortez, 49, pleaded guilty to murder in aid of racketeering for Laras killing.FORT WORTH - Law enforcement officers prepared for war in Waco on May 17, 2015.

In parking lots surrounding the Twin Peaks restaurant just off Interstate 35, 16 police officers, including a SWAT team of 11, were poised with assault rifles in five police cars and two unmarked SUVs. Seven state police, some undercover, were inside the restaurant or nearby.

Families were eating Sunday lunch apparently oblivious to the gathering storm, as dozens of armed bikers from the Cossacks poured onto the restaurant patio to confront the most powerful motorcycle gang in Texas, the Bandidos.

When the first Bandidos rolled in, "the Cossacks began coming off the patio. You could see the tension building up instantly," Waco Police Detective Jeff Rogers said in an affidavit that is part of a trove of evidence provided to The Associated Press.

Then the shooting started. A SWAT officer said he saw a biker fire first. But evidence isn't clear who started the deadliest biker shootout in U.S. history that left nine bikers dead and 20 wounded. Police bullets struck four bikers, killing at least two of them. Police arrested 177 bikers and state authorities indicted 154. Jury selection began this week in the first of those trials, against Bandidos Dallas chapter president Christopher "Jake" Carrizal for leading and engaging in organized criminal activity.

Expected 400 bikers

Evidence that prosecutors gave to lawyers who are representing the bikers shows local and state authorities had overwhelming intelligence that violence was likely and did little in advance to prevent the meeting. While the strong police presence was aimed at deterring violence, and bikers said they noticed police cars, the uniformed police were mostly on the restaurant perimeter.

The evidence also shows that the Texas Department of Public Safety, which was investigating biker gangs, met three times with Waco police in advance of the Twin Peaks meeting and had "contingency plans," although the document simply called on officers to follow department policy before firing.

Rogers said that he made several calls before the shooting to the restaurant manager that went unanswered. State police Special Agent Christopher Frost spoke to Twin Peaks owner Jay Patel three days before the showdown and asked if the bikers had booked the whole restaurant. Patel said they had reserved only the patio area. Frost warned of "rising tensions" between the groups. Patel said he was expecting about 400 bikers and had hired three security guards. Frost's report of the conversation ended with him asking Patel to let him know if any threats were received, but made no mention of any request to Patel to cancel the booking.

Wiretap approved

One mystery of that day is exactly when federal authorities arrived on scene. The Drug Enforcement Administration had been investigating the Bandidos since January, 2013.

A senior official closely involved in federal prosecutions of the bikers insisted in an interview with the AP that federal investigators were not aware of the Twin Peaks meeting or of "any impending violence." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of court cases against the bikers.

A Waco policeman reported that he spoke to an FBI agent at the scene immediately after the shooting. Other federal agents arrived quickly including the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The federal investigation intensified immediately after Waco. Federal agents got approval to wiretap Bandidos national vice president John Portillo a day after the Twin Peaks shootout. Prosecutors later indicted Portillo and former president Jeffrey Pike on racketeering charges, including ordering killings and assaults, and they are scheduled to go on trial next year. Five lower-level Bandidos pleaded guilty to similar charges.

The Waco tragedy prompted soul-searching among law enforcement officials nationwide. Two experts on biker gangs who did not work on the Waco investigations said that unless there is fear of a terrorist attack, authorities have to convince a judge to issue an injunction to stop a public meeting protected by the constitutional guarantee of free speech and assembly.

"I think this was definitely a learning experience where they would probably do more proactive stuff to stop the meeting, even if they'd had to get an injunction," said Charles Falco, a former federal informant on California biker gangs who now trains law enforcement officers.

Gunfire lasted 3 minutes

The animosity between the Bandidos and Cossacks may date from November 2013, when Cossacks started wearing a "Texas" patch on the back of motorcycle jackets - seen as a provocation to the Bandidos.

Waco detective Rogers learned in April from an informant that the bikers were planning to meet at Waco in May.

As the Twin Peaks meeting approached, communications became more ominous. On May 1, Rogers warned in an email to a colleague: "the potential for violence is very high."

The morning of the meeting, Rogers was "very nervous," and predicted a "high probability for violence."

The shooting lasted just three minutes but left a scene of carnage.

In a conversation captured by her bodycam, Waco police officer Nicki Stone told a colleague after the shooting, "I really didn't think it was going to end like this."

"I thought that we were supposed to stay back and let them fight this out," she said.Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle / Houston Chronicle

The race between retired Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw and state Rep. Kevin Roberts can't get much closer financially.

The latest campaign finance reports show that Roberts has raised $644,401 from contributors for his campaign since it started, and Crenshaw has raised $642,404. That leaves them just about $2,000 apart in the amount of money their campaigns raised from donors as they seek to replace Rep. Ted Poe in the 2nd Congressional District.As Houston ISD attempts to rebuild its 10 most struggling campuses, school leaders must act quickly to address major errors made during a public meeting in which spectators were dragged out and even jailed after the board president ordered district police to clear the room.

Board President Rhonda Skillern-Jones decision on April 24 to abruptly eject more than 100 people whod gathered at a public board meeting has continued to spawn questions both about her judgment and about whether she violated state open meetings law. It has also raised important questions about whether the Houston Independent School Districts own police officers lack proper training and used excessive force in forcibly removing and arresting attendees.

Some aspects of the event and arrests remain under review by the Harris County District Attorneys office, which declined to press charges against the two people arrested that night. The office has declined to comment to the editorial board on the status of any review of the incident thus far. The DAs office has a unit that specializes in reviewing excessive force.

OPINION: Bullying in the HISD board room

Skillern-Jones and other board members must learn two important lessons from this disgraceful incident.

The first lesson is that the Texas Open Meetings Act requires leaders of all government bodies to make reasonable arrangements to accommodate the public.

Its not clear that HISD complied given that board members provided far fewer chairs than usual for what they knew would be a large crowd, Joe Larsen, a Houston attorney and open meetings act expert, told the editorial board.

Skillern-Jones was within her rights to limit the speakers times during the public comment period and to try to control outbursts  as long as she was fair in how those limits were imposed, Larsen said.

EDITORIAL: HISD melee marks total failure in governance

However under the Open Meetings Act, she could not legally justify expelling the entire audience before the meeting was over simply because some speakers exceeded the one-minute time limit and others commented out-of-turn or clapped, he said.

Larsen said he has never heard of any board hauling out or arresting attendees during a public meeting. This is from a man who has spent 24 years serving as a volunteer attorney for the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas.

The second lesson is that HISDs police officers should exercise far more restraint in using physical force and should never arrest non-violent participants at a public meeting.

At the now-infamous meeting, HISD police expelled people not only from the room, but from the entire building. In the process, at least three were manhandled, and two spent the night in jail on bogus charges that did not stick.

In the past, the ACLU of Texas has raised concerns about how HISD police and other school-based officers use excessive force against students. Now we have to ask those same questions about the treatment of parents and community members.

MORE: Parents and citizens deserve HISD's respect  not threats and arrests

RELATED: HISD supporters should prepare for worst case scenario

Skillern-Jones has expressed regret on social media for using the HISD police as her security guards, but its unclear whether she learned anything from her mistake. In the aftermath of the incident, she traveled in a marked HISD patrol car to the home of two parents who are among those advocating her resignation.

So far, Skillern-Jones has chosen to remain as president. Ultimately, test scores reported by the 10 schools  whether they fail again or manage to improve  may determine how long she and the rest of the board continue to lead. If even one school fails to meet guidelines, a state law could trigger the formation of a new appointed board to replace the HISD trustees as soon as January 2019.

For as long as she continues to lead, she and other board members must ensure there are always plenty of chairs available, that limits imposed on speakers are reasonable, that open meetings law is followed, that armed HISD officers do not manhandle or intimidate and that everyone who wants to participate in rebuilding HISD is regarded with respect.

Parents and community members, no matter how rowdy or passionate, are the HISD boards best allies in its struggle to improve the district. If the board continues to treat them as adversaries, dont be surprised when they call for someone else to be put in charge.Prairie View A&M Universitys campus is abuzz today with its first-ever commencement held at the new Panther Stadium. Many of the nearly 900 students who are graduating will cross the stage, dressed in purple and gold gowns and leave with a diploma, excited to begin their professional lives.

This 142-year-old university, which was established during the aftermath of the Civil War, recently has embarked on a new beginning of its own. Last month, national higher education star Ruth J. Simmons was inaugurated as its eighth president. The trailblazing Simmons, who already has a string of firsts by her name, added another one: first female president of Prairie View.

Although Simmons has accomplished much in her distinguished education career, its here at this historically black university built on a former slave plantation that she could arguably have the most impact. At the second oldest public higher education institution in Texas, most students are poor. About half of the students are the first generation in their family to go to college.

FROM MARCH: Consider Ruth Simmons for HISD superintendent job

Like many universities that admit most who apply, Prairie View has struggled to graduate its students, in part because of socio-economic factors. Simmons intends to improve graduation rates by increasing scholarship aid and academic advising. She also plans to recruit and retain demanding faculty, refocus efforts on humanities and social sciences and raise funds to keep students in school, as reported by the Chronicles Lindsay Ellis.

If Simmons succeeds in her visionary goals for Prairie View to be among the best smaller universities in the country, and the best historically black college, the university located 50 miles from Houston off Highway 290 will become a model for the nation.

She has walked in these students shoes, so Simmons is uniquely positioned to help them. The 72-year-old educator grew up poor. She was the first in her family to attend college. As a student at Dillard University, a historically black college in New Orleans, she has experienced firsthand how HBCUs can change lives.

EDITORIAL: Expand programs to help disadvantaged students apply to college

The young girl from the Fifth Ward became the first African-American president at the all-woman's Smith College, then at Brown University became the first African-American president at an Ivy League institution, and TIME magazine's 2001 best college president. Simmons life story should serve as an inspiration to these students to overcome the many obstacles to graduation.

Texas future is linked to Prairie View and our states other universities and colleges serving students from groups that traditionally have not earned certificates or degrees in large numbers. Unless Texas can improve completion rates for these students, our state faces a decline in its economic future and the opportunities available to all its people.

OPINION: College  and its debt  is not for everyone

Simmons network has already opened the university to new sources of donations. But the new president needs more help if she is going to achieve her dream for the university and help better position our state. For starters just 2 percent of alumni give directly to the university. Not only alumni, but business and community leaders in the region should rally to the support of this worthy cause.

On the chilly April day of her inauguration, Simmons noted I believe in a way that my path to Prairie View was written in the heavens. Amen.(Thumbs twiddled) Looking for some must-see TV between Rockets playoffs and Astros games? Well, the newest hit show isnt on Hulu or Netflix  its streaming HISD board meetings. Board President Rhonda Skillern-Jones pulled an unexpected heel-turn by calling her goon-squad on frustrated parents at the April 24 meeting. But on Thursday night, the crowd was out for revenge as parents and community members lined up to condemn and berate the board  and call for RSJ to be replaced as president.

So will RSJ step down? Will Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath replace the board? Will education reporter Shelby Webb teach us all her live-tweeting tricks? Find out at the next meeting.

(Thumbs up) Despite its recent troubles, two Houston ISD high schools remain among the nations best: Carnegie Vanguard High School ranked as the 15th best high school in the nation and DeBakey High School for Health Professions ranked 38th, according to the US News and World Report.

(Thumbs up) In an impressive educational turnaround, YES Prep North Forest was rated as the 94th best high school in the nation. Just five years ago the entire North Forest ISD was shuttered by the state and absorbed by HISD.

(Thumbs down) YES Prep recently announced plans to open a charter in Cy Fair ISD and the local superintendent isnt happy. Turns out that YES Prep wont let its students graduate unless they get into college. At a time when Texas is trying to provide all sorts of avenues to success, it looks like the charters are keeping out the kids not aiming for a four-year degree. Public schools dont get to play that game, and youve got to wonder how it affects their test scores.

(Thumbs up) Texas summers are cruel and usual enough. Now imagine enduring a heat wave while stuck in a sweltering, dank building that doesnt have air-conditioning. Well, Keith Milo Cole lived it. The 64-year-old inmate has diabetes, hypertension and cardiac problems, and was one of several Texas inmates to blow the whistle on our inhumane jail system.

At least 22 prisoners died from extreme indoor heat in Texas over 14 years.

So thumbs up to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for hammering out a settlement with Edwards Law and the Texas Civil Rights Project to provide air conditioning for elderly and sick Texas prisoners. For now, the deal involves adding temporary air conditioning to the Pack Unit, a Navasota prison designated to house the elderly as well as inmates who use wheelchairs, canes and walkers.

This is a good first step, but the state needs to ensure that our prisons work to help rehabilitate prisoners, not steam them alive.

(Thumbs down) We had multiple ozone action days this week again in Houston, underscoring the need for a health registry to track asthma and other pollution-related conditions in our city and for continuing to fight to clean up our air.

(Thumbs down) This is why we cant have nice things. The citys Adopt-A-Drain system we know and love was apparently hacked by a bad actor who then named around 200 different drains after a sex toy website that we wont name here so as to deny them the free publicity we presume they were seeking. Heres to hoping the city gets everything fixed so everyone can get back to tending their Messy Drain Boys and Sir Drains Alots.

(Thumbs down) The NRA has long defended the right to keep and bear arms, but selling them to Iran is something new. Oliver North has been selected as the new president of the National Rifle Association. You may remember him from the Iran-Contra scandal, in which an actual deep state of military and White House officials illegally sold weapons to the Ayatollah and used the proceeds to circumvent Congress and fund right-wing guerrillas in Central America.

We know what youre thinking: Is it even legal for a convicted felon like North to own a firearm?

Turns out that, thanks in part to the ACLU, Norths three felony convictions were vacated as an indirect result of immunity granted during his congressional testimony.As Amazon releases an Echo Dot smart-home device aimed at children, its entering a busy and growing marketplace. More than one-third of U.S. homes with children has at least one internet of things connected toy  like a cuddly creature who can listen to and respond to a childs inquiries. Many more of these devices are on the way, around the world and in North America specifically.

These toys wirelessly connect with online databases to recognize voices and images, identifying childrens queries, commands and requests and responding to them. Theyre often billed as improving childrens quality of play, providing children with new experiences of collaborative play, and developing childrens literacy, numeric and social skills.

Online devices raise privacy concerns for all their users, but children are particularly vulnerable and have special legal protections. Consumer advocates have raised alarms about the toys insecure wireless internet connections  either directly over Wi-Fi or via Bluetooth to a smartphone or tablet with internet access.

As someone with both academic and practical experience in security, law enforcement and applied technology, I know these fears are not hypothetical. Here are four examples of when internet of things toys put kids security and privacy at risk.

Hello Barbie, and whoever else is listening. AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

1. Unsecured wireless connections

Some internet of things toys can connect to smartphone apps without any form of authentication. So a user can download a free app, find an associated toy nearby, and then communicate directly with the child playing with that toy. In 2015, security researchers discovered that Hello Barbie, an internet-enabled Barbie doll, automatically connected to unsecured Wi-Fi networks that broadcast the network name Barbie. It would be very simple for an attacker to set up a Wi-Fi network with that name and communicate directly with an unsuspecting child.

The same thing could happen with unsecured Bluetooth connections to the Toy-Fi Teddy, I-Que Intelligent Robot and Furby Connect toys, a British consumer watchdog group revealed in 2017.

The toys ability to monitor children  even when used as intended and connected to official networks belonging to a toys manufacturer  violates Germanys anti-surveillance laws. In 2017, German authorities declared the My Friend Cayla doll was an illegal espionage apparatus, ordering stores to pull it off the shelves and requiring parents to destroy or disable the toys.

Unsecured devices allow attackers to do more than just talk to children: A toy can talk to another internet-connected device, too. In 2017, security researchers hijacked a CloudPets connected stuffed animal and used it to place an order through an Amazon Echo in the same room.

A cat-like stuffed toy orders real cat food.

2. Tracking kids movements

Some internet-connected toys have GPS like those in fitness trackers and smartphones, which can also reveal users locations, even if those users are children. In addition, the Bluetooth communications some toys use can be detected as far away as 30 feet. If someone within that range looks for a Bluetooth device  even if theyre only seeking to pair their own headphones with a smartphone  theyll see the toys name, and know a child is nearby.

For instance, the Consumer Council of Norway found that smartwatches marketed to children were storing and transmitting locations without encryption, allowing strangers to track childrens movements. That group issued an alert in its country, but the discovery led authorities in Germany to ban the sale of childrens smartwatches.

3. Poor data protections

Internet-connected toys have cameras that watch kids and microphones that listen to them, recording what they see and hear. Sometimes they send that information to company servers that analyze the inputs and send back directions on how the toy should respond. But those functions can also be hijacked to listen in on family conversations or take photographs or video of children without the kids or parents ever noticing.

Toy manufacturers dont always ensure the data is stored and transmitted securely, even when laws require it: In 2018, toymaker VTech was fined US$650,000 for failing to fulfill its promises to encrypt private data and for violating U.S. laws protecting childrens privacy.

4. Working with third parties

Toy companies have also shared the information they collect about kids with other companies  much as Facebook shared its users data with Cambridge Analytica and other firms.

And they can also surreptitiously share information from third parties with kids. One toy company came under fire, for example, in both Norway and the U.S. for a business relationship with Disney in which the My Friend Cayla doll was programmed to discuss what were described as the dolls favorite Disney movies with kids. Parents werent told about this arrangement, which critics said amounted to product placement-style advertising in a toy.

What can parents do?

In my view, and according to consumer advice from the FBI, parents should carefully research internet-connected toys before buying them, and evaluate their capabilities, functioning, and security and privacy settings before bringing these devices into their homes. Without proper safeguards  by parents, if not toy companies  children are at risk, both individually and through collection of aggregate data about kids activities.

Marie-Helen Maras, Associate Professor, Department of Security, Fire and Emergency Management, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Get more tasty tech news at TechBurger. And follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to the Chronicle for regular access to TechBurger stories and to be able to comment.Thousands of jails and prisons across the United States use a company called Securus Technologies to provide and monitor calls to inmates. But the former sheriff of Mississippi County, Missouri, used a lesser-known Securus service to track peoples cellphones, including those of other officers, without court orders, according to charges filed against him in state and federal court.

The service can find the whereabouts of almost any cellphone in the country within seconds. It does this by going through a system typically used by marketers and other companies to get location data from major cellphone carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon, documents show.

Between 2014 and 2017, the sheriff used the service at least 11 times, prosecutors said. His alleged targets included a judge and members of the State Highway Patrol. The sheriff, Cory Hutcheson, who was dismissed last year in an unrelated matter, has pleaded not guilty in the surveillance cases.

As location tracking has become more accurate, and as more people carry their phones at every waking moment, the ability of law enforcement officers and companies like Securus to get that data has become an ever greater privacy concern.

more techburger Get more tasty tech news at TechBurger. And follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe to the Chronicle for regular access to TechBurger stories and to be able to comment. See More Collapse

4 ways 'internet of things' toys endanger children

Securus offers the location-finding service as an additional feature for law enforcement and corrections officials, part of an effort to entice customers in a lucrative but competitive industry. In promotional packets, the company, one of the largest prison phone providers in the country, recounts several instances in which the service was used.

In one, a woman sentenced to drug rehab left the center but was eventually located by an official using the service. Other examples include an official who found a missing Alzheimers patient and detectives who used precise location information positioning to get within 42 feet of the suspects location in a murder case.

Asked about Securus vetting of surveillance requests, a company spokesman said that it required customers to upload a legal document, such as a warrant or affidavit, and certify that the activity was authorized.

Securus is neither a judge nor a district attorney, and the responsibility of ensuring the legal adequacy of supporting documentation lies with our law enforcement customers and their counsel, the spokesman said in a statement. Securus offers services only to law enforcement and corrections facilities, and not all officials at a given location have access to the system, the spokesman said.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., wrote in a letter this week to the Federal Communications Commission that Securus confirmed that it did not conduct any review of surveillance requests. The senator said relying on customers to provide documentation was inadequate. Wireless carriers have an obligation to take affirmative steps to verify law enforcement requests, he wrote, adding that Securus did not follow those procedures.

Facebook may not sell the data it collects, but the state of Texas sure does

The service provided by Securus reveals a potential weakness in a system that is supposed to protect the private information of millions of cellphone users. With customers consent, carriers sell the ability to acquire location data for marketing purposes like providing coupons when someone is near a business, or services like roadside assistance or bank fraud protection. Companies that use the data generally sign contracts pledging to get peoples approval  through a response to a text message, for example, or the push of a button on a menu  or to otherwise use the data legally.

But the contracts between the companies, including Securus, are the legal equivalent of a pinkie promise, Wyden wrote. The FCC said it was reviewing the letter.

Courts are split on whether investigators need a warrant based on probable cause to acquire location data. In some states, a warrant is required for any sort of cellphone tracking. In other states, it is needed only if an investigator wants the data in real time. And in others no warrant is needed at all.

The Justice Department has said its policy is to get warrants for real-time location tracking. The Supreme Court has ruled that putting a GPS tracker on a car counts as a search under the Fourth Amendment, but this was because installing the device involved touching a persons property  something that does not happen when a cellphone is pinged.

I downloaded the info Facebook has on me. Yikes.

Phone companies have a legal responsibility under the Telecommunications Act to protect consumer data, including call location, and can provide it in response to a legal order or sell it for use with customer consent. But lawyers interviewed by The New York Times disagreed on whether location information that was not gathered during the course of a call had the same protections under the law.

As long as they are following their own privacy policies, cellphone carriers are largely free to do what they want with the information they obtain, including location information, as long as its unrelated to a phone call, said Albert Gidari, the consulting director of privacy at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society and a former technology and telecommunications lawyer. Even when the phone is not making a call, the system receives location data, accurate within a few hundred feet, by communicating with the device and asking it which cellphone towers it is near.

Other experts said the law should apply for any communications on the network, not just phone calls. If the phone companies are giving someone a direct portal into the real-time location data on all of their customers, they should be policing it, said Laura Moy, the deputy director of the Georgetown Law Center on Privacy & Technology.

Wyden, in his letter to the FCC, also said that carriers had an obligation to verify whether law enforcement requests were legal. But Securus cuts the carriers out of the review process, because the carriers do not receive the legal documents.

The letter called for an FCC investigation into Securus, as well as the phone companies and their protections of user data. Wyden also sent letters to the major carriers, seeking audits of their relationships with companies that buy consumer data. Representatives for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon said the companies had received the letters and were investigating.

If this company is, in fact, doing this with our customers data, we will take steps to stop it, said Rich Young, a Verizon spokesman. T-Mobile said it would take appropriate action if it found any misuse of data.

Your smartphone knows where you've been, puts it on a map

AT&T also said it followed industry best practices in handling data, and Sprint said it shared location information only with customer consent or in response to lawful requests.

Privacy concerns about Securus and location services were raised to the FCC last year before the companys sale to Platinum Equity, a private equity firm, for about $1.5 billion. Lee Petro, a lawyer representing a group of inmate family members, wrote letters urging the commission to reject the deal, based in part on concerns about locating people who spoke with inmates over the phone.

Securus, founded in Dallas in 1986, has marketed its location service as a way for officials to monitor where inmates placed calls. Securus has said this would block escape attempts and the smuggling of contraband into jails and prisons, and help track calls to areas known for generating illegal activity.

In an email, Securus said the service was based on cell tower information, not on phone GPS.

Securus received the data from a mobile marketing company called 3Cinteractive, according to 2013 documents from the Florida Department of Corrections. Securus said that for confidentiality reasons it could not confirm whether that deal was still in place, but a spokesman for Wyden said the company told the senators office it was. In turn, 3Cinteractive got its data from LocationSmart, a firm known as a location aggregator, according to documents from those companies. LocationSmart buys access to the data from all the major American carriers, it says.

LocationSmart and 3Cinteractive did not respond to requests for comment.

Securus said it got consent before tracking phone calls made from prisons, requiring those on the receiving end to press a button agreeing to the collection of location data.

The location service has proved to be a selling point. Matthew Thomas, chief deputy of the Pinal County Sheriffs Office in Arizona, said that the department had been using Securus location tool for about a month, and that it had already come in handy. We use it for search-and-rescue operations, and at the jail they use it to maintain security and to put cases together, he said.

Up for debate: Is Harris County's vote safe from the Russians?

Thomas said that only three people in the office could log in to the system, and that the office did monthly audits to ensure its proper use.

About three weeks ago, Thomas said, someone mailed a letter containing methamphetamine to an inmate. By using the location tool, Thomas said, investigators were able to link phone calls between the address and the inmate and make an arrest.

For search-and-rescue cases, Thomas said, the Securus tool was more efficient than requesting data through the phone companies. It makes it a lot faster response for our crew, he said.

In such instances, the people being located cannot give consent, so the official is supposed to upload a warrant, affidavit or court order to justify the surveillance.

Securus said that it had cooperated with officials investigating the case in Missouri.

Hutcheson, the defendant in the surveillance case, was charged with forgery in state court last year and also by a federal grand jury in March over similar offenses related to the phone pinging. He was removed from his duties as sheriff in 2017 after an inmates death, though he was not charged with a crime in that matter. The Highway Patrol officers who were allegedly tracked filed suit in federal court. Hutchesons lawyer declined to comment on the litigation.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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Subscribe to the Chronicle for regular access to TechBurger stories and to be able to comment.In 1900, German mathematician David Hilbert proposed a list of 23 math problems that would change the world. Some have been solved. Others remain. DARPA attempted to update the list a few years back. Here are the highlights.

Solving what look to be "unsolvable" math problems has been a hot topic of math and science connoisseurs for a long time. It also impacts popular movie cultureremember "Good Will Hunting" and more recently "Gifted."

The idea that amazingly difficult, conceptual, unsolvable math problems could change the world can in part be traced back to 1900 when German mathematician David Hilbert proposed his still influential 23 math problems that would change the world.

According to the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, Hilbert began his talk with these words (translated into English), which still ring true in the world today:

Who of us would not be glad to lift the veil behind which the future lies hidden; to cast a glance at the next advances of our science and at the secrets of its development during future centuries? What particular goals will there be towards which the leading mathematical spirits of coming generations will strive? What new methods and new facts in the wide and rich field of mathematical thought will the new centuries disclose?

Problems solved from Hilbert's original list (and who solved them)

Some of the 23 problems proposed at the time were solved, while some remain. This Math Is Good for You post offers a glimpse of a few of the problems and who is credited with solving them:

"Is there a number, which is larger than any finite number, between that of a countable set of numbers and the numbers of the continuum?" To think of a continuum, think of a number lineand all the numbers on itwithout any gaps. This problem was answered by Kurt Godel.

"Can it be proven that the axioms of logic are consistent?" Godel also answered this problem with his "incompleteness theorem," which states that all consistent axiomatic formulations include some undecidable propositions. For more, see the short history of Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometries.

"Give two tetrahedra that cannot be decomposed into congruent tetrahedra directly or by adjoining congruent tetrahedra." Max Dehn showed this could be done, but he had to invent his own invariants (something that does not change under a set of transformations).

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DARPA updates Hilbert's list

A few years ago, the researchers at the U.S. governments Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) began a concerted effort to update Hilberts list and develop a new Mathematical Challenges program for the 21st century. DARPA proposed 23 updated questions that, if answered, would offer a high potential for major mathematical and scientific breakthroughs.

Anthony Falcone, now president and chief technology officer at Functor Reality, was the DARPA program manager during the last couple years of the Math Challenges program, which the agency ended in 2012. At the time, I think the program was more a consciousness-raising effort for mathematics. The idea was to get as many good, smart people as possible thinking about new ways to solve problems, Falcone says. We certainly moved the needle.

According to DARPA, six projects were funded through 2012 to address five of the 23 challenges. According to program documents, the levels of success in the five individual challenges varied.

A simplified look at these complex findings includes:

21st Century Fluids: Developed a software implementation based on the extended von Neumanns formula for cell growth rate from two dimensions to three dimensions.

Used the software to extract statistical information from grain systems that reached the asymptotic statistical state. Since the simulation was several orders of magnitude larger than anything done before, the error bars for the extracted statistics are the smallest existing.

Did an analysis on two-dimensional structures, three-dimensional structures, and two-dimensional cross-sections of three-dimensional structures.

Studied the random topological structure of grain networks and foams, and established the existence of phase transitions based on changes in the underlying parameter.

Riemann hypothesis: Generalized the p-adic local monodromy theorem to arbitrary differential modules.

Developed alternate constructions for Fontaine's rings in p-adic rings.

Hodge conjecture: Proved that every projective K3 surface over an algebraically closed field contains infinitely many rational curves.

Arithmetic Langlands: Discovered the appropriate analog of complex conjugation over a finite field for ordinary elliptic curves and ordinary abelian varieties.

Devised and analyzed a class of pseudorandom sequences.

Algorithmic origami: Solved the carpenters rule problem regarding the straightening of polygonal chains of line segments.

Developed novel approaches for the accurate modeling of hydrogen bonds using the bond geometry and a well-suited mechanical model.

Extended proofs of Delaunay realizability (for triangulations) from maximal outerplanar graphs to arbitrary outerplanar graphs.

DARPA's math challenges still waiting to be solved

Other challenges remain unsolved. Among them are:

The mathematics of the brain: Develop a mathematical theory to build a functional model of the brain that is mathematically consistent and predictive rather than merely biologically inspired.

The dynamics of networks: Develop the high-dimensional mathematics needed to accurately model and predict behavior in large-scale distributed networks that evolve over time, occurring in communication, biology, and the social sciences.

What are the symmetries and action principles for biology? Extend our understanding of symmetries and action principles in biology along the lines of classical thermodynamics, to include important biological concepts such as robustness, modularity, evolvability, and variability.

Geometric Langlands and quantum physics: How does the Langlands program, which originated in number theory and representation theory, explain the fundamental symmetries of physics? And vice versa?

Capture and harness stochasticity in nature: Address Mumford's call for new mathematics for the 21st century. Develop methods that capture persistence in stochastic environments.

Applying new and/or underutilized mathematics to real-world problems

It is this concept of bringing stochasticity, or randomness, into the fundamentals of mathematics, technology, and science that still has the opportunity to shape future developments of all kinds.

Stochasticity should be the bedrock of math and science because it would fundamentally change the way we deal with problems in engineering, physics, and other research areas, Falcone says. It would have the biggest impact on technology.

Falcones Functor Reality firm continues that sort of leading-edge work. The companys website describes its role as aiming to apply new and/or underutilized mathematics to real-world problems. It is founded on the belief that revolutionary advances will emerge from the introduction of more sophisticated mathematical techniques into technology, Falcone says.

There continues to be an interest in solving the truly toughest math problems. Probably the most notable are the seven Millennium Prize Problems put forth by the Clay Mathematics Institute in Peterborough, New Hampshire. The prizes were conceived to record some of the most difficult problems with which mathematicians were grappling at the turn of the second millennium; to elevate in the consciousness of the general public the fact that in mathematics, the frontier is still open and abounds in important unsolved problems; to emphasize the importance of working towards a solution of the deepest, most difficult problems; and to recognize achievement in mathematics of historical magnitude, according to the groups website.

It is notable that one of the seven Millennium Prize Problemsthe Riemann hypothesis, formulated in 1859also appears on DARPA's list as well as in Hilbert's address from August 1900.

Thats one tough problem.Following the murder, the Muslim Council of Britain released a statement clarifying that they would not identify Mr. Asad Shah as a Muslim. King's College academic Mr. Shiraz Maher also voiced the same sentiment, asking if there was a problem if he did not consider Mr. Asad Shah a 'real Muslim?' Also following the murder, a sign calling on fellow Sunnis to boycott the Ahmadi Muslims and sever all ties with them was put up at the largest Sunni Mosque in Slough, UK. "Qadianis (pejorative for Ahmadi Muslims) ... are not Muslims," the sign said.

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Where Mr. Asad Shah's murder has brought different communities together in solidarity, it has also brought a deep-rooted, disturbing, sectarian phenomenon to the fore.

Ahmadi Muslims, who constitute the largest organized Muslim community in the world, have long been persecuted in Sunni-majority countries. In 1974, Pakistan declared the Ahmadis a non-Muslim minority in its constitution. In 1984, new laws restricting their religious freedom were passed. Since then, scores of Ahmadi Muslims - including three of my uncles - have been jailed for reciting the Quran, praying like a Muslim, saying the Muslim call to prayer, identifying as a Muslim etc. Interestingly, when Mr. Toaha Qureshi of the notorious Stockwell Mosque was questioned regarding this well-known apartheid of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan, he conveniently placed the blame on the victims themselves. "No they do not (live in fear). That is their desire, to come here and get political asylum. Nothing else," he claimed.

It is not only the Pakistani State. Saudi Arabia also bans the Ahmadi Muslims from open profession. Indonesia has strict laws that restrict the religious freedom of the Ahmadi Muslims. The basis of this oppression is the orthodox Sunni view (shared by some Shia clerics) that aspects of the Ahmadiyya belief make them unfit to identify as Muslim. This certainly begs the question, who is a Muslim? And who has the authority to dismiss self-identifying Muslims as 'infidels?'

When people converted to Islam, Prophet Muhammad - the founder of the Islamic faith - only required them to pledge allegiance to the oneness of God and the truth of his prophetic mission. There was no other requirement whatsoever. This is why Muslims have long believed that the Kalima (proclaiming oneness of God and prophethood of Muhammad) is the basis of the Islamic faith. The question of who would be counted as a Muslim came up during the first census in the State of Medina. Prophet Muhammad asked that anyone who claimed to be Muslim be counted as one. Their profession of Islam was all he required to be considered a part of the Muslim community. There was no religious test devised to test a claimant's 'Muslimness.' Prophet Muhammad knew well that there were hypocrites living in Medina, some of whom were even conspiring against him. Prophet Muhammad knew that they did not even consider him a true prophet. Yet, not only did he never forbid them from identifying with the Muslims, he allowed them open access to his Mosque. Rather than forbid them from praying and punishing them for 'posing as Muslim,' he in fact prayed with them, and for them.

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There are other traditions that shed more light on this issue. Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said:

"Whoever says, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah', faces our Qibla (Mecca) during the prayers, prays like us and eats our slaughtered animal, then he is a Muslim, and has got the same rights and obligations as other Muslims have." (Bukhari)

In another detailed narration, Prophet Muhammad defined both Islam and the tenets of faith:

"One day while Allah's Apostle was sitting with the people, a man came to him walking and said, "O Allah's Apostle. What is Belief?" The Prophet said, "Belief is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Apostles, and the meeting with Him, and to believe in the Resurrection." The man asked, "O Allah's Apostle What is Islam?" The Prophet replied, "Islam is to worship Allah and not worship anything besides Him, to offer prayers perfectly, to pay the obligatory alms i.e. Zakat and to fast the month of Ramadan." (Bukhari)

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The well-known five pillars of Islam, and the six articles of faith, are based on this and other similar traditions. Ahmadi Muslims believe in all these tenets of Islam.

These sayings of Prophet Muhammad spell out how he defined a Muslim. He did not denounce self-identifying Muslims as non-Muslim. Such rejection and exclusion was the hallmark of his opponents. He repeatedly cautioned that judging someone's truth or sincerity to their claim of Islam was a prerogative of God alone. Once, the famous general Khalid bin Waleed suggested to the Prophet that there were many people who outwardly professed Islam while there was no faith in their heart. Prophet Muhammad responded firmly:

"I have not been commanded to pierce through the hearts of people, nor to split their bellies (to look what is inside them)" (Muslim)

There is another famous incident of a Muslim killing a non-Muslim during a battle, despite the man having recited the Kalima. When Prophet Muhammad found out, he was furious. The Muslim soldier said: "O Messenger of Allah, that man read the Kalima merely to protect himself from our sword." Prophet Muhammad reprimanded him:

"Did you open his heart and look inside it?"

Even the founder of the Islamic faith was not granted the authority to judge someone's 'Muslimness.' God commanded in the Quran:

The Arabs of the desert say, 'We believe.' Say, "You have not believed yet; but rather say, 'We have accepted Islam,' for the true belief has not yet entered into your hearts." (49:14)

This verse speaks of those Bedouins whom God Himself attests were completely faithless, yet were allowed to identify as Muslim. This prohibition of excommunication or Takfir is emphasized in the sayings of Prophet Muhammad, who equated such exclusion to murder.

How then did this culture of social boycotts and excommunication (Takfir) spread in the Muslim world? Why do many Muslim groups promote exclusion and prejudice? Why do even so-called moderate clerics like Shaykh Hamza Yusuf or Shaykh Umar Al-Qadri judge the faith of other Muslim communities in such a nonchalant way? Do these clerics believe they are a higher authority than Prophet Muhammad?

There are two ways groups like the Muslim Council of Britain or extremist Sunni groups in Pakistan try to dismiss other Muslims as infidel. The first is by discarding Prophet Muhammad's definitions and inventing others of their own. The second is by misrepresenting the beliefs of other Muslims and forcing them out of the Prophet's definition.Imperial Valley News Center

President Trump Says the Iran Deal is Defective at Its Core

Washington, DC - The Iranian regime cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), more commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, was a flawed agreement that proclaimed this goal but ultimately did not address the threats posed by the regime.

If we do nothing, we know exactly what will happen. In just a short period of time, the worlds leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the worlds most dangerous weapons, President Donald J. Trump said on Tuesday. Therefore, I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

The premise of the JCPOA was clear from the start: to lift crippling economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for improved behavior from Tehran. The structure of the deal, which gave far too many benefits upfront in exchange for too few concessions, crippled its chances for success.

As a result, Iran continues to keep an archive of its past nuclear weapons work, enrich uranium, and develop ballistic missiles. Instead of using its newly acquired cash to help the people of Iran, the regime spends countless amounts destabilizing the Middle East and sponsoring terrorism.

A constructive deal could easily have been struck at the time, President Trump said. But it wasnt.

The Presidents decision directs America to reimpose nuclear-related sanctions on the Iranian regime to counter this destructive behavior. Since signing the JCPOA, Iran has continued to support Bashar al-Assad in Syria and has been complicit in his atrocities against the Syrian people. In Yemen, Iran has escalated a civil war and used the Houthis as a proxy to attack other nations. And in Lebanon, Iran enables Hezbollah to build an arsenal of weapons that threaten Israeland the Middle Easts prospects for peace along with it.

All the while, Iran continues to use surreptitious means to exploit the international financial system to fund their malign activities and terrorist proxies.

The way forward, President Trump said, is for the United States to work with its allies to find a lasting solution to the threat posed by Iran. If Iran wants to be part of such a solution, the regime must engage in good faith, completely abandon any intent to develop nuclear weapons, and allow for the full verification of any denuclearization commitments. It must also cease its support for terrorism, its destabilizing regional activities, and its appalling human rights abuses.

The JCPOA has failed on all of these counts.

Irans leaders will naturally say that they refuse to negotiate a new deal; they refuse. And thats fine, the President said. Id probably say the same thing if I was in their position. But, the fact is they are going to want to make a new and lasting deal, one that benefits all of Iran and the Iranian people. When they do, I am ready, willing, and able.

Ending U.S. participation in the JCPOA continues the strategy toward Iran that President Trump outlined last October. That strategy aims to revitalize Americas traditional alliances in the region, restore a more stable balance of power, and check Irans ambition to dominate the Middle East by penalizing Tehrans support for terrorism and proxy warfare.

The JCPOA decision also reflects the Trump Administrations support for the Iranian people rather than a regime that treats them as expendable. In the final days of 2017, popular protests erupted across Iran as its citizens demanded freedom and opportunity from the dictatorship. Under President Trump, the United States is standing with them, Vice President Mike Pence wrote.

The editors of The Wall Street Journal agreed. Mr. Obama sought to win over the Tehran regime by avoiding confrontation, they explained. Mr. Trump, by contrast, has distinguished between the regime and the Iranian people, much as Ronald Reagan did with the Soviet Union.

And like President Reagan, President Trump believes in peace through strength and understands the dangers of appeasement. The decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal also sets the stage for negotiations with North Korea by demonstrating that under President Trump, America rewards actionsnot hollow words.

There has been enough suffering, death, and destruction, the President says. Let it end now.Imperial Valley News Center

Chairman of Macau Real Estate Development Company Sentenced to Prison for Role in Scheme to Bribe United Nations Ambassadors to Build A Multi-Billion Dollar Conference Center

New York - The chairman of a real estate development company was sentenced today to 48 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in a scheme to bribe United Nations ambassadors to obtain support to build a conference center in Macau that would host, among other events, the annual United Nations Global South-South Development Expo.

Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman of the Southern District of New York, Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. of the FBIs New York Field Office and Special Agent in Charge James D. Robnett of the IRS Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) New York Field Office made the announcement.

Ng Lap Seng, aka David Ng, 69, of Macau, China, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick of the Southern District of New York. In addition to his prison sentence, Judge Broderick ordered Ng to pay a $1 million fine and $302, 977 in restitution to the United Nations. He also ordered a forfeiture money judgment of $1.5 million in forfeiture. Ng must report to the U.S. Marshals Service by July 10 to start his prison sentence. Ng was convicted on July 27, 2017, after a five-week trial of two counts of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, one count of paying bribes and gratuities, one count of money laundering and two counts of conspiracy.

Corruption at any level of government undermines the rule of law and cannot be tolerated, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Cronan. But corruption is especially corrosive when it occurs at an international body like the United Nations. By paying bribes to two U.N. ambassadors to advance his interest in obtaining formal support for the Macau conference center project, Ng Lap Seng tried to manipulate the functions of the United Nations. The sentence handed down today demonstrates that those who engage in corruption will pay a heavy price and serves as a reminder that no one stands above the law.

Billionaire Ng Lap Seng corrupted the highest levels of the United Nations in pursuit of a multibillion-dollar real estate deal in Macau, said U.S. Attorney Berman. Ng exploited a center for international diplomacy as an instrument for his greedy intentions. This Office is committed to policing official corruption wherever it may be found.

Gaining the upper hand in a business venture by engaging in corrupt practices is bribery in its purest form. Today, Ng Lap Seng has learned the price he will have to pay for his actions, said Assistant Director in Charge Sweeney. I commend the investigators and prosecutors who continue to work together at home and abroad to vigorously enforce the law within the confines of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

No matter if money is funneled through New York corporations or transferred offshore, IRS-CI is always ready to follow the money, said IRS-CI Special Agent-in-Charge Robnett. Todays sentencing shows that IRS-CI is committed to rooting out public corruption by investigating individuals who misuse their positions of public trust for personal financial gain.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Ng, the chairman of the Sun Kian Ip Group, conspired with and paid bribes to Francis Lorenzo, a former UN Ambassador from the Dominican Republic, and John W. Ashe, the late former Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the UN and the 68th President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). With the assistance of Jeff C. Yin, an accountant and co-conspirator who worked with Ng and others and previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States, Ng orchestrated a scheme with the principal objective of obtaining the formal support of the UN for a multi-billion dollar facility that Ng hoped to build in Macau using the Sun Kian Ip Group (the Macau Conference Center). Ng wanted the Macau Conference Center to serve as a location for meetings, discussions, forums, and other events associated with the UN. In particular, he wanted it to serve as the permanent home of the annual Global South-South Development Expo, which is run by the UN Office for South-South Cooperation, and is hosted in a different country or city every year.

The trial evidence showed that Ng bribed Ambassador Ashe and Ambassador Lorenzo (together, the Ambassadors) in exchange for their agreement to use their official positions to advance Ngs interest in obtaining formal UN support for the Macau Conference Center. As the evidence demonstrated at trial, Ng paid the Ambassadors in a variety of forms. For example, Ng appointed Ambassador Lorenzo as the President of South-South News, a New York-based organization  funded by Ng  which described itself as a media platform dedicated to advancing the implementation of the UNs Millennium Development Goals, a set of philanthropic goals. Ng provided bribe payments to Ambassador Lorenzo through South-South News by transmitting payments from Macau to a company in the Dominican Republic affiliated with Ambassador Lorenzos brother (the Dominican Company). Through South-South News, Ng also made payments to Ambassador Ashe, including to Ambassador Ashes wife, who was paid in her capacity as a consultant to South-South News, and to an account that Ambassador Ashe had established, purportedly to raise money for his role as President of UNGA.

According to the trial evidence, one of the actions that the Ambassadors took in exchange for bribe payments, to advance Ngs objectives, was to submit an official document to the then-UN Secretary-General in support of the Macau Conference Center (the UN Document). The UN Document claimed that there was a need to build the Macau Conference Center to support the UNs global development goals. Ambassador Ashe, aided by Ambassador Lorenzo, initially submitted the UN Document to the UNGA in or about late February 2012. More than a year later, at Ngs behest, the Ambassadors revised the UN Document to refer specifically to Ngs company, the Macau Real Estate Development Company, as a partner in the Macau Conference Center project. The UN Document requested that the Secretary-General circulate the UN Document as a document of the 66th session of the General Assembly, under a specific item of the official UNGA agenda. The Secretary-General followed this request, thereby making the UN Document an official part of the UNGA record.

Five other defendants have been charged in this matter. Lorenzo and Heidi Hong Piao pleaded guilty to various charges, including bribery, and are awaiting sentencing. Jeff C. Yin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and was sentenced to seven months in prison. Shiwei Yan pleaded guilty to bribery and was sentenced to 20 months in prison. Co-defendant Ashe passed away in 2016 and the charges against him were dismissed.

This case was investigated by the FBI and IRS-CI. Assistant Chief David A. Last of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel C. Richenthal, Janis M. Echenberg, and Douglas S. Zolkind of the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case.Data Collection on Violence Against LGBTQ Youth is Critical for the Safety and Welfare of Our Students

Sacramento, California - Leading a coalition of 10 Attorneys General, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today submitted a comment letter to the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) opposing a proposal that would end the collection of data related to violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning (LGBTQ) youth.

As a parent, the last thing you want is to send your children off to school and worry about their safety, wellbeing, and whether they are being bullied or assaulted, said Attorney General Becerra. Abandoning the collection of information about violence against LGBTQ youth is a mistake with serious consequences. Law enforcement agencies, policy makers, and community leaders rely on data regarding crime trends to determine how to prevent bullying, harassment and other abuse from happening. Once again, the Trump Administration has put its politics ahead of protecting our people  in this case, our children.

Last month, USDOJ announced its plans to revise the National Crime Victimization Survey to eliminate the collection of information about sexual orientation and gender identity from youth under age 18. The confidential, voluntary survey is an important source of national data on violence against LGBTQ youth and a critical tool to learn whether crimes are being reported and how the criminal justice system is responding to young LGBTQ victims.

According to a survey of youth in California public schools, those who identified as LQBTQ reported higher rates of abuse, verbal harassment and physical harassment compared to non-LGBTQ youth. LGBTQ youth also reported feeling less safe at school. USDOJ, along with the U.S. Department of Education, published a report finding that LGBTQ youth were almost twice as likely to be bullied and threatened or injured by a weapon at school; almost twice as likely to be in a physical fight; and were more likely to be offered, sold, or given illegal drugs at school.

Joining Attorney General Becerra in sending the letter are attorneys general from: Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington.Five Real Estate Investors Sentenced for Rigging Bids at Northern California Public Foreclosure Auctions

San Francisco, California - Five real estate investors were sentenced for their role in a conspiracy to rig bids, in violation of the antitrust laws, at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California, the Department of Justice announced.

Joseph Giraudo, Kevin Cullinane, Raymond Grinsell, Daniel Rosenbledt, and Mohammed Rezaian were charged with and convicted of bid rigging at real estate foreclosure auctions in San Mateo County, California. Giraudo, Grinsell, Rosenbledt, and Rezaian were also convicted of bid rigging in San Francisco County.

Giraudo was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, and he was ordered to pay a criminal fine of $2 million. Cullinane was sentenced to serve eight months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, and he was ordered to pay a criminal fine of $500,000. Grinsell was sentenced to three years of probation on the condition that he reside at a halfway house or residential re-entry center for 10 months. Grinsell was also ordered to pay a criminal fine of $1,433,045 and $156,146.79 in restitution. Rosenbledt was sentenced to serve six months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, and he was ordered to pay a criminal fine of $1,236,355 and $127,808 in restitution. Rezaian was sentenced to four years of probation on the condition that he reside at a halfway house or residential re-entry center for five months. Rezaian was also ordered to pay a criminal fine of $1,236,355 and $110,155.70 in restitution. The issue of restitution as it relates to Giraudo and Cullinane will be decided at a later date.

As the sentences imposed yesterday show, bid rigging does not pay, said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim for the Justice Departments Antitrust Division. In addition to facing prison time, defendants can expect to pay substantial criminal fines and restitution for their ill-gotten gains.

Between 2008 and January 2011, the defendants and other bidders at the auctions conspired not to bid against one another for selected properties, instead designating a winning bidder for the property at the auction and negotiated payoffs among themselves in return for not competing with one another.

When properties are sold at public auctions, the proceeds are used to pay off the mortgage and other debt attached to the property, with remaining proceeds paid to the homeowner.

The sentence is a result of the Divisions investigation into bid rigging at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Californias San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties.

These investigations are being conducted by the Antitrust Divisions San Francisco Office and the FBIs San Francisco Office.Governor Brown Releases Revised 2018-19 State Budget

Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today released a revised state budget proposal that boosts education funding to an all-time high, fills the Rainy Day Fund to the brim and directs billions of dollars in one-time surplus funding to combat homelessness, improve mental health services and rebuild crumbling infrastructure.

Were nearing the longest economic recovery in modern history, and as Isaac Newton observed: What goes up must come down, said Governor Brown. This is a time to save for our future, not to make pricey promises we cant keep. I said it before and Ill say it again: Lets not blow it now.

As Californias economy has recovered from the Great Recession, the state has continued to invest in its core priorities, including: increasing K-12 education funding to record levels; raising the minimum wage; expanding health care coverage to millions more Californians; improving transportation and water systems; and paying down debts.

Significant details of the revised budget include:

Counteracting the Effects of Poverty

Since 2012, California has committed approximately $21 billion in new annual funding to maintain a strong safety net for those with the greatest needs. The May Revision builds on this commitment by expanding the states Earned Income Tax Credit program to workers between the ages of 18-25 and above 64, and adjusts income limits to reflect the minimum wage increase to $12 per hour in 2019. The budget also continues to provide billions of dollars to pay for: the expansion of health care coverage; the restoration of low-income health benefits eliminated during the recession; the repeal of the maximum family grant rule in CalWORKs; and increases in child care and early education provider rates and the number of children served.

Saving for Uncertain Times

In 2014, voters created a Rainy Day Fund to save money when the economy is strong for uncertain times ahead. The May Revision maintains the January budget commitment to fully fill the fund. By the end of the current fiscal year, this fund will have a total balance of $9.4 billion growing to $13.8 billion by the end of 2018-19. Additionally, to further protect against the next economic downturn, the budget proposes to direct an extra $3.2 billion into the states traditional budget reserve fund.

Combating Homelessness and Investing in Infrastructure

California anticipates $8 billion in higher revenues through 2018-19 compared to the January budget projection. As a result, the state will keep its existing commitments to increase funding for Medi-Cal, Cal Grants, child care, In-Home Supportive Services and foster care reform, among other programs, while focusing the majority of the remaining funding on one-time expenditures in three areas:

Infrastructure ($2 billion)  The state has huge liabilities from years of deferred maintenance and would use these funds for universities, courts, state facilities and flood control.

Homelessness ($359 million)  The state will assist local governments to immediately address homelessness across the state, bridging the gap until new funding flows from new housing measures signed by Governor Brown last year.

Mental Health Services ($312 million)  The state will provide funding for programs that help people with mental illness, including training for mental health professionals and early identification of mental health problems. This includes $254 million to help counties serve youth with mental illness.

To help address the states housing shortage, the May Revision also proposes to place the $2 billion No Place Like Home bond on the November ballot, which would expand housing opportunities for Californians with mental illness.

Supporting Students

This budget proposal increases K-12 school funding by about $4,600 per student compared to 2011-12 levels. The state will fully implement the Local Control Funding Formula, correcting historical inequities in school district funding, and permanently increase the minimum per pupil funding school districts receive to help offset rising costs.

The May Revision maintains the 3 percent increase in funding for higher education proposed in January while continuing to keep tuition levels unchanged at both the University of California and California State University systems. Since the end of the Great Recession, the UC system has received $1.2 billion in new funding, the California State University system has received $1.6 billion and community colleges have received $2.4 billion. The May Revision also provides each university system with $100 million in new, one-time funding for deferred maintenance.

The May Revision also refines the states California Online College plan and the new funding formula for community colleges.

Fighting Climate Change

To date, the state has appropriated $6.5 billion in cap-and-trade auction proceeds to programs benefitting people across California. Earlier this year, the Administration allocated $1.25 billion in cap-and-trade auction funds to continue the states efforts to aggressively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.

The May Revision proposes $96 million, which includes additional auction proceeds and other funds, to implement the Forest Carbon Plan and take other actions to protect Californias forests against the increasing threat of disastrous wildfires. This $96 million comes in addition to $160 million proposed in Januarys cap-and-trade expenditure plan to support forest improvements and fire protection.U.S. Embassy Jerusalem Dedication Ceremony

Washington, DC - The Department of State is proud to announce that the U.S. Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem will be dedicated on Monday, May 14. Ambassador David M. Friedman will preside over the dedication ceremony and Deputy Secretary John J. Sullivan will lead the Presidential Delegation to the historic opening along with Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin, Senior Advisor Jared Kushner, Advisor Ivanka Trump, and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt.

As the President stated on December 6, 2017, the historic opening of our embassy recognizes the reality that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and the seat of its government. Seventy years ago, the United States, under President Harry S Truman, became the first nation to recognize the State of Israel. Moving our Embassy is not a departure from our strong commitment to facilitate a lasting peace deal; rather it is a necessary condition for it. We are not taking a position on final status issues, including the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, nor on the resolution of contested borders.

Consulate General Jerusalem will continue to operate as an independent mission with an unchanged mandate responsible for U.S. relations with the Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority. The United States continues to support the status quo with regard to the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. The Administration is firmly committed to pursuing a lasting and comprehensive peace between Israel and the Palestinians that promises a brighter future for both.

While in Jerusalem as the Head of Delegation, Deputy Secretary Sullivan will also meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Hotovely, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General Yuval Rotem, and members of both our Embassy and Consulate General staff.

The Department will livestream the Dedication Ceremony on https://www.state.gov and Facebook.com/usdos.Under Secretary Andrea L. Thompson Travels to France and the United Kingdom

Washington, DC - Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea L. Thompson will travel to Paris, France, and London, the United Kingdom May 14-18, 2018.

On May 15, Under Secretary Thompson will head the U.S. delegation for the 2018 Fifteenth Anniversary Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) High Level Political Meeting (HLPM) in Paris, France. This meeting will provide the 105 endorsers of the initiative with an opportunity to review the accomplishments of the last fifteen years, leverage those accomplishments to further focus the Initiatives efforts to interdict transfers of WMD- and missile-related items, and provide strategic direction for the next years of activity. It will send a message of PSI to proliferators that we are watching and will act to stop you, whether at sea, in the air, or on land.

On May 18, she will represent the United States at the Ministerial Meeting of the International Partnership against Impunity for the Use of Chemical Weapons in Paris. The Partnership ministerial will address chemical weapons use by States and non-State actors in recent years, in addition to actions the Partnership can take to contribute to the attribution and deterrence of future use.

Under Secretary Thompson will also hold bilateral discussions on a range of arms control and nonproliferation issues.Do Not Ignore Mouth Ulcers, They Can Be Sutton. All You Need to KnowIsrael's Netta has won the Eurovision song contest 2018.

It was a night filled with drama, including the tense moment a man invaded the stage during UK entry SuRie's performance and grabbed the mic to shout about "Nazis" and the "UK media".

After the night's jury votes, it seemed the competition was down to two of the night's charmers, Austria's Cesar Sampson and Sweden's Benjamin Ingrosso.

However, the public vote changed all that: the favour shifted first to Israel and Cyprus' Eleni Foureira, with Netta finally triumphing with her bright, bonkers pop anthem 'Toy'.

"Thank you for celebrating diversity. Thank you! I love my country! See you in Jerusalem!" she said in her acceptance speech, as a member of the crowd waved their stuffed Pikachu in triumph, referencing the song's lyrics.

You can check out all the action as it happened below:

Eurovision 2018 performances Show all 38 1 /38 Eurovision 2018 performances Eurovision 2018 performances Cyprus' singer Eleni Foureira performs the song "Fuego" AFP Eurovision 2018 performances Israel's singer Netta performs the song "Toy" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Belgium's singer Sennek performs the song "A Matter Of Time" AFP Eurovision 2018 performances Estonia's singer Elina Nechayeva performs the song "La Forza" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Croatia's singer Franka performs the song "Crazy" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Albania's singer Eugent Bushpepa performs the song "Mall" AFP Eurovision 2018 performances Czech Republic's singer Mikolas Josef performs the song "Lie To Me" AFP Eurovision 2018 performances Ireland's singer Ryan O'Shaughnessy performs the song "Together" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Swiss duo ZIBBZ's singer Corinne Gfeller performs the song "Stones" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Bulgarian group Equinox' singer Zhana Bergendorff (R) performs the song "Bones" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Lithuania's singer Ieva Zasimauskaite performs the song "When We're Old" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Finland's singer Saara Aalto performs the song "Monsters" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Greece's singer Yianna Terzi performs the song "Oniro Mou" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Austria's singer Cesar Sampson performs the song "Nobody But You" AFP Eurovision 2018 performances Azerbaijan's singer Aisel performs the song "X My Heart" AFP Eurovision 2018 performances Iceland's singer Ari Olafsson performs the song "Our Choice" AFP Eurovision 2018 performances Armenia's singer Sevak Khanagyan performs the song "Qami" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Macedonian duo Eye Cue's lead vocalist Marija Ivanovska (R) and guitarist Bojan Trajkovski perform the song "Lost And Found" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Belarus' singer Alekseev performs the song "Forever" AFP Eurovision 2018 performances Norway's singer Alexander Rybak performs the song "That's How You Write A Song" AFP Eurovision 2018 performances Romanian band The Humans perform the song "Goodbye AFP Eurovision 2018 performances Serbia's band Sanja Ilic & Balkanika perform the song "Nova Deca" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances San Marino's Jessika featuring Jenifer Brening perform the song "Who We Are" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Denmark's singer Rasmussen performs the song "Higher Ground" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Poland's singer Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer performs the song "Light Me Up" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Australia's singer Jessica Mauboy performs the song "We Got Love" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances The Netherlands' singer Waylon performs the song "Outlaw In 'Em" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Ukraine's singer Melovin performs the song "Under The Ladder" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Sweden's singer Benjamin Ingrosso performs the song "Dance You Off" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Slovenia's singer Lea Sirk performs the song "Hvala, ne!" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Latvia's singer Laura Rizzotto performs the song "Funny Girl" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Hungary's band Aws perform the song "Viszlat Nyar" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Malta's singer Christabelle performs the song "Taboo" AFP Eurovision 2018 performances The Netherlands' singer Waylon performs the song "Outlaw In 'Em" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Georgia's group Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao performs the song "For You" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Montenegro's singer Vanja Radovanovic performs the song "Inje" AFP Eurovision 2018 performances Russia's singer Julia Samoylova performs the song "I Won't Break" Getty Eurovision 2018 performances Moldova's group DoReDoS perform the song "My Lucky Day" AFP

Netta recently spoke to The Independent about her own body confidence: "[I was told] dress like you have nothing to celebrate Dress in black. Dress big. Short skirts are not for you. Short sleeves are not for you. Youre not sexy or beautiful. Youre funny - thats what you are. And you are a good friend.

"Well I am here to break that because this is a great evil that is done in the word to so many people."

"People are locked in this state of mind and when I decided that this [gestures to herself] is who I am then that was that. I always wanted to explore pop culture in my music and I didnt have a chance because being me and presenting that music its not existing."

Follow Independent Culture on Facebook for all the latest on Film, TV, Music, and more.With the trend for all things Nineties persevering, a new wave of footwear that puts comfort first has dominated the fashion scene for some time now.

So much so, that these days youre more likely to find fashion editors sporting box-fresh sneakers than a pair of stilettos on the front row.

That is, until now. Perhaps in retaliation to the easygoing trainer, designers are now putting a modern, dramatic emphasis on heels in a bid to reimagine them in some seriously unconventional silhouettes.

Referred to as sculptural or architectural heels, these new iterations are challenging the notion of what we come to expect from slingbacks, mules and stilettos.

While theyre not a completely new trend  whispers of it trace back to Jimmy Choos stacked wooden heels in 2015, Vetements SS16 pop art cigarette lighter boots and Saint Laurents YSL logo heels for SS17  the look now is more minimalistic and artful.

Available in many unique forms, leading the way this season are shoe designers like French-born Simon Porte Jacquemus and London-based, Korean national Rejina Pyo.

Jacquemus, Bahia Leather Sandals, 500, Net-a-Porter

The former presents mismatched block heels like the Bahia sandals that come stacked on wooden shapes or smooth, suede slingbacks set on sculptural heels inspired by the paintings of Picasso.

Meanwhile, Pyo too nods to her love of art with sculptural designs such as the Lottie mules, which come set on the labels signature pebble-shaped heel.

Rejina Pyo, Barbara Suede Pumps, 495, Net-a-Porter

Its a trend thats showing no signs of slowing either. For autumn/winter 2018, British heritage brand Mulberry showcased the Victoria shoe, inspired by exquisite footwear from the 19th century and heels influenced by vintage designs of porcelain sweet boxes.

While these works of footwear architecture will certainly allow you to put your best foot forwards this spring, theres no need to feel the burden of a high-fashion price tag.

Metal Heel Leather Mules, 69.99, Mango

Luckily, plenty of high street stores, including Mango, Zara and & Other Stories, are all offering their own versions of the sculptural heel.

However much you choose to spend, remember to treat these creations much like a work of art. Theyre far too impressive not to show off, so we suggest keeping hemlines above the ankle for perfect shoe showcasing.

O-Ring Metallic Heeled Sandals, 89, & Other StoriesTV chef Gordon Ramsay believes his success in the United States may have something to do with Americans knowing f*** all about good food.

The notoriously outspoken chef made the comments as he accepted an award for his successful career on both sides of the Atlantic at the Britweek Innovation Awards in Santa Monica, California, according to the Daily Mail.

According to Ramsay, the moment of realisation happened over lunch with a Los Angeles Times journalist shortly after hed moved to the United States in 2004 - when the journalist asked for her Caesar salad to go.

He told the crowd: She boxed a Caesar salad. And I said to her: Do you have any idea how s*** a Caesar salad tastes 24 hours later? What will you do with that f***ing thing? And she said: Im going to eat it.

The 51-year-old recalled how he then proceeded to inform his lunch guest that the salad had been dressed 20 minutes ago, and its sat there for 25 minutes, before asking her why she would eat that - to which she responded: Its delicious.

Thats when I knew Americans knew f*** all about good food. Right there and then, the celebrity chef said.

Since arriving in 2004, Ramsay has opened 11 restaurants across the country and has successfully hosted numerous shows including Hells Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares - despite what he may think of the American palette.

The celebrity chef expressed his disgust during the awards ceremony (DailyMail)

The father-of-four has previously provoked controversy over his comments about vegans and American foods he hates, which he told TV host Stephen Colbert include deli sandwiches and grits.

10 best American foods Show all 10 1 /10 10 best American foods 10 best American foods 4. Tabasco Chipotle and Cola Sauce While fiery Tabasco sauce is practically an American institution, this flavour is a fun twist on the nations favourite carbonated drink. Combining the sweetness of cola with a soft kick of chipotle, the rich, thick sauce is good on meat and for mopping up dry pizza crusts. 2.30, sainsburys.co.uk 10 best American foods 1. Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich The favourite American after-school snack now comes as an ice cream. Sandwiched between two wafers, vanilla ice cream with pieces of biscuit continues the cookies and cream theme, making for a delicious - if not harder to eat - alternative to a biscuit. 2, waitrose.com 10 best American foods 2. Bone Suckin Sauce If youre getting out the grill for Independence Day, this serves as a versatile marinade for any meat. Made with tomato puree, apple cider, vinegar, honey and mustard, it gives meat a succulent sweet, sour and tangy flavour. Try it on pork ribs and chicken wings. 4.99, lakeland.co.uk 10 best American foods 3. Reeses Peanut Butter Cups No other chocolate snack says the US quite like two cups of creamy, full-fat peanut butter covered in a thick layer of milk chocolate. Its enough to send your cholesterol through the roof by just looking at the retro bright orange and yellow packaging. 1.29, americansoda.co.uk 10 best American foods 5. Hersheys Milk Chocolate Bar The age-old debate on whether Cadburys or Hersheys chocolate is better is unlikely to be settled on Independence Day. Although most sane Brits will back Cadburys superior Dairy Milk every time, a minority crave Americas bitter alternative  and can enjoy in peace without the put-downs today. 70p, tesco.com 10 best American foods 6. Frenchs Classic Yellow Mustard This iconic yellow bottle makes this American staple instantly recognisable. The recipes been around since 1904; its milder than English mustard with a subtly tangy kick. For authenticity, try it on a hotdog. 1.79, ocado.com 10 best American foods 7. Udis Cinnamon & Sugar Bagel Chips These coeliac-friendly, crunchy bagel bites are a tasty alternative to the original Jewish breadstuff. Coated in sugar and cinnamon then air-dried, they make a nice snack when you cant quite decide between sweet and savoury. 3.25, tesco.com 10 best American foods 8. Strawberry Marshmallow Fluff This sugary jar of dreams may well keep you awake all night, but it will definitely be worth it. The fluffy paste makes an ideal snack on toast  or spread with peanut butter in a sandwich to make the all-American Flutternutter. Also comes in vanilla and raspberry flavours. 3, amazon.co.uk 10 best American foods 9. Franks Red Hot Original Created over 100 years ago, this original hot sauce was the key ingredient used when the first ever buffalo wings were concocted in New York in the Fifties. Aside from seasoning meat, use it to spice up pasta and rice dishes. 1.50, sainsburys.com 10 best American foods 10. Clarks Original Maple Syrup It may have originated in Canada, but maple syrup has been embraced en masse by Americans too. This Clarks Original is made from the sap of maple trees along with its key ingredient, carob, a brown powder used as a substitute for chocolate to give it extra depth of flavour. Enjoy with pancakes or bacon. 1.98, ocado.com

During the award ceremony, Ramsay also made it a point to thank his team and Fox for letting him be himself on air - before revealing that he doesnt mean to swear, it is just the f**ing idiots that I have to work with.

Ramsay currently acts as a producer and judge on the US version of MasterChef, which is set to premiere its ninth season on May 30.An NHS nurse had to send her two youngest children home to Kenya because she could not afford the thousands of pounds she would have to have paid for the governments health surcharge on workers coming from outside the European Economic Area.

Evaline Omondi, a nurse from Kenya was asked to come up with an immediate payment of 3,600, to cover three years of fees for two adults and her four children.

Ms Omondi, who works in Luton, Bedfordshire, described the introduction of the charge as an awful moment that has scattered her family.

They were forced to take out loans for the upfront costs, but still did not have enough and she had to take her youngest children, Finston aged six and Lovinnah, aged eight, out of school in the UK and send them back to Kenya.

The Royal College of Nursing is calling for nurses and other health workers that the NHS depends on to be exempted from the 200 per family member for each year of their work permit, saying it is tearing families apart.

The charge was introduced by the Conservatives in 2015 to deter health tourism, but it is due to double, to 400 and 300 for students, later this year.

As the NHS in England currently employs 25,000 nurses from outside the EEA and has more than 34,000 full time nurse vacancies it cannot afford to lose more staff.

The surcharge issue will be the subject of a debate at its annual policy setting conference, in Belfast this week, introduced by Ms Omondi, who will say: The introduction of the surcharge fee was an awful moment.

(Eva Omondi (Eva Omondi)

The fees had to be paid immediately, so we had to take out loans to cover them which still affect my family to this day. But on top of the visa charges, and childcare costs, we could not meet the cost and my children had to move back to Kenya. A family who came together is now in pieces, scattered all over the place.

I try to speak to them on the phone before they sleep but it is hard with the time difference and my work, so I sometimes dont get to talk to them.

In a keynote address to the RCN conference on Sunday, chief executive Janet Davies will say she was shocked and embarrassed at the governments treatment of the Windrush generation, many of who are valued NHS colleagues.

It is shameful that families are being torn apart by this policy too  uprooting children from their family, friends and school, she will add. The Government must not put Spanish, Portuguese or Italian colleagues through same after Brexit.

She will add: When facing staff shortages in NHS and care, the UK has depended on professionals from around the world.

Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests  but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty

I say to the Government today: these people keep the NHS running. They are the very last people who should ever be sent upfront invoices for healthcare  get your priorities in order.

A Home Office spokesperson said: The Government fully recognises the contribution that international professionals make to the UK and to our health service.

The surcharge offers access to health care services that are far more comprehensive and at a much lower cost than many other countries.

The income generated goes directly to NHS services, helping to protect and sustain our world-class healthcare system for everyone who uses it.The president, deeply unpopular and facing a rising tide of scandal, has involved his country in a military action that some see as an effort to deflect his critics from his problems. His election victory is credited to the behind-the-scenes influence of a powerful state suspected of using the president as a puppet to advance their own interests and weaken the country.

Having fired a string of senior government members, he relies on support from figures in the security sector and wealthy allies with dubious histories, but most of all on his closest advisor: his daughter. Erratic, prone to anger and public outbursts, and seemingly unable to cope with the workload, he seems to barely function as a president, creating a vacuum at the heart of the nuclear superpower that alarms domestic and international observers.

For Russians old enough to remember the 1990s, the presidency of Donald Trump must have a familiar feel. Trump is often compared to other political figures from US history, including presidents Richard Nixon and Warren Harding, but perhaps the most striking parallel of all is not with a figure from the American past but with a Russian: Boris Yeltsin, post-Soviet Russias first president.

Recommended Follow the latest tweets from Donald Trump and what they really mean

A key player in the collapse of the USSR and one of the most important international political figures of the 1990s, Yeltsin occupied the Kremlin between the end of the Soviet Union in1991 and his resignation in 1999, when he stepped down in favour of his prime minister  the then-unknown Vladimir Putin.

Like Trump, Yeltsin was a deeply divisive figure, a political street fighter who survived by playing individuals and factions against each other and through complex transactional relationships with figures inside and outside government. Yeltsin was a charismatic and unconventional politician who appeared to relish political drama and theatrical public appearances such as his most famous speech, made from the top of a tank during the failed coup by Soviet hardliners in August 1991.

The Kremlin 1995: Boris Yeltsin knocks back a vodka with (right) Bill Clinton and John Major (AFP)

He began by appearing, at least to his admirers, to be committed to radical reform of a corrupt and inefficient political and economic system. Instead, his governments policies were criticised for benefitting the super-rich at the expense of ordinary people and his presidency ultimately both discredited the democratic process to his domestic audience and diminished the status of, and trust in, Russia abroad. Many of the same claims are made about the current occupant of the White House, with a similar prognosis for Americas political future.

Historical analogies should be treated with caution, of course, and there are obvious limits to the parallels between Yeltsin and Trump. Trumps loose cannon behaviour and erratic attention to the hard work of being president seems grounded in his past as a celebrity businessman, as well as in his complete lack of previous experience of government. Yeltsin, in contrast, was a highly skilled political operator with decades of experience in negotiating the complexities of Soviet politics, but whose ability to govern was destroyed by the effects of his alcoholism. This is not a likely risk in the case of the famously teetotal Donald Trump  he wont be too drunk to get off the plane to meet the Irish Taoiseach as Yeltsin was, and the Secret Service wont find him in his underwear on Pennsylvania Avenue late at night, drunkenly trying to hail a cab to get a pizza, as they reportedly did when Yeltsin visited Washington in 1994.

More importantly, American political structures are not like those of 1990s Russia and nothing like as vulnerable to the effects of a weak or incapacitated president. The Russian constitutional framework, political system, economy, and society were all in a state of chaos when Yeltsin came to power and Russias and Yeltsins political frailty amplified each other in a downward spiral of corruption, incompetence, and authoritarianism from which the exit was the presidency of Vladimir Putin.

Despite fears about the damage being done to the US constitution and political life by the Trump presidency, the US political and legal systems are robust, and civil society and media freedoms remain exceptionally strong. Although currently under pressure, the constitutional separation of powers across the presidency, Congress, and the judiciary sets limits to the damage that can be done by a president with the authoritarian impulses of Donald Trump.

But while it is easy (and comforting) to spot the differences between Washington now and Moscow 20 years ago, there are also similarities that should not be ignored. These relate particularly to the international impact of the two presidencies.

The decision to launch missile strikes against Syrian chemical weapons targets, announced unexpectedly by Trump after the FBI raided the offices of his lawyer Michael Cohen, appeared to critics to be motivated less by concern for the situation in Syria than by a desire to distract from a particularly damaging development in the scandal consuming his presidency.

The perception that he is willing to use armed force to project a presidential appearance in the face of domestic political crisis recalls Yeltsins decision to launch a 'small victorious war'' in Chechnya  a war which turned out to be neither victorious nor small.

Whether the claim is unfair in either or both cases is in some ways less significant than the widespread perception that it is, or could be, true. When a political leader is thought to be desperate enough to use military force as a distraction from their political weakness, both domestic and international players are forced to re-evaluate their relationship to him (or her).

Donald dentures: people are claiming Trump slurred his speech because he had problems with his dentures slipping out (Getty)

The questions of how far the individual is prepared to go to survive, how reliable they are as a partner, and so how far other states can support them, come into play and run the risk of damaging the countrys alliances. As momentum gathers in the various investigations into potential criminality involving Trumps associates and perhaps the president himself, more surprise foreign policy announcements and headline-grabbing Twitter threats to other states will create more uncertainty and reduce international trust in the US. The abandonment of the Iran nuclear deal this week, which some critics have also suggested is motivated by the desire to distract from domestic scandal, has clearly done both of these things.

The election question is another area where similarities between Yeltsin and Trump pose problems for America. Facing a difficult election battle in 1996, Yeltsin appeared to benefit from American assistance, with then-president Clinton providing various kinds of support that included delaying the announcement of Nato expansion (which was deeply unpopular in Russia) and pushing through large-scale international aid for Russia despite concerns about exactly where it was going. These and allegations of other, more questionable, forms of covert support for the Yeltsin campaign contributed to a perception that the American government interfered to enable the election of an ally  or a puppet, according to many of Yeltsins domestic critics.

Whatever the truth of the similar claims in relation to Trump now being investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller, the widespread perception that the Russian governments intervention in the 2016 presidential election may have handed victory to their favoured candidate has been disastrous not only for Trump himself but for Americas global standing. If doubts exist about the legitimacy of the US presidents election, and about what he may owe another government in exchange for it, the USs reputation is damaged, its position is weakened, and its ability to achieve its international goals is compromised.

These suspicions have been strengthened by Trumps statements of admiration for Putin and his evident desire to improve relations despite the actions of Russia in Ukraine, in Syria, and in relation to the 2016 election. They have also been reinforced by his surprising attitude towards issues that touch on Russian interests.

One recent example is Trumps decision to back away from further sanctions against Russia suggested by Americas UN Ambassador Nikki Hayley. Others include his reported anger over the high number of Russian diplomats expelled by the US in response to the Skripal poisoning, and his apparent desire early in his presidency to lift the Crimea-related sanctions imposed on Russia.

Most serious of all is his attitude to Nato, perhaps the main object of the Russian governments anger and suspicion. During his election campaign Trump claimed that Nato was obsolete and indicated that if member states were attacked by Russia he would only honour the principle of collective defence  the core, binding principle of the alliance  if other members fulfilled their obligations to the US by making payments (an arrangement that sounded less like an alliance system and more like a protection racket).

Boris Yeltsin at a rock concert in June 1996 in Rostov, Russia (Getty)

Although his approach appears to have softened, and the US currently shows no signs of weakening its role in Nato, there remains uncertainty about his commitment to the alliance  whether, in other words, Nato members can still trust the US to stand with them if they are attacked. This is extremely worrying because uncertainty and loss of confidence among allies during periods of heightened global threat create the conditions for misunderstanding and miscalculation. They also raise the possibility that states will look for alternative ways to defend themselves, outside formal alliance structures, creating more uncertainty and more risk. These are the kinds of conditions under which major wars have started in the past.

It is the international sphere, then, where the Yeltsin-Trump parallels are strongest and most damaging. While the US constitution and its democratic political norms are, hopefully, robust enough to stand up to the stress test of the Trump presidency, Americas international standing is much more vulnerable. The perception that the US president is incapable of governing effectively, that he lacks control over either himself or his administration, that he may owe his position to the illegal intervention of another state, create risks both for the US itself and for international stability.

This is because of the unique role that it plays in international politics. Since the end of World War II the US has been the leading democracy, the architect of a liberal international economic system, and the guarantor of its allies security. Since the end of the Cold War it has been the most politically, economically, and militarily powerful state in the world. Despite the damage caused by Iraq and other foreign policy misadventures, it maintained a high degree of influence, of soft power, in relation to other states and their populations. This influence depended on the credibility of US leadership in two senses  both US leadership in international affairs and the presidents ability to effectively govern at home. When both are in question, as now, Americas influence diminishes. This not only has implications for its alliances like Nato, it creates global uncertainty and increases the risk of foreign policy adventurism by states who relish the opportunity to chip away further at Americas global status.

The end of US dominance was forecast long before the presidency of Donald Trump. For many non-American observers it does not, in itself, seem like a bad thing. But the speed and unpredictable trajectory of the decline in the USs international standing under Trump has accelerated the process in ways that make the world less stable and secure.

In the 1950s, the Soviet Union went through a process of de-Stalinisation to correct the flaws of the past. Washington urgently needs to start a de-Yeltsinisation before further damage is done to the USs international position. At the moment, however, the chances of that seem worryingly remote.

Ruth Deyermond is lecturer in post-Soviet security at Kings College London and specialises in Russian foreign policy and US-Russia relations in the Department of War StudiesDisgraced former Panamanian General Manuel Noriega was a ruthless dictator, domestic spook, convicted murderer, money-launderer, big-time drug runner for Colombian cocaine druglords and a double agent between the CIA and Fidel Castro's Cuba. To some of his friends, however, including English ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn, he was a loveable rogue. In the 1980s, when he was nicknamed Pineapple Face because of severe acne, he stood up to the US but went one step too far when he swung a machete around his head and declared Panama was in a state of war with America.

Not great timing. For one thing, the major US networks filmed the machete incident, which was never going to go down well with a US President from Texas, George HW Bush. What's more, another anti-US dictator, Iraqs Saddam Hussein, was in dispute with neighbouring Kuwait and was building up his forces with a possible view to invasion (which he did the following year, 1990). President Bush did not fancy taking on two dictators at the same time. Just before Christmas 1989, he ordered US paratroopers into Panama and within two weeks Noriega surrendered.

The $300m Noriega was said by US investigators to have amassed as his personal fortune became useless. He was convicted in the US for drug-trafficking, racketeering and money-laundering and in 1992 was sentenced to 40 years in prison in Miami, later reduced to 30 years. In the end, he was released early by the US but only because both France and Panama had called for his extradition on other charges. But the US was happy to get rid of him and see him complete his penance elsewhere.

He was shipped to Paris in 2010 and sentenced in July to seven years' jail for money-laundering by buying luxury Paris apartments with drug proceeds worth $3m. Like the US, however, France, having administered their own justice, released him after just over a year, in September 2011, and put him, heavily guarded, on a plane to his native Panama, where he arrived on 11 December that year. If Noriega was expecting a triumphant welcome home from his former supporters, it was not to be. Panama jailed him for 20 years.

In early 2017, he was released from prison for a temporary period of house arrest to allow him to have an operation to remove a benign brain tumour. In early March, he was said to be critically ill and in a coma after suffering a haemorrhage.

Doctors decided to attempt further surgery to treat the cerebral bleeding, but he died late on Monday, local time, in Panama City's Santo Tomas hospital, the secretary of state for communication Manuel Dominguez announced. He was 83.

For a foreign correspondent covering Panama in the 1980s, Noriega was pure gold. Panama rarely got covered in Europe but Cara de Pina (Pineapple Face) guaranteed headlines. Charismatic he was not. Fascinating, yes. Kind of a Donald Trump of his time. Noriega did not like foreign reporters, even Panamanian reporters, except the ones he paid off with cash in US dollars. These were pre-Twitter days so his only resource was to invite us foreign correspondents to his bunker-style office at the Panamanian Defence Forces headquarters. Like Trump, he was convinced he was the best thing ever to have happened for his country. In that, of course, he was soon proved wrong.

One of his major mistakes in the 1980s was to order the execution of one of his most outspoken opponents, Hugo Spadafora, a handsome, charismatic man who had uncovered Noriegas collaboration with the Colombian drug lords Pablo Escobar and Carlos Lehder in getting massive amounts of cocaine into the US. Spadafora's body was found in a large US Postal Service mail bag. His head had been sawn off with a butcher's knife and was never found.

Noriega was in Paris at the time of Spadafora's murder but an intelligence wiretap between one of his Panamanian commanders, Luis Cordoba, and Noriega read:

Cordoba: We have the rabid dog.

Noriega: And what does one do with a dog that has rabies? Then Noriega hung up.

In May 1989, during a general election that was meant to put Noriega's man Carlos Duque in power, pro-Noriega hoodlums ironically known as the Dignity Battalions took to the streets of Panama to intimidate opponents. It was a normal occurrence. But this time, two American photographers -- Les Stone and Ron Haviv -- happened to be present. They photographed opposition candidate Guillermo Billy Ford being beaten with iron bars by Noriega's men. Haviv's photo of Ford being beaten, his white guayabera shirt drenched in blood, hit the cover of TIME magazine on 22 May 1989. President George HW Bush could not help but take note.

On 20 December, 1989, Bush launched Operation Just Cause without warning. Some 27,000 American troops landed: 23 of them died, and hundreds of Panamanians, mostly civilians, were killed in crossfire. The Panamanian Defence Forces headquarters, where I had met Noriega years before, was virtually levelled. The US forces surrounded and fired upon the Marriott Hotel, where the foreign correspondents were staying. Spanish photographer Juantxu Rodriguez, working for El Pais, was shot dead by an American soldier, and a famous image of Juantxu lying dead with his camera by his head still haunts foreign correspondents and photographers to this day. The American forces also shot and wounded an English photographer.

For two weeks, Noriega hid out in the residence of the papal nuncio, the Vatican ambassador Monsignor Juan Laboa, where he was untouchable for diplomatic reasons. That meant the US forces could not shoot him out. So the American troops used a different approach. They brought out massive loudspeakers of Hyde Park concert proportions and bombarded the Vatican embassy with sound -- non-stop rock music day and night. With some glee, the Americans, including US Navy Seals, relied mostly on a song by The Clash: I Fought the Law (...and the law won). Even from way behind the loudspeakers, the noise was horrendous. Noriega, after the mediation of Monsignor Laboa, finally emerged on 3 January 1990. In an operation known as Nifty Package, he was flown to the US and the rest is history.

Manuel Antonio Noriega Morena was born in 1934 (although some biographies, edited by him, claimed he was born four years later) in the working-class El Chorrillo district of Panama City, which he would later make his base. His father was an accountant who had emigrated from Colombia, his mother his father's housekeeper. Noriega was of mixed Spanish, Amerindian and African origin and his moreno (dark) skin ensured him of peasant and working-class support in a country dominated by the so-called rabiblancos, or white-tails, the economic elite of mainly Spanish ancestry.

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At the age of five, Noriega was given up by his father for adoption to a woman schoolteacher. The boy hoped to become a doctor but, lacking resources, ended up as a cadet at the Peruvian Military Academy in Lima. After joining Panamas National Guard in 1967, he was sent for training at the renowned School of the Americas (SOA) in Fort Benning, Georgia, notorious for turning out some of Latin Americas most ruthless military dictators including Chile's Augusto Pinochet.

By the late 1970s, Noriega had become something of a protege of Panama's military strongman leader Omar Torrijos. When Torrijos died in an unexplained plane crash in 1981, fingers were pointed at Noriega. Whatever the case, Noriega became the new strongman. And by the time he took formal power in 1983, Noriega was very much a key asset of the CIA.

In return for payments (whose amounts may never be known), he helped get US weapons, military equipment and cash to anti-communist forces in Central America, including the US-backed Contras fighting against the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. He allowed the US to set up listening posts in Panama aimed at monitoring the leftist Sandinistas in Nicaragua while also channelling US money and weapons to the anti-Sandinista Contras.

By then, the CIA knew he was helping Colombian drug lords ship cocaine to the US but they turned a blind eye in return for his help. At the time, the Americans saw halting communism as more important than stopping cocaine entering their country, now proven to be a major mistake. Noriega's influence in the Central American civil wars was seen as more important than the damage cocaine was increasingly causing in the streets of the US.

What the CIA did not initially know was that Noriega was also dealing with Fidel Castro in Cuba and with the left-wing insurgencies in Nicaragua and other Central American countries, providing them with weapons but neglecting to put the proceeds into Panama's coffers. He began to get quite rich.

As a result of his wealth and power, he quickly won new friends, He had already befriended the English ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn, who lived in Panama City with her husband Dr Roberto Arias during Noriega's rise through the ranks. Dr Arias was a Panamanian politician and diplomat (as well as suspected guns and whisky smuggler, and serial womaniser) who was shot by a (political or love) rival in 1964. Tito Arias, a graduate of St John's College, Cambridge, remained a wheelchair-bound quadriplegic until his death in 1989, tended all that time by Dame Margot and his family.

Dame Margot recalled once sitting in her Panama City home when a beaming Noriega jumped up from behind her sofa wielding a pistol. It was Pineapple Face's idea of a joke, but didn't go down well with Dame Margot, who kicked him out. Dame Margot died of cancer in Panama City in 1991, by which time Noriega was behind bars in Miami.

Manuel Noriega's wife Felicidad was rarely seen in recent years but she is believed to survive him along with their daughters Lorena, Sandra and Thays.

Manuel Antonio Noriega Morena, born 11 February 1934, died 29 May 2017A man who stabbed a teenager on board a London Underground train just minutes after threatening another man with the knife has been jailed.

Joseph Dunkley was sentenced to eight years in prison following a shocking display of violence on a Victoria Line tube train last summer.

But his victim, 18-year-old Samuel Gbo, was also handed a suspended prison sentence after he retaliated with a blade of his own.

The aggressive and atrocious brawl began at Brixton tube station on 5 August last year where Dunkley, 46, was approached by another man at about 5.30am, British Transport Police (BTP) said.

The pair argued and began fighting, before Dunkley pulled out a knife and lunged at the man, who ran away. Dunkley entered the station and walked toward a northbound Victoria Line train.

A group of men including Gbo, then 17, had also entered the station and boarded the train, police said.

BTP said in a statement: Dunkley confused Gbo with someone else he knew, becoming violent and aggressive.

During the journey towards Stockwell, Dunkley threatened the group of men with a knife and then stabbed Gbo.

[Gbo] also produced a knife and stabbed Dunkley twice on the arm. Throughout the tube journey the violent disorder between the group of men and Dunkley continued.

At Stockwell the disorder spilled onto the platform.

Police and paramedics were then called to Stockwell station.

Joseph Dunkley, 46, of Plaistow, was jailed for eight years (British Transport Police)

PC Neil Lane, of BTP, investigated the double assault. He said: These defendants unleashed a shocking display of violence on board the Victoria Line train. They lunged at each other, inflicting serious wounds which required medical attention.

Passengers using this early morning service were unsurprisingly frightened by this aggressive and atrocious violence.

Knife crime will never be tolerated on the London Underground network, and todays sentence shows the consequence of knife crime.

The tube network is rich with CCTV, and we use this vital evidence to identify offenders and bring them before the courts. Those individuals who are intent on carrying knives should see this sentence as a deterrent to this reckless behaviour.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 1 October 2021 A driver talks to members of the media after passing his HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) driving test at National Driving Centre in Croydon, south London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 30 September 2021 The centrepiece One Thousand Springs by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is seen ahead of the beginning of the Japan Festival, a celebration of the countrys plants, art and culture running from 2-31 October, at Kew Gardens in London PA UK news in pictures 29 September 2021 The family of Betty Campbell unveil the bronze sculpture of her during the unveiling of the statue in Central Square, Cardiff, of Betty Campbell, Wales' first black headteacher PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2021 A sign referring to the lack of fuel is placed at the entrance to a petrol station in London AP UK news in pictures 27 September 2021 Police officers detain a protester from Insulate Britain occupying a roundabout leading from the M25 motorway to Heathrow Airport in London PA UK news in pictures 26 September 2021 Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer watches the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur match at The Font pub in Brighton PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2021 Scottish pro-independence supporters hold a march and rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images UK news in pictures 24 September 2021 Police officers remove two protesters from the top of a tanker, as Insulate Britain block the A20 in Kent, which provides access to the Port of Dover in Kent. The environmental activists have moved location after been banned from campaigning on the M25 motorway in London PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2021 Gabriella, the seven year old daughter of imprisoned British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, joins in a game on a giant snakes and ladders board in Parliament Square, to show the ups and downs of her mothers case to mark the 2,000 days she has been detained in Iran AP UK news in pictures 22 September 2021 A new sign hangs on the Millicent Fawcett statue after it was altered by CrackTheCrises coalition activists to highlight the climate crisis as a feminist struggle in Parliament Square in London EPA UK news in pictures 21 September 2021 Gabriella Diment prepares a monumental bronze patinated fibreglass wall sculpture depicting household cavalry soldiers on horseback which is expected to be sold for 12,000-18,000 when it goes up for auction at Summers Place Auctions in Billinghurst, Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. 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PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA

Transport for London insisted its network was a safe, low-crime environment.

Customer and staff safety is our top priority, which is why we invest in a comprehensive network of 12,000 cameras across the tube network and dedicated transport police officers, said Siwan Hayward, its head of transport policing.

Dunkley, of Florence Road in Plaistow, was jailed for eight years at Southwark Crown Court on Friday.

He had been found guilty of affray, violence disorder, unlawful malicious wounding and GBH with intent, and had previously admitted possessing an offensive weapon.

Gbo, of White Hart Lane in Wood Green, was sentenced at the same court on 16 March. He was jailed for 16 months, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay a 20 victim surcharge, after admitting violent disorder, possessing an offensive weapon and unlawful malicious wounding.

Figures released late last month revealed the largest-ever jump in knife crime across England and Wales.

Almost 40,000 offences involving knives or sharp weapons were recorded by police in 2017  the highest level in seven years.

It came amid a spate of stabbings in London, where there have been more than 60 murders since the beginning of 2018.Racism and religious intolerance has become more acceptable in Britain in the wake of the Brexit referendum, a United Nations expert has warned.

At the end of an 11-day visit investigating the impact of Brexit on racial equality in the UK, the UN special rapporteur on racism reported a notable shift in attitudes.

A Brexit-related trend that threatens racial equality in the UK has been the growth in the acceptability of explicit racial, ethnic and religious intolerance, said E Tendayi Achiume.

Stakeholders raised serious concerns about the failure of political leaders on the left and the right to consistently and unequivocally condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia perpetrated in the media, in public spaces and even by members of the UK parliament.

Ms Achiume said that although far-right parties had not enjoyed the political success seen elsewhere in Europe, extreme views were gaining ground in mainstream political parties on both the right and left.

She highlighted the documented rise in hate crime reported to police following the referendum in June 2016, with incidents increasing almost a third year-on-year to more than 80,000  the vast majority racially motivated.

Monitoring groups have reported significant rises in both Islamphobic and antisemitic attacks.

The discourses on racial equality before, during and after the referendum, as well as the policies and practices upon which the Brexit debate has conferred legitimacy, raise serious issue, Ms Achiume said, warning of a growth in volume and acceptability of xenophobic discourses on migration, and on foreign nationals including refugees in social and print media.

She gave no specific examples but the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights raised alarm over reporting of immigration issues in Britain in 2015, singling out a Sun column by Katie Hopkins that compared refugees to "cockroaches" and likening it to pre-genocide discourse in Rwanda.

The rapporteur called on the government to prepare immigration policies ahead of Brexit that protect both EU and non-EU migrants from the threat of racial and ethnic discrimination.

The special rapporteurs final report, to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June next year, will contain more detailed findings on the impact of Brexit on racial equality in the UK.

Her wide-ranging interim statement included a range of recommendations, concluding that laws enacted under the coalition and Conservative governments that deputise immigration enforcement to private citizens and civil servants in a range of arenas must be repealed.

Ms Achiume said hostile environment policies supposedly directed at illegal migrants were destroying the lives of wider foreign and ethnic minority communities.

Speaking in London, she cited austerity, immigration laws and counter-terrorism policies among the structural dynamics undermining racial equality in Britain.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 30 September 2021 The centrepiece One Thousand Springs by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is seen ahead of the beginning of the Japan Festival, a celebration of the countrys plants, art and culture running from 2-31 October, at Kew Gardens in London PA UK news in pictures 29 September 2021 The family of Betty Campbell unveil the bronze sculpture of her during the unveiling of the statue in Central Square, Cardiff, of Betty Campbell, Wales' first black headteacher PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2021 A sign referring to the lack of fuel is placed at the entrance to a petrol station in London AP UK news in pictures 27 September 2021 Police officers detain a protester from Insulate Britain occupying a roundabout leading from the M25 motorway to Heathrow Airport in London PA UK news in pictures 26 September 2021 Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer watches the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur match at The Font pub in Brighton PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2021 Scottish pro-independence supporters hold a march and rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images UK news in pictures 24 September 2021 Police officers remove two protesters from the top of a tanker, as Insulate Britain block the A20 in Kent, which provides access to the Port of Dover in Kent. The environmental activists have moved location after been banned from campaigning on the M25 motorway in London PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2021 Gabriella, the seven year old daughter of imprisoned British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, joins in a game on a giant snakes and ladders board in Parliament Square, to show the ups and downs of her mothers case to mark the 2,000 days she has been detained in Iran AP UK news in pictures 22 September 2021 A new sign hangs on the Millicent Fawcett statue after it was altered by CrackTheCrises coalition activists to highlight the climate crisis as a feminist struggle in Parliament Square in London EPA UK news in pictures 21 September 2021 Gabriella Diment prepares a monumental bronze patinated fibreglass wall sculpture depicting household cavalry soldiers on horseback which is expected to be sold for 12,000-18,000 when it goes up for auction at Summers Place Auctions in Billinghurst, Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA

She heavily criticised the Right to Rent programme, which requires landlords to conduct visa inspections, bank checks and NHS data transfers that were partly scrapped earlier this week.

The policies had effectively transformed places like hospitals, banks, and private residences into border checkpoints, she said.

In the wake of a scandal over the treatment of workers who were invited to Britain during the Windrush period and their children, the government has apologised for appalling cases and vowed not to deport anyone wrongfully.

Sajid Javid, who became home secretary following Amber Rudds resignation, has distanced himself from the hostile environment and said only illegal migrants will be targeted.

The government had already rebranded Theresa Mays flagship policy as the compliant environment, but Ms Achiume said nothing would change as long as parts of the 2014 and 2016 Immigration Acts that underpin it remain in place.

Efforts such as eliminating deportation targets can achieve only slight cosmetic changes to an immigration enforcement regime that has permeated almost all aspects of social life in the UK, she added.

A hostile environment ostensibly created for and formally restricted to irregular immigrants is in effect a hostile environment for all racial and ethnic communities ... both unconscious bias and conscious racial prejudice remain alive and well.

The structural socioeconomic exclusion of racial and ethnic minority communities in the United Kingdom is striking, Ms Achiume added.

Recommended Tories under pressure to sack local councillor who shared racist joke

The harsh reality is that race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability status and related categories all continue to determine the life chances and wellbeing of people in Britain in ways that are unacceptable and in many cases unlawful. Austerity measures have been disproportionately detrimental to racial and ethnic minority communities ... making women of colour the worst affected.

She called on the government to subject all proposed fiscal policies to equality impact assessments that could flag any racial imbalances before they are brought in.

Weeks after a UN panel raised serious concern over the deaths of a disproportionate number of black and minority ethnic people in police custody, Ms Achiume hit out at inequality in the criminal justice system.

She also said a national panic over terrorism was driving Islamophobia and called for the governments Prevent counter-extremism programme to be suspended and reviewed.

Ms Achiume concluded that although the UK had shown leadership in some areas of racial equality, including the prime ministers race disparity audit, the government still has much to do.

I hope that this is only the first step towards transforming formal government commitments into reality, especially for those who experience the highest levels of exclusion, subordination and discrimination on the basis of their race or ethnicity, she said.

A government spokesperson said: We note that the Special Rapporteur commended UK legislation and policy to tackle direct and indirect racial discrimination, and that in her end of mission statement she welcomed the Race Disparity Audit as a remarkable step towards transforming formal commitments to racial equality into reality.

We have made great progress, but the Prime Minister is clear that if there is no rational explanation for ethnic disparities, then we  as a society  must take action to change them. That is precisely what we will do.

BAE Systems does not know whether its weapons are used to commit war crimes, the defence firms chairman has admitted while praising its impeccable record on values.

Sir Roger Carr told shareholders gathered at the companys annual general meeting they were not complicit in war crimes allegedly committed by Saudi Arabia using BAE-made planes and bombs in Yemen.

Asked whether any of its products were used in an airstrike that recently killed at least 20 people at a wedding, including the bride, he replied: You dont know and I dont know.

Sir Roger later admitted that BAE Systems equipment may have been used by Saudi forces in a military intervention to crush anti-government protests in Bahrain in 2011.

Monitors allege that weapons and aircraft manufactured by BAE Systems have been deployed to kill civilians and violate international law in Yemen.

But British exports to Saudi Arabia have continued, with the UK licencing more than 4.6bn worth of arms to the country since the bombing started.

We supply equipment government-to-government to enable the job to be done as seen fit, Sir Roger said in Farnborough on Thursday.

We separate ourselves from the war itself were not involved in any part of prosecuting, planning or executing the war.

 UK government says its heart 'goes out' to relatives of Yemen wedding airstrike victims but refuses to halt arms sales to Saudi

While being repeatedly questioned about civilian deaths by supporters of the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), Sir Roger claimed that BAE Systems hoped for peace in Yemen and other countries, adding: One death of anybody is one death too many.

But he later refused a vicars request for a minutes silence to commemorate the people killed and injured by his companys products, then had a protester who accused the firm of being complicit in the murder of innocents every day carried out by security guards.

The AGM was told that share prices and sales had risen in 2017, making it a good year for BAE Systems, which stands as Britains largest manufacturer and makes up 0.6 per cent of GDP.

Despite cutting staff at some UK sites, it has been financially bolstered by additional awards from the British government for submarine programmes, a new contract with Qatar and the sale of 48 Typhoon jets to Saudi Arabia.

Recommended BAE Systems shares jump on provisional Saudi Typhoon fighter jet deal

Sir Roger, who formerly served as vice-chairman of the BBC Trust and chairman of Cadburys, said he personally met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and members of his government during his UK visit earlier this year.

Describing the autocrat as a man of considerable presence, he enthusiastically praised his reform programme and added: He is trying to create a world for them that I think wed all be happy to see.

Sir Roger defended Saudi Arabias intervention against Houthi rebels in Yemen by claiming the coalition bombing campaign was supported by the UN Security Council, although the body has never explicitly backed military intervention and has issued several warnings over violations of international law.

He argued that Saudi Arabia needed to protect itself from Houthi missile attacks, adding that Yemen may breed difficulty as all wars do but the greater difficulty is to let the infection spread and do nothing about it.

Sir Roger insisted that BAE Systems staff do not load weapons on to planes themselves but are involved in service, maintenance and training.

It is only at that level we draw the line, the use of that equipment is for others, he added.

The situation in Yemen Show all 14 1 /14 The situation in Yemen The situation in Yemen Houthi supporters trample on a US flag during a gathering mobilizing more fighters into several Yemeni battlefronts, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen People carry the coffins of men, who were killed in the recent Saudi-led airstrikes during their funeral, in the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen AP The situation in Yemen Pro-government fighters give food to Yemeni children on the road leading to the southwestern port city of Mokha. Yemeni rebels are putting up fierce resistance in a key Red Sea port city where they are encircled by pro-government force Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni stands in front of a graffiti protesting US military operations in war-affected Yemen, in Sana'a, Yemen. According to reports, US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen A Yemeni female fighter supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, takes part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen Yemeni female fighters supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, take part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A boy shouts slogans next to pro-Houthi fighters, who have been injured during recent fighting, during a rally held to honour those injured or maimed while fighting in Houthi ranks in Sanaa, Yemen Reuters The situation in Yemen Balls of fire and smoke rise from a Houthi-held military camp following alleged Saudi-led airstrikes, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy looks on as Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy sits amidst the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa AFP/Getty The situation in Yemen Marine One with US President Donald Trump flies with a decoy and support helicopters to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, for the dignified transfer of Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer William 'Ryan' Owens who was killed in Yemen Getty Images The situation in Yemen US President Donald Trump aboard the Marine One to greet the remains of a US military commando killed during a raid on the al Qaeda militant group in southern Yemen on Sunday, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, US Reuters

We are not an aggressive company. We dont conduct wars, we manufacture equipment in order to ensure that those who protect and serve us are equipped appropriately and hope that having given that equipment it will avoid others being aggressors.

The firm manufactures Eurofighter Typhoon jets, Challenger tanks, a range of bombs including the advanced precision kill weapon system rocket and is working on a new fleet of stealth drones.

With customers in more than 100 countries, it is the biggest arms company in Europe and third-largest in the world, and currently expanding further with a fighter jet programme in Turkey.

Reverend Matthew Harbage, who turned down a trainee scheme at BAE Systems after graduating in computer science, said it could not abdicate all responsibility.

Recommended UK government could be forced to ban Saudi arms sales in new challenge

Ali Al Fayez, who fled Bahrain with his family following the 2011 unrest, told the chairman: You should know if your equipment is used to crush and kill people or not and obviously you are not doing that.

Sir Roger maintained that BAE Systems works under a government umbrella and is subject to its oversight and scrutiny.

It is a company that has an impeccable record on values, beliefs and on the training and development of employees, he added.

He would not speculate on the amount of profit that could be lost if a legal challenge that could see arms sales to Saudi Arabia ruled unlawful succeeds.

Andrew Smith, who attended the AGM with other members of CAAT, said BAE Systems weapons made it an active participant in any atrocities committed in the conflicts where they are used.

BAEs arms have played a central role in the bombardment of Yemen, Carr and his colleagues cannot simply abdicate themselves of responsibility for the destruction that has been caused, he added.

If BAE is actually interested in stopping the terrible consequences of war, then the least it could do is put procedures in place to monitor the use of its weapons and ensure that they arent being used against civilian targets.

The reason that BAE doesnt know if its weapons were used in the bombing of the wedding in Yemen is because it doesnt want to know. Its entire business model is based on perpetual war.

To ask questions or to take any kind of moral stance would be to jeopardise its position as a major arms exporter.Universities and local NHS services must improve mental health services for students to avoid failing a generation, academics and healthcare professionals have warned following the deaths of three students in as many weeks at Bristol University.

Ten students from the University of Bristol and two from the University of the West of England, also in Bristol, have died since October 2016, of which a number have been confirmed as suicides.

A frank discussion in Bristol and elsewhere is under way as both the quality and nature of care offered to students  who are particularly at risk of slipping through gaps in the health system  is examined.

Universities UK called for urgent action to improve the coordination of care between the NHS and universities, in a report published yesterday.

This would make it easier for students to access care as they take on the challenges of higher education, independent living and making new friends.

Mental health support for students needs to understand these transitions and join up care around their needs, reads the report, Minding our Future. A major difficulty is that students' health information rarely travels with them when they leave home for the first time.

The number of students dropping out with mental health problems has more than trebled in recent years, while the number of suicides among full-time students in England and Wales has jumped from 75 in 2007 to 134 in 2015.

Almost half of all school leavers now go on to university and with three-quarters of all mental illness developing by the age of 24 years, this period of young adults lives is crucial in shaping their future.

Students testimonies cited in the report demonstrated some of the failings of the healthcare system.

When I moved out of my home area to university, I could no longer access the NHS service I had been with for over a year because I was registered with a GP in another county, said one undergraduate. This was a difficult experience, which left me feeling uncertain of what services I could receive.

My mental health kept getting worse because of having to constantly retell my traumatic story to then only be told that a service couldnt help my specialist need, said another.

"The system of mental health care for students must be improve, said Professor Steve West, vice-chancellor of UWE Bristol and chair of UUK's Mental Health in Higher Education Advisory Group, leading calls for national and local government, schools, colleges, the health service, voluntary organisations and universities to work together and better support students.

"Students must be at the centre of these partnerships and senior leadership within universities and the NHS must sustain the changes.

Health services aren't properly designed to help students as they move from home to university. This is too important to ignore and we must not fail a generation by not doing what is required.

The vast majority, 94 per cent, of universities have experienced a sharp increase in the number of people trying to access support services, with some institutions observing a threefold increase over the past five years, according to research by the IPPR.

This has placed some under particular strain and there have been growing calls to improve investment in the area, which many universities are now doing.

A 'place-based' approach, which involves responding to the needs of a local student population with NHS and universities and colleges working in partnership with local authorities, schools, businesses and the third sector, is already taking place in Greater Manchester, Bristol and north London.

Support from the Samaritans is available 24/7 by calling 116 123, or via samaritans.orgThe Falkland Islands government has sounded the alarm over leaving the EU single market, warning that the territory would take a catastrophic economic hit if it faces new tariffs and quotas as a result of Brexit.

The Independent understands that representatives of the islands fishing industry and government have been lobbying British politicians over the dangers of losing seamless access to the EU  where the vast majority of the territorys exports go.

The Falkland Islands fishing industry exports almost exclusively to the EU, with 94 per cent of fishing exports by bulk heading to the single market in 2017. Fishing accounts for 41 per cent of the islands economy and two-thirds of the corporation tax received by its treasury.

Recommended UK threatens less EU security cooperation if locked out of Galileo

Any negative impact from Brexit on the islands economy is likely to be a thorny issue for Brexiteers, for many of whom the Falklands is a touchstone issue.

Speaking after recent trips to Brussels and London the chair of the islands eight-person legislative assembly told The Independent that potential disruption caused by exit from the single market would put at risk the current profitability of our fishing industry and would impact both the wider economy and government revenue.

The Falkland Islands government also says any material change that results in less beneficial import/export access could be potentially catastrophic for the Falkland Islands economy and people, according to a report drawn up by the UK Overseas Territories Association.

The British government says it has prioritised securing the freest and most frictionless trade possible with the EU, although in fact it has pledged to leave the single market and customs union.

Any material change that results in less beneficial import/export access could be potentially catastrophic for the Falkland Islands economy Falkland Islands government, British Overseas Territories Association report

The islands mostly export loligo squid to Spain, a seafood that accounts for 89 per cent of their exports to the EU. The Falklands provided over a third of the loligo squid imported by Spain last year; once it arrives in the port of Vigo it enters the EU supply chain and is distributed around the world.

Representatives of the islands fishing industry believe that the worst case scenario of having to trade on World Trade Organisation rules as advocated by some Brexiteers would cause a 9m hit to revenues because of tariffs  a large sum for the 3,400-population archipelago that would amount to more than 2,600 per person.

The islands fishing association says cultivating other markets for squid would be difficult, especially in Asia, where demand is highest but competition is strong, and both political and tariff barriers exist. In the event of a no deal Brexit the islanders say they would be left with no choice but to seek support from the British state to prop up their fishing industry.

Theresa May has pledged to leave the single market, stating that remaining in it would be incompatible with properly leaving the EU. The British government hopes to secure tariff- and quota-free access to EU markets for fish and seafood through a free trade agreement  but Seafish, a non-departmental public body that supports the British fishing industry, says Brexit has caused considerable levels of uncertainty for the sector.

While not technically a member of the single market the Falkland Islands currently enjoys preferential access as a result of its status as a self-governing UK overseas territory and Britains membership. It pays no tariffs and is exempt from quotas.

Teslyn Barkman, one of the eight elected members of the Falkland Islands legislative assembly told The Independent: We have worked hard over many years to establish and grow our fishing industry  it really is a Falkland Islands success story, and one that has allowed us to stand on our own two feet financially.

As a result of our current tariff- and quota-free access to the EU single market, our fishing companies have been able to develop strong markets across Europe for our premium loligo squid, which is our primary export.

Brexit so far: in pictures Show all 53 1 /53 Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit campaign Boris Johnson led the VoteLeave campaign PA Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit campaign Boris Johnson MP, Labour MP Gisela Stuart and UKIP MP Douglas Carswell address the people of Stafford in Market Square during the Vote Leave Brexit Battle Bus tour on 17 May 2016. Their lead line on the tour was: We send the EU 350 million a week, let's fund our NHS instead. Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Voting day A man shelters from the rain as he arrives at a polling station in London on 23 June 2016. Millions of Britons voted in the referendum on whether to stay in or leave the European Union AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Referendum results Leader of Ukip, Nigel Farage, reacts at the Leave EU referendum party at Millbank Tower in central London as results indicated that it was likely the UK would leave the European Union AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Protesting the result A young couple painted as EU flags and a man with a sign reading Im not leaving protest outside Downing Street against the voters decision to leave the EU on 24 June 2016 Getty Brexit so far: in pictures David Cameron resigns British Prime Minister David Cameron resigns on the steps of 10 Downing Street on 24 June 2016 after the results of the EU referendum were declared and the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Theresa May Becomes the new Conservative Party leader Theresa May receives a kiss from her husband Philip, after becoming the new Conservative Party leader on 11 July 2016. May became Prime Minister two days later and although she voted to remain in the referendum was keen to lead Britains Brexit talks after her only rival in the race to succeed David Cameron pulled out unexpectedly. May was left as the only contender standing after the withdrawal from the leadership race of Andrea Leadsom, who faced criticism for suggesting she was more qualified to be prime minister because she had children AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Lancaster House keynote speech on Brexit British Prime Minister Theresa May delivers her keynote speech on Brexit at Lancaster House in London on 17 January 2017. Where she spoke about her offer to introduce a transition period after the UK formally leaves the European Union in March 2019. Despite repeating the pro-Brexit mantra of no deal is better than a bad deal, the Prime Minister claimed she wanted a tone of trust between the negotiators and said Britain was leaving the EU but not Europe. She said there should be a clear double lock needed for the transitional period to make sure businesses had time to prepare for changes to their trading relationships with the EU Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Triggering of Article 50 British Prime Minister Theresa May in the cabinet, sitting below a painting of Britain's first Prime Minister Robert Walpole, signs the official letter to European Council President Donald Tusk invoking Article 50 and the United Kingdom's intention to leave the EU on 29 March 2017 Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Gibraltar nonsense Tensions have risen over Brexit negotiations for the Rock of Gibraltar. The European Council has said Gibraltar would be included in a trade deal between London and Brussels only with the agreement of Spain. While former Conservative leader Michael Howard claimed that Theresa May would be prepared to go to war to protect the territory. Spain's foreign minister stepped in only to assert that there was no need for the dispute Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Shock snap election Soon after triggering Article 50, Theresa May called on 18 April 2017 for a snap general election. The election would be on 8 June and it came as a shock move to many, with her reasoning to try to bolster her position before tough talks on leaving the EU AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Dissolution of Parliament for General Election Campaign Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement in Downing Street after returning from Buckingham Palace on 3 May 2017. The Prime Minister visited the Queen to ask for the dissolution of Parliament signalling the official start to the general election campaign Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Conservatives lose parliamentary majority An arrangement of British daily newspapers showing front page stories about the exit poll results of the snap general election. British Prime Minister Theresa May faced pressure to resign on 9 June 2017 after losing her parliamentary majority, plunging the country into uncertainty as Brexit talks loomed. The pound fell sharply amid fears the Conservative leader would be unable to form a government AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Labour gains Britains opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn gives a tumbs up as he arrives at Labour headquarters in central London on 9 June 2017 after the snap general election results showed a hung parliament with Labour gains and the Conservatives losing their majority AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit negotiations begin Brexit Minister David Davis and European Commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations Michel Barnier address a press conference at the end of the first day of Brexit negotiations in Brussels on 19 June 2017 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures May speaks in Florence British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks on 22 September 2017, in Florence. May sought to unlock Brexit talks after Brussels demanded more clarity on the crunch issues of budget payments and EU citizens' rights AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU council summit  insufficient progress German Chancellor Angela Merkel joins other EU leaders for a breakfast meeting during an EU summit in Brussels on 20 October 2017. The EU spoke about Brexit and announced that insufficient progress had been made AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures DUP derails settlement on the withdrawal part of Brexit DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds walks off after speaking to members of the media as a protester holding flags shouts after him outside the Houses of Parliament on 5 December 2017. British Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to pull out of a deal with Brussels after the DUP said it would not accept terms which see Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK Getty Brexit so far: in pictures May suffers defeat over EU (Withdrawal) Bill Theresa May suffers defeat in parliament over EU (Withdrawal) Bill on 13 December 2017. The Government was defeated by Conservative rebels and Labour MPs in a vote on its key piece of Brexit legislation. MPs amended the EU (Withdrawal) Bill against Theresa May's will, guaranteeing Parliament a meaningful vote on any Brexit deal she agrees with Brussels. Ms May's whips applied pressure on Conservative rebels who remained defiant in the Commons throughout the day and in the end the Government was defeated by 309 votes to 305 Brexit so far: in pictures EU council summit  sufficient progress Britain's Prime minister Theresa May arrives to attend the first day of a European union summit in Brussels on 14 December 2017. European leaders discussed Brexit and announced there was finally sufficient progress at the end of the two days AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures The game moves to transition Brexit Secretary David Davis gives evidence on developments in European Union divorce talks to the Commons Exiting the EU Committee in Portcullis House, London, on 24 January 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures Trade deal is what May wants French President Emmanuel Macron gestures to Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May after they hold a press conference at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, on 18 January 2018. May and Macron agreed a new border security deal, through which the UK will pay more to France to stop migrants trying to reach British shores on 18 January 2018 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Transition period agreed The UK and EU agree terms for Brexit transition period on 19 March, 2018 Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures No agreement on Irish border The EU and UK however failed to reach an agreement on the Irish border during the successful talks on other Brexit issues AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU attacks Mays fantasy strategy For months after the March deal is struck there is little significant progress in talks. One senior EU official tears into Britains fantasy negotiating strategy and accuses Theresa May of not even having a position on a variety of important issue Getty Brexit so far: in pictures UK releases Ireland plan Britain releases a new customs plan to solve the Northern Ireland border but Michel Barnier says it leaves unanswered questions and would not prevent a hard border EbS Brexit so far: in pictures Chequers plan agreed The cabinet agrees on a plan known as the "Chequers deal" on July 6 2018. The plan seeks regulatory alignment on goods and food, divergence on services, freedom from the European Courts of Justice and an end to free movement. Many were surprised that the hard Brexiteers of the cabinet would agree to this plan PA Brexit so far: in pictures Chequers plan sparks resignations Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and numerous ministers resign in the days following the Chequers agreement Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Davis out, Raab in On 9 July, Dominic Raab replaces David Davis as Brexit Secretary. Raab is a keen Brexiteer and was a housing minister before taking over from Davis Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Barnier's "deal like no other" EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier claims on August 29 2018 that they are prepared to offer Britain a trade deal like no other, though he stressed that they will not divide or change the single market to accommodate Britain AP Brexit so far: in pictures "My deal or no deal" In an interview on Panorama on September 17, the Prime Minister insists that any Brexit deal will be offered to the EU on her terms. She asserts this amongst continued attacks on her approach to Brexit by Boris Johnson and the European Research Group, headed by Jacob Rees Mogg BBC/Jeff Overs Brexit so far: in pictures EU leaders reject Chequers Quite the blow was dealt to the Prime Minister at a EU leaders summit in Salzburg on September 20. European Council President Donald Tusk stated that the Chequers deal "will not work" Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures May demands respect Following the rejection of her Chequers plan the day before, the Prime Minister voiced her anger that the EU had dismissed it without offering an alternative. She stated that throughout this process, I have treated the EU with nothing but respect. The UK expects the same. A good relationship at the end of this process depends on it." Getty Brexit so far: in pictures People's Vote march As the People's Vote campaign and The Independent's Final Say campaign gain traction, 700,000 people turn out in London to demand a final say on the UK's Brexit deal on October 20 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures More resignations As the Prime Minister settles on a Brexit deal, Brexit secretary Dominic Raab resigns along with Work and Pensions secretary Esther McVey and many other ministers Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Final Say petitions delivered to Downing Street People's Vote supporting MPs Chukka Umunna, Justine Greening and Caroline Lucas and The Independent editor Christian Broughton deliver over a million signatures in favour of a People's Vote to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street on December 3 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures May delays vote On December 10, the Prime Minister delayed the vote on her Brexit deal as it was near certain not to pass through the Commons due to Tory rebels and lack of DUP support AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures No confidence motion Tory MPs triggered a confidence vote in the Prime Minister on December 12. She won by 200 votes to 117 Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Commons rejects the deal Following the delay, the Prime Minister's deal was rejected in the Commons by a historic 230 votes AFP Brexit so far: in pictures Corbyn tables a no confidence motion Following the rejection of the Prime Minister's deal, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a motion of no confidence in the government, which the government won by a margin of 19 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Plan B The Prime Minister won the support of the commons to return to Brussels to renegotiate the backstop on January 29. In the same sitting, MPs also voted against a no-deal Brexit in a non-legally binding motion PA Brexit so far: in pictures EU council president savages Brexit campaigners who failed to plan for departure: Special place in hell There is a special place in hell for pro-Brexit campaigners who demanded Britain leave the EU without explaining how it should happen, Donald Tusk has said. The European Council president launched the scathing attack as he accused anti-EU campaigners of pushing for Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. Mr Tusk also dismissed suggestions that the EU could reopen negotiations over the controversial Northern Ireland backstop, dealing a blow to Theresa Mays hopes of securing fresh concessions as she tries to get her exit deal through parliament. Speaking in Brussels alongside Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Mr Tusk said: Ive been wondering what a special place in hell looks like for people who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. He also tweeted the accusation moments later Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU and UK announce talks to restart after Theresa May visits Brussels Both have agreed to restart Brexit talks to find a way through the deadlock in Westminster, following a visit by Theresa May to Brussels. In a joint statement the British government and European Commission said Ms May had had a robust but constructive meeting with president Jean-Claude Juncker, and that the pair would meet again before the end of the month. But the EU again refused to reopen the withdrawal agreement and its controversial backstop  with any negotiations expected to focus on the future relationship between the UK and EU instead Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit strategy lost MPs voted down May's Brext plans, with a majority of 45. The prime minister did not appear in parliament to see another defeat PA Brexit so far: in pictures Labour and Conservative MPs resign and create the Independent Group Back row of Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Chuka Umunna and Mike Gapes, middle row of Angela Smith, Luciana Berger and Ann Coffey and front row of Sarah Wollaston, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Joan Ryan PA Brexit so far: in pictures Non-biding votes on amendments to Brexit motion On February 27 he house held a series of votes, unanimously calling for the UK and EU to guarantee citizens rights in a no-deal scenario AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Attorney General publishes legal advice A hammer blow for May as Geoffrey Cox said her renegotiated deal can still leave UK in backstop against its will. Mr Cox did say the prime ministers efforts had reduced the risk of the UK being trapped in the backstop indefinitely. MPs went on to vote against her deal by 391 to 242 UK Parliament/PA Brexit so far: in pictures No-deal off the table MPs rejected a no-deal Brexit by 43 votes on March 13, with cabinet ministers rebelling in another humiliating defeat for Theresa May. A day later they voted in favour of the prime minister seeking an extension to Article 50 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures House speaker bans May from third Commons vote on same Brexit deal John Bercow sensationally told Theresa May he would stop her making another attempt to pass her Brexit deal unless she has secured changes. The Speaker said a further meaningful vote would be ruled out of order if the motion was the same or substantially the same  under an ancient convention to stop the government bullying parliament on issues MPs have rejected Parliament Live Brexit so far: in pictures May writes to Tusk The prime minister wrote to Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, to ask for a three-month extension to give her more time to try to get her deal through parliament. However the European Commission advises the EU27 should offer a short extension to May 23 or a longer one meaning the UK would participate in European elections 10 Downing Street/AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures European Council summit Theresa Mays request to extend triggering Article 50 until the end of June was rejected by the EU, and instead offered a shorter time frame. She accepted the offer of a delay until May 22 if her withdrawal deal is approved by Parliament. If MPs rejected it for a third time, the EU said Britain must propose a new plan by April 12. Ms May said she will not support a long delay because it would mean Britain participating in elections for the European Parliament Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brussels confirms preparations for a no-deal Brexit are completed They warned that it is increasingly likely the UK will crash out. In a statement the European Commission (EC) said preparedness and contingency work, which the EC has been conducting since December 2017, was now finished. The announcement came days after EU leaders agreed to a request by Theresa May to extend the UKs Brexit date AFP Brexit so far: in pictures May resigns Reuters

If Brexit results in the loss of that tariff- and quota-free access, it would put at risk the current profitability of our fishing industry and would impact both the wider economy and government revenue.

Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder said: This is an outrage. Falkland Islanders didnt even have a vote in the referendum. Michael Gove must show Falkland Islanders that he is speaking up for them at the negotiation table.

A UK government spokesperson said: We appreciate the importance to the Falklands Islands of access to the European market for fish and meat.

The European Commission shares our view of seeking zero tariff, zero quota trade in this area. We have prioritised securing the freest and most frictionless trade possible with the EU, and will continue to listen to fishermen, trade organisations, producers and the public throughout this process.Nurses from the EU face paying an annual 600 fee for their own health costs after Brexit in a move that will deepen the NHS staffing crisis, their leaders have warned.

The immigration health surcharge paid by migrants from outside Europe could be extended to people arriving from within the EU, the Home Office has admitted.

Families are already being torn apart by the charge, said the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), highlighting how nurses have been forced to leave their children abroad.

Evaline Omondi, from Africa  faced with paying 3,600 up front to cover three years of fees for two adults and four children  had to send her youngest children, aged six and eight, back to Kenya.

Now Janet Davies, the RCNs chief executive, will tell its annual conference: It could be about to get even worse. Ministers will not rule out extending this to European nurses once we leave the EU.

The government must not put Spanish, Portuguese or Italian colleagues through the same after Brexit. We cannot afford to haemorrhage even more expertise.

The NHS is currently short of at least 43,000 nurses across the UK  despite being boosted by a total of 140,000 staff from EU countries.

Under the surcharge, introduced in 2015, migrants must pay a 200 fee per family member for every year on their work permit, to cover possible NHS costs.

It will double to 400 later this year and last years Conservative election manifesto promised a 600 charge. Students would pay 450, instead of the current 150  rising to 300 this year.

Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An abandoned shop is seen in Mullan, Co Monaghan. The building was home to four families who left during the Troubles. The town was largely abandoned after the hard border was put in place during the conflict. Mullan has seen some regeneration in recent years, but faces an uncertain future with Brexit on the horizon Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A defaced Welcome to Northern Ireland sign stands on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Mervyn Johnson owns a garage in the border town of Pettigo, which straddles the counties of Donegal and Fermanagh. Ive been here since 1956, it was a bit of a problem for a few years. My premises has been blown up about six or seven times, we just kept building and starting again, Johnson said laughing. We just got used to it [the hard border] really but now that its gone, we wouldn't like it back again Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Farmer Gordon Crocketts Coshquin farm straddles both Derry/Londonderry in the North and Donegal in the Republic. At the minute there is no real problem, you can cross the border as free as you want. We could cross it six or eight times a day, said Crockett. If there was any sort of obstruction it would slow down our work every day Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures John Murphy flies the European flag outside his home near the border village of Forkhill, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Potter Brenda McGinn stands outside her Mullan, Co Monaghan, studio  the former Jas Boylan shoe factory which was the main employer in the area until it shut down due to the Troubles. When I came back, this would have been somewhere you would have driven through and have been quite sad. It was a decrepit looking village, said McGinn, whose Busy Bee Ceramics is one of a handful of enterprises restoring life to the community. Now this is a revitalised, old hidden village Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Union Flag colours painted on kerbstones and bus-stops along the border village of Newbuildings, Co Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Grass reflected in Lattone Lough, which is split by the border between Cavan and Fermanagh, seen from near Ballinacor, Northern Ireland Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Donegalman David McClintock sits in the Border Cafe in the village of Muff, which straddles Donegal and Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An old Irish phone box stands alongside a bus stop in the border town of Glaslough, Co Monaghan Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Billboards are viewed from inside a disused customs hut in Carrickcarnon, Co Down, on the border with Co Louth in the Republic Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Seamus McQuaid takes packages that locals on the Irish side of the border have delivered to his business, McQuaid Auto-Parts, to save money on postal fees, near the Co Fermanagh village of Newtownbutler. I live in the south but the business is in the North, said McQaid. "I wholesale into the Republic of Ireland so if theres duty, Ill have to set up a company 200 yards up the road to sell to my customers. Ill have to bring the same product in through Dublin instead of Belfast Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A disused Great Northern Railway line and station that was for customs and excise on the border town of Glenfarne, Co Leitrim Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Alice Mullen, from Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland, does her shopping at a former customs post on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh. Id be very worried if it was a hard border, I remember when people were divided. I would be very afraid of the threat to the peace process, it was a dreadful time to live through. Even to go to mass on a Sunday, youd have to go through checkpoints. It is terribly stressful, said Mullen. All those barricades and boundaries were pulled down. I see it as a huge big exercise of trust and I do believe everyone breathed a sigh of relief Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A bus stop and red post box stand in the border town of Jonesborough, Co Armagh Reuters

In a written parliamentary answer, Caroline Nokes, the immigration minister, said EU citizens and their family members currently in the UK would not have to pay the charge after Brexit.

They would be protected by the withdrawal agreement, the minister said  although the agreement is not certain, because of disagreements over future customs rules and the Irish border.

Ms Nokes then said: Future arrangements on immigration policy after the end of the implementation period are to be confirmed.

She added, confusingly: We will want to ensure that any decisions on the long-term arrangements are based on evidence and engagement.

Ms Omondi, who will explain the harsh impact of the surcharge on her family to the Belfast conference tomorrow, said it was an awful moment.

We could not meet the cost and my children had to move back to Kenya. A family who came together is now in pieces, scattered all over the place, she said.

I try to speak to them on the phone before they sleep, but it is hard with the time difference and my work so sometimes I dont get to talk to them.

Ms Davies will say: When facing staff shortages in NHS and care, the UK has depended on professionals from around the world.

Condemning the Windrush scandal for revealing Britain being heartless, divisive and plain old nasty, she will add: It is shameful that families are being torn apart by this policy, too.

But the Home Office said the surcharge had an important role to play, generating income that goes directly to the NHS.

The government fully recognises the contribution that international professionals make to the UK and to our health service, a spokesman added.By 11am on Thursday, Baron Mandelson of Hartlepool and Foy is not yet aware of his new status as a traitor in ermine.

That this new sobriquet had been spread across the masthead of the latest Daily Mail, in reference to the more than 300 members of the House of Lords that had defeated the government over Brexit for the fourteenth time, was news he had not yet been told.

Most readers of the Mail pretty quickly skip over the front page and turn to the other parts of the paper that interest them more, he says, at the central London offices of Global Counsel, the strategic advisory firm of which he is chairman.

A cabal of newspaper owners and editors have driven anti-European feeling in Britain over a period of 25 years. They have coordinated their actions throughout, with a very well off, pretty privileged, cosseted elite, who broadly speaking, hate liberal politics, dislike government and oppose regulation in the public interest.

These are the people whose whole crusade has been about taking Britain out of the European Union and what is striking about it is their own economic interests and political views are at odds with so many people who voted for it.

Recommended Falkland Islands government sounds alarm on leaving single market

On Tuesday night, large numbers of both Labour and Conservative peers disobeyed instructions from their whips and voted for an amendment which returned the EU Withdrawal Bill to the Commons with instructions to consider keeping the UK in the EUs single market.

It was a thunderclap in what Lord Mandelson describes as a gathering storm on Brexit, which he says is building to a political crisis that will come in the autumn.

But the Labour veteran, a former EU trade commissioner, is by no means a mere observer of this gathering storm. Though he is not quite the Prospero of the Brexit Tempest  that would be overstating things  he is certainly not seeking to allay the wild waters.

The more ferocious the political weather, the more cabinet, government, parliament and all parties within it are cast asunder, and the more likely it becomes that the decision on how the UK leaves the EU will have to, as he describes it, go back to the people.

As he outlines the intractable problems facing Theresa May as she tries to lead a cabinet and a party with irreconcilable conflict on the manner of the UKs exit from the EU, going back to the people is the outcome he and others are clearly strategising for.

Since the referendum Brexit has been driven by politics not economics, and now economics is fighting back and winning the argument. Thats why the Brexiteers are so desperate, he says.

But the prime minister has made promises about the future of cross border trade to international investors in Britain, whether its Japanese car makers, or Airbus or countless other manufacturers, which can only be kept by means of a customs union with Europe.

And she doesnt know how to keep these promises. Or rather she does know how to keep them and doesnt know how shell get her cabinet and her party to support what she knows needs to happen. This is the quandary that she faces.

Weve had a snapshot of this debate in the Lords but the debate is going to grow. People are going to become more aware of what is at stake, and the fault line that runs through the cabinet between the soft leavers and the clean breakers is going to become more stark.

It is the further development of this fault line which will have major consequences.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 30 September 2021 The centrepiece One Thousand Springs by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is seen ahead of the beginning of the Japan Festival, a celebration of the countrys plants, art and culture running from 2-31 October, at Kew Gardens in London PA UK news in pictures 29 September 2021 The family of Betty Campbell unveil the bronze sculpture of her during the unveiling of the statue in Central Square, Cardiff, of Betty Campbell, Wales' first black headteacher PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2021 A sign referring to the lack of fuel is placed at the entrance to a petrol station in London AP UK news in pictures 27 September 2021 Police officers detain a protester from Insulate Britain occupying a roundabout leading from the M25 motorway to Heathrow Airport in London PA UK news in pictures 26 September 2021 Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer watches the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur match at The Font pub in Brighton PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2021 Scottish pro-independence supporters hold a march and rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images UK news in pictures 24 September 2021 Police officers remove two protesters from the top of a tanker, as Insulate Britain block the A20 in Kent, which provides access to the Port of Dover in Kent. The environmental activists have moved location after been banned from campaigning on the M25 motorway in London PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2021 Gabriella, the seven year old daughter of imprisoned British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, joins in a game on a giant snakes and ladders board in Parliament Square, to show the ups and downs of her mothers case to mark the 2,000 days she has been detained in Iran AP UK news in pictures 22 September 2021 A new sign hangs on the Millicent Fawcett statue after it was altered by CrackTheCrises coalition activists to highlight the climate crisis as a feminist struggle in Parliament Square in London EPA UK news in pictures 21 September 2021 Gabriella Diment prepares a monumental bronze patinated fibreglass wall sculpture depicting household cavalry soldiers on horseback which is expected to be sold for 12,000-18,000 when it goes up for auction at Summers Place Auctions in Billinghurst, Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA

What do you do in this situation, when the foreign secretary feels able to go out and rubbish the prime minister and her views? It is a fundamental fault line that runs through the cabinet, which at the moment the prime minister is unable to bridge. There is going to be a major political crisis over this. And you can see it in the gathering storm that is already growing in the Commons, he says.

Conservative MPs, including ministers, are going to make it clear to their whips, as they have already started to do, that come the autumn they will not be voting either for a no-deal Brexit or a hard-deal Brexit.

Privately, sources close to Theresa May indicate that the best way around it might be to use the soft Brexit majority in the commons, almost to circumnavigate the divisions of her cabinet. She personally cannot make Boris Johnson, Liam Fox and David Davis, swallow political reality  but perhaps the House of Commons can.

But Lord Mandelson is doubtful whether even that option is open to her.

There is no settled view in the Commons and there wont be in the autumn either, he says. That is why I believe that ultimately parliament is going to have to pass this whole question of how we exit the European Union back to the people.

He stops well short of describing the mechanics of how the people will go about making that decision, only that there will need to be a peoples vote, a phrase that coincidentally shares the name of a recently launched campaign for a second referendum.

I am not sitting here in May, writing the terms of the peoples vote, he says, and all attempts to coax him even an inch down that particular avenue are futile.

What I am arguing to you is if parliament cant resolve this matter, and I think there is very little prospect of it being able to do that, with the disagreements and divisions that exist within and between the parties, there is only one other body of people who can and that is the public.

Whether the public really are gathering behind his view is impossible to say. According to recent opinion polls, there does appear to be large amounts of dismay at the way Brexit is being handled, and mounting concern about the economic consequences. But how these concerns would express themselves through a question in a second referendum is by no means clear.

I dont see the point in the country arguing over the result of the referendum. We know what the result of the referendum was. We know why we got into this position. But how we resolve this is very unclear and very difficult, he says.

The public has been given every opportunity, both in opinion polls, but more importantly in an election last year, to express their support for a hard Brexit and they have declined to do so.

In the meantime, it is certainly not just the Conservatives who must get their act together, he believes.

Jeremy Corbyn seems to think that the argument going on in the Labour Party about Brexit is a row about him, and whether or not youre in favour of his leadership, he says. Its not about that. Its about Brexit. Its about pro-Brexit views and the tacit support he is giving to a hard Brexit. In my view this is a betrayal of his supporters in the party because it is the least protected and the most vulnerable in society in the most vulnerable regions in the country who will pay the biggest price.

He has to face up to that. It is called political leadership. Its facing up to these realities, these difficult choices, that he and the Labour Party has a responsibility to do, and at the moment the Labour Party is ducking issues, pretending the difficult choices dont exist, hoping the Conservatives will collapse and that we will be the political beneficiaries.

But what makes the problem particularly hard for Mr Corbyn is that he has, to this point, shown political leadership. He is widely adored by his supporters because they see him as honest and principled. He has also been an on the record campaigner against the EU for 30 years. So it is not at all clear if suddenly coming out in favour of it would be seen as political leadership by his army of supporters. But to this point, Lord Mandelson has a sharp answer.

I dont know whether Jeremy has been a hard Brexiter for 30 years. But I think his view of the European Union is based on a fundamental misconception, which is that EU membership is incompatible with high levels of spending, investment in public services, government regulation of the economy, industrial strategy, and more active labour market regulation.

If this were the case, why do you see such policies being operated by governments right across the European Union? Either he is misinformed, or he is using these arguments as a convenience, as a pretext, for a more fundamental opposition to the European Union. I dont know which it is. But I know enough about the European Union and the policies pursued by its members states. The idea that active, interventionist, social democracy is somehow incompatible with EU membership? It isnt. That is a misnomer.

Quite how the storm will gather over the coming months, what will be its magnitude and who will be standing where when it eventually breaks cannot yet be known, but Jeremy Corbyn is wrong to imagine himself sheltered from its forces. If Brexit ends in disaster for the country, its not just those who perpetrated that disaster, but also its handmaidens who will be blamed, says Lord Mandelson. But it is Theresa May that is playing the most dangerous game of all.

I think she is playing for time. Kicking the can down the road. Hoping that something turns up. Hoping that a magical solution will jump out of a top hat and rescue her.

If she thinks that the solution lies in some completely hybrid, contrived tailor made solution all Id say about that is that the single market, and the EU s trade policies are not going to be vaguely compatible with it. She can dream on. If she thinks some hybrid agreement is going to magic away her partys contradictions, well that is an attempt to dance on the head of a pin that doesnt exist.

As the dance continues, dont be surprised to hear more from one particular ermine-clad traitor in particular, as he conspires to call the tune.Theresa May has urged the public to trust me to deliver Brexit, as she fights off mounting criticism that her warring cabinet threatens to derail the process.

The prime minister dismissed bitter rows among her top ministers about how Britain should leave the European Union as simply noisy debate and technical discussions.

Instead, she insisted Britain remained on course to take back control of its money, laws and borders, including billions of pounds that would be diverted to the NHS.

Dismissing talk of compromise, Ms May again vowed to take the UK out of the EU single market and customs union and establish our own independent trade policy.

You can trust me to deliver, she promised, writing for a national newspaper after a week in which her own Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, dismissed her customs proposal as crazy.

However, the article offered no hint of a solution to the stark disagreements over customs after Brexit, with a deadline set by the EU just six weeks away.

The embarrassing clash has seen the prime minister divide key ministers into two groups examining rival plans, in a bid to find an acceptable compromise.

No 10 has abandoned any prospect of an agreement at a meeting of the inner cabinet on Tuesday  and is admitting there may be no resolution before the summer is out.

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Show all 8 1 /8 The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Post-Brexit immigration workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns. PA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Customs union A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that Brexit means Brexit and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UKs economic outlook become clearer. Alamy The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Northern Ireland-Irish border Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Partys coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a specific solution would need to be found. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Transition period Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Rights of EU citizens living the UK The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreement (with the EU) Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreements (internationally) The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Financial services Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period. Getty

The EU has requested a solution to customs and trade regulations that can satisfy fears of a new hard border in Ireland by its summit at the end of June.

However, on Friday, a Downing Street spokesman reiterated that it did not recognise the cut-off, insisting: We are not setting any further deadlines for ourselves apart from October. That continues to be our focus.

Meanwhile, Dominic Grieve, the former Tory attorney general, called for Mr Johnson to resign for refusing to accept collective responsibility  but Ms May is widely viewed as too weak to move against him.

In the article, she wrote: I will ensure that we take back control of our borders. The public want their own government to decide on the number of people coming into Britain from across the European Union and that is what we are going to do.

I will ensure that we take back control of our money. We have agreed a settlement with the European Union and the days of vast contributions from taxpayers to the EU budget are coming to an end.

So Brexit means there will be billions of pounds that we used to send to Brussels which we will now be able to spend on domestic priorities, including our National Health Service.

The government has been accused of negotiating with itself, because both its customs proposals have already been rejected by Brussels.

Mr Johnson dismissed Ms Mays preferred customs partnership, under which the UK would collect tariffs on behalf the EU, as crazy  backing an alternative plan, based on untested tracking technology.

The partnership plan will be discussed by Brexiteer opponents Liam Fox and Michael Gove, in a group also including David Lidington, a May loyalist.

Meanwhile, two sceptics, Greg Clark and Karen Bradley, will examine the tech-based max-fac proposal  requiring border checks  with supporter David Davis.

The set-up suggests neither group will reach a decision in favour, unless one member can be turned.Almost half a million young people are at risk of a life of unemployment and poverty after being left without any state help to survive and find work, ministers have been warned.

The alarm has been raised over a staggering number of hidden jobless who have fallen off the government radar, despite promises of intensive support to achieve their potential.

The new research has found that 480,000 16- to 24-year-olds are missing out on both benefits and advice  no less than 60 per cent of the official total of young jobless.

Strikingly, many of them have good job prospects, boasting impressive GCSE qualifications and having continued with their education beyond 16.

But they refuse to go to job centres because they are unhelpful or they fear being treated badly  due to the threat of sanctions  while others lack the necessary documents.

A senior MP has now demanded answers from ministers, while campaigners are urging the government to let them plug the gap where the state is failing young people.

Frank Field, the chairman of the Commons Work and Pensions Committee, told The Independent: It seems as though a small army of unemployed young people have fallen through the gaps in the safety net without any official data recording whether they are destitute.

If we are to prevent them from being consigned to a life of unemployment and poverty, a first move must involve gathering accurate data on which young people are without either a job or an income, so they can then receive appropriate support.

Kirsty McHugh, the chief executive of ERSA, the body representing groups providing employment support, said: Its shocking that thousands of young people have fallen off the government radar and are not accessing the support they need to launch into the world of work.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 7 October 2021 British comedian Jo Brand poses with cut-out silhouettes representing women outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters New Scotland Yard, to highlight violence against women by male police officers or former police officers AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 6 October 2021 A protester, wearing a mask of Johnson, holds a sign reading Question it all on the final day of the Tory conference Getty UK news in pictures 5 October 2021 Members of Insulate Britain outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, before a hearing over the injunction banning the environmental activists from blocking the M25 PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2021 A delegate passes a street cleaner on the second day of the annual Conservative Party Conference being held at the Manchester Central convention centre AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2021 Margaret Thatcher-themed mugs for sale at the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester EPA UK news in pictures 2 October 2021 A couple make their way through a flooded underpass in Bristol as a yellow weather warning for rain and wind is issued for parts of the UK Tom Wren/SWNS UK news in pictures 1 October 2021 A driver talks to members of the media after passing his HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) driving test at National Driving Centre in Croydon, south London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 30 September 2021 The centrepiece One Thousand Springs by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is seen ahead of the beginning of the Japan Festival, a celebration of the countrys plants, art and culture running from 2-31 October, at Kew Gardens in London PA UK news in pictures 29 September 2021 The family of Betty Campbell unveil the bronze sculpture of her during the unveiling of the statue in Central Square, Cardiff, of Betty Campbell, Wales' first black headteacher PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2021 A sign referring to the lack of fuel is placed at the entrance to a petrol station in London AP UK news in pictures 27 September 2021 Police officers detain a protester from Insulate Britain occupying a roundabout leading from the M25 motorway to Heathrow Airport in London PA UK news in pictures 26 September 2021 Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer watches the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur match at The Font pub in Brighton PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2021 Scottish pro-independence supporters hold a march and rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images UK news in pictures 24 September 2021 Police officers remove two protesters from the top of a tanker, as Insulate Britain block the A20 in Kent, which provides access to the Port of Dover in Kent. The environmental activists have moved location after been banned from campaigning on the M25 motorway in London PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2021 Gabriella, the seven year old daughter of imprisoned British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, joins in a game on a giant snakes and ladders board in Parliament Square, to show the ups and downs of her mothers case to mark the 2,000 days she has been detained in Iran AP UK news in pictures 22 September 2021 A new sign hangs on the Millicent Fawcett statue after it was altered by CrackTheCrises coalition activists to highlight the climate crisis as a feminist struggle in Parliament Square in London EPA UK news in pictures 21 September 2021 Gabriella Diment prepares a monumental bronze patinated fibreglass wall sculpture depicting household cavalry soldiers on horseback which is expected to be sold for 12,000-18,000 when it goes up for auction at Summers Place Auctions in Billinghurst, Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA

The huge tally of neglected young people buried in unemployment statistics has been uncovered by the group London Youth, which mined labour force survey data across the UK.

It compared the numbers of young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) (790,000) with the much lower total recorded as claiming benefits  estimating the difference at 480,000 across a 12-month period.

London Youth has calculated that the Treasury would enjoy a 440m annual boost to tax revenues if they were all helped into full-time work.

It is seeking an urgent meeting with Anne Milton, the skills minister  to press her to both record the problem properly and to fund charities and community groups to take on the task of solving it.

Rosemary Watt-Wyness, London Youths chief executive, said its Talent Match London programme had worked with 2,200 jobless young people  many of them hidden  with scores of other groups available to do the same.

There is a fantastic opportunity for these organisations to provide good careers advice, training and support so these young people understand what they need to do to move into the world of work.

Those Neets who are not accessing statutory support are all too easy to ignore as they dont affect claimant counts, welfare budgets and are buried within unemployment statistics.

Ms Watt-Wyness pointed out that the claimant count could be going down  while the number of hidden young people was actually on the rise.

London Youth also feared the problem would worsen with the likely loss, after Brexit, of grants for youth employment programmes through the European Social Fund.

Its research found that many young people stayed away from job centres after hearing stories from others who had been sanctioned, or experienced delays to receiving their payments, and the financial hardship this caused.

Young people described the process as jumping through hoops for nothing. Taking all of this into consideration, many young people decided that they would rather not bother, its study said.

Job centres also demanded a passport or driving licence as proof of identity and a bank statement or utilities bill as proof of address  which some young people struggled to provide.

Few who joined Talent Match London after being hidden had a criminal conviction and no more than the jobless young people who were claiming benefits.

But, left without state support, some fell under the influence of gang culture, drug use or drug dealing, London Youth found.

A government spokesman declined to address the issues raised by the London Youth study and did not dispute the figures within it.

Instead, he said: Youth unemployment has fallen by over 40 per cent since 2010, almost nine out of 10 young people are now in education, employment or training and the government has invested around 7bn in 2017-18 to increase opportunities for young people.

As the prime minister announced in March, the government is also working with Big Lottery on proposals for a 90m programme funded by dormant bank accounts which will aim to address youth unemployment and support young people facing complex barriers to work.

The governments key policy to cut joblessness among the young is the youth obligation, introduced in April last year.

All 18- to 21-year-olds are promised intensive support from job centre advisers on putting in applications and interview techniques.

If they refuse to take a job, apprenticeship, traineeship or work experience after six months they can be stripped of their benefits.Time travellers may be present at the memorial service for Stephen Hawking, with the charity set up in his name stating it cannot rule out the possibility.

A ballot set up to allow members of the public to attend the event appears to allow anyone born within the next two decades to apply, even though it is set to take place in June.

The service will see Hawking interred at Westminster Abbey between the graves of Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

Anyone wishing to go and pay their respects to the world-renowned theoretical physicist can apply via the public ballot.

The ballot closes on Tuesday 15 May at midnight, and there are up to 1,000 places available.

Travel blogger IanVisits noted the application form allows people born from 2019 to 2038 to apply, theoretically allowing people born in the future to attend the service.

Look out for time travellers at the abbey, he wrote.

Within 24 hours of opening, the ballot had already received around 12,000 applications from more than 50 countries including everywhere from the US to the tiny South Pacific nation of Tuvalu.

However, there have been no reports of potential attendees from the future yet.

Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking Show all 18 1 /18 Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking The funeral cortege arrives at Great St Marys Church. Reuters Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking The coffin of Professor Stephen Hawking is carried into the University Church of St Mary. PA Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking Members of the public and media photograph the funeral cortege as it arrives. REUTERS Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking Jane Hawking and her son Timothy arrive. Reuters Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking Actor Eddie Redmayne, who played the role of the late Professor Stephen Hawking in the 2014 biographical drama 'The Theory of Everything', attends his funeral. PA Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking A floral tribute left for Stephen Hawking outside Great St Marys Church. Reuters Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking Felicity Jones and her partner Charles Guard arrive. PA Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking Reverend Dr Cally Hammond, Dean of Cambridge University's Gonville and Caius College, where the late Stephen Hawking was a fellow for 52 years, arrives at the university church. She will be officiating at his funeral service. PA Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking Charlotte Hawkins arrives. PA Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking Members of the church choir arrive. Reuters Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking Professor Stephen Hawking's daughter Lucy attends his funeral. PA Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking Brian May and Anita Dobson arrive. PA Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking Lily Cole arrives for the funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking. PA Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking University of Cambridge college porters arrive at Great St Marys Church. Reuters Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking Comedian Dara O'Briain arrives at Great St Marys Church. Reuters Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking The coffin of British physicist, Stephen Hawking, is carried from Great St Mary's Church following the funeral service. Getty Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking The hearse containing Professor Stephen Hawking leaves University Church of St Mary. PA Funeral service of Professor Stephen Hawking Eddie Redmayne speaks to Lily Cole following the funeral. PA

We cannot exclude the possibility of time travel as it has not been disproven to our satisfaction, a spokesman for the Stephen Hawking Foundation told the BBC.

All things are possible until proven otherwise.

But so far we have had applications from all round the world, and we do mean round  there are no flat-Earthers here.

The foundation has since warned potential time travellers if you are travelling to the service from a different time, you will need to bring proof of where and when you were born.

Hawking, who died in March at the age of 76, had previously floated the idea that time travel might be possible.

The physicist was considered one of the most influential scientists of his generation, making his name with theories on black holes and relativity. In March, thousands lined the streets of Cambridge for his funeral.

His final work, submitted before his death, was published in the Journal of High Energy Physics in collaboration with Belgian physicist Dr Thomas Hertog. It concluded the universe is more finite and simpler than previously imagined.

The news about Hawkings memorial service chimes with an experiment he performed in 2009, when he held a time travellers party in an attempt to demonstrate the feasibility of time travel.

He prepared an invitation that read: You are cordially invited to a reception for time travellers, hosted by Professor Stephen Hawking.

The invitation listed not only the address as Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, but also the exact coordinates in time and space.

 Eddie Redmayne arrives at Stephen Hawking's funeral

Im hoping copies of it, in one form or another, will survive for many thousands of years, said Professor Hawking in a Discovery Channel documentary he made about the event.

Maybe one day someone living in the future will find the information and use a wormhole time machine to come back to my party, proving that time travel will one day be possible.

To ensure only time-travelling guests would show up, the celebrated physicist did not send out invitations until after the date had passed.

However, Professor Hawking was disappointed as no time travellers did, in fact, attend.

What a shame, he said. I was hoping a future Ms Universe was going to step through the door.WH Smith has been criticised after it was found selling a single tube of toothpaste at a hospital shop for 7.99.

Critics accused the high street chain of cashing in on the sick by hiking up the price at its outlet in Pinderfields General Hospital in Wakefield.

The same 75ml tube costs just 80p at a nearby Tesco, making it 898 per cent cheaper.

After a picture of the tube went viral online, the company apologised and blamed a pricing error. It said 89 packets had been sold at the mark-up and promised to donate the 711 profit to charity.

The discovery was highlighted on Twitter by a reporter at the Health Service Journal. Shaun Lintern noted the store was effectively preying on the vulnerable, who have no visitors, and find themselves as a hospital patient without warning.

And at least one visitor, at Pinderfields to see his ill girlfriend, agreed.

Mark Leaf, 45, from Wakefield, accused WH Smith of "extortion".

He said: "Everything in there is totally ridiculous. A hospital is a place where people to get better. They aren't at their best and are usually at their most vulnerable. It's the last place they should be taken advantage of, but this price tag is just totally taking the mick out of people.

"It's absolutely outrageous. I went to the counter and asked the assistant 'is this right?' and they said it was. "I was gobsmacked. It's extortion. They are cashing in on sick people who can't go elsewhere. Something needs to be done about it.

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WH Smith has 610 shops on the high street and 129 travel outlets in hospitals.

One wrote: "I assume that buys you a check-up and polish too for that money."

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: "When people are unwell and in hospital, and therefore unable to go elsewhere with any ease, they should be able to expect retailers not to exploit their situation for profit."

A WH Smith spokesman said: "We would like to apologise to our customers for a recent pricing error in our system relating to this product. While the wrong price was effective we sold a total of 89 units. The total proceeds from these sales (711) will be donated to charity.At least 26 people have been killed and seven were wounded in an overnight attack in a rural area of Burundi, which was described by the countrys security minister as the work of a terrorist group.

The attack was carried out in a village in the rural northwestern area of Cibitoke, on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Burundi security minister Alain Guillaume Bunyoni said 24 people were killed in their homes on Friday night and two others died of their injuries at a local hospital.

Recommended Two British tourists kidnapped in the Democratic Republic of Congo

One survivor told the Associated Press a group of armed men attacked households and set fire on houses at around 10pm local time. She said some victims were hacked with machetes while others were shot or burnt alive.

The attack comes shortly before Burundians are due to vote on 17 May in a referendum that could extend the presidents term from five to seven years; this would allow President Pierre Nkurunziza to rule for another 14 years when his current term expires in 2020.

The proposed changes would limit the president to two consecutive terms but would not take into account previous terms, potentially extending President Nkurunzizas rule to 2034.

It is unclear whether the attack is related to the upcoming vote.

Burundi has seen deadly political violence since early 2015 when President Nkurunziza won a disputed third term in office in an election marred by violence and an opposition boycott.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. 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Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. 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An estimated 1,200 people were killed and 400,000 people have fled the country since the political unrest began in April 2015, according to the UN.

Earlier this month, the US denounced violence, intimidation and harassment against those thought to oppose the referendum and expressed concerns about the non-transparent process of changing the countrys constitution.

President Nkurunziza, a former rebel leader, has ruled the small central African country since 2005 after the end of Burundis civil war that killed more than 300,000 people.

The Associated Press has contributed to this report.The Congolese army and park rangers have launched an operation to locate the two British tourists kidnapped in the Virunga National Park, an army spokesman said.

Two British citizens, who have not been named, were abducted while visiting the park in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), wildlife officials have said. The driver of the group's vehicle was also seized.

A female park ranger who was travelling with them was killed in the ambush, the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation has confirmed.

The woman who tried to save the two British tourists before she was killed has been named as 25-year-old Rachel Masika Baraka.

Virunga National Park said in a statement Ms Baraka was critically injured in the attack and she died of her injuries in hospital.

Park Director, Emmanuel de Merode, said Ms Baraka was one of the parks 26 female rangers and was "highly committed, showing true bravery in her work".

The Virunga National park has lost eight rangers in 2018 alone, "a stark reminder of the level of risk they undertake on a daily basis to help conserve the parks wildlife and protect local communities" Mr de Merode added.

Major Guillaume Kaiko Ndjike, the army's spokesman in North Kivu, said: "With Virunga National Park being within our zone of action, we have joined the park rangers for search operations for the people taken hostages."

Joel Wenga, from the Institute for Nature Conservation, said officials were unable to provide much information about the incident because it risked putting the hostages' lives in danger.

Simon Calder, travel correspondent at The Independent, reported that the driver of the vehicle in which the Britons were travelling had also been injured.

He said the two Britons are both believed to be men.

Unidentified armed men ambushed the group of four in the morning near the village of Kibati, north of Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province, according to Mambo Kawaya, who heads a group of local civil society organisations. The scene of the kidnap is about 1,700 miles from the capital, Kinshasa.

The Foreign Office (FCO) said it was in contact with the Congolese authorities following the incident and said its staff were providing support to their families.

The FCO advises against all travel to the eastern side of the country, stating: "The security situation in eastern DRC remains unstable. The continued presence of armed groups, military operations against them, intercommunal violence and an influx of refugees from neighbouring countries all contribute to a deterioration in the political, security and humanitarian situation. There are continued reports of kidnappings, including of staff from international NGOs.

"Tourists in eastern DRC have been known to be left very vulnerable as a result of trying to travel independently without escorted transport, and the risk of kidnap or injury as a result of armed or criminal activity remains high."

Information is hard to gather from the region, which is extremely difficult to access and where there is hardly any Western presence.

On its website, the FCO states that "there are limits to the assistance the FCO can provide in a crisis, depending on the security and transport situation."

Tourists are drawn to the area in eastern Congo because of its endangered mountain gorillas.

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

Mountain gorillas are found only in the Virunga Massif, a chain of eight volcanoes spanning in the east of the DRC and western Uganda.

Primate tourism is well-established in Uganda and Rwanda. But a year ago, Rwanda doubled the cost of permits to visit mountain gorillas from $750 (550) to $1,500.

Mr Calder said this had led some backpackers to seek a cheaper gorilla experience in the eastern part of the DRC, which he described as "an extremely lawless part of the world".

Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler said that in the DRC the waiting list for a moment with the gorillas was much shorter and the experience "probably a little less commercial".

Kidnappings in the area are not new. Last year, Reuters reported kidnapping of locals and Westerners was on the rise in the eastern part of the DRC

According to Human Rights Watch, hostages are being taken to obtain a ransom and most cases include Congolese people rather than Westerners. The NGO said kidnappers typically operate in groups of up to a dozen or more people, and are often heavily armed with Kalashnikovs and other military assault weapons.

Militias and armed groups have been roaming the area since the end of the country's bloody civil war in 2003 but a recent surge in violence saw five rangers and a driver killed in an ambush last month, raising the total number of ranger killed in the area to 175.The city leader highly appreciated research reports on public private partnership project in anti-flooding in HCMC by Dutch experts. Flood prevention is one of the sectors that have attracted most interest of the municipal government, Mr. Liem said.



The Peoples Committee of the city will delegate the HCMC Steering Center of Urban Flood Control Program to coordinate with relevant departments to soon organize working sessions with Dutch experts.

The citys authorities will also launch international seminars of public private partnership and flood prevention, hoping that Netherlands will support HCMC in key fields, especially anti- flooding, the citys Vice Chairman added.

As his part, Dutch Consul-General Carel Richter said that besides studying anti-flooding solutions, Netherlands is seeking financial resources to implement flood prevention projects for areas of Ho Chi Minh City.





By HA DIU  Translated by Kim KhanhA father shot and killed his teenage daughters two dogs to punish her for not doing the dishes, police said.

Jeffrey Don Edwards 17-year-old daughter told investigators he got mad at her" earlier this week, for not having cleaned the house or done the washing up, and began throwing dishes, according to court records filed by Oklahoma County sheriffs office.

"It set him off. He went to screaming and yelling at the kids," said Mr Edwards ex-wife, Danielle DePee. "At one point he told them to get out of his house."

The girl phoned Ms DePee, who picked up her daughter from Mr Edwards house. When the teenager returned on, she found blood all over the place and the dogs missing, the court records said.

Ms DePee said a co-worker of Mr Edwards who witnessed the incident told his daughter Mr Edwards had shot the dogs to discipline her.

She said both of the couples children were stunned by the incident.

 Alabama rot: Dog-owner describes the symptoms of the deadly disease killing increasing numbers of dogs

"They are devastated and in shock that their dad would hurt them that way, she said."Both my kids never thought he would do what he did."

Ms Depee, who has been divorced from Edwards since 2007, said the couple's daughter and 15-year-old son lived off-and-on with their father at his home in Harrah, about 22 miles east of Oklahoma City, along with the two dogs.

"My kids believe he deserves the punishment he gets," Ms DePee added. "They want nothing to do with their father."

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Mr Edwards disputed the allegations.

"Pretty much everything you've heard is a complete lie," the 35-year-old told the Associated Press. He said he was at work at the time, but declined to comment further.

Court documents indicated the girl's uncle was the person who told her about the incident.

Investigators said the dogs' bodies were found in a wooded area about 100 yards from the residence.

Additional reporting by APA woman convicted of killing both her husband and lover may have murdered another nine men, making her one of Americas worst female serial killers, according to her own family.

Kelly Cochran is suspected of serving the dismembered remains of one victim at a barbecue for neighbours, her brother said.

The astonishing claims  which suggest the 34-year-old slew and buried men across four Midwest states  are made in a new documentary which interviews investigators, friends and family.

It comes just a month after the killer, of Lake County, Indiana, was sentenced to 65 years in prison for injecting husband, Jason Cochran, with a lethal dose of heroin in 2016.

She was already serving life for shooting dead lover Chris Regan, who vanished in 2014. It is he who may have ended up being cooked for friends.

The two-part documentary, called Dead North, probes Cochrans suspected links to other possible murders in Michigan, Indiana, Tennessee and Minnesota.

Kelly Cochran (Lake County Sheriffs Office)

The film, which will air on Investigation Discovery, follows former Iron River police chief Laura Frizzo, who first investigated Regans disappearance.

She learned Cochran was having an affair with the 51-year-old soon after he went missing but the case went cold until Jason Cochran, 37, died of a suspected overdose on February 2016. Later on, investigators found he was murdered by his wife, who smothered him as he lay immobilised.

Cochran then admitted she and her husband had, two years previously, lured Regan to their home, shot him and dismembered him. Cochran said the slaying had been part of a pact to kill off anyone involved in their extramarital affairs.

But she said she was angry at her husband and killed him as revenge for his part in murdering Regan.

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 between the two convictions, Cochrans brother, Colton Gaboyan, came forwards to say he believed his sister had nine additional victims to her name, the documentary reports  although it offers no hint as to who they might be.

If true, it would make Cochran one of the worst female serial killers in modern America, eclipsing the seven victims of Aileen Wuornos, arguably the most notorious of all after Charlize Theron played her in 2003 film Monster.Two European cyclists found dead in a Mexican ravine may have been murdered, investigators say, discarding their earlier claims the men had fallen while riding.

The pair  Holger Hagenbusch of Germany and Krzysztof Chmielewski from Poland  had been travelling around the world on their bikes.

They were found dead at the foot of a rock face in the southern state of Chiapas.

Investigators initially said the pair appeared to have lost control on a winding mountain road. But after it emerged that Chmielewski had suffered a gunshot wound and appeared to have had a foot chopped off, a special prosecutor was appointed to take over the case.

Luis Alberto Sanchez said: It may have been an assault, because our investigations up to now indicate this was an intentional homicide.

The motive appears to have been robbery, he is quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying. Belongings of both men were missing.

Mr Chmielewskis body was found on 26 April, and Mr Hagenbuschs further down the ravine on 4 May.

The Poles body was found next to the Germans bike, which initially aroused suspicion it was not an accident, the BBC reports.

Mr Sanchez said: "Those that did this wanted to make it appear like an accident, so they put the bike there, but they made a mistake and used the German's bike.

Friends of cyclists Holger Hagenbusch and Krzysztof Chmielewski (EPA)

He added: It was very premature to call this an accident. The bikes did not show signs of having been in a traffic accident.

Mr Hagenbuschs brother Rainer, who flew to Mexico to identify the body, wrote on his Facebook page that both bodies had been mutilated. The Polish cyclist was decapitated and had a foot missing, he said.

The Chiapas state government has now vowed to intensify the investigation.

Mr Chmielewski, 37, had been travelling the world by bike for three years. He had visited 51 countries was slowly making his way to South America when he was killed.

Mr Hagenbusch, 43, had been to 34 countries during a four-year ride.

The pair had not set out together, but their paths had crossed in the town of San Cristobal de las Casas on 20 April and they had decided to travel with each other to the ancient Mayan ruins at Palenque 130 miles away.A man is in custody after he was apprehended naked at a Florida airport shouting that he had planted a bomb.

The resulting scare led to more than 200 passengers being evacuated from Daytona Beach International Airport on Friday morning.

According to Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood the man  who was identified as 25-year-old John Greenwood  entered the airport at about 6am, fully clothed and carrying a bag.

After leaving his bag and clothes in an under-construction womens toilets, he emerged wearing nothing but a pair of socks.

Mr Chitwood told Fox News the suspect shouted: "We gotta get out of here, I planted a bomb in the bathroom.

He attempted to escape onto the tarmac through a baggage carousel, where the police tasered and apprehended him.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Department shared footage from the incident, in which police repeatedly ask him to get on his stomach and ultimately stun him.

Airport officials confirmed that something had been placed in the wall in the womens toilets, and police and bomb squads were called in to check for a potential bomb.

Authorities quickly confirmed there were no explosive devices in the airport, and it was reopened at about 9.40am.

There was an attempted security breach in the baggage claim area. The suspect was apprehended by sheriffs deputies and during that apprehension he made a bomb threat, said the airport in a statement.

Travellers had been evacuated to the airports short-term parking area, and one of them  Nathan Blum  tweeted that there had been a man running around the airport before being tackled and tased.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Mr Greenwood was well known to the police, according to Mr Chitwood, and has been arrested on numerous occasions previously.

He will now face several charges including burglary, false report concerning planting a bomb, criminal mischief, resisting arrest without violence and exposure of sexual organs. Some of these charges will be federal.A senior US bishop will deliver an address at the wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle next Saturday.

The Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry, the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, was the first African-American elected to into the prestigious role in 2015.

Prince Harry, the sixth-in-line to the throne, and Ms Markle, star of US television drama Suits, will tie the knot at Windsor Castle, home to the British royal fmaily for nearly 1,000 years.

Recommended Everything you need to know about the royal wedding

Kensington Palace said the bishop would join Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual head of the Anglican communion, for the wedding which is expected to be watched by millions of people around the world.

Archbishop Welby will preside over the exchange of vows, while the service itself will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor.

The love that has brought and will bind Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle together has its source and origin in God, and is the key to life and happiness, Bishop Curry said in a statement. And so we celebrate and pray for them today.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures Show all 55 1 /55 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2017 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada. The Invictus Games is an international sport event for wounded, injured and sick (WIS) servicemen and women, both serving and veteran. It was created by the Duke of Sussex and aims to use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding of all those who serve their country Invictus Games Foundation/Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures November 2017 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose for a photograph in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace following the announcement of their engagement AFP/Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures November 2017 Meghan Markle shows off her engagement ring AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures December 2017 Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attend Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene in King's Lynn Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures January 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan during a visit to Reprezent 107.3FM in Pop Brixton. The Reprezent training programme was established in Peckham in 2008, in response to the alarming rise in knife crime, to help young people develop and socialise through radio Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures January 2018 Meghan Markle greets well-wishers on arrival at Cardiff Castle for a day showcasing the rich culture and heritage of Wales AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures January 2018 The couple watching a dance performance by Jukebox Collective during their to Cardiff Castle AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures February 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle walk through the corridors of the Palace of Holyroodhouse on their way to a reception for young people in Edinburgh. The reception celebrated youth achievements, marking Scotlands Year of Young People 2018, an initiative that aims to inspire Scotland through its young people: celebrating their achievements, strengthening their voice on social issues and creating new opportunities for them to shine AFP Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures February 2018 Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William at the first annual Royal Foundation Forum in London. Under the theme 'Making a Difference Together', the event showcased the programmes run or initiated by The Royal Foundation Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures March 2018 Prince William, Kate, Meghan and Prince Harry attend a Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures March 2018 Meghan Markle greets well-wishers after a visit to one of Belfast's most historic buildings, The Crown Liquor Saloon, a former Victorian gin palace, now run by the National Trust. It was the Royal couple's first joint visit to Northern Ireland AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures April 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle meet participants as they attend the UK team trials for the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 at the University of Bath AFP via Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2018 Meghan Markle and her mother, Doria Ragland arriving at Cliveden House Hotel the night before her wedding to Prince Harry Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2018 Royal fans sing for the television in Windsor the day before the Royal wedding AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2018 Meghan Markle walks down the aisle in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, during her wedding AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stand facing each other hand-in-hand before Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby during their wedding ceremony AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2018 Prince Harry kisses the Duchess of Sussex, as they pass through the Cambridge Gate into the grounds of Windsor Castle at the end of their carriage procession AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2018 The newly married royals leave Windsor Castle after their wedding to attend an evening reception at Frogmore House AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures June 2018 Queen Elizabeth II sitts and laughs with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex during a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge in the town of Widnes in Halton, Cheshire Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures June 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan return in a horse-drawn carriage after attending the Queen's Birthday Parade, 'Trooping the Colour' on Horseguards parade AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures July 2018 Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge watch the RAF flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as members of the Royal Family attend events to mark the centenary of the RAF Chris Jackson/Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures July 2018 Meghan and Prince Harry kiss after the Sentebale Polo event that was held at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures August 2018 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex meet the cast and crew of "Hamilton" backstage after the gala performance in support of Sentebale at Victoria Palace Theatre Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2018 Meghan meets 7-year-old Matilda Booth during the annual WellChild awards at Royal Lancaster Hotel in London Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan meet 98-year-old Daphne Dunne during a meet and greet at the Sydney Opera House during an official 16-day Autumn tour visiting cities in Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan meet a koala named Ruby and its koala joey named Meghan after the Duchess of Sussex during a visit to Taronga Zoo in Sydney AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Prince Harry looks on as his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is hugged by student Luke Vincent of Buninyong Public School following the couple's arrival at Dubbo Regional Airport in Dubbo AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Harry and his wife Meghan watch aboriginal dances at Victoria Park in Dubbo AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex meet with lifeguards at South Melbourne Beach. BeachPatrol is a network of volunteers who are passionate about keeping Melbourne's beaches and foreshores clear of litter to reduce the negative impact of litter on the marine environment and food chain, and provide a safe environment for the public to enjoy their local beach Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan join a circle during a "Fluro Friday" session run by OneWave, a local surfing community group who raise awareness for mental health and wellbeing, at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach AFP Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 The British royals kicked off their shoes and donned tropical garlands on Bondi Beach AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan visit an exhibition of Tongan handicrafts, mats and tapa cloths at the Fa'onelua Convention Centre in Nuku'alofa, Tonga Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan laying a wreath at the National War Memorial in Wellington, New Zealand Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Prince Harry and his wife Meghan visit Redwoods Tree Walk in Rotorua AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures November 2018 Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at a service marking the centenary of WW1 armistice at Westminster Abbey Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures February 2019 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, visit the Kasbah of the Udayas near the Moroccan capital Rabat AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures March 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan speak on stage during WE Day UK 2019 at The SSE Arena in London Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures March 2019 Meghan and Prince Harry react as they are presented with baby gifts by Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Janice Charette, at Canada House, during an event to mark Commonwealth Day, in central London AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2019 A congratulatory banner message circling the BT Tower reading "Congratulations Harry and Meghan It's a Baby Boy!" AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2019 Footmen Stephen Kelly and Sarah Thompson set up an official notice on an easel at the gates of Buckingham Palace on May 6, announcing the birth of a son to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2019 Pround parents pose with their newborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle. The Duchess of Sussex gave birth at 5:26 on 6 May Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan walk away after posing for photographs with their newborn son AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures June 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan join the New York Yankees in their clubhouse and receive gifts for Archie ahead of their match against the Boston Red Sox at the London Stadium. The historic two-game series marked the sport's first games ever played in Europe and The Invictus Games Foundation was selected as the official charity of Mitel and MLB London Series 2019 Invictus Games Foundation/Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures July 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan meet cast and crew, including US singer-songwriter Beyonce and her husband, US rapper Jay-Z as they attend the European premiere of the film The Lion King in London AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2019 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex dance as they arrive for a visit to the "Justice desk", an NGO in the township of Nyanga in Cape Town, as they begin their tour of the region. Their first official family visit in the coastal city AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan pose with members of "Waves For Change" NGO at Monwabisi Beach outside of Cape Town. "Waves For Change" NGO fuses surfing with child-friendly mind and body therapy to provide mental health services to vulnerable young people living in challenging communities AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2019 The royals arrive to visit the oldest mosque of Cape Town in Dorp Street in Bo Kaap district AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2019 The Duchess of Sussex visits Auwal Mosque on Heritage Day with the Duke of Sussex during their royal tour of South Africa. Auwal Mosque is the first and oldest mosque in South Africa and for the Muslim community, this mosque symbolises the freedom of former slaves to worship Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan hold their baby son Archie as they meet with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah at the Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2019 The British royal couple were on a 10-day tour of southern Africa -- their first official visit as a family since their son Archie was born AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan meet Graca Machel, widow of the late Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Duke last met with Mrs Machel during his visit to South Africa in 2015 Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2019 Meghan and Prince Harry attend a roundtable discussion on gender equality with The Queens Commonwealth Trust (QCT) and One Young World at Windsor Castle Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures December 2019 Prince Harry holding his son Archie. The photo was used on Instagram to wish their followers a happy new year SussexRoyal/PA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures January 2020 Duke and Duchess of Sussex depart Canada House in London after visiting to show thanks for the warm hospitality and support they received during their recent stay in Canada Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures January 2020 Front page headlines, from UK daily papers, reporting on the news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, plan to step back as "senior" members of the Royal Family AFP via Getty

The couple of have not yet met Bishop Curry, who will travel from his home in Chicago for the ceremony.

Archbishop Welby called Bishop Curry a stunning preacher and said he was thrilled he would be involved in the wedding, in a tweet.

The United States-based Episcopal Church is a constituent member of the global Anglican Communion, of which the Church of England is the Mother Church.

According to its website, Bishop Curry has been active in issues of social justice including immigration policy and marriage equality.

ReutersStarbucks has changed its toilet policy to allow everyone and not just customers to use its facilities, following outrage at the arrest of two black men at one of its Philadelphia coffee shops.

We dont want to become a public bathroom, but were going to make the right decision a hundred percent of the time and give people the key, the coffee giant's chairman, Howard Schultz told the Atlantic Council in Washington DC.

We dont want anyone at Starbucks to feel as if we are not giving access to you to the bathroom because you are less than.

Mr Schultz said the company previously had a loose policy that only customers should be able to use the toilets, but it was up to managers to decide how to implement the guidelines.

His statements follow outrage at the treatment of Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson at a Philidelphia Starbucks in April.

Mr Nelson asked to use the toilet, but was refused because he had not purchased anything. He and his business partner explained they were waiting to meet an associate, but the coffee shop staff called the police, who arrested the pair and led them outside in handcuffs.

A video of the incident galvanised people around the US to protest what they saw as modern day racism.

Starbucks CEO, Kevin Johnson, later apologised on behalf of the company, saying: The circumstances surrounding the incident and the outcome in our store on Thursday were reprehensible, they were wrong.

And for that, I personally apologise to the two gentlemen who visited our store.

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 company settled with Mr Nelson and Mr Robinson for an undisclosed sum. The men settled a dispute with the city over the incident for a token $1 and $200,000 (148,000) for a programme dedicated to supporting young entrepreneurs.

In his Thursday speech, Mr Shultz said the company was absolutely wrong in every way in its response to the incident.A student has stripped down to her bra and underwear during her thesis presentation in protest against her professors comments that her choice of clothing was inappropriate.

Letitia Chai, a senior student at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, took off her clothes during her presentation, which was filmed on Facebook live, to stand up against oppressive beliefs and discrimination.

Ms Chai organised the protest after her teacher allegedly questioned her choice of clothing during a test run of her thesis presentation and told her: Your shorts are too short.

Describing the incident in a Facebook post, Chai wrote: She proceeded to tell me in front of my whole class that I was inviting the male gaze away from the content of my presentation and onto my body.

Recommended Universities warned over mental health following student suicides

I think that I was so taken aback that I didnt really know how to respond, she told the Cornell Sun.

Ms Chai said that some students in the class were also surprised by the teachers comment but one international student agreed with the teacher and told her she had a moral obligation to dress more conservatively in respect for her audience.

Needless to say, I was shook, Ms Chai wrote.

After she left the classroom, her teacher came out to talk to her and according to Ms Chai, she asked her what her mother would think of her outfit.

What would my mom think? My mom is a feminist, gender, sexuality studies professor. She has dedicated her life to the empowerment of people in all gender identities. So, I think my mother would [be] fine with my shorts, she wrote.

When asked what she was going to do, Ms Chai replied: Im going to give the best damn speech of my life.

Writing on Facebook, Ms Chai invited others to support her on the day of her actual presentation and asked people to strip down to their underwear with her during her 15-minute address.

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 event was filmed on Facebook Live as Ms Chai removed her clothes and some of the students in the room joined her in support.

She told the audience of several dozens that this was a call for solidarity with students like her who had been asked to question themselves about their appearances for the comfort of others.

The teacher involved told local media: I do not tell my students what to wear, nor do I define for them what constitutes appropriate dress. I ask them to reflect for themselves and make their own decisions.

Following the incident, 11 of the 13 other students in the class issued a statement saying they supported Ms Chais commitment to the cause of womens rights but did not agree with her recollection of the events.

All of us feel that out professors words and actions were unfairly represented in the post, with certain quotes taken out of context and we wish to clarify any misunderstandings that may have occurred, they said.

The students described their teacher as an outstanding member of the university and a gift to Cornell.

In an environment like Cornell, where it is so easy to feel dismissed by both your peers and higher-ups, she is unparalleled in her support of us, the statement read.The Trump administration is reversing Barack Obama-era measures aimed at protecting transgender jail inmates, after four women prisoners challenged the policies in court.

The Bureau of Prisons has rolled back rules that allowed transgender inmates to use facilities that match their gender identity, including cell blocks and bathrooms.

Now, an inmates biological sex will be used to determine where such prisoners are housed, instead of the gender with which they identify, according to the new guidelines.

As president, Mr Obama introduced the changes to try to help prevent transgender prisoners from being harassed, assaulted and abused. They took effect just two days before Donald Trump's inauguration in January last year.

The updated Transgender Offender Manual, posted to the Bureau of Prisons website yesterday, now says: The designation to a facility of the inmates identified gender would be appropriate only in rare cases.

The policy says a transgender inmates safety should be considered, but officials must also consider whether placement would threaten the management and security of the institution and/or pose a risk to other inmates in the institution.

Guidance on "hormone and medical treatment" has had the word necessary inserted before medical.

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 move, criticised by transgender-rights campaigners, comes after four women held at a Texas detention centre filed a lawsuit arguing that the Obama-era guidelines would put them at greater risk of rape if they had to share facilities with transgender women.

Last month, a transgender inmate in Colorado said she was raped at a mens prison hours after a judge threw out her request to prevent officers keeping her in a disciplinary unit.

Transgender activists are already fighting the president over his plan to ban most transgender troops from serving in the military.

Nancy Ayers, a spokeswoman for the agency, told BuzzFeed News that the new policy took into account the needs of all federal prisoners and articulates the balance of safety needs of transgender inmates as well as other inmates.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has claimed there is a shared understanding between the US and North Korea about what they hope to achieve in the forthcoming summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.

Speaking days after he helped bring back to the US three Korean-Americans who had been detained by the North Korean regime on charges of spying, Mr Pompeo said he had good and warm conversations with Mr Kim about the future of the Korean peninsula, in preparation for the talks.

At a joint press conference in Washington with South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha, Mr Pompeo, who has probably had more conversations with Mr Kim than any other western official, was asked if they had discussed getting rid of North Koreas nuclear weapons.

We have quite a conversation about it. Im not going to share it here, he said. [But] Im convinced that we have a shared understanding of what the leaders want.

He added: We have a shared vision of what the Korean peninsula looks like after this process is completed.

Mr Pompeo said North Koreas complete denuclearisation, which is being sought by the US and South Korea, along with much of world, will require robust verification. Ms Kang said sanctions against North Korea would not be lifted before a June 12 summit between Mr Trump and Mr Kim in Singapore.

 Mike Pompeo meets Kim Jong-un in North Korea

We are very clear that sanctions remain in place until and unless we see visible, meaningful action taken by North Korea on the denuclearisation track, she said.

Mr Pompeo, whose secret meeting with Mr Kim over the Easter weekend was when it was agreed Mr Trump would meet with the North Korean leader, also offered economic help to the country if its gives up its nuclear weapons.

Escape from North Korea Show all 16 1 /16 Escape from North Korea Escape from North Korea Jeong Min-woo A hat belonging to Jeong Min-woo in Seoul. Min-woo is from Hyesan, on the border with China. He was a commissioned officer in the Korean People's Army, and left in his uniform. South Korean intelligence confiscated it, but he persuaded his North Korean military contacts to send him a new one. Reuters Escape from North Korea Jeong Min-woo Jeong Min-woo, 29, poses for a photograph in Seoul Reuters Escape from North Korea Kang Kang, 28, who wanted to be identified only by her surname, poses for a photograph in Seoul. The parents of Kang sent out a coat across the Chinese border after she reached the South in 2010. "I didn't ask my mother to send me this coat," said Kang. "But she knew I feel the cold easily and sent it to me. She sent some honey too, but it went missing on the way. The coat is made of dog fur. I don't know what kind of dog. In 2010, it cost about 700,000 North Korean won ($88 at the unofficial rate). It was really expensive. A North Korean friend went to China to pick it up for me. I liked this coat when I got it. I thought my mother must've spent quite a lot of money on it. Reuters Escape from North Korea Kang The dog fur coat belonging to Kang, "My father was a party officer. Our family had a car and we lived in a special apartment. Ordinary people couldn't afford to wear this kind of coat, not even soldiers. Commissioned officers could afford them. Border guards would wear them. It wasn't easy to buy this kind of coat, but as time went on, fake ones began to appear. The state often clamped down on this item. It's technically military supplies so the state monitored people who altered the design of the coat. I know just from looking at this coat that it's a counterfeit one, not the official version. The counterfeit ones look quite different from the original ones. Military officials preferred the fakes to the original because the design looked much better. The children of rich families would wear them. I look too chubby in this, so don't wear it here. I thought I could probably wear it if I altered it." Reuters Escape from North Korea Lee Oui-ryuk Lee Oui-ryuk is from Onsong, near the border with China. He defected in 2010, and brought his ID card with him. "I brought my ID with me when I left North Korea. Juche 95.11.7 (the date in the North Korean calendar, which equates to Nov. 7, 2006) is the date I was issued with my ID. It says here my blood type is "A", but I'm actually an "O." For the 23 years I lived in North Korea, I thought my blood type was "A." They wrote down my blood type without even doing a test. They just wrote whatever they wanted to. I was caught trying to defect to South Korea around Kim Jong Il's birthday. They strengthen border security just before and after that date." Reuters Escape from North Korea Lee Oui-ryuk "The bottom of the lamp is dark," as the saying goes, and I thought I'd be able to cross right under their noses. The soldiers shot at me as I tried to run away from the Tumen River. I managed to get away and hid, but someone reported me and I was caught. That's when I was taken to the bowibu (North Korean secret police) for three months of interrogation. The state ruled that I had tried to defect to South Korea, and I was sent to a camp for political prisoners. I escaped when they were transferring me to the camp. I hid and managed to make it to my big sister's house - that's when I grabbed these photos. I couldn't go home easily, so decided I had to hide in the mountains or somewhere remote. I needed my ID to move around without getting caught. and I took these 12 photos with me in case I wanted to look back and reminisce. I wrote on the back of them so as not to forget." Reuters Escape from North Korea Ji Sung-ho Ji Sung-ho, 35, from Hoeryong, near the border with China. He left North Korea in 2006 with a pair of wooden crutches. "I lived as a child beggar in North Korea. I was stealing coals from a train when I fell off and lost my leg and my hand. I had to bring the crutches with me. If I didn't have them, I wouldn't have made it here. The state doesn't help you in North Korea, and people who need crutches make their own. Mine are therefore not factory-made, so they're not perfect and break easily. I had several pairs of crutches but they all broke, and this was the last pair. I used these crutches for 10 years, until I was 25, when I arrived in South Korea. I would steal coal from moving trains and fall off, destroying my crutches. Or I would get beaten up by the police and they'd take and then break my crutches. When they broke, I would make new ones. When I had new ones, I could go back outside." Reuters Escape from North Korea Ji Sung-ho "When I first arrived in South Korea I thought about throwing them out. South Korea's intelligence agency gave me a prosthetic leg. My friends said I should throw the crutches out and not think about North Korea. They said I should show Kim Jong Il I was living a new life in South Korea and throw out everything I had from the North. Some asked if I got upset when I saw my crutches. But I couldn't just throw them out. To make my crutches, my friends had given me some wood that they had bought, and someone I knew in North Korea who had carpentry skills had made them. It was my father who added the final touches. There is a lot of love from my North Korean friends and family in these crutches. So I didn't throw them out. The South Korean government gave me some new crutches because the wood from my North Korean ones is hard and painful. But I still keep them, so as not to forget those memories." REUTERS Escape from North Korea Kim Ryen Hui Kim Ryen Hui, 48, is from Pyongyang. She says she never wanted to defect. In 2011, she says, a broker helped her go to China for treatment on her liver. But the broker tricked her, she said, and she ended up in South Korea. She is campaigning to return, which Seoul says would be against the law. "I miss my parents even more than I miss my daughter. They're everything to me. For the first few years, I couldn't even breathe properly when I thought of them. My little brother lives with them in Pyongyang now. My mother can't see out of one eye. The thing I fear the most is finding out they've passed away before I have the chance to go back. Reuters Escape from North Korea Kim Ryen Hui "My daughter and I have been writing letters and sending photos to each other. My cousin lives in China, so she's been sending them on. My daughter's name is Ri Ryon Gum. She was born on February 15, 1993. I don't want her to live out her life with me here. When she was young, she did taekwondo. She wanted to get involved in espionage operations against South Korea. She was so fearless. That's why she was doing taekwondo - to get involved in anti-South espionage. So I was really surprised to hear she became a chef. In a video of her I received, she explained why. She said that after I had left, she moved in with her father in Pyongyang and had been cooking for him. She said she decided to become a chef so she could fulfill my role at home. I was sad when I heard that." Reuters Escape from North Korea Lee Min-bok Lee Min-bok, 60, was a researcher at North Korea's Academy of Agricultural Science. He first tried to defect, unsuccessfully, in 1990. He eventually left North Korea in June 1991 and came to South Korea in 1995. His family sent him these diaries. "I have a bit of an academic side. According to Kim Il Sung's teachings, people are supposed to keep diaries. Everyone in North Korea should strictly follow Kim Il Sung's teachings, so I did as I was supposed to and kept a diary. Even though Kim Il Sung is a villain here, in North Korea he's above everything. We learned that he studied well and gave our lives purpose. I lived according to those teachings. I wrote these out of loyalty to the Leader. That was our ideology, and I lived my life in strict adherence to it. No one could think differently." Reuters Escape from North Korea Lee Min-bok "I got hold of these diaries 10 years after I arrived in South Korea. I had been sending money to my family in the North and they sent them to me. I didn't write any complaints in diaries. I would've been in big trouble if I did. My diaries are a record of my history in North Korea. I am thinking about turning these diaries into a book. I'd like to publish a book about how to change North Koreans' thinking when unification happens. These diaries show how North Koreans think and how their minds are constructed. People need to make these into a textbook, because they need proof. Talking is not as effective." Reuters Escape from North Korea Song Byeok Song Byeok was a propaganda artist. His father drowned trying to cross the Tumen river, in 2000. When the artist finally left North Korea in 2001, he brought photos of his family with him. "We left that August to find food," Byeok recalled, describing the first attempt. "We were from a town further inland, and we weren't sure where the river was high and where it was low. I didn't know at the time but the river was swollen because of the rainy season. I thought we had to cross it anyway. All I could think about was getting to China to buy food. I took off my clothes and tied them into a rope to strap us together. I told my father not to let go. As we approached the middle of the river, the strap felt lighter. I looked back and saw my father drifting away. I was devastated." Reuters Escape from North Korea Song Byeok "He was going under the water and couldn't get out. I rushed up to the (North Korean) border guards and asked them to save him but they just said why did I come out, why didn't I die too. They handcuffed me and took me away. It was Aug. 28. I was tortured by the "bowibu" (North Korean secret police) in Hoeryong, then jailed for four months in Chongjin prison camp. But after I was released from the camp I felt like I needed to survive and carry on living. Right before I tried to defect again, I went back home and grabbed my family photos. Even if I died trying, I thought, at least I would have this picture with me. I never found my father. After I came to South Korea, I went back to China in 2004 and held a memorial service for him by the river. My heart still aches." Reuters Escape from North Korea Baek Hwa-sung Baek Hwa-sung, 33, left Sinuiju, on the border with China, in 2003 and resettled in South Korea in 2008. He kept a diary as he defected. "In 2004, I started to write down all my thoughts in a diary. I didn't know if I'd get caught. I just wanted to let it be known where I was from, and where I wanted to go. After I left the North, I became very depressed, hiding in the mountains alone for a while. The people who were watching over me told me not to come down to the village and left me by myself in a mountain shelter. Alone, with no one to engage with or talk to, I felt like I would go insane. So I wanted to leave something behind in case I died there or got caught - that's why I started to write. Reuters Escape from North Korea Baek Hwa-sung "Alone in the mountains, I desperately sought something to talk to. That was my diary. My diaries are proof of my life's journey. I read them when I want to remember home. I can't return home, and I already have no memories of my hometown. But when I go through my diaries, there are notes which detail the vivid memories of that time. Sometimes I might forget my father's birthday, but when I go back to my diary, his birthday and my mother's birthday are there. My diaries are a record of my life. They prove I'm alive." Reuters

If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearise, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends, he said.

Ms Kang praised the upcoming meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Kim as an historic opportunity, but added a few notes of skepticism as well, the Associated Press reported.

Amid concerns that North Korea will demand the US withdraw its troops from neighbouring South Korea, Ms Kang emphasised that the US military presence there must be a matter for the US-ROK alliance first and foremost, she said, using an acronym for South Koreas official name, the Republic of Korea.

Just six months ago, the US and North Korea were exchanging aggressive rhetoric and threats. A breakthrough appears to have occurred against the backdrop of the Winter Olympics in South Korea, at which the South Korean hosts went out their way to offer the olive branch to their northern neighbour.

Some analysts believe Mr Kim has been prepared to negotiate with the US now, because of his speeded-up testing of his weapons programme has made his nation a de facto nuclear armed country.White House chief of staff John Kelly said that President Donald Trump is embarrassed, frankly about the investigation being carried out by special Robert Mueller into alleged collusion between the presidents 2016 campaign team and Russian officials.

In a rare interview, Mr Kelly told NPR: There may not be a cloud, but certainly the president is, you know, somewhat embarrassed, frankly. When world leaders come in, its kind of like you know [Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu] is here and he  whos under investigation himself  and its like, you know, you walk in and you know the first couple of minutes of every conversation might revolve around that kind of thing.

Mr Kelly did not directly say the Russia probe is a "witch hunt," as the president has tweeted several times, but noted: "something that has gone on this long without any real meat on the bone, it suggests to me that there is nothing there, relative to our president".

The former four-star Marine corps general said he spent five to eight hours a day with Mr Trump, who still refers to Mr Kelly by his military title "general". Despite recent rumours that Mr Kelly called the president "an idiot," the second chief of staff after Reince Priebus left last August said he thinks Mr Trump is a "super smart guy" and that the pair have a "close relationship".

"My view is to speak truth to power. I always give my opinion on everything. He always listens. Sometimes he takes the opinion, sometimes he doesn't," Mr Kelly said, adding that his only regret is that he did not take the position of running operations of the Oval office sooner.

 John Kelly on leaving job as Secretary of Homeland Security: 'God punished me'

The Trump White House was a place of tumult through much of his first year in office. Mr Priebus, press secretary Sean Spicer, advisor Steve Bannon, and the short-lived communications director Anthony Scaramucci were among those who departed in dramatic fashion. Mr Kelly said: "it's not that things were a disaster that first six months, but I believe they could have been better...the White House was less organised than our president deserved." He had been serving as Secretary of Homeland Security prior to his current position.

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

When asked about rumours that Mr Kelly was also on his way out, he said an emphatic "no" and though there are "times of great frustration" they were mainly due to news reports about himself or colleagues that made him "wonder whether it's worth it to be subjected to that".

The interview was long-ranging, covering the president's recent decision for the US to not participate in the Iran nuclear deal and place new sanctions on Tehran with which Mr Kelly agreed and his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on 12 June in Singapore.

While critics have worried about the president's lack of experience in diplomacy, his chief of staff is not, noting that Mr Trump has his "eyes wide open" with regards to Mr Kim. Mr Kelly said past presidents had been "strung along" by North Korea's promises to halt developing its nuclear weapons programme, but not this one.A top nuclear expert has resigned from the US State Department after Donald Trump announced the US would pull out from the Iran nuclear deal.

Richard Johnson, the assistant coordinator for Iran nuclear issues at the Office of Nuclear Implementation, reportedly handed in his resignation this week.

A civil servant, Mr Johnson had been involved in failed negotiations including the UK, France and Germany to save the deals after Mr Trump threatened to pull out.

Mr Johnson did not give an exact reason for his resignation but in an email circulated to colleagues and staff and obtained by Foreign Policy, he said the 2015 agreement with Iran had proved to be successful.

He wrote: I am proud to have played a small part in this work, particularly the extraordinary achievement of implementing the [deal] with Iran, which has clearly been successful in preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Johnson had worked as a non-proliferation officer in the US State Department since June 2006. He served as an assistant coordinator for Iran nuclear issues from June 2015.

Writing on Twitter, Laura Kennedy, a former ambassador and a board member of the Centre for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, said: Richard Johnson is among the best and the brightest. His departure from the [US government] is part of the huge, worldwide collateral damage that is being wrought by Trumps violation of the Iran deal. Feels like 2003 all over again.

On Tuesday Mr Trump ended the US commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiated between Iran, the EU, US, Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany, which was signed by his predecessor Barack Obama in 2015.

It set limits to Irans stockpile of enriched uranium, which can be used to make reactor fuel but also nuclear weapons, until 2031. It also limits the number of centrifuges that can be installed to enrich uranium until 2026.

Iran also agreed to modify a heavy-water facility so it could not produce plutonium suitable for a bomb.

In return, Iran was allowed to trade with other countries.

Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Show all 10 1 /10 Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iranian MPs burnt a US flag in parliament after Donald Trump announced America's withdrawal from the nuclear deal. AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal US President Donald Trump displays a presidential memorandum after announcing his intent to withdraw from the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement in the Diplomatic Room at the White House. Reuters Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Some Iranian MPs reacted after Trumps decision by shouting 'death to America'. AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iranian lawmakers prepare to burn two pieces of papers representing the US flag and the nuclear deal. AP Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iran said it will hold talks with signatories to the nuclear deal after Trump's decision to withdraw from the accord, which it branded "psychological warfare". AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Several Iranian MPs stood chanting in the Tehran parliament. AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iranian MPs burning a US flag AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal President Hassan Rouhani addressed the nation in a televised speech in Tehran. He said he'd send his foreign minister to negotiate with countries remaining in the nuclear deal after Trump's decision to pull America from the deal, warning he otherwise would restart enriching uranium "in the next weeks." Iranian Presidency Office via AP Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iran's press condemned Trump's withdrawal from a multi-party nuclear deal but was divided over whether Tehran should react with patience or withdraw itself. AFP Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Trump announced the US withdrawal from what he called the "defective" multinational nuclear deal with Iran, and said Washington would reinstate sanctions against the Islamic republic. AFP/Getty

As he pulled the US out of the deal, Mr Trump said it was decaying and rotten, adding that it was an embarrassment to him as a citizen.

Mr Johnsons departure leaves a growing vacuum of experts on Irans nuclear programme in the US State Department, according to Foreign Policy.

One US official told the news website Mr Johnsons resignation was a big loss for the department and was symbolic of a growing sense the Trump administration was sidelining career experts on foreign policy issues.

The chief of inspections at the UNs nuclear watchdog also resigned suddenly on Friday, the agency announced without giving a reason.

Mr Varjoranta, a Finn, had been a deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and head of its department of safeguards, which verifies countries compliance with the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, since October 2013.

He will be replaced in an acting capacity by the head of the departments Iran team, the Vienna-based IAEA said.President Donald Trump was unaware that his long-time lawyer was selling his insight into the workings of the White House after his election, a member of the presidents legal team has said.

Rudy Giuliani  the latest addition to Mr Trumps team managing his response to the Russia investigation  said he was quite certain the president did not know about the post-election activities of his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Mr Cohen earned millions of dollars selling his intimate knowledge of the Trump White House to companies both inside and outside the United States. One company has reportedly dismissed an employee over the revelations. Two have been in contact with special counsel Robert Muellers team.

But Mr Giuliani said that Mr Trump seemed surprised when he brought up a recent report that Mr Cohen had been paid by a firm tied to a Russian oligarch.

"He knew nothing about it," Mr Giuliani told the Associated Press.

He added that he had not talked to Mr Trump about other companies that had paid Mr Cohen, including telecoms provider AT&T and pharmaceutical company Novartis.

Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Show all 29 1 /29 Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump acknowledges the audience after taking the oath of office as his wife Melania (L) and daughter Tiffany watch during inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as the 45th president of the United States on the West Front of the US capital in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jim Bourg: "This photo was shot with one of two remote cameras. The cameras were monitored and triggered remotely and the pictures were transmitted to clients worldwide within minutes of being taken." Reuters/Jim Bourg Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Obama farewell address - 10 January 2017 US President Barack Obama wipes away tears as he delivers his farewell address in Chicago on 10 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "In his final days in office, Obama made a visit home to Chicago. As he spoke from the stage to his wife and daughter in the audience, he became emotional when he talked about what they had sacrificed during his time in office. I turned from photographing the Obama women embracing to find him onstage wiping away tears." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 A combination of photos shows the crowds attending the inauguration ceremonies to swear in U.S. President Donald Trump at 12:01pm (left) on January 20, 2017 and President Barack Obama sometime between 12:07pm and 12:26pm on January 20, 2009. Reuters/ Lucas Jackson/Stelios Varias Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Liberty Ball - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the Liberty Ball in honour of his inauguration in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "What I see when I look at this picture is the end of a very long day, not to mention weeks and months of preparation by many photographers, editors and network experts and the beginning of everything since." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception - 22 January 2017 US President Donald Trump greets Director of the FBI James Comey as Director of the Secret Service Joseph Clancy (L), watches during the Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House on 22 January, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "I have covered the White House for 16 years and normally either the President or the pool is in position when an event starts. In this case the President was not where anyone expected him to be. In fact, he was almost blocking the door when the pool came in. We had to scramble to find a position without bumping him or the furniture as he greeted and thanked members of law enforcement for their security efforts during the inauguration. Luckily, he greeted FBI Director James Comey a few seconds after the pool had made its way into the room." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Private phone calls to world leaders - 28 January 2017 US President Donald Trump, is joined by his staff, as he speaks by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office on 28 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Very early in the Trump administration, weekends were as busy as weekdays. On Trump's second Saturday the official schedule said he would be making private phone calls to a number of world leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin. I arrived early and, before sitting down at my desk walked up to Press Secretary Sean Spicer's office. He, too, was just taking his coat off. I gingerly made the suggestion that previous administrations had sometimes allowed photos of such phone calls through the Oval Office windows on the colonnade. To my mild shock, he didn't even think about it twice. "We'll do it!" he said. In truth, I really only expected the Putin call, but we were outside the windows multiple times throughout the day as the calls went on." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway - 27 February 2017 Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway (L) attends as US President Donald Trump welcomes the leaders of dozens of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the Oval Office on 27 February, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "We're often asked how much access we have to the Trump administration, and the answer is we have an awful lot. President Trump himself is very comfortable in the spotlight, and his aides are similarly unfazed by cameras. In this instance, senior advisor Kellyanne Conway was so comfortable in our presence she seemed not to consider the optics of kneeling on a Oval Office sofa to take pictures with her phone." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Angela Merkel heads to Washington - 17 March 2017 Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump hold a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House on 17 March, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Chancellor Merkel made one of the earliest important visits of any US allies to meet Trump in his first months in office. When world leaders give joint news conferences they don't always tend to give each other their full attention - but Merkel watched Trump intently at several key moments, and here seemed particularly rapt." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump welcomes truckers to the White House - 23 March 2017 President Trump reacts as he sits on a truck while he welcomes truckers and CEOs to attend a meeting regarding healthcare at the White House on 23 March, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "The White House organised a listening session with truckers and CEO's of major American companies, regarding healthcare reform. An 18-wheeler tow truck was parked on the South Lawn of the White House and as Trump welcomed the truckers someone invited the him to come and sit in the driver's seat. Trump jumped into the cab and started yelling and pretending to drive - creating one of the most memorable pictures of the year. A lesson learned, always be prepared for the unexpected." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 6 April 2017 US President Donald Trump talks to journalists members of the travel pool on board the Air Force One during his trip to Palm Beach, Florida on 6 April, 2017. Carlos Barria: "During the many trips to President Trump's residence in Florida it is usual to see the president coming to the back of the plane to chat with journalists. During one of the trips to the so called 'Winter White House', Trump had a long talk with reporters while the Air Force One entertainment system was playing one of the latest Star Wars movies. As I was listening to Trump talk I was also looking at the movie waiting for a part of the movie to frame the mood of the day. Of the many scenes, I choose the one with Darth Vader." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump speaks during an interview with Reuters in the Oval Office of the White House on 27 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "A day before President Trump's hundred days in office I was part of the team that interviewed the commander-in-chief in the Oval Office. I was only allowed to photograph Trump during the last five minutes of the interview. The time was very tight so I had to move fast as I had pictures in mind that I wanted to shoot. I walked into the Oval Office and saw that the President had printed maps of the country showing areas in red where he won. I raised my hands holding my camera as high as possible to get the best view of the scene using a 16mm wide angle lens." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump reacts as he arrives at Harrisburg international airport, before attending a rally marking his first 100 days in office in Pennsylvania on 29 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to celebrate his hundred days in office with a victory rally. He was in friendly territory as he won with a big difference over his opponent Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, during the November elections. As usual when the commander-in-chief arrives local residents gather to greet him. This time a small group of military personnel attended the arrival. Surrounded by secret service agents Trump walked from the Air Force One and raised his hand in a sign of victory as the crowd cheered him on." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 2 May 2017 White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (L) and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus watch as US President Donald Trump presents the U.S. Air Force Academy football team with the Commander-in-Chief trophy in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on 2 May, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "Covering the White House does not just mean covering the President. White House staffers are an important part of the story and their relationship with the President and each other is an indicator of how things are going in the West Wing. The tendency is to focus exclusively on the President once an event starts but I always try to look around to see how people are reacting as things unfold." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Secret Service - 4 May 2017 Secret Service agents use a presidential limousine as cover from spraying water as US President Donald Trump lands via Marine One helicopter in New York on 4 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "The best part of any trip to New York City with the sitting US President is the helicopter ride into Manhattan. The ride out at night can be stunning. Here, Secret Service agents protect themselves from the spray from the East River as Trump lands on the helipad." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures NATO Summit - 25 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wait the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron (unseen) before a lunch ahead of a NATO Summit in Brussels on 25 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "One of the best parts of travelling overseas for White House coverage is the chance to see the U.S. president in different environments and (literally) a different light. Here, Trump and his wife came out of the shadows to greet France's President Macron." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump meets Putin at G20 summit - 7 July 2017 US President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany on 7 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "On July 7, I witnessed one of the most important meetings of President Trump's first year in office. Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Germany. The world's eyes were on these two leaders after speculation about Russian interference during the 2016 US elections. We entered the room for less than two minutes, where I took dozens of pictures. But there was this very interesting moment when Trump extended his hand to Putin for a handshake. Putin paused for a second and looked at Trump's hand. That was the picture that I was looking for, a little moment that seemed to say a lot." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures First lady - 8 July 2017 First lady Melania Trump chats with US President Donald Trump during their return from Germany at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on 8 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "After President Trump's trip to Germany he arrived back at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. First Lady Melania Trump said goodbye to Trump as she was heading off in a different direction that day. While chatting a breeze blew Melania's hair up in the air." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Made in America product showcase - 17 July 2017 Vice President Mike Pence laughs as President Donald Trump holds a baseball bat as they attend a Made in America product showcase event at the White House on 17 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "This summer the White House organized an event to showcase 'Made in America' products. All kinds of exhibitors brought their products as the President and Vice President toured the event. One of the companies was Marucci Sport, a manufacturer of baseball bats based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As Trump approached a table full of baseball bats, photographers at the event, including me, rushed to get a good angle hoping that he would pick up a bat. As we predicted, he did. He took one and joked around as though he was hitting something hard. The only thing closer to him right there, was the media." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 25 July 2017 Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski says hello to reporters as he and White House advisors including Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci accompany President Trump for an event celebrating veterans at AMVETS Post 44 in Ohio, July 25, 2017. Jonathan Ernst: "The most visible person in any White House is naturally the President, followed by the press secretary. But there are also the staff who support them. For those of us covering the Trump administration, there seem to be more compelling figures in the West Wing than ever before. It's crucial to know who's who and why they're important. When I raised my camera and back-pedalled ahead of the group to take this image Lewandowski gave me a hello. I liked the photo, but had no idea it would go a little bit viral, especially since Scaramucci, who was the biggest mover and shaker that week, was hidden back in the pack. But I guess the image catches a glimpse of what it's like to be a West Wing staffer on the road." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Campaign rally - 3 August 2017 US President Donald Trump arrives at a rally in West Virginia on 3 August, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Huntington for one of his usual campaign rallies. While members of his family spoke to the crowd he was waiting under a black curtain to be introduced. Suddenly he walked onto the stage, one of the first frames that I took was of his hand. I set my exposure for the light on the stage hoping to create this dark background and it worked." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Staring into the solar eclipse - 21 August 2017 Without his protective glasses on, US President Donald Trump looks up towards the solar eclipse while viewing with his wife Melania and son Barron at the White House on 21 August, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "On a day when everyone, and I mean everyone, was told not to look at the eclipse without protective glasses, Trump, President of the United States, couldn't help himself." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Harvey - 2 September 2017 US President Donald Trump poses for a photo as he and first lady Melania Trump help volunteers hand out meals during a visit with flood survivors of Hurricane Harvey at a relief centre in Houston, Texas on 2 September, 2017. Photohrapher Kevin Lamarque: "Trump, eager to deliver the image of a hands-on response to Hurricane Harvey, made this visit to a relief centre and obliged this woman with a selfie as Melania continued to work." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House - 15 September 2017 Donald Trump welcomes 11-year-old Frank Giaccio as he cuts the Rose Garden grass at the White House on 15 September. Frank, who wrote a letter to Trump offering to mow the lawn, was invited to work for a day at the White House along the National Park Service staff. Frank was so focused on his task that he did not notice the President arrive to surprise him. He took his father jumping in to grab his attention and point Trump out. Photographer Carlos Barria said: The image of Trump shouting at a kid who is mowing his lawn might have many interpretations in today's politically polarized United States. But for me it was just a kid who loved what he was doing, to the point he almost appeared to ignore the President." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Take a knee - 27 September 2017 A man kneels with a folded U.S. flag as the motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump passes him after an event at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., September 27, 2017. In September, soon after Trump had made comments condemning NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, he made a day trip to a rally in Indianapolis. Jonathan Ernst managed to capture a man on one knee with a tri-folded flag and was able to use a portion of the sign on the building he was kneeling in front of to track the man down and tell his story in full. US Army veteran Marvin Boatright wanted to send a message against social injustice. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Maria - 3 October 2017 President Donald Trump throws rolls of paper towels into a crowd of local residents affected by Hurricane Maria as he visits Calgary Chapel in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 3 October, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "During an afternoon visit to Puerto Rico for President Trump to survey damage from Hurricane Maria and greet some of its victims, Trump made a stop at a church where food and supplies were being distributed. Among the items were paper towels and Trump, apparently caught up in the moment, decided to distribute some of the rolls." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Jared Kushner - 1 November 2017 White House Senior adviser Jared Kushner sits behind President Trump during a cabinet meeting in Washington on 1 November, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "The role of Jared Kushner has gone through a series of changes. He began front and centre as a high profile adviser, but as time has passed and issues surrounding him have surfaced, he has become more of a background figure." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump in China - 9 November 2017 Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands after making joint statements at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 9 November, 2017. Photographer Damir Sagolj: "It's one of those "how to make a better or at least different shot when two presidents shake hands several times a day, several days in row". If I'm not mistaken in calculation, presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump shook their hands at least six times in events I covered during Trump's recent visit to China. I would imagine there were some more handshakes I haven't seen but other photographers did. And they all look similar - two big men, smiling and heartily greeting each other until everyone gets their shot. But then there is always something that can make it special - in this case the background made of US and Chinese flags. The first time it didn't work for me. The second time I positioned myself lower and centrally, and used the longest lens I have to capture only hands reaching for a handshake." Reuters/Damir Sagolj Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 10 November 2017 US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One to depart for Vietnam from Beijing Airport in Beijing, China, November 10, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "There is a Reuters photographer in the tight pool covering the US president for every appearance he makes 365 days a year. This was just one of 32 images of mine that were transmitted on the Reuters wire of President Trump visiting China and Vietnam that day. You never know when a sudden interaction, a gust of wind or a unique facial expression will lead to a striking image that grabs peoples' attention." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures ASEAN handshake - 13 November 2017 Donald Trump registers his surprise as he realises other leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte and Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, are crossing their arms for the traditional "ASEAN handshake" as he participates in the opening ceremony of the summit in Manila on 13 November, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Having covered a few ASEAN summits, I knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. Not everyone in the room knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. A lot was written about this unscripted moment, and what deeper meaning it might have. The simple truth is that sometimes in life there are unscripted moments." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

"I haven't talked to him in detail except for the first day it came out. When it first came out, he was surprised," Mr Giuliani said.

He added: "There doesn't seem to be any involvement with us.

AT&T and Novartis both publicly acknowledged this week that they had paid Mr Cohen for information about the new administration  reportedly through the same shell company Mr Cohen used to facilitate a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. A lawyer for Ms Daniels claimed Mr Cohen made a similar arrangement with a company tied to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson called hiring Mr Cohen a big mistake in a memo to staff on Friday. He also said that top executive Bob Quinn would be retiring, though the Wall Street Journal reported he was forced out.

 Donald Trump: new legal advisor Rudy Giuliani will 'get his facts straight'

Novartis admitted to paying Mr Cohen $1.2m for a yearlong contract, but said the lawyer had not provided the level of information he promised.

We made a mistake in entering into this engagement and, as a consequence, are being criticised by a world that expects more from us, chief executive Vasant Narasimhan wrote in an email to staff.

Both AT&T and Novartis said they had been contacted by members of Mr Mueller's team about the payments and had "cooperated fully".

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has directed all questions about the payments to the presidents outside counsel.

Mr Cohen is currently under federal investigation for bank fraud, wire fraud, and campaign finance violations, according to the Washington Post. FBI agents raided his New York offices and home last month, taking records of the lawyers clients and finances.

Mr Trump has since distanced himself from his attorney of more than a decade, telling Fox & Friends that the federal investigation doesnt have to do with me.

Michael is a businessman. Hes got a business. He also practices law, Mr Trump said. I would say, probably, the big thing is his business. I have nothing to do with his business.A teenage girl in India has died after she was raped and burned alive in the third attack of its kind in the country within a week.

The 16-year-old was reportedly assaulted by a man at her own home in the Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh state on Thursday.

After storming into the property, the suspect raped the girl, later dousing her in petrol and setting her on fire after she threatened to tell her family about the incident, police said.

Recommended Teenager raped and set on fire in India days after girl burnt to death

Two men have been arrested in connection with the attack.

We arrested the two defendants, one of whom is the cousin of the girl who informed the main suspect that she was alone in the house, Sagar district police chief Satyendra Kumar Shukla told AFP.

The main accused is married and has one child.

The attack is the latest in a long line of violent sexual crimes committed against women and girls in India this year as the country grapples with a rising number of incidents.

A 16-year-old girl was raped by a group of men as she attended a wedding ceremony in the village of Raja Kendu, in Jharkhand state last week.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

She later died after being set on fire in retribution for reporting the attack to her family. Some 14 people have since been arrested in connection with the killing.

Days later, a 17-year-old girl suffered burns on 95 per cent of her body after she was raped and doused in kerosene in a second attack in Jharkhand, this time in Pakur district.

The assaults have drawn widespread condemnation internationally and sparked a wave of protests inside the country.

India introduced the death penalty in April for those found guilty of raping children under the age of 12 following outrage over several attacks on young girls.

Around 40,000 rape cases were reported across India in 2016, although authorities believe there may be many more victims who remain silent.Donald Trump has thanked North Korea for announcing it intends to begin dismantling its nuclear test site in a ceremony set to take place between 23 and 25 May, according to reports in state media.

The ceremony will come just weeks before Kim Jong-un meets President Trump in Singapore for a historic leaders summit on 12 June.

Mr Trump called the move a very smart and gracious gesture as he offered his thanks in a tweet.

Observers had thought North Koreas main test site at Punggye-ri had collapsed following the most recent  and most powerful  of repeated trial nuclear tests. The dismantling of the site may be a PR move by Mr Kim, but it will nevertheless be a welcome one in the White House with Mr Trump having pushed for Pyongyang to give up its nuclear programme.

Korean Central News Agency said the dismantlement of the site would involve collapsing all of the sites tunnels with explosions, blocking entrances and removing all observation facilities, research buildings and security posts.

Journalists from other countries, including the US and South Korea, will be invited to cover the event.

At last months landmark Panmunjom summit Mr Kim had suggested he would hold such an event, when he and South Korea president Moon Jae-in signed a pledge to seek the denuclearisation of the peninsula.

A recent study suggested significant parts of the Punggye-ri test site had already caved in. Nonetheless, some observers argued sections may still be usable, based on analysis of satellite imagery.

Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting Show all 25 1 /25 Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in raise their hands after signing on a joint statement Korea Summit Press Pool via AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting Kim Jong-un heads towards Moon Jae-in to shake his hand between the military demarcation line, at the Joint Security Area on the Demilitarized Zone in the border village of Panmunjom in Paju EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hold hands as they cross the military demarcation line EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Koreans react while watching a screen reporting the Inter Korean Summit Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un chat as they arrive at the Peace House Reuters Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un was escorted by bodyguards from the North to the Military Demarcation Line that divides the two Koreas to meet with his South Korean counterpart at the truce village AFP/Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un crosses the military demarcation line to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in shake hands Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands after Kim crossing the military demarcation line Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Joint Security Area EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un speak with two South Korean children who presented Kim Jong-un with a bouquet of flowers EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting Moon Jae-in Kim Jong-un pose for photographers at the Joint Security Area (JSA) EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signs the guest book as South Korean President Moon Jae-in looks on Getty Images Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns entry in the guestbook. The writing reads A new history starts now. An age of peace, from the starting point of history Korea Summit Press Pool/Pool via Reuters Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-In and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un talk during their summit meeting at the Peace House EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un smiles AFP/Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un poses with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a photo inside the Peace House AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un talks with South Koreas President Moon Jae-in AFP/Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in prepare to plant a pine tree near the military demarcation line AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un applaud after planting a tree at the truce village Korea Summit Press Pool/Pool via Reuters Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un and South Koreas President Moon Jae-in take a walk after they planted a tree AFP/Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un talks with South Koreas President Moon Jae-in at a bench on a bridge next to the military demarcation line at the truce village of Panmunjom AFP/Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in sign on a joint statement Korea Broadcasting System via AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in embrace each other after signing on a joint statement Korea Summit Press Pool via AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands after their joint announcement AP

North Korea has invited the outside world to witness the dismantling of its nuclear facilities before. In June 2008, international broadcasters were allowed to air the demolishing of a cooling tower at the Yongbyon reactor site, a year after the North reached an agreement with the US and four other nations to disable its nuclear facilities in return for an aid package worth about $400m.

Denuclearisation will be the key item on the agenda for Mr Kim and Mr Trump during their summit, though experts have warned that the two sides may have very different ideas of what that means.

Diplomatic contacts between the two countries has increased hugely in recent months, and this week secretary of state Mike Pompeo visited Pyongyang, securing the release of three prisoners.

He later said that if Mr Kim relinquished his nuclear weapons in a permanent and verifiable way the US would be willing to help boost its economy.

Additional reporting by agenciesNorth Korea can look forward to a future brimming with peace and prosperity if it agrees to quickly give up its nuclear weapons, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has pledged.

The US aspires to have North Korea as a close partner and not an enemy, Mr Pompeo said, noting that throughout history America has become good friends with former adversaries.

Mr Pompeo said he had told North Korean leader Kim Jong-un of that hope during his brief visit to Pyongyang earlier this week, during which he finalised details of the 12 June summit between Mr Kim and Donald Trump and secured the release of three Americans imprisoned in the country.

He said his talks with Mr Kim on Wednesday had been warm, constructive and good and that he made clear that if North Korea gets rid of its nuclear weapons in a permanent and verifiable way, the US is willing to help the impoverished nation boost its economy and living stands to levels like those in prosperous South Korea.

Recommended North Korea to begin dismantling nuclear site ahead of Trump summit

We had good conversations about the histories of our two nations, the challenges that we have had between us, Mr Pompeo told reporters at a news conference Friday with South Koreas visiting foreign minister, Kang Kyung-wha. We talked about the fact that America has often in history had adversaries who we are now close partners with and our hope that we could achieve the same with respect to North Korea.

He did not mention other adversaries by name, but Mr Pompeo and others have often noted that the US played a major role in rebuilding Japan and the European axis powers in the wake of the Second World War.

If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearise, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends, he said.

Ms Kang praised the upcoming meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Kim in Singapore as a historic opportunity, but added a few notes of scepticism as well. Amid concerns that North Korea will demand the US withdraw its troops from neighbouring South Korea, Ms Kang emphasised that the US military presence there must be a matter for the US  [South Korea] alliance first and foremost.

She said the US troop presence in the South for the past 65 years has played a crucial role for deterrence, peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. Therefore, she said, any change in the size of the US forces in South Korea should not be on the table at the summit.

The next few weeks will be critical, requiring air-tight coordination between our two countries, Ms Kang said, noting that South Korean President Moon Jae-in would be in Washington to see Mr Trump later this month.

Since Mr Trump announced plans to hold a summit with Mr Kim, questions have been raised continually about whether the two leaders have the same objective in mind when they speak about denuclearisation.

To the US, that means the North giving up the nuclear weapons it has already built. But North Korea has said it is willing to talk now because its already succeeded in becoming a nuclear-armed state, fuelling skepticism that the North would truly be willing to give those weapons up.

Mr Pompeo said there would need to be complete and verifiable denuclearisation that would remove North Korea as a threat to the South, the US and the rest of the world. He said a major inspection and monitoring regime would be required to ensure the Norths compliance.

I think there is complete agreement about what the ultimate objectives are, Mr Pompeo said, though he declined to offer more detail.

Associated PressPolice investigating the mass shooting of seven people, including four children, at a rural property in Western Australia have confirmed they believe the killer is among the dead.

The victims  three generations of the same family  were discovered in the rural village of Osmington.

They have now been officially named as Katrina Miles, her four children, aged eight to 13, and her parents, Peter and Cynda Miles.

Three firearms found at the property belonged to Mr Miles, officers have revealed.

I wish to strongly emphasise that police do not believe any other person is involved in these crimes. Police are not searching for any other suspects, said commissioner Chris Dawson.

He added that officers had received a phone call from a man at the property alerting them to the incident on Friday morning.

On investigation, the body of a woman was found in the house at the property, while the bodies of a woman and four children were found in a nearby converted shed where Ms Miles lived with her three sons and daughter. A seventh person was found dead outside.

It is the countrys deadliest mass shooting since a massacre in Port Arthur, Tasmania, claimed the lives of 35 people in 1996.

Relatives of the Miles family have said they are stunned by what has happened.

In a statement issued through the police, the unnamed family members said they were trying to understand how this could happen.

They continued by asking the community refrain from speculating on the circumstances around this tragic incident.

Osmington is a tiny rural village 20km from Margaret River, a popular tourist area.

Australia shooting: Seven people found dead near Margaret River Show all 7 1 /7 Australia shooting: Seven people found dead near Margaret River Australia shooting: Seven people found dead near Margaret River Police forensics investigate the death of seven people in a suspected murder-suicide in Osmington EPA Australia shooting: Seven people found dead near Margaret River Four children are among seven people found dead at a rural property EPA Australia shooting: Seven people found dead near Margaret River Detectives are investigating the incident, which was said to be treated as a murder-suicide EPA Australia shooting: Seven people found dead near Margaret River Two firearms were found at the scene, Western Australia Police said EPA Australia shooting: Seven people found dead near Margaret River Flowers and a note left next to a police roadblock for the victims of the incident EPA Australia shooting: Seven people found dead near Margaret River It could be the country's worst mass shooting in 22 years, police said AP Australia shooting: Seven people found dead near Margaret River Media film a property from a police roadblock where police are investigating the deaths EPA

Ms Miles, 35, and her children are reported to have moved into the property, owned by her parents Peter, 61, and Cynda, 58, three years ago.

She had homeschooled the youngsters, and was described by friends as a devoted mother.

One neighbour, Felicity Haynes, described them as lovely people.

They were a very socially-aware family  doing their best to create a safe community  and that is why it is so shocking to think that could be destroyed so quickly, she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Pamela Townshend, president of the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, told Fairfax Media: Its sending shockwaves through the whole community  were all linked in one way or another, every family.Teslas enormous battery in South Australia has led to a massive drop in the costs of backing up the regions power supply, potentially saving local people millions of dollars.

New figures presented at Australian Energy Week suggested the new system, which is powered by wind turbines, has reduced the price of expensive power outages by 90 per cent.

The battery was installed as a backup power supply towards the end of 2017, and has already exceeded expectations.

It has been recorded smoothing out major energy outages far quicker than existing backups that are meant to provide emergency power, and it has now taken a majority share of the market.

When there is a fault or maintenance is required in the Australian power grid, the energy market operator must call for frequency control and ancillary services (FCAS) to step in.

These services consist of costly, fossil fuel-powered backup systems.

The Tesla project, on the other hand, is based around an enormous lithium ion battery that is capable of providing the same service not only quicker and cheaper, but also with zero emissions.

In the first four months of operations of the Hornsdale Power Reserve (the official name of the Tesla big battery, owned and operated by Neoen), the frequency ancillary services prices went down by 90 per cent, said Godart van Gendt, a partner at consulting firm McKinsey and Company, at the Australian Energy Week conference in Melbourne on Thursday, which was reported by clean energy news outlet RenewEconomy.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke  filled with the carbon that is driving climate change  drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

Mr Van Gendt presented new figures about the Tesla batterys performance, which also revealed it has now taken over 55 per cent of FCAS in the region.

South Australia is now reportedly the only state that has experienced a decline in FCAS costs in recent months.

Some estimates suggest the cost savings to consumers as a result of this decline have been up to A$35m (19.5m) in the first four months of the Tesla batterys operation.

Lara Olsen, Tesla Energys regional manager of business development, also spoke at the event and explained that while other FCAS systems rely on volatile fuel costs, the wind power the battery relies on is fixed at a cheap and stable price.

While local politicians in South Australia largely welcomed the giant battery as a key component in efforts to make the state more self-sufficient and provide affordable energy, there has been push back from the higher levels of government.

Australian resources minister Matt Canavan even compared it to Kim Kardashian, stating that its famous for being famous. It really doesnt do very much.

However, the success of the project has been recognised by the Australian Energy Market Operator, which has noted that it is capable of responding to outages much faster than conventional generators.

South Australia has been hailed for the lead it has taken on renewable energy, with state Labour politicians lending their support to large scale developments including the worlds largest solar thermal plant. The Tesla battery is seen by experts as another jewel in the states green energy crown.

To some extent the systems efficiency has not been a positive thing for Tesla, which has stated that the speed of the battery is not being accounted for properly, resulting in the company missing out on payments.

Nevertheless, its success has led to interest in further Tesla projects, with a solar-powered version set to be built in the Australian state of Victoria.

While the Hornsdale Power Reserve battery currently holds the title of the worlds largest, Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently hinted at an even larger project set to be announced soon.Police have shot a man who launched a knife attack in Paris dead after he killed a 29-year-old man and injured four others.

Isis claimed responsibility for the atrocity in a statement that described the culprit as one of its soldiers.

Official sources said the attacker was a French citizen born in the Chechnya region of Russia in 1997.

Recommended Isis claims responsibility for deadly knife attack in Paris

A witness told The Independent the assailant was shouting Allahu akbar and trying to get into restaurants as diners barricaded the doors.

First we thought it was two guys fighting, said Fiona, who was having dinner in Kintaro restaurant and did not want her second name published.

People that were queueing outside ran into the restaurant screaming, so everyone panicked and threw themselves on the floor.

Fiona said the same man came back with the knife minutes later and was screaming Allahu akbar.

Some guys, including my friend, blocked the door in case he would try to enter, she added.

When we ran away they were still looking for the guy, and one woman was lying down on the floor. Her neck was bleeding.

 Armed police guard corden after Paris stabbing attack

The attack took place on Rue Saint-Augustin, which is famed for its many restaurants, and in the adjoining Rue Monsigny where the culprit was shot.

Witnesses described panic and screams after seeing a guy with a knife in the streets.

Videos posted on social media showed people running from the scene, which was cordoned off by security forces.

A man who lives in the street said he saw a body and a man with his hands covered in blood.

Yvan Assioma, the regional secretary of the Police Alliance, said officers who arrived first on the scene were threatened by a bearded individual.

He said an officer used his taser on the attacker before he was shot by his colleague.

The multiple stabbings took place at around 9pm local time (8pm BST) in the opera district of the French capital.

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. 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A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. 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Francois Molins, the Paris prosecutor, said the attack was being investigated as terrorism.

He described the victim killed as a passer-by and said the four others wounded had also been stabbed.

At this stage, and on the basis of testimonies describing the attacker shouting Allahu akbar while attacking passers-by with a knife, as well as the modus operandi, the counter-terror section of the Paris prosecutors office is investigating.

On Sunday, French interior minister Gerard Collomb said the four injured were out of danger and that authorities were working to establish whether anyone might have helped the assailant to plan the attack.

Authorities have not named the attacker but officials say he has been identified thanks to DNA tests.

Facebook activated its safety check feature for users living in Paris, while a psychological clinic for traumatised witnesses was set up in a nearby hotel.

Emmanuel Macron said France had paid once again the price of blood but will not cede an inch to the enemies of freedom.

His predecessor, Francois Hollande, said it was an attack on those who were celebrating life, adding: United, we must not give in to barbarity.

Mr Collomb also praised the sangfroid and quick reaction of police officers who neutralised the assailant. The victims of this despicable act are first in my thoughts, he added, ahead of a planned visit to those wounded in hospital.

Forensic officers in Monsigny street after one person was killed and several injured by a man armed with a knife, who was shot dead by police (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, said all Parisiens were at the side of the victims and their loved ones.

Tonight our city was bruised, she wrote on Twitter. I want to salute the police, whose composure, courage and professionalism have once again saved lives. They have my gratitude. I would also like to thank the emergency services that went very quickly to take care of the wounded.

The chief of Paris police, Michel Delpuech, has spoken to the officers involved in the incident in the second arrondissement and assured the victims and their families of his support.

A statement released through Isiss propaganda agency described the attacker as a soldier of the Islamic State and claimed the atrocity was in response to its calls to target countries bombing its territories in Syria and Iraq.

The atrocity came after a series of similar attacks claimed by Isis in France and around the world.

Paris was the site of the deadliest Isis attack in Europe on 13 November 2015 when attackers armed with guns and suicide vests targeted the Bataclan concert hall, Stade de France and restaurants, killing 130 people.

The terrorist group intensified calls for supporters to launch attacks in their home countries when it became harder to reach the ever-shrinking territory militants seized in 2014.

It has used propaganda magazines, websites, social media channels and Telegram to distribute advice about carrying out massacres using knives, vehicles, guns and bombs.An Italian court has ruled that three-time prime minister Silvio Berlusconi may run for office again, more than five years after he was banned for tax fraud.

However, three days ago the 81-year-old gave his blessing to the anti-migrant League party to form a government without him in the wake of an indecisive election result in Italy in March.

The League is in talks with the populist 5-Star Movement over forming a government, and is reportedly close to a deal  so the tribunal ruling could have come too late for him.

The Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, gave the two parties until tomorrow to reach a coalition deal and end the political impasse.

But Mr Mattarella has said that if political leaders cannot form a government soon, he will appoint a non-political premier to govern until the end of the year at the latest. That would then mean a fresh election and a chance for Mr Berlusconi to run again.

Milan daily newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that the tribunal overturned the ban on Mr Berlusconis running after reviewing a request from his lawyers.

In October 2012, the media mogul was found guilty of committing tax fraud as part of his vast business dealings. Italy's highest criminal court upheld his conviction the next year.

The conviction forced him to surrender his Senate seat and prevented him from being a candidate in national elections. He was allowed to do community service to replace most of his jail term, and he spent it helping Alzheimer's patients at a care home.

In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career 1994 The billionaire media tycoon wins elections with his Forza Italia (Go Italy) party, following a wave of anti-corruption investigations that decimate the old political order. He is forced to step down just months later after his coaltion partner pulls out. Getty In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career 2001 Berlusconi wins elections for a second time after a powerful media campaign in which he promised to slash taxes and unemployment. He goes on to serve the longest stint as Prime Minister in Italy's post-war history Getty In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career 2006 Berlusconi steps down after being narrowly defeated by a centre-left coalition led by Romano Prodi, right, a former president of the European Commission. Getty In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career 2008 Mr Berlusconi wins a third election victory following the collapse of Mr Prodi's government due to internal disagreements over Italian troop deployments in Afghanistan Getty In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career 2009 Veronica Lario, Silvio Berlusconi's wife, files for divorce and accuses her husband of cavorting with under age girls Getty In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career 2011 Silvio Berlusconi steps down following a parliamentary revolt and a growing number of sex scandals and criminal investigations Getty In pictures: Silvio Berlusconi's political career 2013 Silvio Berlusconi is sentenced for having sex with a then under age 17-year-old prostitute nicknamed Ruby the Heart Stealer. He also loses a second and final appeal over a tax fraud conviction Getty

Chief prosecutor Roberto Alfonso said yesterday that prosecutors would decide within two weeks whether to appeal against yesterdays tribunal decision.

The ban on the former prime minister seeking or holding public office was due to expire next year but the tribunal ruled that he already had been "rehabilitated", Corriere della Sera said.

"Silvio Berlusconi can finally return to the playing field," said Mara Carfagna, a leader of the Forza Italia party, which Berlusconi founded. "The 'rehabilitation' by the Milan surveillance court puts an end to a judicial persecution and a cavalry that didn't chip away at the strength of great leadership, that, in a profoundly changed political scenario, is today still fundamental and central."

The election on 4 March resulted in a legislature sharply divided into three factions, one of them the centre-right alliance of Forza Italia and the League party.

During the campaign, Mr Berlusconi disparaged the eurosceptic 5-Stars as ''more dangerous than communists" and he has refused to back a government coalition with them.German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said President Donald Trump's decision to pull the US out of the Iran nuclear accord was making the situation in the Middle East even more difficult and warned Europeans to be sceptical of easy solutions promised by populists.

Speaking while in Italy to receive a peace prize, Ms Merkel cited the recent escalation of Israeli-Iranian hostility that quickly followed Mr Trump's announcement about the Iran accord as a reason for concern.

She said Germany was closely following the developments between Iran and Israel, saying that was yet another reason for further effort to resolve the conflict.

Recommended Leaders to crisscross globe in bid to save Iran nuclear deal

The German leader made her remarks at St Francis' Basilica, in Assisi, the saint's hometown, where Franciscan friars awarded her the St. Francis Lamp for peace. Merkel was honoured for the welcome Germany gave to Syrian war refugees.

Addressing a conflicts in Europe, Ms Merkel decried what she called ''nightly violations in Ukraine of cease-fire agreements reached in 2014 and 2015 to end the conflict between pro-Kiev forces and pro-Russia fighters in the country's battered east.

Delivering a sweeping speech about challenges to a more peaceful world, the chancellor also cautioned against Europeans seeking easy solutions to their problems from populist politicians, whose clout has been on the rise across much of the continent.

Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Missiles rise into the sky as Israeli missiles hit air defense position and other military bases, in Damascus Syrian Central Military Media, via AP Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Missile fire is seen from Damascus Reuters Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures An Israeli flag is seen placed on Mount Bental in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Israel's army said today it had carried out widespread raids against Iranian targets in Syria overnight after rocket fire towards its forces it blamed on Iran, marking a sharp escalation between the two enemies. Israel carried out the raids after it said around 20 rockets, either Fajr or Grad type, were fired from Syria at its forces in the occupied Golan Heights at around midnight. AFP/Getty Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures The Israeli military on Thursday said it attacked "dozens" of Iranian targets in neighboring Syria in response to an Iranian rocket barrage on Israeli positions in the Golan Heights AP Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Israeli artillery deployed missiles toward Syrian military targets, on the Golan Heights EPA Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Missile fire is seen over Daraa Reuters Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Air defence systems intercepting Israeli missiles over Syrian airspace AFP/SANA Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Israeli soldiers walk among armored vehicles in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Reuters Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Syrian air defense missiles are seen in the sky over the capital Damascus EPA Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Air defence systems intercepting Israeli missiles over Syrian airspace. Israeli missile strikes fired at Syria hit military bases, as well as an arms depot and military radar. AFP/SANA

The harder the problem is, and the easier the solution is claimed to be, the more suspicious and critical everyone ....should be, Ms Merkel said.

Even as she spoke, two Italian populist leaders, from the eurosceptic 5-Star Movement and the anti-migrant League, were meeting in Milan to try to hammer out a deal for a coalition government.

Ms Merkel stressed the importance of countering populist statements with facts and of speaking out when people make sweeping claims about entire sections of society.

I think we should try to do two things at once: be European, but also regard our home countries as part of our identity. They don't have to be opposites, she said.

 EU remains committed to Iran nuclear deal despite US withdrawal says Federica Mogherin

Introducing her at the ceremony was Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos, who won the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for dogged efforts to bring 50 years of violent conflict in his country to a peaceful end.

Mr Santos praised Ms Merkel for representing those principles which ought to serve as antidotes in a world in which the ghosts of nationalism, of fundamentalism, of racism, of populism and of intolerance are surging with dangerous vigour.

For her part, Ms Merkel warned of the damage national stereotypes can pose for European understanding. She recalled how during the Eurozone crisis of the last decade, Greeks were branded as lazy in German media.

There are lazy Germans (too,) Ms Merkel said. As soon as we fall into stereotypes, we destroy Europe.

Addressing the divisions around the issue of refugees and migrants to Europe, Ms Merkel said tolerance must be always present in the European Union. She cited her own Christian faith, hailing Francis as perhaps the most famous saint.

St Francis, she noted, broke the taboo of society. He embraced society's poor, which was then forbidden.

Associated PressIraqis took to the polls on Saturday for the first time since the country declared victory over Isis, but there was little hope that the election would stabilise a country beset by conflicts, economic hardship and corruption.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who declared in December that Isis had been pushed out of the territory it controlled, is trying to fend off powerful Shia groups that would pull the country closer to Tehran.

Iraqis expressed pride at the prospect of voting for the fourth time since the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein, but turnout appeared low before polls closed at 6pm local time. Reporters at polling stations in several cities said voter turnout appeared to be about 30 per cent, citing sources in provincial offices of the Independent High Electoral Commission. Turnout in the 2014 vote was about 60 per cent.

Mr Abadi partially lifted a security curfew in an effort to improve turnout. Nearly all civilian vehicles had been banned from Baghdads streets on Saturday morning, and many voters complained of having to walk more than two miles to reach polling stations.

Results are expected within the next 48 hours, according to the independent body that oversees Iraqs election, but negotiations to choose a prime minister tasked with forming a government are set to drag on for months.

Voters will pass their verdict on Mr Abadi, who has achieved the delicate task of maintaining relationships with both of Iraqs main allies who are otherwise arch enemies: Iran and the United States.

Whoever wins the election will have to contend with the fallout from US president Donald Trumps decision to pull out of a nuclear deal with Iran, a move Iraqis fear could turn their country into a theatre of conflict between Washington and Tehran.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Mr Abadi, who came to power four years ago after Isis seized a third of the country, received US military support for Iraqs army to defeat the jihadis as he gave free rein to Iran to back Shiite militias fighting on the same side.

But now that the military campaign is over he faces political threats from two main challengers: his predecessor Nouri al-Maliki, and the leader of the main Shia paramilitary group, Hadi al-Amiri, both closer than he is to Iran.

Iraq remains divided among its three main ethnic and religious groups  the majority Shia Arabs and minority Sunni Arabs and Kurds  at odds for decades. Past election outcomes have hinged on whether leading Shia parties could obtain enough seats to marginalise the other groups.

Both the US and UK released statements as the polls closed, congratulating Iraq on the election but calling for an inclusive government.

 Schools Under Attack: inside the West Mosul school stuck between Iraqi forces and ISIS fighting

Iran has wide sway in Iraq as the primary Shia power in the region. But the United States  which invaded Iraq in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein, occupied it until 2011 and sent troops back to help fight Isis in 2014  also has deep influence.

Irans clout has caused resentment among Sunnis as well as some Shias, who have grown tired of religious leaders, parties and militias and want technocrats to rule the country.

Iraqs most senior Shia cleric spoke out on the issue of voter participation on Saturday afternoon, encouraging Iraqis to vote to prevent the arrival of a corrupt parliament.

The lack of participation will give the opportunity for others to reach parliament and they will be very far from the aspirations of the people, said Sheikh Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalai, the representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on local Iraqi television from Karbala. Ayatollah Sistani has repeatedly encouraged Iraqis to vote into power a new political class to combat corruption. Mr Abadi is seen as the narrow frontrunner, but victory is far from certain. A British-educated engineer with no powerful political machine of his own when he took office, he solidified his standing with the victory over Isis.

Although he has failed so far to improve the limping economy, his supporters say he is best placed to keep more overtly sectarian political leaders in check.

Hes non-sectarian and we like him, said Um Laila in West Mosul, which suffered some of the heaviest damage during the war against Isis. He liberated Mosul.

Even if Mr Abadis Victory Alliance wins the most seats, he still must negotiate a coalition government, which has to be formed within 90 days of the election.

One of his principal rivals, Mr Amiri, 63, spent more than two decades fighting Saddam from exile in Iran, and leads the biggest group of volunteer forces that fought Isis. Victory for Mr Amiri would be a clear win for Iran.

Opponents accuse Mr Amiris Badr Organisation of abusing Sunni Muslims during sectarian conflicts, and of taking orders from Iran. They say he achieved little in the powerful post of transport minister from 2010 to 2014.

His supporters say he was pivotal in defeating Isis and would offer stronger leadership than Mr Abadi.

I voted for Amiri because he is a clean leader. Without him Daesh [Isis] would have been here, said Raid Sabah, 39, who is struggling to make a living as a taxi driver in the southern city of Basra. Abadi didnt do anything.

Other Iraqis are disillusioned with war heroes and politicians who have failed to restore state institutions and provide badly needed health and education services.

We need neither tanks nor jets. We need only the ballot paper through which we can rectify the political process which was aborted by those who governed Iraq, said labourer Khalid al-Shami, 50, at a polling station in Baghdad.

Many of the poor have turned to Muqtada al-Sadr, a firebrand Shia cleric who led a violent uprising against the US occupation from 2003 to 2011 but has since remade himself as an opponent of the traditional religious parties, striking an unlikely alliance with the Communists and other secular groups.

We had hoped that lives will change but Abadi and Maliki didnt do anything for us. We live in poverty, have no jobs and state services, said 36-year old Hussein Yousef, the Shia cleric.

Mr Maliki, who stepped aside in 2014 after Isis swept across the country, is seeking a comeback, casting himself as a Shia champion. Opponents say his sectarian policies during eight years in power created the atmosphere that enabled Isis to gain sympathy among Sunnis.

Since Saddams fall, the post of prime minister has been reserved for a Shia, the speaker of parliament has been a Sunni, and the ceremonial presidency has gone to a Kurd  all three chosen by parliament.

More than 7,000 candidates in 18 provinces are running this year for 329 parliamentary seats. More than 24 million of Iraqs 37 million people are eligible to vote.

An election observer and two voters were killed by a bomb attached to their car in a Sunni Arab region south of the oil city of Kirkuk, in an attack security sources linked to the election. Isis claimed that it was behind the attack

In the ruins of West Mosul, where Isis proclaimed its so-called caliphate in 2014 and fighters held out for most of last year in the face of the biggest battle of the post-Saddam era, turnout appeared strong, even though transport was shut for security reasons and voters had difficulty reaching the polls.

We need new faces not this group of corrupt politicians currently in Baghdad, said Ahmed Noor, a shop owner.

ReutersA major international diplomatic effort is being mounted to try to save the Iran nuclear deal from collapse in the wake of Donald Trumps withdrawal.

Federica Mogherini, the EUs foreign policy head, said the bloc was determined to keep the 2015 agreement in place and she is due to lead talks between the foreign ministers of four countries in the pact next week.

Representatives from Iran, the UK, France and Germany are to meet in Brussels on Tuesday.

The summit will follow a string of phone calls between leaders in which they talked up efforts to preserve the deal.

Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel spoke on Friday, a week before the German chancellor travels to Sochi, and agreed they would work to maintain the deal while seeking to avoid an escalation of regional tensions.

Recommended UN calls for immediate halt to all hostile acts in Middle East

Emmanuel Macron is also due to visit Russia later this month. During a state visit in Washington, the French president had lobbied Mr Trump hard to stay in the Iran pact.

Mr Trump spoke to Theresa May on the phone on Friday, after which Downing Street said the prime minister reiterated the governments position on the Iran nuclear deal, noting that we and our European partners remain firmly committed to ensuring the deal is upheld as the best way of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Meanwhile thousands of Iranians protested across the country on Friday against Mr Trumps decision to remove the US from the nuclear agreement. France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China are the remaining signatories, alongside Iran.

Many Iranians angered by Mr Trumps decision are now siding with hardliners who advocate suspicion of the West.

On Friday evening, the Iranian government warned it would take whatever reciprocal measures it deems expedient if it is not fully compensated for the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement.

A lengthy statement called on the other countries  especially the three European powers  to safeguard the accord, implement their commitments, and proceed from giving pledges to taking practical action without any preconditions.

Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Missiles rise into the sky as Israeli missiles hit air defense position and other military bases, in Damascus Syrian Central Military Media, via AP Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Missile fire is seen from Damascus Reuters Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures An Israeli flag is seen placed on Mount Bental in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Israel's army said today it had carried out widespread raids against Iranian targets in Syria overnight after rocket fire towards its forces it blamed on Iran, marking a sharp escalation between the two enemies. Israel carried out the raids after it said around 20 rockets, either Fajr or Grad type, were fired from Syria at its forces in the occupied Golan Heights at around midnight. AFP/Getty Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures The Israeli military on Thursday said it attacked "dozens" of Iranian targets in neighboring Syria in response to an Iranian rocket barrage on Israeli positions in the Golan Heights AP Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Israeli artillery deployed missiles toward Syrian military targets, on the Golan Heights EPA Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Missile fire is seen over Daraa Reuters Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Air defence systems intercepting Israeli missiles over Syrian airspace AFP/SANA Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Israeli soldiers walk among armored vehicles in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Reuters Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Syrian air defense missiles are seen in the sky over the capital Damascus EPA Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Air defence systems intercepting Israeli missiles over Syrian airspace. Israeli missile strikes fired at Syria hit military bases, as well as an arms depot and military radar. AFP/SANA

Iran reiterated that no provisions or time frames set out by the 2015 agreement are negotiable in any manner. It also reiterated its foreign minister was seeking required guarantees from the five other parties to the agreement as well as Irans other economic partners.

At the same time, the government said it had tasked the president of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran with taking all necessary steps in preparation for Iran to pursue industrial-scale enrichment without any restrictions.

The statement was sharply critical of Mr Trump, calling his administration extremist and the US withdrawal from the accord unlawful. It said the decision had damaged Washingtons credibility on the world stage and the credibility of other accords it has signed, and put the present system of international law in serious danger.

Additional reporting by agenciesWorkmen have been toiling around the clock in preparation for Mondays grand opening ceremony of the new US embassy in Jerusalem. Rooms have been renovated, flowers planted in the design of the US flag and the seal of the US embassy has gone up.

Security around the building has been upgraded, road signs installed and CCTV cameras set up in the area  all part of the renovations that President Trump says have cost a modest $400,000 (295,000).

After 14 months of rapid preparations, the consulate will be inaugurated to huge fanfare, with about 800 guests and a video address by President Trump beamed live around the world.

Diplomatic moves The embassy building The consulate building in Agron Road was constructed in 1868

It was one of the first houses built outside Jerusalem's old city walls

The original building had only two storeys; a third was added in the early 20th century

The complex currently covers about 6,000 square metres

Plans suggest it will be four times as big once converted, by the end of next year

Renovation work so far has cost 295,000

The US government leases a second site in Jerusalem, in Nablus Road, providing visa services

It will be a largely symbolic affair, however, because up to six more years of work are planned, including a 10ft perimeter wall, an opulent new chamber and several new floors  both upwards and underground  to house the 850 staff moving from Tel Aviv.

Timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel, the opening has been hailed as the beginning of a new quarter in Arnona, south Jerusalem, for embassies from countries around the world that will spring up there.

We might have to build dozens of embassies, and we would need new land ready for that purpose. I asked my ministry to vigorously take action as fast as possible," said construction minister Yoav Galant, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Mr Galant even suggested possible names for the embassies area, the Post said. He initially called it Embassy Town but then decided he preferred Trump Town after the US president, who has deemed the city Israels capital. Ministers have already announced a new railway station near the Western Wall will be named after Mr Trump.

The plan for the new consular facility was created and approved in little over a year thanks to the finance minister, Moshe Kahlon, exercising his authority to fast-track the process. And there will be celebrations aplenty on Monday.

Many of those who know the site best, however, will not be joining in the festivities.

When the rebuilding work begins in earnest, the embassy will be created in part by converting the Diplomat Hotel next door, which it also owns. The embassy will use the consulate building in the short term, but sources suggest the Diplomat is slated to house the embassy in the long run.

For years, the hotel has been leased out as housing for about 450 elderly immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

Now, the building is due to be demolished in two years time when the lease expires  and the residents have nowhere to go.

Many of these men and women were doctors, musicians and academics in Russia before moving to Israel in the early 1990s, according to The Times of Israel. Some moved straight into the Diplomat and have never had any other home in the country. Most worked in minimum-wage jobs.

Some of the former Soviet citizens are in their 90s and have had the anxiety of not knowing their fate hanging over them for four years, since they were warned in 2014 the hotel could close.

Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during mass demonstrations Show all 10 1 /10 Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during mass demonstrations Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during mass demonstrations Palestinian protesters flee from teargas AFP/Getty Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during mass demonstrations Israeli soldiers stand as Palestinian protesters gather on the Israel Gaza border AP Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during mass demonstrations A Palestinian is carried on a stretcher after being injured during the demonstration AFP/Getty Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during mass demonstrations Israeli soldiers take aim as they lie prone over an earth barrier along the border with the Gaza strip in the southern Israeli kibbutz of Nahal Oz as Palestinians demonstrate on the other side commemorating Land Day AFP/Getty Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during mass demonstrations Palestinian paramedics evacuate an injured man on the Gaza side of the Israel-Gaza border Reuters Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during mass demonstrations Palestinians demonstrate with crossed-out posters depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, during a tent city protest near Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip AFP/Getty Images Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during mass demonstrations Palestinian protesters flee from teargas AFP/Getty Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during mass demonstrations Israeli soldiers shoot tear gas grenades towards the Palestinian tent city protest commemorating Land Day AFP/Getty Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during mass demonstrations Palestinian protesters take cover from Israeli troops AP Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during mass demonstrations Palestinians chant slogans as they attend a demonstration near the Gaza Strip border AP

When Mr Trump announced in December the embassy would move, it prompted shock and concern among both allies and critics because of the citys contested status.

The Palestinians want their own state with a capital in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured from Jordanian control in 1967, and many countries have been reluctant to endorse Mr Trumps idea.

However, in a confident gesture in advance of the embassy move, officials changed its Twitter name from USEmbassyTelAviv to USEmbassyJerusalem.

The complex currently covers 6,000 square metres but blueprints given to planning authorities show it eventually covering about 20,000 square metres or more  four times the size. The US State Department says the new purpose-built building will be a long-term project.

According to Ynet News, the website of Yedioth Ahronoth, an Israeli newspaper, 20 planning companies and two New York firms were hired for the project. The US State Department usually employs selected American firms, but deviated from the norm by hiring an Israeli team, including architect Amir Mann and an Israeli contractor to carry out the work, it said.

A five-storey structure was originally planned but to keep costs down the extra floors have not yet been completed, and the ambassador, David Friedman, will make only limited use of the embassy for now, using it for work but not yet moving in full-time.

Both the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem consulates will provide passports and US visa services during the transition period.

Neighbours have complained that the work, carried out under time pressures, could be environmentally unfriendly and risk going against planning and construction bylaws.

But none is as worried as the 450 Russian residents.

The job of finding a new home for them is down to Israels Immigrant Absorption Ministry.

Ksenia Svetlova, a member of the Knesset, of the Zionist Union party, said the ministry has no set plan as to where or how the residents will be moved, and no estimate of potential costs or subsequent budget.

She fears residents could be forced out before June 2020, when the lease expires.

For four years we knew this was coming. I dont understand [the] reliance on the idea that It will just be okay or Trust us. Thats not good enough for me, she told the Times of Israel.

Absorption Ministry spokeswoman Elisheva Cohen told the paper: The ministry is working together in full cooperation with the relevant bodies in order to find an appropriate solution for the residents of the Diplomat compound and will make sure that no new immigrant will be left without a housing solution following June 20, 2020.

Meanwhile, the new embassy is inviting people to watch Mondays opening ceremony live on its Facebook page. And Mr Friedman, visiting the site, tweeted: Eternally grateful to President Trump for his courage and vision.The Philippine supreme court has ousted its chief justice following pressure from the government in a move widely regarded as unconstitutional and a threat to democracy.

Judges voted by a slim majority to remove Maria Lourdes Sereno after President Rodrigo Duterte publicly called for her to go in the wake of her criticism of his brutal war on drugs, which has left thousands dead. This put her at loggerheads with him, and she urged Filipinos to stand up to his authoritarian rule.

Ms Sereno also spoke up for law and human rights to be respected, citing the case of an opposition senator who was locked up on drug charges she says were fabricated. In her first news conference since being ousted, Ms Sereno urged Filipinos to help defend the constitution in a move that signalled she will continue to advocate for change.

Staying quiet is tantamount to being an accomplice to their abuses, she said, alluding to various issues under Mr Dutertes leadership, including extrajudicial killings.

I am a victim today, but I am just one of so many thousands upon thousands whose lives have been snuffed out, who continue to remain in detention, who have been unfairly accused or unfairly victimised by the very powerful forces in our society that must be exposed for what they are, Ms Sereno said.

Her lawyers said she would appeal the unprecedented ruling by the court to remove her. She allegedly failed to declare her wealth before she became chief justice, as required by law.

However, she denied the allegation and argued that the widely expected ruling was unconstitutional because the countrys 1987 charter states that top officials, including justices like her, can only be removed by impeachment.

Ms Sereno, the first woman to lead the countrys supreme court, said the justices who voted to kick her out of the 15-member tribunal seized the sole responsibility of the senate, brazenly violated their sworn responsibility to protect the constitution and destroyed the judiciary.

Even allies of Mr Duterte publicly disagreed with the way she was ousted. Senate president Aquilino Pimentel III, a key ally of Mr Duterte, urged the supreme court to review its decision, saying its not infallible in everything.

Another senator, JV Ejercito, warned of a possible constitutional crisis. What is alarming is the blatant disregard of the highest law of the land, said Mr Ejercito. I urge the public to remain calm. Despite this setback, let us not lose our confidence in our democracy.

An opposition leader said the move made a mockery of the constitution and that congress should insist only it can remove such officials. Senator Francis Pangilinan, who heads the opposition Liberal Party, said: The people should express to the court that the decision was wrong and unacceptable.

Ms Sereno encouraged around 1,800 protesters who rallied outside the court in Manila to denounce her treatment and organise a movement to defend justice and accountability. Lets continue to defend the constitution and fight wrongdoing, she told the crowd, as anti-riot police blocked an access road nearby with trucks and iron railings. Lets continue to spread the message of democracy and reason.

Roman Catholic priest and protest leader Robert Reyes said outside the court: This is more than a wakeup call. If we dont wake up now, it will really be the death of democracy and sometimes history is cruel. Once an independent judge like Ms Sereno is ousted, there will be no more balance of power; Duterte will be a virtual dictator, Mr Reyes said.

Ms Sereno now faces a separate impeachment bid in the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Mr Dutertes allies. The president sought the removal of Ms Sereno and a leading anti-corruption prosecutor, Conchita Carpio-Morales, who he accused of allowing themselves to be used to discredit his administration.

In a speech last month, he said: So Im putting you on notice that I am now your enemy. And you have to be out of the Supreme Court.

Agencies contributed to this reportMuslim scholars have declared that violent extremism and terrorism, including suicide attacks, are against Islamic principles, in an effort to convince the Taliban to lay down its weapons.

Seventy prominent Muslim scholars from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia issued the fatwa, during a conference discussion on ways to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who opened the one-day meeting in Bogor, stressed the commitment of his nation to helping build peace in the war-torn country.

Mr Jokowi said the conference was part of Indonesias efforts to encourage the role of Islamic clerics, or ulema, in promoting peace in Afghanistan.

Through the voice of ulema, mainly from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia, presumably the spirit of brotherhood for peace in Afghanistan can be strengthened, Mr Jokowi said. Ulema are the agent of peace ... they have the power to form the face of peaceful people.

In a joint declaration, the scholars said Islam was a religion of peace and denounced all kinds of violent extremism and terrorism.

We reaffirm that violence and terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group, as violent extremism and terrorism in all its forms and manifestation including violence against civilians and suicide attacks are against the holy principles of Islam, the declaration said.

The Taliban urged Islamic clerics to boycott the conference and warned Afghan clerics: Do not afford an opportunity to the invading infidels in Afghanistan to misuse your name and participation in this conference as means of attaining their malicious objective.

The conference at the presidential palace in Bogor, a West Java city on the outskirts of Jakarta, was organised by the Indonesian Ulema Council.At no time were passengers or crew in danger: always a reassuring phrase when a flight goes awry.

But the statement put out by the Dutch airline KLM about Tuesday nights flight 809 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur raised concerns once again about the dangers posed to aviation by lithium batteries.

I surmise that just about every passenger was carrying at least one device  a smartphone, tablet or laptop  powered by a Li-ion battery.

While the Boeing 777 was at 39,000ft over the Bay of Bengal, a passengers mobile phone overheated, reported KLM.

Recommended Dramatic video shows moment fire breaks out on passenger plane

Smoke accumulated in the cabin. The crew handled the situation well and the captain opted to land the aircraft as a precautionary measure.

Some passengers with time on their hands may have been delighted to make an unexpected lunchtime arrival on the beautiful island of Phuket. But I bet most were not.

By the time the incident had been investigated on the ground and the aircraft was released for departure, the crew were out of hours. Restrictions on their duty time meant they were unable to reach the Malaysian capital, a tantalising 437 miles further  barely an hour away.

The airline had to find hotel rooms, dinner and breakfast for the 300 or so people on board, and re-book their onward travel.

In addition, the flight was intended to continue with a different crew from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, then return to the Netherlands. More hotels had to be found for all the passengers waiting in the Indonesian and Malaysian capitals who had been hoping to board the Boeing back to Amsterdam.

The total cost of the thermal runaway ran into tens of thousands of pounds.

Everyone eventually arrived safely where they needed to be. But Adrian Young, senior aviation consultant for the Dutch consultancy firm, to70, says the incident draws attention to the wider risks of lithium batteries: The increasing use of lithium-ion batteries in electronics creates a fire risk on board aeroplanes as such batteries are difficult to extinguish if they catch fire.

Thermal runaway on the runway is alarming enough, let alone at 39,000ft, as KL809 was. But at least the device was in the cabin.

Airlines worldwide are training their crews to fight any fires in the cabin, says Mr Young.

The challenge is keeping such batteries out of passengers checked luggage. Having the devices in the cabin is better than having them in the hold.

In February, a spare battery belonging to a passenger on a Frontier Airlines flight from Orlando to Phoenix caught fire, causing another diversion.

In September 2016, following dozens of incidents in which Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones caught fire, the manufacturer launched a recall.

In 2017 portable electronic devices were banned from aircraft cabins on flights from a number of Middle Eastern and North African countries to the UK and US, but that was due to fears about explosives being concealed in them.

Given the number of incidents of fire, could such devices simply be banned?

No, says Mr Young. Devices with a lithium battery in them are such a part of modern life that the aviation industry will have to work out how to live with them.

Now thats what I call a battery: a cameraman on the Thai island of Phuket (Simon Calder)

KLM is leading the way with the clearest rules I have seen.

Do not pack any spare batteries in your check-in baggage.

Bring your lithium battery-operated devices with you in your hand baggage.

Keep an eye on your device while charging during the flight, never charge while sleeping.

Remove the plug from the socket when youre done charging during the flight.

And if you have ever let your phone or tablet slip into the inner workings of a plane seat:

Never move your seat if your device has slipped between the seat. Always call a flight attendant for assistance.

You have been warned. Lets hope everyone else on board has been, too.Tens of thousands of travellers booked to fly in and out of Luton Airport over the bank holiday weekend could find their journeys disrupted by a series of strikes stretching over five days. Industrial action is due to start at 7am on Friday 25 May and continue to 6.30am on Wednesday 30 May.

Members of the Unite union working in a range of posts at the Bedfordshire airport have voted to stop work in a dispute over pay and zero hours contracts.

Firefighters will strike for 24 hours from 7am on Friday 25 May. Menzies Aviation ground staff, including baggage handlers, plan to stop work from 3am on Saturday 26 May to 2pm on Sunday.

Security staff will strike from 3am on bank holiday Monday to 5am on Tuesday. Assistance staff working for Clece Care Services will stop work for 48 hours from 5am on Monday.

Finally, staff working in air operations and engineering plan a 24-hour strike from 6.30am on Tuesday 29 May.

The Independent has calculated that more than 200,000 passengers are booked to travel through the airport over the five days, which will include one of the busiest weekends of the year so far.

It follows a pay offer described as paltry by the union. Unite says the airport has offered to increase workers pay by 2.15 per cent, after a year in which passenger numbers increased by 8.6 per cent and profits rose by to 44m.

Luton Airport says it has made a pay offer of 2.5 per cent plus 150 for every member of staff it employs, to be paid in July 2018.

Unites regional officer, Jeff Hodge, warned of "severe disruption unless management get around the table and negotiate a fair deal which recognises the contribution workers make.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 24 September 2021 Police officers remove two protesters from the top of a tanker, as Insulate Britain block the A20 in Kent, which provides access to the Port of Dover in Kent. The environmental activists have moved location after been banned from campaigning on the M25 motorway in London PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2021 Gabriella, the seven year old daughter of imprisoned British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, joins in a game on a giant snakes and ladders board in Parliament Square, to show the ups and downs of her mothers case to mark the 2,000 days she has been detained in Iran AP UK news in pictures 22 September 2021 A new sign hangs on the Millicent Fawcett statue after it was altered by CrackTheCrises coalition activists to highlight the climate crisis as a feminist struggle in Parliament Square in London EPA UK news in pictures 21 September 2021 Gabriella Diment prepares a monumental bronze patinated fibreglass wall sculpture depicting household cavalry soldiers on horseback which is expected to be sold for 12,000-18,000 when it goes up for auction at Summers Place Auctions in Billinghurst, Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty

A spokesman for Luton Airport said: We are disappointed that Unite members have chosen this course of action and recognise the uncertainty this news will cause for our passengers.

We are working with the 73 per cent of staff who did not vote to strike, to mitigate the impact of any action.

We also remain committed to continuing discussions with Unite in the interim before any such action can take place. We will keep passengers regularly.

The main airlines at Luton are Ryanair, Wizz Air and easyJet, which has its headquarters at the airport.The Electoral Commissions findings against the Leave.EU campaign are damning.

In concluding that Leave.EU failed to reveal at least 77,380 of its spending, the commission makes clear that the figure could be considerably higher. The lack of transparency and the inaccurate reporting of transactions unearthed during the investigation evidently make it difficult to be certain. But in any event, the amount spent by Leave.EU on its Brexit campaign was at least 10 per cent higher than was permissible under the rules.

That the Electoral Commission has also referred Leave.EUs chief executive, Liz Bilney, to the police over suspicions that she may have committed criminal offences further highlights the seriousness of the situation. Bilney says she will personally defend any charges that may in the future be brought against her  none have at present.

Whats more, the commission noted that the fine it has imposed on Leave.EU (70,000) was constrained by the cap on the commissions fines.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 5 October 2021 Members of Insulate Britain outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, before a hearing over the injunction banning the environmental activists from blocking the M25 PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2021 A delegate passes a street cleaner on the second day of the annual Conservative Party Conference being held at the Manchester Central convention centre AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2021 Margaret Thatcher-themed mugs for sale at the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester EPA UK news in pictures 2 October 2021 A couple make their way through a flooded underpass in Bristol as a yellow weather warning for rain and wind is issued for parts of the UK Tom Wren/SWNS UK news in pictures 1 October 2021 A driver talks to members of the media after passing his HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) driving test at National Driving Centre in Croydon, south London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 30 September 2021 The centrepiece One Thousand Springs by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is seen ahead of the beginning of the Japan Festival, a celebration of the countrys plants, art and culture running from 2-31 October, at Kew Gardens in London PA UK news in pictures 29 September 2021 The family of Betty Campbell unveil the bronze sculpture of her during the unveiling of the statue in Central Square, Cardiff, of Betty Campbell, Wales' first black headteacher PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2021 A sign referring to the lack of fuel is placed at the entrance to a petrol station in London AP UK news in pictures 27 September 2021 Police officers detain a protester from Insulate Britain occupying a roundabout leading from the M25 motorway to Heathrow Airport in London PA UK news in pictures 26 September 2021 Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer watches the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur match at The Font pub in Brighton PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2021 Scottish pro-independence supporters hold a march and rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images UK news in pictures 24 September 2021 Police officers remove two protesters from the top of a tanker, as Insulate Britain block the A20 in Kent, which provides access to the Port of Dover in Kent. The environmental activists have moved location after been banned from campaigning on the M25 motorway in London PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2021 Gabriella, the seven year old daughter of imprisoned British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, joins in a game on a giant snakes and ladders board in Parliament Square, to show the ups and downs of her mothers case to mark the 2,000 days she has been detained in Iran AP UK news in pictures 22 September 2021 A new sign hangs on the Millicent Fawcett statue after it was altered by CrackTheCrises coalition activists to highlight the climate crisis as a feminist struggle in Parliament Square in London EPA UK news in pictures 21 September 2021 Gabriella Diment prepares a monumental bronze patinated fibreglass wall sculpture depicting household cavalry soldiers on horseback which is expected to be sold for 12,000-18,000 when it goes up for auction at Summers Place Auctions in Billinghurst, Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters

All of this will inevitably raise questions about the integrity of the referendums outcome. Indeed, we should remember too that the official Vote Leave campaign group is still under investigation, the Electoral Commission having reopened its enquiries last November after initially giving Vote Leaves spending a clean bill of health.

Remainers will certainly use the development as further grist to the second referendum mill. And that is fair enough  one imagines Brexiteers would be arguing the same were the boot on the other foot. After all, elections and referendums ought not to be won and lost by virtue of who can spend the most money (though proving a correlation is probably impossible).

Mind you, lets not forget either that the Lib Dems, the official Remain campaign now known as Open Britain, the pro-EU campaign group European Movement UK and Ukip have all already been fined  albeit less damningly  over failures related to the submission of referendum spending returns. It seems that not sticking to the rules and regulations is a widespread problem.

What marks out the commissions findings in respect of Leave.EU is not just the suggestion that criminal offences may have been committed, but also the response that the findings have elicited.

Arron Banks, the ardent Brexiteer and millionaire businessman who co-founded Leave.EU, described the Electoral Commissions announcement (not, you will note, decision or findings) as a shambles  a politically motivated attack on Brexit and the 17.4 million people who defied the establishment to vote for an independent Britain.

In an flourish worthy of that great European, Eric Cantona, he continued: The Electoral Commission went big game fishing and found a few aged dead sardines on the beach. So much for the big conspiracy!

Banks has pointedly said that Leave.EU will challenge the commissions findings in court, although it remains to be seen whether he will follow through on such a promise. There are plenty who would welcome the chance for some further legal scrutiny, not least Bankss most vocal critics.

Still, the whole tenor of his remarks is a reminder of where we now stand in terms of our national discourse  and stands as a grim reminder too of the way that the referendum campaign itself played out two years ago.

In short, appeals to populism are now more dominant than appeals to reason or detailed explanations of policy proposals. Donald Trump has demonstrated this more completely than anyone else, having ridden to power to his promise to drain Washingtons establishment swamp.

 Donald Trump blames Democrats for 'hoax' scandal during 2016 elections

Indeed it is notable that Banks has echoed Trump in his response to the Electoral Commissions findings, claiming that the organisation is a Blairite swamp creation packed full of establishment remoaners who couldnt quite make it to the House of Lords.

The inferred dismissal here of the House of Lords hints too at the anger felt by many at recent defeats handed to the government by peers over the EU Withdrawal Bill. The Daily Mail has expressed particular vexation at the Lords role in supposedly undermining the will of the people.

But of course the nonsensical thing about these catch-all attacks on the establishment is that they are now made by shouty people from both ends of the political spectrum.

Those on the left will denounce an establishment which includes the Conservatives, public schools, probably Oxbridge, the BBC and the House of Lords and certainly the right-wing media. Noisy bods on the right will attack an establishment which includes judges, left-leaning media outlets, liberals and Blairites (other fairly ludicrous catch-alls), probably the BBC and the House of Lords, and some elements of the civil service.

The effect of all this is to enable both sides to disavow any responsibility for anything that might be faintly unpopular by blaming shadowing, opposition forces who allegedly are masterminding everything.

It is a shocking way to play politics. But of course in recent times it has been effective. Banks is trying it again in his attempt to call into question the Electoral Commissions decision.

We must hope that his bombastic efforts do not prevent him and his campaign group being called properly to account.Pro-life demonstrators calling for the retention of the Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution (Niall Carson/PA)

Thousands of campaigners calling for the retention of Irelands strict abortion laws have held a rally in Dublin.

The Stand Up for Life demonstration on Merrion Square near the Irish parliament took place with less than two weeks to go before a landmark referendum on the states constitutional restriction on terminations.

Clerics, doctors and women who have experienced abortions addressed the event calling for a No vote.

Nuns and monks were among a diverse crowd of young and old amid an upbeat atmosphere in the Dublin sunshine.

Colourful banners were displayed urging people to protect the unborn.

A smaller pro-choice counter-demonstration was held outside the gates of the parliament at Leinster House amid a low key gardai presence.

On Friday May 25, Irish citizens will be asked whether they want to repeal the Eighth Amendment of Irelands Constitution, a provision that makes abortion illegal in all but exceptional circumstances.

Expand Close The Eighth Amendment's future is to be decided in a referendum on May 25 (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp The Eighth Amendment's future is to be decided in a referendum on May 25 (Niall Carson/PA)

They will vote on whether the contentious amendment, which gives the mother and unborn an equal right to life, should be replaced with wording that hands responsibility for setting the countrys abortion laws to politicians.

If the public votes to repeal, the Irish Government will table legislation that would permit women to legally abort within 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Among merchandise on offer at one of the stalls at Saturdays anti-abortion rally were silicon foetuses, representing what the unborn looks like at 12 week gestation.

No activist Dr Ruth Cullen, of the LoveBoth campaign, claimed the Governments proposal would enable abortion on demand in Ireland.

There is nothing restrictive about the Governments proposals on abortion, she said.

A No vote on 25th May is the only way to avoid abortion on demand in Ireland.

Its really encouraging though the way people are starting to scrutinise the Governments proposals and see for themselves just how extreme it is.

The Stand Up For Life rally was one of a number of referendum events on Saturday as both sides of the emotive debate intensified the campaigning.

On Saturday morning, doctors who favour repeal held a Together for Yes summit in the city.

They unveiled a declaration signed by more than 1,000 doctors in Ireland calling for the end of the Eighth Amendment.

Spokesman Dr Mark Murphy said: Doctors across Ireland want change. We want repeal. We are here today to say that the 8th amendment isnt working  it puts doctors in a constitutional straitjacket which holds us back from providing proper care to our patients.

Expand Close (left to right) Dr Rhona Mahony, Health Minister Simon Harris and Medical Student Shubhangi Karmaker pictured with fellow physicians at the launch of Doctors for Yes national Summit in Dublin (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp (left to right) Dr Rhona Mahony, Health Minister Simon Harris and Medical Student Shubhangi Karmaker pictured with fellow physicians at the launch of Doctors for Yes national Summit in Dublin (Niall Carson/PA)

The event was attended by Health minister Simon Harris, one of the key political figures in the Yes campaign.

He insisted claims the proposed legislation would pave the way for unrestricted abortions were not true.

Mr Harris said: If we want a change in this county, if we want to look after people with care and compassion who experience fatal foetal abnormalities, if we want to be able to look after a rape victim who has found herself pregnant in this country, if we want to stop the situation where nine women every day leave our country to go to Britain for termination or three women every day take abortion pills without medical supervision we need to repeal the Eighth.

Elsewhere, the Bishop of Galway Brendan Kelly issued a pastoral reflection urging a No vote.

As a people we are in the throes of a massive movement to abandon the protection given in our laws and as contained in the Constitution of Ireland to new human life, he wrote.

The proposal is to entirely remove all legal protection from every single child in this country for the first twelve weeks of his or her existence, and for the full term in the womb in certain cases.

It is to this that we will be saying Yes if we put X in the Yes box at the referendum to remove the Eighth Amendment from our Constitution.UK Prime Minister Theresa May might finally face down her Tory detractors over the Northern Ireland Border.

Her Brexit war cabinet is meeting on Tuesday to discuss post-Brexit solutions to customs arrangements aimed at ensuring no physical borders are erected on the island of Ireland.

This time, Mrs May has split the cabinet into two teams and told them to thrash out their arguments for and against two specific proposals - a customs partnership, or technology-heavy "max-fac" (maximum facilitation).

"She's hoping there'll be agreement on customs union and the cleverest person among them, David Lidington (minister for the cabinet office), is on the max-fac team, and hopefully he'll tell them why it's so wrong," said a Tory rebel insider.

Also on that team, however, are Brexiteer Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Trade Secretary and Brexit idealogue Liam Fox.

The second team is comprised of Brexit Secretary David Davis, Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley and Business Secretary Greg Clarke. It will examine Mrs May's preferred option of a customs partnership which would see the UK collect tariffs from goods coming in to the EU through Britain on behalf of Brussels. But Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson rejected this notion as "crazy" days ago, and Mrs May doesn't have the majority support on it.

"The only option is to get Defence Minister Gavin Williamson and Home Secretary Sajid Javid to change their minds and vote with the customs arrangement when the time comes. They'd have to both do it, otherwise the rebels between them would then find themselves in pole position in the next leadership battle. It's literally that volatile and ridiculous within the Conservative Party," said the source.

Meanwhile, Irish sources are pointing to the fact there are just seven weeks to go before the next agreed deadline, in which the EU has said there had to be "substantial progress" on the Border. "The British government is still entertaining the max-fac solution. It is a fantasy solution to trade only that ignores the peace on the Irish Border. It'll be a major achievement to get agreement among themselves, never mind us," said an Irish Brexit source.

Dublin believes if the UK was at least on the right track, then "we could give them the encouragement to develop their ideas further", even though the customs partnership idea is indeed complex.A senior EU Commission official told farmers that ensuring there are "more butterflies and flowers" will be a key requirement of CAP from 2020.

The next CAP will be more results-based from an environmental perspective and will have to deliver quantifiable benefits on biodiversity and climate change.

A senior EU Commission official told farmers that ensuring there are "more butterflies and flowers" will be a key requirement of CAP from 2020.

Humberto Delgado Rosa stressed that an "enhanced level of ambition" on both the environment and climate change will be an essential feature of the new CAP and that the role of farmers and landowners in delivering these objectives must be recognised.

However, Mr Delgado, who is a senior official with the Commission's environment division, DG ENV, said that having a CAP which "takes more account of nature" meant that it would have to "deliver better results".

Mr Delgado was speaking at a conference in Carrick-on-Shannon last Friday entitled 'Generating a return on High Nature Value (HNV) land'.

Local MEP Luke 'Ming' Flanagan said that the proposed 5pc cut to the next CAP budget highlighted the difficulty in defending the current regime.

Mr Flanagan said continuing to guarantee high CAP payments to individual farmers based on what they produced 15 years ago was totally unacceptable to Europe's taxpayers - a point which he claimed Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan had conceded.

"If we are to defend the CAP budget we must show that we are serious in our commitment to environmental measures," Mr Flanagan said.

Firing one of the first salvos in the battle for a greater share of Ireland's 1.5 billion annual CAP budget, the Midland-North-West MEP argued that the increased environmental focus of CAP justified far higher payments on HNV lands.

Water quality

"Every acre of land in Ireland has its vital role to play in overarching goals of food production, the provision of public goods and climate mitigation," he said.

Mr Flanagan said the public goods that agriculture - and HNV lands in particular - provides but are not paid for include the maintenance of agricultural landscapes and biodiversity, greenhouse gas mitigation, reduced risk of flooding, as well as water availability and quality.

Citing initiatives such as Bord Bia's Origin Green campaign, he accused the more intensive farming sectors of trading on the "green image" of Irish agriculture even though these landscapes were invariably created and maintained by the efforts of farmers managing HNV lands.

Mr Flanagan said the efforts of HNV farmers would receive greater recognition in the more environmentally focused 'new CAP'.There are no specific safety regulations use of quad bikes in Ireland. Stock picture

Calling quad bikes ATVs (All-Terrain Vehicles) gives farmers a "false sense of confidence", an Australian safety expert has told a Teagasc safety conference.

Of the 104 people who were killed in quad bike accidents on Australian farms between 2011 and 2016, only 12pc were wearing helmets.

Susan Brumby, director of the Australian National Centre for Farmer Health, told the Teagasc conference that the Australian government are examining ways to reduce quad fatalities and injuries.

She said quad bikes are no longer called ATVs in Australia as this misleads farmers.

"Calling them ATVs gives a false sense of confidence to farmers. People put equipment on them that they're not designed to carry and that affects the centre of gravity," she said.

Ms Brumby added that results from research carried out by her organisation show that 60pc of quad-bike drivers never wear helmets.

In an effort to combat quad accidents, she explained that a TV advertisement is being shown in different regions in Australia to highlight the dangers of quad bikes.

She added that she doesn't think farmers are aware that a quad bike has the ability to crush a person to death when a collision occurs.

"They're very unstable. When a quad bike falls on you the weight of the quad bike asphyxiates you. It catches you in the lungs," she said.

"You choke because you cannot expand your lungs because of the weight and I don't think people realise that's how it happens. The quad bike lands on top of you and you can't move.

Teagasc Health and Safety specialist Dr John McNamara said that research is taking place looking in to lighter helmets that might be more attractive for farmers to wear while operating the quad, as motorbike helmets are quite heavy.

Twelve people have died in Ireland over the last decade in farm accidents involving quad bikes.

There are no specific safety regulations use of quad bikes in Ireland.

This has prompted Fianna Fail deputy leader Dara Calleary to introduce a Dail Bill to improve quad safety.

Mr Calleary said the absence of laws governing quad use in Ireland "can no longer continue".

Headgear

"Earlier this year the county coroner in Mayo recommended implementing anti-roll bars on quad bikes, following the tragic death of a farmer," he said.

"Sadly, this was not a unique case: 15pc of all farm machinery deaths between 2007-16 were due to quad accidents.

"A major factor in these deaths was the loss of control of the vehicle resulting in the driver being crushed or pinned by the bike," said Mr Calleary.

"The All-Terrain Vehicle Safety Bill 2018 makes it mandatory for quad bikes to have anti-roll bars and will make protective headgear compulsory for anyone driving them."Shares in Irish travel software firm Datalex rose by almost 6pc to 2.85 on the Irish Stock Exchange yesterday, after the company announced an agreement with Multiplus, a Brazilian-based loyalty network.

The agreement will see Datalex deliver its digital commerce platform for airline and travel products to support the Multiplus loyalty-sector business.

Multiplus has over 19 million members who can accrue and redeem loyalty points from more than 300 partner retailers.

It will use Datalex's platform to deliver a more synchronised and personalised experience across all channels including online and mobile. It will also enable improved data collection and intelligence gathering. Datalex CEO Aidan Brogan described Multiplus as a "major player" in the loyalty space, adding: "This multi-year, multi-million-dollar deal opens up the global loyalty sector for Datalex."

Davy analysts said the deal opens up another credible growth avenue for Datalex. "Its track record of signing direct airline customers for its digital commerce platform, as well as its ability to leverage partners like [Chinese multinational] to penetrate new markets, is a source of confidence for Datalex's prospects in the loyalty space," said analyst Ross Harvey.

Multiplus' partners include airlines in the Oneworld Alliance, Booking.com and Airbnb.

The deal was initially announced at the time of Datalex's full-year results on March 23, but the identity of the customer was not released.

Last year Datalex, whose clients include airlines such as Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, JetBlue and Virgin Australia, reported a 31pc jump in profits to $7.1m (5.7m) as the firm benefited from increased airline business.

Revenue at the firm, in which billionaire financier Dermot Desmond is a major shareholder, was 15pc higher at $64m (51.8m). Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) - Datalex's most important financial metric - was 16pc higher at $14.2m (11.4m). The company's annual report for 2017 also showed that total executive pay last year soared to $1.7m from just under $1.3m in 2016.Eir is preparing an investment plan of 1bn into its network over the next five years, senior executives have told investors.

The company's new owner, Xavier Niel, is said to be drawing up plans to invest in more fibre for Eir's ageing network as well as considerable new investment into mobile infrastructure.

The signals will come as a relief to government ministers, anxious about the French billionaire's plans for the telecoms company, a 65pc stake of which he acquired through two companies, NJJ and Iliad.

Eir has built out 200,000 fibre-to-the-home broadband connections in large regional towns, according to its most recent financial results.

However, it has previously not give any indication that it would proceed with future fibre-to-the-home investments once its target of 300,000 premises was reached.

In particular, it has not given any guidance on what it intends to do in urban areas, where it has almost no high speed fibre-to-the-home broadband services.

At present, Virgin is the only high speed broadband service at scale in Irish cities, with rival services unable to exceed 100 megabits per second as they are based on Eir's legacy copper telephone lines.

Eir has 919,000 broadband customers, 300,000 of whom are stuck on slower landline speeds of under 30Mbs, making them eligible for state-sponsored fibre connections under the Government's upcoming National Broadband Plan.

While Eir said yesterday that its broadband connections grew 3pc to 919,000 in the three months to the end of March, all that growth was achieved via Eir's wholesale arm, rather than through its own retail customer base. It had 444,000 retail broadband customers at the end of March.

The group's broadband revenue for the latest quarter fell 2pc to 42m.

"Revenue gains in wholesale were offset by increased promotional offerings in the consumer division," it said.

The company added: "We continue to address retail fixed line losses and broadband churn with a number of programmes, including rolling out high speed broadband and offering bundled telecommunications services including broadband, TV, mobile, telephony and Eir sport content."

At the end of March, 75,000 Eir customers were availing of its TV service, 8,000 more than a year earlier. The company also has just over one million mobile subscribers.

Eir's new chief financial officer, Stephen Tighe, said the group will improve its key performance indicators "through continued network investment, while becoming a super-efficient operator with a major focus on cash generation".

Cost efficiencies helped to boost Eir's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation by 4pc to 137m in the three months to the end of March as the telco prepared for its latest change in ownership.

But revenue at the group slipped 1pc in the quarter to 317m amid stiff competition.

Eir, whose chief executive is Carolan Lennon, said that growth in mobile, bundling and TV revenue was offset by a reduction in low margin Eir business revenue, and a decrease in retail voice traffic.

Last month, just after the change of control at Eir was finalised, the company launched a voluntary redundancy scheme.

That's set to see its workforce cut by 750 by the summer, and could cost the telco over 100m.Sean Gallagher with Heather Humphreys TD and his wife Trish at the Mansion House, Dublin. Photo: Conor McCabe Photography

Sean Gallagher, the entrepreneur and 'Sunday Independent' business columnist, has penned a new book for aspiring business founders.

Secrets To Success - Inspiring Stories From Leading Entrepreneurs is a compilation of stories based on Sean's interviews in the 'Sunday Independent' with 46 Irish business owners over the last three years.

Interviewees hailed from companies including Avoca, Kelly's Hotel, Glenilen Farm, Tour America and draper Louis Copeland. Mr Gallagher, a former presidential candidate, is president of Irish-founded Nutriband, the US-based pharma company which signed a $90m (75.5m) distribution agreement with a Korean group for its products.

Mr Gallagher's book was officially launched on Thursday evening by Heather Humphreys, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, while entrepreneur and broadcaster Bobby Kerr acted as master of ceremonies.

Some 500 business and community leaders attended the launch at Dublin's Mansion House.Eight Degrees Brewing is backed by Enterprise Ireland

Pernod Ricard-owned Irish Distillers has acquired Cork-based Eight Degrees Brewing, a craft producer whose brands include Sunburnt Irish Red Ale.

Its the first ever brewer within the Pernod Ricard stable.

Irish Distillers said the deal will see Eight Degrees Brewing provide a long-term beer supply to support the continued global growth of Jameson Caskmates, while also supporting Eight Degrees Brewings on-going innovation and experimentation in the craft beer sector.

The acquisition price wasnt revealed but the deal is thought to be worth millions of euros.

Founded in 2010 in Mitchelstown by Australian Cameron Wallace and New Zealander Scott Baigent, the companys lines also include Howling Gale Pale Irish Ale.

Eight Degrees is backed by Enterprise Ireland, but its ordinary share capital remains entirely owned by its two founders.

Irish Distillers portfolio of brands includes Jameson, one of the worlds top-selling whiskies, as well as other drinks such as Powers whiskey and Cork Dry Gin.

Pernod Ricard, whose chief executive is Alexandre Ricard, owns top brands such as Malibu, Martell, Chivas Regal and Kahlua.

Jameson Caskmates is a special edition Jameson whiskey thats matured using barrels that previously held craft beer, such stout or India pale ale.

Irish Distillers has sourced casks from firms such as Cork-based brewer Franciscan Well, which is owned by Molson Coors. One of our most successful innovations has undoubtedly been the introduction of Jameson Caskmates, said Tommy Keane, production director at Irish Distillers.

Following a successful pilot test in the Irish market in 2014, Jameson Caskmates has had exceptional success since its launch, selling almost 200,000 cases into more than 40 markets last year.

He added that the success of the product had meant the group needed to plan for future production, prompting the acquisition of Eight Degrees.

Mr Wallace and Mr Baigent said theyre looking forward to working with Irish Distillers to create new beers.

The latest set of publicly available accounts for Eight Degrees show that it made a profit of 51,000 last year and had shareholder funds of 708,000 at December 1. It had bank loans totalling 684,000.

Enterprise Ireland invested 110,000 in the company in 2015.

That remained the firms only externally-sourced investment.Talks between Spanish pilot union Sepla and Ryanair have broken down after they two sides failed to agree a recognition agreement.

"We regret to inform you that, at today's meeting, the negotiations with Ryanair's management have been broken off as they have not accepted our minimum requirements document, 90pc of which corresponded to their proposals," the union told pilots in a letter yesterday.

Sepla said the airline would not agree to giving employees who are members of Sepla's Ryanair Company Council three days off every month to deal with union matters.

The union said it will now proceed with filing a lawsuit next week in Spain, claiming that Ryanair's contracts do not comply with Spanish law.

"Have no doubt that these days are absolutely necessary so that the company council can first work on the platform of our CLA (collective labour agreement), then negotiate it and finally monitor the compliance with this agreement," the union told pilots.

Sepla had claimed last week that Ryanair did "not intend to reach an agreement" with the union in relation to recognition.

There are about 800 Ryanair pilots in Spain, which is one of Ryanair's biggest markets, and about 65pc are Sepla members.

Sepla's Ryanair Company Council told pilots yesterday that the airline had informed it that it would wait for union recognition agreements to be signed in France before signing one in Spain.

The Spanish union said it will move to file a lawsuit against Ryanair on Monday and take "necessary actions for the future". Ryanair, headed by CEO Michael O'Leary, declined to comment.

However, yesterday Ryanair chief operations officer Peter Bellew said in a letter to pilots that the airline is "sincere in recognising Sepla".

"Ryanair has moved a long way in recognising Sepla," wrote Mr Bellew.

"We need the pilots' council now with Sepla to take a leap of faith and agree a reasonable number of paid days to complete their union duties. We are 90pc of the way there." While Sepla claims that Ryanair pilot contracts do not comply with Spanish law, the airline has previously insisted that it adheres to all European Union and Spanish labour laws.

"The Valencia Court of Appeal upheld the 2017 ruling of the Valencia Labour Court, that the Spanish courts had no jurisdiction over Ryanair pilots and cabin crew employment.

"Ryanair fully complies with all EU and Spanish employment law," said a spokeswoman earlier this year.Caroline Kilkennys career has seen her dressing and designing for the royal family of Qatar, as well as collaborating with her sister Nicola with the N&C Kilkenny label.

A graduate of the Grafton Academy, her first break came at her college graduate show when one of the judges at the show offered her a position in his company as a junior designer.

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From there she spent a couple of years with the company, which she describes as great, "now you probably wouldnt get the same experience."

"It had the full factory, you had your design studio, your dispatch, and production, everything under one roof, this gave me a good base, because you still really are learning after you graduate," she says.

After a few years in Dublin, Caroline ended up in the Middle East, an experience that continues to inspire her designs today.

"Before I went, tailored work would have been my strongest area, but you get to love colour there, and the Irish customer adores colour, they dont want to be in black."

The initial plan was to spend a year in the Middle East, where she was living with her husband, however they ended up spending nearly eight years living there.

Caroline worked for a company at first, before spotting a gap in the market and working for herself.

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"A lot of people asked me if I would be interested in designing more from a European point of view for the local market and I ended up opening a business there all geared towards local clientele."

The business focused on evening wear and bridal wear and Caroline describes the time as "brilliant and incredibly creative."

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"I went to a lot of weddings! It was a lovely time for me, but we decided to come back to Dublin, so I sold the business."

It was when she made the move back to Dublin that Caroline started to work with her sister Nicola, who also has a design background.

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"Fifteen years on we are still running the business. Now we are just introducing another collection called 'Sisters by CK' - this is kind of lovely, we are excited about this, direction wise it is a bit more girly, suited to the 20s-30s market, girly but still quite sophisticated."

The collection will launch in July for the Autumn-Winter season.

"Its a different target audience, but we are very confident in it."

In terms of career highlights, Caroline says that it is "the small things" that you get a buzz out of.

"But one of my biggest moments was when I opened my own studio when we were out in the Middle East, I had a lovely space, everything was hand sewn and hand beaded on the premises, that was a really lovely time."

The second career highlight that she mentions is when she returned to Dublin and set up the label with her sister.

"It is lovely to work together, to work on a project with somebody."

In terms of industry challenges, she cites a common concern among small business, that is, the issue of accessing finance as you grow.

"For banks and businesses to be confident in you, that you can finance your collections, that is really hard when you are starting out as a young designer.

"Young people when they come out of college, they are probably designing and making everything themselves and it is very small and niche, but when you grow a company like ours, our production would not be huge  its still a designer brand  but it still requires finance."

In addition she says that as there are so many facets in the industry, "you have so many different hats on", no pun intended.

"What I would say to any young person going into fashion, they would really want to love it because it is a craft, and like any craft it requires a lot of hands on.

"Having said that, if you love it, you go into work and you dont even notice the day, you kind of have to love it to stay in it."

Caroline says that it is a good idea to go into business with a partner.

"It does help to kick ideas around..for any young designer starting up, maybe go with somebody, start the path with another designer or somebody in marketing, something to bring it together, its hard, but it certainly makes it more interesting and easier."While the fashion on stage in Eurovision goes all out - there's just as much competition among the Eurovision fans.

This group of Irish fans have been in Lisbon all week supporting Ryan O'Shaughnessy as he aims to take Ireland to Eurovision glory tonight.

In a nod to the famed Fr Ted Eurosong blazers, the gang ordered green glitter blazers to don in Lisbon's Altice Arena. The outfits are complete with white shirts and orange bow ties to make the tricolour.

Flights from Ireland to Lisbon have been sold out all week as hundreds of Irish fans make the journey to support Ireland's first Eurovision finalist in five years.

Do you have better Eurovision outfit? Email contact@independent.ie to be featured in our gallery.Ryan O'Shaughnessy at the Altice Arena for the Eurovision second semi-final last night. PIC: Andres Poveda

Ryan O'Shaughnessy has backed the Eurovison ban of China - revealing he felt it was important to stage his song using a gay couple to send out a message of hope.

As the controversy made headlines around the world, bookies experienced a surge in support for the Irish entry.

Ireland is now third favourite behind Cyprus and Israel to win the contest - potentially extending our Eurovision record to eight wins.

The Dubliner (25) revealed he fully supports the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) decision to ban China from broadcasting the contest.

"Eurovision is all aboard, it's about celebrating diversity. What they did by censoring our performance was going completely against that", he told Independent.ie in Lisbon.

"It was the correct decision by the EBU. We're all in this together, and people are really understanding what we're doing with this performance."

The performance is the first in the contest's 63 year history to feature a same-sex couple - and Ryan said he wanted to do it to send a positive message.

"Having a gay couple was really important. This is coming from a straight man - a lot of people asked me why I was doing it if I'm not gay. It's because my nephew could be gay, or my kids could be gay."

He added that Ireland has become known for breaking down barriers:

"To break down barriers is what we need to continue doing and Ireland is a great country for doing that. We've done that time and time again over the last ten or 15 years with referendums and stuff.

Video of the Day

"We come from a place that can do that and that's what I wanted to bring to this experience."

All the global media headlines haven't distracted him from his performance, however:

"I've actually been really energised by all of this happening. I'm not feeling much pressure at all, I know I'll have the support of the whole country, and that's really going to spur us on."

An RTE spokesperson confirmed to Independent.ie that when the broadcaster became aware of reports of Chinese censorship earlier this week, they asked the EBU to investigate.

The EBU subsequently contacted the Chinese broadcaster - Mango TV - to seek clarification.

When it was confirmed the Irish performance had been removed from the broadcast, the EBU decided to terminate the licence with immediate effect.

He said he's hopeful of achieving a strong result in the final:

"I think the work isn't done yet, I think we have a really good chance this year.

"Everything has been going good for us so far. The team is great, we couldn't have asked for a better group of people to be here with, and the Irish fans who traveled to be here."

He also revealed that he has paid tribute to his favourite Eurovision song - 1994 winner 'Rock'n'Roll kids' - in the staging of his song

"I wanted to keep it simple and similar to Rock'n'Roll Kids - and if you look we laid out the stage similarly to Charlie and Paul with the guitar and the piano.

"We wanted to make the simplest things look good, because that can be the hardest thing to get right. It's easy to say to the pyro guys 'set off some fireworks there at the chorus', it's harder to say to them 'can you turn off those lights', because they want to use everything.

"Looking back on it the other night with everyone having their phones lit up - it was just so special."

Ireland will perform in tonight's Eurovision final at 8pm on RTE One.Ryan O'Shaughnessy at the Altice Arena for the Eurovision second semi-final last night. PIC: Andres Poveda

Irelands hopeful Ryan OShaughnessy is confident he can go all the way in the Eurovision final tonight in Lisbon.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, he said the journey he has gone on so far has been incredible, but there is still much more to be done.

I think the work isnt done yet, I think we have a really good chance this year.

Everything has been going good for us so far. The team is great, we couldnt have asked for a better group of people to be here with, and the Irish fans who travelled to be here.

Controversy raged after Chinese broadcaster Mango TV censored Irelands same-sex dance routine to accompany Ryans song Together.

Ryan backs the Eurovision ban of China  revealing he felt it was important to stage his song using a gay couple to send out a message of hope.

As the controversy made headlines around the world, bookies experienced a surge in support for the Irish entry.

Ireland is now third favourite behind Cyprus and Israel to win the contest  potentially extending our Eurovision record to eight wins.

The Dubliner (25) revealed he fully supports the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decision to ban China from broadcasting the contest.

Eurovision is all aboard, its about celebrating diversity. What they did by censoring our performance was going completely against that, he told the Irish Independent in Lisbon.

Video of the Day

It was the correct decision by the EBU. Were all in this together, and people are really understanding what were doing with this performance.

The performance is the first in the contests 63-year history to feature a same-sex couple  and Ryan said he wanted to do it to send a positive message.

Having a gay couple was really important. This is coming from a straight man  a lot of people asked me why I was doing it if Im not gay. Its because my nephew could be gay, or my kids could be gay.

On the 6.45am Ryanair flight to Lisbon yesterday, the Eurovision was the dominant subject, with the hope of extending our Eurovision record to eight wins hovering on the horizon.

While most fans headed to the Eurovision Village in Praca do Comercio, those without a ticket headed to the Altice Arena, where queues of fans were already camping in the baking Portuguese sun.

Outside the delegation tent Eurovision fans waited holding brochures.

The first dress rehearsal was winding down and according to those lining the barricades it was an ideal time to get selfies.

Eurovision veteran Marty Whelan said the diversity is what brings people back.

There is and there always will be the mad stuff, he added.

Pyrotechnics and men jumping out of God knows where. And staircases on fire, that sort of thing but there are some great songs this year.

He says he has a much more vested interest in the competition since we made it out of the Semi-final of Death.

He added: It was hugely exciting when they read the names and I may have let my feelings out [and said I needed to lie down in a darkened room] but sometimes you have to let yourself go.

Eurovision will be shown live on RTE One tonight at 8pm.The parent of a young boy who is battling cancer for the second time said that she'll never forget the haunting words of a doctor telling her that her baby had cancer.

Cathy Birmingham from Co Longford told Independent.ie that her young son Max (7) was diagnosed with cancer when he was two-years-old.

No parent ever forgets the time, date or place where they heard their child had cancer. Its never something you think could happen to your family.

I was in shock when the doctors told me it was neuroblastoma, but I was thankful that we had caught it early. Unfortunately, a lot of kids are sent home and are diagnosed with something else until a cancer diagnosis is actually made.

After 18 months of treatment, little Max was given the all-clear.

At age 6, the family was given the devastating news that his cancer had returned.

He began limping one day and I just knew that something was wrong. My instinct as a mum told me that his cancer was back.

Doctors had said that if the cancer returned, Max would be straight into palliative care, but thankfully clinical trials seem to be working with him.

For the past year, Max has been undergoing chemo, radiation and has been taken a drug to help keep the neuroblastoma away.

The treatment was grand this time. Max only had a couple of hospital stays but we had to do a lot of travelling.

We did his scans yesterday and were waiting to see if the cancer is now gone.

Cathy, who has five other children, said the cancer diagnoses has taken its toll on the whole family.

Max becomes the priority and we do everything we can to help him. It has a huge emotional, physical and financial strain on the whole family.

She added that Max is a very active child and that adores wrestling.

He got to meet some Irish wrestlers with the Make A Wish foundation.

He wants to be a wrestler when he grows up and he found it difficult not being able to play rough and tough when he was sick.

The Childhood Cancer Foundation (CCF) has launched a new campaign this month to raise vital funds to support the Foundations projects at Our Ladys Childrens Hospital Crumlin and other shared care hospitals around Ireland.

An average of four children under the age of 16 are diagnosed with cancer here in Ireland every week.

Mum Cathy praised the CCF saying that it provides wonderful help to children with cancer.

The hospital can be such a horrible place for young kids but the CCF have a play therapist there which the kids love. They have the beads of courage where each kid is given thread and a bead is added to it for every treatment they complete. The kids really look forward to getting their beads.

As part of the fundraising, Opel donated a car to the charity, designed by Irish artist Pan Cooke - along with children currently battling cancer.

Until midnight on October 15, supporters have a chance to win this limited edition Opel car when they make their donation of 4 to the cancer charity by simply texting GOLDOPEL to 50300.A Sinn Fein TD has publicly apologised after he admitted drunkenly engaging in threatening and abusive behaviour to a garda who had called to his home about a local noise complaint.

Cork East TD Pat Buckley (49), a first-time Dail member, issued the apology after pleading guilty at Midleton District Court to being drunk and to engaging in threatening and abusive behaviour to a garda in the course of his duty.

Mr Buckley, of Broomfield West, Midleton, Co Cork, pleaded guilty to the two charges brought under the Public Order Act before Judge Brian Sheridan.

The TD and father-of-two will be sentenced on November 8 next.

Inspector Tony Sullivan told the court that the incident arose out of a noise complaint received by Midleton gardai.

When officers called to Mr Buckley's home to make him aware of the noise issue, they were told to "f**k off".

The Sinn Fein TD issued a public statement of apology following the court hearing.

"This was a family event, a celebratory affair involving a few drinks in my own home," he said.

"Unfortunately, with alcohol on board, my attitude towards the gardai, when they arrived at my home, was not what it should have been.

"I apologise profusely for any offence caused and I accept totally the punishment handed down to me in court yesterday."

Buckley was elected to the 32nd Dail at the 2016 General Election in the four-seat Cork East constituency.A young man caught with graphic child pornography showing the rape and torture of a baby girl has been jailed for 15 months.

Gardai found 5,919 images and 328 video files on two laptops and a phone belonging to Conor Emmett (20) after an intelligence operation involving the FBI and Europol.

The court was told the graphic material was on the upper end of seriousness in such cases.

At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday morning, Judge Karen O'Connor suspended the last 15 months of a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence.

Detective Garda Brid Wallace, from the Cyber Crime Bureau, said the images and movies spanned all categories of seriousness, including video files showing the rape and torture of an 18-month-old girl.

Emmett, of Northway Estate, Finglas, Dublin, pleaded guilty to possessing the digital images and movies on two laptops at his home on May 17, 2016.

He had no previous convictions.

Judge O'Connor said this was by no means a victimless crime and must be taken very seriously.

However, she noted his early plea, the fact he was a very good student, and has engaged in intensive rehabilitation.

Det Gda Wallace told Derek Cooney BL, prosecuting, that one video showed an 18-month-old girl being sexually abused by a masked female.

The court heard the child has since been identified in Thailand and taken to safety.

"She has no recollection of the abuse but suffered serious internal damage and will not be in a position to have children when she is older," Det Gda Wallace said.

The detective told Mr Cooney that gardai also found a 'Welcome to Paedophilia Handbook' on Emmett's computer.

A Garda memo of interviews stated Emmett had first accessed child porn when he was aged 16.

The court previously heard gardai raided Emmett's home in May 2016 and he admitted he had accessed child porn.The HSE wrote an apology letter to the parents of a young teacher who died after suffering ovarian cancer - admitting it had "failed to make a correct diagnosis".

Antoinette Mullany (35) died in July 2012, several months after she presented to her GP and then to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, in pain.

Antoinette's stomach was bloated and by the time she was taken to A&E in the summer of 2011 she was, her mother said, in "excruciating pain".

But Sheelagh Mullany (80), a retired teacher, claims her daughter was initially told by a GP to exercise. And later, in hospital, Antoinette was told she was suffering endometriosis, Ms Mullany claimed.

In the HSE letter, dated October 13, 2014, Group General Manager of the Louth Meath Hospital Group, Margaret Swords, made an admission, that Antoinette hadn't received the best care possible. "From my perspective, the main purpose of our meeting was to acknowledge to you that this hospital failed to make a correct diagnosis in relation to your beloved daughter, Antoinette, and failed to transfer her sooner to another hospital that could have made the diagnosis of ovarian cancer earlier.

"This undoubtedly adversely affected her opportunity for different treatment options.

"On behalf of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, I wish to unreservedly apologise to you for this failure.

"I was very moved by your courage and determination and it was a privilege to spend time with you both [Mr and Ms Mullany]."

The admission - which led to a settlement made after a mediation process - only came after Ms Mullany spent two years researching her daughter's symptoms, treatment and death. She had compiled a dossier which she took to solicitors in a bid to fight for the truth.

"This was never about money," Ms Mullany said.

"I wanted the truth out there.

"Antoinette was my youngest daughter, she was absolutely beautiful and so intelligent. She was let down by the system, wrongly diagnosed, which led to delays," she said.

Mrs Mullany's legal representative said that the HSE admitted liability but raised the issue that the case was statute barred, the case was settled through mediation. A spokesperson for the HSE said that they do not comment on individual cases. Ms Mullany and Antoinette's father Michael wanted to highlight the case to show that the cervical smear tests scandal is not an isolated incident.

"If you feel something isn't right, get checked and if you don't feel that's right, get a second opinion."Gardai in Dundalk are investigating a fire at a secondary school.

The blaze broke out at St Louis Secondary School, an all-girls school on the Castletown Road in Dundalk, County Louth.

The alarm was raised at approximately 3am on Saturday.

A number of fire brigades attended the scene. The scene is currently preserved for a technical examination.

Breaking NEWS: Fire fighters at the scene of a major fire at Louis Secondary school Dundalk. pic.twitter.com/JCdclsh20X  LMFM RADIO (@LMFMRADIO) May 12, 2018

No one was injured and investigations are ongoing.

It's understood the blaze caused extensive damage to

St Louis has over 500 students attending. It's understood the school plans to contact parents by text message to advise whether the school will be open on Monday.

The school has posted an update on its Facebook page thanking the fire departments of Dundalk and Ardee saying there was "minimal damage" to the school.

One of the theories being examined is that a technical fault caused the blaze.

St Louis' principal has confirmed that the school will be open on Monday.A man has been charged after gardai seized cannabis and MDMA in Meath.

According to gardai, an operation by the Meath Drugs Unit and the Navan Detective Unit led to a premises at Fitzherbert Woods in Navan being searched on Thursday.

During the course of the search cannabis resin valued at 225,000 and MNDA valued at 110,000 was discovered.

Three people, a woman aged 27 and two men, aged 23 and 36, were arrested.

The 23-year-old male was charged in connection with the seizure and will appear before court in Dublin this morning.

The 36-year-old male was charged in connection with a separate smaller seizure and will appear before Trim court this morning.

The 27-year-old female was released without charge and a file is being prepared for the DPP.A picture of Elmer Crawford that has been digitally aged by Victoria Police (Image via Victoria Police)

Almost 50 years after the brutal murder of his pregnant wife and three children, Australian police have still not given up hope of finding Derry-native Elmer Crawford to quiz him about the killings.

Crawford's name may not be very well known in Ireland but he remains a notorious figure in Australia, where he is still the chief suspect in the gruesome murder of his wife Therese Crawford (35) and children Kathryn (13), James (8) and Karen (6).

He disappeared a day after their bodies were discovered in a car in July 1970 and has never been seen since.

Elmer Crawford was born in Canada to a woman from Derry in 1930 and grew up with his grandparents in Derry before emigrating to Australia in 1951.

And because of the gruesome events of July 1, 1970 Crawford is still a person of interest all across Australia.

When the police broke in to the Crawford family home in a suburb of Melbourne on that day, they found evidence of a particularly cruel killing.

What they found included a long electrical cord with 'alligator' clips attached.

Police now believe that the murderer attached these clips to the ears of Therese, electrocuting her while she slept. Kathryn, James and Karen were then beaten to death with a blunt instrument, probably a hammer.

Expand Close Waves crash into the base of natural limestone structures known as the Loch Ard Gorge off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean road in Victoria. Picture: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Waves crash into the base of natural limestone structures known as the Loch Ard Gorge off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean road in Victoria. Picture: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images

However the four bodies were not found in the house. Instead the killer wrapped the bodies in bedsheets, placed them into the family's car and drove it hundreds of kilometres away to a cliff-top called Loch Ard Gorge.

A hose was placed from the car's exhaust through the driver's side window before it was pushed over the cliff in what police believe was a bid by the killer to make it look like a murder-suicide by Therese.

However, the car failed to plunge into the sea. Instead it lodged on a ledge 20m from the clifftop. The police, identifying the car, went to Crawford's home but there was no answer when they knocked on the door.

Police believe that the killer was in the process of cleaning up the murder scene when they arrived, because when detectives returned later and broke in to the home they found evidence of attempts to clear up blood stains, but no sign of Elmer Crawford.

The then 41-year old was never seen again, despite numerous reported sightings in Australia and elsewhere over the last 48 years.

However, police in Victoria are still hopeful they will find him alive so he can be quizzed about the deaths.

In a statement to Independent.ie this week, a Victoria Poilce spokesperson said: "The investigation into the deaths of Therese, Kathryn, James and Karen Crawford in July 1970 remains open.

"Police also continue to seek information on the current whereabouts of Elmer Crawford."

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A 1971 inquest concluded that Crawford was likely responsible for the deaths of his wife and three children and he remains one of Australia's most wanted men.

A reported sighting in western Australia in 1994 was deemed credible by police but they never managed to track the man down and in 2005 it was thought that a body in a morgue in Texas was in fact Crawford.

Facial recognition technology was used and it identified the man as a possible match for Crawford. Hopes were further raised when it was reported that the dead man in Texas had removed his fingerprints in what looked like a concerted effort to conceal his identity.

However, five years later, a blood relative of Crawford was discovered in New South Wales and her DNA evidence proved that the man in the Texas morgue was not in fact Crawford.

Just last year, detectives from Victoria visited a remote, sparsely populated part of north western Australia after a tip off regarding a possible sighting but again it proved fruitless.

Speaking to Seven News in Australia last year, one of the officers who was involved in the case in 1970 said that he still held out hope of catching the killer.

"It's definitely solvable, if you get the right information," said retired detective Adrian Donehue.

"We've got everything else - all we need is a body."

Victoria Police have asked that anyone with information in relation to the murders or the disappearance of Crawford to contact Crime Stoppers International on +31 (0)88 -5543240.The contract to carry out cervical smear tests on behalf of the State was awarded in 2012 based on the cheapest price available, tender documents suggest. (Stock picture)

THE screening of smear tests may be kept in Ireland in the future, the Government has indicated.

Following calls from Opposition TDs and a Cabinet member Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Government will look at "reconfiguring" Irish lab testing for cancer screening when Ireland moves towards HPV testing later this year.

He said "certainly it would be my preference that we do this testing in Ireland or the EU", but moved to reassure women that there was no reason to believe there were quality issues with the US labs used at the moment.

The testing of cervical smears was outsourced in 2008, following much debate and the resignation of a senior doctor, Dr David Gibbons, from CervicalCheck, who opposed the move.

Ending State contracts ahead of time would cost taxpayers the penalties of breaking the terms of the agreement.

Earlier his Cabinet colleague Minister Regina Doherty said "it's time to bring screening home".

Brid Smith - whose comments sparked Ms Doherty's intervention - alleged the decision to outsource has "cost lives".

The People Before Profit TD - who has called on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to resign in the wake of the scandal - said outsourcing of the testing is "unacceptable".

Meanwhile, the HSE did not answer when asked about a reference in the memo to labs seeking legal advice over the decision to inform doctors about the outcome of the audit.

The HSE said the Scally Review is underway, which would look at all issues.Robyn on her way to the US for treatment in 2016. Pic: Robynslife / Instagram

The family of a 13-year-old girl who has battled cancer since the age of three are desperately calling on the public to help get her to New York for treatment.

Robyn Smyth (13) has fought neuroblastoma four times since she was first diagnosed in 2007.

Neuroblastoma is a rare form of cancer that forms in certain types of nerve tissue. It's most commonly discovered in children under the age of five, and almost 10 new cases are diagnosed in Ireland every year.

Although she received a clear scan in April, Robyn's parents are eager to get her from their home in Whitehall, Dublin to New York for a vaccine trial that could save her life.

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"We've gotten clear results but it keeps coming back, and we know it will be back. We know we can't do nothing, she's currently on two inhibitor drugs as well as chemotherapy," her mother Bernadette told Independent.ie.

"We're afraid to take her off the medication because she's on them so long that her blood count is so low, and her bone marrow is tired. We're nervous she'll get to a point where we won't be able to get to New York, we need to get there sooner rather than later."

Bernadette explained that although no exact cost has been provided to them yet, consultants have estimated at least 250,000 for the vaccine trial.

"Robyn hasn't had immunotherapy yet, which the doctors in New York recommend she should do first. We're trying to ask if she can go without it. If they insist, thats adding another 120,000 on to the bill.

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"That 250k is before we even pay for flights and accommodation. We've been fundraising for years now, we do have some funds but we're still way off."

When Robyn was first diagnosed, doctors gave her a 30pc chance of survival. The brave teenager is still in school but often feels ill from her medication, Bernadette explains.

"I get up every day at 5am to give her the medication early so that she doesnt have to feel sick in school. Other than that, she has low energy levels of course but she's doing okay."

Donations to Robyn's cause can be made here.Police in Northern Ireland seized "significant quantities" of terrorist related weapons during an extensive 12-day search operation.

Explosives, ammunition, two shotguns, four handguns and component parts for bomb making are just some of the terrorist paraphernalia recovered in Lurgan, Co. Armagh and Benburb, Co Tyrone.

The weaponry is believed to have belonged to two dissident republican groups- the Continuity IRA and Arm na Poblachta.

These are all designed to do one thing  to murder. Many of these highly dangerous items were found in locations where members of the public could easily have come across them," said Detective Superintendent John McVea from the Terrorism Investigation Unit, after the completion of the search from April 29 until May 11.

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"This demonstrates the sheer recklessness and absolute lack of concern these terrorists have about harming people living in these communities."

Detective Superintendent John McVea said he was "sickened" to discover a pipe bomb next to a nursery during the search.

"Who in their right mind would put the lives of young children at risk? I do not know how long it has been lying there so the reality is that parents have been walking past this twice a day while taking their children to and from nursery.

"If it had detonated, it would almost certainly have killed or at the very least caused serious injury."

The PSNI said that the searches will send a "clear message" to anyone involved in terrorism in Northern Ireland, and encouraged residents to report any suspicious activity to them.

We will carry on working with the local community to take these shameful people off our streets and keep people safe. These recent events have shown how great results can be achieved when police and the community work together."

Anyone with information can anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.Public servants may get fewer pay rises next year if the Government agrees to reverse cuts for recent recruits, the Taoiseach has warned.

Leo Varadkar has given the first indication that the Government may take a hardline approach with union demands for equal pay for new entrants in the Budget.

He indicated that State employees may get a smaller wage boost than they expect over the course of the current three-year pay deal to fund the axing of the two-tier system.

Mr Varadkar said 400m was earmarked for pay rises next year

"Maybe by agreement we can recalibrate that in some way so that more of that goes to the new entrant public servants, those who were approved after 2011," he said.

He said this year a lot of public servants would get three pay increases: two small 1pc pay rises and an increment.

"Maybe instead of three pay increases a year for everyone it might just be one or two and we could give the extra money to the newer entrants to allow them to be equalised sooner," he said.

He told the Working Group of Committee Chairmen that he would not like to see the money to address the pay disparity taken out of funding for services.

He said he could understand why two colleagues in a school staff-room would have a problem with being on different scales.

It would cost 200m to reverse the cuts that mean over 60,000 public servants hired since 2011 get lower pay during their first two years.

The Government faces the threat of industrial action by teacher unions if the issue is not resolved.

A spokesperson at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform would not say if it endorsed the Taoiseach's stance.

Separately, recently appointed senior Government officials are demanding flexitime that is enjoyed by their longer-serving colleagues.

The Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants has lodged a claim with an internal disputes body on behalf of up to 100 members.

Flexitime allows some civil servants to start and finish their working day at times that suit them.

However, flexitime was axed for new assistant principal officers five years ago.Two men have been arrested after Irish Rail signalling equipment was damaged by vandals in Dublin.

A garda spokesman said two men in their 30s and 40s are currently being held in connection with the incident which happened near Kishoge railway station in south Dublin this afternoon.

An Iarnrod Eireann spokeswoman told Independent.ie that a gang damaged all the signalling equipment at the unused station which caused significant disruptions.

All services in and out of Heuston Station in Dublin were experiencing delays but normal signalling is now in operation.

All other intercity services are subject to delays but Irish Rail said these are expected to ease.

"Major service disruption due to vandalism. Expect significant disruption to services in and out of Heuston due to signal fault caused by vandalism," Iarnrod Eireann tweeted.

Earlier this week, up to 20 youths wearing balaclavas stormed a train and brawled with knives and blocks of wood, as they spray painted a train, threatening passengers and causing around 4,000 damage.

The gang blocked the doors of a Dart with pieces of wood at Clongriffin Train Station in north Dublin, preventing the train from moving.British model Danielle Lloyd received widespread praise in recent weeks when she broke her silence on how incontinence blighted her life for seven years.

The mother-of-four bravely spoke about how she first started to experience problems after the birth of her second child, when she found she was unable to control her bladder.

After her third child George was born in 2013, she started having accidents if she coughed, sneezed, exercised - or even laughed out loud.

The model recalled an incident at a trampoline park with her children when she had to shuffle them out of the play area in embarrassment because shed had an accident.

Professor Barry OReilly, a consultant urogynaecologist at Cork University Maternity Hospital who assesses and treats women with pelvic floor dysfunction, says Danielle's case is common.

One in two women are affected by incontinence at some point in their lives.

But its an issue thats not talked about openly, he says. He hopes to change this, and hopes to eventually help introduce pelvic floor awareness into leaving cert health programmes, to promote healthy habits for young women.

Theres a quote that says incontinence doesnt kill you but it steals your life. It has a significant effect on quality of life and social interaction.

[Women who are affected] dont want to visit peoples houses or get into other peoples cars in case theyll have an accident. The embarrassment of it affects their intimacy with a partner, if they have an accident during intercourse for example.

You might have accidents at work. Running to the loo all the time is a serious issue. Its a global embarrassment issue.

Incontinence can happen after pregnancy and childbirth, or as a result of lifestyle factors or genetics.

There are two broad categories. OAB or over active bladder affects men and women; about one in three women suffer from that.

It can affect women at different life stages, its not just the elderly, it can be bed wetting at a young age, and if thats prolonged and not dealt with girls tend to grow up to have urinary issues. In teens, we see it again if bed wetting occurred at an earlier age and wasnt properly addressed."

"Certain lifestyle factors affect urinary issues  women get into bad bladder habits if theyre working shifts, if theyre a nurse or teacher, and theyre working all day without going to the toilet, and they develop these symptoms.

As women get older, childbirth has an effect, that tends to be more cause and effect, and this is stress incontinence. Stress incontinence is leakage with cough, sneeze and exercise.

It has significant quality of life issues."

Women with stress incontinence often avoid exercise for fear that they'll have an accident, but weight gain can exacerbate the issue as well.

"These are women who cant exercise in case of an accident in the gym. If youre not exercising you might put on weight and incontinence gets worse. Women will say I cant get on the trampoline with my kids, I cant play with them."

"There are significant links with depression; and self-esteem goes significantly downhill.

Drinking too much water, because of the misconception that it is healthy, can be detrimental for your bladder, Professor OReilly says. Caffeine and alcohol have a detrimental effect too.

With the current body image consciousness, women tend to drink more water than they should. The normal pattern is going to the toilet every two to three hours and being able to sleep through the night.

And limiting your caffeine intake - women often dont realise that tea has as much caffeine as coffee, coke and alcohol, and that all of these are bladder stimulants. We all know that if have a few drinks in one night for example, we tend to go to the loo more.

One symptom of OAB is urinary frequency which is running to the loo more than eight times a day. The norm would be six to eight times a day, and being able to sleep through the night. Women are going every 20 or 30 minutes, and that can go on through the night. It can impact on their day to day life.

The other symptom is urgency which is the inability to stop yourself going to the loo. Urgency is when you cant get there on time. Its the latch key urgency, when the key is in the door and you have to drop everything to go to the loo.

Early intervention can help, and pelvic floor exercises, and lifestyle changes can benefit women too, Professor OReilly explains.

Pelvic floor exercises should be something women do from teenage years onwards. Its an interest for me to help introduce pelvic floor awareness into leaving cert health programmes. If we could introduce an awareness of that from an early age on, it would certainly be very helpful.

An awareness of toileting habits, drinking the recommended one to two litres a day, or six to eight glasses a day. If you drink in excess of that, youll go to the toilet more often. Going to the toilet every 30 minutes is not good.

For overactive bladder, things like physiotherapy, lifestyle changes, and medicine to take away urgency, and bladder retraining can all help.

For stress incontinence, a new laser treatment is proving successful.

Thats a condition that we usually offer physiotherapy for. If phsyiotherapy hasnt worked then we offer surgery. Theres a new technique which is trans vaginal laser treatment which is an office-based procedure with no anaesthetic, no blood loss, no pain, and its walk-in walk-out.

Its very effective. Were seeing very good results. Most importantly, there are no complications from it.

You see women come into the clinic with a problem and their demeanor is really down, their confidence is really down; they wear dark clothes because of leakages. To see them six weeks afterwards, they have a new found confidence.

Dr Suzanne OSullivan, also a consultant urogynaecologist, says stress incontinence is directly related to pregnancy and childbirth.

You can have a caesarean section but thats not going to be protective. Its directly related to pregnancy and childbirth. Some women are more vulnerable to it in relation to genetics and connective tissue.

Its common in the short term after vaginal deliveries, and after pregnancy because the connective tissue changes allowing women to carry a pregnancy and allowing the ligaments to stretch in labour. It usually will settle down. After more pregnancies it can come back or it may get worse. When menopause comes, it can come back again.

Its like ageing, we cant prevent ageing.

One of the problems out there is that women think if only I did this: its putting guilt on women. We know we cant prevent it. Often very tall, slim women can get prolapse because theres a genetic predisposition. Its not peoples fault, they should not think its something theyve done.

Other types of incontinence are associated with increasing age and are not childbirth related.

Physiotherapy can be really important. But the ligaments that support the bladder neck onto the pubic bone can become stretched. With physiotherapy we would have up to 70pc cure rates, but its not effective for everyone.

Doing pelvic floor exercises in pregnancy can be preventative and reduce stress incontinence afterwards."

But she added: "Sometimes you can overdo the pelvic floor exercises and the muscles go into spasm with pain.

Antenatal and postnatal pelvic floor exercises are important. But often postnatally, the nerves in these muscles have been stretched, and people think theyre doing these exercises but theyre not. So seeing a specialised physiotherapist is important.

Prof. Barry OReilly is involved with a new educational initiative called #InControl, working to empower those with OAB to stop coping and seek help and support. For more information on incontinence and the treatments available, see here.The new Volkswagen Polo  2,000 will be recalled in Ireland

Volkswagen is advising owners of its new Polo supermini not to use one of the car's rear seats until a recall fixes a potential seatbelt fault.

The recall will get under way within weeks.

It is understood the number of Irish cars affected, including those in stock, is likely to be around the 2,000 mark. Globally, the recall extends to around 220,000 cars.

The auto giant said there was a possibility "in rare situations" that the left rear seatbelt lock could release when all three rear seats were occupied.

Sudden

It cited the possibility of the fault arising if there was a sudden change in direction, for example, when the centre and left rear seats were occupied.

Volkswagen insisted the new Polo, launched last autumn, was safe to drive.

However, it advised owners not to use the middle rear seat until the recall resolves the problem - even though the issue is apparently with the left rear seatbelt.

A Volkswagen spokesman in Germany explained the apparent contradiction to the Irish Independent.

He said the weight and the 'side-force movement' of the occupants could press one belt lock case onto the other, forcing the left-side rear seat to release the buckle.

He added: "Our temporary advice is . . . if no one is seated in the centre seat at all until the refit is installed, there can't be any force applied to release the left rear seatbelt lock."

The recall involves fitting a "redesigned belt lock fixture" which will prevent the fault occurring in future.

Free

A letter will be sent to owners so they can make an appointment with their dealer to have the fault fixed free of charge.

The problem came to light during recent 'dynamic tests' by Finnish motoring media.

They identified what Volkswagen described as a "rare possible traffic situation" in which the seat belt lock could open while the car was being driven.

With three seated in the back row, the shift and force of body weights led to the buckle of one seatbelt being released.

Volkswagen said it was now waiting for the authorities to give final validation so it could implement the solution on cars already delivered to customers - and those for future production.

The Polo is one of Ireland's most popular small cars with more than 1,300 registered so far this year.

There is also a number in stock which will require the solution being applied.The North Louth Artists stunning exhibition of painting and sculpture, celebrating 50 years of artists working in the region,opens in Dundalks An Tain Arts Centre on May 9 and runs from May 10 to 26th. North Louth Artists: Back row L-R, Gerry Clarke, Sandra Bell, Ciara Agnew, Frances Lambe, Siobhan Conynham, Derek Bell, Patrick Conynham. Front row, Paula Eigenheer, Irene Woods, Omin. (Absent, Alva Gallagher, Rosemary Warren,John OConner, Patricia Murphy).

Louth's wonderful visual arts tradition is being celebrated with the North Louth Artists' 50th anniversary exhibition in The Basement Gallery.

The group has its roots in 1968 when a number of prominent artists got together to address the lack of opportunities for artists in the county to exhibit their work.

Founder members of the North Louth Painters, as the group was originally called, included noted artists Bea Orpen and Nano Reid, as well as Cecil Barrow, Doreen Babe, Ernest McDowell, John Haugh and Maureen McManus O'Dowd.

Their work is being carried on by a new generation of artists and the group now comprises fourteen professional artists living and working in the county.

'The aim is to give Louth artists opportunities to show their work locally, while giving the public the chance to appreciate it, and we are delighted to continue that tradition into its 50th year,' said artist and group chairperson, Irene Woods.

'Our anniversary exhibition provides a wonderful opportunity for people to discover and explore the work some of Louth's most creative visual and sculptural artists.'

The group was founded at a time when there was no arts officer, no supports for visual artists, and nowhere for anyone to show their work,' she recalled. 'Back then, if artists wanted to show their work they had to go to Dublin or Belfast if they wanted it to be seen by serious collectors.'

The group held their first exhibition in Ballymascanlon Hotel and later began to exhibit during the Maytime Festival, first in the old Tempest Building and more recently in the County Museum and Basement Gallery. They continued with the tradition of holding an annual exhibition in May even after the demise of the Maytime Festival.

Over the years, the group has evolved to include artists working in a variety of media including sculpture, ceramics, metal and glass, as well as oils, watercolour, acrylics and tempera.

Guest artists such as the internationally acclaimed sculpture John Behan, have shown work in the annual exhibition down the years. Many members exhibit with leading Irish galleries and have exhibitions throughout the country. Some members also have solo exhibitions with galleries abroad.

Among the 14 artists exhibiting are painter Irene Woods who finds inspiration in the countryside surrounding her home on the Cooley peninsula. Scenes from the shores of Carlingford Lough and the slopes of Slieve Foy can be found in the works of Rosemary Warren, who is also well known for her detailed still lives.

Blackrock-based artist Patricia Murphy's colourful abstracts are inspired by the Irish landscape and mythology. Her work can be found in private and public collections around the country.

Ceramic artist Frances Lambe, who was a founder member of Dundalk's Bridge Street Studio, is regarded as one of the leading ceramic artists in the country and has exhibited extensively at home and abroad. John O'Connor, who was also a founder of Bridge Street Studios, will be showing his abstract and figurative paintings inspired by local bogland.

Gerry Clarke is well known for his watercolours depicting scenes of everyday life around Louth and further afield. Paula Eigenheer from Blackrock is another artist who works in watercolours, specialising in detailed floral studies.

Also exhibiting are Dundalk sculptor Sandra Bell, whose public art pieces include the Rhyme and Rhythm bronze sculpture at Earl Street, based on a piece presented to US President Bill Clinton during his visit to Dundalk, and her husband painter Derek whose varied work includes landscapes and figurative work. Another husband and wife team showing work are painters Siobhan and Patrick Conyngham.

Mullacrew artist Ciara Agnew, whose work has been acquired by the Office of Public Works, will be exhibiting her abstract paintings. Newer members of the group are the Carlingford-based sculptor Alva Gallagher, who works mainly in glass and Dundalk-born Omin who has been gaining acclaim in bringing graffiti art to a mainstream audience.

The exhibition will be opened by Dr Marie Bourke, former Head of Education at the National Gallery on Wednesday, May 9th at 7pm and will be open to the public from Thursday May 10th until Saturday 26th May.Ballapousta National School continues to lead the way when it comes to excellence it seems with 12-year-old Conall Halpenny a star of the show recently.

Conall Halpenny was the winner of the Louth County Spelling Bee, which took place in Dundalk Grammar Junior School.

He came out on top against 17 other spelling enthusiasts and will now be entered into the Leinster Provincial Spelling Bee final at the end of May. The 5th class student recently read 'Never Say Die', the 11th novel in the Alex Rider series, written by his favourite author Anthony Horowitz.

The Eason Spelling Bee encourages kids throughout the country to practice their spelling, to read more and strives to instil greater confidence when it comes to literacy and spelling, from a young age.

Brendan Corbett, Group Head of Marketing at Eason, said; "We're extremely proud of the success of the Eason Spelling Bee to date. Over the eight years, we have seen the children of our nation continue to impress with their level of spelling and it's wonderful to see schools from across the country continuously supporting this initiative."

Each year the competition begins with registered schools hosting their own in-school Bee competitions, to find their school champion. From there, the Eason Spelling Bee team hits the road to host the County Final Bees, which then leads to four Provincial Finals. The All-Ireland Final will take place in June 2018, where the champion speller will be crowned.

The winning school will receive a collection of books for their library to the value of 7,500. The Spelling Bee winner will be awarded a goody bag full of books worth 500 and the prestigious title of the 2018 Eason Spelling Bee champion.Siobhra Aiken, a great granddaughter of the legendary nationalist and politician Frank Aiken, says she learned about aspects of his life while researching a new book on Ernie O'Malley's interviews with the Northern Divisions.

A former Fulbright Scholar, she is a co-author of the book 'The Men Will Talk To Me' which will the launched in the Oriel Centre in Dundalk Gaol on Thursday 17th May at 7.30pm.

Siobhra grew up in Ardee, where she lived next door to her grandparents. 'I grew up being brought to local history events by my granddad, Frank Aiken Jnr,' she says.

Being of a generation which was more removed from the bitterness left by the Civil War, she says 'I learnt much more about Frank Aiken's IRA activities as a child than my aunts and uncles who grew up during the Troubles at a time when there was more of a reluctance to consider these historical events.'

She was just a young teenager when the Bureau of Military History archives were released in 2003. 'This was an emotional time for us as a family as it was the first time we heard about much of Aiken's activities as Aiken himself was reticent to speak about this period with his children.'

After doing her Leaving Cert at Ardee Community School, it was no surprise that history was one of her subject choices when she went to Trinity College Dublin.

'I was always interested in history and languages, so for my undergraduate I studied European Studies in Trinity College which was a perfect combination of European Cultural History, French and Spanish.'

After graduating, she spent a year teaching Irish and Irish history as a Fulbright scholar in Springfield, Massachusetts.

'I then pursued my MA in Irish Studies in NUI Galway, and am currently completing my PhD dissertation which considers how the trauma of the Irish Civil War is articulated in various personal and literary testimonies.'

She was asked to get involved in writing the book by Cormac O'Malley, whose father Ernie O'Malley had conducted interviews with survivors of the Northern Divisions of the IRA during the 1940s and 1950s. O'Malley, who had travelled the country interviewing those who had been involved in Ireland's fight for freedom and subsequent Civil War, famously commented that 'Irish history has not been written: it is the history of the underdog.'

His work and that of subsequent scholars such as Siobhra has helped to shed a light on that turbulent period of Irish history.

'I was approached by Cormac about four years ago to help transcribe the interviews for this collection and it really was an intense labour of love!' she says.

It was not easy task however, as historian Eve Morrison notes 'Though long recognised as an essential source for the anti-Treaty perspective on the Civil War, O'Malley's notoriously illegible handwriting has been it difficult for all but the most diligent to make effective use of them, and virtually impossible to construct an accurate overall assessment of his aims and methodology.

'All of the fourteen interviews had to be transcribed, edited and endnoted, and biographical sketches for all the interviewees had to be written,' said Siobhra.

The book also contains extensive endnotes 'so that readers not familiar with the context of the interviews can follow the narratives, and also to provide more information and insights to the more eager historian.'

Naturally, given that her great grandfather was one of key figures interviewed in the book, Siobhra found it a fascinating challenge, although the book notes that he was 'reticent to speak about the revolutionary period for fear that would only 'bring the whole thing up again'.

Born into a sturdy nationalist Catholic farming family from Camough, Co Armagh, Aiken had joined the local branch of the Gaelic League and Camlough Volunteers in 1914. He was just 23, when in March 1921, he was appointed Officer Commander of the 4th Northern Division of the IRA, which spanned across South and West Down, all of Armagh and North Louth, and was one of the more active and organised divisions in the North. It was also an area in which extreme acts of violence were committed by both sides. For Aiken, this period was traumatic and was marked by a number of deep personal losses. His family home was burnt down in December 1920 which meant he was on the run from this time on. His sister Nano was interned without trial during the Civil War and was one of the last female republican prisoners to be released in May 1924.

'It is not surprising, therefore, that he refused to speak about this period and even burnt his Civil War papers,' says Siobhra. 'Much of our family conversations about Frank Aiken are attempts to understand and unearth stories that have been hidden for two generations.'

She says that 'when working on this book, for example, I discovered that Aiken's first cousin, Annie Cardwell (a Cumann na mBan member) was accidentally shot during the civil war when aiding Anti-Treaty escapees from the Curragh Camp. This was never passed on and we would never have know about this incident if it weren't for the fact that Ernie O'Malley took it on himself in the 1950s to conduct the interviews included in this book.'

'Another aspect of the book was making contact with all of the families involved and tracking down photos of all of the interviewees, six of whom were active in the area of the Fourth Northern Divisions,' she explained.

These were Michael O'Hanlon from Mullaghbawn, Michael Donnelly,from Lower Creegan, John McCoy, from Mullaghbawn Michael Murney, from Killowen, Co Down, Patrick McLogan, from Clady, Co Armagh, and her own great grandfather Frank Aiken.

'These interviews provide fresh and frank insights into the centrality of the North of the country in the War of Independence and the slide towards Civil War and will be essential to our understanding of this period as we continue with the decade of centenaries.'

The book will the launched in the Oriel Centre in Dundalk Gaol on Thursday 17th May at 7.30pm which is a highly apt location given that Frank Aiken was a prisoner in the gaol himself, but escaped along with 105 of his men after a mine was detonated outside the gaol's wall.There are families in Louth who are living 'in fear' and under the 'intimidation' of individuals operating in the drug trade, according to Garda Chief Supt. Christy Mangan.

The garda chief spoke at the recent Louth Joint Policing Committee forum, where concerns about the impact of the illegal drugs trade were raised.

He explained that drugs intimidation was a particular problem in the Ardee district, adding that gardai had launched an enquiry in relation to a number of families who faced intimidation as a result of debts owed by family members. Charges had been brought in relation in assaults, he added.

The meeting heard that these 'debts' often arise after someone has agreed to sell or transport drugs. But in the instances when they are lost to another dealer, or perhaps are seized by gardai, this person is then asked to pay compensation for the drugs. If they do not, pressure and intimidation is often applied directly to family and loved ones.

Chief Supt. Mangan added that families are often faced with the situation where they agree to pay a certain amount. But this will not be the end of the matter, as more money is often later sought. He said that agreeing to pay was a 'no win situation' as it would not bring the intimidation and fear to an end.

He told the meeting that he had experience in dealing with these issues, having worked in the National Drugs Unit for ten years. He accepted that families may be living in fear, but said it was important for them to come and talk to the gardai about their situation,as there were options open to them.

'They may not be in a position to give evidence in court, but there are options available to them in the aim to charge and convict.' Working with the Criminal Assets Bureau was another possible solution.

'It is amazing what happens when a light is shone on particular people.'

The garda chief said that a lot of resources had gone into tackling the drugs trade in general across Louth. This was borne out in recent crime statistics for Louth.

In the Ardee area alone, there was a 700% increase in detections of drugs being made available for sale or supply. The number of detections of drugs possession was up by 250%. Overall, the rate of searches in the district in relation to drugs offences was up by 120%.

Cllr Ruari O Mhurchu asked about the timeline for a drugs unit. Chief Supt. Mangan said that extra members were being appointed to both Dundalk and Drogheda.The scene at Carrickarnon during a Border Communities Against Brexit demonstration

Policing the 36 border crossings in Louth will be a 'major challenge' after Brexit, according to the head of the Louth Garda division.

Chief Supt. Christy Mangan spoke at the joint Louth Policing Committee meeting last week, where he highlighted the challenges that lay ahead in policing the border after Britain and Northern Ireland leave the European Union in 2019.

The garda chief said he had a 'very frank meeting' with the Minister for Justice who was in Dundalk last week, where he laid out the difficulties that the force will face after Brexit.

He said he made it clear that there was no way in which to man all 36 border crossings.

He pointed out that the logistics of sealing a border, with so many crossing points, were extremely difficult.

The demands on personnel alone would be huge.

'It would be very taxing and difficult for gardai to police the border, and there is no other of saying it.'

But he insisted that co-operation with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) would continue.

He told the Joint Policing Committee that in relation to resources overall, there was a steady stream of young gardai graduating from Templemore College, with the local division gaining eight new gardai in the last round.

These additional numbers enabled him to put extra resources into certain units, such as the drugs unit.

But he said he had raised serious concerns about the division being left without a Detective inspector, who retires later this month.

There was also currently no Garda Supt, in the Ardee division, with the Drogheda based Supt. Andrew Watters taking on both roles.

He said that this was 'not a good situation to be in' adding that it wasn't clear when the vacancy in Ardee would be filled again.

He said there were a range of vacancies across Drogheda, Dundalk and Ardee.

Chief Supt. Mangan said that while four years ago there were seven inspectors dealing with 61 portfolios, there are now just two inspectors dealing with the same workload, along with their duties in attending court.

He added that the provision of 'front line supervision' was essential to the force.

He said that he had raised these concerns about the Louth division with the Assistant Garda Commissioner.Greystones has a new Peace Commissioner following the recent appointment of Alice O'Donnell to the role.

Alice was appointed as a Peace Commissioner by Charlie Flanagan, Minister for Justice and Equality.

Speaking after accepting the nomination, Alice said, 'I'm honoured and privileged to accept this voluntary position.'

A Peace Commissioner is an honorary appointment made in Ireland by the Minister for Justice and Equality. The powers and duties of Peace Commissioners consist primarily of taking statutory declarations and witnessing signatures on documents as required by various authorities. It is an honorary position and Peace Commissioners do not charge a fee for their service.

Alice said: 'There is a considerable demand for Peace Commissioners in the area. I have already witnessed signatures on several forms for local teachers who will deliver extra tuition to children with autism during the summer months.

'I'm delighted to have been considered for this position by the Minister for Justice. It is a key priority of his to encourage more women to undertake the role. I envisage that my appointment will further enhance the work that I do as a Fine Gael local area representative in Greystones local electoral area. I will undertake the duties of this appointment with integrity and I am very much looking forward to assisting local residents in my new role as a Peace Commissioner.'

Alice can be contacted at aliceodonnellfg@gmail.com.Greystones cake artist Loraine Cox was awarded a silver medal at her first appearance at the The Irish Sugarcraft Show for her lifelike sculpture highlighting the plight of sea turtles.

Organised by the Dublin Sugarcraft Guild, competitors from all over the country presented their designs at the CityWest Hotel to be scrutinised by internationally renowned judges. Crowds thronged the venue throughout the weekend, with many drawn to the 'Endangered Species Section.'

'I entered this section to try to use my art to bring awareness about the plight of these beautiful creatures', said Loraine.

Loraine saw for herself the impact pollution is having on marine life when she lived in Indonesia.

'Seeing these creatures up close while diving was beautiful, but our pollution is killing them', she said.

To spread his environmental message, 'Freddie the turtle' is planning to visit the local primary schools in the area over the next few weeks. He will also be on display at the Kilruddery House Farmers Market every Saturday.

Loraine runs her own business, Devoted to Cakes, which prides itself on its high quality and handcrafted products. As an eco-friendly company, Loraine uses a single piece of card to produce each container, fulfilling one of her core maxims: 'more products, less packaging'. Additionally, the packaging doubles as a reusable art project to encourage her customers to explore their artistic capabilities and enjoy the experience.Work has started on the new housing development on the site of the La Touche Hotel.

Last week, the developer moved in on the site and started work on the 22 new houses and five tall terraced houses.

Cllr Derek Mitchell welcomed the work saying: 'The site has been derelict and an eyesore for 15 years so it is good to see progress. It will be disruptive for those living and working next to it but it does need doing.'

The new houses will be timber frame and be made mostly off site and craned into place. This is quicker and less disruptive than traditional construction. Overall it is expected to take 18 months to complete.

'The first four months will be spent knocking down the modern structures and putting in foundations. This will be the most disruptive part, though there will be independent vibration monitoring at three locations. Most trucks will use the sea side entrance as the land side road is narrow,' said Cllr Mitchell.

'The developer met the people immediately adjoining the site, who will be most affected by the work, and outlined the plans. I asked that the images of the completed scheme would be put on the hoardings so that people could envisage the final scheme on this very prominent site.'Centre Stage School will hold their annual (matinee and evening) shows called 'Footwork' at Cork Opera House on Sunday, May 20, showcasing the talents of their many students.

As part of this year's production, they have put together a routine in aid of 'Anna's Dream to Dance' involving several Centre Stage School students and their fathers. 7 Year old Mallow native, Anna Browne was diagnosed with a Cerebral Palsy, Spastic Displagia and Cortical Visual Impairment last year and was a student at Centre Stage School until her legs became too weak to dance, and she now faces daily pain and discomfort.

However, there is hope for Anna; there is a surgical team based in America that could ease her suffering with a surgical operation, and her family have set up a GoFundMe page called 'Anna's Dream to Dance' in aid of the 100,000 required for the procedure. In an effort to help them towards this goal, Centre Stage School have set up 'Daddy and Me Dance for Anna' GoFundMe page and 17 very brave and noble daddies have agreed to perform with their daughters in the Cork Opera House in aid of this very special cause.It's a long way from Kanturk to Calcutta and the difference between life in both places was brought sharply into focus for a group of teenagers from the north Cork town who recently visited the bustling Indian city.

Colaiste Treasa students Julie O'Keeffe, Elaine Daly, Niamh Browne, Anna Buckley, Zara Murphy and Emma Norton travelled with a teacher, Sheila Vaughan, to Calcutta to see the incredible work being done by the Hope Foundation to shine some light into the lives of poverty stricken people in the city.

Nicknamed 'The City of Joy', Calcutta (or Kolkata, reflecting its original Bengali pronunciation) is a pulsating and colourful city with a population roughly equivalent to that of Ireland. Arriving there, westerners are often shell-shocked by its vibrant sights and sounds.

Despite the appalling poverty that also exists throughout the city, visitors are often stuck by the fact that its people live up to Calcutta's nickname - with their boundless happiness belying the fact that they are among the poorest people in the world.

Emma succinctly summed up the city in a single sentence when she told Niamh agreed, saying the trip offered the group to witness with their own eyes a level of poverty that has to be seen to be realised.

"Prior to fundraising, we had the mindset that we were raising money for the Hope Foundation," she said. "But, after seeing the work they have been doing, we now feel we were fundraising for the people whose lives have been completely changed by our efforts."

Before heading out to India the girls raised a staggering 20,000 between them. To put this in perspective, it costs just 250 to put a child in Calcutta through school for a year.

This is further underscored by the fact that the 'Protection Home' they visited during the trip, a place where street-children are housed by the Foundation, costs just 9,000 to run annually.

In total, the Hope Foundation funds and operates more than 60 projects in the city dealing with a variety of issues including child protection, education, healthcare and nutrition.

The group visited some of these projects during their visit and even took part in nightly ambulance runs.

"The work that Hope does (in Calcutta) has really opened my eyes and left me with memories that I will cherish forever" says Julie.

Sheila Vaughan said each member of the group was inspired by the people they met during the trip.

"We now value everything we have in life as it has put things into perspective for all of us and we are forever grateful to have received this life-changing opportunity of traveling to India," she said.

During the trip the group also got to explore Indian culture through a city tour which included a visit to Mother Theresa's home and tomb and a tour of the Ganges River.

"I was really honoured to have experienced and witnessed the Indian culture and their ways of living," said Anna.

Despite the poverty they encountered, Zara said it was "almost impossible to be sad in a city that has so much happiness and purity at its heart".

"The children are so grateful for anything they receive even if it's only a single balloon. The smallest of things create the biggest smiles," she said.

On behalf of the group Zara thanked everyone who donated money and made the trip possible.

"Because of you children in Kolkata are being rescued from harsh living conditions and are given a second shot at life. We are all so grateful to have been a part of something so life-changing, heart-warming and pure," she said.People across the north Cork region have been urged to avail of a Cork County Council initiative to adapt the homes of the elderly and those with a disability or mobility problems.

Under the Housing Adaptation Grants Scheme successful applicants will receive a grant to make necessary changes to their homes that will allow them to remain living independently within their own communities.

Funding of 5.6 million has been set aside by the government and the local authority for the scheme, which has three key elements.

The housing adaptation grant helps cover the cost of structural works to the homes of people living with a disability such as the building of extensions and the installation of ground floor bedrooms.

The mobility aids housing grant helps with the cost of installing essential items such as access ramps, hand rails, showers, smoke alarms and stair lifts. The housing aid for older people category (for applicants over 66) makes provision for essential repairs such as rewiring, dry lining and the replacement of doors and windows, particularly in older houses.

Funding of up to 30,000 per applicant is available under the housing adaptation grant, 6,000 under the under the mobility aids grant and 8,000 under the housing aid for older people initiative.

Cllr John Paul O'Shea (FG) has welcomed the roll-out of the 2018 grants scheme, pointing out that the total funding allocated to Cork County Council this year had been increase by 600,000 on the previous years allocation.

"Over recent years there has been a huge volume of activity under the auspices of this scheme, with an ever increasing demand for money to undertake what are often essential adaptations. These works are vital in that they allow people to remain living in their own homes and communities," said Cllr O'Shea.

Cllr O'Shea said changes in the eligibility criteria under scheme in recent years should not put people off from applying for grants.

"Assisting older people and those with mobility problems and disabilities to continue to live in their own homes and communities has been one of my top priorities as a public representative," he said.

"It is crucially important that the most in need of funding under this important scheme can avail of the appropriate adaptations to their homes," he said.

For more information about the scheme visit www.corkcoco.ie and follow the links to the housing section or the section directly at County hall on 021 427 6891.

Cllr O'Shea said the allocation of funding for adaptations to local authority housing in Cork is due to be announced shortly.Olivia and Ava Macey with Emily and Mary Murray taking a look at some of Betty OConnells potatoes during the Open Day at Coughlans Farm in Buttevant

Johnny Gleeson of AgriAware with Michael, Ann and John Coughlan, Sean Kelly MEP and Helena Coughlan and Lil the dog

Despite the fact that the agriculture sector is a crucial pillar of the Irish economy, many people not directly involved in the industry remain unaware of its inner workings.

In fact, recent research commissioned by Agri Aware, the Irish agri-food educational body, revealed that one in ten Irish people have never even set foot on a farm and of those who have, one-third have not done so for the at least five years.

More than half respondents said the main reason for not doing so was that had simply had not had the opportunity to visit a farm.

Agri Aware director Deirdre O'Shea said that as our society becomes increasingly urbanised, people have lost the connection with the work farmers do and the food they consume each day.

"Our research showed that people would welcome the opportunity to visit a working farm to see how their food is produced," she said.

In response to this Agri Aware last Monday held its inaugural National Open Farm Day at four locations around the country, including John and Ann Coughlan's farm in Buttevant.

The Coughlan's opened their gates to the public for the day, offering visitors the opportunity to see exactly what happens on a working farm, see at first hand how our food is produced and learn about the process it goes through to get from 'farm to fork'.

Over the course of the day visitors enjoyed a cookery demonstration using local produce by chef Lily Higgins and talk with John and Ann about what daily life is live on a farm. The 'kids zone' also held lots of fun interactive activities with a farming theme.

A spokesperson for Agri Aware said the day proved to be a huge success, with more than 2,000 visitors visiting the Coughlan's farm over the course of the day.

"The farm was a busy hive of activity on the day. There was an even mix of people including some from the local farming community and many who have never been on a farm in their lives before," said the spokesperson.

"It was a real eye-opening experience for some and a wonderful way for them to see at first hand where their food comes from and get a greater appreciation of the work that goes on behind the scenes every day on farms across the country."Enniscorthy was well represented for National Poetry Day as some of the finest local poets from the area gathered to read a selection of their work and some of their personal favourites. The line-up included Literary Festival Poetry Prize winner Maria Clifford, Oliver Goldsmith International Award winner John Kelly, Irish Times best-selling author Sheila Forsey and Betty Thompson whose work has featured in a number of periodicals and on the websites of the likes of the Irish Film Institute.

The poems on the evening covered a wide range of topics and it was a first for Sheila who read her poetry in public for the very first time, garnering much praise in the process.

Librarian Jarlath Glynn thanked all of the poets who took part and noted that it was wonderful to see such fine local literary talent flourish. It was a great literary evening for the town with The Wexford Literary Festival also launching the same night. He also added that there would be another poetry event taking place in the library on Friday, June 22, when Eamonn Wall will launch a new collection of poetry by the legendary Paddy Kehoe. He encouraged anyone with an interest in literature to come along.There was evidence of the growing discontent in Bunclody surrounding the Millrace Hotel as around 200 people piled into The River's Edge for an emergency meeting. The hotel, which was under the management of The McGettigan Group, was put on the market back in July of last year, however, things have escalated in recent weeks with the hotel now operating on a massively reduced basis. Wedding couples who had been due to celebrate their big day at the Bunclody hotel were also handed back their deposits and told their big day wouldn't be going ahead there.

A degree of mystery has surrounded the hotel with strong rumours circulating locally that it was to be sold to a group who intend to transform it into a nursing home. The hotel owners have been conspicuous in their silence and have been unavailable for comment for the past three weeks. The hotel's landline numbers are no longer operational and the only contact that can be made with the hotel is via a mobile number posted on their Facebook page, which is only answered periodically.

Residents from around the Bunclody area called last week's meeting in a bid to fight to keep a hotel in the town and to state publicly that they will oppose any attempt to change the use of the building from a hotel.

The meeting was chaired by Derek Nally who said that the huge crowd was a real indication of the concern the community had and he welcomed elected representatives from both sides of the Wexford/Carlow border. Minister Paul Kehoe was joined councillors Barbara Anne Murphy, Kathleen Codd Nolan and Willie Kavanagh, while TD Pat Deering and Cllr Charlie Murphy made the journey from Carlow.

Mr Nally spoke of how Bunclody had been given the tag of the most economically depressed town in Ireland in recent years and the great measures that had gone into reversing this. 'Now when we're finally moving in the right direction and making a bit of progress, one of the most important tourism aspects of the town is closing down.'

Mr Nally said that there had also been rumours of the hotel being used to house asylum seekers, but he said that this was not the case, a point followed up on by Deputy Deering. Cllr Barbara Anne Murphy spoke of the huge impact the loss of the hotel would have on the town. 'I'm not against a second nursing home for Bunclody,' she said. 'But not if we have to sacrifice our hotel for it. I will battle to prevent this at all costs.'

Minister Kehoe pledged the support of his office to the local community in their bid to retain a hotel in the town and said he would contact the committee for updates. Similarly Deputy Deering commented on the level of community spirit that exists in Bunclody and pledged his support, saying that he would be happy to encourage potential buyers to take over the hotel. Cllr Murphy added that she knew of at least two parties that were interested in taking over the hotel, one of which is rumoured to be a local hotelier. Cllr Kathleen Codd Nolan said that getting a committee together was the first step and said 'surely it would be possible to meet someone from the hotel'.

There was quite a bit of anger directed towards the current management of the hotel from the assembled crowd. Ms Marcella Dunne questioned: 'Where are the management of the hotel? Why aren't they here? It would be common manners to put their nose in the door.'

The consensus from the meeting is that the current management failed to engage with the community at all. Mr Nally said that Managing Director Neil McGettigan had previously indicated to him that the hotel never got the support of the local community, something which those assembled took great offence at.

'Neil McGettigan never cared from day one,' said Mick Kehoe of The River's Edge. 'He seemed to think the world revolved around him and that doesn't work in small towns. He made it nearly impossible to have business in there. It was run into the ground. To insult the town and say we didn't support the hotel is very unfair. He wasn't capable of running that hotel and it was never going to be a success with him in charge.'

Representing Enniscorthy & District Chamber, Michael Bennett pointed out that the McGettigan Group was extremely successful and that maybe the community should try reaching out to them again. 'These are very successful hoteliers in Ireland, the US, the UAE..they are a strong outfit. This is not the first hotel they've closed though. They had another one up the country run by a member of the family that got into difficulty. Maybe contact should be made with the family in Donegal?'

The meeting concluded with the formation of a committee, which included Cllrs Barbara Anne Murphy, Kathleen Codd Nolan and Charlie Murphy, chaired by Mr Derek Nally. They vowed to keep people updated as the situation develops and to try and make contact with the owners in the meantime.

However, one woman seemed to sum up the thoughts of those present when she said: 'If somebody is ready to buy it, let the word go out tonight. We will object to changing it from a hotel every step of the way.'

Management were said to have held a meeting with members of staff at the hotel the next day and it is believed they were told that if the new owners do happen to keep the building as a hotel, their jobs will be retained. However, they still face massive uncertainty, something which councillor Barbara Anne Murphy branded 'extremely unfair'.Skerries will be alive with the sound of traditional music, later this month as the popular Skerries Traditional Music Weekend returns to the coastal town for the 17th time.

Skerries Traditional Music Weekend will take place from May 18 to May 20 of in the picturesque seaside town of Skerries. Skerries will play host to a weekend packed with music, song and dance where leading artists will travel to the coastal town and join with locals and visitors in a celebration of our unique Irish heritage.

The festival is now deeply embedded in the annual social calendar in Skerries and is always a lively part of the town's busy and all year round festival programme.

Organisers of the festival have lined up a great selection of top class individual traditional musicians who will be participating throughout this great festival weekend and the varied programme of events will include formal concerts, recitals, tutoring and pub sessions.

Artists such as Mary Bergin, Dermot Byrne, Michelle Mulcahy, Dermy Diamond, Mick O'Brien, Tara Diamond, Mairead Casey, Conal O Grada and many, many more will be all be taking part over a jam-packed weekend of the best in Irish traditional music.

There will be great sessions during the weekend which will include a Singing Session, Slow Session for Adults and a Teenage Session aimed at providing an opportunity for young musicians to play together and sample the session atmosphere.

Local musician, James O'Mahony will lead the way to some of the local schools accompanied by a team of musicians to perform and interact with the primary school students. Skerries Traditional Music Weekend is proud to be involved in this Outreach Programme which over the years has nurtured a keen interest in traditional music among the younger members of the local community

Skerries Traditional Music Weekend is very grateful to Fingal County Council, Progressive Credit Union Limited, The Moriarty Group and the local businesses of Skerries.

The opening concert of the weekend will see a stage full of traditional music legends at the Little Theatre.

'KGB', a traditional music super group made up of Paddy Keenan, Frankie Gavin and Dermot Byrne will perform on the opening Friday night of the festival at 8pm in The Little Theatre venue.

Progressive Credit Union Limited are proud to sponsor this Opening Concert. Tickets are available now by contacting a member of our Committee on 087 6528643 or book online at www.skerriestraditionalmusic.com

The festival sees trad fans swarm to the village each year and this 17th running of the festival is bigger and better than ever and it promises to be an unmissable event for trad lovers.Eleven species of bat have been recorded in Ireland and the largest of these is Leisler's Bat.

The animal was first described by the eighteenth century German naturalist Heinrich Kuhl and he named the bat in commemoration of the German scientist Johann Leisler.

Globally, the species' range is from Ireland across mainland Europe and into the Near East. It extends south to North Africa and is found in the Canary Islands and Madeira. Its range doesn't extend northwards father than the southern extremities of Scotland. Interestingly, there is a large outlying population in Pakistan, Afghanistan and the foothills of the Himalayas.

It is reported to be widespread throughout its range where it occurs from sea level to altitudes of 2,400m. However, some Leisler's Bat populations have suffered declines, even extinctions. The Irish population is the largest in Europe and the species is common and widespread here.

Leisler's Bat has golden reddish-brown fur, darker above and paler below. It has a flattish, dark brown face, small eyes and large ears for picking up sounds when it is hunting in the dark. Its main prey are Yellow Dung Flies, moths and other insects.

At this time of year pregnant females have emerged from hibernation and are congregating at traditional maternity roosts. Fifty or more females gather and roost communally waiting to give birth. Males play no part in the birth of their offspring and live a solitary life scattered throughout the countryside.

Females give birth to a single pup in June so the population doubles in the roost. Things can get noisy when all the babies start crying to be suckled as their mothers return to the roost after hunting for food for themselves.

By August the pups are weaned and are foraging outside. Consequently, the nursery roost begins to break up. Males congregate at traditional mating sites and call to the females to join their harems.

In September, the females join the males and mate. The females store the males' sperm in their bodies, travel to find a suitable hibernation site and start to hibernate as autumn closes in and flying insects become scarce.

Fertilisation is delayed. The arrival of early spring triggers the stored sperm to fertilise an egg so that when the females emerge from hibernation they will be pregnant and pupping time will be synchronised to coincide with the expectation of lots of insect food being available in June.Anam Cara North Dublin, an organisation that supports bereaved parents, is hosting its monthly parent evening on Wednesday, May 16 of May from 7.30pm to 9pm in the Carnegie Court Hotel in Swords,

The meeting offers parents a safe and comfortable forum where they can connect with other bereaved parents who will understand the depth of their grief and loss. A parent who attended a recent Anam Cara North Dublin meeting said: 'What I heard was so familiar to me, I felt less alone and understood.'

Anam Cara CEO, Sharon Vard stressed that this event is open to all bereaved parents regardless of the age of the child or children, the circumstances of their death, or whether this was recent or not. Anam Cara services are offered free of charge, one of the fathers who attends the group said: 'There is no pressure to talk, yet you feel supported by the other parents who know how desperately hard it is after your child has died. Like so many bereaved parents Anam Cara has been my lifeline.'Several brilliant community action projects from Fingal youth clubs were recently showcased at the Aldi Foroige Youth Citizenship Awards in Dublin.

One of the groups exhibiting at the CityWest Hotel, Club Oige Feachtas Baile Brigin, won a bronze star award for their project which involved a clothes and food drive for the homeless.

More than 2,000 young people, representing every county in Ireland showcased their community action projects at the Awards, focused on improving the entrants' local communities in areas such as equality, homelessness, inclusion, community events, mental health, culture and much more.

Commenting at the Awards, Sean Campbell, CEO of Foroige said: 'The Aldi Foroige Youth Citizenship Awards programme is designed to empower young people across Ireland to use their skills and talents to make a positive contribution to their local community.'

This year was the fourth year Aldi has partnered with Foroige to support the Awards, having recently agreed a new three-year 900,000 partnership extension with the youth organisation.

Skerries Foroige Club presented a project that consisted of an animal welfare campaign and fundraiser for Dogs Trust and the DSPCA. ThThe group created a leaflet to hand out in schools dealing with animal welfare and how to care for dogs. They collected blankets and dog toys which they donated to Dogs Trust. They also fundraised 350 for Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Naul Foroige Club held what they called 'An Intergenerational Afternoon Tea'. The young people of Naul felt it was important to get to know senior members of their community and decided to organise an afternoon tea. The group introduced themselves to the Senior Citizens Club and extended an invite to them to afternoon tea. They created flyers and posters to reach more elderly people in the community that weren't already involved in the Senior Citizens Club.

Balbriggan Youth Committee held An event to promote friendship between schools in the area. Balbriggan Youth Committee were aware of the tensions that existed between students from the three local secondary schools. They decided to tackle this by inviting five students from each school to an event to build friendships and understanding. They organised food, bingo, ice breakers, refreshments, a speaker, Irish dancing and a piano piece to facilitate relationship building.

The Wednesday Group in Skerries, organised a shoebox appeal for the homeless in Dublin City Centre. The growing social issue of homelessness sparked the Skerries Wednesday group to organise a shoebox appeal for the homeless in Dublin City Centre. The group collected empty shoe boxes for Christmas and wrapped them and collected scarves, clothes, hats and gloves, toothpaste, toothbrush, hand cream, books, notepads and pens to fill the boxes.

In each box they included a stamped envelope. The group walked through the city and handed boxes and sandwiches to the homeless along Grafton street, O'Connell Street, Tara Street and the bridges on the Liffey.

Club Oige Feachtas Baile Brigin, held a clothes and food drive for the homeless. Many in the club attend Gaelcholaiste na Mara an Irish language secondary school, so the group spoke to their Priomoide and asked if they could have permission to hold a clothes drive and food drive for Inner City Help for the Homeless (ICHH) in their school. They got clothes, runners, toothpaste, chocolate, noodles, cup a soups and Easter Eggs.

North Fingal GYDP, also had a project to raise awareness of and funds for homelessness. This group wanted to do something positive to support the homelessness. They spoke to a local homeless shelter to find out what people needed at that time of year. They then linked in with a volunteer-led music group to present a carol singing event in a local shopping centre to fundraise for hampers. They visited the shelter to see how people in homeless accommodation experienced day to day life, and presented the hampers and the money they raised.

YouthBank Fingal held a tech week and career day to inspire young people of possible career choices. YouthBank Fingal hosted a career day and tech week to inspire young people with possible career choices and to meet experts working in the field of STEM and other professions. They sent out flyers, invited experts and prepared the venue.Fingal's rural towns and villages are being encouraged to apply for some 15 million in funding will be available for rural towns and villages across Ireland through the 2018 Town and Village Renewal Scheme,

Over the next 15 months, up to 200 towns and villages throughout the country, including Fingal, will benefit from funding under the scheme, which will be made available through Local Authorities to support rural regeneration.

The scheme is specifically targeted at rural towns and villages with populations of less than 10,000.

Deputy Alan Farrell TD welcomed the funding saying: 'This funding will benefit up to 200 towns and villages right across Ireland including here in the North County. The towns and villages of rural Ireland are the heart and soul of our rural communities and it is crucial that we revitalise these areas.'

He explained: 'The scheme will again be administered in the North County through Fingal County Council. I want to encourage towns and villages in Dublin Fingal to work with Fingal County Council in preparing innovative and well thought-out projects under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and I look forward to the announcement of the successful recipients of funding in the coming months'.

Senator James Reilly also welcomed the scheme, saying: 'I know our local businesses and local communities will work hard to develop and implement ideas with Fingal County Council that can make a real and sustainable impact in revitalising rural towns and villages across the country.'

He advised@ 'In order to avail of funding through the scheme, Fingal Co Council will be required to advertise for expressions of interest from towns and villages and will select proposals for development into detailed applications to be submitted to the Department by the end of June.

'The final project selection will be made in July by the Department of Rural and Community Development. Successful projects will be expected to commence by year-end and can run throughout 2019.'Pictured at Libraries Poetry Day competition prize presentation in Fingal Co Cos Atrium is Fabiana, Josh & Isadora Bastos, Marcelo Pereira

Pictured at Libraries Poetry Day competition prize presentation in Fingal Co Cos Atrium is Fiona, Callum and Jodie Brennan

Fingal's young poets were recognised by Fingal Libraries recently as it awarded prizes to the winners of a county-wide poetry competition to celebrate Poetry Day.

Winners of Fingal Libraries Poetry Day competition were presented with prizes recently by the Mayor of Fingal Cllr. Mary McCamley in County Hall, Swords, to celebrate Poetry Day Ireland.

The theme for this year's Poetry Day was 'Poetry Surprises'. Fingal Libraries' poetry project and competition: Eist agus Beir Iontas / Listen and Surprise, invited people of all ages to respond to a selection of poems by Irish poets (in English and Irish) with their own creative work in any medium.

The three winners of the competition were Iseult McDonnell in the under 12s category, Callum Brennan in 12 to 18 category and Helen Dempsey in the over 18s category.

Congratulating the winners, Mayor McCamley said: 'I am so impressed by the poetry submitted to the Poetry Day competition. It is a great reflection of the talent and creativity available in Fingal.'

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, Paul Reid also attended the event. He said: 'I am delighted to see Poetry Day being celebrated in Fingal. It is a great opportunity to recognise Fingal's talented writers and poets, of all ages and backgrounds.'

Following the presentation of prizes, the competition winners were photographed with the Mayor McCamley, the Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, Mr. Paul Reid, and poet Maighread Medbh, who was also one of the judges of the competition.

All of the entries to the competition are available to view on Fingal Libraries Poetry Day Tumblr page.

The evening finished with 'The Ear's Mind', a performance of poems by Maighread Medbh.Myself and The Teenager are off to Ed Sheeran this week. I am beyond excited. He - not so much. I think having to go to one of the biggest concerts of the summer with his Dear Old Mam has taken the shine off.

'Well he can't go on his own. He's too young. He's not 16 till June,' said Captain Sensible AKA Himself.

'I went to a concert in the RDS with my friend when I was just 16. I drank three pints of cider in some dodgy pub off Grafton Street and ended up being carted off to the Order of Malta tent just before Bono came on. I was devastated,' I told them, omitting the part that we had to spend the night in Store Street police station because we couldn't remember my friend's sister's address and we didn't know her phone number!

The Teenager is not impressed. 'See?! Look what she got up to at my age! I wouldn't be stupid enough to do anything like that.' His father isn't budging though and insists on me chaperoning the Almost 16 Year Old. How good a chaperone I'll be is another matter.

'You don't have to tell him EVERYTHING you did when you were his age you know,' he hissed at me. 'I haven't. I haven't told him about the time I drank the home made apricot wine and got sick in the toilets of the disco and had to be carried out by my brother and his friends!'

'Jesus Christ Almighty you were a reprobate!' my husband tells me in a manner which makes me think he's having second thoughts about marrying me.

The thing is I don't think I was a reprobate. I was silly and giddy and made stupid mistakes but how do any of us learn if we don't make mistakes?

I reckon I know practically every trick in the teenage delinquent handbook so it's pretty hard to get one over on me.

'Will we bring a naggin in my handbag?' I say to the Teenager only half joking. 'Maaaaam! You are NOT to bring a naggin in your handbag. You won't be let in.' I told him I'd hide it down my underwear. It's amazing what you can get down a pair of spanx. The poor child is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

'You're sending me to a concert with her?! She's worse than any teenager. I'd probably get into less trouble without her,' he shouts, his patience wearing thin.

So the upshot is I'm going to see Ed Sheeran with my teenage son. I'm not allowed get drunk, go to the front of the stage or dance and sing in a manner which might draw attention to myself. Teenagers these days take themselves far too seriously.

Never been to a concert without a naggin before!At a recent county meeting of Wexford Community Games sympathies and were expressed to a number of families who suffered bereavements in recent times.

Condolences were extended to the family of the late Chris Culleton, from the Piercestown/Murrintown area, who died following a brave battle with illness.

Mr Culleton was a stalwart member of his local area committee and was also a former County Secretary and County Chairperson. Sympathies were also extended to the wife and family of the late Toddy Moore, Kilmore, who was recently laid to rest. Mr Moore was one of the founding members of Wexford Community Games in the late 1960`s, alongside Bill Esmonde, Jim French, Peter Byrne and a number of volunteers.

A committee member highlighted that Mr Moore 'devoted much of his energy and time to athletes in the county as well as at provincial and national level'. Condolences were also conveyed to Marie Mooney, Adamstown, and Catherine Doyle, Craanford, and their families on the recent death of their father, Noel Walsh. Both ladies are well known for being very active within their Community Games Areas. The recent passing of County President, Margaret McDermott's sister-in-law, was also marked at the meeting with expressions of sympathy.Africa Day will be celebrated in Wexford this month as part of a national programme of events.

Last Wednesday Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney launched a nationwide programme of events to mark Africa Day 2018, supported by Irish Aid.

These will include a flagship family day in the grounds of Farmleigh Estate in Dublin's Phoenix Park and regional events around the country.

In Wexford, Wexford County Council, along with Wexford Local Development, will host a 'Living Library' event. This event will see members of the African community living in Wexford share their personal stories of life in Africa, as well as their life in Ireland, with the wider community.

A celebration of African cuisine and culture will take place in Presentation Centre, Enniscorthy on Friday, May 25.At the launch of the Conscious Cup Campaign inThe Irish National Heritage Park, from left: Cllr Barbara Ann Murphy, Cliona Connolly (Wexford County Council), Sorcha Kavanagh (Conscious Cup Campaign), Co Council Chairman John Hegarty, Nadya Doyle (Climate Ambassador, CBS New Ross) and Maura Bell (Irish National Heritage Park)

Wexford County Council has launched a campaign to encourage people to cut down on waste by using reusable cups for their takeaway coffee and tea.

As part of the campaign, which was launched by the Cathaoirleach, Cllr John Hegarty, in the National Heritage Park, the local authority is also asking businesses to offer discounts to customers who present reusable cups to them when buying drinks.

Speaking at the launch, Cllr Hegarty, said the Conscious Cup Campaign (CCC) is aimed at reducing the number of disposable takeaway cups in the county.

He welcomed Sorcha Kavanagh, from the national Conscious Cup Campaign, to the park, and extended a special welcome to the representatives from Tidy Towns groups and local businesses who were in attendance.

Cllr Hegarty said everyone has a role to play in reducing waste and commented: 'We all need to play our part in becoming a more sustainable community.'

He praised the Tidy Towns groups for supporting the initiative and for the ongoing work they do to ensure communities around the county are litter-free as well as acknowledging businesses that are already participating in the campaign.

Ms Kavanagh said that in Ireland it's estimated that over two million disposable cups are discarded every day.

'These cannot be recycled due to the combination of plastic and paper and end up in landfill, or unfortunately, as litter on the sides roads in our towns, villages and countryside,' she said.

'The aim of this campaign is to reduce the number of disposable takeaway cups in County Wexford,' she added.

She also encouraged businesses to get involved by rewarding people who bring in their own cup with discounts.

Cafes and shops taking part in the initiative agree to offer customers a cash discount or a loyalty stamp when they bring in their own reusable cup.

Businesses that sign up will receive a free pack containing a door or window sticker, and a display poster.

They will also get free publicity across the Conscious Cup Campaign social media platforms and the business will also be geo-tagged on a live interactive map that will be viewable online.At the launch of Natasha OBriens Shayma Kamar in Fusion Cafe: Lekan Akinyeme, Michael Way (director), Natasha OBrien, Finbarr Delaney, Catherine Richard (producer) and Peter Murphy

A new play, by local writer Natasha O'Brien, focuses on the timely topic of the refugee crisis, following the fortunes of three people, at different stages of their journey, as they examine what it means to be a refugee in today's society.

The play 'Shayma Kamar: A Woman at War' will be performed at the National Opera House on May 17 to 19. It is directed by Michael Way, produced by Catherine Richard, and stars Natasha O'Brien, Finbarr Delaney and Lekan Akinyemi.

Theatre lovers gathered at Fusion Cafe in the National Opera House recently for the launch of the play, which was performed by Tom Mooney who commended the playwright's Brechtian approach to theatre in that she used it to mirror what was unacceptable in the shifting sands of society and challenge the audience to recognise social justice.

The evening was a mixture of launch and performance, with music from Secret Life and Martina Keane, and spoken word performances by Peter Murphy and Deirdre McGarry.

Speaking about the play, Natasha O'Brien said she wanted her writing to give a voice to people, pointing out that she had been writing since she was in school and got in trouble then for writing plays that tackled difficult subject matters.

She added that she would like the play to reach people who would not normally attend theatre, saying the play was nothing if it wasn't seen.

The refugee crisis, it was pointed out, was very relevant to Ireland. Irish naval services have, in the last three years, rescued over 16,000 people in the Mediterannean but images like that of Syrian child Alan Kurdi, washed up on a beach in Turkey, were powerful ones that showed the real cost of the conflict.

Natasha's previous plays include 'Parity of Pretence', which was staged at the National Opera House, and 'Against All Odds', which was written for International Women's Day.

She has worked an actor and director in TV, film, and theatre for over 16 years.

The show will run for three nights at 8 p.m. with a group only matinee on Friday, May 18 at 1 p.m. Tickets are available from www.nationaloperahouse.ie.Comic book heroes and villains leaped off the pages of graphic novels and onto the streets of Listowel over the weekend as the town celebrated its rebranded military festival and its inaugural Comic Fest.

Formerly the Listowel Military Tattoo, it returned with a flash bang and a few smoke grenade explosions as the Listowel History Festival - reflecting the huge variety on offer this year.

Given the great weather under which it all played out, Year One of the History Festival certainly hit its mark in a direct strike, bringing loads of Bank Holidaymakers into the North Kerry town for a weekend of fun.

It was as ever a poignant affair too, however. It might have shed the 'Tattoo' part, but it remains true to its original mission in commemorating all Irish soldiers to have served in conflict zones across the globe and at home.

In focus in this year's commemorations were the Irish soldiers who served in the Lebanon over the 40 years of Irelan's part in the UNIFIL peace-keeping mission there. Up to 47 Irish solders paid for it with their lives, something all were mindful of in Listowel on Saturday as the military parade - attended by scores of veterans - culminated in a wreath-laying ceremony.

The ceremony also saw one of Listowel's own - honoured for his years of service in the Irish Army - as festival organiser Damian Stack presented Brendan Healy Lt Col RTD with a special framed piece marking the Defence Forces roles overseas.

Brendan Healy served as a lieutenant in the Lebanon in 1979, at the outset of a distinguished career that took him right across the world; including a stint in Afghanistan in 2003.

The weekend also saw the first ever Kerry Comic Fest held in the Listowel Arms on Sunday with scores dressed as their favourite comic-book characters, from the Joker to Judge Dredd and much more, amid loads of fascinating items and memorabilia that struck a chord with comic fans.

The characters went down a treat with the younger festival-goers in a weekend jam-packed with excitement at seemingly every turn in the sun-soaked town.Four regions in Kerry are set to receive millions of Euro in funding for flood relief works with Tralee to be the biggest single beneficiary.

The county capital along with Kenmare, Abbeydorney and Banna have been included in a ten year 1 billion programme of Flood Relief Measures that were announced by Taoisaech Leao Varadkar and OPW Minister Kevin 'Boxer' Moran on Thursday.

The four Kerry schemes are part of the first 257 million tranche of funding under the scheme which will see flood protection measures provided in 50 areas nationwide.

This follows an assessment of 300 areas nationwide of which 118 were found to be vulnerable to floods. Of these the 50 announced last week were prioritised for delivery in the short term.

These schemes will all now proceed immediately to the detailed design and planning stage.

The Tralee scheme - which had been included in the Government's 'Ireland 2040' plan and where up to 1,000 homes and businesses have been deemed to be at risk from flooding - will receive 15 million.

Tralee is one of five large-scale projects included in Thursday's announcement.

Kenmare will benefit from funding of between 1million and 5 million while the schemes in Abbeydorney and Banna will receive 1 million each.

The planned flood defence works in Tralee and Kenmare will be overseen directly by the OPW while Kerry County Council will take responsibility for the works at Banna and Abbeydorney.

Minister Moran said he wanted to see defences built as fast as possible, and if local authorities had other schemes they believed should proceed, they should contact the OPW.The contract has been signed for the construction of 21 new housing units in Tralee.

The new homes will be developed at Killeen Road and are being constructed under the Rebuilding Ireland Programme.

On Friday the Mayor of Kerry Cllr John Sheahan, and the Mayor of Tralee, Cllr Norma Foley signed the contracts with contractor Ned O'Shea who will develop the housing units over the next 12 months.

Work on the 3.4m scheme is due to get underway in the next few weeks with an estimated completion date for the new development of May 2019.

The single-storey scheme consists of one three-bedroom house, eight two-bedroom units and twelve one-bedroom units.

The homes are being designed specifically to accommodate older people and people with special needs.

"I warmly welcome the commencement of construction of these new houses which will provide modern and comfortable facilities for many older residents and those with particular needs," said Mayor Norma Foley.

"It is wonderful to see this development being advanced under the Rebuilding Ireland programme and with the support of Kerry County Council and I look forward to the completion of these units at the earliest opportunity,' said Mayor Foley.

The entire development will be located on 1.25 hectares of land located just off the Killeen Road with provision for 34 parking spaces.

The proposal to build the new homes was first announced by Kerry County Council, two years ago, in May 2016. At the time St Vincent de Paul in Tralee said the houses were "long overdue".Maire Logue, Liz Dunn and Eilish Wren back at base with the fantastic gong for the nations best festival from the Irish Hospitality Awards

It couldn't have been more timely. Just four weeks out from the 47th annual celebration of the written word that is Listowel Writers' Week and the festival was named as the nation's best in the Irish Hospitality Awards.

As recognition goes, it doesn't get much better, sparking even greater excitement than is usually felt at this time of year in Writers' Week HQ.

Not least due to the competition the festival was up against - also in the running for the prize were leading lights like the Galway International Arts Festival, the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, the Cork Midsummer Festival and Donegal's Earagail Arts Festival to name just a few.

"We are absolutely delighted! It's fantastic recognition for everything we do in Listowel. It's fantastic to hear such good feedback from guests and agencies like Failte Ireland always but to actually have a physical trophy every member of the committee can see, look at and think 'I was a part of that' is priceless," Writers' Week chairperson Elizabeth Dunn told The Kerryman.

This is the last of Elizabeth's three years at the helm of an event which she has, clearly, come to help hone into one finely-tuned machine.

Elizabeth is a native of the UK, who made something of a reverse North Kerry pilgrimage in moving permanently from Cheltenham to these parts nearly ten years ago (now living in Athea) after falling in love with Ireland on a rain-soaked visit.

With a lifelong passion for literature and no little experience of the famous English literary festival experience, she is well placed to deliver a comparative appreciation of the Listowel product: "You really don't get it anywhere else. Whenever we're at other festivals there is always a real appreciation of the special magic Listowel has and it is down to the friendliness of the entire town.

"People will stop guests to help them with directions, the Tidy Towns are out ensuring Listowel is looking its very best and really, this prize, is a reflection on the work of everyone.

"I've been to many festivals in the UK over the years and the Listowel experience is quite different. We are not a 'hard-sell' festival driven by big publishing. Many of the UK festivals are all about the hard sell, very often with celebrity writers of different genres not necessarily literary.

"You don't get to meet the authors either at these events. But in Listowel you can find yourself sitting next to Colm Toibin or anyone and striking up conversation. The authors love it too and Listowel gets them in the mood for meeting people like few other places. In fact we get many authors coming back annually. 'Look I know I'm not on the list, but I'd really love to come back to Listowel. Of all the festivals I've been to it is the friendliest,' they frequently tell us!"

Wednesday May 30 - Sunday June 3New Ross and District Chamber is hosting an event next week that will focus attention on how to maximise the benefit of the digital age for local businesses.

The 'Switch on Your Business' seminar will take place on Friday, May 18, at 9 am in the Brandon House Hotel with registration at 8.30 am.

The event is being organised in conjunction with Wexford County Council and Bank of Ireland and the cost of attending will be 20 - inclusive of lunch.

A spokesperson for the Chamber told this newspaper that the aim of the event will be to give people the opportunity to learn more about digital marketing and social media and how both can be used to maximise business potential.

'It will also be a great opportunity to network with other businesses and get valuable tips on how to make the shift to online,' said the spokesperson.

The event is aimed at small and medium sized businesses and the organisers are expecting it will be a sell out due to the level of interest.

Those planning on going along are advised to book their place early.

For more information or to book a place contact New Ross and District Chamber on 051-425077 or email admin@newrosschamber.ieOur Lady of Lourdes secondary school students have qualified for the finals of the Young Social Innovators (YSI) awards in Croke Park today (Tuesday) through their successful UV Been Warned skin cancer campaign.

The students launched their national campaign about UV Rays to promote sun safety and to reduce the risk of skin cancer in the country in January and presented it at the regional finals in the Lyrath Estate Hotel in Kilkenny last week. A spokesperson for the group said: 'Our Young Social Innovators project is called UV Been Warned and is based on promoting sun safety. We had our showcase on April 23 at Lyrath Estate which was a great experience. We were all up on the stage doing our speeches. It was something new.'

The spokesperson said: 'Skin cancer has become the most common type of cancer in Ireland. We intend to make Irish people more aware of the risks of skin cancer and how to prevent skin cancer.'

The students have contacted the media, health care services, TDs, travel services, county councils, outdoor organisations, tourist organisations and the met office over recent months, as well as fundraising for the Irish Cancer Society.

The students were joined in Kilkenny by two other YSI groups from their school whose projects Pointless Pills and Phone Fever also impressed.

The UV Been Warned YSI group spokesperson Aoife Ryan said: 'We are delighted to get this far with our project. The main aim was to raise awareness about how damaging the sun can be to skin. We are so thrilled to have gotten so far and we are hoping to do our best in the competition.'

Students from Meanscoil Gharman in Enniscorthy also qualified for the finals.Work continues on the bridge over the River Barrow, which is expected to be completed early next year

People in the New Ross and south Kilkenny areas will finally be able to have their say on what the name of the longest bridge in Ireland - the New Ross Bypass bridge - should be.

Public submissions will be sought in the coming weeks by both Kilkenny and Wexford County Councils for Ireland's longest bridge (and what will be the longest bridge of its type in the world), which links both counties over the River Barrow, the second longest river in Ireland, from Dunganstown and Stokestown in County Wexford to the Pink Rock, Ballyverneen area in County Kilkenny.

The original name proposed by Wexford - the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge - caused controversy online with some commentators complaining that there are too many Kennedy family related names in the New Ross town area, leading to the whole naming process being delayed.

New Ross District Director Eamonn Hore said the bridge is costing around 90m to build and will be the longest in the country at 887m once it is completed early next year. The structure is a three-tower extradose bridge, which, at its height, is 36 metres above the Barrow, the highest in the country. It will be 26 metres longer than the Foyle Bridge in Derry and will feature nine spans, including two central spans of 230m.

Mr Hore said: 'Given the scale and importance of the bridge, both from a major infrastructural development point of view, and its socio-economic potential for New Ross and the entire south east region, a relevant and fitting name should be conferred on the bridge. It will be the longest bridge of its kind in the world. It's a significant engineering achievement.'

It was unanimously agreed at the joint meeting of Piltown Municipal District and New Ross Municipal District last May was that a steering group of six council officials be set. It was agreed that this steering group would adjudicate on the merits of the submitted names from the public and then recommend the most appropriate or worthiest names to both Municipal District Committees to make their final reserved function decision.

Submission forms are due to be available from May 28 with a six week window to the closing date of 5 p.m. on Friday, July 6.

Mr Hore said: 'The Steering Group should meet within two to four weeks thereafter to adjudicate on the submissions and agree on the names to be forwarded to the Municipal District Committees.'

Within a month the steering group will meet to consider submissions and recommend list of up to six names for consideration.

The steering group will then recommends names and submits a report to Municipal District Committees as part of their agendas for September's meeting, followed by a joint meeting before the end of September for councillors to formally ratify a name.

Councillor Fidelis Doherty said councillors want the public to have their say from later this month.

She explains what you will be asked for: 'There will be some questions asked where you suggest your proposed name, explain why you think it's a fitting name for the bridge. What relevance or connection this has to the area? What's the benefit to the area of this name? And finally, what effect, if any, will this name have on tourism, employment or the socio-economic development of the area.'

The public consultation phase will comprise part of the naming process for the bridge. 'You are invited to make a written submission, providing your preferred name for the bridge. A response to each of the questions is requested in order to make a valid submission.'

The Barrow Bridge - which lies 6km south of O'Hanrahan Bridge - will be the eight bridge built in the vicinity of New Ross town. The first was built by William Marshal, 'The Greatest Knight', and opened in 1207, followed by bridges built under orders from the English in 1313, 1450, 1649, 1796, 1869 and O'Hanrahan Bridge in 1967. New Ross was without a bridge for 150 years with a ferry bringing people between New Ross and Rosbercon.

Completed submission forms should be addressed N25 New Ross Bypass Bridge Naming Submission, c/o Wexford County Council, New Ross Municipal District, The Tholsel, New Ross or c/o Kilkenny County Council, Piltown Municipal District, Ferrybank Area Office, Ferrybank, Co. Kilkenny.

Submission forms can be posted or delivered to any Wexford County Council or Kilkenny County Council Office.

Completed email submissions go to bridge@wexfordcoco.ie or bridge@kilkennycoco.ie. Copies, duplicates or incomplete forms will be disqualified.The magical language of John B Keane - famous worldwide for capturing the raw side of Irish rural society - was brought to life on St Michael's Theatre stage recently when the New Ross Drama Workshop cast performed Big Maggie, writes David Looby.

Starring Brid Richardson, the show ran over three sold out nights of raucous laughter, hand-over-mouth shock and impassioned drama - all the elements of a truly brilliant play.

Directed by Margaret Rossiter, who chose to direct Big Maggie as the text of the John B. Keane classic play interested her greatly as it explores universal themes of family, revenge and power struggles, the play highlights how Irish society in the 1960s was patriarchal.

Up until his death Walter Polpin, Maggie's adulterous husband, clearly held the power. After his death Maggie becomes stronger, more determined and resolute and noticeably more independent and self-assured. She becomes the imposing and intimidating woman who embodies the social developments of the 20th century and sets about 'knocking her children into line' in the manner she sees fit.

Keane's talent was to present characters all of us are familiar with in our towns and villages, particulalry strong women, and capture their vulnerabilities, their wit, strength and directness.

Brid Richardson plays the dour, stoic matriarch Big Maggie Polpin - one of Keane's most formidable female characters. Nicky Flynn, Peter Rothwell, Brid Moloney and Seona O'Connor play her four long suffering children and the play demonstrates the fractious relationships Maggie has with each of her children. Mr. Byrne, the stonemason with romantic intent was played with great aplomb by Peter O' Connor with Edward Hayden taking on the role of the sweet talking womaniser Teddy Heelin. Mary Madden and her mother were played by Sinead Croarkin and Martina Kavanagh.

The funereal atmosphere of the opening set designed by Terry Brennan and Macdara Murray, sets the tone for the riveting family drama ahead. Acerbic, killer one-liners fell from Richardson's lips and the Listowel playwright's language found perfect expression in the way the actress barely opened her mouth to deliver Maggie's stinging patter.

Like the mighty River Feale that flows through Listowel, Keane's language is powerful and erosive.

'Tis the hardness of concern. Always remember that about me,' Big Maggie says at one point, summing up her character. A playwright ahead of his time, Keane was a feminist and champion of women's rights at a time when it was all but sacreligious to be so: 'Mighty Amazons of women who built empires and then gave it all away to be treated like dirt,' Maggie declares as she blocks her son from marrying beneath the family.

As the titular character of the play Big Maggie says: 'My sex-life, my morals, my thought, my word and deed were dominated by a musty old man with a black suit and a roman collar and a smell of snuff,' Here is a tough, defiant woman who will not bend to the demands of her children, even when they are reasonable. She ends up alone, but defiantly so, vowing to enjoy the company of men, but always on her terms. The Kerry playwright's son Sean was in attendance and remarked afterwards that it was a brilliant production, complimenting Brid, Margaret and the cast. The lighting by Paul Malone and the back stage team were led by Kate O' Keeffe as stage manager ably assisted both front and back of house by Paul Walsh and Bride Walsh (who did an amazing job on props creating a perfectly authentic feel for the production), Joe Bridges, Carol Stacey, Margaret Saunders, Anne Kelly, Tom Doyle, Brian Geoghegan and Cait Foran.

Jenny Murphy-O'Neill of Vibe Salon created a series of time appropriate hair styles for the cast, while Kitty Warren was on make up with Mary Hennelly, Peggy Hussey and Ann Kissane in charge of costuming.Simple ideas are often the most effective, especially in relation to raising the profile of local places of interest.

The launch last Wednesday at the Glasshouse Hotel of a new free brochure aimed at tourists and Sligo people alike describes some of the important historical locations in Sligo Town, and the famous people associated with them.

The brochure, produced by Sligo Tidy Towns and which drew on the local knowledge, expertise and participation of many others, outlines 20 locations of interest along a 5km looped route around the centre of town, one which will make for an informative as well as healthy walk.

These locations, which include Sligo Abbey, The Yeats Memorial Building, The Green Fort, Abbeyquarter North Passage Tomb and Sligo Gaol, are all located within easy walking distance of one another, and this brochure provides a brief description of their history, and a special commemorative plaque has also been erected at each location.

The idea was driven by Jim Lawlor, Chair of the Heritage Project Team of Sligo Tidy Towns, who said at the launch: "When I started looking at it, I began to realize how much value is in this, how little I knew about the town I'd been living in for the past 38 years, and I felt that it would not only be of benefit to tourism, but it would also be of benefit to the people of Sligo."

Fiona Gallagher was a member of the historical team of local experts responsible for the creation of the content for the brochure.

"It touches on most of the major historical structures in the centre of Sligo. They are ones we walk past each day without giving much thought to, and in that sense, this brochure is a great way for local people to engage with their heritage and history," she said.

"In terms of tourism promotion, this is a trail, like the Wild Atlantic Way, you put it on a list, you put it on a map, you effectively make it very easy for people who are interested in local history to navigate their way around the different locations."

Some of the locations on the tour have strong links with many of Sligo's famous sons and daughters. These include William Pollexfen - grandfather of WB Yeats, and who was a successful shipping and milling entrepreneur based at Wine Street, Bernard Colleary, the original owner of Hargadon's Bar on Knox (O'Connell) St., Charlotte Thornley, mother of 'Dracula' author Bran Stoker, and Martin Moffat, the last Irishman to receive the Victoria Cross for bravery during World War 1.

The committee also had support from Sligo BID, Sligo Tourism and Sligo County Council. Heritage Officer with Sligo County Council Siobhan Ryan said: "The new tourism strategy recognizes that what hooks people into places like Sligo is Yeats, archaeology, cultural tourism, good food, good stories, meeting people, being authentic. The tourism experience that we have along the Wild Atlantic Way are the culturally curious, independent travellers, who are looking to discover for themselves, and that is a sea change in terms of what has been traditional tourism in Ireland. It's the tourism of discovery."The sell-out screening of a film on the renowned psychiatrist Ivor Browne is coming to Sligo this month, along with the man himself.

Browne has been a central figure in Irish mental health for many decades. His pioneering and often controversial work on behalf of the many who cannot speak for themselves is well-known.

Alan Gilsenan's new film captures the essence of this extraordinary man. In a quirky and challenging cinematic portrait we meet Browne, now in his late-eighties, who is still full of energy, good humour and compassion, and who remains a deeply-informed, startlingly innovative thinker. The film contains contributions from a host of familiar faces including Tommy Tiernan, Tom Murphy, Mary Coughlan, Sebastian Barry, and Nell McCafferty.

Browne and producer of "Meetings with Ivor" Tomas Hardiman will appear at The Model, The Mall, on Friday 25th May at 14.00 for a 14.30 screening hosted by Sligo Samaritans.

After the screening of the film, there will be a discussion with Ivor Brown. To register see www.eventbrite.ie.Sinn Fein Councillor Chris MacManus has said that some men feel the upcoming referendum is an issue they should stay out of as it doesn't directly affect them.

"They're wrong. I would ask them to vote Yes and trust women." Councillor MacManus was speaking in Coolaney, as he and Sinn Fein activists canvassed seeking support for a Yes vote.

Councillor MacManus said: "The upcoming referendum affects our communities and our society. It affects our Mums, wives, daughters, girlfriends, sisters, aunts, and friends. Men need to talk about this issue and they need to come out and vote. And I would ask them to trust women and vote Yes.

"As someone who wasn't old enough to vote the last time, I don't believe that those who voted to put the 8th Amendment into the Constitution in 1983 ever intended for any woman to die, but some women have died or have suffered serious health complications.

"It has become clear that the eighth amendment is not just about abortion, but access to women's health. Consultants have been obstructed from providing proper healthcare to many women. The fact is that we have been exporting this issue instead of dealing with it here.

"Therefore, in two weeks' time I'm calling for a Yes vote in the referendum to safeguard women. This will give their doctors and health professionals protection."The husband of Natalia Karaczyn (30) who has been charged with her murder was prayed for at her funeral at Sligo Cathedral on Friday morning.

Sligo's Polish community turned out in large numbers at the 11.30 am funeral Mass for Natalia.

Her body was found on Tuesday morning last in a wooded area off the Holywell Road about two miles from the centre of Sligo town overlooking Lough Gill.

The mother of three had been reported missing on Sunday morning having gone out socialising in the town on Saturday night.

Her husband, Rafal (32) was charged with her murder at a sitting of Sligo District Court on Thursday.

He was mentioned during the reciting of Prayers of the Faithful by Fr. Brian Conlon at the funeral Mass. "Pray for Rafa, may Lord support him at this time," he told the congregation.

Prayers were also said for the couple's three boys, Oskar, Nikodem and Max, the Gardai who had supported the family during the week and for all of Natalia's friends in Sligo for their help.

In his homily, delivered in Polish, Father Stanislaw Kardas, who is Chaplain to the Polish community in Sligo and who was chief celebrant, said the death of Natalia was unspeakably painful.

"It seems incomprehensible to our minds that she should be taken from this life.

"Faith invites us, however, to see that, in death, God has called Natalia to himself and has pointed us towards the ultimate goal of eternal life.

"In ordinary daily life, eternal truths are frequently pushed further into the background.

"In the face of this death of a young woman, beloved mother of three little children, we are invited to find, in the deepest recesses of our hearts, and to ponder, the hope that comes from our eternal vocation."

In a statement on the death of Natalia, Bishop of Elphin, Kevin Doran said there was a very real sadness in Sligo and her untimely death.

"On behalf of our Diocesan community, I wish to extend our sympathies and the promise of our prayers to Natalia's family and friends, both here in Sligo and at home in Poland.

"May God give to Natalia, eternal life with Jesus and all the saints, and may His Spirit console and strengthen her family in these very difficult days."

The hymn, 'Be Not Afraid' was sung by Olivia O'Hanlon as the coffin was brought into the church with many of the mourners visibly upset, some carrying yellow roses.An immediate derogation on the Department of Transport's ban on visits to Inishmurray Island has been made in the Dail by Deputy Marc MacSharry.

And, he was deeply critical of the Independent Alliance Minister's handling of the situation.

Deputy MacSharry said: "Having finally managed to secure precious time in the Dail to raise this vitally important issue after six attempts, it is crystal clear that Minister Shane Ross hasn't the slightest intention of intervening to secure continuing access to Inishmurray by island owners, tourists and even officials from Sligo County Council, the Heritage Council, OPW or Parks & Wild Life.

"Incredibly the Minister was more interested in promoting his candidate for the next local and general election than providing a solution to the current illogical and prohibitive ban on Island access. The record will show that the Minister is totally disinterested in providing a common sense interim solution by way of a temporary derogation on his department's ban. He is simply upholding the ban and kicking it down the road indefinitely.

"The facts are since St Molaise established the monastery on Inishmurray some 1500 years ago people have been safely navigating to and from the Island.

"In modern history with 102 residents at its height people came and went from the island to the mainland even transporting cattle to market without incident. For the last 30 years, experienced and fully insured charter operators have brought people to and from the island but on the back of Minister Ross's Department's action no one can land there now."

"His department officials have taken the heavy handed approach of threatening tour operators and boat owners that Grange Gardai have been informed and they will prosecute them if they continue with the livelihood and tradition safely in existence for generations.

"In his response to my appeal for derogation Minister Ross cared only to kick the can down the road on Inishmurray and promote Cllr Marie Casserly, an independent Councillor associated with Ross's de facto party. If it was a Garda Station that didn't need to be opened in his own constituency and wasn't a priority for the Gardai such as Stepaside Minister Ross is all too willing to intervene and direct operations but when it comes to something in the North West no matter its importance Minister Ross is content to sit on his hands such is his regard for our people our tourism and in real terms even his own candidate that he seeks to promote."Sci-Fest is back: the stage is set at IT Sligo for hundreds of students who will battle it out at Sci-Fest's regional finals on Wednesday, 9 May, at the Knocknarea Arena.

Approximately 368 students from across the North West will exhibit more than 150 projects in hopes of wooing the judges and progressing to the prestigious Boston Scientific Medical Devices Grand Award at the national final in November.

IT Sligo is one of 16 regional science fairs taking place across the country, illustrating a surge in STEM popularity among second-level students in Ireland.

Dr Bill Crowe, Sci-Fest@IT Sligo organiser, said he expects this year's event to follow-on from the success of 2017 which saw the largest number of participants and projects ever and the eventual national winner.

He said: "IT Sligo has been successfully hosting a Sci-Fest@College science fair each year since 2008. As always, the projects entered by the students are impressive, engaging and thought-provoking. It's evident from the high standard of research that goes into projects each year that second-level students from across the region are passionate about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)."

The Sci-Fest science fairs programme is a national initiative founded in 2006 to encourage a love of STEM through active, collaborative, inquiry-based learning.

The programme offers an innovative way to expose students to, and enhance their understanding of, STEM subjects.

Following on from his success at 2017's Sci-Fest at IT Sligo, Aaron Hannon from St Muredach's College in Ballina, Co Mayo, won the top award nationally. He is getting ready to represent Ireland at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania later this month.

Aaron's project was called 'EnableArm' a unique assisted shaving device for people with limited hand dexterity.

His teacher, Mr Kevin Boyle, was named Intel Teacher of Excellence and will accompany Aaron to the US.

Ben Maloney, also from St Muredach's, made it a dual effort for the Ballina school as his 'Bike Provision Prevention Sensor' also progressed to the national finals.

The 2018 national winner and their mentor will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona next spring.

Sheila Porter, SciFest CEO said: "2017 was the tenth anniversary for SciFest and a hugely successful year with another big increase in the number of students taking part. In total 10,000 students exhibited their projects in local and regional STEM fairs across the country. We are sure that 2018 will be another successful year.

"Sci-Fest gives students an excellent opportunity to develop their interest in STEM and inquiry-based approaches to learning, while developing their creative and problem-solving skills and learning to work in a team."Bray Comhaltas who will be at the Wicklow Fleadh on May 19 at the BIFE campus on Novara Avenue

On Saturday, May 19, traditional Irish musicians from all over Wicklow will gather at the BIFE campus on Novara Road, Bray, to compete in the 2018 County Wicklow Fleadh, hosted by Bray Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann.

This year, the event will cater for over 300 competitors from Bray, Wicklow town, Roundwood, Aughrim, Avoca and Tinahely, who will participate in 80 competitions in traditional music song and dance scheduled throughout the day.

For all traditional music lovers, this is a wonderful opportunity to hear talented young musicians from 12 years old to experienced advanced players compete for a place in their solo instrumental and group competitions at the Leinster Fleadh in Bagenalstown, Co Carlow in July.

The Wicklow Fleadh is not only for young and more experienced players to measure their skill in competition, it is above all an occasion for local and visiting musicians, friends and family and the general public to celebrate, share and appreciate our rich music, song and dance traditions.

Competitions start at 10 a.m. sharp and are open to the public.

The entry fee is 5 for adults and 3 for children with a family ticket costing 12.

For more information, visit braycce@gmail.com.Emergency counselling is available in Arklow and Greystones for women affected by the CervicalCheck controversy.

On Friday the Irish Cancer Society announced emergency funding so that women directly affected by the CervicalCheck controversy can have free counselling in their own community.

Funds will be made available for an additional 500 counselling sessions in 25 Irish Cancer Society-affiliated Support Centres across the country, including the Arklow Cancer Support Group and the Greystones Cancer Support.

The Society has taken the step in response to the significant increase in the numbers of women seeking advice and support from the charity around CervicalCheck and their smear test results.

The announcement brings to 8,000 the number of free counselling sessions for people affected by cancer which the Irish Cancer Society will provide funding for in 2018.

Donal Buggy, Head of Services and Advocacy at the Irish Cancer Society, said: 'Over the past few days we have received a huge number of queries from women who are very concerned by the revelations about CervicalCheck.

'Understandably, many women are deeply affected and need support, reassurance and practical help. Through our existing network across the country, we are making additional money for counselling available so women in Wexford can get the support they so desperately need at this time.'

Nurses from the Irish Cancer Society will also be assisting in calling back women who have contacted the CervicalCheck helpline this week and are waiting for a response.

Mr Buggy said: 'Women are out there worrying and waiting for a call back so they can have their concerns and worries addressed. We want to help reassure these women. Our panel of specialist cancer nurses will work with the CervicalCheck helpline to make sure as many of these women are contacted as soon as possible.'All the representatives form the different bodies in attendance at the MEM seminar

Emergency service organisations in Wicklow were present at Lynham's Hotel for a Major Emergency Management (MEM) seminar.

The MEM framework sets out common arrangements and structures for front line public sector emergency management. The framework is based on internationally recognised systems and concentrates on five stages of emergency management: hazard identification, mitigation, preparedness and response.

The emergency service groups represented at the seminar included the Irish Coast Guard, Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue Team, Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue team, Wicklow Fire Service, Wicklow County Council, Irish Cave Rescue Organisation, Civil Defence, HSE and National Ambulance Service, Defence Forces, RNLI (Wicklow and Arklow), Red Cross, St John's Ambulance, Order of Malta and the Garda National MEM Office.

Local gardai in attendance included Chief Supt John Quirke (Bray), Supt Frank Ferry (Baltinglass), Supt Pat Ward (Bray) and Supt Paul Hogan (Wicklow).

A presentation was made by Chief Supt Quirke to a representative of each of the services in appreciation of the great work they have carried out on behalf of the wider community down through the years.A new bridal shop catering for curvy brides-to-be will open in Bray town on Friday, June 1.

Dreamy Curves Bridal Boutique will cater specifically for curvy brides-to-be and mothers of the bride and groom, as well as bridesmaids of all sizes.

Dreamy Curves is being set up by Niki Donohoe, who identified a gap in the market for curvier ladies within the bridal market in Ireland. In a dramatic change of career, Niki, a financial account by profession, has invested hugely in this venture, following extensive research.

She said she is very excited to help brides-to-be find their dream dress.

'Looking for and choosing your wedding dress should be one of the best parts of planning your wedding, but if you are a curvy bride-to-be, the reality can be quite different. Choice can be very limited and the experience of finding your special dress is what every bride deserves. I've chosen a range of bridal gowns and mother of the bride collections which are designed to flatter and provide support for those with curves. We promise all our customers a lovely, relaxed experience and lots of choice when they visit our beautiful new boutique.'

The shop is an appointment-only service with each appointment lasting around 90 minutes.

Dreamy Curves will stock around 65 unique bridal designs from Watters Wtoo, Romantica Silhouette, Sonsie by Veromia and Callista in sizes 16-32.

They will also offer a selection of bridesmaid dresses from sizes 6 up to size 32 from brands such as Watters, Jenny Packham, Dessy, Jenny Yoo, Alfred Sung, Lela Rose and Social Bridesmaids.

Nikki will stock a range of mother of the bride/groom outfits from mid-August featuring designs by Veromia dress code, Anoola, Jomhoy, Gina Bacconi, Kirsten Krog and Ann Balon, which will include hats, shoes and fascinators matched to the range of dress colours and designs in store.

Dreamy Curves Bridal will be located in Marleigh House, 82/83 Main Street, Bray, and appointments can be booked online via www.dreamycurves.ie or by calling Niki Donohoe on 01 2765500 or 086 8075312.Plans for a greenway from Wicklow town to Greystones are gaining momentum, including funding for a full consultancy report on coastal erosion.

A feasibility study into the proposed route will be carried out while a task force featuring all the major stakeholders will also be established.

The 'Wicklow Town Team' are behind the initiative and consist of business people living in Wicklow who have an overall objective to fuel economic activity in the town and make Wicklow a 'better place to love, work and play.'

Ciaran Lally chairs the Wicklow Greenway sub-group. Other members of the group come from towns and villages along the planned greenway route, which takes in Wicklow town, Newcastle, Kilcoole and Greystones.

Wicklow County Council has agreed to fund a full feasibility study for a proposed route, while Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport Brendan Griffin has already funded a full consultancy report on a coastal erosion plan.

'We have been working on this project for the past 18 months and things are really beginning to take shape now,' said Ciaran.

'A greenway from Wicklow to Greystones could totally help to rejuvenate the town. The Great Western Greenway in Westport has resulted in massive economic activity for all towns along the route. 450,000 people visit it on an annual basis. The Waterford Greenway is also hugely successful. The Wicklow greenway will be unique in that its 20km long, is right beside the sea and is mostly flat. We are ideally located right next to Dublin. Visitors could walk the greenway to Wicklow town, then visit the Black Castle and other attractions, or continue along the cliff walk to Wicklow Head. Hotels, cafes and restaurants could all thrive with the increased number of visitors to Wicklow town attracted by the greenway. There is also the health aspects, both mental and physical.'

Minister of State Andrew Doyle arranged a recent meeting between the Wicklow Greenway sub group and Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport Brendan Griffin, which had very encouraging results.

'Andrew Doyle has been very supportive and has been of great assistance,' added Ciaran. 'Minister Griffin agreed that the coastal erosion is truly shocking, is extremely urgent and is determined to help us. He also made clear that a greenway should be planned as part of any coastal erosion project. As proof of his commitment, he has already funded a full consultancy report on a coastal erosion plan, to be managed by Irish Rail and Wicklow County Council. He also agreed to set up a task force.'

The consultancy report is currently out to tender, with consultants expected to be appointed in June. The task force will be made up of representatives from Irish Rail, Wicklow County Council, OPW, National Parks and Wildlife, Failte Ireland, Department of Transport and Wicklow Green Way Group.

Minister of State at the OPW, Minister Kevin 'Boxer' Moran has also shown an interest.

'Andrew Doyle also confirmed to us that Minister Boxer Moran is shocked by the coastal erosion and has pledged that the project gets priority. He is very supportive and has been made aware of the urgency.'

Wicklow County Council has also committed to the funding of a full feasibility study for the proposed route, with consultants due to be appointed in early June.

'This study will help set out the route. For instance there is some National Parks and Wildlife land that we can't go through. We will also need to engage with some landowners. Wicklow County Council seem very keen on the greenway and we are appreciative of their help.'

Ciaran and his team have been encouraged by the level of support received so far and he aims to make the greenway a major election issue.

'These are significant developments and the dream of a Wicklow Greenway is gathering momentum. People in Wicklow town are very annoyed by the level of erosion taking place at the Murrough. This planned greenway could really prove to be a huge boost for the town. You can only imagine how many people would flock to Wicklow on a warm, sunny weekend once the greenway is up and running,' said Ciaran.

Anyone interested in getting involved with the Wicklow Town Team, can email them at wicklowtownteam@gmail.com.Model and reality TV star Kendall Jenner turned heads at the 71st Cannes Film Festival in France when she wore a semi-sheer mini dress yesterday.

The model wore her raciest look to date at the Chopard party in Cannes.

She chose to go bra-less but decided to wear a barely visible small pants underneath the dress.

Despite revealing all, the model looked completely at ease as she posed for photos before the event.

Expand Close Model Kendall Jenner poses for photographers upon arrival at the Chopard Secret party during the 71st international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Friday, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Model Kendall Jenner poses for photographers upon arrival at the Chopard Secret party during the 71st international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Friday, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

Kendall, who was accompanied by lingerie models Stella Maxwell, Irina Shayk and Joan Smalls at the star-studded bash, paired her dress with dangling earrings and a massive ring.

Also at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday was Kendalls sister Kylie and her boyfriend Travis Scott

Kendall has spoken of how she is still coming to terms with the fact her little sister Kylie is a mum at 20, confessing it's "a bit weird".

The make-up maven welcomed daughter Stormi with her rapper boyfriend Travis Scott in Februar, having fallen pregnant just weeks after they first started dating last spring.

Kendall admits watching Kylie Jenner embrace motherhood has been a strange experience, but she couldn't be more in love with her new niece.

"It's obviously a bit weird that your little sister is having a baby before you," she told Elle magazine. "I didn't expect it to happen like this. But it's beautiful."

Video of the Day

In fact, Kendall believes the life change has actually strengthened the siblings' bond.

"It's brought us closer together," she shared with guest interviewer Lana Del Rey. "We've always been very close, but we would butt heads all the time. This (motherhood) has made her a bit more loving toward me."

Expand Close Kylie Jenner attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit Gala 2018 in New York. Photo: Ian West/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Kylie Jenner attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit Gala 2018 in New York. Photo: Ian West/PA Wire

The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star reveals one of the things the sisters would clash over was their overlapping circle of friends, particularly as Kendall began hanging out more with Kylie's close pal, fellow model Hailey Baldwin.

"She was actually best friends with Kylie, and I was good friends with her cousin Ireland (Alec Baldwin's daughter)," she explained. "Hailey lived in New York, and whenever we were there, we would hang out with her."

Tensions between Kris Jenner's youngest kids reached a new high during the 22-year-old's modelling debut at New York Fashion Week, when Kendall "stole Hailey from Kylie".

"From then on, she (Hailey) was my homie," Kendall said. "At first, Kylie was mad; I had to bring them back together and be like, 'No, it's OK, guys.' But it's all good; that's our love story."Surfing the wave: Harry and Meghan are already hugely popular as a couple and will become a favourite target of the paparazzi before they marry at Windsor Castle next May, with the American's beauty an echo of Princess Diana's Photo: Joe Giddens/PA Wire

November 28, 2017: The world's most eligible bachelor Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle announce their engagement to the world after a 16-month long-distance relationship. The photographs were set in the palace's White Garden, aka the Sunken Garden, which is a memorial dedicated to celebrating Princess Diana's life. Photo: Getty

Royal biographer Andrew Morton has said that Britains Prince Harry was drawn to his fiancee Meghan Markle because he sees in her something of Diana.

Morton appeared on last nights Late Late Show to discuss the wedding of Harry and Meghan, which takes place next Saturday.

Harry is now the happiest hes ever been, Morton enthused.

I do find it interesting that Diana was 36 when she died and Meghan is 36 when she enters the royal family, its kind of spooky isnt it? There are a few parallels between Meghan and Diana, he told Ryan Tubridy.

"Obviously theyre both glamorous, both humanitarians, and theyre both from broken homes but Meghan was always an activist even as a kid whereas Diana was more of a carer."

"Meghan always had her hand up and was always the smart one, the one who wanted to be centre stage at the school play so they are very different characters too."

"At the engagement interview she was the one who was in control and in command. It wasnt like the old days when you had the blushing bride to be. She was the one saying, `ok harry, youre a bit nervous but Ill take control of this.'"

Morton said that Harry is no longer the spare wheel among the younger royals, Kate and William.

"Meghan and Harry and Kate and William are the fab four and I think when it used to be the fab three, Harry looked like a spare wheel and now hes a jaunty character, hes whistling a happy tune.

"I think Prince Harry is the happiest hes ever been and when you see Meghan, people really warm to her because shes got that glamour and that ease. People say `oh shes very American'. I think shes more Parisian; shes got sophistication and a slight aloofness about her and shes very sexy as well."

Video of the Day

And Morton enthused that Harry has now matured and he has grown from dirty Harry to saint Harry.

"He is no longer dirty Harry, more like saint Harry. Dirty Harry as we know took his clothes off in Las Vegas hotel rooms in front of total strangers, had his picture taken getting drunk, had fights with paparazzi, thrown out of nightclubs . . .

"He was a young man who was lost and alone, a man who was still grieving his mother and I think this is a very good explanation of the union between him and Meghan, that he sees in her something of Diana, we all marry our mothers, dont we, in the end?"

"Its going to be interesting that next Saturday at the wedding Jane Fellowes, Dianas sister, is going to give a reading, all the Spencers will be there too so were going to see a sense of Diana being present.A Palestinian protester hurls stones at Israeli troops during a protest at the Gaza Strips border with Israel yesterday. Photo: Khalil Hamra/AP

France's finance minister says European countries should push back harder against the Trump administration over the Iran nuclear deal and not act as "vassals" to the US.

But German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the US withdrawal from the Iran accord isn't a reason to dump decades of transatlantic ties altogether.

The back and forth yesterday came as thousands of Iranians took to the streets in cities across the country to protest US President Donald Trump's decision.

European governments are scrambling for ways to save billions of dollars in trade that could collapse because of Mr Trump's decision this week to re-impose sanctions. Mr Trump argued that the 2015 nuclear deal, which allowed for the lifting of sanctions, wasn't tough enough on Iran.

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French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Europe-1 radio that Europe should not accept that the US is the "world's economic policeman".

Expand Close French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire. Phloto: Philippe Wojazer/Reiters / Facebook

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Whatsapp French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire. Phloto: Philippe Wojazer/Reiters

"Do we want to be vassals who obey decisions taken by the United States while clinging to the hem of their trousers?" Mr Le Maire asked. "Or do we want to say we have our economic interests, we consider we will continue to do trade with Iran?"

Ms Merkel took a more measured tone.

"This is a serious event, we have to say that, but it is not a reason to call into question the entire transatlantic partnership," she said during an appearance yesterday in the western German city of Muenster.

She acknowledged that it is uncertain "to what extent we can keep this [nuclear] agreement alive if a giant economic power doesn't join in."

The top diplomats of Iran, France, Britain and Germany are expected to meet early next week to discuss their next steps.

Mr Le Maire proposed creating a European body that would have the same kind of powers that the US Justice Department has to punish foreign companies for their trade practices.

As a result of the new US sanctions, companies worldwide must stop doing business with Iran or risk US fines or other punishment. The sanctions will not only bar US companies from doing business with Iran, but they also will hurt foreign companies by prohibiting them from using American banks unless they cut links with Iran.

European governments tried for months to persuade Mr Trump to stick with the deal but failed, and now fear it will raise the risk of conflict in the region.

Military tensions between Iran and Israel have already mounted, and oil prices are rising on the uncertainty.

Planemakers Airbus and Boeing, oil companies and auto manufacturers like France's Renault and Peugeot could be among companies hardest hit. Mr Le Maire said France is pushing for exemptions for its companies, but that he has "no illusions" about a generous American response.

Meanwhile, the US government tried to further squeeze Iran's finances by disrupting a currency exchange network allegedly used to transfer millions of dollars to Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

Protested

The Treasury Department said in a statement on Thursday it took joint action with the United Arab Emirates against nine Iranian individuals and entities involved in the network, and threatened sanctions against any other companies that help those nine.

Thousands of Iranians protested yesterday across the country. The demonstrations resembled previous aggressive but orderly gatherings typical under President Hassan Rouhani, who has tried for a rapprochement with the West.

Although slogans of "Death to America" were few, many Iranians are sincerely angry over Mr Trump's decision and are siding with hard-liners who long have warned to be suspicious of the West.

Iran said it may resume uranium enrichment in a higher rate in weeks if it finds the nuclear deal will not work anymore after the US pullout from the deal.Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Remarks

2018/05/12

Q: What is the purpose of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's working visit to China at this point?

A: According to my information, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will visit China, Russia and some European countries, during which he will exchange views with relevant parties on the developments of the Iranian nuclear issue. China is one stop of his visit. China is a contracting party to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and follows closely the developments of the Iranian nuclear issue. We are willing to maintain communication with Iran and other relevant parties.A court in Milan has ruled that former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi can run for office again, five years after he was convicted of tax fraud.

The Milan daily newspaper Corriere della Sera reported on Saturday that a tribunal had decided on Friday in favour of a request from lawyers for the 81-year-old ex-premier.

Berlusconis 2013 conviction, stemming from dealings in the media moguls business empire, left him ineligible for several years to run for or hold public office and forced him to surrender his Senate seat.

The Italian news agency Ansa quoted Milan Chief Prosecutor Roberto Alfonso as saying that prosecutors will decide whether to appeal against the tribunals decision.

Berlusconi had the option of serving out his prison sentence by doing public service, which he did, helping residents at a facility for Alzheimers patients.Israel's defence minister has called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to "get rid" of Iranian forces in Syria, warning their continued presence would only cause problems.

Iran, meanwhile, in its first official reaction to the Israeli attacks on suspected Iranian targets in Syria, said Damascus has the legitimate right to respond to what it said were repeated violations of the country's sovereignty "under fabricated and baseless excuses".

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Braham Ghasemi added that the international silence in the face of such "aggressive moves" is in effect a "green light" to more such attacks.

A hard-line Iranian cleric threatened that Iran would retaliate if Israel "does anything foolish".

Israel attacked dozens of suspected Iranian targets in Syria in overnight strikes that it said were in response to an Iranian rocket barrage.

It was the most serious military confrontation between the two bitter enemies to date. The cross-border exchange gave way to a war of words.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier called for an immediate halt to "all hostile acts" to avoid "a new conflagration" in the Middle East.

Mr Guterres's comments came as a calm night followed intense attacks on parts of Syria by Israel.

Israel has called on the UN Security Council and secretary-general to condemn Iran's attack on its positions in the Golan Heights, occupied and annexed by Israel.

The Security Council is deeply divided over Syria, and it appears to be highly unlikely that it will issue a statement.

As of yesterday morning, no council member had asked for a meeting.If a week is a long time in politics, then it is doubly so in a world where the president of the United States is Donald Trump.

The latest globally destabilising lurch by his administration came this past Tuesday when he said that Washington would begin reinstating sanctions on Iran, thus unravelling an historic agreement crafted by the US and other powers in 2015 aimed at persuading Tehran to curb its nuclear programme.

Announcing the move, Trump said he had made the decision to undermine what he called "a horrible, one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made" and followed up the next day with one of his by now trademark threats claiming Iran would now either negotiate or "something will happen".

Trump had warned several times that he would reimpose sanctions. In a recent interview with German magazine 'Der Spiegel', French President Emmanuel Macron cautioned that Trump should bear in mind the potential repercussions of such a move

Trump, he said, would be "opening a Pandora's box, which is tantamount to war. I don't think Donald Trump wants war."

Within hours of Trump's announcement tensions had ratcheted between Iran and Israel, with Israel putting its forces on high alert.

They later blamed Tehran for apparent missile attacks on Israeli forces in the Golan Heights. On Thursday, Israeli jets heavily targeted Iranian military facilities inside Syria where Iranian forces have been key to propping up Assad.

The episode threatens to transform one of Syria's myriad proxy wars - this one between Israel and Iran - into a much bigger conflagration.

The prospect of open war between them is just part of the fallout from Trump's decision to revive sanctions on Tehran.

Iranian officials have warned they may restart the country's controversial nuclear programme if new US sanctions are imposed.

"We have put a number of options for ourselves, and those options are ready including options that would involve resuming at a much greater speed our nuclear activities," Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told CBS's 'Face the Nation' last weekend.

It feels like a long way from July 2015 when - after more than a decade of painstaking diplomacy - the nuclear deal was finalised by the US, France, Britain, Germany, Russia, China and Iran.

Under the agreement, Barack Obama's administration offered to suspend sanctions on companies and countries that did business with Iran in exchange for Tehran suspending its nuclear weapons programme.

Iran complied, abandoning its highly enriched uranium and accommodated an extensive inspection programme.

Western firms rushed to do business in Iran as the country fell from the grip of US sanctions, its economy opening up and buoyed by a growing middle class and a young, educated population.

European airlines opened up routes, hotel groups and oil companies inked deals. With its oil sector given such a boost, Iran's economy gained momentum.

There was a sense among Iranians their country was coming in from the cold internationally and that in turn encouraged an opening up within their own society.

Those who dived into the business opportunities Iran may now face huge losses.

European officials are scrambling to see how the nuclear deal can be preserved at best or such losses minimised at worst.

The foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany are due to meet with Iranian officials early next week to determine what can be salvaged without Washington's co-operation.

France, in particular, was keen to insist the deal "is not dead" as its foreign minister put it. But Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who played a leading role in drafting the 2015 agreement, told Macron that Europe only had a "limited opportunity" to ensure the pact's survival.

Key is how to make sure Tehran can retain enough economic benefits from the deal still to offset any advantages in pursuing a nuclear weapons programme.

Iran says it had drawn up a plan to overcome the effects of Washington withdrawing, with budgets being reconfigured accordingly.

Apart from internal Iranian dynamics, the impact of Trump's decision when it comes to the regional dimension - which has already shown itself in the Israel/Iran flare-up this week - is deeply worrying.

In Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump has an ally just as belligerent and prone to inflammatory rhetoric as he is.

"Israel has several times sought US help, or at least US support and back-up in striking Iran's nuclear programme. Under the Obama Administration, the answer was: No," wrote retired US Army General Wesley Clark this week.

"Under President Trump, and with the emerging condominium of interests between the Saudis and the Israelis, the possibility of war between Israel and Iran is rising."A dog has accidentally shot its owner in the leg while the two were "horsing around" on a sofa.

Richard Remme was playing with his pit bull-Labrador cross, Balew, at his home in Fort Dodge, Iowa, when the incident happened.

In the rough-and-tumble the pet managed to knock the safety catch on the Ruger 9mm pistol his owner was carrying and then hit the trigger with his paw.

Mr Remme (51) said: "I was lying on the couch, and we were horsing around... I was tossing him off my lap, and he was jumping back on.

"I carry [a gun] under my overalls. Apparently he bumped the safety one time, and when he bounded back over one of his toes went right down into the trigger guard.

"It has a trigger safety as well as a thumb safety, he managed to hit both of them and it discharged and went into my leg. [But it] did no major damage to anything."

He added that his loyal pet was distressed to learn how he had unwittingly harmed his master.

"The dog's a big wuss," said Mr Remme. "The poor dog laid down beside me and cried because he thought he was in trouble for doing something wrong. He's a pit-lab mix. He's afraid of the dark and afraid of water."An elderly Iraqi man searches for his name before casting his ballot in Ramadi (Hadi Mizban/AP)

Polls have closed across Iraq in the first national election since the country declared victory over the Islamic State group.

The vote, the fourth since the 2003 US-led toppling of Saddam Hussein, was marked by reports of low turnout and irregularities.

Results are expected within the next 48 hours according to the independent body that oversees Iraq's election, but negotiations to choose a prime minister tasked with forming a government are expected to drag on for months.

Voting began early Saturday in a contest that had no clear front-runner after weeks of official campaigning.

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Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's stiffest competition came from political parties with closer ties to Iran.

Baghdad's streets began to fill up with cars before voting concluded after al-Abadi partially lifted a security curfew in an effort to improve turnout.

Nearly all civilian vehicles had been banned from Baghdad's streets on Saturday morning and many voters complained of having to walk more than two miles to reach polling stations.

Iraq's most senior Shiite cleric spoke out on the issue of voter participation on Saturday, encouraging Iraqis to vote "to prevent the arrival of a corrupt parliament".

"The lack of participation will give the opportunity for others to reach parliament and they will be very far from the aspirations of the people," said Sheikh Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalai, the representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on local Iraqi television from Karbala.

Sistani has repeatedly encouraged Iraqis to vote into power a new political class to combat corruption.

For those who did attempt to vote, some in Baghdad complained of voting irregularities at polling stations linked to a new electronic voting system implemented for the first time this year in an effort to reduce fraud.

Thamer Aref, 45, along with his wife and daughter, were turned away from a polling station north of central Baghdad.

Aref had turned in his old voter ID card months ago for the biometric identification card required by the new system.

However, Aref's biometric card was not ready ahead of Saturday and, with neither card, the polling station did not allow him to a cast a ballot.

"I lost my right to vote," he said.

Associated Press journalists documented several similar cases at a number of different polling stations across Baghdad.

Amira Muhammed, the supervisor of a polling station in Azamiyah, Baghdad, said some people could not vote because they did not pick up their new biometric ID cards in time.

"The problem is not with us," she said.

In central Baghdad, voters supporting al-Abadi said they were doing so because they gave him credit for Iraq's military victory over IS.

Al-Abadi "took revenge" for civilians killed in insurgent attacks in Iraq "with the victory over Daesh", said 71-year-old Felihah Hassan, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

After IS overran nearly a third of Iraq in the summer of 2014, the group launched waves of suicide bombings targeting civilians in Baghdad and other pockets of government-controlled territory.

With support from the US-led coalition and Iran, al-Abadi oversaw a gruelling war against the extremists and declared victory over the group in December.

Despite al-Abadi's military achievements, Iraq continues to struggle with an economic downturn sparked in part by a drop in global oil prices, entrenched corruption and years of political gridlock.

The prime minister's most powerful opponents are his predecessor, Nouri al-Maliki, and an alliance of candidates with close ties to the country's powerful, mostly Shiite paramilitary forces.

Jassim Mohsen, 58, who fought against IS with the paramilitary forces, said he was casting his vote for the alliance with paramilitary ties because of their personal sacrifices.

"I elected the Fatah list because they are the only ones who fought Daesh and gave blood," he said.

Some Sunnis voting said they were hopeful this election would help Iraq move beyond sectarian politics and become more inclusive.

Marginalisation of Iraq's Sunnis under al-Maliki is seen as a factor that allowed IS to rise in power in Iraq.

Al-Abadi has led a more cross-sectarian government marked by his ability to balance the interests of his two allies often at odds: the US and Iran.

The war left more than two million Iraqis, mostly Sunnis, displaced from their homes, with cities, towns and villages suffering heavy destruction.

Abdulrazaq Kubi and his wife Suheila Mahdi, both Sunnis from Baghdad, said they would not be voting for al-Abadi, casting their votes instead for a Sunni-led political alliance.

"The victory is not 100%, there is still Daesh here," said Mahdi.

The government "is neglecting the refugees because they are Sunni. They left them in the camps, in the winter it floods, in the summers, they go hungry", she added.

In total there are 329 parliament seats at stake, with nearly 7,000 candidates from dozens of political alliances.An archaeologist works on the remains of a horse which were found in the stable of a Pompeii villa, near Naples in Italy. Photo: Cesare Abbate/AP

Archaeologists have made an unusual discovery at Pompeii - the remains of a carbonised horse which died when the ancient Roman city was engulfed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius 2,000 years ago.

The horse was found in the remains of a large Roman villa, which tomb raiders had been excavating illegally in search of artefacts and valuables.

The tomb robbers are now being investigated by police and prosecutors.

Massimo Osanna, the director of Pompeii, described the horse as an "extraordinary" discovery.

None of its flesh and bones remain but by pumping plaster into the space where it was the found, they produced an accurate cast of the animal.

It is a technique that was pioneered in the late 19th century by some of the first archaeologists to systematically excavate Pompeii.

It is the first time that a cast has been made of a horse at Pompeii - the technique has previously been used for the human victims of the cataclysmic eruption.

Experts believe the horse was used in military parades and ceremonies, and possibly for races. It was found in the remains of a stable attached to the villa.

Authorities found that tomb raiders had dug a 60 metre-long network of tunnels beneath the villa in their hunt for artefacts and frescoes. Experts used laser scanners to map the illegal tunnels, which were just 60cm wide.

Animals have been found at Pompeii before, including the remains of donkeys, domestic pigs and pet dogs, some of them contorted in the last throes of agony as they perished in the volcanic eruption.

Archaeologists also found a tomb, with the skeleton of a man aged 40-55 years inside it, that dates from after the eruption of AD 79 - showing that people recolonised what remained of Pompeii.

"It shows that even after the eruption, people continued to live and to farm in Pompeii, on top of the layer of ash which destroyed the city," said Prof Osanna.

The tiles which sealed the tomb were probably taken from a house that had been destroyed in the volcanic explosion, he said.

The villa yielded amphora shards, the remains of kitchen utensils and even part of a wooden bed, miraculously preserved beneath the volcanic ash.

It was the second major find at Pompeii in a few weeks. Last month archeologists discovered the skeleton of a child trying to hide from the ash and pumice that rained down on the city.Donald Trump's chief of staff has said the president is "embarrassed" by the Russia investigation and must explain away the probe when he meets world leaders.

In a rare on-the-record interview, John Kelly also revealed his "great frustration" at times in the job and said illegal migrants are not "bad people".

The comments could further raise tensions between Mr Trump and Mr Kelly, whose attempt to bring order to the White House and authoritative tone are said to have grated on the president.

Aides to Mr Trump have always played down clashes between the pair but numerous US media reports in recent months have suggested the president has discussed replacing Mr Kelly.

Speaking to National Public Radio (NPR), Mr Kelly was asked about the Russian election meddling investigation led by Robert Mueller, the special counsel.

Asked if it was a "cloud" handing over the presidency, he said: "There may not be a cloud, but certainly the president is, you know, somewhat embarrassed, frankly.

"When world leaders come in, it's kind of like you know Bibi Netanyahu is here - who's under investigation himself - and ... the first couple of minutes of every conversation might revolve around that kind of thing."

Mr Netanyahu, the prime minster of Israel, himself has faced domestic political pressure because of a corruption investigation.

Commentators noted Mr Trump does not like personal criticism and the claim he is "somewhat embarrassed" by the Russia investigation, which he dismisses as "witch hunt", could rankle.

Mr Kelly triggered a rebuke from his boss in January when he said Mr Trump's views on building a Mexican border wall had "evolved". Mr Trump shot back that his views have "never changed or evolved".

The Russia investigation is looking into whether the Trump campaign worked with the Kremlin and whether the president has obstructed justice, as well as other issues.A knife-wielding attacker has killed one person and injured four in the centre of Paris before being killed by police, in what is being treated as a terror attack.

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted his praise for police who neutralised the terrorist and his thoughts for the victims.

La France paye une nouvelle fois le prix du sang mais ne cede pas un pouce aux ennemis de la liberte (2/2).  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 12, 2018

Mr Macron said: France is once again paying the price of blood, but will not cede an inch to enemies of freedom.

Counter terrorism authorities are leading the investigation into the attack.

The Islamic State groups news agency claims that a man who stabbed five people in Paris was a soldier of the extremist movement.

The Aamaq news agency said in a statement early on Sunday that the assailant carried out the Saturday night attack in response to the Islamic State groups calls for supporters to target members of the US-led military coalition squeezing the extremists out of Iraq and Syria.

Paris police tweeted that the attack happened in the 2nd arrondissement or district of the French capital.

Police said the person armed with the knife targeted five people, killing one and seriously injuring two and lightly injuring the other two.

They said the attacker died.

Interior minister Gerard Collomb said the alleged attacker was neutralised by police and praised officers for their actions

Agression a #Paris : je salue le sang froid et la reactivite des forces de police qui ont neutralise lassaillant.

Mes premieres pensees vont aux victimes de cet acte odieux.  Gerard Collomb (@gerardcollomb) May 12, 2018

Paris has been under higher security in recent years after a string of deadly Islamic extremist attacks.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.New York, May 12 (IBNS): With the largest-ever outbreak of the deadly Lassa fever in Nigeria having been contained, continued vigilance is vital to deal with any flare-ups, the United Nations health agency warned on Friday.

The outbreak, which started in Ogun province in south-west Nigeria in December 2016, spread across much of the country and into neighbouring Benin, Togo and Burkina Faso.

In all, 423 cases had been confirmed in Nigeria and 106 people, including eight health workers, lost their lives. Over the past six weeks, however, the number of new cases have dropped and it is no longer considered to be a national health emergency, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Nigeria is to be congratulated for reaching this important milestone in the fight against Lassa fever, Ibrahima Soce Fall, Regional Emergencies Director for Africa at the UN agency, said in a news release.

But we cannot let our foot off the pedal. We must use the lessons learnt to better prepare at-risk countries in our region to conduct rapid detection and response.

WHO continues to support Nigerian government efforts to respond effectively to the disease and has urged local communities to remain vigilant and report any rumours of new cases to the authorities.

Early diagnosis and treatment can save lives, said Wondimagegnehu Alemu, the head of WHO programmes in Nigeria.

The UN health agency has also called on health workers to stay on high alert for Lassa fever when handling patients, irrespective of their health status.

Lassa fever should always be considered in patients with fever, headache, sore throat and general body weakness, especially when malaria has been ruled out with a rapid diagnostic test (RDT), and when patients are not improving, advised WHO.

Health workers should adhere to standard precautions, and wear protective equipment like gloves, face masks, face shields and aprons when handling suspected Lassa fever patients, it added.

Lassa fever is a viral infection, primarily transmitted to humans through contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine, faeces, or blood.

WHO/S.OkaCredits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The Mars Helicopter, a small, autonomous rotorcraft, will travel with the agencys Mars 2020 rover mission, currently scheduled to launch in July 2020, to demonstrate the viability and potential of heavier-than-air vehicles on the Red Planet.

NASA has a proud history of firsts, said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. The idea of a helicopter flying the skies of another planet is thrilling. The Mars Helicopter holds much promise for our future science, discovery, and exploration missions to Mars.

U.S. Rep. John Culberson of Texas echoed Bridenstines appreciation of the impact of American firsts on the future of exploration and discovery.

Its fitting that the United States of America is the first nation in history to fly the first heavier-than-air craft on another world, Culberson said. This exciting and visionary achievement will inspire young people all over the United States to become scientists and engineers, paving the way for even greater discoveries in the future.

Started in August 2013 as a technology development project at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the Mars Helicopter had to prove that big things could come in small packages. The result of the teams four years of design, testing and redesign weighs in at little under four pounds (1.8 kilograms). Its fuselage is about the size of a softball, and its twin, counter-rotating blades will bite into the thin Martian atmosphere at almost 3,000 rpm  about 10 times the rate of a helicopter on Earth.

Exploring the Red Planet with NASAs Mars Helicopter exemplifies a successful marriage of science and technology innovation and is a unique opportunity to advance Mars exploration for the future, said Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency headquarters in Washington. After the Wright Brothers proved 117 years ago that powered, sustained, and controlled flight was possible here on Earth, another group of American pioneers may prove the same can be done on another world.

The helicopter also contains built-in capabilities needed for operation at Mars, including solar cells to charge its lithium-ion batteries, and a heating mechanism to keep it warm through the cold Martian nights. But before the helicopter can fly at Mars it has to get there. It will do so attached to the belly pan of the Mars 2020 rover.

The altitude record for a helicopter flying here on Earth is about 40,000 feet. The atmosphere of Mars is only one percent that of Earth, so when our helicopter is on the Martian surface, its already at the Earth equivalent of 100,000 feet up, said Mimi Aung, Mars Helicopter project manager at JPL. To make it fly at that low atmospheric density, we had to scrutinize everything, make it as light as possible while being as strong and as powerful as it can possibly be.

Once the rover is on the planets surface, a suitable location will be found to deploy the helicopter down from the vehicle and place it onto the ground. The rover then will be driven away from the helicopter to a safe distance from which it will relay commands. After its batteries are charged and a myriad of tests are performed, controllers on Earth will command the Mars Helicopter to take its first autonomous flight into history.

We dont have a pilot and Earth will be several light minutes away, so there is no way to joystick this mission in real time, said Aung. Instead, we have an autonomous capability that will be able to receive and interpret commands from the ground, and then fly the mission on its own.

The full 30-day flight test campaign will include up to five flights of incrementally farther flight distances, up to a few hundred meters, and longer durations as long as 90 seconds, over a period. On its first flight, the helicopter will make a short vertical climb to 10 feet (3 meters), where it will hover for about 30 seconds.

As a technology demonstration, the Mars Helicopter is considered a high-risk, high-reward project. If it does not work, the Mars 2020 mission will not be impacted. If it does work, helicopters may have a real future as low-flying scouts and aerial vehicles to access locations not reachable by ground travel.

The ability to see clearly what lies beyond the next hill is crucial for future explorers, said Zurbuchen. We already have great views of Mars from the surface as well as from orbit. With the added dimension of a birds-eye view from a marscopter, we can only imagine what future missions will achieve.

Mars 2020 will launch on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and is expected to reach Mars in February 2021.

The rover will conduct geological assessments of its landing site on Mars, determine the habitability of the environment, search for signs of ancient Martian life, and assess natural resources and hazards for future human explorers. Scientists will use the instruments aboard the rover to identify and collect samples of rock and soil, encase them in sealed tubes, and leave them on the planets surface for potential return to Earth on a future Mars mission.

The Mars 2020 Project at JPL in Pasadena, California, manages rover development for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASAs Launch Services Program, based at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.Bangalore, May 12 (IBNS): Karnataka is voting on Saturday to elect a new Assembly in the southern state.

Voting commenced at 7 am in the morning and will continue till 6 pm in the evening.

Voting is taking place in 222 of the 224 constituencies in the state.

Security has been tightened for the voting in the state.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, 69, is contesting from two seats, Chamundeshwari and Badami, in the assembly polls.

Karnataka has witnessed a fierce campaigning conducted by both the Congress and the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi came down to Karnataka for the past few

BJP has been ruling the state from 2008 to 2013 till Congress removed them from power to form the government in the southern state.

Karnataka poll assumes significance as it is the last important state in the south to go to polls before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

It is one of the few states ruled by the Congress in India.

Counting of votes will take place on May 15.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission on Friday deferred the poll in Rajarajeswari Nagar constituency in Karnataka to May 28.

The decision was taken just few hours before voting commences in Karnataka.

"The voting was deferred in view of vitiation of the electoral process on account of attempts by political parties and candidates to induce voters through distribution of freebies and illegal collection of EPICs aimed at either wooing the voters or keeping them from voting," The Times of India reported.

The commission cited two incidents of serious nature which compelled it to conclude that the electoral process had been vitiated.

The counting for the polling will take place on May 31.

Meanwhile, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to cast votes.

"I appeal to all office bearers & workers of the Congress party in Karnataka to provide all possible assistance to those affected by the heavy rains. Our polling booth teams must remain alert and help voters facing difficulties in reaching polling booths tomorrow," Gandhi tweeted.

Urging my sisters and brothers of Karnataka to vote in large numbers today. I would particularly like to call upon young voters to vote and enrich this festival of democracy with their participation.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 12, 2018

Modi said: "Urging my sisters and brothers of Karnataka to vote in large numbers today. I would particularly like to call upon young voters to vote and enrich this festival of democracy with their participation."



Images: facebook.com/siddhucm, facebook.compg/AmitShah.OfficialAurangabad, May 12 (IBNS): Two persons were killed, at least 41, including policemen injured and more than 100 shops and vehilces were either torched or vandalised during clashes between two communities since late Friday night, forcing authorities to clamp prohibitory orders, media reports said.

A section of the media has, however, put the death toll at one.

At least ten policemen, including three junior officers, were injured in the incident.

After the clash was reported, Mumbai police rushed to the spot and resorted to teargas shelling to disperse the warring crowds.

While the police have imposed curfew in certain parts of the city, Section 144 of the CrPC was also invoked in several parts of Aurangabad prohibiting assembly of more than four persons.

According to reports, the trouble broke out first in the Gandhinagar area of the city after an illegal water connection to a religious place was disconnected.

However, The Times of India reported that the violence was triggered after a few people beat a garage mechanic in the area for refusing to give them money for liquor.

This incident fuelled tensions in neighbourhoods such as Motikaranja, Raja Bazar, Shahgunj, Chelipura and Anguribagh, where groups of people pelted stones at each other.

Videos on social media showed the police reportedly firing live ammunition rounds and teargas shells.

Though senior police authorities refused to speak on the matter, a 17-year old resident of Rengtipura locality succumbed to bullet injuries at MGM hospital, The Times of India reported.

The Aurangabad city police have also issued an advisory on its Twitter handle asking people not to believe in rumors spread on Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp.

The police have also warned that strict action will be taken against any person found propagating such information.

Image: Google MapsKathmandu, May 12 (IBNS): President of Nepali Congress and former Prime Minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, led a high level team of the Nepali Congress, which called on visiting Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, in Kathmandu on Saturday.

"Engaging across the political spectrum! President of Nepali Congress and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other members of the Nepali Congress called on PM @narendramodi in Kathmandu. Stronger India-Nepal relations enjoy broad political support," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

Earlier, Modi, on the second and final day of his Nepal tour, visited Nepal's iconic Muktinath temple and offered prayers.

"An auspicious start to Day 2 in Nepal! PM @narendramodi visited the highly venerated Muktinath temple, located at 12,172 ft, to reinforce the strong cultural connect between India and Nepal. PM offered prayers at the human-size golden statue of Lord Vishnu as Shri Mukti Narayan," another tweet said.

On Friday, Modi had said that all misunderstandings with Nepal are over and the bilateral ties are heading to a new high as New Delhi announced Rs 100-crore aid to develop Janakpur city.

Stressing that the recent election and its outcome would be written in golden words in Nepal's history, the Indian Prime Minister said ties between India and Nepal are special and "I am visiting at a special time". He made the remarks after delegation-level talks with his Nepali counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli

The PM, who visited Janakpur, the birthplace of of mythical Sita in Ramayana, also inaugurated a bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhya to promote religious tourism between the two countries, bounded by a common religion of the majority people, culture and heritage.

Image: twitter.com/MEAIndiaMEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar Twitter page

Kathmandu, May 12 (IBNS): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met former Foreign Minister of Nepal and Chairman, Federal Socialist Forum of Nepal Upendra Yadav.

"PM @narendramodi had a good exchange of views on matters pertaining to India-Nepal relations in his meeting with Upendra Yadav, former Foreign Minister of Nepal and Chairman, Federal Socialist Forum of Nepal," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

President of Nepali Congress and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba led a high level team of the Nepali Congress, which called on visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kathmandu on Saturday.

"Engaging across the political spectrum! President of Nepali Congress and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other members of the Nepali Congress called on PM @narendramodi in Kathmandu. Stronger India-Nepal relations enjoy broad political support," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

Earlier, Modi, on the second and final day of his Nepal tour, visited Nepal's iconic Muktinath temple and offered prayers. "An auspicious start to Day 2 in Nepal! PM @narendramodi visited the highly venerated Muktinath temple, located at 12,172 ft, to reinforce the strong cultural connect between India and Nepal. PM offered prayers at the human-size golden statue of Lord Vishnu as Shri Mukti Narayan," another tweet said.

On Friday, Modi had said that all misunderstandings with Nepal are over and the bilateral ties are heading to a new high as New Delhi announced Rs 100-crore aid to develop Janakpur city.

Stressing that the recent election and its outcome would be written in golden words in Nepal's history, the Indian Prime Minister said ties between India and Nepal are special and "I am visiting at a special time". He made the remarks after delegation-level talks with his Nepali counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli

The PM, who visited Janakpur, the birthplace of of mythical Sita in Ramayana, also inaugurated a bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhya to promote religious tourism between the two countries, bounded by a common religion of the majority people, culture and heritage.



Kathmandu, May 12 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his talk with Nepal PM KP Oli was 'productive'.

Modi said his visit to Nepal was 'historic'.

"My Nepal visit was historic. It gave me a great opportunity to connect with the wonderful people of Nepal. Talks with PM Oli were productive. New vigour has been added to India-Nepal relations through this visit. Gratitude to the people and Government of Nepal for their warmth," Modi tweeted.

Modi visited Nepal on Friday.

He visited the Himalayan nation for two days at the invitation of KP Oli.

Modi met several Nepal Ministers during his visit to the country.Guwahati, May 12 (IBNS) : The BJP-led Assam government will construct 8000 km more roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

Assam Public Works Department (PWD) minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said the centre has already sanctioned to construct 8000 km more roads under the PMGSY in the state and the state government is now looking to construct these roads within a year for better connectivity.

Addressing a press conference held in Guwahati, the Assam minister said since 2005-2006, over 19,000 km roads were constructed in the state under PMGSY.

The new roads construction works will be started from September 1 next and targeted to complete all roads within a year. Apart from it, the state Public Works department will repair all 19,000 km roads which were constructed earlier Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

He further said that, during the period his department will construct 1400 numbers wooden bridge and 700 concrete bridges.

Apart from it, the Assam minister said that, the state government will construct three new flyover bridges in Guwahati.

The new flyover bridges will be constructed at Dispur Super Market, Ganeshguri and Fatasil Ambari area, Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The Assam PWD minister who also holds finance department said that, recruitment process in the Public Works department will start soon.

He also said the state government will complete all under construction Assam Bhawan soon.

Earlier, the minister reviewed work progress of PWD department with the department officials, Deputy Commissioners and MLAs through video conferencing in Dispur.

The minister asked the Deputy Commissioners to release all untied funds for development works.

Eying to all round development in the rural areas, the Assam Adarsh Gram Yojana will be started from October 2 and Rs 5 crore will be allocated to every village in the state, Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)



Guwahati, May 12 (IBNS): An Assam police constable has died during a gun fight with a gambling party in Assams Nagaon district on Saturday evening.

The incident took place at Dumdumia area in the Central Assam district.

According to the reports, based on intelligence input, an anti-gambling team of Nagaon district police had launched an operation at Dumdumia area.

When the police team reached the area, the gambling party had started firing and the police team also retaliated.

A police constable was seriously injured and he was rushed to Nagaon civil hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

The deceased police constable has been identified as Anil Das.

Meanwhile, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Nagaon district police Ripul Das said that the police team had launched an operation against gambling on the basis of intelligence input.

When the police team reached at the area, a constable had received bullet injuries and he was immediately admitted at hospital, where he succumbed his injuries, the police officer said.

The Assam cop further said that police had arrested a person in connection with it and investigation is going on.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)Kolkata Police / DDNews

Kolkata, May 12 (IBNS): The Kolkata Police on Friday late evening arrested a man for allegedly masturbating publicly in a moving bus in Kolkata, officials said.

According to reports, the man, who was sitting close to a woman, allegedly masturbated and made obscene gestures to her in the running bus (Route no. 30B/1 with registration no. WB-25 C-6638).

The woman captured the entire incident on mobile and posted the video on Kolkata Police's Facebook page.

She also claimed that neither her co-passengers nor the conductor of the bus helped her during the incident.

The video, however, went viral very soon and hours later, city police identified the accused and arrested him from north Kolkata.

"The accused was arrested from Shyampukur Police Station area in northern part of the city," a city police official told IBNS.

"He has been identified as Asit Rai who is a hawker by profession and a resident of Baidyabati in Kolkata's neighbouring Hooghly district of West Bengal," the official added.

However, police have begun a probe into the matter.

Image: Kolkata Police/DD NewsKolkata/Cooch Behar, May 12 (IBNS): Seven people, including a child, were killed after a private car lost its control and fell into a roadside canal at Tupamari area under Tufanganj Police Station limits in Cooch Behar district of West Bengal in the wee hours of Saturday, reports said.

According to reports, a Tufanganj to Dinhata bound hatchback car suddenly lost its control and jumped into a roadside ditch at around 3:30 am. near Jiranpur area.

After being rescued, all six passengers, including a child, and the driver of the car were rushed to a local hospital where they were declared brought dead.

Local police, however, have seized the vehicle and started a probe into the cause of the accident.New York, May 12 (IBNS): 400,000 children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are at risk of death in the Kasais region from food shortages caused by conflict and displacement, according to a senior UN official who has just returned from the area, expressing shock at what he had witnessed.

The UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) issued the warning on Friday, as it scales up its response to those in need.

Before violence flared in mid-2016 between government forces and tribal militia across the vast region, the people of the Kasais had little experience of conflict, according to UNICEF Spokesperson Christophe Boulierac.

What I saw really shocked me at a personal level...The situation there is absolutely scary, in the sense that people had to flee in the bush (with) family, children, he said.He has just returned from DRC, where he said he was personally affected by the desperate situation he encountered.

They had to stay a few months because of the violence. They had no proper food, they had no proper water to drink. And now that the violence has decreased they come back.

Clearly moved, the UNICEF official who has worked in the field in Asia, African and the Carribean, said: Often we say that children are at risk of dying; no, thats not what we are saying in Kasai. We say that children are dying; I saw that.

Some 3.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the Kasais, including 2.3 million children. At least half of all children under-5 years of age in the region  thats 770,000  are suffering from acute malnutrition, including 400,000 who are severely malnourished, according to a UNICEF report published this week.

UNICEF says that many families driven from their homes have been unable to plant and harvest their crops for three successive seasons. It also warns that thousands of children have been recruited into armed groups and militias and that hundreds of schools and health centres have been looted, burned or destroyed.

To support its programmes for the children of Kasai in 2018, UNICEF has appealed for $ 88 million, which to date is only 25 per cent funded.



UNICEF/Vincent Tremeau



New York, May 12 (IBNS): Late last year, as violent repression in Myanmar sent Rohingyas fleeing to safety in Bangladesh, women from the mainly Muslim minority were subjected to what a United Nations official called a frenzy of sexual violence.

Now, a surge in births among these women is imminent, according to aid officials working in the vast refugee camps in the Coxs Bazar region. And in possibly thousands of cases, aid workers believe, the pregnancies resulted from rape  a source of silent anguish among the mothers and likely stigma for the newborns.

With the monsoon season fast approaching in Bangladesh, United Nations agencies and their partners are struggling to protect nearly 700,000 Rohingya refugees from disaster and disease. Providing proper medical care in the camps is a severe challenge at best, and one made more difficult by the wrenching legacy of sexual violence.

The displaced population includes an estimated 40,000 pregnant women, UN officials estimate, many of whom are expected to give birth in coming weeks. An unknown but significant share of these pregnancies, aid officials believe, resulted from rapes committed by members of the Myanmar army and allied militants.

In March, Gilmour travelled to Coxs Bazar on Bangladeshs south-east coast, where the refugees have settled in camps and makeshift clearings after escaping violence in Myanmars Rakhine state.Pregnancies resulting from what we believe could have been a frenzy of sexual violence in August and September last year could come to term very soon, Andrew Gilmour, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, told UN News. So, we are expecting a surge of births.

Pregnant women fear stigma

Fearing stigma, sometimes feeling depressed or shamed, pregnant refugee women are often reluctant to admit that they were raped, according to medical and aid workers in the camp. But these workers, from non-governmental groups, told Mr. Gilmour that they can just see from the faces of the girls who are pregnant that something terrible happened, he reported.

And there is no joy whatsoever, he said, and nor is there any talk of a husband, either back home or with them in the camps.



While more than 200,000 were already living in neighbouring Bangladesh, hundreds of thousands more fled across the border since last August as violence spiralled in northern Rakhine state.

Rohingya homes were looted, villages razed and civilians killed in what the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said appeared to be: a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. As in many past and current conflicts, women and girls were priority targets.

Women 'profoundly traumatized'

The latest UN report on conflict-related sexual violence, issued in March, charged that members of the Myanmar Armed Forces, at times acting jointly with local militias, used rape, gang rape, forced public nudity and other sexual attacks as part of a strategy to drive the Rohingya from their homes.

Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, flew to Bangladesh in November to meet with refugees. All the Rohingya women and girls that she spoke to, she said, reported either enduring sexual violence or witnessing it.

"The two words that echoed across every account I heard were slaughter and rape. - Pramila Patten, UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.

I met a number of profoundly traumatized women who related how their daughters were allegedly raped inside their home and left to perish when the houses were torched, Patten told the Security Council.

Some witnesses reported women and girls being tied to either a rock or a tree before multiple soldiers literally raped them to death, she said. Many reported having witnessed family members, friends and neighbours being slaughtered in front of them. The two words that echoed across every account I heard were slaughter and rape.

Patten had dispatched an expert team ahead of her visit, comprising representatives of a UN inter-agency network that advocates for ending conflict-related sexual violence and supporting survivors.

Her Chief of Staff, Tonderai Chikuhwa, who headed that mission, said it was among the most shocking he has experienced. With a continuing influx of desperate refugees, he recalled, the trauma was so visceral, so raw, so immediate.

Sexual violence in conflict, such as rape as a weapon of war, is the most underreported human rights violation, Chikuhwa said in an interview with UN News.

The cycle of sexual violence and stigma is a repeating one in conflicts around the world, and even has intergeneration impacts, he said.

In Bosnia, he noted, Patten met with survivors of wartime sexual violence that occurred 20 years before. The grown children of those survivors still suffered from the stigma of their origins, leaving some of them to live on the margins of society, he said.

In Bangladesh, Mr. Chikuhwa said, there are now fears that women and children in the camps could fall victim to traffickers. Thats one of the major concerns that Ms. Patten is looking into during a follow-up mission to Coxs Bazar this week, he noted.

Monsoon rains inflict further hardship

Although the monsoon season in Bangladesh does not officially start until June, heavy rains and winds earlier this month had Rohingya children scuttling to the roofs of their family shelters to keep the plastic sheeting from blowing away.

And while Bangladesh has been praised for its support for the refugees, conditions in Coxs Bazar remain challenging due to the sheer number of people crammed into what is now the worlds largest refugee camp.

Gilmour fears monsoon conditions could inflict further hardship on Rohingya women who have already suffered immensely and who now lack access to adequate medical services as they approach childbirth.

It will be even harder for them when the rains prevent access because there will be serious flooding, we fear, he said. There may be landslides, there may be a cholera outbreak, there may be many things that will make it even harder for the girls to get the medical attention they so desperately need, he said.

Women and girls who have been raped also need to see that justice is served.

Though difficult to achieve, it is not impossible, as proven by the 2016 conviction of former Congolese rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba for crimes committed by forces under his command in the Central African Republic.

The UN Special Court for Sierra Leone, as well as UN tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, have also prosecuted sexual violence cases.

Gilmour said the Rohingya refugees, themselves, have made accountability a pre-condition for returning to Myanmar.

Obviously, they dont want to go back if they feel that the soldiers who may have raped them, killed their relatives, burned their houses, are going around with impunity and liable to do something similar again, he said.

But on top of that, in a more general sense, it is vital that there is accountability, he said, to send a message to other people who might be tempted to carry out such horrific crimes in the future.

UNHCR/Roger ArnoldNew York, May 12(IBNS): Sounding an alarm over a stark increase in hate crimes across the United Kingdom as well as widespread discrimination faced by ethnic minorities, a United Nations independent rights expert has called on the country to comprehensively combat racism and bias.

I am shocked by the criminalisation of young people from ethnic minorities, especially young black men. They are over-represented in police stop and searches, more likely to face prosecution, said E. Tendayi Achiume, the UN Special Rapporteur on racism, xenophobia and intolerance, adding that they are also over-represented in the prison system.

Summarizing her initial findings at the end of a four day visit to the UK, the expert echoed calls for a unified national policy that lays out a comprehensive strategy and benchmarks, for a systematic elimination of unlawful racial disparities.

The creation, implementation, and oversight of such policy must meaningfully include ethnic-minority communities in decision-making roles, she insisted.

The UN rights experts visit to the UK came as it prepares to formally exit the European Union, commonly referred to as Brexit.

Ms. Achiume said that it was worrying that the anti-migrant, anti-foreigner rhetoric, developed around the campaign in favour of Brexit had become widespread in society, going as far as to add that a hateful and stigmatising discourse had become normalised  even involving some high-ranking officials.

She also said that some immigration policies have resulted in the exclusion, discrimination and characterization of groups and individuals on the basis of their race, ethnicity or related status.

Across the country, this has led to high levels of anxiety and mistrust affecting the Muslim community especially, she said.The Special Rapporteur highlighted that the UKs Prevent programme  part of the governments counter-terrorism strategy which requires faith leaders, teachers, doctors and others to refer suspects to a local body  enabled life-altering judgments on the basis of vague criteria, in a climate of national anxieties in which entire religious, racial and ethnic groups are presumed to be enemies.

There are, however, laws and policies in Britain that prohibit both direct and indirect forms of racial discrimination, and these are commendable said Ms. Achiume.

This is a firm basis for tackling structural and institutional racism and discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender and other protected categories, even in the absence of prejudice, she stressed.

The Special Rapporteur, whose visit came at the invitation of the UK, met with Government officials, parliamentarians, civil society groups, and religious, ethnic and racial community representatives, and visited several prisons.

Achiume will present a report on the findings and conclusions of her visit to a forthcoming session of the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council  the highest global intergovernmental body on matters related to human rights.

Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.



UN News/Omar MusniUN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

New York, May 12 (IBNS): Three youth activists from India, Kenya and Sierra Leone on Friday delivered a petition signed by 1.5 million of their peers to the United Nations Secretary-General that calls for more investment in education.

The Global Youth Ambassadors, from the charity organization TheirWorld, were at UN Headquarters in New York in support of a funding plan launched by Gordon Brown, the UN Special Envoy for Global Education.

The $10 billion International Finance Facility for Education aims to get more than 260 million children into the classroom. It targets some of the worlds most marginalized youth and addresses issues which are denying them access to school, such as child labour, child marriage and discrimination against girls.

It also aims to help countries achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which calls on governments to deliver equitable, quality education for all.

UN chief Antonio Guterres thanked Brown and the youth representatives for the initiative, stressing that a huge investment is needed in global education.

Guterres, who had previously spent 10 years at the helm of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, expressed concern that priority is not given to childrens education during humanitarian crises.

I remember that in emergencies there is this mentality of move the trucks, pitch the tents, find the water, distribute the food, find the vaccines, but the question of putting the schools to work, finding teachers comes later, he said, adding that the amount of humanitarian funding dedicated to education was, and - I believe - still is, extremely reduced.

The Secretary-General also highlighted future education needs, pointing out that one billion young people will enter the labour market in the next decade and the kind of jobs they will perform may differ from those available today.

Education has to be able to address the needs of today, but education needs to prepare us for the future, he said.Image: twitter.com/NajibRazak

Kuala Lumpur, May 12 (IBNS): Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been banned from leaving the nation, days after he conceded defeat to his once mentor Mahathir Mohamad in the recently concluded general polls.

The order came after Razak said that he and his family were planning a vacation abroad and were due to leave on Saturday.

Reacting to the order, he said in a tweet in Malay that he respects the decision by the Immigration Department of Malaysia and will remain with the family in the country.

Earlier, he had tweeted, "I pray that after this divisive period, the country will unite. I apologise for any shortcomings and mistakes, and I thank you, the people, for the opportunity to lead our great nation. It has been the honour of my lifetime to serve you and Malaysia."

Razak, who is facing corruption allegation, has been accused of embezzling funds amounting to USD 700 million.

However, the former head has unequivocally denied the claims and has also been cleared by investigating officers.

He has said that he will ensure a smooth transition and will serve the people of Malaysia in whatever capacity he can.

"My Barisan Nasional colleagues and I are committed to respecting the will of the people and facilitating a smooth transfer of power. The best interests of Malaysia and its people will always be my first priority and I intend to continue serving them in whatever capacity I can," Razak tweeted.

Mahathir, 92, created history after he was sworn-in as the oldest leader of a country.

A former head of the state, Mahathir ruled for two decades, before stepping down in 2003.



Ottawa, May 12 (IBNS): Convicted pro-Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal, who was photographed with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wife Sophie during India trip in early 2018, has been charged with uttering threats in a new case, media reports said.

According to media reports, Atwal has been charged for allegedly uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm in connection to an incident which occurred on Apr 23.

Atwal was convicted in Canada for attempting the murder of then-Punjab minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu on Vancouver Island in 1986.

Atwal's invitation to the dinner hosted by the Canadian High Commissioner in India came as an embarrassment for Trudeau as he had ensured Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh of Canada's distance from all those who are allegedly involved with the Sikh separatist movement.

Trudeau has also promised to take actions against all who want the Indian state of Punjab to be a separate country, named Khalistan.

As a damage control, the invitation to Atwal was later rescinded.

The Canadian Prime Minister has said that he will take action against the "person responsible" for inviting Atwal.

"We take this very seriously. The individual in question should have never received an invitation. The person and department responsible will take full responsibility for his actions," Trudeau said.

Atwal is reportedly a former member of the International Sikh Youth Federation, a banned 'terrorist group in Canada, the UK, the US and India.Kristen Black, mother to an 8-month-old infant was in a fix after physic class clashed with the daycare timing. With no other option, Black who is a single mother, took her baby along for the class.

Facebook

During the class, Bruce Johnson the physics professor, went up to Blacks desk about halfway through the study session and took her baby in his arms and continued teaching.

Anytime someone that cute smiles at you, it melts you, Johnson told The Washington Post.

Black said she was able to take notes while Johnson held Izzy, and she appreciated the kind gesture. Black snapped the photo and shared it because it simply warmed her heart and was also a gratitude to the support system she has through her college journey as a single mother.

To have him hold Izzy while he was teaching, while I was there being a student and a mom at the same time, it's just awesome, Black said.

I hope that no parent ever feels like a classroom is an unfriendly place for their kids, Johnson said.

Isn't that just so heartwarming! Bruce Johnson is certainly one in a million!When it comes to romance, no one does it better than Bollywood. For everyone who is a sucker for hardcore romance and mushy films, there are Bollywood films that are just perfect. Today, we belong to a generation that heavily depends on apps to find love but there was a time when love was all about waiting for landline calls, sending letters and meeting just for five minutes.

And depicting old school romance, which in every way was perfect were films, that were both meaningful and had its heart at the right place. Now that weekend is here, we give you 8 such films that were not just about romance but it showed love that felt real. How many have you seen? If not, time to catch these film up this weekend!

1. Saathiya

Yashraj films

Released in 2002 Indian, Shad Ali's Hindi-language romantic drama was produced by Mani Ratnam and Yash Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films.

Starring Rani Mukerji and Vivek Oberoi, the film was an official remake of the Tamil film Alaipayuthey. Revolving around the issues of post-marriage turbulence, the film's plot line revolved around love and was one of the most successful films of that year. Especially the line, "In do minute ke liye toh main do janamon tak bhi intezaar kar sakta hoon" became really popular.

2. Dil Se

Released in 1998, romantic thriller Dil se starred Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala in pivotal roles. The film was based in the backdrop of the insurgency in Northeast India, written and directed by Mani Ratnam, and produced by him, Ram Gopal Varma and Shekhar Kapur. While Rahman's music became an instant hit, some really well-shot moments between Amar and Meghna still remain unforgettable.

3. Socha Na Thaa

While everyone was busy making romantic films, Imtiaz Ali made his debut as a filmmaker by making a film on modern-age relationships and how youngsters deal with arranged marriages. Starring Ayesha Takia and Abhay Deol, Socha Na Tha remains one special film for everyone for everyone who is sucker for romance and emotions.

4. Rehnaa Hai Tere Dil Mein

In 2001, there came a film that made many hearts happy with its romance, that was innocent and pure. Starring Madhavan, Diya Mirza and Saif Ali Khan in the lead roles, the film was an official remake of the popular Tamil film Minnale and even though it wasn't really a big hit but people have developed fondness for the film over years.

5. Taal

Pinterest

Technically India's first musical romantic drama, Taal released in and was co-written, edited, produced and directed by Subhash Ghai. Starring Aishwarya Rai, Akshaye Khanna and Anil Kapoor in lead roles, the film remains one of the biggest blockbusters of all times. Rahman's music for the film too remains one of his greatest works.

6. Akele Hum Akele Tum

It was your ordinary love story. A film that was way ahead of its time, AHAT starring Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala dealt with patriarchy and how men keep their own ambitions and career above their wife's. Apart from the music of the film that was a big hit, the film's story line and the way it dealt with love in a mature way is something that makes it really special.

7. Ishq Vishq

Ishq Vishk is a 2003 Hindi coming-of-age romance that starred Shahid Kapoor Amrita Rao and Shenaz Treasurywala. The film dealt with the concept of modern-dating. The plot-line revolves around friends who deal with issues when they start developing feelings for each other.

8. Pardes

1997's musical drama Pardes was directed by Subhash Ghai. Starring Shahrukh Khan, Amrish Puri, Alok Nath and newcomers Mahima Chaudhry and Apurva Agnihotri, the film went on to become a commercial, critical and musical hit. Film's music too was really popular.Playing with one's pet may be a very relaxing activity, but any activity cannot be relaxing enough with a gun around. And perhaps Richard Demme of Fort Dodge took the possession of his gun for granted and played with his pet while having it around.

The 51-year-old man from Iowa was shot by his own dog while playing with the pet in his home, local media reported Friday. His dog Balew, a cross between a pit bull and a Labrador, jumped on his lap as he lay on his sofa when the dog apparently flicked the safety catch off the 9mm pistol he was carrying in his belt. According to a report by AFP, the man was lying on the couch, and we were horsing around, me and the dog. And I was tossing him off my lap, and he was jumping back on my lap," he told The Messenger newspaper after being discharged from hospital.

"Apparently he bumped the safety one time, and when he bounded back over one of his toes went right down into the trigger guard," the injured dog owner said. "It has a trigger safety as well as a thumb safety, and he managed to hit both of them, and it discharged and went into my leg, did no major damage to anything."

reuters

Remme called 911 and told the emergency dispatcher, "My dog shot me."I've never heard of that," the city police chief Roger Porter told the paper.

"I've heard of guns dropping and going off on the floor, and horsing around and guns going off. I can't say I've heard a dog story before." "Only in America can you get shot by your dog," said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, an organisation pushing for stricter gun controls in the United States.Bettorhaveanother and driver Yannick Gingras pulled a mild upset in the $18,000 featured pace for distaffs Friday afternoon at Harrahs Philadelphia, turning back favored Princess Fabulosa by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:50.4.

The Bettors Delight mare and Gingras dashed right to the top and cut relatively tame (for this type) fractions of :27.1 and :56.1. With Princess Fabulosa coming first-up from third, Bettorhaveanother turned on the afterburners with a :26.4 third quarter, stopping the timer at that point in 1:22.4, then tacked on a :27.3 last quarter to hold off her tough rival. Ron Burke conditions the winner of $341,930 for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. (Burke also conditions the winner of last weeks winner in this class, Windsun Glory, who steps up to Great Northeast Series competition on Sunday night at Pocono.)

Hard-knocking older pacers are set to threaten the 1:50 barrier given good weather on Sunday afternoon, as Harrahs hosts two $30,000 divisions of the Great Northeast Open Series. The first division is wide-open, as reflected in the fact that the morning line favourite is 4-1 Feeling Cam Lucky, going for his fourth win in a row as he takes a big stepup in class.

A bit more sure of a favourite is Rodeo Romeo (3-1) in the second division, although he like Feeling Cam Lucky must start from post seven in a field of eight. Rodeo Romeo posted the fastest mile of the year at Pocono last Saturday in the first round of the Great Northeast, winning in 1:49.2. His biggest competition may come from Heaven Rocks A, who makes his North American debut here after racing with honor against the very best Australasian pacers Down Under.

(PHHA / Harrahs Philadelphia)In an indication of a slight upswing in bilateral military ties after a distinct chill, India has dispatched a warship to Maldives to undertake joint surveillance and patrol of the archipelagos sprawling Exclusive Economic Zone.

Two officers and eight sailors from the Indian Navys elite marine commandoes wing are also currently at Maafilhafushi in Maldives, which is 145 km north of Male, to train its personnel in diving and tactics under the second such asymmetric warfare training exercise called Ekatha from April 28 to May 15.

It is an endeavor of the Indian government and Navy to ensure safety and security of the vast EEZ of the island nation, said Navy spokesperson Captain D K Sharma on Friday.

bccl/representational image

Offshore patrol vessel INS Sumedha will undertake an operational turn-around at Male on May 11-12, which will involve training and embarkation of some personnel from the Maldives National Defence Forces (MNDF).

The warship will then undertake the joint EEZ surveillance from May 12 to 15.

reuters/representational image

Bilateral ties between the two countries had soured after Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen on February 5 declared emergency in the archipelago following an order by the country's Supreme Court to release a group of opposition leaders convicted in widely criticized trials.

Maldives had subsequently declined India's invitation to participate in its eight-day mega naval conclave called Milan at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from March 6 to 13.

afp/representational image

Maldives had later also asked the Indian government to take back one of its two Dhruv advanced light helicopters (ALHs) gifted to the archipelago, as was first reported by TOI in April.

With an eye firmly on China, India has provided military aid, training, capacity-building and EEZ surveillance to Maldives over the last several years. Apart from gifting a fast-attack craft, India has stationed six pilots and over a dozen ground personnel in the archipelago to operate the ALHs and help the MNDF.The district court in Indore, Madhya Pradesh has sentenced to death, a man convicted of rape and murder of a 4 month old girl.

The man identified as Naveen Gadke, is the uncle of the infant whom he brutally abused and then murdered.

The incident happened on April 20, when the girl was sleeping with her parents, on the street outside the Rajwada Fort in Indore.

PTI

During the early hours, Naveen, who was sleeping near the family to the infant and went to the vacant basement of a nearby building where he raped her.

The girl's body was recovered from the basement after a shopkeeper who had gone to open his shop spotted the blood soaked body. The accused probably threw her to the ground, the police had said.

Naveen was identified and arrested by police based on CCTV footage from the area.

PTI

"The accused is seen carrying the infant in CCTV images of around 4:45am on April 20. He then took her to the basement of the building, some 50 metres away from where the family was sleeping, and her body was recovered in the afternoon," HC Mishra, deputy inspector-general of police, Indore said.

Naveen who was convicted under various sections including POCSO act reportedly denied the charges against him.

When additional district and sessions judge Varsha Sharma asked the accused if he wanted to say anything, he said, "I did not do anything with any child."Child birth is one of the most difficult events of a woman's life. While advancements in the field of gynaecology have taken place, the process is not less painful or traumatising. Childbirth via C-section however has been one of the medical achievements in the world.

image: manorama

In India, this was started in the early 1900s. In Kerala, 1920, the birth of Michael Shavarimuthu was hailed as a medical breakthrough as he was the first person to be born through a cesarean section in Kerala. He was born at the Women and Childrens Hospital at Thycaud in Thiruvananthapuram, and the surgery was performed by Dr Mary Poonen Lukose who happened to be the first woman surgeon of Kerala.

Michael passed away at the age of 98 on Thursday. Shavarimuthu and Mary  Michaels parents  were unfortunate when it came to children before Michael was born. Three of their babies died soon after. What complicated things further was that doctors said they could either either save Mary or their fourth baby. Dr Mary Poonen however suggested a C-Section, and under her guidance, the surgery was performed and a healthy baby was born, reported Manorama Online.

representational / reuters

Reports state that for weeks after, visitors walked into Shavarimuthu and Marys house to get a glimpse of the baby. Michael grew up to join the Indian Army, before working for the Government Press. According to reports, Kerala was set to organise the centenary celebrations of the first C-Section in the state in 2020.The district court in Indore, Madhya Pradesh has sentenced to death, a man convicted of rape and murder of a 4 month old girl.

The man identified as Naveen Gadke, is the uncle of the infant whom he brutally abused and then murdered. Read more

Rajasthan Text Book Does It Again, Class 8 Reference Book Calls Bal Gangadhar Tilak 'Father Of Terrorism'

In what appears to be a case of poor choice of words, a Class 8 reference book described freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak as the "Father of Terrorism".

Printed by a Matura-based publisher, the book is used by private English-medium schools affiliated to the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE). Read more

Not Allowed To Write Exam Over Non-Payment Of Rs 300, MP College Student Dies Of Heart Attack

In a tragic incident, a college student in Satna, Madhya Pradesh lost his life after the college denied his admission ticket for exam over non-payment of fees.

The student, 20-year-old Mohanlal, who was studying BCA at Ramkrishna College and had already deposited a fee of Rs. 25,700 and had to pay another Rs 300 to clear the dues. Read more

Indian Railways To Improve Service, Will Serve Better Quality Airline-Like Food In Trains

The Indian Railways provides 12 lakh meals per day, 10 lakh of which is served on-board trains. However, a majority of people are unhappy with the food served - especially the quality.

The existing menu that comprises six-seven items, is often low on quality and also at times compromised on hygiene. Last year, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), in its report had termed the food served at stations and in trains "unfit for human consumption". Read more

According To This BJP MLA, PM Modi Is The Reincarnation Of Lord Ram And Amit Shah Of Laxman

Controversial BJP MLA Surendra Singh seems to have done just that. Hindu beliefs have cited that the Gods who walked this earth would reincarnate themselves and come back. For Singh, that seems to be none other than our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Singh has termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi a reincarnation of Lord Ram who along with party president Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will realise the dream of Ram Rajya in the country. Read more

Work On Zoji La Tunnel Which Will Give All-Year Access To Ladakh, To Be Flagged Off By PM Modi

Work on building a road tunnel across the Zoji La Pass, providing the Kashmir Valley with all-weather access to Ladkah, a strategically important border region, will begin May 19.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the Rs 6,809-crore project spanning over 14.2 km, which is expected to be completed in 2026. Read moreIt looks like Samsung is releasing a new Galaxy S8 Lite smartphone, according to press render images shared on Weibo. The lower-end version of the device looks very similar to the original Galaxy S8, with the same Infinity Display, Bixby button, and fingerprint scanner on the rear, below the camera.

It also seems to be more budget-friendly than the S8, as could well be expected from a Lite version. The device features a 5.8-inch 1080x2220 display with a 16MP rear camera. It has a Snapdragon 660 chip instead of the Galaxy S8s Snapdragon 835 chip, 4GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage, all powered by a 3000mAh battery.

Press images indicate the Galaxy S8 Lite will be available in red and black, though theres no word on an official launch date. Right now, most suspect the device will drop in China on May 21.NASA announced today that, when it sends another rover to Mars in July 2020 itll have a little companion with it. The space agency is sending a small autonomous chopper called the Mars Helicopter thatll capture a birds-eye view of the planet.

Images courtesy: NASA

The chopper will be able to fly over ravines and other topographical features that the rover otherwise wouldnt be able to reach. However, it also has another purpose, one thatll in fact be fulfilled first. The minute the helicopter is released, NASA will be able to test Mars atmosphere, which is 100 times thinner than that of Earth, to see if vehicles can stay airborne over the Red Planet.

The Mars Helicopter has been in the works at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory(JPL) for the last four years, but the space agency had been trying to decide whether it would actually send the vehicle to Mars. It needed to determine how likely it was the chopper would even be able to fly, and whether it had enough of a budget to include the helicopter. Apparently, its a yes to both now.

JPL engineers have been working to try and balance the helicopters weight and shape to give it the best chance of staying airborne. The highest a chopper has flown on Earth is 40,000 feet, but the Mars Helicopter will be flying in an atmosphere as thin as at 100,000 feet on Earth. Because of this, the helicopter weighs just 1.8 kg, and is about the size of small melon. Its twin rotors also move 10 times faster than the average helicopter.

The plan is for the helicopter to get to Mars while attached to the underbelly of the rover. When it finds a good place to deploy, the rover will set down the Mar Helicopter and roll away, leaving the chopper to take off on its own. It also wont be possible to control the helicopter from Earth, as signals would take several minutes to reach it, so itll be doing five 90-second autonomous flights a day, over a month.

The Mars 2020 rover with the attached helicopter will launch on an Atlas V rocket, by the United Launch Alliance, from Cape Canaveral in Florida in July 2020. Its expected to make landfall on Mars by February 2021.

If the Mars Helicopter crashes and burns from the get go, it at least wont affect the rest of the 2020 mission with the new rover. But if it manages to stay afloat, itll give us some of the best aerial pictures of Mars weve ever seen, not to mention find geographical features we otherwise wouldnt have been able to go near. It would also mean, we can send more fliers to Mars in the future.Coming back to life in Iraq's Sinjar by Iraq Solidarity News (Al-Thawra)

Saturday May 12th, 2018 3:59 AM

Almost four years ago, tens of thousands of Yazidi people were forced to flee Sinjar, in north west Iraq, after being subjected to appalling violence. Returning takes courage, and determination.



Aishan Haider is trying to restart her life, living with two other families in a partially destroyed house. But she has lost so much more than bricks and mortar: many of her family members are still missing.



We lost everything. We lost our livelihoods, men, children, and even our honour, says Aishan. They took away five men from our house. From then on, we knew nothing about them. Aishan is trying hard to create a normal life for her family, but Sinjar is anything but normal.



Much of the town is destroyed, its infrastructure and economy are in ruins. Now, I stay at home all day long and do not know what others do, she says. Everybody wants to make a living while there are no jobs at all.



Only around 30 per cent of the population has returned so far. Others, like Hasan, remain in makeshift camps on the mountain. Abu has been in the camp almost four years. Our houses are still in rubble. says Hasan.



I went to my house twice. An IED close to it has not been removed until now. My two-floor house was levelled to the ground. And yet, from the rubble of Sinjar, life is returning. The resilience of its people is inspiring.



Sherin Shafin is a nurse, she has a fierce pride in her community, and she is now dedicating herself to supporting it. Women lost their husbands, they had to stay up on the mountain, says Sherin. Some had to give birth without medical help. I am so proud of them. I consider this territory to be sacred.



For other women and girls in Sinjar, however, resuming life in the place where they experienced violent trauma feels almost impossible. Sharihan, who has lost family members, and was abducted during the fighting, is one of them.



I live here with my family, apart from my mother and brother, she says. I have no job. I want to rest and get out of this place. I want to take my family away and abandon this area. Perhaps one day, with the support of neighbours like nurse Sherin, Sharihan will have the strength to start again.



Sherin at least has faith that Sinjars people will overcome the challenges.



People coming to Sinjar are always impressed with our community. In spite of the mass killings in Sinjar, the community remains united. Our society respects its norms and traditions. Although the displaced families stayed in camps for four years, they maintained their dignity and cohesion.Maybe Rick Zeron was right after all, as the trainer of Atlanta has been quoted as saying his three-year-old trotting filly will give unbeaten Manchego a run for her money during the upcoming stakes season, and Friday night at the Meadowlands, the daughter of Chapter Seven did nothing to make anyone think otherwise.

In the feature, a conditioned event for trotters that included three-year-old colt (and Hambletonian hopeful) Fashionwoodchopper, four-year-old mare (and 2017 New York Sire Stakes standout) Celebrity Ruth as well as several older male trotters, it was Atlanta who reigned supreme in an eye-popping effort.

In the early going it was P L Icabod on the front as Atlanta sat sixth along the rail. D Ws Revenge vacated the five hole at the five-eighths, giving Atlanta a live tow heading to three-quarters. Scott Zeron, driving Atlanta for his dad, had the eventual winner in a third-over flow before swinging four wide at the head of the stretch.

Atlantas explosive final quarter of :27.1 then carried her past the field with ease, as she went on to win by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:52, which lowered her previous lifetime best by two seconds. Celebrity Ruth was second with even-money favourite Fashionwoodchopper third.

Was I surprised by her effort? asked Scott Zeron in the winners circle. No. But I was impressed.

Atlanta paid $12.20 as the 5-1 third choice in the wagering for owners R. Zeron Stables, Holland Racing Stables, H. Taylor and B. Grant. Shes now 5-for-10 lifetime.

One lucky bettor had a huge night, cashing in for $25,476 for being the only player to survive eight legs in the 20-Cent Survivor Pick-9. The Late 20-Cent Jackpot Super High-Five failed to result in a single-ticket winner, upping the carryover to $218,567.

Racing resumes at the Meadowlands Saturday at 7:15 p.m.

(Meadowlands)Jeff Kennett, chairman of Beyond Blue, will speak on day one of the inaugural Emergency Services Gathering, with the topic Welfare of Employees  the Second Priority of all Employees after Good Governance, Gallagher Bassett has announced.

The GB-hosted event will be held May 30 to 31 at the Intercontinental Melbourne, to allow delegates to discuss and share information about preventing and managing mental health in the workplace, as well as give them the opportunity to collaborate on pilot projects.The process and decision automation are the two big ticket items, Johnson said. We have been running the same mindset which is, I always say because I like threes and alliteration, it is about the risk, rate and relationship.

They are the three things they should do well. Everything else, pull it away from them and have it done by someone else, which is how my team grew in the first place, or give it to a third party, or automate it.

Johnson said that a lot of what the industry deems as decision making is more like pattern recognition  as an underwriter sees certain sections of a policy, they then know how to react  and technology will be able to replace these tasks.

There is very fast emerging tech, and a lot is here already that can absolutely replace that and do it better and more consistently - it is just about putting the infrastructure in place that allows that to happen between different companies, he said.

Johnson likened the changes to underwriting brought on by further automation to those seen more than a decade ago at Suncorp when pricing engines were first rolled out. Now, pricing engines are commonplace across the industry and Johnson said that he believes decision science could be next.

The quick win is the process automation, Johnson continued.

We did [this] 12 years ago with pricing engines and now we are saying for the more subjective decisions, how do we use more modern technology to start understanding and augmenting the human who is making those decisions to get more consistency, and faster turnaround?

Related stories:

Insurance analytics market worth more than $16 billion by 2023  report

Insurance possibilities in the race to autonomous vehicle techWhat Is a Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC)?

Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC) is a professional designation for mutual fund advisers. It was previously awarded by the College for Financial Planning, now part of Kaplan, to financial services professionals who completed a study program and passed an exam covering mutual fund topics. While it is no longer a current certification offered by Kaplan/College for Financial Planning, as of 2021, the organization still supports the designation. This article describes the designation and its requirements.

Key Takeaways The Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC) was a designation for mutual fund advisers offered by the College for Financial Planning, now part of Kaplan.  

 The CMFC is no longer offered by the educational services companies, although the designation is still supported.

The designation was one of many that evolved from the CFP or Certified Financial Planner designation that helped formalize the field of financial planning in the 1970s.

Understanding Chartered Mutual Fund Counselors (CMFCs)

Applicants who successfully pass the program earn the right to use the Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor designation with their names for two years, which can improve job opportunities, professional reputation, and pay. Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor professionals must complete 16 hours of continuing education every other year and pay a nominal fee to continue using the designation.

The Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor program was developed in conjunction with the Investment Company Institute and is the only mutual fund designation recognized in the financial services industry. The study program to become a Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor covers types and characteristics of open and closed-end funds, other packaged investment products, risk and return, asset allocation, selecting a mutual fund for a client, retirement planning, and professional conduct. The Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor program is the only industry-recognized mutual fund credential.

Why Hire a Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor?

Chartered Mutual Fund Counselors help clients select mutual funds, which are growing in number every day. The Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor course emphasizes how to evaluate mutual funds and how to use that information to make recommendations to clients. A credentialed adviser should be able to review a clients entire investment portfolio and provide suggestions.

The College for Financial Planning holds Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor designees to strict standards of professional conduct. If a charter holder does not abide by these standards, they can be reported to the College for Financial Planning and could face disciplinary action. The College for Financial Planning publishes an online list of advisers who have had their designation suspended or revoked.

The College for Financial Planning

The College for Financial Planning was founded in 1972 to formalize the financial planning profession through the creation and use of the CFP Certification, now a crucial financial planning credential.

In July 2018, Kaplan bought the College for Financial Planning. The College is a separate institution from Kaplan and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It continues to operate today, offering programs in financial planning, asset management, wealth management, and retirement planning.What Is Fully Funded?

Fully funded is a description of a pension plan that has sufficient assets to provide for all the accrued benefits it owes and can thus meet its future obligations.

In order to be fully funded, the plan must be able to make all the anticipated payments to both current and prospective pensioners. A plan's administrator is able to predict the amount of funds that will be needed on a yearly basis. The funding status is generally determined by the plan's outside actuaries. This can help determine the financial health of the pension plan. Fully funded can be contrasted with an underfunded pension, which does not have enough current assets to fund its obligations.

Key Takeaways Fully funded describes a defined-benefit pension plan that has enough assets on hand to satisfy all obligations to current and future retirees.

Companies strive to reach fully funded status, so they do not experience a shortfall of funds promised to workers.

A fully funded pension plan status will be indicated in the company's financial statement footnotes.

Understanding Fully Funded

Companies distribute annual benefits statements specifying whether or not the pension plan is fully funded. Employees can use this to determine the financial strength of the plan.

A fully funded pension plan is one that has the financial stability to make current and future benefits payments to pensioners. The plan depends on capital contributions and returns on its investments to achieve stability.

A plan's funded status refers to the amount of accumulated assets (out of all assets needed for full funding) that have been set aside for the payment of retirement benefits. The equation to determine a plans funded status is:

Funded status = plan assets - projected benefit obligation (PBO)

For example, in July 2019, the CalPERS (California Public Employees Retirement System) fund reported a funded status of 70% at the end of the June 30 fiscal year. This was down less than one percentage point from the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2018, according to the plans reports. In July 2019, the size of the CalPERS fund was more than $370 billion.

Underfunded pensions are a growing problem as they are unable to meet the pension cash flows promised to current and retired workers. An overfunded plan, on the other hand, is a company retirement plan that has more assets than liabilities. In other words, there is a surplus in the amount of money needed to cover current and future retirements. Although this surplus can legally be recorded as company income, it cannot be paid out to corporate shareholders like other income as it is reserved for current and future retirees.

Fully Funded and the Pension Footnote in Financial Statements

The pension note in a companys financial statements details the corporate pension plan that management has set for its employees, generally after a particular vesting period. This usually follows after the section on long-term liabilities, since the pension fund is a particular type of long-term liability that is not often captured on the balance sheet. For this reason, pensions are sometimes called off-balance-sheet financing.

Pension fund accounting is complicated, and the footnotes are often tortuous. There are various sorts of pension plans, but the defined benefit (DB) pension plan is one of the most popular. With a defined benefit plan, an employee knows the terms of the benefit that will be received upon retirement. The company is responsible for investing in a fund in order to meet its obligations to the employee, so the company bears the investment risk.

On the other hand, in a defined contribution plan, such as a 401(k), the company may make contributions or matching contributions but does not promise the future benefit to the employee. As such, the employee bears the investment risk.What Is the Stuttgart Stock Exchange (STU)?

The Stuttgart Stock Exchange, or Borse Stuttgart, is Germany's second-largest securities market (after the Frankfurt Stock Exchange), handling around 40% of all securities trades in the country. Established in 1861, the Stuttgart Stock Exchange trades in equities, bonds, investment funds, and participation certificates.

Key Takeaways The Stuttgart Stock Exchange or Borse Stuttgart is Germany's second-largest securities market after the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

The Stuttgart Stock Exchange had a trading volume of 68.5 billion euros across all asset classes in 2019, and it is ranked ninth among European exchanges in trading volume.

In September 2019, the exchange launched the Borse Stuttgart Digital Exchange (BSDEX), a fully regulated market for bitcoin-euro trading and the first regulated token trading platform in Germany.

Understanding the Stuttgart Stock Exchange (STU)

The Stuttgart Stock Exchange was founded in 1861. It briefly closed from 1914 until 1919 due to World War I, and also experienced a period of closure during the Great Depression and World War II. In 2004, it became the first German stock exchange to limit commissions. By 2008, all asset classes were traded electronically.

In the modern era, the Stuttgart Stock Exchange is considered the leading exchange for retail investors in Germany. Retail investors can trade equities, securitized derivatives, bonds, investment fund units, and profit participation certificates. The exchange prides itself on having the highest quality of execution and the best prices.

The exchange had a trading volume of 68.5 billion euros across all asset classes in 2019, and it is ranked ninth among European exchanges in trading volume. According to the website of the Stuttgart Stock Exchange, the exchange offers high liquidity and execution certainty, high pricing quality, active limit monitoring and intelligent order types, a transparent fee model, and trading subject to supervision under public law.

In September 2019, the exchange launched the Borse Stuttgart Digital Exchange (BSDEX), a fully regulated market for bitcoin-euro trading, with plans to offer ethereum, litecoin, XRP euro trading pairs, and tokenized assets. BSDEX is the first regulated token trading platform in Germany.

This exchange is open to all users with German residency. Users must hold a German bank account, be at least eighteen years old, and be a national of a country in the European Economic Area (EEA). Considered a blockchain pioneer in Germany, Borse Stuttgart created a scientific advisory board for blockchain technology and tokenization in 2019.

Stuttgart Stock Exchange and Startbase

Also in September 2019, the exchange announced the launch of an online start-up platform called Startbase, with the goal of unlocking Germany's startups to the rest of the world. Startbase is a way to search and find the entire German startup ecosystem. Offered as a partnership with the German Startups Association (located in Berlin), it is the first digital, English-speaking online platform for startups in Germany.

For a stock exchange, one of the core goals is to support young companies that are trying to raise capital, especially when they are just starting out with their initial public offering (IPO). Startbase is an additional way to invest in the future of Germany as a leading incubator for startups. In addition, investors can create a profile on Startbase and get in touch with startups.In this week's 'Rewind,' Robert Smith has penned a special piece in honour of Mother's Day which is officially celebrated on Sunday, May 13 this year. His story tells of a very dedicated mother within harness racing circles who raised a rather large family on her own. She showed what tremendous stamina and endurance a mother can muster when called upon. He also sends out a Mother's Day greeting to the reading audience.



Ruth Wray and her young daughter Joanne appear in the winner's circle at the Barrie Fairgrounds in this 1956 photo. Mrs. Wray was on hand to see her fine three-year-old pacing filly Miller's Ann score a victory for driver Murray Waples. The filly was named after late husband Miller Wray and her daughter Joanne. This picture was used for a number of years following this time as the front of the annual race program at the Barrie Fair races (Photo courtesy of Wray family) Ruth Wray and her young daughter Joanne appear in the winner's circle at the Barrie Fairgrounds in this 1956 photo. Mrs. Wray was on hand to see her fine three-year-old pacing filly Miller's Ann score a victory for driver Murray Waples. The filly was named after late husband Miller Wray and her daughter Joanne. This picture was used for a number of years following this time as the front of the annual race program at the Barrie Fair races (Photo courtesy of Wray family)



Each year when Mother's Day rolls around I try to write something topical and hopefully interesting for the Rewind audience. I think most other years I have covered the topic in a rather general fashion; this year I have the story of a very special mother and her name is Ruth Wray. Although she left us a number of years ago her story is a shining example of just how strong and resilient a mother can be.

Back in 1952 Miller Wray and his wife Ruth were relative newlyweds, just starting out on what would surely be a long and happy life together. They were already the proud parents of five beautiful young children, all set to enjoy the joys of farm living and growing up in a horsey atmosphere. For several years Miller Wray had followed the harness racing circuit near his Schomberg, Ont. home area. He came by his rather intense interest in the sport in a very traditional way, through his father. In those days most of the racing action was at the fairs and that is where everyone congregated.







Ben Boy as a two-year-old in 1952 with owner Miller Wray at his head with Peter Miller in the sulky at Thorncliffe Park (Michael Burns) Ben Boy as a two-year-old in 1952 with owner Miller Wray at his head with Peter Miller in the sulky at Thorncliffe Park (Michael Burns)

Already by 1952 the Wray family had found a very special horse and he was a trotter to boot. A first class trotter had emerged from the family farm and his name was BEN BOY. In a sport that did not yet encourage the racing of young horses to the extent it later would, Mr. Wray had charted out a special course for his youngster at the age of two. At season's end Ben Boy was getting to be quite widely known. In his freshman season he had already established some impressive credentials. He proudly wore the title "Canadian record two-year-old trotter." The future was bright indeed.

In March of 1953 fate was to deal a crushing blow to the young couple. Miller Wray died suddenly at the age of just 29. Left along with his widow were three sons -- Jack, Tom and Pete -- along with two daughters -- Sharon and Joanne. The oldest was ten, and the youngest just two months.

Mrs. Wray was obviously distraught but also resolved to carry on. A big part of her forward plan was to remain in the business of raising and racing horses despite the advice of some who encouraged her to dispose of all of the horses.



Owner Ruth Wray proudly receives a silver tray earned by her fine trotting performer Ben Boy. A mud splattered Keith Waples stands by following the victory. (Wray family photo) Owner Ruth Wray proudly receives a silver tray earned by her fine trotting performer Ben Boy. A mud splattered Keith Waples stands by following the victory. (Wray family photo)

As Ben Boy turned three, an old family friend entered the scene and would be a major factor in the years to come. Keith Waples, a boyhood friend of the late Mr. Wray, took over the training and driving duties of Ben Boy and many others that followed. Keith and Miller Wray had travelled that fair circuit mentioned above and that friendship would now pay dividends.

Ruth Wray remained a pillar of strength for many years, managing the farm and retaining her interest in horses. She and her husband originally had two pieces of farm property and in 1964 she left the original site and built a home on the other. She also did a credible job at her main job which was raising her family. She truly showed how strong a mother can be.

In a recent conversation Joanne Wray shared a few of her thoughts and fond memories of her mother and I have displayed them below. I would like to thank her for the loan of pictures and other assistance in preparing this story. A fine lady remembered.

"Mom was born on May 12, 1919 and died December 23, 1995 at the age of 76. She stayed involved and enjoyed the horses until then. Of course she didnt have much choice because all her children were involved and had a passion for the sport.  She attended the races as much as she could. She took us kids with her whenever possible. Im sure she would have loved to go to the races every time she had one racing but it wasnt that easy to get a babysitter for the five of us. Every once in a while she and a few friends would take a road trip to Montreals Blue Bonnets Raceway to watch one of her horses race. Those were exciting times for her. 

"My sister and I often talk of how strong a person she was. Mom was confined to a wheel chair in her mid 40s. She managed the hand she was dealt in life as best she could and tried not to worry or dwell on the negative things. Amazingly enough, she always had a positive outlook on life and enjoyed it to the fullest. "Happy Mothers Day to All,

Joanne Wray"

I would like to extend a very special greeting to all Mothers today. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Who Is It?

Can you correctly name the two individuals on the left presenting the silver tray to Mrs. Wray? I am certain of the identity of one gentleman and could use some assistance on the other.By Padraig Hoare

The acting US ambassador to Ireland has said the delicate situation surrounding the future of Aughinish Alumina in Limerick is being discussed at the highest levels of our two governments.

Charge daffaires Reece Smyth, who is heading up the embassy while it awaits an official appointment from the Trump administration, said Washington is taking seriously the concerns over the fate of the Russian Rusal-owned Aughinish Alumina, which employs 450 staff and more than 200 agency workers.

The jobs have been under a cloud as US sanctions imposed on the plants owner, Rusal, played havoc with metal markets over the past few weeks.

Mr Smyth told the Irish Examiner: The Irish Government has raised Aughinish Alumina both in Washington and here in Dublin. Were taking Irish concerns seriously. The treasury secretary pushed off until October the implementation, and this is being discussed at the highest levels of our governments.

The US Treasury has now given American companies until October 23 instead of June 5 to wind down business with Rusal.

The Trump administration has accused Rusals majority owner, billionaire Oleg Deripaska, of having too close ties to the Kremlin.

And yesterday, Rusal  the worlds biggest aluminium producer  warned about the likely materially adverse effects of the sanctions even as it posted a 20% increase in earnings to $572m (481m) in the three months to the end of March. The firm had tapped higher aluminium prices and increased output in the period.

Its shares slid a further 7% in the latest session, adding to its huge losses since the US first threatened sanctions. It also emerged that rival Glencore and Rusal have asked the London Metal Exchange to temporarily lift its suspension on Rusals aluminium after an extension of the US deadline.

Business Minister Heather Humphreys raised Aughinish with US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross in Washington earlier this week. The Department said it was closely engaging with the firm and its management and continues to keep the situation under close and careful review.

Minister Humphreys raised the situation at Aughinish Alumina during the course of the meeting. Secretary Ross was acutely aware of the situation, the department said.

Tanaiste Simon Coveney said he was closely monitoring developments and has been in regular contact with the Irish ambassador to the US over Aughinish.

The threat of sanctions has also affected other large companies. Mining giant Rio Tinto has plants in France and Iceland that use the Irish alumina, and Liberty House Groups Scottish smelter also depends on the site.

Mr Deripaska has agreed in principle to reduce his stake in En+ Group, which holds his 48% stake in Rusal, after the US said it could remove Rusal from the sanctions list if he ceded control.

Though Rusal said the longer-term effects of the sanctions and the threat of additional future sanctions are difficult to determine, the company nonetheless warned that the effect is highly likely to be materially adverse.

Its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation of $572m in the quarter was driven by a 19.5% rise in revenues of $2.7bn.

Additional reporting, Reuters.By David Connors (Twitter: @peterswellman)

Recognised by many as the national card game of Ireland, 25 is a game synonymous with the Irish countryside.

For many elderly people living in rural Ireland, 25 remains their only social outlet  offering a chance to meet friends and interact with the local community on weekly basis.

Weekly games, like one in Tubber, Co. Clare, are held up and down the country in rural and urban areas.

Held in a tiny community hall in North Clare this game has been running for close to 40 years and during that time has only missed three nights due to adverse weather conditions.

Despite still regularly getting upwards of 50 players per night, this game has still many of the regulars who were there since the beginning, with very few young people taking the opportunity to partake in this activity.

Reporter, David Connors went along to the Tuesday night game to find out what keeps bringing the regulars back and why they think people of the younger age group are no longer taking up 25.

This article and video is a submission to the annual University of Limerick / Landmark Media video competitionEverybody is talking about West Cork, the podcast delving into the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier. Marjorie Brennan spoke to the couple behind it, and the backlash they had feared as they return to the area this summer for the literary festival.

There has been an explosion of interest in podcasts in recent years, with the audio format joining boxset binging as the competitive leisure pursuit du jour. After the breakthrough success of the US podcast Serial, the true crime genre has become an increasingly crowded one.

One podcast in particular has been singled out for acclaim since it debuted on the Audible platform in February. Named by Time magazine as one of its top podcasts and lauded by documentary maker Louis Theroux, West Cork is a 13-part podcast series delving into the murder of French filmmaker Sophie Toscan du Plantier at her holiday home near the Cork seaside village of Schull almost 22 years ago. Her murder remains unsolved but it has been at the centre of several court actions involving Ian Bailey, a suspect in the case who continues to deny any involvement.

The podcast creators are the London-based couple Sam Bungey and Jennifer Forde, who met as students at Trinity College, Dublin. Forde is a documentary producer who has worked for the BBC and Sam is a journalist who has worked for many outlets, including NPR in the US.

They spent three years working on the podcast and still seem slightly surprised at its huge success. Forde says they are over the moon at how well it has been received. We were totally taking a punt on what it would be like, who would be interested in doing it, says Bungey.

The couple had just married when they came across a piece in an English newspaper on Baileys High Court action against the State for wrongful arrest.

We had been talking about doing something together Jennifers background is in television documentaries and I had done some work in radio. We were both really interested in podcasts and thought about trying to do a story like Jennifer would do, across several episodes of TV, but doing that in audio. Then, Serial came along and we thought we could definitely do it. Around the same time we came across Ian Baileys story in a newspaper That [case] was just about to get started so we went over and sat in on it. I think it sort of happened in stages. We were pretty fascinated with it in the beginning, then we kept passing these hurdles in terms of getting access to the various people who the story affected starting with Sophies family and then going from there.

While Serial, a US cold-case investigation into the conviction of Adnan Syed for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, attracted a huge listenership, it also attracted criticism for its lack of interest in the victim of the crime, 18-year-old Hae Min Lee, and its failure to include any contribution from her family. This was a situation Bungey and Forde were at pains to avoid and to this end, they sought the participation of Sophie Toscan du Plantiers family from the start.

Sophie Toscan du Plantier was murdered in Schull, West Cork, almost 22 years ago. The case is still unsolved.

Getting her family involved was the first step towards making sure Sophie herself was a presence throughout the series, says Forde. We both watch crime dramas on TV and we listen to other true crime podcasts it seems that often the female victim is just a springboard for the rest of the action. It was important for us not to fall into that trap. To try and find that balance was really difficult particularly when so much of it was about a man who has been long accused and fighting for his innocence.

But we felt Sophies family needed to give us permission to tell this story because we knew that much as we would try to be sensitive around putting in details about Sophies life and the murder, you cant avoid talking about the grisly details. Without the familys involvement, we would have felt a little bit uncomfortable doing that.

When the couple came to Dublin for Baileys action against the State, they spoke to family members based here and realised the huge potential of the story.

My cousin said it was one of those stories that never really goes away, every few years theres something else that surfaces and shifts your perspective on it again, says Forde. Those conversations made us realise that this could potentially be a really big and rich story that was specifically about one place, one country and one jurisdiction but also allowed you answer universal questions about guilt and innocence, and how people are perceived based on the news.

Bailey is a central and compelling character in the podcast, and while initially apprehensive about talking to Bungey and Forde, he went on to become enthusiastic about the project, giving freely of his time.

It is a professional relationship but a very complicated one where you have someone who sees himself as a veteran journalist who thinks the story should be covered in a certain way, but he knows you cant just tell the story he wants you to tell, says Bungey.

We were always very conscious of the idea that we had a duty of care to everyone involved in the story, which is a very tricky thing to balance. But it helped that we were in constant contact with all of the people involved. We would talk to Ian, the next day we would talk to Alain Spilliaert [lawyer for Sophies family] or the detective involved in the case. We wanted to get everyones story, then to interrogate it as much as possible before putting it out there.

Forde says they did a lot of soul-searching in terms of what to include in the podcast, and she was especially conscious that the violent circumstances of Sophies death were not portrayed in a disrespectful manner.

We did not want to give too much detail about Sophie and the way she died. People obviously want those details but you have to be respectful. We had to really figure out why it was important to include particular information because otherwise there was a real risk it would be gratuitous. We really had to interrogate ourselves as we went along  work out why was this important to the story and if we couldnt justify it, we left it out.

According to Forde, one of the most important characters in the podcast was West Cork itself. It was really important to us that West Cork as a place should be like a central character. We really tried to bring it to life through all the voices of the people that live there. The history of the place is so interesting to us, the landscape, the atmosphere, says Forde.

The couple ended up with hundreds of hours of audio and the process of editing was, unsurprisingly, a challenging one.

Every time we did interviews, it was for about two to three hours. Sometimes we sat down with someone more than once. We might use two minutes from hours of tape, says Forde.

Bungey adds: It was really difficult choosing some people we sat with for a long time and they had really interesting things to say and we ended up not using the tape because it just didnt fit with the way we were telling the story.

Meanwhile, the story continues to unfold. At the time of writing, it was reported that Bailey plans to go to the European Court of Human Rights after losing an appeal challenging a French decision to charge him over the death of Sophie Toscan du Plantier.

While there is a distinct possibility that the couple will do a follow-up to the podcast, Forde says nothing has been decided yet.

Inevitably, once its out there, you hear other things and start talking to people in different ways. The story is ongoing. We thought wed be done with it. We got to the end and we thought there would be this great moment but you feel yourself being drawn back in. Well see. Definitely maybe, she says.

Meanwhile, the couple are busy with their ten-month-old son, whose arrival coincided with the fraught final months of the podcast production. It was terrible timing, says Bungey. We thought wed be finished well before he arrived. He heard the words West Cork more than anything else in the first few months of his life.

The couple are looking forward to discussing their podcast at the West Cork Literary Festival in Bantry in July.

You get paranoid about these things... part of us thought that we might not be allowed back into West Cork after doing it but it doesnt seem that way, says Bungey.

- Sam Bungey and Jennifer Forde will be at the Maritime Hotel, Bantry, on Friday, July 20, at 8.30pm as part of West Cork Literary Festival. For more, see westcorkmusic.ie/literaryfestival/A family of seven, including four children, have been found dead with gunshot wounds at a rural property in south-west Australia in what could be the countrys worst mass shooting in 22 years.

The children died with their mother and grandparents.

The three generations had moved to Osmington, a village of fewer than 700 people near the tourist town of Margaret River, in 2015 to grow fruit, media reported.

Police would not comment on the possibility of murder-suicide, but they are not looking for a suspect.

After being alerted by a phone call before dawn, police found the bodies and two guns at the property, Western Australia State Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said. Police would not say who made the call.

The bodies of two adults were found outside the house and the rest were found inside. They all lived at the property, he said.

Police have no information to raise concerns about wider public safety, suggesting a shooter is not at large.

Osmington is a collection of a few streets, farms, holiday accommodation and vineyards supplying the premium wine-making district known as Margaret River.

Samantha Lee, chair of the Gun Control Australia lobby group, said rural areas were over-represented in Australian gun deaths, including suicides.

Regional and rural areas are particularly vulnerable to these sorts of tragedies, because of the combination of isolation, sometimes mental or financial hardship and easy access to firearms, Ms Lee said in a statement.

Although the details of this tragedy are yet to come to light, Australia has a tragic history of higher rate of gun deaths in rural areas, she added.

- Press Association

Earlier: Four children among seven dead in Australia shooting

Update 7.06am: Four children and three adults have been found dead at a home in rural Western Australia.

Detectives have described the incident at a farm northwest of the holiday town of Margaret River as a "horrific tragedy".

Western Australia Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said police were called to the property at 5.15am yesterday, and officers have no concerns about wider public safety.

"Police are currently responding to what I can only describe as a horrific incident," he said.

"This devastating tragedy will no doubt have a lasting impact on the families concerned, the whole community and, in particular, the local communities in our southwest."

Police were attempting to make contact with victims' relatives, Mr Dawson said.

He would not comment on the possibility of murder-suicide.

Two of the adults were found outside and the other five victims were inside the home in Osmington, 20km northeast of Margaret River in the famous wine region.

Police found two firearms and Commissioner Dawson confirmed some of the bodies had gunshot wounds.

He said the "male person" who had called the police had some connection to the property.

The incident has taken its toll on first responders, he added.

"This devastating tragedy will no doubt have a lasting impact on the families concerned, the whole community and, in particular, the local communities in our southwest," he said.

"Homicide Squad detectives from Perth are assisting local police in investigating the circumstances surrounding this tragedy.

"They will be supported by other specialist police units.

"A police chaplain is in attendance to provide support to all persons, officers and others that are impacted by what has happened."

He said police will be at the farm for "several days at least".

The commissioner was unable to confirm the ages of the children as their next of kin are still being notified.

This could be the worst mass shooting in Australia since a lone gunman killed 35 in Tasmania in 1996, prompting the nation to introduce tough gun controls.

Australia's gun laws are widely acclaimed as a success, with supporters including former US president Barack Obama saying Australia has not had a single mass shooting since they were implemented.

The generally accepted definition of a mass shooting - four deaths excluding the shooter in a single event - has been met only once in Australia since then in 2014 when a farmer shot his wife and three children before killing himself.

Farmers are allowed to own guns under Australian law because they have a legitimate need to use them to kill feral pests and predators or sick or injured livestock.

But automatic and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns are banned from public ownership.Leo Varadkar and Simon Harris have both expressed full confidence in Dr Tony Holohan but also stressed the need to hold those responsible to account.

It comes as Emma Mhic Mhathuna, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, welcomed a package of measures to support the 209 women impacted by the screening controversy along with their families.

But the mother-of-five also called for accountability for the failures within the cervical cancer screening system and vowed to continue to highlight the issue until questions are answered.

Emma Mhic Mhathuna

Dr Holohan was one of two people in the Department of Health who received three memos in 2016 that revealed CervicalCheck were preparing a media response to possible headlines that would read screening did not diagnose my cancer.

The damning memos, which resulted in the departure of HSE boss Tony OBrien, also stated that letters to the women affected would be paused and the order and volume of dispatch would be decided on to mitigate potential risks.

In a video to staff as he departed last night Mr OBrien said: Whats important now despite the setback that the health service has experienced is that you all remain focused on the important work that you do.

John Connaghan, who had been a deputy director general of the HSE, has now been appointed interim head of the HSE.

A rescheduled Cabinet meeting was held in Dublin yesterday where ministers signed off on a package of practical and flexible measures to assist the women who have been impacted by the controversy.

Reacting, Ms Mhic Mhathuna said the measures, which include discretionary medical cards, travel and childcare expenses and counselling services, were welcome but said she would continue with her campaign.

Emma Mhic Mhathuna has welcomed the range of supports announced by the Government for women and families affected by the cervical screening controversy, but says more needs to be done. | https://t.co/MeJfWiNYVQ pic.twitter.com/6qbQrrhSnY  RTE News (@rtenews) May 11, 2018

Mothers are dying so we need childcare and travel for cancer services. Its great that people are starting to mop up the mess, but we need accountability, accountability, accountability.

Asked about the resignation of Tony OBrien she said: The whipping plaster has been taken off the wound and now we need to get to the core of this and see how it happened.

She said that there needed to be accountability not just in terms of the cervical cancer issue but right across the whole HSE where she said ordinary doctors and nurses who were already working around the clock were picking up the pieces.

Along with the support package, Mr Harris said a mediation approach would be adopted to deal with the 10 pending legal cases so that women do not have to be dragged through the courts like Limerick woman Vicky Phelan.

The extent of the scandal only emerged after Ms Phelan was awarded 2.5m from a US lab in a High Court settlement.

It was then revealed that an audit by the CervicalCheck screening programme of 1,482 women diagnosed with cervical cancer since 2008 had found potential errors in earlier smear tests in 209 of the cases, with results showing no abnormalities when they should have flagged a cancer warning.

Mr Harris and Mr Varadkar both expressed frustration and anger that they had not been made aware of the 2016 memos but continued to express confidence in Dr Holohan last night.

Mr Varadkar said: Would I have liked to have known? Of course I would have like to have known, I was briefed on other patient-safety issues.

He pointed out that there have been a number of resignations over the scandal already but said: When it comes to holding people to account I think any reasonable person would agree there must be due process and a fair hearing and thats exactly what these investigations will do.

Mr Harris said he was very annoyed that he had not been informed of the 2016 memos.

Supports

Women and families affected by the CervicalCheck controversy have been promised a package of measures including medical cards, travel expenses and counselling. | https://t.co/MeJfWiNYVQ pic.twitter.com/Uyb07tWKBA  RTE News (@rtenews) May 11, 2018

Measures announced by Government to support 209 women and their families who have been impacted by the CervicalCheck controversy include:The Loneliness Taskforce, established by the charity Alone, along with Dr Keith Swanick, is to report on isolation next month.

It wants to increase awareness about the issue and to produce a set of recommendations for government, state agencies, and policymakers. The task force has received 300 submissions from members of the public, as well as from organisations.

Sean Moynihan, chief executive of Alone, said the responses from government departments show that none has a catch-all responsibility for loneliness, given the rural/urban and age mixes. Therefore, he said the report will have to feature a recommendation as to where the responsibility should lie.

He pointed out that, earlier this year, Britain appointed a minister for loneliness.

Mr Moynihan said the submissions came from a mix of rural and urban, young and old. A number of submissions came from organisations working in the area, who detailed their services and outlined how those services could be expanded to a national level. Others came from individuals who are lonely.

They detailed how it affects them and also welcomed the fact there is something being done to combat the problem.

Mr Moynihan said the report would consider awareness of loneliness, public policy, the research that was needed, and the role of the community and volunteers within that community. It is Alones experience that one in 10 elderly people struggle with loneliness, making it a public health issue which shortens peoples lives.

We look forward to making progress with our report and presenting it to the Government, and we hope that meaningful action is taken, as a result.

Loneliness is not something to be brushed off  it is a public health issue, one that needs serious consideration, he said.

Dr Swanick, who is chairman of the Loneliness Taskforce, said: As a GP, in my practice in rural Ireland, I often see the profound medical and mental health problems which are often exacerbated by loneliness.

I am well aware, however, that loneliness crosses the rural-urban divide and I witnessed the same problems a number of years ago, as a GP, in the heart of Finglas.

Through the submissions we have received, the Taskforce has heard from people who are young, new parents, those who are divorced or a single parent, from people with disabilities, returning emigrants, home-carers and entrepreneurs. We can say, with certainty, that loneliness never discriminates between young and old, rich and poor, or urban and rural.Chairman of the Irish Medical Organisations (IMO) GP committee, Dr Padraig McGarry, said the scandal could lead to a decrease in the number of women presenting for testing.

Dr McGarry said a full review of the screening programme is the right course of action and that other matters, such as outsourcing, testing criteria and frequency, and patient communication, should be included.

The Taoiseach has said the Government needs to ensure people understand how screening works. pic.twitter.com/geDiOKaO9a  RTE News (@rtenews) May 11, 2018

He also believes the tragedy for the women who have gone on to develop cervical cancer cannot be underestimated and they must be offered every support possible by the State: We have a duty as medical professionals to encourage all women to continue to attend for both routine screening appointments and to consult with their GP on any concerns they may have about previous smear tests.

The IMO has agreed to a programme with the Department of Health for concerned women to visit their GP and, if necessary, arrange a repeat smear test.

Dr McGarry said GPs are very busy reassuring women who have concerns about their smear tests and many are opting for repeat smears: We have explained to them the nature of screening  that it is not diagnostic  but I think they feel that if they get a repeat smear now they will probably get the reassurance they need.

If women have concerns they should not bottle them up, they should go to their GP and get advice as to what is the best appropriate action to take. Women should continue to have their smears because it does save lives and the new HPV test that is coming onstream soon will give them an added level of certainty.

More than 15,000 calls have been made to the HSEs helpline over the CervicalCheck controversy since April 28 and 5,471 calls have been returned.

CervicalCheck has said it is clear there was a very serious communications breakdown in notifying the 209 women where an audit showed their smear test could have provided a different result or recommended earlier follow up. Contact has been made with 203 of these 209 women.

The Irish Cancer Society said it is glad the Government has responded to its request to make a package of supports available to all of the 209 women and the families of those who have tragically passed away.

The societys chief executive, Averil Power, said: Nothing can undo the hurt and pain that has been caused to them but hopefully these supports will help them in some way.The country remains 19th overall out of 50 countries higher education systems in the 2018 Universitas21 Ranking. The system was introduced in 2012 to assess the broader systems in each country rather than the focus of other rankings on individual universities.

In the first four years, Irelands system was ranked between 16th and 18th, but has been 19th in each of the past three years.

Its position this year is based on a score of 64.8% compared to the performance of top-ranked United States across four main headings of resources, environment, connectivity, and output. This is down from 66.7% last year, but comparative scores were also down for the higher education systems in 22 of the 30 highest-ranked countries.

Irelands ranking for resources fell five places from 25th to 30th, in this case based on a 52.9% score against that of best-placed Switzerland. The measure of resources is largely based on Government investment in colleges, proportionate to national wealth, but also on colleges relative spending on research and development.

When account is taken of relative levels of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, Irelands ranking is 36th. Although this ranking would probably be higher if gross national income were used instead, because of the importance of foreign firms to Irelands economy, this is a drop from 30th in this ranking in 2014.

UCC

Despite falling public investment in recent years, Irish universities outputs have gradually improved. This is based on measures that include research output, citations of institutions research articles, third-level graduation rates, and graduate employment.

Under these collective headings, worth 40% of each countrys total marks, Ireland is ranked 16th, level with its best performance in 2014 and compared to a low mark of 19th in 2013.

The universities and institutes of technology have had to rely increasingly on fees of international and postgraduate students, as well as other private income, to make up for the proportionate loss of income from the Government.

Last year was the first for several years in which public funding for the staff and other running costs of the higher education system was increased, with a commitment to further increases for three years. But they fall well short of the projected 600m a year that the system requires to maintain quality while catering for an ever-increasing intake of third-level students.

Education Minister Richard Bruton was recently criticised for failing to provide the Oireachtas Education Committee with an overview of the impacts of proposals which he asked members to consider almost two years ago. The options to bridge the funding gap were set out in the report of an expert group chaired by Peter Cassells, which was published in July 2016.

Mr Bruton has insisted he will not bring any proposals to Cabinet on future funding solutions without political consensus from the Oireachtas committee.

However, Budget 2018 introduced the first of three phased increases in employers contributions to further and higher education through hikes to the National Training Fund levy.When the trotter Jamigo and driver Daniel Laflamme take to the racetrack Sunday in the seventh race Invitational-Handicap at Hippodrome 3R, they will bring a long-time relationship behind the starting gate.

Jamigo is a ten-year-old gelded son of Amigo Hall and has raced every year of his career, most of that time under the tutelage of Laflamme of Terrebonne, Quebec.

I had noticed that Jamigo was racing very well in London, Ontario, Laflamme said. But I thought he was just an ordinary horse. When I knew that he was for sale I thought he might be a good horse for racing at Hippodrome 3R, so we bought him.

Over the years Jamigo has had numerous trainers and owners, but now Laflamme, along with his wife and trainer, Manon Lamothe, own him outright.

He is a nice horse to train and take care of, Laflamme explained. The special side of him is his heart. He always gives the maximum effort he can.

Last year was Jamigos best season of his career as he posted seven wins, the fastest a 1:57.2 mile in winning the Invitational Gold Trot at 3R, just one-fifth of a second shy of tying his lifetime record.

In his return to 3R on opening day (April 29), Jamigo and Laflamme ended up being parked out first-over from the half, finally clearing to the lead at the three-quarters and then winning by one and one-quarter lengths in 2:03.3 on a sloppy track that had a three-second allowance.

How will Jamigo do this Sunday against some tough trotters?

I think he is ready to face the best on Sunday, Laflamme said. But winning is another story...we shall see.

In the seventh race feature, Jamigo will face some formattable foes in Holiday Party and Rocky Boy.

Holiday Party is the race favourite and goes from post eight for driver Francis Picard. He has one win this season, but that was a lifetime mark of 1:55.2 taken at Woodbine earlier this season. Just last week he was second in the Invitational-Handicap Trot, race timed in 1:58.1.

Rocky Boy is in good form for driver Marc Belanger and goes from post five. Last week the eight-year-old gelding by Rocky Balboa was third in Torches Angels 1:57.4 mile, behind the winner and runner-up Holiday Party.

Other contenders include Four Starzz Speed (post seven), Tuscans Memory (post two) and return winner Ado Duharas (post four).

Track Notes: Hippodrome 3Rs leading dash winning champion from last year, Stephane Brosseau, is already leading all drivers after the first two race days with seven wins. He will have plenty of opportunities to expand on that lead as he has a drive in all ten races on Sunday.

As reported by Trot Insider on Thursday, Dr. John Bradbury has said that Wildriverbumblebee looks ready to make his first qualifier of the year at Hippodrome 3R next Saturday. The champion three-year-old pacer from last year remains eligible to the $200,000 Prix DEte.

First race post time Sunday is 12:50 p.m. To view the entries for Sunday's card, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R.

(with files from the Quebec Jockey Club)Noreen ONeill said she will overcome whatever barriers the State puts in her way to secure THC medication for her only child, Michael, aged 20-months, whose seizures have flared up again.

Fighting back tears during a press conference in Cork yesterday, Ms ONeill, who is originally from Kilgarvan, Co Kerry, and who has had to give up her teaching job and move to Cork to be closer to hospital, said she wants Health Minister Simon Harris to simplify the licensing system immediately, on humanitarian grounds.

We already have a heavy cross to bear, with what our children have been born with. To put anything in the way of that, to make it more difficult in any way at all, you would have to be of unsound mind to do what hes doing to families in this country.

I just feel very uncared-for by our policy-makers. Its like my son is a nothing to them, and they are your whole world to you, she said.

Michael was born healthy and passed all his developmental checks, until his first seizure on December 19, 2016, two days after his christening. After a second seizure that day, he was taken by ambulance to Kerry General Hospital, before being transferred two days later to the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork.

His condition deteriorated, and, within three weeks, he was transferred to Cork University Hospital (CUH). He was diagnosed with bilateral frontal polymicrogyria  too many folds on the surface of the frontal lobes of his brain  which causes excessive electrical activity, and developmental delay.

When he was discharged from CUH two months later, he had up to 20 seizures a day. He has been treated with 10 anticonvulsant drugs, without success.

He went from being a real pounder of a baby for feeding to, in August, getting chest infections and aspiration pneumonia. We had several frantic dashes to A&E and, before I knew it, my lovely baby had a tube in his nose and hes been fed like that ever since, Noreen said.

She spent months researching, and when it became clear that the medics were running out of options, Michael was weaned off the medication.

She began to administer CBD oil after his 14th seizure on January 5, a Friday. He had seven seizures on the Saturday and just three on the Sunday. Within 72 hours, he was seizure-free: The CBD therapy had done what 13 months of treatment, involving 10 anticonvulsants, had failed to do.

Michael has recovered his swallow and has reached important developmental milestones.

The last four months have given them a taste of what normal life could be like  unlike last week, when the seizures returned: Its hard to put it into words what hes achieved in the last four months without the seizures. And what he could be like now, if the intervention with CBD had taken place a year ago, if his medical team were able to reach for that on the dispensary shelf in the hospital and try it. Those are the most valuable developmental months. So much has passed him by. My fear now, seeing seizure activity again, is that the progress hes made in the last four months could be taken away again.

She said medics here can only work with the tools they have, but that there is detachment at political level for the plight of people like Michael, who require THC: They are just completely devoid of empathy and understanding, in any way, shape or form, of the reality of what its like to live with something like this. It is quite literally a living hell. You have that adrenalin pumping all the time; your heart is racing, like youve had too much coffee every single day.

She became accustomed to the trauma of watching Michael suffer up to 20 seizures a day, but has vowed not to let that happen again. Combining CBD with THC  the so-called power-house package  is what Michael needs now, she said. But it can only be accessed through a special licence.

She said the application mentions where standard treatment options have failed, but noted: Whoever put that document together, to them its just a few words thrown together, but the reality of that sentence for us, was those 10 treatment options that destroyed his body.

She is now preparing for all eventualities, including having to travel overseas to access the treatment.

Noreen is being supported by medicinal campaigner Vera Twomey, who took on the State on behalf of her daughter Ava, and secured a licence for medicinal cannabis to treat Avas seizures.

Vera twomey with Ava

Vera said its heartbreaking to see another mother facing the same battle: The change in Ava has been extraordinary. This is so traumatic, to be dealing with the seizures, to have to come out in public and speak about your situation. But if you dont come out in public and speak about your situation, they wont listen.

Havent the last couple of weeks, with Vicky Phelan and her journey, shown that if you dont come out in public and let people know, then nothing will be done? Its the cruellest, most heartless, most inhumane measures to put people through to grant a licence.

She said medical experts in Holland view TCH as a medicine and she said it must be legislated for here: Simon Harris needs to do something urgently. This isnt just for Michael. Its for dozens and dozens of people. There is an exodus of people leaving the country and it cant be allowed to continue. These children deserve so much better.

Socialist Party TD Mick Barry said this issue should be seen in the context of the cervical check revelations: I think weve seen, in the last few days and weeks, the cold cruelty of bosses in the HSE to women and womens health issues in this country. Theres cruelty being shown to parents, families, and children here. But more often than not, the people who carry that weight are mothers, are women, and this is another example of a harsh and indifferent attitude to the suffering of those women, those families, and those children and what theyre going through.

The Health Minister has said it is within his power to grant a licence for access to cannabis for a named patient, once the application is supported by relevant clinicians.In the first paper, Referendums: On the Relevance of Psychology, the society claims that, according to the research overall, terminating a pregnancy does not appear to damage a womans mental health.

A second paper, 5 Facts on the Eighth Amendment and Mental Health underlines its claims:

1. Women who choose abortion do so because of the negative effects of continuing the pregnancy on their mental health and that of their existing children and significant others;

2. The overwhelming majority of women report feelings of relief after an abortion. Those who maintain feelings of regret over time are affected mostly by societal stigma and the lack of social support;

3. Those who have a history of mental health difficulties are the most likely to experience these same difficulties following an abortion;

4. Robust, high-quality scientific research by organisations such as the American Psychological Association and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has concluded that abortion does not harm womens mental health;

5. Women are at their most vulnerable during the perinatal period compared to any other point of time in their lives and rates of mortality during this time are highest with regard to mental health difficulties.

Meanwhile, former judge of the European Court Aindrias O Caoimh and former judge of the High Court and chairman of the Referendum Commission, Iarfhlaith ONeill, have joined a number of other lawyers in calling for the Eighth Amendment to be retained.

A statement, also signed by lawyers Margaret Cordial, Venetia Taylor, and Benedict O Floinn, said the Governments planned legislation would allow abortion on request up to nearly six months.

The group said that its analysis of the planned legislation, which urges a no vote, has been signed by almost 200 people in the legal profession.

Mr O Floinn urged voters to access a copy of the proposed draft legislation and to read it.

He was also critical of comments by Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin that the proposals were necessary to deal with difficult cases of rape or fatal foetal abnormality.

He is, with respect, wholly mistaken.

It was open to the Government to recommend the amendment of the article in the Constitution instead of repealing it and to introduce legislation which solely addressed exceptional cases.

They didnt do that. Instead, they yielded to those who wanted the rights of the unborn completely swept away and a wide-ranging right to abortion put in its place, he said.Ryanair decided in December to recognise unions for the first time and, while it has come to agreements in the UK and Italy, it is still working towards deals with unions in other major centres such as Ireland and Spain.

We regret to inform you that, at todays meeting, the negotiations with Ryanairs management have been broken off as they have not accepted our minimum requirements document, 90% of which corresponded to their proposals, Sepla told members.

Sepla says it represents about 500 of 800 Ryanair pilots based in Spain, said the airline did not want to allow union members three days a month to carry out union duties.

It had previously threatened legal action but suspended it to carry out talks with Ryanair.

Sepla said it planned to meet with its lawyer on Monday to file the lawsuit. A Ryanair spokeswoman said the company did not comment on negotiations with our people.

In an April 19 memo, Ryanair had said the remaining issue was time-off duties for the pilots committee but that there appeared to be little between the two sides and so it was hopeful of an early conclusion.

Ryanairs newly-formed transnational pilots group has held its first meeting and gave pilots a list of items to negotiate with Ryanair to ensure fair working conditions, such as base transfer protocols.Cormac Sheehan of 12 Poplar Avenue, Fota Rock, Carrigtwohill, Co Cork, faced sentencing for the crimes yesterday having pleaded guilty to a total of 11 charges at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Barrister Donal OSullivan said: He was bodybuilding for many years and taking them [steroids] for many years. He is no longer doing so. He has gone for counselling and gone to his GP. He is working. He is a married man. He has a house and is paying a mortgage.Visit Cork, the governing organisation for leisure and business tourism, is taking to the four corners of the county to host a series of open roadshows later this month.

The roadshows will be held on May 23 and May 24 in Cork City, West Cork, North Cork, and East Cork.

Organisers say the aim of the roadshows, hosted by broadcaster Jonathan Healy, is to brief the tourism industry on the work of Visit Cork and to encourage local communities, tourist groups, accommodation and experience providers, and others with an interest in tourism to adopt the recently developed Pure Cork destination brand. Destination manager from Visit Cork, Ursula Morrish, said: Cross-promotion, innovative experience development, and strategic branding is key to motivating visitors to come to Cork.

We encourage everyone to attend the roadshows and explore how they can use the Pure Cork brand to enhance their business and to celebrate all that Cork has to offer to domestic and international visitors.

The new purecork.ie website will be showcased at the roadshows and Visit Cork is currently inviting businesses and tourism providers around the city and county to submit their event and business details.

Sarah-Jane Murphy (Ovens), Eryn Twomey OSullivan (Tower) and Morgan Murphy (Ovens)

The roadshows will take place at Cork Racecourse, Mallow, at 9am and in Jameson Distillery, Midleton, at 5pm on Wednesday, May 23.

These will be followed on Thursday, May 24, by roadshows in the Metropole Hotel, Cork City, at 8am, and in the Celtic Ross Hotel, Rosscarbery, at 3pm.

Visit Cork is a public-private partnership that promotes Cork as a destination for leisure and business tourism.

The initiative  which is partnered by Cork city and county councils and is supported by Failte Ireland, Tourism Ireland, and relevant industry stakeholders  was launched in early 2016.Googles decision to ban all advertising on the referendum is alarming. The internet giant has intervened in the democratic process through censorship.

This intervention will largely boost the yes side, as the no side had put huge emphasis on targeted online campaigning.

The ban has largely been welcomed by the yes side, who would be screaming blue murder about censorship and corporate undermining of democracy if they had been reliant on online campaigning.

Censorship, it would appear, is grand as long as the right people or interests are being censored. Democracy is the loser here, and, once more, the unfettered power of internet giants is being exercised over citizens. Somebody is going to have to shout stop, pretty soon.

One of the more interesting interventions in the campaign has been Nell McCaffertys. The veteran journalists contribution raised eyebrows because of its content and because of her record as a fighter for womens rights going back nearly 50 years.

Last month, she told the Women In Media conference that she is trying to make up her mind on abortion. Is it the killing of a human being? Is it the end of potential life? she asked, adding that she didnt have the answer.

But its not that Im unable  I am unwilling to face some of the facts about abortion, she said.

In some instances of abortion, she said, they scrape the contents out of the womb. The pro-lifers are right. Out come the wee arms and legs, and I thought, Oh, God, is this what I am advocating? Yet, she has come to the conclusion that it is.

I believe that abortion is necessary, and [it is necessary] to have it as freely, legally, and widely as possible, she said.

Her musings are most likely uncomfortable for the repealers. Nell is correct, though. We dont talk about abortion, at least not those of us who oppose the constitutional ban on it.

Abortion involves the termination of something. Not life, certainly not in the way that most people consider life.

But something is terminated, something that if not interfered with, could, and usually would, develop into life.

I suspect that Nells view chimes with that of a great many people who are uneasy about what is involved in abortion, yet who believe that the constitutional ban must be removed.

For 35 years, the country has been chained to the constitutional provision, and those were years of great social change, of different perspectives on civil and human rights, and of the collapse of the authoritarian grip of the Church on society.

Abortion should be dealt with in legislation, according to the mores and values of the day. And at this point in the evolution of Irish society, there is an acceptance among a large cohort that there is a place for limited availability of the procedure.

The biggest flaw in the case for retention was exposed in comments made by the Bishop of Cloyne, William Crean, last week.

He asked parishioners not to concentrate on individual, difficult situations, which can be sad and painful, but to look at the wider implications of establishing what he called a culture of abortion as a routine medical procedure.

His comments betray the approach of the Church and the approach of many of the retainers. For them, the issue is not a function of the messy reality of life, but an abstract concept of what constitutes life, as defined by the tenets of their religion.

In this worldview, Ireland remains an insulated island in a world gone mad. The internet does not exist; neither does the abortion pill.

Britain, or other countries that acknowledge the necessity of the procedure, do not exist. In this view, the constitutional ban has kept Ireland pure.

They want to retain a constitutional ban in order to keep the numbers down, not to keep abortion out.

Whether repeal of the provision would substantially increase the instance of abortion is a moot point.

But using the Constitution to limit numbers, rather than ban something, is little short of ludicrous and wouldnt be contemplated with any other issue.

Politicians, on the whole, have behaved themselves during the campaign. This has always been a thorny subject for the mainstream parties, but of the three now in the field  Sinn Fein having displaced Labour  Fine Gael appear to be handling it the best.

The partys representatives come down on both sides, but, so far, there has been no open division, although few outside the cabinet are canvassing at all.

Fianna Fail is not as lucky. The gathering of 31 of their Oireachtas members for a photocall for the no side reflects how deep the division is between some members and the party leader.

If the referendum proposal were to fail, it would deal a much bigger blow to Micheal

Martin than to Leo Varadkar.

One other noteworthy intervention concerns Sinn Feins decision to use the occasion of the referendum to promote their new party leader.

The Shinners are the only party to go down this road. A cheap grab for political capital is not unknown to all parties, but Sinn Fein is being particularly cynical.

While the other parties have finally grown up and recognised this primal issue as a matter of conscience, Sinn Fein continues to impose a whip on elected members.

The partys position is that it favours repeal, but does not favour the proposal to permit abortion on request up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy.

As such, the party is kidding the electorate. While the 12-week proposal is not on the referendum ballot paper, voters are being asked, de facto, to vote on that basis.

In such a scenario, the approach of Sinn Fein might have been to keep the head down and quietly campaign for whatever it is they want.

That they are using the occasion to introduce their new president to the electorate smacks of high cynicism.

Hopefully, this cynicism is just a dying ember from the old party and Ms McDonald may, just like the referendum itself, begin to drag things into the modern world.

Hopefully, also, the referendum will pass. Its high time that we moved away from an Irish solution to an Irish problem and faced up to the reality that life is messy and that this country can no longer be insulated from the real world.News Army Enters the Fray around Namtu, Clashing with TNLA

TNLA troops on at the front line in Mongton Township, northern Shan State. / The Irrawaddy

YANGONClashes broke out between the Myanmar Army and the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in three different parts of Namtu Township yesterday. The rebel group claimed four government soldiers were killed in the fighting, although this could not be immediately verified.

The (Tatmadaw troops) entered an area where the TNLA and SSPP fought each other last week, said TNLA spokesperson Col. Tar Aike Kyaw.

He said the Myanmar Army had deployed a lot of soldiers around three villages  Mang Ain, Kon Mong and Nar Lay  that were the scene of the fighting between the two armed ethnic groups last week. According to the TNLA, four Myanmar Army soldiers were killed in the fighting near Mang Ain village between 9:25 and 10: 25 am (local time).

Namtu is in northern Shan State, near Lashio. Many ethnic armed groups including the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), TNLA, and Kachin Independence Army have bases in Namtu Township.

Hostilities often break out between the RCSS and TNLA, but more recently the TNLA and SSPP have battled each other following territorial disputes.

The TNLA reported that there was a misunderstanding among the ground forces last week, resulting in the clash. But, the TNLA withdrew its troops following the fighting although tension remains high between the two members of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC), an alliance of seven armed ethnic groups in the northeast of the country.

According to Col. Tar Aike Kyaw, the recent fighting means the TNLA has to had open three fronts in Namtun Township, against the Myanmar Army, the SSPP, and the RCSS.

The clash with a joint force made up of Infantry Divisions 77 and 88 broke out after the army deployed many men in Namtu township, according to the TNLA.

We are watching each others troop movements at the moment. Tension is high, Col. Tar Aike Kyaw said.

Namtu has been home to over 1,000 of IDPs since fighting broke out in 2011 between the KIA and the Myanmar Army. Ethnic Kachin fled first from their villages and came to the town. Later, ethnic Palaung were forced to seek sanctuary in the town when the TNLA and Myanmar Army started fighting in 2014. Then Shan and Lahu villagers were forced to flee when the TNLA and RCSS clashed in 2016.

UN agencies are not able to provide food to IDPs, forcing these displaced villagers to rely on donations from local people in northern Shan. The government has also failed to provide food to the IDPs, according to IDP camp leaders.Burma Govt Official's Bias for 'Peace Journalism' Sparks Media Backlash

Journalists from Chinese and Japanese news outlets interview villagers during a government-guided media tour in Kachin State on Wednesday. / Hkyet Awng / Facebook

YANGON  An Information Ministry official on Thursday said the government was granting special access to conflict zones to reporters who practice peace journalism and who dont fuel the flames, sparking a backlash among those left off the list.

On Wednesday, the ministry organized a rare guided media tour of northern Kachin States strife-torn Tanai Township, inviting reporters for Chinese and Japanese news outlets and some government-affiliated broadcasters while ignoring some locally based independent outlets, including the Myitkyina News Journal and the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB).

Journalist who werent invited took to email and Facebook to ask Deputy Information Minister U Aung Hla Tun  a veteran reporter who worked for Reuters for many years under military rule  why they were ignored. On Thursday, the deputy minister posted his reply on Facebook.

In his post, U Aung Hla Tun said: Its very important that we mustnt send those who will fan and fuel the flames of conflict. We should prioritize those who practice peace journalism. Nothing is more precious than peace for our country at present.

The deputy minister added that the Chinese and Japanese outlets were also favored for the tour because the two countries were assisting in Myanmars peace process and explained that his ministry did not select the outlets for the tour on its own. Though he did not say who else was involved in the decision, media experts believe it coordinates with the ministries of Border Affairs, Defense and Home Affairs  all under the militarys control  in hopes of assuring sympathetic coverage.

China and Japan are also significant investors in Myanmars business and urban development sectors but are believed to have invested relatively little in the countrys peace process compared to the European Union and Western countries such as Britain, Norway, Switzerland and the US.

DVB reporter Ko Aung Thu, who is based in the Kachin capital of Myitkyina, told The Irrawaddy that journalists not invited on Wednesdays tour were not even allowed to attend a press conference with Kachin State Chief Minister U Hket Awng on Friday.

We only had a few minutes to ask questions when the chief minister came out after a press briefing with selected journalists, he said.

U Zayar Haling, co-founder of the monthly magazine Mawkun and a member of the Myanmar Press Council, said the deputy minister was effectively accusing journalists who werent invited on the tour of being unethical troublemakers. He said the ministry should not discriminate but rather grant all journalists equal access.

I think they selected those who would not write negatively about the government, said U Zayar Hlaing.

Press Council member U Myint Kyaw agreed. He said some reporters could indeed fuel the flames, as the deputy minister suggested, but added that he should not have leveled such sweeping criticism.

U Myint Kyaw said the ministry should be more open and transparent about the limited powers it has in selecting journalists for such media tours. He said the military admitted to journalists at a workshop in February that it had criteria for deciding who to invite on tours but did not explain what they were.

Many reporters expected conditions for local journalists to improve with former colleagues such as U Aung Hla Tun and Information Minister U Pe Myint now in government. However, both men have been accused of making the situation worse.

I believe government thinking takes over journalistic thinking once they become bureaucrats, U Myint Kyaw said.Burma Nearly 20 Killed in TNLA Attack on Outskirts of Muse

Rescue workers assist a civilian wounded by fighting between the Tatmadaw and TNLA forces in Muse, Shan State, on Saturday morning. / Muse residents / Facebook

YANGON  Nineteen people including a police captain were killed and 29 were wounded when the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) attacked government security posts outside Muse, Shan State, near the border with China early on Saturday morning.

Myanmar State Counselors Office Director General U Zaw Htay said 15 civilians, a police captain and three government-backed militia members were killed during the fighting while 20 local people, three policemen and six militia members were wounded.

More than 100 TNLA troops launched a surprise attack on a police outpost at the Pan Kham Bridge at 5:15 a.m., he said in a Facebook post.

The TNLA confirmed it had launched an attack on Pan Kham village, about a mile from Muse, and on a nearby casino and the Pan Kham Bridge, at around 5:30 a.m. The attack ended at about 8:30 am, it said.

U Thaung Tun of Muse-based Karuna Social Services said his organization helped transport the injured to the hospital from the bridge and a nearby jetty, after being alerted to the clash by the sound of gunfire. He said many relatives of the victims had also gone to the hospital.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy at around noon, U Thaung Tun said the fighting had subsided.

We beg the armed forces to end the fighting in civilian areas. We want peace immediately, he said.

Shan State lawmaker Sai Kyaw Thein told The Irrawaddy that the TNLA attacked a security outpost manned by police officers and militia members on Pan Kham Bridge. The fighting was over by 9 a.m., he said.

TNLA spokesman Mai Aik Kyaw told The Irrawaddy the attack was a small offensive targeting positions held by the Tatmadaw and an allied militia. He said they also attacked a casino in the area.

He said the TNLA launched the attack because the Myanmar Tatmadaw has been attacking our temporary camps in the jungle. Also, there are military tensions in areas controlled by our allies, the Kachin Independence Army. Therefore, we launched this minor offensive.

Mai Aik Kyaw said the casino was targeted because it is backed by the militia and its supporter, the Tatmadaw. There have been so many reports from locals about their lives being damaged by thefts, robberies, gambling and drugs. So we attacked them. Also, the casualties were armed militia members and their families, he said.

He blamed the high casualty toll on the Tatmadaw and militia, saying their troops fired their weapons blindly.

When we attacked, they shot back blindly. We dont know the exact numbers of deaths and we are trying to confirm whose weapons killed those people. We are sorry for the civilian casualties.

But U Zaw Htay rejected the TNLAs claim as unacceptable, saying launching an attack on a town was not a justifiable response to having been defeated in the jungle, particularly in light of Saturdays civilian death toll.

Targeting innocent civilians is not calling for ethnic rights. Its an act of violence, he said.

This is the second significant attack by ethnic armed forces in the area. In November 2016, the Northern Alliance, which comprises the TNLA and three other groups, attacked Mong Koe near Muse, harming trade in the area and sparking further conflict.

Nan Lwin Hnin Pwint and Chit Min Tin contributed to this report.News Industrial Zones Planned in 11 Yangon Townships

Two men fish on a farm in Yangon. / Reuters

YANGON  Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein has announced plans to establish industrial zones in 11 townships on the outskirts of Yangon with the aim of addressing unequal development in the commercial capital.

He unveiled the plan on the sidelines of the Yangon Investment Forum 2018 on Wednesday.

The move aims to bring about equitable development among townships in Yangon Region, the chief minister said. I want to have industrial zones in those 11 townships. They are lagging behind in terms of development, U Phyo Min Thein said.

The industrial zones will provide jobs for internal migrants who come to the city in search of greener economic pastures, while also improving local residents standard of living, he said.

We will establish industrial zones in order to reduce development gaps between the townships. We have earmarked 1,000 to 2,000 acres in each of the 11 townships for future industrial development projects, said U Than, joint secretary of the Yangon City Development City.

He added that farmland would be purchased for the project, at fair prices.

We will seek approval from the Union government to use land owned by local farmers for industrial purposes, and compensate the farmers according to market prices, U Than said.

According to the plan, owners of farmland taken by the government for industrial development will retain ownership of 20 percent of the land, and the government will control the remaining 80 percent.

U Phyo Min Thein said that Businessmen [earlier] bought land from farmers and applied for permission to use that land for other purposes. The farmers sold the land for just 2 million kyats per acre or so. After the businessmen sought industrial-use permits for the land, the value of the land soared to 100 million kyats. So the farmers are really sad.

The YCDC has 25 plots of land above 3 acres in area and 120 plots that are less than 3 acres available for lease to private investors for the purpose of establishing factories and workshops, U Than said.

The plan calls for industrial zones to be built in Hmawbi, Taikkyi, Hlegu, Htantabin, Twante, Kawhmu, Kunchangon, Thanlyin, Kyauktan, Kayan and Thongwa townships.News No Need to Approve Yangon Expansion Plan Again, Chief Minister Says

Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein at the Yangon Investment Forum 2018 on Wednesday in Yangon. / Aung Kyaw Htet / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein said his government would not submit the new Yangon city project to the regional Parliament because it was already approved during the preceding administration of President U Thein Sein.

Regarding the site for the project, even the land confiscation orders for the project were issued by the previous government. And the current Parliament has to implement what was approved by the previous Parliament, the chief minister told reporters Wednesday on the sidelines of an investment forum in Yangon.

Local people in the area are quite poor and their agricultural production is quite low. Parliament approved the project after a Kyimyindaing [Township] lawmaker submitted the proposal again, he added.

In August 2014, then-Yangon Region Chief Minister U Myint Swe announced plans to expand the city by some 30,000 acres westward. The proposal was later shelved after allegations by lawmakers that the owner of the Myanmar Saytanar Myothit company, which won the original bid, had close ties to the chief minister.

The following year, Yangon Mayor U Hla Myint presented plans to Parliament to develop seven new satellite towns  including the new city  covering some 30,000 acres in Kyimyindaing, Seikgyikanaungto and Twante townships on the west side of the Yangon River.

The plan was approved and put out to tender, and in January 2016 three companies were selected to implement a smaller version of the new city project. But after the National League for Democracy took office in early 2016, the new Yangon government cancelled the contracts.

In April, the Yangon government formed the New Yangon Development Co. Ltd. (NYDC) to develop the new city project, which it said would create over two million jobs. The NYDC is fully owned by the regional government.

We lawmakers have suggested that this project should be reviewed, U Kyaw Zeya, a lawmaker representing Dagon Township, told The Irrawaddy.

It is true that the previous regional Parliament had approved it. But if the regional government continues with the project, a confrontation is likely between us and them, he said. Though it has been approved by the previous Parliament, procedures have changed. So there is a need to approve it again. If not, we would have to ask legally.

He said the project should be discussed in Parliament again because it would be implemented through a public-private partnership and with loans from the World Bank.

The $1.5 billion project will include two bridges linking five townships, a main road stretching 26 km, an industrial zone covering 10 square km, a power plant and power stations, and water and sewage treatment plants, according to the Yangon Region government.

U Phyo Min Thein said profits from investment projects in the new city would also be used to improve services in the older parts of Yangon.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.Commentary Could Informal Talks Revitalize the Peace Process?

The previous governments Union Peace Working Committee and the now defunct Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team, which comprised 16 EAO representatives, hold informal peace talks in Chiang Mai, Thailand on May 28, 2015, days before agreeing on the draft text of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. / Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy

CHIANG MAI, Thailand  It is quite often said that more informal talks are needed to move the sluggish peace process forward. Informal talks have been few and far between under the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government. Peace negotiators have pointed out that the lack of such talks is one of the reasons the peace process has not made much progress.

Those close to the governments Peace Commission have been saying this for the past couple years. Now the ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) are echoing the idea.

We have to make an effort to bridge the gap between the government, the Tatmadaw [the Myanmar military] and the EAOs through more informal meetings, said General Saw Mutu Say Poe, chairman of the Karen National Union (KNU). He leads the Peace Process Steering Team and made the remarks at its 19th meeting on May 9. The KNU and nine other ethnic groups have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

During negotiations led by U Aung Min, a former Presidents Office minister and chief peace negotiator at the former Myanmar Peace Center, unofficial talks with EAOs were held three times as often as formal negotiations. Under the NLD, informal talks with NCA signatories have become rare, while informal meetings with non-signatories have yet to take place.

Informal talks between the government and the NCA signatories have happened only twice, with the first being held in December 2017.

Tensions have grown and clashes have increased between the Tatmadaw and even those ethnic groups that have signed the NCA. Militarization is rising, especially in Karen and Shan states, further undermining the trust-building efforts of all armed groups.

Many stakeholders have grown disappointed, and blame the situation on the lack of informal talks. It seems there is a lack of understanding about the importance of such talks, further contributing to the confusion.

A leader of the Union-level Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee (JMC) once told me they could not openly discuss issues during supposedly informal talks, as the process had become too formal. The JMC discussed military affairs; all the discussions at these talks were recorded, leaving the negotiators feeling wary.

This week, the governments PC and the Karenni National Progressive Party, a non-signatory to the NCA, were supposed to meet informally in Mae Hong Song, Thailand. However, the event was postponed, as the government reportedly did not send an official letter regarding the talks.

Khun Myint Tun, an ethnic leader from the PaO National Liberation Organization said, When we engage in discussions as part of official negotiations, we are bound by the formality of representing each organization. Therefore, informal talks are needed. We need to recognize each others goals, and that can only be done if we discuss things openly. And then we need to find practical solutions. If we dont, we are out of the loop, and can only have heated debates at the formal talks; the peace process cannot proceed.

Informal talks can be held at any convenient time or place, such as in a coffee shop or at a working lunch or even during an evening drinks session. But that doesnt mean such discussions arent substantive. They are a way to advance the interests of each nationality, as well as genuine peace and federalism building. At informal talks, the focus is most certainly on these topics.

The setting for peace talks, whether formal or informal, look similar, causing people to become confused as to their significance, said Dr. Salai Lian Hmung Sakhong, an ethnic Chin leader who

has participated in the peace process since it began. This is because the peace talks require seating arrangements, official introductions and sometimes the delivery of public speeches.

Dr. Salai Lian Hmung Sakhong, who is also vice chair of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC), said informal talks serve as stepping stones to formal ones by creating an environment in which participants hear each others opinions, and thoroughly discuss them before stepping up to a formal setting.

Raising the example of the process that led to the signing of the NCA, he said, We were able to sign the NCA because there were so many informal meetings surrounding the drafting of the text. It helps us to understand the perspectives of each side. We were able to discuss openly and debate. Sometimes there were heated debates, sometimes it went smoothly.

While hailed in many quarters as a significant achievement, the NCA also split the countrys EAOs. Initially, only eight groups signed in October 2015, with the rest rejecting the Tatmadaws insistence that signatories accept the 2008 Constitution. The non-signatories say the Constitution lacks federalist principles.

Another major obstacle facing the peace process is the inability of parties to look beyond narrow self-interest. Rarely if ever do any of the armed stakeholders admit that the fighting is about control of natural resources or the economic potential of specific areas. Many leaders believe informal talks would help to overcome such hurdles.

These days we focus on talking about politics; before, talks were focused on social and economic development and there was not so much concern over self-interest, Khun Myint Tun said.

Political changes, economic reform and the peace process are now going in the same direction, and some people have concerns over their own interests. Thus everyone should openly discuss about their self-interest, the ethnic leader said.

In its current form, the peace process is now almost seven years old. The government, Tatmadaw, and EAO representatives have met thousands of times, both formally and informally. They have been conducting both unofficial talks and formal negotiations, including the ongoing 21st-Century Panglong Union Peace Conference. But they have yet to develop an efficient channel for holding unofficial talks that can build the necessary trust between all parties.Reddit Email 77 Shares

Some 236 civilians were killed in Yemen in April making it the deadliest month for the war-torn state this year, a United Nations briefing note revealed today.

The month of April was the deadliest month for civilians in Yemen so far this year, with a sharp increase in casualties. At least 236 civilians were killed and 238 injured in Yemen in April  a total of 474 civilian casualties, well over double the 180 civilian casualties documented in March this year, the UN briefing reported.

In the first week of May, the heavy toll continued, with 63 civilian casualties documented by the UN Human Rights Office in Yemen, including six deaths and 57 people injured.

This month, the Saudi-led coalition executed air strikes in the Presidential Palace based in Sanaa during work hours. The briefing note declared that it doubts the extent in which the principles of precaution, distinction and proportionality prescribed in international war law are being applied to avoid civilian deaths.

There are too many lost childhoods in Yemen

Eyewitnesses told us that the same building was hit again about seven minutes after the first strike, causing additional casualties among the first responders to the first strike. In another recent incident, 24 civilians were killed and 13 others injured by a coalition air strike against a gas station in Hajjah Governorate, the UN added.

Between 26 March 2015 and 10 May 2018, the UN documented a total of 16,432 civilian casualties  6,385 dead and 10,047 injured. Of these, 10,185 resulted from Saudi-led coalition air strikes, it added.

But the UN also called out the Houthi armed group for indiscriminate targeting, where some five civilians were injured and one was killed in an attack in Yemen in early May.

Three years after the Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict, civilians remain trapped in the middle of a cross fire, with dwindling supplies of basic amenities and a lack of access to sufficient water, sanitation and food.

Via Middle East Monitor

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

-

Bonus video added by Informed Comment:

United Nations: April deadliest month in YemenReddit Email 17 Shares

(ProPublica) The news on Tuesday that the same shell company that Michael Cohen, a longtime personal lawyer for Donald Trump, had used to pay $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels had also received about $500,000 in 2017 from a firm linked to a Russian oligarch set off a frenzy of commentary on Twitter and cable TV.

At the heart of the story is an investment firm called Columbus Nova, which has close links to Renova Group, a conglomerate founded by Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg. A Columbus Nova spokesman has said the payments to Cohen were for unspecified investment consulting.

Now theres a new wrinkle: Another longtime Trump personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, also represented Columbus Nova in recent years in a commercial case. A spokesman for Kasowitz said the case settled in early 2017.

As ProPublica reported last year, Cohen spent a short period in February 2017 working at the offices of Kasowitz Benson Torres in midtown Manhattan, alarming several lawyers at the firm who worried about the brash attorneys reputation. That was at the beginning of the period, between January and August 2017, when Columbus Nova made its payments to Cohen.

Cohen told ProPublica last year that he used Kasowitzs offices because we were working on several matters together after the inauguration. Both he and Kasowitz have declined to specify what they collaborated on.

A Columbus Nova spokesman said that the investment firm was not introduced to Cohen by Kasowitz. The spokesman said Kasowitz worked on only one commercial matter for Columbus Nova and that it was a coincidence that the firm had used two lawyers who also represent Trump.

Asked whether any of Cohens brief time at the Kasowitz offices related to matters for Columbus Nova, Renova, or Vekselberg, a Kasowitz spokesman said no. The spokesman added, The firm did not do any substantive work with Michael Cohen after he left the Trump Organization. Cohen resigned from the Trump Organization in January 2017.

Cohen didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Any work Cohen did with Kasowitz in 2017 could take on new relevance since the FBI raided Cohens home and office last month. Kasowitz, who was Trumps lead lawyer in the Russia investigation for a brief period last year, has reportedly still been involved in advising the president in the case.

Kasowitz continues to represent Trump in other matters. That includes a suit by Summer Zervos, a former contestant on The Apprentice who claims Trump defamed her by calling her a liar after she asserted that he had made unwanted sexual advances. Kasowitz Benson Torres specializes in commercial litigation and has represented many large U.S. and foreign companies.

Kasowitzs work for Columbus Nova stretches back to at least 2010 in related cases filed in New York and Illinois. In Illinois, Fifth Third Bank sued Columbus Nova and several affiliated entities, alleging that they had caused the bank to lose tens of millions of dollars on loans to a life insurance financing program that was permeated  by fraud and embezzlement. In the New York case, Kasowitz and three other attorneys at his firm filed a separate suit alleging that it was Fifth Third Bank that had committed fraud and caused losses.

The name of Andrew Intrater, the CEO of Columbus Nova and the cousin of Vekselberg, comes up repeatedly in the litigation.

Kasowitzs spokesman said the litigation settled in 2017. The terms do not appear to be public.

The firm represented Nina Investments LLC and its affiliates, Santa Maria Overseas, Ltd., Columbus Nova Investments IV, Ltd., and Renova U.S. Management LLC, in a commercial litigation with Fifth Third Bank, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, over a failed investment in a company called Concord Capital Management, LLC, the Kasowitz spokesman said. The litigation was commenced in 2010 and settled in early 2017.

A spokesman for Renova, Andrey Shtorkh, told ProPublica that he is not familiar with Kasowitz. He described Renova Group as a client of Columbus Nova. However, Renovas website previously described Columbus Nova as one of its holdings. Columbus Novas website previously described itself as the US investment vehicle for the Renova Group.

Vekselberg was among those hit withsanctions last month by the Trump administration in response to malign activity around the globe by the Russian government. The New York Times subsequently reported that Vekselberg was questioned by investigators for special counsel Robert Mueller.

Along with the payments from Columbus Nova, Cohen also received payments from corporations including AT&T and Novartis. AT&T said it hired Cohen to provide insights into understanding the new administration. ProPublica recently reported that Kasowitz used his access to the Trump administration to help another client, a New York investor, with a casino in Vietnam.

Via ProPublica

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David Pakman: Novartis Actually Paid Michael Cohen $1.2 MillionThe UN rights office on Friday asked Nicaragua to allow it to carry out an investigation into credible reports that at least 47 people, most of them students, have been killed since a wave of protests began there last month.

We are concerned at the volatile situation in Nicaragua, where, according to information from credible sources, to date at least 47 people  the majority of them students, as well as two police officers and a journalist  have been killed in connection with protests that began in mid-April. Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said.

A wave of protests began in Nicaragua on April 18, triggered by an aborted attempt to reform the near-bankrupt social security system, but quickly expanded to include a wave of grievances against President Daniel Ortega, including claims of corruption and repression.

The brutality of the repression by security forces and arbitrary arrests of protesters, has sparked national outrage and fuelled protests across the Central American nation.

The protests pose a serious challenge to the authority of 72-year-old Ortega, who has ruled Nicaragua for the past 11 years and before that from 1979-1990.

On 7 May, we officially asked the Nicaraguan authorities to grant us access to the country so that we can, in line with the UN Human Rights Offices mandate, gather first-hand information about what happened during the protests, said Shamdasani.

The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that the Nicaraguan parliament had created a truth commission to investigate the deaths and allegations of torture and enforced disappearances during the protests.

But for the truth commissions work to be credible, it must be independent, and able to conduct its work in a transparent and impartial manner, she added.

On Tuesday a student coalition dismissed the truth commission as illegitimate and called for a proper enquiry body to be set up which would be pluralistic, just and reliable.

Last week Ortegas government rejected a request by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to visit the country to see the situation first-hand.The Spinoff reports:

Statistics released under official information legislation reveal a tiny group of 100 Supergold card holders hoover up over $200,000 worth of free trips to Waiheke Island every year.  For much of the country this is busses and trains, often limited to off-peak times and thus a very defensible effort to allow older people to get around when the load on transport networks is relatively low. In Auckland though, after 9am, it means ferries too  including the 23 kilometre trip from the citys Downtown Ferry Terminal to Matiatia wharf in Oneroa. This has created a quite extraordinary situation in which one of the countrys prettiest and priciest commutes, from one of the most expensive suburbs in the country, costs a select group of its users exactly nothing. Which is not to say that its free. You and I and every other taxpayer in country contribute as much as $1.9m a year  from a total Supergold national travel budget of $28m  to this one narrow trip.

So around 7% of the entire budget goes on ferries to under 0.1% of the population.

It revealed just how concentrated the benefits of this scheme are: the data showed that the top 1000 users of the scheme used almost $1.9m in the 22 months to May 2018  an average total of over $1,800 per pensioner, and over half of total payments to ferry operators. The top 100 users have an even more shocking slice  they have claimed over $400,000 in free rides in less than two years: an average of $4,087 each. The cost of an adult return fare to Waiheke is $38, and there is no discount for HOP card users or seniors who dont hold a Supergold card. The upshot is that the 100 most frequent users of the service are using over 10% of the total budget for ferry travel to Waiheke. To use the ferry that frequently youre not taking day trips, or even holidaying there: youre commuting. Its the equivalent of over 200 one way trips a year  a usage rate which would be near impossible to achieve unless you were working on the mainland and living on the island.

If something is free, of course people will maximise its use. The problem isnt Waiheke. It is that when you make something absolutely free to the user, they will use it to the max.

Any subsidised transport scheme should be based on income, not age. And it also should be a partial discount, not free. Otherwise you will always get stuf like this.

To put it another way  to put it as bluntly as I can: the Waiheke ferrys inclusion in the Supergold cards transport scheme represents an immense subsidy to a tiny group of people, who are almost by definition amongst the most wealthy and privileged group of New Zealanders you could assemble.

Yep. But the problem isnt including the ferry. It is the entire scheme. If you subsidize public transport, you cant pick and choose which routes are worthy.

The whole superannuation system is riddled with absurdities  our Deputy PM is both its strongest defender, and a man who collects his Super while also earning well over $300,000 a year.

Yep. All welfare should be targeted at those who need it. Not turned into welfare for everyone.

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Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is facing a risk to its reputation due to its deal with U.S. President Donald Trump's personal lawyer. / Korea Times file



By Yoon Ja-young



Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), which has been recovering from a corruption scandal involving its former CEO, is facing another risk due to its deal with the U.S. President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer. Analysts say it could negatively affect KAI's reputation.



The country's aircraft manufacturer said it paid $150,000 to Essential Consultants, a shell company established by Michael Cohen.



KAI explained it paid the money for his advice on "Cost Accounting Standards," a bookkeeping rule that it must adopt to make bids in the United States.



"We legally got advice regarding the Cost Accounting Standards through contracts with Essential Consultants," a KAI spokesman said.



"The payment was based on a legal service contract between the two parties. We are doing our best to abide by the accounting rules that meet global standards," he added.



However, U.S. media is raising suspicion that Cohen promoted himself as a lobby channel as a close friend of Trump. KAI was not the only company that sent money to Cohen. AT&T reportedly paid more than $200,000 to Essential Consultants to seek "insights into the new administration" and Novartis cited healthcare consulting as the reason.



Essential Consultants and Cohen have been at the center of the scandal involving adult-film star Stormy Daniels. She was paid $130,000 in hush money in October 2016 right before the presidential election in return for not disclosing her alleged affair with the U.S. President.



Her lawyer said that Russian tycoon Viktor Vekselberg, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, sent $500,000 to Cohen's company through investment management firm Columbus Nova between January and August last year. While the lawyer says that the Russian businessman de facto paid Stormy Daniels, Columbus Nova noted the payment was made as consulting fees and had nothing to do with Vekselberg. The Russian telecommunication and energy tycoon is estimated to have $13 billion in assets.



The news reports focus on the fact that KAI has been bidding for a $16 billion deal with the U.S. Air Force. In a joint bid with the U.S.-based defense company Lockheed Martin, it seeks to provide more than 300 training jets to the Air Force.



"Though KAI's contract (with Essential Consultants) was legal, it may negatively affect KAI if it turns into a problem. It is especially so since it is seeking a huge deal," said Lee Sang-hyun, an analyst at IBK Investment and Securities.



KAI's reputation was already damaged severely by a corruption scandal here a few months before it paid Cohen. Its former CEO Ha Sung-yong and other executives were arrested for alleged embezzlement and fraudulent book cooking. Since inauguration of its current CEO Kim Jo-won last November, the company has been seeking to enhance transparency.

Seven people were killed Friday, including a mom and her four children, in Australias worst mass shooting since 1996.

The seven victims were discovered with gunshot wounds in a rural area in the town of Margaret River in Western Australia. Two firearms were also found at the scene.  Guardian

The shooting appears to have been a murder-suicide, but police have not yet confirmed. Authorities are not currently pursuing a suspect.  NYT

This was Australias deadliest mass shooting in 22 years. In 1996, a gunman opened fire at a cafe in Port Arthur, murdering 35 people. Australia responded by passing restrictions on legal gun ownership and initiating a mandatory gun buyback, collecting more than 650,000 firearms. The murder and suicide rates dropped in the years that followed. US advocates have touted Australias success as a sign that gun control works.  Vox

So perhaps its no surprise both sides of the US gun debate seized on the tragedy in Margaret River.  Vox

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Death of Margaret River family sends shockwaves throughout the nation  Sydney Morning HeraldA small community in northern Michigan believes it has been touched by an angel after a motion-sensor camera captured a mysterious object apparently looming over a parked vehicle. According to the local church in East Jordan and the man whose camera detected the presence, the image clearly shows a head and wings. But what the camera has really captured is still a mystery!

I said, Thats an angel! And I was just blown away, explains Glen Thorman, a fire chief. Thorman quickly contacted his wife and pastor to share news of the find. Jordan Rivers Church posted the pictures on its Facebook page, saying the photos had not been altered, and sparked a debate over what the camera had really captured.

It was really clear to me the minute I looked at the photo, said Pastor Deneille Moes of Jordan Rivers Church. I just kind of freaked out a bit. I went like, Whoa! Thats an angel! And I texted him back, Thats an angel. There wasnt any doubt in my mind that we were looking at something supernatural.

While the logical explanation for the figure points towards a moth, many locals remain convinced that theyve received a sign from heaven. But what do you think the camera captured?

Do you believe in miracles?

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Jordan Rivers  Facebook

Michigan man: Camera captured image of floating angelDedicated to the Restoration of Progressive DemocracyITHS celebrates year-end program

Students of the International Turkish Hope School are seen performing at its Year-End Program 2018 at the school\'s Main Auditorium on Saturday.

Campus Report :

The International Turkish Hope School (ITHS) celebrated the Year-End Program 2018 on Saturday. The program was held at the Main Auditorium with an uplifting end to an academic year of reinvigoration and renewed momentum. The stage was embellished magnificently and the performing students draped themseleves with appealing attires according to their performances.

ITHS Chairman Yasar Savran, Principal Roksana Zarin and Preschool And Primary Head of Section Nazmun Nahar and other teachers, parents and students were present on the occasion.

The event started with the recitation of Surah Fatiha with English translation which was followed by heartwarming National Anthem sung by class of grade 5. Nazmum Nahar delivered a warm welcoming speech, which was followed by an exceptional and inspiring speech by Yasar Sarvan. Next was an overwhelming rendition of a lovely folk song, "Shundari Komola" by the students of grade 1 and 2. Following the sequence, there were electrifying dance performances by the students of 3, 4 and 5, Bangla poem "Bristi", a very aesthetically pleasing drama "Golden Touch" which depicted the story of King Midas and his greed, and delivered an important message about making wise choices in life. A video capturing all the memorable moments of the various activities and events held throughout the academic year was viewed, which was followed by English songs "Champion" and "Dreamers", and two delightful English poems "All things bright and beautiful" - a perfectly synchronized musical poem, and "The boy with the similar name" - a poem that managed to send a strong message about anti-bullying.

There were also two award giving ceremonies where we presented our respected teachers with crests for the best performance in all their school years, perfect attendance, and a special award for the teacher who has stayed with us for the last 10 years. And the second one was where we awarded the students with certificates for never missing a day of school despite illness or bad weather conditions, which is truly praiseworthy.

The remarkable program had everyone's faces present there beaming with excitement, which was a symbol of our success. The effort of all the school members given in this program was worth all the appreciation. Finally, this mesmerizing program came to an end, but every end has a new beginning. With lots of hope, ambition, and confidence we await for another fresh new 2018-2019 academic year.He doesn't have much spare time and he wasn't wearing his wellington boots, even though he said that it is these that 'keep his feet on the ground', our Member of Parliament for the Creuse, Jean-Baptiste Moreau, kindly gave me an hour of his precious time to discuss 'a day in the life of an MP' (and other things).

Jean-Baptiste admits to finding Emmanuel Macron an inspiration in helping him make the decision to put himself forward in the legislative elections. Both born in 1977, perhaps it is their youthful energy and motivation that allows them to be here, there and everywhere at the moment.

Being an MP is a shock, he says, but a positive one, he didn't realize that the job of an MP would be so time consuming, it is a full-time job. He manages just four hours of sleep, like Emmanuel Macron, so it is no problem to contact each other during the early hours of the morning! He spends a lot of his week in Paris, Monday to Thursday, then in the Creuse, and finally when he can on his farm with his wellington boots on, keeping contact with his 'previous life'. He thinks to be an MP you need to be a good listener, to have empathy and the real goal is to change things for the better.

A need for more biodiversity

Being a farmer, he has rapidly shown in Parliament that he is knowledgeable of and in touch with farmers, their problems, their practices and the changes that are necessary. He sees there is a need for more biodiversity, less use of pesticides, respect of and well-being of animals. People are demanding changes in farming procedures, wanting to buy local, healthy products. He says he is very aware of these demands, but these changes take time and they will not happen overnight. However, he has put forward an amendment to the European ban of three pesticides which are toxic to bees, to extend the ban to all pesticides which upset the nervous system of insects  finally!

The future of the Creuse is also being discussed, Emmanuel Macron has asked for projects to be put forward as to how to attract people into this rural area. Jean-Baptiste feels that accessibility is important as is high speed internet connection, good health services, opportunities for higher education, and help for businesses to set up.

A time of change

Jean-Baptiste says he is happy to see British people coming to the Creuse, buying properties, revitalizing the villages, putting life back into abandoned houses. It is certainly something positive for the Creuse and hopes that the trend continues, in spite of Brexit, which he finds is a great shame as he feels that Europe needs the UK as a partner and equally the UK needs Europe.

Jean-Baptiste Moreau, farmer and MP, has arrived in his post at a time of change, perhaps the end of an agricultural system that has continued for over 50 years, with agroecology being the new choice, where both animals and farmers deserve a decent quality of life and which includes a respect for the environment.

Well, that was an hour of discussion gone very quickly, Jean-Baptiste was off to another inauguration, no doubt wearing his carapace that he said was needed if you were in politics, as whatever you say or do you have to accept that there will be criticisms, that is all part of being a politician.Le Grand-Saconnex [Switzerland], May 12 (ANI): Organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest, the riotously camp transcontinental music competition, banned a Chinese TV station from broadcasting Saturday's final.

The move comes after it censored an LGBT themed performance.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) organises the contest and distributes it to broadcasters around the world. It said, it had taken the action after Mango TV cut two acts in the first semifinal, broadcast on Tuesday, as reported by the CNN.

China's Global Times, a Chinese tabloid, on Friday said the two acts Ireland and Albania fell foul of Chinese censors as they featured an LGBT theme and tattoos.

The EBU, in return, barred Mango TV from broadcasting Thursday's second semifinal and the final, which involves acts from 26 countries.

This year it is being held in Lisbon, Portugal.

A statement from the EBU said, "This is not in line with the EBU's values of universality and inclusivity and our proud tradition of celebrating diversity through music," as quoted by CNN.

The Irish entry, Together, sung by Ryan O'Shaughnessy, is a love song about a relationship between two men. It features two male dancers. Albania's act involved performers with tattoos.

A rainbow flag in the crowd, representing the LGBT community, was also blurred during the broadcast.

Guidelines released in China in 2016 characterized homosexuality as an "abnormal sexual behavior" which is unfit for Chinese television.

Both Ireland and Albania have qualified for Saturday's grand final. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)Kathmandu [Nepal], May 12 (ANI): After holding talks over gamut of bilateral relations and inaugurating a hydropower project in Kathmandu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a number of tweets hailing the ties between India and Nepal.

From commending the Himalayan nation for successfully holding elections to lauding the historic and cultural ties between the two neighbours, Narendra Modi posted six tweets from his personal twitter handle after wrapping up the first day of his visit.

He first began by commending Nepal for successfully holding elections at all three levels: federal, provincial and local levels.

"I come to Nepal during a memorable period in the nation's journey. Nepal has successfully conducted elections at the federal, provincial as well as local levels. This will certainly lead to effective fulfilment of the aspirations of Nepal's citizens," PM Modi tweeted.

Following the above tweet, he expressed India's commitment towards the economic development of Nepal.

"India stands firmly with our sisters and brothers of Nepal. We remain committed to doing everything that we can, which furthers the economic development of Nepal," he tweeted.

"I come to Nepal during a memorable period in the nation's journey. Nepal has successfully conducted elections at the federal, provincial as well as local levels. This will certainly lead to effective fulfilment of the aspirations of Nepal's citizens,"

Further, giving details about the talks with his counterpart K.P. Oli, PM Modi, on Twitter, wrote: "During my talks with PM Oli, we reviewed the full range of our bilateral ties and the ground covered since our last meeting in Delhi. Cooperation in boosting connectivity, through waterways and railways was actively discussed. There were also deliberations to improve trade ties."

The two leaders also laid the foundation stone of Arun-III, a hydropower project in Kathmandu, yesterday.

In this regard, he tweeted: "In a historic development, Prime Minister Oli and I had the honour of laying the foundation stone of the Arun-III project. This project manifests the strong bond between India and Nepal. It is a project which will have a transformative impact on Nepal's growth trajectory."

In the fifth tweet, he mentioned the cultural linkages and expressed wish to see more pilgrims and tourists visiting the two countries.

"Cultural relations are at the core of India-Nepal friendship. PM Oli and I talked about ways to increase our cultural linkages, especially through the development of Ramayana and Buddhist tourist circuits. We want more pilgrims and tourists to visit each other's countries," PM Modi tweeted.

He also met Nepal's President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.

This morning, Prime Minister Modi will head to Muktinath temple in Mustang district followed by prayers at Pashupatinath Temple in the capital.

After the visit to the temples, Prime Minister Modi is expected to engage with political leaders of various parties. He will attend the civic reception hosted by the mayor of Kathmandu and then depart for India on Saturday evening.

Prime Minister Modi arrived at the city of Janakpur in Nepal on Friday at about 10:45 am (local time).

He was received by Prime Minister Oli after which Prime Minister Modi performed puja at the Ram Janaki Temple and flagged off the shuttle bus service linking Janakpur and Ayodhya. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)Sanaa, May 12 (AFP) A court in Yemen's rebel-held capital sentenced three people to death today, including two for spying for Saudi Arabia, a news agency controlled by the insurgents said.

Two men were sentenced by the criminal court in Sanaa for "providing information to a foreign state and co-operating with aggressor state Saudi Arabia between 2015 and 2016," the Saba agency reported.

A third man was sentenced for belonging to Al-Qaeda, Saba said.

The press agency did not specify whether the three convicts were present in court or if they were tried in absentia.

The Huthi rebels have controlled Sanaa and large swathes of the north and west of Yemen since 2014.

The insurgents are fighting forces loyal to an internationally recognised government, which since March 2015 have been bolstered by a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

The Shiite Huthis are supported by Iran, although Tehran denies providing military aid.

The conflict has claimed 10,000 lives, wounded more than 54,000 and provoked what the UN describes as the "worst humanitarian crisis in the world." (AFP) CPS

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)Laois people with emigration stories are encouraged to tell their stories and bring items which help explain their experiences at an event later this month.

EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin is looking for stories from people who have lived overseas and returned to Ireland, as well as those with emigrant family members or ancestors.

As part of a special Europe-wide project, the interactive museum in Dublins Docklands is inviting people to come along on the weekend of 26 and 27 May to share their stories of migration.

People are encouraged to bring along one or more objects that are part of their own or their familys migration story. They can be any sort of object: letters, postcards, photographs, tickets, diaries, artworks, items of clothing, recipes, books, footage, mementos, badges, or songs.

Jessica Traynor is the Deputy Museum Director of EPIC.

The Irish are a nation of emigrants  our history and identity has long been shaped by the comings and goings of people  we all know someone who has moved to the UK, US, Australia, Canada or further afield. But emigration is no longer the one-way journey it was in the past, and many of us have lived overseas and returned. As a digital museum, we want to preserve these stories for future generations, she said.

EPICs Story Collecting Weekend will be on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 May from 10am-5pm. The stories will then become part of the online Europeana Migration Collection, as well as featuring on EPICs website. Europeana Collections is Europes digital library, museum, gallery and archive. The project aims to show how the flow of people and ideas adds to the richness of culture.

We are encouraging young and old to share their story with us. On the day, we will listen to your story and photograph your objects so you can take them home again. What you bring just needs to have special meaning or memories attached to it  it doesnt need to be worth a lot, said Ms Traynor.

As part of the project, collecting events are taking place during 2018 in Belgium, the Netherlands, Hungary, Wales, Croatia, Luxembourg, Latvia and Serbia. 2018 is the European Year of Cultural Heritage and the theme is Our Heritage: Where the Past Meets the Future.

Two further Story Collecting Weekends will take place during 2018 at EPIC. On August 18-19, the focus will be on New Irish Communities, while on November 24-25 stories of Women Migrants will be collected.The recent Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) experience night at Portlaoise College was deemed a great success according to feedback from the many parents who attended the annual event.

Portlaoise College welcomed a large group of fifth class primary school pupils and their parents to the annual STEM experience night.

Information leaflets had been distributed to primary schools across Laois and parents were invited to register with their child for the free event through the Laois Education Centre.

Participants and their parents were welcomed to the college by the Principal Noel Daly and each group was led through the evening by the schools Prefects.

The students and their parents worked their way through four interactive workshops in science, technology, engineering and maths where they were challenged to use their teamwork and problem solving skills.

These workshops were facilitated by Portlaoise College teachers from its STEM departments.

Each group also visited a Mobile Planetarium provided by Exploration Dome, where they had the opportunity to learn about science and astronomy in a dome with 360 degree three dimensional digital projections.

After working their way through each of the four workshops, parents and students returned to the hall for refreshments. The Primary Pupils also received a STEM resource pack with a Certificate of Participation.

Portlaoise College principal Noel Daly says the turnout and interest bodes well for the future.

The night was a great success with feedback from parents complementing the variety of interesting and informative workshops.

Portlaoise College would like to thank all those involved in the planning and preparation for the event and the participants who engaged so well with the activities in each of the workshops.

We have set ourselves the ambition that Ireland will become the best education and training service in Europe by 2026. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics are at the heart of a technological revolution which is transforming the way we live and the way we work.

If Ireland is to be at the forefront of this transformation, we must be a leader in nurturing, developing and deploying STEM talent.

This Policy Statement focuses on the much strength in STEM education while providing a roadmap to address the areas for development. This is a challenge that requires many stakeholders to work together.

It is also about encouraging and inspiring more of our young people, particularly more females, to specialise in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics during their education and training to open the doors to exciting and fulfilling jobs, careers and life opportunities, he said.S.Korea's exports post double-digit growth in May 1-10 period

Xinhua, Seoul :

South Korea's exports posted a double-digit growth for the first 10 days of this month, rebounding from the first fall in 18 months tallied in the previous month, customs data showed Friday.

Exports, which account for about half of the export-driven economy, reached 13.9 billion U.S. dollars in the May 1-10 period, up 44.2 percent from the same period of last year, according to the Korea Customs Service.

It was a turnaround from a 1.5 percent decline in April, the first reduction in 18 months. Despite the fall, the April exports topped 50 billion dollars.

The daily average exports amounted to 2.32 billion dollars during the May 1-10 period, up 8.2 percent from a year earlier.

During the cited period, semiconductor exports surged 63.3 percent, leading the overall export growth. Automobile exports almost tripled, but those for display panels and ships logged a double-digit reduction.

Exports to China and the United States, South Korea's top two trading partners, increased by a double digit in the same period, with those to the European Union (EU) and Japan also registering a double-digit increase.

Imports advanced 23.3 percent over the year to 14.1 billion dollars for the first 10 days of May, sending the trade surplus to 176 million dollars.



Fashion designer Una Burke from Knockvicar, Co Roscommon may be working with celebrities and major global brands but she admits she is still trying to catch up on her success.



Una Burke is an inspiration not only to those seeking a career in fashion but to people looking at an alternative career path.

The determined lady decided early on in her college education that she wanted to work exclusively with leather, which was rare and not in fashion at the time.

Leather work is in her blood, her grandfather John Francis Burke was a shoemaker (and a matchmaker) in Roscommon who made boots for the British army.

Una's mother was a Home Economics teacher so she learned how to sew from an early age.



After finishing college in London, she got a job in retail to help pay off her student loans but exhibited her graduate project in 2009. Following this exhibition she had a call from Lady GaGa's team to commission a piece.

I got thrown in the deep end, she laughs and I am still trying to catch up.

She said it was overwhelming at first but she finds the fashion industry fascinating.

She said she thinks her brand works as it merges craft, fashion and art concepts.



Now she sells all over the world, she has celebrity clients such as Madonna, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Rachel Stevens and has dressed people in a variety of movies, theatre and exhibitions, most notable The Hunger Games movie and Taylor Swift's 'Bad Blood' video.



The designer is currently celebrating being stocked in Selfridges & Co, a high end Department Store in London.

Una told the paper this is a golden opportunity for her brand and she is delighted they approached us which means she didn't go chasing them.



She has also worked with Brown Thomas when they display Irish designers and stocks a number of boutiques.

Una Burke uses vegetable tanned bovine leather to create handbags, bracelets, belts, chokers, dresses, bodices and harnesses - all of which have a medieval style.



Una is quite the perfectionist as she describes herself, she and her partner Emmett Herbert run every aspect of the business and she guarantees all pieces are crafted by her, she also runs the website www.unaburke.com where you can buy pieces direct and all her social media platforms.

Una has showcased annually at Milan, Paris and London Fashion Weeks but has recently stopped and is now focused more on direct sales.



She said the reasons she has stopped the shows is because fashion houses are not as brave in their choices anymore.

Una will be in the Bush Hotel for the Craft Ed Showcase on May 30 where the students of Tarmon NS will display their leather works.International Fashion Designer Una Burke from Cootehall was visiting Tarmon NS over the past week showing pupils how to work with leather and design beautiful pieces.



Una, who is a sister of Principal Fiona Reynolds, was there to show her support for the school which is struggling with numbers for September. She was also there as a member of The Design and Crafts Council of Ireland's Craft Education Panel, guiding kids on Creative Careers.

Una told the Leitrim Observer she knows first hand the benefits of a rural school. She attended a small school as a child and enjoyed the more personal approach.

She said in smaller classes, children get to stray a little from the curriculum to try out other skills and life learning exercises that are so important to give a rounded holistic education.

Una said Tarmon needs to take advantage of the housing crisis around the country, adding the safety and warm welcome here could benefits lots of families.

She was also complimentary of the Irish school system which she said is so different and not as rigid as that in London, where she now lives and works.

Una said showcasing crafts gives children a different view of what success looks like. She said they need to know there is more to life than academic success.



Una created leather wall art, school bag tags and bracelets with the children.

She said she holds workshops with schools and recently did a workshop with Facebook Headquarters in London.

Una added that she loved seeing how happy the children are in Tarmon NS and what a great relationship they have with their teachers and classmates. She noted they all held respect for each other and hopes this environment can continue.

You might like to read about Leitrim parishes fight for survival.A student who ran a cottage industry selling drugs from a house in Carrick-on-Shannon, has been given two suspended prison sentences for the sale and supply of drugs.

19-year-old Anik Alam, 42 Maigh Glass, Carrick-on-Shannon pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis for sale or supply; possession of MDMA (Phenethylamine) for sale or supply; possession of cannabis; possession of ketamine and possession of MDMA (Phenethylamine) at the above address on April 5, 2018.

In his evidence, Gda Gregory McMahon detailed the execution of a search warrant at the property last month.

The search uncovered quantities of MDMA, ketamine and cannabis. In total the drugs had a street value of 1,415.

Gardai also recovered paraphernalia linked to the sale and supply of drugs including a weighing scales and a mobile phone. 415 in cash was also seized.

Gda McMahon said Mr Alam was fully cooperative with the search and later admitted to selling drugs from the property.

An examination of the mobile phone seized during the search showed a number of text messages, some of which related to the selling of drugs.

He said he only started this three months ago (the sale and supply of drugs), Gda McMahon added in his evidence. The phone records also suggest this.

Defending solicitor, Michael Keane, noted Mr Alam had been born in Bangladesh but emigrated to Ireland as a very small child with his family. He is now an Irish citizen and is studying IT at college in Blackrock.

He said his client had put his hands up in relation to these offences.

He co-operated fully with gardai, said Mr Keane adding that cannabis made up the vast majority of drugs seized in the search.

He did this of his own free will and made a very bad mistake. He is very fearful of the consequences of this on his future career. I would ask the court to put this back for some time and ask for a probation report.

(Mr Alams) father was a well known waiter here in Carrick-on-Shannon and he died very young. (The defendants) mother reared the family, said Mr Keane.

However Judge Kevin Kilrane said he felt a probation report was unnecessary adding I dont think community service will assist us in this situation.

He (the defendant) was involved in quite a little cottage industry selling drugs. He had all the paraphernalia and was making some hundreds of euros.

A Section 15 offence (for the sale and supply of drugs) is very serious and in most cases imprisonment follows. However in this instance I will convict and sentence him to 3 months in prison, suspended for two years, he said adding this would apply to both charges relating to the sale and supply of drugs

The remaining three charges relating to possession of drugs were marked proven and taken into consideration.

Judge Kilrane also ordered that the 415 seized during the search be forfeited to the State for donation to Hope House in Mayo.A FARMER who deliberately and consciously erected a ten foot gate on the margin of a country boreen was fined 500 after he was convicted of an offence under the under Roads Act.

Robert Hickey, who lives near Ballyneety, was prosecuted by Limerick City and County Council in relation to an offence dating back to May 31, 2016.

During a district court appeal, Judge Tom ODonnell was told there is a history between Mr Hickey and another farmer  Richard Tierney  who owns 40 acres on the opposite side of the boreen.

Limerick Circuit Court was told the road  an 85 metre cul-de-sac  is technically a public road for which the local authority is responsible.

Senior Executive Engineer Finbarr Keyes confirmed the road was taken in charge in 1978 and therefore is covered by the Roads Act.

He told solicitor Ger Reidy that he received a complaint from Mr Tierney on May 31, 2016 that a gate at the entrance to Mr Hickeys lands had been moved out and was causing a hindrance.

When he carried out an inspection he observed a gate which had been erected right on the edge of the road.

He said there was evidence of fresh concrete and that he was satisfied it was new construction.

Referring to the Roads Act 1993, Mr Keyes said the council takes the view that it is responsible for the surface and margin of all public roads in as far as the roadside ditch.

He said any signage on public roads must be at least 600mm back (from the road surface) for safety reasons and to allow machinery and traffic to pass up and down.

In his evidence, Mr Tierney said he bought 40 acres at auction in September 2013 and that he made enquiries before completing the deal as to the status of the road.

He said there were no issues prior to the gate being moved but that since May 2016, cattle, knackery and feed lorries have not been able to access his farmlands.

We could take 16 cattle in the truck before. Now its eight, he said explaining that bigger trucks cannot turn-in given the location of the gate.

The gate pillars are an obstruction. We havent been able to get the bigger vehicles in, he said adding that tenants who live in a house at the farm have also had difficulties getting in and out.

Being cross-examined by John OSullivan BL, Mr Tierney accepted there are difficulties between him and Mr Hickey.

He also agreed there are separate civil proceedings underway in relation to a boundary issue.

Mr Hickey told the court he did not move the gate out and he insisted he did not believe it is causing an obstruction.

However, having viewed photographs of the gate, Judge ODonnell said he did not accept the assertion that it had not been moved. It is abundantly clear it has been moved into the margin of the roadway, he said.

He imposed a fine of 500 and directed that the costs of Limerick City and Council be paid by the defendant.ATHEA in County Limerick has had a hat-trick of good announcements this week which it is hoped will help put the West Limerick town on a solid footing to develop in the future.

The signing of the 1.5m contract for the long-awaited sewage treatment plant and funding for a flood relief programme have come as welcome news for the hillside community. And a request to get expert advice for the hard-working Athea Tidy Towns committee has also been given the green light this week.

Last Friday, Irish Water announced that contracts had been signed and work would commence within weeks on a new sewage treatment plant for Athea. The new plant will be built on the site of the existing treatment plant and the work will also involve building a new pumping station and 500m of new sewers. The new plant will have the capacity to deal with a population up to 900. The work is expected to be completed within 18 months.

We are very pleased to be progressing this key project which will benefit the people of Athea now and into the future by protecting local waterways and providing the capacity for future population growth, said Sean Twohig, Capital Programmes Regional Lead with Irish Water.

This will also bring important environmental benefits by ending the long-running situation whereby sewage is being discharged with minimal treatment to the River Galey.

The news has been welcomed by local councillors and by Minister of State, Patrick ODonovan TD. This is great news for the people of Athea, he said. I have watched this move through consultation with the local community, to planning with the council and to a situation where we now have the green light to construct.

In a separate development, Minister of State Kevin Boxer Moran announced last Thursday that Athea is included in the first round of funds as part of the governments new, 1billion , national, ten-year programme for flood relief schemes.

In 2008, the river Galey overflowed, flooding up to 12 nearby premises. Ever since, local councillors have warned that people in Athea are living in fear of a recurrence. The proposed works in Athea will include 160metres of flood defence walls and 150 metres of flood defence embankments but this may change and /or evolve.

The first steps will include environmental assessment and public consultation before proceeding to planning and construction and it could be 12 months or more before any building work begins.

Athea is included along with Rathkeale and Castleconnell in schemes estimated to cost under 1m and included for funding in the first 257m tranche of funds. Rathkeale is set to get 400m of defence embankment between one and one and a half metres high.

This is great news for people in County Limerick and in particular for the communities in Athea and Rathkeale, Minister ODonovan said, adding that he was very impressed with the way Irish Water had dealt with the project. Im delighted the government has listened to the people here in County Limerick. This significant investment will benefit our communities for many years to come.

Finally, for Athea, comes confirmation that a request from Cllr John Sheahan that the Tidy Towns Committee get expert input in drawing up a five year plan has been agreed. The architectural team in the Town and Village Renewal Section of Limerick City and County Council will provide assistance, Cllr Sheahan was told.

As a committee, we felt we had brought the village to a certain level. We have put a lot of work in and our plans and aims have mainly been met, the committees secretary Damien Aherne said. We are now looking at the broader view to guide us in years ahead.

Next year, there are big changes on the way for the competition, he explained, and they wanted to prepare and be ready for that with a good plan.DEVELOPERS are to seek a modification of the layout of part of a housing estate in Limerick.

Genesis Homes (Mungret) has announced its intention to apply to Limerick City and County Council for permission to develop 25 new houses at Sli Na Manach.

The project will replace a plan which would have seen 36 units built, in a mix of 20 homes and 16 duplexes.

The new proposed dwelling will comprise a mix of two-storey four bedroom dwellings of various sizes. Each dwelling, if permission is given, will have two off-street car parking spaces.

Claire Keating, who chairs the Sli Na Manach residents association, welcomed the move.

They [the developers] seem to be kicking away. There is a lot of demand considering what is going on with Irish Cement.

But there is such a shortage of houses in this side of the city that people are just desperate, said Claire, who was one of the first residents of the estate almost a decade ago.

The housing crisis, she added, means nine out of ten newly-built homes at the high-end estate have been sold.

There is a massive shortage. People are desperate for houses. Of course, its great for the builders, and its great for us, that finally the estate will be finished as we have been looking at a building site for a number of years, she said. Of course wed be happy with more housing. We have been living on a building site for the last ten years.

There were concerns in April 2017 whether the housing development would be completed as planned, after Genesis Homes (Mungret) was poised to be placed in receivership.

This came after Cardinal Capital pulled its financial support.

But Genesis rose again with a new backer in the form of Lotus.

Sli Na Manach measures some 9.35 acres.

The developers now have two weeks to formally submit a planning application to Limerick council.SURVIVORS of abuse at a Limerick city school say they are no closer to being included in a Government redress scheme despite highlighting their case in the European Parliament almost six months ago.

The survivors of abuse at Creagh Lane National School remain excluded from a redress scheme set up to compensate those who were sexually abused at certain State-operated residential institutions.

Nineteen boys who attended the school in the late 1960s were victims of serious sexual abuse at the hands of a teacher, who was subsequently convicted in the criminal courts and sentenced to a term of imprisonment.

We are still in the same position as we were two or three years ago, former student John Boland said.

Not a move, not even a reply. Despite having gone to Europe, despite having contacted TDs.

Seven former students travelled to Brussels in November 2017 as part of a delegation of survivors of abuse in state-funded schools where the group gave their testimony before a panel of MEPs and international human rights NGOs.

However, there has been no updates in the former pupils case since, according to Mr Boland.

Representatives from the group recently staged a protest outside of the Dail with other survivors of abuse from around the country.

It's going to have to take protest after protest, Mr Boland said.

It seems that way now. We didnt want to do that but we might have exhausted all avenues.

Our abuser was sent to jail. He admitted it in court, 33 charges of sexual assault.

However, the group is still excluded due to the Governments requirement for a prior complaint to have been lodged about their abuser, an unfair qualifying criteria, according to Mr Boland.

There are only seven people (in the country) who have been paid out since this scheme came out.

In February 2017, the Minister of Education said he was willing to consider a request to meet with the former students; According to Mr Boland, that meeting has yet to take place.

Apart from Sinn Fein TD Maurice Quinlivan and Fianna Fails Willie ODea, the group feels it lacks political support, Mr Boland added.

Sinn Fein TD Maurice Quinlivan said he is incredibly frustrated at the lack of movement on the Creagh Lane case.

The Creagh Lane students deserve an apology for the terrible, terrible abuse they suffered while in national school. They deserve to be allowed to move on with their own lives.THE Limerick owner of a truck which was filled with green diesel told customs officers he had bought the fuel at a petrol station in the midlands, a court has heard.

However, when a sample of diesel from the petrol station was analysed it was found to be proper fuel.

At Newcastle West Court, Judge Mary Larkin heard evidence from several customs officers during the case of Niall Cornelius Quilligan, aged 38, who has an address at The Small Square, Rathkeale.

Mr Quilligan was prosecuted in relation to a detection which was made at Smithfield, Croagh on May 9, 2017.

The driver of Northern Ireland-registered DAF truck was a Polish man who was working for the defendant as he owed him rent.

Customs officer John Adams said when Mr Quilligan arrived at the checkpoint, he claimed he had filled the truck with diesel the previous evening in Birr, County Offaly.

Customs officer Albert Woodhall told state solicitor Aidan Judge that he called to the named petrol station on May 11, 2017 as part of the investigation.

He said a sample of diesel was taken and analysed. The results showed no trace of markers. It was proper fuel, he said.

There was no appearance in court by Mr Qulligan and Judge Larkin proceeded to convict him in his absence.

Noting he has no previous convictions, she imposed a 3,000 fine.

Recognisance were fixed in the event of an appeal.GARDAI in Limerick have arrested more than 170 criminals in one of the most intensive crime-tackling operations over the past two years, new figures show.

Since its inception in November 2016, Operation Thor has strategically targeted burglars causing distress to residents and businesses across the city and county.

Thor is also the umbrella strategy for several other operations for gardai in Limerick, whose criminal intelligence and analysts constantly work with other divisions in monitoring criminal networks across Munster and Ireland.

Some notable successful operations include Mierle, targeting shop thefts; Disruption, targeting anti-social youths; Portable, targeting burglary gangs; Wild, targeting quad thefts; and Vesuvius, an ongoing burglary operation.

And speaking on Thor for the first time since his appintment as Limericks chief superintendent, Gerard Roche said that the 173 arrests are down to major patrolling, drug searches, and additional check points.

Under Operation Portable, gardai have solved more than 28 burglaries in the past six weeks. This included targeting a Dublin gang coming to Limerick to commit burglaries.

Three individuals have been charged in connection with stealing quads in County Limerick.

Limerick is currently spearheading Operation Vesuvius, which targets a group of Eastern Europeans whose modus operandi is to break into buildings through the roof causing an awful lot of damage.

Chief Supt Roche said that the investigation is ongoing and a number of arrests have been made.

The new chief superintendent said that 39% of all Operation Thor activity is made up of proactive policing patrols across the city and county. He said that it has contributed to crime prevention.

When we have the lads out and about, they are high-visibility. They are also plain clothes, there is also armed units on the go, and they all prevent a certain amount of crime. Thats a big thing for us, Chief Supt Roche said.

He said that recidivists  repeat offenders  are the gardais main targets in Operation Thor.

His team of criminal intelligence and analysts assist to identify potential burglary and crime hotspots. And when certain areas or trends are earmarked, he then applies for extra funding in hours.

Since December, he said, Limerick Garda Division has secured more than 3,000 garda hours in order to carry out major arrests.

This includes the most recent spate of burglary incidents in Castletroy.

In relation to the most recent spree of burglaries in this division, I was able to apply for some funding under Operation Thor to put out extra patrols, put them out at night, to target business premises and everything else, so that theyre seen in those areas, in an effort to reduce the crimes in those areas.

Or in relation to residential burglaries, if I knew a certain amount of residential burglaries were going on in a certain area, you would target all of your people over there and put your resources into that area. So it gives us a great latitude. Its not only burglaries. Its a zero tolerance of everything that goes on, he explained.

Chief Supt Roche added that Thor has been a valuable tool in preventing crime in the city and county.US hopes to narrow wide gap in China trade talks

AFP, Washington :

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Thursday he hopes to reduce large differences with China in trade talks where hundreds of billions of dollars in commerce are at stake.

"The gap is wide," Ross said in congressional testimony, a week after he led a delegation to Beijing to try to resolve the thorny dispute.

A high-level Chinese delegation will be coming to Washington next week, and "I'm hopeful we will make further progress with them," he said.

The US has threatened tariffs targeting $150 billion in Chinese imports, while Beijing has warned that $50 billion in US goods are in the firing line.

Vice Premier Liu He-considered Xi's right-hand man on economic issues - - led talks in Beijing last week and will head the Chinese delegation to Washington next week.

Ross said the US officials presented a detailed list of requests for changes in China's trade policy-"product by product and quantity by quantity." Agricultural goods, which have been targeted for retaliation by Beijing, figured prominently.

China "responded in kind" with a counterproposal, so the sides are now working on "a very specific set of bids and asks," he said.

In response to a question, Ross said President Donald Trump has ordered the Agriculture Department to do all it can to minimize the impact of any tariffs.

"We're all well aware that it's horribly unfair for one industry to bear the brunt of retaliation in our efforts to help other parts of economy," Ross said.

"We'll do our level best to resolve the problem."

The US reportedly has demanded Beijing reduce the bilateral trade deficit

by $200 billion a year.

The dispute erupted when Trump imposed steep tariffs in March of 25 percent on all steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum, citing national security reasons amid a global glut of the metals.

The sanctions hit friend and rival alike, prompting threats of retaliation from the European Union.

However, Ross indicated the EU could accept a quota system limiting imports of steel and aluminum into the United States in order to win an exemption from the tariffs.

He said he will speak to EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem again early next week and "there is a reasonable chance we'll work something out."

Argentina, Brazil and South Korea all agreed to quotas to cap shipments from their countries in order to be exempt from the metals tariffs.

DIG Sohrab passes away

Staff Reporter :

Deputy Inspector General of Tourist Police Md Sohrab Hossain died in a city hospital on Saturday. He was 56.

He breathed his last at Monowara Hospital around 10:15 am following a stroke. Sohrab left behind his wife, one son, three daughters and a host of

relatives and admirers to mourn his death.

His first Namaj-e-Janaja was held at Shaheed SI Shiru Mia Auditorium in Rajarbagh Police Lines where Inspector General of Police Javed Patwari and high officials of the force and civil servants, among others, were present.

Sohrab joined Bangladesh Police on 21 January in 1986 as probationary ASP in BCS (Police) Cadre Service.

During his long career, he served as Vice-Principal of Bangladesh Police Academy, Range DIGs of Bangladesh Railway and Highway police, acted as DIG of Police Headquarters and Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) and as Superintendent of Police (SP) at Shariatpur, Thakurgaon, Narail and Rajbari districts.

He was born in Kismot Biddyabaghis village of Sadar upazila in Lalmonirhat district in 1962.

Inspector General of Police Javed Patwari expressed his deep shock at the death of Sohrab Hossain and prayed for the salvation of the departed soul.Mother's Day celebrates the accomplishments of human mothers, but how do moms across the animal kingdom cope with the demands of pregnancy, birth and child rearing?

In "Wild Moms" (Pegasus Books, 2018), author, biologist and mother Carin Bondar investigates motherhood in the natural world, sharing the strategies used by numerous species to bear and nurture their offspring.

The challenges of motherhood in the wild are daunting  everyday survival concerns such as avoiding predators and finding food are amplified when a female has a little one (or several) to protect and nourish. In some social animals, such as lions or gorillas, new threats can even emerge from the animal's own community, as dominant males often kill infants sired by other males, when they take over a group.

And some obstacles are unique to individual species. In humans, our comparatively narrow pelvises are excellent for upright walking, but they aren't the best fit for our babies' large skulls, making birth more difficult and dangerous than it is for our closest living primate relatives. Meerkat females that hope to reproduce must first prove themselves as the dominant female in their group, or forfeit raising their own young to help the "queen" with her litters.

Many animal mothers also face the tough decision of having to choose between their offspring, nurturing one and neglecting another, so that the fittest  and the mother herself  will have a better chance at survival.

In her book, Bondar takes on these and other fascinating aspects of motherhood  from dolphin moms teaching newborns how to swim (and breathe); to lion "communes" where groups of mothers nurse each others' cubs; to mourning practices among chimpanzees for deceased infants. Bondar recently spoke to Live Science about the vast diversity of mothering approaches in the animal kingdom, revealing many surprising parallels to the practices of human mamas.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Live Science: Being a mother is hard work  more so for some than for others. What are some of the harsh realities of animal motherhood that might make human mothers think, "I don't have it so bad after all?"

Carin Bondar: Just based on the length of gestation, an elephant is a good example. They're pregnant for nearly two years, so by the time they actually give birth, they've already lent their bodies to this offspring for a lengthy period. And if that offspring dies  which often will happen in the animal kingdom  that's such a significant investment that's just gone. [For How Long Are Animals Pregnant? (Infographic)]

For birthing, humans do have it pretty bad, but not as bad as the poor hyena, which has to give birth through her pseudopenis. This is basically a long tube  picture a foot-long hot dog, and you have the idea. She has to give birth to two cubs through that, and for first-time moms the rate of death is significant  it's something like 30 percent  and the asphyxiation rate for cubs is extremely high. For decades, it's been one of the great mysteries of hyena biology  why would they evolve this structure that make birthing so difficult and so dangerous? But the social benefits to having this pseudopenis are thought to be more important than the cost of giving birth.

For the early phase of mothering, all primate moms have it pretty difficult, and that's because primate moms have babies that are so needy  ours are among the neediest  but they're also very complicated. Apes have personalities to consider as well as basic survival behaviors, and primate moms often have a very steep learning curve when it's their first time.

This is very similar to human moms  at least, to me. I was in a state of shock for many months after I had my first child; I had no idea what to do! I was kind of comforted to learn that other primates have this very steep learning curve as well, it's not like you get it right your first time, like, for example, a duck mom. The babies hatch and she just goes, "Hey, follow me over here!" They have the genetic mechanisms in place to parent, and they know what they're doing. It's not like that for monkeys and apes.

Live Science: In your book, you mention a disturbing drawback to the steep learning curve for primates  some first-time macaque mothers demonstrate physically abusive behavior toward their young. What could explain why a monkey would hurt her baby?

Bondar: Scientists are becoming bolder in their assertions that animal emotions play a role; it's an emerging area of science. Animals are subject to many of the same processes and basic neurobiology of emotion as we are  love, connection and also depression and the dark side of emotions. There's depression in many monkeys and apes, associated with changing levels of certain neurotransmitters and many of the same hormonal factors that are associated with depression in humans.

When we're taking about brains that are as complicated as the ones that monkeys and apes have, there's room for things to misfire. We're learning how to quantify these things, especially with populations that are very well studied, and that's why we know about things like infant abuse in macaques, because there are these huge populations that are relatively free-living that we have been studying for many decades. And so we're able to get a much greater and more comprehensive look at what happens in a population behaviorally.

"Wild Moms" author Carin Bondar explores the ups and downs of motherhood in the animal kingdom. (Image credit: Pegasus Books/Sarah Sovereign Photography)

Live Science: What about animal mothers that don't involve themselves in raising their young at all  such as cuckoos, who leave their eggs in other birds' nests. Isn't that taking a big risk, abandoning your baby to a possibly hostile stranger?

Bondar: It's so jarring when you first learn about these animal moms that lay eggs not only in another mom's nest, but in the nest of a completely different species. And they never come back, then never check in  it's basically just lay your eggs and go. This is called brood parasitism and it's a really successful strategy. And what's interesting is that we do see emotional attachment in birds, so it's fascinating that this other strategy has evolved to counteract that completely  but that's why I love biology!

For birds, the eggs need to be incubated, and then nestlings need food  there's a lot of care required for baby birds, and cuckoos are able to avoid all of that. And that's pretty significant, because what it means is that they can simply put more effort into laying more eggs immediately  they get ahead by simply saving their energy to lay more. And for birds that have this strategy, their overall populations on a global scale are increasing, because as more climates open up to them, they can find more species to parasitize  and they're good to go.

Live Science: Motherhood can mean having to make tough choices. What kind of hard choices do wild animal moms sometimes have to face?

Bondar: This question makes me think of seals and sea lions. A lot of the aquatic mammal moms have this massive investment to make, especially those who live in northern climates. Their babies need a ton of fat to be able to stay warm, and it's also very dangerous, so there's huge investment on the part of these moms.

Often what we see is a strategy that sounds utterly heartless. If there's a "toddler" that's still breast feeding, an aquatic mammal mom will almost always hedge her bets by having another calf. But if there aren't enough resources to go around, the calf has to be starved to death  basically, the toddler will push the newborn off the boob, and the mom lets it happen. In the long run it's worth it, as far as genes and the future generations are concerned. But I'll never believe that it's not emotionally devastating for any mom.

Live Science: In our closest primate relatives, how are birth and motherhood integrated into the social fabric of animals' lives?

Bondar: Humans have diverged in this really strange direction  we have our own houses, and we take our babies into them, and we try to stick it out, and be strong, and pretend that everything's great. Other apes don't do that. Other ape mothers are playing the role of midwives, helping with the delivery, taking the baby immediately and allowing the mom to rest. That's not to say it's all lovey-dovey  it isn't. But there's more of a sense of community around the initial bonding process, within the direct social group. That aspect of parenting seems to be something that humans are kind of cheating ourselves on, perhaps because we've internalized it and we've made it into a competition.

Live Science: When you were writing this book, was there any point where you came across a mothering strategy for an animal and thought to yourself, as a mother, "I have to try that!" or "I wish I could do that!"

Bondar: I'm a mother of four, and I had postpartum depression all four times  it was crappy! I've since learned that there are actually some fairly significant lines of evidence suggesting that ingestion of the afterbirth can guard against postpartum depression. We don't understand the mechanics of it, but it's thought that there's some aspect of the neurochemicals, steroids and hormones in the afterbirth, that safeguard moms against a lot of things.

Humans are unique in that we're one of the few species that does not consume the afterbirth  apes, monkeys and mammals do. And that's something that humans seem to be missing, maybe it's because we've thought about it a little too much and we've decided that it's gross. But there's actually a lot of biological evidence that suggests that we're getting it wrong. Had I the opportunity to do it all over again  which I'm happy that I don't!  I'd probably take more charge of my own birthing processes.

Original article on Live Science.The team, led by Nikolay Nikolov, an astronomer at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, detected this hot gas giant, known as WASP-96b, using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile. The team determined the atmospheric makeup of the exoplanet by studying it as it passed in front of its host star and measuring how the planet and its atmosphere affected light from the star.

A planet's atmospheric makeup influences the light that scientists can measure as it passes by its host star. This creates a spectrum, which is like a unique fingerprint. Typically, clouds obscure the light released by a planet and affect the spectrum that researchers can study from Earth, according to a statement released yesterday (May 7) by the University of Exeter. [The Biggest Mysteries of Saturn]

This is an artistic visualization of the exoplanet WASP-96b, which appears blue. (Image credit: Engine House)

But for WASP-96b, an extremely clear signature for the element sodium was observed. Because clouds typically obscure such signatures, the clarity of this spectrum suggested that the planet's atmosphere has no clouds at all. With its his is the first evidence of an entirely cloudless planet and the first time a planet with such a clear sodium signature has been found, the researchers said. With its uniquely clear signature, WASP-96b is the first-ever cloudless planet discovered. Being the first of its kind, the exoplanet is now considered "a benchmark for characterization," Nikolov said in the statement.

WASP-96b's sodium fingerprint is a clear, "tent-like" shape unobstructed by clouds. (Image credit: N. Nikolov/E. de Mooij)

This characterizing spectrum appears in the shape of a camping tent. This uncommon and easy-to-identify shape had never been seen before "because the characteristic 'tent-shaped' profile can only be produced deep in the atmosphere," Nikolov said. He added that for most planets, clouds get in the way, making this shape difficult to discern.

Aside from having an unusually cloudless, sodium-rich atmosphere, WASP-96b is extremely hot, at 1,300 kelvins (1,900 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1,000 degrees Celsius), and extremely large  20 percent larger than Jupiter. The planet's mass is similar to Saturn's, so researchers classify the alien world as a "hot Saturn."

In addition, the sodium levels in WASP-96b's atmosphere are similar to those found throughout our solar system. Sodium is the seventh most abundant element in the universe, and for a long time, scientists have thought that large gas giants had sodium-rich atmospheres, according to the statement. But until now, such clear evidence to support this idea has not existed, so the observance of WASP-96b solidifies scientists' understanding of gas giants.

Because of WASP-96b's cloudless skies, studying the exoplanet will provide researchers with a "unique opportunity to determine the abundances of other molecules, such as water, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, with future observations," Ernst de Mooij,a researcher at Dublin City University and a co-author of a new study describing the findings, said in the statement.

So, by identifying the signatures of other molecules using telescopes like Hubble and the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, scientists can gain a better understanding of planets both within and outside our solar system, the researchers said.

The new work was detailed yesterday (May 7) in the journal Nature.

Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her @chelsea_gohd. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.2 accused ' killed in Msingh 'gunfights'

Staff Reporter :

Two accused were killed in separate "gunfights" with law enforcers in Mymensingh early Saturday.

Of the deceased, Alamgir Hossain, 32, was an accused in a murder case while Sirajul Islam, 23, was wanted in a case filed for stabbing a schoolteacher during mugging, reports our Mymensingh Correspondent quoting Police.

A team of Detective Branch (DB) of police in a drive arrested Alamgir from Gopalganj area of Mymensingh Sadar upazila last night and took him to Joybangla Bazar to arrest other fugitives in the murder case, said Ashikur Rahman, Officer-in-charge of Detective Branch (DB), who led the operation.

Sensing presence of law enforcers, another accused Sidique and their gang opened fire on DB team around 3:00am, prompting the law enforcers to retaliate and thus triggered a "gunfight". During the battle, Alamgir suffered bullet injuries. He was taken to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead, the DB OC added.

In another incident, a team of Kotwali police arrested Sirajul from Sankipara in the city last night, said Khandaker Shakher Ahmed, OC of the police station.

The gunfight took place between police and Sirajul's cohorts around 4:00am as he was taken to SA Road during a drive to arrest his associates, said the OC.

Sirajul was injured in the "gunfight" and taken to the Mymensingh Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead, OC Shakher Ahmed added.A San Francisco police officer opened fire on a suspect in an auto burglary investigation early Friday morning, and a vehicle pursuit that included multiple collisions ended in Civic Center Plaza, authorities said.

The incident reportedly began at about 1 a.m. near Steiner Street and Geary Boulevard, where one suspect was detained but another fled on foot before getting into a white Hyundai sedan.

Police said a series of events then occurred on the 1500 block of OFarrell Street, including collisions between the suspect vehicle and two marked SFPD radio cars and an officer-involved shooting.

No one was struck by gunfire in this incident, police said in a statement.

The second suspect continued to flee in the vehicle to Civic Center Plaza, where the vehicle stopped and the person was taken into custody, police said.

Officer Robert Rueca, a department spokesman, declined to say whether the suspect was armed.

An officer was injured and treated on the scene before being released, while the suspects were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The injured officer was not the one who fired his gun, Rueca said.

Per department policy, the officer who fired shots has been placed on administrative leave for a minimum of 10 days.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Fridays incident marked San Franciscos fourth officer-involved shooting in 2018. Two of the previous shootings were fatal. There were six officer-involved shootings in 2017, three of which were fatal.

Sophie Haigney and Megan Cassidy are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: sophie.haigney@sfchronicle.com, megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SophieHaigney @MeganRCassidyThe 16-year-old girl who Laredo police say was kidnapped by her boyfriend Friday has been located and appears to be in good health.

The suspect, Arturo Medrano Limas, 19, was arrested about two hours after she was found. He was wanted by the Laredo Police Department on a kidnapping charge.

Investigator Joe Baeza, Laredo Police Department spokesman, said detectives were able to speak to Limas on the phone and convinced him to release the girl, Ashley Fernandez, who is four months pregnant.

Around noon Saturday, Fernandez was dropped off at an LPD substation by a third party.

Shortly thereafter, police arrested Limas in the Los Altos colonia off Texas Highway 359.

"Through the investigation detectives ... found him in a residence and arrested him without incident," Baeza said.

At about 10 p.m. Friday, an Amber Alert was issued following the abduction of Fernandez.

Seven hours earlier, Fernandez's mother had called LPD to report that Limas had kidnapped her daughter in the 3200 block of Springfield Avenue.

Police said Limas had been calling Fernandez throughout the day. He then went to her home on Springfield and demanded that Fernandez come out of the residence, LPD said.

She met with Limas outside the house. Witnesses told LPD that Limas then pulled her into a car while Fernandez's family fought to pull her away from him, police said.

The Webb County Attorney's Office later approved a warrant for Limas' arrest.Quality teachers are needed to ensure quality of education

The government and private schools and colleges are facing setback due to shortages of teachers. It is seriously affecting the education. According to media reports, vacancies at the country's primary and secondary schools and colleges remained unfulfilled for the last several years. The ministries of Education and Primary and Mass Education are responsible for failing to recruit teachers to over 1.05 lakh vacancies. If this disastrous scarcity of teachers continues in absence of recruitment it may eventually threaten to undermine government's efforts to ensure universal access to primary education and quality education in all strata of educations in Bangladesh.

Report said that Primary, Secondary schools and Colleges across the country have shortage of teachers while they should have necessary number of teachers. It also said that more than 60,000 vacancies exist at government primary, 40,000 at non-government secondary schools and intermediate colleges, 3,475 vacancies at government colleges and 2,250 vacancies at government run secondary schools. This is very alarming for ensuring quality education in the country. It is also surprising that in rural school, over 200 students have been running with only two teachers, report says. The shortage of teachers was informed to the Ministry concerned but it did not bring any result. While the government has given the utmost priority to develop education sector by allocating big budgets, this harsh reality of teachers' deficit is no mean acceptable.

The only recruitment organization of public colleges - the Public Service Commission (PSC) cannot recruit adequate number of teachers in government colleges for various reasons. It is not the failure of the PSC. Rather, lack of government's good intension is widely blamed for less recruitment.

Moreover, the local MPs and other influential persons allegedly take a big amount of money from those who want to be recruited as teachers -school or college. It is upsetting that many of the previously recruited teachers haven't the merit for being teachers in schools and public colleges. Several of them were recruited on political basis or paying a lucrative sum of money to certain quarter. It's an open secret.

It will not bring any good for our education system if government recruits only adequate number of teachers. Here, quality teachers are needed to improve the quality of education at all level.No figure in the ambush in Niger has commanded more attention than U.S. Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson, who fell off the military's radar for nearly two days during a hectic search and whose widow accused President Donald Trump of stumbling over her late husband's name during a condolence call.

How the 25-year-old trained Army mechanic from Florida went from being deemed "missing" by the U.S. military to "killed in action" became a central question in the months after the incident, which also killed three other U.S. soldiers and marked the single deadliest military operation for U.S. forces in Africa since the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu.

An official version of events released Thursday by the Pentagon described a harrowing scene in which Johnson and two of his partner soldiers from Niger were attempting to get back in their vehicle to flee enemy fire, only to end up running into the brush as Islamic State fighters blocked them from escaping and pursued them to their deaths.

The 11 American soldiers in Johnson's unit were traveling with a larger group of Nigerien partner forces when they were ambushed on the way out of a meeting with local leaders in the village of Tongo Tongo. Islamic State affiliates were known to operate in the region, but U.S. forces were unaccustomed to having direct contact with them, let alone with an organized group including about 100 combatants.

"They had never seen anything in this magnitude - numbers, mobility and training," Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, commander of U.S. Africa Command, said in a briefing at the Pentagon on Thursday. "It was a total tactical surprise in how that took place."

In the middle of the ambush, Johnson was caught under enemy fire with three other members of his U.S. team and about 25 partner Nigeriens, as Islamic State fighters began to envelop them from the east and south, according to a summary of the Pentagon investigation of the incident.

As it became increasingly clear that the troops were overwhelmed by the enemy, the U.S. team's commander gave an order to break contact and retreat.

By then, according to the Pentagon, Johnson had emptied a vehicle-mounted M240 machine gun on the Islamic State fighters and switched to an M2010 sniper rifle while taking cover at the rear of his vehicle. He acknowledged the order before attempting to climb into the driver's seat and get away with two Nigerien partner soldiers.

But as the other vehicles in the convoy took off, the three soldiers found themselves pinned down. They "were driven back to their prone positions by accurate and heavy enemy fire," the Pentagon report said. "Unable to reach the vehicle and with enemy forces rapidly closing on their position, they were forced to evade on foot."

In other words, they set off running. Islamic State fighters were in pursuit.

The first Nigerien soldier ran west for about 460 meters before he was gunned down by the combatants. The second Nigerien soldier made it another 110 meters but was also picked off.

Johnson continued running, eventually finding cover under what the U.S. military described as a thorny tree three-fifths of a mile from the vehicle.

But Johnson was outnumbered. First, the enemy fighters fired on him with a vehicle-mounted heavy machine gun. Then, they zeroed in on the young sergeant with smaller firearms, killing him alone in the West African brush some 5,300 miles from his Florida home.

On Thursday, the Pentagon sought to dispel earlier accounts in the media, including The Washington Post, offered by Nigerien villagers suggesting that Johnson had been captured alive or found with his hands tied.

"The enemy did not capture SGT L. Johnson alive," the report said. His "hands were not bound and he was not executed but was killed in action while actively engaging the enemy."

A U.S. military official with knowledge of the investigation said investigators based the conclusion that Johnson was not bound or executed on several pieces of evidence, including an examination of his remains. No ligature marks were found on his wrists or hands, and they were not bound when his remains were recovered by U.S. troops, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the investigation.

The official said Johnson was shot as many as 20 times, including at least once in the head. The military based its conclusion that he was not executed on a lack of powder burns to the head, which would have indicated that he was shot with a gun to his skull.

But the official acknowledged that Johnson was indeed killed at a relatively close range as Islamic State fighters closed in on him. Video released by the militants appears to show them shooting at least one other U.S. soldier in the head at close range after he had been hit by gunfire, though it wasn't clear which shots were fatal. The video was captured on a helmet camera of one of the Americans killed.

Senior U.S. military officials did not provide that level of specificity Thursday during a news conference, but Maj. Gen. Roger Cloutier Jr., the senior investigating officer, said Johnson's body was "treated like all the other remains, both U.S. and Nigerien."

"His serviceable equipment was stripped and taken from him," Cloutier said. "But he was never in enemy hands alive. They did have access to his remains and took his equipment."

The U.S. military said its investigators interviewed 143 witnesses, including survivors of the attack, in researching the report. It cautioned that the depiction of Johnson's final moments wasn't based on witness accounts but rather "solely on evidence recovered during the course of the investigation."

A national scandal erupted after Johnson's widow, Myeshia, expressed her concerns about her phone call with Trump. But what also made Johnson's case so exceptional was the time it took the U.S. military to locate his body after the attack.

A Nigerien quick-reaction force identified the remains of the three other American troops who died in the ambush the same day and immediately transferred them to American custody. The militants had attempted to take their remains away in vehicles, but abandoned the effort when French fighter jets roared overhead in a show of force, according to U.S. military officials.

Nigerien and American forces continued to search for Johnson through the night of the attack until nearly 6 a.m. the following morning, but they couldn't find him and returned to their base.

Rumors started circulating that the Islamic State fighters might have taken someone hostage north of the village. The U.S. military was still looking for signs that Johnson was alive or possibly captured.

"There was some reporting that indicated there could be a soldier held hostage somewhere north of Tongo Tongo," Cloutier said. "Of course, that report was taken seriously and assets began looking there for signs of life or anything like that. It turned out to be an errant report. But the search for Sergeant La David Johnson never stopped."

According to the Pentagon, Johnson was found about 48 hours later. Cloutier said the Army sergeant had run a long way - some 960 meters - from where he was last seen by his fellow soldiers, complicating the efforts to determine the whereabouts of his remains.

After the attack, Tongo Tongo's chief and another man from the village provided accounts of the aftermath of the ambush to The Washington Post. They said they found Johnson's body with his hands tied behind his back. The U.S. military disputed that at the time, saying there was no evidence his hands were tied.

Reached by phone late Thursday, the two villagers - Mounkaila Alassane and Adamou Boubacar - stood by their story but declined to say more.

The military reemphasized its account on Thursday, saying his body wasn't treated any differently from the other soldiers killed in the attack.

Aspects of what happened to Johnson's remains are still unclear. The Pentagon did not address Thursday why, more than a month after he was killed, it announced last November that more human remains of Johnson had been found separately.

Rep. Frederica Wilson, D.-Fla., who is close with Johnson's family, said in an interview Wednesday that they were told he was shot 16 times, including several times in the back, probably while he was fleeing. When Army officials first notified the Johnson family about the attack in October, they told them that he might be held captive, she said.

Efforts to reach Johnson's family in recent days have been unsuccessful.

The Pentagon removed all references to Johnson's recovery in a video recreation it released to the media Thursday. When the unclassified video was shown to Congress earlier, it was about 21 minutes long. But it was cut by about half before publication Thursday, defense officials acknowledged under questioning. As presented, it ends with Johnson's death, rather than his recovery.

Waldhauser said the longer video "goes into a lot of specific activities right there on the ground."

As for why the Pentagon withheld it, Waldhauser said it might have been "too much information" for the briefing Thursday, leaving less time for questions.

The video, however, was not shown during the news conference at all. It was shown before it, in a separate setting.

- - -

Sudarsan Raghavan in Cairo contributed to this report.WASHINGTON - Gina Haspel's nomination to be CIA director received a crucial boost Saturday when Sen. Joe Donnelly became the second Democrat to support President Donald Trump's choice despite questions about her role in the previous decade's controversial interrogation program.

The senator from Indiana, who met with Haspel on Thursday, said in a statement that he had "a tough, frank, and extensive discussion" with her that covered both her vision for the agency and its past use of "enhanced" interrogations against terrorist captives, including methods such as waterboarding that are widely considered torture. While some senators still have not publicly declared their position, Donnelly's backing is likely to give Haspel enough support to win at least 50 votes, the bare minimum for confirmation.

During her confirmation hearing, Haspel pledged to abide by the current law that forbids those methods and that she would reject an order from Trump to use those techniques against a terrorist now.

"I believe that she has learned from the past, and that the CIA under her leadership can help our country confront serious international threats and challenges," Donnelly said in the statement released Saturday morning.

He also cited her support from the CIA directors who served in the Obama administration as a reason for backing Haspel.

Donnelly joins Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., as the only other Democrat to announce support for Haspel. Both of them hail from states that Trump won by overwhelming margins. Donnelly and Manchin are up for re-election in November, and Trump appeared at a political rally Thursday in Indiana, in which he singled out Donnelly and called on voters to support the Republican nominee, Mike Braun.

Haspel's chances of winning confirmation improved following a hearing that, while contentious, featured no major missteps by the nominee. Shortly after the hearing adjourned, Manchin, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, declared his support for Haspel.

In a closed session following Haspel's public testimony, the mood was less tense and more familiar, according to people familiar with the proceedings who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private discussions. Haspel spoke in Russian at one point, underscoring her long experience running clandestine operations against Russia, these people said.

The Intelligence Committee is expected to hold a vote on Haspel on Wednesday, according to sources familiar with the panel's timing, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would then like to hold a full confirmation vote the following week before the Senate adjourns for the weeklong Memorial Day recess.

Haspel's nomination came after Mike Pompeo, Trump's first CIA director, was nominated to be secretary of state; the Senate confirmed Pompeo's nomination in April. Haspel had previously been serving as deputy director.

So far, Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and John McCain, R-Ariz., are the only Republicans opposing Haspel's nomination. McCain is not expected to be in Washington for the vote later this month as he battles an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., is the only other Republican who is publicly considering opposing Haspel - in part because of his respect for McCain, a prisoner of war during the Vietnam conflict.

"I've always shared McCain's views on torture and looked up to him on this," Flake told reporters this week.

A few other centrist Democrats have not indicated how they will vote on the CIA nominee. Even if they all oppose her and Flake joins the opposition, Haspel should have 50 votes for her confirmation.

Her nomination has renewed the fierce debate over torture from the previous decade, in which McCain led the fight to outlaw the techniques that the George W. Bush administration allowed CIA interrogators to use in so-called black sites around the world following the 9/11 attacks.

Haspel delivered an order from her superior to other agency officials to destroy videotapes of the interrogations, including the waterboarding of one of the top al-Qaeda operatives.

- - -

The Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian and Shane Harris contributed to this report.According to Nielsens 2015 Global Corporate Sustainability report, 66 percent of global consumers surveyed said they were willing to pay more for sustainable brands. When the consumers surveyed were limited to just millennials, the number jumped to 73 percent.

Related: What Big Companies Can Teach Small Business Owners About Sustainability

Sustainability, then, is more than just a buzzword. It's a much-lauded, frequently cited goal in the world of business. A company like Freightera, a Vancouver-based freight marketplace, knows this well. Freightera takes sustainability seriously and as a result is reaping benefits, in both the ethical and commercial sense.

That's significant because the freight industry is a major cause of air pollution and one of the fastest-growing contributors to climate change. Freightera, which connects businesses that need to ship freight with freight-transportation companies that make up this multibillion-dollar global logistics industry, is trying to change that.

Specifically, Freightera is building what it calls North America's first low-emission freight marketplace. The company has partnered with Natural Resources Canadas energy-efficiency SmartWay program to reduce fuel costs and emissions from freight transportation. Freighteras own Go Green option is allowing shippers to choose freight quotes by lower emission, in addition to price and shipping time.

It is far too late, in terms of climate change, air and water pollution, and fundamental inequality, for business to be organized purely for profit, CEO Eric Beckwitt said in an interview, explaining his company's stance. Businesses, especially large firms, are superbly positioned to rapidly improve social and environmental conditions, and reduce emissions to prevent climate change. It is time for businesses to lead.

Freightera's Go Green option allows customers to select quotes based on lower emission carriers in addition to shipping time and price. As a result, 78 percent of the loads that Freightera books are now shipped by low-emission carriers, according to its website.

How sustainability fits into commercial success

More and more people have come to believe in a link between commercial success and a business's commitment to sustainable development.

Related: Improve Employee Morale and Save Money by Going Green

And committing to business goals that align with the health of the planet can pay off. Nielsen's report noted that in 2015, the year of its publication, sales of consumer goods from brands that had demonstrated a real commitment to sustainability grew, on average, more than 4 percent globally. Those that did not have such a commitment grew, on average, less than 1 percent.

The implication was, and is, that consumers are paying attention. They're favoring brands that have committed to the social good in various ways, including sustainable development. While many big businesses are communicating such a commitment, only a quarter are linking this purpose to sustainable development. And fewer still appear to truly live that purpose.

At Freightera, the company's commitment to sustainability is no accidental choice, Beckwitt said. He said he feels strongly that all businesses should have a guiding social or environmental reason for their existence, and that profit should merely be a by-product.

So, companies need to go beyond contributing to public and individual funds that support sustainability efforts, Beckwitt said. They should instead change how their own products are manufactured and shipped, to decrease their carbon footprint.

Fortunately, findings like those from Nielsens indicate that sustainability can be a win/win scenario for companies because they're rewarded by consumers, in a kind of virtuous cycle.

Related: Corporate Social Responsibility Can Actually Be a Competitive Advantage, So Where's Your CSR Program?

Bottom line

Companies organized around solving social and environmental problems, then, can find profits even as they make real contributions to the most challenging problems facing humanity. To fully benefit from the interdependency between a goal like sustainable development and commercial success, businesses need to articulate a clear purpose. Our future depends on it.

Related:

Why All Businesses Can Benefit from a Guiding Social or Environmental Purpose

Tiny Business Is Serious Business

Dubai Based Inventors Receive International Acclaim for Environmental Sustainability Solutions



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedWhat we`re drinking in the name of water !

NEWS media reported that Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) tests found 21 out of 38 samples of drinking water marketed in the capital in jars unsafe for consumption. Bacterial contamination was found in a majority of the samples collected from all over the capital during Laboratory Tests. The existence of coliform bacteria is common in the so-called filtered water supplied in jars to households, shops and offices in and around Dhaka.

The BSTI samples contained more than 1,200 coliform bacteria, above the standard level. The standard set by the BSTI requires drinking water to be totally free from faecal coliform contamination. Faecal coliform is simply stool in water and of this quality water is totally unfit for drinking as it can cause diarrhea and other public health complications. Presence of faecal coliform indicates the presence of many bacteria and viruses found in stool including Salmonella, E. Coli and Shigella bacteria and Hepatitis A and E viruses. Due to drinking contaminated water, rising number of people are affected by diarrhea everyday and of the affected about 30 per cent are children below 10.

The BSTI has given registration to so far 250 plants for producing jar-water but more than thousand of plants just bottle tap-water and supply to unsuspecting consumers in the city. The retailers are forced to buy jar-water from the plants of local politicians in order to run their business without any hassle. Even, who have registered water plants have to beg for backing from the political leaders to stay in the business.

Without sporadic drives, no authority is continuously monitoring the Dhaka's drinking water supply system which is largely controlled by ruling political men. Local political clouts definite their area of business, and force hotel, shop and flat owners to buy from them as other producers are often barred to enter their area. Such mayhem could not be run in drinking water supply system that put millions of people in danger.

We are in dismay-what we are really drinking in the name of water! Isn't the duty of the BSTI, WASA and the City Corporations to provide safe and pure drinking water to the people?

Gubernatorial candidate Andrew White did not mince words over Greg Abbott at Friday's Democrat debate with Lupe Valdez.

During his closing argument, White blasted Abbott and his response to Hurricane Harvey.

"Our community should never be in that position again," White said describing the days during and after the storm. "... I saw people doing anything they could do to help their fellow Texans."

"When the emergency ended and the cleanup began, Greg Abbott did almost nothing," White said. "The most expensive natural disaster in American history we lost 100 lives and Abbott's response: 'We'll deal with it in 2019 at the next regularly scheduled session.'"

HISTORIC WIN: Texas town elects first Muslim councilman, defeating Tea Party candidate

"This is a man who called a special session for a bathroom bill and he won't do the same when 52 inches of rainfall," White said. "It's disgusting and I'll never forgive him for it."

White and Valdez faced off Friday evening discussing topics like immigration, abortion and mass incarceration in Texas.

Abbott wasn't the only one called out. Valdez drew applause from the audience when she went after White and his views on abortion.

DETAILS: Lupe Valdez goes on attack against Andrew White in Democratic debate for governor

"Andrew, you implied that women who have had an abortion do not respect life. Andrew, you owe an apology to these women," Valdez said.

Check out other highlights from the debate with Chronicle politics writer Mike Ward and his in-depth look at the gubernatorial debate.UVALDE  The gut-wrenching grief that Davaughn Rodriguezs relatives have endured since his fatal beating six years ago mixed with anger Friday over the punishments for the two defendants, who once faced capital murder charges.

The boys mother, Sabrina Vielma, 35, was sentenced to 18 years in prison under a plea deal finalized Thursday, officials said, and her former boyfriend, Cel Ves N. Cook, 40, faces a 12-year term at sentencing next week.

I dont feel that justice was done for my son, said Dion Rodriguez, 35, a former boyfriend of Vielma, adding that a life sentence would have been more fitting. Vielma had custody of the boy.

RELATED: Mugshots: 227 arrested on DWI charges during Fiesta in S.A.

Rodriguez joined dozens of family members and supporters wearing Justice for Baby D T-shirts at a graveside memorial Friday, where they prayed, wept and released balloons.

He was beautiful. He was amazing, Rodriguez said of his 4-year-old son.

The boys great uncle, Jose Chapa, said, We failed him as a society.

District Attorney Daniel Kindred also expressed dissatisfaction with the punishment handed down Thursday by state District Judge Steve Ables to conclude Vielmas four-day sentencing hearing in Hondo on a substitute charge of injury to a child by omission.

I felt the evidence we presented would have merited a stiffer sentence, Kindred said Friday.

RELATED: Woman who took fatal plunge from I-35 ID'd

Davaughn Rodriguezs body was brought to a local hospital on Dec. 11, 2011 by Vielma, who denied injuring her son and claimed he may have fallen while trying to retrieve food from the top of the refrigerator, recalled Uvalde Police Lt. Mariano Pargas.

The bruised and scratched condition of the boys body quickly cast doubt on her account, he said, as did blood spatters that investigators later discovered around Vielmas home.

Its something that you never forget, said Pargas, of seeing the battered, lifeless child. He was at Fridays memorial.

An autopsy concluded he died from blunt force trauma to the head, but authorities were unable to identify the weapon used.

The only injury that was fatal to the child was a head injury, said Kindred, citing testimony by medical officials. The consensus was that that would have been immediately incapacitating.

Vielma initially said she was home alone when Davaughn died, authorities say, but later amended her account to say Cook also was there. Cook told police the boy was fine when hed left the home that evening.

Although Kindred suspects the fatal injuries were inflicted by Vielma, the prosecutor said conclusive evidence was lacking.

The two suspects each blamed each other and the evidence didnt definitely tell us who delivered the blows, who did the killing, said Kindred.

Each defendant was indicted on a capital murder charge, but the potential of either facing the death penalty was eliminated under the plea deals that reduced the charges.

Vielma pleaded guilty on March 22 to injury to a child by omission, a first degree felony that carries a maximum punishment of 99 years and a $10,000 fine. No sentence was specified in the pact with Vielma.

Kindred said one impetus for the state to strike the deal was the recent request to withdraw from the case by Vielmas court-appointed attorneys, Clay Steadman and Steve Pickell, who declined comment Friday.

If the motion were granted, Kindred said the already-protracted case would have been further delayed as the new defense counsel started from scratch.

In Cooks case, Kindred said he pleaded guilty May 4 to the lesser charge of tampering with physical evidence  the boys body  and is slated to be sentenced to 12 years at a May 15 hearing. His attorney couldnt be reached Friday.

In exchange for taking the death penalty off the table, Kindred said Cook agreed to give authorities a full account of the fateful night Davaughn was slain. He said he watched the boy Dec. 10 and left him in good condition that evening, returning the next morning to find the boys body on the kitchen floor.

Cook recalled Vielma claiming the boy was injured accidentally, according to Kindred, and admitted covering the body with a blanket and then leaving the scene.

We have no reason to disbelieve his account, or evidence to refute it, said Kindred.

Zeke MacCormack is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | zeke@express-news.net | @zekemacSo, now we know the 2015 frenzy over the Jade Helm 15 exercise was the product of Russian bots and conspiracy theorists, whipping up misinformation for the masses.

Thats from former CIA Director Michael Hayden, who told MSNBC the Jade Helm controversy was a testing ground for seeking to meddle with the 2016 U.S. election.

Russian bots and the American alt-right media convinced most  many  Texans ... that Obama planned to round up political dissidents, Hayden said.

Were not sure how many Texans were convinced of this plan to round up dissidents. But there was enough hysteria that Gov. Greg Abbott called the State Guard, a voluntary force, to monitor the routine military operation, which began in Bastrop County and included several states.

OPINION: Apocalyptic thinking paralyzes the gun debate

Many ripped Abbott for this decision, saying he was played by propagandists and pandering to conspiracy theorists. In our view, Abbott should have passionately spoken against the dangers of misinformation and conspiracy theories at the time, but we recognize his office received considerable correspondence from people concerned about martial law. Deploying the volunteer State Guard was his effort to calm peoples fears, unfounded as they were.

But, ultimately, heres the right lesson from Jade Helm. Outsiders used false information to generate unfounded hysteria and divide Americans from one another. Thats an apolitical concern.

EDITORIAL: Congressional and corporate priorities ignore the real threat of Mother Nature

RELATED: Trump's conspiracy theories are hurting democracy

And it wasnt a first for Texas. Late last year, we learned about Russian Facebook pages that organized dueling rallies outside the Islamic Dawah Center of Houston during the 2016 election. One was an anti-Muslim rally, and the other was a rally to supposedly support a better understanding of the Muslim faith.

We have to be better than this, and that begins with being critical of the information we consume.

What separates journalism from other forms of communication is that it has gone through an independent and transparent process. One that attempts to verify facts, aims to be as objective as possible, and organizes information in (hopefully) a compelling and accurate way. Without that process, we are at the mercy of misinformation from dubious sources. Thats how conspiracy theories bloom and misunderstanding flourishes.

If our understanding of the world is reflected in the information we choose to put in our heads, as journalist and thinker Walter Lippmann has written, then our misunderstandings can be stoked by misinformation.AL, BNP take KCC polls as acid test

Campaign ends today, both parties hopeful to win, analysts look it as litmus test for EC, govt

Reza Mahmud :

The election of Khulna City Corporation (KOO) scheduled for May 15 is the acid test for the ruling Awami League and its archrival BNP because it is being held ahead of the national election.

The city polls is also a litmus test for the government, the administration and the Election Commission as it will reflect their neutrality and capability of holding the national election, analysts said.

"The KCC polls is also an acid test for the two major parties as it may reflect their popularity ahead of the national election. Through this, it will also be proved how much the government, the EC and the administration are capable to hold a neutral national election," Professor Dr. Md. Sharif Uddin of Jahangir Nagar University told The New Nation on Saturday.

He said the BNP has expressed doubts over holding the election in a free, fair and neutral manner. It wants the EC, the government and the administration should show neutrality for the sake of an acceptable election, he said.

As today is the last day of campaign, both the parties expressed hope that they would win in the voting race. However, the BNP also said the polls must be held in a free and fair manner.

Awami League nominated mayoral candidate Talukder Abdul Khaleque, who had hectic campaigns in the fields, is hopeful to win the mayoral race.

"I am working for the people. I hope the people will choose

me on Tuesday's polls. They know me well. If I am elected all the development works will go on smoothly with my direct supervision," Talukder Abdul Khaleque said on Saturday while addressing the voters during his campaign.

On the other hand, Nazrul Islam Manju, the BNP nominated mayoral candidate, said, around 150 important leaders and activists of his party have been arrested during the voting campaigns. He said 23 of his party men were arrested on Friday alone.

"We are hiding our polling agents from the police as they are driving massive drive against BNP men in the city," he alleged while addressing a press briefing at his resident in the city.

Manju said, he is hopeful to win the Tuesday's vote if the EC and police play a neutral role.

He, however, demanded deployment of Army for acceptable polls.

BNP Standing Committee Member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy has taken part in the party nominated mayoral candidate Manju's campaign in the KCC areas for about 10 days recently.

Gayeshwar Roy told The New Nation, "If the EC and administration play a neutral role and if the people of the city can exercise their franchise, then Manju must win. I witnessed people's overwhelming support for him.

However, he observed that police are playing as the main opponent of the BNP candidate. "The ignorant roles of the EC made us disappointed. We hope the EC and the police will return to their neutral track to hold the city polls in free and fair manner."

When contacted, AL presidium member Dr. Abdur Razzak told The New Nation on Saturday, "The KCC polls will be held in a free, fair and acceptable manner. Our mayoral candidate Talukder Abdul Khaleque is a popular leader and we are confident about his win. That is why he resigned from MP post and joined the race."

He said, the BNP involved in false propaganda that the KCC polls will not be held in a free and fair manner. It is their habit to complaint against us.

"You know that the BNP had also alleged before the Cumilla City Corporation polls that it will be rigged by Awami League. But they won there. It proved that they were not in right way to criticize the government," said Dr. Razzak.

By Jacqueline Tempera | jtempera@masslive.com

At least 70 people are without homes following three early morning fires in Boston, including a 6-alarm blaze in West Roxbury that took firefighters two hours to extinguish.

The three fires, all multiple alarms, caused a total of $3 million in damages and sent at least three people to the hospital. Two pets died, firefighters said.

Boston Fire Department

6-alarm fire in West Roxbury displaces 36 people

Just before 6 a.m., firefighters arrived at an apartment building at 1212 VFW Parkway in West Roxbury.

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What first arriving companies faced on arrival at VFW Parkway. Lt. Briscoe of Ladder 25 ordered immediate 2nd Alarm followed shortly thereafter with a 3rd alarm. Great Command decision! pic.twitter.com/C5n7HeEHLG  Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) May 12, 2018

The building was fully engulfed in flames when crews arrived, with a gas leak fueling the 6-alarm fire. It took two hours for firefighters to put out the fire.

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Boston Fire Department

The three-story, multi-unit apartment housed 36 people, all of whom were displaced by the blaze.

One resident and two firefighters were taken to the hospital with injuries described as non-life threatening. Firefighters estimate $2 million in damages.

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Boston Fire Department

Boston Fire District Chief Scott Wahlen told The Boston Globe that an off duty firefighter who lives in the building with his wife helped save several of his neighbors.

Wahlen told the Globe that the Ladder 26 firefighter banged on doors and helped four people and his wife escape down ladders.

The firefighter told people outside he "just made it out," significant for a firefighter, Wahlen told the Globe.

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Boston Fire Department

Two dozen people without a home after fire at 55 Dale St.

Boston firefighters were first called to 55 Dale St. in Roxbury at about 3:15 a.m. for a report of heavy fire on the third floor.

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Boston Fire Department

The six-family home has a wooden frame and the fire extended to the attic, firefighters said. All of the 19 people inside at the time of the fire were evacuated without injuries.

Boston firefighters say 20 to 24 were displaced.

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40 foot Tormentor Pole Ladder in place to access stubborn Hot Spots. Commissioner Finn overseeing Fire Ground Operations. pic.twitter.com/BrC7W424JM  Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) May 12, 2018

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Boston Fire Department

Firefighters report $500,000 in damage to the building.

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Boston Fire Department

Basement fire forces 12 out of 3 Groom St. in Dorchester

At 9:30 a.m. crews rushed to 3 Groom St. in Dorchester for reports of a basement fire. The fire burned through a rear stairwell to the roof, firefighters said.

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Approx 500,000 damages at 3 Groom St 12 displaced @RedCrossMA @COB_ONS to help find housing @ISDBoston detail companies remain pic.twitter.com/1iUyRodKEP  Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) May 12, 2018

Twelve people were displaced in the fire, which caused $500,000 in damages.

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Boston Fire Department

Three fires under investigation

All three fires are under investigation, but do not seem to be connected.

WCVB-TV reports that National Grid responded to four gas odor complaints in West Roxbury building over the last two years, but never found a leak.

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Our training paid off. At each fire all residents safely got out with some over ground ladders. No serious injuries. Quick, decisive decisions made by our Officers and Chiefs. So proud of our department. Thank you All.  Commissioner JoeFinn (@ChiefJoeFinn) May 12, 2018

After the whirlwind morning Boston Fire Commissioner Joe Finn tweeted appreciation to his crews

Where to begin in commenting on the past several hours. 3 multiple alarms fires all with challenges for firefighters. All I can say is outstanding work by everyone, he said in a tweet. Nights and mornings like we just had are rare but they do happen. I repeatedly state you need boots on the ground; a fully staffed fire department and reliable apparatus and gear. Thanks Mayor...for the support.

Jerome Smith, chief of civic engagement for the mayor's office told the Globe: "We have a busy night. There are about 70 people we have to find homes for in the next couple days."by Sara Guaglione , May 11, 2018

National Geographic was ranked the top social brand for the fourth year in a row by social-media data and analytics firm, Shareablee.

In total, National Geographic had more than 1.6 billion actions (reactions, comments, shares, retweets and likes) across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in 2017.

It has been the top brand on Instagram since 2014.

It is also the most followed media brand on social platforms, with more than 420 million followers globally.

A video of a jaguar pulling a small alligator (called a caiman) out of a river in December, for example, received 1.7 million actions and was the top Instagram video by any brand for the year.

Jonathan Hunt, senior vice president of digital content and audience development for National Geographic Partners, spoke to Publishers Daily about the 130-year-old legacy brand and how it has been able to transform the coverage in its iconic magazine, website and TV channel to top the charts on social platforms.

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Hunts says the company transforms the yellow border that is synonymous with National Geographic into a portal for digital content experiences that you might not have the chance to experience yourself. What National Geographic gives to social media users is access.

Access to amazing explorers, scientists, photographers and to new places  all to help you better understand and care for the world around you, he said.

Visual storytelling has been core to our DNA for over 100 years. That can span across video, virtual reality and 360 formats, beyond photography, adding: 360 over-performs for us on platforms like YouTube and Facebook."

But its not just the visuals that attract users to National Geographics social accounts, he noted. Its the storytelling behind the visuals. While visuals are important, another reason why people follow us on Instagram is for the captions, not just the photography.

Captions under National Geographics Instagram posts typically tell the story behind what it took to capture the photo, such as the trials and tribulations the photographer went through to get that final shot.

National Geographic is shifting away from strictly talking at people to talk with people, Hunt said. Social-media platforms can serve as a facilitator of dialogue with our audience," on key topics like science and innovation, travel, culture, exploration and animals.

National Geographic has found success in reaching out to its audience on Reddit, an unusual but increasingly popular discussion platform for media brands to connect with communities around specific areas of interest.

National Geographic hosts regular AMAs (which stands for Ask Me Anything, where Reddit users can ask a host questions and get answers in real-time) with its photographers and explorers. National Geographic moderators will also encourage the Reddit community to propose new story ideas for the media brand and give the group sneak peeks at content before releasing it publicly.

Hunt noted that growth on social-media platforms can help support National Geographics businesses, too.

Sponsored content is an important part of our revenue, and social posts can direct users to Nat Geos businesses, like its expedition tours and consumer products, such as its DNA ancestry product Geno 2.0 and its books.

Instagram Stories, in particular, can be used as a sort of mechanism for pushing people down the funnel.

Users can swipe up and into an action on the feature, such as to the National Geographic website to generate traffic, or to a preview of a show airing that night on the National Geographic TV channel.

National Geographic won its first Media Company of the Year Webby Award this year. The Webbys recognize excellence in online media.by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, May 11, 2018

Facebook will reportedly design and build its own cryptocurrency to go with a new blockchain division under the guidance of David Marcus, a self-proclaimed cryptogeek and former head of Facebook Messenger.

Marcus confirmed on Twitter and Facebook earlier this week that he will run Facebooks new division after "four amazing years leading Messenger" and will "set up a small group 'from scratch' to explore how to best leverage Blockchain for Facebook."

And while cryptocurrency, a virtual token, doesnt always go hand-in-hand when a company creates a blockchain, the cryptocurrency could allow Facebooks users and advertisers to make electronic payments, sources familiar with the plans told Cheddar, a live streaming financial news network founded by Jon Steinberg.

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Marcus is an early investor in bitcoin, a virtual currency, and sits on the board of Coinbase, a secure online platform that enables people to buy and sell digital currency.



The creation of a unique cryptocurrency would allow Facebook members to make purchases with retailers that advertise on its platform, but it would also allow advertisers to buy ad space.

Using cryptocurrency to buy advertising isnt new, but remains in the early stages of development.

In December 2017, MadHive -- which develops blockchain technology for media and advertising, along with The Mad Foundation  began generating the sale of "Mad tokens," a cryptocurrency to support an open blockchain network for the advertising industry.

Microsoft in January 2018, restored Bitcoin payments for its online store after removing the option in December 2017. The company lets consumers use cryptocurrency to pay for Windows services and Xbox gift cards.

At the time, Microsoft didnt reveal whether or not it would allow advertisers to use cryptocurrency to buy search ads.

And while Google will restrict the use of its AdWords platform to advertise cryptocurrency-related products and services as of June 2018, the company began work on blockchain technology.by Ray Schultz , May 11, 2018

Heres some good news on cyber security: the number of data breaches totaled 685 in the first quarter of 2018 -- a four-year low, down from 1,444 in the same quarter last year and 1,153 in 2016, according to the Q1 2018 Data Breach QuickView Report, a study by Risk Based Security.

And while its still a large number, only 1.4 billion records were exposed, compared with 3.4 billion in the first quarter of 2017. A single incident in India accounted for 81% of those exposures. However, the number far exceeds those of the three years leading up to 2017.

Fraud accounted for 1.27 billion of these exposed records, but it still was only the seventh-most common breach type, accounting for 4.8% of the incidents.

Businesses suffered 50.4% of the reported breaches during the first quarter, followed by the government sector (14.4%), medical (10.2%) and education (7%).

Meanwhile, email phishing for employee W-2 data fell to 31 disclosed episodes versus 214 in the prior year

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Hacking was the top breach type during the quarter, responsible for 38.9% of the attacks. It exposed 159 million records  10.9% of the total.

The number of incidents hit a peak in the first quarter of 2017.

Despite the seeming improvements, cyber attacks in general remain a threat.

We knew we were seeing less activity than prior quarters but we were still surprised by the final tally states Inga Goddijn, executive vice president at Risk Based Security. We were geared up for a wave of activity targeting tax filing data that never fully materialized as expected.

She adds: "If there was a truly seismic shift in breach activity we would expect other metrics to show some signs of change as well. Given this, we think the jury is still out on whether the dip is a one-time blip or part of a larger trend.

Meanwhile, it appears that crypto-currencies might contribute to the falloff in incidents.

While there is no direct data linking the rise of crypo-miners to a reduction in data breach activity, there are tantalizing bits of evidence that lead us to believe there is some level of relationship at play here, Goddijn adds.by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, May 11, 2018

Tim Armstrong and Keith Weed are the latest executives to be identified as potential successors to former WPP CEO Martin Sorrell.

The Financial Timesreported earlier today that the two executives were in contention citing undisclosed sources with knowledge of the search process. The UK publication reported earlier that Dentsu Aegis Jerry Buhlmann and BBDOs Andrew Robertson were also on the list of potential candidates to succeed Sorrell.

Armstrong is currently CEO of Oath, the Verizon unit that oversees AOL and Yahoo. The FT quoted a source as saying that Armstrong would be a good choice given that he knows all about restructuring.

Weed is head of marketing for packaged goods giant Unilever and has been a frequent and vocal critic over the past couple of years of inefficiencies and other problems within the digital advertising and marketing ecosystem.

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Sorrell resigned last month about a week after the company said its board was investigating him for alleged personal misconduct. The company has been steadfast in its refusal to provide any detail about the allegations or what the boards investigation turned up.

Since Sorrell resigned there has been a lot of speculation that WPP might sell off a number of companiesit owns hundreds of subsidiaries, including ad giants JWT, Young & Rubicam, Ogilvy and GroupMor even be dismantled entirely.

Some investors reportedly believe the firm has expanded too far beyond its core competency. Research arm Kantar has been cited by analysts as a disposition that might improve WPPs financials and please investors.

During a recent call with analysts to discuss first-quarter results, company chairman Roberto Quarta said that it was premature to discuss specific asset sales yet, although management will look at potential dispositions.

Quarta insisted that the starting point is not a break-up of the company, given the integration demands of clients.Advertisement

Study

Dementia

Boththat include age, weight, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking.The new study shows that a combination of the two diseases and the fact that both of them severely impact blood flow to the brain significantly increases a patient's chances of developing dementia."Our team of researchers has been studying links between atrial fibrillation and dementia. This new data stresses the continued need for physicians to monitor and screen patients for both carotid artery disease and atrial fibrillation, especially patients who have risk factors of either disease, said Victoria Jacobs, PhD, a clinical researcher with the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute."A population of, where the average age of the patients was 71.6 years old and 55.6 percent of them were male were studied.Within this group,The group of patients who had atrial fibrillation and who were diagnosed with carotid artery disease faced higher risks of developing dementiaThe study results can help providers and patients reduce the onset of dementia through early awareness and recognition."Atrial fibrillation and carotid artery disease are treatable, and addressing those diseases early on can help reduce the risk of developing dementia," said Dr. Jacobs. "Physicians should be discussing the treatment options with patients who are at risk to help educate them about what they can do to live the healthiest life possible. Patients should be engaged in their own healthcare, knowledgeable about their risks, and active in maintaining healthy lifestyles. Neither disease should be accepted passively, because both are treatable, and treatment is especially important given the benefit of helping to prevent or postpone dementia."In the future, researchers will continue to analyze the data to compare it among different groups. This will help identify other patterns that may exist in a patient's risk of developing dementia.associated with a. Dementia can be severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of the dementia population. The. There are many other conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia - some are reversible and others irreversible. Dementia due to thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies are reversible.Source: MedindiaAdvertisement

Thalassemia has a severe impact on the body including excessive iron, bone deformities, enlarged spleen, the slow growth rate for children and in some instances also lead to heart disorders.There no cure for this disorder and people diagnosed with thalassemia need regular blood transfusions to maintain a routine lifestyle.India has the largest disease burden for thalassemia in the world. Every month, there are over 40 million carriers and 100,000 thalassemia majors under blood transfusion.Thalassemics continue to grow in our country, and regardless of the alarming numbers, we have not one prevention program. No move has been made to have a prevention and control program at the national level.Thalassemia carriers are unintentionally passing on this genetic disorder to their children due to lack of education awareness programs, genetic counseling, and preventative screening programs.Government and non-government organizations are taking measures to address the importance of Thalassemia screening and counseling in the last three to four decades, but community control in a vast and diverse country like India is challenging.Hence, it is difficult to initiate a national programme reaching all rural regions where almost 70% of our population resides.Based on 27 million births per year in India, it has been suggested that there would be 32,400 babies born each year with a serious hemoglobin disorder.Among the 10,000 to 12,000 thalassemic children born annually in India, only a few in urban regions are able to manage the disorder although the Government of India has announced to offer special care and management of patients with thalassemia and sickle cell disease in the 12th Five Year Plan.We need a national plan to prevent, manage and offer adequate treatment for patients.The treatment and medications are very expensive. Therefore, patients require both free blood transfusions clubbed with free lab tests and iron chelation medicines and other supplements.The disease risk can be lowered if gynecologists join hands with genetic counselors and screen for thalassemia in every pregnant woman.Prenatal tests can help to detect these blood disorders before birth. Family genetic studies facilitate to understand if people have missing or altered hemoglobin genes that cause thalassemias. Prenatal testing is necessary if one is expecting a baby and if either partner is a thalassemia carrier.Carrier genetic test can be conducted before pregnancy, which can help to identify whether the baby will stand the risk of having any of the serious diseases such as thalassemia. Early detection of the disease can help to plan preventive measures to combat the disease.CGT is a significant genetic test related to family planning as it facilitates in determining the percentage of risk involved with the birth of the child. It also helps in discovering whether the parents are the carriers of the genetic disorder. The test needs to be conducted in both the parents.In the cases where both members of the couple are established to be the carrier of the same recessive gene, they can consult their specialist about the option of Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) to conceive a healthy child.Source: MedindiaYouth dies after DB grilling

Staff Reporter :

A team of Detective Branch (DB) of Police detained van driver Ashraf Ali, 42, from Gazipur on May 4 and after a one-day 'interrogation', he died at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital on May 6.

Ashraf was in a sound health prior to his interrogation at the Minto Road DB office in Dhaka, but fell seriously ill on May 6. He died after three hours of being taken to the hospital.

According to the DMCH authorities, the DB officers did not want to provide any information about his identity or where he had been arrested. He had been admitted there under a false name, Aslam.

The police asked the physicians to issue a death certificate indicating that he died of natural causes. But there were bruises all over the body so the certificate wasn't issued, they said.

His relatives claimed that Ashraf died due to DB police torture. Ashraf had bruises all over his body, they added.

According to media, Ashraf was from the village Dahan in Charpak of Madarganj Upazila in Jamalpur district. He had six brothers and a sister. Ashraf had married thrice and lived with his third wife in Poshchim Dogri of Mirzapur in Gazipur. Ashraf drove the van that belonged to the company Decor Weight Processing Limited. The DB police picked him up along with his wife Ripa and their two children on May 4 midnight.

His relatives said Ashraf also served as a source in the Ashulia area for the DB police.

In a query about his sudden sickness in custody, Dhaka Metropolitan DB Joint Commissioner Abdul Baten said, Ashraf had demanded a ransom of Tk I lakh from the family of one Niamul, a Qatar migrant who was missing. He said the police were investigating Ashraf's mobile phone records and called him with his wife for interrogation. But, Ashraf felt ill.

According to the DB official, Ashraf's wife told them that he was a hernia patient. They took him to the hospital and he died there.

Dhaka Metropolitan Additional Deputy Commissioner Mahmud Naser has been investigating the missing case of Niamul. When contacted over phone, he declined to make any comment on the issue. The DB officials have handed over Ashraf's body to his brother Abdur Rashid.

Ashraf moved to Poshchim Dogri in Gazipur on April 22. The owner of the house Abdul Halim said about 15 to 20 DB officials came in two vehicles around 1:00 am on May 4. They searched every tenant's room. Then they went to Ashraf's room and blindfolded him and Ripa. They beat up Ashraf and took him away. He had walked normally to the vehicle. Ashraf's office was near his house. The company director Zahirul Islam said, Ashraf had been working for them since February. He hadn't ever taken leave nor had he complained of being unwell.

A three-member medical board headed by Forensic Department Head Sohel Mahmud at the DMCH morgue had carried out the autopsy on May 7. Sohel Mahmud said, the dead body had bruises on both legs and his intestines were twisted. He added, the actual cause of death would be discerned once the viscera report was done.

Two of Ashraf's wives and his elder brother Abdur Rashid came to DMCH from Ashulia on May 7 morning. The DB team took them by microbus to the Minto Road office of DB. Abdur Rashid said, senior officials of DB greeted them and offered them refreshments. Around 2:00pm Rashid and Ashraf's father-in-law were taken to DMCH in a DB vehicle.

They stayed with the DB members in the vehicle till 8:00 pm. Rashid said, the law enforcers made him sign a written document and also a blank sheet of paper, and then handed over the dead body.

He said, the DB men then rented a microbus for Tk 6,000 and an ambulance for Tk 7500. Then they ordered them to get into the microbus and to take the dead body home by the ambulance.Just a day before Aishwarya Rai Bachchan left for Cannes, her PR agency announced that she will be making her Instagram debut.

For those who knew she wasn't there on Instagram before this development, can check out her official account. But, if you too were one of the millions who followed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's fake Instagram account all this while, then this news is for y'all.

Instagram

After years of making requests, Aishwarya finally obliged her fans and joined the gigantic Insta-family and there couldn't have been a better debut than sharing the most beautiful journey of her life, toward motherhood. She posted a throwback picture with daughter Aaradhya, when she was an infant and captioned the picture, And I was bornagain The grid style was earlier used by Aamir Khan too, when he made his Instagram debut.

Instagram

While everyone was probably scratching their heads wondering what the picture is and whether it's the official account, Abhishek Bachchan confirmed the account's authenticity for everyone with just one comment. He wrote, How about a photo credit Mrs. B?

Instagram

Honestly, now it will be interesting to see who rules the social media platform, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan or Aishwarya. It's too early to figure out, given the decent but not-so-good number of followers on Aishwarya's account. Well, we understand the confusion, no blue tick i.e. no verification, 118k followers only; this is not what her debut deserves.

Instagram

But for now, all we can say is, brace yourself for all the Cannes shots that will make your Instagram feed way more interesting and entertaining that ever.

On the work front, Aishwarya is awaiting the release of 'Fanne Khan' alongside Anil Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao.This year's IPL is undoubtedly one of the most entertaining, thrilling and nail-biting seasons of all time. While a grueling competition is going on between the teams for the coveted trophy, I can't help but compare them to a bunch of competitive students trying to top each other.

Sun Risers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are like those kids who will always fight for the first spot and the front seat. Kings XI Punjab is that student who will tell you that he hasn't prepared the syllabus but manages to score good marks in the exams.

BCCI

Then come the Mumbai Indians. MI is like that kid who has potential, but never studies hard (basically most of us). He's like that kid, whose teachers and parents are always worried about his results and always pray for good marks throughout the year. But, he stuns everyone with his epic comeback in the final exams.

Twitter

And who can understand this better than the Mumbai Indians fans, who know what the team's comeback means. And the recent match against Kolkata Knight Riders is proof that MI is slowly gearing up to turn the tables around.

In MI's case, Nita Ambani (like a mother) is praying fervently for her team's victory.

Facebook

Recently, we came across a video, which shows Nita Ambani (MI's co-owner) chanting prayers during the match. In fact she even asks about the score after finishing her prayers.

Honestly, after watching this video, we are not sure who deserves the credit if Mumbai Indians wins IPL 2018  the players for their performance or Nita Ambani for her prayers.UNIONVILLE  The past three years have been a delightful whirlwind for the Nathan and Amy Engelhard family.

In that time, they got married, had two children and still managed to remain active in the community and on their 1,100-acre organic farm in Unionville.

Nathan has had a passion for agriculture since he was a young child growing up on the family farm. However, he questioned whether working in the field was his true calling.

During 2000 to 2001, it was a hard year for agriculture, let alone our family, he recalled. That kind of made me question  is this something I really want to do?

So he went to college for diesel mechanics after graduating from Valley Lutheran High School of Saginaw in 2008.

He planned to farm on the side while working as a mechanic.

I realized that the agriculture roots run deeper, maybe, than I thought they did, he said.

In 2009, he bought a family farm near where he grew up. In 2010, he finished college and came home to farm full time.

That farm will become sesquicentennial next year.

The fifth-generation farmer also has agriculture roots dating back to when his great-great-grandfather established the Engelhard familys original homestead in 1892.

Nathan and Amy raise their two children  20-month-old Lawson and newborn Jordana  in the same house that Nathan grew up in.

Nathan's family started farming organically in 2002.

From 2008 to 2009, the majority of the farm was transitioned to an organic operation.

He described the process of transitioning from conventional to organic farming.

Once it has been three years since the last prohibited input, an organic crop can be harvested.

Three years after you spray, or you desiccate, or whatever your last prohibited input would be, three years from then, you can harvest an organic crop, Nathan said.

We plant two years of a soybean or dry bean (crop). The third year, well plant corn, he explained. And then through that year, the three years would be up. So we plant a transitional crop and then harvest an organic crop.

Its not by the crop rotation, its by the calendar, he added.

He described organic farming as polar opposite from conventional farming.

Its more like what my grandfather grew up doing, he said. Obviously, the technologys a lot different. Were using GPS. Were using large equipment that my grandpa never got to use in his career.

But its still driving a tractor through the field  Its kind of reminiscent of before genetically modified sugarbeets, he added.

Organic farmers have to be very timely with mechanical passes to properly cultivate.

We cant be two days late with a pass  Were always trying to stay two days ahead, Nathan said.

He said its not easier or harder than conventional farming  just different.

"I wouldn't be able to be here today if our farm was a conventional farm," Nathan said. "There's just not enough acres ... to supply (enough) jobs."

"There's some small guys that are doing it conventionally, and they're doing a good job. It just all depends on where you're at financially, and equipment and land, and that sort of thing," he added.

"The organic versus conventional thing  we do both on our farm. I don't like the division of agriculture that's sometimes played out between organic and conventional," Nathan said.

"This is a Farm Bill year. hopefully we can get a Farm Bill passed. I say hopefully because there's been years when we haven't been able to get one passed. And if we divide agriculture, we only become weaker. And that's not a good thing in my mind," he added.

Working with Nathan on the farm are a full-time office manager, a full-time farm hand and his father, Dennis.

Amy, a Blissfield native, was involved in 4-H as a child and while growing up, her family had "a few acres." She also worked as an educator for Michigan State University Extension.

What makes our marriage pretty strong is, were both very passionate about ag, and it shows. Amy said.

You have to have that commitment to each other, but you also have to have that commitment to the land and know the heartaches and the stress that come with it, she added.

Amy described those heartaches as being completely dependent on the weather.

One of the things that really sealed the deal when Nathan and I were dating was the (farms) crest: 'We plant. We harvest. God granteth the increase,' she said. We are just the caretakers. We are just laborers. Its a labor of love, but at the end of the day, God really will provide, and it makes our faith and our family 100 percent our top goal.

The Engelhards were recently named finalists for the 62nd annual National Outstanding Young Farmers Awards Congress, and attended the congress in Sacramento, Califormia.

Nathan is the president of the Tuscola County Farm Bureau, and Amy its communications chair. Amy is also president-elect of the Sebewaing Rotary. Nathan is a trustee on the St. Paul Lutheran Church board.3 1 of 3 Submitted Photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Submitted Photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3





GRANT TOWNSHIP  A man from Oregon was seriously injured in a traffic accident at the Sebewaing Rd. and Blakely Rd. area of Grant Township this morning.

At 9 a.m. Friday, the Huron County Sheriff's Office, Elkton Ambulance Service, Central Huron Ambulance, Michigan State Police, and the Huron County Road Commission responded to an accident between a car and a semi-truck and trailer.

Preliminary investigation from the sheriff's department indicated that a westbound 2018 Chevrolet Malibu driven by 33-year-old Sean A. Mauze of Salem, Oregon, who was the only occupant of the car, crossed the centerline into the path of an eastbound, loaded 2003 Kenworth semi-truck and trailer, driven by 57-year-old Dean C. Henne.

Henne was the lone occupant of the semi-truck and trailer.

After severe impact, the semi came to rest in the south ditch and the car came to rest in the north side ditch.

Mauze had to be by the Oliver Twp. Fire Department and was flown from the scene by helicopter to an out-of-county hospital for life threatening injuries.

Henne was treated locally for minor injuries.

Sebewaing Rd. was closed until around 5 p.m.

Several gallons of diesel fuel, which was spilled from the damaged truck, required response from the Harbor Beach Fire Department Hazardous Material Team.UPPER THUMB  Local farmers continue to brace themselves for a potential trade war with China.

With the threat of tariffs and counter-tariffs between Washington and Beijing looming, Chinese buyers are canceling orders for U.S. soybeans  a trend that could deal a blow to American farmers if it continues.

At the same time, farmers in China are being encouraged to plant more soy, apparently to help offset any shortfall from the United States.

Beijing has included soybeans on a list of $50 billion of U.S. exports on which it has said it would impose 25 percent tariffs on if the United States follows through on its threats to impose the same level of tariffs on the same value of Chinese goods.

The U.S. tariffs could kick in later this month; China would likely retaliate soon after.

It can take a month or more for soybean shipments to travel from the U.S. to China. Any soybeans on their way to China now could be hit by the tariff by the time they arrive.

"The Chinese aren't willing to buy U.S. soybeans with a 25 percent tax hanging over their head," said Dan Basse, president of AgResource, an agricultural research and advisory firm. "You just don't want the risk."

China is the leading buyer of U.S. soybeans, and soybeans are Michigan's top food export.

David Williams, president of the Michigan Soybean Association, told the Tribune Chinese buyers are not making new orders more so than they are canceling orders from the U.S.

"They are not buying any contracts right now because they are concerned about the 25 percent tariff," Williams said.

He added things are uncertain in the soybean market, and rumors don't help.

"Things are really up in the air and we're not certain. We hear a lot of rumors," Williams said. "We see it every time a rumor comes along the price of soybeans falls ... It's good to be informed. We should not get panicky, but we should also be prudent. I think prudence would tell us not to upset our biggest customers with these tariffs."

The role of other suppliers

China typically buys most of its soybeans from South American nations such as Brazil and Argentina during spring and early summer. It shifts to U.S. soybeans in the fall. As a result, for now, the cutbacks from the United States are relatively small.

But should they persist, it could cause real pain to U.S. farmers. Roughly 60 percent of U.S. soybeans are shipped to China.

Basse said it has been roughly three weeks since China has made any major soybean purchases, an unusually long delay.

Some Chinese buyers might be showing support for their government in the trade dispute by turning away U.S. soybeans, Basse said. The dispute may also make it seem too risky to buy from the United States over the long run.

"The United States could lose the reliable supplier label that we've had these many years," Basse said.

Data from the U.S. government data show that sales of soybeans have fallen from about 255,000 metric tons in the first week of April, when the trade dispute began, to just 7,900 in the week that ended April 26.

Cancellations have also jumped, to more than 140,000 metric tons in the week ending April 26. In the same week last year, there were no canceled sales.

Some analysts argue the shifts aren't yet particularly significant. China buys most of its soybeans from the United States in the late summer and fall, and then switches to South American sources, mainly Brazil and Argentina, in the spring. So the current market activity doesn't necessarily reflect the pattern that would occur during the main buying season.

"These numbers we're talking about are pretty minor," said John Baize, an economist for the U.S. Soybean Export Council.

The U.S. ships about 35 million metric tons of soybeans to China a year, Baize said. China usually imports about 100 million tons a year and can't import enough from other countries, he said, to abandon the United States as a source.

"Where's China going to buy its beans?" Baize asked.

That may be true in the short run. But Basse suggests that Brazil has enough land that could be used for soybean cultivation that it could soon mostly replace the United States as a supplier to China.

And if the Chinese market were to be closed to U.S. farmers, they might be able to sell some portion of their soybeans to other markets. Baize said that huge multinational companies, such as Cargill and ADM, might, for example, sell more U.S. soybeans to Europe, where they wouldn't face any tariffs, though this likely wouldn't make up for the loss of the Chinese market.

At the same time, China is looking more to its own farmers. Since China announced its potential tariffs on U.S. soy in April, the government has encouraged farmers to cultivate more soybeans. Beginning this month, Chinese farmers say, Beijing reduced corn subsidies and raised annual soybean subsidies from 2550 yuan ($400) per hectare to 3000 yuan ($470) or more per hectare in major soybean-producing provinces in northeast China.

An adjustment had already been planned to help draw down China's substantial corn stockpiles, so the change wasn't necessarily aimed at U.S. soy growers, analysts say.

But the subsidy adjustment did come with political undertones. Officials in major soybean-producing provinces were describing the promotion of local soybeans as "the most important political task in agricultural production at present." Heilongjiang in northeast China announced a pilot project to plant soybeans on over 100,000 new hectares, with an extra 2,250 yuan ($353) subsidy per hectare.

The moves are prompting farmers like Liu Cong to focus more on growing soy. Liu says he used most of his land to grow corn last year but this year is planting more soybeans.

"This is encouraging for farmers," he said in a phone interview. "We're more motivated."

Zhang Xiaoping, China director for the U.S. Soybean Export Council, says Chinese buyers have been canceling soybean purchases of last year's U.S. soybean harvest because of the threat of tariffs.

"The buyers literally stopped buying from the U.S.," Zhang said. "Exporters cannot find any buyers in China."

A ripple effect

Charlie Briolat of Ubly farms dry beans.

He told the Tribune the possible soybean trade war could have a ripple effect on the farming economy.

With the clipping process that dry beans are now harvested by, dry bean and soybean farmers use the same equipment to harvest, he said.

If the price of soybeans dips below $9 a bushel, farmers may then switch to dry beans, which sell for around $30 a bushel, Briolat added.

More competition that results from soybeans farmers switching to dry beans would then push dry bean prices down.

"I'm always watching the soybean market," Briolat said.

Williams said the brunt of the blow to Michigan soybean farmers will be felt long-term, beginning this fall after the harvest  if a trade war occurs.

Political ramifications

There might also be a political impact of the potential tariffs: Three of the top five soybean-exporting states  Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska  voted for President Donald Trump in 2016, as did Michigan.

Illinois, the top soybean exporter, and Minnesota, the third-largest, backed Hillary Clinton.

Williams said the situation could impact the mid-term elections this year, and possibly Trump's chances of getting reelected.

"It very well could," he said. "I'm already seeing comments to that effect. If it hurts the farm economy and famers in general, I can't imagine that they'd continue to support him like they did in the last election. But I've seen stranger things happen."

"We keep pleading with the powers that be not to do something like this," he added. "But I think our pleas are going unheard ... (Agriculture) Secretary (Sonny) Perdue has been supportive. But if the president decides to do something, he just does it."Mahathir names 3 senior ministers in new Cabinet

The Straits Times, PETALING JAYA :

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad named three senior ministers in his new Cabinet on Saturday (May 12), three days after his Pakatan Harapan (PH)coalition ended Barisan Nasional's six decades in power.

His announcement came as his predecessor Najib Razak said he would step down as chief of Umno and Barisan Nasional after he was barred from leaving the country. It was also confirmed that jailed politician Anwar Ibrahim, once the country's opposition leader and deputy prime minister, will be released from prison next Tuesday (May 15). The coveted Finance portfolio was handed to Lim Guan Eng, secretary-general of the Democratic Action Party (DAP). President of Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) Mohamad Sabu will head the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Home Affairs will be led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, president of Parti Pribumi

Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM). "The three most senior ministers really represent the leadership of the parties concerned," said Dr Mahathir to a packed room of newsmen. Mr Lim told reporters that his priority is to ensure Malaysian jobs and business opportunities are protected. "Our focus will still be helping those who find it hard to make ends meet," he said. Dr Mahathir, who during his former tenure as PM implemented capital controls in the wake of the 1998 Asian financial crisis, declined to speculate on possible measures the new administration may take when the financial markets open on Monday. PH's shocking win on Wednesday is expected to unsettle markets, which have been closed since the election for a two-day public holiday. "We will watch the markets and take necessary action whichever way the market goes," he said. On Friday, the premier had said the Cabinet will initially comprise 10 key ministries in Finance, Home, Defence, Education, Rural Development, Economy, Works, Transport, Foreign Affairs and Multimedia, Science and Technology. The remaining seven ministers were not announced on Saturday and will be decided next week after each of PH's four component parties - Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), DAP, PPBM and Amanah - submits three names for consideration. "We can't say abracadabra and everything happens. It takes time," said Dr Mahathir. A total of 25 names will be announced for cabinet, Dr Mahathir revealed, but added that it will take two to three weeks before the full Cabinet can be finalised. In its election manifesto, PH had pledged that unlike the previous administration, the Prime Minister would not also hold the finance portfolio, and that the Prime Minister's department will be trimmed down to have only three ministers, from 10 previously. "We realise of course many of us have no or little experience in running government. Of course this expertise must come from those with experience in running previous government," said Tun Mahathir. As such, he said a council of elders will be established to review issues and prepare Cabinet papers in the interim. This group of "eminent persons" comprise former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin, former Central Bank governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Tan Sri Hassan Marican, former CEO of national oil company Petronas, billionaire tycoon Tan Sri Robert Kuok and economist Professor Jomo Kwame Sundaram. The council will also review the business dealings at scandal-plagued state fund 1MDB as soon as possibe, he said, but stopped short of giving a deadline. "It's very complex. It involves a lot of people and decisions made," he said. Former prime minister Najib Razak has been linked to the money-laundering allegations surrounding 1MDB after RM2.6 billion (S$880 million) was found in his personal accounts. He has said the funds were a donation from the Saudi royal family and been cleared by Malaysian authorities of any wrongdoing. The embattled ex-premier told a press conference on Saturday: "Umno and BN were defeated badly so I, as Umno president and BN chairman, will step down. Anyone who is the leader and failed, it is the responsibility of that person to accept defeat. With an open heart, I accept it". He said former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will take over as BN chairman and Umno president, while former defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein will take on the duties of deputy Umno president and deputy BN chairman. Mr Najib, 64, also urged all Umno and BN members to give their support and trust to the new leadership. The press conference capped a dramatic day for Mr Najib which began with him saying on social media that he was taking a short break following the shock defeat in this week's general election. A flight manifest which was circulating on social media showed that he and his wife Rosmah Mansor were planning to travel to Indonesia. The news prompted dozens of journalists to gather at Subang Airport early in the morning. But before the couple could take the private flight which was scheduled to depart at 10am, the Immigration Department announced that Mr Najib and Ms Rosmah had been blacklisted from leaving the country. A flight manifest circulating on social media and which showed that former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife were planning to travel to Indonesia prompted dozens of journalists to gather at Subang Airport. "I respect the decision and will be with my family in the country," Mr Najib said in a Facebook post in response to the ban. On how major infrastructure projects with foreign investors - such as the East Coast Rail Link and the High Speed Rail link between Malaysia and Singapore - will be affected by the new administration's policies, Dr Mahathir stressed that Malaysia would remain "friendly with all countries" and that a review would be done to see how those projects favour Malaysia. "We want to benefit from these projects. Whatever decision we make will be based on these studies," he said. Meanwhile, two top officials from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) confirmed to The Straits Times that Anwar will be released once the pardon is issued on Tuesday.

"Pardon (is) based on a miscarriage of justice," said Anwar's daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar, who is also Permatang Pauh MP in a WhatsApp text to The Straits Times. PKR vice-president Shamsul Iskandar said the paperwork will be dealt with on Monday, with the pardon to be issued on Tuesday followed by Anwar's immediate release.This Sikh Marine Is Ready to Sue the Service to Wear a Beard and Turban at All Times

First Lt. Sukhbir Toor applied in March for a religious accommodation to wear a beard and turban and to not cut his hair.The newest approved breast insignia for Marine officers and enlisted troops is here and ready to be worn.

This week, the Marine Corps unveiled the pair of badges. While Commandant Gen. Robert Neller approved the devices for wear last November, the badges were then still in the design phase, officials said at the time.

A Marine Corps illustration shows the final design. The officers' badge is all gold, featuring a pair of wings nearly three inches in width with a downward-pointing "delta" on a shield over crossed anchors.

The enlisted badge also has the gold wings, but the "delta" -- a stylized "V" -- is in silver, with a silver circle bordering it.

If the device strikes you as slightly reminiscent of Star Trek, you're not wrong. The Iconic Star Trek insignia featured a slightly off-center upside-down silver "V," sometimes with a circular gold background.

Unmanned aerial systems officers and enlisted operators joined the small community of Marines authorized to wear a breast insignia as part of a slate of decisions made by the Marine Corps Uniform Board late last year.

The decision followed the Pentagon's creation of an "R" distinguishing device on awards to honor contributions to battle from a remote location. The device is most commonly associated with drone operators.

The two decisions highlight the services' efforts to emphasize the contributions of military drone operators as unmanned systems become an increasingly significant feature of warfighting.

Other Marine Corps communities authorized a specialized breast insignia include MARSOC Raiders, explosive ordnance disposal Marines, combat divers, navigators, parachutists, aviators, and air crew members.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.Mineral List

Regional Geology

The mine is named after the waterfall where the gold reef was found. The lease represents the first gold discovery on the Thames goldfield, and is the reward claim. The fabulous richness of the claim, led to a major gold-rush, with gold mining continuing at Thames by companies until around the World War One years, when most of the reefs were exhausted. It is locations like the Shotover that promoted gold as a get rich quick scheme, rampant speculation, dodgey characters, wild spending on batteries etc before a shovel had hit the ground, and bankrupt shareholders for historic gold mines the world over. Some early prospectors, a few companies, and shareholders got incredibly rich. Most lost their money.Government agent James McKay had negotiated with the local Maoris over opening the Thames area, after hearing years before of gold at the site. He traveled to what is now Thames with a group of prospectors. Living in tents on the shoreline was George Clarkson, who followed the coast a short distance north, and panned for gold at the mouth of the Kuranui Stream. Finding wiry gold, he told William A. Hunt who had prospecting experience, and with his mining mate, John Ebenezer White, they followed the stream into the hills.Both Hunt and Clarkson claim it was themselves who discovered the gold. One of them saw a speck of gold in the waterfall, and taking a pick prized out some quartz rich in gold. A reward claim was given by the government of one acre each, with William Cobley brought in so the acreage was increased. On the 21 July 1868, Miss Hunt christened the new ten stamp battery on the claim the 'Goldfinder'.After the discovery it is said within three weeks, two thirds of Auckland's population left for the goldfield. Between 1867 to 1869, the claim produced 40 428 ounces of gold. How much money the four made is open to debate ranging from 7 million to 19 million NZ each in todays money over a four year period until the claim was sold.Cobley used his money to purchase a steamer, a 40 acre farm, the town of Devonport near Auckland, and helped family members in businesses in Wales and Auckland that ultimately failed. He traveled to England to build a mansion for his parents, and built a large house for himself in Devonport. He traveled extensively, including a shopping trip to Paris, before returning to Thames as a labourer at the Halcyon Mine. Hunt had a gilded carriage made for himself, and later in Australia purchased a carriage once used by the Duke of Edinburgh on a visit to Australia. He was said to be a playboy, and was convicted in the Supreme Court for having a relationship outside marriage. White helped his cousin publish a book called The Ancient History of the Maoris. He took his son gold prospecting in Australia, leaving both wives to fend for themselves for two years. He established a shipping line between Auckland and Gisborne. George Clarkson banked his money, however it led to a family break-up when he refused to share his winnings. It is thought all died in poverty, not an unusual situation for early prospectors who strike it rich, with unwise investments, family and friends leeching off them, and with some the bottle taking over.2 valid minerals.

This geological map and associated information on rock units at or nearby to the coordinates given for this locality is based on relatively small scale geological maps provided by various national Geological Surveys. This does not necessarily represent the complete geology at this locality but it gives a background for the region in which it is found.

Click on geological units on the map for more information. Click here to view full-screen map on Macrostrat.org

Data and map coding provided by Macrostrat.org, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License

This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

ReferencesMineral List

Regional Geology

In 1882, government analyst James Alexander Pond discovered platinum in the Queen of Beauty Mine. The material also contained minor iridium. It was found associated with Au-Ag values in quartz veins hosted by hydrothermally altered Tertiary andesite. The material assayed between 39-311 g/t PGM, however its occurrence was sporadic, and no platinum minerals were found in the other nearby gold mines.The original lease here was called Queen of Sheba dating from 1870. In 1868, shortly after the goldfield was discovered, the claims in the immediate area were called Mount Macedon, Tower of London, and Gunns. By 1870 the neighbouring lease names were City of London, G.G., and Knight of Gwynne, with the first mention of the Queen of Sheba. It was worked and owned by eight shareholders- William Thomas, William Barker, Ronald McDonald, James Stewart, James McCabe, John McCabe, Patrick Walsh, and William Tonks.By 1874, it was considered one of the richer mines on the goldfield, and had made the shareholders rich men. The mine produced around 65 000 ounces of gold over a fifteen year period. The main shaft is located behind the pumphouse at the corner of Bella and Cochrane streets, and the shaft is marked with a sign, and massive quadrants used for the pump.Robert Fox died at the mine in 1875.In 1876, the Queen of Beauty Gold Mining Company was registered to take over the mine, with William Francis Buckland and John Channing added to the original eight shareholders. From 1870 to 1885 the mine managers were Richard Watson, James Darrow, William Thomas (owner), Ronald McDonald (owner), Edwin Quinn, Thomas Radford, Charles H. Wilson, R. Morrison, and William Lang Thorburn.The mines near the former shoreline at the base of the hills, suffered from an ingress of seawater. In 1871, the 'Big Pump' operated in northern Thames on the Imperial Crown lease until closed in 1879. This re-appeared April 2012 as a pothole in the State Highway near Moanataiari Street, and was re-paved over.In 1886 English capital was sourced to enlarge and deepen the Queen of Beauty shaft, so it could host a large pump, which would de-water mines in the southern part of the goldfield. It was claimed to be the largest pump in the Southern Hemisphere at the time, although it is said to have failed to keep the mines totally un-watered.The Thames Hauraki Goldmines Company acquired the Queen of Beauty lease in 1895. With a government and local council subsidy they enlarged the shaft to the bottom of the old workings at 228.6 metres, however a financial dispute in 1900 between the company, and the May Queen Company who was contributing money, placed any furthering deepening of the shaft on hold. It was again claimed to be the largest pump in the Southern Hemisphere.H.H. Adams on behalf of the May Queen Gold Mining Company purchased the lease (45 acres) at auction in 1907. In 1909, the May Queen Company sank the shaft to 311 metres, and began cross-cutting at the 305 metre level as part of the Thames Deep Level Scheme. In 1914 they cut into a fault, leading to a large influx of water, closing the mine, pump, and ending all mining in the area as workings became flooded. The mines department ordered the pump closed, and in 1917 auctioned off the machinery.The pumphouse is open at limited times on weekends, and contains replacement huge pump machinery, photographs, and guided tours by volunteers. The pumphouse is the venue for the steampunk ball, part of a steam punk festival held in the town each November, and looks like a lot of fun. Tea pot racing particularly attracted my attention.5 valid minerals.

This geological map and associated information on rock units at or nearby to the coordinates given for this locality is based on relatively small scale geological maps provided by various national Geological Surveys. This does not necessarily represent the complete geology at this locality but it gives a background for the region in which it is found.

Click on geological units on the map for more information. Click here to view full-screen map on Macrostrat.org

Data and map coding provided by Macrostrat.org, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License

This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

References

External LinksBNP`s allegation over looting Tk 2 lakh crore baseless: AL

Staff Reporter :

Ruling Awami League on Saturday termed the BNP's accusation against them of looting Tk two lakh crore from banking sector as baseless.

"Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the Secretary General of the BNP alleged that Tk 2 lakh crore was looted from banking sector during the Awami League's nine



year tenure is totally baseless. He should show all documents regarding this or should apologize to the nation," Dr. Abdur Razzak, the Presidium Member of AL said it while addressing a press conference at the Party Chief Sheikh Hasina's Dhanmondi office.

Dr. Abdur Razzak said, "There are 32 cases under investigation of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Most of those are against the BNP leaders. It proves that they are most corrupt. The party Chief Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman are facing jail terms."

BNP brought baseless allegations against AL of looting huge money from bank and other financial sectors aiming to cover their plundering and corrupt politics, the AL leader added.

"The cultures of bank looting and defaulting of loan started during BNP's tenure. Khaleda Zia's sons Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko with their business partner Giasuddin Mamun and her brother Sayeed Iskandar took Tk 980 crore as loan showing false documents of 15 enterprises including Dandy Dyeing, Khamba Limited and One Spinning. They managed to get waiver of all of those loans with interests abusing power," Dr. Abdur Razzak said.

He said, "We have nothing to do in this regard because the loan and its waiver were conducted by the highest position of the state."

He said, such type of corruption by any member of the Prime Minister's family is rare in the world.

The AL leader said the present government has given highest importance to the development and that is why the economy of the country is progressing fast.

Awami League Joint-General Secretaries Mahbubul Alam Hanif and Md. Abdur Rahman, Organizing Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim and Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Naofel, Office Secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap, Agriculture and Cooperative Affair Secretary Faridunnahar Laily, Liberation War Affairs Secretary Mrinal Kanti Das, Information and Research Secretary Afzal Hossain, Cultural Secretary Asim Kumar Ukil, Forest and Environment Secretary Delwar Hossain, Assistant Publicity Secretary Aminul Islam Amin, Assistant Office Secretary Biplob Barua, Executive Member Marufa Akhter Poppy, among others, were present.





Slugger Mike Napoli has undergone a procedure to repair his anterior cruciate ligament, per Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). That has been anticipated since he was diagnosed with a torn ACL and meniscus last month.

The injury occurred while Napoli was playing for the Indians Triple-A affiliate, which he joined after failing to find an MLB opportunity all spring. Napolis anticipated recovery time has been pegged at ten to fourteen months, which is not an insubstantial span for a 36-year-old player.

All things considered, it wouldnt be surprising if Napoli decided that this was an opportune moment to hang up his spikes. But hes not ready to declare his intentions just yet, per Cafardo, who reports that Napoli hasnt yet decided whether hell attempt a comeback next season.

Its certainly understandable that the dozen-year MLB veteran prefers to take his time making a decision. After all, he has driven 63 balls out of the yard over the past two seasons and still rates as a quality defender at first.

To be sure, that output has come with loads of strikeouts and, in 2017, an unsatisfactory .285 on-base percentage. And its only fair to note Napoli had managed only one hit (albeit with seven walks) in his 31 Triple-A plate appearances to open the present season, though of course thats not much of a sample.

Still, it wouldnt have been at all surprising had he ended up turning in some useful plate appearances in the majors had it not been for the injury. And its still plausible, perhaps, that he could do so in the future, should he decide to make another go of it.Quata protesters to observe two hour strike today

DU Correspondent :

Protesters rallying for quota reforms will observe two hours strike today (Sunday) as the government failed to publish the gazette abolishing the quota system in government job as assured by the Prime Minister in the Parliament within their 24hr ultimatum hours.

The strike will be observed from 11:00am to 1:00pm in the all the public university and colleges and they will hold protest rally on the campuses at the same time.

Bangladesh General Students' Rights Protection Council Convener Hasan Al Mamun came with this announcement in a press briefing held in front of Dhaka University central library on Saturday morning.

Earlier, on Wednesday, the platform issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the government for publication of gazette.

While reading out the written statement at the press conference, Hasan Al Mamun

said that the miscreants, law enforcer agencies and different university administrations are harassing their fellow activists and their family members' frequently.

Mamun warned of launching tough movement if further harassment occurred.

He further said that already thirty-one days passed since prime minister's declaration, but there was no visible development, which caused frustration among general students.

Nurul Huq Nur, Joint Convener of the platform said that they would not accept any further drama regarding quota reform as there was no space for hesitation after premier 's clear cut announce regarding this.

In the face of protests across the country, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced in the Parliament on April 11 that the quota system in government jobs would be abolished.

Asked whether there was any headway in the issuance of the gazette notification, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam on Monday said that there was no progress so far and he did not get any instruction over the matter as yet.

Earlier on April 26, the protesters warned that they would resume agitation if a gazette notification was not published by April to May 7.

The protesters took to the street on April 8 and continued the protests for redisation of five-point demands, including reduction of quota in public service recruitment to 10 per cent from the existing 56 per cent.

The protesters also demanded withdrawal of cases as at least five cases were filed against unnamed people with Ramna and Shahbagh police over violence and vandalism during the movement on the DU campus.Bangladesh-India defence cooperation: Our defence must be independent of India

Editorial Desk :

Last Wednesday, Bangladesh and India have signed a framework agreement for utilising a $500 million line of credit extended by New Delhi last year. The countries also signed two other Memorandum of Understandings for collaboration between the naval forces of the two countries. The agreement and the MoUs were signed following talks between a defence delegation led by Principal Staff Officer of Bangladesh Army and the Indian Defence Secretary at Delhi's South Block.

However, under the framework agreement for use of the line of credit, Bangladesh will identify its defence hardware needs and India will examine the armaments it makes so that the two sides can move forward. The agreement also included, Bangladesh can also use a 'certain percentage' of the $500 million line of credit to buy weapons from countries other than India but that is only subject to 'India's approval'.

First of all, India's track record as an arms exporter bears witness of its limited success.



Be it small arms or tanks to fighter jets - the Indian army itself is not only the world's largest importer of foreign weaponry and ammunition - but it never uses indigenous or locally produced weapons and ammunition. Secondly, why should India examine the armaments we need? Are we lacking in having our own weapons experts and defence analysts? And third, if Bangladesh has to spend the $500 million as per India's approval, we practically don't have any authority over the loan.

We know, there are two broad reasons why India fails so miserably to become more self-reliant in arms production, and thus remains so heavily dependent on Russia and the Western World.

One, India has a reputation in the international arms industry for importing substandard equipment at inflated prices. And two, the nexus between the mandarins of the Defence Ministry and the State-owned arms companies. Both reasons have been confirmed and explained in details by the renowned Hindustan Times. And that's not all, less than a year ago, the Indian Army itself rejected Indian made rifles for a second year in a row because of poor quality. If the Indian weapons manufacturer can't even produce a world-quality rifle, what can it then produce?

Also the Indian army itself is short of cash by as much as 15,783 crore rupees according to the latest India Today lead report. So, why it has become suddenly so important for extending the line of credit to Bangladesh?

We don't know what Bangladesh delegation discussed with the Indian counterpart, but it's clearly understandable that the agreement and the MoUs signed with India makes no sense. Whether we like it or not our defence preparations have to keep in India and defence cooperation with India negates that premises.

We do not want to fight India but if our defence arrangement is not independent of India then against which country we need to justify defence expenses is the question that must be answered. To be part of India's defence we do not need to spend huge money on our defence. India will be our defence and that seems to be the idea guiding the thinking of the present government.

This cannot be the thinking of a free country. Such a policy for destroying the defence needs to be considered essentially for a free country. Our friendship with India is proving unhelpful for existence as an independent country.Yes, the decision belongs on the local level

No, no one should be able to dictate whether people wear masks

Vote

View ResultsBPCL

Industrial Gases major Air Products today said its Build-Own-Operate new industrial complex in the Integrated Refinery Expansion Project of BPCL Kochi was the largest of its kind in India in terms of investment.

"The company has invested several hundred million dollars for the Build-Own-Operate (BOO) project, the largest of its kind in India in terms of investment," Richard Boocock, President, Industrial Gases (Middle East, India, Egypt and Turkey) told a press conference here. "

As one of the fastest growing economies in the world, we are very proud to invest in India and want to continue growing our presence and strong relationships in the region as the safest and most innovative industrial gas company," he said.

The IREP was inagurated today by state Minister for Local Self-Government K T Jaleel in the presence of P Thilothaman, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Richard Boockock and Samir J Serhan, company Executive Vice President, besides others.

The Complex, which generates hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and steam, is an invaluable constituent of BPCL's IREP to manufacture auto-fuels complying with Euro-IV/Euro-V specifications, the company said in a release. It said the IREP would enable BPCL increase refining capacity from 190,000 to 310,000 barrels per day, while producing cleaner fuels through upgraded fuel specification.

R Ramachandran, Director, Refineries, BPCL, said the commissioning of IREP in 2017 made BPCL Kochi Refinery the largest public sector refinery in India and enabled it to manufacture auto-fuels complying with the required Bharat Stage IV (Euro IV) specifications and a greater depth of conversion. IREP is one of the largest investments Kerala has ever witnessed,targeted at enhancing the refining capacity of Kochi refinery at a cost of Rs 16,500 crore. With the increased capacity of 15.5 million tonnes, the refinery would transform itself into a most modern industrial complex having global standards, he said.live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the crop insurance scheme launched by the government two years ago, has helped in premium generation for both private sector as well as public sector general insurers. But there is problem. Foreign reinsurance companies do not want to insure these risks.

Reinsurance refers to the process of insurance companies taking protection against large risks that they have insured. Depending on the size of the cover, the reinsurance support was provided to enable insurance companies to deal with any heavy claims due to weather-related impact on crops.

The agriculture ministrys data showed PMFBY had a sum insured amount of Rs. 1.9 lakh crore and a premium volume of Rs 24,351 crore in FY18. This was lower than 2016-17 when over 57 million hectares of gross cropped area was covered for a sum insured of Rs 2.05 lakh crore and premiums of Rs 21,500 crore.

In 2017-18, PMFBY has seen 47.5 million hectares of gross cropped area being covered. Premium collections increased due to the rise in claims in the previous year which automatically led to rise in pricing.

Industry sources told Moneycontrol that even while the state-owned General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) is providing the maximum capacity for the insurers, global reinsurance majors are staying away. Their main concern is that India, being highly dependent on monsoons, faces fluctuating weather and could have extreme crop losses. This is why they do not wish to participate as reinsurers.

Even as the government is planning to increase the coverage to 50 percent of crop area in FY19, reinsurance support could see a dip.

Without large reinsurers from abroad providing risk cover to insurance companies, it is going to be a challenge to keep the numbers going. On one hand, claims losses from the Kharif and Rabi season have been high, meaning the premiums collected are lower than the claims incurred. This leads to a direct impact on an insurance companys bottom-line.

With several reinsurers companies from abroad having branch operations in India, it would be pertinent that they contribute to the domestic economy by offering risk covers for large programmes like PMFBY. A regulatory intervention could also be a possible solution to nudge some of these players to open up their kitty to this scheme.

It is estimated that by 2018-19, potentially there could be coverage of over Rs 3.5 lakh crore of sum insured, requiring over Rs 30,000 crore premium subsidy. If loss ratio continue to be at 140-150 percent, it will be a challenge.

If not, insurers will start bleeding heavily in this portfolio and it may not be sustainable in the long run. The end customer, the Indian farmer, will suffer if insurers start pulling out of the scheme.live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Karnataka election outcome would be the major trigger for the market in the coming week, and If NDA wins with a clear majority, then there are chances Nifty could scale up towards 11,000 levels in May series itself, Rajesh Palviya, Head  Technical & Derivatives Analyst, Axis Securities said in an exclusive interview with Moneycontrols Kshitij Anand.

Q) The Nifty50 rose by 1.7 percent for the week ended 11th May despite some volatile moved seen during the week. Do you think we should be able to climb 10,800 levels and head towards 10,900 next week irrespective of Karnataka election results?

A) Karnataka election outcome would be the major trigger for the market in the coming week. The market has already discounted the positive side of the election outcome in prices.

In case of any negative surprise, we may see corrective action taking Nifty to the levels of 10,550-10,400 over the coming weeks. If NDA wins with a clear majority, then there are chances Nifty could scale up towards 11,000 levels in May series itself.

On the weekly chart, the index has formed a long bullish candle forming higher High-low compared to the previous week and has closed above previous week's high indicating positive bias.

The index is moving in a Higher Top and Higher Bottom formation on the weekly chart indicating sustained uptrend. The index has retraced and closed above 61.82 percent Fibonacci retracement levels of the previous downfall (11,171-9,952) which signals bullish sentiments ahead.

The chart pattern suggests that if Nifty crosses and sustains above 10,840 levels it would witness buying which would lead the index towards 10,900-10,950 levels.

However, if the index breaks below 10,700 level it would witness some profit booking which could take the index towards 10,600-10,550 levels.

Q) It looks like 11000 strikes is attracting a considerable amount of open interest. Do you think Nifty could reclaim Mt 11K in May series?

A) The Nifty 11,000 strike price is having highest open interest addition of about 59.50 lakh share which is likely to act as a hurdle.

However, on the other hand, any positive surprise from election front can take Nifty above 11,000 level which may cause short covering action in market-leading it to a new high in coming days.

Highest Put concentration for Nifty of 62 lakh shares exists at 10,500 followed by 51 lakh at 10,600 which are likely to act as support in the near-term.

We expect the market to remain in a broad range of 10,500-11,000 for May series, despite any election outcome.

Q) Plenty of stocks hit fresh 52-week highs or record highs in May series. Do you think these are stocks which are carrying the momentum and investors should stick with them?

A) We advise one to hold on to stocks which are hitting fresh 52-week highs till Nifty trades above 10,700-10,600 level as momentum will continue on the upside in these stocks. Once Nifty reclaim above 11,000 level, we may see outperformance in these stocks.

Q) What is your call on Smallcap and Midcap stocks? Should investors stay away or just book profits on rallies?

A) In the recent past, accumulation and buying interest at lower levels have been seen in some of the quality midcaps and smallcap stocks.

We believe that stocks with good fundamentals backed by a good set of number in Q4FY18 results would continue to rally as the benchmark index is in bullish zone.

Q) What is your call on Rupee for the coming week?

A) On the weekly chart, USD/INR has formed a bullish candle and has managed to break out above last two-week consolidation. USD/INR is forming higher top higher bottom formation on weekly charts which indicates sustained strength.

USD/INR is holding above its breakout of rounding bottom formation which signifies bullishness ahead. If USD/INR sustains above 66.75 level we may see upside momentum towards 67.80-68.50 level in coming weeks.

Once USD/INR breaks below 66.75 then we may see some unwinding action which could drag it towards 66.15-65.60 level. We expect USD/INR to trade in the range of 66.75-68 for the coming week.

Q) Top 3-5 positional calls which could give handsome returns to investors in next 1 month?

Here is a list of top four stocks which could give up to 10 percent return in 1 months:

PTC India: Buy | CMP: Rs 98 | Target: Rs 104 | Stop loss: Rs 93 | Return: 6%

PTC India has formed a solid Bullish candle on the weekly chart indicating positive bias ahead. Another prominent observation on the price chart of PTC India was that the entire consolidation under way since Jan 2018 till date has formed a down-sloping trend line.

The breakout of this trend line is witnessed at Rs 92 level on the weekly chart. The stock is sustaining above its 20 and 50-days moving average which supports bullish sentiments ahead.

Both daily and weekly strength indicator RSI along with the momentum indicator Stochastic are in a bullish territory and are sustaining above their reference lines which signals strength and upward momentum in price.

Thus, taking into consideration the above factors, the maximum upside can be expected to Rs 102-104.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation: Buy | CMP: Rs 318.75 | Target: Rs 338 | Stop loss: Rs 303 | Return: 6%

Since last month, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation was in major consolidation mode within Rs 314-290 band on the weekly chart. It gave breakout at Rs 314 levels and is sustaining above the same.

The stock is also sustaining above its 20-days SMA which supports bullish sentiments ahead. On the volumes front, the stock has witnessed significant rise around breakout level indicating increased participation on the rally.

Both daily and weekly strength indicator RSI along with the momentum indicator Stochastic are in bullish territory and sustaining above their reference lines which signals strength and upward momentum in price. Thus, taking into consideration the above factors, the maximum upside can be expected to Rs 332-338.

Exide Industries: Buy | CMP: Rs 261 | Target: Rs 280 | Stop loss: Rs 247 | Return: 7%

The most prominent observation on the price chart of Exide Industries is that the entire consolidation under way since February 2018 till date has formed up-sloping trend line.

The breakout of this trend line is witnessed at Rs 255 levels on the weekly chart. The stock is sustaining above its 20, 50, 100-days SMA which supports bullish sentiments ahead.

On the volumes front, the stock has witnessed significant rise around breakout level indicating increased participation on the rally.

Both weekly and monthly strength indicator RSI along with the momentum indicator Stochastic are in bullish territory and sustaining above their reference lines which signals strength and upward momentum in price. Thus, taking into consideration the above factors, the maximum upside can be expected to Rs 275-280.

eClerx Services: Buy | CMP: Rs 1,379 | Target: Rs 1,525 | Stop loss: Rs 1,300 | Return: 10%

The most prominent observation on the price chart of eClerx Services is that the entire sideways consolidation under way since February 2018 till date has taken the shape of a bullish Head & Shoulder formation as highlighted in the adjoining daily price chart.

This pattern breakout was observed at Rs 1,361 levels (Neckline at Rs 1,361). The measuring implication of the price pattern i.e. the distance from the neckline to the base of the Head & Shoulder formation is (1,360-1,160=200 points) projected from the breakout level of Rs 1,360 provides upside target of Rs 1,560 approximately.

The stock is sustaining above its 20 and 50-days EMA which supports bullish sentiments ahead. On the volumes front, the stock has significantly risen around breakout level.

: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.07:22 PM IST

Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting in Bengaluru:

BJP is a grounded party which strives to work for the interests of the common man. We do not indulge in mahakaavyas, we make promises and fulfill them. Our manifesto is in the form of a set of promises-- to end corruption, to provide sufficient water for irrigation, for getting higher price for crop produce, for skilled development and for employment. We have made a promise to provide a conducive environment for entrepreneurship. We have made a promise to provide safety to the women of Bengaluru.

And in the first meeting that the party addresses after ovrthrowing the Siddaramaiah government, the roadmap for these promises will be prepared.

BS Yeddyurappa, Siddaramaiah and HD Kumaraswamy

Exit polls released by various news organisations and survey agencies on Saturday revealed the possibility of a hung assembly with most of them predicting that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will likely emerge as the single-largest party in the Karnataka assembly election.

However, some organisations also suggest that Congress could be the single-largest party in what is playing out to be a closely-fought contest.

The exit polls were released immediately after the voting exercise concluded in the state. The final voter turnout was 70 percent, marginally lower than 71.4 percent recorded in the 2013 Assembly polls.

However, the final tally could be different as the surveys do not account for voting for the entire day, but until a specific period of time.

Heres what various exit polls have revealed (these are first-cut figures):

Times Now-VMR

The exit poll by Times Now-VMR suggest that the election would yield a hung assembly with the Congress emerging as the single-largest party with 90-103 seats while the BJP would win 80-93 seats. The JD(S) likely to play the kingmaker with 31-39 seats.

In term of vote share, Congress leads with 28.4 percent vote share. The saffron party will finish second 34.6 percent. HD Kumaraswamy-led JD(S) would have a 19.8 percent vote share, the survey suggests. Other candidates will have a 7.2 percent vote share.

India Today-Axis My India

According to the poll by India Today-Axis My India, Congress is expected to be the single-largest party in Karnataka with 106-118 seats while BJP will finish second with 79-92 seats. JD(S) will bag 22-30 seats.

In terms of vote share, the Congress is expected to finish first with 39 percent votes followed by BJPs 35 percent and JD(S)s 17 percent. Other candidates are likely to get nine percent votes, the poll suggests.

Republic TV-Jan ki Baat

The survey by Republic TV-Jan ki Baat suggests that BJP is likely to be the single-largest party with 95-114 seats while the incumbent Congress will settle for 73-82 seats. The JD(S) will bag 32-43 seats, the poll has revealed.

NewsX-CNX

The exit poll conducted by NewsX-CNX has also predicted that BJP is likely to lead with 102-110 seats while the Congress will finish distant second with 72-78 seats. The JD(S) will pick up 35-39 seats.

ABP News-CSDS

The exit polls put out by ABP-CSDS show that the BJP is likely to emerge as the single-largest party with 97-109 seats followed by Congress with 87-99 seats. The JD(S), performing worse than in 2013, could end up with 21-30 seats.

The BJP is likely to have a vote share of 41 percent just above Congress 39 percent. JDS would pick up a vote share of 17 percent, the poll suggests.

CVoter

The exit poll by CVoter too has suggested that BJP holds the lead with 103 seats while Congress is coming second with 93 seats. The JD(S) will finish third with 25 seats, it adds.

Catch the LIVE updates from the Karnataka polls here: Exit polls divided between Congress and BJP, total voter turnout at 70%

During the previous Assembly election in the year 2013, Congress had won a simple majority with 122 seats. Both, the BJP as well as the JD(S) had settled for 40 seats each. BS Yeddyurappas Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) had fought the election separately and had secured six seats.

Independent candidates had bagged nine seats while the Badagara Shramika Raitala Congress (BSRCP) won four seats.

Congress vote share was around 36.6 percent while both BJP and JD(S)s vote share was around 20 percent each.

The Karnataka Assembly has a total of 225 members. However, only 224 of them are elected while one is nominated to the House.

Also read: Who will be CM? As uncertainty builds, plenty of names emerge

The exit polls do not include predictions for two seats  Jayanagar constituency and Bengaluru's Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency.

The Election Commission (EC) had last evening postponed voting for Bengalurus Rajarajeswari Nagar constituency to May 28 pending enquiry into the voter ID row. Nearly 10,000 voter identity cards were recovered from a flat in the constituency, leading to a slugfest between the BJP and the Congress. The counting for this constituency will happen on May 31.

The polling authority said that there was "definite inference" to suggest that efforts were made to induce voters.

The Commission had earlier countermanded polling in the Jayanagar constituency following the death of BJP candidate VN Vijay Kumar.

Previous trends and opinion polls

Multiple opinion polls had suggested that Congress would retain power with a slim majority. However, some opinion polls had suggested that the election would yield a hung assembly and that the JD(S) would emerge as the kingmaker.

Also read: A look at Deve Gowda, the former prime minister who may hold all the cards

Significance

Karnataka is currently one of the few states to have a Congress government. A loss here, would leave the Congress with just Punjab, Mizoram and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

The BJP is pushing hard to make inroads into southern India. Karnataka was the first and only state where the BJP has tasted success. The saffron party has been desperate to win the state back.

Either way, the assembly polls assume significance from the 2019 General Election point of view. The winner will also get a major boost ahead of the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Rajasthan, slated to happen later this year.The Maharashtra government today signed an MoU with the Centres Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Council to train state PWD officials to rate government buildings.

A state government release issued today said that Maharashtra was the first state to sign such an MoU.

As per the agreement signed today, the GRIHA Council, a green rating body under the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, would train PWD's civil and electrical engineers and architects to rate government buildings as per its parameters, an official statement said.

PWD minister Chandrakant Patil said the aim was to encourage environment-friendly buildings.

In January this year, the state government and the GRIHA Council had signed a MoU to construct government complexes as green buildings which would minimise the use of electricity while optimising the use of natural light and non-conventional energy.Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, addresses the audience after inaugurating power projects in Allahabad

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today accused the Congress of misusing its powers in Karnataka and exuded confidence that the BJP would form government in the southern state with a clear majority. The chief minister who reached here after receiving the first bus carrying pilgrims from Janakpur in Nepal to Ayodhaya, will stay at the Goraknath temple tonight.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli yesterday jointly inaugurated a direct bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhya - the two sacred cities for Hindus.

About the Karnataka Assembly elections, voting for which was held today, Adityanath said, "Congress misused its power there. Their ministers were found distributing money openly and they also used other ways to get votes."

"But the people of Karnataka are in full enthusiasm and we got their immense support. We believe that we will win in the state with a massive majority," he said.

In what is projected as a tight race, voting was held in 222 out of 224 seats in a three-cornered contest among the ruling Congress, the BJP and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's JD(S).

"Suicide by farmers is the highest in Karnataka... The benefits of government schemes were not reaching the needy. The government there was working with a feeling of political hostility... I feel they will pay for it," Adityanath said.

"I am certain that after witnessing the negative attitude of the Congress government, people there will ensure that the BJP takes over the charge of governance," he said.

On a tweet of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav asking the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh to fulfil the promises made by the ruling party for Ayodhaya, the chief minister said, "Whatever development work is done in Ayodhay has been done by us."

Adityanath said that due to the efforts of the prime minister, a new era of cordial relations between India and Nepal has begun.

"This was the third visit of the prime minister to Nepal... strong relations between the two countries exist from ancient times. PM Modi took this relationship a step forward and started bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhaya," he said.In an interview to Pakistan daily Dawn, former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif admitted the role of his country in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Calling terrorist outfits allegedly operating from the Pakistani soil non-state actors, Sharif questioned the authorities for their inability to complete the trial. He told Dawn, Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why cant we complete the trial?

The trial related to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks has been pending in the Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court. The trial has also failed to indict Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Haafiz Saeed until now despite India sending dossiers worth of evidence, including David Headleys statements and Ajmal Kasabs confession.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan had disqualified Nawaz Sharif from holding public office due to charges of corruption. His statement comes about a month after the top court barred the Pakistan Muslim League leader from being a member of parliament or contesting elections.

Pakistan is due for general assembly elections in July this year.Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray today expressed reservations about the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), saying that a citizen must know whether his or her vote has gone to the intended candidate.

Earlier in the day, Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' had accused the ally BJP of rigging EVMs to win elections.

Thackeray today met Sena leaders from Vidarbha here to chalk out the party's strategy for the coming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing a press conference later, Thackeray, when asked about EVMs, said, "Today's generation is voting through EVMs. They do not know what is a ballot paper.

"The RTI empowers a person with right to information. But in the case of EVM, the right to know whether the vote one has cast has been rightly registered or not has been taken away. That right should be restored," he said.

There have been cases where wrong candidate or party got the vote after pressing the button, the Sena chief claimed.

Asked about the by-poll in Bhandara-Gondia Lok Sabha constituency, Thackeray said his party hasn't yet decided whom it will support.

"Our decision to extend support in Bhandara-Gondia will depend on who supports our candidate in Palghar bypoll," he said.

Thackeray also said Vidarbha needs development, and it won't happen by only holding a session of the state legislature in Nagpur.

"Maharashtra should remain united and should not be split," he said, referring to the demand for separate Vidarbha.

The Sena president demanded that "cases" should be filed against those demanding separate statehood for Vidarbha.

On the issue of demand for relocating the Nanar oil refinery project to Vidarbha from Konkan, Thackeray said if the people of Vidarbha wanted the project, if land was available and if it was going to develop the region, then there should be no objection to the project shifting to Vidarbha from Ratnagiri.

Meanwhile, a senior Sena leader said that Thackeray had given indications that the party may take on senior BJP leader and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on his home turf. "Uddhav-ji, by taking a review of party's preparedness to contest the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat in 2019, has given indications that the Sena intends to take on Gadkari on his home turf," the leader said.Voters stand in queue at a polling booth on May 12

M Gautham Machaiah

The wave-less and trendless Karnataka assembly elections have left pollsters confused. While pre-election surveys failed to paint a clear picture, the exit polls have added to the chaos. The only detail emerging out of the cacophony is that the state could be heading towards a hung assembly.

Making sense of the exit polls is impossible as each of them is way off the mark from the other. The only common factor is that former prime minister HD Deve Gowdas Janata Dal (Secular) may emerge as kingmaker.

A comparative study of various polls shows that there is no consensus running through them, except that no party will get a majority of its own. Some surveys say the ruling Congress will emerge as the single largest party, while others bet on the BJP.

It is also difficult to calculate the average of numbers put out by different agencies and arrive at a conclusion because the predictions are so vastly different that reaching a mid-point is impractical. For instance, one poll gives the Congress 87 to 99 seats while another predicts 106 to 118, indicating the possibility of securing a simple majority. Similarly, with BJP, one agency forecasts 79 to 90 seats while another offers it 90 to 114, which means the party has a chance of crossing the halfway mark. In the case of JD (S), the numbers swing between 22 and 40.

Assuming that nobody gets a simple majority, who will form the next government will depend largely on which party comes close to the half-way mark. In 2008, the BJP which had won 110 seats, three short of a majority, had poached some MLAs from the Congress in what was called Operation Kamala. In such a scenario, the JD (S) will have no role to play.

In case both the Congress and BJP are within shooting sight of Vidhana Soudha, the JD (S) will be in great demand. JD (S) leaders Deve Gowda and his son Kumaraswamy have announced that they would neither support the Congress nor the BJP in case of a hung assembly and would rather prefer fresh elections. But this is not likely to find favour with their own MLAs who may revolt.

A lot depends on how many seats the JD (S) will win. If the party manages to win about 40 seats, it will be in a good bargaining position, but if the tally falls to 20, then it will expose itself to being split by Congress or BJP, whichever is within striking distance of power. In case of a poor show, there is also a possibility of JD (S) MLAs shifting to greener pastures.

Unlike other states where the BJP could easily cobble up a coalition, in Karnataka, the Siddaramaiah factor should also be take into consideration. The chief minister has over the past few years proved to be a wily politician and checkmating him might not be an easy task.

Several permutations and combinations may be discussed but they would all amount to throwing stones in the dark because the exit polls have left us none the wiser. No poll has the answer to who will form the government and it would be best to wait till May 15, when the results are announced.

(The author is a political commentator and a senior journalist)JERSEYVILLE  An Elsah woman was charged with aggravated domestic battery Friday after being accused of stabbing and cutting a family member.

Michaela D. Taylor, 23, was charged with aggravated domestic battery.

Jersey County Sheriff John Wimmersberg said authorities were notified about 4:32 a.m.

The victim sustained several lacerations, none of them life-threatening, Wimmersberg said.

He said the incident apparently started when the two got into an argument, then escalated when Taylor reportedly went into the kitchen and came back with two knives. The victim was screaming for help, and when neighbors arrived Taylor had fled and the victim was covered in blood, according to reports.

Bail was set at $25,000.Morgan County

Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Nicholas D. Tweedy, 27, of 302 W. Douglas Ave. was arrested about 6:15 p.m. Thursday on a Morgan County warrant accusing him of delivery of methamphetamine.

 Jalen R. McBride, 25, of 4020 Treviso Drive, Springfield, was arrested about 1:35 a.m. Friday on a domestic battery charge.

 Christopher L. Robinson, 41, of 318 Marnico Road was arrested about 4:15 a.m. Friday on charges of driving under the influence, improper lane use and having no valid drivers license.

Police said Robinson was arrested after his vehicle overturned in a field on Illinois Route 104 about a half mile north of Mound Road. He suffered some cuts in the accident and was treated at the scene.

 Armandos R. Fisher, 45, of 800 Hoagland Blvd. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 12:27 p.m. Friday on a retail theft charge.

 A 12-year-old boy was arrested at 10:15 a.m. Friday on an aggravated battery charge after police say he kick an employee at Garrison Alternative School.

ACCIDENTS

 Two people were injured Friday following a two-vehicle accident at 3:58 p.m. in the 500 block of West Morton Avenue.

Sydney K. White, 19, of Jacksonville and Melissa L. Sanders, 49, of Bluffs were taken to Passavant Area Hospital for non-life threatening injuries after police say the vehicle White was driving hit the rear of the vehicle being driven by Sanders. Their conditions were not available Friday.

White was cited for following too closely.

 Karen M. Fezler, 29, of Jacksonville was cited for failure to yield while turning left after police say she was turning left onto South Diamond Street from West Morton Avenue when her vehicle was hit by a vehicle being driven by Mildred M. Turner, 88, of Modesto at 4:30 p.m. Friday.



Cass County

Beardstown Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Shawn D. Bentley, 23, of 507 E. 8th St. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 1:02 p.m. Friday on charges of driving while license is revoked or suspended, driving a vehicle with an expired registration and title/registration possession offenses.



Compiled by Greg Olson and Samantha McDaniel-OgletreeBIG SPRING  Authorized employees will be allowed to carry concealed firearms on Big Spring ISD campuses after the districts board of trustees on Thursday approved campus carry policy upgrades.

We need to protect our kids, said Tony Kennedy, former board president, after the meeting at Big Spring High School. If we dont do that, shame on us.

Kennedy was long-involved in efforts that led to Thursdays vote on policy changes. It was his last meeting as a trustee because he decided not to run for re-election.

I was the one that really pushed it to try to get this done, Kennedy said. So, it was not my place to not vote on it tonight.

After the boards approval, Superintendent Jay McWilliams will send an email with campus carry information to all full-time district employees, according to Kennedy.

That starts the ball rolling, the former board president said. Were hoping to get this all in effect by the time school convenes next year.

Big Spring ISD and other school boards can adopt local policies that authorize designated employees to carry firearms on their campuses, according to the Texas Education Agency website.

For Big Spring ISD, leaders chose a Guardian Plan that allows the board to authorize certain district employees to possess firearms to use in response to active shooter situations. The so-called guardians also will receive written approval from the superintendent, who can revoke authorization, according to the sample policy provided in agenda documents.

The plan calls for hand-selected volunteers who must have a license to carry, pass a psychological exam and receive training. Names of guardians will not be revealed to the public.

Also, signs will be posted on all campuses to warn that district staff may be armed. The district hopes they will prompt a potential shooter to move to a softer target or re-evaluate, according to a document provided to those who attended a community meeting on Wednesday.

One parent who attended that meeting, David Mathis, said he was on the fence about the Guardian Plan. He said he understands the districts desire to take steps to protect students, but he had concerns.

It is my fear that a teacher with a gun will decide that they are the police, Mathis said. I understand that it is part of training, that they know that they are not. But human nature is to make mistakes.

Another parent, Candice Smalling, told the Reporter-Telegram before Thursdays vote she hoped the board would approve the policy changes. She had previously attended two district meetings that addressed the topic.

I wanted to make sure that the teachers that will be carrying will be properly trained and vetted, and I feel very secure in the plans they have in place, she said. I just believe that the proper tools are necessary to protect my children.

During the public comment period, two people  including Smallings husband, Ray spoke in favor of planning for emergency situations. Another encouraged the board to delay its vote.

Kennedy said hundreds of people are in favor of the plan, and he felt that the policy changes were right for the district.

I was very comfortable with it because Ive researched, Kennedy said. I know the training theyre going to have to go through. I know our sheriffs department and police department are going to be a part of this.

The board voted 5-0 to upgrade district campus carry policies. Two board members werent present at the meeting.

Nearby Coahoma and Forsan ISDs have policies with language allowing specific people within the districts to possess firearms in certain places or situations, according to information found through the Texas Association of School Boards website. Midland ISD isnt currently considering a Guardian Plan.Were you ripped off by your drug dealer in College Station recently? Call the police, they want to hear from you.

"This time each year, many students leave town and we find ourselves with a little extra time on our hands... so if you've gotten ripped off by your drug dealer and would like to report them, let's start some new cases!" the College Station Police Department tweeted on Thursday.

WORST DATE: Woman reportedly sent man 65,000 text messages after first date

When someone tweeted at the police department that they "Ain't no snitch," College Station police responded, "Victims who seek justice are not snitches. All community members are responsible for public safety - - making our city a better, safer place to live, work, and visit."

The College Station police are known for using memes and humor on their Twitter account, warning students to stay clear of crime. One recurring theme the police station tweets is encouraging people to keep their cars locked up to avoid theft.

TRAFFICKING IN TEXAS: Police say man picked up 15-year-old runaway to have sex with others

"It's time to use The Force (or your magic key remote) to make sure your cars are locked!" College Station police tweeted on April 4 with a photo of the wise Yoda. "NEVER leave guns in your car."

In a February tweet, the College Station police humorously tweeted that a man suspected of possessing drugs "tried to run from the cops and hide evidence (both bad ideas), earning additional charges of Evading and Tampering."

For students staying in College Station that have been ripped off by their drug dealers, they can contact the College Station Police Department at 979-764-3600.

Scroll through the gallery above to see some of the funniest tweets from the Texas A&M Police Department.

Will Axford is a digital reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com. Follow him on Twitter.Cause One Productions Inc. and Cause One Manitoba Inc.

ABC canceled two of its dramas today, "Designated Survivor" and "Quantico," NBC canceled two series today, military drama "The Brave" and action drama "Taken," while Fox canceled supernatural drama, "Lucifer" and "The Exorcist."

ABC's "Designated Survivor" was canceled after two seasons. The political thriller starring Keiffer Sutherland as the man who was made President after a terrorist attack on the entire U.S. government was a modest success in its first season. However, the second season had a dramatic decline in viewership and was one of ABC's lower-rated dramas.

FBI series "Quantico" was canceled after three seasons on ABC. Like "Designated Survivor," "Quantico" was a breakout hit when it debuted only to face sagging ratings later in its freshman season. However, because it sold well internationally, ABC kept the series for two more seasons.

Freshman series "The Brave" was described as "a journey into the complex world of America's elite undercover military heroes." It was one of three military dramas that debuted in the fall 2018 television season, along with "Valor" on The CW, and "SEAL Team" on CBS. "SEAL Team" was renewed for a second season earlier this year, while "Valor" was canceled this week.

"Taken," a prequel to the popular Liam Neeson films of the same name, was canceled after two seasons. NBC had removed it from their Friday night schedule earlier in the year and it was not expected to be renewed. According to "Variety," the producers are now shopping the series to other networks.

After three seasons, there are no more prayers left for "Lucifer," the Tom Ellis drama about a charming Lord of Hell who grows bored and decides to help solve crimes in Los Angeles. The series was based on a DC Comics character created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, Mike Carey, and Mike Dringenberg.

"The Exorcist" received a surprise renewal last season after a low-rated freshman outing. However, the series received critical acclaim and attracted notable actors like Geena Davis and John Cho. Star power wasn't able to exorcise the series ratings demons, however, and it was Fox's lowest-rated series last season.

There still more than 40 series' fates hanging in the balance. In the gallery above, check out which shows are most likely to be canceled or renewed, and which seven shows are just too close to call.

Therese Odell writes about television at FoolishWatcher.com.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated "S.W.A.T." is a military drama. It is a police drama. "S.W.A.T" and "SEAL Team" were both renewed.SIRIN HAMSHO

Background: Born and raised in Hama, Syria, she graduated with degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Kalamoon in Damascus and in Islamic studies from Damascus University.

She moved to France where she received her master's degree in renewable energy at the University of Versailles. In France, she met and married Omar Al Assad, He grew up in France, son of a Syrian father and a French mother. He has a Ph.D. in robotic and control engineering and works in developing self-driving cars.

They worked in health care in France for General Electric, which recruited them to come to America four years ago. She was a wind electrical design engineer for GE in Niskayuna.

They and their two daughters, Laya, who was born in France and will be 6 on June 8, and Aline, 2, live in Niskayuna and attend services at Islamic Center of the Capital District in Colonie and Masjid Al Hidayah in Latham.

Ramadan, the Muslim monthlong dawn-to-dusk fast, begins Tuesday night. How do you observe it and is it different than before you came to America?

I remember youth in Syria used to stand at traffic lights and hand out sweet dates to people driving home late in the day in Ramadan.

The celebration is similar in America. We hang a wreath with the crescent moon and we hang lanterns. It is also celebrated, like Christmas, by hanging lights, shopping, sharing with others. I create the sweet delights and 30 activities for children. We cook certain foods. My children enjoy the foods with us.

We focus on good behavior and charity with the kids. They collect clothes and toys from home to give to other kids who don't have much. We have a piggy bank  actually, it's a mosque bank and encourage kids to put money in it for charity. On the 30th day, we take the money to the mosque and donate it to the needy.

Some days the activity may be a good deed or good behavior to learn, like to be honest or faithful. Also we need to be thankful. We have a lot of blessings so we thank God each day. I want to teach the children they have their own connection with God and they can ask him for anything they want.

Ramadan is spiritual, an opportunity to take control of myself to have self-discipline and learn how to be patient in life. When you decide not to eat and you succeed, it is like taming yourself and your desires.

You learn not to take life for granted. Fasting is also beneficial for health. I admit I feel fatigued while fasting, but it gives me inner energy. My children are young and they are not fasting yet.

There are so many crises in the world today. How does your faith help you stay positive and hope things will get better?

I am a positive person. It is not only my faith that makes me positive, but also history. I don't expect to see enlightenment in my lifetime, but I hope the situation will change for my children or my grandchildren.

We have to be realistic. It is not the religion people may be following but the laws they are following that cause crisis. In the end, the only measurement is the justice or the injustice.

What does it mean to you to be an American Muslim?

Every Muslim can define himself or herself in different ways to be a person living with principles. An American Muslim is someone who can practice religion freely without having cultural patriarchy  Islam has no patriarchy. There is no contradiction between being American and being Muslim.

In addition to your work as an engineer, you also make films. What led you to do that?

I have ideas and the best way to express them is doing films that deliver my message. I made "The Immigrant" two years ago, using the example of Prophet Muhammad. It is on YouTube. Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Medina.

There is an Arabic saying, "Wherever God has planted you, you have to flower."

Some people just yearn for their homeland. They want to go back home. They turn a blind eye to the blessing they have in the new country. After many years, we realize they did nothing for their homeland and did nothing for their new land.

Muhammad cried when he left Mecca, but he didn't spend his life just dreaming of moving back. He established a new nation of believers in Medina. Let us do the same. We should take opportunity from the land we are in.

 Azra HaqqieWell, shut my gaping mouth, darned if Eric "The Hitter" Schneiderman hasn't done what I thought no politician in this state would ever be able to do again. I was sure we had seen it all. He shocked us.

Every bit as unexpectedly as the still reigning champion, our former governor Eliot Spitzer, with whom our now-former attorney general apparently has a good deal in common in terms of colossal, sex-driven self-destructiveness. In the new age when credible accusations of abuse against women  and the accusations against Schneiderman certainly seem credible  carry the same punitive weight as a conviction, the result can only go one way. Particularly since repeated physical abuse is persuasively chronicled. With the speed of a guillotine, his soaring career, feathered by a long history of advocacy of women's rights and protection from harassment, was irretrievably lost.

Hard to argue against his deserving the consequences along with every bit of scorn his blatant hypocrisy demands. He set himself up for that.

Still, it's instructive to see how his fellow politicians reacted to Schneiderman's spectacular fall from grace. Remember, before he fell, he was a highly regarded progressive, both in word and deed. There were two camps. Those who let the obvious speak for itself and held off commenting until after he resigned. Then there were those who just couldn't help themselves and kept kicking Schneiderman when he was down. And then there was Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who initially had the high ground by reason of his office to call for a resignation in light of the thoroughly damning accusations by four women. But Cuomo couldn't let it go, and kept going to the head of the line of the stone throwers, to make sure we all knew how deeply, deeply he was offended by Schneiderman's actions and how much he really, really respects women. Another example of Cuomo's dictum of never letting somebody's tragedy go unexploited for political gain.

Ease up, governor. Rest assured your rival, the former attorney general, is no more. Mutilating his body at this point will reflect more on you than him.

Am I the only one who feels a degree of sympathy for Schneiderman? Granted, he's not a lovable guy, with more than a touch of Harvard Law arrogance, and his actions and judgment were reprehensible. But there's something wildly out of whack in his behavior and setting himself up to get caught, not unlike our old friend Spitzer, which suggests to me we're maybe dealing with a man who needs serious professional help.

If that's the case, I would hope my progressive colleagues might nuance their disgust.

Schneiderman is a very bright guy who, from the day he was elected attorney general, didn't just wear on his sleeve that he wanted to be governor, he had it taped on his forehead so nobody would miss it. He was ferociously ambitious, in the same league with our governor. So why did someone like that leave himself so open to losing everything? When sexual partners wind up in the emergency room, how could discovery of his violent behavior not be seen as a probability rather than just a distant possibility? Of course, copious amounts of alcohol were routinely involved, which might explain some of it.

Then there's the business of consensual choking. I'm still trying to get my arms around that one. Now, it may well be, as Schneiderman's lawyer is claiming, that the investigation led by the Nassau County district attorney into the allegations in the New Yorker magazine piece that led to the AG's resignation is unlikely to yield criminal charges. But Schneiderman had to know that, regardless of legal consequences, if word ever got out about his slapping and choking women, regardless of the alleged context or consent, the court of public opinion would kill him.

Weirdest of all is that back in 2010, when he was a silk-stocking state legislator, Schneiderman carried a bill that would make intentional strangulation to the point of unconsciousness a violent felony. This stretches coincidence beyond credulity and suggests a self loathing way beyond my pay grade to understand.

So who should replace Schneiderman as attorney general? The answer, for a change, is simple and persuasive.

In one of those rare confluences of opportunity and circumstance, state Solicitor General Barbara Underwood has already been named acting attorney general and is perfect for the job until the voters elect a new one in the fall. About a decade ago, The New York Times ran a profile of Underwood that's still online and well worth a read.

You could not do a national search and come up with a better candidate. We are just plain lucky to have her already, and to top it off, she has already committed to not run for the job in November.

As diverse a group as the governor, former federal prosecutor Preet Bharara, Senate Republicans, and a number of state editorial boards have all praised if not endorsed her. Let's hope the Legislature, whose job it is to appoint someone for the interim, gets it right.

flebrun@timesunion.com  518-454-5453Taebaek, South Korea

This could have been the quietest place in South Korea. But as American missionary Elizabeth Torrey leads a group of high school students up a mountain road, their footsteps in the snow pierce the silence. Taebaek, three hours from Seoul, disappears in the distance, taking any trace of civilization with it.

They come up to this town to pray for Korean reunification, which puts them far removed from the mindsets of most young South Koreans. But the Torrey family of missionaries believes God is leading them to educate the "unification generation."

Seventy-one percent of South Koreans in their 20s oppose reunification with North Korea, a separate country since long before they were born. The national number for reunification is 58 percent. Young South Koreans might want peace and denuclearization, but they fear reunification would bring costly repercussions.

"For the old generation, the divided Korea is abnormal, and the unified Korea is the normal state," says Sang Sin Lee of the Korea Institute for National Unification. "For the younger generation, it's the normal state. For them, reunification is maybe unnecessary ... it's a risk."

International hopes for a less tense, more stable and possibly reunified Korean Peninsula rose when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shattered expectations by visiting South Korea for denuclearization talks in April. This week, President Donald Trump said he would met the North Korean leader in Singapore.

Ben Torrey, Elizabeth's husband, grew up in South Korea in a missionary family and moved his family back to Korea from Connecticut in 2005 after he heard God speak to him during prayer, he said. The message was: North Korea would be opening to the world soon, but the South Korean church wasn't ready.

Torrey feels called to do his part in what he believes is God's plan. Reunification could facilitate "a new era of missions," he says, "carrying the gospel along with renewed Chinese and Japanese churches through Muslim lands back to Jerusalem."

Torrey is a grandson of American evangelist Reuben Archer Torrey. His father, Reuben Archer Torrey III, in 1965 founded Jesus Abbey, a Christian community where about 30 people live in the isolated Taebeck Mountains and host retreats. Ben Torrey is a bishop in the Syro-Chaldean Church of North America, which describes itself as Evangelical Apostolic, and he is close to with South Korea's charismatic communities.

Torrey says the divided South Korean church  with many parts still firmly anti-communist and anti-North Korean  needs to unify before North Korea can be opened at all.

Today, Ben and Elizabeth Torrey run a school, River of Life, for children in the Christian community and surrounding area.With their students, the Torreys use a makeshift shrine to pray to Ju-yo, the Lord, for reconciliation and reunification.I retired last year from my job with the city of Albany, but my friends wonder if I actually retired because of all the time I devote to building the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. My passion for this movement can be traced back to 1968.

I was living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and was in my junior year at the New School for Social Research. A few days before I was to go home to Cleveland for spring break, Martin Luther King was assassinated. The bottom fell out.

My entire family, except for my twin sister Beverly and me, was from the Deep South. They did not say much about what they had escaped, but they carried in their pores the experiences and lessons of what they endured under American apartheid. I learned about racism and oppression by watching how they moved through life.

As a child, I experienced being a second-class citizen. As a teenager I was active in the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King and the thousands of others who challenged white supremacy and domestic terrorism changed our lives. I knew about the Poor People's Campaign he was working on at the time of his death, but without his vision it did not seem possible for it to have the same impact. Now he was gone as was hope.

The civil rights movement shaped my political consciousness and values for the rest of my life. At its best the movement embodied the values of poor Southern Black people, which were the values of the people who raised me. I did not think I would experience anything like that again. Then I found the new Poor People's Campaign.

So much of what we are doing feels familiar: centering the leadership of those most affected by racism, poverty, militarism and environmental devastation; welcoming people from all backgrounds, including my LGBTQIA community; having a clear ethical vision that opposes anything that hurts and exploits others. Despite the fact that I do not participate in organized religion, even the faith-based aspects of the movement are familiar, reminding me of where I came from and my family's sincere beliefs.

The spirit of the Poor People's Campaign is remarkable and the grass-roots state-by-state organizing strategy is brilliant. I am involved with the Poor People's Campaign because now more than ever we need to recognize the 140,000,000 people in this country who do not have what they need to live  not because of any mistakes or flaws in their characters, but because poverty is systemic as are other injustices. That means that these systems, created by human beings, can be changed. The Poor People's Campaign is shifting the moral narrative and saying this must happen.

Barbara Smith is a member of the New York State Coordinating Committee for the Poor People's Campaign. At 2 p.m. Monday, people from across New York will participate in a day of nonviolent, direct action at the state Capitol.STAMFORD  Police shut down a road to tractor trailer traffic and asked all other motorists to avoid it Saturday afternoon as they worked the scene of a serious crash.

Around 12:15 p.m., Stamford police announced that Courtland Avenue was closed to tractor trailers until further notice ... due to a serious motor vehicle accident.Last weekend, the G7 group of nations met to denounce the recent actions of the United States. This past Friday, these same leaders convened in Quebec, where President Trump seemed determined to face them down.

Ever since the Trump administration announced plans to raise tariffs on imported steel and aluminum by 25 percent and 10 percent, respectively, our allies have been livid. Some are referred to the recent meeting as the G6, plus the United States. Youve got to hand it to the president, he doesnt back off, but given the circumstances, maybe he should have.

I doubt that anyone in this country believes the present trade agreements we have signed throughout the years are even remotely fair. They should be renegotiated, but there are different ways of going about it. Unfortunately, Trump used a rather trumped-up excuse for his actions by claiming national security as justification for the tariffs. Given that the tariffs will be levied principally against Americas strongest allies, is it any wonder that the G7s response was what it was?

They rightfully believe that the Trump administrations blatant attempt to circumvent the World Trade Organization (WTO) is illegal. As an example, Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, responded to the claim by saying, Canadians have served alongside Americans in two world wars and in Korea. From the beaches of Normandy to the mountains of Afghanistan, we have fought and died together.

Canada, Trump claims, has treated our agricultural business and farmers very poorly for a very long period of time. How that squares with national security is anyones guess.

My point is, why confuse the issues? This is not about national security; it is about unfair trade practices.

If Trump were to stick to the facts, our trading partners would need to re-examine their own policies. And, what we can do in the name of national security, other nations can do as well. The irony is that the World Trade Organization was originally set up after World War II at the prodding of the United States to handle just these issues.

Back in 1930, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act was passed, despite stiff congressional opposition. The law is widely believed to have exacerbated the severity of the Great Depression. The act was intended to save the nations factories by raising tariffs on imports to record levels. Instead, other nations responded in kind. A global trade war developed, which ultimately led to a shooting war. And, the rest is history.

No one of rational mind wants to see that history repeated. It may be that the presidents administration lacks the knowledge and expertise required to navigate the established WTO channels. Few, if any, of his men have any experience in negotiating far-reaching trade deals.

It could be that Trump lacks the patience to wait for these deals, some of which could takes years to hammer out. After all, most of the worlds truly successful trade agreements required years of negotiations. Or, maybe he thinks he needs a win in time to influence the mid-term elections.

By circumventing the WTO, Trump raises the risk that a trade war could develop. President Trump has started with steel and aluminum, but has now expanded his list of potential tariffs to food, lumber, automobiles, technology and whatever else he can fit into his tweets. But, tweets are neither diplomacy, nor trade negotiations. Both need to be developed, if we are truly serious about getting better trade deals.

Trump is preaching to the choir when he demands a fairer share of the trade pie, but wheres the beef? Where are the specific plans to right those wrongs? They are noticeably absent. Bluster and bravado has worked for Trump thus far. Lets cross our fingers that his unorthodox tactics can carry the day.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross recently returned empty-handed from China. The Chinese were ready to negotiate with specific ideas. They floated an offer to purchase a massive amount of U.S. goods worth $70 million next year, if Trump backed off his tariff threats on Chinese imports.

Evidently the offer was not good enough, but there were no counter offers. Trump has been complaining about the unfair trading practices of our friends and foes for decades. He campaigned on these issues and won. The problem is, now that he is in charge, he needs to not only point out the problems, but come up with the solutions. You cant negotiate with tweets.

Bill Schmick is registered as an investment advisor representative and portfolio manager with Berkshire Money Management (BMM), managing more than $200 million for investors in the Berkshires. Bills forecasts and opinions are purely his own and do not necessarily represent the views of BMM. None of his commentary is or should be considered investment advice. Direct your inquiries to Bill at 1-888-232-6072 (toll free) or e-mail him at bill@afewdollarsmore.com.Two Russian long-range bombers were intercepted off the coast of Alaska by a pair of F-22 Raptor fighter jets on Friday, the military said.

The Tu-95 bombers were flying in the Air Defense Identification Zone in the Bering Sea north of the Aleutian Islands, where they were visually identified and shadowed by the U.S. jets at 10 a.m., said Navy Capt. Scott Miller, a North American Aerospace Defense Command spokesman.

The bombers did not enter North American sovereign airspace, he said in a statement. Miller declined to say how close the bombers came to U.S. land. Fox News reported they flew as close as 55 miles off Alaska's west coast.

Friday's encounter was the first of its kind in just more than a year, Miller said. A similar incident occurred off Alaskan waters in April 2017 in what U.S. officials have described as routine if not tense encounters between adversarial aircraft where territorial lines meet.

The identification zone extends about 200 miles off the Alaskan coast and is mostly international airspace, Miller said, though Russian military activity will often prompt an in-kind response for U.S. warplanes. Intercepts in the zone occurred about 60 times from 2007 to 2017, The New York Times reported last year.

Miller said the Russian bombers, decades-old aircraft classified by NATO as the "Bear," were flying in accordance with international norms. The aircraft are capable of carrying nuclear bombs, but it unclear what weapons they had on board, if any.

A Russian Defense Ministry statement released Friday diverged from the U.S. military account. They said the bombers were escorted by fighter jets and a reconnaissance jet that also acts as an anti-submarine platform.

Miller said that was not true.

"This was a safe intercept, which did not include a Russian recon plane, and no Russian fighters were present," he told The Washington Post on Saturday.

It was not clear if the Russian air operation was an opportunity for real-world training or if it was in response to U.S. and NATO military operations elsewhere. Last week, Russia scrambled jets four times in response to foreign reconnaissance flights near its border, the Russian news service Interfax reported.

Aircraft intercepts, flybys and shadowings have escalated in recent years after Russian military activity and occupation in Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine beginning in 2014.

Earlier this month, a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet flew within 20 feet of a U.S. P-8 surveillance aircraft over the Baltic Sea - a minuscule distance considering the aircraft move at hundreds of miles an hour - in an incident the U.S. military called safe but unprofessional.

Friday's incident was relatively routine, but more aggressive maneuvers have worried defense officials and diplomats who said the encounters may eventually cause collisions or miscalculations that lead to a shoot-down.

A report issued in 2014 by the European Leadership Network, a London-based think tank, documented almost 40 incidents that together "add up to a highly disturbing picture of violations of national airspace, emergency scrambles, narrowly avoided midair collisions, close encounters at sea, simulated attack runs, and other dangerous actions happening on a regular basis over a very wide geographical area," according to the report. The report was only compiled for 2014 and not for the subsequent years.

The Washington Post's Rick Noack contributed to this report.A year and a half ago, well before the current cascade of public allegations of assault, abuse and harassment against powerful men, Hailey Laine Johnson sat down to articulate what had happened to her when she was 14 years old.

Johnson wrote that Bryce Milligan  now a celebrated San Antonio writer, poet, editor and publisher  engaged in a series of inappropriate interactions with her over the course of most of her freshman year at the North East School of the Arts 17 years ago.

The actions ranged from physical touching to verbal exchanges in person, over the phone and in emails, she wrote, describing her creative writing teacher as grooming her and elevating her as his muse, giving her gifts and singling her out as his favorite.

ALSO: Texas teacher accused of improper relationship arrested at Mexican border

Milligan called her at home in the middle of the night, kissed her neck and asked her to sit on his lap in the classroom, Johnson wrote, and confided how he wanted to have sex with her.

Johnson, now 31, said in an interview Friday that she kept the essay private, saved in a computer file. This week, she posted the lengthy list of accusations on Facebook.

SEE: Hailey Laine Johnson's full Facebook post

Milligan responded to questions Friday with a written denial that he had made any kind of sexual overture toward Johnson. He declined to be interviewed.

But Johnson said she has been inundated with supportive messages, including those from four or five other young women who she said shared similar accounts of Milligans behavior. She also said Milligan responded to her on Facebook, apologizing.

She shared a screenshot of what she said was Milligans message, which said in part, The entire relationship, at least as I recall it, was about creativity. Im sorry if you have come to regard it as being something other than that. I dont deserve it, but I would ask that you forgive me.

Milligan, in his prepared statement Friday, said his relationship with Johnson had been strictly platonic. Her account, he wrote, is very different from the way I remember my interactions with her. He did not respond to requests to confirm the authenticity of the message Johnson said he sent her.

I never had nor tried to have a romantic or sexual relationship with Ms Johnson. I never harassed or stalked her and I have never interfered with her career or used any of my professional relationships to hinder her success as a writer or artist in any way, Milligan wrote.

Some of Johnsons classmates vividly remembered their interactions, and Hailey eventually reported the situation to school authorities.

RELATED: San Antonio-area teacher, coach allegedly had improper relationship with student

(Milligan's full statement is below.)

I have been an ardent feminist and supporter of women my entire life and I have always supported the right of victims of any kind of abuse to be heard. As I writer and publisher I have tried to extend my platform for more women to tell their stories. I do not believe that blaming the victim is ever the proper approach to allegations of abuse. However, these recent allegations  which have been made against me by Ms Johnson  affect my personal and professional reputation. Thus I must defend myself. I never had nor tried to have a romantic or sexual relationship with Ms Johnson. I never harassed or stalked her and I have never interfered with her career or used any of my professional relationships to hinder her success as a writer or artist in any way. Between 1980 and 2002 I taught hundreds, perhaps thousands, of students as an artist-in-the-schools. Ms Johnson was a student of mine. For me, part of being a good creative writing teacher was to maintain open access. Creativity happens at all hours, and I have always encouraged my creative writing students to feel free to contact me about their creative endeavors and thoughts. Most of this communication was by email, some by phone, sometimes late at night. I made myself available to my students, including Ms Johnson, to discuss and critique their work. My conversations with Ms Johnson were always strictly platonic. In 2002 there was some controversy at NESA about my open-access policy and I decided to resign as it was negatively impacting the progress of the course I taught. I am a father, a husband and a man of God. Ms Johnson's account is very different from the way I remember my interactions with her. I am horrified that she feels my actions harmed her in any way and for that I apologize. These allegations have caused tremendous pain to my family and, to protect their privacy, this is the last I will speak on this matter. Bryce Milligan

Read the full story at ExpressNews.com or in Saturdays Express-News.

lcaruba@express-news.netIn February, a magistrate judge ruled that police could use "all reasonable force necessary" to draw the blood of Catherine Amato, who was refusing to submit to any sobriety tests or provide samples of her breath or blood after being pulled over.

Bexar County Magistrate Judge Celeste Ramirez found that a San Antonio police officer had "probable cause" to believe that Amato was driving while intoxicated that night at about 11:30 p.m. on Northwest Loop 410, the second time in less than two years that the prominent local businesswoman had been charged with that offense.

Read about Amato's past legal troubles and her connections to Nico LaHood and the San Antonio Spurs at our subscriber site, expressnews.com.

Nonetheless, on April 24, less than two months after Amato's blood was forcibly drawn, outgoing Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood's office dismissed Amato's DWI charge. By way of an explanation, an assistant DA scrawled in a motion to dismiss that there was "no probable cause for arrest"  an apparent contradiction of both a police report and a search warrant affidavit, both of which included details of Amato swerving in traffic, nearly hitting the officer's patrol car, swaying on her feet and possessing open containers of vodka in her purse and car.

Now, Amato, 63, is seeking to have all records of the case destroyed; an expunction hearing is set for next month. Amato owns and operates multiple Subway and Ruby Tuesday restaurants in the area with her partners.

On Thursday, Bexar County Clerk Gerry Rickhoff marveled at the "unusual trajectory" of Amato's case, calling it a "rogue event."

"This is moving fast," he said. "This is like a rocket. A normal DWI takes like a year."

Rickhoff added, "Every person in the criminal justice system is supposed to be treated as fairly as every other person. These rogue events, they're not unknown to us. And they'll happen again. ... Nico has a great opportunity to salvage his reputation, and he's just not doing it."

A glowing profile of Amato in the January/February 2011 issue of NSIDE Business Magazine described her as "a businesswoman who exudes a confident aura of elegance, intelligence and sophistication."

A similarly flattering profile in the September/October 2009 issue of San Antonio Woman, titled "The Subway Queen," described her as "a slim and elegant woman and a self-described health nut."

Read reaction from the two candidates running for Bexar County District Attorney in Sunday's Express-News and at our subscriber site, expressnews.com.

bchasnoff@express-news.netA man is dead after San Antonio police say he disregarded a stop sign while riding his bicycle through a South Side intersection and was struck by an SAPD patrol car.

The Bexar County Examiner's Office reported Saturday afternoon that David Arredondo, 69, died from blunt force trauma.

Two officers in separate marked vehicles were en route to a loud music complaint about 11:45 p.m. Friday, and were traveling south on Somerset Road as they passed the intersection with La Violeta Street, according to police.

The first cruiser passed through without incident, but as the second officer passed the same intersection he struck Arredondo, one of two cyclists riding through the intersection, according to police.

The first officer told investigators he did not see any cyclists approaching as he drove through the intersection.

A witness told police at the scene that they saw both bikers ignore a stop sign as they rode through the intersection, according police.

The unidentified officer who struck Arredondo has been with the department for four years and reported he did not see the cyclists until after the impact.

Police said the cyclist who made it across showed signs of intoxication during the investigation.

The officer involved must now complete a mandatory alcohol and drug screening and will be placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation.

Police have not said how fast the patrol car was traveling when it struck Arredondo, who died at the scene. San Antonio police also report that since the officers were not responding to an emergency call, they were traveling without the use of lights and sirens.

Once the SAPD investigation is complete their findings will be sent to the district attorney's office for an independent review, according to police. Additionally, police say Internal Affairs will conduct a separate administrative inquiry.

Staff writer Alex Luna contributed to this report.San Antonio police are trying to determine what started an argument that resulted in a non-fatal shooting Saturday night on the South Side.

Officers say a 4-door, grey car, carrying an unknown number of passengers, pulled up to a group of people outside an apartment house in the 1500 block of Cupples Road, about 11:20 a.m. and someone in the vehicle began shouting at the group of people.AUSTIN  Former Dallas County sheriff Lupe Valdez came out swinging against Houston businessman Andrew White in the Democratic gubernatorial debate Friday, demanding that he apologize to women for the way he has described his personal opposition to abortion.

White, who said if elected governor he would veto any measure that infringes on women's right to abortion, defended his right to have a personal opinion on the matter that he describes as pro-life.I spiked a column last week.

Thats newspaper parlance for choosing to not run something even though its already been written.

It was a bit of sarcasm about the drama over whether San Antonio should bid on hosting the 2020 Republican National Convention. A modest proposal that Moscow might be a more fitting host for the GOP than the Alamo City.

Oh, the jokes wrote themselves: What better way to say No collusion than in Cyrillic, right? Russia would be a natural host since it has shown such a keen interest in American democracy. Think of the support Facebook trolls could manufacture for the idea. Bada bing, bada boom. Cue the laugh track (or fire up the angry emails).

But as the debate over hosting the GOP convention roiled the community, the commentary felt less and less funny and more and more off point. The allegation of Russian collusion is no joke. And, frankly, my view about hosting the convention shifted with the debate.

The city should have bid on the convention  for economic and civic reasons. And as for that sarcasm, maybe it wasnt as cheeky as I thought. What end would it have served other than to alienate conservative readers and further stoke divisions? Thats far different than confronting readers with uncomfortable facts or truths.

The gift of writing a column for a living isnt offering ones uninterrupted viewpoint in 700 words  although that is a nice perk. No, the gift of writing a column is hearing the voices of readers. Conservatives. Liberals. Independents. Power brokers. Regular people. Neighborhood activists. Developers. Pro life. Pro choice. You cant please them all  nor should you try  but you can listen to them.

Listening to such a range of perspectives gives one, well, a unique perspective. Specifically, appreciation for many of those perspectives, which is exactly why a sarcastic column about Moscow hosting the 2020 GOP convention would have been so off point. It wasnt a conversation starter. It was a conversation stopper. We have more than enough of those these days.

This brings me back to the citys decision to not bid on the GOP convention  a conversation stopper in its own way.

Although it was never explicitly said, the message sent was that Republicans are unwelcome in this city. In fact, they are so unwelcome in the Trump era that we are willing to take a pass on $200 million in economic impact.

Now, I have found many of President Donald Trumps policies disconcerting, and acceptance of his character monumentally disappointing. But last I checked, if someone books a hotel room, orders a wedding cake at a bakery, buys art from a local artist or tips a waiter at lunch, they are not asked for their party registration. But thats pretty much what San Antonio just did.

And in so doing, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and the balance of City Council merely reaffirmed our collective inability to have meaningful and honest political dialogue.

Granted, that dialogue didnt exist before the decision  just look at the vitriol Trump spews on a daily basis. A vitriol Brad Parscale, Trumps campaign manager, mimicked in his Twitter attacks on Nirenberg.

But the opportunity was to reclaim the dialogue and model tolerance even in the face of heated disagreement. Are we really so uncomfortable about opposing views that we cant be around each other?

In his recent memoir, The Restless Wave, Arizona Sen. John McCain, riddled with cancer, appeals to this lost sense of unity.

Before I leave, I would like to see our politics begin to return to the purposes and practices that distinguish our history from the history of other nations, he says. I would like to see us recover our sense that we are more alike than different. We are citizens of a republic made of shared ideals, forged in a new world to replace the tribal enmities that tormented the old one. Even in times of political turmoil, such as these, we share that awesome heritage and the responsibility to embrace it.

Im not sure how to get that back  certainly, not with sarcasm. Maybe it never existed. But our inability to bid on the GOP convention reflected peak tribal enmity. The conversation was doomed from the start, and that falls on all of us.

jbrodesky@express-news.netBack in the day, there was a television series called I Remember Mama. It was a sentimental half-hour story about a Norwegian-American family living in San Francisco in 1910.

The story was told by daughter Katrin (Rosemary Rice), who started each show with these words: I remember the big white house on Steiner Street, and my little sister Dagmar, and my big brother Nels, and Papa. But, most of all, I remember Mama.

The 30-minute show ran from the early days of television in 1949 until 1956. Public support brought it back for a 13-week run on Sunday afternoons. Except for that last 13 weeks, I Remember Mama was telecast live rather than filmed, and so there are no reruns. But it will have an impact as long as there are people who remember.

OPINION: Space out births for health of mom and babies

And who can forget Connie Francis singing Mama, her voice packed with emotion and hardly a dry eye in the room? Francis sang in both English and Italian, telling her mother that she will remember her until that day when were together once more.

How many restaurants are named for Mama? Mama Leones, closed now, was a popular tourist attraction in New York Citys Theater District for many years. It was founded in 1906, but high rents forced it to close in 1994. Tourists visited the restaurant not just for the food but for the singing waiters and the hope of twirling spaghetti with some celebrities.

Many towns have a Mamas restaurant or diner. Mamas Cafe in Boerne closed about a year ago but offered basic Tex-Mex and Southern food at moderate prices for many years. It was on the Interstate 10 access road.

RELATED: Defining danger to mother in abortion law

Mothers Day became a national holiday in 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as a day to honor mothers. There had been local celebrations before then.

According to my internet research, the first Mothers Day in the U.S. was celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. She began a campaign to make Mothers Day a national holiday in the United States in 1905, the year her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died.

Ann Jarvis was a peace activist during the Civil War, and nursed wounded Union and Confederate soldiers. Her daughter Anna wanted to honor her mother by continuing the work she started and setting aside a day to honor all mothers.

Congress was reluctant, however, and rejected the proposal. By 1911, however, all states observed the holiday, and President Wilson made it official a few years later.

RELATED: Home visiting programs are sound policy

Once the holiday caught on, commercialization began, and Anna Jarvis wasnt happy about what Hallmark Cards and other companies were doing. She organized boycotts and threatened lawsuits, but to no avail.

Mothers Day is now celebrated in more than 40 countries throughout the world, although not always on the same day.

And, much to the pleasure of Hallmark Cards, it has been followed by Fathers Day (1972) and Grandparents Day (1978).

But Hallmark Cards aside, Mothers Day has become a day when we honor our moms. They hold a special place in our hearts, as we do in theirs.

To quote Rudyard Kipling: God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.

Tony Tucci was a newspaper reporter for more than 25 years and now is a freelance writer in Boerne. He owes it all to his mother, who sacrificed to help send him to college.Rod Rosenstein is doing a star turn as principled defender of the law, but hes performed abysmally as deputy attorney general, and President Donald Trump would be fully justified in firing him.

The leaked questions that special counsel Robert Mueller wants to ask Trump in a prospective deposition are, if accurate, a sign that Mueller has spun out of control on Rosensteins watch.

The questions (drafted by Trumps legal team after consultations with Muellers investigators) suggest a free-floating investigation of the presidents motives, undertaken by a subordinate of the president. This is unlike any special counsel investigation weve ever seen and represents a significant distortion of our system.

OPINION: Canning Mueller? The worst of all Trump firings

Per the questions, Mueller wants to know how Trump reacted to news stories in the Washington Post. What he thought of FBI Director James Comey during the transition. How he feels about his attorney general.

These questions grow out of an obstruction-of-justice probe centered, as far as we can tell, on Trumps exercise of the legitimate powers of the presidency. Mueller is out to prove that Trump had ill intentions. But this is an inherently problematic inquiry that involves a subordinate second-guessing the president on highly political questions.

It is doubtful that a president can be guilty of obstruction of justice in exercising his official duties, precisely because passing judgment on the lawful acts of a president is not a matter for prosecutors or the courts, but for the political process (i.e., for impeachment if the acts are deemed abuses of power).

Its another matter if a president has engaged in actual criminal conduct, like suborning perjury, but there is no indication of that.

LOWRY: Robert Mueller is no Ken Starr

What makes Mueller different from previous special counsels is that his predecessors were given the mission of investigating specific alleged crimes. As my National Review colleague Andrew McCarthy has repeatedly pointed out, Rod Rosenstein mentioned no crimes in his initial order to Mueller, a violation of the special counsel regulations. He said only that Mueller should investigate collusion and anything related.

This amorphous, wide-ranging guidance appears to have allowed Mueller to effortlessly slide from an amorphous, wide-ranging investigation into Russian meddling into an amorphous, wide-ranging investigation into obstruction of justice. (Rosenstein followed up later with a more specific memo to Mueller.)

Now, judging by the leaked questions, obstruction is the lions share of Muellers work. Absent smoking guns that we arent aware of (always possible), this is bizarre and disproportionate.

We now have an extensive obstruction investigation carried out by investigators who havent been obstructed. Theres been an intense focus, for instance, on Trumps Oval Office discussion with then-FBI Director Comey about going easy on Michael Flynn. But as Andy McCarthy also notes, no one went easy on Flynn, who pled guilty to lying to the FBI.

RELATED: Time to protect Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein, too

Regardless, current Justice Department guidance says the president cant be indicted. If Mueller takes heed, he is limited to indicting underlings and writing reports on his findings, with Congress the most important consumer.

This means Mueller is, in effect, the lead investigative counsel for a prospective House impeachment committee. Its an important position, just not one that should be housed within the executive branch.

Rod Rosenstein is ultimately responsible for the state of this investigation. On the merits, he should be fired and replaced by someone willing to exercise proper oversight of the special counsel.

A more practical lever would be to push for Rosenstein to recuse himself. As a party to the firing of James Comey, he shouldnt be overseeing a probe in which hes a witness.

To this point, the White House posture toward the Mueller investigation has been to cooperate and hope it goes away, when a root-and-branch legal and constitutional challenge to Muellers work is now whats called for.

Surely, Mueller will want to ask questions about such an effort, too  because hes the unbounded investigatory ombudsman of the Trump era.

comments.lowry@nationalreview.comIf we let the immigrants who have caravaned from Central America in the U.S., it will only entice the entire populations of Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras to flood American borders to get into the U.S.

We, the taxpayers, cant afford to support those populations with free health care, food stamps, schooling, housing and jobs.

Doris Kinsey

Jobs from where?

In his State of the City address, Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced a goal of creating 70,000 jobs in the next two years of his administration.

So far, four major companies have been taken over by outside buyers: Rackspace, Andeavor, C.H. Guenther & Son and CST Corp., and all may quickly lose hundreds and hundreds of good San Antonio jobs.

I ask, then, where does the mayor think the 70,000 good-paying jobs are to come from?

John Sanchez

Watch it, Marco

I see where Marco Rubio doubts that the new tax law helps the American worker. Duh! You voted for it, Marco!

Trickle-down has never worked. It has only enriched the CEOs and the top 1 percent.

Careful, Little Marco, the dictator/liar in chief is watching you!

Keith McFarland

Playing politics

In deciding whether to submit a bid to host the 2020 GOP convention, the answer was easy. Would San Antonio have considered hosting the Democrats? If so, it should have done the same for the GOP. This should not have been a political decision.

Jimmie Jones, New Braunfels

Drive safely

Who would have thought that using simple technology like Bluetooth, allowing for hands-free cellphone use, could save lives. If you dont use it to save yourself, please do it for the rest of us who share the road with you.

Phillip HoogeSecluded, yet just minutes from downtown Manhattan, this home in Greenwich, CT, was once the vacation retreat of President Donald Trump's longtime mentor and lawyer, Roy Cohn. Now, many years after Cohn's death, the property is back on the market, listed for $5.4 million.

The 6,500-square-foot, five-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom home sits on more than 2 wooded acres on the banks of a picture-perfect creek and waterfall.

It's hard to imagine the serene, English-style cottage was once home to the man recently featured on the cover of New York Magazine as "The Worst Human Being Who Ever Lived."

The 1910 property has been renovated by its current owners, who doubled the size of the living space, according to the listing agent, Joseph Barbieri. Barbieri has represented the home in a number of transactions after Cohn's ownership.

Exterior realtor.com

Living room realtor.com

Kitchen realtor.com

Master bedroom realtor.com

Pool realtor.com

Waterfall realtor.com

Cohn purchased the Greenwich home, which was nestled next to a brook and waterfall, in the 1970s, and it quickly became the scene of legendary parties, which his friend Marvin Mitchelson recalled to People magazine in 1986.

"God, I remember the parties! Legions of people who worshiped or were awed by his supposed power," Mitchelson said.

In 1981, one of these parties was attended by writer Peter Manso, who described for Politico an on-the-rise Donald Trump giving him the hard sell on a Trump Tower condo while his wife, Ivana, and a table full of uber-rich socialites looked on.

Trump and Cohn met in 1973, when Trump was just 27 and his father, Fred Trump, was being sued by the Justice Department on charges of housing discrimination. The two became close confidants, with Cohn shaping much of the younger Trump's worldview and introducing him to self-described political dirty trickster Roger Stone, according to Manso.

Cohn first rose to national prominence in the '50s as chief counsel to Sen. Joseph McCarthy as he conducted televised hearings to out "communists" in media and the government.

"That was a beautiful house," Manso said. "Much too good for Roy."

Cohn died in August 1986 from complications from AIDS. He was 59.

In the years since Cohn's death, the parties slowed down, but the home remains a jewel in the Greenwich woods.

"It's an incredible estate," according to Barbieri. "The pool adjacent to the waterfall; the long, private driveway; the proximity to the city; and the privacy really make this a one-of-a-kind property."

There's plenty to love about this home, but if buyers are interested in nabbing Trump as a dinner guest, it might be a bit more tricky than it was back in the early '80s.

The post Trump Mentor Roy Cohn's Former Greenwich Vacation Home Is Listed for $5.4M appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.FORMER president Robert Mugabes anti-coup resistance movement, the National Patriotic Front (NPF), is in turmoil and seems to be on a downward spiral, in similar fashion to the dramatic events between May and November last year at the height of Zanu PF succession battles which culminated in the coup.

This came as details of Mugabes publicly unknown May 2017 Mexico Declaration  which catalysed his succession war  for him to retire last December and install former Defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi as his successor fully emerged.

The NPF has its roots in Zanu PFs defeated G40 faction which was fronted by former first lady Grace Mugabe, but had the ex-presidents support behind-the-scenes. The partys founders and 39-member interim national executive committee (Nec), led by former minister, MP and Zipra liberation war commander Ambrose Mutinhiri, met on Wednesday in Harare, amid chaos to prepare for the launch this month.

Informed insiders say Mutinhiri has regained control of the party destabilised by a rumoured rival project led by former G40 kingpin Saviour Kasukuwere, who was said to have been contemplating a splinter group, the Zimbabwe National Patriotic Front.

However, sources close to Kasukuwere said he has no intention of doing that. One source said he only wanted to come back home to pursue personal and business interests  at least for now.

There was a storm during the week after an NPF provincial meeting in Bindura last Sunday appeared to support Kasukuwere, not officially an NPF member, as the preferred party leader or to form a splinter group to contest the general elections in July.

Mugabes nephew Patrick Zhuwao, who is also not officially an NPF member, came out guns blazing against Kasukuwere, his former G40 ally, suggesting he had been secretly negotiating with authorities in Harare to come back home and sabotage the NPF. Zhuwao said Kasukuwere wanted to return to lead a splinter to aid and abet President Emmerson Mnangagwas administration to neutralise NPF, seen as a credible threat to Zanu PF in terms of dividing votes.

Former G40 strategist Jonathan Moyo also came out indirectly attacking Kasukuwere, insinuating he was supporting Mnangagwas regime to come back home. Moyo said Kasukuwere was the first prominent political player to urge people to accept the new dispensation  a term he used soon after Mugabes forced resignation on November 21 last year  before the current government leaders started using it, indicating his readiness to cosy up to the new regime.

However, a source close to Kasukuwere yesterday said he would not respond to what Moyo said, as his words were taken out of context, and Zhuwaos outbursts.

Kasukuwere will not speak, a source close to him said. The issue is people were sold a dummy that Kasukuwere is coming back to lead NPF or a splinter, but that is not true. Its disinformation. So why should he respond? Of course, he will come back as soon as possible as he has family and business interests.

NPF has been rocked by leadership wrangles. Soon after Mutinhiri took over in March, he went for weeks missing in action. This prompted agitation for leadership change. In the subsequent political computation, several names to replace him were considered by the partys architects. Those considered to replace Mutinhiri included Sekeramayi, former minister and opposition leader Gorden Moyo, prominent lawyer Farai Mutamangira and Grace Mugabe. Some even wanted Joice Mujuru, Dumiso Dabengwa or Thokozani Khupe to lead it.

Sekeramayi, initially the NPFs first choice to be leader, and Gorden Moyo refused the offer. Grace was seen as polarising and toxic.

Mutamangira  who has had close interactions with Mugabe in recent months over a wide range of undisclosed issues  emerged as the best choice for some, but refused the offer saying he is only interested in business not politics.

NPF spokesman Jealously Mawarire yesterday said his party leaders met on Wednesday to discuss the official launch, not the tumultuous events around it.

The Nec met to discuss, among other things, our imminent launch. Remember we have been holding provincial inter-district meetings, only three are left now. We have also been building structures around the country, so are now ready to launch, he said.

We didnt discuss issues about Moyo, Kasukuwere and Zhuwao or any other leaders because they are not our members.

In NPF there has never been a question about leadership, save for those mischievous media stories on that.

The NPFs short history has been as dramatic as events which led to its emergence. The idea of forming the NPF first came up on November 18 last year when Mugabe and his allies were planning how to resist the November 14-15, 2017 coup. At that time, the military was holding Mugabe and his family hostage at his Blue Roof mansion in Harare, while some ministers homes had been raided during the night by the army, forcing them to flee across the countrys borders in terror. As ensuing negotiations dragged on, G40 temporarily thought a solution could be found, possibly through local or regional intervention, hence the anti-coup resistance movement initiative.

After Mugabes infamous asante sana speech, the idea was consolidated when G40 members, who had been sent scampering across borders after the military night raids, gathered in Tete, Mozambique, to form the group. The plan, however, quickly crumbled when Mugabe resigned on November 21, resulting in G40 members scattering in different directions across Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya and even as far as conflict-torn Burundi in the Great Lakes.

Moyo and Kasukuwere headed to Maputo, where they were received by President Filipe Nyusi, before proceeding further to Kenya to seek refuge.

While Moyo has remained there, Kasukuwere, whose family is now back, has moved to Johannesburg, South Africa. After Mugabes forced resignation, G40 members last December resumed consultations about forming a new party. Things gathered pace after cabinet was sworn in on December 4 last year. A 15-member team met on December 7 to discuss how to respond.

The process lasted until Mugabes birthday in February. Mugabe was in the thick of action as he was consulted throughout. He confirmed this to the Zimbabwe Independent in an interview at his mansion on March 15. In the process, it was agreed Mugabe will not be directly involved, although he would be consulted; Grace will also not be directly involved; the same applies to Moyo, Kasukuwere and Zhuwao; NPF must go beyond the G40 framework and the party should be a broad church.

Mutinhiri was then mandated with leading the party and he resigned from Zanu PF at the beginning of March. In his resignation letter dated March 2, the former Zipra commander said he could not support the unconstitutional overthrow of Mugabe.

Events which led to the coup accelerated at the end of May last year after Mugabe went to Cancun, Mexico, to attend the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. He was accompanied by three ministers: Kasukuwere, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and Oppah Muchinguri.

While at the conference, Mugabe decided to finally take a decisive step to resolve the Zanu PF succession issue. He assigned Kasukuwere as the party national political commissar to lead the process, an official who was there said.

In his own words, Mugabe told Kasukuwere, simudzai (raise) Sekeramayi and roverai Mnangagwa pasi (undermine Mnangagwa). Mugabe told Kasukuwere to relay the message to Sekeramayi. His plan, however, alarmed Mumbengegwi and Muchinguri, Mnangagwas allies.

Officials said Mugabe had given Kasukuwere the task because he was the national commissar, energetic and also to contain his raw power ambitions. At the time, Kasukuwere was fighting for political survival after being bruised by internal infighting and demonstrations against him, which Grace initially supported to checkmate him.

While in Mexico, Kasukuwere had told Moyo about his crucial assignment. Since he was politically limping and vulnerable at the time, he needed Moyos help.

Typically, Moyo immediately swung into action and moved to address a Sapes Dialogue Series meeting in Harare, where he endorsed Sekeramayi to succeed Mugabe ahead of Mnangagwa. All the while, Grace was unaware of Mugabes endorsement of Sekeramayi, as she was not in Mexico.

Upon his return from Cancun, Kasukuwere dutifully delivered the message to Sekeramayi that he was the anointed one. Sekeramayi, whose house had been broken into around mid-June, then made an appointment with Mugabe at his Blue Roof residence for a meeting. He wanted to discuss the break-in and confirm what Kasukuwere had told him. Mugabe confirmed and asked him if he was interested and up to the task. Sekeramayi said as a loyal cadre he would take any assignment given to him by his leader. Grace was then invited into the meeting and the three of them agreed Sekeramayi would succeed Mugabe.

Prior to that, Grace, who had got wind of the plan, had invited Kasukuwere and Zhuwao for lunch at the Blue Roof soon after the burial of Naison Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu on June 3 last year at Heroes Acre in Harare.

During the lunch, Grace, who was not happy with the developments, asked Kasukuwere to tell her what was happening. This was after Moyos Sapes speech on June 1, 2017. So by the time Mugabe had dinner with Sekeramayi, Grace was now in the loop after meeting Kasukuwere and Zhuwao.

Sekeramayi had explained to Mugabe what Kasukuwere had told him. Mugabe then said to Sekeramayi in Shona: Mushure mekunge vaKasukuwere vataura, ivo vaSekeramayi vakazoti chii pavakaudzwa? (After Kasukuwere delivered the message, what did Sekeramayi say about that?).

Sekeramayi replied: I have always been a loyal cadre, if it is coming from you I cant refuse. I accept the offer.

Hot on the heels of Moyos Sapes delivery, on June 2, Mugabe embarked on provincial youth interactive rallies, starting with Marondera, where he tacitly endorsed Sekeramayi to succeed him, with the words: When the sun sets, it shall rise from Mashonaland East. By that time, the military, which was aware of the Mexico Declaration, became deeply involved in Zanu PF succession politics, intensifying manoeuvres and preparations to intervene to block Sekeramayi and install Mnangagwa.

By late July, Mugabe was getting increasingly worried by the militarys activities. Addressing the Zanu PF Womens League National Assembly meeting on July 26 at the ruling partys headquarters in Harare, Mugabe emphasised that politics should lead the gun. He blasted the military for meddling in succession, thundering their actions were tantamount to plotting a coup. Iyoyo inenge yava coup iyo. (That would amount to a coup). The gun should not lead politics, but politics the gun, that is the principle.

At the same meeting, Grace hysterically demanded Mugabe should name his preferred successor so that the party supports him or her. Insiders, however, say Mugabe was reluctant to show his hand too early as the partys December congress was still too far and that could trigger military intervention to scuttle his plans.

Zanu PF insiders say Mugabe had an agreement with the military that Mnangagwa would succeed him after it rescued him when he lost the first round of the presidential polling to the late MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai in 2008. One of the major obstacles to the agreement was, however, the late retired army commander General Solomon Mujuru, who also wanted Sekeramayi, even though his wife Joice Mujurus star was steadily rising since she was appointed vice-president in 2004, blocking Mnangagwa.

In 2011, a momentous incident happened: Mujuru died in a mysterious fire at his Beatrice farm. There have been various theories about the death, including that he was killed by the military.

After his death, Joice was left exposed and vulnerable. She was later to be expelled from the party at the acrimonious 2014 congress, leading to the decimation of her faction by the military and Mnangagwas rise to replace her, while he inched closer to power.

Insiders say although Mugabe and Mnangagwa had worked together for over 50 years, there was no love lost between them. Mugabe wanted Sekeramayi and had previously informed former South African president Thabo Mbeki, who visited Harare to discuss the issue last August.

From June, all the way to October, Mugabe, Grace and their G40 allies, backed by the youth, launched a political tsunami to sweep away Mnangagwa. As matters rose to a head, Mugabe fired Mnangagwa from government on November 6, before he fled to South Africa, via Mozambique. He was assisted by the army to flee and was kept in Pretoria by businessman Justice Maphosa. Former Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander Constantine Chiwenga, now vice-president, was in China when Mnangagwa was fired.

Events quickened and moved faster after that. Upon his return, Chiwenga survived an attempted arrest by police on November 12, triggering a chain of episodes which led to the military coup on November 14-15.

In between, state security forces, the military, police and intelligence service, had been working and plotting against each other, realising a coup was looming.

On November 13, Chiwenga had held a press conference at military barracks in Harare, warning the military could step in to avert a potential crisis caused by Zanu PF infighting.

Mugabe was, however, paralysed by old age and failing capacity. He did not do much to prevent the coup until he was toppled and forced to resign, leading to the formation of NPF and subsequent events.

 Zimbabwe Independent

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsTENSIONS between senior Air Zimbabwe officials, the Transport ministry and Zimbabwe Airways (ZimAirways) are mounting after minister Joram Gumbo recently blocked the convening of a disciplinary hearing against three engineers accused of moonlighting for the rival airline.

As government pushes for the closure of AirZim, whose operations continue to face increasing threats, it has since emerged that Gumbo last week ordered AirZim management to stop any disciplinary proceedings against Martin Gwafa and two other engineers who were instrumental in the controversial purchase of two Boeing 777 aircraft from Malaysia Airlines. The planes were bought for ZimAirways.

AirZim, according to sources, argued that the three were in violation of their employment contracts by assisting a rival airline whose ownership structure is murky.

Gumbo summoned AirZim officials to his offices last Thursday and said the airline should pay the engineers for the period they were in Malaysia because they were on government business. He said no disciplinary action should be taken against them for facilitating the ZimAirways project, a source said.

The developments come at a time government has opened up traditionally viable routes for AirZim to rival airlines. Sources said the debt-ridden airlines woes have also worsened in recent months after ticketing service providers switched off their services due to a US$1,3 million debt.

Tickets are now being bought online after AirZim was cut off by Travelport and Amadeus. Government appears reluctant to settle this debt as its focus is now on ZimAirways.

AirZim immediately requires US$45 million to be operational, according to AirZims Strategic Turnaround Plan (2018-2020). The airline requires US$26 million to settle its foreign debt; US$6 million to buy three Embraer ERJ145; US$4,6 million for International Air Transport Association (Iata) clearing house joining fees, among other financial obligations. Official documents show that as at December 2017, AirZim had local debt totalling US$341 million.

Among some of its weaknesses, according to the plan, are a shaky balance sheet, debt overhang, antiquated equipment, thin route network, high litigation, low level of automation and an absence from the Iata clearing house.

Meanwhile, government, according to aviation industry sources, is working on regularising ZimAirways company structure as required by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe.

ZimAirways has plans to fly to Beijing and government is working round the clock to ensure that the bird takes to the sky, another aviation source said.

Last year, the Independent reported that Gumbo and former AirZim chief operating officer Simba Chikore, who is former president Robert Mugabes son-in-law, have been assisting in setting up the private airline at the expense of the flag carrier, AirZim, which fell under their purview and supervision, raising a serious conflict of interest on their part.

 Zimbabwe Independent

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsNews reaching Legit.ng indicates that the National Assembly has transmitted the Age Reduction Bill to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

The bill was transmitted with other constitutional amendment that were before now, pending in the federal legislature.

The Not Too Young To Run movement have been consistent with their advocacy for the bill to be passed.

The news is a breakthrough for the Not Too Young To Run movement who intensified their campaign in the last few weeks following the delay by the National Assembly.

The focus of Nigerian youths will now be on President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the historic bill which have garnered support from Nigeria's huge young population nationwide.

Expectedly, micro-blogging site, Twitter is buzzing as many of the promoters of the bill have been expressing their joy over the news.

READ ALSO: Re: #NotTooYoungToRun and the rest of us by Ibrahim Faruk (OPINION)

Legit.ng had joined a large delegation of the The Not Too Young To Run movement to pay a courtesy visit to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday, April 19.

The visit was in line with the movement's consistent advocacy to ensure that the age reduction bill sees the light of the day.

Not Too Young to Run Bill: Nigerian youths march to Aso Rock in support (Nigeria News) on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng News- A young Nigerian lady has become one of the youngest Councillors in the United Kingdom

- The lady was elected as a Councillor representing the residents of Heaton Ward, Harold Hill

- She is the second 22-year-old Nigerian to become a young Councillor in the United Kingdom

Legit.ng had earlier reported that a 22-year-old lady identified as Elizabeth Bright was elected as Councillor representing Eastbrook ward in Dagenham, United Kingdom.

It is seems like Nigerians in the United Kingdom are ready to continue making history. Another 22-year-old identified as Ramota Lawal has announced that she was elected as a Councillor representing the residents of Heaton Ward, Harold Hill.

Lawal who ran on the platform of the United Kingdom Labour Party won the election with 1050 votes. The excited 22-year-old who took to Twitter to announce her win, stated that she won the election around 5am on Friday, May 4.

Lady becomes the second 22-year-old Nigerian to be elected as a Councillor in UK Photo source: Twitter user Ramota Lawal

READ ALSO: Nigerian lady becomes a renowned artist with her works adorning notable museums (photos)

She is one of the youngest Councillors in UK

According to Lawal, she won her first political election. The lady has proudly joined the list of young politicians in the United Kingdom.

She also expressed that she is honoured to be part of the youngest members of the Labour Party Councillor.

She said: "Yesterday at approx. 5:00 am, at the young age of 22 I won my first political election. I am honoured to now be the youngest @uklabour party Councillor on the London Bourough of Havering council - representing residents in Heaton Ward, Harold Hill."

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Top 4 Most Influential Nigerians in the World: Nigerians in Top Positions on - Legit.ng TV

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Source: Legit- The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) graduated 314 cadets of the Detective Inspector Course 7,

- The colourful passing out parade took place on Friday, May 11, at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) parade ground, Ribadu Campus, Kaduna

- The parade also climaxed 13 months of rigorous training to avail the officers with the necessary skills of law enforcement

A fresh batch of 314 detective superintendent have completed a thirteen - month long training at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and passed out after a very colourful parade on Friday, May 11, at the academy Ribadu Campus.

This is coming months after a first batch of 189 Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Inspectors passed out from the academy,

This brings the total number of EFCC operatives trained by the academy to 503, both in the Detective Inspector and Detective Superintendent cadre of the EFCC.

READ ALSO: President Buhari arrives in Abuja

314 detective superintendent passed out at a very colourful parade after completing a thirteen - month long training. Photo credit: Facebook, Nigerian Army

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim K Idris, representing President Muhammadu Buhari, speaking at the passing out parade charged the cadets to see themselves as tools in actualizing the war against corruption in Nigeria.

He warned them to resist the temptations that would arise in the course of their service to the nation, noting that their being EFCC operatives doesn't make them immune from prosecution if they falter and take the path of corruption.

He further informed them that the only currencies they need in their career are integrity, dedication and the drive to rid Nigeria of corruption.

While congratulating them for the successful completion of their training, the IGP urged them to respect the rights of people and remain fearless, and to be professional in their conduct, paying attention to every detail.

He said: It is appropriate to warn here that being operatives of the EFCC is not a haven for corruption. You are going to face a lot of temptations. You will be tempted to pervert the course of justice with monetary rewards and promises.

I advise you to be above board and resist all the temptations. You must be contented with your salaries and allowances. Any of you who fails to heed this advice, will be hunted down, arrested and prosecuted as being officers of the EFCC does not confer immunity on you against arrest and prosecution.

In the area of conviction, I must say the EFCC has made extremely enviable achievements. In 2017, the Commission secured the conviction of over 189 cases of corruption, while in the first four months of this year, the EFCC has secured 89 convictions, including a Senior Advocate of Nigeria", he said.

The newly graduated operatives were selected from across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, through rigorous screening process that featured aptitude test, fitness test and oral interview.

The Detective Superintendent Course 7 comprises of 269 males and 45 females. The award of the Best Overall Cadet was given to E.C. Anele for excelling in all areas of the training including exceptional personality. The first runner was T.M. Badejo, while C.V. Opara was second runner up.

The EFCC Chairmans award was given to S.A. Adegbua. They were all recognized for their exceptional performance in all written examinations and practical tests and for high degree of discipline, physical fitness and demonstrable leadership.

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Legit.ng previously reported that Ibrahim Magu, the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), criticised some lawyers who he said specialise in frustrating cases."

According to The Nation, he made the criticism at the Fifth Criminal Justice Reform Conference in Asaba, the Delta state capital.

The EFCC boss, who was represented by the EFCCs head of legal services, Gbolahan Latona, accused lawyers of intimidating judges with groundless petitions and filing frivolous applications to stall cases.

The EFCC stage a walk against corruption on Legit.ng TV.

Source: Legit.ngThe Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM) is set to conduct elections into the 23 local government councils in the Saturday, 12th May 2018 using electronic voting first in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, n a statement issued by Governor Nasir El-Rufais spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, KADSIECOM has requested that movement on all state roads be restricted on the election day, Leadership reports.

The statement said: Accordingly, the Kaduna state government hereby notifies the general public that vehicular movement on all state roads will be restricted between 6am and 5pm on Saturday, 12th May 2018. Security has been beefed up across the state to guarantee the peaceful and orderly conduct of the elections. The security agencies will enforce the restriction of movement.

READ ALSO: Aircraft flew over Synagogues building before it collapsed - Assistant commissioner of police tells court

The Kaduna state government appealed to residents to conduct themselves in accordance with the law, and to report any suspicious or illegal conduct to the appropriate security agencies.

Legit.ng previously reported that Governor El-Rufai said electronic voting machines will be used in the local government election of the state scheduled for May 12.

The governor said this at the flag off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaigns for the poll.

El-Rufai said his administration had invested a considerable amount in electronic voting because the APC believes that votes must count.

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The governor said the introduction of the card reader for the 2015 election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) helped promote electoral integrity, saying that Kaduna is taking it a step further to bring full electronic voting.

President Buhari on 2019 presidential election: will you vote for him? | - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit- Scores of Anambra youths staged a peaceful protest over the Senate's comment on the police IG

- The youths said that the Senate's invitation of the police chief is unconstitutional

- They threatened to shut down the National Assembly if the Senate does not stop distracting the IG

Youths numbering over 300 on Friday, May 11, in Anambra State staged a peaceful protest against the Senates declaration of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim idris , as an enemy of democracy and one who is unfit to hold public office.

The youths took the protest to the headquarters of the Anambra Police Command, Amawbia, Awka South local government area, Punch reports.

Legit.ng gathered that the youths describe Senates invitation of the police chief as unconstitutional, saying the Senate was distracting the IGP from performing his required job at this time.

Scores of Anambra youths protesting against the Senate's comment on the police IG. Credit: Punch

READ ALSO: Aircraft flew over Synagogues building before it collapsed - Assistant commissioner of police tells court

Speaking on behalf of the youths, their leader, Anthony Ogbu, said if the Senate did not stop such unconstitutional act, they would mobilise millions of Nigerian youths to shut down the National Assembly.

The youths threaten to shut down the National Assembly if the Senate does not stop distracting the police boss with invitations. Credit: Punch

Recall that the senators declared the IG as an enemy of democracy and one who is unfit for public office following the failure of the IGP to honour its three invitations to provide information on the spate of killings across the country and also to explain the alleged inhuman treatment meted out to Senator Dino Melaye representing Kogi West.

However, in the Friday protest, the youths accused the senators of taking a unilateral decision on the matter, stating that the lawmakers ought to have consulted their constituencies before arriving at the conclusion of declaring the police boss a persona non grata.

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Meanwhile, the police have dragged the Nigerian Senate to court to determine if the inspector general of police, as a matter of law, must always appear in person each time the upper chamber invites him.

According to the police, the Senate can no longer invite the inspector general again until the court decides on their prayers.

David Igbodo, the commissioner of police, legal department of the force headquarters, disclosed this on Sunrise Daily, a programme on channels TV.

Lets talk about salaries of Nigerian senators | Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng- The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condoled with Chief Bode George, over the death of his son, Dipo

- Dipo died on Thursday, May 10, at the age of 42

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has condoled with Chief Bode George, former national vice chairman (southwest) and former deputy national chairman (South) of the party, on the death of his son, Dipo.

Prince Uche Secondus, the national chairman of the party in a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, the national publicity scretary in Abuja on Friday, May 11, said the news of the death came to them as a rude shock.

Read the statement below:

READ ALSO: Anambra youths protest against Senates comment on IGP (photos)

Our hearts bleed and we are extremely saddened by the loss of this promising young man who was known for his love for humanity and lofty dreams for a better Nigeria.

Indeed, our party is sorrowed that Dipo died at a time the lessons he must have learnt from his father would have been of immense benefit for our nation, particularly, among the younger generation of Nigerians.

Our hearts and thoughts go to Chief Bode George, his entire family as well as the Lagos State Chapter of the PDP even as we continue in prayers that the Almighty God, in His mercies, grants all of us the fortitude to bear this painful loss.

In a previous report by Legit.ng, former deputy national chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, lost his son, Dipo, who is said to be 42 years old. His death is said to have shaken the family.

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Dipo died in a hospital in Ikoyi on Thursday, May 10, after a long battle with an undisclosed ailment. He was said to have been born by Georges first wife, Feyi.

Lagos Police Commissioner parades suspected criminals (Nigeria News) | Legit.ng TV

Source: LegitThe senior special assistant, on media and publicity to the president, Malam Garba Shehu, on Friday, May 11, challenged the opposition parties about President Muhammadu Buhari's readiness to contest the 2019 election.

Legit.ng gathered that Garba speaking after the presidents arrival in Abuja from his medical trip in London said: The President as you can see is back, twenty four hours before his schedule.

That tells you that there is nothing really to worry about as we said from the beginning but then this is politics and we use this opportunity to put the opponent on notice are you ready for 2019 President Buhari I ready to go. Come lets go!!!

READ ALSO: Hoodlums arrested at Ekiti APC primary (photo)

The president had confirmed he went to the United Kingdom for a further medical checkup. He said: "I went for further medical checkup. I am alright."

President Buhari, had been scheduled to return on Saturday, May 12 but arrived Friday evening, May 11.

Legit.ng previously reported that President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, May 11, arrived in Abuja following his 4-day medical visit to the UK.

This was contained in a tweet shared by the All Progressives Congress (APC) UK branch and the president's personal assistant on new media, Bashir Ahmad.

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The presidential jet that conveyed him President Buhari arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 6:49 pm.

Buhari to Contest for Presidency in 2019 on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit.ng- Muhammadu Buhari says no nation would progress if its educational system is poor

- The president states that the government is looking into the operations of agencies in the education sector to find solutions to the problems militating against their desired impact

- He said that the essence of creating a specialised university is to assist the country in training future scientists

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the federal government will evolve measures to curb incessant strikes and address grievances by staff of universities in the country.

Buhari, represented by a director with National Universities Commission, (NUC) Gidado Kuma, spoke on Saturday at the 23rd, 24th and 25th combined convocation ceremonies of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

I have noted with great concern the incessant strikes by teachers and other university workers which most of the demands are germane but the repercussions have negative consequences.

READ ALSO: Lady reportedly goes mad after outing with sugar daddy (photo)

Let me assure you that this administration will very soon come up with modalities of addressing your grievances without face-off so that we attain stability and balance in the system.

The university is unable to conduct convocations as at when due for sets of students, this is not peculiar to your university but rather an underlying difficulty the system has found itself over the years, the president said.

He said that no nation would progress if its educational system was poor.

Buhari said government was looking into the operations of agencies in the education sector to find solutions to the problems militating against their desired impact, especially in the university system.

He said that the essence of creating a specialised university such as ATBU was to assist the country in training future scientists and launch it into the sphere of technological breakthroughs.

Buhari challenged such institutions to surprise Nigerians at occasions such as convocation ceremonies by presenting new discoveries or inventions that would add value to the technology drive of the country.

He said: "Nations across the globe are in stiff competition, we cannot lay back and take the back seat as simply consumers of other nations products but must come with our own products for others to buy.

Nations are in stiff competition to outwit one another in the area of offering quality knowledge and positive research and we must provide leadership in Africa in this regard.

Our agencies in charge of educational development must find a way of encouraging our youth to aspire learning in the countrys institutions but as well attract foreign students and researchers so that our global ranking of universities can soar, Buhari said.

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He called on staff of the institution to re-invent the culture of leadership, followership and stewardship, adding that the students should imbibe the virtue of discipline and respect for their teachers and university authorities.

He called on all state governments to support and encourage universities in their catchment areas.

The vice-chancellor of the university, Saminu Ibrahim, said that the institution was graduating 8,496 students.

Ibrahim said the graduates included 480 diploma students, 5,637 for first degrees, 1,580 for postgraduate diplomas, 770 for masters degrees and 90 doctorates.

He said 118 out of 5,637 first degree students obtained first class grades, 1,618 got second class upper division, 2.609 received second class lower division, 1,431 got third class and 61 had pass.

The vice-chancellor said the College of Medical Science of the university opened with 41 students in 2016/2017 session while 47 students were admitted in 2017/2018 section.

According him, the institution has commenced the construction of additional three hostels in Gubi Campus and two in Yelwa Campus to ease the problem of accommodation for students.

We also constructed 250 capacity auditorium, 160 capacity studio and Yelwa Campus water scheme.

About 490 academic staff of the university were supported to acquire PhDs, he said.

The chancellor of the institution, Rufus Aladesanmi, commended both staff and students for exhibiting good behaviour.

Aladesanmi, who is also Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, said: "The report I have received from the management on you are quite encouraging.

Since my assumption of office, there has never been any cause at all for me to intervene in any matter that could have gotten out if hand."

The chancellor commended the president for responding to numerous challenges of the institution in spite of the economic challenges in the country.

Meanwhile, doctors in the country have threatened to down tools across health institutions if the federal government gives in to the demands of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) who have been on strike the past three weeks.

Premium Times reports the doctors said their threat is coming on the heels of the direction given to state and local government workers to join the JOHESU strike in a bid to force the government to act.

In a statement on Thursday, May 10, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) noted that it was opposed to salary adjustment and harmonisation, one of the major demands of the striking health workers under JOHESU.

Who should get higher salary - doctors or teachers? - on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit- 2 NECO deputy directors are sacked for alleged corruption

- The most senior director, Alhaji Abubakar Gana, is ordered to take over as registrar in acting capacity

- Muhammadu Buhari says no nation would progress if its educational system is poor

The registrar of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Professor Charles Uwakwe and two deputy directors of the examination body have been sacked.

The Nation reports that though no official reason has been given for the disengagement of the register, the two deputy directors might have been disengaged for alleged corrupt practices.

Some sources attributed the sack of the registrar to the award of a N25 billion contract which was without the knowledge of either the federal ministry of education or the governing board of the council.

READ ALSO: Are you ready for 2019 ? Buhari is set - Garba Shehu

Others said Professor Charles Uwakwe may have been fired for allegedly recruiting some staff without the knowledge of the appropriate authorities.

Legit.ng learnt that the most senior director, Alhaji Abubakar Gana has been directed to take over as registrar in acting capacity.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the federal government will evolve measures to curb incessant strikes and address grievances by staff of universities in the country.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Buhari, represented by a director with National Universities Commission, (NUC) Gidado Kuma, spoke on Saturday at the 23rd, 24th and 25th combined convocation ceremonies of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

He said government was looking into the operations of agencies in the education sector to find solutions to the problems militating against their desired impact, especially in the university system.

The president said that the essence of creating a specialised university such as ATBU was to assist the country in training future scientists and launch it into the sphere of technological breakthroughs

Who should get higher salary - doctors or teachers? - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit- Pro-Buhari group says Senate action against Senator Omo-Agege constitutes an affront to the law and principles of human right and free speech.

- Senate, Saraki head to Appeal Court against Omo-Ageg

The Buhari Support Organisation (BSO) has accused the Nigerian Senate of ill-treating suspended Senator Omo-Agege representing Delta north in the National Assembly.

READ ALSO: Confusion as 2 factional executives emerge from APC LG congress in Kogi state

The Nation reports that the group speaking at a press briefing in Katsina state on Friday, May 11, urged the upper chamber to respect the recent ruling of the Federal High Court which ruled that the Senates decision against Omo-Agege was constitutionally defective.

The state chairman of the group, Abba YAbdullahi, said the action of the senate constitutes an affront to the law and principles of human right and free speech.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Senate on Thursday, May 10, rushed to the Court of Appeal against the nullification of the suspension of one of its members, Ovie Omo-Agege by the Federal High Court in Abuja just as the lawmaker reacted to the judgement in his favour.

Vanguard reports that the Senate and its president, Bukola Saraki, who is the second defendant in the case, also filed for a stay of execution of the nullification of the suspension.

The Senate confirmed that it promptly filed a notice of appeal and a motion for stay of execution of the judgement of the lower court.

Lets talk about salaries of Nigerian senators | Legit.ng TV

Source: LegitParents should ask before changing babys nappy: ABC commentator Startsat60 (Kevin W)

Should you ask your babys consent before changing their nappy? No, that would be gaslighting Guardian. Dr. Kevin: The comments are as much fun as the article.

How many office bastards can you spot? Daily Mash

Wolves on a plane: How a Eureka sanctuary pulled off rewilding 4 critically endangered pups St. Louis Post-Dispatch (J-LS)

Cheetahs chase family at safari park BBC

Whats a safe distance between us and a supernova? EarthSky (Chuck L). If worrying about being hit by an asteroid isnt enough for you..

Volcanic activity threatens Hawaii geothermal plant long at center of resident concerns  Washington Post. Kevin W flags this quote:

This is one of the most unstable pieces of land on the entire planet, and they knew that, said Robert Petricci, president of the Puna Pono Alliance watchdog group, who lives near the plant. They built it anyway to make money.

Teslas giant battery in Australia reduced grid service cost by 90% electrek

Pesticide Use on Crops Grown in Refuges Spikes in California, Oregon, Arkansas, Tennessee, Maryland Center for Biological Diversity. Glenn F:

This report from the Center for Biological Diversity is eye opening for more than the obvious reason  pesticide use is allowed in wildlife refuges. The another reason, which I had no idea was going on, is that non-organic agriculture is allowed in the wildlife refuges. Really disgusting.

This is the pdf report.

New Alcohol Study Is Mostly Hype. Journal, Authors, Media To Blame American Council on Science and Health (RR). From last month, still germane.

North Korea

Brexit

Army chiefs RAGE as government hounds British soldiers over Northern Ireland Troubles Express (Kevin W)

Grenfell Tower fire: Government makes U-turn on inquiry panel after pressure from bereaved families Independent (Kevin W)

100% mortgages that crashed the economy are BACK: Barclays and the Post Office are among big lenders offering the loan deals to attract first time buyers without a deposit Daily Mail

New Cold War

Syraqistan

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

Experts Say Keep Amazons Alexa Away From Your Kids Intercept. Brian C: The Echo Dot for kids is functionally identical to the Echo Dot for adults, except that its brightly colored and inexplicably costs $30 more than the grown-up version. Shoot me now. Holy shit; huge. Law enforcement have access to a system that can geolocate almost any phone in the US; the system doesn't really check if the officer has legal authority to do so. One officer allegedly used to spy on judges, other law enforcement https://t.co/u7WB7BggIO pic.twitter.com/IzZFtjbUUX  Joseph Cox (@josephfcox) May 11, 2018

Imperial Collapse Watch

Time to break free from America Irrussianality

Trump Transition

White House Aide And Former Fox Expert Mock McCain As Dying and A Traitor Jonathan Turley

How the Online Left Fuels the Right New York Times. UserFriendly: This is spot on. Apparently she is getting blowback for it, which figures.

Record Numbers of Women Running for Office May Not Mean Big Gains in Congress Bloomberg

Gunz

Black Injustice Tipping Point

Monica Lewinsky: What We All Can Learn from My Disinvitation Debacle Vanity Fair (Chuck L). It must be awful to have your life hopelessly tethered to something dumb you did in your early 20s.

Damning report shows Portland Public Schools disregard of sexual misconduct over decades OregonLive (Chris M). Ugly.

Dont be a bonehead, buy Tesla shares: Analyst CNBC. Right. And Charlie Gasparino was such a true believer in Lehmans Dick Fuld in June 2008 that he called me to threaten litigation over my criticism of his cheerleading. Having said that, there could well be lucrative dead cat bounce trades, but mere mortals usually lose out if they try to pull that off.

The Dynamics of Japanese Government Bonds Nominal Yields Levy Institute

Uber Stumbles in Lengthy CFO Search Ahead of IPO Wall Street Journal. Under Sarbanes Oxley, the CEO and CFO have to personally certify the financials.

The Burnout Crisis in American Medicine Atlantic (Dr. Kevin). Subhead: Are electronic medical records and demanding regulations contributing to a historic doctor shortage? NC has been featuring posts about the problems and risks of electronic health records for years.

Guillotine Watch

The Upscale Way to Prepare for Doomsdayfrom $79,500 Teslas to $275 Jeans Wall Street Journal. Five years of doomsday (say no electricity without a generator) = Little Home on the Prairie lifestyles. For starters, no more prescription drugs. The last ones made would have, say, 4 year rated shelf lives and maybe one or two years of OK effectiveness after that, max.

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour:

And a bonus video, via Jerri-Lynn, with commentary Watch: A humpback whale nudged this diver out of harms way to save her from a nearby shark:



.

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.Yves here. This post dovetails with a Naked Capitalism classic, Richard Kline: Progressively Losing, which I urge to read in full. Key sections:

Those anywhere to the liberal side of the Anglo-American political spectrum have been on a long losing streak. As of this summer of 2011, they are wholly in disarray. In my considered view, progressives lose because they do not have it as a goal to win. Their principal concern is to criticize the moral failings of others in society, particularly the moral failings of those in power. At best, progressives seek to convert. In the main, they name and shameineffectively. American progressives distrust political power, period, are queasy about anyone having it, and suspicious toward anyone who actively seeks it, including other putative progressives. The contest as progressives conceive it is fundamentally a moral one: they believe they are right, and want their opposition to see the light and reform/conform. Thus, they dont frame what they engage in as a fight but rather as a debate. There has been another and more radical trend on the left-liberal end of the spectrum previously. That trend derived from radicalized, Continental European, immigrants, it sourced much of labor activism, and is largely extinct in America as of this date. It is the atrophy of this latter muscle in particular which has rendered progressive finger-wagging impotent. The first key point is that the tradition of progressive dissent is integrally a religious one. The goal isnt usually power but truth; that those in the right stand up for what is right, and those in the wrong repent. The City on the Hill and all that, but that is the intrinsic value. This is a tradition of ideas, many of them good, many of them implementedby others, a point to which Ill return. Coming forward to a recent and then present American context, consider these policies, all of which still hold for most who would define themselves as progressive: Anti-colonialism

Anti-militarism

Abolition

Universal, secular education

End to child labor

Universal suffrage

Female legal equality

Consumer protections

Civil rights

Conservation/environmentalism Consider as well notable progressives who have held executive or even power positions in national governance. I struggle to name one.. The key point is that the tradition of radical activism is integrally an economic one, and secondarily one of social justice. It was pursued by those both poor and out castes, who often had communal solidarity as their only asset. It was resisted by force, and thus pursued by those inured to force who understood that power was necessary to victory, and that defeat entailed destitution, imprisonment, and being cut down by live fire from those acting under color of authority with impunity. This was a tradition of demands, many of them quite pragmatic. Few were wholly implemented, but the struggle to gain them forced the door open for narrower reforms, often implemented by the powers that be to de-fuse as much as diffuse radical agitation. Consider these policies, all of which still hold for most who would define themselves as radical: Call off the cops (and thugs)

Eight hour day and work place safety

Right to organize

Anti-discrimination in housing and hiring

Unemployment dole

Public pensions

Public educational scholarships

Tax the rich

Anti-trust and anti-corporate

Anti-imperialism While few radicals have made it into public executive positions either, they are numerous in politics, especially at the local level where communal ties can predominate. Radicals have always worked in organized groupssocieties, unions, and partieswhich have been a multiplier for their demands. Critically, these are grievance-driven policies. One could say that the goal of radicals is to force an end to exploitation, particularly economic exploitation since most radicals come from those on the bitter end of such equations. As such, many of them have specific remedies or end states. Notably absent are moral uplift, better society objectives other than in the abstract sense. Further, since so much of radicalism is communally based it has often been difficult for radicals to form inter-communal alliances.

By Alphan Telek, a PhD candidate at Science Po Paris and Bogazici University, Istanbul. He is the Director of Turkey Office of Political and Social Research Institute of Europe. Follow him on Twitter: @AlphanTelek. Originally published at openDemocracy

The groundbreaking concept precariat, coined by British economist Guy Standing, reflects the emergence of a new social class by identifying a 40-year long precaritisation process under neoliberal capitalism, due to changing relations of production and distribution. However, the concept has come under some concerted criticism from social scientists.

Firstly, it is criticized for enshrining a Global North point of view. According to this critique, the concept cannot be deemed a global phenomenon in that it does not appropriately cover the different labor conditions of the Global South. Secondly it is argued that rather than pointing to the situating of a new social class, the concept in fact describes a particular condition of labour relations around the world.

Where reviewers of Standings theory accept that the precaritisation of labour has taken place, they reject the assertion of a different global class structure under neoliberal capitalism. According to them, post-1980 labour conditions constitute just one historical phase of the proletariat under late capitalism. In short, for them, the formation of a new global class structure, whose main component is the precariat, is out of question.

But academics perhaps do not see the potential strength of this concept. Its power comes from its explanatory relationship to daily life and its transformative potential in socio-political life.

Moreover, this debate about the precariat is closely linked to current debates in socialist and progressive thinking. Progressive thought cannot afford to disregard a rapidly changing daily life and it cannot stop thinking about how to transform these new  unjust and unequal  relations into political energy to topple the fusion of plutocracy and political castes around the world. The criticisms  done mostly on behalf of socialist and Marxist thought  display something of a stagnant position in the face of this new world. Gradually, they fall out of touch with daily life and peoples experiences, willingly or unwillingly confining themselves to narrow identity issues.

Against this, I would like to defend the explanatory power of the precariat with regard to daily life and its potential transformative power in socio-political life. If we properly define daily life (the relations of production) in todays capitalism, we can help the least advantaged segments of society (workers, immigrants, poor employees, women and young people who think that they have no future under this system, but who simultaneously have problems with the narratives offered them by emerging authoritarian populist regimes) to gain their social power, making them a stronger player in this chaotic world.

Therefore, the concept precariat provides key insights into daily life under todays capitalism. However, only if we can build on these a political programme for the precariat, can the concept fully realize its potentially transformative power in socio-political life. This is where the approach of left-transformation (as outlined by my colleague Seren Selvin Korkmazand myself in a series of articles on openDemocracy) may provide some of these new terms, so that we may begin to think, for example about the need for transformers both against plutocracy and populism. This new political program, crucially, will keep all the different identities, whether north-north or north-south, together in the same ranking, and recognizing their common struggle. This is precisely how the strategy of left-transformation can make the precariat a political force for change.

Explanatory Power of Precariat: A New Form of Daily Life

Karl Marxs influence is largely due to his theorys explanatory power regarding daily life among workers of the nineteenth century. Scientific socialism could explain rather well the relations of production at the time. In connection with this, he and Friedrich Engels depicted political discourses and targets for the workers, whom they wanted to empower socially. Had the working class of the nineteenth century had enough social power, the class could have challenged the capitalist relations of production and in Marxs vision, it could have built its own, socialist society. Methodologically speaking, the fusion in comprehending daily life and cultivating the political adaptability required for the success of nineteenth century Marxism is what we need again today.

However, today there are few enough glimpses of a similarly effective strain of progressive thought. Todays progressive thinking has clearly confined itself to some narrow and ineffective academic confines (passive journals, trade unions, academic conferences etc.) far away from the daily lives of people. Few persons today can understand what intellectuals (and socialist intellectuals) say, let alone the larger part of the population, workers, immigrants and others. The relationship between Marxist theory and daily life (let us say society) has for a long time been broken, for a lot of reasons.

Amongst these, we find one reason, which also explains the emergence of the precariat: i.e. 40 years of technological innovation and politico-economic decisions, which have made a different, new world possible.

The basic guiding doctrine of this new world is an overarching neoliberalism, with varying mutations in different geographies. The sought after relations of production and its affects have always been same through all these mutations, so that increasingly, most of the people around the world share a common, class life-style (that of the precariat). This puts them into a relationship of class solidarity in the making that remains unrealised. In this regard, there is no separation line between Global North and South. Common experiences, sufferings, expectations, fears, life-styles make them the members of an identical class.

Guy Standings evaluations of a new social class structure (and the precariat) take root right here. As he puts it, the new class structure is shaped according to new relations of production, relations of distribution, relations to the state and class-consciousness. If we understand these factors, the daily life of the precariat can be properly explained. Then we can build a political program on the basis of its real needs and future desires, unveiling the potential social power of the precariat in political life.

New Relations of Production: Socio-Economic Insecurities

Guy Standing asserts that the relations of production under neoliberal capitalism are shaped according to the existence or non-existence of seven socio-economic sources of security.[i]Insofar as peoples social and individual experience suffer from a lack of these socio-economic goods, they share the features of the precariat. Economic insecurities push them to say, We do not have a future. And this sense of deprivation of a future is clearly seen in the push factor in what is called economic migration as well as in the recent street protests in Iran and Tunisia, deemed as Global South countries.

The common experiences of the precariat life-style emerge alongside the lack of labor market security.[ii]People have tremendous difficulties finding a job and in most cases, the unemployment rates only ever rise. This makes people vulnerable, forcing them to accept any precarious and short-term job. Secondly, the forms of employment security that include protection against arbitrary dismissal have been directly targeted by neoliberal regulations both in the Global North and the South. Today, only a tiny proportion of employees have this employment security. Thirdly, the supportive character of the workplace in a secure job once offered a person prospects in terms of a career and guarantees against skill dilution. Nobody today can say that workplaces do justice to employees in terms of this security.

Fourthly, Standing claims that work security covers health regulations and protections against workplace accidents etc. It should be underlined that the main difference between Global North and South countries is the distribution of such safety nets. Most of the time, Global South countries experience more workplace accidents than Global North countries. However, the basis for this type of security is under the constant threat of being dismantled in the Global North as well, as in the struggles to defend welfare and health services in the workplace.

It is also very well known that the further security that lies in representation (the trade unions collective voice as a protection in the workplace) has long been targeted by neoliberal regulations. The skydiving numbers of trade union members after 1980 are not a secret for both Global North and South. Lastly, there is no income security that can sustain a minimum wage for an honorable life. All these economic insecurities are real in the lives of people both from Global North and South countries.

New Relations of Distribution and Class-Consciousness

Moreover, the relations of distribution have also been shaped under neoliberal capitalism. The members of the precariat, in most cases, depend solely on money wages. As Standing claims, the precariat does not have a social incomethat can relieve his or her condition. Depending on a money wage, the precariat feels trapped by the desires and demands of employers since he or she can be fired anytime and find himself or herself in a desperate situation of sheer survival. It all shows the precariat that they do not have an exit strategy or an alternative. The relations of production and distribution under neoliberal capitalism destroy the social power of large segments of the population.

Standing argues that as a result of these daily inflictions, people become more isolated, angry and stressed. Though they share in this precariat life style, they feel as if they are on their own, if not against, still one person alone in relation to the other. For Standing, this is an essential element in the make up of this particular class-consciousness. I can add that I have also observed these feelings during my field interviews with bank employees in Turkey. Though they earn a much better salary than other employees in different sectors, they feel isolated and under stress due to lack of guarantees (social income), performance pressures, and a deprivation of the sense of solidarity with their colleagues. I think these feelings are common for people who live under neoliberal capitalism since it has sucked out all the social power from large parts of our societies.

Now most people are far away from being taken into consideration by their fellow employees and/or their superiors. In this way, they have been socially weakened and their demands have been pushed off the radar. The explanatory power of the precariat detects these common experiences and sufferings of people.

Yet by dint of the same factors, the concept also has the potential for power in our socio-political lives. It is clear that the members of precariat should know each other and that they should articulate this shared class-consciousness, which can strengthen them considerably in their daily lives. I think the precariat is in need of a political movement like that fostered among the working class by Marxists and socialists in the nineteenth century. If properly established, the precariat has a huge political potential for transforming this world of injustices, inequalities, scapegoating and social suffering. In this regard, the concept of left-transformation may provide just what the precariat needs.

Transformative Potential of the Precariat in Left-Transformation

Against its critics, the precariat is a concept and a social force, a class, that has the most potential for transforming the world. Who else can do it? Is there any strong or potentially strong group or identity that can struggle against plutocrats and populists without falling into the trap of neoliberalised identity issues? Who can still believe that this role is confined to the proletariat? That belonged to an old world, and was a key part of what is nevertheless an old struggle. Now, we need a new set of transformers, with new symbols and new programmes.

If we want to empower people socially against financial institutions, governments, bureaucracies, populists and plutocrats, the precariat has to be political. This will bring back the social power with which they can acclaim their political, social, economic and cultural rights (like the working class before 1980). If social and economic sufferings are common around the world, then the response of the precariat should be a common one. A new political programme, new solidarities and new discourses, that correspond to this commonality, can provide what the precariat needs. Briefly, for a just and honorable life, we need the political precariat. Can the idea of left-transformation help this new political programme into existence?

Left-transformation is an idea trying to fuse the daily experiences of the precariat with a political programme. It demands political and social justice for the precariat. It calls for political justice because we have witnessed that governments have been captured by political castes following their own interests rather than those of the people they pretend to serve. These castes, ruling on behalf of the precariat, have excluded people from all decision-making processes. They have ruined the world with wars, corruption and exclusionary political practices. They have implicitly or explicitly supported racism, anger and hatred towards others since only in that situation can they continue to maintain and even increase the hold of their power among the people.

In addition to this, the precariat in non-western countries such as in Turkey, Iran, China, Russia, India etc. has witnessed an unrelenting violation of basic rights like freedom of expression. Against all these, political justice requires new constitutions and autonomous, accountable decision-making processes in politics. It also wants to guarantee the full protection of basic rights. These basic rights cannot be touched unless there is a crime against humanity (destroying peoples social and economic rights are also crimes against humanity).

Political justice demands that we learn our lessons from the experiences of social movements and try to apply these successful models and examples experienced in small communities and on the local scale. There needs to be a productive relationship between social movements and the national and supra national governance of the world.

On the other hand, social justice demands social and economic rights for all people, including the precariat as we argued here:

Furthermore, the idea of social justice requires strengthening people economically: giving them economic rights[iii]such as universal basic income, job security, and democracy at the workplace, levying taxes on riches, wealth and rentier benefits etc. The underlying principle in the economic field is to make people economically robust so that they are not affected by the flows of market and rents. For a decent life, people must have a right to free education, free health services, social protection and service of child-caring etc. However, strengthening people in relations of production by giving them some kind of security is not enough. The distribution of wealth is not fair also. There should be new mechanisms and concepts to cope with this situation. Housing policies, wealth transfers, limits on inheritance, taxes on rentier benefits are some mechanisms of the transformative movements to curb the deepening inequalities in the society. Without a new economic system  relations of production and distribution  initiating these policies, it is impossible to ensure social justice.[iv]

The transformative potential of the precariat is much higher than we expected. The rise of recent political movements, which emphasizes political and social justice against plutocracy and political castes, are clear examples. Recent large-scale street protests in Tunisia and Iran, the formation of new political movements such as France Insoumise, Diem25 in the EU, MeRa in Greece, Podemos in Spain, Razem in Poland, the rise of Jeremy Corbyn and Momentum in England, Bernie Sanders in the United States, the harsh criticisms levelled by Kevin Kuhnert and the young German social democrats against the German SPD, elements of the Five Star Movement, the social justice emphasis of Icelands new Prime Minister, recent street protests in Armenia against corruption and nepotism, all indicate the common ground of political precariat. These are the first moves. There are many more political movements taking up the support of the precariat and on the way.

In a nutshell, the concept of the precariat has basically two sources of strength: the explanatory power of daily life and its transformative potential in the socio-political world. However, we need a political precariat in order for it to realize its transformative role. The idea of left-transformation with its justice politics corresponding to the desires, demands and senses of a rising precariat, can pave the way to the necessary political programme. Last but not least, progressive thought for today needs this class-based push or else it will continue to lurk in the wings.

_____________

[i]Guy Standing, Precariat The New Dangerous Class, p. 10.

[ii]Ibid.

[iii]Guy Standing, accessible from here.Yves here. Mr. Market agreed with this articles conclusion. Pharma stocks traded up after Trump announced the details of his drug price plan.

By Sarah Jane Tribble, Senior Correspondent for Kaiser Health News who has previously reported for NPR, PBS, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and the Forth Worth Star-Telegram, and Liz Szabo, Senior Correspondent for Kaiser Health News, who has previously worked for USA Today and the Virginian-Pilot. Originally published at Kaiser Health News

President Donald Trump, armed with the expertise of staff seasoned in the ways of the drug industry, unveiled his blueprint to address sky-high drug prices Friday afternoon, promising that increasing industry competition will help Americans save at the pharmacy counter.

Under this administration, we are putting American patients first, Trump said with Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar by his side. Azar, he said, had a mission to to bring soaring drug prices down to Earth.

Many of the proposals Trumps team can accomplish administratively  and some are already in motion  but for others, Trump said, he plans to work with Congress.

The administrations blueprint proposes 50 actions to reduce what Americans pay for drugs, including giving Medicare more power to negotiate drug prices, Azar said.

Azar said he wants to make drug prices more transparent, as well. For example, he said the Food and Drug Administration should require pharmaceutical companies to disclose drugs list prices in their direct-to-consumer television ads.

Its material and relevant to know if its a $50,000 drug or a $100 drug, Azar said.

Dr. Jeremy Greene, a professor and health policy expert at Johns Hopkins Medicine, said he was puzzled by how much control the agency would have over requiring drug prices as part of advertising.

The FDA has had nothing to do with price, especially in advertising, Greene said. There have been prominent court cases over whether pharmacies can or cannot advertise based on drug prices.

Regardless, Trump called the plan the most sweeping action in history to lower the price of prescription drugs to the American people.

We will have tougher negotiations, more competition and much lower prices at the pharmacy counters, Trump said. And it will start to take effect very soon.

On a separate note, Trump told the audience that right-to-try is happening, a nod to congressional efforts to expand access to experimental medications for people with life-threatening conditions.

Trumps proposals target reducing the out-of-pocket costs for older Americans enrolled in Medicare  but experts say that amounts to more show than substance.

Theres a difference between reducing the pain people feel associated with out-of-pocket costs at the pharmacy counter and reducing the actual national spend on prescription drugs, said Allan Coukell, senior director for health programs at the nonpartisan Pew Charitable Trusts.

While 80 percent of Americans say the cost of drugs is unreasonable, 1 in 4 people report having difficulty paying for drugs, according to Kaiser Family Foundation polling. And the government is paying more, too. Medicares drug spending grew nearly 90 percent from 2006 to 2015, with an annual average growth rate of 7.6 percent, according to Pew.

During the campaign and his presidency, Trump has used strong language against the pharmaceutical industry, famously saying the manufacturers are getting away with murder. Late Thursday, senior administration officials told reporters on a call that the plan will reduce the price pharmaceutical companies set for drugs.

But when asked about whether Medicare will negotiate drugs  as Democrats have called for and the president has talked about  administration officials said that lever would not be pulled.

Instead, Trumps blueprint calls for measures such as offering free generics to low-income seniors, passing on to consumers more of the negotiated savings that insurers win, and making sure Medicare enrollees dont spiral into the so-called catastrophic phase of coverage they hit when they pay thousands of dollars a year for drugs.

Leigh Purvis, director of health services research at AARP Public Policy Institute, said the presidents proposals fail to ultimately address that spending. AARP has long called for Medicare to have the ability to negotiate prices.

Anything that doesnt address the list price really is just kind of squeezing the balloon in this world, Purvis said.

For Medicare patients, though, limiting what they pay out-of-pocket could be especially helpful to those taking cancer drugs or other expensive therapies, said Stacie Dusetzina, an associate professor of health policy at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

Today, patients who pay $5,000 out-of-pocket for prescriptions enter the catastrophic category of Medicare coverage, and are charged just 5 percent of their drug costs. But given the astronomical cost of cancer drugs, that can leave patients paying $1,000 a month or more, Dusetzina said.

Medicare patients with the deadly cancer multiple myeloma can spend $14,000 a year out-of-pocket for the drug Revlimid, which costs about $20,000 a month, Dusetzina said.

Trump also accused other developed countries of freeloading by enjoying the fruits of American innovation  including drugs developed with taxpayer money or by U.S. companies  without paying a fair price. Because national health systems in other countries have authority to negotiate drug costs  and refuse to cover some drugs entirely  their citizens often pay a fraction of the prices charged in the United States.

In some cases, medicines that cost a few dollars in foreign countries cost hundreds of dollars for the same pill in the United States, Trump said. Its unfair, its ridiculous and its not going to happen any longer. Its time to end the global freeloading once and for all.

A spokesman for Doctors Without Borders said Trump has it backward. Instead of raising drug prices abroad, costs need to come down everywhere, said Leonardo Palumbo, U.S. advocacy adviser for the groups access campaign.

Other countries arent free-riding, and lifesaving medicines arent more expensive here because they cost less elsewhere, Palumbo said.

Today, Medicare has limited power to negotiate drug prices, partly because many of the most expensive treatments  such as those for cancer patients  are in a protected class that must be covered, Dusetzina said.

To really negotiate better prices, Medicare would need the freedom to reject some drugs completely, Dusetzina added.

But excluding certain expensive drugs from the Medicare program could leave patients in a difficult position, said Chris Hansen, president of the American Cancer Societys Cancer Action Network. Patients who want an expensive drug would either have to skip it or pay for it themselves, he said.

Azar said Medicare could pressure drug companies to keep prices down in other ways.

In our drug discount program, if you have a drug in a protected class, its almost impossible for drug plans to negotiate and get a discount, Azar said. What if we said you only get to be in a protected class if you havent raised your price in 18 months?

Some policy experts, though, said Trumps proposals are mostly old ideas.

I dont think anyone is talking seriously about having Medicare negotiate with drugmakers, said Tom Bulleit, head of the health care practice at the D.C. office of Ropes & Gray.

Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), who along with Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) met with Trump at the White House a year ago to propose changes on drug prices, said, If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the champagne popping in the corporate boardrooms of drug companies across the country.

David Maris, a pharmaceutical industry analyst for Wells Fargo investors, released a note earlier this month pointing out that the increased social and economic tension on the drug industry is building.

My guess is this is just the beginning, Maris said.

Trumps plan includes tackling the rising costs of drugs in Medicares Part B program, which pays for drugs delivered in doctors offices or hospital outpatient setting  a challenge previous administrations have failed to tackle.

While the details are still vague, Trump has called for the prices paid for certain drugs under Part B  these could include expensive drugs for cancer chemotherapy and rheumatoid arthritis  to be negotiated using the same tactics insurers and pharmacy benefit managers use under Medicare Part D, which is the program that seniors use for their retail prescription drugs.

Azar said the administration plans to release a request for information to gather input on changes to the program.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America released a statement Friday saying it was looking forward to working with the administration and warning: While some of these proposals could help make medicines more affordable for patients, others would disrupt coverage and limit patients access to innovative treatments.

KHNs coverage of prescription drug development, costs and pricing is supported by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.(Natural News) Youve probably heard of the saying, When in Rome, do as the Romans do. The meaning of that phrase is clear: When youre in a foreign land, obey their rules and regulations, and respect their customs and laws.

At least, that used to be true. All over Europe today, however, that old axiom is dying a slow, agonizing death as one Left-wing, socialist country after another bends over backward to accommodate radical Islamists and extremist Muslim behavior.

In recent days, and to the outrage of many, a court in Finland ruled that its just fine for a 23-year-old Muslim man to rape a 10-year-old girl because, hey, thats just part of what those Muslim men doin their countries.

As reported by the Helsinki Times:

Finns have widely expressed their outrage and bafflement with a recent ruling in a case against a 23-year-old man who had intercourse with a ten-year-old girl.

The Turku Court of Appeal ruled last week that the defendant was guilty of aggravated child sexual abuse but not of aggravated rape and sentenced him to three years in prison, thus upholding a ruling issued in March by the District Court of Pirkanmaa.

The defendant in the case, Juusuf Muhamed Abbudin, has been acquitted of a charge of aggravated rape on grounds that the prosecution was unable to substantiate its claim that the victim had been unable to defend herself and express her lack of consent because she was in a state of fear and helplessness at the time of the act, the paper added, quoting another Finnish source.

That, too, is a ridiculous claim: How many 10-year-old girls do you know, unless theyre from Supermans planet, who can defend themselves against a grown 23-year-old man?

As noted further by Inquisitr, its quite clear that Abbudin victimized the girl. Beginning in 2016 he started making contact with her at an abandoned apartment building in the city of Tampere. Later, in another abandoned building he had sexual intercourse with her, then, afterward, would send her sexually explicit messages.

Now, how can a 10-year-old girl consent to having intercourse? First of all, how would she even know what she was agreeing to? And finally, in what country  in the West, anyway  would the consent of a 10-year-old to have sexual intercourse ever be acceptable, legally and morally?

The case eventually made it to Finlands Supreme Court, which let the lower courts rulings stand, thereby institutionalizing one sick sex act and setting the stage, no doubt, for future sick sex acts against 10-year-old girls. (Related: Beheadings, pillage and rape: Islamic jihad is heading to America.)

What happens if the next victim of a cultural sex act is younger than 10? What if shes nine? Eight? Five?

At what age in Finland is the age of consent going to wind up being?

As Inquisitr noted further:

Tuula Tamminen, Professor of Child Psychiatry at the University of Tampere, is baffled by the courts decision. She told a local newspaper that there is no way a child that age can understand what is happening to him or her, and so cannot give consent to a sexual act.

Exactly.

As noted by Robert Spencer at JihadWatch, there are many Muslim experts and clergy that excuse such sexual activity as normal for their culture.

Islam has no age barrier in marriage and Muslims have no apology for those who refuse to accept this, according to Ishaq Akintola, a professor of Islamic Eschatology and Director of Muslim Rights Concern, Nigeria.

There is no minimum marriage age for either men or women in Islamic law. The law in many countries permits girls to marry only from the age of 18. This is arbitrary legislation, not Islamic law, notes Dr. Abd Al-Hamid Al-Ubeidi, an Iraqi expert on Islamic law.

Writes Spencer: Finnish authorities might as well surrender to the local Islamic authorities and establish Sharia rule now. Theyre not just Finnish, theyre finished.

J.D. Heyes is editor of The National Sentinel and a senior writer for Natural News and News Target.

Sources include:

NewsTarget.com

JihadWatch.com

Inquisitr.comMarijuana for cancer? An overwhelming majority of oncologists don't actually know how medical marijuana can help, but a sizeable chunk clinically recommend it anyway.

A recent study demonstrates this gap between oncologists knowledge of medical marijuana and their practice in providing prescriptions to their patients.

Lack Of Knowledge Not Keeping Oncologists From Prescribing Marijuana

The survey, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, reveals that 80 percent of oncologists discuss marijuana with their patients, but only about 30 percent feel they're knowledgeable enough to make clinical recommendations about it.

More significantly, nearly half of the respondents prescribe medical marijuana to their patients despite many feeling not knowledgeable about the drug to do so.

"Unfortunately, at this time, the evidence base to support medical marijuana's efficacy in oncology is young," Dr. Ilana Braun explains. "So, often oncologists are borrowing from clinical trials for other diseases, or extrapolating from evidence on pharmaceutical-grade cannabinoids."

Braun is the study's lead author and a cancer psychiatrist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts.

One of the reasons that may be pushing doctors to recommend cannibis is the belief that it's less harmful than other options.

The study also shows that 75 percent of oncologists believe that marijuana is less likely to lead to overdose compared to opioids. Half of the surveyed doctors think it's also less likely to result in addiction.

Doctors Aren't Taught Medical Marijuana

Stephen Corn, an anesthesiologist, tells that it's not surprising that many doctors feel inadequately informed about marijuana.

"A relatively small percentage of doctors are being educated on medical cannabis," he explains, saying it's not a subject that is being tackled in medical school.

According to Corn, there have been studies that point to medical marijuana's indirect benefits to cancer patients, such as alleviating chemotherapy side-effects such as nausea and vomiting. It's also been shown to help cancer patients in dealing with their difficulty sleeping, anxiety, poor appetite, or even pain.

With plenty of anecdotal evidence, more and more patients are seeking out medical marijuana and approaching their doctors about the subject. However, it's important that oncologists also improve upon their knowledge.

"Ensuring that physicians have a sufficient knowledge on which to base their medical recommendations is essential to providing high quality care," Eric G. Campbell, Ph.D. of the University of Colorado School of Medicine says. "Our study suggests that there is clearly room for improvement when it comes to medical marijuana."In a mission to prove Albert Einstein's idea of quantum physics wrong, scientists enlisted the help of 100,000 online gamers.

Armed with nothing more, gaming enthusiasts around the world can participate in The BIG Bell Test to offer the element of unpredictability in quantum entanglement experiments.

Einstein's Principle Of Local Realism

Einstein's local realism depends on a universe independent of human observations, where influences can't travel faster than light.

The Bell Test, named after physicist John Stewart Bell, was designed to prove Einstein's local realism wrong by sending pairs of entangled particles to different locations where their properties  colors, time of arrival, etc.  are measured.

If the measurements tend to match regardless of which properties the scientists choose to measure, it means that either the measurement of one particle affects the other despite the distance between them or the properties never existed and were only created by the measurements themselves.

Countless of experiments have shown entangled particles being in sync across considerable distances, which Einstein dubbed "spooky action at a distance."

However, for the Bell Test to truly prove the argument against local realism, complete randomness in what properties are being measured is necessary  and true randomness is a difficult notion to achieve, Live Science notes. After all, invisible factors can affect a researcher's seemingly unbiased selections and so-called random computer-generated data isn't even truly random at all. Physical systems, such as computer data and a roll of a die, still offer the possibility of being coordinated with the entangled particles.

This flaw in the test is called the "freedom of choice loophole."

The BIG Bell Test

Enter, the BIG Bell Test. Starting the experiments in November 2016, the researchers introduced the human element with participants making their choice independent of the entangled particles.

The BIG Bell Test, which is described in the website as "worldwide quantum physics experiments powered by human randomness," has participants playing a game with the goal of being as random as possible in tapping out sequences of ones and zeroes.

The players' random choices were used to select the measurement settings for the comparison of the entangled particles. The data was then sent to 12 laboratories around the world to be measured.

The findings demonstrated correlated measurements that, according to the study published on May 9 in the journal Nature, "strongly contradict local realism and other realistic positions in bipartite and tripartite scenarios."

"What is most amazing for me is that the argument between Einstein and Niels Bohr, after more than 90 years of effort to make it rigorous and experimentally testable, still retains a human and philosophical element," Morgan Mitchell, project leader from the Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques in Spain, says in a statement. "We know that the Higgs boson and gravitational waves exist thanks to amazing machines, physical systems built to test the laws of physics. But local realism is a question we can't fully answer with a machine. It seems we ourselves must be part of the experiment, to keep the Universe honest."Six children from Oakland returned home Saturday, weeks after their mother died in a fatal car accident in Florida, and they could not afford to come home due to the funeral cost.

The children of the Griffin family, their ages ranging from 5 to 15 years old, arrived Saturday night at San Francisco International Airport, according to the Oakland Unified School District.

The children attend Bridges Academy, Alliance Academy and Castlemont High School, the school district said.

The Griffins took a family trip in March to Jacksonville, Florida, where Christina Marie Davis, 35, was to help a family member relocate from the East Coast to California, OUSD said.

Tragedy struck on March 23 when Davis, her sister Evelyn, her sister's boyfriend and her nephew, were involved in a multi-vehicle crash that killed them and one other victim, NBC's affiliate First Coast News reported.

"They took my soulmate, a drunk driver. There's nothing like it," said tearful Ladonald Griffin, Davis' husband.



The children had been stranded in Florida since the accident with no money to get back to Oakland, according to OUSD.

Thanks to flight vouchers from United Airlines with the Oakland Public Education Fund, the Griffins will return to the Bay Area after "extremely exhausting and emotional last few weeks," Hong Thach Program Coordinator at the Oakland Public Education Fund said.

"We hope that this small gesture will bring a measure of comfort to this family during a difficult time," United Airlines said in a statement.



The Oakland Public Education Fund has set up a GoFundMe to financially assist the children.

"To me, at the end of the day, the GoFundMe page is to making sure they money goes toward the kids," Thach said.

The children returned to school Monday. Classmates and teachers at Bridges Elementary School welcomed the children back with opened arms. The school's principal, Anita Iverson-Comelo, said she hopes the routine and the normalcy of things will help the kids transition back into their lives.

Griffin said he's just "trying to make sure to stay alive for them because I'm the only thing they got left."

The custodians of San Franciscos Presidio are searching for a new renter with some pretty specific qualifications: Must be interested in leasing 22 historic buildings; must care for rare military artifacts; must pony-up $200 million for the opportunity.

"It certainly makes the universe of potential users smaller," said Josh Bagley, the Presidio Trusts head of real estate development.

The Presidio Trust, stewards of the Presidio, have designs on converting the historic Fort Scott cluster of buildings into a "Campus for Change"  it envisions an organization, group or company transforming the twenty-two Mission Revival-style buildings into a campus devoted to social or environmental change. It's accepting applications through June 29th.

Joe Rosato Jr./NBC Bay Area

"Fort Scott has always been held aside for a higher purpose," Bagley said, citing a list of past Presidio projects that include George Lucas Letterman Digital Arts Center. The Presidio Trust has a congressional mandate to support the park without tax dollars.

Just what organization will have the interest  and the checkbook  to pull-off a project of such massive scale remains to be seen. Bagley said many of the sites twenty-two buildings need extensive rehabilitation.

"The site requires all new utility infrastructure," Bagley said. "We have nearly 300 thousand square feet of building space that needs to be rehabilitated and brought up to current codes."

Fort Scotts oldest buildings date from 1909 as part of the U.S. Armys coastal artillery defense. Since the Army left the Presidio in 1994, the forts buildings have been inhabited by a myriad of purposes; housing Presidio Police, Presidio Trust offices as well as outside organizations. The buildings include the original stockade and a barrack building that houses historic murals painted on the walls by soldiers in the 1950s.

Joe Rosato Jr./NBC Bay Area

The Mission-style buildings encircle a large parade ground with a ringside view of the Golden Gate Bridge. The enclave is surrounded by the Presidios wooded greenery and wildlife is a familiar sight on the grounds. The trust said the outdoor space will remain open to the public even after the buildings are converted into a campus.

"What better way to have your creativity sparked," said Lew Springer, the Presidios Associate Dir. of Natural Resources, "by looking out the window and seeing a great blue heron catching a gopher or a coyote ambling through and laying down in the grasses."

During a recent public tour of the grounds, Carol Clewell took-in the collection of buildings with an added sense of wonderment. Clewells grandfather was stationed in the Presidio in 1914 during World War I, and her grandparents lived on the base in military housing.

"It's just this whole area has a special place in my heart," Clewell said.

Joe Rosato Jr./NBC Bay Area

Some have speculated a large company like Google could use the site as a campus for one of its social change organizations. Bagley said the Presidio Trust has received some interest in the project  but didnt reveal any potential candidates. He said the Presidio would consider proposals from any company or organization.

Bagley said the Presidio would post the proposals on its website after June 29th deadline and begin soliciting public feedback  in a sense filling the inkwell to write the next chapter of Fort Scotts long history.The Hunters Point Naval Shipyard is a prime piece of land along San Franciscos southern waterfront, but its also at the center of a federal radiation cleanup scandal. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is going to bring everyone in to get some answers at a hearing at city hall on Monday.

The city wants to know  whats the timeline for the cleanup? Its been on hold due to allegations of fraud and revelations that the Navy is losing confidence in Tetra Tech, the contractor it paid $250 million to eliminate radioactive soil.

The NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit has looked into the cleanup for years. In 2014, we exposed an internal Tetra Tech report that says the Navy found discrepancies in some of the companys radiation cleanup data. The company admitted to the mishandling of soil samples and the falsification of data, and said it later took corrective action.

Two years later in 2016 a former worker came forward to NBC Bay Area alleging the fraud is much more widespread. Its a claim the company denies. But the whistleblowers accusations prompted the Navy in 2017 to reexamine all of Tetra Techs radiation data.

Earlier this year the Navy revealed nearly half of the data had inconsistencies and that a portion of it is likely fraudulent. Last week the U.S. Department of Justice sentenced two former Tetra Tech workers to prison for falsifying cleanup records. The company acknowledged those records were faked, but stands by the rest of its work at the shipyard.

Supervisor Malia Cohen says she is disgusted by whats transpired and wants answers from the Navy because its the agency in charge of making sure the land is safe for redevelopment.

The Navys lack of transparency and inability and unwillingness to answer questions has really caused a lot of doubt and delay on this project, she said. People want confidence in knowing theyre living on a piece of land that is clean and healthy.

The Navy plans to retest the shipyard for radiation. Tetra Tech has offered to pay for it. But Cohen wants the California Department of Public Health to take over.

If you have a tip for the Investigative Unit call 888-996-TIPS or email theunit@nbcbayarea.com.The San Francisco Department of Public Health on Friday informed 895 patients of a security breach involving personal information handled by a third-party medical transcription service. Officials added that there was no evidence that any personal information had been used for any purpose.

The transcriptions covered visits to the San Francisco Health Network, the Health Departments system of hospitals and clinics.

Patients were seen at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital or Laguna Honda Hospital.

The breach took place at Nuance Communications, a Massachusetts-based company contracted to provide medical transcription services. The information was accessed last year from Nov. 20 to Dec. 9.

Notification to patients was delayed at the request of the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice, pending their criminal investigation into the incident, health officials said. The investigation determined that a former Nuance employee breached Nuances servers and accessed the personal information of thousands of individuals from several contracted clients, including the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

The Justice Department said that it does not appear that any of the information taken was used or sold for any purpose. All the data has been recovered from the former employee.

The information accessed include personal data such as name, date of birth, medical record number, patient number, and information dictated by the provider such as patient condition, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, care plan and date of service.

The incident did not include information such as social security number, driver's License number or financial account numbers.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health is committed to maintain the privacy of our patients and takes its responsibility to address privacy incidents seriously, said Roland Pickens, Director of the San Francisco Health Network. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or concern that this situation may cause. All of our vendors are required to attest to the protection of patient privacy, as part of their contract, and we continue to audit and improve upon that process.

San Francisco Health Network patients with questions can contact the Health Departments Privacy Office toll free at (855)-729-6040 and reference Nuance or #2017-122 in the message.Hurricane Maria's large eye was slowly approaching the Turks and Caicos Islands Thursday evening after it lashed the northeastern Dominican Republic from offshore earlier in the day. The storm was blamed for at least 18 deaths in the Caribbean.

As of 2 a.m. Friday, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph) and was about 45 miles (70 km) east-southeast of Grand Turk Island. Maria was moving northwest at 7 mph (12 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.

A turn toward the north-northwest is forecast early Friday, with that motion continuing through Saturday.



The center said some fluctuation in intensity is likely during the next day or so. Hurricane warnings remained in parts of the Dominican Republic, the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Meteorologist Angie Lassman breaks down the 11pm advisory for Hurricane Maria.

The White House says President Donald Trump has spoken with the governors of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Trump said earlier Thursday that Puerto Rico was "absolutely obliterated," adding that he will soon visit the territory. Trump also said the Virgin Islands were "flattened" by Maria, as well as Irma.

The sky was darkening Thursday afternoon as 10-year-old Sarah Jimenez laid out three plastic buckets on her grandmother's patio in hopes of capturing rainwater.

"We can use it to at least flush the toilets," she told her grandmother.

A day after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, flooding towns, crushing homes and killing at least two people, millions of people on the island faced the dispiriting prospect of weeks and perhaps months without electricity.

The storm knocked out the entire grid across the U.S. territory of 3.4 million, leaving many without power to light their homes, cook, pump water or run fans, air conditioners or refrigerators.

As a result, Sarah and others hunted for gas canisters for cooking, collected rainwater or prepared themselves mentally for the hardships to come in the tropical heat. Some contemplated leaving the island.

"You cannot live here without power," said Hector Llanos, a 78-year-old retired New York police officer who planned to go back to the U.S. mainland on Saturday to live there temporarily.

Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit cried as he spoke to a reporter on the nearby island of Antigua, saying that more than 15 people died due to the storm and that it was a miracle that the death toll was not in the hundreds.

Two people died in the French Caribbean territory of Guadeloupe, while Puerto Rico's governor told CNN one man died after being hit by flying debris, though that has not been confirmed.

The toll could still rise. Skerrit said 20 people remained missing Thursday, days after Maria hit as a Category 5 storm, while severe flooding was still a danger Puerto Rico.

Its forecasted path would take it far offshore of the U.S. mainland by the beginning of next week.

Residents in the small town of Samana in the Dominican Republic began cleaning up on Thursday after Hurricane Maria barreled through earlier in the day.

Homes, all of them made of wood, were destroyed, their roofs ripped off and carried away. Residents in the town wondered how the government would help them now that they had nothing left.

Dominica took the first hit from the storm, which brought its massive Category 5 force in a direct hit late Monday night and early Tuesday. Hundreds of homes were destroyed, the mountainous island's communication systems were cutt off and its airport was shut.

Skerrit said Dominica "is going to need all the help the world has to offer."

Puerto Ricans are rebuilding after the hurricane slammed into the U.S. territory Wednesday, crushing concrete balconies and paralyzing the island with landslides, flooding and downed trees.

Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans stunned by a hurricane that crushed concrete balconies and paralyzed the island with landslides, flooding and downed trees vowed to slowly rebuild amid an economic crisis as rescue crews fanned out across the U.S. territory.

The extent of the damage is unknown given that dozens of municipalities remain isolated and without communication after Maria hit the island Wednesday morning as a Category 4 storm with 155 mph winds, the strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in over 80 years.

Uprooted trees and widespread flooding blocked many highways and streets across the island, creating a maze that forced drivers to go against traffic and past police cars that used loudspeakers to warn people they must respect a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew imposed by the governor to ensure everyone's safety.

In the Dominican Republican, Maria knocked down trees and power lines. But Joel Santos, president of the country's hotel association, said the hurricane did not damage the tourism infrastructure, even though it passed close to Punta Cana, the major resort area on the eastern tip of the island.

In Dominica, where Maria laid waste to hundreds of homes and was blamed for at least 15 deaths, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit wept as he spoke to a reporter on the nearby island of Antigua.

"It is a miracle there were not hundreds of deaths," he said. He added: "Dominica is going to need all the help the world has to offer."In a city where rents have gone through the roof, one tenant held on to a real steal: $28.43 a month for a Manhattan apartment.

The New York Post reports that's what Patricia O'Grady paid for the Greenwich Village walk-up where she moved in 1955. She stayed until she died recently at 84.

O'Grady lived there with three other aspiring actresses who swept the hallway in exchange for their $16 rent.

The space was initially bare, without furniture, a sink, a bath, hot water or heat. But they had two fireplaces and a stove. They later installed a sink and other basic furnishings.

The other women moved out long ago, but that's pretty much how it stayed till March when O'Grady died after she was hit by a car near the apartment on Sixth Avenue.

By then, her rent had gone up by $12 in more than six decades. She refused offers for improvements from the building's owner, Adam Pomerantz, who runs his Murray's Bagels at street level.

O'Grady was adamant about any changes in her home, saying, "Please leave the apartment as is," according to Pomerantz.

When her single light bulb went out, she lived by candlelight.

During the day, she could be found at the nearby 14th Street YMCA, where she swam, showered and read The New York Times.

O'Grady always paid her rent early, Pomerantz said.

"I consulted with an attorney to find out if this rent was possible," he told the Post. He just had to tweak it a bit, using a rent-control worksheet to come up with a $1.98 increase.

O'Grady appeared in dozens of theater productions, as well as TV soap operas, the movie "Taxi Driver," and she took dance classes at the Joffrey Ballet School.

Fellow actors remember using her living room as a rehearsal space, with a Siamese cat roaming around.

Pomerantz now plans to gut and renovate O'Grady's lifelong home into a two-bedroom apartment, according to the Post.

The new rent? Maybe about $5,000 in today's New York City.Connecticut Republicans have opened their two-day political convention, where they'll endorse candidates for federal and statewide offices.

The party faithful were gathering Friday at Foxwoods Resort Casino. They are scheduled to back candidates for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, including the open 5th congressional district seat. There may be endorsements for a couple of statewide offices as well.

Saturday is expected to be the main event, when the 1,159 delegates endorse a candidate for governor. The field is a crowded one, considering Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is not seeking a third term.

The race got a little smaller on Friday, when gubernatorial contender New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart announced she will run instead run for lieutenant governor, acknowledging she didn't have enough delegate support.

Also on Friday, former Meriden Mayor Manny Santos won the CT GOP endorsement in the 5th Congressional District Elizabeth Estys seat.

However, retired university professor Ruby O'Neill garnered 97 votes, enough to participate in the Aug. 14 primary. O'Neill told reporters she plans to challenge Santos.

Rep. Elizabeth Esty announced she would not seek re-election amid allegations she failed to protect staff from harassment and threats of violence by her former chief of staff, creating uncertainty and giving Republicans a significant boost in a race for what has historically been a swing district.

Firefighters responded to a fire at the M & R Frosted Food Company in West Haven on Saturday morning.

The fire broke out in the building at 168 Peabody Street sometime around 7:30 a.m.

Crews from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection also responded to the scene to investigate whether any chemicals were involved.

After investigating, they determined there were no issues with chemicals.

M&R has been in business in West Haven for 50 years, according to the owner. The company delivers food for school lunch programs in Connecticut.

Company workers were last in the building at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, according to fire officials.

Investigators said they don't believe the fire was intentionally set, but they are still looking for the cause.

No one was injured.Eric Gilberts $17,000 window project didnt turn out quite the way he pictured it.

In September 2017, the Bristol man signed a contract and put down half the payment for a sliding glass door and three replacement windows.

When the installer came back to do the job six weeks later, Gilbert said he noticed the measurements were off. As a result, Gilbert said the frame was wider than he wanted.

The roof on the bay window was also a different color than the roof on the rest of the house.

Gilbert said he called the company multiple times to work out a resolution. The company told NBC Connecticut it offered to order new window products for him.

Communications between the two parties broke down and Gilberts account ended up in collections for the $9,000 balance.

At an impasse, Gilbert called NBC Connecticut Responds to sort out the problem.

After we got involved, the company offered Gilbert a new payment plan, reducing his balance to $2,000.It's a big graduation weekend in North Texas. For many college grads that means a whole new adventure in the workplace. Those staying here in Texas are finding a job market with lots of options.

According to research by LinkedIn, Dallas/Fort Worth is the seventh-best market in the country when it comes to jobs for recent college grads. Austin is ninth on the list. New York City has the most job opportunities.

At University of North Texas, the end of college -- is also a beginning. Not only for parents seeing their children off, but for business majors who graduated Friday; they are about to write their own story.

"I don't know exactly where I'm going yet," said Scotty Cook, who is continuing his career in the Army. "I'm hoping one of three -- California, Germany or Japan."

Cook studied entrepreneurship. He hopes to return to his home state, eventually.

"Most of the people I've seen have been Texas-driven," he said. "That's just how Texas is, I think. It's one big family."

Cook is not alone. Many grads say they already have jobs lined up in North Texas.

"There are a lot of jobs in DFW," said Marne Davidson. "So it's not too difficult."

Davidson moved here with her husband to get away from cold Utah winters. She interned at a mechanical construction company here in Texas, which offered her a job.

"I fell in love with it and I've been hired on with their marketing team," she said.

Imeon Holmes' job search includes Texas and the Carolinas, but he's narrowed his choices down to Dallas.

"It's been interesting," said Holmes. "With my degree, you can fit into any industry."

The job market in North Texas, for these grads, is full of potential. They may not know where life's road will eventually lead them.

But they appear to be on the right path.Police have released photos of a man they said is responsible for setting fire to two molotov cocktails in Fort Worth's Hulen Mall.

Officials said at about 2:30 p.m. Friday a man threw one lit Molotov cocktail at a clothing rack in the men's clothing department at Dillard's and then again in the men's department at Sears. [[482453321, R]]

The fire was put out by employees and there were no injuries reported.

Arson investigators were at the scene hoping to identify the man on surveillance video. They did use that video to track the man's movements through the mall and believe they captured an image of a vehicle they believe the suspect used to leave the mall.

Shortly after 8 p.m. Friday, a large group of Fort Worth Police officers, along with FBI, ATF and Homeland Security suited up to head inside the mall. Fort Worth Fire Spokesman Lt. Kyle Faulkner said they were taking extra precautions to sweep for any other weapons, or any sign of the suspect.

"We asked for really, essentially more bodies here to help us cover every inch of the area of the mall that we were able to track this person's movements, to make absolutely sure there's no other bottles of the type that were left before," Lt. Faulkner said. "Trying to do due diligence and go through and sweep every inch."

Faulkner also said crews have tested the liquid in the Molotov cocktails and while they won't go into detail on what it is, they say there's no reason to think it released anything toxic into the air.

Hulen Mall remained open throughout the incident and opened as normal on Saturday.Julian Castro is sparking more speculation that he's gearing up for a run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

The former San Antonio, Texas mayor and Housing and Urban Development secretary under President Barack Obama told AP Saturday that he'll decide on a White House run after the midterm elections, adding he'll make a decision by the end of the year.

Castro was in the first-in-the-nation primary state to deliver the commencement address at New England College in Henniker.

Castro is one of four Democratic White House hopefuls in Granite State this weekend. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti gives a commencement speech Sunday at Southern New Hampshire University.

Congressman John Delaney of Maryland and former Missouri Secy. of State Jason Kander are also in the state.President Donald Trumps lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said Saturday that the president did not intervene in the Justice Department's decision to block the AT&T- Time Warner merger  walking back earlier comments appearing to suggest that Trump did.

Giuliani told NBC News Saturday that Trump said he "was against that merger when [he] ran."

The former New York City mayor added that the president was out of the loop on Michael Cohen's consulting deal with AT&T. The telecom giant paid Cohen, who had served as Trump's personal lawyer until recently, $600,000 for help with insights into the presidents thinking. Giuliani said Trump told him he "had no knowledge at all of the payment to Cohen."

The president also told him that he had "no idea" of the influence Cohen claimed to have in his business contracts and that Cohen "certainly never lobbied" him, according to Giuliani.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is encouraging Angelenos to participate in two gun buyback events Saturday, sponsored by his Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development.

The gun buyback allows residents to surrender weapons anonymously, with no questions asked, in exchange for gift cards, which are valued at $100 for handguns, shotguns, and rifles and $200 for assault weapons as classified in the state of California.

The gift cards will be given out only while supplies last, and all firearms brought to a buyback location must be unloaded and stored in a locked container or a vehicle trunk, Garcetti's office said.

"Fewer guns means fewer chances for crimes and tragic accidents that devastate our families and communities," Garcetti said. "We're going to keep bringing down gun violence in Los Angeles, and a big part of that is working with responsible owners to get dangerous, unwanted firearms off the street and out of homes -- so they can never fall into the hands of criminals or children."

Garcetti set a goal last year to get at least 20,000 guns off the streets of L.A. in five years, and his office said the city is ahead of the pace to meet that goal, as it collecting 7,300 last year alone, which the most since 2013.

At two gunback events last year, the city collected 788 weapons, including an array of assault rifles, shotguns, handguns and even a couple of rocket launchers.

Although some studies have concluded that gun buyback programs are ineffective at reducing crime, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck credited the program last year as one of the key reasons that gun violence has dropped in the city since the program began in 2006.

"I know there are a number of studies that show just gun buybacks don't affect the number of victims shot, but we don't do just gun buybacks. This is part of the greater strategy," Beck said. "It's also not just a crime issue. Most gun violence is suicide."

The gun buyback events will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Frank Hotchkin Training Center at 1700 Stadium Way near Dodger Stadium, and at the Facey Medical Group at 11165 Sepulveda Blvd in Mission Hills.President Donald Trump and his lawyers likely won't decide whether he will answer questions from Russia probe investigators until after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month, according to the president's legal team.

Rudy Giuliani, the president's new attorney, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday that any preparation with Trump for a possible interview with federal investigators would likely be delayed until after the June 12 summit in Singapore because "I wouldn't want to take his concentration off something far, far more important."

Giuliani, who also suggested that special counsel Robert Mueller's team had indicated it would not attempt to indict Trump, said he had hoped to resolve the question of a possible interview by May 17, the one-year anniversary of Mueller's appointment, but that was no longer feasible.

"Several things delayed us, with the primary one being the whole situation with North Korea," Giuliani said. "The president has been very busy. It really would be pretty close to impossible to spend the amount of time on it we would need."

The president's lawyers have not decided whether it would be in Trump's best interest to sit for an interview. Giuliani warned that it could be a "perjury trap" and suggested that "lies told by others" could land the president in legal trouble, though he said that Trump himself would not close the door entirely on an interview.

"The president would probably like the resolution," the former New York City mayor said. "If we were convinced it would speed up the process, we may do it. If we believed they would go into it honestly and with an open mind, we would be inclined to do it. But right now, we're not there."

Mueller's investigation has operated largely in secrecy, with the public getting only glimpses into its operation through witnesses who are questioned or when indictments and guilty pleas are unsealed. But Giuliani suggested that a recent conversation with Mueller's team led him to believe that the special counsel, citing a Justice Department opinion, had ruled out the possibility of trying to indict a sitting president.

Mueller has floated the idea of issuing a grand jury subpoena for Trump to answer questions, former Trump attorney John Dowd has said, though it is unclear how serious prosecutors were about such a move. Even if Mueller's team decided to subpoena Trump as part of the investigation, the president could still fight it in court or refuse to answer questions by invoking his Fifth Amendment protection from self-incrimination.

Giuliani said Friday that if a subpoena were issued to get Trump to appear, the president's legal team would oppose it unless they could "reach agreement on the ground rules." He argued that Trump could invoke executive privilege, and the team would point to Justice Department opinions in fighting a subpoena and "on both law and the facts, we would have the strongest case you could imagine." He noted the handover of 1.2 million documents as evidence of cooperation.

He also indicated that the president's lawyers may be "more likely" to agree to an interview if Mueller's team narrowed the scope of what it was investigating. Though Giuliani would not provide an exact date for when a determination would be made about the interview, he said it probably "would be silly to make a decision" much before the highly anticipated summit. He said that the demands on Trump's time meant that his legal team had "not done a lot" in terms of preparing the president for a possible in-person interview.

"It would take a while and he's focused on North Korea," said Giuliani.

A number of Trump allies, including Vice President Mike Pence this week, have stepped up calls for Mueller's investigation to wrap up, suggesting it was interfering in the president's ability to do the country's business. Mueller's team is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible coordination with Trump associates as well as whether the president obstructed justice. So far, the special counsel's office has charged 19 people  including four Trump campaign advisers  and three Russian companies.

Both Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and his deputy campaign chairman, Rick Gates, have pleaded guilty and are now cooperating with the probe. A number of other former White House and campaign staffers, including Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon, as well as Inauguration Day committee chairman Tom Barrack, have been interviewed.

Trump's longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen, had his office and home raided by federal agents and, this week, was revealed to have been selling his insight into Trump to corporations. Giuliani said the arrangement "looks bad" but insisted there was no crime.

Giuliani demurred when asked if Trump would consider it a "red line" for his children to be interviewed. Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared, Kushner, both worked on the campaign and are senior advisers at the White House, while Trump's adult sons, Don Jr. and Eric, were also leading figures on the campaign. Giuliani said he did not expect those interviews with Mueller to take place.

"Our understanding is that he's pretty much finished," Giuliani said. "As far we know, we're basically the last witness."

The special counsel's office has not outlined the duration of the probe.

Some of Trump's recent tweets revealed the president's anxiety about how the investigation could sway voters as they decide whether to keep congressional Republicans in power or force him to face an aggressive Democratic majority. Giuliani repeated his call for the probe to end soon but suggested that if it lasted until November's midterms, "it would be helping Republicans."

"It makes the campaign feel it it's about impeachment," the former mayor said. "I think the Democrats would be making the same mistake we did back during Clinton."

In 1998, months after Clinton was impeached, voter backlash cost the Republicans' chance to pick up seats in both Houses of Congress.

Associated Press writers Chad Day and Eric Tucker contributed reporting.What to Know Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg says Americans are facing an "epidemic of dishonesty"

He didn't call out any specific politician, saying it's bigger than one person or one party

Bloomberg spoke to graduates at Rice University in Texas on Saturday

Americans are facing an "epidemic of dishonesty" in Washington that's more dangerous than terrorism or communism, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned.

Bloomberg said in a commencement speech Saturday at Texas' Rice University that "an endless barrage of lies" and a trend toward "alternate realities" in national politics pose a dire threat to U.S. democracy.

The 76-year-old billionaire, who flirted with an independent presidential run in 2016, did not call out any politicians by name.

Although he derided Donald Trump as "a con" and a "dangerous demagogue" before his election, in an interview before the speech Bloomberg refused to comment specifically on the Republican president's troubled history with the truth. Fact checkers have determined that Trump has made hundreds of false and misleading statements since entering the Oval Office.

"This is bigger than any one person. It's bigger than any one party," he said in the interview.

In the speech, Bloomberg evoked the legend of the nation's first president, George Washington, who as a boy said he could not tell a lie when asked if he cut down a cherry tree.

"How did we go from a president who could not tell a lie to politicians who cannot tell the truth?" Bloomberg asked Rice graduates and their families gathered in Houston.

He blamed "extreme partisanship" for an unprecedented tolerance of dishonesty in U.S. politics. People are committed more to their political tribes than the truth, he said, suggesting that the nation is more divided than any time since the Civil War.

"There is now more tolerance for dishonesty in politics than I have seen in my lifetime," Bloomberg said. "The only thing more dangerous than dishonest politicians who have no respect for the law is a chorus of enablers who defend their every lie."

For example, he noted that Democrats spent much of the 1990s defending President Bill Clinton against charges of lying and personal immorality just as Republicans attacked the lack of ethics and honesty in the White House. Just the reverse is happening today, he said.

He also warned that such deep levels of dishonesty could enable what he called "criminality." Asked what specifically he was talking about, Bloomberg noted "lots of investigations" going on, but he declined to be more specific.

Several Trump associates are facing criminal charges as part of a federal probe into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election. Three have already pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI. Federal investigators want to interview Trump himself, although the president's legal team has resisted so far.

"When elected officials speak as though they are above the truth, they will act as though they are above the law," Bloomberg told Rice graduates. "And when we tolerate dishonesty, we get criminality. Sometimes, it's in the form of corruption. Sometimes, it's abuse of power. And sometimes, it's both."A San Marcos veterinarian facing weapons and substance abuse charges has had his license to practice suspended by the California Veterinary Medical Board (VMB).

Dr. Brian J. Hosking, a veterinarian at San Marcos Animal Medical Center on Rancho Santa Fe, had his license suspended on May 4 after it was determined he was unfit to practice because of drug use and a mental health condition, according to court documents. The hospital was also shut down.

"I can't believe this," Irene Wilkinson said. "Oh, my. This is a terrible turn of events. He's done wonders for my animals I just can't believe it.

The petition to suspend Hosking's license was brought against him by the board on December 6, 2017. It was not clear what prompted the VMB to call for the review.

In the review, a psychologist said Hosking posed an immediate danger to his patients and the public if he continued practicing.

NBC 7 learned two months before the petition was filed, Hosking was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance. Two weeks later, he was arrested for possessing a rifle and ammunition while being prohibited from doing so.

"You didn't think of him as someone who could be addicted to alcohol or addicted to benzos, he just was into the animals, really into the animals," former customer Desiree Caldwell said.



In petition documents, the VMB said Hosking's license was placed on probation in 2000 after a psychologist determined he suffered from chronic alcoholism.

The psychologist told the board Hosking admitted to eight DUI convictions, that there was evidence of Oxazepam abuse and that he had a history of paranoia, delusions and hallucinations, which could have been a result of drug or alcohol abuse.

"He came across a little different to people to me, slightly odd, but when it came to my animal it was like he was feeling whatever my pet was feeling, very sympathetic to my dog," Caldwell said.



Similarly, the psychologist evaluation ordered in 2017 determined Hosking was impaired by a mental illness that could affect his competency.

Hosking's attorney told NBC 7 in a written statement, "for many years now clients have had the highest praise for the compassionate, kind and excellent care Dr. Hosking provided to their pets. the doctor's patients have always been in excellent care."

Hosking is expected to appear in San Diego County court in late May.When her son was diagnosed with a rare, life-threatening kidney condition, a woman from Prince George's County, Maryland, didn't think twice about donating her kidney.



Cheryl Whitaker never imagined that a health crisis would strike her eldest son. But at 22, Christopher needed a kidney transplant.

Cheryl was a match.

She didnt hesitate. She donated her kidney to her son just weeks before Mother's Day, possibly extending his life by decades.

He came in and he said, You are a hero, and I didnt feel like a hero, the mother of four said. I think that any mom would do this.

Christopher was finishing college and was excited about starting a career in IT, when doctors found that he had a rare kidney disease, known as FSGS (focal segmental glomerulosclerosis), which destroys kidney functions.

It was weird, because I had no real symptoms. I felt normal. I felt like a very healthy adult, he said.

Eight months ago, doctors said Christopher needed a transplant to survive.

His father, mother and two younger brothers were tested to see if they were a match. It turned out every one of them was.

The brothers were the most logical donors because they were younger, stronger and healthier. But for Cheryl, whos in her 50s, it wasnt even an option.

They were willing to do it, but theres no way I could have two sons on that table, she said.

For the Whitaker family, it was a miracle that Cheryl was a match for her son. Some people wait on the transplant list for years or some peoples donors back out, Christopher said.

The fact that my mom stepped up, and not once, never complained ... that made me feel much better, he said.

The transplant happened two weeks ago. Both Cheryl and Christopher are doing fine, and Christophers new kidney is already working.A couple who had to postpone their wedding after a deadly attack in Charlottesville, Virginia, last summer is finally tying the knot.

Marcus Martin and Marissa Blair were protesting a white nationalist rally with their friend Heather Heyer on Aug. 12, 2017 when a driver suddenly plowed into the crowd.

Heyer died in the crash. She was 32.



Seconds before the car barreled through, Martin shoved Blair out of its path to save her. But the driver slammed into Martin, leaving him badly injured.

An image of Martin's body in mid-air went viral.

"I couldn't get out of bed, but Marissa was there every step, every...everything," Martin said.

Martin couldn't continue his landscaping job while he recovered from his injuries and the couple had to put their wedding plans on pause.

Then a community of vendors heard their story and decided to donate their services to Martin and Blair.

"It's the right thing to do. It's for our community. That horrific day in Charlottesville, most of us couldn't believe that we were watching where we're from," said Christina Moore with Bella Giornata Events and Design.

The venue at Walden Hall in Reva, Virginia, the caterer, the photographer all stepped up to help Martin and Blair have their wedding this weekend.

"This day, weve been waiting for this day and we know its going to be more than we expected, Blair said.



"We're definitely celebrating that love wins, that hate does not have the last word," Moore said.

While the happy couple is overwhelmed with love, they cannot escape the memory of deep loss.

To remember Heyer, they are having her mother, Susan Heyer, walk down the aisle and release butterflies.

Through tragedy, the couple says they have learned an important lesson.

"Expect nothing appreciate everything," Blair said.What to Know At least five Virginia students are at the center of a sexting investigation for spreading naked images, according to court documents.

Charges have not been issued in the case.

At least five Virginia students are at the center of a sexting investigation for spreading naked images, according to court documents.

An assistant principal at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School informed a school resource officer that naked pictures were being circulated throughout the school, court documents say. Officials are investigating three Henderson students and two at George Mason High School.

Charges have not been issued in the case.

The assistant principal discussed a recent videotaped fight between two Henderson students with the officer last month, noting one of the students involved had recently broken up with his girlfriend, court records indicate. The pair told police they exchanged naked photos.

After the relationship ended, the girl sent the boys naked photo to another Henderson student on Snapchat, according to court documents. The recipient then posted the boys photo on Snapchat for about 10 minutes and told police he believes two other students may have taken screenshots of the image. After deleting the picture from Snapchat, the recipient also sent the photo to another student, court documents said.

While searching one students phone, police found a picture of a girl's breasts exposed, court records say. The student said the girl was a ninth grader at George Mason and that the photo was a screenshot from a live Instagram video the girl filmed.

The girl told police she made a video in which her breasts were exposed, according to court documents. When police searched her phone, they found a video of a male masturbating.

Police confiscated five phones, according to court records.

In Virginia, possession and distribution of child porn can be a felony, Falls Church School District Spokesman John Brett told News4. An effort to make sexting among minors a misdemeanor didnt pass in the General Assembly this year.

Kids always do stupid things with technology, parent Jenny Mcilwain said. Its just another way to do stupid things.Friday marks one year since a Naples, Maine man was arrested on his way to work, separated from his family, and deported to Guatemala.

Its horrible, said Otto Morales-Caballeros on the phone. Its not easy being far away from your wife and friends.

His wife, Sandra Merlim, has been able to travel from Naples to Guatemala twice, as she continues to fight a legal battle to get him back.

Thats my husband, she said, and Im going to move heaven and earth until I get him home.

Morales-Caballeros moved to the U.S. when he was 16 years old, at the end of the Guatemalan Civil War. He says at the time, he did not understand how to navigate the complex U.S. immigration system, and was advised to simply fly under the radar.

For decades, he lived a quiet life in Maine. He held a job, got married, and became a part of his community. But he was eventually caught using fraudulent documents for employment. Morales-Caballeros says he was cooperative with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and tried for years to get legal immigration status.

Last year, ICE officers caught him by surprise, and arrested him on the way to work. He went to jail, then boarded a plane wearing handcuffs. Hes been in Guatemala ever since.

Hes so depressed, said Merlim. Ive never seen him like this. He used to have a perpetual smile. Hes lost it.

The couple has been working with an immigration attorney, and recently got an Alien Relative waiver approved. But because of a backlog in the immigration courts, Morales-Caballeros case is moving slowly.

While the couple is trying to stay strong, they both admit they have difficult days. Merlim says she cant understand why the Trump administration would want to deport hard-working, nonviolent immigrants.

I would ask [President Trump] how safe hes making America by taking peoples husbands away, she said.A New Hampshire doctor was arrested Friday on sexual assault charges.

Police say 57-year-old Dr. Hugh MacDonald of Newfields was arrested shortly before 1:30 p.m. at his office on Exeter Road in Newmarket. He faces seven counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault.

The arrest came after a monthslong investigation by the Newmarket Police Department, working with the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office and other authorities.

Hospital officials released a statement saying that the safety and security of their patients remained their top priority.

"We are cooperating fully with the police. Dr. MacDonald will not be performing services at the Hospital or Wentworth Health Partners pending further developments," read the statement from Wentworth-Douglass Hospital.



MacDonald was held on $100,000 bail. He is expected to be arraigned Monday.

It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.It's the familiar Boston tunnel that everyone takes from the Massachusetts Turnpike to the Prudential Center. Now, fixtures at the end are heaps of trash on a ledge with soda bottles, dirty clothes and food wrappers.

High above that garbage, on a concrete slab, nestled in a nook, is a place where NBC10 Boston caught people living.

"I wouldn't expect this," said one driver.

At one point, a man can be seen on camera throwing his food garbage down to one of two piles below. We also caught two men walking on the highway to get into the tunnel.

"In the past, you see, like, the garbage, you see pillows and stuff like that," said Osa Obanor of Dorchester.

Drivers mostly notice the garbage, but have a hard time seeing the people hidden away in the tunnel because it's so high up.

"I imagine they think it's just a place that's safe where they can get away from other people," said Obanor. "There's people on the side of the freeway when you're going down the turnpike, as well."

It's unclear how many people are up there or how long they've been there. A security camera is visible from the outside.

NBC10 Boston asked the Massachusetts Department of Transportation if this is a security and safety issue, and if they know people are living up there.

MassDOT referred questions to Massachusetts State Police. A spokesperson there says they are concerned about people walking on the highway.

State Police also say they have homeless outreach troopers on this area, and that they're reaching out to those troopers.Ferry service from Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard has been beset by problems this year, with over 500 cancellations in the first four months, mostly due to mechanical and operational issues on the ships.

"It seems like the Steamship Authority may not have its act together," said Priscilla McCormack, who routinely uses the service.

The boats are critical for both islanders and tourists.

The problems have ranged from generator failures to plumbing issues, in some cases stranding passengers for hours.

The ship named "Martha's Vineyard" has been responsible for much of the disruption, even after it came back from repairs.

"We had a midlife refurbishment of that vessel," said Steamship Authority General Manager Robert Davis. "When it came back online, there were a number of issues that have come to light."

Two Cape Cod lawmakers have now sent a letter to the Steamship Authority, critical of its maintenance, operations and lack of transparent communications with passengers.

The lawmakers are urging the Steamship Authority to hire an outside consultant for a comprehensive review of the system and to hire a communications manager so islanders and tourists are better informed.

"With the series of incidents that have been unreliable, there are some questions about, 'Hey, you know, what's going on?'" said Massachusetts Sen. Julian Cyr, who represents the Cape and Islands.

The monthly board meeting for the Steamship Authority takes place on Tuesday on Martha's Vineyard.

Board members will be explaining to islanders how they're tackling the issues. They are expected to get an earful in return.

"I think a lot of people have had a lot of trouble," said Vineyard resident Emily Moehnke. "My husband commutes often and he's been delayed and he's been frustrated."Yattendon-based company to create more jobs under Enterprise Investment Scheme

WEST Berkshire Brewery (WBB) is hoping to raise 1.47m under its latest fundraiser scheme in a bid to create more jobs.

The Yattendon-based company has already raised 9.63m under the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) from more than 1,300 new shareholders  many of whom are Berkshire residents.

An EIS is a tax-efficient way to invest in the new shares of small businesses, as well as giving much-needed capital to businesses that cannot get funding from traditional methods like banks.

Now the brewery is looking to raise another 1.47m through the scheme to support the demands of the high-flying business.

WBB chairman David Bruce anticipates the money can be raised within three months, which he hopes will create around 10 new jobs by the autumn.

Mr Bruce said: Its not just about having people to brew the beer.

Were looking to create more jobs right across the board, from accounts, sales representatives and drivers.

Its not just the shareholders who benefit  its going to generate a huge amount of income for the local economy.

To date, the company has invested 6m in its new, state-of-the-art brewery and its bottling, canning and kegging facilities on its Old Dairy site.

It has also invested 1m in two London freehold pubs.

The company has already outgrown its 38,000 sq ft premises, which it moved into in November, and has just agreed terms with its landlord, Yattendon Estates, to lease a further 30,000 sq ft.

Sales for February, March and April have increased, 87 per cent, 95 per cent and 160 per cent respectively on last year.

The brewery is also awaiting the arrival of more fermenting and conditioning tanks  worth 2m  from Italian company CFT, one of the worlds biggest manufacturer of brewery vats.

Mr Bruce said: This continues to be a transformational time for West Berkshire Brewery.

I am delighted that we need to invest further and create yet more new jobs in our rural area in addition to the 20 we have created since our move only six months ago.Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) is a rare disease in which abnormal cells build up inside the veins responsible for carrying oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the heart. It restricts blood flow through these vessels, eventually sealing them off entirely if left untreated. Typically affecting young children, the most severe form of PVS progresses very quickly and can cause death within a matter of months after diagnosis.

Until recently, treatment options have been limited to keeping the pulmonary veins open through catheterization or surgery. Yet this approach only removes the cells but does nothing to prevent their regrowth. Now, a clinical trial shows that adding chemotherapy to a treatment regimen including catheterization and surgery can deter abnormal cellular growth and finally give children with PVS a chance to grow up.

Results of the trial, run by the Boston Children's Hospital Pulmonary Vein Stenosis Program, were recently published in the Journal of Pediatrics.

"Through this approach, we've created the first-ever population of survivors who are living with severe PVS," says Christina Ireland, RN, MS, FNP, who has managed enrolling patients in the trial and treating new patients since the trial ended. "We've changed this disease from an acute killer to a chronic, manageable condition."

The earlier the patients were able to start chemotherapy, the better they are faring now, according to Boston Children's cardiologist and researcher Kathy Jenkins, MD, MPH, who was senior author on the paper. Working with neuro-oncologist Mark Kieran, MD, PhD, of the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Jenkins brought the innovative chemotherapy approach to PVS patients at the Boston Children's Heart Center.

"In cancer treatment, chemotherapy works by targeting certain receptors on abnormal cells," Jenkins says. "We started down this path because we had reason to believe that PVS cells had similar types of receptors."

Finding common ground in vascular disease

Jenkins, Kieran and a team of collaborators zeroed in on receptors for platelet-derived growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor as targets that two types of leading chemotherapies (imatinib mesylate and bevacizumab) are able to attack.

"By targeting these growth factor receptors with chemotherapy, we hypothesized that we could be successful in slowing down the abnormal cellular buildup caused by pulmonary vein stenosis," says Ryan Callahan, MD, a pediatric cardiologist at Boston Children's and the first author on the paper.

Given the promise of the approach, the Food and Drug Administration initially approved the clinical trial to include ten patients as a pilot. Soon, however, patient responses showed that the approach was working without undue toxicity. Consequently, the trial expanded to treat 48 total patients over the course of five years.

"By the 48th week of treatment, we were able to stabilize PVS progression and prevent further lung damage in 31 percent of the children we treated," Jenkins says. "At 72 weeks, 77 percent of patients treated per our protocol were still alive. This is truly remarkable when you consider that historically, children diagnosed with severe PVS have been given mere months to live."

Racing to provide treatment in time

Jenkins says that when a patient presents with acute symptoms of PVS, the heart and lungs are both at jeopardy.

"The lungs need ventilation and blood flow to survive," Jenkins says. "When patients reach a point where their PVS has progressed to a severe enough degree, it's possible for them to lose function of one or both lungs. Additionally, keeping the veins clear is critical to ensure that the heart isn't under dangerous strain from struggling to pump blood."

Ireland agrees. "From the children we've treated in our trial, we've quickly learned that early intervention is the key to preventing permanent cardiac scarring and lung damage that can impact their long-term quality of life," she says.

Ireland has played a special role in the success of the trial. Jenkins and other colleagues say she stopped at nothing to bring nearly 50 young patients and their parents from all over the U.S. to Boston to receive treatment, even sending out a medical jet to get them when necessary.

Going above and beyond

After the patients arrived and were medically cleared to receive treatment, Ireland helped navigate the road ahead. She worked to get the experimental therapy approved by families' insurance companies and coordinated every aspect of each child's care. For children who were too young to swallow the chemotherapy pills, Ireland showed parents how to crush the pills and add them to apple juice.

"A clinical trial served in a juice glass!" Ireland has said with a laugh.

She gave out her personal cell phone number to every single child's parents so that they could contact her day or night to ask questions about the medication or their child's condition. Today, she regularly gets text updates about how the trial's graduates are starting new years at school, reaching milestone birthdays and celebrating holidays with their families.

As a co-author on the clinical trial results paper, Ireland hopes the peer-reviewed data will help speed up insurance approvals for use of the chemotherapy drugs in PVS and influence other cardiology departments to begin chemotherapy as soon as a child is diagnosed with progressive PVS.

Shifting pulmonary vein stenosis from acute to chronic

Despite the success of the trial, new challenges still lie ahead for the growing cohort of PVS survivors.

"The newly-formed 'chronic' PVS patient population is growing up with unique heart and lung conditions that require innovative treatment," Jenkins says. "For example, some children who did not receive chemotherapy early enough are now undergoing heart and lung surgeries to address scarring caused by PVS. Without chemotherapy, however, these children may not still be alive to face these medical challenges."

Although the number of patients with chronic PVS is still small, it's quickly growing. As each child reaches new milestones that were not possible before, Jenkins and Ireland adapt to create personalized treatment plans for each and every one of them.

"We tell parents that even though there haven't been many patients in your child's shoes, we've been the team that's seen them all," Ireland says. "There isn't another clinic out there that knows how to treat PVS like we do."As some insurers angle for hefty premium hikes and concerns grow that more Americans will wind up uninsured, the federal health law is likely  once again  to play big in both parties strategies for the contentious 2018 election.

Candidates are already honing talking points: Is the current dysfunction the result of the law or of GOP attempts to dismantle it?

The impact of changes to the law made by Republicans over the past year  modifications short of the "repeal and replace" they promised  is becoming clear. Initial announcements show health insurers in several states are seeking big increases in premiums for next year for people who buy their own insurance. That is renewing concerns about the potential for "bare" counties that will have no insurer selling coverage and hints that the number of uninsured Americans could again be on the rise.

"It's sort of Insurance 101," said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute. Insurers "are facing a smaller and sicker risk pool as a result of both Trump administration and congressional action, and that means higher premiums," she said.

"A number of policy changes definitely impacted rates," said Jeanette Thornton, a senior vice president for the trade group America's Health Insurance Plans.

Among those changes are the elimination of the tax penalty for those who forgo insurance, included in December's tax overhaul, and President Donald Trump's cancellation of federal payments to insurers who provide discounts to some low-income customers.

Democrats say they will make sure voters know that Republicans deserve the blame.

"Senate Democrats will be on the floor of the U.S. Senate every week talking to the American public about these rate increases and make sure they know about this campaign of sabotage," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

Republicans, however, say Democrats are at fault for blocking bipartisan legislation, which might not even have had enough GOP votes to pass. The effort sought to stabilize the Affordable Care Act's marketplace through measures such as setting up reinsurance funding to help keep an individual insurer from facing devastating losses and guarantees for insurers to help pay their share of the out-of-pocket expenses for low-income customers.

"Democrats could have worked with us to lower premiums by as much as 40 percent but instead choose to cling to an unworkable law," Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said on the Senate floor Tuesday. "So if you have an insurance premium that is going up 40 percent next year, on top of an over 105 percent increase since 2013, you can thank a Democrat."

The heightened political rhetoric comes after the first two states unveiled insurance company premium requests for policies on the individual market for 2019.

These are not final rates, but they give an idea of what premiums for next year might be for people who don't get insurance through their job or the government and buy their own coverage on the individual market.

That market included about 15.6 million people, both inside and outside the ACA insurance marketplaces, in the final quarter of 2017, according to the consulting firm Mark Farrah Associates.

State deadlines for filing next year's rates run from May through July. Once insurers have made their initial premium requests, state regulators negotiate final rates before open enrollment begins in the fall.

In Virginia and Maryland, insurers are seeking a wide range of significant increases, from about 15 percent for some plans up to more than 91 percent for one Maryland PPO.

Analysts are not surprised by the requested rate hikes and predict more to come. The first requests in past years have often moderated before being finalized, but this year's political uncertainties could play a bigger role.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the elimination of the tax penalty for people without health insurance, which was included in last December's tax law, by itself would result in premium increases of around 10 percent per year. That's because without the prospect of a fine, healthier people would be more likely to forgo coverage, making the pool of people who continue to buy insurance sicker and more expensive for insurers.

Separately, Trump roiled the individual insurance market by canceling federal "cost-sharing reduction" payments for moderate-income insurance buyers.

The administration is also trying to extend the availability of short-term insurance plans, which frequently offer only bare-bones coverage, and "association health plans," which can provide cheaper alternatives for those who are considered healthy. But such plans don't include all the benefits of ACA plans. Analysts say both types of options would draw even more healthy people out of ACA plans..

The insurance industry acknowledges the actions have boosted next year's rates.

Chet Burrell, the CEO of CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, which serves both Maryland and Virginia markets, told The Washington Post that "continuing actions on the part of the administration to systematically undermine the market  make it almost impossible to carry out the mission."

AHIP's Thornton cautioned that it is still early in the process and many things could change. Maryland, for example, has passed legislation to create a "reinsurance" pool that could substantially lower premiums for next year. It still requires formal permission from the Trump administration, however.

And while Congress could still help ameliorate next year's increases, that appears increasingly unlikely.

In a sign that the bipartisanship that characterized the effort last fall has broken down, Alexander said in his Senate speech that he plans to move on to other health issues, including ways to address the opioid crisis.

"Given Democrats' attitude, I know of nothing the Republicans and Democrats can agree on to stabilize the individual health insurance market," he said.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who was promised a vote on her bipartisan bill by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that never materialized, now blames Democrats.

In a column she wrote for her home-state Portland Press-Herald late last month, Collins said Democrats refused to accept additional restrictions on abortion funding.

"Although federal funding has not been used to pay for elective abortions for decades, some Democrats reopened the long-settled debate on the Hyde Amendment in order to block these much-needed insurance reforms," she wrote.

Democrats, however, say it was Republicans who reopened the abortion debate by demanding language to create new, permanent restrictions that could eliminate abortion even in private insurance plans.

Even so, some say they still hope consensus may be reached.

"Patients and families deserve better than the higher costs and dysfunction they are getting under Trumpcare by sabotage," Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) told reporters Tuesday. "And as soon as Republicans are ready to work again in a bipartisan way and act actually to lower families' costs, Democrats will be at the table."UPS, the global logistics company has announced that it is working with UK-based technology firm ARRIVAL to develop a pilot fleet of 35 electric delivery vehicles (EVs) to be trialed in London and Paris. These zero tailpipe emission, lightweight composite vehicles have a battery range of more than 150 miles (240 kilometers), which is significantly higher than other EVs currently in service.

The vehicles will also come equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that help to improve safety and reduce driver fatigue. ARRIVAL is the first commercial vehicle manufacturer in Europe to provide purpose-built electric delivery vehicles to UPSs specifications.

Tesla Semi with load.(Image: Tesla)

With more than 9,000 vehicles worldwide operating using alternative propulsion methods, UPS possesses one of the largest private alternative fuel and advanced technology fleets in the entire logistics industry.

This initiative will help UPS attain its global carbon reduction goals for the companys facilities and fleets, said Peter Harris, director for sustainability at UPS Europe. We will continue working with our partners, communities and customers to spark innovation, thus leading the industry toward a more sustainable future.

Also Read: Tesla Teases Model Y in a Rare Promotional Video, Shows Roadster in Action Too!

Last month UPS announced that it had installed a new charging technology at its central London depot in Camden that overcomes the challenge of simultaneously recharging an entire fleet of EVs without the need for an expensive upgrade to the power supply grid.

UPS has a long history with electric vehicles, having first introduced them into its fleet in the U.S. in the 1930s, and reintroduced modern EVs in 2001. Currently, UPS has more than 300 electric vehicles deployed in Europe and the U.S., and nearly 700 hybrid electric vehicles.

Also Watch: Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV!

Last December, UPS ordered 125 new fully-electric semi-tractors to be built by Tesla in 2019, the largest pre-order to date. Additionally, last September, UPS announced it will become the first commercial customer in the U.S. to start using three medium-duty electric trucks from Daimler Trucks Fuso brand, called the eCanter.

Since 2009, UPS has invested over $750 million in alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles. And, in 2016, UPS achieved its self-set goal of covering 1 billion miles (1.6 billion kilometers) using its fleet of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles.Abu Dhabi: Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Saturday it was too early to predict the impact of US sanctions on his country's imports of Iranian oil.

Pradhan told Reuters during a visit to the United Arab Emirates that he was "a little bit concerned" about the impact of an oil price rise on consuming countries but that he did not think oil supply will be an issue.

"Lets see how things are moving. It's too early to predict in one way. We are watching very carefully."

"This kind of geopolitical (tension) affects both consuming and producing countries. We have to live with the reality of the present geopolitics," Pradhan said.

The oil minister added that there was a consensus between Saudi state oil giant Aramco, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company ADNOC and Indian companies to form a joint venture for India's Ratnagiri oil refinery.

The planned $44 billion facility in western India will be one of the largest refining and petrochemical complexes in the world at 1.2 million barrels per day.

Saudi Aramco in April signed a deal with India for a 50 percent stake in the project. Aramco may introduce at a later stage a strategic partner to share its 50 percent stake.

ADNOC wants to expand its downstream portfolio in markets where demand for oil is still growing, such as China and India, securing a new outlet for its crude.The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) released the Bihar Board Class 10 Result 2018, Bihar Class 10 Matric Result 2018 on June 26 (Wednesday). The Bihar Board BSEB will declare the Bihar Class 10 Matric Result 2018 or BSEB Class 10 result on its official website biharboard.ac.in.

According to the BSEB Bihar School Examination Board, the Bihar Board 2018 Examinations for class 10 commenced from 21 February and ended on 28 February. The students can also check their Bihar Class 10 Matric Result 2018, BSEB Bihar Class 10 Result or Bihar Board Class 10 Results on these websites as well bihar.indiaresults.com or examresults.net

Steps to check Bihar BSEB Class 10 Matric Result 2018:

* Log on to the Bihar School Examination Board BSEB website biharboard.ac.in

* Click on the Bihar Class 10 Matric Result 2018 or BSEB Class 10 Matric Result 2018

* Enter your roll number and the Bihar board Class 10 matric results 2018 will appear

* Download the Bihar Board Matric result and take a print out for further reference

Total Number of students appeared: 17,58,797

Number of Centers: 1426

Number of students passed: 12,11,617

Prerna Raj scored 91.4% from Simultala Awasiya Vidyalaya in Jamui district, topped the Bihar 10th Result 2018 with 457 points.

Toppers in Bihar 10th Result 2018 :

1. Prerna Raj

2. Shikha Kumari

3. Anupriya

The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) have directed the students to wear slippers or flip-flops and not shoes along with socks during the Bihar Matric examinations this year. Nearly 17.70 lakhs students sat for the Class 10 exams at 1,426 centres across the state.Guwahati: Days after the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill visited Assam to solicit views from stakeholders, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday urged people to maintain peace and said his government would always work in their interest.

The Bill was proposed by the Centre to make illegal migrants of six communities eligible for citizenship of India.

The 16-member JPC, headed by BJP MP Rajendra Agarwal, had visited the state from May 7 to May 9 to elicit views from stakeholders on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955.

A key amendment in the Bill seeks to grant citizenship to people without valid documents from six minority communities -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians -- from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of residence in India.

"People should not get agitated as the JPC process for taking their opinion is on. We will not take any decision that goes against the people of Assam," Sonowal told media persons Guwahati.

"I appeal to all to maintain peace so that unwanted situations do not develop in the state. I urge all to help and cooperate as we the people of Assam are collectively responsible for ensuring peace and order in the state," Sonowal said.

He said the JPC chairman had hinted that the committee would return to Assam to take the people's opinion on the Bill.

"The people should, however, continue to express their opinion and speak their mind to the JPC chairman through e-mail," Sonowal said.

The chief minister said that before the JPC's visit, it was alleged that he was not allowing it to come to Assam.

"When I got the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act repealed, no JPC had come then. This time people have been given top priority," he said.

Protests were staged against the Bill in front of the venue where the JPC hearing was held as people feared that it would breach the clauses of the Assam Accord.

The Accord states that all illegal foreigners from Bangladesh who had settled in Assam after March 25, 1971 would have to be deported irrespective of religion.

In the Bengali-dominated Barak Valley, a majority of the 315 opinions submitted to the JPC were in favour of the Bill, and people carrying placards formed a long human chain in its support.

Leaders of the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress supported the Bill, even as their counterparts had opposed it in the Brahmaputra Valley.

Following the JPC hearings, protests had broken out in the Brahmaputra Valley against the Bill.

Students organisations like AASU, AJYCP, ruling alliance partner AGP and the pro-talk ULFA faction organised mass agitational programmes.New Delhi: Facebook has responded to the Indian government's latest notice on alleged data breach issue, outlining in detail the "changes made" to protect user information, but the reply of Cambridge Analytica is awaited, officials said.

A final view on the matter will be taken once the reply of Cambridge Analytica too comes in, and both the responses are examined in detail, an IT ministry official said.

"Cambridge Analytica has not responded so far. We are at a stage where we are awaiting further information from them... they had recently communicated that they will reply. We can't look at the issue in isolation. We will have to look at the big picture based on what both of them have stated, and then come to a view," said the official who did not wish to be identified.

The official said it is obvious that a lot of "correction" has been initiated by Facebook in its methods and procedures in the wake of concerns raised over the data leak issue.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the social media giant said Facebook is grateful to the Indian government for giving it an opportunity to address concerns.

"We are committed to protecting people's information and safeguarding the integrity of elections in India," a Facebook spokesperson said in an e-mail.

Without divulging details of the reply sent to the government's latest notice, the spokesperson added: "We hope we have helped to answer important questions about the changes we have made to further protect users information as well as elections from abuse and exploitation including removing fake accounts, increasing ads transparency and reducing the spread of false news."

The government had, in end-March, shot off a notice to Facebook asking whether the personal data of Indian voters and users has been compromised by the UK-based Cambridge Analytica or any other downstream entity. A similar notice was dispatched to Cambridge Analytica following media reports that it had misused data to profile users and influence elections.

The government thereafter served second set of notices to both Cambridge Analytica and Facebook over the data breach issue late last month after finding discrepancies between the responses given by the two companies. The two were then asked to reply to the additional set of queries by May 10, to which Facebook has responded last night.

Facebook has been facing intense scrutiny from its users as well as governments across the globe after a data leak scandal hit about 87 million users.

While the US company has, in the past, admitted that nearly 5.62 lakh people in India were "potentially affected" by the data breach incident, Cambridge Analytica had claimed that it does not have any Facebook data on Indian citizens.

British data analytics and political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica has been accused of harvesting personal information of millions of Facebook users illegally to help political campaigns and influence polls in several countries.

Earlier this month, however, Cambridge Analytica announced its closure in a statement on its website and claimed it had been "vilified" for activities that are legal and considered a standard component of online advertising.

Indian officials familiar with the line of questioning and notices sent in the data leak matter have previously said that the shutting down of Cambridge will not impact its ongoing probe as the liability of the company existed prior to the closure announcement.

"Following news reports of the company closing, the ministry had sent them a mail reminding them about the notice and were told that a response will be given on the matter. So we are waiting for the reply," the government official said but did not specify on a fresh deadline.

Facebook's reply, on the other hand, is extremely detailed, the official said adding that the company appears to have undertaken "corrective action" and is proactively taking steps to prevent misuse of data. These measures include creating user awareness on keeping data safe, allowing only authorised entities or advertisers to place political ads (which starts with the US) and blocking millions of fake accounts, the IT ministry official said.Indore: Completing the trial in 23 days, an Indore sessions court on Saturday pronounced death sentence on convict Navin Gadke for the rape and murder of a four-month-old baby, who was also his relative.

The rapist, Gadke, was a close relative of the girl. Public prosecutor Akram Sheikh, calling the incident a 'rarest of rare' case, sought capital punishment for the culprit.

During the course of the trial, the convict denied all allegations against him, but contrary to his claims, 29 witnesses and evidences went against him.

On April 20, the infant was asleep with her parents on the pavements in Rajwada area when the convict, in the wee hours, crept in and escaped with the baby girl on his bicycle. Next, he took her to a nearby complex and sexually assaulted her.

As the infant started wailing, Gadke threw her on the ground and fled.

The infant's body was found the next day with injuries to her head and private parts.

Police nabbed the culprit after examining CCTV footage in the area. He was presented in court on April 21 when some locals anguished with the act assaulted him in the court premises.

The court took the case on priority basis and conducted daily hearings. It convicted Gadke under relevant sections of POCSO Act on Saturday.

Gadke, before being sent to jail, urged the court to let him meet his mother and sister.Kathmandu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Nepal was decided soon after K P Sharma Oli's election as the prime minister, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Saturday said, amid speculation over its timing which coincides with the Karnataka assembly election.

Responding to a question at a press meet, Gokhale said Prime Minister Modi had telephoned Prime Minister Oli, who was sworn to the post on February 15, to congratulate him and the visits were discussed then.

"When Prime Minister Modi had telephoned Prime Minister Oli upon his election as the prime minister of Nepal, they had discussed the visit then. Prime Minister Oli had then expressed his desire for an early visit by Prime Minister Modi. They had discussed the visits, and the Prime Minister (Modi) had said you (Oli) come first.

"So that's how the sequence has been, first Prime Minister Oli visited India and now Prime Minister (Modi) is in Nepal," Gokhale said.

Oli had visited India in April.

On questions over the timing of the visit which coincides with the high-stake Karnataka assembly election, he said, "whenever state visits take place they are decided as per the convenience of the two nations. No one prime minister alone can say that I will come at this time."

"So, don't focus on the dates, but focus on the content of this visit," the foreign secretary said.

Modi arrived in Kathmandu on Friday on a two-day visit and held discussions with Oli on strengthening ties between the two neighbouring countries.

During the visit, the prime minister also offered prayers at the famed 20th century Janaki temple, the Mukhtinath and Pashupatinath temples and attended a civic reception at Janakpur.

Opposition Congress party leader Ashok Gehlot on Saturday alleged that prime minister Modi had timed his visit to the Himalayan nation on the Karnataka poll date and was "giving a message to Hindus" in the southern state.

Alleging violation of the model code of conduct, he said Modi's temple visits in Nepal were being aired on the day of polling in Karnataka.

"This is not a good tradition in a democracy. In Gujarat also, he held a road show after voting.Today, he has adopted a new path. When Karnataka is polling today, he has gone to Nepal and is worshipping in temples there, as he could not do so in the southern state due to elections," Gehlot said.Kathmandu: India is ready to be the 'Sherpa' to help Nepal scale the mountain of success, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, hailing the Himalayan nation's successful journey from bullets to ballots.

Addressing a civic reception programme to honour him in Kathmandu, Modi stressed on the special relation shared by the two neighbours and admired Nepal's spirit of resilience and commitment towards democracy.

"Nepal has covered a long journey from Yuddh to Buddh (War to Peace). You have left the bullet to opt the ballot way...But this not the destination. You have to go a long way," Modi told the gathering.

"You have reached the base camp of the Mt Everest and the main climb is yet to be done. And the way mountaineers are strongly helped by Sherpas to scale the summit, much the same way India is ready to work as the Sherpa for Nepal," he said, amid applause.

Modi said Nepal must identify its needs and priorities to deliver results.

"India will stand shoulder-to-shoulder to help Nepal in its development journey. In your success lies our success, in your happiness lies India's happiness."

He said 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' is as much about global well being as it's about India's growth.

"India has always worked for global good. India has taken the lead in mitigating the menace of climate change. The International Solar Alliance has brought together nations from across the world," he said.

Modi congratulated Nepalese people for their combined strengths to rebuild the country after the devastating earthquake of 2015. He also congratulated them for the Constitution that reshaped the country's political history by embracing federal system.

"There is an atmosphere of hope and optimism in Nepal," Modi said, adding that India would always become partner to Nepal's progress.

Describing Kathmandu as a mixture of the ancient and the modern, Modi said the city showcases the culture of Nepal.

"There is something unique about the beauty of Kathmandu. It's a special city. It has an important place in the history of the world," he said.

"Nepal is a country of diversity and Kathmandu is a world in its own," Modi said. "The diversity gives fresh air to any outsider."

He also said that the work has begun on the detailed project report for linking Kathmandu to India via rail network.

Modi expressed his desire to travel to Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha in his future visit.

"During my previous visits I prayed at Pashupatinath. This time, in addition to Pashupatinath, I went to Janakpur and Muktinath. These places illustrate close ties between our nations," he said.

He repeated 'Nepal Bhaarat Maitri Amar Rahos (Long live Nepal-India Friendship)' thrice at the end of his speech.

Earlier, Kathmandu Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya presented symbolic key of the city to Modi, which symbolises that the door to Kathmandu would always remain open to him.

Modi was also presented with various memoir tokens including a 55-kg Lord Buddha statue.

Delivering the welcome speech at the function, Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said the relations between Nepal and India will continue to deepen and widen in the coming days.Aurangabad: Two people have lost their lives and several others have been injured after violence erupted in several parts of Aurangabad in Maharashtra on Friday. Among the two dead, one is a 17-year-old boy.

The violence started when two groups clashed in Shahganj area after a heated argument on Friday night. Soon, the clashes took a violent turn with hundreds of youth taking to streets and indulging in stone pelting and burning shops and vehicles.

As rumours spread, violence erupted in many other sensitive areas of Aurangabad. Several shops and vehicles were burnt and damaged in Shahganj, Chelipura, Motikaranja and Raja Bazar areas of Aurangabad.

Police had to resort to lathicharge to control the violence. However, when situation did not come under control, police used tear gas and also fired rounds.

While the police have imposed curfew in certain parts of the city, Section 144 of the CrPC was also invoked. Internet services too have been suspended in the area.

Around 10 policemen, including assistant commissioner Govardhan Kolekar, were injured in the violence.

Acting police commissioner of Aurangabad, Milind Bharambe, has appealed to people to maintain law and order.

"I request the people of Aurangabad to maintain law and order. Do not respond to stonepelters, police will take action against them. We have imposed section 144 in several areas and we request people to co-operate with the police," said Bharambe.

Heavy police force has been deployed in sensitive areas and around 100 people have been arrested.The Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education MPBSE released the MP Class 12th result 2018 on 14th May (today) at 11.15 AM. The MP Class 12th Result 2018 or MP Board Result 2018 will be released on the official website mpbse.nic.in. The MP Board Result 2018 was supposed to come at 10:30 am.

The Pass Percentage for MP Board Class 10 is 66% and MP Board Class 12 is 68%. Toppers for Class 10 are Anamika Sadh and Harshvardhan Parmara and Toppers for Class 12 are Science Stream - Lalit Panchauri, Commerce Stream - Ayushi dhengula, Arts Stream -Shivani Pawar.

Class 12th Statistics

Total Students: 7,65,358

Pass Percentage: 68%

Toppers:

Science Stream - Lalit Panchauri

Commerce Stream - Ayushi dhengula

Arts Stream -Shivani Pawar

Stats for Class 12th Regular

Number of Regular Students Appeared: 6,00,065

Number of Regular Students Absent: 4253

Results Withheld: 852

Failed: 1,08,358

Passed: 4,05,122

Number of Regular Students who gave supplementary: 81480

Stats for Class 12th Private

Number of Private Students Appeared: 1,65,293

Number of Private Students Absent: 16295

Results Withheld: 438

Failed: 81726

Passed: 41030

Number of Private Students who gave supplementary: 25804

The MP Board Class 12th exams for the session 2017-18 was conducted by MPBSE Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education from March 1 to April 3. Students can also check their MPBSE Result 2018, MP Board Class 12th Result 2018 on the following website as well examresults.net , india result

Class 12th Statistics

Total Students: 7,65,358

Pass Percentage: 68%

Toppers:

Science Stream - Lalit Panchauri

Commerce Stream - Ayushi dhengula

Arts Stream -Shivani Pawar

Stats for Class 12th Regular

Number of Regular Students Appeared: 6,00,065

Number of Regular Students Absent: 4253

Results Withheld: 852

Failed: 1,08,358

Passed: 4,05,122

Number of Regular Students who gave supplementary: 81480

Stats for Class 12th Private

Number of Private Students Appeared: 1,65,293

Number of Private Students Absent: 16295

Results Withheld: 438

Failed: 81726

Passed: 41030

Number of Private Students who gave supplementary: 25804

How to check MP Board Class 12th Result 2018

Step 1: Click on the official website mpbse.nic.in

Step 2: Look for the link which says MP Board Result 2018, MPBSE Result 2018, MPBSE Class 12 Result 2018

Step 3: Click on the tab MP Board 10th Result 2018, MP Board 12th Result 2018

Step 4: Enter your roll number

Step 5: Download the MP Board Result 2018 for future reference

Students can also check their MPBSE Board 2018 Result via SMS

Get MP Class 12 Results 2018, MPBSE Result 2018 via SMS

To check MPBSE Class 10 Results 2018:

SMS - MPBSE10 ROLLNUMBER - Send it to 56263

Examination Result 2018: To check MPBSE Class 12 Science/Arts/Commerce2018: SMS - MP12 ROLLNUMBER - Send it to 56263

All MP Board class 12 exams began from 9 AM and ended at 12 PM. Around 7,69,000 students took the Class 12 exam this year in 99 centres in Bhopal including 549 PWD candidates for which special arrangements were made by the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE).New Delhi: In what could further damage the dynamics of Indo-Pak relations, former Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif made an explosive admission that Pakistan allowed its terrorists to cross the border to carry out the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in which over 150 people were killed and more than 300 injured.

In an interview with Pakistans largest daily, Dawn, Sharif said, Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai?

This is the first time Sharif has publicly acknowledged that militant organisations are active in the country and questioned the policy to allow the "non-state actors" to cross the border and "kill" people in Mumbai, a media report said.

"We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistan's narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it, Sharif told Dawn.

Sharif, who was ousted after being found guilty of corruption, also questioned why Pakistan has not yet completed trial in the 26/11 case.

Explain it to me. Why cant we complete the trial? Nawaz said in the interview, making a reference to the Mumbai attacks-related trials, which have been stalled in a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court.

He further added, "It's absolutely unacceptable (to allow non-state actors to cross the border and commit terrorism there). President (Vladimir) Putin has said it. President Xi (Jinping) has said it."

Pakistan has so far not completed trial in the 26/11 case. It has also allowed the mastermind Hafiz Saeed to roam free, despite him being a designated international terrorist.

On November 26, 2008 10 heavily-armed Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists forced their way into the city of Mumbai and carried out a coordinated attack over three days.

Known as 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the assault on the financial capital of India lasted until November 29.

Sharif, 68, was disqualified by the Supreme Court for not being "honest and righteous" as he failed to declare in 2013 a salary he got from the company of his son in the UAE. In February, the apex court also disqualified Sharif as the head of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

On November 26, 2008, 10 heavily-armed Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists forced their way into the city of Mumbai and carried out a coordinated attack.

Known as 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the assault on the financial capital of India lasted until November 29.Saharanpur: The autopsy report of 22-year-old Bhim Army activist Sachin Walia, who had died of a gunshot wound on Wednesday, has only added to the confusion rather than imparting any clarity as there are several contradictions in it.

News 18 accessed a copy of the report, which says that Sachin was hit by a bullet and it went "through and through". This means that the bullet entered the body and then exited. However, it also states that a bullet has been recovered from his chest wall.

Till now, the police had maintained that there was just one bullet, which could have been fired accidentally by Sachin while cleaning a weapon inside the house.

Describing Sachins injuries, the report stated, "Gunshot wound of size 1 cm X 0.8 cm through and through at right side of upper lip of mouth." It added that two teeth were fractured, and right upper incisors with surrounding soft bone had been lacerated. The area around the gunshot wound had blackened.

However, on the second page of the report, it stated that a metallic bullet had been recovered from the body. Bullet recovered at the back of right side of chest upper part in soft tissue," it said. The bullet was sealed in an envelope and sent to SSP of Saharanpur, it added.

According to a government doctor, who has experience dealing with gunshot wounds, the report has contradicted itself. One possibility is that there were two bullets, one of which went through and through and the other was fired at the chest. In that case, they have failed to mention the second entry wound, said the doctor on condition of anonymity.

The other possibility, he said, was that the bullet entered from the upper lip and travelled to the chest wall. While that is an unlikely trajectory, it isn't impossible. In that case, the use of the term through and through has made this report more confusing than clarifying, he added.

The report has further muddled the circumstances surrounding the death, which has caused tension in Saharanpur. Sachin was the local media in charge of Bhim Army and the brother of the outfits district president, who is also the Man Friday of Chandrashekhar Azad.

The only thing the police, which has dubbed it an accidental death, and Sachins family, had agreed on was that Sachin had died after a bullet had hit him in the face. There are different theories on how and where.

Police claims that Sachin died while cleaning his weapon inside the house, after which he was rushed to the hospital and declared brought dead. The blood trail, said sources, was leading from his house to the main road. But his family and friends said Sachin was shot some 200 meters from the house.

The incident took place on May 9, Maharana Pratap Jayanti, which was also the first anniversary of the 2017 Saharanpur riots. In the run up to this year's Jayanti, the area had been tense as several Rajput outfits had demanded permission to celebrate the event. Bhim Army had opposed it saying that it could lead to a breakdown of law and order.Lucknow: A uniformed policeman, having lost a land dispute, was seen threatening to shoot people working in the fields in Sulemanpur area of Barabanki district. The act was caught on videotape and has gone viral.

Reportedly, the accused policeman Ram Satan had lost case related to land dispute to Abdul Rehman Hussain and his son Zaid Hussain. Mighty displeased, he reached the area and was seen threatening them with dire consequences. Post the threat to their lives, people are reluctant to work again in the fields and want justice and protection before they take up work again.

In the video, cop Ram Satan, standing next to a farm tractor, is furiously finger pointing in someones direction and can also be seen issuing threats.

A woman is then seen passing by and the policeman continues with his threats.

Throughout the duration of the video, it can be seen the policeman is pretty upset and is continuously mouthing threats.

Speaking to News18, Zaid Hussain said, We all were out for Friday namaz when this man reached the spot and started threatening our workers and also said that he will get them shot. Our people called 100 emergency services and the culprit was taken to Subeha police station later on. Now we are coming to know that instead of action over the cop for life threats, cases have been registered on me and my father, even when we were not present on the spot. The video of the incident makes it clear that we were away for namaz. We demand action over the cop and culprits who all are involved with him.

Hussain added that a written complaint in the matter was not entertained by the police personnel at the Subeha Police Station.

I have not seen the video yet, but if the charges on the cop are found to be true then case will be registered against him, said VP Srivastav, SP Barabanki.Parmanu - The Story Of Pokhran, a Bollywood movie on India's nuclear test in 1998, is a pro-India, but not anti-Pakistan film, says actor-producer John Abraham, while the film's director joked it will release across 300 screens in Pakistan. At the film's trailer launch here on Friday, the team was asked about plans for the film's release in Pakistan.

"It's coming in 300 screens in Pakistan," director Abhishek Sharma quipped. It was clarified later that he was joking.

On a serious note, John said: "To answer that question, this is not an anti-Pakistan film, it is a very pro-India film. So, we are very clear this is a film about India and we are going to celebrate this. If we start thinking about other markets, we would be compromising on our film. We wanted to tell the story as it is."

John also said that he was very happy to make a come back with a film like Parmanu, after two years of his last release Force 2. Explaining his strategy to ensure quality work, John told the media: "I like taking time for the right subject. So, I am very happy to wait for two years and come back with this film.

"I am not only an actor, I am also a producer now. So, I am very clear in my mind about the kind of film that I want to make. I was sure from the beginning that we are not equipped to make an adult comedy, we can make films like 'Madras Cafe', 'Vicky Donor' and 'Force'."

"After 'Force 2', I could have signed 10 films out of insecurity, but I didn't do that. As a producer, I have the authority to decide what kind of film I want to do and what not," the actor said.

Written by Saiwyn Quadras and Sanyukta Shaikh Chawla, the film also features Diana Penty, Boman Irani and Yogendra Tikku. It will release on May 25.Director: Meghna Gulzar

Cast: Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Rajit Kapur, Shishir Sharma, Jaideep Ahlawat, Arif Zakaria, Ashwath Bhatt, Amruta Khanvilkar, Soni Razdan

Two scenes, separated by well over an hour in Meghna Gulzars Raazi, are key to understanding the arc of the films protagonist, Sehmat, a 20-year-old Kashmiri girl played by Alia Bhatt, who is embedded in Pakistan to gather intel for the authorities back in India.

The first occurs while Sehmat is undergoing training to become a spy. On being informed that the job can involve taking a persons life, shes momentarily taken aback. Koi problem? her trainer asks contemptuously. Her cutting response  a single line of dialogue, no more  is a nice reminder of her young age, and her innocence or naivete perhaps in thinking that there might be room for basic humanity in the world she is about to enter.

The other scene, which comes much later in the film, is also hinged on a single razor-sharp dialogue. This one illustrates effectively how the same person has evolved, while at once answering that earlier question about room for compassion when the stakes are so high.

None of what Ive just shared with you are spoilers in any way if youve watched the trailer of Raazi. To recap the plot, this is 1971 when relations between India and Pakistan are especially tense; war is around the corner. Persuaded by her father, Sehmat, a student of Delhi University marries into a high-ranking Pakistani military family to spy for India.

Based on a true story documented in the book Calling Sehmat by Lt Commander Harinder Sikka (retd), the film is a muscular thriller that is refreshingly fuss free. Director Meghna Gulzar, who has co-written the screenplay with Bhavani Iyer, steers clear of chest-thumping jingoism and impassioned patriotic monologues that have become a staple of this genre. Admirably, there is none of that my-country-is-better-than-yours muck-raking that so many similar films find hard to resist. Theres an inherent decency in both the films intentions and its characters, no matter what side of the border theyre from.

Sehmats efforts to settle into her new home and win the trust of the family in order to do the job shes been recruited for, is the most compelling part of Raazi. Meghna dials up the tension as Sehmat puts her training to use, frequently landing in scenarios where her cover comes dangerously close to being blown. There is also the matter of her marriage with Iqbal (a nicely vulnerable Vicky Kaushal), which, again, plays out differently from what you might expect.

If there are speed bumps in the film, its the apparent ease with which our protagonist is shown to conduct her espionage right under the nose of a family of army men. There are other little details that rankle. The film demonstrates the quickest acquisition of singing skills sinceforever. And a turning point in the films final act hinges on the discovery of a key piece of evidence, but that portion just feels convenient and contrived.

These are minor complaints in an otherwise gripping film. Meghna assembles gifted actors to infuse further credibility into the storytelling. Rajit Kapur and Shishir Sharma are especially strong as Sehmats father and father-in-law respectively, but Jaideep Ahlawat makes the biggest impression, bringing a winning dryness to the role of Sehmats handler Mir, a ball-busting agent in charge of her training.

Its Alia Bhatt though who is the beating heart of Raazi. She plays Sehmat with zero affectation, giving us a fully realized character that feels entirely authentic. The film gives her great scope to flex those dramatic chops, and Alia delivers not only in the big emotional and breakdown scenes, but also in smaller moments, making every little head-turn count. Its a solid performance  from the sheer rigor of her training to be a spy, to the grit she brings to the mission, Alia doesnt miss a beat.

The film is admirable also because its a measured, mostly intelligent thriller that asks us to consider concepts of patriotism and honor without spoon-feeding us with manipulative background music or provocative dialogue. Its well paced, and set to a thouhgtful score by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy that never distracts from the drama. Im going with three-and-a-half out of five for Raazi; a worthy follow-up to the directors last film Talvar.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

What's your reaction:

Write your review:New Delhi: Apart from bitter attacks and massive roadshows, the campaign for Karnataka elections was also marked by innumerable visits to temples and mutts. The trend continued on voting day as well as several netas made a beeline to seek divine before heading to the polling booth.

BJP leader B Sriramulu, who is challenging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Badami seat, was seen performing gau puja at his residence before voting. Siddaramaiah holds prominence here as it is dominated by the Kuruba community, a shepherd community to which the CM belongs.

Wide-ranging rituals and consultations with seers and astrologers for an auspicious time to file nominations were a common site in the run-up to the elections. However, AICC Secretary and former minister Satish Jarkiholi decided to choose the most inauspicious movement to file nominations.

Speaking to reporters in Belagavi, he said that he chose the most inauspicious moment to file his nominations. I will file my nomination during Rahu Kala, he said. Jarkiholi is known for his staunch stand against superstitions and blind faith.

I am a follower of Buddha, Basava and Ambedkar philosophies, he said.

Jarkiholi, who is known to be progressive, has been holding an annual event involving night stay in a graveyard in Belagavi. According to reports, the efforts were to ensure Kalyana Rajya, wherein the state will be devoid of blind faith and superstition.

Very few candidates filed their nomination papers on the first day of nominations on Tuesday as most of them preferred to do it on an auspicious day, Thursday or Friday.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah filed his nomination papers on a Friday after a puja at Chamundeshwari temple. Though he claims to be a staunch socialist, Siddaramaiah has in recent years been seen frequenting the temples and participating in religious events.

HD Revanna, son of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, too, filed his nomination on a Friday after an elaborate religious ritual at Lakshminarasimha Temple, a practice he has maintained for more than two decades.

The BJP had also accused CM Siddaramaiah of 'hypocrisy' for campaigning with a lemon in hand, but "antagonising" people by bringing in the Anti-Superstitions Bill to "demean and criminalise" Hindu traditions.

"Campaigns with a lemon in hand, but brings in Anti-Superstitions Bill to demean and criminalise Hindu traditions. Hypocrisy thy name is @siddaramaiah," BJP Karnatakas Twitter handle posted.

The BJP Twitter handle for the state, also posted a photograph showing Siddaramaiah campaigning with a lemon in hand.

The chief minister replied to BJP allegation by tweeting, When you visit a village people welcome you with lemon. That this is not a superstition is known to all Kannadigas. Anti-Superstition Bill has become a law passed by Karnataka legislature. It does not demean any Hindu tradition. Learn about Karnataka before tweeting young fellows (sic).New Delhi: After an exhaustive and bitter campaign spread out over months, Karnataka is voting on Saturday to elect its representatives to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly. Most opinion polls have predicted a fractured verdict for this three-cornered contest between the ruling Congress, BJP and JD(S). The results will be out on May 15.

Heres a look at some of the key seats to watch out for in the Karnataka Assembly elections:

CHAMUNDESHWARI

The battle here is between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and sitting JD(S) MLA GT Deve Gowda. In the run up to the elections the exuberance of the Congress workers in Varuna, where Siddaramaiahs son is contesting, was missing in Chamundeshwari. Despite the lull, Siddaramaiahs supporters claim that he will win this prestige battle. Siddaramaiah vacated Varuna for his son and returned his old seat Chamundeshwari in this do or die election. He has claimed that he is supremely confident of his win and no amount of mudslinging and harassment by the JDS and BJP will work against him. On the other hand, JDS Gowda hasnt lost a single election from Chamundeswari. He has been successful in two zilla panchayat, one APMC, one assembly and some cooperative society elections from here. His winning margin in 2013 was 7,103 votes.

VARUNA

Will Varuna see the sons rise? Siddaramaiah's son Yathindra has picked Varuna as his battlefield for the Assembly elections. This is a seat that his father had won in 2008 and 2013 and its now on him to repeat the feat. While the mood in Varuna is upbeat, it is equally tense in the neighbouring Chamundeshwari. In Varuna, Siddaramaiahs main vote bank of AHINDA (Minorities, Backward Classes, (SC/STs) looks intact. These community leaders claim that the AHINDA will firmly stand behind Yathindra who is expected to make it to the Assembly on his very first try. Dalit groups have pledged their support to Yathindra because of Siddaramaiah despite BJP trying to project him as an anti-Dalit force. A local Congress leader told News18 that 30% of Lingayats and Vokkaligas are backing Siddaramaiah while the BJP is creating divides in the society on caste lines by spreading rumours that they are not with the Congress.

SHIMOGA

Shimoga will see a three-cornered contest on May 12 as candidates from BJP, JD(S) and Congress come from the three different castes of Kurubas, Lingayats and Brahmins, respectively, and all of these castes have a significant presence in the constituency. However, for the rural voters of Shikaripura, from where BS Yeddyurappa is staking claim for his second stint as the chief minister, there is no contest at all as they feel BSY will easily win this seat for the eighth term. Both Congress and JDS have refrained from fielding any high-profile names from here.

Poll observers say Yeddyurappa has maintained a strong position in Shikaripura over the past 35 years and it is very well a bastion for the BJP here. The same feeling echoes across Yeddyurappas fiefdom in Shimoga district. In the run up to elections, News18 spoke to several voters who agreed that Yeddyurappa will definitely win Shikaripura irrespective of what happens in the rest of Shimoga and Karnataka. Unlike Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is fighting from two tough seats  Chamundeshwari and Badami  Yeddyurappa is seeking re-election from his strong base and spending most of his time on campaigning across Karnataka. His son and current MLA BY Raghavendra is managing his fathers campaign here and is supremely confident of a big win.

BADAMI

After holding the decision till the last moment, Siddaramaiah chose Badami as his second option after Chamundeshwari for the Saturday elections. Ahead of the polls, he held several closed doors meetings with Dalit leaders, backward and linguistic groups. This group holds the key to make or break the election results. Siddaramaiahs decision to contest from here is being seen as an act of playing it safe in case Chamundeshwari does not turn up in favour of Congress. Badami is a seat to watch out for with the contest between the CM and BJP strongman B Sriramulu. Sriramulu, too, is contesting from two seats.

BANTWAL

Congress and BJP have been the main contenders in this constituency for a very long time while the others have not made much impact here. Congress' Ramanath Rai, has been a well-known face in this constituency since 1985. BJP has been working on its strategies to defeat Rai and has pitted Rajesh Naik for the second time against him. Naik had last contested the elections here in 2013 and lost. While he did not lose hope, BJP has given him a chance to contest again.

CHANNAPATNA

Whose joy would be the City of Toys, Channapatna? The constituency has gained importance this time after JD(S) state president HD Kumaraswamys decision to contest from here. He is contesting from Ramanagaram constituency as well. He is fighting against MLA CP Yogeshwar who quit the Congress and joined the BJP recently. Both the contestants have indulged in a bitter war of words and questioned each others politics in the run up to the polls.

CHIKKAMAGALURU

A seasoned politician and former minister, BL Shankar is again trying his luck in politics and this time from his native district of Chikkamagaluru as a Congress candidate. His fight is tough as he is competing against three-time MLA CT Ravi of the BJP, who has won all elections from this seat since 2004. Shankar is hopeful that his past records as an MLA will help him win the seat. During his tenure, foundation stone of the railway station was laid and water supply was started into the Chikkamagaluru town from Yagachi reservoir.

BALLARI

That the contest is between Congress and BJP is known. But with Janata Dal (S) and rebels in both Congress and BJP, results can be surprising. The fight here is mainly between Anil Lad of Congress and G Somashekar Reddy, who is the elder brother of Janardhan Reddy, also a BJP candidate. Failed to get Congress ticket in the past, Hothur Mohammed, also a mine owner, is contesting for the first time on a JD(S) ticket. He is being seen as a major challenger to both Congress and BJP.Bengaluru: Polling for the high-stakes Karnataka assembly elections got underway on Saturday morning under a thick security blanket. In what is projected as a tight race, voting is being held in 222 out of 224 seats in a three-cornered contest between the ruling Congress, the BJP and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda's JD(S). The Election Commission has deferred the polls for the Rajarajeswari Nagar constituency to May 28 after a massive row erupted over a large number of voter ID cards being found in an apartment. Election for the Jayanagara seat in Bengaluru was countermanded following the death of BJP candidate and sitting MLA BN Vijaykumar.

Heres how the voting day has panned out so far:

 The single-phase polling began at 7 am in 222 Assembly constituencies, including 36 reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and 15 for the Scheduled Tribes (ST). Over 2,600 candidates are in the fray  more than 2,400 men and over 200 women.

 Transport inconvenience, EVMs malfunction and natural hurdles like rainfall have temporarily disrupted voting in some places. Voters are also facing the mosquito menace in some booths. Enraged over mosquito bites, voters in three booths in Bengaluru's Madevapura Assembly seat blasted the Election Commission for not taking precautionary measures. Meanwhile, the security personnel at the voting centres had to swing into action to bring in mosquito coils.

 BJPs Sriramulu, who is contesting in Badami against Siddaramaiah performed a gau puja before voting.

 In Chamundeshwari, one of the two constituencies CM Siddaramaiah is contesting from, the wife of JD(S) candidate GT Deve Gowda forced polling officials to shift an EVM machine for better vastu.

 A BJP worker was arrested in Hebbala constituency for threatening voters against casting their ballots before the arrival of party MLA Narayanaswamy. When the lawmaker finally arrived, he allegedly abused polling officials for getting his supporters arrested.

 For the first time in Karnataka, all-women polling stations called Sakhi has been set up in all rural assembly constituencies and five in each urban constituencies (totalling 600 polling stations).

 Officials said 58,008 polling stations have been set up across the state, of which 12,002 have been designated as "critical", with over 3,50,000 polling personnel on duty.

 Police have made elaborate security arrangements for the smooth conduct of polls that will go on till 6 pm.

 State electoral authorities have also taken certain new initiatives such as SMS-based polling station access, app-based polling station access and navigation and queue status facility for a few polling stations with higher voter population.

 The current polls are seen as one of the most complexes the state had ever witnessed with many imponderables that have left most analysts to bet on a fractured mandate in a cliffhanger.

 Four candidates who have served as chief minister of Karnataka are in the fray current incumbent Siddaramaiah (Chamundeshwari and Badami), B S Yeddyurappa (Shikaripura), H D Kumaraswamy (Chennapatna and Ramanagara) and Jagadish Shettar (Hubli-Dharwad Central.)Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday called BJPs CM candidate BS Yeddyurappa mentally disturbed, reacting to the latters declaration that he would take oath on May 17.

Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah said the Congress would come back to power with a clear majority. He also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, charging that income tax raids were ordered against Congress workers and well-wishers out of desperation because the saffron party was sure of losing the election.

The issue would be raised with the Election Commission after the polls and in Parliament, he said.

Sounding confident about Congress victory, Siddaramaiah dubbed Yeddyurappa "mentally disturbed" for his claim that he would take oath as the chief minister on May 17.

"Congress will get the clear majority. There is no confusion about this. We are very confident that Congress will come back to power with clear majority. He (Yeddyurappa) is mentally disturbed. BJP can't get more than 60-65 seats, Siddaramaiah said.

Launching a scathing attack on BJP chief Amit Shah, Siddaramaiah called him a comedy show. He is like a comedy show and Narendra Modi's image has drastically declined. His speeches are completely hollow and have made no impact on the voters of Karnataka. Therefore, we are not worried, the CM was quoted as saying by ANI.

He also dismissed the BJP's allegations that the Congress misused government machinery during the assembly polls.

"How can it be? Is it possible? I can never do it in my political career. They (BJP) are making false allegations. On the other hand, they (BJP) are doing it," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Varuna consituency in Mysuru from where his son is contesting.

Siddaramaiah is contesting from Chamundeshwari constituency in Mysuru apart from Badami in north Karnataka.

Predicting his victory from Chamundeshwari, he ruled out the possibility of a hung Assembly saying Congress would get a clear majority. The situation of hung assembly would never arise, Siddaramaiah asserted.

(With agency inputs)Voters pose outside a polling booth in Karnataka.



People were seen standing in queues to cast their votes in the early hours itself, factoring in that the temperature may go up later in the day. Also, it has been raining in different parts of south interior Karnataka for the last couple of days during the evening hours.



Senior citizens were seen in good numbers standing in queues at various polling stations to cast their votes early.



State BJP chief and party's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa, and Pradesh Congress Committee G Parameshwara were among the first to cast votes in Shikaripura in Shivamogga and Yaggere in Tumakuru respectively.



Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda along with wife Chennamma cast their votes at Paduvalahippe in Hassan district. Film actors Ramesh Arvind, Ravichandran, also scion of Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar were among the prominent personalities to cast their votes early today.



There are reports about delay in polling due to some technical issues with the electronic voting machines (EVMs) from different parts of the state.



Election for the Jayanagara seat in Bengaluru has been countermanded following the death of BJP candidate and sitting MLA BN Vijaykumar.



The Election Commission has also deferred the polls for Rajarajeswari Nagar constituency to May 28 after a massive row erupted over a large number of voter ID cards being found in an apartment.



Suspecting something fishy, both Congress and BJP have pointed accusing fingers at each other in the matter. "Today people of Karnataka are standing in queues to create history & show the nation the way to liberal, progressive, peaceful & compassionate politics & governance. I thank them for their support & wish them well," Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tweeted.



Over 2,600 candidates are in the fray-- more than 2400 men and and over 200 women. The total voters including service electors according to the 2018 final rolls are 5,06,90,538, of whom 2,56,75,579 male voters, 2,50,09,904 female and 5,055 transgender voters.



Officials said 58,008 polling stations have been set up across the state, of which 12002 have been designated as "critical", with over 3,50,000 polling personnel on duty. Police have made elaborate security arrangements for the smooth conduct of polls that will go on till 6 pm.



"82,157 people have been deployed for poll duty that includes DSPs, home guards and civil defence, and forest guards and watchers," Karnataka DGP Neelamani N Raju said. This also includes about 7,500 personnel from states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Kerala and Goa, she said, adding, central forces have been deployed.



One among the interesting aspects of this election is that four candidates who have served as Chief Minister of Karnataka are in the fray-- Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (Chamundeshwari and Badami), B S Yeddyurappa (Shikaripura), H D Kumaraswamy (Chennapatna and Ramanagara) and Jagadish Shettar (Hubli-Dharwad Central.)Image for representation. (News18 Creative)



Stay tuned for LIVE updates:



People rushed early in the morning to cast their votes before the heat could set in. Also, it has been raining in different parts of south interior Karnataka for the last couple of days during the evening hours.



Senior citizens were seen in good numbers standing in queues at various polling stations to cast their votes early.



State BJP chief and party's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa, and Pradesh Congress Committee G Parameshwara were among the first to cast votes in Shikaripura in Shivamogga and Yaggere in Tumakuru respectively.



Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda along with wife Chennamma cast their votes at Paduvalahippe in Hassan district. Film actors Ramesh Arvind, Ravichandran, also scion of Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar were among the prominent personalities to cast their votes early today.



There are reports about delay in polling due to some technical issues with the electronic voting machines (EVMs) from different parts of the state.New Delhi: A 70 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the high-stakes Karnataka Assembly polls on Saturday, the Election Commission (EC) said.

The last Assembly election in the southern state in 2013 had witnessed 71.4 per cent polling, the poll panel said.

"I want to congratulate the voters of Karnataka. Till 6 pm, the voter turnout in the state was 70 per cent. Barring a few polling stations, voting has been completed at almost all," Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha told reporters here.

"By the time we get the final figure, we will have a better turnout than the last election," he added.

The poll percentage is likely to go up as voters were seen standing in the queue at certain polling stations even after 6 pm.

The rural voters outnumbered their urban counterparts in exercising their franchise.

Voting was held in 222 of the 224 Assembly seats in Karnataka, in a three-cornered contest involving the ruling Congress, the BJP and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's JD(S).

Over 2,600 candidates are in the fray -- more than 2400 men and and over 200 women.

Of the 5,06,90,538 eligible voters, 2,56,75,579 are men, 2,50,09,904 women and 5,055 transgenders.

Officials said 58,008 polling stations were set up across the state, of which 12,002 were designated as "critical".

Over 3,50,000 polling personnel were deployed.

As many as 82,157 security personnel, including home guards, civil defence volunteers and forest guards were pressed into service, Sinha said.

The southern state had witnessed an all-time high seizure, including a huge amount of cash, in the run-up to the polls.

"The total value of the seizure was Rs 186 crore, of which cash amounted to Rs 94.66 crore, besides liquor Rs 24.78 crore," Sinha said.

"Other items, including sarees and other consumable products, worth Rs 66 crore, were also confiscated. The seizures are worth eight times more than what it was during the last Karnataka Assembly election. In the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh polls, the seizures were worth Rs 150 crore," he added.

The counting of votes will take place on May 15.Kathmandu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today prayed at Nepal's iconic Muktinath temple that is regarded sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists.

Modi wore Buddhist traditional red dress and carried out rituals both according to the Hindu and Buddhist tradition.

Modi will also offer prayers at Pashupatinath temple after his return from Muktinath today. This will be followed by meeting with leaders of political parties of Nepal.

He is scheduled to attend a civic reception hosted by Kathmandu Metropolitan City at Rastriya Sabha Griha before returning to New Delhi.

High security alert has been maintained in Mustang in view of Modi's visit. The local administration had put in place a special security plan to make Modi's visit safe and systematic.

Muktinath Temple is regarded as sacred place for both Hindus and Buddhists located in Muktinath Valley. The temple at an altitude of 3,710 metres at the foot of the Thorong La pass in mountainous Mustang district.Patna: Former Bihar Chief Minister and senior RJD leader Rabri Devi was on Saturday accorded the status of the leader of opposition in the state legislative council on the basis of her party's enhanced strength in the upper house.

The development followed the recent biennial elections to the legislative council after which RJD's tally in the 75-member upper house rose from seven to nine, required to get the status.

"We received an application on behalf of Rabri Devi on Friday, brought by (state RJD president) Ramchandra Purve, seeking her recognition as the leader of the opposition in the house," legislative council Deputy Chairman Haroon Rashid told reporters.

"Today, we decided to accord recognition since a vibrant opposition is essential to the functioning of any democracy. Moreover, the RJD has the requisite numbers now," he said.

Last year, after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar walked out of the Grand Alliance comprising his JD(U), the RJD and the Congress, a similar application by Rabri Devi was turned down as the members of the party founded and headed by her husband Lalu Prasad constituted less than 10 per cent of the total strength of the house.

Welcoming the development on a day Rabri Devi's son Tej Pratap Yadav is getting married to the daughter of party MLA Chandrika Rai, RJD spokesperson Ejya Yadav said, "we are delighted at the recognition of Madam as the leader of opposition. The wedding has proved lucky for the entire party."

Lalu Prasad's younger son Tejashwi Yadav is the leader of opposition in the state legislative assembly.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi were among the 11 people elected to the legislative council last month, along with Rabri Devi.New Delhi: Most exit polls are predicting that Karnataka is heading towards a hung assembly with both the Congress and the BJP failing to get a clear majority. The exit polls are also divided about which out of the two  BJP and the Congress  would be the single largest party.

But how often have exit polls in India predicted the verdict correctly? A look at the four major state elections  Gujarat, Punjab, UP and Bihar  show that exit polls can get the numbers wrong sometimes too.

Gujarat, 2018

Exit polls conducted by various agencies after the recent assembly elections in Gujarat were unanimous in their conclusion that the BJP would win the elections with a comfortable majority, but none of them could predict the margins correctly.

Todays Chanakya got its prediction horribly wrong, giving the BJP 135 seats. Times Now VMR exit poll gave 115 seats to the BJP and 65 to the Congress, while the Republic-C Voter exit poll and the News 18-C Voter exit poll gave 108 seats to the BJP and 74 to the Congress.

Contrary to all the exit polls, BJP fell one short of 100 seats, 16 seats lower than what the party had got in 2012 elections. But it was enough to form the government in the 182 seat Assembly. The Congress had given up a better than expected fight with 80 seats to its name.

Punjab, 2017

None of the exit polls could predict the crushing defeat of the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab. Most of the polls predicted a tight race between the Congress and the AAP, and they all got it wrong.

India TV-CVoter exit poll had predicted that AAP would form a government by winning 59 to 67 of the 117 assembly seats in Punjab.

News 24-Chanakya and NewsX-MRC predicted the Congress and the AAP to go neck-to-neck. The India Today-Axis exit polls gave 62-71 seats to the Congress and 42-51 to AAP. ABP-CSDS had given Congress a lead in Punjab and had predicted that AAP would be the runners up.

However, when the results were announced, AAP won only 20 seats.

Uttar Pradesh, 2017

All the exit poll projections for Uttar Pradesh were of a comeback by the BJP. While the BJP did come to power, most of them were not able to predict the humongous BJP victory and the complete annihilation of the SP-Congress combo.

ABP-CSDS and India TV-CVoter had predicted that the BJP would emerge as the single largest party, but both of them said that the saffron party will fall short of forming a majority in the state.

The only closest exit poll was News24-Todays Chanakya, which predicted a sweeping victory for the BJP, with a seat share of 267-303. The Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance followed, with a seat share of 73-103 and Bahujan Samaj Party was pegged to get 15-39 seats in its exit polls.

When the verdict was announced, the BJP registered an astounding victory in the state winning 324 seats in the 403-member state Assembly pushing the SP-Congress alliance and the BSP to distant second and third positions.

Bihar, 2015

The results of the October-November 2015 Assembly election here were hugely awaited.

The ABP-Nielsen poll had predicted that the 'grand alliance' of Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav would get 130 seats and the BJP and allies would get 108. Times Now along with C-Voter gave 122 seats to the 'grand alliance' and 111 to the BJP and allies.

Yet, when the results were announced none of the exit polls came nearly as close to the actual verdict. The grand alliance got a landslide victory getting 178 seats.BlackBerry Key2 launch date has been confirmed by the company in a recent tweet. The successor to BlackBerry KeyOne is set to launch on June 7 at an event in New York, scheduled for 7:30 pm IST. As of now, no specifications of the smartphone have been unveiled by BlackBerry but it is confirmed that the Key2 will sport a qwerty keypad below its display, just like its predecessor. The BlackBerry Key2 will be the first of two devices which the BlackBerry Mobile President Alain Lejune had earlier confirmed to be working upon for 2018.

On Twitter, BlackBerry has announced the launch date of the BlackBerry Key2 through an image reading "An Icon Reborn" followed by the launch date for the smartphone. Even though the company did not reveal anything about the firepower that the smartphone carries, the launch confirmation was itself enough to send the Twitterati into a frenzy.

Also read: OnePlus 6 vs iPhone X vs Galaxy S9 vs Pixel 2 Camera Comparison: Blind Test to Find The Best Smartphone Camera

Here is how the BlackBerry fans reacted on Twitter:

This is music to my ears!!! Let's go @BBMobile keep the good stuff coming. Let me go spread the word around Brooklyn! Cee da rEVOLution (@BrooklynReBelle) May 11, 2018

Its coming! I can't get anymore hyped!! Mark Davidson (@SoldBurlington) May 11, 2018

They even had some suggestions for BlackBerry.

The only thing better would be for BB to be current on Android versions. Jamie Pedersen (@PedersenJamie) May 11, 2018

Hyped or not, BlackBerry seems ready to bring out its KeyONE (review) successor within a month and till date, only a listing on TENAA is our closest look at the smartphone. The listed BlackBerry device shows an elongated display on top of a qwerty keypad, which points at it being the BlackBerry Key2.

As for what all is expected to feature in the BlackBerry Key2, the device might come with a dual camera setup, a USB type-C port, 4G LTE and dual SIM support as well as gesture support on its keypad.Chinese smartphone maker Coolpad Group said its unit has sued three group firms of Xiaomi, which last week filed for a Hong Kong IPO that could be worth up to $10 billion, for patent infringement. Coolpad said in a statement late on Thursday its subsidiary, Yulong Computer Telecommunication Scientific (Shenzhen) Co Ltd filed a lawsuit against Xiaomi Telecom Technology Co Ltd, Xiaomi Technology Co Ltd and Xiaomi Factory Co Ltd in a court in Jiangsu province for using its patent without authorisation.

Yulong demanded that the Xiaomi companies should immediately stop production and sale of some smartphone models, including the Mi MIX2, Coolpad said. Yulong had filed a similar legal case against Xiaomi in a Shenzhen court in January.

"It is because the IP (intellectual property) protection environment in China improved that Coolpad launched the lawsuit in January this year," Coolpad's global chief patent officer Nancy Zhang told a press conference on Friday, denying they were timed with Xiaomi's upcoming IPO.

Watch: Apple Watch 3 Cellular First Impressions Review

Also read: Worry Not, Google Says AI Calling System 'Duplex' Will Identify Itself on a Call

Xiaomi last week filed its IPO plans, which could be the largest listing globally in almost four years. Coolpad has alleged that Xiaomi violated its patented multi-simcard design and other technology related to user interface. It demanded that Xiaomi compensate it for losses due to the alleged infringement, though Zhang declined to give a figure.

In a statement, Xiaomi said it has requested patent authorities to invalidate patent rights that are the subject of the lawsuit filed in Shenzhen. It said it will fully cooperate in the investigation by authorities on the matter.

Coolpad, a Shenzhen-based smartphone maker founded 25 years ago, was once a unit of Jia Yueting's LeEco conglomerate, which has been struggling financially over the past year and a half. LeEco sold off all its interest in Coolpad in January. Coolpad shares have been suspended since March 2017. It has been unable to report its 2017 annual result on time and only just filed its 2016 annual report last month after repeated delays due to audit problems. It reported a loss of HK$4.38 billion for 2016 versus a profit of HK$2.32 billion in 2015.Dhaka: Bangladesh launched its first satellite, "Bangabandhu-1", on Saturday, becoming the 57th nation in the world and fourth in South Asia after India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to own a satellite.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted the communication satellite, named after the Bangladesh founder, early in the morning from Cape Canaveral in Florida, bdnews24.com reported.

It was successfully deployed at Bangladesh's specified orbit slot "within 36 minutes" of the launch and two ground stations in Bangladesh received test signals from it, said State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak at the Kennedy Space Centre in the US.

The launch was telecast live in Bangladesh, with experts saying it will serve as a milestone in the telecommunication sector.

"The satellite will be a great addition to our Information Technology heralding our entry into the Satellite Club of the world," said Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a message.

"The Bangabandhu Satellite-1 will certainly bring revolutionary changes in our broadcast and telecommunications sector. With this launching, we've hoisted the Bangladesh flag in the space... entered a new era."

She thanked the satellite building and launching company, the US and the French governments for their support. Hasina also praised Russia for renting its orbital slot to Bangladesh.

Experts said that the country's first geostationary communication satellite will give extra pace to the digitisation process. It will help expand Internet and telecommunication services in remote and rugged areas which still remained beyond the coverage.

Once the satellite becomes active at its orbital slot, it will be reportedly controlled from three stations in the US, Italy and South Korea for about a month. Finally, the satellite will be controlled and maintained from ground stations in Bangladesh.

In September 2016, Bangladesh signed a 14 billion taka ($180 million) loan agreement with Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) to finance the country's first-ever satellite.

In November 2015, Bangladesh signed a 19.51 billion taka ($248 million) deal with French firm Thales Alenia Space for the satellite project.

The Bangladeshi government also purchased a 119.1 east longitude orbital slot from Russia-based Intersputnik for 15 years for $28 million.Yangon: At least 19 people have been killed in fresh clashes between Myanmar's military and an ethnic armed group on Saturday in remote northern Shan State, Myanmar army and local sources told AFP, as fighting in the country's borderlands intensifies.

"Nineteen people were killed in fighting," the military source said, adding that two-dozen had been injured.

Rights defenders say clashes in northern Myanmar near the China border have ramped up in recent months as the international community focuses on the Rohingya crisis in the west of the country.

The military stands accused of carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign against the stateless minority in Rakhine.

Today's violence was between the military and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, one of several insurgent groups fighting for more autonomy in the north.

"Fighting took place since 5am this morning at three places: two military bases in Muse and one near a bridge on the way to Lashio town," TNLA spokesman Major Mai Aik Kyaw told AFP, citing two of the towns in northern Shan where the clashes occurred.Sydney: Three generations of a single family were identified Saturday as the victims of Australia's worst mass shooting in 22 years, a murder-suicide which left seven people dead.

They included Katrina Miles, 35, and her four children  three boys and a girl aged eight to 13  who were found Friday in a shed on a rural property near the Margaret River wine region in Western Australia, police said.

Miles' mother Cynda Miles, 58, was found in the main house at the property and her father Peter Miles, 61, was found outside, Police Commissioner Chris Dawson told reporters.

Three firearms licensed to Peter Miles were also found, he said. Police had earlier reported finding just two guns.

Confirming suggestions of a murder-suicide, Dawson added: "I wish to strongly emphasise that police do not believe any other person is involved in these crimes. Police are not searching for any other suspects."

Mass shootings are uncommon in Australia and Friday's was the deadliest since a 1996 massacre that left 35 dead at Port Arthur in Tasmania.

After that attack, the government banned assault rifles, launched a mass firearm buyback program and imposed tight gun registration laws.

Dawson said it was too early to confirm which member of the family was the shooter, saying more forensic work was needed.

He would only say police were alerted to the shootings by a phone call from a "male person" at the property, who was apparently the killer.

Felicity Haynes, who lives on a neighbouring property, told broadcaster ABC the family involved were "caring neighbours".

"They were a very socially aware family, doing their best to create a safe community, and that is why it is so shocking," she said.

Facebook posts by Katrina and Cynda Miles, quoted by local media, referred to the children as all being autistic and homeschooled.

The shooting happened in the small town of Osmington, close to Margaret River, a popular tourist destination renowned for its wine, surf and natural beauty.

A neighbour told the West Australian newspaper she was woken by gunfire about 4:00 am Friday morning (2000 GMT Thursday), but thought it was someone shooting kangaroos, which are numerous in the area.

"It wasn't until I saw the police that I thought, 'Hang on a minute'," Meg Janes told the newspaper. "(The shots) were separated out, there was quite a long gap between them."Wellington: Scientists have recorded what is believed to be the largest wave ever in the southern hemisphere, a 23.8 metre (78 foot) monster at the height of an eight-floor building.

A buoy recorded the wave on Tuesday during a ferocious storm in the notoriously wild Southern Ocean near Campbell Island, some 700 kilometres (430 miles) south of New Zealand, research body MetOcean Solutions said.

Senior oceanographer Tom Durrant said it wiped out the previous southern-hemisphere record of 22.03 metres recorded in 2012.

"To our knowledge, it is the largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere," he said, adding that the Southern Ocean was an "engine room" for generating swell waves that move across the planet.

"Indeed, surfers in California can expect energy from this storm to arrive at their shores in about a week's time," he said.

Durrant added that even bigger waves topping 25 metres were probably whipped up by the storm, which tracked east through the area on Tuesday, but the buoy was not in the best place to record them.

He said the buoy, installed in March to measure the extreme conditions in the Southern Ocean, also only recorded for a 20-minute burst every three hours to conserve its batteries.

"It's very probable that larger waves occurred while the buoy was not recording," he said.

The largest wave ever noted was an earthquake-generated tsunami at Alaska's Lituya Bay in 1958 that measured 30.5 metres, according to Smithsonian magazine.Vatican City: Pope Francis wants Chile's bishops to owe up to the "devastating wounds" inflicted on the Church's credibility by a cover-up of clergy sexual abuse, serving notice that his coming meetings with them will be blunt.

The pope's unequivocal stand was made clear in a stern Vatican statement on Saturday, ahead of a visit next week by Chilean bishops who Francis summoned for an explanation of why he was misinformed about the extent of the scandal.

The statement said the pope believed there was a need "to deeply examine the causes and consequences, as well as the mechanisms, that in some cases led to cover-ups and grave omissions regarding the victims".

In a dramatic U-turn last month, Pope Francis said in a letter to the bishops that he had made "grave mistakes" in the handling of the sexual abuse crisis because he had been misinformed.

The letter followed a Vatican investigation into Bishop Juan Barros, who was appointed by the pope in 2015 despite allegations that he had covered up sexual abuse of minors by his mentor, Father Fernando Karadima. Barros has said he was unaware of any wrongdoing.

During his trip to Chile in January, the pope said he had no proof against Barros, believed he was innocent and that accusations against him were "slander" until proven otherwise.

The statement prompted an uproar among Chileans.

Days after he returned to the Vatican, the pope, citing unspecified new information he had received, did a turnaround and sent the Vatican's most respected sexual abuse investigator, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, to investigate.

Saturday's Vatican statement said the pope expected the bishops to be "docile and humble" at the meetings in order to determine "collective and individual responsibility for these devastating wounds" and implement long-lasting changes to avoid a repeat of abuse.

"It is fundamental to re-establish trust in the Church," the statement said. Polls in Chile show that the credibility of the Church there has plummeted because of the scandal.

Barros is expected to be among the 31 active bishops and two retired bishops at the May 15-17 closed-door meetings.

However, a key figure in the scandal, Cardinal Javier Errazuriz, a retired archbishop of Santiago who is one of nine cardinals from around the world who make up a papal advisory panel on general affairs, will be absent for personal reasons, Chile's La Tercera paper quoted him as saying.

Abuse survivors have accused Errazuriz of discrediting victims and not investigating their cases. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Last month, Francis held four days of meetings with Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton and Jose Andres Murillo, three men who were abused by Karadima when they were teenagers in Santiago.

Karadima was found guilty in a Vatican investigation in 2011 of abusing boys in Santiago in the 1970s and 1980s. But he never faced civilian justice because of the statute of limitations.

Now 87 and living in a nursing home in Chile, Karadima has always denied the allegations.Washington: The United States promised on Friday that it would work to rebuild North Korea's sanctions-crippled economy if Kim Jong Un's regime agrees to surrender its nuclear arsenal.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's vow came as senior US officials expressed growing optimism ahead of the landmark Jun 12 summit between Kim and President Donald Trump.

Pompeo, who held talks with Pyongyang's young leader over the weekend, even said: "We have a pretty good understanding between our two countries about what the shared objectives are."

He was speaking after talks with his South Korean counterpart Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha to coordinate Washington and Seoul's preparations for the historic encounter.

Many observers have warned Kim's regime will try to drive a wedge between the allies as the summit approaches, playing Seoul's fear of war against Washington's nuclear concerns.

But both Kang and Pompeo insisted that they agreed on the need for the "total, permanent and verifiable" denuclearisation of the divided peninsula.

Trump and South Korea's President Moon Jae-in are due to meet on May 22 at the White House for the next round of planning.

And Pompeo said the United States would remain on board to help develop the North's economy, which has been devastated by its own mismanagement and crippling international sanctions.

"If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearise, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on par with our South Korean friends," he said.

Since an ad hoc 1953 armistice put an end to active hostilities between the North and the South, South Korea has emerged from devastation to become a leading world economy.

But the North has remained one of the world's most isolated states and its outdated economy has been further battered by a UN-backed "maximum pressure" campaign of sanctions.

Over the past year, Kim and Trump have also added a personal touch to a half-century of international enmity, swapping insults and both openly threatening devastating direct military action.

'GOOD CONVERSATIONS'

Kim's regime also carried out missile tests that convinced US intelligence officials, including Pompeo in his former role as CIA chief, that North Korea could threaten US cities.

But South Korea's President Moon reached out to the North, reopening direct talks, and when Kim invited Trump to a summit to discuss disarmament the mood changed.

At the weekend, Pompeo flew to Pyongyang for a second round of talks and to recover three released American detainees, and now a summit date has been set for Jun 12 in Singapore.

"We had good conversations, conversations that involve deep complex problems, challenges, strategic decisions that chairman Kim has before him," Pompeo said.

The pair, he said, talked "about how it is he wishes to proceed and if he's prepared, in exchange for the assurances that we're ready to provide him, if he is prepared to fully denuclearize.

"We'll require a robust verification program, one that we would undertake with partners around the world which would achieve that outcome," he warned.

But he added: "I'm confident that we have a shared understanding of the outcome that the leaders want, certainly President Trump and chairman Kim, but I think President Moon as well."

South Korea's Kang shared in Pompeo's optimism and was at pains to insist that there is no daylight between how Washington and Seoul are approaching the talks.

"We agreed that the summit would be a historic opportunity for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, and securing enduring peace on the Korean peninsula," she said.

"We reaffirmed that our goal is to achieve the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula," she added, promising "air-tight" coordination.

Pompeo's promise of an economic carrot to match the stick of "maximum pressure" may reassure observers who are concerned that Seoul and Washington's objectives are not exactly aligned.

"There's a danger here of the peace track moving more quickly than the denuclearisation track," warned Abraham Denmark, an Asia expert and former senior US defence official.

"If that happens, it could give North Korea an opportunity to try to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington," said Denmark, now at the Wilson Center think tank in the US capital.

So far, the North Korean regime has made vague pledges to "denuclearize" but has not spelled out what that means, when it would happen or how it would be implemented.

GROWING ARSENAL

In North Korea's bombastic rhetoric, "denuclearisation" has, for years, been a byword for US troop withdrawals from South Korea - an idea that Kang appeared to reject.

After her talks with Pompeo, she took pains to "emphasize again that the US military presence in Korea is a matter for the ROK-US alliance first and foremost."

Hardliners in the North are believed to see a nuclear weapon as a guarantee against outside efforts to topple the regime, but Trump insists he will not tolerate their growing arsenal.BETHEL  After the police station project exceeded its budget by 7 percent, town leaders are determined not to allow the same thing to happen in future undertakings, including the upcoming elementary schools renovations.

Officials said there are safeguards in place to prevent the school project from exceeding its budget, but they also plan to review and improve the towns building process.

One of the things we are committed to do is to bring both of these huge projects on plan, under budget, said Larry Craybas, chairman of the Board of Education. I know it's one thing to say that and another thing to accomplish it, but we are committed to doing that.

The $65.8 million renovations to Rockwell and Johnson elementary schools are intended to significantly upgrade the aging buildings.

But, historically, local projects havent been completed as approved because the original plans turned out to be more expensive than expected.

The library took 13 years to complete, as the town raised money and earned a state grant to finish the second floor.

Meanwhile, the town had to sacrifice features of the high school, Berry Elementary School, Stony Hill Firehouse and municipal center projects to keep them within budget.

But the most glaring example was the new police station, where voters this month approved an additional $889,000 for the project after it went over its $13.5 million budget.

This one should really cause us to step back, First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said.

The project exceeded its budget in part because HVAC and plumbing work cost much more than anticipated, but Knickerbocker said he wants to hire an engineer or similar professional to examine exactly where everything went wrong.

Our focus right now is making sure this project is completed with the new funding as specified and that there are no further hiccups, he said. When thats done, we have to take a critical look at it and ask ourselves how do we make sure this doesnt happen again.

The Board of Selectmen also plans to meet once a month with the building committee during major construction projects.

And the state will regulate the schools project because it is paying for 45 percent of eligible costs.

Were accountable to the state and the timelines to the state, Superintendent Christine Carver said. Well be working very closely with the building committee to monitor it.

The state has asked the town to hire an owners representative, who will be the towns eyes and ears and warn if there is a problem with the project, Craybas said. Some have said the town should have had this professional for the police station project, while others have argued it would not have made a difference.

A commissioning agent, who will ensure the equipment being installed works properly, will also be hired.

Craybas said the town plans to sign an agreement with the construction company guaranteeing the maximum price for the project. This agreement was not initially signed for the police station because the project was over budget. The construction manager will also be held at risk, meaning he or she will have to cover any overruns the manager is at fault for, Craybas said.

Craybas said it will be important for the town to avoid any of the unexpected hitches the police project ran into, like the discovery of debris from the middle school construction and an old barn found on the stations construction site.

He doesnt expect this to be a problem for Rockwell and Johnson, but said crews will drill at the site to be sure. Were not making any assumptions that we know everything, Craybas said.

He said the town also must be meticulous during the planning process to avoid changing the project once construction begins. If officials realize later they want to adjust the project, then they will have to give something else up, Craybas said.

There will still be things to learn and changes to be made, but were not going to be doing them at the last minute, he said. That you can take to the bank.

Knickerbocker said many residents are looking for one person to blame for the mistakes in the police station, but its not that simple.

We have a flawed process that has affected many town projects, not just this one, he said. Theres a risk in how we go about building those things and I think we have to address that. The process is fundamentally vulnerable to these things happening.

The main vulnerability is time, Knickerbocker said. Often actual costs rise above estimates between when voters approve a project and when construction begins.

But one benefit the school project has over the police station is that it passed on the first try, Knickerbocker said. This means estimates will be closer to the actual cost.

For the police station, voters rejected a $14.1 million project in December 2014, but passed the $13.5 million version a year later. Crews did not break ground on the building until May 2017.

Still, time is a difficult challenge to overcome, Knickerbocker said. The town could spend more money initially to obtain exact costs before taking projects to voters. But that would require having a town meeting or referendum to design a project voters hadnt approved yet.

I dont know if the public would accept that or not, but I know they are very upset because [the police station] didnt work out the way it was planned, Knickerbocker said. Something is going to have to change if you want an absolute, iron-clad guarantee that it is not going to happen again.DANBURY  After years of efforts to recruit more minority teachers to local schools, area districts have barely made a dent in their still overwhelmingly white workforce.

The lopsided ratio of minority students to teachers is especially acute in Danbury, one of the most diverse and fastest growing districts in Connecticut. Children of color make up the majority of the citys student body but only 12 percent of educators identify as a minority, according to state data.

Although there are almost 5,700 Hispanic or Latino students in the district this year  half of the entire student population  less than 70 of the 836 educators identify as Hispanic or Latino.

Thats a slight improvement over the past four years and nearly double the state average for Latino teachers, but progress has been frustratingly slow as the demographics of the booming student population shift further away from that of the teaching corps.

Everyone across the state is frustrated by it, said Kim Thompson, human resources director for Danbury Public Schools. Were really trying to work as quickly as we can to get our teacher complexion to look like our students. The goal is that you want kids in our district to see people who look like them at the front of their classroom. We continue to make it a priority.

While every district competes to land the best minority recruits across the region, districts like Danbury and Bethel are turning to their own students and non-certified staff to try to combat the issue from within.

Our problem of practice is exactly this: Is it realistic to think we could ever create a staff that exactly mirrors the demographics of our kids? Thompson said. Were not sure its possible. Thats why weve talked about those alternatives.

Representation matters

Educators unanimously agree that a diverse faculty is better able to teach and mentor students from all backgrounds.

But as the demographics of the student body have changed, those of educators havent kept up.

That leaves some students of color or for whom English is a second language with few or no teachers who look like them or share a similar background, Danbury school board member Emanuela Palmares said.

At Morris Street School, 71 percent of students are Hispanic and Latino, but they have only one teacher who looks like them. The more than 1,300 Hispanic and Latino students at Danbury High had only 15 teachers of the same ethnicity.

In Bethel, where almost 30 percent of the districts 3,000 students are minorities, there are only a half-dozen minority teachers out of the districts 278 educators.

Those numbers represent only slight increases in Danbury and Bethel over the past three years, but its not for lack of effort, officials argue.

In Danbury, almost 20 percent of the new teachers hired this school year identified as a minority, Thompson said. But those few new teachers barely move the statistics.

There simply arent enough minority teachers to go around, Bethel Schools Superintendent Christine Carver said.

Its also a higher ed issue because, trust me, if we had the candidates, I think wed be having a completely different conversation, Carver said. Were literally not getting the applicants and thats one of the biggest problems.

Teacher certification

State lawmakers unanimously passed a bill last week designed to help recruit minority teachers and make it easier for school staff to become a certified teacher.

State Rep. Michael Ferguson, a Republican and former Danbury school board member, co-sponsored the bill and lauded it as a first step.

The bill expands an existing state task force and directs the state to expand its acceptance of equivalent education or experience to help grow the pool of teaching candidates, he said.

Creating more pathways for minority candidates to enter the teaching pool will ease every districts difficulty finding more diverse hires and it could help districts other staff start on a pathway to teaching, Carver and Thompson said.

Danbury leaders have taken to recruiting paraprofessionals who work alongside teachers in the classroom but might have only an associate degree, for example, to pursue their teacher certification.

Those 400 paraprofessionals in Danbury schools also are dramatically more diverse, she said. Forty percent of those staff members identify as minority, including 20 percent as Latino and 14 percent as black, she said.

Future teachers

To better reflect the student body, officials also are turning to the students themselves to pursue higher education and return to teach in their district.

The so-called teaching pipeline connects local students with the education program at Western Connecticut State University to give them real-world experience in the classroom while theyre still in high school.

The system is a win-win, said Rob Pote, director of pre-collegiate and access services at the university.

It offers minority and low-income students an opportunity for college credit while still in high school and gives districts a chance to develop a new generation of local teachers from within, he said.

The first class of 11 teaching fellows are now juniors at WCSU and at least two intend to become teachers after they graduate, Pote said. The others might not be teachers, but they are first-generation college students studying other critical needs, like counseling or nursing, he said.

Danbury High juniors Linda Munoz, Kevin Quizhpi and Barkha Bhavsar are participating in the program and recently recalled the first time they stood in front of a class of rowdy Ellsworth Avenue School first graders last summer.

Munoz joked that shes not sure if she wants a class of students that young, but she is considering high school or college teaching. Quizhpi graduates early from DHS this summer and plans to study criminal justice at WCSU, but he might still be persuaded to consider teaching, Pote said.

All three agreed increasing the number of minority educators would lead to better student outcomes and inspire more to pursue teaching themselves.

If we stick to becoming a teacher, as a minority the relationship we create with our students will be strong, Quizhpi said. We would have, I would say, more trust because were the same background that we would understand our students better as well.

Were not supposed to only teach, were also mentors for our students, he said. I think a minority teacher would play a big role.

zach.murdock@hearstmediact.comMASHANTUCKET  Matthew M. Corey, the owner of a Hartford pub and a window-washing service, on Friday won a come-from-behind effort to win the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy.

Corey, 54, a Navy veteran and former truck driver from Enfield who twice lost congressional races to 1st District U.S. Rep. John Larson, won four of five congressional districts during the hour-long balloting among more than 800 delegates. He took 53 percent of the vote

This election is bigger than we are, Corey said. Sen. Murphy does not represent the state of Connecticut. Sen. Murphy is only out for himself.

Dominc Rapini, a national accounts manager for computer giant Apple, won enough support to force a primary. He too 35 percent of the vote. But both Corey and Rapini are nearly broke, according to records on file with the Federal Election Commission.

According to the Federal Election Commission, Corey has $13,336 on hand for the race, with a debt of $3,000.

Rapini, 57, was a star athlete at Hamden High School and Trinity College and is in his first political campaign. While he is the best-funded of the three GOP hopefuls with $47,500 on hand, still faces a steep uphill climb to challenge Murphy, with $7.7 million on hand for his first re-election.

We need a true voice for us in Washington, said state Sen. George Logan of Ansonia, who made the nomination for Rapiniat about 6 p.m.

Dom is someone that we need in the U.S. Senate. We need someone who can compete with Chris Murphy and keep his money on the sidelines. This is our opportunity. It is time for Connecticut to start winning again.

Rapini also reported debts of $34,953 to the Federal Election Commission

Perennial statewide candidate Joe Visconti, 61, who shifted a previous gubernatorial bid to the Senate, received 3 percent of the vote and did not qualify to primary. He touted the endorsement this week of Corey Lewandowski, President Trumps former campaign manager who is now a conservative political pundit.

Visconti, a West Hartford construction manager and gun-rights activist, ran for governor as an unaffiliated candidate in 2014, then dropped out just a few days before Gov. Dan Malloy won re-election over Tom Foley of Greenwich. Despite dropping out, Visconti still took more than 11,450 votes.An incident involving a woman attempting to fly from Atlanta to Las Vegas caused an entire flight to deplane after she refused official requests leave the plane after causing a disturbance.

In a now-viral Facebook Live video posted last week, Safira Allen claims she showed up to her flight's gate after the boarding time and the airline required her to pay a fee to board the plane late. Allen also claims the gate closed 20 minutes earlier than scheduled.

"How you gonna close your airline early, make me miss my flight and tell me I gotta pay again?" Allen says in the video. "Once I pay, I get on the flight and they say, 'You caused a disturbance.'"

The woman stated that she was asked to leave the plane after "cussing," to which she states, "I don't even cuss. I'm orthodox. So what are you saying?"

RELATED: Passenger rejected for 'pungent' odor

In the Facebook video, Allen can be heard dropping multiple expletives seconds before professing that she doesn't cuss. (WARNING: Graphic language)

The May 1 video has amassed over 3.7 million views on Facebook, and Spirit Airlines has not commented publicly on the incident.

RELATED: Plane passenger allegedly strangled people, called baby a 'slut' in mid-flight rampage

During the video, Allen goes on a tirade against the airline, stating, "Y'all going to use Jesus' name, the Holy Spirit? That's got to change, y'all need to be called something else. Y'all need to change y'all name because nothing Holy Spirit about this airline."

Later in the video, a uniformed officer confronts Allen, and Allen calls him a "terrorist."

"I'm not getting off this plane to negotiate with no terrorists," Allen says. "Cause clearly, they're the terrorists. They're terrorizing me in my own country."

After a while, a crew member can be heard telling the other passengers over the loudspeakers that all of them will have to deplane, because they need to "start the boarding process again." A few passengers can be heard yelling in protest after the announcement.

As passengers exit, Allen continued to record and shouts "If I can't go to Las Vegas, Nevada, neither can y'all!"

MORE: United pays passenger $10,000 to get off plane

In the video, Allen yelled racial profanities at some of the passengers as they passed her.

A passenger wearing an Oakland Raiders hat walked by, to whom Allen says "F- the Raiders, they ain't s-."

ALSO: Plane passenger allegedly threw coffee at people, 'jumped on' air marshal's back

The video ends with multiple security and police officers escorting Allen out of the plane.

Allen later wrote a Facebook post apologizing to the other passengers, and stated that the Atlanta Police Department arrested her for trespassing.

SFGATE has reached out to Allen for comment. This article will be updated when she replies.OSA decentralized is the worlds first decentralized, AI-driven marketplace providing real-time solutions to retailers, manufacturers and consumers.

The Optimal Shelf Availability Decentralized Platform is also known as OSA DC. As a standard term in the retail industry, optimal shelf availability refers to the immediate availability of all the relevant goods on a retailers shelves at any moment in time. An airtight OSA is crucial to increasing sales volume and profitability, customer satisfaction, and the overall efficiency of a retail business. The OSA DC platform itself is a business project, developed by a team distributed between Russia, Ukraine, the United States, and Israel. It uses data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and optical recognition technologies to improve optimal shelf availability for retailers and like businesses.



The Power of the Smart Consumer

An AI-powered digital assistant will provide consumers with purchasing recommendations based on reliable product information and ratings, ensuring that they only purchase genuine consumer goods and safe-for-consumption groceries.

OSA DCs artificial intelligence will provide three benefits that are crucial for the success of a healthy retail ecosystem:



By using OSA DC, consumers will provide a wealth of data while being rewarded for these contributions in the platforms native token.

Consumers will enrich OSAs AI data model by providing relevant product information and purchase decision tree. In turn, the AI will analyze this data so that manufacturers and retailers can effectively cooperate to optimize their business strategies.

Smart contracts will keep data providers honest and consumer interests protected, as a unique set of KPIs, product ratings, and rewards will be stored and verifiable on the blockchain.

Consumers will be able to use OSA tokens in a variety of ways:

 Pay for B2C services

 Receive exclusive promotional offers

 Purchase groceries

The 62 page white paper is here.

OSA Decentralized (OSA DC) stands for creating value for consumers, retailers and manufacturers with its AI-driven digital services.

Established in 2015, OSA is already a successful standing business. They provide services for the worlds leading consumer products manufacturers and retailers, including Coca-Cola, Mars, LOreal, Nestle, Metro Cash & Carry and many others.

These services are deployed by OSA Hybrid Platform, an AI-powered, big data platform that manages retail optimal shelf availability in real-time. With two years of development and testing under our belt, theyve produced OSA Hybrid Platform solution in close partnership with the Efficient Consumer Response (ECR), an organization that represents more than 70 of Europes leading manufacturers and retailers in more than 40 countries.

Optimal shelf availability is the most challenging problem in global consumer retail, costing manufacturers and retailers $400 billion in lost sales per year and caused by business processes inefficiencies along the supply chain and in the retail stores.

OSA DC takes OSA Hybrid Platform Solution a stage further  it employs a range of cutting edge technologies that overcome obstacles we identified while implementing the Solution:

namely, lack of transparency and human error in the entire supply chain industry.

To ensure transparency, it leverages AI, blockchain and smart contract technology to make every supply chain partys data immune from manipulation and unauthorized access.

OSA DC platform will feature the OSA Product Master Data Catalogue, containing product names, visual appearances, and comprehensive product information for all available goods.

This will allow OSA AI to process clean data and provide the members of the supply chain with smart prescriptions. AI will power the Master Data Catalogue development, which is significantly more reliable, cheaper, and faster than currently applied manual management.

Each product will include an image recognition (IR) model generated by machine-learned, synthetic datasets that train our AI, a unique technology developed by Neuromation. IR functionality allows shop staff to respond to AI generated tasks, collect relevant data, and provide necessary services to consumers and other members of the supply chain.

Built on top of OSA existing technologies  big data platform, machine learning and real-time AI processing  OSA DC will completely solve product availability issue, drastically reduce product waste and deliver tangible benefits to supply chain members and consumers.

OSA DC will also make its wealth of product data available to consumers in an easy-to-use format. Enriched with product and store performance ratings, this data will allow consumers to make intelligent and conscious purchasing decisions while also help them to

1. save consumers money

2. save consumers time

3. stay healthy by avoiding unhealthy and hazardous foods and leading healthy lifestyle

In addition, OSA DC will encourage consumers to generate and share valuable consumer data (purchasing trends, product information), which will assist manufacturers and retailers with producing better products and providing better services for their customers.

Consumers will be rewarded in OSA coins for their contributions to the platforms data landscape, and will use OSA coins for a variety of services, including in-store purchases.

OSA Decentralized is building an unprecedented ecosystem that unites various parties which are disconnected today  supply chain members, data providers, data scientists, IT specialists, apps developers, computation power providers, laboratories, regulators and end consumers. This powerful combination will spur the development of myriads of B2B and B2C services on decentralized blockchain and smart contracts based platform.

OSA Coin is the fuel that will drive the ecosystems operations, as well as a payment method to enable smooth transactions between its members.

Two small satellites, scheduled for launch in 2018, will provide the Coast Guard with the opportunity to test the effectiveness of satellite communications in supporting Arctic search and rescue missions.

These satellites, or cubesats, are capable of detecting transmissions from emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs), which are carried on board vessels to broadcast their position if in distress. The Coast Guard will deploy the cubesats in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorates Polar Scout program, the Air Force Operationally Responsive Space Office, and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

NOAA operates a group of satellites to detect EPIRB transmissions in the Arctic but is currently in the process of replacing that system. DHS and the Coast Guard are using the opportunity to see if cubesats could help augment that system while NOAA deploys the new satellites.

The satellites consist of 10-centimeter cubes that are designed to carry small payloads and can be stacked to make a custom-sized vehicle. Because satellite electronics have increased in capability while decreasing in size, equipment that used to require a larger vehicle can be housed in a cubesat at a much lower cost. Normally, a large number of cubesats are launched at once, and the cost is split among the vehicles owners to further save money. Sometimes, a mission launching a large satellite will have extra space to accommodate a cubesat at significantly lower cost as well.

Each Polar Scout cubesat will pass over the North Pole every 90 to 100 minutes and will be able to detect EPIRB signals from vessels in the Arctic for about 12 minutes on each orbit. The cubesats will circle the earth 15 or 16 times a day, providing more than three hours of search and rescue coverage in the Arctic daily.

Millennium Engineering and Integration is preparing the satellites for launch in mid-2018 with the help of Space Dynamics Laboratory and Raytheon.

The satellites, scheduled to be launched later this year, will only be proof-of-concept and wont be relied upon for actual operations, Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Jr. Grade Emma Lutton said. They will be tested to monitor the Arctic.

US Southern Command has worked with Planet Labs  a startup that maintains a constellation of over 175 microsatellites that image the Earth each day  to track unscheduled military exercises and monitor drug cartels.The Army is joining forces with Uber to build out technology that could help get the next generation of military helicopters and a proposed fleet of flying taxis off the ground.

The rideshare company and Army Research Lab announced Tuesday they would collaborate on research exploring rotor technology that would make aircraft quieter and more efficient. The partnership would support both the Armys Future Vertical Lift program and Uber Elevate, the companys proposed urban air transportation network.

The two groups agreed to each invest $500,000 in the initial effort. The deal also leaves the door open for future research partnerships.

The research would primarily focus on developing a first-of-its-kind stacked, co-rotating propeller system, which would essentially be two propellers build on top of each other spinning in the same direction. Unlike current stacked propellers, which rotate in opposite directions, the new system would make flying significantly quieter and more conducive for stealth or urban flights.

In addition to research, ARL will also help develop and test aircraft for the Uber Elevate program.

Uber plans to conduct its first flight demonstrations in 2020 and have the service commercially available in Dallas-Fort Worth and Los Angeles by 2023.

Uber revealed its latest flying car concept at its second annual Elevate conference in Los Angeles.

The images show stacked co-rotating rotors or propellers have two rotor systems placed on top of each other rotating in the same direction.



Uber plans flying cars

* flying at an elevation of 1,000 to 2,000 feet.

* thousands of its flying taxis shuttling passengers between rooftop skyports and landing sites in cities

* skyports would each handle 200 takeoffs and landings every hour

* Uber flying taxis will be piloted by humans at first and eventually will fly autonomously.Today, there are ten Russian Mig 31 aircraft that are on experimental combat duty and are ready to use the hypersonic mach 10 Kinzhal depending on the situation. (Source : Russian deputy defense minister Yury Borisov at the Russian Star)

The Mig 31 is capable of cruising at Mach 2.35 with an air-to-air payload and is temperature limited to Mach 2.83.

The Khinzal missile flies 10 times faster than the speed of sound and can also maneuver at all phases of its flight trajectory. This allows it to overcome all existing and most prospective anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems, delivering nuclear and conventional warheads in a range of over 2,000 kilometers.

There are some US experts who want to claim that the US is not behind with hypersonic weapons. Russia and China have deployed hypersonic missiles. The US has no hypersonic weapons deployed and are unlikely to deploy before 2020-2023.

The US is currently behind in hypersonic weapons.

The US Air Force is talking about faster hypersonic weapon prototyping in order to catch up.NEW HAVEN  Sticks and stones might break your bones, but your words could hurt your social standing.

Melanie DeFrank, a masters psychology student at Southern Connecticut State University, and her faculty adviser Patricia Kahlbaugh conducted a study on the impact the use of profanity could have on peoples perception of a speaker, published in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology this year.

What they found was that about half of the respondents did not find a hypothetical conversation between two 15-year-olds laced with profanity to be offensive, yet they still rated the swearing speaker to be less trustworthy and intelligent and more aggressive overall.

What started as a class project for DeFrank, of Ansonia, as an undergraduate student at the university evolved into a published article when she decided to study the issue further. Kahlbaugh, who said she did a similar study more than a decade ago, said DeFranks idea to question whether the speakers even found the language itself objectionable was an improvement that showed peoples attitudes toward profanity differed from their attitudes toward people using profanity.

On the one hand, theyre not saying they dislike profanity, but it still biases them against the person, Kahlbaugh said. A lot of Melanies work is about how we form impressions through language.

DeFrank said she partially credits the studys publication to the environment in which it was completed; in 2016, University of California, San Diego professor Benjamin Bergen published his book on swearing What The F.

According to Kahlbaugh, profanity can communicate something about culture; Japanese doesnt have any words that are technically considered profane, although there are words that are seen as offensive or rude based on the speaker.

She said the word feces, which is derived from Latin, shares the same meaning as another profane term derived from Middle English which thus took on an association with peasantry following the Anglo-Saxon invasions.

Our society has accepted a level of profanity, but whats happened is people dont register these as terrible words but theres still an impression deficit, she said. People might get lulled into a false sense of security.

Another conclusion the pair found surprising was that both people in a mixed-gender pair of speakers was generally rated lower on a scale of sociability traits and seen as more offensive when even just one has used profanity, which was not replicated in same-gender pairs.

DeFrank said her research is moving toward evaluating peoples attitudes toward the quality of scientific and creative writing based on the writers gender.

I love social psychology in general, she said.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.comWALLINGFORD  Members of the University of New Haven Class of 2018 marked an ending and a beginning Saturday, as they gathered at the Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford to celebrate commencement.

Nicholas J. Mroczka, vice-president of the undergraduate student government association, and Chris Speicher, vice-president of operations with the graduate student council, spoke during the ceremony, sharing thoughts on the occasion with their peers.

Mroczka said his education had helped him embrace diversity and work towards social change and cited an Oprah Winfrey quote about stepping out of history and writing ones own story.

My four years have led be to want to be a teacher, and because of my amazing experiences, I feel compelled to give back to society. I am stepping out of my college history and I am driven to write a new story that involves healing our fragile planet, said Mroczka. It is your turn to take your experiences and strive to be an agent of change that embraces and promotes intersectionality while making this world better for generations to come.

Speicher mulled the value of embracing and reckoning with failure  of avoiding excuses and being accountable.

Its my belief that true success in life comes from accomplishing the things that we are most afraid to fail. Success is overcoming the obstacles that simultaneously energize us and terrify us to our core, said Speicher. I would encourage all of you, not just the graduates, to be a student in your own life. Recognize your failure. Recognize how your failures either set you up or impede you from accomplishing the things in life youre most apt to do, and recognize how your failures affect the lives of those around you. In this way, I hope I will continue to forever be a student as well.

Frances Padilla, president of the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut. served as the keynote speaker for the mornings ceremony. She offered the young people a few words of advice as she wrapped up her remarks, urging them to address our turbulent world with serenity, courage and wisdom.

Finding serenity means you have to slow down to speed up. Sometimes its better to step back, be still, look to the lessons of the past before forging ahead. And then sometimes you have to go forward with conviction, said Padilla. And thats where courage comes in. Take chances... the world of work and community need your intelligence, talent and grit.

Padilla and Baron Carlo Amato received honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees during the morning ceremony, with Paul Heth and Patricia Melton, president of New Haven Promise, scheduled to follow in the afternoon.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal also spoke during the proceedings, urging the young people to keep a pact handed down over time that he considers in jeopardy  to better the country for the next generation.

He said he sensed a shift in the country, as young people take over political will from their predecessors, citing recent activism around gun violence, and wished the students well.

I know, as a recipient of an honorary degree from the University of New Haven, that my life has improved since that degree. I hope yours does too  I know it will for almost all of you. Have a great day, and a great future, said Blumenthal.

Martin J. OConnor, an associate professor and university chaplain, offered an invocation, leading off the proceedings with the hope of blessings to come.

We ask your blessing upon all who have come to celebrate the achievements and promise of todays graduates. We give you thanks for all that our graduates have accomplished  for the good things that they have done, and the good things they will do, said OConnor. May you keep alive in each one of us the zeal to always seek the truth, to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with you, our God, now and forever.

After the speeches had ended for the morning, erstwhile students graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Tagliatela College of Engineering were called forward to receive their diplomas.

Each came to the front of the room with a group of their classmates, then stepped individually into the spotlight as they marked their achievement.

Whoops and cheers of joy and acknowledgement came intermittently from the audience, as attendees saw a loved one grace the stage.

As the ceremony concluded, the newly minted graduates turned their tassels from right to left, symbolizing the moment in time.

After a brief celebration, they filed outside to Pomp and Circumstance, stepping out of the auditorium into a crowd of family members and peers.

A second graduation ceremony, featuring students from the College of Business and the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, was scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the university.

A preceding ceremony was scheduled to be held at the universitys Lyme Academy College on Friday/

According to the college, students would receive 32 associates degrees, 1,018 bachelors degrees, 492 masters degrees, and four Ph. D degrees over the three commencement events.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.comFirst Kimberly Guilfoyle was floated as a replacement White House communications director after the firing of Sean Spicer. Then, last fall, Guilfoyle was seen stepping out with Anthony Scaramucci, whose 10-day tenure as communications director imploded back in July like a dying supernova made of profanity.

Now the Fox News host (and former wife of SF mayor of yore, Gavin Newsom) reportedly has yet another spicy connection to the administration, Page Six has reported: She's apparently dating the newly single Donald Trump Jr., 40.

Guilfoyle, 49, is a host of "The Five" on Fox News and was married to California governor candidate Gavin Newsom from 2001 to 2005, during which time he served on the Board of Supervisors and was elected mayor of San Francisco.

She has her own deep connection with San Francisco as well, having grown up in the Mission District and attending a Catholic high school in the city before moving to Davis for college and then back for law school at the University of San Francisco.

Although she described Newsom as "hot" and "hung" in 2004 during a mildly controversial speech that also featured the suggestive use of a banana, they separated the following year, citing the strain of a bicoastal marriage; Guilfoyle had moved to New York to pursue her television career. Their divorce was finalized in 2006.

Trump Jr.'s wife of 12 years, Vanessa, filed for divorce in March. In the aftermath, alleged screenshots of his thirsty, oddly bacon-centric DMs have been aired and various tabloids (and at least one former Clinton aide) have renewed their fixation on Vanessa Trump's relationship with a member of the Latin Kings as a teen in New York.

But perhaps that's all background noise now, as Don Jr. and Guilfoyle have reportedly been dating happily for weeks.

"Don Jr. and Kimberly are seeing each other, and are having a great time. While he wants to respect the privacy of his family, he is getting divorced, and he enjoys Kimberly's company," a source reportedly told Page Six.

An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated where Kimberly Guilfoyle went to law school. She is an alumna of University of San Francisco School of Law, not UCSF.

Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on TwitterAT a cheese dairy called La Laiterie de la Cote, in the village of Brochon in Burgundy, last fall, I was struck by a display in a refrigerator case of little chevres on sticks, each one a single bite, like a cheese lollipop, but covered with a furry down of gray mold.

I could not imagine an American palate embracing these little goat's milk cheeses. The French are different, though. If it tastes good, the French say, it is good, and it makes no difference what it looks like -- or how it smells.

But I had come to the Laiterie de la Cote to learn about an even more off-putting cheese, Epoisses, arguably the most deliciously pungent, the most highly regarded and -- fairly or unfairly -- most infamous raw-milk cheese in France, if not in the whole world.

Two brothers, Sylvain and Olivier Gaugry, own the laiterie, one of just four dairies that produce Epoisses, which is made from the milk of cows that graze pastures stretching from the town of Epoisses in the Auxois eastward to the Cote d'Or in Burgundy. Sylvain Gaugry, who showed me around the dairy, called Epoisses ''the most fragile of all cheeses.'' The process involved is painstaking, requiring a delicate balance of temperature and humidity. And, as with all fine raw-milk cheese, good bacteria present in the milk must be allowed to flourish to enrich flavor without creating dangerous bacteria that can lead to illness.There was the usual post-sale speculation about who bought what, with Christies reporting that a sprinkling of buyers were institutions. Because Gary Tinterow, director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, was the successful bidder on Georges Seurats La Rade de Grandcamp (Le Port de Grandcamp), which sold for $34 million, many assumed he had bought it for his own museum. Mr. Tinterow, in a telephone interview, said he had bought it for a Houston collector.

The Rockefellers place settings and collectibles also brought huge prices, including the 14-karat-gold money clip  depicting Rockefeller Center  which sold for a whopping $75,000 with fees (against an estimate of about $1,200).

I am surprised at how much more the decorative arts are making than estimate, Marc Porter, the chairman of Christies Americas, said. I expected some Rockefeller premium, but not the multiples of five and 10.

Image The Rockefeller Money Clip, an openwork gold plaque depicting Rockefeller Center, originally belonged to Laurance Rockefeller and brought $75,000 at auction. Credit... Christie's

Mr. Porter said the $1 billion figure was promoted by the press and not Christies. I never thought it could make a billion dollars, he said. Speaking of Tuesday nights $646 million auction of 19th and 20th century art, he said, You would have to have added another $200 million to that evening sale, which was beyond anyones expectation.

Still, had bidding taken off for the highest-priced lot of the week, Fillette a la Corbeille Fleurie (Young Girl With Basket of Flowers), Christies might have come close. Instead, the painting sold on one bid to its guarantor for $115 million, with fees. But Mr. Porter said the work was always a gamble, given that it depicts a naked teenage girl and is not easily recognizable as a Picasso.Companies can choose where they want to file for bankruptcy. And Mr. LoPucki said bankruptcy judges were reluctant to push back on fees, fearing lawyers would choose to file big cases elsewhere.

Toys R Us, based in Wayne, N.J., filed its Chapter 11 case in federal court in Richmond, Va., which has a reputation for approving large professional fees.

Toys R Us bankruptcy lawyers from Kirkland & Ellis said in a court filing last year that they were charging as much as $1,745 an hour in the case. That was 25 percent more than the average highest rate in 10 of the largest bankruptcies in 2017, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

Bankruptcy professionals say that working to reorganize or liquidate a company is time-consuming, complicated and intense. Toys R Us is made up of multiple corporate entities  in the United States and internationally  that have hired lawyers and advisers.

All of that has added up to a big bill. So far, the company said, it has shelled out $108 million on professional fees. It expects to spend as much as $348 million as a result of the bankruptcy, according to the company documents.

Toys R Us collapsed quickly, going from a potential turnaround play to a costly liquidation.

With cash tight, the company wanted last spring to take some of the pressure off by refinancing about $200 million of its total $5 billion in debt. But when word got out that Toys R Us had hired restructuring advisers, the companys vendors were spooked heading into the crucial Christmas season.

By September, Toys R Us said it had no choice but to file for bankruptcy.

The company had originally hoped to shed some of its debt and keep operating. But after dismal holiday sales, the Toys R Us lenders began to question whether the company had a future and threatened to pull back on financing.Here is a rundown of the key proposals unveiled on Friday.

Lower drug prices for older people

On the campaign trail, Mr. Trump embraced allowing Medicare to negotiate the price of the drugs it buys for older people, an issue traditionally supported by Democrats but long opposed by Republicans  and the powerful drug industry.

Fridays proposal falls far short of that goal. But it does include some ideas for giving the government better leverage in negotiating with drug companies. It calls for exploring whether to allow Medicare drug plans to pay different amounts for the same drug, depending on the illness involved. And it would experiment with value-based purchasing in federal programs, essentially a money-back guarantee in which a drugmaker promises to refund money if a medication does not work as expected. Drug companies and insurers are increasingly entering into these kind of arrangements, although the evidence is far from clear that they lower costs.

The administration also reiterated earlier proposals: making generic drugs free for some low-income older people on Medicare and allowing people to keep a portion of the rebates that are normally pocketed by the insurers that manage the Medicare drug program.

Persuade other countries to pay more

One key proposal would involve pressuring other countries to raise their prices for prescription medicines. Drug prices in the United States are the highest in the world; many countries with centralized health care systems have successfully negotiated lower prices from pharmaceutical companies.

Mr. Trump, echoing the longstanding position of the drug industry, has said these companies are free-riding off the ingenuity of American corporations, and that high drug prices in the United States are subsidizing innovation that benefits the whole world.A former energy executive admitted on Friday that he had lied when he told his company that the governors office had approved his hiring of the wife of a former top aide to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

The concession by the executive, Peter Galbraith Kelly Jr., as he entered a guilty plea in Federal District Court in Manhattan, was the latest chapter in a prolonged corruption investigation that led to the conviction of the aide, Joseph Percoco, and questions about the governors knowledge of the illicit activity.

Mr. Kelly, 54, stood trial earlier this year alongside Mr. Percoco and two Syracuse-area developers on charges that they had funneled some $300,000 in payments to Mr. Percoco, formerly the governors executive deputy secretary, in exchange for his help negotiating profitable state contracts.

After a nearly two-month trial, Mr. Percoco was found guilty in March of soliciting bribes and conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.The report found that new recruits to the unit were not given enough training and that requests for more staff members had been largely unanswered for the better part of a decade. In part because of these shortcomings, the unit has focused on rapes by people unknown to the victim  stranger rapes  while giving less attention to rapes by acquaintances.

In 2011, the report said, one deputy police commissioner responded to concerns about staffing by telling the Special Victims Division it did not have to investigate every misdemeanor sex crime, a direction the unit ignored.

Stories that hinted at issues with the N.Y.P.Ds approach to sexual assault have been trickling out for years. In The Wall Street Journal this week, a woman who had been raped said she couldnt get a detective to return a phone call, while another said a detective asked her how much she drank on the night of her assault, making her feel as though she were to blame. The stories echoed an earlier report from The New York Times in 2010 in which four women described unsympathetic treatment from Special Victims Division detectives assigned to their cases.

The Police Department budget has grown by roughly $814 million, to $5.6 billion, over the past four years under Mr. de Blasio. But when we asked N.Y.P.D officials for the size of the Special Victims Division budget, they said they didnt have that information, the same response Mr. Peters said they gave him months ago. They were not able to provide us with budget breakdowns, which by the way is itself concerning, Mr. Peters said. Where you put your resources demonstrates what your priorities are.

Advocates for sexual assault survivors say Mr. Osgood made substantial improvements to the unit even as his requests for more resources were ignored. Last year, for example, he introduced a training technique, Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview, to help sex crime victims remember key details that could help solve a case.

Ive never encountered another special victims investigator who can match Osgoods expertise or his dedication to these cases, said Jane Manning, director of advocacy at Womens Justice NOW. The N.Y.P.D. would not let us talk to Mr. Osgood. Asked why, Mr. Donald said he thought that talking to Mr. Shea was quite sufficient.

Mr. Osgood attended an April 9 City Council hearing on the Department of Investigation report with top police officials, but he didnt testify.NATIONAL

An article on Friday about Tammie Jo Shults, the pilot who landed the plane damaged on Southwest Airlines Flight 1380, misstated the reason that Ms. Shults and her husband switched work schedules. They changed schedules so that Ms. Shults  not her husband  could attend their sons track meet.

NEW YORK

An article on Friday about a man who pleaded guilty to promoting prostitution, using information from the Brooklyn district attorneys office, misstated the misdemeanor charge to which a co-defendant, Keisia Atkins, pleaded guilty. It was endangering the welfare of a child, not fourth-degree promoting prostitution.

WEEKEND ARTS

An article on May 4 about art fairs in Brooklyn misstated the title of a Moniker art fair leader. Tina Ziegler is the fairs director, not its founder.



An article on Friday about the opening of the 71st Cannes Film Festival misstated the number of the Cannes main jury members. It is nine, not eight. The error was repeated in a picture caption.WASHINGTON  The Federal Trade Commission is expected to appoint an industry lawyer who has represented Facebook, Uber and Equifax to lead the agencys consumer protection bureau tasked with policing those companies.

The lawyer, Andrew M. Smith, would recuse himself from any potential investigations or enforcement involving dozens of companies he has worked for over the past two years while at Covington & Burling in Washington, including many banks, lenders, credit-reporting agencies and technology companies, according to two people familiar with his proposed appointment but were not authorized to speak publicly.

Those recusals would force Mr. Smith to step aside from his bureaus most prominent investigations: the investigations into incidents at Facebook and Equifax that leaked the personal data of tens of millions of people. He also would not be involved in enforcing a F.T.C. settlement with Uber over a data breach.

Joseph J. Simons, the F.T.C.s chairman, has put Mr. Smiths appointment up for a vote, causing debate among the five commissioners, one person close to the F.T.C. said. Such appointments are typically perfunctory votes. Four of the commissioners, including Mr. Simons, were sworn in this month. Mr. Simons and the two other Republican commissioners are expected to approve Mr. Smiths appointment, the person said.BOSTON  Francis P. Salemme, 84, arrived in federal court this week in a wheelchair, his hunched frame shrouded in a loose suit and his feet tucked into easy black sneakers. He gripped the arms of a wooden chair behind the defense table, gingerly rising for the jurys arrival. His slight face, papery skin and wispy gray hair were a startling departure from his mug shots of long ago, back when his jaw was set like concrete.

It can be hard to absorb that this frail man used to be known as Cadillac Frank, a fearsome gangster who admitted to multiple killings, went to prison for a car bombing that blew a mans leg off, and survived an assassination attempt outside an International House of Pancakes. He was once a powerful mafia boss, the head of the New England family of La Cosa Nostra, the authorities say, and a contemporary of James Whitey Bulger, the notorious Boston crime boss.

Not long ago, human remains turned up behind a mill building in Providence, R.I., setting into motion this new murder trial against Mr. Salemme. But the authorities say the crime itself took place a quarter-century ago. And most everything feels like a flashback in the trial that began this week, including the whos who of underworld players trudging into court in sensible shoes. It is a reminder that it has been a long time since a clear-cut set of larger-than-life gangsters controlled New Englands criminal underworld.

Anthony Cardinale, a defense lawyer who has represented mobsters  including, decades ago, Mr. Salemme  described the trial here as a last vestige of such federal prosecutions. Everybodys been burned to a crisp here by informants, he said.Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma vetoed a bill on Friday that would have eliminated the need for training and permits to carry a gun in public, dealing a blow to gun-rights activists in one of the most firearm-friendly states.

The bill, which had broad support in the states Republican-controlled Legislature but had troubled some law enforcement officials, would have eliminated the requirement to complete a short firearms safety and training course from a certified instructor and demonstrate competency with a pistol before carrying a gun in public, according to the governors office.

I believe the firearms laws we currently have in place are effective, appropriate and minimal, and serve to reassure our citizens that people who are carrying handguns in this state are qualified to do so, Ms. Fallin, a Republican, said in a statement.

As do most states, Oklahoma currently requires adults to have a license to carry a handgun, whether openly or concealed. The bill, which was written by State Senator Nathan Dahm, would have created a much simpler route to legally carrying a gun in public: turning 21 years old.The measure carries high stakes. If a school has more than 30 percent of its borrowers default on a loan for three consecutive years, or if its default rate rises above 40 percent in a single year, the Education Department could revoke an institutions eligibility to participate in federal student aid programs. That would be a death sentence for most institutions.

The cohort default rate was written into law in the early 1990s amid concerns that colleges, mainly for-profit higher education institutions, were saddling students with debt and degrees with little value. Many experts and higher education leaders now acknowledge that it has outlived its usefulness.

The measure is a target in this years stalled effort by Congress to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, the chairman of the Senate Education Committee, believes Congress can improve the way colleges and universities are held accountable, a spokeswoman said. A reauthorization proposal from Mr. Alexanders committee would shift to using the percentage of students actually repaying loans to measure the value of an institutions degrees.

According to the G.A.O. report, the Education Department estimated that it would not recover more than 20 percent, or $4 billion, of defaulted loans. Based on the number of students turning to forbearance, auditors suggested that number is sure to rise. The percentage of students turning to forbearance as a long-term option, about 18 months, has doubled since 2009.

Those students were more likely to default on their loans after three years, as their loans swelled with interest. They faced long-term consequences such as bad credit ratings and barriers to securing employment and housing. Other repayment plans, such as income-driven repayment plans that allow loan forgiveness after 25 years, could be more beneficial, auditors said.

But it is in colleges best interest to push forbearance, auditors found. The loans are considered in repayment, and when forbearance extends for 18 months, it is nearly impossible for a student to default within three years of graduation.

The report was requested by House Democrats who ordered an inquiry into what they called a shadowy industry of debt management firms and the lack of oversight at the Education Department that has allowed them to flourish.WASHINGTON  Justice Department divisions are seeking to roll back policies that offer protections for gay and transgender people, amid a broader push by the Trump administration to reverse such rules.

The Bureau of Prisons will now use an inmates biological sex to initially determine where that person will be housed and which bathroom the person will use, according to a policy change to the bureaus Transgender Offender Manual released Friday.

The revised manual says assigning an inmate to a prison facility based on the persons identified gender is appropriate only in rare cases.

The move comes after several women at a prison in Texas filed a federal lawsuit, saying that sharing quarters with transgender women had endangered them. The Justice Department said over the summer that it would evaluate the case, as well as the bureaus policies. The change was first reported by BuzzFeed.WASHINGTON  The White House declined on Friday to renounce or apologize for an aide whose joke at a meeting that Senator John McCain was irrelevant because he would soon die went viral, outraging relatives, friends and admirers of the ailing lawmaker.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said she would not comment on a closed-door meeting where the joke was made. And she offered no words of regret over the remark or sympathy for Mr. McCain, a Republican senator and two-time presidential candidate who is battling brain cancer at his Arizona ranch.

Im not going to validate a leak one way or the other out of an internal staff meeting, Ms. Sanders said. Asked why she would not simply apologize to Mr. McCain, she said, Im not going to get into a back and forth because, you know, people want to create issues of leaked staff meetings.

But she denied that President Trump, who in 2015 said that Mr. McCain was not a war hero because he spent more than five years as a prisoner in North Vietnam and that he preferred people who werent captured, had set a tone of disrespect. We have a respect for all Americans and that is what we try to put forward in everything we do, both in word and in action, focusing on doing things that help every American in this country, every single day, Ms. Sanders said.WASHINGTON  Eleven days before President Trump erupted in anger at his homeland security secretary in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, he complained at a rally in Michigan about what he called the dumbest immigration laws anywhere on earth.

Six days later, he told the National Rifle Association about deadly immigration loopholes, horrible killer gang members and laws that were written by people that truly could not love our country.

And hours after berating his secretary of homeland security, Kirstjen Nielsen, for failing to secure the border, Mr. Trump headed to Indiana, where he vented that Democrats have given the country the worst immigration laws in the history of mankind.

Mr. Trumps fury at Ms. Nielsen was a long time coming, White House officials said. They described it as part of the presidents longstanding desire to close the United States borders and part of his increasing belief that his administration is moving too slowly to make good on the central promise of his 2016 presidential campaign.President Trump announced Tuesday that he would withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, in what is likely the most consequential national security decision of his administration thus far.

The United States will reimpose the sanctions it imposed on Iran before the deal, and it is considering additional penalties. The move indicated that Mr. Trump, emboldened in his second year in office, is reshaping foreign policy to reflect the America First doctrine that he advocated during his 2016 presidential campaign, and it emphasized that trans-Atlantic relations are in trouble.

Irans hard-line authorities denounced the administrations withdrawal with nationwide rallies at which American flags were burned.

Additional ReadingA billionaire real estate developer from Macau was sentenced to four years in prison on Friday for bribing two diplomats, including a former president of the United Nations General Assembly, to help him build a conference center in Macau.

The corruption case was the worst financial scandal for the world body since the abuse of the Iraqi oil-for-food program more than 20 years ago. In 2016, a panel appointed by the secretary general at the time, Ban Ki-moon, recommended new ethical rules and financial disclosure standards for the president the General Assembly, who is elected on a yearly basis.

The developer, Ng Lap Seng, 69, was convicted in Federal District Court in Manhattan last July on two counts of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, one count of paying bribes, one count of money laundering, and two counts of conspiracy.

The judge, Vernon S. Broderick, ordered Mr. Ng to forfeit $1.5 million, representing the assets used in the crimes, and to pay a $1 million fine.In Minnesota, the state estimates that residents could pay more than $400 million in additional state taxes in the next fiscal year because of the new federal law. That has set off a fight over how to respond. The states Democratic governor wants to give most of that money back to Minnesotans through tax cuts aimed at low- and moderate-income families; the Republican-controlled legislature wants broader-based tax cuts. Both sides say they must resolve the issue before the legislative session ends May 21.

Apart from the nine states with no broad-based income tax, nearly every state will face a similar decision. Almost all of the states base their tax codes in some way on federal definitions of income, before applying their own adjustments and deductions and setting their own tax rates.

The federal tax overhaul, which eliminated or capped several deductions and exemptions, effectively broadened what counts as income for some families. Previously, for example, a married couple with three children earning $70,000 might have been taxed on only about $36,000 of that income, according to the Tax Policy Center, a research group. The tax law, however, eliminated the so-called personal exemption and made other changes, which could increase this familys taxable income to about $46,000.

At the federal level, those changes were more than offset for most families by lower tax rates and an increased child tax credit. In the example of a married couple with three children, the familys federal tax bill would be lowered by more than $2,000 under the law. At the state level, however, the changes leave families owing tax on a larger share of their income, without the reduced rates or new credits to soften the blow.Cate Blanchett, this years competition jury president, and Ms. Varda took to the microphone to voice the protesters concerns. Ms. Varda said, Women are not a minority in the world, and yet our industry says the opposite. We want this to change.

In an interview as she left the red carpet, Ms. Hayek described the event as a historic moment and an important part of the conversation. She added that as a producer, she was already seeing change in the appetite for projects by and about women.

Asked to comment on the shortage of films by women at the festival, Ms. Hayek said, You cannot say its only the fault of Cannes. Describing it as a complicated equation, she added, Not that many women are making their films because theyre not being financed or green-lit or distributed. It was the responsibility of the entire industry and not just one festival, she said.

Hours before the red-carpet march, Ms. Husson said the decision by the organizers of the festival to allow the womens march to coincide with the premiere of her movie  the story of a group of female fighters in Iraqi Kurdistan taking on ISIS  was a clever move to highlight their inclusion of a film with a mostly female cast and crew in the lineup. She described the selection of her film for the competition as political.

The force behind todays march, the collective 5050 in 2020, provided statistics on its website to support the womens assertions. These findings showed that out of a total of 2,066 directors in France who had made one or more films between 2006 and 2016, only 23 percent were women. A breakdown showed that the figure rose to 29 percent when it came to documentaries, but was only 4 percent for animation films.On Sunday morning, May 12, 1918, Arthur Wolff penned a four-page letter to his mother, Frances, in New York City. A captain in the 306th Infantry Regiment, Wolff was quartered in Calais, France. He was safely behind the lines, but he could hear the distant roar of the giant guns at the front. Wolff wrote to his mother faithfully each week to assure her that he was safe. But this correspondence had special meaning  it was Mothers Day.

Dearest Mother, he began. I am back from a four days trip to frontline trenches.  Today is known as Mothers Day and every American soldier is writing home today. I never felt better in my life.

A hundred years later, with email, Skype and text messages, such letters seem quaint, even antiquarian. But during World War I, pen and paper provided one of the only links between soldiers like Wolff and home. By May 1918, the Army had deployed more than one million soldiers on the Western Front to fight in a distant war over tangled loyalties and imperial aspirations. Keeping morale high meant reminding them of home.

Perhaps no one knew the tug of family ties better than the chief of the American Expeditionary Forces, Gen. John J. Pershing. A hard-bitten veteran of the Spanish-American and Philippine wars, Pershing, known as Black Jack, hardly seemed the type of soldier to harbor a sentimental streak. But it was Pershing who, on May 8, 1918, issued a general order strongly suggesting that American soldiers, known as doughboys, write Mothers Day letters.The sociological transformation of the Republican Party into a working-class party means that its base has more in common economically with the average black American than the country-club G.O.P. of yore. The secularization of American society means that the religious right and the churchgoing African-American community share a metaphysical worldview thats faded elsewhere in our spiritual-but-less-religious nation. And the economic populism and foreign-policy anti-interventionism of Trumpism  well, at least campaign-season Trumpism  were closer to common African-American views than the typical Republican agenda.

So black America and conservatism have converged in interesting ways  but in the most important way they are inevitably divided, for the obvious reason that Donald Trumps ascent began with a racist conspiracy theory and then added other white-identitarian appeals.

It is a liberal mistake to think that bigotry suffices to explain the Trump phenomenon. But it is a conservative error, naive or culpably ignorant, to act disappointed that black Americans arent attracted to a coalition led by a barely-repentant birther who flirts with white supremacists.

For decades, the essential failure of conservative outreach to African-Americans has been the insistence that the right just want to treat black Americans as individuals  a fine-sounding idea, except that white America has never found a way to treat its former slaves that way, making black identity politics not an indulgence but a matter of survival.

To this failure Trump has added an exclamation point. He has been shrewder than libertarian conservatives in recognizing that individualism is not enough, that the right needs a politics of solidarity. But his appeals to solidarity have often been racially exclusive in exactly the ways an African-American skeptic of conservatism would have predicted.An autocratic politician emerges from retirement at age 92 to defeat his handpicked but appallingly corrupt successor, and to clear the way for a former deputy he had imprisoned on trumped-up charges. Its an unlikely plot for a political thriller, but thats what is happening in Malaysia. And if things play out according to Mahathir Mohamads plan, the situation could represent a rare, if curious, victory for democracy in a part of the world where the trend has been in the opposite direction.

Mr. Mahathir, the nonagenarian, dominated Malaysian politics as prime minister from 1981 to 2003, guiding the country through rapid modernization and economic expansion. He also ran the nation with an iron fist, and among his victims was his charismatic protege, deputy and presumed heir, Anwar Ibrahim, who was imprisoned in 1998 on sham charges of sodomy and corruption. Instead, Mr. Mahathir was followed in office by two handpicked successors.

The second of these, Najib Razak, stands accused of staggering corruption. The American Justice Department, which has been investigating the theft of Malaysian public funds because they were laundered through the United States, says at least $3.5 billion was stolen under Mr. Najib, with $731 million ending up in his personal account.In The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey reminds us that the biblical scholar Walter Wink has said the Jesus violated the mores of his time in every single encounter with women recorded in the four Gospels. According to Garry Wills, in What Jesus Meant, The equality of men and women was a thing so shocking in the patriarchal society of Jesus time that his own male followers could not understand it.

The same Apostle Paul who wrote that women should be silent in churches also wrote in the book of Galatians what at the time was a stunningly egalitarian statement: There is neither Jew nor gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Women had prominent positions in the early church as prophets, deacons, teachers and co-workers of Pauls. Women in these communities enjoyed a greater measure of freedom and dignity than they could have experienced in Greco-Roman society outside the Christian fellowship, according to Richard B. Hays, a former dean of Duke Divinity School.

Yet again and again, elements within the faith have veered away from Christianitys egalitarian roots, with biblical teachings distorted in ways that belittle women. The prominent conservative evangelical author and teacher Beth Moore, in an open letter that she published earlier this month, recounted the sexism she has experienced during her years of ministry. She describes being talked down to by male seminary students, being made to feel invisible, and meeting a theologian she had long respected whose first comment to her had to do with her appearance. Her examples may seem fairly benign in light of recent scandals of sexual abuse and assault coming to light, she wrote, but the attitudes are growing from the same dangerously malignant root.

This attitude of disesteem toward women has given rise to a culture that among other things has discouraged abuse victims from coming forward. So heres a proposal for evangelical Christians: Lets confront misogyny and patronizing behavior in our ranks. Stand with the victims of sexual abuse rather than with the perpetrators. Embrace the animating spirit of the Me Too movement. Be public (and private) voices for victims and for justice. Think for a moment how it would look if a watching world saw evangelical leaders give a fraction of the public support to women who have been assaulted compared with the mulligans evangelical leaders hand out to Mr. Trump for his sexual transgressions.

Focusing on this issue would be consistent with a biblical ethic of standing with the powerless against the powerful. It would act as a corrective to churches that have sought to silence or discredit those who have suffered from abuse. And it would allow evangelicals to align with a just cause when it most matters, in real time.

It needs to be said that countless evangelical churches and pastors treat women well and with respect, and many are helping women who have been sexually abused and assaulted. That is certainly true of my home church, McLean Presbyterian Church in McLean, Va.

When sexual abuse happens, its devastating. How individuals and institutions react once the abuse is known goes a long way toward determining whether what follows is support and healing or isolation and despair.Yes, the medallions were overpriced when they hit over $1 million a few years ago. The city was going to auction off 2,000 more as a way to generate revenue, only to watch that effort fail because there would be too many taxis on the streets. A few years later and there are well over 50,000 for-hire vehicles competing with us that didnt exist when I started, with the numbers growing every month. Where were the traffic study, the environmental impact study and the admission that someone messed up by letting them loose?

Sure, you may think that its a win-win for the consumer. But Uber loses $1 billion per quarter and cant even treat its employees properly, and this is the behemoth thats supposed to represent all thats right with the gig economy. Yes, the Taxi & Limousine Commission failed to upgrade the taxis to the 21st century and reform outdated rules. But drivers like me who never had a say in this ended up taking the fall. We can only hope that the city gets it right this time around.

PAT JOHNSON

WEST CALDWELL, N.J.

The writer muses about his job on his website gothamchronicles.net.

To the Editor:

Taxis and Uber are essentially in the same market, but Uber, and similar companies, slipped in because there is no street hailing. Taxis are a lesson in regulatory capture and failure. Regulations are initially adopted to protect consumers and the general public. Over time that breaks down as consumers are ignored, harassed, overcharged and forced into cabs that are filthy, or have drivers who are surly or cannot speak English.

The taxi industry became a monopoly just waiting for something to break the cabal. Uber and its compatriots are just the disruptive force to do the trick. If taxis are highly, but poorly, regulated, Uber resists all regulation. It does not matter much whether Uber drivers are contractors or employees; Uber is a transportation company and must accept all that entails.

Cities must reinvigorate taxi regulation so that it serves the public, and Uber must be under the same regulation. First and foremost, regulation should provide safety and customer service, but it should also encompass rate controls, congestion limits and pricing, insurance, driver licensing and much else. There is no reason that taxi hailing and app hailing should be regulated differently.

WILLIAM N. HOKE

MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF.

To the Editor:

Ive been taking taxis for almost 50 years. Contrary to what many people think and say, I have generally found the drivers to be incredibly hard-working family men (and some women) who are polite and love this city as much as I do. I dont understand why the powers that be in the city let Uber and the rest take over our streets and decimate the taxi industry just like that. Shame on them!

DONNA KENTON, NEW YORK

To the Editor:

This has become a crisis of unintended consequences, and New Yorkers, particularly taxi and livery drivers, do not have the luxury of letting elected officials take their time to find solutions as the situation grows increasingly dire.With four hot-ticket Italian restaurants around town, including the Michelin-starred Fiola, the chef Fabio Trabocchi doesnt have to work hard to get name recognition in Washington . But can Mr. Trabocchis translate his success into Spanish? Judging by a recent meal at his seafood-focused restaraurant, Del Mar, which opened in November, the answer is a resounding si.

Located at the District Wharf, a mile-long new development set on the Potomac River, Del Mar is inspired by Mr. Trabocchis Spanish wife, Maria, and their home on the island of Mallorca where they spend their summers. Coastal Spanish cuisine has been a big part of our lives together for the last 20 years, and Del Mar is a nod to that, he said. When were in Mallorca, we eat the dishes that are on the menu here.The bad news : If youre still planning your summer vacation travel, it may already be too late to lock in the most affordable rates if youre staying within the United States. According to the travel website Hipmunk, April would have been the cheapest month to buy a round-trip domestic flight , based on its data analysis comparing booking from last year to this year. The good news: You could still score a huge discount this summer by looking abroad.

Weve been seeing lower prices to international cities where new flight routes have opened, or low-cost carriers have expanded, and competition has increased, said Adam Goldstein, Hipmunks chief executive.

To identify which international cities are trending cheaper, Hipmunk analyzed booking data from flights departing the United States and purchased between Jan. 1 and April 14  with a departure and arrival date in June, July or August  and compared them to the same booking window from last year. Overall , average round-trip international airfare rates are slightly higher compared to last year  up one percent  but Hipmunk found several international cities where there are bargains to be had.

Singapore is especially having a moment this summer, with demand up and prices down 30 percent year over year, said Kelly Soderlund, Hipmunks content manager.SAN FRANCISCO  For $1,200 a month, Patricia Torres and her family were renting a bedroom, a share of time in the bathroom, one vegetable drawer and one shelf in the fridge, and two cupboards over the stove. They rented not so much a home as a fraction of one .

Karen Calderon had even less : a single room in a homeless shelter where she was not allowed so much as a hot plate to cook for her family.

Adrian Caratowsa had a studio hed remade as his own, repainting the walls and wallpapering over the kitchen cabinets. But every day for five years, he walked out into a neighborhood he found depressing.

For each, San Franciscos housing crisis had meant living without essential elements of home. A large affordable housing development rising downtown promised what they did not have: 95 complete homes, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with privacy, a sense of peace, a place to cook.A gene from a soil bacterium, for instance, makes soybeans immune to a widely used weed killer. A type of papaya has been modified to be resistant to a crippling virus, and corn has been altered to control insects that attack it.

Only a handful of such crops are grown around the world. But some of them, like corn, soybeans and sugar beets, are used in the majority of processed foods that line the aisles of grocery stores, including chips, soda, salad dressing, soups, some breakfast cereals and baked goods. So a lot of foods items stand to bear these labels.

Here, by the way, is a list of common misconceptions about what constitutes a G.M.O.

Why are these guidelines being proposed now?

Major food manufacturers have fought long and expensive battles against G.M.O. labels, worried that they would deter customers  and give an advantage to organic food makers, who lobbied to advance labeling legislation and ballot measures in several states. (Under U.S.D.A. guidelines, organic foods may not contain genetically engineered ingredients.)

In recent years, legislators and consumer groups have stepped up efforts to pass labeling laws, with bills or ballot initiatives appearing in California, Connecticut, Maine, Oregon and Washington. After Vermont became the first state to pass a labeling law, in 2014, food makers faced the expense and logistical hurdles of retooling their packaging for one market  with others potentially on the horizon.

Some manufacturers announced that they would voluntarily place labels on their genetically engineered foods nationwide. Others agreed to push for legislation that would impose a nationwide standard  with provisions like a QR or bar code that consumers could scan with mobile phones, and a term, bioengineered, that they preferred. Those efforts turned into a federal labeling bill signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2016. The U.S.D.A. then had to determine just what those labels would look like.Mr. Anderson, a suburban dad in a Nike T-shirt who woke up at dawn to go into town and get everyone doughnuts, responds without a beat: Yep, plug me in and get ready! The two shared a ride together up from Los Angeles, organized by Louis.

Magnets and RFID implants are rites of passage among grinders. On the avant-garde, according to Ryan OShea, a former broadcast journalist who runs the podcast Future Grind, are powered subdermal devices, which could communicate things like blood pressure and sugar levels via Bluetooth, and D.I.Y. gene therapies. Results of the latter have so far been mixed. Earlier this year, the creator of a purported hack for lactose intolerance scarfed down a cheese pizza at the end of a YouTube video. Another biohacker, who at a conference in February injected himself onstage with what he said was an untested herpes treatment, was last month found dead in a flotation tank.

On Saturday, as talks take place about wound care and prototyping, Louis is in the adjacent lab, dipping an electroluminescent wire  think a glow-in-the-dark shoelace  into a mucus-y mix. Hylyx is nearby, preparing magnets for other implants. The plan is, with Mr. Tibbettss help, to insert the wire underneath Hylyxs skin, its coated ends extending from two incisions, for a period of three days, which will both be cool looking and a test as to whether the human body rejects the mixture, by, for instance, becoming infected. Louis hopes his coating, which he implanted successfully into nine of 11 mice over winter break as part of a science-fair experiment, and which garnered state and local prizes, might prevent infection in various scenarios: everything from futuristic charging ports, embedded in our skin, to the central-line IV wires currently used in hospitals.Heres a look at what is happening to migrant families on the border, and whats behind it.

Is there a policy to separate parents from their children at the border?

The administration did not announce a blanket policy to separate families, but its prosecution policy is having that effect. Mr. Sessions said his department would criminally prosecute everyone who is found to have illegally entered the United States. Children are not allowed to remain with parents who are in custody in the criminal court system, so if a mother or father is apprehended with a child, the administration says, the minor must be taken from the parent.

Is the separation required by law?

The administration says its hands are tied by a 1997 court settlement and later court rulings governing the settings in which detained children can be held. But separating parents from children is only one of several options the administration has for meeting the requirements, even while carrying out its prosecution policy. The White House has also said that longstanding laws require the separations, but experts say there are no such laws.

Is the administration deliberately breaking up families?

Administration officials say the aim is to protect the border and uphold the law through new measures to deter illegal immigration.

Other motivations: Mr. Sessions has said the asylum system is overwhelmed with people making frivolous claims, and Mr. Trump, according to administration officials, had been demanding that families be broken up to stanch the flow of Central Americans to the border. The majority of apprehended migrants come from Honduras or El Salvador, two countries wracked by violence. Children there are often targeted for recruitment by gangs, prompting their families to seek safe haven in the United States.

Are families seeking asylum at the border being separated?

The zero tolerance policy is supposed to apply only to people who enter the country illegally. Presenting yourself at a port of entry and requesting asylum is not illegal. But these legal asylum seekers are generally taken into detention while their cases are processed, which can take months, and there are reports that those families are now being separated in the same way that illegal-entrant families are. Complicating the issue, many families that enter illegally request asylum once they are caught.Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma signed a bill on Friday that gay rights groups said would allow private adoption agencies to discriminate against L.G.B.T. couples on religious grounds when placing children.

The law would allow the agencies to choose not to place children in certain homes if it would violate the agencys written religious or moral convictions or policies.

Critics of the law, which also applies to private agencies working in foster care, said it was unconstitutional and harmful to children. Supporters said it would ultimately help children by protecting the agencies that work to place them.

Ms. Fallin, a Republican, said in a statement on Friday that the law did not ban same-sex adoption or foster care in Oklahoma. Instead, the bill will help continue Oklahomas successful placement of children with a broad array of loving families and basically maintain the status quo by setting forth in statute practices which have successfully worked for the best interest of Oklahoma children, she said.But the distrust, built over months of interactions, current and former officials said, is unlikely to dissipate soon.

The House speaker, Paul D. Ryan, has repeatedly and publicly backed Mr. Nunes. When Mr. Rosenstein and Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director, came to Capitol Hill in January in a last-ditch effort to stave off an earlier subpoena, Mr. Ryan insisted that they comply and that Mr. Nunes would act responsibly. And when, weeks later, the department took rare public steps to try to block the release of a much-disputed memo drawn up by Republican committee aides from those documents, Mr. Ryan argued that Americans ought to be able to see the memo.

He offered similar support this time.

This request is wholly appropriate, Mr. Ryan told reporters on Thursday. Its completely within the scope of the investigation by Mr. Nunes.

But Mr. Nuness handling of his secretive memo, released in early February, has been a source of lasting ill will. The document accused top F.B.I. and Justice Department officials, including Mr. Rosenstein, of abusing their authorities to spy on a former Trump campaign adviser suspected of being an agent of Russia. Law enforcement officials warned that the document was dangerously misleading and pointed out that Mr. Nunes had not read the underlying surveillance applications on which his four-page document was based.

Yet Mr. Trump seized on its findings to declare that he had been vindicated. And now, department officials said they were fearful that Mr. Nunes and his allies were seeking a repeat performance. More troubling, the officials said, is that Mr. Nuness actions suggest that he is more interested in courting conflict than understanding the case.

In the middle of another records dispute last month, Mr. Nunes threatened to hold Mr. Rosenstein in contempt or even try to impeach him if the Justice Department did not grant access to a nearly complete copy of a document used to open the Russia investigation in the summer of 2016, as well as material related to the wiretap of the Trump campaign aide, Carter Page. Mr. Rosenstein acquiesced and handed over the documents, but despite Mr. Nuness repeated demands, he never read them, according to an official familiar with the matter.

In another meeting, Mr. Rosenstein felt he was outright misled by Mr. Nuness staff. Mr. Rosenstein wanted to know whether Kashyap Patel, an investigator working for Mr. Nunes who was the primary author of the disputed memo, had traveled to London the previous summer to interview a former British spy who had compiled a salacious dossier about Mr. Trump, according to a former federal law enforcement official familiar with the interaction.WASHINGTON  Five days before President Trump pulled out of what he called the horrible Iran nuclear deal, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told diplomats from Britain, France and Germany that he believed the pact could still be saved.

If Mr. Pompeo could win a few more days for negotiations, he told the Europeans in a conference call on May 4, there was a chance  however small  that the two sides could bridge a gap over the agreements sunset provisions, under which restrictions on Irans nuclear program expire in anywhere from seven to 13 years.

By May 7, when Britains foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, made the rounds in Washington, that hope had vanished. Mr. Pompeo told him that not only had Mr. Trump decided to pull out of the deal brokered by his predecessor, Barack Obama, but he was also going to reimpose the harshest set of sanctions on Iran that he could.

The frantic final days before Mr. Trumps announcement demonstrate that the Iran deal remained a complicated, divisive issue inside the White House, even after the president restocked his war cabinet with more hawkish figures like Mr. Pompeo and John R. Bolton, the new national security adviser.BUJUMBURA, Burundi  At least 26 people were killed and seven others wounded in an attack in a rural area of Burundi, the countrys security minister said on Saturday, calling it the work of a terrorist group that he did not identify.

The minister, Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, told reporters that 24 people had been killed in their homes Friday night and that two others had died of their wounds at a hospital.

He gave no further details about the attack, which occurred in the Ruhagarika community of the rural northwestern province of Cibitoke.

The attack came shortly before Burundians were scheduled to vote, on Wednesday, in a controversial referendum that could extend the presidential term of office. It was not immediately clear if the attack was related.From outside, the new shelter in Gafsa looks like an ordinary house. The inside is homey except for the schedule on the kitchen door, which sets out the hours to eat and clean. The storage closet is stocked with sanitary pads, toothbrushes and clothes.

Sometimes the women who come here ran away from a desperate situation with no luggage whatsoever. So we provide everything, said Sonia Mhamdi, the manager of the intake center that is the first stop for women in distress before they are placed in shelters.

Image

There are seven womens shelters in Tunisia, funded by the European Union. Most opened after the countrys Arab Spring revolution, which began in December 2010 and inspired a string of uprisings around the Middle East and North Africa. The shelters offer protection, legal advice, some free job training, child care, and psychological and medical treatment.

While the new law and the shelters are breakthroughs, the next challenge is to broaden awareness of the changes and to get more abused women to make use of the new institutions and measures to protect them. The police, judges and doctors must also be made aware of the provisions of the new law.

We need to educate children and their parents to respect family values, which include womens rights, said the minister of women, family and children, Neziha Labidi.

The legislation outlaws domestic rape and bars a rapist from marrying his victim in order to diminish his sentence. Police can face jail time if they refuse to take a womans abuse complaint or try to dissuade her from lodging one. Even if the victim drops the charges in a case of violence against women, the investigation is still required to go on.BEIJING  On the 10th anniversary of Chinas deadliest earthquake in decades, the police on Saturday detained an outspoken pastor and blocked a planned service to mourn the 70,000 or more people killed when whole towns and villagers were crushed.

The anniversary of the earthquake, which rippled across Sichuan Province in southwest China on May 12, 2008, has been a time of renewed mourning for survivors, while the ruling Communist Party has used the date to praise Chinas reconstruction of devastated areas.

But officials in Sichuan have sought to stifle any unapproved commemorations that could rekindle angry questions about why many new buildings, including schools, collapsed in the 7.9-magnitude quake.

On Friday night, the police detained Wang Yi, a Protestant pastor whose independent church planned to hold a memorial service on Saturday morning in Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, his wife, Jiang Rong, said.MANDALAY, Myanmar  An attack by an insurgent group killed at least 19 people on Saturday in a town in northeastern Myanmar, on the countrys border with China, officials said.

The attack began early Saturday and lasted about three hours, beginning on the outskirts of the town of Muse in Shan State then moving into its outskirts, said Sai Kyaw Thein, a member of Parliament from Muse.

Among the dead were 15 civilians, three soldiers and a police officer, he said.

The Taang National Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack. The group, one of several in Myanmars frontier areas that have long battled government forces, said in a statement that it was retaliating for a push by Myanmars military against another ethnic insurgent group, the Kachin Independence Army.

A spokesman for the Taang National Liberation Army, known for its campaigns against drug production and distribution, said it had targeted soldiers and militia members who ran a casino.SEOUL, South Korea  North Korea said on Saturday that it will allow journalists from the United States and other countries to witness the shutting down of its underground nuclear test site between May 23 and 25, which will be done by collapsing all its tunnels in a controlled explosion and sealing their entrances.

North Korea decided last month to end all nuclear and long-range ballistic missile tests and close its only known nuclear test site, located in Punggye-ri in the northeast of the country. When the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, met with South Koreas president, Moon Jae-in, on April 27, he promised to invite outside journalists and experts this month to watch the dismantling of the test site, Mr. Moons office said.

Mr. Kim promised these confidence-building steps as he has tried to improve ties with Washington ahead of his planned summit meeting with President Trump in Singapore on June 12. Mr. Kim also met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, and let him take three American prisoners home with him.MONTREAL  The mystery has haunted Canadians for more than a decade: One by one, human feet clad in running shoes have floated ashore on British Columbias southern coast with gruesome regularity.

Last weekend, foot No. 14 was discovered by a man strolling on a beach on Gabriola Island, a sleepy and picturesque enclave, population 4,000, that is known for its captivating sandstone and close-knit artistic community.

This time, the foot, squeezed between a pile of logs, wore what appeared to be a hiking boot, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.MADRID  Catalonias main separatist parties took a significant step on Saturday toward ending the regions political deadlock by voting on a presidential candidate who is not facing prosecution in Spain.

The candidate, Quim Torra, fell just short of winning a majority in Parliament, but he will get another chance in a second round of voting on Monday, when the threshold will be lower.

Mr. Torra, addressing lawmakers on Saturday, said he was committed to turning Catalonia into a republic even after the regions failed independence effort in October. He also presented himself as a stand-in for Catalonias former leader, Carles Puigdemont, whom he called our president.

Mr. Puigdemont, who left the country to avoid prosecution, is awaiting a German court ruling on whether he should be extradited to Spain to stand trial on charges of rebellion related to leading Catalonias tumultuous independence drive. This past week, he endorsed Mr. Torra as his replacement after Spains Constitutional Court suspended a regional law that would have allowed him to be re-elected in absentia.New Cross, where the Lengolos live, is not a neighborhood where you would expect to find great warmth for the queen. It is the source of some of Londons most influential music  reggae, ska, punk, and, more recently, grime  and of persistently high rates of violence.

Britain remains 87 percent white. Black people made up 3 percent of the population according to the most recent census, in 2011, many of them clustered in diaspora neighborhoods like New Cross. The racial tension goes back generations. In the 1970s, New Cross saw an influx of Caribbean workers invited to Britain for construction work. White immigrants bristled, and right-wing groups, like the National Front, began to march through the neighborhood.

Not far from Tshegos house is a monument to racial division. In 1981, a house party on New Cross Road was engulfed in flames, leaving 13 young black men and women dead. Many people were convinced that racists had thrown a firebomb in the window, but a police inquest was inconclusive and no charges were brought. Thousands of black Londoners gathered in protest, the beginning of race riots that rippled through the city.

In New Cross today, the London of the global super-rich seems both tantalizingly close and unreachable. On a recent afternoon, uniformed police constables patrolled the park outside the high school, and young women in tank tops and eyelash extensions lingered in a playground, killing time. They were the grandchildren of Jamaican immigrants, and they said racism in Britain was getting worse.

Kemi Moore, 17, her hair marcelled like a 1920s movie star, said the 2016 campaign to leave the European Union had unleashed nativist feelings in white Britain. An immigration crackdown has swept up thousands of British-born descendants of the Caribbean workers  now known as the Windrush generation  who do not have citizenship documents, stripping them of health and housing benefits.PARIS  A man armed with a knife attacked five people in a neighborhood near the Paris Opera, according to the French police, killing one and wounding four, two of them seriously.

Hours later, the Islamic State claimed responsibility, describing the attacker as a soldier of the Islamic State. President Emmanuel Macron called the assailant, who was killed by the police, a terrorist.

The Paris prosecutors office, which handles all terrorism cases, is taking over the investigation. The prosecutor, Francois Molins, gave a brief news conference near the scene of the attack. He confirmed that the attacker, whose name has not yet been released, had shouted Allahu akbar, Arabic for God is Great, during the assault.

On Sunday morning, a French judicial official said that the suspect had been a naturalized French citizen who was born in 1997 in the Russian republic of Chechnya, and that his parents had been taken into custody for questioning.2 killed, 3 injured in firecracker blast near Chamrajpet area of Bengaluru

36.30 per cent voting till 3.00 PM in Bengaluru

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

IT capital Bengaluru recorded 36.30 per cent till 3.00 PM on Saturday. The voting will end at 6 PM. By 11 AM 12.38 percent voting was registered and 25.14 percent by 1 PM.

Chamarjpete constituency recorded 58 percent, Yelhanka-54 percent , Yaeshwantpura -52 percent. Hebbal constituency recorded the lowest turn out with 21 per cent. Bangalore South, Byatarayanapura and Malleshwaram recorded over 40 percent.

Polling in Rajarajeshwarinagar was due to the seizure of over 9,000 voter id cards. Also, Jayanagar didn't for voting due to the passing away of BJP candidate NV Vijay Kumar.

It may be recalled that Bengaluru recorded 57. 33 per cent in 2013 assembly elections.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 12, 2018, 16:39 [IST]Karnataka: Can we go home, MLAs ask, not yet says Cong-JD(S)

Beware the steps of Vidhan Soudha: No CM who took oath here has completed his term

No, the BJP has not been reduced to a minority in Parliament

In Karnataka 77 candidates with criminal cases won with 50 per cent vote share

Congress, BJP workers clash outside polling booth in Bengaluru

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Clashes broke out between Congress and BJP workers outside a polling booth in Hampi Nagar in Bengaluru allegedly after the former thrashed a BJP corporator. The Police reached the spot and took the situation under control.

Ravindra, Vijayanagar BJP candidate says, "Our corporator Anand was attacked but police isn't taking any action."

Ravi Channannavar, Bengaluru DCP, said, " It is a sensitive polling booth and the clash between BJP and Congress workers happened within 100 meters of the booth. We will investigate and take further action."

Hampi Nagar area comes under Vijayanagar assembly constituency. BJP has fielded former senior corporator H Ravindra and JDS has given ticket to Paramashiva N E from Vijayanagar. Housing Minister M Krishnappa of Congress, two-time MLA is also strong contender.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 12, 2018, 13:20 [IST]Good morning Maharashtra! Tune in to jail radio station run by prison inmates

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Mumbai, May 12: Remember the flamboyant voice of actress Vidya Balan from the superhit Bollywood film, Lago Raho Munna Bhai, as she wakes up everyone in the Maximum City with her popular line--"Good morning Mumbai!". In the movie, she plays the role of a radio jockey.

Now, the inmates of a district jail in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar are attempting to repeat the feat of the actress in their own ishytle as they get a chance to run the unique radio station opened inside the premises of the prison.

"A district jail in Ahmednagar has opened a radio station in its premises for prisoners. All the staff members of the radio station are jail inmates," reports ANI.

Shamkant Shedge, senior jailor, tells ANI, "This initiative has been taken to divert prisoners' mind from negativity and choose a positive path." The radio station is a part of the jail's reform and rehabilitation process for the inmates.

A district jail in Ahmednagar has opened a radio station in its premises for prisoners. All the staffs of the radio station are jail inmates. Shamkant Shedge, Senior Jailor, said, 'This initiative has been taken to divert prisoners mind from negativity & choose a positive path'. pic.twitter.com/277S11XO6J  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2018

Along with playing song requests of the prisoners, the radio channel will run health and spiritual talk shows, to name a few programmes, says NJ Sawant, jail superintendent. In fact, special speakers have been installed in every barrack of the jail so that all the inmates can listen to the radio broadcast without any difficulty.

The jail in Ahmednagar is not the only one in the country where special initiatives have been taken up to reform and rehabilitate prisoners serving their respective terms. The artisans behind the popular online footwear brand, "Inmate", are the prisoners of Yerwada jail in Pune. The jail started the project where prisoners are engaged in making leather shoes as a part of their reform and rehabilitation process.

Similarly, in a Gurgaon jail, inmates are involved in making cloth bags to save the environment under the campaign, "No to Polythene And Yes To Cloth Bags".

Next time, when you flaunt that designer shoe or bag, perhaps someone behind the bars is shaping your fashion sense. Would not it be nice if the Maharashtra's jail radio station starts airing its programmes across the country? After all, jailbirds too can sing loudly.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 12, 2018, 6:57 [IST]Go get them is govts message to security agencies on targeted killings in J&K

J&K: CRPF personnel killed in gun battle, terrorists manage to flee

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

One CRPF personnel was killed in a gun battle which is currently underway between the security forces and terrorists in Jamuu and Kashmir's Pulwama. ANI reported that terrorists managed to escape taking advantage of srone pelting incident.

On May 7, one CRPF personnel was injured after terrorists hurled a grenade at Tahab Chowk in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. The grenade was lobbed at police and CRPF personnel who were deployed at Tahab Chowk to maintain law and order.

On May 4, terrorists hurled a grenade at a police station in Pulwama. The grenade exploded outside the police station and no one was injured in the incident.

On April 12, terrorists had lobbed a grenade at a police station in Pulwama in which two policemen were left injured. Following the incident, the security forces cordoned off the area and launched a hunt to nab the attackers.

Jammu and Kashmir witnessed 166 per cent more civilian fatalities due to militancy while there was a 42 per cent rise in the number of terrorists neutralised in 2017 compared to the previous year, the Home Ministry said in April. The annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs for 2017-18, released in April, said that since the advent of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in 1990, a total of 13,976 civilians and 5,123 security personnel have lost their lives till December 31, 2017. In 2017, there were 342 violent incidents in Jammu and Kashmir in which 80 security personnel, 40 civilians and 213 terrorists were killed.Karnataka elections: Bengaluru voters want freedom from traffic, garbage, bad roads, water scarcity

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Bengaluru, May 12: While politicians cutting across party lines got busy attacking each other during the Karnataka Assembly election campaign, voters in the capital city, Bengaluru, have basic demands which unfortunately no leaders talked about in their public rallies.

On Saturday, as the voting for Assembly elections started early in the morning, residents of the IT hub came out in sizeable numbers and cast their votes. They also spoke to reporters about their issues and concerns, and on what basis they voted.

Most of them said that they voted for the party which will provide them freedom from nerve-wrecking city traffic, heaps of garbage on roadsides, pot-holed roads and water scarcity. Thus it is pretty clear that the political parties are mostly detached from the real issues concerning citizens as they spread lies, hate, bigotry and communalism in their speeches.

People in the city also want the new government to ensure safety of women and children. In the last few years, several children were allegedly sexually assaulted in city schools. Crimes against women in the city have also gone up in the last few years.

Debadutta Biswas, an IT professional, told OneIndia that he voted against corruption. When asked whom he voted for as both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are involved in corruption scandals, Biswas said he voted for the less corrupt party. The ambiguous answer left us confused but nonetheless it is clear that corruption too is an election issue in Karnataka.

Savitri Rani, a slum-dweller in the city, told OneIndia that she wants better housing facilities as her one-room home is on the verge of collapse. Another slum-dweller in the city, Mohan P, said that water scarcity is horrific in a Bommanahalli slum where he stays.

Media consultant Bhargavi K told OneIndia that if the new government doesn't solve the traffic issue in the city she would leave the IT hub forever and find a new job in a new city.

"The traffic is the city is horrible. I spend at least four hours in commute every day. That way I waste a lot of productive time and it leaves be very tired. My life has been badly hit by Bengaluru traffic," she lamented.

Rammohan Bhandari, a retired bank employee in Jayanagar, said that he wants to see the city garbage free. "I want good roads free of garbage," he added.

A total of 224 seats are up for grabs in the Karnataka elections. However, on Saturday, polling took place for only 222 seats. The voting in the two constituencies-- Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Jayanagar--both in Bengaluru--will take place later.

The Election Commission deferred polling to the Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency over "fake" electoral identity cards that were discovered on Tuesday. Polling in the constituency will now be held on May 28 and counting will take place on May 31.

However, the results of the rest of 222 seats will be out on May 15. Polling had earlier been countermanded in the Jayanagar constituency following the death of sitting BJP legislator BN Vijay Kumar a few days ago.

The main contest in the elections is between BJP's chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa and incumbent Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah. While Siddaramaiah is banking on his "good governance" to come back to power, Yeddyurappa is riding high on "anti-incumbency" wave to get the "hot seat" once again.

From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, almost all the top leaders from the national capital flew down to Karnataka to campaign for their respective parties.

The Karnataka election has been dubbed as the curtain raiser for the big 2019 General Elections. Unfortunately, in spite of so much hype surrounding the election, people's wishes and desires were literally thrown to the dustbin by politicians as they diverted from real issues during the campaign period.Karnataka elections: Is Siddaramaiah making false claims of running No.1 govt? BSY alleges so

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Bengaluru, May 12: Former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa was among the first few politicians to cast their votes in the Karnataka Assembly elections on Saturday. The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) chief ministerial candidate Yeddyurappa casted his vote from Shikaripura in Shimoga district, his home turf. The 75-year-old leader is contesting the polls from the seat.

"People are fed up with the Siddaramaiah government. I urge the people to come out and vote for the BJP. I assure the people of Karnataka that I am going to give good governance," Yeddyurappa told ANI. In fact, he visited a temple in the town before voting.

Yeddyurappa, who is hoping to become the next CM of the state if the BJP comes to power, took to Twitter to attack incumbent Congress CM Siddaramaiah on Thursday. In a series of tweets, Yeddyurappa asked his main rival not to make "false claims" about his government.

"My honest appeal to @siddaramaiah. Please don't make false claims regarding Karnataka, because when this is caught, it truly hurts Karnataka's asmithe. #SarkaraBadalisiBJPGellisi," Yeddyurappa tweeted.

My honest appeal to @siddaramaiah. Please dont make false claims regarding Karnataka, because when this is caught, it truly hurts Karnatakas asmithe.

#SarkaraBadalisiBJPGellisi  B.S. Yeddyurappa (@BSYBJP) May 10, 2018

"Although Karnataka was a favoured destination for Investments, @siddaramaiah wasn't active enough in translating this into reality. Investment realisation was just 27% in 2017, which was one of the lowest in the country. Karnataka had to suffer due to his lethargy," he added.

Although Karnataka was a favoured destination for Investments, @siddaramaiah wasn't active enough in translating this into reality. Investment realisation was just 27% in 2017, which was one of the lowest in the country. Karnataka had to suffer due to his lethargy.  B.S. Yeddyurappa (@BSYBJP) May 10, 2018

"Karnataka has been the #1 state in IT/BT exports & #1 in silk production way before than 2013. It doesn't befit CM @siddaramaiah to lay claim for this. Rather, shower this credit on the youth & farmers whose fruits of labour has put our State on the global map," he tweeted.

Karnataka has been the #1 state in IT/BT exports & #1 in silk production way before than 2013. It doesn't befit CM @siddaramaiah to lay claim for this. Rather, shower this credit on the youth & farmers whose fruits of labour has put our State on the global map.  B.S. Yeddyurappa (@BSYBJP) May 10, 2018

"The BJP Govt passed the Animation VFX Gaming Comics Policy in 2012, which @Siddaramaiah claims as his own. Karnataka was the first State to have such a blueprint & it was acknowledged by Andhra Pradesh when it came up with similar policy in 2013," he added.

The BJP Govt passed the Animation VFX Gaming Comics Policy in 2012, which @Siddaramaiah claims as his own. Karnataka was the first State to have such a blueprint & it was acknowledged by Andhra Pradesh when it came up with similar policy in 2013.  B.S. Yeddyurappa (@BSYBJP) May 10, 2018

"I have come across several advertisements of @siddaramaiah claiming that his govt is the #1 in the country for adopting several policy measures. A closer look however, is reflecting otherwise," the former CM tweeted.

I have come across several advertisements of @siddaramaiah claiming that his govt is the #1 in the country for adopting several policy measures. A closer look however, is reflecting otherwise.  B.S. Yeddyurappa (@BSYBJP) May 10, 2018

Both Yeddyurappa and Siddaramaiah have been attacking each other even before the campaigning for the election started. The Karnataka election has witnessed some worst kinds of barbs leaders used against each other cutting across party lines.

Out of the 224-seat Assembly, voting took place for 222 constituencies on Saturday. The voting in the two constituencies-- Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Jayanagar--both in Bengaluru--will take place later.

The Election Commission deferred polling to the Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency over "fake" electoral identity cards that were discovered on Tuesday. Polling in the constituency will now be held on May 28 and counting will take place on May 31. However, the results of the rest of the 222 seats will be out on May 15. Polling had earlier been countermanded in Jayanagar following the death of the sitting BJP legislator BN Vijay Kumar a few days ago.Karnataka elections: It's a family affair for Deve Gowda clan, patriarch confident of JD(S)' win

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Bengaluru, May 12: The biggest festival of democracy, election, got underway in Karnataka on Saturday morning. The highly-contested election in the southern state--dubbed as the curtain raiser for the 2019 Lok Sabha election--has caught the attention of the entire nation for reasons galore.

While a section of the media has dubbed the polls in the state as a three-cornered contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)), others simply feel that it a battle royale between the two biggies--the BJP and the Congress--and the JD(S) is just the second fiddle, which will be forced to join hands with either the BJP or the Congress in case it is a hung Assembly, as predicted by almost all the pre-poll surveys.

On Saturday, JD(S) chief and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda expressed confidence that the regional party will emerge as the winner and his son and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy will become the head of Karnataka, once again.

Interestingly, Deve Gowda (85) went to cast his vote with his entire family including his wife Chennamma, son HD Revanna and others. They cast their votes at polling booth no.244 in Holenarasipura town in Hassan district.

Talking to reporters after casting his vote, the JD(S) chief said, "We expect a possibility of forming the government, we have done well."

A family portrait of the Deve Gowda clan outside the polling booth, where the former PM, his wife and others have posed together, has gone viral as it gives an impression of a big Bollywood happy family together. The picture truly reminds us of Hum Saath Saath Hain, the hit Bollywood family saga.

Kumaraswamy and his wife Anitha cast their vote in Ramanagara. "We are confident that the JD(S) will cross the magic number on its own," said Kumaraswamy.

It is not just while voting only the JD(S) parivar (family) is together. In fact, several of the family members and relatives are contesting the elections in the state. While Deve Gowda's elder son HD Revanna is contesting from Holenarasipura, his younger son Kumaraswamy is contesting elections from two constituencies-- Ramanagara and Channapatna.

The JD(S), known to enjoy huge support among the members of Vokkaliga community with a strong base in south Karnataka, is hoping to regain some base in north Karnataka this time.

However, reports indicate that all is not well in the family, as Deve Gowda and his son Kumaraswamy have developed differences in the last few months over whom to support--the Congress or the BJP--in case there is a hung Assembly.

In the last few months, the JD(S) has literally turned into a punching bag as both the BJP and the Congress hurled allegations against the party. While the Congress alleges that the JD(S) is having a "secret alliance" with the BJP, the saffron party too is saying that the Congress and the JD(S) are "friends".

On its part, the JD(S), which has to win at least 40 seats to remain relevant in Karnataka politics, rubbishes all the allegations. The party stated that it will emerge as a "king" and not a "kingmaker" after the election results will be out. The JD(S) has formed an alliance with Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to fight the elections, the results of which will be declared on May 12.Congress high command to take final call on cabinet reshuffle in Rajasthan

Raksha Bandhan 2021: Women, girls to travel free of cost in ordinary and express buses of Rajasthan roadways

Hope Amarinder Singh will not take any step which may harm Congress: Ashok Gehlot

Karnataka Elections: Modi planned to pray in Nepal just to influence voters, alleges Congress

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

The Congress on Saturday alleged that PM Narendra Modi's visit to temples in Nepal is aimed at influencing voters in Karnataka where polling is being held today.

Talking to reporters Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot said"As there is a model code of conduct in Karnataka, PM Modi planned to pray at temples in Nepal instead, just to influence voters. This is not a good trend for democracy. Why did he only choose today as the day?"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at Nepal's Muktinath Temple on Saturday as aprt of his trip to the country, making him the first world leader to do so.

Ahead of his visit, Nepali home minister Ram Bahadur Thapa described the visit as "religious and cultural and not political".

This is the third visit of PM Modi to Nepal, and the first high-level visit from India since the formation of the new government in Nepal this year.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 12, 2018, 12:55 [IST]A Look back at CMs who completed full 5-year term in history of Karnataka

Yeddyurappa is mentally disturbed, Siddaramaiah slams BSY's 'swearing-in' declaration

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa mentally disturbed, in response to BJP CM candidate BS Yeddyurappa's assertion of winning on clear majority.

The Congress leader, who is contesting from two constituencies - Chamundeshwari and Badami - expressed confidence that his party will win with a clear majority and rejected any possibility of a hung assembly.

The chief minister also said the Congress would get a clear majority. "No doubt on this."The BJP "can't get more than 60-65 seats," he said.

He also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speeches during the husting and his visit to Pashupatinath temple in Nepal today will have no impact on voters of Karnataka.

Earlier in the day, Yeddyurappa, the presumptive chief minister of the BJP, declared, "I will fly to Delhi on the 15th once the results are announced and meet Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi. I will invite him and others for the swearing in ceremony which is going to happen most likely on the 17th."

The polling for 222-Assembly seat is underway in the state. is underway. The counting of votes will be held on May 15.Ktaka: If Congress loses, will it prove the final nail in the coffin of Rahuls failing career?

Exit poll results suggest setback for NDA in south India, regional parties to do well

Karnataka exit polls: 5 give BJP the edge, 3 to Congress

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

The voter has spoken. Polling came to a close and the next date to be watched would be May 15 when the counting of votes would take place.

How has Karnataka voted? Which party has the edge and would form the government? It is now over to the exit polls which we bring you LIVE. Stay tuned.

Newest First Oldest First Ari Anne Acharya, who came to vote at polling station number 58 in Belthangadi Taluk collapsed while standing in the queue and was declared dead at a hospital where he was taken to. If the predictions of Times Now Chanakya exit poll are to be believed then BJP may end up winning the Karnataka Assembly elections 2018 comfortably, with the saffron party expected to bag around 120 seats. The majority mark in the 224 seats Karnataka assembly is 113. From having won over 120 seats in 2013 Karnataka elections, the Congress may shrink to 73 seats. JD (S) may distant third by bagging 26 seats. You can check below for all the updates on the various exit polls that were conducted. The exit polls for the Karnataka assembly elections are out. Barring two pollsters all the rest have predicted a hung house. At least five exit polls have given the edge to the BJP, while the remaining have said that the Congress would surge ahead Times Now-VMR: Seat Swings: BJP: 48, Congress: -24, JD(S)+: -5, Others: -19 These are exit polls and the real result will come out on May 15th. We believe in victory and not moral victory unlike the Congress party, says BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya. C-Voter exit poll - BJP will win 103 seats, Congress 93 seats, JD(S) 25 seats, and Others 1. This poll has given advantage to the BJP, saying the Congress will finish second. JDS is expected to remain a distant third. Republic TV-Jan ki Baat, on the other hand, gives BJP an edge over Congress and has predicted 95-114 seats for the Bharatiya Janata Party and 73-82 seats for Congress. JD(S): 32-43. Digvijay News Exit Polls: BJP: 103-107 |CONGRESS: 76-80 |JDS: 31-35 | OTHERS: 04-08 News X-CNX prediction BJP: 102-110; Congress: 72-78; JD(S): 35-39; Others: 3-5 Times Now-VMR Exit poll predictions are out: BJP 80 -93 | Congress 90 - 103 | JD(S) - 31-39 | Others 2-4 - Margin of 3 percent | 6,872 respondents / all region According India Today Exit Polls: Congress to get 106-118 seats, BJP- 79-92, JDS-22-30 seats and Others- 1-4 ABP News exit poll predictions: Vote percent - BJP 41 percent, Congress 39 percent, JD (S) 17 percent, Others 3 percent The Election Commission said in all the 164 polling units, 157 control units and 470 VVPATs had mechanical problems and were replaced. The EVM failures were within prescribed limits 'Jan Ki Baat' exit poll predicts Congress-73-82 seats, BJP- 95-114, JDS- 32-43 and Others 2-3 In Karnataka, total electorate is over 5.06 crore, including 2.6 crore men and 2.5 crore women. 15.42 lakh are new voters in the age group 18-19. Most number of voters (6.03 lakh) are in Bengaluru South; lowest (1.7 lakh) at Sringeri in Chikkamagaluru district. Most opinion polls that came out in the last two months predicted a hung assembly. A recent opinion poll conducted by Digvijaya news gave the BJP the upper hand, however, without a clear majority. The survey showed that the BJP could win 90-94 seats in the House of 224, while the ruling Congress led by Siddaramaiah is projected to win 85-89 seats. The Karnataka polls 2018 is mainly a contest between the ruling Indian National Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. Former prime minister H D Deve Gowdas Janata Dal Secular (United) is fighting to emerge as a kingmaker. The Karnataka polls 2018 is mainly a contest between the ruling Indian National Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. Former prime minister H D Deve Gowdas Janata Dal Secular (United) is fighting to emerge as a kingmaker. Most opinion polls that came out in the last two months predicted a hung assembly. A recent opinion poll conducted by Digvijaya news gave the BJP the upper hand, however, without a clear majority. The survey showed that the BJP could win 90-94 seats in the House of 224, while the ruling Congress led by Siddaramaiah is projected to win 85-89 seats. In Karnataka, total electorate is over 5.06 crore, including 2.6 crore men and 2.5 crore women. 15.42 lakh are new voters in the age group 18-19. Most number of voters (6.03 lakh) are in Bengaluru South; lowest (1.7 lakh) at Sringeri in Chikkamagaluru district. 'Jan Ki Baat' exit poll predicts Congress-73-82 seats, BJP- 95-114, JDS- 32-43 and Others 2-3 The Election Commission said in all the 164 polling units, 157 control units and 470 VVPATs had mechanical problems and were replaced. The EVM failures were within prescribed limits ABP News exit poll predictions: Vote percent - BJP 41 percent, Congress 39 percent, JD (S) 17 percent, Others 3 percent According India Today Exit Polls: Congress to get 106-118 seats, BJP- 79-92, JDS-22-30 seats and Others- 1-4 Times Now-VMR Exit poll predictions are out: BJP 80 -93 | Congress 90 - 103 | JD(S) - 31-39 | Others 2-4 - Margin of 3 percent | 6,872 respondents / all region News X-CNX prediction BJP: 102-110; Congress: 72-78; JD(S): 35-39; Others: 3-5 Digvijay News Exit Polls: BJP: 103-107 |CONGRESS: 76-80 |JDS: 31-35 | OTHERS: 04-08 Republic TV-Jan ki Baat, on the other hand, gives BJP an edge over Congress and has predicted 95-114 seats for the Bharatiya Janata Party and 73-82 seats for Congress. JD(S): 32-43. C-Voter exit poll - BJP will win 103 seats, Congress 93 seats, JD(S) 25 seats, and Others 1. This poll has given advantage to the BJP, saying the Congress will finish second. JDS is expected to remain a distant third. These are exit polls and the real result will come out on May 15th. We believe in victory and not moral victory unlike the Congress party, says BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya. Times Now-VMR: Seat Swings: BJP: 48, Congress: -24, JD(S)+: -5, Others: -19 The exit polls for the Karnataka assembly elections are out. Barring two pollsters all the rest have predicted a hung house. At least five exit polls have given the edge to the BJP, while the remaining have said that the Congress would surge ahead You can check below for all the updates on the various exit polls that were conducted. If the predictions of Times Now Chanakya exit poll are to be believed then BJP may end up winning the Karnataka Assembly elections 2018 comfortably, with the saffron party expected to bag around 120 seats. The majority mark in the 224 seats Karnataka assembly is 113. From having won over 120 seats in 2013 Karnataka elections, the Congress may shrink to 73 seats. JD (S) may distant third by bagging 26 seats. Ari Anne Acharya, who came to vote at polling station number 58 in Belthangadi Taluk collapsed while standing in the queue and was declared dead at a hospital where he was taken to.As Karnataka polls on May 12, here are the top ten constituencies to watch out for

Karnataka: NOTA makes its debut in a general assembly poll

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

NOTA or None of the Above makes its debut in the Karnataka assembly elections today. The state had for the first time witnessed NOTA in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, but it is a first in the assembly segment.

In the 2014 polls, 2.57 lakh persons and exercised NOTA. The poll saw the electorate rejecting 434 candidates under this provision in 2014. The provision was also exercised during the by-elections in Karnataka, but it would be the first time that it would be witnessed in a general assembly election in Karnataka.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), in a report, said that in the red alert constituencies where three or more candidates have a criminal background, NOTA was exercised the most. This time there are 56 such constituencies and there is a possibility of NOTA being exercised in high numbers.

NOTA was rolled out in September 2013 and since then it has secured over 1.33 crore hits in the various elections including the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

"In by-elections in Goa, NCT of Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, a large number of people voted for NOTA, making its vote share the third or fourth highest in the respective constituencies," the ADR report says.

ADR says in the Nandyal by-poll at Andhra Pradesh last year out of the 1.7 lakh electorate only 1,382 voted for the Congress while 1,231 chose NOTA.

In its recommendation, ADR says that fresh elections should be conducted in constituencies where NOTA gets a little above 50% of the total votes. "In the fresh elections, only a candidate who gets at least 50%+1 of the votes cast should be declared elected," it suggests.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 12, 2018, 7:46 [IST]Karnataka will create history, show way to progressive governance, says a 'confident' Siddaramaiah

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Bengaluru, May 12: As the voting for Assembly elections started early in the morning in Karnataka on Saturday, incumbent Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah took to Twitter to express gratitude to the people of the state for their "support".

In his tweet, he said that the people of Karnataka will "create history" by showing the nation the way to "liberal, progressive, peaceful and compassionate politics and governance".

"Today People of Karnataka are standing in queues to create history & show the nation the way to liberal, progressive, peaceful & compassionate politics & governance. I thank them for their support & wish them well," Siddaramaiah wrote on the micro-blogging site.

Today People of Karnataka are standing in queues to create history & show the nation the way to liberal, progressive, peaceful & compassionate politics & governance.



I thank them for their support & wish them well. https://t.co/XC662rENDI  Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) May 12, 2018

On Thursday, Siddaramaiah debunked the theory that the Congress will not form the next government in the state, as every election the incumbent party has lost polls in the southern state.

"People of Karnataka will answer that question on 12th May. And they will do so decisively. I am often told history is against me as no sitting govt in Karnataka has been re-elected in a long time. But we are here to create history & not to obey it," the CM said.

People of Karnataka will answer that question on 12th May.



And they will do so decisively.



I am often told history is against me as no sitting govt in Karnataka has been re-elected in a long time.



But we are here to create history & not to obey it.https://t.co/qRfSg276Q7  Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) May 10, 2018

A total of 224 seats are up for grabs in Karnataka. However, on Saturday, polling took place for only 222 seats. The voting in the two constituencies-- Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Jayanagar--both in Bengaluru--will take place later.

The Election Commission deferred polling to the Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency over "fake" electoral identity cards that were discovered on Tuesday. Polling in the constituency will now be held on May 28 and counting will take place on May 31.

However, the results of the rest of the 222 seats will be out on May 15. Polling had earlier been countermanded in Jayanagar constitunency following the death of the sitting BJP legislator BN Vijay Kumar a few days ago.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 12, 2018, 12:47 [IST]Covid-19 confusion deepens as 25 per cent of new black fungus patients have no coronavirus record

Madhya Pradesh: Man sentenced to death for raping 4-month-old baby in Indore

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

A man was on Saturday sentenced to death by a Madhya Pradesh court after he was found guilty of raping and murdering a 4-month old baby in Indore.

On 21 April, the Madhya Pradesh Police arrested Sunil Bheel (21) after they recovered the blood-soaked body of the infant from the basement area of the heritage Shiv Vilas Palace, blood smears on the stairs telling a horror story.

The baby was sleeping with her family on a porch outside Rajwada, when she was abducted. He took the girl right under the noses of patrolling policemen.

CCTV footage showed a man arriving in a cycle, picking up the girl and moving towards to a commercial complex built on a portion of Shiv Vilas Palace around 4.45am. He is seen returning to the spot alone.

The police identified Bheel and said CCTV footage showed him carrying the infant over his shoulder before the incident. The post-mortem, carried out at the state-run MY Hospital, suggested the victim might have been raped before she was killed as her private parts bore an injury mark, a source said.

The autopsy report confirmed the savage sexual assault, and said the infant died due to head injuries.Karnataka: Will Congress not allow Kumaraswamy to be CM for full 5-year term?

Is it chief minister Kumaraswamy or chief manager of Congress Ktaka ATM? BJP has an answer

All is well between Congress, JD(S)? Kumaraswamy meets Rahul as Karnataka waits for full cabinet

Mosquito bites, Vaastu Shastra and other intriguing facts about Karnataka polls

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Polling for the high-stakes Karnataka assembly elections got underway this morning under a thick security blanket. In what is projected as a tight race, voting is being held in 222 out of 224 seats in a three-cornered contest among the ruling Congress, the BJP and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's JD(S). About 11 percent polling was today recorded in the first two hours of voting in Karnataka.

Over 2,600 candidates are in the fray-- more than 2400 men and and over 200 women. The total voters including service electors according to the 2018 final rolls are 5,06,90,538, of whom 2,56,75,579 male voters, 2,50,09,904 female and 5,055 transgender voters.

Some interesting facts on voting day

Musquitos bite voters in Mahadevapura: Enraged over mosquitoes biting them, voters in three booths in Bengaluru's Madevapura Assembly seat curse Election Commission for not taking precautionary measures.

Vaastu Shastra: G T Deve Gowda's wife asks election officials to shift EVM machine in Chamundeshwari constituency citing vaastu. Gowda the sitting MLA is taking on CM, Siddaramaiah.

No party has won second successive term: No party in Karnataka has won a second successive term in office since 1985 when the Janata Dal under Ramakrishna Hegde had retained power.

BJP worker arrested in Hebbala constituency: The police arrested a BJP worker at Hebbala Assembly seat for "threatening" voters not to vote before local BJP MLA Narayanaswamy cast his vote, delaying the voting by 10 minutes.

Shortage of public transport inconveniences voters: Nearly 2,000 passengers were reported to be stranded at Kempegowda bus station on Friday evening in Bengaluru as state buses were deployed for election duty.

4 Chief Miniter's candidates contesting polls: One among the interesting aspects of this election is four candidates who have served as chief minister of Karnataka are in the fray - current incumbent Siddaramaiah (Chamundeshwari and Badami), B.S. Yeddyurappa (Shikaripura), H.D. Kumaraswamy (Chennapatna and Ramanagara) and Jagadish Shettar (Hubli-Dharwad Central.)

Red alert constituencies: 56

These constituencies are termed so as they have three or more candidates with criminal charges. Kolar and Koppal have as many as six candidates each with criminal cases against them.

Richest candidates: Congress's Priyakrishna, from Govindarajanagar constituency, with Rs. 1,020 crore worth total assets

Congress's N Nagaraju, from Hosakote constituency with assets valued at Rs. 1,015 crore

Congress's State Energy Minister DK Shivakumar, from Kanakapura constituency, with Rs. 840 crore assets

Highest number of candidates:

Mulbagal (39)

Lowest number of candidates:

Sedam (4)

Challakere (4)

Number of candidates in the above 80 years age group: 5

87-year-old Kagodu Thimmappa, the Congress candidate from Sagar constituency, is the oldest candidate to be contesting these elections.

26-year-old Aswini S, the BJP candidate from Kolar Gold Field constituency, is the youngest candidate.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 12, 2018, 11:08 [IST]Karnataka election 2018: Muslim woman cries after being told to take off burqa at polling booth

India

oi-Madhuri

A Muslim woman who was standing in the queue at polling booth 185 on Saturday refused to remove Burqah for identification during voting in Belagavi, Karnataka. The woman later argued with election officials and started crying.

This isn't the first time, earlier a similar incident took place where a woman was being forced to take off her burqa in public at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's rally.

The woman, who identified herself as Saira, later said the women constables on duty asked her to remove the black burqa, the outer robe worn by women in some Islamic traditions, which she did.

She said she was a BJP worker and had come to the rally from her village wearing her "traditional dress".

Meanwhile, people of Karnataka are all ready to vote on May 12 to choose the government which would be there in power in the state for the next five years. The tenure of the current Karnataka Legislative Assembly will expire on May 28. Out of the 224 constituencies (however, polling is being held for 222 seats in the 224-seat Assembly as the Election Commission deferred polling in RR Nagar due to alleged voter bribery and in Jayanagara following the death of BJP candidate and sitting MLA BN Vijaykumar), 173 are reserved for the general category, 36 for the scheduled caste and 15 for the scheduled tribe. All electronic voting machines will be linked to VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail).PIL filed to ban flag with crescent claiming it to be of Muslim League

India

oi-Vinod

By Vinod

Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board chairman Syed Wasim Rizvi has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the court demanding ban on raising the flag of Pakistan Muslim League across the country on mosque, madarsa and even Muslim majority areas of the country. The flag of Pakistan Muslim League that has crescent and star on green background is being raised in the Muslim majority areas, which has got nothing to do with Islam.

Syed Wasim Rizvi told One India that flag with crescent and star on the green background was not a religious flag but a political flag that was used by Muslim League in 1906 in Dhaka. This was used politically during the freedom struggle by the Muslim League. "So we must not allow this flag to be used in the country," Rizvi said.

Junaid Harish, an Islamic scholar, told One India, "It was a wrong notion to say that crescent and star on the flag was introduced by the Muslim League. Hilal (the moon appearing on the first night) was used during the time of Prophet and it was widely used as a symbol during Caliphate movement which was supported by Mahatma Gandhi. Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Ali were leading the movement. However, Harish said in the same breath that none of the symbol including Moon, star and green colour is Islamic. Since Mahatma Gandhi and many other leaders of freedom struggle supported Khilafat movement so it gradually became cultural symbol with the Muslims of the country. But if anyone really wants to do something then instead of banning flag, Muslim League in India should be banned.

Rizvi said that when partition took place Muslim league had gone to Pakistan and Indian Muslim League was formed separately. Indian Muslim league has a small crescent and star on the upper part of the flag. The original flag was adopted by Muslim league of Pakistan and national flag of Pakistan was made by adding a white strip in the Muslim League's flag while the original one remained with Muslim League and got registered with the Muslim League Kayde Azam of Pakistan.

He said, "I requested the court that why we are promoting political flag of an enemy country while this is not at all an Islamic flag. As per Rizvi, Islam has nothing to do with crescent and star. When this flag has got nothing to do with Islam and country was partitioned still people having love for Pakistan are using this flag as Islamic flag.

The case is filed and registrar listed it. You can find those flags in Mumbai, Gujarat, Muslim dominated area and areas with hardliners. They are raised on mosques, mausoleums and roads. Roads are dumped with such flags in many areas of the country.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 12, 2018, 21:39 [IST]Tamil Nadu Elections 2021: How to check name in voter list and download voter slip

Voter ID scam: Police arrest 3, look out for 10 more persons

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Even as the Election Commission of India postponed the elections at the Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency, the police have arrested three persons in connection with the voter ID cases.

The police arrested Chinna Tambi, Chinna Dorai and Sharavana. Police officials said that a hunt is on for another 10 persons allegedly linked with the case.

City police commissioner T Suneel Kumar told reporters that MLA Munirathna was named as an accused as water bottles found in the flat bore his picture. "We will secure all the accused and will question their involvement in this case," the commissioner also said.

During the probe, the police questioned several persons whose cards were found at the scene. They said that they had given their card to a man who had promised them freebies.

Although the probe has found that a few of the accused persons were part of the Congress, the police are not ready as yet to pin the entire blame on the party. The police is also ascertaining if there is a conspiracy angle behind the incident.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 12, 2018, 7:44 [IST]Karnataka: Will Congress not allow Kumaraswamy to be CM for full 5-year term?

Is it chief minister Kumaraswamy or chief manager of Congress Ktaka ATM? BJP has an answer

All is well between Congress, JD(S)? Kumaraswamy meets Rahul as Karnataka waits for full cabinet

Voter turnout 70 percent, figures likely to increase: EC

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

The Election Commission on Saturday noted that so far, the voter turnout is 70 percent, compared to 71.4 percent in 2013 elections in Karnataka. Voting for 222 of the 224 assembly seats in Karnataka was held on Saturday. Election Commission held a press conference in Bengaluru after the voting concluded.

Sanjeev Kumar, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer, said, "Re-polling to take place in Hebbal assembly constituency's Polling Station Number 2 on May 14 after polling was stopped there due to EVM failure."

Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha, said, "The EC stated that except for few polling stations, where people are still standing in the line and voting, polling has been completed in almost all polling stations."

Director General Dilip Sharma said, "Total cumulative gross seizure of cash Rs 94 Crore, liquor worth Rs 24.78 Crore, various inducements like sarees, vehicles, dhotis, utensils, electronic gadgets worth Rs 66 Crores till today. This is more than 8 times the seizures made in last assembly election."

The election in two constituencies, Jayanagar and Rajarajeshwari Nagar, both in Bengaluru was postponed earlier. In Jayanagar, the polling was also deferred due to the death of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, B N Vijay Kumar, on May 4.Voting first, outing next: Parties on edge as Karnataka votes on a Saturday

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

There has been a massive spike in the number of voters, but the big question is how many would cast their ballot. The fact that Karnataka votes on a Saturday has left all political parties worried about a low turn-out. Bengaluru in particular has been notorious for low voter turn outs.

In the 2013 elections, the state had witnessed an impressive turnout with a polling percentage of 71.29. This was incidentally the second highest voter turnout, the highest being in 1978 when the state recorded a polling percentage of 71.90.

The number of voters has gone up this year and many would expect a higher voter turnout due to this. While this is one factor, the problem, however, is that polling falls on a Saturday. Poll pundits feel that this may not have a big impact on the rest of the state, but in Bengaluru city, it could.

This year the number of voters in Bengaluru city too has gone up. The number of voters today is 87,98,335 when compared to 71,13,831 in 2013. The EC was on overdrive mode to raise an awareness about the importance of polling and going by the response it has got, it is confident that the polling percentage would be high. The BBMP too had come up with a slogan that goes, ' Cast your vote before you go for any outing.'

Many have also blamed the private companies for not declaring a holiday on polling day as the reason behind a low voter turnout in the city. As per the Representation of Peoples' Act and the National and Festival Holiday Act, it is mandatory for companies to declare a paid holiday on polling day. However, most companies do not follow this and only declare an hour's break for voting. This according to many is not sufficient considering the traffic snarls in the city.

While polling percentage in Bengaluru city could be much better considering it has a literate population, there is also some solace in the fact that the past two elections have seen a significant jump.

In 2008 Bengaluru district recorded 49.87 per cent while in 2013, it was 57.38 per cent. In Mysuru, there was, however, a drop in the polling percentage in 2013. The city recorded 65.83 per cent in 2013 when compared to the 67.03 per cent in 2008.

In the previous election, the highest polling percentage was recorded was 83.50 per cent from Chikkaballapur. In the 2013 assembly elections, the male-female voting ratio was "healthy" with male voter turnout percentage being 71.84 and female's 70.1. In the 2008 elections, voter turnout for men was 66.33 per cent and for women 63.23 per cent.

Male voters are 2,52,05,820 in 2018 as compared to 2,23,15,727 in 2018. Female voters are 2,44,71,979 in 2018 compared to 2,13,67,912 in 2013. Transgender voters are 4,552 in 2018 as compared 2,100 in 2013.

There are 15,42,000 young voters in the age group of 18-19 in 2018 as compared to 7,18,000 in 2013. The young voters' ratio has increased from 1.16 per cent to 2.20 per cent and the gender ratio from 958 to 972 in the same period; while Elector Population (EP) Ratio remained the same. The number of polling stations has also increased from 52,034 to 56,696 from 2013 to 2018.Why winning Karnataka election is important for both Congress, BJP

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Bengaluru, May 12: For some experts, the Karnataka Assembly election, the voting for which began on Saturday morning, is a three-cornered contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)). For others, the election in the southern state is a battle between the BJP and the incumbent Congress.

While the JD(S) has to win at least 40 seats out of the 224 to remain relevant in Karnataka politics (provided it is a hung Assembly), for the BJP and the Congress it's an all-important fight which both simply can't afford to lose.

Karnataka is one of the last few states where the Congress is in power. The grand old party which was in power at the Centre for several terms has been already decimated to a weaker version of its old self, thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's wave. Today, the Congress is in power only in Punjab, Mizoram and Puducherry. The Congress has been witnessing its steady downfall since it lost the 2014 General Elections.

If the Congress has to remain a contender for the big 2019 General Elections, then it has to win Karnataka elections at any contest. Similarly, the BJP, which is in power in 21 states in the country and has its government at the Centre, wants to badly capture Karnataka to have its sway in the southern part of the country before 2019.

"Winning Karnataka is also important for the BJP, which rules 21 states accounting for about 70 per cent of the national population but is yet to wedge its foot into the south, which sends 130 lawmakers to parliament," writes NDTV.

The BJP came to power for the first time in Karnataka in 2008 and BS Yeddyurappa was made the chief minister. In fact, Karnataka was the first state in the southern region where the BJP formed its own government 10 years ago. Tiil date, it has failed to repeat its Karnataka feat in any other southern state.

However, the BJP government's tenure in Karnataka was marred by corruption charges, which saw three CM helming the affairs of the state in five years. In 2013, the party was voted out of power and the Congress won the elections with a majority.

Both PM Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi extensively campaigned in Karnataka with the hope of helping their respective parties come to power this time.

On Saturday, out of the 224-seat Assembly, voting took place for 222 constituencies. The voting in the two constituencies-- Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Jayanagar--both in Bengaluru--will take place later.

The Election Commission deferred polling to the Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency over "fake" electoral identity cards that were discovered on Tuesday. Polling in the constituency will now be held on May 28 and counting will take place on May 31. However, the results of the rest of the 222 seats will be out on May 15. Polling had earlier been countermanded in Jayanagar constituency following the death of the sitting BJP legislator BN Vijay Kumar a few days ago.

The JD(S) maintains that it will come to power on its own and rubbishes the theory that it will be the "kingmaker"--either siding with the BJP or the Congress-- as most pre-poll surveys predicted a hung Assembly.

The JD(S) has formed an alliance with Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to fight the Karnataka elections. Both the parties say the alliance has been formed keeping an eye on the 2019 elections where in all probability all the major regional parties will join hands to fight against the BJP.

The position of the Congress in the anti-BJP alliance is still in doubt. If the Congress wins the Karnataka polls, it will have a strong say in the anti-BJP alliance or else it has to play a second fiddle. All these theories and speculations will be laid to rest after the results will be out in a few days.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 12, 2018, 9:57 [IST]Woman drags 'molester' rickshaw-puller to police post, says no one was there

India

oi-Madhuri

In shocking incident, a woman was molested by a rickshaw-puller in an inebriated state outside New Delhi metro station. As claimed by woman, she later dragged him to the nearest "police post", however, she did not find any policeman there to assist her for 45 minutes.

She also claimed that she had made a call to the New Delhi Railway police station but received no help.

The woman later tweeted her ordeal. Taking to Twitter, the woman said that asked the rickshaw-puller whether he would drop her to Paharganj but he demanded Rs 180. When she realised that the auto driver was drunk, she started walking ahead but he came behind her and started asking her to come with him. The woman later hit him with a water bottle in her hand and with the help of locals, took him to the officer's room, she said.

She also claimed that the rickshaw-puller kept mocking her and saying that no one would come to her help.

Meanwhile, the Police have registered a case in the matter and two policemen -- an assistant sub-inspector and a head constable -- have been suspended over the call going unanswered.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 12, 2018, 11:07 [IST]Former US president George W Bush warns against isolationism

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

Even though he too was the chief executive from the same Republican Party, former American president George W Bush on Thursday, May 10, contradicted President Donald Trump's "America First" rhetoric while expressing his own foreign policy viewpoint.

He was speaking at an awards ceremony hosted by Atlantic Council - a foreign policy think tank which conferred him an international leadership award for his work towards eradication of AIDS in Africa.

Bush, 71, started the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief during his tenure at the White House between 2001 and 2009 and continued to work for it even after his term ended and saw his plan save millions of lives across the African continent marking a significant milestone in the fight against AIDS crisis in the world.

Bush, who also saw the US's involvement in two of the most critical war situations in Afghanistan and Iraq during his rule, spoke on foreign policy in the wake of Trump's decision to pull out of the nuclear deal with Iran which has left the entire world shocked.

The remarks of Bush also came in the context of a series of efforts that Trump has made to get the US rid of various key international agreements and also promote protectionism - both economically and geographically - to implement is "America First" policy.

Invoking a speech from former British prime minister Winston Churchill, Bush said the US is "indispensable" for the world and said it could not aspire to become a leader without involving itself in global problems. He said it is very important to stay together and not divided for division only leads to failure.

He said the dangers of isolation loom and the price of greatness is responsibilities. Bush was clearly making a case for his HIV programme which took on a global problem as against the inward-looking stance that the US has taken during the Trump presidency.

Bush recently lost his mother Barbara Bush, a former first lady. He thanked the people for their support for the bereaved family which produced two American presidents.

His father, George H W Bush, who was the 41st incumbent of the White House between 1989 and 1993, is ailing and recently had over a week-long visit to the hospital with a blood infection after the passing away of his wife.Burqa should be banned as it is an inhuman practice: Uttar Pradesh minister Anand Swaroop Shukla

Muslim scholars: Suicide attacks violate Islamic principles

International

pti-PTI

Bogor (Indonesia), May 12: Muslim scholars from three countries issued an edict today saying that violent extremism and terrorism, including suicide attacks, are against Islamic principles, in an effort to convince the Taliban to end their violence.

Seventy prominent scholars from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia issued the fatwa, or edict, at a conference in Indonesia on ways to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The Taliban urged Islamic clerics to boycott the Bogor conference and warned Afghan clerics, "Do not afford an opportunity to the invading infidels in Afghanistan to misuse your name and participation in this conference as means of attaining their malicious objective."

Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who opened the one-day meeting, stressed Indonesia's commitment to helping build peace in the country. Jokowi said the conference was part of Indonesia's efforts to encourage the role of Islamic clerics, or ulema, in promoting peace in Afghanistan.

"Through the voice of ulema, mainly from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia, presumably the spirit of brotherhood for peace in Afghanistan can be strengthened," Jokowi said.

He said "ulema are the agent of peace ... they have the power to form the face of peaceful people." In a declaration, the scholars said Islam was a religion of peace and denounced all kinds of violent extremism and terrorism.

"We reaffirm that violence and terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group, as violent extremism and terrorism in all its forms and manifestation including violence against civilians and suicide attacks are against the holy principles of Islam," the declaration said.

The conference at the presidential palace in Bogor, a West Java town on the outskirts of Jakarta, was organized by the Indonesian Ulema Council.

PTIPM Modi offers condolences to Nawaz Sharif on his mother's death

Nawaz Sharif's passport will be cancelled on Feb 16, says Pak minister

Imran Khan, military generals to be responsible if anything happens to Maryam: Nawaz Sharif

Former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif's application for visa extension in UK rejected: Media reports

Nawaz Sharif admits Pakistan played a role in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks

International

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has admitted that Pakistan played a role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Speaking in an interview to Pakistan media Dawn, Sharif said, "Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross-border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Why can't we complete trial?"

The PML-N leader was questioning why the trial into the Mumbai attacks was stalled at a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court.

"Why can't we complete the trial? It's absolutely unacceptable. This is exactly what we are struggling for. President Putin has said it. President Xi has said it," he said.

Famously known as 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the assault on the financial capital of India lasted until November 29.

Attacks on Mumbai's landmarks such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Hotel, and Leopold Cafe killed 166 and injured over 300, leaving a deep scar in the hearts of every Indian.

India has long accused Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba of carrying out the attacks in Mumbai on 26 November, 2008.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 12, 2018, 17:23 [IST]Nawaz Sharifs 26/11 admission: PML-N leader trying to be a statesman ahead of key election?

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif recently conceded during an exclusive interview to Pakistan's leading daily Dawn that Pakistan allowed militants to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai, the financial capital of Mumbai. He also asked the reason behind Pakistan's failure to complete the trial of 26/11 attacks during his interview and said it was "unacceptable".

For the Indian establishment, to see this coming from a former Pakistani premier who was ousted in July 2017 after being held disqualified by the country's Supreme Court for hiding undecided salary he received from his son's company in the UAE. He was also disqualified by the apex court as the head of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) this February.

For Sharif, who could not complete even one of his three terms as Pakistan's premier since the 1990s, and his party, things are looking ominous at the moment while the next parliamentary elections in Pakistan are not far.

PML-N going through a tough phase

The ruling PML-N has seen besides the ouster of Sharif, an ouster of its foreign minister, flee of its finance minister and an assassination attempt on its interior or home minister. Sharif, 68, could see another unfavourable verdict coming out against him in June sending him to 14 years in jail.

Dynastic power struggle might not be too far

Sharif is also facing concerns at home for his wife Kulsoom is undergoing cancer treatment while the known dynastic politics of Pakistan could see his daughter Maryam losing out to Hamza, the son of his brother Shehbaz Sharif who stands as the party's next big leader in the absence of the former PM.

In August last year, Dawn online reported that many PML-N supporters were of the belief that Nawaz denied Shehbaz, the chief minister of Punjab, a chance to succeed him as the premier of Pakistan and also the latter's son Hamza to lead Punjab province. This makes the power struggle in the Sharif family more apparent and there will be more of it in case Nawaz is completely ousted from the scene.

Army, judiciary, Imran Khan - too many enemies for PML-N

These apart, the PML-N also has serious confrontations with the army, judiciary as well as the Opposition led by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf or PTI.

Sharif hence looked to foreign policy to prove his worth

To fight all the odds and to salvage some pride before an impending uncertainty, Sharif has chosen to take the statesman's path. According to the Dawn, the former prime minister took the conversation towards issues like foreign policy and national security when asked about the reasons that he felt were responsible for his ouster.

He brought in the reference of Afghanistan who he said was given more acceptance than Pakistan despite the latter making sacrifices. He then raised the issue of Pakistan sending terrorists to Mumbai and its inability to finish the trial. He even said that countries like Russia and China also pointed out to Pakistan its struggle on such issues.

A Pak leader puts himself on same page with India before an election

Sharif was clearly trying to take the position of a statesman to make a last-ditch effort to beat his and his party's internal enemies although to see a Pakistani politician trying to put himself on the same page with arch-rivals India to reap some mileage - moral or political is quite unique. But that is how the invisible pressure of democracy works.

Sharif's expressions prove that Pakistan's monolithic political culture has started seeing a change, even only on the surface, and that could be the biggest outcome of its uninterrupted civilian rule over the last one decade.

The same Sharif had approved 1993 Mumbai blasts, said a Pak judge

This is the same Sharif who had given approval for the serial blasts in Mumbai in 1993, former Indian diplomat Rajiv Dogra who was once posted in Karachi wrote in his book 'Where Borders Bleed: An Insider's Account of Indo-Pak Relations'.

According to him, an eminent former judge of the Pakistani Supreme Court had told him in 1994 that Sharif not only gave approval for the Mumbai blasts but also had full knowledge of the Pakistani Army-backed Kargil intrusion while meeting with former Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in 1999. The former judge, who in turn learned about Sharif approving the Mumbai blasts from a sitting judge "seemed to have been morally outraged" by the events.

Today, it is the same Sharif who seems to be morally outraged and that's because his political points are hard to come by - something which looked improbable even 12 months ago.

Sharif's frustration over failure to deal with army, judiciary showing

Sharif is also frustrated over the fact that despite getting power thrice which not many politicians in his country get, he has not been able to cut his internal enemies to size and they have succeeded to toy with him as a leader. He said the country can't be run if there are two or three parallel governments but only one which is constitutionally authorised. His targets were clearly the military, which ousted him in directly in 1999 and the judiciary, which threw him out in 2017.

Sharif's third innings as the prime minister also saw his relations with the military taking a nosedive, especially since late 2016 when he pointed out to the strong military to act against the home-grown militants or face isolation internationally.

Pakistan has been at the receiving end as terrorists have not spared the country and the Sharif government's response against them has not been too strong. But given the fact that Pakistan has started experiencing some sort of continuity in its elected government's rule, Sharif gathered the courage to tell the military what the ailment was but then, it is yet some distance to cover before the country's civilian rulers get a complete control over its military generals.

The army in Pakistan might not express an open desire to recapture the reins of power as that would push it into a dark corner with loads of political and economic pressure to deal with but at the same time, it is still not an actor which has given up its interest in the nation's statecraft.

Jaffrelot's take on army-civilian equation in Pakistan

Christophe Jaffrelot, an eminent scholar on Pakistan politics, believes that the 2018 election will be key to understand which way the country is heading.

Jaffrelot, who teaches international relations in Paris, said during his visit to a literary event in Jaipur in January this year: "Pakistan is still the same paradox... But it is reaching its limit. There are civilians in the government, there is a facade of democracy, but military is still in the driving seat," IANS reported.

Jaffrelot, who has written several books on India and Pakistan, discussed about the paradox of Pakistan's politics in his 2015 book 'The Pakistan Paradox: Instability and Resilience' saying military rule interspersed with the civilian till the time the latter tried to end the army' hold was the familiar paradox of the country till it changed in the 21st century.

Now, according to Jaffrelot, another dynamic has evolved whereby the politicians acknowledged not being in full control while the military continued to undermine them without toppling them.

Sharif thus knows that there is a small window for his party, which still has a grip in terms of organisation, to slide through in the next election to attempt a return to power. He therefore took the route of taking a moral standpoint which he believes would set him apart from the rest and make the voters more sympathetic towards his inner voice.

But the fact remains that Pakistan is still a fledgling democracy where an iron fist still rules the roost.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 12, 2018, 21:53 [IST]Collapse of Kabul will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history: Donald Trump

Thousands of terrorists might have been airlifted out of Kabul: Trump slams Biden

Never in history has withdrawal from war been handled so badly: Trump

Trump thanks Singapore PM for hosting US-North Korea summit

International

pti-PTI

Washington, May 11: US President Donald Trump in a telephonic conversation thanked Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for hosting his summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the White House said on Friday.

Trump on Friday announced that he will meet Kim on June 12 in Singapore, the first-ever summit between the top leaders of the two Cold War rivals to discuss the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

"President Trump thanked Prime Minister Lee for his willingness to host President Trump's June 12 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un," the White House said in a readout of the call.

The two leaders also discussed regional security dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region.

Trump and Lee reaffirmed the relationship between the US and Singapore, which has been one of the US' closest partners in Asia for more than 50 years, it said Trump said that he looks forward to seeing Prime Minister Lee in Singapore soon, the statement said.

PTIDemand for housing in Bahrain is expected to exceed supply in the coming years thanks to the kingdoms young and fast-growing population which is driving particularly strong demand for apartments across the kingdom, said industry experts.



The strength of Bahrains hospitality and real estate pipeline is supported by strong market fundamentals, with the sector expanded steadily over recent years, driving its contribution to the Kingdoms GDP up by 4.1 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2012-2016, they stated at the Gateway Gulf investment summit.



Opportunities for private sector investment across Bahrains vibrant hospitality, retail and real estate sectors were showcased at the event held under the patronage of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and Chairman of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB).



The two-day event saw leading industry players explore ways of unlocking the opportunities being created in the region.



Major regional investment-ready projects worth $18 billion - with projects in the planning phase driving up the value of the project pipeline to $26 billion - were announced during the event, with a particular focus on mixed-use developments and new tourism hubs across the southern part of the kingdom.



Bahrains thriving real estate and tourism sectors were also showcased to international investors at Gateway Gulf.



Under the umbrella of the Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (Mumtalakat), numerous new resorts in south of the kingdom revealed huge potential for growth to investors at the forum, in line with efforts to develop the tourism sector.



The major projects included Al Sahel, a new five-star destination; Durrat Dawn and Durrat Crescent, mega real estate projects worth $2 billion with hallmark residential, commercial and tourism anchors for a transformative resort city in the south-east of Bahrain; as well as the Bilaj Al Jazayer development with its flagship Fairmont Hotel along Al Jazayer Beach, an unchartered new tourism destination in the south west.



Other unique developments showcased included Hawar Island, a world-class eco-friendly destination, Phase One of which will commence in the coming months.



The tourism industry represents approximately 10 per cent of the worlds GDP, a priority sector for Mumtalakat as the sovereign wealth fund of Bahrain, remarked Mahmood H Alkooheji, CEO of Mumtalakat.



We take great pride in the showcasing of several of our key projects in Bahrain here today. Worth over $2 billion, these real estate projects in the south of the island will enhance our tourism profile as a coveted destination, he noted.



According to him, the housing and mixed-use investment opportunities were also a key theme at the investor forum.

"Demand for housing is expected to continue to exceed supply in the coming years thanks to the kingdoms young and fast-growing population, driving particularly strong demand for apartments which has gained momentum in sales price over recent years," stated the experts.



Leading Indian developers Ajmera Mayfair and Global Realty which have a combined experience of over 100 years in the real estate industry and have delivered a total of 40 million sq ft of commercial and residential spaces in India, came together to announce a $250-million project at Bahrain Bay Development.



The duo will be offering the tallest residential towers in Bahrain "The Golden Gate Towers". The project consists of modern world-class amenities and facilities and 750 super-luxury apartments with a wide range of options.



The Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera), established in 2017, is committed to supporting growth across the real estate sector by strengthening regulation, attracting world-class investors and ensuring consumer confidence and protection.



This directly supports the plethora of projects being showcased during Gateway Gulf, and highlights Bahrains commitment to strengthening regulatory frameworks across all sectors to encourage investment, said the industry experts.



Housing projects showcased at the event range from social housing opportunities to innovative schemes in collaboration with the private sector for the provision of affordable housing (Mazaya), which helped to enhance the purchasing power of citizens since its launch in October 2013.



Statistics show that more than 2,650 citizens have purchased their housing units over the last four years thanks to the funding solutions provided by this program.



A total of BD15 million has been provided in support of Mazaya beneficiaries in co-operation with the banks participating in the program.



Real estate developers have also sought to offer housing at affordable rates for beneficiaries, through affordable finance. The growing success of Mazaya programme was apparent at the forum.



This is in addition to premium developments such as the $500-million Al Naseem, which is due to open tenders this quarter, and the $1.1-billion Hasabi development which will combine residential villas, apartments, retail, restaurants and education facilitates, said the experts.



Overall tourism revenues are projected to reach $1 billion by 2020, which is driving further growth opportunities in connected sectors, especially retail and leisure, it added.-TradeArabia News ServiceGermany-based hte, a high throughput experimentation company, has been selected by BP to evaluate commercial catalysts for both naphtha reforming and hydrocracking applications using high throughput technology under commercially relevant conditions for its refineries around the world.



BP selected hte for the evaluation study in order to benchmark commercial naphtha reforming and hydrocracking catalysts and compare their performance against incumbent catalysts, said a statement.



The resulting testing programme at hte will provide BP with the data to make selections for its upcoming naphtha reforming and hydrocracking catalyst change-outs, it said.



The overall aim of both projects is to measure activity, yields, and stability. In naphtha reforming, these performance parameters will be determined at constant octane operation, whereas in hydrocracking, the catalysts will be tested under various process conditions including the evaluation of product qualities. The two projects will start in the third quarter of 2018, it added.



Belma Demirel, senior engineer at BP Refining Technology and Engineering in Naperville, US, said: We selected hte as a partner for our qualification project because of its reputation in independent catalyst testing and its ability to provide experimental services across the major refining processes.



Wolfram Stichert, chief executive officer, hte, said: We are very pleased to be selected as a partner for independent commercial catalyst testing by BP.



Our focus here is to help refineries to be cost-effective in the catalyst selection process. We are looking forward to continuing our reliable and long-lasting partnership with BP, he added.  TradeArabia News ServiceZain Bahrain, a leading telecommunications provider in the kingdom, has reported a net profit of BD1.108 million ($2.93 million) for the three months ending March 31, 2018, thus registering an increase of 120 per cent compared to BD503,000 ($1.33 million) over the same period a year earlier.

Announcing the results for the three-month period ending March 31, Zain Bahrain said its operating profit for 2018 surged to BD1.127 million from BD576,000 last year, thus registering an increase of 95.7 per cent.

The positive results were achieved despite the decline in total revenues in Q1 2018 to BD16.571 million, down 9.4 per cent from BD18.310 million ($48.5 million) a year earlier.

The fall in revenues was mainly because of the effects of certain IFRS 9 and IFRS 15 reporting requirements under the International Accounting Standards Board, while the basic earnings per share increased form 1 fils in Q1 2017 to 3 fils for the three-month period ending March 31, 2018.

At the balance sheet level, Zain Bahrain's total equity stood at BD66.147 million during the first quarter of 2018, compared to BD63.3 million over the same period in 2017, an increase of 4.5 9.4 per cent.

However, the company's assets for the three-month period fell by 6.5 per cent to BD99.044 million compared to BD105.938 million last year.

Zain Bahrain's success in achieving a high growth rates during Q1 2018 is a reflection of the positive results achieved by its ability to keep abreast of the technological and services developments witnessed by the telecommunications sector around the world, said the statement from the telecom company.

Through its extensive efforts to introduce the latest technologies, with a focus on the delivery of data-centric products and digital offerings, as well as the implementation of a well-considered operational strategy and exercising financial prudence.

Zain Bahrain Chairman Shaikh Ahmed bin Ali Al Khalifa said: During the first quarter of 2018, our focus to improve Zain Bahrains operational performance, enhance our investment activities and implement cost optimization initiatives, resulted in significant growth in our net profit for the period."

"The strong performance achieved in a challenging environment demonstrates Zain Bahrains competence in consolidating its prominent position in the market," he noted.

Shaikh Ahmed said: "Zain Bahrain is moving forward with its efforts to build modern networks across the kingdom and offer a wide range of state-of-the-art broadband technology solutions as part of its commitment to providing the best range of services to its loyal customers."

"These investments will enable our customers to benefit from high-quality services across our network, and Zain Bahrain will continue to use its advanced network capabilities to bring additional innovative digital products and offerings providing great value," he noted.

"Our success in partnering with major regional and global service providers has added value to Zains portfolio of services and improved customer experience. This places the operator in a fantastic competitive position and will assist in the achievement of our strategic objectives to benefit all of our stakeholders, he added.-TradeArabia News ServiceWould you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

Keyboards and mice are convenient and precise, but slow and especially difficult for people with some kinds of disabilities. Voice control of computers has advanced greatly in the last decade, but we're still nowhere near the place where we can talk to Hal the way Dave did.

Most convenient of all would be if we can control computers with our thoughts, the same way we decide to reach out a hand or a foot and our bodies comply in a way that feels instant and effortless. Control of our bodies is mediated by a network of nerves that connect our brains to the extremities and everywhere in between. Computers don't have that kind of access to details of the neural activity in our brains. Most of us would rather not have electrodes implanted in our skulls. So work has proceeded on how to decode voltage signals on the scalp.

This has been surprisingly effective. The key to success has been that the brain is wired in a flexible way that facilitates learning. With feedback from the computer, people learn to create just the electric patterns that the computer is programmed to look for, and to control the computer with their thoughts.

This week there is a report of a more efficient control system that requires no training. A multinational team based in Japan has been working to get the computer trained how to read the human brain rather than having the human learn how to control the computer. Preliminary success is encouraging. The first applications will involve wheelchair control by quadriplegics.

Univ of S Calif Press Release Article in Science AdvancesWould you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Consortium News

In the wake of Donald Trump's thoroughly unsurprising decision to scuttle the Iran nuclear accord, two countries that may be most in the hot seat are Germany and Russia. The big question now is whether their mutual discomfort leads them to find common cause.

Angela Merkel's plight is especially painful. Not only are Germany's extensive business links with Iran at risk thanks to Trump's decision to re-apply sanctions, but the German chancellor's political fortunes have taken a beating thanks to years of American incompetence in the Middle East.

In Libya, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton devoted two weeks during the 2011 Arab Spring to persuading Qatar to join the anti-Gaddafi coalition, only to stand by and watch as the oil-rich emirate seized the opportunity to distribute some $ 400 million to murderous Salafist rebels spreading anarchy from one end of the country to the other. The result was a failed state that soon turned into a jumping-off point for hundreds of thousands of desperate refugees making their way to Germany and other parts of the European Union.

Remarkably, Clinton did the same thing a few months later in Syria by teaming up with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other Arab gulf states to fund what would soon become a full-scale Islamist invasion. The upshot: more murder and mayhem, more refugees, and more terrorism when ISIS -- funded by the Saudis and Qataris according to no less an authority than Clinton herself -- decided to extend its jihad to Paris, Brussels, Nice, Manchester, Barcelona, and Berlin starting in November 2015. As if that weren't enough, Washington irritated its German partners by opposing the Nord Stream II natural gas pipeline, a Russo-German project headed by ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schroder, and then, under Trump, by pulling out of the Paris climate accords last June.

Untutored Ambassador

A bruised and battered Merkel thus saw her share of the vote shrink by more than 20 percent in last September's German federal election while the anti-immigrant Alternative fur Deutschland saw its portion more than double. Now, Trump's decision to dump the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the Iran nuclear agreement is formally known, is making matters much, much worse. First, Israel took advantage of the move to launch its biggest attack on Syria since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, raising prospects that Middle East chaos may be poised for yet another upsurge. Then US Ambassador Richard Grenell showed what America really thinks of its German partners by tweeting: "As @realDonaldTrump said, US sanctions will target critical sectors of Iran's economy. German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately."

Grenell, a former Fox News commentator, sounded like an all-too-typical American boss barking an order at an unpaid intern. Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn described the tweet as an "impertinence" while Andrea Nahles, leader of the center-left German Social Democrats, said: "It's not my task to teach people about the fine art of diplomacy, especially not the US ambassador. But he does appear to need some tutoring."

Quite right. But Germany is not the only one feeling the pain -- Russia is too. It is allied with Iran in support of Syria's embattled president Bashar al-Assad, yet has somehow managed to maintain good relations with Israel. This is why Putin invited Benjamin Netanyahu to be his personal guest at this week's May 9 Victory Day celebrations in Moscow where the Israeli prime minister joined Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in laying a wreath on the Soviet Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. When Putin paid tribute to the Soviet troops "who saved Europe and the world from slavery, from the horrors of the Holocaust," by defeating Nazi Germany (quote begins at 2:00 ), there was no doubt as to whom he was addressing.

But the celebration also featured a traditional Red Square military parade featuring not only unmanned robo-tanks and Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighters , but mobile batteries of anti-aircraft missiles. Less than 12 hours later, Netanyahu showed his thanks by destroying at least five Russian-made anti-aircraft batteries as part of the assault on Syria. According to the Israeli military, Israel notified Russia of the impending attack via "deconfliction" procedures in place since September 2015 -- which means that Russia more or less assented to the destruction of its own defense systems.

It's Up to Germany

This can't go on, especially with Israel intervening ever more heavily on the side of pro-Al Qaeda rebels whom Russia, Iran, and Syria are trying to repel. The more the battle intensifies, the more impossible Putin's position will become.

The man needs back-up, but from where? The answer lies in the other signatories to the JCPOA -- China, the UK, France, and Germany. But the first is preoccupied with events in the Far East, the second is in political disarray, while the third is a joke thanks to the preening and arrogant Emmanuel Macron. That leaves Germany. If it provided Russia with even a modicum of support, the upshot could be a major shift in the way the deadly game of Middle East politics is played.

Germany has real clout with regard to the Jewish state. It is Israel's biggest trading partner in Europe and, after the US, its second largest trading partner overall. It is an important cultural and scientific partner, while Berlin, in one of history's more delectable ironies, is now home to one of Israel's largest expatriate communities , some 15,000 Jews and Arabs who find life in the German capital freer and more vibrant than back home and, as a consequence, have peppered it with Hebrew-language kindergartens, a Hebrew library, a Hebrew literary magazine, a Hanukkah market, and Iranian-Israeli techno parties.

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If we are going to defeat right-wing Republicans in 2018 and 2020, we need to win in states that Trump won, like Pennsylvania. And, in my view, the only way we win in those states is by supporting progressive candidates who have the guts to defend working-class families -- white, black, Latino, Asian American, Native American -- and take on the power and greed of the billionaire class.

Here's some very good news. In Pennsylvania there are two strong progressive candidates who can win their primary fights and win the general election. But they need your help.

As you know, Donald Trump represents something we have never seen before in the history of the United States. It is not just that he represents the interests of the wealthy and powerful. It's that we have never had a president with more authoritarian tendencies than him.

The 2018 midterm elections will be long remembered as a pivotal moment in American history because, if we are successful, we can put an end to the disastrous Trump agenda. If we are not, we will have at least two more years of a rapid shift toward authoritarianism, the further normalization of corruption and the continued rise of oligarchy.

But we cannot defeat Trump and the Republican Party with the same playbook, or by supporting the same kind of candidates long favored by the political establishment and financial elite. That is how we got to where we are today.

That is why I recently traveled to Pennsylvania to support two strong progressive candidates: Greg Edwards for Congress and Jess King for Congress. Their primaries are on May 15, and they need your help now. So here is the part where I ask:

Split a $3 donation between Greg Edwards and Jess King today.

Our job in 2018 is to take on and defeat Trump's authoritarianism, xenophobia, racism, sexism, homophobia and religious bigotry. But we can only do that if we run candidates who can rally the American people around an agenda that works for them, not the billionaire class.

For the past 25 years, Greg Edwards has worked tirelessly to organize for justice in health care, education and economic dignity. The powerful grassroots movement behind Greg Edwards is championing Medicare for all, universal pre-k, debt-free college and raising the minimum wage, and he is living his values of unwavering inclusion by building the diverse coalition Democrats need to win in his district.

Jess King has seen firsthand how the biggest corporations have hurt workers and squashed competition. In Congress, she will work to pass Medicare for all, rein in Wall Street, break up corporate monopolies, and support the real job creators: small businesses in our local economies.

These are great candidates you can be proud to support. Please make a donation today. Please help create a progressive Pennsylvania and a progressive America.

Candidates like Greg and Jess will help us stop Trump while ushering in an era of strong progressive change in this country. Thank you for supporting them. They need our help.

In Solidarity,

Bernie SandersProgressive Content Not Found

Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing.



To see if the progressive content was renamed or re-published, please click here.Hilal Computers, the Bahrain-based IT solutions and technical services provider, has been inducted into the Dell EMC Presidents Circle Top 20 Partners from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.

The honour was announced at the Dell Technologies World 2018 in Las Vegas; the global annual meeting place for the IT sector, which attracted 14,000 attendees, including more than 6,500 partners for the adjacent Global Partner Summit.

The inclusion of Hilal Computers in the select Presidents circle is a benchmark achievement evaluated by Dell Technologies across their extensive number of global enterprise partners.

Dell Technologies recognizes their top partners globally for their extraordinary performance," stated Hardy Koshy,, the general manager of Hilal Computers.

"The selection for the Dell EMC Presidents Circle is an accolade that is deserved by all the employees of Hilal Computers whose dedication and professionalism is recognized by the award," he added.

Established in 1989, Hilal Computers have carved a reputation for excellence in IT solutions and customer-centric service, offering scalable, open, cross-platform management solutions to large corporations, multinationals, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

Shijas Mohidheen, the director of sales and operations for Hilal Computers, said: 'To attend the Dell Technologies World is in itself enriching for Hilal Computers. The event is the platform to experience the technological insights and innovations that be driven by seven technology leaders that includes Dell, Dell EMC, Pivotal, RSA, SecureWorks, Virtustream and VMware."

"However to attend as an acknowledged leader for Dell Technologies as a specific solutions provider in the Mena region gave Hilal Computers a preferred status to access these technology leaders," he added.

Roshan George, the commercial director, said: "Being recognized as part of Dell Technologies global excellence platform is major achievement for any company that is in our sphere of business. Our success is driven by our clients."

"These global and Regional corporate entities have set the requirements that they expect from service delivery and Hilal Computers have delivered locally but to a global standard," he added.

Hilal Computers has associated companies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with offices in Al Khobar, Riyadh, Jeddah and Jubail n the kingdom and also Dubai.-TradeArabia News ServiceThere has been a statistical rise in the global incidence of earthquakes in the last 15 years, compared to the historic average rate. Earthquakes have occurred in places where there are no underground faults or other reason to expect a high seismic risk. This has been the era of fracking in the US. It is well-established that fracking increases the risk of earthquakes. But this is unlikely to explain the most violent quakes. It is not difficult to create an earthquake with an underground nuclear explosion. Some geologists claim to detect the signature of nuclear explosions in the seismic records.

Exhibit A in this story is the statistical record showing that there has been an increase in the most violent earthquakes. 8 on the Richter scale is a convenient dividing line because major quakes >8 are rare, highly destructive events, but the number of them is large enough to show statistical patterns.

From 1900 to 2004, there were 71 earthquakes of this size. 71 divided by 104 years is a historic rate of 6.8 major earthquakes per decade. But the decade from 2004 to 2014 had 18 major earthquakes. I've done a basic calculation and the probability of this occurring by chance is less than 1 in 10,000. When I extend the record from 2014 through 2017 and account for the fact that earthquakes cluster by year, the probability rises somewhat, but still well under 1 in 1,000. In my mind, that's good enough reason to look for some explanation.

I became more suspicious, not less, when I saw this headlined, published prominently in the high-profile journal, PNAS:

Global Risk of Big Earthquakes has Not Recently Increased

The conclusion in the headline is not at all warranted by the data they present, and it is usual scientific editorial policy to keep the headlines and abstract conservative and accurate. In fact, the article presents the evidence that big earthquakes are more frequent than they used to be, and then makes a number of esoteric arguments that are obscure and difficult to evaluate objectively, all trying to convince us that we shouldn't take the statistic at face value.

The 2010 earthquake in Haiti stuck in an area where earthquakes had been previously unknown, and had one of the largest death tolls in modern history, even though it was less than magnitude 8. The earthquake and tsunami that destroyed the Fukushima power plant was reported as Richter 9.1, though I've seen that number disputed. Its cost and death toll are still mounting.

Who could be creating earthquakes? Any country with nuclear weapons. USA, Russia, Great Britain, Israel, China, France, with much smaller arsenals in India, Pakistan and N. Korea.

Why would they do such a thing? "Natural" disasters, like wars, create incomparable opportunities for profiteering. Review Naomi Klein's book, The Shock Doctrine. Her thesis is that disasters create excuses to relax the rules of fair play, and when the dust clears, capitalist domination has advanced in some way.

In August, 2011, there was a freak earthquake in the Washington, DC area, a region not implicated in any kind of geologic instability. It might have been caused by fracking two hundred miles away.

of the DC quake is wild and challenging, but I don't dismiss it.Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Middle East Eye

Recent events have highlighted why the continuing refusal by many Western academics and artists to take up the Palestinian call for an academic and cultural boycott of Israel is so wrong-headed.

Opponents of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement argue that such penalties harm, rather than assist, solidarity with Palestinians.

That, for example, was the conclusion of the 18,000-strong Modern Language Association (MLA) in the United States when it rejected a boycott motion last year. Academic freedom was presented as paramount and a route to dialogue with Israeli scholars that could influence Israeli society for the better.

It is also claimed that Israel's arts community is largely progressive and that continuing cultural engagement will bolster voices expressing solidarity with oppressed Palestinians.

But in reality, the space in Israel for academic dialogue, as well as cultural freedom, is shrinking rapidly. And the few Israeli academics or artists who are taking a stand on behalf of Palestinians are more isolated than ever before.

This week, Palestinians mark the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, the dispossession of their homeland that they describe as "the catastrophe." But with the conflict still unresolved after many decades, the signs are not only that Israel fully deserves an academic and cultural boycott, but that without such external pressures, the oppression of Palestinians will intensify.

It emerged last week that two human rights activists -- one a prominent legal scholar -- were barred entry to Israel. They were due to lead a delegation of lawyers and academics assessing the human rights situation in Israel and the occupied territories.

Katherine Franke, a law professor at New York's Columbia University, was among four of the group detained at Israel's Ben Gurion airport. She was deported after a lengthy interrogation during which she was shouted at and accused of lying.

Franke found herself falsely characterised as a leader of the BDS movement. She and Vincent Warren, head of the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York, posted on Twitter a photo of themselves under an airport "Welcome" sign, with the caption: "Don't let the 'Welcome' sign fool you. It doesn't apply to #humanrights."

Earlier this year, Israel's police minister, Gilad Erdan, issued a blacklist of 20 organisations accused of supporting BDS whose leaders were barred from entering Israel.

But in fact, the evidence cited by airport officials came from another source: two far-right websites, the Canary Mission and Amcha, that seek to damage the reputations of students and academics in the United States who have taken public positions critical of Israel.

It was for this reason that Franke observed: "The [Israeli] government is essentially outsourcing their security to rightwing trolling websites."

It is bad enough that Israel is relying on bullying, virulently anti-Palestinian groups to determine which foreign academics will be allowed into Israel to conduct dialogue with Israeli academics and community leaders.

But, given that Israel also controls the entry points into the occupied Palestinian territories, these same hate groups are also deciding whether overseas academics will be able to meet and work with Palestinian academics and civil society leaders.

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See original here

By Rmuse

For many Americans hearing incompetent Education Secretary and evangelical extremist Betsy DeVos' name is tantamount to having their eyeballs gouged out with a rusted salad fork. For Americans concerned about educating the next generation to live and compete in the 21st Century, DeVos represents a clear and present danger to the nation as it has existed since its inception.

It is no secret that DeVos hates the public school system for a variety of reasons, but chief among them is that they are not taxpayer funded evangelical madrassas and they do not yet exist to enrich her wealthy cohorts in the corporate private and religious school movement. In fact, DeVos was disappointed to learn that because the federal government does not contribute nearly as much education funding to states as she believed, she is unable to impose her evangelical agenda on states' public schools as Education Secretary. Now she has a solution to complete her task of using taxpayer money to propagandize American children in America's bastardized version of Christianity.

For a reminder, DeVos clearly stated that her goal in running Trump's Education Department is shaping the culture "to advance god's kingdom." And she fully intends to force American taxpayers to fund her effort as part of a larger Christian Dominionist movement to restore Judeo-Christian values under the Constitution by 2020. While Americans have been ignoring the warnings and real threat out of fear of offending "the faithful," theocrats have been systematically setting the stage to reach their 2020 target date and DeVos' actions are a crucial part of the plan.

DeVos' effort entails redefining corporate charter and private religious schools as "public" to legally funnel taxpayer dollars away from "non-religious" and "non-profit" public schools directly to her friends in the religious and charter school movement. DeVos exposed her devious machination during a meeting of 50 teachers of the year during her response to concerns that her anti-public school agenda is already damaging public schools.

DeVos revealed her "plan" during a private visit when she asked the country's "top teachers" to describe the obstacles they face in doing their jobs. At least one of the teachers had the courage to speak the truth and he told the public school enemy that many of her policies are damaging public education. In particular, Oklahoma's teacher of the year, Jon Hazell, questioned her unconstitutional policy of using "taxpayer money meant for public education to fund private, mostly religious schools." Mr. Hazell said:

"We have a problem where public money is siphoned off from the public schools and given to children who are going to [corporate] charter and private [religious] schools."

Mr. Hazell said DeVos' immediate response was shocking. She told the gathered public school teachers that her intent was to redefine "what education is and declare all of it 'public' education." The reason is clearly to legally fund religious, private and corporate charter schools, all for profit, with money stolen from public schools.

Another "teacher of the year" from Pennsylvania, Michael Soskil Sr., confirmed Mr. Hazell's account of the exchange and like Mr. Hazell, he was stunned saying:

"One of the things that was so stark and memorable in that exchange was ... Secretary DeVos trying to redefine what the word 'public' is. It was almost like Orwellian double-speak to me."

Most Americans are aware that DeVos is more of a "know-nothing" than her boss Trump, particularly about the public education system, and that she is a filthy rich member of the upper echelon of the richest one-percent. But she is also a raving evangelical theocrat desperate to eviscerate the public school system to fund private, for-profit, religious schools. The only reasonable assessment of DeVos is that she is a "radical Christian extremist intent on using America's public school system to 'advance god's kingdom;" and she is on a mission to force American taxpayers to fund her theocratic crusade.

One of the reasons DeVos is so enamored with private religious and charter schools is she relishes using taxpayer dollars to discriminate against gays, the disabled and women according to "the sensibilities" of the conservative Christian movement. In fact, DeVos is very upset that there is no federal taxpayer money to fund private religious and charter schools. so her plan is making them "public" to rob taxpayer dollars.

When DeVos was queried about her intent to spend taxpayer dollars on evangelical madrassas, an intent that is patently unconstitutional, she said:

"There are not enough philanthropic dollars in America to fund what is currently the [theocratic] need in education...[versus] what is currently being spent every year on education in this country...Our desire is to confront the culture in ways that will continue to advance God's Kingdom."

DeVos has made no secret that, in her evangelical mind, the pressing need in the public schools system is more Christianity, more god, more prayer and more archaic mythology disguised as science. And since filthy rich evangelicals like her are unwilling to pay tuition for idiot parents that demand religious indoctrination for their offspring, DeVos is more than willing to "destroy public education and use public school funds to advance her dreams of a Christian theocracy."

There are already many Republican controlled states that are funneling money meant for public schools to private religious and charter schools that are for-profit. And although it is patently unconstitutional, the religious Republicans want to use all federal education money to inculcate American children according to their evangelical form of Christianity.

DeVos, like all of Trump's people, took a "so help me god" oath of office and swore to her god that she would "support and defend the Constitution of the United States ... without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me god."

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It was Brzezinski that advised President Jimmy Carter to destabilize Afghanistan in the 1980's. At the time Afghanistan's communist government was modernizing the country, developing its economy, educating its people, and improving the standard of living for millions of Afghans. It was also advancing the rights and opportunities for women, which the U.S. is constantly touting as one of its cherished human rights concerns. It was Brzezinski's destabilization project that set women's rights back hundreds of years in Afghanistan. When human rights get in the way of U.S. foreign policy objectives, then human rights lose.

In 1979 Brzezinski advised Carter to secretly authorize the CIA to give financial and military aid to further inflame Islamic fanatic mujahideen that were violently opposed to modernization. When the Soviet Union intervened militarily in support of the threatened Afghan government it was not an invasion. It was the legal response of Russia to a neighboring country that was asking for military aid against foreign backed insurgents. Today we see a similar Russian military assistance program in Syria for similar reasons against very similar villains.

Carter feigned indignation and outrage towards Russia and he put the freeze back into the Cold War. He decried the "invasion as a deliberate effort by a powerful atheistic government to subjugate an independent Islamic people", and Carter claimed it was a Russian plot to control Afghanistan's oil. Carter declared a U.S. boycott of the 1980 Moscow-hosted Olympics to punish Russia, and by doing so he dashed the dreams of U.S. athletes that had been training for 4 years in preparation for the Olympic Games. A good time was had by all in Moscow without the U.S. participation. U.S. athletes were sacrificed as pawns in Brzezinski's game of the Grand Chessboard. It is a blood soaked chessboard where the masters see flesh and blood people as objects to be toyed with.

What Brzezinski and Carter did was to set a trap that the Soviets fell into when they sent their military into Afghanistan. The trap had been laid before the Russian "invasion", and not afterwards as Brzezinski would brag years later in a 1998 interview with Le Nouvel Observateur:

"Brzezinski: Yes. According to the official version of history, CIA aid to the Mujahiddin began during 1980, that is to say, after the Soviet army invaded Afghanistan on December 24, 1979. But the reality, closely guarded until now, is completely otherwise: Indeed, it was July 3, 1979 that President Carter signed the first directive for secret aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul. And that very day, I wrote a note to the president in which I explained to him that in my opinion this aid was going to induce a Soviet military intervention."

Carter and Brzezinski were overjoyed that the U.S. would then have the sweet revenge of giving Russia a bloody Vietnam experience. Carter and Brzezinski gave Afghanistan a Vietnam experience too, in which millions of people were killed.

Once events in Afghanistan were set into motion, then Carter and Brzezinski added gasoline to the inflamed Islamic fanatics with billions of dollars in U.S. military support funneled through Pakistan. Thousands of mercenaries from Arab countries poured into Afghanistan to join the fight and get paid too. They were called "Afghan-Arabs". The Brzezinski-Carter scheme would be continued under President Reagan and led to the destruction of Afghanistan, the re-subjugation of Afghan women, and millions of Afghan civilian victims of war. Afghanistan never recovered but from its ashes rose up the Taliban and al Qaeda. The mysteries surrounding the attacks on the U.S. of September 11th 2001 are unresolved. Regardless of whodunit the attacks of 9/11 would be used as justification by President W. Bush to launch another invasion of Afghanistan.

Brzezinski's egotism to show how smart he thought he was is the smoking gun of George Orwell's famous quote:

"He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past."

For decades the U.S. pretended that the false narrative of a Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was reality. The U.S. glorified the mujahideen as freedom fighters, when actually they were Islamic fanatics and mercenary proxies used by the U.S. and its coconspirators. The U.S. and the Saudis funded a heavily armed brand of Islamic terrorism that the U.S. though that it could control, ignore or kill off once it was no longer needed.

As Brzezinski also said in that Le Nouvel Observateur interview:

"What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred-up Muslims or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the cold war?"

The U.S. thought that it had found the "silver bullet" to destroy all of its enemies and control West Asia with "stirred-up Muslims". With the illusion of such power the U.S. fed its addiction to regime change projects using Islamic mercenaries. As Brzezinski said, controlling people is difficult. The result of regime change projects has been chaos. For the U.S. chaos is an opportunity. It is of no concern for the elites that chaos costs millions of people in the world to suffer.

Today the destruction of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria can be laid posthumously at the feet of Brzezinski. Carter has escaped public blame and he still teaches Sunday School as the Nobel Peace Prize president. Brzezinski was so good at killing millions of people that he went on to advising another Peace Prize president how to do it. President Obama called Brzezinski "one of our most outstanding thinkers". Obama picked up the killing where W. Bush left off.

Killing millions of people instead of trying to control them is the model for asymmetrical warfare. Asymmetrical warfare is when the U.S. destroys a small country that has a limited ability to defend itself and cannot strike back. The tools of the trade are the CIA, air power, missiles, drones and mercenaries.

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Pakistani authorities have imposed "reciprocal" restrictions on the movement of U.S. diplomats in the country after Washington took similar measures, the Associated Press reported Friday.

A letter sent to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad says the restrictions will be implemented Friday. The move comes after the U.S. required Pakistani diplomats to get permission five days in advance to travel more than 25 miles from their embassy.

The measures are likely to strain ties between the two sides, the agency said adding:

"It was unclear what prompted the moves but the developments come weeks after Pakistan barred a U.S. diplomat from leaving the country after he killed a Pakistani motorcyclist in Islamabad. U.S. military attache' Col. Joseph Emanuel Hall, was not arrested because he enjoys diplomatic immunity. Hall is accused of running a red light and killing an Islamabad resident, Ateeq Baig, on April 7.

Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua allowed the Foreign Office to leak to the media a ministry letter sent to the US outlining the new reciprocal restrictions.

The letter said the US embassy and consulates in Pakistan will no longer avail facilities of using tainted glass on official vehicles and rented transport, non-diplomatic number plates on official vehicles, diplomatic number plates on unspecified and rented vehicles; and the facility of biometrically unverified or unregistered cell phone SIMs.

It said the facilities of hiring or shifting of rented properties without prior no objection certificate and overshooting visa validity periods and having multiple passports will also not be available to the US diplomats forthwith.

The restrictions imposed on the US diplomats by Pakistan government include strict implementation of Article 27 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations that allows scanning of the diplomatic cargo; and enforcement of rules governing interactions between government officials and foreign diplomats.

According to BBC, the embassy will also have to seek no objection certificates from the ministry to install radio communication at residences and safe houses.

The daily Dawn said the withdrawn facilities once again bring into focus the secretive nature of Pak-US relations. It is believed that the problem repeatedly causing dysfunction in the relations is the opaqueness in the ties. A "safe house" of a diplomatic mission is also unheard of in diplomatic practice.

Tellingly, this is the first time for Pakistani diplomats serving in America and their families to face travel regulations. In the past, US governments have practiced such codes on Russian and Chinese officials.

Speaking to media at the 27th Pakistan-American Congress (PAC) annual friendship day at the Capitol Hill in Washington DC, Ambassador Chaudhry said the move will further strain the already fraught bilateral relations. "Both countries had recently again come closer to each other and measures like these will only complicate the matters. Any grievances could have been resolved through an appropriate mechanism. This step was quite unnecessary," he maintained.

Chaudhry's views were echoed by Congressman Donald Norcross, a New Jersey Democrat. Speaking to Pakistani media, he said the important thing is to engage in dialogue. "If we are inhibiting the conversation, I do not think that is a smart thing to do," he opined.

Chairman of Pakistan's Foreign Affairs Committee, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, told the News: "The Foreign Office has done right to respond effectively, in accordance with the international law, to the unacceptable and offensive State Department behavior on the basis of reciprocity. Such American attitudes are counterproductive, and are divorced from ground realities in a changing global scenario where the US is no longer the 'sole superpower'."

US diplomat Col Joseph doesn't have absolute immunity

Amid the strained ties, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruled on Friday that US Defense and Air Attache' Colonel Emanual Joseph does not have absolute immunity.

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A Department of Defense (DOD) report on the potential impacts of climate change on U.S. military infrastructure paradoxically downplayed the importance of climate change, an earlier draft of the report obtained by The Washington Post and publicized Thursday revealed.

The earlier, more urgent draft was written in 2016, while Barack Obama was still president, while the final was published in January 2018, a year into the presidency of Donald Trump. The differences suggest that the military is altering its tone to avoid antagonizing an administration that went so far as to remove mentions of climate change from its national security strategy.

According to The Washington Post, the 2018 report edited out 23 direct references to "climate change" and only used the term once. It also edited out more than one mention of the decline sea ice in the Arctic.

For example, the final assessment of the Cape Lisburne radar station in Alaska cut out the detail that storms are "made more destructive by a reduction in sea ice and an increase in ice free periods."

It further downplayed the importance of sea level rise, often emitting the fact that assessing military bases' vulnerability to rising waters was a key component of the survey on which the report was based. Most glaringly, it cut out a map of the military sites that would be impacted if sea levels rose between zero and three feet, such as the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site in the low-lying Marshall Islands that could be uninhabitable by mid-century.

"The wordsmithing, not saying 'climate,' I could live with that," Dennis McGinn, assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment under Obama, told The Washington Post. "But taking out ... maps of critical areas of flooding, that's pretty fundamental. And the Arctic, that's huge, for a lot of reasons, not just for Department of Defense, but for the Coast Guard, and commercial shipping business," he said.

The published report was the result of a survey undertaken during the Obama administration asking various military installations to assess their vulnerability to extreme weather and sea level rise. Of the U.S. military's 3,500 sites around the world, the report found that 782 were impacted by drought, 763 by wind and 706 by flooding.

John Conger, a senior Pentagon official under Obama who helped develop the survey, told The Washington Post that the edits "change the feeling of urgency in the report, but not its fundamental conclusion -- that our military installations are clearly experiencing climate impacts."

Military officials told The Washington Post that they did not believe the wording of the report would have a significant impact on how the military responds to climate change.Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Our Future



America Democrats

(Image by pixabay.com) Details DMCA



Pundits should avoid, at all costs, the sin of "premature evaluation." The May 7 primaries did not send a simple or unambiguous message. One thing remains clear, however: In November, the Democrats' fate depends largely on turnout.

Dems have a good chance of retaking the House of Representatives this fall, but that's by no means certain, and the Senate is more of a stretch. With Democratic support reportedly falling among millennials and turnout a lingering problem for voters of color, complacency may be the party's biggest threat.

What other lessons can be drawn from May 7's results?

Ohio

Richard Cordray, former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, defeated Dennis Kucinich for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Was that a victory of the "establishment" over populism, as some pundits argued?

Not so fast. Kucinich's positions on everything from economic justice to LGBTQ rights -- positions that earned him the scorn of liberal lions at the time -- have been vindicated by history. (A painful video of John Stewart mocking Kucinich on trans issues, uncovered by Adam Johnson, is Exhibit A.) While many of his views have now become mainstream, Kucinich's candidacy was always a long shot.

Cordray, for his part, is hardly a corporate Democrat. While he leans right on gun control, he ran with strong labor support and is a confirmed member of the Democratic Party's Warren wing. "You demanded change," Cordray told supporters, "and we heard you and we want the same."

CNN's Gregory Krieg was right when he wrote that Ohio progressives would be "waking on Wednesday as winners -- yet again -- no matter who celebrates on Tuesday night." Cordray's opponent is slightly favored to win in November, but the race is still very much in play.

Lesson: Cordray's victory is a progressive win.

West Virginia

Democratic incumbent senator Joe Manchin won his primary race, as expected. But his left-progressive opponent, political novice Paula Jean Swearingen, had a strong showing. Swearingen won 30 percent of the primary vote, despite her lack of experience or name recognition and a near-blackout in media coverage.

Swearingen's results should not be a surprise. Bernie Sanders decisively won the West Virginia primary in 2016, despite a strong environmental platform that targeted the coal industry.

Speaking of which: Republican voters rejected coal magnate and ex-convict Don Blankenship, who served time in prison for criminal negligence. That's an unsurprising result; Blankenship's greed, malfeasance, and fraud led to the deaths of 29 miners in the heart of coal country. Blankenship also used racist language during the campaign. His loss to Attorney General Patrick Morrissey deprived journalists of a juicy storyline -- and Democrats of an easy win.

Republican turnout in West Virginia was up significantly from the party's last off-year primary. That may be a sign of an increasingly energized Republican base, or may simply reflect the fact that this was a more hotly contested election.

Lesson: Progressives can win in red states, but they'll need better exposure and a solid candidate to do it. It's not clear what the rise in GOP turnout means, but Democrats should not assume they'll have the edge on enthusiasm or voter participation in November.

Warning Signs, and Hopeful Ones

There's a danger in reading too much into these primary results. Roughly 1.5 million people voted in the Ohio Democratic primary, while less than 300,000 people voted in West Virginia's. By contrast, more than 83 million people voted in the 2014 election -- and that was the lowest voter participation this country has seen since World War II.

Women continued to do especially well in Democratic primaries, which could help nudge Congress a little closer to gender parity (it's a long way off). The presence of strong women candidates, including progressives like Indiana's Liz Watson, could also help boost turnout.

What do other indicators say about Democrats' chances in November? Democrats continue to outperform Republicans in generic congressional matchups, although recent polling suggests that their advantage has fallen sharply. While some analysts argue that this interpretation is inaccurate, one thing is certain: record sums of money will be spent between now and Election Day, in ways that could dramatically alter the political landscape.

Democrats should be concerned about the decline in voter participation among African Americans in 2016. The change was to be expected, given Obama's absence from the 2016 ballot, but if that trend continues it could have devastating implications for the party. In another troubling sign, turnout remained low for Hispanic and Asian voters as well.

How can turnout be strengthened among voters of color? A recent Harvard-Harris poll showed that a majority of Democratic voters want the party to move left. Significantly, Hispanic and African-American voters were more likely to feel that way than white Democrats or Democrats as whole.

Dems should also be concerned about polls showing that millennials are drifting away from the party. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on April 30 shows millennial support for Democrats slipping 9 points over the last two years. They're not moving to Republicans in large numbers, but many are drifting more toward either voting third party or not voting at all.

A Way Forward

One way to appeal to millennial voters would be to support tuition-free higher education and propose to cancel $1.5 trillion in student debt.

Student debt hurts African-American as well as white borrowers, along with their families and communities. A recent analysis published by the Levy Institute shows that student debt cancellation would also give the economy a major boost and create more than a million new jobs.

Democrats and their media allies should also focus much more of their attention on governors' races than we've seen so far. Twenty-six of the governors elected this year will have the power to accept or reject congressional district maps, which will be redrawn after the 2020 census. That could shape congressional power for the next 10 years.

In a related development, Ohioans voted overwhelmingly on May 7 to end that state's highly gerrymandered system and replace it with a bipartisan system. 75 percent of voters supported Issue 1, a ballot measure that will replace Ohio's rigged district lines with a three-stage process designed to ensure that fairer voter representation in Ohio's congressional delegation. As John Nichols writes in The Nation, "Ohioans have provided a model that grassroots activists and honest elected officials can advocate for at the state level."Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Wallwritings



Movie Poster

(Image by Fandango) Details DMCA



Paddington 2 is just the right film to share this Mother's Day. To understand why, reflect back to the original 2015 Paddington film, a creative tale drawn from a British literary series.

In the series and in two films, Paddington is a very realistic animated bear who travels to London from his native Peru.

Paddington's Peruvian family had been persuaded by a British explorer, that London would be a welcoming location for bear visitors. In the original Paddington film, our trusting, very realistic, animated young bear travels to London by boat and train.

Arriving at London's Paddington Station, he looks for friendly faces. He finds some in the station, a human London family, the Browns. The mother of the family is Mary Brown, played in her usual welcoming manner, by Sally Hawkins. She insists on taking Paddington home with the family.

Henry Brown, the father of the family, is played by Hugh Bonneville, who agrees, reluctantly, to welcome Paddington for what he presumes will be a brief, but helpful visit.

The family, which also includes two children, agrees that their visitor should be named Paddington, his London arrival-point.

Paddington 2, is a 2017 film sequel, following the original 2015 release. It provides further background to Paddington's origin story. He was rescued as a young cub from near-drowning by two adult bears.

Paddington was raised by a mama bear he calls Aunt Lucy. She teaches him the importance of "generosity of spirit and unshakable faith in the value of good manners," according to a Guardian review.

In Paddington, the original film, young Paddington settles permanently into the welcoming Brown home. Infused with the goodness embedded in him by his Creator, then sustained, initially, by the Creator's helpmate, Aunt Lucy, Paddington's goodness encounters evil in the form of someone who wants to exploit him.

He preserves against that evil attacker and lives to visit us again in Paddington 2. I encountered the young traveling bear, now Londoner, while in search of a Mother's Day film to show to a group of retirees on Movie Night, an occasion when we honor mothers.

My apologies for getting word of Paddington 2 to readers so late in the week, but I have been distracted by a series of world events in which evil appears to be dominating.

I decided it was time for a break from those events and a good time to remember what the mothers I have known and loved over the years, taught me about the "generosity of spirit and unshakable faith in the value of good manners"

But no worries, there is still time to secure a copy of Paddington 2 to show to your friends and loved ones. If not this weekend, there are others ahead.

Here is all you need to know before seeing this delightful and wise film:

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See the original here

Puerto Rico remains devastated, but few in Congress or the White House seem to consider its reconstruction a priority.



By Stephen Kinzer

Painful truths sometimes become so obvious that they must be faced. Let's finally be honest. Even though I forced you to marry me, I never loved you -- not even on our wedding day. I didn't know a thing about you, so how could I? You always seemed strange, with your own language and habits. Over the years, we kept our distance. I tried to ignore you. Now, suddenly, you're in trouble and want my help. Forget it! I'm not wasting my money on a spouse I picked up on a beach by accident and never cared for.

This has been Washington's attitude toward Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria tore across the island eight months ago. Its relief efforts have been reluctant, underfunded, and painfully slow-moving. Puerto Rico remains devastated, but few in Congress or the White House seem to consider its reconstruction a priority. They presumably understand that Puerto Rico is part of the United States and that its residents are American citizens, but nonetheless they treat the island like a foreign country that Washington has no obligation to help.

This is hardly new. Both on the island and on the mainland, Puerto Ricans cling fiercely to their heritage. They are Hispanics, culturally closer to Cuba and the Dominican Republic than to the United States. When asked their nationality, they often answer "Puerto Rican" rather than "American." The United States has never made a serious effort to assimilate them, and many of them have no interest in being assimilated. Washington's response to Hurricane Maria vividly shows how unsuccessful 120 years of American rule over Puerto Rico have been.

The scale of destruction wrought by the hurricane is difficult to fathom. Most of the 3.4 million islanders were without power for months. Hundreds of thousands still are. Eighty percent of farm crops were destroyed. In some towns, nearly every building was blown away or severely damaged. Many schools and hospitals have closed. Jobs vanished. Over 100,000 people have fled to build new lives on the mainland, mainly in Florida. At least that many more are expected to do so this year.

This catastrophe came in the wake of another that was man-made. For years Puerto Rico has been governed by venal and corrupt leaders. Their misrule has starved the island of investment and driven it into bankruptcy. Bankers have reaped rich profits -- nearly half a billion dollars for Barclay's and tens of millions for J.P. Morgan, Banco Santander, and Morgan Stanley -- from an island where 44 percent of the population lives in poverty. A study by the Economist Intelligence Unit predicts that this year, Puerto Rico's economy will contract by a stunning 8 percent -- a more drastic fall than any other on earth. The only two other places where economic growth is expected to be less than zero in 2018 are Venezuela and Equatorial Guinea.

President Trump visited Puerto Rico in October and told residents that theirs was not "a real catastrophe like Katrina," the hurricane that hit New Orleans in 2005. His administration has slowly begun to increase its aid, but without any sense of urgency. The outraged mayor of San Juan, Carmen Yuln Cruz, a Boston University graduate, called this "something close to a genocide." Trump replied with characteristic grace, blaming the failure of relief efforts on "poor leadership by the Mayor of San Juan" and on Puerto Ricans who "want everything to be done for them."

The root of this crisis lies in the nature of Puerto Rico's relationship to the United States. In 1898 Puerto Rico accepted an offer of autonomy under Spanish rule. The American consul reported that citizens were "jubilant over the news." They went to the polls and elected an impassioned newspaper editor, Luis Munoz Rivera, to head their new government. Unfortunately, however, the United States was then launching a war in Cuba. Imperialists in Washington noticed that Puerto Rico is near Cuba, and decided to seize it. On July 25, 1898, American troops landed at Gua'nica, on the island's south coast, and raised the American flag. From there they marched to San Juan and deposed the newly elected government. Three months later the United States officially annexed Puerto Rico.

Over the decades that followed, Puerto Rico fell into poverty. Small coffee farms that supported many families were replaced by plantations run by American sugar and fruit companies. The island's penury remained out of American sight and mind until a Communist revolution in Cuba led to vast improvements in health care, education, and social welfare there. That shamed Washington into action. Congress approved tax breaks intended to draw corporations into Puerto Rico. The incentives worked for a while, but growth was artificial and could not be sustained. Puerto Rico slipped back off the American radar screen. Hurricane Maria briefly brought it back, but interest has again faded.

Puerto Ricans never asked to become part of the United States, and Americans never truly wanted them. The two were united in a marriage that more resembled a kidnapping. Affection was forced and sporadic. Nothing like love ever developed. The contempt with which the U.S. government has treated Puerto Rico in its hour of need reflects the failure of this union.National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri), a leader in logistics and transportation, has taken the delivery of Amad, a very large crude-oil carrier (VLCC), further enhancing its market-leading capabilities in crude oil transportation.



The new vessel marks the last of the 10 VLCCs added to Bahris fleet as part of its agreement with South Korea-based Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, a leading global shipbuilding company, said a statement.



The latest addition brings the total number of VLCCs in Bahris fleet to 46 and vessels to 93, it said.



Bahri accepted the delivery of Amad at a ceremony held at HSHIs Mokpo shipyard in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, today (May 9) 2018, in the presence of four board members, namely Ahmed Ali Al-Subaey, Ibrahim Al-Buainain, Khalid Mohammed Al-Araifi, and Khalifa Abdullatif Al-Mulhim, along with Bahris CEO Eng Abdullah Al-Dubaikhi; M K Yoon, president and CEO of Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, among others, it added.



The new vessel, which will be operated on a time-charter/spot basis, marks the completion of the industry leaders three-year agreement signed with HSHI in May 2015, to build five VLCCs and five more optional VLCCs, to fuel Bahris long-term expansion strategy.



With the capacity to transport 2.2 million barrels of crude oil, the 300,000-DWT carriers stands at 333 m long with a beam of 60 m, and a depth (from keel to main deck) of 30 m. The speed of Amad is 14.4 knots.

?

Al-Dubaikhi said: Saudi Arabia is on the cusp of a number of major economic developments and milestones further strengthening our companys focus on playing an integral role in achieving the Kingdoms Vision 2030 objectives.



A strong fleet of VLCCs allows us to further penetrate and capture the lions share of the market through strategic expansions in key geographies, which will, in turn, provide a significant boost to the kingdoms ongoing efforts to establish itself as a unique regional logistics gateway to three continents, he said.



A 46-strong VLCC fleet places us in an excellent position to pursue bigger growth opportunities as part of our long-term expansion strategy. By further solidifying our leadership credentials as the worlds largest owner and operator of VLCCs, the robustness of our fleet enables us to expand our business prospects in the oil tanker market, meet the growing demand for crude oil transportation, and enhance our service offering to deliver greater efficiency and value to our stakeholders, he added.



Yoon said: The conclusion of our agreement with Bahri represents a long-standing synergetic association between two global leaders dedicated to leveraging growth opportunities for the advancement of the maritime sector.



We congratulate Bahri on the addition of their 46th VLCC, Amad, and look forward to building on the success of our enduring business relationship to explore new opportunities of mutual interest in the future, he added.  TradeArabia News ServiceWould you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Paul Craig Roberts Website

Trump is a disaster for the environment, for wildlife, and for human life.

Trump has handed over to polluters oil and mineral rights in US National Monuments. Mining will now deface what was before Trump protected national monuments, and oil drilling will destroy the Arctic National Refuge. He has appointed polluters to run the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and he has waived rules in order to comply with the polluting industries' wish list.

Trump wants to cut EPA funding by 23 percent and to cut funding for restoration programs for the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay by 90 percent. He wants to pay for the upkeep of national parks by expanding oil and gas exploration on public lands. But he doesn't hesitate to send the equivalent of the annual environmental budget in war criminal missile attacks on Syria and plans for attacking Iran.

To be quite clear, Trump is privatizing national property and allowing a small handful of polluting corporations to plunder public assets while he builds a case for war against Iran.

The assault on the environment started with VP Dick Cheney, but Trump has unleashed private plunder of public assets to an extreme degree.

No one has ever explained how assets owned by the American people can be turned over to a few friends and supporters of the ruling elite in Washington. In what law does the power exist for a president or federal agency chairman to expropriate public assets for plunder by politically connected friends?

The way America works, thanks to the Republican Supreme Court that legalized it, polluters bid with their campaign donations to be given permission to loot and despoil national monuments and refuges. The Supreme Court called the corporate purchase of the US government a constitutionally permitted exercise of free speech.

Existing law prevents the environmental looting, but law means nothing to Washington. We have experienced the entirety of the 21st century so far with Washington being in total noncompliance with international law, instead behaving consistently as a war criminal as defined by existing international law.

Trump has now escalated Washington's war criminal behavior. He has unilaterally pulled out of a multi-nation agreement that ensures Iran's nuclear non-proliferation, and he has imposed more illegal unilateral economic sanctions on Iran that punish US companies such as Boeing and corporations in numerous European countries. Trump's foreign policy is under the control of Israel. Trump is unable to act in America's interest or in the interest of Washington's European, Canadian, and Australian vassals.

Trump's stupid decision has caused rebellion among Washington's usual compliant and well paid vassals -- UK, France, and Germany. Europeans are saying that it is long past time that Europe represented its own interests instead of Washington's.

The silver lining in Trump's stupid decision is that it might cause Europe to become independent and to cease being a chorus praising Washington's war crimes. Will we see a rebellion of European political figures, essentially Washington's whores, that will break up the Empire and lead to an independent Europe?

Such a development would justify all of Putin's hesitation to put his foot down.

As matters stand, "the coalition of the willing" is reduced to Washington and Israel. Not even a majority of Americans support Trump pulling out of the multi-nation Iran agreement, nor do they support his appointment of a war criminal, Haspal, as director of the CIA, nor do they support Trump's permission to Israel to continue the war against Syria and to attack Iran.

But the people everywhere in the western "democracies" are powerless. They are never allowed to elect anyone who would do the right things. Invariably their votes put in office those who exploit them and peoples of other countries. This is why the other part of the world views the West as a plague upon all mankind, including the western peoples themselves.

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(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).In the privacy of intimate relationships, I have engaged in role-playing and other consensual sexual activity.

"""""""""""""""""" - NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman upon resigning



I'm not going to sit here, with the benefit of hindsight, and judge the very good people who made hard decisions, who were running the agency in very extraordinary circumstances.

"""""""""""""""""" - Gina Haspel, before the Senate Intelligence Committee



Life and politics are getting weirder and weirder. Now we have a powerful political figure -- the New York state attorney general -- who publicly advocated for, and allied with, the #MeToo Movement, who fought for the physical safety of women vis--vis men in the criminal justice system, who is, out-of-the-blue, outed by four women who accuse him of choking and beating them. His immediate explanation is that, whatever he did, he was participating in "consensual sexual ... role-playing."



It's becoming so weird it's now trite to say: "You can't make this stuff up."





Women's Role in US Torture

Back in the early days of the Bush Iraq debacle, Seymour Hersh reported on the popularity of a book in the halls of our military and intelligence services. It's called The Arab Mind by Raphael Parai, a Hungarian who lived for some time in Jerusalem and later taught at the University of Pennsylvania. It's a serious 400-page book from a conservative, western point of view. According to Hersh, the chapter that was the rage in the halls of US militarism was the one on Arabs and sex, specifically issues of male sexual repression and male sexual honor. More so even than western males, the Arab male is, Parai says, really freaked out by masturbation and homosexuality, especially the passive role in male homosexuality, which is seen as being turned into a woman. Hersh emphasized that it was, thus, no coincidence -- that, in fact, it was policy -- when CIA agents operating in Abu Ghraib in the winter of 2003 induced the more stupid and sadistic National Guard troops assigned there to, late at night, "tune-up" the captive Arab males for interrogation the next morning. Let's not forget, Abu Ghraib was notorious among Iraqis as Saddam's main torture house where Saddam's henchmen would drill holes in people with Black & Decker drills. So horror was already associated with being imprisoned there. Our National Guard troops didn't use electric drills; they did their tuning-up of captive men and boys with sexual-humiliation tactics, which included forcing naked Arab males to masturbate and engage in mock homosexual couplings. This is something Americans should not be allowed to forget. This disgusting tactic was done in our names because our arrogant leaders decided to open a Pandora's box and were suddenly scared to death what they'd unleashed. In this predicament, anything and everything became OK.

I was in the parking lot of Abu Ghraib in December 2003 with a veteran's fact-finding mission when this was going on, just before the scandal blew up. The guards in watchtowers intensely eyeballed us with binoculars as we talked with family members of captives in the lot. I recall a major who came out to see who we were. He seemed to be a quite reasonable man; he could have been an insurance agent from New Jersey doing his National Guard duty. What quickly became clear was that he was someone way, way over his head. One sign of this was, like a recalcitrant private with a bad attitude might do in Vietnam, he had written sayings and drawn images with black marker on his helmet liner. I told him I was a Vietnam vet and we were peace activist trying to understand the invasion and occupation.





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From Gush Shalom



Israeli PM Netanyahu encouraged Trump to pull out of Iran nuclear deal

(Image by YouTube, Channel: CBS News) Details DMCA



"IF YOU want to understand the policy of a nation, look at the map!" Napoleon is supposed to have said.

It is good advice.

If you are living in Israel, these days, you get the impression that the huge State of Israel is dictating to its American vassal what to do about Iran.

President Donald Trump listens and complies. Bibi the Great tells him to tear up the Iranian deal for no obvious reason, and he obeys. He has no choice, poor man.

But then you look at the map, and to your great surprise you discover that the USA is a huge country, while Israel is a mere speck, so small that its name has to be written outside its borders, in the sea.

So what is wrong? Geography, of course, is not the only factor. Israel has some millions of faithful adherents, who are American citizens and have a lot of money. But still.

Can it be that we got the picture wrong? That Trump is not the vassal of Netanyahu, that it's the other way round? That Trump dictates, and Bibi, for all his bluster, just obeys?

IT WOULD not be the first time. In ancient times, the leaders of the Jewish commonwealth in Palestine tried very hard to please the imperator in Rome. Nero, for example, the man who enjoyed setting fire to his own city, and to the world, while playing the flute, or whatever.

Donald Trump is the present-day Nero, the imperator of the New Rome.

Trump's main object in life is to get out of the Iran deal, "the worst deal ever." Why? I have listened intently and have discerned no other reason than that the deal was forged by his hated predecessor, Barack Obama.

What other reason was there for annulling the deal? I have heard none. The deal stopped Iran from proceeding with the building of a nuclear weapon. All experts, without exception (even in Israel) confirm that Iran has scrupulously adhered to its commitment.

Indeed, the entire world outside the US (and Israel, of course) has now decided to go on with the deal. Germany, France and Britain, three not quite insignificant powers, believe that the deal has to be maintained. So do Russia and China, no tiny countries, either.

Except Israel. Ah, Israel.

MOST PEOPLE in Israel now believe that Binyamin Netanyahu, Bibi the Great, is really leading Trump on a leash. Bibi has such a magical hold over Trump, that the American president has to follow Israel's lead.

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(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).President Trump promised changes in Washington upon his election. Whether you are a Trump fan or foe, there's no question he's succeeded in that goal. Sometimes the change is precipitated by the President's choice to lead an agency, as in the case of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

The CFPB was born out of the Dodd-Frank legislation in 2010 as a vehicle to both regulate banks after the Great Recession and protect consumers from harmful and predatory financial practices. The CFPB was intentionally structured to be independent of political forces. Its money comes from the Federal Reserve, not Congress. The agency director is appointed by the President to a five-year term and can only be fired by the President for "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office".

When the original CFPB Director Richard Cordray stepped down in late 2017, President Trump appointed his Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney, to take on a dual role and head CFPB as well. As a congressman, Mulvaney had called the CFPB "...a joke...in a sick, sad kind of way"  so it was clear change was coming.

Under Mulvaney, the CFPB has switched from a regulatory agency with a focus on consumer protection to a deregulatory agency with a focus on businesses and financial institutions.

The revised CFPB Mission Statement drives home the point. A phrase was inserted to add that the agency helps consumer finance markets work "by regularly identifying and addressing outdated, unnecessary, or unduly burdensome regulation." The other insightful change was in switching the phrase "fairly enforcing those rules" to "enforcing federal consumer financial law." Why remove the word "fairly"?

The Washington Post reports that, under Mulvaney's leadership, the CFPB has withdrawn a lawsuit against payday lenders, dropped investigations, delayed new regulations, and slowed enforcement of some of the existing regulations and laws.

If you need further evidence of the shift, consider the recently issued report on the "Consumer Credit Card Market". Because of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act, the agency is required to issue this report every two years to assess the state of the consumer credit card market.

The 2013 and 2015 reports noted improvement in transparency of credit card shopping and marketing, but also found continuing practices that put consumers at risk. The 2017 report ignores these practices, instead touting "significant innovation" with respect to rewards programs and account servicing tools. The focus is on improved card availability and indicators that "generally suggest a positive picture for consumers in the credit card market"  even referencing a J.D. Power study citing the "highest levels of [consumer] satisfaction with this market to date."

The CFPB is no longer an industry watchdog. They are now an industry cheerleader.

What do these changes mean for you as a consumer? Essentially, you can count on little help from the CFPB. You must become your own consumer protection force and defend yourself against scams and predatory lending practices.

Read the full terms and conditions of any financial or security agreement  credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, identity theft agreements, insurance policies, etc. Ask the company to explain phrases or sections that you don't understand, and don't accept evasive answers. Review your credit report periodically for free using Credit Manager by MoneyTips to look for errors or any evidence of fraudulent accounts. Stay up to date on the latest scamming trends. Avoid carrying a balance on your credit cards, and never miss a monthly payment.

These steps can help you avoid situations that would have required CFPB's help  and, realistically, you should have been taking these steps all along.

If you want more credit, check out our list of credit card offers.

Photo youtube.com/user/CNNCamp Fish Tales, a camp for children and adults with special needs, located in Pinconning, received a grant of $10,000 to provide scholarships to Midland County residents with special needs to attend summer camp.

"Providing an opportunity to attend summer camp is a once is a lifetime experience for many of the campers," said Karl Ieuter, chair of Camp Fish Tales Board of Directors. "We hope these scholarships will provide opportunities for campers from Midland that may not have had the opportunity to enjoy an outdoor camp setting."Midland City Manager Brad Kaye is the featured speaker for the annual meeting of the League of Women Voters of the Midland Area set for 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 16 at the Holiday Inn, 810 Cinema Drive.

Kaye assumed the duties of city manager in August after appointment by the Midland City Council. He will speak on "a new look and updates on the city." Kaye is responsible for the city's 325 employees and oversees an annual budget of $95.4 million.Why do some people get passed over for promotions in the workplace while others, seemingly with similar skill sets, rise above their peers?

Terry Moore, the former president of Midland Hospital and MidMichigan Health System for 31 years, explains why some people are prone to failure while other rise in the workplace in a new book "Lessons in Leadership and Career Survival," published by F. P. Horak Co. This is the ninth book Moore has authored or co-authored.

In a up tempo style of writing, just as in his delivery during speeches, Moore points out how to avoid the pitfalls that arise during one's career. In the introduction to the 70-page book, Moore writes that "this book is intended to provide wisdom to managers and students at every level of learning. Few of us reach our true potential, and a goal of this book is the gap that exists between readers' potential performance and their actual performance."

Despite its petite size, the book is chock full of tips readers can use to help them in their daily workplace, and in life in general.

In an interview this week, Moore said. "If the book can keep one person from unnecessarily losing his or her job or help several people maximize their actual performance, it will be worth the effort and expense."

As the title suggests, the book is broken into two sections, the first being "Factors in Leadership" and the second "Career Survival and Success." In each section, Moore draws from his years of leadership in various positions as well as his extensive reading of others' work in the leadership field to talk about how people can become better leaders, and how to recognize those traits in others.

In the first section, Moore about the traits that define a leader, keys to leadership and what the responsibilities of leadership mean in an organization.

For instance, in Chapter 13, Moore writes about the "seven tips to take control for improving your emotional intelligence. These tips range from "surround yourself with smart people" to "praise others frequently - without adding a caveat" to "don't take yourself too seriously." And, like his book, he tells readers to "Keep it short," and he quotes one of the foremost health care executives in Michigan, Dr. Jack Ryan, who says "always leave them wanting to hear just a little bit more."

He talks about the 10 traits of peak performers and how: "Peak performers are not born; they are made - self-made."

In the second section, he writes about improving yourself daily to meet the new challenges that surround you, how your career is a "race of many laps, surviving and succeeding with a new boss, recognizing warning signals that could derail your success, optimizing relationships and using military tactics to succeed.

"Unfortunately, most undergraduate and even graduate schools fail to address some of the issues which affect someone's success or failure. Issues such as the appropriate use of power, the meeting battleground, the power of thank-you notes, causes of organizational burnout, emotional intelligence, the psychology of great leaders, the etiquette of giving and receiving employee recognition and what to do when you have a new boss, etc., are some of the 27 chapters in the book."

A second edition of the book will be coming out in June with four additional chapters. For anyone wanting the 70-page, first edition of the book, contact Moore at tfm43@speednetllc.com. The second edition will be available online at www.amazon.com.Midland County voters will probably decide a millage renewal for Emergency Medical Services.

At this week's County Finance Committee meeting, commissioners approved a request from the EMS Advisory Board for a 0.65 mill request (65 cents per $1,000 of taxable value).

The request now goes to the full county Board of Commissioners at its regular meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday. If the millage is approved, voters will see it when they vote in the Aug. 7 Primary Election.

The four-year millage would last from 2019-2022. If levied in its entirety, the millage is estimated to raise up to $2,145,400 in the first year.

The last increase in the millage came when voters approved the 0.65 mill rate in 2006, up from 0.52 mill. Since 2009, the county has levied 0.55 mill for EMS. One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value of a piece of property. Since the 2010 budget year, the EMS board has requested 0.55 mill. In 2009, the request was for 0.57 mill.

The EMS Board request could change before 2022.

"We have not been assessing the full 0.65 mill. However, in the next four years, the taxable value will be decreasing and we may have to assess more," said Dick Ripke, chairman of the EMS Advisory Board. "Medicare reimbursements are dropping so that raises some costs."

Voters have been very generous with their support of EMS. Since 2002, each four-year millage has passed with more than 80 percent approval.

The ballot language would be:

"Shall the previously voted increase in the limitation on the total amount of general ad valorem taxes which may be imposed for all purposes upon real and personal property in Midland County, which last resulted in a levy of up to 0.65 mill ($0.65 per $1000.00) of taxable valuation, be renewed for a levy of up to 0.65 mill ($0.65 per $1000.00) of taxable valuation, as finally equalized in the years 2019 - 2022, both inclusive, as authorized in Article 9,  6 of the Michigan Constitution of 1963, as amended, for the purpose of continuing to provide emergency medical services, which if approved and levied in its entirety is estimated to raise $2,145,400 in the first year?"EDITOR'S NOTE -- OWI means operating while intoxicated. DWLS means driving while license suspended. (MC) is for Judge Michael D. Carpenter. (L) is for Magistrate Gerald Ladwig. (B) is for Circuit Judge Michael J. Beale. (SC) is for Circuit Judge Stephen P. Carras. Sentences may vary based on previous offenses committed by the defendant. Some sentencings include other fees imposed by the state. Compiled by reporter Kelly Dame.

Auburn

Chad Marvin Estep, 47, OWI with a high blood alcohol content on Feb. 12, 180 days in jail with all but five days suspended and credit for two days, $975 fines and costs, $747 restitution, one year probation, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Bay City

James Earl Narlock, 68, failure to report accident to fixtures and OWI on Feb. 16, 90 days in jail for the first count and 93 days in jail for the second count with each term suspended and credit for one day, $400 fines and costs, six months probation, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Coleman

Brittani Gayle Ralston, 27, impaired driving on Oct. 8, 93 days in jail with all but one weekend suspended and credit for one day, $700 fines and costs, one year probation, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Harrison

Eric Donat Hayes, 31, larceny on March 7, 2017, 93 days in jail with credit for 24 days, $125 fines and costs, $848.65 restitution (MC).

Midland

Brindell Irene Brown, 22, East Bradford Road, sell or furnish alcohol to a minor on Oct. 28, 60 days in jail suspended, $650 fines and costs, nine months probation, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Randy H. Collins, 58, Lincoln Street, larceny on July 1, two days in jail with credit for time served, $500 fines and costs, $85 restitution (MC).

Jean Marc DeSautel, 48, Spruce Street, allowing DWLS on April 14, $300 fines and costs (L).

Jacob Peter Finn, 29, Autumn Ridge Circle, impaired driving on Feb. 3, one day in jail with credit for time served, $775 fines and costs (MC).

Nikki Lee Frederickson, 23, South Eight Mile Road, noise violation on April 14, $250 fines and costs (L).

Martin Tracy Gill, 55, West North Union Road, unlawful use of license plate on Sept. 4, $200 fines and costs (L).

Clifford Arthur Lamonte, 39, South Poseyville Road, allowing DWLS on April 13, $250 fines and costs (L).

John Michael Letts, 33, West McConnell Court, second- or subsequent-offense DWLS on April 17, six days in jail suspended with credit for three days, $200 fines and costs (MC).

Charles Scott Martin, 48, Dyke Drive, second-offense second-degree attempted retail fraud on Nov. 24, 93 days in jail with credit for 41 days, $125 fines and costs, $119.97 restitution (MC).

Melani Jane Martin, 35, East Gordonville Road, unlawful use of license plate on April 10, $200 fines and costs (L).

Jarred James May, 20, Russell Street, violation of restricted license on April 6, $200 fines and costs (L).

Brenden Andrew McDonald, 20, Abbott Road, unlawful use of license plate on April 5, $175 fines and costs (L).

Christopher Lee Poole, 30, Wyllys Street, fraudulent withdrawal between $200 and $1,000 on April 4, 2017, 93 days in jail with credit for 12 days, $125 fines and costs, $374.06 restitution (MC).

Sarah Dawn Ryden, 29, Rodd Street, allowing DWLS on April 5, $200 fines and costs (L).

Jerald Leon Schneider, 47, North Jack Road, aggravated domestic violence on Feb. 24, one year in jail suspended with credit for 13 days, $900 fines and costs, one year probation, not to be involved in any assaultive, threatening, intimidating, violent, aggressive, disorderly or abusive behavior toward any person, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed, may complete 50 hours of community service in place of fines (MC).

Brandon Scott Sherman, 45, East Hubbard Road, drove while license expired on March 29, $150 fines and costs (L).

Travis Alan Stiehl, 26, West Buttles Street, unlawful use of license plate on April 12, $150 fines and costs (L).

Rhodes

Kevin Michael Dubay, 52, second- or subsequent-offense DWLS on March 5, $500 fines and costs, vehicle immobilized (MC).

Sanford

Billie Jo Monroe, 46, OWI on Dec. 26, 93 days in jail with all but two weekends suspended and credit for two days, $825 fines and costs, one year probation, vehicle immobilized for 90 days, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Aubrie Anne Reiss, 18, operating while visibly impaired by controlled substance on Oct. 1, 93 days in jail with all but one weekend suspended and credit for one day, $600 fines and costs, one year probation, 50 hours community service, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed, complete high school education (MC).

William Richard Woodgate, 31, impaired driving on Jan. 24, $775 fines and costs, attend counseling as directed (MC).

St. Louis

David Michael Shrader, 37, open alcohol container in vehicle on April 12, $150 fines and costs (L).

Elsewhere

Christopher Lee Collier, 42, Lakeview, DWLS on March 15, 14 days in jail suspended, $400 fines and costs (L).

Clare Albert Drexler II, 46, Owosso, marijuana possession on Feb. 13, 15 days in jail with credit for one day, $825 fines and costs, driver license suspended for six months (MC).

Cody Ryan Hackett, 33, Waterford, DWLS on March 11, three weekends in jail, $500 fines and costs (MC).

Jose Antonio Negron-Colon, 52, Auburn Hills, DWLS on March 30, 2017, five days in jail suspended with credit for two days, $500 fines and costs (MC).

Kevin Lynn Schultz, 48, Birch Run, allowing DWLS on March 10, $250 fines and costs (MC).

Joshua Kyle Taylor, 31, Zeeland, no proof of insurance on Sept. 16, $210 fine (MC).

Christopher Michael Williams, 40, Lake City, impaired driving on Jan. 2, two days in jail with credit for time served, $200 fines and costs (MC).Mint Trading Partners, a restaurant business management group, said it has signed a franchise agreement to develop eight new Manoushe Street branches in Bahrain besides seven other outlets in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia.

Established in 2010, Manoushe Street is a popular Middle Eastern restaurant serving traditional street food, which aims at serving food that connects tradition with the fast-paced lifestyle of people today.

The company offers a wide range of nutritious meals like manakeesh, bureks, wrap sandwiches, pizza and sweets, which is prepared extensively by infusing traditional home cooking practices and modern-day innovations for a perfect healthy meal.

On the launch, Dani  Jan Gicquel Billington, the operations director at Mint Trading Partners, said: "We have been following the success story of the Man'oushe Street brand and have been very impressed with the growth and development of the concept."

"We are confident that our in-depth understanding of the food and beverage market will allow us to successfully leverage the Man'oushe Street brand across today's consumers in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia," he stated.

Jihad El Eit, the founder and CEO of Manoushe Street, said: "This new outlet reflects our continuing efforts to expand our presence across the GCC. The company has performed excellently in 2017, which further consolidates our position as a highly-preferred dining option by people across the GCC."

"The food and beverage industry has witnessed an increase in demand as a result of the booming population in the kingdom and neighbouring countries," stated El Eit.

"In line with meeting the demands of the industry, Mint Trading Partners aims to launch three stores across the kingdom in the coming year, focusing its efforts in bringing new and exciting concepts to the market, further establishing the Kingdom as a hub for culinary excellence," noted Gicquel Billington.

"To date, Manoushe Street has managed to position itself as one of the most highly preferred street food options in the UAE and the region," he noted.

"The restaurant offers healthy and filling meals and aims to reach 26 new stores in the UAE in the next three years," he added.-TradeArabia News ServiceTo the editor:

Access to quality preschool at a reasonable cost is a challenge across our nation. We are fortunate within Michigan to have the Great Start Readiness Program which has high standards for teacher qualifications, curriculum, and boasts high student achievement. To attend GSRP, eligible children and families must meet federal and state guidelines  including income. Through the Midland County ESA, state funds are distributed throughout Midland County for 4-year-olds to obtain seats in GSRP. This past November, Midland Public Schools received funding for GSRP, and added 16 students to Early Childhood programming in our public school district, housed at Plymouth Elementary.

MPS also runs a tuition based 4-year-old preschool class at Adams Elementary, using a curriculum that promotes the International Baccalaureate/Primary Years Programme that is in all MPS Elementary Schools. It seems to me that our public school district should be paying attention to the problematic nature of running two separate preschool programs because separate is inherently unequal. It is also highly problematic that GSRP requires income eligibility, and the cost of IB/PYP preschool  at more than $5,000 for 10 months  means that students are being segregated by socioeconomic status.

Starting in the fall of 2018, both programs will be housed, side-by-side in the new Carpenter Street Early Childhood building. It seems likely families will notice the division. What message are we sending to 4-year-olds about economic worthiness? Why isnt it a priority for our public school to provide the same programming for all preschool students?

JENNIFER RINGGOLD

MidlandMother's Day happens on the second Sunday of May and is celebrated with flowers, presents, and gatherings to thank mothers for their love and care. However, it was a somber affair when it originated during the Civil War.

Mother's Day History

The celebration of Mother's Day in the United States dates back to 19th Century West Virginia before the Civil War. Ann Reeves Jarvis formed a group called Mothers' Day Work Clubs in a bid to lower the rate of infant deaths. The group taught mothers how to properly care for their children, fight diseases, and improve sanitary conditions.

The group extended their help to the wounded soldiers from both sides when the war broke out in 1861. Jarvis later transformed the group into a peace-focused movement after the war had ended in 1865. She started the Mother's Friendship Day picnics in an effort to unite the Confederate and the Union soldiers.

Jarvis's movement later inspired a couple of women to follow her footsteps. Suffragette and "Battle Hymn of the Republic" writer Julia Ward Howe campaigned for a holiday called "Mother's Peace Day" to be celebrated every June 2. She also wrote the "Mother's Day Proclamation" in 1870. Activist Juliet Calhoun Blakely also called for a local Mother's Day to be celebrated in her hometown of Michigan in 1870.

However, it was not until Jarvis' death in 1905 that the United States recognized Mother's Day as an official holiday, thanks to her daughter Anna. Anna organized a Mother's Day celebration at a church in West Virginia in 1908.

By 1912, she made it her goal to put the holiday on the calendar. She started the Mother's Day International Association and launched a letter campaign and asked government officials to reconsider it as an official holiday.

Official Holiday

President Woodrow Wilson made Mother's Day an official holiday on the calendar in 1914. However, Anna started campaigning against the celebration when local businesses turned it into a profit-making holiday instead of it being about sentiment.

She called those who tried to make money out of the day as pirates and charlatans. She went door-to-door urging people to sign the petition in the removal of Mother's Day on the calendar, but her efforts were futile.

To this day, Mother's Day is still commercial but children also pay tribute to their mothers for the sacrifices they made. As Anna used to say, Mother's Day is about honoring the "best mother who ever lived - your mother."The FBI has released its most current crime statistics that show murder counts for Pennsylvania towns and cities as of 2016.

Based on that information we've created a list that allows us to compare murder rates, per 100,000 people, and includes the total number of violent crimes per municipality and the population.

METHODOLOGY: Using the FBI data, we ranked in reverse order, the 39 cities and towns with at least two murders in 2016. The rank was determined by using the number of murders committed per 100,000 people. The total number of murders includes non-negligent manslaughter. As defined by the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, violent crime numbers represent the offences of murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault: those offenses that involve force or threat of force.

We've also included a list of the municipalities that had one murder in 2016.

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38. SCRANTON (Lackawanna County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 2.59

Number of murders: 2

Total number of violent crimes: 216

Population: 77,332

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37. NORTHERN YORK (York County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 2.90

Number of murders: 2

Total number of violent crimes: 50

Population: 68,894

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Main Street, Bethlehem (Shutterstock)

36. BETHLEHEM (Northampton and Lehigh counties)

Murders per 100,000 people: 5.34

Number of murders: 4

Total number of violent crimes: 83

Population: 74,869

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35. CHELTENHAM (Montgomery County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 5.40

Number of murders: 2

Total number of violent crimes: 61

Population: 37,064

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34. NORRISTOWN (Montgomery County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 5.81

Number of murders: 2

Total number of violent crimes: 148

Population: 34,425

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Lancaster County Courthouse, Lancaster (Shutterstock)

33. LANCASTER (Lancaster County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 6.74

Number of murders: 4

Total number of violent crimes: 487

Population: 59,340

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32. UPPER DARBY TOWNSHIP (Delaware County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 7.24

Number of murders: 6

Total number of violent crimes: 386

Population: 82,896

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31. SWATARA TOWNSHIP (Dauphin County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 8.03

Number of murders: 2

Total number of violent crimes: 77

Population: 24,916

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Allentown City Hall

30. ALLENTOWN (Lehigh County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 8.29

Number of murders: 10

Total number of violent crimes: 552

Population: 120,615

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29. FALLS TOWNSHIP (Bucks County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 8.87

Number of murders: 3

Total number of violent crimes: 68

Population: 33,823

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28. PENN HILLS (Allegheny County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 9.56

Number of murders: 4

Total number of violent crimes: 167

Population: 41,841

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27. CHAMBERSBURG (Franklin County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 9.63

Number of murders: 2

Total number of violent crimes: 87

Population: 20,770

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26. ERIE (Erie County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 10.10

Number of murders: 10

Total number of violent crimes: 353

Population: 99,019

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25. UWCHLAN TOWNSHIP (Chester County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 10.38

Number of murders: 2

Total number of violent crimes: 14

Population: 19,274

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A view of downtown Reading (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

24. READING (Berks County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 11.39

Number of murders: 10

Total number of violent crimes: 597

Population: 87,834

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Wilkinsburg, Pa.

23. WILKINSBURG (Allegheny County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 12.75

Number of murders: 2

Total number of violent crimes: 167

Population: 15,692

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22. NEW CASTLE (Lawrence County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 13.51

Number of murders: 3

Total number of violent crimes: 124

Population: 22,211

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21. WEST MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP (York County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 15.89

Number of murders: 3

Total number of violent crimes: 40

Population: 18,880

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20. WILLIAMSPORT (Lycoming County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 17.15

Number of murders: 5

Total number of violent crimes: 104

Population: 29,163

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(19.) JEFFERSON HILLS (Allegheny County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 17.38 (shared rank)

Number of murders: 2

Total number of violent crimes: 9

Population: 11,505

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Philadelphia City Hall (Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com)

(19.) PHILADELPHIA (Philadelphia County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 17.38 (shared rank)

Number of murders: 273

Total number of violent crimes: 15,534

Population: 1,570,826

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York, Pa. (Shutterstock)

18. YORK (York County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 18.17

Number of murders: 8

Total number of violent crimes: 416

Population: 44,017

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(Lisa Wardle, PennLive file)

17. PITTSBURGH (Allegheny County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 18.85

Number of murders: 57

Total number of violent crimes: 2,366

Population: 302,443

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Uniontown, Pa.

16. UNIONTOWN (Fayette County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 20.16

Number of murders: 2

Total number of violent crimes: 32

Population: 9,919

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15. SHARON (Mercer County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 22.27

Number of murders: 3

Total number of violent crimes: 54

Population: 13,472

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Johnstown City Hall

14. JOHNSTOWN (Cambria County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 23.55

Number of murders: 5

Total number of violent crimes: 100

Population: 21,227

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13. PERKASIE (Bucks County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 23.63

Number of murders: 2

Total number of violent crimes: 7

Population: 8,464

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(website illustration)

12. BELLEVUE (Allegheny County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 24.3

Number of murders: 2

Total number of violent crimes: 24

Population: 8,229

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11. YEADON (Delaware County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 26

Number of murders: 3

Total number of violent crimes: 40

Population: 11,537

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(website illustration)

10. STROUD AREA REGIONAL (Monroe County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 26.28

Number of murders: 9

Total number of violent crimes: 84

Population: 34,242

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Harrisburg, Pa. skyline (Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive)

9. HARRISBURG (Dauphin County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 26.53

Number of murders: 13

Total number of violent crimes: 526

Population: 48,996

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8. DARBY (Delaware County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 28.07

Number of murders: 3

Total number of violent crimes: 228

Population: 10,687

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Ambler street scene (website illustration)

7. AMBLER (Montgomery County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 30.69

Number of murders: 2

Total number of violent crimes: 10

Population: 6,517

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Borough Building, Waynesboro, Pa. (website illustration)

6. WAYNESBORO (Franklin County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 55.04

Number of murders: 6

Total number of violent crimes: 29

Population: 10,902

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5. ETNA (Allegheny County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 58.98

Number of murders: 2

Total number of violent crimes: 13

Population: 3,391

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Coatesville Police Department

4. COATESVILLE (Chester County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 60.80

Number of murders: 8

Total number of violent crimes: 111

Population: 13,157

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3. HOMESTEAD (Allegheny County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 64.43

Number of murders: 2

Total number of violent crimes: 54

Population: 3,104

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2. CHESTER (Delaware County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 67.43

Number of murders: 23

Total number of violent crimes: 536

Population: 34,109

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1. SINKING SPRING (Berks County)

Murders per 100,000 people: 97.06

Number of murders: 4

Total number of violent crimes: 5

Population: 4,121

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(Shutterstock, illustration)

Municipalities that had only one murder in 2016:

Altoona (Blair County)

Amity Township (Berks County)

Aston Township (Delaware County)

Beaver Falls (Beaver County)

Bensalem (Bucks County)

Brackenridge (Allegheny County)

Bristol (Bucks County)

Bristol Township (Bucks County)

Buffalo Township (Butler County)

Burgettstown (Washington County)

Carlisle (Cumberland County)

Other stories of interest:

Want to know where crimes are happening in Harrisburg? Here's your insider's guide

How many of the 100 most dangerous cities in the U.S. are in Pa.?

The 30 safest school districts in Pennsylvania

The 35 best places to retire in PennsylvaniaDont be left out. Join the friendly, smiling crowds at these al fresco favorites in central Pennsylvania as the weather warms up.

Via Facebook

The Wharf

6852 Derry St, Harrisburg, 717-564-9920

Driving by on Derry Street, you have no idea how lovely the patio is at The Wharf. Decked out with flowers and foliage, outside tables are enclosed and buffered from traffic and indoor bar noises. Huge smothered helpings of pasta or simplified grill-marked steaks with crisply, deep-fried waffle fries are more than substantial. House specialty tender yet crisply deep fried onion rings and dipping sauce are phenomenal.

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Via Facebook

The Barn Restaurant at Allenberry

In every direction, the newly renovated stone buildings dating back to the 1800s at the Allenberry Resort take advantage of the hill top views down to the Yellow Breeches Creek. Sit outside on the covered deck to fully appreciate the woodsy 57-acre estate. Like an indoor block party, noisy open dining room has patrons getting up from tables and greeting other guests headed to outside seating. American inventive farm to table fare is hearty and gut-sticking comfort food from the meatloaf patty melt ($15) to the original sticky bun recipe that has been a house favorite for generations.

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Via Facebook

Brick Kitchen & Bar

113 W. High St. , Carlisle, 717-462-4567

Eclectic and homey comfort fare are well-seasoned and delectable. Freshly made cocktails using house made mixers, sour mix and berry purees are best kept secrets that have been leaked. Fish tacos ($10) made with mild white fish such as brancino, lettuce, tomato, cilantro and dash of siracha and white, creamy yum yum sauce fly off the page along with simply, prepared, soy glazed Hawaiian chicken kebabs ($16). With the bare hard surfaces and super high ceiling the indoor dining room can get unbearably loud. If thats the case, retreat to the outdoor patio just past the barroom.

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Via Facebook

Appalachian Brewing Company

50 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg. 717-221-1080

Appalachian Brewing Co. ignited the local beer industry in 1997 by transforming a warehouse on Cameron Street into its flagship, grandiose brewery. Knowing customers head upstairs to the second floor weathered deck with skyline views of the State Capital building. Burgers and handhelds come with ABC homemade Brewhaus chips or fries. Head to the substitutes column for the Wheat Gap beer based battered onion rings, side $3 or basket $4. Thick, chunky and pleasantly greasy are the best ways to describe these rings. Don't forget to pair these golden gems with BBQ ranch dipping sauce.

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Via Facebook

The Millworks

340 Verbeke St, Harrisburg 717-695-4888

To say this place is abuzz with curious customers of all ages and dress is an understatement. The Millworks is one huge step in changing our awareness of local and sustainable food choices but also it is re-energizing community support for Midtown Harrisburgs artists, area farmers and businesses. Unpretentious and yet chic, the dining room holds soft muffled chatter hostage while gentle tunes prevail. Outside venues,the rooftop biergarten and outdoor courtyard, are just as enticing. House built wood fired oven makes pizza crusts taste like crisp flat bread. Wild mushroom and truffle ($16) gives smoky edged pizza its distinct slightly earthy flavor. Wood-grilled Limestone rainbow trout ($28) is thick and meaty.

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Via Facebook

Troegs Brewing

200 East Hersheypark Dr., Hershey, 717-534-1297

Expect to make new friends or run into old best buds at communal picnic tables outside on the huge expanded patio. The interior is a streamlined German beer hall. Order beer samplers, rosemary-salted brown buttered and hop fries to share.

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Via Facebook

Brewhouse Grille

2050 State St., Camp Hill, 717-737-0030

Once you've found this hidden venue, theres plenty on the American (heaping portions) menu to make you stay put at least until the prom starts. Split hearty pub style appetizers like the house favorite creamy Maryland crab and spinach dip bound by cheeses and accompanied by grilled pita points or crunchy- greasy, lip-smacking onion rings served with Ranch dressing. Dry rubbed hickory smoked baby back ribs absorb brushed-on swipes of bourbon maple barbecue sauce.

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Via Facebook

The Mill

810 Old West Chocolate Ave., Hershey. 717-256-9965

On a sleepy back street in Hershey, The Mill creates a buzz. The giant three level brick on limestone building formerly housed The Curry Feed Mill. Keeping the integrity of the building intact rooms feel cozy and comfortable wrapped in rustic elements of exposed hard woods and stacked stone. On the ground level when reservations are hard to come by in the main restaurant he patio is equally inviting. Delve into freshly shucked oysters Scottish smoked salmon bacon wrapped Diver scallops and comforting entrees such as grilled flat iron pork steak or low and slow brisket.

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Bravo 11 Mess Hall and Deck

Once again this happy hour hot spot with meandering, multi-tiered deck at the Park Inn by Radisson has a new theme and menu concept. Blarneys Irish Pub with kilt clad servers has just recently morphed into military-focused Barvo 11 Mess Hall and Deck. Basically American pub grub with forced armed services tweaked names; locked and loaded fries ($9.99), lift and shift Buffalo chicken dip ($8.99) and The 82nd all American BBQ chicken flatbread ($9.99). Live music on the weekends includes Freedom Fridays featuring country bands.

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Via Facebook

Luca

436 West James Street Lancaster 717-553-5770

This energetic hot spot in the west end of Lancaster whips up locally driven Italian wood-oven pizzas and char-licked entrees. Inventive, robust Italian dishes and scratch cocktails depend on intrinsically fresh locally grown ingredients. The combinations of retro and rustic, clean and modern that define the noisy, upbeat setting also play out on plates; grilled crisp baby octopus, buttery texture grilled beef tongue and bold flavored Bolognese sauce over tagliatelle.

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The Waterfront Bar & Grill

13 S. Main St, Marysville, 717-957-4227

The Waterfront Bar & Grill has one of the best views, if not the most all-encompassing view of the Susquehanna River. Enjoy local craft brews and hearty American menu items including their noteworthy fat and juicy Waterfront 1/2 pound Angus beef burger ($8.95) spilling with sauteed onions, crispy fried bacon, cheddar cheese and lots of barbecue sauce.

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The Sturges Speakeasy

400 Forster St, Harrisburg, 717-412-0931

Clean and open with big windows downstairs and hardwood floors throughout and multi-tiered deck this place draws a crowd especially for Sunday Brunch. Look no further on the menu than the BBQ pork belly Benedict ($12). This heavenly dish consists of house-smoked pork belly, teetering poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce over flaky homey biscuits. Bananas Foster French toast ($11)made with Kraken dark rum and banana liqueur is another must-have house specialty.

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The Sinkhole Saloon & Deck

1218 E. Main St., Palmyra, adjacent to Palmyra Bowling, 717-838-SINK (7465)

Until 2007, Palmyra was a dry town. One of the first bar and restaurants to acquire a liquor license was The Sinkhole Saloon named for the sinkhole at the back of the building. Rain or shine customers love to sit at the patch of patio beside the restaurant. The Deck has been extremely popular for drinking beer, a game of horseshoes and a burger.

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The Bluebird Inn

2387 Cornwall Rd, Lebanon, 717-273-3000

This nineteenth century building has a magical, massive deck just behind the renovated grandiose barroom. Cask-conditioned and craft brews are on tap and served in frosty glasses. Try the PEI mussels ($12.95) basking in pool of simmered white wine, chorizo sausage, sprinkling of parsley and saffron herb butter.

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John Wright Restaurant

234 N. Front St, Wrightsville, 717-252-0416

The expansive outdoor pizza patio is a lively bar scene set apart from diners on the sprawling patio with Susquehanna River views and historic bridge sites. Depending on your budget, share a couple of small plates shrimp and grits ($10) traditional hummus with warm pita ($8/11) or salads such as roasted beet and warm goat cheese ($6/10) chopped (($5.50/$9) or Caesar ($5.50/$9). Splurge and taste fresh, locavore-focused entrees ($17-28) , which range from pasta free vegetable lasagna ($17) to local grass fed ribeye ($28). You better secure a job in the meantime in order to pay for the latter.

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Trevi 5

100 Hotel Road, Hershey, 844-330-1711

The best kept secret here is the splendid, pleasantly breezy patio tucked off to the side of the hotel. The number five in the restaurants name refers to dishes that are simple and authentically prepared without using a lot of ingredients. Five key ingredients are the basis of signature recipes such as Penne Bolognese ($22) consisting of pork, veal, sausage ragu over penne pasta or house made orecciette primavera ($23) with grilled chicken seasonal spring vegetables and fresh herb cream sauce.

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Duke's Riverside Bar & Grille

313 S. Front Street, Wormleysburg, 717-737-1313

Youths, yuppies and sun-worshipping singles saunter around this massive patio set on the bank of the Susquehanna River. Duke's is not a place to order anything dainty. Think hefty, masculine portions that stand up to local craft brews on tap. Wear stretch waistbands in order to tackle huge love-handle portions of these overstuffed spuds crab topped pretzels and Peters Mountain meatloaf dinner.

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Batdorf Restaurant & Rotunda Brewing Co.

245 West Main St,, Annville, 717-867-0113

The Batdorf Restaurant offers a multi-faceted experience -- ranging from a backyard tiki bar to loud bar scene to quieter private dining rooms. Friday and Saturday nights are an excellent time to explore the busy nightlife at the Batdorf, while weekday low-key lunches are perfect for relaxing and grabbing a bite. Grab a beer and some bat wings dozen ($10.99) before mixing and mingling with the twenty-something crowd here.

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Capital Gastropub

310 N. Second St, Harrisburg, 717-200-3155

On a warm, weekend summer eve the rooftop garden is inviting, casual and festive; live music plays sixties, seventies and contemporary hits softly in the background. Classic grilled Caesar ($9) with house made authentic dressing and truffle fries ($7) are perfect complements to warm summer eves.

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Dockside Willies

449 S. Front St., Wormleysburg 717-730-4443

The mock marina themed restaurant lures customers with views of the Susquehanna and bountiful menu. Portions are huge so plan to share or take home for tomorrows lunch. For starters, order tower of thick and crunchy-coated hand breaded onion rings and pungent dipping sauce (New Orleans style remoulade sauce) then willies baby backed ribs smoked in-house or brick oven baked lasagna.

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Hellenic Kouzina Greek Cafe

500 E. Main St., Mechanicsburg, 717-766-2990

Fresh, made-to-order, homemade Greek recipes are served in cafeteria setting. Bring your own bottle of wine and dine outside on the patio under the shade of big trees. Clean, fresh flavors are evident throughout homemade sauces, soups and Greek entrees. Avgolemono soup ($4.99) is a luscious, light creamy chicken soup. Citrusy backlash cleans palates between spoonfuls. Housemade desserts are fabulous; save room.

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Houlihans

27 West Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, 717-534-3110

This meet and greet Hershey hot spot is always crowded. Overflow guests can sometimes find a spot around the bar or outside on the deck. Its a toss up between good for the bod, organic power greens salad ($12.50) consisting of berries, greens and sliced almonds and the sirloin steak (5 oz) and wedge salad ($15.95) toppled with smoky bacon, spicy pecans, asparagus, gorgonzola, scallions, red beets and warm polenta croutons.

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Flinchy's

1833 Hummel Ave, Camp Hill, 717-761-9000

The train wreck deck is the place to be in the summer. Wait for the trains signal before fist pumping the air and taking a sip of cold frosty locally crafted tap brews. On the Hot Rocks menu customers cook ingredients on exceptionally hot granite slabs heated in a 500-degree oven. Slice off thin pieces of New York center cut 12-ounce strip steak ($23) or carve off meaty bites of portabella and garnish of feta cheese($14)

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Our newsletter catches you up with all the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina every Monday and Thursday at noon. Get ahead with us - it's free.Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this evening. A steady rain arriving overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms this evening. A steady rain arriving overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.The UAE agreed to increase financial transparency in its airlines as part of a deal with the US to resolve allegations that two state-owned carriers have unfairly benefited from billions of dollars in government subsidies.

The US and UAE acknowledged that while government support of airlines isnt unusual, it may 'adversely impact competition,' according to a copy of the agreement, which was seen by Bloomberg News.

The Gulf country, home of Emirates and Etihad Airways, also committed to issue annual public financial reports under internationally recognized accounting standards.

While the agreement doesnt freeze so-called fifth freedom flights, the UAE pledged that its carriers have no plans for additional such routes, a senior state department official said.

Under commercial aviation protocols, those flights start in an airlines home country and touch down in a different nation before continuing on to a third - in this case, the US Emirates makes such flights from Dubai to Athens and then on to Newark, New Jersey.

The agreement settles the final piece of a long-running dispute over government aid, which pitted the largest US airlines against rivals in the UAE and Qatar, said the Bloomberg report.

American Airlines Group, Delta Air Lines and United Continental Holdings claimed in 2015 that the Gulf carriers were able to compete unfairly on flights into the US because of government subsidies.The history behind why South Carolina has no formal template for its official state flagGregory Yee covers the city of Charleston. He's a native Angeleno and previously covered crime and courts for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, CA. He studied journalism and Spanish literature at the University of California, Irvine.This photo made available by Interpol Monday April 30, 2018, shows a man walking in the mud at a goldmine in the Mazaruni region, Guyana, on April 4, 2018. A 13-country police operation freed nearly 350 people from human trafficking networks and arrested 22 people across the Caribbean and South America. International police agency Interpol said Monday April 30, 2018, those rescued included children and adults working in night clubs, farms, gold mines, factories and open-air markets. (Nicola Vigilanti/Interpol via AP)In this interview with Qansy Salako, a Nuclear Scientist, and an Executive Director of Regulatory Affairs in the US Pharmaceutical Industry, he speaks on how/why Nigeria continues to lose its best hands to brain drain despite its huge resources. He also delves into the largely untapped terrain of nuclear research. Excerpts:

PT: Where were you born?

Salako: My family is a huge one in Otta (Ogun State) and Isale Eko in Lagos. I grew up in both places but I was born In Badagry. I attended Ansar-Ud-Deen Primary School in Otta, and Iganmode Grammar School in Otta as well. I finished in 1973. Then I went to the University of Ibadan to study Chemistry and finished in 1979. I did my 1979/80 Youth Service in Federal Advanced Teachers College (FATC), Dutsin-Ma, then in Kaduna State, now in Katsina State.

PT: What was your experience there?

Salako: I had a great time. I taught chemistry to Years 1-3 student teachers, many of whom had been career Grade II teachers for several years before coming for NCE. Dutsin-Ma was the head of Dutsin-Ma LG. It was a big village with no electricity back then. FATC had electric generator that was turned on daily from 6 pm to midnight.

The NYSC is quite a good idea for national integration. I dont believe I would have ever been to a place like Dutsin-Ma if it wasnt for NYSC. One life experience will never leave me. It was during our 6-week Community Development (CD) around April 1980 involving all the Corpers (about 30) in Dutsin-Ma LG. Our project was to construct a culvert across a valley on a main rural road. The road got flooded perennially during the raining seasons, shutting off interior villages from bringing in their produce to Dutsin-Ma on market days. On the opening day of the CD, the local people came out from all associated villages and welcomed us with songs and music made from bamboo pipes and animal skin drums.

They called us Bature Hayan (white man of the road) in their songs. They also brought food made of tuwo (rice) and free flowing soup with no meat, all contained in large calabashes. We were all having a good time dancing, laboring on the Hausa songs and struggling to play some of the instruments. Then it happened.

One of us from the North told us they were wondering why we were not eating the food they brought for us. We all looked at each other as if to run away. There was no way we would eat such a meal all from nutritional, hygienic and class standpoints. The villagers saw it all. So they informed our Corper translator who told us: Ladies and guys, they said this food is among their best meals, and each village made contributions (more like levies) to the fund used in preparing this food for us. We were all stunned.

Thoroughly humbled, I was among the first to start eating the food. It was like drinking cow urine for us. But it made us cognisant and thankful for our privileges in life as well as appreciate the enormity of the task ahead of Nigeria to emancipate its citizens.

PT: From Ibadan, you traveled abroad to study. Why?

Salako: I went to study for my doctorate in Nuclear Pharmacy in Chelsea College, University of London, UK, now Kings College (KQC), University of London, UK. When I finished my Bachelors degree at the University of Ibadan, I felt uneducated because I couldnt invent anything, I just memorised and passed exams through the program. I needed more education. I wanted to study Applied Chemistry. I applied to the University of London for M.Sc. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, but University of London gave me admission first. Until I got to London in November 1980, I didnt know how blessed I was intellectually.

On seeing my references from my professors at U.I. who said I was the best in my UI graduating class of 101 chemistry students , I was admitted straight for M.Phil instead of the M.Sc. that I applied for. Then, all incoming postgraduate students from the Commonwealth countries into U. of London had to take and pass qualifying course works during the first year before starting on their actual program in the second year. I was wondering what to do my research on when my professor suggested Nuclear Pharmacy. It is a specialty area of Nuclear Medicine, a science field that grew after WWII based on the UN resolution to find a peaceful use of radiation. I told him we didnt have nuclear reactor in Nigeria but he said it was the way of the future. Then I came tops in the exams at mid-session.

The admission professor, William Hunter, was so passionate about my performance. He told me: Boy, what youve done, youve done for your country. Then he decided to start me on my research under Professor Anthony E. Theobald in the Pharmacy Dept. who was in collaboration with Professor John Thornback in Chemistry Dept. The goal was to discover radiolabeled tracers for diagnosis and therapy in nuclear medicine.

Tracers could be biomolecule (proteins, antibodies, etc), natural products or plain chemical compound. For example, if the heart is damaged, one can physically evaluate the damage by administering a radiolabeled molecule that has affinity for the heart. Such a molecule will take its radiation tag to the heart and you can visualise the heart structure with all its chambers and vessels using the X-ray-like image that is generated by the radiation emission from the radionuclide on the molecule. Imperfections in the image of the heart will reveal what part of the myocardial structure that is diseased. Beautiful science!

I did a lot of research during my my Ph.D. I performed organic syntheses to generate a series of chemical compounds, radiolabeled each compound with Tc-99m, then injected them into animals to find where they go in vivo (i.e. distribution in living cells/tissues or biodistribution). In the middle of my second year, my professor handed over his Radiopharmacy labs class to me to teach The class was taken by both Bacherlors and Masters degree students. I was shocked. I was an Assistant Lecturer. An African! I took over his class, three hours lab, and one hour lecture. This is how a good country develops its citizens. I was his first Ph.D. student in this brand new field at the University of London.

In late 1982, the British Nuclear Medicine Society called for papers for their 11th annual international conference on advances in nuclear medicine to be held in 1983. I had done so much research and my professor said we should send an abstract. I worked up a draft abstract with him and we submitted it. In January 1983, our abstract was accepted. My professor was ecstatic. Surprisingly, he told me I would be the presenter of the paper. I was reticent and nervous but I prepared very well. We did about 50 slides. I practiced for my talk every day after leaving the lab.

The conference took place in April, 1983 at Imperial College (University of London), UK. I was quite comfortable in my skin, unaware of the huge implications of these developments. Our paper was at 11.15 a.m., so I practiced again that morning. My professor and the lab assistant were already at the venue. In fact, they got there around 8 a.m. and were waiting for me. When I appeared, it was clear my professor was very nervous from the way he was smoking his pipe. When our time came to present, I went to the stage and made my presentation. The hall was full of hundreds of scientists. I delivered my paper, almost flawless. Shockingly, the whole audience in the hall stood up in unison to clap. I thought, why did they have to stand up to clap? The emotion of that event did not hit me until about ten years later. It was a standing ovation for Africa in the new field of nuclear medicine. They were standing, clapping and acknowledging Africa.

By May 1983, my professor said I should start writing up my PhD thesis. In the British system back then, the PhD determination is simply between your advisor and an external examiner. In three months, I had finished writing up my thesis. My advisor, Professor Theobald didnt know what to make of it  whether the thesis was good to go because it was actually good or whether it was good because he was tired of reviewing it. So he set up a few practice oral defences for me with his colleagues, all of whom wondered at the end of each session why I needed a practice defence. The last one was the head of Department of Pharmacy.

In just 30 minutes into my oral exam, the external examiner got up and shook my hands vigorously and said Good luck to you. In all, I spent thirty-five months obtaining my PhD from arrival in London in November 1980 to thesis defense with the external examiner in October 1983.

The following day, my professor told me the external examiner gave me a job for nineteen thousand pounds a year in his labs in Hammersmith Hospital, West London. I told my professor I was going home to contribute to the development of my country. He remonstrated with me not to go, but I went back to Nigeria, I didnt even have a job waiting for me!

In those days, you finished your studies abroad, you returned home. That was the spirit in those days. Within three months though, I got a job. I started in January 1984 as Lecturer II in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry in the then new School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine of the University of Lagos (CMUL). But within six months, I was calling my professor to facilitate my return back to London.

PT: Why did you want to go back?

Salako: Look, Nigeria lost a whole nation of intellectuals to the brain drain, far more than it would ever know. In the 80s, CMUL had a lot of brilliant young medical academics. The new school of pharmacy (started in 1982) added more to this pool of trained talents, widening the population median age. I was 29. There were many of us across the many schools/institutes that made up CMUL, freshly minted from top schools abroad. Young, vibrant and forward looking.

But like slavery, academic job in Nigeria back then was a dead end job. I am sure still is. In the 70s, we saw professors living comfortably. But by our time, the leadership/political class had crashed the system. Conditions of public service and the standard of living had deteriorated. All Nigeria has ever was primordial tribal instincts, endless cycles of worthless national appointments and thoughtless political administrative systems. No working public institutions, no operational blueprint for nation building or national orientation, and no synergy between the university curricula and private sector, especially in science and technology.

Like many of my contemporaries, I came with so much pure hope as if to single handedly save Nigeria. I came home with a research idea to radio-label natural products isolated from herbs ( agbo). The thinking was that a herb used for high blood pressure should contain a chemical compound that would have affinity for the heart. So if I could isolate and radiolabel such a molecule, I could discover a terrific myocardial radiotracer magic bullet. This required setting up an interdepartmental research team comprising of experts in the departments of Pharmaceutical Chemistry (myself), Pharmacognosy, Pharmacology and Radiodiagnosis/Radiology.

This, I attempted to set up and proceeded to work with a few herbalists (babalawos) and actually succeeded in obtaining some very promising herbs. But no research grant to do much, no radionuclide source, and no tools like radiation counters, etc. The whole idea died a natural death when it came to choosing between spending my meager salary on research or going hungry.

Fortunately, I was able to prove my theory right, when I had the opportunity to take a natural product isolated from a herb (courtesy of another master research program from Ghana) used to treat gonorrhea to Loughborough U. Science & Technology, UK (courtesy, Prof. John Thornback sponsored) for radiolabeling and animal distribution works. The radiolabeled product glowed through the renal tracts of mouse.

Meanwhile, imported finished drug and articles needed approval of the Nigerian Food and Drug Administration (FDA, now NAFDAC) before they could be introduced into market circulation. FDA needed to analyse and issue certificates for all such drugs, but could not because the workload was beyond its staff and equipment capability.

At some point, Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti became the Minister of Health and gave many of us in Pharmacy Schools/Colleges with pharmaceutical analysis expertise public analysts certificates to clear FDAs backlog of imported pharmaceuticals. I changed the direction of my research and started doing pharmaceutical analysis within the University of Lagos Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) Unilag Consult framework.

A lot of the revenue was generated for the university under this scheme, leaving miserable percentage of the original charge on each consultation service to the academic staff who actually did the work. You taught your full academic load all day and sweated through drug analysis all night, sometime in the middle of broken down equipment and you still ended with extra income that was not enough to replace the tie rod of your old car.

Living and teaching conditions were unbefittingly hard. Getting to work was war when your car broke down. There were no chemicals to teach students in the lab, no up-to-date journals in the library and students were more motivated by the potential income theyd make post-graduation (even if four years away) than by acquisition of life changing knowledge . Meanwhile, the bumbling leadership at the helms of the nation kept running the country into a futureless landscape in enormous ignorance, deceit and base instincts for power, wealth and vanities.

Sometime, in 1986, (military ruler) Babangida made an announcement that his government would implement Petrochemical Phase II program in which Nigeria would produce basic organic solvents/chemicals such as benzene, phenols, plastic copolymers used to manufacture battery casings, and so on. The volume of local demand for organic solvents alone could amount to a huge GDP income for Nigeria because these are used for teaching chemistry (and other related science) in thousands of secondary and tertiary institutions across the country and are being imported into Nigeria for the same purpose, even till date.

Besides, the solvents and basic chemicals are useful precursors in the synthesis/manufacture of pharmaceuticals, if only Babangida knew the import of what he was talking about on the TV. I decided to get ready for Babangidas shenanigans anyway by designing a simple experiment to synthesise paracetamol in my lab using simple bench teaching chemicals like the ones he was rolling out. A drug substance (DS) is the active ingredient that causes the pharmacologic/physiologic response in the body.

DS is often in the pure chemical form and is unstable and/or unsafe to administer directly as drugs. So DS is usually formulated into a form (injection, tablets, capsule, power, suspension, cream, etc), called drug product (DP). DP is typically more stable in patient user-face and can be safely administered. Almost all pharmaceutical establishments in Nigeria bring in DS from their parent companies into Nigeria to make the DP that is sold to Nigerians.

As procuring DS from outside Nigeria can be made to represent whatever portion of their production cost they want, making tableting, powdering, dissolving in solutions and packaging/labeling activities to produce DP in Nigeria is the right business model for foreign multinationals. This is because it is among their major drivers that allows them the maximum of amount of capital flights out of the country.

Regardless of the number of multinationals (for pharmaceuticals, car, road construction, etc) present in NIgeria, the local productivity sector may never amount to anything in terms of significant contribution to the Nigerian economy. This is as long as Nigeria remains unable to generate raw materials for making finished products. Now, paracetamol is a well known analgesic (reduces aches) and antipyretic (reduces fever).

Next to the antimalarials, paracetamol is among the most heavily dispensed drug in the sub-Saharan Africa due to the headaches from hot weather, manual labor, daily stress just to stay alive, and fever from mosquitoes and other sources. It is a very old molecule, so is its chemistry (synthesis, testing, reactions, etc) old, simple and well documented. In fact, in a working Nigeria, each teaching hospital can make its own paracetamol.

So I gave the project out as a final B.Pharm project. The student ended with a crude paracetamol and I purified it afterwards and got pure white crystals. I needed to read the work at an academic pharmacists conference at Abuja back then, to show that it was possible to make paracetamol from scratch in Nigeria. Couldnt even get funding to go to Abuja  only N200 was my research grant! At any rate, Babangidas initial announcement of the Petrochemical Phase II was the last anyone heard of the program. So much for a public policy. We are jokers in Nigeria.

Intellectual decay sets in when you begin to repeat the same lecture notes verbatim year on year. I worked so hard for my students and I challenged them to work hard in return. I tried to vary my teaching materials wherever I could. For the pharmaceutical chemistry labs (drug synthesis and drug analysis), I ran every experiment first on my own, wrote the manuals, varied specifics of each experiment to allow me utilise minimal number of students per group, then took roll calls in the beginning, middle and end of each lab class.

In my practical classes, youve got to know why you are adding sodium hydroxide to acetanilide during synthesis, particular during analysis requires non-aqueous titration and not back titration, etc. But my students didnt really appreciate all of the extra efforts trying to grow them into well-educated Nigerians. Not until after graduation.

I became quite active in ASUU to find answers to the culture of national stupidity that I saw but couldnt understand. I was the 2nd Vice Chairman of ASUU Unilag and the Chairman ASUU for CMUL, Idi-Araba, 1987-1989. I thought social activism would improve the primitive system of funding universities that gave Nigeria no sense of research and no future in science and technology.

I found that there was complete disconnect between the countrys leadership and the people they purportedly lead.

(To be continued)Ebola outbreak hits DRC

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has sparked an emergency response from health agencies and countries, especially in the West African region.

Health officials said at least 17 people have died around the village near the North-western area of the country where the virus was detected. The World Health organization and other health response team are already in the country trying to contain the disease.

This is the ninth time Ebola has been recorded in Congo and this comes less than a year after the last outbreak killed four people. The Nigerian government has also put in place screening mechanism at the ports to prevent the risk of importing the disease into the country.

Nigeria declares Lassa fever outbreak over

The Federal Ministry of Health has declared over the emergency phase of the Lassa fever outbreak which ravaged the country since the beginning of the year.

The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole said the declaration follows the epidemiological review by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

This is coming four and half months after the country combated the largest Lassa fever outbreak in its history. Between January and May 7, a total of 423 confirmed cases of Lassa fever were reported, causing 106 deaths.

Also, the minister explained that giving the epidemiology of Lassa fever in Nigeria, it is likely that the country will continue to record cases of Lassa fever.

Nigerian doctors threaten strike if govt implements JOHESU demands

Nigerian doctors have threatened to withdraw their services across health institutions in the country if the federal government accedes to the demands of other health workers who have been on strike the past three weeks.

The strike by JOHESU (Joint Health Sector Union) has crippled healthcare delivery across the country, and has left millions without care.

The Nigerian Medical Association ,in a statement signed by its newly elected president, Francis Faduyile, said it reached an agreement with the government in 2014 not to accede to demands of other health workers relating to salary adjustments and harmonisation.

U.S. govt donates $90 million for HIV survey in Nigeria  Minister

The United States government has donated about $90 million to support the forthcoming HIV survey in Nigeria.

The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, while the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the survey said it will begin in June and last for about six months across the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It aims to reach a sample size of about 170,000 people.

The agreement was signed by the minister, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, and the National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA).

The survey, tagged Nigeria Aids Indicators and Impact Survey (NAIIS), is the largest in the world and Nigeria is the 12th country conducting it. The resource for the survey is largely from the US government.

Bayelsa enrolls 80,000 in health insurance scheme

The Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme, has registered more than 80,000 public sector enrollees less than a year after it began operations, its Executive Secretary, Zuoboemi Agadah, has said.

Mr Agadah said in Yenagoa while signing a Memorandum of Understanding with an Heath Maintenance Organisation, United Healthcare International that the State Government started an health insurance scheme for its workforce in June 2017 with plans to extend the scheme to cover the informal sector in due course.

According to him, feedback from the enrollees and other stakeholders in the health sector, shows that the scheme is doing well.

Nigerian nurses, midwives call for salary harmonisation

The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has called for the harmonisation of salaries and better remuneration of nurses and midwives in the country to prevent migration of professionals.

Margaret Akinsola, National Chairman, NANNM-Midwives said that the harmonisation would ensure nurses and midwives in the rural areas at par with their counterparts in the state and federal payroll.

She frowned at the disparity in remuneration between Federal, State and Local government staff, describing it as a contributing factor to the inadequacy of manpower at rural areas as well as the burden of maternal and newborn mortality rate in the country.

Overweight: Nutritionist cautions housewives against fat, oil intake

A nutritionist at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Bartholomew Brai, has advised full time house wives to minimise fats and oil intake to keep their weights in check.

Mr Brai said sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity could cause harmful ailment to an overweight body.

He advised that full house wives imbibe self-discipline and avoid overeating in order to have risk of overweight and obesity, increase the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis and certain cancers.

The nutritionist said it is helpful to have up to four servings of vegetables and fruits in a day, minimising the intake of fats and oils, drink clean and safe water. Menopause, lack of sleep, not eating enough as well as birth control pills could also add to a womans weight.

NBTS raises alarm on declining number of blood donors

Jane Akubuiro, the Donor Care Manager, National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), has expressed concern over the daily decline in the number of blood donors in the country.

She said the least expected daily number of donors per day ought to be 30 to be able to cater for the needs of the public. She said the service recorded five walk-in donors on the average per day in recent times.

Allaying the misconception among some donors that blood donation could be dangerous, she said when blood is withdrawn, the donors body immediately begins to replenish the lost blood.In the second part of this investigation, Kemi Busari reveals why residents of different communities in Oyo State continue to suffer despite millions of naira released for essential projects.

Read the first part of the investigation here.

Residents of Oluokun compound, Isale Afon, Ogbomoso, were used to evacuating their homes for days every rainy season. But the 2016 experience was an exception.

The rain started in the night sometime in June. And before dusk, occupants of the house relocated with the intention as usual of returning when the rain subsided.

When the rain finally stopped, the ancestral home of the Oluokun was gone. None of the occupants was around to tell the story when UDEME team visited February 2018.

Its usually tough during raining seasons, Lydia Adeyi, an octogenarian who knew the story but declined to give a full detail said. Anytime the water becomes full, we pack out and watch till it subsides. That was what happened that day but they never returned. The rain didnt allow them to return to their house.

However, had the flood and erosion control project initiated by Mulikat Akande, a former member of the House of Representatives, in 2011 been completed and properly executed, the tragedy would have been averted.

The 2011 signpost

The drainage is not wide enough and there is no opening at the side to make way for the water we use at home. The water we use in the house stagnates and whenever it rains, the level will rise. The result is that the water cannot go so it makes way easily into our house and displace us, Mrs Lydia said of her struggle with flood over the years.

The Dilapidated Oluokun family house

When the senator representing Oyo North, Abdulfatai Buhari, told residents of Isale-Afon in 2017 that he had facilitated completion of the project, the dwellers were happy  succour had finally come. But the news did little to residents of Olujide Street, where other houses except that of the Oluokun family still stood.

The drainage, when it was first constructed, stopped at the Isale Afon bridge. Up to this point, the drainage had been just about one metre wide, a resident, Ayo Kajogbola, said.

I am an artisan and I know what they are supposed to do for the amount they quoted. This drainage they did is more like not doing anything. Its not wide enough. So, when the senator (Abdulfatai Buhari) came to tell us that he will complete it, we were very happy and thought he will help us widen this one before continuing. But he didnt, an angry Mr Kajogbola added.

The new contractor, Samchase Nigeria Limited, had continued from the Isale Afon bridge through Ar-Tawheed, Omosin areas terminating at Osaaro Market.

The new drainage is wider, well-constructed and delivered on time according to accounts by residents, but there is more to desire about the project.

Part of the drainage

The project was quoted as completion of flood and erosion at Isale Afon in Ogbomoso North, Oyo State, in the 2016 zonal intervention projects of the National Assembly. About N66 million was earmarked for the completion and it was to be handled by the Lower Niger River Basin Development Agency (LNRBDA).

However, the project was carried out by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation under the ecological fund and not as a zonal intervention project as thought by the dwellers.

The dwellers were furious, at the same time surprised, when this reporter told them that the project was not facilitated by their senator as earlier conceived.

Mr Kajogbola would not believe this reporters claim because the senator came to tell us its his project.

He was there when they wanted to start. When it was the time for Mulikat, she came too. So, its Buhari that did it, he said.

The SGF signpost

LNRBDA did not respond to FOI request asking for details of the cash releases, execution and contractor supposedly handling the project on their behalf. The SGF office also did not respond to similar request.

Mr Buhari, the senator, admitted that the project is not a constituency project.

It was the project that was given to me by the SGF, by the President himself, its an ecological project. Its not a constituency project. I only facilitated it, he told PREMIUM TIMES on phone.

COMPLETED  BUT LOCKED  SKILL ACQUISITION CENTRE

That is how it has been locked since completion. It was constructed last year. From scratch to completion didnt take them more than three months and we thought they will be doing things thereafter. But nothing, nothing has happened ever since, a resident of Eruwa who did not want his name mentioned told the UDEME team.

He was referring to the skill acquisition centre initiated by Oyo South Senator, Rilwan Akanbi, situated in Eruwa, Ibarapa East local government area.

The project executed by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) at N20 million includes construction of two water system toilets and motorised borehole.

The project was rushed and completed in 2017 but since then, it has not been opened for the use of the dwellers.

UDEME team confirmed the completion of this project but all the facilities were locked.

The skill acquisition centre

Our fixer, Yemi Oluremi, a youth, who by the design of the project is supposed to be a beneficiary is unaware of its use.

How will the water work when theyve not commissioned it? He questioned. We dont know what they want to be doing there. They just built and left it like that, he said in lamentation of the economic wastage of closing the facility.

The Baale Alanko of Anko Eruwa, Timothy Laoye, a retired Nigerian army major, is the traditional head of the community. He was also unaware of the details of the project.

As a senator in this constituency, Im sure he might have made promises in this community. This (project) must have been one of the realisation of his promises. To the best of my knowledge, that place has not been commissioned. That probably may be the reason why it is under lock.

To the best of my knowledge, Ive not sighted Senator Soji Akanbi but Im aware there is something in the community. If such a thing is to be commissioned, I think I should be made to know about it, the retired soldier said.

Mr Laoye said he supports the idea of the contract, but frowned at the fact that the facility was locked up after completion.

The Baale Alanko of Anko Eruwa, Timothy Laoye

Before such thing is built, at least, courtesy demands that this individual should come around and make the community involved, the community leader told PREMIUM TIMES. Because in the final analysis, we are at the receiving end. Its a very good project, but I dont think it is properly handled. You built something like that and you locked it up. Of what use? Of what benefit?

I regard that as an elephant project. Why is it under lock and key? Let them get the place equipped, come and commission it and allow people enjoy the facility.

Mr Akanbi did not answer repeated calls and text messages sent to him on why the facility is locked.

PIT VIP TOILETS IN SAKI

Funded at N12 million, a block of three classrooms built for Nawar-ud-deen Secondary School Saki, was just what the school needed at a time it was almost stripped of accreditation by the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

The project handled by the Nigerian Directorate of Employment was facilitated by Olajide Olatubosun, the member of the House of Representatives for ATISBO/Saki East/Saki West federal constituency.

It comprises new block of three classrooms, and a VIP toilet. But what the UDEME team met on ground fell far short of a toilet, talk less of a VIP kind.

In lieu of a VIP toilet, the contractor built two pit latrines at the school.

Muibat Olayiwola, the Vice Principal (Admin), was, however, full of praises for the contractor for prompt completion of the project.

They spent a lot of money. They used German floor for the building. We used to have overpopulation before they built it. Our hall was not adequate. Even when WAEC officials came, they told us to join two classrooms to form a hall because we had 92 students who registered to write the exam. They told us they cannot accept that hall. They came to build it and it didnt take them time to build. We are very grateful, she said.

She wants the government to also help the school in other infrastructural deficits.

We like the government to help us with this pond, our poultry and the pen. Many of our students are doing Animal Husbandry and they need this for practical. We have the mind to do all these things but we dont have adequate funding. We also need furniture.

CONTROVERSIAL WATER PROJECT IN FIDITI

The construction of earth dam in Fiditi, Afijio Local Government Area, could at best be described as controversial. About N10 million was budgeted for the project in the 2016 budget, but the history of the projects dates back to 2011.

The UDEME team met Ajileye Olubunmi, the site engineer, at work on a visit in February 2018.

We started in 2011. Its a small earth dam for the community. We were supposed to finish the project within nine months but due to federal government allocation, money was not released. Every year, we monitor. The job we are doing now is because we got little money from the 2016 budget.

Signpost at Fiditi

After a dearth of fund in 2011, the contractor demobilised in 2013, returned and left again in 2014, returned in 2015, 2016 and now 2018.

Mr Olubunmi explained what the latest N10 million release would do on site.

We are doing the main structure of the dam and the spill way. Millions of naira have been sunk to this project but you cant see it because it is earth work. This embankment is going to reach about seven metres. We are about three metres now.

With the fund available now, we should be able to do the concrete structure on the spill way. When the water is trapped, you can use it for irrigation, you can treat it for drinking too.

However, the project could be regarded as a white elephant project because even if it were completed, it would hardly meet the needs of the community.

An earth dam is a hydraulic structure built across a river to create a reservoir on its upstream side for impounding water for various purposes.

In the case of Fiditi, the purposes could either be for irrigation for farmers or water supply for inhabitants. But the mandate does not go beyond dredging and trapping the water.

There is no plan for irrigation or water treatment, thereby rendering the embankment almost useless to the community.

A water project would have served the community better, says Victor Oyelayo, a former councillor in the community.

There is serious water problem in the town. We have some boreholes and deep wells but it hardly goes round, especially in dry season. Inhabitants go through a lot of hardship getting water for drinking.

This is supposed to be our source of water supply and it has not even taken off. This is like the third time they will moblise to site. They will just come, do some skeletal works and leave. The community does not know the contractor and the contractor did not bother to know the community leaders.

All we want is that a project has been allocated to us and since money has been released, the project should be completed on time so that it will benefit the community.

UDEME is a social accountability platform that tracks the implementation of developmental projects and how funds released for such projects are spent. Coordinators of the platform can be reached on Twitter via @UdemeNG.A member of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos has been shot dead at the partys local government congress in Agege, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

The member, identified as Nurudeen Olanose, was allegedly shot at Central School, Dopemu, during a fracas that ensued after voting had ended on Saturday.

Two others are in critical condition while nine people have been arrested and taken to Area G Police Division in Agege.

When contacted, Chike Oti, the Spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, said Ill get back to you.

There are different accounts of what led to the shooting at the congress venue in Agege.

A witness told PREMIUM TIMES that violence broke out after Mudashiru Obasa, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, visited the venue.

Obasa came to the venue at Dopemu, from nowhere a gunshot killed one of the party members. As he was going, his security men just dragged the guy that was shot, they dropped him on the other side of the road in order for him to pass and run away, said the witness, who declined to be named for political reasons.

Not quite 10 minutes later, another person was shot (dead) by Obasas boys again, and one other person was shot by the leg.

Musibau Razak, the spokesperson for the Lagos Speaker, said his principal did not attend the congress at Dopemu.

It is a lie, Mr Razak told PREMIUM TIMES.

From my investigation, it is the APC local government congress in Agege and those who were supposed to be at the congress venue were there, they did their congress and left. But you know in politics, there will always be disgruntled elements, I think that was what happened.

What happened at Dopemo had nothing to do with my boss.

Of course, as a member of APC and a Speaker, if anything happens he will be contacted and he will make necessary arrangement for peace to reign. Policemen were there, SSS were there, the INEC was there, so nobody should link that thing to the Speaker. The Speakers effort is to maintain peace.

Rotimi Sulyman, Media Adviser to Ganiyu Egunjobi, the Chairman of Agege local government, said one person died from the violence.

He also said that Mr Obasa was nowhere near the congress venue.

After the election has been concluded, some people who felt they are fast losing the grip of the party, they started fomenting trouble and in the course of it one of the persons loyal to our camp died, Mr Sulyman told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Sulyman said those arrested by the police included one Bosun Adigun, a driver to Jubril Kareem, the former chairman of Agege local government.It was yet another busy week at the Senate as lawmakers tackled issues mostly on national security.

One key event, however, was the declaration of the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, as an enemy of democracy.

Below are major events from the Senate last week:

Tuesday

 President Muhammadu Buhari wrote a letter to the Senate seeking confirmation of Festus Keyamo and six others as chairman and members of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Mr Buharis letter was read by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday.

He listed the nominees as:

Olabode Mustapha (Chairman, Ogun State)

Garba Buba (Member, Bauchi State)

Bello Garba (Member, Sokoto State)

Joseph Okalogu (Member, Enugu State)

Mustapha Mudashiru (Member, Kwara State)

Festus Keyamo (Member, Delta)

Adewale Adeleke (Member, Ondo State)

 The Senate summoned all service chiefs; the Director General of the State Security Service, Lawan Daura; the Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali; and the National security adviser, Babagana Monguno over the illegal possession of firearms by non-authorised Nigerians.

This invitation was sequel to deliberations on a motion titled, proliferation of dangerous firearms in Nigeria sponsored by Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC, Kaduna North).

 A senator, Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna Central) accused Nigerian politicians of being behind the proliferation of illegal firearms around the nation and the violence.

He said this while contributing to Mr Hunkuyis motion on the proliferation of firearms in Nigeria.

 On Tuesday, the Senate deliberated on the need to check intrusive and unsolicited adverts by telecom companies and service providers. This followed a motion moved by Yahaya Abdullahi (APC, Kebbi North).

It also resolved to urge the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) to ensure that any person or entity found to have abused regulatory guidelines is sanctioned, in accordance with the extant rules and regulations.

 A move to review the hike in excise tariff imposed on local distillers of beverages was made by the Senate.

 The Senate also urged the federal government to address all cases of xenophobic treatment allegedly suffered by Nigerian nationals in Gambia and other African countries.

This decision was sequel to a motion by David Umaru (Niger-APC) on the status of bilateral cooperation agreement between Nigeria and Gambia and alleged ill-treatment of Nigerian judicial officers seconded to Gambia under the agreement.

 The Senate equally lamented the rising cases of road accidents across the country and suggested ways the carnages could be curbed.

A senator, Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger) called for the prosecution of reckless drivers who cause road accidents.

 Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday inaugurated a joint Senate and House of Representatives ad-hoc committee to investigate the April 18 invasion of the Senate chamber leading to the theft of its mace.

Wednesday

 After snubbing the Senate for the third time on Wednesday, the Senate declared Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, an enemy of democracy, who is not fit to hold public office in Nigeria and abroad.

The decision of the Senate was announced by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, after a closed-door session on Wednesday.

The Senate had entered the closed-door session following Mr Idris refusal to honour an invitation to appear before the Senate a third time.

 Senator Sani appealed to his colleagues to partially lift a Senate ban on consideration of executive appointments.

The partial lifting is necessary to confirm the appointment of members of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) board members, he said while raising a point of order on Wednesday.

 The Senate resolved to set up an ad-hoc committee to deliberate on President Muhammadu Buharis request on bond issuance to civil servants as well as contractors.

The President had in March written to the Senate seeking the establishment of a promissory note programme and a bond issuance to resettle inherited local debts and contractual obligations.

 The Divisional Police Officer in the National Assembly, Sulu-Gambari Abdul, on Wednesday blamed the invasion of the Senate and removal of the mace by hoodlums on internal conspiracy.

Mr Abdul stated this during an investigative hearing into the incident by a committee investigating the incident.

According to him, what happened at the National Assembly was an act of internal conspiracy among some security agencies and some lawmakers.

The Senate then adjourned plenary till Tuesday, May 15.Some clerics have described as a huge gap in the Christian community, the death, on Friday, of the General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Musa Asake.

Mr Asake died after a brief sickness. He was aged 66 years.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Asake, who was born on Sept. 15, 1952, hailed from Ung/Rimi Bajju- Kafanchan in Zango Kataf LGA of Kaduna State.

Until his death, he was a pastor and teacher, and famous for his defence of the Christian faith.

The clerics told NAN in interviews that the vacuum created in the Christendom by Mr Asakes demise would be difficult to fill.

The Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Olusola Ore, described the death as a huge loss to CAN.

His death is a great loss to the association; it is a sad moment for CAN; I pray that the Lord will console his family and the body of Christ, he said.

Gabriel Osu, Director of Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, said: CAN will miss him, Nigeria will miss him.

It is only God that understands the mystery of life and death. We are meant to live, die and go back to our maker.

May the Lord receive his soul and give his family the strength to bear the irreparable loss.

Dickson Atigolo of the Redeemed Christian Church of God said that Mr Asakes death left a wide gap in the Christendom.

May his soul rest in peace; my condolences to his family and CAN. His contributions will not be forgotten in a hurry.

Ishaq Akintola, Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), described the late Mr Asake as an energetic and active cleric, who was committed to his faith.

Mr Akintola urged Nigerians to be devoted to the causes they believed in.

We commiserate with the president and other executives of CAN for the loss; we also condole with the clerics family  nuclear and extended.

We pray that the Almighty God will support the family and give them the strength to bear the loss.

Glory Akhimie of the Living Faith Church (a.k.a. Winners Chapel), described the late Asake as a man of truth.

It is a big loss; he always defended the faith. The entire body of Christ will miss him, but our consolation is that he is resting in the lord, he said.

(NAN)North Korea has scheduled May 23-25 for a major ceremony to dismantle its northern nuclear test sites, its foreign ministry announced Saturday.

South Korean newswire, Yonhap, quoted a statement from the Norths ministry of foreign affairs as confirming that the country would take technical measures to dismantle its Pyunggye-ri nuclear test facility.

Journalists from South Korea, China, Russia, the United States and Britain will be invited to cover the dismantling on-site to ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test.

The announcement comes as the country prepares to hold talks with the United States and South Korea as part of an ongoing efforts to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that the historic summit will hold in Singapore.

Mr Jong-un had indicated last month during a summit with South Korea that North will dismantle the Pyunggye-ri site on its northern corridor.Noble Igwe, a Nigerian blogger, ignited a commotion on social media Saturday, hours after calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to intensify its crackdown on financial crimes culprits.

On Friday, the EFCC said its operatives raided a nightclub in Ikoyi, Lagos, and arrested about a dozen suspected Internet fraudsters, widely known locally as Yahoo Boys.

Ten vehicles were reportedly seized during the overnight raid at Club 57 along Awolowo Road, although many of the suspects fled to evade arrest, the EFCC said.

Mr Igwe welcomed the raid Friday night, but said the anti-graft office should do more to curb financial crimes in some business sectors he personally identified and marked as rife with criminality.

Record label, real estate, auto dealers, are major 419/fraud fronts in Nigeria, Mr Igwe said in a Twitter update at 11:20 p.m.

He urged the EFCC to station attendants at nightclubs in exquisite Lekki and Victoria Island neighbourhoods in Lagos.

Online and offline stores along the famous Admiralty Way in Lekki are used for money laundering, as well as similar stores off Fola Osibo Road, Mr Igwe said.

He also railed against armed robbers on Instagram for parading themselves as G Boys when, in his opinion, they are actually into a different type of stealing.

Although the blogger did not mention names businesses or individuals in his advisory to the EFCC, many on the Internet still took serious exception to his action on Saturday afternoon.

One of the most visible insults directed at Mr Igwe came via a recorded video rant posted on the Internet Saturday by Abisoye Olukoya, identified by some online as a motivational speaker.

In the video, recorded in a verbal mishmash of English and Yoruba, Mr Olukoya excoriated Mr Igwe for taking up a duty that he was never assigned. The recording soon emerged on Twitter, sending Noble Igwe trending at number one as at 6:00 p.m. Saturday.

Other users followed praised Mr Olukoya for his rant and also followed up with a flurry of harsh criticism of the blogger. While some also criticised the video for its alleged support for criminality.

https://twitter.com/TonyKKanu/status/995184511750156289

https://twitter.com/Rouvafe/status/995256419774615552

But some commentators, including musician Jaywon, expressed concerns for Mr Igwe himself than the debate worthiness of his tweet.

Noble Igwe get mind shaa.  Aje Daddy (@JAYWONJUWONLO) May 12, 2018

https://twitter.com/2koinz/status/995255864792674304

Mr Igwe expanded on his comments when reached by PREMIUM TIMES Saturday night.

My tweets were simple: We leave in a society where we try to categorise fraud/stealing into big and small but, in the actual sense, all crimes are to be considered crimes, he said.

My tweet said that most people that are engaged in these activities use music, property and others as fronts and you only get to know them by how the spend money in the clubs.

If EFCC wants to know people that are not legit, they should have people in clubs across Lekki to Victoria Island, he added.

Mr Igwe also dismissed claims that his comments constituted snitching

Whats my business with snitching? I dont know who and why I should be the one doing their job, he said of the anti-graft detectives.

The EFCC has not provided any updates since its raid of Club 57 yesterday, even though there have been mixed reactions about whether or not the agency should storm a nightclub to randomly arrest revelers.

A management official at Club 57 did not immediately respond to PREMIUM TIMES requests for comments about the raid Saturday night.Local government council elections held in Kaduna on Saturday amid complaints of late arrival of materials and low turnout of voters.

The election in 21 of the states 23 local government areas was conducted using electronic voting machines  the first time in Nigeria.

At all the polling unit visited in Unguwan Dosa, Kawo, Unguwan Shanu, Badarawa, Barnawa, Television, Kakuri, few voters were seen queueing to get accredited and vote for their preferred candidates. At some unit, officials were yet to arrive as at 12: 30pm.

Yakubu Aliyu, a resident of Maiduguri Road, said he voted early. He applauded the state government for introducing the electronic voting system.

Although few people turned out at most polling centers, the process was quiet simple and fast. Many people have voted. It took me five minutes to vote. This is commendable, he said.

Voting started late in some areas of Zaria, Sabongari, Lere, Ikara, Kachia, and Jaba.

Sani Bitrus from Jaba Local Government told PREMIUM TIMES that they were witnessing late arrival of the election officials.

Accredited voters did not see ballot papers. Instead, they faced an electronic voting machine displaying the logos of the political parties participating in the election.

By pressing the logo of a preferred political party, the voter registers a choice that is recorded and acknowledged by the machine.

Complaints

But a former spokesperson to former governor Ramalan Yero, and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ahmed Maiyaki, accused the state government and the state electoral body of deliberately disenfranchising the people by not arriving at polling unit early, and not being present in some polling units.

We are aware of the plan by APC to rig the local government election. We are not going to accept that, Mr Maiyaki said.

As I am taking to you right now, there were no electronic machine at many polling units up till this afternoon. All over the place there are reports of absence of voting machine and it is deliberate.

Kaduna LG Polls  Premium Times Mohammed Lere. Kaduna LG Polls  Premium Times Mohammed Lere. Kaduna LG Polls  Premium Times Mohammed Lere. Kaduna LG Polls  Premium Times Mohammed Lere. Kaduna LG Polls  Premium Times Mohammed Lere. Kaduna LG Polls  Premium Times Mohammed Lere. Kaduna LG Polls  Premium Times Mohammed Lere. Kaduna LG Polls  Premium Times Mohammed Lere. Kaduna LG Polls  Premium Times Mohammed Lere. Kaduna LG Polls  Premium Times Mohammed Lere.

And again there is clear used of money at various polling centers. In Igabi Local Government, the story is not different. I am telling that the state has failed and we are watching and we are not going to accept the result as it is clear they want to rig the results.

 All of us here are supervising the election, I am here at the PDP situation room here and I am telling clear and loud, this is a failure.

Meanwhile a visit to some polling unit in the state reveal low turnout and in many, are still expecting election materials.

When contacted, an APC chieftain in Kaduna, Hassan Mohammed, said he was not aware of any plan by the party to disenfranchise Kaduna voters from exercising their civic rights.

The APC is accepted by the people of the state and there is no plan in anyway to stop the people from electing their chairmen and councilors. It is that feeling of defeat that the PDP is already experiencing and they have started their usual noise, Mr Hassan said.

An official of the state electoral commission, Mohammed Mustapha, told PREMIUM TIMES that the commission was doing all it could to see that no citizen of the state missed out of the election.

Yes we are having little hitches here and there, like arrival of voting materials to some units but as I speak to you now many polling units have finish capturing voters and just waiting for voters to come.

Everybody will vote and we are prepared to make sure the elections succeed.It was confusion in Ondo State on Saturday as parallel congresses held across the state with each emerging executive claiming to be authentic.

Different factions of the party conducted their congresses and submitted list of winners, creating a scenario of conflict within the party in the state.

The parallel congresses were foreshadowed by a rancorous ward congresses held in the state last Saturday, which were marred by violence and allegations of manipulations.

The acting chairman of the party in the state, Ade Adetimehin, however, said that the congresses went smoothly and rancour free and peaceful.

According to him, there were no parallel congresses in the areas monitored by him and the leadership of the party, asserting that the party remained united in the state.

There is only one centre in Akure South, and there are 27 elected delegates from the ward including five delegates from local government to elect government executives, Mr Adetimehin said.

The main duty of the Congress committee is to elect 27 local government executives for each local government across the Ondo State.

On the parallel congresses, I am not aware but what I just know is that we have one congress committee set up by the National body of our party and they came down here to select three returning officers to go and conduct congresses across.

At the National level, they have a seven-man committee with three returning officers that means we have one congress committee from the ward to the local and to the state.

Todays congress, the appeal committee has come and gone and if there is any problem you will tender it before the committee and they will look into it.

There is no polarization in Ondo APC, we are one family, we are very united and thats the symbol of our party, the broom.

But two parallel congresses were held in Akure South, Akure North, Ifedore, Akoko South West, Ondo West, Ondo East and some other local government areas, except Owo and Idanre local government areas.

In Akure South, the congresses was led by the lawmaker representing Akure South /North federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Afe Olowookere, who said the elected persons were those who would pilot the affairs of the party, describing the congress as peaceful.

In Ifedore, the lawmaker representing Ifedore/ Idanre federal constituency, Bamidele Baderinwa, said the local government congress was held at the APC secretariat in the local government.

Our congress was peaceful and smoothly conducted. We have representatives from INEC and security men around to maintain law and order. There was no election but affirmation, Mr Baderinwa said.Borno state governor, Kashim Shettima has described his Bayelsa state counterpart, Seriake Dickson as a change agent of the century.

He said Dickson has not only revolutionised agriculture in Bayelsa State but has changed the negative narrative of the state by enthroning sustainable development and peace in the only homogenous Ijaw State.

A press statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary of the governor, Francis Agbo noted that the Borno State Governor commended Dickson on Thursday while delivering a goodwill message at the maiden edition of The Nation Newspaper First Summit On Food and Agriculture which held at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja.

Both Dickson and Shettima were also conferred with award of excellence in agriculture.

Dickson was particularly honoured for the development of rural agro-business and for using agriculture to diversify the Bayelsa economy beyond oil, through wealth creation, training and skills acquisition in agriculture.

Chief amongst the legacy agriculture projects/programmes that earned Governor Dickson the award are: the 8 aquaculture villages in the state with a 500- Fish Pond at Yenegwe, Yenagoa as the flagship, the Commercial Cassava Plant Factory and Cassava Out Grower Scheme at Ebidebri, Oil Palm Plantation Development Projects, Integrated Poultry Farm Projects, Rice Development Initiatives, Ultra-Modern Fish Farm Projects etc.

Shettima said Nigeria can thrive on agriculture because according to him, all regions have comparative advantages, noting that the North is blessed with grains and cereal, the middle belt can provide tuber needs while the south can provide the fish demand. He said if we are serious as a nation, our national food security is guaranteed.

Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi also hailed Dickson for his initiatives in agriculture which he said are people-oriented.

He averred that Bayelsa State has the capacity to be the rice hub of the nation, because the land is fertile and water is available for irrigation. He commended the Governor for working in this direction.

The Nation award was received on behalf of Dickson by his Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr. Doodei Week.No few than 1,574 inmates out of 1,761 prisoners in Anambra are currently awaiting trial for various offences, the states Controller of Prisons, Emmanuel Nwakaeze, has said.

Although this figure gives about 89 per cent awaiting trial inmates, the official said the actual percentage is 78 per cent.

Mr Nwakaeze, who gave the figure in an interview with journalists in Onitsha on Friday, said the inmates spread across four prisons in Aguata, Onitsha, Awka and Nnewi.

According to him, 48 of the of the awaiting trial inmates are females.

The total number of awaiting trial inmates constituted 78 per cent of the total inmates in the state prisons.

The Awka Prison houses 374 inmates; Onitsha Prison has 887 inmates; Nnewi 282 and the Aguata Prison has 218 inmates. 65 per cent are citizens of the state, he said.

The Controller noted that 30 inmates were currently condemned in the prisons under the command.

Mr Nwakaeze said congestion was the major challenges of the command as it created room for unhealthy environment that could lead to outbreak of cholera, tuberculosis and other killer diseases.

He appealed to Governor Willie Obiano, Non-Governmental Organisations and philanthropists to assist the command with waste disposal tanks and vehicles for the evacuation of wastes.

The commander also solicited assistance in the area of electricity transformers, vehicles, ambulances and other amenities to improve the welfare of inmates.

He commended the Controller-General of Prisons, Ja Afaru Ahmed, for improving the welfare of prisoners and promotion of officers.

The Controller-General has done a lot to ensure the decongestion of prisons across the country.

He also commended the state governor and the chief judge of the state for their initiatives to decongest the prisons yearly.

(NAN)The Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Ekiti State on Friday announced Akinloye Ayegbusi as its flag bearer for the July 14 governorship election in the state.

He was chosen in an election conducted at the 177 wards across the state through Option A4 in a primary contested by three aspirants, after an other withdrew on Wednesday.

The final collation and declaration of results took place at MC Event Centre, Poly Road, Ado Ekiti. The result was announced on Friday.

Mr Ayegbusi, a banker by profession, polled 16,921 to defeat his closest rival, Dare Bejide, who polled 14,783.

Another aspirant, Olamide Oni, polled 4, 258 to finish third.

There were, however, allegations that the election was rigged in favour of the winner, but the party leadership has denied the allegation.

Tunde Adeniran, a professor and former chairmanship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, was specifically accused of compromising the election in favour of the winner of the poll.

A member of the National Working Committee of SDP, Yemi Akinbode, while reacting to the allegation, said the allegation was a fabrication.

He said that the former Minister of Education remained the symbol of a new political order and therefore could not be associated with rigging of any election.

One of the aspirants, Bisi Omoyeni, had boycotted the exercise, citing allegations of fraud and manipulations by party top hierarchy .

Mr Omoyeni, a former Group Managing Director of the Wema Bank PLC, and Deputy Governor to Ayodele Fayose during his first term in office, appealed to SDP national leadership to annul the election and order a rerun.

He alleged that the State Working Committee had deregistered his supporters in all the 16 local government areas.

Mr Omoyeni defected to the SDP from the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in 2017, shortly after Mr Fayose adopted his deputy, Kolapo Olusola, as the sole candidate of the party.Two engineeing students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Taofeek Afeez and Alayande Abiola, have emerged winners of the 2018 Imagine Cup National Finals.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Imagine Cup which started in 2003 is an annual competition sponsored by Microsoft Corporation in which it brings together student-developers to help resolve some worlds toughest challenges.

It is considered the Olympics of technology by computer science and engineering students, and is one of the top competitions related to technology and software design.

All Imagine Cup competitors create projects that address the Imagine Cup theme: Imagine a World Where Technology Helps Solve the Toughest Problems.

NAN also reports that seven ideas were selected from all entries received in Nigeria. The winner will go on to compete at the Middle East & Africa finals.

The two undergraduates of Physics Electronics and Electrical Electronics, who jointly formed TEAM TREP, presented a solution called Real Drip  a device that reduces the risk of blood clot or deep vein thrombosis.

The non-invasive device monitors the flow of intravenous fluid during intravenous treatment and the rate at which intravenous fluid drops (flow rate), and notifies medical staff in real time.

It ensures timely removal of intravenous needle to prevent back flow of blood which may lead to pulmonary embolism if necessary action is not taken in time.

Akin Banuso, General Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, said in his welcome address that students could change the world.

At Microsoft, we believe this new generation of innovators have the potential to address some of humanitys most pressing problems  from how to predict and monitor diseases like Alzheimers and depression, to identifying fake news or increasing response times during natural disasters.

Through Imagine Cup, the worlds young, aspiring entrepreneurs and developers collaborate to build a technology application, create a business plan and gain a keen understanding of what is needed to bring a concept to market.

In a cloud-first, mobile-first world, creators and makers must work together to create a cloud for global good, he said.

Mr Banuso noted that national entries for the Imagine Cup competition opened in February and was available in 29 countries across the world including Nigeria.

He added that participants created or joined a team of up to three eligible students and together made an original technology project from start to finish.

He said that the process involved coming up with a great idea, putting together a plan, building a project and submitting it.

Taofeek Afeez, the leader of TEAM TREP, said that the team was excited about the win.

We would like to thank Microsoft for this opportunity. We look forward to competing at the global stage and do our country proud, he said.

Damola Solanke, Principal, Azure Apps & Infrastructure Head, Microsoft Nigeria, and Chief Judge of the competition, said the winning idea was assessed based on four key areas  technology, innovation, concept and feasibility.

We would like to commend TEAM TREP for satisfying the requirements of the competition.

Their idea is well articulated, and we look forward to seeing more homegrown solutions to our pressing needs as a country, he said.

He said that the finalists would win an all-expenses paid trip to the World Finals taking pace in Redmond, Seattle in July.

They will compete with the best and brightest teams from across the globe for the title of World Champion, up to $100,000 cash prize and the chance to take home the Imagine Cup, he said.

He said that this years Imagine Cup would see addition of three special awards representing the current state of digital transformation, namely: Artificial Intelligence  the best use of Azure intelligence tools; Big Data and Mixed Reality.

He listed some notable entries seen in the history of the competition to include Team X.GLU of the Czech Republic which took top honours in the 2017 world final for innovation  a glucose meter for children with Type 1 diabetes.

He said that the innovation was paired with a Microsoft Azure cloud solution in the form of an app that could reward behaviours to keep diabetes in check and managed through motivational in-app games.

According to the official, Team AMANDA, a 2016 finalist from Greece, created a bullying detection and intervention solution.

(NAN)DALLAS, May 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 11th, 2018, we learned that payment card information of some of our Guests who visited certain Chili's Grill & Bar corporate-owned restaurants have been compromised in a data incident. Currently, we believe the data incident was limited to between March  April 2018; however, we continue to assess the scope of the incident.

Upon learning of this incident, we immediately activated our response plan. We are working with third-party forensic experts to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the details of what happened. Law enforcement has been notified of this incident and we will continue to fully cooperate.

While the investigation is still ongoing, we believe that malware was used to gather payment card information, including credit or debit card numbers and cardholder names, from our payment-related systems for in-restaurant purchases at certain Chili's restaurants.

We deeply value our relationships with our Guests and our priority remains doing what is right for them. We are committed to sharing additional information on this ongoing investigation. More details can be found at: http://brinker.mediaroom.com/ChilisDataIncident.



About Chili's Grill & Bar

Chili's Grill & Bar is the flagship brand of Dallas-based Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE: EAT), a recognized leader in casual dining. Known for their signature menu items  burgers, ribs and fajitas Chili's offers fresh, bold and unexpected flavors. Each ChiliHead at more than 1,600 locations in 31 countries and two territories takes great pride in Chili's purpose of connecting with and serving Guests and giving back to the communities in which they are located. In addition to Chili's, Brinker owns and operates Maggiano's Little Italy. For more brand-related information, visit chilis.com.

SOURCE Chili's Grill & BarDateline: the Isle of Sheppey, 50 miles east of London. A deadly new virus spreads between cats and their owners. Meanwhile, in the basement labs of a North London research institute, Professor Artemis "Artie" Marshall, an underfunded but brilliant scientist, suddenly finds her esoteric research intersecting with this mounting public health crisis.

Jennifer L. Rohn's Cat Zero is a blend of whodunit, thriller, romance, and scientific procedural. Against the background of a pervasive culture of chauvinism and oblivious male privilege, the young, driven Artie must combat a variety of scientific and workplace obstacles to solve a terrifying mystery.

"The laboratory is a rich setting for fiction," says Rohn, who, in addition to writing, runs a cell biology lab at University College London. "There are deep scientific mysteries, elaborate machines, arcane rituals, pressurized situations, and the usual human imperatives of greed, jealousy, competition, joy, and despair."

"Lab lit," the term Rohn coined to describe the genre of realist fiction about science, is on the rise. "The tide began to turn," she says, "when well-known authors started to write fiction about scientists." The success of Tracy Chevalier, Barbara Kingsolver, Simon Mawer, Ian McEwan, Richard Powers, and others has dovetailed with an increased public interest in science over the past few decades.

Rohn thinks the renaissance is due in part to shifting cultural attitudes. "In the 20th century, scientists were the bad guys," she says. "In the 21st, as they rally to save us from the risks imposed by dwindling fossil fuels, decreasing food security, climate change, and global pandemics, they are now seen as heroes who are, quite literally, trying to save the planet."

Artie is one of these heroes. She has in her sights an obscure cat virusalso the subject of Rohn's doctoral dissertationthat was once at the forefront of AIDS research. Rohn chose to go back to the virus via fiction "as part joke, part challenge," she says. "Could I write a suspenseful tale about an obscure cat virus that nobody in the world cares about?"

The answer is resoundingly yes. As Cat Zero makes clear, academic science is ruthless when it comes to shifting trends, and Artie's chosen subject of study has fallen out of fashion. Rohn playfully points out what is missed by new methods of study, having Artie revel in the joys of timeless pursuits such as holing up with dusty books from the library stacks. When Artie discovers that the virus is a key component in the deadly epidemic on Sheppey, her persistence is validated.

"Never underestimate viruses," Rohn says. "They are mercurial, beautiful, fascinating but potentially deadly. As the novel highlights, we can never predict whereor whenthe next world-threatening pandemic will emerge."

Though Artie contends with unwanted sexual advances from one male colleague, obstruction and sabotage from another, and dismissive, blatant sexism from yet another who also happens to be her collaborator in predicting the deadly epidemic's spread, she still finds time to fall for her male postdoc, giving Cat Zero a touch of romance. The myriad obstacles Artie faces are both outrageous and dispiritingly familiar, which makes it ever more satisfying to find out how she finally triumphs.How should one grieve? For Lisa Romeo, mourning the loss of her father, Anthony "Tony" Chipolone, was a long and complex process that came with an unexpected twist. Romeo, an author who has published essays and worked as an editor, chronicles these events in her vivid memoir, Starting with Goodbye: A Daughter's Memoir of Love After Loss.

Tony, a fascinating person with whom Romeo had a unique relationship, started out as a "junk man," having collected scrap metal as a boy with a horse and wagon in the 1930s. In the 1960s and 1970s, he had a breakthrough, foreseeing a huge business opportunity in polyester threads and then fabrics.

Tony's business success provided Romeo with a comfortable upbringing and enabled her to pursue her passion for horses. As a young woman, Romeo traveled the hunter/jumper horse show circuit, competing on her own horses. Eventually, she began writing for equestrian magazines. Romeo wouldn't have been able to follow her love for horses and writing without her father's support.

But Romeo's relationship with her father was complicated. "We liked to spar verbally and found it hard to relax in one another's company," Romeo says. "I so wanted to stay in the good graces of my motherwho was intimidated by intellectual conversation and quick to angerthat I often shrank from engaging with him." With his "inflexibility, traditional ideas about gender roles, and withdrawal from family situations he couldn't control," Tony frequently frustrated Romeo. "Sadly," she says, "as he aged, I lost patience with him, until the very end, when I finally softened."

In August 2006, when she was 46, Romeo received the call that Tony had had a stroke. She flew from New Jersey to Las Vegas to be with him. She spent time with him in the hospital. Seven weeks later, he died.

Shortly after his death, something startling happened. Romeo started talking to her father as naturally as if he were still alive. Their conversations constitute the most memorable and poignant moments in Starting with Goodbye.

The first occurs when Romeo sees Tony in his Las Vegas home at 1:15 a.m. "We talk. Not about anything important. Not yet. Chitchat. Small talk," Romeo writes in the memoir. Her father asks her what she's doing up so late. Romeo tells him that it's just how she is. "I ask him why he's hereat all," Romeo writes. "He says he's just checking in on me." Another unforgettable encounter happens at a coffee shop where a barista calls out "Tonyshort coffee regular." Romeo's father ordered coffee in exactly this manner"regular."

"These conversations,' were elemental," Romeo says. "Everything that got in the way in life seemed stripped away. We were communicating without artifice, without baggage. He was hanging around because there was something about our relationship, about him, that I needed to better understand."

Tony's visits from the afterlife coincided with a momentous insight for Romeo: she realized one of the reasons she and her father were so often at odds was that they were so similar. "Dad loved people but in small doses," Romeo says. "He was content sitting on his patio reading the Wall Street Journal while the world ticked by. His reclusiveness upset me. Then I realized that I'm the same way. We're both hyperinterested in the world outside our own lives and frustrated when others aren't. We're both advance planners who focus on details. We each always wanted to be right, to get the last word."

Romeo's experience of writing Starting with Goodbye changed her understanding of her relationship with her father. She hopes that readers will take a new view of their loved ones and be open to how relationships can continue even after death.

" Don't speak ill of the dead' too often translates into not speaking of the dead at all," Romeo says. "I dislike the shroud of silence around death, postdeath rituals, and grief, and I wish we could all be more open. If the book spurs anyone to look at bonds that last beyond death, that would be wonderful.In Lorraine: The Girl Who Sang the Storm Away, an African-American child growing up in Tennessee with her grandfather is inspired, comforted, and ultimately empowered by the music around her. For Ketch Secor, music was similarly a wellspring of joy and solace as a child. "My family moved around so much," he says, "that music became a source of rootedness for me."

Secor, recalling "the smell and feel of the record, the pictures on the sleeve, and watching the needle bounce on the grooves," sees a strong connection between the tactile and visual experience of listening to a record and the unveiling of the story within a picture book. "I always wanted to try my hand at the craft of children's literature," he says, "so that I could impress something similar upon the children of todaythat music and literature sing in harmony together."

Secor found the right story in the character of Lorraine, who came to life when the author and his band were renting a farmhouse in Elk Park, N.C. They got to know "a community of elders who," he says, "imparted on us a wealth of knowledge about Appalachian folklife." Among the inspirations for Lorraine's character was a woman of Cherokee descent named Lorraine Sizemore, whose family owned the tobacco farm where Secor and his bandmates worked.

When Secor began crafting his book, he experienced firsthand the kinship between writing a children's book and writing a song. "The biggest similarities," Secor says, "are the meter and the rhyme scheme of the book, which are absolutely akin to song craft." He adds that he has always been drawn to art forms that blend mediums, as in the folk stories of John Henry and Casey Jones, which frequently have musical interludes.

While Secor was in familiar territory when creating his story, the publication process was a new experience. The most surprising and gratifying aspect was "seeing the collaborative nature of words and pictures coming together," he says. His publisher sent him numerous samples of illustrators' work, but he was most drawn to Higgins Bond's. "Higgins," he says, "is an incredible woman and artist. Like Lorraine, she is a Southern African-American who found she had a unique God-given talent from an early age."

Bond is a veteran illustrator. Her work has appeared on national TV, in books, and even on postage stamps. Her impressive list of clients includes the United States Postal Service, the United Nations Postal Administration, the Smithsonian Institution, and NBC, and she has received numerous awards and honors, including induction into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.

The Lorraine manuscript resonated with Bond as soon as she read it. "It is such a sweet story," she says. "I love the dynamic between the child and her grandfather. You can feel the love."

Bond's illustrations of Lorraine are loosely modeled after her granddaughter, Lexi, "but I did not use her exactly," she says. "Lorraine is really a composite of several little girls. But I think that she ended up with a lot of Lexi's personality and charm."

Bond was not familiar with Secor's musical career, but she says she "soon understood his desire to see this story absolutely infused with music." She isn't a musician herself, but she is a connoisseur. "You should see my CD and record collection!" she says.

As Lorraine makes its way onto bookstore and library shelves, Secor is eager to share the story with kids. In addition to his musical career, he is a parent and a literacy advocate; in fact, he founded the independent Episcopal School of Nashville, which opened its doors in 2016. As he visits schools to perform readings of Lorraine, he hopes that readers will also see the connection that he experiences between storytelling and song.

"I have found as a songwriter," Secor says, "that dipping my pen into a deeper well of American music and storytelling traditions has provided my audience with a more comprehensive understanding of just how interconnected music, language, and the written word are."A man is running through the forest yelling, "Anna." He notices he is wearing someone else's dinner jacket. When he looks down, he discovers he has another person's hands. He has no memory of who he is, how he made his way to the forest, or why he is inside another person's body. A silver compass drops from his pocket. A voice whispers one word: "East."



This is the opening of journalist Stuart Turton's first novel, The 7 12 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. Turton set out to write an Agatha Christiestyle story, complete with the big country house and rich people with secrets, but this isn't your parents' murder mystery.

"If you think Downton Abbey with a body count, you're halfway there," Turton says. The other half makes up what he calls "the most complicated murder mystery imaginable."

To be sure, nothing is predictable in the fast-paced pages of The 7 12 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. After realizing that he is Aiden Bishop, the novel's protagonist is given eight chances to solve a murder before it even takes place. Bishop must relive the day of the crime eight times in a Groundhog Daystyle time loop.

As if all that time travel weren't tough enough, Bishop experiences each day in the body of another character. Each physique is different from the one that preceded it. All have challenges for Bishop to overcome.

Turton says he used the bodies to help pace the story. Age, physical health, and intelligence accelerate or slow down the action at various points. "I needed somebody early in the book to run around the house getting in scrapes," he says. "So I invented a character who was young, fit, and very stupid. He had been preceded by a banker who was overweight but extremely clever." To keep track of this complexity, Turton says he used "the world's largest supply of Post-it notes, a vast spreadsheet, and separate notebooks for each character, detailing their motivations, habits, and peculiarities."

While Turton keeps a regular writing schedule, he is not a fan of daily writing goals. "Writing's stressful enough as it is without putting artificial word counts on what I'm doing," he says. "If it's good, I keep doing it. If it's bad, I stop and play my guitar until my brain unknots itself. Then I try again. Some days I play a lot of guitar."

The 7 12 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is just the beginning of Turton's novel-writing career. He's currently working on a new book. "By the time I finish this one," Turton says, "whatever I told you now would pretty much be a lie, so I'm going to keep quiet, except to say that it's going to be strange and fun and epic. That's what I'm hoping."Agate

Leonard Pitts Jr. will be in the publishers booth to sign 150 ARCs of The Last Thing You Surrender.

Akashic

On hand will be 150 galleys of Fame by Justine Bateman, 100 galleys of the novel A Student of History by Nina Revoyr, and 75 galleys of the memoir Tigerbelle: The Wyomia Tyus Story.

Algonquin

In attendance will be Tim Mohr for Burning Down the Haus, B.A. Shapiro for The Collectors Apprentice, and Julie Gaines and Ben Lenovitz for Minding the Store. There will be 100 galleys of each title.

American Academy of Pediatrics

The publisher will be giving away 50 galleys of Parenting Through Puberty by Suanne Kowal-Connelly.

Basic

Among the galleys being given away are A Mad Love by Vivien Schweitzer, Buzz by Thor Hanson, Napoleon by Adam Zamoyski, and The Incurable Romantic by Frank Tallis.

Blackstone

P.C. and Kristin Cast will be signing exclusive samplers of Lost, Orson Scott Card will sign galleys of A Town Divided by Christmas, and Susan Purvis will sign galleys of Go Find: My Journey to Find the Lostand Myself.

Bloomsbury

On offer are One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt by Ken Krimstein, and A Shot in the Dark by Lynne Truss.

Bonnier

One hundred copies of the novel Widows by Lynda La Plante will be up for grabs.

C&T

The crafting publisher will be giving away 100 galleys of the cozy mystery Tie Died by Carol Dean Jones.

Catapult

All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung and The Wildlands by Abby Geni will be available in-booth, 100 copies of each.

Crown

Up for the taking: 100 copies each of The Death of Truth by Michiko Kakutani, Thirst by Scott Harrison, Presidents of War by Michael Beschloss, Imagine it Forward by Beth Comstock, and Boom Town by Sam Anderson.

Da Capo

Adrift by Brian Murphy and Matters of Vital Interest by Eric Lerner will be on-offer.

Dey Street

The publisher will have 100 ARCs of each of Lands of Lost Borders by Kate Harris and Chesapeake Requiem by Earl Swift, and 50 copies of Fail Until You Dont by Bobby Bones and Astounding by Alec Nevala-Lee.

Doubleday

A total of 200 galleys of On Desperate Ground: The Marines at the Reservoir, the Korean Wars Greatest Battle by Hampton Sides will be available.

Dutton

Two hundred galleys of The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are on offer.

Ecco

Jonathan Lethem will sign 150 galleys of The Feral Detective, and Sarah Weinman will sign 150 galleys of The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World. The publisher will also have on hand 100 copies of Bearskin by James A. McLaughlin, French Exit by Patrick deWitt, and Beautiful Country Burn Again by Ben Fountain.

Europa

The publisher will be giving away galleys of Like a Sword Wound by Ahmet Altan.

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

John Jay Osborn will sign copies of Listen to the Marriage.

Flatiron

Kim Brooks will be available to sign copies of Small Animals.

Forge

Hank Phillippi Ryan will sign galleys of Trust Me.

Gallery

For the taking: Consumed by J.R. Ward and The Light over London by Julia Kelly.

Grand Central

Nicholas Sparks will sign copies of Every Breath (in-booth and at other events) and Abbi Jacobson will sign I Might Regret This (in booth and at other events). Other galleys on hand include We All Love the Beautiful Girls by Joanne Proulx, and From Here to You by Jamie McGuire.

Graphic Arts

The publisher is bringing 100 galley copies of both One Mans Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey (50th anniversary edition) by Sam Keith, and the novel Saving Miss Olivers by Stephen Davenport.

Graydon House

Helen Cullen will sign ARCs of The Lost Letters of William Woolf, and Hester Fox will sign The Witch of Willow Hall.

Graywolf

Alyson Hagy will sign 100 galleys of Scribe. The publisher will also have on offer 100 galleys of She Would Be King by Wateyu Moore, 75 copies of The Last Englishmen, and 50 copies of Human Hours: Poems.

Grove Atlantic

Several authors will be signing: Leif Enger for Virgil Wander (400 copies), Walter Mosley for John Woman (300 copies), and Eileen Myles for Evolution (300 copies). Plus the publisher will have 400 copies of Lisa Brennan Jobss Small Fry.

Hachette

Stephanie Land will be signing 200 copies of Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mothers Will to Survive. Also signing will be Paige Williams for The Dinosaur Artist (200 copies), and Mika Brzezinski for Know Your Value (200 copies).

Hachette Nashville

On hand will be Pull It Off by Julianna Zobrist and Jacobs Bell by John Snyder.

Hanover Square

Wil Medearis will sign ARCs of Restoration Heights.

Harlequin

Sarah Morgan will sign ARCs of The Christmas Sister.

Harper

Barbara Kingsolver will sign 100 copies of Unsheltered (in-booth and at other events). The publisher will also have 100 copies of each of The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar, Big Fella by Jane Leavy, and The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom.

HarperOne

A total of 100 copies each of Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikovas Read & Riot: A Pussy Riot Guide to Activism and Chris Gethards Lose Well will be available.

Harper Voyager

The publisher is giving away 100 ARCs of Sergei Dyachenckos Vita Nostra.

Holt

There will be 75 copies each of If You Love Me: A Mothers Journey Through Her Daughters Opioid Addiction by Maureen Cavanagh and Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down Americas Most Powerful Mobster by Stephen L. Carter up for grabs.

InterVarsity

Two hundred copies of each of the following will be there for the taking: Disruptive Witness by Alan Noble, Last Call for Liberty by Os Guinness, and Reconstructing the Gospel by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. The publisher will also have 175 copies of Suzanne Stabiles The Path Between Us.

Knopf

Available at the publishers booth will be 50 copies each of The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir, Clock Dance by Anne Tyler, Cherry by Nico Walker, Washington Black by Esi Edugyan, and Waiting for Eden by Elliot Ackerman.

Little, Brown

Wednesday Martin will sign Untrue, and Elin Hilderbrand will sign The Perfect Couple. Galleys of the following will also be on hand: Transcription by Kate Atkinson, The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason, An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigoze Obioma, and The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer.

Liveright

Galleys on offer include Ordinary People by Diana Evans and Joy Enough by Sarah McColl.

Meredith

The publisher will have 75 galleys of Breakfast by the editors of Extra Crispy, and 50 galleys of The Vegan 8 by Brandi Doming.

Minotaur

Peter Blauner will sign Sunrise Highway, and M.C. Beaton will sign finished copies of The Witches Tree.

Morrow

One hundred ARCs of each of Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter, I Know You by Gilly MacMillan, When the Men Were Gone by Marjorie Herrera, November Road by Lou Berney, and Family Trust by Kathy Wang.

Norton

Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Avis Lang, Wolves of Eden by Kevin McCarthy, Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Life, Love, and Food by Ann Hood are among the galleys available at the publishers booth.

Orbit

Rena Rossner will sign copies of The Sisters of the Winter Wood. Copies of Rosewater by Tad Thompson will also be given away.

Overlook

Among the galleys on offer in-booth are 100 advance copies of each of The Friendship Cure: A Manifesto for Reconnecting in the Modern World by Kate Leaver, The Missing Ingredient: The Curious Role of Time in Food and Flavor by Jenny Linford, and A Question of Trust by Penny Vincenzi.

Park Row

Lisa Unger will be on hand to sign Under My Skin, and Annie Ward will sign Beautiful Bad.

Penguin Press

The publisher will have 200 copies each of American Prison: A Reporters Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Shane Bauer and McGlue by Ottessa Moshfegh.

Picador

On hand will be 100 copies each of City of Devils by Paul French and Housegirl by Michael Donkor.

Plough

John Carlin and Oriol Malets graphic novel Mandela and the General and the anthology The Gospel in Dorothy L. Sayers will be on offer.

Putnam

Debut novel Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and House of Gold by Natasha Solomons will be available, 200 copies each.

Quirk

The publisher will be giving away galleys of We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix and Girl Squads by Sam Maggs.

Random House

Among the titles being given away: Lake Success by Gary Shteyngart (who will also be doing a signing in the general signing area), 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harai, A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult, and All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin.

Running Press

The publisher will be giving away copies of This Land by Dan Barry.

Scout

James Frey will sign galleys of Katerina. The press will also have on hand advance copies of The Waiter by Matias Faldbakken.

Shadow Mountain

Among the titles on hand will be Christmas by Accident by Camron Wright, Promises and Primroses by Josi S. Kilpack, and Kiss of the Spindle by Nancy Campbell Allen.

Simon & Schuster

Ellie Kemper will sign 300 excerpt booklets of My Squirrel Days.

Soho

In attendance will be Ed Lin to sign 100 galleys of 99 Ways to Die, and Dale Peck to sign 100 copies of Night Soil. Also available at the booth: 150 galleys of The Fifth Sun by Stephen Mack Jones and 100 galleys each of Were Doomed. Now What? by Roy Scranton and The Line by Martin Limon.

Sourcebooks

Marie Benedict will sign 200 copies of The Only Woman in the Room, and Susanna Kearsley will sign 200 copies of Belleweather. Also in the giveaway stack: 200 copies each of The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton and The Fallen Architect by Charles Belfoure, and 100 copies of Antonia Felixs Elizabeth Warren: Her Fight. Her Work. Her Life.

St. Martins

The following titles will be available during in-booth signings: The Ancient Nine by Ian Smith, Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage, and finished copies of What Truth Sounds Like by Michael Eric Dyson.

Sterling

Samantha Harris will sign 200 copies of Your Healthiest Heart. The publisher will also be giving away 200 galleys of Go Together by Shola Richards.

Thames & Hudson

The publisher will have 100 galleys of Josef Albers: Life and Work by Charles Darwent.

Tor

For an in-booth signing, V.E. Schwab will be in attendance to give away copies of the paperback edition of Vicious.

Touchstone

The publisher will have 300 galleys of The Lost Queen by Signe Pike and Tragedy Plus Time by Adam Cayton-Holland.

Turner

Andrew Newberg will sign 150 galleys of The Rabbis Brain: Mystics, Moderns, and the Science of Jewish Thinking. Nick Yetto will sign bookplates, and 150 copies of his debut novel, Sommelier of Deformity, will be available. The publisher will also give away 150 copies of Goat Yoga.

Twelve

Up for grabs are 200 copies of Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War by Eric Dezenhall and Gus Russo.

Univ. of Virginia

The press will be giving away 75 copies of Becoming Lincoln by William W. Freehling and Reading Through the Night by Jane Tompkins.

Workman

James Mustich will sign 150 galleys of 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die, and Jordan Matter will sign 125 copies of Born to Dance. Also available will be Belong by Radha Argawal, Unicorn Food by Kat Odell, and Beer Hacks by Ben Robinson.

Click here to see our Children's Galleys to Grab.On Wednesday, May 30, the Audio Publishers Association will hold its 24th annual daylong conference in the River Pavilion at New Yorks Javits Center. Its bound to be an upbeat affair, as APAs executive director Michele Cobb says that the audiobook industry has seen double-digit gains in sales dollars and units for the past five years. Its still exciting, she says. Theres lots of production and lots of growth. In addition, she notes, the group is happy to be back in the same conference space for a second year, because its one of the few areas of the convention center that enjoys abundant natural light.

Due to the positive response to last years program, which was attended by 400 people, capacity has been increased to 550. We shot higher this time, says Cobb, noting the event sold out during its preregistration phase and there is a waiting list.

The increased attendance at the APA Conference has spurred slight changes in the flow of programming. Were using multiple spaces at once to try to accommodate as many people as possible, Cobb says. As an example, she points out that an information session will run concurrently with the keynote lecture delivered by Charles Duhigg, Pulitzer Prizewinning business reporter for the New York Times and author of bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity. In his talk, Duhigg will explore the science of habit formation, illustrating why we do what we do and how we can change it, by drawing on a number of current case studies of corporations and organizations. According to information provided by Jackie Heller, director of speaker relations for the Harry Walker Agency, Duhiggs program also includes his explanation of why the most powerful habits have emotional cores, and how tweaking even one habit can have staggering effects.

While Duhigg speaks, the Contractors and Corporations session will meet. It will be geared to narrators and other independent contractors, introducing them to the pros and cons of becoming corporations. Thats a lot of the conversation right now in the industry about what to do with oneself as a small business, Cobb says.

New to the program lineup this year is a business-track session called Audio Meets Audience Development. It features a conversation between Mikel Ellcessor, v-p of special projects at the public radio station WNYC, and Jim Hanas, HarperCollinss audience development director. Were trying something differenttrying to do a deeper dive in some sessions, Cobb says.

Cobb expects an afternoon session with Tom Webster, v-p of strategy and marketing for Edison Research, the company with which APA partners for its consumer surveys, to be well attended. Webster gave the keynote at last years conference and has been invited back by popular demand. He will be sharing information from the newest APA sales survey, as well as a new consumer survey. The consumer survey is usually conducted every other year, but, according to Cobb, Weve actually had so much growth that weve decided to do another consumer survey this year.

The survey, covering audio listeners habits in 2017, homes in on whats happening in some of the new device space, like the smart speakers, Cobb says. Smartphones have widely been credited with helping the audiobook market to rise in recent years, and, she adds, Were seeing so much activity and chatter about smart speakers, and audio being used with those, that were excited to hear more. In the new APA consumer survey, which collected data for 2017, 19% of respondents said they had listened to audio on a smart speaker, Cobb adds. Thats why were expecting to see some growth in that, as it was a big holiday season for that particular item. Conference-goers will receive a preview of the latest survey results, and the reports will be more broadly released to the public in early June.

Among other session highlights, Cobb says she believes narrators will be enthusiastic about the (Self) Directing Audiobooks session. I know that many of them have to deal with doing self direction, so any guidance or background in that is helpful, she notes.

Toward the end of the day, the APA membership meeting will include a look at the initial data from the 2017 consumer survey data and the presentation of the organizations annual Audie Awards for Excellence in Design, Excellence in Marketing, and Excellence in Production. The festivities wrap up on a celebratory note as well with a closing beer, wine and networking social.He Keeps Going and Going and Going...

The #1 book in the country is A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, the Last Week Tonight with John Oliverbacked parody book featuring a gay rabbit who happens to be the pet of the vice president. The book had a rocky start when it published in late March, with many booksellers across the country frustrated that the title was originally available only through Amazon. (It was back-ordered on Amazon, as well.) Publisher Chronicle has since stocked its distribution channels, as evidenced by the huge surge in sales in the past few weeks.

(As for the book it parodies, Marlon Bundos Day in the Life of the Vice President by Charlotte Pence, daughter of v-p Mike Penceits sold just over 26,000 print copies to date.)

(See all of this week's bestselling books.)

Serial Winners

New additions to two popular series top our Childrens Fiction list. At the summit is Rick Riordans The Burning Maze, which continues the adventures of Greek god Apollo, who has been ejected from Mount Olympus by Zeus and now lives as a teenager named Lester Papadopoulos. One spot below, Sarah J. Masss A Court of Frost and Starlight picks up a few months after the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin.

Youll Want to Find That Shaker of Salt

Jimmy Buffett contributes the forward to Margaritaville: The Cookbook, by Margaritaville concept chef Carlo Sernaglia and prolific cookbook writer Julia Turshen. The laid-back cookbook cruised to #11 on our Hardcover Nonfiction list, and our review praised the books seafood recipes. Parrotheads can rest assured that there is indeed a recipe here for the Cheeseburger in Paradise.

Less Is More

Andrew Sean Greers Less won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in April and appears on our Hardcover Fiction list for the first time. It sold just shy of 4,500 copies last week, its best sales week since its July 2017 release and its third straight week of sales gains.

New & Notable

Adjustment Day

Chuck Palahniuk

#5 Hardcover Frontlist Fiction

Palahniuk returns to Norton (publisher of Fight Club) for his latest apocalyptic romp, which is set in a near future where the U.S. has splintered into demographically-aligned states. Our review calls the premise over-the-top and the story thin.

Dont Stop Believin

Jonathan Cain

#19 Hardcover Frontlist Nonfiction

Cain, keyboardist for the rock band Journey, shares stories from the road, his childhood, and the studio in what our review says is an electric, revealing memoir.

Top 10 Overall

Rank Title Author Imprint Units 1 A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo Twiss/Keller Chronicle 191,603 2 Magnolia Table Joanna Gaines Morrow 90,076 3 The Burning Maze (The Trials Of Apollo #3) Rick Riordan Disney-Hyperion 52,834 4 A Court of Frost and Starlight Sarah J. Maas Bloomsbury 51,050 5 The 17th Suspect Patterson/Paetro Little, Brown 39,608 6 A Higher Loyalty James B. Comey Flatiron 39,302 7 Oh, the Places Youll Go! Dr. Seuss Random House 28,994 8 The Fallen David Baldacci Grand Central 24,402 9 The Midnight Line Lee Child Dell 24,100 10 Hillbilly Elegy J.D. Vance Harper 16,762

All unit sales per Nielsen BookScan except where noted.Purdue University President Mitch Daniels connects via a live downlink with Purdue alumni astronauts Scott Tingle, left, and Andrew Feustel, who are aboard the International Space Station some 250-plus miles above Earth. Tingle performed the hooding for Feustel as he received his honorary Doctor of Science degree. (Purdue University photo/John Underwood)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Purdue University connected live to the International Space Station to award NASA astronaut and alumnus Andrew J. Drew Feustel an honorary doctorate during its spring commencement ceremonies at the West Lafayette campus.

Feustel (pronounced FOY-stull), a Purdue College of Science graduate (BS 89, MS 91) currently stationed aboard the ISS, received an honorary Doctor of Science degree via a live link to the ISS during the Friday evening (May 11) ceremony in Purdues Elliott Hall of Music.

Ordinarily, a Purdue dean places the ceremonial hood on honorary degree recipients, but for obvious logistical reasons, an exception was made in this case. Fellow Boilermaker and NASA astronaut Scott Tingle, who is also stationed on the ISS, stood in and placed the hood on Feustel. Purdue alumnus Gary Horlacher (BSE 89 interdisciplinary engineering) served as the honorary capsule communicator (CAPCOM) at Johnson Space Center in Houston for the link with the ISS.

Both astronauts made remarks to graduates during the ceremony. Purdue President Mitch Daniels also addressed graduates, encouraging them to rise to the worlds grand challenges as so many Boilermakers before them have done. Daniels remarks and the honorary degree conferral were broadcast live on NASA TV.

Boilermakers are known for making Giant Leaps for the benefit of humankind, from Neil Armstrongs historic first step on the moon to todays plant scientists helping feed the worlds growing population. Drew Feustels courage on behalf of our nation as he works to make the next Giant Leap in space science and exploration gives us all much to be proud of, Daniels said.

Feustel earned a bachelors degree in solid earth sciences from the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences in the College of Science and a masters degree in geophysics from Purdue. He is a veteran of three NASA spaceflights and is currently assigned to Expedition 55/56 aboard the ISS, where he and his crewmates are working on about 250 science investigations in fields such as biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences and technology development.

He has spent a total of 80 days in space, including 51 days in space on this, his third mission, and has conducted seven spacewalks totaling 48 hours and 28 minutes of spacewalking time. His eighth spacewalk is planned for Wednesday (May 16). He is scheduled to return to Earth in October.

Before joining NASA in 2000, he was a geophysicist for the Engineering Seismology Group in Ontario, Canada, and an exploration geophysicist for Exxon Mobil Exploration Co. His first spaceflight was the STS-125 final mission to the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009, followed by Space Shuttle Endeavors final mission to the International Space Station on STS-134, where he served as the lead spacewalker in 2011.

Purdue, known as the Cradle of Astronauts, has graduated 24 NASA astronauts, including the first and most recent people to walk on the moon, along with hundreds of others who work at NASA and in the space industry. More than one-third of all U.S. spaceflights with humans aboard have included at least one Boilermaker. By the end of 2018, Purdue astronauts will have spent the equivalent of more than 1,100 days in space.

Contact: Jim Bush, 765-494-2077, jsbush@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: B-roll video of students at commencement and alumnus Drew Feustel receiving his Purdue honorary doctorate is available at https://drive.google.com/ drive/ folders/ 1gD40EOvpBgPCw6MLlgVyDBQ2m7XgUgWU. Video of President Mitch Daniels commencement address is available at https://drive.google.com/ drive/ folders/ 17JD8SwALbkqKq5TKOnuGXiunXEKdbctPFrance has ordered a new nuclear-powered attack submarine.

Following a May 2 ministerial investment meeting presided over by Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly, Paris announced that it was purchasing a fifth Barracuda nuclear attack submarine, Defense News reported. The decision came after the French Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Christophe Prazuck told parliament last October that he expected the fifth submarine to be ordered sometime in 2018.The war in Afghanistan has become so protracted that it warrants the epithet the Groundhog Day War.

Fighting has gone on for nearly 17 years, with U.S. troops in Afghanistan seven years longer than the Soviets were.

The U.S. leadership claims to have a strategy for victory even as warm weather brings in yet another fighting season and new rounds of deadly violence in Kabul.

Sixteen years and seven months of violence, loss, sacrifice and significant investment, without victory, is alarming  but is it without hope?

As a scholar of Afghanistan and strategy and a soldier who has served four tours in the country, Id like to explore both the apparent stalemate and the reasons for harboring hope of an eventual resolution.

The Groundhog War

In terms of fighting battles and taking ground, momentum in the war in Afghanistan has ebbed back and forth from the coalition formed by the U.S., NATO and Afghan troops to the Islamist insurgents who call themselves the Taliban, or the students.

The two sides see gains and losses each year, until colder weather diminishes their ability to fight until the following spring. As the weather warms up, the pattern repeats itself. This story is told by 10 years of U.S. Department of Defense reports on Afghanistan that are required every six months by Congress.

Of course, its impossible to identify simple reasons for the failure to win something as complex as a war. Early on, the coalition and its Afghan partners lacked a strategy and a willingness to help rebuild the country after decades of war among Afghans, Russians, the Mujihadeen  and ultimately the Taliban  made Afghanistan one of the most damaged and destitute countries on the planet.

The Bush administration reviled the notion of nation-building, focusing instead on targeting individuals for killing and capturing. For the first several years, the U.S. relied too heavily on warlords, tolerated venal Afghan leadership and employed air power indiscriminately, thus inadvertently killing civilians. All of this aggrieved many Afghans.

Still, none of those missteps were decisive. Rather, I would argue that the war has dragged on for one overarching reason  Pakistans support for the Taliban.

The proof is in years of those Department of Defense reports.

A place to run and hide

The November 2013 report stated that Pakistan provides physical sanctuary to the Taliban leadership and that sanctuary is a major factor preventing their decisive defeat. It reported, Taliban insurgents that attack Coalition forces continue to operate from Pakistan. Whats more, most of the materials required to sustain the conflict, and emanating from Pakistan, remained significant.

Nothing had changed three years later when, at the end of 2016, yet another report noted that the Taliban  including the senior leadership of the lethal Haqqani clan that excels at high-profile terrorist attacks  had retained sanctuary inside Pakistan.

The December 2017 report affirmed the externally supported Haqqani Network remains the greatest threat to Afghan, U.S., and Coalition forces.

In testimony before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, General Joe Votel, the commander of U.S. Central Command expressed concerns about the Haqqani network, saying it poses the greatest threat to Coalition forces operating in Afghanistan.

Of course, Pakistans security establishment consistently and eloquently denies all this.

AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq

Too much tactics

A corollary explanation for the stalemate is Americas tendency to focus on strikes and operations without necessarily linking those operations to the ultimate desired outcome: peace and stability.

This was the case 30 years ago when the U.S. was supporting the Mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan War, and it was the case with Rumsfelds Pentagon from the beginning years of the war in Afghanistan.

After the ill-conceived invasion of Iraq, Afghanistan turned into a secondary and underresourced effort for the U.S. with a limited number of special operations and conventional forces conducting strikes and raids to kill or capture key leaders. There was a dearth of troops and resources committed to address the challenge of stabilizing the country.

The biannual defense department reports tell this story too. They tend to quantify the number of tactical actions  rather than assessing their effectiveness. While strikes that kill or capture enemy leaders do disrupt and damage the Taliban, their effects are fleeting, not decisive. They do not bring strategic momentum.

Not hopeless

However, with the change in policy last August, there is cause for hope.

The stated policy of the current administration is to win in Afghanistan. This contrasts to the previous policy, which was simply not to lose.

But what would winning look like?

A win, according to a definition worked out during my tours as an adviser to senior military leaders, would be a durable Afghan state, with the government, the security forces and the population aligned against a marginalized Taliban.

Another reason for hope is that this new strategy is based on conditions on the ground being met, not arbitrary timelines. The strategy calls for an increase of about 3,500 U.S. forces  to a total of over 14,000  to advise and assist the Afghan security forces. NATO countries are also contributing additional troops, bringing the total number of Coalition troops in Afghanistan to more than 21,000.

This modest increase in troops isnt enough to break the strategic stalemate. However, it will support growing the Afghan Special Security Forces, building the capacity of the Afghan Air Force and improving the other security forces by employing more advisers with tactical units that do the fighting. That should allow the Afghan security forces to win more battles against the Taliban and gather marked operational momentum that will complement efforts to alter Pakistans harmful strategic proclivities.

Perhaps most notably, the new strategy avows that we must see fundamental changes in the way Pakistan deals with terrorist safe-havens in its territory for the strategy to gain momentum.

Of course, just stating that there is a new strategy does not necessarily mean the strategy is working. In mid-January 2018, Americas U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, stated that Afghanistan peace talks are closer than ever before. Days later, the Haqqani network attacked the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel, killing at least 30 people. Less than a week later, the Haqqani network murdered more than 100 people by detonating an explosive-laden ambulance in a crowded section of Kabul. Two more complex suicide attacks followed in April. And in early May, Islamist militants attacked a voter registration site in Khost Province, killing over 17 and wounding more than 30. Khost is next to the Haqqani sanctuary in Pakistan.

Since 9/11, the United States has explicitly stipulated that Pakistan must cease support to extremist and terrorist groups. Diplomacy and US$33 billion in aid since 2002 have not brought a change in Pakistans conduct. Some have suggested that withholding aid from Pakistan is a step in the right direction. Withholding funds is not nearly good enough to compel accountability, nor to punish Pakistan for years of odious actions. Pakistan has not stopped its support of terrorists and insurgents in Afghanistan in any fundamental way. It is time to consider responding with punitive, lethal measures aimed at institutions in Pakistan that directly advise and fund the Taliban and the Haqqani network.

Some may wonder why its necessary to persist in this war  and not just bring the U.S. involvement in it to an end.

Practically speaking, Afghanistan represents an excellent base for combating Islamist terrorists in that region of the world.

But there is also an ethical argument for seeing the war through to a successful end. Afghanistan has been the good war of the post-9/11 wars. The United States went to war there for the right reasons  defeating al-Qaida, the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks, and removing the Taliban regime that provided sanctuary to al-Qaida. Although imperfectly carried out, the coalition also attempted to fight a just war by avoiding the killing of civilians. It would be fair to argue that it is a moral imperative that the U.S. not quit on a commitment to its Afghan allies in a war against externally directed murderous Islamists.

Robert M. Cassidy, Chamberlain Project Teaching Fellow, Wesleyan University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.Last week, the Kilauea volcano on the island of Hawaii began oozing lava from 15 cracks in its East Rift Zone, destroying streets and burning up three dozen homes in the Leilani Estates subdivision. Officials are also warning residents of toxic sulfur dioxide emissions.In a somber televised address to the country on Tuesday, Argentine President Mauricio Macri announced his government would open talks with the International Monetary Fund, reportedly to seek $30 billion of support for his country's ailing economy.

Macri said the move was necessary to avoid crises like the ones we have had in our history. The news came as a shock in Argentina, where many blame the IMF for exacerbating the catastrophic economic collapse of 2001.

Hours after the news broke, protesters had gathered outside the Congress Building in downtown Buenos Aires with posters saying No to the IMF and IMF=Austerity.Southeast Asia has been a hotbed of issues that are not democratic in nature, but Wednesday's outpouring of Malayia voters, showing their frustration by voting out a government accused of massive corruption, has shown a path for other nations to follow.They say never go grocery shopping while hungry and having a hungry kid while grocery shopping can make the chore that much more difficult. But thanks to a program at ShopRite stores, kids can now get a healthy snack while you shop.

The 'Free Fruit for Kids' program has expanded to New Haven County, specifically Wallingford, to bring the number of stores offering the program to 125 in the six states it operates in.Things were looking up for Iranians like Mohammad Reza Azali. Two months after the nuclear deal was struck in 2015, he started an English-language technology news website in Tehran as the reformist politicians he supported opened up the country.

Then came the election of Donald Trump.

The president's decision to withdraw the United States from the agreement has given succor to the hard-line skeptics whose mantra all along has been that you can't trust the Americans. It leaves the Islamic Republic torn between those who want change like 30-year-old Azali and those who want to take the country down a more conservative path.

Thousands of young Iranians backed President Hassan Rouhani, believing he could put an end to international isolation and sanctions that had been crippling the economy. But the moderates are under attack from those opposed to engaging with the West.

The leading conservative daily newspaper in Iran, Kayhaan, railed against Rouhani for not abandoning what's left of the nuclear agreement, which still has the support of European countries. Iran should trash it and end western interference, it said.

"Iranian hard-liners couldn't have wished for a better ally than the Trump administration," said Ali Vaez, Iran director at the International Crisis Group in Washington. "The system still needs Rouhani and his team of economic technocrats and smiling diplomats to keep the country afloat. But it will make sure that the end of their term marks the end of their political careers."

Rouhani, 69, won power in 2013 by promising to plug Iran back into the global economy. The accord to limit Iran's nuclear capabilities in return for rapprochement with the West was a landmark breakthrough. Implemented in January 2016 to cheering crowds in Tehran, it showed he had confronted the conservatives and gained the approval of Iran's Supreme Leader.

He was re-elected last year with an enhanced majority, but his landmark initiative was already unraveling after failing to deliver the economic dividend the government promised and opposing factions were rounding on him. Frustrations spilled over into unrest in December and January.

"The reformists have lost credibility -- period," said Fouad Izadi, an associate professor at the Faculty of World Studies at Tehran University and a critic of the nuclear deal. "Rouhani was pushing for the agreement the hardest. There's now going to be a paradigm shift in terms of how he conducts foreign policy."

Already there have been signs of Rouhani being drawn into open battles with elements of Iran's state that oppose his policies.

A week ago, he rebuked a decision by the judiciary to ban the popular messaging app Telegram saying that such decisions should be made with "the real owners of the country, the people." Judicial authorities have pushed ahead with the ban anyway.

As for the nuclear accord, Rouhani warned of consequences for the U.S. that would lead to "historic regret." He also said, though, that Iran will keep complying with the deal with the five remaining participants -- the U.K., France, Germany, China and Russia. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will meet with his British, French and German counterparts on May 15 in Brussels.

Key now is what the Europeans do to salvage it, said Shahnaz Ramaram, a reformist member of the city council in the conservative stronghold of Mashhad, a city in northeast Iran. "It helps weaken the reformists and moderates, but of course only if the Europeans fail in their ability to preserve the nuclear deal," Ramaram said.

Trump confirmed on Tuesday his widely expected move to pursue fresh sanctions on Iran. He said it would eventually lead to a better deal.

In the Iranian Parliament on Wednesday, lawmakers burned the American flag as well as an apparent copy of the deal's text, an act that was mirrored in some city council chambers across the country.

Amene Shirafkan, a political activist and journalist who stood in Tehran's local council elections last year, is concerned about the damaging political fallout - and the reformists are in the firing line.

"With great difficulty and hard work they managed to return their voice to Iranian politics after years in hiding," Shirafkan said. "Now it'll be like a marriage between Trump's policy and Iran's hard-liners."

Reformists in Tehran said they hope years of sanctions mean the country has built up a resilience and will stay on track. Others are concerned the conservatives will prevail and Iran will walk away from what remains of the nuclear deal after the promised foreign investment failed to arrive.

Izadi at Tehran University said some factions on both sides will unite to confront the old enemy as the problems mount up for the country. The currency, the rial, has plunged in value and there's also the specter of a banking crisis.

It leaves Rouhani supporters like Azali wondering what's next for him and his Internet company TechRasa.

"We wanted to build a bridge between Iran and the outside world to tell people overseas what was happening here," he said. "Trump's arrival has thrown a lot of stones in our way."U.S. Customs and Border Protection/AP Photo/U.S. Customs and Border Protection

An impressive photo by Texas police shows the lengths alleged drug smugglers will go to hide contraband.

On Thursday, the Round Rock Police Department shared a photo of a Honda Accord's modified gas tank containing 71 pounds of methamphetamine, worth $2 million.

NEAT DATA: Map shows which drugs are most common in the Texas workforce

Police said they discovered the massive cache of drugs after an officer pulled over a vehicle whose occupants had conflicting stories.



During the traffic stop on Interstate 35 authorities said a K-9 drug-sniffing dog gave a positive alert leading to the bust.

Police said an estimated $2 million worth of methamphetamine was crammed inside the modified gas tank.

From the looks of the slushy contraband, it doesn't seem like the cleanest way to ship a product.

Round Rock police arrested 36-year-old Leon Fields of Theodore, Alabama, on a charge of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, reports the Austin-American Statesman.

Scroll through above to see some of the strangest and most unique ways drugs have been smuggled.At first, Kendra Jackson thought her runny nose was due to a cold or perhaps an allergy. Nothing that a little rest, a couple of aspirin and perhaps an antihistamine couldn't fix.

But medications didn't work. In addition to the sniffling, the Omaha, Neb., woman would cough and sneeze. Her head would throb constantly with pain. It was so bad, she couldn't sleep at night.

This went on for years.

A parade of doctors came to the same conclusion  it's just allergies. Meanwhile Jackson was going through a box of tissues daily to combat the flow.

"[It was] like a waterfall, continuously, and then it would run to the back of my throat," Jackson told KETV.

There was one clue to the medical mystery: Jackson's symptoms began a couple years after a 2013 car accident. Her car was violently rear-ended by another vehicle, the impact propelling her face into the dashboard.

Eventually she turned to Nebraska Medicine for help. A physician's assistant discovered that, as Nebraska Medicine later wrote emphatically on Facebook, cerebrospinal fluid "FROM HER BRAIN WAS LEAKING OUT OF HER NOSE!"

Nebraska Medicine rhinologist Dr. Christie Barnes and the Ear Nose and Throat team estimated Jackson was losing about a half-pint of cerebrospinal fluid per day through a small hole in her skull that drained to her nose.

MORE: Mom who let 4-year-old eat a PB&J in a shopping cart branded a monster by parenting forum

Fortunately, angled instruments made repairing the hole relatively easy. Jackson's own fatty tissue was used to plug the leak in an operation a few weeks ago.

Jackson is sleeping much better now and no longer has to blow her nose regularly. Doctors expect her to make a full recovery.Azerbaijan has warned Armenia that it is prepared for "large-scale military operations" and says that comments by its neighbor's new leadership about the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region are "unacceptable."

The warning was delivered by Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov at a meeting of Azerbaijani military officials on May 12, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The statement was issued three days after Armenia's new prime minister, Nikol Pashinian, visited Nagorno-Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan under the control of ethnic Armenian forces.

In a speech to parliament before his election on May 8, Pashinian said that the "revolution" that swept him into power will lead to the "recognition of realizing the rights of Karabakh to self-determination."

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry statement said Hasanov denounced "reckless statements made by various [Armenian] officials," including Pashinian, "following the change of leadership in that country."

"The defense minister warned Armenia's military-political leadership that such actions of the opponent are unacceptable, and the Azerbaijani army is fully prepared for large-scale military operations," the ministry said.

Nagorno-Karabakh, populated mainly by ethnic Armenians, declared independence from Azerbaijan during a 1988-94 conflict that killed some 30,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.

The international community still considers the region to be part of Azerbaijan, and no country has recognized its 1991 declaration of independence.

Three decades of diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the conflict have brought little progress.Egypt has denounced a poll by Russia's state-funded RT network asking readers whether a disputed Red Sea border territory belongs to Egypt or Sudan.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a May 12 statement that the poll published on RT's website a day earlier constituted "unacceptable conduct" and that it had demanded an explanation from Russian officials.

"The Foreign Ministry contacted the Russian side on the morning of Saturday May 12th to express its strong condemnation of the opinion poll conducted by the Russian government-affiliated channel, and demanded an urgent explanation for this unacceptable conduct," ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in the statement.

Zeid said that Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry had canceled an interview he had planned to give to RT on May 12.

Egypt controls the Halayeb triangle, but Sudan has claimed the territory since 1958. The dispute has been a source of tension between the two nations for years.

Egypt's State Information Service, the agency overseeing foreign media, said in a statement that it had summoned RT representatives over the poll, which it said undermines Egypt's sovereignty.

The agency said later on May 12 that the online poll had been removed.

Based on reporting by AP and ReutersEuropean nations are moving to protect their companies from a resumption of stiff U.S. sanctions on firms doing business in Iran, in a critical part of their bid to keep the Iranian nuclear deal alive and ensure it continues to benefit Iran's economy.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's spokeswoman said U.S. President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call late on May 11 that talks are needed to discuss how the renewed U.S. sanctions on Iran's oil and banking sectors will affect European companies operating in the country under terms of the 2015 nuclear deal that Trump has now abandoned.

Britain, France, and Germany -- along with Russia and China -- all have said they remain committed to honoring the deal and believe it remains the best way to ensure Iran does not resume development of nuclear weapons.

Iranian President Hassan Rohani also has said Iran will continue honoring the deal's curbs on its nuclear activities, but only so long as Iran's economy continues to benefit from the sanctions relief that was authorized under the deal and which enabled European companies to start doing business in Iran again in 2016.

Rohani is asking the European powers for guarantees that the benefits will continue in the future -- something that is possible only if European businesses are able to continue operating in Iran.

Germany and France, in particular, have established significant trade links with Iran. Both countries have asked the U.S. Treasury Department to consider exempting their companies from the sanctions.

If the United States continues to threaten fines against companies for violating the sanctions, France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on May 10 that European Union states would propose sanctions-blocking measures to the European Commission to protect their companies.

"Do we accept extraterritorial sanctions? The answer is no," Le Maire told reporters in Paris, adding that France won't accept the "vassalization of Europe" by U.S. officials bent on reimposing sanctions on Iran.

Le Maire said he was seeking U.S. exemptions for French countries already present in Iran, including Renault, Total, Sanofi, Danone, and Peugeot.

He said he told U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that if he doesn't exempt the French companies, he should consider a so-called grandfather clause for deals struck in Iran since 2015 or an extension of the 90-day period the Treasury Department has set to wind down operations in Iran.

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz had also asked for exemptions to help German companies, Handelsblatt newspaper reported.

Much is at stake for both countries. French exports to Iran doubled to 1.5 billion euros last year, driven by sales of aircraft and automobile parts, according to customs data.

Exports of German goods to Iran rose by around 400 million euros to 3 billion euros. Around 120 German firms have operations with their own staff in Iran, including industrial giant Siemens, and some 10,000 other German companies trade with Iran.

But while France said it was ready to fight the U.S. sanctions with European countermeasures, German officials said each company will have to examine the legal implications of continuing business in Iran and make their own decision about whether to stay in Iran or honor the U.S. sanctions.

"We are ready to talk to all the companies concerned about what we can do to minimize the negative consequences" of the U.S. sanctions, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told Deutschlandfunk radio. "That means, it is concretely about damage limitation."

The new U.S. ambassador in Berlin, Richard Grenell, has been warning German companies to heed the U.S. sanctions. He was quoted by Germany's Bild newspaper as saying firms should question the morality of doing business with Iran.

"Germany, France, and Britain -- the 'EU3' -- say themselves that Iran poses a threat. Do they want to do business with a threat?" he asked.

Iran was also seeking information on May 10 about the impact of U.S. sanctions on European businesses. It asked Europe's Airbus plane manufacturer to announce whether it will go ahead with a deal to sell Iran dozens of passenger planes following the U.S. pullout.

That appears unlikely after Mnuchin said this week that he intends to revoke licenses for the Airbus sales as well as planned plane sales by U.S. manufacturer Boeing.

Meanwhile, Russia moved on May 10 to accelerate planned economic ties with Iran. The Kremlin said that Russia and its ex-Soviet allies in the European Economic Union will sign a free-trade pact with Iran next week.

The grouping includes Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan.

With reporting by Reuters and APRussian authorities say a garbage truck driver was shot and injured near a landfill outside Moscow that has triggered high-profile protests by locals who say it is emitting toxic fumes.

The driver on May 12 was hit in the arm with a bullet from an unidentified gun fired from a tree near the Yadrovo landfill on the outskirts of Volokolamsk, some 100 kilometers west of Moscow, regional police said in a statement.



The police statement did not identify the type of vehicle or its destination. But Russian news agencies cited regional police as confirming that it was a garbage truck.

The police statement indicated the incident happened about 4 kilometers from the Yadrovo landfill.

Volokolamsk residents have demonstrated against the dump since January, and the protests intensified after dozens of children were rushed to hospitals with symptoms of gas poisoning in March.

The largest rally in Volokolamsk took place on April 1, when several thousand people demanded the closure of the dump.

The high-profile protests triggered similar actions against landfills in several other towns near Moscow last month.

The Yadrovo landfill was opened in 2008 as a dumping site for garbage from Moscow and nearby regions.

Volokolamsk residents are set to vote on the possible closure of the dump in a June 17 referendum.

Russia's state-run TASS news agency cited the regional Health Ministry as saying that the driver was treated for his injury and did not require hospitalization.

Regional police said they were searching for the person who shot the driver and were determining whether to open a criminal case in connection with the incident.

With reporting by Interfax and TASSThousands of people gathered in front of the Georgian parliament building in Tbilisi on May 12 to protest an overnight antidrug raid by police on two popular nightclubs in the capital, calling on the interior minister to resign. The raids drew criticism for what some called an excessive use of police force against clubgoers.TBILISI -- Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Georgia to protest an overnight drug raid by police on two popular nightclubs in the capital, demanding the resignations of the interior minister and the prime minister.

Around 4,000 demonstrators -- many dancing to electronic music pulsating from speakers -- had gathered outside the Georgian parliament building in Tbilisi by early evening on May 12 in response to the morning raid that drew criticism for what some called an excessive use of police force against club-goers.

As night set in, the music -- and the nightclub atmosphere -- intensified, with the demonstration morphing into a kind of makeshift rave, while tents were seen being set up by protesters late in the evening.

The Interior Ministry said its officers had detained eight suspected drug dealers after storming the two clubs, Bassiani and Cafe Gallery, in the early hours of May 12.



Critics call the operation a PR stunt by police aimed at demonstrating its commitment to enforcing strict drug laws and intimidating the thriving and growing club scene in the Georgian capital.

Some club-goers allege that drugs may have been planted by police.



"The only thing they've been trying to do lately is to turn public opinion against humane drug policies," activist Beka Tsikarishvili told RFE/RL at the rally.



"This is what the recent events illustrate. So we really cannot hope that under this administration any positive changes can take place in this country," Tsikarishvili added.



The raid followed a string of what are believed to be drug-related deaths in Tbilisi in recent weeks.



Police detained several protesters near the clubs at dawn as authorities tried to close off nearby streets.



They later detained several more protesters and activists as club-goers made their way toward the parliament building to stage a spontaneous protest.



Giorgi Mshvenieradze, the head of the Georgian Democracy Initiative, a nongovernmental organization, said that some in Georgia "view clubbing subculture as something debauched and immoral."



"This is very bad. But what's even worse is that the state started playing their game and showed society that on a Friday night it can storm a nightclub with hundreds of special forces, just to detain eight people," Mshvenieradze told RFE/RL.



Mamuka Chelidze, head of the Interior Ministry's criminal police department, told a news conference that the ministry "has been conducting intensive investigative measures for the last three months to establish the facts of the drug trade in Bassiani and Gallery nightclubs."

Anna Subeliani, one of the organizers of the rally, told RFE/RL that they will not stop until their demands are met.

Another activist, Giorgi Tabagari, called the raid on the two clubs a blow to progressive social movements in Georgia.

Several leading human rights organizations in Georgia have issued a joint petition calling for the government to hold those responsible for the police operation accountable.

The groups said the raid was a "demonstration of force" that "openly and blatantly violated human rights," and they urged authorities to introduce more humane drug policies.

Georgia's ombudswoman, Nino Lomjaria, told a local television station that her representatives had met with the eight detainees and that they claimed they were apprehended several hours before police raided the clubs.

Lomjaria said she still needs to examine case materials and video footage related to the operation.

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze told reporters on May 12 that the nightlife economy and "clubbing life will develop, and we will support it as much as possible."

But he said the "drug trade" was an issue of serious concern.

"Our sisters and brothers are dying, and I am convinced that the youth, which is now standing in front of the parliament, will stand by our side and we will fight drug traders together," Kaladze said.

Kaladze also said two of the eight detainees had been released, but police and the detainees' lawyers had yet to confirm this.

The protests in Georgia follow weeks of street demonstrations in neighboring Armenia that forced the prime minister to resign and led to the election of Nikol Pashinian, an opposition activist and politician to the premiership.

With reporting by ReutersIran and Israel engaged in a war or words two days after an exchange of missile fire in Syria, with a prominent Iranian cleric threatening to "raze" two Israeli cities if it "acts foolishly" and attacks Iranian forces in Syria again.

Israel's defense minister issued his own warning, saying Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will face only "damage and problems" unless he kicks the Iranian military presence out of his country.

Israeli minister Avigdor Lieberman said Assad should especially beware of Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Quds Force, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps that oversees operations outside Iran's borders.

"I have a message for Assad: Get rid of the Iranians, get rid of Qassem Soleimani and the Quds Force. They are not helping you, they are only harming," Lieberman said.

"Their presence will only cause problems and damage. Get rid of the Iranians and we can, perhaps, change our mode of life here," he said.

On May 10, Israel accused Iran of firing rockets from Syria into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the first time that Iran is believed to have attacked Israel with rockets.

Israel struck back with its heaviest air strikes in Syria since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, saying it had attacked nearly all of Iran's military infrastructure in the country. A war monitor said the missile exchange left 23 fighters dead.

Israel has warned it will not allow Iran to establish a military presence close to its borders in Syria, where Iranian military advisers, troops, and allied Shi'ite militia have since 2011 played a key role backing Assad in his civil war against Sunni rebels.

Iran on May 10 called Israel's accusations, which were supported and corroborated by the United States and Western allies, "fabricated and baseless excuses" to stage attacks in Syria.

A senior Iranian cleric, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, warned that the Jewish state could face destruction if it continues to challenge Iran.

"We will expand our missile capabilities despite Western pressure...to let Israel know that if it acts foolishly, we will raze Tel Aviv and Haifa to the ground," he said in remarks during Friday Prayers that were carried on Iranian state television.

A prominent Iranian ally in Lebanon joined the verbal volley on May 10, warning that both Israel and the United States will face retaliation for repeated Israeli air strikes in Syria that monitors say have killed dozens of Syrian, Iranian, and Hizballah fighters in recent weeks.

Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is allied with Hizballah, told the Associated Press in an interview that some 1,000 U.S. troops that are stationed in northern and eastern Syria to fight the Islamic State extremist group may be in danger.

"There are American interests in Syria and if there is a larger war, I don't think even the American president can bear the consequences," Berri said.

The White House on May 10 repeated its demand that Iran stop its "reckless actions" against U.S. allies Israel and Saudi Arabia.

After a telephone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May, "both leaders condemned the Iranian regime's provocative rocket attacks from Syria against Israeli citizens," the White House said.

"It is time for responsible nations to bring pressure on Iran to change this dangerous behavior," said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, AP, and Reuters

Iraqis took to the polls on May 12 to vote in the country's first parliamentary elections since Baghdad declared victory over Islamic State (IS) militants and routed the extremist group from most Iraqi territory last year.

The electoral commission said preliminary figures showed turnout was 44.52 percent, far short of the 60 percent recorded in previous elections and a record low since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Some 22.5 million people were eligible to vote.

Official results were expected to be announced on May 13 or 14.

Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, a Shi'a who has sought to balance the competing influences of Washington and Tehran, was marginally ahead in opinion polls ahead of the vote.

"With the help of God, the general voting process took place in all provinces of Iraq today, and the Iraqi people were able to cast their votes to select their representatives freely and safely," Abadi said on Twitter.

"The provinces liberated from [Islamic State] saw the holding of free voting for the first time after the big victory over and defeat of [Islamic State]," he added.

Abadi's Victory Alliance list got a big boost in the polls from public approval of his proclaimed victory in December over IS, which at one point in 2014 occupied one-third of Iraq's territory.

Polls show Abadi also won approval for forcefully putting a stop to a bid by Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region to declare independence last year. But he lacks charisma and has been blamed for failing to improve the economy.

Abadi also cannot rely solely on votes from the Shi'ite community to win another term in office, as Iraq's majority Shi'a are unusually split this year between three rival candidates.

Making up for the lack of united backing from Shi'a, polls show Abadi has drawn an unusual level of support in the northern city of Mosul and other areas dominated by Sunnis who were liberated from IS.

Abadi's two main challengers, also Shi'as, are his predecessor Nuri al-Maliki and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia commander Hadi al-Amiri. Both rivals are seen as closer to Tehran than Abadi.

When he was prime minister, critics say Maliki's pro-Shi'a policies created a polarized atmosphere that enabled IS to gain sympathy among Sunnis as it swept across northern and western Iraq in 2014.

In his comeback attempt, Maliki is promising to strengthen the role of Shi'a in Iraq's government once again.

His rival Amiri spent more than two decades fighting Saddam Hussein from exile in Iran and speaks fluent Farsi.

Amiri leads the Badr Organization, which was the backbone of the volunteer forces that helped to defeat IS along with Iraqi government troops and U.S.-backed Western coalition forces.

Amiri hopes to capitalize on his battlefield successes. Victory for Amiri would be seen as a big a win for Iran, which has sought to increase its influence in Iraq and the wider region.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on May 12 congratulated Iraqis on the election, saying that "citizens from every ethnic and religious group, and from all 18 provinces, including those internally displaced, made their voices heard.

"The newly elected members of parliament will have the important task of forming an inclusive government, responsive to the needs of all Iraqis," Pompeo said in a statement.

"We hope this process moves quickly, and on the constitutional timeline, so that Iraq can continue moving toward a more secure, prosperous, and brighter future," he added.

After the fall of Saddam in 2003, decades of dominance by his Sunni-led Baath party came to an end and senior government positions were unofficially split between Iraq's three main ethnic and religious groupings.

The post of prime minister was reserved for a Shi'a, the parliamentary speaker is Sunni, and the ceremonial presidency has gone to a Kurd. All three posts are chosen by parliament.

In the elections, nearly 7,000 candidates, including 2,011 women, are vying for seats in the 329-member parliament.

The splits among the country's Shi'ite factions make it unlikely for a single party to secure enough seats to form a government on its own.

Iraqi authorities have tightened security for the election, amid fears of attacks by IS remnants. Last month, IS threatened to attack Iraq's polling stations, saying any participant in the vote would be targeted.

Cells thought to be linked to the radical group have mounted scattered attacks across Iraq since Abadi in December declared the recapture of all territory seized by the extremists.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, The Washington Post, AP, and Reuters

The Kremlin said on May 11 that a suggestion by Chechen lawmakers to change the constitution to allow President Vladimir Putin to serve another presidential term when his current term ends in 2024 is not on Putin's agenda.

Lawmakers in the southern republic of Chechnya this week suggested Russia adopt a law that would allow the president to serve three terms in a row. The constitution currently bars anyone from serving more than two consecutive terms.

The proposal was embraced by the Kremlin-installed strongman of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, who said on his blog that he believes "100 percent of the people will support" it.

When asked about the proposal, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call: "This is a constitutional question. It is not an item on the president's agenda."

Peskov said Putin had made his position on changing the constitution clear in the past. In March, Putin said he opposed changes in the constitution and has no such plans "for now."

Also in March, Putin, 65, laughed off a suggestion that he could take a six-year break before moving to reclaim the presidency in 2030.

"It's a bit ridiculous, let's do the math. Shall I sit here until I turn 100? No!" he said.

Putin was inaugurated on May 7 for another six-year term. He already is Russia's longest-serving leader since Josef Stalin.

Putin in 2008 left the Kremlin after completing two presidential terms in line with the constitution and stepped aside to allow his close ally, Dmitry Medvedev, to serve a single presidential term while he served as prime minister.

Putin then returned to the presidency in 2012 and won another six-year term this year, prompting speculation about what he will do when his current term ends in 2024, when he will be 71 years old.

Based on reporting by AP and ReutersGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed deep concern about repeated violations of a cease-fire between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Merkel's remarks on May 12 in Italy, where she was awarded a peace prize, came as the warring sides remain locked in a four-year conflict showing few signs that the violence might end soon.

Since April 2014, more than 10,300 people have been killed in fighting between Kyiv's forces and the separatists who control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

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.

"Ukraine is worrying us," Merkel said after receiving the Lamp of Peace of St. Francis award in the Italian town of Assisi.

"We try to enforce the Minsk agreements, but every night there is a violation of the truce, every day human losses," she added.

A new cease-fire agreement between Ukraine and the Russia-backed separatists was reached in late 2017 and was meant to begin on December 23. But both sides have accused one another of repeated violations since then.

Based on reporting by AFP and BloombergA Syrian war monitor says Israeli strikes on suspected military positions in Syria this week killed 42 people.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on May 12 that the new death toll from attacks early on May 10 was 27, including at least 11 Iranians and six Syrian soldiers.

In strikes near the capital on May 8, the monitor said at least 15 were killed, including eight Iranians.

That brings to 42, including 19 Iranians, the total killed during the two days of strikes.

Syria blamed Israel for the May 8 strikes that hit near the capital.

Israel said its May 10 strikes were in response to a barrage of Iranian rockets on its positions in the occupied Golan Heights, the most serious military confrontation between the two bitter enemies to date.

Based on reporting by AP and dpaPakistan has barred a U.S. diplomat involved in a fatal road accident from leaving the country, security officials and local media say.

The move came a day after a court in Islamabad ruled that diplomatic immunity may not apply in the April 7 accident that killed a 22-year-old motorcyclist in the capital, Pakistan's The Nation and Express Tribune newspapers reported.

The Associated Press quoted two unidentified security officials as saying on May 12 that a plane arriving in Pakistan to take U.S. military attache Colonel Joseph Emanuel Hall out of the country had returned after he was unable to secure clearance.

AP said the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media on the matter.

Hall is accused of running a red light and killing the motorcyclist, Ateeq Baig, on April 7.

The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad declined to comment on the matter, and a U.S. State Department spokesperson in Washington declined to confirm or deny the reports.

"For the privacy and security of those involved, we cannot disclose the diplomat's current location," Reuters quoted the spokesperson as saying.

Pakistan's Foreign Office last month summoned the U.S. ambassador to lodge a "strong protest" after the deadly accident involving a U.S. Embassy vehicle.

The U.S. Embassy expressed "deep sympathy" for the family of the dead man and for another person who was injured in the accident, and said that it was cooperating with Pakistani investigators.

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and The Washington PostFrench authorities have identified the slain suspect in a deadly Paris knife attack as Khamzat Azimov, a naturalized French citizen who was born in Russia's Chechnya region in 1997.

Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said on May 13 that Azimov attained French citizenship in 2010 "following his mother."

Griveaux also said Azimov had been registered in a Paris police database in 2016 as a person "with propensity for radical actions."

Azimov, who reportedly moved to Strasbourg with his parents after arriving from Chechnya, was shot dead by police after killing a 29-year-old man and injuring four others on May 12 in a neighborhood near the Opera Garnier.

Strasbourg, in eastern France, is home to a large community of refugees from the Muslim Russian republic of Chechnya, where Moscow waged two wars against separatists following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Both his father and mother were taken into custody on May 13 for questioning as part of a terrorism investigation into the attack.

A friend of the suspected attacker was also arrested for questioning, a judicial source said.

The man, arrested in Strasbourg, was born in 1997, the same year as Azimov.

Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb was holding a special security meeting on May 13 to address the attack.

The Islamic State (IS) militant group on May 12 claimed through its Amaq news agency that the suspect was one of its "soldiers."

The extremist group released a video on May 13 of a young man it claims was the attacker pledging allegiance to IS.

Amaq posted the video online using Telegram, featuring a young man wearing a hood with only his eyes exposed as the lower part of his face is covered by a black cloth.

Speaking in French, the man vows allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

It is not clear if the man in the video was indeed the attacker. He doesn't identify himself by name.

Police initially said two of the injured were "seriously wounded," while the other two were "slightly" hurt. Hospital officials said on May 13 that none of the wounded victims' injuries were life threatening.

China's Xinhua news agency reported that a Chinese citizen was among the injured, citing the Chinese Embassy in Paris.

After the attack, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France once again pays the price of blood and that the country would not cede to "enemies of freedom."

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said counterterrorism authorities were investing the attack, adding that witnesses had reported the suspect shouted "Allahu Akbar" or "God is Greatest" in Arabic.

French cities have been targeted in recent years by a series of terror-related attacks -- from mass-killings to smaller, but deadly attacks.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, dpa, and the BBCTwo U.S. fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace off the coast of Alaska on May 11.

The two Russian TU-95 Bear bombers flew into a so-called Air Defense Identification Zone located about 300 kilometers off Alaskas west coast, according to a spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command in a statement to CNN on May 12.

Two F-22 fighter jets intercepted and visually identified the Russian bombers until they left the zone. The Russian aircraft never entered U.S. airspace, CNN reported, citing the statement.

Russian bombers were escorted by two F-22 fighter jets in international airspace for 40 minutes, the RIA Novosti news agency cited the Russian Defense Ministry as saying on May 12.

The U.S. fighter jets did not get closer than 100 meters to the Russian bombers, the Russian military was quoted as saying.

Encounters between Russian and U.S. as well as NATO warplanes have increased as Moscow has demonstrated its resurgent military might.

Russia also has increased its naval presence in the Mediterranean, Black Sea, and other areas.

In January, a Russian Su-27 came within 1.5 meters of a U.S. Navy surveillance plane while it was flying in international airspace over the Black Sea.

Russia has increased its military presence in the area since it annexed Crimea in 2014.

There have also been interactions between the United States and Russia in the skies above Syria, where the nations support differing sides in the ongoing civil war.

In December 2017, two U.S. F-33 Stealth fighter jets fired warning flares after Russian Su-25 jets entered an agreed deconfliction area in Syrian airspace.

Such incidents have added tension to Russia's relationship with the West, which has been severely strained by Moscow's takeover of Crimea, its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, and its alleged meddling in the U.S. election in 2016, among other things.

With reporting by AP, CNN, Interfax, RIA Novosti, and TASSUzbekistan has freed an opposition and human rights activist after imprisoning him for more than four years in a case that watchdogs called politically motivated.

The May 12 release of Fahriddin Tillaev, who was an activist with the Erk (Freedom) party, comes as Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev is promising reform following more than two decades of repressive rule under Islam Karimov, whose death was reported on September 2, 2016.

It also comes ahead of Mirziyoev's planned meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on May 16 in the Central Asian leader's first visit to the White House.

Tillaev, 46, told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service in a telephone interview that he was granted early release and walked out of prison at around 7:30 a.m. on May 12.

"They told me that I'm free. They allowed me to review the court's decision, asked me to sign some documents, and escorted me outside," he said.

Tillaev and another opposition activist, Nuraddin Jumaniyozov, were sentenced to more than eight years in prison in March 2014 after being convicted of human trafficking. They were found guilty of facilitating illegal labor migration from Uzbekistan to neighboring Kazakhstan.

Human rights advocates condemned the trial and the verdict, saying the case was politically motivated due to the opposition activism of the two men.

Jumaniyazov died in prison in December 2016 at the age of 69.

The lawyer for the two men alleged that they were tortured while in pretrial detention but that investigators refused to look into the claims, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Tillaev told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service on May 12 that the torture continued in prison, including needles stuck under his nails and between his toes.

"They stripped me naked and threw me out in the freezing cold, poured cold water over me," Tillaev said, adding that "they did whatever they wanted with me."

"I regret the time I spent in prison," Tillaev continued, "because I was robbed of freedom, will, everything."

HRW's Central Asia researcher, Steve Swerdlow, said on Twitter that "while thousands remain behind bars in Uzbekistan on politically motivated charges," there are now "no human rights activists jailed" in Uzbekistan following Tillaev's release.

Swerdlow called on Mirziyoev's government to provide rehabilitation and medical treatment to those who have been freed.

Mirziyoev has carried out reforms in the government, particularly in the powerful security services and Interior Ministry.

In October, HRW said that Uzbek authorities had taken "some positive steps" during Mirziyoev's first year but still needed to make "sustainable" improvements on human rights.

In a report released on March 28, HRW said journalists and other critics of the government in Uzbekistan remain under pressure from legal restrictions, politically motivated prosecutions, and fear-induced self-censorship.Six men arrested for violent Playa del Carmen robbery

Playa del Carmen, Q.R.  Six people were arrested Friday in Playa del Carmen after an violent robbery.

Police says that six people were detained after they robbed an architect business that involved gun shots and physical violence against those inside, including a minor male.

The alleged assailants were chased on foot and eventually arrested after making off with more than 400,000 peso in cash.

Reports say the six robbed the architect business around 3:30 p.m. Friday in Colonia Ejidal between 95th and 100th Street. One of the attackers knocked on the door, hitting the face of the person who answered to gain entry into the office.

The other five followed and once inside, physically assaulted members of the company, including a 13-year-old boy who was the son of one of the employees. The boy managed to escape through a window and provide a description of the men and the vehicle in which they arrived.

Once the men realized police had arrived, the six took off on foot. The area was cordoned off to prevent their escape. While five were caught, one refused to comply and continued trying to flee by jumping rooftops to get away. He was shot twice by police and taken to hospital with leg injuries.

Arrested were Alfredo HG, Yurisan HF, Daniel JH, Luis CP, Eddie SR and Roman CM, the latter identified as the brother of a criminal and ex-member of the then-called Judicial Police, Alejandro CM, who is currently imprisoned for theft.

While one was taken to hospital, the other five were transferred to the Municipal Secretariat of Public Security where they will be made available to the Public Prosecutors Office.

Police also located the vehicle, which was parked at the end of 65th Street. It too, was secured by police and transferred to the courtyards of the State Attorney Generals Office.The Oakland city attorney said in a public legal opinion that a controversial funding proposal from City Councilwoman Desley Brooks runs afoul of state and federal law.

Yet despite the memo  which was released Friday and followed similar, though confidential, legal advice in recent weeks  the City Council is expected to take up the proposal Tuesday night. Some good-government watchdogs and officials inside City Hall worry the specter of its passage could dissuade voters from approving bond measures and tax increases in the future.

The Brooks proposal would take a percentage of various funding streams, including at least three voter-approved bond measures, and give the monies to several private job-training organizations in the city.

The ordinance would set up a fund for the organizations that would collect 5 percent of capital improvement project costs, 5 percent of parking revenue and 5 percent of development services. City contractors would also be charged 30 cents per hour worked and would be subject to late fees if they do not send checks on time.

From the combined sources, the job-training organizations could receive roughly $10 million in public funds a year.

In her memo, City Attorney Barbara Parker analyzed each of the funding sources. She suggested that some, like parking revenue, could be fair game. Others would be illegal, she said.

Using the bonds, for instance, would violate state and federal laws, the terms of the voter approved bond measures, and the express terms of the bond documents, Parker wrote.

She was referring to Measure DD, which was meant for waterfront improvements, and Measure KK, which was a $600 million infrastructure and affordable housing bond that Oakland voters passed in 2016.

Taking funds from capital improvements financed by the gas tax would likewise be unlawful, Parker said. The city attorney also cautioned that certain federal regulations prohibit designating funds for a particular organization without a competitive process when it comes to grant-financed programs.

The idea that Measures B and BB  which give Oakland almost $25 million in transportation funding each year through a countywide sales tax  could be a financial source for private job-training organizations seemed to alarm the Alameda County Transportation Commission.

Lawyers for the commission wrote last week to City Administrator Sabrina Landreth making clear that a restriction clause on the monies would absolutely prohibit the diversion of any ACTC funds to the employment training currently under consideration.

We understand that some members of the City Council have proposed the adoption of an ordinance that would channel 5 percent of the funding for every capital project carried out by the city to organizations providing employment training, the attorneys wrote. While the original draft of the ordinance does contain language stating that the ordinance would only apply where it was legally permitted to do so, our client wants to be clear that funds from Measures B and BB could not be diverted for such a purpose.

The groups identified in the proposal to receive the money are the Cypress Mandela Training Program, which has operated at a deficit in recent years; Men of Valor, which is run by leaders of religious organizations; and the Laborers Community Training Foundation, which is in San Ramon and connected to a politically active union.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Other centers that provide accessible, high-quality training and employment services to local residents and employers could also qualify for the funds.

The groups and their members have rallied around the proposal. Dozens have spoken at committee meetings in favor of the idea and of Brooks, arguing that the city has an obligation to fund organizations that prepare people for jobs in construction and other trades.

Brooks defended the proposal, despite the legal memo.

Each draft of the jobs legislation has had an exclusion clause which says if the funding stream prohibits using the fund in this manner the ordinance does not apply, she said in an email Friday.

Brooks emphasized that the language was taken from a long-standing city ordinance that gives 1.5 percent of capital improvement project costs to a public art fund.

Whats important, Brooks said, is the legislations ability to address the unemployment crisis, the unfilled jobs crisis and the displacement crisis in our community.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerovUpstaged and overshadowed by Salesforce Tower, its taller and more famous neighbor to the north, the mixed-use skyscraper at 181 Fremont St. will forever be the second banana of the Transbay Transit District.

But if Thursday night was any indication, whatever the 802-foot building may lack in height is easily made up for in terms of sex-appeal and social cache.

More than 500 folks turned out to celebrate the opening of the Fremont Street tower, a mixed-use skyscraper with distinctive diagonal exoskeletal beams that was a decade in the planning. A plush black carpet was rolled out on the sidewalk. A brass band welcomed guests. Magnums of Veuve Clicquot were sabered. There were rooms dedicated to chocolate tasting and whiskey sampling.

Superlatives like landmark and icon were bandied about.

Buildings like this only come around maybe once a decade, said real estate marketer Alan Mark, whose firm is handling sales of the towers condos.

In a neighborhood where glass towers are either residential or office space, 181 Fremont is both. The first 34 floors of the skinny tower will be home to Facebook-owned Instagram  employees of the photo-sharing network already have started to move into floors 25 through 28. The top 16 floors  a dramatic skybridge separates the two parts of the building  will be condos.

For the developer, the Jay Paul Co., 181 Fremont provided a dramatic entrance into a San Francisco market. For decades, billionaire Jay Paul was Mr. Silicon Valley, builder of low-slung suburban campuses for companies like Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft. But as the heart of the Bay Areas tech engine drifted north  Uber, Twitter, Airbnb, Square, Salesforce and Dropbox are all headquartered in San Francisco  the Jay Paul Co. figured it had better set up shop in the city as well.

And the move seems to be paying off. With Facebook paying top-of-the-market rents for the bulk of the building  more than $90 per square foot  Jay Paul is focused on selling the 55 condos that start at $3.2 million for a two-bedroom and go all the way to $42 million for a 7,000-square-foot penthouse. There are also 16 companion units  studio apartments starting at $1.2 million, that are only available to buyers of the larger residences.

The companion units are selling as fast as the big ones.

We had one person who bought two, said Matt Lituchy, Jay Paul chief investment officer.

Jay Paul is not commenting on how sales are going, except to say that they are exceeding expectations.

Broker Greg Lynn of Sothebys said he has five clients who are in escrow on units. He estimates that the building is probably 40 to 50 percent sold.

Its the smallest and most sophisticated building downtown, with some of the best views, said Lynn. They are offering interiors unlike anything we have seen here in San Francisco  the level of stone in the bathroom, the cabinetry in the kitchen, the electric shades ... so much thought when into these units.

The majority of buyers are from the Bay Area, Lituchy said. There are early adopters who already own units in residential towers like the Four Seasons, the St. Regis and the famously sinking Millennial Tower, an excellent view of which can be had from 181 Fremont. There are empty-nesters from Atherton and Menlo Park. And about 20 percent of buyers are from elsewhere  Los Angeles, New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai.

Its not like New York or London, where you are getting the Russian oligarchs. San Francisco is becoming a global city but we are not there yet. Maybe some day it will be.

None of the 55 units are affordable  Jay Paul Co. struck a deal with the city to pay $13.85 million to avoid including 11 below-market-rate condominiums.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Jay Paul is an art collector, and the building has paintings by such artists as Man Ray, Kim Gordon (of Sonic Youth), Michael Heizer and Ed Ruscha.

For the 500 or so folks who flocked to the building Thursday, the party felt like one of those evenings that someday will likely be evoked as a peak moment of San Franciscos tech-fueled gilded age, a period of extreme wealth creation that has been in full swing for five years but shows little sign of slowing down.

Dean Macris, who was the citys planning director in the 1980s and 1990s and again in the mid-2000s, said, Finally, we have a skyline worthy of the status of the city.

We wanted to have the higher heights back in the 80s, but for political reasons we were limited to 500 feet, he said. Planners eventually overcame the opposition of many city residents to tall towers by proposing to use the additional revenue from the buildings to pay for the new Transbay Transit Center.

For project architect Jeffrey Heller, 181 Fremont capped a 40-year career in San Francisco. He called the tower the best project I have ever done  hands down.

He arrived in San Francisco as the Bank of America building, at 555 California St., and the Transamerica Pyramid were being completed.

The tall building in San Francisco stopped after that, and didnt happen again until now with the Transbay District, he said. This was my first opportunity to do a distinctive, international-style building of significant height.

J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineenIts time for the Democrats to stop bashing President Trump.

Trump's only hope is to keep quiet and dodge Mueller

Its not going to be easy, given his policies and personality. It might even mean checking into a 12-step program. But setting a winning agenda is like maneuvering an aircraft carrier. It takes time to change course. And if they want to be on target for the November midterm elections, the Democrats need to start changing course now.

Like it or not, a significant number of Americans are actually happy these days. They are making money. They feel safe, and they agree with with the presidents protectionist trade policies, his call for more American jobs, even his immigration stance.

The jobs growth reports, the North Korea summit and the steady economy are beating out the Stormy Daniels scandal and the Robert Mueller investigation in Middle America, hands down.

So you are not going to win back the House by making it all about him.

Rather than stoking the base by attacking Trump, Democrats need to come up with a platform that addresses the average voters hopes and concerns. Not just the needs of underdogs or whatever cause happens to be the media flavor of the week.

Democrats need to look like the adults, not like another pack of screaming kids on the playground.

And they need to start now.

Besides, when it comes to bashing Trump, Donald is doing just fine on his own.

Whos No. 2? Despite an $8.5 million helping hand from charter school advocates, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosas gubernatorial run has yet to gain the momentum needed to land him in one of the top two spots in the June 5 primary and put him in the fall runoff.

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom seems to have a lock on first place, and I still think Villaraigosa will come out ahead of the two other Democrats in the race, state Treasurer John Chiang and former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin.

But Im not sure he can garner more votes than the two major Republicans who are running, businessman John Cox and Assemblyman Travis Allen.

Given Newsoms high name ID and multimillion-dollar campaign fund, Villaraigosa was always going to have a difficult time of it. Charter school supporters tried to help by spending millions on TV commercials promoting Villaraigosas record in Los Angeles on jobs and education. Unfortunately, the result was a five-point drop in the latest polls.

Meanwhile, Allen and Cox appear to be rising. If either one can unite conservatives before the primary, Villaraigosa is done.

Sing out: The Oakwood University Choir gave a spectacular concert the other night at the Third Baptist Church in the Western Addition.

After the concert, the Rev. Amos Brown was talking about a problem: The city Department of Elections had decided to close its polling station at the church for the June election. It seems that the churchs parking lot is at such an angle that wheelchair access has become an issue.

Thats certainly a problem. Still, its not a great idea from a PR standpoint to close any polling station in the black community when one of the candidates running for mayor is African American.

So they came up with a solution. The community anti-violence group United Playaz will staff the parking lot and assist anyone with a mobility issue.

Later, I attended an event hosted by the Playaz at which founder Rudy Corpuz Jr. introduced five of its members.

Together they represent a combined 100 years in jail, Corpuz said. For murder.

He added, But they arent murdering anymore.

I suppose that qualifies them for volunteering at the polls.

Movie time: Bad Samaritan, good movie.

I loved this film. Its about a pair of valet parking attendants who burglarize customers homes, until things go very wrong during one break-in.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

No romance, no big-name stars, lots of high-tech intrigue. If promoted, it could be a winner. At the screening I attended, I had the place to myself.

For arts sake: Former City Attorney Louise Renne tangled with Dede Wilsey on the Fine Arts Museums board, but it was all peace at the lunch to raise money for the school of the arts being planned at the old Commerce High School on Van Ness Avenue.

The divas and donors gathered at Piperade to come up with a plan to raise the final $100 million to make the arts school a reality.

I already have a plan: Her name is Dede. You may not like how she does it, but she does get the job done.

Cruise control: Got into a taxi the other day, and the cabbie promptly introduced himself as Cadillac Jack.

Ive owned 29 Cadillacs, all of them new, he said, and proceeded to tell me about each and every one of them as we drove across town.

Finally I had to ask.

How old are you?

Sixty, he said.

How did you manage to go through 29 Cadillacs?

Well, you know, if you dont pay for them, they take em back.

Want to sound off? Email: wbrown@sfchronicle.comThe personal information of nearly 900 patients of San Francisco General and Laguna Honda hospitals was breached after a former employee of one of the hospitals vendors got unauthorized access to the data, the San Francisco Public Health Department said Friday.

The data included patients names, dates of birth, medical record numbers and details of their medical conditions, diagnoses, treatment and care plans. It did not include Social Security numbers, drivers license numbers or financial account numbers, according to officials with the health department, which runs the health network that includes the two hospitals.

The information of 895 patients was accessed between Nov. 20 and Dec. 9, and the patients involved have been notified, officials said.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or concern that this situation may cause, Roland Pickens, director of the San Francisco Health Network, said in a statement. All of our vendors are required to attest to the protection of patient privacy, as part of their contract, and we continue to audit and improve upon that process.

The data were accessed by a former employee of Nuance Communications, a Massachusetts company contracted to do medical transcription services. That same person also accessed similar patient information from other clients, officials said.

The San Francisco Public Health Department is continuing its contract with Nuance, which has strengthened its cybersecurity and cooperated with law enforcements investigation of the breach, according to a Health Department spokeswoman.

The U.S. Department of Justice investigated the incident and said the patient information did not appear to be used or sold, and that the data has been recovered from the former employee.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Nuance did not immediately return a request seeking comment Friday.

In 2014, medical records for 56,000 patients at San Francisco General and other city-run clinics were breached after computers containing the information were stolen from Sutherland Healthcare Solutions, a billing company with which the hospital contracted.

Patients of the San Francisco Health Network who have questions can call the Health Departments privacy hotline at 1-855-729-6040 and reference Nuance or #2017-122 in the message.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_HoHuge tech companies have long carved out their turf in Silicon Valley. Apple has Cupertino. Google has Mountain View. Facebook has Menlo Park.

But as those behemoths keep expanding, their offices are spilling into other parts of the region. One of the most desirable new spots is Sunnyvale, a once-sleepy orchard turned suburban city that abuts Mountain View and Cupertino. Google and Apple, bursting out of their hometowns, have gobbled up vast amounts of space in the past few years, and Facebook too has recently leased more than 1 million square feet of space, according to CoStar Group, a firm that tracks real estate trends.

Its definitely an arms race, said Jesse Gundersheim, a market economist with the firm.

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, owns or leases 22 percent of Sunnyvales office space, while Apple owns or leases 10 percent, according to CoStar. (The figures include flex space, which can be used for offices or other purposes.)

Sunnyvale is reasonably close to the San Francisco and San Jose airports, and less than 10 miles from that redoubtable tech feeder, Stanford University. With 153,000 residents over nearly 23 square miles, its about the size of Mountain View and Cupertino combined. And with no flagship company, the land is ripe for the taking. Palm, the once-mighty maker of handheld computers and early smartphones, used to be in Sunnyvale, but it is long gone; Google took over its old leases. Yahoo still occupies close to a million square feet of Sunnyvales office space, according to CoStar, but it is now part of New Yorks Verizon.

Incorporated in 1912, Sunnyvale once had a prominent canning industry, with farmland full of plum, apricot and peach orchards. In 1956, after the growth of the defense and aerospace industries during World War II, aircraft manufacturer Lockheed established its Missiles and Space division in Sunnyvale. Yahoo, whose early days were in a trailer on the Stanford campus, later moved there.

The scramble for Sunnyvale may spell trouble for smaller companies, which could face rising prices and landlords who favor bigger companies that sign longer leases.

Certainly, cost-sensitive tenants are going to be pushed out, Gundersheim said, citing San Jose as a potential city of refuge.

Googles entry may have cost some small businesses customers. Stop N Go Market owner Boban Jose says his markets sales have dropped 50 percent.

All the companies one by one are moving out because Google bought everything, Jose said. Customers at smaller companies used to come in and buy sodas and snacks, items that tech giants like Google and Facebook provide their staffs, he said.

Some companies have already left. Bloom Energy, a young company that garnered national attention for its claim of an enormous breakthrough in fuel-cell technology, is planning to move to San Jose after Google purchased the offices it was leasing. Chipmaker AMD moved its headquarters from Sunnyvale to Santa Clara last year.

It was more cost-effective and efficient for us to move into a new building than to renovate and stay, said AMD spokeswoman Theresa Chavez.

Tech giants are converging on Sunnyvale because they are grappling in their home cities with a shortage of office space, not to mention housing and transportation. Apple owns or leases 69 percent of Cupertinos office space, according to CoStar  so its natural for the company to look to the city directly to the north for more.

There is plenty of office space to go around for a number of jurisdictions, said Cupertino Mayor Darcy Paul, who doesnt begrudge Sunnyvale some Apple offices.

In Mountain View, Alphabet controls 39 percent of the citys office space, according to CoStar data. City officials have grown so fed up with the problems associated with the jobs boom that they are contemplating a per-employee tax that could charge Google  whose workforce in the city tops 23,000  as much as $5.4 million. That could encourage the company to look elsewhere for new offices. Google is in negotiations with San Jose over an enormous office development, and it is already Sunnyvales largest employer with a staff of 9,801.

Google declined to comment. Apple did not respond to a request for comment. Facebook confirmed that it secured a lease in a Sunnyvale neighborhood called Moffett Park, but declined to discuss additional details.

As the entire valley has prospered, Sunnyvale has prospered as well, Matt Lituchy, chief investment officer at the Jay Paul Co., which has developed properties leased to Google, Facebook and Apple, said in an email.

Google plans to create more than 1 million square feet of office space for thousands of employees in Moffett Park, a location served by VTA light rail where the city has worked to turn older offices into desirable tech space. The area also has buildings leased to Amazon and Oath, the Verizon division that now includes Yahoo.

For deep-pocketed tech companies, the prospect of offices close to where current and future workers live is alluring. Despite the stereotype of legions of tech employees riding shuttle buses from San Francisco to South Bay campuses, more have homes near headquarters.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

When you look at where the tech talent lives  the workers they want to retain and hire  the big concentration is around this area, said Colin Yasukochi, a director of research and analysis for CBRE, a real estate services and investment firm.

Wendy Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: wlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thewendylee

Sunnyvales largest employers

Google 9,801

Juniper Networks 5,130

Lockheed Martin Space Systems 4,610

Apple 4,000

Source: city of SunnyvaleChansitha Ouk remembers being 9 years old and lying awake on her bamboo mat, longing for her mother. She remembers listening to the sleep sounds of the other children and, importantly, the guard. She rose, crept out of the hut and slipped into the rice field, her heart pounding.

Ten minutes passed, then 15. Fear consumed her, but the child sensed her escape plan had worked. Then she heard the barking dog and felt the guards hands upon her. They yanked her arms together and bound them with a cord. They tied the other end to a rice plant. And they left her.

Four decades after the Khmer Rouge abandoned Ouk under the scorching Cambodian sun with no food or water, she will graduate from UC Berkeley on Wednesday with a degree in media studies.

I feel so blessed. I never thought I would make it, said Ouk, 50. The childhood that I lost  Berkeley healed me. I feel that education healed me and gave me strength and hope.

Its beyond my wildest dreams.

Of all the places to be born in early 1968, the Koas Krala village south of Battambang, Cambodia, was among the most dangerous.

Thats when Ouk entered the world near the very spot where where Pol Pot, genocidal architect of the Khmer Rouge regime, launched the civil war that would overthrow the U.S.-backed Khmer Republic in 1975 and transform the nation into the infamous killing fields.

Yet Ouks earliest years were peaceful. Her parents grew eggplants, cucumbers, pumpkins, potatoes, corn and, of course, rice. She has asked that her family not be named. As the eldest of three girls, Ouk cared for the family cow. Her father delighted in hoisting Ouk onto his shoulders, then visiting friends and bragging she was his boy.

Her father had a side business cutting hair, and was sought after by soldiers needing a cut. But they also needed bodies and drafted the good-natured barber into their military. He picked up an infection and died when Ouk was just 4 years old. The loss of her father coincides with Ouks first memories of gunfire.

I have seen guns shoot and kill people before my own eyes, Ouk recalled in a quiet conference room at UC Berkeley. She shut the door. The subject of guns is powerful, like the person holding one.

That person has so much power, she said. They can do anything to you. Threaten you. Scream at you. Order you to do anything. You cannot say no.

Tears welled in Ouks eyes. Even seeing a gun today, perhaps around a soldiers arm, evokes the sense that its about to explode. Like popcorn, she said. I am traumatized.

Sarahbeth Maney / Special to The Chronicle

When the Khmer Rouge gained ground in the early 1970s, Koas Krala lost all sense of being a village. Gunfire sounded everywhere, and chaos reigned.

We couldnt get out from the village, Ouk said. They cut off the road.

The soldiers herded Ouk and her family  sisters, mother, aunt and grandmother  into a dark, dank underground bunker. Water and mosquitoes got in. Sunlight did not. When the shooting slowed, Ouk went to find dead water buffalo and cows they could eat. Her mother objected when she tried to bring her sister along.

She was so worried about me being killed, Ouk said. She called me a risk-taker. But I wanted my sister to see the sunlight a little bit.

The family stayed in the bunker for three months.

Life returned to normal after that, and the family planted vegetables again. But when the Khmer Rouge seized the government in 1975, their world turned upside down.

Ouk remembers soldiers pointing their guns at the villagers and force-marching them out of Koas Krala. The soldiers ordered young and old: Hurry up! Hundreds walked together in fear and silence, down dusty roads, through sticky jungles. Hot by day, and chilly by night. Ouks aunt carried the familys clothing but had gotten separated.

I can see my mom in the moonlight, taking off her sarong to shelter my sister, Ouk recalled.

The villagers passed people dying in the street. They saw open pits with the dead piled in. No one knew where they were going, or if they, too, would lie anonymously in a mass grave. Then they reached the city of Phum Kang Hat.

When we got there, the Khmer Rouge separated you, Ouk said. We were called by age. My grandma went to one group, my mom went to another. Ouks younger sisters were allowed to stay with their mother. At 7, Ouk was not.

They told us, Dont cry, she said. They dont like weak people. Weak children. They dont like crying children.

As they entered the childrens labor camp, a shelter of bamboo and leaves, its likely that children did cry, like Ouk, on the inside. Later they would cry for real. And many would die, of sickness or hunger.

Yet these children of uneducated villagers stood a better chance of surviving Khmer Rouge brutality than did the educated city dwellers of Cambodia, who were slaughtered outright in the second half of the 1970s.

Ouk heard nothing of her familys fate. She was put to work helping a woman whose job was to scavenge food from farms, fields and lakes to supplement the camps meager stores. On days they found no vegetables or fish, we were so afraid to come back, Ouk said. As punishment, they ate nothing at all.

Although her job was to find food, Ouk remained hungry. When she and the woman ran out of places to search, they told us to find anything that a bird could eat.

The childs grief did not dissipate, but simmered and churned for two years until the night she planned her escape.

Sarahbeth Maney / Special to The Chronicle

I missed my mom. I missed my sisters. I missed my grandma, she said. I knew it was a risk. But at night there was a bit of moonlight. And the guard was asleep.

It didnt take long for the Khmer Rouge to track Ouks footprints in the rice field. The 9-year-old fainted as the men knotted the rope tightly around her wrists. The guards left, but stayed close. If the child pulled free, they could retie her to the bush.

I thought I was going to die, she said. The next day, Ouk saw the suns shimmering heat across the rice field. She felt parched. Her stomach growled. And still the men watched her, waiting. Hours passed.

Night fell again. And again the sun rose. For two days, the Khmer Rouge left the child tied in the field, baking in the sun, with nothing to eat or drink. And then they brought her in.

They gave me a little water. But I could not even lift my hand to swat the fly, Ouk said. A scar remains from the bloody gash where the rope cut in.

As she lay inside, the child saw a woman approaching in a sarong that reminded Ouk of her grandmother. Then the woman was by her side.

Granddaughter, she said, wrapping a cloth around her. Youll be all right.

Ouks food-scavenging partner had located her grandmother at another prison camp. Another friend arranged for Ouk to go live with her grandmother. There she helped with cooking and chores. My life got a bit better.

COVID Resources Coronavirus Map Tracking COVID-19 cases across the Bay Area and California.

The Khmer Rouge dismantled the camps soon afterward. But they remained in power.

Sarahbeth Maney / Special to The Chronicle

As Ouk and her family traveled home, they saw blood-spattered temples where people had been tortured and executed. They saw dead children, whether from chicken pox or land mines.

Ouk stepped on one. It didnt blow up. She weighed too little, her uncle guessed.

The first time Ouk picked up a pencil and learned to write her name, she was 12 years old. Her mother taught her. By now, she and her mother and sisters were living in the Khao-I-Dang refugee camp just across the border in Thailand. Her grandmother couldnt bear to leave her home. Ouks mother couldnt bear to stay.

During the five years Ouk and her family lived as refugees, the child tapped out what her mother could teach her, and exhausted the schooling of local monks. So Ouk signed up at a United Nations school and learned her first lessons in Khmer.

I was so enjoying learning  you never had it before, she said. It was difficult, but I got excited to learn new things.

A U.N. worker taught an English language course using the Oxford English Dictionary as the text and charged 30 Thai baht. Ouk, 15, had no money. So each night, she peeked through the bamboo poles to hear the lesson. She learned enough to get a job interpreting for a U.N. worker, earning one frozen chicken a month.

Most of the students were immigration workers, who helped Ouk and her family plan their future.

The family landed in San Francisco at Christmastime 1984, awestruck by holiday lights and intimidated by headlights.

I told my mom, Were in heaven, Ouk said. Privately, she wondered: How am I going to survive?

The family piled into an apartment in San Jose. Ouk entered 11th grade, took a life skills class at night, and picked strawberries on the weekends. Later, she worked as a nursing assistant but found that being with sick people triggered painful emotions, and she gave it up. She worked on an assembly line, and in the late 1990s became an insurance broker. Then a real estate agent.

I saved every penny, Ouk said, and in 2001 she gave her mother a present: a seven-bedroom home in Discovery Bay.

In 2005, she enrolled at Gavilan Community College in Gilroy and earned an associate degree in digital media. It took her 10 years. But she felt that she hadnt contributed enough to her school, so she returned and joined the student government and campus clubs. In 2016, at 47, she earned a second degree, in communications.

Ouk got accepted at San Jose State, but her college counselor suggested UC Berkeley instead.

Whats that? Ouk asked.

On her application, Ouk told her story. She wrote: I am not a smart student, but I am a hard-working student. My English still broken. But my dream isnt.

Ouk plans to become an advocate for higher education.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimovNear the end of Tuesdays climactic gubernatorial debate in San Jose, moderator Chuck Todd of NBC News asked the candidates whether they would prefer the general election be Democrat versus Democrat, Republican versus Republican or a more conventional blue-red race.

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom was first and most emphatic.

You know my position, Chuck, Newsom said, to laughter and applause. A Republican would be ideal.

He looked over at the two Republicans on the stage, who had just spent the past 90 minutes doing their best to out-Trump one another in policy and bombast. Either one of these will do.

More laughter.

Its a measure of the straits of a state party that produced two U.S. presidents in the last half century  Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan  that the notion of it even having a nominee for governor would be uncertain, let alone a laugh line or a Democratic candidates dream. Yet thats where it stands in 2018, when only 1 in 4 California voters is a registered Republican.

It was hard to look across the California Theatre stage in San Jose and not conclude that John Cox and Travis Allen were shredding any chance of prevailing in a general election in a state that has not elected any Republican to statewide office in a dozen years. Not only were they trolling each other, they were doing just about everything the polls suggest would turn off Californians. Allen, a state assemblyman from Orange County, underscored his support for Donald Trump in 2016. Cox, a businessman from San Diego County, conceded his regret for not having backed Trump (he voted for Libertarian Gary Johnson), thinking Trump might not be a true conservative.

Just a reminder to the two: Hillary Clinton carried the state with 61.7 percent of the vote, and there is no discernible evidence of voter remorse at this point.

It gets crazier. Cox is the definition of both a perennial candidate and a carpetbagger, having run and lost elections in Illinois for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate (twice), and he even ran a quixotic campaign for president in 2008 on a pledge to abolish the Internal Revenue Service. He sometimes winces when asked about his wacky idea to create a 12,000-member citizen legislature (You had to bring that up, he said when questioned at our editorial board meeting with him). But when I asked him about the green wristband he was wearing  you guessed it  it was for that very proposal.

If anything, Allen is even more over-the-top. He wants to arrest almost every prominent California Democrat in sight (Gov. Jerry Brown, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf are among his targets) for standing up for sanctuary city policies that shield undocumented immigrants. He scoffs at the scientific consensus on climate change and vows that Californians could again enjoy green lawns and long showers when he is elected. He opposes full-day kindergarten, in part to keep children from being indoctrinated by liberal curricula.

It gets worse for Republicans. At least Cox and Allen have a chance of extending their campaigns under Californias jungle primary system, in which the top two finishers advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation.

The U.S. Senate race was widely expected to go down to a November contest between incumbent Dianne Feinstein and a fellow Democrat, former state Senate leader Kevin de Leon. Then out of nowhere a 33-year-old Republican from Albany, Patrick Little, showed up in second place last month in a Survey USA poll. Littles white supremacist views are so toxic that he was kicked out of the partys recent state convention in San Diego. The Holocaust denier was evicted by security as he was kicking and spitting on an Israeli flag.

Its appalling, GOP state party chair Jim Brulte told reporters in San Diego. We denounced him as harshly as we could.

You know the situation is dire when the party brass is hoping its most promising candidate in a high-profile race does not reach the November ballot.

If there is one race where Republicans think they should always be competitive, it is attorney general, where law-and-order themes tend to appeal across party lines. Remember, even in a Democratic sweep of statewide offices in 2010, Kamala Harris was only able to edge Republican Steve Cooley by less than a percentage point. For those elected, this is also a prime perch for a run to higher office, as Harris showed.

This time around, incumbent Becerra and challenger Dave Jones, the current insurance commissioner, appear to have a lock on November against two underfunded and largely unknown Republicans. The GOP candidate presumed to have the best chance, retired Judge Steven Bailey of El Dorado County, was recently hit with 11 counts of judicial misconduct by the Commission on Judicial Performance and went into this month with barely more than $13,000 in the bank for a statewide race.

Can it get any lower for Republicans at the statewide level? Unfortunately, yes. They do not have a single candidate on the ballot for state insurance commissioner, where the battle will be between Ricardo Lara, a Democratic state senator, and Steve Poizner, a former commissioner and former Republican who is running as an independent.

The bleak outlook at the top of the statewide ticket could have significant implications for the down-ballot races, most notably for the U.S. House, where Democrats are targeting seven seats now held by Republicans in districts carried by Clinton in 2016.

In an interview with The Chronicle on Thursday, Allen said he would gladly invite Trump to campaign for him in California this fall.

One can only anticipate the reaction from Republicans running for office throughout the state. Please. No. Its tough enough already.

John Diaz is The San Francisco Chronicles editorial page editor. Email: jdiaz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnDiazChron

In happier times for the Grand Old Party

The passing of former Gov. George Deukmejian on Tuesday, at age 89, elicited memories of an era when the party and bipartisanship prevailed in statewide politics.

Elected: 1982 and 1986

Agenda: Low taxes, small government and public safety. He vetoed 2,298 bills over his eight years, a record that still stands.

Style: Understated, rarely seeking the spotlight. Impeccable integrity.

Bipartisan moves: Collaborated with Democrats on 1989 assault weapons ban, transportation package funded through gas tax, divestment from South Africa and state-subsidized health insurance for Californians suffering from AIDS, cancer and other diseases.

Before that: 16 years as state legislator and four as attorney general

Succeeded by: Pete Wilson, a fellow Republican who ran as a centrist and served eight years.

He was a model of leadership and humility that you just dont see anymore. He was never going to knock anyone over to rush in front of a TV camera ... very much the antithesis of the 21st century politician you see today.

 Rob Stutzman, an intern in the governors office in the summer of 1986. He went on to become one of the states premier GOP strategists.Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democratic candidate for governor, was in the Mission District on Friday, collecting cheers and support that a former mayor of Los Angeles doesnt expect from a local crowd.

The incongruity didnt escape Art Agnos.

People wonder why the former mayor of San Francisco is endorsing the former mayor of Los Angeles, he said. Its because hes the best one to represent ... every city in California.

Agnos, who was joined in his endorsement by former Supervisor David Campos and Supervisor Aaron Peskin, could have added that its because Villaraigosa isnt Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the former San Francisco mayor whom polls list as the front-runner in the June 5 primary.

The economy led by Gavin Newsom, (the late Mayor) Ed Lee and others left out many in this neighborhood, Campos said. Villaraigosa gets it that (the rising economy) has to include everybody.

Agnos styled Newsom as a Davos Democrat, more interested in hobnobbing with the world elite than dealing with local problems.

Villaraigosa stuck to the job, he said. Hes the one who will remember you and the difficult issues facing the state and the cities.

The charges prompted a quick response from Newsoms campaign.

San Francisco voters elected and overwhelmingly re-elected Gavin as mayor because he had the courage to make real change  enacting universal health care, jump-starting the same-sex marriage movement and implementing universal preschool, said Nathan Click, a spokesman for Newsom. Villaraigosa accomplished none of these as mayor.

Villaraigosa said he wouldnt forget San Francisco and the Bay Area if he is one of the top two finishers in the primary and advances to the fall campaign.

Ill stake a claim in San Francisco ... so you can kick the tires of the two candidates for governor, he said.

While he praised Gov. Jerry Brown for pulling the state out of a financial hole during his eight years in office, Villaraigosa was less enthusiastic about the governors unwillingness to spend the states growing surplus. On Friday, Brown proposed banking $7.6 billion of an $8.8 billion windfall next fiscal year.

Restoring local redevelopment agencies to help cities build housing and focusing on early childhood education are worthwhile priorities that will cost money, Villaraigosa said.

Those are a couple of things we should do with some of that surplus, he said.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuthIn the days before and after the Mantle family clambake, spring showers drenched the landscape. Cursing them seemed almost blasphemous, what with the constant threat of drought and the May super bloom at stake. But on the day of the event  a get-together inspired by the Sierra Nevada campouts of chef Ethan Mantles youth  blue skies and a summery warmth prevailed.

The clambake tradition belongs mostly to New England, where Indian tribes dating back more than 2,000 years cooked seafood in large earthen pits lined with searing-hot rocks and covered with seaweed and sand. For Mantle, reimagining such a rich seaside tradition on the West Coast is not far-fetched, given our legendary shorelines and seafood. He brought his family out to Bodega Bays Doran Regional Park to clambake, Northern California style.

But best-laid plans being what they are, the rules at the park derailed the idea of pits and hot rocks: No cooking on the sand, only in the campsites fire ring.

Im an expert in Plan Bs, says Mantle, chef-owner of Componere Fine Catering in Emeryville, which executes restaurant experiences in the far reaches: The Quail, Carmels ritzy Motorsports event, is one such yearly feat, with more than 5,000 attendees to feed. In the grip of the Wine Country fires, Componere volunteered hearty steak salads for rescuers and evacuees.

Heavy-duty Dutch ovens were an easy solution. Although wood campfires  Mantle prefers oak for its density and slow burn  cant be precisely regulated by a handy stove dial, the cast-iron construction of the large kettles conducts heat uniformly, essential for the delicate cooking of easily rubberized seafood such as clams and shrimp.

Now Playing: Chef Ethan Mantle of Componere Catering hosts a clambake for friends and family at Bodega Bay Video: San Francisco Chronicle

Layering the clambake ingredients in a Dutch oven  starting at the bottom of the pot with the most forgiving items, such as a saute of sausage and onions  allows for even cooking. A top layer of shrimp can be easily removed if theyre cooked before the clams open, the chef says.

Mantle and his sous chef, Robert Dort, arrive at the beachfront campsite in the early afternoon to prep food  cleaning shellfish, mincing herbs, slicing corn into cobettes  and start rousing a hearth in the campsites lone fire ring, large enough to hold two 8-quart camp Dutch ovens. Since the cooking wont start for a few hours, the oak has plenty of time to develop red-hot coals (the chef recommends at least 90 minutes, minimum).

Mantle, a native of Grass Valley (Nevada County) who sharpened his chops in the kitchens of Yountvilles French Laundry and the since-closed Fleur de Lys in San Francisco, sourced most ingredients from within a 100-mile radius. Manila clams were plucked from Tomales Bay. Fresh kombu seaweed  a flavorful, oceanic overlay that imparts umami and important minerals such as iron and calcium to the broth  was foraged that morning from Carmet Beach, also in Bodega. Early-season sweet corn hailed from Brentwood in the East Bay. Mantles wife, Tisa, an aspiring horticulturalist, harvested the spring onions and green garlic from the familys Marin County farm.

Knowing how much work goes into growing vegetables and herbs, you appreciate them more and waste them less, Tisa says. Its a hands-on lesson that the couples daughter Ella, 12, and son Colton, 7, are also learning from the humble plot as they are tasked with picking lettuces for a simple salad, to be dressed with Thomas Kellers fines herbes vinaigrette, or rhubarb for a Dutch oven cobbler, the clambakes sweet-tart end note.

A 25-foot Flying Cloud Airstream throws back to Tisas childhood spent camping on the beaches of Southern California with her family  her father helped engineer the early generations of Santa Fe and Traveleze trailers. For Componere events, the silver bullet is a bustling command post. But today, its iconic gleam is the beacon by which the guests, who start arriving around midafternoon, find the event.

Sophie and James Gray, of Sophie James Wine, roll in from Sonoma with their two young daughters and a case of 2017 Pinot Noir rose, nestling the bottles into an old Coleman cooler among long-neck beers and sodas. On a nearby sand dune, amid sprawling ice plants and wispy beach grass, Componeres event manager, Joy Knott, and her kids Maya and Dylan, set up a cozy, casbah-esque dining room with a low-slung table and a tumble of mix-match floor pillows, all arranged atop a patchwork of rugs.

The sun begins its incremental descent toward the horizon. Guests pull on sweaters and head down to the beach for a cocktail-hour stroll, kids leading the way, finding shells and feathers and lizards as they go. Since the Dutch oven clambake will be swift-cooking  thanks mostly to parboiled potatoes, a necessary at-home prep step  Mantle joins the revelry, palming a Pacifico.

Russell Yip / The Chronicle

Everyone builds up an appetite making their way back to the site. Mantle fires up the clambake, building the strata of ingredients in the cast iron, right over the coals. A loaf of foil-wrapped green-garlic bread, prepared earlier in the day, is snuggled alongside the vessel to warm. Within 25 minutes, the feast is served buffet style. Mantles homemade fermented hot sauce is waiting at the table, poised to give the plates a pleasant kick, one drop at a time.

I really like this style of eating, since it gets people involved in the food, says Mantle. Its hard not to get excited about choosing exactly what you want from an abundance. Were talking about food, of course, but it seems like theres a bigger idea here about enjoying life.

The party burrows into the jumble of blankets and pillows at the dinner table, but before a single fork is lifted, Mantle raises a toast to welcome summer and to more nights like these, dining with friends on a sand dune in the blue glow of a Northern California twilight.

Leilani Marie Labong is a freelance writer and The Chronicles contributing home editor. Email: food@sfchronicle.com

CREDIT BOX

Russell Yip / The Chronicle

Food

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Componere Fine Catering

www.componerefinecatering.com

Wine

Sophie James Wine

www.sophiejameswine.com

Props

Shelter Co.

www.shelter-co.com

Location

Doran Regional Park, Bodega Bay

http://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Visit/Doran-Regional-Park/

Photography

Russell Yip and Stan PechnerThe mai tai is more than a drink. Its a happy place: Each sip invokes dreamy images of sunsets on sandy beaches, cobalt blue water and lush tropical islands.

Even the mai tais traditional garnish casts a tropical shadow. Drink enough of them, and the spent half lime placed convex side up and its adjacent mint sprig may start to resemble an island with a palm tree.

Despite that sunny association, the cocktails birthplace wasnt on some seaside shack but rather at the corner of 65th and San Pablo in Oakland, the original location of the tiki bar Trader Vics. In 1944, owner Victor the Trader Bergeron wanted to feature a great spirit  17-year J. Wray Nephew Jamaican rum  in a cocktail for friends visiting from Tahiti, and he concocted a simple mix of the rum with lime juice, orgeat (almond syrup) and orange curacao.

What happened afterward is a story of a rise, a fall and, now, a redemption. The mai tai has always been versatile and adaptable, on purpose: It was envisioned as a simple mechanism for highlighting a great spirit. For many years, that versatility was the mai tais downfall. Readjusted to the point that a mai tai no longer looked like a mai tai, it became a vague stand-in term for any syrupy-sweet tropical concoction. But today, the drinks inherent adaptability has led to its renaissance, as Bay Area bartenders are returning the mai tai to its noble roots while putting original, delicious spins on the template.

The margarita is a flawless vehicle for a huge range of Tequila, and the same goes for the mai tai, says Martin Cate, owner of San Francisco tiki bar Smugglers Cove. The mai tai exists as a showcase: Heres a terrific rum and here are all these accents dancing around it.

Even the name endorses the drink: Mai tai means good in Tahitian. Almond and orange are flattering accompaniments to rum, especially when combined with lime and sugar. The proportions of the supporting ingredients are mostly diminutive, either quarter or half ounces; they are structural elements, designed to bolster the rum.

Perhaps because of its simplicity, the mai tai inspired tinkering from the very beginning. At Trader Vics, the popularity of the mai tai depleted stocks of the J. Wray Nephew, so Bergeron adjusted the original recipe to accommodate rums that were easier to source, and to include Bergerons own brand of mixers. The proportions always remained the same.

But over time, not every mai tai practitioner has been so thoughtful in his or her modifications. And that led to some very, very dark times for the mai tai.

***

The mai tai stands historically as the most debased cocktail of all time, says Cate. For years, he says, the mai tai became a stand-in term, meaning just something exotic.

Ask for a manhattan, even at a sub-standard bar, and youll probably get a drink that resembles a manhattan, Cate points out. But ordering a mai tai might get you something with sour mix, pineapple juice, grenadine or cranberry juice.

The mai tais decline began in the 1950s, when the post-war period saw a burst of travel to Hawaii. Up to that point, most Americans vision of Hawaii had been defined by movies and Polynesian-theme restaurants, which projected a visual archetype rooted in fantasy, not reality.

So, theyve been sold this vision, and then they get to Hawaii, says tiki historian Humuhumu Trott of the website Critiki, and it was clapboard housing, not cute little thatched huts. To some degree, the lack of charm and culture was the result of brutal interference by the military and other visiting groups, including missionaries.

Donn Beach, who had opened his Polynesian-theme Don the Beachcomber restaurants in California, saw an opportunity to give tourists the Hawaiian fantasy they craved. In 1946 he opened a Don the Beachcomber location in Waikiki. More important, Beach helped other businesses understand tourist expectations of Hawaii.

Michael Macor / The Chronicle

As Beach assisted businesses in Oahu in refurbishing for the tourist trade, the mai tai was adjusted to be more island-y as well, which meant including pineapple juice. The popularity of this version spread, despite that there were also Trader Vics locations in Hawaii serving the true, original pineapple-free mai tai. But the tropical appeal of pineapple prevailed, establishing what is often called an island mai tai.

It makes sense, says Trott of the island mai tai. It makes financial sense, and it makes sense in terms of taking good care of your customers and giving them what theyre there for. Beach understood the Polynesian pop culture decor fantasies mainland Americans harbored, and he catered to that.

As the mai tai became increasingly associated with Hawaii, vacationers would return to the continental U.S. and ask local bartenders for the cocktail. But most bartenders knew neither Bergerons original version (even though he published the recipe in Trader Vics Book of Food & Drink in 1946) nor Beachs adaptation. So the mai tai devolved even further, becoming a vague term for a rum drink with something juicy.

The recipe, ingredients and preparation are extremely important to us, and if any of those are compromised, it may be a version of the mai tai, but not a Trader Vics mai tai, says Rhett Rosen, executive vice president of Trader Vics Worldwide. There are different recipes for many of the classic cocktails around the world, and many for a mai tai, but there is only one way to make it like the Trader did.

Even tiki purist Cate found that he had to add an island mai tai to his cocktail menu at Forbidden Island in 2006. Customers kept sending the classic version back, insisting that the drink should have pineapple juice.

Since then, however, the mai tais tides have changed. A new resurgence of interest in the drink has Bay Area bartenders tinkering with Bergerons classic template  but in ways that elevate the drink, not debase it.

***

Notably, many of these modern mai tais exist at non-tiki bars. Thats crucial: As the tiki bar genre has weathered criticism in recent years for its appropriation of Pacific Island cultures, the mai tais crossover into other bar spheres suggests that the drink may have greater staying power than the Polynesian restaurants that popularized it.

Take Jennifer Colliau, of the upcoming Oakland bar Heres How, who plays a large part in the mai tais recent fortunes. She wanted to make a true 1944-style mai tai but couldnt find any orgeat syrups on the market that used real almonds. In fact, there were few orgeats on the market at all, to the point that many bars were using amaretto instead.

Jen Fedrizzi / Special to the Chronicle

So with the mai tai in mind, Colliau created her own orgeat under her Small Hand Foods brand, with the necessary richness and flavor for the cocktail. When she released her orgeat in 2008, it was the only almond-based syrup on the market.

Orgeat is a critical component of the reimagined mai tai at the Financial District bar Pagan Idol, too. Beverage director Daniel Doc Parks (who once worked at Trader Vics in Emeryville) built his version around Pagan Idols house-made almond syrup, highlighting it with a blend of rums and French curacao. In an unusual move, the Pagan Idol mai tai is served as a float, accented by amaro and Sherry for a decadent finish.

Pagan Idols mai tai float breaks some of the classic mai tai rules, but carefully. And unlike some of the unorthodox mai tais of decades past, its a great drink.

Its part of an exciting new wave of mai tai riffs in the Bay Area. At Miminashi in Napa, you can order a Dan-Totsu, which swaps Tequila and mescal for rum, black sesame for almond syrup and lemon for lime. At True Laurel in the Mission, you can order a mai o mai, made with pistachio orgeat and clarified milk, which tones down the drinks richness.

And at Pacific Cocktail Haven, owner Kevin Diedrich makes what he calls the naked mai tai with less sugar and less citrus. He squeezes a small disc of lime and drops it in a glass with orgeat, Jamaican rum and a little triple sec. The result is like the love child of a mai tai and an old-fashioned.

These bartenders see the mai tais structure as ideal for variations. The relationship between lime juice, orgeat, curacao and sugar yields the depth and balance to support any spirit, Parks says. I often suggest a pinky gonzales, essentially a Tequila Mai tai, or a rye tai, a whiskey mai tai, to guests who are skeptical of rum.

John Storey / Special to The Chronicle 2016

Not every Bay Area bartender approves of these adaptations, however. Cate believes the best way to make a mai tai is to not mess with it.

I like to keep a tight constraint on the structure of the drink, he says. Still, its possible to be creative: When it comes to the rum, I think its room for excitement, Cate says. Any high-quality rum with character will completely change the drink, in terms of flavor and sweetness.

While tiki drinks were made for some variation, Cate believes its important to stay true to their historical foundations. We have a story to tell, he says. We have a legendary drink to present.

Lou Bustamante is a Bay Area writer and author of The Complete Cocktail Manual. Email: food@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thevillagedrunk

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Jennifer Colliaus mai tai

Bartender Jennifer Colliaus mai tai adjusts the original Trader Vics recipe with her Small Hand Foods orgeat to create a refreshing old-school mai tai thats not too sweet.

1 ounces aged Jamaican rum

 ounce fresh lime juice (save a spent lime half)

 ounce Cointreau or good orange curacao

 ounce Small Hand Foods orgeat

1 barspoon (or 1 teaspoon) cane syrup

Mint sprig to garnish

Instructions: Put all ingredients except the mint into a mixing tin with ice, along with a spent lime half. Shake vigorously, then pour entire contents into a double old-fashioned glass. Spank a sprig of mint by smacking it between your palms, then garnish the cocktail.

Kevin Diedrichs naked mai tai

The naked mai tai, a creation of Pacific Cocktail Havens Kevin Diedrich, is potent, with no ice or juice to dilute the spirits flavors, making it perfect for a foggy day at the beach.

10 drops Bittermens Tiki Bitters

1 lime disc

1 ounces Appleton Estate Reserve Jamaican Rum

1 teaspoon orgeat

4 dashes Combier or other triple sec

 ounce Coruba Dark Rum

Mint sprig to garnish

Instructions: Add bitters to an empty old-fashioned glass and swirl to coat, discarding the excess. Squeeze the lime disc in the glass to release juice and citrus oils, rubbing zest on the inside of the glass, and drop in glass. Add a large ice cube to the prepared glass, along with the Jamaican rum, orgeat and triple sec. Stir 50 times, or until thoroughly diluted and cold, and top with the dark rum. Garnish with mint.Frank Franklin II / Associated Press

NEW YORK - As manager Bob Melvin said that Kendall Graveman was limping a bit still Saturday after taking a line drive off his right shin Friday night, but hes a tough guy, Melvin said.

Melvin said Gravemans side session Sunday is a little up in the air; it could be switched to Monday if necessary.Fremont Police Department

Coroners are working to identify a decomposing body that was found in marshlands in Fremont near the Dumbarton Bridge, police said Saturday.

A resident who was hiking on a trail in the marshlands called Fremont police Friday afternoon to report the body.A group of community activists and immigrants traveled to the Livermore headquarters of Vigilant Solutions on Friday afternoon to hand deliver a letter that urged the surveillance technology company to void its contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Vigilant, a company that specializes in license plate readers and facial recognition technology, has amassed a database with more than 1.5 billion license plate records, and it has hundreds of law enforcement agency clients across the country.

The companys contract with ICE has drawn scrutiny because of concerns that the database could be used to track the location of undocumented immigrants, which would violate Californias sanctuary state laws.

About 25 activists, affiliated with various immigrants rights groups in the South Bay, arrived at the companys headquarters at 1152 Stealth St. in Livermore. They printed out the letter on a 24-by-36-inch sheet of paper and brought it with them to headquarters, where demonstrators read the letter aloud in English and Spanish.

According to the statement on your website, your License Plate Recognition technology is specifically aimed at identifying criminals and terrorists, read the letter, which was drafted by immigrant community members and co-signed by five organizations. Your companys commitment to providing ICE with this technology means that you are declaring, along with ICE, that all immigrants must be treated, persecuted and punished as people who are considered dangerous to our community.

We are asking Vigilant Solutions to not be complicit with the injustice that is being committed against the immigrant community and to break its agreement with ICE, the letter read.

Eunice Hernandez, a community organizer with the Sacred Heart Community Service group, said that the demonstrators tried to deliver the letter to someone in the building, but no one came down to meet them. Instead, they taped the letter to a door.

Outside headquarters, the assembled activists staged a rally, where they held signs calling for an end to the contract with ICE.

Hernandez said that the activists traveled from the South Bay because they are attempting to raise awareness.

This will make it easier to target our immigrant neighbors and to criminalize people of color, Hernandez said. Especially since November 2016, these groups have felt constantly under attack, she said, alluding to the presidential election of Donald Trump.

Prior to the rally, Hernandez said there was concern about activists who are undocumented immigrants and their presence at the headquarters of a company thats been unfriendly to immigrants. But Fridays demonstration went smoothly, with no police presence.

Hernandez said her organization would push to pressure cities and other organizations to cut ties with Vigilant.

We hope that other organizations are aware of this, and that the public in general is, too, Hernandez said. Its important for people to be aware and to question these practices.

Sophie Haigney and Annie Ma are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: sophie.haigney@sfchronicle.com, ama@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SophieHaigney @AnnieMa15The Oakland city attorney said in a public legal opinion that a controversial funding proposal from City Councilwoman Desley Brooks runs afoul of state and federal law.

Yet despite the memo  which was released Friday and followed similar, though confidential, legal advice in recent weeks  the City Council is expected to take up the proposal Tuesday night. Some good-government watchdogs and officials inside City Hall worry the specter of its passage could dissuade voters from approving bond measures and tax increases in the future.

The Brooks proposal would take a percentage of various funding streams, including at least three voter-approved bond measures, and give the monies to several private job-training organizations in the city.

The ordinance would set up a fund for the organizations that would collect 5 percent of capital improvement project costs, 5 percent of parking revenue and 5 percent of development services. City contractors would also be charged 30 cents per hour worked and would be subject to late fees if they do not send checks on time.

From the combined sources, the job-training organizations could receive roughly $10 million in public funds a year.

In her memo, City Attorney Barbara Parker analyzed each of the funding sources. She suggested that some, like parking revenue, could be fair game. Others would be illegal, she said.

Using the bonds, for instance, would violate state and federal laws, the terms of the voter approved bond measures, and the express terms of the bond documents, Parker wrote.

She was referring to Measure DD, which was meant for waterfront improvements, and Measure KK, which was a $600 million infrastructure and affordable housing bond that Oakland voters passed in 2016.

Taking funds from capital improvements financed by the gas tax would likewise be unlawful, Parker said. The city attorney also cautioned that certain federal regulations prohibit designating funds for a particular organization without a competitive process when it comes to grant-financed programs.

The idea that Measures B and BB  which give Oakland almost $25 million in transportation funding each year through a countywide sales tax  could be a financial source for private job-training organizations seemed to alarm the Alameda County Transportation Commission.

Lawyers for the commission wrote last week to City Administrator Sabrina Landreth making clear that a restriction clause on the monies would absolutely prohibit the diversion of any ACTC funds to the employment training currently under consideration.

We understand that some members of the City Council have proposed the adoption of an ordinance that would channel 5 percent of the funding for every capital project carried out by the city to organizations providing employment training, the attorneys wrote. While the original draft of the ordinance does contain language stating that the ordinance would only apply where it was legally permitted to do so, our client wants to be clear that funds from Measures B and BB could not be diverted for such a purpose.

The groups identified in the proposal to receive the money are the Cypress Mandela Training Program, which has operated at a deficit in recent years; Men of Valor, which is run by leaders of religious organizations; and the Laborers Community Training Foundation, which is in San Ramon and connected to a politically active union.

Other centers that provide accessible, high-quality training and employment services to local residents and employers could also qualify for the funds.

The groups and their members have rallied around the proposal. Dozens have spoken at committee meetings in favor of the idea and of Brooks, arguing that the city has an obligation to fund organizations that prepare people for jobs in construction and other trades.

Brooks defended the proposal, despite the legal memo.

Each draft of the jobs legislation has had an exclusion clause which says if the funding stream prohibits using the fund in this manner the ordinance does not apply, she said in an email Friday.

Brooks emphasized that the language was taken from a long-standing city ordinance that gives 1.5 percent of capital improvement project costs to a public art fund.

Whats important, Brooks said, is the legislations ability to address the unemployment crisis, the unfilled jobs crisis and the displacement crisis in our community.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerovStanley Falkow, a much-honored Stanford professor who discovered how antibiotic resistance spreads among bacteria and how bacteria cause disease, died on May 5 at his home in Portola Valley. He was 84.

His wife, Lucy Tompkins, who is also a professor at Stanford, said the cause was complications of myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare disorder in which the bone marrow fails to generate blood cells properly.

Over his long career, Falkow won just about every major award in science, including the National Medal of Science in 2014. In 2007, he received the honor he coveted most when he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Society in Britain. Founded in 1660, the societys fellows have included Newton, Darwin and Einstein.

Falkows discovery of one of the most important ways that bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics began with his observation that resistance can be transmitted from one bacterium to another.

Then, in the 1970s, he figured out how this happened. Tiny rings of DNA known as plasmids can contain genes that make bacteria impervious to antibiotics, and these plasmids can move from bacterium to bacterium.

Falkow realized the implications of this finding: that resistant bacteria thrive in the presence of antibiotics and then spread their resistance to other bacteria. In the late 1970s, he urged the Food and Drug Administration to ban antibiotics from animal feed to reduce the creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria on farms. The administrations commissioner at the time, Donald Kennedy, was persuaded, but the effort ultimately failed.

Falkow subsequently discovered that plasmids can also contain disease-causing genes and transmit them to bacteria. That led him to study disease causation  asking, for example, how those transmitted genes turn a harmless microbe into one that gives people diarrhea.

Sometimes, he learned, the added genes let bacteria produce toxins. Other times, he discovered to his surprise, the genes allow bacteria to produce proteins that in turn allow microbes to attach themselves to host cells, even burrowing inside the host cells and living there.

He had an intuitive understanding of how a microbe might view a human, said David Relman, a Stanford professor who studied under Falkow. Microbes goals are to coexist with humans, not to kill humans. Falkow, Relman said, understood how a microbe would find a way to make a living on or in a host and deal with the hosts defenses but not do the host in.

Not just a lone researcher, Falkow trained a generation of scientists  more than 100 Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows  and was remembered for his generosity. When students first came to his lab, he would often suggest they pursue projects he might have developed himself.

Dr. Joseph W. St. Geme, physician in chief at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, said he studied a particular bacterium, Hemophilus, during his postdoctoral fellowship in Falkows lab. When his fellowship was done, he recalled, Falkow turned to him and said, You can do anything you want with this organism, adding, I will not compete with you.

That was reflective of his creative mind and his confidence that he could always find interesting questions to study, St. Geme said.

Tompkins met Falkow when she was a graduate student.

I remember thinking I could never think like Stan, she said. He was an intuitive scientist. He had this great gestalt.

Stanley Falkow was born on Jan. 24, 1934, in Albany, N.Y. His family later moved to Newport, R.I., where he grew up. His father, Jacob Falkow, was a shoe salesman and his mother, Mollie Gingold Falkow, ran a corset shop.

Although Falkows parents worked six days a week, money was tight  the family lived in walk-up apartments, and for years Falkow slept on a sofa, Tompkins said. There were no books in his house, but when young Stanley was 11 he read a library book  Microbe Hunters, a 1926 classic in the field by Paul de Kruif  that fired his ambition to become a microbiologist.

Falkow was a poor student further hobbled by poor eyesight, Tompkins said. Finally, in the eighth grade, he got eyeglasses, which allowed him to see the blackboard. That helped, of course, but so did the encouragement from one of his teachers, who told him, You could make something of yourself.

After graduating, he applied to the University of Maine because it had a bacteriology department. He received an acceptance letter within a week, though for years he could not understand why the school had accepted him, and so quickly.

Many years later he was given an alumni award and asked the president, Tompkins said. The answer: We were desperate for out-of-state tuition.

Falkow earned a doctorate from Brown University and, after holding positions at other universities and at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Maryland, landed at Stanford in 1981. He remained there the rest of his career.

He spent summers in Hamilton, Mont., at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. When he was not in the dark electron-microscopy room studying bacteria, he indulged his love of fly fishing.

When he died, bacteria lost a very good friend, said Marshall Bloom, a virologist at Rocky Mountain Labs.

Besides his wife, Falkows immediate survivors include two daughters, Jill Stuart Brooks and Lynn Falkow Short; a sister, Jeanette Andriesse; a stepson, Christopher Kelsey Tompkins; two granddaughters; and two step-grandchildren.

The one big award that eluded Falkow, although he was nominated for it, was the Nobel Prize.

But he actually did not want a Nobel, Tompkins said: He was so humble, and he was also very anxious about major events.

Although he was reputedly an outstanding lecturer, Falkow would agonize before every talk. What was more, Tompkins said, he was afraid he would cry while thanking her or his students at an awards ceremony.

He learned to control the tears, but I could always tell how hard he was working not to actually cry, she said.

As Relman put it, Falkow was more comfortable around microbes than people.

Every year, before the Nobel winners were announced, Stanford, having nominated him, would contact him and ask him where he would be in the next three days, Tompkins said.

I was so excited, she added.

But Falkow said it was the last thing in the world he wanted.

I would be hounded to death to give all these talks, his wife quoted him as saying. I would be put on a pedestal.

Indeed, before he died, Falkow spoke of what he was thankful for, Tompkins said.

At least, he said, I didnt win a Nobel Prize.

Gina Kolata is a New York Times writer.With the threat of tariffs and counter-tariffs between Washington and Beijing looming, Chinese buyers are canceling orders for U.S. soybeans, a trend that could deal a blow to American farmers if it continues.

At the same time, farmers in China are being encouraged to plant more soy, apparently to help make up for any shortfall from the United States.

Beijing has included soybeans on a list of $50 billion of U.S. exports on which it has said it would impose 25 percent tariffs if the United States follows through on its threats to impose the same level of tariffs on the same value of Chinese goods. The U.S. tariffs could kick in late this month; China would probably retaliate soon after.

It can take a month or more for soybean shipments to travel from the U.S. to China. Any soybeans on their way to China now could be hit by the tariff by the time they arrive.

The Chinese arent willing to buy U.S. soybeans with a 25 percent tax hanging over their head, said Dan Basse, president of AgResource, an agricultural research and advisory firm. You just dont want the risk.

China typically buys most of its soybeans from South American nations such as Brazil and Argentina during spring and early summer. It shifts to U.S. soybeans in the fall. As a result, for now, the cutbacks from the United States are relatively small.

But should they persist, it could cause real pain to U.S. farmers. Roughly 60 percent of U.S. soybeans are shipped to China.

There might also be a political impact: Three of the top five soybean-exporting states  Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska  voted for Donald Trump in 2016.

Illinois, the top soybean exporter, and Minnesota, the third-largest, backed Hillary Clinton.

Basse said that last week that it had been roughly three weeks since China had made any major soybean purchases, an unusually long delay.

Some Chinese buyers might be showing support for their government in the trade dispute by turning away U.S. soybeans, Basse said. The dispute may also make it seem too risky to buy from the United States over the long run.

The United States could lose the reliable supplier label that weve had these many years, Basse said.

U.S. government data show that sales of soybeans have fallen from about 255,000 metric tons in the first week of April, when the trade dispute began, to just 7,900 in the week that ended April 26.

Cancellations have also jumped, to more than 140,000 metric tons in the week that ended April 26. In the same week last year, there were no canceled sales at all.

Some analysts argue that the shifts arent yet particularly significant. China buys most of its soybeans from the United States in the late summer and fall, and then switches to South American sources, mainly Brazil and Argentina, in the spring. So the current market activity doesnt necessarily reflect the pattern that would occur during the main buying season.

These numbers were talking about are pretty minor, said John Baize, an economist for the U.S. Soybean Export Council.

The U.S. ships about 35 million metric tons of soybeans to China a year, Baize said. China usually imports about 100 million tons a year and cant import enough from other countries, he said, to abandon the United States as a source.

Wheres China going to buy its beans? Baize asked.

That may be true in the short run. But Basse suggests that Brazil has enough land that could be used for soybean cultivation that it could soon mostly replace the United States as a supplier to China.

And if the Chinese market were to be closed to U.S. farmers, they might be able to sell some portion of their soybeans to other markets. Baize said that huge multinational companies, such as Cargill and ADM, might, for example, sell more U.S. soybeans to Europe, where they wouldnt face any tariffs, though this likely wouldnt make up for the loss of the Chinese market.

At the same time, China is looking more to its own farmers. Since China announced its potential tariffs on U.S. soy in April, the government has encouraged farmers to cultivate more soybeans. Beginning this month, Chinese farmers say, Beijing reduced corn subsidies and raised annual soybean subsidies from $400 per hectare to $470 or more per hectare in major soybean-producing provinces in northeast China.

An adjustment had already been planned to help draw down Chinas substantial corn stockpiles, so the change wasnt necessarily aimed at U.S. soy growers, analysts say.

But the subsidy adjustment did come with political undertones. Officials in major soybean-producing provinces were describing the promotion of local soybeans as the most important political task in agricultural production at present. Heilongjiang in northeast China announced a pilot project to plant soybeans on more than 100,000 new hectares, with an extra $353 subsidy per hectare.

The moves are prompting farmers like Liu Cong to focus more on growing soy. Liu says he used most of his land to grow corn last year but this year is planting more soybeans.

This is encouraging for farmers, he said in a telephone interview. Were more motivated.

Zhang Xiaoping, China director for the U.S. Soybean Export Council, says that Chinese buyers have been canceling purchases of last years U.S. soybean harvest because of the threat of tariffs.

The buyers literally stopped buying from the U.S., Zhang said. Exporters cannot find any buyers in China.

Christopher Rugaber and Dake Kang are Associated Press writers.If you missed it ...

In a week when Facebook live-streamed the Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies hacked them, this also happened:

Cisco stopped advertising on YouTube, at least for the moment. CNN reported that the San Jose company originally posted on its blog that it removed the ads to protect its brand, but it later removed the reference to YouTube and said it was making the move because of an industry-wide issue. YouTube has drawn a backlash because of companies ads being placed next to controversial videos.

American Airlines apologized to a Chicago woman who said she was humiliated when she attempted to carry luggage that included breast milk and a breast pump onto a weekend flight. Myers told Chicagos WMAQ-TV that a supervisor inquired about her carry-on bag. I said, Yes, I actually do have extra pump supplies in there, she told the station. And then she responded to me with, How many boobs do you have?

If youre looking for a really expensive number, try 94027. Thats the ZIP code for Atherton, which has the biggest of the big money in the U.S. West, according to data tracked by Bloomberg, which also show that California accounts for about 85 percent of the richest ZIP codes in the region.

Klout, a service that measures users prominence in social media, apparently has lost its clout. Parent company Lithium said in a blog post that it will sunset Klout as of May 25  the same day sweeping data-privacy regulations take effect in the European Union.

Apple is scrapping a plan to build a $1 billion data center in the west of Ireland amid difficulties with the planning system. Advocates of the Apple project say the delays illustrated a deeper issue: the difficulty executing large infrastructure developments in Ireland compared with other countries.

Lennar is adding Amazons voice-activated Alexa to some model homes, which will double as Amazon Experience Centers, the retailer said. The builder said it switched from Apple to Amazon because of its white-glove installation services, which customers would normally have to pay for. For its buyers, Lennar now includes a visit from Amazon technicians to set up devices and customize how they interact with the two Echo speakers included with the house.

And what week would be complete without an Elon Musk grasp for attention. In this case, the billionaire Tesla CEO says hes almost completed a tunnel under a Los Angeles suburb to test a transportation system that would scoot (non-Tesla) commuters underground on electric sleds. He tweeted Thursday that, pending regulatory approvals, free rides will be offered to the public in a few months.

Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techchronicleLiz Hafalia / The Chronicle 2016

Munchery, a San Francisco startup that has struggled to keep up with competition in the costly business of food delivery, said its closing operations in three cities and cutting staff.

In an effort to achieve profitability, Munchery will cut about 30 percent of staff, all outside headquarters, a spokeswoman said. CEO James Beriker has been making cuts since last year as he was seeking as much as $15 million to keep the business afloat.If you get involved in a hit-and-run accident in California, be prepared to get slammed twice  once by the scofflaw and again when you find out that uninsured motorist insurance wont pay for repairs if you cant identify the other driver or car by its plate number.

If you have collision coverage, your insurer will pay to repair your car, but you will have to pay the deductible, which generally ranges from $250 to $1,000. By comparison, if the driver at fault stuck around but had no liability coverage, your uninsured motorist coverage  assuming you have it  would pay the deductible.

If you dont have collision coverage, uninsured motorist coverage wont pay for any property damage unless you can identify the car or driver that hit you.

That doesnt mean you should opt out of uninsured motorist coverage. It will pay for bodily injury claims up to your policy limit, even in hit-and-run situations as long as you fulfill certain notice requirements.

But the deductible difference strikes some consumers as unfair.

Jenny Davidson of Auburn got involved in a hit-and-run accident in late December. She was stopped in traffic on Interstate 80 Business when she was hit from behind by a man who was struck from behind by a driver who fled the scene. Because the driver behind her was also stopped, he was not found at fault, she said.

Neither of them could identify the car or driver who disappeared. She posted on Facebook and Reddit about the wreck, hoping someone with a dashboard camera captured it, but no one stepped forward.

So Davidson had to pay the $500 deductible on her collision coverage to get her Toyota Avalon Hybrid repaired.

I was furious, said Davidson, who runs a nonprofit that helps victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. This was 10 days before Christmas. The unexpected $500 expense cut into her budget for gifts and year-end charitable donations.

A lot of people (who learned of her wreck) were saying if you have uninsured motorist youre fine. I said No, you still have to pay your deductible. People couldnt believe that.

Davidson believes that if you have done your due diligence and you are not at fault at all, insurance companies should have to pay for that, for sure.

With more hit-and-run accidents happening in California, the Department of Insurance has been getting a significant number of complaints about this, but not enough to keep track, department spokeswoman Nancy Kincaid said.

Hit-and-run accidents on all roadways statewide rose to at least 100,342 in 2017 from 67,731 in 2013  a 48 percent increase, according to California Highway Patrol data. Over the same period, all collisions (including hit-and-runs) increased only 26 percent. CHP had no explanation for the jump.

Only liability coverage is required in California; other coverages are optional. Insurance companies must include uninsured motorist coverage in auto policies unless the customer declines it in writing. But like other types of insurance, most people dont understand how it works until they need it. So here goes:

Uninsured motorist insurance is supposed to pay off, up to your policy limits, when you get hit by an at-fault driver who has no liability insurance or is under-insured.

To make any type of claim under uninsured motorist coverage, there must be physical contact with another vehicle. In California, if a car veers into your lane and you swerve to avoid it but run into a barrier or a ditch, you cannot collect under uninsured motorist coverage for property damage or bodily injury. (You may be able to collect under collision or medical payments coverage.)

Assuming there is physical contact, the rules in California are different for property damage and bodily injury, depending on whether you can identify the other driver or car.

If you can identify the uninsured at-fault driver, uninsured motorist coverage will cover bodily injury to you and any passengers up to your policy limits. If you have collision coverage, your uninsured motorist coverage will pay your deductible and collision will pay for repairs, up to your policy limit.

If you dont have collision but have opted for uninsured motorist coverage, the latter will pay for repairs up to $3,500 if you are hit by an uninsured car or driver who can be identified, according to the insurance department.

What happens if you cannot identify the other driver, such as in a hit-and-run?

Under insurance code Section 11580.2, you can collect for bodily injury under uninsured motorist coverage if you report the incident to the police, sheriff or highway patrol within 24 hours and file a statement under oath to your insurance company within 30 days.

But under Section 11580.26(b) of the code, you cannot collect for property damage under uninsured motorist coverage unless you can identify the uninsured driver or car by its plate number. You could collect under your collision coverage, but youll have to pay the deductible. And if you have no collision insurance, youll get nothing.

This section has been a state law since the 1980s, and was likely a response to rising insurance fraud, Kincaid said. One of the more common types of fraud is when people hit a brick wall or other object and claim the damage was caused by a hit-and-run driver. Some even stage accidents.

Most states have similar laws, although some waive or discount the deductible in certain hit-and-run situations, said Robert Passmore, an assistant vice president with the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.

Doug Heller, a consumer insurance expert, said, it is wrongheaded to deny paying customers complete access to their policy because, theoretically, people could stage accidents. Its assuming fraud. If you make a sworn statement to the police that your car was hit in a hit-and-run accident, your uninsured motorist coverage should pick up the repair.

Think of it this way, he added in an email: If you are hit by someone who sticks around but doesnt have insurance and your car is damaged, there is no responsible-party coverage to protect you, so your (uninsured motorist) coverage is there to pay for it. If you are hit by someone and they take off, there is, similarly, no responsible-party coverage to protect you, so your (uninsured motorist) coverage should be there to pay for it.

Low-income people who cant afford collision coverage are most likely to get stung twice by hit-and-run accidents, Heller said.

He noted that California drivers pay a fee with their insurance policies  $1.50 per year per car  to investigate and prosecute auto insurance fraud.

Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender

Fleeing the scene

The number of hit-and-run accidents on all California roadways is accelerating faster than the number of total collisions.

Year Hit-and-run All collisions 2010 75,445 416,490 2011 70,180 403,629 2012 70,862 395,901 2013 67,731 383,840 2014 73,046 399,565 2015 84,700 437,941 2016* 99,531 491,471 2017* 100,342 482,868

*Preliminary estimatesIn route news, French Bee lands at SFO; JetSuiteX adds flights out of Oakland to Nevada; American drops a key route to China and starts seasonal Europe service; United and JetBlue boost Cuba service, and JetBlue adds Mexico City flights; Frontier adds and drops some routes; and Sun Country comes to Santa Barbara.

The Paris-based low-cost, long-haul airline called French Bee (formerly known as French Blue) came to San Francisco International this weekend for the first time, an intermediate stop on its new Paris Orly-SFO-Papeete, Tahiti route. It will fly the route two to three times a week, using an Airbus A350-900 with 376 economy seats and 35 premium seats. The main cabin seats are 10-across with 31-32 inch pitch, while the premium seats are configured 2-3-2 with 36-inch pitch. The airline has two economy fare levels and one for premium seating. French Bee has introductory fares from San Francisco to Paris startring at $189 one-way, and to Tahiti from $330 one-way. United's nonstops between SFO and Tahiti start in October.

JetSuiteX, which offers small-jet service mainly in the California corridor, is expanding its network in mid-June with more flights from Oakland International to Reno and Las Vegas. On June 11, its current weekly service from OAK to Las Vegas will increase to five flights a week, operating every weekday (Monday through Friday). And its Oakland-Reno flights, currently operating twice a week, will be available six days a week, Sunday through Friday.

U.S. carriers contested fiercely for routes to China in recent years, but now American Airlines is stopping service in a key market. Effective October 20, the carrier will discontinue its flights from Chicago OHare to Beijings Capital Airport  a route also served by United and Chinas Hainan Airlines. American said overcapacity in the market is limiting its ability to charge profitable fares. The company said it will seek a dormancy waiver from the Transportation Department so it wont lose its rights to the route. American, which also flies to Beijing from Dallas/Ft. Worth and Los Angeles, has flown the ORD-Beijing route since 2010.

Meanwhile, American last week began summer seasonal service on some new routes to Europe. The carrier is now offering daily 767-300 flights from its Philadelphia hub to Prague and to Budapest, as well as daily 787-8 service from Chicago OHare to Venice. (For 2018, American cut last summers seasonal service between Boston-Paris, New York JFK-Zurich and JFK-Manchester.)

United Airlines plans to add more flights to Cuba. When the Cuba market opened up, United offered only once-a-week flights to Havana from its hub at Houston Bush Intercontinental, but now the airline says it will increase that schedule to daily service effective July 20. United will use 737-800s and Mesa Airlines/United Express E175s on the route.

JetBlue is also adding service to Havana, and to Mexico as well. On November 10, JetBlue said, it will inaugurate new Saturday-only service from Boston to Havana and will boost its Ft. Lauderdale-Havana schedule, offering up to three flights a day from Sunday through Friday. And on October 25, JetBlue will begin new daily non-stop flights to Mexico City from both Boston and New York JFK. It already flies to MEX from Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale. Meanwhile, JetBlue last week kicked off its previously announced new service from Boston to Minneapolis-St. Paul, with three flights a day. MSP is JetBlues 65th destination from Boston.

In the latest adjustment to its network, Frontier Airlines is dropping some routes and adding others. On July 4, the low-cost carrier will discontinue service from Austin to Providence, Minneapolis-St. Paul to Islip, N.Y., and Philadelphia to Birmingham. And on July 5 it will cut service between Atlanta-Providence and Detroit-Islip. In mid-August Frontier will begin new service between Denver-Norfolk and from Jacksonville to Buffalo, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul and St. Louis. Also coming in mid-August is new service from Orlando to Norfolk, and on August 30 from Denver to Wichita. Most routes will offer two or three flights a week.

Minneapolis-based Sun Country Airlines, which recently adopted an ultra-low-cost carrier business model, plans to add some California service to its network. Starting August 19, Sun Country will operate twice-weekly 737 flights between MSP and Santa Barbara. And on August 30, it will start flying once a week between Santa Rosa and Las Vegas, also with a 737.

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Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis.Yellow Dog Productions/Getty Image

A man who spent three decades on the lam, most of the time with a fake identity in Australia, pleaded guilty to smuggling thousands of pounds of marijuana from Thailand to Santa Rosa in the 1980s and was sentenced Friday in federal court in San Francisco to three years in prison, officials said.

In a plea agreement, Peyton Erwin Eidson admitted being part of a conspiracy to import 6,700 pounds of marijuana from Thailand in the mid-1980s. His role involved traveling to Thailand to arrange for the load and tracking distribution once the drugs made it into the United States.Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle 2016

A man was arrested Saturday on suspicion of twice stealing rainbow flags from outside the Chamber of Commerce in Guerneville, a popular gay resort town, and threatening to blow up a Safeway and a Sonoma County Sheriffs Office substation, law enforcement officials said.

The intent was to injure deputies and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, officials said.In response to the same labor dispute that led Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) to pull out as the commencement speaker at U.C. Berkeley, a group of graduating students protested during their own graduation ceremony Saturday, some of them holding up signs in solidarity with university workers and others standing and turning their back on replacement speaker Chancellor Carol Christ as she spoke.

Other students on the field booed loudly when the senior class council president announced that Harris would not be speaking.When Sacramento authorities called a press conference to announce that a suspect had been apprehended in a spree of rapes and murders that terrorized California in the 1970s and 1980s the case of the Golden State Killer  it was all the true crime community could talk about.

That much was not unexpected, especially since the case had already drawn renewed fascination with the posthumous release of Michelle McNamara's book, "I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer."

But there was another, less expected response: The emergence of retired Contra Costa County investigator Paul Holes, who stood quietly in the background of the press conference, as something of nascent sex icon. Hordes are tweeting their admiration and lust with the hashtag "HotForHoles." There are calls for him to be named People's Sexiest Man Alive.

"Um, first of all, just look at him," one 25-year-old friend of mine said when I asked her to unpack the appeal. "He's like the real life Elliot Stabler minus rage issues."

Women and men across California and beyond say good looks and the career-long, dogged pursuit of a vicious rapist is a potently sexy combination. The phenomenon seems to have caught on especially well with fans of the popular podcast "My Favorite Murder," who call themselves "Murderinos." Now, some jokingly identify as "Holerinos."

The thirst for Holes has spawned a dazzling array of content. There are Paul Holes memes ("What would Paul Holes do?" asks one, the text juxtaposed against a picture of Holes staring sultrily out at the viewer, looking more like the promo poster for a brooding Nordic crime drama than a picture of a retired guy who lives in Vacaville. "Paul Holes would text first and never read you on read," it answers itself.) There are photo collages. There are paintings.

Then there's the merchandise. You can now buy a doormat that says, "You better have pizza, wine, or Paul Holes with you." There are #HotForHoles keychains, and "I heart Paul Holes" tank tops and necklaces that have "Paul Holes" stamped into one half of a broken heart.

Certainly, there are detractors, some of whom find the zeal with which Holes has been sexualized mildly creepy. But with the Golden State Killer case exploding into the public consciousness, Holes has found admirers the world over.

"He'll be a gay icon soon enough," said Steve McVeigh, a gay man who lives in Dublin, Ireland, and says he's drawn to Holes's "yummy" American accent, "gorgeous eyes" and articulate and "cool as ice" demeanor.

Thus far, the response from Holes, who is married, has reportedly been bashful and appreciative (he sadly did not return my admittedly weird call for this story).

"First, absolutely flattered by #HotforHoles," he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. "Some talent behind some of that artwork."

In the eyes of the Holerinos, though, it's Holes himself who is the real work of art.

Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on TwitterAmericans are facing an epidemic of dishonesty in Washington thats more dangerous than terrorism or communism.

Thats according to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who warned in a commencement speech Saturday at Texas Rice University that an endless barrage of lies and a trend toward alternate realities in national politics pose a dire threat to U.S. democracy.

The 76-year-old billionaire, who flirted with an independent presidential run in 2016, did not call out any politicians by name.

Although he derided Donald Trump as a con and a dangerous demagogue before the 2016 election, in an interview before the speech Bloomberg refused to comment specifically on the Republican presidents troubled history with the truth. Fact checkers have determined that Trump has made hundreds of false and misleading statements since entering the Oval Office.

This is bigger than any one person. Its bigger than any one party, he said in the interview.

In the speech, Bloomberg evoked the legend of the nations first president, George Washington, who as a boy said he could not tell a lie when asked if he cut down a cherry tree.

How did we go from a president who could not tell a lie to politicians who cannot tell the truth? Bloomberg asked Rice graduates and their families gathered in Houston.

He blamed extreme partisanship for an unprecedented tolerance of dishonesty in U.S. politics. People are committed more to their political tribes than the truth, he said, suggesting that the nation is more divided than any time since the Civil War.

There is now more tolerance for dishonesty in politics than I have seen in my lifetime, Bloomberg said. The only thing more dangerous than dishonest politicians who have no respect for the law is a chorus of enablers who defend their every lie.

In one jab at Trump, he noted that the vast majority of scientists agree that climate change is real. Trump and his Republican allies have repeatedly called climate change a hoax promoted by Americas adversaries.

If 99 percent of scientists whose research has been peer-reviewed reach the same general conclusion about a theory, then we ought to accept it as the best available information  even if its not a 100 percent certainty, Bloomberg said. He added: That, graduates, is not a Chinese hoax.

The greatest threat to American democracy isnt communism, jihadism, or any other external force or foreign power, he continued. Its our own willingness to tolerate dishonesty in service of party, and in pursuit of power.

Steve Peoples is an Associated Press writer.Alamedas concentration of Victorian architecture rivals that of anywhere in the country.

But why?

Experts point to a combination of fortunate timing, dedicated local residents and limited exposure to natural disasters.

Its not unusual that so many Victorians were built here in the 1880s and 1890s, said Christopher Buckley of the Alameda Architectural Preservation Society. Whats unusual is that a lot survived. That isnt the case in much of central Oakland, which changed with redevelopment and rebuilding. And many of San Franciscos Victorians were lost in the earthquake and fire of 1906.

Victorians remain in great numbers thanks in part to the efforts of the Alameda Architectural Preservation Society, which was originated in 1972 by residents worried about the demolition of classic homes.

Buckley and others in the society maintain a watchful eye on Alamedas historic buildings, often providing recommendations and counsel to the citys planning department during the architectural review process.

There are around 4,000 structures on Alamedas historic building study list, Buckley said. Of those 4,000, a little bit less than half are Victorians.

Victorian architecture refers to design tastes during Queen Victorias reign, an era stretching from 1837 to 1901.

The umbrella of Victorian architecture covers a number of subtle variations on the theme. Among them, Queen Anne and Stick-Eastlake represent the bulk of Alamedas Victorian housing stock, Buckley said.

Queen Anne Victorians often feature oriel windows, corner turrets and front porches with intricate spindle work. Wood shingles arranged in a variety of patterns and textures typically adorn a Queen Annes asymmetrical facade.

Stick-Eastlake design shares some traits with Queen Anne, like the steeply pitched roofs with intersecting planes, though they typically offer less overall ornamentation. Wooden trim boards  or sticks  arranged at right angles and diagonally along the facade represent the defining feature of Stick-Eastlake architecture.

These historic homes live among mature trees and manicured landscapes. Sculpted hedges, verdant lawns and vibrant clusters of rose bushes beautify front yards. Roads lined with London plane, oak, ash, eucalyptus and pine trees shade the sidewalks of Alamedas most prominent blocks.

The Alameda Architectural Preservation Society provides interactive ways to learn about these and other historic homes in the city. Every year the group pairs with the Alameda Museum to present a Legacy Home Tour, where local experts hosting guided tours of the citys structural gems. This years legacy tour takes place Sept. 23.

The society also hosts seminars on home improvement. The quarterly meetings cost $5 to attend and revolve around restoring old and historic homes. Past presentations focused on ornamental plaster, seismic upgrades, epoxies and other nuances of classic architecture.

Victorians arent the subject of every session, Buckley said. After all, Alameda has thousands of other historic structures in need of maintenance.

Theres a lot of similarities between houses of various architectural styles, he said. Theyre usually built with wood frames, have moldings and need seismic upgrades. So we talk about old houses in general.

Their most recent seminar tapped Bob Buckter, a San Francisco-based architectural color design consultant, to talk hues and decorative finishes. Buckter, nicknamed Dr. Color, estimates hes been involved in more than 18,000 projects over his 48-year career.

Alameda, he said, is his second strongest market for business behind San Francisco. Hes worked on 800 or 900 Victorians in Alameda alone and is always taking into account the context of the architecture and seeing what else is on the block.

You have to pay attention to what is next door and whats across the street, he said. If theres yellow houses on either side of them, Ill suggest they consider sage or something with a blue accent.

In a town of architectural gems, the Gold Coast neighborhood holds many of Alamedas crown jewels. Tudors, Craftsman, and, yes, Victorian houses exist in abundance here on the south-central part of the island.

A wealth of Victorians representing a variety of styles surround the Gold Coasts Franklin Park.

One particular seven-bedroom overlooks the park from the corner of Morton Street and San Antonio Avenue.

This Queen Anne Cottage built in 1886 is on the market for $1.798 million. Realtor Susan Kaney of Alain Pinel Realtors represents 1100 Morton St., and she quickly distills the appeal of Alameda in general, and the Gold Coast in particular.

There is a quiet charm to Alameda thats hard to capture in words. The Gold Coast is the quintessential Bay Area neighborhood, complete with beautiful, vintage and classic style homes, Kaney said. Buyers are drawn here not just for the architectural allure, but also Franklin Park, which provides an amazing outdoor space.Kids danced, music blasted, chalk butterflies took shape on the sidewalk and red, blue and orange colors glowed on the mural on North Richmond's Rancho Market at the mural's unveiling today.

Dozens of North Richmond residents worked for over a year with artists and public officials to transform the formerly blighted storefront at 500 Market Ave. in North Richmond, an unincorporated Contra Costa County community.

"This is really about the fabric of community - bringing people together," Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, the moving force behind the mural, told the crowd. "I'm proud of the people of North Richmond."

After Gioia spoke, DJ Gary blasted "Celebration," Kool & the Gang's 1980 paean to good times, as people of all colors and ages strolled down the closed-off street outside the market.

Before the mural was painted, neighbors of the store had approached Gioia with concerns about the store's painted-over graffiti and bullet holes. In response, in 2017, the supervisor brought in Love Your Block, a grant-funded city program that helps residents reimagine their neighborhoods.

The city of Richmond Arts & Culture Commission kicked in a mini-grant of $7,500 to pay the lead artists and apprentices. Kelly-Moore Paints in San Pablo and Home Depot in El Cerrito donated paint and materials.

"It's just amazing when we can all come together to mingle in peace and harmony," said Maria Aviles, who has lived in North Richmond for 17 years. "We want safe streets so we can come together as friends."

A panoply of Richmond organizations was represented by booths up and down the street. Rich City Rides, an organization that sells and repairs bikes at a bike shop and offers an Earn-A-Bike program for youth, was on hand, as well as the Arts & Culture Commission and a face-painter.

As the DJ played Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," lead muralist and project manager Richard Muro Salazar showed off the completed work of art.

The mural encompasses two exterior walls of the store, with a blue wave starting on one side, giving way to a cornucopia of fruit and vegetables. The mural also showcases fabrics of different communities: Mexican, Nigerian, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese.

"That's a lot of the North Richmond community," said Salazar, pointing to a Mexican serape portrayed on the side of the building. "That's why we named the mural 'Fabric of Unity.'"

Vanessa "Agana" Espinoza was the assistant lead artist on the project, and Alfonso Leon, Jahira Fragozo and Jacinto Mingura worked as apprentices. Gioia, members of the community and the muralists all wielded paintbrushes at the building.

Stephanie Ny of Love Your Block said Lucky Braimah, the owner of the store, was on board with the effort from the beginning.

(510) 221-7221

Tania Pulido, Community Housing Development Corporation

(510) 253-9221

Robert Rogers for Gioia (510) 231-8688 or

robert.rogers@bos.cccounty.us

Stephanie Ny, Richmond Love Your Block (510) 620-6563 or

stephanie_ny@ci.richmond.ca.usOAKLAND (BCN)

A 53-year-old Oakland man was convicted today of 12 felony counts for sexually assaulting two sisters, starting when one of them was only 12.

Alameda County prosecutor Tim Wellman said Jaime Rivera was a family friend of the two sisters and abused the older sister between 2007 and 2013, when she was between 12 and 17.

But Wellman said the older sister, who is now 23, didn't report the alleged sexual abuse until last June, when he said Rivera sexually assaulted the younger sister, who was 19 at the time.

Wellman told jurors in his opening statement in the case that the older sister believed that when Rivera allegedly sexually assaulted the younger sister at his house in Oakland last June he "had broken his promise to her not to do anything to her younger sister."

The prosecutor said the older sister then "finally revealed the secret she had kept for many years," which he said was that Rivera had molested her at residences in San Francisco and Oakland dating back to 2007.

Defense attorney Stefan Schweitzer said in his opening statement that Rivera "is an innocent man" and told jurors that there are doubts about the sisters' credibility.

Schweitzer said if Rivera really had sexually assaulted the older sister over a lengthy period she would have warned her younger sister about him when the younger sister moved in with him last year but he said there's no evidence the older sister gave her such a warning.

Schweitzer said Rivera told the younger sister that in order to live with him she would have to get a job and go to school but she didn't do so and instead frequently went out on the town, stayed out late and sometimes had her boyfriend stay with her.

Schweitzer said the alleged assault of the younger sister "did not happen."

Rivera was convicted of rape, attempted rape, sexual penetration by a foreign object, continuous sexual abuse, performing lewd acts on a child and oral copulation of a person under the age of 18.

Rivera faces a lengthy state prison sentence when he's sentenced June 29 by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Rhonda Burgess.OAKLAND (BCN)

A 66-year-old man was sentenced today to 50 years to life in state prison for fatally shooting another man during a dispute over tree trimmings in front of his house in East Oakland in 2016.

Vick Malone claimed during his trial that he acted in self-defense when he shot Ernest Henry McMurry Jr., 50, of Union City, outside Malone's home in the 2300 block of 80th Avenue at about 1:50 p.m. on Nov. 21, 2016.

But jurors didn't believe him and convicted him of first-degree murder for killing McMurry and of attempted murder for shooting at McMurry's uncle, Teddy Walker, who wasn't injured.

Malone admitted on the witness stand that he fired a single shot that killed McMurry but said he acted in self-defense after McMurry pointed a gun at him.

Malone said the shooting was the culmination of a violent fight that broke out after he put tree trimmings on top of McMurry's car, which was parked in the driveway of Malone's neighbor, a woman who was McMurry's girlfriend.

Malone said McMurry got mad at him when he saw the trimmings on his car and an argument ensued in which McMurry and his uncle, Walker, pinned him on the ground and punched him and stomped on him.

Malone also said McMurry held a knife to his throat at one point and threatened to kill him.

Malone said McMurry and his uncle eventually let him get up and he was able to retreat to his house, but he said he didn't call the police because he didn't think he had time to do so.

Malone said he got a rifle from his bedroom to protect himself because he heard Walker telling McMurry to take a gun Walker was carrying so that Malone wouldn't be able to retaliate against him.

Malone said he was carrying his rifle when he went outside his front door and he fired it at McMurry after he saw McMurry pointing a revolver at him.

He said, "I shot him before he fired at me."

McMurry was pronounced dead at the scene.

The gun that Malone said McMurry was holding wasn't found at the scene.

Prosecutors said Malone shot McMurry in the back of the head as McMurry was walking away.

Prosecutors said Malone then re-racked his shotgun and pointed it at Walker but witnesses told police that Malone's gun jammed when he tried to shoot Walker.

Malone denied an allegation by prosecutor Emily Tienken when she cross-examined him that he had a long-running feud with McMurry because he didn't like McMurry parking in the area where he regularly trimmed his tree.MILL VALLEY (BCN)

Mill Valley police arrested an Oakland man on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle after a pursuit ended Thursday.

Police responded around 5:55 p.m. to a report of a stolen vehicle in the 400 block of Magee Avenue. The vehicle was heading toward the downtown area.

Police found the vehicle at Throckmorton and Miller avenues but the driver allegedly failed to yield and drove onto Shoreline Highway and southbound U.S. Highway 101.

Marin County sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers joined the pursuit that led to San Francisco where the driver tried to flee on foot, police said.

The driver, identified as 33-year-old Robert Koichi Maynard, was a parolee at large with a warrant for his arrest, and he was booked in the Marin County Jail for possessing a stolen vehicle, evading police and the arrest warrant, according to police.All eastbound lanes of the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge are open again following a multiple-vehicle crash on the bridge this afternoon, according to the California Highway Patrol.

As of 5:05 p.m. all lanes were open and a Sig-Alert was canceled one minute later.All lanes of eastbound Interstate Highway 580 just west of Airway Boulevard in Livermore are now clear after a multi-vehicle traffic collision blocked multiple lanes of the roadway early this morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP said a Sig-alert for the freeway was canceled around 1:30 a.m. today. All lanes were blocked around 12:30 a.m., but lanes No. 2 and 3 were cleared around 12:50 a.m.A decomposing body was found Friday in the marshlands in Fremont, police said.

Officers got a call at 4 p.m. on Friday from a person walking on some trails in the marshlands near 1 Marshlands Road and near the Dumbarton Bridge, police spokeswoman Geneva Bosques said.

The body was seen in some mud and may have washed up there.

An airboat crew from the Menlo Park Fire Protection District was called in to assist the Alameda County coroner's bureau and Fremont firefighters with a respectful recovery of the victim.

Firefighters found the body in the shallow mud flats along the rock levee northeast of the Dumbarton Bridge near Coyote Hills Park in Fremont, Menlo Park fire officials said.

"Our two fire agencies regularly work together in the bay to perform water rescues and recoveries," Menlo Park Fire District Chief Harold Schapelhouman said in a statement.

Schapelhouman said, "Using their drone, Fremont battalion chiefs confirmed the location of the victim and coordinated with our battalion chief who radioed Air Boat 77 the exact coordinates of the victim's location, which expedited the recovery operation before nightfall."

The coroner has not identified the person yet so their name was not available.

Bosques said at least once before a body washed up in the same general area and it was from the other side of San Francisco Bay.Regarding Judge tells of danger in effort to recall him (Bay Area, May 9): I am a retired British barrister who had a mainly criminal practice. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky is quite right about the folly of efforts to recall him.

He sentenced a Stanford undergraduate with no prior convictions to six months jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. The public, not much informed on justice matters, always thinks its the length of the sentence that deters criminals. But it is not. It is the risk of getting caught. The public likes to read of the long sentences for which American courts are famous.

Here, what would in England would be a three-month sentence becomes seven years, and so on. Six months jail (plus becoming a registered sex offender) is, in truth, a tough sentence and is what the probation officer recommended. And as the judge hints, to second-guess him is inappropriate.

Most of your readers would find their minds concentrated with only three months in prison.

Keith Wedmore, Mill ValleyThe details may be fuzzy, but billionaire Elon Musk says he's aiming to open the Boring Company's first test tunnel beneath the Los Angeles area to the public in a few months, "pending final regulatory approvals."

The Boring Company has been working for well more than a year on a tunnel that has its entrance in what was once a parking lot next to SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif.

Last month, the Los Angeles City Council's public works committee approved an environmental review exemption that cleared the way for extending the tunnel beneath West Los Angeles.

As laid out by the Los Angeles Times, the Boring Company's plan traces a 2.7-mile route that lies 30 to 70 feet below ground.

Late Thursday, Musk took to Instagram and Twitter to post a blurry time-lapse video that takes viewers on a virtual ride through a section of the tunnel:

Musk says "we will be offering free rides to the public in a few months," but only if regulators agree. Such rides would presumably involve rolling down the tunnel's track on the pods that would eventually become part of the Boring Company's transit system, with priority given to pedestrians and bicyclists.

Musk's reference to the support needed from the public, elected officials and regulators may serve to explain why he's bringing up the subject now.

In last month's report, the Los Angeles Times quoted experts as saying the Boring Company's tunnel exemption could be challenged in court, particularly if it's seen as interfering with L.A.'s mass-transit plans. Musk may be counting on his huge fan base to help with the tricky task of getting the tunnel cleared for takeoff.

If this initial tunnel is a hit, that may help Musk build momentum for bigger projects, such as tunnels between downtown Chicago and O'Hare International Airport, between Washington and New York, and between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area.

Musk alluded to those projects in a follow-up tweet:

So far, much of the funding for the Boring Company has come from Musk and the company employees who joined last month's $112.5 million investment round. Eventually, revenue will have to start flowing in from pod fares, plus sales of logo hats, bricks made from dug-up rocks and dirt, flamethrowers and other novelties.

As for those flamethrowers  or "not-a-flamethrowers," if regulators are asking  there are signs that the Boring Company is closer to shipping those 20,000 items. The terms and conditions for the sales (at $500 apiece) are popping up on Twitter and Reddit, with a poetic touch worthy of Dr. Seuss:

The posted documents indicate that buyers have to agree to the terms and conditions by May 24, and that the not-a-flamethrowers will start shipping this summer, "just in time to liven up any party." So brace yourselves: This Fourth of July could be a hot one.ROME  A court in Italy has ruled that former three-time Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is eligible to run for office again, nearly five years after a tax fraud conviction forced him to surrender his Senate seat and prevented him from being a candidate in national elections.

Newspaper Corriere della Sera reported Saturday that Milans Surveillance Tribunal made the decision after reviewing a request from lawyers for Berlusconi, 81, a media mogul who founded a center-right political party a quarter century ago.

The ban on his seeking or holding public office was due to expire in 2019. But Corriere della Sera said the tribunal ruled Friday that Berlusconi already had been rehabilitated.

Silvio Berlusconi can finally return to the playing field, said Mara Carfagna, a leader of the ex-premiers Forza Italia party.

Milan Prosecutor General Roberto Alfonso said prosecutors have 15 days to decide if they will appeal the tribunals decision.

In October 2012, Berlusconi was found guilty of committing tax fraud as part of his vast business dealings. Italys highest criminal court upheld his conviction the next year.

Berlusconi was forced to sit out this years parliamentary election. The March 4 vote resulted in a legislature sharply divided into three factions, one of them a center-right alliance made up of Berlusconis Forza Italia and the anti-immigrant League party.

President Sergio Mattarella said Monday that if Italys bickering political leaders cant form a government soon, he would appoint a nonpolitical premier to govern until the end of the year at the latest. That would mean a fresh election years before the 2023 due date, and with the Milan ruling, an opportunity for Berlusconi to run again.

Frances DEmilio is an Associated Press writer.SEOUL  North Korea announced Saturday that it will dismantle its nuclear test site from May 23 to 25, an event that would set up leader Kim Jong Uns summit with President Trump next month.

Kim had revealed plans to shut down the countrys northeastern testing ground by the end of May during his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month. Analysts say the closure of the site is mostly symbolic and doesnt represent a material step toward denuclearization.

In a statement carried by state media, North Koreas Foreign Ministry said all of the tunnels at the site will be destroyed by explosion, and that observation and research facilities and ground-based guard units will also be removed.

The North plans to invite journalists from the United States, South Korea, China, Russia and Britain to inspect the process, the statement said.

After the Moon-Kim summit, Moons office said Kim was willing to disclose the process to international experts, but the Norths statement Saturday didnt include any mention about allowing experts on the site.

The Norths announcement comes days after Washington announced that the historic summit between Kim and Trump will be held June 12 in Singapore.

Seoul, which shuttled between Washington and Pyongyang to set up the Trump-Kim meeting, has said Kim has genuine interest in dealing away his nuclear weapons in return for economic benefits. But there are lingering doubts about whether Kim would ever agree to fully relinquish the weapons he probably views as his only guarantee of survival.

Kim declared his nuclear force to be complete in December, following the countrys most powerful nuclear test to date in September and also three tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to reach the U.S. mainland.

The closure of the site could be a useful precedent for Washington and Seoul as they proceed with negotiations with Pyongyang, analysts say.

Now that North Korea has accepted in principle that agreements should be verified, U.S. negotiators should hold them to this standard for any subsequent agreement, said Adam Mount, a senior defense analyst at the Federation of American Scientists.

Kim Tong-Hyung is an Associated Press writer.VANCOUVER, British Columbia  A pipeline project that would vastly expand Canadian oil exports to Asia is dividing the country, pitting indigenous groups and people who fear damage to the scenic coastline near Vancouver against the central government and the influential energy industry.

The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion would triple the capacity of an existing pipeline to ship oil extracted from the inky black tar sands north of Alberta across the snow-capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies. It would end at a terminal outside Vancouver, resulting in a seven-fold increase in the number of tankers in an environmentally sensitive area dependent on tourism and fishing.

It just boggles my mind that people are willing to risk Vancouver to a catastrophic oil spill, said Stewart Phillip, chief of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, which represents 115 aboriginal groups that oppose the expansion.

Many indigenous people see the 620 miles of new pipeline as a threat to their land, echoing concerns raised by Native Americans about the Keystone XL project in the U.S. Many in Canada say it also raises broader environmental concerns by enabling increased development of the carbon-heavy tar sands.

The project also has strong support in a country where energy production has become a key part of the economy. Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government approved the expansion, arguing it was economically necessary and enabled him to overcome opposition to a carbon tax plan that will help Canada cut its greenhouse emissions.

This pipeline is the single most important economic opportunity that Canada will have in the foreseeable future, said Jason Kenney, leader of Albertas conservative party.

Facing legal challenges filed by the government of British Columbia, the company that would build the pipeline, U.S.-based Kinder Morgan Inc., halted essential spending on the project last month and said it would cancel it altogether if Ottawa and British Columbia could not ensure they would be able to go forward.

Those who make an economic case for the project point out that Canada has the worlds third largest oil reserves but is overwhelmingly dependent on refiners in the U.S., where a barrel of Canadas heavy oil is sold at a discount of between $15 and $30 per barrel.

Canada wants to diversify oil exports to Asia where oil commands a higher price. The discount means billions less in revenue for Canadian governments.

If we had access to global markets through a coastal pipeline we would be generating $40 million more in wealth for the Canadian economy every day, Kenney said.

The project has pitted Alberta against coastal British Columbia where concerns about fisheries, real estate values, tourism and ocean ecology are high. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson calls the pipeline an unacceptable risk that threatens 10,000 jobs in the harbor.

How can it be in Canadas interest if it runs completely counter to British Columbias interest? said George Heyman, environment minister for the province.

The Trans Mountain expansion is projected to lead to a tanker traffic balloon from about 60 to more than 400 vessels annually as the pipeline flow increases from 300,000 to 890,000 barrels per day.

Some fear greater damage than that caused by a 2007 pipeline rupture in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby. An excavator hit the existing Trans Mountain pipeline, spewing 224,000 liters of crude oil, which coated nearby homes and seeped into the harbor.

With the May 31 deadline looming, aboriginal leaders and environmentalists have pledged to do whatever necessary to thwart it including chaining themselves to construction equipment.

Jeremy Hainsworth and Rob Gillies are Associated Press writers.Page Content

You have likely heard your external, or perhaps even your in-house, employment counsel suggest on occasion that your company conduct an audit of its workplace policies, practices and procedures. But you have a business to run, and auditing your policies for what may be peripheral updates is simply not high on your seemingly endless to-do list. This is something that employment lawyers hear all too frequently. For New York City businesses, however, this mentality will need to changeand fast.

Thanks to a suite of bills recently signed into law by Mayor Bill de Blasio in the wake of the #MeToo movement, Big Apple employers have no choice but to review and likely revamp their employment policies, practices and procedures over the next few months, if not sooner.

Here are the key components of these sweeping employment law reforms, as well as the steps that businesses can take to comply.

Training

It was virtually inevitable that the New York City Councilone of the most employee-friendly legislative bodies in the countrywould pivot its focus to the recent groundswell of high-profile sexual harassment allegations.

The council did just that earlier this year, when it introduced an assemblage of 11 bills to redress workplace sexual harassment. This legislative package, dubbed the Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act, was passed by the City Council in April and signed into law May 9 by Mayor de Blasio.

Perhaps most notably, the act requires New York City employers with 15 or more employees to provide annual interactive training to prevent sexual harassment for all employees, including interns and supervisory and managerial employees.

[SHRM Online HR Q&A: What are the different types of sexual harassment?]

Such training is also required for new employees within 90 days of hire (however, an employee who has received sexual-harassment training at one employer within the required training cycle does not need to receive additional training at another employer until the next cycle).

The act defines "interactive training" as "participatory teaching whereby the trainee is engaged in a trainer-trainee interaction, use of audio-visuals, computer or online training program or other participatory forms of training as determined by the commission." While such training need not be presented live or facilitated by an in-person instructor, it must nevertheless include, at a minimum:

An explanation of sexual harassment as a form of unlawful discrimination under city law.



A statement that sexual harassment is also a form of unlawful discrimination under state and federal law.



A description of what sexual harassment is, providing examples.



Any internal complaint process available to employees to address sexual-harassment claims.



An explanation of the complaint process available through the New York City Commission on Human Rights (NYCCHR), the New York State Division of Human Rights and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the contact information for such agencies.



A statement that retaliation is prohibited and examples of retaliation.



Information concerning bystander intervention, including any resources that explain how to engage in bystander intervention.



A statement on the specific responsibilities of supervisory and managerial employees in the prevention of sexual harassment and retaliation and measures that such employees may take to appropriately address sexual-harassment complaints.



The act requires the NYCCHR to develop a model interactive training module that employers may use to satisfy their obligations under the law. As an alternative, New York City employers may establish their own interactive training programs as long as they meet or exceed the minimum standards to be set by the NYCCHR.

Additional Requirements

The new law also contains some cumbersome provisions intended to remediate sexual harassment in the workplace. Bill number 630-A, for instance, requires that every employer display an anti-sexual-harassment rights and responsibilities poster to be designed and made available by the NYCCHR in employee break rooms or other common areas where employees gather. Every employer must, at a minimum, display this poster in English and Spanish.

The act also compels the NYCCHR to develop an information sheet on sexual harassment that employers must furnish to employees at the time of hire (although the information sheet may be included in an employee handbook). The information sheet will be made available in English and Spanish and any other language deemed appropriate by the NYCCHR.

Additionally, the act expands the scope of employers that may be subject to a sexual-harassment claim under the city's anti-discrimination law. Specifically, bill number 657-A permits employees of all city employersirrespective of sizeto assert a "claim of gender-based harassment" (thereby reconciling city law with an analogous state law enacted in 2016). Previously, such claims could be pursued against only businesses with four or more employees.

The act also mandates that all city contractors include their practices, policies and procedures related to preventing and addressing sexual harassment as part of employment reports required by city contractors. The act also extends the statute of limitations to file a sexual-harassment complaint with the NYCCHR from one year to three years.

Outside of the requirement to provide annual training to prevent sexual harassment, which takes effect April 1, 2019, most of the act's requirements take effect at various intervals over the next few months.

HR's Role

The act, in conjunction with several sexual-harassment-related state bills that were signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on April 12, will require virtually every New York employereven those with robust anti-harassment policies and training programsto review and revise their workplace policies, practices and procedures. For now, Big Apple businesses should:

Review their harassment training programs to determine whether they contain all the information required by the act (and conduct a supplemental review once the NYCCHR publishes model training modules).



Prominently display the anti-sexual-harassment poster to be published by the NYCCHR.



Update their new-hire documentation to include the sexual harassment information sheet to be published by the NYCCHR.



In light of the recent changes at both the state and city levels, the time is also right to review and revise anti-harassment policies. They should include reporting procedures, illustrative examples of impermissible harassment and investigation protocol.

Indeed, given the relatively short time frame employers have to achieve compliance with the broad new requirements levied by New York lawmakers, it is more crucial than ever that employers stay in regular contact with experienced employment law counsel.

Mark Goldstein is an attorney with Reed Smith in New York City.



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A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!Shareholder activist Stephen Mayne asked why Akopiantz had not departed at the same time as Brenner - a move that he suggested may have saved the other two women, and staved off "having this whole debate about gender". Indeed, corporate leaders and gender diversity advocates, some of whom have been steadily slogging away on the issue for more than a decade, are questioning why the failings of one specific board, heading a company facing very specific circumstances, have - in the words former Macquarie Bank and Origin Energy chairman Kevin McCann - sparked an "avalanche" of negativity about "the quality of women on boards". Former Macquarie chairman Kevin McCann. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer Elizabeth Proust, the chairman of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, noted that AMP has had a series of headline-grabbing issues and personnel changes over the years (the departures of chief Paul Batchelor and chair Stan Wallis in 2002 and 2003 spring to mind). "[They weren't] seen through a gender lens," she says.

At the AMP AGM, acting chairman Mike Wilkins played the "gender versus ability" question with the straightest of bats. "The good news is I think you can have both," he said. "We want the best contributors we can get, however I think that gender fits with that. It is important to recognise gender diversity also promotes that difference of thinking as well." AMP executive chairman Mike Wilkins at the company's AGM Credit:Eddie Jim Brenner factor In the leadup to her departure, Brenner - a former director of finance for ABN AMRO - was criticised by some as lacking the senior corporate experience required to run the board of a major and complex financial institution like AMP. Fair cop - though there are plenty of male directors who never served as ASX200 chief executives, their backgrounds instead in law, accounting, the public service or elsewhere.

Not to mention the many male "rising stars" whose questioningly rapid ascensions were not blamed on gender bias. Loading But then came reporting that touched on how much time Brenner spent with her children. And there were the suggestions - in the media, on social media, and in what several people described as "mutterings" about town - that the cascade of female board departures at AMP somehow reflected on corporate diversity and the female director population more generally - that some, many or all of the 285 female directors on ASX200 boards had been gifted their gigs undeservedly. One column even appeared to blame the Commonwealth Bank's Storm Financial imbroglio, dating back to 2009, on the "female leadership" of its current chairman Catherine Livingstone, despite noting that she only joined the board in 2016.

Lost in the debate was the outperforming companies with a high proportion of women on their boards - the likes of Medibank Private, with a female chair and five of nine of its directors female, Mirvac Group, with four of eight directors female, and Andrew Forrest's Fortescue Metals Group, which has a majority of female directors on its nine-person board. Medibank's board has a majority of women. Credit:Arsineh Houspian The list of male-helmed corporate failures and scandals is also skated over despite a long and diverse rollcall. Such a list would include the likes of HIH Insurance and GFC-era debacles like Timbercorp, Great Southern, MFS Financial and Allco Finance, whose boards and upper executive ranks were exclusively or greatly dominated by men. One could reach further back into history, to the golden age of boardroom blokiness - to Bond Corporation or Qintex.

More recently, the genders of the chief executives and chairmen of Myer Holdings and Fletcher Building - both of which have posted downgrades and suffered shareprice dives - have passed unremarked, as were the genders of the chairman and managing director of Wesfarmers when it announced write-downs of more than a billion dollars of its UK retail asset Homebase. Myer's new CEO, John King with executive chairman Garry Hounsell Nobody asked whether the genders of the male chief executive and male chairman of handbags and accessories retailer Oroton Group played a part in that company's plunge into administration late last year. Likewise the male chief executive and chairman at electronics retailer Dick Smith Holdings, which fell over in 2016. Management ranks Central to the debate is the issue of gender targets in corporate Australia. As Akopiantz sat on the stage on Thursday, alone among the men, it almost seemed like 2009 all over again - a year in which the proportion of women on ASX200 boards sat at a paltry 8.7 per cent. Back then, the lone woman was the exception - because most ASX200 boards had none at all.

But 2009 ended up being the year that the concept of voluntary gender targets went mainstream, as the intractable nature of the lack of diversity on boards became clear. That year, both the ASX's Corporate Governance Council and the AICD called on companies to set voluntary gender targets. Things ramped up in 2015, when both the AICD and the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors set a target of 30 per cent of ASX200 board seats by 2018. That number sat at 27.1 per cent at the end of March. In the first three months of the year, 29 women were appointed to ASX200 boards - more women than men for the first time. When I employ someone it's got to be someone I trust. That's why I employ men. Blokes trust blokes. Quote from an academic study Last week, the Australian Securities Exchange released its planned update of its influential corporate governance principles, which included a 30 per cent gender target proposal for directors on ASX300 boards. Pre-2009, targets (let alone quotas) had been long dismissed as a tokenistic and even insulting gesture, rejected by corporate men and women alike. Surely, the argument went, if women were good enough, they will eventually get into these positions? It's all about merit, after all.

The problem was that they didn't - not because they lacked merit, but due to other factors, research showed. One academic paper from the late noughties surveyed male leaders and contained some enlightening anonymous quotes, such as: ''When I employ someone it's got to be someone I trust. That's why I employ men. Blokes trust blokes.'' A report by consultant Egon Zehnder International that same year uncovered what it described as systemic bias against female directors. Gender targets - as opposed to legislated quotas - were designed to overcome that systemic and often unconscious bias; to actually reinforce the idea of merit-based appointments. Deloitte Australia chairman Tom Imbesi says that - rather than resulting in short-sighted or inappropriate hirings - targets had prompted boards to more carefully think about appointments. It had also contributed to a rethink of workplace policies more broadly - in areas such as flexibility, childcare, maternity leave and return-to-work arrangements - to improve retention of female talent. "That's where we have lost sight of the benefits these targets have provided to organisations - that broader thinking," Imbesi says.

Reserve Bank board member Kathryn Fagg, also a Boral and Incitec Pivot director who has held senior roles in banking, resources and logistics, points out that in corporate life pretty much everything has a target against it. "Having been in business a long time, if we ever want to bring about change and achieve results, we always set targets," says Fagg, president of Chief Executive Women. "Tracking targets is what you do - it doesn't matter what you are looking at. It's one of the key tools in the kit." ACSI, which has been pushing the issue of gender diversity for many years, interacts closely with boards and directors - its representatives held 226 meetings with 156 listed companies last year, placing it in prime position to judge the quality of directors - male and female - in corporate Australia. More is needed, says ACSI's Louise Davidson. Credit:Josh Robenstone "I would dispute that there are not women qualified to be on boards, and I would dispute that they are being promoted too fast to boards," says its chief executive, Louise Davidson. Former Macquarie chairman Kevin McCann, who is, like Imbesi, a member of the Male Champions of Change group that backs gender diversity, says he has heard complaints from men that they are finding it harder to get board seats now - and blaming "unqualified women" for taking the jobs.

But, crucially, he argues that any board that appointed an inappropriate candidate risked breaching their legally-imposed duties as directors, which require them to act in good faith and in the best interests of the company. "I would rebut the argument that that unqualified women are being appointed to boards - to do that would be a breach of your fiduciary duties." Case for change Proust, among others, has long pushed the business case for diversity, ahead of arguments about fairness. Oft-cited McKinsey research has found that companies with more gender diversity in executive ranks are more likely to post above-average profitability than the least diverse. The numbers step up again when cultural diversity is added to the list. But a paper last year from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, which examined a series of academic studies, concluded that companies did not actually perform better with women on their boards. Nor, however, did they perform worse.After Australia's Indian summer, fashion designer Emilia Wickstead isn't pleased to hear about the arctic blast forecast for this weekend.

"But our show is outside!" the New Zealand-born Wickstead says from London ahead of her first trip to Sydney in nearly two decades for Fashion Week Australia, which starts tomorrow.

Fashion designer Emilia Wickstead, a favourite of Meghan Markle and the Duchess of Cambridge, is showing a collaboration with MATCHESFASHION.COM at Fashion Week Australia.

Nevertheless, the proverbial sun has been shining on the 35-year-old, who after less than 10 years in business has dressed a first lady, a duchess and, lately, the world's most famous bride-to-be.

After shooting to celebrity status in Britain for regularly dressing the Duchess of Cambridge, Wickstead has grown her team. Still, she remains incredibly hands on in every detail of the business, even managing its Instagram account.When Easter passed, Mothers Day cards started appearing on shelves. Gift guides in magazines display idyllic images of mothers with their children. There were advertisements for special Mothers Day lunches, and suggestions on how to celebrate the day.

I find myself thinking of a Melbourne woman, a mother I dont know whose daughter, as reported in The Age one Mothers Day past, was hit by a car and killed as she crossed Nepean Highway to buy her mother flowers at one of those roadside stalls.

I think about what their plans might have been; perhaps lunch at a restaurant by the bay or a quiet occasion at home with the family. Plans that were blown apart in a split second.

There would be those who believe that these things are destined, and for them I expect the grief may be more bearable. For those of us who dont, such events remain just cruel tragedies.

It was several years ago now but the story has stayed with me. I wonder how that mother is getting on with her life, and how she manages to get through the second Sunday in May each year.The law, rolled out to big businesses in September 2016 and small businesses in August 2017, means merchants can only charge customers what it costs them to process a payment.

A ban on excessive payment surcharges was introduced to all businesses in August last year. Credit:Andrew Quilty

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission deputy chairman Michael Schaper has confirmed "a number" of investigations into other potential breaches were ongoing after fining one business in November.

The competition watchdog has sent warning letters to about 700 businesses for imposing excessive payment surcharges since a ban was widely implemented in August last year.

Different payment processing companies charge businesses different rates, but Dr Schaper said a good rule of thumb was about half of 1 per cent on eftpos transactions, about 1 per cent on debits and credit card surcharges of between 1 and 2 per cent.

"If youre getting hit with a flat fee for the price of a coffee or something really small, it may be that theyre actually exceeding the limit," he said.

The ACCC has received about 4000 contacts - whether enquiries, complaints or otherwise - since the ban was rolled out, Dr Schaper said. He described the figure as "notable" but said the commission's call centre received 300,000 contacts a year across its various functions.

I suspect its more widespread than what is reported," he said.

[But] at the moment, we think broadly speaking it seems to be working."Reforms aimed at improving the ACT's education system for children with complex needs and challenging behaviours continue to lag.

An expert panel behind a 2015 review of the education system - triggered after a Canberra school used a $5000 cage to manage the behaviour of a child with autism - made a suite of recommendations broadly accepted by the public and Catholic education sectors.

Canberra's Schools For All reforms continue. Credit:Michele Mossop

But the Schools For All December 2017 progress report, only released this week, showed the ACT Education Directorate and Catholic Education Office were yet to finalise five and seven recommendations respectively.

Among recommendations not yet completed by the ACT Education Directorate and Catholic Education was the professionalisation of learning support assistants.A not-for-profit organisation that supports former prisoners with mental illness has called on other community agencies to give their clients a chance.

Wellways, which offers the Detention Exit Community Outreach program, has backed up claims from the ACT Human Rights Commission, Prisoners Aid and the ACT Disability, Aged and Carer Advocacy Service that prisoners with disability are suffering delays in the processing of their NDIS applications.

Community groups, advocacy organisations and the ACT Human Rights Commission say prisoners with disability struggle to access services. Credit:Andrew Meares

But Wellways said the problem didn't stop there. Regional manager Lachlan Atyeo and program team leader Joanne Smith said even once packages were approved, many ACT service providers were reluctant to take on former detainees as clients, leaving some without essential services.

Mr Atyeo acknowledged some program participants had "done some terrible things" but said it was important to remember they were vulnerable people.HIV-positive sex workers could soon be allowed to operate in Canberra under sweeping changes proposed for the territorys decades-old prostitution laws.

Legislative references to "prostitute" and "prostitution" will also be replaced with "sex worker" and "sex work" if the Sex Work Bill 2018, to be introduced next month, passes the ACT Legislative Assembly.

The ACT government will look to update the 1992 Prostitution Act. Credit:Robert Banks

The bill, which would replace the 1992 Prostitution Act, further proposes to allow sole operators to work without registering with the ACT's Office of Regulatory Services, and would force brothel owners to supply workers with personal protective equipment, such as lubricant, condoms and dental dams, for free.

The reforms were among those recommended as part of an inquiry into the territory's sex work laws in 2011 following the 2008 death of a 17-year old working in a Canberra brothel."I wanted to have an experience that was as home-like as possible, with the continuity of care model that promoted as little intervention as possible," she said. "The birth centre and midwifery program provided those things." Ms Fox said having the same midwife a second time made it even more special. "We already have a relationship, and it just makes it a little less stressful. You have that one person who knows you, and that's really comforting." Ms Fox said she heard about the program the first time through word-of-mouth, and knew to book in straight away so she wouldn't miss out.

"I called the day I did a pregnancy test and booked in, and I was still on the waiting list for a couple of weeks this time before I got in." Midwife Helen Blake has worked at the Canberra Hospital for 35 years as both a nurse and a midwife. She said she's "extremely proud" of the care that they provide. "We have beautiful facilities here, and the care we provide, giving them choice around their place of birth, is really important to them," Ms Blake said. Ingrid McKenzie, another midwife with the service, is relatively new to the profession with about three years under her belt.

Centenary Hospital birth centre midwife Ingrid McKenzie. "I started more recently but it's this model that I always wanted to work in," Ms McKenzie said. "What's great is building that relationship with women, and that's what makes the continuity of care model so successful and it's why there are better birth outcomes for women and babies. "The way the birth process works is that if the women is feeling relaxed, comfortable and trusting of those around her, the better she labours. That's the way the labour hormones work. "In a lot of ways, it's a very safe model as well. I know all of her conditions that everybody needs to know about that might come up during the birth. It means that there's less likelihood of things getting missed if one person is knowing everything."

Ms McKenzie supported Kirbie and Andrew Barrell for the birth of their daughter Isabel on April 19. Isabel is the family's second child, after two-year-old Finn. Ms McKenzie was on a rostered day off on the day Isabel decided to enter the world, but another midwife who works in the team assisted instead. "Ingrid was back on at 7am the next morning but I said I just don't think we can keep it in for that long," Mr Barrell joked. Andrew and Kirbie Barrell with their son Finn, 2, and baby Isabel. Credit:Jamila Toderas Mrs Barrell said the midwives had done a handover so the second midwife knew everything she needed to about the situation.

"I found that throughout the labour every suggestion the midwife made was just perfect timing and it really helped having that expertise," Mrs Barrell said. Like Ms Fox, Mrs Barrell called the birth centre on the day she found out she was pregnant. "I put my name down, I think it was the second call that I made," she said. "In terms of the birth, it's just really nice to be trying to do things as naturally as possible, that was my goal." Mrs Barrell said she liked not having to have a birth plan, because everything she wanted - things like not to be offered drugs, to be able to labour at home - was part of the philosophy of the birth centre.

She said she didn't want a repeat of her son's traumatic birth two years prior. "I was able to labour at home and have her here within an hour and a half of arriving. It was very empowering and beautiful," she said. About 30 per cent of women who give birth at the Centenary Hospital access the continuity of care model, but only half that number end up giving birth in the birth centre. Centenary Hospital for Women and Children director of nursing and midwifery Karen Faichney said the women who don't end up birthing in the birth centre have developed complications either during pregnancy or birth. "They will keep their midwife but give birth in the birth suite," Ms Faichney said.

She said there was a waiting list for the midwifery program. She said demand far outstriped resources and the plan was to build the program to allow more women to be involved. "The birth centre's service is for low-risk women. Only women with no risk factors in their pregnancy and no risk factors developing during their labour are able to birth in the centre because it is a midwifery-led service and it's focused on normal birth," Ms Faichney said. Centenary Hospital for Women and Children director nursing and midwifery Karen Faichney in the low-intervention birth centre. Women who give birth at the birth centre can access pain relief during labour but primarily use non-medical forms of pain relief, like water. She said research showed continuity programs led to better outcomes for everyone.Women's health experts have called for school-based contraceptive education, a nationally consistent approach to abortions and an "urgent" royal commission into the impact of detention centres on the health of female refugees in a statement released on Mother's Day.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' Priorities Document has acknowledged women as "the single most important influence on the health of their children and wider family network".

A report released on Sunday has called for drastic reform. Credit:The Age

Its examination of six at-risk populations - including migrant and refugee women, rural and remote women, women with disability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women - has called for urgent action.

Among priorities was:"It is a bit like a 'choose your own adventure' [test]," said the head of the junior school, Daniel Sandral. "These girls are flying in maths. They're so engaged, it gives me goose bumps. It really pinpoints the next challenge for them. "It works on the Goldilocks principle. It's not too hard - if you give them something too hard, they are going to shut down. Too easy? They disengage. It tells us what's just right for them. There is nothing currently in Australia that gives us that amount of information." The results help teachers group the girls according to ability each term for maths hour, which involves the entire school for the first hour of every day. The most talented jump one or two grades to keep them challenged. Next year, MLC's junior school will introduce MAP's reading test. It was developed in conjunction with the company that invented the digital assistant Siri to record and analyse reading. MAP's cost, Mr Sandral said, is comparable with tests already available in Australia. "We don't need those anymore because this one is more powerful."

The year three and five MLC girls will still sit the hard copy version of NAPLAN on Tuesday (about a third of schools are doing an online version) but Mr Sandral agrees with those who believe the test has had its day. "NAPLAN is old, it has been around for a long time," he said. "When it first came out it had a place and a purpose, but it still hasn't evolved that much in 10 years. The more it became tied to school performance, it lost its way," Mr Sandral said. "It has its place in terms of national benchmarking, but technology has moved on, the rest of the world is on board with a tool like MAP." The MAP test might be state of the art, but other, more widely-available tests are also moving in that direction. About a fifth of schools will do NAPLAN online this year, which will enable a faster turnaround of results. It will also allow questions to adapt to match the students' level, and those answering harder questions will get a higher mark. But students will still only sit it every second year, so it is less effective at assessing a child's progress.

Another test used already in about two-thirds of Australian schools is the Progressive Achievement (PAT) Test. It might not be as cutting-edge as MAP, but it too is an online, low-stakes test able to diagnose learning problems. Schools buy the test from the Australian Council for Education Research. Last year, about 6500 schools bought licences for the test, including the entire South Australian public school system and several NSW Catholic dioceses. The council is working on an updated test, due next year, that, like NAPLAN and MAP, can offer different questions according to ability. The tests are classified by learning level rather than grade level, and can be used anytime. The council opposes publishing PAT results online. "They are not high-stakes tests, we don't compare school performances," said chief executive Geoff Masters. "Suggestions have been made that PAT test results could be published but we've said no. "The fact they allow progress or growth to be monitored is consistent with the Gonski idea. I wonder whether they realise that teachers delivered 4.5 million online tests [last year] for exactly this purpose?"

At MLC in Burwood, the new test has been welcomed by teachers. They don't defer to the system - if they think the results are wrong, they'll overrule them - but they find the diagnoses useful. "It also gives us projected growth, so as the children are engaging in their assessments it predicts where they should be the next time we assess," Mr Sandral. "It will give us alerts and warnings as well." Teachers must also link the test to the Australian syllabus themselves, but hope that if enough Australian schools adopt it, MAP's head office will design an Australian version as it has in countries such as Canada. The students, Mr Sandral said, have embraced it too. "Their self-esteem in being a mathematician has improved, their belief in what they can do has drastically improved. We have girls highly engaged and thriving in maths." A guide to the different school testsThe NSW government promises its redevelopment of a public housing estate in Sydneys north will provide up to 1000 dwellings for social housing as well as community facilities and services.

But only 128 homes have been earmarked as affordable housing - less than 5 per cent of up to 3500 residential properties planned for Ivanhoe Estate in Macquarie Park.

An artist's impression of the proposed redevelopment of the Ivanhoe public housing estate. Credit:Department of Planning and Environment

A spokesman for the NSW Department of Family and Community Services said: The mix of social, affordable and private housing provides the right balance for a new mixed community with a full range of community facilities and services.

However, Karen Walsh, the chief executive of Shelter NSW, said the redevelopment did not provide enough housing for workers on low and moderate incomes.Parts of south-east Queensland have almost reached zero overnight, with minimum temperatures dropping more than seven degrees below average for this time of year, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

The Darling Downs town of Oakey and Kingaroy in the South Burnett both dropped to 0.3 degrees on Saturday morning, more than seven degrees below their May average minimums.

Time to bust out those winter woollies, even though there are still three weeks of Autumn left. Credit:Fairfax Media - Bradley Kanaris

Dalby, also in the Darling Downs, hit a low of 1.5 degrees, almost seven degrees below average, and Brisbane reached 12.3 degrees overnight, almost 1.5 below average.

Brisbane was expected to drop to just nine degrees overnight, which was last recorded in May 2015, but conditions were slightly warmer than anticipated.Just before Mother's Day in 2017, Naomi and her three children were forced from their rental home. The landlord was selling and Naomi had to scramble to find a new place to live.

Unable to find anywhere affordable, Naomi sought help from Uniting Victoria.

She is one of the 10,000 people forced to seek emergency help from Uniting in Ringwood, a figure that Uniting data shows has been rising by 10 per cent year-on-year for three years.

Uniting Victoria and Tasmania chief executive Paul Linossier told The Age more people across the two states were finding themselves in situations like Naomi's.

"What we are seeing is a growing divide in Australia. Increased inequality and more and more people are reaching out for support, sometimes for the first time in their lives," Mr Linossier said."We respectfully ask that the community refrain from speculating on the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident. "We thank the community for their support and ask that our privacy is respected as we grieve." A temporary support centre has been set up in Margaret River after the tragedy. Credit:James Brickwood On Saturday, Comissioner Dawson confirmed three longarm firearms were recovered at the property, all of which were licensed to Peter Miles. I wish to strongly emphasise police do not believe any other person is involved with these crimes. Police are not searching for any other suspect, Commissioner Dawson said. He added that two local police officers arrived at the property within 45 minutes of the triple zero call.

Katrina Miles with her children. Credit:Facebook Investigators are yet to reveal a motive for the shooting, but some in the community have suggested financial hardship could have played a role. Cynda and Peter Miles bought the 30-acre hobby farm in late 2014. Loading Mr Miles, a farmer and teacher, was formerly the manager of the Margaret River High School farm, and ran a handyman business.

However the 61-year-old was looking for vineyard and farm work in the region as recently as Wednesday. In an ad posted on Gumtree, Mr Miles said he was "seeking work in the vineyard, farm or small farm areas". Forensic police at the property in Osmington where seven people were found shot dead. Credit:James Brickwood I have over 30 years' farming experience and over 12 years' vineyard experience. I have extensive handyman abilities and experience with a wide variety of farm equipment, can repair fences, and tidy up the property from storm damage, he said. I have lived in the Margaret River area all my life and welcome all enquiries.

Mr Miles also had been lining up farm maintenance work with a neighbour in Osmington, and was scheduled to meet up with him on Saturday morning at 10am. Flowers have been left outside the Osmington property where the bodies of seven people were found. Credit:James Brickwood I actually spoke to him the night before the incident, said Richard Dosser, who lives about two kilometres down the road. I wanted someone nearby to check my property twice a week, or so. He was going to meet with me at 10 oclock [on Saturday]. Police continued to search through the property on Saturday, in a painstaking forensic investigation that is expected to continue into next week.

As police confirmed the three guns found at the property were licensed to Mr Miles, members of the close knit Margaret River community likely had their worst fears realised. On Saturday locals said fingers pointing at the grandfather of the family "do not make sense," with some alleging media reports and investigators had "got it wrong." "I don't understand the suicide part of the story," said a close friend of Katrina's, who has asked not to be named. "They were really close, she and her parents, they were all lovely people. There was just a lot of love in that family." The property is owned by Cynda Miles and her husband Peter. Credit:Facebook

On Margaret Rivers main street, a cafe worker said, they have got it wrong. It wasnt the grandfather. In the tourist town it could have been any other Saturday, as holidaymakers and locals made their way about the main street, stopping for breakfast, planning a day out in the vineyards close by. On Friday, officers found one adult dead outside a building on the property, which lies 20 kilometres north-east of the town of Margaret River. A female adult was found deceased inside the main house and four children and another adult were found dead inside a converted shed. LoadingEDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.

New York: Cardinal George Pell has emerged as a mystery guest who dined at a lavish Rome restaurant with embattled US environmental chief Scott Pruitt to secretly plan a public debate challenging climate change.

The five-star rooftop dinner, which came three weeks before Pell was charged with historic child sexual abuse, was deliberately removed from four different public schedules released by Pruitt's offices due to the allegations hanging over the Vatican financial chief, it has emerged.

Cardinal George Pell

The extraordinary revelations not only add another twist in the tale of the American environmental administrator under fire for excessive spending and dubious ethics, but also pit Pell squarely against the Pope, who has declared that climate change is real.Federal officials plan to back the destruction of almost 2000 hectares of pristine Queensland forest in a move that threatens the Great Barrier Reef and undermines a $500 million Turnbull government rescue package for the natural wonder.

A draft report by the Department of the Environment and Energy recommends that the government allow the mass vegetation clearing at Kingvale Station on Cape York Peninsula. The area to be bulldozed is almost three times the size of the combined central business districts of Sydney and Melbourne.

Old growth forest in the vicinity of Kingvale Station, near rivers that flow into the Great Barrier Reef. Photo courtesy Australian Conservation Foundation.

The draft recommendation comes despite the department conceding the native forest is likely to contain endangered species, and despite expert warnings that runoff caused by the clearing may damage the reef.

Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg will make a final ruling on the proposal. It will test his long-stated willingness to protect the reef from poor water quality, which is triggered by land clearing.A Brisbane councillor has been chosen over a current Turnbull government assistant minister to stand in a west Brisbane seat at the next federal election.

Walter Taylor Ward councillor Julian Simmonds has been picked instead of Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services Jane Prentice to run in the seat of Ryan at the next election.

Cr Simmonds' preselection meant a council byelection would have to be called, should he be successful, if the federal election is called more than a year before the scheduled 2020 council election.

Otherwise, Cr Simmonds' seat in council could be treated as a casual vacancy, with his successor appointed by the LNP.Ms Steel, who runs Pingelly's CRC, spoke about the social services that would have to go as a result of the cuts. "Post office hours will be cut, many [CRCs] operate as banks, they're the only banks for hundreds of kilometres," she said. "We've got a whole area of rural poor in the bush - on the outskirts of the Wheatbelt - and where are they going to go to the bank, to the post office? Pingelly has a library and a community car. There was a youth coordinator run out of the CRC in Bruce Rock and now there's nowhere else for these kids to go. Cate Rocchi, Linkwest "This will effect the most disadvantaged. Thousands of Aboriginal people who have no printers, no phones, and they walk into the CRCs from here to Marble Bar every day of the week and they will have nowhere to go."

Last week, regional development minister Alannah MacTiernan told The Avon Valley Advocate the cuts were needed for "really, really important things" like "research and development". Understandably, that didn't wash with the communities relying on CRCs, who believe the centres are more important than government grants for Perth boffins. Nationals WA leader Mia Davies hit Premier Mark McGowan with Ms MacTiernan's comments in parliament on Tuesday. She wanted to know why the government no longer believed CRCs were important.

Mr McGowan said funding for CRCs had ballooned from $5.9 million in 2009-10 to $13 million five years later. Axing $5 million from its current budget just puts CRCs back on a "reasonable trajectory". He also said "it may surprise" Ms Davies he had not read The Avon Valley Advocate. "It may surprise" Mr McGowan just how angry people in the bush are if he ever gets around to reading the copy of the newspaper its Northam-based reporter Eliza Wynn posted to him.

The regional paper had joined a community campaign to convince the government to reverse its cuts to CRCs. But it's not just cuts to CRCs which have turned the mood in the bush toxic for the government. Just ask MLC Darren West. He has the unenviable task of being the McGowan Government's point man in the Wheatbelt. Loading Protesters "slap-tagged" his BMW with "Save Moora College" bumper stickers.

Mr West described the Moora campaign as "vile". But in March hundreds of protesters, led by a convoy of trucks, stacked on a show at Parliament House over the decision to axe Moora Residential College. Students carried signs reading: "cut our education = cut our futures". This wasn't vile, it was just democracy.

South of Perth, people in Mandurah, Dawesville, Pinjarra and the Murray Districts have been campaigning for a budget fix to their local hospital, which is groaning under the weight of a population boom and is in desperate need of more frontline health resources. Hundreds of residents turned out to an evening protest at the hospital organised by Dawesville MP Zak Kirkup. But the budget left a sour taste in the Peel region's mouth. The government and Mandurah MP David Templeman were scorched on social media as locals watched hundreds of millions of dollars in budget announcements for hospitals in Joondalup and Geraldton, but Peel Health Campus had to make do with a new car park. Meanwhile, parents are left driving from Pinjarra to Perth's southern suburbs with their injured kids because Peel Health Campus doesnt have a fracture clinic. Emergency waiting times are out of control.The hepatitis B virus has been infecting people since at least the Bronze Age, according to a new study by geneticists who teased the virus from 4500-year-old human remains.

One of these Xiongnu warriors, who fell in battle and were found in a mass grave in Mongolia, carried an ancient hepatitis B sequence. Credit:Alexey A. Kovalev via The Washington Post

Hepatitis B was discovered in the 1960s, and a vaccine (and Nobel Prize) came swiftly thereafter.

Despite the vaccine, the virus still kills people, and chronic infections cannot be cured. Nearly 900,000 people with the virus died in 2015, mostly from liver complications, according to the World Health Organisation. An estimated 257 million people carry the virus that targets the liver and can be a risk factor for cancer.

Wayward viral particles in the blood also catch in teeth and bones. In some ancient humans, the virus became entombed in these hard materials - until researchers cracked open the samples and sequenced the DNA strands inside.Kuala Lumpur: Najib Razak has quit as leader of the party that ruled Malaysia for 61 years, following his crushing election defeat.

The former prime minister stepped down as chairman of Barisan Nasional, the coalition that has ruled the country since independence from Britain in 1957, and as president of the United Malays National Organisation, the largest party within that coalition.

Malaysia's Immigration Department also slapped a travel ban on Saturday on both the scandal-ridden former prime minister and his wife Rosmah Mansor.

Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak attends an event on Friday. Credit:AP

Najib had faced growing pressure from within UMNO after the devastating election results on Thursday.Washington: Fresh from a dramatic trip to North Korea and ahead of a historic summit, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States will provide economic help if the country gives up its nuclear weapons, and perhaps ultimately agree to normalised relations.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his second visit to North Korea. Credit:KCNA/AP

Pompeo, two weeks and one day on the job, returned to the US on Thursday from what he called a "productive" meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong-un to agree on details for the Trump-Kim summit. He brought home three American prisoners freed by Kim in what Pompeo said was an important gesture that helped pave the way for the meeting.

Contrasting the wealth of South Korea to the poverty and deprivation of the North, Pompeo said the Trump administration was willing to provide assistance to North Korea if Kim met US demands to forfeit its nuclear weapons. Kim has said that North Korea now has the capability to strike the continental United States.

"If Chairman Kim chooses the right path, there is a future brimming with peace and prosperity" for his people, Pompeo said at the US State Department, following a meeting with the foreign minister of South Korea on Friday, US time.Former lawyer Christine Lagarde was named finance minister and Jean-Louis Borloo, her predecessor, took over as the environment and energy minister in a reshuffle of France's month-old government.

In a move rich in symbolism, President Nicolas Sarkozy also named a woman of Senegalese origin and the outspoken head of a group that advocates for Muslim women as junior ministers.

Sarkozy already had made a woman with North African roots, Rachida Dati, his justice minister.

The additional appointments of Fadela Amara and Rama Yade highlighted his determination that the government should better reflect France's ethnic and religious diversity.

Lagarde was formerly agriculture minister. The reshuffle was prompted by the governing conservative party's less-stellar-than-expected performance in weekend legislative elections, which saw the defeat and resignation of the government's No 2, Alain Juppe.San Francisco: A drug smuggler who prosecutors say imported tonnes of marijuana into the US in the 1980s before fleeing and settling in Australia was sentenced on Friday to three years in prison.

Peyton Eidson as he appears on Amazon.com as an author. Credit:LinkedIn

US District Judge Susan Illston said her sentencing decision was "difficult", noting that Peyton Eidson was now much older and suffering from health problems.

But she also said Eidson, now 73, had escaped while co-defendants faced charges in the US, and he had a significant role in the drug operation.

Prosecutors said he traveled to Thailand in 1985 to arrange for the purchase of about 2950 kilograms. They also accused him of involvement in trying to get another load of more than 18,150 kilograms of marijuana into California.Washington: The majority of immigrants from Honduras, Haiti, El Salvador and other countries do not have the skills to assimilate well into American society, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told public radio listeners.

Kelly said most illegal immigrants in the US today "are not bad people ... but they're also not people that would easily assimilate" because they are poorly educated.

White House Chief of Staff In In tune on immigration: White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, right, and US President Donald Trump. Credit:AP

"They're overwhelmingly rural people and the countries they come from fourth, fifth, sixth grade educations are kind of the norm," he told NPR. "They don't speak English ... They don't integrate well. They don't have skills."

But he said many of those with temporary protected status, or TPS, resulting from natural disasters or conflict have lived in the US for decades, and that Congress should act to make them legal.Two giant swaths of radiation, known as the Van Allen Belts, surrounding Earth were discovered in 1958. In 2012, observations from the Van Allen Probes showed that a third belt can sometimes appear. The radiation is shown here in yellow, with green representing the spaces between the belts.

Giant donut-shaped swaths of magnetically trapped, highly energetic charged particles surround Earth. James Van Allen, a physicist at the University of Iowa, discovered these radiation belts in 1958 after the launch of Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite. The radiation belts were eventually named after him.

Van Allen's experiment on Explorer 1, which launched Jan. 31, 1958, had a simple cosmic ray experiment consisting of a Geiger counter (a device that detects radiation) and a tape recorder. Follow-up experiments on three other missions in 1958  Explorer 3, Explorer 4 and Pioneer 3  established that there were two belts of radiation circling the Earth.

While observations have continued for decades, our knowledge of the belts became more enhanced when the Van Allen Probes launched in 2012. They found that the belts were more complex than previously imagined. The probes showed that the shape of the belts depends on what particle is being studied. They also uncovered information hinting there is less radiation than imagined in certain parts of the Van Allen belts, which means spacecraft and humans would not need as much radiation protection if they are voyaging in that region.

On the 60th anniversary of Explorer 1, NASA said that studies of the Van Allen belts are even more important today. "Our current technology is ever more susceptible to these accelerated particles because even a single hit from a particle can upset our ever smaller instruments and electronics," said David Sibeck, Van Allen Probes mission scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, in a 2018 statement. "As technology advances, it's actually becoming even more pressing to understand and predict our space environment."

Early probe findings

Part of the interest in the Van Allen belts comes from where they are located. It is known that the belts can swell when the sun becomes more active. Before the probes launched, scientists thought the inner belt was relatively stable, but when it did expand, its influence extended over the orbit of the International Space Station and several satellites. The outer belt fluctuated more often. The ISS has been permanently inhabited since 2000, with typical astronauts staying there for six months at a time. In 2015-16, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko remained there for almost a year. As astronauts stay in orbit for longer, their radiation exposure may also increase, leading to concerns about long-term habitation for astronauts in space.

So scientists are interested in close study of this region. In 2012, a new set of probes launched. The Van Allen Probes (formerly known as the Radiation Belt Storm probes) have several scientific goals, including discovering how the particles  ions and electrons  in the belts are accelerated and transported, how electrons are lost and how the belts change during geomagnetic storms. The mission was planned to last two years, but as of May 2018 the probes were still operating at more than double the expected mission lifetime. However, fuel reserves are running low and the probes will likely retire in the next couple of years.

Usually, scientists take a few months after launch to calibrate their instruments, but a team with the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope asked that their instrument be turned on almost immediately (three days after launch); they wanted to compare observations before another mission, SAMPEX (Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer), de-orbited and entered Earth's atmosphere.

"It was a lucky decision," NASA said in February 2013, noting that a solar storm had already caused the radiation belts to swell as soon as the instrument was turned on. "Then something happened no one had ever seen before: the particles settled into a new configuration, showing an extra, third belt extending out into space," the agency added. "Within mere days of launch, the Van Allen Probes showed scientists something that would require rewriting textbooks."

An artist's depiction of the two Van Allen probes orbiting Earth. (Image credit: JHU/APL)

Protective shield

Data gathered by the probes also showed that the radiation belts shield Earth from high-energy particles. "The barrier for the ultrafast electrons is a remarkable feature of the belts," study lead author Dan Baker, of the University of Colorado in Boulder, said in a statement.

"We're able to study it for the first time, because we never had such accurate measurements of these high-energy electrons before." [Gallery: NASA's Van Allen Probes]

This new information helped scientists model the belts' changes. But there was more information to come. In January 2016, scientists revealed that the shape of the belts depends on what type of electron is being studied. This means the two belts are much more complex; depending on what is being observed, they can be a single belt, two separate belts or just an outer belt (with no inner belt at all.)

"The researchers found that the inner belt  the smaller belt in the classic picture of the belts  is much larger than the outer belt when observing electrons with low energies, while the outer belt is larger when observing electrons at higher energies," NASA wrote at the time. "At the very highest energies, the inner belt structure is missing completely. So, depending on what one focuses on, the radiation belts can appear to have very different structures simultaneously."

What is still poorly understood, however, is what happens when particles from the sun hit the belts during a geomagnetic storm. It is known that the number of electrons in the belts changes, either decreasing or increasing depending on the situation. Also, the belts eventually return to their normal shape after the storm passes. NASA said it isn't clear what kind of storm will cause a specific type of belt configuration. Also, the agency noted, any previous observations were done only with electrons at a few energy levels. More work needs to be done.

Luckily, scientists got the chance to observe a storm up close in March 2015, when one of the Van Allen Probes happened to be situated inside the "right" spot in Earth's magnetic field to see an interplanetary shock. NASA describes such shocks as similar to when a tsunami is triggered by an earthquake; in this case, a coronal mass ejection of charged particles from the sun creates a shock in specific areas of the belts.

"The spacecraft measured a sudden pulse of electrons energized to extreme speeds  nearly as fast as the speed of light  as the shock slammed the outer radiation belt," NASA wrote at the time. "This population of electrons was short-lived, and their energy dissipated within minutes. But five days later, long after other processes from the storm had died down, the Van Allen Probes detected an increased number of even higher energy electrons. Such an increase so much later is a testament to the unique energization processes following the storm."

In 2017, the Washington Post published an article with some of the sounds of space recorded from an instrument on the Van Allen Probes, called Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science (EMFISIS). Although humans cannot hear these sounds  because there is no medium in which the waves can carry the sound  translating this data was fairly straightforward, the Post wrote. "The electromagnetic waves are in the same frequency range as the part of the sound spectrum that is audible to humans. It was a simple matter to translate those radio waves as MP3s  turning EMFISIS data into a radio broadcast from the heavens."

Designing better spacecraft

The Van Allen Probes are specially hardened to withstand the intense radioactive environment of the belts. Some spacecraft, however, are more vulnerable  especially when a solar storm hits. At worst, spacecraft can short out due to an electrical overload. Communications can also be disrupted. Fortunately, sometimes instruments can be turned on or off on a spacecraft during a solar storm.

The shape of the Van Allen belts can vary widely depending on how energetic the individual electrons are, and general conditions in the Earths magnetic environment. During geomagnetic storms (4), all three regions in the belts can balloon. (Image credit: NASA GODDARD/DUBERSTEIN)

Radiation, of course, also poses a human risk. Astronauts are subject to lifetime radiation limits from their time in space, to reduce any risk of cancer. Since only a few dozen people have spent six months or longer in space, however, it will take decades to understand the long-term effects of radiation on humans.

The astronauts on the ISS do not regularly spend time inside the belts, but from time to time solar storms expand the belts to the orbit of the space station. In the 1960s, several Apollo crews went through the Van Allen belts on their way to and from the moon. Their time in that radiation-intensive region, however, was very short, in part because the trajectory was designed to pass through the thinnest known parts. With more study, astronauts can be better protected for long-term stays in Earth orbit.

"We study radiation belts because they pose a hazard to spacecraft and astronauts," said David Sibeck, the Van Allen Probes mission scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, in an August 2016 NASA statement. "If you knew how bad the radiation could get, you would build a better spacecraft to accommodate that."

Newer findings from the probes show that radiation in certain zones may be less harsh than scientists thought. In March 2017, the Van Allen Probes made a finding showing there is less radiation in the inner belts that previously theorized, which means less shielding is required for spacecraft and satellites in that region. The most energetic electrons residing in the inner radiation belt are there for less time than scientists thought beforehand.

The following year, the probes discovered that some communications wavelengths (called very low frequency communications) emanating from Earth are sometimes a sort of a shield against high-energy particle radiation in space. This means that human activity has effects even in the near-space environment around Earth.

As of 2018, the Van Allen Probes are running low on fuel and are expected to finish their mission around 2020. Goddard is working on a CubeSat (small spacecraft) mission called GTOSat that will continue studying the Van Allen belts.

"This mission of firsts will serve as a pathfinder for new radiation-tolerant technologies that could help scientists realize a long-sought dream: deploying a constellation of small satellites beyond low-Earth orbit to gather simultaneous, multi-point measurements of Earth's ever-changing magnetosphere, which protects the planet from the constant assault of charged particles streaming off the sun," NASA said in May 2018.WASHINGTON  When it comes to SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, the company's most daring customers have been NASA and satellite fleet operator SES. Now add Bangladesh to that mix.

NASA was SpaceX's first customer after Falcon 9's debut flight in 2010, taking its next four consecutive launches for International Space Station resupply missions.

SES of Luxembourg was the first satellite operator to trust SpaceX with the launch of a multimillion-dollar geostationary communications satellite. Following the success of that 2013 mission (and many others), SES backed SpaceX last year by launching on the first Falcon 9 to use a previously flown first stage. [Launch Video: Watch SpaceX's First Falcon 9 Block 5 Rocket Soar]

On Friday (May 11), the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) became the first customer for the Falcon 9 Block 5  SpaceX's final and most powerful version of the rocket. The Falcon 9 Block 5 includes upgrades to meet NASA commercial crew requirements and U.S. Defense Department criteria. The Block 5 is designed for 10 or more flights using the same first stage booster; previous versions were only designed to handle two or three flights.

NASA and SES both had and have motivation to take bold bets on SpaceX  NASA to cultivate private sector launch options for near-Earth activities, and SES to drive down prices in the global launch sector with new competition. Tomorrow's launch of Bangladesh's 3,500-kilogram Bangabandhu-1 satellite will be SpaceX's 54th Falcon 9, and marks what the company hopes will be the beginning of a new chapter of accelerated reusability.

So how did Bangladesh become the customer of SpaceX's next big milestone?

"It honestly just happened," Sajeeb Wazed, Bangladesh's honorary adviser to the prime minister for information and communications technology, told SpaceNews. "That was basically SpaceX's choice and we were fine with that."

Bangabandhu Satellite-1, the first satellite for Bangladesh, is deployed in orbit after its successful launch aboard SpaceX's first Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket on May 11, 2018. (Image credit: SpaceX)

Wazed, who is the son of Bangladesh's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, said BTRC required each bidder angling to build Bangabandhu-1 to also include a first-choice launch vehicle and a backup. The winning bid from Thales Alenia Space listed Arianespace's Ariane 5 as the default launcher, he said. SpaceX's Falcon 9 was the runner-up.

Bangladesh deemed schedule certainty as one of its biggest criteria  a factor that would typically play to the advantage of SpaceX rivals. Arianespace, when prevented from launching for five weeks last spring by local protests that blockaded Europe's spaceport in French Guiana, caught up on three delayed missions in two months, preventing cascading delays on its manifest.

But Arianespace couldn't guarantee Bangladesh that its satellite would launch Dec. 16, 2017  Bangladesh's "National Victory Day" commemorating the surrender of Pakistani forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. Ariane 5 rockets typically carry two satellites at a time, a larger satellite in the upper berth and a smaller satellite in the lower berth. Sharing launch vehicles lowers the cost for satellite operators, but requires their schedules to be in sync. Without that synchronization, delays can ensue.

"Because the size of our satellite only fits in the lower berth of Ariane and they couldn't guarantee us a launch slot by December, we had them switch to the backup," Wazed said. "SpaceX wanted us to go on the Block 5 and we were OK with that."

SpaceX obviously did not meet BTRC's desired launch date, either. While 2017 was the launch provider's most successful year with 18 missions, much of that was playing catch-up on launches delayed by Falcon 9 production strains and failures in 2015 and 2016.

Wazed said he strove to temper expectations about a Victory Day launch, but to no avail.

"I told everybody that wasn't realistic, but it's OK, we will try, you know?"

Bangabandhu-1 is named after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the assassinated founder of Bangladesh and Wazed's grandfather. The satellite carries 26 Ku-band transponders and 14 C-band transponders for television and broadband communications services for the nation and surrounding regions.

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.NASA will include a small, autonomous helicopter in the agency's upcoming Mars 2020 rover mission, officials announced today (May 11).

The craft will undergo a 30-day test campaign once it reaches the Red Planet to demonstrate the viability of travel above the Martian surface with a heavier-than-air craft.

"NASA has a proud history of firsts," NASA's administrator, Jim Bridenstine, said in a statement. "The idea of a helicopter flying the skies of another planet is thrilling. The Mars Helicopter holds much promise for our future science, discovery and exploration missions to Mars." [Red Planet Express: 10 Ways Robots Move on Mars]

The Mars Helicopter's development began in 2013 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. It's just under 4 lbs. (1.8 kilograms), and its body is about the size of a softball, NASA officials said in the statement. It will carry solar cells to charge up in the light of the sun and a heating mechanism to endure cold nights on the Red Planet.

NASA's Mars Helicopter, a small autonomous rotorcraft, will explore Mars with the 2020 rover as a technology demonstration for heavier-than-air vehicles on the Red Planet. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

The helicopter's twin blades will whirl at about 10 times the rate of a helicopter's blades on Earth  at 3,000 rpm  to stay aloft in Mars' thin atmosphere.

"The altitude record for a helicopter flying here on Earth is about 40,000 feet [12,000 meters]," MiMi Aung, Mars Helicopter project manager at JPL, said in the statement. "The atmosphere of Mars is only one percent that of Earth, so when our helicopter is on the Martian surface, it's already at the Earth equivalent of 100,000 feet [30,000 m] up.

"To make it fly at that low atmospheric density, we had to scrutinize everything, make it as light as possible while being as strong and as powerful as it can possibly be," she added.

Mars 2020 is slated to launch in July of that year on United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and the mission should arrive at Mars in February 2021. The six-wheeled rover will hunt for signs of habitable environments as well as sites that may have once hosted microbial life, examining the Red Planet with 23 cameras, a microphone and a drill to collect samples.

NASA will send a tiny helicopter to Mars along with its next rover in July 2020. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-CalTech)

The helicopter will ride to Mars attached to the rover's belly pan, officials said. Once the rover reaches the planet's surface, it will place the helicopter on the ground and move to a safe distance to relay commands; controllers on Earth will direct it to take its first autonomous flight.

"We don't have a pilot, and Earth will be several light-minutes away, so there is no way to joystick this mission in real time," Aung said. "Instead, we have an autonomous capability that will be able to receive and interpret commands from the ground, and then fly the mission on its own."

The helicopter will attempt up to five flights, going farther and operating for longer each time  up to a few hundred meters and 90 seconds, officials said. It will also climb to 10 feet (3 m) and hover for about 30 seconds.

The Mars Helicopter is considered a high-risk, high-reward project, according to NASA: If the helicopter fails, it won't affect the rest of the Mars 2020 rover's mission, but if it succeeds, the agency will have a powerful new tool to survey the planet and access currently unreachable locations.

"Exploring the Red Planet with NASA's Mars Helicopter exemplifies a successful marriage of science and technology innovation and is a unique opportunity to advance Mars exploration for the future," Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C., said in the statement. "After the Wright Brothers proved 117 years ago that powered, sustained, and controlled flight was possible here on Earth, another group of American pioneers may prove the same can be done on another world.

"The ability to see clearly what lies beyond the next hill is crucial for future explorers," he added. "We already have great views of Mars from the surface as well as from orbit. With the added dimension of a bird's-eye view from a 'marscopter,' we can only imagine what future missions will achieve."

Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.The Danmarks Tekniske Museum's new exhibit features the Soyuz TMA-18M descent capsule that launched the first Dane into space, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen.

The Russian spacecraft that launched the first Dane into space and returned the first crew to spend a year aboard the International Space Station has landed on display in Denmark.

The Soyuz TMA-18M descent capsule debuted on exhibit at the Danmarks Tekniske Museum, or Danish Museum of Science & Technology, in Helsingr, Denmark on Tuesday (May 8). The gumdrop-shaped spaceship orbited Earth for nearly 182 days from Sep. 2, 2015 through March 2, 2016.

"It is no less than a scoop for the Tekniske Museum that it has succeeded in obtaining Andreas Mogensen's capsule, which is clear proof that Denmark is a space nation," said Mette Bock, Denmark's Minister of Culture, in a statement released by the museum. "Certain museum objects are by nature more unique than others, and this is really a piece of Denmark history." [Red Sprites, Blue Jets, Pixies, Elves: Weird Lights Studied from Space]

Mogensen made history as the first citizen of Denmark to launch into space flying on Soyuz TMA-18M from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut since 2009, Mogensen, together with Russia's Sergei Volkov and Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov, arrived on board the International Space Station two days after their liftoff on Sept. 4, 2015.

Nine days later, Mogensen returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-16M, landing with Aimbetov and Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka.

The Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft followed after six months, touching down with Volkov and the two crew members of the station's first year-long mission, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, who each logged 340 days on the extended expedition.

"The capsule is a unique piece of Denmark history, and I am excited that we managed to get it to the museum," said Jesper Buris Larsen, the director of the Tekniske Museum. "With a single museum object, we show how, as a cultural history museum, we can be both current and historical."

The Soyuz TMA-18M capsule returns from the International Space Station to a landing in Kazakhstan on March 2, 2016. (Image credit: NASA)

"The capsule is the tangible proof Denmark can still break new boundaries and put our impressions on history  we are dealing with what the matter of dreams are made of," he said.

Russia's 44th crewed spacecraft to fly to the International Space Station, Soyuz TMA-18M is now the centerpiece of the museum exhibit, "Rummet Tur-Retur," which focuses on Mogensen's journey to and from the orbiting laboratory. Overall, the capsule was the 167th to launch since the first Soyuz lifted off in 1967.

"Andreas Mogensen's Soyuz is a symbol of a big event in Denmark's history, the first Dane in space," stated Sren Pind, Minister of Education and Research. "Through ESA, we have participated in the space station partnership for more than 20 years. Andreas' spacecraft is firm proof of this cooperation and Denmark's extensive work in space. I look forward to seeing how the Tekniske Museum will use the capsule to create a fascination so interest in science is strengthened in Denmark."

The museum acquired the Soyuz capsule after two years of negotiations with Russia. Denmark's Embassy in Russia and the family foundation of Danish billionaire Niels Louis-Hansen, Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond, were key partners in the spacecraft's purchase  the value of which has not been disclosed, but described as running into the millions of dollars.

Soyuz TMA-18M is the latest, and perhaps the last, of the flown Soyuz descent capsules to go on display outside of Russia. Danish media reports about the new exhibit said Roscosmos, Russia's federal space agency, has decided to cease offering its spent Soyuz to foreign countries and museums with the completion of the deal with Denmark.

"Great to be reunited with the Soyuz capsule that brought me to space," wrote Mogensen, sharing photos of him with the spacecraft on Twitter. "Teknisk[e] Museum has created a superb exhibit that includes a virtual reality trip back to Earth from the ISS in Soyuz."

The Soyuz TMA-18M capsule, shrink wrapped for transport, arrives at the Danmarks Tekniske Museum in Denmark. (Image credit: Danmarks Tekniske Museum)

In addition to Mogensen's spacecraft, British astronaut Tim Peake's Soyuz TMA-19M capsule, which flew from 2015 to 2016, was acquired by London's Science Museum Group and is currently midway through a two-year tour of the UK.

Another Soyuz, TMA-03M, which in 2011 launched for the space station with Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers aboard, went on exhibit at Space Expo in The Netherlands in 2016. Soyuz TMA-13M, which in 2014 launched with Germany's Alexander Gerst, is on display at the German Aerospace Center, DLR, in Cologne.

Older Soyuz spacecraft, pre-dating the International Space Station, can be found in museums across Europe, as well as in India, Vietnam and Cuba. At least four flown Soyuz spacecraft can be seen by the public in the United States, including TMA-6 and TMA-14, which were purchased from Russia by their privately-funded spaceflight participants (or "space tourists") crew members, Greg Olsen and Charles Simonyi, respectively.

See first Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen with the spacecraft that took him into orbit at collectSPACE.

Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2018 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.Welcome To SpoilerTV



We bring you a comprehensive and up to date spoiler service on all the major US TV shows and Movies. You can find specific show content by clicking the menu system at the top of the screen. We scour the Internet for spoilers as well as posting our own exclusive spoilers (Scripts, Casting Calls, Set Photos etc) as well as recaps and other fun articles and polls. We hope you enjoy your stay.







Previously on Barry, taking out the Bolivian leader goes south as a rogue Taylor charges into the situation, Sally manages to gain a bigger role in the Macbeth showcase, Janice ended her relationship with Gene and the police come ever closer to figuring out what happened to Ryan.



The episode opens with Barry and co's arrival at the Bolivian's plane from their point of view, starting with them landing the plane and Taylor's very noisy arrival to the scene. It's obvious that they've been spotted a mile off, and the Bolivians are understandably confused, but it's clear that the SUV is not a welcome party. They take shots at the car, as we already know, but with the front riders incapacitated, the car flips off the road and lands on it's side (definitely doesn't seem like a good outcome for Chris as he is probably now trapped). As one of the mercenaries inspects the SUV to make sure everyone inside has been taken out, he notices a bloody handprint on the trunk, followed by more handprints leading out into the desert. Looks like somebody managed to get away.



Cristobal, the Bolivian leader, gets the right idea that Goran is behind the failed hit on him due to the fact that the 'soldiers' in the front of the car appear to be American. He calls up Goran and explains that they don't need to fight, and wouldn't it just be simpler for everyone if they worked together to be the kings of LA crime. Somehow I don't think that's a genuine offer, but Hank and Pazar seem to fall for it. As they agree with work with Cristobal, he turns round and declares war; Pazar ordered the death of many of his men, and now he has to do the same in retaliation.



This is really not good news for me.

Did you think Barry had to kill Chris? What do you hope will happen in the finale? Let me know in the comments.

Following the handprints and tracks, one of the Bolivians comes across both Barry and Chris, who surprisingly survived and escaped with Barry. Chris however seems hesitant to take out the Bolivian, even with their lives at risk. Barry keeps shouting at Chris to kill him, and it's honestly surprising that the Bolivian doesn't kill the both of them then and there. Finally, Barry gets through to Chris who shoots him in the stomach in the nick of time.We cut to Hank, who gets a call from Fuches asking if he's heard from Barry. Fuches seems to be genuinely worried, and when he confirms that Barry may have not done the job alone, Hank adds 2 and 2 and gets 5, and informs Fuches that Barry died during the job. Neither of them can really believe it, and Fuches seems to be pretty cut up about it.It turns out that the LAPD had Cristobal's phone bugged (or possibly Goran's), and have a recording of his call with Goran, which really wasn't subtle in the slightest. The call is actually longer than what we saw, and the two and hilariously involves advice on self-help books. Janice however clicks onto the fact that someone ex-military was involved in the hit, and the only suspect that she currently has matching that description is Barry. She's of course right on the money (not that she knows that yet), and takes down Barry's photo, presumably to go to the threatre class and question/arrest him.Barry arrives at his theatre class where Sally quickly catches him up to date with everything that's happened since he was last there. Everything is closing in on him, but he seems more irritated by losing his part in the Macbeth scene than by everything else going on. Around him, Natalie and Sasha discuss the money that was found and seem to believe that it wasn't Ryan's. With things not adding up, it really won't be long before Janice pieces everything together. Barry also has to deal with Chris calling him freaked out about what went down earlier that day and concentrating on delivering his one line. It's all too much for him, and Gene has to pull him aside and give him a bit of advice. If Barry can't get it together, then maybe acting just isn't for him. Considering the entire premise is about Barry finding something in acting, this really isn't going to be a good thing for him.The LAPD discover the air strip where the failed hit went down and the identities of the two bodies left there. Detective Loach is convinced that Taylor is the guy they've been looking for all along and that he was working with Ryan, but Janice isn't so easy to convince. That is, until she sees Gene's book with Ryan's name inside on Taylor's coffee table in his apartment. Suddenly, there is a connection between the two, but as we know, it's the wrong one.As Fuches and Hank mourn Barry, Hank makes it clear that he will pay for his poor advice with the Bolivians with his life. Fuches, thinking he no longer has Barry's protection, is visibly scared. At the same time, Barry and Chris meet up to talk things out. This being the first time Chris has killed someone, he's clearly going through something. As Chris suggests that they go to the police due to his guilty conscience, Barry very calmly tells him that the people he works for will harm his family if he does that. The conversation turns however, and Chris says he won't go to the police and that he'll keep quiet, but he told his wife that he was going to meet Barry, so Barry won't be able to 'do anything stupid'. They meet in a semi-public place, but it's obvious that Barry can't trust Chris and he's just another liability. With Chris adamant that he'll be quiet, he goes to set off, but as he does Barry pulls a gun on him, shoots him, and stages it as a suicide. With all the bodies piling up around Barry I just can't see how he'll manage to get out of this without being arrested.And tonight is the night of the theatre's Shakespeare showcase. Barry hasn't shown up by the time it starts, and the whole affair is uncomfortable to watch when you see how bad some of the acting is. Maybe not Barry bad, but it's not far off. As Sally is reciting her monologue, Barry is finally there in costume, and he surprisingly nails his line. It's progress and hopefully the rest of the audience was rooting for him as much as I was. Unfortunately though, it was all a dream, which is not one of the best tropes out there to employ. As Barry actually arrives at the theatre, he's fully unprepared for his scene, consumed by thoughts of killing Chris. Sally asks him to at least give him something to work with so she can impress the talent agent in the front row of the crowd and get signed, but he is completely out of it. The agent doesn't seem that interested in Sally though, and maybe Gene was right that the part of Macbeth was too much for her. The scenes of Barry losing it backstage intercut with Chris' wife finding out about his death was really strong editing, even if they were only possible scenarios as to what could happen. It leaves Barry physically beat, and he delivers his sole line in tears. It affects Sally so much as well, that her mediocre performance is suddenly transformed into something nuanced and emotional, and the whole atmosphere of the scene and the room changes.Backstage, Barry is still very much in grief and turmoil over what he did, and even when Gene tries to congratulate him on his performance, he can't escape the place that he's in. He's angry and distraught and worn, and Chris must have been a true friend for him to be this cut up about having to kill him.The episode ends with Sally talking to the talent agent and being asked to give him a call. She's over the moon about it, and thanks Barry for being such a generous and real actor. He asks her if she means it, and she tells him that she does, and that whatever he did to get into the place he was tonight, he has to keep doing it. With Barry finally being validated in the one thing he's wanted this entire season, will he really be willing to kill more people to tap into his buried talent?Eversource Energy officials said Friday the company has told state utility regulators it will seek a natural gas service rate hike that, if approved, would increase customer bills by an average of 15.8 percent over a three-year period.

The company filed a notice of intent with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority on Friday announcing its plans to seek the rate increase. Bill Akley, president of gas operations for Hartford-based Eversource, said the increased revenue is needed so the company can continue upgrading its distribution network.

Eversource customers would see a 9.2 percent average increase in their natural gas bills in the first year of the plan proposed by the utility. Customer bills would increase by an average 3.7 percent during the second year of the proposed rate hike followed by a hike of 2.9 percent in the third year.

If approved, the first of the rate increases would begin on Jan. 1, according to Eversource officials.

Eversource has 3,370 miles of natural gas infrastructure in 73 communities around the state and has replaced 145 miles of gas pipelines since 2011. The company plans to upgrade an additional 371 miles natural pipeline over the three-year period covered in the filing, said Tricia Taskey Modifica, a company spokeswoman.

The proposed upgrades include replacing existing cast iron and bare steel gas main with newer plastic pipe that company officials say is safer, more durable and is better able to deal with fluctuating underground temperatures.

These investments allow us to enhance safety and further modernize the gas distribution system, minimizing repairs and any service interruptions, to ensure our customers have energy for every moment of their lives, Akley said in statement. Each mile of leak-prone main we replace makes our gas system safer, stronger and helps the environment.

Fridays notice of intent will be followed with a more detailed rate increase filing within 30 days to 60 days, according to company officials. Eversource officials stressed that the percentage increases are based on averages and the amount that customers bills increase could be lower or higher.

Lauren Bidra, an attorney with the states Office of Consumer Counsel, said agency officials are concerned with the magnitude of the requested rate increase. The OCC represents the interests of consumers in utility rate cases.

Eversource has 232.000 natural gas customers in Connecticut.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.comDr. Peter Jacoby has worked in emergency medicine for decades, and still doesnt always know whether a patient is seriously ill as soon as he sees him or her.

Just recently I had someone come in, writhing with belly pain that turned out to be nothing, said Jacoby, chairman of the emergency department at St. Marys Hospital in Waterbury and chairman of the National Emergency Medicine Political Action Committee.

On the other had, hes had people come to the ER with seemingly mild symptoms who end up having a serious illness. You never know what youre getting when people come in, Jacoby said.

And if he cant instantly diagnose how serious an ailment is, theres no way a layperson can be expected to do that, he said.

Thus, Jacoby is deeply disturbed by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shields avoidable ER program, which permits the company to deny coverage for non-emergency care received in an emergency department.

The program officially launched in 2017 and is now in six states, but not Connecticut.

Under the policy, an Anthem medical director will review claim information and medical records of most patients who receive non-emergency care in an ER. An Anthem spokesperson said claims are reviewed using the prudent layperson standard.

In other words, Anthem determines whether a person with average knowledge of health and medicine would reasonably consider themselves to be experiencing an emergency medical condition.

The Anthem statement on its policy said the company has worked with four board-certified emergency doctors to develop a list of non-emergency conditions that shouldnt be treated in an ER.

The list includes athletes foot, common cold symptoms, suture removal and seasonal allergies. According to the company, each state can take the list and decide which conditions to include based on the markets ER use patterns.

There are some patients to whom Anthem wont deny coverage for emergency treatment of non-emergency ailments, including those who were directed to the emergency room by a provider, those younger than 15 and those who live more than 15 miles from an urgent care center.

Anthem has, and will continue to make, enhancements to our ER program to ensure effective implementation, the companys statement reads.

State concerned

Anthems ER program has been paused in Connecticut, but no one could elaborate further on what that meant, except to say its not active in the state, according to state officials. Spokespeople from Anthem and the Connecticut Hospital Association also wouldnt give details.

Even though the policy isnt live in Connecticut, its still a source of concern to Jacoby and others in the state who are alarmed by the dangerous precedent it might set. Jacoby said a program like this could prevent people who need emergency help from seeking it.

More Information Not covered Here are some of the conditions considered "non-emergency" by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield under its "avoidable ER" program. Seasonal allergies Athlete's foot Suture removals Common cold symptoms Source: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield See More Collapse

People are going to wait longer and longer to come in, and were going to have some bad outcomes, he said. (Anthem) shouldnt be allowed to do this.

Several hospitals wouldnt comment on the avoidable ER program, including those represented by the Yale New Haven Health System, which includes Yale New Haven Hospital, Bridgeport Hospital and Greenwich Hospital. But the Connecticut Hospital Association, which represents the states hospitals and health-related organizations, has expressed concern about the existence of the program.

CHA and its member hospitals want patients to seek care in the right setting, which is not always the emergency department. At the same time, patients should not be discouraged by the threat of non-coverage from seeking emergency care when they genuinely believe it is needed, said Karen Buckley, vice president of advocacy for the hospital association.

Reversing a trend

According to a statement from Anthem, the goal of the program is to encourage consumers to receive care in the most appropriate setting and to reduce the trend in recent years of inappropriate use of ER for non-emergencies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reports that, in 2015, the most recent year for which numbers were available, there were 136.9 million visits to emergency rooms in the United States. Of those, 12.3 million resulted in hospital admission and 1.5 million resulted in admission to the critical care unit.

A report released earlier this year by the non-profit Health Care Cost Institute showed the average price of an emergency room visit rose to $1,917 in 2016 from $1,458 in 2012 .

If a consumer feels he or she has an emergency, they should always call 911 or go to the ER, the Anthem statement reads. But for non-emergency health care needs, ERs are often a time-consuming place to receive care, and, in many instances, 10 times higher in cost than urgent care.

Though urgent care costs vary, most sources put the average cost of a visit somewhere between $100 and $200.

Onus on consumers

However, Jacoby said the Anthem policy puts undue pressure on patients. Were telling the public, when you go to a emergency room, you better be right, he said.

The policy has raised the ire of many medical professionals, including those represented by the American College of Emergency Physicians, the national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine. The colleges leadership argued that the policy is requiring laypeople to make medical decisions they arent qualified to make.

The college has released two videos criticizing the policy. One shows a man with stomach pains searching his symptoms online. When his wife urges him to go to the ER, he replies that, if his pains turn out not to be serious, Anthem could stick him with the whole bill.

The other features a man at the gym who is having chest pains. When he is told to go to the ER, he, too, bemoans the Anthem policy.

Both ads end with a black screen bearing the message Does your insurance company give you the benefit of the doubt if you think youre having a medical emergency?WESTPORT  Two women have been charged after store employees called police about a shoplifting incident.

Asia Bailey, 39, of Bridgeport, and Dana Williams, 31, of Stratford, were each charged with interfering with an officer, possession of a shoplifting device, sixth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny.

Around 4:30 p.m. on May 7, officers were sent to Destination XL for a report of a shoplifting. Workers told officers two women were shoplifting inside the store and left when they were confronted by employees.

Store personnel gave the license plate and description of the vehicle that the suspects left in. The vehicle was seen and stopped by officers shortly after.

Police said the woman who attempted to distract the store employees was identified as Bailey, the driver. And the passenger, Williams, was identified as the woman seen putting items into her bag, police said.

A third suspect, who tried to distract store personnel while the duo attempted to shoplift, left on foot and was not located, police said..

When officers patted down Bailey and Williams for weapons, a device used to remove store tags was found in Baileys front pocket, police said. Officer found another one of these devices in the glove compartment of the vehicle.

As officers worked to investigate the shoplifting with Bailey and Williams, police said, they lied to cops several times and tried to redirect the conversation away from what happened.

Police took the two women into custody.

The two women were released after they each posted a $2,500 bond. The duo are expected in court on May 17.As expected, Connecticuts average gas price today broke the $3 mark, well in advance of Memorial Day, according to a release from AAA Northeast.

Fridays price is $3.01, 26 cents higher than last month; and 51 cents higher than this time last year, according to the release.

The last time the states average hit $3 was on Dec. 14, 2014. In that year, however, those prices were on the downslide following a high of $3.98 in early July of that year.

With Memorial Day - the unofficial kick-off to summer in two weeks - average prices nationally are $2.84 but are expected to rise several cents more before months end.

The U.S.s recent decision to re-impose economic sanctions on Iran and withdraw from the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal is bringing on a variety of global impacts, according to the release. In the U.S., one of the largest potential impacts may be increased crude oil prices, which is presently at $70 a barrel. This, in turn, will lead to increased gas prices later this summer because greater consumer demand is also driving prices up as we approach the summer drive season, AAA said in the release.

Of the 50 states, Connecticut has the 10th highest average price in the nation. Contributing to The Nutmeg States higher prices are gas taxes, strict environmental regulations, zone pricing where prices increase as shipping distances increase, and infrastructure/distribution limitations, according to the release.

In Connecticut, the highest recorded average price on record occurred on July 9, 2008, at $4.39.I n April last year, Iceland supermarkets announced they would be removing palm oil from all their own-brand products citing the devastating effects this oil has on the environment.

Palm oil is a vegetable oil derived from the fruit of oil palm trees which grow in tropical areas. It is found in a number of popular products like lipstick, peanut butter and chocolate.

Yet palm oil has been linked to the deforestation of Borneos forests and loss of habitat for many orangutans that call these forests home  which, according to saynotopalmoil.com, has resulted in the loss of over 50,000 orangutans.

Humans are consuming a whopping 50 million tonnes of palm oil each year and as long as there continues to be demand for the product, forests and habitats will continue to be destroyed. So lessen your impact on the environment a little and swap out some of your favourite products for the alternatives below.

If you like hazelnut spread try 

Venchis Suprema XV cocoa spread with extra virgin olive oil. One of these tubs may be a tad more expensive than other popular hazelnut spreads but it has less of an impact on the environment and tastes just as  if not more  delicious.

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Venchis Suprema XV cocoa spread with extra virgin olive oil, 7.50. venchi.com/uk/

Venchi

If you like peanut butter try 

Whole Earth Organic Smooth Palm Oil Free Peanut Butter. Like the name says, this peanut butter is palm oil free but without losing the peanut butter creaminess we all love.

Whole Earth Organic Smooth Palm Oil Free Peanut Butter, 2.50. sainsburys.co.uk/

Whole Earth

If you like chocolate try 

Ombar raw chocolate bar. Before you let the word raw put you off  as a certified chocoholic, I have tried these bars and prefer them to regular chocolate. They're that good.

Try the Ombar 72 per cent cacao bar, 3.29. ombar.co.uk/

Ombar

If you use bar soap try 

Movis soap from Lush. Movis is Lushs first 100 per cent palm oil free soap and is made from extra virgin coconut and sunflower oil. The soap has its own delightfully intense smell  signature to all Lush products  and gently buffs and polishes skin.

Movis by Lush, 4.95 per 100g. uk.lush.com/

Lush

If you use laundry detergent try 

Ecoleaf Concentrated Non-Bio Washing Powder. This detergent is made from plant-derived ingredients which is gentle on your skin and kind to the earth and removes dirt without using harsh chemicals like parabens.

Ecoleaf Concentrated Non-Bio Washing Powder, 3.79. naturalcollection.com/

Ecoleaf

If you eat bread try 

Waitrose Love Life Farmhouse Batch Multiseed. Using rapeseed oil instead of palm oil, you wont notice the difference yet you will make less of an environmental impact.

Waitrose Love Life Farmhouse Batch Multiseed, 1.45. ocado.com/

Waitrose

If you wear lipstick try 

Neek Lipsticks. Australian brand Neek has brought out a vegan sustainable range of lipsticks in eight different shades. The tubes are made from bamboo so they can also be composted once done.

Neek

If you like fruit mince pies try 

Palm oil free mince pies by IcelandD riving along Irelands Wild Atlantic Way, it seems as if there are castles and ruins around every corner, yet perhaps none so spectacular as Ashford Castle.

Located on the banks of Lough Corrib, Ashford Castle - which featured on BBC2's 'Most Amazing Hotels' - has boasted a number of celebrity guests over the years. From Julia Roberts to Brad Pitt; Pierce Brosnan and his wife Keely even got married there in 2001.

Yet, it is the recently opened Lodge at Ashford Castle that caught our eye. Just up the road from Ashford Castle, the Lodge sits on the top of a hill overlooking Lough Corrib and is the perfect place to stay during your west coast getaway.

Where is it?

Situated in County Cong on Irelands west coast, The Lodge at Ashford Castle is nestled on a magnificent 350 acre estate.

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An hours drive from Galway or a three-hour drive from Dublin, the Lodge is the perfect place to explore the Irish countryside.

Style

The Lodge has a country house vibe, but with a more relaxed feel. In the lobby there are a number of sitting areas with ornate chairs, overflowing bookshelves and quirky artwork where guests can relax and unwind while sipping on a tea or a cheeky Irish coffee from the bar.

Expect eye-catching interior design throughout the hotel that will surprise and delight, with wicker chairs, yellow walls and beams of sun streaming through skylights.

Which room?

Each room of the Lodge has been individually designed so no two stays will be the same. Expect rich deep pile carpets, super king beds with goose down duvets and pillows, a TV and chic, modern furniture - plus all your creature comforts.

The Lodge at Ashford Castle

Our pick for the room would be one of the Lake View Suites - which dutifully remind you how serene the Irish countryside is with views over Lough Corrib.

Food & Drink

The Lodge at Ashford Castle is home to Wildes Restaurant - a fine dining restaurant that offers an indulgent seven-course dinner menu. John Keane, one of Irelands most exciting chefs, heads up the restaurant which draws in foodies both local and from afar.

Looking over the Lough, you can watch natures colours change with the setting sun while you dine - the scallop starter and halibut main are particularly mouth-watering but there is an extensive range of local Irish cuisine to choose from. And at 65 (56), it is worth every penny.

The Lodge at Ashford Castle

In the morning this turns into a breakfast buffet, complete with gammon you can slice yourself, an array of cheese, muesli with a plethora of toppings and everything you need for a classic Irish breakfast. Don't miss out on the black and white puddings.

Extracurriculars

A short walk from the Lodge, and through the ground of Ashford Castle, you will find Irelands School of Falconry (falconry.ie/). The oldest falconry school in Ireland offers an hour-long Hawk Walk where you have the chance to walk around the grounds of Ashford Castle with hawks on your arm.

This was the unexpected highlight of my recent trip to Ireland. As soon as we met out instructor, Joe, we could tell how passionate he was about these birds - and the soft spot he had for the birds we flew. Joe gave us a short demonstration on how to hold our arms when the hawks were perched upon them and then we were off. It was a truly wonderful afternoon, watching the hawks swoop in and out of the trees before flying back to your arms. If theres one thing you do while on Irelands west coast, let it be this.

Me with my falcon, Chewy (Laura Hampson/Supplied) / Laura Hampson

Hawk Walks begin at 50 (44) per person.

Every morning at 11am, a charter boat docked next to Ashford Castle goes for an hour-long cruise around the Lough, explaining the rich history of the area - including the discovery of fossilised Viking ships at the bottom of the Lough. A perfect way to spend your morning and will give you unparalleled views of the castle as you pull away.

When to go

The Lodge is best enjoyed any time of year, but summer is when late spring and summer is when it truly shines.

Best for ...

The romantic nature of the Lodge means it is perfect for couples who want a weekend away, but it is also a great place to visit with friends.

How to get there

The easiest way to get to The Lodge is by car, either from Dublin or Shannon airport. Or, you can fly into Cork and take the Wild Atlantic Way up through past the Cliffs of Moher and through Galway for a more scenic route.

Details

Rooms from 105 per room per night, including breakfast. thelodgeac.comThree men, aged 17, 22 and 27, were injured after a noxious substance was thrown over them in Dalston in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Their injuries are not life threatening however it is not known if they will be life changing, police said.

The victims had congregated on Shacklewell Lane when what police described as a large altercation occurred in which the substance was used.

'Acid' attack: Police at the scene in Dalston / Supplied

On Wednesday, Serkan Kiziltan, 21, from Hackney, was charged with grievous bodily harm and violent disorder.

And three more suspects - Turgut Adakan, 22, Mehmet Tekagac, 29, and Onur Ardic, 26  were, on Saturday, charged with GBH, robbery and violent disorder at Thames Magistrates Court.

Kiziltan is due to appear at Wood Green Crown Court on Wednesday, June 6.

Adakan, of East Ham, Newham, Tekagac, and Ardic, both of Hackney, are due to appear at Wood Green Crown Court on a date to be confirmed.

Detectives are continuing to investigate the assault and have appealed to anyone with information to call the Metropolitan Police.

'Acid Attack' in Dalston outside nightclub

The attack came during a weekend of violence in the capital.

Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton was gunned down in Kennington less than 24 hours before two other teenage boys - one aged just 13 - were shot in broad daylight in Wealdstone, Harrow.

A 43-year-old man was stabbed following a dispute in Perivale, north-west London.

Two men, aged 22 and 27, and a 17-year-old boy suffered life-changing injuries after being attacked with a noxious substance in Hackney in the early hours of Bank Holiday Monday.A cyclist is fighting for life in hospital after being injured during a police chase in north-east London.

The 28-year-old man was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after being hit by a BMW during the pursuit in Walthamstow.

The car also collided with a number of parked cars at a junction between Holmes Avenue and Forest Road after failing to stop for an unmarked police car, Scotland Yard said.

The driver fled on foot following the smash around 1am on Saturday morning.

Enquiries are ongoing to trace the driver.

No one else was believed to have been injured in the crash.

A Met Police spokesman said: The Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) has been informed as is routine.

As is also routine, the MPS has informed the Independent Office for Police Conduct, who has launched an independent investigation.

The Serious Collision investigation Unit is carrying out enquiries into the circumstances of the collision.R efugees who fled the brutal North Korean regime and moved to the UK have shared the difficulties of adapting to life in London.

There are roughly 700 North Korean refugees living in the UK with hundreds of those residing in New Malden, south-west London, a few miles away from the North Korean embassy.

Speaking for the first time of their struggle to adapt to life in the West, refugees today tell of their battle to learn English and manage basic things like going to the doctor.

One unnamed refugee said: "I thought that I would be able to learn the language within a year. However, now 9 years have passed and still the language barrier remains a big obstacle for me.

Since the birth of my son, I have frequently had to visit the hospital whenever he was ill.

"However because I could not fully explain his symptoms, simply answering with a yes to every question that the doctor asked me, I could not get the correct prescription for my child.

The charity is hoping to help the refugees adapt to life in the UK / Connect: North Korea

"Nearby my house is a local library and even though there are many books that I would like to read, I always give up due to my limited English."

Another explained: "My biggest challenge in the UK is understanding bills."

New Malden is home to the largest community of North Korean refugees outside of Asia.

Its also the chosen site of a new community centre by Connect North Korea, which aims to help these refugees.

Fundraising is currently taking place to help raise money for the North Korean Community Centre and cover the costs for one year.

The centre aims to help refugees adapt to life in the UK.

Michael Glendinning, founder and director of Connect North Korea says: Weve been surveying North Koreans about their needs within the community and we felt that there was a need to provide more bespoke and targeted services to aid their integration into life in the UK so we have taken over an office space in New Malden and turn it into a community centre to provide for these people.

There will be English classes available and the centre will also be a space to provide translation and advice.

New Malden: The centre will be located in New Malden which has a large Korean population / Google Street View

Mr Glendinning explained: There will be everything from assistance with housing to English language lessons and everything in-between with the idea that every service would be shaped by North Koreans but also through conducting surveys but also focused individually so that the programmes respond to individual needs along with the community as a whole.

Around 50 volunteers will provide English tutoring alongside other volunteers that will provide mentoring to young North Koreans.

The centre is fundraising for money and have released a North Korean cookbook that can be bought on their fundraising page.

Mr Glendinning said: Often when you talk about North Korea and North Korean human rights, your average person will take in the words but they have no concept of what its like because theyve never experienced that kind of hardship so we decided that people bond over food. Its a good way to relate to experiences.

Jihyun Park, who fled North Korea twice, says she is thankful to the UK for being so welcoming

Jihyun Park, Connect North Koreas outreach officer has lived in the UK for 10 years now after fleeing North Korea. She sayss she is thankful to the UK for being so welcoming and now wants to help other North Korean refugees adapt to life here.

When I first arrived in England, many English people told me 'Welcome to England'. The word 'Welcome means so much to me - it means happiness, love, new challenges, dreams and hopes.T wo people suffered minor injuries when a light aircraft overturned while landing at an airport in Wales.

Police, the fire service and ambulance crews were called to Caernarfon Airport in Gwynedd, North Wales, at 1.16pm on Saturday after reports an aircraft had crashed through the perimeter fence and overturned in an adjacent field.

North Wales Police said the plane's occupants were able to walk away from the incident and were taken to hospital to be checked over.

A statement said: "There was no fire and the pilot and passenger were fortunately able to walk away from the plane with minor injuries.

"They were taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor to be checked over."

A spokesman for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said two crews attended from Bangor and Caernarfon, one of which remained at the scene.T he US has said it could help rebuild North Korea if it agrees to give up nuclear weapons.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that America would be "prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends."

South Korea is one of the world's top 20 economies, after turning towards capitalism at the end of the Korean war in 1953.

His comments come just weeks ahead of Trump's meeting with Kim Jong-un in Singapore.

Mike Pompeo, the former CIA chief returned from a visit to North Korea on Thursday / Twitter/White House

The Secretary of State returned from a visit to North Korea on Thursday morning in which he secured the release of three detained Americans.

Donald Trump welcomes freed North Korea prisoners home to America

He said that he had "good" discussions with Kim Jong-un during his visit.

Mr Pompeo added that the denuclearisation would have to be "complete" and "verifiable".

President Trump is set to meet the North Korean leader on June 12 in Singapore where they are likely to discuss the issue again.

During the landmark summit with South Korea in April, Kim Jong-un pledged to work towards eradicating nuclear weapons.

Trump reveals time and place for meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un

He had already said the north would suspend its nuclear and long-range missile tests ahead of the talks.A huge search has been launched to find two Brits kidnapped in a national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Soldiers and park rangers have launched a mass search to find the tourists who disappeared after being ambushed inside Virunga National Park on Friday.

One park ranger was killed during the incident in Africa's oldest national park and three other people, including the British citizens, were abducted.

"With Virunga National Park being within our zone of action, we have joined the park rangers for search operations for the people taken hostages," Major Guillaume Kaiko Ndjike, the army's spokesman in North Kivu, said on Saturday.

Britain's Foreign Office said on Friday it was in contact with the Congolese authorities following an incident involving two British nationals and its staff were providing support to their families.

Eastern Congo has been the scene of successive waves of violence over the past two and a half decades and was at the epicentre of two wars between 1996 and 2003 that killed millions, mainly through hunger and disease.

Rebel groups and militias still control large swathes of the territory.5% off all flexible rate bookings with this Travelodge business discount

Save 100 on summer holidays over 800 with this TUI discount code

Family memberships from just 78 a year at National Trust

Knock up to 50% off bookings in green-listed countries

Get 30% or more off with Booking.com Flash DealsN ASA is set to send a helicopter to Mars in a landmark test flight of the first heavier than air aircraft on another planet.

The small, autonomous aircraft will be blasted into space with the US Space Agencys Mars Rover in July 2020, a spokesman said.

A team of expert designers spent more than four years shrinking a working helicopter to just 1.8kg (4lbs) or roughly the size of a softball.

The machines two blades will spin at 3,000 revolutions a minute - three times faster than an average chopper.

It is specifically designed to fly in the atmosphere of Mars which is 100 times thinner than Earths.

NASA Administrator Jim Brindenstine hailed the mission a world first and said: The idea of a helicopter flying in the skies of another planet is thrilling.

He added: The Mars Helicopter holds much promise for our future science, discovery, and exploration missions to Mars.

The helicopter will have no pilot and will be launched into space attached to the Mars Rover.

It runs on lithium batteries and has a specially designed heater to brave the freezing Martian air.

Mimi Aung, Mars Helicopter project manager at JPL, said: To make it fly at that low atmospheric density, we had to scrutinise everything, make it as light as possible while being as strong and as powerful as it can possibly be.

We dont have a pilot and Earth will be several light minutes away, so there is no way to joystick this mission in real time.

Instead, we have an autonomous capability that will be able to receive and interpret commands from the ground, and then fly the mission on its own.

The full 30-day flight test campaign will include up to five flights of incrementally further flight distances, up to a few hundred metres.

It will also build up to flights as long as 90 seconds.

On its first flight, the helicopter will make a short vertical climb to 3 metres (10 feet) where it will hover for about 30 seconds.

Mars 2020 will launch on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

It is expected to reach Mars in February 2021.

The rover will conduct geological assessments of its landing site on Mars, determine the habitability of the environment and search for signs of ancient Martian life.N orth Korea says it will dismantle its nuclear test site and hold a "ceremony" later this month.

All of the tunnels at the country's testing ground will be demolished between May 23-25.

According to the country's Foreign Ministry said that the area including observation and research facilities and ground-based units will also be removed.

It says it plans to invite journalists from the US, South Korea, China, Russia and Britain to inspect the process.

Kim Jong-un vowed during the landmark summit with South Korea in April that the country would halt its nuclear operations.

North Korea's Kim Jon Un meets South Korea's President Moon Jae-in 1 /18 North Korea's Kim Jon Un meets South Korea's President Moon Jae-in South Korean President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their meeting at the Peace House at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone REUTERS North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shakes hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong Un takes hand of South Korean President Moon Jae-in (R) to cross the military demarcation line Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in cross the border line at the border village of Panmunjom in Demilitarized Zone AP North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in Reuters Kim walks with Moon at the Joint Security Area (JSA) on the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in inspect an honor guard after Kim crossed the border into South Korea for their historic face-to-face talks, in Panmunjom AP The two leaders meet at the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in inspect an honor guard after Kim crossed the border into South Korea for their historic face-to-face talks, in Panmunjom AP South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attend the inter-Korean summit Reuters Kim Jong Un (2nd L) and his wife Ri Sol Ju (L) attend a farewell ceremony with Moon Jae-in (2R) and his wife Kim Jung-sook (R) AFP/Getty Images Ri Sol Ju (L), wife of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, and Kim Jung-sook AFP/Getty Images The couple's toast at a farewell dinner at the end of the summit AFP/Getty Images The official dinner at the end of their historic summit AFP/Getty Images An image of flowers is beamed onto the Peace House where the summit had taken place during a closing ceremony AFP/Getty Images Kyu Cho, 27, reads a newspaper with a front page story about the inter-Korean summit REUTERS A woman reads a newspaper with a front page story about the inter-Korean summit REUTERS A man walks past a newspaper featuring a front page story about the summit AFP/Getty Images

On Friday, the US said could help rebuild North Korea if it agrees to give up nuclear weapons.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that America would be "prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends."

South Korea is one of the world's top 20 economies, after turning towards capitalism at the end of the Korean war in 1953.

His comments come just weeks ahead of Trump's meeting with Kim Jong-un in Singapore. The pair are due to meet on June 12.K endall Jenner bared all in a sheer metallic dress in Cannes before joking with fans over the risque outfit.

Supermodel Jenner stepped out in the see-through number for the Chopard Secret Party on Friday night.

The 22-year-old looked stunning with her long dark hair flowing freely over her shoulders.

She shared an image of her look on Instagram joking about the fact her nipples were on show.

Risque outfit: The star joked with fans on Instagram / EPA

She simply captioned the pictured: Oops.

Kendall Jenner donned a see-through gown / AFP/Getty Images

The reality TV star wore just nude pants under the gown which she accessorized with gold earrings and black stilettos.

A host of stars also appeared at the star-studded bash including Stella Maxwell and Joan Smalls.

Actress Bruna Marquezine stunned in a floor length black gown with a thigh-high split and sheer back panel.

Actress Bruna Marquezine poses for photographers upon arrival at the Chopard Secret party / Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

Black Panther star Lupita Nyongo donned a Dior Haute Couture princess frock in pale pink.

Jenner has been making her most of her time in Cannes and was pictured frolicking at the famous Eden Roc hotel on Friday as she soaked up the sun on the French Riviera during the annual Film Festival.

Actress Lupita Nyong'o attends Chopard Secret Night / EPA

She looked stunning in a high leg black swimming costume which she teamed with a pair of black Ray Ban sunglasses. She finished the look with a red lip.

The pictures came hours after she left fans flustered by sharing a nude selfie.

Kendall Jenner at Eden Roc in Cannes 1 /21 Kendall Jenner at Eden Roc in Cannes Splash News E-Press / Splash News Splash News Splash News Splash News Splash News Splash News Splash News Splash News Splash News Splash News Splash News E-Press / Splash News E-Press / Splash News E-Press / Splash News E-Press / Splash News Splash News Splash News Splash News Splash News Splash News

Jenner stripped off to pose with a glass of wine in front of her hotel bathroom mirror.

Footage from Monday nights Met Gala showed her shoving a red carpet assistant out of her way after he accidentally stepped back into her shot while she was posing for the cameras.K eanu Reeves and Alex Winter finally announced the bodacious news that they're reuniting for more time travelling adventures in a long-awaited Bill and Ted sequel.

Earlier this week they put fans out of their misery when they confirmed they will reprise their roles as slacker duo Ted Theodore Logan (Reeves) and Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Winter) for Bill & Ted Face the Music.

Fans of 1989s Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure and 1991s Bill & Teds Bogus Journey have waited 27 years for the news. But it's not unusual for directors and writers to tease sequels for decades without ever delivering. So from Chicken Run to Leon The Professional we've rounded up all the films that are more than ripe for a follow-up.

1. Bridesmaids

If there was ever a film ripe for a sequel its Bridesmaids. The Paul Feig directed comedy followed down-in-the-dumps baker Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig) as she competed with Helen (Rose Byrne) to plan the perfect road to marriage for her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph).

Annie met and fell for Officer Nathan Rhodes (Chris ODowd) and a sequel is needed to follow the run-up to their wedding. Will she get drunk and pretend to be French on her hen party? One thing we do know is shell avoid the Brazilian steak restaurant

2. Galaxy Quest

Alan Rickman in Galaxy Quest

Galaxy Quest perfectly parodied sci-fi and its fandoms in a film that unpredictably went on to gain cult status. The comedy boasted a stellar cast including Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Rockwell and the late Alan Rickman as actors in a sci-fi TV series who really do embark on an intergalactic adventure.

Although hope of a film is as probable as the Thermians being an actual species, talk of a TV sequel surfaced in 2015, with Paramount reportedly backing a move to the small screen. The plans were revived in 2017, but it is unclear if any of the original cast will star.

3. Leon The Professional

When you train someone up to be a young assassin, you expect to find out how that said assassin turns out. Hitman Leon (Jean Reno) trained 12-year-old Mathilda (Natalie Portman) to be a would-be-killer after her family were murdered by a corrupt DEA agent. So its only natural that she follows in his footsteps and helps to save a child who was left orphaned after their family was gunned down.

Director Luc Besson once said you can't imagine how many people ask me for a Leon sequel so heres hoping he hurries up and takes note.

4. Chicken Run

Who knew a film about runaway chickens with a dislike for gravy would become Aardman Animations most successful film?

Mel Gibson, Timothy Spall, Julia Sawalha and Miranda Richardson provided the voices of the plotting poultry as they successfully escaped a farm with the help of smooth talking Rocky. So what happened next?

Good news is a sequel was finally confirmed last month after an 18 year wait and a petition calling for a follow up, so we'll soon find out.

5. Beetlejuice

Michael Keatons crazed ghost earned cult status after deceased young couple Adam and Barbara Maitland, played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, unleashed him in 1988. Fans of Tim Burtons comedy horror, which also starred Winona Ryder as Lydia Deets, have been calling for a sequel for 30 years.

Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian came close to production in the early 90s. The plot would have seen the stripe-loving demon unleash a native spirit after following the Deets family to Hawaii where he also wins a surf competition. Keaton and Ryder both agreed to do the film providing Burton direct, but it never came to fruition.

Fast forward nearly two decades and Mike Vukadinovich is reportedly rewriting Seth Grahame-Smiths original Beetlejuice 2 script, with Deadline reporting Burton and Keaton are excited at the prospect. With Burton a fan of odd juxtapositions its anyones guess what a sequel would entail.

6. Mean Girls

Mean Girls

Regina George didnt want fetch to happen  but would she be as opposed to a Mean Girls sequel? Yes, we know there was a Mean Girls 2, the least said about that the better, but its time to revisit Regina, Karen, Gretchen and Cady 14 years after they left North Shore. Did long distance work out for Aaron and Cady? Is Regina still channelling her anger with lacrosse? Did Damien ever get his pink shirt back?

A Broadway musical based on the film and helmed by creator Tina Fey debuted earlier this year but Lindsay Lohan, who played home schooled jungle freak Cady, and Lacey Chabert, who played Gretchen Weiners, have both thrown their support behind a sequel.

Possible release date? October 3rd?

7. Every classic Disney Princess film

Disney Reveals First Trailer For New Cinderella Movie

Decades after Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Belle and Snow White tied the knot with their respective Prince Charmings its time to catch up with the realities of marrying a man mere minutes after you met him in a forest, or after he hunted you down with a missing glass slipper.I srael have won the Eurovision Song Contest after Netta triumphed with TOY in Lisbon.

The contest, from the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal, was closely fought but came down to the wire as Cyprus and Israel waited to see the country with the highest viewer vote total.

Cyprus, who had been favourites to win the contest with Eleni Foureira with Fuego, finished on 436 points.

UK entrant SuRie finished with 48 points, enough to keep her off the bottom spot. Finland finished on 46 and hosts Portugal on 39.

Final scores: The results of the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest / BBC

The man ran on stage halfway through her performance, the ninth of the night, and began to shout. It is unclear what was said.

He was soon removed from the stage while SuRie saw out the rest of her performance.

Protesters storm Eurovision stage

Graham Norton revealed a few songs later that the UK delegation had been given the option to perform again but SuRie had decided to decline the offer.

The chat show host provided the commentary over the final, a role he has held since 2009, and kept viewers entertained with his comments.

The contest was hosted by beautiful quartet Filomena Cautela, Silvia Alberto, Daniela Ruah and Catarina Furtado.Countries & Areas

Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia ZimbabwePresident Klaus Iohannis says he will invite Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu to explain the standpoint Romanian representatives adopted during the discussion at the level of the European External Action Service regarding the relocation of diplomatic offices in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

He also pointed out that the Romanian Embassy can not be moved to Jerusalem without his consent.

"As regards this most recent case, which is related to the statement prepared by the European External Action Service (EEAS), I will call on the Foreign Minister to explain what they discussed and how the discussions went and what was the reason behind the standpoint they adopted. In what concerns the relocation of the Embassy, no actual steps were taken, because the Embassy cannot be moved without my consent. That's it! No matter what, who says," stated Iohannis.The President said that by blocking the statement of the European External Action Service, Romania is "back at the edge of the Union", despite the fact that Romanians do not have Euro-skeptic or anti-European views. He also appreciated that the PSD governance is "counter-efficient" and that the government plays "by ear.""By blocking a statement, suddenly Romania is back at the edge of the Union, alongside the other countries for which I have all due respect, but which are, basically, rather Euro-skeptical. I want to remind PSD that the Romanians are Europeans, pro-European, and these increasingly anti-European measures that the PSD takes, while having this counter-efficient governance, these measures really risk getting us out of Europe. Which is not something that we can accept. For it is not acceptable that PSD, this government that plays by ear, to take more and more a certain type of decisions, which I am sure are dictated by the Party rather than the Government, and to take us back to the edge of Europe. "Romanians want to be a part of the nucleus of Europe. Romanians do not want to have Euro-skeptic or anti-European views," he said.In January, Russia hosted the Congress of Syrian National Dialog in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. It has been the most representative forum thus far to discuss the conflict in Syria. Moscow invited Beijing to take part in the event as an observer. The Russian government believes that China is too important to be denied a role in the process of bringing peace to that war-torn country.

Post-war Syria is a scene of devastation. The creation of de-escalation zones has worked well to establish a cease-fire and a pause to catch ones breath before the work of reconstruction begins. The Western powers are very unlikely to help rebuild Syria as long as Assads government, which is backed by Russia and Iran, remains in power. Legislation that has been dubbed the No Assistance for Assad Act has passed the US House of Representatives and has been read twice in the Senate. The bill seeks to channel US aid exclusively to the parts of Syria outside the control of the government.

The Wests reluctance to help rebuild Syria makes China a viable alternative. It is ready to contribute, which is a very welcome development. Chinese businessmen are already in Syria, exploring the opportunities for investment. Beijing has announced a plan to build a $2 billion industrial park for 150 Chinese companies. It has launched the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a multi-billion, massive, intercontinental infrastructure development project, which includes Syria as a transit partner. China is for future investments around the world and Syria could be the beneficiary of much of that. It could also be used to assist Russia, Iran, and Turkey, the Astana process guarantor states.

China provides military and other forms of assistance to Syria. It has a vested interest in the settlement of the conflict, because stability in Syria reduces the risk that mercenaries from Xinjiang will return home to mount terrorist attacks. Last year, about 5,000 ethnic Uyghurs from that province traveled to Syria to train and fight for various militant groups. The normalization of the situation would prevent the country from becoming a haven and training ground for Chinas Muslim extremists. But no stability is achievable in Syria without improved living standards.

Beijing has been playing a low-key yet active role in the peace process, without military involvement. It has joined Russia to veto several UN proposals put forward by the West that would sanction the Syrian government.

If China became the fourth full-fledged guarantor state for the Astana process, the peace effort could expand to bring in other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), including India and Pakistan. These states have never taken sides in Syrias conflict, and thus could be trusted to act as impartial mediators. Iran is an observer and Turkey is a partner in the dialog. Egypt and Syria have also submitted applications to be granted observer status. Cairo is considering the possibility of sending its forces to Syria. With so many members involved in the conflict, the SCO could launch a comprehensive, international peace initiative based on the Astana process.

If some progress were made, Syria could obtain a status in the group that would be a stepping stone to full-fledged membership. The SCO could speak with one voice at the UN-brokered Geneva talks. The Shanghai Organization could solve the Syrian conflict without the West imposing its own rules of the game. Such a political breakthrough would greatly facilitate the implementation of Chinas BRI, with all the major actors participating in the project. The SCOs clout would grow immensely. Europe would benefit as well, if an SCO-brokered peace halted the flow of refugees.

China and Russia are also members of BRICS, another powerful group with growing prominence on the world stage. Three out of the five BRICS states  Russia, India, and China  are members of the Shanghai group. Brazil and South Africa would boost their global clout by joining in an SCO-BRICS peace effort in Syria. Its important that the Syrian government view the BRICS coalition as a legitimate player. The participation of BRICS and SCO in the settlement process would transform the international system into a more multilateral configuration. This would also be in line with the concept of Responsibility to Protect (R2P), which was adopted by the UN in 2005. Syria is the right place to demonstrate that R2P is more than an empty phrase.

In theory, there may be reservations about bringing China in to act as the fourth guarantor state in the Astana process, but the advantages clearly outweigh any doubts. It would be a good thing for Beijing to play a greater role in the political efforts.

No peace will come if Syria is not rebuilt. The post-war reconstruction is too much for anyone to take on alone. It needs to be a comprehensive, international endeavor. This is a good opportunity for the SCO and BRICS to transform themselves into real international actors tackling urgent problems. Expanding the effort to bring peace to Syria is kind of a chain reaction that could be set in motion by bringing in China. This would be a step in the right direction toward resolving the conflict.A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader on Saturday filed a petition in the Supreme Court asking for the removal of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal for leveling allegations of money laundering against Nawaz Sharif.

The petition reads, It is awful, the politicians generally accuse their rivals for baseless allegations to secure their political goals and motives and point-scoring purposes.

The removal is inevitable to meet the ends of justice, the petitioner argued.

On May 8, NAB chairman, taking notice of the money laundering allegations, ordered an investigation against former premier Nawaz Sharif.

On September 21, 2016, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had categorically rejected a report that suggests an outflow of $4.9 billion from Pakistan to India as remittances and had termed it contrary to facts.

In a press release issued by the countrys top anti-graft body, the chairman took notice of reports making rounds on news channels claiming that Nawaz laundered $4.9 billion to India.

The petition filed further reads: For this purpose, it is the fundamental duty to avoid any press release which still needs further interrogation or yet to establish or a pipeline project to launch future proceedings against someone.

The PML-N petitioner stated that an inquiry lodged into an already falsified report shows that Iqbal is incapable of keeping aside prejudices against the former prime minister. In subsequent events it is reaffirmed which shows that the caption of the institution got ill will against the former premier and the removal justifies to the user for the independence of institution, the petition added.

The careless press release cannot be said a bonafide act as a person steering an institution as retired judge of superior judiciary and having well-equipped knowledge and responsibility is further supposed to not to make himself or institution in a despotic fixed situation or to cause distrust or to lose the credibility of the institution which is done by the respondent which go against him for all grounds to be removed as being incapable to hold office, the petition further added.

The petitioner further argued that Iqbal violated Article 184(3) of the Constitution. This is one of the exceptional situations to intervene when a press release is not sounded with any sound material rather filmsy press release shows grudge for all this time, past and future. There is no likelihood if this gentleman holds the office, of being fair and free from the rivals of Nawaz or to work independently.The chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto paying the homage to party workers, who had laid their lives on May 12, vowed he would not let waste the blood of workers and will continue the struggle getting justice for them.

On May 12 terrorists slaughtered PPP workers when a dictator had waved his punch, however, the PPP Jialy came out from their houses only for the chief justice, Bilawal said while addressing the public rally in Karachi.

He claimed 14 of PPP workers were killed on May 12 as they laid down their lives in the struggle for free judiciary.

Earlier, he was warmly welcomed as arrival at the venue and PPP supporters showered him with flower petals, danced and chanted slogans.

We chose Hakeem Saeed ground to pay tribute to our martyrs. On May 12, 2007 Musharrafs cronies martyred our workers, he said. The people of Karachi will never accept a new MQM-P under the name of PTI. This is our city and we can do our gathering anywhere in the metropolis.

The PPP leader blamed MQM-P leader and Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar to be the man behind May 12 violence. The man who is now Mayor Karachi was Home Minister at that time, he is the one responsible behind the carnage on that day, he said.

Taking further jibes at the MQM-P, the PPP leader said that soon after the partys Liaquatabad rally all of MQM-Ps factions got united.

PPP leaders Sherry Rehman, CM Murad Ali Shah, Taj Haider, Qaim Ali Shah are also present at the venue along with party chairman.recommended Android handsets that are priced below PHP 10,000

After all, I know I have many budget-conscious millennial readers who are either still in school or on their first job.

OPPO A83

Aside from having a wide-angle front-cam that's great for groufies and capturing more of the background when snapping selfies, the best thing about the OPPO A83 is its MediaTek Helio P23 that delivers smooth gaming experience and overall touch experience.

Huawei Nova 2 Lite

The best-selling Huawei Nova 2 Lite has multiple strong points, including its large display, Dual Rear Camera module for Bokeh Effect, and long battery life. But for me, the most attractive feature of this model is its eye-catching design, which is especially true for the Aurora Blue variant.





Vivo Y71 3GB RAM

Vivo Y71 is a great option for budget-conscious consumers - including students and young professionals - who are looking for a new handset with large display, stand-out selfie imaging performance, sleek design, and long battery life.

Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Plus

Cherry Mobile Flare S6 Plus remains to be the flagship-level smartphone of the Filipino handset brand. This aluminum-clad powerhouse has four cameras - two at the back and two in front for shallow depth of field effect - as well as a powerful set of internal hardware ensuring an enjoyable mobile experience anytime, anywhere.

Nokia 5 2017

Nokia 5 is currently one of the best-selling handsets of HMD Global -- and for good reason. It has a gorgeous all-metal build and decent low-light imaging performance for both front and back cameras. Not to mention, its 3,000 mAh battery pack is quite big for a phone of this size.

Asus ZenFone Max M1

I got the chance to play with model during ZenFone 5's launch here in the Philippines held at The Esplanade. I'd say the best features of the ZFMaxM1 are its large screen, Dual Rear Camera - incorporate a secondary wide-angle shooter that's great for group photos and landscape imaging, and of course - the large 4,000 mAh battery pack.

OPPO A71 2018

OPPO A71 2018 is small enough to easily slip into your jeans' front pocket or your tiny purse. But with an Octa-Core Snapdragon 450 processor, it's definitely big on performance too.

CloudFone Next Infinity Pro

Part of CloudFone's renowned Next flagship handset series, the Infinity Pro is crafted to deliver Awesome Selfies with its beastly 20 MegaPixel plus 8 MegaPixel Dual Rear Camera combo that enables Portrait Mode and Wide-Angle Groufies.

Xiaomi Redmi 5

Though its 5 MegaPixel front camera pales in comparison to that of most competing models in this price bracket, Xiaomi Redmi 5 nonetheless has a great set of internal hardware and a visually pleasing real-metal enclosure, making it a very attractive budget-friendly offering.

One of the questions I've been asked the most since the rise of Android smartphones in our local market is this:I've been answering this question regularly for several years now -- and I thought I should do it again this 2018.So if you're one of those who've sent me the same inquiry just now or earlier this year, I made this blog post especially for you.Alright! Let's jump straight to the list.Price:Key Specs:150.5 x 73.1 x 7.7 mm143 grams5.7-inch 720 x 1440 pixels HD+ IPS 18:913 MegaPixel Rear Camera with f/2.2 Aperture, PDAF, and LED Flash8 MegaPixel f/2.2 Front Camera2.2 GHz Octa Core Mediatek MT6763 Helio P233GB RAM32GB ROM + microSD Card SlotDual SIM Capability4G LTE SupportFacial RecognitionNon-Removable 3,180 mAh Li-Ion Battery PackPrice:Key Specs:158.3 x 76.7 x 7.8mm155 grams5.99-inch 720 x 1440 pixels HD+ IPS 18:913 MegaPixel f/2.2 + 2 MegaPixel f/2.0 Dual Rear Camera with PDAF and LED Flash8 MegaPixel f/2.0 Front Camera with Soft LED Flash1.4 GHz Octa Core Qualcomm MSM8937 Snapdragon 4303GB RAM32GB ROM + microSD Card SlotDual SIM Capability4G LTE SupportFingerprint ScannerFacial RecognitionNon-Removable 3,000 mAh Li-Ion Battery PackPrice:Key Specs:155.9 x 75.8 x 7.8 mm150 grams6-inch 720 x 1440 pixels HD+ IPS 18:98 MegaPixel Rear Camera with PDAF and LED Flash5 MegaPixel f/2.2 Front Camera1.4 GHz Quad Core Qualcomm MSM8917 Snapdragon 4253GB RAM16GB ROM + microSD Card SlotDual SIM Capability4G LTE SupportFingerprint ScannerFacial RecognitionNon-Removable 3,300 mAh Li-Ion Battery PackThere's also a Vivo Y71 2GB RAM version that only costs PHP 7,990. It looks exactly the same as the 3GB and even has the same technical specifications -- except for its amount of RAM, of course.Price:Key Specs:5.7-inch 720 x 1440 pixels HD+ IPS 18:916 MegaPixel + 5 MegaPixel, Dual Rear Camera with PDAF and LED Flash16 MegaPixel + 5 MegaPixel, Dual Front Camera with LED Flash1.5 GHz Octa Core Mediatek MT6750T4GB RAM64GB ROM + microSD Card SlotDual SIM Capability4G LTE SupportFingerprint ScannerNon-Removable 3,000 mAh Li-Ion Battery PackPrice:Key Specs:149.7 x 72.5 x 8 mm120 grams5.2-inch 720 x 1280 pixels HD IPS 16:913 MegaPixel Rear Camera with f/2.0 Aperture, PDAF, and LED Flash8 MegaPixel f/2.0 Front Camera1.4 GHz Octa Core Qualcomm MSM8937 Snapdragon 4302GB RAM16GB ROM + microSD Card SlotDual SIM Capability4G LTE SupportFingerprint ScannerNon-Removable 3,000 mAh Li-Ion Battery PackPrice:Key Specs:147.3 x 70.9 x 8.7 mm150 grams5.5-inch 720 x 1440 pixels HD+ IPS 18:913 MegaPixel + 8 MP Wide Angle, Dual Rear Camera with PDAF and LED Flash8 MegaPixel Front Camera1.4 GHz Octa Core Qualcomm MSM8937 Snapdragon 4303GB RAM32GB ROM + microSD Card SlotDual SIM Capability4G LTE SupportNon-Removable 4,000 mAh Li-Ion Battery PackPrice:Key Specs:148.1 x 73.8 x 7.6 mm137 grams5.2-inch 720 x 1280 pixels HD IPS 16:913 MegaPixel Rear Camera with f/2.2 Aperture, PDAF, and LED Flash5 MegaPixel f/2.4 Front Camera1.8 GHz Octa Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 4502GB RAM16GB ROM + microSD Card SlotDual SIM Capability4G LTE SupportFingerprint ScannerFacial RecognitionNon-Removable 3,000 mAh Li-Ion Battery PackPrice:Key Specs:5.7-inch 720 x 1440 pixels HD+ IPS 18:916 MegaPixel Rear Camera with PDAF and LED Flash20 MegaPixel + 8MP Front Camera1.4 GHz Qualcomm MSM8937 Snapdragon 4303GB RAM32GB ROM + microSD Card SlotDual SIM Capability4G LTE SupportFingerprint ScannerNon-Removable 3,000 mAh Li-Ion Battery PackPrice:Key Specs:151.8 x 72.8 x 7.7mm157 grams5.8-inch 720 x 1440 pixels HD+ IPS 18:912 MegaPixel Rear Camera with f/2.2 Aperture, PDAF, and LED Flash5 MegaPixel Front Camera1.8 GHz Octa Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 4503GB RAM32GB ROM + microSD Card SlotDual SIM Capability4G LTE SupportFingerprint ScannerNon-Removable 3,300 mAh Li-Ion Battery PackThese are my recommended Android handsets all priced under PHP 10,000. Let me know your thoughts about these stellar smartphones through the comments section below. If you think I missed a good model in this price bracket, feel free to remind me by writing it below or messaging me on social media.Skype is one of those big success-fail-success stories we often only see in the tech industry. The brainchild of two scandinavian tech entrepreneurs, Skype was a pioneer in peer-to-peer communication, making video calls feasible even in slow Internet connections dating to the mid-2000s. The company was initially sold to eBay, then recovered by an investment fund who was looking for shoppers or a potential IPO, then finally sold to Microsoft in 2011 for a pretty $8.5 billion.

As an avid Skyper in the early days, I recall recommending it to friends and colleages for free calls and video conference that worked like nothing else. But just like Microsoft ignored the shift to mobile computing, Skype also lagged behind the innovation curve, for a while living as a solid but somewhat antiquated Windows application with so-so Mac support that monetized through international calls at low rates. By the time Skype made it to mobile (and even to this day) it arrived as a painfully slow, battery-draining application that often fails to deliver a smooth experience.

Microsoft did its part over the years as well. First merging Skype logins with Microsoft Passport, a messy and unnecessary transition that had average computer users -- who relied and maybe even loved the application to communicate with family -- frustrated by the change.

In the midst of Windows' shift to "Metro" apps, Microsoft also tried to push Skype as a pre-installed app resulting in two distinct versions of Skype installed on the same computer, using separate login screens, and not a clear path of which of two was the one to use. By then the desktop application had been redesigned more than once and neither the desktop application nor the Metro app were great choices.

At the peak of its popularity Skype had become a verb -- before mobile messaging platforms like BlackBerry Messenger, iMessage or WhatsApp exploded -- I recall using Skype for personal communication, replacing other forms of instant messaging and receiving plenty of requests from work contacts to communicate using the platform. Since then Slack, Hipchat and other work collaboration platforms have flourished. Even Microsoft built its own collaboration platform called Microsoft Teams to counter other big-name enterprise competitors entering the space like Cisco.

Most recently Microsoft has split Skype in two: for consumers, Skype remains a messy looking application that looks like a Snapchat clone, with awful mobile call quality. And for enterprise clients, Skype for Business has replaced Microsoft Lync, is set to merge with Microsoft Teams, and tie up with Office 365.

A Bloomberg article gives some detail of where Skype stands today with big clients and how Microsoft has succeeded by selling Skype for Business to corporations like General Electric. GE rolled out the service to 220,000 employees in late 2017 and is reportedly logging 5.5 million meeting minutes a day. Other enterprise customers include some of the largest US banks and big companies in Europe where Skype has historically been a very popular brand. According to a Forrester survey comprising over six thousand IT workers, 28% said they use Skype for Business for conferencing, compared with 21 percent for Ciscos products.

As far as opportunities missed, Microsoft pioneered real-time translation and Skype was very much part of that dating back to 2014. However you'll be hard pressed to find someone suggesting Skype is leading communication as it once did, offering unmatched call quality, let alone consistency. So while public perception is not on Microsoft's side on this one, Skype is living to see another day.

Masthead image credit: NeowinThe U.S. State Department still cannot clarify the reasons for this syndrome, which the international scientific community describes as unbelievable. | Read MoreTaking the angst out car parking has led the group DIVVY to strike a deal with property agents JLL to service their commercial real estate tenants across the country.

Making parking easier is big business and will get even more attention as landlords look to offer electric chargers and eventually cater for driverless cars.

The plan is to allow more customers to experience hassle-free parking and enables property owners to manage their parking assets more efficiently.

LL and DIVVY have teamed up to offer parking solution to commercial real estate customers.

Westfield shopping centres were one of the pioneers in offering electronic parking systems that recognise a car's number plate which then opens the boomgate and directs the car to a bay.Another Bougainville? Earlier this month Oil Search was hit by claims that its flagship PNG LNG project has led to increased violence in Papua New Guinea and that it was failing to fulfil its social obligations as funds for communities had not been distributed. The report On Shaky Ground: PNG LNG and the Consequences of Development Failure by Jubilee Australia, an arm of The Australia Institute, claims the project has led to significant social issues in PNGs Hela province, and that promised royalties of around 5.7 billion PNG Kina ($2.31 billion) by Oil Search and its joint venture partners Total, ExxonMobil and Santos, for the local community, over the lifetime of the project, have not begun flowing to landowners. "To date, an estimated $300 million in landowner royalties have been accrued, none of which has been paid to the highland owners," the report stated. The reports co-author, an anthropologist for the Australian National University, Michael Main said, "During the seven months I spent living with Huli landowners I witnessed the abject development failure of the PNG LNG project. The landowners of the resource remained in conditions of dire poverty and promised development projects did not exist."

The report also warned this was escalating tensions in the region, which it claims have included direct attacks on the PNG LNG's pipelines and camps as well as two female ExxonMobil environmental scientists being taken hostage at the local airport. It warned of the potential for an uprising similar to that in Bougainville, when escalating tensions over a major resources project devolved into a civil war. PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill dismissed claims of growing unrest in the PNG LNG project's region as 'fake news'. Credit:David Moir "With the introduction of the PNG LNG project, and the subsequent increase in landowner frustration, the build-up of arms has accelerated to the point where it is often speculated that the landowners are in possession of more firepower than the entire PNG defence force," the report said, adding "the weapons build-up has reached epidemic proportions". A source familiar with Oil Search and the PNG government said if a civil war was to break out in PNG it would occur in a resources-rich region.

PNG Prime Minister Peter ONeill rejected the Jubilee reports findings, despite stating he had not read it, calling it fake news during an Australian-PNG business forum earlier this month. Clarity on royalties Oil Search chairman Rick Lee acknowledged there had been social issues but said this was due to poor transparency by the government rather than a lack of funds from the PNG LNG project. "Discontent within our communities has increased over the past few years due to growing frustrations about what is happening to government revenues from our industry, which have increased significantly since the PNG LNG project commenced production," Mr Lee said. Both Mr Lee and Oil Search chief executive Peter Botten called for more transparency in the handling of royalties.

Oil Search CEO Peter Botten says the company has invested heavily in social programs for local PNG communities. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer "Publishing a detailed breakdown of what payments have been made, and to whom, provides essential information to governments and citizens alike and is a means to combat corruption. Payments transparency also helps mitigate the risk of community unrest," they said. "PNG has received multiple benefits streams this total to $US4.3 billion contributed to the government and local businesses," Mr Lee said, "of this, more than $US1.1 billion has been spent with landowner companies." "We continue to support and campaign for improved transparency around how these payments are received and spent" A source familiar with Oil Search and the PNG government said, "this is what happens when you start playing cute with the PNG government".

"When you start making opaque deals with the government then there is no end to that process, and now Oil Search is starting to get to the pointy end of that." He said this is similar to previous resources agreements in the country, where the government held onto resources royalties in order to properly disseminate them, carrying out land mapping to make sure they went to the correct local landowners. "However, the PNG government didn't do that, so the funds stayed sitting in the bank." The Lowy Institute's Pacific Program director, Jonathan Pryke, said it would have been more straightforward for PNG LNG to have identified and paid communities themselves.MUSICA VIVA PRESENTS TAFELMUSIK  BACH AND HIS WORLD

Specialists in period-instrument performance, Toronto-based Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra return to town with an enthralling new show at the Melbourne Recital Centre on May 22 and May 26. With the help of 21st-century technology and expert research, they will step back into the age of Johann Sebastian Bach, drawing on spoken word, projected video and detailed images to bring an extra layer of meaning to this fine music. Musica Viva are offering five A Reserve doubles to join them in this unique blend of sights and sounds on Saturday, May 26 at 7pm. For the chance to win, send your details to rsvpmelbourne@musicaviva.com.au before midnight tonight.

Toronto-based Tafelmusik draw on spoken word and projected video to present Bach and his World.

NATIONAL CELTIC FESTIVAL 2018

Showcasing an impressive line-up including legends of the Irish music scene Altan, Scottish act the Paul McKenna Band and the Australian based Irish star Damien Leith, the 2018 National Celtic Festival returns to Portarlington from June 8 to 11 to deliver a program of world-class folk music from across the globe. In celebrating its 16th anniversary, the festival will present three days of Celtic-infused music, dance, theatre, comedy, literature, workshops, food, markets and more. M readers have the chance to win one of three full weekend passes to the festival plus a lunch for two in the Celtic Cafe. Worth $1290 in total, readers who register their details on tilly@penneyandlogan.com.au before midnight tonight will enter the draw.BPM (Beats Per Minute) 

(MA) 143 minutes. Cinema Nova, opens Thursday.

In an extended opening sequence from his previous feature, 2013's Eastern Boys, where a home invasion becomes a larcenous dance of self-destruction, the French writer and director Robin Campillo established his ability to extend a scene's essence to a compelling pitch. In BPM (Beats Per Minute), his compelling new film, Campillo does the same for an entire momentous era. The setting is Paris in the 1980s, where the queer advocates of ACT UP are desperately fighting to raise awareness of the HIV virus and prompt official help for those already dying of AIDS-related illnesses. Strategy sessions filled with urgent, passionate debate are as detailed as the guerilla actions that the group uses  sometimes unsuccessfully  to create awareness; the storytelling not only has an immediacy, it matches issues to individuals so that the campaigning is never merely about the public profile. The political and the personal are one and the same, with the romance between Sean (Nahuel Perez Biscayart) and Nathan (Arnaud Valois) supplying a vivid heartbeat to what is a powerful transference of celebration and loss.

Robin Campillo's BPM centres on the struggle to raise awareness of the HIV virus and AIDS in Paris in the 1980s.

WITHOUT COMPROMISE: THOM ANDERSEN'S AMERICA

melbournecinematheque.org. Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Wednesday, May 16 and 23.

A maker of essay films and documentary shorts focused on the places and people that exist on the screen just beyond easy comprehension, Thom Andersen's body of work readily exists beyond his best known work, 2003's Los Angeles Plays Itself (, 15+, 169 minutes), but what a signature piece it is. "Perhaps we can appreciate fiction films for their documentary revelations," suggests Encke King's drily corrective narration, and Andersen's assemblage in a meticulous examination of how Los Angeles has been treated by the film industry that turned it into L.A. The friction between a vertical medium and a horizontal setting is played out through clips spanning many decades, as the narrative moves from the caste system of hills and beach geography and the mistreatment of modernist architecture to the eradication in real life and on celluloid of neighbourhoods such as Bunker Hill and the differences between the city's corrupted development on the screen and in real life. The insight is masterful, the assemblage mesmerising. Andersen's film becomes an act of creation.Last week's injunction granted by the Federal Court stopping VicForests from logging certain areas in the Central Highlands until a court hearing next year is a ray of hope for those seeking an ecologically sustainable approach to native forest logging.

Mountain ash forest.

The case  brought by Friends of Leadbeaters Possum  is based on the failure by VicForests to abide by the Code of Practice for Timber Production 2014, the regulations governing timber harvesting.

Yet the regulatory breaches cited to the court only scratch the surface. The Rubicon Forest Protection Group presented evidence to the current review of Victorian Regional Forest Agreements showing clear-felled areas far larger than permitted; blackberries rampant and unchecked; washouts on steep slopes that should not have been logged; the popular Rubicon Historic Area logged; tourist roads left with no buffers; retained trees killed in regeneration burns; springs and ephemeral watercourses logged and silted.

As well as such breaches of the code, other provisions of the Central Highlands RFA have been breached, including failure to adopt sustainable harvest levels by Forest Management Area (FMA) and failure to implement a proper system of forest reserves. By maintaining accreditation of Victorias forest management system in the face of these breaches the Commonwealth Government has breached its RFA obligations.London: Politicians spend their waking moments trying to please people; rarely do they succeed but London's Mayor Sadiq Khan has Jamie Oliver elated.

"It's a big day for all the sort of stuff you've heard me rant about for fifteen years," says the childhood obesity campaigner speaking to Fairfax Media from Jamie Oliver headquarters in north London.

Jamie Oliver thinks Australia should follow London's junk food ad ban. Credit:Simon Schluter

On Friday, Khan announced a policy aimed at easing the pressure parents face from their children to buy them junk food.

"In the future, you won't be be able to advertise foods high in fat, high in sugar and high in salt on the tubes, on the trams, on the buses and on the London overground," the Labour Mayor said.Geordie Williamson was 13 when he solved one of his father's conundrums and realised he had a special knack for numbers.

His father, up on the roof of their Southern Highlands home, was trying to figure out how to mount some solar panels to maximise their exposure to the midday sun.

Professor Geordie Williamson, 36, has recently been elected the youngest Fellow of The Royal Society in London. Credit:James Alcock.

The boy, his head swirling with numbers, did some three-dimensional trigonometry and told his father how to cut the mountings.

"He said, 'You sure? I don't want to cut these things wrong,' so I went off and did the calculations again and it was incredibly satisfying to finally see [the panels] perfectly on the roof facing the sun," he said, reminiscing in his office at Sydney University.Simon Healy (Letters, 10/5) is spot on. My husband and I listen to ABC Classic FM and continue to be appalled at the lack of professionalism demonstrated by the latest crop of announcers. They sound rather amateurish. Someone should also tell them that in classical music, it is not customary to announce a musician as "so and so on the piano or on the violin". This belongs to the world of jazz and popular music. Another source of annoyance is the constant interruption of the program by inane text messages and garish promos. The ABC can and should do better. Gudrun Markowsky, Hepburn Springs We need our dear Aunty more than ever The government is blatantly trying to implement the Institute of Public Affairs' policy of privatising the ABC. All Australians who value good journalism, objective and comprehensive news and current affairs (rather than "magazine style" news), and quality educational and artistic programs need to rise up and defend our independent broadcaster. In these days of "fake news", Aunty is more important than ever.Margaret Ludowyk, Brunswick A critical lack of balance by the ABC

Michelle Guthrie may well complain about the budget cuts to the ABC. However, its future lies within its own hands. It needs to provide balance, with the continuing left-leaning becoming palpable. Take, for example, the 7am news broadcast on 774 yesterday: a summary of Bill Shorten's budget reply, followed by a further anti-budget item by Labor's Anne Aly. There was no sign of any balancing item from the conservatives. Barrie Dempster, Balwyn Committed to fairness and accurate reporting The ABC offers fair accounts of news, and accepts criticism if facts are inadvertently wrong. Society is being bombarded by inaccuracies and "fake news", so I appreciate the ABC's dedication to getting things right. Hopefully, Australians will never take it for granted, as many countries do not have neutral broadcasters. Perhaps the government is right that there is "more fat to cut", but by doing its butchery, it needs to be careful not to throw out the whole pig. Meg McPherson, Brighton

Protect us all from the two great funding battles The funding cut for the ABC, and the funding increase for school chaplains, is symptomatic of the uneven battle between those who are politically correct and those who are religiously correct. God help us all. David Kerr, Geelong THE FORUM Making all schools safe

The mother of the 14-year-old boy who was allegedly attacked outside Northcote High School is right to say this is the nightmare of every parent of an autistic child (The Age, 11/5). It was also mine for my Asperger teen son, who was assaulted two years ago at his government school. He needed to change schools due to further related bullying and a poor response from the school to the seriousness of this matter. I can barely comment for feeling ill for this family, beyond sending a message to the school's principal and the spokesperson for the Education Department. It is offensive to refer to this alleged behaviour as "unacceptable". It trivialises the gravity of it. Champions of "the education state" need to do a better job making school cultures tolerant, safe and inclusive for students of all abilities, so as to give our kids a better chance in life. Kathleen Murray, Daylesford Ground down by system Unfortunately it has ever been thus. Child protection work (The Age, 11/5) is a dangerous career path. The majority of staff on the floor are social workers and toil under impossible case loads and unreasonable expectations. When workers fail, they are deemed "not cut out for the job" or "not the right fit". Yes, child protection workers are spat at  but they are also ground down and spat out by a system.

Lisa Pola, Eaglehawk Such profound stress It is very fashionable to deride the child protection system and those who work in it as "do gooders" and "nanny staters". My sister worked for an agency which had a child protection/foster function for children at risk. There is no doubt the system could use a significant overhaul but the stress placed on workers, judging from her experience, is profound. I used to stay with her when I visited Melbourne, and I grew to expect the phone calls for her at 2am for help/advice on tracking runaway children etc. I also heard some of the harrowing reasons why they were placed into care and the sub-standard accommodation they experienced. I have no doubt that my sister made a positive difference to the lives of many children. I also have no doubt that the job was a significant factor in her heart attack, at the age of 45, while performing it. Name withheld, Wendouree

Two systemic problems Stress on child protection workers has always been high due to the inherently conflictual nature of the work. However, it has increased in recent decades due to the increase in child protection notifications and orders, and the fact that many highly damaged children are entering the system at older ages, even well into adolescence, rather than as infants or very young children. Two systemic problems remain. The system is still an outgrowth of the old charitable child rescue approach, and is not costed and funded on a firm professional basis, as per other large industries that meet community needs. Secondly, the government has rarely attempted to recruit mature, experienced social workers from other fields into middle and senior child protection management. The system relies on youngish graduates from social work (and some without relevant qualifications) surviving the first two years, and then moving rapidly into supervisory roles, but often with a narrow focus on organisational processes rather than enhancing the workers' professional development and emotional health. It is a tough gig, and there is not a quick fix. Associate Professor Philip Mendes, Monash University

A man's right to die Catherine Scott, suicide is not a crime (The Age, 10/5). The reason why an "an old man" going overseas to be euthanased was news is that most people think it should be made legal, but are hampered in their attempts to achieve it by the usual vociferous religious minority. Anthony Whitmarsh, Viewbank End the closed shop The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons appears to keep its membership low deliberately so that its members can keep their fees inflated.

Recently we learnt they are actively discouraging women from becoming surgeons. Now they do not want their members subjected to a classification system where we could find out the pros and cons surrounding the efficiency and efficacy of individual surgeons, as has been established in Britain (The Age, 11/5. It is time the government asked for this "trade union" to be radically overhauled to ensure it serves the interests of the public, not just its members. Ian Gray, Benalla Move into the new world According to the president of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, publicising surgical death rates could "end a surgeon's career" and, gosh, it takes ages to train one. Not a word about patients' wellbeing or autonomy (and surgeons are described as "he"). When will the college join us in the 21st century? Janine Truter, The Basin

Foreign voting powers Democracy dwindling Down Under  where a non-Australian with business or property interests in the City of Melbourne has double the voting power of an Australian resident (The Age, 11/5). Leigh Ackland, Deepdene Fine degrees of cheating On Thursday, a horse trainer and his long-time assistant and stable employee were given life bans from racing (Sport, 11/5).

Over the last few weeks, we have heard that the chairman and chief executive of AMP have resigned. They will probably walk away with golden handshakes, and more than likely into another top job. Who are the biggest cheats and why aren't they all banned for life for what they have done? Bob Pride, Taradale The forgotten victims Aisha Dow's article correctly points out that we kill more people with our addictive prescription medicines than those who die in the road toll (The Age, 9/5). And just like road crashes, for every death there are 10 or 20 people who do not die, but whose lives are immeasurably affected. One ex-user tells me that benzodiazepines, like Valium, and opiates, like Oxycontin, "stole my soul for 30years", and her baby was incubated in a sea of drugs. The hundreds of Australians who die each year are more easily counted, but the tens of thousands of living souls lost to addictive prescription medicines also deserve our attention.

Dr Nick Carr, Richmond Retirees lose either way As a self-funded retiree, what does the future offer? Bill's solution: eliminate dividend imputation credits for non-taxpayer, a loss of 25per cent of income. Even Malcolm's company tax cuts will reduce the yield from franked dividends by 7.4per cent. How many "honourable members" receiving their $275-plus per day, tax-free travel allowance return or forgo any unspent balance? Colin Campbell, Bendigo Youth will pay the price

The budget has shown a dramatic shift from the old days of politics. Previously, Labor would spend big and drive up debt, before a Coalition government would fix the economy so Labor could splurge big again. Now the Coalition too has begun to focus on economic populism, driving down taxes and increasing spending, adding to our already massive debt. This leaves teenagers like me, who do not have the privilege of voting, to pick up the pieces of an economy destroyed by a government focused more on the election than the future of the country. Jack Walton, 15, Newport Old stars, living in past No, the footy hasn't become "boring" (Comment, 9/5). It has become extremely exciting, fast, structured and multi-dimensional. That is why the crowds are up. We love seeing, and cheering, players kicking goals, and less of the random long kicking. Those old superstars who criticise the current game are only yearning for the old one that they knew. This is the best game in the world at the moment. Don't make any significant changes, please. Malcolm Auwardt, Bayswater

AND ANOTHER THING The ABC Incandescent rage goes nowhere near to describing my feelings about the cuts. Molly Hanrahan, Maldon The ABC will get less money. What can we watch when it cuts its repeats?

Peter Johns, Sorrento After it axed Red and replaced him with two hyperactive tyros, I find it hard to direct sympathy towards the ABC's budget woes. Guido Ghensi, Thornbury Budget and reply Shorten: "You show me yours and I'll show you mine."

Noel Denton, Mount Waverley Bill, were your minders asleep when you and your colleagues appeared, drinking coffee from throwaway cups? John Bardsley, Bendigo How can the budget rely significantly on the black economy, when such a quantity is a known unknown? Liz Lijovic, Balwyn

No omissions in the budget. The planet, world and democracy all got their calculated slap in the face. Jerry Koliha, South Melbourne Time for Kearney to create some noise in Labor, take the leadership, and then on to government. Robert Saunders, Box Hill North If we have all this money, why aren't we putting more medicines on the PBS?

Colin Patterson, Nuggetty Shorten has graduated from snap to poker. Joan Segrave, Healesville World Trump welcomes the Americans freed by North Korea. I thought he preferred his heroes not to have let themselves be captured.

Scott Stewart, Eaglemont Clinton wants Australia to stand up against China's "under the radar" efforts, while we grovel before the US and its overt efforts to manipulate us. Kim Sampson, St Kilda Combine the careers of Warne and Muralitharan and you don't come close to the spin champion: Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Peter Forehan, MurrumbeenaA rare spot-tailed quoll has been found in Victorias alpine region, the first sighting of the elusive predator in more than two years.

The discovery, by a hiker armed with a remote-sensor camera and some sardines, has prompted the Andrews government to suspend logging operations in a nearby state forest.

A rare spot-tailed quoll was captured on film near Mount Baw Baw. Credit:Milan Stupar

It has also renewed calls from conservation groups to put an end to native logging in the area and set up the so-called Great Forest National Park.

But the government and state-owned forestry enterprise VicForests said the quoll sighting was a sign of the good health of the natural environment.Nearly six years later, an examination of the case by researchers at RMIT has raised serious questions about the evidence that led to the guilty verdict. There are questions around the lack of a forensic link between Boronika and the crime, the several witnesses who are established as being unreliable, the lack of clarity around the quality of the interpretation, and definitely the very big problems about Boronikas capacity to understand at the start of the investigation, said RMIT University's Michele Ruyters, who is reinvestigating the case as part of The Bridge of Hope Innocence Initiative at RMIT. Ruyters said Hothnyang had reached out to the Bridge of Hope Foundation ''who then referred the case to us''. Its such a weak case [against Hothnyang], based on the evidence, Ruyters said. The questions begin with the single most crucial piece of evidence produced by the prosecution: the eyewitness testimony of Michael Carlo, a man with an extensive of history of dishonesty and fraud, including convictions for making false documents and giving false names to police.

Out of six people inside the flat at the time of the murder, Carlo was the only person who claimed to have witnessed the stabbing. In court, he testified to seeing Hothnyang silently approach Awu with a knife behind her back before stabbing him once as he lay unconscious. Earlier that afternoon, the court heard, Hothnyang had grabbed Awu around the neck in anger at his unflattering portrait. Judge Betty King said Hothnyangs actions were quite inexplicable and quite motiveless. Credit:Vince Caligiuri Carlo claimed to have run outside immediately after the stabbing with another man, Peter Guk, before bumping into Oleyo and Ajak as they returned from the bottle shop. Despite telling the court that his immediate concern was to call the police, Carlo did not wait for them to arrive. He instead quickly left the scene, later claiming that he was worried police would seize the wine purchased just minutes before. I don't want to be witness of what happened and all this, Oleyo quoted Carlo as saying, after one of the group called triple zero. Carlos telling of the stabbing itself, however, is at odds with statements made by others present on the day.

In his initial statement to police, Ajak said that Carlo had told him he saw Hothnyang stab Awu three times, a claim Ajak repeated in court. In a later police interview, Ajak would identify another man, Vivano Tombi, as telling him that Hothnyang had inflicted three wounds, although Tombi himself would tell the court he hadnt witnessed the crime. Under cross-examination, Guk agreed that Carlo told the men Awu was stabbed three times, before changing his story to Carlo telling him hed witnessed Hothnyang stab the victim just once. The autopsy, performed by pathologist Linda Isles, showed that Awu died from a single stab wound to the chest. Notably, Guk and Oleyo, members of the same Murle tribe who were described as very close, and Ajak all left Carlo out of their initial telling of events. In separate statements, Guk and Oleyo each lied that they had learned of the stabbing from a passing boy or young man theyd never met, and that theyd never once been to Hothnyangs flat.

Ajak not only left Carlo out of events, according to police notes taken at the scene, but claimed Hothnyang and Awu were the only people in the flat when he went out to purchase alcohol. Carlo was located at his home by police at around six on the morning after the killing. When Detective Senior Constable Scott Jones informed him that they were investigating a death the previous day, Carlo is reported to have replied, Youre joking. When Jones said Carlos name had been mentioned as someone who had told others of Awus death, the witness is said to have answered, No, not me, Scotty. In court, Carlo would deny ever talking to the other men about his discussions with police after his arrest, during which he identified Hothnyang as the killer. But both Guk and Oleyo testified in court that Carlo had spoken with them about their version of events in the following days. During the trial, no forensic or DNA evidence was presented connecting Hothnyang to Awu or the kitchen knife assumed to have been used in the crime.

In fact, the minimal amount of forensic evidence that was admitted challenged Carlos version of events. While Carlo told the jury that Hothnyang stabbed Awu once in a downward motion, the autopsy described a knife wound with an upward trajectory. Under cross-examination, Isles said she wouldnt expect a downward thrust to produce such a wound if the victim had been still and seated upright, while cautioning it would depend on the interaction between weapon and victim. Arguably the most extraordinary element of the case involves the testimony of Guk and Tombi, both of whom were in the lounge at the time of the murder. Despite being awake just minutes earlier, according to Ajaks recollection of events before leaving the flat, both men claimed to have been asleep at the precise moment of the stabbing. Guk said he awoke when Carlo grabbed his hand  a detail Carlo denied during Hothnyangs committal hearing  and quickly ushered him out of the flat because something had happened. Tombi, an older man who used a walking stick, said he followed the men out of the flat after waking up to the sound of them rushing down the stairs.

Most astonishing of all, Guk and Tombi would both claim to have not once caught sight of the fatally-wounded Awu after waking despite all being in a room measuring just 4.4 metres by 4.2 metres. By his own admission, Guk had been seated on the same couch as Carlo, who said he was directly facing Awu; Tombi was seated just metres away on the left-hand side. These two crucial witnesses, the court heard, had been too drunk or sleepy to see what was apparently right in front of them. The defence counsel did not challenge either witness on these claims. In the absence of the jury, an incredulous Judge King would ask the prosecution why Tombi had been called as a witness at all, remarking that he just looked like the most patently lying person Ive seen in a long time. Well-known author and journalist Roland Perry attended the trial in support of his then-partner, who was Hothnyangs social worker. It just was overwhelmingly full of doubt and holes, the whole thing, said Perry. He described himself as 99.9 per cent certain of Hothnyangs innocence.

There were a few astonishing things, he added. Anyone following it would have gone, Wow! Why wasn't the only witness to Hothnyang's alleged stabbing interrogated thoroughly? he added. Why wasn't Hothnyang put in the witness box? Why wasn't any DNA submitted as evidence? In 2014, the Court of Appeal knocked back a bid by Hothnyangs legal team to appeal the conviction. The court decided that the effect of the inadmissible evidence on the jury was de minimis, or minimal, and that the jury was open to accept the evidence of the witnesses despite questions around their credibility. Ruyters, whose team is working to identify and secure the release of any evidence not presented at trial, remains adamant there are too many unanswered questions to be confident about what happened on July 15, 2011, the day of the murder.

We take the perspective that we have to know the whole story, and that means we need to know everything that was done, everything they looked at, and every piece of information that they collected, she said. The Sunday Age was unable to reach any of the witnesses to the events of July 15, 2011, apart from Hothnyang herself. Her defence team declined an opportunity to comment. In the meantime, Hothnyang, who has the option of a final appeal in the High Court, remains behind bars at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, a maximum security womens prison in Deer Park. Without the emergence of dramatic new evidence, she will remain in jail until at least 2022, when she becomes eligible for early release. Many people, they ask why I never change my mind, I never change my word, she said. I did not do it. If I do it I took my own responsibility. And the truth is going to come out. I dont know how long ... who is going to come out but theyre not going to hide it forever. WHAT IS THE BRIDGE OF HOPE INNOCENCE INITIATIVE AT RMIT?Vatican City: The Vatican made it clear that Pope Francis had summoned Chile's bishops to Rome for a papal dressing-down because of their role in covering up sexual abuse by priests and their "grave omissions" in caring for victims.

In an exceedingly harsh statement that set the tone for next week's meetings, the Vatican said Francis wanted to discern responsibilities for the crisis and map changes in Chilean church to prevent these "devastating wounds" from repeating themselves.

Pope Francis will meet with bishops from Chile over the cover up of sexual abuse.

"It is fundamental to re-establish trust in the church through good pastors ... who know how to accompany the suffering of victims and work in a determined and untiring way to prevent abuse," the statement said.

For years, sex abuse victims have blasted the Chilean hierarchy for discrediting their claims, protecting abusers, moving them around rather than turning them over to police and then handing out light sentences when church sanctions are imposed.Three months ago he decided to run for Parliament. "Ive been part of the opposition as a journalist for a long time, but the situation is so dire now I was determined to enter the political game," he says. "Im a man of the poor people, I didnt grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth  I will not be bribed and will not bribe. I will work for the interests of Iraq." He is part of a new class of first-time political candidates intent on upending the countrys gridlocked power blocs, which are enmeshed in sectarian parties. Iraq must be freed of the dark cave we are in now because of the thieves in power  Iraq has been stolen from us and we will bring it back from inside through stringent reforms, Zaidi says.

Soldiers wait to cast their ballots in early voting for Iraq's security forces, prisoners and hospital patients ahead of Saturday's national parliamentary elections. Credit:AP Zaidi is a member of the largest opposition coalition, which is mostly composed of communists and secularists called Sairoun ("On the March", like the movement that prouced France's Emmanuel Macron). More importantly, though, it boasts political support from the charismatic, 44-year-old Shiite cleric and powerbroker Muqtada al-Sadr. Sadr has been a mainstay of the Iraqi political landscape and recently has taken a reformist bent. But after Saddam Husseins swift removal in 2003, he commanded the fearsome Mahdi Army militias, who were locked in gruesome territorial battles with US forces and Sunni extremists. Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in 2003. Credit:AP Sadr has positioned himself as an opposition figure but he really isnt. I think he will throw his weight behind the next government eventually, said Fanar Haddad, a sociologist at the National University of Singapore who has written extensively about sectarianism in Iraq.

What we are going to see in the coming elections is a jockeying for position and all the major power players will have a seat at the table. Haddad is optimistic about the first elections to take place after the Islamic States almost complete rout under the generally popular Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, whose forces, along with Western air support, managed to retake Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, in July last year. It looks likely that Abadi will secure the largest share of the votes, and be set for a second premiership. He is someone all major stakeholders can do business with  internally in Iraq, regionally and internationally. However Haddad warned that endemic problems such as rife corruption and lack of basic services have frustrated Iraqis. Regular violence also remains  just last week Islamic State killed 21 Iraqis north of Baghdad. At the opening of a newly built stadium last weekend, thousands of Iraqis pelted officials with empty bottles and roared, you are all thieves.

Zaidi remains philosophical about his chances of winning, but his candidacy has not been without risks. He told Fairfax Media there were threats to his life from militias intent on dissuading him from running. Last week, after a campaign event, a car full of armed men tailgated him to his home. Baydaa al-Najar is a lawyer from Baghdad who comes from the Yazidi ethnic minority. She is facing threats of a different kind. She is one of more than 2500 female candidates vying for a quarter of the Parliaments 329 seats, which are allocated under a quota for women of all political stripes. Loading Iraqi women make up 57 per cent of the population and traditionally have been at the forefront of feminist movements in the Arab world.

However, misogynistic smear campaigns targeting women candidates, including Najar, have marked these elections. My posters were defaced and ripped apart from the start of my campaign. Of course, on Facebook I am subjected to disgusting comments from electronic militias almost on a daily basis about being a woman, she told Fairfax Media. Last month, a sex tape circulated online in Iraqi social media forced an economics professor running, who was part of Abadis Victory Alliance, to withdraw from the parliamentary race. Most of those bearing the brunt of this abuse are non-veiled women, which shows how the Iraqi woman in general is denigrated, Najar said. Being the first Yazidi woman hoping to enter Parliament for the hotly-contested seat of Baghdad, Najar feels an emotional burden of representing Yazidi women who bore some of the worst of the Islamic States atrocities  thousands were used as sex slaves.

The worst crimes that IS committed were against Yazidis, specifically Yazidi women, taking us back to the dark ages," she says. "I want to be an advocate for Yazidi women and to restore some of their rights in a dignified manner. Yazidi refugee Salma Bakir, 9, from Iraq, waits with her family to be permitted by Macedonian police to board a train heading to the Serbian border. Credit:AP Anwaar al-Oweili, a humanities professor in Dhi Qar University near Basra in the south of Iraq, has also faced her fair share of online abuse. She was lampooned mercilessly online last month for posting an innocent enough campaign advertisement in al-Furat, a Sydney-based Iraqi community newspaper with a wide readership. Part of the Iran-backed Fateh Alliance, her ad mentioned that she was the cousin of a major tyre shop owner in Sydney, which prompted a flurry of sexist remarks about her qualifications and the relevance of noting her family links.

If you are in the public eye, you are exposed to various opinions from the critical to the laudatory, but that does not matter to me, Oweili told Fairfax Media. It actually makes me proud to have my cousin support me politically. Oweili has documented on her Facebook page instances of her campaign posters being defaced, burnt and shredded, but she has not let the crude jokes or vandalism make her withdraw. I was driven to run by the miserable condition the Iraqi people are living in, and the disastrous political experiments we have experienced. These elections are the hardest in my view because Iraqis have lived through a prolonged period of political turbulence and are depressed, she said.US President Donald Trump had been threatening since before his election to withdraw the US from the nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and reimpose nuclear sanctions on Iran. On May 8, he announced that the US was indeed doing so.

Now the hope must be that Trumps announcement signals the beginning of a new era of negotiations and sustained diplomatic efforts to put into place new and better arrangements to thwart Iran's dangerous nuclear ambitions and regional aggression.

Illustration: Matt Davidson

In announcing his decision, Trump rightly pointed out that: The deal lifted crippling economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for very weak limits on the regimes nuclear activity, and no limits at all on its other malign behaviour, including its sinister activities in Syria, Yemen, and other places all around the world.

There is no doubt that the JCPOA is deeply flawed in four ways.The Pulitzer Prize board has opened an independent review of sexual misconduct allegations against award-winning novelist Junot Diaz, who is stepping down as chairman, the board said on Thursday.

"Mr Diaz said he welcomed the review and would cooperate fully with it," the Pulitzer board said in a statement.

Novelist Junot Diaz is facing allegations of sexual misconduct from fellow authors. Credit:AP/File

Diaz, who joined the board in 2010, was elevated to chairman last month, according to the organisation. It said that Diaz asked to relinquish his role and that he would remain a part of the body.

Last week, writer Zinzi Clemmons confronted Diaz at the Sydney Writers Festival, asking him why he had treated her the way he had six years earlier, when she was a graduate student at Columbia University. Hours later, Clemmons accused Diaz on Twitter of having forcibly kissed her when she was 26.LISHUI, China, May 11, 2018 -- Tantech Holdings Ltd. , ("Tantech" or the "Company"), an alternative energy company with diversified operations, including the manufacturing of bamboo-based charcoal products and Electric Vehicles (EVs), today announced its financial results for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

Financial Highlights (All Figures Approximated)

Total revenues increased by 6.3%, or approximately $2.6 million , to $43.1 million

, to Total gross profit from following segments decreased by 18.2%, or approximately $2.4 million , to $10.7 million

- Gross profit from the Company's Consumer Products segment decreased by 33.6%, or $4.2 million, to $8.3 million

- Gross profit from the Company's Trading segment decreased by 21.0%, or $0.1 million, to $0.4 million

- Revenues from newly acquired Electronic Vehicle segment was approximately $8.6 million.

Despite the decline in gross profit, the Company was still able to achieve net income attributable to common stockholders of $3.8 million , or $0.15 per share for fiscal year 2017

, or per share for fiscal year 2017 The Company expects increased revenue and a concerted increase in development of new electric vehicle models in 2018 and beyond driven by innovation, new business development initiatives and more streamlined operations

Mr. Zhengyu Wang, Chairman and CEO of Tantech said, "During the reporting period, the Company continued to implement its transformation efforts by focusing on special purpose electric automobiles. The Company made a concerted effort to create efficiencies and improve competitiveness. During the reporting period, the Company reported $43.1 million in revenue and $3.8 million in net profit attributed to shareholders.

In FY 2017, the Company acquired a 70% ownership interest in Suzhou E Motors Co., Ltd. ("Suzhou E-Motors"), a Chinese manufacturer of special purpose electric vehicles and power batteries. After the acquisition, Suzhou E-Motors became a majority-owned subsidiary of the Company. During the reporting period, Suzhou E-Motors generated $1.9 million in revenue."

Mr. Wang continued, "In a bid to improve efficiencies, the Company agreed to dispose of its Electric Double-Layer Capacitor ("EDLC") carbon business during the reporting period. Compared to lithium-ion batteries, EDLC carbon, the key material to make super capacitors, is more environmentally friendly and requires less time to recharge. However, as China's policies prefer lithium-ion batteries over other battery technologies in the electric automobile industry, demand for EDLC and super capacitors has shrunk sharply. Recognizing the challenges, the Company in December sold the EDLC carbon business to a Chinese start-up company controlled by Dr. Zaihua Chen, the Company's former Chief Technology Officer.

"In early 2018, the Company also acquired an 18% equity interest in Libo Haokun Stone Co., which owns a small marble quarry in the southwestern province of Guizhou, for $18.2 million. Since its establishment, the Company has accumulated rich customer resources and has built a strong brand image in home decoration and indoor air purification. With China's growing economy and rising household income, marble has become a favored choice for commercial construction and home decoration because of its endurance and environmentally friendly fabrication process. The investment in Libo Haokun was aimed at diversifying risk and creating more value for our shareholders.," continued Mr. Wang.

"Looking ahead to fiscal 2018, as China makes adjustments to government policies for alternative energy automobiles, the Company will accelerate the research and development for and launch of new models, expand production capacity and improve product competitiveness to satisfy various demands and will work toward realizing its goal of becoming the leading manufacturer of special purpose electric automobiles in China." Mr. Wang concluded.

Full Year 2017 Financial Results

Revenues

Revenues increased by approximately $2.6 million, or 6.3%, to approximately $43.1 million in fiscal 2017 from approximately $40.5 million in fiscal 2016. The increase was mainly attributable to approximately $8.6 million in revenue from our new electronic vehicle ("EV") segment and approximately $1.3 million increase in revenue from our trading segment, offset by a $7.7 million decrease in revenue from our consumer product segment.



For the Twelve Months Ended December 31,

2017

2016

Revenues

($'000)

Gross

Profit

($'000)

Gross

Margin

(%)

Revenues

($'000)

Gross

Profit

($'000)

Gross

Margin

(%) Consumer product 32,676

8,319

25.5%

39,979

12,528

31.3% Trading 1,829

417

22.8%

554

528

95.3% Electric Vehicles 8,579

1,943

22.7%

-

-

-























Total 43,084

10,679

24.8%

40,533

13,056

32.2%

Revenues for the consumer product segment decreased by $7.7 million, or 18%, to $32.7 million for fiscal 2017 from $40.0 million for fiscal 2016. The gross margin of our consumer product segment decreased from 31.3% in fiscal 2016 to 25.5% in fiscal 2017. The decrease in our revenue from our consumer product segment in 2017 was due to decreasing orders from the company's traditional selling channels. During fiscal 2017, the Company gradually reduced its relationships with certain supermarket customers with low selling prices and unfavorable profit margins. On the other hand, the Company increased sales to distributors during the current period. In response to market competition, the Company also reduced its average selling price by approximately 3% to 5% to satisfy customers' demand in fiscal 2017 as compared to fiscal 2016.

In our trading segment, revenue was approximately $1.8 million in fiscal 2017, increasing 230% from $0.6 million in fiscal 2016. In fiscal 2016, we dropped the trading business of non-"Charcoal Doctor" products, because those products disrupted our own branded charcoal products sales. The change in marketing strategy caused lower sales volume and revenue in fiscal 2016. Starting in fiscal 2017, the Company focused on promoting "Charcoal Doctor" products in the market. As a result, our domestic sales of "Charcoal Doctor" products increased from $0.1 million in fiscal 2016 to $1.4 million in fiscal 2017, while export sales remained around $0.4 million in both years. The gross margin in export sales is generally higher than in domestic sales. The decline in gross margin in fiscal 2017 was due to the fact that approximately 76% of sales in fiscal 2017 were made to the domestic market with lower margins, compared to only 19% sales to domestic market in fiscal 2016.

On July 12, 2017, the Company completed the acquisition of 70% of the equity interests of Suzhou E-Motors Co., Ltd ("E-Motors"), a specialty electric vehicles and power batteries manufacturer based in Zhang Jia Gang City, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. The revenue for our new EV segment was approximately $8.6 million in fiscal 2017 with a gross margin of 22.6%. The Company sold 196 electronic vehicles in fiscal 2017 with an average price of approximately $47,000.

As mentioned above, until recently, the Company had another Biofuel Energy segment, which primarily produces and sells BBQ charcoal and bamboo-based fuel for EDLC. Our EDLC carbon and low emission barbecue charcoal products are facing increasing challenges from rapid technology innovation, competition from large international rivals, and our limited sales network for these products. Thus, we decided to cease operations of our EDLC carbon segment and sold certain key assets to an entity headed by our former Chief Technology Officer. On December 14, 2017, the Company and ZheJiang Apeikesi Energy Technology Co., Ltd signed a purchase agreement, pursuant to which, the Purchaser agreed to acquire certain assets and all copyrights and technology know-how related to EDLC carbon business from the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary Tantech Energy.

Cost of revenues

Our cost of revenues increased by approximately $4.9 million or 17.9% to approximately $32.4 million in fiscal 2017 from approximately $27.5 million in fiscal 2016. The increase in cost of revenues was mainly attributable to approximately $6.6 million cost of revenue for EV segment.

Gross profit

Our gross profit decreased by approximately $2.3 million, or 18.2%, to approximately $10.7 million in fiscal 2017 from approximately $13 million in fiscal 2016. The gross profit margin was 24.8% in fiscal 2017, as compared to 32.2% in fiscal 2016. On a segment basis, gross margins for consumer product and trading were 25.5% and 22.8%, respectively, for fiscal 2017, compared to 31.3%, and 95.4%, respectively, for fiscal 2016. The decrease in gross margin was primarily attributable to the lower selling price related our consumer products and trading segment in fiscal 2017.

Selling expenses

Selling expenses increased by approximately $0.1 million to approximately $0.8 million in fiscal 2017 compared to approximately $0.7 million in fiscal 2016. The increase in selling expenses was primarily attributable to $0.3 million of selling expense in our EV segment, which is our new business segment acquired in fiscal 2017. The selling expense for our consumer product segment and trading segment decreased by $0.2 million comparing to fiscal 2016.

General and administrative expenses

Our general and administrative expenses increased by approximately $1.0 million or 28.4%, to approximately $4.7 million in fiscal 2017 from approximately $3.6 million in fiscal 2016. The increase was primarily attributable to additional allowances of $2.6 million provided for the accounts receivable as of December 31, 2017.

Research and development expenses

Research and development expenses increased by $0.5 million, or 358.4%, to $0.6 million in fiscal 2017 from $0.1 million in fiscal 2016. The increase was primarily due to our R&D efforts in our new EV segment during the second half of fiscal 2017. We intend to focus more efforts on the EV segment going forward.

Provision for income taxes

Our provision for income taxes was approximately $1.5 million in fiscal 2017, an increase of approximately $0.2 million or 11.2% from approximately $1.4 million in fiscal 2016. Even though the Company had a lower income before income tax from continuing operations, the Company provided full valuation allowance on bad debt reserves due to uncertainties in realizing those tax benefits in the future, which resulted in higher income tax provision in fiscal 2017.

Net income attributable to common stockholders

Our net income attributable to common stockholders was approximately $3.8 million in fiscal 2017, a decrease of approximately $0.5 million from approximately $4.3 million in fiscal 2016. The decrease was attributable to the factors described above.

Recent Updates

As previously reported, on January 10, 2018, the Company signed a share purchase agreement (the "Agreement") with Shanghai Shicai Minerals Co., Ltd. ("Shanghai Shicai") to acquire all of the shares of Lishui Xincai Industrial Co., Ltd. ("Lishui XinCai"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shanghai Shicai, at a price of approximately $18.2 million (or RMB 120 million). Lishui Xincai owns 18% of the equity interests in Libo Haokun Stone Co., Ltd. ("Libo Haokun"). Following the completion of the acquisition, the Company indirectly holds a 18% stake in Libo Haokun. Libo Haokun holds a government-issued permit and has the exclusive right to mine a 0.11-square-kilometer marble quarry in the southwestern province of Guizhou, China. According to a geological report issued by Liaoning Nuclear Geological Survey Institute in June 2016, the quarry had estimated reserves of approximately 4.02 million cubic meters of ores.

About Tantech Holdings Ltd.

Established in 2001 and headquartered in Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, China, Tantech Holdings Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, primarily develops and manufactures bamboo-based charcoal products in China and internationally. It operates through three segments: Consumer Products, Trading, and Electric Vehicles. The company produces pressed and formed charcoal briquettes for use in grills, incense burners, and other applications under the Algold brand. It also offers Charcoal Doctor branded products, such as air purifiers and humidifiers, automotive accessories for air purification, underfloor humidity control, pillows and mattresses, wardrobe deodorizers, mouse pads and wrist mats, refrigerator deodorants, charcoal toilet cleaner disks, liquid charcoal cleaners, shoe insoles, and decorative charcoal gifts. In addition, the Company provides liquid byproduct consists of bamboo vinegar that is used in disinfectants, detergents, lotions, specialized soaps, toilet cleaners, and fertilizers, as well as in various agricultural applications. Further, it recently acquired a majority stake in Suzhou E-Motors as it has begun a focus on manufacturing special purpose electric vehicles and power batteries. The Company provides its products for industrial energy applications, as well as household cooking, heating, purification, agricultural, and cleaning uses. The company also exports its bamboo vinegar and bamboo charcoal purification products. For more information about Tantech Holdings Ltd., please visit: http://www.tantechholdings.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, product and service demand and acceptance, changes in technology, economic conditions, the impact of competition and pricing, government regulations, and other risks contained in reports filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All such forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, and whether made by or on behalf of the Company, are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and any other cautionary statements which may accompany the forward-looking statements. In addition, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

For more information please contact:

Tantech Holdings Ltd.

Ms. Ye Ren

IR Manager

+86-578-261-2869

ir@tantech.cn

Tantech Holdings Ltd and Subsidiaries Consolidated Balance Sheets (In US Dollars)



December 31,

December 31,

2017

2016 Assets









Current Assets









Cash and cash equivalents $ 9,941,040

$ 5,942,842 Restricted cash

3,901,526



328,254 Notes receivable

15,370



- Accounts receivable from continuing operations, net

44,834,930



35,904,345 Accounts receivable from EDLC business, net

5,420,047



4,736,547 Inventories, net

2,762,016



1,075,573 Advances to suppliers from continuing operations, net

11,290,625



10,055,316 Advances to suppliers from EDLC business, net

6,230,340



4,739,235 Prepaid value-added taxes

3,131,667



680,857 Other receivables , net

1,688,625



70,683 Current assets from discontinued operation

28,699



123,177 Total current assets

89,244,885



63,656,829











Property, plant and equipment, net

9,883,846



8,677,977











Other Assets









Account receivable - long term

1,502,518



- Advances to suppliers

2,109,005



8,638,260 Manufacturing rebate receivable

9,269,118



- Deferred tax assets

-



94,153 Intangible assets, net

17,476,430



1,788,178 Deposit for asset acquisition

-



431,913 Deposit for business acquisition

-



10,423,500 Goodwill

9,001,924



- Non-current assets from discontinued operations

-



591,857 Total Assets $ 138,487,726

$ 94,302,667











Liabilities and Equity









Current Liabilities









Short-term bank loans $ 5,208,893

$ 6,694,652 Bank acceptance notes payable

6,975,526



1,727,652 Accounts payable from continuing operations

5,543,226



575,487 Accounts payable from EDLC business

1,643,579



1,372,071 Due to related parties

2,995,228



- Customer deposits

1,198,661



799,510 Taxes payable

796,182



720,492 Due to third parties

708,864



846,837 Accrued liabilities and other payables

1,719,103



1,359,897 Total Current Liabilities

26,789,262



14,096,598











Deferred tax liability

2,086,086



- Total Liabilities

28,875,348



14,096,598











Stockholders' Equity









Common stock, $0.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized,









28,703,242 and 24,311,935 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2017 and 2016,

respectively

28,703



24,312 Additional paid-in capital

39,067,328



26,603,511 Statutory reserves

6,461,788



6,461,788 Retained earnings

56,356,369



52,589,154 Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(1,101,270)



(5,472,696) Total Stockholders' Equity

100,812,918



80,206,069 Noncontrolling interest

8,799,460



- Total Equity

109,612,378



80,206,069 Total Liabilities and Equity $ 138,487,726

$ 94,302,667

Tantech Holdings Ltd and Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income (Loss) (In US Dollars)



For the Years Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015











Revenues $ 43,084,397

$ 40,532,595

$ 46,814,536

















Cost of revenues

32,405,887



27,476,070



32,082,693

















Gross Profit

10,678,510



13,056,525



14,731,843

















Operating expenses















Selling expenses

790,191



690,024



857,115 General and administrative expenses

4,653,294



3,622,959



4,723,387 Research and development expenses

627,577



136,625



1,084,867 Total operating expenses

6,071,062



4,449,608



6,665,369

















Income from operations

4,607,448



8,606,917



8,066,474

















Other income (expenses)















Interest income

18,750



588



82,579 Interest expense

(551,545)



(470,656)



(410,471) Government subsidy income

-



52,597



326,018 Other income, net

436,163



98,994



1,088,334 Total other income (expenses)

(96,632)



(318,477)



1,086,460

















Income before income taxes

4,510,816



8,288,440



9,152,934 Provision for income taxes

1,528,003



1,367,270



2,115,915 Net income from continuing operations

2,982,813



6,921,170



7,037,019

















Discontinued operation:















Net income (loss) from discontinued operations

30,318



(2,313,477)



1,889,734 Net income

3,013,131



4,607,693



8,926,753

















Less: Net loss (income) attributable to the noncontrolling interest from continuing

operations

754,084



(308,442)



(487,928)

















Net income attributable to common stockholders of Tantech Holding Inc. $ 3,767,215

$ 4,299,251



8,438,825

















Net income

3,013,131



4,607,693



8,926,753 Other comprehensive income:















Foreign currency translation income (losses)

4,341,324



(5,448,209)



(3,977,179) Comprehensive gain (loss)

7,354,455



(840,516)



4,949,574 Less: Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

784,186



(70,029)



(289,069) Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to common stockholders of Tantech

Holding Inc. $ 8,138,641

$ (910,545)

$ 4,660,505

















Earnings Per share -Basic and Diluted















Continuing operations $ 0.15

$ 0.19

$ 0.40 Discontinuing operations $ 0.00

$ (0.10)

$ 0.09 Weighted Average Shares Outstanding - Basic and diluted















Continuing operations and discontinued operations

25,971,912



23,019,185



21,240,548

Tantech Holdings Ltd and Subsidiaries Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (In US Dollars)



For the Years Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015 Cash flows from operating activities

































Net income $ 3,013,131

$ 4,607,693

$ 8,926,753 Net (income) loss from discontinued operations

(30,318)



2,313,477



(1,889,734) Net income from continuing operations

2,982,813



6,921,170



7,037,019 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash















provided by (used in) operating activities from continuing operations:















Allowance for doubtful accounts - accounts receivable

2,632,813



239,487



949,823 Allowance for doubtful accounts - advance to suppliers

(45,507)



927,218



(47,883) Allowances for doubtful accounts - loan to third parties

(16,827)



59,742



- Inventory reserve (recovery)

13,908



(84,414)



156,775 Depreciation expense

613,296



534,252



546,528 Amortization of intangible asset

201,647



39,659



9,811 Gain from disposal of property, plant and equipment

-



-



197,026 Changes in operating assets and liabilities:















Accounts receivable

(1,378,315)



(3,192,557)



(212,550) Advances to suppliers

4,127,511



(11,438,701)



(5,762,321) Inventory

845,496



(97,373)



20,295 Other receivables

(812,643)



(11,192)



(49,507) Government rebate receivable

(2,942,190)



-



- Accounts payable

(955,969)



(965,208)



(486,409) Accrued liabilities and other payables

(1,450,958)



346,725



728,339 Customer deposits

(377,020)



244,020



76,546 Taxes payable

(2,102,969)



87,175



(1,516,650) Decrease (increase) in deferred tax liability

-



(98,473)



- Net cash provided (used in) by continuing operations

1,335,086



(6,488,470)



1,646,842 Net cash provided by (used in) discontinued operating activities

968,949



(544,582)



2,803,690 Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

2,304,035



(7,033,052)



4,450,532

















Cash flows from investing activities















Acquisition of property, plant and equipment

(82,263)



(10,819)



(242,552) Proceeds from disposal of property, plant and equipment

-



-



32,940 Payment for business acquisition

(4,552,240)



(3,372,925)



(8,030,000) Cash acquired from business acquisition

35,707



-



- Changes in deposit for asset acquisition

443,400



1,505,770



1,085,752 Net cash used in investing activities from continuing operations

(4,155,396)



(1,877,974)



(7,153,860) Net cash provided by investing activities from discontinued operations

662,144



-



- Net cash used in investing activities

(3,493,252)



(1,877,974)



(7,153,860)

















Cash flows from financing activities















Changes in restricted cash

(3,392,606)



(343,316)



3,533,200 Proceeds from third party loan

-



885,694



- Repayment of loans from third party

(187,706)



-



- Proceeds from Banker's acceptance notes payable

6,893,163



4,818,464



2,248,400 Repayments of Banker's acceptance notes payable

(1,995,953)



(3,011,540)



(9,314,800) Proceeds from bank loans

10,093,262



7,001,831



12,012,880 Repayments of bank loans

(11,957,020)



(8,251,620)



(5,299,800) Due from related parties

(477,565)



-



- Proceeds from issuance of common stocks

5,968,208



7,957,100



5,663,122 Net cash provided by financing activities from continuing operations

4,943,783



9,056,613



8,843,002 Net cash provided by financing activities from discontinued operations

-



-



- Net cash provided by financing activities

4,943,783



9,056,613



8,843,002

















Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

243,632



(476,134)



(281,560)

















Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

3,998,198



(330,547)



5,858,114

















Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year

5,942,842



6,273,389



415,275

















Cash and cash equivalents, end of year $ 9,941,040

$ 5,942,842

$ 6,273,389

















Supplemental disclosure information:















Income taxes paid $ 1,156,976

$ 696,435

$ 2,892,808 Interest paid $ 479,358

$ 261,625

$ 411,805

















Supplemental non-cash activities:















Common shares issued for Minority interest buyback $ -

$ 2,160,142

$ - Common shares issued for acquisition of E-Motors $ 6,500,000

$ -

$ - Net book value of assets and liabilities of E-Motors acquired $ 11,122,410

$ -

$ -

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tantech-holdings-ltd-announces-fiscal-year-2017-financial-results-300647010.html

SOURCE Tantech Holdings Ltd.

RELATED LINKShttp://www.tantechholdings.comMedical cannabis company leads scientific and formal research on medicinal cannabis health effects

TORONTO, May 11, 2018 /CNW/ - Experts will debate and discuss the use of medical cannabis for the treatment of pain within the context of the 28th International Pain Congress May 10-12 in Medellin, Colombia, hosted by the Colombian Association for the Study of Pain (ACED) and its international partner, the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP).

The important symposium, which gathers health professionals from different disciplines, including anesthesiologists, neurologists, experts in palliative care and oncologists, among others, has for the first time in its history dedicated a plenary session to address the issue of medical cannabis and its pharmacology, treatments, use and impact on the treatment of chronic pain and patient care.

Federico Cock-Correa, CEO of PharmaCielo Colombia Holdings, one of the companies sponsoring the event, comments, "We thank ACED for its interest and deepening investigation of the topic of medicinal cannabis. High-level events such as this contribute to demystifying and discussing with scientific rigor the beneficial properties that medicinal cannabis offers to human health."

The event was inaugurated by Luis Fernando Correa, Colombia's Deputy Minister of Public Health and Services, who has also highlighted issues like regulation to ensure security and informed access to medicinal cannabis for medical and scientific use.

About PharmaCielo

PharmaCielo Ltd. (the "Company") is a global company privately held and headquartered in Canada, with a focus on processing and supplying all natural, medicinal-grade cannabis oil extracts and related products to large channel distributors. PharmaCielo's principal (and wholly owned) subsidiary is PharmaCielo Colombia Holdings S.A.S., headquartered at its Nursery and Propagation Centre located in Rionegro, Colombia.

The boards of directors and executive teams of both PharmaCielo and PharmaCielo Colombia Holdings are comprised of a diversely talented group of international business executives and specialists with relevant and varied expertise. PharmaCielo recognized the significant role that Colombia's ideal location will play in building a sustainable business in the medical cannabis industry, and the company, together with its directors and executives, has built a compelling business plan focused on supplying the international marketplace.

PharmaCielo Colombia Holdings S.A.S., a wholly owned subsidiary of PharmaCielo Ltd., is headquartered at the Company's Nursery and Propagation Center based in Rionegro, Colombia.

For further information:

www.PharmaCielo.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "intends", "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, including the ability for the Company and Ubiquo Telemedicina consummating the acquisition and executing their business plans, that management believes are reasonable in the circumstances, but the actual results, performance or achievements may be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be affected by known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, but not limited to, risks associated with closing the acquisition of Ubiquo Telemedicina including failure to obtain necessary approvals, risks associated with early stage companies, risks associated with the regulation of cannabis and cannabinoid derivatives, and risks associated with operating in Colombia. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, PharmaCielo undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. However, any further disclosures made on related subjects in subsequent reports should be consulted.

SOURCE PharmaCielo

CONTACT: Media Relations: David Gordon, Tel: +1 647 259 3258, david.gordon@cohnwolfe.ca; (Colombia) Juan Manuel Cuellar, Tel: +57 310 3298776, juan.m.cuellar@sprgroup.biz; Investor Inquiries: Investors@PharmaCielo.comA Correctional Services Department officer interacts with a virtual reality training exercise program during a demonstration for the media at the CSD Staff Training Institute in the district of Stanley in Hong Kong on Feb. 27. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinese Communist Party Sets Up VR Technology for Testing Party Members Loyalty

The Chinese Communist Party has devised a new high-tech method of testing Party members loyalty: using virtual reality.

In the town of Qingyang in Zouping County, Shandong Province, the local authorities have established the countrys first VR center for ensuring that Party members maintain the Party spirit.

According to a May 6 report by the Shandong-based Bingzhou Times, Party members undergo a Party spirit physical examination by putting on VR glasses and headphones. They enter a virtual room. There, they are prompted with questions, which they answer using a remote control. After the test, the results are printed in another room. Based on their scores, the center will judge where Party members are lacking in loyalty.

Problematic members are required to receive a diagnosis education from officials at local Party schools or administered by local Party committees.

Local authorities invested more than 700,000 yuan ($109,904) in the center, which opened in April. It includes a Party spirit education center, VR physical examination center, diagnosis center, rehabilitation center, quality control center, and internet service center.

The news prompted strong reactions among Chinese netizens, who mocked Communist officials as sick, frightening, and delusional.

One said the Chinese regime has gone crazy before meeting its demise. Another said ironically, Perhaps the lie detector is more effective for them. Another said, The next step is inserting clips into their brains.

NTD staff member Chen Yuanhui contributed to this report.

Recommended Video:

How Doctors in China Turn into MurderersNEW YORKFormer New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was found guilty of corruption charges on Friday, May 11, by a jury in Manhattan federal court after an appeals court threw out an earlier conviction.

Silver, 74, was charged with directing state money to a prominent cancer researcher and supporting a real estate developers interests on rent legislation in exchange for about $4 million in bribes and kickbacks.

Silver was found guilty of all seven counts against him, including honest services fraud and extortion. The jury handed down its verdict at the end of its first full day of deliberations.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman in Manhattan said in a statement that Silver took an oath to act in the best interests of the people of New York State.

As a unanimous jury found, he sold his public office for private greed, Berman said.

A lawyer for Silver could not immediately be reached for comment.Most ICUs have restrictive visiting policies, often driven by a concern that families lingering in patient rooms might increase the risk of infections, disorganized care, or longer hospital stays, researchers note in the journal Critical Care Medicine.

But data pooled from seven previous studies of ICU patients show no connection between flexible visitor policies and patients risk of death, infections, or longer hospital stays, the researchers found.

Plus, patients in ICUs with flexible visiting policies were 61 percent less likely to develop delirium and also less likely to experience severe anxiety.

ICU admission is a very stressful event for patients, and it is associated with anxiety symptoms and acute clinical conditions, and the ICU environment predisposes patients to delirium, said study leader Antonio Paulo Nassar Jr. of the Camargo Cancer Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Previous research has found that simple measures to help maintain hospital patients sense of orientation and make them comfortable in their surroundings, such as the presence of a family member, may reduce the risk of delirium. But its not clear whether this also holds true in the ICU, where delirium is much more common.

Our review suggests these measures are also associated with decreased rates of delirium in ICU, Nassar said by email.

In one respect, however, concerns about liberal visitor policies may be justified, the results suggest.

One study in the analysis, for example, found that nurse burnout increased after families were permitted to spend more time visiting ICU patients.

The presence of a family member for long periods may increase health care professionals workload, families may bring additional demands and frequent questions, and family members can also be very anxious which can compromise nurses and doctors work in ICU, Nassar said.

Health care professionals burnout is associated with lower levels of care for patients.  These problems can be even worse in lower staffing units such as those in developing countries.

Visitor policies should be implemented to ensure that nursing staff can still provide optimal care even when families have more time at the bedside, said Elizabeth Scruth, a clinical practice consultant at Kaiser Foundation Hospitals in Oakland, California, who wasnt involved in the study.

The take-home message here is for patients and families to advocate for liberal visiting hours and to always ask the ICU  what types of visiting hours are in place, Scruth said by email.

Also, place pictures and other mementos in the room of the patient to make it more home-like.  The use of ICU diaries can also aid the patient and family to leave messages, provide a daily update of what is going on and how the patient is progressing, and both families, nurses, and other medical personnel can write in them.Historic Meeting With Kim Jong Un Will Take Place in Singapore on June 12, Trump Says

President Donald Trump announced that his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will take place in Singapore on June 12.

The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th, Trump wrote on Twitter on Thursday. We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!

The presidents announcement came hours after three Americans who were imprisoned in North Korea returned to the United States accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump met the freed detainees in person at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland at 2 a.m. on Thursday.

The release of the detainees was the latest in a series of major concessions my Kim Jong Un ahead of the meeting. The communist leader has already committed to complete denuclearization and peace with South Korea during the meeting with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in last month.

This is a great honor. Hopefully, everything is going to work out at the highest level, Trump said after meeting the detainees on the tarmac. We want to thank Kim Jong-un, who really was excellent to these three incredible people.

Asked if the release of the detainees would be his proudest moment, Trump said that complete denuclearization would top his list.

My proudest achievement will be  this is a part of it  but will be when we denuclearize that entire peninsula, Trump said. This is what people have been waiting for a long time. Nobody thought we could be on this track in terms of speed.

Singapore is a sovereign city-state on an island in Southeast Asia. American officials have preferred the location because of its neutral nature compared to other options, CNN reported citing sources familiar with the preparations.

The announcement also comes on the heels of Trumps withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. The president has long criticized the arrangement as a failure.

Recommended Video: Leaders of Two Koreas Shake Hands Before Historic SummitAn Iraqi policeman guards a checkpoint by electoral posters in the old town of Mosul on May 11, 2018, (Ahamd Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqis Vote in First Election Since Defeating ISIS

BAGHDAD/FALLUJAIraqis voted in the first election on Saturday, May 12, since defeating the ISIS terrorist group, but few people expect its new leaders to stabilize a country beset by conflicts, economic hardship and corruption since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Depending on the outcome, the poll could bolster Irans role in Iraq and the Middle East.

Aside from geopolitics that have deepened sectarian divisions, Iraq faces an array of challenges after a three-year war against ISIS which cost the country about $100 billion.

Much of the biggest northern city of Mosul was reduced to rubble. Security is still threatened by sectarian tensions, which erupted into a 2006-2007 civil war at the height of a 2003-2011 U.S. occupation.

The elections victors will have to contend with the fallout from U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to pull out of the nuclear deal with Iran, a move that raised fears among Iraqis that their country will be a theatre of conflict between Washington and Tehran.

The three main ethnic and religious groupsthe majority Shiite Arabs and minority Sunni Arabs and Kurdshave been at odds for decades, and sectarian divisions remain as deep as ever even though they joined forces to fight Islamic State.

I will participate but I will mark an X on my ballot. There is no security, no jobs, no services. Candidates are just looking to line up their pockets, not to help people, said Jamal Mowasawi, a 61-year-old butcher.

The three main candidates for prime minister, all Shiites, are incumbent Haider al-Abadi, his predecessor Nuri al-Maliki and Shiite militia commander Hadi al-Amiri. All need the support of Iran, which has economic and military sway in Iraq as the primary Shiite power in the region.

Abadi is considered by analysts to be marginally ahead, but victory is far from certain for the man who raised hopes that he could forge unity when he came to office.

In office he reached out to minority Sunnis but alienated Kurds after crushing their bid for independence. He improved his standing with the victory against Islamic State, which had occupied a third of Iraq.

But Abadi lacks charisma and has failed to improve the economy and tackle corruption. He also cannot rely solely on votes from his community as the Shiite voter base is unusually split this year. Instead, he is looking to draw support from other groups.

Even if Abadis Victory Alliance list wins the most seats, he still has to negotiate a coalition government, which must be formed within 90 days of the election.

Amiri, 63, spent more than two decades fighting Saddam from exile in Iran and leads the Badr Organisation, the backbone of the volunteer forces that fought ISIS. Victory for Amiri would be a win for Iran, which is locked in proxy wars for influence across the Middle East with Saudi Arabia.

Disillusion

But many Iraqis are disillusioned with war heroes and politicians who have failed to restore state institutions and provide badly needed health and education services.

There is no trust between the people and the governing class, said Hussein Fadel, a 42-year-old supermarket cashier in the capital. All sides are terrible. I will not vote.

Some people expressed frustrations at technical problems which kept them from voting in Falluja, which used to support Saddam, was devastated by battles between U.S. troops and insurgents during the occupation and is now far from recovering from the war against ISIS terrorists.

I have to vote its very important. My voice is going to waste. Are they telling me no election? Shall I just go home?, asked labourer Khalid Abd, 65.

Critics say Malikis sectarian policies created an atmosphere that enabled ISIS to gain sympathy among some Sunnis as it swept across Iraq in 2014.

Maliki was sidelined soon afterward, having been in office for eight years, but he is now trying to make a comeback. He is again posing as Iraqs Shiite champion, and has proposed doing away with the unofficial power-sharing model under which all main parties have cabinet representatives.

Maliki, who pushed for U.S. troop withdrawals, and Amiri, who speaks fluent Farsi and spent years in exile in Iran during Saddams time, are both seen as closer to Tehran than Abadi.

The post of prime minister has been reserved for a Shiite, the speaker of parliament is a Sunni, and the ceremonial presidency has gone to a Kurdall three chosen by parliament.

More than 7,000 candidates in 18 provinces, or governorates, are running this year for 329 parliamentary seats. More than 24 million of Iraqs 37 million people are eligible to vote in the election, the fourth since Saddams fall.

In Kirkuk, the main oil city disputed by Iraqs Kurds and the Baghdad government, 90-year-old Najm al-Azzawi has witnessed Iraqs upheaval over many years: Saddams military adventures and the crippling international sanctions that followed, the U.S. occupation, sectarian bloodshed and ISIS reign of terror. But he has not lost hope.

God save Iraqis from the darkness they have been in, he said. It is the most joyful thing to vote.

By Maher Chmaytelli and Ahmed Aboulenein

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President Trump Says Change Must Come From Within For Peace In Middle EastMueller Indicted Ham Sandwich: Lawyer in Russian Troll Farm Case

As the politically charged case against a Russian troll farm reaches court, the chickens have come home to roost for its prosecutor Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who, moreover, may have counted them before they hatched as one of the indicted companies may have not even existed during the time of the alleged crimes.

On Feb. 16, Mueller indicted 13 people and three companies that allegedly ran the Russian campaign mainly through social media intending to spread distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general, before and during the U.S. presidential election.

The indictment (pdf) stated the operation opposed Hillary Clinton and other candidates such as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and supported Bernie Sanders and Trump.

The defendants could have simply avoided coming to the United States and thus never face trial. Mueller didnt expect to ever bring the charges to court, commented former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy.

But one of the defendants, a Russian company named Concord Management and Consulting, hired lawyers and volunteered to stand trial.

And the trial, so far, hasnt gone too well for Mueller as the defense lawyers have repeatedly castigated his team for professional missteps, pettifoggery, and even indicting a ham sandwich.

The ham sandwich reference dates back to 1985, when New York Chief Judge Sol Wachtler told the New York Daily News that government prosecutors have so much power over grand juries, they can make them indict, in a sense, just about anybodyor anything.

The defense lawyers, Eric Dubelier and Kate Seikaly of the Reed Smith firm, are demanding a speedy trial and full discovery, meaning the Mueller team has to give them access to whatever evidence relevant to the case it has, including materials that undermine its case.

Extensive document requests may bring to light how far has Mueller cast his intelligence gathering net to mount the charges against Concord, but if he refuses to produce the evidence and drops the charges, it may look like he was playing politics rather than pursuing justice.

One thing you never want to do is to indict in a case that youre not prepared to try, McCarthy told The Daily Caller.

So far, the Mueller team has not even extended the common courtesy of providing any reply whatsoever to the discovery requests, the defense pointed out (pdf).

Mueller has tried to put off the trial, saying Concord hasnt been properly served, but the lawyers dismissed it as pettifoggery because the defendant hasnt tried to quash the summons, indeed, its counsel voluntarily showed up for the trial.

Dubelier didnt forget to point out it was Muellers fault his client hasnt been properly served, upbraiding Jeannie Rhee, one of the lawyers representing Muellers office, for breaking with the common practice of consulting with the defense counsel (Dubelier) first, before she sent him the summons.

I find it disturbing that in your first communication you are already behaving in a manner that is inconsistent with the practices of the Department of Justice, he wrote her in an April 20 email.

District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee based in Washington, agreed with Concord and so the arraignment went forward on Wednesday, May 9.

The court transcript, provided by Twitter user @Techno_Fog, shows another embarrassment for the Mueller team.

Magistrate Judge Michael Harvey asked if the defense also represents Concord Catering, another company that Mueller charged and alleged is associated with Concord Management and Consulting. But Dubelier said theyre not representing it, because Concord Catering didnt exist as a legal entity during the time period alleged by the government.

I think were dealing with a situation of the government having indicted the proverbial ham sandwich, he said.

In the end, Concord pleaded not guilty and the case will resume on July 9.

Concord was founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian businessman known for once hosting events for Russian President Vladimir Putin at his St. Petersburg restaurant. Aside from holding massive government contracts to feed Russian schoolchildren, government workers, and troops, Prigozhin is allegedly connected to military contractor Wagner Group, which has reportedly fought on the Russian side in Syria and Ukraine.

Prigozhin is also one of the 13 Russians charged by Mueller.

Since December 2016, Prigozhin has faced U.S. sanctions for supporting senior officials of the Russian Federation.

Last year, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Concord for being owned or controlled by Prigozhin.

Mueller has recently met with another legal setback, when federal Judge T.S. Ellis, III, a Reagan appointee, questioned why charges in Muellers case against Paul Manafort have nothing to do with Russia.

Manafort was Trumps campaign chairman for several months. But Muellers charges against him all stem from his work for Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych between 2005 and 2014 and are unrelated to the Trump campaign.

The Epoch Times Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this story.

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Now Free, Americans Detained By North Korea Greeted by TrumpSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their meeting at the Peace House. (Korea Summit Press Pool/Pool via Reuters)

North Korea to Dismantle Nuclear Site Ahead of Trumps Meeting With Kim

In yet another major concession ahead of the meeting between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un, North Korea announced a ceremony to dismantle its nuclear test site.

The ceremony to dismantle the Pukyong site will take place on May 23-25, North Korean state media announced on Saturday, May 12. Trump and Kim are scheduled to meet in Singapore on June 12.

North Korea will blow up the underground tunnels at the test site and seal them, the communist regimes Foreign Ministry said. North Korea will also remove observation, research, and ground testing facilities at the site. Kim had first announced his intention to shut down the site at a meeting with South Koreas president Moon Jae-in last month.

The measures are being taken in order to ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test, the foreign ministry added.

On Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that North Koreas future would be brimming with peace and prosperity if Kim completely, verifiably, and irreversibly abandoned nuclear weapons.

The June 12 meeting between Trump and Kim will be the first between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader. The specific location in Singapore remains secret.

The dismantling of the test site is the latest in a series of major concessions by Pyongyang ahead of the summit with Trump. Kim already agreed on the goals of complete denuclearization and peace with Seoul at the historic meeting with Moon last month. Prior to that, Kim agreed to discuss complete denuclearization and suspend nuclear and ballistic missile tests in order to meet Trump.

Early on May 10, Pompeo returned to the United States from a second trip to Pyongyang together with three American prisoners released from North Korea. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump met the freed Americans in person on the tarmac of Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland at around 3 a.m.

North Korea said that they will invite journalists from the United States, South Korea, China, Russia, and Britain to the dismantling ceremony.

Analysts say the dismantling of the site is a useful precedent for negotiations.

Now that North Korea has accepted in principle that agreements should be verified, U.S. negotiators should hold them to this standard for any subsequent agreement, Adam Mount, a senior defense analyst at the Federation of American Scientists, told the Associated Press. It will make it more difficult for Kim Jong Un to deny inspections now that he has placed them on the table.

The communist regime invited the world to witness the dismantling of nuclear facilities before. In 2008, international media were allowed to broadcast the destruction of a cooling tower at a nuclear reactor as part of an agreement to shutter North Korean nuclear facilities in exchange for $400 million in aid.Senator Demands Truth on Flynn Interview

Senator Charles Grassley is ramping up pressure on the leaders of the Justice Department and the FBI to finally release the documents related to the interview of former General Michael Flynn.

Flynn pleaded guilty to one count of lying to the FBI last year, but accounts of the interview that led to the plea are conflicting. Seeking clarity, Grassley requested documents about the interview 15 months ago, but the FBI and DOJ refused to comply, citing an ongoing criminal investigation.

Instead, FBI director James Comey appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee in March last year and provided wide-ranging testimony, including details about Flynns interview. According to notes taken by the committee, agents saw no change in [Flynns] demeanor or tone that would say he was being untruthful.

But Comey now denies making the statement and Grassley, chairman of the committee, is demanding a set of documents to get to the truth. In a letter (pdf) to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray, the senator demanded the information requested 15 months ago, which includes transcripts of Flynns call with the Russian ambassador as well as the memos written by the agents who interviewed Flynn.

In the letter, Grassley substantiated his request by revealing that FBI Special Agent Joe Pientka was present at Comeys testimony and also recorded that Comey told the lawmakers that the agents who questioned Flynn saw nothing that led them to believe [he was] lying.

Special Counsel Robert Muellers team has requested to delay Flynns sentencing several times. In February, the judge in the case demanded that the prosecutors produce all exculpatory evidence. Flynns plea and the judges request led Grassley to believe that the Justice Department had no excuses left to hold on to the information.

Thus, although the case is not yet adjudicated, the Committees oversight interest in the underlying documents requested more than a year ago now outweighs any legitimate executive branch interest in withholding it, Grassley wrote.

So too does the Committees interest in learning the FBI agents actual assessments of their interview of Lt. Gen. Flynn, particularly given the apparent contradiction between what then Directory [sic] Comey told us in March 2017 and what he now claims, Grassley continued.

The Senator demanded to receive all relevant documents before May 25 and requested that Pientka be available for an interview with the Senate Judiciary Committee shortly after.

The names of the two agents who interviewed Flynn have never been officially confirmed, but according to sources who spoke to investigative journalist Sarah Carter, one of the agents was FBI Deputy Head of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok.

Strzoks involvement in the interview would create potentially insurmountable problems for Flynns prosecutors. Strzok was removed from Muellers probe after anti-Trump texts between him and his alleged FBI lover, Lisa Page, were discovered. Strzok was also the agent in charge of the FBIs Russia probe and the investigation into Hillary Clintons emails. Both probes are now being scrutinized by federal prosecutors for investigative misconduct and abuses of government surveillance.

The judge in Flynns case, Emmet Sullivan, handed a stunning rebuke to the Justice Department in 2009 by overturning the conviction of former Senator Ted Stevens and naming a special prosecutor to investigate the government lawyers who worked the case.

Sullivans decision led to an extraordinary special investigation which found that the prosecutions team concealed information that could have helped Stevens defend himself. Law professors described the blistering 500-page report as a milestone in the history of prosecutorial misconduct.

Stevens, a Republican, lost his long-held seat in the Senate before the legal struggle was over, allowing the Democrats to secure a filibuster-proof majority and pass Obamacare. Stevens died in a 2010 plane crash.

Recommended video: Now Free, Americans Detained By North Korea Greeted by TrumpStalkers to Be Electronically Tagged to Alert Their Victims

Stalkers could be electronically tagged so their victims are alerted if they are nearby, under an initiative by London police.

The Metropolitan Police are considering the idea in a bid to tackle a surge of stalking cases in the capital.

The number of stalking offences recorded in London doubled from 622 in 2016 to 1,197 cases in 2017, according to the latest statistics, but it is feared that many incidents go unreported.

The proposal comes as police set up a new unit to tackle stalking and violence against women and girls.

Police Commissioner Cressida Dick unveiled the 1.4 million Stalking Threat Assessment Centre (Stac) on Thursday, May 11, which will involve specialist police officers, mental health specialists, and a victim support charity.

I am not here to defend where we have failed in the past. Maybe we have not given it as much focus as we could. We are striving to get better, Dick said at a press briefing.

Detective Inspector Lee Barnard, who will be leading the unit for the Metropolitan Police spoke to reporters about an initiative to electronically tag offenders.

In terms of technology, we are already engaged with a firm in relation to electronic tagging for perpetrators and proximity alerts for victims to give them a warning when the individual may be near, he said.

A representative from the Metropolitan Police said it is an idea in its early stages.

The unit will draw on experiences learnt from Fixated Threat Assessment Centre, which treats people who harrass and stalk the British Royal Family and senior politicians, and other public figures.

Doctor Frank Farnham, Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist at the National Stalking Clinic said, Over the last 12 years at the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre we have developed significant expertise in assessing and managing those who stalk public figures.

We now have the opportunity to apply this knowledge in managing all stalking cases, thereby reducing the risk posed to victims, he said.

There is no legal definition of stalking, but the police describe it as, a pattern of unwanted and persistent behaviour that is motivated by a fixation or obsession that causes a victim to suffer alarm, distress or a fear of violence.

The new unit will be made up of police officers, two nurses, a nurse manager, a psychiatrist and a psychologist, supported by a victim advocate, Crown Prosecution Service lawyer and a probation officer.

One in five women and one in 10 men will be stalked in their lifetime, according to official figures. Half of stalking cases relate to domestic abuse stalkers, usually former partners who have been rejected by the victim.

Claire Waxman, the Independent Victims Commissioner for London said, Stalking is an insidious crime that can have devastating, long-lasting consequences for victims and their families. We know that stalkers are fixated and obsessive and that this can stem from underlying mental health issues.

A report published last summer highlighted that many stalking cases were not recorded correctly and were not recognised by police.

The gravity of the crime is brought to the fore with cases such as Molly McLaren, 23, who was stabbed to death by Joshua Stimpson, 26, two weeks after she broke up with him. Stimpson had been warned by police to stay away from her, twice.

In January, BBC presenter Emily Maitlis said the impact of being stalked was like having a chronic illness. She said her stalker, Edward Vines, continued to harrass her even when he was in jail.

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Sandra Bullocks Stalker Found Dead After 5-hour Police Stand-offNORWALK  The Norwalk Department of Planning and Zoning on Friday afternoon cited the developer of The Pinnacle at Waypointe for operating an illegal contractors yard off West Avenue.

On Friday afternoon, the department issued a Notice of Zoning Violation to Norwalk Town Center, LLC c/o Belpointe Capital regarding operation of a contractors yard at 467 West Ave.

If you do not correct these zoning violation(s) within fifteen (15) days of the date of this notice, then you may be subject to a citation of up to $150.00 for each day that the violations remain, wrote Norwalk Deputy Zoning Inspector John Hayducky in the notice. You may also be subject to subsequent enforcement procedures by the Deputy Zoning Inspector (DZI) and/or an injunctive or civil action in Connecticut Superior Court.

Finally shut it down

The action comes following multiple complaints by Scott Silk, owner of Silk Plumbing & Heating, Inc., which is at 4 Quincy St., across the street from The Pinnacle at Waypointe.

Once the home of Loehmanns Plaza and the Stark Carpet building, the 4.5-acre site will be shaped into 330 residential units, 942 parking spaces, and approximately 100,000 square feet as part of the final phase of the Waypointe development.

Silk said the city and the developer have allowed rock crushing to continue at site for months with activities halting only this week.

They finally shut it down four months after the building being knocked down and using it as a dirt yard, Silk said Thursday. I was mad, getting cranky every day about whats going on here, looking across the street and seeing dust flying and the rock crushers. I see the big caterpillar truck go into the property, and I see it going down the road back to the mall.

Silk said he believes the city allowed the activity to continue because Waypointe developer Paxton Kinol and AMEC Carting, which is engaged in construction of The SoNo Collection, contributed to Mayor Harry Rillings 2017 re-election campaign.

A half-dozen AMEC employees each contributed $1,000 to the campaign. Waypointe developer Paxton Kinol also gave $1,000, according to fundraising reports filed with the Norwalk Town Clerks Office.

On Friday afternoon, Rilling flatly rejected that anyone was being granted favoritism and promised the citys Department of Planning and Zoning would take action if The Pinnacle at Waypointe site was being used illegally as a contractors yard.

If theres a violation, the city is going to stop it, Rilling said. We dont allow violations to occur, and (Director of Planning and Zoning) Steve Kleppin will probably make some sort of determination whether its appropriate or illegal. Nobody who donates to my campaign gets preferential treatment: if theyre in violation, theyre in violation and we take action.

Reducing the truck traffic

Demolition began last year in preparation for construction of The Pinnacale at Waypointe. On Thursday afternoon, piles of dirt stood 30 feet high within the fenced area opposite Silk Plumbing.

That dirt plant was up and running, Silk said of activities earlier in the week. Did you see all those rock crushers down in the ditch? They were going full steam ahead. They were using it as a place to crush rocks and make gravel and it went on for months.

Kinol said the rock rushing was done under a soil permit applied for last fall.

I watch the rock crushing every morning with my 2-year-old-son. He loves to watch the machines, Kinol wrote in response to an email inquiry from Hearst Connecticut Media on Friday. I have not seen any material come from the mall for crushing but if some did that is a benefit to the city by keeping trucks off the city roads. I believe the majority of the crushed stone will be used in the mall site reducing the truck traffic even further.

Work has been under way since last summer on The SoNo Collection, a nearly million-square-foot regional shopping center being built on the 95/7 site off West Avenue and Interstate 95.

The Waypointe development, Kinol wrote, has allowed the mall development to store its soil fill under blue tarps to keep trucks off Norwalk streets.

The (fill) was going to be stored in East Norwalk, Kinol said. We saw our solution as a public help. The trucks come from the back of the mall site directly to the back of our site while only driving on Crescent Street.

For Silk and his employees, the novelty has long worn off. They say the contractors yard activities have created noise and dust, left nails on the strewn on the street and tied up limited parking.

Its pain for sure but during construction that stuff is going happen, Silk said of the nails, before turning to construction workers vehicles parked on Quincy Street. Id come in at 6:30 in the morning and the street would be loaded.

He said he parked his vehicle in front of the construction site entrance gate one morning and was told by a worker at the site it would be placed in one our dumpsters.

Kinol on Friday emailed a photograph of a Silk Plumbing vehicle parked in front of the gate and questioned the appearance of Silks property.

Maybe he should focus on cleaning up his own property, Kinol wrote. The chain link fencing with spiral razor wire is no longer necessary in the neighborhood we have cleaned up.Paul Winter brings his unique perspective of Brazils musical culture to Westport this weekend, when he and his Brazilian Quartet appear in a performance aptly entitled My Brazil at Voices Cafe at 8 p.m. Saturday.

The concert benefits KEYS, Kids Empowered by Your Support, which provides music instruction to inner-city children in Bridgeport.

For over half a decade, the music of Brazil has woven itself into Paul Winters own musical fabric. The Litchfield-based Grammy-winning saxophonist and band leader, whos performed in 52 countries, made his first trip to Brazil in 1962 on a State Department tour, leading a college jazz sextet and playing in 13 Brazilian cities. He returned two years later and lived in the Ipanema section of Rio de Janeiro for a year. Hes since returned over a dozen times more, and his music continues to evolve around a Brazilian culture rooted in those experiences.

When I first went to Brazil, I felt that here was a place that human instincts were all in evidence, Winter said. They live with hearts, they sing with hearts. Its something about the warm weather that brings out expression in people all over the world. Brazilian people and the music always awakens smile for me.

Winter chose a Brazilian theme for the Voices Cafe concert primarily because it benefits the KEYS organization.

What sparked it was learning about the work of KEYS, Winter said. Many of these kids are from Latin and African-American background. And I just felt that this was a music that would speak to them. Theres going to be a lot of those kids at the concert, and were going to have some of them sit in. So I felt it would be kindred to them in the largest sense culturally. And its a program I havent done in this area.

The Voices Cafe program includes songs by Carlos Lyra, Luiz Bonfa, Antonia Carlos Jobin, Edu Lobo, and Noel Rosa, along with some Carnival songs. His Brazilian Quartet includes percussionist Vanderlei Pereira, bassist Gustavo Amarante, and Paul Meyers, whom Ive long regarded as North Americas greatest Brazilian guitarist, Winter said.

Paul Winters 1962 State Department tour lasted six months and traveled to 23 countries and Latin America.

The sixth month was entirely in Brazil, recalled the musician. We were just beguiled, especially by this new music that we heard, coming from Joao Gilberto and the compositions of Antonio Carlos Jobin. We were completely captivated, and then came back and recorded some of it.

The Jazz Meets the Bossa Nova album by the Paul Winter Sextet was released by Columbia Records in the fall of 1962. In November of that year, by invitation of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, the Paul Winter Sextet performed at the White House in what was to become the first-ever jazz concert program at the White House. Two Bossa Nova songs from the album were on the program.

Winter has recorded more than forty albums in his career, and the soprano saxophonist has an honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of Hartford. Hes played more than 3,000 concerts, and his White House appearance is certainly one of the more memorable ones.

Mrs. Kennedy had started a series called Concerts for Young People, By Young People, recalled Winter. They were all classical musicians. Then they heard about our State Department tour, how well it went. And she thought, Lets try to do something different and invite this jazz group to play.

The experience of playing there was exciting. The room, the East Room, is very live. Theres a lot of marble. The band sounded quite dynamic there. As a matter of fact, theres a big painting of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart hanging on the wall, and at one point, during the drum solo, I think it was vibrating. One of the guards got alarmed and made some motions, like keep it down guys.

Voices Cafe is at The Unitarian Church in Westport, 10 Lyons Plains Road. Tickets are $35 and are available for purchase online at voicescafe.org or by calling David Vita at 203-227-7205, ext. 14.

Mike Horyczuns Sound Surfing column appears every Saturday in The Norwalk Hour. Mike can be reached at news2mh@gmail.com.5 hours ago

2 Downgrades In Healthcare You Might Want To Buy

When Opportunity Knocks In The Healthcare Industry Today were focusing on two stocks in the real of healthcare that just received some notable analyst activity. The activity is notable because it is bearish in light of recent market expectations and opens up what we see as potentially high-return entry opportunities.

Read ArticleFor Subscribers Lawmakers accuse each other putting self interests ahead of redistricting

If new maps aren't adopted by Dec. 1, the South Dakota Supreme Court would bypass the Legislature in drawing new district boundariesCALGARYThe cost of ice creams biggest flavour boost is leaving one Calgary business in a bit of a sticky situation.

In the past five years, the price of pure vanilla extract has shot up, making ice cream shops and bakeries think twice about using the flavour in their treats.

Billy Friley, owner of the cool treat joint Village Ice Cream, said there may soon come a day when hell have to take the sweet treat off the menu completely.

I think people understand that when a product goes up by 1,500 per cent, it can have an effect, said Friley. I dont think people would think that thats unreasonable, to take it off the menu.

Friley said that when he opened his first Village Ice Cream location in 2012, he was paying about $50 U.S. a gallon for vanilla extract. Now, hes paying around $550 U.S.

He said to combat the price spike, hes had to rethink a lot of Villages offerings that use vanilla as a base.

We sell vanilla because its a staple item and were an ice cream business. It would be strange not to have vanilla, but we avoid selling other products that contain vanilla in them.

Marcus Purtzki, owner of Made by Marcus ice cream, said the high cost of vanilla has been a bit of a blow, but hes not planning to shelve the flavour.

It sucks that this is going on, but its nothing we can have control of, said Purtzki. For us, theres no substitution that we can use to replace it.

Purtzki said his company uses two different vanilla beans for its ice cream  Tahitian and Madagascar. Tahitian beans run him about $650 a gallon and Madagascar beans are $550 a gallon.

The price of vanilla has shot up tenfold in the last five years, according to David van der Walde of the Montreal-based vanilla importer Aust & Hachmann Canada.

He said the production of vanilla  which is a hard crop to grow in the first place  has been low for a number of years, but demand has only increased. As a result, his company is selling less vanilla.

Our sales are down, for sure, but the numbers are up because the value is kind of an artificial thing, said van der Walde. Now when I sell a kilogram of vanilla, its $780. When I sold it five years ago, it was between $60 to $70.

He said its not consumers or small artisanal ice cream shops that are driving up the demand, its the large, industrial, multibillion-dollar flavour companies.

They supply the food companies of the world, Haagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerrys, and these are the guys who drive the prices, not the consumers.

He said another factor behind the sticker shock is the volatile weather systems in Madagascar  the island nation that produces 80 per cent of the worlds vanilla. Last year, a cyclone damaged 30 per cent of its bean crop.

Plus, vanilla beans are a difficult crop to grow. A vine takes three to four years to mature, or two if grown from a large, good-quality cutting.

Van der Walde said he expects to see prices ease soon as the new crops finally start to come in.

But until that happens, Friley said theyll just have to continue getting creative with new flavours of ice cream at Village.

Read more about:CALGARYIndigenous activist Chantal Chagnon is overcome with joy after her large duffle bag containing her handcrafted drums was found.

In the early hours of the morning on Tuesday, a large duffle bag containing 30 of Chagnons traditional drums was stolen from her van outside her home and business located in the Dalhousie area.

Chagnons drums have served as a staple in activism, education and community gatherings across Calgary. At marches, rallies, demonstrations and various activist events across the city, Chagnon could be seen with her drums.

On Saturday around 1 p.m., Calgary police contacted Chagnon to inform her that her drums had been found.

A Dalhousie resident discovered the bag of drums while he was working on his yard. Police believe the bag was dumped on his property the night before.

Chagnon said in a statement that she is overwhelmed by the amount of support from the Calgary community to find and return the drums.

Had it not been for the amount of sharing and coverage, Im not sure they would have ever been found, Chagnon said. I am so thankful to everyone for bringing my babies home in time for Mothers Day.

There are still a few drums, rattles, and percussion missing along with a ceremonial knife, but Chagnon said she is grateful that the bulk of her items are back.

Read more about:EDMONTONAlberta is bucking the booze trends seen across the country.

While the rest of the country is sipping on more wine, Alberta is putting down the wine and beer, according to Statistics Canada data released on Thursday. One industry veteran thinks its due to the decline in corporate functions.

Beer is the top alcoholic beverage for Canadians, with $9.1 billion in annual sales, but Albertans have dropped consumption of the bubbly brew by 5.9 per cent from the 2015-16 to 2016-17 fiscal year, part of a 3.4 per cent overall decrease in alcohol purchases in the province, with more than $2.5 billion in provincial sales.

Erick Rosende, director of Ultimate Bartending School and Bar Source Consulting, said he has seen corporate events cutting back their budgets.

A lot of event planners have left the industry because theres not enough work, he said.

Rosende said beer consumption has gone down due to price points, but wine sales in restaurants are beating everything else for the 30-plus crowd.

Wine consumption was up everywhere in Canada except in Alberta and Nunavut. In Alberta, wine sales saw a 1.6 per cent drop in sales, according to Statistics Canada.

Spirits remain a favourite among the 18- to-25-year-old crowd, Rosende said.

Having a triple rum and Coke gives you a different effect than drinking three beers, even though the alcohol levels are the same, he said.

Companies have cut back on extravagant mixers, Rosende said.

Per capita liquor sales were 8.8 litres, while the per capita sales were $736.50 in Alberta.

While spirits were up by 3.2 per cent nationally, sales in Alberta were down 1.7 per cent.

At the Keg n Cork Liquor Company, whisky expert David Scott said jokingly hes more of a spirit guide than an economist, but the drop in sales provincially is nothing to panic about.

After all, at his store they can offer 400 different types of Scotch, whereas a Liquor Control Board of Ontario may only offer 30.

We can develop a customer base based around a specialty product and support it that way, Scott said. In that respect, I think were actually growing. Thats the Alberta advantage.

As far as what will be the next hot drink, Rosende said drinks also follow fashions. Currently, there is an uptick in people wanting to look like they were born in 1905 who are ordering Manhattans and Old Fashioned cocktails, he said.

Its stuff they see on Instagram and it fits their wardrobe and it fits their moustache, he said. Our industry follows fashion a lot.

Trends in Edmonton tend to be about 15 years behind Europe. Overseas, they are using liquid nitrogen and drinks inspired by architecture, Rosende said.

Numbers do not capture the two-week boycott of B.C. wines in Alberta in February, as the Statistics Canada data stops at March 31, 2017.

Read more about:On Thursday afternoon, Fox axed comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine after five seasons. Less than an hour later, the show was trending worldwide on Twitter with two different spellings. Soon, even celebrities were tweeting their grief, and an outpouring of B99 GIFs and photos started making their way around the internet.

So, why the freakout for a show that was averaging fewer than 2 million viewers this season? For those unaware of the show and its impact, allow us to explain:

Its hilarious.

Of course humour is subjective and the series  about the adventures of detectives in a Brooklyn police precinct  is filled with inside jokes that only viewers can appreciate. But just watch last months cold open that involved crime, the Backstreet Boys and singing from Andy Samberg, who starred as the always goofy detective Jake Peralta.

Ratings dont tell the whole story.

In an interview with TVGuide, co-creator Dan Goor admitted that the live ratings arent great, but Fox executives consider more than just traditional TV numbers, particularly in this era of on-demand and streaming.

Their official statement to us is they dont look at that kind of ratings data and I hope to God that is true, Goor said. But also, our show does very well in the Live+7 setting and were one of the most-watched live-action shows on Hulu.

The Live+7 rating means all the people who watched the show a week after it first aired; that, combined with the Hulu numbers and its TBS syndication deal, proves that the show actually had quite a loyal fan base.

It airs in Canada on City TV.

It has one of the most diverse casts on broadcast television.

When the show was first picked up in 2013, Melissa Fumero, who plays detective Amy Santiago, marvelled that there were two Latina women in the main cast. That was very rare, even five years ago.

When we first did the pilot, and we first got picked up and did the first season, it was something a lot of people were talking about, Fumero told Us Weekly. It was something that my (co-star) Stephanie (Beatriz) and I couldnt believe  that they hired two Latinas. At the time, that never happened. We thought one of us was going to get fired, for sure.

Beatrizs character, detective Rosa Diaz, came out as bisexual in the fifth season. And Andre Braugher starred as Capt. Raymond Holt, who frequently spoke of the challenges of being a gay, African-American cop in the New York Police Department.

It explores tough issues.

This past Sundays episode dealt with the precincts reaction to an active shooter; last season, an entire episode talked about racial profiling when Sgt. Terry Jeffords (played by Terry Crews) was stopped on the street in front of his own home by another officer.

The characters were actually nice.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine comes from co-creators Goor and Mike Schur, who were also behind NBCs Parks and Recreation, which was known for being one of the kinder, happier shows on television. And while the Brooklyn characters never hesitated to make fun of each other or play pranks, there was an underlying sweetness to it all, a theme that struck a chord for viewers.HALIFAXThe Nova Scotia Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) has been asked by Nova Scotia RCMP to investigate a vehicle collision that left one person with serious injuries on Friday night.

According to the RCMP, at 9:41 p.m. Friday, a patrolling officer saw a two-wheel off-road vehicle driving without lights on Highway 2 near Elmsdale, N.S. The vehicle was driven by a male youth with a female passenger who was not wearing a helmet.

The officer then observed the vehicle drive through a controlled construction site, against the flow of traffic, before losing control and hitting a stationary vehicle, RCMP said. The passenger fled on foot and was found behind a building nearby with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The driver suffered only minor injuries.

SiRT Nova Scotia is responsible for investigating any injuries that occur from police action. They are asking for anyone with information regarding the incident to come forward.

Read more about:John Brebner swept his binoculars over a fissure-ridden rock face that towered over a grove of acacia trees. Candy-coloured striations of dolomite and quartz ran through the tan granite, and human figures painted by Khoisan Bushmen three millenniums ago were faintly visible on the facade.

There it is, Brebner exclaimed, passing the binoculars to me. Look through these and you will see the sticks quite clearly. I moved the binoculars up and down the cliff, until I zeroed in on a horizontal crevice, speckled with bird droppings, called whitewash. Inside the opening was a striking sight: a huge, almost spherical bundle of twigs and branches, balanced on a precipice. Thats a fairly new eagle nest, only six or seven years old, Brebner told me. Theres one in the park thats been here for 38 years.

Brebner, a genial ex-cattle farmer whose grandfather settled in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, at the turn of the 20th century, was leading me through Matobo National Park, a 163-square-mile wilderness 20 miles south of Bulawayo. Formed some 3 billion years ago, when magma buried deep beneath the earths surface cooled and then eroded, Matobo is one of the worlds geological oddities: a vast field of granite domes, oval-shaped extrusions known as whalebacks, and blocks of broken granite called castle kopjes. Between the outcroppings lie swampy valleys, or vleis, fed by rainwater runoff and rich in acacias, mopanis, figs, euphorbias and other vegetation.

This combination of towering rock formations, some of them hundreds of feet high, and thick forests has made Matobo an ornithologists paradise. Eagles, hawks and falcons  among the greatest concentration of birds of prey in the world  nest in tall trees or on rock ledges protected from baboons and other predators, and feed on both yellow-spotted hyraxes and rock hyraxes, known locally as dassies.

All told, the national park, which was created in 1926  partly from farmland bequeathed by Cecil John Rhodes, the founder of the British South African Co., which colonized Rhodesia  has more than 400 varieties of birds, ranging from southern ground hornbills to black storks to mocking cliff chats. In recent decades, thanks to the efforts of Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority  one of the few functioning institutions in this country  the park has also become a sanctuary for leopards, antelopes and a robust population of white and black rhinos.

But it was the birds of prey that I had mainly come to see. Over the past six months I have been researching a book that deals in part with Jeffrey Lendrum, described by British police among the worlds most prolific wildlife thieves and smugglers.

Raised in Bulawayo in the 1970s, at the height of the Rhodesian bush war that brought former guerrilla leader Robert Mugabe to power, Lendrum began climbing into Matobos hard-to-reach nests as a boy. He would later turn his agility and ornithological expertise to controversial ends, roaming from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, to northern Quebec, and snatching the live eggs of wild falcons  reportedly on behalf of wealthy Arab falconry enthusiasts. (Lendrum was convicted of stealing eggs in Britain in 2010 and in Chile in 2015, and served time in prison, but insists he did it to save falcons that would otherwise have perished in the wild.)

In the course of my reporting I have begun tracing Lendrums footsteps around the world, viewing the aeries of peregrines in the Rhondda Valley in Wales, and flying with a falcon in a hot-air balloon in Dubai. Now I had come to southern Africa see where his journey had begun.

Brebner and his wife, Jen, another bird enthusiast, picked me up at my guest cottage in Bulawayo in their four-wheel-drive vehicle, and we headed down a two-lane tarmac road toward Matobo. It was just two weeks after the military coup that had unseated Mugabe after 37 years in power. The roadblocks are gone now, Brebner said, referring to the ubiquitous checkpoints that had appeared in the last two years of Mugabes rule. Desperate police officers, he explained, had extorted cash from drivers to replace their unpaid salaries.

The co-coordinator for the last seven years of the African Black Eagle Survey, one of the worlds long-running ornithological studies, Brebner has spent hundreds of hours in Matobo, observing the mating, nesting and fledging of this coal-black raptor. Also known as Verreauxs eagle (Aquila verreauxii) after Jules Verreaux, a naturalist who collected specimens in the early 19th century for the French Academy of Sciences, the raptors start breeding at age 4 and can live to 35. Each female produces two eggs in a clutch, and, upon hatching, one chick invariably kills the other, a brutal act of self-preservation known as Cain-and-Abelism, documented by the Black Eagle Survey decades ago.

Today, there are 30 pairs of black eagles in the park, Brebner said as we entered Matobo through the main gate and followed a dirt track through the bush. It was our mission this morning, he announced, to spot a pair. During nesting season (June and July) the birds are everywhere, Brebner said. But now well have to strain to see them.

We drove deeper into the park through acacia groves and rolling grassland, spotting baboons, klipspringers, reedbucks and warthogs along the road. The Brebners peered into the tops of trees and the cloud-dappled sky, trying to find birds of prey. Jens got very good eyes, but mine are too old, Brebner said. Moments later, Jen Brebner gestured excitedly. A grey bird with black-tipped wings, a yellow face and a sharp black beak soared overhead. Its a gymnogene  an African harrier hawk, she said, delighted by our first sighting of the morning.

We continued for another few miles, arriving at a tawny cliff, perhaps 200 feet high, riddled with ledges and crevices: ideal nesting territory. And then, with a shout, Jen Brebner gestured upward. Peering through binoculars, I quickly spotted two large, jet-black raptors soaring in tandem above the sheer granite wall: a mating pair of black eagles. Do you see the white V on their backs? John Brebner asked. That means theyre mature  about 6 years old, I think. The bigger one is a female. You can only tell the difference by size.

I watched the yellow-beaked birds glide and alight on rock ledges, marvelling at their sleek forms and effortless flight. It was such a sight that had captivated the young Lendrum 40 years ago. I realized though that the unusual career path he had followed had made him an enemy of conservationists and wildlife police around the globe. For half an hour the Brebners and I followed the eagles on their hunt for hyraxes. Then we got back in our four-by-four and continued down the track, as the raptors dove behind the granite cliffs and disappeared from view.You need to have a little faith to stand in the middle of the lobby at the Line hotel in Adams Morgan. High above is a chandelier made of organ pipes with very pointy tips. Before its life as a ceiling-grazing fixture, the instrument served Christian Scientists. You might want to think twice before taking the Lines name in vain.

The 220-room hotel honours the buildings former self as the First Church of Christ, Scientist  though it does take some liberties. You can take a seat in the former nave and order an Ive Done Some Dastardly Things cocktail from the bar at Brothers and Sisters. Instead of hard pews, you can sink into velvety blue couches shaped like surprised eyebrows. And instead of hearing anything from the pulpit, you can hear the rousing words of the check-in staff.

Im going to put you in a room with a view of the Washington Monument, an employee informed me during a recent Saturday night stay.

Amen to that.

Built in 1912, the church lay dormant for nearly a quarter-century before the Sydell Group bought it five years ago. (The New York-based company operates several hotel brands, including the Line, NoMad, Saguaro and the Ned.) When the new owners entered the neoclassical building, they discovered a scene frozen in place and prayer, down to the tithe envelopes tucked inside the prayer books. The design team salvaged many of the furnishings and materials. They painted the pews in Rothko shades and set them by the elevators. On each of the eight floors, they placed room numbers inside hymnal boards to help guests find their accommodations. And they preserved the arched milk-glass windows that diffuse the suns light like a squeeze bottle of golden honey.

The remnants and the relics of the church were very inspiring, said Kathryn Bangs, the hotels creative director. We thought about the church as a sanctuary and a place of community.

At the doors threshold, a saviour in a stylish grey coat and fitted wool cap whisked me out of the cold and into the warmth. He led me to the front desk and carefully handed me off as if he were competing in an egg-and-spoon race. If he dropped me, I could have rolled off in any number of directions.

Lobby is too restrictive and commonplace a term for the Lines main public space. The multi-faceted (and multi-tasking) area contains Brothers and Sisters restaurant and bar by Washington chef Erik Bruner-Yang; the Cup We All Race 4, a coffee and pastry nook by Baltimore chef Spike Gjerde, who also runs A Rakes Bar and A Rakes Progress restaurant upstairs; and Full Service Radio, a podcast-recording studio and live internet radio station created by Brooklyn expat Jack Inslee. (To listen, pop in your ear buds or turn on the TV in your guest room.) If you time it right, you can meet  or at least rubberneck  one of the 30-plus hosts and their special guests. On a Sunday afternoon, James Scott invited me inside the glass cube to play fetch with his dog, Steve, before his show, OtherFeels.

The hotels boundary-free culture extends to the guests, too. Unless someone has luggage at their feet or pinches their vowels, good luck deciphering their provenance. Over one weekend, I saw pods of pals digging into octopus hotdogs and bearnaise-dipped french fries, and sipping cocktails seemingly inspired by refrigerator magnet poetry (ergo, Im Hip and Very Bitter); a man exercising his sweater-wrapped terrier indoors; millennials hunched over gadgets at long wooden tables reminiscent of their college library days; and staff members weaving through the crowd dressed in casual threads from Redeem, a local apparel store, further clouding identities.

Im going to come back and wear all grey clothes, said an overnight guest from Tenleytown, Md., as we tried to determine the status of a needle-thin man in a sweatshirt and baggy khakis. (After he delivered a pitcher of water, we had our answer.)

As a brand, the Line, which has also opened properties in Los Angeles and Austin, embraces the local scene, but not the souvenir-store version of the destination. At the Adams Morgan outpost, you wont see sunset-kissed photos of the Lincoln Memorial or stately busts of presidents.

We wanted to give D.C. its due and not talk down to the city and label it as one thing, Bangs said. We want this hotel to be the B-sides of Washington, the countercultural capital.

The hotel boasts a collection of 3,000 artworks by Washington-area artists, of which 90 per cent are by women. My in-room gallery included a collage of images of meat, roses and red lips; an intimate photo of a couples interlocking hands; a framed doily; and a charcoal sketch by Svetlana Legetic, the co-creator of Brightest Young Things, who contributed original drawings for each room. The battered nightstand the colour of persimmons came courtesy of Morgan Hungerford West, the founder of A Creative DC, who scoured flea markets, antique stores, curbsides and other furniture repositories for the bedside tables.

The guest rooms, which occupy the new brick construction behind the church, were modelled after a studio apartment in a District townhouse.

As someone who calls such a place home, many of the features looked familiar: the hardwood floors, the area rugs, the higgledy-piggledy display of artwork, the stack of used books from Idle Time Books and the plant from Little Leaf. (My greenery comes from Ace Hardware, but still.) As an apartment-dweller, I was also inured to the sound of my next-door neighbours, whose voices pierced the shared wall. I could only hope that they would be as understanding when I invited friends over; I didnt want to find a Post-it Note on my door in the morning.

They have Hello Panda cookies and Pocky sticks, exclaimed one friend when she discovered Japanese snacks in the mini-bar pantry. (Also in the survival kit: bottles of Civic vodka and Bulleit bourbon, four types of beer, two flavours of Route 11 chips, coconut water, Advil and a six-pack of protection.)

You have dimmers in the bathroom, squealed another friend, setting the mood.

The bed frame looks a little cheap, opined another.

We wondered out loud how much the room would cost if it were a studio apartment, agreeing on $1,600 to $1,800 (U.S.) a month. But the room would need some renovations, because no urbanite can survive on a Nespresso machine and gummi bears alone.

At the stroke of party time, we rejoined the community downstairs. Like a time-lapse video, the lobby ebbed and flowed with patrons before finally emptying out. At 2 a.m., under a jet stream of pot smoke, we called it a night. We hugged goodbye, and I pressed 2 and walked to my home for the night.

IF YOU GO

The Line

1770 Euclid St. NW

202-588-0525

thelinehotel.com/dc

Regular rates start at $268 (U.S.)Head of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev is going to visit the United States on May 15-17 at the invitation of Donald Trump. It will be his first official visit to this country. Following the talks, two heads of state will adopt a joint statement: "Uzbekistan and the United States: Beginning of a New Era of Strategic Partnership," as well as sign a number of investment agreements worth several billion dollars. Uzbekistan implements an ambitious modernization program, based on forced industrial development. Russia, China, and South Korea already participate in this program. Now it's the US time.

Mirziyoyev already met with Trump a year ago on the sidelines of the Arab-Muslim countries and the United States summit in Saudi Arabia. According to the Uzbek Foreign Ministry, Trump appreciated reforms carried out by Tashkent, which signaled Washington's readiness to improve relationship. This readiness was demonstrated when the Uzbek delegation, led by Mirziyoyev, which arrived in the United States to participate in the UN General Assembly, signed agreements on joint projects with largest American companies - Boeing, General Electric, Caterpillar and others. In addition, they reached agreement on promotion of the Uzbek exports in the United States and opening of the Uzbek Trade House in New York.

Farhod Tolipov, director of the non-governmental scientific and educational institution Bilim Carvoni (Caravan of Knowledge), told Vestnik Kavkaza that the United States were generous with investments since the first days of Uzbekistan's independence. In 2002, an agreement on strategic partnership between Tashkent and Washington was signed, it was similar to agreement with Moscow.

"Over 300 joint ventures operated in Uzbekistan in 2005. The United States invested in gold mining and other industries. For many years there has been a mechanism for annual bilateral consultations in relations between Uzbekistan and the United States. During these consultations they regularly discuss issues in economy, investments, trade, education, science, tourism, security, terrorism, and so on. It allows both sides to closely monitor situation and adjust development of relations. There has been increased interest in Uzbekistan since new president came to power, and not only in the nearest neighbors in the region, or countries such as Russia and China, but also in the United States and some European countries. So it's quite reasonable to expect that relations between the US and Uzbekistan will internsify," Tolipov said.

According to him, "after one and a half years of Mirziyoyev's rule, we have seen progress in both domestic and foreign policy of Uzbekistan, which is indicated by successful visits of President of Uzbekistan to Russia and China, during which he signed agreements in the field of economy worth 16 and 20 billion dollars. respectively. Now it's up to leader of the world community, the United States. I expect that Mirziyoyev will return from Washington, just like he returned from Moscow and Beijing, after signing a package of agreements worth billions of dollars," expert said.

Farkhod Tolipov recalled that after the events of 2005 in Andijan, the US took critical position towards Uzbekistan. On May 13, 2005, government brutally suppressed a rally in Andijan, where people demanded resignation of President Islam Karimov. Tashkent accused Washington of interfering in internal affairs and preparing a "color revolution". The US and European countries condemned actions of the authorities and imposed sanctions against Uzbekistan. In response, Tashkent demanded from Americans to close military base in Khanabad. Then they shut down several non-governmental American organizations and abolished tax incentives for joint ventures.

"If during upcoming visit Washington will be give positive assessment of reforms in Uzbekistan, then the Uzbek leader will recieve huge funds to continue current policy," expert believes.

Answering the question about why America is so interested in Uzbekistan,, Farkhod Tolipov said: "One of the reasons is ability to influence the entire Central Asian region through Tashkent, the other one is proximity of Afghanistan. Moreover, Afghanistan is not a regional problem, it's a global one. It will become a global success for Trump himself and the US, if they will be able to resolve this problem. In addition, Central Asia is a special region because of its original historical and geographical status. It's located between several great powers - China, India, Russia. Central Asia itself is of global importance, especially considering transport, communication, economic, trade networks and routes. All of this raises status of the region in hierarchy and in the system of international relations. America has very strong interest because of that," Tolipov said.

According to Zurab Todua, political scientist and expert on problems of the post-Soviet space, Uzbekistan is interested in improvement of relations with the United States for several reasons. "First of all, Tashkent is interested in American investments. Money of American corporations and firms are important for implementation of ambitious program of economic reforms, pursued by leadership of Uzbekistan. Second of all, relations with the US are important for Uzbekistan in terms of keeping situation In Afghanistan under control. Instability in a neighboring country is a hindrance for Uzbekistan.Establishment of better relations with the United States on Afghan issues can give Tashkent opportunity to restore exchange of information, establish cooperation and coordination, especially in northern regions of Afghanistan. Third of all, the US position can play an important role in normalization of relations between Uzbekistan and the EU, which have been frozen since suppression of the rally in Andijan in May of 2005," he noted.

Todua believes that there are good prerequisites for fulfilling all these tasks and goals. "President Mirziyoyev demonstrates readiness to establish constructive dialogue on all issues, and his domestic policy reforms demonstrate that he's ready for bold experiments, unprecedented for Uzbekistan. As for possible impact of normalization of relations between Uzbekistan and the United States on relations between Tashkent and Moscow, Russia and Uzbekistan maintain long-standing strategic relations, their importance for both sides in politics, economy, military sphere, science and culture is obvious. It's unlikely that Washington will try to complicate development of relations with Tashkent by any conditions, Uzbekistan is not a country that can be forced to do something, even Americans can't do that," Todua said.

Press secretary of the President of Uzbekistan, Komil Allamjonov, announcing the visit of Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the United States, called it historical and specified that talks with Trump will be held on May 16. "President Trump and President Mirziyoyev will resume bilateral strategic partnership between the United States and Uzbekistan and will discuss Uzbekistan's progress in implementing important reforms, expanding trade and investments,as well as will address regional security issues, including stabilization of situation in Afghanistan," he said. Program of the visit also includes bilateral meetings in the US Congress, the Ministry of Defense and the State Department of the United States, as well as the World Bank. During this visit, sides will sign package of documents that will help to further strengthen bilateral relations in various fields.OTTAWASenators are being encouraged to postpone a vote on a bill to legalize recreational cannabis by a now-former employee of the Conservatives chief critic of the legislation.

Sen. Claude Carignan said Friday he did not authorize Malcolm Armstrong, whom hed hired on contract to advise him on the marijuana issue, to propose delaying the vote. The Conservative senator called the idea crazy and unrealistic.

Indeed, Carignan said he fired Armstrong on Friday after finding out hed circulated a paper among independent senators urging them to postpone the final vote on Bill C-45 until they hear back from a special committee that he suggested should be set up to study aspects of legalization that have not yet been adequately considered.

Read more:

Opinion | Tim Harper: Amidst Senate efforts to slow the legalization of pot there are a couple of legitimate red flags

Cancer doctors recommending marijuana despite feeling unprepared to do so

Ban on homegrown pot would be paternalistic, former justice minister says

A spokesperson for Conservative Senate leader Larry Smith disavowed the paper and said the Conservatives continue to abide by an agreement among all Senate factions to hold a final vote on the bill by June 7  a timetable aimed at allowing the Trudeau government to meet its commitment to having retail sales of legal marijuana available late this summer.

That deadline could not have been met were senators to adopt the proposal advanced by Armstrong. In his paper, he argued that a special committee is needed to conduct a thorough examination of a lengthy list of complex issues  including the impact of high-potency cannabis on the formation of sperm, the societal impact of online cannabis sales and whether Indigenous people are negatively predisposed to cannabis, like alcohol.

This document does not reflect our views, Smiths spokeswoman, Karine Leroux, said in a statement.

It is inconsistent with our approach to the bill, the due diligence being applied to it by our caucus, and our work with our Senate colleagues over the past number of weeks. To date, we are satisfied with the process of examination taking place on Bill C-45 and anticipate no change with the third reading vote set for on or before June 7th, 2018.

Carignan, who is the lead Conservative senator on C-45, said in an interview that he hired Armstrong a few months ago on a short-term contract to advise him on the bill. That contract was cut short Friday.

He was finished today, Carignan said.

While he welcomed the Conservatives repudiation of the paper, Sen. Yuen Pau Woo, leader of the Independent Senators Group, said the incident raises questions about why Armstrong was hired in the first place, who was supervising him and what instructions he received from his employer.

Woo noted that Armstrongs paper was laid out and designed to look like an official Senate report, complete with the upper chambers logo. It identified the author only as Dr. Malcolm Armstrong, with no mention that he worked for a senator. Armstrong is not a medical doctor; he has a PhD in philosophy.

The fact that the paper was distributed to independent senators left Woo wondering if it was designed to trick them into delaying the vote, rather than have Conservative senators take the heat for breaking the agreement to vote by June 7.

Clearly, all of those thoughts crossed my mind, Woo said in an interview.

This initiative is a rogue initiative  there is no other way of putting it  that is intended to mislead individuals, senators into thinking that (postponing the vote) is somehow sanctioned or part of an official Senate review process which subverts, I guess, the official, rigorous process that is already taking place.RED DEER, ALTA.A former United Conservative Party member of the Alberta legislature who faces sex charges has waived his right to a preliminary inquiry.

Don MacIntyre resigned as the member for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake on Feb. 2 after he was charged with sexual assault and sexual interference with a minor.

On Friday, MacIntyre, who is 62, waived his right to an inquiry, which is used to determine if there is enough evidence for a case to go to trial.

Read more:

Ex-Alberta UCP politician Don MacIntyre facing sex assault, interference charges involving minor

His next court date has not been scheduled.

MacIntyre is not in custody but must abide by several conditions including having no contact with anyone under 16 without a guardian present.

MacIntyre was a first-term legislature member elected for the Wildrose party in 2015.

The Wildrose merged last summer with the Progressive Conservatives to form the United Conservative Party.

Read more about:PRINCE ALBERT, SASK.Police say the search for a little boy has shifted to the North Saskatchewan River.

Hundreds of volunteers joined police in Prince Albert to look for four-year-old Sweetgrass Kennedy, who hasnt been seen since Thursday.

But police say evidence, which they did not disclose, has prompted them to focus the search along the river.

Volunteers have been told to stay away from the river and leave the search to trained staff including police and firefighters.

Police say the river bank is dangerous.

The boy was wearing a light-blue Star Wars hoodie and orange Halloween pyjama pants when he disappeared.

After numerous witness interviews conducted by police investigators as well as evidence located, the unified search command team are focusing all search efforts to the North Saskatchewan River, Sgt. Travis Willie said Friday in a release.

Due to the dangers associated with the river bank, emergency personnel are asking the public and volunteers to avoid the area.

Police say their investigation indicates there is no cause for concern for public safety.MONTREALThe mystery has haunted Canadians for more than a decade: One by one, human feet clad in running shoes have floated ashore on British Columbias southern coast with gruesome regularity.

Last weekend, foot No. 14 was discovered by a man strolling on a beach on Gabriola Island, a sleepy and picturesque enclave, population 4,000, that is known for its captivating sandstone and close-knit artistic community.

This time, the foot, squeezed between a pile of logs, wore what appeared to be a hiking boot, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Read more:

Latest foot to wash up on B.C. shores confirmed as human

B.C. hiker stumbles across running shoe containing human foot

Footwear forensics could solve mystery of detached feet along B.C. coast

The 13 feet found previously along the coast since 2007 were in running shoes  Adidas, Reebok and other brands. Each time, the questions arose: Why are the feet ending up in Canada? Where did they come from? And where are the other parts?

The discoveries have fanned speculation, rational or not, that the unattached feet could be the work of a tsunami, a human trafficker, a Mafia hit man, a deranged foot fetishist or a serial killer who had spread body parts out to sea. Others have theorized that the floating appendages could belong to people falling off a ship or killed in a plane crash.

British Columbia, Canadas westernmost province, known for its imposing mountains, exhilarating ski runs and delectable seafood, has grown used to also being known as the destination for what some newspapers have called the floating feet.

But coroners have taken pains to dampen conspiracy theories and tame overactive imaginations. Barb McLintock, a former coroner at British Columbias Coroners Service, once called it the myth of the famous feet.

In 2016, after a hiker found a foot in a sock and running shoe at Botanical Beach, on Vancouver Island, McLintock told the Canadian media that the feet were the work of neither strange serial killers amputating victims nor funny little aliens scattering the feet along the coastline.

Andy Watson, a spokesperson for the Coroners Service, said this past week that foul play had been ruled out in all the previous cases. Coroners have attributed the disembodied feet to suicide or accident  someone slipping and falling into the sea, for example, or a swimmer being swept into the ocean by a huge wave.

Nine of the feet have been identified, two of them from the same person, according to the Coroners Service. Most of the feet were mens. In at least three cases, the shoes were size 12. Not all the remains belonged to Canadians.

In the latest case, Watson said, investigators would use DNA to try to identify its owner.

Despite the official conclusions, the washed-up feet still grip imaginations because of the murkiness of the discoveries and the likelihood that many of the deaths were not witnessed.

The phenomenon has spurred several hoaxes in which pranksters have stuffed animals feet into shoes to fool officials. One person used chicken bones.

Watson noted that the disarticulated feet had most likely separated naturally in the sea, where the footwear had helped preserve them. Because shoes are buoyant and currents are strong, he said, the remains could have washed in from as far north as Alaska.

In 2012, a foot found in a lake in Port Moody, northeast of Vancouver, was linked to a man whose boat had overturned while he was fishing in the area 25 years earlier.

In December, a Rottweiler discovered a lower left leg and foot with a white ankle sock in a black running shoe on Vancouvers coast. A few months later, using DNA technology, investigators matched the remains to a 79-year-old Washington state man. Still, even then, questions remained. The mans family told the police he had vanished months before after leaving home without his medication.

Read more about:York Regional police have charged three men and issued arrest warrants for two others in connection with a shooting in Vaughan in 2016 that left a man dead.

Officers were called to a residence on Andrea Lane, near Pine Valley Dr. and Langstaff Rd., on Sept. 21, 2016, just before 10 p.m. in reports of a shooting.

When police arrived, they found Silverio Feola, 23, suffering from gunshot wounds.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Friday, police have charged Julian Perry, 24, of Toronto with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Bouh Abdilleh, 22, and Lamar Hamilton, 27, were charged on May 2 with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Police said arrest warrants have been issued for Muhumad Idow, 24, and Hussan Ali, 28, both from Toronto, for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Abdilleh and Hamilton are scheduled to appear in a Newmarket court on May 17.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Homicide Unit at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7865 or call Crime Stoppers.Ahead of the month of Ramadan, Torontos Muslim community is finally getting its own version of the Christmas Market; a Muslim lifestyle blogger and entrepreneur is hosting a Ramadan market in Mississauga this weekend.

When Sudduf Wyne was planning to bring what was once a yearly Welcome-to-Ramadan event at her small boutique to a larger audience, she thought she would get a handful of vendors applying to be part of the market. Instead, more than 50 people applied.

Now, with the event booked full with more than 2,000 tickets sold, Wyne is gearing up for the biggest Ramadan event shes ever organized.

Truth be told, my vision was always to have an event that was similar to the Toronto Christmas Market, she said. Where we could have something to look forward to and share with not only the Muslim community but ... all of our neighbours, the Canadian community coming to celebrate Ramadan with us.

The event will occur a few days before Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, which starts on May 15. When the doors open at 10 a.m. at Spacebar Coworking, in the area of Millcreek Dr. and Mississauga Rd. on Saturday morning, crowds will be shopping through products from top Islamic brands, attending craft workshops, and participating in a charity toy drive, among other things. There is a spiritual room for prayer, and food vendors and free hotdogs provided by Zabiha Halal, a branch of Maple Lodge Farms, who are a corporate sponsor for the event.

Obviously in the month of Ramadan, were focusing more on our prayers, so I wanted this to be something beforehand that we could enjoy to kick off the month, Wyne said.

She closed her successful lifestyle boutique Salam Shop when she had her triplets, who are now a little over one year old. Bringing the joy of Ramadan to the younger generation is a huge focus for her. A section on her website about the kids activities reads: Growing up in North America means we are surrounded by beautiful lights and excitement every December  but what about Ramadan?!

Im excited for families to experience the event with their children, Wyne said. What Im looking forward to is the smiles on their faces. A lot of us are second-generation Muslims and our kids are growing up in a very different environment and ... were bringing them up a little differently, so we wanted to make Ramadan really exciting for them.

A toy drive is also being run to donate to Nisa Homes, a transitional womens shelter in Mississauga, where women are often staying with their children. Giving back to the community is the core of why Wyne wanted to create the Ramadan market event.

I want people to know that Ramadan, its not about all of the extra things, she said. I know we like to focus on decor and the presents and all that, but its really about family and community coming together ... really focusing on that spiritual aspect and charity. And theres so many ways to teach those things to our kids, living here in Canada. We are one unified community.

Even if it doesnt always feel that way. Since she started wearing the head scarf three or four years ago, Wyne, who grew up in Burlington, noticed she was experiencing more racist encounters. She says she can laugh it off, but she fears for our kids and for people who might be new to the country who see those racial comments.

I just want the (non-Muslim) community to know that were people, and we just want to be able to express ourselves and our beautiful religion just like they have the opportunity to.

The market will be open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and members of the Muslim community and non-Muslim community alike are encouraged to come. Wyne hopes that it could be the start of a greater tradition, where kids can grow up being excited for the Ramadan market every year, so that they feel a very true identity as a Canadian Muslim.

Im already thinking about next year and how were going to make this bigger.

With files from Bryann Aguilar

Read more about:A 23-year-old man is facing three charges including attempted murder after a stabbing in a North York shopping complex on Tuesday.

Police were called to the area of Empress Walk, near Yonge St. and Sheppard Ave. W. around 7 p.m. When emergency services arrived, a 22-year-old man was found with multiple stab wounds.

He was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Police have arrested and charged Birhan Imam with attempted murder, aggravated assault and carrying a concealed weapon.

Imam is scheduled to appear in a Toronto court on May 24.

Investigators are asking for any witnesses who were in the Princess Park and Doris Ave. area around 6 p.m. to contact police.Cassandra Marroccoli should be spending her weekdays with patients, conducting physical exams, diagnosing ailments and prescribing medications under the eye of a supervisor.

The masters student in York Universitys nurse practitioner program was supposed to begin her final semester, an intensive 12-week clinical placement, two weeks ago and was on target to finish in August. She had even enrolled in a prep course for her licensing exams in October.

But those plans are up in the air as a result of a strike by 3,000 York contract faculty, teaching and research assistants that began March 5. Now wrapping up its 10th week, it is threatening to become the longest in the history of a university that has a reputation for tumultuous labour disputes, with five strikes in the last two decades.

That leaves Marroccoli and roughly 25 classmates, who should have started final placements, on hold as the strike drags on with no resolution in sight.

Everythings a question mark, says Marroccoli, 28, of Oakville, who has a part-time position as an IV nurse at a periodontal practice but cant seek more work hours until she knows the status of her program.

I dont know whether I will be graduating, I dont know if financially I can support myself. I dont feel supported by anyone.

About 50,000 York students have been affected by the strike and for many undergraduates its the second interruption, coming only three years after the 2015 disruption.

Now they face the prospect of delays across the board  for graduation, internships and other work placements, as well as applications to graduate school or other academic programs.

Students in nursing and other programs with workplace components, from engineering and international development to social work and law, are also at risk of losing opportunities.

The stakes are particularly high for the nurse practitioner group, who say if they cant start delayed placements in the next couple of weeks, theyre out of luck for a whole year. Their next shot wont be until the summer of 2019, which means putting off licensing exams and employment.

Were caught in the middle and honestly we feel so helpless, says Adriana Trpevska, a Mississauga mother of two young boys, who is picking up occasional shifts in a nursing home while she waits.

At this point we dont know who to turn to, says Trpevska, 34. We feel like sitting ducks.

Among key issues for striking members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3903 is job security, including the ability of contract faculty to move into full-time positions.

The impact of the strike on students prompted the Liberal government to try to introduce back-to-work legislation last Monday before the legislature was dissolved for the election campaign. But that move was thwarted by the NDP.

It came just days after a scathing report from William Kaplan, an investigator appointed by the province who concluded that arbitration is the only way to resolve the clash between two sides with completely different world views and academic aspirations.

Following the failed effort at back-to-work legislation, York U issued a new offer that expired Thursday. The union rejected it but asked for a chance to meet and present its own revised terms. As of Friday, the university had not agreed to the proposal, said Julian Arend, a vice president of CUPE 3903.

York has repeatedly pushed for arbitration, but the union insists on bargaining.

On Friday, groups representing faculty and students held a news conference demanding York return to the bargaining table, stressing the anxiety and uncertainty the labour strife has caused.

The fallout for students has been a mounting concern for professors like Rose Steele from the faculty of nursing.

Ive been at York since 2000 so Ive lived through four strikes and this is the worst in terms of the impact on our students, Steele said in an interview. Its going to be very hard to catch up.

The timing has meant interruptions to two semesters. Shortly after it began, the union blamed York administration for creating stress and chaos by not suspending all classes, even though striking instructors teach about 60 per cent of the course work. Many undergraduate classes were cancelled, and in order to attend those still in session students had to cross picket lines. Even more confusing, professors and departments made their own decisions on how to proceed.

There are typically about 1,200 students from all nursing programs in clinical placements each term, ranging from full-time positions to one day a week and requiring a lot of advance co-ordination and the oversight of York course directors, who are mostly CUPE members, Steele said.

Its not that you can just say well, whenever the strikes over well send the students. It does not work.

Steele is one of three York professors who crafted an online statement that calls for the school and its academic labour unions to negotiate non-strike clauses in their collective agreements, so that future irreconcilable differences would be settled through binding arbitration.

The statement on the Concernedprofs website, signed by more than 225 faculty, has been criticized by many CUPE supporters as being anti-union, but Steele calls it pro student.

It argues that labour disruptions have caused immeasurable damage to the university and that students who are paying for an education and planning their futures should not be used as hostages and pawns.

York has provided options to help undergraduates complete their courses, such as being graded on what work they handed in prior to the strike, or the option of being given a pass or fail for work to date. The school is also providing tuition credits for courses dropped as a result of the strike which can be used for next year.

We share students frustration in this situation, York president Rhonda Lenton said in an interview Friday.

Convocations are proceeding, she said. We expect the great majority of those students who are eligible to be able to graduate.

But CUPEs Arend warned that without a resolution, theres a risk of courses being cancelled in the fall because there wont be professors or teaching assistants to teach them.

Theres not much we can say to students (except) we are trying to get a settlement done and they (York) are not helping either you or us, he said.

Amid the uncertainty, Neckishia Rowe of Brampton says shes having a hard time envisioning her future as a nurse practitioner.

Rowe, 30, earned a nursing degree at Ryerson University, and took a leave of absence from her job at Princess Margaret Hospital to work casual shifts while at York.

Ive put my entire life on hold for three years to complete the program, she says. But now shes waiting in limbo.Feeling stressed and want to blow off some steam? Sites throughout the GTA and across Canada will be holding events all day May 12th for the Science Rendezvous Festival.

This festival kicks off Science Odyssey, a week-long celebration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM.

The theme this year is Full STEAM Ahead, with the extra A standing for art. Last years event brought in more than 30,000 people from around the GTA.

Universities, colleges and other locations around the GTA will be holding free events and street festivals Saturday to show families the fun that STEM can bring.

Ryerson University (10 a.m.  4 p.m.) Learn how to build circuits with lights, alarms and flying saucers, or discover the magic and physics of infinity mirrors!

University of Toronto, St. George campus (11 a.m.  4 p.m.) Explore the mutant flies, glowing bacteria, virtual reality archaeology, life-sized droids and much more.

Toronto Zoo (10 a.m.  3 p.m.) Come spend the day with scientists from the University of Toronto-Scarborough and student leaders from Lets Talk Science  and, of course, the animals!

University of Ontario Institute of Technology & Durham College (10 a.m.  3 p.m.) Make a mini-hovercraft and race it on different surfaces to explore friction, or solve a CSI Oshawa mystery using forensic techniques.

York University at Main Street Markham Farmers Market (10 a.m.  3 p.m.) Science Rendezvous will be combined with the grand opening of the annual Farmers Market.

George Brown College, St. James Campus (10 a.m.  2:30 p.m.) See how scientists test your food, then take your own test to see how your taste buds react.

Bridgepoint Healthcare (12 p.m.  4 p.m.) Youll be able to extract your very own DNA, control a robotic claw with your brain and construct edible neuron models.

The Science Odyssey website includes details on other events happening across Canada throughout the week, such as contests, hands-on activities, festivals and fairs.An anybody-but-Ford movement is percolating as the June 7 election draws closer, with Kathleen Wynnes Liberals at the biggest risk of being left behind, suggests a poll provided to the Star.

Swaths of Liberal and NDP voters most firmly opposed to Doug Ford are preparing to switch allegiance if the other party appears to have a better chance of stopping his Progressive Conservatives, said Craig Worden, president of Pollara Strategic Insights.

The likelihood is stronger in Toronto than in the rest of the province and is a red flag to the Liberals because they have a higher percentage of voters motivated mainly by anti-Ford sentiments than Andrea Horwaths New Democrats, Worden added.

Read more:

Opinion | Martin Regg Cohn: The campaigns behind the Ontario 2018 campaign

Ford spars over immigration with Wynne and Horwath at northern debate

Opinion | Rosie DiManno: A grieving mothers letter to Doug Ford

The Liberals may stand to lose many ridings in their base of Toronto.

Overall, the poll conducted May 3 and 4 found Ford ahead with the support of 40 per cent of decided voters to 30 per cent for the NDP and 23 per cent for Wynne, as has been previously reported.

A further breakdown of the results shows that province-wide, 60 per cent of NDP voters motivated to back Horwath by their opposition to Ford said they are likely to switch to the Liberals if necessary, while 78 per cent of Liberal voters were ready to back New Democrat candidates.

The percentages are higher in the provinces largest city.

It really stood out that, in Toronto, (of) the anti-Ford voters who are Liberals, 84 per cent said theyre likely to switch to the NDP if it means they look like theyre going to be the most likely to stop Doug Ford, Worden said. And 92 per cent of the NDP feel the same. But the thing is, the Liberals have a bigger chunk of voters who are anti-Ford than the NDP.

Among Liberal voters, 46 per cent said they were driven by anti-Ford feelings, while just 26 per cent of NDP voters described themselves the same way.

If these numbers were to hold, and voters switch to the NDP from the Liberals, that would allow the PCs to gain seats in a city where theyve been effectively shut out since the Harris days, Worden said.

Ford, who took aim at Horwath before a leaders debate Friday in Parry Sound, is promising income tax cuts along with a $6-billion cut in government spending.

You think Kathleen Wynnes bad? Shell even be worse . Everyone remembers the dreaded NDP years  destroyed the province, raised taxes, literally destroyed the economy. We dont want that to happen again, Ford said in reference to the Bob Rae government, which was mired in the recession from 1990 to 1995.

Both the Liberals and New Democrats are trying to position themselves as the best alternative for progressive voters worried about the future of government services such as health, education and child care.

Wynnes rallying cry has been care, not cuts while Horwath notes people want change this time around. And it becomes very clear, then, that the choice for change is between Mr. Ford or myself. And Mr Ford will absolutely drag this province backwards.

The Pollara poll was an online survey of 1,011 Ontarians who identified themselves as eligible to vote in the election. Pollara said a sampling frame and statistical weighting were applied to the survey to ensure the samples regional, age, and gender composition accurately reflected that of the Ontario population according to the most recent Census.

Because the sample is not a probability sample, a margin of error cannot be applied to the survey. As a general guideline, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20. Regional and demographic sub-segments of the total sample carry larger margins of error, with the Toronto sample at plus or minus 6.4 per cent.

Read more about:After weeks of speculation it's finally been announced - tiny little Singapore will host the historic Trump-Kim Jong-un summit. The "little red dot" beat the DMZ, Mongolia and even Beijing as a place for the meeting to be held. As BBC writes in an article "Why North Korea's Kim Jong-un feels comfortable with Singapore", President Trump has shown that you don't need China - North Korea's most important trading partner - to talk to Pyongyang.

There aren't many countries North Korea has done business with. Singapore is high on the list, coming in at number eight in 2016, but that only made up 0.2% of the North's trade. Up until late last year, Singapore was still trading some goods with North Korea, and it was only recently that visa-free travel between the two stopped. Singapore is one of the few countries that still hosts a North Korean embassy and, despite UN sanctions, at least two Singaporean companies have allegedly continued to do business with North Korea as I found during an investigation earlier in the year - allegations the two firms deny.

Meanwhile, ships carrying cargo between Pyongyang and Singapore often go unchecked or unpatrolled, partly because of a lack of close monitoring by Singapore authorities, as the Washington Post reported in 2016.

But it's more than that. The Kims themselves feel extremely comfortable here, according to intelligence sources I've spoken with. It is a country they feel safe in. They used to have bank accounts here, and also are believed to have come here for medical tests. "The DPRK [North Korea] and Singapore have close economic and diplomatic ties," says Michael Madden of the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

Singapore's ministry of foreign affairs has said to me on past occasions when I've reported on North Korean activities in Singapore, that the city state has banned its financial institutions from providing financial assistance or services for facilitating any trade with North Korea.

Singapore is neutral territory

There are other non-economic reasons why Singapore could be attractive. As Ankit Panda of The Diplomat points out, one reason why Singapore would be acceptable to Kim Jong-un is because it is a "non-party, non signatory state to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court", so in theory there's no danger of the North Korean leader being drawn into human rights abuse cases while he's here. Singapore is also unlikely to be the scene of protests against Kim or Trump - it is after all, a one-party state, a country where public assemblies without a police permit are banned. There's also a historical precedent: in 2015 Singapore played host to another high profile but potentially controversial meeting - between China's and Taiwan's leaders.

America's ally - and China's too

It's not easy being a geopolitical player in the current climate. It means having to deal with a volatile American leader and navigate the rise of China too. But Singapore has done a fairly decent job of both, notwithstanding some missteps. "Geopolitics in the age of Trump is highly complex to say the least," as Dheeraj Bharwani, an independent wealth manager in the city state told me. "Singapore being chosen is testament to its deft bridge building with all major players - the US, China and North Korea." Singapore's deft diplomacy in playing both sides isn't the only thing going for it. It's known in the region as the banker to Asean - by that I mean a safe, discreet place where you can do business and not that many questions will be asked about what you're up to - as long as you stick to the spirit of Singapore's legal framework. But while previous US administrations like the Clinton or Obama White House may have tried to persuade Singapore to stop doing business with Pyongyang altogether, ironically it is the close links between the two sides that may have helped cement Singapore as the choice of venue. Ultimately, Singapore is where international business deals increasingly take place in the region.

So don't think of this meeting between Pyongyang and Washington as just a political meeting. Think of it as a business negotiation, led by two of the biggest deal-makers on the global political scene right now - with Singapore playing the role of arbitrator, and a glamorous host.Duncan Macpherson, Canadas most celebrated political cartoonist, died 25 years ago this month. He and I first met in 1971 during the FLQ trials. Dunc was in Montreal doing courtroom sketches for the Toronto Star; I was doing the same for the Montreal Star. At the end of one session, several of us piled into a cab headed down to the Montreal Press Club. Crime reporter Paul Dubois, a character in his own right, introduced us. Duncan, said Paul mischievously, Id like you to meet our new guy, Aislin.

Well, well, well, said Macpherson in that surprisingly high-pitched voice of his. Can I buy you a drink? A dozen brandies later, I was under the table. Macpherson leaned down and said to me, Get a haircut, punk! (My hair was a little longer then.)

From that point onward, whenever I was in Toronto through the 70s and early 80s, Id get together with Duncan, usually at Torontos Press Club. In essence, he became my professional mentor. Mind you, Macpherson could be a pain in the butt when he drank: heavy-handed, arrogant and a troublemaker. He openly acknowledged these tendencies, but insisted I was even worse. After I quit drinking in the 1980s, I never saw Duncan again. He also stopped drinking not long after I did and lived a quiet life with his wife, Dorothy, in Beaverton, Ont., until he passed away.

Macpherson was born in Toronto in 1924. He joined the RCAF in 41 and served in England, where he familiarized himself with British political cartooning. After the war, he studied graphic arts, first at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and then at the Ontario College of Art, graduating in 1951. He very quickly became a first-rate illustrator for a number of magazines. Pierre Berton was then managing editor at Macleans, but when he moved to the Toronto Star in 1958, he talked Macpherson into trying his hand at political cartooning for the newspapers editorial page.

Duncans success was instantaneous. His portrayals of the glad-handers, puppets and sketchy characters to be found in municipal, provincial, federal and international politics were enormously popular with the Stars readers. Before Macpherson came on the scene, Canadian cartoonists styles were influenced by the fashion south of the border. Macphersons brushwork was bold, inventive and unique, a new direction for cartooning in English Canada.

He was the first to hire an agent to negotiate his salary. (He helped me do the same shortly after we met.) Being apolitical, he insisted on having the freedom to express his 360-degree vision by striking out at the right, the left and the centre  or whoever else attracted his attention. He did this without confining himself to the editorial viewpoint of the Star.

Recognizing his popularity, the newspaper was extremely accommodating, even putting up with the occasional mischief  like the time he went to the lobby and painted moustaches on the portraits of former Star potentates!

Duncan also got to satisfy his wanderlust, setting out on occasion to see the rest of Canada and the world. The Star benefited, receiving beautifully detailed sketchbooks from Parliament Hill, Cuba, Russia, China and other interesting places.

Once Macphersons cartoons started to be published in annual collections, the honours quickly followed. He received a record-setting number of National Newspaper Awards in his day and was also the first cartoonist to be inducted into the Order of Canada.

The recognition of Duncans importance to Canadian cartooning continues to this day. This Saturday evening in Toronto, Duncan Macpherson will be inducted posthumously into the Giants of the North Hall of Fame, as part of the 2018 Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning. I will be honoured to present the award to Ian Macpherson, Duncans son.

Dorothy Macpherson, Duncans widow, is still with us. I know she must continue to be very proud of her Dunc.

Terry Mosher a.k.a. Aislin is a cartoonist for the Montreal Gazette.

Read more about:John Torys lack of mayoral rivals shows Toronto needs a shakeup, James, May 6

I am one of the seven or so would-be Davids Royson James dismisses who are taking on John Tory for mayor, likely because we are not already famous. It is a bit premature to call the race over, since nominations are open until July 27  after the provincial election.

Regardless, the solutions James offers are not likely to have much impact. Political parties might be a cure worse than the disease. There will still be safe council seats but it could be much like federal and provincial politics, where ridings with government MPs and MPPs get more spending and benefits than other ridings.

Also, in Toronto, the suburbs are to the political right, and the core is generally to the left, so likely we would see party splits along the same lines as it has been under mayors Tory and Rob Ford.

This urban/suburban division was not as bad when we had the six cities or boroughs, instead of the megacity, as each of the six lower tier governments were more politically uniform. We need a major reform of the political structure then-premier Mike Harris forced on us more than 20 years ago. Replacing the megacity structure is one of my major issues.

A big problem is that candidates running to be mayor in any city in Ontario can spend only $25,000 of their own money. In a small town, that would fund the entire campaign. But, in Toronto, the spending limit is $1.4 million  a level few people could raise today. This is the most expensive race in Canada.

In the end, we need council or the province to restructure Torontos political structure so it is more democratic and able to function better.

Toronto was better governed prior to 1998. We cant go back and re-incorporate the old cities but we can come up with something far better than the dysfunctional mess we have had, which sees 48 people trying to talk on many topics at council meetings that have hundreds of items on the agenda.

I decided to run out of my frustration with planning, transit and other issues. Toronto and the GTA has been growing faster than we can cope with. Even if I dont win, I hope to influence the debate so this city remains the great place to live it has been and I want it to continue to be.

Brian Graff, candidate for mayor, Toronto

Read more about:Racism is part of Canadas character, Paradkar, May 10

Given what we now know about the incident at a Dennys in Alberta, we could also say that drunkenness is part of Canadas character.

I am not shocked by Shree Paradkars insight but I believe racism is part of the national character in virtually every country in the world. We should not be surprised by an attribute that, in its ethnic, racial or religious form, exists in virtually every country in the world.

Bruce Couchman, Ottawa

Shree Paradkars column really got me thinking. If an Islamic extremist carries out a terror attack, commits an honour killing or stones a gay person to death, we are told by our progressive media figures that it has nothing to do with Islam and doesnt in any way reflect on anyone else. Muslims owe no apologies and need not engage in any critical self-reflection of themselves, their community or their religion.

Fair enough. Yet when some idiot makes racist remarks at a Dennys restaurant in Alberta, suddenly we are told this is part of our culture, both systemically and individually.

Arguably it is to some degree. Canada is very tolerant by world standards, yet certainly isnt perfect. But why is it Islamophobic to suggest extremism, misogyny and homophobia is part of Islamic culture?

Jan Burton, Toronto

Once again, Shree Paradkar finds an instance of racism in Canada and uses it to make her case that racism is part of Canadas character.

Undoubtedly an open act of racism did occur at a Dennys in Alberta. An overtly sensitive woman misconceiving a slight from another person, not fitting her Canadian profile stereotype, resulted in her very mean-spirited racist rant at an innocent man. No one denies those are the facts.

So Paradkars reporting on this race issue is commendable. The wrongs of society when it comes to addressing racial injustice need to be identified in order to be corrected.

But to extrapolate from the specific to the general  from one racist incident by one Canadian into a charge that all Canadians are racists  doesnt address the real problem of racism but perpetuates more imagined versions of it.

Indeed, one racist Canadian resented the presence of one imagined Syrian in Canada when in fact he is from Afghanistan. But the rest of Canada tolerated the resettlement of 25,000 real Syrian refugees between Nov. 4, 2015 and Feb. 29, 2016.

Imagined racism is as dangerous as the real racism. Surely blaming and shaming all Canadians for the misbehaviour of one is racist.

Tony DAndrea, Toronto

The unfortunate woman whose ugly tirade in a Dennys is currently making the rounds had clearly been drinking.This in no way excuses her remarks, but it does offer some perspective.

Nightly, in bars across this country, politically incorrect vulgarities are hurled about with abandon. For the most part, they are throwaway comments that are forgotten within minutes. But post a surreptitiously shot video of the offence and an aggrieved audience is guaranteed.

I am an immigrant to Canada and have on occasion been told to Go back home to Australia. Perhaps Im just hopelessly thick-skinned, but its not a comment I take much umbrage with. If, on the other hand, someone were to tell me that I needed to Ask to talk, then I know Id be offended.

Mick Welch, TorontoApologies bring new life to old wrongs, Teitel, May 10

Emma Teitel makes a good point when she says formal apologies may be most useful not for the oppressed, but for the clueless.

She is writing about the prime ministers proposed apology for the Canadian refusal to give Jewish refugees from Nazism aboard the St. Louis in 1939 a safe harbour. Although the apology does little to right the wrong (254 of the 907 passengers were murdered in German concentration camps), it perhaps will give those who oppose the settlement of Syrian refugees second thought.

Even after the war and the concentration camps were liberated, even after the world knew beyond a doubt that Jews had been murdered in the millions, Canadian government policy was a resounding no to Jewish immigration  afraid that somehow Canadian values and way of life would be contaminated by the presence to so many non-conforming refugees.

Similar fears exist today and so some of us want to ban refugees whose very lives are in jeopardy. Perhaps by shining a light on our past wrongs, the prime minister is trying to teach some clueless members of our society a lesson. I, for one, hope its learned.Pick your premier, May 9

Kudos for providing a clear analysis of the platforms of the four provincial parties. Its hard to glean any real information from the bluster we sometimes hear. Now people can take a look at the experience these leaders have and what they are going to focus on if elected.

Three of the parties have viable platforms but the Tories do not seem to be able to articulate any persuasive actions they will take to improve peoples lives.

I support a carbon tax in order to reduce our emissions. I do not need a tax cut but I do need to know that those who are struggling can get the support they need in child care, pharmacare and decent wages. And reopening the sex-education curriculum is like taking us back to the age of dinosaurs.

Bonnie Bacvar, North York

I am watching in horror and disbelief as Ontario careens towards the same dismal, dangerous and disgraceful politics of the U.S. We know what a horrific turn toward isolationist, racist, anti-environmental and bullying strategies the U.S. has taken under the so-called presidency of an unbalanced and dangerous man.

Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne is the only choice. She may not be great, but I would vote for absolutely anyone over PC Leader Doug Ford.

Ford is a known bully and is both arrogant and ignorant. He knows nothing of provincial politics. He will run this province in a haphazard and self-aggrandizing manner, which will do nothing for the people, the environment or the economy.

I, for one, plan on getting involved and knocking on doors to spread the word that to elect Ford is to emulate the shocking and frightening politics of the U.S.

R. Walton, Guelph, Ont.

For the first time in 45 years I find myself intending to vote for the NDP, as the least-objectionable of the major parties. I dont agree with their policies but figure they can do the least amount of damage in power.

James Steward, Toronto

Health care has always been a hot topic during election time. Do our politicians really hear the people of Ontario? We have an election in just four weeks and Im still not convinced any of them will improve our health-care system.

The Liberals have destroyed our once-envious health care. I would like to know why my loved one has to sit on a waiting list for six to 12 months, hoping not to die, because our Liberal government will only fund a certain number of transaortic valve insertions per year?

Our amazing doctors have their hands tied by this government. The candidate who can promise my loved one his procedure within a month wins my vote.

Debbie Burden, Thornhill

The current Ontario sex-education curriculum is middle of the pack of provincial sex-ed curriculums. Why is this a problem for Doug Ford?

Scott Heaslip, Stouffville

Ontario has gone through this before: tax cuts and a promise of more efficient government. That PC party closed hospitals, laid off nurses, broke up Ontario Hydro, leased Hwy. 407 for 99 years to cover the deficit and delayed transit improvement for years.

Where is the policy to improve the daily lives of the little people?

Allan Mc Pherson, Newmarket

The adage that says you should vote for the candidate you think will do the least harm is not so easy when the choice is between Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne and PC Leader Doug Ford.

Big spender Wynne throws our tax money around as if it grows on trees. Flip-flop Ford takes his own china shop with him wherever he goes.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is looking more like a winner every day, but she should tread carefully and remember what happened to Bob Rae.

William Bedford, Newmarket

I just got wind about the provincial election, not that it really matters up here in Kirkland Lake. Our riding has been changed again, so that Toronto can have an MPP on practically every street corner.

My riding now is Timiskaming-Cochrane, covering an area of 39,864 square kilometres. There are no advance polls in Kirkland Lake yet. The closest one is in New Liskeard, an hour or so to the south.

On the same day PC Leader Doug Ford told us he would spend $5 billion to expand Torontos subway system, were wondering if we can even have a transit bus up here in Kirkland Lake. But hey, who cares about Northern Ontario? Certainly not Ford. Certainly not Elections Ontario.

The good news is I can take it easy on Election Day and not worry about getting to the polls. Toronto will decide the election with its ridings at every street corner. The rest of us can just stay home.

Jeff Wilkinson, Kirkland Lake, Ont.

We need public supports, services for all, Opinion, May 8

Thank you for the reminder of the value of public services paid for by tax dollars. This Liberal government is truly a progressive one, spending public dollars for the benefits of all Ontarians.

I am glad that Kathleen Wynnes government boosted the minimum wage, which is essentially transferring some of the wealth from businesses to Ontarians who need it most. Finally, we have a leader who is willing to implement policies that benefit all Ontarians: lower hydro fees, free drug coverage for more Ontarians, more public child care.

We can afford all these services and more if business is made to pay its fair share. We have been giving too much to business in tax cuts and it is time we asked them to either create the jobs they promised or give back the tax cuts.

Salmon Lee, Mississauga

Read more about:VANCOUVERFor the first time, professionals across the province from the fields of education, law enforcement, government and social work came together to find ways to improve youth mental health. The first School Community Mental Health Conference, held on Thursday and Friday in Richmond, aimed to break down the silos of how these different fields address youth mental health. It concluded with updates from the ministries of health, education, and child and family development on how they were addressing mental health.

During her closing address, Judy Darcy, minister for mental health and addictions, gave an emotional speech on how more needed to be done for young people with mental illness who were falling through the cracks of mental health services.

In this province we still have a duty that we are failing at a fundamental level, said Darcy.

She spoke about meeting with parents of a young teen who had died of an overdose before the age of 16, after being rejected by multiple programs and services. She said that the overdose crisis has been a stress test on the provinces mental health system, highlighting resources that have been pushed to the limit in trying to deal with the crisis, and the children that get left behind.

After years of neglect is it very clear that we have some very big gaps, she said.

In B.C. 2.3 per cent of students have mental-illness or behaviour designations in their school  but the students with school designations are only a fraction of the approximately one in eight school-aged children in B.C. that experience one or more mental-health disorders.

Darcy said that she is working to build a provincial Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions Plan, based on community feedback and meetings that will be happening throughout 2018. It is part of effort to create an overarching Mental Health and Addictions Strategy for the entire province. Both are slated to be completed in early 2019.

Minister of education Rob Fleming also announced a plan to expand on the anti-bullying strategy Expect Respect and a Safe Education (ERASE) program, to include more aspects of mental health like social media use and sexual orientation and identity.

Jennifer McCrea, assistant deputy at the Ministry of Education, also brought attention to the need for educators and youth workers to know when a child comes from a troubled background or is in care, especially for Indigenous students. McCrea said that social workers can support educators to better understand a childs emotional wwell-beingand identify ones that may be at-risk.

We have to look at where the child is coming from, and their families, and look at residential school trauma, McCrea said.

Cherise Seucharan is a Vancouver-based reporter covering health and safety/youth. Follow her on Twitter: @cseucharan

Read more about:VANCOUVERPolice dogs in British Columbia bit 23 unintended people in a single year, representing an approximately 5 per cent error rate among police dog bites, according to the provincial government.

The latest data, from 2016, showed 427 people were bitten in B.C. But the unintended people who were bitten is what concerns legal advocates such as lawyer Doug King.

Some of these cases can be life changing, he said, describing one hes encountered where an 87-year-old grandmother was mistakenly targeted by a police dog in Vancouver, and another where a man had his leg torn up after chasing off a trespasser in front of his home.

The damage done to his leg was catastrophic, King said. They straight up bit the wrong person. Those are the ones that really demand an explanation for why that would have happened.

According to the data, 14 of the 23 unintended people bitten by police dogs were officers themselves. Six of these incidents happened under the watch of Vancouver Police Department, eight were from the RCMP.

Vancouver police Cst. Jason Doucette said to his knowledge, none of the bitten officers suffered injuries that would have affected their employment. In 2016, the department deployed its police dogs 2,032 times. Just over a quarter of those times, the dog was deployed in the course of an arrest.

We wouldnt have to use our police dogs if criminals or others didnt run and try to avoid apprehension, Doucette said.

In that year, 175 people were bitten by Vancouver police dogs.

Staff Sgt. Grant Hignell works for the RCMP depot that trains all dogs for the British Columbia Mounties, including those with the Lower Mainland integrated unit that has dogs from RCMP, Abbotsford, Delta, Port Moody and New Westminster Police. In 2016, dogs under the authority of the RCMP were deployed 7,933 times, with 234 of those cases resulting in someone being bitten.

A person whos not supposed to be the subject of the contact how could they get involved? They could simply walk in front of the dog around a corner as the dog is deploying, Hignell said. The officer may move in to try and assist with the arrest without being told to move in ... I dont know exactly whats going on at that time.

Hignell said, as a trainer, the number of unintentional bites in B.C. would be considered extremely low. He said dogs are typically trained in three stages for up to 85 days, depending on the experience of the dog handler.

The three stages include working in fields and rural areas, in town settings and finally urban residential settings where the likelihood of encountering passersby is high. Only 17 per cent of dogs pass this training.

The RCMP across Canada and the Vancouver Police train their dogs to bite and hold rather than bark and hold. The significant difference is that bite and hold dogs are trained to immediately engage after being deployed, unless called off by its handler. Bark and hold dogs, meanwhile, are trained to bark first  and only bite if the suspect makes aggressive movement. These dogs are often used for large open area deployment, such as border patrol.

B.C. government implemented a requirement in late 2015 that police must provide the number of times they used police dogs for tracking suspects, apprehending by bite or display, searches for missing people, searches for drugs, explosives and firearms, evidence, crowd control and community relations.

Police forces are now working to meet a May 31 deadline to provide last years data on dog services.

Read more about:VANCOUVERThe names David and Dorothy Lam are often seen on buildings and landmarks around Vancouver. Many might know David Lam as the first Asian Canadian lieutenant-governor. Some might know them as a modest couple who made an impact on education throughout the city.

Just about anybody who has heard of them will know the Lams as an example of immigrants who were able to break barriers, Chinese-born immigrants who made a name and a place for themselves in Vancouver after they arrived in 1967.

The pair are being featured along with 95 other British Columbians of Chinese descent as part of a book titled Celebration: Chinese Canadian Legacies in British Columbia, that the government announced Friday it is introducing into school libraries across B.C., in an effort to educate youth about Chinese culture and history in the province.

David Choi, a family friend of the late David Lam, said he remembers the many teachings Lam imparted to the community. He recalls Lam, who immigrated to Canada at 44 from Hong Kong with his wife Dorothy and three daughters, telling people its not just the big donor that owns the stage, it is everybody doing their part. Thats how communities work.

Read more:

Experts say Vancouver must prepare for a new kind of emergency  gentrification

Pop-up shops boost Vancouver entrepreneurs squeezed out by high rents

Longtime Vancouver artist launches residency in Chinatown as city apologizes for historical discrimination

After he arrived in Vancouver, Lam, who was a banker in Hong Kong, spent roughly six years attending night school to earn his real estate licence while working in the industry. During that time, the residential housing market was slow so he switched to property development. Within a dozen years, according to the book, he had amassed a fortune by matching investors in Hong Kong with business opportunities in Canada and the U.S.

He is someone who can walk with kings and queens, Choi said, and be equally comfortable with everyday common people. Choi recalls Lam, as B.C.s first Chinese-Canadian lieutenant-governor in 1988, hosting Queen Elizabeth at Government House, but despite hosting heads of state and royalty, he remained genuine and compassionate towards all.

Gordon Quan, also featured in the book, was born in Cumberland on Vancouver Island in 1926. Before the Canadian Army permitted non-white recruits, Quan fundraised for relief efforts in China when it was under attack by the Japanese. By 18, he joined the Canadian Army and was deployed to England and assigned to India and Burma and became a member of a small team of demolition experts and blew up bridges, rail lines, ammunition and fuel depots.

Quans son Tony said despite his fathers experience in the war, he likes to joke about the time when he came closest to death was crossing the streets in England and looking in the wrong direction.

Teresa Wat, the former minister responsible for multiculturalism, said she spearheaded the project, hoping it would continue recognizing the legacy of Chinese-Canadians after the apology. As a former journalist, she said she hopes these individual stories will resonate with young British Columbians.

Read more about:ALTON  Tourism is every bit as important as other businesses and National Travel and Tourism Week highlights that fact.

Tourism is at the heart of our businesses, Argosy Casino General Manager Joelle Shearin told business leaders seated in the Argosy Casino Music Hall at the National Travel and Tourism Week Rally, sponsored by the Alton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau and Argosy Casino Alton.

Riverbend businesses in four counties reached $500,000 in tourism revenue for the region in the last fiscal year.

We are celebrating our industry and each and every one of you in this room were integral to making a difference. Together we hit that mark, Alton Regional CVB chief executive officer and President Brett Stawar said last week during National Travel and Tourism Week, in reference to Madison, Jersey, Macoupin and Calhoun counties businesses. We want our tourism to be the best and funnest and know it will be.

KLOU 103.3s Billy Greenwood rallied the room, touting most of the regions upcoming planned events, including Alton Little Theaters recent production Camelot, the biggest show the community theater group has ever done; BBQ, Brews and Bluegrass Family Festival and Car Show hosted by the St. Louis BBQ Society, giving away $11,000 in prize money and featuring the Harman Family Bluegrass Band, of Shipman, at Lions Club City Park in Jerseyville; Blue Carpet Corridor Festival - Miners, Mobsters & the Mother Road at Edwardsvilles City Park; Two Rivers Family Fishing Fair in Grafton; An Evening with Mickey Gilley at the Historic Boat Works at The Loading Dock in Grafton; Deluxe Corp.s Small Business Revolution Wrap Party in June; the Beach Boys at Altons Liberty Bank Amphitheater, for which tickets now are on sale; and, Altons All-Star Restaurant Week, sponsored by the Alton Regional CVB, in July.

National Travel and Tourism Week took place the week of May 6 and celebrates the contributions and accomplishments of the U.S. travel community. The annual tradition brings industry professionals together to highlight the value of travel and consider the broad impact it holds for communities across the country. A congressional resolution established National Travel and Tourism Week 35 years ago. This years theme, Travel Then and Now, challenged industry leaders to reflect on travel successes of years past, while advocating for policies that promote future growth.

In the last year, Illinois tourism generated $37.3 billion in spending; $6.8 billion in tax receipts; and, provided 316,855 jobs.

The national nonprofit U.S. Travel Association promotes National Travel and Tourism Week and advocates on behalf of the collective travel industry within the United States. It ensures that the concerns and interests of the travel community, and all those employed by it, are effectively represented within the legislative process.

Reach Jill Moon at 618-208-6448 and Twitter @jill_moon.Turkey will continue trade with Iran while complying with UN resolutions, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said Friday. As Daily Sabah writes in an article "Turkey to continue trade with Iran complying UN resolutions, economy minister says", speaking at the official Anadolu Agency's Editors' Desk in the capital Ankara, Zeybekci stated Turkey had "more extensive" economic ties with Iran, including energy imports from Tehran. Responding to a question regarding U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of a U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday, Zeybekci said Turkey would continue to do trade with Iran.

"It is an opportunity for Turkey. We will continue to have trade with Iran while complying with the UN resolutions on nuclear activities," he added. Zeybekci emphasized that Turkey's position was clear on Iran, which was a "friendly and brother" country for Ankara. "We believe in this: The stronger Iran gets in this region, the stronger Turkey becomes as well, and the stronger Turkey becomes, the stronger Iran gets as well," he said.

Trump on Tuesday pulled the U.S. out of the landmark nuclear deal that world powers struck in 2015 with Iran. The 2015 pact placed unprecedented restrictions on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from international sanctions, but Trump has long railed against it, repeatedly calling it the "worst deal" he has ever seen. All of the U.S.' negotiating partners -- the UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and the EU -- agree that maintaining the accord is the best way to reign in Iran's nuclear program.

Trade in local currency

Zeybekci said Turkey's foreign trade in local currency terms stood around 9 percent. "We aim to increase its share to 15 percent." He said the government was seeking to finance the current account deficit of $15-20 billion with Turkish liras. "I think we will exceed 10 percent by the end of this year," he added. Zeybekci also stressed that it was "important" to use the Turkish lira as the reserve currency, saying: "If you are dependent on foreign currencies, such as dollar and euro, you will be vulnerable to speculative movements. Therefore, our work on this is rapidly progressing." Regarding Turkey's deals regarding trade in local currencies with Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Korea and Venezuela, Zeybekci said: "The official basis with Russia is ready." Zeybekci said the agreement with Moscow would enable Russian tourists to Turkey to pay in ruble while Turkey would be purchasing in Turkish liras for the same amount.

Turkey is "strong" in terms of economic depth and volume, Zeybekci said, adding that the country had no problems in terms of overall economic balances. "Turkey, with its GDP of around $900 billion, is strong in terms of economic depth and volume," he said. "It is obvious that Turkey sustained a certain degree of damage by the movements of [global] financial markets but no one should expect [Turkey] to be devastated, to be extremely affected in terms of economy," he added. Zeybekci also said holding early elections on June 24 came as a relief for financial markets and reduced speculative risk. He expects that Turkey will grow by 6 percent in 2018.

Turkey's economy grew by 7.4 percent in 2017, compared to the previous year, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).ALTON  Alton police Friday morning assisted U.S. Marshals Service deputies in arresting a fugitive wanted on federal weapon and state firearms and drug charges.

At about 8 a.m., at least 10 law enforcement officers converged on a small frame home at 724 E. Sixth St., taking fugitive Anthony L. Shanklin Jr., 26, into custody without incident. He was wearing just a sleeveless T-shirt and boxer shorts, with the commotion drawing numerous onlookers in the neighborhood.

He was wanted on a federal firearms violation, he was indicted by a federal Grand Jury in East St. Louis, said Tom Woods, a U.S. Marshals deputy who conducted the arrest and subsequent raid of the home.

The indictment was for felon in possession of a firearm.

Woods said authorities did not recover any firearms in the house, where they believe Shanklin only was staying while trying to avoid arrest, but did not reside at that home.

Hes been on the run for a pretty long time, Woods said.

Alton police and the federal, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the criminal investigation.

Shanklin also has state charges, for which he failed to show up for a hearing April 9 in Third Circuit Court after being released on bail, court records show. The Madison County States Attorneys Office charged Shanklin on Nov. 24, 2017, with manufacturing/delivery of 30-500 grams of cannabis; felon in possession/use of a firearm; and armed habitual criminal.

After authorities issued those charges, Shanklin, who court records listed as living in the 2300 block of Elizabeth Street in Alton, allegedly had possessed 72 grams of cannabis; a loaded Glock .40-caliber pistol; hundreds of plastic bags and $2,897, all in a car he was driving. The serial numbers on the gun had been filed off, court records said.

Police had stopped the car Shanklin was driving on Nov. 14 on Hazel Street at Locust Avenue in Alton. An officer said in a sworn statement made public Dec. 7 that he recognized Shanklin and knew his drivers license was suspended, prompting the traffic stop.

The statement said the officer saw a clear plastic baggie that contained suspected cannabis inside the car. The officer did a further search and found the pistol, 72 grams total grams of cannabis, plastic bags and the cash, according to the sworn statement.

Details became public in December when authorities filed a suit to take possession of the cash under Illinois law that allows the state to acquire assets suspected of being connected to the drug trade.

Then, on Jan. 4, the States Attorney charged Shanklin with manufacture/delivery of 10-30 grams of cannabis.

Shanklins charges that are public record in Madison County, date to 2009 with a misdemeanor charge of possessing less than 2.5 grams of cannabis. He was convicted of delivery of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school or park in 2010 and later for a probation violation.

The U.S. Marshals Service is the federal governments primary agency for fugitive investigations, and has the broadest arrest authority among federal law enforcement agencies, its website says. The Marshals provide assistance to state and local agencies in locating and apprehending their most violent fugitives, it says. The service apprehended 84,408 fugitives in 2017.

Telegraph reporter Sanford J. Schmidt provided some information for this story.

Reach Linda N. Weller at 618-208-6450 or on Twitter @Linda_WellerWOOD RIVER  Mama Judy embraces everyone as family and she intends to do the same for the community through a new family-owned restaurant.

Robert and Judy Horgon own Robs Construction and several properties, but decided to add one more when a former restaurant space became available a few months ago at 53 E. Ferguson Ave. in Wood Rivers main business district.

We love working with all the people here and wanted to open a restaurant, said Judy Horgon, whose namesake business, Mama Judys Cafe, will open later this week. We like the downtown feel here. Id like to see it revive again. We want to help all the businesses here. We put our heart and soul into this and want to be a part of the revitalization.

Many people entrust their hearts to Horgon, whose nickname Mama Judy stuck since her now-adult childrens friends started calling her Mama.

My house was always full, said Horgon who has lived in Madison County for more than 30 years. Growing up, the kids were at my house and all the kids started calling me Mama. It stuck and when my husband and I go out, people will call me Mama.

Horgon is a friend to many generations.

Theres so many older people, I have a real passion for older people, she said. For many, things need to be within walking distance, they dont cook as much as they used to and they can come to the cafe, somewhere to go and socialize.

Horgon, of East Alton, hired 30-plus years industry veteran David Beckham, who is the cafes chef, recommended by chef Bob Brown, for whom the Horgons are grateful. They also thanked the Kumars, who owned the former Kumars Kafe, previously in the new restaurants space.

The cafes neighbors immediately personally welcomed the new kid in town.

Benjamin Bomkamp at Farmers Insurance greeted us within seconds; Lena Hartstock and her volunteers at Riverbend Resale came over; in no more than thirty minutes, Clearys owner Andrew Hagopian was here; Jim with the jewelry studio and Kristen with the hair salon was here; and, Donna with Illinois Cleaners, Judy Horgon said, making sure to mention everyone by name, as well as their businesses.

Wood Rivers Von Dell Gallery & Studios, at 102 E. Ferguson Ave., owned by Gary Conrad, will hang paintings and feature artwork at Mama Judys Cafe, where it will be available for purchase.

Everyone is very nice and welcoming. Theyre glad to see someone open here, Horgon said. We want everyone to feel welcome. We want to get to know them personally  like coming to a family dinner at your moms house.

Mama Judys Cafes soups and dressings will be house-made daily, and the menu features the same signature poppy seed salad, made famous by Ellen Kumar. Mama Judys Cafe will serve breakfast all day, with a specific selection of breakfast specials for $3.49 from 6 to 11 a.m. every day. The cafe will serve lunch Tuesday through Sunday and offer a regular Friday night fish special, along with one or two more dinner specials to choose from. The cafe is closed Monday. It will be open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday; and, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

We are trying to make this cafes fare like no one else has, everything we have is homemade, even the gravy, Beckham said to The Telegraph. We even are making a homemade corned beef hash. In a month or so, if we find people asking about dinner, well decide whether to be open regularly for dinner.

Other menu items include sliders, melts, omelets, pancake and waffle specials, French toast and appetizers. The cafe also does carry-out.

Through Robs Construction, at 260 Northmoor Place in East Alton, Horgons husband led the complete renovation of Mama Judys Cafes restaurant space with new sunny yellow paint; new drywall; power-washed and remodeled kitchen, including the range hoods, with all new equipment; new tile; and, new ceiling.

Were really excited, said Beckham, originally from Bethalto but now a Wood River resident. We just have little things to do now.

Horgon and Beckham thanked Wood River Mayor Cheryl Maguire; Wood River Fire Chief Brendan McKee; and, Wood River Building Inspector Steve Russell.

Maguire included Mama Judys Cafe as one of several East Ferguson businesses involved in downtown revitalization.

Downtown has a brand new store  Almost Famous Boutique; Mama Judys and Von Dell Gallery are doing outside renovation; Country Meadows is next to Madisons, and has the same operating hours; and, Rustic Roots is planning an expansion, Maguire noted.

A group of merchants is planning a public fall event to showcase the business district and Kristens Hair Studios Kristen Meyer has spearheaded three shop small events.

And, the re-greening of downtown is evident, Maguire said. Since Wood River just received the funding for phase two of the streetscape grant, these enhancements will help make downtown more inviting to shoppers and businesses.

For more information follow Mama Judys Cafes Facebook page or call 618-471-9099.

Reach Jill Moon at 618-208-6448 and Twitter @jill_moon.EDITORS NOTE: This is a weekly column provided by the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau that discusses the impact of tourism on our region.

Well, that was quick! We seemed to have jumped right over spring for the time being. But, thats OK! On Friday, we started selling The Beach Boys tickets at the Alton Visitor Center and they are selling like hotcakes! It will be fun, fun, fun down at the Liberty Bank Alton Amphitheater on Sunday, July 29 as the Beach Boys take the stage. If you want to take part in the fun, be sure to buy your tickets early. The demand is high for this high energy group!

A special shout out to Argosy Casino Alton for hosting our annual tourism rally this past week as well. We had fun with KLOU 103.3s Billy Greenwood as Old Man River and Mother Road joined us from Alton Little Theater as we celebrated just a sampling of the many events on tap this summer season. This was all a part of National Travel and Tourism Week, sponsored by US Travel. In Madison, Macoupin, Jersey and Calhoun counties, travel accounts for more than $500 million in visitor expenditures each year. Thats half a billion dollars! To further our gratefulness for this industry, we also attended a rally at Kiener Plaza before a cards day game with the St. Louis CVC, promoting some great rivers fun! In addition, we went out to the tourism information centers in Hamel and Highland to thank the workers that share our information throughout the year with travelers of the road!

This week we welcomed a group of German journalists into town and showed them everything from Pere Marquette State Park to Cahokia Mounds and even included a pontoon boat ride and a kayaking adventure! This region is truly blessed with wonderful amenities that shine when out-of-towners, and in this case our international community, comes to visit!

So, as to whats on tap this coming week, dont miss the kick off to the Alton Farmers & Artisans Market today through noon. Also today, check out the spring baby shower at Treehouse Wildlife Center or Camelot at Alton Little Theater. Its also the departure day festival at the Lewis & Clark State Historic Site on Saturday and Sunday. Dont forget about mom as well on Sunday! There are many options for Mothers Day brunches from Macs, to Great Rivers Tap and Grill at the Best Western Premier to even a cruise on the Hakuna Matata. If you are at a loss for what to get mom or where to take her, we have a special feature story full of ideas on www.VisitAlton.com. Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there!

Stawar is president and CEO of the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau, which works for the vested interests of hospitality partners in Madison, Jersey, Calhoun and Macoupin counties.All suitablyqualified and interested candidates should send their applications, detailedCVs (in Ms Word format) and testimonials (in PDF format) to the address below;(total email size should not exceed 2MB)The adage that failures can teach many lessons seems quite...Last August, US President Donald Trump named India as the crown jewel in his administrations new South Asia strategy. Many Indians celebrated. But, eight months down the line, the word from the Wuhan summit is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached an understanding to undertake joint economic projects in Afghanistan. It bears the hallmark of a Chinese initiative. The external affairs ministry spokesman said that the two countries will flesh out this understanding in the near future and identify specific projects.

Indias regional policies are taking wing. At its most obvious level, Delhi is signalling that Afghanistan is not a turf for rivalry with Beijing. On a broader plane, Delhi is sampling the Chinese advocacy of win-win cooperation. Strategically speaking, the irreducible minimum would be that Delhi and Beijing are on the same page in regard of Afghanistans stability and securitystakeholders in regional security.

It is a game changer.

The Afghan ministry of economy says the Five Nations Railway Corridor (2,100km-long railway line, connecting Chinas Xinjiang with Irans sea ports via Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan) is one of the projects that India and China may undertake. If so, India-China cooperation in Afghanistan has deeper regional implications. Fifty per cent of the proposed regional rail corridor1,148km, to be exactwill pass through the Afghan provinces of Kunduz, Balkh, Jowzjan, Faryab, Badghis, and Herat. Suffice to say, Indian involvement can be very substantial. (Incidentally, India is also involved in the construction of a railway line connecting Chabahar Port in southeastern Iran with the Afghan border.) The technical and economic assessments of the first and second phases of the proposed Five Nations Railway Corridor have been completed and construction work is expected to start soon.

Illustration: Bhaskaran

For Indian analysts struggling to assimilate Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, this will come as an eyeopener. The estimated value of the railway project exceeds $2 billion, and the principal institutional partners are China, including the Bank of China, the Asian Development Bank and World Bank. In sum, although the Five Nations Railway Corridor is a flag carrier of Chinas Silk Road Economic Belt (which was announced by Xi in 2013), Washington is not blocking it; nor is China averse to external funding or Indian partnership.

The Indian discourses on regional connectivity have suffered from our zero-sum mindset. But, the government has displayed new thinking and for strategic analysts, there is some catching up to do. Equally, those who rushed to celebrate any Sino-Indian cooperation in Afghanistan as tantamount to a Chinese snub to Pakistan must rethink. All in all, Modi and Xi may have unveiled a tantalising vision, which implies that there is nothing really absurd about a railway corridor that links Xinjiang with the world market that also serves as access route for India to Afghanistan and the Central Asian regionand Xinjiang itself.

At some point in the future, the Five Nations Railway Corridor would have a loop line connecting Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi as well (which, of course, would bring it breathtakingly close to Wagah border.) Pakistan is actively marshalling opinion among the Central Asian states to build on the nascent Chinese idea to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Inner Asia.

Statesmanship is many things. Fundamentally, it lies in the capacity to think about the next generation. When it comes to diplomacy, statesmanship is largely about knowing the right time and in the manner of yielding what is impossible to keep. The great French bishop-cum-politician-cum-diplomat who represented the Catholic Church to the French Crown in the late 18th century, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, once said, The art of statesmanship is to foresee the inevitable and to expedite its occurrence.

The writer is a former diplomat.Daphne du Mauriers little known novel The Flight of the Falcon is about two brothers Aldo and Beo who grew up in Fascist and post-war Italy. When Aldo discovers that he was an adopted child, he keeps the discovery to himself, and begins to make Beo and everyone else believe that Beo is the adopted one. The pretense grows on Aldo; he puts on the airs of an aristocrat, belittles his brother on every occasion, invents family myths, fakes legends, and creates pretentious traditions to assert his false ancestry.

Many in the Sangh Parivar are doing much the same these days. They have realised that their earlier-gen leaders hadnt been there in the freedom movement. Neither among Tilaks extremists, nor among Gokhales moderates; neither with Gandhis non-violent masses, nor with the violent revolutionaries like the communist Bhagat Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad or Birsa Munda.

When Congressmen, communists, socialists, swarajists and even anarchists were burning British clothes, boycotting British courts, defying British laws, and facing British batons and bullets, several of the Sangh men were doing vyayam in their sakhas. The odd one or two, like V.D. Savarkar who did break a British law or two, soon chickened out and got out of prison after signing on British-dotted apology lines.

For all their love for militarism and regimentation, hardly any one of them had gone forward to enlist in the Indian National Army with Netaji Bose, Mohan Singh and Shah Nawaz Khan. Nor had any Sangh men been found among the brave ranks of the communist-inspired sailors who raised the tricolour of national freedom on Royal Indian Naval ships.

Illustration: Jairaj T.G.

So what do they do, to capture the patriotic legacy? Simple! Do what Aldo did. Belittle the Beos, fake the legends, falsify history, and vilify the virtuous.

An easy target has been Tipu. No Tipu Jayanti, pleasethey have decreed. Shall we have Cornwallis Jayanti then? Or Wellesleys?

Another Beo they have targeted is Jawaharlal Nehru. A Goebbelsian propaganda is on across social media platforms, aimed at belittling his legacy. Anonymous posts, dripping with toxin about his ancestry, his progeny, his character, and his role in the national movement are flooding social media groups.

Documents are being faked, often in the language of the lumpen, but with imagination of the vile and wild, to show that Nehru had betrayed Patel, told on Bose, spurned Nepals offer to merge with India, shooed away the king of Kalat, and even agreed to sale of Gwador to Pakistan!

Pastimes of the lumpen? Perhaps yes. But sadly, even respectable members of society, the genteel uncles and aunts who greet you in the morning with wise thoughts and vasudhaiva kutumbakam prayers, are falling prey to this game of the vice and the vicious, and happily indulging in sujana-apavaad-paap.

The cancer of vilification has spread to even the highest echelons of the state and come to mislead even the helmsmen of Hindustan. A few days ago, the nation witnessed the prime minister being misled into believing and mouthing false histories. At a poll rally in Karnataka, he talked about Nehru having insulted Kannada pride by humiliating his two army chiefs who had hailed from Karnataka. Not only was the entire anecdoting imaginary, but even the dates of the tenures of the chiefs were wrong.

Perhaps, that was nothing. The lowest point in our political discourse had been reached weeks earlier when the incumbent prime minister, speaking within the precincts of Parliament, denigrated the first prime minister, the founding-father of Indias liberal parliamentarism.

Reign in the false prophets, prime minister! As has been warned in the Sermon on the Mount, they come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

prasannan@theweek.inAccording to a new study in the British Medical Journal, even moderate coffee consumptionjust one to two cups per day during pregnancycan lead to a risk of obesity in school age children. Although caffeine may not, by itself, be the direct cause of excess weight, researchers are encouraging increased caution.



Researchers studied information on 50, 943 pregnant women, under the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). It was done in collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Experts stated that caffeine was anyway not a medicine that needed to be consumed compulsorily, and it was beneficial to limit the intake of coffee as far as possible. Children's health indicators were tracked and followed until they reached the age of eight.

The results showed that children born to mothers who consumed caffeine during pregnancy were at a greater risk of being overweight at preschool and school ages. At age five, the number of children who were overweight or obese was five percent greater in the group whose mothers had the highest caffeine consumption in the study, compared to those whose mothers had the lowest caffeine consumption. Children were followed until they were eight years of age.

According to the National Food Agency, Sweden, pregnant women should not consume more than 300 milligrams of caffeine per day, which is equivalent to three cups of coffee (1.5 dl each) or six mugs of black tea (2 dl each). Yet, even those women who did consume caffeine within the prescirbed amounts during pregnancy, were seen to be near the risk of having overweight or obese children, during later years.

Obesity in childhood has also been previously linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes later in life. On the other hand, a research review by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists suggested that a cup of coffee a day can be safely consumed by pregnant women as it will not increase the risk of miscarriage or pre term birth. The College's Committee on Obstetric Practice said that 200 milligrams of caffeine a dayabout the amount in a 12 ounce cup of coffeedoesn't significantly contribute to miscarriages or premature births.

However, the World Health Organisation, clearly states on its website, "For pregnant women with high daily caffeine intake (more than 300 mg per day), lowering daily caffeine intake during pregnancy is recommended to reduce the risk of pregnancy loss and low birth weight neonates. During pregnancy, caffeine clearance from the mother's blood slows down significantly. Results from some observational studies suggest that excess intake of caffeine may be associated with growth restriction, reduced birth weight, preterm birth or stillbirth."New Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan already started political and personnel reforms. Yesterday, at suggestion of Pashinyan, Armenian President fired chief of police Vladimir Gasparyan and director of the National Security Service Georgy Kutoyan. German political scientist Heiko Langner discussed possible consequences of Nikol Pashinyan's election as Prime Minister for Armenia's neighbors in the region.

- What factors led to success of street protests in Armenia and forced Serzh Sargsyan to resign?

- Population of Armenia has been dissatisfied with political and economic stagnation in the country for a long time. There were some protests even before what we saw today. As for recent crisis, accumulated discontent over poor social and economic situation in the country was personalized and association with previous President Serzh Sargsyan. In a perfect worlds, he should have stopped at two terms as President, but he felt he could deceive people by becoming Prime Minister. This was the last straw. In addition, protests initially affected a broad social stratum, and Nikol Pashinyan became a charismatic leader of protests, so people began to pin so much hope on him. When security agencies began to show solidarity with protesters, it was a point of no return for Sargsyan.

- Can Nikol Pashinyan do what people belive he can?

- It's not easy. But right now Pashinyan personifies political restart and can use this momentum to carrie out reforms. We can see real successes in fight against corruption, in political elections and development of democracy. However, overcoming structural problems of Armenia, such as blockade of economic development due to the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and due to regional isolation, which exists thanks to closed borders with two neighboring countries - Turkey and Azerbaijan - requires patience.

- Will it be easier to reach compromises in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict when Pashinyan comes to power?

- I think there are more chances with him around. Serzh Sargsyan, like no one else, was interested in stagnation of the settlement process. As a former commander of the Armenian Karabakh troops, he pursued uncompromising policy and was an extremely unwanted figure in the eyes of Azerbaijani negotiators. In order to achieve progress in negotiations, there's no doubt that both sides must take certain steps, as well as be able to present certain results to people of both countries. Pashinyan's election can help to ease tensions in the negotiating atmosphere. And these changes in the negotiating atmosphere can lead to a meaningful progress.

- With successful development of events, what steps can we expect on the way to a peaceful settlement?

- Madrid Principles are the basis for comprehensive peace agreement. Both sides adopted them in the negotiating framework. They envisage de-occupation of the territories outside of Nagorno-Karabakh, occupied by Armenia. I think if Armenia shows real readiness for this, Azerbaijani side will also be ready to undertake security guarantees on the contact line. Everything else will be a bloodless resolurtion os the status quo. It's not a solution to the conflict. Only partial de-occupation of the Azerbaijani territory can become a meaningful action that will help to begin peace process, which would last for many years, and perhaps for more than a decade.

- What role will Russia play in this situation?

- The Kremlin closely follows developments in Armenia. Internal political changes, as of now, pose no threat to Russia's interests. Unlike the so-called "Euro-Maidan" in Ukraine, street protests in Armenia were not about country's reorientation to the West, the EU or NATO. Otherwise, Moscow would have reacted long time ago, especially since there are Russian military bases in Armenia.

Situation is completely different. Russia, as the most influential negotiator within the OSCE Minsk Group, has repeatedly signaled its interest in the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the Madrid format, and Sargsyan's resignation is within Moscow's position. In the long term, Russia wants to have a strategic partnership with both Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Sargsyan wouldn't help Russia to achieve this gold in the long-term.In an attempt to smoothen the strained relationship between India and Italy, a delegation from the ministry of defence is visiting Rome next week.

Ties between the two countries suffered a huge setback in 2012 after India arrested two Italian marines for killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast. This was followed by the AgustaWestland bribery scandal, which led to blacklisting of Italian firm for doing business in India.

So, after a gap of eight years, defence secretary Sanjay Mitra-headed delegation is leaving for Italy next week to discuss areas of military cooperation between the two sides. Mitra will attend the 9th India-Italy defence talks in Rome on May 14, followed by meeting with Italian defence minister and other key defence officials of the European country on next day. This meeting was scheduled to happen in 2012, but was deferred due to unforeseen developments, which affected ties between the two nations.

In 2010, India had hosted such defence talks, when the then defence secretary Pradeep Kumar led the Indian side.

After Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni's bilateral talk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi New Delhi in October last, relations are gradually coming back on track, at least on defence cooperation.

On February 15, 2012, two Indian fishermen, Ajesh Binki, 25, and Valentine Jelastine, 45, were allegedly mistaken as pirates and shot dead by the two security crew of cargo vessel Enrica Lexie, about 14 nautical miles off Alappuzha. India arrested two Italian marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone for killing.

However, both India and Italy have disagreement over jurisdiction of the case along with some facts pertaining to the incident. India insisted that shooting happened in Indian waters, while Italy claims that it happened in international waters.

While India has insisted it has jurisdiction, Italy argued that the case should be heard in an Italian court. Moreover, Italian government also complained that two marines have yet to be formally charged with any crime, afters years of trial. Now, a UN tribunal will decide whether India or Italy has the jurisdiction.

Soon after the shooting incident, VVIP chopper deal scam came out, in which the Italian firm was found to pay bribe to Indian officials for getting the deal in its favour. The then defence minister A.K. Antony put a ban on any business dealing with Italian firm while handing over the case to CBI.After the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in 1999, the then NDA-government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee cleared a proposal moved by the Union home ministry to hand over airport security to a central armed police force, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

The present National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was at the helm of affairs in the intelligence bureau at that time and was among the chief negotiators tasked by the government to handle the hostage crisis.

It was during this period that for the first time in the year 2000, the CISF was given the task of handling airport security. The first airport taken over by CISF for security was Jaipur and today there are 59 airports out of a total of 98 operational airports where the CISF is deployed to handle airport security.

The rest of the airports are still with the state police or India Reserve Battalions. The most sensitive Srinagar airport is with the CRPF keeping in mind the high terror threat.

After 18 years, the home ministry has again moved a proposal asking the cabinet committee on security (CCS) under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hand over all 98 airports to the CISF .

Drawing from his experience of the Kandahar episode, it is learnt that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is positively inclined to such a move. It is reliably learnt that the top security brass is of the opinion that a dedicated force for airport security is the need of the hour, especially when several attacks have happened at airports worldwide like the recent one in Brussels. The deadly terror attack at the Brussels airport in March 2016 raised concern over safety and security of airports worldwide.

The MHA has moved a detailed note before the CCS for its approval saying that the CISF should be given the task to handle airport security across the country since the CISF is trained and specialised in anti-terror operations at airports, with fully trained Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) that can respond in the shortest possible time in the face of a threat at airports. A dedicated airport security force will also mean faster exchange of intelligence inputs as information will be flowing within CISF's own turf leading to better coordination and reaction time.

Many countries like the US are following the concept of having one airport security force. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is an agency under the US Department of Homeland Security which handles airport security and is trained in anti-hijack operations. The TSA was created in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Back home, the CISF has been doing a good job and we have not had security related incidents at any of the airports guarded by the CISF,'' said an MHA official.

MHA sources said that the proposal of having CISF as the dedicated airport security force did not see the light of the day for the last 18 years despite recommedations to the same being given by two committee of secretaries (CoS), first in 2000 and then again in the year 2011.

A committee of secretaries constituted to analyse security threats in the wake of Kandahar hijacking recommended that security of all airports in the country should be handed over to the CISF. In 2011, another CoS reiterated the need to have one secuirty force that specialises in airport security that can exchange intelligence faster and specially be trained to handle security related incidents. But the recommendations remained on paper.

The Airport Authority of India under the ministry of civil aviation has to agree and be on the same page. But this time, we are hoping that all ministries and stakeholders are going to support the move,'' the official said.

With the MHA once again pitching its demand and the top security brass being positively inclined to it, officials in the ministry said they are hopeful of the proposal being cleared by the government this time. Once the government clears the proposal, the CISF will begin the process of creating more units for airport security. Presently, around 28000 personnel are deployed at 59 airports for airport security in the country. This strength is likely to go up if the proposal sees the light of the day.A week after the Supreme Court highlighted the precarious situation in the High Courts of Meghalaya and Manipur with regard to vacancies in judges' posts, the Centre has appointed chief justices to the two courts.

The Centre has notified the appointment of Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar as chief justice of the Manipur High Court, and Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir as chief justice of the Meghalaya High Court.

Sudhakar is a judge of the Madras High Court, presently functioning as judge in the Jammu & Kashmir High Court. Mir is a judge of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court.

The situation in the Meghalaya High Court was particularly bad as it had only one judge, while the sanctioned strength of judges for the High Court is four. Manipur High Court, which has a sanctioned strength of five judges, had only two judges prior to Friday's appointment.

The Supreme Court collegium had recommended the names for appointment as chief justices of the two High Courts in April this year. The collegium, in its recommendation, highlighted the urgency for making an appointment to the Meghalaya High Court since it was functioning with only one judge.

Last week, a Supreme Court Bench comprising Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta had, while hearing a case that had come from Manipur, expressed anguish over non-appointment of judges to the High Courts. The bench had made its viewswith regard to the delay on part of the government in clearing names for appointment to the higher courtsknown to Attorney General K.K. Venugopal.

The Supreme Court had particularly highlighted the situation in the High Courts in the northeastern states of Meghalaya and Manipur. It pointed out that petitioners to the two courts were forced to approach the Supreme Court to get their cases referred to the Gauhati High Court if they wanted a review of the respective High Court's order.

The petition that the Supreme Court was hearing was filed by a resident of Manipur who had lost his case filed in the Manipur High Court. A single-judge bench had delivered the verdict. The petitioner wanted to challenge the order, which was not possible in the Manipur High Court since it had only two judges, and one of them had delivered the verdict. His plea before the Supreme Court was that he be allowed to challenge the order before the Gauhati High Court.

People of the northeast are suffering. What are they supposed to do? Should they approach the Supreme Court to get their cases transferred to other High Courts and spend money to hire lawyers there? the two-judge bench had said.Gradually gaining momentum, 56 per cent voter turnout was recorded as of 3pm on Saturday in the 222 constituencies that went to polls. The election in two constituencies, Jayanagar and Rajarajeshwari Nagar, both in Bengaluru has been postponed.

According to state electoral authorities, at 1 pm, the highest percentage of 47 per cent voting was recorded in Dakshina Kannada district, while Bengaluru Urban registered the lowest turnout of 28 per cent.

Speaking to mediapersons after casting his vote, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of the Congress exuded confidence in his party getting a majority in the elections. Siddaramaiah also criticised the BJP's CM candidate, B.S. Yeddyurappa, calling him 'mentally disturbed'.

A total of 2,654 candidates are in the fray and the 4.96-crore-strong electorate, including 2.44 crore women, will cast their votes. Over 15 lakh people are first-time voters in the 18-19 age group.

(With agency inputs)It is the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, clad in a Buddhist outfit, seeking blessings at Muktinath Temple and a priest anointing his forehead defines the tone of his third visit to Nepal. Or India hopes so.

On his third visit to the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to exorcise the ghosts of the alleged blockade by India and put Indo-Nepal ties back firmly on to the friendship path. Countering hard power by projecting soft power, in contrast to China's efforts to muscle its way into Nepal, Modi's current, well-received visit to the Himalayan nation seeks to emphasize India's historically close cultural, religious, and people-to-people relations with Nepal,'' tweeted Brahma Chellaney, a strategic thinker. Chellaney, who is not known to mince his words when it comes to foreign policy, certainly approves Modi's Nepal visit.



Other than the official aspects of the visit, which includes the laying of foundation stone of Arun III of the hydro-electric dam with Prime Minister K.P. Oli by his side on Friday, it is the common culture that India and Nepal share is definitely what that Modi is banking on to rebuilf the relationship. He also visited the Pashupatinath Temple.



It definitely is an advantage that in Nepal, Modi can safely play the Hindu card, to unite, rather than divide. The ideas that Modi hope to find a resonance include Ram temple and Ayodhya and a bus service from Janakpur to Ayodhya, which was flagged off on Friday.

"Without Nepal, India's faith is incomplete. Without Nepal, India's history is incomplete. Without Nepal, India's dhams (temples) are incomplete. Without Nepal, our Ram is incomplete," Modi said.



It is this sort of deeper ties of faith that Modi will bank on to push away any anti-India feelings. Nepal had become a metaphor, in a way for what went wrong with Modi's Neighbourhood First Policy. The countryalways a firm ally of Indiaventured into the willing embrace of the Chinese courtesy after the alleged Indian blockade. Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli has made no bones about his intentions to update'' relations with India. His first international visitor was Pakistan PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, a move that was seen as an attempt to isolate India.



It took a visit by Sushma Swarajsoon after the swearing in of Olito break the ice. It seems that the relationship between India and Nepal is finally getting back on track. There has been a difference. Oli's open wooing of Chinaand his assertivenesshas sent the signal to India, that Nepal is not willing to be pushed around. The relationship would need a rebalance.



Oli, the prime minister, who was ousted and then came back, ensured that this time the relationship with India was a little more equal. The visitwhich was more about cementing the relationship rather than big announcementsis about what India doesn't really do well, follow-up. For Nepal and Oli, who has come to power with a big mandate, the biggest challenge is development and that too in a time-bound manner.



Apart from the hydro-electric project which is essential for a power strapped country like Nepal, the project to build the railway link between Raxaul and Kathmandu, of which a certain stretch will be completed by the end of this year, makes sense for both countries. Twothirds of Nepals global trade is with India and over 90 per cent of Nepals third country importexport transit is through India. To, let China, have an upper-hand in this area, will not be in India's best interest. India will also concentrate on inland waterways for better connectivity and agriculturetwo areas that Prime Minister Oli wants to be addressed.



The two leaders have also agreed to "expand cooperation in civil aviation sector, including early technical discussion on additional air entry routes to Nepal by respective technical teams,'' the joint statement stated. This again is aimed to counter China, which is offering assistance for an airport at Pokhara.



Oli is impatient and it is no secret that he is willing to keep his options open. We dont want to depend on one country or have one option,'' he said in an interview to South China Morning Post.



Soon after taking oath in February this year, he revived the $2.5 billion hydroelectric dam project that is being funded by China. He has also expressed an interest in connecting Nepal to the Chinese railway in Tibet. And India is in fact facing a deadline as China proposes to build a railway line between Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and Kathmandu by 2022.

The wedding of the son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, to be conducted in Patna on Saturday evening, is expected to be a grand affair, with a host of opposition leaders, including Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, being invited.

According to media reports, cooks have been hired to prepare food for at least 7,000 people, while other media reports claim around 10,000 people could attend the wedding of Tej Pratap Yadav and Aishwarya Rai, granddaughter of former Bihar chief minister Daroga Prasad Rai.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah were also invited for the wedding even though Lalu has been a bitter critic of the BJP. However, among senior BJP leaders, only Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi is expected to attend.

Earlier on Saturday, a poster was seen outside Lalu's house in which Tej Pratap was portrayed as lord Shiva and Aishwarya as goddess Parvati.

Lalu, who has been in prison since December after his conviction in a Fodder Scam case, secured provisional bail of six weeks on health grounds on Friday.The Day of Azerbaijani Culture was held at the headquarters of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Beijing yesterday.

A group of artists from Azerbaijan staged various performances to mark the "Day of Culture" in Beijing on May 11, giving Chinese audiences a taste of their unique folk culture.

The opening ceremony of Azerbaijani Day of Culture featured traditional folk music and dances, as well as an exhibition of Azerbaijani ancient handicraft arts, including carpet sewing, shabaka making and copper products.

Rashid Alimov, general secretary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, spoke at the ceremony.

"Mutual respect for the diversity of cultures and civilizations, as well as a deep and comprehensive understanding of diversity, is essential to mutual trust, equality and aspirations for joint development," he said.

Alimov attached great importance to deepening cultural exchanges with China, in a bid to foster healthy and mutually beneficial bilateral ties.

Akram Zeynalli, ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to China, said in his speech that the series of cultural events held between China and Azerbaijan provided platforms for both sides to improve the relations by expanding cultural cooperation, a sentiment that reflects the spirit and principles of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Touching upon the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, Zeynalli said that there is still great potential to tap, while stating that Azerbaijan's participation in the initiative will broaden its scope, including to economic trade, the creation of trans-Eurasian economic and transport corridors and tourism.

Several folk songs and dances featuring the traditional Mugham music were performed throughout the show. The show drew waves of applause from the audience and exposed visiting Chinese guests to Azerbaijani culture.

The event was organized by the ndation, the Azerbaijani embassy in China and the SCO Secretariat.Militants from Pakistan did sneak into India to attack Mumbai in 2008 and massacre 166 Indians and foreigners, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in remarks published on Saturday.

"Militant organisations are active (in Pakistan)," Sharif told the Dawn newspaper in an interview.

"Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me," he asked, in a clear reference to the Mumbai killings blamed on 10 Pakistani terrorists. One of them was caught and hanged.

"Why can't we complete the trial?" Sharif asked, referring to the masterminds of the Mumbai massacre that almost brought India and Pakistan to war. The Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba was blamed for the Mumbai bloodbath.

"It's absolutely unacceptable. This is exactly what we are struggling for. President (Vladimir) Putin has said it. President Xi (Jinping) has said it," Sharif said.

Sharif, who was deposed following corruption charges, said ahead of a public rally in Multan in Punjab: "You can't run a country if you have two or three parallel governments. This has to stop. There can only be one government: the constitutional one."

Asked why he was ousted from public office, Sharif did not reply directly but steered the conversation towards foreign policy and national security, the Dawn said.

"We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistan's narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it."Does Europe still have a partner, a big brother across the water? One which can be a scold, a nag, an annoyance, a puzzle  but which has always been there for it? A partner that is also a protector, with a military and security network of unrivalled power and reach? Is the United States still that partner?



Thats been the question of anxious, angry commentators all over Europe since President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he would cease to support the nuclear agreement with Iran signed by China, the European Union, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom as well as the United States.

Edward Luce in the Financial Times put it bluntly: History may recall it as the day the US abandoned its belief in allies For the first time in decades, the US is acting without a European partner. Frances Le Monde says that Trump is obsessed with undoing everything achieved by his predecessor and that Trumps absurd decision will have a devastating effect on the Middle East.

Franco Venturini in Italys Corriere della Sera wrote of a White House that has opened a wound hard to heal. On Germanys Deutsche Welle channel, security analyst Markus Kaim noted that German, French and British companies would be harmed by the sanctions as well.

The United States and Europe have had other differences, which in their time were termed crises. In 1956, US President Dwight Eisenhower forced British, French and Israeli troops to end the invasion launched into Egypt for fear that its new leader would nationalize the Suez Canal; France and the U.K., two former imperial powers, were duly humbled.

Frances General Charles de Gaulle, president from 1959 to 1969, held his country aloof from NATO and maintained an independent military and diplomatic posture, demanding the removal of all American personnel from French soil. When De Gaulle made that demand to then President Lyndon Johnson, the latter is said to have asked whether that included that included those US soldiers buried there.

But the countries were on the same side, in the end. The Cold War was a disciplining force to keep the Europeans in order; the European center-left parties agreed with those on the right that Communism was a menace which must be kept in check by the massive deployment of weaponry and troops that only the United States could provide. When the Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the West  which includes eastern outposts like Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand  rejoiced as one, and looked forward to an era of peace, collaboration with old enemies, a focus on the problems of environment, poverty and crime.

They were mostly on same side in Middle East too. An invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in 1990 was squashed, largely by the United States; 12 years later, as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein continued to flout UN sanctions, an American-British alliance spearheaded the war against him  again quickly routing his army, but this time deposing and executing him. This meant the invaders were in charge in Baghdad as the country descended into civil war.

The war in Iraq divided the allies, especially in Europe, but the demons it unloosed, though bitterly controversial, remained containable within the ambit of Western alliances and produced little lasting diplomatic damage. And though the invasion has been blamed for sparking off the present dangerous escalation of tension in the region, it did not presage a radical shift in a Western policy based on an endless effort to damp down hostilities, to remain allied to Israel and to seek markets for Western products, including armaments.

Trumps decision this week is of a different order. Paying no heed to the pleas from his European allies, and in the face of the united opposition of all other signatories, he has set out to reshape the Middle East. Basing his approach on an Israel convinced that Iran is at the root of all terrorist evil, and a Saudi Arabia of the same mind, he wishes to isolate Iran and destroy its leadership  hoping that its people will replace the present leaders with pro-Western figures. And, for good measure, trashing the agreement his reviled predecessor, Barack Obama, was instrumental in achieving.

Hes expanding that hardline no-consultation-with-allies approach to other areas too. Later this month he is expected to announce the formal opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, in spite of the controversy over the citys status, and decide whether to raise tariffs on imported steel. He also is forcing Canada and Mexico to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement  or he will leave it. And all this before he meets with North Koreas Kim Jong Un in Singapore next month to persuade him to renounce his nuclear weapons.

Trump was cold, even dismissive, toward Europe after coming to power. He had to be cajoled into supporting NATO by British Prime Minister Theresa May. His first meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany was cool to the point of insulting, as he initially ignored her outstretched hand. He expressed support for far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen. Last month, he feted Emmanuel Macron, flattering and even kissing him before going on to dismiss the French presidents pleas not to withdraw from the Iran deal.

But the renouncing of the Iran deal takes scorn to another level. This is not just America First, but America Alone. Its a posture which portends turbulence, or even war in the Middle East; a Europe no longer able to believe that the West can present a united front; and a United States losing the store of trust and affection on which it has been able, even in disputatious times, to count. Sad!

ReutersK.N. Ramachandran is one of India's finest civil engineers. He was part of the team that designed the famous Farakka Barrage, which provides water to the Farakka thermal power station, West Bengal's largest.



The power station also provides power to Bangladesh, as per a treaty signed in 1996.



The barrage and power station were the brainchild of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, the second chief minister of West Bengal. However, Ramachandran, while working with the Farakka project, had kept his CPI (ML) membership a secret. He continued to be with the Farakka project from 1967 to 1972, until the death of the Naxal patriarch Charu Majumdar in police lock-up at Kolkata.



Ramachandran, who is now actively campaigning against the power grid project proposed by the Narendra Modi government at Bhangar in Bengal, spoke to THE WEEK.



You were part of the construction of Farakka Barrage in West Bengal.



Yes, I was part of the team which built the barrage. But, I resigned a day after Charu Majumdar was killed in Kolkata. I could not have continued, because he was my idol.



You are now creating hurdles before an ambitious power grid project in the same state.



That is because the project is being implemented by the Mamata Banerjee government without taking into consideration the adverse impact on ecology and health. Investigations by scientists worldwide have found that such projects have adverse impacts.



But, Mamata Banerjee has asked her ministers, and the party, to sort that out.



We are also asking for that. But, all along, the government has been refusing to do that.



Where is the space for consultation when you are working to make it a free zone?



Yes, this is a zone under the control of villagers. They have made it a free zone. It is their desire. We have four demands. Government should return the 14 acres acquired illegally, and it should stop the project. Pay compensation for damage to property, damage done to the mosque and to those who were injured. All illegal cases against villagers should be withdrawn, and action should be taken against the policemen who killed two villagers. We also demand compensation for families of the deceased.



But, there was no uproar when the land was acquired.



That was how the West Bengal government cheated the villagers. A day before the legislation of the new law on land acquisition in Parliament, she acquired land for the project. We want clarification from the chief minister. First, they acquired land illegally, and then started constructing in a highly populated area. The West Bengal government cannot justify this.



Are you against grid projects everywhere?



No, we are known for our objection to nuclear power plants as well. Both grid and nuclear power projects could spell doom for people living in the adjoining areas.



Did you halt the Kudankulam project?



No. We could not stop that because it was an old project. But, we have halted many proposed projectsJaitapur in Maharashtra, East Midnapore and Sundarbans in West Bengal, Chutka in Madhya Pradesh and one in Haryana. The Konkan nuclear project did not see the light of day because of us. Now, we are successful in Bengal.



But, why did not you go to the state and Central governments before deciding on declaring a liberated zone?



We tried to approach everyone. Governments refused to act, and refused to even meet us. They wanted to implement (projects) at any cost. When we felt that they were desperate, our answer was to stop the project at any cost. It is as simple as this.



What are you going to do now? Will there be no way out?



We are going to have a convention of scientists, and we are getting intellectuals on a single platform. In states like Assam, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, we are forming a Bhangar solidarity committee. The Bhangar movement will not be localised; it will be an all-India movement.



What would happen, if the government tried to forcibly enter the zone and reclaim it?



Well, that is what the Left did in Nandigram. I think people in Bhangar are ready for sacrifice, however big it might be. We are, therefore, duty bound to motivate them and see it to the end. If the government tries to recapture the area, they would have to kill many. Our comrades are there, and it is an area under peoples control. There would be all-out war if the government tries to invade it. The gangs of Arabul Islam and Rezzak Mollah (both TMC leaders) would be defeated.



Are foreign environment bodies behind your movement?



Look, we are part of an international coordination against nuclear and other environmentally unfriendly power projects. So, we get their guidance. As far as alliance is concerned, Bhangar is an example of a unique alliance between Modi and Banerjee.



Are Maoists with you?



See, anybody can support us. But, we would not accept Maoists, unless they change their squad policy and killing tactics. They would have to take up mass movements, rather than kill people. Look how they destroyed such great movements like the Lalgarh movement in recent years by killing innocents. An alliance is possible only if they change their tactics.



But, you oppose operation against Maoists.

Yes, that is because they kill communists in the name of cracking down on Maoists. Do you know that 10,000 Adivasis are in jail today in the name of Maoist crackdown. How can we accept that?Three days ago all the peoples of Russia celebrated one of the most important holidays - Victory Day, paying tribute to Soviet soldiers who defended the world in the fight against fascism. Thousands of residents of the Latvian capital also celebrated this date, laying flowers to the monument to Soviet soldiers - liberators in Riga. In addition, the "Immortal Regiment" rally took place in Riga, this time a column of people with portraits of their family members who fought against Hitler's Germany included more than 15 thousand people. Every year, the number of those who decided to show that May 9 is an important holiday for Latvia, is increasing, analyst of Vestnik Kavkaza, Evgeny Nikolaychuk, said today during a live broadcast of the National Question program on Vesti.FM.

In this regard, the expert drew attention to the fact that the desire of Latvian citizens often runs counter to the official policy. "In 2012, Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks said that the monument, near which thousands of people gather every year on May 9, should be demolished, but expressed the fear that this will lead to tension in society.

The head of the Latvian Defense Ministry admitted that he also does not like the May 9 celebration, since "the goal of the majority of participants of this event is to keep us in that geopolitical sphere that ceased to exist 20 years ago," the expert said.

According to the analyst of Vestnik Kavkaza, the manifestations of Russophobia are a consequence of the legislative base on the basis of the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence which was adopted on May 4, 1990 by the radical part of the western Latvian emigration and became a state ideology. "Therefore, the division of Latvian citizens into citizens and non-citizens, the adoption of language and education laws discriminating against the Russian national minority, rewriting the history of Latvia for the sake of radicals and combating the monuments of the Soviet era is only the implementation of that concept," he said, noting that Russophobes and neo-Nazis among the Latvians are an absolute minority, but they are the loudest and most active group in the public space.

"In Riga they introduced a new tradition to celebrate on March 16 a Remembrance day of the Latvian legionnaires of two SS divisions. The march to the Freedom Monument is held in the heart of the city, and it does not bother many Latvian deputies and some ministers that these so-called "heroes" swore an oath to Hitler and participated in punitive operations near Pskov, in Belarus, the Ukraine, Poland. Legionnaires in their understanding fought for the freedom of Latvia, but the Soviet soldiers - didn't. That is probably why in 1997 the Latvian neo-Nazis tried to destroy the monument they hate, but could not do it.

Answering the question: "Why should the Latvian authorities rewrite history?", The expert said that this is necessary to justify the activities of Latvian police battalions, many of whom later joined the Waffen SS and were ordinary fascist criminals. "This is the current policy in Latvia and a historic scam - equate WWII veterans who fought against fascism, to the butchers, were burned alive in any innocent people.

"One thing is surprising: why do Western countries do nothing about the heroization of the Nazi accomplices in the country of the European Union? The only thing we can do is not to leave this heroization without rebuff," Eevgeny Nikolaychuk concluded.The unilateral US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal has poisoned the transatlantic relationship between Berlin and Washington, according to the top diplomat.

The US has demonstrated "very little willingness to take the arguments of its allies seriously," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the German magazine Spiegel, Sputnik reports.

Donald Trump's decision to leave the Iran nuclear agreement has caused serious damage to relations between the United States and Germany in the long-run, the top diplomat stated.

"The transformation which the US is undergoing has already taken hold of transatlantic ties," Maas said, adding that Berlin was aware of the ongoing change "before Tuesday night's disappointment."

According to Maas, Germany will pursue a tougher policy toward the United States when it comes to defending Berlin's interests.

"We are prepared to talk, negotiate and also fight for our interests where necessary," the diplomat told the magazine. "This goes for all levels, not just for the White House."Big city apartment-dwelling can be a financial and emotional drain, but the growing trend of co-living can soften the blow.

Co-living comes in many varieties, from shared houses to luxurious mini-apartments. But the basic premise is the same: Renters can save money and expand their social circle if they're comfortable with smaller digs and shared common spaces. Co-living properties also tend to have more flexible lease terms and no broker fees, which can add thousands to the cost of a rental.

Take Carmel Place, an apartment building in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan. It opened in 2016 and is run by Ollie, a six-year-old co-living startup. The building has 55 studio apartments that range from 260 to 300 square feet, about the size of a one-car garage. The apartments come with bed linens, towels and furniture designed for tiny living, like a couch that folds into a bed. Residents share a lounge, laundry facilities, a gym and a rooftop terrace.

Apartments at Carmel Place start at $2,775 per month, which includes cable and Wi-Fi, regular housekeeping and access to social events. One block away, an unfurnished, 510-square-foot studio in a building with a gym is listed at $3,150 per month.

Matthew Alexander has lived at Carmel Place for almost two years. He had been living with roommates but wanted a place of his own, and he liked Carmel Place because it was new and offered amenities like grocery delivery.

Alexander has befriended his neighbors through Ollie-planned events like a mixology class in Soho and a tour of a Brooklyn chocolate factory. He doesn't mind his apartment's small size, but thinks it would be too small for two people.

"I like the concept of the micro-studio and minimalist living," said Alexander, 27, who works in human resources at Citigroup.

Rooms at co-living spaces are in high demand. Common, a co-living startup with homes in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, says it's getting 1,000 applications per week for its 500 bedrooms.

Co-living is such a new trend that no one company has perfected it yet, says Bob O'Brien, the global real estate sector leader for the Deloitte consulting firm. He expects a lot of experimentation over the next five to 10 years.

But he thinks the trend could be here to stay, in part because it appeals to so many people. Even if millennials form families and move to bigger homes, there are plenty of transient contract workers and empty nesters who might fill the void.

Ollie will expand its offerings this month in Long Island City, a neighborhood in Queens, New York. It's opening two- and three-bedroom furnished apartments with kitchens (but no living rooms) on 13 floors of a 42-story high rise. It will help match roommates who can pay as little as $1,393 per month for a small bedroom with a shared bath. Residents have access to an indoor lap pool and a gym.

In the same neighborhood, Craigslist is advertising a bedroom in a two-bedroom apartment for $2,021 per month.

"What we're trying to do is create Class B pricing for a Class A product," said Christopher Bledsoe, Ollie's co-founder and CEO. Ollie brings down costs by fitting a lot of people into its buildings and negotiating with furniture suppliers and other vendors.

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Bledsoe says two-thirds of Ollie's renters are under 35. But most of the rest are over 50.

WeLive  which spun off from WeWork shared office spaces  is another co-living option, with buildings in Arlington, Virginia, and New York that have 200 apartments each plus shared office space. The fully furnished apartments are a little larger than Ollie's, but there's a similar focus on big common areas and amenities like housekeeping. A WeLive studio apartment in Arlington starts at $1,500 per month, or about $100 less than a nearby unfurnished studio listed on Apartments.com.

Other co-living startups are offering even cheaper accommodations without fancy amenities. HubHaus, a two-year-old startup based in Los Altos, California, rents homes from landlords and configures them for shared living, sometimes adding rooms to fit more people. HubHaus matches housemates and rents unfurnished bedrooms; the common areas are furnished, Wi-Fi is provided and cleaners come twice a month. HubHaus also sponsors activities like backpacking trips and house dinners.

A room in a five-bedroom HubHaus home near Apple Inc.'s headquarters in Cupertino, California, is available for $1,250 per month. Up the street, a room with a bathroom is being offered on Craigslist for $1,300. A one-bedroom apartment in the same neighborhood is available for $2,750.

Shruti Merchant, HubHaus's co-founder and CEO, says the company currently has 464 rooms at 75 houses around San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Merchant says co-living is gaining in popularity because affordable apartments are scarce. She also thinks young people feel disconnected and want housing that prioritizes community over privacy.MUM

BritBox

Season Premiere! Seen through the eyes of the titular "mum," a woman named Cathy (Oscar nominee Lesley Manville, ''Phantom Thread''), Season 2 of this British comedy continues to follow the 60-year-old as she finds herself at a crossroads following the death of her husband. Over the course of one year, Cathy must navigate the realities of this new phase in her life alongside the good intentions of her lovably baffling family. Peter Mullan (Ozark) also stars. Season 1 of the acclaimed hit is also available on BritBox if you need to catch up.

THE JOEL MCHALE SHOW WITH JOEL MCHALE

Netflix

Season Finale! Joel McHale ends the first season of his new talk show.

KILLING EVE: "TAKE ME TO THE HOLE!"

BBC America, 8 p.m.

When a female assassin is taken into custody in Moscow, Eve (Sandra Oh) and Carolyn (Fiona Shaw) try to gain access to interview her, while Villanelle (Jodie Comer) is also in Russia to execute her own plans.

HARRY & MEGHAN: A ROYAL ROMANCE

Lifetime, 8 p.m.

Original Film! Days before the wedding event of the year, Lifetime takes viewers inside the lives and love of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, diving into the challenges that each has faced and the events that ultimately brought them together. Parisa Fitz-Henley stars as the actress turned future royal and shares that getting swept up in "Harry & Meghan-mania" has had an unexpected effect. She laughs, "One of the surprising things about this experience for me is that now I have actual wedding jitters, and it's not my wedding!"

LITTLE WOMEN

PBS, 8 p.m.

New Miniseries! Spend Mother's Day with Marmee, one of classic literature's most beloved matriarchs and mom to spirited teen sisters Amy, Beth, Meg and Jo March, the "little women" of Louisa May Alcott's masterwork. As part of its Masterpiece anthology, PBS tapped the folks who brought you Wolf Hall, Call the Midwife and Upstairs Downstairs to create this delicious, faithful rendition of the classic tale that stars Emily Watson as Marmee, Angela Lansbury as Aunt March and splendid newcomer Maya Hawke (Uma Thurman's daughter) as feisty, faithful Jo. Part 2 airs May 20.

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD: "LAURA"

AMC, 9 p.m.

The arrival of a wounded visitor in John Dorie's (Garret Dillahunt) life forces him to change his ways.

NCIS: LOS ANGELES: "VENGANZA"

CBS, 9 p.m.

NCIS investigates the murder of a federal prison inmate who was the adopted daughter of a notorious counterfeiter. Guest star Bar Paly returns as Anna Kolcheck in the new episode "Venganza."

TIMELESS: "THE GENERAL/CHINATOWN"

NBC, 9 p.m.

Season Finale! Two back-to-back episodes round out the time-traveling series' second season. In "The General," the Mothership jumps to South Carolina in 1863, where they partner with a courageous Union spy and military leader  Harriet Tubman  to thwart Rittenhouse's plan to alter the outcome of the Civil War. Then, in "Chinatown," when Jiya (Claudia Doumit) makes a daring escape from Rittenhouse that strands her in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1888 with no way home, the fractured Time Team goes back to save her.

MADAM SECRETARY: "PROTOCOL"

CBS, 10 p.m.

In the new episode "Protocol," terrorists threaten to cause a flood in the Middle East that could kill millions of people, and Elizabeth's (Tea Leoni) hopes of getting a neighboring country to close the dam fade after the government suddenly goes dark during a coup.

BREAKING HOMICIDE: "THE HONOLULU STRANGLER"

Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.

Hawaii's capital city is the location of Derrick and Kris' latest case. It's been over 30 years since a brutal serial killer terrified this tropical paradise, savagely murdering five young women. Can the team find the perpetrator who committed these heinous crimes?

Brought to you by the publishers of TV Guide.  TV Guide 2018SARATOGA SPRINGS - When the Syrian Civil War started in 2011, Jennifer Joukhadar could not stop thinking about it. A year later, the Syrian-American woman still couldnt stop thinking about it. In 2015, she decided to put her thoughts to paper and write a book. This month, The Map of Salt and Stars," was published.

I was thinking about all the loss occurring in Syria in terms of people and places and heritage, and the ways so many people I knew were grieving, said Joukhadar, who was born and raised in Manhattan. I was trying to think about what we have left that we can take with us.

On Friday evening, Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs will host Joukhadar for a book talk, led by Terrence Diggory of the Saratoga Immigration Coalition.

The Map of Salt and Stars follows the story of 12-year-old Nour, who  like Joukhadar  was born in New York City. After losing her father to cancer in 2011, Nours mother moves Nour and her two older sisters back to Homs, Syria to be close to family. The war breaks out soon after their arrival to Syria, and her family is forced to flee after losing their home (and nearly losing their lives).

As refugees, Nour and her family traverse the Levant and North Africa in search of safety. Nour recounts the favorite story her father used to tell about a 12th century, teenage girl who ran away from her family and disguised herself as a boy to apprentice herself to a mapmaker. As the mapmaker sought to create the most accurate world map to date, he and the teenage girl followed the same route Nour and her family follow centuries later.

Joukhaders narrative style is not a coincidence.

Its a traditional Arab storytelling technique to weave two stories together, Joukhadar said. That in itself is part of the heritage we can take with us.

The content of the story also speaks to coping with grief and loss, as Nour carries her father with her by carrying the mapmakers story.

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Maybe we can redefine what home is, Joukhader said. If it cant be a physical place anymore, you can still carry stories with you, and within stories people, places, history, feelings, mythology  all of these things.

Through that, Joukhader said, she hopes her novel presents a feeling of hope  hope that people of the Syrian diaspora can move forward from trauma and pain while keeping their heritage alive.

While the release of her book is exciting, Joukhader feels a twinge of sadness. She had hoped, when she started the novel, that the Syrian conflict would be over by the time her book came out.

Three years later, In a way some things are actually worse, Joukhader said, bringing up U.S. President Donald Trumps travel ban  commonly referred to as a Muslim ban  as an example. We can do something about this if we keep talking about it and engaging. We shouldnt let it slip away.ALBANY  The city's historic Washington Park was filled with umbrellas Saturday as people ventured into the rain to enjoy the city's 70th annual Tulip Festival.

Rooted in Albany's Dutch heritage, the Tulip Festival celebrates tradition, local flavors and crafts. This year's festival attracted people outside of Albany, including two busloads of people from Newburgh.

"Albany is a wonderful city," said Barbara Dey of Newburgh. "The park is absolutely phenomenal, it's so beautiful and historic, and for them to do something like this is just wonderful."

Mother and daughter Angela and Ariana Maples came to Albany for the weekend from their hometown of Johnston, Rode Island, through the Conway Tours.

"It's beautiful, we love all the flowers," Angela said.

The two said the trip was part of their Mother's Day celebration, and that they may come back next year.

"It was a Mother's Day bus tour," Ariana, 24, said. "It could be a new tradition."

The newly crowned 2018 Albany Tulip Queen is 23-year-old Sawyer Cresap of Albany.

She was selected Saturday from a field of five at Washington Park's Lakehouse Stage as part of the annual Tulip Festival weekend, which continues Sunday.

Other contestants were Katherine Donnelly, 23, of Latham; Natalie Joseph, 18, of Guilderland; Elizabeth Stenard, 19 of Albany; and Xavia Francis, 18, of Albany.

Here is the new Tulip Queen's official biography from the city's website:

Sawyer Cresap is a Syracuse University graduate completing a bachelor's degree in Environmental Policy with honors. She currently works as a stewardship and volunteer coordinator at the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy. Sawyer has served in AmeriCorps, volunteered as an art instructor with 4H and assisted locally with the Ronald McDonald House. She is an avid outdoors enthusiast who loves running, hiking as well as painting and drawing. As a member of the 2018 Tulip Court, Sawyer hopes to inspire others' curiosity about the world and the community around them through nature and literacy.

Cresap succeeds 2017 Queen Ashley Loggins.

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Cresap and her court members will spend the next year working on community outreach programs and educational efforts in Albany. The five finalists were chosen by a committee of local leaders through interviews for the honor, part of a tradition that dates to the 1940s.

Here are Sunday's previously scheduled events, according to the city's website:

Main Stage

Media sponsors: 98.3 TRY, 102.3 Kiss FM, 99.5 The River & PYX 106

4:30 p.m.  Dr. K's Motown Revue

3:00 p.m.  Taina Asili

1:30 p.m.  The Sea The Sea

Local 518 Stage

Media sponsor: Exit 97.7

4:45 p.m.  North and South Dakotas

3:30 p.m.  Zan Strumfeld

2:15 p.m.  Jordan Taylor Hill

1:00 p.m.  Ryan Leddick Trio

12:00 p.m. - 20th Annual Mother of the Year Award

Mayor Sheehan and B95.5's Joe Condon recognize the Capital Region's most outstanding moms. Presented by St. Peter's Health Partners, Times Union & B95.5. Flowers provided by Ambiance Floral and Design.Former Iraqi Minister of Defense Khaled Yassin al-Obaidi said the United States is responsible for Discord in Iraq, Sputnik reports.

"Americans are mainly responsible for what happened to Iraq because they were the first to form a government on a base of confessional quotas It was decided under Paul Bremer's [US Presidential envoy and head of the transitional government during US military presence in Iraq] leadership that Sunnis would get 5 ministerial offices, Shiites  11, and Kurds  7. This decision laid the foundation of the discord between confessional and ethnic groups and led us to the situation in modern Iraq with its sectarianism and inter-ethnic hostilities," he said.

The US launched its Operation Iraqi Freedom on March 20, 2003, claiming that the then-president of the country, Saddam Hussein, was developing weapons of mass destruction and colluding with al-Qaeda. The operation led to the overthrow of Hussein and was followed by an eight-year-long US military presence in Iraq.The man who paid the wife of Joseph Percoco nearly $287,000 in alleged bribes through a "low show" teaching job and whose trial ended in a mistrial pleaded guilty Friday to a federal charge to resolve his case.

Peter Galbraith Kelly, 54, of Canterbury, Conn., known as Braith, a former executive with Competitive Power Ventures (CPV), a firm with business before the state, admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud before Judge Valerie Caproni in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

At the trial, federal prosecutors said Kelly arranged a $90,000-a-year job for Lisa Percoco as cover for bribes to her husband, at the time the top aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

On Friday, Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in a news release that Kelly pleaded guilty to defrauding CPV by mispresenting that Percoco had obtained state ethics approval for his wife to work at CPV.

"Braith Kelly was involved in a criminal scheme to bribe of one of the most powerful men in New York in exchange for favorable treatment for his energy company," Berman said in the statement.

"Today he pled guilty for his part in the scheme and now faces time in prison. Corruption in Albany casts a shadow over the many honest public servants who do good work in the administration of government, and deprives the citizens of New York of the honest representation they deserve."

Kelly will be sentenced Sept. 28. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.

Over eight weeks, Kelly sat trial alongside Percoco and Steve Aiello and Joseph Gerardi, executives with Syracuse-based COR Development. On March 13, a jury convicted Percoco of three of the six counts he faced, including honest services mail fraud and soliciting bribes. Jurors convicted Aiello of conspiring to commit honest services fraud, cleared Gerardi of all charges and reached no verdict on Kelly.

They alleged Kelly paid off Percoco so CPV's power plant in Orange County could get an agreement with the state. At the time, testimony showed, the state sought replacement sources to generate energy should the Indian Point nuclear plant along the Hudson River close.

CPV also wanted a "reciprocity agreement" from the state to allow it to transfer emission credits from New York to a CPV plant in Woodbridge, N.J., so it could be allowed to emit a type of noxious oxide, witnesses said.

It was Kelly's attorney, Daniel Gitner, who exposed the biggest blockbuster at the trial. His cross-examination of star prosecution witness Todd Howe revealed that Howe  after signing a cooperation agreement that required him to stop committing crimes -- tried to swindle his credit card company out of the cost of a night's stay at the Waldolf-Astoria.

Howe previously testified that he, Percoco and Kelly, who first met on an August 2010 fishing trip off Montauk, Long Island, had dinner at an Italian restaurant in Danbury, Conn., to discuss a possible business relationship.

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"My understanding was that (Kelly) wanted Joe to be an advocate - his eyes and ears in the governor's office," Howe testified.

Lisa Percoco, a former New York City school teacher, was hired to teach outreach classes for CPV in New Jersey. She worked at "CPV Educates," which taught children about energy.

Yanina Daigle, who worked with Lisa Percoco, testified the work was "shoddy" and "often sloppy." She said while Lisa Percoco received $7,500 a month beginning in November 2012 she did not set foot into a classroom nearly until March 2014.

According to Daigle, Lisa Percoco worked just 19 days and never more than three hours at a time over the three years she collected the nearly $287,000. A document showed Lisa Percoco worked 10 times in 2014, seven times in 2015 and two times in 2016.

The hiring also drew concern at CPV from Sean Finnerty, a senior vice president at Competitive Power Ventures who testified at the trial. He questioned the hiring of Lisa Percoco for "educational consulting services" when he was asked to approve the payment.

"I asked if that is something we can do, can we do that? Braith's response was, 'There is nothing illegal about it. We have an ethics opinion on it. We have had the lawyers look at it,'" Finnerty testified. "At that point in time, I believe I said, 'You're scaring the s -- t out of me, Braith.'"

Finnerty added: "I asked if I could see the ethics opinion and the legal opinion. I was told those would not be shared with me. At that time - I apologize for the language, Your Honor - but at that time I said, 'What the (expletive), Braith?'"Cambridge-Greenwich Police are warning residents about a suspicious incident that happened Thursday in Cambridge.

Police said a young woman was approached by an older man at the Cumberland Farms in Cambridge and asked if she would like to see his puppy. She declined, left in her vehicle and the man followed her for a short time, she told police.

Police advised the public: "Please be alert and talk with your children about what to do in these situations. And please continue to report these and any similar incidents to our department."

Anyone with information may contact Cambridge-Greenwich Police at 518-677-3044.Washington

President Donald Trump told leaders of the world's top automakers on Friday that he wants to see more cars built in the United States as his administration weighs plans to reduce gas mileage and pollution requirements enacted during the Obama administration.

Trump said in a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House that he intended to discuss environmental controls, fuel efficiency standards and the "manufacturing of millions of more cars within the United States, for Michigan, for Ohio, for Pennsylvania" and states like South Carolina and North Carolina.

As the auto executives introduced themselves, the president joked to Sergio Marchionne, chairman and chief executive of Fiat Chrysler, that "right now he's my favorite man in the room" because he's moving a plant from Mexico to Michigan.

Trump won the presidency in 2016 in part by his strength in the industrial Midwest states of Michigan and Ohio, which employ thousands of people in the auto manufacturing industry and its suppliers. The meeting came as the administration has been holding extensive negotiations with Mexico and Canada on a rewrite of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which the auto industry is watching warily.

Asked if the deal might adversely affect the industry, Trump said, "NAFTA has been a terrible deal, we're renegotiating it now, we'll see what happens."

"Mexico and Canada, look, they don't like to lose the golden goose. But I'm representing the United States. I'm not representing Mexico and I'm not representing Canada," he said. "We'll see if we can make it reasonable."

The auto industry wants to relax the fuel economy standards, but not so much that they provoke a legal fight with California, which has power to impose its own stricter tailpipe pollution limits. Such a fight could bring two mileage standards in the U.S., forcing automakers to engineer and produce two versions of each of their vehicle models, driving up costs.

The meeting included Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and other officials.

In testimony before a congressional committee this month, Mitch Bainwol, CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said the trade group has urged the Trump administration to find a solution that increases mileage requirements from 2022 to 2025 and includes California in order to keep one national standard.

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"The resulting regulatory nightmare would ultimately harm consumers by increasing vehicle costs and restricting consumer choice," Bainwol said.

If California splits from the federal rule, it likely would be joined by 12 states that follow its standards. Together they make up about 40 percent of U.S. new-vehicle sales.

The EPA under Trump has proposed freezing the standards at 2020 levels for the next five years, according to a draft of the proposal obtained by Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del. Under the proposal, the fleet of new vehicles would have to average roughly 30 miles per gallon in real-world driving, and that wouldn't change through at least 2025.

The EPA under Obama proposed standards that gradually would become tougher during that period, rising to 36 mpg in 2025, 10 mpg higher than the current requirement. California and automakers agreed to the rules in 2012, setting a single national fuel economy standard.

Any big change by Trump certainly would bring lawsuits from environmental groups as well as California. Leaks about the Trump EPA plan already have provoked a suit from California and 16 other states.The wedding of Britain's Prince Harry and American Meghan Markle is Saturday, May 19, and royal fever is running hot. A Harry-and-Meghan-themed pop-up bar opened in Washington on May 4, and Georgetown Cupcake is selling lemon-elderflower treats all month in honor of the couple's wedding cake. If U.S. television ratings for the nuptials of Harry's brother (about 23 million viewers) and parents (17 million) are any guide, millions of Americans will wake up early to watch Markle's transition from television actress to real-life royalty. For all the U.S. interest, though, the British crown remains surrounded by misconceptions.

- Myth No. 1: The monarchy has embraced a new, progressive attitude.

Two generations ago, royal love affairs with divorced persons sparked crises. Only in 2002 did the Church of England - of which the sovereign is supreme governor - allow divorced people to remarry. (By then, as divorce grew more common in Britain, three of the queen's four children had divorced.) In 2005, the (divorced) heir to the throne married a divorcee. This helped smooth the path for Harry and Markle, who is divorced. "The House of Windsor is tearing up the rule-book and bringing itself into the 21st century," wrote one royal biographer.

Meanwhile, the crown updated the rules of succession a few years ago to end male precedence over female heirs. The change made history in April when newborn Prince Louis did not supercede his older sister, Princess Charlotte, in line to the throne.

The ancient institution is modernizing - but that doesn't make it modern. It remains the world's most iconic example of hereditary aristocracy (sitting atop a class- and race-conscious society), a system long since discarded in most liberal and democratic nations. And eliminating gender bias in the succession to the throne merely reflects 20th-century norms, not 21st-century progressivism. Another problem, as a New York Times op-ed put it, is whether "more people of color will come to feel they have a stake in the country's most old-fashioned institution" - Markle's biracial background notwithstanding. Author Anita Sethiwrote last month that Prince Charles had remarked in conversation that she, a woman of color, didn't "look like" someone from Manchester.

- Myth No. 2: the Windsors are multi-billionaires.

How-rich-are-the-royals stories are routine. Yes, they are wealthy. A Reader's Digest write-up pegged the net worth of Prince George, 4, at $3.6 billion and 3-year-old Princess Charlotte at $5 billion. A business consultancy's report concluded last year that their net worth is about $88 billion. The astronomical sum includes the combined value of assets such as Buckingham Palace, the crown jewel collection and the Windsor "brand" that attracts tourists to Britain each year.

The queen has a personal fortune of about $425 million, Bloomberg estimated in 2015. The monarch did not make the 2017 Sunday Times list of Britain's 300 richest people. She personally owns Balmoral Castle in Scotland and Sandringham House in Norfolk, England. But official residences such as Windsor Castle are not her private property. They're part of the Crown Estate, a system formalized in 1760 under which King George III signed crown lands and assets over to the government in exchange for a salary. The queen couldn't sell Buckingham Palace, and she is not wholly responsible for its upkeep. Similarly, while the royals have personal jewelry, the regalia worn at coronations and state occasions such as the opening of Parliament passes from monarch to monarch.

- Myth No. 3: When Charles is king, his wife, Camilla, won't be queen.

When the couple became engaged in 2005, Clarence House (Charles's residence) announced, "It is intended that Mrs Parker Bowles should use the title the Princess Consort when the prince accedes to the throne." The couple sought to minimize negative reactions from Princess Diana fans and others offended by their long-running affair, which Diana publicly blamed for the failure of her marriage to Charles. So Camilla became known as the Duchess of Cornwall, eschewing Diana's title, Princess of Wales.

Yet while polls suggest that many Britons oppose the idea of Camilla as queen, Queen Elizabeth II signaled her approval in 2016 by adding her to the Privy Council, a senior group of advisers to the sovereign. The language about Camilla becoming princess consort has been removed from the Clarence House website, and articles and biographies of Charles and Camilla have suggested that Charles intends for his wife to be queen.

- Myth No. 4: Markle's child could be a royal and run for U.S. president.

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Some magazine and newspaper articles argue that any offspring of Harry and Markle "could be both President of the United States and heirs to the British throne," pointing to a 2016 Harvard Law Review analysis of the term "natural-born citizen" by former U.S. solicitors general Neal Katyal and Paul Clement. Markle plans to become a British citizen, Kensington Palace has said, though it's not known whether she intends to retain her U.S. citizenship. Children of Americans, including those with dual citizenship, have U.S. citizen status at birth.

But without an exemption from Congress, any child of the couple who is in line for the British throne would run afoul of the foreign emoluments clause: Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution says that "no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under [the United States], shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State." So even if a future daughter broke with the royal tradition of steering clear of politics, she would need to renounce the throne - or get special permission from Congress to maintain her claim. It's hard to imagine a candidate winning an election without first having pledged exclusive allegiance to the United States.

- Myth No. 5: It is unpatriotic to care about the wedding or the royals.

To some, royal coverage is more than merely annoying. After the royal engagement was announced last year, Sonny Bunchargued in The Washington Post that "Americans rightfully and violently overthrew our tea-sipping stamp-taxing overlords in large part so that we should not have to genuflect in front of the altar of royal bloodlines." CNN's Moni Basu recently wrote about struggling to understand American interest in the wedding: "They are not, after all, our kings or queens, princes and princesses. . . . We gave blood to be free of the British monarchy."

A lot has changed since 1776. The powers that Britain's monarchs once wielded have largely shifted to Parliament. It might officially be Her Majesty's military, but the queen doesn't order forces into battle. When she opens a session of Parliament, the queen reads a speech written by the elected government. Taxes are collected in her name, but the legislature sets rates. Britain has evolved from an empire of colonies to membership in a Commonwealth of allied governments.

Meanwhile, American interest in the royals is nothing new. Queen Elizabeth II, 92, first made the cover of Time magazine at age 3 in 1929. A fascination with the Duchess of Cambridge's wardrobe or charity work does not threaten U.S. citizenship or governance. And that's partly why so many enjoy it. For Americans, following royal characters has none of the complications of politics or responsibility for the monarchy's costs. Some see the royals as a real-life fairy tale; others see them as a long-running soap opera. For some in a celebrity-obsessed culture, princes and princesses are simply a higher caste.

- - -

Brewington, a freelance journalist in Washington, was an editor at The Washington Post from 2001 to 2014 and anchored The Post's Royal Wedding Watch blog in 2011.Irish Water's plans to abstract 330 million litres of water per day from Lough Derg to supply the Greater Dublin Area has been described as a project based on holes and leaks, by Sinn Fein TD Carol Nolan.

Deputy Nolan said Irish Waters announcement to proceed with an application to An Bord Pleanala, was  premature as there are too many gaps in the research and the issue of existing water leaks has not been adequately addressed.

The scheme with an estimated cost of 1.3 billion proposes to take water from the Parteen basin in north Tipperary and supply it via 170km of pipe, to Dublin and major Midland towns close to the pipeline. It will represent the largest capital investment project in the history of the State.

Deputy Nolan, who represents the Lower Ormond end of North Tipperary as part of the Offaly constituency, has backed calls from opponents and sceptics for an independent review prior to the proposal coming before An Bord Pleanala.

I listened to local concerns at a meeting in Ballyeighan,Birr, and again at the launch in Dublin on Tuesday, and I am of the opinion that there are options that have not been adequately considered, she said.

Deputy Nolan said that not only must the detail of the proposed Plan be forensically scrutinised but an up-to-date study into the prospecting of groundwater in the greater Dublin area must be undertaken along with increasing the targets for leakage reduction.

Deputy Nolan said that it made no sense whatsoever to proceed with the abstraction of water from Tipperary to supply it to Dublin for it to pour into the ground through leaky pipes.

This proposal warrants further investigation, she said.[May 11, 2018] A.M. Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Scotia Insurance (Barbados) Limited

A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "a+" of Scotia Insurance (Barbados) Limited (Scotia Insurance) (Barbados). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect Scotia Insurance's balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorizes as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The company maintains the strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalization with a high return on equity while maintaining sufficient liquidity. Scotia Insurance is primarily a life reinsurer that is ultimately owned by The Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank). Scotia Insurance principally reinsurers credit insurance policies underwritten by third-party life insurance carriers on consumer loans originated by Scotiabank's retail branches throughout Canada. The company has a long history of favorable underwriting results through conservative underwriting that has continued through 2017. These strengths are offset partially by Scotia Insurance's dependence upon consumer loan originations within Canada, and how such products are offered. The creditor insurance cross-sell on loans has slowed recently, due in part to the digitalization of banking and the loss of face-to-face sales. Furthermore, the company maintains a high dividend payout ratio that has resulted in a lack of absolute capital expansion. However, A.M. Best notes that in a stress scenario, Scotia Insurance could recapitalize by adjusting its shareholder dividend payout.



This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on A.M. Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see A.M. Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Understanding Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Best's Credit Ratings and A.M. Best press releases, please view Guide for Media - Proper Use of Best's Credit Ratings and A.M. Best Rating Action Press Releases. A.M. Best is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2018 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180511005759/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 12, 2018] Global Interface IP Market - Proliferation of Wireless Technologies Boosts Growth | Technavio

Technavio market research analysts have forecasted the global interface IP market to post a CAGR of more than 11% during the period 2018-2022, according to their latest report. However, the growth momentum of the market is expected to decline due to a decrease in the year-over-year growth. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180512005025/en/ Technavio has published a new market research report on the global interface IP market from 2018-2022. (Graphic: Business Wire) One of the major trends being witnessed in the market is the proliferation of wireless technologies. IoT has evolved over the last 25 years and the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is replacing the Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4). This will allow many hosts to connect to the Internet, and more amount of data can be transmitted. Presently, the network traffic is growing at an exponential rate. This is primarily because of the increased popularity of mobile computing devices. As a result, there is a continued deployment of next-generation wireless standards such as 4G and 5G and wireless technologies such as Bluetooth low energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, ZigBee (News - Alert) , and Z-Wave across the globe. These wireless standards and wireless technologies provide a wireless connection that is equivalent to broadband connections. This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing Save more with Technavio. Buy 2 reports and get the third for FREE: View all Technavio's current offers In this report, Technavio research analysts highlight the increase in the demand for modern SoC chips as a key factor contributing to the growth of the global interface IP market: Increase in the demand for modern SoC chips Semiconductor chip manufacturers have developed the SoC technology to maintain pace with the rising need to embed more functions on a single IC. Rapid technological advances have led to a decrease in the overall cycle time of products. In SoC designs, pre-verified and pre-designed blocks called IP blocks or IP cores as well as virtual components are combined on a single chip. These IP cores are reusable and include interface blocks, embedded processors, memory blocks, and components for specific processing functions. The advantages of this technology are high on-chip frequencies, the density of functions, reliability, and moderate unit costs. The explosive growth of consumer electronics and communication devices is expected to drive the demand for SoCs during the forecast period. According to a senior analyst at Technavio for embedded systems, "The use of SoCs has grown substantially in the last five years. Smart electronics manufacturers have started integrating this technology into their devices such as wireless communication equipment, electrocardiogram machines, smartphones, and telemetry devices. With the emergence of the SIP technology, mixed-signal SoC manufacturers can integrate more functionalities on a single chip at a moderate price. This technology development is expected to boost the penetration of SoCs in various applications." Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Global interface IP market segmentation This market research report segments the global interface IP market into the following end-users (fabless semiconductor companies, IDMs, and foundries), types (USB, DDRn, PCIe, Ethernet, and MIPI), and key regions (the Americas, APAC, and EMEA). It provides an in-depth analysis of the prominent factors influencing the market, including drivers, opportunities, trends, and industry-specific challenges. Based on end-user, the fabless semiconductor companies segment held the largest market share in 2017, accounting for over 65% of the market. The market share occupied by this end-user is expected to increase by more than 1% during the forecast period. In 2017, the Americas was the largest revenue-generating region in the global interface IP market. It held a revenue share of more than 47% in 2017. This could be attributed to the presence of numerous fabless semiconductor companies in the US. APAC held the second largest share in the market, which is driven by the growth of semiconductor companies, especially in regions such as China and Taiwan.







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About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180512005025/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]At least 21 foreign fighters were killed in Israeli strikes on Syria this week, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"At least 27 pro-regime fighters were killed" in Thursday's strikes, director of the Observatory for Human Rights Rami Abdel Rahman said.

He said that "six Syrian soldiers and 21 foreign fighters, including 11 Iranians" were among the dead. That updates the monitor's initial toll of 23, which did not specify the number of Iranians, AFP reported.

"The new report is due to the death of wounded or missing persons whose deaths have been confirmed," Abdel Rahman added.

Israel says it struck dozens of Iranian targets inside Syria early on Thursday in response to a salvo of rockets allegedly fired by Iranian forces into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.It's been five months since the FCC voted to repeal Obama-era net neutrality protections. Now the commission has announced that it plans to do away with these regulations on June 11, which is 30 days after the order revoking the rules will be finalized and published in the Federal Register.

Ordinary citizens, tech companies, and rights organizations have all protested the FCC's plan to revoke net neutrality protections ever since commissioner Ajit Pai revealed it. At one point, the FCC website's comment section crashed because so many people were commenting, although many of those "people" were bots using stolen identities to support Pai's proposal.

Yet those complaints weren't enough to stop the FCC.The FCC has used the last five months to finalize the proposal, presumably with the intent of making it as hard as possible to continue to protest the repeal.

Here's the good news: Democratic senators are scrambling to start a vote to block the FCC's repeal. Reuters said a vote could happen as early as next week, and thus far 50 senators (47 Democrats, two independents, and one Republican) are planning to stop the FCC's plan from moving forward. If that happens, the net neutrality protections should remain in place, which is what the majority of Americans wanted to begin with.

The U.S. Senate isn't the only group working to stop the FCC's repeal. On May 9, digital rights organizations and tech companies kicked off the Red Alert for Net Neutrality movement, which aims to remind internet users to contact their representatives and let them know to oppose the FCC's plan. State lawmakers have also voted to block the FCC's repeal and, in some cases, introduce their own net neutrality protections.

These efforts have one month to show results. Otherwise, the FCC's plan to gut net neutrality will move forward, and unless the political climate drastically changes during the mid-term and/or next presidential elections, it could be a long while before they return.Hondas new-gen Civic is quite the looker. Here in the States, we were lucky enough to get both the hatchback (and the Type R, finally) and the sedan or saloon as our European brethren call it. Over in the U.K., however, the only choice is the Civic Hatch, but that will change now as Honda plans to bring the saloon to U.K. dealers by August 2018.

What Can U.K. Buyers Expect from the Honda Civic Saloon?

Compared to the Hatchback the U.K. knows and loves, its roomier, and has a rear end thats far less aggressive

Well, you can get a good idea of what to expect by looking at the Civic Sedan here in the states. As you can see from the images, its almost identical. Compared to the Hatchback the U.K. knows and loves, its roomier, and has a rear end thats far less aggressive. It gets that very sleek roof design that lets you get into a four-door coupe as the Germans call them on a budget.

The interior will be heavily based on the Civic Hatchback, but to get a good look, weve included a picture of the Civic Sedan above. Theres no word on what standard features it will carry in the U.K., but here in the States we get automatic climate control, power windows and door locks, cruise control, adjustable steering wheel, LED pocket lights, rear seat heater ducts, cargo area light, rear defrost, and LED gear indicators on models equipped with an automatic transmission. From EX-T trim and above youll get dual-zone auto climate control, a leather steering wheel, and leather shift knob. EX-L and higher trims get the auto-dimming rearview mirror.

As far as powertrain options are concerned, at launch, youll have the choice of two.

As far as powertrain options are concerned, at launch, youll have the choice of two. The first is a 1.0-liter gasoline engine  the same one thats in the hatchback  while the diesel option will net you a 1.6-liter which is also from the hatchback. In the hatchback, the gasoline engine offers up 128 horsepower while the diesel offers up just 118 ponies. On that note, the gasoline engine will be offered with a CVT transmission or a six-speed manual. The 1.6-liter can be equipped with the same six-speed manual or a brand new nine-speed automatic.

For now, Honda is withholding any pricing information or official specifications for power output of fuel efficiency, but those should come to light sometime before it officially goes on sale in August. Stay tuned for updates.

References

Read our full review on the 2018 Honda Civic Sedan.

Read our full driven review on the 2017 Honda Civic Type R.

Read our full review on the 2017 Honda Civic Type R.

Read our full review on the 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback.German Chancellor Angela Merkel has received the "Lamp of Peace" - a Catholic award for pursuing the peaceful coexistence between nations.

During the award ceremony at St. Francis' Basilica in the Italian city of Assisi, Angela Merkel said that the recent escalation of the Israeli-Iranian conflict was cause for deep concern, adding that President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the Iranian nuclear deal makes the situation in the Middle East "even more tense" to solve.

The German chancellor has mentioned Syria as "one of the biggest humanitarian tragedies" of the modern world, urging politicians around the globe to make every possible effort in order to end the crisis. "This conflict has become a conflict of regional interests, a conflict of religions and that's why today's award reminds me and many other European leaders that we should be more involved in solving this conflict," Sputnik cited her as saying.

Merkel has also warned about the rise of populism in Europe and particularly in Italy, claiming that "tolerance must be always present in the European Union."

"In this painful and most crucial period of the biblical outcome of the Syrians from their land, the German Chancellor opened the borders, showing courage and determination, without fear of going against public opinion," the priest noted, explaining the decision of the Franciscan Order.Vacation Agent Magazine

A version of this article appears in print in the May 2018 issue of Vacation Agent Magazine. SubscribeHERE are two terms you dont see often in the same sentence: menstruation and mental health. Yet, it is a topic worth discussing, says womens counselling psychologist Oraine Ramoo. Hormones can have an effect on a womans moods and emotions and can even impact the quality of ones life.I appreciate the position taken by Mr Kevin Baldeosingh on the reasons why he will not get -:- Message from Tripadvisor staff -:-

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We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.Russia's Armed Forces are recovering quickly from nearly two decades of decline, according to head of planning at NATO's operations division in Brussels, Diego Ruiz Palmer.

"Evidence has been growing since 2009 that the Russian Armed Forces are recovering quickly from nearly two decades of decline and neglect following the end of the Cold War. The scale of that recovery in 10 years is remarkable," the monograph says.

In addition, he believes that Russia is the only country in Europe to conduct no-noticem snap-alert exercises and to train its forces regulary for operations on a scale of 60,000-150,000 troops.

Palmer also noted that the engagement of Russian forces in the conflict in Syria has set a new baseline or the operational competence and logistical capasity of the Russian military.Avoid Camperman camper rentals at all cost.

After our experience in 2018, we would NEVER rent from Camperman again and strongly recommend that no traveler do so either.

Do NOT be persuaded by any positive reviews. Camperman offered us money to NOT write a negative review, so I can only assume that any positive reviews are either bought, or at least aren't representational since poor reviews are actively discouraged.

A quick search will reveal we are not the only ones who had a poor experience and were offered partial refunds in exchange for not leaving a bad review.

This alone speaks volumes about Camperman's customer service. They spend more time and effort trying to cover up a poor product and service than just taking input and improving their business.

There are many, many camper/RV rental companies serving Australia, and just about any one of them would be preferable to Camperman. Just scratch Camperman off your list now and move on.

We rented a Camperman van in Australia for 23 days. We are a family of four. Though Camperman says that their camper will sleep four. It can't. At least not in any comfortable way.

The top bunk is too narrow for two, even if they are children. On top of that, if you are going anywhere warm, the top bunk will be hot and sweltering. There is no ventilation. The cushions in the top bunk were poorly cut, making them lumpy and unusable. The whole top bunk is a disaster.

Even if there are only two of you, the bottom bed is assembled laboriously by moving a heavy table top, multiple pieces of wood, and nine (9!) old and used cushions spread around the van. This makes the bed difficult to set up and uncomfortable to sleep on. There are gaps in the padding everywhere. Poor ventilation here as well.

With such poor bedding, we just gave up and tried to use the tent Camperman provided. Again, quality is poor. The tent was dirty. The pads provided were thin and old. More importantly, the tent is not waterproof. If it is raining, you're out of luck.

It should be made clear that the van isn't self-contained. If you use the sink, the water just drains out the bottom, exiting near the side door that you use to enter/exit. Also, campgrounds don't allow you to drain gray water directly (for obvious reasons). So, you won't be using the kitchen.

The refrigerator was old, making it loud, especially at night. It's so inefficient though, it will kill the battery in a few hours, which makes it quiet, but no longer cold. It also leaked water inside the camper.

Camperman did say we could drive all the way back to Brisbane and they'd try to address the issues, but this is impractical if you're trying to keep any sort of itenetary. It is a false solution.

It should also be highlighted that there is no AC in the back, so if you are traveling with more than two, the people in back suffer when it's warm.

Again, there are just too many other choices of reputable camper rentals to need to use Camperman. Ever.

Even as a last resort, we would advise just renting a car and staying in cabins at the campgrounds. It will ultimately be cheaper and more comfortable.

Until Camperman learns to listen to customers and incorporate feedback to improve its business, we highly advise finding a different rental company. You'll be glad you did and will enjoy your holiday much more.Broome! Winter is ideal to visit, beautiful weather and lots to do and see.

2,400 kilometres away from Western Australia's capital city Perth, Broome is a relatively small country town and everything is done in tropical "Broome time". Take the time to look around at the brilliant red colour of the ground and the lush tropical greenery and flowers. On your first day there it might seem small and slow, on your second day there it all feels normal, and after that you wonder why the rest of the world is rushing around so much - then you are on "Broome Time".

The striking colours of the red earth, turquoise sea and blue sky are a major drawcard for artists and photographers. Best time to come is June to October, when all the peak season tourist attractions are operating in full swing. (Swimming in the ocean is not recommended in Summer - December to February - due to some tiny but dangerous stinging jellyfish, unless you wear a special full body lycra swimsuit, but most resorts have lovely swimming pools.)

Broome has a small modern airport and there are plenty of Australian and overseas visitors particularly in the peak season, when the population usually triples. Visitors who come in summer (Dec to Feb) are likely to find it swelteringly hot and humid, and it's also the cyclone season (translated as hurricane season for people from USA!)

Natural/Free Attractions:

Cable Beach is the really big attraction in Broome, with kilometres and kilometres of clean white sand and ridiculously turquoise ocean water as far as the eye can see, in both directions. In peak season you can hire loungers and umbrellas from a beach van, as well as surf boards, boogie boards and assorted other beach gear. Camel rides are a popular attraction for visitors and photographers at sunset. It is recommended to use sunscreen protection because the tropical UV can be very damaging at just 17 degrees south of the Equator.

Gantheaume Point has brightly coloured rocky outcrops that make a great visual contrast with the colour of the tropical ocean. If you know where to look, fossilised dinosaur imprints can be found but only at low tide. The Broome Visitor Centre can advise good times for that. There is also a steel-framed lighthouse where a large sea osprey nest can be seen high up. Anastasia's Pool is another interesting story associated with the original lighthouse family.

Town Beach on the east side of Broome peninsula has grassy playgrounds near a sheltered beach, with a cafe as well. Its also near the historical cemetery, where you will find the headstones of Chinese and 900 Japanese pearl divers who died in the early days of the pearling industry.

The Courthouse Weekend Markets are held in the grounds of the historic Broome Courthouse on weekends. Here you will find local industry stands selling locally grown fruit and vegetables in season, handmade soap, mango products, jewellery and beachwear/casual clothing. Also musicians and food stands reflecting cultural diversity of the area.

Pearl shops - Broome is the pearl capital of Australia and has many jewellery shops in and around the town centre specialising in pearls. It is famous for its huge pearls, reputedly the largest in the world from the large Pinctada pearl shell. It's free to look in the windows!

Broome Jetty and Deepwater Point - cruise ships dock here from time to time. Popular with fishing and it's interesting just to walk out and enjoy the view.

Some Commercial/Tour Attractions (some of these may not operate in the low "Wet" season)

Willie Creek Pearl Farm - (approx 3 hrs) You can also drive 30 kilometres and join the tour there at reduced cost of you have a hire car, or do a half day tour of the pearl farm, including a short boat tour on a pearling boat and listen to the sales pitch to buy a souvenir Broome pearl!

Horizontal Falls - (approx 4 hrs) several seaplane flights leave from Broome airport most days, landing in one of the ocean inlets near the Buccaneer Archipelago such as Cyclone Creek. Once landed, the tour transfers you to a large inflatable high powered boat, which travels the amazing the 9 metre tidal cascade during the full tide change. Best time to go is when the tide change is most evident.

Hovercraft Tour (approx 1.5 hrs) around Roebuck Bay to see fossilised dinosaur footprints and the remains of wrecked flying boats from the 1942 air raid on Broome during WW2.

Crocodile Farm/Wilderness Wildlife Park - 15 minutes drive from Broome, open afternoons. Crocodile feeding tour is at 3pm - apart from saltwater crocodiles, other animals include dingoes, kangaroos, lizards, wallabies, emus. Maybe buy a Malcolm Douglas video, or even crocodile-skin wallet or handbag as a souvenir!

Sunsets - eat fresh seafood and drink cocktails or a cold beer as the sun sets over Cable Beach.

Matso's Brewery - the original boutique beer brewery in Broome with a restaurant overlooking Roebuck Bay. For a change, try the mango beer.

Seasonal Attractions

Stairway to the Moon - peak viewing times are after sunset as the full moon rises in July, August and September. Best vantage points are on the shore looking east over Roebuck Bay, special dinner events at selected venues.

Opera Under the Stars - annual open air opera gala experience presented at the end of August each year. (link to website)

Shinju Matsuri Festival - Festival of the Pearl - held late Aug/Sept for the last 40+ years, inc lots of free/artistic events. Events over 10 days include the Waking the Dragon Opening Ceremony, Fireworks, Mardi Gras, Art Festival and awards, Floating Lanterns remembrance ceremony and much more. ( )

Accommodation

There is a wide range of accommodation, mainly grouped on the two sides of the Broome peninsula:

Broome town side (east side on Roebuck Bay, main street is Carnarvon St.) This side has the hospital and government offices, with pubs, most of the Broome restaurants, shopping centre with Coles supermarket, tourism/visitors centre, Sun outdoor theatre etc.

Cable Beach side (west side on Cable Beach, main street is Cable Beach Rd.) This side has the best beaches, major resorts, a selection of bars, restaurants and cafes.

Enjoy!So I'm heading to Costa Rica in the beginning of June and having a hard time choosing my destinations. I've done a fair amount of research and searched on here but wanted to get some other opinions.

My current set in stone parts of my itinerary are below:

Day 1: Late arrival to SJO, staying near airport

Day 2: Rent car from Vamos, drive to meet friends at Jaco, in Jaco

Day 3: In Jaco with friends

Day 4-9: ??

Day 10: Early flight out of SJO (planning to stay near the airport again the previous night)

Basically this leaves me with about 6ish days to explore. I'll have a rental car the whole time but will be traveling by myself (female if it matters) for those 6 days after being in Jaco with friends. I speak some rusty Spanish and have traveled solo before. I enjoy moderate hiking, photography, and soaking up the culture but don't want to be surrounded by tourists the entire time.

A few ideas I'm thinking about:

-- Spending Day 4 in Manuel Antonio. Day 4 a Sunday so by the time I'd get there from Jaco I'd have the rest of that day. I understand it's closed Monday so is it worth it to just go there for part of the day and that night?

-- Visiting Manuel Antonio then the Osa Peninsula and staying overnight at Sirena station (is it too late to book this though?)

-- Visiting Manuel Antonio then making my way up to Monteverde then Arenal

-- Skipping Manuel Antonio completely and going straight to Monteverde and Arenal (worried they will be too touristy though)

-- Skipping Arenal and going to Guanacaste and Monteverde

Any suggestions or advice?This post is probably quite late, but I have to express my gratitude and respect for this friend I made while planning my trip to Vietnam.

He is Luu Dinh Khoa. We called him Alex. I found his home stay listing in Ninh Binh on Facebook and that is where it all began... I interacted with him through emails, and soon realised that our dates were not working. Most conversations with hosts usually end herehowever Alex went out of the way to suggest another really nice place..close to his home as an alternative for us. He ensured he booked the rooms with the most amazing views, and we did not have to pay a penny in advance. I wasnt sure how this arrangement was working but decided to trust and move on..

Soon he became our sounding board for any questions around our trip..Next I bombarded him on planning Halong Bay trip..there again he offered several options, detailing out pros and cons of each option, and provided an added relationship discount that he could offer. I must admit I wasnt sure why this man was doing all this.. I wasnt even staying in his home stay?!

He then got us passes for the Halong bay, at prices lower than the listing on websites. In the meanwhile, we decided to make our lives difficult by planning to go to Ninh Binh from Halong bay. If you look online, there arent easy economical ways to do it, especially in the evening from Halong Bay. He went out of his way to find us a bus, which would make a stop somewhere on the highway and pick us up at 10:30 pm. Not only did he book the bus tickets in advance, he found us a restaurant on the highway where we could spend some time and be safe, and coordinated between the bus driver and the restaurant to ensure we got into the bus as planned at 11 pm in the night.

When we finally had the chance to meet him, I had only one question..Why was he doing this..Why would one go so far to help a total stranger, write long emails, stay up in the night to ensure the bus dropped us safely and not even charge us at the end of it all..

We found our answer, the world is still an amazing place, where gems like these exist, who just raise the bar of hospitality and faith..Alex is a bright young man, who works in a premium property in Hanoi, loves his home Ninh Binh and is happy to share his country with travellers. He is being such a great ambassador for Vietnam, who just wants goodwill and to put Ninh Binh on the map!

Do reach out to him, he writes in English and I am sure he will be really happy to help you during your time in Hanoi, as well as showcase Ninh Binh, the beauty!

His email id is: ninhbinhgreenlandhomestay@gmail.com

Home stay website:

Hope this helps! Enjoy Vietnam

Regards,

NiveditaTravel from Nagoya to Nagano, Hakuba ski Resort

Travel from Nagoya to Nagano, Hakuba ski Resort

Going with my family, 2 adult and 2 kids age 4 & 5 to Japan, Nagano, Hakuba ski resort from Nagoya during Dec Winter period.

1. What is the best way to get to the Nagano, Hakuba ski resort.

2. Where to take train and buses.

3. Do i need to pre purchase the tickets.

Any help and suggestion will be appreciated.- Ahmednasir wonders why the NASA trio has never held a major rally since Raila shook hands with Uhuru

- He says their silence shows they were only clinging on Railas influence

- The lawyer said the opposition leaders were impotent in politics

The National Super Alliance (NASA) trio of Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula are impotent, politically.

The Wiper, Amani National Congress (ANC) and Ford Kenya party leaders respectively, have been conspicuously silent since their Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) colleague Raila Odinga made peace with President Uhuru Kenyatta.

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Their inability to keep the Jubilee administration to task and even holding a major rally has exposed them as being dependant on Raila.

Lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi gestures during a past event. Photo: Daily Nation.

READ ALSO: Senior farm manager at Patel killer dam asks residents to pray for an end to rain

Flamboyant city lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi pointed out this weakness wondering why the trio has never made any noise to threaten Uhuru.

He said the opposition leaders were showing to the whole world they only had a voice when Raila was still holding a grudge with Uhuru.

I cant believe that Mudavadi, Musyoka and Wetengula are this impotent...politically. Seem they are dead without Baba. They can't call for a public rally, make some noise & threaten HE Uhuru with mass action? By their loud silence they are telling us they were Raila's 3 little Totos, he said in a Twitter post.

READ ALSO: Police release photo of deadly terror suspect days after US warned of possible terrorist attack

Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka gestures during a past opposition event. Photo: NASA

Since Raila held a secret meeting with Uhuru on Friday, March 9, alone, his three NASA colleagues questioned him why he did not involve them and threatened to kick him out of the opposition coalition. They did not.

Later, they held a NASA Summit where they emerged and announced Raila had revealed to them what he agreed with Uhuru and they also demanded to meet the president to hear his side of the story. They did not.

They announced they would hold a mega rally at the historic Uhuru Park grounds in Nairobi to state the way forward and again, they did not.

Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi during a campaign rally in 2017. Photo: NASA

READ ALSO: Raila Odinga shared breakfast with Mungiki - Miguna

The only rallies theyve held is in Mudavadis Vihiga and Wetangulas Bungoma Counties respectively.

Kalonzo has only managed to meet some leaders from Ukambani in a bid to have a united region but the progress is yet to be felt.

On the other hand, Raila has continued to assert his authority within the Jubilee and across the political divide with a very busy schedule every day.

His moves have disrupted the status quo sending the political class into a frenzy.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Tuko BUZZ: Jucali on Pioneering the Kenya's Music Scene - on Tuko TV

Source: Tuko.co.ke- Kenya Power was found guilty of manipulating a KSh 200 million tender in favour of a Chinese firm

- The company was accused of irregularly extending bidding process six times through emails

- The tender award was cancelled and Kenya Power ordered to re-advertise

- The power supplier has been under fire over inflated electricity bills

Kenya Power, the country's sole electricity supplier, has been found guilty of manipulating a KSh 200 million tender in favour of a Chinese Company.

The parastatal found itself in soup after Shenzhen Star Instrument Company Limited filed a complaint to the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board seeking cancellation of the award.

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In the application of Friday, April 13, Shenzhen sought for the board's intervention to annul the tender to procure , design, supply, install and commission Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) systems Kenya Power awarded to ZTE Corporation.

READ ALSO: Pasta awashangaza wengi akiwaamuru waumini kuvua chupi kanisani (video)

Kenya Power was found guilty of manipulating a tender award to a Chinese firm. Photo: Kenya Power/Facebook.

READ ALSO: Kenya Power tells off city lawyer in ugly spat over backdated, inflated electricity bills

The system was intended to support revenue recovery and protection of the company's programmes.

Shenzhen argued Kenya Power flouted legal regulations by extending the 120 days for bid submission deadline of Friday, May 2017 six times through emails which is against public procurement procedures in favour of ZTE which was awarded the tender.

TUKO.co.ke learnt ZTE which was awarded the tender failed to appear during the hearing of the application.

Lawyer Apollo Mboya who has been incessantly criticising Kenya Power for mismanagement of public resources. Photo: Apollo Mboya.

READ ALSO: Protest held in Nairobi against collapse of pastor Ng'ang'a case of killing through dangerous driving

In its decision of Friday, May 4, the board concluded the award of the tender to ZTE was done irregularly, cancelled it and directed Kenya Power to re-advertise for fresh bidding.

"The award of the tender to the firm M/s ZTE Corporation be and is hereby annulled and set aside. The procuring entity is directed to re-advertise the said tender within 14 days from today's date and ensure that the evaluation and award of the new tender is done within the tender validity period," read the board's ruling.

READ ALSO: Wetangulas party forges on after bitter fallout with Railas ODM, looks at 2022

The board ordered every party in the dispute to bear their own costs and directed Kenya Power to award the new tender according to the provisions of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Act of 2015.

In a tweet of Saturday, May 12, lawyer Apollo Mboya who has been a great critic of Kenya Power further battered the company for engaging in malpractices calling for the management's disbandment.

The company has been recently under fire for inflating electricity bills and even at one point, confessed and apologised for charging its clients excessively.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Top 5 Facts About Uhuru Kenyatta - Raila Odinga Pact - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko- Musalia Mudavadi has agreed to support Raila's call to change the law

- Mudavadi said some sections of the law were ineffective hence need to be amended

- He held a meeting with Raila in Kisumu where he announced his new move

The Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi has agreed to work with Raila Odinga to push for constitutional changes.

The two are said to have struck a deal on Friday, May 11, after they held talks in Kisumu.

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According to reports by Citizen TV, the two are said to have met in the Lakeside city where Mudavadi withdrew his earlier opposition to calls for constitutional reforms.

ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi who has announced his support for constitutional changes. Photo: NASA

READ ALSO: Mudavadi, Kalonzo, Wetangula silence proof they were Railas 3 little totos - Ahmednasir

Elsewhere, Mudavadi was quoted by Standard as having said he supports changes on law based on the Bomas Draft.

ODM leader Raila Odinga who wants the constitution changed. Photo: NASA

The whole document is not bad, he said on the current Constitution, explaining there were some sections that needed to be changed as they had not worked as it was expected.

READ ALSO: Jamaa amkataza mkewe kuenda kanisani kwa kuhofia 'mafisi' kwenye kwaya

Mudavadi had opposed to calls to change the constitution proposed by Raila during the 5th devolution conference in Kakamega County as TUKO.co.ke reported earlier.

He was against the ODM leader's three-tier governance structure proposal and announced he would oppose any effort to change the law.

Mudavadi is leading his fellow NASA co-principals in defying Raila after the former premier secretly edged them out when he decided to meet and hold talks with President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Kenyans call on government to end Kenya Power's monopoly - on TUKO TV

Source: Tuko Kenya- Governor Mike Sonko and lawyer Ahmednasir are embroiled in a war of words

- Ahmednasir has dismissed Sonkos leadership and called him out for poor service delivery

- Sonko accuses Ahmednasir of coning clients yet he cannot win a court case

- The governor says the lawyers degrees are useless

- Ahmedansir claimed Sonko escaped prison through a rat hole, escaping a five year jail term

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko and flamboyant city lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi have been embroiled in a nasty exchange of words on the internet over the state of the city county.

Ahmednasir kicked off the bitter exchange after he called out the Governor over the sorry state of the richest county in the country and proposed its disbandment.

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READ ALSO: Sonko savagely rips apart lawyer Ahmednasir as their spat gets messy and noisy

Nairobi gorvernor Mike Sonko who is under fire for the poor state of the county. Photo: Mike Sonko/Facebook.

To the lawyer, as earlier reported by TUKO.co.ke, there was no possibility of the county turning around for the better with its current leadership and that President Uhuru Kenyatta should disband it.

READ ALSO: Mwanasiasa wa Jubilee awagawia vijana maelfu ya pesa kwenye klabu

Lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi who wants Nairobi county to be disbanded. Photo: Daily Nation.

Indeed, the city looks pathetic with most roads having potholes while drainage remains a nightmare and garbage an eyesore.

Sonko did not let it pass without a challenge and hit back with more venom and dismissed the lawyer as a "conman" who had swindled millions of shillings from a German client.

READ ALSO: Mudavadi holds talks with Raila in Kisumu, backs constitutional review

"You, conman Ahmednasir after obtaining millions from your German client with all your Cornell University degrees vs my Kamiti, Shimo Prisons and KEMU degrees I still beat U at the High Court and Court of Appeal in the Temple Point case. Buree kabisa (very useless) and you should stop intimidating Judges(sic), Sonko had responded. .

Bruised, Ahmednasir shot back ridiculing the governor for the bare-knuckle tackle saying Kenyans were witnessing strange things when Sonko, with a past criminal life, could get guts to challenge a lawyer like himself.

"...When Hon Governor Sonko who served only eight months of (his) five years jail term and who then escaped from prison through a rat hole calls you a conman...you know we live in interesting times...," said Ahmednasir on his Twitter page.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Kenyans call on government to end Kenya Power's monopoly - on TUKO TV

Source: Tuko Breaking NewsArmenian President Armen Sarkisyan has made all of the appointments to the country's new government, the president's office said.

Sarkisyan appointed the country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Zohrab Mnatsakanyan as the new foreign minister, according to a presidential decree released today.

Mger Grigoryan became deputy prime minister and Mane Tandilyan now is the minister of labor and social affairs.

Atom Dzhandzhugazyan is the new finance minister, Artak Zeynalyan is now the minister of justice, while Arsen Torosyan is the minister of healthcare.

Artur Khachatryan, the former governor of the Shirak province, became the minister of agriculture. Artsvik Minasyan is now the minister of economic development and investments.

Artur Grigoryan was appointed the minister of energy infrastructure and natural resources. Ashot Akopyan is the minister of transport, communications and information technologies.

Lilit Makunts was appointed as culture minister. Erik Grigoryan was appointed as the head of ministry of nature protection. Levon Vahradyan was appointed as sport and youth affairs minister. Hrachya Rostomyan was appointed minister of emergency situations.- Sonko was peeved when CS Tobiko invited the DP and overlooked him in the event attended by Uhuru

- The governor cut short Ruto's address protesting against being undermined

- He urged his counterparts to stop disrespecting him as Nairobi county was still intact

- He assured Uhuru of his respect together with the entire county

Flamboyant Nairobi governor Mike Sonko sparked a frenzy when he cut short Deputy President William Ruto's address during the launch of the National Tree Planting day.

The former Makadara MP was visibly peeved by what he felt was blatant breach of protocol aimed at undermining him.

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In a viral video by KTN News, seen by TUKO.co.ke, on Saturday, May 12, the DP was just about to give his speech, when an agitated Sonko, unable to contain himself, stood and interrupted him, for what he termed as gross violation of protocol.

READ ALSO: Mwanasiasa wa Jubilee awagawia vijana maelfu ya pesa kwenye klabu

Governor Sonko was seemingly irked by the breachh of protocol. Photo: Mike Sonko/ Facebook

"Your excellency, I think the State House programme is very clear. After the National Anthem the Nairobi governor' is supposed to speak. Then I'm supposed to invite the Environment CS Keriako Tobiko who in turn would invite the DP, then the president" argued the controversial governor, amid cheers from the audience.

Sonko urged his counterparts to accord him due respect and desist from undermining him, saying they were all working for the same government and Nairobi county was still relevant.

"Leaders should stop undermining me. We all serve the same government. The president has not disbanded the county of Nairobi. A little respect will go a long way," he stated as he directed his anger at Tobiko.

READ ALSO: Police officer killed,12 students injured in Juja accident

Sonko stood abruptly and cut short Ruto's speech. Photo: William Ruto/ Facebook

Trouble started when Tobiko invited Ruto to give his speech immediately after he(Tobiko) was done with his, overlooking the fiery governor, during the tree planting event at Moi Forces Academy Nairobi which was attended by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

However, Sonko went on to reassure Uhuru that his administration would never undermine his plans as he (the president) was in charge of the entire country.

"I recognise your government as Nairobi governor. You are the president of all our counties. We cannot undermine you. Despite the perception that has been created, we love you and respect you. We thank you for your great work," he said.

READ ALSO: Jamaa amkataza mkewe kuenda kanisani kwa kuhofia 'mafisi' kwenye kwaya

The National Tree planting event themed Panda Miti, Penda Miti, was graced by several leaders including the First Lady, Margaret Kenyatta.

Watch Sonko interrupting DP Ruto's address in the video below:

The combative governor has been making headlines recently for all unflattering reasons.

The incident comes barely hours after Sonko and outspoken city lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi were embroiled in nasty exchange of words online over the sorry state of the richest county in the country and proposed its disbandment.

The combative Nairobi boss threw decorum away and tossed Abdullahi in a garbage of insults on Friday, May 11, as their spat degenerated into a messy and noisy affair.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Top 5 Facts About Uhuru Kenyatta - Raila Odinga Pact - on TUKO TV

Source: Tuko.co.ke- The MP lost consciousness just after he had given his speech at a funeral

- Amollo was rushed to Bondo Medical Centre for first aid and later transferred to Aga Khan hospital in Kisumu

- The MP was attending the burial of the son of former Alego constituency MP Peter Oloo Aringo

Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo collapsed in his chair on Saturday, May 12, in Alego Usonga causing panic during a funeral.

The legislator is reported to have lost consciousness a few minutes after addressing mourners at the burial of the son of former Alego constituency MP Peter Oloo Aringo.

READ ALSO: Mwanasiasa wa Jubilee awagawia vijana maelfu ya pesa kwenye klabu

Otiende Amollo warmed the hearts of many Kenyans through building of decent houses for his constituents. Photo: TUKO.

There was a scare at the funeral service when the MP who looked to be okay suddenly collapsed.

READ ALSO: Firebrand lawyer and MP Otiende Amollo introduces his all grown triplets in sweet birthday post

TUKO.co.ke understands Amollo was taken to Bondo Medical Centre to be stabilised before he was moved to Aga Khan hospital in Kisumu.

The MP was in his constituency working on development projects according to tweets of Friday, May 11.

The first time MP became popular for successfully representing the National Super Alliance (NASA) presidential flag bearer Raila Odinga in the elections petition against President Uhuru Kenyatta in August 2017.

He also warmed Kenyans's hearts after he helped his constituents put up decent houses.

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) however released a press statement assuring the public the MP was in a stable condition and called for an end to unnecessary speculation.

In the statement of Saturday, May 11, seen by TUKO.co.ke, ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said the MP stabilised after being attended to at Bondo Medical Centre.

"The MP is in stable condition after treatment at a Bondo Hospital in Siaya County and has been transferred to Aga Khan Hospital in Kisumu for further treatment. He collapsed while going about his assignments, a situation doctors say is a result of fatigue," read part of the statement.

ODM Secretary General confirm Otiende Amollo is in stable condition. Photo: TUKO

Sifuna said the MP was put on bed rest for a while before being transferred to Aga Khan.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Priscila Ibalai "I Was Compared to a Monkey" - on Tuko TV

Source: Tuko- Ali says Joho's dream of becoming Kenya's president will never come to pass

- Joho has publicly declared his interest to vie for presidency in 2022

- Ali and Joho fell apart during the 2017 ODM party nominations

- The legislator says Joho has failed to manage Mombasa county effectively and cannot be trusted with the country

Nyali MP Mohammed Ali has lambasted Mombasa Governor Hassan Ali Joho over his ambition of contesting for the presidency in 2022, saying he lacks visionary leadership.

In a continued onslaught on the fun loving governor, Ali popularly referred to as Moha Jicho Pevu said Joho's poor track record as a governor disqualifies him from vying for the top seat.

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The outspoken former investigative journalist described Joho as a failed leader with a penchant for petty issues like flaunting his lavish lifestyle online and riding on publicity stunts which were not part of the qualities required of a president.

READ ALSO: Mwanasiasa wa Jubilee awagawia vijana maelfu ya pesa kwenye klabu

Mohammed Ali says Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho has failed to manage a county and cannot be trusted with the country. Photo: Mohammed Ali/Facebook.

"It is even unimaginable for someone whose priorities include taking selfies and attending weddings to say he wants to be president. Presidency is not mere child's play and needs a firm visionary man not a socialite," said Ali.

The MP pointed out Joho had failed to use massive county resources to overcome the garbage mess in Mombasa, and that if given an opportunity to serve as a president, the whole nation will inevitably get messy.

TUKO.co.ke understands Joho and Ali have not been seeing eye to eye since 2017 after the latter failed to get the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party ticket blaming the governor and his brother Abu Joho for working against his candidature.

READ ALSO: Let me deal with Hassan Joho, Moha Jicho Pevu tells Uhuru Kenyatta

"The presidential ambition is only in his dreams. The dream is a bad one, barren and will never come to fruition so he needs to wake up and give the people of Mombasa quality service first," Ali added.

Mohammed Ali said Joho is only dreaming and ca never be Kenya's president. Photo: Hassan Joho/Facebook.

In an apparent reference to Joho's cronies, Ali alleged some people have converted Mombasa into a Maffia town run by a group of cartels who do not have the people's interests at heart.

He called on President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto to intervene and redeem the city.

"I support devolution entirely but we now need the assistance of the president and his deputy to bring Mombasa back to its city status. The county gets a huge budget every year but the administration has failed to respond to queries by the auditor general concerning KSh 7 billion," said Ali.

READ ALSO: Hassan Joho says he was on holiday following claims hes been missing in action

Mohammed Ali also accused Mombasa MCAs of failing in their oversight role. Photo: Mohammed Ali/Facebook.

He further hit out at Mombasa Members of County Assembly (MCAs) accusing them of going to bed with the governor and terribly failing to execute their oversight role.

"Some MCAs have been bought like doughnuts and cannot stand on behalf of the voters and call this mess to and end. Things are slowly getting out of shape and we will all be together against the collapsing of Mombasa," Ali said.

The MP's attack on Joho comes despite him recently extending an olive branch to the governor saying he was ready to work with him.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Kenyans call on government to end Kenya Power's monopoly - on TUKO TV

Source: Tuko.co.ke- Uhuru asked members of the public to contribute generously in aid of the Solai Dam tragedy victims

- He urged Kenyans to pray for the affected families and also move into action by helping them

- Uhuru went on to say the painful tragedy was a reminder of grave consequences of climate change

President Uhuru Kenyatta has finally yielded to public pressure and condoled with the families of more than 40 people who died after a dam broke its walls and washed their homes.

Uhuru, who had faced criticism from Kenyans for remaining mum since the tragedy happened, called upon well wishers to stretch a helping hand to the victims of the Solai Dam tragedy.

The Head of State urged Kenyans to not only remember the affected families in prayer, but to also accompany it with action.

The government has given out a pay bill number where Kenyans can donate to those affected.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

In a post on Twitter seen by TUKO.co.ke, Uhuru asked members of the public to contribute generously in aid of thousands who were left destitute and vulnerable.

READ ALSO: Mwanasiasa wa Jubilee awagawia vijana maelfu ya pesa kwenye klabu

Uhuru urged Kenyans to pray for the victims and also lend a helping hand. Photo: Uhuru Kenyatta/ Facebook

"I'm asking every citizen of our nation to remember the victims of these floods in prayer and to let your prayers move you to action. Reach out to those who have suffered. Contribute to the Kenya Red Cross and to the other honest institutions which have done so much to being relief," said Uhuru.

READ ALSO: Communication Authority warns Kenyans against receiving calls from these numbers

The president added the natural calamities which had plagued the country recently in the wake of pounding rains, together with those affected, were a stark reminder of dangers of climate change.

He said effects of climate change posed grave danger to Kenyans and the prosperity of the country.

He went on to urge Kenyans to learn from the horrendous tragedy.

READ ALSO: Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo collapses during event, rushed to hospital

"The tragedies we have endured and whose victims we have remembered today remind us that climate change matters. It is a mortal threat to the people and the prosperity of Kenya. We must learn the lessons of this tragedy,"

As earlier reported by TUKO.co.ke, more than 40 people lost their lives with 2,500 residents displaced after the Nakuru dam burst its banks.

Another 40 are yet to be accounted for following the tragedy in Solai.

READ ALSO: You cannot be a selfie president - Moha Jicho Pevu tears apart Joho over 2022 presidential ambition

Deputy President William Ruto while speaking about the painful event, asked contractors to comply with the accepted engineering standards for safety while building dams to avert calamities caused by poor workmanship.

Uhuru's remarks come barely a day after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji ordered police to investigate and establish the cause of the Solai Dam tragedy.

Kenyans have been waiting with bated breath to hear Uhuru's reaction towards the freak tragedy that sent shock waves across the country.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Kenyans call on government to end Kenya Power's monopoly - on TUKO TV

Source: Tuko- Cheragei argues Gideon is using DP Ruto's failed meeting with ex-president Moi for political mileage

- The Nandi senator warned Gideo aganist taking advantage of Moi's health to play dirty

- Cherangei accused the Baringo senator of blocking Ruto from seeing the ex president

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has accused his Baringo counterpart Gideon Moi of taking advantage of former President Daniel arap Mois ill health to play dirty politics.

Senator Cherargei accused Gideon of blocking Deputy President William Ruto and other Rift Valley leaders from visiting the retired head of state at his Kabarak home.

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Speaking to TUKO.co.ke on Saturday, May 12, Cherargei claimed Rift Valley leaders had been frustrated in their efforts to visit Moi by those close to him including Gideon.

READ ALSO: Mudavadi holds talks with Raila in Kisumu, backs constitutional review

Cherargei claims Rift Valley leaders have been frustrated in their efforts to visit the former Head of State. Photo: Thaddeus Asesa/TUKO

When the Deputy President landed in Kabarak, Mzee Moi was happily basking in the sun. unfortunately, he was wheeled into the house. In fact, he almost fell down and yet he was aware that the Deputy President was going to see him; to check on his health as well after he recovered from his knee ailment following a successful operation in Israel, said Cherargei.

He claimed Gideon made several frantic calls to Mois aides, security detail and protocol that they should not allow Ruto to meet with Mzee Moi.

READ ALSO: Mwanasiasa wa Jubilee awagawia vijana maelfu ya pesa kwenye klabu

I can tell you that there is no day that the president or even the deputy president of Kenya would go to anybodys home or even a function without their appointment. Former President Moi was aware that Deputy President William Ruto will visit him at his Kabarak home. He had been briefed; he had talked with the team at Kabarak. So by the time he landed, everything changed, said Cherargei.

He regretted that the move was against the African culture where there is no invite required to visit an ailing person.

Baringo senator Gideon Moi who is accused of frustrating DP William Ruto and other Rift Valley leaders. Photo: Standard.

READ ALSO: Sonko rudely interrupts DP Ruto's speech during launch of tree planting day by Uhuru

In Africa, when you visit a sick person you dont need an invite to that matter. But what is emerging is that, accessing Mzee Moi is like taking medicine, it is being measured, he said.

He also accused Gideon of using the visits to Kabarak to push for a referendum.

We recently saw the former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in Kabarak and he was not denied access to Mzee because he and Gideon are now pushing for a referendum where one of them would want to be a ceremonial president, the other one will be an executive prime minister and this is the referendum they are planning, he said.

READ ALSO: Police officer killed,12 students injured in Juja accident

Ruto failed to meet Moi with communication stating the former president was undergoing routine medical checkup by the time Ruto arrived.

Unfortunately, this (DP Rutos visit) coincided with the time Mzee Moi was undergoing routine physical exercise with his doctors. Mzee Moi agreed to meet the visitors at convenient time another day in the very near future, reads a section of the statement.

Story by Thaddeus Asesa, TUKO Correspondent.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Priscila Ibalai "I Was Compared to a Monkey" - on Tuko TV

Source: Breaking NewsRussian-backed militants launched 50 attacks on Ukrainian positions in the Joint Forces Operation area in Donbas in last day. The situation remained tense but controlled.

This is reported by the Joint Forces Operation Headquarters press center.

"Russian-occupation troops violated the Minsk agreements 50 times over the past day, including 19 times with the use of heavy weapons," the report reads.

Russian-terrorist forces again fired 120mm mortar at the village of Zaitseve in Donetsk region.

The armed hostilities were particularly active in Krymske (42.5km north-west of Luhansk), Troitske (69km west of Luhansk) and Novozvanivka (70km west of Luhansk).

In Donetsk direction, the combat activity is round the clock near Verkhniotoretske (22km north-east of Donetsk), Kamyanka (62km south of Donetsk), Avdiivka (18km north of Donetsk), Opytne (11.5km north-west of Donetsk) and Pisky (12km north-west of Donetsk).

The active defensive actions of the units of the Joint Forces Operation were also conducted in the areas of Hnutove (19km north-west of Mariupol) and Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol).

As the Headquarters noted, three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded. They were immediately taken to a hospital, where they received medical assistance.

ishThree Ukrainian servicemen were wounded and injured in the Joint Forces Operation area in eastern Ukraine in last day.

Defense Ministry Spokesman Dmytro Hutsuliak said this at a briefing on Saturday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"One Ukrainian serviceman was wounded in the enemy shelling in the last day. His health condition was critical. Other two soldiers were injured. They were delivered to medical institutions and provided with medical care," he said.

The situation in the Joint Forces Operation area in eastern Ukraine remained tense over the past day. Russian-occupation troops continue to violate the Minsk accords, the Joint Forces Operation Headquarters press center reported.

Hutsuliak added that Russian-backed militants launched 50 targeted attacks on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donbas over the past day. The Ukrainian troops returned fire about 20 times using weapons not prohibited under the Minsk agreements.

ishDeputy Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities of Ukraine Hennadiy Zubko has noted cooperation with Slovenia in the field of energy efficiency, modernization of municipal infrastructure and prospects for expanding this cooperation.

The minister reported this on his Facebook page.

"Slovenian companies within the framework of the Second Urban Infrastructure Project implemented on credit funds of the World Bank are participating in the modernization of Kyivvodokanal and Zhytomyrvodokanal utility companies," Zubko said.

He also notes that in the near future new contracts will be signed between Slovenian companies and Zhytomyrvodokanal public utility regarding the reconstruction of pumping stations of water supply and waste treatment plant in the city of Zhytomyr, as well as Dnipro-Kirovohrad public utility concerning the design, supply and installation of pumping stations of water supply system in the city of Kropyvnytsky.

The Slovenian side is also ready to provide a grant for the construction of a solar power station in Zhytomyr.

The minister expresses hope that the Ukrainian-Slovenian business forum scheduled for November 2018 will promote cooperation in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.

As Ukrinform reported, President of Slovenia Borut Pahor arrived in Ukraine on Friday.

ishPrime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic has put forward an initiative to help children of Crimean Tatar families and Ukrainians from Crimea, whose parents are imprisoned by the occupation regime.

First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Iryna Gerashchenko informed this on her Facebook after a meeting with Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic.

"We discussed a wide range of bilateral issues, activation of intergovernmental relations and inter-parliamentary dialogue, as well as coordination of efforts within parliamentary assemblies and commissions. We also informed about the progress of reforms in Ukraine and appreciated the suggestions on law compliance and European integration," she wrote.

According to Gerashchenko, the security and humanitarian situation in Donbas and Crimea, its transformation from the tourist peninsula into the military base was also discussed, as well as the issue of hostage release.

"Prime Minister of Croatia has initiated rendering the assistance to Crimean Tatar children of the detained fathers, expressed his will to enhance cooperation in programs of demining, psychological and medical rehabilitation of soldiers, military doctors and psychologists training," she notes.

The Croatian counterparts are also ready to promote the problem of Ukrainian hostages, missing persons, the ICRC members admittance to prisons and occupied territories with the aim to broaden this humanitarian information across the European institutions, Gerashchenko added.

ishIn 2012, an American artist named Bradford Edwards put up a very unique collection for auction at Cowans Auctions Inc., which was sold for $35,250 on July 21. The collection was that of Zippo lighters featuring personalized engravings of words and pictures chosen by US soldiers, sailors, and airmen when they were deployed to Vietnam. Edwards collected the lighters during the 1990s on site in Vietnam. He named his collection Im not a Zippo collector; Im not somebody into the Zippo, per se, and believes that the lighters are an insight into the minds of the men who owned them. They also became an inspiration to and media in his art. Here are the pictures of some of those engraved Zippo lighters that so fascinated Edwards.

1. Founded in 1932 by George G. Blaisdell, the Zippo Manufacturing Companys metal reusable lighters are often considered a legendary and distinct symbol of Americana.

2. Because of their large windscreen and adequate fuel delivery, the lighters stay lit even in harsh weather and gained popularity as windproof.

3. According to Bradford Edwards, the lighters served as more than just a means for lighting cigarettes. The soldiers would carry them around when they went on missions and use them to heat food, read letters from home, or setting huts on fire.

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4. The lighters were used so much during search-and-destroy missions that the soldiers often called those missions Zippo Missions or Zippo Raids.

5. According to Private First Class Reginald Edwards, when you say level a village, you dont use torches. Its not like in the 1800s. You used a Zippo. Now you would use a Bic. Thats just the way we did it. You went in there with your Zippos. Everybody. Thats why people bought Zippos. Everybody had a Zippo. It was for burnin sh*t down.

6. The phrase Zippo squad became such part of American military jargon for being assigned to burn down a village that the M132 Armored Flamethrower was nicknamed Zippo.

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7. So, it stands to reason that the soldiers liked to personalize their lighters so much.

8. The soldiers would buy the Zippo lighters for $1.80 at the post exchange store, and they could get it engraved with a stock design from a wide selection or a message of their own at sidewalk tents.

9. Most of the messages engraved on the lighters mirror the attitudes of Americans and the world towards the war in Vietnam at that time. While some are simply humorously rhyming lines.

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10. Some of the lighters feature proud emblems and words of the soldiers who are proud to be fighting in the war and the glory associated with it.

11. There are also lighters that feature the messages of reluctant, unwilling soldiers who were fighting because they had no choice.

12. Some have signs of peace, psychedelic designs, and even funny cartoon characters, Charles Schulzs Peanuts being the most popular choice, especially Snoopy who fought against the Red Baron.

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13. Some were philosophical and pondered the meaning of life and death, while others dealt with the most popular subjects of that time among young people: sex and drugs.

14. Playboy logos, nude women motifs, and Zig-Zag man were a few other choices for engravings.

15. Quite a few lighters feature dedications to their mothers, lovers, or loved ones, or sentimental messages about wanting to get home alive to their family.

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16. The Vietnam War exacted over a million in casualties, at least half of which were that of civilians.

17. In the 1970s, the increasing unpopularity of war started a large anti-Vietnam War movement in the Western world.

18. The US began to withdraw its forces and by August 15, 1973, its direct military involvement was ended.

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19. The Vietnam War changed the dynamics between the Eastern and Western Blocs of Cold War Era and as well as between the Global North and Global South of the world.

20. The war ended on April 30, 1975, with the fall of Saigon and the victory of North Vietnam. It was followed by the reunification of North and South Vietnams into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

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[source: wikipediaNord Stream 2 AG expects to begin the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Bay of Greifswald in the middle of May as planned, in spite of the lawsuit filed by Germanys Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) demanding to prevent that, TASS reported.

The spokesman for the company, which is the operator of the construction project, informed on Saturday that the middle of May is the earliest time envisaged by the decision on the schedule [for the construction and operation of the pipeline in the German coastal waters and in the littoral zone] for the beginning of preparatory work in the water, which must be done before actually laying the pipes. He added that the company is ready to begin this work, the way it was planned.

The specific date will be announced soon, it could be put off due to unfavorable weather conditions, the companys spokesman noted.Volker wants to learn about the humanitarian crisis in Donbas.

U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker has said he will visit eastern Ukraine next week.

"I'm heading to eastern Ukraine next week to see more about the situation on the ground and to learn about the humanitarian crisis in the Donbas," he wrote on Twitter on May 11, 2018.

Im heading to eastern Ukraine next week to see more about the situation on the ground and to learn about the humanitarian crisis in the #Donbas. #ukrainenotforgotten  Kurt Volker (@SpecRepUkraine) May 11, 2018

Earlier, Volker said he plans to visit Donbas in late April-early May.Horbatiuk said Ukraine had sent repeated requests to Washington for help, most recently in March.

Legal red tape in Ukraine and a lack of help from the United States have left Ukraine's investigations of former Donald Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort in legal limbo, senior prosecutor Serhii Horbatiuk told Reuters on Friday.

The cases relate to alleged misuse of Ukrainian state funds under former president Viktor Yanukovych, whose Party of Regions Manafort advised, as reported by Reuters.

Last November, Horbatiuk, who heads special investigations at the general prosecutor's office, warned that corruption probes, including those linked to Manafort, were at risk of being buried due to their transfer to a sister agency.

Read alsoLutsenko seeks joint investigation with FBI in Manafort case  media

Since then, most have been returned to his team's jurisdiction, apart from the three cases in which Manafort figures. Horbatiuk said these were in effect frozen as the general prosecutor's office had not decided which agency should handle them.

As a result, "investigators and prosecutors have not been able to carry out investigative action", he said by messaging service.

General Prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko said this month that Ukraine could not progress with the cases until U.S. investigations into Manafort produced results.

Horbatiuk said Ukraine had sent repeated requests to Washington for help, most recently in March.

"The Justice Department's longstanding failure to carry out the requests for international legal assistance, sent in December 2014 and March 2015 in one of the criminal cases, is of course holding up the investigation," he said.

Manafort has gained global attention as a figure in U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

In the United States, Manafort faces two indictments accusing him of conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, failing to register as a foreign agent for lobbying work he did for the pro-Russia government of Ukraine, bank fraud and other offences.

He has pleaded 'not guilty' to the charges, none of which make reference to alleged Russian interference in the election, or to accusations of collusion between Moscow and Trump's campaign.Hrytsak said Savchenko had changed her lawyer.

Head of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Hrytsak has said the militants included Head of the Ukrainian "Officer Corps" prisoner exchange center Volodymyr Ruban, who is charged with plotting a terrorist act against the country's top officials in Kyiv and a conspiracy to seize state power, in the swap list.

"We were surprised when we received information that Volodymyr Ruban was included by the 'Donetsk side' in the list of those in whom they were interested for the swap. I guess this means he is an asset for someone," he told journalists during a working trip to Cherkasy region, an UNIAN correspondent reports.

In addition, Hrytsak said that another suspect in the case, Ukrainian MP Nadiia Savchenko, had changed her lawyer.

Read alsoLutsenko claims he knows names of Russian colonels who armed Savchenko for terror act

As UNIAN reported earlier, Ruban was detained at the Maiorsk checkpoint on the contact line with the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" in Donetsk region.

He reportedly attempted to smuggle from the militant-held territory a huge arsenal of weapons from the militant-occupied areas into the government-controlled territory.

Ruban is being charged with preparing a terrorist attack and illegal possession of weapons. In addition, he is suspected of plotting an assassination of the president of Ukraine and a number of top officials in Kyiv.

Ruban has denied all charges, claiming he merely acted as a truck driver and knew nothing about the weapons hidden in furniture in the back of the vehicle.

On March 9, 2018, Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky district court chose a preventive measure for Ruban  60-day imprisonment without bail.A new cease-fire agreement between Ukraine and the Russia-backed separatists was reached in late 2017 and was meant to begin on December 23.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed deep concern about repeated violations of a cease-fire between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Merkel's remarks on May 12 in Italy, where she was awarded a peace prize, came as the warring sides remain locked in a four-year conflict showing few signs that the violence might end soon, RFE/RL reported.

Read alsoCrimea de-occupation, new sanctions: Poroshenko reveals details of talks with Merkel, Macron

Since April 2014, more than 10,300 people have been killed in fighting between Kyiv's forces and the separatists who control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

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.

"Ukraine is worrying us," Merkel said after receiving the Lamp of Peace of St. Francis award in the Italian town of Assisi.

"We try to enforce the Minsk agreements, but every night there is a violation of the truce, every day human losses," she added.

A new cease-fire agreement between Ukraine and the Russia-backed separatists was reached in late 2017 and was meant to begin on December 23. But both sides have accused one another of repeated violations since then.No casualties are reported among the Ukrainian military since the beginning of the day.

Russian-led forces mounted 50 attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas in the past day, using heavy weapons 19 times.

"In the Luhansk sector, the intensity of shelling increased after dark near the villages of Krymske, Troyitske and Novozvanivka," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 on May 12, 2018.

Read alsoSituation in Donbas may escalate after Normandy talks without Putin  expert

The situation in the Donetsk sector was more tense. Here, 24-hour battles continue near the town of Avdiyivka, and the villages of Verkhniotoretske, Kamianka, Opytne, Pisky and Zaitseve.

The Ukrainian military also held the line in the Mariupol sector, namely near the villages of Hnutove and Shyrokyne.

"According to reconnaissance reports, three Russian occupiers were killed and four others were wounded as a result of an adequate response. During the hostilities, three our defenders were wounded and evacuated to the hospital. No casualties are reported among the Ukrainian military since the beginning of the day," the report says.The assistance will be officially announced in the town of Sloviansk on May 15.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide Ukraine with $125 million for the restoration of Donbas and adjacent territories.

Read alsoUNICEF on Donbas: 200,000 children forced to learn in bullet-riddled classrooms

"This additional technical assistance will be aimed at further stabilization and consolidation of Ukrainian communities, enhancing the stability of the local economy and accelerating its development," the agency wrote on Facebook.

The assistance will be officially announced during a joint press conference of Assistant Administrator for USAID's Bureau for Europe and Eurasia Brock Bierman, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. It will be held in the town of Sloviansk on May 15.Nauert said Russia must implement Minsk and end efforts to destabilize Ukraine.

The U.S. State Department has expressed indignation over another so-called "humanitarian convoy" sent by Russia to Donbas.

"Russia sent another illegal, uninspected convoy across the border into eastern Ukraine on Monday, likely to resupply its forces. Despite Russia's ongoing violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity, ResilientUkraine is becoming stronger and more prosperous," Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State Heather Nauert wrote on Twitter on May 11, 2018.

Read alsoWFP operations in Ukraine draw to a close  WFP Insight

"Last week Ukraine's Donbas region saw 6,000+ ceasefire violations and 21 Ukrainian soldiers wounded. Russia is fueling the violence; it arms, leads and fights beside anti-government militants. Russia must implement Minsk and end efforts to destabilize Ukraine," she tweeted.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Russian sent the 76th so-called "humanitarian convoy" to occupied Donbas on May 8, 2018. According to the Russian side, the trucks delivered humanitarian goods, including children's food kits, educational literature and medical equipment to residents of Donbas.

The Ukrainian side repeatedly claimed there was evidence that the convoys were used as a decoy to supply militants with weapons, ammunition and anti-tank grenades.North Korea said journalists from other countries, including the United States and South Korea, will be invited to cover the event.

North Korea has scheduled the dismantlement of its nuclear test site for sometime between May 23 and 25 depending on weather conditions in order to uphold its previous pledge to discontinue nuclear tests, state media reported on Saturday.

Read alsoTrump-Kim Jong-un summit set for Singapore on June 12

The country's central news agency said the dismantlement of the nuclear test ground would involve collapsing all of its tunnels with explosions, blocking its entrances and removing all observation facilities, research buildings and security posts, Reuters reported.

"The Nuclear Weapon Institute and other concerned institutions are taking technical measures for dismantling the northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK in order to ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test," said the announcement. DPRK is an acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Officials in Seoul had said in April that North Korea planned to invite experts and journalists from the United States and South Korea for the shutdown of its test site.

North Korea said journalists from other countries, including the United States and South Korea, will be invited to cover the event, to "show in a transparent manner the dismantlement of the northern nuclear test ground to be carried out".Union team continues its dominance for Bike to Work DayA large-scale rally is taking place in the center of the Georgian capital with people calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia after a recent raid carried out in the nightclubs of Tbilisi.

According to the Interior Ministry, eight drug dealers were detained, while media reported on 70 detainees in general. The ministry noted that people arrested on non-criminal charges had been released.

"We will not back down until the prime minister and the interior minister resign We have to defend our rights starting today we are not drug addicts. Let us be free," one of the organizers of the rally said.

The protesters are demanding punishment for everyone who participated in the raid. The police are stationed along the sidewalk to prevent the participants from blocking the road, Sputnik reported.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

AJK President Sardar Masood Khan has said that the Diaspora community in the United States is playing an important role in projecting Kashmiris' voices for end to the repression of India in Occupied Kashmir and for the realization of the right to self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

MIRPUR (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th May, 2018 ) , May 12 (APP)::AJK President Sardar Masood Khan has said that the Diaspora community in the United States is playing an important role in projecting Kashmiris' voices for end to the repression of India in Occupied Kashmir and for the realization of the right to self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

He also expressed the hope that the community would continue to work for improving Pakistan-US relations in all spheres of life as hese relations were in the interest of both the countries and were vital for regional peace and stability.

The AJK President made these remarks while addressing a gathering of community members in New York hosted by the Pakistani American Society of New York (PASNY), said a message received here on Saturday evening.

The President told his audience that the people of Kashmir had vowed that they would continue their peaceful struggle until they get their freedom. Paying tributes to the Pakistan-American community in the US, President Masood Khan said that the number of Pakistan community ranges between 700,000 and one million and this number was increasing.

According to a study, he said, the Pakistani-American community was not only doing well, its income percentile was favourably comparable to that of the American middle class. Pakistani-Americans, he said, were now actively participating in American politics, doing well economically and were well integrated into the social fabric of their country of adoption.

This has given them a good platform for raising consciousness in America about the human rights of Kashmiris and reaching out to official and non-official representatives for an end to the relentless oppression in Kashmir and protection of the Kashmiris' rights by the international community.

President Khan said that Kashmir was not a bilateral issue, as projected by India, but a trilateral dispute between Pakistan, India and the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It was also an international dispute that is to be settled in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions, which has mandated a plebiscite to ascertain the political aspirations of the Kashmiris people.

The President urged the international community, especially the United Nations Security Council, to take cognizance of the grave security and human rights situation in the IOK. Kashmiris, he said, were peaceful and peace-loving people; they abhorred violence in all forms and were demanding from the world that they should be saved from the state-sponsored violence and terrorism being committed by the Indian occupation forces which are resulting in massive killings, blindings, maiming, torture and arbitrary detentions.

The President said how in this difficult and dark hour, the people of Jammu and Kashmir were expressing their solidarity with Pakistan. It was the responsibility of all freedom loving people, especially the people of Pakistan, to demonstrate their political and diplomatic solidarity with the people of Kashmir and make efforts to save them from their plight.

"Strive for making Pakistan a strong nation; because only a strong Pakistan can guarantee a just and lasting solution of the Kashmir dispute", he said. President Masood Khan also invited Pakistan Americans to visit Azad Kashmir for tourism and to see for themselves the work being done for development and good governance in the state.

Earlier, the AJK President gave an interview to Fox tv on the prevalent situation in Kashmir and the way forward.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders on Saturday said US sanctions on Iran will not hurt Pakistan substantially due to a small volume of bilateral trade

Islamabad, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th May, 2018) : Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders on Saturday said US sanctions on Iran will not hurt Pakistan substantially due to a small volume of bilateral trade.

However, it has raised questions about plans to import gas from Iran through a pipeline and boost bilateral trade to five billion Dollars by 2012, it said. The decision was taken by Pakistani PM and Iranian President two years back to boost trade, establish more land routes, hold exhibitions, ensure economic cooperation etc.

will now be difficult to implement and of less benefit, said Patron Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders Shahid Rasheed Butt. He said that the decision has already damaged Iranian Currency and it is set to increase miseries of the people while reducing GDP of the neighbouring country to below five percent.

Many European countries will face heavy losses as many companies have invested billions of dollars in Iran and these companies will be forced to sell their assets at throwaway prices to Chinese firms.

Shahid Rasheed Butt said that Europe is fed up of American role of economic policeman, therefore, it can defy the sanctions which will be a major development on the global economic horizon. Countermeasures by many European countries to keep trading with Iran are in sight challenging the role of US which will benefit the whole world.

He said that sanctions will hit Iranian trade, exports and investments but China and India will continue to buy oil and gas from Tehran saving it from bankruptcy.(@mahnoorsheikh03)

Mahira will represent Pakistan through hair and makeup brand LOreal at the Cannes festival

Cannes (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News  12th May, 2018) Pakistani actress Mahira Khan has arrived Cannes to attend the much anticipated Cannes Film Festival 2018.

In an Instagram post late Friday, Mahira said, After a long journey (read, eventful) today we do nothing except for soak up the sun! Heres looking at you Cannes!

Sun-kissed Mahira looks ever beautiful to join Festival de Cannes.

Have a look at her Instagram post:

Yes ladies and gentlemen, the Pakistani diva has finally reached Cannes to represent Pakistan. Celebrities from around the world gather at International Cannes Film Festival. This time around, the Pakistani actress will also been seen among Bollywood divas Deepika Padukone, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor along with other Hollywood celebrities at Cannes red carpet.

Mahira will represent Pakistan through hair and makeup brand LOreal at the Cannes festival. Mahira is the only celebrity from Pakistan who is the brand ambassador of LOreal.

Talking about her styling at the festival, Mahira earlier said that Im sure Ill keep my hair untied as I am connected to LOreal Pakistan haircare. However, the actress has not yet decided what to wear. She might wear adopt an Eastern style or wear a Western outfit. Mahira said that she is very happy but she has not decided anything about it so far.

About the questions going to be asked at the festival, Mahira said that I always keep in mind that I am representing my country. It is my duty to carefully answer the questions being asked to me wherever I go and I will do the same here, she said.

The 2018 Cannes Film Festival began on May 8 and will end on Saturday, May 19.

Cannes Film Festival is among the biggest film festivals in the world and attending this event is an honor for any actor. Makeup giant LOreal is a part of this festival since past two decades, aimed at joining beauty with cinema.Pope Francis is meeting the bishops Chile May 15 to 17, to closely examine the clerical sex abuse scandal that has tarnished the image of the Latin American Church in recent decades.

By Robin Gomes

The Holy Sees Press Office released a statement on Saturday saying Pope Francis is meeting the bishops of Chile, May 15-17, to examine in depth the causes and consequences, as well as the mechanisms that have led in some cases to the concealment and serious omissions against the victims of sexual abuse in Chile.

The Holy Father will share his personal conclusions following a 2-member fact-finding mission to Chile headed by Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, and the numerous written and oral testimonies that the Pope has been receiving in recent weeks.

Adequate lasting changes

The Pope, accompanied by Cardinal Marc Ouellet the prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Bishops, will hold meetings with the 33 bishops of Chile, including two retired ones. The objective of this long 'synodal process' is to discern together, in the presence of God, the responsibility of each and every one of us for these devastating wounds, and to study adequate and lasting changes that will prevent the repetition of these ever reprehensible acts, explained the Holy Sees Press Office.

It is fundamental to restore trust in the Church through good pastors who by their lives bear witness to having known the voice of the Good Shepherd and who know how to accompany the suffering of the victims and work in a resolute and tireless way in the prevention of abuse.

While thanking the bishops for their docility and humility to the Holy Spirit, the Vatican said the Pope is renewing his request to the People of God in Chile to continue praying for the conversion of all.

The meeting will be strictly private and no papal declaration is expected during and after the meeting.

Pope meets abuse victims

On April 27, Pope Francis met in the Vatican three victims of abuse by the Chilean priest Fernando Karadima. The Holy See Press Office explained that the Popes "priority" was to "listen to the victims, ask their forgiveness and respect the confidentiality of these talks". The intention was to create a "climate of trust and reparation for suffering."

Pope admits making mistake

Earlier on April 8, in a moving letter to the Chilean bishops, following the fact-finding mission by Archbishop Scicluna, the Pope admitted having made serious mistakes in the assessment and perception of the situation, especially due to the lack of truthful and balanced information, regarding the clerical sex abuse in Chile.

Pope Francis was publicly criticized for his handling of the case of Bishop Juan Barros, who is accused of covering up, and even participating in the abuse of men and boys by the priest.

In the letter, the Holy Father had called the bishops of Chile to Rome for discussion on the issue.Tea party, Russia, 1904

Gorki, Pirogov, Repin, Stasov, 1905

Leo Tolstoy, 1908

Gramophones and phonographs shop, Saint Petersburg, 1910

Tea party in Russia, 1910

Shalyapin and Aleksandr Kuprin, 1911

Emperor Nicholas II visits the 1st Army, 1916

Grigori Rasputin photographed in 1916, the year of his death

Portrait of Vera Kholodnaya, Russian silent cinema actress, 1916

Russian revolution, February 1917

Admiral Kolchak, circa 1918

Nikolai Romanov with his son Alexei, Tobolsk, 1918

Leon Trotsky with his bodyguards in Civil war, Russia, 1919

Red Army, 1919

Soldiers of the Soviet Red Army at rest, 1919

Vladimir Lenin and other Soviet leaders celebrating the second anniversary of the October Revolution in Red Square, Moscow, 1919

Lenin speaking to red army troops leaving for the front, Moscow, May 5th, 1920

Vladmir Lenin and Josef Stalin in Gorki, 1922

From the start of the 20th century, Russias economic problems grew steadily worse. From 1900 to 1915, the country was facing virtual economic collapse and the industry was moving into crisis after crisis.Shortages of materials and goods were growing worse and even the army lacked supplies and weapons. Whenever the Romanov Emperor Nicholas II ventured into war  such as in 1904 against Japan and in 1914 against Germany  millions of farmers were conscripted into the army leading to a serious shortage of manpower on the farms and fall in food production.The First World War started in 1914 that changed completely the map of Europe and lead to the collapse of the Russian Empire as well. Emperor Nicholas II handled the power to the Temporary Government on February 27th 1917.The situation was used by Bolsheviks who got popularity among soldiers and workers because of their populist slogans and charismatic leader Vladimir Lenin.Bolsheviks revolted on October 25th 1917. It took four more years of Civil war for Bolsheviks to get control over the whole Russia.To the end of this period Russian republic was completely devastated.These incredible photos from Vacheslaw Peregoodow are colorized by planetzero that show a part of history of Russia in the beginning of 20 century.The Taliban insurgency reportedly has killed more than 65 government forces and made territorial advances in fresh attacks across Afghanistan during the past two days.



The clashes in western Farah and southern Zabul provinces erupted Thursday and Friday when insurgents attacked security outposts in these areas.



A security source confirmed to VOA Saturday that insurgents late night stormed Zabul's Arghandab district, killing 22 police personnel and wounding 12 others. The source added the rebels also captured three security posts but shared no further details.



Provincial deputy governor, Rehmatullah, confirmed fighting in the district, saying Afghan forces have begun a counteroffensive to push back the rebel forces.



Separately, the Afghan Defense Ministry said that insurgents Thursday night assaulted the provincial headquarters of Farah in their bid to capture it. The ensuing fierce clashes, the ministry said, left 16 government forces dead and several wounded, while 45 Taliban assailants also were killed.



A Taliban spokesman claimed its fighters killed 27 government forces and overran a "large outpost", seizing weapons and "large amount of equipment."



On Thursday, the Taliban attacked and killed 43 Afghan soldiers and policemen in Farah's Bala Buluk district, and overran two security posts there, Afghan television channel, ATN News, quoted the provincial council head, Farid Bakhtawar, as confirming.



Insurgents control or contest a majority of Farah's 11 districts. The province borders Iran and it is a major opium-poppy growing area in western Afghanistan.



The Taliban launched its so-called spring offensive on April 25 and has since inflicted heavy casualties on Afghan forces besides capturing new districts.



The U.S.-backed Kabul government last week informed parliament that during the first eight days of this month, insurgent killed more than 250 Afghan forces and wounded 400 others.



Critics cite lack of manpower and rampant corruption for the increased battlefield setbacks Afghan forces have suffered since 2014, when NATO transferred national security responsibilities to them and most of the international forces withdrew.



The Taliban has since expanded its influence to most of the 34 Afghan provinces, advances the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, has again noted in its latest quarterly report.



The watchdog said that government forces have suffered large casualties but Kabul has recently asked the U.S. military not to release those casualty figures publicly.



"As of January 31, 2018, about 65 percent of Afghanistan's estimated 32.5 million people lived in areas under Afghan government control or influence. Insurgents controlled or influenced areas containing 12 percent of the population. The remaining 23 percent of the population lived in contested areas," according to SIGAR .



The intensified violence threatens the peaceful holding of long-delayed Afghan parliamentary and district council elections now scheduled for October 20.A U.S. Border Patrol agent who was acquitted of second-degree murder while jurors deadlocked on lesser counts will be retried in the cross-border shooting of a rock-throwing teen, prosecutors announced Friday in Arizona.

Agent Lonnie Swartz will be retried on voluntary and involuntary manslaughter charges, said Cosme Lopez, a spokesman for the federal court.

The prosecution did not plan to issue a statement on the decision, he said.

Luis Parra, an attorney for the family of Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, 16, said he was with them in spirit in the courtroom in Tucson when the retrial decision was announced, and they welcomed the news with joy.

Elena Rodriguez was shot in 2012 on a street just south of the border in Nogales.

"I'm relieved and very much appreciate the efforts'' of the U.S. attorney's office, the boy's grandfather, Jose Elena, said.

Defense attorneys Sean Chapman and Jim Calle did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

'Another chance at justice'

Activists, rallying outside the U.S. District Court building before the hearing, had called for the retrial in the case, which was the first prosecution of a border agent involving a fatal shooting across the border.

"We are pleased for the family, that they will now have another chance at justice for Jose Antonio,'' said Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union in New York who is handling a civil case for the teen's mother. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages from Swartz.

Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, said the decision to retry the criminal case should not affect the civil action.

The jury in the first trial declared a mistrial last month after they acquitted Swartz of murder and deadlocked on verdicts involving voluntary and involuntary manslaughter.

Elena Rodriguez was killed when Swartz fired 16 shots through a 20-foot (6-meter) fence on an embankment above Calle Internacional, a Nogales street lined with homes and small businesses.

Prosecutors acknowledged during the monthlong trial that the teen was lobbing rocks across the border during a drug-smuggling attempt but said he did not deserve to die.

Defense attorneys countered that Swartz was justified in using lethal force against rock-throwers and shot from the U.S. side of the border in self-defense.

The new trial was set for October 23 and is expected to last two months.

Allegations of excessive force

The Border Patrol came under close scrutiny during the Obama administration amid allegations involving excessive use of force. Customs and Border Protection, its parent agency, reported 55 incidents in which employees used firearms from October 1, 2011, to September 30, 2012. The number of incidents fell to 17 for the same period five years later.

During closing arguments in the first trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Wallace Heath Kleindienst said Swartz "was fed up with being rocked'' after being targeted in at least six other attacks.

Defense attorney Chapman countered that there was "not a scintilla of evidence'' that Swartz was angry or fed up. Chapman said Swartz shot because he was trying to protect himself and his fellow agents during a drug operation.

The trial played out as President Donald Trump called for National Guard troops to be sent to the Mexican border to free up Border Patrol agents to concentrate on stopping drugs and people from illegally entering the United States.In Cameroon's far north region, hundreds of school children in Boko-Haram-affected areas have been returning to class, but their teachers, who fled the atrocities, are absent. The government is calling on them to return, but in the meantime, humanitarian workers and members of the military are providing the lessons for the students.

Haman Dewade, a 37-year-old staff sergeant in the Cameroon army, greets children at a government school in Fotokol, on Cameroon's northern border with Nigeria. Dewade says he fought the Boko Haram insurgency for two years, beginning in 2015. VOA asked him how he found himself in the classroom as a teacher after the war.



He says the Cameroon military hierarchy has instructed them to teach children in preparation for exams, while expecting the teachers will eventually will see that peace gradually is being restored in what had been conflict zones so they can return home and resume their teaching jobs.



Sixteen-year-old Demayi Oumate is among the 14 children in this class. She fled with her parents to the neighboring town of Mora and returned last October. Oumate says the presence of the military in their school, and the fact that no major attack has taken place in Fotokol since they returned, is reassuring that peace really is taking hold.



She told VOA Friday morning the military gives them daily security guidelines before classes begin.



"[They told me this morning that] I should be vigilant and try to detect any sign of fighting or of unknown persons in the school campus," said Oumate. "My plan is to work more hard and then to be disciplined and always be obedient and avoid things that can make me fall in trouble in school."

There are 900 children in the school  down from about 3,000 in April 2015, when it was closed after Boko Haram fighters attacked Fotokol, killing 30 civilians and wounding another 50. Houses, mosques and schools were torched.

It is the only school out of three in the locality that has been opened. Villagers contribute to the safety of the school through self-defense groups they have created. They systematically search all children before they are given access to the school.



Asfamu Djoulde, leader of the Fotokol traditional council, says they also are educating parents to send their children to school.

He says their traditional rulers and the clergy have taken commitments and deployed self-defense groups to the school to make sure that all children returning can receive an education. He says they are educating villagers who continue to drag feet, emphasizing that their children can not make it in this world without an education.



One hundred and twenty-four schools were closed due to Boko Haram atrocities in Cameroon's far north region in 2015. When massive attacks by the insurgents diminished, suicide bombings intensified, making the government reluctant to re-open some of them. The government said more than 400 teachers fled for their lives. The government has told all of them to return to their classrooms or face disciplinary sanctions.

While waiting for their return, the children count on the military and humanitarian workers from United Nations agencies for their education.

While Cameroon has been calling on internally displaced persons to return, officials also are urging caution because the insurgents are using suicide bombers out of what authorities say is last-ditch desperation.



The U.N. Refugee Agency estimates approximately 26 million people in the Lake Chad region have been affected by the Boko Haram violence, and more than 2.6 million displaced.



Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria and Niger all have been calling on their displaced populations and refugees to voluntarily return, but to be vigilant.Farmer Scott Halpin is facing another year of high prices for seed and fertilizer, and low prices for the corn and soybeans his family is planting on farmland outside Morris, Illinois.

Equipment is expensive, he told VOA while taking a break from loading seed into the John Deere planter that will eventually place them in the soil. Land is expensive. It costs a lot of money to put a crop in the ground.

As U.S. farmers head to their fields to plant this years crop, they face new challenges created by Chinese threats to impose tariffs on some of their products, a retaliatory move in the wake of pending U.S. tariffs on Chinese aluminum and steel.

WATCH: Chinese Soybean Purchases Plant Seeds of Concern for US Farmers

Its the latest salvo in an escalating trade dispute that has farmers warily watching fluctuating commodity prices as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects net farm income in 2018 to reach a 12-year low.

Any potential Chinese tariffs could impact the price of soybeans and ultimately Halpins bottom line.

Soybeans make up just under half of our crop rotation, Halpin said. Its a real important part of our farm operation here.

Added into the mix are new concerns that buyers in China, the worlds top consumer of soybeans, have stopped purchasing supplies from the U.S., even before tariffs are in place.

For Halpin, the bad news seems relentless.

It can hurt when things happen on a daily basis. Its just kind of uncertain times here in farming, he said.

Not unbearable

Uncertain, but not unbearable, says Phil Flynn, senior market analyst with Price Futures Group and a contributor to Fox Business Network.

Even though China is talking tough, they realize that they cannot get into a trade war with the United States because they have a lot more to lose than we do, Flynn told VOA.

According to the USDA, China imports about 63 percent of the worlds total export of soybeans, and is the second-largest export market for U.S. grain products.

Theres not a lot of places that can replace American soybeans in the near term, Flynn said. And the tariffs are probably not going to be enough to change Chinese purchases, because at the end of the day theres going to be a time and place that the only place that they can get soybeans or soybean meal is going to be the United States even at a higher price.

Big picture vs security

Halpin says he understands the big picture and the need for fair trade, but farmers could use a little security in these tough economic times.

We understand that theres inadequacies in the overall trade. Yeah, it makes us a little uneasy. Soybean market(s) are such a big part of the overall ag economy and China is such a big player and we need China to buy our soybeans, he said.

Or someone else needs to step up and take Chinas place.

If China is buying from another country, somebody else is going to be looking for our soybeans. It would just be nice to have some stability, Halpin said.

While the uncertainty isnt changing the Halpin familys overall plans this planting season, it could be a different story during harvest time later this year.

The prices and the markets dramatically affect the way we do things here on the farm, he said.

So does the weather, which is another great uncertainty all farmers face.The Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project will enter into service as of June 12, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak said, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

The opening ceremony will be held with the attendance of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev on June 12, Albayrak said during his speech at a sector meeting in the northwestern province of Bursa.

Project officials announced in April that the first gas would be pumped on June 30.

Albayrak also said Turkey would start its first solo oil and gas deep-sea drilling in the Mediterranean before the end of this summer.The Anglican church in Tasmania is planning to sell more than half of its 133 churches to help pay compensation to victims of child sexual abuse.



Many parishioners on the island state of Tasmania in southern Australia are upset to lose many of their churches, some which are more than 130 years old, but survivors of abuse say the move sends an important message of atonement. They have welcomed the Anglican Church's decision to pay for what campaigners have said were the "sins of the past."



The sale aims to raise about $6 million for abuse victims.



The Bishop of Tasmania, Richard Condie, said the "pain and sadness" of selling off dozens of churches was a necessary sacrifice that would deliver justice to those who endured abuse.



"The last thing a bishop wants to do is to sell a church building and close a church down," said Condie. "I would prefer to be opening new ones. The last thing I want to do is that. We are doing this because we have an obligation to survivors of sexual abuse."



The sale by Anglican authorities in Tasmania will also include church halls, houses and vacant land. A final list of properties to be sold will be drawn up within weeks.



Compensation for victims was a key recommendation of a five-year Royal Commission investigating the sexual exploitation of children in Australian institutions. It handed down its final report last December. A national redress scheme for those who were abused is due to start in July.



The Royal Commission, Australia's highest form of inquiry, gathered evidence of sexual assaults on children in religious organizations, including the Anglican and Catholic Churches, as well as in foster homes, charities, sporting groups, schools and the military. The inquiry has led to many prosecutions.Religious scholars from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia declared terrorism and suicide attacks in Afghanistan and the region as unethical and against the principles of Islam as they gathered at a one-day conference in Bogor, Indonesia, to address violence in Afghanistan.

Friday's conference was held months after more than 1,800 Pakistani clerics issued an Islamic decree, or fatwa, condemning suicide attacks and terrorism in all forms in Pakistan.

Pakistan's conference was criticized by the Afghan government at the time, though, for condemning terrorism inside Pakistan only, and not also extending the religious decree to Afghanistan.

Bogor's religious conference was seen as an effort to persuade Pakistani religious scholars, who have some influence over militant groups in the country, to reject terrorism not only in Pakistan but also in neighboring Afghanistan. That is where Taliban insurgents and the Islamic State terror group have increased their violence in recent months, killing and wounding hundreds of civilians.

The Taliban and the Haqqani Network are said to be hiding in Pakistan and using Pakistani soil to train and launch terror attacks in neighboring Afghanistan.

Accusations of selectivity

U.S. and Afghan officials have long accused Pakistan of being selective in its campaign against militant groups operating in the country and targeting only groups that threaten Pakistan's security.

Pakistan denies the charges and maintains that the country has equally targeted all such groups.

Without directly appealing to the Taliban, the Haqqani Network or IS, religious scholars from all three countries issued a 12-point statement Friday at the end of the one-day conference in Bogor and called on all warring sides to join direct peace talks with the Afghan government.

Dr. Qibla Ayaz  a Pakistani participant in the Bogor conference and head of the Council of Islamic Ideology, a government advisory body  told VOA from the conference the religious scholars from all three countries were not focused on one single group in a single country, but rather on terrorism and extremism facing the region.

Ayaz said the issue could not be solved by a single conference. "Certainly if this process begins, keep it rolling and make other counties part of it, then the situation will get on the right track," Ayaz said.

Mixed reaction

Pakistan's Daily Times, an English-language newspaper, reported that the Taliban allegedly were assured ahead of the Indonesia conference that the militant group's name would not be mentioned in the conference directly.

The Taliban have yet to react officially to the conference, but the group has rejected calls for peace coming from previous similar gatherings.

Following Pakistan's meeting of religious scholars in January, Afghan scholars gathered that same month and issued a separate decree against suicide attacks and violence in Afghanistan.

But militant groups in both countries have carried out dozens of terrorist attacks since the religious decrees.

Overriding optimism

Ordinary Afghans seemed highly optimistic, though, about the religious conference in Indonesia.

Samiullah, a Kabul resident, who like many Afghans goes by one name, told VOA that religious scholars could play a significant role in encouraging peace in Afghanistan.

"These scholars should issue decrees against Taliban and all other groups and declare the terrorist acts as haram [forbidden] in Islam," Samiullah said.

Farooq Hasnat, a Lahore-based international affairs expert, shared Samiullah's optimism.

"The warring groups use religion to justify their acts, but a fatwa from a majority of religious scholars would have a positive impact and discourage the use of religion for the violent acts," Hasnat said.

The religious scholars at the Bogor conference emphasized the need for peace, referring Muslims to read and follow the holy book of Quran and heed the practices of the prophet of Islam, collectively called "Hadith."

The Taliban and other militant groups in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region also refer to the two top religious sources of Islam for justifying their acts of violence.

Hussain Yasa, the managing editor of Outlook Daily Afghanistan, said the Taliban also have religious scholars in their ranks who encourage them to violence.

"Taliban have ulema [religious scholars] in their fold, too, so it will not be easy to convince them to renounce the violent acts," Yasa said. "They have their agenda and will act according to the ground realities."

VOA's Behjat Gilani and Rahman Bunairee contributed to this report.Aardvarks are not the most attractive animals. They have rabbitlike ears, a kangaroo tail and a nose like a pig. But they are mammals, and that means they feed their babies milk. At the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio, an aardvark mother is contributing to the largest collection of exotic animal milk in the world. As Faiza Elmasry tells us, the milk is used to learn about mammal nutrition and help create milk alternatives for animal babies that need to be hand-raised. VOA's Faith Lapidus narrates.Residents on Hawaiis Big Island felt more tremors Friday and braced for the possibility of more lava flows from the Kilauea volcano, more than a week after the latest eruption began.

More than a dozen fissures have opened in the ground near the volcano, releasing lava that has destroyed at least 26 homes. About 2,000 people have been evacuated, mostly from two neighborhoods on the Big Island.

Scientists are warning that an explosive eruption could occur at the volcanos crater within weeks, spewing boulders and ash. The news has prompted Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to close.

Officials say they do not believe an eruption would be life-threatening to people, provided they stay out of the park and evacuation zones.

Authorities say they have removed pentane, a flammable liquid, from a geothermal plant in the area to prevent possible explosions there. Residents and officials remain concerned about potential explosions and toxic gas leaks from the plants underground wells, which provide heat for energy production.

Hawaii Governor David Ige asked President Donald Trump on Thursday to declare the state a disaster zone, which would allow direct federal aid to the state.

Kilaueas eruption began last week after the crater floor of a long-active side vent to the volcano collapsed. Last Friday, Hawaii experienced a magnitude 6.9 earthquake near the southern part of the volcano, the islands largest tremor in more than 40 years.

Officials have warned about high levels of sulfur gas in the air that could threaten the elderly and people with breathing problems.

The Kilauea volcano has been erupting periodically for more than three decades. Lava flows from the volcano, one of five on the island, have buried an area about 125 kilometers square, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Scientists say they cannot predict how long the current eruption will last.Millions of voters in Indias southern state of Karnataka cast ballots Saturday to choose a regional government in a poll expected to set the stage for national elections next year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party hopes to wrest the key state from the opposition Congress Party and sustain a streak of impressive wins since it swept to power in 2014.

The poll is even more crucial for the Congress party: Karnataka is the last big state left under its control following a series of losses.

Psychologically, in the perception battle, that both the Congress and BJP are going to mount, this is going to be very, very critical, said Neerja Chowdhury, an independent political analyst.

Springboard for BJP

A state of 60 million people, Karnataka is home to the Information Technology hub of Benguluru and was ruled by the BJP once before.

The runup to Saturdays vote saw both Prime Minister Modi and Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi swing through the state in a high decibel campaign.

Political analysts say a victory for the BJP will not just boost its prospects when it seeks a second term in office in 2019, it would also give it a key foothold in southern India. Although the party has expanded its presence significantly since it came to power in 2014, it remains largely confined to northern and western India.

It will acquire the reputation of a pan India party if it manages to get power in Karnataka, Chowdhury said.

The race is expected to be a tight one. The BJP has been somewhat on the back foot in recent months as it comes under pressure for not delivering on key promises of firing up the economy and creating millions of jobs for Indias young people. It is also under criticism for failing to control fringe Hindu groups.

Political analysts say a defeat for the BJP would re-energize the opposition Congress party, which hopes to lead an alliance of regional parties against Modi next year and signal that it is on a revival path.

Do or die for Congress

On the other hand, a loss for the Congress would be a huge setback for the grand old party that has ruled India for much of the 70 years since independence.

For Congress it is a do-or-die battle, if they lose Karnataka, they would have lost every state that went to the polls since 2014, said Sandeep Shastri, vice chancellor of Jain University and coordinator of Lokniti, a political research group. Compared with the 22 states that are now controlled by the BJP and its allies, Congress only rules four.

The polls will also gauge whether the popularity of the Indian leader goes beyond the Hindi heartland where he is credited with helping the party pull off several victories. Modi has won a reputation as a formidable campaigner, but his personal charisma remains untested in the south, where most people do not understand the Hindi language and where his election speeches had to be translated for the crowds.

Opinion polls have forecast that there may be no clear winner. Votes will be counted Tuesday.Iranian human rights activists say several teachers arrested for staging a protest in Tehran have been sent to the city's Evin prison, known for its jailing of political dissidents under harsh conditions.

The activists said the teachers were jailed at Evin after participating in a peaceful demonstration Thursday outside the Iranian government's planning and budget office building in Tehran. That rally was one of at least 30 held across Iran by the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teacher Trade Associations to protest what it sees as poor salaries for teachers and poor government funding of education as a whole.

Activists who witnessed the Tehran rally said dozens of retired and active teachers participated peacefully before plainclothes security forces broke up the gathering, beating up some of the protesters. Iran's state-run ILNA news site said six protesters were detained, while the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) that gathers information from inside Iran put the number at 15.

WATCH: Teacher Protest Broken Up in Tehran

A board member of the Tehran Teachers Association that organized Thursday's rally said she saw five of those arrested  all men  appear in a court on Friday, handcuffed and shackled. In a Friday tweet, Sedighe Pakzamir gave their names as Abedini, Bodaghi, Falahi, Garami and Hosseini. She said their wives also saw the men but had only a short amount of time to hand them their medications.

Amsterdam-based news outlet Radio Zamaneh said the detainees each had been offered a $12,000 bail but refused to pay.

Pakzamir said a sixth man detained on Thursday, her fellow board member Mohammad Habibi, was nowhere to be found. Habibi previously had been released from Evin prison on April 15 after being detained on March 3 for unspecified charges that drew criticism from global and Iranian rights groups.

Iranian Education Minister Mohammad Bathaei posted a tweet on Friday, saying his department has been cooperating with "relevant authorities" to try to resolve the arrested teachers' situation. But Bathaei said the Tehran teachers' protest did not have a permit and called it "unfair and unwise, given the current political situation of the country."



HRANA said the Tehran Teachers Association issued a statement condemning security forces for attacking the teachers and calling for the immediate and unconditional release of those detained.



Shahram Bahraminejad and Behrooz Samadbeygi of VOA's Persian service contributed to this report.Dressed for the occasion in flowing gowns and a traditional suit, Payman Salih, her husband and four of her daughters waited outside a polling station in Iraq for a final family member to cast their ballot.

For the first time since Islamic State militants were driven out last year of the cities, towns and villages inhabited by millions of people, citizens are voting for a new parliament  and ultimately a new government.

"We want freedom and a peaceful life away from militant groups," she said. "Hopefully the next government will be good. Because for the last four years they did nothing."

Many Kurdish voters, like Salih, do not support Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi after a political crisis last year led to Baghdad closing Kurdish airports and seizing land then held by the semi-autonomous region.

For many other Iraqis, Abadi is the face of victory over IS, and a favorite to once again be prime minister. Other leading contenders include former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki and Hadi al-Amiri, one of the leaders of the Hashd Shaaby, the primarily-Shiite military force that supported Iraqi forces in the fight with IS.

Despite Abadi's popularity, it is too soon to say if he will be appointed prime minister, with months of negotiations expected before a government emerges.

Iraq's political parties traditionally fall almost precisely along ethnic and religious lines. But campaigns this year have demonstrated a shift toward cross-sectarian alliances, complicating the process.

Iraq's government is based on a quota system negotiated after the U.S. invasion in 2003. Positions are designated for sections of the population and the head of state is chosen from the majority, which is Shiite Muslim. Sunni Muslims and Kurdish politicians take other leading positions, with additional places held for women, Christians and other minorities.

Outside one polling station, Irbil Governor Nawzad Hadi said he hopes this new dynamic will help resolve divisions between Kurdish and Arab officials.

"We fought against IS," he said. "Now we want to start a new page with Baghdad."

Fraud and violence prevention

As voters cast their ballots, airports and roads were shut down for security purposes. Last month,elements of IS still operating in Iraq, despite their military loss, threatened to attack anyone "participating in the elections."

While the overwhelming number of polling places around the country remained safe, early in the day an attack was reported south of the oil city, Kirkuk, a bomb was discovered at a polling place in Baghdad, and other reports of attempted attacks surfaced.

A new voting system electronically scanned voting cards and sealed the ballot boxes to prevent fraud. "So far the devices are efficient and dependable," said Serdar Miranbagi, a spokesperson for the Independent High Election Committee in Irbil.

Election observers said the devices were unlikely to stop all attempts to corrupt the results, but they appeared to be working.

"There is a lot of political tension here," said Jalel Ibrahim, a retired military officer who has been observing Iraqi elections since 1991. "We need a strong system."

Voter participation was not strong, however. Reuters, quoting the electoral commission, reported turnout at 44.52 percent with 92 percent of

the votes counted. That reflected Iraq's widespread disillusionment with a series of governments that have faced deeply entrenched corruption, wars and economic crises for decades.

Even some voters that did turn up were skeptical that the results would positively affect their lives.

"We are tired of these wars but we don't know what will happen," said Sanger Abuzaid, Salih's husband. "We'll vote in new members of parliament. But we don't know what they will be able to do."Israel has closed a border crossing with Gaza a day after it was damaged during Palestinian protests.



The military said dozens of Palestinians on Friday broke into the Kerem Shalom terminal and set a gas pipeline alight. The blaze damaged the pipeline and a conveyor belt that transfers goods in and out of the territory.



Israel said the crossing will remain closed until the damage is repaired and the situation assessed. Meanwhile, it is expected to be open for only humanitarian cases, the military said.



Kerem Shalom is one of three main border crossings between Gaza, Israel, and Egypt. It is the one where most goods pass through on a daily basis.



Friday's damage occurred during what have become weekly protests by Palestinians over Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory governed by the Hamas Islamic organization. A year after Hamas won power in Gaza's 2006 legislative elections, Israel and Egypt placed a blockade on the territory, which has hindered economic growth and exacerbated poverty in Gaza.



On Friday, the Gaza Health Ministry said one Palestinian was killed and 49 were injured when members of the Israeli army fired on protesters near the border fence with Israel and the Gazan city of Khan Younis.



In a statement Friday, the Israeli Defense Forces said about 5,000 Palestinians took part in the protests, most of which it said were peaceful. IDF said it only targets protesters who threaten the border.



Protests at the border have been taking place for weeks over the decade-long blockade of the Palestinian territory, where many families live in poverty. The IDF said some of the protesters have been burning tires, hurling rocks or homemade explosives, or even flying kites with burning rags attached over the border with Israel.



Israeli forces have responded with tear gas and gunshots.



The protests come just before Monday's opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, and Tuesday's 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel.



The Palestinians have nicknamed Israel's founding "an-Nakba," or "catastrophe," because it led to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians being forced from their homes in what had been the state of Palestine.In the escalating confrontation between Israel and Iran, Israel's defense minister called on Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on Friday to rid his country of Iranian forces based there, warning their presence would only cause more trouble for the war-ravaged country.

Avigdor Lieberman's comments were followed by threats from an Iranian cleric that Tel Aviv or Haifa would be in danger if Israel did "anything foolish."

The war of words followed the worst faceoff to date between Israel and Iran. Israel fired dozens of missiles at what it said were Iranian positions in Syria on Thursday, hours after it said its forces in the occupied Golan Heights had been targeted by Iranian rockets.

The brief but intense confrontation raised fears the region may be sliding into an unprecedented direct conflict between the two archenemies.

Here is a look at why the two countries are at each's other throats and why Syria could be the ground for a showdown.

Why Syria?

Iran sent massive military help to its ally, Assad, to rescue his rule against armed rebellion during that country's seven-year-old civil war. With the war winding down in favor of Assad, Israel  which saw him as the lesser of two evils compared with Islamic hard-liners among rebels  is now finding that his victory has brought Iran closer to its borders.

Israel has increasingly warned that it sees Iranian influence in Syria as a threat, pointing to Iran's military presence inside the country as well as that of Iranian-backed militiamen. Israeli officials have said that 80,000 Shiite fighters in Syria are under Iranian control, including forces of Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iraqi and Afghan fighters.

Iranian officials and their allies have spoken of securing a corridor from Iran to Lebanon, through Syria and Iraq. Israel fears that will allow Iran to more easily transfer weapons to Hezbollah, Lebanon's powerful Shiite guerrilla force, and reinforce the militant group's influence over the region. During the civil war, Israel is believed to have carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria, mainly hitting weapons shipments.

Tension has been building. An airstrike on a military base in Syria last month, which Iran and Russia blamed on Israel, killed seven Iranians. In February, Israel shot down an Iranian drone that entered its airspace, triggering a clash in which an Israeli warplane crashed after being struck by Syrian anti-aircraft fire.

What does the nuclear deal have to do with rising tensions?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a sharp critic of the Iran nuclear deal. Now, with President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from it, Netanyahu may be emboldened to pursue his confrontation with Iran.

Tehran, meanwhile, is under pressure from the U.S. and Western allies to negotiate a new deal, one that goes beyond restricting the nuclear program to curb Iran's military power in the region. Iranian officials have rejected any new accord.

Tehran has not completely walked away from the nuclear deal, since the Europeans are still participating. But if it collapses and the U.S. imposes heavy new sanctions on Iran, prospects for major fallout with Israel are higher.

Have Israel and Iran always been mortal enemies?

During the rule of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Iran had close relations with Israel, starting in the 1950s, including diplomatic representations and direct flights. The two countries were the main allies of the United States in the region, and Iranian oil was shipped to Israel during the 1973 war.

But the 1979 Islamic Revolution ousting the shah ended that. The revolution's leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, declared Israel an "enemy of Islam" and cut all ties. Hostile rhetoric has escalated over the decades since. Israel considers the government in Iran an existential threat.

But unlike Israel and its Arab neighbors, the two countries have never had a direct confrontation. Instead, Israel has fought Iran's ally, Hezbollah, the last time in a 2006 war that saw massive destruction in southern Lebanon and concentrated rocket fire on Israeli cities.

Is the Mideast sliding toward an all-encompassing war?

The reported Iranian attack on Israeli positions in the Golan and Israel's bombardment of suspected Iranian posts in Syria appeared to be warnings by each side that it is willing to respond  but not necessarily that they want to plunge into war.

But if they do escalate, the region could face one of its worst cross-border conflicts in decades, one that could potentially drag in the United States, a major ally of Israel, and Russia, which is Syria's mightiest ally.

Although Iran may not be a match for Israel's military power, it has a variety of allies and ways to hit back if corned by the U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia, Iran's regional rival.

Iran has an ally in Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in Gaza. In Lebanon, Hezbollah would stand ready to support its patron Iran. In Iraq, Iran sponsors a range of Shiite militias and has close ties to the political leadership.

In Yemen, the war in its fourth year is seen as a proxy between Saudi Arabia and Iran and can be a place for Tehran to retaliate and increase pressure. Saudi Arabia already accuses Iran of providing missiles that Yemeni rebels have fired toward Riyadh.Immigrants from Honduras, Haiti, El Salvador and other countries who were given protected status to live in the United States should have a path to citizenship, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told National Public Radio on Friday.

Kelly said many of those with temporary protected status, or TPS, resulting from natural disasters or conflict have lived in the United States for decades, and that Congress should act.

We should fold all of the TPS people that have been here for a considerable period of time and find a way for them to be on a path to citizenship, Kelly, one of President Donald Trumps top aides, said in an interview.

The Trump administration, under U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, has moved to revoke this special status and to expel tens of thousands of protected immigrants. Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security said it would end protections for 57,000 Hondurans in January 2020, leaving them vulnerable to deportation.

Around 200,000 Salvadorans, 59,000 Haitians and 5,300 Nicaraguans will lose their status in 2019. Protections have also ended for 9,000 Nepalese immigrants and certain immigrants from Liberia.

Trump has pursued his crackdown on legal and illegal immigration since becoming president, promising to strengthen the nations borders and to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Critics, citing the nations history of immigration, say Trumps policies are hostile to vulnerable people who work in the fast food, hospitality, child care and agriculture sectors, often for low wages.

Some U.S. lawmakers want immigration legislation before the November midterm election after previous bipartisan efforts failed. Their plan, however, is aimed at so-called Dreamers, immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children, and border security issues.

Kelly said that while most illegal immigrants are not bad people ... theyre also not people that would easily assimilate into modern American society.

Theyre overwhelmingly rural people, he told NPR. They dont speak English ... They dont integrate well. They dont have skills.

Questions were raised about Nielsens tenure after the New York Times reported that she had considered resigning after Trump criticized her at a meeting on Wednesday for what he said was her failure to secure U.S. borders.

A DHS spokesman denied the story. Fox News Channel, however, quoted Kelly as saying in an interview on Friday that he called Nielsen after the meeting urging her not to quit.United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed hope for progress in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the congratulatory message to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the occasion of his election to the post of prime minister.

According to Guterres, the UN resolutely and consistently supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through peaceful negotiations.

"I hope that during this sensitive period for the process of peaceful settlement, these efforts will be more effective and will lead to positive results that will help establish lasting peace and ensure prosperity for all the peoples of the South Caucasus," RIA Novosti cited the message as saying.With the opening Monday of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, the region is bracing for both celebrations and unrest.

The United States plans to host about 800 guests at an opening ceremony of its embassy. U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will be on hand, while Trump addresses the ceremony via video, reaffirming his December 2017 decision to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv.

"I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," Trump said at the White House late last year. "While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering."

WATCH: Joy and Outrage as US Embassy Set to Open in Jerusalem

National Security Advisor John Bolton points out that other presidents also said they would move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, but Trump is the only one to do it.

"Thats not simply something that has an effect on the conditions in Israel, but it says to world leader all around the world, when he says hes going to do something, he does," Bolton told VOA on Friday.

Most of the 850 U.S. Embassy workers will remain in Tel Aviv until a new embassy building is constructed in Jerusalem. Fifty of them will make up the initial staff at the new embassy, including U.S. Ambassador David Friedman.

Experts say the move is largely symbolic. But with Palestinians wanting to name East Jerusalem as a capital of their future state, this symbolism matters.

'Contentious' issue

Khaled Elgindy of the Brookings Institution notes both Republican and Democratic administrations have resisted moving the U.S. Embassy for the past 70 years.

"The United States, like most countries in the world, have maintained an embassy in Tel Aviv, rather than in Jerusalem, precisely because of the highly contentious nature of the issue of Jerusalem for Palestinians, for Israelis, for the Arab world, for the Muslim world, for Christians around the world, and of course for Jews as well," he said.

Elgindy said the move was centered on U.S. domestic politics, namely a campaign pledge Trump made to his core supporters.

"There is no national security interest that is gained by moving the embassy  to the contrary," he said. "I think it destabilizes the region. It adds a level of instability and it also makes it much harder to negotiate peace between Israelis and Palestinians."

Palestinians have protested Trump's decision and are calling for more demonstrations next week. They want East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war, as the capital of their future Palestinian state and feel that Trump gave away the "crown jewel" of peace negotiations.

Senior Palestinian official Nabil Shaath said Trump shattered any hope for the peace process.

"What [Trump] has done is blow out the possibility of a peace process that was really never completed," Shaath said.

Palestinian officials are no longer accepting the U.S. as a mediator, while Israeli leaders see the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem as a long-held dream come true.

'Great moment' for Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move would have long-term, positive ramifications.

"This is a great moment for the citizens of Israel and this is a historic moment for the state of Israel," Netanyahu said during an Israeli Cabinet meeting in February.

Asked what concessions the United States had won from Israel in exchange for the move, a senior administration official said that was not what the decision was about. It was about doing what is best for America's interests, the official said.

"There was no give-and-take with Israel with regard to this decision," the official said during a background briefing with reporters.

The official said the Jerusalem embassy would be opening just five months after the president announced the decision, adding, as the president likes to say, "ahead of schedule and under budget."An ethnic rebel group in northern Myanmar has attacked security forces at a casino in an area near China's border, killing 19 people, including 15 civilians and four security forces. Twenty people were wounded.



Government spokesman Zaw Htay said the rebel operation was "...a destructive terrorist attack."



The rebel group Ta'ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, has claimed responsibility for the attack Saturday in the town of Muse in Shan state.



TNLA spokesman Colonel Tar Aik Kyaw said the attack targeted soldiers and the militiamen who run the casino, but conceded that civilians could have been caught in the crossfire.



Shan State is located at a border crossing between Myanmar and China's Yunnan province, a major trading point between the two countries.



The TNLA is one of several groups fighting for more autonomy in northern Myanmar.North Korea said Saturday that it will dismantle its nuclear test site between May 23 and 25, in a dramatic event that would set up leader Kim Jong Un's summit with President Donald Trump next month.



In a statement carried by state media, North Korea's Foreign Ministry said that all of the tunnels at the country's northeastern testing ground will be destroyed by explosion, and that observation and research facilities and ground-based guard units will also be removed.



Kim had already revealed plans to shut down the test site by the end of May during his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month. Analysts say that while the closure of the site is important, it doesn't represent a material step toward full denuclearization.



"A ceremony for dismantling the nuclear test ground is now scheduled between May 23 and 25," depending on weather conditions, the Foreign Ministry's statement said.



It said the North will invite journalists from the United States, South Korea, China, Russia and Britain to witness the dismantling process.



The journalists will be provided with a charter flight from Beijing to the North Korean coastal city of Wonsan, from where they will travel by train to the test site, the statement said.



The ministry said the North will continue to "promote close contacts and dialogue with the neighboring countries and the international society so as to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and over the globe."



Following the Moon-Kim summit, Moon's office said Kim was willing to disclose the process to international experts, but the North's statement Saturday didn't include any mention about allowing experts on the site.



South Korea had no immediate response to the statement.



The North's announcement comes days after Washington announced that the historic summit between Kim and Trump will be held June 12 in Singapore.



Seoul, which shuttled between Washington and Pyongyang to set up the Trump-Kim meeting, has said Kim has genuine interest in dealing away his nuclear weapons in return for economic benefits. However, there are lingering doubts about whether Kim would ever agree to fully relinquish the weapons he likely views as his only guarantee of survival.



During their summit at a border truce village, Moon and Kim vaguely promised to work toward the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula, but made no references to verification or timetables.



North Korea for decades has been pushing a concept of "denuclearization" that bears no resemblance to the American definition. The North has been vowing to pursue nuclear development unless Washington removes its 28,500 troops from South Korea and the nuclear umbrella defending South Korea and Japan.



Some experts believe Kim may try to drag out the process to wait out the Trump administration or seek a deal in which he gives away his intercontinental ballistic missiles but retains some of his shorter-range arsenal in return for a reduced U.S. military presence in the South. This could satisfy Trump but undermine the alliance between Washington and Seoul.



Kim declared his nuclear force as complete in December, following North Korea's most powerful nuclear test to date in September and three flight tests of ICBMs designed to reach the U.S. mainland.



North Korea announced at a ruling party meeting last month that it was suspending all tests of nuclear devices and ICBMs, as well as the plan to close the nuclear testing ground.



Kim said during the meeting that the nuclear test site's mission had come "to an end" because the North had completed the process of developing nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles, ICBMs and other strike means.



The North also said for the first time at the meeting that it had been conducting "subcritical" nuclear tests. These refer to experiments involving a subcritical mass of nuclear materials that allow scientists to examine the performance and safety of weapons without triggering a nuclear chain reaction and explosion.



North Korea's reference to such activity is designed to communicate that even without underground testing, the country intends to maintain its nuclear arsenal and be a "responsible" steward of those weapons at the same time, said Andrea Berger, a senior analyst at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.



Still, the closure of the underground testing site could be a useful precedent for Washington and Seoul as they proceed with the nuclear negotiations with Pyongyang, analysts say.



"Now that North Korea has accepted in principle that agreements should be verified, U.S. negotiators should hold them to this standard for any subsequent agreement," said Adam Mount, a senior defense analyst at the Federation of American Scientists. "It will make it more difficult for Kim Jong Un to deny inspections now that he has placed them on the table."



North Korea has invited the outside world to witness the dismantling of its nuclear facilities before. In June 2008, international broadcasters were allowed to air the demolishing of a cooling tower at the Nyongbyon reactor site, a year after the North reached an agreement with the U.S. and four other nations to disable its nuclear facilities in return for an aid package worth about $400 million.



But in September 2008, the North declared that it would resume reprocessing plutonium, complaining that Washington wasn't fulfilling its promise to remove the country from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.



The administration of George W. Bush removed North Korea from the list in October 2008 after the country agreed to continue disabling its nuclear plant. However, a final attempt by Bush to complete an agreement to fully dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons program collapsed that December when the North refused to accept U.S.-proposed verification methods.



The North went on to conduct its second nuclear test in May 2009.French authorities say the man responsible for a deadly knife attack in central Paris Saturday was a French citizen who was born in the majority Muslim Russian republic of Chechnya in 1997. He was on a watch list of suspected extremists, but he did not have a criminal record.

French police have taken his parents into custody for questioning. The attackers name has not been released.

The assailant stabbed five people. One of his victims, a 29-year-old man died. Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said Sunday the other four people are expected to survive their wounds.

The attacker died at the scene. He was shot and killed by police, said Collomb, who praised the officers for taking action.

The extremist group Islamic State has said through its news agency that it is responsible for the attack, calling the assailant a soldier for its cause.

City prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters the attacker had shouted the Arabic phrase Allahu Akbar, meaning God is great, during the attack.

Molins said police will launch an anti-terrorism investigation.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter that France will not yield an inch to the enemies of freedom.

Paris police tweeted that the attack took place in the 2nd arrondissement, or district, of the French capital city, which is often crowded with people headed to the famed Opera Garnier and local restaurants.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said it took police less than nine minutes to subdue the attacker from the moment they were alerted.

This speed, calm and effectiveness allowed them to avoid ... a much heavier toll, he said.

Paris has been on high alert for terror attacks, as a series of attacks have occurred in France over the past three years.Peggy and David Rockefellers lavish artworks and other treasures set a new world record this week at a Christies auction, topping $800 million as the priciest single-owner collection.

Thats about twice the previous record of $484 million from a 2009 Paris sale of designer Yves Saint Laurents estate.

The three-day live sale of the late couples belongings ended Thursday with a $115 million star lot  a Picasso painting called Fillette a la corbeille fleurie of a naked girl holding a basket of flowers that once belonged to the writer Gertrude Stein, estimated to be worth $100 million. The runner-up, at $84 million, was a Monet canvas with his famed water lilies, Nimpheas en fleur, which surpassed its $50 million estimate and set a record for his art at auction against a previous high of $81 million.

Matisses Odalisque Couchee aux Magnolias, depicting a woman in a Turkish harem, sold for $80.8 million, topping the $70 million estimate and setting a new record for a Matisse, whose highest price at auction had been $48.8 million.

Rockefeller Mania

In what one art publication dubbed Rockefeller Mania, Christies said 100 percent of the 893 Rockefeller lots offered live had sold, for a total of $828 million, as well as all of the more than 600 lots sold online for $4.6 million.

Diego Riveras 1931 The Rivals went for the highest price ever paid for a Latin American artwork on the block, $9.8 million against a pre-auction estimate of $5 million to $7 million.

On Friday, the sale wasnt over until the online-only bids were in. Anyone with a few hundred dollars could go for a piece of the opulence that surrounded the late Rockefeller couple, by bidding on, say, cufflinks or jewelry. A 14-carat gold money clip once filled with Rockefeller cash sold for $75,000 against an estimate of $800 to $1,200.

Eclectic tastes

The total 1,564 Rockefeller lots reflected the couples eclectic tastes in everything from fine furniture, porcelain and ceramics to duck decoys and blue-chip art that graced their various properties and Davids bank office. Paintings filled the walls of their Maine home, their Manhattan townhouse and a country mansion in the Pocantino Hills north of the city, complete with horses and cows.

For a whiff of that life, buyers were willing to pay prices way above the pre-auction estimates.

A rare Chinese blue and white dragon bowl from the Maine kitchen cabinet, valued at up to $150,000, went for $2.7 million. A bronze figure of the Buddhist deity Amitayus realized $2.5 million, against a $600,000 high estimate.

A 256-piece Sevres dessert service commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte sold for $1.8 million  more than six times its high estimate.

Six George III Gothick Windsor Armchairs sold for $336,500 against a top estimate of $80,000, and an English wicker picnic hamper soared to $212,500, against a high estimate of $10,000.

Proceeds go to charity

All prices include buyers premiums. Christies bolstered the auction by guaranteeing the whole Rockefeller collection, not disclosing the minimum price at which a work would have to sell or buyers names. Many came from abroad, drawn to the New York power name that dominated the citys privileged, philanthropic society for a century.

Peggy died in 1996, and David in 2017, as the last surviving grandson of the oil baron John D. Rockefeller. The couples son, David Rockefeller Jr., said auction proceeds would go to charity.

The collection ended up, appropriately, in Rockefeller Center off Fifth Avenue where Christies is located. John D. Rockefeller Jr. had helped finance and build the grand complex in the 1930s.Ukrainian separatists in Donetsk on Friday celebrated the fourth anniversary of the city's self-proclaimed independence from Ukraine with a parade.

Local residents who support the pro-Russian separatists came to the parade in the city center with black, red and blue rebel flags along with Russian flags.

Ukrainian forces have battled the pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk since 2014. A peace deal in 2015 has been little honored by either side. Ukraine accuses Russia of providing military support for separatists, a charge the Kremlin denies.

Residents at Friday's parade said they wanted the region to be closer to Russia.

"I went to vote for the independence, for joining Russia. We want to be on the right track. Our course is toward Russia only," said Svetlana, a Donetsk resident.

Donetsk also held a parade Wednesday to commemorate the victory over Nazi Germany. That parade featured tanks and other heavy weapons despite a ban on that type of celebration by Ukraine's government.

While large, Soviet-style military parades have been revived under President Vladimir Putin in Russia, they have been banned in Ukraine since the conflict with Russia-backed separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions broke out in 2014.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine erupted weeks after Russia's annexation of Crimea and has left more than 10,000 dead.The latest Star Wars movie did not have a smooth flight to the screen, but the director and cast of Solo say the scramble to remake the movie ultimately paid off, with early reaction ahead of the May 25 launch largely positive.

Original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were fired from Solo: A Star Wars Story midway through production, and Walt Disney Co. asked Ron Howard to come in to oversee extensive reshoots.

The film, which tells the origin story of Han Solo, premiered in Hollywood on Thursday and drew cheers and applause throughout from the crowds in two historic theaters, the first large audiences to see the finished product.

We went so fast to get the movie ready, Howard said in an interview with Reuters on Friday. I was really on pins and needles, and I was so gratified to hear laughs and hear cheers in all the places I hoped and I dreamed that they would be. It was a good night. I slept well last night.

Alden Ehrenreich, 28, stepped into the role of cowboy smuggler Han Solo, made famous by Harrison Ford in the original Star Wars trilogy that began in 1977. Ehrenreich plays a younger Solo just beginning his pilot training and seeking his own spaceship when he becomes involved in a dangerous mission in the galaxy far, far away.

Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke, who portrays Solos childhood friend Qira, said the change of directors produced less drama than people may think.

Something that on paper sounds horrific was not in reality at all for someone who was in it and experienced and was living through it, Clarke said. Everyone who handled it was seamless and graceful.

Fans around the world have debated how Ehrenreich, little known beyond a well-received performance in quirky 2016 comedy Hail, Caesar, would handle one of cinemas most loved characters.

Ehrenreich confirmed he had signed a contract to play Solo in three movies and said he was anxious to step into the role again in future installments.

By the end of the movie, hes more like the guy we know, and thats fun, Ehrenreich said.Clashes between Somali army troops backing local villagers and al-Shabab militants have left at least 13 of the militant fighters dead, witnesses and officials said.



The clashes in central Somalia Saturday started after armed al-Shabab militants tried to impose taxes on residents of Halfoley, a rural village near the town of Jalalaqsi, in the Hiran region.



Abdi Dahir Guure, the district commissioner of the region's Bulabarde town, told VOA Somali that government soldiers, backing cattle herders, engaged in more than five hours of fierce battle with the militants.



"The battle erupted at around 7 a.m. local time when heavily armed militants attacked the villagers after refusing an earlier order by militants in which they asked local pastoralists to hand over some of their livestock as a zakat demand, or tax," said Guure. "Government army forces, sent there to protect the pastoralists, immediately joined the battle, killing at least 13 militants."



Somali government officials in the region said other units of the Somali national army had moved into other villages in the region to prevent militants from re-organizing and counter-attacking pastoralists.



Multiple Independent witnesses contacted by VOA confirmed the government claim, saying they saw the bodies of at least 13 militants. Two local pastoralists also were injured during the battle.



Clashes involving pastoralists resisting al-Shabab taxes began in Somalia's Hiran and Middle Shabelle regions in 2013.



In a separate incident, a blast in a market in the Bulomarer District, some 150 kilometers south of Mogadishu, where African Union peacekeepers from Uganda are stationed, left four civilians dead and five others injured.



"An explosive device apparently planted in a livestock market went off, killing four innocent civilians and five others were injured," Muhidiin Khalif Aliyow, a local official in the town told the VOA Somali Service.



"I heard an explosion, and minutes after looked outside and saw a kiosk in flames and the dead bodies of four civilians and several cattle," a witness told VOA on the condition of anonymity.



The blast occurred in mid-afternoon, as some government forces were checking cars at a nearby military post.



It was not immediately clear who was behind the blast, but local security officials blame al-Shabab, a terrorist group.



On Wednesday, an explosion killed at least 10 people and wounded 15 in a market where the stimulant leaf khat is sold in the town of Wanlaweyn, in the same Lower Shabelle region, about 90 kilometers to the northwest of the capital, Mogadishu.



Somali government officials have warned repeatedly this week about the possibility of increased terror attacks by militants during the Islamic holy month ofRamadan.



The clashes and the al-Shabab blasts against civilians, however, came as the pastoralists and habitants in the southern regions already are struggling with heavy rain and flooding.



On Friday, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the heavy rain in Somalia's Juba and Shabelle river basins continued to cause flooding, displacing an estimated 220,000 people.

An international commission has formed to try to end meddling in elections in Western democratic nations by Russia and other autocratic countries.

The Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity (TCEI), co-chaired by former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, held a news conference Friday in Washington, D.C.

The commission's "background is the Russian meddling into the U.S. election in 2016," Rasmussen told VOA's Russian service. "But it's not just about America. It's also on the European side.

'Challenges' in Europe

"We [Europe] have seen challenges, and this is the reason why it's a transatlantic commission," he said, adding that there are more than 20 elections scheduled in Western democratic countries before the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

"I consider it a matter of urgency to counter Russia's and other autocrats' interference with our democratic institutions, because their aim is to weaken the world's democracies and we cannot allow that to happen," Rasmussen said.

The U.S. intelligence community more than a year ago concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally directed a 2016 campaign to undermine U.S. democracy and help Donald Trump defeat his challenger, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Russia and the Trump campaign have denied the allegations.

But Rasmussen stressed that Putin has a global reach, which is another reason for a transatlantic body.

"Of course Russia is in particular interested in destabilizing the democracies in Europe," he said, adding they use a "wide range of instruments" to sew discord.

"It's not just about cybersecurity. It's not just about so-called fake news. It's much more sophisticated," Rasmussen said. "It's also about transfer of money to movements and political parties in Europe. It's to stir up dissatisfaction and populism and nationalism in many countries. We have seen that all over Europe."

Chertoff, who served during the George W. Bush administration, told VOA, "I think if you go back even seven, eight years, you can see the Russians becoming active in Eastern and Central Europe to try to influence the outcome of elections. Some of it was online, some of it involved contributing money. For example, Marie Le Pen [president of France's National Front] got a loan from the Russians to keep her party afloat.

"Some involved using business investors as a wedge to get into a country, and to begin to develop attitudes that were pro-Russian," he added.

"But I want to be clear, it's [election meddling] not limited to Russia," Chertoff said. "We've seen the president of Turkey, President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, take some steps to try to influence the activities of Turks overseas and to try to have some effect on the democratic process in other countries."

A press release by the commission said the group would fill a void in transatlantic coordination regarding election meddling.

The commission "will look into the level of risk exposure across Western countries and ask how technology can address the problem," the statement said. As part of their recently announced Defending Democracy Program, Microsoft is partnering with TCEI to provide funding and technical expertise.

The commission, which includes political, business and media leaders, will hold its first meeting June 21-22 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Russia engagement

Trump has often tweeted at critics of his continued outreach to Russia, but Chertoff said he thought the U.S. should maintain open communications.

"Even in the height of the Cold War, we had to have communication with what were then Soviets," he said. "But I also think we need to take a very firm and strong line against the misbehavior by the Russians or anybody else, whether it's military misbehavior or information operations.

"And part of the solution has to be a set of responses that is vigorous and measured in order to deter and push back against these illicit efforts," Chertoff said.

Of past efforts by Moscow, Rasmussen said he considered Ukraine to be "ground zero when it comes to Russian meddling in elections."

He said the commission would focus on the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine. "We expect Russia to meddle in those elections."

"I think as regards [the] Donbass [region], and Eastern Ukraine, we should deploy a peacekeeping force with a robust mandate toward a controlled ... border between Ukraine and Russia as an efficient instrument to achieve peace," Rasmussen said. "They want to keep the government in Kyiv weak; they want to continue to destabilize the situation in Eastern Ukraine, in Donbass."

The 14 members of the commission include former Vice President Joe Biden, former Mexico President Felipe Calderon, former U.K. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and Tanit Koch, editor in chief of Bild newspaper.With the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on Monday, the region is bracing for both celebrations and unrest. Experts say President Donald Trump's decision to relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv amounts to U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a decision that has drawn praise from Israelis and angered Palestinians. VOA's Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from the State Department on Monday's ceremony.HA NOI  Viet Nams tea exports dropped in both volume and value in the first four months of 2018, despite a price hike.

Low quality and lack of internationally known brands remain the main barriers for Vietnamese tea in gaining a strong foothold in foreign markets.



Viet Nam exported 34,000 tonnes of tea for US$54 million between January-April, a decrease of 10.2 per cent and 3.6 per cent, respectively, from the same period in 2017.



The price of exported tea in the first quarter averaged $1,546 per tonne, up by 7.5 per cent year-on-year. The main buyers of Vietnamese tea during the reviewed period included Russia, Pakistan, Taiwan (China), Indonesia, the United States, China and Malaysia.



Pakistan continued to be Viet Nams largest tea importer in terms of turnover. The country purchased 4,060 tonnes, or 16 per cent, of Viet Nams total tea exports for a price of $8.45 million, down by 28.9 per cent in volume and 19.2 per cent in value. The decline is the result of a stricter regulation in Pakistan, which now requires an aflatoxin certificate for tea imports.



A similar situation unfolded with tea shipments to China and Taiwan, which have also applied stricter regulations.



Pakistan was followed by Russia, which imported over 4,170 tonnes of tea for $6.49 million, down by 8.4 per cent in volume, but up by 6.5 per cent in value, thanks to a 16.2 per cent increase in tea prices, bringing the average value to $1,556 per tonne.



According to experts, lower demand might have played a part in the fall of tea exports, but the main problems were that domestic exporters paid little attention to improving the quality of the tea, along with an absence of Vietnamese tea brands known internationally.



Japan is one of the worlds largest consumers of tea, as the product has a strong cultural history in the country, dating back 100-years. So, Japan is a potential market for Vietnamese tea, although exporting to that country will not be easy.



Though Vietnamese tea has made inroads into the Japanese market, it accounts for just 0.5 per cent of the market share. This is largely due to the fact that Vietnamese tea has not satisfied local consumer taste preferences. Plus, a majority of the tea exported is in the raw form, low in quality and value.

Last year, Viet Nams tea exports to the European Union (EU) surged 24.55 per cent in volume and 40 per cent in value, with exports to Germany posting the strongest growth---82.9 per cent in volume and 169 per cent in value.



This is a positive signal for the tea industry in Viet Nam, particularly since the 500-million-strong EU market comprises a number of high-income economies where consumers want more than just low prices. Therefore, to boost exports to the European Union, Vietnamese tea producers will need to shift focus to improving their products quality, design and convenience.  VNSTwo weeks of climate talks organized by the United Nations ended Thursday as countries failed to resolve differences about implementing the Paris climate accord.

The negotiations will resume in Bangkok in September, where an extra week's meeting has now been scheduled.

The pact's 197 signatories have set a December deadline to agree on the precise rules that countries have to stick to under the Paris agreement.

The lack of progress threatens to unravel three years' worth of work to complete the Paris agreement, a landmark deal reached in 2015 that set a goal to limit fossil-fuel pollution in all nations for the first time and keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.

Overall progress at the meeting in Bonn was very slow, with some countries such as China looking to renegotiate aspects of the Paris deal.

Patricia Espinosa, head of the U.N. agency that oversees climate talks, described the package being negotiated as "highly technical and complex.'' It aims to ensure that the efforts countries claim they're making in the fight against global warming can be verified and compared.

The administration of President Barack Obama was widely credited with helping to bring together the diverging interests of rich and poor countries in the drive to secure the Paris deal. His successor, President Donald Trump, withdrew the U.S. from the accord in June 2017. His administration has attacked climate science, saying it questions whether human activity is behind climate change, and is focused on boosting the fossil fuel industry.Landmark U.S. net neutrality rules will expire on June 11, and new regulations handing providers broad new power over how consumers can access the internet will take effect, the Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday in setting the date.

The FCC in December repealed the Obama-era open-internet rules set in 2015, which bars providers from blocking or slowing down access to content or charging consumers more for certain content.

The prior rules were intended to ensure a free and open internet, give consumers equal access to web content and bar broadband service providers from favoring their own material or others.

The new rules require internet providers to tell consumers whether they will block or slow content or offer paid "fast lanes."

Comcast Corp., Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. have all pledged to not block or discriminate against legal content after the net neutrality rules expire.

Reuters first reported the June 11 effective date, disclosed in an FCC document on Thursday.

Acting New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, a Democrat, said the repeal of net neutrality would allow internet service providers to put their profits before the consumers they serve and control what we see, do, and say online.

A spokeswoman for Underwood said the state attorneys general have not sought a stay of the FCC order yet.

A group of 22 states led by New York and others have sued to try to block the new rules from taking effect, and the U.S.

Senate may vote as early as next week to reject the December repeal.

The revised rules were a win for internet service providers, whose practices faced significant government oversight and FCC investigations under the 2015 order, but are opposed by internet firms like Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.

Some internet providers have said they could eventually offer paid fast lanes, also known as paid prioritization, for some future internet traffic.

The repeal of net neutrality is the latest thread in a broader pattern of Republican Trump administration reversals of Democratic Obama administration policies or achievements, such as the Paris climate accords and the Iran nuclear agreement.

Republican FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told reporters on Thursday the rollback of the rules would not harm consumers and would return the internet to the pre-2015 era. The effect of this will be better, faster, cheaper internet access and the free and open internet that we have had for many, many years, he said.

Pai said the FCC gave internet providers 30 days to comply with the new transparency rules. He said many politicians had sought to mislead the public about the repeals impact. Now everyone will be able to see the truth for themselves, Pai said.

Democrats objected.

The agency failed to listen to the American public and gave short shrift to their deeply held belief that internet openness should remain the law of the land, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, said on Thursday. The FCC is on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of the law, and the wrong side of the American people.

The U.S. Senate is set to vote as early as next week on whether to reject the FCC repeal of the net neutrality rules, but that effort faces an uphill battle.

Proponents currently have the backing of 47 Democrats and the two independents who caucus with Democrats, as well as Republican Senator Susan Collins. With the prolonged absence of Republican Senator John McCain due to illness, proponents believe they will win on a 50-49 vote.

Senator Ed Markey said it was likely the vote will take place in the middle of next week. On Wednesday, senators officially filed a petition to force a net neutrality vote and 10 hours of floor debate under the Congressional Review Act.

Following Thursday's FCC announcement, Markey wrote on Twitter: the Senate must act NOW and pass my resolution to save the internet as we know it.

If the Senate approves the measure, it would not likely pass the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. If the legislation were to pass the House, President Donald Trump would be expected to veto it.

The FCC voted in December 3-2 to reverse the Obama-era rules barring service providers from blocking, slowing access to or charging more for certain online content, but said under government regulatory rules it would take months before they could legally take effect.

In February, a coalition of 22 state attorneys general refiled legal challenges intended to block the repeal of net neutrality. A number of states have adopted laws aimed at dissuading internet providers from abandoning net neutrality.

Democrats have said they believe the issue would be key in November's midterm congressional elections, especially among younger internet-savvy voters.

Republicans have said the FCC repeal would eliminate heavy-handed government regulations and encourage investment.The United States aspires to have North Korea as a "close partner" and not an enemy, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday, noting that the U.S. has often in history become good friends with former adversaries.

Pompeo said he had told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of that hope during his brief visit to Pyongyang earlier this week, during which he finalized details of the upcoming June 12 summit between Kim and President Donald Trump and secured the release of three Americans imprisoned in the country.

He said his talks with Kim on Wednesday had been "warm," "constructive," and "good" and that he made clear that if North Korea gets rid of its nuclear weapons in a permanent and verifiable way, the U.S. is willing to help the impoverished nation boost its economy and living stands to levels like those in prosperous South Korea.

"We had good conversations about the histories of our two nations, the challenges that we have had between us," Pompeo told reporters at a news conference with South Korea's visiting foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha. "We talked about the fact that America has often in history had adversaries who we are now close partners with and our hope that we could achieve the same with respect to North Korea."

He did not mention other adversaries by name, but Pompeo and others have often noted that the U.S. played a major role in rebuilding Japan and the European axis powers in the wake of the Second World War. With U.S. help, those countries recovered from the devastation of conflict.

"If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends," he said

Kang praised the upcoming meeting between Trump and Kim in Singapore as an "historic" opportunity, but added a few notes of skepticism as well. Amid concerns that North Korea will demand the U.S. withdraw its troops from neighboring South Korea, Kang emphasized that the U.S. military presence there must be "a matter for the U.S.-ROK alliance first and foremost," using an acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

She said the U.S. troop presence in the South for the past 65 years has played a "crucial role for deterrence," peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. Therefore, she said, any change in the size of the U.S. forces in the South Korea should not be on the table at the summit.

"The next few weeks will be critical, requiring air-tight coordination between our two countries," Kang said, noting that South Korean President Moon Jae-in would be in Washington to see Trump later this month.

Since Trump announced plans to hold a summit with Kim, questions have been raised continually about whether the two leaders have the same objective in mind when they speak about "denuclearization." To the U.S., that means the North giving up the nuclear weapons it has already built. But North Korea has said its willing to talk now because its already succeeded in becoming a nuclear-armed state, fueling skepticism that the North would truly being willing to give those weapons up.

Pompeo said there would need to be "complete" and "verifiable" denuclearization that would remove North Korea as a threat to the South, the United States and the rest of the world. He said a massive inspection and monitoring regime would be required to ensure the Norths compliance.

"I think there is complete agreement about what the ultimate objectives are," Pompeo said, though he declined to offer more detail.Young undocumented immigrants seeking permanent status in the United States received an unexpected boost Thursday on Capitol Hill as a small group of House Republicans mounted a last-minute effort to bring up an immigration vote in Congress.

The group of eight Republicans  some freed from political considerations by upcoming retirements and others facing tough re-elections races  defied their own party leadership, quickly persuading 10 more Republicans to sign on to a petition that would force debate on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

With all 193 Democrats expected to sign on, Republicans will have to persuade just seven more members of their own party to join the petition to trigger a vote on several immigration bills on the House floor.

But Republican leadership said the effort would be wasted if the end result is a presidential veto.

"I think it's important for us to come up with a solution that the president can support," House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters Thursday. These types of petitions are rare and seen as a threat to leadership's ability to direct legislative action.

"It's better to use the legislative process," Republican Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters Wednesday.

But that argument appears to be losing sway with House members who see an opportunity for legislative action in a mid-term election year. The growing group of House Republicans are joining Democratic colleagues who have long criticized Ryan for not bringing immigration bills up for a vote.

"This is about making sure we're not consolidating power in the White House," said Representative Mia Love, a Republican from Utah and one of the first lawmakers to sign petition.

The immigration issue had all but died after an effort to pass a DACA fix collapsed in the U.S. Senate earlier this year.

The program has been the focus of fierce negotiations on Capitol Hill since last September, when President Donald Trump announced he was ending the 2012 Obama-era program and called for a legislative fix.

The DACA program has shielded from deportation about 800,000 undocumented people who were brought to the United States illegally as children, mainly from Mexico and Central America. The U.S. Supreme Court gave DACA recipients a reprieve this spring when it declined to hear an appeal of several lower court rulings to maintain the program.

"The pressure point went away after the Supreme Court didn't act  and I was happy that it gave more time to DACA recipients, but it took the pressure off here," Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican from Florida, told VOA.

"This is a way to bring it back. So this is very unique opportunity," he said.

The lawmakers are pressing for a vote on a range of Republican, Democratic and bipartisan solutions to the status of DACA recipients, in addition to addressing concerns about border security and visa programs.

If the petition succeeds, the earliest the House could enter into debate on the bills would be in mid-June.

Under the rules of the so-called "Queen of the Hill" process, the bill with the most votes would be sent to the Senate.

"We believe that there's going to be opportunities for members of all the different caucuses on the left and the right to vote on the bills they think are important  but the important thing is to have a full debate here," said Representative Jeff Denham, a Republican from California who is leading the effort.

Several states have filed lawsuits against the DACA program. Those cases are expected to work their way up to the U.S. Supreme Court this summer.It was a made-for-TV moment that all presidents would relish, but it seemed especially significant for the man who turned a reality TV career into a successful bid for the presidency.

Donald Trump triumphantly greeted the three Americans released by North Korea in the early morning darkness at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington early Thursday, an image one can expect to see over and over again come the 2020 U.S. presidential election campaign.

It was a very important thing to all of us to be able to get these three great people out, Trump told reporters on the tarmac. He then went on to speculate that live television coverage of the arrival probably broke the all-time in history television rating for 3 oclock in the morning.

WATCH: Trump greets hostages released by North Korea

Shifting focus

It was a moment the president gladly seized given that his White House has been buffeted by a chaotic mix of policy and personal drama in recent days. The prospect of a potentially historic breakthrough on North Korea could move a number of other unwelcome distractions to the side, including the ongoing Russia investigation, the growing legal difficulties for Trumps personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, and the soap opera that the Stormy Daniels story has become. Daniels is the adult film actress who claims she once had an affair with Trump. He denies the claim.

Trump also announced Thursday on Twitter that he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore. A new CNN poll found that 77 percent of those surveyed support Trump meeting the North Korean leader, and 53 percent approve of his handling of the North Korea issue generally.

Those numbers are in keeping with a general trend of late that has seen the presidents poll ratings improving, perhaps in part because of the strong economy.

The presidents average approval rating at the moment is around 42 percent, up from the 39 to 40 percent ratings he was getting for months. That may not sound like much of an improvement, but given that Trump has been mired in the weakest poll ratings of any first-term president since World War II, it will be seen as good news by his supporters.

Polarized politics

Even with the slight improvement, though, many analysts say Trump remains a polarizing figure.

I think for both sides, people who like Donald Trump and who dont like Donald Trump, positions have hardened, said John Fortier of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington. And it is interesting to see that his approval ratings have not changed dramatically in the last several months even though it seems like a lot has happened.

That includes this weeks decision by the president to pull the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal, fulfilling yet another campaign pledge from 2016. Trump condemned the deal as defective at its core.

Many Democrats disagreed with the presidents action, including Maryland Senator Ben Cardin.

Withdrawing from the nuclear agreement isolates America, and I think it helps Iran and it works against our objectives to control their type of activities, Cardin told reporters.

Seeking credit

Trump has long complained that he gets little credit for the strong U.S. economy, and he frequently has lashed out at the news media for what he sees as its preoccupation with the Russia investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller.

So we have the best employment numbers we have virtually ever had. And yet, all we hear about is this phony Russia witch hunt. That is all we hear about, Trump told an enthusiastic audience of National Rifle Association members recently in Dallas, Texas.

In many surveys, Trump retains the support of 80 to 90 percent of Republican voters, a likely dividend of his relentless efforts to cater to his political base and remind them of campaign promises kept.

Trump often reminds voters about the partisan stakes in this Novembers midterm elections and warns about the prospect of a Democratic takeover of Congress.

The more partisan you are, the more likely you are to be loyally behind Trump and the more likely you are to think that the Democratic Party is posing a threat for America, and consequently when you feel that, then virtually any means are necessary to combat that threat, said Henry Olsen with the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington.

Democratic catalyst

But Brookings Institution expert Bill Galston argued that even with the presidents slight improvement in the polls, Trump remains a catalyst for opposition Democrats.

President Trumps job approval remains near historic lows for a first-term president and there are signs that Democrats at the grass roots are highly mobilized and record numbers are showing up and presenting themselves as candidates for office.

Trump hopes to keep the focus on the domestic economy and North Korea, and away from the Russia probe, the legal problems facing his personal attorney Michael Cohen, and the legal battle over his alleged affair with Daniels.

The president is well aware that any good news credit he can accrue between now and November could help Republicans resist what is expected to be a fierce Democratic campaign in the midterm elections in which control of both the House and Senate is very much in doubt.The World Health Organization said Friday it is preparing for "the worst case scenario" for an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

WHO said Thursday that between April 4 and May 5, twenty-seven cases of fever with hemorrhagic signs, including 17 deaths, were reported in the DRC's Bikoro district. WHO says two of the cases tested positive for the Ebola virus.

The DRC Ministry of Public Health has requested WHO's support in coordinating the international and NGO response to the health crisis.

The full extent of the outbreak is not yet known, according to WHO, and the location presents "significant logistical challenges." The affected area is remote with limited communication and poor transportation infrastructure.

Ebola, named for the Congolese river near where it was first identified in 1976, begins with a sudden fever, aching muscles, diarrhea and vomiting. It is a hemorrhagic fever, marked by spontaneous bleeding from internal organs and, in most cases, death. It can be transmitted by close contact with infected animals or people, usually through blood or other bodily fluids.

People can contract the virus through direct contact with victims' bodies at funerals. Caretakers, nurses and doctors treating Ebola patients also are at high risk.

WHO says the outbreak in Bikoro is the ninth outbreak of Ebola in the DRC since it first emerged in 1976.NASA photo of the eruption of Klyuchevsky volcano on 30 September, 1994, the volcano's largest explosion in 40 years. The large

Background:

Updated: Oct 8, 2021 12:02 GMT - Refresh

Kliuchevskoi is Kamchatka's highest and most active volcano. Since its origin about 6000 years ago, the beautifully symmetrical, 4835-m-high basaltic stratovolcano has produced frequent moderate-volume explosive and effusive eruptions without major periods of inactivity. Kliuchevskoi rises above a saddle NE of sharp-peaked Kamen volcano and lies SE of the broad Ushkovsky massif. More than 100 flank eruptions have occurred at Kliuchevskoi during the past roughly 3000 years, with most lateral craters and cones occurring along radial fissures between the unconfined NE-to-SE flanks of the conical volcano between 500 m and 3600 m elevation. The morphology of its 700-m-wide summit crater has been frequently modified by historical eruptions, which have been recorded since the late-17th century. Historical eruptions have originated primarily from the summit crater, but have also included numerous major explosive and effusive eruptions from flank craters.

---

Source: Klyuchevsky information by the GVP (Smithsonian Institution)If you havn't done it yet,to get one of the fastest volcano news online:

Satellite image of Langila volcano (image by Google Earth View)

Langila volcano stratovolcano 1330 m / 4,363 ft

New Britain, Papua New Guinea, -5.53S / 148.42E

Current status: minor activity or eruption warning (3 out of 5) Langila volcano eruptions:

2009-2013, 2002-08, 1973-2000, 1971-72, 1970, 1969, 1967-68, 1964-66, 1962-63, 1960-61, 1958, 1956, 1955, 1954, 1942 (?), 1907, 1900, 1890, 1884, 1878

Typical eruption style:

explosive

Last nearby quakes Latest satellite images stratovolcano 1330 m / 4,363 ftNew Britain, Papua New Guinea, -5.53S / 148.42E(3 out of 5)2009-2013, 2002-08, 1973-2000, 1971-72, 1970, 1969, 1967-68, 1964-66, 1962-63, 1960-61, 1958, 1956, 1955, 1954, 1942 (?), 1907, 1900, 1890, 1884, 1878explosive

Background

Updated: Oct 8, 2021 20:13 GMT - Refresh

Langila volcano, whose activity record goes back to the 19th century only, is one of the most active volcanoes of New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Langila's frequent activity consists typically of mild-to-moderate explosive eruptions, that are sometimes accompanied by lava flows.

The volcano consists of four small overlapping cones on the lower eastern flank of the extinct Talawe volcano,- the highest volcano in NW New Britain. The rectangular, 2.5-km-long crater of Talawe has a large gap to the SE; the younger Langila volcano formed NE of Talawe's breached crater.

Extensive lava flows have reached the sea from the N and NE flanks of the volcano. Since observations have begun, 3 summit craters have been active. The youngest and smallest of these, with a diameter of 150 m, was formed in 1960.

NASA Earth Observatory

Explosion of Langila volcano 1985Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue.

The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website:

We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. By clicking I agree below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. You also agree to our Terms of Service.The appreciation in land prices seen in HCM City in recent time is spreading to its adjoining provinces, according to traders and agents. Photo zing.vn

HCM CITY  The appreciation in land prices seen in HCM City in recent time is spreading to its adjoining provinces, according to traders and agents.

Bien Hoa city, Long Thanh and Nhon Trach in ong Nai Province are seeing prices surge as are places in Binh Duong and Long An Provinces.

Thuy Diem, a broker in HCM Citys District 7, told Viet Nam News that prices in border areas between Long An and HCM City have risen sharply.

They have gone up by 30-40 per cent since the end of last year, and will continue to rise.

She thought the prices are increasing because housing projects are being developed there.

Many projects have been developed and many HCM City residents have moved to live there. That is what is pushing land prices up here.

Land prices in Nhon Trach are also up by 40 per cent.

Online newspaper vnexpress.net reported that land prices in Can Giuoc and Can uoc districts of Long An Province have increased by 30 per cent.

From VN5.5-7 million in 2016, prices have now risen to VN10-14 million (US$438-614), it said.

In Nhon Trach District of ong Nai Province, prices are up 60-100 per cent, it said.

In Binh Duong Province, prices in Lai Thieu Town bordering HCM Citys District 12 have jumped to VN23 million ($1,000) per square metre from VN18 million ($789) five months ago.

Huynh Phuoc Nghia of the HCM City University of Economics is quoted in the report as saying the land price hikes have spread to a radius of 25-50km.

In the last one year prices in ong Nai, Long An, Binh Duong have surged, but even in more distant places like Binh Phuoc, Lam ong and Phu Yen prices are rising.

He attributed it to the development of infrastructure.

"Many infrastructure works have been completed in Nhon Trach, Bien Hoa, and Long An making the higher prices acceptable," he said.

But experts are sounding a warning that buyers should be careful since speculators could be manipulating prices.

There are cabals of brokers who specialise in manipulating land prices, they said.

Land prices cannot be predicted and do not follow any rules, and so buyers should be careful, Nghia said. VNSHCM CITY  Viet Nams output and export of pepper increased sharply last year, but their prices and thus turnover from exports fell, according to the industry association.

The Viet Nam Pepper Association (VPA) and industry-related authorities attended a meeting yesterday in HCM City to review last years performance.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the General Statistic Office, Viet Nam has around 150,000 hectares under pepper and output last year was 240,000 tonnes, or 48 per cent of global production.

According to the VPA there was a decrease in the use of pesticides last year since farmers are more aware these days of better farming techniques.

Prices have been highly volatile: the price of black pepper for instance declined from VN133,000 per kilogramme in January to VN73,000 in December.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs said 215,000 tonnes of the spice were exported for US$1.1 billion, respectively up 20 per cent and down 22 per cent.

The reasons for the falling prices include climate change, a massive spike in the area under pepper, farmers inexperience, which have contributed to rising outputs but with poor quality.

In the first quarter of this year prices were around 30 per cent lower than a year ago, the VPA said.

Viet Nams exports this year are expected to be comparable to that of last year since the industry will continue to face all the current challenges such as climate change and diseases.

VPA plans to work more closely with farmers and businesses to help them comply with regulations and standards for pepper production and export and provide market information to help them make informed decisions.

The Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute said they were researching into better pepper strains capable of withstanding diseases.

Willem Scato van Walt Meijer, general director of Nedspice Processing Viet Nam Ltd., which has been operating in Binh Phuoc Province for the last five years, said quality control for exports and working closely with farmers were the keys to resolving the problems.

We have a network of 1,600 farmers and trained them very carefully, and  do 100 per cent tracking and tracing of all our farms, which allows us to help certain farmers improve, monitor the effectiveness of each farmer, and reward outstanding farmers.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong had said at a meeting in January that the rapid increase in land under pepper should be addressed quickly and the pepper farming land should be reduced.  VNSHA NOI  Eight teams from six universities nationwide will compete in the final round of the self-driving vehicle contest  Digital Race 2017  2018 next Thursday in Ha Noi.

During the final round, the teams will have to use knowledge in the fields of programming, image processing and artificial intelligence to make vehicles move at the highest speed on complex terrain; identify and avoid obstacles; and identify and follow the direction of traffic signs.

The first prize winner will receive a total of VN450 million (US$19,000), including a one-week trip to Japan. The winners will also get a chance to work for FPT Software.

The competition took place from October last year to May this year.

The contest attracted more than 200 teams from 30 universities nationwide, increasing from 145 teams from 26 universities last year.

Automobiles would be one sector undergoing the biggest changes in the fourth industrial revolution, Le Hong Viet, FPT chief technology officer, said at a meeting on Friday.

Regarding that trend, FPT had invested in self-driving technology and set goals to become one of the worlds leading companies in software technology for automobiles, he said.

Currently, FPT is implementing a number of projects related to self-driving technology in particular and automotives in general for about 40 major customers around the world.

Not only pioneering in research and development of technology for automobiles, FPT also pushes the research, creative activities and experience of the latest technology in the field for the young people in Viet Nam through the Digital Race competition.

FPT expects that with the competition and similar events there will be more advanced products in the world developed from Vietnamese wisdom.  VNSThe credibility of this administration as a potential broker is lost and irreparable, he said. If it does put forth any sort of a proposal, the most one can expect is it will be a recitation of the right-wing Israeli talking points  proposals that have been aired out in Israel for some time but do not bear any resemblance to anything a Palestinian representative can accept.HCM CITY  The affluent Middle East is a promising market for Vietnamese companies, the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said.

Speaking at the Viet Nam-Middle East Business Forum held in HCM City yesterday, Nguyen The Hung, deputy director of the VCCIs HCM City office, said: The Middle East has high demand for farm produce, seafood, garment and textile products, footwear, and wood products from Viet Nam.

Trade between Viet Nam and the Middle East had gone up sharply in recent years, doubling from 2011 to US$12.8 billion last year, he said.

According to Le Thai Hoa, deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trades Asia-Africa Market Department, Viet Nam enjoys a trade surplus with the Middle East, which consists of 16 countries and has more than 300 million people.

The United Arab Emirates is Viet Nams largest partner in the region, with their trade increasing from $4.46 billion in 2013 to $5.6 billion last year.

With a per capita GDP of over $60,000 and a large number of immigrants and tourists, the UAE has large demand for various products.

Vietnamese goods such as seafood, garment and textile, footwear, farm produce, foodstuff and household appliances have established a firm foothold in the market, he said.

But despite the increase in trade, Viet Nams exports to the Middle East still account for a very small portion of the regions total imports.

The forum was held to further promote economic, trade and investment ties between the two sides, Hung said.

Viet Nam hopes to attract more investment from the Middle East in the fields of renewable energy, hospitality, infrastructure, ports, aviation, property, and agriculture.

Obaid al Dhaheri, the UAE ambassador to Viet Nam, said as the hub of the Middle East and gateway to Europe and Africa, his country could serve as an entry point to the global market for Vietnamese companies.

In turn, "Viet Nam is the gateway to Southeast Asia for UAE firms," he said.

Thus, more opportunities to enhance co-operation between Viet Nam and UAE are available.

Warnings

When doing business with the region, enterprises must always keep a close eye on its unstable political situation, Hoa warned.

They must also understand the regulations of each market and Muslim cultural factors such as not consuming alcohol and requiring food and foodstuffs to have Halal certification, he said.

Exporters of agro-forestry and fisheries products should focus on improving hygiene and food safety because the market is increasingly adopting trade barriers.

Sharing his experience in doing business with the Middle East, o Ha Nam, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Coffee and Cocoa Association and chairman of Intimex Group, which has exported to Dubai for nearly 20 years, said the market had huge demand for Vietnamese pepper, cashew, coffee, and seafood.

To penetrate the market, enterprises should participate in trade fairs in Dubai, where they will meet potential customers. Finding a right business partner is very important," he said.

Trade platform

Also at the forum, Relam Investment L.L.C, a partnership between Dubai-based Vault Investment L.L.C and Viet Nams MIG Holdings, announced the establishment of Trade-Hub (T-Hub), a full-fledged trading and logistics platform, in Viet Nam to help Vietnamese firms promote their exports in Middle East and other markets.

The forum was organised by the VCCI in collaboration with MIG Holdings and Relam Investment.  VNS



HA NOI  Chairman of the Ha Noi Peoples Committee Nguyen uc Chung approved a plan on the organisation of the Viet Nam-Ha Noi Goods Week 2018 at Aeon stores in Japan.

From June 4-13, the Ha Noi Promotion Centre on Trade, Investment and Tourism, alongside relevant agencies and 25 firms will introduce Vietnamese handicraft and fine art articles, agricultural products, food and Ha Nois tourist attractions at Aeon Lake Town in Saitama prefecture and 40 other Aeon stores across Japan.

They will work to bolster trade connections and seek measures to bring Vietnamese agricultural products into Japanese distributing channels.

Local firms will have opportunity to learn about the tastes of Japanese consumers to aid their sales.

The Viet Nam-Ha Noi Goods Week is an annual event which combines cultural exchange and import-export promotion between the two nations.

Although Japan is the fifth largest importer of Viet Nams agricultural products, only three kinds of Vietnamese fresh fruits, namely banana, mango and dragon fruit, are sold in the country.

Aeon supermarkets in Japan have put several Vietnamese agricultural products on their shelves, including some types of fruit and tra fish.  VNSColleen McCullough's widower is accused of manipulating his ill wife to secure her fortune, according to court documents filed in the NSW Supreme Court.

A will, effectively revoking an earlier bequest to the University of Oklahoma Foundation, was signed by McCullough at her home 12 days before she died in a Norfolk Island hospital from a series of strokes.

But the late author's friend and executor, Selwa Anthony, the plaintiff in a legal battle to be heard over five days by the court from May 22, has challenged the will's validity claiming it was signed by McCullough in "suspicious circumstances".

McCullough was "substantially bedridden", unable to make or receive phone calls, had advanced macular degeneration, which caused "severe vision impairment" and was "not capable of reading the document" she allegedly signed, Ms Anthony said in pleadings filed to the court.

In them, Ms Anthony accuses Mr Robinson of taking advantage of his late wife's "poor health, isolation, fatigue and dependence of the deceased, so as to dominate, overbear and overburden her".The Turnbull government has made the centrepiece of its half-billion dollar Great Barrier Reef rescue package a non-profit group whose revenue was less than $8 million in 2017 and which had little advance notice of the plan.

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation was revealed two weeks ago as the government's partner to disperse $444 million to tackle water quality, crown of thorns starfish and improving the resilience of corals to climate change.

Anna Marsden, the foundation's chief executive, declined to detail how much of a heads-up her group of six full-time and five part-time employees, had got, saying: "We didnt have much time before the announcement to be prepared for it.

A diver swims among fish and coral on Flynn Reef off Cairns. Credit:Jason South

"Its like weve just won lotto - were getting calls from a lot of friends," she said, stressing that her organisation was seeking advice on how to cope with the surge of funds.But we do need to recognise that it's valuable. It's one of the quirks of economics that looking after your own children or cleaning your own house does not contribute to gross domestic product (GDP) but paying someone else to mind your children or clean your house does. Overall, it's been estimated that unpaid care work  including child minding, domestic work, caring for adults, and volunteering  is worth more than half our GDP. It's not included in the GDP but that doesn't make the underlying economic value lesser. Our GDP has gone up as more women have entered the workforce, both from our direct participation in paid work, but also because of outsourcing more household tasks. It's far more common to use after-school care facilities, or employ a house cleaner than it used to be. Unpaid work that was traditionally performed by men such as handyman work, maintaining the car or mowing the lawn is also more likely to be outsourced.

There are whole businesses built on this trend, such as Airtasker, TaskRabbit or Freelancer. There's also a plenty of exploitation, so I'm happy that Airtasker and Unions NSW recently reached an agreement on fair pay. Meanwhile, some tasks that used to be the basis of paid jobs have gone the other way  we're now expected to pump our own petrol for free, and increasingly to scan and bag our groceries. Economists classify unpaid care work as a type of productive work called "household production". This means the products and services are consumed by a family member or the community rather than sold on the market. But unlike leisure, household production can be outsourced. In other words, you can pay someone such as a cleaner or nanny to do the work, whereas you can't pay someone else to relax on your behalf or do your hobbies. I have no qualms about outsourcing when I can afford it. We have a weekly cleaner.

I've also hired a friend on maternity leave as my virtual executive assistant. I email her tasks when I think of it; anything from researching which computer keyboard to buy for my home office to ordering and wrapping suitable gifts for six- and seven-year-olds so I have a ready supply for birthday parties. There are some things about being a parent that you can't outsource, and nor would I want to. You can't pay someone else to love your children and be a constant and supportive presence in their lives. But it doesn't require a 24/7 physical presence. I happily use outsourcing to supplement our parenting efforts and ensure that my husband and I can maintain both our careers and sanity. So we pay a young woman to come to my house at 8am twice a week and walk our kids to school, we use after-school care a few afternoons a week, and we gratefully accept the help freely offered by grandparents and other relatives. Calculating the cost and benefit of paid outsourcing is a matter of individual household economics. How much does it cost versus how much you and your partner are paid? But if you're considering dropping hours of paid work in order to do unpaid work, also think about the long-term cost of reduced career progression, earning potential and lost superannuation contributions.

If both parents in a couple are working, your leisure time is equally valuable, regardless of any earning disparity. I can only hope that things have changed since a 2008 article in the Journal of Marriage and Family, when researchers found that when a mixed-gender couple moves in together, the woman's time spent on housework goes up, while the man's goes down, regardless of employment status. A 2017 report from the UNSW Business School suggests it varies by education levels. The analysis, also looking at heterosexual couples, found when a woman is promoted at work, she'll do a little less housework and her partner a little more. But for less-educated couples, if a man loses his job, it results in his female partner doing more housework. That's counter-intuitive because the man has more time on his hands, and less economic power, but the explanation is that less educated women perform more of a conventional gender role to compensate for their partner's male breadwinner status being under threat. Apart from doing it all yourself, there's another alternative to outsourcing, and that's about community and shared social obligations.

I'm told it used to be common for working Australians to work on the home with the equivalent of a "barn raising"  your mates help you pour a slab of concrete, and in return you lay on some beer and promise to help them when it's their turn. Great for community. There are equivalents. In my 20s, my friends and I helped each other move house. Now I'm a parent, there are school working bees and fundraising events. Next on my agenda is to develop a trusted networks of parents to take turns babysitting each other's children especially in school holidays  the idea being to solve child minding and play dates in one go. Loading But first, back to my snuggles and scrambled eggs.Three guns found at a farm where seven people were shot dead near Margaret River on Friday were licensed to the owner of the property, Peter Miles, police say.

WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson confirmed that the seven people - Cynda Miles, 58, and her husband Peter, 61, their daughter Katrina, 35, and her four children Taye, Rylan, Ayre, and Kadyn Cockman - were found shot dead on the 30-acre hobby farm in Osmington, south of Perth, in the early hours of Friday morning.

Katrina Miles with her four children. Credit:Facebook

Police continued to search through the property on Saturday, in a painstaking forensic investigation that is expected to continue into next week.Hundreds gathered on Saturday to celebrate the opening of the $1.2 billion Perth Children's Hospital three years after the original opening date.

Former Princess Margaret Hospital patients, hospital and Health Department staff and community groups joined WA Premier Mark McGowan and Health Minister Roger Cook in the Nedlands facility's atrium as it officially replaced PMH.

The hospital will open for outpatients from Monday and elective surgeries begin May 28.

On June 10 the emergency department will open and remaining patients from PMH will transferred.The federal government will send psychologists and other mental health professionals into aged-care homes across Australia under one of its budget measures, offering hope to tens of thousands of residents with psychiatric disorders who are now denied effective therapies.

The Coalition's announcement of $82.5 million over four years will target the widespread neglect of aged-care residents mental health, which was exposed by a Fairfax Media investigation in early 2017.

Fragile time: A measure in the 2018 federal budget will assist aged-care residents with mental health care. Credit:Danielle Smith

Budget documents have acknowledged a key finding of the investigation: aged-care residents are ineligible for the same Medicare-funded psychological treatments that other Australians receive. Experts have branded the situation a "blatantly discriminatory ... disgrace".

The government's response of a special funding stream for nursing homes has been welcomed by several health, aged-care provider and elderly rights groups, but the Royal Australian College of GPs says the money should instead be funnelled through a new Medicare item for residents.HA NOI  Vietnamese shares rebounded on Friday as investors started hunting for stocks that had declined recently to more attractive price levels.

The benchmark VN-Index rose 1.55 per cent to end at 1,044.85 points, putting an end to its downtrend after falling by total 3.1 per cent in the previous three sessions.

The southern market index also made a weekly gain of 1.7 per cent after five trading sessions this week.

The HNX Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange advanced 1.50 per cent to close at 122.77 points. It had totalled a three-day decline of 4.4 per cent.

The northern market index posted a slight growth of 0.1 per cent from the previous weeks end.

Nearly 180.8 million shares were traded on the two local exchanges, worth VN4.74 trillion (US$210.7 million).

Trading liquidity showed signs of reduction as trading volume and value fell 29 per cent and 36 per cent, respectively, from Thursdays figures.

Large-cap stocks improved and played an important role in driving the two exchanges upwards. The VN30 Index, which tracks the performance of the 30 largest stocks by market capitalisation, increased by 1.1 per cent to 1,030.79 points.

Nearly two-thirds of the 30 largest stocks in the VN30 basket ended on a positive note with strong growth seen in PetroVietnam Gas (GAS), Vietinbank (CTG), Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BID) and MBBank (MBB).

The banking sector was also one of the best-performing industries among all 20 sectors on the stock market as its industry index jumped 3.3 per cent, data on vietstock.vn showed.

It was followed by the real estate, retail, securities, seafood production and construction sectors.

In those sectors, VNDirect Securities Co (VND) hit its daily increasing band of 7 per cent after the brokerage company on Friday announced the recent investigation of the payment method provider HomeDirect, in which VNDirect holds 15 per cent stake (VN7.5 billion) would not dampen its business activities.

On the negative side, insurance companies, energy firms and food and beverage producers continued to weigh down market sentiment.

After struggling in the previous sessions, the market extended its downtrend in Fridays early trading session and the indexes continued to search for their short-term bottom levels, BIDV Securities Co (BSC) said in its daily report.

However, strong buying from investors seeking stocks that had fallen sharply in recent days picked up the two local indices, resulting in a growth of nearly 16 points for the VN-Index, BSC said.

This recovery has made the market psychology more comfortable and positive, BSC said. The brokerage firm believed market sentiment would improve following the markets recovery on Friday.

But investors should be careful of a bull trap given the recent reduction in trading liquidity, BSC added.  VNSThey also received a seven-page booklet of critical guidance with suggested driving routes and other instructions. A chin-scratcher: Dave Grohl, seen here on stage in Brisbane, is rumoured to be one of the invited guests. Cameras will be banned, they are not to bring gifts (see below), and they will have to hand over their mobile phones. The guest list is secret. It doesnt include political leaders: Prime Minister Theresa May isnt going, neither are Donald Trump nor Barack Obama.

Spice Girl Mel B says shes going. Other rumoured invitees include Elton John, Dave Grohl, Ed Sheeran, Serena Williams and Priyanka Chopra, and Meghans Suits co-stars. Those Outside More than 2600 people have been invited into the grounds of Windsor Castle for the day. They will be able to watch the arrivals of the bride and groom and guests, and see the carriage procession up close. Loading It is likely that Harry and William will press the flesh on the way into the chapel too.

Those invited inside the walls include 1200 nominated for their work in local communities, members of charities and organisations associated with Harry and Meghan, pupils from local schools, Windsor Castle community members and other members of the royal households. Family Prince William will be Harrys best man  as Harry was his. Meghan has not chosen a maid of honour, because she couldnt choose between her best friends. Prince William, left, will be Prince Harry's best man, returning the favour from his own wedding. Credit:AP

The bridesmaids and page boys will all be children, tipped to include Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Meghans mother Doria Ragland will accompany her by car to the castle, and her father Thomas Markle snr was supposed to walk her down the aisle, though health problems may mean he cannot attend. Her estranged siblings were not invited. The Queen and (health permitting) Prince Philip will be there, as will Charles and Camilla and the Duchess of Cambridge but not her newborn son Prince Louis. Princess Dianas three siblings will be there. The Dress

The Queen must give her formal approval on Meghans wedding dress, though its unlikely shell veto what she sees (she was said to have thought Kate Middletons wedding dress horrible). Information about the dress is being kept closely under wraps until the big day. But The Daily Mail claimed to know it will be a 100,000 ($180,500) hand-stitched, beaded design by British couturiers Ralph & Russo  helmed by Australian couple Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo. Princess Diana wears the Spencer tiara at Government House in Adelaide in 1985. Credit:AP It may sound expensive  but Kate Middletons Alexander McQueen dress in 2011 cost more than twice that sum. There is heavy speculation about which tiara Meghan will borrow for the wedding. It could be the Spencer tiara, worn by Diana on her wedding day and now in the hands of her brother, Earl Spencer. Other options include the Queen Mothers Strathmore Rose tiara or Queen Marys Fringe tiara.

The Service It will begin at St Georges Chapel at noon local time (9pm Sydney/Melbourne). The Dean of Windsor, David Conner, will conduct the service. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will officiate as the couple make their vows. According to the BBC, the archbishop has been listening to grime artist Stormzy to calm his nerves ahead of the service  particularly the lyric I stay prayed up and get the job done. He admitted to making cack-handed mistakes in other weddings hes been involved in, and is worried hell drop the ring.

Princess Dianas sister Lady Jane Fellowes will give a reading. They will likely follow the Book of Common Prayer ceremony, in which Meghan isnt obliged to promise to obey or serve Harry. The Music Musicians due to perform at the service include the chapels choir, an acclaimed 19-year-old cellist, a Welsh soprano and a gospel group from London. Conductor Christopher Warren-Green is keeping tight-lipped but has promised quite an American slant. The Express newspaper tipped Aaron Coplands Appalachian Spring. Decca Records will release a special vinyl souvenir of the music.

The Kiss There are no announcements about when or where the couple might publicly kiss, and there is no balcony in the schedule on which to do it. The Parties After the service the congregation will join the couple in the big St Georges Hall for a reception, hosted by the Queen, which will run for a couple of hours.

St George's Hall, the reception venue. Credit:AAP Then, after some rest, the couple will leave for nearby Frogmore House for a smaller evening reception for the couple with 200 close friends and family, hosted by the Prince of Wales. Frogmore House, where the after party will be held. The Cake

Claire Ptak, owner of London-based Violet Bakery, is creating a lemon elderflower cake which will incorporate the bright flavours of spring. Meghan had interviewed Ptak, who used to work as a pastry chef at the famed Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, for her former lifestyle website TheTig.com. Presents The couple have asked that anyone who wishes to mark the occasion to make a donation to charity rather than send a present. They have nominated seven charities, chosen to represent sport for social change, womens empowerment, conservation, the environment, homelessness, HIV and the armed forces.NORWALK  Four people were hospitalized after a head-on collision in the city late Friday evening.

Around 11:51 p.m., fire units responded to the 70 block of Winfield Street where a Honda and a Mercedes collided, causing both drivers to become pinned in their cars, fire officials said Saturday.

The two young female drivers had to be extricated from their cars. The driver of the Honda was freed within 15 minutes, fire officials said.

But it took about 45 minutes to free to driver of the Mercedes because of more complicated entanglement requiring multiple tools and equipment, officials said. As firefighters worked to free her, officials said, paramedics from Norwalk Hospital maintained intravenous fluids and monitored her condition.

A total of 13 firefighters responded to the incident. Two ambulances and a supervisior car responded from Norwalk Hospital as well.

The two drivers sustained what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries, officials said. The two cars both had a single passenger in them at the time of the crash. The two passengers were taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

Norwalk police are still investigating the cause of the crash.WESTPORT  The yearly tradition of toasting the opening of the Westport Farmers Market will be held May 17.

The public is welcome to take part in the tradition, with this years toast provided by Cross Culture Kombucha, one of the WFMs newest and most exciting vendors. Their ginger brew, or booch as CCK affectionately calls it, will feature fresh ginger grown by one of the WFMs original vendors, Fort Hill Farm of New Milford.

Every second Friday of the month, WFM organizes and funds the Staples High School Culinary Arts students in preparing dinner at the Gillespie Center in Westport, the community kitchen for the Homes for Hope organization. Over 150 students in the Culinary Arts Program participate in every aspect of preparing a meal - from menu creation to serving.

For more information, visit www.westportfarmersmarket.com, or email director@westportfarmersmarket.com. Find the WFM on FB, Instagram, and Twitter, too!

Library hosts author

WESTPORT  The Westport Library will host an evening featuring New York Times bestselling author Jane Green in conversation with novelist Jenna Blum about Blums new book The Lost Family.

The evening will feature conversation, signature cocktails created especially for the evening and appetizers inspired by Blums novel at Tims Kitchen at Wakeman Town Farm Thursday, June 7 at 7 p.m.

Jane Green is the author of nineteen novels, one cookbook, and a weekly column about her adventures in Westport, published in the UK magazine, "The Lady." Her latest book, The Sunshine Sisters, is now out in paperback. In her next life she hopes to come back and live at Wakeman Town Farm.

Jenna Blum is the New York Times and international bestseller of Those Who Save Us, The Stormchasers, and her new novel The Lost Family.

Wakeman Town Farm is a community partner for this event. Tickets for the event are $40 and can be purchased online. Seating is limited. Registration link.Zoe Rainey currently stars as Lois in Opera North's touring production of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate, which opens at Leeds Grand this month ahead of a run at London's Coliseum in June. She was most recently seen onstage in the West End production of An American in Paris, which is to be broadcast in cinemas on 16 May. Previous credits include Kenneth Branagh's Romeo and Juliet, Harlequinade and The Winter's Tale, both at the Garrick Theatre, and the UK premiere production of Parade at the Donmar Warehouse.

We caught up with Zoe and asked her: "If you were stranded on a desert island which five showtunes could you not live without?"





1. "She Used To Be Mine" from Waitress

I saw Alice perform this live at the WhatsOnStage Awards this year and it was completely wonderful. Not only did it make me fall in love with the song but it was performed so brilliantly that it blew me away. It's now on repeat on my iTunes.







2. "I Love A Piano", "Snookey Ookums" and "The Ragtime Violin" in Easter Parade

Growing up this was one of the few videos my grandparents owned so it was regular Sunday viewing while the adults chatted in the other room after dinner. This scene is etched in my memory and that purple outfit with pumps is still a goal in life. These two are Hollywood gold for a very good reason and this medley proves exactly why.







3. "Sh'ma/Finale" from Parade

This was one of the most life-changing jobs I have had. A truly special experience for all of us involved in this production. Every time I heard the drums which started the show it sent chills down my spine and I beamed knowing how lucky I was to be performing in it. Hearing Stuart Matthew Price's voice soar like silk...!! I have chosen the last song of the show as it ends exactly how it begins, with the drums and it is so powerful! A blackout on the last beat! Bertie Carvel and Lara Pulver led our company so beautifully and you can hear their sheer talent in this track. So proud to have been a small part of this.







4. "Seasons of Love" from Rent

When I was 17, I knew every single word of this double-CD album. To be honest, I'm pretty sure I still do. Answering machine messages and all! I chose "Seasons of Love" because it was the song that first got me invested! What a song! I could listen to it all day!







5. "But Not For Me" from Girl Crazy

When I did An American in Paris, David Seadon Young and I sang a mash-up of "But Not For Me" and "Shall We Dance". This was when it was confirmed as my favourite Gershwin song. I had to include Gershwin as I adore his music and I think Ella Fitzgerald's version of this could help you fall in love again and again. Picture dancing in the arms of your loved one in your living room.Using unregistered point-of-sale (POS) machines to transfer payment may result in tax losses for the local authorities, according to specialists. Photo VietinBank

HA NOI  Using unregistered point-of-sale (POS) machines to transfer payment may result in tax losses for the local authorities , according to specialists.

The warning was delivered after the local government of the northern province of Quang Ninh seized three unregistered POS machines in the provinces Ha Long City in late April, which were suspected to have transferred about 200,000 yuan or VN700 million (US$31,100) worth of purchased goods and services to China .

The three POS machines were reportedly brought from China and sellers transferred payment using a 3G internet connection, which made it easier for both customers and sellers to finalise deals without being supervised closely.

The payment transfers did not go through approval of any local commercial banks in Quang Ninh Province , raising concerns over potential tax losses that local governments may endure if POS machines and transfers are not closely watched and monitored.

The POS machines were taken back to the State Bank of Viet Nam s branch in Quang Ninh Province for further investigation, while the seller had already fled from the locality.

According to Nguyen Van oan, deputy director of the central banks Quang Ninh branch, domestic commercial banks must register POS machines to the local authorities and the machines must be licensed before being used on the market.

The State Bank of Viet Nam is only able to monitor POS machines that are registered to the Vietnamese authorities, he said, adding that it was hard to take full supervision of the three unlicensed POS machines because they could have been registered in another country and could be used anywhere with 3G internet connection.

The local authorities in 2017 unveiled a similar case in which money was transferred illegally to China through POS machines registered in Viet Nam , oan said.

Quang Ninh Province authorities have struggled recently to manage the enormous number of Chinese visitors that are flocking into the province.

To control the situation, the local government has asked sellers to install local banks e-payment systems and equip their stores with surveillance cameras to keep eyes on trading activities in order to avoid potential risks to local socio-economic development.

According some banking experts, the installation of e-payment systems and surveillance cameras would be useless if sellers attempt to use unregistered POS machines as those transactions cannot be traced and watched by the local authorities.

Experts say it would be very difficult for local banks to keep monitoring unregistered POS machines as sellers can get access to 3G internet to use the machine while some of the sellers, as foreigners, are only required to deliver their passports to buy 3G phone cards.

Therefore, they demand local authorities, government agencies and banks cooperate better to monitor stores, manage the origin of goods and services, administrate foreign labourers and closely oversee the flow of money in the province.  VNSMelissa McCarthy is a talented, take-charge comedian. After she became a scene-stealer in other peoples movies, Hollywood finally decided she deserved movies of her own. So far thats been hit (Spy) and miss (Tammy, The Boss). This big-hearted but uneven comedy is a bit of both.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/5/2018 (1245 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Melissa McCarthy is a talented, take-charge comedian. After she became a scene-stealer in other peoples movies, Hollywood finally decided she deserved movies of her own. So far thats been hit (Spy) and miss (Tammy, The Boss). This big-hearted but uneven comedy is a bit of both.

In Life of the Party, McCarthy plays Deanna Miles, first seen with husband Dan (Matt Walsh) as they drop off adored daughter Maddie (Molly Gordon) for her senior year at Decatur U (Go, Tigers!). Empty-nester Deanna is a little sad, but at least she has a second honeymoon in Italy to look forward to  until Dan, the jerk, dumps her before theyve even left the parking lot.

Deanna bounces back by deciding to finish her archeology degree at her alma mater, which is  you guessed it!  Decatur. As the midlife crisis scenario collides with the campus comedy, we get some funny but fairly predictable fish-out-of-water action.

Hopper Stone/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Molly Gordon, left, and Melissa McCarthy in a scene from "Life of the Party," in theaters on May 11.

The chipper Deanna, who is used to lumpy mom sweaters and sensible footwear and parties where you "bring a covered dish," is suddenly doing shots at frat-house ragers and bonding with her sorority sisters (including Gillian Jacobs). She takes on the standard-issue hot-and-hostile mean girl (Debby Ryan), delivering take downs in her quaint, mom-ish way. ("Who made jam out of those berries?" she says, after one sick burn.)

Deanna also has sex  a lot of sex  with Jack (Luke Benward), a likable, slightly lunkheaded jock.

There are a few funny scenes. Deanna shares some girl time with her goth roomie (Heidi Gardner), who has a bit of a "Voldemort vibe." And she has some terrific byplay with Maya Rudolph, who takes the "kooky best friend" role and runs with it, getting off some real zingers. But there are sections that just sit there, including a stretched-out fear-of-public-speaking scene that feels flat, even with McCarthys knack for physical comedy.

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The scripting is too often formulaic. Makeover? Check. Cat fight? Check. Middle-aged person inadvertently getting high? Check. (Who puts out weed-stuffed chocolate bark at a party?)

Hopper Stone / Warner Bros. Life of the Party follows Deanna Miles (Melissa McCarthy) as she goes back to school and ends up attending the same university as her daughter.

The movie is unabashed about its broad outlines, the first scene setting the tone when 23 years of marriage are wrapped up and despatched in under two minutes. But Life doesnt even have a basic character arc or any recognizable conflict.

The storyline would seem to suggest that, after years as a neglected wife who gave up college and career, Deanna needs to rediscover herself. In fact, Deanna starts out eager and enthusiastic and absolutely packed with self-esteem and remains that way  just with better hair and more sex. Likewise, Maddie is initially a bit weirded out but mostly OK with mom on campus, and she stays that way  except for one supremely awkward scene where she begs her mother to stop talking about her vagina.

Seeing McCarthys outsized talents squandered on mediocre material is frustrating. Even more vexing is the fact that this material is scripted by McCarthy herself, along with husband and writing partner Ben Falcone, who also directs.

This is starting to look like a pattern. The misfiring Tammy was another McCarthy-Falcone project, while the much stronger Spy was written and directed by Paul Feig. Call it the Adam Sandler Effect, McCarthy might be one of those comedians who needs less creative control, not more.

alison.gillmor@freepress.mb.caBefore Harman Dhaliwal came to Canada with her daughter in 2011, she had a thriving business running a spa in Ludhiana, India, with a good life and plenty of family support.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/5/2018 (1245 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Before Harman Dhaliwal came to Canada with her daughter in 2011, she had a thriving business running a spa in Ludhiana, India, with a good life and plenty of family support.

But as a recently divorced single mother, she knew there would be difficulties for her and her daughter if she stayed in India.

She had siblings in British Columbia and cousins in Winnipeg who encouraged her to move to Canada.

At the time, she said in retrospect, she did not think it was such a big deal or that it was such a brave thing for her to do.

After two years of working at low-paying jobs in Winnipeg  as a cashier at SuperStore and then as a staffer at spas in the city  she wrote the esthetician exam and received her licence in Canada. Five years ago, she opened Spa Botanica with a partner, Gabrielle Zoppa, on Corydon Avenue.

But it was an incredibly tough journey for Dhaliwal. As a mother whose own mother and grandmother were influential in her life, she now gets to experience this Mothers Day as the co-owner of a business thats successful enough for her to be able to stop and breathe a sigh of relief.

"The first year of the business went OK," she said.

But in the second year, with bills starting to mount and business not coming in fast enough, she was faced with the prospect of having to rent out her condo and move with her daughter into a friends house.

"If she was not there, I would not have survived," Dhaliwal said of her friend Lisa Mackling.

Not only that, but she also had to use food banks in order to keep food on the table for her and her daughter, Noor, who is now 12 years old.

"It was really hard," Dhaliwal said recently, tearing up as she recalls the experience.

Both she and Zoppa put all their financial resources into getting the business off the ground. They both drained their lines of credit and all the credit cards they had, and opened the doors with only a little money in the bank. After using the food bank for a couple of months, Dhaliwal took part-time jobs at Tim Hortons, starting there at 5 a.m. then going to work at the spa mid-morning. She took evening shifts at SuperStore and worked there on the days the spa was closed.

But Dhaliwal had the kind of upbringing that made her always aware she was more fortunate than others, and to never be envious or desirous of material wealth she did not have.

She has no regrets about making the moves she did, even starting the business when they did and not waiting to get some savings behind them.

After deciding with Zoppa to figure out how to start their own spa, a friend told her about Futurpreneur, and they went to a meeting with Joelle Foster, the director of Futurpreneur at the time, thinking it would be some time before they could realize their dream.

"We walked into her office telling her our plans. She said we could do it. She did not ask if we had money, but just to make a business plan and pick out a name," she said.

"We walked out of there and we were stunned. Wow. We thought, We can do this."

With the encouragement of Foster  who, Dhaliwal gushed, "is an amazing, amazing woman"  they rounded up $45,000 in loans from Futurpreneur and the Royal Bank of Canada, found the ideal location on Corydon Avenue in River Heights and set about building the spa.

Foster, who is now the executive director of the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking at the University of Calgary, said she could see the passion Dhaliwal and Zoppa had for the kind of spa they wanted to open using all-natural ingredients.

"I remember the first meeting with her and her business partner," Foster said in a telephone interview from her office in Calgary. "They were really scared. But it will always be a couple of years unless you jump right in. I was there for them, and worked with them every step of the way. My husband even went in to help them."

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Dhaliwal said the kindness of friends and family that she and Zoppa received will never be forgotten.

Neither, she said, will the good graces of places such as Siloam Mission or Winnipeg Harvest, both of whom Spa Botanica have raised money for.

This week, Spa Botanica is starting a campaign offering its patrons discounts for those who bring non-perishable food items for Winnipeg Harvest.

"To this day, I cannot go by the Winnipeg Harvest bins at the grocery stores without putting something in," Dhaliwal said. "I think about what I needed when I relied on the food bank."

Now married, Dhaliwal and her husband recently bought a house. Their original loans are now paid off and she and Zoppa are making plans to expand the business.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.caHey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/5/2018 (1245 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canadas oldest  and only  agricultural commodity exchange is closing its doors.

The Winnipeg Grain Exchange, established in 1887, will shut down for good after its owner, Intercontinental Exchange Inc., transfers the bourses only remaining futures contract to New York in July.

Canola futures volume has been rising, and the move to Wall Street will provide the best environment for continued growth, said Brad Vannan, the president and chief operating officer of the companys ICE Futures Canada unit.

"The commodity business generally has become less reliant on local presence since all the markets are hosted electronically," Vannan said in an interview. "The trade actually comes in from all over the world, and there are significantly more traders already hooked up to our New York markets than our Canadian one."

The specifications of the canola contract will remain the same, and it will still be traded in Canadian dollars. Two of the Winnipeg offices 14 employees will continue to work with the local canola industry after the bourse is closed.

"We know that technology is changing the way we do business, and there are jobs that are coming and there are certainly industries that have to be consolidated elsewhere," said Dayna Spiring, president and CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg.

"Its not going to have a huge impact on our economy, and were going to work in other ways to try to bring back some of those jobs."

The exchange was established at a time when Winnipeg became known as the Gateway to the West. It started a futures market for wheat, oats and flaxseed in 1904. Markets for barley and rye followed in the 1910s. In 2004, it was the first agricultural exchange in North America to begin full electronic trading.

"When you look at the grain industry in Winnipeg, were headquarters for a bunch of big multinationals. Youve got the Richardson family, Parrish & Heimbecker, G3," Spiring noted.

She said they are also looking to grow other types of agricultural businesses.

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"Were looking at agricultural technology now. Were looking at nutraceuticals, different things we can do with agricultural business.

"We may lose some of the older pieces of the industry that can be consolidated elsewhere, but Im very bullish on where were going with agriculture in Winnipeg."

The loss of the bourse follows years of consolidation among commodity-exchange operators around the world.

Chicago-based CME Group Inc.  the owner of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Chicago Board of Trade and New York Mercantile Exchange  purchased the Kansas City Board of Trade in 2012. Atlanta-based Intercontinental Exchange acquired the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange in 2007. The Minneapolis Grain Exchange is the last independent grain exchange in North America.

"Things evolve," Vannan said. "Theres nostalgia attached to the exchange. But there has been for years, and through its entire history, the exchange has evolved."

 Bloomberg News (with files from Bill Redekop)Its no wonder Mae (Brandstrom) Poston lived to be almost 102 and was cheerful to the end.

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This article was published 12/5/2018 (1245 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Its no wonder Mae (Brandstrom) Poston lived to be almost 102 and was cheerful to the end.

She was from a generation of farm women who had to be as tough as nails to survive on the harsh prairie, but could still gently harvest the best in people and places around them.

In 1939, when she was expecting her first baby, while living on the farm near Eriksdale, which had no electricity or running water, her husband was admitted to a distant tuberculosis hospital for more than a year. At 101, she broke her leg but was determined to walk again, and she did.

"My mom was an extraordinary ordinary person," said daughter Beverley Johnson, who didnt meet her father until just before her first birthday when he returned from the TB sanatorium.

Johnsons parents  Mae Whiteside and Arne Brandstrom  were married in the fall of 1938. Arne was diagnosed with tuberculosis, a contagious infection that killed his uncle, the following summer. TB usually attacks the lungs but can spread to the brain and spine. At that time, effective TB treatments were not available. Instead, patients were isolated from the public and prescribed rest and good nutrition. Arne spent more than a year at the sanatorium 300 kilometres away at Ninette, and missed Beverleys birth.

That winter Arne was away, Mae and the baby stayed with her in-laws at their farm. In the spring, Mae moved back to her and Arnes farm and went to work. Beverley remembers being a toddler and watching her mom milk the cows. "She started training me."

When Arne was released from the sanatorium, they switched from dairy cows to poultry, which seemed less arduous a farming operation. Mae gave birth to three more children. The farm couple developed a successful "record of performance" flock that specialized in breeding stock. They had a double-deck poultry house but there would be no electricity or running water on the Interlake farm until the 1950s, Johnson said.

"In summer, they cooked everything on a wood stove. It got very hot," Johnson recalled. But her mom did get an early, modern convenience  a gas-powered washing machine. "She had to run the exhaust hose out the window."

Mae was an expert canner and baker who fed her family well, Johnson said. She was a gifted quilter and seamstress who could make beautiful clothes as well as survival gear  turning old coats into snow pants for her children who had a long walk to school.

Her mom worked hard but was cheerful and never slowed down, Johnson said.

"I never remember my mom being sick when I was a kid. She carried on. She always found the best in things and the best in people."

Mae, whose parents immigrated from Scotland, wanted to be a teacher, but she wasnt able to attend school past Grade 8 when the Depression hit. That didnt stop her from sharing what she knew, though, as she became a 4-H leader. The motto of the non-profit youth development organization is "learn to do by doing," and Mae taught many how to sew and founded the Eriksdale poultry club.

"She was a teacher in many ways through 4-H," said Johnson, who became a teacher herself and still lives in the Interlake.

The club that her mom played such a vital role in gave rural youth an opportunity to broaden their horizons and prepared them for life.

"We didnt travel much in those days," said Johnson, who remembers visiting other towns in the Interlake for 4-H and venturing as far away as Toronto for a competition.

"4-H was really good for us country kids. We competed in public speaking  a skill we didnt learn in school."

Her mom volunteered on the executive of many local organizations, including the Nyland School Board, the Legion Ladies Auxiliary, the local co-op, the Manitoba Society of Seniors and the book club she started at Lindenwood Manor when she moved to Winnipeg.

"Her legacy was a way to live your life  to try to do your best, be honest, reliable and be friendly," Johnson said, adding her moms values and priorities were clear: "to love and care for your family and community."

Arne passed away suddenly in 1987. Three years later, Mae married a long-time friend whod lost his spouse, too. She and Ralph Poston spent winters in Victoria, then moved from Eriksdale to Lindenwood Manor in Winnipeg, where he died in 2012.

Despite losing two spouses, Mae remained strong emotionally and physically.

"She loved life. She wanted to live. She had a lot of people who loved her," Johnson said.

Her grandchildren all thought they were her favourite because she made each one feel so special, said granddaughter Lorraine Johnson.

She marvelled at how her grandmother kept going.

"At 100, she broke her femur and she said, I really want to walk again and she did," Lorraine said. Poston needed assistance to do it but the fact that she didnt just sit back and give up is a testament to her attitude, she said.

When Mae was hospitalized with pneumonia in both lungs and took a turn for the worse, family members were there around the clock to be with her.

After one rough night, she started to feel better and wanted to visit, said Lorraine, who was there at the time and showed her family photographs on her tablet. "She said, Imagine me having an adventure like this with you  wasnt this wonderful?"

"She was always savouring and appreciating everything  even in that situation and being that sick," Lorraine said. "She was sitting up in her chair a few days later eating her meals and playing Hearts," she said.

"For her, it was If this is it, it was a good life, but, boy, am I going to fight. She was such a combination of grace and strength."

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.caThe Muslim community is warning people about women who are dressed as Muslims begging for money at intersections and parking lots.

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This article was published 11/5/2018 (1245 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Muslim community is warning people about women who are dressed as Muslims begging for money at intersections and parking lots.

"Please be aware that this might be a case of people taking advantage of Winnipeggers' generosity," the association said on social media.

During prayers on May 4, two women with cardboard signs indicating they were single mothers and needed help, showed up at the Grand Mosque on Waverley Street.

"We approached them, and invited them inside to fill out a social assistance form so they can get the aid they need with dignity and without having to stand outside. After several requests, they refused to come inside and indicated they were not from Manitoba," the Facebook post said.

It marks the fourth year in a row during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that women wearing hijab-style head scarves have appeared outside the Grand Mosque begging for money, said Tasneem Vali, office manager of the Manitoba Islamic Association.

"This happens only during Ramadan," she said. "They know Muslims give more to charity" during Ramadan.

One of the faith's teachings says: "Do not turn away a poor man even if all you can give is half a date."

Each time the begging women appeared, Vali said she invited them to register for MIA assistance. They say they're from Ontario and need money for a ticket to return to that province, and that they are ethnic Roma or Romani.

Vali has told them they could still receive assistance from the Islamic community even if they're not Muslim. She told the beggars they had to leave the property if they weren't willing to register for help. The women backed off, and stood at the parking lot entrance to ask for cash.

"I'm worried these women themselves are being exploited," said Vali.

SUPPLIED Photos show two women begging outside Grand Mosque on Waverley Friday, May 4. They say they are from Ontario.

The other irksome matter is that the women portray themselves as Muslims.

"We have a lot of newcomers who are trying to be self-sufficient," said Vali. They've been getting help from private sponsors, immigration programs, social assistance and a huge network of volunteers and private donors, she said. "Nobody started begging."

When Laila Chebib spotted a woman wearing a head scarf panhandling Thursday on a median in St. Vital, she approached her. Chebib came to Canada 60 years ago from Syria and has helped many newcomers.

When the woman said she couldn't speak English but was fluent in French, she was surprised to learn Chebib was, too. Chebib asked her why she was panhandling.

"She said, 'I have three children. I do not have enough money for heat and electricity,'" said Chebib, who knows how much assistance is available to parents with children. Chebib said she was skeptical, but offered to take the woman to an agency in St. Boniface for help. The woman declined.

Chebib said the woman said she was "Romanian," from France and had only been in Winnipeg two months.

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"I always have a car full of stuff I am distributing to people, and they have been extremely kind. To have people begging in the street who seem to be Muslim really upsets me," said Chebib.

She said she doesn't want Winnipeggers to be taken advantage of.

Islamic Social Services Association president Shahina Siddiqui is concerned about the safety of the women and Muslims.

Whether or not the women are Muslim, because they're wearing hijab and look Muslim, they could become targets of violent Islamophobia, Siddiqui said. Another concern is whether the women are being exploited or are trafficked, she said.

"The best way to make sure your donation gets to someone in real need is to give it to a trusted charity organization," the Islamic association said on Facebook.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.caA potentially explosive wild card has emerged in the legal battle between the Progressive Conservative government and public-sector unions over the controversial wage-freeze legislation.

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This article was published 12/5/2018 (1245 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

A potentially explosive wild card has emerged in the legal battle between the Progressive Conservative government and public-sector unions over the controversial wage-freeze legislation.

A coalition of public-sector unions representing more than 100,000 workers is in court seeking an injunction to stop the Tory government from enacting Bill 28, the Public Services Sustain-ability Act. The bill would impose a two-year wage freeze on all provincial public-sector employees, followed by two years of wage increases at 0.75 and 1.0 per cent. The province has passed but not proclaimed the law, and refuses to say when it will, if at all.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba Federation of Labour president Kevin Rebeck.

Depending on the outcome of the hearing  it is unlikely a court would issue an order to stop a government from enacting a law approved in its legislature  the coalition has vowed to go back to court this fall in a bid to have Bill 28 declared unconstitutional.

However, into the fray has stepped the union local representing teachers in the Pembina Trails School Division. Unhappy with a lack of progress on negotiating a new contract, the Pembina Trails Teachers Association informed the division in late February that it would seek binding arbitration if contract talks did not show reasonable progress within 90 days.

To date, no bargaining has taken place in Pembina Trails despite the fact that contracts for all of Manitobas 15,000 public school teachers expire June 30.

Norm Gould, president of the Manitoba Teachers Society (MTS), said the Pembina Trails School Division informed its teachers at the beginning of this year that it would not participate in contract talks because of the likelihood that Bill 28 would be proclaimed in the near future.

Given that the law imposes a mandatory wage freeze, it eliminates the need for any public-sector employer within provincial jurisdiction to negotiate a new contract and suspends the right to binding arbitration. Manitoba teachers won the right to binding arbitration in the 1950s when they agreed to give up their right to strike. Either the union or the division can unilaterally request binding arbitration if they believe bargaining is unlikely to produce a resolution.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba Teachers' Society president Norm Gould.

It is widely believed that if Pembina Trails teachers get approval from the Manitoba Labour Board for binding arbitration, it will set off a rush of other locals to seek the same. If the teachers were successful in getting wage settlements above and beyond the terms set out in Bill 28, that could have a significant effect on the provinces fiscal plans, which heavily rely on public-sector workers accepting a two-year wage freeze.

Gould said the divisions decision to abandon contract talks before Bill 28 is proclaimed is a dangerous precedent, and one that suggests that neither the division nor the province has any respect for the right to collective bargaining. "This is a very strange game that the province is playing," Gould said. "We really have no idea why they think they are above the law."

Kevin Rebeck, president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour, said the Pembina Trail teachers notice to its division was filed in an affidavit to the injunction proceedings, as evidence of the pervasive effect that Bill 28 has had even prior to proclamation. Cases such as Pembina Trails show that the mere threat of the bill is being used an excuse to bypass the normal collective bargaining process, Rebeck added.

On its own, the threat of binding arbitration in Pembina Trails has the potential to be a game-changer by forcing the province to proclaim its law, a move that the union coalition believes would make it more vulnerable to a legal challenge. Rebeck noted that it may be difficult to convince a court that it is useful to debate the constitutionality of a law that has not been enacted.

However, proclaiming Bill 28 may be the only way for the Tory government to eliminate binding arbitration as an avenue of relief for the teachers bargaining groups; the law essentially suspends all contract talks and mechanisms such as binding arbitration for the four-year term outlined in the bill.

Whether that will happen is an issue of debate. A government official said the province has decided not to proclaim Bill 28 while the injunction proceedings unfold. Even once that is completed later this month, however, the official said there would be no timetable for proclamation.

The official said the provinces main position is to achieve the required wage freeze through negotiation, rather than imposing it through legislation. "There isnt a schedule (for proclamation). The government is interested in a more voluntary agreement with the public service."

As evidence of this willingness to continue negotiating even while Bill 28 is in limbo, the official noted that since that bill was passed by the legislature, the province has settled more than 20 contracts with individual bargaining units, 16 of which are in health care. "Our position is to keep talking even as the litigation unfolds," he said.

Public-sector unions dispute the suggestion that bargaining is going on as usual. Rebeck said the provinces biggest public-sector bargaining groups are finding little if any interest in contract talks with so many legal and administrative changes to the structure and orientation of contract talks.

In addition to Bill 28, the province has promised to bring in single-desk, provincewide bargaining for teachers. This week, it introduced legislation to dramatically reduce the number of bargaining groups in health care.

The result of this threatened change is a paralysis of normal contract talks, Rebeck said, even in those cases where contracts are up for renewal this year. Once again, the teachers provide a potent example of this contract-talk limbo.

An MTS official confirmed that all 38 union locals have contacted their divisions and asked for contract talks to start. However, 16 divisions have communicated they wont table initial bargaining positions this year, the first step in negotiations with individual locals.

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Of those 16, one (Pembina Trails) cited Bill 28 and the move to provincewide bargaining, which was promised earlier this year by the government but, as is the case with the wage-freeze bill, it has yet to be passed. MTS officials said the other 15 divisions cited the move to provincewide bargaining for their unwillingness to negotiate.

"The fact is that (the Tory government) hasnt even tried to negotiate," Rebeck said. "They introduced a bill and gave a directive to employers that thou shalt not settle for anything outside what is allowed in this law. And that has effectively paralyzed collective bargaining in this province."

If that is the governments strategy  to run out the clock on expiring contracts by slowing or abandoning normal bargaining  then it is risky from a legal point of view.

If the Tories proclaim Bill 28, it will have to be defended on the basis that it was an evil to accomplish high-priority fiscal goals. However, to be effective in that argument, the government would have to be able to show that normal bargaining was not effective in achieving those fiscal goals.

If the province has not been actively bargaining, and if it has effectively encouraged other public-sector employers such as school divisions to do the same, it will be tough to defend Bill 28 as a reasonable but necessary evil. It will also open the province to claims of unfair labour practices. That could produce a significant financial liability if the labour board begins to award damages to unions to compensate them for the failure to bargain in good faith.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.caThanks to U.S. President Donald Trump, the hard-won deal that set up a process to end Irans nuclear weapons program is on its deathbed. After weeks of entreaties and visits from his counterparts in the other states that signed the accord, Trump has announced that the U.S. will be withdrawing from it and reimposing the sanctions the deal lifted. That makes it hard to see how the deal will survive.

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This article was published 12/5/2018 (1245 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump, the hard-won deal that set up a process to end Irans nuclear weapons program is on its deathbed. After weeks of entreaties and visits from his counterparts in the other states that signed the accord, Trump has announced that the U.S. will be withdrawing from it and reimposing the sanctions the deal lifted. That makes it hard to see how the deal will survive.

Given Trump has spent years referring to this as "the worst deal ever", perhaps his decision to back out is less than surprising  but that doesnt mean it isnt shocking.

To be sure, there are real problems with the deal. Struck in 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 powers  the U.S., the U.K., Russia, China, France, and Germany  it fails to address longer-term concerns about the nuclear program (the Iranian government is renowned for playing a long game) and does not limit the countrys ballistic missile capability. Perhaps the biggest criticism, though, concerns Irans behaviour in the Middle East, which has not been curtailed.

As the British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, recently said on Fox & Friends, a right-wing talk show Trump is known to watch: "Look, Iran is behaving badly, has a tendency to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles. Weve got to stop that. Weve got to push back on what Iran is doing in the region. Weve got to be tougher." But Johnson also urged the U.S. not to "throw the baby out with the bathwater".

It seems that plea, and those of other world leaders, fell on deaf ears. So what does it all mean? First, Trumps decision to effectively scrap the deal plays into the hands of Saudi Arabia and Israel. It will also inflame already livid tensions across the Middle East, pouring fuel onto the fires of conflict from Syria to Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, and beyond.

Taking sides

In recent years, belligerents in the Middle Easts various conflicts have generally fallen into two separate camps. On the one hand is a pro-Iranian camp that is comprised of the Syrian government, the Iraqi government, Hezbollah and a range of non-state actors; on the other is an anti-Iranian camp, comprised primarily of Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE. Both camps are seizing opportunities to recalibrate the regional order, and as they try to set and push boundaries in their favour, they raise the chances of error, miscalculation and catastrophe.

But while Iranian-Saudi rivalry has played a central role in shaping the nature of the contemporary Middle East, so have Irans rivalries with two other powers: Israel  with whom Saudi Arabia is seeking a rapprochement of sorts  and the U.S.

Debate about the nuclear deal is as much about these different camps as it is about the deal itself. Washington, Riyadh and Jerusalem have long been concerned about the development of an Iranian nuclear weapon, yet the more short-term concern is about Tehrans behaviour across Syria, Bahrain, Iraq and Lebanon, where it capitalizes on schisms within and across state borders. Iran has long demonstrated an excellent ability to exploit and manipulate such divisions. To see that ability in action, one only has to look at events in Iraq, Lebanon and Syria  leaving aside allegations of nefarious involvement in Bahrain, where its accused of backing anti-government groups, and Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is waging a massive military campaign against forces it claims are Iranian proxies.

Few want to see Iran further indulge what one U.S. official called its "propensity for mischief", and escalating tensions across already deeply divided societies risk adding to the already catastrophic loss of human life. So long as Iran feels emboldened or mandated to act up, the nightmarish conflicts in Syria and Yemen will be even more difficult to resolve.

But perhaps the biggest concern in all this is the Israeli response.

Keeping the lid on

Iran has sought to ameliorate its strategic concerns by pushing forward geopolitically, away from its sovereign borders. Getting influence over territory is a key strategic goal. But in doing this, Iran is directly inserting itself into Israeli security calculations.

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Ever since the revolution of 1979, Israel has long viewed the Islamic Republic of Iran with great trepidation. As concerns about Iranian nuclear aspirations increased, so too did the rhetoric from Israeli leaders condemning Tehrans actions. No one who has heard it will forget the March 2012 speech where Benjamin Netanyahu said: "If it walks like a duck, if it talks like a duck, then what is it? Thats right, its a duck. But this is a nuclear duck." More recently, Israel produced a dossier that sought to demonstrate that Iran had lied during the negotiations that produced the deal.

In addition, Israel has a precedent of striking against what it perceives to be a serious threat to its survival. Take the strike on Iraqs Osirak reactorin 1981, or the strike against a suspected Syrian nuclear facility in 2007. If the deal collapses and Iran restarts its nuclear programme, then similar unannounced attacks on suspected nuclear sites are a strong possibility.

So where do things stand as of now? If the deal breaks down in full, tensions across the Middle East could escalate to a dangerous level, as players on all sides rush to recalibrate their positions. The various fronts in Syria will only become more deadly as Iran doubles down to preserve its influence over territory there  a corridor of control that has been called a "land bridge to the Mediterranean," and by extension, to Israel.

Ultimately, Trump has missed the point of his counterparts pleas to keep the deal in place. This isnt about whether or not Iran has leeway to build a nuclear weapon; its about keeping tensions across the Middle East in check, and preventing a catastrophic new war. Diplomats the world over are in for some sleepless nights.

Simon Mabon is a lecturer in international relations at Lancaster University.

This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca.Two decades ago, amid a growing controversy over police shootings in the nations capital, officers in Washington were largely barred from firing at moving cars.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/5/2018 (1245 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two decades ago, amid a growing controversy over police shootings in the nations capital, officers in Washington were largely barred from firing at moving cars.

The rules didnt apply if someone in the car was firing at police, but officials concluded that, in most cases, the practice was dangerous and ineffective. Bystanders could be hit, and shooting at a car usually didnt stop it anyway. Other departments countrywide adopted similar policies.

Now, however, several major cities are loosening those rules to deal with a new threat: terrorists in trucks mowing down and killing pedestrians. Police in Washington, New York City, Chicago and Las Vegas have begun allowing officers to fire at moving vehicles to stop such ramming attacks. While concern about the tactic remains, authorities say that, in extreme instances, trying to shoot the driver might be the only way to save lives.

"We have to balance the threat to the community with the idea we dont want to use fatal force unless we absolutely have to," D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham said. "Its really important to make sure officers completely understand this is a special circumstance, a last resort, but one that may be necessary."

The move to broaden the circumstances under which officers are authorized to use deadly force comes as American police have been under scrutiny for the shootings of unarmed people, many of them black men.

Sam Sinyangwe, a data scientist, policy analyst and activist for the national group Campaign Zero, which calls for an end to police violence, said the group is concerned that any loosening of restrictions could embolden officers to pull their guns unnecessarily.

"What weve seen is a shift backward on this issue," Sinyangwe said. He said the new policies, though made with the goal of combatting terrorism, could cover incidents "that are not terrorist situations."

Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Washington-based Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), which advises agencies on best practices, said departments need to be "very careful about making adjustments that could be misinterpreted and potentially lead to bad shootings." In 2016, PERF called for a prohibition on police shooting at moving vehicles unless those inside were using a weapon.

Charles Ramsey, who led the D.C. police department during its reforms in the late 1990s and early 2000s and later headed president Barack Obamas Task Force on 21st Century Policing, said later revisions make sense given the terrorist attacks. But he warned that departments need to craft specific rules, "so we dont get back to the days of shooting at vehicles just because they are stolen."

The death toll in such attacks is mounting  10 dead in Toronto last month; 86 dead in the French Riviera city of Nice in 2016; 12 dead at a Christmas market in Berlin, also in 2016; and eight dead on a bicycle path in Lower Manhattan last year.

Las Vegas revised its policy in September, saying it was due to terrorist incidents. A spokesperson also mentioned a 2015 incident in which a woman believed to be high on drugs drove along a crowded sidewalk, striking 30 pedestrians and killing one. The city now permits officers to shoot at moving vehicles if it is "absolutely necessary to preserve human life."

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The new directive for officers in New York City  which first banned officers from shooting at vehicles in the 1970s  says they should now take such action only to terminate a mass casualty terrorist event." The rules stress that such an attack "is the type of extraordinary event that this clause was intended to address."

Newsham said the new orders allowing officers in rare instances to shooting at moving vehicles are meant only for large-scale "ramming attacks." The districts use-of-force directive, revised in November, defines a ramming attack as one "in which a perpetrator deliberately rams, or attempts to ram, a motor vehicle at a crowd of people with the intent to inflict fatal injuries."

Newsham stressed that the rules still inform officers that in most cases a vehicle alone cant be considered a weapon and they should "avoid tactics that could place them in a position where a vehicle could be used against them."

William Terrill, a professor of criminal justice at Arizona State University who studies police use of force, said carefully written changes seem appropriate given threats of mass killings using vehicles. But he cautioned that they will have only an instant to judge a drivers intent.

"You still have officers out in the field who have to make this decision in a very quick amount of time," Terrill said.

 Washington PostPresident of the Vietnamese Nurses Association Pham uc Muc. Photo suckhoedoisong.vn

May 12 is International Nurses Day. To mark the occasion, President of the Vietnamese Nurses Association Pham uc Muc talks to the Viet Nam News Agency about the indispensable role played by nurses in the country.

What are the basic skills that a registered nurse needs to have?

A registered nurse is required to manage the daily schedule of the patients. They are the most essential part of the healthcare system. They are the health care contributors who act as a mediator between the doctor and the patients family. These professionals provide knowledge about the patients medical condition, treatment and the physicians instructions to their family members.

A registered nurse is required to possess certain qualities and skills to become a qualified nurse.

Whats a nurses role in connecting the information between the treatment doctor and his/her patients?

Family members and the patients themselves want to have good relationship with the doctors. They also want their voice to be heard by the doctors during the treatment given to their family members, particularly regarding their health problem and how the problem will be handled.

However, in many hospitals, information channels between medical workers and patients families have not operated properly. This is one of the main causes leading to anxiety in the patients and their family members.

So, the flow of information from doctors and nurses to patients and their family members is very important. The information is essential in reducing the rate of fatalities among patients.

What is the key role of the nurse?

In developed countries like the USA or Canada, the concept of the patient being the centre was initiated in 1970s, and it has since become a mandate in the health service in many nations. It is one of the six essential measures in high quality health care services.

Nowadays, compared with other ASEAN nations, all of our hospitals have faced a big shortage of nurses. To reach the number of nurses per capita of Thailand, we would have to double the number of nurses. To compete with Malaysia, wed have to triple our current number of active nurses. And if we want to reach the number per capita in Japan, then we have to increase our current number by 12 times.

Viet Nam has set a goal to take the patient the centre in our health service. To achieve this goal, we deem it necessary to raise awareness among all the health workers. In my opinion, however, the bottle neck of the problem in our current public health care service is the money.

The current health insurance payment policy has become a barrier in giving high quality care service to the patient.

In my opinion, this is something we need to analyse carefully, for the benefit of the patients, particularly the poor. We also need to ensure the fair treatment of all health workers in the public sector.

Undoubtedly, the nurses salary will be affected as they dont generate direct income for the hospitals or medical services. This is something, in my opinion, that the authorities should think about. They should give the nurses what they deserve, to compensate for their hard work.

In the meantime, I suggest that we should recover the career of the hospital orderly, whose main function is to take care of in-patients in hospitals. In the past, we had many hospital orderlies, but nowadays the demand for the job to take care of in-patients is very high.

Last but not least, we need effective policies to ensure that patients will become the centre for all health care activities.  VNSCovestro AG develops, produces, and markets polymer materials for various industries. The company operates in three segments: Polyurethanes; Polycarbonates; and Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties (CAS). The Polyurethanes segment develops, produces, and markets chemical precursors, such as diphenylmethane diisocyanate, toluene diisocyanate, and polyether polyol, which are used primarily in the furniture, construction, and automotive industries. The Polycarbonates segment provides high-performance plastic polycarbonates in the form of granules, composite materials, and semi-finished products for use in the automotive, construction, electrical and electronic, medical technology, and lighting industries. The CAS segment offers precursors for coatings, adhesives, and sealants, as well as specialties. This segment also provides polymer materials and aqueous dispersions for use in automotive and transportation, infrastructure and construction, wood processing, and furniture applications. The company markets its products through trading houses and distributors. It operates in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, the United States, Canada, and the People's Republic of China. The company was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany.

Read MoreThe following speech was delivered to the International Committee of the Fourth Internationals May Day 2018 International Online Rally by Alex Lantier, leader of the French section of the ICFI, the Parti de legalite socialiste, (PES) founded in November 2016.

On this 200th anniversary of Karl Marxs birth, I bring fraternal greetings from the Parti de legalite socialiste (PES). The Communist Manifesto, Marxs polemic against the petty-bourgeois democrats betrayal of the 1848 revolution, and his condemnation of the massacre of the 1871 Paris Commune, won him the eternal admiration of the working class in France. And one can predict with confidence that the current upsurge of the class struggle, 200 years after his birth, will only strengthen the respect workers feel for him around the world.

In France, amid mounting anger against President Emmanuel Macrons social cuts and his missile strikes on Syria, alongside Trump, workers are striking against the privatization of the railways. Students are occupying universities across France. 19682018 graffiti has spread across Paris. Everyone is thinking back 50 years to the last great revolutionary experience of the working class in France: the general strike of May-June 1968.

These last 50 years also answer the question that will be decisive in the coming struggles: who are the Marxists in France? It is the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) and its French section, the PES. The ICFI alone insists on the necessity of a movement of the international working class to take state power, and fights for the political independence of the working class against the Stalinists, Maoists, and all the petty-bourgeois parties that broke with Trotskyism.

To understand their counter-revolutionary role today, look at what they say about their own history. They all claim the 1968 general strike was not a revolutionary situation. What a lie! In 1968, the working class shook French capitalism to its foundations. After a week of bloody police repression of student protests, a general strike of over 10 million workers erupted. Red flags flew over factories across France. The general strike posed the question: would the working class take state power in France in 1968, a half-century after the Russian workers took power in 1917?

Two main factors prevented the overthrow of capitalism. The first was the counterrevolutionary role of the Stalinist French Communist Party (PCF), then the leading party among workers. It forced a return to work in exchange for wage increases, demoralizing workers by betraying the revolutionary situation. The second factor was that the strike erupted during the post-war economic boom. The bourgeoisie had resources to make concessions, buy time and prepare its counterattack.

It relied critically on middle class, anti-Trotskyist student groupsthe Maoists and students won to Pabloism, the tendency that had broken with the ICFI in 1953. For the sons and daughters of the bourgeoisie and the petty-bourgeoisie, it was one thing to protest; but they recoiled in horror at the danger of socialist revolution, as it emerged before their eyes. Over the decades, they have evolved into affluent supporters of capitalism, who overwhelmingly support Macron and war. Most of them boast of their counterrevolutionary role in 1968.

During the 1968 general strike, as the police disintegrated and hundreds of thousands marched in Paris, the student leaders increasingly opened discussions with the interior ministry. No one had any idea of going to seize a ministry or to march on the Elysee presidential palace. We had not the least political perspective, said Maoist Jean-Pierre Le Dantec, who backed Macron in 2017.

At the 24 March 1968 march, the Pabloite students set up guards around police armories, to stop workers if they tried to take up arms. Speaking in 2009 to Nouvel Obs, their leader Alain Krivine explained: We knew how far we should not go. He praised Maurice Grimaud, the Paris police chief in 1968: On the one hand he was the head cop  on the other he was a democratic high official, a left-wing man. Grimaud, he concluded, was a good guy.

Daniel Cohn-Bendit, the iconic student leader of 1968, went on to become a Green parliamentarian, and last year announced he had been won over by Macron. His anti-Marxism, laid out in a 1968 book Obsolete Communism, was reactionary. The supposedly democratic critic of Marxism became an ardent supporter of humanitarian imperialist war, including the 2011 NATO war in Libya, and of Macrons state of emergency that scrapped basic democratic rights.

All oriented to the Parti socialiste (PS), a bourgeois party founded in 1971 and which played the central role in the bourgeoisies post-1968 counteroffensive. Over the decades, the PS repeatedly imposed austerity, slashed industry, drove up unemployment, and waged neo-colonial wars in the Middle East and Africa.

The Organisation communiste internationaliste (OCI) broke with the ICFI in 1971 on a nationalist perspective. Liquidating into the PS, it backed the PS-PCF alliance that took office in 1981, with its members working simultaneously in the OCI and the PS. One, Lionel Jospin, became PS prime minister; another, Jean-Luc Melenchon, became a PS minister and now leads the Unsubmissive France group [La France Insoumise], whose parliamentarians are helping Macron plan how to bring back the draft.

But, as Trotsky explained, the laws of history are stronger than the bureaucracies. Fifty years after 1968, and 27 years after the Stalinist dissolution of the Soviet Union, the PS has collapsed, like unpopular social-democratic parties of war and austerity across Europe. Macron, the former PS economy minister, resigned from it last year.

The Macron regime will make no social concessions nor allow a reformist outcome to the class struggle, as in 1968. He is desperate to shovel hundreds of billions of euros into the banks and the war machine. But his plans to slash basic social rights and join in imperialist war threats against Iran, Russia and China are not a sign of strength, but of the mortal crisis of world capitalism. The working class will have no choice but to build a movement in France and internationally that will seek to take state power.

And in 2016, the ICFI founded the PES to offer a revolutionary, Trotskyist leadership to the coming class struggles. The PES insists that responsibility for the post-1968 defeats does not lie with the working class or Marxism. It lies, as Trotsky and the ICFI insisted, with the charlatanry of the organizations that falsely posed as descendants of Marx. And the way forward is a turn back to the traditions of classical Marxism, the working class, and the building of its revolutionary vanguard party.

Against the entire petty-bourgeois, post-1968 establishment, the PES echoes the devastating judgment, on the petty-bourgeois democrats who betrayed the 1848 revolution, made by the old French revolutionary, Auguste Blanqui. His words, cited by Marx and Engels themselves in 1851, apply all the better to the petty-bourgeois anti-Marxists of today:

The guiltiest of all, Blanqui said, are those in whom the people, deceived by their fine phrases, saw its sword and shield; those whom it enthusiastically proclaimed the arbiters of its future. May the workers always keep in mind this list of cursed names, and if a single one, yes, a single one were ever to appear again in a revolutionary government, let them all cry with one voice: Treason!

The alternatives Blanqui then posed to the French people in 1851 are still those facing workers todayin France and in every country. If the workers build a truly powerful revolutionary movement, Blanqui wrote, all obstacles, all resistance, all impossibilities will disappear. But if proletarians let themselves be amused by ridiculous promenades on the streets, by the planting of trees of liberty, by the ringing phrases of lawyers, they must expect holy water to begin with, insults to follow, eventually bullets, and always misery. Now let the people choose!Julian Assange is in immense danger. Remarks made this week by Ecuadors foreign minister suggest that her government may be preparing to renege on the political asylum it granted to the WikiLeaks editor in 2012 and hand him over to British and then American authorities.

On March 28, under immense pressure from the governments in the US, Britain and other powers, Ecuador imposed a complete ban on Assange having any Internet or phone contact with the outside world, and blocked his friends and supporters from physically visiting him. For 45 days, he has not been heard from.

Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa stated in a Spanish-language interview on Wednesday that her government and Britain have the intention and the interest that this be resolved. Moves were underway, she said, to reach a definite agreement on Assange.

If Assange falls into the hands of the British state, he faces being turned over to the US. Last year, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated that putting Assange on trial for espionage was a priority. CIA director Mike Pompeo, now secretary of state, asserted that WikiLeaks was a non-state hostile intelligence service.

In 2010, WikiLeaks courageously published information leaked by then Private Bradley [now Chelsea] Manning that exposed war crimes committed by American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. WikiLeaks also published, in partnership with some of the worlds major newspapers, tens of thousands of secret diplomatic cables, exposing the daily anti-democratic intrigues of US imperialism and numerous other governments.

For that, Assange was relentlessly persecuted by the Obama administration. By November 2010, it had convened a secret grand jury and had a warrant issued for his arrest on charges of espionagecharges that can carry the death sentence. The then Labor Party government in Australia headed by Prime Minister Julia Gillard threw Assange, an Australian citizen, to the wolves. It refused to provide him any defence and declared it would work with the US to have him detained and put on trial.

On June 19, 2012, under conditions in which he faced extradition to Sweden to answer questions over fabricated allegations of sexual assault, and the prospect of rendition to the United States, Assange sought asylum in the Ecuadors embassy in London.

Since that time, for nearly six years, he has been largely confined to a small room with no direct sunlight. He has been prevented from leaving, even to obtain medical treatment, by the British governments insistence it will arrest him for breaching bail as soon as he sets foot outside the embassy.

Now, for six weeks and three days, he has been denied even the right to communicate.

Jennifer Robinson, the British-based Australian lawyer who has represented Assange since 2010, told the London Times in an interview this month: His health situation is terrible. Hes had a problem with his shoulder for a very long time. It requires an MRI [magnetic resonance imaging scan], which cannot be done within the embassy. Hes got dental issues. And then theres the long-term impact of not being outside, his visual impairment. He wouldnt be able to see further than from here to the end of this hallway.

The effort to haul Assange before a US court is inseparable from the broader campaign underway by the American state and allied governments to impose sweeping censorship on the Internet. Lurid allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election and denunciations of fake news have been used to demand that Google, Facebook and other conglomerates block users from accessing websites that publish critical commentary and exposures of the ruling class and its agenciesincluding WikiLeaks and the World Socialist Web Site.

WikiLeaks has been absurdly denounced as pro-Russia because it published leaks from the US Democratic Party National Committee that revealed the anti-democratic intrigues the partys leaders carried out to undermine the campaign of Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential primary elections. It also published leaked speeches of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton that further exposed her intimate relations with Wall Street banks and companies.

As part of the justification for Internet censorship, US intelligence agencies allege, without any evidence, that the information was hacked by Russian operatives and supplied to WikiLeaks to undermine Clinton and assist Trumpwhom Moscow purportedly considered the lesser evil.

In response to the hysterical allegations, WikiLeaks broke its own tradition of not commenting on its sources. It publicly denied that Russia was the source of the leaks. That has not prevented the campaign from continuing, with Assange even being labelled the Kremlins useful idiot in pro-Democratic Party circles. WikiLeaks is blamed for Clintons defeat, not the reality, that tens of millions of American workers were repulsed by her right-wing, pro-war campaign and refused to vote for her.

Under conditions in which the Ecuadorian government has capitulated to great power pressure and is collaborating with British and US agencies to break Julian Assange, there is an almost universal and reprehensible silence on the part of dozens of organisations and hundreds of individuals who once claimed to defend him and WikiLeaks.

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which in February 2016 condemned Assanges persecution as a form of arbitrary detention and called for his release, has issued no statement on his current situation.

In Britain, the Labour Party and its leader Jeremy Corbyn have said nothing on the actions by Ecuador. Nor have they opposed the determination of the Conservative government to arrest Assange if he leaves the embassy.

In Australia, the current Liberal-National government and Labor leadership are just as complicit. The Greens, which claimed to oppose the persecution of Assange, have not made any statement in parliament or issued a press release, let alone called for public protests. Hundreds of editors, journalists, academics, artists and lawyers across the country who publicly defended WikiLeaks in 2010 and 2011 are now mute.

A parallel situation prevails across Europe and in the US. The so-called parties of the left and the trade unions are all tacitly endorsing the vicious drive against Assange.

Around the world, the Stalinist and Pabloite pseudo-left organisations, anxious not to disrupt their sordid relations with the parties of the political establishment and the trade union apparatuses, are likewise silent.

The World Socialist Web Site and the International Committee of the Fourth International unconditionally defend Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. If the ruling elite can haul him before a court, it will hold him up as an example of what happens to those who speak out against social inequality, militarism, war and police-state measures. His prosecution would be used to try to intimidate and silence all dissent.

If Assange is imprisoned or worse, and WikiLeaks shut down, it will be a serious blow to the democratic rights of the entire international working class.

Workers and young people should join with the WSWS and ICFI in demanding and fighting for the immediate freedom of Julian Assange.On Monday 80 linemen and five warehouse workers went on strike at the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) in Plymouth. The workers contract expired on April 30 and they are refusing to give in to managements attack on their pension plan. According to the web site of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1837, all five of the warehouse workers and 79 of the linemen voted in favor of strike action. However, by Tuesday NHEC had already brought in scabs.

In a statement Monday NEHC declared it has activated a contingency plan that will provide for adequate coverage of power outages and protect public safety. Certified line crews have been engaged and will be accompanied on any outage calls by non-union NHEC employees who are familiar with the service territory.

Despite this threat, the IBEW has done nothing to mobilize telecom and power workers behind the strikers. Instead it has worked to isolate the workers, making sure they battle alone.

Workers at NHEC are eligible for both a defined benefit pension plan and a small amount of matching if they contribute to a separate 401(K). According to the Cooperatives 2017 audited financial statements its contribution of $2.4 million to the defined benefit plan for 2017 was only 5 percent of total employer funding for the year. Because the plan is multi-employer, pooled contributions cover all eligible employees no matter where they work.

The NHEC limit on matching 401(K) contributions for IBEW members is only 2.5 percent, while non-union staffwhose jobs are not as dangerous as those of linemenreceive matching of up to 4.5 percent.

The workers have gone out because management is demanding the authority to modify the pension plans in the future without negotiating the changes. NHEC also wants to raise the age of eligibility for full retirement benefits from 62 to 65.

The maximum hourly pay for a lineman under the recently expired union contract is $38.97.

The company serves 83,000 residents across 115 towns and is tied with Until as the states second largest electric company.

Although the NHEC is established as a not-for-profit cooperative under New Hampshire law and is exempt from federal income taxes, its executives are paid lavishly. According to its Form 990, President and Chief Executive Officer Steven Camerino received salary of nearly $354,000 and other compensation of more than $86,000 in 2016. When salary and other compensation are combined, the Vice President of Financial Services, Vice President of Corporate Services, Vice President of Operations and Engineering, Vice President of Member Services & Community Relations, and Vice president of Power Resource & Access each earned $200,000 or more.

The members of the Board of Directors, who receive yearly stipends of between $15,000 and $20,000 for their service, include executives from BNY Mellon and Citizens Bank, a commercial realtor, and a former Fortune 100 executive with past experience at Honeywell and United Technologies.

Approximately 1,600 workers at 13 electricity generation and distribution companies in New Hampshire and Maine are members of IBEW Local 1837. It bargains separately with each employer, and its largest shop is Central Maine Power. It has not allowed a strike by its members in more than 30 years.

This week the Locals support of its members consisted of a small rally on Friday morning and a flyer asking supporters to donate $25 supermarket or gas station gift cards to the strikers.The International Socialist Organization and Jacobin magazine, affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, bear direct responsibility for the unions betrayal of the six-day strike of tens of thousands of Arizona teachers.

The strike ended on May 4, after the Arizona Education Association (AEA) and the nominally independent pro-union front group, Arizona Educators United (AEU), ordered teachers back to work without a vote and accepted the Republican governors pay and funding plan that teachers overwhelmingly rejected just a week earlier. To steamroll opposition, the AEU deleted critical comments from its Facebook group and banned teachers who opposed the ending of the strike.

Both the ISO and Jacobin promoted the AEA and the AEU throughout the strike and have responded to their sellout by defending them. This follows their support for the betrayal of the teachers strikes in West Virginia and Oklahoma in March and April by the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association, which have isolated the expanding strike wave of teachers on a state-by-state basis and blocked a unified nationwide struggle.

The agreement in Arizona provides only $400 million in school funding, less than half the $1.1 billion cut over the previous decade. For teachers without a homeroom class, and for the thousands of school support staff, such as school bus drivers, custodians and instructional aides, it provides nothing at all. Teachers, many of whom deliver pizzas and drive Ubers after school to make ends meet, will likely see a pay increase of 4 or 5 percent.

After promoting the AEA and AEU throughout the strike, the ISO has responded with silence to this sellout. A reader of Socialist Worker would not even know the strike is over.

Jacobins sole article on the end of the strike, published May 3, is a friendly interview by the magazines on-the-spot reporter in Arizona, Eric Blanc, not with rank-and-file teachers, but the AEU leaders who helped betray it: Noah Karvelis, Rebecca Garrelli and Dylan Wegela. Blanc provides the AEU leaders with the opportunity to issue lying rationalizations for shutting down the strike.

Blanc asked the AEU leaders, for example, why they decided not to continue the walkout if they did not support the agreement. Karvelis replied, Our thought was that if they [the legislature] would have conceded more to us, it would already have happened by now. He adds, We were getting a lot of pressure  to go back to our classrooms. And if we stayed out ... classified staffwho dont get paid during a walkoutwould continue not to receive checks.

In other words, the strike was ended because  the legislature did not want to accept the teachers demands. But this was true from the beginning and was what the strike was about. As for the claim that teachers were under a lot of pressure to end the strike, this was not coming from workerswho overwhelmingly support the struggle of teachersbut from the ruling class and its political representatives.

Karvelis, moreover, is aware that the teachers were fighting for a pay raise for all staff, including certified workers; and that it was the union and AEU who imposed an agreement that provided nothing for certified workers, while refusing any strike pay for classified staff.

The AEU and the union shut down the strike because they were hostile to expanding it and making an appeal to teachers and other workers in other statesincluding in Colorado, where teachers had walked out at the same timefor a common struggle. The unions aim, from the outset, was to channel teachers opposition behind the election of Democrats in November 2018, which the AEA has already endorsed.

The AEU was initiated at the beginning of March 2018, following discussions between Noah Karvelis, a 23-year-old Arizona music teacher who had previously been paid for consulting work in the election campaign of a local Democratic Party politician, and Joe Thomas, the president of the AEA.

The unions were anxious to prevent the growing movement of teachers from breaking outside of their control, as occurred temporarily at the beginning of March in West Virginia, when teachers defied a back-to-work order by the unions and voted independently to remain out on strike. From the outset, the purpose of the AEUwith the support of the ISO and Jacobinwas to serve as a nominally grassroots and independent organization, while preventing workers from breaking from the union as the latter worked to betray the strike.

This was spelled out in an article by Jacobin on April 26, which noted with satisfaction that a critical factor enabling the rise of Red for Ed has been the active support of the AEA... Union president Joe Thomas and vice-president Marisol Garcia have backed the movement just as enthusiastically.

The article quoted AEU head Noah Karvelis declaring that the unions help has been invaluable... Theyve let us retain our position up in front of the movement, which is 100 percent rank-and-file led. This has been an incredibly powerful collaborationI think its a great model for other states, particularly those with right-to-work restrictions.

Karvelis reference to a model for states with right-to-work laws, which have undermined the financial base of the unions, is significant. The teachers strikes in Oklahoma, West Virginia and Arizona have taken place in states where the unions have been weaker, and thus less able to control and dissipate workers anger and secure labor peace.

More broadly, the unions are aware and fearful of a growing strike movement among workers internationally, which is developing in direct opposition to the pro-corporate union apparatuses that have overseen decades of attacks on workers conditions, and of the need to find new mechanisms for maintaining their straitjacket over the workers. Karvelis proposal is for the extension of such nominally rank-and-file organizations which are in fact auxiliary agencies of the anti-working-class unions.

This is precisely the perspective of the ISO and Jacobin. This was demonstrated in the course of the 10-day Oklahoma teachers strike, which saw tens of thousands of teachers join Facebook pages, including Oklahoma Teachers United (13,000 members) and Oklahoma Teachers Walkoutthe Time is Now (46,000) as they were pushing for a strike.

The administrators of the pages, however, including Tulsa teacher Larry Cagle of OTU and Alberto Morejon of OTW, were opposed to carrying out any struggle independently of the OEA. This allowed the union to eventually take control of the strike, which it shut down on April 13, without achieving a single one of the teachers demands.

In an article published on March 30, three days before the strike began, the ISOs Socialist Worker called on OTU to use its Facebook page to organize a campaign to persuade the nearly 30,000 educators who arent in the union to join it. Then there are questions about the future of the OTU. Should it be formalized as a rank-and-file caucus? What demands should it make of union leaders, and what proposals for reforming and democratizing union structures should it raise?

The claim that the unions can be reformed to defend workers interests is a lie. The transformation of the trade unions internationally over the past three decades into pro-corporate labor management businesses, who collaborate with employers to reduce working-class living standards and break strikes, is rooted objectively in their pro-capitalist and nationalist perspective, which has been fatally undermined by the globalization of the capitalist production process.

The upper-middle class social layers for which the ISO, Jacobin and other pseudo-left organizations speak, are terrified of any movement of the working class that threatens to break free from the unions control. Their call for rank-and-file caucuses within the unions is aimed at securing highly-paid and influential positions within the union bureaucracy for themselves. Were they to take control of the unions, they would be no less willing than their predecessors in imposing sellouts on the workers.

This is the lesson of the Chicago teachers strike in 2012. The Chicago Teachers Union betrayed the courageous nine-day strike by 26,000 teachers, handing a major victory to Democratic Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel. Within months, Emmanuel proceeded to close 49 elementary schools and one high school.

The CTUs betrayal was all the more significant because the union was led by a nominally left faction, the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators (CORE). The vice president of the CTU, Jesse Sharkey, a leader of CORE, is a member of the ISO.

Unlike the various upper-middle class pseudo-left organizations, the World Socialist Web Site and Socialist Equality Party have fought throughout the teachers strikes to warn workers against the betrayals of the unions, and to advocate for the formation of genuinely democratic, rank-and-file committees, elected by the workers and independent from the unions and both corporate-controlled parties, to carry forward their struggle.

The author also recommends:

Lessons of the teachers strike in West Virginia

[8 March 2018]

The betrayal of the Oklahoma strike and lessons for the next stage of the teachers revolt

[18 April 2018]

Jacobin, International Socialist Organization claim victory in West Virginia teachers sellout

[9 March 2018]Julie Hyland, assistant national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party (UK), the British section of the International Committee of the Fourth International, delivered the following speech to the ICFIs Online May Day Rally. She has been a leading member of the IC for more than 30 years.

This May Day online rally, held on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx, extends its solidarity to the 65.6 million people displaced from their homes due to war, famine, poverty and persecution: approximately one in every 100 people on the planetthe largest number ever recorded.

Julie Hyland's address at the 2018 International Online May Day Rally

Marx would have understood, only too well, their plight. He was himself a political refugeeexpelled from Germany, France and Belgium for his revolutionary writings, stateless aged just 27, and living in poverty in England for the remaining majority portion of his life.

The grim reality of class relations, laid bare so unsparingly by Marx, explains why, today, there is hardly a safe-haven anywhere in the world.

A political refugee in England now can expect the type of treatment meted out to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, forced to shelter in the Ecuadorian embassy for almost six years, and deprived of all communications for exposing imperialist criminality.

The UK government recently admitted to imposing a hostile environment against migrants that has ensnared even members of the so-called Windrush generation. Workers from the Caribbean, who have lived, worked and raised families in the supposed Mother Country for decades, have been threatened with deportation, and denied housing, medical treatment, work and pensions.

There is nothing accidental or peculiar about such actions. A hostile environment to migrants and refugees is exactly what has been created by the ruling elites across the globe, as a deliberate policy.

In the United States, the right to asylum is under historic attack. In the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, migrants are now hunted down in Gestapo-like raids, shackled and deported, while nearly 200 migrants escaping violence, war and poverty in Central America, were left abandoned on the border for days when immigration officials deliberately delayed their applications.

On Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, a sadistic crackdown has taken place against refugees protesting their forcible removal to another off-shore detention centre. The Australian government insists they must not be allowed to set foot on the mainland at any cost. To force them to submit, water and electricity to the facility have been cut off and medical supplies terminated to hundreds of people, including children, some of whom have attempted suicide over their conditions.

In Israelanother nation of immigrantshundreds of African refugees are currently being rounded up and detained indefinitely in a prison in the Negev desert. Meanwhile, Palestinians protesting their enforced exile from their own land are mowed down by Israeli soldiers.

The picture is no better in Europe.

In Germany, under the most right-wing government since the Nazis, politicians speak openly of a final solution to the refugee issue, while Chancellor Merkel adopts the language of the AfD to blame refugees for causing division in the country.

In France, only last month the government passed a draconian bill further restricting the right to asylum. President Macron has pompously declared, We cannot take in all the misery of the world.

His statement sums up the callous indifference of the ruling elite. While they must be free to cause misery and mayhem globally, their victims can expect no sanctuary or protection.

This is the reality of bourgeois democracy in the epoch of its disintegration.

What is described as the refugee problem is really the problem of imperialism. The western powers bomb Syria, increase their military interventions in the Middle East and Africa, and threaten Iran, Russia and China.

These reckless actions account for the vast increase in the numbers of refugees most of whom are trapped in dire circumstances in countries themselves menaced by western intrigue such as Lebanon, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Uganda and Iran.

The closest to Europe many will ever get is to Turkeynow host to 3.5 million Syrians. The European Union routinely denounces Turkey as authoritarian, but it is only too happy to pay it to be its border guard.

Working people must be under no misapprehension. The policies employed against refugees will be turned against them.

And this is the case, irrespective of whether the parties in charge are nominally left or right, progressive or conservative.

It is not merely that the Democrats remain silent in the face of Donald Trumps fascistic measuresthey collude with them, as evidenced by the decision of Californias Democratic governor, Jerry Brown, to deploy 400 soldiers to the border at Trumps request.

Or we can take the example of the Syriza governmentthe so-called Coalition of the Radical Leftin Greece, which functions as another principal border guard for the EU. More than a million refugees have passed through Greek islands such as Lesbos in the last three years. Thousands are still forcibly detained in inhumane conditions, overwhelming already dwindling resources and services and subject to violent attacks by far-right groups.

This is not the unfortunate result of demands made of Syriza against its will. It is the outcome of the calculated political decision made by Alexis Tsipras and his pseudo-left allies, when they betrayed a massive mandate to fight austerity, and joined forces with the EU to impose its assault on working people.

The measures against refugees and migrants, and the attack on workers jobs and living standards, are two sides of the same class policy.

Poverty and unemployment now rival war as major causes of migration. Nearly 250 million people are classed as international migrantsforced to leave their homes and families in search of work.

The cause is clear. While, especially since 2008, working people everywhere have seen significant falls in their living standards, the wealth of the worlds richest 1 percent has been growing at an average of 6 percent a year. Just 42 people own the same amount of wealth as the poorest 50 percent worldwide.

You will search in vain for a single significant policy to redress this glaring social inequality in the programme of Bernie Sanders, Jeremy Corbyn, Jean-Luc Melenchon et al. Yet they, like others in the trade unions and pseudo-left parties, support restrictions on freedom of movement, especially against those deemed to be economic migrants, on the specious basis that this is in the best interests of the working class. Some even claim that they are following the policy of Karl Marx!

Such a monstrous distortion cannot be allowed to stand. These organisations have nothing in common with the founder of scientific socialism. Their call for border controls is the outcome of their perspective of national economic regulation under capitalism.

Not only is this diametrically opposed to the perspective of revolutionary socialist internationalism elaborated by Marx. Their defence of the state apparatus leads inexorably to support for police state measures at home and imperialist war abroad.

Marx was very clear on these questions, and his conclusion to the inaugural address of the International Working Mens Association (the First International) in 1864 is of immense contemporary relevance.

Past experience he said, has shown how disregard of that bond of brotherhood which ought to exist between the workmen of different countries, and incites them to stand firmly by each other in all their struggles for emancipation, will be chastised by the common discomfiture of their incoherent efforts.

It was the duty of the working classes to master themselves the mysteries of international politics; to watch the diplomatic acts of their respective governments; to counteract them, if necessary, by all means in their power, and, when unable to prevent, to combine in simultaneous denunciations, and to vindicate the simple laws or morals and justice which ought to govern the relations of private individuals 

The fight for such a foreign policy forms part of the general struggle for the emancipation of the working classes.

Proletarians of all countries, unite!

This is the perspective carried forward today only by the ICFI and the World Socialist Web Site.QUANG NGAI  After the 2017-2018 spring-autumn garlic harvest 15 days ago, farmers of Ly Son island district in the central province of Quang Ngai are preparing for a new onion crop but there is one thing in short supply, sea sand.

This crucial component is the farming business has been exhausted from the sea bed, while the demand for sand to improve cultivation has seen the price rise. Now it is up to VN200,000-210,000/cu.m, an increase of VN20.000 from two months ago, Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper reports.

Mai Thi Chi, a farmer at An Hai Commune said: "Due to insufficient supply, sometimes growers have to wait several days to buy enough sand to improve the soil.

To collect the sand at the bottom of the sea, divers have to go through many difficult stages. In previous years, there was plenty, but not anymore.

Up to three workers head about 400m out from the coastline in boats towing rafts. Then they dive to the sea bed some 30m below using tubes to breath in search of good sand.

It takes around four hours underwater to raise 40cu.m of sand.

Duong Minh Tri, a farmer An Hai Commune also said every year for around 1,000sq.m of garlic and onion, he family needed around 12cu.m of sand.

But because it is in short supply, this year not all of his crop will be covered in sand.

"Each year there is only one garlic crop, so we are willing to invest, but because of the sand shortage, it will be difficult. Lack of white sand is affecting the productivity of onion, garlic but we bear it," said Tri.

At Ly Sons boat-anchoring area, there are 10 sand rafts that can mine 200cu.m of sand a day.

Meanwhile, with 300 hectares of garlic production area, farmers need tens of thousands of cu. m.

The current source of sand on the island district is exhausted, the supply is not enough to help the local production, said Tri.

Nguyen Van Truong, owner of a sand raft in ong Village, An Hai Commune said "Every day can only gather around four rafts of sand, with the volume of about 20cu.m, so it is not enough white sand to provide for onion production.

Additionally, price increased because of the increase of gasoline prices, labour costs, transportation cost.

Garlic farmers in the island had a 2017  2018 spring garlic bumper crop with both high price and productivity.

The island district now has nearly 330 hectares of garlic and onion cultivation land, with an average yield of about 8-10 tonnes per hectare. The total yield was estimated at 3,000 tonnes of garlic. So the amount of white sand used to grow garlic on the island was huge.-- VNSNew Zealands foreign service is to get a massive boost in funding, taking its total four-year allocation to nearly $NZ1 billion, to implement the Labour Party-led governments Pacific Reset. The strategy is designed to intensify New Zealand capitalisms presence across the region and push back against growing Chinese influence.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) will receive an operational expenditure increase of $150.4 million for the period, and $40.3 million in capital expenditure. Another $714.2 million has been earmarked for the Official Development Assistance fund, or foreign aid, to be prioritised toward the Pacific. The diplomatic corps will be increased, with another 50 positions and the reopening of an embassy in Sweden, closed in 2012.

The real purpose of the Pacific Reset is to reassert the historical dominance of New Zealand and Australian imperialism in the southwest Pacific. In recent years, Samoa, Tonga and other Pacific countries have received hundreds of millions of dollars in aid, infrastructure investment and loans from Beijing, outstripping that provided by Australia and New Zealand.

Chinas involvement in the South Pacific is bound up with its response to Washingtons aggressive military and strategic pivot to the Asia-Pacific to confront China, which began under Barack Obama and has intensified under Donald Trump.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters, leader of the right-wing populist NZ First Party, announced MFATs budget allocation at a special presentation on May 8, ahead of the full budget release on May 17.

Labour previously sought to dampen expectations over the budget. Prime Minister Ardern last month delivered what the New Zealand Herald described as a gloomy warning over health and education expenditure. Finance Minister Grant Robertson re-assured business that budget responsibility to pay down debt would be a priority.

Peters said the increase in the foreign affairs portfolio reflected the critical role MFAT plays in keeping the country safe and prosperous in an increasingly turbulent global environment. It would demonstrate that New Zealand is serious in addressing global and regional challenges and helping people in need.

The Dominion Post on May 10 endorsed Peters anti-China stance, citing his media comment that if New Zealand is not there, some other influence will be there. Noting a dramatic underfunding of foreign aidfalling from 0.3 percent of gross national income in 2008 to 0.25 percent in 2016the editorial said feel good sentiments about the Pacific have now been backed by what really matters, and that is money.

In March, Peters delivered a speech at the Australian strategic think tank, the Lowy Institute, declaring that the Pacific is an increasingly contested strategic space, no longer neglected by Great Power ambition, and so Pacific Island leaders have more options. This is creating strategic anxiety. He called for New Zealand, Australia, the European Union and the US, to better pool our energies and resources to maintain our relative influence against external actors and interests.

Peters speech coincided with a furore in the Australian and New Zealand media designed to ratchet up an ongoing anti-China propaganda campaign. Citing unnamed intelligence and security sources, unsubstantiated allegations were aired that China was about to establish a naval base in the tiny island nation of Vanuatu.

The Pacific Reset dovetails with Washingtons militarisation of the Asia-Pacific, including threats of war against North Korea, and trade war measures, aimed primarily at economically isolating China. New Zealand and its allies are preparing for a major war. Peters stated twice in his Lowy speech that there has never been a time since 1945 when Australia and New Zealand need to work together more closely in the Pacific.

The reopening of the Stockholm embassy signals a further alignment of New Zealand with the imperialist intervention in Syria and build-up by the US and European powers to isolate and prepare for war against Russia. Labour seeks the closest alliance with Australia, the US and European powers in order to ensure their support for the NZ ruling elites own neo-colonial operations in the Pacific.

Labour supported the previous National Party governments commitment of $20 billion to upgrade the NZ military over 15 years to make it inter-operable with the US and allied forces.

In April, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern used a visit to Europe to promote increased military cooperation with France and Britain in the Pacific. She and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to work together on defence in the region, where heavily-militarised French colonies are close neighbours to New Zealand. Macron accepted an invitation to visit New Zealand, which will make him the first French president to do so.

Washingtons strategic interest was underscored on May 7 by Hillary Clinton, the former US secretary of state and 2016 Democratic Party presidential candidate. Clinton, on a visit to promote her recent book, told an Auckland audience that Chinas attempt to gain political power and influence in foreign countries, including New Zealand, is a new global battle.

Clinton claimed that Beijing was now much more active in the Pacific and intent on dominating its part of the globe through soft power and the projection of its military capabilities. Clinton cited the work of NATO-funded academic Anne-Marie Brady, who has called for New Zealands intelligence agencies to take action against Chinese influence in NZ politics and business.

In 2010, as secretary of state, Clinton was instrumental in intensifying the relations between New Zealand and the US as part of the Obama administrations pivot to Asia to confront China. She signed the Wellington Declaration, paving the way for the resumption of military exercises and training between New Zealand and the US after a decades-long freeze in response to New Zealands anti-nuclear legislation.

Wellingtons operations in the Pacific have always been shrouded in a bogus humanitarian guise. The local imperialist powers have ruthlessly exploited the Pacific for more than a century. New Zealand occupied Samoa from 1914 to 1962 and brutally oppressed the countrys inhabitants. It profited from the looting of phosphates from Nauru and Banaba, in Kiribati. The Cook Islands and Niue are effectively still New Zealand colonies, with limited independence, while Tonga and Samoa depend heavily on NZ and Australian aid.

During World War II, Pacific islands were turned into bloody battlefields where the US, Australia and New Zealand fought Japan for domination over the region. Amid intensifying preparations for war, the NZ Labour Party has abandoned any pacifist pretences and is fully collaborating with the US-led imperialist militarisation of the Asia-Pacific region.Donald Trumps rally in Elkhart, Indiana Thursday night was the latest in a series of campaign-style events where he is testing out a political appeal of a fascistic character. It follows similar events over the past two months, all in the industrial Midwest: a rally in Moon Township in the Pittsburgh suburbs on March 10; a rally in Washington Township, Michigan, in the Macomb County suburbs of Detroit, on April 28; and a fundraising appearance in suburban Cleveland on May 5.

While these events are linked to key Senate midterm contests on November 6or in the case of the Pittsburgh rally, a special congressional election in southwest Pennsylvaniaand Trump has embraced Republican candidates for state and federal office, the purpose of these rallies goes beyond electoral calculations.

Amid a ferocious conflict within the US ruling elite, with his political opponents in the military-intelligence apparatus and the Democratic Party seeking to demolish his administration with a series of criminal investigations and media leaks, Trump has turned to rallying his base of support on an increasingly open far-right basis.

The authoritarian thrust of Trumps campaign found its most ominous expression in Elkhart in his seemingly offhand suggestion that he might receive an extension for the presidency, in other words, remain in power longer than the two-term limit prescribed by the Twenty-Second Amendment to the US Constitution.

The content of his appeal to working-class and lower-middle-class people in his audience has been the same in all the rallies: extreme American chauvinism, expressed in references to respect for the flag, the pledge of allegiance and other patriotic claptrap, and, above all, in economic nationalism.

Thus in Elkhart he declared, We want trade deals that are fair and reciprocal. And we love our farmers. We are taking care of our farmers. We love our factory workers. We love our workers. For decades, American presidents responded to foreign cheating on trade. Cheating. There is no other word for it. Cheating. They responded with silence. They did not do anything.

He went on, We racked up trillions of dollars in trade deficits, also known as losses, while other countries stole our factories, our plants, our wealth and our jobs. But Americas long silence is over.

He combined demonization of foreign countries as economic thieves with vilification of immigrants, reiterating his call for a border wall with Mexico and warning workers that open borders represented the main threat to their jobs and living standards. Over the past week, his administration has escalated its attacks on immigrants, laying down a policy of forcible separation of parents and children for all families caught crossing the border illegally.

The corollary to the administrations America First nationalism is the escalation of war, currently targeting Iran. The ripping up of the Iranian nuclear accord earlier this week has been followed by an aggressive bombing campaign by Israel, coordinated with the US, against Iranian targets in Syria. A full-scale war in the Middle East, pitting Israel against Iran and dragging in the entire region, is an imminent danger.

Trump makes his lying and demagogic appeals with the understanding that the nominal opposition, the Democratic Party, is itself deeply unpopular and has no program capable of attracting a broader base of support. On trade, the Democrats are enthusiastically in support of protectionist measures. On immigration, while tut-tutting over Trumps bigoted language, the Democrats have done nothing to defend immigrants rights, and they bear with them the legacy of the Obama administration, responsible for more deportations than all previous administrations combined.

Typical of the Democrats is Senator Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Trumps main target at the Elkhart rally, where he boosted Republican challenger Mike Braun in the November election. Donnelly issued a series of statements emphasizing his general agreement with Trump. His campaign noted that he had voted with Trump 62 percent of the time in the Senate, because Donnelly works for Hoosiers, not any politician or political party.

The Democrats support the basic policy of the Trump administrationwar abroad and social reaction at home. Their opposition is centered on the Russia investigation, originally initiated to claim that Trumps election in 2016 was the result of a Russian dirty tricks operation. This campaign has become the launching pad for an effort to promote US military intervention in Syria.

Alongside channeling the demands of powerful sections of the intelligence apparatus and the military, the Democrats offer the incessant promotion of the #MeToo sex witch hunt and identity politics, aimed at mobilizing support among privileged layers of the upper-middle class.

The Democrats are terrified of the growth of working-class opposition, which has surfaced in the statewide strikes by teachers in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona, and the rising tide of strike activity more generally. Working with the unions, they have sought to suppress and demobilize opposition, while using the anti-Russia campaign to demand far-reaching measures to censor the Internet and block its use as a means for workers to organize.

During the 2016 election campaign, Trump sought to make an appeal to sections of the working class left behind by the supposed economic recovery under the Obama administration. While this appeal was entirely insincere and demagogic, it won a certain response and provided Trump the margin for his Electoral College victories in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

The Democrats make no such appeal to the millions of workers who have seen no benefit from the supposed economic boom Trump claims to have generated by his policies of cutting taxes for the wealthy and business, slashing health, safety and environmental regulations on business, and implementing protectionist trade policies. That is because Wall Streetwhich calls the shots in the Democratic no less than the Republican Partyis largely satisfied with these policies, which are pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into the coffers of the banks and giant corporations.

The same danger faces American workers that confronts workers across Europe: because the official organizations of the left, the trade unions and social democratic parties, support austerity and the slashing of jobs and living standards, the nationalistic and neo-fascist right benefits from the mounting social discontent and seeks to divert it in a reactionary direction, scapegoating immigrants and minorities. Trump is pursuing the same strategy and making the same appeals as the National Front in France, the Alternative for Germany and similar formations in Britain, Italy and across Eastern Europe.

In this political situation, the greatest danger is that the working class is not organized as an independent political force. As demonstrated by the teachers strikes in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizonaall states that Trump won easily in the 2016 electionthe working class is moving to the left, not the right.

The urgent political task in the unfolding political crisis is for the working class to intervene with its own, revolutionary socialist program. This requires the fight to build in every section of the working class a political leadership, the Socialist Equality Party, to unite workers in a common struggle against war, inequality, chauvinism, authoritarianism and their sourcethe capitalist profit system.Outrage is growing over the video of police brutality filmed last Saturday in Warsaw, North Carolina, a city of 3,000 one hour southeast of the state capital, Raleigh.

A short clip posted on YouTube shows an as yet unidentified white police officer grabbing 22-year-old Anthony Wall, who is African American, by the throat outside of a Waffle House, before shoving him into a wall and slamming him on the ground. Throughout the incident, despite being choked, Wall makes no aggressive moves to the officer. Instead he rasps Get your hands off me! and Get your supervisor out here.

Wall shared the video on Facebook a few days after the May 5 incident. That night he had taken his 16-year-old sister to the prom, afterwards they went to a Waffle House to eat where they got into an argument with an employee they say cursed at them. Whatever specific details emerge about that night, what is clear in the video is the callous disregard the police officer had for his victims safety.

Any time a police officer tries to restrain someone by the neck it carries a significant risk of injury or death. In 2014 Eric Garner, was infamously killed by a police officer using a chokehold, for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. The charges filed against Wall similarly demonstrate that no one but the police officer escalated the encounter into a life-and-death situation.

After being arrested, Wall was charged with disorderly conduct in public, a misdemeanor, relating to his argument in the Waffle House, and then also charged with resisting, obstructing and delaying a police officer, for being arrested. He was released shortly thereafter.

As is standard whenever an incident of police brutality reaches a wide audience, the Warsaw Police Department (WPD) and neighboring Onslow County District Attorney have announced an investigation including asking for independent investigators from the state to help. On the other hand, the local NAACP highlighted that Wall is black and called on the WPD to engage in racial sensitivity training.

All the statistics on police killings and brutality show two clear points: that police assault African and Native Americans in a greater proportion compared to other ethnicities, and that police brutalize large numbers of poor people of every race. Far deeper than the racism of individual police or departments are the class issues.

As if to demonstrate this, the Mayor of Warsaw, AJ Connors, who is African American, issued a video statement defending the officers actions. Connors, a pastor at Friendship Missionary Baptist, said This officer did what he had to. He told people upset by the violence, We are asking you to eliminate the prejudging; allow the system that is in place to operate and do what it needs to do. In words oozing with complacency, Connors stated We have a judicial system that works.

The way that judicial system works is by withholding information from the public so that district attorneys can manipulate grand juries to prevent charges from ever being brought against officers. Then in the rare cases where officers are brought to trial, the courts are rigged to prevent convictions. The judicial system works so well, that between 2005 and 2017, where police killed nearly 1,200 each year, only 80 police officers were ever charged with murder or manslaughter and of those 80 only 28 were convicted.The announcement by the Treasury Department Thursday of a new round of sanctions against Iran is part of US imperialisms aggressive drive to isolate and subjugate Tehran. As well as threatening to unleash an economic crisis in Iran, the sanctions, unveiled just two days after Trump blew up the Iran nuclear accord, also further exacerbated tensions between Washington and the European powers.

The sanctions, presented in a statement posted on the Treasury Departments website, target six individuals and three companies allegedly tied to the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) and its Quds force. Accusing the IRGC of malign activity, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also blamed Irans central bank for assisting the Revolutionary Guards to obtain US dollars through a currency exchange network. Mnuchin added, We are intent on cutting off IRGC revenue streams wherever their source and whatever their destination.

Coming just hours after Israels aggressive assault on various Iranian positions in Syria early Thursday, which Tel Aviv justified by claiming the Quds force fired a handful of rockets at Israeli territory, the Treasury Departments sanctions make clear that Washington is steering towards a direct military confrontation with Tehran. The Israeli bombardment, involving 28 warplanes, claimed the lives of as many as 18 foreigners, all of whom were likely Iranian personnel. Even though the Iranian attack followed a missile strike by Israel late Tuesday that claimed the lives of eight Iranians near Damascus, marking the third time in less than a month that Israel had caused Iranian casualties, the White House warned Iran in a statement also released Thursday to stop its provocative activities and stressed Israels right to self-defence.

The Treasury Departments efforts to paint Tehran as the chief destabilizing factor in the Middle East were no less absurd. The sanctions, which it unveiled in conjunction with the United Arab Emirates, were supposedly aimed at curbing IRGC support for terrorist groups and Iranian proxies in Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.

Notwithstanding the reactionary political character of Irans bourgeois-clerical regime, Tehrans backing of Hezbollah, a movement with a mass base of support in Lebanon, can hardly be denounced as the funding of proxies, least of all by two countries which have poured millions of dollars and weapons into the backing of Islamist militias in Syria. These proxies, which lack any significant popular support and have therefore suffered a series of defeats, have been used by the US to wage a brutal seven-year-long civil war for regime change in Damascusa war that has claimed over half a million lives.

Moreover, given the IRGCs significant role in the Iranian economy, including holdings in the construction, energy, and telecommunications sectors, those hit hardest by the new round of sanctions and the reimposition of economic sanctions more generally will be the Iranian working class.

Trump gave the go-ahead for the full reimposition of punishing sanctions on the Iranian economy on Tuesday in his speech abrogating the nuclear deal. After denouncing the deal as horrible and one-sided, Trump declared that Washington would enforce the highest level of economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic, meaning that the next step in any conflict would involve a resort to military means.

Underscoring the hardline approach the Trump administration plans to take, Mnuchin announced Tuesday that licenses granted to aircraft producers Boeing and Airbus to trade with Tehran would be cancelled. Trump vowed that Washington would also sanction any foreign company that continues to do business with Iran, leaving open a timeframe of three to six months for businesses to wind down their operations.

US imperialism hopes with the sanctions to bully Iran into capitulating to its predatory demands, including the abandonment of Irans ballistic missile program and the ending of its support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and other foreign groups. In this way, Washington aims to remove Tehran as a regional obstacle to its consolidation of unchallenged hegemony over the energy-rich and strategically significant Middle East. Two larger obstacles in this agenda are Russia and China, which have their own interests in the region. As if to underscore how their ambitions clash, Beijing announced the opening of a new freight railway connecting western China with Iran the same day as Washington presented its new sanctions.

However, alongside economic pressure, plans are far advanced for all-out war with Tehran. There can be no doubt that Washington was made aware beforehand of Israels plans to strike Iranian infrastructure across Syria on Thursday and gave its backing to the aggressive actionnot least because the bombardment would weaken the Iranian forces stationed in the country and enable the US and its Islamist allies to strengthen their position in the oil-rich east of the country.

Trumps decision to scrap the Iran deal and reimpose sanctions has thrown the bourgeois nationalist Iranian regime into crisis. President Hassan Rouhani touted the 2015 agreement as a means for Iran to improve ties with the West and spur economic development. The collapse of this strategy is encouraging representatives of the hardliner faction of the ruling elite, who always warned against cooperation with the United States, to speak out more forcefully. Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei raised doubts about the commitment of France, Germany, and Britain to salvaging the nuclear accord, declaring in a speech Wednesday, I do not trust these three countries either. An Iranian government statement chastised the European powers for having been incapable of fully performing their obligations under the deal even while the US was nominally a party.

This bluster notwithstanding, the Iranian bourgeoisie is determined to cut a deal with imperialism. Tehran has already appealed to Airbus to confirm its commitment to sell 100 aircraft to the country in spite of the threat of US sanctions. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will travel to Europe early next week to negotiate terms for the maintenance of the nuclear accord.

While the European powers, led by France and Germany, took a critical view of Trumps cancellation of the Iran deal, they also made clear that they will demand additional concessions of Tehran if the deal is to be rescued. This is because the ruling elites in Berlin, Paris, and London are determined to pursue their predatory imperialist interests in Iran and the broader Middle East just as ruthlessly as their counterparts in Washington.

The new round of US sanctions prompted an even sharper response from the European powers, which see their expanding economic interests under threat. Calls are growing for European companies to defy the sanctions, and for the European Union to take measures to protect European companies against fines or other punishments adopted by Washington.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire stated Friday that Europe is prepared to take measures to counter the enforcement of any penalties by the United States against a European firm for doing business with Iran. We have to work among ourselves in Europe to defend our European economic sovereignty, he declared in an interview with Europe 1. Do we accept extraterritorial sanctions? The answer is no, he told reporters. Do we accept that the United States is the economic gendarme of the planet? The answer is no. Do we accept the vassalization of Europe in commercial matters? The answer is no.

Last year, French exports to Iran doubled compared to the previous year, while German exports climbed by around 400 million.

Le Maire advanced three proposals designed to counteract the impact of any US sanctions. The first would be a European-wide blocking statute to prevent US sanctions impacting European firms. He also suggested giving Europe more financial independence from the US, including by establishing a body to oversee European trade with Iran, and an agency tasked with following the activities of foreign companies.

In a speech delivered in the western German city of Munster Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel struck a similarly critical tone toward US policy on Iran. Trumps decision had damaged trust in the international order, according to Merkel. Even in tough times, we decide to strengthen multilateralism, she stated.Several hours after the New Yorker magazine published a May 7 feature article titled, Four Women Accuse New Yorks Attorney General of Physical Abuse, Eric Schneiderman, New Yorks Attorney General, issued his resignation, effective the following day. Schneiderman has denied the accusations.

In effect, because of unsubstantiated allegations by two former lovers about what went on primarily in the bedroom, a top official in New York state, for whom 2.5 million people voted in 2010 and 2 million in 2014, has been forced from office overnight. The New Yorker article hit newsstands just weeks before the filing deadline to run in the primaries for the attorney general race this fall.

Schneidermans rivals conducted their campaign through the pages of the New York Times. On May 8, the paper immediately and heartily endorsed the disappearing of Schneiderman in an editorial titled, The Wreckage Schneiderman Leaves Behind. In the article, the Times prominently calls for the selection of Barbara Underwood as interim attorney general. Later that day, Underwood was appointed to the post. On May 9, the Times had the gall to publish an article titled, No Back-Room Deal to Replace Schneiderman in which the paper denounced politicians for advanc[ing] their own political causes!

The co-authors of the New Yorker piece are Jane Mayer and Ronan Farrow. Farrow, the son of actress Mia Farrow and comic-filmmaker Woody Allen, helped launch the ongoing sexual harassment witch-hunt with his article last October, also in the New Yorker, recounting allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

We have no use for Schneiderman, the top law enforcement official in New York, a state that contains New York City, one of the centers of world finance and business and one of the most socially divided urban areas on the planet.

However, while in office, he caused expense and inconvenience for certain people. The Times, on May 9, published an article (Eric Schneidermans Legacy in Financial Cases May Survive His Downfall) that is extremely damning from the point of view of its reactionary editorial only the day before.

The article notes that Mr. Schneidermans big accomplishment in going after Wall Street were the billions of dollars in penalties that he helped secure from big banks that had sold flawed mortgage-backed bonds during the run-up to the financial crisis. He ensured that some of that money went to help communities across the state that were overrun by abandoned houses and foreclosuresoften referred to as zombie homes.

It further points to settlements with or investigations into Barclays and Credit Suisse, Exxon Mobil and Caliber Home Loans. Schneiderman, a Democrat, also bumped up against Donald Trump, filing a lawsuit against the laughably named Trump University, accusing the school of taking advantage of thousands of customers and running a bait and switch educational program. The suit was settled for a meager $25 million.

A previous New York attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, who later became governor, also ruffled feathers in financial circles, the same Times piece notes, by making use of a little-known state law called the Martin Act to aggressively pursue allegations of criminal and civil wrongdoing on Wall Street. Spitzer was elected governor in 2006 and subsequently done in by a New York Times-led sex scandal in 2008.

Billions of dollars, including a great deal of personal wealth, are involved here, even if the actions of both attorneys general were merely cosmetic.

The Times, it should be noted, is a publicly traded company that has increased both digital subscriptions and corporate profits since the #MeToo movement was launched last fall. In its most recent quarterly profit report, the Times reported its own tax expense dropped from $10.7 million in the first quarter of 2017 to $5.3 million in this years first quarter as a result of Trumps corporate tax cuts.

The evidence strongly suggests that Schneiderman (like Spitzer) was removed from office not primarily because of the character of his personal relationships, but for conduct that Wall Street, which has a near absolute veto over significant political decision-making in the US, considered impermissibleperhaps as well because of his national political ambitions, which cut across the plans of important Democratic Party circles. To rid themselves of Schneiderman, these powerful financial and political interests made use of the always compliant New York media. Via the medium of the sex scandal, these interests settle scores, further shift policies to their benefit and intimidate any potential crusaders.

The Mayer-Farrow New Yorker article is a travesty from beginning to end. Its headline misleadingly refers to four women, but only two actually provide their names, Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam.

Each woman, articulate, progressive Democratic feminists in their forties who live in Manhattan, according to the article, was romantically involved with Schneiderman for more than a year. Manning Barish, who asserts that the attorney general grew violent some four weeks into their relationship, remained involved with Schneiderman off and on, for nearly two years. She says that when they had sex he often slapped her across the face without her consent, and that she felt emotionally battered by cruel remarks that he made. (Emphasis added.) Selvaratnams allegations are similar. Schneiderman contends that whatever occurred was consensual.

Mayer and Farrow present no proof, aside from the womens comments. We are meant to accept their claims at face value.

If the charges are true, then it points to the fraudulent and empty character of the #MeToo campaign, of which Schneiderman has been a leading proponent.

The May 8 New York Times editorial also accepted the allegations of the two women without reservation. It noted that Schneiderman, in the space of a few short hours on Monday evening, had gone from being known as one of the nations most progressive and influential attorneys general to being cast as a drunken, abusive monster who terrorized women in his personal life even as he publicly advocated womens rights. No doubt he was cast as a monster, by two individuals, but was he one?

The Times continued: Mr. Schneidermans fall was so fast, the allegations against him so appalling and the depth of his apparent hypocrisy so astounding that the lesson will take some time to sort out. But it is already clear that his betrayal operates on at least three levels.

How can there be apparent hypocrisy and betrayal operating on one, two, three or any number of levels when nothing has been proven against Schneiderman? Allegations may be as appalling as one likes, but that does not change them from being allegations, i.e., unproven claims. The editors also wrote, Its not yet clear how many people knew of Mr. Schneidermans alleged behavior, but these accusations come as such a shock in large part because of the values Mr. Schneiderman professed to hold. How can actual existing people be aware of alleged behavior, behavior that may not have taken place? What if the behavior never happened at all, should they nonetheless have been aware of it?

The role of Farrow in this latest dirty tricks operation requires a little attention. A repugnant figure, a State Department-trained propagandist, complicit in American imperialist crimes during the war on terror epoch, Farrow has now been let loose to wreak havoc in US political and cultural circles.

He cut his teeth on the Darfur campaign, the collective crocodile tears shed by sections of the North American and European middle class (and celebrity affluentsia in particular) over the mass suffering in Sudan. He visited the area a number of times, along with his mother, in his capacity as UNICEF Spokesperson for Youth and supposed advocate for children and women caught up in the Darfur conflict.

Farrows mentor was the late imperialist hatchet-man, Richard Holbrooke, who performed his dirty work on behalf of American interests for half a century, from Vietnam to the Balkans and Afghanistan.

Farrow, who regards Holbrooke as a diplomatic giant and the closest thing to a father I had, first worked for the veteran operative in 2004as an aide and speechwriterwhile still a teenager. Once Obama took office in 2009, Farrow was appointed Special Adviser for Humanitarian and NGO Affairs in the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. In this capacity he oversaw the U.S. Governments relationships with civil society and non-governmental actors. In 2011, he became Secretary of State Hillary Clintons Special Adviser for Global Youth Issues and Director of the State Departments Office of Global Youth Issues.

In fact, the special concern of Clinton and Farrow was the growing youth radicalization. As Farrow notes in his new book, War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence: After Richard Holbrookes death, I had put together a small team of Foreign Service officers to focus on the global implications of the youth unrest Id seen vividly in Afghanistan and then had unfolded across North Africa and the Middle East.

Along the same lines, on the occasion of his delivering the 2011 commencement address at Bard College, his alma mater, Farrow commented, One thing Ive learned is that young people will make themselves heard, whatever it takes. When they turn to extremism to accomplish that, young people can be one of the great threats to global stability. He went on, That challenge is just as acute at home as it is abroad. We fail to empower the next generation at the peril of our security and economic primacy.

Farrow made another telling admission when he spoke on May 8 this year at Claremont McKenna Universitys commencement ceremony:

There was a moment about a year ago when I didnt have the institutional support of my news organization. My contract was ending  My book publisher dropped me, refusing to look at a single page of a manuscript Id labored over for years.

And then, all of a sudden, institutional support materialized. Decisions were made in the halls of power. Influential people in the media and political establishment became convinced that Farrows story could serve to advance their interests. They gave their initiative a moniker: #MeToo.At least 1,700 residents of the Puna District on the island of Hawaii, the largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, have been forced to evacuate their homes as the island has been rocked by a series of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions over the past week, with geologists warning Wednesday that this could be the beginning of an even more destructive volcanic event.

The island of Hawaii, commonly known as the Big Island, rests upon the worlds longest-erupting volcano, Kilauea. On May 3, after two days of minor earthquakes that prompted an evacuation order from Hawaii County authorities, two fissures emerged in the residential neighborhood of Leilani Estates, opening up lava flows that destroyed two homes almost immediately and released deadly gases such as sulfur dioxide into the air.

The next day, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the area, the strongest in a series of several earthquakes of 5.0 magnitude or greater since May 3.

As of this writing, 15 fissures have formed in the Puna District, making the area treacherous even as some residents have been allowed to return to survey the wreckage and retrieve what belongings they could from their homes. Lava fountains up to 300 feet high have been seen and 117 acres of land had been covered by lava by May 9.

On Wednesday, scientists from the US Geological survey warned that the lava level in the volcano was dropping steadily, potentially setting the stage for a steam-driven explosion at Kilaueas summit. If lava reaches the groundwater level, the steam generated could shoot exploding boulders almost a mile away and smaller rocks up to several miles from the summit, as well as sending hazardous ash spewing into the atmosphere.

Hawaii County officials also told reporters Wednesday that they had asked the operators of a geothermal energy plant, Puna Geothermal Ventures, to remove 12,000 gallons of highly volatile pentane fuel from the area. Residents have long expressed concern over the safety of Puna Geothermal Venture, an energy plant built 25 years ago in what was widely known to be a high-risk zone for lava flow in the event of a major eruption. Pentane is prone to explosions and can cause major health issues such as vomiting and respiratory distress if spilled.

At least 36 buildings, including 27 homes, have been destroyed in the Leilani Estates subdivision so far.

As is the case with natural disasters around the world, the Kilauea eruption has laid bare historic levels of social inequality and the irrationality of the capitalist system.

Leilani Estates is a neighborhood situated directly on the lava field, where many working-class families have been forced to live due to rising housing costs. Leilani Estates has a median income of just over $31,000 and an official poverty rate of 21.9 percent, more than double that of the state as a whole.

However, this statistic does not account for Hawaiis extraordinarily high cost of living, which is the highest in the nation and can be as much as two-thirds higher than the average on the US mainland. According to the US Census Bureau, when the cost of living is factored in, the states poverty rate increases from 10.9 percent, among the lowest in the nation, to 16.8 percent, the ninth-highest. That is in spite of an official unemployment rate of just two percent. The true level of poverty in Leilani Estates is therefore likely to be considerably higher than the official rate.

A major driver of extremely high living costs for Hawaiian workers is the states desirability as a vacation destination for the global elite, whose insatiable desire for real estate has caused housing prices to soar over recent decades.

This has been accompanied by a sharp increase in homelessness, which set a new state record in 2017. The official homeless population last year stood at 7,000 in a state of just 1.43 million people, giving it the highest rate of homelessness per capita in the United States. However, it is widely recognized that the official homeless rate vastly understates the depth of the crisis.

The fact that workers and their families are forced by low wages and ever rising living costs to live on an active lava field in the worlds wealthiest country is an indictment of the capitalist system, which subordinates all aspects of life to the profit interests of the ruling class.Webcam hosting service will be discontinued on October 21, 2021. Read more about our decision here.HA NOI  One of the goals of the new general education programme issued by the Ministry of Education and Training is to reduce pressure on students and give them more practical experience. But after a month-long pilot programme in six provinces and cities, experts and teachers have identified major shortcomings in the curriculum.

During the trial, more than 1,400 teachers taught more than 6,000 periods. The lessons taught were either totally new and not in the current textbooks, or were in the current textbooks but taught with new methods.

After the trial, Professor Nguyen Minh Thuyet, the programmes chief editor, confessed that the new curriculum was still quite dense. Some content was designed to be more difficult than students ability to acquire it, Nong Thon Ngay Nay (Countryside Today) reports.

"The extensive content of every lesson means that students have fewer opportunities to apply it into practice and take part in out-of-school activities," he said.

Ngo Thi Hong Lien, vice principal of Ha Nois Tay Ho High school, said that students were excited with the lessons and absorbing them well. However, the pressure placed on teachers was relatively high.

Some teachers claimed that the new curriculum has difficult content. Teachers should be trained and should actively change teaching methods to encourage students to interact more in order to have more effective teaching, she said.

ang Tuan Anh, vice principal of Nguyen Dieu High school in central Binh inh Province, agreed that training teachers was very important. Without training and orientation, teachers would struggle to teach the lessons and put more pressure on students.

"Many teachers are used to one-way teaching without much interaction with students and are reluctant to make changes," he said.

Pedagogy research shows that if students are active in exploring knowledge and practising as they learn, the lessons will go well. Teachers who prepare carefully for the lessons will have better quality classes, according to Professor Thuyet.

Lack of infrastructure

According to experts, infrastructure determines the success and failure of a new educational programme.

The new programme requires students to take two classes per day or at least six classes per week. A standard classroom should have 35 students at the primary level and 45 students at elementary level. Classrooms should be spacious enough to organize tables and chairs in groups.

However, infrastructure conditions are said to currently pose a big challenge to many schools seeking to implement the new educational programme.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, there are more than 28,000 educational facilities nationwide with nearly 15 million students. There are nearly 420,000 classrooms across the country, about 77 per cent of which are difficult to renovate.

The quantity of equipment in the classrooms designed for specific subjects meets only 68 per cent of demand.

An education specialist said that there were now up to 60 to 70 students per classroom in big cities. Students had to study on Saturdays and Sundays due to the lack of classrooms. Meanwhile, classes in mountainous remote areas had poor conditions.

It is a worry that the new curriculum cannot be effectively implemented in case infrastructure lacks proper investment, the specialist said.

Teaching equipment also plays a big role, said Bui Thi Hong Hanh, vice principal of Vo Lao Primary school No.1 in Van Ban District of the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai .

It takes time to prepare some complicated teaching equipment. I think the curriculums editors should publish a list of resources supporting teachers and offer investments for schools to improve teaching quality, she said.

Education and training Deputy Minister Nguyen Huu o compared infrastructure with the hardware of a computer, saying it is important but does not determine everything. "The software, which is a programmes content and teachers, is far more of significant," he said.

The new curriculum is scheduled to officially take effect next year. However, Professor Thuyet said that there was still much work to do including compiling new textbooks.

He said that teachers comments after each pilot lesson were compiled for further improvement of the programme. After changes, the general education programmes assessment council would assess the content once again to improve its quality.  VNSHA NOI  President Tran ai Quang met with Vietnamese and foreign scientists in Ha Noi yesterday after they attended the seminar themed Science for development in the central province of Binh inhs Quy Nhon City on Wednesday and Thursday.

The event was part of the Meet Viet Nam  programme on the occasion of its 25th founding anniversary.

The President thanked scientists, politicians, policymakers and corporate executives for actively joining the activities of the programme, which is a bridge connecting Vietnamese and foreign scientists, making important contributions to Viet Nam s scientific and education activities.

The Vietnamese Party and State always focus on science and education development, considering it the top national policy and a driving force of the countrys sustainable development, he said.

The President praised Binh inh Province for supporting the association and putting into operation the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science and Education since 2013, turning the locality into a destination for annual meetings of domestic and foreign scientists.

He recalled an experience in June 2016 when he visited the centre and expressed his appreciation for the helpful contributions of the association, Prof. Tran Thanh Van and his spouse Prof. Le Kim Ngoc.

The leader expressed hope that ministries and agencies will continue partnering with the province and the association to develop the centre in service of science and education not only in the province, but also across the central provinces and the entire nation.

He also asked foreign scientists to continue supporting the programme and assisting Viet Nam in science and education for the countrys sustainable socio-economic development.

The 14th Meet Viet Nam  attracted 55 foreign scientists and other delegates, including two Nobel laureates in physics and economics, popularising the image of Viet Nam and its people to international friends.

Over the past 25 years, Meet Viet Nam , initiated by Prof. Van and Prof. Ngoc, has attracted thousands of well-known scientists, including Nobel, Fields and Kavil laureates.

The Meet Viet Nam Association also worked closely with the Sponsoring Association for Vietnamese Children in France led by Prof. Ngoc to build three SOS childrens villages in a Lat in 1974, in Hue in 2000 and ong Hoi in 2006, and establish the scholarship fund Meet Viet Nam  Vallet.  VNSDid Ayatollah Khamenei Just Troll Trump? Irans Leader Shares Photo of Himself Reading Fire and Fury

Irans supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared to disparage President Trump on his Instagram account on Friday just a few days after POTUS pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and placed more sanctions on the country.

Khamenei posted an image of himself reading a Persian translation of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, Michael Wolffs much-discussed book that paints a picture of chaos at 1600 Pennsylvania avenue.

The leader of the revolution browsing a book about #Trump, President of America, reads a rough translation of Khameneis post.

Its unclear whether the book is an official Persian copy or an unofficial knockoff. Publisher Harry Holt did not immediately respond to a request for clarification from TheWrap.

Also Read: Seth Meyers: Trump 'Sounds Like a Movie President Fighting an Alien Invasion' When He Talks About North Korea (Video)

The book, which reflected Trump and his administration in a poor light, caused a major stir in the United States after it was released in January. For weeks Wolff was a ubiquitous television presence storming sets from morning to prime time on MSNBC, CNN and international outlets. Growing questions about the books veracity came to a head, however, after an appearance on Bill Maher in which Wolff suggested that Trump and U.N Ambassador Nikki Haley were secretly having an affair. (Haley offered a strenuous denial at the time, saying the speculation was disgusting and highly offensive.)

Khameni said Wednesday that Trump made a mistake by exiting the nuclear deal.

I said from the first day: dont trust America, Khamenei said.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Jay Roach to Direct 'Fire and Fury' TV Adaptation

How James Corden Got Hillary Clinton to Do That 'Fire and Fury' Bit at the Grammys (Video)

Nikki Haley: 'Fire and Fury' Joke 'Ruined the Grammys'

Grammys: Watch Hillary Clinton, Cardi B and Snoop Dogg Read the Trump Tell-All 'Fire and Fury' (Video)Authorities have recovered apparent skeletal remains near where the SUV of a family of eight plunged off a cliff in Northern California in March in a crash police believe killed the entire family.

A statement from the Mendocino County Sheriffs Office says the apparent bones of a human foot were found Wednesday inside a shoe that was entangled in a pant leg of a pair of girls jeans. The jeans were size 10 regular, and the shoe was a 3.5 big kid size or 5.5 womens U.S. size.

The discovery was made about a mile from the crash site, according to the statement.

The SUV belonging to the Hart family, of Washington, fell about 100 feet down to the shoreline and was found on March 26. Authorities believe the crash was intentional and Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman has said he considers it a crime rather than an accident.

Parents Jennifer and Sarah Hart, both 38, and their six adopted children are presumed dead, but the remains of two of the children  Devonte, 15, and Hannah, 16  have not been accounted for.

According to the sheriffs office statement, authorities will attempt to identify the apparent bones using DNA analysis.

The Hart family

The statement adds that three of the four children whose remains were found tested positive for the active ingredient in Benadryl, while one child had no toxicology finding. Previously, authorities had announced that Sarah had also tested positive for the drug.

Authorities had also announced previously that Jennifer, who was driving the car, was intoxicated, with a blood alcohol level of 0.102. (The legal limit is .08.)

A History of Abuse

In 2001, Sarah Hart pleaded guilty to an abuse charge, admitting to taking daughter Abigail into the bathroom, bending her over the edge of the bathtub and hitting her on the backside.

Three days before the crash was reported, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services received a call alleging the Hart children appeared to be potential victims of alleged abuse or neglect, Norah West, the departments spokeswoman, told PEOPLE.

Story continues

The states DSHS tried unsuccessfully to contact the family on three occasions, the first time on March 23. They tried again March 26 and March 27, not knowing the family had perished in the crash.

Washington officials recently released a 911 call made by a child welfare worker who was attempting to reach the Hart family on the day their wrecked SUV was found.

PEOPLE recently obtained 2013 documents from the Department of Human Services in Oregon, then the familys home state. The agency opened an investigation into the Hart family after learning of multiple abuse and neglect allegations, according to the documents.

Multiple women spoke with Oregon child welfare workers about the Harts, with one alleging that Jennifer does this thing for her Facebook page, where the kids pose, and are made to look like one big happy family, but after the photo event, they go back to looking lifeless.

The Hart familiy

According to one allegation, Jennifer viewed the children as animals before they were adopted and said she thought of herself as their savior.

The couple would target certain children for mistreatment, according to one allegation, but they favored Devonte, who became famous after a photo of him hugging an officer at a 2014 police reform rally went viral.

However, Oregon officials did not find evidence the children were in danger and closed the investigation.A White House official mocked Sen. John McCains brain cancer diagnosis just three weeks after the politician underwent surgery for an intestinal infection.

The remarks were made Thursday morning, one day after the Republican announced he opposed President Donald Trumps nominee for CIA director, Gina Haspel.

It doesnt matter, hes dying anyway, Special assistant Kelly Sadler said during a closed-door meeting at the White House, according to The Hill.

The White House responded to the comments in a statement obtained by PEOPLE, saying, We respect Senator McCains Service to our nation and he and his family are in our prayers during this difficult time.

Want to keep up on the latest from PEOPLE? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get our best stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.

McCains wife, Cindy, 63, tweeted at Sadler on Thursday, writing, @kellysadler45 May I remind you my husband has a family, 7 children and 5 grandchildren.

The couples daughter and The View co-host, Meghan McCain, retweeted her mothers message. Earlier on Thursday, she also shared a black and white photo of herself with her father in which she sat on his lap as a little girl.

@kellysadler45 May I remind you my husband has a family, 7 children and 5 grandchildren.  Cindy McCain (@cindymccain) May 10, 2018

#TBT  Ive always wanted in on the action. Love you so much Dad, Meghan, 33, wrote, adding both a heart emoji and an American flag emoji.

McCain, 81, was diagnosed with brain cancer in July 2017 after undergoing a surgery to remove a blood clot above his eye last summer. He was hospitalized in December to treat side effects related to his cancer therapy.

More recently, McCain underwent surgery in April after contracting an intestinal infection. Meghan shared an update about her fathers health, tweeting, My father @SenJohnMcCain is in stable condition  he continues to inspire me everyday with his intense grit and determination. Thank you to the doctors at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix and to everyone who is praying for him.

Story continues

#TBT - Ive always wanted in on the action.... Love you so much Dad. ?????????? pic.twitter.com/bagHAaqAKw  Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) May 10, 2018

Later on Thursday, FOX Business Network host Charles Payne interviewed Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney on McCains opposition to Haspel, which was based in part due to her belief that torture works as a questioning method.

McInerney responded on the show saying that despite Haspel being unable to use torture since its not legal the method worked on McCain himself.

The fact is, is John McCain  it worked on John, McInerney said, referencing McCains time as a prisoner of war.

...Wow



Conversation on Fox about torture: "It worked on John [McCain]. That's why they call him 'Songbird John'" https://t.co/OjCwhv2ZhI pic.twitter.com/WehsgPAqgb  Leanne Naramore (@LeanneNaramore) May 10, 2018

Thats why they call him Songbird John. The fact is those methods can work, and they are effective, as former Vice President Cheney said, he continued. And if we have to use them to save a million American lives, we will do whatever we have to.

Payne issued an apology on Twitter after the segment aired, writing, This morning on a show I was hosting, a guest made a very false and derogatory remark about Senator John McCain.

At the time, I had the control room in my ear telling me to wrap the segment, and did not hear the comment, he continued. I regret I did not catch this remark, as it should have been challenged.

I regret I did not catch this remark, as it should have been challenged. As a proud military veteran and son of a Vietnam Vet these words neither reflect my or the networks feelings about Senator McCain, or his remarkable service and sacrifice to this country.

Charles V. Payne  Charles V Payne (@cvpayne) May 10, 2018

As a proud military veteran and a son of a Vietnam Vet these words neither reflect my or the networks feeling about Senator McCain, or his remarkable service and sacrifice to this country.

On Tuesday, Meghan asked the public to stop speaking about her fathers funeral.

Its just insensitive and its not appreciated at the moment, she said on The View, resuming her co-hosting role on the talk show after a long weekend at home in Arizona with her father.

RELATED VIDEO: Meghan McCain Talks About Her Father John McCains Crazy Amazing Recovery from Brain Cancer

Hes doing really good. Just making jokes, talking, standing, doing, you know, doing a great recovery. He has a great team around him, Meghan replied.

After being diagnosed in July, McCain told PEOPLE that his daughter marrying Ben Domenech on Nov. 21 at the familys ranch in Cornville, Arizona, was a dream come true.

The thing in life you want more than anything else is for your kids to be happy, the senator told PEOPLE exclusively. And Im confident that she will be. It was really a wonderful day.

In the wake of the diagnosis, Meghan and Domenech, 36, made the decision to get engaged and quickly plan a wedding.NBC has offered to look into sexual harassment and assault allegations against Tom Brokaw by former NBC correspondent Linda Vester. But Vester has declined the request at this point, because the network wouldnt bring in outside counsel to run the investigation.

We will not be participating in any investigation by NBC of NBC, Ari Wilkenfeld, Vesters attorney, told Variety. He added that he informed the news organization that his client would be more than willing to participate if there was an investigation commissioned by outside counsel.

Wilkenfeld says he has not heard back yet from NBC about his request.

NBCUniversal has reached out to Ms. Vester via her attorney to discuss her allegations, and so far she has not accepted our offer, a spokesperson for NBCUniversal said in a statement to Variety.

After Today anchor Matt Lauer was fired last November over a series of sexual misconduct allegations, NBC News chairman Andy Lack vowed to review the Lauer situation, but ever since the results of that report were made public Wednesday, the news division has faced criticism for using NBCUniversal general counsel instead of an outside team.

This so-called investigation is a joke and Comcast needs to clean house at the highest ranks of NBC if it wants to create a safe workplace, said Karin Roland, chief campaigns officer of womens advocacy group UltraViolet about the Lauer report.

According to NBCs findings, no managers were responsible for any wrongdoing in the Lauer case. Those findings dont necessarily fit with the narrative of the story that has unfolded in the press. In an interview with the Washington Post in April, former Today co-anchor Ann Curry said that she voiced concerns in 2012 about Lauers conduct toward women to an unnamed manager at NBC. Its not clear if that manager was part of the internal probe, but Curry told the New York Times in a statement, I have not participated in any formal investigation by NBC on sexual harassment.

Story continues

NBCUniversals investigation was thorough, objective and conducted at the corporate level, outside the News division, an NBCUniversal spokesperson told Variety. Kim Harris, the companys General Counsel, led this process with a team of legal and HR professionals who are independent of News. In addition, we consulted with two prominent outside law firms  Proskauer Rose and Davis Polk  both of whom validated the investigations methodology, findings, conclusions and recommended next steps.

NBC running its own investigation in the Lauer case raises questions about a networks ability to investigate itself. Even before the Lauer findings were made public, Wilkenfeld blasted the network for failing to run an independent investigation, saying, One important reason companies hire outside investigators is to send a strong signal to their own employees that the company wants to get to the root of what happened and is prepared to accept responsibility. Sadly, it seems that NBC has chosen to go in a very different direction.

Thursday morning, appearing on Good Morning America, Vester was asked by George Stephanopoulos, You dont trust them to investigate this themselves? to which she responded, Well, I think its common sense  you cant investigate yourself. You just cant. Theres an internal bias. Thats how it works.

Vester, a former NBC war correspondent, accused Brokaw of sexually harassing and assaulting her in the 1990s, claiming the anchorman groped her in a conference room, forcibly tried to kiss her on two different occasions, and showed up uninvited at her hotel room during a business trip. Brokaw has strongly denied these claims.

NBC knew about Vesters allegations for several weeks prior to her story being published in Variety and the Washington Post. But Wilkenfeld says nobody from the news division contacted Vester until after her story became public.

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Subscribe to Variety Newsletters and Email Alerts!John McCain may have admitted that he regrets picking Sarah Palin as his running mate in the 2008 presidential election, but according to the former Alaska governor, thats not what Sen. McCain has told me all these years.

The one-time Republican vice-presidential candidate told The Daily Mail on Thursday that she feels a perpetual gut punch every time she hears reports about McCains regrets and that having to read the news every day is not a real fun thing.

I attribute a lot of what were hearing and reading regarding McCains statements to his ghostwriter or ghostwriters, Palin said. I dont know unless I heard it from Sen. McCain myself.

She added that McCain has apologized to me repeatedly for the people who ran his campaign, adding that some of them now staff MSNBC, the newsroom there, which tells you a lot.

Want to keep up on the latest from PEOPLE? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get our best stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.

John McCain and Sarah Palin in 2008

On Saturday, The New York Times published a report about McCains upcoming two-hour HBO documentary and book, The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and other Appreciations  both set for release this month.

In them, the 81-year-old reportedly gives Palin praise for her work on the campaign, but says not choosing friend and former Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) as his running mate instead was another mistake hes made in his political career.

McCains advisers had reportedly warned him that choosing Lieberman would divide Republicans and ruin his chances at a win, as Lieberman  formerly a Democrat  was in support of abortion rights.

It was sound advice that I could reason for myself, McCain writes in his book, according to the Times. But my gut told me to ignore it and I wish I had.

Its the first time McCain has publicly expressed any second thoughts about picking Palin.

Joseph Lieberman and John McCain

On Thursday, just three weeks after the politician underwent surgery for an intestinal infection, a White House official reportedly mocked McCains brain cancer diagnosis.

Story continues

The remarks were made by special assistant Kelly Sadler during a closed-door meeting at the White House, according to The Hill, in response to McCain announcing that he opposed President Donald Trumps nominee for CIA director, Gina Haspel.

It doesnt matter, hes dying anyway, Sadler reportedly said.

The White House responded to the comments in a statement obtained by PEOPLE, saying, We respect Senator McCains Service to our nation and he and his family are in our prayers during this difficult time.

McCains wife, Cindy, 63, tweeted at Sadler on Thursday, writing, @kellysadler45 May I remind you my husband has a family, 7 children and 5 grandchildren.

The couples daughter and The View co-host, Meghan McCain, retweeted her mothers message.

Back in April, she shared an update about her fathers health after he underwent surgery for his intestinal infection, tweeting, My father @SenJohnMcCain is in stable condition  he continues to inspire me everyday with his intense grit and determination. Thank you to the doctors at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix and to everyone who is praying for him.

RELATED: Meghan McCain Talks About Her Father John McCains Crazy Amazing Recovery from Brain Cancer

McCain was diagnosed with brain cancer in July 2017 after undergoing a surgery to remove a blood clot above his eye last summer. He was hospitalized in December to treat side effects related to his cancer therapy.

In the wake of the diagnosis, Meghan and boyfriend Ben Domenech, 36, made the decision to get engaged and quickly plan a wedding. The couple tied the knot on Nov. 21 at the familys ranch in Cornville, Arizona  something the senator exclusively told PEOPLE was a dream come true.

The thing in life you want more than anything else is for your kids to be happy, McCain said. And Im confident that she will be. It was really a wonderful day.Photo credit: Getty Images

From Delish

A couple in Ontario is speaking out after they say they contracted parasitic hookworms-just from walking on a beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Katie Stephens shared the news on her Facebook page, detailing how she and her boyfriend Eddie Zytner contracted larva migrans, a.k.a. hookworms, in their feet after visiting Punta Cana. If your feet become incredibly itchy, please get it checked out right away since we simply thought it was just bug bites and it became worse as each day passed, she wrote, next to photos of her and her boyfriend's swollen feet that were covered in bumps and blisters.

Eddie told CTVNews.ca that the couple noticed they were scratching their feet a lot during their trip. "Sand fleas we had heard about so we kind of assumed it was that at first, he said. But a day after they came home from their trip, Eddie says his feet started to swell and eventually small bumps formed on his toes. Doctors werent sure what was happening and just sent him home with bandages, he said. And thats when Katies feet started to swell up.

I had a lot of itchiness during the trip, she said. I think I might have complained about it a little bit more that my feet were really itchy, but mine didnt start swelling and everything until about the Sunday night.

The couple finally went to the hospital, where a doctor realized what was going on. Emily and Eddie say they think they caught hookworms while walking barefoot on the beach at the resort where they were staying.

Hookworm larvae live in soil and sand and can penetrate the skin, according to Merck Manuals. They're common in moist, hot areas of Africa, Asia, and the Americas, and they can move from someones skin into their lungs and intestines, causing stomach and chest pain and anemia.

However, Jennifer Wider, M.D., a women's health expert, says you shouldn't be too worried unless you live in a tropical climate. "Hookworm, while very common, is most prevalent in tropical areas where the sanitation is poor," she says.

Story continues

That said, if you're planning a beach vacation, it might be smart to invest in some shoes you can wear in the sand. "It is preventable by wearing shoes and taking measures to avoid skin contact with the sand or soil," says Wider. "Travelers to tropical areas with beaches should be advised to take precautions!"

Watch a hot doctor explain why your feet are peeling:

[asset removed due to syndication rights]

Unfortunately, Health Canada, the Canadian department of public health, denied the couples prescription for ivermectin to treat the infection (the medicine is not licensed in Canada), so Eddies mom had to drive to Detroit to get it filled, CTV reports. They took it for two days and now say theyre starting to feel a little better-although they still need to use crutches to get around.

Eddie told CTV News that his feet looked a little bit better yesterday. Were getting our bandages changed again so well have another chance to look at them and see how its progressing. The couple is also visiting a specialist to try to figure out how to treat the skin damage on their feet.

Katie warned people on Facebook to be careful when they visit tropical areas. To anybody traveling somewhere tropical, please be careful when in the sand and wear shoes! she wrote.

Follow Delish on Instagram.

You Might Also LikePolice in suburban Chicago released frightening video this week of an 11-year-old girl jumping from a moving SUV to escape a carjacking.

The girl can be seen rolling onto the pavement at a gas station as the carjacker drives off in her fathers SUV. Her dad is seen clinging to the hood of an accomplices vehicle in an attempt to stop it. The father and daughter then hug as both vehicles speed away.

Miraculously neither the girl nor her father were hurt, the Aurora Police Department wrote on Facebook of the May 4 crime.

Cops later spotted the fathers stolen SUV on an interstate. The driver wrecked the vehicle during a brief pursuit and was arrested, police said.

Tyrelle L. Pulley, of Chicago, was charged with aggravated vehicle hijacking, aggravated unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle and fleeing and eluding police. Police said they continue searching for the accomplice.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.[caption id="attachment_13143" align="aligncenter" width="620"]

Greta Lichtenbaum, partner with O'Melveny & Myers. Courtesy photo. [/caption] President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the United States would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and renew trade sanctions that were eased during the Obama administration after years of negotiations. China, the European Union, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom also were parties to the agreement that Iran adopted in 2015, which is formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and had agreed to lift some economic sanctions provided that Iran stopped certain aspects of its nuclear program. These other parties havent indicated they will join the United States in withdrawing from the JCPOA.Greta Lichtenbaum, a partner at OMelveny & Myers based in Washington, D.C. who specializes in international trade and U.S. regulatory compliance and writes and speaks often on the subject, said the reimposition of trade sanctions is expected to have a significant impact" on multinational companies with business interests in both the U.S. and Iran.As she explained in a contributed article for Corporate Counsel in 2016, when the economic sanctions against Iran were loosened, sanctions are on two levels: There are primary sanctions, which broadly prohibit U.S. companies from directly engaging in nearly all business with Iran; and secondary sanctions that deny foreign entities access to U.S. markets if they engage in certain business in Iran particularly around energy, financial services transactions and transportation. Here Lichtenbaum answers five questions about what compliance lawyers and others engaged in international commerce involving Iran need to know about the re-imposed sanctions. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.Corporate Counsel: Who is most affected by the renewed U.S. trade sanctions on Iran?Greta Lichtenbaum: U.S. companies with foreign subsidiaries that have been conducting business in Iran under the general licenses that were issued after the JCPOA are very affected, because they will have to wind it down between now and early November. And non-U.S. companies that conduct business in Iran that have U.S. ties also can be affected, because some of their activity will be potentially sanctionable under so-called secondary sanctions based in U.S. law. Obviously, Iranian companies are affected.Also, there are many European companies and multinational companies based outside the U.S. that have very significant operations here, so they need to pay attention to U.S. restrictions. Any energy sector, oil and gas petrochemical company has to look carefully at these changes, and the banking and insurance industry, and the automotive industry as well. Those are some of the sectors most affected. Certainly, Airbus [and Boeing] because now they are no longer going to be able to sell aircraft to Iran with U.S. content.What are the some of the major changes from the immediate past?By way of context, the U.S. has maintained broad economic sanctions against Iran since 1995. U.S. companies cannot do business there, except in very limited circumstances. Then, between 2010 and 2015, the U.S. broadened the secondary sanctions, which apply to non-US companies. Under secondary sanctions, if you conduct certain activity in Iran you may lose access to some benefits of the US market. Then, under the JCPOA, the president waived secondary sanctions associated with Irans nuclear program. But now all of those are going back in place. The practical effect is 1) U.S. foreign subsidiaries were able to do business in Iran and now they cant; and 2) multinational non-US companies have to be worried about those secondary sanctions. That is the change.When do the renewed sanctions take effect?Companies currently engaging in activities that will now be subject to sanctions because of the United States withdrawal from the JCPOA have been given time to wind down their activities, in some cases three months -- August -- and in other cases six months -- November.Why should companies and their compliance officers care? They should care because if they dont pay attention, U.S. companies can pay very significant fines and penalties in the hundreds of millions of dollars. This also can apply to non-U.S. companies if they are acting in the U.S. There have been fines in the high hundreds of millions involving non-U.S. banks using U.S. banks to clear their transactions involving sanctioned countries. If you run afoul of primary sanctions, they can pay fines into hundreds of millions and individuals can be imprisoned for willful violations. And for non-U.S. companies that engage in activity subject to secondary sanctions, it can drastically affect their ability to do business in the United States. They can face significant sanctions that will make it very difficult to do business in the U.S. or to have access to the U.S. market.How should compliance officers respond?The response should be to assess how these reimposed measures will affect their existing business and take steps to address the changes, either through ceasing certain activity, or putting in place procedures to make sure transactions subject to sanctions dont occur. For example, if your foreign subsidiary in Dubai is doing business in Iranas they are now allowed to domake sure they are taking steps to wind down the business within the time frame that is required.Another thing that companies need to be aware of with this change in the law, is that they need to be very careful about their counterparties who are non-U.S. firms who may still be doing business in Iran. You could find yourself in a position where you are facilitating a non-U.S. business in Iran. That is a risk.Patrick G. Eddington

Politics, North America

CIA director nominee Haspel arrives to testify at Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing in Washington

Until Congress confronts the problem of the Office of Legal Counsel being able to effectively rewrite the law, a repeat of the rendition, detention and interrogation program remains a live threat.

America Is Missing the Larger Point of the Haspel Nomination

Gina Haspel, the thirty-three year CIA veteran and currently the Agencys acting director, did not do herself any favors in her audition for the CIA director position before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) on May 9.

Haspel, who for a short period ran one of the CIAs black sites at which Al Qaeda suspects were held and tortured, alternated between combativeness and conciliation in her multi-hour open hearing.

Im not going to sit here, with the benefit of hindsight, and judge the very good people who made hard decisions, who were running the agency in very extraordinary circumstances, she told the committee. But she also expressly stated that there would be no rerun of the rendition, detention and interrogation (RDI) program on her watch.

In light of my counterterrorism experience, I understand that what many people around the country want to know about are my views on CIAs former detention and interrogation program. I have views on this issue, and I want to be clear. Having served in that tumultuous time, I can offer you my personal commitment, clearly and without reservation, that under my leadership CIA will not restart such a detention and interrogation program, she said in her written statement. She reiterated the point multiple times during the hearing.

But for many senatorsmostly Democratsthat was not enough. They wanted a clear statement from her that she regretted her involvement in the program, that torture was immoral and that the destruction of the videotapes of the interrogations was wrong. They got no such admissions, and that failure cost her the vote of Angus King (I-ME).

I cannot support Acting Director Haspels decorated career with CIA without also condoning her involvement in the destruction of videotapes showing detainee interrogationsI have concluded that I do not believe she is the right person to lead this important agency, and will vote no on her nomination, King said in a statement after the hearing.

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All may not be lost for Haspel. The ailing Sen. John McCain will likely not make it back to Washington to vote against her. And shes already picked up the endorsement of endangered Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia, with other vulnerable Democrats likely to followenough to likey put her over the top. The question remains: should they?

That Haspel knows the Agency, its culture and its people is self-evident. She would have the complete confidence of the workforce. Her experience in dealing with Russia would be of great value in the current environment. For many, her involvement in the torture program clearly outweighs those other factors.

I never met Haspel during my time at CIAwhere I was an analyst from 1988 to 1996so Im not in a position to judge definitively whether or not she really would, as she claims, never restart an RDI program. I also think the debate over her nomination misses a much larger point. Haspel and her CIA colleagues were the executors of the program, but they could never have done it without the legal and political cover provided by officials at the White House and the Departments of State and Justice, especially the latter.

If you read the SSCI torture report summary (and if you havent, you should), youll see that virtually the first thing CIA lawyers asked of DOJ was effectively a legal Get out of jail free card. Agency lawyers clearly understood that they were being asked to potentially violate federal law prohibiting torture. In due course, the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) obliged, producing several legally binding opinions that gave sanction to the use of so-called Enhanced Interrogation Techniquestechniques that OLC itself would ultimately repudiate.

The existence of those OLC opinions is why no CIA official involved in the torture program could be prosecuted. Agency personnel had acted on a binding legal opinion produced by the federal department explicitly charged with telling other executive branch components what was, and was not, legalin OLCs view. DOJs Office of Professional Responsibility ultimately concluded that the authors of the OLC torture memos committed professional misconduct in their drafting.

Ive recounted the history of this episode to underscore the point that the American governments descent to The Dark Side via the sanctioning of torture involved hundreds of people in multiple departments and agencies. That in no way absolves Gina Haspel of going along with it. She couldve refused to take the assignment at the black site she ultimately commanded. She couldve refused the order to draft the cable directing the destruction of the torture tapes. She couldve reported all of it to the SSCI and its House counterpart. She did none of those things, and the alternatives Ive outlined that she did not pursue illuminate why the idea of her running the CIA is highly problematic.

But she was hardly alone in the choices she made, and her misconduct was enabled not only by her own choices, but by the process that enabled her to make those choices.

Until Congress confronts the problem of OLC being able to issue opinions that effectively rewrite the law to allow whatever a given president wants to do, a repeat of the RDI programwhether run by CIA or another federal elementremains a live threat. If the Senate confirms Haspel but fails to address the OLC problem, it will have failed to learn the most important lesson of the so-called War on Terror.

Patrick G. Eddington is a policy analyst in homeland security and civil liberties at the Cato Institute.

Image: Reuters

Read full articleBEIRUT (Reuters) - A grouping of major powers urged Lebanon on Thursday to uphold a policy of keeping out of regional wars, after Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies emerged stronger from a general election. The International Support Group (ISG) for Lebanon, which includes the United States, Russia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Britain and European Union, also called on Lebanon to resume dialogue about a national defense strategy. Lebanon agreed a policy of "disassociation" in 2012 to keep the deeply divided state out of conflicts such as the war in neighboring Syria. Still, the Hezbollah group is heavily involved in the war across the border, sending thousands of fighters to help Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military. Israel said it struck nearly all of Iran's military infrastructure in Syria on Thursday after Iranian forces fired rockets at Israeli-held territory for the first time. "We look forward to working with the new government as it follows up on its international commitments, including under resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1701 (2006) to extend the authority of the Lebanese state across all of its national territory and to ensure its monopoly over the legitimate use of force," a joint ISG statement said. The resolutions involve the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, the disarmament of all militias including Hezbollah and the terms of a 2006 ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel. The United States, which has given Lebanon's army substantial support, classifies the heavily armed Hezbollah as a terrorist group and condemns its role in the Syrian conflict. Shi'ite Muslim movement Hezbollah, together with parties and politicians aligned to it, won more than half the 128 seats in Lebanon's parliament on Sunday. Though Western-backed Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri lost more than a third of his seats in the election, the Sunni leader is widely expected to form another unity government that will include Hezbollah and other main parties. Talks over cabinet posts are expected to take some time. The ISG statement also called for the new government to "move swiftly to enhance the economic climate in Lebanon by implementing structural and sectoral reform measures". Lebanon is banking on foreign aid and loans to revive its stagnant economy, but international donors want to see reforms before they release some of the $11 billion of aid and soft loans pledged in April. Lebanon has received sizeable Western aid to help it cope with hosting one million refugees from Syria. President Michel Aoun said this week he intended to call dialogue to address issues including "a national defense strategy" - implying discussion of Hezbollah's arms - but without giving further details. The staunchly anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces, a Christian party, emerged a winner after the vote, nearly doubling its lawmakers to around 15. (Reporting by Ellen Francis, Editing by William Maclean)Blue Edition is a Near $2M Harley Softail Slim

Harley-Davidson teams up with Swiss watch and jewellery company Bucherer to deliver a diamond encrusted bike worth nearly $2,000,000

Don't you love it when non-bike brands get in on the custom bike craze? Some projects are far tamer than others, and some are just objectively ridiculous, which is how we would classify the Harley-Davidson Blue Edition from high-end Swiss watch and jewelry purveyor, Bucherer, as part of the companys Blue Editions watch collection.

MORE LIMITED EDITION CRUISERS: The 2018 Indian Jack Daniels Edition Scout Bobber

The Harley Blue Edition began its life as a Softail Slim S, before the cruiser was transformed through over 2,500 hours of labor. The project took a year to design and produce and was a collaborative effort between eight members made up of the watchmakers of Carl F. Bucherer, the jewellers of Bucherer Fine Jewellery and and the motorcycle specialists of Bundnerbike.

The headlight is another custom piece of the very expensive puzzle

The Softail was stripped down and new retro-style bodywork was drawn up and fabricated, giving the Harley something of a vintage bobber/chopper hardtail theme. According to the Bucherer press release, Every metal element found on this one-of-a-kind motorcycle has been produced, welded, beaten, ground, and polished by hand. A new stance was desired so a one-off hardtail frame was created, as were a set of extra wide wheels.

The Slim S Blue Edition definitely has some mid-2000s chopper flavor

A window in the camshaft housing reveals the rotating camshaft, along with the valve control and the throttle valves which have been gold-plated, all of which is illuminated via heat-resistant LED lighting. While the press release fails to specify, it does say various other parts of the bike were also gold-plated. This would appear to include the hand levers, reservoir caps, and foot controls. Going in a different stylistic direction, the seven figure bikes designers opted to use a cowhide saddle that was sewn by hand in Switzerland.

The hand levers are gold-plated and the bar-ends are diamond studded

It appears one of the primary reasons this Softail was dubbed the Blue Edition, was because its elaborate and over-the-top paint job. The iridescent coat is achieved by first silver-plating the tank, tail wheels, frame, fenders, forks, handlebars, engine cases, and several other odds and ends. Next, six coats of different colors are layered atop each other, using what the press release refers to as a secret coating method.

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MORE WATCH COMPANY COMMISSIONED BIKES: AEONs XSR900 custom

Most of the aforementioned parts are all a vivid, solid blue, but the tank is adorned in a custom Harley-Davidson script sitting above the BLU/EDITION logo shared by Bucherers other 17 ultra high-end watches in the Blue Edition collection. The top of the gas tanks are decorated with an array of 8s scattered across the fuel cells, and exponentially multiplying in number and density as the design gets closer to the front-end. Like it or notand personally Im of the latter groupits an incredibly unique and distinct paint job.

The script on the side of the tank is one of the few parts I actually like

The next phase in the build happens to be the part that adds roughly $1.88-million to the Blue Editions value. One bespoke section was cutout of the left fuel cell to make room for a small circular case and see-through backlit dome made of armored glass that houses a six-prong Heaven solitaire ring with a 5.40-carat diamond that the jewelry company calls The Dizzler.

The bike houses the six-prong Heaven solitaire ring with a 5.40-carat diamond that the jewelry company calls The Dizzler

On the right side of the top of the tank is a backlit second armored glass dome, this time housing a special custom-made watch, which is based on Bucherers Patravi TravelTec II model. The bespoke watches dial is adorned by elements of a motorcycle engine, and to make sure the V-Twins vibrations dont damage the expensive timepieces internals, the watchs housing incorporates an elaborate suspension/damper system using silicon rings.

MORE WATCH COMPANY CUSTOMS: TW Steels Yamaha Bolt

It was a long road, Samir Merdanovic, Head of Manufacture Movements at Carl F. Bucherer said of the development process. The holder, for example, also serves as a watch winder. The watch is therefore wound regularly and continues to run, even if the motorcycle is not ridden for an extended period.

If perhaps painted a different color, the Blue Edition might look half decent

Another over-the-top liberal use of bling on the Blue Edition is the presence of a couple more Dizzler rotating rings. Unlike the full-size Dizzler in the tank, these rings are slightly smallerthough just as expensive probablyand had to be modified to properly mount pairs to the bikes bar ends and top of the forks. That was a technical challenge, says Jurg Ludwig Jr, Managing Director of Bundnerbike. To ensure that the rings really stay in place, a special method was applied that guarantees a very strong hold. How this works remains a secret of the Bundnerbike blacksmith, explains Ludwig.

The left tank's custom-made watch, which is based on Bucherers Patravi TravelTec II model

The Blue Edition Softail was unveiled on May 9, 2018 in Zurich where a launch event was held for what is now reportedly the worlds most expensive motorcycle. Only a single example was produced, though that makes sense when you consider its priced at a whopping 1.888-million CHF (Swiss Franc), or about $1,887-million USD (at today's exchange rate).

Source and photos: BuchererThe Canadian government received an apology from U.S. authorities last year after a government minister was asked to remove his turban at an airport despite passing other security measures, it has been revealed.

Canadas Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Navdeep Bains, told French language news website LaPresse.ca that he was asked to remove his turban while passing through Detroit Metropolitan Airport even after he had gone through a metal detector.

Bains told the website that initially a security agent had asked him to remove the religious item because the metal detector was not working well. When Bains said it was an invasion of his private life, the agent allowed him to go through the detector again. When it worked fine, he headed to his plane.

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RTX2UOYZ

REUTERS/Mark Blinch

When he arrived at his boarding gate, another agent approached him and said he would need to take off his turban as procedure had not been followed. It was only then, Bains said, that he showed them his diplomatic passport and was allowed to board his flight back to Canada.

As a Sikh, wearing the turban is considered one of the most dutiful acts for a person of the faith and I am proud to represent my community, Bains said in a statement. Unfortunately these types of incidents do occur from time to time to minorities in particular. But it should never become the norm.

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I will continue to promote diversity and inclusion across the country as our government has done since we took office, Bains said.

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According to LaPresse.ca and later confirmed by CNN, the Canadian government raised concerns with U.S. authorities over the incident, which took place in April 2017, and recieved an apology.

Read More: Trump says he made up trade deficit in talks with Canadas Justin Trudeau

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In a statement, a spokesperson for the TSA said that they determined that the officer conducting the screening did not follow standard operating procedures, adding that people wearing head coverings may be subject to additional security measures to ensure they are not carrying concealed weapons.

This policy covers all headwear and is not directed at any one particular item or group, the spokesperson said.

When possible, passengers may remove non-formfitting headwear before proceeding through the security checkpoint. We recognize that passengers may be unable or unwilling to remove items for religious, medical, or other reasons, and should expect to undergo additional screening protocols.

Update | This article was updated with a statement from the TSA.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekPhoto credit: NASA

From Popular Mechanics

The legendary Cassini spacecraft finished its mission in September last year, but NASA is still releasing Cassini photos, and its latest offering shows Saturn's sharp rings and three tiny moons. The Cassini snapped the photo 1.7 million miles from Saturn on March 13th, 2006.

Cassini launched in 1997 and first arrived at Saturn in 2004. It extended its mission twice, surveying and photographing the planet's surface, rings, magnetosphere, and moon. It orbited the planet until September 2017, when it dove into Saturn's atmosphere in glorious, instructive self-destruction.

Saturn has 62 confirmed moons orbiting around it, many of which have crusts of ice and rock, and some likely contain subterranean oceans. Cassini's latest photo shows moon Mimas "above" the rings, the small Janus in line with the ring, and satellite Tethys below.

With a diameter of 662 miles, Tethys is the largest of the three moons pictured. A crater called Odysseus on Tethys is about the size of Mimas, 246 miles across, whereas Janus has a diameter half the size of about 112 miles.Mimas is illuminated by 'Saturnshine,' NASA explained, aka "sunlight reflected from the planet's cloud tops."

One of Cassini's greatest discoveries was on moon Enceladus, uncovering water, vapor and geysers, and plumes that form only in water, meaning the possibility of nutrients, and maybe even life. While it will be a while before we head off to explore Saturn again, scientists continue to study what Cassini brought back to Earth long after the spaceship's demise.



(via Space)

You Might Also LikeChina sent fighter jets and other military aircraft near Taiwan Friday in the latest of a series of drills which Beijing has said are aimed at the island's "independence forces".

Taiwan's defence ministry said multiple H-6K bombers, reconnaissance planes and transport aircraft flew over the Bashi Channel, south of Taiwan, and over the Miyako Strait, near Japan's Okinawa Island, in a drill Friday morning.

It was the first time that China's Su-35 fighters were sent over the Bashi Channel, the ministry said, while J-11 fighters and early warning aircraft also took part.

The ministry assured the public in a statement that it was able to fully monitor Chinese naval and air drills and "take effective responsive measures to ensure defence security".

China sees democratically governed Taiwan -- which has never formally declared independence from the mainland -- as a renegade part of its territory to be brought back into the fold, and has not ruled out reunification by force.

The Chinese defence ministry confirmed in a statement Friday that it was the first time Su-35s flew over the Bashi Channel, hailing it as a "new breakthrough, highlighting the new enhancements to the Air Force's combat capability".

Beijing has stepped up military patrols around Taiwan and used diplomatic pressure to isolate it internationally since President Tsai Ing-wen, of the traditionally pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, took office in 2016.

Last month, China's air force said the series of operations were meant to "strengthen its capacity to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity". Defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian told a monthly press conference that they were "directed against Taiwan independence forces and activities in the island".

Taiwan has accused Beijing of "sabre rattling" and trying to stoke regional tensions with its recent spate of drills.

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Taipei has announced that it will practise thwarting a Chinese "invasion" in annual live fire drills in June by simulating surprise coastal assaults.

Video: Pentagon Accuses China of Using Lasers Against U.S. PilotsIn a mission scheduled for the summer of 2020, NASA is sending a helicopter to Mars, the organization announced Friday.

The Mars 2020 mission, or the Red Planet rover mission, scheduled to launch in July of that year, will include the Mars helicopter, which NASA described as a small, autonomous rotocraft.

NASA has a proud history of firsts, said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. The idea of a helicopter flying the skies of another planet is thrilling. The Mars Helicopter holds much promise for our future science, discovery, and exploration missions to Mars.

The use of the helicopter is designed to show Mars ability to handle heavier-than-air vehicles. It will fly as an attachment to the belly pan of the Mars 2020 rover.

Get to the chopper! A small helicopter will travel with @NASA's next Mars rover. Check out the @NASAJPL-made tech demo preparing to fly in the Red Planet's thin atmosphere. https://t.co/TkWJC1IMzX #Mars2020 #MarsCopter pic.twitter.com/EsRebNdjJz  Curiosity Rover (@MarsCuriosity) May 11, 2018

The development on the Mars helicopter began nearly five years ago at NASAs jet propulsion laboratory in California.President Donald Trump may come to wish First Lady Melania Trump had maybe picked a different cause to champion while in the White House than the one she unveiled this week: combating cyber bullying.

This morning, for instance, POTUS tweeted-tacked Senator Cryin Chuck Schumer:

Senator Cryin Chuck Schumer fought hard against the Bad Iran Deal, even going at it with President Obama & then Voted AGAINST it! Now he says I should not have terminated the deal  but he doesnt really believe that! Same with Comey. Thought he was terrible until I fired him!

Responded Schumer, simply: #BeBest.

No response to the response yet from POTUS or First Lady.

Their tweets:

Senator Cryin Chuck Schumer fought hard against the Bad Iran Deal, even going at it with President Obama, & then Voted AGAINST it! Now he says I should not have terminated the deal  but he doesnt really believe that! Same with Comey. Thought he was terrible until I fired him!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2018

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Caitlyn Jenner Claims Donald Trump Has Set Transgender Community "Back 20 Years" In Parliamentary AddressBEIJING (Reuters) - China's biggest ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing said on Friday it would halt one of its services, which it calls "ride-hitching", in China for a week following the death of a passenger that has raised questions about safety.

The company said it would suspends its Hitch service - a pooling service for passengers and drivers going to the same destination - from Saturday nationwide, and would start checks on drivers.

A female passenger was killed in Zhengzhou city last week and the company apologized amid a public outcry.

(Reporting by Pei Li and Cate Cadell; Editing by Darren Schuettler)White House Chief of Staff John Kelly speaks to reporters as Donald Trump listens before boarding Air Force One: AP Photo/Susan Walsh

Immigrants who enter the United States illegally largely lack the skills and education to assimilate, Donald Trumps chief of staff has said.

The vast majority of the people that move illegally into United States are not bad people. They're not criminals, John Kelly told NPR, but they're also not people that would easily assimilate into the United States into our modern society.

The top Trump aide said he understood the forces that propel immigrants to the United States, saying  I sympathise with the reason they arrive. But he argued the backgrounds of immigrants who come from rural areas, speak little English and have received only elementary school educations limit their ability to thrive in America.

They don't integrate well, Mr Kelly said. They don't have skills.

His comments dovetail with the Trump administrations overarching immigration philosophy. Combating illegal immigration has long been a centrepiece of Mr Trumps political platform, and the president has frequently drawn distinctions between skilled and unskilled immigrants - sometimes using derogatory language.

After opening his campaign by saying When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best, claiming immigrants from Mexico were often rapists and drug dealers, Mr Trump has called for dissolving a diversity visa lottery and has advocated limiting family-based legal immigration. He has instead endorsed a system more tied to employment.

We do need people coming into our country. You know, at 3.9 per cent unemployment, we need people coming in. But I will tell you this, we want people to come into our country on the basis of merit, Mr Trump said during a rally in Ohio last weekend.

While Mr Kelly is widely seen as a stabilising influence in a chaotic White House, he shares Mr Trumps preference for restricting immigration - and, like the president, has generated controversy for his comments on immigration.

Last year, Mr Kelly faced criticism for citing laziness as the reason some young immigrants in the country illegally who were eligible for a programme offering legal status and work permits failed to apply. Mr Trump has moved to end the initiative.

They were too afraid to sign up, others would say were too lazy to get off their asses, but they didn't sign up, Mr Kelly said.Michael Cohen, longtime personal lawyer and confidante for President Donald Trump, arrives at the United States District Court Southern District of New York: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

President Donald Trump was unaware that his long-time lawyer was selling his insight into the workings of the White House after his election, a member of the presidents legal team has said.

Rudy Giuliani  the latest addition to Mr Trumps team managing his response to the Russia investigation  said he was quite certain the president did not know about the post-election activities of his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Mr Cohen earned millions of dollars selling his intimate knowledge of the Trump White House to companies both inside and outside the United States. One company has reportedly dismissed an employee over the revelations. Two have been in contact with special counsel Robert Muellers team.

But Mr Giuliani said that Mr Trump seemed surprised when he brought up a recent report that Mr Cohen had been paid by a firm tied to a Russian oligarch.

"He knew nothing about it," Mr Giuliani told the Associated Press.

He added that he had not talked to Mr Trump about other companies that had paid Mr Cohen, including telecoms provider AT&T and pharmaceutical company Novartis.

"I haven't talked to him in detail except for the first day it came out. When it first came out, he was surprised," Mr Giuliani said.

He added: "There doesn't seem to be any involvement with us.

AT&T and Novartis both publicly acknowledged this week that they had paid Mr Cohen for information about the new administration  reportedly through the same shell company Mr Cohen used to facilitate a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. A lawyer for Ms Daniels claimed Mr Cohen made a similar arrangement with a company tied to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson called hiring Mr Cohen a big mistake in a memo to staff on Friday. He also said that top executive Bob Quinn would be retiring, though the Wall Street Journal reported he was forced out.

Novartis admitted to paying Mr Cohen $1.2m for a yearlong contract, but said the lawyer had not provided the level of information he promised.

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We made a mistake in entering into this engagement and, as a consequence, are being criticised by a world that expects more from us, chief executive Vasant Narasimhan wrote in an email to staff.

Both AT&T and Novartis said they had been contacted by members of Mr Mueller's team about the payments and had "cooperated fully".

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has directed all questions about the payments to the presidents outside counsel.

Mr Cohen is currently under federal investigation for bank fraud, wire fraud, and campaign finance violations, according to the Washington Post. FBI agents raided his New York offices and home last month, taking records of the lawyers clients and finances.

Mr Trump has since distanced himself from his attorney of more than a decade, telling Fox & Friends that the federal investigation doesnt have to do with me.

Michael is a businessman. Hes got a business. He also practices law, Mr Trump said. I would say, probably, the big thing is his business. I have nothing to do with his business.Before Sean Spicer was named White House Press Secretary, Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle was in contention for the high-profile role.

Last week, Page Six reported, citing multiple sources, that Donald Trump Jr. is reportedly moving on from his estranged wife, Vanessa, and is dating Guilfoyle, a co-host of The Five.

But two years before Guilfoyle, 49, a Republican and staunch defender of President Donald Trump, reportedly entered into a relationship with Trump Jr., her name was brought up regarding a role in his cabinet.

During Trumps transition to the presidency, rumors swirled that Guilfoyle was being considered for a position on his communications team, especially after she was spotted entering Trump Tower in October 2016, Mediaite reported.

Guilfoyle revealed last May that she had been in talks with the Trump administration about becoming the White House press secretary. The plan apparently fell through because Guilfoyle was under a long-term contract with Fox News, a network spokesperson told Politico in May.

Guilfoyle told The Mercury News at the time that she would have been honored to accept the job.

Im a patriot, and it would be an honor to serve the country, Guilfoyle said. I think itd be a fascinating job. Its a challenging job, and you need someone really determined and focused, a great communicator in there with deep knowledge to be able to handle that position.

Want to keep up on the latest from PEOPLE? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get our best stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.

Guilfoyle, who said shed known Trump and his family for more than a decade, added that she had a very good relationship with the president.

I think I enjoy a very straightforward and authentic, very genuine relationship, one thats built on trust and integrity, and I think thats imperative for success in that position, she said.

According to The New York Times, Trump again floated Guilfoyle to allies as a possible press secretary after Spicer resigned in July 2017, but Sarah Huckabee Sanders ultimately went on to fill that position.

Guilfoyle, a former San Francisco and L.A. prosecutor, was married to former San Francisco Mayor and current California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom for four years before they split in 2005.Cairo (AFP) - Egypt said it protested on Saturday to Moscow about an online poll by Russian state-owned channel RT on whether readers view a disputed border territory as Egyptian or Sudanese.

The Egyptian foreign ministry said it contacted Russian authorities to express its "strong condemnation" of the poll, demanding "an urgent explanation for this unacceptable conduct".

The online vote focused on the Halayeb triangle, which is controlled by Egypt and lies near the Red Sea in a mineral-rich border region, and has been a bone of contention between the two neighbours for decades.

The Friday poll on Russia Today, known by its acronym RT, could no longer be seen on its Arabic language opinion polls page on Saturday.

Egypt's State Information Service, which regulates foreign media, said the poll had been removed.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry cancelled an interview with the channel on Saturday ahead of an official visit on Monday to Moscow, his spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement.

Egyptian authorities regularly comment on foreign media's work in Egypt and the country is ranked 161 out of 180 on Reporters Without Borders' 2018 World Press Freedom Index.

Moscow and Cairo boosted cooperation in December when Russian President Vladimir Putin travelled to the Egyptian capital and met with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

During the visit the two countries signed a contract to build Egypt's first nuclear power plant in Dabaa on the Mediterranean coast.

Relations further improved last month when Aeroflot, Russia's flagship carrier, resumed flights between Moscow and Cairo.

Russia had suspended flights to Egypt in 2015 after the bombing of a Russian plane carrying holidaymakers from a Red Sea resort that killed all 224 people on board, an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.Beirut (AFP) - At least 11 Iranians were among those killed in unprecedented Israeli strikes on Syria this week, a monitor said Saturday.

"At least 27 pro-regime fighters were killed" in Thursday's strikes, said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

He said "six Syrian soldiers and 21 foreign fighters, including 11 Iranians" were among the dead.

That updates the monitor's initial toll of 23, which did not specify the number of Iranians.

"The new report is due to the death of wounded or missing persons whose deaths have been confirmed," Abdel Rahman said.

Israel says it struck dozens of Iranian targets inside Syria early on Thursday in response to a salvo of rockets allegedly fired by Iranian forces into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had "crossed a red line" and that Israel's bombardment against targets in Syria was "a consequence".

The Jewish state has long warned it will not accept Iran entrenching itself militarily in neighbouring Syria, where the Islamic Republic backs Assad's regime in the country's seven-year civil war.

Israeli forces have been blamed for a series of recent strikes inside Syria that have killed Iranians, though it has not acknowledged those raids.

Israel says it has conducted dozens of operations in Syria to stop what it says are advanced arms deliveries to one of its main foes, Iran-backed Hezbollah.Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitts expensive trip to Italy last year included dinner with Vatican treasurer George Pell, a climate denier since charged with child sex abuse, according to documents unearthed by The New York Times.

Emails obtained by Times reporter Eric Lipton and shared Thursday on Twitter reveal that planning for the June dinner began a month earlier. EPA staffers were fully aware that Pell, a cardinal who is the Vaticans third-ranking official, was at the time under investigation, but it appears they sought to cover up Pells attendance rather than alter Pruitts schedule, Lipton found. Pell was charged with sex crimes in Australia three weeks after the dinner.

Pruitts dinner with Pell at a fancy Roman restaurant was omitted from four official EPA calendars. They mention the dinner itself, but the list of attendees didnt include Pell.

The scandal-plagued EPA chief and the Vatican executive discussed a Wall Street Journal op-ed advocating the creation of a red team/blue team process to debate climate science, according to an email obtained via the Freedom of Information Act.

Here are a few more documents. FOUR different calendars that have been put out by the EPA covering this day. None of them mention that Cardinal Pell was at the dinner. Here is the FIRST pic.twitter.com/uXv1qL91Vh  Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) May 10, 2018

Pell was charged with historical sexual offenses from his time as an archbishop in Australia, including charges of sexual abuse. The charges were filed in June 2017, but newspapers reported he was under investigation in July 2016.

Pell, a known climate skeptic, has long called for debate surrounding climate science.

The appeal must be to the evidence, he wrote in a 2011 op-ed, arguing that claims of global warming dont always add up. First of all we need adequate scientific explanations as a basis for our economic estimates. We also need history, philosophy, even theology and many will use, perhaps create, mythologies. But most importantly we need to distinguish which is which.

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Pruitt spoke to Breitbart about the red team-blue team debate idea in a June 2017 interview.

The American people need to have that type of honest, open discussion, and its something that we hope to help provide as part of our leadership, he said.

Other EPA emails obtained by The Washington Post show that EPA staff also reached out to several conservative groups about setting up the exercise in the weeks ahead of Pruitts comments.

[T]he Red Team idea is superb, Rodney Nichols, a science and technology policy consultant for the CO2 Coalition, said to Pruitt aide Lincoln Ferguson in a May 2017 email. We will be glad to help the initiative in any way we can.

Pruitt reportedly recruited a friend, Leonard Leo, head of the Federalist Society, to help him plan the trip to Italy, and stuck taxpayers with a travel tab of at least $120,000 for the visit.

Pruitt has been under investigation for a wide variety of ethical lapses, including lavish spending on travel and security. The White House admitted for the first time on Thursday that the pile of allegations have raised some concerns, according to spokesman Raj Shah.

Were hopeful and expecting that Administrator Pruitt will be able to answer those, he said.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.CHICAGO (AP)  A federal judge Thursday handed former U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds a six-month prison sentence for not filing tax returns for income on consulting work from Africa, telling the Harvard graduate he had "squandered" opportunities to be something better in life.

Judge Robert Gettleman noted how Reynolds, 66, rose from poverty in Mississippi to become a Rhodes Scholar and then a member of Congress. The judge said he could recall thinking to himself in the early 1990s that Reynolds had tremendous promise.

"It's a tragedy that you squandered the opportunities you had and the type of person you could have become," he said.

The judge alluded, not just to Reynolds' tax case, but to his 1995 statutory rape conviction for having sex with a 16-year-old campaign worker. Later, he was convicted of concealing debts and diverting money meant for voter registration drives into his election campaign.

With credit for two months served in jail, the Chicago Democrat will end up serving closer to four months behind bars.

Reynolds had argued he shouldn't be imprisoned at all, saying a year of probation would have been the right sentence.

"To put me in jail serves what purpose?" he asked the judge. "To teach me a lesson? ... I've been taught about this racist society ... every day of my life."

Reynolds, who acted as his own attorney, argued it was unfair to give too much weight to his convictions in the 1990s in calculating a sentence for his conviction at a bench trial last year on four misdemeanor counts of not filing tax returns. Prosecutors say the undeclared income was money made consulting for Chicago businessmen in Africa.

"The question is: How long does a person have to pay for mistakes?" Reynolds asked about the older crimes. At other periods in his life, he had been in the military and raised three children, he said. And he added, "I wasn't just living my life as a wheeler-dealer."

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Prosecutor Georgia Alexakis had asked for at least two years behind bars, citing what she described as Reynolds' decades-long pattern of flouting the law.

"There are aspects of the defendant's life that are ... laudatory," said "But the good doesn't outweigh the bad."

The maximum penalty Reynolds faced was four years in prison.

Reynolds also spoke about growing up in Mississippi in what he said "was the poorest city in the poorest county in America." He described getting shot at during a campaign in the early '90s, saying he still grappled with the lingering trauma. In earlier court filings, he said recent financial hardships have left him "virtually homeless," often scrambling to find places to stay.

Gettleman expressed bewilderment at Reynolds' descent from political star to convict within just a few years in the 1990s. Reynolds won his 2nd Congressional District in 1992 and resigned in 1995 after the statutory rape conviction.

The judge said he hoped Reynolds would use his time in prison to reassess his life, telling him: "It will give you some time to think where you go from here."

Reynolds, who will report to prison later, told reporters outside court that he already knew where he would go after prison.

"I'm going home to Africa," he said. "I've given up on America because how long do African-Americans put up with this nonsense?"

___

Follow Michael Tarm on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mtarmA Palestinian protester was shot dead on May 11 as protests at the Israeli border with Gaza entered their seventh week.

This footage is described as showing the protests east of Gaza City and Khan Younis, as well as a protest held in solidarity at al-Bireh, West Bank.

The footage shows tires being burned, reportedly to throw up thick, black smoke to obscure the views of snipers. Protesters can also be seen removing a barbed wire barricade with a rope.

A kite that was launched carrying a fishing net can also be seen. The net was said to be intended to catch Israeli drones. Credit: QudsN via StoryfulPARIS (Reuters) - France pledged on Friday to push back against the threat of U.S. sanctions against French companies doing business with Iran, in the wake of Washington's withdrawal from the international nuclear agreement with Tehran. The French government is seeking waivers and longer transition periods from the United States for companies such as Renault and Total, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said, while pressing for European Union measures to improve the bloc's "economic sovereignty" in the longer term. "It's time that European countries opened their eyes," Le Maire said on Europe 1 radio. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal risks exposing European countries that have since invested in Iran to renewed U.S. sanctions after "wind-down" periods of three to six months expire. Europe needs new "financial instruments allowing it to be independent from the United States", Le Maire said. Germany plans to offer legal advice to help its firms continue to do business in Iran, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier also said on Friday. France and Germany are among EU countries that had drawn up euro-denominated Iran export finance programs to resist U.S. sanctions. But the severity of Washington's stance has raised doubts about their viability. Le Maire said he had asked U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for temporary or permanent exemptions for French companies, citing carmaker PSA, drug giant Sanofi and food group Danone among those affected - in addition to Renault and oil major Total. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also toughened the government's tone in an interview with Le Parisien. "We're telling the Americans that it's their business what sanctions they impose, but we consider the extraterritoriality of these measures unacceptable," Le Drian said. "Europeans should not have to pay for U.S. withdrawal from an agreement." (Reporting by Laurence Frost; Additional reporting by Julie Carriat; Editing by Richard Lough)For the past six weeks, the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel has been the scene of anger, violence and death. Palestinians have been taking part in ongoing demonstrations calling for the right for Palestinian refugees to return to the land they left or were forced to leave after the creation of Israel in 1948.

Most protesters have gathered to demonstrate peacefully, but others have used burning tires, kite bombs, explosives and stones to attack the border fence. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers have responded with tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition. So far, 47 protesters have been killed and nearly 7,000 wounded.

The demonstrations will peak on May 15 as Palestinians mark the Nakba, or catastrophethe anniversary of the exodus that saw around 750,000 flee what is now Israel. The diaspora has spread far and wide, and around half of all Palestinians now live outside Israel and the Palestinian territories.

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Fridays mark the high point of the protests each week when crowds swell along the fenceas do casualties. This Friday will be the last before the Nakba, and Israeli authorities are preparing to face the largest crowd yet. Hamass leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, said on Wednesday, We can't stop these protests, which he described as being like a tiger running in all directions.

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MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images

Israel maintains that only those posing a risk to the border fence and its troops were targeted, and argues that Hamas, the Islamist militant group controlling the Gaza Strip, is using the protests as a cover for planning and executing attacks. Human rights groups have accused Israel of causing unnecessary bloodshed, with one report alleging the use of lethal force outside of life-threatening situations in violation of international norms.

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With the controversial U.S. embassy set to open in Jerusalem on May 14, the five days from Fridays protests to Tuesdays Nakba anniversary will be tense, and quite possibly bloody.

Right of return

The right of returnwhich would apply to all the Palestinians and their descendents who left what is now Israelis central to the demonstrations. Given that around half of Gazas 2 million inhabitants are refugees, the cause resonates with many. Israel, for its part, has consistently ruled out offering refugees the right of return, fearing that a mass movement of Palestinians across the border could make Israeli Jews a minority in the country.

According to Yossi Kuperwasser, who served as an IDF intelligence officer and is the former director general of the Israel Ministry of Strategic Affairs, there is no room for compromise on this issue. What they want is us out; they want to bring an end to Zionism, he told Newsweek. You cannot compromise on the way you are going to be killed.

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Kuperwasser, who now works for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, said the only way to move forward was to return to the negotiating table, and for the Palestinians to drop their demand. There is no right of return, he said.

The importance of the right to return is reflected in the fact that 28 of the 40 people killed so far were refugees, a Palestinian official who asked not to be named told Newsweek. In order to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israel and Palestine, there has to be a just and fair solution to the refugee issue. He said that any agreement must be based on the 1948 United Nations Resolution 194, which resolved that refugees wishing to return to their homes be allowed to do so.

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REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Hugh Lovatt, an analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, noted that a wide range of demands and grievances were represented among the demonstrators. An important element of discontent is the grim humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Protesters are taking the opportunity to vent their anger at electricity cuts, fuel shortages, the sorry state of Gaza's infrastructure and other grievances. Israel and Egypt have imposed a strict blockade on Gaza since 2006, preventing spare parts and even construction materials from entering the enclave, claiming they wouold inevitably be diverted to military use.

The Palestinian official said the movement is led by civil society and supported by the vast majority of the Palestinian people, including its political parties. He added, The most important demand remains the full Israeli withdrawal from the territory occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem, stressing the movement is about the systematic denial of Palestinian rights. The only way to progress, he said, is for Israel to end its policy of managing the status quo rather than moving towards conflict resolution.

While the protests resonate with Palestinians, outside support has been mostly rhetorical thus far. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas praised brothers in Hamas for their involvement in the largely peaceful demonstrations, but the lack of protests in the West Bank and elsewhere is notable. Tiredness and apathy are two explanations for it, but it could also reflect a concerted effort by the PA and Israel to suppress West Bank action.

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Abbass government has exacerbated already difficult conditions for Gazans, cutting salaries for civil servants in the Stripa gap exists between PA rhetoric and practice. But let's see what happens for the inauguration of the U.S. embassy, Lovatt said. Are Palestinians in the West Bank keeping their powder dry?

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REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

An approaching catastrophe

With the end of the protests, the approach of Nakba and the imminent opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem, escalation and further bloodshed are to be expected. The protests may spread to the West Bank next week, but Gazas border fence will remain in focus.

There are fears that groups of demonstrators may attempt to rush the fence and break into Israel. On Thursday, Sinwar asked, What's the problem with hundreds of thousands breaking through a fence that is not a border? But such an action would no doubt lead to more deaths for little gain.

Israel will have to take whatever measures are necessary in order to make sure nobody crosses the border, Kuperwasser said, adding, We have no intention to have any casualties; we are trying to minimize the number.

For now, Hamas appears to be supporting the nonviolent approach. An aggressive strategy seems unlikely, Kuperwasser explained, as they dont think that they are going to gain anything out of it. A more peaceful approach is winning out, as Hamas feels this can be more effective than a wide-scale battle, according to Kuperwasser.

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REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Israel would not acknowledge a right of return for Palestinians, much less allow them to exercise it, and Gazans cannot, realistically, force their way back into Israel. The response from the international community has thus far been relatively muted, and pressure on Israel limited. For now, Israel appears to believe it can shoulder the diplomatic and reputational costs that come with the use of force.

But for Palestinians, the protests could shape the longer-term strategy. If six weeks of relatively peaceful protest end with high casualties but no concessions, the movement could drift back toward violence.

The dire conditions in the Stripwhere the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is facing further funding cuts over the summerare unlikely to improve in the short term. With no attempt at de-escalation or negotiation, deterioration looks inevitable.

Absent of an easing of pressure on Gaza, the inevitable trajectory is another war, Lovatt said. It is only a matter of what provides the spark, and when.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekCIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel has been nominated to lead the agency: CIA via AP

When Donald Trump made his surprise announcement naming CIA director Mike Pompeo as secretary of state, he left a void at the intelligence agency that may  for the first time  be filled by a woman: former CIA deputy director Gina Haspel.

Ms Haspel's nomination earned praised from a number of former CIA leaders, but it also stirred controversy: Human rights groups and members of Congress wanted to know more about Ms Haspel's history at the agency  a secretive one, which involved several encounters with the CIA's controversial, post-9/11 interrogation programme.

Below is everything we've learned about the nominee and her contentious background.

Who is Gina Haspel?

The 33-year CIA veteran has served as deputy director of the agency since February 2017, when Mr Trump nominated her to the role. She took over as acting director from Mr Pompeo after his confirmation as Secretary of State. Little is known about career before this, as the bulk of it was spent undercover.

Materials released by the White House trumpeted her as a celebrated leader, who previously served as Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service and Chief of Staff for the CIAs Directorate of Operations. She also won the Intelligence Medal of Merit, the Presidential Rank Award, and other accolades.

In a her Senate confirmation hearing this week, the 61-year-old released more biographical information. She said she was born in Kentucky but raised as an Army brat, moving frequently throughout her childhood. She joined the CIA in 1985 as an operations officer in the clandestine service and worked her way up the ranks, serving a total of seven tours in the field  including four as chief of station.

By any standard, my life at the Agency  and it has been my life  has exceeded all of my expectations, from that January day when I took my oath to today, she said at the hearing.

Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), testifies at her confirmation hearing (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Why is she a controversial choice?

Ms Hapels more than three decades at the CIA also included a dark period in American history: the post-9/11 CIA interrogation programme, which employed methods that many have deemed torture.

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Its not clear the depth of Ms Haspels involvement in the programme, as much of her record is classified. (Though, as several senators pointed out in her hearing, she has the power as acting CIA director to declassify any information shed like.)

What we do know is that Ms Haspel oversaw an American black site prison in Thailand in 2002, at the same time at least one detainee was waterboarded. She also drafted a 2005 cable ordering the destruction of nearly 100 video tapes showing detainees being waterboarded by the CIA. An internal CIA review later found Ms Haspel was not at fault for the tapes' destruction.

In her committee hearing, Ms Haspel vowed to never, ever restart the controversial interrogation programme at the CIA. She also maintained that her former boss, Jose Rodriguez, had been the one to officially order the destruction of the videotapes. But she refused to say whether she had overseen the waterboarding at the black site prison, saying the information was classified.

To the frustration of several senators, Ms Haspel also refused to call the methods the CIA had used immoral. Instead, she said the CIA had done extraordinary work in the aftermath of 9/11, but should be held to a stricter moral standard now.

Who is opposed to her confirmation?

Numerous human rights groups, more than 50 members of the US House, and more than 100 former US ambassadors have spoken out against Ms Haspels nomination. But what really matters to the deputy director now is the senators: She needs 51 of them to approve her nomination.

Republicans currently hold a slim, 49-51 majority in the chamber  good news for Ms Haspel, who has so far secured the support of only one Democratic senator. But several Republicans have also said they will not vote for the controversial nominee.

Senator John McCain  a Navy veteran who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam  released a statement urging his fellow Republicans to oppose Ms Haspel after her committee hearing.

Ms. Haspels role in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing. Her refusal to acknowledge tortures immorality is disqualifying, he wrote. I believe the Senate should exercise its duty of advice and consent and reject this nomination."

A group of 109 former US diplomats expressed similar concerns in a letter sent to senators before Ms Haspels hearing. They said her nomination would undercut the work of those trying to convince foreign counterparts that torture is not only morally wrong, but strategically shortsighted and legally impermissible.

Republican Senator Rand Paul has also said he will not vote for Ms Haspel.

Who is in favour of it?

Despite the pushback from outside groups and legislators, Ms Haspel has strong support from figures inside the agency.

Mr Pompeo, her boss at the CIA for more than a year, called her and exemplary intelligence officer  and a devoted patriot in a statement.

Several Obama-era figures, including former director of national intelligence James Clapper and former CIA director John Brennan, have also voiced their support. Michael Morell, the former CIA Deputy Director during the Obama Administration, called Ms Hapel a highly capable individual, with the best interests of the country, the Agency, and the men and women who serve it at heart.

Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr praised Ms Haspel during her committee hearing, calling her the most qualified person the president could have chosen to lead the CIA and the most prepared nominee in its 70-year history.

Whats next?

Ms Haspel appeared to have passed a Senate Intelligence Committee vote after her hearing on Wednesday. Her confirmation now advances to a full Senate vote, where she needs a simple majority to be approved.Update: 1:47 p.m. ET No other threats were identified at the school, police confirmed Friday. The Los Angles County Sheriff's Department said the incident at Highland High School appears to be an "isolated shooting."

The victim was identified as a 14-year-old male student of the high school and the suspect is also a 14-year-old male student. No names have been released. Authorities said that a rifle was recovered off campus.

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Highland High School Principal Chris Grado said the Sheriff's Department had lifted the school lockdown and has released students to parents and guardians.

"Please go to Avenue P-12, and deputies will let parents through individually," Grado tweeted. "This may take a while, so your patience is appreciated."

Update: 12:46 p.m. ET A dispute between two students led to a shooting at Highland High School in Palmdale, California, authorities said Friday. One person was shot in the arm and is in stable condition at a local hospital, Los Angeles County Sheriff officials confirmed.

"That student is going to be OK," said Captain Darren Harris, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Authorities said that a 14-year-old Hispanic male was detained and a weapon was recovered, the Associated Press reported. The suspect was detained in a nearby parking lot, Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida told the Los Angeles Times.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said, "Reasonably sure threat is contained."

Jon Baird, a reporter with KNX1070 Newsradio, captured footage of the suspect at the back of a squad car at a shopping center about a mile from the high school.

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In a brief statement on Friday, Palmdale Schools Superintendent Raul Maldonado described the suspect as an "active shooter."

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"We are all concerned about the safety of our children. It has been confirmed that earlier this morning, there was an active shooter on the Highland High School campus. Apparently, the person was already apprehended," Maldonado said.

"I want to let you know that all of the Palmdale Elementary Schools were put on lockdown, and will stay on lockdown until the situation is confirmed as safe for our students, teachers staff and parents," he continued.

Highland High School Principal Chris Grado confirmed that a suspect had been detained and added that the school remained on lockdown.

"Bulldogs, at this time, there is no threat to Highland High School. The campus remains on lock down as we work with law enforcement to determine release procedures for students," Grado tweeted.

Nishida also confirmed that authorities had responded to another report of a shooting at Manzanita Elementary School around 7:30 a.m. The spokeswoman said deputies did not find signs of a shooting or victims there.

Update: 12:04 p.m. ET Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed that Highland High School has been cleared by deputies. "Active investigation still ongoing," the department tweeted.

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The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was responding to a shooting at the high school, according to its official Twitter account.

Update: 11:31 a.m. ET Los Angeles County Sheriffs officials confirmed to Newsweek that one suspect has been detained in connection with the alleged shooting at Highland High School. Deputies continue to search the campus, officials said.

The Sheriffs Department said it could not confirm any injuries. No other information was made available.

Original story: Authorities in California are responding to reports of an active shooter on campus at Highland High School in Palmdale, which is located about an hour northeast of Los Angeles.

Palmdale Police confirmed to Newsweek that there has been a shooting and that the high school is on lockdown. At least one person has reportedly been injured and drove him- or herself to the hospital, officials said, according to CBS Los Angeles.

hhs map

Google Maps

Los Angeles County Sheriffs officials said reports of the shooting came in around 7:05 a.m. from the campus, located at 39055 25th St. West.

Ricky Munoz, 23, told CNN that he dropped off his two brothers and a friend at the school this morning. About a minute later, I get a call from them saying there were gunshots, he said.

hhs

Google Maps

Three nearby schools, David G. Millen Intermediate, Cottonwood Elementary and Ocotillo Elementary are also on lockdown.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the construction of a mega hydropower plant during a visit to Nepal Friday, part of his government's move to counter Chinese influence in its backyard.

Modi and his Nepali counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli laid the foundation stone of the $1.4 billion India-backed Arun Three hydropower plant, a long-mooted project that could be a game-changer for energy-staved Nepal.

"It is one of the biggest projects in Nepal. Along with employment opportunities, this project will create economic and commercial opportunities in Nepal," Modi said in Kathmandu following the inauguration.

The plant is the first of five mega hydropower projects, two of which are backed by Chinese companies, to begin construction, which marks a diplomatic win for India.

China has outspent India in Nepal in recent years, as the impoverished Himalayan nation sandwiched between the two Asian giants has titled relations towards its northern neighbour.

In 2017, Chinese firms pledged more than $8.3 billion in investment, dwarfing Indian commitments of $317 million. In May last year, Nepal signed up to Beijing's ambitious One Belt, One Road infrastructure initiative.

But Modi, who cast the visit as part of his "neighbourhood first" policy, has been keen to show that India can also deliver on big-ticket infrastructure promises.

"Historically India-funded projects, while they seem generous, have struggled to show progress, while the Chinese do it quicker and gain on public opinion," said Kathmandu-based analyst George Varughese.

Nepal suffers from a crippling energy shortage and has been in talks with its two large neighbours for investment in its hydroelectric sector for more than a decade.

The Himalayan nation has enough water to be a hydro powerhouse but it has so far harnessed less than two percent of that potential, according to estimates.

- Big brother -

Modi's visit to Nepal comes a month after newly elected Oli made his first foreign visit to New Delhi.

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The neighbours are keen to restore relations that have been strained since 2015 when Nepal passed a controversial new constitution, which sparked deadly protests and triggered a months-long border blockade.

Kathmandu blamed New Delhi for the blockade that caused a severe shortage of fuel and goods as Nepal struggled to recover from a devastating earthquake earlier that year.

Oli, then serving his first term as prime minister, won huge public support as he stoked nationalist anti-India sentiment over the blockade. He used the platform again during his reelection campaign last year.

Many in Nepal remain suspicious of India's "big brother" attitude, and the hashtags #ModiNotWelcomeInNepal and #BlockadeWasACrimeMrModi trended on Twitter as the Indian premier touched down.

Oli, who needs India -- Nepal's largest trading partner -- to realise his ambitious plans to kickstart economic growth, has opted for a more pragmatic approach to relations since he took office again in February.

Modi began his Nepal visit in the southern city of Janakpur where he offered prayers at a renowned Hindu temple. Janakpur was a centre of the deadly 2015 protests, which claimed more than 50 lives.

Modi will visit a second Hindu pilgrimage site near Nepal's border with Tibet on Saturday. Analysts say the strong religious overtones are intended to send a message to his Hindu nationalist base at home, where Modi is fighting a key election in the southern state of Karnataka.The Iranian government said Friday that the country was planning to restart its nuclear program if a multilateral nuclear agreement collapsed in the wake of a controversial U.S. exit.

Iran has condemned President Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle a 2015 nuclear accord reached under the administration of former President Barack Obama. Under the terms of the agreement, Iran extensively curbed its nuclear activities in exchange for billions of dollars in sanctions relief. Trump felt the deal did not go far enough and did not address other foreign policy quarrels between Washington and Tehran. On Tuesday, he officially reinstated sanctions, upsetting European allies and angering Iran.

As fellow signatories China, France, Germany, Russia and the U.K. scrambled to save the landmark deal, the Iranian government said in a statement Thursday that "the President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has been tasked with taking all necessary steps in preparation for Iran to pursue industrial-scale enrichment without any restrictions, using the results of the latest research and development of Irans brave nuclear scientists."

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"The people of Iran will with calm and confidence continue their path towards progress and development and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has foreseen all necessary measures to facilitate this under any circumstance," the statement added.

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ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images

Trump's decision to withdraw was opposed by the other five powers also signed on to the agreement, but was supported by leading Iran foes Israel and Saudi Arabia. Despite repeated verifications by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Israel has accused Iran of being deceitful about its nuclear activities, which Iran has maintained are strictly for peaceful purposes. Israel has also charged Iran with undermining its national security by building up military positions in neighboring Syria.

Story continues

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Iran and its local and region, mostly Shiite Muslim partner militias have deployed in Syria to assist Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his fight against rebels and jihadis. With their help and a Russian military intervention, Assad has mostly overcome the 2011 uprising that was backed by the West, Turkey and Gulf Arab states, but pro-Syrian government forces, including Iranians, have increasingly been targeted by the U.S. and Israel. The Syrian government only recognizes Russia and Iran as state partners in the civil war and considers other any other military presence to be illegal.

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Hours before Trump left the deal, Israel boosted its security in the Golan Heights, a territory it annexed from Syria without international recognition. Shortly after Trump said he left the deal, Israeli jets struck a suspected Iranian military site near Damacus. Syrian or Iranian forces then fired a number of rockets against Israeli targets in the occupied Golan Heights, many of which were reportedly intercepted. Israel then responded with a massive barrage of airstrikes, damaging Syrian and Iranian infrastructure and killing a number of their personnel.

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The escalation proved to be the largest flare-up between Israel and Syria since the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Both sides blamed one another for the violence, but the U.S. quickly took Israel's side, claiming the strikes were in self-defense. Iran, however, saw it differently, with Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi arguing Friday that "the Zionist regime's repeated attacks on Syrian soil under self-proclaimed, baseless pretexts amount to a blatant violation of Syria's sovereignty and goes against all international conventions," according to Iran's Press TV.

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Institute for the Study of War/Maps4News/Israeli Defense Forces/Reuters

Qasemi also accused Israel and the U.S. of using attacks against Assad and his supporters as a pretext to support the embattled insurgent groups trying to topple his government. He said: "The main supporters of these groups are directly attacking and invading Syrian territories in an attempt to avenge the many failures of their self-created terrorists and tip the scales in their favor."

Meanwhile, Moscow has appealed for calm amid spiraling tensions in the Middle East. Russia is a staunch ally of Assad and maintains a strategic alliance with Iran in Syria, but also keeps in close touch with Israel. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday that he had assurances from both Iran and Israel that they would not provoke one another, "but, as you know, incidents, nevertheless, happen."

"It is particularly alarming that they occur despite the fact that all of us have underscored our commitment to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. Russian military experts are now analyzing the incident on Syrias Golan Heights that took place in the early hours of May 10 in great detail. They observed the incident. I believe that the relevant conclusions will be made public," Lavrov said.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekANKARA (Reuters) - Iran on Friday supported Syria's right to defend itself against aggression from Israel, state TV reported, accusing others of remaining silent over the attacks on Tehran's key regional ally. "Iran strongly condemns ...(Israel's) attacks on Syria. The international community's silence encourages Israel's aggression. Syria has every right to defend itself," the broadcaster quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying. Israel said it had attacked nearly all of Iran's military infrastructure in Syria on Thursday after Iranian forces fired rockets at Israeli-held territory for the first time, in the most extensive military exchange ever between the two adversaries. The confrontation came two days after President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 multinational agreement aimed it curbing Iran's nuclear program. Tehran and its allied Shi'ite Muslim militias back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Since its Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has refused to recognize Israel. (Writing by Parisa Hafezi; editing by John Stonestreet)Baghdad, Iraq An Iraqi woman arrives to cast her vote at a polling station during the parliamentary election in the Sadr city district of Baghdad, Iraq, May 12, 2018. (Photo: Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters)

Iraqis voted on Saturday for the first time since the defeat of Islamic State, with Prime Minister Haider Abadi, a rare ally of both the United States and Iran, trying to fend off powerful Shiite groups that would pull the country closer to Tehran.

Iraqis expressed pride at the prospect of voting for the fourth time since the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein, but also said they had scant hope that the election would stabilise a country beset by conflicts, economic hardship and corruption. (Reuters)

See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr.Jerusalem (AFP) - The Israeli army said it would almost double the number of troops surrounding the Gaza Strip and in the occupied West Bank to tackle Palestinian protests against Monday's controversial opening of a US embassy in Jerusalem.

Three additional infantry brigades will be deployed next week, two around the Gaza Strip and one in the West Bank, army spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters on Saturday.

The move nearly doubles the number of fighting units currently serving, he said, without giving specific figures on troops to be deployed.

The announcement does not concern Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, where responding to protests is the responsibility of the police.

US President Donald Trump will not attend the opening of the new embassy in Jerusalem on Monday, but his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law and key adviser Jared Kushner will.

A signature campaign promise, Trump's December announcement of the embassy move led to major protests in Gaza and the West Bank.

Palestinians consider the eastern part of the city as their capital.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians are expected to protest along the Gaza border Monday, with the strip's Islamist rulers Hamas voicing support in recent days for attempts to breach the fence into Israel.

"What's the problem with hundreds of thousands breaking through a fence that is not a border?" the organisation's Gaza head Yahya Sinwar said, arguing Israel has never defined its borders.

Palestinians in Gaza have been protesting for seven weeks to be able to return to their historic homes they fled in 1948 and which later became part of Israel.

A 15-year-old teenager who was shot in the head Friday succumbed to his wounds on Saturday evening, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said.

The death brought to 54 the number of Palestinians killed since clashes began on March 30, with hundreds of others injured.

No Israelis have been injured.

Israel has vowed to use the necessary force to prevent any breach on Monday and has accused Hamas of using the protests as a pretext to carry out attacks.

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On Saturday Conricus said the rules of engagement had not been changed.

The United Nations and the European Union have called for an independent investigation into the deaths, but the Jewish state has rebuffed them.

The United States has defended its ally and accused Hamas of using Palestinians, including children, as human shields by encouraging them to protest along the border.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.

Separately Saturday Israeli aircraft carried out a number of strikes against what the army said was a Hamas attack tunnel near the Gaza border.Israel said it hit most of Iran's bases in Syria - REUTERS

Israel warned the Syrian regime on Friday to get rid of the Iranians or else risk further large scale Israeli airstrikes against Irans forces in Syrian territory.

A day after Israel launched Operation House of Cards - sending warplanes to hit 70 targets across Syria in response to what it said was an Iranian rocket attack on the Golan Heights - Israeli defence minister Avigdor Lieberman issued a message to Damascus.

They are not helping you, they only cause damage, and their presence will only cause problems and damages, Mr Lieberman said during a tour of the Golan. Get rid of the Iranians and maybe it will be possible to have a different kind of life.

Iran meanwhile denied that its forces were behind the rocket attack early on Thursday morning and said Israel had launched the airstrikes into Syria based on fabricated and baseless excuses.

The spike in violence between Iran and Israel across the Golan came as Tehran prepares to mount a complicated diplomatic offensive to try to salvage the Iran nuclear deal in the wake of Donald Trumps decision to withdraw.

Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, will leave today (SAT) on a worldwide trip to Beijing, Moscow and Brussels to meet with the remaining members of the nuclear agreement and urge them not to give in to US pressure to halt trade with Iran.

Israel said it hit most of Iran's bases in Syria Credit: REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki

The foreign minister has been tasked with the duty of taking the necessary measures to obtain guarantees from the remaining parties of the JCPOA as well as Irans other economic partners, Irans government said in a statement.

The statement warned that even as Mr Zarif was on his diplomatic mission Iran was making preparations so that it could resume industrial scale uranium enrichment.

Such a move be a breach of the nuclear agreement and likely set Iran back on a potential course towards major conflict with Israel and the US, which have both said they will not allow Iran to develop the capacity for a nuclear weapon.

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Iran is seeking assurances that European, Russian and Chinese companies will continue to do business with Iran, even in the face of threats from the US that companies which do so may face American sanctions.

In response to US persistent violations & unlawful withdrawal from the nuclear deal, as instructed by President Rouhani, I'll spearhead a diplomatic effort to examine whether remaining JCPOA participants can ensure its full benefits for Iran. Outcome will determine our response.  Javad Zarif (@JZarif) May 8, 2018

An early test is likely to come this week when Airbus, a European aircraft maker, is expected to announce whether it will continue with a 15 billion deal to supply Iran with 100 commercial planes.

The deal is of major importance to Iran and its national carrier, IranAir, which has been struggling for years with a fleet of aging planes. If the Airbus deal falls through it is likely to strengthen the hand of Iranian hardliners calling an end to the nuclear agreement.

Meanwhile, an aide to Vladimir Putin said that Russia was not planning to move supply the Syrian regime with sophisticated S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. Vladimir Kozhin, a Kremlin official, said the Syrian regime had everything they needed.

The announcement appeared to be a victory for Israel as the S-300 system in the hands of the Syrian regime would potentially threaten Israels freedom to carry out airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria.

The announcement also seemed to be another sign of tensions between Iran and Russia, who are fighting on the same side on behalf of the Syrian regime. By refusing to supply the S-300 system to Damascus, Russia is leaving Iranian troops exposed to future Israeli strikes.

Asharq Al-Awsat, a London-based Arab newspaper, published an unconfirmed account tensions with Irans government over the attack in the Golan. It claimed that Hassan Rouhani, Irans president, accused the Revolutionary Guard of launching the rocket attack as a way of sabotaging his efforts to save the nuclear agreement.

Israels military appeared confident that its wave strikes had deterred Iran from another attack in the near future. Israeli civilians on the Golan Heights were told they could close their bomb shelters, which had been open since Tuesday. There is intelligence information behind that decision, a military official said.

Israeli officials said they had significantly set back Irans military capabilities in Syria but would remain vigilant as Iran flew in new weapons and equipment.

Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, said Iran had obtained a letter sent by Mr Trump to Arab allies demanding that they do more for the US in return for America's military presence in the Middle East. "The US wants to own humiliated slaves," the ayatollah said.

Mr Trump has publicly complained about US allies in Europe and the Middle East taking advantage of American security guarantees. "They have to step up tremendously  not a little bit, but tremendously  their financial effort, Mr Trump said of the Gulf states.

US officials confirmed to the New York Times that Mr Trump had sent a letter to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain, but said the Iranian leader had mischaracterised its content to make it sound more divisive than it was.Rome (AFP) - An Italian court has lifted a ban on three-time former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi running for elected office, Italy's media reported Saturday, clearing the way for yet another political comeback.

The decision comes as the leaders of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and the far-right League inch closer to a deal for a coalition government, just days after Berlusconi signalled he would not block such an agreement.

The Corriere Della Sera reported that a Milan court ordered the immediate "rehabilition" of Berlusconi on Saturday, which "cancels all the effects" of his 2013 tax fraud conviction -- including a ban on holding elected office.

The ban on the 81-year-old media mogul, who is notorious for his "Bunga Bunga" sex parties, had originally been until 2019 and the court's decision taken on Friday was made a month ahead of schedule, the newspaper added.

It means that Berlusconi would be able to again run for prime minister if coalition negotiations fail and new elections are called. But it may be too late as M5S and the League seem to be making headway in their talks.

A right-wing coalition including the League and Berlusconi's Forza Italia party won 37 percent of the vote in March 4 elections, while M5S became Italy's largest single party with nearly 33 percent.

However, coalition talks were stalled for two months as M5S insisted the League, which led the right-wing coalition with 17 percent of the vote, ditch Berlusconi and his party.

On Wednesday, Berlusconi seemed to give the green light for the League to go ahead without him, and its leader Matteo Salvini and M5S's Luigi Di Maio are to meet in Milan on Saturday to continue talks.

They may report on their progress as early as Sunday to President Sergio Mattarella, who could then nominate the new prime minister on Monday.

Dubbed "the immortal", Berlusconi dominated Italian politics for more than two decades, and despite sex scandals, serial gaffes and legal woes, he made an astonishing return from political oblivion for the March vote.

However, coming second to the League in his conservative alliance was a humiliating setback for Berlusconi, who was forced out of parliament in 2013 after being convicted of corporate tax fraud.KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Jailed Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim will be released on Tuesday, the veteran politician's daughter Nurul Izzah told Reuters on Saturday. Newly elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said this week that all efforts were being made to release Anwar, a former foe, immediately and secure a full royal pardon from the country's monarch. "Yes," Nurul said in a text message when asked to confirm whether her father was being released on Tuesday. Anwar was jailed in 2015 for charges of sodomy, a charge he and his supporters say was politically motivated. Nurul added the pardon from the monarch is being sought on the grounds of "miscarriage of justice". (Reporting by Joseph Sipalan; writing by Praveen Menon; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)The Arizona senator John McCain says Russian President Vladimir Putin is an evil man  who is bent on "defeating" the West.

In his memoir The Restless Wave, Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights and Other Appreciations, the 81-year-old former presidential candidate took aim at Putin and condemned alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

In an excerpt published by the Wall Street Journal, McCain outlines how he was told in November 2016, by a former British diplomat, that ex-MI6 officer Christopher Steele was investigating links between the Trump campaign and Moscow.

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REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein/File Photo

McCain said he did not know if the claims that Moscow had compromising evidence on Trump were true but that they deserved to be examined by counterintelligence agents.

I was alarmed by Russian interference in the election. Any loyal American should be. I wanted to make Putin pay a steep price for it, and I worried that the incoming administration would not be so inclined, McCain wrote.

He described how he dealt with conspiracy theories that he was an agent of the deep state but insisted he had to inform officials about the dossier adding, I discharged that obligation, and I would do it again. Anyone who doesnt like it can go to hell.

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He also described how he was a persistent critic of Putin, even when Washington wanted to bring him in from the cold, such as during the famous attempted reset of ties under the Obama administration.

I understood the impulse for wishful thinking. The sudden end of the Cold War had left a lot of Americans, including me, giddy with optimism for what the future might hold for relations between the former superpower enemies."

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REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

But at this point it was just delusional to believe that Putin would ever be our democratic partner, he added.

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While welcoming the agreement between the U.S. and Russia over sanctions on Iran and the anti-nuclear START treaty, he said that President Trump either refuses to understand what Putin is doing or does not care.

Vladimir Putin is an evil man, and he is intent on evil deeds, which include the destruction of the liberal world order that the United States has led and that has brought more stability, prosperity and freedom to humankind than has ever existed in history, McCain wrote.

A review in The Guardian praised the book, saying, "McCain is dying of cancer but he wont leave this earth without one more fight."

McCain was diagnosed last summer with glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. His book will come out later in May along with an HBO documentary in which he reflects on his 60 years of service in Congress and the U.S. Navy.

White House official Kelly Sadler called McCain's daughter, Meghan, to apologize after mocking the senator's illness earlier this week.

McCain, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he would not support Trumps nomination for the next head of the CIA, Gina Haspel, as she failed to explain her role regarding CIA operations where water-boarding and other torture techniques were used during George W. Bush's presidency.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekBy Thomas Mukoya NAIROBI (Reuters) - A dam burst in a Kenyan town after weeks of heavy rain, causing "huge destruction" and deaths, a government official said on Thursday, while a local television station said 20 bodies had so far been recovered. The dam gave way in Solai, in Nakuru county, 190 kilometres(120 miles) northwest of Nairobi, late on Wednesday. "The water has caused huge destruction of both life and property. The extent of the damage has yet to be ascertained," Lee Kinyajui, the governor of Nakuru, said in a statement. Private television station KTN News said that 20 bodies had been recovered from the scene so far. Kenya Red Cross said on Twitter it had rescued 39 people so far. Kenya, like other countries in East Africa, has experienced heavy rain over the past two months. The government said on Wednesday the rain had killed 132 people and displaced 222,456 in 32 counties since March. (Reporting by Thomas Mukoya and George Obulutsa; writing by George Obulutsa; editing by Larry King)By Maggie Fick SOLAI, Kenya (Reuters) - A dam on a Kenyan commercial farm that burst this week, killing at least 45 people, was built illegally, the water resource regulator said on Friday, as police opened an initial investigation into the disaster. The minister in charge of water also ordered other dams on the property to be drained immediately. The earthen dam on the farm, which grew roses for export to Europe, burst on Wednesday night after heavy rains, sending a wall of water roaring down a hillside and obliterating everything in its path. Another 40 people are reported missing. The disaster is likely to put a spotlight on the regulation of Kenya's cut-flower industry, which has grown dramatically in the last two decades to become one of its biggest foreign exchange earners and a major source of jobs. One in three of all roses sold in Europe comes from Kenya and more than 100,000 people work in flower farms, many of which lie in the fertile Rift Valley. Elizabeth Luvonga, a spokeswoman for the Water Resources Management Authority, which oversees private dams, said other reservoirs on Patels Farm in Solai, 190 km (120 miles) northwest of Nairobi, also lacked the necessary documents and were illegal. Water and Sanitation Minister Simon Chelugui said the burst dam and others on the property did not meet regulations, and that the Water Resources Authority had been pursuing the owner to make them compliant. He ordered all the others to be drained as a precaution. Chelugui added that a team would inspect dams countrywide. Vinoj Jayakumar, general manager of the 3,500-acre farm, blamed the collapse on torrential rain and denied that the dam had been defective or lacked the necessary approvals. "How can they say it is illegal?" he told Reuters. "It was not built today or yesterday. It was built 20 years back." Amid domestic reports that the dam had not passed government engineering checks, the chief prosecutor ordered police to open an immediate investigation and report back within a fortnight. SAVED BY TREE Sacks of rice arrived on lorries on Friday to provide for hundreds of families whose livelihoods had been swept away. In the village health center, distraught doctor Veronica Achoka recounted the suffering of the community. "Yesterday was rescue and evacuation all day. The water swept people 10 km downhill. Many bodies were found that far away. There's so much property destruction," she said. At the hospital in the nearby town of Bahati, dozens were being treated for injuries ranging from fractures to internal bleeding, she said. Further away in the provincial town of Nakuru, Isaac Mwaniki had to identify his wife at the mortuary. "I think the water's force and soil is what got her," he said. Rescuers managed to save his daughter after the water subsided. "She had hung onto a tree and was tired but, thank God, she is okay," Mwaniki said. After a severe drought last year, two months of heavy rain have affected nearly a million people in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and Uganda. Bridges have been swept away and roads turned into rivers of mud. More than 150 people have been killed and 300,000 displaced in Kenya, where the damage runs into millions of dollars. "We all breathed a sigh of relief when the rainy season started strong in early March," said Lane Bunkers of Catholic Relief Services. "But now - two months later - we are seeing the consequences of the drought-ravaged land's inability to absorb all the rain." (Reporting by Duncan Miriri, Humphrey Malalo, Jackson Njehia and Maggie Fick; Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Ed Cropley and Kevin Liffey)By May. 12, 2018

"If you can kill it, I can cook it," barbecue man Red Seavers of Southern Red's Bar-B-Que boasted when Berry ate at the southwest Kentucky barbecue jointone of more than 200 he's visited. In that one sentence, Red summed up Kentucky's overall liberal approach to cooking critters with heat from wood and coals.





In this presentation, the "Hungry Professor" surveys Kentucky's wildly variable regional barbecue traditions with a slide show and tales of the people, places, and plates he's encountered all over the state while researching The Kentucky Barbecue Book, the first comprehensive exploration of Kentuckys distinct barbecue traditions and regional variations.





The Kentucky Barbecue Book is a feast for readers who are eager to sample the finest fare in the state. From the banks of the Mississippi to the hidden hollows of the Appalachian Mountains, author and barbecue enthusiast Wes Berry hit the trail in search of the best smoke, the best flavor, and the best pit masters he could find.





Barbecue aficionado Wes Berry, PhD, is Professor & Director of Graduate Studies Department of English, Western Kentucky University

Co-sponsored by Kentucky Humanities an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C.



PADUCAH, KY - Evenings Upstairs at McCracken County Public Library will feature Adventures in Kentucky Barbecue with author and professor Wes Berry, from Western Kentucky University on May 17th from 7 until 8 pm.Fifteen years after he retired, Malaysias longest-serving prime minister is back in his old job, vowing to reform the country he says was unraveled by the former ruling party he led for two decades.

At his first press conference as prime minister again on Thursday, Mahathir named revamping the economy and sorting out the countrys finances as his top priorities. He also pledged to fight corruption, as well as review politically motivated charges against dissidents and members of the opposition.

We are particularly keen to ensure that the constitution is upheld and that the laws of this country are what will guide us through our administration, he told reporters shortly before midnight local time.

Mahathir was sworn in late on Thursday night as the countrys seventh prime minister. Known as the father of Malaysias modernization, as well as an autocrat who kept a tight hold over power, the 92-year-old previously governed the country from 1981-2003, overseeing a period of rapid industrialization and infrastructure building.

After voters delivered an unprecedented rebuke of the incumbent Barisan National coalition at the polls, Mahathir, who defected to unite a fractured opposition, is now presiding over the countrys first transition of power since independence in 1957.

Delays to the swearing-in ceremony, which must be officiated by the king, prompted concern throughout the day that the unseated premier Najib Razak was making a last-ditch attempt to hold on to the government.

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During his concession speech on Thursday, a scandal-dogged Najib vowed to respect the will of the people, but cast doubts over Mahathirs ability to be appointed prime minister. Since no one party had achieved a simple majority  Pakatan Harapan is a four bloc coalition  he claimed it was up to the king, Sultan Muhammad V, to make a decision over who would be best for the people.

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Mahathir had called for the king to respect the rule of law and sign-off on the transition by 5 p.m. Despite appearing at the palace in ceremonial dress at the appointed time, Mahathir, trailed by a retinue of anxious supporters, had to wait several hours before the rubber-stamping event.

This took slightly more time than expected, about six hours more. But all time must come to an end and here we are: I was formally sworn in as prime minister, Mahathir said at his Thursday night press conference.

The 7th Malaysian Prime Minister and opposition candidate Mahathir Mohamad during a press conference on May 10, 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

He invited reporters to ask questions in an orderly fashion. Dont forget, I am the dictator, he joked.

On his immediate to-do list, Mahathir named the economy and the finances of this country as his priority, suggesting that the accounts are at present in a horrid state.

To saw we owe 1 trillion ringgit (about $253 billion) is not an exaggeration, he said, adding that he hopes to recover much of the $4.5 billion allegedly stolen from a state investment fund known as 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

We believe we can get most of the 1MDB money back because we know that the money is in America, in Singapore, in Switzerland and probably in Jho Low, he said, referring to a Malaysian financier linked to the graft-tainted fund.

Najib denied any wrongdoing, but investigators say $1 billion from the fund ended up in his personal bank accounts. He could face criminal proceedings under the new administration, which says it will set up in an inquest into the missing money.

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Mahathir also pledged to stop adjusting petrol prices every few seconds, and to work on rebuilding investor confidence through ending corruption and resurrecting rule of law.

We also intend to abolish laws which are oppressive and unfair, he said, specifically naming the Fake News law recently passed by parliament and widely seen as a vehicle to quash reports critical of the government.

During his previously 22 years in power, Mahathir inspired the opposition political movement he now spearheads after he was accused of weakening the judiciary, jailing critics and shuttering newspapers.

Observers have not missed the irony baked into Mahathirs political encore.

Mahathir, who dismantled many of the institutions of democracy in Malaysia, turns out to be the savior of democracy, Bridget Welsh, associate professor of Political Science at John Cabot University, tells TIME.

Mahathir has defended his record, claiming the system predates him and that he has apologized for mistakes made a generation ago.

We have work to do for the future of our country we should not be harping on our past, the countrys new nonagenarian leader said on Thursday night.KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Friday the country's monarch had indicated he was willing to grant a full pardon to jailed politician Anwar Ibrahim.

Speaking at a news conference, Mahathir also said he would announce a 10-member cabinet on Saturday, including ministers for finance, defence and home affairs.

Anwar and Mahathir, former allies and then implacable foes, joined hands to contest this week's election and oust the administration of Najib Razak. Anwar is in custody on charges of sodomy and corruption and cannot take any office until he is pardoned and released.

Mahathir has said he will step aside and hand over the prime minister's post to Anwar once he is pardoned. (Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)Kuala Lumpur (AFP) - Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak said Saturday he was going to take a "short break" after his shock election loss as speculation mounted the scandal-hit ex-leader was due to jet out of the country.

Journalists descended on an airport near Kuala Lumpur in the morning as reports circulated on social media that Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor were due to board a private jet and fly to Indonesia.

Najib's long-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition suffered a shock loss in an election to an alliance headed by Mahathir Mohamad, 92, himself a former premier who came back to take on his ex-protege, Najib.

Since his defeat, there has been speculation Najib and his wife might try to flee the country as the new government has vowed to investigate a massive financial scandal that the ex-leader has been implicated in.

In a series of early morning tweets, Najib said: "I will take a short break to spend time with my family whom I have not seen enough of in recent years.

"I pray that after this divisive period, the country will unite.

"I apologise for any shortcomings and mistakes, and I thank you, the people, for the opportunity to lead our great nation."

He did not give further details about his plans.

Dozens of journalists descended on Subang Airport, a small airport just outside the capital, after what was believed to be a manifest circulated online showing Najib and his wife were due to board a flight to Jakarta on Saturday morning.

Police were guarding the airport.

Some media reports said the pair were on a travel blacklist and would not be allowed to leave.

But the immigration department's director-general Mustafar Ali told AFP: "They are not blacklisted so far."

Mahathir's victory broke the grip on power of Najib's Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which had ruled Malaysia uninterrupted since independence from Britain in 1957.

Najib's premiership was battered by allegations he oversaw the plundering of billions of dollars from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB. Najib and the fund deny any wrongdoing.

Mahathir, who is the world's oldest elected leader, has said that the king has agreed to pardon jailed leading politician Anwar Ibrahim, paving the way for his return to politics and to potentially become premier.Honey, they shrunk the royal wedding!

Workers at Legoland Windsor Resort have spent more than 750 hours building a miniature version of the Royal wedding that will take place on May 19.

Royal Wedding LegoLand

A Lego replica of what the royal wedding could look like at Windsor Castle. Lego

To honor future duchess Meghan Markle and her soon-to-be husband Prince Harry, the U.K. resort built their own Windsor Castle to display in their Miniland attraction, a part of the park that replicates miniature models of buildings and landmarks.

This mini-royal wedding has it all.

For starters, their Windsor Castle, made of nearly 40,000 Lego bricks, took eight model makers to build. The resort said it will keep the castle as a permanent display in honor of the ceremony.

With the Royal wedding happening just down the road, it felt only right to celebrate their special day with a new royal scene and it was a real thrill to be able to immortalize our local Castle in LEGO bricks for the first time ever, Paula Laughton, the head model maker at the Legoland Windsor Resort, said in a statement.

The newlyweds are seen either standing side-by-side in front of the castle or sitting in their Ascot Landau carriage pulled by two horses.

Markle stands at 10 centimeters tall, wearing her white gown and veil. She is accompanied by her prince, who catches the eye perfectly with his bright, red hair and buttoned uniform.

Legoland Royal Wedding 2

A Lego version of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their wedding day. Lego

Also included in the mini-wedding are their families and a variety of A-list guests.

It wouldnt be a royal wedding without the Queen, who makes an appearance in the model along with The Duke of Edinburgh. Also portrayed are Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, plus Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. Even Meghan Markles parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland, appear in the Lego wedding.

Legoland Royal Wedding

The Lego version of the royal newlyweds with their parents. Lego

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Also standing out amid the 500 guests are likenesses of Sir Elton John, sporting tinted rose glasses, and Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell of the Spice Girls, wearing her famous Union Jack dress.

"We cant wait to see our guests reaction to the royal tribute and our magnificent new Windsor Castle," Laughton said.

Lego Wedding: By the Numbers

Entire scene: Nearly 60,000 Lego bricks

Hours to build: 752 hours

Total model makers: 11 people

Windsor Castle: 39,960 Lego bricks

Hours to build: 592 hours

Windsor Castle model makers: 8 people

Height of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry figures: 10 centimeters tall

Meghan Markle in dress and veil: 60 Lego bricks

Ascot Landau carriage: 1,500 Lego bricks

2 horses for the carriage: 200 Lego bricks

Lego Guests in the scene: 500

Guests: 17,000 Lego bricks

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Related Articles:The Late Show host Stephen Colbert congratulated President Donald Trump on Thursday for welcoming back three Americans freed from North Korea, but then compared their situation to that of first lady Melania Trump.

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I give the president a lot of the business, you know, I hit him with the zingers, but its nice when you see good things happen in Trumps America, Colbert said. For instance, early this morning, the three American hostages freed by North Korea landed safely in the United States. Thats great news.

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The president was there to meet the freed menalong with Melania, who is hoping to be freed next, Colbert continued. Its too long. Too long.

Melania Trump has appeared at distant at times from her husband. Reports emerged earlier this year of affairs he allegedly had with adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and Playboy playmate Karen McDougal. The first lady canceled her trip accompanying him to Davos, Switzerland, arrived on her own to his State of the Union address, and at times has seemed reluctant to hold his hand.

Such behavior has led not only Colbert to joke that Melania Trump is seeking a way out of the White House.

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Theres no one left at the White House anymore. Its just you and your Slovenian captive, late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel joked in March after the president fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. He was referring to the first lady, who immigrated to the U.S. from Slovenia.

Kimmel said there was not a chance that Melania Trump helped set up the White House Easter Egg Roll the following month.

She didnt dye eggs. The only thing shes been working on is an escape tunnel, Kimmel said.

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Even Frances de-facto first lady Brigitte Macron implied that Melania Trump is a hostage in the White House after a visiting the Trumps in April.

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Macron said Melania Trump is actually really fun but cannot do anything.

She cant even open a window at the White House. She cant go outside, Macron said. Shes much more constrained than I am. I go out every day in Paris.

Colbert proceeded to mock the president on his comment about the North Korean leader in his Thursday segment. We want to thank Kim Jong Un, who really was excellent to these three incredible people, Trump had said.

No, he wasnt. He wasnt excellent to them. And you know the hint that he wasnt? They look happy to be with you, OK? Colbert said. Thats how low the bar is.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekAssisi (Italy) (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday said she was deeply concerned by repeated breaches of a ceasefire between government forces and Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine.

"Every night there are violations of the ceasefire and every day there are human casualties," Merkel said in the central Italian town of Assisi, where she received a prize for her efforts to promote peace.

"Ukraine concerns us and in the 'Normandy Format' -- which groups Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine -- we try to get the Minsk (ceasefire) accords respected," she said.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after mass protests ousted a pro-Russian government in Kiev, with more than 10,000 people dead so far despite repeated efforts to get successive ceasefires to stick, the last dating to the end of March.

Daughter of a Protestant pastor, Merkel was awarded the Peace Lamp of Saint Francis prize by Franciscan monks for "her work on reconciliation, promoting peaceful coexistence between peoples".

Merkel also spoke about the rising tensions between Iran and Israel in Syria, saying the situation had become worse since the US withdrawal this week from the Iran nuclear accord.

"We are following what's happening between Iran and Israel taking into consideration Germany's commitment to the security of Israel," she said.

She is scheduled to meet later with 300 young people from 37 countries including some refugees from Syria's civil war.

Others who have received the "Catholic Nobel" include Pope John-Paul II, Mother Teresa and Mikhail Gorbachev.(WASHINGTON)  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered economic help Friday to impoverished North Korea if it gives up its nuclear weapons, as the two countries prepare for an historic summit between President Donald Trump and leader Kim Jong Un.

A day after returning from a trip to Pyongyang, Pompeo said he had good and substantive conversations with Kim during his visit, in which he secured the release of three Americans who had been detained in North Korea. In a joint news conference with South Koreas top diplomat, he offered a glimpse of what U.S.-North Korean relations could look like if they succeed in reaching a nuclear accord.

If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends, Pompeo said.

Since Trump announced plans to hold a summit with Kim, questions have been raised continually about whether the two leaders have the same objective in mind when they speak about denuclearization. To the U.S., that means the North giving up the nuclear weapons it has already built. But North Korea has said its willing to talk now because its already succeeded in becoming a nuclear-armed state, fueling skepticism that the North would truly being willing to give those weapons up.

Pompeo said there would need to be complete and verifiable denuclearization, suggesting it would involve inspections to ensure the Norths compliance.

I think there is complete agreement about what the ultimate objectives are, Pompeo said, though he declined to offer more detail.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha praised the upcoming meeting between Trump and Kim as an historic opportunity, but added a few notes of skepticism as well. Amid concerns that North Korea will demand the U.S. withdraw its troops from neighboring South Korea, Kang emphasized that the U.S. military presence there must be a matter for the U.S.-ROK alliance first and foremost, using an acronym for South Koreas official name, the Republic of Korea.

She said the U.S. troop presence in the South for the past 65 years plays a crucial role for deterrence, peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. Therefore, she said, any change in the size of the U.S. forces in the South Korea should not be on the table at the summit.

The next few weeks will be critical, requiring air-tight coordination between our two countries, Kang said.President Donald Trumps personal lawyer reportedly went on a pitching spree in early 2017, claiming to have the keys to the freshly elected commander-in-chiefs mind that could help major corporations figure out the best way to approach the incoming administration.

All told to date, Michael Cohen, now the subject of a federal investigation, raked in $2.95 million from five companies in industries ranging from health care to political lobbying to defense.

The current figure, as more reports trickle out, is based off the known companies confirming payments made to Cohens company Essential Consultants after the lawyer for Stormy Daniels, Michael Avenatti, released his report Tuesday from unknown sources. Avenattis report claimed Essential Consultants, which was also the company used by Cohen to pay Daniels for her silence over an alleged affair with Trump prior to the 2016 election, had received payments totaling more than $4.4 million.

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Heres a breakdown of which companies have confirmed payments to Cohens company for his Trump tips.

AT&T

The telecommunications giant was the biggest name brand to pay Cohen for knowledge on how best to approach the new administration, one filled with people and a president whom Washington had yet to encounter. Initially, Avenattis document claimed AT&T had paid Cohen $200,000, but reports have since indicated it could have been much higher.

Instead, AT&T paid Cohen $50,000 a month for a grand total of $600,000 as it sought advice on how to proceed with its $85 billion merger with Time Warner, The Washington Post reported Thursday, citing documents.

Novartis

Pharmaceutical company Novartis confirmed it had reached an agreement with Cohen in February 2017 for consulting on U.S. health care policy, specifically the Affordable Care Act. The deal was for $100,000 a month over the course of a year, totaling $1.2 million.

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But the company said in a statement that in March 2017, when it held its first meeting with Cohen after striking the deal, it determined that Michael Cohen and Essential Consultants would be unable to provide the services that Novartis had anticipated related to U.S. healthcare policy matters and the decision was taken not to engage further.

Novartis, however, could not fire Cohen for cause, and simply kept paying him until the contract expired, this past February.

GettyImages-947139328

AFP via Getty Images/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez

Squire Patton Boggs

The lobbying firm was reportedly unprepared for a Trump administration and believed Cohen could help, giving him $500,000 in total, according to the Post. The firm said in a statement that Cohen had referred a handful of routine legal matters to the firm which were completely unrelated to his work for the president.

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Korea Aerospace Industries

As it angled to sell jets to the U.S. Air Force, Korea Aerospace Industries confirmed this week that it paid Cohen $150,000 for legal consulting concerning accounting standards on production costs  in a contract inked last year, a company spokesman told Reuters. Cohen was paid in November after the contract ended.

Columbus Nova

The New Yorkbased investment firms $500,000 payment to Cohen for consulting could be the most damning for Trump and Cohen. The deal was struck after Trumps inauguration, and one of the companys major investors is Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, through his firm the Renova Group, The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing documents. Vekselberg has been sanctioned by the U.S. and questioned by special counsel Robert Muellers team.

Vekselbergs cousin heads up Columbus Nova and even donated $250,000 to Trumps inauguration fund, but Columbus Nova claimed in a statement that it was never used by Vekselberg as a conduit to pay Cohen.

The company also said that Cohen was hired as a business consultant regarding potential sources of capital and potential investments in real estate and other ventures.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekPhoto credit: The Manufacturer - Car and Driver

From Car and Driver

Sometimes a little bit of design can make all the difference. Thats shaping up to be the case for delivery trucks from the U.K. company Arrival, which channel just the right amount of whimsical character to be noticed but not so much as to be laughed at.

The bonus feat for Arrival is that the trucks are more than a stylish reskin over existing commercial-truck bones. They pack fully electric powertrains and advanced driver-assistance tools, and the company claims that its designing core components in-house-including battery systems, power electronics, and motors as well as the user interface.

Last year, the U.K.s postal authority, the Royal Mail, put some of these trucks into a fleet test. Now, under a trial program, Arrival will supply 35 trucks to the United Parcel Service (UPS), which has been working on ways of reducing its emissions and is even exploring the use of energy storage batteries at U.K. sites for more effective charging. The London company, formerly named Charge Automotive, has been testing prototypes with UPS since 2016.

Photo credit: The Manufacturer - Car and Driver

The Arrival vehicles in the trial will be capable of going more than 150 miles between charging stops. Although they wont be equipped with autonomous-vehicle technologies-something Arrival is working on for commercial trucks-they will have a highly advanced vehicle display and some advanced systems to assist the driver in dealing with parking, obstacles, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

Now for the disappointment: The trial is only within London and Paris. At last check, Arrival had no plans for the U.S. market-although C/D has asked and will update our story if we get a better answer. UPS has a total fleet of 9000 vehicles, so theres potentially a lot in it for Arrival if it goes global.

While many other companies-everyone from established truckmakers such as Daimler to a long list of startups, including California-based Chanje-are developing commercial electric trucks aimed at urban and suburban delivery, Arrival is neither alone in its mission nor far ahead with its technology. But the fleet business is conservative and focused on business-case necessities such as reliability, operating costs, and the bottom line-and Arrival claims running costs for its EVs that are about half those of existing diesel trucks. If it can pass muster on the pragmatic points, its design may bring recognition for clients like UPS to stand apart from the crowd.



You Might Also LikeNo. 16 Kentucky hosts LSU, looking to remain unbeatenManagua (AFP) - Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega on Friday accepted conditions of the country's bishops to initiate dialogue after protests that left dozens of people dead.

"We agree to work on each of the points raised (by the bishops), taking into account that all of them reflect their good will as mediators and witnesses," Ortega said in a letter to the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua.

"We are all ready to attend your call for dialogue at the earliest possible date, for the peace of all Nicaraguans," the letter said.

Among the bishops' conditions are the cessation of repression and the entry of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to investigate deaths that occurred during anti-Ortega protests.

In the letter, the president said he agreed with the bishops on "the necessity of ceasing the violence, intimidation and aggression against citizens."

A wave of protests began in Nicaragua on April 18, triggered by an aborted attempt to reform the near-bankrupt social security system, but quickly expanded to include a wave of grievances against Ortega, including claims of corruption and repression.

The brutality of the repression by security forces, and arbitrary arrests of protesters, has sparked national outrage and fuelled protests across the Central American nation.

On Wednesday, tens of thousands rallied against the government.

The protests pose a serious challenge to the authority of Ortega, 72, who has ruled Nicaragua for the past 11 years and before that from 1979-1990.

The United Nations rights office on Friday asked Nicaragua to allow it to carry out an investigation into "credible" reports that at least 47 people, most of them students, have been killed since the series of protests began.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military is committed to supporting and providing assistance to the Lebanese armed forces, the Pentagon said on Friday, despite the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and its allies making significant gains in parliamentary election Shi'ite Muslim movement Hezbollah, together with parties and politicians aligned to it, won more than half the 128 seats in Lebanon's parliament on Sunday. The United States, which has given Lebanon's army substantial support, classifies the heavily armed Hezbollah as a terrorist group and condemns its role in the Syrian conflict. The strong showing by parties and politicians who support Hezbollah's possession of weapons risk complicating Western policy in Lebanon, which is banking on foreign aid and loans to revive its stagnant economy and receives U.S. military support. Late last year, U.S. ally Israel said Hezbollah had gained control over Lebanon's conventional military, a charge the Lebanese army denies. "The United States remains committed to supporting Lebanon's sovereignty, stability, security, and its state institutions, to include the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) as the professional, multi-confessional and sole legitimate armed forces of the Lebanese state," Lieutenant Commander Rebecca Rebarich, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told Reuters in a statement. "Strengthening the U.S.-Lebanon defense relationship is all the more important in light of the continuing threats emanating from Syria, including continued ISIS challenges and Iranian aggression," Rebarich said. She added that the United States and Lebanon shared a goal of building the Lebanese armed forces' capacity as "the sole legitimate defender of Lebanon's sovereignty." The United States has provided Lebanon more than $1.5 billion in military assistance since 2006. A grouping of major powers urged Lebanon on Thursday to uphold a policy of keeping out of regional wars. Hezbollah is heavily involved in the war across the border in Syria, sending thousands of fighters to help President Bashar al-Assad's military. Israel said it struck nearly all of Iran's military infrastructure in Syria on Thursday after Iranian forces fired rockets at Israeli-held territory for the first time. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Alistair Bell)Manila (AFP) - Judges of the Philippines' top court voted Friday to remove their chief justice, who faced ouster efforts after battling with President Rodrigo Duterte over his deadly war on drugs.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is one of several high-profile Philippine critics who have found themselves targeted after speaking out against the president's signature crackdown.

"Sereno is found disqualified from and hereby adjudged guilty of unlawfully holding and exercising the office of the chief justice," court spokesman Theodore Te told reporters.

"The decision is immediately executory without further need of action from the court," Te said, adding the vote was 8-6 against Sereno.

The Supreme Court case against Sereno, the nation's first female chief justice, alleged she failed to file statements of assets and liabilities in years past -- accusations she categorically denied.

Separately, Sereno was also facing an impeachment effort in the lower House of Representatives, a move which critics allege is part of wider efforts by Duterte to destroy foes and usher in one-man rule.

Sereno had pledged to fight the ouster effort, saying in March: "The current state of the nation is one where perceived enemies of the dominant order are considered fair game for harassment, intimidation and persecution."

Duterte last month urged lawmakers to "fast-track" her removal, warning otherwise "I'll do it for you".

Sereno has been accused of failing to pay about two million pesos ($40,000) in taxes as well as falsifying and tampering with court resolutions.

She is also alleged to have spent excessively on "opulent" hotels and a luxury official vehicle, as well as flying business or first class.

Sereno is the second chief justice in a row to be ousted in the Philippines. Lawmakers convicted her predecessor, Renato Corona, in 2012 of corruption allegations.

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Then-president Benigno Aquino said the sacking was part of his anti-graft reforms, but critics said he aimed to ensure his control of the court.

Duterte and Sereno first clashed in 2016 when she criticised his order that judges whom he linked to the illegal drugs trade turn themselves in as part of his crackdown.

Police say they have killed roughly 4,200 drug suspects who fought back during arrest since Duterte launched the war nearly two years ago. Rights groups allege the actual number is three times higher.

Other Duterte critics have also been ousted, punished or threatened including detained Senator Leila de Lima, the Commission on Human Rights, and an anti-corruption prosecutor who investigated allegations Duterte has hidden wealth.A police officer in Alpharetta, Georgia, has been suspended after he was caught on dashcam video roughly handling a 65-year-old woman during a traffic stop.

In a statement posted on Facebook, a spokesperson with the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety said the woman had refused to sign her ticket during a traffic stop on May 4 and was told she would be placed under arrest if she did not cooperate.

officer

Alpharetta Department of Public Safety

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Police said the woman became visibly upset during the incident and hit an officer with the door of her vehicle. An officer tried to remove her when she refused to comply after being told she was under arrest.

In a video released by the Alpharetta Police Department, an officer can be seen reaching into the driver's side of the woman's vehicle and grabbing the 65-year-old, who is black, as she calls for a supervisor.

The officer calls for someone to help him get her out of the car, as he appears to pull on the woman's arm.

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"If you break my arm," the woman begins, as the officer shouts over her, "You're under arrest. You need to step out of the car."

As the scuffle continues, another officer gets involved as the woman continues to call for a supervisor. The second officer says, "We're not going to try to hurt you," as the first officer continues to pull the woman by the arm in an apparent attempt to drag her out of the car.

A third officer approaches and bellows at the woman to "shut the f*** up and get out of the car."

As she begins to get out, officers tell her to calm down, but as she repeats her calls for a supervisor, the third officer appears to grab her by the arm aggressively and pull her.

Story continues

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By the end of the video, at least four officers appear to be involved in the woman's arrest, while two others can be seen standing by.

"As youll see, this was a complicated issue due to the age of the driver, as the officer did not want to hurt her," the ADPS spokesperson wrote in a statement.

"Backup was requested and available officers responded to the scene," according to the police. However, in an apparent reference to the third officer in the video, the spokesperson said one of the officers "interjected himself into the situation using language and tactics that were inappropriate, even inflammatory."

The department spokesperson said the officer's behavior did not reflect that of the organization and that an internal investigation was under way.

The spokesperson added that signing a ticket is required in Georgia, and that officers are permitted to take those ticketed into custody to be brought before a magistrate to pay a cash bond as a "promise to appear in court."

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekWashington (AFP) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that if North Korea agrees to surrender its nuclear arsenal, Washington will work with Pyongyang to rebuild its tiny economy.

"If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on par with our South Korean friends," he said.

Pompeo was speaking after talks with his South Korean opposite number Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha to prepare for a historic June 12 summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Some observers are concerned that South Korea's desire to build peaceful ties with the North may distance it over time from the US policy of seeking nuclear disarmament at any cost.

But both Kang and Pompeo insisted that they agreed on the need for the "total, complete, permanent and verifiable" denuclearization of the divided peninsula.

And Pompeo said the United States would remain on board to help develop the North's economy, which has been devastated by its own mismanagement and crippling international sanctions.

Pompeo has had two recent meetings with Kim to prepare for the summit and, last weekend, to negotiate the release of three Korean-Americans held in the North's jails.

He said he had had good conversations with Kim, who he found to be a focused and rational interlocutor.

"We had good conversations, conversations that involve deep complex problems, challenges, strategic decisions that chairman Kim has before him," Pompeo said.

The pair, he said, talked "about how it is he wishes to proceed and if he's prepared, in exchange for the assurances that we're ready to provide him, if he is prepared to fully denuclearize.

"We'll require a robust verification program, one that we would undertake with partners around the world which would achieve that outcome," he warned.

But he added: "I'm confident that we have a shared understanding of the outcome that the leaders want -- certainly President Trump and chairman Kim, but I think president Moon as well."

"I think that we have a shared vision for what we hope. I think there's a complete agreement about what the ultimate objectives are," he said.Sebastien Roblin

Security, Asia

Is this more sci-fi than reality?

Quantum Radars Could Unstealth the F-22, F-35 and J-20 (Or Not)

In April 2018 it was reported that the Canadian Department of National Defense was investing $2.7 million in research at the University of Waterloo to investigate quantum radar technology. This brings Canada into a technological race in which China apparently has taken the lead.

Though far from being a mature technology, quantum radar might eventually provide a capable means of detecting stealth fighters and bypassing electronic warfare capabilities. While Canada has opted out from acquiring F-35 stealth fighters, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) operates jointly with the United States and must contend with potential intrusions by new Chinese and Russian stealth aircraft.

Quantum weapons technology may seem to belong more to the realm of Star Trek than a real-world weapon system. However, the tech is real, leveraging the principle of quantum entanglement. This is a phenomenon in which conditions affecting one subatomic particle also manifest themselves on an entangled partner particleeven, rather uncannily, when they are far apart.

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A quantum radar functions by using a crystal to split a photon into two entangled photons. (Reportedly, finding a fast, on-demand source of entangled photons is the technical hurdle Canadian researchers are focusing on.) Then the radar beams one half of the entangled pair outwards, and monitors the corresponding effects on their entangled partners. If the beamed particles bump into, say, a stealth fighter, the effect on the beamed photon would be visible on the un-beamed partner photon as well. Then the photons which register a ping are sorted out from the unaffected photons to form a sort of radar image.

Story continues

This radar-like capability would not be susceptible to many of the technique designed to circumvent radio wave reflectionie, a reduced radar cross section and radar-absorbent materialsand also would not be affected by jamming and other electronic warfare ploys, which play an important role in defeating air defense radars.

Furthermore, the entangled photons would not be detectablegiving detected targets little warningand would not be traceable back to their source. This means that, unlike a traditional air defense radar, which exposes itself to detection whenever it actively emits radio waves to search for aircraft, a quantum radar does not broadcast its presence and make itself vulnerable to anti-radiation missiles.

However, quantum radars have their limitations; like traditional radars, they degrade in resolution over longer distances. This is because the entangled particles do eventually lose the coherence of their quantum state over long distances, a phenomenon which can worsen in adverse weather.

In September 2016, China claimed its China Electronic Technology Group Corporation (CETC) had developed a working quantum radar with a range of 100 kilometers (sixty-two miles). This was reportedly achieved through the development of highly efficient single-photon detectors (this article has a more detailed technical explanation). Its worth noting that many commentators are skeptical that the Chinese quantum radar is close to being usable under nonlaboratory conditions.

If the Chinese claims are true, they would be at once impressivebut still short of the capability required of an effective air defense radar. For comparison, the huge 96L6E Cheeseboard radar employed by the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system has a maximum detection range of around 250 miles, and the Israeli-built Green Pine radar deployed for the air defense of South Korea and India has a range of 310 miles. If the quantum radar cant be extended to greater range, its operational applications would remain relatively narrow.

By comparison, A joint U.S.-British-Canadian-German project in 2015 reportedly tested a quantum radar with a potential range of only twenty kilometers. And in the mid-2000s Lockheed took out a patent for a quantum spooky radar, though there has been no new information on the program since 2008. This may either reflect a high degree of secrecy vested in the project, or to the contrary, a lack of meaningful progress.

Quantum Radar and the Single Stealth Jet

Chinas announcement predictably inspired some commentators to proclaim the stealth fighter obsolete. This is unwarrantednot because the quantum radar couldnt be made to work, but because stealth jets can already be detected using existing technologies.

The reality is that stealth aircraft were never truly invisible to radarthey are rather low-observable, furtive enough that they can approach closer to unfriendly radars before being detected and find ways to slip through the weaker points of radar coverage.

Contemporary low-bandwidth radars can detect the general position of stealth aircraft from a great distance. However, these lack the precision to lock weapons on a detected target, so they would instead need to coordinate an ambush by high-bandwidth platforms at short range. Sophisticated new infrared search-and track (IRST) systems mounted on modern fighters offer means to both detect and target stealth aircraft, though again, only within a shorter range enveloplikely under fifty miles.

Development of a viable quantum radar would undoubtedly multiply the means by which stealth aircraft can be detected, and potentially negate the effectiveness of jamming and other electronic warfare ploys. Quantum radar might offer longer-range weapons-grade track, but no one is explicitly claiming such capability at this stage.

Quantum radars might also bring some interesting new capabilities to the table. For one, they would be cable of detecting the material of targets they detect and other properties due to the way beamed particles interact with surfaces they contact. This could allow for much more detailed identification of blips on the radarhelping distinguish between decoys and real fighters or ballistic missiles, and perhaps even detecting whether they are carrying nuclear payloads. Needless, to say, that would have a major implications for missile defense, as national leaders try to decide how to respond to an attack which might be conventional or nuclear in nature.

Another advantage of quantum radarone which particularly appeals to Canadais that, unlike conventional radars, they would be unaffected by the electromagnetic phenomena that are common to the arctic, such as auroras and solar flares.

Clearly, quantum radar holds significant potential. However, whether that potential can translate into viable operational systems outside the laboratory remains unclear. If it can, such systems will still likely require decades to develop. Now Canada has joined China and the United States in the race to do so.

Sebastien Roblin holds a Masters Degree in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing, and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Read full articleFarrah Fawcetts son has been formally charged after allegedly robbing a convenience store earlier this week.

Redmond ONeal, the actresss only son with Ryan ONeal, was charged Thursday with two counts of possessing a controlled substance and one count of assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office.

In all, the 33-year-old has been charged with six counts relating to the alleged armed robbery in addition to the possession and assault charges. He has also been charged one count each of second-degree robbery, possession of a smoking device and possession of an injection/ingestion device.

ONeal had heroin and methamphetamine on him at the time of his arrest, according to the felony complaint against him obtained by PEOPLE.

The D.A. said that the felony complaint includes a special allegation that the defendant personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon, a knife, during the commission of the robbery.

Redmond O'Neal.

Representatives for ONeal and his famous father have not responded to PEOPLEs request for comment.

Police previously told PEOPLE that on Tuesday ONeal walked into a store located near Santa Monica armed with a knife and demanded the clerk to take out money from the register.

Authorities claim that Redmond fled the store after the clerk handed over an undisclosed amount of cash just before 2:30am. He was arrested nearby and detectives alleged they recovered a knife from Redmond that matched the clerks description.

Redmonds attorney and a rep for Ryan did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs requests for comment at the time.

(L-R) Redmond O'Neal, Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal.

Redmond has struggled with drug addiction for most of his adult life. Tuesdays arrest is his latest run-in with law enforcement.

In July 2015, he was sentenced to three years in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation but was credited for nearly a year served by his trial judge.

In addition, his probation has been revoked on multiple occasions in the past decade.

In May 2015, Redmond had his probation revoked seven months after it was reinstated as a judge determined he had used drugs and did not maintain doctor appointments.Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein  who has come under fire from President Trump and other Republicans as he oversees the Russia investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller  advised law school graduates on Friday to fall back on your own moral principles whenever they face ethical dilemmas.

In recent months, Trump has slammed the Justice Department over the investigation, calling it a witch hunt and an embarrassment to our country  criticism that sparked questions about whether Rosenstein would be fired from his job. House Republicans closely allied with Trump have drafted articles of impeachment against Rosenstein, threatening to use them as a last resort in a request to hand over documents related to the decisions of officials working on federal investigations, the Washington Post reported.

I want to leave you with some advice about what to do when you are not certain what to do, Rosenstein told graduates on Friday during his commencement address at Campbell University Law School in Raleigh, N.C. Your world is filled with ethical rules. So many rules that sometimes you cannot keep track of them all. When the rules are unclear, it is best to fall back on your own moral principles.

Rosenstein urged graduates to be mindful of their responsibilities as lawyers.

One additional step you need to take before you practice law is to swear an oath. In fact, you need to take an oath each time you join the bar of a new court, he said. Some lawyers get so accustomed to swearing that they dont pay much attention to what they are promising to do. But there was a time when taking an oath was a matter of life and death. In 1535, Sir Thomas More was executed because he refused to swear a false oath.

More was a lawyer and philosopher who resigned as chancellor of England and was executed after refusing to acknowledge King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. Rosenstein referred back to More as an example of someone devoted to upholding the law in spite of other pressures.

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Part of the controversy over the investigation into Russian meddling has revolved around Trumps desire to see it end. Before firing former FBI director James Comey, Comey has said, Trump asked him to pledge loyalty. In a meeting at the White House in December, Trump reportedly asked Rosenstein if he was on my team, according to a CNN report.

Nobody has asked me to take a loyalty pledge, other than the oath of office, Rosenstein testified before Congress in December.

On Friday, Rosenstein asked graduates to pursue the truth in their profession.

Lawyers are obligated to speak up for the truth. John Adams famously observed that [f]acts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence. Pursuing truth means always yielding to the facts, even if they run counter to our hopes, Rosenstein said. Lawyers who seek the truth frequently confront diverging roads. Controversy, stress, and difficult decisions define our daily existence. This is definitely not a career for the faint of heart.

Read the complete transcript of his remarks below:

Thank you for that kind introduction, Dean Leonard. I appreciate your many decades of service to the federal courts and the legal academy.

President Creed, Dr. Hammond, Chairman Keith, faculty members, family, friends, and graduates, I want to share with you the most important question a lawyer can ask:

What if we are wrong?

Lawyers are supposed to get the facts and the law right, but sometimes even we make mistakes. So the habit of asking that question before making an important decision is the key to being a good lawyer.

Everyone understands that things do not always go according to plan. But that is just a subset of a broader truth: things almost never go according to plan. The good news is, that is not a cause for distress. In fact, accepting that nothing ever goes as planned is one of the most valuable life lessons.

When you study the history of successful people, there always appears to be an obvious logic to their career paths. It is amazing how each person was in precisely the right place, at just the right time, with exactly the right connections and experience to take advantage of the next remarkable opportunity that conveniently presented itself, as he or she progressed inexorably upon a predestined path to the inevitable result.

That appearance of logic, of course, is always wrong. It is a product of hindsight bias, the tendency to see a pattern in retrospect that never exists in real time.

The reality is that everyones life is a product of random events and consequential decisions. The random events are things that happen to you, and are largely beyond your control. The consequential decisions are what you choose to do about it.

There is no point in wasting your time complaining about the random events. The key to living a life of integrity is to take ownership of the consequential decisions.

The philosopher Richard Bach wrote that you should live your life so that you will never be ashamed if anything you do or say is published around the world, even if it is cast in a false light.

Wherever life takes you, conduct your own affairs with integrity, so you will never need to look back with regret.

Consider how modern computers allow programmers to develop interactive scenarios with variable outcomes. A program can present you with decision points and let you choose among multiple options. The program then proceeds along different branches  or alternate realities  depending upon which decisions you make. When something goes wrong, you can go back, start over, and try a different decision.

But real life is not like that. You get just one chance, every time. Each choice permanently alters every subsequent option. That means that the future is completely unpredictable.

Mathematicians who study this phenomenon call it chaos theory, because it demonstrates that even in a complex system, a small change can make a dramatic difference.

Robert Frost wrote about that in a poem called The Road Not Taken. It tells of a traveler reflecting on a moment when he needed to choose between two roads that diverged in the woods. His decision to take one instead of the other made all the difference in his life.

Some people read the poem and conclude that the traveler took the less popular path, what Frost calls the road less traveled. But if you read the poem closely, it reveals something else. When the traveler chose one of the two roads, he did not know for sure whether it was less traveled. But he realizes that when he reaches old age, he will mistakenly remember it as the obvious choice.

The poem is about hindsight bias.

It is also about consequential decisions.

Members of the Class of 2018, my time with you is limited, and I do not plan to spend much of it offering kudos.

Congratulations are certainly in order  to the graduates, and to the families, friends, teachers, and administrators who brought you to this momentous occasion.

But this is a commencement address. It is not a graduation speech. You are only at the start of your legal career, far from the finish line. There is still a lot of work to be done.

One additional step you need to take before you practice law is to swear an oath. In fact, you need to take an oath each time you join the bar of a new court.

Some lawyers get so accustomed to swearing that they dont pay much attention to what they are promising to do. But there was a time when taking an oath was a matter of life and death.

In 1535, Sir Thomas More was executed because he refused to swear a false oath. In Robert Bolts play based on Mores life, A Man for All Seasons, More tells his daughter that when someone takes an oath  hes holding his own self in his hands. Like water. And if he opens his fingers then  he neednt hope to find himself again.

In those days, an oath was serious business. I encourage you to take your oath seriously, as well.

And as an officer of the court, you do not just need to take an oath. You need to follow the oath.

An oath is an obligation. If you join the North Carolina state bar, you swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, and to truly and honestly [conduct] [your]self  [as] an Attorney.

You will exercise considerable power, whether or not you hold a prominent government position. People pay attention to what lawyers say and do. So be mindful of French philosopher Voltaires advice: With great power comes great responsibility.

If that quote sounds familiar, it was also said by another legendary person  Spider-Mans Uncle Ben.

As a lawyer, you are never not just a representative of a client. You have broader responsibilities. You share a duty to maintain the integrity of our courts, and to foster public confidence in our judicial system. That is not just my job, it is not just the judges job. It is your job, too.

You are responsible for defending the rule of law. If you fail, do not expect me or anyone else to do it for you.

Lawyers do not make scientific discoveries, create revolutionary technologies, or build skyscrapers. But we make those things possible.

The rule of law is indispensable to a thriving and vibrant society. It shields citizens from government overreaching and arbitrary action. It allows businesses to enter contracts and invest with confidence. It gives innovators protection for their discoveries. It keeps people safe from dangerous criminals. And it allows us to resolve differences peacefully through reason and logic.

In the Robert Bolt play that I mentioned, Thomas More tells his son-in-law, William Roper, that the rule of law is so important that he would never deviate from it, even to kill the Devil.

Roper insists that he would cut down every law, if necessary, to destroy the Devil.

More replies, Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you  where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? [I]f you cut them down  and youre just the man to do it  dyou really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then?

More concludes, Yes, Id give the Devil the benefit of law, for my own safetys sake.

German theologian Martin Niemoller made a similar observation. Niemoller failed to defend the rule of law when other people were victimized in the 1930s, and he later regretted it. When they came for him, there was no one left to speak up.

Lawyers are obligated to speak up for the truth. John Adams famously observed that [f]acts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence. Pursuing truth means always yielding to the facts, even if they run counter to our hopes.

In a courtroom, truth is about credible evidence, not strong opinions. A 19th century writer observed that sincerity of belief is not the test of truth. Many people sincerely believe things that are just not true. They fall prey to confirmation bias, choosing their conclusion in advance and ignoring contradictory evidence.

Most of your clients will believe that the facts and the law are on their side, but many of them will be mistaken.

Because the law, at its best, is dispassionate and objective. It bears no prejudice. Judge Learned Hand said that [t]he spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other men and women; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their interests alongside its own, without bias.

Lawyers who seek the truth frequently confront diverging roads. Controversy, stress, and difficult decisions define our daily existence. This is definitely not a career for the faint of heart.

But no matter what kind of lawyer you become, there are few professions more important to preserving liberty.

Your Campbell University Law School motto is leading with purpose. Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson would concur. Jackson said that [o]ur profession is duty-bound to supply bold and imaginative leadership to bring and keep justice within the reach of persons in every condition of life, to devise processes better to secure men against false accusation and society against crime and violence, and to preserve not merely the forms of constitutional government but the spirit of liberty under law as embodied in our Constitution.

Law is a noble profession. And lawyers, by and large, are noble people.

In William Shakespeares play about Henry VI, a character named Dick the Butcher proclaims: The first thing we do, lets kill all the lawyers.

Some people mistakenly assume that Shakespeare was poking fun at lawyers. The cynics miss the point. Dick is a villain scheming to take over the government.

Shakespeares point is that without lawyers, nobody would need to follow the law. That might be good for criminals like Dick, but only because it would be bad for everyone else.

Criticism of lawyers stems largely from two factors. First, the practice of law is often adversarial  there are winners and losers. Your client usually wants to win without regard to what justice demands.

There is a story about a client anxiously waiting to hear from his lawyer about the judges ruling on his case. The lawyer sends a three-word message: Justice was done. The client replies, Appeal immediately!

When you represent a prevailing party, it is understandable that the loser may dislike you. The loser may also dislike his own lawyer because from his perspective, the loss surely resulted from the lawyers performance and not the clients own actions. Even the prevailing party may wind up disliking his own lawyer, if the fees are too high or the road to victory too long.

It is relatively rare for all parties to walk away from litigation with a warm and fuzzy feeling about the lawyers.

The second objection people level against lawyers is that we tend to nitpick. People generally do not like nitpickers. But the law demands precision and requires close reading. We are the dotters of Is and the crossers of Ts.

Small details like commas and semicolons matter to us. In discussing the attributes of a lawyer, the great Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia explained that [o]ne of the distinctive skills of our profession is to discern ambiguities, inaccuracies, and insufficiencies that would not occur to the ordinary person.

To non-lawyers, it sometimes appears as if our job is to find loopholes, argue about technicalities, and elevate form over substance. But we know that the liberty of a citizen or the future of a business may turn on a seemingly minor detail, such as whether the word and in a statute functions in the conjunctive or disjunctive sense. Obsessing over such details is part of our job.

As a result, we will probably never enjoy the highest ranking in public opinion polls. We may be a frequent punchline for comedians. But lawyers are essential to civilization. In their heart of hearts, even our harshest critics respect the central role that lawyers play.

Abraham Lincoln eloquently defended his fellow attorneys. Lincoln was a self-taught lawyer who delivered his first major address at age 28. He gave his speech a prophetic title, The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions, and he spoke passionately about the adverse consequences of rejecting the rule of law.

Because all lawyers share an interest in promoting law, ours is a collaborative profession. It is a mistake for lawyers to treat opposing counsel as the enemy. Litigation is not warfare. Your goal is not to destroy the opponent. That is not what zealous advocacy requires.

Opposing counsel is a fellow member of the bar fulfilling a solemn duty, just like you. If you keep that in mind, your career will be much more rewarding. You will develop lifelong friendships with some of the lawyers who litigate against you. In The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare counsels people to conduct themselves as adversaries do in law, strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.

President Lincoln brought that spirit of lawyerly collegiality with him to our nations capital. When he delivered his first inaugural address in 1861, Americans were literally at war with each other. But Lincoln refused to treat his opponents as enemies. He insisted that [w]e are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

So to be a successful lawyer, develop the habit of treating everyone with respect, regardless of their station in life. My teenage daughters introduced me to a country song written by Lori McKenna that captures everything I tried to teach them about character:

Hold the door, say please, say thank you

Dont steal, dont cheat, and dont lie

I know youve got mountains to climb

But always stay humble and kind.

The song concludes with an admonition to take the time to pay it forward to the next generation:

When you get where youre going

Dont forget to turn back around

And help the next one in line

Always stay humble and kind.

Members of the Class of 2018, you are talented and well-trained young lawyers with much to offer our profession. You spent the past three years of your life immersed in the law. But you are beginners. Most of the law you need to know remains to be learned. Most of the wisdom you need to exercise is yet to be developed.

Maintain the intellectual discipline that brought you to this moment. Set aside time each day to study and grow as a lawyer, and as a human being. Your clients expect their lawyer to master the law, so stay current. But also take the time to read and learn about things not directly related to law: history, science, literature, and current events. You never know when it might matter.

And never compromise your personal integrity. As Thomas Jefferson famously said, On matters of style, swim with the current. On matters of principle, stand like a rock.

Finally, I want to leave you with some advice about what to do when you are not certain what to do. Your world is filled with ethical rules. So many rules that sometimes you cannot keep track of them all. When the rules are unclear, it is best to fall back on your own moral principles.

First principles matter most. Robert Fulghum gives this advice: Remember in elementary school, when they told you to plant a little seed in a cup to learn about the miracle of germination? The lesson is that with proper care, the roots grow down and the plant grows up.

We are all like that seed.

It took a lifetime of random events and consequential decisions to bring me to this moment with you. I hope it was time well spent.

I wish you well in your legal career. I hope that you pursue justice, support the rule of law, stand firm on matters of principle, treat everyone with respect, pause to consider the possibility that you may be mistaken, lead with purpose, and always stay humble and kind.

Congratulations!By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 11, 2018 | 02:16 PM | PADUCAH, KY

The U.S. Department of Energy is still accepting registrations for those who want to take their 2018 public tour its site near Paducah. Tour participants will get an up-close look at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant and the sites cleanup operations.DOE offers tours so the public can learn the history and honor the heritage of workers who met the nations defense and energy needs for many years. After an orientation, visitors will tour the site, including a visit to the plants control facility, the hub of the gaseous diffusion plant. The tours also include historical videos, photographs, and information on current activities.DOE is pleased to host the tours for the third consecutive year to present the historical significance of the site, said Jennifer Woodard, Paducah Site Lead for DOEs Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office.Tours will be offered May 19, June 2, June 23, and September 8, 2018, at 8:00 am and noon, and are free of charge.Steve Christmas with the Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office said spots are still available, especially for the June and September tours.Groups meet to begin tours at the West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) Emerging Technology Center, located at 4810 Alben Barkley Drive in Paducah.Participants must pre-register at https://www.fourriversnuclearpartnership.com/tours (see link below) and must be U.S. citizens 18 years of age or older. The tours last approximately three hours and are coordinated by Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership, the DOE deactivation and remediation contractor. Each tour will accommodate a maximum of 40 people and reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis.

On the Net:Bucharest (AFP) - Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Saturday clashed with the government over its Middle East and EU policies Saturday, lambasting them as "improvised" and bad for the country.

Iohannis, who hails from the centre-right, spoke out after the left-wing government refused to back a proposed joint EU statement condemning US President Donald Trump's decision to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

The foreign ministry said the text "lacked balance" and that, together with Hungary and the Czech Republic, Romania had refused to sign it but agreed to a compromise whereby it could be issued in the name of EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and not on behlaf of all 28 member states.

"This is the second time that they have tried to carry out improvised foreign policy and it has gone badly, very badly," Iohannis told reporters.

"Suddenly we are once again thrown onto the margins of EU, next to countries for which I have the utmost respect, but which are quite Eurosceptic," he added.

Iohannis previously clashed with the government over the issue last month when the ruling party floated the idea of Romania following the US's lead and moving its own embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Iohannis said no transfer could take place before Israelis and Palestinians agreed on the city's status, stressing that decisions about Romania's missions abroad were in any case his prerogative as president.

He has also been at loggerheads with the government over its judicial reforms which critics, including the EU, say will weaken judicial independence and the fight against corruption.

The latest spat came as some 4,000 anti-government demonstrators gathered in Bucharest's central Victory Square for a protest called "We want Europe, not dictatorship" and unfurled a large EU flag.

"The danger of stepping further away from Europe is real, we can see that with every decision they make," said 38-year-old lawyer Radu Ropota, referring to the government's repeated clashes with Brussels.

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"They have shown us that they only care about themselves and that's frustrating," he added.

"I think that we can not go down as a country without us, the people, having something to say," said Marius Dulan, a 32-year-old graphic designer.

The protestors' criticisms echo those of Iohannis, who said that the government's "anti-European policies... risk pushing us out of Europe".By Andrew Osborn MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is not in talks with the Syrian government about supplying advanced S-300 ground-to-air missiles and does not think they are needed, the Izvestia daily cited a top Kremlin aide as saying on Friday, in an apparent U-turn by Moscow. The comments, by Vladimir Kozhin, an aide to President Vladimir Putin who oversees Russian military assistance to other countries, follow a visit to Moscow by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, who has been lobbying Putin hard not to transfer the missiles. Russia last month hinted it would supply the weapons to President Bashar al-Assad, over Israeli objections, after Western military strikes on Syria. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the strikes had removed any moral obligation Russia had to withhold the missiles and Russia's Kommersant daily cited unnamed military sources as saying deliveries might begin imminently. But Kozhin's comments, released so soon after Netanyahu's Moscow talks with Putin, suggest the Israeli leader's lobbying efforts have, for the time being, paid off. "For now, we're not talking about any deliveries of new modern (air defense) systems," Izvestia cited Kozhin as saying when asked about the possibility of supplying Syria with S-300s. The Syrian military already had "everything it needed," Kozhin added. The Kremlin played down the idea that it had performed a U-turn on the missile question or that any decision was linked to Netanyahu's visit. "Deliveries (of the S-300s) were never announced as such," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call, when asked about the matter. "But we did say after the (Western) strikes (on Syria) that of course Russia reserved the right to do anything it considered necessary." The possibility of missile supplies to Assad along with its military foray into Syria itself has helped Moscow boost its Middle East clout. with Putin hosting everyone from Netanyahu to the presidents of Turkey and Iran and the Saudi king. ISRAELI LOBBYING Israel has made repeated efforts to persuade Moscow not to sell the S-300s to Syria, as it fears this would hinder its aerial capabilities against arms shipments to Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. Israel has carried out scores of air strikes against suspected shipments. On Thursday, Israel said it had attacked nearly all of Iran's military infrastructure in Syria after Iranian forces fired rockets at Israeli-held territory. S-300s could have significantly complicated the Israeli strikes. The missile system, originally developed by the Soviet military, but since modernized and available in several versions with significantly different capabilities, fires missiles from trucks and is designed to shoot down military aircraft and short and medium-range ballistic missiles. Though since been superseded by the more modern S-400 system, the S-300s are still regarded as highly potent and outstrip anything that the Syrian government currently has. Syria currently relies on a mixture of less advanced Russian-made anti-aircraft systems to defend its air space. Russian media on Friday were actively circulating a video released by the Israeli military which showed an Israeli missile destroying one such system -- a Russian-made Pantsir S-1 air defense battery -- on Thursday in Syria. (Additional reporting by Denis Pinchuk; Editing by Richard Balmforth)Washington (AFP) - US fighter jets intercepted two long-range Russian "Bear" bombers in international airspace off western Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said Saturday.

The long-range Tupelev Tu-95 bombers were "intercepted and visually identified" Friday morning by a pair of F-22 Raptors as the Russian aircraft flew just north of Alaska's Aleutian islands, said Canadian Army Major Andrew Hennessy, of NORAD public affairs.

"At no time did the Russian bombers enter North American sovereign airspace," Hennessy said in a statement to AFP.

He added that the Alaska-based US jets monitored the Russians until the bombers left an area known as the Air Defense Identification Zone along the Aleutians, heading west.

That zone extends about 200 miles (322 kilometers) from the coastline, mostly in international airspace.

Saturday marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of NORAD, a joint US-Canadian command charged with aerospace warning and control for North America.

In April 2017, NORAD and the Pentagon said Tu-95 "Bear" bombers -- four-engine Cold War-era turboprop giants that can carry nuclear weapons -- were spotted in international airspace on three occasions -- twice near the Aleutians and once near mainland Alaska and Canada.

That was the first sighting of such Russian long-range bombers around Alaska in about two and a half years, a Pentagon spokesman said at the time.

- 'Unsafe' interception -

Tensions between Russia and the United States and its NATO allies are running at levels not seen since the Cold War.

The Alaska incident comes after a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet buzzed a US Navy P-8 Poseidon surveillance plane in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, US media reported, citing the US Navy.

Earlier, on January 29, the US Navy released video of a Russian Su-27 intercepting a US EP-3 Aries surveillance plane in international airspace over the Black Sea.

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The interception, which lasted two hours and 40 minutes, was "unsafe" because the Russian jet was "closing to within five feet and crossing directly" through the surveillance plane's flight path, "causing the EP-3 to fly through the Su-27's jet wash," the US Navy said in a statement.

NATO naval officials in late 2017 also reported Russian submarines probing underseas data cables in the North Atlantic.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in January, as he unveiled the Pentagon's national defense strategy, that the United States is facing "growing threats" from Russia and China, and he warned that the US military's advantages have eroded in recent years.Washington (AFP) - A second Democratic senator said Saturday he would support Donald Trump's nominee to lead the CIA despite her past role overseeing the torture of terror suspects, likely assuring her confirmation.

Senator Joe Donnelly of Indiana said that after "a tough, frank and extensive discussion" with nominee Gina Haspel, he believes she "has learned from the past... and can help our country confront serious international threats and challenges."

He said he had discussed with the 30-year CIA veteran not only the future of the agency but the "enhanced interrogation" techniques it had used on Al-Qaeda suspects in the years after the 2001 terror attacks, a term that includes waterboarding.

With Donnelly's support, Haspel appears to have the minimum 50 votes needed to be confirmed as the next head of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Both Donnelly and West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin, who also supports Haspel, come from conservative states and face tough re-election bids in the November midterm elections.

Haspel, now 61 and the acting director of the intelligence agency, was extensively questioned Wednesday during a Senate confirmation hearing about her role in 2002 in charge of a secret CIA prison in Thailand.

Detainees suspected of belonging to Al-Qaeda, including Abu Zubaydah, were frequently tortured, including through the simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding.

During her confirmation hearing, Haspel justified the destruction in 2005 of nearly 100 videotapes of extreme interrogations, saying undercover CIA agents could be identified in them, putting them at risk.

She promised the CIA would never return to extreme interrogation under her leadership.

But Senator John McCain, a former navy pilot who was tortured in a Hanoi prison during the Vietnam War, later said he was not convinced and has called on fellow senators to oppose her nomination.

McCain is battling brain cancer and is unlikely to vote on Haspel's nomination. But he is a widely respected figure and his words might influence fellow Republicans like Senator Jeff Flake, a fellow Arizonan who is close to McCain.

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Libertarian senator Rand Paul has already stated his opposition to Haspel.

Nonetheless, the support of Donnelly and Manchin -- with Vice President Mike Pence ready to cast a tie-breaking vote if necessary -- should give Haspel the support she needs.

A tweet Friday from the White House account called Haspel's confirmation "central to our national security."By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A series of individual and organizational failures, including a lack of training and situational awareness, contributed to a deadly ambush in Niger last year that killed four U.S. soldiers, a partial Pentagon report released on Thursday said. The October ambush, carried out by a local Islamic State affiliate, has brought increased scrutiny of the U.S. counterterrorism mission in the West African country, and the report will likely raise more questions about U.S military operations on the continent. President Donald Trump's handling of condolence messages to the families of the dead U.S. soldiers has been criticized by lawmakers in Washington and raised the profile of the deadly incident. "The investigation identifies individual, organizational and institutional failures and deficiencies that contributed to the tragic events of 4 October 2017 ... no single failure or deficiency was the sole reason for the events," an eight-page summary of the report says. A redacted version of the complete report may not be publicly released for months. The report did not assign blame, but said recommendations had been made to U.S. Special Operations Command on actions that could be taken against personnel. The top U.S. military official in Africa said that ultimately he was responsible. "I take ownership for all the events connected to the ambush of 4 October. Again, the responsibility is mine," Marine General Thomas Waldhauser, the head of U.S. Africa Command, said during a Pentagon press briefing. Even before the U.S. Special Operations Forces Team arrived in Niger, high personnel turnover had prevented the team from carrying out important pre-deployment training as a team, the report found. Only half of the team had trained together when it arrived in Niger in the fall of 2017. On Oct. 3, the special forces team, along with partner Niger forces, set out on a mission to target a key Islamic State militant near the village of Tiloa, Niger. The team had not trained for the mission and did not notify higher-level commanders that it would be undertaking it. While the team mischaracterized this mission, the report did not find a direct link between that and the ambush that killed the four U.S. soldiers. The top U.S. general said last year that the team was on a reconnaissance mission. On the way back to its base, after carrying out a separate intelligence gathering mission, the team stopped at the village of Tongo Tongo to resupply. It was then that the U.S. soldiers, along with their Nigerien partners, were ambushed by militants. The report and a 10-minute video shown to reporters details the gun battle and how at one point U.S. Army Sergeant La David Johnson sought to run away on foot from the militants after he was unable to enter his vehicle. He was ultimately killed 1,000 meters (about 3,300 feet) from the vehicle. The evidence showed that all four soldiers had been stripped of any serviceable equipment and the militants had made an attempt to take the bodies with them. Two of the soldiers' bodies were found in the back of a militant's vehicle and one body next to it, said Army Major General Roger Cloutier, who led the investigation into the ambush. As a result of the October incident, U.S. forces in Africa would now be more "prudent" in carrying out missions and improvements have been made for troops in areas such as firepower and equipment, response times and level of intelligence provided, Waldhauser said. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Bill Berkrot)A French family had a very close call when the parents foolishly exited their car with their young son to take photos of a group of cheetahs at a safari park in the Netherlands.

Terrified park witnesses filmed the encounter from the safety of their own car, exclaiming: Oh, my God, Jesus! and No, no, no!

The cheetahs can be seen on the video moving quickly toward the family. The man begins to run to the car. One of the cats appears to get into position to pounce on the mother as she carries her son to the vehicle. The woman seems to be trying to wave off the stalking cheetah as she hurries to the car.

It was the familys second time getting out of their vehicle to photograph the cheetahs. The first time occurred without incident. The family then drove a short distance and tried again to photograph the animals. The park has signs in several languages informing visitors they must not exit their vehicles, according to National Geographic.

Cheetahs are the worlds fastest land animal, with the ability to quickly reach speeds of up to 70 mph.

Visitors are warned never to leave their cars as they drive through the park.

Niels de Wildt of the Beekse Bergen park noted that cheetahs prey on small game, so the familys young son could have been at risk. He was incredulous that the family left their car. The family thought it was a good idea to take photos and make films, he told the BBC.

These people have been incredibly lucky, he said. Yeah, so stay in the car.

A Dutch news website suggested requiring mandatory IQ tests for safari visitors.

Also on HuffPost

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Michael O'Hanlon

Security, Asia

Trump should be armed with a conceptual framework before he gets on his plane to meet Kim next month.

A Step-By-Step Plan for Denuclearizing North Korea

The recent news about the upcoming summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore is exciting and encouraging. It would not have seemed remotely possible a year agoor even six months ago. Back then, war seemed much more likely. It is impossible to know whether the decision to hold a summit is primarily due to Kims newfound confidence in his missile and nuclear capabilities, or his fear of Trumps military threats, or a result of the pain his country has endured from UN-imposed economic sanctions, which have cut North Koreas external trade in half. Perhaps the charm offensives that Kim, Trump, President Moo, and Secretary Pompeo have been showering on one another led to the summit. In truth, it is probably some combination of most of those factors.

The summit could still wind up being a bad idea if it fails miserably, or if President Trump somehow accepts a poor deal. But on balance, there is a real potential for success. That is especially true if the United States goes into the summit with its eyes wide open. Aiming for near-term complete denuclearization of North Korea is fine. But the odds of achieving such a goal anytime soon are probably in the single digit percentages. North Koreans view the program as a key legacy of Kims father and grandfather, and thus a national crown jewel. Kim sees his arsenal as an essential insurance policy against suffering the fate of Saddam Hussein, Muammar el-Qaddafi, and the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan in 2001. None of these bad actors had a nuclear bomb, and none of them survived war with America. To change this position, Kim will need a lot of convincing and a wide array of incentives and reassurances that will likely take some time to implement. By contrast, the odds of a step-by-step process that would cap North Korean capabilities and perhaps eventually lead to nuclear disarmament seem much betterthough here the risk is that the United States will wind up with deals that North Korea soon violates or exploits, as in 1994 and 2007. Thus, outside analysts and government experts should focus much of their time between now and June 12 on what kinds of reciprocal steps the various parties could take that would lead to a successful negotiation and meaningful, even if only gradual, denuclearization.

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I would propose that denuclearization can be largely reduced to four main steps. Ideally similar steps would be applied to longer-range missile and chemical weapons stocks as well, though they are a somewhat lower priority.

- FREEZE TESTING. A freeze on the testing and production of nuclear weapons, and of longer-range missiles as well, as Pyongyang has already done this year.

- CAP ARSENALS. Verifiable termination of production of highly enriched uranium and plutonium (I would term this the cap phase to distinguish from the existing freeze on testing, since this caps the size of the arsenal).

- DISMANTLE INFRASTRUCTURE. Verifiable dismantlement of the infrastructure used to produce enriched uranium and plutonium (centrifuges, nuclear reactors, reprocessing facilities) and of longer-range missiles (rocket and fuel factories)

- DISARM. Actual extrication of existing fissile materials and nuclear warheads out of the countrythe true denuclearization phase.

Thus, the U.S. goal of permanent, verifiable, irreversible disarmament or PVID can be achieved all in one fell swoopif The United States is very lucky. Or it can happen through the FCDD process of freeze, cap, dismantle and disarm. The first step has already been temporarily achieved by unilateral North Korean declaration, perhaps partly because the countrys existing nuclear test site was badly damaged by North Koreas large test last fall. We need to codify that decision and follow it up with more. President Trump is right to hope for the whole enchilada through a single deal. But he would have made a major contribution to world peace if he can achieve even the first three steps listed aboveFCDwhile leaving the ultimate elimination of North Koreas existing warhead arsenal until later. And even if Trump can somehow negotiate complete disarmament, it will likely play out in something like the four stages noted above.

That leads to a very important question: to make the process work, what kinds of inducements should the United State offer North Korea at each stage of a disarmament process? Believing that North Korea will wait until the process is complete for any reward whatsoever is unrealistic and will almost surely condemn the negotiations to failure. But giving up too much too soon could incentive Kim to agree to a deal that he has no intention of fully carrying outpocketing whatever concessions he can get early and then ignoring the accord later.

I would propose the following framework for each stage of the process:

Freeze. This is the stage we are now in, of course, so no radical steps are needed to achieve it in the short term, but the positive atmospherics around the summit are smart and should continue. Some have criticized President Trump for being too complimentary about Kim. This is a valid point, given Kims human-rights record, and given the importance of not encouraging other countries to ease up on sanctions enforcement. But Trump is right that it is still better to err on the side of staying positive at this stage.

Cap. A verifiable cessation to the production of fissile material needed in a nuclear bomb would be a huge step. To achieve it, North Korea would have to shut down existing nuclear activities, provide a database of existing production sites to international inspectors, and allow those inspectors to visit the sites as well as suspect sites in other parts of the country. It could shroud and shield areas of each major military facility so that inspectors would not be able to find actual warhead stocks, but otherwise it would be giving up information on the regimes most prized possessions to the international community. At the same time, however, it would not be permanently disabling or dismantling these sites, so the incentives offered to it should be temporarily and reversible as wellthe suspension of certain sanctions rather than their elimination, and the provision of just humanitarian aid rather than wide-ranging economic aid.

Dismantle. At this stage, while North Korea would be keeping its warheads (presumably), it would be giving up huge investments worth many hundreds of millions of dollars that would take years to rebuild. As such, more significant quid pro quos would be appropriate.

Ryan Hass and I recently outlined some basic principles that could be useful in such an effort. We argued for making a clear distinction between UN sanctions, most imposed in recent years, and U.S. sanctions, many of them resulting from the early decades after the Korean War of 195053 before North Korea even had the bomb. The majority of U.S. sanctions should stay in place until nuclear disarmament really begins to happenuntil the final phase of the process, discussed below.

However, UN sanctions are a different matter. Starting with Resolution 1718 of 2006 and continuing through Resolution 2371 of August 2017, as well as the Resolution 2397 of December 2017, they have gradually turned up the pressure on North Korea. Some focused on trade in technologies relevant to weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles (e.g., UNSCR 2087 of January 2013); they were subsequently broadened to encompass weaponry in general (such as UNSCR 2270 of March 2016). More recently, they have begun to target commercial sources of revenue for the North Korean regime as well as the assets of individuals and companies from North Korea or those doing business with North Korea (2270 plus 2371 and 2397). These sanctions hurt the regime most because they have affected economic engagement with the key countriesChina, Russia, South Korea, Vietnam, otherson which North Korea currently depends. Suspending some and then lifting most as dismantlement is completed makes sense.

Disarm. At this stage, U.S. sanctions could be lifted as warheads were shipped out of North Korea. These U.S. sanctions are codified in agreements and laws such as the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the Trade Act of 1974, the Arms Export Control Act of 1976, the Export Administration Act of 1979, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, and the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act of 2000, so the laws would have to be changed. Of course, there is virtually no trade between the United States and North Korea today. But such lifting of sanctions would still be important because it would make possible major loans and grants from the World Bank and the U.S. Agency for International Development, among other bodies. The spigot for such aid should not be fully opened all at once, even after nuclear disarmament. North Korea should be expected to make economic reforms, reduction in its enormous conventional military capabilities, and elimination of other weapons of mass destruction to qualify for the international communitys full largesse. A human-rights dialogue should also be initiated by this stage. But significant aid would begin once the warheads and any additional stocks of highly enriched uranium or plutonium were turned over to international control.

Then there is the matter of a possible peace treaty, the restoration of diplomatic relations, and the possible deployment of a multilateral peacekeeping force between the two Koreas. I would unlink these from one another. A peace treaty, if viewed simply as ending the 19501953 war formally, would be welcome anytime. I do not believe the United States should refuse this if Pyongyang is prepared to sign it with Washington, the United Nations, and ideally Seoul and Beijing too. An international monitoring force deployed roughly along the existing DMZ might be useful to confirm the deal was being respected, and to make it harder for either side to attack the other. By contrast, full-fledged U.S. diplomatic relations with North Korea should await, at a minimum, the end of the dismantlement phase noted above, and perhaps the disarming phase too.

My taxonomy of stages and steps may require refinement; certainly, more detail of specific measures within each step will be necessary. That is what follow-on negotiations after the Trump-Kim summit would have to develop. But my main point is this: since an immediate and complete North Korean nuclear disarmament is extremely unlikely to result from the Singapore summit, U.S. leaders will need a conceptual framework like the above to guide them. Trump should be armed with a framework before he gets on his plane to meet Kim next month.

Michael OHanlon is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Image: Reuters

Read full articleOver the last couple of decades, federal law requiring mandatory deportations for noncitizens who commit certain crimes has grown more expansive  and the result is that U.S. military veterans and legal immigrants here since childhood have been ousted and sent birth countries they dont remember, including Korea and Cambodia.

On Tuesday, though, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled invalidated a narrow but key piece of the Immigration and Nationality Act as unconstitutionally vague. The decision contributes to growing debate over allegations of due-process violations at a time when the Trump Administration is vowing to search out and aggressively deport criminal aliens.

The 5-4 Supreme Court decision stems from a lawsuit filed by James Dimaya of California, who was brought to the United States in 1992 from the Philippines as a lawful permanent resident. He was 13 years old. In 2007 and 2009, still a green card holder, he pleaded no contest twice to residential burglary. Federal officials moved to deport him in 2010 as an aggravated felon whose burglary convictions were crimes of violence because, by their nature, they raised a substantial risk that violence could have been committed in the course of the crime.

This story is part of Immigration. Stories on immigration policies and practices . Click here to read more stories in this topic.

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This substantial risk provision is part of a long litany of aggregated felony definitions, some nonviolent, that require deportation under federal law. Murder, rape and a range of other violent acts are separate from the substantial risk provision that the court invalidated, said Rose Cahn, an attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in San Francisco.

An immigration judgewhose discretionary power is limitedand subsequently, the Board of Immigration Appeals turned down Dimayas appeal. But the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals followed by the U.S. Supreme Court  agreed with Dimaya that the substantial risk provision was vague and violated due process. To the surprise of some, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, joined with more liberal justices in the majority.

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As Kevin Johnson, an immigration law professor at the University of California at Davis explains, the court referred to its ruling in 2015 that a federal crime acts similarly worded definition of violent felony was so vague as to violate the due process clause.

The vague nature of language declaring that a crime by nature could be a crime of violence leaves courts guessing about the relevant threshold, the majority found. Does a car burglary qualify as a violent felony? Justice Elena Kagan wrote. Some courts say yes, others say no.

How about evading arrest? she also asked. Gorsuch wrote in a concurring opinion that the provision leaves people to guess about what the law demandsand leaves judges to make it up.

Upset with the decision, a White House press release urged Congress to close loopholes or the government will be unable to remove from our communities many noncitizens convicted of violent felonies that can include domestic assault and battery, burglary and child abuse.

But Cahn said that officials do have a long list of offenses that under the law definitively constitute crimes of violence or other deportable offenses that can continue to be invoked to deport convicted felons.

She said this latest ruling could mean that some legal immigrants currently facing deportation due to the substantial risk provision could now argue that they should not be subject to mandatory deportation. They could ask judges, she said, to consider whats called discretionary relief from deportation based on how long theyve been here, their history and the impact that permanent deportation could have on a family and other circumstances.

This latest ruling, Cahn said, reinforces that due process still matters. We cannot make people suffer lifelong immigration consequences for something that is not clearly defined under law.

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Copyright 2018 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C.Source: General Visa Information | Embassy of the Russian Federation to the United States of America

General Visa Information

Travel to Russia requires an entry visa. The Consular Division of the Embassy issues different categories of visas to Russia based upon the purpose of the trip and the duration of stay in Russia.

In general, its recommended that US citizens apply for 3-year multiple business, private, humanitarian and tourist visas (please have a look at the correspondent visa type information).

The following documents should be submitted in order to obtain a visa according to its category:

1. Completed visa application signed by the Applicant only. Incomplete visa application forms shall not be processed.

Application available online at http://visa.kdmid.ru

All questions in the application form should be answered. If a question is not applicable to the applicant, he should put N/A.

Each application form must be signed by the visa applicant personally.

2. Valid national passport (original only and it should have at least two clear visa pages). It must be valid no less than six months after the visa expiration date. Holders of travel documents such us: Permit to Re-Enter the United States of America, Travel Document, etc. must submit valid Permanent Resident Card (an original and a copy).

3. One picture of an applicant. Russian visa photo specifications.

4. Money Order or Certified Bank Check made out to the Russian Consulate for visa processing. Please note that we do not accept cash, credit or debit cards, personal or company checks.

5. Invitation to Russia from a host person or organisation.

Dear Applicants, when applying for a Russian visa please be advised that

 In order to expedite and improve visa obtaining process as well as for security concerns the Consular Division is no more processing visa applications by mail, starting from June 1, 2010.

 Non-US citizens should also provide proof of legality of their stay in the USA (US Resident Alien status, form I-94) when applying for a visa.

 Applicants who used to be citizens of the USSR or the Russian Federation and emigrated from the USSR or from Russia must submit one of the documents which confirms that they are no longer citizens of the Russian Federation (so called Visa to Israel or stamp in their passport saying that they left for permanent residence abroad before February, 06 1992 or official document certifying that their Russian citizenship was renounced), otherwise the applications will not be accepted.

 In accordance with Russian laws citizens of the Russian Federation regardless of any other citizenship they may have, must travel to Russia on valid Russian documents only.

 Visa processing starts only after the Consular Division has collected all necessary documents.

 Visa processing fee is not refundable.

 Type of visa or dates of entry/departure can not be changed or extended. If your travel plans have changed after the visa issuance you have to reapply for a new visa.

 After you received your visa, please check all the data indicated in it and, if necessary, return it to the Consular Division for corrections. The Consular Division will not be responsible for any mistakes in the visas, which were not brought to our attention prior to your departure from the US.

 Any visa applicant may be interviewed by the consular officer, if necessary.

 Processing time, requirements and fees are subject to change without notice.

 In certain cases the Consular Division is entitled to consider visa applications as long as it necessary. Visa can be denied if the Consular Division has serious reasons to believe that an applicants entry into or stay in the territory of the Russian Federation will not be desirable.

 Please be advised that person can not have two valid visas in one passport. In this case the first visa is to be cancelled.

Extra Info: INFORMATION FOR EU PASSPORT HOLDERS

On the 1st of June, 2007 the Russia-EU Visa Facilitation Agreement came into force and according to its provisions visa processing fees are changed for the citizens of the following countries:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Hungary, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Germany, Finland, France, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Estonia.

Citizens of these countries should submit national medical insurance certificate valid for Russia or guarantee of medical coverage from a Russian hosting organization for all period of stay. Medical insurance certificate should contain Russian contact phone number for emergency or assistance.

However these provisions are not valid for the countries which did not sign the Agreement: the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Iceland and Norway.

Holders of diplomatic passports of the countries mentioned above do not need a visa to enter Russia for 90 days.

The fees are:

 For all types of visa (including multiple entry) for 10 days processing  $50

 For all types of visa (including multiple entry) for urgent (3 days) processing  $100

WtRBeirut (AFP) - At least 86 pro-regime fighters were killed in Syria over the past week in battles against the Islamic State group as regime forces push to clear jihadists from their last stronghold in Damascus, a monitor said Saturday.

The jihadists have lost 57 fighters in the clashes in the Hajar al-Aswad district on the outskirts of Damascus since May 5, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Since mid-April, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have pounded IS in its last Damascus bastion.

Retaking the area, which includes Hajar al-Aswad and the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmuk, would place the regime in full control of the capital and its surroundings for the first time since 2012.

"The clashes continue. Despite its firepower, the regime has been unable to achieve any significant advance on the ground for a week," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.

"IS is entrenched in tunnels and underground shelters and it has been conducting counter-attacks since Saturday."

At least 203 pro-government fighters have been killed along with 159 IS jihadists since April 19, according to the Observatory.

Government forces have retaken 60 percent of Hajar al-Aswad, but jihadists still control 80 percent of Yarmuk, the monitor said.

Once a thriving district home to some 160,000 Palestinians and Syrians, Yarmuk's population has fallen to just a few hundred people.

The regime continued to pound the area with air strikes and artillery fire on Saturday, the Observatory said.

IS has been expelled from most of the country since it declared a "caliphate" across large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014.

But it still holds around five percent of Syrian territory, in eastern and central desert holdouts and on the edge of Damascus.

Syria's war has killed more than 350,000 people since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests before spiralling into a complex conflict involving world powers and jihadists.Thousands of Indonesian Muslims rallied in Jakarta Friday against US President Donald Trump's controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The protest was the latest in a series of protests across the Islamic world sparked by Trump's announcement in December.

The Trump administration is also moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It is due to be inaugurated on Monday.

Thousands of protesters gathered in the Indonesian capital's National Monument park, waving Palestinian flags and carrying banners -- including one that read "Stop, Trump!"

Earlier on Friday, President Joko Widodo reiterated Indonesia's support to the Palestinian people.

"We, together with all Indonesian people, will continue to fight with the Palestinians. Palestine will always be at the centre of Indonesia's diplomacy," he said at the opening of a meeting of Islamic scholars from Indonesia, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Indonesia -- the world's largest Muslim-majority country -- does not have diplomatic ties with Israel.

The question of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The American president's unilateral decision on Jerusalem delighted Israel, which considers the entire city its capital. But it enraged Palestinians, who want to make the eastern -- mainly Palestinian -- part of the city the capital of their future state.The Trump administration has quietly eliminated funding for NASAs research program that tracks greenhouse gases around the world.

According to Science, the Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) tracks the worlds flow of carbon dioxide from space. Such a system is critical to monitoring any improvements  or failures  in attempts to cut the pollution linked to climate change.

NASA spokesman Steve Cole told the magazine that the program was canceled due to budget constraints and higher priorities within the science budget. Usually, Congress battles such cuts, but this time, there was simply no mention of the programs $10 million annual budget in the White House budget.

Although existing grants will finish, Cole said, no new projects will be undertaken. NASAs budget report for fiscal year 2019 assumes the termination of CMS.

(Photo: Getty/Alexandros Maragos)

Many of the projects CMS has tracked involved how effectively forests, including tropical forests, trap carbon dioxide. Carbon measurements were also critical for compliance with air pollution reduction goals, such as those required by the Paris climate agreement. In June 2017, Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the accord.

If you cannot measure emissions reductions, you cannot be confident that countries are adhering to the agreement, Tufts University environment professor Kelly Sims Gallagher told Science. She also called canceling the NASA program a grave mistake.

Climate change expert Rachel Licker of the Union of Concerned Scientists also told the BBC that dismantling CMS will adversely affect our ability to track flows of carbon through our land, oceans and atmosphere.

Europe has one carbon-monitoring satellite of its own and is on track to develop more. As the U.S. under Trump turns increasingly to fossil fuels, including coal, experts warn that it will cede developing cutting-edge technology focusing on pollution reduction and alternative fuels to other nations.

We really shoot ourselves in the foot if we let other people develop the technology and lose that edge in the economies of the future, Phil Duffy, president of the Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts, told Science.

Story continues

Also on HuffPost

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Another key player in the Trump administation may have come close to resigning her post this week after the president lashed out at her in a Wednesday meeting.

According to a report from The New York Times, President Donald Trump "berated" Department of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen this week for failing to adequately secure the country's borders against undocumented immigrants.

Trump's entire cabinet reportedly bore witness to the scolding, which the Times says made up just a portion of a long rant about how the administration on the whole was falling short of its stated goal to tighten border security and curb illegal immigration. But Nielsen took the wide-reaching criticism of the administration's failures in this area personally, reportedly telling associates that if Trump was unhappy with her performance, she would leave. She had even gone so far as to draft a resignation letter, according to the Times.

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A spokesperson from Nielsen's office denied the existence of such a letter to the Times, and White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the outlet that "the president is committed to fixing our broken immigration system and our porous borders" when asked to comment on the content of the Wednesday meeting.

In response to Newsweek's request for comment, DHS press secretary Tyler Q. Houlton cited a Thursday afternoon tweet from his office, calling the Times story false. "The Secretary is hard at work today on the President's security-focused agenda and supporting the men and women of @DHSgov," Houlton wrote.

The White House did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request.

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Trump has let his frustration surrounding immigration issues be known to the public, especially recently, as a caravan of about 150 migrants from Central America made its way to the southern border. Trump went on a Twitter tear, writing that he'd told Nielsen to block the migrants from entering the U.S.

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"I have instructed the Secretary of Homeland Security not to let these large Caravans of people into our Country," Trump wrote last month. "It is a disgrace. We are the only Country in the World so naive! WALL."

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What Trump didn't note when conveying those orders, however, is that the U.S. has a domestic and international legal obligation to process any immigrant who comes to its borders seeking asylum. In her written testimony for the Senate Judiciary Committee, Nielsen highlighted the need for asylum reform, and suggested that DHS "impose and enforce penalies for fraud" in credible fear interviews, the first step in the long, bureaucratic process of seeking asylum.

Nielsen suggested that changes like those hadn't moved along as quickly as she'd have liked.

Trump, she told the Times, is "rightly frustrated that existing loopholes and the lack of congressional action have prevented this administration from fully securing the border."

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekPresident Donald Trumps lawyer Rudolph Giuliani said Friday that he would not debate the attorney representing porn star Stephanie Clifford, better known as Stormy Daniels, because he doesnt keep company with pimps.

The former New York mayor in an interview with Business Insider was responding to a challenge from Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for the adult entertainer who claims she had an affair with Trump, to debate the president's defamation suit against his client live on-air.

05_07_18_GiulianiTrainWreck

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

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"It would be very helpful for the public to witness a discussion between Mr. Giuliani and me concerning the facts of the case," Avenatti tweeted Tuesday. "I am willing to participate on any network provided both sides are provided a fair shake. I am also willing to do it on 12-hrs notice."

Of Avenatti, Giuliani said, "I don't get involved with pimps."

"The media loves to give him room because he makes these roundabout charges and they turn out to mean nothing. I think he's going to get himself in serious trouble."

He added that a debate between himself and Avenatti "wouldn't be fair."

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"I debate, like, really intelligent, skilled people," he said.

Avenatti hit back on Twitter, sharing a video of a 2000 skit in which Giuliani, dressed in drag, fends off Trump's advances.

"Hey Rudy  it turns out I'm not the only 'pimp' you have experience with," wrote Avenatti.

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"History evidently is repeating itself."

Clifford claims that she had an affair with Trump in 2006, and was paid $130,000 by Trumps attorney and fixer Michael Cohen to stay silent.

She is embroiled in a legal dispute with Trump over her right to tell the story of the alleged affair, and claims Trump defamed her by dismissing her claims that she was threatened by a mystery man over going public.

Avenatti released information this week showing that the payment to Clifford was partly funded by companies including a Russian-tied investment firm through a shell company set up by Cohen.

Giuliani joined Trumps legal team amid the investigation into Russian collusion by special counsel Robert Mueller, but has reportedly irked Trump with his performance in a series of explosive television interviews, telling Fox News that Trump authorized the hush money paid to Clifford, before later backtracking on the claims in a statement.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekThe special counsels investigation of Russias election interference is pretty much finished, and President Donald Trump should be Robert Mullers last witness for the probe, according to one of the presidents personal attorneys, Rudy Giuliani.

Giuliani, in the latest of his many media interviews since being recruited to the president's legal team, was discussing when or if Trump would meet with the special counsels team for an interview, according to the Associated Press on Friday.

As far we know, were basically the last witness, Giuliani said in reference to a possible Trump-Mueller showdown.

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The former New York City mayor was specifically questioned about whether Mueller asking to speak with any of Trumps children would be a sort of red line that the president would consider a step too far.

Our understanding is that hes pretty much finished, Giuliani said. Doing more interviews would be inconsistent with what hes indicated would be the time frame of the investigation.

None of the presidents children, including senior White House adviser Ivanka Trump, even though she worked on the campaign extensively, have been interviewed or even asked for an interview, according to several media reports. But legal experts chimed in recently to state that Mueller could be biding his time to call a witness as close to Trump as his daughter Ivanka so as not to further agitate a president who's called the probe a witch hunt.

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Previously, Giuliani had stated that Trumps attorneys would decide by May 17 whether the president would or would not meet with Mueller. But Trumps plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 nixed the chance of a decision.

Several things delayed us, with the primary one being the whole situation with North Korea, Giuliani said. The president has been very busy. It really would be pretty close to impossible to spend the amount of time on it we would need.

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GettyImages-957380810

Getty Images/Alex Edelman

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He added: I wouldnt want to take his concentration off something far, far more important. He also stressed that Trump was focused on North Korea.

Trump hired Giuliani several weeks ago, but his time on the case was not expected to be long. Also a former federal prosecutor, Giuliani opted to resign from his post at global legal firm Greenberg Traurig on Thursday so he could focus on representing Trump.

Current and former members of Trumps personal legal team reportedly struggled with the idea of the president agreeing to an interview that supporters of the president have suggested would be a perjury trap.

Trump himself stated publicly that he was open to speaking to Muellers team under oath, but that he was also listening to his lawyers. John Dowd, who previously served on the team, was reportedly against Muellers investigators interviewing Trump one-on-one but resigned earlier this year, reportedly believing Trump was no longer taking his advice.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekBy Yasmeen Abutaleb WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to deliver a long-anticipated speech on Friday on curbing prescription drug costs, health industry insiders expect little in the way of policies that would hurt the drugmakers he once accused of "getting away with murder." The speech will address the high prices set by drugmakers, rising costs for consumers and barriers to negotiating lower prices for seniors in the government's Medicare program, senior White House officials told reporters. Health industry sources briefed on the plans expect the policy proposals to have a relatively modest impact on the healthcare system. They also expect Trump to sharply criticize foreign governments for paying less than the United States for prescription drugs. The president has already abandoned ideas to lower drug prices that he supported during the 2016 election campaign, including allowing the government's Medicare plan for older Americans to negotiate prices directly with drugmakers. Critics say the Trump administration has been swayed by the powerful pharmaceutical lobby, which increased its reported spending in Washington by 30 percent last year. Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is a former Eli Lilly & Co executive. Earlier this week, Swiss drugmaker Novartis admitted it paid $1.2 million to a consulting firm created by Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who is under investigation over a payment made to a porn star who claims to have had a sexual encounter with Trump more than a decade ago. Trump denies having sex with the actress. Novartis is not accused of any illegal activity, but the disclosure raised questions over how drugmakers try to gain influence. "The payments to Cohen are just another indicator of how deep the corrosive influence of the pharmaceutical industry goes in the Trump administration," said Peter Maybarduk of advocacy group Public Citizen. "It makes sense that proposals we see coming out of the administration would be somewhat limited." White House officials say Trump's strategies would include requiring insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to share a portion of the rebates they get on prescription drugs with consumers to lower their out-of-pocket costs, as well as making it easier for cheaper generic and biosimilar copies of drugs to reach the market. Another proposal would make generic drugs free to low-income seniors. Wall Street investors are bracing for the possibility that Trump will diverge from these plans. In the last week, Azar and other top health officials suggested that the president might take more aggressive action, some of which could directly impact drugmakers, as well as insurers, PBMs and hospitals. Drugmakers argue that high prices for prescription medicines are necessary to fund development of much-needed innovative new treatments. But as scrutiny intensified, several pharmaceutical companies placed self-imposed limits on annual price increases. They have also tried to deflect blame for rising consumer costs on middlemen, such as PBMs like Express Scripts Holding, and to hospitals. Trump has yet to take significant action on drug prices while in office, and a once-promised executive order on pricing never materialized. Democrats have seized on the inaction as they prepare for congressional elections in October, with polls showing rising concern over healthcare costs among voters. "Outrageous prescription drug prices are just another example of how President Trump is failing to deliver on his promises to the American people," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on Thursday. (Reporting By Yasmeen Abutaleb; Editing by Bill Berkrot)Assuredly, Trump held eye contact with the recording cameras as he penned the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran deal stating "This will make America much safer". That remains to be tested in the coming period.

As a European in a Washington, D.C. think tank, I was of the conviction that fixes could be added to the deal instead of a U.S. unilateral withdrawal. Yet it was also predictable that the wrecking ball was aimed at the deal. It was among the campaign promises, and Trump had lined up for such a decision by decertifying at an earlier stage.

Trump has consistently been delivering campaign promises even against strong international headwind. Trump pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the climate change agreement and he moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

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Following Trumps decision, there are three things to watch out for now.

First, is whether the U.S. withdrawal is the kiss of death to the Iran deal. France, UK, Germany and the EU have decided to stay in the agreement dependent on continued IAEA verification of Iranian compliance. Russia and China support that approach.

The Iran deal is a multilateral agreement with UN endorsement. From Tehran, strong anti-American rhetoric bellows out including against the deal. If Iran were to break out of the agreement, it would quickly reunite the U.S. and Europeans. After all, there is complete transatlantic unity on the importance of Iran not getting a nuclear weapon.

Still, it seems likely that the Rouhani line of staying in will prevail. That will make it trickier. For Europeans and other partners of the USA, the durability of the deal will be tested in the coming months as U.S. sanctions come back into force. The Iranians see continued economic benefits as their reasoning for staying in the deal. If European companiesthe likely outcome for all with large-scale business in the U.S.withdraw out of risk considerations due to U.S. sanctions, then Irans incentive drops. Over the coming months, Europeans must come up with a policy-response (comply, ignore or oppose) to the U.S. sanctions. In 2010 and 2012, Europeans and Americans were united in the sanctions track. This time it is different.

Story continues

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Secondly, there is the hopeful best-case option that the current disruption could be the spark for new negotiations. Trump has talked about negotiating a new and better deal. Similarly, Macron dangled such a new deal when he addressed Congress in late April. Macrons twist was that his version of a new deal also contained the current Iran deal as one of its four components.

Trump announces US pullout from Iran nuclear deal

SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

This weeks announcement of U.S. sanctions gave another blow to Irans economy and currency. This is what National Security Advisor John Bolton labelled establishing a new position of strength. Trump sees this similarly to North Korea. Apply maximum sanctions pressure and see if the opponent does come to the table. Right now, it is hard to be optimistic about the quick upstart of such negotiations.

Thirdly, Trumps broader Iran policy beyond the deal seems inchoate. Is it containment? Is it regime change? And is the U.S. willing to use military force against Iran in the region? Currently, contradictions loom. On paper, it is U.S. policy to curb Irans influence in the region. Still U.S. military leaders remain adamant that the U.S. military mission in Syria and Iraq is solely focused on destroying ISIS.

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Syria will be the big testing ground for policy. But just as Europeans might be dissatisfied about withdrawal, U.S. partners applauding the move, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, might not get all they want from the U.S. countering Iran. Irans proxies have steadily expanded their presence in Syria, including towards the south where they cross one of Israels red lines. Israel greeted Trumps announcement with a row of fresh retaliatory attacks on Iranian targets in Syria. The question is if Trump would expand the military mission in Syria to include curbing Iran.

Yet, such military expansion conflicts with another of Trumps deep instincts and campaign promises. Trump wanted the U.S. out of stupid wars in the Middle East. Remember that Trump ran as a singular Republican candidate criticizing the Iraq War. And no more than a month ago, Trump wanted to change Syria policy and "bring our troops back home." Trump added that the U.S. had gotten nothing out of the "$7 trillion [spent] in the Middle East over the last 17 years." It is these conflicting impulses his advisors Bolton, Pompeo, and Mattis must now translate into Iran and Syria policy.

Trumps Iran deal withdrawal has shaken things up. He disappointed the Europeans on withdrawal. Now they must scramble to save the deal and patch a transatlantic divide over sanctions. Equally, Trump might disappoint the Israeli and Saudi with a continued light touch against Iran in Syria. Whether this weeks policy will make Americans and the world safer remains to be proven.

Jonas Parello-Plesner is senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.

The views expressed in this article are the author's own.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekThe U.S. sanctions targeting those with links to Russias power elite have reportedly forced the billionaire Oleg Deripaska to hand back three private jets.

The oligarch has handed back Gulfstream executive jets, with the asking price for two of them set at $29.95 million each, Reuters reported.

The business empire of Deripaska, who controls aluminum giant Rusal, was hardest hit by the tough measures introduced on April 6, when he lost more than $4 billion in a day.

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Alireza Ittihadieh, director of Freestream Aircraft, which put the jets on sale, said they were owned by Credit Suisse and the Raiffeisen banking group and then leased via a management company to Deripaska-controlled companies.

RTS1QU2L

REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/File Photo

"Who was using it? Senior management, including Deripaska himself," Ittihadieh told Reuters. "He's sanctioned, his companies are sanctioned, he has to return the aircraft. He has to early-terminate the leases, under sanctions rules."

Don't miss: U.S. Versus Russia: How Does Putin's New Limo Compare to Trump's 'Beast'?

Rusal, Credit Suisse and Raiffeisen would not comment.

The G550 jets have a range of nearly 8,000 miles and have gray and white livery. Brand-new, they fetch up to $50 million. Two aircraft were manufactured in 2012, while the third one was manufactured in 2005 and had no asking price.

Known for his close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Deripaska, 50, is head of one of the largest industrial groups in Russia, Basic Element. At one point, he was the countrys richest man, valued at $28 billion. He is also known to have close links to Paul Manafort, former campaign manager to President Donald Trump.

Story continues

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Deripaska was among 19 individuals and five entities put on the sanctions list. The list also includes Viktor Vekselberg, who with Sual Partners owns a 26.5 percent stake in Rusal.

In February, special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russians and three Russian entities on charges that they interfered in the 2016 presidential election. One of those named was Yevgeny Prigozhin, who also has close links to Putin, CNBC reported.

The sanctions prevent anyone on the blacklist from entering the U.S., and American businesses are prohibited from doing business with them. Russia said it will respond to the sanctions with its own countermeasures.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekAerojet Rocketdyne has successfully tested a full-scale, 3-D-printed thrust chamber assembly for its workhorse RL-10 rocket engine. (Aerojet Rocketdyne Photo)

United Launch Alliance has chosen Aerojet Rocketdyne over Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos Blue Origin space venture to provide the upper-stage rocket engine for its next-generation Vulcan launch vehicle.

But the suspense continues in the bigger contest to provide the more powerful first-stage engines.

Aerojets RL10 engine had been considered the favorite to power ULAs Vulcan Centaur upper stage, which is to be used when the Vulcan makes its debut in 2020. For more than 50 years, the hydrogen-fueled RL10 has been a mainstay of the Centaur, which came into play most recently last weekend when it powered NASAs Mars InSight lander out of Earth orbit.

ULA and Aerojet Rocketdyne have a long and successful history together that began with the first flight of our Atlas and Delta rockets in the 1960s, Tory Bruno, ULAs president and CEO, said today in a news release. We could not be more pleased to have selected the proven and reliable RL10 to power our Vulcan Centaur upper stage.

Eileen Drake, Aerojets CEO and president, said the agreement means her company and ULA will continue working together to extend our track record of mission success well into the future.

Aerojet and ULA agreed to work together on a next-generation version of the RL10, known as the RL10C-X, that Drake said would incorporate additive manufacturing and other technologies to make the engine more affordable while retaining its proven performance and reliability.

Bruno said the key determining factors for choosing the RL10 included price and delivery schedule. The deals financial details were not disclosed.

Blue Origins BE-3U engine was the most likely alternative to the RL10. That engine is due to be used on the upper stage of Blue Origins New Glenn orbital-class rocket, which also has its debut set for 2020.

Aerojet is still in competition with Blue Origin to provide the Vulcans first-stage rocket engines, which will have to provide total liftoff thrust of more than 1 million pounds.

Story continues

Blue Origins BE-4 rocket engine, built at the companys headquarters in Kent, Wash., is currently ULAs preferred choice. Two of the engines, fueled by liquefied natural gas and each capable of 550,000 pounds of thrust, would be used on the Vulcan. Blue Origin also plans to use seven of the reusable engines on its more powerful New Glenn first stage.

Aerojet is offering its kerosene-fueled, 500,000-pound-thrust AR1 engine as an alternative.

Neither of those engines has powered a rocket yet, but the BE-4 project is further along. Blue Origin has been testing the engines for months at its West Texas facility, while tests on the AR1 arent expected to start until next year.

At last months Space Symposium in Colorado, Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith told GeekWire that the engine has met all its technical requirements and is well on its way to full qualification. At this point, we think its just, how do we get to the commercial production deal? Smith said.

Todays announcement on the upper-stage engine resolves one of the questions hanging over the Vulcan rocket project, and Bruno said in Colorado that the bigger question about the first-stage engine will be resolved soon.

Still more questions lie ahead: By the mid-2020s, ULA expects to introduce a completely new upper stage known as the Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage, or ACES.

ULA says the ACES upper stage will be capable of in-space refueling and serve as the space transportation system for a new era of access to space. The ACES development program could provide another opportunity for reviving the rocket engine rivalry.

More from GeekWire:Washington (AFP) - The United States promised Friday that it would work to rebuild North Korea's sanctions-crippled economy if Kim Jong Un's regime agrees to surrender its nuclear arsenal.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's vow came as senior US officials expressed growing optimism ahead of the landmark June 12 summit between Kim and President Donald Trump.

Pompeo, who held talks Pyongyang's young leader over the weekend, even said "we have a pretty good understanding between our two countries about what the shared objectives are."

He was speaking after talks with his South Korean opposite number Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha to coordinate Washington and Seoul's preparations for the historic encounter.

Many observers have warned Kim's regime will try to drive a wedge between the allies as the summit approaches, playing Seoul's fear of war against Washington's nuclear concerns.

But both Kang and Pompeo insisted that they agreed on the need for the "total, permanent and verifiable" denuclearization of the divided peninsula.

Trump and South Korea's President Moon Jae-in are due to meet on May 22 at the White House for the next round of planning.

Pompeo said the United States would remain on board to help develop the North's economy, which has been devastated by its own mismanagement and crippling international sanctions.

"If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on par with our South Korean friends," he said.

Since an ad hoc 1953 armistice put an end to active hostilities between the North and the South, South Korea has emerged from devastation to become a leading world economy.

- 'Good conversations' -

But the North has remained one of the world's most isolated states and its outdated economy has been further battered by a UN-backed "maximum pressure" campaign of sanctions.

Story continues

Over the past year Kim and Trump have added a personal touch to a half-century of international enmity, swapping insults and both openly threatening devastating direct military action.

Kim's regime also carried out missile tests that convinced US intelligence officials, including Pompeo in his former role as CIA chief, that North Korea could threaten US cities.

But South Korea's President Moon reached out to the North, reopening direct talks, and when Kim invited Trump to a summit to discuss disarmament the mood changed.

Pompeo flew to Pyongyang for talks and to recover three released American detainees, and now a summit date has been set for June 12 in Singapore.

"We had good conversations, conversations that involve deep complex problems, challenges, strategic decisions that chairman Kim has before him," Pompeo said.

The pair, he said, talked "about how it is he wishes to proceed and if he's prepared, in exchange for the assurances that we're ready to provide him, if he is prepared to fully denuclearize.

"We'll require a robust verification program, one that we would undertake with partners around the world which would achieve that outcome," he warned.

But he added: "I'm confident that we have a shared understanding of the outcome that the leaders want, certainly President Trump and chairman Kim, but I think President Moon as well."

South Korea's Kang shared in Pompeo's optimism and was at pains to insist that there is no daylight between how Washington and Seoul are approaching the talks.

"We agreed that the summit would be an historic opportunity for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, and securing enduring peace on the Korean peninsula," she said.

"We reaffirmed that our goal is to achieve the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula," she added, promising "air-tight" coordination.

- Carrot and stick -

Pompeo's promise of an economic carrot to match the stick of "maximum pressure" may reassure observers who are concerned that Seoul and Washington's objectives are not exactly aligned.

"There's a danger here of the peace track moving more quickly than the denuclearization track," warned Abraham Denmark, an Asia expert and former senior US defense official.

"If that happens, it could give North Korea an opportunity to try to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington," said Denmark, now at the Wilson Center think tank in the US capital.

Former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice offered three recommendations to Trump: allow experts to make the deal, don't negotiate away the "equities" of others including Japan and South Korea, and "don't be anxious to remove American troops from the equation."

"If we can hold to those three principles, this might work," Rice said at Stanford's Hoover Institution.

So far, the North Korean regime has made vague pledges to "denuclearize" but has not spelled out what that means, when it would happen or how it would be implemented.

In North Korea's bombastic rhetoric, "denuclearization" has, for years, been a byword for US troop withdrawals from South Korea -- an idea that Kang appeared to reject.

After her talks with Pompeo, she took pains to "emphasize again that the US military presence in Korea is a matter for the ROK-US alliance first and foremost."

Hardliners in the North are believed to see a nuclear weapon as a guarantee against outside efforts to topple the regime, but Trump insists he will not tolerate their growing arsenal.A Vietnamese activist has been jailed for four-and-a-half years over a slew of anti-government Facebook posts in the one-party state where online expression is closely watched for flickers of dissent.

Bui Hieu Vo was sentenced Wednesday after a one-day trial in southern Ho Chi Minh City for "anti-state propaganda", a court clerk confirmed to AFP, over more than 50 posts on his Facebook page that authorities deemed defamatory.

Vo's articles tarnished "the policies of the party and state and leaders with false information," according to Phap Luat Online newspaper, the mouthpiece of Ho Chi Minh City's justice department.

"Vo admitted in court that he wrote and posted online articles that were overly critical," it added.

Many of the posts blamed the government for failing to compensate fishermen after a massive fish kill in 2016 caused by a toxic dump by the Taiwanese steel firm Formosa.

Vo is the latest to be jailed by a conservative administration which took power in 2016, which critics say is aggressively targeting activists.

At least 97 prisoners of conscience are behind bars in the communist state, according to Amnesty International.

Another activist was arrested Wednesday for "abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to infringe upon the interests of the state and the people", also over a series of controversial Facebook posts.

Nguyen Duy Son, an employee at a post-secondary school in Thanh Hoa province was accused of using his account to post anti-government commentary, according to Thanh Nien newspaper.

Vietnam ranks among Facebook's top 10 users by numbers and is the platform of choice for activists in the country where all independent media is banned and blog sites are routinely taken down.

But dissidents have complained of censorship on the social media platform.

Earlier this year, a group of 50 activists and rights groups accused Facebook of colluding with the government to remove profiles and comments deemed critical of the state.

Story continues

Others have also reported online harassment by a 10,000-strong cybersecurity task force announced by the government this year.

Dubbed "Force 47", the online soldiers are tasked with monitoring content and dissidents say their pages are routinely flooded with pro-government commentary from the brigade.

Reporters Without Borders ranks Vietnam 175 out of 180 countries on the 2018 World Press Freedom Index, trailed by Eritrea, North Korea and Syria.Falcon 9 with 10 Iridium NEXT communications satellites at Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

Elon Musks SpaceX will fly Bangladeshs first satellite into orbit today in a mission that amounts to a dress rehearsal for taking astronauts into orbit.

The flight marks the debut of the Block 5 version of the Falcon 9 rocket, intended by its designers to be the final iteration, suited for flying ten times or more and carrying humans to the International Space Station.

Theres lots of new things in this rocket that could potentially go wrong, Musk warned reporters in a call ahead of the flight. A passing grade for a rocketthe reason that it is so hard to make an orbital rocket workyour passing grade is 100%.

SpaceX expects to launch the rocket during a launch window beginning at 4:14 pm ET on May 11. Eight minutes after lift-off, the first stage of the rocket will attempt to land on an autonomous drone ship floating more than three hundred miles off the Atlantic coast. You can watch the whole thing on the companys livestream:

It took a century to create the weekendand only a decade to undo it

Bangabandhu Satellite-1 will be deployed into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) approximately 33 minutes after launch. The Bangabandhu Satellite-1 mission will be the first to utilize Falcon 9 Block 5, the final substantial upgrade to SpaceXs Falcon 9 launch vehicle. Falcon 9 Block 5 is designed to be capable of 10 or more flights with very limited refurbishment as SpaceX continues to strive for rapid reusability and extremely high reliability. Following stage separation, SpaceX will attempt to land Falcon 9s first stage on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean." />

This will be the second attempt at this launch; just one minute before a lift-off time on May 10, SpaceXs rocket aborted the countdown, after it detected a potential problem. The company said the rocket and payload were in good health after the abort.

Story continues

The satellite on top of the rocket is Bangladeshs first. It will be operated by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission. The spacecraft was built by the Franco-Italian company Thales Alenia Space, and will provide TV broadcasts and telecom services throughout southeast Asia. The satellite is called Bangabandhu-1, meaning Friend of Bengal, a reference to Mujibur Rahman, who led the country to independence in 1971.

If the mission succeeds, SpaceXs engineers will carefully examine the entire rocket to confirm that their design succeeded in surviving the rigors of space travel, no worse for the wear. If all goes according to plan, SpaceX hopes to fly the same rocket twice in a single day in 2019, which would be another first for the company.

We need to take it apart to confirm it doesnt need to be taken apart, Musk joked.

Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news.

More stories from Quartz:Washington (AFP) - Family and congressional colleagues pushed back Friday against attacks on cancer-stricken John McCain, including one by a White House aide who reportedly said the senator's opposition to a presidential nominee did not matter because "he's dying anyway."

Amid rising bipartisan fury, the White House declined to apologize, or to acknowledge that the comments attributed by US media to White House communications aide Kelly Sadler were even made.

Sadler's apparent remark came after McCain announced his opposition to CIA director nominee Gina Haspel over her role in Bush-era enhanced interrogation techniques.

CNN quoted a White House official as saying Sadler, speaking Thursday at a staff meeting, meant the comment as a joke but that it flopped.

Another extraordinary attack against McCain by a fellow military veteran and commentator also stunned much of Washington, when retired US Air Force lieutenant general Thomas McInerney said he knows torture works because it made McCain spill sensitive information to his captors during his years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

"The fact is, with John McCain, it worked on John. That's why they call him Songbird John," McInerney said Thursday on Fox Business Network.

The attacks, remarkable for their bluntness, triggered swift reaction from across the political spectrum, with lawmakers demanding an apology from President Donald Trump.

"People have wondered when decency would hit rock bottom with this administration. It happened yesterday," said Democratic former vice president Joe Biden, who served with McCain for decades in the Senate.

"Given this White House's trail of disrespect toward John and others, this staffer is not the exception to the rule; she is the epitome of it."

Trump's press secretary offered no contrition when asked about the flap.

"I'm not going to validate a leak, one way or the other, out of an internal staff meeting," Sarah Sanders told reporters on Friday, as she insisted that Trump's pugnacious style does not set guidelines for White House discourse.

Story continues

"There is not a tone set here," Sanders said. "We have a respect for all Americans."

Sanders also confirmed that Sadler remained in her job.

Meghan McCain, a conservative commentator on ABC's popular morning talk show "The View," delivered an eloquent defense of her father, who is battling brain cancer at home in Arizona.

Her family, she said on the show, is "really strong" and "there's so much more love and prayer and amazing energy being generated towards us than anything negative at all."

She also had pointed words for the White House.

"I don't understand what kind of environment you're working in when that would be acceptable and then you can come to work the next day and still have a job," she said.

Her father is "all about character and bipartisanship and something greater than yourself," Meghan McCain said, before adding a stinging message to the critics: "Nobody's going to remember you."

- 'Moral failing' -

Members of Congress rallied behind their ailing, war-hero colleague.

"I am left speechless and with a sense of horror about the insensitive, crass and cruel remarks by a White House aide reflecting the administration's position on a heroic American's courageous fight," House Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee wrote.

Congressman Adam Kinzinger, a Republican and former US Air Force pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan, blasted Sadler.

"What was said yesterday goes beyond the pale; it's a moral failing and unacceptable," Kinzinger tweeted.

Over at Fox Business, program host Charles Payne issued a personal apology to McCain and his family, saying he did not initially hear McInerney's comment as the network's control room was speaking into his earpiece.

"I regret I did not catch this remark, as it should have been challenged," Payne said.

"As a proud military veteran and son of a Vietnam Vet these words neither reflect my or the network's feelings about Senator McCain, or his remarkable service and sacrifice to this country."

Trump, for his part, once mocked McCain's war service, saying during the presidential campaign that "I like people that weren't captured."Curt Mills

Politics, Middle East

After signing, U.S. President Donald Trump holds up the proclamation that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and will move its embassy there, during an address from the White House in Washington

The move from Tel Aviv happens next week; Trump administration officials assure all is well.

White House Braces For Controversial Jerusalem Embassy Opening

The Trump administration stated that shifting the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a maneuver that will occur next week, is in the best interests of the American people in a private briefing Friday morning. So far, the administration added, preparations are proceeding smoothly.

The ceremony next week in Jerusalemwhich President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo passed on, but will be attended by Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump and Treasury Secretary Mnuchinfollows the U.S. decision this week to exit the Iran deal.

Conservative activists in the United States and Israel cheered the developments on Thursday.

The move to Jerusalem promotes the American interest for peace and stability in the region, an administration official said. Weve recognized the obvious: despite the best of intentions, after fifty-one years since the Six Day War.  The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is no closer to a solution. The official said the embassy, long sought by and even called the crown jewel of Middle East policy by conservatives, is one of several leverage points that will create a better dynamic for peace.

The Palestinians essentially had a veto on the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, said the official, assigning their side leverage in a way thats not helpful.

The administration detailed logistics.

A viewing party will be held on the day of the ceremony, Monday, May 14, for all interested Trump administration officials in the Executive Office Building in Washington.

It was disclosed that Israeli Ambassador David Friedman will continue splitting his time, as he has from the beginning of his tenure, between Tel Aviv, the location of the Defense Ministry and other offices, and Jerusalem, the location of the presidents office and the Knesset.

Story continues

Friedmans apartment is in Jerusalem.

Israel is a small country, an administration official said. Theres a lot happening in Tel Aviv. Theres a lot happening in Jerusalem. You can go back and forth every day. Its not an ideal commute, but its commutable.

The administration shot down assertions that a number of allied countries were passing on attending festivities and events related to the opening.

The opening of the embassy is a bilateral celebration between Israel and the United States, said a Trump official; no other diplomatic corps were invited.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is holding a separate event Sunday night, but the United States could not specify the guest list.

The administration said it was taking every precaution for safety, and said it was consistent with U.S. values to honor all peaceful protests.

But officials castigated Hamas for protests that employed violence or incendiary imagery.

But at the same time you have some people flying kites with symbols of freedom, you have some people flying kites with swastikas. ...And thats intolerable, an official said.

The administration above all else Friday morning sought to cast the dual moves by President Trump -- moving the embassy, and withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal -- as successful in shifting the paradigm in the region and securing Israels continued security.

We had yesterday the Bahrain foreign minister tweeting  [about] Israel's right to self-defense against Iranian aggression. So, I think this wraps up any notion that this has isolated Israel in any way in the region, an official said.

Curt Mills is a foreign-affairs reporter at the National Interest. Follow him on Twitter: @CurtMills.

Image: Reuters

Read full articleBy Sijia Jiang

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese smartphone maker Coolpad Group said its unit has sued three group firms of Xiaomi, which last week filed for a Hong Kong IPO that could be worth up to $10 billion, for patent infringement.

Coolpad said in a statement late on Thursday its subsidiary, Yulong Computer Telecommunication Scientific (Shenzhen) Co Ltd filed a lawsuit against Xiaomi Telecom Technology Co Ltd, Xiaomi Technology Co Ltd and Xiaomi Factory Co Ltd in a court in Jiangsu province for using its patent without authorisation.

Yulong demanded that the Xiaomi companies should immediately stop production and sale of some smartphone models, including the Mi MIX2, Coolpad said.

Yulong had filed a similar legal case against Xiaomi in a Shenzhen court in January.

"It is because the IP (intellectual property) protection environment in China improved that Coolpad launched the lawsuit in January this year," Coolpad's global chief patent officer Nancy Zhang told a press conference on Friday, denying they were timed with Xiaomi's upcoming IPO.

Xiaomi last week filed its IPO plans, which could be the largest listing globally in almost four years.

Coolpad has alleged that Xiaomi violated its patented multi-simcard design and other technology related to user interface. It demanded that Xiaomi compensate it for losses due to the alleged infringement, though Zhang declined to give a figure.

In a statement, Xiaomi said it has requested patent authorities to invalidate patent rights that are the subject of the lawsuit filed in Shenzhen. It said it will fully cooperate in the investigation by authorities on the matter.

Coolpad, a Shenzhen-based smartphone maker founded 25 years ago, was once a unit of Jia Yueting's LeEco conglomerate, which has been struggling financially over the past year and a half. LeEco sold off all its interest in Coolpad in January.

Coolpad shares have been suspended since March 2017. It has been unable to report its 2017 annual result on time and only just filed its 2016 annual report last month after repeated delays due to audit problems. It reported a loss of HK$4.38 billion for 2016 versus a profit of HK$2.32 billion in 2015.

(Reporting by Sijia Jiang; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)If You Go

If you go

Opening day at the Yakima area farmers market

Yakima Farmers Market

Where: Valley Mall parking lot (in front of Sears), corner of East Valley Mall Boulevard and Main Street, Union Gap

When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays, May 13-Oct. 28

Downtown Yakima Farmers Market

Where: South Third Street between East Yakima and Chestnut avenues, Yakima

When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays, May 13-Oct. 28After the clash on Israel's northern border overnight Wednesday had ended, the next - equally important - battle has commencedthe battle over public opinion.

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Israel says Iran suffered a severe blow to its infrastructures in Syria, but Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran's media show a completely different picture.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar television station took "fake news" to the next level on Thursday, reporting Israel had suffered many losses which it preferred to keep quiet.

"During the attack on Israel, numerous of its people were killed and Israel chooses not to report it," Al-Manar claimed.

Footage from Syrian TV allegedly shoowing interception of Israeli missiles

X

Al-Manar brought in commentators and experts on Israel to its studio to repeat the fraudulent news, who also claimed that Israel was surprised by the Syrian response.

One of the commentators dubbed Wednesday night's events as a limited war. "It was a lesson for the Zionist entity's officials that they can't think of themselves as supermen," the commentator said.

Syrian anti-aircraft missiles in the Damascus night sky (Photo: Reuters)

Another commentator opined that "The enemy has realized that Syria's skies won't be its playground. The enemy won't be able to move across Syria's skies as it did in the past."

"Syria's missiles retaliation proved strategic changes are in the making and demonstrated Syria's resiliency and its ability to recover. Its deterrence force surprised the enemy," another expert went on to say.

Lebanon's Al Mayadeen television channel posted pictures of Israeli citizens allegedly hiding from Syrian missiles on its Twitter page. Al Mayadeen neglected to mention the pictures are not exactly recent and might not portray Israelis at all.

'Israelis' hiding in shelters in the Golan

One picture published in Arab media showed Israelissome of them wearing skullcapshiding inside a big concrete pipe at nighttime. The picture was actually taken during Operation Protective Edge in daylight and was badly photoshopped to make it appear to be nighttime.

The photoshopped image and the original one (Photo: AFP)

Syrian media spent the past 24 hours praising and glorifying the regime of President Bashar Assad.

"The Zionist enemy couldn't face another powerful blow like the one it suffered yesterday. The planes at Ben Gurion Airport can't keep up with the demand created as people seek to escape Israel," Syrian media reports claimed.

"Syria is the most powerful country in the world, thanks to the great Assad and his army," news anchors boasted.

'Israeli missile' intercepted

The Syrian regime still insists it was the one that launched the missiles fired from Syria's territory, thus rejecting Israel's version that Iran's Revolutionary Guards were behind the attack on the Golan.

In Iran, the Al-Alam news network claimed the missiles launched from Syria hit extremely sensitive targets across the Golan Heights and "caused panic in Israel." Pictures posted to social media by supporters of the Syrian regime purport to show Israel's Iron Dome defense system failing in intercepting the missiles.

The photo was accompanied by the caption "Your Iron Dome fell," written in Arabic and Hebrew.

'Your Iron Dome fell'

The Syrian news agency SANA posted photos showing normal, peaceful daily routine in the Quneitra and Damascus area.

Life back to normal in Syria

Moreover, Syria rejected Israeli claims it sustained many losses, insisting only three people were killed in the Israeli strikes.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rightsan independent war monitor affiliated with the Syrian oppositionreported at least 23 people were killed.

Syria's Army Command also claimed that "thanks to our air defense system's preparedness and abilities, we managed to intercept many of the Israeli missiles directed at some of our military sites at dawn. These attacks have no purpose other than bolstering the terror groups operating in the country."The UN's nuclear watchdog says its top inspector has quit with immediate effect, just as the agency's work in Iran is once again in focus.

The International Atomic Energy Agency didn't give a reason for the sudden resignation of Tero Varjoranta, stating Saturday that it doesn't comment on confidential personnel matters.

Varjoranta, who was in the role for almost five years, will be replaced temporarily by Massimo Aparo, an Italian nuclear engineer who was most recently the agency's top inspector for Iran.

The move comes just days after US President Donald Trump announced the United States would withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear accord designed to keep Tehran's atomic weapons program in check.

The Vienna-based nuclear agency says it has no indications Iran is in breach of the accord.Two US fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace off the coast of Alaska on Friday, media reported.

The Russian TU-95 Bear bombers flew into a so-called Air Defense Identification Zone located about 200 miles off Alaskas west coast, at about 10 am EST (1400 GMT), North American Aerospace Defense Command spokesman Canadian Army Major Andrew Hennessy said in a statement to CNN.

Two Alaska-based NORAD F-22 fighter jets intercepted and visually identified the Russian bombers until they left the identification zone and the Russian aircraft never entered US airspace, CNN reported, citing the statement.At least 11 Iranians were among those killed in unprecedented Israeli strikes on Syria this week, a monitor said Saturday.

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"At least 27 pro-regime fighters were killed" in Thursday's strikes, said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

He said "six Syrian soldiers and 21 foreign fighters, including 11 Iranians" were among the dead.

Antiaircraft fire in Syria (Photo: Reuters)

That updates the monitor's initial toll of 23, which did not specify the number of Iranians.

"The new report is due to the death of wounded or missing persons whose deaths have been confirmed," Abdel Rahman said.

Israel says it struck dozens of Iranian targets inside Syria early on Thursday in response to a salvo of rockets allegedly fired by Iranian forces into the Israeli Golan Heights.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had " crossed a red line " and that Israel's bombardment against targets in Syria was "a consequence".

PM Netanyahu reiterated Israel's 'red line' policy (Photo: GPO / IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

Israel has long warned it will not accept Iran entrenching itself militarily in neighboring Syria, where the Islamic Republic backs Assad's regime in the country's seven-year civil war.

Israeli forces have been blamed for a series of recent strikes inside Syria that have killed Iranians, though it has not acknowledged those raids.

Israel says it has conducted dozens of operations in Syria to stop what it says are advanced arms deliveries to one of its main foes, Iran-backed Hezbollah.Israel closed the Kerem Shalom Crossing for damage estimation and repair after hundreds of Palestinian rioters vandalized and set ablaze a fuel complex and a conveyor belt on the Gaza side of the crossing during Friday's weekly "March of Return" protest.

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"The crossing will remain closed until the damage caused by the riots are repaired and will reopen in accordance with a situation assessment," the IDF said in a statement.

The fire (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

Representatives of the Border Crossing Authority, members of the Southern Command and the Kerem Shalom Crossing operators toured the area of the fire Saturday to estimate the scope of the arson, estimating the damage done at tens of millions of shekels.

They were to decide whether the crossing, the strip's main cargo crossing with Israel, should remain temporarily closed, with the coming Tuesday, Nakba Day, being considered as the day of its reopening.

"We were amazed at the destruction and devastation left by the Palestinians. They are simply bringing disaster upon themselves," one official from the touring team told Ynet.

Aftermath of the fire (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

The vandalism caused more than $9 million in damages to the installations at the crossing and disrupted the import of diesel fuel and building materials, rendereding the main fuel and gas lines unusable.

According to the IDF, the fuel installation is the only way to bring diesel fuel into Gaza for operating generators for hospitals and other key facilities.

Footage of the fire at the crossing (:  ")

X

A video from the Kerem Shalom crossing shows Palestinians cheering as a fire was set.

It was the second such attack on the facility in a week. "Hamas continues to lead the residents of Gaza to destroy the only assistance they receive," the IDF said.US President Donald Trump has signed an act that Jewish groups praise as helpful in their efforts to reclaim lost property in Poland, but which the Polish government says is discriminatory.

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The White House said on Wednesday that Trump signed the Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Todayor JUSTAct. It requires the State Department to report to Congress on what steps dozens of countries in Europe have taken to compensate Holocaust survivors or their heirs for assets seized under Nazi German and Communist rule.

President Trump signed controversial Holocaust property legislation (Photo: AFP)

The law does not give the US any powers to act against any country and does not single out Poland. But Poland is the only country in Europe that has not passed legislation to compensate former owners for assets seized in the upheavals of 20th-century European history, and Warsaw sees itself as the key target of the law.

The Nazis' seizure of Jewish-owned property in Poland during World War II, and the murder of most of Poland's Jewish population, was followed after the war by the Communist state's seizure of large amounts of property that was nationalized. Most of the original owners of that property were not Jewish.

Since the fall of communism, some claimants have regained lost property on a case-by-case basis through courts, but so far Poland has not passed comprehensive legislation regulating the process, creating a situation that has been riddled by fraud and led to a sense of injustice.

The Krakow deportation memorial (Credit: Ron Nutkin)

Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Jacek Czaputowicz says he believes that the US pressure through the JUST Act unfairly sets Jewish claimants above non-Jewish ones, creating tensions within Polish society.

He argued that Polish law treats all Polish citizens equally, whether they are from the Polish majority or from ethnic minorities that made up significant segments of prewar societyincluding Jews and Ukrainians.

"This position of the (US) Congress is not good because it wants some privileges for the Jews, for the Jewish community, but not for the Poles. I think that the Poles who live in the US may feel hurt by that," Czaputowicz said in an interview with The Associated Press last week.

Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Czaputowicz said the American legislation would discriminate between Jewish and non-Jewish property owners (Photo: EPA)

He recalled that there were non-Jewish Poles who fought against Nazi Germany and then settled in the United States, leaving behind property that was seized by the Communist regime.

"Their property here remains without any settlement, and nobody speaks on their behalf, only on the behalf of the Jews. That is not good because that divides our society," Czaputowicz added.

The World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) said Thursday that Czaputowicz was wrong in describing the JUST Act as discriminatory, saying that it covers "both Holocaust victims and other victims of Nazi persecution."

WJRO Chair of Operations Gideon Taylor also argued that legislation that the Polish ruling party presented last year promising some compensation to some victims "would have had the effect of excluding the vast majority of Holocaust survivors and their families."

The legislation is currently being re-written.

"In Poland, WJRO has long advocated for the passage of legislation that would provide restitution to all property owners whose property was wrongfully takenboth Jewish and non-Jewish owners," Gideon said.Following the Israeli strike in Syria Thursday, which claimed the lives of eleven Iranians and an initial onslaught of fake news disseminated by Syrian, Lebanese and Iranian mediaArab media outlets took to discussing events and their ramifications in a more serious manner.

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The operation was dubbed "House of Cards" in Israel, but the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Akhbar daily called it the "Night of Rockets." Similarly, the paper's editorial Friday discussed the issue of the Israeli-Iranian clash in the Syrian arena.

The editorial presented the Arab "resistance" as a catalytic factor that influences and steers events. Israel concluded the operation, the paper opined, without achieving its regional goals and, in fact, suffered more losses and damages than it was willing to admit.

Pan-Arab daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi's caricature showing Israel aggressions steered by the US

Al Akhbar further quoted a Syrian army source, who claimed that Israel never intended to target Iranian sites, and that most of the targets in its pool knowingly and intentionally belonged to the Syrian army.

The Israeli strikes, that iswhich targeted more than 50 siteswere in response to Iranian fire from within Syria, but were aimed at Syrian targets.

Al Akhbar concluded by saying that a new phase had begun in the Syrian conflict. "Despite the losses Israel had caused," the paper said, "a message needs to be conveyed quickly, and that is that we are capable of attacking (Israel) in several ways despite (its) claims of control over the Syrian arena and numerous defensive measures."

Asharq Al-Awsat's infographic of the Israeli strike

Al Jazeera, meanwhile, quoted a researcher at the French Institut de relations internationales et strategiques (IRIS) as saying that Iran understood "it could not leave its forces on the Israeli border region permanently" and that Israel had a right to be worried by the Islamic republic's presence there, consider the danger Iran allegedly posed.

The Qatari news outlet, however, pointed out that Israel's security and intelligence apparatus was well aware of the Iranian presence within Israel's neighbor and has been monitoring it.

The article went on to explain that Iran aspired to stay on the ground just long enough to ensure that the new Syrian regime finding its footing in the post-conflict era is congruent with its own interests.

Iran's end goal, Al Jazeera posited, was to place oil and gas pipelines throughout the Middle East and from Lebanon to Europe.

Bahraini FM blasted for saying Israel within its rights to attack Iran

While many in the Arab world busied themselves with developments, it appeared no one was quick to respond or to directly intercede with Israel's conflict with Iran in Syria.

An Al Jazeera caricature showing the Bahrain foreign affairs minister leading a procession titled 'normalization' to Tel Aviv

Bahraini Minister of Foreign Affairs Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, however, deviated from the norm by tweeting on his personal account Thursday, "As long as Iran is violating the status quo in the region, and is flooding countries with its troops and missiles, any state in the region, including Israel, is entitled to defend itself by destroying the sources of danger."

His statement took not only Israeliscitizens and politicians alikeby surprise, but also many in the Arab world. Al Khalifa's contention made front page news and top stories in many news papers and sites, and those affiliated with Iran were naturally quick to note this was the continuation of the Gulf countries' "normalization" with Israel.

Back to Qatari Al Jazeerawhich has been boycotted by the other Gulf states including Bahrainit published a caricature showing the Bahraini top diplomat leading a "normalization procession" marching towards Tel Aviv.

'A woman whose son was killed by the Revolutionary Guards will not hesitate to pray for Israeli victory'

The London-based Asharq Al-Awsat, which often uses terminology such as "the occupied Golan", "the Israeli occupier" and other terms that usually characterize Arab media, covered the latest Israeli strikes by highlighting Israel's military supremacy in the region.

Israel left the operation unscathed, the paper maintained, in complete contrast to the manner in which the bombing's results were portrayed in Syrian and Lebanese media.

Abdulrahman al-Rashed, the newspaper's former editor and former general-manager of the Saudi-owned pan-Arab Al Arabiya television network, wrote an editorial titled, "Whom do you stand with, Iran or Israel?"

In the editorial, al-Rashed claimed that positions in the world of politics change in accordance to "interests and necessities." If Syria's population was polled on whether it supported the Israeli strike against Iranian forces and the militias subordinate to them, he said the vast majority would have supported it.

Asharq Al-Awsat caricature depicting Iranian leadership sitting on a chair of thorns that says 'Syria'

"There is no excuse stronger than defending the right of 600,000 people and the 10 million displaced citizens from the crimes of Iran's forces and allies," he stated.

"If you ask any Syrian or Lebanese woman whose son was killed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards," he continued, "she will not hesitate to pray for victory to Israel and for the loss and defeat of its rivals."

While that was the case, al-Rashed clarified that, "This does not make the Israelis right in occupying Palestinian territories or right in their persecution of the Palestinian people."

In conclusion, al-Rashed wrote he thought the aim was "to force Tehran's regime to retreat. The plan includes US President Donald Trump's decision to scrap the nuclear agreement and reinstate economic sanctions. This is in addition to getting Israel's military involved via the painful strikes that destroyed Iranian sites and convincing the Russians to be neutral."

"All this aims to serve the same purpose," he affirmed, "after the Tehran government refused international calls to militarily retreat to its borders and to stop interfering in the affairs of the region's countries and toppling their governments."ASSISI, Italy - Europe needs to do more to end the war in Syria, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday as she received a peace award from Franciscan monks in the birthplace of St. Francis.

Merkel was given the Franciscan order's "Lamp of Peace," joining previous recipients such as former Polish president Lech Walesa, the Dalai Lama, the late Israeli president Shimon Peres and Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos.

In an acceptance speech in the basilica, its walls lined with frescoes by the 13th century master Giotto, Merkel called Syria "one of the biggest humanitarian tragedies of our time" and said politicians had to work harder to end it. "This conflict has become a conflict of regional interests, a conflict of religions and that's why today's award reminds me and many other European leaders that we should be more involved in solving this conflict," she said.The organizers behind the March of Return protests in Gaza called the burning, by Palestinian rioters, of the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom Border Crossing an unfortunate event saying Palestinians should preserve the crossings and infrastructure that supply the Palestinian people with vital supplies. They also blamed Israel for the fires claiming that the tear gas fired by the IDF trapped Palestinians in place.Israeli Air Force jets neutralized an offensive Hamas terror tunnel in the vicinity of the Erez border crossing, it was cleared for publication Saturday night. The tunnel was located on the grounds of the so-called "security perimeter," mere meters from Israeli territory.

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The tunnel, the army said, was still being excavated and was intended to reach Israeli land near the Erez kibbutz and the crossing named after it, used as a pedestrian humanitarian crossing. After weeks of surveillance, it was decided to destroy it.

IDF Spokesperson's Unit footage of the tunnel's destruction (:  ")

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Palestinians said the strike caused no casualties, and that ten missiles were launched at the tunnel, situated in the vicinity of the city of Beit Hanoun.

Fire near Beit Hanoun

Locating the tunnel and its subsequent destruction, the IDF added, were part of the ongoing Israeli effort to foil the Gaza terror groups' subterranean terrorismand chiefly efforts by Hamas, which rules the isolated enclave.

(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

The most recent tunnel joins another tunnel excavated underneath the Kerem Shalom crossing and neutralized this past January. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit noted that the tunnel destroyed Saturday was the first assailed before actually crossing into Israel.

Advanced technologies were used to pinpoint the exact location of the tunnel before it crossed the security fence into Israel, the army added.

The IAF's strike in Gaza

IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Ronen Manelis confirmed that, "We have attacked nine tunnels thus far, but this was the first attacked before crossing (into Israel). Hamas has been acting for the past several weeks to turn the perimeter into a zone of terrorism and violence.

"Hamas is trying to transform the border fence protests, including those expected to take place Monday and Tuesday, into covers for terror attacks. Hamas's action yesterday against the Kerem Shalom crossing (which was burned down on the Gaza side by Palestiniansed) was cynical to both Gazans and donor countries.

No one was harmed in the tunnel's destruction, Palestinians said

"The fact that Hamas excavated a tunnel underneath the crossing proved that it endangers its own civilians. Hamas is killing the Gaza Strip."

Brig.-Gen. Manelis further noted that due to planned protests next week for the transfer of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and Nakba Day, the IDF will halt all regular training sessions in the coming week and bring in three brigades to bolster the forces of the Gaza and West Bank divisions.

Amateur footage of the attack

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"We are not looking to escalation or deterioration," Manelis stated. "We are prepared for the coming days in greater urgency than we have been recently."

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman added that, "Hamas is spreading slogans about its desire for a long-term 'hudna' (armistice), but in reality continues digging terror tunnels into Israeli territory."

"We aren't buying this bluff. We'll continue, as we did this evening, to go after terror infrastructures. The only formula that can be taken into consideration is demilitarization in return for rehabilitation," the defense minister concluded.

Hamas issued comment about the tunnel's detonation as well, saying that "the Israeli strike in the northern Gaza Strip was a failed attempt to prevent the masses from participating in the March of Return protests."

A look inside the tunnel (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

Israeli citizens residing in the region reported aerial activity and explosions being clearly audible in Sderot as well as in the Israeli communities surrounding Gaza.

Some 15,000 Palestinian rioters burned tires and threw grenades, pipe bombs and stones at IDF troops near the Gaza border with Israel on Friday in the seventh weekly protest aimed at breaking a decade-old blockade of the enclave.

IDF soldiers fired live bullets and tear gas volleys from the other side of the border fence. The Palestinians reported one mortality in the riots, a man in his forties.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh arrived at the northern Gaza border on Friday afternoon to encourage the rioters.

"We're expecting the great march on the 14 and 15 of this month - the entire Palestinian people will be out on the streets of Palestine," he said.'

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on the border

During the riots, hundreds of Palestinian rioters vandalized and set fire to a fuel complex and a conveyor belt on the Gaza side of Kerem Shalom, the strip's main cargo crossing with Israel, causing more than $9 million in damages and disrupting the import of diesel fuel and building materials.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman decided Saturday to close the crossing until further notice.Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is expected to leave Sunday for a speedy visit to Egypt to meet with the head of the country's General Intelligence Directorate Abbas Kamel, days before the culmination of the "March of Return" campaign next week with the opening of the new US Embassy in Jerusalem and Nakba Day.

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Haniyeh's urgent meeting was set due to the March of Return protests scheduled to take place Monday, a day before Nakba Daythe annual day marking the Palestinian "catastrophe" at Israel's foundingwhich Israel fears will lead to an escalation in Gaza border region hostilities.

Haniyeh will be accompanied by a very limited number of people and is expected to return to Gaza in time to participate in the mass protests. Hamas's leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, meanwhile, will not leave the strip.

Hamas's Ismail Haniyeh aims slingshot during Friday's border protests. He will leave for Egypt Sunday

The kite terrorism campaign has also been continuing, with a wheat field being set ablaze in the Mefalsim kibbutz in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. Previously, a field near Be'eri was torched.

During Friday's weekly border protest , Palestinian protesters set fire to the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, causing heavy damages estimated to range in the tens of millions of shekels and prompting Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman to announce the crossing's closure until further notice.

Footage of the fire at the crossing (:  ")

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The strip's energy companies announced after the closure that a shortage of cooking gas could already be felt in Gazaand that it will only intensify as a result of the Israeli decision.

The committee organizing the protests issued a statement following the arson, dubbing it a "regrettable incident" and calling to preserve the crossings and national infrastructures providing services to Gazans.

Aftermath of the Kerem Shalom fire

However, the committee deliberately refrained from directly denouncing protesters, and fingered Israel as the culprit for the fire due to the heavy tear gas usage that led to many Palestinians becoming trapped in the same place.

A Palestinian source in Gaza, meanwhile, told Ynet that Hamas has been profiteering considerably as a result of the crossing's destruction. The Kerem Shalom crossing is operated by the Palestinian Crossings Authority, which is controlled by the Palestinian Authority (PA) rather than Hamas, he noted.

The source then explained that Hamas was encouraging rioters to damage crossings, thereby causing the PA to lose revenue from customs and other taxes levied on incoming goods.

Bringing the goods in through the Rafah border crossing, the source added, will allow Hamas to pocket such tax levies.

On the same matter, Egypt opened the Rafah crossing Saturday, and it is expected to stay open for the next four daysuntil after the mass protests.

Hamas seeks to profit from goods being rerouted to the Rafah crossing, a Palestinian source said (Photo: AFP)

Senior Hamas official Fathi Hamad, a member of a more hawkish faction within the terror group, said last week that, "If Palestinians are not allowed to bring in all necessary goods into Gaza, these crossings will be destroyed in every sense of the word."

The Kerem Shalom crossing is the only such crossing allowing bringing in goods from Israel to Gaza. Some 2,370 trucks pass through the crossing every week bearing goods72,000 tons of construction materials, food, agricultural products and medications.

In addition, it's also used to bring into Gaza 607,000 liters of petrol, 3,200 liters of diesel fuel and 1,500 tons of gas.Shortly before the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 began, the adrenaline was pumping, shirts and flags in a variety of colors filled the surroundings and excitement was in full swingand not even a local protest of Israeli contestant Netta Barzilai could put a damper on the proceedings.

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Israels Netta Barzilai, in fact, maintained her sense of humor and uploaded a picture to her Instagram account just before the start of the competition.

Netta Barzilai (Photo: AFP)

This is what Lisbon looked like Saturday night, moments before the sun set and the singing began:

Australian fans sang Nettas song TOY, while an admirer from the the Czech Republic praised Barzilai by calling her "a killer."

BDS flyer (Photo: Roi Alman)

Calling for boycott of Israel (Photo: Roi Alman)

Despite widespread enthusiasm from fans, flyers for a local Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign called for boycotting Israel at the Eurovision.

Barzilai is set to perform in the competition's final Saturday night.Thousands of Indonesian Muslims staged a rally Friday protesting President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

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About 5,000 people flocked to Jakarta's landmark National Monument and unfurled Indonesian and Palestinian flags.

Thousands protested President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital (Photo: EPA)

move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, five months after Trump recognized it as Israel's capital. Palestinians also claim it as their capital.

The protest was organized by a new umbrella group that includes the most influential government-sanctioned Indonesian Ulema Council and some hard-line activists as well. The protesters performed Friday prayers at the monument before dispersing.

Palestinian flag waved alongside Indonesian national banner in Jakarta (Photo: EPA)

Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has strongly condemned Trump's move, which he described as a violation of UN resolutions.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, does not have diplomatic ties with Israel.PARIS - A man attacked bystanders with a knife in the heart of Paris on Saturday before being shot by police, BFM TV said.

Four people were injured, including two seriously, BFM said.

A police source confirmed there had been a knife attack without giving any details.News

Washington, DC - President Trump at a Roundtable with Automaker CEOs:

THE PRESIDENT: Okay, thank you very much. We have, at this table, the biggest car manufacturers in the world all represented by their top people. And, Mary, its nice to see you again.

BARRA: Good to see you as well.

THE PRESIDENT: We had a  probably my first meeting was with you and a group. And weve made a lot of progress in the last period of a year and a half.

Were working on CAFE standards, environmental controls. Were working on how to build more cars in the United States. We have a great capacity for building. Were importing a lot of cars, and we want a lot of those cars to be made in the United States.

I think what well do just very quickly, because were represented by so much media, well just run around the room real quickly, and you can introduce yourself and the company. Well talk for a couple of minutes, then were going to talk privately.

But we are going to, again, for the media, were really talking about environmental control, CAFE standards, and manufacturing of millions of more cars within the United States  for Michigan, for Ohio, for Pennsylvania, for all of the different places, South Carolina  getting bigger and bigger  North Carolina.

So Larry Kudlow everybody knows. Go ahead, Elaine.

SECRETARY CHAO: Elaine Chao, Secretary of Transportation.

BECKER: Im Scott Becker with Nissan North America.

THE PRESIDENT: Great. Great company.

WOEBCKEN: Im Hinrich Woebcken from Volkswagen Group of America.

THE PRESIDENT: Very good. Thank you.

CARTER: Bob Carter, Toyota North America.

THE PRESIDENT: Good. Go ahead.

MARCHIONNE: Sergio Marchionne from Fiat Chrysler.

THE PRESIDENT: By the way, thank you. Youre moving to Michigan from Mexico.

MARCHIONNE: Yep.

THE PRESIDENT: Thats what we like. In fact, right now, hes my favorite man in the room. (Laughter.) No, big announcement. And Ill tell you, the people in Michigan very much appreciate it. Its a big deal. Leaving Mexico; going to Michigan. That was very well received. I appreciate it. Thank you.

KUHNT: Bernhard Kuhnt, from BMW.

THE PRESIDENT: Good.

BARRA: Mary Barra, from General Motors.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

EXLER: Dietmar Exler, Mercedes-Benz.

THE PRESIDENT: Good. Thank you.

AMBASSADOR LIGHTHIZER: Im Bob Lighthizer, the USTR.

SCHOSTEK: Rick Schostek, Honda North America.

BAINWOL: Mitch Bainwol, with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, representing seven of the manufacturers.

THE PRESIDENT: Good.

BOZZELLA: John Bozzella, with Global Automakers.

THE PRESIDENT: Good.

SMITH: Mr. President, Brian Smith of Hyundai Motor America. Its an honor to be here.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

ADMINISTRATOR PRUITT: Scott Pruitt, Administrator of the EPA.

HACKETT: Mr. President, thanks for having us. Jim Hackett, Ford Motor Company.

THE PRESIDENT: Thats right, Jim. We know you well.

So these are the biggest in the world and were going to be talking to them. And we want them to build more cars in the United States. And also, build them here and ship them overseas. Were doing a reverse act, and thats going to be something, I think, thats happening, and we see it happening. A lot of it has to do with the great tax cuts and tax incentives that people have been given. And we have other incentives coming.

So we appreciate you all being here. And thank you very much, everybody. Appreciate it.

Q Mr. President, do you still have confidence in Administrator Pruitt, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I do. Thank you. Thank you very much everybody. Thank you.

Q Are you concerned NAFTA may hurt the automakers, sir?

THE PRESIDENT: Say it.

Q Are you concerned that NAFTA may adversely affect these automakers?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, well see what happens. Were negotiating NAFTA right now. Ive never been a NAFTA fan, as you know. NAFTA has been a terrible deal for the United States and one of the worst trade deals in history. We have some bad deals in this country  between the Iran deal, NAFTA  Mary, we can look at any deal. Bad deals. But now were going to good deals.

NAFTA has been a terrible deal. Were renegotiating it now. Well see what happens. Mexico and Canada have  look, they dont like to lose the golden goose, but Im representing the United States. Im not representing Mexico, and Im not representing Canada.

But NAFTA has been a horrible, horrible disaster for this country. And well see if we can make it reasonable. Thank you very much, everybody.Arizona News

Attorney General Mark Brnovich obtained a consent judgment against Compliance Filings Service for allegedly sending government look-alike Annual Minutes mailers to Arizona businesses. The consent judgment requires Compliance Filings Service to pay $88,650 in restitution. All of the 850 Arizona businesses that mailed a check to Compliance Filings Service will have the opportunity to receive a full refund.

Every business that was tricked into paying $150 can get their money back, said Attorney General Mark Brnovich. This is the second time in less than a year that weve obtained a full refund for victims of phony government look-alike notices. This judgment sends a strong message that scam mailers will not be tolerated in Arizona.

Compliance Filings Service allegedly sent over 129,000 deceptive solicitations to Arizona businesses between 2016 and 2017. These solicitations prominently featured the words Annual Minutes Compliance Notice in large letters at the top of the page and instructed businesses to pay $150 to meet the terms of the corporate record requirements of Arizona law.

In addition to restitution, the consent judgment against Compliance Filings AZ Inc., dba Compliance Filings Service, requires the company and its owners to pay more than $64,000 in civil penalties and more than $19,000 in attorneys fees. The judgment also prohibits Compliance Filings Service from mailing any solicitation that suggests its product or service must be purchased to comply with any law. If Compliance Filings Service violates the consent judgment, it will be subject to civil penalties up to $25,000 per violation.

It is important to note that the Arizona Corporation Commission does have an Annual Report requirement with which Arizona businesses must comply. The ACC Corporations Division can be contacted at (602) 542-3026 or 1-800-345-5819 (in Arizona only).

The Attorney Generals Office is in the process of mailing notices to Arizona businesses that are believed to be eligible for restitution. Any business that mailed a check after receiving an Annual Minutes Compliance Notice, and has not already received a refund, should respond to the notice sent out by the Attorney Generals Office. Consumers can contact the Attorney Generals Office in Phoenix at (602) 542-5763, in Tucson at (520) 628-6648, or outside the metro areas at (800) 352-8431. Bilingual consumer protection staff is available to assist. Consumers can also file complaints online by visiting the Attorney Generals website at https://www.azag.gov/complaints/consumer.

Assistant Attorney General Aaron M. Duell handled this case.Unarguably, KNUST is one of the leading higher learning institutions in Ghana in terms of innovation in science and technology field. The institutions invite prospective learner to pursue the various undergraduate and postgraduate courses offered at the University for the academic year 2018/2019. We have highlighted below guidelines and steps for KNUST online registration and also courses offered.

Source: focusfmonline.com

KNUST student and course registration

After receiving the user-name and password, you can proceed to the KNUST online course registration at any of the internet cafes around the school. Registration must be done solely by the student to avoid course registration and security problems. After filling the online courses, you can proceed to save and print the registration, sign your portion on the slip and submit the other part to the department examinations office for their endorsement and collection. Students will be given a copy of the registration as proof of the KNUST online registration 2018.

KNUST online course registration

Students particularly freshmen are expected to have paid full fees at the bank or alternatively cleared with the Faculty Account officer on the ARMIS software in case the part-payment is made. Students are also expected to present their designated biometric registration at any of the centers in the school. The fingerprint data will be enrolled and the personal mobile number, payment receipts numbers and amounts paint will be taken and entered into the system. Once verified you will be handed over a user-name and password through a text message.

Source: KNUST

KNUST student application

The KNUST online registration for bachelor's degree and diploma courses is open to qualified for learners who have achieved the following KNUST admission requirements:

WASSCE/SSSCE holders who have credits (A1-C6/A-D) respectively in the following core subjects Mathematics, English Language and Integrated Sciences plus credits (A1-C6/A-D) in three elective subjects with an aggregate score of 24 or better in the relevant area of study.

For general business certificate, holders must possess passes in three compulsory subjects including English Language and Mathematics and passes in any three elective subjects. For advanced level, holders must have credits in at least 5 subjects at the GCE O Level or its equivalent including English Language plus at least three passes in the relevant subjects at the advanced level.

For the Advance Business Certificate Examination, applicants must have passes in three subjects with at least one of the passes should be Grade D or better. Applicants must have credit passes in five subjects including English Language, Mathematics and Integrated Sciences in the General Business Certificate Examination.

For diploma courses, all WASCCE applicants with D7 and E8 in the core subjects would be required to participate and pass the Institutes Access Course. Applicants with F9 in any of the core subjects however do not qualify.

Source : kuulpeeps.com

Also, HND holders with three years relevant working experience in addition to the minimum entry requirements WASSCE/SSSCE or five GCE O level credits including English Language and Mathematics. For mature students, they must have attained the age of 25 at the time of application and have 5 credits in 5 GCE O Level subjects including English Language, Mathematics and Integrated Sciences. The same applies for foreign applicants and all others who have the above qualifications or their equivalent and are from an accredited institution.

Mature applicants who have attained the age of 25 years or above prior to the time of application and have credits in 5 GCE O Level subjects including English Language and Mathematics can apply. All mature applicants will sit for an entrance exam or a face to face interview.

KNUST postgraduate admissions

The institution also invites applicants from suitable qualified candidates for admission to research and higher degree programs. The general admission requirements are for the following programs in the KNUST online registration system:

Masters program

At the time of application, applicants should possess a Bachelors degree or its equivalent from a recognized institution in the related field of study. The KNUST aim to offers preference for applicants with a first class or second-class honors in their related field of study. After qualifying, applicants can purchase the e-vouchers and fill the admission forms. Once approved they can proceed to the KNUST online registration of courses.

Source: kampustoday.com

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PhD program

Learners applying for a doctor of philosophy degree must possess a masters degree in any related field of study from a recognized institution in Ghana certified by the National Accreditation Board. Applicants also should submit evidence of adequate training and ability to undertake the proposed program. Applicants must have at least 5 years working experience in the related field of study in any managerial role.

The masters program full time study last for two academic years while the part time studies last three academic years. The PhD program full time studies last for four academic years while the part time studies last five academic years. Applicants must also attend and pass interview sessions conducted by the appropriated department for the program being applied for.

Candidates must purchase an e-voucher by paying an application fee in an authorized banking institution in Ghana. Upon payment of the application fee, candidate receive an e-Voucher containing the application number and PIN that will grant them access to the online admission portal.

Candidates can proceed later to the online admissions website and begin the application process. After filling the details on the application form, candidates can proceed to print out the 3 copies from the portal and submit them to the School of Graduate Studies along with the relevant supporting documents. Application submitted after the KNUST registration deadline will not be processed by the institution.

Source :citifmonline.com

KNUST online registration for distance learning

KNUST IDL offers learners with distant learning opportunities for the different diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The criteria for awarding applicants remains similar for applicants with WASSCE/ SSCE holders who have credits (A1-C6/A-D) respectively in the following three core subjects: English Language, Mathematica and Integrated Science. Plus, credits (A1-C6/A-D) in three elective subjects with an aggregate score of 24 or better in the related field of study.

Applicants should purchase the KNUST IDL online application e-voucher from any of the following banks in Ghana: Ecobank, HFC Bank, GCB Bank, UniBank, Fidelity Bank, Universal Merchant Bank and Access Bank and apply online. After purchasing the e-voucher, applicants should visit the admission portal and complete the online application.

Guidelines and instructions

Applicants should submit two copies of the online application printed and posted to the Director, Institute of Distance Learning together with all the supporting documents and relevant certificates. Applicants are also urged to attach certified true copies of their certificates and two referees reports.

Applicants should note that the results and documents provided at the time of submission shall be considered. Applicants excluding those waiting results, shall include their application forms photocopies of their results slips and certificates as well as a certified true copy of the birth certificate.

Source: KNUST

The applicants failure to input the grades and other important and relevant information properly on the forms or online shall deny the applicant admission to KNUST courses. All the admissions to the programs at the University are transparently administered by the central undergraduate admissions board without any other consideration or solicitations.

It is mandatory for the applicant to visit the KNUST website to complete their application process online. Candidates are authorized to use e-voucher provided at the time of purchase of the forms for this purpose. Failure to follow the rule will render the application invalid.

Applicants for diploma programs and nursing access program should visit any bank of their choice and purchase the Bankers draft which is payable to KNUST Institute of Distance Learning. They should submit the draft to any of the IDL centers for their vouchers and then proceed to the KNUST edu gh online registration.

Foreign applicants are to generate E-voucher from the official Universitys website. All completed applicants should be submitted by post by use of either EMS, DHL, UPS,FEDEX to the Deputy Registrar of Academic Affairs KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana on or before Tuesday, July 31st 2018.

READ ALSO: Knust distance learning courses in Ghana

Source: YenGhana has been a cultural hub ever since the reign of the Asante empire. It is no surprise to find that the traditions of the Asante are still alive in the hearts and the activities of the Ghanaian people. One of the traditions that have been kept alive is the use of Ghanaian traditional symbols. The symbols have been used since time immemorial. The symbols are very important, not only in Ghana but also in the whole world. They have been incorporated into fashion, sculptures and many other things including paintings which are sold to people all around the world. You might have an earring that depicts one of the Ashanti tribe symbols any you might not even be aware of it.

Source: Eclectic Kyeiessa

We seek to show you the different types of Ghanaian tribal symbols and their meanings so that when you come across one, you will be able to identify it and its significance and you may opt to buy it.

Ghanaian symbols and their meaning

The list will show the different Adinkra symbols and meanings together with proverbs associated with the symbol.

Sankofa

The Ghanaian symbols sankofa is one that aims at showing the importance of learning from the past. It is a popular symbol among Africans.

Source: Pinterest

The symbol seems to depict a bird that turns around to catch its egg. It also shows the importance of looking back at your mistakes and realizing its not too late to do things differently.

Gye Nyame

This is one of the signs that has an accompanying Ashanti proverb. The proverb; look at your past and you will recognize your future gives a rough sense of the meaning of the sign.

Source: pattismenu

This is one of the Ghana religious symbols that is used to show the supremacy of God. It is very popular among Ghanaians and it is fr this reason that the symbol has been used widely in Ghana especially for decoration. It symbolizes the deep religious character of the Ghanaians.

This is one of the Nyame signs that advices people to fear only God and not any other person.

Duafe

This is one of the feminineGhana Adinkra symbols. It is revered as one of the African queen symbols. It shows the femininity of women. The Duane itself was a prized possession of the Akan woman as they used it to plait and also comb their hair.

Source: Pinterest

The comb stands for the characteristics that define a woman like being caring, cautious, considerate and also the tenderness.

Aya

The Aya is a symbol of endurance and also can be used to show the virtue of endurance. The sign is symbolized by depicting the fren plant. The symbol is worn by an individual who has been able to go through and overcome hard situations. The sign also symbolizes courage.

Source: Pinterest

It symbolizes ones resolve to push forward irregardless of the circumstances. While analyzing the picture well, you will realize that the sign gets slimmer as you reach to the top indicating the struggle only gets lighter once you continue with the same good path you are on.

Adinkrahene

This is a symbol of leadership. It shows greatness and personal appeal.

Source: Pinterest

This symbol has had the honor of being praised as the one which played an inspiring role in the designing of other symbols.

Nyame dua

Source: Pinterest

It symbolizes Gods presence. Nyame Dua is a scared place where people perform rituals. It is established in front of the house of compound and is crafted from a tree that has been been cut where branches(three or more) have been conjoined and can be erected in front of a house or compound.

Adwo

This is a symbol that is used to symbolize peace or calmness. It comes with a proverb  ohene nya ahontenafo pa a, ne bere so dwo which when translated says when the king has good counselors, hen he will have a peaceful reign.

Akoma

The literal meaning is the heart. This is one of the Ghanaian akan symbols that is used to symbolize the virtues of patience, endurance, love and also faithfulness.

Source: Redbubble

It comes with the proverb nya Akoma which when translated means take heart.

Wawa aba

This symbol shows the virtue of perseverance. It indicates daringness and toughness. Analyzing it from a perspective of the sign, it depicts the see of the wawa tree.

Source: Pinterest

The wawa tree has the reputation of being hard and for this reason, the symbol is used to show one who is strong and one who is resilient. It encourages one to not give up when times are hard.

Sessa wo suban

This is an African symbols for life that indicates a transformation in the life of a person.

Source: Pinterest

It means, change your character, encouraging people to positively change the world.

Osram ne nsoromma

This is one of the Ghanaian Akan symbol that combines two different Adinkra signs to make one symbol. It combines the morning star and a wheel. The morning star is placed inside a rotating wheel and the symbol gives out the meaning of love, harmony and faithfulness.

Source: Redbubble

This is one of the Ghanaian Adinkra symbols that talks about the relationship between a man and a woman. It is accompanied by an Akan proverb kyekye pe aware. The symbol is a combination of the moon and the stars. The North Star has a deep love for marriage. She is always in the sky waiting for the return of the moon, her husband

Mate maise

The mate maise is used to symbolize wisdom, knowledge and discreetness.

Source: Pinterest

The term mate maise is said to mean i understand.

Nkonsonkonson

This is a symbol that is used to imply the unity between humans. It is used as a reminder that unity is essential to a people who want to be strengthened.

Source; Pinterest

It also encourages the people to retain their individuality even as they seek to unite.

Okodee mmowere

Okodee mmowere, or the talons of the eagle, is a symbol of this is a symbol of strength. In addition to strength the symbol also depicts bravery and power. The eagle is considered one of the mightiest bird in the sky and its might is concentrated n its talons. This symbol was so revered that one of the nine Akan clans, the Oyoko, used it as their official clan emblem.

Mpatopo

The Mpatotpo is a symbol of reconciliation. It is a symbol of peacemaking and appeasement.

Source: Pinterest

It represents the knot that holds parties who are In a dispute together, that they an now reconcile after a disagreement.

Mmusuyidee

This is traditional Akan symbol that symbolizes good fortune and sanctity.

Source: Pinterest

The symbol is also a religious symbol as it invokes gods presence while also conveying luck.

Ananse ntontan

The Ananse ntona, or spider web, is one of the Ghanaian local symbols for wisdom, creativity and the complexities of life. Ananse is a well known character in the African folk tales.

Source: Pinterest

Denkym

Denkym, or crocodile is a symbol of adaptability. The animal that the sign was derived from, the crocodile, is a highly adoptive animal.

Source: When in Rome

The crocodile lives in the water but at the same time breathes the air.

Dwennimmen

This is a traditional akan symbol that represents humility and strength at the same time. It is symbolized by the horns of a ram. The ram will fight its adversaries fiercely but when it is being slaughtered, it becomes submissive and lets itself be slaughtered.

Source: Pinterest

The sign comes to teach people the importance of humility no matter how strong one is. It also comes to teach the people the need to be ready to learn which will lead to acquisition of wisdom.

Bin nka bi

This is an an Akan symbol used to emphasize the need of peace and harmony. The symbol is used to warn the people not to be provocative. The symbol is characteristic of two fish biting each others tails.

Akoma ntoso

Akoma ntoso, or linked hearts, is a traditional Akan symbol that signalizes understanding and being in agreement. It also symbolizes the immortality of the human soul as it presents it as a closed unity.

Kete pa

Kete pa, or good bed, is one of the Akan symbols that touch on the topic of family. It represents a good marriage. It derives its meaning from the belief that a woman who is in a good marriage is said to sleep on a good bed.

Kwatakye atiko

Kwatakye atiko, or hair style of the Asante war captain, is one of the Ghanaian cultural symbols used to depict the virtues of bravery and valiance. It is based on the hair style that the Asante war captain, Kwatakye, used to have. The symbol has since then been used as a sign of bravery and fearlessness.

READ ALSO: Basic elements of culture in Ghana

Hwe mu dua (measuring stick)

This is the traditional Akan symbols that symbolizes examination and quality control. The symbol s used to emphasize the need to look for quality in whatever product you seek to sell or buy and to producers, it stresses the need for them to seek to give quality products to consumers.

Source: dccanim - DeviantArt

The sign is so revered in Ghana that all the goods that are manufactured or produced in Ghana have to bear this mark as a mark of quality. It shows perfection.

Funtunfunefu (siamese crocodiles)

This is one of the traditional Akan symbols that has political significance. It is used to symbolize democracy and unity among a people. The image depicts the two siamese crocodiles sharing a stomach but then they still fight for food.

Source: Pinterest

It is evident that the food will still end up in one stomach but still they fight for it, the symbol is used to remind people that tribalism and fighting amongst themselves is a useless endeavor and is harmful to them as they are of one country and that are all humans. No one is greater than the other.

War hor

This Akan traditional symbol is used to signify the need to be vigilant and wary.

Source: dccanim - DeviantArt

The symbol depicts an Akoben horn that was used by the people to sound a battle cry.

Akofen

The Akofen, or sword of war, is one of the several Akan symbols that depicts courage, valiance and heroism. It is characterized by some two crossed swords that were a popular design crafted in the Akan tribes shields.

Source: Pinterest

The symbol is also used to depict the legitimacy of a state authority.

Nyame Nti

This is a symbol used to show ones faith and trust.

Source: Redbubble

According to Bruce Willis book, The Adinkra Dictionary, the symbol is used to show the power of god by praising him for the food that he has placed on the earth that is crucial for mans survival.

Nkiyinkyim

Source: Redbubble

This is used to show the need for initiative and versatility.

Boa me na me boa wo

The literal meaning of the phrase is help me help you.

Source: dccanim - DeviantArt

It is used as a symbol to signify the need and importance of helping one another by depicting interdependence and cooperation.

Where did the Adinkra symbols originate from?

What is the history of Adinkra symbols? The now famous Adinkra symbols are believed to have their roots in Gyman. Gyman was a kingdom that was located in the area that is now called Cote DIvoire. It is believed that the name Adinkra was the name of the king of thee Gyman empire. It is believed that the Asantes forged an attack on the empire after the people of Gyman copied the Asantes Golden stool. The stool had a significance in the Asante empire as they considered it a symbol of absolute power and also tribal unity. Adinkra also has a meaning of goodbye in the Twi language. The Twi language is the language of the Akan ethnic community which also comprises of the Asante therefore the Ghana Twi symbols are no different from the rest.

It was believed that the Gyman king wore patterned clothes during his capture as he was taken to Kumasi, the Asante capital, as a way of expressing his displeasure. He was eventually killed in Kumasi.

Source: UMP | University of Minnesota Press Blog

It is believed that around the 19th century, the people of Asante took the Gyman symbols and started incorporating them in their clothings by painting the symbols in the fabrics they used to make their clothes with. However, this practice was not started by the Asante as the people of Gyman had been practicing it all along.

The Akan, and especially the Asante, have made it a tradition to wear outfits decorated with the Adinkra symbols to occasions that are deemed important. Such functions include, funerals where the clothes signify sorrow as they bid goodbye to their close friend or relatives. However, the case is different in the modern day. Today, the Adinkra cloth is worn by different people in Ghana and it is not exclusively worn by the Asante people.

It is evident that the Ghanaian clans and their symbols have a long history and the fact that the symbols are still significant today is an indication of how culturally rich the Ghanaian people are.

What is the importance of Ghanaian traditional symbols?

As seen above, the Adinkra symbols have been designed with an aim of showing different teachings and themes that have been passed down throughout history. While looking at the Ashanti symbols and their meanings, you will realize that the symbols are accompanied by proverbs that have a deep meaning. The traditional Asante culture was full of proverbial teachings which were used to instill wisdom in the people.

Other symbols were used to show the significant events in history, behavioral tendancies in humans, plant behaviors they forms and also the object shapes.

Ghanaian traditional symbols and their meanings are therefore not just any random signs, but well thought after signs embedding deep teachings that help one in life.

The Adinkra cloth

The Adinkra cloth is a cloth that has traditional Adinkra symbols imprinted in them. It is regarded as one of the traditional clothes that emerged from Africa.

During the time of the Asantes, the cloth was a preserve of a few. It was only worn by the royals and the spiritual leaders. However, they did not wear the clothes throughout, the clothes were only worn during important occasions such as ceremonies and during rituals.

In the present day, the Adinkra clothes are worn for a wide variety of ceremonies including weddings, festivals and also naming ceremonies just to name a few. They are not a reserve of a few as was the case in the traditional times.

Source: Manisha Vedpathak

What are the different types of Adinkra clothes

The Adinkra clothes are divided into two major categories. There are mourning clothes and the Kwasiad Adinkra.

The mourning Adinkra clothes are categorized by their dark colors. They are either the dark-brown clothes (kuntunkuni), the brick-red clothes (kobene) and the black clothes (brisi). Taking an example of the black clothes, they were used to signify sadness and hopelessness. Black was a sad color in the Asante kingdom and the red color was associated with death and blood. For this reason, the colors were used I sad occasions. The kobene clothes were worn during the Asantehenes funeral and also during the times when the kingdom experienced a calamity.

The Kwasiada Adinkra(or the Sunday Adinkra) are the fancy clothes that are not suitable for wearing during a funeral. They are worn during happy or joyous ceremonies or can be used as a daily wear. These types of Adinkra clothings have several bright colors including red, yellow, blue and white just to mention a few. They are called Sunday Adinkra because they represent the activities of a typical Sunday which was filed with social activities like dancing and the plying of the traditional games in addition to other religious activities.

What are the other uses of the Adinkra symbols?

The use of the symbols has become rampant and it s now used in different ways. At the present, the symbols can be found in different designer clothes in Ghana. The symbols are used as an added decorating accessory by different designers in Ghana and all around the world. The tradition has also been introduced to art in a different was. It is no surprise to find people nowadays having Ghana symbols tattoos too.

The symbols are also used in the designing of sculptures. The images have been turned to sculptures which are sold for a profit to people who value the symbols. The symbols are so revered in Ghana as some corporations use the symbols as their official logos.

The Adinkra paintings

The Asante people also incorporated the Ghana traditional symbols in their paintings. They used two methods

The block-stamp technique  this technique needed one to have a wooden or metal stamp to imprint the image in the painting.

Screen printing - the Adinkra symbols were originally painted in the clothes from hand curved stamps and a dye/ink (Adinkra adu). The images were curved from the calabashes and the dye/ink was derived from the barks of the Badie and the roots of the Kuntunkkuni trees.

How were the clothes painted? The barks and roots were left to soak in water for a number of days and are thereafter pounded. This was to allow them to become soft. The badie bark was then boiled with iron scraps and the dark brown color that emerges is then sieved and engraved in a piece of calabash or pot. The kuntunkuni roots were boiled in a dark solution to dye the cloth black and after hat it is dried.

Ghana national symbols and their meanings

The national symbols incorporate the Ghanaian ewe symbols in them. Let us look at the coat of arms of Ghana to show that the African signs and symbols also have a significant bearing not only in tradition, but also in democracy.

The coat of arms of Ghana

The coat of arms has different images embedded in it. The upper left part shows a sword (okyeame) which is used at ceremonies. The sword is one of the Ghanaian symbols meaning, the regional governments of Ghana. The area in the right shows a castle overlooking the sea, which represents the presidential palace in Accra. The lower left side shows the cacao tree. This shows the wealth that Ghana holds. And the lower right part shows a gold mine indicating the abundance of natural resources in Ghana.

READ ALSO: 10 ridiculous African cultural excuses that must end

Source: Yen- Actress Yvonne Okoro has criticised KOD for suggesting that women who are "quiet and unknown" are more attractive to men seeking wives than women who were "all over"

- KOD made the remarks on Facebook while commending John Dumelo on his planned marriage to his fiancee, Mawunya, on Saturday.

- Several female celebrities have joined in condemning KOD's remarks, which they say are offensive.

YEN.com.gh can report that Ghanaian actress, Yvonne Okoro, has launched a blistering attack on Kofi Okyere Darko, aka, KOD, of Accra-based Starr FM, over comments he made on Facebook about John Dumelo's wife-to-be that the actress deemed offensive.

Yvonne Okoro

KOD, while commending Dumelo over his planned marriage to Mawunya on Saturday, had noted that the actor was getting married to a "quiet" and "unknown" lady, who he suggested was a good marriage material.

Kofi Okyere Darko, aka KOD

READ ALSO: Meet the beautiful lady John Dumelo is marrying tomorrow

Claiming that most male Ghanaian celebrities tend to favour women who are not popular, the radio presenter urged women to learn from that and refrain from being too loud and "all over" the place.

"Got me wondering why most men in the public eye settle for quiet/unknownn [sic] women and not the ones all over. That could be a lesson for some of our sisters ooo. Men want women who can make a home and not be all over," KOD wrote in the post, which he appears to have now deleted.

Screenshot of KOD's Facebook post, which he appears to have now deleted.

The comments did not sit well with Yvonne Okoro, who is single and has opened up about the difficulty she faces as a celebrity in finding a loving and trustworthy husband.

She appears to have interpreted KOD's remark as a jab at celebrities like her who are still single and probably searching despite being in their 30s..

Yvonne deemed KOD's suggestion that male celebrities would choose "quiet" and "unknown" ladies like Dumelo's Mawunya ahead of popular celebrities like her false and insulting.

She instantly took to Instagram to viciously condemn KOD for his "offensive" remarks.

In her post, the actress questioned why KOD did not congratulate the couple, without, according to her, denigrating other women.

She said men and women had the right to choose their partners based on their own preferences.

"I pray that young women would be raised to believe that they can achieve their dreams (working hard, and being KNOWN) and being also the perfect bride for some man one day, this goes for the man too,"

"I pray that young women would be raised to believe that they can achieve their dreams (working hard, and being KNOWN)and being also the perfect bride for some man one day, this goes for the man too," she wrote.

READ ALSO: 11 rich, powerful yet single Ghanaian women you should know about

Several other female celebrities joined Yvonne in pushing back against KOD's remarks.

Movie director Shirley Frimpong-Manso said she was "appalled at the thought that women must be mute to get married".

Actress Lydia Forson said it was unfortunate that women had to audition for men when, according to her, "the choice of partner should be an individual one and not a standard for all".

Nollywood actress, Belinda Effah, also weighed in, describing KOD's thoughts as the product of "mental slavery". "Not his fault," she added.

Celebrities Nikki Samonas, Kafui Danku, Juliet Ibrahim, Deborah Vanessah, and Gloria Safo commended Yvonne for what they said was her apt and brilliant riposte to KOD.

READ ALSO: Dumelo's ex-girl friend threatens to scatter his wedding for using and dumping him after 4 years.

Meanwhile, as YEN.com.gh has been reporting throughout the day, Dumelo's private wedding is scheduled to take place at a secret location on Saturday.

Many fans and colleagues of Dumelo have taken to social media to congratulate and wish him well.

Here are 7 stunning photos of John Dumelo's beautiful wife-to-be that prove he is a very 'bad' man

Share your views on this us in the comments section below.

The 7 worst jobs in the world in 2018.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now!

Source: Yen.com.gh- Government claims to have paid the amount but family says no cash

- Spokesperson for the family says it is only a photo of a cheque that was sent to them

The government of Ghana says it has issued a cheque of GHc410.389 in payment of a judgement debt to a former headmaster of Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO). However the recipient, Mr Lionel Mahama is deceased.

As a result, the family of the late headmaster will be paid the money. But despite the issuance of the cheque, the family of Mr. Mahama claims the money is yet to hit their account.

READ ALSO: 7 wild photos of John Dumelo's beautiful wife-to-be

A member of the family, Madam Daina Awuni said in an interview with Daily Graphic that, it was only a photo of the cheque that was shown to her. She said the photo came from the Northern Regional directorate of education.

Ghana Education Service

In April of 2013, a Tamale High Court ruled in favour of Mr. Mahama in a case against the governement. The deceased had taken the Ghana Education Service (GES) to court, citing wrongful termination and unjust treatment.

Government however, failed to comply with the directives of the court. The GES was ordered to pay all arrears owed to Mr. Mahama who was then alive. The amount then was GHc200,000.

The failure of government to abide by the law moved the court to order the confiscation of two Nissan Patrol vehicles belonging to the GES. It was not until the national budget of 2018 that the money was captured as judgement debt.

READ ALSO: Ghanaian celebrities said to be weak in bed ("one-minute" men)

When the buses were ceased, school authorities had to hire vehicles for activities that required them. This obviously affected the administration of the school.

The family of the late Mr Mahama threatened to auction the buses and thus government responded. But they still await payment of their money.

Check out the videos on our YouTube page:

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now!

Source: Yen.com.ghFormer United Kingdom (UK) High Commissioner to Ghana, Jon Benjamin is a known adversary of Ghanaian actor, John Dumelo on Twitter.

He almost always disagrees with anything John Dumelo says and finds every opportunity to troll him on social media.

Today being the wedding day of John Dumelo, one would have thought that he would have ceased fire.

READ ALSO: Dumelo's ex-girlfriend reportedly threatens to scatter his wedding today for using and dumping her after 4 years together

But if you were thinking in that line, Jon Benjamin has just disappointed you.

In his latest tweet, the former UK High Commissioner has seriously trolled John Dumelo over his wedding.

Posting a photo of a fruit drink called V8, he said "The perfect present for my friend @johndumelo1 on his wedding day - ayekoo!"

For those of you who do not know, the V8 is in reference to John Dumelo infamous V8 saga.

READ ALSO: 7 wild photos of John Dumelo's beautiful wife-to-be that show why she wept him off his feet

Following the defeat of the NDC's John Mahama in the 2016 elections and the swearing in of the NPP's Nana Akufo-Addo, John Dumelo, a supporter of John Mahama was cited for keeping a Toyota Land Cruiser V8 vehicle belonging to the state.

Reports emerged that John Dumelo had attempted to respray the vehicle and was only stopped by national security operatives who stormed the spraying garage to seize the car.

Though John Dumelo has consistently denied the allegations, talk of him 'stealing' a V8 has not gone away and Jon Benjamin has reminded us all once again.

Since Jon Benjamin posted his tweet, a section of Ghanaians have been reacting to it.

@TheRealNingala thought it was about time Jon Benjamin stopped trolling Joohn Dumelo.

@BKQuashie wonders how Jon Benajmin became a diplomat

The 7 worst jobs in the world in 2018:

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh?

Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now!

Source: Yen.com.ghAs YEN.com.gh has reported extensively, John Dumelo got married to the love of his life, Gifty Mawunya, at a traditional ceremony held at Spintex in Accra on Saturday.

John Dumelo and his wife, Gifty Mawunya

As expected, the actor's colleagues in the Ghanaian film industry invaded the location to lend their support.

John Dumelo in Kente at his traditional marriage

Several celebrities, including Yvonne Nelson, Yvonne Okoro, Prince David Osei, A-Plus and Edem showed up in their best outfits.

Yvonne Nelson and Prince David Osei at John Dumelo's wedding

The wedding has generated a lot of buzz on several social media platforms, with many Ghanaians commending Dumelo for taking the bold and decisive decision to marry.

Many social media users took to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to pray for Dumelo and wish him a successful marriage.

Edem, Yvonne Nelson and other celebs at Dumelo's wedding

Not much is known of Dumelo's wife, Mawunya, but reports say she is a graduate of the University of Ghana, Legon.

She is said to be a close friend of Nadia Buari, with some reports suggesting that the actress hooked her up with Dumelo.

Nadia on Saturday took to Instagram to congratulate the couple.

"My very best wishes to two of the most wonderful people on the planet...my bestie @missgeeonly and @johndumelo1. Ure one of the very few lucky ones, because u found one another in this world of a gazillion people. What u have is extraordinary, and I feel honored that Im witnessing the unfolding of ur love story. It was not an easy journey, but Im so glad that love conquered all," she wrote.

Yvonne Nelson and Rosaline Okoro

"When two people are meant to be together, nothing can keep them apart. I wish not only for a magical wedding day, but a life of unending love and joy. Best wishes and congratulations, and may u share many, many years together. Love u both," the actress added.

Yvonne Nelson at John Dumelo's wedding

READ ALSO: Dumelo's ex-girlfriend reportedly threatens to scatter his wedding today for using and dumping her after 4 years together

Nadia was present at the wedding looking flawless in white with Jackie Appiah.

READ ALSO: Photos of married John Dumelo "chopping" love with new wife Mawunya excite Ghanaians

Nollywood star actor, Ransey Nouah, was also present to celebrate with his friend.

Ramsey Nouah with Yvonne Nelson at John Dumelo's wedding

Here are more photos from the wedding:

1. Yvonne Nelson with Mr and Mrs Dumelo

2. Actress Joselyn Dumas was there in a stunning dress.

Joselyn Dumas

3. Director Shirley Frimpong-Manso slayed in a nice white dress.

4. An ecstatic John Dumelo could not hide his joy.

John Dumelo

5. It's all about the breathtakingly beautiful bride in this photo.

6. The couple of the moment.

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh has sighted a stunning video of the moment Mawunya arrived at the venue of traditional wedding.

YEN.com.gh will continue to bring you updates from John Dumelo's wedding as they unfold.

READ ALSO: Mahama stole the show at Dumelo's wedding and YEN has photos and video

Share your views with us in the comments section below.

Top 7 worst jobs in the world:

Source: Yen- He believes that the exaggeration of Danquah's role will backfire

- There are already concerns that the University of Ghana will be renamed after Danquah

Abdul Malik Kweku Baako believes President Akufo Addo was exaggerating when he spoke of J.B Danquahs influence in the founding of the University of Ghana.

Baako, who is the editor in chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, said that the presidents comments only distorted the facts. This is in spite of the fact that Danquah had a role to play in establishing the university.

READ ALSO: Government yet to pay judgement debt to late GHANASCO head's family after 5 years

According to Baako, Akufo Addos exaggeration of the role of J.B. Danquah only serves to frustrate people who wanted nothing but the simple truth. The editor does not believe the president was honest to the facts.

University of Ghana

On his part, the Minister of Information, Mustapha Hamid has defended the presidents claim that J.B. Danquah was the founder of the university. Mr. Hamid argued that all President Akufo Addo did was present the facts.

President Akufo Addo in his speech on the launch of the universitys endowment fund, made mention of Dr. J.B. Danquah as the universitys founder. The occasion also marked the 7oth anniversary of the university.

READ ALSO: Jon Benjamin trolls John Dumelo on his wedding day

The eminence of Dr. Danquah in Ghanas history has been debated a lot in the last two years. Some feel it is as a result of the governing NPPs supposed ambitions of bringing him to a pedigree level with Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

It is also rumoured that the Presients citing of Dr. Danquah as founder of the University of Ghana may be a hint to renaming the university after him. The president has already renamed the University of Mines and Technology after George Paa Grant, a historic anti-colonial advocate.

Speaking on Joy FMs Newsfile on Saturday on Saturday morning, Kwaku Baako was of the view committed a mistake. He ended by expressing concern with a perceived agenda of rewriting history.

Watch videos of the trending stories in Ghana on our YouTube page:

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now.

Source: YenThinking about moving to a new city and need some money in your pocket? Then check out the six places that will pay you to live there. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. (You can also get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

1. White House

President Trump and his Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen reportedly got into a heated argument during a Cabinet meeting on immigration, a source told CNN. Trump was reportedly furious at Nielsen for not doing enough to secure the border, but she stood her ground, citing the law in certain instances. Nielsen was so upset by the incident she reportedly wrote up a resignation letter. But a Homeland Security spokesman said Nielsen didn't threaten to resign. Nielsen later put out a statement saying she shares the President's frustration about the border, blaming part of the inaction on Congress.

As for Trump, he took a victory lap of sorts during a rally in Elkhart, Indiana, touting the release of three American detainees from North Korea and celebrating the US leaving the Iran nuke deal. He also previewed his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, set for June 12 in Singapore.

2. Niger ambush report

A much-anticipated Pentagon report on last fall's Niger ambush that left four US soldiers dead says "no single failure or deficiency" was to blame for the incident. But it does cite training deficiencies and communications failures as contributing to the tragedy. The US soldiers died after their 12-person team and partner Nigerien force were overrun by more than 100 ISIS fighters after their convoy stopped at a village to resupply. The report also detailed what happened to Army Sgt. La David Johnson, who became separated from his team and made a harrowing last stand under a thorny tree. The US has hundreds of troops in Niger. Here's why.

3. Facebook

The Russians targeted more Americans through Facebook ads during the 2016 election cycle than previously thought. We already knew the group's ads boosted fake groups imitating Black Lives Matter, Muslims and Donald Trump supporters. But new documents released by Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee show the Russians were targeting Mexican-Americans as well. The documents released included more than 3,000 Facebook and Instagram ads purchased by the Internet Research Agency. That's the troll group, linked to the Russian government, that was indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller.

4. Sudan death sentence

Noura Hussein, a 19-year-old woman in Sudan, has been sentenced to death. Her crime? Stabbing her husband to death, whom she said had raped her as his relatives held her down. The shocking case is shining a light on forced marriage and marital rape in Sudan. The legal age for marriage there is 10, and marital rape is also allowed. Hussein has 15 days to appeal. She was forced to marry at 15 but fled her home and husband three years later. She was later tricked into returning by her father, who handed her over to her husband's family.

5. Hawaii

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is closed again until further notice because of the threat of violent explosions from the Kilauea volcano. Scientists warn of many things that could come from the volcano -- acid rain, falling ash, more fissures oozing lava -- over the next couple of weeks, but they're most concerned about "ballistic projectiles." That would be huge rocks and other debris propelled through the air for miles by Kilauea's explosions.RENO, Nev. (AP) - Washoe County sheriff's deputies are asking for the public's help in locating a 39-year-old man as a suspect in a child abuse and domestic violence investigation at Lake Tahoe.

The sheriff's office said Friday Nicholas Lightfoot of Incline Village is believed to be driving a white 2011 Porsche Panamera. It has a Nevada license plate, LT43263.

Secret Witness is offering a $750 reward for information leading to Lightfoot's arrest and prosecution. He's suspected of multiple counts of child abuse and domestic battery. No other details have been released.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office at 775-328-3320 or Secret Witness at 775-322-4900.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)Hamilton City, Calif. -- School administrators hosted Assemblyman James Gallagher in Hamilton City early Friday afternoon.

The assemblyman toured several rural schools and learned about the much-needed state facility funding.





The school administrators discussed ways Gallagher could consider legislation that would ultimately help the schools qualify for state funding.

"Today we're going to speak with Assemblyman Gallagher about the issues of small school funding and the needs for improving our facilities," said Charles Tracy, Superintendent of Hamilton Unified School District.

Tracy said small schools are often unable to get in line for small state bond act money and modernization.

"The districts are coming together to ask Assemblyman Gallagher to help us with legislation to ease that red tape," said Tracy.

The school tour included Hamilton High School, Hamilton Elementary School and Capay Elementary School.

"Plan on doing a lot of listening and learning so I can go back and help inform my own policy I'm pushing for," said Gallagher.

Gallagher is pushing for his legislation AB-2667.

"We are looking at ways to increase school resource officers on campus and also how do we increase training for active shooter events or other types of security," said Gallagher.

The superintendent said it's been difficult to receive funding. In one instance, a gas line went out at one of the elementary schools.

"We had to bring in portable heating and find funding on our own to do that and had to submit for that emergency funding later and still have not received anything from the state as far as reimbursement," said Tracy.

Gallagher said there are small schools throughout California that really haven't gotten the resources that they need.

"There's opportunity every year to ensure we get critical funds to those districts," said Gallagher.

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FOLLOW LAURA ENG ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: @LauraEngNews

Twitter: @LauraEngNewshttps://www.aish.com/jw/id/Breathtaking-Photos-of-Jerusalem.html

In celebration of Jerusalem Day, enjoy these 24 beautiful images from Noam Chen.

Visit Noams site at http://noamchen.com/

An Israeli soldier at the Western Wall.

The Jerusalem neighborhood of Yemin Moshe with its famous windmill on the right.

Clouds breaking over the Temple Mount.

The entrance to an art gallery in the Jewish Quarter of the old city of Jerusalem

The Tomb of Absalom in Jerusalems Kidron Valley on the eastern side of the Old City. Absalom was the rebellious son of King David, and the Bible describes Absalom building the tomb himself for he had no sons to do it.

The Tower of David, Migdal David, is an ancient citadel located near the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem.

The Mamluk Kahn, hidden underground in Jerusalem's Old City.

The walls of the Old City of Jerusalem after a snowy winter day.

Jaffa Road is one of the longest and oldest major streets in Jerusalem. In this photo one can see the modern-day Jerusalem light rail.

IDF soldiers pray at the Western Wall.

Damascus Gate in Jerusalems Old City, glowing at the annual Light Festival.

Celebrating Israels Independence Day at the Tower of David.

Man walking in the Jewish Quarter.

The bountiful and colorful shuk.

The Hall of Names at the Yad Vashem

King Davids Tomb on Mount Zion

The Kishle: Just recently opened to the public, and accessible only with organized tours.

The Priestly Blessing ("Birkat Kohanim") at the Western Wall.

Sunset over Mount Zion.

Tourist praying at the Western Wall.

Celebrating Jerusalem Day.

Visit Noams site at http://noamchen.com/https://www.aish.com/jw/s/Cookies-for-Israel-Help-Set-a-World-Record.html

Heres a sweet way to support Israel: Buy cookies!

You can even save calories when you join a worldwide celebration of Israels 70th anniversary, spearheaded by the Atlanta Jewish community.

The Cookies for Israel project is a five-week dash to raise more than $1 million for Israel  one cookie at a time  and set a record for the worlds largest cookie flag mosaic.

By sponsoring a cookie for $10, youll be supporting three important charities in Israel: United Hatzalah, which provides free volunteer-based emergency medical services in Israel; One Family, which provides support for victims of terror, and the Jewish Agency's Partnership Together Program in Yokneam, helping immigrant communities in Israel's North, according to the website cookiesforisrael.org.

Says Rabbi Yitzchok Tendler, executive director of Atlanta's Congregation Beth Jacob, who is working on the project with a diverse group of volunteers from around the city: "We are inviting supporters of Israel around the world to join us in making history by 'buying' a cookie, a small action which will send a very big message."

Photo credit: Sarah Moosazadeh

He adds that Atlanta donors are covering all overhead costs of Cookies for Israel  from buying the more than 100,000 iced cookies, to paying the fee for a Guinness World Records judge to be on site, to marketing and website hosting  so every dollar contributed to the campaign will go directly to the recipient Israeli charities. Cookies will come from a kosher factory in New York.

Eric Robbins, president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, bought the first cookie when he launched the campaign at Atlantas celebration of Israels 70th birthday in April.

Also lending their support via publicity are Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks of Britain and Jewish Agency Chair Natan Sharansky.

It will take approximately 130,000 blue-and-white cookies to smash the previous Guinness World Record for a cookie flag mosaic, which Pakistan set in 2017. The plan calls for the Israeli flag cookie mosaic to stretch more than 3,000 feet when assembled June 3 in Atlanta.

An engineering expert who holds a doctorate from the Georgia Institute of Technology is planning how to lay out the thousands of cookies. A surveyor will measure the doughy flag, and a Guinness judge will be on site to ensure all the specifications are kosher and certify the record.

Guinness requires the cookies be properly handled according to health regulations. Also, after the June 3 record attempt, Atlanta organizers must distribute the cookies for consumption and not throw them away. They expect to donate the cookies to schools and homeless shelters.

Tendler sees the Cookies for Israel project as a win-win-win: We send a strong message to Israel that they have Jewish and non-Jewish supporters around the world. We raise several hundred thousand dollars each for three Israeli charities. And we donate cookies to good causes locally.

Make the Cookie Record Crumble

In addition, supporters will help set a new world record and make the old one crumble.

Large-scale efforts like this are not just pie-in-the-sky. Last year during Hurricane Irma, an incredible group of volunteers accomplished the impossible, hosting over a thousand refugees from South Florida with just a few days to prepare. Cookies for Israel presented an opportunity to work with some of these incredible volunteers on an even bigger project, Atlanta physicians assistant anesthetist Matt Lewis said in an e-mail interview from Israel after his son, Avrumis, recent swearing-in ceremony as a lone soldier with the Israel Defense Forces.

Avrumi and Matt Lewis

He is giving so much for Eretz Yisrael and the people of Israel. If there is a way that I can contribute, its important for me to do so, the elder Lewis wrote.

Tendler agrees, saying Cookies for Israel provides a way for supporters around the world to send a giant hug to the people of Israel. By working together we can accomplish the seemingly impossible.

Click here to support CookiesforIsraelAddis Ababa  The potential for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to become a powerful tool for driving industrialisation, economic diversification and development has been highlighted at the start of the UN Economic Commission for Africa's (ECA) Conference of Ministers in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). The 4-day event (11-15 May) aims to advance the ambitious initiative to form a regional common market which the ECA believes could boost intra-African trade from its current level of 16% to 52% by 2022.

Addressing the gathering, Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the ECA, stated that realising the promise of the AfCFTA and its development goals required the continent to take 'bold actions' on many fronts. She told the 51st session of the Conference of Ministers: 'Now we must seize the momentum at hand, to focus on how to operationalize the agreement in a manner that realises its potential to the benefit of the average African.'

The Executive Secretary also observed the most important and urgent action is to create the 'fiscal space' to foster public and private investment, while ensuring economic diversification with the view to creating jobs.

Her address also acknowledged concerns that the AfCTA may cause tariff revenues losses leading to 'holes' in national budgets. The AFCFTA's impact upon taxes applied to imported and exported goods, however, would be 'small and gradual' according to the Executive Secretary who explained: 'These tariff revenue losses may be outweighed by the additional revenues from growth to be generated by AfCFTA.'

Africa's governments were also urged to take a broader review of macroeconomic policies, especially fiscal measures, in order to ensure they are 'fit for purpose' to make the most of the AfCFTA. Vera Songwe remarked: 'We need to improve our levels of fiscal space. This includes boosting tax revenues, improving the efficiency of public expenditure management, tackling illicit financial flows and making use of private finance for public projects.'

This year's conference follows the signing of the AfCFTA by 44 countries earlier this year, while a total of 50 signed either the agreement or the Kigali declaration underscoring their commitment to the visionary, pan-African project. On Thursday (11 May) Kenya and Ghana handed over to the African Union Commission the documents ratifying the continental free trade, becoming the first two countries to do so.

In addition to the ministerial proceedings, expert sessions and parallel side events will address the conference theme 'Creating fiscal space for jobs and economic diversification'. These will highlight the importance of accompanying taxation measures to support and fully take advantage of the AfCFTA while also strengthening fiscal sustainability in Africa. Other topics include agriculture's role in economic growth; financing infrastructure; tackling illicit financial flows;and an integrated strategy for the Sahel. There will also be the launch of the 5th African Governance Report; the Global Education Monitoring Report; and the 2018 Assessing Regional Integration Report. The ECA's annual Adebayo Adedeji Lecture (named in honour of the body's longest-serving executive secretary who passed away in April) will be given by Prof. Mary Teuw Niane, Senegal's Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation. It will pay also tribute to Prof. Calestous Juma, a renowned supporter of harnessing innovation and technology to advance Africa's development, who died last month.

For more information please contact

Sophia Denekew

denekews.uneca@un.org

or

Antony Shaw

a.shaw@icpublications.comDeep in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, in a region of wilderness made up of granite rock and rugged mountains, lies the town of Saint Catherine. It was here, at the foot of Mount Sinai, that Moses is believed to have received the Ten Commandments from God. Naturally, this region is sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims alike.

Between 548 and 565, the Eastern Roman emperor, Justinian the Great, ordered the construction of a monastery dedicated to Saint Catherine at this site. The monastery has never been destroyed or looted in all its history, making it one of the oldest working Christian monasteries in the world. It also contains the world's oldest continually operating library, where is preserved the worlds second largest collection of early codices and manuscripts in a variety of languages, outnumbered only by the Vatican Library.

Photo credit: Berthold Werner/Wikimedia

The monastery is surrounded by a massive wall, the original one, erected by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. Until the 20th century, access was through a door high in the outer walls. The entrance is now through a smaller gate to the left of the main gate.

The holiest part of the monastery is a large living shrub that is said to be the very burning bush that was seen by Moses. In the 4th century, Empress Consort Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, built the Chapel of the Burning Bush here which the monastery incorporated within its grounds. The bush is a rare species of the rose family called Rubus Sanctus. A native to the Sinai region, the plants extremely long life span has helped lend credibility to the site.

A great treasure of the monastery are its icons and mosaics on walls and church buildings as well as on liturgical objects, representing the best collection of early icons in the world. Most of these icons date to the 6th century, with a few possibly dating to an even earlier period.

The burning bush. Photo credit: Christopher Chan/Flickr

The monastery's library is its other big treasure. Some of the rare manuscripts in its collection includes the missing parts of Codex Sinaiticus, a 4th-century handwritten copy of the Greek Bible; the Syriac Sinaiticus, a 4th-century manuscript of the four canonical gospels of the New Testament in Syriac; and the Ashtiname of Muhammad, in which the Islamic prophet Muhammad is claimed to have bestowed his protection upon the monastery. Also included in the library are the first editions of Homer (1488) and Plato (1513, the Comedies of Aristophanes (1498), the Great Etymological Lexicon of the Greek Language (1499), and Suidaes Lexicon (1499).

Aside from Saint Catherine's Monastery and Mount Sinai, there are hundreds of places of religious importance in the area, such as the Chapel of St. Catherine on the summit of Mount Katherine, the mountain where the body of the saint from Alexandria was supposedly placed by angels; the Rock of Moses, where Prophet Moses fetched water; several churches and hundreds of ruins of Byzantine monasteries and monastic settlements in the area.

The monastery was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2002. It draws more than a 100,000 visitors annually.

Photo credit: Shawn Clover/Flickr

Photo credit: Marc!D/FlickrPosted on: May 12, 2018 1:19 PM

The Presiding Bishop of the US-based Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, will preach at next weekends wedding of Prince Henry of Wales  more informally referred to as Prince Harry  and the US actress Meghan Markle, Kensington Palace announced today (Saturday). Prince Harry, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth and sixth in line to the throne, will marry Ms Markle at St Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle next Saturday (19 May) in a service conducted by the Dean of Windsor, David Conner. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will officiate.

The invitation from the couple to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to preach at the service is a departure from tradition for British royal weddings. While previous royal weddings have involved clergy from other Christian churches saying prayers for the couple; sermons are usually given by senior C of E clergy. The service will be televised around the world, and it is likely that the Presiding Bishop, who refers to himself as the CEO of the Episcopal Church  the Chief Evangelism Officer  wont resist the opportunity to talk about what he calls the Jesus Movement.

The love that has brought and will bind Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle together has its source and origin in God, and is the key to life and happiness, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said. And so we celebrate and pray for them today.

Prince Harry was born on 15 September 1984 and was baptised at St Georges Chapel, Windsor, three-months later. After completing his formal education, he spent a gap year in Australia and South Africa before training for military service. He served with the British Army in Afghanistan as an officer in the Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons of the Household Cavalry, in the US-led operation to remove the Taliban from power following the September 11 terror attacks in New York and Washington. His service in Afghanistan came to an end after his presence there was revealed by an Australian magazine; but he returned there a few years later in a deployment with the Army Air Corps. In 2014, he launched the Invictus Games for injured ex-service personnel; and is patron of a number of organisations, including the HALO Trust, which is working to remove mines from Qasr el Yahud  the site on the west Bank of the River Jordan at the traditional site of the baptism of Jesus.

Meghan Markle was born on 4 August 4 1981 in Los Angeles, California. Her parents, Doria Ragland and Thomas Markle, divorced when she was six-years-old. In her acting career, she has appeared in a number of roles, including in the films Get Him to the Greek, Remember Me, and Horrible Bosses. But she is best known her portrayal of the character Rachel Zane in the hit US-legal drama series Suits. Her character, a paralegal who trained to become an attorney, was the love interest of phoney-lawyer Mike Ross. Ms Markle married Trevor Engelson in 2011; but the couple divorced in 2013, long before Ms Markle met Prince Harry.

The couple have met Archbishop Justin Welby on a number of occasions as part of the preparations for the wedding; and Ms Markle asked Archbishop Justin to baptise her. It has been widely reported that she was baptised and confirmed by Archbishop Justin at St James Palace in London in March.

It was very special, Archbishop Justin told ITV News. It was beautiful, sincere and very moving. It was a great privilege. . . You know at the heart of it is two people who have fallen in love with each other, who are committing their lives to each other with the most beautiful words and profound thoughts, who do it in the presence of God.

Previous royal weddings have involved a range of preachers. When Queen Elizabeth married Prince Philip in Westminster Abbey in November November 1947, the service was conducted by the Dean of Westminster, Alan Don, while the wedding itself was officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher. The sermon was preached by the Archbishop of York, Cyril Garbett.

Prince Harrys mother and father, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, took the unusual decision of marrying at Londons St Pauls Cathedral in 1981. They were married by the Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie, who also preached. In 2005, after Dianas death, Prince Charles married his second wife Camilla, now Duchess of Cornwall, in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall. This was followed by a Service of Prayer and Dedication at St Georges, Windsor, conducted by Archbishop Rowan Williams. There was no sermon in that service.

Prince Harrys older brother, Prince William, married his wife Catherine at Westminster Abbey in 2011. The Dean of Westminster, John Hall, presided over the service, while the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, conducted the wedding. The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, Dean of Her Majestys Chapels Royal, preached the sermon.

St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle is located within the area of the Church of Englands Diocese of Oxford; but it outside the jurisdiction of the diocesan bishop. It is one of a small number of C of E churches known as Royal Peculiars  which means that it is under the direct control of the monarch, rather than the diocesan bishop or archbishop. Amongst the other Royal Peculiars are Westminster Abbey, the five chapels that make up the Chapels Royal, and the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, in the Houses of Parliament.

THE US-based Episcopal Church is the oldest independent Anglican province outside the British Isles. When European travellers first colonised what is now the United States of America, they took with them clergy from European Churches, including the Church of England. C of E clergy and churches in the US were under the ecclesial authority of the Bishop of London; and despite requests from the Church of England in America and the Bishop of London himself, no suffragan bishop was appointed to reside in and serve the Church locally.

After the War of Independence, the Anglican Church in America effectively ceased to be part of the Church of England  not least because of the political difficulties of a Church tied to one nation trying to serve the population of another nation that had just won its independence. Now locally organised, Anglicans in America adopted the names Episcopal and Episcopalian, because even the name Anglican denoted its English origins.

The real split, however, came in 1784, when Church of England bishops refused to consecrate the American Churchs first bishop, Samuel Seabury. This was because of his reluctance to swear an oath of allegiance to the British Crown. He was instead consecrated by bishops from the Scottish Episcopal Church, who had their own historical reasons to distance themselves from the Church of England.

Today, the US-based Episcopal Church has 109 dioceses and regional areas in 17 nations. It is one of 39 independent but interdependent autonomous Provinces of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is the senior bishop and Primate of the US-based Episcopal Church. He is a passionate evangelist. In an interview with ACNS following his installation as the Episcopal Churchs 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate in November 2015, he stressed the need for Christians to be part of the Jesus Movement.

I can tell you that I believe passionately in the Great Commission and its call to go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus has taught us, he said.

I believe that thats a call, an invitation and an exciting possibility; and I think that is one of the foundational principles of our call to be the Church: to help to make other followers of Jesus who can then, following his teachings and following the way of Jesus in their life and in our lives together, help to make this world a better world  something that is less like a nightmare and more like Gods dream and Gods vision and Gods intention for the human family and the whole of creation.

That, for me, is one of the centre-pieces of the Gospel.Gift donations

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Note: Animals Australia can also accept direct deposits. If you wish to make a donation via direct deposit please contact the office on (03) 9329 6333.LATIMER, Mississippi -- What began as a domestic disturbance escalated into a hostage situation and a nearly 5-hour standoff with law enforcement in the Latimer community of Jackson County Saturday.

Sheriff Mike Ezell said his department received calls about 4:30 a.m. Saturday advising of multiple shots fired in the area of Oak View Circle in Latimer.

Deputies responding to the call learned that 27-year-old Steven Kyle Harris has barricaded himself inside the house with a gun and was holding his girlfriend hostage.

Deputies were able to free the woman through the garage of Harris' home. She said Harris was upset because one of his friends had been arrested.

Agents from the Jackson County Emergency Services Unit tried to communicate with Harris, but had no success. Ultimately, tear gas canisters were fired into the house and, about 9:30 a.m., Harris emerged from the residence.

He was taken into custody without further incident and transported to the Jackson County Adult Detention Center, charged with aggravated domestic assault. He will remain in the ADC without bond pending an initial court appearance.In the midst of celebrating LGBTQ Pride the U.S. Supreme Court rained on our virtual parade by ruling in favor of the Catholic Social Serv...Customs are proposing new simplified procedures for exports through India Post.

Customs department and Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) have been working together for last one year to liberalise, reform and align laws relating to imports by it.

New Delhi: The customs department is planning simplified procedures for exports by India Post, including permitting e-commerce shipments through all foreign post offices, the finance ministry said on Saturday.

Since 2016, e-commerce exports had been allowed through Foreign Post Offices (FPOs) under MEIS (Merchandise Export from India Scheme) incentives from the post offices at Chennai, Mumbai & Delhi.

"Now, customs may be leading the reform race by permitting e-commerce exports through all FPOs, though without MEIS benefits for now," an official statement said.

With imports and exports by Post being the sixth highest cited citizen grievances under CPGRAMs, the customs department and Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) have been working together for last one year to liberalise, reform and align laws relating to imports by it.

"In order to cater to the SMEs and what may come as a major boost to the Make in India programme, customs are proposing new simplified procedures for exports through India Post," it added.

The statement said that one of the major bottlenecks in the postal system is the absence of professional logistics companies, which can facilitate SMEs going global through online presence and leaving postal logistics to third parties.

Customs is planning some of these initiatives after it introduced non-intrusive technologies like x-ray scanning at FPOs to expedite release of goods. These measures are also likely to control smuggling of narcotics.

"In order to strengthen law enforcement, Customs will scan mail bags at the airports itself for identifying suspect consignments and contraband items," the statement said.A sessions court awarded life imprisonment to two persons in the 2012 murder case of actor Meenakshi Thapa.

Under the impression that the actor belonged to a rich family, the duo hatched a conspiracy to abduct her and demand a Rs 15-lakh ransom from her family. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: In a case supervised by Himanshu Roy as Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) in Mumbai, two accused were sentenced to life imprisonment on the day he ended his life.

A sessions court in Mumbai on Saturday awarded life imprisonment to two persons in the 2012 murder case of actor Meenakshi Thapa. It awarded the sentence to Amit Jaiswal, 36 and his girlfriend Preeti Surin, 26.

"Jaiswal and Surin, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, had befriended Thapa, 26 on the sets of 'Heroine', a Bollywood film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar.

Both the accused used to work as model coordinators.

Under the impression that the actor belonged to a rich family, the duo hatched a conspiracy to abduct her and demand a Rs 15-lakh ransom from her family.Congress spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa said the party would take up the issue of faulty EVMs with the Election Commission.

Bengaluru: On the day of election, the ruling Congress in Karnataka alleged that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) had malfunctioned in some parts of the state.

Voting was delayed for two hours at a polling booth in Banahatti reportedly because the voting machine was faulty.

In a series of tweets, Congress spokesperson said that one of the booths in Bengaluru is only registering vote to Kamal ke phool (Lotus). He further said the party would take up the issue of faulty EVMs with the Election Commission.

There are 5 booths opposite my Parent's apartment at RMV II Stage, Bengaluru. In the 2nd booth, any button pressed registers a vote ONLY to kiwi mele Kamala i.e Kamal ke phool. Angry voters are returning without casting their vote.  Brijesh Kalappa (@brijeshkalappa) May 12, 2018

Dear FB Friends, polling has not begun again at booth no. 2 opp Sterling Residency RMV II Stage after the EVM/VVPAT was found to be malfunctioning. My own vote is in the same booth.

Meanwhile INC Supporters, please don't be disheartened. Please cast your vote. Make a difference.  Brijesh Kalappa (@brijeshkalappa) May 12, 2018

So far we have received 3 complaints of malfunctioning EVM/VVPAT across the State including from Ramanagara, Chamarajpet and Hebbal. The INC is taking up these issues with the EC.  Brijesh Kalappa (@brijeshkalappa) May 12, 2018

Voting for 222 assembly constituencies is being held in Karnataka today. Over five crore eligible voters are likely to exercise their franchise.

Both BJP and Congress have claimed to win by huge margin. JD(S) also hopes to win enough seats to make a difference if predictions of a hung assembly prove correct.

Counting of votes and the announcement of results will take place on Tuesday, May 15.Indian politicians and a Hindi-speaking Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, something south Indian politicos rarely do with the exception of DMK leaders.

Bengaluru: Rarely has a state witnessed such a high stakes battle like the Karnataka Assembly poll in which three parties-the Congress, BJP and JD(S)-threw everything they had into the ring with predictions being made that it could set the trend for the 2019 parliament election.

With the wait over and polling set to happen on Saturday, the big question is whether Karnataka is in for a phase of uncertainty because of a hung House-or will the Congress or BJP quell the challenge and ride a wave to a comfortable majority?

The campaign which began in March, was hit by many controversies-the most serious one being the Rajarajeshwarinagar voter ID scam with the Election Commission on Friday ordering postponement of polling to the seat to May 28 saying the current electoral process in the constituency has been vitiated by parties and candidates who had tried to influence voters. Sources in the Congress assert that the scam was master-minded by the BJP in a bid to show the ruling party in poor light and prove it was resorting to dubious tactics to win the polls.

It remains to be seen if the scam  which happened just two days before the polls-will weigh on the minds of voters and influence their electoral choice.

Meanwhile, the seat projections made by each political party-the Congress claimed it would win 124-132 seats, the BJP at 130 and the JD(S) a simple majority- are as ambitious as ever. Political uncertainty and horse-trading are the last things people of the state would want after seeing the chaos during the tenure of the BJP-JD(S) coalition govt in 2006-07 which made a disastrous exit.

The ruling Congress is banking heavily on chief minister Siddaramaiahs earthy image which his supporters claim, would appeal to most people. What could further add to his appeal is the courage he showed to take on north

Indian politicians and a Hindi-speaking Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, something south Indian politicos rarely do with the exception of DMK leaders.

Unlike the Congress, the BJP from day one, has relied heavily on Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and party national president, Amit Shah to take the party across the winning post.

Intent on making life difficult for the twonational parties is the regional party, the JD (S) which has been strugglingto convince voters that it will emerge as the king and not be relegated to the role of kingmaker.

Congress resets Siddaramaiah image

Sources say the battle to retain Karnataka for the Congress started way back in September 2017 after CM Siddaramaiah reportedly roped in six agencies who worked under the directions of two IAS officers to create a positive image for him.

This helped to a great extent in neutralising the anti-incumbency sentiment in the state. According to this team's assessment based on caste calculations, the Congress will get 120 seats.In the recent biennial elections to the legislative council, RJD's tally in the upper house rose from 7 to 9, required to get the status.

The RJD managed to get the requisite numbers and were accorded the status based on the party's enhanced strength in the upper house. (Photo: File)

Patna: Former Bihar Chief Minister and senior RJD leader Rabri Devi was on Saturday accorded the status of leader of opposition in the state legislative council on the basis of her party's enhanced strength in the upper house.

The development followed the recent biennial elections to the legislative council after which RJD's tally in the 75-member upper house rose from seven to nine, required to get the status.

"We received an application on behalf of Rabri Devi on Friday, brought by (state RJD president) Ramchandra Purve, seeking her recognition as the leader of the opposition in the house," legislative council Deputy Chairman Haroon Rashid said.

"On Saturday, we decided to accord recognition since a vibrant opposition is essential to the functioning of any democracy. Moreover, the RJD has the requisite numbers now," he said.

In 2017, after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar walked out of the grand alliance comprising of JD(U), the RJD and the Congress, a similar application by Rabri Devi was turned down as the members of the party founded and headed by her husband Lalu Prasad constituted less than 10 per cent of the total strength of the house.

Welcoming the development on a day Rabri Devi's son Tej Pratap Yadav is getting married to the daughter of party MLA Chandrika Roy, RJD spokesperson Ejya Yadav said, "We are delighted at the recognition of Madam as the leader of opposition. The wedding has proved lucky for the entire party."

Lalu Prasad's younger son Tejashwi Yadav is the leader of opposition in the state legislative assembly.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi were among the 11 people elected to the legislative council last month, along with Rabri Devi.In view of this, it was decided that the collegium would meet again at 4.15 pm on Wednesday, May 16.

With the collegium likely to assert its authority over the appointment of Supreme Court judges, this is expected to result in a major confrontation with the Centre, that has expressed its reservations on Justice Josephs choice for the nations highest court. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on Friday unanimously decided to reiterate its earlier recommendation to elevate Uttarakhand high court Chief Justice K.M. Joseph as a judge of the apex court.

With the collegium likely to assert its authority over the appointment of Supreme Court judges, this is expected to result in a major confrontation with the Centre, that has expressed its reservations on Justice Josephs choice for the nations highest court.

The resolution uploaded on the Supreme Court website says the collegium met to consider reiteration of the recommendation dated January 10, 2018 for elevation of Justice K.M. Joseph, Chief Justice, Uttarakhand high court, as a judge of the Supreme Court; and to consider the names of high court judges for elevation as judges of the Supreme Court.

The Chief Justice and other members of the collegium have, on principle, unanimously agreed that the recommendation for appointment of Justice Joseph as a judge of the Supreme Court should be reiterated. But this should also be accompanied by the recommendation of the names of (other) chief justices of high courts for elevation as judges of the Supreme Court, for which a detailed discussion is required. In view of this, it was decided that the collegium would meet again at 4.15 pm on Wednesday, May 16.

Highly-placed sources said the meeting unanimously rejected the Centres stand on not accepting Justice Josephs elevation and decided to send a detailed and point-by-point response to Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasads letters of April 26 and April 30 to the CJI. A wide range of issues relating to the appointment of judges from high courts which did not have representation was discussed, which was inconclusive. It was also felt the collegium should not give any veto power to the government to reject an appointment once the proposal had been thoroughly examined by the collegium.

The collegium also decided to send a few more names, taking into consideration there are seven vacancies to be filled in the court and five judges retiring shortly. The meeting on Friday was held after Justice J. Chelameswar sent a letter urging the CJI to take a call urgently on the issue of Justice Josephs elevation.

On April 26, the law minister had announced that the government had cleared the elevation of advocate Indu Malhotra and put on hold the elevation of Justice Joseph though both proposals were sent together on January 10 this year. She was sworn in as a Supreme Court judge on April 27. While seeking the collegiums reconsideration of Justice Josephs elevation, Mr Prasad sought adequate representation for minorities and other high courts which were not represented.

Under the memorandum of procedure on appointment of judges that exists now, once the proposal is returned for reconsideration, and if the collegium reiterates its decision, the government is bound to accept it, but there is no time limit on such appointment.Dalit MP said it was wrong to demand the removal of Jinnahs portrait from the office of the AMU Students Union.

The dalit MP said she would be organising a one-day dharna in the collectorate in Bahraich on May 15 to protest against the lack of respect for dalits.

Lucknow: Trouble within the BJP in Uttar Pradesh shows no signs of receding. After UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya, it is now BJP MP Savitri Bai Phule who has defied the party line and described Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, as a mahapurush (great man).

Jinnah made a contribution in the freedom struggle and he was a mahapurush and will remain one. All those who contributed in the freedom struggle must be treated with respect, she told reporters in Bahraich. She said it was wrong to demand the removal of Jinnahs portrait from the office of the AMU Students Union.

These issues are being raised to divert attention from the real issues, that include poverty, hunger and unemployment, she said.

The dalit MP said she would be organising a one-day dharna in the collectorate in Bahraich on May 15 to protest against the lack of respect for dalits. Dalits are being exploited and deprived of their fundamental rights. You can see the kind of programmes on TV and radio to understand this, she pointed out. She further said she was holding chaupals in every village in her constituency to muster support for the dharna.

A day ago, it was UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar who alleged that the bureaucracy did not listen to him because he belonged to the most backward caste. Why are we referred to as dalit MPs or why is the President called a dalit President? If this is not discriminatory, then what else is? she asked.

Another BJP MLA, Jagan Garg (Agra), has also put his party in an embarrassing situation by writing a letter to chief minister Yogi Adityanath alleging that there was rampant corruption in the functioning of the Agra Municipal Corporation. He has provided a list of officers and the percentage of commission they take allegedly from contractors for development work.

The state government faced another embarrassing situation on Thursday evening when a group of people threw tomatoes at the residence of UP minister Dara Singh Chauhan. The protesters were alleging that the minister was shielding those who were guilty of the rape and murder of a young girl in Mau district.

Earlier, similar protests were seen at the residence of UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, when he gave a statement that Rajputs and Yadavs were known to consume liquor in large quantities.Senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued on behalf of his client, Lalu Yadav.

Patna: The Jharkhand high court on Friday granted a provisional bail of six weeks to RJD chief Lalu Yadav on medical grounds.

Lawyers said that they had sought three months of bail on health grounds for Lalu Yadav but Justice Apresh Singh of Jharkhand high court granted a provisional bail of six weeks for his treatment.

Senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued on behalf of his client, Lalu Yadav.

He has been granted a provisional bail for medical treatment but during this period he cannot hold any political rallies, Lalu Yadavs lawyer Prabhat Kumar said.

According to RJD insiders, the bail came as a big relief for Lalu Yadav who has been serving jail term after being convicted in several cases of fodder scam.

Lalu Yadav is currently on a three-day parole to attend the wedding ceremony of his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav scheduled to be held on May 12 in Patna.

Yoga guru Ramdev met the RJD chief on Friday and blessed the groom, Tej Pratap Yadav, by tying a sacred thread around his neck to cast off evil eyes.

As per the parole conditions Lalu Yadav is to leave for Ranchi on May 14 after which according to his lawyers he will have to fulfill all necessary formalities for his release on provisional bail for six weeks.

Speaking on the issue RJD MP Manoj Jha said, Not just his family but entire Bihar is happy that Lalu Yadav has been granted bail for six weeks. We have full faith in the judiciary.

When asked about his reactions to the conditions of bail Mr. Jha said, Our primary concern has always been his health.

Lalu Yadav who was undergoing treatment at RIMS had submitted a petition seeking bail on medical grounds. On April 20, the Jharkhand High Court while hearing his request had asked for health reports.

He was later shifted to AIIMS in Ranchi for specialized treatment on the recommendations of the medical board which was constituted for his treatment.

However, he was discharged from AIIMS and sent back to Ranchi on April 30. He and his party had claimed there was a political conspiracy against him and that he still required a specialised medical treatment.Yeddyurappa said he will fly to Delhi on May 15 and meet PM Modi, invite him and others for swearing-in ceremony on May 17.

BJP's chief ministerial candidate, BS Yeddyurappa also projected that his party would win between 145 and 150 seats in the 224-member assembly. (Photo: ANI | Twitter)

Bengaluru: As over five crore people of Karnataka step out of their houses today to vote for a new government in the state, BS Yeddyurappa, BJP's chief ministerial candidate, exuded confidence that his party will form the new government in Karnataka on May 17 after thumping victory.

BS Yeddyurappa is the BJP candidate from Shikaripura.

Talking to reporters after casting his vote early on Saturday, he laid out a "post-win" schedule.

"I will fly to Delhi on the 15th once the results are announced and meet Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi. I will invite him and others for the swearing in ceremony which is going to happen most likely on the 17th," he declared.

BJP's chief ministerial candidate, BS Yeddyurappa also projected that his party would win between 145 and 150 seats in the 224-member assembly. Two of the seats are not voting today.

"I have toured the entire state three times and am 100 per cent confident that we will win by a big margin. You all will see for yourselves this evening what the exit polls say," said Yeddyurappa adding that the people were fed up of the Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that BJP is just dreaming to form the government in Karnataka. "We are confident. BJP will not win more than 60-70 seats maximum, forget getting 150. They are just dreaming of forming the Government," Kharge told news agency ANI.

BS Yeddyurappa, 75, was chief minister when the BJP took power in Karnataka in 2008, forming its first government in the south.

He was forced to step down as chief minister in 2011 in a blaze of corruption allegations. Months after he quit, he was jailed after being charged by the state's anti-corruption official, Santosh Hegde, in a land scam. He spent 22 days in prison.

After contesting separately in 2013 - a divided BJP lost power to the Congress  and Yeddyurappa returned to the BJP in early 2014, just before the general election.Patients should educate themselves on the risks and benefits of prostate treatments.

Even if patients are 100 percent satisfied with the treatment and can urinate perfectly, they may be unhappy that they cant ejaculate. (Photo: Pixabay)

Medications that treat lower urinary tract symptoms and enlarged prostates may cause sexual dysfunction, but some urologists dont discuss this with patients, according to a survey of doctors.

Although more than half of the physicians said they discuss ejaculatory dysfunction when prescribing the most common treatments, most dont routinely offer alternatives, the study authors report in World Journal of Urology.

We need to think about the entire picture as doctors. Even if patients are 100 percent satisfied with the treatment and can urinate perfectly, they may be unhappy that they cant ejaculate anymore, said lead study author Dr. Simone Giona of Kings College Hospital in London.

Lower urinary tract symptoms and prostatic hyperplasia - an enlarged prostate - cause difficulty with urination, urgency and leaking. Patients sometimes wait until symptoms worsen before seeking treatment, often because they know treatments could affect sexual function, Giona said.

Thats very important for some men, even if theyre 75 or 80 years old, Giona said in a telephone interview. We need to talk to patients about their expectations and offer the treatments that will help them, including new alternatives.

Giona and colleagues surveyed 245 urologists attending the 2015 World Congress of Endourology in London. They asked what prostate treatment options the urologists offered their patients, how often they discussed the different types of treatments available, how often they discussed ejaculatory dysfunction with patients and how often they discussed alternative treatments based on the risk of sexual dysfunction.

About 70 percent of survey participants said they discuss erectile dysfunction before prescribing alpha blockers, although theres no evidence currently that these medications impair sexual function. Most urologists said they discuss treatment-related erectile dysfunction, but those with the busiest practices and higher caseloads were most likely to discuss sexual side effects.

On the other hand, most respondents said they dont routinely discuss alternative therapies based on the risk of sexual dysfunction, and those with the highest caseloads were least likely to offer alternatives.

Wed expect that a urologist with more experience would have a wider picture of the best treatment, but maybe they dont discuss options other than what they prefer or know best, Giona said. We need to make sure patients have options and were not missing the rest.

A limitation of the study is that the responses were not analyzed according to the participants region or country of origin, which might highlight differences in whats available. Some countries dont yet offer some of the treatment options, but few survey respondents marked not applicable while answering the questions, the study authors note.

Patients should mention all their worries and discuss their sex life concerns, Giona said. Urologists should get a full picture of what will make their patients happy.

Current guidelines recommend lifestyle modification, medication or surgery for enlarged prostates. All options can impact sexual function, but some affect libido, erection, ejaculation and semen volume more than other options. In this study, the most common treatments were medications such as alpha blockers and 5alpha-reductase inhibitors, followed by surgical options such as Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP) and laser procedures such as Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP) and GreenLight Photoselective Vaporisation of the Prostate (PVP).

Patients didnt previously have choices about their treatments and accepted the side effects, said Dr. Tobias Kohler of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who wasnt involved in the study.

But now, were seeing minimally invasive treatments that offer excellent improvement and low risk of sexual side effects, Kohler said in a telephone interview.

Now the conversation needs to be whether patients should take a pill or treat the problem definitively and prevent the progression of bladder dysfunction, Kohler said.

Patients should educate themselves on the risks and benefits of prostate treatments, he said. Upfront procedures could offer little risk and a lot of reward.Posted Saturday, May 12, 2018 1:30 pm

The Bolivar Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly networking meeting at noon Thursday, May 17, in the Citizens Memorial Hospital Community Rooms. Southwest Baptist University President Dr. C. Pat Taylor will provide the presentation.

Taylor will retire Aug. 31 after nearly 22 years serving as president of SBU. There will be time during the meeting to thank Taylor for his years of service to SBU and the Bolivar community.

The meeting is open to the public. An optional lunch is available for $6.

For more information, call 326-4118 or email info@bolivarchamber.com.Since arriving in the United States in 2004, Ramsay has become a television phenomenon.

In May 2005, Fox launched a US version of the father-of-four hit show Hell's Kitchen, which showcased the chef's perfectionism and short temper in a high-stress competition reality cooking show. (Photo: AP)

According to a new interview, TV chef Gordon Ramsay has credited his success in the United States to Americans knowing 'f*** all about good food'.

The story, originally published in Mail Online saw Ramsay open up about his time in the United States as he accepted an award for his success on both sides of Atlantic at the Britweek Innovation Awards in Santa Monica, California, on May 4.

Speaking to the crowd, Ramsay said that the first thing that struck him when he first reached America in 2004 was and got interviewed with a lady from LA Times.

I couldn't eat because I was too busy talking about sort of this little documentary called Hell's Kitchen. And it was really weird, because I said to her, "Look, I've got to get back to set. Fox runs a show, I run a restaurant, that's why we work so well together, he said, adding, And she wasn't upset, she just got a little bit nervous that I just wanted to get out of there and get back to work. And the waiter came over and said, "Would you like your food to go?" She said, "Yes", I said, "No, thank you".

According to Ramsay, she boxed a Caesar salad.

The chef went on to add, I said to her, "Do you have any idea how s**t a Caesar salad tastes 24 hours later? What will you do with that f***ing thing?" She said: "I'm going to eat it."

He further added in the interview that he warned her that it was dressed 20 minutes back and had been sitting for 25 more minutes.

Apparently Ramsay asked her why would she want to eat that and she said, It's delicious.

Ramsay went on to add, That's when I knew Americans knew f*** all about good food. Right there and then.

Ramsay, who attended the event with wife Tana at the Fairmont Hotel, spoke to business people and influential Brits in Los Angeles.

Since arriving in the United States in 2004, Ramsay has become a television phenomenon.

In May 2005, Fox launched a US version of the father-of-four hit show Hell's Kitchen, which showcased the chef's perfectionism and short temper in a high-stress competition reality cooking show.

Hell's Kitchen is still on the air, and its 17th season ended in February.According to traditions, royal men receive a title on the morning of their wedding  with Harry looking set to become the Duke of Sussex.

Prince Harry is expected to be given a dukedom by his grandmother, the Queen. (Photo: AP)

According to royal sources, Meghan Markle is expected to become the Duchess of Sussex when she weds Prince Harry.

The American actess will become a fully fledged member of the royal family  with an HRH title to match.

According to traditions, royal men receive a title on the morning of their wedding  with Harry looking set to become the Duke of Sussex.

Prince Harry is expected to be given a dukedom by his grandmother, the Queen.

According to a story published in Mail Onlune, Genealogist Charles Kidd said he believed the Duke of Sussex would be chosen for Harry, meaning Meghan would become Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.

Speaking about it, he said, They're quite limited in the titles that are available. The Duke of Sussex is the front-runner without any doubt.

He went on to add that the others are highly unlikely. According to him Clarence hasn't been used for a long time and it's been sort of tainted by bad luck.

He said, One Duke of Clarence was the eldest son of Edward VII and there have been a lot of fairly salacious stories surrounding him. Another Duke of Clarence was executed for treason and allegedly drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine.

He also added that 'Connaught, with its links to the Republic of Ireland, might not be suitable at the moment.

The dukedoms of Cumberland, Albany and Teviotdale are all suspended, meaning there could be claims to those titles.'

Windsor  last used by the abdicated Edward VIII  is likely to be off the table.

Interistingly, Wallis Simpson  the last Duchess of Windsor, who sparked the abdication crisis of 1936  was, like Meghan, an American divorcee.

Other options could include Avondale and Kendal.

Previously used titles that are available to Prince Harry are Connaught, Albany, Cumberland, Ross, Kintyre, Kendal, Sussex and Clarence. Connaught is now a province of the Republic of Ireland and would be very unlikely to be used.

Also, the previous holders of the titles Albany and Cumberland lost their titles after they fought for Germany during World War I. Their heirs are also alive and hence could disrupt any claims to the title.

Ross and Kintyre have not been used in more than 500 years, and Kendal was only used once used for a baby son of King James II, who died during infancy.

However, the previous Duke of Sussex, Prince Augustus Frederick, holds a lot of parallels with Prince Harry.

Born on the January 27 1773 at Buckingham Palace, he was the ninth child of King George III and Queen Charlotte. He was given freedom to develop his own interests, like Prince Harry, and supported many liberal causes.

He was a strong supporter of anti-slavery legislation among other causes such as electoral reform, Jewish rights and Catholic emancipation.

He died aged 70 on April 21, 1843 at Kensington Palace, where Harry and Meghan now reside.

Harry  whose full name is Prince Henry of Wales  could turn down a title, but would be a surprise move.

In this case, Meghan would be known as HRH Princess Henry of Wales.

She is not entitled to be Princess Meghan because she is not a princess in her own right, only through marriage.He was found unconscious inside barracks, was rushed to hospital where he was declared brought dead.

The policeman, Rakesh, was working as an operator with the station house officer of the Maurya Enclave police station. (Photo: ANI/Representational)

New Delhi: A head constable was found dead inside the barracks of northwest Delhi's Maurya Enclave police station on May 11, police said.

The policeman, Rakesh, was working as an operator with the station house officer of the Maurya Enclave police station.

He was found unconscious inside the barracks and was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead, police added.

They said no foul play was found but they were awaiting his post-mortem report to reach any conclusion.Vinay, who was staying with the couple as a tenant, also got injured while trying to rescue them, police said.

Police said that the fire broke out at 3:25 am on the ground floor of the building in which the couple was injured. (Photo: AFP/Representational)

New Delhi: An elderly couple was charred to death and another person injured in a fire that gutted their house in the early hours in west Delhi's Moti Nagar area, police said.

The deceased were identified as Chedi Lal, 70, and his wife Laxmi, 62. Vinay, who was staying with the couple as a tenant, also got injured while trying to rescue them, they said.

Police said that it was suspected that the couple's son, who is mentally ill, allegedly set them on fire and fled.

The injured neighbour told the police that he saw the couple's son fleeing from the spot.

Police said that the fire broke out at 3:25 am on the ground floor of the building in which the couple was injured. They were admitted to a hospital where they were declared brought dead, police said.

Locals claimed that the couple's son used to physically abuse his parents.

Another neighbour claimed that he used to forcibly take away money from his mother and would often create a ruckus in and around the house.

The couple was staying in a 2BHK house and Lal ran a chaat shop. Their other children also expressed suspicion about their brother's involvement in the incident and said that he would beat his parents and torture them, police said.Mr Gandhi parried every criticism hurled at him and his party by Mr Modi in a cool manner.

With the fiercely-fought campaign already relegated to a hazy memory, the people of Karnataka will vote today to elect the state government based on their own perception and judgment. It is difficult to ascertain whether their voting decision will be influenced by Prime Minister Narendra Modis now familiar broadsides against the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family, which has lost much its novelty and sting because the Prime Minister has allowed himself to repeat it ad nauseam. Congress president Rahul Gandhis deliberately low-key but no less provocative attack on the Prime Minister and his party may not have left any strong impression in the minds of the people in the state because the political theatrics, however amusing, do not really address the issues that confront them. The campaign pyrotechnics do not serve as a reliable pointer to the way the people would vote. But the observer cannot really pry into the million minds of the Karnataka voters. He is in a better position to judge the campaign, its style and substance.

There are three and not two players in the electoral battle field in the state. The BJP and the Congress might be occupying the maximum media space, but the Janata Dal (Secular) of the father-son duo, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and former chief minister Kumaraswamy Gowda, have been ploughing their lonely furrow, and they could be the ones who would tilt the balance either way. If the JD(S) get turfed out in the clash of the two big parties, then clearly the winner will have an emphatic mandate. But given the social mosaic in the state, it would be unwise to dismiss the importance of the third player.

The BJP has been fighting this election with a major handicap  B.S. Yeddyurappa. The party has been literally caught on the proverbial horns of a dilemma. It could not do without him. The partys defeat in the 2013 Assembly elections was entirely due to Mr Yeddyurappa fighting as an adversary. But it is not clear whether the voters that he had weaned away in 2013 have come back to the party with the leader. The Reddy brothers of Ballari and their aides, despite their questionable credentials, wield political clout because of their financial muscle. The BJP would need the financial ballast, but it comes with a price. It looks like that party president Amit Shah had weighed the pros and cons and he had concluded that the price to be paid for the presence of the Ballari brothers was small compared to the organisational advantages  read financial  that they brought.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis towering presence was supposed to have swept aside the contradictions that Mr Shah had to deal with at the ground level. And the Prime Minister had put his heart and soul into the effort declaiming loudly and incessantly the sins  dynasty, corruption  of the Congress. He could not however bring himself to address the local issues because he is aware that it is not his forte. The Prime Minister would almost hit the higher pitch, which verged on the hysterical, when he attacked the Nehru-Gandhis. He has developed the image of dealing with big issues, leaving the smaller ones to the smaller folk. So we did not hear any of the smaller issues from the partys smaller folk. They were overshadowed by the Prime Ministers larger-than-life presence on the electoral stage. So for the BJP, there was not much of a local campaign that one expected in an Assembly election. For Mr Modi, every election is fought on the national level. Many in the BJP believe, however wrongly, that it is this Modi power that is helping them win elections. The BJP stage was empty, and Mr Modi strode across it like a colossus despite his mega-image diminishing by the day because of its sheer familiarity. The mystique is getting eroded.

Mr Gandhi on his part had evolved an intelligent counter-strategy to match Mr Modis high decibel-histrionics. He answered the criticism, and he flayed the Prime Minister, without raising the level of his voice. He abandoned the anti-Modi belligerence which had been the hallmark of frustrated and desperate Congress leaders. Mr Gandhi parried every criticism hurled at him and his party by Mr Modi in a cool manner. The counter may appear ineffective and inadequate, but it is turning out that Mr Modi and the BJP are cornered when fire is not answered by fire but through a firefighter.

Mr Gandhi has also resorted to the old Congress tactic of targeting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the BJP, and declaring that the Congress is fighting the RSS ideology. In effect, it makes the BJP, Mr Modi and Mr Shah irrelevant. They are shown to be mere puppets in the hands of the puppet masters. It is a clever but not a sound strategy. The defeat of the BJP does not become the defeat of the RSS ideology. The Hindu communalism espoused by the RSS continues to fester. If Mr Gandhi feels compelled to defeat the ideology of Hindu communalism, then he does not have to fight electoral battles. The BJP needs to be confronted and defeated on the political plane, where policies and performance are the key factors.

The positive thing that Mr Gandhi had done in this election was to give more than elbow room to chief minister Siddaramaiah, who led an energetic campaign. The Congress leader had confronted Mr Modi and Mr Shah all on his own and put up a creditable counter-offensive.

Mr Modi was fighting Mr Siddaramaiah and not Mr Gandhi. The Congress seems to be gradually moving away from the partys supposedly centralised leadership led by Mr Gandhi and his mother, while the BJP is moving into the shrinking claustrophobic circle dominated by Mr Modi. The Nehru-Gandhis are not the centre of the Congress, but Mr Modi is the only centre of the BJP.According to Nepal's national bank, nearly 33.6 mn Indian rupees in Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 banknotes are currently in Nepali banking channel.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Nepal on Friday on a two-day state visit. (Photo: Twitter/@PMOIndia)

Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Friday urged his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to allow exchange of demonetised high-value Indian currency notes held by the country's banks and the general public at the earliest.

According to the Nepal's national bank, the Nepal Rashtra Bank (NRB), nearly 33.6 million Indian rupees in Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 500 banknotes are currently in the Nepali banking channel.

"I requested Modi Ji to facilitate the exchange of demonetised currency notes held in the Nepali banking system and by general public, at the earliest," Oli said at a joint press meet after their bilateral talks.

PM Modi arrived in Nepal on Friday on a two-day state visit.

The landlocked country depends on India for trade and supplies.

Prime Minister Modi, on November 8, 2016, had announced demonetisation of high value currency notes. Indian currency is widely used in Nepal for day-to-day transactions, especially in the border areas.

Also, Nepalese citizens working in India send remittances to their families in Nepal in higher denomination notes.

In March, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced that Nepal would soon get exchange facilities for the demonetised high-value Indian currency notes to ease difficulties faced by Nepalese citizens.

Jaitley, who was on a visit to Nepal, had said the NRB and the Reserve Bank of India would set a modality for the exchange of demonetised currency notes soon and settle the related issues.Anwar was heir-apparent to the premiership until Mahathir sacked him in 1998 and he was subsequently jailed for sodomy and abuse of power.

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysias King has agreed to pardon Anwar Ibrahim immediately, the countrys newly-installed Prime Minister said Friday, paving the way for the jailed leader to return to politics and potentially become the Premier. It was the latest dramatic development after Mahathir Mohamads alliance inflicted a shock defeat on the long-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, ending the corruption-riddled regimes six-decade stranglehold on power.

Mr Mahathir, who had ruled with an iron fist for over two decades, cut ties with BN due to allegations that the coalitions leader and his ex-protege Najib Razak oversaw the pillaging of sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.

The elderly politician joined forces with parties that opposed him while in power and agreed that if elected, he would hand over the premiership to Anwar, his former nemesis and leading member of the Peoples Justice Party.

One of Malaysias most charismatic politicians, Anwar was heir-apparent to the premiership until Mr Mahathir sacked him in 1998 and he was subsequently jailed for sodomy and abuse of power.by Wang Zhicheng

The earthquake left over 70 thousand people dead, almost 20 thousand missing, 370 thousand injured and millions of homeless. At an international conference in Chengdu, Xi Jinping writes extolling the "remarkable results in the work of restoration and reconstruction", which has become a model for the international community. The parents of children who died under the rubble of the schools forbidden to speak to journalists. Many of them are under house arrest.

Chengdu (AsiaNews) - 10 years after the earthquake that hit Sichuan, various events are taking place in the region to commemorate the tragedy and to verify rebuilding efforts. The outcome is one of light and shade: although many of the affected cities have been rebuilt, many victims have not yet received justice because the local authorities refuse to recognize any responsibility in the collapses of public buildings, especially schools, which have caused the death of thousands of children.

On May 12, 2008, an magnitude 8 earthquake struck Wenchuan, in the southwest of the province, and the surrounding areas, causing the death of more than 70 thousand people, with almost 20 thousand bodies still missing, 370 thousand injured and millions of homeless . Among the most painful situations was the death of 5300 children (according to official figures), or 10 thousand according to the parents, crushed under the rubble of their schools, which crumbled like "tofu", because they were built with poor materials.

One of these schools, in Beichuan, where 1000 junior high children died, is now a memorial museum, visited in these days by parents, who bring flowers, prayers, votive ribbons.

The area hit by the earthquake is enormous: 500 thousand square kilometers, almost the entire surface of Spain. The central government has invested money and personnel to rebuild many of the villages and cities, in areas not far from the ruins, so much so that the scheme has become a model for other countries.

Today an international conference on the continental earthquakes has begun in the provincial capital Chengdu. In a letter, released for the occasion, President Xi Jinping extols the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party for having achieved "remarkable achievements in restoration and reconstruction work, providing useful experience and inspiration for the international community in post-disaster reconstruction work."

Another great result, which emerged in the days immediately after the earthquake, was the great solidarity shown by the population: groups, companies, parishes, volunteers raised funds, emergency goods, offered manual labor for about 65 billion yuan (8.7 billion euro) showing a compassionate and generous face of China.

However, the government remains sensitive and opposed to any criticism. Parents of children who have died, who await compensation and aid promised at the time, are forbidden to speak with local and foreign journalists; many of them, among the most active, who planned demonstrations on the anniversary, are under house arrest.

Tan Zuoren, a doctor turned into an activist, who collected documentation on the many schools built without cement and without iron, in 2010 was sentenced to five years in prison for "subversion against the state". Now free, he still asks the government to at least apologize for the slaughter of Sichuan children.by Fady Noun

After 10 years, Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelical, Eastern Orthodox representatives meet on the theme "United in mission and vision". The warning from the patriarchs: "In the East, either we are united or we will cease to exist. A century ago, Christians represented 25% of the population of the Middle East, now they are no more than 4%. Need to avoid fear. Collaborate with non-violent Muslims to build a modern state based on citizenship and inclusion.

Beirut (AsiaNews) - The greatest service that can be given to the Arabs is to understand and help them understand themselves. Today the destiny of a whole civilization is at stake: a civilization that seeks, that tries to adapt to a 21st century that invades it from every part, from a political, economic, but above all cultural, point of view, and that it must accept in selective way protecting its precious faith in God, which constitutes its identity, faced with a West that has built its contemporary features on human rationality, the non-relevance of God in public affairs, namely "the death of God".

With the defeat of the caliphate in the aftermath of the First World War and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Arab Islam also lost the historical basis of its eschatological hope. Its attempt to regain it is natural. But this multifaceted search will remain unfinished until a critical approach of the historical basis of this hope is developed, consolidated and approved by a sufficiently large part of the Umma [the Islamic community]. Several Arab-Islamic foundations and institutions are moving in this direction, such as the Azhar, the King Abdallah center for intercultural and religious dialogue, the foundation of Arab thought, etc.

Being a valid and acceptable interlocutor of Islam in the Middle East means facing Islam in its two dimensions, material and spiritual. It is necessary for the Arab Muslim to perceive the empathy that the Church leaders have for them and their civilization. It is not enough to bring them Christ in a cardboard box labeled Caritas containing rice and sugar. What gives the Christian merit for a Muslim is what challenges the noblest part, the highest level: this thirst for abandonment to God who lives within us, in front of whom great seekers of God have bowed like Louis Massignon, Charles de Foucauld, Jacques Berque or Youakim Moubarak.

These are some of the considerations raised by the Middle East Council of Churches (CEMO), gathered on the theme "United in mission and vision", after the opening of the annual assembly, quite unusual, last May 8, at the convent Notre-Dame du Puits, in Bqennaya. Unusual because it is held at the end of a painful absence of about ten years, which the CEMO is attempting to courageously overcome, in search of a new impetus.

Speaking at the beginning, CEMO secretary general Souraya Bechealany, and member of the Catholic family of the Council, which includes four other churches (Orthodox, Evangelical, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox), reminds those present of an injunction from the assembly of the patriarchs of the East in the early 1990s: " In the East, either we are united or we will cease to exist ". In an echo of the intuition of Fr. Jean Corbon on the Church of the Arabs, Bechealany reminds the members of the assembly of the primordial importance of ecumenism and unity for a full and complete effectiveness of interreligious dialogue and Christian witnesss.

The emptying of the East of its Christians

The presentation was followed by three exhibitions by George Sabra, president of the Near East School of Theology (evangelical), by Fr. Gaby Hachem, professor at the Usek faculty of theology and editor of the "Proche-Oriente chretien" magazine, and former Minister of Culture, Tarek Mitri, director of the ISUB Institute Issam Fares [American University of Beirut], all on the theme "Reflections on the current situation of Christians in the Middle East". The three interventions attempt to trace, each in their own field, the ecclesial, socio-political and geopolitical frontiers within which a significant action of the CEMO should take place.

George Sabra, in his presentation, shows that of the prophetic injunction quoted by Bechealany at the beginning, especially the second part - "or we will cease to be" - seems to have come true: Iraq has lost three-quarters of its Christian population; Syria is on track to do the same, and economic conditions will do the rest. "Is there still room for Christians in the Middle East?" Asks the theologian in one of those rhetorical questions that already contains the answer. This is a pertinent question, because in a century the Christians who represented 25% of the population of the Middle East are now no more than 4%.

In his speech, Sabra recalls the twilight warning of Jean-Pierre Valognes's work: Vie et Mort des Chretiens d'Orient (Life and Death of Eastern Christians). Monsignor Georges Saliba, Syro-Orthodox bishop of Beirut iwas present - with other Maronite and Orthodox bishops - to confirm this indirectly. Msgr. Saliba actually believes that the Christians of the East, including those in Lebanon, have one or two decades at most before they will lose the critical mass that would allow them to weigh on political decisions.

But not intimidated at all by these predictions, the Prof. Sabra concluded his presentation by stating that the Christian mission does not rest on the figures, but on the real witness that the Churches can offer.

The principle of synodality

In a strong and passionate prayer, Fr. Hachem spoke of the hope he has invested in CEMO, an incarnation of the principle of synodality, an ecclesial and ecumenical sanctuary of dialogue with Islam in this part of the world. This professor of ecclesiology deplores "the superficiality and unconsciousness" that - in a transitory way - have prevented believers in recent years to listen to "what the Spirit says to the Churches" and to respond to it; and that slowly transformed it into an NGO ... what it is not, and should not be.

The CEMO must equip itself with an "united vision", insists Fr. Hachem, who risked going a step to far: "This goes much further than the date of the common Easter ...". Of course, of course, but why have the religious leaders of our time not granted the people of God in the East the common date of Easter, which they have been asking for decades? Would not this be the most basic ecumenical decision, waiting for the great theological agreements on primacy, which feed so many human susceptibilities?

Mitri: resist fear

In his exposition, Tarek Mitri, beyond the indispensable development of the historical context on the "democratic transition" missed by the Arab Spring, invited the Churches to sobriety of vision, indispensable for adapting their discourses and their actions to the different situations that they cross.

Next to the Muslim Brotherhood, theses in their thirst for power, next to the Salafi quietism hypnotized by a moral of religious violence anchored in the 7th century of the Christian era, there is  according to Mitri - the immense mass of Muslims aware that violence emerged from Islamist matrix does not represent them; the immense community of believers that a long familiarity with Christianity has opened up to the peaceful acceptance of the other in their difference.

The former minister therefore invited the Churches of the CEMO to take account of these differences, resisting the temptation of amalgam and continuing to play the role of transmitter of culture and civilization that has been theirs since the beginning of Islam; putting the future of the Arab world in the hands of the Muslims themselves, entrusting them to their ability to build a modern state based on citizenship and inclusion.

Mitri also asks Christians to resist the reflection of the fear that affects some leading to their acceptance of dictatorial regimes as the only alternative to Islamism. If disappointment is sometimes encountered, disappointment - he explains in practice - is why we cannot [calculate] the economics of the time necessary for the transformation of mentalities and education, while the tendency to crumble and regression, or to closure within a religious identity, seems to prosper.

On the afternoon of May 10, members of the executive committee and CEMO partners' assembly, who came from a number of Western countries (Germany, Canada, United States, Denmark, Great Britain, Finland and Cyprus) were received by the Head of State, President Michel Aoun (see photo).Posted Saturday, May 12, 2018 9:30 am

JEFFERSON CITY  The Senate made good on its promise to shut down the confirmation of nominees to the State Board of Education April 24, starting with Eddy Justice.

After a 20-minute filibuster, President Pro Tem Ron Richard withdrew a motion to approve Justices nomination to the board. Justice still will have a chance to be confirmed if Richard decides to bring his nomination up for debate again during the legislative session, which ends May 18.

Justice was one of five nominees appointed by Gov. Eric Greitens without Senate confirmation last year and who then voted to remove education commissioner Margie Vandeven.

Critics of the firing said the five nominees Greitens appointed were pressured to fire Vandeven. In a four-month period last year, Greitens appointed 10 people to the board. Two declined, one resigned and the other two were removed by Greitens. The governor made the appointments when the legislature was not in session, and they were able to serve until the Senate convened in January and would have taken up their confirmation.

The board voted 5-3 to fire Vandeven on Dec. 1, 2017, after a first vote to fire her failed, 4-4, in November. All five of the votes to fire Vandeven came from Greitens appointees, who had not yet been confirmed. One of the appointees was sworn in the day of the Dec. 1 meeting.

Just minutes before the opening of the 2018 legislative session in January, Greitens withdrew and then renominated the five appointees. Otherwise, the Senate would have had only 30 days to confirm them, and many senators indicated they were not prepared to do so.

Earlier last month, Justice was approved by the Senate Gubernatorial Appointments Committee along party lines, 6-3.

On the Senate floor, Sens. Jason Holsman, Gary Romine and Rob Schaaf spoke against Justices nomination and Greitens tactics.

This board was assembled and orchestrated to have a primary duty of removing the commissioner, said Romine, R-Farmington, who chairs the Senate Education Committee. What is very frustrating and very telling is that they were meeting with staff and attorneys from the governors office to discuss how they would orchestrate the termination of Margie Vandeven.

Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, took more than an hour on the first day of the session to criticize Greitens tactics.

On Tuesday, he said the governor has ignored the Senates request to withdraw the five nominees and put forth new ones.

Now, he and his colleagues are prepared to make sure Justice and the four others never make another vote on the board.

The governor has ignored us, Schaaf said. It is you, governor, not us, who are preventing them from ever being on the state school board.

If the Senate doesnt vote to either confirm or send the nominations back to the governor, the five will be barred from serving on the board.

There is no possibility, now, that Mr. Justice can ever serve on the state school board, Schaaf said to Romine, because you and I will filibuster him.

The education board lacks a quorum and cannot operate.

One of Greitens appointees, Claudia Greim, resigned shortly after voting against firing Vandeven in the November meeting.

In her resignation letter, Greim said leadership changes should require thoughtful and independent study and that she couldnt get comfortable with the way the firing was taking place. Greim was replaced by Eric Teeman, and Vandeven was fired the next day.

Holsman, D-Kansas City, said he had met with Greim several times and said she told him she felt it was an expectation that she vote to fire Vandeven. Holsman said the entire process was a miscarriage of justice.

I was offended that Claudia was removed for being independent. I was offended that she did the right thing, and she was punished for that, Holsman said. For those reasons, I am not going to support any of the nominees who have voted in favor of firing Margie Vandeven.

The only senator who spoke in support of Justice was Sen. Ed Emery, R-Lamar, who sits on the committee that initially approved Justices nomination.

Emery said he was impressed with Justice and believes that based on what Justice told him and the committee, the decision to fire Vandeven was his alone.

Mr. Justice responded very effectively to all the questions and answered them adequately, Emery said. I think it was clear to the committee, and certainly clear in my interview of him, that he is definitely an independent thinker.

Justice responded to the Senates actions: I trust the system will work, and I think we should wait to see how it plays itself out.

Supervising editor is Mark Horvit, horvitm@missouri.edu.

This report is written by Missouri School of Journalism students and editors.Hi,



My wife was granted a BVB back in March so we could travel back to Thailand for a few weeks to visit her family. The visa grant says on it Arrive By 28th April 2018. We have already gone and came back on April 19th 2018, however, when i do a current vevo check on her its still saying she is under the BVB and has multiple entries to and from Australia? there is no expiry date on her BVB?



Not sure if this sounds right or not i'm a bit confused?



Anyone have any insight?



Thanks



JarrodContact The Californians Robert Price at 661-395-7399, rprice@bakersfield.com or on Twitter: @stubblebuzz. His column appears on Sundays, Wednesdays and Saturdays; the views expressed are his own.How to donate

In less than one hour, blood donors can save up to three lives. Blood donation usually takes 30 to 45 minutes, from registration through snacks. Its safe and simple!

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Donors must weigh at least 110 pounds and feel healthy, with no cold or flu symptoms. There is a very short list of medicines which keep you from donating provided by the Food and Drug Administration. The medication deferral list also is available on the website.

For more information, call Houchin toll free at (877) 364-5844.Could not establish database connection.

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The administrator has been notified and will resolve the problem ASAP.Investigators found evidence of a "malicious intrusion" into a Tennessee county's elections website from a computer in Ukraine during a concerted cyberattack, which likely caused the site to crash just as it was reporting vote totals in this month's primary.

Cyber-security experts hired by Knox County to analyze the so-called "denial of service" cyberattack, said Friday that "a suspiciously large number of foreign countries" accessed the site as votes were being reported on May 1.

That intense activity was among the likely causes of the crash, according to the report by Sword & Shield Enterprise Security.

"Given the circumstantial evidence_especially the simultaneous proven malicious intrusion from a Ukraine IP address_I think it is reasonable to at least hypothesize that it was an intended event," David Ball, the county's deputy director of information technology, added in an email to The Associated Press.

County officials said no voting data was affected, but the site was down for an hour after the polls closed, causing confusion before technicians fixed the problem.

The vulnerability identified by Sword & Shield has been fixed and additional safeguards are now in place, said Ball.

The election results, to be officially certified later this month, left Glenn Jacobs, also known as the pro wrestler Kane, ahead by 17 votes in the Republican primary for Knox County's mayor.

Investigators said it's impossible to prove just where the so-called "denial of service" attack originated from, since the county can't store all the "packet data" needed to identify the source.

"The effect was clearly a loss of service, but it is unclear, with the information provided, if the outage was an intended event or a side effect of the events," the report said.

Ball said "the bottom line is that there was a proven malicious attack from a foreign source occurring simultaneously with an apparent deliberate DOS attack. Nothing was held back from Sword and Shield, and their assessment was well aligned with our initial assessment on election night."

Knox County uses Hart InterCivic's eSlate electronic voting machines, which do not create a paper record of the votes. Ball said Hart's equipment "is not networked in any way."

Joyce McCants, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Knoxville, said Knox County has not reached out to the FBI in relation to the website crash.

Election security experts have raised concerns that foreign state actors could use such attacks to erode public confidence in the democratic process. Projects like Defend Digital Democracy at Harvard University have been urging elections officials across the country to prepare for exactly such scenarios.

Richard Moran, the county's information and technology senior director, has said that while heavy traffic came from overseas servers, it doesn't mean that the attacker was in a foreign country.

Dan Wallach, a computer science professor at Rice University, notes that the internet is a "messy place" with a lot of background traffic, and it would be difficult to find its origin because attackers are very good at hiding their location.

"What attackers will do is, they'll break into other computers and then launch their attacks from there," he said.

The report said the website received requests for access from about 100 countries, from all over the world.

___

Associated Press reporter Frank Bajak contributed to this report

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.PALMDALE, Calif. (AP)  A 14-year-old boy used a rifle to shoot a former classmate in the arm Friday at their California high school and dumped the gun in a field before he was caught in a shopping center, authorities said.

Reports of the shooting and an ultimately false report of another attack at a nearby elementary school sparked chaos, terrifying parents and drawing a massive police response in the high desert city of Palmdale in Southern California.

Police descended on Highland High School after dozens of 911 calls and some reports that there were hostages in the campus library, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said.

As officers swarmed the library, more 911 calls came in reporting that gunshots were heard at an elementary school across town.

Dozens of officers with several agencies blanketed both campuses looking for possible shooters and victims. Meanwhile Antelope Valley Hospital was told several people were dead and as many as 25 students were injured, said Dr. Pavel Petrik, the trauma center's chief of surgery.

In the end, there was just one shooting and one victim, at Highland High School, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County deputies detained a 14-year-old former Highland High School student in the shooting of a 15-year-old boy, who was hit in the arm.

The shooting was sparked by a dispute between the two students, said Capt. Darren Harris with the sheriff's department.

"We were very fortunate that the incident wasn't much worse than it was," McDonnell said at a news conference. "The outcome was much better than anybody could have anticipated."

Dr. Petrik said the reports of multiple casualties and dozens of injuries caused the hospital to virtually shut down the operating and emergency rooms for an onslaught of victims.

"Everyone from the blood bank to the lab to radiology to everyone ... it was maybe 100 people downstairs waiting for the arrival of all of these injured children," he said. "Thankfully we only had one child that was shot."

He said the boy had surgery and was expected to be fine.

McDonnell said the 14-year-old suspect had fired multiple gunshots in a courtyard but did not elaborate on whether the teen was aiming for anyone in particular.

"Those shots, in some cases, went into an area adjacent to the courtyard where they were being fired from, so the potential was for anyone to be able to take a stray round there, whether they were aimed at or not," McDonnell said. "So a very dangerous situation."

The teen was caught about an hour later at a shopping center after the boy called his father to say he fired his gun in the air and was headed to a grocery store near campus, McDonnell said.

He said the teen's father called a family friend who's an off-duty police officer and told him where the boy was.

The off-duty officer, who works for Los Angeles police, then detained the teen without incident. He was being held on suspicion of attempted murder.

It's unclear where he got the rifle.

McDonnell said the boy's mother had called the officer earlier in the morning to tell him she and her husband were having trouble with him and that the teen had run away.

The parents recently transferred the boy from Highland High School though it was unclear why.

The shooting was sparked by a dispute between the two students, sheriff's Capt. Darren Harris said earlier in the day. McDonnell declined to elaborate.

Parents and students were outside the school crying as investigators remained on campus.

Student Pualani Revis told KABC-TV that students ran into her classroom saying there were gunshots going off.

"We barricaded the room," she said. "We went to the back of it to make sure we were safe."

Johnny Lewis, whose 17-year-old son is a student at the school, told The Los Angeles Times that he raced to the campus with his wife after hearing reports about the shooting.

"We didn't know at that time if our son was in danger, injured or shot or what," he said. "It's just ridiculous with all the guns in schools. I never knew it would happen to us here."

___

Associated Press writer Amanda Lee Myers in Los Angeles contributed to this report. Balsamo reported from Los Angeles.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.GET OUR NEW APP Our new Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here.Posted 5/11/18

Headings Brothers, a Purina certified expert dealer, recently announced its 2018 Purina Check-R-Board Days, a customer appreciation event.Headings Brothers is at 1776 S. Ash St., south of Buffalo. On The Most Extensive and Reliable Source of Information Related to the Mexican Drugs Cartels.



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Citizens Memorial Hospital will host its next Parkinsons Support Group at noon Tuesday, May 15, in the CMH Community Rooms, 1500 N. Oakland, Bolivar.The Parkinsons Support Group typically is Heather Herring, a junior nursing major in the Lee University School of Nursing, has received the Willie J. Neese Nursing Scholarship, funded by the Tennessee Elks Benevolent Trust.

Ms. Herring, a native of Cleveland, is the daughter of Rhonda Herring and a 2013 graduate of Cleveland High School.

I am so grateful for this scholarship, said Ms. Herring. It will help me accomplish my dreams of becoming a trauma nurse. With this scholarship I am able to continue the nursing program without worry and would like to thank God and the Elks Lodge for awarding me this scholarship to be able to fulfill this dream."

The TEBT is a non-profit Tennessee Corporation. It established the Nursing Scholarship program in 1956 as a means to relieve a critical shortage of nurses in Tennessee. The TEBT funds 63 annual nursing scholarships.

"I am so proud of Heather for receiving this scholarship, said Pamela Hobbs, lecturer in health science at Lee. If ever there was a student who exemplifies what this Elks Scholarship represents  honesty, integrity, and dependability  it is Heather. Whether in the classroom, in her personal life, or in service to the department as a student worker, Heather epitomizes these traits.

For more information on the Tennessee Elks Benevolent Trust, visit https://www.elks.org/enf/programs/StateProject.cfm?vhpID=8040.

For more information on Lees School of Nursing, visit http://leeuniversity.edu/academics/nursing/ or email nursing@leeuniversity.edu

A group protesting UTCOM Chattanooga's use of live animals in its emergency medicine residency program said the facility has agreed to stop the practice.

The group said, "Following the launch of the Physicians Committees campaign, UTCOM Chattanooga has modernized its graduate medical education training by ceasing the use of live pigs in its emergency medicine residency program. Residents were participating in pig labs described in a surgical skills laboratory protocol, as well as in Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) courses included in the protocol. The Physicians Committee, a non-profit representing more than 12,000 concerned doctors, applauds UTCOM Chattanooga for making the switch to human-relevant training methods for its emergency medicine residents.

"E-mails obtained by the Physicians Committee show that on Aug. 9, 2016, Robert C. Fore, Ed.D., F.A.C.E.H.P., C.H.C.P., the interim dean at UTCOM Chattanooga at the time, was concerned about public opinion of the universitys animal use, writing, 'Discovering that we are still using animals, even though in GME [graduate medical education], will be very damaging to the College of Medicine and our credibility.'

"Another e-mail shows that a complaint filed by the Physicians Committee with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Sept. 26, 2017, prompted a discussion between UTCOM Chattanooga Dean R. Bruce Shack, M.D., and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Chancellor Steve J. Schwab, M.D."

"The controversial training at UTCOM Chattanooga involved cutting into live pigs to practice emergency procedural skills. After each training session, the surviving animals were killed.

John Pippin, M.D., F.A.C.C., Physicians Committee director of academic affairs, said, The University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga has made the right call. Providing modern, human-based training methods will better equip UTCOMs trainees to provide the quality of medical care that patients deserve.

He said, "UTCOM Chattanooga has a state-of-the-art facilitythe Clinical Skills and Simulation Centerwith the resources to conduct these types of training.

"In the state of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University continues to use live animals in its emergency medicine residency program. Currently, 94 percent (209 of 223) of surveyed emergency medicine residency programs across the United States and Canada and 99 percent of ATLS courses do not use animals for training, using only human-relevant training methods instead. The American Heart Association, which accredits PALS courses, has said that it does not endorse the use of live animals for PALS training.BUCKS COUNTY >> Police reported the following incidents in Lower Makefield and Newtown townships: Lower Makefield FRAUD >> 500 block of Cedar Hollow Dr. reported at 12 p.m. on Oct. 6. Complainant reported unknown person(s) withdrew $630.00 from their account using the Zelle application. CREDIT CARD FRAUD >> 1300 block of Yale Dr. reported at 2:18 p.m. on Oct. 5....A day after the board chose their offer as the most suitable for the liquidity crunch-hit health care major, Sunil Kant Munjal of Hero Enterprise along with Anand and Mohit Burman of Dabur had a busy day  talking to large portfolio investors, legal experts and also drawing up a strategic plan for

We have already started working on a plan to revive  there are three parts to the plan. One is an immediate one, that could be implemented in a month, the second is a three month plan that takes care of the medium term concerns over growth etc, and the last is a long-term one-year plan for charting out a revival of this asset, said Munjal. The rider is that for them to start work, they need the competition commissions and the shareholders nod.

Munjal and Burman are confident that the Fortis shareholders will not reject the boards decision.

The shareholders want value for their investment. They also want stability and growth for Fortis. Why would they reject this offer? If things drag on for another six months, then the system collapses and no one gets anything, Munjal reasoned.

He highlighted that since Fortis is under severe liquidity crunch, it is their offer that would bring in the money upfront. In fact, once the process completes within 30-days or so, the money can come in within two months, he said.

Meanwhile, on the question of divesting SRL, Munjal said that a decision is not yet taken. Sale of the diagnostic arm is not necessary to fund the RHT assets acquisition, Munjal clarified.

Both Fortis Hospital and SRL Diagnostics are great assets. We think that as a business, Fortis needs great attention, and so does SRL. We have to see if we have enough bandwidth for the same. If we do not, then we need to take a sensible business decision and sell SRL, he added.

Munjals and Burmans have not done any due diligence so far, and unlike the other bidders, they have also not worked closely with the Fortis management over the past one year. The duo now want to sit down with the Fortis management, and get deeper into understanding the business. Critical decisions like sale of SRL may be taken up post that.

They have already spoken to some of the large investors on Friday, and Munjal claimed that they have received very encouraging response. Our association with the Fortis brand, has increased its credibility. Both Hero and Dabur are known for highest levels of corporate governance, Munjal said emphatically.

The duo also do not wish for the Singh brothers, erstwhile promoters of Fortis, to continue on the SRL board. Malvinder and have resigned and Munjal felt that it is best that they stay away.

They do not have any shareholding at the moment. There is so much noise around funds, governance, SFIO investigations. It is best that the Singh brothers stay away from Fortis, he said.

In their latest offer, the Munjal-Burmans have offered to invest Rs 18 billion in Fortis through a combination of preferential issue of equity and warrants. Their offer values Fortis at over Rs 90 billion, or roughly translates into Rs 172 per share.

The duo have proposed an upfront infusion of Rs 10.5 billion directly into Fortis. The remaining investment of Rs 7.5 billion will be infused into the company over the next four months. They have also sought three board seats in Fortis.

The offer is binding and there is no scope of backing out. Is it a cause of concern as the Luthra and Luthra investigation report is expected in May 2018 while the Grant and Thornton audit is also expected this month.

Munjal-Burman feel that this would act as due diligence for them. We will know a lot more about the company than what is known, said Munjal.Dear Reader,

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Digital EditorUS retail giant Walmart is looking to retain Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal and other minority investors such as Tiger Global for at least four years, promising that it will protect the valuation of their shareholding and offer them the potential upside of taking the company public.

In a filing with the US Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday, Walmart said it would allow the initial public offering (IPO) of Flipkart in four years at a valuation no less than what it invested in the e-commerce firm, if a grouping of minority shareholders asks for it. ALSO READ: ...West Bengal Chief Minister on Friday claimed that a conspiracy was on to physically eliminate her and said a political party has even hired contract killers for the purpose.

"I have come to know that a conspiracy is on to kill me. A political party has given supari (contract) for eliminating me. The contract killers, who have already received an advance, did a recce of my office and residence, as also other nearby places," Banerjee said during an interview to Zee 24 Ghanta.

Complaining that she was the victim of a barrage of insults and character assassination daily, Banerjee said the conspirators had hatched a plan to first assassinate her character and then eliminate her physically.

The Chief Minister, however, said she was habituated with such conspiracies and had survived murder attempts by a whisker in the past.

(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.)Voice of the People Audio Article Native son Tom Smiths history of East Chesterton (Chesterton Tribune 9-30-21 Commentary) was interesting and a poignant tribute to his five-generations back ancestors, the Morgans, who traveled from West Virginia and Ohio to settle here in 1833  to raise a family, to farm and...

Voice of the People Audio Article This summer the Times of NW Indiana again suggested in an editorial that Dunes Action had been in opposition to the renovation of the State Park Pavilion. We never did. In fact, most of us had been waiting for it for decades. They did not...

Guest Commentary Audio Article This is a short history of the Morgan family farm before the possible development of the remaining 49 acres east of Chesterton. Jesse and Jane Morgan arrived in Northwest Indiana in 1833 after traveling through Ohio, northern Indiana, stopping off in LaPorte County for a...

Echoes of the Past Audio Article 10 Years Ago Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011  Bethlehem Lutheran Church will host a wellness screening event. . . CHS girls soccer team beats LaPorte 5-0 and clinches a share of the DAC title. Scoring goals are Rosie Biehl (2), Hannah Kollar (2), and Sam...The girl who was too afraid to sleep Ann (name changed), a 24-year-old software engineer, consulted me a year ago. When she walked through my clinic door, I saw an anxious, fatigued girl, who came in with her mother.

Right from the start of the encounter, it was clear that she had little hope of being listened to, having a "why should I even bother telling you what I'm going through, when I know you will think I'm crazy" look on her face. Yet, being prodded by her mother, she told me that she was terrified of falling asleep. Almost every single night, especially at ...There is consensus not only among the students, teachers and the administration of (AMU) but also locals that, contrary to the perception created by media reports, the recent controversy and violence around the over the 143-year-old varsity has little to do with the portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. And there is more to it than what meets the eye.

One of the reasons behind this widespread scepticism is the fact that the man who stirred the controversy -- BJP Lok Sabha MP from Aligarh Satish Gautam -- had been a member of the AMU Court between 2014 and 2017. Why didn't he raise the issue earlier, and how come his letter flagging the issue was leaked to the media even before it reached the Vice Chancellor office, ask those in the AMU community.

Of the "real purpose" behind the attack on the varsity by Hindutva activists, however, there are diverse views. While some insist on linking the entire episode with the ongoing Karnataka assembly elections, the others see it as a "diversionary tactic" by supporters of the BJP government at the Centre and state to hide its "failures".

Still others feel that it had something to do with former Vice President Hamid Ansari's visit to the university.

Those with an academic bent of mind portray the incident as an attack not just on AMU but on all institutions of higher learning in the country and their pluralist ethos. They point to a pattern in the attacks and urge one to look at "the larger picture".

While the students have been openly questioning the local administration and the police's impartiality, some of the teachers feel the university administration could have handled the portrait controversy "in a better way".

The varsity administration, however, avers that it did everything "that needed to be done" on the first day itself and has been doing its best to "maintain peace on the campus so that that academics does not suffer and students' future is not jeopardised in any way".

The controversy started with a letter written by MP Gautam to the AMU Vice Chancellor on April 30 in which he questioned the presence of a portrait of Jinnah -- Pakistan's founder -- in the AMU Students Union (AMUSU) office.

On May 2, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy is said to have tweeted: "Somebody needs to teach AMU a lesson. Who will do it?", with a link to an article with the same heading.

On May 2, former Vice President M. was scheduled to visit the AMU at the invitation of the AMUSU that was to confer its lifetime membership -- an honour also bestowed on Jinnah in 1938 and which explains the presence of his portrait there -- on the former Vice President and a former Vice Chancellor of the university.

The next day, on May 3, Ansari was to deliver a lecture on pluralism in the Kennedy Hall at the varsity and in the evening attend a dinner hosted by the AMUSU. His schedule had been conveyed the Aligarh administration in advance by Ansari's office as per protocol.

Ansari reached the university on May 2 at the scheduled time, that is, 1 p.m., and was lodged at the AMU guest house which is near the Baab-e-Syed gate of the university.

A little later, a group of men, owing allegiance to the Hindu Yuva Vahini, an outfit founded and patronised by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, started creating a ruckus near the administrative block of the university by raising objectionable slogans. The AMU security confronted them and handed them over to the Civil Lines police.

As per the statement given by the AMU Proctor's office to the police, the men returned barely half an hour later with more people -- around 25-30 men, ome of them wielding pistols, lathis and stones -- and shouting expletives and objectionable slogans against the AMU, tried to barge into the university through Baab-e-Syed.

"First the persons handed over to the police were let off easily. Then the miscreants were allowed to come near Baab-e-Syed at a time when a former Vice President of India was in the university guest house which is less than 100 metres away from Baab-e-Syed. Then the students going to lodge the FIR against all this were brutally beaten up by the police and Rapid Action Force. How could there be so many lapses on the part of the administration within a few hours," AMU Teachers'Association (AMUTA) President professor Hamid Ali asked while speaking to IANS.

Several students were badly injured in the police assault and had to be hospitalised.

Ansari cut short his two-day programme and returned to Delhi soon after the incident as the local administration expressed its inability to provide him security cover. Last year, there was an attempt to poison the drinking water tank of a madrasa in the town run by Ansari's wife, Salma Ansari.

AMUSU Presdent Mashkoor Ahmed Usmani said that neither is the controversy about Jinnah's portrait nor is the students' protest.

"Jinnah's djinn will disappear again after Karnataka elections. Our protest is not about him or his portrait because the portrait has been there long before us. We are protesting against the use of brutal force against the students who were moving peacefully. We are also demanding a judicial probe into the entire incident and quashing of FIR against the unknown students of AMU," Usmani told IANS.

"But a section of the media is portraying our protest as if we are supporters of Jinnah. We are not. His portrait is there since 1938, along with many others who were conferred with the lifetime membership of the AMUSU," he added.

The students are also nursing a resentment against the university administration which, they think, "failed to rise to the occasion".

Nevertheless, Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor did visit on Tuesday the dharna site -- where students were preparing for the final exams commencing from Saturday -- to "express solidarity with the genuine demands of the students".

"I share our students' pain and have endorsed the demand for judicial inquiry and conveyed the sentiments of the AMU fraternity to all concerned," Mansoor said in a statement on Tuesday.

University Public Relations Officer (PRO) Omar Peerzada said that the administration had no objection to the students' protest as this was being done "in a peaceful, democratic way inside the campus".

Of the students and teachers unions raising questions on the impartiality of the local administration, Peerzada said the AMUSU and AMUTA were independent bodies and were "entitled to their views".

"On our part, we have very good relations with the local administration as well as the Union HRD Ministry and we have had their full support so far," Peerzada told IANS.

Meanwhile, it is business as usual in the rest of the town even as armed police surrounds the campus of the historic and multi-faceted university that has a long list of distinguished alumni who have made their names in politics, armed forces, civil service, sciences and academia. Incidentally, the university was ranked No 1 in the country this year in official rankings.

(Asim Khan can be contacted on mohd.a@ians.in)

--IANS

mak/vsc/vm/tbLet me thank the Government of Tajikistan, the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the European Union for organising this conference on terrorism. Such has been the rise of this viral menace to our lives and values that this gathering would be considered necessary almost anywhere on the map.

But Dushanbe carries a special relevance. Tajikistan has successfully fought, defeated and reversed the brutal tide of terrorism, and it did so during what I would describe as the most dangerous of decades, the 1990s. It was a time when powerful ...Indias strategic oil reserves are set to be used by a foreign player for the first time, with a carrier of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) likely to reach Mangalore port by May 21. Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and his UAE counterpart Ahmed Al Jaber, who is also the chief executive officer of Adnoc, will flag off a very large carrier with 2 million barrels of crude oil on Saturday, according to an official close to the development.

Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

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Digital EditorChinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday congratulated Nikol Pashinyan on his election as Armenian prime minister.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) and Nikol Pashinyan (R) [Photo: China Plus]

In a congratulatory message, Li spoke positively of the achievements made in the development of China-Armenia relations after the two countries established diplomatic ties.

He expressed willingness to work with Pashinyan to continuously lift bilateral ties to higher levels.

China stands ready to synergize its Belt and Road Initiative and Armenian development strategies so as to make the development of bilateral ties and cooperation benefit the two peoples, said Chinese premier.Karnataka Election 2018: About 70 per cent polling was today recorded in Karnataka, which is witnessing a three-cornered contest among the ruling Congress, the BJP and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's JD(S). Election authorities said "moderate to brisk" voting has been witnessed in 222 out of 224 seats where polling began at 7 am. There were reports about a delay in polling due to some technical issues with the electronic voting machines (EVMs) from different parts of the state. Suspecting something fishy, both Congress and BJP have pointed ...

Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.



As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.



Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.



Digital EditorFor the first time, Pakistan's ousted prime minister has publicly acknowledged that militant organisations are active in the country and questioned the policy to allow the "non-state actors" to cross the border and "kill" people in Mumbai, a media report said.

Sharif, who has been disqualified to hold public office for life by the in the Panama Papers case, said has isolated itself.

"We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistan's narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it, Sharif told Dawn.

Without naming attack mastermind and Maulana Masood Azhar's militant organisations -- Jamaat-ud-Dawah and Jaish-e-Mohammad, -- operating in the country with impunity, Sharif said: Militant organisations are active in

"Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill over 150 people in Explain it to me. Why can't we complete the trial."



The attacks-related trials are stalled in a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court.

He further said: It's absolutely unacceptable (to allow non-state actors to cross the border and commit terrorism there). President (Vladimir) has said it. President Xi (Jinping) has said it."



US President had accused of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists.

Sharif, 68, was disqualified by the for not being "honest and righteous" as he failed to declare in 2013 a salary he got from the company of his son in the UAE.

In February, the apex court also disqualified Sharif as the head of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Citing the military and judiciary establishment, Sharif further said: You can't run a country if you have two or three parallel governments. This has to stop. There can only be one government - the constitutional one.

The relations between the military and the Sharif government were at its lowest ebb in October 2016 when the latter told the former to act against homegrown militant groups or face isolation.

The Mumbai attack case has entered into the 10th year but none of its suspects in Pakistan has been punished yet, showing that the case had never been in the priority list of the country that appears to be keen to put it under the carpet.

A number of Pakistani witnesses both official and private testified and provided evidence against the seven accused, but the Pakistani authorities have been insisting on sending Indian witnesses for reaching a verdict in the case.

Some 166 people were killed in the attack carried out by 10 LeT men. Nine of the attackers were killed by police while lone survivor was caught and hanged after handed down death sentence.Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that terrorists sent by Pakistan were responsible for the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks that claimed over 160 lives.

"Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can't we complete the trial?" Nawaz noted in an interview to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper in a reference to the Mumbai attacks-related trials which have stalled in a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court.

Pakistan has so far not completed trial in the 26/11 case.

On November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists had sailed into Mumbai from Karachi and carried out coordinated attacks in different parts of the city, killing about 166 people and injuring over 600 others.

The lone survivor, Ajmal Amir Kasab, was caught and was sentenced to death at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune in 2012.

The Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) was believed to have plotted the 26/11 attacks. Its mastermind, Hafiz Saeed, has been roaming freely in Pakistan.

New Delhi has, time and again, protested against Islamabad for harbouring Saeed, who is wanted for allegedly plotting the 2008 attack.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said about 300 billion dollars will be invested in the energy sector in next 10 years.

The petroleum minister said this at the Indian Embassy while addressing over 250 Indian professionals, business leaders and community representatives working in the United Arab Emirates.

Pradhan informed the gathering that India has become the world's third largest energy consumer in the

"After US (United States) and China, India consumes maximum primary energy. But, India figures on the list of least per capita energy consuming countries. What does it mean? According to energy analysts, out of Rs. 100 worth energy sale in 2040, Rs. 33 will be sold in India," Pradhan said.

He added that energy is one of the three to four components of any developing country.

"There are four pillars of energy: It should be affordable, accessible, green, and sustainable. Once there were concerns in India regarding energy, but now it is becoming a happening energy spot in the world," Pradhan said.

In his speech, Pradhan also praised Prime Minister Modi and said no other government has been able to do the works that have been done during the past four years.

During the speech, he also criticised Prime Minister's detractors who have questioned his international visits.

Talking about the impact of such visits of Prime Minister Modi, Pradhan said India saved about Rs. 10,000 crore after renegotiating the long term contract of Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) with Qatar.

'This is our scope. Who would like to lose it?" he asked.

He also briefed the gathering that how Modi government changed the lives of poor rural women through Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).

The PMUY or the Ujjwala Scheme is a subsidy scheme launched to provide LPG gas connection to the families living below poverty line to protect women and children from the smoke emitted during the usage of firewood for cooking purposes.

Under the scheme, the government will provide Rs. 1,600 per gas connection in the next three years and aims to supply 5 crore connections by the end of 2019.

"The HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited) started selling liquid petroleum gas (LPG) in Mumbai in 1955 and by 2014 there were 130 million LPG connections in India. Within four years, our government added new 100 million LPG consumers," Pradhan said.

The event was organised by the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and IBPG-Abu Dhabi.

Later, Pradhan and UAE Minister of State and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Group CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber flagged off first consignment of 2 million barrels of ADNOC crude for Mangalore Cavern on Saturday.

During the day, Pradhan also held bilateral meeting with H.E. Dr. Jaber. Minister Pradhan was accompanied by Ambassador Navdeep Suri, senior officials and CEOs for Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum.

Pradhan is visiting UAE to follow up on the February 2018 UAE visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During the visit of the Prime Minister, Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) signed an agreement with the ADNOC of UAE under which the latter will store about 5.86 million barrels of crude oil in India's Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) facility at Mangalore at its own cost.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)At least 45 Taliban insurgents have been killed and over 40 were wounded in a clash with the Afghan security forces in the war-torn country's Farah province, confirmed the Ministry of Defense.

The Taliban militants from the neighboring province had attacked Farah city in a bid to take control of it, reported Afghan's TOLO News.

In addition to this, at least 16 Afghan security forces have also been killed in a clash with Taliban militants, the report said.

This comes in tandem with various ongoing counter-terrorism operations in certain provinces as the militant and terrorist groups are attempting to expand their insurgency activities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group killed around five of their own soldiers in Afghanistan Nangarhar province on Saturday.

The provincial government's media office in an official statement said the militants were killed during infighting in a considerably peaceful Achin district, reported the Khaama Press News Agency.

The statement further added that the operations were conducted in near Kham Miran area during the operations which involved an airstrike.

Khaama Press News agency further reported that the operations were launched right after ISIS terrorists orchestrated a coordinated attack on Afghan forces.

Nangarhar has been relatively calm of all the provinces until the time it fell prey to the Taliban regime.

Previously, around 15 ISIS terrorists were killed during operations in Haska Mina district of Nangarhar province.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Competition Commission of India (CCI) chairman Devender Kumar Sikri stressed on the need for India to revisit the desirability of uniform threshold for the merger review control regime in the country to achieve the intended goals across the sectors including the digital.

With respect to the mergers between companies holding big data which may result in profiling of individuals, and thereby invading their privacy in the digital space, Sikri, who addressed the gathering at an ASSOCHAM event here on Friday, said since data is not accounted as an asset, the traditional asset turnover criteria which is applied in Competition Law may fail to capture potentially those transactions from the competition review, which is a cause of concern.

"We must have sector-wise threshold, I think the time has come and the digital sectors need to be really abreast of that. Targets in these sectors (digital companies) have a limited actual turnover or physical assets thus the asset turnover based notification threshold which has been enforced today in the country might have a blind spot in the digital sector. If relied-on solely, we will not be able to take stock and evaluate them in the merger review," he added.

Highlighting the need to strike a balance to embrace the social benefits of the big data while avoiding harms to the individual, Sikri said transparency, accountability and informed consent would be of key importance.

Furthermore, Sikri noted that a data protection law and authority will provide necessary regulatory architecture. While the CCI would be addressing the competition issues that may fall within its purview, what is more important is that the regulations and regulators will have to work in tandem as there could be potential abuse of dominance cases which might also involve breach of data protection issues, he added.

"There should be then, appropriate remedies which address both anti-competitive practices and the data. The authorities responsible for data governance in the digital economy will have to have a continuous dialogue to ensure that a cohesive regulatory architecture is in place which promotes efficient digital markets," said Sikri.

Talking about the present scenario, Sikri said people, in many ways, are not only using but are also becoming dependent on the data-driven digital economy and innovative services it delivers. Also, the rapidly-evolving data landscape and increasing number of data-centric businesses are posing colossal challenge.

"They are altering the traditional parameters of regulation. They are making the regulators develop innovative perspective on how to apply the existing instruments and devise new tools wherever necessary," he added.

However, the CCI Chairman noted that while the competition authority understands that data companies are not an economic threat in themselves, they are a source of innovation and so must be encouraged for economic development. Having said this, the practices of the dominant digital players need to be competition compliant, he opined.

"The collusion between digital players through self-learning algorithms is one of the biggest challenges that the Competition Law enforcers are facing. Algorithms are not systems that are moving on their own, somebody has designed them and there is some logic put into that," said Sikri.

Terming it as the biggest challenge and the latest frontier of Competition Law, he said it is the cutting edge where laws for most parts are genuinely struggling to keep pace with the developments in technology.

"Regulators have not yet much idea, I must confess what has to be done to make human centric anti-trust laws apply effectively to the bot intermediated transactions and that connect is a real challenge. But instrumentally, I believe a firm legal framework for data protection is the foundation on which data driven innovation and entrepreneurship can flourish while also keeping personal data of citizens secured and protected," said the CCI chairman suggesting that personal data which is collected, used, shared or stored should be governed by a separate regulatory framework," he explained.

Meanwhile, Union Law Secretary Suresh Chandra opined that by creating a good data protection law, India could extend well beyond being a mere supplier to the world's multi-national corporations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day state visit to Nepal, on Friday met Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, the Foreign Minister of Nepal.

Issues related to the trade deficit and low pace of the implementation of previous agreements were addressed during the delegation level talks held between them, Gyawali told ANI.

He said countries like Nepal want to be linked with various means. Boosting connectivity, through waterways, railways or through information technology can prove to be vital for Nepal's development, the foreign minister of the landlocked nation said.

"It is our consistent policy that Nepal doesn't allow anyone to misuse its territory. We have reiterated that principle. We have to be careful while maintaining the open border, which is a symbol of cordial relationship between both the countries," he added.

PM Modi assured the Himalayan nation of India's support, saying "India stands shoulder to shoulder with Nepal."

Earlier in the day, PM Modi met with President of Nepal Bidhya Devi Bhandari and his Nepali counterpart KP Sharma Oli in Kathmandu.

PM Modi and Oli laid the foundation stone of Arun-III, a hydropower project in Kathmandu.

This morning, Prime Minister Modi will head to Muktinath temple in Mustang district followed by prayers at Pashupatinath Temple in the capital.

After the visit to the temples, Prime Minister Modi is expected to engage with political leaders of various parties. He will attend the civic reception hosted by the mayor of Kathmandu and then depart for India on Saturday evening.

Prime Minister Modi arrived at the city of Janakpur in Nepal on Friday at about 10:45 am (local time).

He was received by Prime Minister Oli after which Prime Minister Modi performed puja at the Ram Janaki Temple and flagged off the shuttle bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhya.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest, the riotously camp transcontinental music competition, banned a Chinese TV station from broadcasting Saturday's final.

The move comes after it censored an LGBT themed performance.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) organises the contest and distributes it to broadcasters around the It said, it had taken the action after Mango TV cut two acts in the first semifinal, broadcast on Tuesday, as reported by the CNN.

China's Global Times, a Chinese tabloid, on Friday said the two acts Ireland and Albania fell foul of Chinese censors as they featured an LGBT theme and tattoos.

The EBU, in return, barred Mango TV from broadcasting Thursday's second semifinal and the final, which involves acts from 26 countries.

This year it is being held in Lisbon, Portugal.

A statement from the EBU said, "This is not in line with the EBU's values of universality and inclusivity and our proud tradition of celebrating diversity through music," as quoted by CNN.

The Irish entry, Together, sung by Ryan O'Shaughnessy, is a love song about a relationship between two men. It features two male dancers. Albania's act involved performers with tattoos.

A rainbow flag in the crowd, representing the LGBT community, was also blurred during the broadcast.

Guidelines released in China in 2016 characterized homosexuality as an "abnormal sexual behavior" which is unfit for Chinese television.

Both Ireland and Albania have qualified for Saturday's grand final.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepal counterpart KP Sharma Oli on Saturday directed their respective officials to address outstanding matters by September, with the objective of advancing cooperation in all areas.

Marking their second bilateral summit this year, the two Prime Ministers held delegation-level talks on Friday.

As per a joint statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the two Prime Ministers recalled their meeting in New Delhi during the State visit of Prime Minister Oli last month and agreed to maintain the momentum generated by the visit by taking effective measures for the implementation of all the agreements and understandings reached in the past.

They also agreed that effective implementation of the bilateral initiatives in agriculture, railway linkages and inland waterways development, as agreed upon by the two sides during the recent visit of Prime Minister Oli to India, would have transformational impact in these areas.

Prime Minister Modi also visited Janakpur and Muktinath and attended civic receptions in Kathmandu and Janakpur.

With a view to further strengthening the close religious and cultural ties between the two countries and peoples, the two Prime Ministers launched Nepal-India Ramayana Circuit connecting Janakpur, the birthplace of Sita, with Ayodhya and other sites associated with the epic Ramayana. In Janakpur, the two Prime Ministers flagged off the inaugural direct bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhya.

The two Prime Ministers underscored the importance of regional and sub-regional cooperation under BIMSTEC, SAARC, and BBIN frameworks for forging meaningful cooperation in identified sectors.

They agreed that the landmark third visit of Prime Minister Modi to Nepal has further strengthened the age-old friendly relations between the two countries and has injected a fresh impetus to our growing partnership.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday departed for India after completing his two-visit to Nepal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Just after casting his vote, Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda on Saturday said that his party expects a possibility of forming the government.

"We expect a possibility of forming the government, we have done well," Gowda told ANI here.

Gowda cast his vote at polling booth no.244 in Holenarasipura town in Hassan district. His wife Chennamma Deve Gowda, son HD Revanna and other family members were also present along with him.

JD-S is looking to establish itself once again in Karnataka and is expected to give a tough fight to both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.

Earlier in the day, the chief ministerial candidate of the JD-S, H.D. Kumaraswamy, met Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswami of Sri Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math in Jayanagar amidst polling for the Karnataka Assembly.

The polling, which began at 7 am in 58,546 polling stations, each equipped with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs), will conclude at 6 pm.

The election in two constituencies, Jayanagar and R.R. Nagar, has been postponed.

A total of 2,654 candidates are in the fray and 4.96-crore electorate, including 2.44 crore women, will cast their votes. Over 15 lakh people are first-time voters in the 18-19 age group.

Tight security is in place to ensure smooth and peaceful polling that is underway across the 222 seats out of 224 assembly constituencies.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A faulty Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machine at booth number 108 has stalled voting here.

The machine is being replaced, and voting is yet to resume at the booth.

Voting for 222 seats out of 224-member assembly began across Karnataka at 7 am today.

The polling, which began at 58,546 polling stations, each equipped with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and VVPATs, will conclude at 6 pm.

A total of 2,654 candidates are in the fray and 4.96-crore electorate, including 2.44 crore women, will cast their votes, in the Karnataka polls.

Over 15 lakh people are first-time voters in the 18-19 age group.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The chief ministerial candidate of the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S) Party H.D. Kumaraswamy and his wife Anitha cast their votes here on Saturday.

Kumaraswamy said he was confident that his party would win by a comfortable margin.

Speaking to ANI, he said, "People have decided and are mentally prepared to bless the JD(S) in the election. We will surprise everyone on May 15."

When asked about various poll surveys predicting wins for the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a fractured mandate, Kumaraswamy rejected them by saying, "There will be a total U-turn. I am confident that I will become the Karnataka Chief Minister."

"This election is not crucial for me, it's crucial for the people of the state. The people of Karnataka have given Siddaramaiah a chance, Yeddyurappa a chance. I am the only one left now. I am the best candidate."

Asked about whether the JD(S) party would fall short of a majority, Kumaraswamy asserted, "That won't arise at all. The JD(S) party will reach the magic numbers (112).

Before casting his vote, Kumaraswamy and his wife met Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswami of Sri Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Math in Bengaluru's Jayanagar locality on Saturday.

Like Siddaramaiah, the former Karnataka chief minister is contesting from two constituencies - Ramanagaram and Channapatna.

In Ramanagaram, which is a predominant JD(S) seat, Kumaraswamy won in both the 2008 and 2013 elections.

The JD-S is looking to establish itself once again in Karnataka and is expected to give a tough fight to both the BJP and the Congress party.

A voter turnout of 24 percent has been recorded so far in the Karnataka assembly elections till 11 a.m.

The polls, which began at 7 a.m at 58,546 polling stations, each equipped with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs), will conclude at 6 pm.

A total of 2,654 candidates are in the fray and 4.96-crore electorate, including 2.44 crore women, will cast their votes. Over 15 lakh people are first-time voters in the 18-19 age group.

Tight security is in place to ensure smooth and peaceful single-phase polling in 222 constituencies, including 36 reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and 15 for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) and 26 in Bengaluru.

Counting and the results of the election will be announced on Tuesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Election Commission has ordered re-polling in Karnataka's Hebbal assembly constituency's polling station Number 2 as the polling was stopped earlier in the day due to Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) failure.

In the morning, the voting was suspended here after voters complained that VVPAT receipt was different from the vote they cast on the EVM.

As per reports till now, 164 polling units, 157 control units and 470 VVPATs malfunctioned across the state.

The election in two constituencies, Jayanagar and Rajarajeshwari Nagar, both in Bengaluru was postponed earlier.

In Jayanagar, the polling was also deferred due to the death of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, B N Vijay Kumar, on May 4.

In Rajarajeshwari Nagar, the polling was postponed after a bundle of fake voter identity cards was found from a flat in Bengaluru's Jalahalli locality by the EC officials on May 8.

Tight security arrangements were made to ensure smooth and peaceful single-phase polling in 222 constituencies, including 36 reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and 15 for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) and 26 in Bengaluru.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Almost five crore citizens of Karnataka will visit polling booths to exercise their franchise to elect their representatives to the state assembly on Saturday.

The election in Karnataka is considered crucial for the Congress Party, as it would be looking to prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) juggernaut from expanding its footprints in the south.

Since the 2014 general election, the Congress has been defeated by the BJP in over a dozen states, drastically shrinking its political footprint.

The BJP is making an all-out bid to oust the Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka and is looking to come back to power in the state with B.S. Yeddyurappa, its chief ministerial candidate. Interestingly, no incumbent government has been re-elected in Karnataka since 1985.

The Janata Dal (Secular) is looking to establish itself once again in Karnataka and is expected to give a tough fight to both the BJP and the Congress.

Voting for the 224-member assembly will begin at 7 am across Karnataka on Saturday morning, except in Jayanagar constituency, following the demise of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate B. N. Vijayakumar on May 4.

The polling will continue till 6 pm in 58,546 polling stations each, equipped with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails. (VVPATs).

A total of 2,654 candidates are in the fray and 4.96-crore electorate, including 2.44 crore women, will cast their votes. Over 15 lakh people are first-time voters in the 18-19 age group.

Tight security is in place to ensure smooth and peaceful polling across the 224 assembly constituencies spread across 30 districts.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded 223 candidates, while Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) have fielded 222 and 201 seats respectively.

Out of the 224 seats, 36 of them are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs), while 15 of them are for Scheduled Tribes (STs).

The majority mark for any party to form the government is 112 in the 225-member assembly. While elections are held for 224 seats, one member is nominated by the state governor from the Anglo-Indian community.

Votes will be counted and results declared on May 15.

Of the 2,564 candidates analysed, about 883 (34 per cent) are crorepati candidates.

Party wise, nearly all the candidates of both the parties, Congress and the BJP, are crorepatis. Congress has 207 (94 per cent) crorepati candidates, while the BJP has 208 (93 per cent) millionaire contestants. Not far behind is the Janata Dal (United) (JD-U), with its 154 (77 per cent) crorepati contestants.

In addition to crorepati candidates, 645, or 24 per cent, contestants are such who have criminal cases registered against them.

Further, 25 per cent seats have been declared red alert constituencies.

This means there 56 assembly constituencies wherein three or more candidates with declared criminal cases are contesting in the Karnataka election.

Meanwhile, the smallest constituency in terms of area is Dasarahalli seat in Bengaluru Urban district. It measures just 8.91 sq km in size and has 2.3 lakh male and 2 lakh female voters.

P.N. Krishnamurthy from Congress and R. Manjunatha from JD(S) will fight two-time BJP MLA S. Muniraju for the seat.

The biggest constituency in terms of area is the Haliyal seat located in Uttara Kannada district in north Karnataka.

Congress leader R.V. Deshpande, who is the Medium and Heavy Industries Minister is the incumbent MLA from this seat. He will face K.R. Ramesh of JD(S) and Sunil V. Hegde of the BJP respectively to defend his seat.

In terms of the size of the electorate, Sringeri is the smallest constituency. It is a prominent religious town situated in the hilly Chikkamagaluru district in south Karnataka and has been a BJP bastion since 2004. It has 1.6 lakh voters.

Sitting MLA D.N. Jeevaraj of the BJP will take on Congress' T.D. Rajegowda and JD(S)' H.G. Venkatesh.

While in Bengaluru South, which has the biggest electorate of 5.5 lakh voters, will witness the contest among BJP's incumbent MLA M. Krishnappa, Congress' R.K. Ramesh and JD(S)' R. Prabhakar Reddy.

In 2013, the Congress won with an absolute majority. It won 122 seats, 10 more than the majority mark of 112, while the BJP and JD(S) won 40 seats each. The voter turnout recorded then was 71.29 percent.

Other parties bagged 22 seats in the 224-seat legislative assembly. Siddaramaiah was sworn in as the new chief minister after the election.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Indore's Holkar Stadium witnessed a run fest on Saturday as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) leapfrogged above Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) points table to fourth place by registering a 31-run win over third-placed Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).

Having lost back-to-back matches against MI, with the last one being a nightmarish 102-run loss, and conceding the fourth and final playoff spot to the Mumbai outfit as a result, the win would have been put all their recent blues in the past, as their batters amassed the fourth highest total in IPL history.

Winning the toss, KXIP captain, Ravichandran Ashwin, elected to bowl first. However, the depth of the KKR batting line-up proved too much for KXIP bowlers to deal with.

The match started on a slow tempo, with just 20 runs coming off the first 20 deliveries, and opener Sunil Narine managing a meager 7 runs from 8 balls. However, he would soon start firing on all cylinders as he ended up smashing a 36-ball 75.

Captain Dinesh Karthik also contributed an invaluable 50 off 23 balls and with timely contributions coming from Chris Lynn (27), Robin Uthappa (24) and Andre Russell (31) propelled the Kolkata outfit to a mammoth 245 run total.

In response, KXIP started their innings on a high, with opener K. L. Rahul giving the home side a glimmer of hope, scoring a quick-fire 66 off 29 balls. However, with his wicket being claimed by Narine in the ninth over, and no 'Gayle storm' to be seen, valiant efforts by Ashwin (45) and Aaron Finch (34) went in vain as 245 was always too big a total to chase down.

Punjab can, however, take more than a few positives from the loss, as they did give KKR a scare and managed to cross the 200 run mark themselves. They also remain in a better position to feature in the playoffs as they stay in the third spot, one above KKR having played a game fewer.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Commanders of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit held a special meeting in Peshawar recently and called for a 'jihad' in Kashmir.

LeT's former operational commander in Kashmir, Abu Akasha, reportedly interacted with cadres who have recently completed their training.

He said, "All those cadres, who have already completed, 'Daura Lashkar' must present themselves for launching into J&K".

Akasha also asked district in-charges to contact all such cadres who have already attained training and are not in contact with office bearers of the organization.

He said, "Many such cadres, who have attained training have lost contact with the organization; it is the duty of the office-bearers to locate the lost trained cadres and get them back to main frunctioning of the organisation".

Headed by Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, the Lashkar-e-Taiba is responsible for carrying out several attacks in the Kashmir valley. It runs several training camps across Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and enjoy the support of Pakistan Army and the ISI.

Another commander of LeT, Aris Hammad, focused on 'Jihad' and the need to defend Islam from what he called infidel powers.

While showing a map of Kashmir, he tried to raise public sentiments. He mentioned that their people (LeT cadres) are in Kashmir and embracing 'martyrdom'.

He said, "Kashmir is linked to Pakistan's stability and integrity. Kashmir's freedom is necessary for completion of Pakistan. All Islamic countries of Middle East and other regions have high hopes on Pakistan as only Pakistan can defend itself at its own. It is a nuclear and jihadi power".

"Pakistan's security is directly linked to Kashmir. Pakistan depends on waters flowing through Kashmir and is called jugular vein", added Hammad.

He confirmed that the LeT is regularly sending militants across the border to create disturbances in the Kashmir valley.

"Since the beginning of 2017, during the period of one and a half year there has been regular launching of 'Mujahideen' (of LeT) into the Valley and it is matter of pride that not even a single 'Mujahid' got killed at LoC", said Hammad.

Despite global condemnation to its support to terrorism, Pakistan continues to harbor these militants who openly do rallies and mislead the people about their wrongdoings.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has made tremendous strides in providing energy justice to all.

While addressing a gathering at the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday, the Union minister said during the Modi government's regime, their endeavour has been to provide affordable, sustainable and clean cooking fuel, energy and electricity to all and that has also made India an attractive investment spot, especially in the energy sector.

"Under the leadership of PM Modi, India in the last four years has made tremendous strides in providing energy justice to all. Our government's endeavour to provide affordable, sustainable and clean cooking fuel, energy and electricity provides a plethora of investment opportunities in India," he said while addressing over 250 Indian professionals, business leaders and community representatives working in the UAE.

Further talking about the achievement of the Modi government, Pradhan, who is on a three-day visit to the UAE, said, "It has been 70 years of Independence, still there was no electricity in 18,000 villages in last two years. But in last two months, the electricity has reached to almost every village."

"In about 4 crore houses, there is no electricity. But by 2019-20, we will provide electricity to every house in the country," he added.

He further highlighted the attractive investment opportunities in the Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development sectors in India and also extended an invitation to the business community in the UAE for greater collaborations and increased investments in India.

Yesterday, Pradhan and UAE Minister of State and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Group CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber flagged off the first consignment of 2 million barrels of ADNOC crude for Mangalore Cavern on Saturday.

During the day, Pradhan also held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Dr. Jaber. Minister Pradhan was accompanied by Ambassador Navdeep Suri, senior officials and CEOs for Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum.

Pradhan is visiting UAE to follow up on the February 2018 UAE visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During the visit of the Prime Minister, Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) signed an agreement with the ADNOC of UAE under which the latter will store about 5.86 million barrels of crude oil in India's Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) facility at Mangalore at its own cost.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The first Biannual Naval Commander's Conference concluded on Friday after four productive days of intense deliberations on a wide range of issues.

The conference was inaugurated by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who set the tone for the deliberations stating that the Indian Navy is a force to reckon with in the Indo-Pacific region.

Sitharaman also assured the Naval Commanders that endeavours to bridge critical capability gaps in Ship-borne helicopters, Fleet Support Ships and Submarines would be progressed by the Government.

She also extended support to the long-term capability acquisition plans of the Navy that have been formulated with a strategic view of the Indo-Pacific region. The imperative need for approval of the second indigenous aircraft carrier for the Navy was also deliberated upon. This project along with the other shipbuilding projects already underway or in the pipeline including Mine Counter Measure Vessels (MCMVs), Landing Platform Dock (LPD), Anti-Submarine Shallow Water Craft, Diving Support Vessels and Survey Vessels are expected to provide a major thrust to the 'Make-in-India' initiative of the Government.

The Conference also undertook a review of the Navy's Mission Based Deployments. The review was aimed at maximising benefits accrued from the deployment of INships and aircraft to critical areas within the IOR. Measures such as information sharing with other navies as well as combining Defence Diplomacy initiatives such as Bi-lateral exercises and port visits into these deployments are planned to be undertaken.

Besides, the Navy's new Transition Cycle for ships from maintenance to operations was also reviewed by the Commanders. This has resulted in considerable improvement in combat efficiency and crew proficiency of ships undergoing the new Transition Cycle. The new Transition Cycle has also resulted in the overall improvement of Op Logistics, spares management and forecasting, Refit planning and expenditure management.

The Naval Commander's Conference also saw the inauguration of a new Digital Library available pan-Navy for knowledge management and retrieval including archiving of critical data and information. This was complemented by deliberations on the security and hardening of naval data networks in keeping with contemporary cybersecurity practices.

The Naval Commanders also interacted with the Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, and the Chiefs of the Army and Air Force.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday began the second day of his visit to Nepal with a tour of Muktinath temple.

He flew down in an IAF chopper to the hill-top temple situated in Mustang district, where he was greeted by Nepal's top-level officials. The entire temple premise was decorated with fresh flowers to welcome him.

Prime Minister followed the local traditions and offered prayers to the deity. He participated in the customary rituals followed inside the temple with help of the priests.

Prime Minister Modi also met the locals who had gathered around the temple to get a glimpse of Prime Minister. They presented him with flowers and traditional stoles. Some also gave him mementoes.

He also greeted the local pujaris as he rung the traditional bells placed outside the temple.

Prime Minister then conducted the ritual of beating the traditional drums along with the temple priests.

Further, some local temple artists played cultural music to welcome the Prime Minister.

Hoardings were placed in the temples, hailing Indo-Nepal friendship.

Later in the day, the Prime Minister will fly down to Nepal's capital Kathmandu to visit the Pashupatinath temple.

While in Kathmandu, he will hold meetings with the Nepali Congress and some former ministers of Nepal.

Further in the evening, Prime Minister will emplane for New Delhi ending his two-day visit to Nepal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Odia community living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) thanked Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for boosting their morale and motivating them to work for the development of Odisha and its people.

A dentist, Dr. Chandrashekhar Khuntiya, who has been living in the UAE for last 14 years, told ANI, "We felt very happy to see that Pradhan ji shared some good experiences with us. He inspired us and boosted our morale to work for the development of Odisha."

An Odia working in Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said it gives an immense pleasure and pride that a person from Odisha is heading a key portfolio in the Union cabinet.

While a lady, who attended the Pradhan's addressal, said the NRIs feel good when young ministers come here with some bright and great ideas.

"The best part what I felt was that we have some young ministers who are coming up here with some bright and great ideas for the Odiya NRIs to work for India. We have to give back to our community. We need such push and such people who can facilitate us to help us in providing back to the community," she said.

Yesterday, Pradhan and UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber flagged off the first consignment of 2 million barrels of ADNOC crude for Mangalore Cavern on Saturday.

During the day, Pradhan also held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Dr. Jaber. Minister Pradhan was accompanied by Ambassador Navdeep Suri, senior officials and CEOs for Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum.

Pradhan is on a three-day visit to the UAE to follow up on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit earlier this year.

During the visit of the Prime Minister, Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) signed an agreement with the ADNOC of UAE under which the latter will store about 5.86 million barrels of crude oil in India's Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) facility at Mangalore at its own cost.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan's Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar has condemned the targetted attacks on members of the minority Hazara community in Balochistan, describing it as a clear case of "ethnic cleansing".

Leading a two-judge bench comprising of Justice Ijazul Ahsan and himself at the Supreme Court's Quetta Registry, Chief Justice Nisar, taking suo moto notice of the attacks, said, "For me, the targetted killing of the Hazara community in Quetta is ethnic cleansing and that is why I had to take suo motu notice. We have no words to condemn the killings of Hazaras."

According to the Express Tribune, Chief Justice Nisar took suo motu notice of recent attacks on the beleaguered community and asked the Balochistan government, Levies, police, and the Interior Ministry to submit separate reports to the apex court.

Earlier, community leaders approached the bench to relate their predicament.

"The Hazaras are being killed for the last 20 years, but no one has been arrested till this date," Advocate Iftikhar Ali, a leader of the community, told the court.

He claimed the Hazaras were facing systemic discrimination.

"We are facing personal and financial losses due to this persecution," the Express Tribune quoted him, as saying.

He also highlighted the fact that security for 15 Hazara leaders has been withdrawn, which the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Quetta) denied.

Chief Justice Nisar asked Balochistan Inspector General Police (IGP) Moazzam Jah Ansari and other agencies to reveal the measures they were taking to protect the community.

Balochistan IGP Ansari revealed that 399 Hazaras had been killed in various incidents of terrorism in the last six years.

The highest number of Hazaras (208) was killed in 2013, while 19 people from the minority community and 20 settlers were killed in 2012, his report said.

"Nine members of the Hazara community have been targeted in Balochistan in the last four months," the IGP said, adding that 106 security personnel have also been killed since 2012 in targetted attacks.

"Twenty-eight personnel have been martyred so far in various incidents across the province this year. The security situation in the province has improved now," he added.

Another leader of Hazaras, Major (retd) Nadir Ali, lamented that a joint investigation team (JIT) formed to investigate targetted killings of the Hazaras could not produce any significant results.

Chief Justice Nisar ordered the IGP to directly look into the issue.

The chief justice also took notice of a separate petition filed by a Hazara woman whose husband has reportedly gone missing and advised IGP Ansari and the Frontier Corps to contact intelligence agencies for assistance in the matter.

"We cannot exist peacefully without state institutions. We should not consider them as our enemies," he said in a reference to the intelligence agencies on Friday.

"I met the Hazara community recently. They were so afraid, they wouldn't even lodge complaints or request the Supreme Court, while killers of the community are holding public rallies," Chief Justice Nisar said.

The CJP ordered the authorities to improve and implement a security plan immediately. He later adjourned the hearing till after Eid-ul-Fitr.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son and Congress candidate from Varuna, Dr. Yathindra on Saturday said that the people of his constituency were happy with the Congress Government and its developmental works.

Dr. Yathindra's statement comes as the southern state is voting to elect a new assembly in Karnataka.

He said the Election campaigning in Varuna did not seem any different to him as he had been visiting villages there for last one and a half years.

"I have been visiting villages in the constituency for last 1 and half years. Election campaigning didn't feel any different. Wherever I went, people expressed confidence in Congress govt," Dr Yathindra told ANI.

He also said that Varuna was a "no nervousness" constituency for him.

Speaking to ANI, he said, "All party leaders and our CM have said that Congress is going to win and get 120+ seats. Their conviction is based on the ground report, surveys, they have travelled all through Karnataka, so they know the pulse of the people."

The Varuna constituency candidate also urged voters to exercise their right to vote.

" I request all the Kannadigas to come and vote, not to waste their rights and elect a progressive, liberal and development oriented party," he said.

The high-profile Varuna constituency in Mysuru district was supposed to see a neck-to-neck electoral fight between Siddaramaiah son's Dr. Yathindra and former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa's son, B.Y. Vijayendra.

However, the sudden decision by the state BJP unit to not field Vijayendra has pulled the curtains on this big showdown.

Siddaramaiah has been contesting from this constituency since 2008. However, he decided to pass on the baton to his son this time.

Hence, the constituency would be still making news as Dr. Yathindra (37) will be making his political debut today.

Yathindra is now fighting against BJP's Thotadappa Basavaraju and Abhishek S. Manegar of the JD(S).

A Congress bastion, Siddaramaiah, in the last election, easily defeated Karnataka Jana Paksha's (KJP) Kapu Siddalingaswamy and Cheluvaraj of the JD(S) by a comfortable margin of 29,641 votes (18.45 percent), securing 52.53 percent of the total votes polled. The seat witnessed a voter turnout of 82.43 percent.

In 2008, Congress won with a margin of 18,837 votes (13.16 percent), getting polled by 50.23 percent of the total voters.

There are a total of 2,13,812 voters in the constituency, including over 1 lakh female and 13 other voters.

Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot launched an attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying as there is a model code of conduct in Karnataka, PM planned to pray at temples in Nepal instead, just to influence the voters.

"As there is model code of conduct in Karnataka, PM Modi planned to pray at temples in Nepal instead, just to influence voters.This is not a good trend for democracy.Why did he only choose today as the day?," he said.

The polling, which began at 7 am in 58,546 polling stations, each equipped with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs), will conclude at 6 pm.

The election in two constituencies, Jayanagar and R.R. Nagar, has been postponed.

In Jayanagar, the polling has been deferred due to the death of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, B N Vijay Kumar, while in R.R. Nagar, it has been postponed due to fake voter-ID row.

A total of 2,654 candidates are in the fray and 4.96-crore electorate, including 2.44 crore women, will cast their votes. Over 15 lakh people are first-time voters in the 18-19 age group.

Tight security is in place to ensure smooth and peaceful polling in the 222 constituencies out of 224 of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Saturday announced to host the 2018 Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit.

During his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nepali Prime Minister said Nepal will hold the BIMSTEC summit, while expressing commitment towards building the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal initiative.

As informed by Foreign Minister Vijay Gokhale in a press conference, both the Prime Ministers talked of bilateral economic ties and building strong bilateral relations in future.

The BIMSTEC is an international organisation of seven nations of South Asia and South East Asia, including Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal.

They further held discussions on other bilateral initiatives jointly undertaken by both countries.

Further, the two leaders agreed to "bridge the commitment implementation gaps" between two countries.

He extended his gratitude toward Nepal's government for their hospitality.

Prime Minister Modi was on a two-day visit to Nepal and will now depart for India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Air Force Station Palam here on Saturday after completing a successful two-day visit to Nepal.

He was received by External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj.

Prime Minister Modi arrived at the city of Janakpur on Friday at around 10:45 am (local time).

He was received by Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli after which Prime Minister Modi performed puja at the Ram Janaki Temple and flagged off the shuttle bus service linking Janakpur and Ayodhya.

He then addressed a rally at the Barbhabigha Ground, where he highlighted the importance of Indo-Nepal ties.

After that, Prime Minister Modi arrived in Kathmandu and was received by Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali.

He was accorded a guard of honour at the Tundikhel ground and held meetings with the Nepalese leadership.

At a joint press meet, Prime Minister Modi assured the Himalayan nation of India's support, saying "India stands shoulder to shoulder with Nepal."

Prime Minister Oli echoed the sentiments of his Indian counterpart and said, "Relations between neighbours are different from others. Neighbours have always been our top priority."

On Saturday morning, Prime Minister Modi headed for Muktinath temple in Mustang District followed by Pashupatinath Temple in the Nepalese capital, where he offered prayers.

Lastly, he attended a civic reception in Kathmandu at Rashtriya Sabha Griha, wherein he praised Nepal's democratic process and stressed on cultural and cordial ties between the two countries.

On a related note, this was Prime Minister Modi's third visit to Nepal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday departed for India after completing his two-visit to Nepal on Saturday.

He was accorded a civic reception at the Rashtriya Sabha Griha following he was given a farewell by the high-level ministers of Nepal.

Prior to that, Prime Minister Modi delivered an address at the reception ceremony where he hailed the Indo-Nepal friendship ties.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi and his Nepali counterpart KP Sharma Oli held talks as part of the meeting attended by Nepal's cabinet ministers.

Nepal Prime Minister had further assured that Nepal's territory will not be used against India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and UAE Minister of State & Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Group CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber flagged off first consignment of 2 million barrels of ADNOC crude for Mangalore Cavern on Saturday.

During the day, Pradhan also held bilateral meeting with H.E. Dr. Jaber. Minister Pradhan was accompanied by Ambassador Navdeep Suri, senior officials and CEOs for Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum.

Both sides discussed on the ongoing cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector and explored ways to further enhance the engagement. They had detailed discussions on the Indian downstream sector and explored the various opportunities for participation of UAE companies in the mega petroleum sector infrastructure projects in India. Pradhan also invited UAE companies to participate as preferred partners in the entire hydrocarbon value chain of India.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister also had an interactive session with over 250 Indian professionals, leaders and community representatives working in the UAE. The event was organised by the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and IBPG-Abu Dhabi.

Pradhan is visiting UAE to follow up on the February 2018 UAE visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During the visit of PM, Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) signed an agreeement with the ADNOC of UAE under which ADNOC will store about 5.86 million barrels of crude oil in India's Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) facility at Mangalore at its own cost.

ISPRL has built 5.33 million tonnes (around 39 million barrels) of strategic crude oil storage at three locations located at Vishakhapatnam, Mangalore and Padur. Vishakhapatnam storage has a capacity of 1.33 million tonnes (9.77 million barrels) of crude oil, Mangalore has a capacity of 1.5 million tonnes (11 million barrels) and Padur can stock 2.5 million tonnes (18.37 million barrels). Government of India can use the entire available crude oil stored by ADNOC in the Mangalore SPR facility during an emergency situation.

The Agreement with ISPRL also allows ADNOC to sell part of the crude oil to Indian refineries on commercial basis while adhering to mutually agreed minimum crude storage which is for exclusive use of the Indian government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two major political parties Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Peoples Political Party have geared up for the upcoming Pakistan assembly elections.

As reported by the Dawn, the leaders of both PTI and PPP, Imran Khan and Bilawal Bhutto respectively will address separate rallies at different venues.

PPP will hold their meetings at -e-Jinnah near the Quaid's Mausoleum, where the party has arranged 40,000 seats.

Before the scheduled rally, the ruling PPP decorated various areas of Karachi with flags, banners and posters with photos of Bilawal.

Further, a large number of youth volunteers have gathered at the location to facilitate the management of the upcoming rally. The government has also arranged for 2,000 policemen to be deployed for the security of the rally.

As per a party worker, PPP is holding the event to pay a tribute to 14 workers and activists of the party were martyred on May 12, 2007

On the other hand, the PTI will hold a rally near Aladin Park in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

PTI Chairperson Imran Khan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Parvez Khattak, Fawad Chaudhry and Shah Mehmood Qureshi will address the gathering and pay tribute to the May 12 martyrs.

Earlier on Monday, there were instances of severe clashes between the PTI and PPP workers over the use of Hakim Said ground to hold rallies today.

Later the local police had apprehended at least 10 workers belonging to both parties in connection with the clash.

Bhutto had then condemned the attacks and urged its party workers to find another location to hold rallies while allowing the PTI to use the Hakim Said ground.

Though later the PTI also refused to use the Hakim Said ground to conduct the rally.

On a related note, Pakistan is scheduled to undergo the assembly elections in July.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Saturday, hailed the Indore District Court's decision to award the death penalty to the man who raped and murdered a four-month-old girl in Rajwada.

"I welcome the decision. Such predators do not have the right to live. They aren't humans. I'm saddened by the loss of our daughter but satisfied that justice has been done," Chauhan said.

On Saturday, The Indore district court pronounced a death sentence for the convict in the case. The district court announced life term for rape under the POCSO Act and death sentence for murder.

In a first, the court had passed its verdict in just 21 days.

The incident took place on the intervening night of April 18 and 19. The infant was raped and her body was recovered soaked in blood from the basement of a building.

Analysing the brutality of the case, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Harinarayanachari Mishra, had formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the matter.

Sonu Bai, the victim's mother had demanded that the convict, Naveen Gadge, be executed at the earliest.

Taking cognizance of such crimes, President Ram Nath Kovind, on April 22, promulgated the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018, for effective deterrence against the commission of rape.

The ordinance seeks the death penalty for the rapists of girls below 12 years of age and stringent punishment for perpetrators of rape particularly of girls below 16 years, thereby strengthening the POCSO Act.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)After two more children were attacked by dogs in Sitapur district's Khairabad town in the last 12 hours, a local animal rights activist has said that a wolf could be behind the menace which is plaguing the district for past six months.

Vivek Sharma on Friday said based on the description his team has received from the locals, a wolf, not dogs, could be behind the attacks on children in the district.

"Five of our people went there and researched. (They) spoke with witnesses and registered their description. Their description depicts that it was a wolf. None of the locals said that it was done by a dog," Sharma told ANI.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Sitapur yesterday and met family members of the children who have been attacked.

The chief minister announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the dead victims and Rs 25,000 for the injured children.

The menace began on May 1, when stray dogs began to attack children in Sitapur and adjacent areas. To tackle the issue, the Sitapur administration had called a dog catcher team from Mathura but it was later sent back.

Since November, 12 kids have reportedly been killed and several others have been injured in such attacks.

The administration has announced that drones and night vision binoculars would be used to track the dogs and observe their activities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The news of the sudden demise of renowned storyteller Ankit Chadha has left his fans in a state of deep shock.

Many followers took to social media platforms to offer their condolences.

"Gone to soon #AnkitChadha ! A robust young exponent of a centuries-old story telling tradition suddenly fell silent on Wednesday evening...," Urdu poetry foundation Rekhta wrote on Twitter.

"#AnkitChadha was India's youngest #Dastango who weaved biographical accounts of personalities like #Kabir and Rahim, Dara Shikoh and #Majaaz in his #Dastangoi form of Urdu storytelling," wrote Kitab Khana.

"Ankit Chadha the dastango story teller from India has passed away in Pune. My condolences to all Indian friends as well as his friends and family all around the world. Only last month he performed at Harvard which I could not attend because I had other commitments," Pakistani lawyer Yasser Latif Hamdani wrote on Twitter.

Renowned storyteller Ankit Chandha from Delhi had drowned into a lake at Kanshet village near Pune on May 10.

Chandha drowned at about 5:30 pm, when he along with his female friend had gone to the lake for a walk.

While both were sitting beside the lake, Ankit accidently fell into it and drowned, as he could not swim.

His female friend asked the nearby villagers for help, but by the time they reached, Ankit had drowned.

Nothing suspicious has been found in the postmortem report and the body has been handed over to Ankit's brother, according to Vaibhal Sapkal, a police official of Kamshet.

Ankit had come to Pune to perform in the Daten-e-Kabir at the Gyaan Adab Centre on Saturday.

He is known for his Urdu poetry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sri Lankan government welcomed the upcoming United States and North Korean summit to be held in April as it called for the implementation of denuclearisation of the latter.

As per a release by Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, it extended its support to the Panmunjom Deceleration signed between North-South Korea last month.

The DailyMirror quoted the Foreign Ministry stating, "Sri Lanka welcomes the Inter-Korea Summit between the leaders of the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on April 27, 2018, and the adoption of the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula."

It further said it looks forward to the implementation of 'verifiable denuclearisation' Korea peninsula, while batting for achieving progress through dialogue, diplomacy and trust-building to establish sustainable peace.

The statement further mentioned of the upcoming summit between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12.

"We also look forward to the consolidation and advancement of the gains at the Panmunjom Summit at the Summit between the two leaders of the United States of America and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that is expected to take place on 12 June 2018 in Singapore," the statement said.

There had been a constant pressure by the United States, Japan, China, and South Korea to ensure denuclearisation of North Korea.

Further President Trump and Kim are also expected to hold talks on the denuclearisation of North Korea during their summit in Singapore as hinted at by the former in a tweet.

"The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th. We will both try to make it a very special moment for Peace!", Trump tweeted.

North Korea itself had shown its support to the calls for denuclearisation as its leader Kim had shut down the Punggye-ri nuclear site.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)While campaigning for the forthcoming Panchayat Elections in West Bengal's Siliguri, Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers were seen riding motorcycles without helmets.

Scores of motorcycles can be seen in images that surfaced in the media today, with riders unbothered about their breach of traffic rules.

In India, 16 people die every hour in road accidents which results in one death in every four minutes, according to the recently published Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report.

The West Bengal Panchayat Polls, earlier scheduled to be conducted between May 1 and May 7, had been postponed to May 14.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Mainland China equity market closed session slight lower on Friday, 11 May 2018, due to profit booking after strong rally this week and concerns over trade frictions between the United States and China. Chinese officials are expected to meet their U.

S. counterparts in Washington for a second round of negotiations next week, after talks last week in Beijing made little progress. The Shanghai Composite Index ended down 0.4% to 3,163.26. For the week, the Shanghai Composite index rose 2.3%.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Some 70 per cent voters exercised their franchise for Karnataka Assembly polls on Saturday, the Election Commission said here.

Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha said the figure was likely to go up as data was still being collated from various polling stations where people queued up beyond 6 p.m. when the voting was supposed to end.

"As of now, the total turnout figure received is 70 per cent. However, we expect this number to increase, and hope it surpasses that of the previous elections," he said.

The Election Commission said the polling percentage may breach the 71.4 per cent mark recorded in the 2013 Assembly election in Karnataka which has nearly 5.07 crore voters.

Sinha said the highest polling of 76 per cent was recorded in Chikkaballapura and Ramanagara while Bengaluru Urban had the lowest turnout at 48 per cent.

Some 2,654 candidates, including 216 women, are in the fray for 222 seats out of a total 224. Voting was deferred in two constituencies.

Counting of votes will take place on May 15.

Sinha said the "seizure of cash, liquor and other goods was to the tune of Rs 186 crore, which was six times more than the Lok Sabha and eight times more than the Assembly election in 2013".

He said there 26 cases of paid news reported across the state, out of which 15 cases have been proved as paid news.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Days after BJP President Amit Shah made a pro-Karnataka comment on the Mhadei inter-state water dispute, Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik on Saturday denied that Shah had made any commitment to divert water from the Mhadei river to Karnataka and resolve dispute within six months.

Naik's statement comes on the day when Karnataka went to polls after a high profile and heated election campaign, in which the contentious Mhadei river dispute featured prominently, at least in the northern regions of the state.

"He (Shah) never said we will give (water) to Karnataka, he only said that he will think about it," Naik told a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state headquarters in Panaji.

"This matter is sub-judice and before the Tribunal... But if need be, it can be considered from a humanitarian point of view... Neither our President nor our Prime Minister said water will be given (to Karnataka)," he added.

Shah, in an election rally in Karnataka's Hubbali region last week, promised to resolve the Mhadei dispute within six months and assured voters that water from the multi-state river would flow into Karnataka within the time frame.

Naik, a Lok Sabha MP from North Goa, also said Goa was willing to indulge in out-of-court talks with Karnataka, provided the latter does not indulge in chicanery.

"We are always ready for discussion. But they (Karnataka) indulged in chicanery by illegally constructing (a canal), without paying heed to the Tribunal and the Court. If you do such chicanery, then what is the point of sitting across a table," Naik said.

Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra are currently contesting parties before the Mhadei inter-state water disputes Tribunal over the controversial Kalsa-Bhandura dam project across the Mhadei river, through which Karnataka aims to divert water from the Mhadei basin to the nearby basin on the Malaprabha river.

The Tribunal hearing the dispute is expected to deliver a verdict in a few months.

Mhadei, also known as the Mandovi river, is considered as a lifeline in the northern parts of the coastal state.

It originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji in Goa, while briefly flowing through Maharashtra.

The river's course is 28.8 km in Karnataka, and over 50 km in Goa.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Vice President M. Hamid Ansari on Saturday wrote a letter to Aligarh Muslim University Students Union (AMUSU) President Mashkoor Ahmed Usmani confirming that there was breach of security during May 2 programme.

"I have just received a letter from the former Vice President Hamid Ansari Sahab, in which he confirms the breach of his security on May 2," Usmani said at a press conference late evening in the Union Hall of the university campus.

On May 2, Ansari was scheduled to visit the AMU at the invitation of the AMUSU that was to confer its lifetime membership -- an honour also bestowed on Jinnah in 1938, which explains the presence of his portrait there -- on the former Vice President and a former Vice Chancellor of the university.

IANS has reported that Ansari had to cut short his two-day programme and returned to Delhi soon after the incident as the local administration expressed its inability to provide him security cover.

In the letter, Ansari has thanked AMUSU for conferring on him life membership and also mentioned disruption caused by intruders and anti-social elements.

On May 3, Ansari was to deliver a lecture on pluralism in the Kennedy Hall at the varsity and in the evening attend a dinner hosted by the AMUSU. His schedule had been conveyed to the Aligarh administration in advance by Ansari's office as per protocol.

Ansari reached the university on May 2 at the scheduled time, i.e. 1.00 p.m., and was lodged at the AMU guest house which is near the Baab-e-Syed Gate of the university.

A little later, a group of men, owing allegiance to the Hindu Yuva Vahini, an outfit founded and patronised by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, started creating a ruckus near the administrative block of the university by raising objectionable slogans. The AMU security confronted them and handed them over to the Civil Lines police.

As per the statement of the AMU Proctor's office to the police, the men returned barely after half an hour with more people -- around 25-30 men, some of them equipped with pistols, lathis and stones -- and shouting expletives and objectionable slogans against the AMU, tried to barge into the university through Baab-e-Syed Gate.

"The disruption, its precise timing, and the excuse manufactured for justifying it, raises question. The programme of the day, including an address by me in the Kennedy Auditorium, was publicly known," Ansari wrote in the letter.

"The authorities concerned had been intimated officially and were cognizant of the standard arrangements including security for such occasions. In view of it, the access of the intruders to close proximity of the University gest house where I was staying remains unexplained," the letter read.

Ansari also said that the peaceful protest by the students against this transgression was commendable, adding that they must ensure that it did not in any way interfere with their academic pursuits.

"Their request that action be taken against the intruders and disruptions, after a judicial inquiry, is justified," the letter said.

--IANS

akk/nir

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Bangladesh launched its first satellite, "Bangabandhu-1", on Saturday, becoming the 57th nation in the world and fourth in South Asia after India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to own a satellite.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted the communication satellite, named after the Bangladesh founder, early in the morning from Cape Canaveral in Florida, bdnews24.com reported.

It was successfully deployed at Bangladesh's specified orbit slot "within 36 minutes" of the launch and two ground stations in Bangladesh received test signals from it, said State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak at the Kennedy Space Centre in the US.

The launch was telecast live in Bangladesh, with experts saying it will serve as a milestone in the telecommunication sector.

"The satellite will be a great addition to our Information Technology heralding our entry into the Satellite Club of the world," said Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a message.

"The Bangabandhu Satellite-1 will certainly bring revolutionary changes in our broadcast and telecommunications sector. With this launching, we've hoisted the Bangladesh flag in the space... entered a new era."

She thanked the satellite building and launching company, the US and the French governments for their support. Hasina also praised Russia for renting its orbital slot to Bangladesh.

Experts said that the country's first geostationary communication satellite will give extra pace to the digitisation process. It will help expand Internet and telecommunication services in remote and rugged areas which still remained beyond the coverage.

Once the satellite becomes active at its orbital slot, it will be reportedly controlled from three stations in the US, Italy and South Korea for about a month. Finally, the satellite will be controlled and maintained from ground stations in Bangladesh.

In September 2016, Bangladesh signed a 14 billion taka ($180 million) loan agreement with Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) to finance the country's first-ever satellite.

In November 2015, Bangladesh signed a 19.51 billion taka ($248 million) deal with French firm Thales Alenia Space for the satellite project.

The Bangladeshi government also purchased a 119.1 east longitude orbital slot from Russia-based Intersputnik for 15 years for $28 million.

--IANS

soni/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Bangladeshi national was arrested in the airport here for allegedly carrying a fake Aadhaar card and an expired visa, police said on Saturday.

"Hossain Mohammad Shoyaed, 31, residing at Brahmanbaria in the neighbouring country, was detained by CISF official on Friday night at the airport and handed over to us," said an official of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport police station.

"On being asked, the accused showed an Aadhar card in his fake name which was procured fraudulently. Subsequently, he admitted that he is a Bangladeshi national and entered into India on the strength of his Bangladeshi passport," police said.

The accused person's India visa has been expired, police official said, adding that he was supposed to travel to Agartala from Kolkata.

Asked whether the accused has any terror link, official said, "So far, we have not found anything but interrogation is going on."

--IANS

bdc/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who essays Doctor Strange in the Marvel Comics Universe (MCU), is annoyed that all of his co-stars have their own merchandise range but he doesn't.

The 41-year-old actor wasn't impressed when his "Avengers: Infinity War" co-star Tom Hiddleston - who plays Loki - showed off the range of products inspired by his character and realised most of the MCUs other superheroes are emblazoned on backpacks, lunch boxes and other trinkets, but his alter ego isn't, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"This is a point of contention. Tom Hiddleston, he comes back from doing Thor and he's like, 'Look, dude!' And he's got a Thor lunchbox, a Thor slurpy cup and Thor backpacks. And there's Spider-Man backpacks and Hulk backpacks too," Cumberbatch told RadioTimes magazine.

"And I'm like, 'I'm a Marvel superhero too! Where's my Dr. Strange backpack for Christ's sake? Where's my merchandise I can bloody manipulate time. I can fly! Kids need to realise the potential value of having a Dr. Strange backpack," he added.

The British actor enjoyed shooting "Avengers: Infinity War" but his favourite days on set were when actor Robert Downey Jr was also around shooting scenes as Iron Man, because he always makes sure there is excellent food and everyone is well looked after.

"It's a happy set when he's around. He's everything you want in a friend and colleague and you get a proper lunch break with really great food," he said.

"He's very generous with the spoils of his success. On the days he's not there, you are eating out of a Styrofoam box going, 'What is this? Bring back Downey Jr'," he joked.

--IANS

ks/rb/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Voting began on Saturday on a brisk note across Karnataka to elect its 15th Legislative Assembly for a five-year term.

"Peaceful polling is being held in 222 of the 224 constituencies, including 36 segments reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC), 15 for Scheduled Tribes (ST) under tight security," an official told IANS here.

Denizens of Bengaluru were seen lined up outside polling booths from 6.30 a.m. to beat the rush in casting their ballots as voting began at 7 a.m.

Polling in Bengaluru's Raja Rajeshwari (RR) Nagar segment has been postponed to May 28 following the voter ID cards case and countermanded in the city's Jayanagar seat following the death of BJP contestant B.N. Vijaya Kumar on May 4.

In all, voting is being conducted across 26 of the 28 constituencies in the city.

During the initial hour of voting, there were reports of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) malfunctioning in some booths; power crisis in a polling station in Rajajinagar seat; voters names missing at few booths and women clad in burqa made to reveal their faces at a Belagavi polling booth -- that led to a few hiccups.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Chief Ministerial face B.S. Yeddyurappa was among the first to cast his vote in Shikaripura segment in Shivamogga district of Malnad region.

The state has over 5.06-crore electorate, including 2.56-crore men, 2.5-crore women and over 5,000 who identify themselves as the third gender.

A total of 15.42 lakh voters, aged 18-19, have registered to cast their ballot for the first time.

Voting is being held in 58,008 polling stations of 30 districts across the state, with 600 of them as pink booths, manned by all-women personnel, and 28 ethnic booths.

Over 1.5 lakh personnel have been stationed across the state for the election, with paramilitary forces from 585 state and central companies at 20,826 polling booths, including 12,001 critical booths.

Voting will continue till 6 p.m. and votes will be counted on May 15.

--IANS

bha/fb/in

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Campaigning for the May 14 panchayat polls campaigning in West Bengal came to an end on Saturday.

The rural elections will be held in 621 zilla parishads and 6157 panchayat samitis, besides in 31,827 gram panchayats, spread across 20 districts on May 14, the State Election Commission said.

The polling will begin at 7 a.m. and end at 5 a.m. and counting will take place on May 17, the commission said.

The run up to the polls which witnessed a series of court cases, also experienced of several clashes across districts between supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP, Congress and the Left.

Amid intense violence, the opposition parties accused the State Election Commission (SEC) of not providing enabling environment for their candidates to file nominations. They also accused the ruling Trinamool for unleashing a reign of terror during the nomination process for the polls.

On the other hand, Trinamool termed these allegations baseless and appealed voters to vote for development. The BJP, which has been trying to emerge as the main challenger to the Trinamool, promised development in rural areas if it is come to power while the Left Front and the Congress had appealed to the voters to defeat the Trinamool and BJP in Bengal.

--IANS

bdc/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Delhi government on Saturday wrote to Lt Governor Anil Baijal asking him to meet the ministers and legislators on Monday over the CCTV installation issue.

"I have written a letter to the LG and asked him to meet us at 3 p.m. on Monday. In the letter I have also written to allot us any other time on Monday if he is busy at that time," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told media here.

He also said that people are angry as they were expecting that the CCTVs will be installed soon.

"Several RWAs have been coming to us asking if we are installing the cameras or they will do it themselves from their own money," he said adding that the project got interrupted when it was in its final stage.

Sisodia said that all the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ministers and MLAs will gather at the Chief Minister's residence and will walk down to the Lt Governor's house.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that they will urge the LG not to follow the BJP's "orders".

"All ministers and MLAs will walk upto LG house from my residence on Monday at 3 p.m. to urge the LG not to follow BJP's directions and to allow CCTV cameras to be installed all over Delhi to strengthen women security," he tweeted.

--IANS

nks/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday that he was "very confident" of the ruling Congress retaining power in the southern state.

"We are very confident of retaining power. There is no question of a hung Assembly at all," an upbeat Siddaramaiah told reporters before voting in Mysuru district, about 150 km southwest of Bengaluru.

Siddaramaiah, along with his son Yathindra, voted from the Varuna Assembly segment amid cheering outside by scores of supporters.

The Chief Minister is contesting from Chamundeshwari in Mysuru and Badami in Bagalkot district in the state's northwest region.

He has fielded his son Yatindra from his hometown Varuna in Mysuru district.

--IANS

bha/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A day ahead of BJP President Amit Shah's visit to Goa, the Congress on Saturday demanded he immediately appoint a new Chief Minister to replace an ailing Manohar Parrikar.

Parrikar is undergoing advanced treatment for pancreatic cancer in a US hospital.

Former Union Minister of State for Law and senior Congress leader Ramakant Khalap also said the Congress would petition the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court challenging the constitutionality of the three-member minister advisory Committee appointed by Parrikar to administer the state in his absence.

"We are demanding from Shah to give the state a full-time Chief Minister, in place of Parrikar. In 2017, we got the people's mandate to form government but Shah usurped it from us," Khalap told reporters in presence of Goa Congress President Girish Chodankar.

"The state has no fully functional Chief Minister and the BJP does not even bother to fulfill its responsibility towards that end by giving a full-fledged Chief Minister," Khalap told reporters in presence of state Congress president Girish Chodankar.

Parrikar was shifted to the US in March, a month after he was first admitted for stomach pain, which was subsequently diagnosed as pancreatic cancer.

Khalap also said the Congress would soon file a petition in the High Court bench in Mumbai, challenging the constructional validity of a three-member committee of ministers appointed by Parrikar which includes one minister each from ruling coalition alliance parties and one minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"We hope the High Court bench in Goa will take cognisance of the 'unconstitutional manner' in which the state is being governed," Khalap said.

"There is no provision for three persons to rule a state. The result is chaos in administration. We are challenging the appointment of this committee," the Congress leader added.

--IANS

maya/pgh/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday that he was "very confident" of the ruling Congress retaining power in the southern state by winning over 120 seats.

"We are very confident of retaining power. There is no question of a hung Assembly at all," an upbeat Siddaramaiah told reporters before voting in Mysuru district, about 150 km southwest of Bengaluru.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's Chief Ministerial face, B.S. Yeddyurappa, said earlier that people were with the BJP and that he will form the government by winning 145-150 seats.

"On the evening of May 15, I will go and meet the Prime Minister and invite him for the swearing-in ceremony on May 17," Yeddyurappa told the media.

Responding to Yeddyurappa, Siddaramaiah said: "Yeddyurappa is mentally disturbed. The Congress will get more than 120 seats.

"Poor people from all communities are with us and the Congress will get a clear majority. There is no doubt, no confusion on this. We will come back to power. We will get more than 120 seats."

Siddaramaiah, along with his son Yathindra, voted from the Varuna Assembly segment amid cheering outside by scores of supporters.

The Chief Minister is contesting from Chamundeshwari in Mysuru and Badami in Bagalkot district in the state's northwest region. He has fielded his son Yatindra from his hometown Varuna in Mysuru district.

Brisk polling is taking place on Saturday for 222 of the 224 seats in the Karnataka Assembly.

--IANS

bha-nks/vsc/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A court here on Saturday directed Tihar jail authorities to produce before it, on Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's nephew Vinay Bansal arrested in connection with an alleged scam worth Rs 6 crore in the Public Works Department (PWD).

Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Shilpa Jain issued a production warrant for Bansal after Tihar jail officials failed to present him before her.

The jail authorities has also failed to present Bansal before the court on Friday.

The Anti-Corruption Branch on Thursday arrested Bansal from his residence in west Delhi's Pitampura after he failed to give satisfactory replies about a firm.

Bansal was later sent to one-day judicial custody on Thursday after he was presented in a Tis Hazari court here.

The son of Kejriwal's late brother-in-law Surender Bansal, he was a partner in a firm alleged to be involved in the scam.

The ACB registered an FIR on May 8, 2017 after a complaint that Surender Bansal got a tender below 46 per cent on behalf of company Renu Construction, on the estimated cost of Rs 4.9 lakh.

It was also mentioned in the complaint that the quality of iron and cement supplied were not up to the mark. During the probe, it was found that iron and cement were brought from Mahadeo Impacts, which was later found to be non-existent. Vinay Bansal was a partner with his father in Mahadeo Impacts.

--IANS

akk/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Glitches in EVMs delaying polling left hundreds of voters fuming in Karnataka's Assembly segments on a hot and humid Saturday.

Scores of balloting machines across the state were reportedly malfunctioning, leading to the voters having to wait for long hours in the queues for the machines to be fixed to cast their ballots.

Glitches were reported from a few polling stations in Hebbal, Yelahanka, Bengaluru South Assembly segments in the city, and at few booths in Chamarajanagar, Vijayapura and Ballari districts.

A total of 164 polling units and 157 control units of the EVMs along with 470 Voters Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) have malfunctioned so far, state Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar told reporters here.

EVMs comprising 94,841 balloting units and 84,830 controlling units that are connected to 86,495 VVPATs have been deployed across the state's 58,008 polling stations in 30 districts.

--IANS

bha/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a bid to encourage first-time voters, an eatery here was giving away free dosas to those had voted in the Karnataka assembly election on Saturday.

The eatery at Nrupathunga Road here was also giving free coffee to other voters after seeing the ink-mark on their fingers and their voters card.

Several of the first-time voters, aged 18-19, who comprise 15.42 lakh of Karnataka's 5.06 crore electorate, took selfies with ink mark on their index finger after coming out of the polling booths.

A few hospital patients here were seen reaching the voting booths in ambulances to cast their vote, while several senior citizens across the state braved the summer heat to stand in the queues in order to vote.

Also, three to-be brides in Belagavi, Madikeri and Dharwad districts headed down to the polling stations before going to their weddings.

Meanwhile, hundreds of villagers in Kalaburagi, 630 km north of Bengaluru, have boycotted the polls protesting the lack of basic facilities in the area.

--IANS

bha/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Google is rolling out new changes to its security policy which will effectively require original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to regularly release security patches for Android devices.

Most OEMs push out updates to some extent, mainly to help users have a sense of security on their device.

However, the updates are still totally optional in the long run, 9to5Google reported on Friday.

"We've worked on building security patching into our OEM agreement. This will lead to a massive increase in the number of devices, and users, receiving regular security patches," the report quoted David Kleidermacher, Head, Android platform security, Google, as saying.

The announcement, that was made dring a talk at the recently held Google's annual I/O developer conference, did not specify what Google will specifically require with this change.

"Project Treble" that is Google's plan to help manufacturers streamline the update process will reportedly play a vital role in this process.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actress Sunny Leone took everyone by surprise when she announced that she and her husband Daniel Weber had adopted girl child Nisha in 2017. Another surprise unfolded in March 2018, when she shared that they had extended their family by including two more children -- sons Noah and Asher -- via surrogacy. But the actress says she always wanted to have three children.

"I always pictured three children in my head but as time went by and no children... I would have been happy with one but God had different plans and made my dreams come true of a big family," Sunny told IANS in an email interview.

She will turn a year older on May 13 -- the same day as Mother's Day.

"It's pretty cool that both are on the same day. I am not sure about my birthday but I'm looking forward to Mother's Day," said the actress, popular for her "Baby doll" image.

She is new to motherhood and is absolutely enjoying it.

"I am the same person but now I have more love to spread to my kids. I'm so happy about being a mother," she said.

But what's it like to be a mother in the 21st century when crimes against children, especially girls, are increasing?

"I don't think they have increased. I believe that the news is highlighting what has been happening for a long time already," she said.

She just hopes "swift and harsh punishments follow these acts by the perpetrators".

Her focus is on her children's safety first.

"I do believe in neighbourhood safety groups for our children," said Sunny, whose real name is Karenjit Kaur Vohra.

Her little ones keep her on her toes but work hasn't taken a backseat. She is excited about ZEE5's show "Karenjit Kaur - The Untold Story Of Sunny Leone".

"Initially, my answer (to make a show on her life) was that I wasn't sure. But once I started hearing about what the director and the production house wanted, I started having an interest in it," said the Indo-Canadian talent.

The former adult film actress shot to fame in India when she entered the Bigg Boss house as a contestant. After the controversial reality show "Bigg Boss", she made her Bollywood debut with "Jism 2" in 2012.

What should the audience expect from the show?

"The unexpected. This is a part of my life story and not necessarily the journey you are expecting to see," she said.

There was also a Canadian documentary called "Mostly Sunny". Why does she feel the need to tell her story to the world?

"Many people are curious (about her choices and journey) and want to know; so, I believe that if I'm going to tell it then it should be in my words and from my eyes. That wasn't the case with the documentary," said the actress, who has also made appearances in Kannada, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu and Tamil films.

"What we have made is better than a film because it gets into many details that a film will never be able to explain. For a film, the team will pick and choose what they want to show in 100-120 minutes. This ('Karenjit Kaur...') is showing two seasons and 20 episodes of my story. It's only the tip of the iceberg," she added.

(Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at natalia.n@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.)Calling for bird conservation on "World Migratory Bird Day", Union Minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday said that India's rich ecology is supported by a wave of migratory species.

Marked with the theme "Unifying our Voices for Bird Conservation", the World Migratory Bird Day 2018 calls for securing and conserving the flyways used by the migratory birds for domestic and international migration.

"The rich ecological wealth of India is generously supported by waves of migratory species that breed, nest and feed here every year. It is estimated that over hundred species of migratory birds fly to India.

"India is playing host to a number of migratory birds in summers and winters. Numerous wildlife sanctuaries set up in the country serve as their temporary habitat. Bird lovers visit these sanctuaries to get a glimpse of some of the rarest species," Harsh Vardhan tweeted.

According to ornithologist Bikram Grewal, over 200 species of birds migrate to India during winters from Asian and European region.

"Lots of birds migrate domestically, though their numbers are not known, there is not much research on that," Grewal said.

During summers, mostly domestic or local migration happens with over 20 species of birds migrating from southern India to northern parts. Many more birds, according to Grewal, migrate from plains to hill stations in India during summer.

"Pied crested cuckoo migrates from Africa to India during monsoon. It is also called the harbinger of monsoon here due to its arrival time," Faiyaz A. Khudsar, scientist in-charge of Yamuna Biodiversity park, told IANS.

According to Khudsar, the migratory birds are indicator of the quality of canopy cover in the forests, which support these birds.

"The motive is to send a message of awareness and tell that these migratory birds bring life along," Khudsar said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Kerala Congress on Saturday said mere arrest of some police officers and suspension of Ernakulam Superintendent of Police (Rural) A.V. George over the custodial death of a 26-year-old youth is not adequate.

Earlier, a Sub-Inspector and three others were arrested in connection with the death of Sreejith in police custody, while George was put under suspension on Friday.

It all began with 56-year-old Vasudevan hanging himself after being threatened by a group of men at his house in early April.

A special police squad took Sreejith, father of a two-year-old, and nine others into custody on April 7 and charged them with abetment to suicide and rioting. Subsequently, Sreejith was taken to a hospital where he died on April 9.

The Congress-led opposition was up in arms over the youth's death, alleging that the government and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who also holds the Home portfolio, were shielding George.

"Things are now clear that George was being shielded by Vijayan and the CPI-M, as he was acting on behalf of a section of the party leaders. So, just his suspension won't do, he should be charged with murder," Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala told reporters here.

Sreejith's mother told the media on Saturday that the conspiracy to arrest Sreejith was hatched at the behest of a local CPI-M leader and that a meeting was held to decide who all should be arrested for barging into the house of Vasudevan.

No sooner had she made this statement, reports came that a local CPI leader near Sreejith's home was called in by the police probe team, questioned and his statement taken.

Chennithala said that the role of CPI-M leaders in Kochi must also be probed.

George had been in news previously, as he was involved in the arrest of PDP leader Abdul Nasir Maudany a few years back, probed the actress kidnap case, which led to the arrest of superstar Dileep and a few other high profile cases.

Meanwhile, according to informed sources, state police chief Loknath Behra has submitted the report of the police probe team led by Inspector General of Police S. Sreejith to Vijayan.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A man killed his teenage nephew and buried his corpse in their home in a case of honour killing in Karachi.

The boy, believed to be 18 years old, was beaten to death last week by his uncle who is currently absconding, police was cited as saying by the Daily Times on Saturday.

The police were informed about the incident by the victim's grandfather.

Earlier in April, Pakistani-Italian woman Sana Cheema was strangled to death by her brother, father and uncle in another "honour killing" case as she wanted to marry in Italy.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday received the Lamp of Peace award from the Franciscan order at a Basilica in Italy in a ceremony attended by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.

Following the ceremony at the Basilica of Saint Francis in the central town of Assisi, Merkel and Santos were due to meet acting Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, Efe news reported.

Merkel received the award for her "reconciliation efforts in favour of the peaceful coexistence of people".

The lamp is a reminder the Catholic order gives to world leaders that humanity wishes to leave behind the darkness of violence and allow the world to enter the light, organizers said.

Santos was granted the award in 2016 for his efforts to promote a peace process with the now-disbanded FARC rebels, which also won him a Nobel Peace Prize the same year.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a politically crucial Assembly election ahead of next year's Lok Sabha battle, millions voted in Karnataka on Saturday with the ruling Congress as well as the BJP and JD-S claiming they will win hands down.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he was "very very confident" that the Congress would retain power in the only major southern state it now rules as officials said more than a third of the over 5.06-crore electorate had voted till 1 p.m.

"Overall percentage of voting in 222 constituencies till 1 p.m. was 36.5 and 28 in Bengaluru city," said the state's Additional Chief Electoral Officer B.R. Mamatha.

Around 47 per cent voting was recorded in the coastal district of Dakshina Kannada.

"Voting has been peaceful by and large barring a few incidents of some non-functional EVMs, missing voter names and procedural delays," another official told IANS.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's Chief Ministerial face B.S. Yeddyurappa was among the first to vote at Shikaripura in Shivamogga district. He has claimed that the BJP will secure 140-150 seats and that he will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his swearing in.

Siddaramaiah ridiculed Yeddyurappa after voting on Saturday, saying the BJP leader was "mentally disturbed" and that the Congress was sure of bagging more than 120 seats.

Janata Dal-Secular chief and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, his wife Chennamma and second son H.D. Revanna cast their votes in their hometown Holenarsipura in Hassan district.

"We expect a possibility of forming the government as we have done well to get a majority," Deve Gowda told reporters.

Many in Bengaluru lined up outside polling centres since 6.30 a.m. to beat the early rush.

Polling in Bengaluru's Raja Rajeshwari Nagar segment has been postponed to May 28 following the discovery of voter ID cards and cancelled in the city's Jayanagar seat following the death of BJP contestant B.N. Vijaya Kumar.

In all, voting is being conducted in 26 of the 28 constituencies in the city.

Karnataka has over 5.06 crore electorate, including 2.6 crore men and 2.5 crore women. A total of 15.42 lakh voters, aged 18-19, have registered for the first time.

The highest number of voters (6.03 lakh) are in Bengaluru South and the lowest (1.7 lakh) at Sringeri in Chikkamagaluru district.

Polling is being held in 58,008 stations in 30 districts, with 600 of them dubbed 'pink booths', overseen by women personnel. Over 1.5 lakh security personnel have been deployed.

The vote count will take place on May 15.

In all, 2,654 candidates are in the fray, including 219 women. A total of 222 are from the Congress and BJP each, 201 from JD-S, 1,155 Independents and 800 from other national, regional and fringe parties. About 450 contestants are in the battle from Bengaluru.

Siddaramaiah is contesting from Chamundeshwari at Mysuru and Badami in Bagalkot district.

BJP's Lok Sabha member from Ballari B.R. Sriramaulu, contesting from two seats including Badami and Molakamuru (reserved) seat in Chitradurga district, on Saturday worshipped a cow and visited temples before voting.

JD-S state president and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is in the fray from Ramanagara and Channapatna seats. BJP state unit President Yeddyurappa is contesting from Shikaripura in Shivamogga district.

Siddaramaiah has fielded his son Yatindra from his hometown Varuna in Mysuru district.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi early on Saturday left here for the Muktinath Temple in Mustang district in Nepal. He will visit the Pashupatinath temple and attend civic receptions before returning to New Delhi later.

Muktinath is located at a height of 3,710 metre at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass. Modi will offer a special pooja at Muktichettra. Later he would return to Kathmandu and visit the Pashupatinath temple.

The Prime Minister will attend a reception hosted by Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Manjev Singh Puri, later during the day.

He will also attend a civic reception hosted by Kathmandu Metropolitian City before leaving for New Delhi.

Modi, who is on a two-day official visit to the neighbouring country, arrived in Janakpur on Friday and completed all his official engagements during the day.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday offered special prayers at the Pashupatinath temple here.

Modi spent around 30 minutes in the temple after paying homage at the Muktinath temple during his two-day visit to Nepal, largely billed as a religious one.

Nepal's Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari and other officials welcomed Modi at the Pashupatinath temple, the Kathmandu Post reported.

He is set to meet leaders of various political parties and will be given a lunch reception by Indian Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri.

He will also attend a civic reception hosted by Kathmandu Metropolitan City before leaving for New Delhi.

Modi arrived in Nepal on Friday. He inaugurated the Janakpur-Ayodhya bus service, a 900 MW Hydropower Project and also announced Rs 100 crore aid to develop Janakpur city.

He also held extensive discussions with his counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and other government officials to better bilateral ties on Friday when he said: "All misunderstandings with Nepal are over."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli has told his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that Nepal's territory will not be used against New Delhi's interests, Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said here on Saturday.

"Oli reiterated that they will be sensitive to our concerns and their territory will not be allowed to be used by anybody against India. Prime Minister Modi reciprocated the sentiments," Gokhale told the media.

Gokhale called Oli's view "very significant".

There was a chill in India-Nepal ties during Oli's earlier stint as Prime Minister between October 2015 and August 2016 when a border blockade blamed on New Delhi crippled Nepal's economy.

There were also perceptions that Oli was leaning towards China than India.

Gokhale said that Modi's two-day visit to Nepal was aimed to strengthen bilateral relations "whether it be cross-border electricity or cross-border connectivity".

"We are looking into cross-border electricity and cross-border connectivity not only with Nepal but other neighbouring countries as well," he said.

After assuming office in February, Oli made his first foreign visit to India in April.

Stating that India welcomed the restoration of democracy in Nepal, Gokhale said that both the government and the opposition in the Himalayan nation were parties to it.

He said both sides agreed to be committed towards the stated projects. "We will address this within a set timeline."

According to Gokhale, Oli confirmed to Modi that Nepal will host the the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) summit this year.

Bimstec comprises seven countries lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal -- Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Gokhale also said that Modi's visits to cultural sites in Nepal "suggested that there should be strong people-to-people ties".

Apart from offering prayers at temples in Nepal, the Indian leader inaugurated the Janakpur-Ayodhya bus service, a 900 MW hydropower project and announced Rs 100-crore aid to develop Janakpur city.

He also held extensive discussions with Oli, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and other government officials to better bilateral ties after which he said: "All misunderstandings with Nepal are over."

Modi also met leaders of opposition parties, starting with former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other members of the Nepali Congress.

He exchanged views on strengthening bilateral ties with former Prime Minister and Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is currently undergoing advanced treatment for pancreatic cancer in a New York hospital, was in touch with some specialist AYUSH doctors, before his medical condition reached a stage of "emergency" and he had to leave for the US, a Union Minister said on Saturday.

"He was in talks with some of our specialist doctors, but in the midst of this he had to leave in an emergency," Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik told a press conference here on Saturday, adding that Parrikar "believed" in the efficacy of AYUSH treatment.

Naik, a Lok Sabha member from North Goa and Parrikar's political peer in the state, said he had personally spoken to Parrikar to try AYUSH treatment to cure his ailment.

Parrikar is currently undergoing advanced treatment for pancreatic cancer in a New York hospital. He was shifted to the US in March, a month after he was first admitted in a Mumbai hospital for stomach pain, which was subsequently diagnosed as pancreatic cancer.

AYUSH stands for alternative forms of medicine, including Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Sidda and Homoeopathy, which are being aggressively promoted by the Centre's National Democratic Alliance government as alternatives to the allopathic medicine.

--IANS

maya/nir

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The turmoil in India's telecom sector, which has seen plunging revenues and mounting losses and debts, has resulted in the closure or acquisition-merger of several smaller or marginal players. But the deep bleed is now affecting even established firms.

Among the big four that are expected to remain standing -- Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone-Idea Cellular and the government-owned MTNL-BSNL -- Airtel has seen profits plummet sharply, while Idea, which is set to be merged with Vodafone, has seen valuations take a deep dive.

Despite the merger announcement, the Aditya Birla Group-promoted Idea Cellular's share price has dropped by almost 50 per cent to Rs 50 per share in the last two months. The share closed at Rs 51.45, down 11.83 per cent on Friday.

On February 12, the promoters of Idea Cellular -- Aditya Birla Group firms Grasim Industries, Aditya Birla Capital and Hindalco -- had, through their subsidiaries, invested Rs 3,250 crore in Idea's preferential issue. The investment was made at Rs 99.50 per share.

Soon after, Idea Cellular announced the successful closure of its Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) on February 23, having issued 42.42 crore equity shares to institutional buyers at an issue price of Rs 82.50 per share aggregating about Rs 3,500 crore.

According to industry insiders, the QIP issue had witnessed interest from investors from both India and abroad, and the issue allocation was approximately 56 per cent and 44 per cent to Indian and foreign investors, respectively.

But following the sharp drop in Idea's share price, there has been a huge erosion in the value of these investments.

According to market insiders, "QIP investors also lost heavily by 37 per cent of their investment of Rs 3,500 crore."

Bharti Airtel, the most established player in the telecom sector, posted a 77.79 per cent fall in consolidated net profit at Rs 82.90 crore for the March quarter. The company had posted a profit of Rs 373.40 crore in the corresponding quarter last year.

The turmoil which began with the advent of Reliance Jio and deepened through 2017, saw the weaker players pack up or merge with bigger entities.

In 2017, Airtel signed a memorandum of understanding with Tata Teleservices & Tata Teleservices Maharashtra to merge their Consumer Mobile Businesses for a token payment of Rs 1. Even Norwegian telecom giant Telenor had sold out its India business to Bharti Airtel in 2017.

Sistema also exited the market in favour of Reliance Communications, which itself exited the wireless telecom business and sold its towers, spectrum and Media Convergence Nodes assets to Reliance Jio.

According to industry sources, telecom companies together carry a debt of approximately Rs 5 lakh crore. However, the total sectoral liability -- if one takes into account loans from domestic banks, overseas borrowings and annual spectrum instalments -- is pegged at nearly Rs 8 lakh crore.

Successive spectrum auctions over the past seven years -- aimed at increasing government revenue -- have also contributed significantly to the sector's woes.

The price of spectrum in India is among the highest in the world and telecom firms have no option but to participate in the auctions and buy this expensive "raw material" if they want to stay relevant and competitive in the business.

The companies are, however, finding it extremely difficult to recover the crores of rupees spent in the auctions at a time tariffs have plunged. In India, average revenue per user (ARPU) is a measly $2 a month -- perhaps the lowest in the world.

Revenues from data services were supposed to flow in with the spectrum in place. But that has not materialised either. Global rating agency Fitch had earlier noted that monthly data consumption levels in Asian markets such as China, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan were nearly three to five times higher than in India.

The entry of Jio in September 2016 has added to the troubles of existing players as their primary revenue earner -- voice, accounting for over 80 per cent of revenues -- was suddenly being given away free.

Companies like RCOM, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea were compelled to match Jio's offers to maintain market share -- to the detriment of their bottomlines.

In a bid to give relief to the telecom sector, the Telecom Commission in September 2017 has increased the tenure of installments to be paid for spectrum bought in auctions to 16 years from 10 years, while lowering the rate of interest charged on penalties on delayed payment.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday urged Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu to establish a new airport on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.

He said Biju Patnaik International Airport registered the fastest growth of passenger traffic in 2017-18 in India as it recorded 3.25 million passengers, both domestic and international.

"The airport, which was started in 1962, is near saturation and faces severe space and runway-related constraints. There is, thus, an urgent need to set up a new airport at Bhubaneswar given the tremendous growth potential of this Smart City," said Pradhan in a letter released to media on Saturday.

The process of identifying a suitable piece of land near Khordha on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar is underway.

As the construction of development of the airport takes considerable time, this process needs to be hastened to avoid severe air traffic congestions and needless public inconvenience, said Pradhan.

He also requested Prabhu for commissioning of a new terminal (T3) and revamping facilities at the existing two terminals to international standards.

Expressing his pleasure over upcoming plans for launching flights from Jharsuguda under UDAN scheme, he sought Prabhu's support for early operationalization of the UDAN scheme at remaining airports of Jeypore, Rourkela and Utkela.

He also proposed a longer runway at Jharsuguda airport to handle bigger aircraft and sought Prabhu's intervention for the early completion of this project.

The union minister also proposed operationalisation of ATR-type flights connecting Bhubaneswar, Jharsuguda, Ranchi, Raipur, Kolkata and Vishakhapatnam to boost regional air connectivity.

Pradhan also reiterated the demand for commissioning of a new airport at Paradip, which is emerging as the economic hub of Odisha with investments of around Rs 92,000 crore in various sectors.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Indian actress Priyanka Chopra's "Quantico" will not be getting a fourth season.

The network ABC has opted to cancel the terrorism drama. Its season 3 finale will now serve as the series ender, reports deadline.com.

"Quantico", from ABC Studios and producer Mark Gordon, was a breakout when it debuted in 2015, setting delayed viewing lift records. But with its dense narrative and heavy serialisation, the series started to lose momentum in the second half of its first season and continued to see declines through season 2 and into season 3.

It came down-to-the-wire last May for the drama series when it scored a last-minute abbreviated season 3 renewal with a reduced license fee and new creative under a new showrunner.

Created by Joshua Safran, the show starred Priyanka as Alex Parrish -- an FBI recruit who joins the agency after graduating from the FBI Academy and becomes a prime suspect of a terrorist attack on Grand Central Terminal.

Season three saw Alex going back to navigating the dangerous waters of the CIA that she left behind when she retired to Italy. The Indian actress got global acclaim after the show and also won two People's Choice Awards for her role.

The show is aired o on Star World and Star World HD.

The cast also included Jake McLaughlin, Johanna Braddy, Russell Tovey, Alan Powell, Marlee Matlin and Blair Underwood.

While the show got cancelled, Indian-American actor Kal Penn expressed his desire to work with Priyanka. He tweeted to her: "Hey Priyanka Chopra, let's do a movie."

Priyanka responded: "Done and done Kal Penn."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Telugu superstar Ram Charan Teja will never approve of casting couch in the film industry.

Ram, who made his Bollywood debut with Priyanka Chopra-starrer "Zanjeer" in 2013, made the comment on CNN-News18's talk show "Now Showing" where he shared his opinion on casting couch and the power of social media.

In the wake of #MeToo movement after Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was exposed for sexual harassment, Telugu actress Sri Reddy took to the streets in protest against casting couch, sparking a war of words with Ram's uncle and filmmaker-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan.

"I am not talking particularly about her (Sri Reddy). But overall, to hear this word anywhere, in any industry -- whether in politics or business industry -- doesn't sound right to anyone. Nobody would encourage it, especially when I have five of my sisters in the same field, I would personally not want to pursue it or witness such a disaster in the industry," said Ram.

"We have to always evaluate whatever we hear, whether it is from a great guy or a girl who is working hard in this industry. We can't blindly go without trying to find any sense behind it. So, I guess this particular case has helped us form a committee in our industry to look into such matters," he added.

Last month, Movie Artists Association (MAA) President Shivaji Raja said a committee comprising senior actors and filmmakers of Telugu film industry would study complaints of sexual harassment.

Ram, a recipient of two Nandi Awards, said the panel was looking into Sri Reddy's charges.

"Now they are really looking into it to find out how much of this is true and if it is true, then serious action will be taken and that gives us comfort and a sign of security that my sisters too can work in the industry because I am not going to be with them always... They will have to be by themselves. So, there is a committee now and I really want to take this issue to the committee to decide," said Ram.

Before the committee was formed, Sri Reddy created a sensation by resorting to strip protest against casting couch in Tollywood in front of the office of Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce here on April 7.

The actress had also questioned the Telangana government and MAA on the absence of a Committee Against Sexual Harassment.

MAA had not only dismissed her allegations but also declared that she would not be given its membership under any circumstances. It said that action would be taken against any artiste who would share screen space with her.

Following the Commission's observation, the MAA President said they had no grudge against Sri Reddy but as her allegations hurt the artistes, it was decided to impose the ban. He said all 900 members of MAA were free to work with her.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actor Ravi Dubey will host "Sabse Smart Kaun?", which will celebrate smartness in common people.

"The show has a very unusual concept that celebrates smartness in common people. The show gives people a chance to become rich using their common sense by giving the right answers at the right time.

"The show targets audiences across demographics who stand a chance to become rich with their smartness quotient. Anybody can participate on the show; no pre-required skill or talent," Ravi told IANS.

Did he brush up his general knowledge and current affairs for the show?

"I love to be aware about current affairs in general but this show is not about that. Participants in turn need not be updated. All they need is to be aware, give right answers to the questions at the right time," he said.

In the past, Bollywood biggies like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan have hosted game shows. Is he feeling the pressure?

"I feel no pressure. I just have more sense of responsibility towards my show. The shows hosted by Mr. Bachchan and SRK were the kinds that needed a certain skill set among people, our show has more to do with presence of mind. The concept is a little 'hatke' and I am kicked about this show," said the actor, who just finished hosting "Rising Star (Season 2)".

"Sabse Smart Kaun?" will soon air on Star Plus.

--IANS

nn/rb

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)At least two persons were killed and more than 40 injured, including 10 policemen, when clashes broke out between two groups in this famed tourist town, an official said.

The violence erupted late on Friday following a trivial local incident which angered members of a particular community in Motikaranja area. This soon flared up into rioting with stone-pelting and arson, targeting vehicles and shops.

Police forces were rushed to the locality but they failed to control the violence and resorted to caning and firing teargas shells and plastic bullets to quell the rampaging crowds. Prohibitory orders were subsequently imposed in the affected areas.

The cause of the death of the two persons, whose identies are still unknown, is not clear yet.

Aurangabad Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe said there were two rounds of violence, one Friday evening followed by another on Saturday, but "now the situation is under control".

"It was a small issue... It escalated due to rumours and the tensions spread... Some anti-social elements indulged in setting ablaze shops and vehicles in the locality," Bharambe told the media.

The worst-hit areas were Shahganj, Nawabpura, Rajabazaar and Angribaug which continued to remain calm but tense this evening.

Local eyewitness accounts said over three dozen shops belonging to small businessmen were burnt, and many private vehicles and at last two police vans were also torched.

The state government deployed units of the State Reserve Police Force, Indian Reserve Battalion from the city, besides rushing forces from neighbouring Beed and Jalna to maintain peace.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has been apprised of the matter while Minister of State for Home Deepak Kesarkar is rushing to Aurangabad to take stock of the situation, an official said in Mumbai.

Kesarkar and Aurangabad Collector Uday Chaudhari, besides Bharambe met this afternoon and discussed the situation, details of which were awaited.

They have appealed to the people of the city to remain calm and not be misled by rumour-mongers.

Leader of Opposition in Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said Fadnavis should own up moral responsibility for failing to prevent the riots and submit his resignation.

"It is a clear failure of the Police Department and since the past four years, the Home Department is handled by Fadnavis. He has proved to be ineffective in maintaining law and order with incidents reported daily from all over the state and must quit," he demanded.

Terming it as "a total failure of the intelligence department," Leader of Opposition in Council Dhananjay Munde demanded a judicial probe into the riots and compensation for the victims.

Opposition Congress state President Ashok Chavan called upon the people to maintain peace and "foil the nefarious designs of communal and divisive forces" trying to spread social unrest between communities.

"The rioters have burnt over 100 shops in the city. What was the police doing when these anti-social forces were on a rampage the whole night? Do they enjoy government patronage," Chavan asked.

On the reasons behind the flare-up, several triggers are bandied about, including selective disconnection of illegal water connections belonging to members of a particular community, an altercation between a mango seller and a customer, and other localized issues.

Meanwhile, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen President Asaduddin Owaisi appealed to Fadnavis to take strong action against the miscreants indulging in the rioting.

Located in the Marathwada region of the state, Aurangabad is world-renowned for the famous Ajanta-Ellora Caves, Bibi Ka Maqbara and other historical landmarks.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)At least two persons were killed and more than 40 injured, including 10 policemen, when clashes broke out between two groups in this famed Maharashtra tourist town, an official said.

Minister of State for Home Deepak Kesarkar said that the violence erupted late on Friday following a trivial local issue which angered the people in some areas.

"Due to rumours which circulated like wildfire on social media, it quickly flared up and spread," Kesarkar told IANS.

In the final tally, the minister said two persons have lost their lives, including one in an arson incident and another in the plastic bullets firing by the police.

"Three Assistant Commissioners of Police and around 10 policemen, besides more than 30 civilians have also been injured. One ACP's condition is serious and he will be operated on later," Kesarkar added.

The full-scale rioting resulted in heavy stone-pelting and torching of vehicles and shops in the affected areas even as local police forces rushed to the areas around 10.30 on Friday night.

The authorities snapped Internet and social media networks in the city as a precaution late on Friday to prevent rumour-mongering.

Attempting to control the rampaging mobs, police resorted to caning, lobbing teargas shells and fring plastic bullets and imposed prohibitory orders, banning assembly for four or more persons.

However, Kesarkar denied allegations that police may have played a partisan role in the whole affair and said they managed to bring the situation under control very soon.

Aurangabad Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe said there were two rounds of violence, one Friday evening followed by another on Saturday, but "now the situation is under control".

"It was a small issue... It escalated due to rumours and the tensions spread... Some anti-social elements indulged in setting ablaze shops and vehicles in the locality," Bharambe told the media.

The worst-hit areas were Shahganj, Nawabpura, Rajabazaar and Angribaug which continued to remain calm but tense even 24 hours later.

Local eyewitness accounts said over three dozen shops mostly belonging to small businessmen, were reduced to ashes and many private vehicles and at last two police vans were also torched.

The state government deployed units of the State Reserve Police Force, Indian Reserve Battalion from the city, besides rushing forces from neighbouring Beed and Jalna to maintain peace.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has been apprised of the matter while Kesarkar rushed to Aurangabad to take stock of the situation along with Aurangabad Collector Uday Chaudhari, Bharambe and other officials.

The officials have appealed to the people of the city to remain calm and not get misled by rumour-mongers.

Attacking the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said: "Fadnavis should own up moral responsibility for failing to prevent the riots and submit his resignation."

"It is a clear failure of the Police Department and since the past four years, the Home Department is handled by Fadnavis. He has proved to be ineffective in maintaining law and order with incidents reported daily from all over the state and must quit," he demanded.

Hitting out at the law enforcers for "a complete failure of the intelligence department," Leader of Opposition in Council Dhananjay Munde demanded a judicial probe into the riots and compensation for the victims.

Opposition Congress state President Ashok Chavan called upon the people to maintain peace and remain vigilant to "foil the nefarious designs of communal and divisive forces" trying to spread social unrest between communities.

"The rioters have burnt over 100 shops in the city. What was the police doing when these anti-social forces were on a rampage the whole night? Do they enjoy government patronage," he asked.

Meanwhile, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen President Asaduddin Owaisi appealed to Fadnavis to take strong action against the miscreants indulging in the rioting.

Located in the Marathwada region of the state, Aurangabad is world-renowned for the famous Ajanta-Ellora Caves, Bibi Ka Maqbara and other historical landmarks.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two senior leaders of a US Navy SEAL team deployed to Africa have been relieved of their duties and sent home over sexual misconduct allegations, officials said.

"Special Operations Command Africa commander Maj. Gen. Mark Hicks suspended the Special Operations Command Forward -- East Africa commander and senior enlisted adviser of their duties on May 10 due to allegations of misconduct," Maj. Casey Osborne, a spokesman for Special Operations Command Africa, told CNN on Friday.

Gen. Hicks directed both individuals to return to their home station for further adjudication regarding the allegations, Osborne said.

One of the two senior leaders was accused of inappropriately touching a female service member while both face allegations of sexual harassment.

Even though the two were sent back to the US, they remained in their positions while the Navy's Criminal Investigative Service looks into the allegations.

Many of the US Navy SEALs in East Africa conduct operations in Somalia where they advise Somali forces battling Al-Shabaab, the local affiliate of Al Qaeda.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The UN nuclear agency IAEA on Friday appointed Massimo Aparo as acting chief of nuclear inspections and deputy director general of the agency, without giving much information.

Tero Varjoranta, previous head of the Department of Safeguards as well as deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) left office on Friday without offering more details, Xinhua reported.

Varjoranta has led the IAEA's key department in investigating Iranian nuclear issue since being appointed to the post in 2013.

"The Director General appointed Massimo Aparo as Acting Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Safeguards on May 11, 2018," the IAEA said.

The changes came three days after US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced his decision to pull the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, ignoring repeated opposition from western allies.

--IANS

ahm/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An UN rights expert has expressed concerns over the "widespread discrimination" faced by ethnic minorities, Brexit-era hate crimes and immigration consequences in Britain.

The UN Special Rapporteur on racism, E. Tendayi Achiume, on Friday also expressed concern over how normalised hateful, stigmatising discourse was becoming, including among high-ranking officials, Xinhua news agency reported.

She said that the anti-migrant, anti-foreigner rhetoric developed around the campaign in favour of Brexit had become widespread in society.

"I am shocked by the criminalisation of young people from ethnic minorities, especially young black men. They are over-represented in police stop and searches, more likely to face prosecution under the country's joint enterprise provisions, and are over-represented in the prison system," she said at the end of a fact-finding visit to Britain.

"I have been informed of so-called 'gang matrix' databases held in several cities in England which are used as the basis for surveillance operations against young men and boys who are predominantly black and are listed as potential future violent offenders, sometimes without any basis," she added.

The UN expert said that austerity measures were having a disproportionate impact on ethnic minorities and called for a unified UK-level policy that lays out a comprehensive strategy and benchmarks for systemic elimination of unlawful racial disparities.

The Special Rapporteur will present her final report to the June 2019 session of the UN Human Rights Council.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A pair of US Air Force stealth fighter jets have intercepted two Russian nuclear-capable bombers in international airspace off the coast of Alaska, a spokesman for the North American Aeorospace Defence Command (NORAD) said.

The Russian long-range bombers on Friday flew into the Air Defence Identification Zone, which extends approximately 321 km off Alaska's western coast, CNN reported.

"At approximately 10 a.m. ET, two Alaskan-based NORAD F-22 fighters intercepted and visually identified two Russian TU-95 'Bear' long-range bomber aircraft flying in the Air Defence Identification Zone around the western coast of Alaska," NORAD and US Northern Command spokesman Canadian Army Major Andrew Hennessy said in a statement.

The Russian aircraft were "intercepted and monitored by the F-22s until the bombers left the ADIZ along the Aleutian Island chain heading west" and never entered US airspace, according to the statement.

The last such intercept of Russian aircraft by US jets took place on May 3, 2017.

Separately, Saturday marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of NORAD, the command that monitors all air activity emanating from within and outside North American airspace.

--IANS

soni/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Yemeni government forces succeeded in retaking control of a district from the Shia Houthi rebels after fierce armed confrontations and airstrikes in the southwestern province of Taiz on Saturday, an Army commander said.

"The Houthi militants have been defeated in Alwazy'ah district after units of the Army and allied tribal fighters launched overnight offensive and backed by intensified Saudi-led air strikes," the Army commander was cited as saying by Xinhua news agency.

He said that the government forces supported by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) carried out a well-planned assault, forcing the Houthi militants to run away which resulted in full recapture of Alwazy'ah district on Saturday morning.

The state-run UAE news agency WAM reported that the Yemeni National Forces liberated the entire Alwazy'ah front, expunging the Iran-backed Houthi militia out of their pockets in the area.

The liberation came as part of a large-scale campaign that was supported by the UAE Armed Forces and inflicted heavy human and material damage on the rebels.

Meanwhile, the UAE-backed Yemeni forces continued in making ground progress in the fighting in western coast of Hodeidah province and liberated several areas from the Houthi rebels.

A military official said that "the government forces will continue in its advance and a large-scale military operation might be declared to liberate the port city of Hodeidah soon".

The UN has listed Yemen as the world's number one humanitarian crisis, with seven million Yemenis on the brink of famine and cholera.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Palestinian was killed and 176 were wounded by Israeli army fire today as thousands of Gaza residents protested near their sealed border part of a weeks-long campaign to end a decade-old blockade of the territory.

Vandals burned a fuel complex and a conveyor belt on the Palestinian side of Gaza's main cargo crossing with Israel, causing more than USD 9 million in damages and disrupting the import of diesel fuel and building materials, the military said.

Today's clashes offered a preview of what will likely be a much larger protest and possibly a border breach on Monday when the United States relocates its embassy in Israel to contested Jerusalem amid Palestinian outrage.

President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the embassy there "is causing the volcano to spew," said 25-year-old protester Ahmed Deifallah as he stood near the Gaza border, a Palestinian flag draped around his head. Deifallah, who is unemployed like almost half the Gaza labor force, said he would also join Monday's protest and is not afraid to die.

"We are used to confronting the (Israeli) occupation with our bare chests," he said. "We are used to wars and no one with us but Allah." Friday marked the seventh weekly border protest since late March. The demonstrations have been organized by Gaza's Hamas rulers, but are fueled by despair among the territory's 2 million people. The vast majority are barred from travel and trade, while the blockade has gutted the economy. As in previous weeks, thousands flocked to five tent camps near the border some 15,000 people, according to the Israeli military.

From the camps, smaller groups moved closer to the fence. They threw stones, burned tires and flew kites with burning rags attached to them, hoping to steer them into Israel to set fields on fire.

The area was quickly engulfed in thick black smoke from the burning tires. Israeli soldiers, some crouching behind sand berms, fired live bullets and tear gas volleys from the other side of the fence.

The Israeli military said protesters also threw pipe bombs and grenades toward Israeli soldiers and damaged the fence.

Palestinians vandalized a fuel complex and conveyor belt on the Palestinian side of Gaza's main cargo crossing, Kerem Shalom, the army said. It said the fuel installation is the only way to bring diesel fuel into Gaza for operating generators for hospitals and other key facilities.

The military distributed a video showing Palestinians cheering as a fire was set. It was the second such attack on the facility in a week. "Hamas continues to lead the residents of Gaza to destroy the only assistance they receive," the army said.

Nissim Jan, the director of an Israeli company that operates Kerem Shalom in partnership with private Palestinian companies, said he spent large sums to repair last week's damage. "This time I can't repair and will not repair it. Where shall I bring money from?" he said.

The Gaza Health Ministry said a 40-year-old protester was killed and 176 were wounded by Israeli fire Friday. Ten of the wounded were in serious condition, including a 16-year-old boy who was shot in the head. Nearly 800 others were overcome by tear gas or suffered other types of injuries.

Today's death brought to 41 the number of protesters killed since March 30. In the same period, more than 1,800 were wounded by Israeli fire.

Despite such risks, Gaza's Hamas leader, Yehiyeh Sinwar, has said he expects tens of thousands to participate in Monday's protest. He has raised the possibility of a mass border breach, comparing protesters to a "starving tiger," unpredictable and full of pent-up anger.

Israel has said it will prevent any border breach and has stuck to its open-fire policies, including targeting "main instigators" and those approaching the fence, despite growing international criticism.

Israel says it has a right to defend its border and has accused Hamas of using the protests as a cover for attacking the border. Rights groups say the use of potentially lethal force against unarmed protesters is unlawful.

There are growing concerns that if Israel and Hamas dig in, a widespread border breach could lead to large numbers of casualties.

The protests are part of a campaign to break the blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt after the Islamic militant Hamas overran Gaza in 2007.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An unknown armed gang has killed at least 23 people in an attack on a village in northwest Burundi, a local official said.

"We have already counted 23 people killed, including men, women and children, but the toll could increase as we continue to search for victims," the official told AFP about last night's attack on condition of anonymity .

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 70 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the high-stakes Karnataka Assembly polls today, the Election Commission (EC) said.

The last Assembly election in the southern state in 2013 had witnessed 71.4 per cent polling, the poll panel said.

"I want to congratulate the voters of Karnataka. Till 6 pm, the voter turnout in the state was 70 per cent. Barring a few polling stations, voting has been completed at almost all," Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha told reporters here.

"By the time we get the final figure, we will have a better turnout than the last election," he added.

The poll percentage is likely to go up as voters were seen standing in the queue at certain polling stations even after 6 pm.

The rural voters outnumbered their urban counterparts in exercising their franchise.

Voting was held in 222 of the 224 Assembly seats in Karnataka, in a three-cornered contest involving the ruling Congress, the BJP and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's JD(S).

Over 2,600 candidates are in the fray -- more than 2400 men and and over 200 women.

Of the 5,06,90,538 eligible voters, 2,56,75,579 are men, 2,50,09,904 women and 5,055 transgenders.

Officials said 58,008 polling stations were set up across the state, of which 12,002 were designated as "critical".

Over 3,50,000 polling personnel were deployed.

As many as 82,157 security personnel, including home guards, civil defence volunteers and forest guards were pressed into service, Sinha said.

The southern state had witnessed an all-time high seizure, including a huge amount of cash, in the run-up to the polls.

"The total value of the seizure was Rs 186 crore, of which cash amounted to Rs 94.66 crore, besides liquor Rs 24.78 crore," Sinha said.

"Other items, including sarees and other consumable products, worth Rs 66 crore, were also confiscated. The seizures are worth eight times more than what it was during the last Karnataka Assembly election. In the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh polls, the seizures were worth Rs 150 crore," he added.

The counting of votes will take place on May 15.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)After Saudi Aramco, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) will pick up stake in the planned USD 44-billion refinery-cum-petrochemical project in Maharashtra.

An initial agreement for ADNOC taking stake is slated to be signed in UAE tomorrow, official sources said.

Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil producer, had last month signed an agreement to take up 50 per cent stake in the Ratnagiri refinery project.

Aramco had, at the agreement signing event, stated that it will at a later date dilute some of its 50 per cent equity stake in the 60 million tonne-a-year refinery project in favour of another strategic investor.

Now, the Saudi national oil company is diluting some of that stake to ADNOC, they said.

UAE Minister and ADNOC Group CEO Sultan Al Jaber, Aramco CEO Amin H Nasser and Indian Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will be present at the agreement signing in UAE tomorrow.

As per the April agreement, Aramco is to supply half of the crude oil required for processing at the refinery that will be commissioned by 2025.

State-owned refiners Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) will own the remaining 50 per cent stake.

Like other major producers, Aramco and ADNOC are looking to lock in customers in the world's third-largest oil consumer through the investment. Kuwait too is looking to invest in projects in return for getting an assured offtake of their crude oil.

Last year, Saudi Arabia invested in refinery projects in Indonesia and Malaysia that came with long-term crude oil supply deals.

Saudi Arabia was the biggest oil supplier to India till 2016-17, but slipped behind Iraq last fiscal. It had supplied 39.5 million tonnes of crude oil to India in 2016-17, ahead of 37.5 million tonnes by Iraq.

But, in the first 11 months of 2017-18 fiscal, Saudi supplies at 33.9 million tonnes, lagged behind Iraqi exports of 42.4 million tonnes to India.

UAE supplies a small quantity of oil to India.

Aramco is also keen on venturing into fuel retailing in India.

India has a refining capacity of 232.066 million tonnes, which exceeded the demand of 194.2 million tonnes in 2016-17 fiscal.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), this demand is expected to reach 458 million tonnes by 2040. IOC has 11 refineries with a total capacity of 81.2 MT, while BPCL has four refineries with a total capacity of 33.4 MT. HPCL has three refineries with a total capacity of 24.8 MT.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Delhi-based social venture has claimed to have come out with an alternative to Braille books which the sighted people too would be able to read, understand and teach easily to the visually challenged students.

Braille books have for many years restricted sighted persons from understanding or reading them easily. The new books with special embossing techniques can be read by a visually impaired person and at the same time do not disturb the readability of a sighted reader, which could go a long way in helping such children to be part of mainstream education, according to its creators.

"They are an invention after research and development work done in-house for nearly five years.The books being introduced by us are integrated with special embossing technique which does not disturb the readability of a sighted reader and at the same time can be read by a visually impaired person by sensing the tactile braille and images through their fingers," said Puneet Arora, co founder of Inklude which came out with the product.

The products have been tested by various blind and low vision children, adults and organizations, he added.

Launched in January this year, the products have already been used by institutions such as, Blind School at the All India Confederationof the Blinds - New Delhi, Delhi Public Library at the Blind Relief Association - New Delhi, Xavier's Resource Center for the Visually Impaired - Mumbai and Akhil Bhartiya Netrahin Sangh - New Delhi, he claimed.

"Children who are visually challenged are more reliant on touch or their tactile sense to experience the world. Unfortunately, braille books and aids available are not inclusive as a sighted teacher, parents can't teach a non-sighted child to read," Arora said.

"Because of this children are separated from the mainstream. Therefore we aim to send each and every visually challenged child into mainstream school and highly advocates the concept of integrated for social fulfilment," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Breaking his silence, former vice president M Hamid Ansari today supported AMU students' demand for action against intruders who created ruckus on the varsity campus over Jinnah portrait issue on May 2, when he was present there for an event, and said their peaceful stir against the transgression is commendable.

The event where Ansari was to be conferred the life membership of the Aligarh Muslim University Students Union was cancelled due to the alleged violence by right wing Hindu activists.

Ansari, who has studied at AMU, said the disruption, its precise timing, and the "excuse manufactured for justifying it", raises questions.

"The peaceful protest by the (AMU) students against this transgression is commendable. They must ensure that it does not in any way interfere with their academic pursuits.

Their request that action be taken against the intruders and disruptors, after a judicial enquiry, is justified. The authorities of the AMU have made a similar request, he said in a letter to AMU Students Union.

He said the programme of the day, including an address by him on May 2 in the Kennedy Auditorium, was publicly known. The authorities concerned had been intimated officially and were cognizant of the standard arrangements including security for such occasions.

In view of it, the access of the intruders to close proximity of the University Guest House where I was staying remains unexplained, he said.

The former vice president also thanked the AMU Students Union and its office bearers for conferring the honour on him.

However, disruptions earlier that afternoon by intruders and anti-social elements inimical to the AMU resulted in the cancelling of the event.

This has been rightly condemned by the students and teachers of AMU as also by the AMU alumni the world over, he said.

This is the first time that the former vice president has openly spoken out against the violent protests over Mohammad Ali Jinnah's portrait in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

Certain groups have been protesting the presence of Jinnah's portrait in the AMU campus and their protest led to clashes on the campus on May 2.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Chandigarh police has sought a detailed report on the incident in which Punjab police Inspector Parminder Singh Bajwa provided information about the presence of gangsters at a bus stand here last month, which later turned out to be "untrue".

Bajwa, who was the Station House Officer of the Mehatpur police station at Shahkot in Jalandhar, was yesterday replaced by the Election Commission over complaints of bias and violation of the code of conduct in filing of an FIR against Hardev Singh Ladi Sherowalia, the Congress candidate for the Shahkot bypoll.

He was arrested yesterday for allegedly assaulting a government official in Jalandhar.

On the intervening night of April 22 and 23, Bajwa had called up the Chandigarh police control room, informing them about the presence of 10 to 12 armed gangsters at a 'Dhaba' at the sector 43-bus stand, according to the Chandigarh police.

After getting inputs about the gangsters, a Chandigarh police team reached the bus stand within no time and asked Bajwa about the gangsters.

"When I asked him about what colour of clothes the gangsters were wearing, Bajwa could not reply," said Chandigarh Deputy Superintendent of Police (Operations) Jaswinder Singh.

Jaswinder was leading the team of police comprising Commando unit at that time.

People present at the 'Dhaba' and in and around bus stand were thoroughly checked and verified.

"But we did not find any armed gangster. Some persons on whom Punjab police Inspector expressed suspicion were found to be genuine," said the DSP.

"A detailed report on the matter has been sought from the police official concerned who went to the spot on that day," said SSP, Chandigarh Police, Nilambari Jagadale here today.

SSP Jagadale said the next course of action would be decided after receiving the report.

Meanwhile, Bajwa was shifted to the de-addiction centre at the Jalandhar civil hospital.

The condition of Bajwa was "stable", Jalandhar Civil Surgeon Jaspreet Kaur said today.

Bajwa is being kept under observation of a panel of nine specialized doctors at the de-addition centre.

As the SHO of the Mehatpur police station, Bajwa had booked the Congress candidate for the Shahkot bypoll in an alleged illegal mining case.

He was yesterday arrested from the Jalandhar court and booked under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) of the IPC.

He was carrying his licensed revolver at the time of being frisked, police had said yesterday. Bajwa had gone to the district court to seek security for himself as he feared for his life.

Bajwa was sent to judicial custody till May 25.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had earlier said the FIR against Laddi was part of a political conspiracy.

He had also accused Bajwa of being in touch with leaders of the opposition SAD and AAP.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Bangladeshi national coming from New Delhi was arrested in the city airport after security personnel found that he was carrying a fake Aadhaar card, airport sources said today.

Saheb Ahmed, a resident of Brahmanbaria in the neighbouring country, is being interrogated to find out if he has any terror link, the sources said.

Ahmed landed in the NSCBI Airport here yesterday night and he was supposed to catch a flight for Bengaluru, the sources said.

Security personnel accosted him on suspicion and found that he was carrying a Bangladeshi passport but his India visa has expired.

On the fake Aadhaar card, Ahmed told his interrogators that he procured it from Aizawl, the sources said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Northeast India Federation of Journalists (NIFJ) today called upon the scribes of the region to unite in order to overcome the challenges faced by the media fraternity of the region.

Journalists in the region are facing threats from extremist groups, forest and drug mafia, intolerant politicians, bureaucrats and business community organisations, the NIFJ said in a statement.

"Journalists of this region are not getting a decent salary and perks. The newspaper managements have not implemented mandatory Wageboard Awards. The plight of the journalists of electronic media is worse. They are not covered under the Working Journalists Act," it said.

The NIFJ urged the management of media houses to abide by the mandatory provisions of the labour laws such as issuance of appointment letters, provident fund, gratuity, leaves and due promotion to the scribes.

"Since journalists of Northeast are working in hostile environment risking their lives, insurance and compensation should be made mandatory," a declaration by the NIFJ said.

It expressed happiness that some state governments have started pension scheme for journalists.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Catalonia's parliament failed to elect pro-independence candidate Quim Torra as regional president today, although the candidate handpicked by deposed leader Carles Puigdemont said he will work "tirelessly" for a split from Spain.

Following a bullish anti-Madrid speech during a debate in the Catalan parliament, Torra won 66 votes against 65, with 4 regional lawmakers abstaning in the first round of voting.

However, the same result in the second round vote scheduled for Monday would be enough for him to be elected, as only a simple majority will be required.

The 55-year-old father-of-three, is an independence advocate cut from the same cloth as Puigdemont, who is currently in exile in Germany fighting an arrest warrant and extradition request from Spain, but still exerting his influence on back in Catalonia.

Addressing parliament, Torra said he was "working tirelessly for the Catalan republic" and signalled that the secession crisis is far from over, even if Catalonia does finally get a government after months of political limbo.

"I want it to be clear that our president is Carles Puigdemont and we will be loyal to the mandate of October 1 to build an independent state in the form of a republic," Torra said, referring to last year's outlawed independence referendum.

He promised to restore Catalonia's laws suspended by Spanish courts and start drafting a constitution for a future Catalan Republic, stressing that he would "not give up anything" and would "assume responsibility for what comes from our actions".

Puigdemont would become involved as soon as his legal situation allowed, added Torra, who also condemned the "unacceptable silence" of European institutions over the Catalan crisis.

But he did say he was "ready to talk tomorrow without conditions" with the government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

Rajoy quickly responded to the speech, saying: "What we saw and heard did not please us... but we will judge his actions." He also warned that under Article 155 of the constitution, which the government used to impose direct rule on Catalonia, "could be used again if necessary," if the next regional leadership did not respect the law.

The government also issued a statement calling Torra's speech divisive and accusing Puigdemont, in naming his successor, "of making first the interests of an individual rather than the general interest of all citizens."



The opposition accused Torra of throwing "oil on the fire".

"Independence lost a great opportunity today, (that of having) a candidate who recognises his errors," said Ines Arrimadas, leader of the centre-right Ciudadanos, the party that received the most votes in the last regional elections.

The head of the Catalan Socialist party Miquel Iceta criticised Torra for accepting to "subordinate" himself to "someone who believes he is the legitimate president", referring to Puigdemont.

Catalonia has been in political limbo since Spain's conservative central government sacked Puigdemont and his cabinet and imposed direct rule on the semi-autonomous region after it unilaterally declared independence on October 27.

Regional elections were held in December, which separatist parties won again, but every leadership candidate picked by the separatist camp since has fallen flat. While Puigdemont faces jail if he returns home, other candidates such as civic leader Jordi Sanchez are in prison, charged with rebellion for their role in the independence drive.

Antonio Barroso, deputy research director at Teneo Intelligence, told AFP that Torra -- an editor who also held high positions within pro-independence associations -- will likely act as Puigdemont's "surrogate".

He will be faced with deep divisions in the separatist camp, composed of the CUP, the leftwing ERC party and Puigdemont's Together for Catalonia grouping, he added in a research note.

"The problem is that separatist parties continue to disagree on what to do next," he wrote.

"ERC wants to execute a 'moderate shift' to keep secessionist politicians out of legal troubles, avoid direct rule by Madrid, and try to garner long-term support for independence.

"In contrast, Puigdemont's strategy is to continue using every opportunity... to continue challenging the Spanish authorities and keep the secessionist momentum alive." Oriol Bartomeus, professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, told AFP that Torra had in his career shown "a pretty clear inclination towards the sector of the independence movement that is not really in favour of political normalisation." In March, Torra gave a rousing speech to the regional parliament calling on separatists to keep up their campaign against the central government.

"Do not think for a moment we will give up, not even a millimetre, to defend the justice, legitimacy and honourability of this cause," he thundered.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan today demanded that the BJP apologise to the country over a mention of Bal Gangadhar Tilak as "Father of Terrorism" in a Class 8 reference book in Rajasthan.

Printed by a Mathura-based publisher, the book is used by private English-medium schools affiliated to the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE).

"Is the Rajasthan government in its senses?" Chavan said, evoking a famous quote attributed to Tilak who regularly lambasted the British government in his newspaper.

"This is not just an insult of the country but also that of crores of freedom fighters....BJP should apologise to the country," Chavan said.

Tilak lit the fire of Freedom Movement, and "it's condemnable that such a personality is called "Father of Terrorism" in a book for students," the former Maharashtra chief minister said.

"This is a poor attempt to tarnish the image of leaders such as Tilak, Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi," he alleged.

Following the controversy, officials at the Student Advisor Publication Private Limited, which publishes the book, had said yesterday that the mistake was rectified in the revised edition.

"The translators made the mistake. It had come to our notice and was corrected in the revised edition last month," Rajpal Singh, a production official at the publisher's office, told PTI.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A group of citizens, including former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha and former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, today extended support to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's call for a unilateral ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir during the month of Ramzan till completion of the Amarnath Yatra.

In a statement issued here, the Concerned Citizens' Group said it strongly endorses the joint demand of the political parties of Jammu and Kashmir for a ceasefire during the sacred month of Ramzan.

"The security forces must observe the ceasefire strictly and should fire only when fired upon," it said.

The group said the government of India must initiate a purposeful dialogue, in the meanwhile, with all stakeholders in a time-bound manner.

They appealed to people to abjure violence during Ramzan and Amarnath Yatra.

The group comprises Yashwant Sinha, Wajahat Habibullah, former Air Marshal Kapil Kak, senior journalist Bharat Bhushan and Sushobha Barve.

On Thursday, the chief minister had said the central government should consider a unilateral ceasefire in the state starting from Ramzan in mid May till the completion of the Amarnath yatra in August.

She made the remarks after chairing a four-hour all-party meeting, which was convened to discuss the present situation in the Kashmir Valley.

However, BJP's Jammu and Kashmir unit opposed the unilateral ceasefire demand.

The party's state unit said militants were demoralised due to Army action and a unilateral ceasefire would ease pressure and allow them to re-energise.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Congress today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to influence voters in Karnataka on the polling day through his temple visits in Nepal.

Modi today prayed at Nepal's iconic Muktinath temple that is regarded sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists, becoming the first world leader to offer prayers there.

He also offered prayers at the Pashupatinath temple, located on the banks of the Bagmati river. The Pashupatinath temple is regarded as the most sacred and oldest temple of Shiva (Pashupati) in Nepal.

Polling is underway in 222 out of 224 seats in Karnataka which is witnessing a three-cornered contest.

Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot alleged that the prime minister had timed his visit to the Himalayan nation on the Karnataka poll date, and was "giving a message to Hindus" in the southern state.

Alleging violation of the model code of conduct, he said Modi's temple visits in Nepal were being aired on the day of polling in Karnataka.

This is not a good tradition in a democracy. In Gujarat also, he held a road show after voting.Today, he has adopted a new path. When Karnataka is polling today, he has gone to Nepal and is worshipping in temples there, as he could not do so in the southern state due to elections," Gehlot said.

The AICC general secretary said Modi, through his temple visits, was giving out a message to voters in Karnataka of how religious he was and that he was a Hindu.

"If one asks him (Modi), no other person is Hindu, except the BJP and RSS people, besides him and Amit Shah," he said.

On the Nepal visit being planned earlier, the former Rajasthan chief minister reiterated that the prime minister had timed his Nepal visit to coincide with the Karnataka polls.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today accused the Congress of misusing its powers in Karnataka and exuded confidence that the BJP would form government in the southern state with a clear majority.

The chief minister who reached here after receiving the first bus carrying pilgrims from Janakpur in Nepal to Ayodhaya, will stay at the Goraknath temple tonight.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli yesterday jointly inaugurated a direct bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhya - the two sacred cities for Hindus.

About the Karnataka Assembly elections, voting for which was held today, Adityanath said, "Congress misused its power there. Their ministers were found distributing money openly and they also used other ways to get votes."



"But the people of Karnataka are in full enthusiasm and we got their immense support. We believe that we will win in the state with a massive majority," he said.

In what is projected as a tight race, voting was held in 222 out of 224 seats in a three-cornered contest among the ruling Congress, the BJP and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's JD(S).

"Suicide by farmers is the highest in Karnataka... The benefits of government schemes were not reaching the needy. The government there was working with a feeling of political hostility... I feel they will pay for it," Adityanath said.

"I am certain that after witnessing the negative attitude of the Congress government, people there will ensure that the BJP takes over the charge of governance," he said.

On a tweet of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav asking the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh to fulfil the promises made by the ruling party for Ayodhaya, the chief minister said, "Whatever development work is done in Ayodhay has been done by us."



Adityanath said that due to the efforts of the prime minister, a new era of cordial relations between India and Nepal has begun.

"This was the third visit of the prime minister to Nepal... strong relations between the two countries exist from ancient times. PM Modi took this relationship a step forward and started bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhaya," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Gujarat police officer N K Amin, an accused in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, today told a CBI court here that there was a "conspiracy" to prove that the encounter was fake.

Arguing in person over his discharge application before special CBI judge J K Pandya, Amin said the FIR against him was "fabricated, biased and based on false facts".

Amin, accused in the charge sheet of firing five rounds from his gun at Ishrat Jahan and three others on June 14, 2004, claimed that IPS officer Satish Verma, a former investigator in the case, was also behind the conspiracy.

Verma was part of the conspiracy hatched at the behest of "the political party then in power" as he (Verma) allowed I K Chauhan, a former accused in the case, to turn a prosecution witness and depose against Amin despite knowing that he was stating blatant lies, Amin said.

Chauhan was a police inspector with the Ahmedabad crime branch at the time of the alleged fake encounter.

Amin and retired IPS officer D G Vanzara, both on bail in this case, have filed applications for discharge.

The CBI has opposed their pleas, saying it has sufficient evidence against them.

The court recently discharged former Gujarat DGP P P Pandey in the case.

Ishrat Jahan, a 19-year-old college girl from Mumbra near Mumbai, her friend Javed Sheikh alias Pranesh, Amzad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Ahmedabad police on the outskirts of the city in June 2004.

The police had then claimed that they were terrorists affiliated to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The first charge sheet filed by the CBI named seven Gujarat policemen -- Amin, Tarun Barot, P P Pandey, Vanzara, J G Parmar, K M Vaghela, and G L Singhal -- for carrying out a fake encounter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today said the construction of the Ram-Janki Marg from here to Nepal's Janakpur would be expedited, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart inaugurated a bus service between the two sacred Hindu cities.

The chief minister was in Ayodhya to receive a Nepalese delegation that reached here today by the Indo-Nepal bus service.

The bus was flagged-off by the prime ministers Modi and K P Sharma Oli from Janakpur in the Himalayan nation.

The Ram-Janki Marg -- connecting Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, to Janakpur, the birthplace of Goddess Sita -- is part of a Ramayana Circuit that aims to promote religious tourism in Nepal and India.

The Nepalese delegation comprised political leaders and officials and they were apprised of the road through a brochure of the Uttar Pradesh information department.

The Ram-Janki road will reduce travel time between Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh to Janakpur in Nepal from eleven hours to seven hours, Adityanath said.

"This is Modiji's best effort to connect the heritage of Nepal and India...I thank him for this direct bus service. Both the governments (India and Nepal) are finalising the agreement to fix the route and duration," he said.

"Times have changed, ages have passed since Lord Rama's visit to Janakpur, but the relation between both the countries cannot be breached. The relation of India and Nepal will remain intact," the chief minister said.

Speaking on the occasion, Saroj Kumar Kushwaha, a minister from Nepal's Province-2, said, "There is an unbreakable relation of Ram and Sita, both the nations must remember this."



Usha Yadav, also a minister, urged the Uttar Pradesh government to cooperate in the development of the Madhesi community.

"Women in both countries share the same status of suppression and harassment, governments must take initiative to support them," she said.

The Ram-Janki Marg, according to the brochure, will pass through 14 districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Calcutta University authorities today asked its affiliated under graduate colleges to focus on the modalities for implementing the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) in the first semester.

Pro-Vice Chancellor (academic) Dipak Kar told the college representatives at a workshop here that that they should let the students know about the available combination papers in the college during admission while enforcing the CBCS in the first semester.

"You should put the focus on the way of admission under CBCS mode and on the modalities for the first semester," Kar said at the Rajabazar Science College campus of CU when some of the college representatives raised the issue.

Representative of a South Kolkata college told reporters later that they wanted to know how to enforce the CBCS which the CU had announced to implement from the coming academic session.

The system enables a student to choose an elective paper from any discipline - science, humanities and commerce.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Officially, their governments don't speak. The United Arab Emirates doesn't even formally recognise that Israel exists.

But an impromptu bit of dinner diplomacy between Israel's prime minister and a prominent Emirati ambassador sheds light on one of the worst kept secrets in the Arab world: the quiet ties between Israel and some of its Arab neighbours that are increasingly coming out in the open as they find common cause against mutual foe Iran.

The venue back in March was Cafe Milano, the upscale Georgetown restaurant often frequented by powerful Washingtonians, from Barack Obama to Trump Cabinet members. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in town for an annual pro-Israel policy conference, was midway through dinner with his wife, Sara, when an unexpected request came his way.

By coincidence, the Emirati ambassador to the US, Yousef al-Otaiba, was at the restaurant hosting Brian Hook, the State Department's policy planning chief, and a group of US journalists, along with Bahrain's ambassador, Sheikh Abdullah bin Rashed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa.

The Americans dining with Otaiba got wind that Netanyahu was nearby. Word was sent to see if the Israeli would mind making an appearance at their dinner.

That request first passed through the restaurant's owner, then one of the journalists, who had walked by Netanyahu's table while on the way to the restroom.

It wasn't long before Netanyahu and his wife came over to say hello on their way out. They lingered, answering a few questions from the group about Iran and other issues.

There were smiles, a few laughs about the oddity of the situation, and Netanyahu shook hands with the two ambassadors before leaving the restaurant.

Neither the Israelis nor the Emiratis publicly disclosed the encounter, but it was described to The Associated Press by six people who either attended the dinner or were briefed on it. The individuals who attended spoke on condition of anonymity because the dinner's ground rules were that it be considered off the record. The AP did not attend the dinner.

The Israeli and Emirati embassies in Washington declined to comment. In and of itself, the interaction does not signal any historic establishment of ties between Israel and the UAE or any other country.

Yet it casts light on how friendly cooperation between the Jewish state and the Arab Gulf nations, until recently kept behind the scenes, are creeping into public view.

"It's become an open secret, even not a secret at all, demonstrated in public ways that are taboo-breaking and important in beginning a process of preparing Arab publics to share the Arab leadership's view that Israel is a strategic partner," said Dan Shapiro, a former US ambassador to Israel.

"But there is a danger in irrational exuberance. This is a very fragile process." Driving the shift until recently unimaginable in the Arab world is a growing alignment between Israel and the Sunni Arab nations against Iran, the Shiite-led nation that Israel considers an existential threat.

Saudi Arabia and its allies in the region, including the UAE, share a view that Iran now presents more of a threat to the region than Israel, whose thriving economy and prosperous tech sector have become attractive models for other Middle East nations to try to replicate.

Yet there are risks for the Arab nations in moving too fast. After all, Arab leaders have spent much of the past 70 years teaching their populations that Israel must not be allowed to exist and championing the cause of the Palestinians.

Those leaders may have some common ground with the Israelis, but the Palestinian issue remains a deeply emotional cause throughout the Arab world and would constrain them from going too far in their relations with Israel unless there is a resolution.

While Israel and the US have sidelined the Palestinian issue, these behind-the-scenes ties are likely to continue, and may be enough for Israel's own strategic needs.

Netanyahu frequently boasts of growing, discreet cooperation with moderate Arab countries. Though he doesn't identify them by name, they've long believed to be Sunni Gulf countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The Saudis, for instance, recently broke a decades-old practice and agreed to allow Indian flights to Israel to pass through Saudi airspace, cutting the trip by several hours.

The Saudi crown prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, even met with pro-Israel Jewish American leaders during his recent high-profile trip to the US, during which he was quoted as criticizing the Palestinians.

Israeli businessmen quietly operate in the UAE. The Emirati Embassy in Washington is planning an interfaith Iftar the meal eaten by Muslims to break the Ramadan fast that will include a US rabbi.

Qatar allows an ambassador to stay in Israel and to work with Israeli military officials while overseeing Qatari-funded construction projects in Gaza. The tiny, wealthy nation also recently hosted prominent Jewish-American leaders for a visit to Doha where they met with the country's ruling emir.

Bahrain late last year sent an interfaith delegation including Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Jews to Israel, in what was perceived as testing the waters for what might happen if the nation were to recognise Israel.

And its foreign minister, Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, stunned Israelis and Arabs this past week when he tweeted support for Israel's self-defense after Israel retaliated for an Iranian rocket barrage by attacking suspected Iranian targets in Syria, "As long as Iran has breached the status quo in the region and has evacuated its troops and missiles, any state in the region, including Israel, is entitled to defend itself by destroying the sources of danger," the foreign minister wrote.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here.A drawing teacher of a government school in Bathinda's Bhaini village was suspended for alleged indecent behaviour with girl students, an official said today.

"Drawing teacher Ramesh Kumar has been suspended for indecent behaviour with girl students," Bathinda District Officer (DEO) Maninder Kaur said.

The matter came to light when a Class 7 student informed her mother about Kumar and her parents lodged a complaint against him with the DEO.

In an inquiry conducted against Kumar, over 60 Class 7 and Class 8 students of the co- school complained of indecency, the DEO said.

Some of the girls were even reluctant to come forward to lodge a complaint out of fear, an official said.

Kaur said the teacher was earlier transferred from another nearby school on the same charges.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)At least 11 Iranians were among those killed in unprecedented Israeli strikes on Syria this week, a monitor said today.

"At least 27 pro-regime fighters were killed" in Thursday's strikes, said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

He said "six Syrian soldiers and 21 foreign fighters, including 11 Iranians" were among the dead.

That updates the monitor's initial toll of 23, which did not specify the number of Iranians.

"The new report is due to the death of wounded or missing persons whose deaths have been confirmed," Abdel Rahman said.

Israel says it struck dozens of Iranian targets inside Syria early on Thursday in response to a salvo of rockets allegedly fired by Iranian forces into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had "crossed a red line" and that Israel's bombardment against targets in Syria was "a consequence".

The Jewish state has long warned it will not accept Iran entrenching itself militarily in neighbouring Syria, where the Islamic Republic backs Assad's regime in the country's seven-year civil war.

Israeli forces have been blamed for a series of recent strikes inside Syria that have killed Iranians, though it has not acknowledged those raids.

Israel says it has conducted dozens of operations in Syria to stop what it says are advanced arms deliveries to one of its main foes, Iran-backed Hezbollah.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)At least 11 Iranians were among those killed in unprecedented Israeli strikes on Syria on Thursday, a monitor said today.

"At least 27 pro-regime fighters were killed: six Syrian soldiers and 21 foreign fighters, including 11 Iranians," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

That updates the monitor's initial death toll of 23, which did not specify the number of Iranians.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) B S Sandhu exhorted police officers to enhance police visibility on the ground and stressed that their behaviour towards public should be friendly.

While giving directives to maintain law and order in the state, the DGP said all district SPs should have better coordination and share real time information pertaining to criminals.

He said that police should develop a friendly relationship with the public and instill fear in the minds of the criminals.

Sandhu was presiding over a meeting to review crime situation with all senior police officers and district SPs in Faridabad last evening, an official statement issued here said.

Others present in the meeting included Haryana Police Housing Corporation Limited Chairman Parminder Rai, ADGP Law and Order Mohd Akil and ADGP Admn Sudhir Chaudhry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) today hailed the Centre's announcement to continue the four per cent MEIS (Merchandize Export from India Scheme) beyond June 30, saying it will be a major relief to the exporting units that used to take orders six months back normally.

In a statement, TEA president, Raja M Shanmugham said as per earlier public notices from Directorate General Of Foreign Trade (DGFT) the MEIS rate four per cent shall be valid from November 1, 2017 to June 30 2018.

Considering the requisition by TEA, the DGFT has now issued a public notice stating that the four per cent MEIS will be continued beyond June 30, which was a major relief to the exporting units, he said.

"We have been requesting the central government to extend the validity period as the exporting units are struggling to sustain further to reduction of Duty Drawback Rate and Rebate on State Levies (ROSL) after implementation of GST and also delay in getting GST refund," he said.

"It was also emphasised personally for continuance of this lifeline support during the meeting with Ministers, Textile Secretary and other higher officials, Shanmugham pointed out.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Five persons, including two women have been arrested in connection with the bomb explosion outside a BSF camp at Koirengei in Imphal East district earlier this week, top Manipur police officer said.

Two BSF personnel and three civilians were killed in the blast that took place on May 9.

Manipur Director General of Police told newsmen here yesterday that the force had been on alert since the blast and acting on intelligence input arrested the five within 24 hours.

The five included the kingpin, who is an active cadre of the proscribed People Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), the DGP said.

PREPAK, whose main demand is the expulsion of outsiders from Manipur, had claimed responsibility for the blast.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Minister for Transport and Shipping Nitin Gadkari today handed over a cheque of Rs 5 crore, donated by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, to historian Babasaheb Purandare for the development of "Shivasrushti", a memorial to Chhatrapati Shivaji.

The memorial is being developed at Ambegaon Budruk in the district by the Maharaja Shiv Chhatrapati Pratishthan under the guidance of Purandare.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was also present when the cheque was handed over Purandare.

During the function, Gadkari announced an aid of Rs 116 crore for the construction of a flyover from Katraj Chowk to Wadgoan.

He also assured Rs 135 crore for another 1,340 metre long flyover at Katraj Chowk which will be constructed by the National Highway Authority of India.

Gadkari said that this road would have a direct connector to the Shivasrushti memorial.

Purandare, while thanking Fadnavis and Gadkari for the financial help, informed that personalities like late Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray and former CM Vasantdada Patil had earlier extended support to the project.

The historian stated that the current land parcel of 21 acres earmarked for the memorial was insufficient and gave the example of Disneyland (in the United States of America) which is spread across 500 acres.

Purandare, however, said that he and his team were trying to make best use of the available space by using new technologies.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The opposition Congress, on the eve of BJP Amit Shah's visit to the state on Sunday, demanded that he should either "give its chief minister" or "take back this undemocratically installed government".

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, spokesperson Yatish Naik alleged that the state government was installed against the wishes of the people as the was the single largest party in the 2017 state Assembly polls.

"Either Shah should give its chief minister or he should take back this undemocratically installed government. Goa is headless for the last two months (owing to the absence of CM Manohar Parrikar due to health reasons) and the government is in a state of paralysis and administrative chaos," Naik said.

Goa Pradesh Committee Girish Chodankar alleged that no cabinet meetings were being held, adding that people were frustrated over this lack of governance.

He demanded that the state government provide clarity on the health of Parrikar by way of a periodic medical bulletin.

He said that the Congress had asked the state Governor (Mridula Sinha) for the issuance of such a bulletin but the Governor was "not showing interest in our demand".Over 5,000 entrepreneurs from 100 countries are expected to take part in an exhibition on the services sector being organised by the Maharashtra government here from May 15.

President Ram Nath Kovind will inaugurate the 'Global Exhibition on Services'. The four-day show will take place at the Bombay Exhibition Center in suburban Goregaon.

A government official said more than 5,000 service entrepreneurs from 100 countries, active in 22 sectors, will be participating in the conference.

Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu will attend the inaugural function.

"The services sector has a big share in the country's development as well as in industrial production. In view of this, the 'Global Exhibition on Services' is being organised from 2015," the official said.

The event, whose first three editions had been organised in New Delhi and Noida, will facilitate the services sector in the country, he said.

The exhibition, being held in association with the Union Commerce and Industry Ministry, is being held for the first time in the economic capital of the country, said the official.

In addition, the Services Export Promotion Council and the Confederation of Indian Industry are also involved in the event.

"The services sector has been a very important tool for the economic growth of India. More than 5,000 industrialists from 100 countries active in 22 sectors will participate in this exhibition," the official said.

"The purpose of the exhibition is to showcase global services in the sector and create more opportunities in the industry in India," he added.

Representatives from service entities active in technology, tourism and hospitality, transport, commerce and finance, construction and engineering, legal field, media, environment and education, among others, will take part in the conference.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed led a funeral prayer in absentia of the Kashmiri militants killed recently.

Saeed led the prayers yesterday at the JuD headquarters in Chauburji Lahore which apparently has been taken over by the Punjab government a few months ago. He also led a rally outside the JuD headquarters to express solidarity with the Kashmiris.

Interestingly, Saeed has offered Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and ousted premier Nawaz Sharif "relief" if they quit their friendship with the Indian prime minister.

"If the prime minister (Abbasi) and former prime minister (Sharif) want to rid of the problems they are facing today they first will have to quit their friendship with Indian prime minister (Narendra) Modi and slavery of the United States," he said.

Saeed further said Islamabad should stop making lame excuse regarding extending support to the Kashmiris and tell the people about its limitations. He said the Kashmiri militants' struggle has entered into the 'decisive' phase.

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people. It has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014.

The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a USD 10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)